After a year and a half of making fancy-pants cupcakes, it turns out that what my kids really crave are oatmeal chocolate chip bars.  If I could ignore the two sticks of non-dairy butter and the sugar and the chocolate chips, I guess one could call this a "healthy treat".  Okay, not-so-healthy, but certainly delicious.

I found a great recipe on Quaker's website.  As usual, I made a few changes:
- substituted non-dairy margarine for butter
- used vanilla soy milk instead of cow's milk
- added one bag of non-dairy chocolate chips instead of the 2 c. of the regular variety
- reduced the cooking time from 30-35 minutes down to 20-25

This recipe is delicious and I'll definitely make it again.  In fact, I think I've made it three times this summer, and it's only the beginning of July.

Print it: Chewy Choc-Oat-Chip Bars

A few weeks ago, I found a recipe for a salad using wheat berries and read that they are loaded with iron.  I had never had wheat berries, but decided to give it a try.  It contained a lot of our family favorites - corn, spinach, cherry tomatoes, and has an orange-honey flavored dressing - so I figured that maybe my family wouldn't totally notice the wheat berries if they spotted some of their favorites in the bowl.

My thoughts were too optimistic as far as my family is concerned.  I thought it tasted great, but no one else would even eat it.  Martin and Sophie wouldn't even try it.  I was disappointed, especially since a little bit of wheat berries makes a really giant batch.

Not wanting to waste the salad, I started bringing it to work for lunch.  There was so much of it, that I think I ate it for five days in a row.  But the thing is, that as each day passed, I started to like it more.  It was chewy, flavorful, and satisfying.  I'll definitely make it again, but this time just for myself.  Maybe if it is "forbidden" it will have a whole new appeal for the rest of my family.

I made the following changes to the recipe:
- This recipe is fine made ahead, and actually gets better each day.
- I doubled the dressing portion of the recipe.
- I used 2 green onions instead of the 1/4 c. called for
- I used 1/2 pint grape tomatoes instead of 1 c. cherry tomatoes
- I added a lot more spinach each day, placing a handful of spinach leaves at the bottom of a bowl and spooning the salad on top - I thought it really improved the salad.

Print it: Wheat Berry, Roasted Corn and Spinach Salad (from Betty Crocker)

In my continuous effort to clear out our freezer in order to make room for this season's vegetables, I've been trying to make our meals out of whatever meats are left in the bottom.  Our options are slim at this point, and many of the foods are better suited for things like slow-cooking rather than grilling.  Last week I thawed a pork sirloin roast which I usually roast in the oven, this time deciding that I'd give it a shot on the grill.  A pork sirloin roast is not too big (this one just under 4 lbs), but it is round, sort of like a small soccer ball.  Not knowing how I'd grill something of that shape, I decided to cut the roast into 2" cubes and place them on skewers to guarantee more evenly cooked meat.

I searched all over for a good recipe for pork kabobs, but didn't find any that really sounded great to me.  So I decided to use a marinade recipe for pork tenderloin that is my mom's old standby.  Filled with flavors of orange, soy sauce, and rosemary - It is light, flavorful, and always tastes great.  To add a little variety to the kabobs, I alternated the pork with orange wedges. 



The result was delicious - the kids loved the sweetness of the orange wedges, the pork was tender and flavorful, and the skewers made the meal more fun.  I'll definitely make these again.

Print it: Pork Kabobs with Oranges and Rosemary

Last week we received our first box of produce from our local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) - Loon Organics.  I have been eagerly anticipating starting to receive the boxes, and was thrilled when my week finally came.  We ate the strawberries within minutes of arriving home, ate the cucumber with our sandwiches, had butter lettuce on our BLT's, and chopped the kohlrabi into sticks and ate it like a snack.  I knew that Marty would enjoy eating the beets, but it seemed like a shame to toss all those lovely greens.  So, I looked around until I found a good recipe for collard greens with bacon, made a few changes and added the beet greens to my collection of collards.

The resulting recipe was easy to make and flavorful.  The kids were more excited by the idea of collard greens (thanks to Victor Vito and Freddie Vasco who ate their rice, beans, rutabagas, and collard greens) than they were about actually eating it, but Marty and I really enjoyed it.  I'll definitely make it again.

Print it: Southern-Style Summer Greens

We've entered another stretch of the year where we seem to have all kinds of occasions for which we need cupcakes.  We started a few weeks ago when we celebrated Father's Day and my mom's birthday - for that occasion, I made Tiramisu Cupcakes:

Golden Vanilla cupcake, center and cap soaked in a mixture of espresso and Kahlua, layered with Vegan Cream Cheese frosting, dusted with cinnamon and cocoa powder.  Yum.

Next, we celebrated my Grandma's 99th birthday.  Although no one bit on my idea to mark each year with a rousing rendition of 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall, they did dig into the cupcakes.

On the top side of the tray - Mini Brooklyn Brownie Cupcakes, filled with whiskey and cherry preserves, topped with a fudge frosting.

I also made Mini Golden Vanilla Cupcakes with Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting, topped with edible flowers I picked at Loon Organics.


They were light and delicious, and the flowers held up beautifully. 


This might be my new favorite way to decorate cupcakes - it could not be easier to do, and they look so lovely.


I couldn't stop taking pictures of them, they were so pretty.


Tonight, I made a batch of Sexy Low-Fat Vanilla Cupcakes.


They are topped in a variety of ways - a mixture of Skinny Confectioners Icing, black current preserves, cherry preserves, blueberries, strawberries, and more icing.


I hope they hold up until tomorrow.  I also hope that no one discovers they are in the garage.

A few weeks ago my friend Jessy came out to our house to join us for lunch.  As always, I wanted to make something really easy and that could be made ahead of time.  The only problem was that I hadn't quite gotten around to getting it ready ahead of time, and the kids were underfoot, and the house was a mess, and then all of the sudden she was here!  When you're in a situation like that, it's best if the guest is a person who has lived with you before so isn't surprised by the mess, who likes kids, and who is a chef so that she can help you make lunch.  As luck would have it, that's exactly the kind of friend I have in Jessy.

So, we tried to keep the kids from killing each other while we prepared the marinade and dressing.  We put it all in the fridge and went out to the park. When we came back, everyone was STARVING, and we cooked up the steak.  Plating the salad only took a few minutes, and in short order, everyone was eating.

This salad was fantastic and we practically licked the platter clean.  I'll definitely make it again.  And I'll definitely have Jessy over again, she's an easy guest, and one who likes to be put to work in the kitchen, and really that's the best kind.

Print it: Ginger Steak Salad by The Pioneer Woman

A long time ago I signed up for a daily email recipe idea from MyRecipes by Cooking Light.  The recipes are often ones I've seen before, and many times are the same ones featured in that month's issue of Cooking Light - but when they come to me in email, they seem even more appealing.  I've made many of the recipes that were sent to me this way, but none have been quite as enjoyable as one that came a few weeks ago - Ancho-Rubbed Flank Steak.

The steak is made in a pan and only takes a few minutes to cook.  I substituted regular chili powder (with a dash of jalapeno powder) for the ancho chili powder, and it tasted great.  This recipe also includes an idea for a quick side salad  and recommended serving it all with a side of roasted potato wedges.  The kids loved all of it, and we cleaned up the salad, potatoes, and everyone had a healthy serving of steak.  But since flank steaks are more then we can eat in one meal, it made great leftovers - serving our family for two more meals.  I'll definitely make this one again.

Print it: Ancho-Rubbed Flank Steak

Last night, to celebrate the end of the school year for our Kindergarten-age boys, we had a dinner party with our neighbors.  When our families combine, there are ten of us - six kids between the ages of 4 and 6 years old.  It's a busy place.  I knew this would be the case and I wanted to have a dinner that would be easy to make and wouldn't require much effort while everyone is here.  We made burgers and had some sides for the kids, but I also wanted to have something special and tasty for the adults.  I found a recipe I had cut out of a magazine long ago that looked pretty good, and thought it might be okay if I substituted non-dairy ingredients.  Besides - how could we go wrong with a salad that included tomatoes, avocado, and the always-popular bacon?

We lucked out - and it was delicious.  Although the kids didn't eat any of it last night, I know that they'd really like it, and I'll definitely make it again.  The dressing is simple to make and uses stuff I always have on hand, and it would be excellent as a dipping sauce for veggies as well. 

Print it: BLT-A Salad with Non-Dairy Ranch Dressing

Note:
The original recipe used plain yogurt instead of the non-dairy sour cream, and cows milk instead of the soy.  I haven't tried it that way, but I'd bet that it's good too.

Yesterday I realized that I still had several bags of diced rhubarb in the freezer from last spring.  I started researching recipes for ways to use it, when I got a message from a high school classmate - "Have I got a recipe for you," she told me.  "You'll thank me for it," she said.  Over instant messenger she gave me the recipe, and it sounded super easy - and awfully delicious.

Some people might call it Rhubarb Upside Down Cake, but if you get it from Michelle Schmitz Jensen like I did, it will always be known as Schmitty Cake.

The base for this recipe is a boxed lemon cake mix.  I must have looked at a dozen different brands and varieties before I found one that did not contain dairy.  Ingredient lists change often, so it's important to read the allergen alert portion of the label each time.  At the time I made this, I hit the non-dairy jackpot with Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Lemon Supreme Cake Mix.


This cake was so easy to make and other than the cake mix, I had everything on hand.  Now that I know how easy it is and that it's a crowd pleaser, I'll keep an extra box on hand for those times when I need a quick dessert.  The dessert does need to cool and seems to get better with age (hitting the prime delicious peak aright around day two, if it lasts that long).  So, it's quick to make, but does need to be made ahead of time.  I should also note that Michelle's original recipe called for double the amount of sugar I used.  I'm sure it would be extra sweet and extra delicious with 2 c. of sugar, but I thought it was great with only one, and frankly the less sugar we consume around here the better.

Print it: Schmitty Cake

I do a lot of cooking, but I hardly ever make hard boiled eggs.  And it's one of those things that a lot of people make without a recipe, and one that I have to look up every time I make them.  Everyone, it seems, has a "best" and "foolproof" way to make them.  The timing in the recipes vary, some add stuff to the boiling water, others insist on the "forget it on the stove" method.  I can't quite tell which methods are for scientific reasons, and which are because that's the way that their momma used to make it.  Not that those two things are exclusive.



This recipe combines those I've found from the Food Network, Julia Child, my friend Kathy, and my own momma.  They are easy to peel, and everyone eats one, then promptly gets sick of them.  I don't blame the recipe for that last bit, I think its just the naturally occurring result of staring a dozen hard boiled eggs in the figurative face.


Not all hard boiled eggs need to be dyed of course.  But they CAN so why NOT?


One warning about dying eggs - it seems as though whenever we dye eggs, the egg itself (the inside parts I mean) take on some of the color of the dye.  Although they are still edible, no one will think they are.  Or maybe that doesn't happen to everyone.  It might be related to the heavy dye application method that is prevalent at our house.


Print it: Hard Boiled Eggs