Moroccan Date Cake
I have liked dates for as long as I can remember. They are truly nature’s candy. In this simple cake recipe I used both dates and nuts to add richness. The hardest part of this dish was cutting up the fresh dates. They are pretty sticky. I used kitchen scissors, dipped in oil, to snip up the dates and that worked pretty well. I suppose you could add frosting or a glaze but I prefer this cake unadorned.
Moroccan Date Cake
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 t. baking powder
1 c. flour
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 c. milk
1 t. vanilla
1 c. pitted, chopped dates
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
Cream together butter and sugar and beat in the eggs. Combine dry ingredients and beat into the egg mixture. Beat in milk and vanilla. Stir in nuts and dates and pour batter into a greased 9-inch cake pan. Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for about 30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serves 8-10.
Sweet Potato Muffins-Gluten Free
When a family member was diagnosed with Celiac disease years ago, the selection of gluten free foods was pretty limited. Happily, today going gluten free is much easier. I buy a gluten free flour at Costco that can be used in any recipe that calls for all purpose flour. Gluten free flour is available in many grocery stores, too.
Gluten free flour seems to bake, or at least brown, a little faster, so you have to keep an eye on what you use it in. It doesn’t get much easier than that. In this recipe you could also use all purpose flour, if that is what you prefer. Just increase baking time 3-5 minutes.
The muffins are moist and not too sweet. They are great for breakfast, snacks or even as a dessert. They could also be served with lunch or dinner in places of rolls.
They freeze well so you can make a batch and freeze the extras for later. Wonderful for busy days when you don’t have time to make them.
Sweet Potato Muffins- Gluten Free
4 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 c. oil
1 c. sugar
2 c. cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
1 3/4 c. gluten-free flour
1 T. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
Blend together in large bowl eggs, sugar, sweet potatoes and oil and set aside. In another bowl combine dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and stir until well blended. Pour into paper-lined muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until muffins spring bake when touched lightly. Makes 30-36.
These freeze well.
Sweet Potatoes or Yams?
I just wanted to clear something up. With all the sweet potato and “yam” recipes circulating, it seemed like a good time for this post. Are you eating sweet potatoes or yams?
Well, if you live in North America, you are having sweet potatoes. No matter what the produce department labels them, everything in the store is, botanically speaking, a sweet potato. Red, orange and yellow, big and small – all are sweet potatoes.
So where did the yam thing start? Well, many years ago the state of Louisiana had an abundant crop of sweet potatoes. They wanted to sell them in a competitive marketplace, so they decided to call them yams. Just a name change in an effort to give their product an edge over the competition. You’ll often still see them sold as Louisiana Yams. They aren’t yams, though. Louisiana Yams are, in fact, just sweet potatoes with a name change.
There are real yams- they are larger than sweet potatoes and quite starchy. They might be found at South American restaurants, or in specialty markets in the States, but they are NOT in your local grocery store. One big difference is that sweet potatoes are a root crop and yams grow above ground.
A sweet potato by other name will taste as sweet.
Halloween Candy Mini Cheesecakes
I am posting this as a public service to those of you with leftover Halloween candy.
Sometimes you end up with leftover Halloween candy. You could just eat the candy- or you can transform it into a dessert.
The idea I came up with was mini cheesecakes. I’ve made them before, so I used my recipe, and just folded in crushed candy bars. Once the cheesecakes cool they deflate a little, so I also added some crushed candy bars to the top to make them look nice.
Only change from the original recipe was a slight decrease in sugar, to compensate for the extra sweetness of the candy. I went down to 1/3 cup of sugar. I think 1/4 cup would also have been enough.
I am sure a lot of different candy bars would work. I used a small food processor to really crush up the candy bars. I made 2 batches, one with cookies and cream candy bars and the other with Kit Kat bars.
Since the candy will keep, you could use the candy in a Thanksgiving dessert. Of course, the candy might not last until Thanksgiving.
Halloween Candy Mini Cheesecakes
12 vanilla wafers
2 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla
2 eggs
2/3 c. crushed candy bars plus 1/4 c. crushed candy bar, for topping
Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 wafer in each. Beat together remaining ingredients (except candy) for 1 minute with an electric mixer. Fold in candy. Divide this mixture in the muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full. Bake 25 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool and decorate with extra crushed candy. Makes 12. These can be frozen.
New Day Cleveland – Lemon Curd
Here is my appearance on New day Cleveland. As always, it was a lot of fun. David is great to work with. The whole crew was kind and welcoming.
Just click on the link below.
https://fox8.com/on-air/new-day-cleveland/lemon-curd-for-all-tastes
Easy Apple Fritters
I love apple season. Besides eating them fresh, I enjoy cooking with apples. One of my favorite apple dishes is apple fritters.
Fritters are similar to doughnuts. Rather than being made from a dough that is rolled and cut, like doughnuts, fritters are made from a batter. The fritter batter is spooned into oil for frying. They are actually very easy to make.
Good fritters are light and airy inside, with a crisp outside. These are very good fritters. These fritters have diced apples and cinnamon in the batter and cook up tender and light. Fritters are good plain, but can be rolled in powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar or drizzled with a powdered sugar glaze. Unlike a lot of the giant-sized fritters I see at local orchards and farm markets this time of year, these fritters are smaller. Only a few bites each. I actually prefer that.
For my gluten-free friends, I have made these fritters with gluten free flour. They tasted great. The gluten free version seemed to brown faster, so I turned down the temperature of the oil to 350 degrees.
So enjoy one of my favorite recipes of the season, and make yourself some fritters.
Apple Fritters
2 c. flour
2 T. sugar
2 T. baking powder
1 T. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1 c. milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 T. melted butter
1 c. diced apples
oil for frying
Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Mix together milk with the eggs and butter. Stir in dry ingredients until just moistened and add the apples. Heat oil to 375. If using gluten-free flour heat oil to 350. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Don’t do more than 4-5 at a time. It will take about 4 minutes in total but you need to turn them to brown evenly so 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. While warm roll in powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, or drizzle with a powdered sugar glaze. Makes about 32.
Apple Bacon Fritters with Maple Glaze
The fritter batter contains diced, fresh apples and crispy bacon. The combination is really special.
Fritters aren’t difficult to make. They really don’t take that long to make, either. I prefer to make fritters close to when I am serving them- so my guests can enjoy them warm.
They make a wonderful dessert, or a fun addition to a breakfast or brunch menu. I dipped them in the maple glaze, which also went well with the apples and bacon.
I must warn you, they are addictive.
Apple and Bacon Fritters
2 c. flour
2 T. sugar
2 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 c. milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 T. melted butter
1 c. diced apples
1 c. cooked, crumbled bacon
oil for frying- I used coconut oil
Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Mix together milk with the eggs and butter. Stir in dry ingredients until just moistened and add the apples and bacon. Heat oil to 375. If using gluten free flour, heat oil to 350. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Don’t do more than 4-5 at a time. It will take about 4 minutes in total but you need to turn them to brown evenly so 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Dip in maple glaze (recipe follows) while warm. Makes about 32.
Maple Glaze
1 c. Powdered sugar
1/2 c. maple syrup
a little water if mixture gets too thick
Combine all ingredients and set aside until ready to use.
A Trio of Pasta Sauces
These sauce were created for a Halloween themed dinner with friends. The idea was to come up with some sauces that would taste good, but also be fun colors for Halloween. Unconventional for sure. In the interest of full disclosure, I have made the carrot sauce many times before. I’ve made a pea pasta sauce before, but it had been years. The cauliflower sauce was created as a pureed soup initially, but I decided I liked it more as a sauce. I’ve recreated the recipes as closely as I can remember what I did on the pea and cauliflower sauces.
Ideal thickness of a sauce is always a bit subjective. I try to allow for how much stock evaporates and I try to make it clear that you can add more stock or even cream, if that works better for you. But it also about how thick a sauce you prefer. So while I wrote down what I did, feel free to edit to suit your taste. As an added note, all of these sauces freeze well.
My guests enjoyed the sauces and combining them with the different color pasta options that night (multicolored spaetzle and squid ink pasta). It made for a fun and playful dinner.
So here are the recipes. Boo!
Carrot Pasta Sauce
1 T. oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced
2 c. chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
½ c. cream, half and half or evaporated milk
1T. fresh parsley or 1 t. dried
Sauté onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, carrots and stock and cook until carrots are very tender. Much of the liquid should have evaporated by then. Place mixture in blender and add cream or milk, mixing until smooth. Add dill and adjust seasonings, tossing over hot pasta to serve.
Purple Cauliflower Pasta Sauce
2 T. oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 rib celery, sliced
4-6 cups of cauliflower flowerets
2 c. chicken or vegetable stock
½ c. red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste
In pot, sauté onion and celery in oil until tender and onion is getting a little color on it. Add cauliflower, stock and vinegar and simmer, uncovered, until cauliflower is very tender, about 10-15 minutes. Puree mixture and adjust seasonings. You might need to add a little more stock if the sauce gets too thick. Serve over hot pasta.
Green Pea Pasta Sauce
1 T. oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 c. green peas, thawed
1 c. chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
½ c. cream, half and half or evaporated milk
1T. fresh mint or 1 t. dried
Sauté onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, peas and stock and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, 5 minutes. Much of the liquid should have evaporated by then. Place mixture in blender and add cream or milk, mixing until smooth. Add mint and adjust seasonings, tossing over hot pasta to serve.
Spooky Spaetzle
For a recent Halloween themed dinner I decided to make spaetzle in different colors inspired by the holiday. I made three flavors- purple sweet potato, beet and green pea. They came out very pretty and my guests loved them. Not sure how spooky they were, though. I also served them with squid ink pasta, but that was store bought, not homemade. It made for a fun presentation. I would certainly make any of them again.
For those who aren’t familiar, spaetzle are like little dumplings or a type of pasta, depending on who you ask. The dough is a thick batter that is added to boiling water using a spaetzle maker. People will also use large slotted spoons to help the batter enter the boiling water in small pieces. They puff a bit when cooked, but deflate slightly after. They have a slightly chewy texture, but still tender, if that makes sense. My grandmother would put the dough on a cutting board and use a knife to cut little pieces off ad slide them into the water. She did it so quickly. I use a spaetzle maker – picture is at the bottom of this post. I was recently given a great hint. A perforated pizza pan- they are used to make a crisper crust- can be used as well. The pan has holes all over it. You place it over the pan of boiling water, dump the spaetzle dough onto the pan and use a spatula to press it through the holes into the boiling water. Great idea.
They were served with an array of colorful sauces, too. Those recipes will be coming soon. Because the pasta was pretty pastel in the end, I could see serving these for a Spring dinner, too. So here are the recipes, along with the recipe for my regular spaetzle.
Beet Spaetzle
1½ c. shredded cooked beets
1 egg
½ t. salt
1½ c. flour
Puree the beets. Combine egg, beets, salt and flour in a bowl and stir until batter is smooth. Batter with be thick. If it seems too thick you can add a little water or milk. Start pot of water boiling while batter rests. If using a spaetlze maker, place maker over the pot of boiling water. Place batter in the maker and slide back and forth, replacing batter as it runs out. If you don’t have a spaetzle maker, drop batter by small spoonfuls into the boiling water. Cook until they float, 3-5 minutes. Drain well before serving. To serve you can serve with a sauce or toss with butter or brown in a skillet with butter. These are also good topped with shredded cheese, but then, isn’t everything good that way?
Purple Sweet Potato Spaetzle
1 c. cooked mashed purple sweet potatoes
1 egg
½ t. salt
1½ c. flour
About ¼ c. milk or half and half
Combine potatoes with the egg, salt and flour. Stir until smooth. If batter is too thick add milk until batter is thick, but pourable. Start pot of water boiling while batter rests. If using a spaetlze maker, place maker over the pot of boiling water. Place batter in the maker and slide back and forth, replacing batter as it runs out. If you don’t have a spaetzle maker, drop batter by small spoonfuls into the boiling water. Cook until they float, 3-5 minutes. Drain well before serving. To serve you can serve with a sauce or toss with butter or brown in a skillet with butter.
Green Pea Spaetzle
1½ c. frozen peas, thawed
1 egg
½ t. salt
1½ c. flour
Puree peas until smooth. Combine with the remaining ingredients. Stir until smooth. You can add a little milk or water if the batter is too thick. Start pot of water boiling while batter rests. If using a spaetlze maker, place maker over the pot of boiling water. Place batter in the maker and slide back and forth, replacing batter as it runs out. If you don’t have a spaetzle maker, drop batter by small spoonfuls into the boiling water. Cook until they float, 3-5 minutes. Drain well before serving. To serve you can serve with a sauce or toss with butter or brown in a skillet with butter.
Spaetzle
3 eggs
1/2 c. half and half or evaporated milk
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. flour
Combine all ingredients and let rest 30 minutes. Drop by small spoonfuls into boiling water. Cook until they float and puff up, about 5 minutes. Serve with soups, stews sauces. You can toss them with a little butter. I sometimes heat butter in a pan and brown them up a little. You can also add some fresh, chopped herbs to the batter.
Cheesy “Spider”
For a recent party with friends I made this cheese ball. Fun for any Halloween party and easy to make. I started with extra sharp cheddar, a little feta and cream cheese. I rolled the cheese ball in chopped nuts and black sesame seeds and chilled it. I made the “legs” out of strips of puff pastry. I used homemade puff pastry, but store bought is perfectly fine. I cut out 9 strips- allowing for breakage- and folded each strip into a v shape. They were baked until crisp and set aside. Everything can be made a day or two ahead. Then, just assemble when ready to serve. I had some extra pastry dough so I cut it out with a small pumpkin shaped cookie cutter, baked the m, and served with the cheese ball.
Everyone loved the spider and I would certainly make this one again. Fun for adults or kids.
“Spider” Cheese Ball
1 sheet puff pastry
12 oz. sharp cheddar
8 oz. cream cheese
3 oz. feta cheese
Fine chopped nuts and black sesame seeds
2 candy eyes, optional
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out puff pastry and cut 9-10 (1/2 inch wide) strips. Bend strips into v-shapes. I made a couple extra to allow for breakage. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake until light brown, about 8 -10 minutes. Set aside. In medium bowl, combine the cheeses and farm into a ball. On a plate or in a shallow dish place finely chopped nuts and seeds. I had just over ½ cup total. Roll ball around to coat evenly, lightly pressing seed mixture in to the cheese ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve. When ready to serve, place cheese ball on a serving platter. Starting at the back of the cheese ball gently press one end of a puff pastry strip to look like a spider leg. Repeat until the “spider” has 8 legs. Add eyes, if you are using them. Serve with crackers.
Note: You should have leftover pastry. I cut mine into small pumpkin shapes. I baked them and served with the cheese ball.
