hominy's buttermilk pie

okay, so don't judge from the pic. you know this blog ain't about the pics.

so jessica wanted to test this recipe for her friends' thanksgiving party.

(but i'm not a huge pie fan...)

i usually just scoop out the middle and grab a piece of chocolate to call it good.

this was tasty though.

still not my first choice for desserts, but i can't say i didn't indulge!

in fact, we made one pie on tuesday and ate it in 2 days (it makes a good breakfast...).

then, tonight we had extra buttermilk and lemon and didn't want it to go to waste,

so we whipped up another.

"we'll take it to the neighbor."

ya right. it's half-way gone.

so, if you're a pie-lover, and lemon meringue is too tart for you,

this is light and creamy with only a tint of lemon and the nutmeg adds character.

Hominy Grill's Buttermilk Pie

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, separated

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 baked 9-inch deep-dish pie shell

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine butter and sugar until sugar is completely incorporatoed. Add egg yolks and mix well to combine. Add flour, lemon juice, nutmeg and salt. With the mixer running, slowly add buttermilk. Mix well and set aside.

In another bowl, whip egg whites until they form soft peaks. Pour a small amount of the buttermilk mixture into the whites. Fold gently to combine. Gently fold egg white mixture into remaining buttermilk mixture until just combined.

Pour custard into baked pie shell. Bake in the middle of the oven until filling is lightly browned and barely moves when the pie is jiggled, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in a rack and serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate any leftovers.

warm apples+yogurt

so you want a quick and healthy snack?

but it's cold and you want something warm(er)?

just dice up an apple (i prefer the fuji's)...

cover the diced apples (with a plate) and cook in microwave for 1 minute or so...

and then toss in some greek yogurt.

okay, usually greek yogurt makes me want to hurl IF

i don't add a little sweetener.

i use stevia from traders (a natural sweetener)...

it counter-balances my diet soda addiction.

add a little cinnamon...

and you've got yourself a protein-full, healthy snack.

sometimes i add a little fiber one cereal or walnuts to add some cruncheroo!

thank you very much.

slow-burn chipotle chili

oh man it's getting cold here.

in the mood for chili!

but a sweeter, healthier chili.

so, we used this here recipe as our "base" and added our own personal touch.

that's what i love about chili...and crockpots...

you can just add whatcha want, walk away for 10 hours,

and for the most part, it should be spec-tac!

instead of the beef and sausage, jess found some maple bacon at

whole foods we fried up and added.

it provided lots of flavor, without too much meat.

then, we added a cut-up sweet potato and 2 purple potatoes with all the other veggies.

mmm.

of course, as the recipe says, you can add as much water, salt, brown sugar that you like.

we probably used about 2 cups of water and 1/2 cup brown sugar.

of course, we (esp. sid) dressed the soup with cheese-fixins.

we gals avoided our aversion to meat-laden chili

and the boys got their fixin' of healthy beans and veggies,

under the code-word "chili".

a winner in my book.

oh man that pic is bad.it's always hi-stress with feeding time round here...

keeping up's

slow-burn chipotle chili

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained

1 pound sausage, browned and drained

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced green pepper

1 cup diced celery

1 can black beans, drained

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can pinto beans, drained

1 can diced tomatoes with juice

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1 cup tomato sauce

2 TB chili powder

1 tsp chipotle chili powder (optional)

1 tsp chipotle-flavored Tabasco sauce, or more to taste

salt, brown sugar, water, as desired.

place all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 8-12 hours. adjust seasoning, sweetness and thickness as desired with salt, brown sugar and water.

tender cornbread muffins

sisters in-law, jess & paige are visiting!

jess, especially, is always pulling out recipes here and there

and starting them on the spot.

love it! i'm finally cooking again...

we spent the day out on bainbridge island today,

probably the coldest seattle day this year!

but, chili is in the crockpot (recipe coming!)

and of course, you need cornbread.

or, kid-friendly muffins.

i just snagged one (pre-dinner).

i'm usually not dying over cornbread (too dry! cowboy grub, i'm talkin' to you!).

but these are moist with the sour cream (no butter, oil, or shortening!)

and i like the little corn kernels within...

i know they'll be scarfed up in no-time with or without the chili!

recipe from keeping up (again!)....

tender cornbread muffins

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups sour cream, regular or light

1 (10 oz) package frozen corn kernels, thawed and patted dry

stir together dry ingredients in a small bowl. in a larger bowl, whisk together egg, sour cream, and corn. add dry ingredients to corn mixture and stir just until combined (do not overmix). divide batter evenly among well-greased muffin or mini-muffin tins.

bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes (less for mini muffins), or until tops have browned and centers bounce back when touched. let stand 5 minutes in pan, then remove to cooling rack. serve warm with butter and honey.

(so my photos stink these days. rare for the sun to shine, and if it does, it sets so early! no natural light here...)

atkins chocolate granola bar

ya know how we are always searching for the "perfect" protein bar?

well, i tried this puppy today and was actually really impressed.  it didn't taste chalky or artificial, and it's super low on sugar too...

atkins chocolate chip granola bar

8g fat
17g protein

200 calories

1g sugar

overnight crockpot oatmeal

this oatmeal was super moist, easy, and while it was cooking the whole house began to smell like cinnamon.  it didn't turn out gummy or chewy like some oatmeal does.  it was hearty, filling and extra good with toppings.  i'm craving it again already!

crockpot oatmeal

page 20
from keeping up

2 cups steel cut oats (NOT quick or old-fashioned-oats)

6 1/2 cups water

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 large apple, peeled and diced

1/2 cup raisins

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

sliced banana and toasted nuts, for garnish

stir together ingredients in a greased crockpot.  cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.  to cook for 8 to 10 hours, add 1 additional cup of water.  serve oatmeal topped with sliced bananas and toasted nuts, if desired.

i added, strawberries, almonds, raspberries, pecans, bananas, blackberries and agave syrup as topping options.

amanda's granola

on the girls trip, we talked about what a great gift this would be for neighbors for christmas, or whatever.  i haven't tried making this yet, and when i do, i'll definitely post a pic!  

amanda's granola

12 C Quick Oats
2 C brown sugar
2 C coconut (I like the raw, shaved kind at Whole Foods)
1 tsp salt
2 C nuts (Use whatever you like.  I use pepitas, sliced or slivered almonds, pecans,
walnuts or cashews).
11/2 C canola oil
2/3 C water
3 tsp. vanilla

Stir sugar and oats until mixed.  In separate bowl, mix coconut, salt and nuts and mix in oil, water and vanilla.  Add to oats and mix well.  Spread over two large cookie sheets.  Bake for 2 to 21/2 hours at 250 degrees.

*I find that my granola only takes about 11/2 hours to cook.  Watch the granola because you don't want it to burn.

*I press it into the pans really well because I like it to form together and break into big chunks.  I love this granola to snack on, eat with yogurt and as cereal with milk.

york brownies

about a year ago, kate and folks were chatting about these brownies.

the word spread about their divinity, even up here in see-att.

how could anything be that good?

how dare i doubt...

this summer at janer's shower, em made them. i witnessed their goodness.

she slightly undercooked them, making them hard to cut and messy, but so up my alley!

ya, i was the one scraping the pan during clean-up time.

tonight i took dinner to a girl and found it an excuse to make these babies.

they are light and flaky on the outside and dense and chewy inside.

definitely rich, but that didn't stop me from eating far too many...

don't mind that there are 3, yes 3 cubes o' buttah! ya baby!

York Peppermint Brownies

1 pkg (about 24 small york patties)

1 ½ cups butter, melted

3 cups sugar

1 TBLS vanilla

5 eggs

2 cups flour

1 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together melted butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time and mix until well blended.

Sift in cocoa powder and stir to combine. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix well.

Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan. Arrange the York Patties in a single layer over the batter. Carefully spread the remaining batter on top, covering the Patties. Use a knife or spatula to smooth the top of the batter.

Bake for 50-55 min or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares. (I cook these at 325 degrees convection for about 40 minutes instead.)

Notes: You can also make these with Junior Mints instead (you just won’t have a nice white stripe down the middle of your brownie!)

pearly soda whites

 while we've been on the road in this tropical and sticky climate, i bought some baking soda to dry out our gym shoes, wet clothes, etc.  

 a long time ago, i heard that if you brush your teeth with baking soda, you'll have whiter teeth(i guess that's why so many tooth pastes have baking soda in them)...so i tried it!

and, turns out this wives' tale is actually true!  blake even did it too, and i noticed a difference.

  it's cheap, and for me, with all the carmel colored soda i drink, it'll be a good way to fight any dark film on my teeth.  try it and see what ya think...