Giving Thanks...

Thanks to all my visitors, regular and new, who continue to support me and Mele Cotte. Wishing all of you a blessed day.

3 Bean Loaf

Vegetariano/vegetarian

I realize my baking has increased lately (as I cheer silently and do a little dance). And, it will continue to do so since the time is coming to make Christmas cookies again. (Please check my December ’07 archives for my 12 Days of Cookies and my December ’08 archives for my Piatto Dulce/Dessert Plate).

But, even with the baking, I have been eating more than just egg whites and cottage cheese for breakfast. There have been two other meals in the day I consume. While cleaning out the pantry this weekend, I decided to try my hand at a meatless loaf. Yup. Meat loaf, minus the meat! It was a lot easier than I thought, didn't require me using tofu, and the end result was an awesome bean loaf. (if I do say so myself) The combination of flavors with the coriander and cumin reminded me of eating a quite meal in a small local restaurant in the city. (Okay, why did Memories just pop in my head???) Next time, I might go less with the black beans, though.

Because I “threw” in items as I went, I didn’t think about what to serve with the loaf. Next time, I believe a taziki or dill sauce will do fabulously! In fact, the “batter” appeared really versatile. Making tiny patties, topping with a tomato slice, with the sauce would be an awesome appetizer. Or, cut the loaf in cubes and do the same thing. Cutting the loaf might compromise the outside crunch a free handed mold creates, though. Hmmmm…all these thoughts are coming to my head as I write this. I am glad I have leftovers to practice with this week!

Enjoy!

3 Bean Loaf

1 14-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 14-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed

1 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed
1 ½ cup whole wheat bread crumbs

½ cup golden raisins

1 cup water

½ cup chopped onion

1 ½ cup chopped celery
2 carrots, chopped

2 tablespoons grape seed (olive or sesame works as well)

2 eggs
2 tablespoons (no salt) ketchup (Heinz has a no salt in stores)
2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon each of salt, ground coriander, cumin, & chili pepper

freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Line a 9X5 loaf pan with foil and spray with vegetable spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté onions, celery, and carrots until fork tender.
In the meantime, puree the beans, crumbs and eggs using a food processor. Add water as needed. (It okay I it doesn’t all get blended. Chunkiness is good!)Transfer into a large bowl. Add sautéed vegetables, cheese, ketchup, tomato paste and seasonings. Mix well, adding more bread crumbs if too wet. (I use my hands for this part.)Transfer into loaf pan (Or, free-form 1 loaf or several mini-loaves. The first picture is free-form.) and bake at 350 for 40 minutes until browned and firm. Yields 4-6

Create Smiles with Drop In & Decorate®!

Hopefully, you’re all aware of Drop In & Decorate®, a tax-exempt nonprofit organization, founded by the fabulous Lydia of The Perfect Pantry. To quote Lydia “The idea behind Drop In & Decorate® is simple: bake some cookies; gather a group of family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, your worship group or book group to decorate the cookies together; donate the cookies to a nonprofit agency serving basic human needs in your own community.”

Pillsbury and Wilton even recognizes this event! Pretty cool, huh? It really is a fun thing to do. Lydia has made very easy and stress free but offering a guide with all the need-to-know about hosting a lil’ get together. Just head over to her site.

I have participated twice, now. Two years ago was my first party (cookies donated to Woodland Ridge Assisted Living & Memory Care), as well as last year (with cookies going to the Ronald McDonald Gatewood House, the same house to which I brought the cake and cookies.). The parties were a great way to give back, and get the newbie teachers together at my school for some grown up time. Since I have moved 1900 miles from my home in Atlanta, it will be kind of hard to have the girls over again for a third time. My solution (with not knowing anyone here)? A three person party, me, myself, and I. I was by myself this weekend, as my housemates took off somewhere. What better time to take advantage of bringing myself back to some former form of normalcy than to bake?

After beginning my morning with breakfast (a few tasty eggs whites and a banana – ugh), a load of laundry and the gym, my workout was cut short when I dropped off a 45 lb. grip weight on my toe. And, can I say, Wow!?!?!? Or Ow works, too! Those things hurt a lot more than a 45 lb. child stepping on my toe!

Once home, I decided to get my Drop In & Decorate® on. I used the same cookie recipe as always. It truly is no-fail. I love, love, LOVE this recipe.

Okay, every once in a while, a baked cookie falls to its doom. So, I had to observe the 5 second rule and take a nibble.

But even before the tasting party...The dough comes together beautifully and rolls out so smooth! All it needs is a little smoosh with the fingers to bring the dough scraps back together. And, with the refrigeration, the cookies don't expand a lot at all from its orginal shape after baking.

The icing recipe I used was a little different. My cookie decorating skills are to be desired and, rather than follow my regular pattern of slapping some fondant on the cookies, I used an icing recipe that called for corn syrup. I liked it much, much better and am pleased (for the most part) about how the cookies came out. But, like many others things I do, the more tired I get, the less detailed and care I take. Also, the icing takes a lot longer to harden because of the corn syrup...a good 24-48 hrs. depending on how much is on each cookie. I bagged some too soon. Whoops!

I am not sure which house I am donating to, but will let you know ASAP! There are three in SLC. Whichever one I head to, I ended up with about 100 cookies. So, I think that's pretty good for a days work.

In the meantime, I want you to plan your own party! This is a great way to get friends together. Or, grandparent/grandchild fun. Why not have your kids host a party? Kids need to know how to give back, too!

Last year worked best for me. As host, and knowing many were non-bakers, I issued a few sheets of parchment paper and cookie cutters to borrow with the invite. Everyone showed with a cooked batch of cookies ready to go! This made less work for me! All I did was the icing, and provided the decorating sugars, etc. Fun, eh?

Listen, I know Thanksgiving is in a few days. But, December 4 is National Cookie Day. Yes, there really is a National Cookie Day. And, it falls in perfect timing to rope in the fam, don’t you think? Did I mention that Drop In & Decorate® and National Cookie Day both pose as a great preamble to Shortbread Day on January 6 and National Pfeffernuesse Day, December 23? Uh huh! See! Wait… Pfeffernuesse…. hmmmm I recall….(insert flashback thought bubble here.) Ha!

Have a great week, everyone!

Oh Baby! Cupcakes!

viso innocente/baby face

My mom left earlier this week, but while she was here, we hung out in the bookstore for a while. She looked for books to read on her flight while I flipped through …. cookbooks, of course! I really enjoyed Planet Cakes, not because of the “how to”, but for the ideas!

As I mentioned the other day, I see baking in my future. Too bad my front office ladies or friends are nearby for me to bring the goodies too. I need to find a Ronald McDonald House to donate to, here.

I made vanilla cupcakes and, admittedly, didn’t feel like making 24 baby faces during my “practice”. So, I filled some and made make-believe hostess cakes.

Then, I used some of that ganache for this birthday cake.

The idea came from another cake book I flipped through while at the bookstore, but can’t remember which one! It is new and has an amazing chocolate torte of some sort on the cover. Ooooh! My memory is going so quickly. It is a simple yellow cake a with buttercream and ganache. The "candles" are Pirouette cookies.

This weekend? My house mates are away, so I may go hog-wild! Who knows what I will bust out. Time will tell! ;) But, first I will be supporting Christy at the Annual Holiday Art show at the Flynn Artipelago.

Vanilla Cupcakes
Adapted ever-so- slightly from Planet Cakes

2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cup (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 ½ cup whole milk
1 Tbsp of vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcakes. In a small bowl, whisk the flours. Set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until smooth for about 3-5 minutes, or until mixed and fluffy. Add vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk. Mix until incorporated but do not overbeat! Be sure to scrape down the batter in the bowl occasionally to ensure the ingredients are well blended.

Using an ice cream scoop, add the batter into the cupcake liners. One scoop should fill a liner about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 10 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Baked Apple-Cinnamon French Toast

cotto al forno/oven baked

It’s that time! We are on break through the holidays. It will be interesting since we are usually going, going, going...starting at 4:30AM! Now… (while I will be working on behind the scenes things) I have six weeks to concentrate on me, my blog, some cooking, and a few other items I am leaving under my hat. In fact, I am off to the pool after posting!

Mom came to visit for the first time since she drove out here with me. It was a short but sweet trip. If you’ve been stopping my for the past several years, you know that we are very close. Sure, we had a few moments of “grrrr”, but the “grrrr” is always gone as quick as it began. The original intent for her to come out, besides seeing her youngest, was to check out my living quarters and help me make it my own. Unfortunately, I am still not settled, so there was nothing to make my own. She did help me go through my boxes in the garage and I found my winter clothes, so I am excited about that. It’s cold here!

Cold....but, still beautiful as ever!

And, mom just sent me an email telling me Utah is one of the healthiest places to live. I am not sure where she found that info, but I will take it! It goes along with my cholestrol dropping 100 in 6 months, as well as my blood pressure and triglycerides.

I began baking again yesterday. There are a few decorating ideas I want to try and since there aren’t any clients, I can bust out the butter and sugar. So, I predict blogging about some sweets in the near future!

There won’t be many breakfast creations in my future. Since I am working on myself this month and getting back into a rigorous gym routine (now that my back is behaving), I am back to cottage cheese and egg whites. Cottage cheese and egg whites…two foods that clients here want to throw at me by the end of their stay.

For their final breakfast last week , I wanted to give the crew a tasty send off.

Eating Well, one of my favoring magazines/sites, published this amazing Baked Apple-Cinnamon French Toast a couple of years ago. It’s more like a bread pudding, but with only 183 calories! Seriously? That meant (a) good food that won’t sink a days allowance and (b) I was able to add a baked egg whites with a half an ounce of goat cheese, pear slice, and balsamic reduction.

As if those reasons weren’t great enough. This is a make ahead meal! PERFECT! Prep the night before, pop in the oven in the AM, and go about your way. This is one of those dishes/recipes that one keeps close at hand around the holidays. With family and friends coming in and out of homes, time is of the essence. Make ahead meals are the way to go!

Baked Apple-Cinnamon French Toast

from Eating Well

3 cups nonfat milk
2 cups pasteurized liquid egg whites, such as Egg Beaters
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1-pound loaf sliced whole-wheat bread
1 cup chopped dried apples, (3 ounces)
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Whisk milk, egg whites, honey, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Trim crusts off 8 bread slices and set aside. Cut the crusts and the remaining bread into 1-inch pieces. Toss with dried apples, raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg in another large bowl. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Transfer the bread mixture to the pan. Lay the reserved crustless slices evenly on top, trimming to fit. Whisk the milk mixture one more time, then pour evenly over the bread. Press the bread down with the back of a wooden spoon, making sure it’s evenly moist. Cover with parchment paper, then foil, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake the casserole, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until puffed, set and lightly browned, about 20 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes; dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve.

Per serving: 183 calories; 1 g fat (0 g sat, 1 g mono); 1 mg cholesterol; 33 g carbohydrates; 10 g protein; 4 g fiber; 344 mg sodium; 312 mg potassium.

One make-ahead breakfast/brunch dish not enough for you? Want some quick clicks to more make ahead meals (not all calorie friendly)? Here are some I have made in the past…

Breakfast Burritos
Pasta Crab Casserole
Chinese Chicken Wingettes
Orange-Date Pumpkin Bread
Breakfast Pizzas

And, check out this article Kalyn wrote last year for BlogHer: How to Master That Breakfast Habit: Make it Ahead!

Happy Wednesday!