Dairy Free Pudding with Banana Slices

Creamy pudding with perfectly ripe slices of banana.

Dairy Free Pudding with Banana Slices

This dessert requires very little effort. Extremely easy and no fancy ingredients.  Most of all it is soy and dairy free. And can be done in 15 minutes… of course, you still have to cool it in the fridge.

I came up with this pudding when I had plenty of egg yolks in the fridge and had to figure out a recipe without using milk or butter. At that time I also had plenty of bananas, but no vanilla wafers or cookies.  But I thought “Hey, why not make pudding and just serve it with slices of bananas?!” And thus this recipe was born.

½ cup + 2 TBSPs. granulated sugar

½ cup + 2 tablespoons flour

¼ tsp. kosher salt

5 large egg yolks, beaten

1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk + water to make 3 cups

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

 

5 – 6 large ripe bananas (ripe but no brown spots) – peeled and sliced

Note:  I used Chaokoh (brand ) coconut milk for this recipe.  (This brand is available at Wal-Mart.) This brand of coconut milk is rich and thick that’s why I mixed it with purified bottled water to make 3 cups.  If you are going to use another brand, use two cans and add enough water to make 3 cups.

Combine flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in 3 quart pot.

Turn on the stove to medium heat.

Gradually whisk in coconut milk and water mixture.  Keep whisking until mixture is smooth and no lumps. (This will take about 3 minutes.)

Slowly pour beaten egg yolks over the flour mixture.  Again, keep whisking until the mixture thickens and comes to a full boil.  Immediately reduce the heat to low.  Keep whisking for another minute.

Remove pan from the heat.

Add vanilla extract and whisk until vanilla extract is well incorporated with the pudding.

Pour pudding into a large glass bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Serve pudding in a glass or bowl with slices of bananas at the bottom and on top.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Super Size Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

My family loves these cookies.

When I make a batch of these… They only last a few days…

I can’t help but eat a cookie after each meal.

I pack a piece with my husband’s lunch.

My son loves them when they’re a bit chewy and he eats them with a glass of soymilk.

I prefer mine to be 50/50: crispy and chewy at the same time. I like to have that crunch when I first bite into it.  And then have it linger in my mouth just for a second longer.  Savoring the chewiness of the oatmeal.  Tasting the sweetness of the raisins, while a hint of salt dances on my tongue…

I have been making a batch of these cookies every week.  And when the cookie jar becomes empty, I rush to make another batch.

For those of you, who prefer the convenience of using butter, please do.  You just have to make the following adjustments:

• Substitute 1 cup (2 sticks) butter in place of coconut oil
• Use 2 large eggs as indicated, and omit the 2 egg yolks

Here’s what you need… and do…

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ground nutmeg.

Then have these ingredients ready…

Using a Kitchen Aid Mixer, cream the following:  coconut oil (or butter if using butter), brown and granulated, eggs and egg yolks, and vanilla extract.

Blend until creamy on a medium speed.

Add the flour mixture and blend on low speed.  Increase the speed to medium and blend for 2 minutes.

Add the raisins.  And blend on low speed.

Add the oatmeal.  Blend on low speed.

Once oatmeal is incorporated into this mixture… increase the speed to medium.  And blend for 2 minutes.

Cookie Batter will be thick and sticky…

Use an ice cream scooper to scoop six cookie dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Flatten cookies using a fork until they are about 4 inches round.

Bake cookies in a preheated oven at 350F for 13 – 15 minutes.

The Recipe

Super Size Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Yield: About 14 super size (5 inches or larger round) cookies

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups all purpose flour

¾ tsp. baking soda

¾ teaspoon baking powder

½ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground nutmeg (best when freshly grated)

5/6 cup coconut oil (1/2 cup + 1/3 cup)

1 ½ cups dark brown sugar – firmly packed

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

2 ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 cup raisins

3 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer set over medium speed, cream together, coconut oil, brown and granulated sugar, eggs and egg yolks, and vanilla extract.  (If you don’t have an electric mixer, you  may use a large mixing bowl and mix by hand with a wooden spoon, until creamy.)

Add the flour mixture.  Stir over low speed, then increase the speed to medium and blend until well mixed, about 2 minutes.

Add the raisins.  Stir to mix. Add the rolled oats. Stir until well blended.  (The mixture will be thick and a bit difficult to scoop.)

Lightly grease or line 2 large cookie sheets.

I use an ice cream scooper to scoop and shape the cookie dough.

Using an ice cream scooper, scoop six cookie dough mixture onto each cookie sheet.

Flatten each cookie with a fork. (I flatten each cookie to about 4 inches round.  When baked, these cookies expand to about 5 inches.  That’s why I only bake 6 cookies at a time.)

Bake cookies in a preheated oven at 350°F for 13 – 16 minutes.

For chewy cookies, bake them for 13 – 14 minutes.  And for crispier cookies, bake them for 15 – 16 minutes.

Remove cookies from the oven and let stand for about 5 minutes, and then remove them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Cranberry Walnut Squares

Perfect as an afternoon snack in the office when you’re looking for that extra energy to get you through the day.  Definitely better than getting something from a vending machine.  You might even bring some extra… because if your office mates find out you’re eating one of these delicious and appealing bars… they’re going to want some too!

These Cranberry Walnut Squares are loaded with dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, flaked coconuts and raisins.

These squares are great for picnics.  As travel foods… And if you have kids… are undeniably healthier snacks compared to a regular candy bar.

Once you have gathered al the ingredients you need… these bars only take minutes to prepare.

Yes… it’s simple and easy… and for a little effort, you will be rewarded with all these goodies.  I’ve used Kitchen Aid mixer in mixing the crust.  And I’ve also used spatula and my hands/fingers.  For those who may not have an electric mixer.

Below are what you need for this recipe:

Crust ingredients: old fashioned oatmeal, all purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, kosher salt, coconut oil and milk, and ground cinnamon.

These are what you need for the filling ingredients: dried cranberries, raisins, walnuts, sweetened flaked coconut, sugar, all purpose flour, dried orange peel (optional) freshly squeezed orange juice, eggs and vanilla extract.

Making the Crust:

Measure one and one half cup of uncooked oatmeal into a food processor.

Pulse a few times until crumbly.

And pour the contents into a large mixing bowl.

Add to the coarsely ground oatmeal the rest of the crust ingredients.

Mix them up with your hands, breaking up the lumps of brown sugar.

Since the coconut oil is solid.  I melted it in the microwave for 30 seconds.  And added 1/2 cup of coconut milk.

Add these to the oatmeal, flour and sugar mixture.

If you are using butter… this is where you’ll add the melted butter to the  oatmeal and flour mixture.

Oatmeal, flour and sugar mixture with the coconut oil/milk combination.

Mix until crumbly.

Mix well until soft dough chunks are formed.

*** If using butter, the mixture will be more crumbly and will not form into soft chunks of dough.

Reserve half the crust (soft chunks of dough) for topping.

Meanwhile…

Press half of the crust onto a 9 x 13″ rectangular pan.

Bake bottom crust for 8 minutes.

And while you’re cooling the crust.  Mix the filling.

The Filling:

In a large mixing bowl, combine dried fruits, walnuts, and flaked coconuts.

And flour and sugar.

Mix.

Add orange juice.

In another bowl.  Beat eggs and vanilla extract.

Add beaten eggs to the dried fruits, flour, sugar mixture.

Stir until eggs/vanilla extract is absorb and a sticky mixture is formed.

Add the filling to the cooled crust.

Press the remaining crust over the filling.

I made small flat patches out of the remaining crust/soft dough chunks, by either pressing them in between my palms or between two pieces of waxed paper.  And then placing the flat patches (crust) over the filling.

And then bake in preheated oven for 28 – 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes of baking…

Completely cool for at least 2 hours before cutting into squares.

Serve as snacks, travel food, in place of lunch, and for kids lunch pack…

The Recipe:

Cranberry Walnut Squares

Crust:

1 ½ cups uncooked oatmeal – coarsely ground

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 ¼ cup brown sugar

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

¼ cup coconut oil melted

½ cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Measure the coconut oil into a microwavable measuring cup.  Microwave for 30 seconds.  Add ½ cup coconut milk to the melted coconut oil In.  Stir.

Ground Old Fashioned Oatmeal in a food processor until coarse.

Empty the ground oatmeal into a large mixing bowl.  Add flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Mix with your hands, crumbling the brown sugar.  Give the coconut oil/milk a quick stir.  And power over the oatmeal and flour mixture.   Mix with your hands until soft chunks of dough formed.  Divide mixture in half.

Press half of the soft chunks of dough into the bottom of a 9”x13” baking pan… pressing on the corners and sides.

Bake Crust in the preheated oven for 8 minutes.  Remove crust from the oven and cool while you mix the filling.

Filling:

1 (6 ounce) package dried cranberries

1 cup walnuts – chopped

½ cup sweetened flaked coconut

½ cup raisins

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup + 1 TBSP. unbleached all purpose flour

1 tsp. dried orange peel – Optional (Available in the “spices section” at your local grocers.)

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

3 TBSPs. freshly squeeze orange juice

1 tsp. vanilla

2 extra large eggs

In a large mixing bowl… combine dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, flaked coconut, raisins, sugar, flour, dried orange peel, and salt.  Using a spatula, stir all these ingredients until well combined.  Add the orange juice and stir to coat all the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl… whisk together eggs and vanilla extract just until lightly beaten.  Pour over the cranberry – walnut mixture.  Stir with a spatula until all ingredients are combined.

Spread filling mixture onto the cooled crust.

In between your palm, or between two waxed paper, flatten the soft dough chunks into flat patches, and place over the filling.  Press lightly with your hand.

Bake at 350°F for 27 – 30 minutes or until the sides or edges of the crust are golden brown.  Do not over bake.   Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Print a recipe using butter.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Coconut oil and coconut milk make these squares dairy free.  And it  makes the crust a bit more crispy and less crumbly.  And if it weren’t for the eggs, these bars would be considered vegan.

#2 – Walnuts blend so well with these bars.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Japanese sweet potatoes.  The ones with color purple skin and slightly yellow flesh.  They’re sweet and unlike American sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes were one of the basic staples we had when I was growing up in a very poor farming family.

If I were to choose of all the crops we planted, harvested and consumed, I’d pick sweet potatoes any day.  When there’s nothing else to eat, we ate sweet potatoes for breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner.  We typically just boiled the sweet potatoes, still in their skins.  Peeled just before eating them.  Once in a while, we’d cook sweet potatoes – peeled, in coconut milk with a pinch of sea salt.  And if we’re lucky.  Mom would add brown sugar to them.

Sweet potatoes must be cooked just right.  A child must be able to run around with a piece of sweet potato in his hand, chomping and playing at the same time.

At a young, tender age of 8 or 9, I remember planting and harvesting sweet potatoes on weekends and during summer.  Back then, planting and harvesting was fun, on sunny days, as long as I was accompanied with my brothers and cousins.

We’d have a competition as to who could plant the most. Finish a row faster than anyone else.

Usually the land has already been weeded by our dad.  Or us by several days before.  So all we had to do is plant the sweet potato vines.  Which usually involved stabbing the soil one or two times with the bolo knife.  Lifting the soil upward and quickly burying three or four sweet potato vines.  And let the soil rest over the vines.   Covering it up with the soil to protect it from the heavy rain.

And they have to be planted two feet apart, per row.

The sweet potatoes that we cultivated were the Japanese sweet potato varieties.  Of course back then, I didn’t know any other type of sweet potatoes.  We did not even call them Japanese sweet potatoes.   They were simply sweet potatoes.  The only kind we planted and ate.

Once in a blue while and for some odd reason, we’d encounter a few pieces of the Okinawan sweet potatoes:  white skinned with purple flesh.  These type, white skinned and purple flesh, were sweeter than the Japanese kind – red skinned and slightly yellow flesh.  And we usually fight over them.

And then, we’d also encounter the American sweet potato variety.  Which we called wild sweet potato.  Bland, unsweet, and watery.  They’re usually orange skinned with orange colored flesh.   Which is unlike the Japanese and Okinawan variety.

When we dug a few of these, we usually leave them in the field for the birds to eat.

Imagine my surprise when I came to the U.S. and the only sweet potatoes I could find in most supermarkets were the ones we called wild.  We did not eat this type of sweet potatoes.

Occasionally, I would find Japanese sweet potatoes at Asian markets.  But, boy! They’re expensive.  Four times the price of American sweet potatoes.

Now I understand why most Americans add sugar, maple syrup or corn syrup  to these kind of sweet potatoes.  Because American sweet potatoes, by themselves are not appetizing.  Bland, unsweet, watery and mushy.  I would never eat them just  plain boiled or baked.  Without brown sugar or maple syrup drizzled over them.  Unless of course the world has ended and that’s the only left on earth for us to eat.

~~~

This past several years, every Thanksgiving, I have had the tradition of making Candied Sweet Potatoes as a side dish.  Using the American variety.  Though because of the brown sugar, maple syrup and marshmallows.  It can make a very nice, sweet dessert.  But of course it’s not a dessert not.  However, it compliments turkey or ham.

Here’s what you need…

Six medium large sweet potatoes.  Washed under cold running water.  And rubbed with olive oil.

Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F for 50 – 60 minutes.

This is how they looked once baked:  wrinkled skin and soft.  The skin should be easy to peel.

(I already started peeling them.  And then I realized I needed to take pictures…)

Chop them into chunks like these.  And place in a baking pan.

Since we were going to a friends house, and to avoid a lot of dirty dishes.  I used an all purpose aluminum pan. So much better.  Hassle free and one less thing I gotta wash.

The sweet stuff that give the sweet potatoes a special treatment.  These simple stuff make this sweet potatoes addictive.

OK… I know on the recipe I said to use coconut milk.  And I meant it.  But Wednesday, I made a mistake of using my only can of coconut milk in another dish I made.  Not realizing that I actually bought for this sweet potato dish.  So… I  had no choice but to go to the supermarket on Thanksgiving day to hunt for coconut milk.

There was only one supermarket open on Thanksgiving Day.  Other than Wal-Mart, which I didn’t even think about until after the fact.  That’s probably because I do NOT like to go to Wal-Mart unless I really have to.  So I went to H.E.B.  The closest supermarket.  I made it there only 40 minutes before they close at 1pm.  And to my luck… they didn’t have coconut milk.  They only had coconut cream.  So I had to be flexible and  make do.  I used the same amount of coconut creams + 1 TBSP. of coconut oil.  Which I had on hand.

The sauce.

In a small sauce pan, combine brown sugar, maple syrup, coconut milk.  Or in this case coconut cream+coconut oil.  Lemon zest and juice.

Stir the sauce over medium heat until brown sugar is dissolved.

The sauce should look like this picture.

Drizzle the sauce over the sweet potatoes.

Top it with miniature marshmallows.

And bake it in a preheated oven at 375°F for 20 minutes.  Until the sauce starts to bubble and the marshmallows start to brown.

Serve warm.

Or at room temperature.

Or cold.  Sometimes.  I like it cold.  When I’m eating it as a dessert in one of my weird moments…

Here is the recipe of this easy, simple, and delicious sweet potato dish.

Ingredients:

6 large sweet potatoes

¼ cup or more olive oil – for rubbing the potatoes

The Sauce:

½ cup brown sugar

1/3 cup 100% maple syrup

6 TBSPs. coconut milk

Zest and juice of one lemon

1 ½ cups miniature marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Wash sweet potatoes and pat them dry.

Place sweet potatoes on a heavy cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil.

Rub olive oil all over them.

Bake sweet potatoes at 400°F for 50 – 60 minutes.  (The sweet potatoes should be tender, but not too mushy.)

Peel sweet potatoes, cut them in chunks and place them in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish or aluminum all purpose baking pan.

In the meantime, reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.

In a small sauce pan, combine brown sugar, maple syrup, zest and juice of one lemon, and coconut milk.

Heat over medium heat and stir until brown sugar is dissolved.

Drizzle sauce over the sweet potatoes and sprinkle the miniature marshmallows on top.

Bake sweet potatoes with the sauce at 375°F for 20 minutes.  Or until sauce is bubbly and the marshmallows start to brown.

Serve warm or cold.  A great side dish for during thanksgiving and holidays.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – The SAUCE.  There’s something magical about brown sugar, maple syrup, coconut milk and lemon juice combined together.  And drizzled over the sweet potatoes.

#2 – A great way to tell when the sweet potatoes are cooked.  When juices start to ooze out of the potatoes and the skins are starting to wrinkle and loosen.  These are good signs that the sweet potatoes are cooked.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Grow Your Wings So You Can Fly

I can’t believe next Thursday is Thanksgiving again.  It feels not long ago since last Thanksgiving.  Or at least that’s how it feels to me.

Last year, we spent Thanksgiving in Tulsa.  With Ramon.  And that year and the first half of this year seems like a big blur in the wind.

We were so busy.

Ramon was in school and I was shuttling back and forth between Abilene and Tulsa, where he was going to school.  And then driving back and forth between Abilene, Dallas-Fort Worth and Tulsa.  The speedometer showed that I drove 5,000 miles in one month.  That’s how insane it was.

For him.  It was such a big change in his life.  Learning how to drive.  Going to school.  And living on his own. With his very own apartment.  And then he had his first car accident.  His car got broken into.  Driving in snow.  Driving in sleet.  Driving in the rain.  Driving at night.  With all of these hurdles in his way.  And yet, he graduated with flying colors.  With a 4.0 GPA.  A perfect grade.  And landed his very first job two weeks after graduation.  All these, in less than a year.  Too much for an 18 year old who has never been away from home, other than an overnight field trip to another city.

Ramon proved to us that he is mentally, emotionally, and psychologically strong.  That he can survive out there, in that big bad world, on his own, when the need and circumstance arise.

He also learned that sometimes, what you thought you are passionate about, and you wanted to do, is not what you had envisioned it to be.  So that you have to make a life changing decision:  pursue the path you are currently standing on knowing that it’s not the right path for you.  Or, take a de-tour.  Turn around and start over.

And then he also learned the value of having a close knit family.  That it’s great to have parents ready on standby.  To have them as your backup.  Ready with open arms.  That whaever happens, they are going to be there to catch you when you fall.  To provide refuge.  A place where you can nurse your wound.  Re-energize your body and soul.  And work on growing your wings.  So that one day you can be ready to fly again.

~~~

Our Thanksgiving menu last year consisted of Baked ham glazed with Apricot-Sherry Sauce, Southern Corn Bread Stuffing, Candied Sweet Potatoes topped with Marsmallows, Triple Berry Pie and Strawberry Tart.

This year we planned on having the same menu minus the Strawberry Tart.  And I think I am going to bake a Pumpkin Cheesecake.  And possibly Pumpkin Cookies.

But for now, let me share with you the Triple Berry Pie recipe.  Something you might consider adding to your dessert list for the holidays.  Frozen berries are available all year round.  The kind I used I bought at Sam’s Club.

I don’t have step by step photos for this recipe yet.  But I’ll be sure to take them in a few days when I make it.

I will share them with you then.

~~~

Last year I made the crust for the Triple Berry Pie.  And you can too.  It’s not that difficult, especially if you have the counter space to make it.   My counter space is very small.  But somehow I manage.

But this year I think I’m going to try a refrigerated pie crust.  Something I have never used before.

I was at Wal-Mart yesterday and passed a cold case full of pie crust and decided to buy two packages.  This will save me time.  But I know these is crusts is not going to be as good as the ones I make myself.  But we’ll see.

*Update: January 20, 2011:  I wanted to write a note her regarding this store bought pie crust.  Used this pie crust for the triple berry pie last Thanksgiving.  And the result?  It was a DISASTER!  This pie crust is not suited for this pie.  The pie crust did not brown.  Instead it became soggy.   And then last week.  I tried using the other box that was left in the fridge.  I used it for Cherry Pie.  Using a canned cherry pie filling.  The pie was edible.  But still.  I was highly disappointed on the crust.  It was thin.  And tasted bland.  Still did not come out as good as my home made pie crust.   So that’s that.  I will never, ever use this pie crust again.  Ever!  I will stick to my home made pie crust recipe below.

Triple Berry Pie

Crust:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 cup vegetable shortening or coconut oil.  (I used coconut oil.)

1 large egg

1 tsp. white distilled vinegar

2 TBSPs. Cold water

Combine flour and coconut oil. Blend with a pasty cutter until mixture resemble a coarse sand.

Beat the egg, vinegar, and cold water  together. Drizzle over the flour mixture.  Stir with a fork until the dough is a little sticky, but not gooey.

Divide the dough in half and form into large balls.  Place each ball, separately in a large ziploc bag.  Flatten each ball into a round disk and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Remove pastry dough from the refrigerator. Work with one dough at a time.

Roll each dough into a 12 inch circle.

Line a deep dish pie pan with the crust, overlapping the edges.  Press the crust lightly into the pan, to avoid air pockets.  Set aside while you prepare the Triple Berry Pie Filling below.

Preheat oven at 350°F.

Triple Berry Pie Filling:

2 cups frozen blueberries

2 cups frozen raspberries

1 cup frozen black berries

OR 5 cups frozen Triple Berry Blend – available at Sam’s Club

¼ cup all purpose flour

¼ cup cornstarch

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

Pinch of kosher salt

1½ TBSP. butter  (I used 1 TBSP. Coconut oil)

In a large mixing bowlk, combine flour, sugar, nutmeg and kosher salt.

Set aside ¼ cup of the flour and sugar mixture.  And mix the rest of the sugar mixture with the berries.

Spread the reserved (¼ cup) flour and sugar mixture on the bottom crust.  And then spread over the berries and sugar mixture.

Place the top crust on the pie and gently press down to touch the filling.  Do this to avoid air pockets.  Fold the top edges of the crust under the bottom edges and crimp.

Puncture the top crust with eight ½ inch slits to allow air and moisture.

Mix 1 TBSP. sugar and ½ tsp. ground cinnamon.  Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon mixture over the top crust.

Place the pie in a heavy duty cookie sheet.

Bake pie in a preheated 350°F oven for 50 minutes.

Remove pie from the pan and cool completely before chilling in the refrigerator.

A perfect looking pie.

But we drove 6 1/2 hours from Abilene to Tulsa.  So the pie sat in the car trunk for these many hours.  Imagine all that vibrations from the car in motion.

My perfect looking pie was no longer so perfect by the time we arrived at our destination.  Good thing it still tasted good.  Just no  longer perfect looking.

Serve chilled.

Topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Going Bananas

“On a traffic light green means go and yellow means yield, but on a banana it’s just the opposite. Green means hold on, yellow means go ahead, and red means where the hell did you get that banana at … ” – Mitch Hedberg

I started this blog six months ago with the intention of re-posting all of my recipes from my Yahoo360 Blog.

Easy enough.  The plan was for me to post a recipe once a week.

That I have done.  I have been posting every Thursday.  Except in April and May when I was too busy shuttling between four cities and two states.

My problem started when I decided to write more.  And with me writing more – about my past and experiences, I feel that this blog is taking a different turn. It’s no longer just about food.  This past few months, I have been doing a lot of soul searching and have been writing quite a lot about myself and where I come from.  In fact, I think I have been a little too honest.  Which I sometimes couldn’t believe what I have been posting and it makes me cringe.  I must admit that in most of my previous posts, it took a bit of courage to put my life story for public viewing.  And to think that I’m only scratching the surface.  There’s a lot more to be told which I may never have the courage to do so.  I shall see.

So what’s the point in all this?

I feel my blog is losing direction.  And it’s all over the place.

I think the name – AmerAsian Home Cooking fall short of describing what this blog is really all about.  It doesn’t represent wholly the contents of this blog.  And over the past few weeks, I have been thinking about changing it.  I just haven’t come up with the perfect name yet.  I’ll have to keep thinking.

So for now, I am simply putting my thoughts out here and let everyone know what to expect in the near future.

All previous posts will remain untouched.  And I will keep posting stories and recipes every Thursday.

My goal is simple:  To have a cohesive blog – with short stories and recipes at the end of each blog.   And a blog name that would entirely describe its contents.

~~~

I made these pancakes last week when I had way too many bananas and they were starting to get over ripe, and I don’t like eating over ripened bananas.  So I decided to make pancakes since I love pancakes anyway.

Very easy and delicious.  And I especially love 100% maple syrup drizzled over them.  Next time… I think I am going to spread creamy peanut butter and then drizzle them with maple syrup.

Anyway…

Here’s the recipe.

Dairy Free Banana Pancakes

1 cup all purpose unbleached flour

1 TBSP. granulated sugar

2 tsps. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

1 large egg – beaten

¾ cup almond or rice milk – of course you can use regular milk

1 TBSP. coconut oil or extra light olive oil + more for brushing the pan

1 TBSP. apple sauce

2 large ripe bananas – mashed

½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a medium size mixing bowl.  Set aside.

In another mixing bowl, beat egg and then whisk in milk, coconut oil, and apple sauce.  Add mashed bananas and vanilla extract.  Whisk until mixture is combined.  Pour this mixture over the flour mixture.  Again, whisk until flour is well incorporated and moistened.  Batter will be slightly lumpy because of the bananas.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and lightly brush with coconut oil.  (Do this as necessary or for each new batch of pancakes.   Scope about ½ cup of the batter into the skillet or griddle for each pancake.

Cook one side for 4 – 5 minutes.  Flip and cook the other side for 2 – 3 minutes.  (On your second or third batch, pancakes will cook even much faster then.  So carefully watch them.)

Serve hot with maple syrup or with your favorite pancake syrup.

NOTE:  You could use melted butter in place of coconut oil.

The lumps that you see on the batter are small pieces of bananas.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – I use a non-stick skillet with cover.  The pancakes cooks faster this way.

#2 – I place the bananas in quart size ziploc bag and mash the bananas by squeezing them inside the bag.  Cut a hole on the bag and squeeze onto the pancake mixture.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

All By Himself

Nothing compares to the homemade pies made from scratch.

Nothing.

Well, OK… Fine.

I will admit to one brand.  Edward’s Lemon Meringue Pie.

Edward’s Lemon Meringue Pie is my husband’s favorite pie.  His face radiates with excitement like a little boy receiving his favorite treat each time there’s a slice of Edward’s Lemon Meringue Pie in front of him.

After all these years and countless of Edward’s Lemon Meringue pies, it never occurred to me to ask him why he loves this pie so much?  So one day, I asked him…

“So… tell me Honeyko.  Why do you love Edward’s Lemon Meringue Pie so much…?”

“On Sunday mornings, when I was a kid, my dad would go to the grocery store and buy Edward’s Lemon Meringue pie…  When he got home, he’d place the pie in the refrigerator to thaw. And then… he’d wait until that evening when the pie is thawed and ready…”

“Pie on the table… He’d slowly pull the brown oak chair… slowly wiggle his body into the chair until he is comfortable… take a deep breath and slowly pull the pie closer to him.  Fork in his hand, he slowly devours the pie all by himself.  My brother and I will be slightly hiding in the far corner, watching him… He’d eat that lemon meringue pie, bite by bite.  We gulped and swallowed our saliva each time he took a bite.”

“Did he knew you and your brother were watching…?”

“Yes, he knew…”

“And he did not offer you and your brother any?” I couldn’t believe that a parent wouldn’t share food with his kids.  Even animals shared food with their babies!

“Nope, he did not! And we didn’t ask.  If he didn’t offer us any, that means he did not want us to have some at all.  He bought that pie for himself… all for himself!”

I have never made lemon meringue pie before.  I was content in eating the store bought ones like we’ve been doing all these years.  But, I’m like a cat… highly curious and always patting my paws on things.  Of course my OCD – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(self diagnosed) also helps a great deal.  I don’t leave things well enough alone.  Not a good thing sometimes.  My
husband hates it when I keep changing and altering recipes he liked, even when thinks I have perfected it.

Two years ago, few days before Thanksgiving, I decided to try my hands on making my own lemon meringue pie from scratch.    I was very surprised how my first lemon meringue pie came out unbelievably delicious.  The filling had a perfect balance of sweetness and tartness.  We quickly gobbled it up in one day.  So… I had to make another one for Thanksgiving.

I discovered that most people shy away from making lemon meringue pies.  I found that most people make lemon meringue pie only after they have gained enough knowledge, experience and confidence in making the other types of pies.  Most people’s fear lies on the very temperamental meringues… and keeping the crust from being soggy once it’s filled.

“Making a pie is the ultimate test of a good cook, it shows technique and heritage,” according to Susan Westmoreland, food editor of Good Housekeeping Magazine.

For those of you who are avid fans of Food Network’s Emeril Lagasse, Alton Brown or Tyler Florence… they are very specific on their instructions:  keep the mixing bowl oil and lint free… or the egg whites are not going to expand… have the egg whites at room temperature before beating… so you can be assured of volume…

For me… is not so much the fear of making the meringue… but rather simply that it just did not occur to me to make it myself…

Nostalgic Lemon Meringue Pie

1 Prebaked Best Pie Crust Ever – see recipe below
4 ginger snaps (cookies) – crushed

Spread the crushed ginger snap cookies on the bottom of the prebaked pie crust. Set aside.

Lemon Custard Filling:
1¼ cup granulated sugar
6 TBSPs. Cornstarch
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1½ cup cold water
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 small lemons)
5 large egg yolks, well beaten
2 TBSPs. Coconut oil or unsalted butter
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 TBSP. Lemon zest

In a 4 quart sauce pan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt using a whisk.

Turn the heat to medium.

While whisking the sugar and cornstarch mixture, gradually add the cold water. Stir in the lemon juice.

Blend in the well beaten egg yolks.

Keep whisking the mixture until it comes to a full boil.  Boil for 3 minutes or until thick in consistency.

Remove pan from the heat and stir in the coconut oil or butter until well incorporated with the lemon custard. Add the vanilla extract and grated lemon zest. Whisk until well blended.

Pour lemon custard into the prebaked pie crust, while still piping hot.  Set aside while you make the meringue.

NOTE:  Before beating the egg yolks and blending into the cornstarch mixture… remove the chalazae – a white fibrous cord on each end of the yolk that stretches through the whites. This white cord prevents the yolk from bumping against the shell. And this white cord is a bit chewy when cooked and I definitely do not want this in my lemon custard.

For the Meringue:

Cornstarch paste:
1 TBSP. cornstarch
1 TBSP. granulated sugar
½ cup water

In a small sauce pan, combine cornstarch and granulated sugar. Gradually add the water and stir until cornstarch and sugar dissolve and form into a runny paste.

Turn the heat to medium.

Keep stirring the cornstarch mixture until it starts to boil and form into a clear slightly thick paste. Cover the pan and remove from the heat.  Set aside while you make the meringue.

The Meringue:

5 large egg whites, at room temperature
½ tsp. cream of tartar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Zest of 1 small lemon (about 1 tsp.)
¾ cup granulated sugar

Wash the mixer bowl with hot soapy water.  Rinse thoroughly and shake water off the bowl.

Place bowl in the electric mixer and attach the wire whisk.

Add egg whites and beat on high speed until foamy.

Add cream of tartar and vanilla extract.  Continue beating on high speed until soft peaks form – about 2 minutes.

Gradually add the sugar, while the mixer is running on medium speed.  Beat on high speed again until peaks are firm and glossy, but not too dry. (This will take about 1 minute.)

Reduce the speed to low and add the cornstarch paste, one tablespoon at a time.  Beat on medium speed for another 15 seconds.

Adding the cornstarch paste to the meringue reduces shrinkage and will keep the meringue from collapsing.

Spoon the meringue over the hot lemon custard, slight pressing the meringue to make sure it is touching the custard and crust and also filling any gaps.

If you do not like too much meringue… you may only use half or three fourths of the meringue to cover the lemon custard.

Use the back of the spoon to create an attractive design on the meringue.

Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F for 7 – 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove pie from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.  This will take about 3 hours.

Refrigerate overnight before serving.

Best Pie Crust Ever

(Yield two pie crusts)

Crust:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 cup coconut oil or vegetable shortening

1 large egg

1 tsp. vinegar

2 TBSPs. Cold water

Combine flour and coconut oil or vegetable shortening. Blend with a pasty cutter until mixture resembles coarse sand.

Beat the egg, vinegar, and cold water  to gether. Drizzle over the flour mixture.  Stir with a fork until the dough is a little sticky, but not gooey.

Divide the dough in half and form into large balls.  Place each ball, separately in a large ziploc bag.  Flatten each ball into a round disk and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

While waiting for the dough to chill…

Lightly grease the glass pie pan or pans, if you are baking more than one pie, with a nonstick spray, butter or coconut oil.  I usually grease the glass pie pan with 1 tsp. coconut oil.  I use a pastry brush to spread the oil on the bottom and sides of the pan.

Remove pastry dough from the refrigerator. Work with one dough at a time.

Lightly rub flour on the rolling pin.  Roll each dough into a 12 inch circle.

Lightly rub flour on the rolling pin again and carefully wind the circle of dough with the rolling pin.

Unroll the dough, loosely, over the glass pie pan. Then carefully press the dough into to the bottom and sides of the pan. Trim excess dough that hangs over the pan, leaving about ½ inch.  (If the dough tears while unrolling and or pressing the dough on the pan, simply use the excess dough to patch any tears or holes.)

Crimp the edges by pressing it with a fork or pressing it with your finger.

Using a fork, prick several holes on the bottom and sides of the crust.

Prebaking the Pie Crust for the Lemon Meringue Pie or other single crust pies:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Line the pie shell with either one of these:  parchment paper, waxed paper or aluminum foil.  Fill the shell three quarters full with dried beans.

Bake pie shell in the preheated oven at 425°F for 10 minutes.  And, then reduce the heat down to 350°F and bake for another 10 minutes.

Remove the faux filling – dried beans and the lining from the pie shell.

Return the pie shell into the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until light golden brown.

Remove crust from the oven and cool.

The crust is now ready for filling.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

My Proven Methods on How to Survive on the Road

Eighteen years…

That’s how long it took for me to realize and pay attention to a few things I must do when I am on the road, driving long distance.  By long distance, I mean, driving in the car longer than two hours.  And the few things I learned after all these years make a difference between enjoying the trip and suffering.

Driving is stressful, both physically and mentally.  And the stress doubles when driving at night and in hazardous condition such as snow and heavy rain.  It’s tiring even if you are just a passenger, because sitting in one position for hours on end, hinders our blood circulation.

I remember when I first learned how to drive.  It was barely three months since I arrived here in the U.S.  Ramon was only five months old, and we moved from South Carolina to Jacksonville, Arkansas – Willie’s new military assignment.  In his job, he had to travel a lot, away from home.  When we arrived at his new assignment, he was to be deployed to another city for a temporary duty and therefore only have 30 days to teach me how to drive.  That meant – within 30 days I had to learn how to drive… and get my driver’s license.  Or I and our five month old baby will be stuck in the apartment, while he is gone, and nowhere to go.   And we both know this is not going to work.  At minimum, I had to be able to go to the grocery store to buy food.

At first learning how to drive wasn’t so bad.  He enrolled me in a three day class, for one hour each day.  The driving instructor was boasting my confidence, but in reality it was a FALSE confidence, because after that first day, when Willie had me practiced driving in a parking lot, he was horrified.  He thought: “Oh my fucking god!  She didn’t learn shit from that driving course.  And the worst thing is… she thinks she can drive! What the fuck!  If I let her think she can drive, she’s going to kill herself… and my son.  Oh no no no… NO!

So… he pulled me out of that driving course and taught me himself.

Every day, for the next 30 days after work, he taught me how to drive.  It was hard.  It was frustrating.  For me and especially for him.

He said:  “You have got to be the worst, most hard headed student I’ve ever taught…” And each time we were on the road, I scared the bee Jesus out of him…

I was like, well… what do you expect?  I was never around cars when I was growing up.  We walked everywhere! And if we didn’t walk, we boarded small boats, jeepneys and buses…

Never in my young life had I dreamed of learning how to drive!

But of course… there are a lot of things that happened in my life that I never, ever imagine or expected.  Like marrying an American.  And coming to the United States.  This is just how life is.  It takes us in places we never expect…

Here in America, driving is a NECESSITY not a luxury.  Yes, there are buses, especially in big cities.  But in smaller towns, it is impractical to think that I can get around in a bus.  And besides, I find it demeaning to take a bus.  I know it’s hypocritical considering where I come from.  But that’s how I feel.  And that’s why I had to learn how to drive.  It really wasn’t a choice, in my case, it was survival. I had a young son to take care of while living in a new country, in a new city with no one to turn to.

So despite of my hardheadedness… I learned how to drive.  Not great at first.  But I got my license within 30 days.  Just in time before Willie left for his TDY (military term for “temporary duty.”) I didn’t know how I got it… but I got it.

It was very scary.

I survived three car accidents during my first three years of driving.  The first one was very minor – I hit another car in a parking lot.  The second one involved another car.  I was making a left turn and got hit by an oncoming car.  Both incidents were my fault.  The third one, I was involved in a “hit and run” accident.  I was getting ready to get on the interstate in Little Rock, Arkansas and I was hit by a red pick-up truck on my right side. The driver, knowing that he hit me, just sped off into the highway.  I was so furious, I was cursing: motherfucker, sona-mabitch…how dare you hit me and just drive away… I was so angry! Red, hot steams must have been oozing out of my head.  I stopped thinking.  I took off after that truck.  But the traffic was so heavy that I lost him.  Finally, after 5 miles of chase… I pulled over at a gas station and called my husband, and called the police. My husband was horrified on what I had done.  He couldn’t believe I actually tried to chase the guy who had hit me, while our son was in the back seat!

“What the fuck were you thinking?” He asked angrily, after he made sure Ramon and I were alright.

“What do you mean? That guy hit me and did not stop.  He hit me…!” I defensively fired back.

“But that guy could have pulled out a gun and shoot you and my son! Did you realize that?!” he’s still pissed off and horrified.

“I didn’t care.  I was going to get him back! You can’t hit me and get away with it!”  That’s how silly I get when I am mad.  All common sense goes out the window.

This is not the first time I had done something like this – chasing after somebody.  Several years before in the Philippines, in Angeles City, I was in the market with my sister shopping for Christmas.  When all of a sudden, a guy yanked an 18 karat gold chain off my neck.  Over a split second, when I realized what had just happened, I took off running after the guy.  All I could think of was:  Oh shit, my husband is going to chew my ass for wearing jewelry to the market.  He’s warned me not to do it because I might get mugged.  But I did not heed his advice.  I would rather wrestle the mugger than face my husband’s wrath. And because of me running and yelling after the mugger, I alerted the cop, who stopped the mugger, who dropped my necklace so he won’t be caught “red handed with it.”  I got my necklace back, and only sustained bruised and painful feet.

When I came home I told my husband what had happened.  He said:  “You’re crazy! I can’t believe you did that.  What if the guy had other accomplices, so that… one could have stabbed you while the real mugger kept on running?”

I’m thinking:  Hmmm…he’s right, while suddenly having a sick feeling in my stomach.

My last auto accident happened 17 years ago, and I never had an accident since.  (Knocking on wood and crossing my fingers.) I have so much more sense now compared to back then, it’s unbelievable.  I guess it comes with getting older and becoming mature.

I have also learned so much from my experience of driving long distances.

During this past 4 weeks, I have driven over 5,000 miles (roughly over 8,000 kilometers) between Tulsa, Abilene, Dallas and Fort Worth. And good thing I now have a proven method on how to make my life easier on the road.  And believe me, it wasn’t always like this.

Here are the things I do before I get on the road:

(1) Map out my route.  Thank god for Google Maps, knowing exactly where I’m going and mapping out my exact route is a breeze.  I print out a detailed directions and maps for my whole trip.  So I know exactly what exits and turns I need to make.

(2) I make a note of the towns in between my route.  How far apart are these towns?  This is good information, in case something bad happened and I get stranded on the road, and in case I need to use a restroom, when rest areas are not available.  I also plan ahead where I am going to refill my gas tank.  For example:  A good stopping point between Abilene and Oklahoma City is Walters, Oklahoma.  I gas up here, take restroom breaks and eat if I’m hungry.

(3) The night before my trip, and before I go to bed, I drink a quart of Pedialyte to hydrate my body.  And then, I drink another one when I wake up, preferably three hours before I hit the road.

From years of suffering while on the road, I learned that I cannot drink at least two hours before I hit the road.  This way I can avoid using the restroom for two to three hours.  And I cannot eat.  I like to drive in an empty stomach.  If I do eat, it’d be stuff like macadamia nuts, peppered beef jerky, and chocolate.  These are foods that keep me awake and alert.  And then I wash it off with a gulp of Pedialyte.  Not a lot… just a gulp.

“Pedialyte is better than water in keeping our bodies hydrated.  It’s like getting an IV.” According to my husband.  He learned this trick from a Para Rescue guy while he was in the military, in an elite unit.  And he’s saved my life countless times with Pedialyte.

I remember one afternoon in my office while working in Las Vegas.  My left arm started to feel numb.  And then about half an hour later, my left body, down to my legs started to feel numb too.  I panicked.  I thought I was getting ready to have a heart attack.  I called my husband:

“Honeyko… I don’t feel good.  The left side of my body feels numb.  My left arm… my leg… I think I am getting ready to have a heart attack. Should I call 911?” I was afraid and in tears.  I’m only 38 years old. How could this happen?

“No… Tell you what.  Come home right now! Can you drive?” he asked with a concerned voice.

“Yeah… I think so…”

“Are you sure…?

“Yeah…”

By the time I got home, he had already went to Wal-Greens and bought several bottles of Pedialyte.

From his years of experience in the field, he knew I was simply dehydrated and knew exactly what to do.  He had me drank one bottle (32 ounces) of Pedialyte every 2½ hours.  And since my body temperature was also high, he put me in a tub of ice.

That night I felt much better… This was my first introduction to Pedialyte…

(4) Whether I am driving alone or I am with Willie or Ramon, I make sure I have the following items:

• Cash – between $100 – $200.  This is to be used for food and drinks, and in cases where I can’t use my debit or credit card. (My husband taught me this from his many years of traveling around the world.)

• Drinks: (a) small bottles (8 ounces) of Pedialyte, so I can sip on them if I feel thirsty.  My body uses this more effectively than water.  (b) Diamond tea.  I drink this as my last resort, if I can shake off my sleepiness.  (c) And a case of bottled water.  In case we get stuck in the middle of nowhere.

• Snacks:  macadamia nuts, beef jerky (Ramon introduced me to peppered beef steak  jerky, and I like it), and chocolate.  I like chocolate, though messy to eat, because of its caffeine and minimal sugar content.  I usually like the Lindt chocolate bars.

• Music.  My husband and I have similar taste in music.  Really… I think most of the music I listen to are the same music he listens to.  He introduced me to most of them.  When I am driving, I like to listen to music I am familiar with and can sing along to.  During the first leg of the trip, my adrenalin is usually high, so my husband suggested I listen to slow music to calm me down, so I usually listen to Christopher Cross, The Beatles, The Bee Gees, and Jim Croce, etc..  And I listen to The Very Best of Doors and Lenny Kravitz’s Greatest Hits during the last leg of the trip, where I need to kick my energy high to reach my destination

• Misc. items: paper towels, toilet paper, and microfiber kitchen towel to clean my glasses.  I always like to have a clean, clear eyeglasses and sunglasses especially when I’m driving.  So… I make sure I bring a microfiber towel – usually a microfiber kitchen towel that’s been washed and dried without fabric softener.  Way better than the little cloths you get from the optical shop.

• EMERGENCY Supplies other than what’s listed above:

>Band-Aid

> Peroxide

> Antibiotic Ointment

> Cortisone cream or ointment

> Dimetapp (the only cold and allergy medicine we all could tolerate)

>Children’s Motrin Fever Reducer (good for me and Ramon)

> Activated Charcoal Capsules (I used this a lot especially if I eat food that I have no tolerance for)

> Flashlight

> Candles and matches

> Heavy blanket (during winter season)

> Long – heavy coats, hats and gloves (during winter)

(5) Decide who is going to drive and who is going to navigate.  If I am with Willie and Ramon… I usually drive the first leg of the trip, and then Willie drives the other half.  But when I am with Ramon, I do most of the driving.  I have more confidence in my driving skills than with my navigating skills.  And since Ramon is a great navigator, I have him navigate, especially when we are going to a big city we have never been before.

(5) If I can help it… I prefer to drive during the day.  I find the drive to be more enjoyable during the day than at night.  Besides, my vision is much better during the day.

(6) Observe the rules of the road:

• Keep enough distance from the vehicle in front of you; do not tail gate.  (I think one of my pet peeves when driving are people who tailgate and cut in front of me.)  I keep a good distance away from the vehicle in front of me especially when driving at a high rate of speed.
• If possible, I do not like to be behind big trucks and trailers.  Long ago, my husband told me:  “Try and stay away from these big trucks.  Stay away from their rear, and do not stay beside them.  Their big tires blow off all the time, and when it does, the debris could hit your windshield and cause you to have an accident.  It could mean a life and death situation.”
• Drive within the speed limit.  I might drive 3 miles over the speed limit, but that’s it, unless I am passing another vehicle, and then I maintain my normal speed.  So this way, I don’t risk getting a speeding ticket. And besides, Ramon is my ‘speed patrol.” He reminds me when I’m speeding! He adheres to the principle of “haste makes waste.”
• Have my headlights turned on when it’s dark and cloudy, and especially when it’s raining.

(7) Drink more Pedialyte when I reach my destination.  I am certain that I am dehydrated again after 3 – 6 hours of driving.  So instead of drinking water, I quickly hydrate my body with more Pedialyte – one 32-ounce bottle, every 2½ before I go to bed.  When I week up the next day, I feel rested and refreshed .

I will add more this list as I learn along the way.

~~~

These cashews are so good, they’re highly addictive!

These are great especially on the day they are made, and they stay fresh in 3 days at room temperature and one week if stored in the refrigerator.  Though I try not to eat sugary stuff when I’m on the road… I like to snack on something like this once I get to my destination, especially when we are staying at a hotel.  It’s cheaper and better than buying snacks from the vending machine.

I just make them a few days before my scheduled trip, and pack them in plastic containers.

You need the following tools and equipment, and ingredients to make these:

Kitchen Tools and Equipment:

1 large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

Wooden spoon or spatula

2 quart heavy bottomed sauce pan

1 quart sauce pan for boiling water

When making candy or other sweet confection, I always have a pot of hot water to hold the spoons or spatulas, and other utensils I am using.

Also I prefer to line the cookie sheet with parchment paper as oppose to oiling it. However, if you don’t have access to parchment paper, you can go ahead and just butter the cookie sheet so that the candy won’t stick to the pan.

Since my goal for this recipe is to have crystallized sugar coating on the cashews, I kept stirring the sugar syrup throughout the entire process.

You will note that I did not use a candy thermometer for this recipe.  I pretty much just gauged it based on the consistency of the sugar syrup – not too thick.

Ingredients:

1 pound roasted cashew nuts

½ cup brown sugar – firmly packed

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup raw cane sugar

¼ cup water

3 TBSPs. coconut oil – available in health food stores, (you may use 4 TBSPs. butter in place of coconut oil)

½ tsp. coarse sea salt – the best is Celtic sea salt

In a 2 quart heavy bottomed sauce pan, combine all the sugars (brown, granulated and raw cane sugar), water and salt.

Over medium heat, stir the sugar mixture with wooden spoon until all sugars and salt are dissolved.

Bring sugar syrup to a boil, stirring constantly, until syrup is slightly thick, about 4 or 5 minutes.

Add the coconut oil and roasted cashews. Keep stirring until the cashews are well coated with the sugar syrup, and until the syrup is reduced and has thickened into a soft caramel texture. (This process will take about 4 or 5 minutes.)

Immediately pour and spread cashews into the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Cool to handle and then separate the cashews into small clusters or individual pieces.  Store in plastic container or tin containers.

Serve as snacks, appetizer, and travel food.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Beautiful Morning Muffins

I love muffins!

My husband thinks I’m weird because whatever food I eat in the morning, I can also eat them any other time during the day. I love eating breakfast items for dinner, snacks or dessert. I eat pancakes for dinner, or granola with rice milk for a midnight snack.  Who says I can’t?

Ramon is the same way.  We’ve never given him any restrictions when it comes to food and drinks (except alcoholic beverages, of course), ever since he was a little boy.  He can eat whatever he wants, and whenever he wants.

I’ve been around parents who imposed so many restrictions on their children, especially when it comes to food and drink. “Mom, I’m thirsty! Can I have a drink?” “No, it’s already 9 o’clock (at night) and it’s time for you to go to bed! You know the rule: no more drinking before bedtime! Now, go to bed!”

Now… I grew up in a nipa hut, if we’re thirsty, we drink.  In fact, if that’s all we want – something to drink (water) my poor parents was more than happy to oblige.  “Water is free. You can drink all you want!” What is so bad about drinking before bedtime? She’s thirsty for chrissake!

Or… “Mom can I have some cookies?” “Fine, you can only have one and that’s it!”

One…? Who eats only one cookie? If my son wants to eat 5 cookies, he can.  If he doesn’t feel well after overeating cookies, then he won’t do it next time… and if he doesn’t learn the first time, he is guaranteed to learn sooner or later.

For me, I think that’s wrong. I think the more you restrict your children, the more that they are going to rebel.  They might pretend to do what you want them to do while you are in sight, but once you’re not around, they are going to let loose, and do everything you did not want them to do.

My husband, Willie, is really the person that needs to be credited with this type of thinking on how we raised our son.  He believes that the more you forbid your child, the more they want to do the forbidden. It’s just human nature.  It makes us highly curious when something is forbidden.

And, you’re probably wondering what’s this got to do with the muffins?

Well… probably nothing.  But with these muffins, you don’t have to worry about any restrictions or an ounce of guilt for eating one or more. You can eat them anytime, other than in the morning.  They are good for you, or at least good for me, in my opinion…

And, they’re easy to make, and every time I hear the word “easy” I get excited.

Here’s what you need to make these muffins:

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamom

½ tsp. kosher salt

Wet Ingredients:

2 eggs

¾ cup extra light olive oil or coconut oil

¼ cup rice milk

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Other Ingredients:

1½ cups shredded carrots (3 medium sizes)

1 cup shredded apple (peeled and cored – pink lady, braeborn, etc.)

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut (available at health food stores)

½ cup raisins

¾ cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line 18 regular size muffin cups with paper baking cups.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients, by whisking them. Set aside.

In another mixing bowl, beat eggs, olive or coconut oil, rice milk and vanilla with a wire whisk.  Pour this mixture over the flour mixture.  Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Add shredded carrots, apple, and coconut; raisins and sliced almonds.

Fill each muffin cup with the batter, about ¾ full.

Bake in a preheated oven for 26 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean, when inserted.

Remove from the oven.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Highly Addictive Granola

My son is 18 years old, and he eats this every single day for breakfast, and he tops his fruit sorbet with this too!

This recipe can be a granola bar, but I prefer to crumble, and add it  to a breakfast cereal.  I don’t limit myself. I eat this for breakfast, snacks, and dessert and not feel guilty about it.  This granola is loaded with dried fruits, and sliced almonds, which are high in fiber.

I started making this sometime in August on a search for something good and healthy, and I have been making this since, every two weeks for my son.

I was at a large supermarket several months ago, buying dried fruits and sliced almonds.  And next to the dried fruits were plastic containers of granola.  By the look of those, I was almost shocked to see how dried they were.  I think they were mostly oatmeal and less fruits and nuts.  I don’t know… let’s just say that they did not look appealing.  Even if I am feeling too lazy, I don’t think I can make myself buy them, let alone eat them.

Anyway…

If you’re like me, you might want to try this granola recipe, that we are crazy about.

Ingredients:

3 cups old fashioned oatmeal

1 ½ cups sliced almonds

1 cup finely grated coconut, unsweetened (available in health food stores)

¾ cup honey

½ cup Brown sugar

3 TBSPs. Coconut oil

2 TBSPs. Coconut milk or water

2 tsps. pure vanilla extract

¼ tsp. kosher salt

1 cup whole pitted dates – chopped

¾ cup dried cranberries (Ocean’s Spray – original flavor, sweetened)

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a 9” x 13” x 2” baking pan with coconut oil. (It’s best to nonstick baking pan, like Baker’s Secret, because it tends to make the granola crunchier.)

In a large mixing bowl, combine oatmeal, almonds and grated coconut.  Pour mixture into a thick or heavy duty baking sheet (available in restaurant supply stores).  Bake for 12 minutes.  Remove from the oven and toss.  Bake for another 5 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove from the oven and cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, combine honey, brown sugar, coconut oil, coconut milk, vanilla extract and kosher salt.  Stir and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Let mixture boil for about 1 minute.  Turn off heat.

In a large mixing bowl, add dates and cranberries.  Add the toasted oatmeal, almonds and coconut mixture.  Pour over the sweet liquid mixture.  Stir until well combined and the granola are coated with the sweet liquid.  Pour mixture into the prepared baking pan.  Wet your hands and lightly press granola, evenly into the pan.  Bake for 28 minutes.

Cool for at least 3 hours before cutting into bars, and or crumbling them.  Store in a tightly covered plastic container.  Will last about 4 – 5 days at room temperature, longer if stored in the refrigerator.  If refrigerated, just be sure take the out and allow them to come to room temperature before serving.

Note: You can substitute coconut oil with 5 tablespoons butter, and omit the coconut milk.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess