Tag: Make Ahead

Irish Brown Bread & Review of Mockmill Grain Mill

Note: I was sent the Mockmill Grain Mill for review. All opinions are mine alone.

I have dabbled in bread-making for this blog before. I’ve made beer bread, sourdough bread, soda bread, and even gluten-free bread in the past.

Since I returned from my honeymoon in Ireland a few weeks ago, I have been craving Irish Brown Bread like crazy. Served typically with breakfast, Irish brown bread is made with a coarse whole wheat flour, resulting in a hearty bread different than anything I can easily find here in the U.S.

The difference is really in the flour. To get the right consistency, you’d need to purchase a wholemeal flour, sometimes labeled as “Irish-Style,” which can be somewhat difficult to find (although it is available online.)

So when I was offered the chance to try out the Mockmill, a grain mill attachment for the KitchenAid Mixer, I jumped at the chance.  I can make my OWN Irish-Style flour!

Besides my very specific reason for wanting to mill my own flour, there are a bunch of other benefits to using a grain mill. Grinding from whole wheat berries at home means that the bran and germ stay in your flour. A bunch of the “good stuff” is found in the bran and germ: fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants. However, the germ is removed from commercial flour because it reduces its shelf life; the oil in germ can turn rancid, so home milled flour should be used in 1-2 weeks, or stored in the freezer.

The Mockmill, designed by Wolfgang Mock, is nicely compact. (As a city dweller, I very much appreciate this.) I love that it attaches right to my stand mixer; it’s really simple to set up and begin using right away.

source: Mockmill

You adjust the coarseness of the grind by twisting the front of the mill. The mill uses self-sharpening ceramic-bonded corundum grinding stones, which can produce a very fine flour if needed.

The Mockmill grinds flour directly into the mixing bowl, really convenient if you’re using it immediately like I am!

Cleaning the Mockmill is also a breeze; the mill can be separated easily and rinsed to clean any minimal residue left from milling.

Mockmill is offering I Can Cook That readers a really sweet deal, available until August 31: $80 off (that’s over 30% off!) two different package options through this link if you use the code icancookthat. 

The packages come with everything you need to begin milling at home: the Mockmill Grain Milling Attachment for Stand Mixers,  a variety of whole grain berries to get you started, plus “Flour Power” by Marleeta Basey, a comprehensive introduction to the benefits of home milling! Be sure to check them out here.

Note: the price listed is the original price. Add the code icancookthat at checkout to receive $80 off. The sets of books, grains, and Mockmills are being especially made for this promotion so delivery times may vary.

To test out the mill (and make me some oh so yummy brown bread,) I decided to start with a relatively simple version of Irish bread, a yeasted version from the Ballymaloe House in County Cork, Ireland. This version of their recipe comes from David Lebovitz, and is super easy to make.

So let’s test this mill out!

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups freshly ground whole-wheat flour (~2 cups red wheat berries)
  • 1/2 cup all purpose white flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 cups tepid water
  • 1 tablespoon dark molasses
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Continue reading Irish Brown Bread & Review of Mockmill Grain Mill

Blackberry Syrup & Watermelon Blackberry Granita

Today (July 22nd), Ball brand is hosting it’s sixth annual Can-It-Forward Day. (You may recall my last post on Can-It-Forward Day, where I canned on my own for the very first time to make salsa.) Can-It-Forward day is a day to celebrate the joys of fresh preserving, and encourage both new and veteran canners to preserve more. This year, the day will be streamed online via Facebook Live from 10:00 am 3:30 pm EST. Throughout the day, the Ball brand and expert ambassadors will be demoing a variety of canning recipes. In the true spirit of “canning it forward,” for every engagement received on the videos, whether it be a comment, like or share, the brand donate $1 to a local charity, so be sure to check it out!

 

You can also ask Jarden Home Brands canning experts any preserving or home canning questions via Twitter with the hashtag #canitforward from 10AM – 5PM ET on July 22nd. Share your own #canitforward creations with the brand on Pinterest and Instagram as well!

Ball brand has also launched the Freshly Preserved Ideas Tumblr page, a “digital pledge page” a place for consumers to take the pledge to Can-It-Forward this year. Check it out and pledge!

To celebrate, I was sent The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving, a Case of Collection Elite Wide Mouth Pint Jars, one $5 off coupon to be used on FreshPreservingStore.com.

I really loved the new canning book from Ball; along with canning and preserving recipes, there are many recipes that incorporate the canned/preserved items.

source: freshpreserving.com/

I wanted to show off how great both types of recipes found in the book are, so I made a blackberry syrup to can, and used it in a watermelon blackberry granita.

 

The blue wide mouth pint jars are SO PRETTY. I have been using a set of the regular mouth blue pint jars as my drinking glasses for years so I was excited to use the wide mouth for their actual intended use!

source: freshpreserving.com/

 

I will get to the canning and recipes shortly, BUT Ball brand was also kind enough to provide a second set of the products I received as a giveaway to my readers! Details on how to enter will be at the end of the post!

Ingredients:

For Blackberry Syrup:

  • 3 lbs blackberries
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 3/4 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice

For Watermelon-Blackberry Granita:

  • 8 cups seeded watermelon cubes
  • 1/2 cup Blackberry Syrup
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Gear:

  • stainless steel or enameled Dutch oven
  • wire-mesh strainer
  • 3 pint jars, lids, and bands
  • large pot for canning + a rack to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot
  • cheesecloth
  • 13×9 inch baking dish

So, since my last post, I’ve upgraded my canning situation to the Ball Fresh Preserving Kit. However, for beginners, you really can’t beat the value of the Beginners Kit that I used last year to make the salsa. On to the recipes!

Continue reading Blackberry Syrup & Watermelon Blackberry Granita

Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole

My fiance is obsessed with leftovers. For whatever reason, he seems to think that most food tastes better the second time around. So I typically make a few more servings than we need so that he has his beloved leftovers the next day.

OXO makes cooking and storing food/leftovers super simple with their new 14 Piece Glass Bake, Serve & Store Set (paid link). The set is awesome to prepare foods beforehand, or to easily refrigerate/freeze any leftovers. It includes a Glass 3 Qt Baking Dish with Lid, Glass 2 Qt Baking Dish with Lid, Glass Loaf Pan, Glass Pie Plate, 1 Cup Round SNAP Container, 2 Cup Round SNAP Container, and 4 Cup Round SNAP Container.

For make ahead recipes, this glass bakeware is a huge time saver: they are made of thermal shock-resistant borosilicate glass, which allows dishes to be taken directly from the freezer to the oven or microwave — no need to fully thaw. The glass can withstand up to 250 degrees F of temperature change! Generous handles make removing dishes from the oven super easy, even when wearing oven mitts.

This set is perfect for recipes on the go as well; the baking dishes and SNAP containers come with raised slosh-proof lids for easy transportation. The SNAP Glass Food Storage is also microwave safe for reheating leftovers (just undo the tabs of the lid first), and provides a leak-proof seal, so it’s great for lunches to take to work!

I made this recipe for Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole recently for dinner using OXO’s 3 quart baking dish (9×13). Chilaquiles are actually typically a breakfast recipe, using lightly fried tortillas and salsa. This version is a casserole take on the traditional, and uses grilled corn tortillas baked with a quick homemade tomatillo salsa, rotisserie chicken, and cheese.

Ingredients:

  • meat from 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (~3 cups)
  • 1 cup 1% low-fat milk
  • 1/3 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 (26 oz) can whole tomatillos, drained
  • 1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chilies, drained
  • 1/2 cup chopped scallions
  • 1 cup finely chopped Monterey Jack cheese, divided
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • cooking spray
  • 16 (6 inch) corn tortillas
  • chopped red bell pepper and cilantro, for garnish

Continue reading Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole

Shrimp Barley Bowl with Tomato Radish Salad

I have been doing my best to pack myself lunches for work. One of my favorite “lunch meals” is a bowl (either rice or another grain) topped with veggies and a protein. My latest creation, this Shrimp Barley Bowl with Tomato Radish Salad was inspired by some nifty new tools I had sent to me from OXO.

I used OXO’s Rice & Grains Washing Colander, Mandoline Slicer, and Grape & Tomato Cutter to prepare my lunch the night before.

The Rice & Grains Washing Colander is great for tiny grains that require rinsing to wash impurities and starch from the grains, like rice, quinoa, buckwheat, and barley. The small holes in the colander allow water to drain slowly, while preventing the grains from falling through.

The Large Hand-Held Mandoline Slicer has seven thickness options to get the perfect slick thickness depending on what you need. The food holder can be placed on top of whatever you are slicing for safety, and the non-slip notches allow you to slice directly over bowls if needed. For this recipe, I used the lowest setting to make paper thin radish slices.

The Grape & Tomato Cutter quickly and easily quarters grape tomatoes, pitted olives, and grapes, just insert the produce and push down to use.

This recipe combines nutty barley with peppery arugula, sweet tomatoes, crunchy radishes, and grilled shrimp for a really tasty meal, cold or hot!

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup raw pearl barley
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 lb medium sized shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes
  • 4 small radishes
  • 1 small cucumber, seeded and diced
  • the juice of 1 lemon
  • 4 tablespoons parsley, chopped
  • 1 cup baby arugula

Continue reading Shrimp Barley Bowl with Tomato Radish Salad

Cocoa Almond Pretzel Crust Brownies

Salty-sweet combinations are just. The best. My favorite involve chocolate; the saltiness really enhances the chocolate flavor!

These Brownies are an absolutely delicious salty-sweet combo. The super chocolately, fudgy brownie is made with Endangered Species Chocolate Almond Spread with Cocoa (and 3 other different kinds of chocolate!)  while the crust is make of a deliciously salty pretzel/graham cracker combination.

 

The Almond Spread adds a different lay of flavor to the brownies. To keep the almond flavor noticeable in the brownies, I also used some almond extract. If you don’t have almond extract, or don’t want as much almond flavor, you can use vanilla extract.

What makes these brownies even more tasty is that the chocolate spread used in the brownies also helps give back: Endangered Species Chocolate donates 10% of net profits annually to 10% GiveBack Partners. In the past three years, Endangered Species Chocolate’s (ESC) 10% GiveBack program has donated more than $1.2 million for its carefully chosen beneficiaries!

 

ESC recently announced its 2016-2018 partners: Rainforest Trust and Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN). The organizations will receive 10% of ESC’s annual net profits (or a minimum annual donation of $10,000, whichever is greater) to fund projects they deem most important to achieving their conservation goals.

Rainforest Trust has saved more than 11 million acres of tropical forests to-date, but ESC’s 10% GiveBack program will be vital in expediting the organization’s goal of preserving 20 million acres by the year 2020. WCN funds projects in 24 different countries where the 10% GiveBack program will contribute to helping a myriad of at-risk species.

Past 10% GiveBack partners include SEE Turtles, SEEtheWild, Chimp Haven and, most recently, the Xerces Society and African Wildlife Foundation (AWF).

 

Endangered Species Chocolate was also kind enough to send me some extra jars of their delicious spreads to give away to one I Can Cook That reader! Details after the recipe.

 

Ingredients:
For crust:

  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1.5 cups crushed pretzels (about 2 cups mini pretzels before crushed)
  • 1/2 cup ground graham crackers
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar

For brownies:

  • 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter
  • 1.5 cups (~9 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
  • 4 ounces (1 baking bar) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 1 (9.7 oz) jar Endangered Species Chocolate Almond Spread with Cocoa
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 tablespoon almond extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Continue reading Cocoa Almond Pretzel Crust Brownies

Homemade Marinara Sauce

I had a sad surprise this weekend. I opened my freezer to grab a quart of tomato sauce only to find I was all out!

Time to make another batch of sauce, so I decided to make Homemade Marinara Sauce!

This time around, I have a nifty new tool to help make my marinara sauce: OXO’s new Illuminating Digital Immersion Blender.

The immersion blender has six digital controls so you can pick the perfect speed for whatever it is you need blended. Just turn the dial at the top of the immersion blender to adjust the speed; a backlit LED indicator clearly shows your speed selection.

To start blending, you just press down on the wide, soft-touch power button located on the top half of the blender. The handle is nonslip, even when hands are wet.

source: oxo.com

The head is made of nylon, which won’t scratch your bowls or cookware while it blends.

source: oxo.com

A really nifty spec is the soft-glow LED headlight that illuminates the pot while you blend, which is super helpful when making a large batch of soup or sauce in a tall pot. A softer version of the light remains on the entire time the blender is plugged in for safety.

The immersion blender comes with a measuring beaker with a silicone lid that holds up to 3 cups. You can blend right in the beaker, then top with the lid to store whatever you don’t use immediately.

When finished using the blender, the cord wraps securely around the blender body for tidy, compact storage, great for my small kitchen!

source: oxo.com

The blender is a super helpful tool when making soups, dips, smoothies, and sauces. I used it to make a smooth marinara sauce made with canned whole plum tomatoes and sauteed carrots, celery and onions.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/3 cup red wine
  • 2 (28 oz) cans whole plum tomatoes
  • 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • fresh basil, sliced

Continue reading Homemade Marinara Sauce

Spiced Oatmeal M&Ms Cookies

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MemoriesInTheBaking #CollectiveBias

As the holiday season approaches, I have been thinking about all of the holiday traditions my family has, from decorating the tree together to opening one gift on Christmas Eve. My sister and I still don’t live too far from our parents, so we keep up most of our traditions to the day. One of my favorites (and I’m sure this comes as no surprise) is food-related: assembling trifles and baking cookies with my mom.

 

For as long as I can remember, a few Saturdays before the holidays, my mom would turn on Christmas carols and call us into the kitchen to help bake dozens of cookies – chocolate chip, peanut butter, and oatmeal were always on the list.

So even though I haven’t lived home in years, I still go over to my parent’s house to bake cookies. They don’t seem to mind it too much. 🙂

 

My mom and I did a test run this weekend (you can never have too many cookie baking weekends!) and made some Oatmeal Cookies with M&M’S® Holiday Baking Minis.

We usually deliver the baked goods to neighbors, so using Glad® Holiday Packaging adds a nice touch.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 cups Instant Oats
  • 1/2 cup M&M’S® Holiday Baking Minis

Continue reading Spiced Oatmeal M&Ms Cookies

Dairy-Free Frozen Treat Sandwiches #DairyFree4All

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DairyFree4All #CollectiveBias

 

I love frozen dessert. No dinner is complete without a little treat from the freezer!

 

So Delicious® Dairy Free Frozen Desserts are the perfect solution for me. Their frozen treats are made from cashew milk, coconut milk, and almond milk and are so tasty!

The So Delicious® Dairy Free Frozen Desserts are certified vegan, dairy-free and egg-free, and non-GMO Project verified with no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives and no high-fructose corn syrup. They are also cholesterol-free and certified Kosher.

So Delicious® Dairy Free has been developing yummy desserts for over 25 years, using only the highest quality ingredients with many product being made with organic ingredients. Products are always 100% plant-based, and the company is committed to doing the right things for people and the planet. You can learn more at www.sodeliciousdairyfree.com.

I wanted to make a little treat this weekend, so I went to Walmart to pick up some of So Delicious® Dairy Free’s Frozen Treats: Cashew Salted Caramel Cluster, Cashew Dark Chocolate Truffle, and Coconut Vanilla Bean.

I made dairy-free cookies to make frozen treat sandwiches with these yummy flavors — Dark Chocolate Cookies for the Cashew Salted Caramel Cluster and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies for the Cashew Dark Chocolate Truffle. I threw in some Coconut Vanilla Bean sandwiches for the purists out there as well 🙂

 

Ingredients:

Dark Chocolate Cookies:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine, softened
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder (or regular cocoa powder)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • (optional) 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 pint So Delicious® Dairy Free Cashew Salted Caramel Cluster Frozen Treat

 

Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies:

  •  1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine, softened
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (dairy-free)
  • 1 pint So Delicious® Dairy Free Cashew Dark Chocolate Truffler Frozen Treat

Continue reading Dairy-Free Frozen Treat Sandwiches #DairyFree4All

Banana Chocolate Chip Hemp Muffins

Note: I received products to use in this recipe from Just Hemp Foods. All opinions are my own.

Today is the last day of #Choctoberfest! If you haven’t already, be sure to go enter the giveaway now!

Because it’s Sunday, I have my mind on the week ahead. I really struggle to have an on-the-go breakfast option that actually tastes good and doesn’t load on the calories. I love making homemade muffins because then breakfast is set for the week, but it’s kind of tough to justify much nutritional value in most muffins.

But these little guys are amped up with Just Hemp 50% Protein Powder, which is a plant-based protein powder with essential amino acids vitamins and minerals. The powder is gluten-free, soy-free, and lactose-free, and can be added to just about anything! Each 4 tbsp serving contains 0.7g omega-3’s, 2g omega-6’s, and 6g of fiber.

You can connect with Just Hemp on their social media pages:  Facebook  | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Hemp protein powder is a great substitute for some of the flour in a baked good, up to 25%. I also happened to have some overripe bananas on hand, and still have some dark chocolate chips leftover from my #Choctoberfest baking, so I made these yummy gluten free banana chocolate chip hemp muffins for my fiance and me to enjoy all week! (This recipe can be made with normal flour instead of almond meal as well, it just won’t be gluten free.)

Ingredients: (makes 12 cupcake-sized muffins)

  • 1 1/2 cups almond meal
  • 1/2 cup Just Hemp 50% Hemp Protein Powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup Imperial sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
  • 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons mini dark chocolate chips

Continue reading Banana Chocolate Chip Hemp Muffins

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache

I can’t believe I’ve never tried to make a flourless chocolate cake before. This oversight will happily be corrected with the help of #Choctoberfest with Imperial Sugar!

This Flourless Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache is a dense, rich, chocolate cake. Because there is no flour in the recipe, it is also gluten free!

Because this is #Choctoberfest and you can never have too much chocolate, this cake is finished off with a yummy dark chocolate ganache topping.

If you haven’t entered the #Choctoberfest with Imperial Sugar Giveaway yet, be sure to head over to Monday’s post to do so! The prize is worth over $350!

Ingredients:

Flourless Chocolate Cake

  • 1 12 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups Imperial Sugar

Ganache

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 10 oz dark chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon espresso granules

Other

  • powdered sugar, for dusting
  • raspberries or strawberries, for garnish
  • whipped cream, for serving

Continue reading Flourless Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache

Freezer Friendly Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

I live in Philadelphia, and last week I was kind “stuck” at home because of the pope’s impeding arrival. So I used the opportunity to cook up a storm! (Seriously, I managed to make Saucy Chicken Over Rice, Chicken Tacos Bowls, Tomato Sauce, this recipe shared below, and a bunch of other yummy freezable dishes. My slow cooker and stove had quite the week!)

 

Here’s one of my favorite “freezer friendly” meals, with directions on how to store in your freezer and how to reheat when ready.

 

These Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells are easy to make, and are great to pack away for future meals (or eat immediately, that’s totally allowed too).

 

Ingredients:

  • 30 cooked jumbo pasta shells
  • 1 15 oz container ricotta
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 cups marinara sauce, divided
  • Cooking spray Continue reading Freezer Friendly Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Plum Frosting

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SwapMilk4Silk #CollectiveBias

Everyone loves a nice, fluffy cupcake. I love when a cupcake is light and airy, with smooth and creamy frosting on top! One of the easiest ways to keep a cupcake moist and fluffy is to use yogurt in the batter. But that doesn’t mean your cupcakes can’t be dairy-free or vegan-friendly!

I really enjoy making vegan cupcakes; they are surprisingly simple to make and taste just as delicious as normal cupcakes (or, dare I say it, even better!) I became interested in vegan baking when I made cupcakes for my sister-in-law a couple of years ago. Since then, I’ve noticed how easy it is to make delicious baked goods that are dairy and egg free!

Silk dairy-free products are perfect for cupcakes, because they add additional flavor to the batter through their Vanilla and other flavored yogurts and milks.

To make these Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Plum Frosting, I went to Walmart to pick up a Silk Half Gallon Vanilla Almond Milk and a couple of Silk Vanilla Yogurts. You can find them in the dairy aisle, with the normal milk and yogurts.

Silk Almond Milk has 50% more calcium that dairy milk, with no cholesterol and no saturated fat. Silk offers seven almond milk options, all 100 calories or less. I love Vanilla Almond Milk in my cereal, its so tasty!  Silk yogurt, made from soy, has 6 grams of soy protein per serving with no cholesterol and no artificial flavors or colors. The yogurt is dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian.

Plums are in season at the moment and I absolutely love their flavor, so I decided to make a plum frosting. The delicious flavor of plums is enhanced with almonds and vanilla, so Silk products are perfect with plum!

 

Cupcakes:

  • 1 stick margarine (8 tablespoons), at room temperature
  • 1 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 (5.3 oz) containers Silk Vanilla Yogurt (~1 cup)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup Silk Vanilla Almond Milk

 

Frosting:

  • 3 plums, diced
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 stick margarine  (8 tablespoons), at room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • a pinch of salt
  • a couple drops blue food coloring, if desired
  • cinnamon, for garnish

Continue reading Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Plum Frosting

Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini Boats

This post is sponsored by Door-to-Door Organics. All opinions are my own. #MyFarm2Table

These Zucchini Boats were my favorite part of my Farm-to-Table Meal last weekend. Stuffed with mushrooms and mozzarella cheese, the boats were nice and hearty and had great flavor!

For this recipe, I used Local Zucchini Squash, Antonio Fresh Mozzarella, and Local Organic White Mushrooms, all from my Door-to-Door Organics box.

 

Ingredients:

  • 3 large zucchini, halved lengthwise
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 ounces mozzarella cheese, torn into small pieces
  • thinly sliced basil, for garnish
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Continue reading Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Salsa Recipe & Beginners Guide to Canning #CanItForward

This Saturday marks Jarden Home Brands fifth annual Can-It-Forward Day, which will be broadcast live online at FreshPreserving.com from 11AM – 4PM EST from the new state-of-the-art Jarden Home Brands headquarters in Fishers, Indiana.

 

An event celebrating the joys of fresh preserving, the -It-Forward Day webcast will have an integrated chat function where viewers can submit their home canning questions to be answered in real time. New this year, there will also be an exciting celebrity mason jar auction unveiled during the webcast!

 

To celebrate, I was sent a Ball Canning Discovery Kit (paid link), Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving (paid link), Red Design Series Lids, and Ball Fiesta Salsa Mix (paid link).

 

My future sister-in-law is big into canning, and I’ve “helped” (a.k.a kept her company in the kitchen) once before, but the process of canning is really intimidating to me. I was told that if I can boil water, I can can, so I was both wary and excited to try this out!

I need to give a little shout out to my city, because the Mason jar was, in fact, invented and patented in Philadelphia in 1858 by local tinsmith John Landis Mason. So, this should be in my blood, right?

 

 

  • The Ball Canning Discovery Kit  is a great beginners kit; it comes with a canning rack that fits into most pasta pots, a recipe guide, and three jars. The kit is really affordable ($11.99) and allows you to assess if canning is for you before investing fully into the process.
  • My sister-in-law assured me that if I had a Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving, I’d be just fine canning. So. WHEW. This book lays out each step of the process (and even tells you why you are doing it this way) to ensure a successful canning process. The step-by-step guides are particularly helpful as a beginner.
  • The Red Design Series Lids are normal lids and bands, just prettier.  🙂 The lids can only be used once during canning, so it’s helpful to have extras on hand. (You can reuse the jars and bands as many times as you want)
  • The Ball Fiesta Salsa Mix makes the process of seasoning salsa super easy. You just need fresh or canned tomatoes, a splash of vinegar, and the mix to make a yummy salsa!

 

I decided to make a salsa from the Ball Blue Book, but adapted it slightly to include the Ball Fiesta Salsa Mix. The recipe is simple, and is basically just cutting up the ingredients, so this post is more about the canning process than the actual recipe.

I am absolutely a beginner with this, but luckily was able to glean some tips from my sister-in-law and the Ball Blue Book, which I will share as well.

I also am giving away a coupon for a free case of jars! Details at the end of the post. 

 

Zesty Salsa (adapted from Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving)

Yields ~3 pint jars

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups chopped cored peeled tomatoes (fresh or canned)
  • 4 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped (~2.5 cups)
  • 1 large onion, chopped (~2.5 cups)
  • 1 large jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (~3 tablespoons)
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2/3 cup cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup Ball Fiesta Salsa Mix

Gear:

  • Ball canning rack with lifter
  • 3 Ball Pint Jars with lids and bands (I used the Red design series lids and bands)
  • Large stockpot (at least 7.5 inches tall and 9.5 inches in diameter)
  • a non-metallic spatula (I ended up using chopsticks. They worked just fine)
  • A clean, damp towel to wipe rims of jars

Continue reading Salsa Recipe & Beginners Guide to Canning #CanItForward

Overnight Iced Coffee

This post is sponsored by Equal. All opinions are my own.

I love coffee. No,  I need coffee. And in the summer, I crave iced coffee, but don’t want to have to go to a coffee shop every time I have a hankering (that can really add up!)

 

Really solid iced coffee is made strong enough to stand up to the ice as it melts. I also prefer a really strong brew so that I can add sweetener and half and half to make the perfect iced beverage. So overnight iced coffee is a simple and awesome option, plus it’s ready for you in the morning!

 

Overnight iced coffee is cold brewed; the ground coffee “brews” in the water overnight to give a rich deep flavor, and is really easy to make. I was sent a summer beverage kit from Equal to get ready for all the delicious drinks of summer and thought this would be the perfect time to try out an overnight coffee using the kit and Equal 0-calorie sweetener!

 

 

Equal 0-Calorie Sweetener pairs wonderfully with a strong brewed iced coffee. Equal packets are concentrated (1 packet = the sweetness of 2 teaspoons sugar) while Equal Spoonful measures cup for cup. Equal is a great option to sweeten recipes without adding calories! (For more recipes using Equal, check out their recipe page.)

 

 

The summer beverage kit includes:

  • Equal® 0-calorie sweetener 115-ct boxes
  • Equal® Spoonful 4-oz. “Easy Pour” Container (226 servings)
  • Takeya Flash Chill Tea Maker
  • Republic of Tea Green tea sachets
  • Blended iced coffee packets
  • Cool Peach Iced Tea Recipe Card from The Diabetic Chef® Chef Chris Smith
  • Equal® Recipe Guide Booklet
  • Equal® iPad holder

 

 

I decided to use the Takeya Flash Chill Tea Maker to make the overnight iced coffee and sweetened my coffee with Equal Spoonful. The Tea Maker has a built in Tea Infuser which also works great to hold the coffee grounds. (Equal is also providing one reader with a kit of their own! Details after the recipe…)

 

Ingredients:

  • 10 tablespoons coarsely ground coffee
  • ~2 quarts water
  • ice cubes (or coffee ice cubes)
  • 3 tablespoons Equal Spoonful 0-calorie sweetener (or 4 Equal packets)
  • 1/4 cup creamer or half and half
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Continue reading Overnight Iced Coffee

Exit mobile version