Indian Rice Pilaf

I've made this delicious rice pilaf too many times to count. The flavor is so good and definitely worth the extra effort. I usually serve it with a roasted pork tenderloin for Sunday dinner.

Indian Rice Pilaf
adapted from Turmeric N Spice

2 cups basmati (or jasmine) rice
3 tbsp ghee or olive oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
6 whole cloves
2 whole green cardamom pods or 1 black cardamom or 1/2 tsp powdered cardamom
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup cashews, chopped
1/2 cup raisins, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cups water
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt

Soak the rice for 30-45 min in room temperature water.

Add ghee or olive oil to a non stick pot heated on medium heat. Add cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the cloves, cardamom, pepper, bay leaf, cashews, and raisins. Cook, stirring for a minute or two to allow some light browning on the cashews. Add the onions and cook for a few more minutes until translucent. Drain the water from the rice and add to the pot. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add 3 c. water, lemon juice, and salt. Stir and bring to a boil on high heat. Once boiling, cover the pot and reduce the heat. Cook for 20-25 minutes until water is absorbed and rice is fluffy. Add more salt, to taste.

Applesauce Spice Muffins

My children especially enjoyed these simple muffins.

Applesauce Spice Muffins

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (can sub 1/2 c. with wheat flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup pecans or walnuts (3 1/2 ounces), coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. turbinado sugar

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Grease muffin pan (standard size - 12 muffins) using some of the melted butter.

Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together eggs and
brown sugar in a large bowl until combined well, then add butter, a little at a time, whisking until
mixture is creamy. Stir in applesauce, then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened. Stir in
nuts and divide batter among muffin cups.

Sprinkle turbinado sugar equally on top of muffins. Bake until muffins are puffed
and golden, about 20 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then remove muffins from pan and
cool slightly.

Spanish Rice

This Spanish Rice is the first I've liked and it uses pantry staples. This is definitely one we make a lot.


Spanish Rice

2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 c. long grain rice
1 c. tomato sauce
3 c. water or chicken broth
1 tsp. chicken bouillon (if using water)
1 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, minced
6 stems cilantro (optional)
dash pepper
dash cumin

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add rice and stir. Saute for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato sauce, water, bouillon, salt, garlic, cilantro stems, pepper and cumin. Stir. Bring to a boil and then cover, reducing heat to low. Cook covered for 25 - 35 minutes, depending on rice. See rice instructions to help know how long to cook rice. Remove cilantro stems and serve.

Caramel Chocolate Bars

These bars are divine and super rich. Love them!

Caramel Chocolate Bars
adapted from Averie Cooks

3/4 cup (12 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-rolled old fashioned oats
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch salt
1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
caramel sauce (see below)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

Make caramel sauce (see below) and set aside to cool.

In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 90 seconds.

Add the brown sugar, vanilla, and mix until smooth.

Add the flour, oats, baking soda, pinch salt, and stir until combined. Mixture will be quite thick.

Add half of the mixture to the prepared pan, and smooth it with spatula or the back of a spoon, to create an even, smooth, flat layer; set remainder aside.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove pan from the oven and evenly sprinkle with the chocolate.

Slowly and evenly pour caramel sauce over the chocolate.

Evenly crumble reserved oatmeal-brown sugar mixture over the top.

Return pan to oven and bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned and center is bubbling slightly.

Allow bars to cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving, giving the molten caramel time to firm up. This can take up to 4 hours, or overnight, at room temperature. Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.


Caramel Sauce

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. light-colored corn syrup
1/2 cup whipping or heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, to taste

In a medium to large saucepan (use a pan large enough to contain the bubbling at the end), add the sugar, water, corn syrup and bring to a boil over high heat, whisking until sugar has dissolved.

Allow the mixture to boil for 5 to 12 minutes, or as necessary, for it to turn caramel-colored, at which point it will likely be smoking slightly. The final stage where the mixture turns from pale amber to that perfect shade of caramel can go quickly, in less than 30 seconds, so keep a watchful eye and don't let it burn. Throughout the boiling time, you can swirl the pan gently every minute or two if necessary, but the less the sugary mixture gets on the sides of the pan, the better in preventing crystallization in the final sauce.

As soon as the sauce has turned caramel-colored, reduce the heat to low. If using a thick-bottomed pan that retains heat well, remove pan from heat completely for remainder of the recipe.

Very carefully and slowly, add the cream. Be careful as a lot of very hot steam will come up.

Very carefully, add the vanilla and salt, to taste. Stand back because mixture will bubble up again. Whisk until sauce is smooth and combined, and let it boil another 1 minute, which helps thicken it up.

Transfer sauce to glass jar or heat-safe container (easiest to pour into a 2-cup measuring cup and then easily pour into glass jar).

Allow sauce to cool uncovered to room temperature; sauce thickens considerably as it cools. Sauce will keep airtight at room temp for at least 1 month.

Cabbage with Cumin Seeds and Turmeric

Oh my. This cabbage recipe is surprisingly so delicious. The cumin seeds are a perfect match with the cabbage. This recipe calls for 3 lbs. of cabbage, which is quite a large cabbage. So scale down the spices if you make less.

Cabbage with Cumin Seeds and Turmeric
from Food & Wine magazine

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
3 lbs. green cabbage, cored and thinly shredded
1 1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over moderate heat. Stir in the cumin seeds and cook until they are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the shredded cabbage, turmeric, and kosher salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is softened and browned in spots, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Multi-grain Granola

I had several less-common grains hanging out in my pantry and had the idea to add them to granola. This granola is a simple, basic one that can be made with or without the quinoa, millet, buckwheat, or amaranth. I usually do not add dried fruit, as I prefer to eat it with fresh fruit.

4 c. old-fashioned oats
2 Tbsp. quinoa
2 Tbsp. millet
2 Tbsp. buckwheat groats
1 Tbsp. amaranth
1 c. unsweetened coconut (flakes or chips)
1 c. pepitas
1 c. chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds)
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. maple syrup
1/2 c. coconut oil, melted
dash of cinnamon

1 c. dried fruit, chopped

Add all ingredients (except dried fruit) to a large bowl. Stir to combine, making sure the liquids are evenly distributed. Place on one or two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 250 for 50 minutes. Allow to cool. Stir in dried fruit.

Gingerbread House and Royal Icing

I've used this gingerbread house and royal icing recipe for several years at Christmas. It's always worked out very well - easy to make, cut out, bakes evenly, and the house is sturdy (depending on your construction skills).

Two tips: 1) To make stained glass windows, cut out a window from cut-out dough (one of the sides of the house). Place the piece on the baking sheet. Add crushed, transparent hard candies to the cut-out area. They will melt during baking.
2) Assemble the house in stages at least the day before decorating. This will the icing to harden sufficiently before decorating.

Gingerbread House
from Simply Recipes

6 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbsp) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup dark molasses
1 Tbsp water

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed the butter and brown sugar until fluffy and well blended. Beat in the eggs, molasses and water until well combined.

Beat half of the flour mixture into the molasses mixture until well blended and smooth. Stir in the remaining flour. Knead (or use your mixer's dough hook) until well blended. If dough is too soft, add a little more flour.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours, preferably overnight. You can make it up to 3 days ahead of time. Let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before rolling out.

Preheat oven to 350°F, with the oven rack in the middle. Have several flat cookie sheets ready, preferably ones that you know will not warp in the oven heat.

Divide the dough in two. Spread parchment paper or wax paper on a large flat surface for rolling. Dust the paper lightly with flour. Working with one portion of the dough at a time, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to an even thickness of 1/4-inch. Add a little flour to the surface of the dough, and check for sticking as you roll it out. If it sticks to either your rolling pin or the rolling surface, dust with more flour. If the rolled out dough is very soft, you may want to freeze it for an hour before cutting out the patterns.

Rub a little flour over the surface of the dough. Place the pattern pieces on the dough, as many pattern pieces as will fit on the dough. Use a small sharp knife to cut out the pattern pieces from the dough, wiping the knife surface clean frequently. Depending on how soft the dough is, you may need to use scissors to cut the wax paper or parchment paper. You can cut out the patterns through the dough and parchment paper, placing the dough pieces with the paper directly on the cookie sheets. If you are not using parchment paper or wax paper, you may need to use a large metal spatula to transfer the dough pieces to a greased cookie sheet. Space the pieces on the cookie sheet an inch apart from each other. If dough pieces stretch during the transfer process, push them back into shape.

You can cut out a door and window(s) at this point, or you can wait until after baking, soon after the pieces have come out of the oven while the cookies are still warm.

Bake in a 350°F oven until the edges are just beginning to darken, 11-15 minutes for the large pieces, 6-8 minutes for the small pieces. Rotate the cookie sheets half way through the baking for more even browning. Remove the sheets to racks to cool, about 15 minutes.

While the pieces are still slightly warm, lay the pattern pieces over them and use a large straight chef's knife to trim off any parts of the pieces that have through cooking spread beyond the pattern.


Royal Icing

2 large egg whites
2 2/3 cup powdered sugar, divided

Whisk together until smooth the egg whites and 1 1/3 cups of the powdered sugar.

If you are planning to eat your gingerbread house, and are concerned about the safety of raw eggs, you can microwave the egg white powdered sugar mixture for several seconds (30-40) until the mixture reaches a temperature of 160 degrees, but not higher than 175°F. You can also use pasteurized dried or liquid egg whites.

Add the remaining 1 1/3 cup of powdered sugar to the sugar egg mixture. Using an electric mixer, beat on high speed until the icing holds stiff peaks. If it doesn't form stiff peaks, add more powdered sugar.

Place a dampened clean towel over the bowl of royal icing. Keep this towel over the icing to prevent it from drying out while you work with it.

When you are ready to mortar or decorate, fill a pastry bag with the icing. If you don't have a pastry bag, you can make your own with a re-sealable plastic freezer bag, just cut off the tip (a small cut) of one of the corners of the bag. Plastic or metal piping tips are available in supermarkets which you can also use with a freezer bag, for more controlled piping.