Sweet Potato Pie/Casserole

This recipe was posted on Food Network as a pie recipe but we make it to serve as a side dish and serve it warm. 

Crust:
10 whole graham crackers, finely ground
1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 stick butter, melted

Filling:

1 40 oz. can sweet potatoes, drained
2 large eggs
1/3 cup dark brown sugar (original called for ½ cup)
1/2 cup whole milk (original called for cream)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:  1 T. brown sugar

Crust Prep:  Heat oven to 350. In a bowl, stir the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar until well combined. Add melted butter and mix until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press firmly and evenly on the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate or casserole dish to create a crust, being sure there are no cracks. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven.

Filling Prep (while crust bakes): Drain can of sweet potatoes. Combine all filling ingredient in bowl and whisk until very smooth. Pour the filling into the partially baked crust. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon brown sugar over top and bake in the center of the oven until set, about 40 minutes (adjust time based on size of dish - bake until center is set and doesn't jiggle).

Pie/casserole can be served warm or room temperature.

Adapted from Dave Lieberman’s recipe from Food Network.

Coconut Fudge (a.k.a. Brain Fudge)

1 cup (scant) coconut oil 
3/4 cup peanutbutter or almond butter
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup honey or agave nectar or sugar
dash of salt (optional- last time I forget the salt and it tasted fine)


Make sure coconut oil is liquid when you measure it since that will affect your measurement. Melt all ingredients in saucepan.   If you use sugar, you may end up with a grainy texture if the sugar is not fully dissolved.  Since I use honey or agave nectar, I just get the mixture warm enough to melt the ingredients so they can be well mixed. The original recipe used 1 tsp. stevia instead of sugar which I have not tried yet.  Given the fact that the conversion between stevia and sugar is 1 tsp. to 1 cup, my version is actually less sweet than the stevia version.
Allow to cool partially but still pourable.  Pour into candy molds or into a container with a flat bottom (mixture should be between 1/4 and 1/2 inch deep).  Place in fridge to solidify, and then into freezer to store. Mixture may be very runny so it can be difficult to move the containers when still warm.  

This fudge is better eaten frozen than from the fridge. If you have trouble getting the fudge out of the pan, lay the pan on a warm towel for just a few minutes and then try popping the entire amount out onto a plate and then you can break into bites and then store in the freezer.  This will make it much easier to just grab a bite out of the freezer.


Note: This is one method we use to get more coconut oil in our diet.  It isn't going to taste as fabulous as a traditional fudge however it is tasty enough that we feel like we are still getting a treat and the ingredients are healthy.  We use peanut butter because my kids do not like it with almond butter however that would be my preference to make it healthier. We have noticed some benefits in eating coconut oil for adhd and executive function issues.   We found this connection by accident when reading an article on alzheimer's and coconut oil so we decided to try adding it to our diets to see if it helped with other brain issues like executive function.  Disclaimer:  I'm not a doctor. I'm a mom who figured out what works for my family.  You may or may not see similar benefits.

This is the article that prompted me to try coconut oil.  https://www.bulletproofexec.com/podcast-transcript-13-how-to-upgrade-your-brain-with-coconut-oil-ketones/

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This recipe is from Lyn Schafer at Classic Floral Design in Waukee.  She was gracious enough to make 18 gallons of this soup to share with the community to help celebrate our annual Winterfest celebration.  It was so good, I needed to make some for myself.  The recipe has lots of different steps so it did take me a while to get it put together the first time but I always allow double time to make something on my first try.  I added some helpful tips at the bottom in hopes that your first attempt won't be as disorganized as mine.  Thanks for the soup, Lyn!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

1 box Uncle Ben's wild rice mix
8 oz. cream cheese cubed
1 can evaporated milk
2 to 4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded
2- 15 oz. cans chicken broth
1 cup chopped carrots (into bite-sized pieces)
1/4 onion - chopped

Make rice per box instructions. While rice is cooking, chop onions and carrots.  Saute onion in small amount of oil until tender.  Add carrots to onion and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring every few minutes so they don't burn. Boil, bake or grill chicken (however you choose to cook the chicken).  Combine all ingredients into crockpot or large pot.  As mixture thickens, you may need to add some milk to thin it out.

Helpful Tips:
This recipe will require 4 different cooking pots/pans.  I doubled the recipe and used a 2 quart saucepan for the rice, 12 inch skillet for onions and carrots, 5 quart stockpot for boiling chicken (you could also use leftover grilled or baked chicken) and a large oval crockpot for the soup.  With the doubled recipe, the soup barely fit in the crockpot.  If you make a single batch, it will fit in a 5 quart stockpot on the stove. 

If you are using a crockpot, you can put the broth and cream cheese in first to start melting the cream cheese.  You will need to stir and smash the cream cheese against the side to get it all mixed in so it may be easier to get it started melting before adding other ingredients.

Alternate way to do the chicken and broth:  You can get bone-in chicken and add 8 cups water when boiling and then use the broth you've made for your chicken broth.  This will not work for boneless skinless chicken because you won't get the flavor you need. 

I am not a big fan of onions but this was fine. I probably could have used more onion and I still would have liked it.

A double batch makes a huge amount of soup so I hope it freezes OK.  I'll update on how well it comes out of the freezer.





If you try it, let me know how you like it.

Homemade Pudding

My mom mentioned the other day that her mom used to make cornstarch pudding so I decided to try it.  Wow!  It is great and I know exactly what is in it so I feel better about eating it.  Surprisingly, vanilla pudding does not need to be yellow - that is just the artificial coloring added to the store bought pudding.  It's amazing what we take for granted when we buy pre-made mixes.  I used a recipe from allrecipes.com however I changed it as I made it.  Here is my recipe:

Flour Girl's Pudding Recipe

2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 /2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. butter

Mix all dry ingredients in a stainless steel saucepan (including cinnamon if you want).  Add the milk and whisk until dry ingredients are dissolved.  It is very important that you dissolve cornstarch into cold liquid. If you heat the milk first, you get lumpy pudding. Heat and stir until mixture is thickened but not boiling.  To test thickness, dip a metal spoon into the pudding and if it sticks nicely and doesn't slide off, it's done.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla extract.  I always use real butter.  Pour into serving bowls.  Enjoy warm or chilled.

Next time I will try adding some cocoa to the dry ingredients to make chocolate pudding.  If you try adding anything dry like cocoa, make sure you add it at the beginning or it won't mix in well later.  If you make this, I'd love to hear what variations you do.

For everyone looking for a bargain, making the pudding mix from scratch costs about 20 cents (not counting the cost of the milk).

Almond Cookie Recipe (gluten free)

This recipe for almond cookies is fabulous!  It comes from my friend, Angie.  You need a food processor to grind the almonds.  If you have a small food processor, use the recipe as is.  I take mine times 2.5 and it is just the right size for my 9 cup food processor.  I don't usually take the time to put the almond slices on and instead of drizzling chocolate, I put Nutella on mine just before eating but they are delicious plain also.  These cookies freeze well but they also seem to keep just fine on the counter.  I've added some of my own notes based on my experience.

2 1\4 C whole almonds

3/4 C sugar or sugar substitute

2 egg whites

1 t almond extract or vanilla

32 almond slices (2 T) - decorate top of cookies

2 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or coat with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.  I use a baking stone and don't spray it and they don't stick - I've never tried a metal pan.

In food processor, combine whole almonds and sugar: cover and process until finely ground.  Add egg whites and almond/vanilla extract.  Cover and process until well mixed.

Using a well-rounded measuring teaspoonful of the almond mixture for each cookie shape into a crescent shape or ball.  Place 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.  Place an almond slice atop each cookie.

Bake for 10 minutes, take out of oven and squash with a glass.  Put back in the the oven for 2 minutes.  Squashing the cookie seems to help the cookie bake more evenly - otherwise, it just stays in a ball and the center is not done.  Leave on pan for 5 minutes.  Transfer to wire racks; let cool.  If desired, transfer the warm melted chocolate to a resealable plastic bag.  Seal bag; cut a small hole in one corner.  Drizzle tops of cookies with melted chocolate.  Makes 32 cookies (that is a high estimate in my opinion though).

Whole Wheat Bread Recipe (with notes for freshly milled flour)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast, or 1 packet active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups lukewarm water (use less if using fresh milk)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey, molasses, or maple syrup (I use honey)
3 ¾ cup freshly milled flour (I use hard white wheat)
1/4 cup nonfat dried milk OR use fresh milk and reduce water by ¼ cup
1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Optional: 2 T ground flaxseed (add toward the end of the kneading process)

Directions:

Yield: 1 loaf, 16 slices.

Prep: Stir yeast into lukewarm water. Set aside. Mill flour or get flour out of freezer to bring to room temp. Spray bread pan with Pam (do this now – before your hands get messy!). Have ½ cup flour handy so you can add to your dough as needed when kneading.

Mixing: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients including yeast and water and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Let it sit about 20-30 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. (You may also knead this dough in an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine programmed for "dough" or "manual.") Add flour if dough is too sticky. Dough will still be somewhat sticky when you are done (your hands will be a mess – that is normal). Transfer the dough to your greased pan and allow to rise until rounded in pan (about 1 inch above the top of the pan), about 60 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen. Be careful not to let the dough fall if you need to move it or when putting it in the oven. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly.

Baking: Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 37 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes. Test it for doneness by removing it from the pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow), or measuring its interior temperature with an instant-read thermometer (it should register 190°F at the center of the loaf). Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.

If you use 3 mini loaf pans instead of one standard loaf pan, baking time is 25 minutes.

Notes on using freshly milled flour:

The fresher the better – milled within 24 hours gives the freshest taste. If you aren't using the flour immediately, store in the freezer.

Fresh flour is not as settled as store bought flour so you need more if measuring by the cup – this recipe has been adjusted.

If you get a good rise with this recipe, it may be a little too much for a standard loaf pan. You can put a small amount in a mini loaf pan if you need to.

Recipe adapted by Leslie Beck from King Arthur Flour.