Caramel Pecan Bars

If you like pecan pie, you will love these!  Think pecan pie cookie... with caramel.  After the holidays, I didn't want to make pie.  Also, I hate making pie crust.  But it was a friend's birthday dinner and he loves pecan pie.  I had just watched an episode of Barefoot Contessa where she made these raspberry streusel bars that looked delicious.  The shortbread-esque cookie base was really easy; you could top it with just about anything.  These are also great because you can easily cut them into any size you want: giant, indulgent squares or petite, bite-sized treats.  You can easily make these the day before (insert event).

Caramel Pecan Bars
Dough:
1 stick softened unsalted butter
1/3 C sugar
1 1/4 C AP flour
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
Filling:
3/4 C (heaping) chopped pecans
1 egg
2 Tbsp corn syrup
1 Tbsp maple syrup (can be subbed with another Tbsp of corn syrup)
2 Tbsp loosely packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp caramel, mine were probably generous Tbsp (plus more for after it is baked, optional)
Streusel (optional):
2 Tbsp quick oats
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp loosely packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt (I suggest sea salt)
1 Tbsp melted butter or vegetable oil

   Beat the butter and sugar together.  Add vanilla and salt, combine.  Add flour, incorporate.  It probably will not form a solid mass of dough., but it will stick together when pressed.
   Line a 9x9 baking dish with foil or parchment paper.  Lightly spray.  Press dough into pan and form a very small lip around the edge to keep in the filling.
   Combine all the filling ingredients, except caramel.  Spread over dough, but don't go all the way to the edge.  Drizzle caramel over the filling.
   Combine streusel ingredients.  Sprinkle evenly over the top.
   Bake at 350 deg F for 40-45 minutes.  Allow to cool in pan.  Remove from pan and cut.  Drizzle with more caramel right before serving.
   Serves 9-16.

Venison Tenderloin w/ Walnut, Parmesan, Herb Crust

This little piece of meat terrified me.  No joke.  It is strange that a little over a pound of meat (2 tenderloins) has the power to reduce me to quivering procrastination.  Because venison has next to no fat, it can over cook in an instant. The second it gets a hair past medium, it is basically ruined.  Honestly, you don't really want to cook it past medium-rare.  I took a couple of deep breaths, relaxed, and took it easy.... and it couldn't have been more perfect.

If don't have venison tenderloin, this crust would be great on pork tenderloin, even beef or chicken.  It is earthy, bright, and fresh.



Venison Tenderloin w/ Walnut, Parmesan, Herb Crust
2 venison tenderloins (between 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 lbs)

sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 C freshly grated parmesan*
1/4 C walnuts, finely chopped
1/4 C chopped parsley
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lrg garlic clove, pasted
1 tsp dried rosemary
zest 1/2 lemon

   Combine parmesan, walnuts, herbs, garlic, lemon zest, and oil.
   Bring venison to room temp.  Liberally salt and pepper tenderloins.
   Heat a little oil over medium-hi heat in a large skillet.  Sear tenderloins on all sides.  It should not take more than 60-90 seconds per side. (I feel like small tenderloins have 3 sides.)
   Place tenderloins on a baking sheet.  Top with crust.  It will be loose, just press it down so it sits on top.
   400 deg F for 10 minutes for med-rare.
   Let it rest for 3-5 minutes.
   Serves 4.

Almond Joy Cookies

I don't know about you, but I like to spread out my Holiday cookie making.  I think I've made at least one batch of cookies a week for the last month.  But, now that Christmas is literally just around the corner (if you think of weekends as corners), it is time to wrap things up.  No present pun intended.

My husband and I made up this recipe when we were had just started dating nearly six years ago (!!!).  Wow.  I can't believe I haven't shared it yet.  This is really just a basic cookie, so nothing difficult to confuse you at this hectic time of year.  This would be the perfect last minute addition to Santa's cookie plate.

The Almond Joys are the chocolate ones, the others are
Chocolate Chip & Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

Almond Joy Cookies
2 sticks room temp butter (I generally use 1 unsalted, 1 salted)
3/4 C white sure
3/4 c loosely packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 C all purpose flour
1/4 C cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 C chopped almond
5 oz unsweetened coconut
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

   Cream butter and sugar together.  Incorporate eggs.  Add vanilla.
   Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  Slowly mix into butter mixture.  I think three batches is good.   When the third addition of flour is almost fully incorporated, add coconut.  Mix.  Fold in chocolate chips and almonds.
   Spoon heaping tablespoons onto a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
   Back at 350 deg F for 10 minutes.
   Makes ~3 dozen.


**I also highly suggest you try Sandra Lee's New York Cheesecake Cookies.  They may be my new favorite cookie.

Pumpkin Apple Bread

Ohmehgerd!  The first pumpkin recipe of the year!  And it is pretty exciting.  I am eating right now.  This may be one of the best quick bread I have ever made.  Bonus, it is pretty healthy.  The chunks of apple give it such a nice texture.  I think a sweet apple with a firm texture is the best for this:  gala, fuji, breaburn.  Use whatever your favorite is though.  Stay away from softer apples like delicious, because they will turn very mushy while baking  I threw some chia seeds in the batter, basically because I just needed to use the damn things up.

smeared w/ Bruegger's Pumpkin Cream Cheese

Pumpkin Apple Bread
1 2/3 C whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 C + 1 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 C sugar
1/4 C honey
1/4 C water
~1 C pumpkin puree (half of a 15 oz can)
1 med apple, chopped
1/2 C pecans, chopped
1/4 C chia seeds (optional)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp clove
1/4 tsp nutmeg

   Combine all ingredients except flour and baking soda.  Slowly work in flour and baking soda.
   Pour into a greased 9x5 loaf pan.
   Bake at 350 deg F for 60-70 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
   1 loaf.  Serves about 10.

Spinach and Hazelnut Pesto

If you couldn't guess by my sparse, yet recent posts... I am really digging spring cooking.  Like most vegetables, I eat spinach year round.  But even the bagged stuff just gets better this time of year.  Basil isn't quite in full swing yet, so when I was contemplating making my own pesto over (the good, but not great) jarred varieties, spinach seemed the cheaply logical choice of greenage.  Hazelnuts... well, we just had them.  If you can't find them, or they are just wildly expensive, I suggest walnuts as the alternative.

Spinach and Hazelnut Pesto
2 C chopped spinach
~ 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp toasted, chopped hazelnuts
3 lrg cloves roasted garlic
1 Tbsp fresh basil (1 tsp dried)
zest of 1/2 a lemon
juice of 1 lrg lemon (~2 Tbsp)
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

   Combine ingredients.  Puree using a food processor, high powered blender, or immersion blender.  Adjust seasonings as necessary.  The consistency should be an easily spreadable, loose paste; adjust amount of oil/lemon juice as needed.
   Makes about 1 C pesto.

Pistachio and Boursin Quinoa

I am no extreme coupon-er but I do love a good coupon.  Not too long ago I got a coupon for Boursin cheese spread.  It was a night I wouldn't get home until 7:30 so the hubs was in charge of dinner.  We created this retardedly easy recipe that set him up for success in the kitchen.  I didn't know it would end up being so freaking delicious!  We have made it several times since.  It is perfect with fish and a salad, maybe some roasted or grilled veggies, too.

Pistachio and Boursin Quinoa
1/2 lrg onion, chopped
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 C vegetable or chicken broth (low sodium)
1 C quinoa
1/3 C roughly chopped pistachios
2 oz Boursin garlic and herb cheese spread

   Heat oil in a 2 qt sauce pan over medium heat.  Saute onions until soft and translucent, 5-6 minutes.  Add broth and bring to a boil.
   Add quinoa and bring liquid back to a boil.  As soon as it reaches a boil, cover and turn heat to low.  Cook for 15-17 minutes, until you can see the germ ring layer clearly around the individual grains.
   Stir in Boursin and pistachios.
   Serves 3-4.

Caramel Walnut Brownies and Wed-ReDirect

Last Saturday, I was cleaning and making bread so I really just didn't want to bother with brownie batter. Yes, it is really easy, but sometimes it is not necessary to bake from scratch.  A good quality brownie mix should be a staple in the pantry.  I don't keep it in my pantry because I would make them and then eat them.  All of them.  But it is the perfect go-to solution for an easy dessert for guests.  It takes no effort to jazz up the mix and make them delectable.

Caramel Walnut Brownies
1 pkg brownie mix (I used a fudgey-chewy mix)*
1 C chopped walnuts
12 soft vanilla caramels, chopped (I cut them into 9 pieces)
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt

   *Make brownies according to package directions replacing any water with milk.
   Mix in cinnamon and salt.  Fold in walnuts and caramels.
   Bake according to package directions in a sprayed 13x9 pan.
   Cut to desired size.  (I say it serves 16)


AND be sure to check out Sartorial Sideline's guest post about McQueen at Save the Artist!  And check there later today for my post on building your kitchen tool kit.

 

Banana Cashew [Dinosaur] Muffins

   What do you do with a dying banana?  You know, the ones that are a little too black and kind of soft....  I pop mine in the freezer, saving them for one of my banana bread whims.

   My dad loves to give me and my brother food.  My move to NC was no different.  He packed up 2 jars of peanut butter, crackers, some variety of mini oranges, bagel chips, apples, cashews, some other stuff, and bananas.  A day in the car and a couple more sitting on the counter while I unpacked did not favor the bananas very well.  That meant I was forced to made a banana based baked good.  Muffins sounded like just the thing for Tuesday morning when I had to get up early for the cable guys and to make my house smell good in case it smelled like I had gone through a head of garlic in five days.... which I had. (I know; I have a problem.)

   Also, dinosaurs are fun.  And my dinosaur muffin pan is the coolest piece of bake ware I own.  They are bigger than normal muffins so that's a plus.  Not to mention that my husband starts chanting "D-I-N-O-S-A-U-R a dinosaur!!!" every time I use it.  (Oh, yeah... the hubs knows his Ke$ha.)

Banana Cashew Muffins
2 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 C half and half
1/4 C melted butter
2 Tbsp veg oil
1 Tbsp orange juice
1/2 tsp orange zest
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
2 bananas, coarsely mashed
1 C roughly chopped cashews
cooking spray

   Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
   Combine egg, 1/2 and 1/2, butter, oil, orange juice, zest, vanilla and nutmeg.  Mix bananas into egg and milk mixture.
   Form a well in dry ingredients.  Add wet mixture.  Slowly work together.  Fold in cashews.  Be careful not to over-mix.
   Lightly spray muffin pan.  Fill 3/4 full.
   Bake 350 deg F for 18-22 minutes for regular muffin pan.  22-25 minutes for dino-pan.  At minimum bake time, test muffins.  Insert tooth pick into center of a muffin; if it comes out clean, they are done.
   Makes 12 [regular] muffins.

Breakfast Banana Bread

   One slice of this and you'll be ready to go until lunch!  Enough carbs to jump start your day but enough fiber and protein to make that energy last.  This bread is loaded with good-for-you stuff in a familiar banana bread package.  The inspiration for this was Publix's Bakery Breakfast Bread.  I don't know if you've had it but it is delicious: dense, nutty, and fruity.  My suspicions are that it is just empty, carby calories though.  While it is loaded with dried fruit, that doesn't mean it is nutritious.  Also, you can make this loaf, which is bigger, for a dollar less.  I used a lot of different stuff in my bread, because we just had the stuff in the house, but feel free to use whatever stuff you like!  Even sweet roasted nuts; I used vanilla cinnamon almonds (because... that is what we had)!

   You may not know this but most dried fruits have been completely stripped of their nutrients and vitamins in the drying process.  Some retain their good-stuff better though and some companies are more conscious of their products.  Read the labels of dried fruit to find out which ones have vitamins.  Mango and apricots reserve their nutrients best.  Cherries, blueberries, cranberries and raisins vary greatly by brand.  You may also want to check out the bulk isle for specialty dried fruits like Turkish apricots which are sweet and tangy and loaded with vitamin C.

Breakfast Banana Bread 
3 bananas, over-ripe
2/3 C unsweetened applesauce
1/2 C brown sugar
2 eggs (or equivalent of egg substitute)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp salt
1/3 C dried (Turkish) apricots, chopped
1/4 C dried cranberries
1/4 C golden raisins
1/4 C almonds, chopped
1/4 C walnuts, chopped
1 C all purpose flour
1 C whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
light cooking spray

   In a bowl mash bananas but not until completely smooth.

   Add applesauce, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Work in eggs ones at a time.  Fold in all nuts and fruit.  Add all purpose flour and baking powder.  Mix until it is about half incorporated.  Add whole wheat flour.  Gently but thoroughly mix.
   Lightly spray a 9x5x3.  Pour in batter.  Level out.
   Bake at 350 deg F for 50-55 minutes.  Until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
   Serve with a light smear of light cream cheese or light butter spread.
   12 slices (servings)

Total Ingredient Cost:  just under $3.00
Per Serving:  Calories 194, Fat 4g, Carb 36g, Fiber 4g, Protein 4.5g
Daily Values:  Vit A 2.5%, Vit C 7%, Potassium 4%, Calcium 1%, B6 5.5%, Iron 5.5%, Thiamine 6%, Niacin 7%, Riboflavin 5%, Folate 7%

Vanilla Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

   Calm that snack craving, but please don't head for the chips and cookies!  Snacking is the easiest and fastest way to ruin any diet you happen to be on.  Obviously fruit is a great snack that is loaded with good-for-you things and very few calories but that can get a little old after a while no matter how much you love fruit.  As long as you make your snacks work for you and not against you, they are an essential part to a healthy lifestyle.  Little bites in between meals help prevent over eating and give you those needed boosts of energy during the day.

  Almonds are a great snack because they are crunchy, which helps alleviate stress, and good for you.  Yes, almonds have a significant amount of fat, but they are very low in saturated fat and really high in monounsaturated fat--you know, the kind of lipids that are good for your skin, hair, nails, and heart?  They are also a great source of niacin (B3) which helps lower cholesterol and vitamin E which is a strong antioxidant.  The other great thing about almonds, ladies: is that a serving size is 1/4 C which is roughly the equivalent of a handful (unless you have freakishly large hands).  Easy portioning!  Guys will probably need to measure out 1/4 C.

   I know that nuts can be a little on the expensive side, but keep an eye out for raw, bulk nuts on sale (in the produce section or top shelf in nut section).  Stock up and store them in your freezer for up to 6 months.  The last time almonds were on sale we got them $4/lb... I know, awesome.  Roasting them yourself give you creative control over the flavor and helps keep the salt and sugar in check.  I like raw sugar for roasting nuts because it gives them more crunch and is a less processed carbohydrate which means your body works a little bit harder to break it down (ie... less is converted to fat.)  These almonds aren't overly sweet, you can add a little bit more sugar if you would like, but I think there is enough sweetness in them to satisfy that mid-day sugar craving.

TIP:  If you feel, or know, you have problems controlling portion size, pre-measure your snacks into little baggies.  That way it is easy to just grab and throw in your purse or back pack.  Easy to take, healthy snacks on-the-go are great way to avoid the fast food drive through or vending machines that can bust three good days worth of eating in a single blow.

Vanilla Cinnamon Roasted Almonds
1 egg white (or equivalent amount of egg white substitute)
2 Tbsp raw sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
2 C natural almond (dry roasted without salt, or raw)
cooking spray

   Whip egg white until it reaches a medium peak stage.  When held up right it will keep its form but the tip will fold over.  Like this:

  Fold in vanilla, cinnamon, sugar, and salt.  Stir in almonds.  Make sure everything is coated.  Spread out into a single layer on lightly sprayed cookie sheet.
   375 deg F for 10 minutes (350 is you know your oven runs hot).  Toss, put back in oven for 5-7 more minutes.  Allow to cool completely in a single layer!  (If you pile them together they will steam and not be as crunchy.)
   8 servings
Per Serving:  Calories 208, Fat 18 g, Dietary fiber 4 g, Protein 7.5 g;  Daily Values:  45% Vitamin E, 9% Calcium, 9% Iron, 7% Potassium, 7% Niacin
Cost: about $5 (on the expensive side, shop wisely and it will only cost about $2.50), it may be more than a bag of chips but your body will thank you!

Double Chocolate Walnut Blondies.

   Caramely, gooey, crowd-pleasing perfection.  What else is there to say about a blondie?  This is a really basic, really simple recipe that can be jazzed up any way you want.  Add a whole bag of white chocolate chips and 1 Tbsp cinnamon for a nice fall holiday treat, or add pistachios and cardamon for an exotic twist.  I cut this batch into little bite-sized morsels, but feel free to cut them as big as you want!  My husband wouldn't even bother cutting... he would just dig in.

Double Chocolate Walnut Blondies
2 C lightly packed brown sugar
2/3 C butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 C dark chocolate chips
1 C white chocolate chips
1 C chopped walnuts

In a large sauce pan heat butter and sugar over medium heat until butter is completely melted and mixture is smooth.  It shouldn't take more than 5 min.  Remove from heat and let cool for 10 min.  Stir in eggs and vanilla.  Add flour, baking powder and baking soda.  Just before the flour is fully incorporated, add chocolate and nuts.  Mix.  Spread into a greased 13x9x2 pan.
Bake at 325 deg F for 30 min.