T'was the Night Before Easter Cookies and Devotional

Long ago in my MOPS group we got a newsletter that had a recipe for resurrection cookies in it. I tried the recipe and kept it. I loved the idea, but there were a few things I didn't like about the cookie. Like the nuts. And that there was no chocolate. Nice idea, blah cookie.

I can't be the only person with candy canes left.

In our house we try to emphasize Easter as much as Christmas. Birth, death and resurrection of the same Jesus. We do have an in-house egg hunt and give a bigger gift in our yearly recycled Easter baskets. Easter, much like Christmas, has been ridiculously commercialized. Ridiculous. It's easy to be sucked in. I've already put away a fun sized bag of Reese's Eggs. This recipe/devotional is a good reminder of what Easter is about, and if you forgot to start the Resurrection Eggs on the right day you can still cram it in the night before or even during the week.

My adaptation has a Christmas twist. It's good to read the "Legend of the Candy Cane" too while they are eating them on Easter Sunday. The recipe begins Saturday night.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of mints - or leftover candy canes
1/2 chocolate bar
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
zipper baggie (freezer)
wooden spoon/meat tenderizer/hammer
masking tape
Bible

Directions and Devotion

1.Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

2. Place the mints and the chocolate bar in the zipper baggie. Let children break them apart using spoon or tenderizer into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested he was beaten by Roman Soldiers and read John 19: 1-3.

In bag pre-meat tenderizer

Delish chocolate and peppermint

3. Let you children smell the vinegar. Put a teaspoon of vinegar into a large mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink and read John 19: 28-30.

4. Add the egg whites to the vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life and read John 10: 10-11.

5. Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand and let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus's followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

Salty sweet hands

6. So for the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add the sugar to the bowl and explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him, and then read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

7. Beat with mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3: 1-3. This is a good time to have them get read for bed, clean up or read the Legend of the Candy Cane. The egg whites have to be stiff.

Whip it.

Whip it good.

8. Fold in the chocolate and mint pieces.

9. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheets. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus's body was laid and read Matthew 27: 57-60.

10. Put cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus's tomb was sealed and read Matthew 27: 65-66.

11. Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb were sealed and read John 16: 20, 22. Send the kids off to bed and eat the other half of the chocolate bar as you prepare for the rest of the possible chaos on Easter Sunday.

12. On Easter morning, open the oven door and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies should be hollow. He has risen! On the first Easter morning, Jesus's followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28: 1-9.

A Christmas Easter cookie

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

This recipe is a staple in our family. It's easy and terribly good. The original recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. My adaptations are slight. Unlike most zucchini bread recipes, the original recipe has only a quarter cup of oil. I reduce the oil farther, and it is still moist. When the garden produces more zucchini than we can eat, I shred and freeze it for cold days like today when I don't mind the oven being on. It can be made vegan with an egg replacer. Since the first loaf is gone within half an hour of taking it out of the oven I normally make three loaves at a time.

So yummy! You are welcome.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup sugar*
1 cup finely shredded unpeeled zucchini
2 tbsp cooking oil*
2 tbsp apple sauce
1 egg
1/4 tsp finely shredded lemon peel**
1/2 cup semisweet morsels

*The original recipe calls for 1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup of oil.
** I use dried lemon peel

1. In a mixing bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg.
2. In another mixing bowl combine sugar, shredded zucchini, cooking oil, egg and lemon peel and mix well.

3. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.
4. Stir in chocolate chips.

5. Pour batter into a greased 8x4x2 inch loaf pan.



6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (When making 3 loaves, I rotate the loaves every 18 minutes)

7. Cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from pan and cool thoroughly on a wire rack. Or eat it all before completely cooled. The loaves can be frozen. I usually wrap them in cling wrap and then in aluminum foil.

Enjoy!

Buttermilk Pie

This Thanksgiving I was blessed once again to have my parents cook. I did contribute a very very small part and made two pies. One of the pies was a pecan pie, and the other was this buttermilk pie. Someone (I am so sorry I have forgotten who) gave us a pie book with a pie plate when we were first married. I go through my recipe books often donating the ones I don't use and this book, American Pie by Theresa Kennedy, always makes the cuts. There are some unusual pie recipes in the book. It appeals to my Frankenfood side. I still haven't made all the pies yet. This Thanksgiving, I tried two new recipes. I had the ingredients, and buttermilk pie sounded so interesting.

Buttermilk Pie

1 pie crust*
2 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons lightly salted butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1. Ease crust into 9-inch pie pan; trim the overhang to 1 inch and flute the edges.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk, flour, and melted butter and beat until the flour is completely blended. Add sugar and continue beating.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and blend.
5. Pour the filling into the crust and sprinkle it with nutmeg. Bake for 10 minutes.
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes**or until the filling is set. Serve warm or chilled.

The book says "An old fashioned recipe that might seem unusual to pie eaters today. The custard filling is tangy and sweet, reminiscent of pies made with cream cheese." It was interesting. It had almost lemony in flavor, but it was still distinctly buttermilk. It was eaten and well received.


*I buy a pie crust. Gasp! There is a recipe in the book for crusts. It currently does not fit into my slacker lifestyle.
** This pie is pretty fast to make which fits into my slacker lifestyle.

Mark Kennedy's Pecan Pie

We were given a pie recipe book, American Pie by Theresa Kennedy, with a pie dish early in our marriage. It has a lot of cool and unusual recipes in it. I usually make Aunt Dear's Pecan Crème Pie* because it is easy and delicious. I thought I had all the ingredients, but I didn't have any light corn syrup. I did, however, have dark corn syrup and all the ingredients for the pie on the next page, Mark Kennedy's Pecan Pie. It takes a little more work**, but it was good. It's much richer than Aunt Dear's. It was well received, and I came home with an empty pie dish. I also made buttermilk pie. The recipe for it is in the previous post if you are interested.

Pecan pie ready for T-day travel

Mark Kennedy's Pecan Pie

1 pie crust***
3 eggs
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tablespoons lightly salted butter, softened
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1. Roll pie crust into pie pan with 1 inch overhang. Flute edges as desired and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
3. Place the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, and butter in a medium mixing bowl. Beat for 3 minutes on medium speed with an electric mixer, or by hand until the butter is completely incorporated. (It turns a nice lighter brown)
4. Add the pecans and stir to blend. Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 1 hour.

Yum yum good.

*I'll post this some time. It deserves its own post.
**I'm a slacker pie maker so it really doesn't take that much extra work.
***I buy a crust. Slacker. You can make one if you are purist.

Chocolate Chip Chocolate Protein Scones

This recipe is adapted from an oatmeal-raisin scone recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book circa 1989. I grew up with the Joy of Cooking as a cookbook staple at my house, and my husband brought the BH&G cookbook into our marriage. I confess I use it more than Joy. If I needed know what to do with fresh goat's milk, Joy would be the place to go. If I need a meal in half an hour, it's BH&G all the way.

I've made the oatmeal-raisin scones many times before and added cranberries/white chocolate chips or raisin/chocolate chips or even made them according to the recipe. Stunning. I know. Last week as I noticed my rarely used chocolate protein powder, Muscle Milk. Since I've drastically reduced my milk consumption and making a smoothie gets the blender dirty, I haven't been using it very much. I do use my vanilla protein for an overnight refrigerator apple oatmeal cup which is fantastic. More on that later. School is almost over. Anyway, I thought adding a couple of scoops of protein powder to the recipe would be delish, and I could offset the ooky aftertaste with a little buttermilk. After making it, I declared myself a genius, and the next day made another batch. Yesterday I made substituted 1 cup of brown rice flour and 1/4 cup of coconut flour for the white flour and added 1/4 cup of peanut butter. Very good and really filling.

This was the last of the gf peanut butter model. All gone.

I know it's not a traditional scone as it uses egg for a binder. It's definitely not low cal, low fat or sugar free. That, however, often translates into delicious. On another note, because I am a lazy cook, I don't often roll out my scones and cut them into cute triangles anymore. It gets another dish dirty, and I'm probably not caught up with dishes anyway. I mix the dough to the right consistency in the bowl, deliberately using a large bowl, and then scoop out the scones with our ice cream scoop. Lazy but effective. Scones are fast and tasty.

Chocolate Chip Chocolate Protein Scones

Fresh out of the oven...soon to tummy

1 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 scoops chocolate protein powder
1/3 cup butter
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. Cut butter using pastry cutter or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in protein powder. Stir in oats and chocolate chips. Combine egg, buttermilk, milk and vanilla extract in another small container. Stir into flour mixture until moistened. Add tablespoons of more milk if needed until dough makes large ball or teaspoons of flour if too moist. (If you want) move dough to lightly floured surface, pat dough into 7-inch circle. Cut into 12 wedges. Place on baking sheet. Brush with milk (again, optional). Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until light brown. Serve warm.

Tweak and substitute with what's in your kitchen. I probably will.

Aussie Lime Pie

What's a girl to do when she's out of chocolate? Troll through the Allrecipes.com app. Last week I had lemons and was looking for something to do with them. I made a lemon chiffon pudding that was so so, but I ran across this recipe. It sounded so interesting. I'm a fan of frankenfoods, foods that merge ingredients that aren't normally paired. Fusion is the fancy word. I'm not that fancy.

Looking good in the oven

When I went to the grocery store this week, I picked up limes just to try out the recipe. We had several cans of condensed milk hanging out in the pantry not doing anything in particular. Older sister was at a play date, and littler sister needed some attention. This was perfect.

Aussie Lime Pie

The crust is amazing

2/3 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup flaked coconut
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter melted
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp light corn syrup (I used honey)
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks (the whites will go into the oatmeal pancakes in the morning)
1/2 cup lime juice (I juiced 5 limes and was a little short)
2 tsp lemon rind


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 inch pie pan.
2. Mix oats, coconut, flour and sugar in a medium bowl.
3. Mix butter, baking soda and syrup until frothy and pour it into the oat mixture.
4. Stir well and press the mixture into the bottom and the sides of the pie pan.

Best helper!

5. Combine condensed milk, egg yolks, lime juice and lemon rind. Pour it into the well.

This becomes....

6. Cook for 20 minutes in preheated oven or until filling is firm. (Our crust overflowed so you may want to put a pan under it.) Chill before serving.

This! It's like a key lime pie in a macaroon crust.

Chocolate Pavlova

My dad is from Down Under. Growing up I heard words like petrol and friends loved my dad's accent. Though we never had shrimp on the barbie, we did have fruit cake, plum pudding and pavlova. I am still trying to acquire a taste for fruit cake and plum pudding. Pavlova was an easy instant love. It's originally from New Zealand. The base is a meringue that is crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. It's topped with whipped cream and fruit. And it's delicious.

My piece of pavlova

 

Pavlova is a little tricky to make. I remember my father being frustrated and throwing out ruined pavlovas. He says now that he has it figured out. A few years ago I found this recipe for chocolate pavlova and made it for my dad. Chocolate is a nice addition. I made it again for his birthday a few weeks ago. I too find that I am still working out the kinks in the recipe. After the holidays, we had some left over whipping cream. Chocolate pavlova seemed like the perfect dessert on Saturday. We topped ours with blueberries and mango. Needless to say, there were no leftovers. Especially after parent-only second dessert.


Chocolate Pavlova

1/2 cup egg whites, at room temperature (from 3 to 4 eggs - do not use liquid egg whites)
1/8 tsp of each salt and cream of tartar
1 cup plus 2 tbsp of sugar
1 1/2 tsp each cornstarch and vanilla
1 tbsp raspberry or red wine vinegar (used regular)
1/4 cup good quality cocoa powder, sifted (used Hershey's dark chocolate cocoa)
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1 cup strawberries, ripe mango, kiwi fruit, whole raspberries or blueberries (or a combo)

1. Heat oven to 350 F. In a mixer whip the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar until foamy with whisk attachment.


Room temperature egg whites

2. Add 1 cup of sugar, the cornstarch, vinegar, sifted cocoa, and vanilla. Continue whipping until stiff, smooth and glossy, and then for 5 minutes more. Really, go fold some laundry and come back.

After the eggs are foamy add yummy stuff

A load of dishes later

3. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit a pizza pan. Use a pencil and a pie pan to draw a 9 inch diameter circle on the paper. Flip the paper over (you can still see the circle) and spoon the egg whites into the circle with a spatula. Spread it to the edge of the circle, making waves and swirls on the top surface.


Oven ready

4. Bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to 300 F. Bake the meringue for about 45 minutes more until it has puffed up and cracked on the top.

5. Turn off the oven and prop open the door. Let the meringue cool in the oven to room temperature for at least 30 minutes. The meringue can be held at room temperature for up to 10 hours before serving.


Out of the oven

6. When you are ready to serve, whip the cream with the remaining 2 tbsp of sugar. Place the meringue on a serving dish and pile the cream on top. Spread it within 1/2 inch of the edge and arrange the fruit on top of the cream.

Enjoy! We sure did.

Decorated with whipped cream, blueberries and mangoes

Gluten Free Protein Pumpkin Bars and the Green Smoothie

Over the holidays we gave gluten free living a try. Yes, I am a scientist and sometimes I must experiment with our family. With the massive amounts of info coming out about gluten sensitivities I wanted to see if any of us showed any signs. It was actually very good for us for the holidays because it cut down on the number of cookies, sweets and junk we ate. I think it is why my husband and I both lost some weight.

After a couple of weeks of gluten free living, I unthinkingly took a half a bagel I was offered after a run. It was great, and there were no repercussions. None of our family members had any reactions when put back on gluten. In fact while being gluten free I had heartburn for the first time since I was pregnant, and my colon was not happy with the situation either. I substituted with white rice, brown rice and soy flour. I used potato and tapioca starch. I must give a thumbs up to Jules gluten free flour, which we still use because it's great. It does substitute right in for many recipes as my friend Chris says and raves about.

We did eat a lot more Southeast Asian foods. I made Pad Thai, which needs some tweaking. And I made Pho Ga, which my husband says I can make everyday. It was very good. These have been added to my Asian recipes. My husband and I took a Chinese cooking class before we were married, and we still use the recipes a dozen years later.

Overall, we will have reduced the gluten from our diet but not excluded it. We are kind of doing the same thing with meat. Moderation you know. Those fresh fruits and veggies, we love them. I have made a green smoothie almost every day for a month. I've had to make double now since the girlios love them. Our favorite is about three cups of baby spinach blended with the juice of one orange. Then add a banana and a cup of frozen strawberries. Blend smooth. It's really good. REALLY. It is bright green, but that hasn't stopped us. I'd put in a picture of today's but it already gone. Boom - 5 servings of fruits and veggies down in a sitting.

I digress. During this time I need to find a way to get some protein in my diet too. I found this recipe and have made it a couple of times. I knew that it passed the test when I put them out for a snack because it was all I had, and they were consumed greedily. And filling. The girlios didn't want lunch.
I used Jullian Michael's Vanilla Protein Powder. Overall I have not found a vanilla protein powder I like. Blaaach. Chocolate covers the whey flavor much better. I'm still on the hunt for good tasting protein powder. Her chocolate is palatable. The original recipe does not include chocolate chips. Of course I added it. I also didn't have maple extract so I added a bit of maple syrup. Tweaking again. The original recipe does have almond slivers that are pressed on top. I don't do that.


Pumpkin Protein Bars  (These were adapted from glutenfreefitness.com)

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup oat bran (I had rice bran)
• 2/3 cup rolled oats
• 6 tsp stevia
• 1/4 cup egg whites (I used number of eggs equivalent)
• 3 scoops of vanilla protein powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp maple extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (not in original recipe)
• almonds to sprinkle on top (press them in a little)

1. Spray a 8x8 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix everything in bowl. I put in chocolate chips last.
3. Spread in pan and bake for 20 -25 min. Middle will look a little underdone.
(I overcooked the first batch. The top looked done but the bottom was charred. Still, didn't stop us from eating them.)
4. Remove from pan when cooled. Cut eat and enjoy.

150 cal and 14 g of protein for two squares

I still have one more favorite to post. I hope they all work as well for you as they have for me. Let me know how it goes. Pass them on.

Cooking Up Fuel: Homemade Granola Bars

I love food. And I love to cook. Growing up, my father, a chemist, said, "Good chemists are good cooks." The science is strong in my family tree. My dad and my brother are chemists that have 'food' at the end of their names - Phd. There were dinner conversations I just didn't understand. In turn, it gave me a greater opportunity to savor the food. I thought I was going to pave a new path getting my degree in biology teaching. I've never taught biology as a job. I was hired to teach chemistry and loved teaching it. Consequently, I married a chemistry teacher. Our poor children.

My husband and I have a deal. The first time I try a recipe I have to follow the directions. I'm a tweaker. Or an adapter. I have a hard time not substituting. I sub for taste, health, fat, eggs, even dairy. So our rule is the first time is by the book. After that, I have license. The deal does have some flex of course.

Target has these chocolate graham knock off Zone Bars that are delish! I love to eat them before a long run. They are yummy and don't irritate my tummy. However, a few of things became a problem. One, my mileage went up a lot last year and 'long' could mean 4 miles up to 14 miles. Two, they are pricey. It's four dollars for five bars. I was going through a box a week. Three, I don't go to Target very often, not often enough to sustain my consumption.

I could make my own. I've been doing that a lot more lately. We try something and I say, "I bet I could make that." We now make our own potstickers, sushi and a variety of dishes from around the world. I don't deep fry and avoid recipes with lots of butter. I'll eat it if somebody else makes it. I'd rather not know how oily it is.

I was going to put my three favorite recipes in one post but looking at it now, it would be too long. This is the most popular recipe at the house. The girls love it too as you will see.

Jo-Ann's Power Bars on AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup wheat and barley nugget cereal (e.g. Grape-Nuts™)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 (7 ounce) bag chopped dried mixed fruit

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a 9 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flour, cereal, and cinnamon. Add the egg, applesauce, honey, brown sugar, and oil. Mix well. Stir in the sunflower seeds, walnuts, and dried fruit. Spread mixture evenly in the prepared pan.
3. Bake 30 minutes, or until firm and lightly browned around the edges. Let cool. Use the foil to lift from the pan. Cut into bars or squares, and store in the refrigerator.               

Today I didn't have applesauce so I substituted pumpkim.

It goes easily in the toaster oven.

First piece - pumpkin, chocolate, raisin, sunflower seed & walnuts

Perfect size for little hands

This recipe begs to be tweaked. I've made it gluten free, sugar free and definitely included chocolate. I've added protein powder. Combos of cranberries and white chocolate or raisins and dark chocolate. It's quick, yummy and easy. Smear some peanut butter on it. Add more sunflower seeds instead of walnuts.

 



Oh the problem of sharing! Must make more :)