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

Double Frosted Strawberry Ice Cream Cake

I could barely lift this heavy, monstrous ice cream cake.  It serves at least 20 people.  Of course I did not have that many people to feed.  This means we will have ice cream cake for dessert for a whole week!

And the draw back of course, is storage space.  It occupies 75% of the space in our freezer.  Why did I make a cake so big? You’d probably ask…

I have a problem with estimation.  And I have issues with small, miniature things.

I am stuck in some kind of pattern.   I seem to always cook or bake for a large number of people; even though there are only three of us in our family.  And then I get stuck with all these foods, wishing I have friends and family to invite over…

I don’t like waste.  I especially hate throwing food away.  And yet I cook so much that most leftovers end up in the trash.  A vicious cycle I fall into over… and over… again!

Last year, for Ramon’s birthday, I bought a small ice cream cake from Dairy Queen.  The ice cream was good.  But the cake was hard and dry as a cardboard!  So I told myself… I bet I can make ice cream cake better than the ones I bought at the store.  I decided then and there that next year, for Ramon’s birthday, which was last Sunday, I will make an ice cream cake.  And this is exactly what I did.   I made the cake two days before.  Stored them in the freezer and the next day, frosted the layers with strawberry frosting and filled the layers with strawberry ice cream.  The cake stayed in the freezer until the next day for final frosting of whipped cream.

Of all the flavors I could choose from, why strawberry?  That’s because my son loves strawberries and strawberry flavors.  Though he complained that the strawberry icing for this cake is a bit overpowering.  It sorta overpowered the taste of the strawberry ice cream.

OK… so lessons learned.  This is my first attempt at making home made… really, more like semi-home made ice cream cake.  So for next time, I might just double up on the whippped cream frosting and use that in place of the store bought frosting.  But then again, Ramon said he wants a strawberry cheesecake next time.

So… for my next ice cream cake… It’s going to be all about what I want… And I want a French vanilla cake filled with Ben and Jerry’s Heath Bar Crunch and Americone Dream.  Mmmmm!  I can already feel it.  I’m going to have a seizure!

Here’s what you need…

Boxed cake mixes, frosting, and instant vanilla pudding.

Extra large eggs, water and canola oil.

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Mix on low speed for about 45 seconds.

Increase speed to medium and blend for about 2 minutes or until mixture is smooth, creamy and free of lumps.

Please note:  Before you begin mixing the cake, preheat the oven to 350°F and butter two 10 inch cake pans and dust them with granulated sugar.

Pour cake batter into the prepared pans.

Bake cakes in a preheated oven at 350°F for 30 minutes.  Reduce the oven to 325°F and bake the cakes for another 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool cakes in the pan for 1 hour.

Loosen the cakes from the pan by scraping the sides of the pan with a thin knife before freezing.

Freeze cake for at least eight hours before slicing.

Cut cakes in half, horizontally.

Frost the cakes.

Frost each layer with the canned frosting.  I used about half a can for each layer.

Take the tub of ice cream about 10 minutes.  Just so it’s spreadable.

Spread about 1/3 of the ice cream on the first or bottom layer.

SStack the cakes as you fill each layer with ice cream.

Align and press the cake down.  Freeze ice cream filled cakes for 3 hours, unwrap or uncovered.  After three hours, pull the cake from the freezer and cover or wrap with plastic wrap.

Freeze the ice cream filled cake overnight.

Prepare the Heavy Whip Cream Frosting:

Here I have heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.

Whip heavy cream until frothy.

Add powdered sugar.

Whisk for a few seconds.

Add vanilla extract.

Whip heavy cream and powdered sugar mixture until thick.

Take a spatula and generously spread whipped cream over the frozen cakes, from the top down to the bottom.

Like this…

At this point, you can decorate the cake if you like.

I don’t bake this type of cake often, and therefore do not have the tools for decorating pastries, and this cake.  So I left it plain…

Take the cake out of the freezer no longer than 15 minutes before serving.

Slice the cake and enjoy.

The RECIPE:

Please note that I used a stand (Kitchen Aid) mixer to mix the cake.  I’m sure you could manually mix these, it would just take longer.  And if you do, a wooden spoon is a great tool.

Please also note that I used two 10 inch cake pans and took 1 hour to bake the cakes:  30 minutes at 350°F and another 30 minutes at 325°F.

Fail Proof Cake Recipe:

2 (18.5 ounce) box cake mixes, any flavor you like

1 (3.4 ounce) box vanilla instant pudding

7 extra large eggs

2 1/3 cups water

5/6 cup canola oil (a line below 1 cup)

Place oven rack on the third shelf from the bottom.  Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter two 10 inch cake pans and dust them with granulated sugar.

Using the bowl for a stand mixer (Kitchen Aid), combine all the ingredients as listed above.

Using the paddle attachment, mix the cake on low speed for 45 seconds.  Increase the speed to medium and mix the cake for 2 minutes.

Pour batter, equally, into the prepared cake pans.

Bake cakes in a preheated oven at 350°F for 30 minutes.  Reduce the oven to 325°F and bake the cakes for another 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Remove cakes from the oven and cool them in the pans for 1 hour.

Loosen the cakes by scraping a knife all around the pans.

Freeze cakes in the pans, covered with aluminum foil.

Frosting and Filling the Cake with Ice Cream:

2 (16 ounce) cans frosting, strawberry or your favorite flavor

Half gallon strawberry ice cream or your favorite flavors

Remove the cakes from the freezer and cut them in half, horizontally.

Spread half a can of frosting on each layer.

Spread 1/3 of the ice cream on the first/bottom layer.  Do the same with the second and third layer.

Align and press down the cakes after each layer had been filled with ice cream.  Freeze the ice cream filled cakes.

Whipped Cream Frosting:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

½ cup powdered sugar

2 tsps. vanilla extract

Using the bowl for the stand mixer, whisk heavy cream until frothy.

Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract.  Whisk cream and powdered sugar until thick and it clings to the whisk.  This process will take about less than 2 minutes.

Spread whipped cream over the top and sides of the frozen ice cream filled cakes.

Remove the cake from freezer no longer than 15 minutes before serving.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Bake and freeze the cakes two days before you need them.  Slicing a frozen cake eliminates if not reduces the chance of the cakes crumbling.

#2 – To easily remove the frozen cakes from the pan, place the cake pans over hot water for a few minutes.

#3 – To easily and cleanly slice the cake, have a glass jar filled with boiling water.  (Please be sure the jar can withstand very hot water.)  Place a large knife in the hot water.  Slice the ice cream cake with the hot knife.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking.  Or should I say baking?

Tess Harris

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

Banana Dates Bread

Bananas are one of the most inexpensive, most accessible, potassium rich fruit.  My love for bananas is conditional.  There is certain ripeness that’s perfect for me.  That’s when they are golden yellow.  The stems are no longer dark green.  Sweet and lightly firm.  This is the stage before the bananas start to accumulate brown spots.  Once bananas have brown spots on them, they are over-ripe.  The flesh starts to taste mushy and no longer firm.  At this stage, bananas are no longer ideal to eat as they are.  However, at this over-ripe stage, with brown spots all over the peel, they are perfect for making breads, cakes, muffins and pancakes.  They would be perfect for this recipe.

You don’t need an electric mixer to make this banana bread.  You only need your hand, a spatula, a large bowl, and loaf pans.  And of course the ingredients…

You need the following:

Ripe bananas.

Peeled and roughly mashed.

Self-rising flour.

Two (2) sticks unsalted butter. Cut into small pieces.

Superfine sugar.

Dates.

Chopped dates.

Large eggs.

Beaten…

And honey.

Making the Banana Bread:

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Butter 6 mini-loaf pans.

Place loaf pans in a heavy duty baking sheet.

There is something cute about mini-banana breads.  Especially if I’m giving it as a gift.  For me it is a “small treasure.”  A way of saying:  I’m thinking of you.  And for that, here is a small token…

Or,

Two (2) regular loaf pans.

Please excuse my pans here.  I have since retired these pans.  Because my son said so.

Or you can use a combination of both pans.

Using a fine strainer, sift flour into a large mixing bowl.

Mix butter with the flour, by rubbing butter and flour with your finger tips.

(As you can see here.  The butter is soft and at room temperature.  But I found that it is easier and better to work with it cold and cut into small pieces…)

Until they are crumbly in texture.  Like this.

Add sugar.

And chopped dates.

Stir to combine.

Add mashed bananas.

Add beaten eggs.

Add honey.

Stir until mixture forms into a thick batter.

Spoon batter, equally, into the buttered loaf pans.

Bake in a preheated oven at 325°F for 50 – 60 minutes or until breads are golden brown.

Remove from the oven and cool breads in the pans.

Serve bread warm, in thick slices, with honey butter.

The RECIPE:

Banana Dates Bread

4 cups self-rising flour

1 cup or 2 sticks butter – cut into small pieces

2/3 cup + 2 TBSPS. Superfine sugar

1 ¼ cups chopped dates

4 very ripe bananas (with brown spots OK) – roughly mashed

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

4 TBSPs. honey

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Butter 6 mini loaf pans or 2 regular loaf pans.

Peel bananas and place them in a large Ziploc bag.  Zip the bag and mash the bananas with both your hands.  Set aside.

Using a fine strainer, sift flour into a large mixing bowl.

Dump the pieces of butter over the flour and blend with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse sand.  (If you don’t have a pastry cutter, rub flour and butter with your finger tips.)

Add the sugar and chopped dates into the flour mixture.  Stir to combine.

Pour the mashed bananas, beaten eggs, and honey over the flour and dates mixture.

Stir to combine and mixture forms into a thick batter.

Spoon the mixture into the buttered loaf pans.  Filling each pan into three-fourths full.

Bake in a preheated oven at 325°F for 50 – 60 minutes.  Or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Remove breads from the oven and let them cool in the pans.

Slice breads into thick slices.  Serve warm or cold, with honey butter.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 –  To make Honey Butter.  Simply softened ½ stick of butter and mix it with 2 tablespoons honey.

#2 – This bread is excellent served with coffee and hot tea for breakfast or snacks.

#3– If you don’t like dates, you can use dried cranberries or apricots.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Southern Style Banana Pudding

“When my dad used to make this… he’d be in the kitchen for at least half a day.  Making sure everyone knows what he’s doing.  Every move was slow.  Deliberate.  And calculated… He’d make me think I’ve done something good… and for it… I’m being rewarded…”

My husband would often this whenever I make this pudding.

This banana pudding is one of the few desserts that my father-in-law used to make.  In fact…it is the only dessert that I’ve seen him made…

I always have liked it when he made it.  It was so good, there were times when I wish I could eat half the pudding…

My version of this banana pudding is loaded with plenty of bananas and Nilla Wafers.  It is  banana pudding after all, right?  At least this is how I  make it at my home.  Th0ugh I can’t speak for everyone…

We went to a Superbowl Party few weeks ago.  And one of the desserts was Banana Pudding, which was catered by a local barbecue place.  The custard was tasty.  Though I kept looking to see what happened to the bananas and Nilla Wafers…?  They skimped on both of these ingredients.  Not unusual for a restaurant – skimping on ingredients to fatten up their bottom line.

Banana pudding is one of the simplest and easiest dessert to make.  If I don’t count the time it takes to chill the banana pudding before serving, it is fast to make.  It takes about 30 minutes to assemble.

I always use perfectly ripe bananas.  The ones with no brown spots.  But perfectly ripe to eat.

Here’s what you need:

Perfectly ripe bananas.

Large eggs.

But we’re only going to need the egg yolks.

Unless you’re feeling energetic and have some time to spare.  And own an electric mixer.  And want to top the pudding with meringue.

All purpose flour, granulated or fine sugar, cornstarch and salt.

Coconut milk. And water to make 3 cups.

Of course, you can use whole milk, evaporated milk, or soymilk.

Pure Vanilla Extract.

Nabisco Nilla Wafers.  My husband loves his banana pudding with these wafers.  He did not care much for the lady fingers as much as I did…

Or…

Or lady finger cookies.

I have recently used lady fingers for my banana pudding… And I must say it was great! I loved the texture.  Though I learned to increase the sugar next time…

What to do:

Peel the bananas.

And then sliced them into rounds.

Drizzle about 2 teaspoons of lemon juice over the sliced bananas.  To keep them from browning.

Carefully crack the eggs, one at at time, and separate the egg yolks and whites.

Beat the egg yolks.

Combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar and salt in a large pot.

Slowly pour coconut milk over the flour, while whisking it.

Turn the stove to medium heat.

Keep whisking until flour and sugar is completely dissolved.

And the mixture thickens smooth  custard.  But NOT boiling.

Technically… this is not custard yet.  Because we haven’t added the egg yolks… But you know what I mean…

The texture should resembles condensed milk.

Scope a small amount of the custard into the beaten eggyolks.

Whisk to combine the egg yolks and custard.

Slowly pour the beaten egg yolks into the custard…

Keep whisking until custard comes to a boil.  And then immediately reduce the heat to low.

Continue whisking for another minute.

Remove the pot from the heat.

Add one teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract.

Whisk to combine.

Add about 1/3 of the custard into a deep dish.  A square or triangle dish is fine.

Spread the custard to cover the bottom of the dish.

Line a layer of Nabisco Nilla Wafers over the custard.

And top that layer with sliced bananas.

Spread half of the remaining custard over the banana layer.

And cover custard layer with another layer of Nabisco Nilla Wafers.

And top it with the last layer of sliced bananas.

And finally cover the last banana layer with the remaining custard.

You can stop at this point.  If you don’t have the time to make the meringue.  Or simply don’t want to be bothered with the meringue.

At this point… you can now refrigerate this Southern Style Banana Pudding.  And chill it for at least three hours before serving.

And if… you decide to top the banana pudding with a meringue…

Here’s what you need:

I have always made meringues using an electric mixer.  Because I don’t think my arms are strong enough to withstand the continuous whisking of the egg whites until it forms into a meringue.

So therefore, I would highly recommend using an electric mixer.  Unless you’ve got a volunteer to do the whisking…

Otherwise, I will forgo the meringue and just enjoy the banana pudding without it.

But… If you don’t mind this extra step…

Then, I say… go for it!

You’re going to need the egg whites

Granulated sugar.  Extra fine sugar is best.

Cream of tartar.  This will help stabilize the meringue.

Pure Vanilla Extract.

What to do:

I apologize for not having a step by step photo on how to make the meringue…  So I hope the few photos I have here and and the instruction will suffice…

First.  Be sure the mixing bowl is free of oil and lint.

So what I do is right before making the meringue… I wash the mixing bowl with hot and soapy water.  Rinse it with hot water and shake off excess water.

Then proceed with making the meringue.

The meringue should be slightly firm and glossy.

Spread the meringue over the banana pudding (last layer of custard).  And use the back of a spoon to make a design.

You then bake the meringue topped banana pudding in a preheated oven at 375 °F for 8 – 12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool over a cooling rack for at least an hour before chilling in the refrigerator.

Banana Pudding using Lady Finger Cookies.

Without the meringue.

Banana Pudding with Nabisco Nilla Wafers.

Without the meringue.

The RECIPE…

Southern Style Banana Pudding

½ cup + 2 TBSPs. granulated sugar

½ cup flour

2 TBSPs. cornstarch

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

1 package (12 ounces) Nabisco Nilla Wafers

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

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Using a 3 quart sauce pan, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.

Turn on the stove to medium heat.

Gradually whisk in coconut milk.  Keep whisking until mixture is lightly thickened.  But not boiling.

Add ½ cup of milk mixture to egg yolks.  Whisk to combine.

Slowly pour beaten egg yolks over the milk mixture, while whisking constantly.

Keep wisking custard until it comes to a full boil.  And then immediately reduce heat to low.  Keep whisking for another minute.

Remove the pan from the heat.

Add vanilla extract and whisk to combine.

Spread about 1/3 of the custard on the bottom of an 8” x 8“baking dish.

Layer Nilla Wafers over the custard.

And then, layer banana slices over layer of Nilla Wafers.

Spread another ½ of the remaining pudding over the banana layers.

Repeat the same process – by layering the Nilla Wafers and banana slices.

You should end up with a layer of custard as the last and top layer.

How to Prepare the meringue:

4 large egg whites

¼ tsp. cream of tartar

½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

¼ cup + 2 TBSPs. 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.)

Spoon the meringue over the layers of the banana pudding, slightly pressing the meringue to make sure it is touching the pudding and sides of the baking dish.

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

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 °F for 8 – 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove pudding from the oven and cool completely.

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

NOTE on Substitutions:

For my friends in the Philippines who may want to try this recipe… you may have to make do with what is available at your grocery store.  Especially when it comes to the cookies or wafers…

As for the milk… use 3 cups of Carnation Evaporated Milk.

As for the bananas… use very ripe, eating bananas.  I don’t think the “saba” will be good for this.

As for the tools… if you don’t have a whisk, you can use a cooking spoon.   And it might take longer to mix the flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt and milk until they are well combined and free of lumps.  Good luck!

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

If using Lady Finger Cookies… increase the sugar to ¾ cup.  I found that the Lady Finger Cookies are less sweet than the Nabisco Nilla Wafers.  Thus, the sugar increase.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Seductively Smooth Cheesecake

I was amazed.  Shocked.  Mesmerized.  And seduced!

Seduced!

I can’t believe it.  I didn’t know a cheesecake had the power to seduce me!

I made this cheesecake for Thanksgiving.

This cheesecake was unbelievably good.  Smooth.  Creamy.  Perfect balance of sweetness and a hint of tartness from the lemon juice.

It was addictively good.  Seductively smooth.

I had originally planned of making Pumpkin Cheesecake.  But decided not to because my husband is not fond of pumpkin.  And the last time I made it, Ramon and I were the only ones who ate the whole pan.  Well almost.  Actually Don, my husband’s co-worker and friend made off with a third of it.  I sent him home with a large portion of it.

So for last Thanksgiving…  I decided to make a cheesecake that my husband would want to eat.

I decided on a plain, simple cheesecake.  With basic, simple and very accessible ingredients.  I know it was going to taste good.  I just didn’t know how good.

And when I finally had a slice.  I was amazed on how good it tasted.  I surpassed all my expectations.  And then some.

The proof was when after I had quickly gobbled up a slice.  I decided to try the store bought cheesecake that Don bought from Wal-Mart.  You know the kind.  They come in slices of different flavors: chocolate, caramel with pecans, strawberry, and plain.  I decided to try a slice topped with caramel and pecans.

The difference immediately jumped at me after my first bite of the caramel topped with pecans cheesecake.  It was almost a shock to my palette.  I have eaten store bought cheesecakes before and I don’t remember it being this bad.  I thought it was good.  But then again.  I have never eaten it back to back with a homemade cheesecake either.

The difference in taste was night and day.  I was literally dismayed on how the store bought cheesecake tasted.  It was gummy.  Pasty.  And almost disgusting compared to my homemade cheesecake.  My homemade cheesecake tasted of heaven.  Smooth.  Sweet.  Creamy.  Addictive.  And the store bought ones was like getting slapped in the face! And me waking up from good day dream.

I was taken.

I was seduced.

The store bought cheesecake woke me up and let me know how so much better the home made cheesecake was.  I don’t think I’ll buy cheesecakes from the store ever again.  Not after my taste test experience.

And the thing about this is that… The homemade cheesecake is not hard to make.  In fact, it’s unbelievably easy.  And simple.

I know it sounds like I’m exaggerating.  But you’d have to experience what I had experienced.

I encourage you to do it.   In fact.  I dare you.

And tell me I’m right.  Or wrong.  Or just plain crazy.  Or whatever.

~~~

You’ll need these in addition to the ingredients…

spring-form pan and parchment paper.

For the Crust:

Graham Crackers.  Crushed.

browned butter or melted butter.

Pour browned butter or melted butter over the crushed graham crackers.

Mix it up until butter moisten the crackers.

Press butter moisten crackers into the bottom of a removable spring-form pan.

Wrap foil around bottom of the pan.  Place pan/crust in the freezer while you make the filling.

For the Filling:

Cream Cheese.

Extra fine sugar.

Extra large eggs.

Freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Pure vanilla extract.

Blend cream cheese and sugar with the paddle attachment at medium speed.  Until creamy.

Scrape the sides of the bowl.

Run mixer again for one minute before adding the eggs.

Add egg one at a time.  (Sorry.  This is my only shot and it’s blurred.)

And blend well after each addition.

Add lemon juice.

And vanilla extract.

Beat until smooth and well incorporated.

Pour cream cheese batter into the frozen crust.

Bake cheesecake at 350°F for 55 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.

Make the Topping:

Combine sour cream, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract.

Stir with a whire wisk until smooth and creamy

Pour sour cream over cooled cheesecake.

Spread with a spatula.

Return cheesecake to the oven and bake for 7  minutes.

Remove cheesecake from the oven.  Cool for 2 hours.  Wrap with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.

Top with strawberry preserves before serving.

Here’s the recipe:

Seductively Smooth Cheesecake

Crust:

1 ¼ cups crushed graham crackers

3 TBSPs. browned butter or 4 TBSPs. melted butter

Filling:

4 packages cream cheese (8 ounces each)

1 ¼ cups extra fine or baker’s sugar

4 extra large eggs

3 TBSPs. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Topping:

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup extra fine sugar

1 TBSP. freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

½ cup strawberry preserves

Bring out the cream cheeses and eggs and have them at room temperature at least 3 hours before making the cheesecake.

Preheat the oven at 350°F.

Cut out a circle of parchment paper and place it over the bottom of the pan.  Lock the spring-form around it.

To make the crust:

Place 1 ½ sleeves of graham crackers in a large Ziploc bag.  Close the bag.  Pound crackers with your fist to break ‘em up.  Roll a rolling pin over the bag of graham crackers, until they are of sand texture.

Measure 1 ¼ cups of crushed graham crackers into a medium size mixing bowl.  Drizzle the browned butter over the graham crackers.  Mix until butter moisten the crushed crackers.

Press the crust, with the palm of your hand, onto the bottom of the spring-form pan.  Put the crust/pan in the freezer while you mix the filling.

To make the filling:

Blend cream cheese and sugar with the paddle attachment at medium speed.  Blend until cheese is creamy and free of lumps.  Scrape the sides of the bowl.  Blend again for a one minute.

Add eggs, one at a time, into the cream cheese batter.  Blend well before adding the next egg.  After adding and blending the last egg, scrape the sides of the bowl and blend again for one minute.

Add lemon juice and vanilla extract.  Blend well.

Pour cream cheese butter into the frozen crust.

Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F for 55 minutes.  (After 55 minutes.  The middle of the cheesecake should still be a bit jiggly.)

Remove cheesecake from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.  Leave the oven on.

To make the topping:

In a medium size bowl, combine sour cream, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract.  Stir with a wire whisk until smooth and creamy.  Pour over the cooled cheesecake.

Return the cheesecake into the hot oven and bake for 7 minutes.

Remove cheesecake from the oven and cool in wire rack for 2 hours.  Cover cheesecake with plastic rack and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Before serving:

Measure about ½ cup of strawberry preserves and spread over the cheesecake.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Browned butter.  Browned butter makes the crust tastes nutty and smell very aromatic.

#2 – By having the cream cheese and eggs out at room temperature at least 3 hours before making the cheesecake… this is what makes the cheesecake easier to blend.

#3 – Using extra fine sugar and adding eggs one at a time, makes an extra smooth, creamy cheesecake.

#4 – Parchment paper.  By lining the removable bottom of the spring-form pan with parchment paper, before pressing the crust onto it, makes cheesecake slices easy to remove when serving.

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

It’s Like Chasing Something Mysterious

A life size figure at our apartment office.

Our apartment manager always displays elaborate decorations during the Halloween month of October.

Her favorite holiday.  And she seems to outdo herself every year.

So I came in one Saturday afternoon… and took a few pics…

That ball she’s holding makes a loud scary noise…

more Halloween stuff…

The commissary at our military base also has an elaborate display pumpkins and scare crows… I think that’s what they’re called.

I thought they were interesting…

So I took a few pics…

While I giggled like a little girl…

Simple things make me happy.

And to celebrate Halloween…

Well, I don’t really celebrate it.  But I love these Spiced Pumpkin Dried Fruit Cookies…

And I love all the decorations people displays during Halloween…

I want to share this recipe with you.

I think this is one of the most delicious pumpkin cookies I’ve ever had.

When I took the first bite, my senses kept trying to figure out what’s in the cookie.  Then I took another bite.  And another.  It’s like chasing something while trying to figure out its character.

So I ended up consuming several cookies in one setting.

I made these cookies for my husband to snack on at work.   But my son and I ended up eating most of them.

I plan of  making them again in a few days.

I’ll  post a step by step photos then…

These cookies are very good.  Tender and chewy at the same time.  Moist with a cake like texture.  Loaded with dates, raisins, dried pineapple and walnuts.

Almost guilt free and bordering on the healthy side.  And yet, they are sinfully delicious.

Since Ramon and Willie do not like nuts… I had to split the batter.  Half the batter I baked without nuts.  And the other half with walnuts.  For me.

I love nuts!  Pecans.  Walnuts.  Peanuts.  Though I can’t say it loves me all the time…

~~~

NOTE:  If you don’t have an electric mixer like Kitchen Aid, you could also make these cookies by manually mixing them in a large bowl, using a wooden spoon.  Follow same direction.

Here’s the recipe.

Spiced Pumpkin Dried Fruit Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups ground old fashioned oatmeal (grind oats before measuring)

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 TBSP. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground cloves

¾ cup or 1 ½ stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 ¼ cups firmly packed brown sugar

2 extra large eggs – room temperature

1 ½ cups canned pumpkin puree

1 cup pitted dates, chopped

½ cup dried pineapple, finely chopped

1 ½ cups raisins

1 ½ cups walnuts – coarsely chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Grease 3 baking sheets by rubbing them with butter.  Or line the baking sheets with parchment paper.

Ground oatmeal in a food processor until it resembles a coarse sand.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves.  Add ground oats and stir with spatula until well combined.  Set aside.

Using a stand up mixer, cream the butter and sugar together in the mixing bowl using the paddle attachment.

Add eggs one at a time, beating just until blended with the butter and sugar mixture.  Add the pumpkin puree and continue to blend over medium speed.

Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl.

Add the flour and oat mixture.  Blend over low speed (stir) until mixture is smooth and creamy.

Add dates, pineapple, raisins and walnuts.  Blend well.

For each cookie, scoop 3 tablespoons of batter onto the prepared baking sheets.  Allow 9 – 13 cookies per sheet.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F for 12 – 14 minutes.  Do not over bake.

Remove and cool in a wire rack.

Stores at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Yield:  3 ½ dozens

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Ground oatmeal give these cookies a “cake like” texture.  But if you don’t have a food processor and unable to ground the oatmeal.  You may use them as is.  I just prefer ground oatmeal.

#2 – Dried fruits make these cookies chewy.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris