Quality Ingredients Wednesday, Jun 1 2022 

Baking and Everyday Life and Recipe , , , , Mary K. Doyle 10:35 am

A favorite cookie in my family is a simple twist on the famous Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie. Everyone asks for my version. They say it is special.

I follow the regular recipe with one exception. Well, actually, two. I use chunks of both white and semi-sweet chocolate. I also omit the nuts.

I believe these cookies are so delicious partially because of the two types of chocolate, but mostly, it’s due to the quality of the ingredients. I use sea salt, pure vanilla, and organic sugar, butter, eggs, and flour and chocolate from a specialty chocolate shop (Graham’s Fine Chocolates and Ice Cream) in my town. The cookie is delectable because of the decadent ingredients.

That is the way with life. Exceptional details raise the ordinary to extraordinary.

Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Salt

1 cup Butter (Softened)

3/4 cup Granulated Sugar

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

2 Large Eggs

2 cups Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1 cup Nuts (chopped)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

*Have you read any of my books? If you have, please, please, please write a review on Amazon. My newest book, Inspired Caregiving, offers a boost to all caregivers-parents, teachers, and those who look after ailing loved ones.

 

Dip It Friday, Mar 5 2021 

Cooking and Everyday Life and Health and Recipe , Mary K. Doyle 1:54 pm

Creamy onion dip and crunchy, salty potato chips. Back in the 70s, this appetizer was a party standard. Packages of Lipton powdered soup and sour cream were always on hand to whip up this yummy chip topper at any moment.

I’m a dipper. I love dipping veggies, pretzels, and chips of every kind. Most dips are high in fat, sodium, and calories, so I offset my cravings with healthier alternatives whenever possible. Today we have low-fat and low-calorie choices in our local grocery stores. Hummus in a variety of flavors, including chocolate; chunky and smooth salsas; guacamole, plain and with other fruits and vegetables; vegan “cheese” sauces; and dips made from vegetables such as cauliflower, are pre-made, ready to grab and go.

Most of these dips can easily be prepared at home with a few ingredients. Transform old favorites into healthier alternatives by substituting items, such as plain yogurt for sour cream. One cup of sour cream has 492 calories and 48.21 grams of fat and only 7.27 grams of protein as opposed to one cup of yogurt at 154 calories, 3.8 grams of fat and 12.86 grams of protein. Yogurt is also a better choice for those with lactose intolerance, and it is rich in calcium and vitamins B6 and B12.

Vegetables can make some of the tastiest dips. White Bean, Black Bean, Avocado and Edamame, Spicy Edamame, and Babaganoush dips may be your family’s newest favorites. Nuts also add an amazing twist to dips. My daughter, Erin, is a master at turning cashews into her children’s favorite “cheese” sauce. These recipes take a little more time, such as this one for Vegan Nacho Cheese, but it is so much lower in fat and cholesterol and contains more vitamins, so she isn’t concerned about how much her children want to use.

Here are a couple other recipes for you to try. I’d love to hear your suggestions.  

Avocado Hummus

2 garlic cloves
1 (15-ounce) can of garbanzo beans
1 lemon, zest and juice
2 tablespoon tahini
2 avocados
Salt
Olive Oil
Paprika

1. Place garlic cloves, garbanzo beans, lemon zest and juice from the lemon and tahini in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Salt to taste.

2. Add two avocados and blend just until smooth. Salt to taste once more. Transfer to a bowl. Top with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika. Serve with pita chips, crackers, or vegetables.

*

Cranberry Salsa

  • 1 (12 ounce) bag of cranberries, fresh or frozen
  • 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
  • 1 bunch green onions, cut into 3-inch lengths
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 3/cup white sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt

Combine cranberries, cilantro, green onions, jalapeno peppers, lime juice, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Chop to medium consistency refrigerate immediately, Serve at room temperature with tortilla chips or over cream cheese.

***

Have you read my newest book, Inspired Caregiving or post on my other blog, “Pray It to Pieces?”

 

Hot and Smokey Tuesday, Jun 12 2018 

Cooking and Culture and Everyday Life and Recipe , , , Mary K. Doyle 11:02 am

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Cinnamon, cumin, sumac, and cardamom. One of my attractions to different cultures is their cuisine. Tai, Hispanic, Indian, Chinese, or Italian. I love them all! I thrive on the spices of ethnic foods and am excited when I discover a new one.

My newest seasoning of choice is chipotle powder. Chipotle is a smoke-dried jalapeno that has just enough heat and smoke to pack a great punch on everything from eggs and green beans to chicken and fish. Or try a few shakes over popped corn or even corn on the cop. 

For a quick, healthy snack, sprinkle chipotle powder on a mashed avocado. Add a squeeze of lime juice and a dash of sea salt. Top it off with a bit of fresh cilantro and you have a special snack to enjoy with tortilla chips.

Venture out to your grocery store’s spice aisle and be brave! Pick up some chipotle powder or another spice that you haven’t tried before. Purchase the smallest amount possible and experiment. You may find that you are drawn to more vegetables and proteins when you literally spice up your life.

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Spiralized Wednesday, Mar 30 2016 

Cooking and Culture and Everyday Life and Product Review and Recipe , , , , , , Mary K. Doyle 2:28 pm

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Stand too close to me, and you may get Spiralized. My new toy is a Mueller Spiral-Ultra 4-Blade Spiralizer. It was a bargain on Amazon at $28 for the 8 in 1 spiral slicer, pasta maker, juicer, and mandolin.

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The gadget sure has helped me add more vegetables to my diet. And dinner never has been easier! Cucumbers, zucchini, sweet potatoes, squash, white potatoes, and onions are transformed in minutes from whole vegetables to beautiful streams of deliciousness.

Baked, fried, or boiled, everything cooks quickly. Just add a little olive oil and seasoning or a sauce of choice.

Firm fruits and vegetables spiralize and slice best. And cooking needs a gentle touch. Boiling the “pasta” is really a brief parboiling or it turns to mush.

Some of my favorite spiralized dishes are:

  1. Baked thin spiralized sweet potatoes with a sprinkle of olive oil and coconut lime seasoning.
  2. Roasted sliced and seasoned potatoes
  3. Spiralized zucchini sauteed in a dash of olive oil with pine nuts, crushed garlic, fresh basil, salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese.

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My only complaint about the Mueller Spiralizer is a lack of instructions with the product. After several nasty cuts from the very sharp blades, I found a good YouTube video on how to use it. I also have since purchased their cookbook which has instructions, guidelines, and some interesting recipes. The print is large enough to see without reading glasses but the few photos are only in black and white.

©2016, Mary K. Doyle

 

Edible Paper Cookie Decorations Tuesday, Dec 17 2013 

Baking and Everyday Life and Holiday and Product Review and Recipe , , Mary K. Doyle 5:29 pm

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I love a good cookie and enjoy baking but I am not very patient when it comes to decorating. My solution this holiday season was to decorate with edible wafer paper made from potato starch, vegetable oil, and USDA approved food colorings. I wanted to see how easy applying the paper would be to dress up an otherwise plain cookie.

I purchased the papers from Fancy Flours, Inc (www.fancyflours.com, 406-587-0118). Their site offers a number of products for baking and decorating as well as excellent recipes for gingerbread and sugar cookies. I chose three of their many different designs. The square and rectangular shaped ones are the easiest to cut out and also the easiest to cut cookie dough to size.

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Use of the wafer paper requires several steps. The directions are as follows: Make the cookie dough ahead and allow it to stiffen in the refrigerator. Roll out the dough and cut to accommodate the shapes of the paper.

When completely cool, frost the cookies with buttercream, royal icing, or fondant. I used fondant on a few of the gingerbread cookies, but I’m not a fan of it. Although it is very smooth, I think it is too thick, too sweet, and not very tasty. The remainder of the cookies I frosted with a mix of confectioners’ sugar and whipping cream. The simple recipe allowed the frosting to remain white and covered the cookies without too much thickness. Once frosted, I froze the cookies until the frosting was completely set.

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After carefully cutting the wafer paper designs, the directions said to brush a light coat of corn syrup on the back of the papers. I found it easier to dab the corn syrup on the cookie, slide the paper over it, brush the edges, and press down gently.

Turn the cookies face down on parchment paper for about 30 minutes to set.

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Turn them over and allow to  completely dry.

Embellish the cookies with piping and sprinkles as desired. The paper is somewhat fragile and requires careful handling but easy enough that I will try them again. My cookies look a bit sloppy, but with a little more patience, next time they could be quite beautiful.

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©2013, Mary K. Doyle

 

It’s Cookie Time Tuesday, Dec 10 2013 

Baking and Everyday Life and Recipe , , , , Mary K. Doyle 5:00 pm

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Cookies are one of my go-to treats, and I love homemade ones best of all. Each year I try one or two new recipes, but there are a few I’ve baked for decades. Pecanettes and Chocolate and Oat Bars are two of my tried-and-true old-time favorites.

Pecanettes are my compromise to pecan pie. I love pecan pie – my family not so much. If I bake a pie, I end up eating the whole thing myself. These little cookies have a pecan pie taste, and a little of the texture. For some reason, even people who don’t like the pie do enjoy these cookies. (The last batch I made was a bit salty. I used sea salt which may be why, but you may want to cut back on the salt.)

The Chocolate and Oat Bars are so healthy you can eat them for breakfast. At least that’s my story. The recipe calls for oatmeal, nuts, and (condensed) milk, so how can that be bad for you? And then you add the chocolate, which we know is a “happy” ingredient. MMMMM, good.

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Pecanettes

Pastry:
½ cup butter
3 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 cup sifted flour

Filling:
1 egg well-beaten
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ – 1 cup chopped pecans

Cream butter and cheese with mixer until light and fluffy. Add flour and beat until blended. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the mixture in each of 2, 24 miniature cupcake pans. Press around.

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Mix filling and spoon into each shell.

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Bake 350 for 18-20 minutes.

 * * * * *

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Chocolate and Oat Bars

1 cup unsifted flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand Milk
1 cup chopped nuts
6 oz. of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 (325 for glass dish). In a bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and butter. Mix well. Reserve ½ cup.

Press remaining oat mixture in the bottom of a 13 X 9 inch baking pan. Bake 10 minutes.

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Pour Eagle Brand Milk evenly over crust. Sprinkle with nuts and chocolate chips. Top with remaining oat mixture; press down. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.

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Store covered at room temperature.

©Mary K. Doyle

 

Leftover Turkey Monday, Dec 2 2013 

Cooking and Everyday Life and Holiday and Recipe , , , Mary K. Doyle 12:25 pm

Gobble, gobble up any of that leftover turkey today. According to the University of Illinois extension, cooked turkey is only good three to four days, so this is it.

Turkey is such a bargain for families. The meat is relatively inexpensive, low in fat and higher in protein than chicken or beef, and can be prepared in countless ways. Use your leftover turkey plain or in casseroles, chili, soup, quiches, or on sandwiches. Grind it for use in turkey burgers, breakfast patties, or tacos. Or make my husband’s favorite, pot pie.

For a quick pot pie, use a prepared pie crust in a tin. Cut up the turkey and spread across the bottom.

In a small saucepan, sauté half of a chopped onion in two tablespoons of melted butter. Cook until translucent.

Mix one teaspoon of cornstarch in a cup of cold water. Slowly add half of this to the onion. Add about ½ cup of milk. Stir until the sauce begins to thicken, and add more of the cornstarch liquid until desired consistency.

Add ½ teaspoon of chicken or turkey soup base, pepper, and a little garlic.

Stir in about one cup of frozen peas or leftover vegetables. Cook slightly. Pour over the turkey. Spread leftover mashed potatoes on top and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 until light brown.

You can see by this recipe that I’m rarely exact with measurements. I consider myself a good family cook, using what I have in the house and seasoning to taste. There are times I’m asked for a recipe and can’t give it because I really don’t know what I did and it varies every time I make even the same dish.

Don’t be afraid to do this with your leftovers. Redesigning the meal offers your family a new dinner rather than regular leftovers and values the time, money, and energy originally invested in the food.

©2013, Mary K. Doyle

 

It’s in the Sauce Thursday, Aug 29 2013 

Cooking and Everyday Life and Recipe , , Mary K. Doyle 2:02 pm

Barbecued chicken and pork taste oh-so-much-better basted in sauce. But the biggest dilemma is in choosing which one to buy. Stores give serious shelf space to the endless varieties available, and yet, I haven’t found one I really like.

I make my own barbecue sauce. It’s quick and easy to prepare and I can get it as sweet, tangy, smoky, or spicy as I want.

Following is a basic sauce that starts with ketchup. Adjust it to your taste. Consider adding other ingredients such as onion, garlic, finely chopped peppers, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, hickory smoked salt, celery seed, mustard, or jam. You also can add other sauces from your refrigerator including a little salad dressing, sweet and sour sauce, Hoisin Sauce, Worcestershire, or steak sauce.

Try making some barbecue sauce yourself. You’ll be surprised how good and easy it really is.

***

BB Sauce.Ingredients

Barbecue Sauce Starter

1 cup ketchup

2 Tablespoons oil

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

¼ cup vinegar (I usually use fig balsamic)

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

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Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. For a thicker sauce, continue cooking until desired consistency.

©2013, Mary K. Doyle

 

Little Chefs Thursday, Aug 1 2013 

Baking and Cooking and Everyday Life and Recipe , , , , , , , , Mary K. Doyle 10:53 am

When I was 12 years-old, I won 1st place in a cherry pie baking contest at my school that was sponsored by Northern Illinois Gas Company. I went on to a second bake-off to compete against the winners from other schools in the Chicago area. In that contest my pie won 4th Place – my essay won 1st.

I baked a pie just about every day the weeks prior to each contest. I’m thankful my parents allowed me to do that because I’m sure it was difficult for them to afford the ingredients. But that practice actually was an investment in mastering the skill of pie baking. Making the crust in particular can be intimidating for even adult bakers. Learning how to do that at a young age has allowed me to whip up meat and fruit pies all my life.

I wanted to share that ability with my six-year-old granddaughter. Kaylee is my son-in-law Steve’s daughter from a previous marriage, and I treasure the time I have with her when she is in town. She is smart, compassionate, and delightful and one of my favorite young ladies.

We decided on baking the pies in individual pans, and I was especially happy she chose to make cherry. While we baked we discussed safe food handling, the importance of each ingredient, and of course, the steps in making the pies. We also talked about our daily thoughts and concerns.

Kaylee is a quick learner and did an excellent job of measuring, cooking the filling, rolling out the dough, and sealing the pies.

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The end result was perfect. Kaylee’s pies were as beautiful as they were delicious.

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It’s never too early to introduce children to cooking and baking. The benefits are many. Young chefs learn to appreciate the time and money involved in food preparation. They are more eager to try foods they prepare. They also learn not be intimidated to cook later in life.

Best of all, we gain priceless time with them to exchange ideas and what weighs heavy on our minds. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation Kaylee and I shared while baking. It’s a memory we both appreciate.

* * *

Cherry Pie

Pastry:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup lard or vegetable fat (Crisco)
4 tablespoons Ice water

Filling:
2 cans red tart cherries
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
¾ teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350.

I. Drain cherries. Combine juice from one can, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan. Cook till thick and clear. Remove pan from burner. Add butter, almond extract, and cherries. Cool.

II. Mix flour and salt. Cut in the fat until the size of peas. Sprinkle ice water onto the flour mixture. Carefully add a little more water if needed. Gently form the dough into a ball. Cut the ball in half. Roll out one half of the dough about 1 inch larger than the inverted pie pan for the bottom crust. Prick the crust and lay it in the pie pan.

Pour the filling into the pie pan.

Roll out the top crust. Slit in the center. Dampen the edges of the bottom crust. Lay the top crust over the pie and seal.

Bake pie in 450 oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350. Bake about 30 more minutes.

©2013, Mary K. Doyle

 

Making a Roux Monday, Jan 28 2013 

Cooking and Everyday Life and How To and Recipe , , , , , , , , Mary K. Doyle 11:29 am

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Want to make creamy sauces, soups, and gravies? Start with a roux.

The thickening agent, pronounced rῡ, is made from equal parts of all-purpose flour and a fat such as butter, oil, or meat drippings. The mixture is the basis of a number of smooth, creamy sauces.

Melt or warm your choice of fat in a saucepan and stir in the flour.

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Continue stirring until smooth.

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It’s simple enough. The trick is in stirring until blended and continuing to do so as you add more milk, water, or broth. If your roux mixture gets lumpy, either mash the lumps or drain or scoop them out.

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Begin with a roux and add:

  • Creamed broccoli or asparagus, water, and seasonings for a creamed soup;
  • More meat drippings or a soup base, seasonings, and milk or water for gravy to be used over meat or mashed potatoes;
  • More meat drippings or a soup base, seasonings, and milk or water for gravy in stew.
  • Milk and grated cheese to make a cheese sauce for nachos or over pasta for macaroni and cheese;
  • Milk, sugar, and vanilla and cook until thickened for a sweet sauce over bread pudding, strudel, or other desserts.

My daughter-in-law cannot have wheat, so I make the roux with rice flour when she is in town. The texture is slightly different but not bad. You also can skip the roux altogether and thicken with cornstarch for a clear sauce.

©2013, Mary K. Doyle

 

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