Rum Gingerbread

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Andrea

I know that it might not be the holidays any longer but it technically is still winter and that means winter foods are still acceptable.

One of my favorite flavors of all time is that of gingerbread. The combination of clove and molassess is a match made in heaven.

Gingerbread is so spicy and not overly sweet which makes it the perfect dessert for me.

I experimented a lot this winter with cooking and baking with bourbon and rum. This is one of those experiments and it turned out to be a favorite.

Andrea’s Rum Gingerbread
Dry:

1C Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1C Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1tsp Baking Soda

1 1/2tsp Baking Powder

1 1/2tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/4tsp Ground Allspice

1/2tsp Ground Clove

1/2tsp Ground Ginger

1tsp Grated Fresh Ginger

2TBSP Brown Sugar

Wet:

1/2C Unsweetened Coconut Milk (the kind found in the dairy aisle)

1/4C Rum

1/2C Molasses

2TBSP Light Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 375 and spray a square baking dish (9×9) with oil or nonstick spray.

Crab Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Andrea

There’s been a lot of experimenting going on with crab here at the HQ. Both Scott and I adore crab and while crab cakes are tasty, sometimes you need a little more out of life.

I’ve been hesitant in the past to mess around with crab because it is a pricey protein option and the idea of messing something up didn’t sit well with me.

However I reached a point where I realized that if we don’t experiment in the kitchen we won’t grow as cooks. And that doesn’t do anyone any good. So in the name of Embracing Cooking, I decided to start experimenting more with crab.

And that lead to twice baked potatoes!

Andrea’s Crab Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes

2 Large Russet Baking Potatoes, scrubbed

8oz Crab Claw Meat, drained, rinsed, and checked for shell

1/2 Red Pepper, finely chopped

1/2 Green Pepper, finely chopped

1/4 Red Onion, finely chopped

4 Slices of crispy bacon, chopped

Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Andrea

The other day I was surfing around looking at different recipes for stuff when I stumbled up on a chocolate chip cookie cooked in a cast iron skillet.

Whoa! Back that train up!

They completely had my attention because that sounds darn good! I looked at the recipe and immediately started figuring out how I could make my own.

Everyone’s heard of those BIG chocolate chip cookies sometimes people use in place of birthday cakes. But this? This is a completely different concept.

It really is just a basic chocolate chip cookie cooked in a cast iron skillet which results in a thicker cookie with a gooey middle.

I wasted no time in making my own version.

Andrea’s Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

1C Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1C White Whole Wheat Flour

1/3C Unsweetened Coconut Milk (Found in the dairy aisle, not the canned kind)

2 1/2TBSP Unsalted Butter, room temp + 1/2TBSP

1 Egg, room temp

Sweet Potato Pie

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Andrea

Pumpkin pie is one of those items that I stopped making for our Thanksgiving dinner a few years back. Don’t get me wrong, I love pumpkin!

But we have it all the time and I use it in a lot of different applications. Sweet potatoes were something that was completely traditional for Scott to have at Thanksgiving so we couldn’t skip them.

What to do? They had to be part of the menu yet as a side dish would put us way over the edge.

I decided to remove them as a side dish and return them as dessert.

This has worked out very well! We’re still getting sweet potatoes for the big day but not as a sticky gross mess (sorry but that whole marshmallow thing needs to go!). Instead it’s served up in pie form!

And if you’ve got folks who claim they hate pumpkin (GASP!) you can serve them this instead!

This year I experimented a little and added a crumb topping and some good rum into the mix.

Fig and Date Coffee Cake

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Andrea

It’s no secret that I like cooking with beer but I also like baking with beer. And experimenting with different ways to use beer in the kitchen.

One of my most recent experiments resulted in what is now my favorite coffee cake of all time. This coffee cake uses dried figs, dates, and nuts as part of the crumble topping.

This helps keep the cake moist while baking and gives a slight nod toward the fig newtons of my childhood. I wasn’t a huge fan of fig newtons as a kid but when I got older I enjoyed them a great deal.

Having found dried figs at the store, I knew that I wanted to use them in something. With seasonal beers out right now, the idea of making a coffee cake with one seemed like a natural fit.

I’ve made this cake several times since the first experiment and it always makes me squee with happiness when I get a chance to nibble on it.

Read more on Fig and Date Coffee Cake…

Double Stuff Squash

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Andrea

Not long ago at the grocery store, I saw some new-to-me squashes and decided to pick some up. The one I ended up using first was a Sweet Dumpling squash.

I went back and forth about stuffing it because I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to stuff it with, rice or…?

If I had had goat cheese on hand, I would have made a rice concoction. Since I didn’t, I decided to go with stuffing to stuff the squash.

I used my apple stuffing recipe to keep things very fall-ish feeling.

I cut the squash in half and removed the seeds. I saved those though because I can roast them!

I preheated the oven to 400. I filled a baking dish with a little bit of water to create a steam. I put butter on the exposed squash and sprinkled it with a little all purpose seasoning (similiar to poultry seasoning).

I roasted the squash for about 20 minutes and then flipped it over for another 15 or so.

Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits (Vegan)

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Andrea

I love biscuits. They’re warm and they make me want to eat jam. I’m not a jam person at all but when I have a biscuit, there’s only two things that go with it, gravy or jam. Okay sometimes butter but I would rather have gravy than butter on my biscuit.

Growing up, we didn’t have traditional biscuits. My mom made drop biscuits. Drop biscuits are made without having to knead the dough and adding in butter.

They’re really easy to make and are a nice addition to a meal.

My mom always made them with Bisquick and in the beginning I did as well.

As I started paying more attention to ingredients and eliminating processed food, Bisquick had to go.

Since drop biscuits are so simple to make, there’s no need to use a boxed mix.

Andrea’s Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits

1 1/2C White Whole Wheat Flour

1/2tsp Baking Soda

1/2tsp Baking Powder

A Pinch Of:

Buzzin Bars

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Andrea

Last week Scott left for a business trip that had him away from the house for about a week. He was flying off to San Francisco to geek out about code and be in his element.

Because I knew that eating times might be odd and because I know Scott, this meant he would need to take some food along with him.

He was taking a carry on which meant that the food had to be small, easy to carry, and not prone to spoilage. And since I knew that these could very well be a meal source, I knew that they had to be jam packed with good stuff. Stuff that could get you through a couple of hours.

I like using soaked dates in bars and coffee cakes because it adds a nice sweetness without being over powering. Plus they are a great source of fiber and potassium.

Plus I wanted to do something fun so I added an extra little kick to these bars.

Leftover Idea: Baked Mashed Potatoes

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Andrea

I’m not sure if we’ve ever discussed how much I love potatoes but I do. I love them more than Paula Deen loves butter and just by that statement alone, you know I mean business.

Potatoes are good for you. Potatoes are a veggie that can be utilized in so many different ways. Pasta? Forget about it. I prefer my carbs and starch from root veggies, thank you.

Leftover mashed potatoes can be just lovely on their own the next day but sometimes they need a little extra love and attention.

Sometimes you just want something a little different with your leftovers.

I took some leftover mash that we had, added a few extra ingredients, baked it for about 20 minutes and got an entirely new dish out of some basic leftovers.

Andrea’s Baked Mashed Potatoes

Leftover Mashed Potatoes

5 Green Onions, chopped

1/2C Greek Yogurt

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a small baking dish. Combine all above ingredients and place in baking dish. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the the edges and top get a crispy brown. Serve hot and enjoy!

Pretty simple right? You could add some cheese in there too and maybe some bacon. Or leftover ham? Heck you could even add some greens in there like spinach for some extra veggie action. Leftovers are what you make of them, and they can be a completely different dish if you allow your imagination to wander a bit.

Grainola

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Andrea

You all know that I love granola. I make my own a lot and have even branched out making some with quinoa. I also love grains especially when I can chew and crunch my way through a meal.

Then I wondered, “Could I make granola with multiple grains?”

The answer friends is, yes, yes I can. Because I tried it and it worked! Three grains go into this dish that I’m calling Grainola!

Andrea’s Grainola

1C Buckwheat Groats

1C Cooked Wheatberries

1C Cooked Quinoa

3TBSP Maple Syrup

3TBSP Light Olive Oil

1tsp Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. On a baking sheet, line it with foil and spray with some nonstick spray or olive oil. You can also use parchment paper if you have that. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine all ingredients until they are coated. Spread on a the baking sheet and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes stirring about every 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them so that they don’t burn.