March 7, 2022
by Ashley
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Ingredients
1 cup ricotta cheese (whole-milk)
1 tsp finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sugar
Mix all of these ingredients together and split between ricotta mixture between two to four ramekins. Sprinkle granulated sugar over the top and brûlée with a torch. Serve by themselves or with fresh berries.
January 11, 2022
by Ashley
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This cake was great and super easy for the kids to make.
Ingredients
4 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp granulated white sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 tbsp half & half
1 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tbsp granulated white sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
In a large microwave safe mug, mix the cake ingredients from flour through vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
In a small pinch bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon.
Use a spoon to lift half of the cake batter out of the mug and sprinkle half of the sugar mixture over the cake. Top with the remaining spoonful of batter and pour of the rest of the sugar mixture over it.
Microwave cake at full power 1 minute – 1 1/2 minutes. Check to make sure you don’t cook it too long. Make one cake at a time and eat immediately. These don’t keep too long and will dry out.
October 1, 2021
by Ashley
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8 skinless chicken tenders
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 1/2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or red onion
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp drained capers
3 tbsp fresh parsley
Pound the chicken tenders until about 1/2 inch thick. Place 1 tbsp flour in a small bowl and place the rest into a small shallow dish. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour in the shallow dish and shake off excess.
Melt 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken to the pan and sauté 4 minutes on each side until done. remove chicken from the pan and keep warm.
Heat remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil and sauté the shallots. About 3 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add wine, bring to a boil, scrap pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until liquid almost evaporates. Add 1/4 cup broth to 1 tsp flour; stir until smooth. Add remaining 1/2 cup broth to pan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced in half, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour mixture; cook 1 minute or until thick. Remove from heat, stir in remaining 1 1/2 butter, juice and capers. Place 2 chicken tenders per plate with 2 tbsp sauce. Sprinkle with parsley.
April 5, 2021
by Ashley
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This is really not a recipe, but more of a reminder to myself that these little tea sandwiches are wonderful and I should make them again.
Open-Faced Tea Sandwich Ideas –
I used only Pumpernickel Small Breads
Top with an Apple slice, Penta Creme Blue & Honey
Top with Horseradish Cheddar & Cucumbers
Top with Blueberry Jam, Double Cream Brie & a candied Pecan
Top with Cream cheese & dill, cucumber, sardines
Top with sliced Hardboiled Eggs, a drop of Dijon mustard and a drop of mayo
Top with sliced hardboiled eggs and Northwoods Fire salt
Also pictured are apple slices with peanut butter so the kids feel like they have an appetizer as well.
February 19, 2021
by Ashley
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We have lovingly coined these as Bean Brownies now in our house. We were pleasantly surprised at how these turned out. I keep joking that my brothers worry about what is in my cookies (they hate flaxseed) but they would be shocked to find out that there are beans in these.
Ingredients
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp all purpose flour (or corn starch to make gluten free)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the beans in a food processor and whir until broken up into small pieces. Add in sugar through vanilla and process until smooth. Scrap down the sides to ensure that there aren’t any chunks. Add in flour and pulse until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and pour into a silicone brownie pan. Mine is about 9×9.
Bake for 30 minutes.
You can choose to leave these as is, or add a topping. Powdered sugar might be nice, but I added 3 tbsp white chocolate with 1 tsp vegetable oil and melt it together. I drizzled this over the top. You can add crushed mints, other candies etc.
These are 2 purple points without the extra toppings.
February 17, 2021
by Ashley
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I have never tried beans as a base in cookies before, so this was a first attempt. Isla loves them.
Ingredients
1 can chickpeas, rinse and drained
1 cup Creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Get out the food processor for this one! Whir the chickpeas up as best as you can to break up any of the larger chunks. Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the chocolate chips) and whip until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Bake for 10 minutes or so. Makes 28 cookies.
3 Purple Points
February 15, 2021
by Ashley
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Paul loves cheesecake, but it is sometimes just too much. I found this lightened up recipe and made it recently. It turned out really well and everyone loved it.
3 eggs
3 cups Nonfat Plan Greek Yogurt
1 package Instant vanilla pudding mix
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Whisk all ingredients together until every thing is combined. Use cooking spray and coat a round spring pan. Pour in cake mixture and bake for 45 minutes – 50 minutes. Look to the sides of the pan to ensure they have browned and the middle has set.
Pull out the cheesecake and let set for 10 minutes. I will naturally pull apart from the sides of the pan. Release the pan and transfer the cheesecake to plate (leaving it on the bottom of the spring pan). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Best if left overnight.
Serve with berries of your choice and whipped cream.
4 Smart Points
February 7, 2021
by Ashley
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2 ripe bananas
4 eggs
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup almond milk
2 cups rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
Put all items in a blender and whip up. Pour onto a flat skillet and cook and done! Serve with whatever toppings you desire.
January 30, 2021
by Ashley
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1/3 cup Hoisin Sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, minced
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sambal oelek
7 chicken tenders, sliced thin
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
8 oz mushrooms, sliced thin
1/4 head cabbage, sliced thin
1 carrot, sliced in thin strips
6 green onions, chopped
3 tbsp cilantro
Directions
Whisk together hoisin through sambal and set aside.
Slice chicken and toss with salt and pepper. If chicken is a little frozen, it will slice better.
Heat a Dutch oven and add a little oil. Once heated, cook the chicken in two batches until cooked through. Remove and set aside.
Add a little more oil and cook mushrooms for a few minutes. Add in cabbage and carrots with hoisin mixture and toss to combine. Cook until cabbage wilts about 4 minutes. Add in chicken a toss until well combined. Remove from heat and add in green onions and cilantro.
Serve with lettuce leaves to wrap or rice.
January 18, 2021
by Ashley
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I love these candies. I have been making them recently because of my gluten free/dairy free friends
Ingredients
6 medium navel oranges
4 cups sugar, plus more for coating
12 oz dark chocolate chips
Lots of water
Directions
Slice the tops and bottoms off of each orange. Score the peels in quarters and remove each peel. Cut each orange peel into thin strips that are about 1/4 inch slices.
Put the orange peels into a medium saucepan and add cold water over the oranges to cover. Cover the sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Pour off the water. Repeat 2 more times.
Pour out the orange peels into a sieve and let sit while heating 4 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water in the saucepan. Bring to a simmer, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the orange peels and continue simmering for 45 minutes, or until translucent. Drain the peels and toss with sugar to coat. Let the peels dry on a wire rack for at least 6 hours.
Heat the chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir and heat another 30 seconds. Stir all chocolate to ensure it all has been melted.
Dip each orange peel halfway in the chocolate. Transfer the peels to a silpat covered cookie sheet and set in the fridge to harden. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.