Satisfying All Around...Another Food Edition.

I'm not going to lie. It's never fun to try a new recipe and have it bomb. Or have someone, ehem... unwilling to even try it. Today I tried a new Pinterest recipe for pork chops and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and I even had to do some modifications for lack of ingredients.

Baked Pork Chops I modified it by adding a few dashes of Tabasco to the egg mix. I also didn't have any seasoning salt so I rubbed some cajun seasoning in... and it wasn't spicy in the end. Just flavorful. I also tried carmelizing some onions with the pork chops and then adding them to the gravy mix. I doubled the sauce mixture and when I didn't have another can of cream of mushroom, I used this recipe on Pinterest to make a substitute (with garlic, but not the mushrooms). Instead of baking the pork chops as long as it said, I modified that by baking for 45 minutes, adding the sauce and making for another 30-40 minutes.

Last week I tried a recipe for Garlic Herb French Bread and it was so good that I nearly ate the entire loaf myself...  On Tuesday, I made it a second time in a week to go with spaghetti. Not only was it super flavorful... but I tried a method of getting my bread to rise using an oven and also tried braiding my loaf.

To satisfy my sweet tooth I tried this Caramel Crispix recipe using up some rice chex and wheat chex. I had the equivalent of one box so I halved the recipe and it worked just fine. I'm not sure how a person could screw this up. Yum.

The only recipes I tried that weren't quite "wins" were the ones for bok choy. This is something I've never cooked before and I wasn't quite sure what to do. I opted for splitting the bok choy and trying two different sauces to see which flavor and method I prefered. What I learned was that both flavors were great and neither prep method was quite what I wanted it to be. I think I needed baby bok choy and I had the full size stuff. I should have chopped it up I think. Instead I tried an oven method and a frying method and neither yielded a result that resembled the picture... either I didn't cook it long enough or at the right temp or perhaps I'm just not sure what the texture should be when cooked.

The spicy roasted bok choy was indeed quite spicy, but I love spicy so I thought it was pretty awesome.

Baby Bok Choy with Sweet and Tangy Sauce might suit the masses more. It was tangy and  not at all spicy, but quite nice.

Next up... I plan to make Crème Brûlée. I have tried this recipe when a friend made it and served it at our wine club. I'm determined to try it myself. Yum. It was so very dangerously delicious. I'll update one I've actually conquered this one!

What's Cooking? A (Pinterest) Recipe Roundup for this Week

I struggle to remember what I used to cook before Pinterest. A lot of homemade macaroni and cheese, perhaps.

Tonight's meal featured a "Tested and Approved" meal option: Stromboli.  I love this one for the ease and deliciousness. It's got a few steps but still pretty easy.

Sunday felt like a day that needed a sort of Super Bowl type food so I opted for my very favorite sliders.  Oh man. Little delicious burgers from heaven. Yum. If you search for Sliders Four Ways on YouTube you can also see a print version of each of the recipes in the description.

Saturday, we ate Swedish Meatballs and mashed potatoes (very rich and creamy... my secret lots of cream, butter, sour cream and some tabasco... all whipped in my KitchenAid Mixer). My mom pointed out that this recipe was nothing like the one she uses, so here's the link. We like this version. Super tasty.

Friday, we had Spicy Sausage Rigatoni with Tomato Cream Sauce. I really like this one, but it is pretty spicy for those who don't like that sort of thing.

Earlier in the week I made Chicken Lazone and served it over angel hair pasta. This one is also a little spicy since I tend to cut up my chicken into bite size pieces and dip in spices before cooking rather than coating a full breast or tender.

Not sure if you've noticed but all our meals seem to have one common ingredient--cream. The only one that didn't was the stromboli from tonight. Sheesh.

In addition to this week's main course menu I tried a new recipe: Scottish Shortbread and am happy to report it was a success.

I also made homemade granola bars today but the jury is still out on those. They don't seem to be holding together very well. I skipped the brown sugar in this recipe and just used butter, honey, and peanut butter for the liquid bits. Didn't add any vanilla. I mixed in oats, peanuts, sunflower seeds, craisins, and sliced almonds. I've really liked crushed pretzels in this recipe but I didn't have any. I also decided to skip the chocolate for this batch so it hardly seems like I even followed the recipe, but I think the idea is that can be altered.  I wonder if I added a bit of Karo Syrup if it would stick together better.

Almost every week we make Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins for the little monster who can't imagine a breakfast without one. This week was no different.

And lastly, I made one more batch of our favorite ranch dressing. This one is a Whole 30 recipe that uses coconut milk and is fabulous. So quick and easy to make if you have the ingredients on hand. And tastes good enough to drink! I typically don't bother adding cilantro or any other spice since the first time I made it without and it tasted so good, I've never tried it another way.

A Summer Treat -- Revised

S'mores Stuffed Brownies

I just saw this recipe on The Picky Palate blog and can't wait to try it. I'm forever trying to figure out how to ingest S'mores when there's no campfire to be found. Follow the link for details... Mmmmmm.....

I am craving this pie...

Fire up the oven!

Champagne Salad

I got the following recipe from my friend Diane. This dish is further proof that potlucks are a good thing, because I tried it first and fell in love. Mmmmmm.... Now I need a jello mold, since my makeshift one didn't work quite as well as I wanted.

Champagne Salad

Ingredients:
1 8 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup granulated sugar
10 oz frozen strawberries
1 can crushed pineapple
2 bananas sliced
8 oz cool whip
Directions:
1 8 oz. cream cheese blended with 3/4 cup sugar
Add 10 oz frozen strawberries with juice to blender.
Pour this into a bowl and add 1 can crushed pineapple with juice, 2 bananas sliced and 8 oz cool whip.

Freeze.
Remove from freezer one hour before serving--should be served partially frozen, not melted.

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:
3 medium tomatoes (firm to the touch)
1 medium sweet yellow onion
1 green onion with the stalk (optional -- I skipped it because I didn't have one)
3 jalapenos or serrano peppers
1/2 cilantro bush (equal to about 1/2 cup or more chopped)
1 pinch of salt (or pinch per tomato, if you prefer)

Dice the tomatoes and the onions into little cubes, the cilantro and jalapeno should be finely chopped. Then toss the ingredients together evenly.

Optional: You can add a bit of fresh lemon or lime juice if you're going to serve it on fajita tacos or with seafood, I like to eat mine as a kind of "fresh chunky salsa" and serve it with chips so I like a bit of lemon juice in mine. Scoops are a great chip to use with this if you are doing the chip/dip option.

I've made this recipe plenty of times before and it's a little different every time. However, this time I used tomatoes, jalapenos, and onions from my garden. Yay!

Pretend Pasta

I've been intrigued by the idea of zucchini noodles and what I call "pretend pasta" ever since I ate at Ecopolitan last May. When it came time for my garden I planted spaghetti squash so I could explore new foods.

I baked my squash at 375 for about an hour and let it cool for about 10 minutes before slicing it in half and scooping out the seeds. Then with a fork I scraped the squash away from its skin and it just naturally forms spaghetti strands--yum!



All summer I've been meaning to make pesto because I have so much yummy basil, but I had no idea how to make it. I found a recipe online and tried that one, but something didn't work. The recipe claimed it would make 3 cups of pesto but it doesn't even include 3 cups of ingredients so I should have figured that out before I tried. I may have needed more basil or more liquid. It wasn't a sauce so much as a paste. So then I tried another recipe in an effort to repair. That one called for the same amount of basil leaves but more than double the olive oil and parmesan cheese so I added more of each of those and even a tbsp of water, but it still only made about 3/4 - 1 cup of pesto sauce. Again, maybe I just needed more basil? I am NOT the pesto expert, but I'm not giving up. I will try again when my basil plants produce a bit more.

The recipe I tried for my first dose of "pretend pasta" was Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Mozzerella. It was good but it seemed a wee bit oily to me. I only used 1/2 of my spaghetti squash too. It was just soooo much squash in just half that I didn't think it would work with more. I'll save the other half for a marinara type sauce next!

Black Bean, Mango and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:
1 large mango diced (about 1 3/4 cup)
3 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1 1/2 limes)
3 tbsp water
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced sweet onion
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (or mint if you prefer)
1 tbsp minced or fresh jalapeno peppers

In a large bowl, mash up 1/4 cup of diced mango with a fork; whisk in lime juice, water, oil, cumin, and salt.

Add remaining diced mango, beans, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno to bowl. Toss to mix and coat. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to one day.

Yields about 8 servings at a 1/2 cup per serving -- 2 weight watchers points each.

This is a fantastic zippy salad. It is meant to be eaten solo as a side dish or salad. I tried eating some with tortilla chips, but I suspect that defeats some of the benefits of the weight watchers healthy-ness. Make this salad if you like an explosion of flavor. Yum.

Chilled Minted Pea Soup

I don't even like peas, but this soup is divine. Judy served it at book club a couple months ago and I was blown away. This is a fairly straightforward recipe and yet I still managed to screw it up (see notes at the end) but if you can read, I'm sure yours will turn out exactly like Judy's.

Ingredients:
1 pound petite frozen green peas
2 cups chicken broth
2 small green onions, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
14 fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup sour cream

Garnish:
sour cream
fresh mint leaves

4-6 servings

Place peas in the blender. Heat chicken broth to boiling, pour over peas, and puree. Add green onions, lime juice, nutmeg, mint, and sour cream. Blend until smooth. Taste, adjust mint and nutmeg if necessary, and blend again. Chill 3-4 hours. Serve in chilled cups and garnish with sour cream and mint leaf.

What I did:
I used powdered nutmeg from my spice drawer. I am not sure what "petite" frozen peas are so I just used regular frozen peas. I got the mint leaves from mom's garden and they smelled heavenly. I accidentally didn't read the bit about the TWO small green onions. For whatever reason I used the whole bunch. So, I think that was more like 6 small green onions. Hmmm... There is a distinct oniony aftertaste to the soup, but I like onion so it's not terrible. I would advise following the recipe! Sheesh!

In the Kitchen with Carmyn

I've been on a cooking crusade this week--exploring new recipes and some I've not attempted in awhile. One was a flop--reuben dip--and I didn't bother to blog it. It turns out the coconut cupcakes were better than I realized and I appreciated them more and more as the week progressed. Yum. I've made these once before and they remind me of summer--particularly summer in California with good friends. Thanks for the sweet treat, BA--I'll be thinking of you.

Beth Ann's Buttermilk Brownies
Bring the following ingredients to a boil and remove from heat:
1 cup margarine (I used butter)
1 cup water
3 tbsp cocoa

Then add and blend:
2 cups flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt

In a separate bowl beat 2 eggs

Add 1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

Blend well--then add to batter.

Pour into a greased and floured 10 x 15" pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees

Frosting:
Heat the following ingredients over low heat--DO NOT BOIL!!:
1 stick of margarine (I used butter)
3 tbsp cocoa
6 tbsp milk

Remove from heat and the following:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup nuts

Use a mixer/beater to blend.

Globe-y Goodness.

My Uncle Errol dropped by a few days ago with a belated birthday gift. A trio of goodies that made my day. I'd mentioned I was all about the globes lately, one day when he was admiring my studio space. When he saw a couple for sale at a local thrift shop, he knew they'd be the perfect gift. And he was right!


A few years ago when I was writing articles for the Red River Women Today, I wrote and an article on Great Dinners.

Great Dinners is one of the Empire Art's Center's fundraisers. Every 12-18 months a Great Dinners event is held at 10 different host homes all on one night--each host couple serves anywhere between 6-12 guests. The end of the evening activity is a Great Desserts party at the Empire and all the hosts and guests gather to discuss their meals and the experience. Everyone who's done it raves about the experience. Maybe next time around I'll get to be a part of it, instead of just writing about it!

When I was working on the article, I remember perusing the cookbook from the first event. I didn't buy one at the time, and truthfully I probably wouldn't be daring enough to try many of the meals described in the book. However, Errol remembered my article and figured I might like a copy of the cookbook--also a thrifted treasure. I am always touched when friends and family "pay attention" and gift accordingly. It's so meaningful and kind.


The white rack is meant for magazines or books. Something I found in mom's garage. I figure I can use this fixture in my classroom or somewhere in my house. I'm a big believer in books as art! The blanket? A remnant of my babyhood. Just another little something I need to find a way to display.

Coconut Cupcakes

I'm not the biggest cupcake fan in the world, mainly because I don't care for cake. However, this was no ordinary cake mix cake and it had coconut and cream cheese frosting. And let's be honest I LOVE cream cheese frosting. I am ever on the hunt for a frosting recipe that could compare to the Dakota Harvest cream cheese frosted cupcakes I now long for.

Though these were good... but the frosting is still not quite right. It's like I can taste the vanilla and almond or something. Like I need to leave those out. I should just dare to ASK the bakery how they make their frosting or what is in it... but I don't know if that's a major faux pas or just a compliment to the bakery. Oh well.

If you like rich creamy frosting sprinkled with coconut and like that on a cupcake, you might want to try these.


Coconut Cupcakes
1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All rights reserved found here

Prep Time: 1 hr 0 min
Inactive Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 35 min
Level: Intermediate
Serves: 18 to 20 cupcakes (mine made 30 cupcakes.. I guess I have smaller cupcake tins?)


Ingredients
* 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 2 cups sugar
* 5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
* 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
* 3 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting:
* 1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
* 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
* 1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

Last night's Meal -- Day One of Cooking Fun!

(prior to baking)

Pizza with Pepper, Onion, and Feta
Ingredients:
12" thin pizza crust (I bought prepared Boboli crust--a bit pricey)
3 cups chopped bell peppers (red, green, yellow)
1 cup sliced red or yellow onions pulled into rings
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. dried Italian herbs
Salt to taste
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
1/4 cup (4 oz) crumbled herbed feta cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Lay crust on a pizza pan.
In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients except feta cheese.
Spoon over pizza crust. Top with cheese.
Bake 10-12 minutes, or until vegetables are crispy tender. Serves 6.


Per serving: 258 calories
8 g protein
30 g carbs.
11.6 g fat (4 g saturated)
2 g fiber
488 mg sodium
bonus: This pizza is loaded with antioxidants in the peppers, onions, garlic and herbs.

A few things worth noting:

• I didn't quite need 3 cups of peppers. It seemed a bit much to try to heap the entire mixture on the crust-- I might go for a bit less.. maybe 2.5 cups peppers instead?
• I didn't bother with a green pepper since I like the other colors better so my pizza has red, yellow, and orange instead.
• I used a purple onion and wasn't quite sure how to measure out 1 cup when they were in rings--I did the best I could and thought it turned out well.
• The pizza was delicious and the only concern I have is how it will fare upon reheating. The peppers make the crust soggy if it's not eaten right away.
• I didn't use dried herbs, instead I used fresh basil, sage, and oregano. Yum! (It smells sooooo good when I'm chopping it up... I could wear it as a perfume)
• I was also thinking fresh mushrooms might have been a nice touch as well... I may experiment with that next time.
• This wasn't exactly a cost saving meal. Instead I think it cost close to $16.00 to make--between the feta cheese, the Boboli ready made crust and the veggies. I may try to figure out a homemade pizza crust option!

Homemade Caramels -- Take One.

My latest candy craze is the soft "Homemade Caramels" sold at Home of Economy. Not sure in whose home they are made, but I could buy those babies by the box. At 25 cents apiece I've been known to invest a few dollars and bring home a heaping handful.

I was itching to drive over there this afternoon and get my fix when I remembered Patti's caramels she brought to work this winter. THOSE truly were homemade. Yum. After finally locating the recipe I discovered I actually had all the ingredients on hand and a candy thermometer which was still in one piece (I tend to break those regularly).

I had only one problem while cooking this candy--which should I follow: the time (12-15 minutes) or the temperature (firm ball stage)? I opted for the temperature but I'm not sure it was the right thing to do.

Here's the recipe:

1 cup margarine
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
dash of salt
1 cup light Karo syrup
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Melt Margarine; add brown sugar and salt. Stir until mixed. Blend in corn syrup. Gradually add condensed milk, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir over medium heat, 12-15 minutes, until it reaches firm ball stage. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and nuts, if desired. Pour into greased 9 x 13" pan and refrigerate.

I added vanilla but left out the nuts. I might skip the vanilla next time. I also overgreased the pan, I think--not sure. After refrigerating for a short while, using a kitchen scissor I cut the caramel into bite sized pieces. I started to wrap each individually but lost steam quickly in that endeavor and so I simply used wax paper to layer pieces in a small container.

I think I answered my own question already, it's possible I should have stopped cooking after 15 minutes even though they weren't at "firm ball stage" because they got darker than I remember Patti's caramels being. They taste darker too. Not bad, just not quite what I had in mind.

I'll have to try again when I need my next caramel fix.

Achingly Sweet Treats

I am consumed with desire for desserts. I have never been a cake person, but Baked Expectations in Winnipeg convinced me that not all cakes are equal and I am pretty sure I had a cake similar to this and tasted my first bit of heaven. MMmmm...

On my trip to Ireland, Ang and I got to sample snippets of shortbread on the airplane and I've indulged in some store bought varieties when the craving hits ever since.

Now, with these few recipes I'm ready to try my own. The tough part is deciding where to begin. I am still on a quest for a taste-alike recipe to match the cream cheese cupcake frosting of my dreams, but I may move on to other tasty treats in the meantime.

Fourteen-layer cake via Bakerella

Classic Shortbread via Cakespy

Walnut Blondie with Maple Butter Sauce via Bakerella

Toasted Coconut Shortbread via Smitten Kitten

Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread via Angry Chicken

Cupcake O' My Heart

the last cupcake

A little over a week ago I special ordered a dozen cupcakes from Dakota Harvest Bakery in an effort to relive the magic of the dreamy cupcake I ate last November 14th at the RRVWP Writing Retreat. I would have settled for one, but week after week I came up empty handed at the bakery and finally decided to special order them since they must only make this variety for catering. It's a simple cupcake with tinted cream cheese frosting. But the frosting is unlike any I've had before.

I will say that this time round, the cupcake portion was a wee bit dry... like corn bread muffin dry. Of course, that was especially true by the time I ate the final cupcake... but they started that way when I got them on Monday. The cheesecake frosting was divine, however.

I am certain I don't need to do this again or if I do I may try to find a way to split the order with a friend or two so I can avoid the daily cupcake temptation. There is no need for cupcakes with breakfast.

The irony? I hate cake. I'm not a fan of any cake, really. And certainly not of cupcakes, or muffins for that matter. I don't like frosting, which is a big part of it, I'm sure. Yet, in a moment of impulse last November, my life was changed forever. You think I'm being dramatic? You haven't tasted the cupcake.

On Saturday, I tried to come up with my own version of the magic cupcake. I found a recipe online. It claimed to be "the last cream cheese frosting recipe you'll ever need." I used a cake mix for the cupcakes, which turned out far moister and more delicious than the expensive ones. The frosting recipe, however, failed me. It looked pretty. (I tinted it green... ye olde shamrock day is approaching.) I tasted like any other kind of frosting with merely a hint of cream cheese. It felt overly sweet. I wish I could find out the ingredients for the recipe from the Bakery... at least then I'd be in the ballpark when trying to reconstruct it.

The quest is not over. That recipe is my holy grail.

Links of Love.

I love the idea of this ring.
It is designed to leave a message behind when the ring is removed.
For sale here.

These are pretty adorable and so simple!

I love this idea. I don't have lollipop molds,
but I'm thinking I should get some!
Click here for directions.

I did do a little crafty fun earlier.
I've discovered all kinds of super downloads.
One for some cutey-patootie valentines you can print and use.
One for a papercut valentine.

One for a sticky note cozy.

Creamy Tomato Soup

Our book club is as much about the tasty food as the books some months. This month I hosted and I was determined to find a new soup recipe to try. I loved how it turned out and I served it with buttery, crusty, sourdough grilled cheese sandwiches using farmer's cheese. Mmmm... I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Here's the soup recipe: from Taste of Home

8 SERVINGS
20 min of prep
10 min cooking

INGREDIENTS
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
* 2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
* 1-1/2 cups milk
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/2 to 1 teaspoon paprika
* 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed

DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in tomatoes, soup, milk, sugar, basil, paprika and garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cream cheese until melted. Serve immediately. Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts).

Apparently you can make this "low fat" (look at the website for suggestions and nutritional info) and I wish I'd known this before, so I could have tried it that way first. I made the fully fatted version and it was delish. It will be hard to do it any other way!

MMmmmmm... soup.

Glenn Close’s Chicken, Mushroom, and Barley Stew
From In the Kitchen with Miss Piggy

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
¾ tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp pepper
½ cup quick-cooking barley
2 large carrots, cut into thin slices
¼ pound mushrooms, cut into thin slices
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bit size pieces
10 cherry tomatoes
1 small bunch scallions (about 6), coarsely chopped




Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in flour. Continue cooking and stirring until the flour has completely absorbed the butter.

2. Increase the heat to medium-high, slowly add a small amount of chicken broth, and stir to combine with the butter and flour. When there are no lumps of flour left, it is safe to add the remaining chicken broth. Also add the thyme and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened.

3. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, stir in the barley, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the carrots and cook for about 3 more minutes.

4. Add the mushrooms, chicken, and whole tomatoes. Return the stew to a boil over medium-high heat, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

5. Stir in the scallions and serve hot.

Serves 4

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

A few modifications:
I thought about skipping the scallions because it was the one ingredient I'd forgotten, but my dear, sweet, friend Sangeeta brought me some from Hugo's and after tasting the finished stew I realized. They really do add. Don't skip the scallions. :)

I use a little more chicken broth than the recipe calls for (about 28 oz).

I also cook my chicken (usually by boiling it separately then cutting into bite size pieces) before adding it to the stew because I am afraid of it being undercooked. Perhaps this is unnecessary, but it makes me feel better.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I usually get a chance to try some new recipes for the Christmas holidays and this year I had to settle for tried and true treats since I ran out of time for experimenting. This was one of the recipes I've been dying to try. I read rave reviews by a reader in Rachel Ray's magazine and printed out the recipe ages ago.

I love pumpkin flavored things and cream cheese frosting and this seemed to have both! Unfortunately they are not a healthy snack... or at least not a low-cal one. Each one of these little tasties has about 326 calories. Sigh. I probably won't be making them regularly but, they were fun to try. Mine didn't turn out as round and pretty as the ones pictured on her site but I am guessing they taste just as good.


Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Silvana Nardone and Christina Stanley-Salerno

From Every Day with Rachael Ray
October 2007

MAKES TWELVE
Prep Time: 35 min
Bake Time: 10 min

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter,
(1 stick melted, 1/2 stick softened)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon plus 2 pinches salt
1 2/3 cups flour
4 ounces cream cheese, chilled
1 cup confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the baking powder, the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.

3. Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop 12 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

4. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 pinches salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla;mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

5. Spread the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.

Original recipe found here.