Strawberry Almond Bread...and a little post on Freedom :)

Sometimes I have a craving for something I can't place; I'll have it for weeks before I actually figure out what it is I've been craving. Ever have that happen to you? Maybe it hasn't happened with food, but with things far less tangible though just as necessary for a healthy existence, like strength of mind with a heaping cup of fearlessness thrown in for added flavor. Those are two ingredients that play the same role in life as salt does in a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Without them, life's just flat and bland - you know something's missing, even when it's only a pinch.

I'll admit, there are moments when I need more than a simple dash of fearlessness and strength of mind to spice up my life, more like a gallon! Thankfully, I still have a mustard seed of faith lying around somewhere; it keeps me going when the reserves are low. But I really love it when I come across an inspiring blog post, that also revitalizes me and gives me a reality check. Take this post written by Oscar of Freshtopia, for instance. Here is a man with enough strength and fearlessness to get him through the hardest of knocks, like a brain cancer diagnosis.

What reveals his strength? There's enough evidence in that blog to safely say he's a loving man who truly understands what it means to be free, even when inflicted with an illness that would make most feel physically limited and emotionally defeated. So what does that have to do with freedom? Everything. The worst oppression is the kind that's self-inflicted, losing your personal freedom to negative thoughts and bitterness. The first sign of this? A mentally insatiable craving for something more; feeling like life owes you something, and focusing on that so much that you lose yourself and the ability to love in the process.

Freedom comes with acknowledging your blessings in the midst of what seem to be curses, and that's fairly impossible without strength of mind. Reading Oscar's post made me think of a kind of independence that all of us should strive for. Happy 4th of July!

...and because this is a food blog ;), here's a recipe for some tasty Strawberry Almond Bread!

Giving Thanks and Lowfat Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

*there's some potty humor in this entry, so don't say I didn't warn ya!

One of the best things about my husband is that he never ceases to give thanks. Every Friday evening, after arriving home from the grocery store, we empty out our overflowing bags of produce onto the kitchen table and the hubby notes how fortunate we are. "We eat so healthy!" he says, " We're so blessed to be able to eat this way!". Then, after restocking the refrigerator with a good amount of yummy food, he stands back and examines it; holding the refrigerator door open he says "We are so lucky!". I can't deny that we are blessed, that's for sure. I am certainly blessed to be married to someone whose positive attitude keeps me going on a bad day.

Speaking of bad days, just last year I had to have my gallbladder removed. Even though the procedure itself wasn't that invasive, being severely sick before the gallbladder disease diagnosis was not fun. First off, on my own, I couldn't afford to have the surgery. I'd just graduated from college, got my first full-time job, but had to resign. I had too many doctor appointments lined-up and I wasn't getting more than 2 hours of sleep per night due to the pain. It took the doctors about 6 months to diagnose me because I didn't have the 'textbook' symptoms. I was taking acid-reducing proton pump inhibitors for 4 months, but I didn't have acid reflux even though the doctors thought I did. On top of that, I lost a lot of weight, which isn't good when you only weigh 107 pounds. So, I was actually relieved to discover that my gallbladder's ejection fraction rate was 17% when it should've been at least 80%; I was ready to say goodbye to Mr. Gallbladder, the green gooey monster. There wasn't nearly enough bile pumping into my intestines to help digest my food - that's what was causing the annoying gut pain!

Now I'm happy to be gallbladder-free...well, for the most part. Yes, I am definitely grateful that I didn't develop stones - that would've been even more dangerous. Yes, I am extremely happy that I can eat again. But there is a reason why we have a gallbladder, and I know that now more than ever before! The gallbladder holds all the bile that the liver produces; since I don't have a gallbladder, I have a constant trickle of bile flowing directly into my intestines (sometimes it feels more like a river). Also, the more fat one eats, the more bile the liver produces. And guess what else? Bile acts as a laxative! It is a strong acid-based digestive juice that'll get you going more than a bottle of prune juice will, especially if you eat the wrong foods; watch out for those abdominal cramps, too. It's not rare to experience funky digestive issues after having gallbladder surgery, it just isn't fun (Postcholecystecomy Syndrome is the technical name for it). Thankfully, I am taking a wonderful soluble fiber that acts as a bile sponge, it's a great alternative to Questran (a medication meant to lower cholesterol and minimize the amount of bile produced by the liver).



But living without a gallbladder still requires a few more dietary modifications. Some folks develop lactose intolerance after having their gallbladders removed, I recently discovered that I am one of them. I can handle small quantities of dairy products here and there, but, to avoid the tummy discomfort, I try to cook with soy/rice based products instead. I am also sensitive to certain fats and oils, which is why I never use hydrogenated oils. To be completely honest, sometimes I eat something I know will make me sick but I eat it anyway because it's just soooo delicious that denying myself that kind of yumminess would be considered a small crime! (That and I am incredibly stubborn.) Other times, I actually exhibit self-control and eat something considered 'safe', but I still end up taking the nonstop trip on the porcelain bus* the next day (*I stole that term from Anthony Bourdain, so don't credit me for it ;). This is why the gastro gave me the IBS label the last time I was in his office; irritable bowel syndrome - my gut is like an unruly spoiled brat that has relentless tantrums even though he knows Santa's watching.

Ok...so I'm sure you're wondering why this post is about being grateful. It sounds like I'm complaining, right? Well, no. I am super grateful, but I am also honest. I don't like pretending that everything is perfect and that the crazy blogger behind Flour Arrangements just spends her time cooking, blogging, and baking tasty treats all day. Like you, I have my bad days. Even though mine usually revolve around a toilet, we all deal with crap everyday; PUN INTENDED. So what am I grateful for? Well, aside from the loving husband and countless other things, I am eternally grateful for comfy toilet paper and the ability to get up and go to work in the morning. You know how I had to resign from that first full-time job when I was sick? Well, now I have an even better one. It's more fun and better paying - who could ask for anything more?!

Yummy vegetables and fruits wouldn't exist without stinky fertilizer, sometimes we have to get covered in crap in order to blossom into a more deliciously ripe version of ourselves. Lovely analogy, eh? I know my plight isn't nearly as bad as that of others, but, sometimes, when my stomach is in knots due to the missing organ, I just give thanks to God that I'm not missing anything else. Emotionally and physically speaking, I feel full; I'm pretty sure that's something worth being grateful for.

P.S. I should also note that I became even more obsessed with food after having my gallbladder removed. Going so long not being able to eat much taught me how to appreciate food even more than I did before...and that's what gave rise to the birth of Flour Arrangements and recipes like this lowfat lemon poppy seed muffin! It's still tasty and sweet, but it doesn't have nearly as much fat as traditional muffins do, making it a 'tummy-friendly' food. Instead of using a stick o' butter, I enhance the flavor of these muffins with aromatic spices.

Warm Summer Cake and Peach Blackberry Pie

I promised that I'd post recipes for a yummy cake and pie...so here they are :). The first recipe is for a Lowfat Warm Summer Cake. I was in the mood for a fresh and summery cake last weekend, so I opened up the refrigerator to see if anything in there would cry out to me, in fear of going to waste and getting thrown in the trash. I noticed that we still had quite a bit of orange juice left over, and it was already a week old, so I thought I should definitely include it in the cake. I've learned that a great way to make a cake moist and rich without using butter is by adding some kind of flavorful juice. We also had a huge lemon that was lonely sitting next to a bunch of bananas and a handful of kiwis, so I had to add him to the recipe as well. The only fatty ingredient in this light cake is the one egg I used. There isn't even a teaspoon of oil in this cake! Now, if only I could have that kind of success with every baked good! It seems it's easier to make some desserts healthier than others. (You'll notice, after eating one piece of the cake, my husband and I decided it wasn't enough, so we just picked up a fork and helped ourselves to a little more :)

I'd like to note that the pecans on the cake are Texan grown, we picked them ourselves!



The pie recipe I've posted is also packed with fruit, it contains blackberries and peaches. This is a recipe I found on Key Ingredient. The recipe calls for fresh ginger, but I didn't have any, so I added ginger powder instead :). Thankfully, it still tasted yummy, but I think the juicy peaches and ripe blackberries had something to do with that :). I was really pleased with this pie recipe. This is another dessert that's perfect for summer; the ginger really adds flavor, making this a pie that's far from plain. Plus, peaches are on sale right now! It's hard to say no to a dessert that's tasty, affordable to bake, and easy to make. (Just throw the peaches in there with the blackberries. They're such pretty fruits, they don't need to be organized in a fancy way!)

TGIF! Now that I've posted this recipe, it's time to relax, at least for the night. Since we only have a few more months left here in Austin, Jose and I plan on visiting a few cool foodie spots around town before we leave. Of course I'll take pictures and feature them on the blog :). This weekend we're going to a very Austiny spot that resembles an old candy store/soda shop, I can't wait! Hopefully the next time I post, I won't come back with cavity #2; I can barely handle the one sweet tooth I already have :)!

P.S. I'd like to say thanks to all of your for leaving so many kind comments on my first Daring Bakers cake :). There were tons of beautiful entries this month! Can't wait to see what they have in store for us next!

Sweet and Savory Empanadas

Thank goodness we get an extra day off this week! You know where I'll be spending it...in the kitchen :)! Especially now that I'll be working twice as much as I used to during the week. Yay! No complaints here, though, I look forward to a busier work schedule. I love the feeling of having my hands full -- especially when they're full of dough! Even though I'll be working more, I still plan on keeping up with this blog. No excuses, I promise! Later on this week, I'll post a couple of pie recipes (and even a tasty summer cake recipe) because there's always time for baking and blogging, right?! Yes. I won't even let the 95 degree weather stop me from baking; I'll sweat my way through one dessert recipe after another while the AC is off any day! I can't decide if that makes me a dedicated baker or just plain crazy... :)


On to the post! Earlier this week, Mansi from Fun and Food invited me to join in on the Monthly Mingle event. I thought it sounded like fun, especially since I'd never put together an actual appetizer before, so I told her I'd like to do it...then, earlier today, I thought I could combine the Monthly Mingle appetizer with my Traveling the World One Plate at a Time recipe. To come up with ideas, Jose and I flipped through a few of the many half-read foodie magazines stacked up near my desk. Jose came up with a great idea after reading an inspiring recipe -- why not make empanadas, little ones? So that's what we did. I wanted to make a savory version...and because my sweet tooth has a bigger mouth than I do, I couldn't ignore it's unrelenting cry for sugar, so I gave-in and made sweet empanadas too. The savory vegetarian empanadas are stuffed with a variety of hearty ingredients (like tomatoes and portabella mushrooms), while the sweet empanadas are filled with sweet potatoes and warm spices (like cinnamon and cloves).

This is how they should be stuffed, except this one is really loaded! :)

I was inspired by Chef Jim Moffat's empanada dough recipe; as for the filling -- I decided to get creative with that. You'll find the recipe for both the sweet and savory empanadas below. Please note that there was quite a bit of filling leftover from each recipe. So, tomorrow, I plan on using the savory ingredients to make omelets for breakfast...and I might just bake up something using the mashed sweet potatoes :). The spiced sweet potatoes can be eaten on their own, though, they're so good!

Traveling the World One Plate at a Time: Karahi Chicken with Mint and Dessert!

I didn't get the chance to cook this meal last weekend, so I made it a point to make it today. Thankfully, it only took a little less than an hour to prepare and cook, which is great for a lazy Sunday evening. I feel like I need a weekend for my weekend!

Friday night, Jose and I saw the second Narnia movie at Alamo Drafthouse; it's definitely a place you should check out if you're not from around here. They serve pretty good food and even feature a special menu for some movies; Turkish Delight was on the menu for Prince Caspian :)! Of course, we ordered some. On Saturday we checked out IKEA. Jose and I think it might be best to purchase boxed, unassembled furniture instead of driving to Cambridge with a bunch of bulky furniture that can't be taken apart. (We're trying to figure out the best and cheapest way to move to Cambridge from Austin...any ideas? We did the numbers. Paying a moving company would be too expensive; if we flew there, we'd still need to figure out a way to move our stuff. So it seems driving to Cambridge in a large van with our stuff is the best idea, at least this weekend it is :)...we only have 2 more months to figure it out, though! Oh, but I can't wait :)!) As for today, we cleaned the apartment, sold a few of our many books to the folks at Half-Price, and went shopping for pants and shoes. So, as you can see, or read, it was a very busy weekend and I didn't have much time to cook dinner. Now I'm starting to feel myself catching Jose's cold; it seems my body always gets sick when I take the time to relax and slow down!

At least I got to squeeze in a bunch of baking last week. I was craving a healthy dessert earlier, so I made an apple and carrot cake that's moist, cinnamony, and milk-free. I made a blueberry peach pie too, but I'll post that recipe little later :).

Lemon Spice Cake with Ginger Vanilla Frosting

I am so excited, not only because I actually made an edible lemon based cake, but also because I talked to an advisor at Le Cordon Bleu in Boston today! Off and on, for a few years now, I've thought about going to culinary school. When I finally moved out of the dorms and into an apartment a year before graduating college, I couldn't stop cooking...I cooked out of necessity and desire. I love making things. Whether it's painting, drawing, writing poetry, making a card, or putting a fun dinner together, I always find that time goes by oh so fast when I'm doing any of these things.

I can honestly say that I enjoy cooking more than any other hobby, though. I feel like being able to go into a kitchen and whip up a tasty dinner or treat is a real blessing. Not only does it help me appreciate all the beautiful edible things God made from scratch, but cooking, in general, is an art form that I respect because it awakens all the senses. I get to inhale the aroma of the herbs I use to enhance the flavors of the simple foods that are simmering on the stove, I get to stick my hands into the gooey dough that the oven will magically turn into a loaf of bread, I get to play the official household food taster role while I'm cooking - and my taste buds love that...see what I mean? I also love how, no matter what, everyone needs to eat - so as long as there are hungry tummies, I'll be cookin'! That's a pretty long time, but I look forward to every second of it.

I do realize that my knowledge of food is very limited, but I just so happen to have an insatiable hunger to learn more...hence my desire to attend culinary school. I don't plan on being a chef at a 5 star restaurant (at least I don't intend on making a life-long career out of it - though I do plan on working as a chef to pay off the debt I'll aquire during culinary school). Still, some time in the distant future, I'd like to open up a fun and inviting restaurant right here in Austin, one that serves healthy, delicious, and eclectic food at a reasonable price. Food can be pretty and tasty without being pricey, but I haven't learned all the secret tricks of the trade yet!

I know I could probably pick up a few books and teach myself a few things, and I have done that, but I have a desire to know even more...I'd really love to get formally trained. Who knows if I'll end up going to culinary school in Cambridge (Boston) while Jose's attending law school, or here in Austin ( a few years later, when he's establishing his career). Thankfully, I have a loving husband who wants me to pursue my dream; he's been incredibly supportive and is leaving the "when and where" decision up to me, for the most part (we have to see what the financial aid dept has to say...and I'll have to look into those scholarships too!). We're both the type to throw ourselves into our passions/interests, so I have a feeling we have a pretty exciting future ahead of us! Oh, if only money grew on trees - that's the 'minor' setback...but I've learned that I most appreciate the things I have to whole-heartedly work at and patiently wait for :).

This is a cake that doesn't require much patience! It bakes in 15 minutes, a few minutes more or less, and tastes like it took hours to make! I love how a few spices and sprinkles of this and that can make a huge difference in the flavor of a baked good. Here's the list of ingredients and very brief prep instructions :)...because I've already written such a lengthy entry!

Lemon Spice Cake
3 Cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 large eggs
2/3 c nonfat milk
1/8 cup honey
1/2 cup canola oil
2.5 tsp pure lemon extract
1/4 c apple sauce

All of these ingredients eventually come together. If you're like me and try to get away with using one bowl, first add all the dry ingredients, including the leaveners...then make a little whole in the middle of the flour mix, and add the wet ingredients right before you fold everything together.

Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes in 2 round nine inch pans

I shaved off the poofy part of the cake, the little dome on top. It tastes pretty good without frosting...but if you want a light glaze-like frosting...here's a simple recipe:

Ginger Vanilla Frosting
2-3 tsps dried egg white (I get the one in the can, it's great for creating a solid finish)
4 TBSP butter
1 TBSP vegan shortening
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBSP freshly grated ginger (fresh is best with ginger :)
3 TBSP water

This recipe can be easily tweaked. If you want it less watery, add more powdered sugar. Want a bit more flavor? Add a tsp of lemon extract. This makes a very thin layer of frosting; I prefer tasting more cake than frosting. If you'd like a thicker layer of frosting, just double the recipe and it'll yield enough to create a traditionally frosted cake :). To dress-up the cake a little, I added a few sprinkles of grated ginger on top, a slice of lemon, a mint leaf, and also a few pistachios for color. Happy Baking!

Berry Vanilla Cake

I love berries. They not only taste delicious but they look beautiful, even when they're sitting in a plain white bowl. I'm not much of a berry pie fan, but I do find that berries add a freshness to desserts when they're mixed into something like cake or muffin batter. I came up with this berry cake recipe about a month ago, but never got around to posting it. The nice thing about this cake is that it tastes great with something as simple as a glaze; a creamy frosting would take away from the natural flavors the berries offer. (To make the glaze, I mixed a bit of melted butter, powdered sugar, and blackberry jam in a bowl and poured it on top of the cake.) So if you're a big fan of berries, this cake is for you. It's colorful, flavorful, and comes together in a flash :).

3 cups flour
1/2 cup canola oil
3 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt 2 cups mixed berries (these can be frozen)
1/4 cup lite sour cream
1 cup nonfat milk
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp baking soda


Since baking soda was involved, I mixed the dry ingredients in one bowl, then the wet in another, and later combined the two. I baked the cake in two round 9" pans, in a 350 degree preheated oven for 20-23 minutes.

Sweet Potato Walnut and Cranberry Loaf

Yesterday, I steamed a large sweet potato to serve as a dinner side dish and had quite a bit left over today (it tastes so good steamed then drizzled with honey!). Loaded with vitamins C and A (check out the health benefits of this veggie here), sweet potato is one of my favorite veggies that also doubles as a healthy dessert. I love pumpkin bread, and because sweet potato's texture reminds me of pumpkin, I thought it might also serve as a nice bread base. I was right! This is a very hearty and harvesty, lightly sweetened bread that can be eaten alone or with your favorite bread topping.

Since this recipe was the result of a kitchen experiment, after I mixed all the ingredients together, I thought I might actually end up with cookies instead of bread. The dough was very thick. The last few bread doughs I threw together were more gooey in texture. So, I decided to first use some of the dough to make a few cookies before rolling it all up into a dough loaf. Well, the "cookies" came out very bready in texture, so I figured it'd be a good idea to proceed with the initial bread idea. The cookies came out very tender, and I wanted a much crispier bread. I added a few things to the outer layer, to create a sweet, golden, and crispy crust that would result from keeping it in the oven for almost an hour...and here are all the ingredients I used to make this filling bread:

3 1/3 cups flour
2/3 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup sweet potato (first steamed or baked then mashed)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 TBSP cinnamon
1/2-3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup cranberries
3/4 cup walnuts

I mixed the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet ones in another, then combined them in one bowl. Before baking the dough, I rolled/shaped it into a loaf and brushed the top with about 1 1/2 TBSP of butter. I then placed it in a loaf/bread pan and covered it with foil. I baked it for 20 minutes at 350, then took it out of the oven so that I could sprinkle some cinnamon and brown sugar on top (add however much you want). I removed the foil and put the loaf back in the oven for another 30 minutes. That's about it!

P.S. This new, cute layout was designed by Sharnee! Thanks for all your hard work!

cinnamon walnut squares

The original name for this dessert is Cinnamon Walnut Blondies. I found the recipe in a new brownie cookbook (Blissful Brownies) we bought a few weekends ago. I decided to change it up by making it healthier. Because I used applesauce to replace a good portion of the butter that the recipe called for, the result was a cakey snack/dessert that was light, a little fluffy, but definitely tasty. I'll post the original recipe, then I'll post the new one. I made a few other minor changes here and there, like adding more cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg, but that's just because I love the way those two spices complement each other...and you can never have too much cinnamon! I was happy to recently discover that cinnamon actually has a few health benefits; on top of being tasty, it's also good for you! It can help lower cholesterol levels and just a little more than a teaspoon of it mixed in a dessert can help lower the blood sugar rise following a meal. You can read more about that here.

Here is the original recipe:
Walnut & Cinnamon Blondies
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup self-rising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Cinnamon Walnut Squares (altered version)
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 cup applesauce
1/8 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
½ cup chopped walnuts

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, let cool for about 5, and then eat them up!

healthy oatmeal raisin cookies

I actually have a good excuse for the time that's passed since my last post...I got married! Yes, the last couple of weeks leading up to it were a bit hectic, considering my then-fiance-now-husband and I weren't planning on having a ceremony in the first place...but now we're glad we did! It was a very simple but beautiful wedding, and even though I loved the dress, my favorite part was the vow-reading that took place during the ceremony, it was a very memorable moment.

Now, back to the topic of food, a few weeks ago I made some oatmeal cookies. They are a pretty traditional cookie, usually made with a simple recipe...but most of those recipes include about 2 sticks of butter. I hate deceiving myself into thinking that I'm eating something healthy because the word "oatmeal" is included in the list of ingredients of the baked good I'm savoring...so I've tried to improvise and had some success after a few experimental sessions...I traded in 2 sticks of butter for 2 TBSPs and my taste buds don't know the difference!

Inspired by the oatmeal cookie recipe on the traditional Quaker Oats container, I decided to make a healthier version of the delectable treat. Instead of using literally half a pound of butter, which would translate into 2 sticks, I remembered the beauty of applesauce...keeping in mind that with applesauce, at least with baking, a little goes a long way. So for this particular cookie, between 1/8-1/4 cups of applesauce are the magic measurements...but it also depends on what texture you're going for. If you want a cookie with more bite, then about 1/8 cups and 1 tbsp should do the trick. However, if you really like the big soft cookies, then put a little more applesauce, somewhere around 1/4 cup.

Ok...so here's the recipe. A few other changes went into the cookies, but I do have to thank the little Quaker Oats guy for coming up with the initial, though terribly unhealthy and a little less flavorful, recipe.

Improvised recipe (makes a little over 2 dozen, if you make 1 tbsp sized cookie dough servings):
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal (this is one less cup than the original)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2-2/3 cups raisins (the golden ones taste so much better!)
1 tablespoon cinnamon (a lot more than the original)
a few sprinkles (about 1/8 tsp nutmeg)
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
about 1/4 cup applesauce
2 TBSP Butter

I baked these in a 350 oven for about 12 minutes...note: the more applesauce you use, the longer it takes for the cookie to harden.

P.S. I took these cookies to work, and they were gobbled up completely!

Random Fact: I read somewhere, and I'll find the link one of these days, that applesauce and brown sugar tend to soften things with time. So be careful not to add too much of either, if you don't want your cookies to crumble :).

I hope you all had a blessed and restful Thanksgiving. I had the opportunity to make Jose's family a Thanksgiving meal this year and it was a lot of fun. I was telling Jose afterward that when I was younger, I was so intimidated at the thought of making an entire Thanksgiving meal all by myself. I was afraid I'd undercook the turkey, or that I'd have to rely on canned goods for every side dish... I thought it would be an exhausting, stressful, and unrewarding process... But, thankfully, this year I was able to discover it's actually quite the opposite. Sure, it took a little while, but it was fun. I think one of the tougher parts about it was that I had to cook for a group instead of just one or two people, so I was a little worried that I wouldn't season things right...but somehow it all worked out and there wasn't a complaint made about the food!

One thing I still really want to get the hang of is tamale-making, though. In my family, my grandmother usually makes tamales for Christmas/New Years and I'd really like to whip them up the way she does, effortlessly. I have a feeling I'd probably just end up with a kitchen disaster...but who knows, maybe it'll turn out the way the Thanksgiving meal did if I just give it a try? Hmm...probably not. Just last year I was helping her roll up the tamale dough in corn husks before she cooked them, and that was tough enough for me. It's a lot harder than it looks! Still, I have a strange feeling my attitude about the tamale-making process will change...just wait and see.

Moving on to this apple-oatmeal bar recipe; I have baked this over and over again. I made it for Jose's Thanksgiving office party, then I made it for my mom, then I made it for Jose's family as a Thanksgiving dessert...it's been a hit every time! I was bored one night and, as usual, had a sweet tooth for something not too heavy but still carby, so I made these apple-oatmeal bars. The initial recipe is completely fat free, but the next couple of times I made it, I decided that butter should be included in the topping. Sometimes butter does make it better, especially when used in moderation.

This is even easy to make because everything can pretty much be mixed up in one bowl, and I love that because that means there are less dishes to wash in the end!

Apple-Oatmeal Bars
2 Cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup apple juice
2/3 cups apple sauce
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP cinnamon
a pinch of nutmeg
1 TBSP apple pie spice
These ingredients can all be mixed together in the same bowl, then put in a large baking dish (9X13"). Put in the oven for 10 minutes at 325 then add the following topping:

The topping (unhealthy version):
1 small fuji apple, cut into little cubes
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tbsp melted butter
1 2/3 cups oatmeal
You can mix all these ingredients together in a bowl, then add it to the top of the bread dough (10 minutes after it's been in the oven). I also lightly sprinkled the topping with cinnamon and sugar.

Fat-free healthier topping:
1 small fuji apple, cut into little cubes
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 2/3 cups oatmeal
1/3 cup vanilla soymilk
1/8 cup honey


Raise the temp of the oven to 350 and bake for about 50 more minutes to an hour.

Now it's time to start thinking about a Christmas dessert! I can't wait for my favorite holiday, we purchased and decorated our tree just today! I'm counting down :)...and so are my guineas, yoshi and mochi!

thanksgiving muffins

I've been baking more than usual these days, probably because the evenings have been a lot cooler, in a wonderful sort of way...sometimes it's even cold, so I use baking as an excuse to warm my house without turning on the heater. I made these 'thanksgiving muffins' the other night and they came out super moist, I'm pretty sure it was the apple sauce that did it. Like I mentioned earlier, I don't really like using apple sauce when I bake cookies, because they come out too soft and fluffy, very un-cookie like, but I'm discovering it's a great ingredient in cake and muffin batter. I have had a problem with it once, when I made sweet potato bread awhile ago and added too much-the bread came out kind of soggy, not so pleasant and yummy...thankfully, I used just the right amount with these muffins :). Hope you all like them!

Thanksgiving Muffins
1 2/3 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tbsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 TBSP molasses

These took awhile to bake, about 25-28 minutes in a 350 degree oven, but they're worth the wait and they're definitely aromatic in an autumny kind of way :).

P.S.
If you're wondering what that stuff is on top, it's brown sugar...I always seem to find myself sprinkling powdered or brown sugar on my desserts, as if they're not sweet enough as it is ;).