Mirror Icing - ho hum

Ok, so it's true I haven't been here for a while. Like, in years. But that's the thing with Google, no matter how long you go away, it never deletes you. Scary, but that's another topic.

Have a look at this;

So, what's the big deal? Well, I wanted to try this mirror icing thing that I saw on tv. Every recipe I saw was the same and I thought was waaaay too much icing for a 2 layer cake. And I'm here to tell you that even 1/2 the original recipe was too much. 

Here's 1/2 the recipe, and this will still give you about 2/3 of a cup of LEFTOVER icing after you pour it over a 9 inch 2 layer jobbie;

3/4 c granulated sugar
1/3 c sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c water

1 Tbsp gelatin
1/4 c water

1 c white chocolate chips
drops of food colouring

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a saucepan, place over medium heat and stir until simmering and bubbles appear on the sides of the pan. While you're stirring the saucepan mix, in a small bowl combine the gelatin and water so the gelatin can soften.

Once the saucepan mix begins to simmer, remove from heat and stir in the blob of gelatin.

Measure the chocolate chips into a bowl then pour the hot mix over the chocolate chips. Let it sit for about 5 mins for the chips to soften, then stir so they are completely melted. Stir in your choice of food colouring.

Let the icing cool to body temperature; place your wrist against the bowl and if it doesn't feel warm or cool then it's ready for pouring. Give it a stir because it may have formed a crust on top. 

So now what? Well, the cake awaiting should be cooled. I had made a 2 layer butter pecan with a cream icing as a crumb layer. Don't be impressed, it was a mix and a basic icing you can make in your sleep. When applying the crumb layer, try to get it as smooth as possible because every groove and ridge will be visible under the mirror icing. Anyway, the cake had been in the fridge for a while. When it was time to impress with the mirror icing, I put wax paper over our round pizza pan, put a coffee mug in the centre of the wax paper and balanced the cake on top of the coffee mug. Why? Because the mirror icing will drip down over the whole cake, and continue to drip for about 15 mins afterward. 

I slowly poured the icing over the cake and before I was finished the cake was covered. I had about 1/4 cup of icing still left in the bowl. Hmm, so glad I only made 1/2 the original recipe. Then it dripped and dripped AND DRIPPED some more, further adding to the left over icing. Oh well, maybe I should have had the mirror icing cooler than body temp so it didn't run as much. 

Once the cake had finished dripping, I used a spatula to clean up around the bottom of the cake and put the cake back in the fridge. The icing needs a while to set, convention says a few hours. 

A couple of things; the icing was easy to cut through so serving the cake slices was no different from a regular icing. However, it was sticky so when my son tried to remove a berry to give to Daddy, the whole strip of icing lifted off his piece; the mirror icing stuck to the crumb layer of icing and it all peeled off his piece of cake. No more passing berries. 

The verdict? Well.....I'm not sure. White chocolate chips are expensive and their wonderful flavour completely disappeared in the overall finished product. 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk called for in the recipe used less than 1/2 the can so now I've got to figure out what to do with the left over sweetened condensed milk. If this is the biggest problem in my life, I consider myself the richest person in the world, trust me. 

Uh oh, this is supposed to be a weight loss blog. See what happens when you disappear for years? You forget where you started. Well, I will say that I've always found it easier to Up the exercise rather than Curb the eating so yes, I recently added a little extra distance to my runs. Do the same if you can, it won't kill you. 

Blessings to all of you. 

Versatile (oatmeal) cookie recipe

....I really should do a blog specifically about cookies....

Anyway, here is another fantastic recipe that I found a few weeks ago. I made a few modifications to the original; I reduced the salt from the 1 tsp listed to 1/2 tsp; didn't bother adding the chopped nuts (we've never been a fan of nuts in our cookies); and I left out the step about shaping the dough into rolls, freezing, then slicing them to bake (who has the time for that???). And as with any recipe I make, I never put in all the sugar that's called for. 

The recipe is plain and entirely delicious on it's own. But you can zip it up by adding your favourite spice and get a new result every time. The first time I made them, I added 2/3 tsp ginger and they were amazing. Second time I made them, I put in a bunch of cinnamon and voila, a completely different cookie. Today I'll try a hint of cloves to see what happens. So without further ado, write this down:

Company's Coming Cookies      (Good Cookin' from the Kitchens of Richmond Hill United Church, 1988, p.260)

with some currents and cloves thrown in

Mix together;
1 c margarine
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
and add;
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Combine in another bowl;
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 c rolled oats
any spice(s) you like

Stir the dry ingredients into the first mixture, put dough on cookie sheets and bake at 350F for 15 minutes. The cookies spread nicely and give a soft, chewy result, guaranteed to be gone in a day or two. 

Remember; everything in moderation and having ONE cookie does not constitute criminal activity.  

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies

Christian made these cookies last night.

I love oatmeal cookies and I have tried countless recipes over the years with limited results. Somehow they'd never taste as good as the ones bought at trade shows or county fairs. But if those families had great recipes to follow, surely I could find one too.

Cookies are a part of our diet and they can be part of your diet too. If you're overweight and you love cookies, they don't need to be your downfall. They are a DESSERT and if you treat them like a DESSERT, cookies will always know their place.

As far as I'm concerned, there is no such thing as a "healthy" cookie. The only cookies that exist are "dessert" cookies. If you try to convince yourself that a cookie is healthy, you won't have just one, you'll have 10 "because they're healthy". But reminding yourself that cookies are DESSERTS, you won't be tempted to overdo it. Having one with your afternoon coffee is ok. Having 5 is criminal activity and a major set-back to reaching your weight-loss goal. 

My oldest will be 9 in March and lately he's been in charge of making the cookies on the weekend. I help him read the recipe and I crack the eggs but otherwise I limit my hovering and let him do the measuring and stirring. Last night we tried yet another oatmeal cookie recipe and * wait for it * it might actually be a keeper. In other words, we'll make them again and this is major progress in the search for The Perfect Homemade Oatmeal Cookie.

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies  (Darlene Kronschnabel, Cookie Cookbook, Wisconsin 1977, p.6)
Mix together;
1 c butter
1 1/2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
In another bowl, mix together;
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
Add flour mixture to butter mixture then stir in;
1/2 c milk
Once that is combined, add;
2 c uncooked rolled oats
2 c raisins
Stir to combine. Bake at 375F for 11 mins. 

Old-fashioned oatmeal cookies with a few missing....

Pizza your way

Homemade pizza means you control the calories

Pizza is a big deal in our house. It's on the menu every Sunday night and has been for years. I used to buy some of the popular store brand pizzas when they were on sale, but when I'd bake them up and see all the oil on the surface and taste all the salt, I really questioned whether I was doing myself or my family any favours by serving it. Sure homemade pizza is more work, it's probably one of the more involved meals you make during the week, but when you think about the control you have over the ingredients, it's a classic case where the pros (health benefits) far outweigh the cons (time it takes to prepare).  You're in control of the calories and in the 'big picture' approach to your new habits for a healthy weight and healthy lifestyle, this goes a long way. Health is not about sacrificing and self-denial, it's about being smart; cooking smart and eating smart. 

This is the pizza I made last night. It has "no vegetables" on the kids' half, orange and yellow peppers on our half and hot hot hot peppers on my section. Made to order. Which is a lot easier than picking off the toppings the kids don't like from the store bought pizzas.

Pizza making tips

• make your own dough. Switch some of the all purpose flour for whole wheat (no more than 1/2 cup) and add some oregano. You'll have a crust way better than any you can buy.
• use your favourite pasta sauce with vegetables instead of pizza sauce. They boys throw a fit if they think there are any vegetables on their pizza. By using pasta sauce with the chunks of tomato and carrot in it, they have no idea there are veggies lurking under the pepperoni and cheeses
• buy skim milk (or light) mozzarella cheese, NOT the mozzarella cheese that's marked 'For Pizza'. The 'For Pizza' cheese is much higher in fat and adds nothing but calories so choose the light cheese instead
• store the mozzarella cheese in the freezer and defrost it when it's time to make the pizza. The lower fat content in the cheese makes is very easy to crumble when it's been frozen. This is a big time-saver because instead of grating the cheese, all you have to do is rub 2 chunks of it together and it falls apart into little beads. Super easy to spread.
• be smart when you choose your toppings. Orange peppers, yellow peppers, green onions, anything goes. If you're using mushrooms, cook them in the microwave first to get rid of the moisture, then put the cooked mushrooms on the pizza. Zucchini is the most gutless vegetable out there, it has absolutely no flavour so adding slices of it to your toppings doesn't ruin your pizza but it does give it more vitamins.
• slice the pepperoni THIN and if you like, cut each slice in 1/2 (so they look like 1/2 a circle). Spread them over the pizza but not so they're touching. The pepperoni is adding flavour and you don't need a lot of it.
• cover the entire pizza with fresh ground black pepper. It adds a really nice twist.

So when you're doing your grocery shopping this week, plan ahead and pick up a few extra things so you can make pizza on the weekend. I guarantee it will turn into a family tradition.

Bran muffins

Elaine's bran muffins; healthy and amazing

I've always loved bran muffins for the molasses. There's something about that added flavour that makes bran muffins my #1 choice every time. 

If you're a muffin lover as well, don't be fooled by some of the products prepackaged in the grocery store. Many are way too sweet and way to full of fat to make them still qualify as muffins. You may think you've chosen a healthy snack to take to work but that little calorie bomb may be worse than a piece of cake with icing. 

Making muffins yourself isn't a ton of work. All you need is a fork, 2 bowls, the muffin papers and the pan. When you find a recipe you like it's easy to double it, throw the extras in the freezer and have a supply of great snacks to get you through the week. And choosing a muffin to have at night is much smarter than going for the container of ice cream and the chocolate syrup.

I believe in healthy but I also believe in flavour. Recipes that use all whole wheat flour or that have very little sugar in them and very little fat end up tasting awful in my opinion. This recipe is a modification of Jane Brody's Best-of-Bran Muffins (New York, 1985. p.596). The first time I made them, I followed her instructions faithfully and the results were pretty darn bad. If you want to look up the original, you can, but here is her recipe with enough modifications for me to almost call it my own;

Bran muffins
In a large bowl, combine
3 c shredded bran cereal (All-Bran, Fibre First, etc)
1/2 c vegetable oil (use your Becel)
1 c raisins
1 c boiling water

In another bowl, combine
2 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/4 c white sugar
2 1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

Now that the cereal mixture has cooled down a bit, use a fork to stir in
2 eggs
2 c buttermilk (I use vinegar + milk rather than buy buttermilk itself)
1/4 c molasses

Add the flour mixture to the cereal mixture, stir to combine. Heat the oven to 400F and get the pans ready. I like large muffins so I fill the papers to the top. Bake for 20 to 25 mins. Check at 20 mins, you want the muffins moist rather than dry. I hope you like them!

Red potato fries

You're looking at delicious french fries.

I could live without french fries but it's not all about me so over the years I have tried various products in the endeavour to serve edible fries for dinner. Not much luck. The no-name frozen fries weren't that bad so I used to buy those, fry them up in the pan and pretend they were ok. Once I tried the McCains SODIUM REDUCED frozen fries and they were so salty only my husband could eat them. I never bought them again.

Then one day when I was buying the no-name frozen fries, I started to think about the plastic bag they were in, the manufacturing process to peal, slice and package the potatoes, the salt and oil that the company added to coat the strips of potatoes and I began to get annoyed with myself. Was I so incredibly lazy that I couldn't wash and cut a few potatoes myself? It would be cheaper and healthier. And I'd much rather support the farmers directly than some manufacturing plant.

I put the bag of frozen fries back in the freezer and returned to the produce section to buy some big red potatoes and support those American growers (Ontario reds were not in stock).

Now any of you who have made fries from scratch know that it takes forever for the potatoes to actually cook in the oil. No matter how thinly you slice and how high the temp, you're looking at an hour of stirring and turning, minimum. So try this method instead, you'll be thrilled with the results and think nothing of whipping up these potatoes at the drop of a hat:

Red Potato Fries

• wash potatoes, do NOT peal!!! Most of the vitamins and good stuff are in the skins and right near the surface. You want to eat that part!
• cut potatoes in wedges. If the potatoes are small to medium in size, 4 wedges per potato, otherwise 5 or 6 so the wedges are not really thick
• spread in microwave, cover and cook on high for 4 mins (until wedges are cooked)
• heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
• remove wedges from the microwave and place in the hot oil, cut side down
• brown one cut side, then turn to brown the other cut side. Don't bother trying to brown the outer skin side
• put a napkin (or paper towel) on your serving plate and lay fried wedges on the napkin, cover with another napkin (or paper towel) to keep them warm
• continue to cut potatoes, microwave, then fry the wedges in oil until you've made enough for everyone. Then make some more, I'm not kidding, there won't be left-overs.

Oh my gosh, they are amazing. And for some strange reason, the potatoes do not absorb the oil. You will see a lot of oil soaked into the napkins, and if you don't use a napkin on your serving plate, you will see the excess oil left behind on it's surface. Who'd a thunk eh?

Red potato fries are simple to make, and healthier and cheaper than store-bought fries. Do yourself and a farmer proud and serve some up tonight.

Granola. Let's talk breakfast, Part 1

I'm big on breakfast and if you learn anything from me, you will be too. There are many MANY reasons for eating healthy and doing your body proud and having breakfast tops that list. Eating in the morning after a night of 'fasting' sets your body straight for the day. Think of breakfast as your daily foundation and like any good foundation it will keep you upright, strong, stable and yes, even friendly as you set out to face the world. Put it this way; if you don't have a proper breakfast, you'll likely be snacking all day on foods that are less than ideal because you're trying to make up for that missing foundation.

I'll do a number of posts on breakfast but today since we're out of granola and we'll be making it later, I'll be sharing that recipe and some reasons why you too should take 5 minutes to make your own granola.

Preparing from scratch some of the foods you eat makes sense on a number of levels (saving money comes to mind), but when you make your own food, you control what goes into it. You know the ingredients, you mix them, you're in control of the amounts. Granola from the store can be high-end and very expensive or it can be fairly cheap, tempting you to grab a bag or 2 every time you're shopping. But there are cons to that. Check the list of ingredients on the packaging to see what I mean. The oils they use, the amount of sugar...consume this stuff over time and the harm can really add up. And some granolas contain almonds or other ingredients that you or the kids are picking out but you're paying for them because it's part of their product.

I started making granola a long time ago because I didn't want the kids having the saturated oils and all that sugar in the store-bought products. I'd found a good recipe that was simple to make each week when we were doing the pizza. Cost was a factor too; I could double the recipe and make enough granola to get us through 2 weeks for a fraction of the price of the store-bought stuff. So give this recipe a whirl, it's easy to make and you can adjust it any way you like. I'll give you the original though, so get creative and make it your own.

And when you sit down for breakfast tomorrow morning, put some of your new granola in the bottom of your bowl (then put some back - see my other post!), top it up with your regular cereal and feel good about the foundation you've laid to face your day.

Great Granola             (Jane Brody's Good Food Cookbook, New York 1985, p.508)
Melt together
1/4 c marg 
1/4 c honey
Stir in
3 c rolled oats
1 c shredded unsweetened coconut
1 c raw sunflower seeds
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Spread in a 9 x 13 pan, bake at 350 F for approx 15 mins, stirring several times. 
Add
1/2 c wheat germ
and bake 10 mins longer or until the granola is lightly browned. 
Remove from oven, and stir in
2/3 c raisins
Let the granola cool completely before storing.

Pizza dough recipe for your Bread Machine

Place ingredients into the canister in the order recommended by the manufacturer.

Pizza Dough
1 tsp dry yeast
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 cup water

Select the 'dough' cycle and press Start.

Variations: replace 1/2 cup flour with 1/2 cup whole wheat flour.
Add 1 tbsp dried oregano flakes, or your other favourite dried flakes.
Use olive oil instead of cooking oil.

For my bread machine, the dough is ready in 50 minutes so I usually chop the toppings and grate the cheeses so everything is ready to assemble the pizza when the timer goes.

When you discover how simple this is, you'll be having pizza more than once a week. And that's not considered criminal activity in my books.

Naan recipe for your Bread Machine

Naan is a delicious Eastern flatbread that is served with a meal. I absolutely love it but I've been dismayed by it's price. 2 pieces in the Frozen Foods section are $1.99 and believe me, 2 pieces are not enough for everyone at dinner.

A simple alternative that works well for me is to make my own dough, then roll small pieces and fry them in Celeb margarine in the frying pan. I never seem to manage to keep more than a few on the serving plate because thieves come into the kitchen and steal them as soon as they're done. They are so delicious that you likely won't have any better luck.

Naan 

Place ingredients into your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer.

1 tsp dry yeast
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 c water

Select the 'dough' cycle and press Start. 

When the dough is ready, remove it from the canister onto a floured surface and cover with a tea towel.

Using a sharp knife, cut off sections of dough approximately 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Once you make a few, you'll know the size you like. Keep the unused dough under the towel. Roll the small section into a circle, fairly thin. It's called 'flatbread' for a reason...

Heat a frying pan over medium heat and melt a small amount of margarine. Turn the frying pan to spread the marg then toss in the section of dough you've rolled. It will brown fairly quickly. Turn it to brown on the other side, then remove to your serving plate. 

Put more marg in the frying pan, reduce the heat if needed, and repeat the process. Make the naan larger or smaller, thicker or thinner, depending on who you're serving and what else you're serving for the meal. It's not a beauty contest, you don't get points for perfectly round naan, so don't bother trimming edges and making them all look the same. The goal is to finish quickly so the naan is still warm when it hits the table. 

Don't stress, even if you burn a few. The results will be so delicious, no one will notice anyway.