Matzah "Crack"

I've made several new things lately that I've been wanting to share, but I haven't posted much lately due to lack of decent photos.  Lately my camera has been M.I.A. a lot--it's always where I'm not, or it needs batteries, or I don't have time to download and edit, etc.  I took these with my phone (and it's of the "un-smart" variety), so I apologize up front for the poor quality of the pictures, but this recipe is so good, I just had to share. 

I heard last year about making toffee using a matzah base, but I tried one recipe and I wasn't really impressed.  Then this year I decided to try again for our Passover Seder that my church was hosting. (Yes, we are an equal-opportunity celebraters, we celebrate most of the Christian holidays, and also many of the Jewish feasts and festivals.)

This time it was a real winner!

Ingredients:

• 4 sheets of Matzah (matzos)
• 1 c (2 sticks) butter or margarine
• 1 c packed brown sugar
• 1 to 1 1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
• chopped nuts (optional)

Step 1--- line a baking sheet (one with a raised edge, not a flat cookie sheet) with foil, and put a layer of matzah edge to edge in the lined pan.

Step 2-- pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Meanwhile in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat (I use set my burner between 7 & 8 on a 9-pt knob) melt the butter or margarine, then stir in the brown sugar.  Continue to cook, stirring regularly, until the mixture comes to a boil, then cook for about 3 minutes more.  At first is seems as though the butter and sugar are not not really combining, but as it cooks it becomes somewhat foamy, and when it starts to pull away from  the side of the saucepan as you stir, remove from heat and pour immediately over the matzah, spreading over all of the surface.

Warning: This is HOT.  Be very careful.  And do not under any circumstances try to lick the spoon, however tempting it may be.  It will burn the taste buds right off your tongue.  Set the spoon aside and test ti periodically with your finger.  When you can touch it without is sticking to your finger and raising a blister, then and only then can you scrape the spoon and eat the caramel sauce you just made. 

Bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes, until it's brown and looks sort of "set" with little cracks all over it.

Step 3-- allow to sit for just a minute or two, then sprinkle all over with chocolate chips.  After two or three minutes the chocolate chips will start to get shiny, which means they've melted and softened enough to start spreading.  Sprinkle with chopped nuts of your choice--I used finely chopped pecans, but I've seem other versions on line that used chopped pistachios, walnuts, even a sprinkle of sea-salt. 

And now for the hard part--you have to let this cool completely or it won't "set" enough to cut or break into pieces.  I stuck the first batch in the fridge to cool, the second I tried to leave out on the counter, but I finally had to put it in the fridge to firm up as well.

I made two pans, one with nuts, one without.  I even tried a version with nuts and toffee/caramel sauce but no chocolate, but it was a different recipe, and I didn't like the flavor. I want to try that again later this week with this recipe for the sugar/butter mixture. 

All I can say about this recipe is--now I know why they call this "crack"--it's crispy and crackly on the bottom, you can crack or cut it apart--and it's perfectly addicting!

Until next time--good cooking, and good eating!

This post linked to:

Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family

Lean Cuisine Chef's Pick--Product Review

Many years ago--more years ago than I'd care to tell you, but it was in the days that microwaves were mainly for industrial use and no one that I knew had one in their personal kitchen, I started my very first "real" job.  I was excited to find that the kitchen/break room at my brand-new "big-girl" job was equipped with a microwave.  It was a whole new way of cooking, but I took to it like a duck to water.  (Must be where I first got my "quick and easy in the kitchen" middle name!)

One of my favorite "quick and easy" lunches to bring to work to microwave were Lean Cuisine dinners.  They were just the right size for lunch, easy to make with that "magic" microwave, and low-cal, to boot. That was back in my single days, when I was supremely conscious of weight, always, and health--well, that was just lagniappe. 

So when I had an opportunity recently to try a couple of the new Lean Cuisine Culinary Collection Chef's Pick varieties of frozen dinners, it took me immediately back to those early working years when I ate Lean Cuisine at least 2-3 days a week, if not more. 

The first one that I tried was Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce.  It contains only 230 calories, 5 grams of fat, and has 2 grams of fiber. 

It had cheese tortellini, grilled chicken, Italian green beens, red bell peppers, and yellow carrots.  I thought the carrots were yellow bell pepper at first, but they were so sweet I had to look at the box to see what they were.  I thought this tasted really good. The green beans could have been a little more cooked, but that could have been my ancient microwave (almost as old as those memories I was telling you about).  The sauce was delicious, I could have literally licked scraped the plate.  Or sopped it with a piece of Italian bread. 

The next one I tried was Glazed Chicken--240 Calories, 5 grams of fat, and 2 grams of fiber--roasted white meat chicken in lemon tarragon sauce with rice, french-style green beans, and cashews. Now this one really brought memories, as the earlier version of glazed chicken was one my very favorites, back in the day. 

The new version is equally as good as my memories, if not more so.  I was especially impressed that it came in a little black microwavable container, all I had to do was peel the plastic cover at one point and stir. (Gone are the days of boil-in-bag plastic bags--I used to bring my own plate to cook and eat mine from at work, along with a real fork. Really.)

When I first took a bite of the rice mixture, I thought it needed just a little touch of salt, but when I mixed the extra glaze into the rice mixture, it was fine.  I liked that this one had more meat in it--actual bigger-than-bite-sized pieces.  I don't remember the cashews in the back-in-the-day version, they added a nice touch of texture as well as another layer of flavor. 

All in all, I was nicely impressed with flavors, the colors, the textures of these meals.  And although I had coupons that covered the cost of these, they were inexpensive enough, even in these days of rising food prices, that I would definitely buy these and eat them again.  I think they'd be perfect to grab-and-go for the work place, and even for those of us who are home alone during the day and don't want to cook for ourselves.

I have partnered with Lean Cuisine through DailyBuzz Food to help promote their new line of Chef's Pick
products. I have been compensated for my time commitment to work with this product. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments. Thank you Lean Cuisine!

Until next time, good (microwave) cooking, and good eating!

Sugar-Free Sunday--Sugar-Free Sweet Potato Casserole





 I've been really working on getting my family (and myself) to eat more vegetables lately. I've been trying some new things, like oven-roasted brussels sprouts, and revamping some old favorites.

 We had baked sweet potatoes not long ago, and I got the bright idea to do a healthier version of a holiday favorite, sweet potato casserole with pecan praline topping. The regular version is loaded with sugar, from the canned sweet potatoes/yams at the start, to additional sugar added, to the sugar in the topping. In my original post of this recipe, I called it "Sweet Potatoes You Can Eat for Dessert"--it's just that sweet and gooey, and I have family members who actually do it eat it for dessert.

  

 Sugar-Free Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

• 3 large sweet potatoes
• cooking oil of your choice
• 1/2 c Splenda, or equivalent non-sugar sweetener
• 1/2-3/4 stick of butter
• 1/2-1 t cinnamon
• chopped pecans

Rub the outside of the sweet potatoes with oil, place on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 for around an hour, or until they're fork tender. Allow to cool enough to handle, and pull the skins off. You may want to slice through the ends, but the rest of the skin should just slide right off. Mash the baked sweet potatoes, and add Splenda, butter, and cinnamon. If your potatoes are cold, melt the butter--mine were still warm, so I just chunked up the butter and threw it in the bowl, and it melted as I mashed and mixed. Put into a 8x8 pan, slightly greased on the sides or sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with slightly chopped pecans. Bake at 350 for around 20 minutes, or until the pecans are beginning to brown. 

I thought I had over cooked these, the nuts were getting very browned. Without the familiar brown sugar and butter mix, I wasn't really sure what to look for, but they tasted fine. (I actually forgot the cinnamon in these, so we just added a dash of cinnamon to our serving on our plate, then just stirred it in slightly. Still tasty).

My family decided they liked the sugar-free version better than the regular one for everyday eating. My son said it tasted like it should be eaten with the meal, and not afterwards.

I liked the healthier version in several ways. I usually use canned sweet potatoes/yams during the holidays. Because they're already cooked with a sugar syrup, although I drain it off, it can be hard to regulate the sweetness. And while I never thought that you'd hear me say it, you can have too much sugar in a recipe. It also seems to me that the last several times I've made my regular version, the sweet potatoes have been mushier, and there's definitely a higher proportion of sugary juice to potatoes in the cans--as a result, sometimes I have trouble getting the middle to set without over browning the top--I usually have to cover it with foil at some point to keep the topping from burning.

Conclusion: As long as my son and I are working on reducing sugar in our diets, I'll be making this version for our everyday meals--and when it's holiday time, although I'll probably go back to my regular version on special occasions, I'll bake my own sweet potatoes and go from there instead of using the canned.

Do you have a sugar free recipe to share? Be sure to link up with the linky tools below!

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I've never been a big vegetable eater, especially the healthier ones that everyone says we need to eat a lot of, like dark leafy greens. I tend to cycle between peas, corn, and mixed vegetables, with maybe a carrot or potato thrown in every now and then to break things up a bit.  But I've been trying really hard lately to add some variety to our diet, both to be healthier, and also for the sake of our poor taste buds.

I made something absolutely, completely new for me last night that was so very quick and easy, and so surprisingly delicious (approved by the whole family) that I had to share with everyone immediately. 

Brussels sprouts. 

The last time I ate brussels sprouts was when I was a kid, and I did not like them.  Not at all.  They came out of a box and were cooked in boiling water, tasted kind of like cabbage, which I didn't like, either.

These brussels sprouts should be in a whole different category by themselves, though.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fresh brussels sprouts
• 2 T olive oil
• Kosher salt
• garlic powder

Heat your oven to 375-400.  Cut off the stem ends of the brussels sprouts, and remove any yellowed or discolored outer leaves.  Cut small sprouts in half lengthwise, larger ones in thirds or quarters, to make the pieces fairly uniform.  Put in a bowl, add olive oil and sprinkle liberally with Kosher salt (it's coarser and adds something to the texture) and garlic powder, and toss until well coated. Put on a baking sheet (with sides in case the oil runs) cut sides down and bake in in a hot oven for 30-45 minutes, or until the tops start to get from golden brown to the color of chocolate.  I had my oven at 400, then turned it down to about 350-375 after 25 minutes or so.  Your time will vary according to the size of the sprouts and temperature of your oven. 

Watch closely toward the end so they don't burn, but you want the yummy carmelization of the dark chocolate brown parts.

There were some loose leaves that were browned to crisp that I ate right off the baking tray as soon and they came out of the oven, along with a couple of the larger pieces.  We had dinner fairly quickly after these were done, and they were still delicious, but I have to say, next time I'll try to time these so that we're ready to eat immediately.

The whole family gave these the thumbs up, so I'll definitely be adding these to our vegetable repertoire.

What new things have you been cooking up lately?

This post is linked to:

Foodie Friday at Rattelbridge Farm
Food on Friday at Ann Kroeker
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free


Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Sugar-Free Sunday--Another Old Favorite, Butterscotch Yum-Yum

Sugar-Free Butterscotch Yum-Yum

I know this post is late this week--I started it on Sunday, but didn't have a chance to finish, and "Sugar-Free Wednesday" just doesn't have the same ring to it, so I'm leaving the title the same!

The recipe I want to share with ya'll today has to be one of my very favorite sugar-free desserts.  It's based on the familiar Chocolate Layered Dessert, aka Mississippi Mud Pie, aka Chocolate Yum-Yum, that we all know and love.  But for the sugar free version, I chose Butterscotch, and can I just say, it's the best Yum-Yum Layered Dessert, ever.  I made this recently right before the holidays, when my son & I were trying to "good" as much as possible, knowing that we were about to indulge in a non-stop barrage of food and especially goodies.  I brought it to the table to be served, and I have to confess, my husband (who is not a sugar-free-er), my son, and myself, finished the entire dessert.  All of it.  We just kept sitting around the table, talking and eating, and eating and talking.  It's really just that good. 

Ingredients:

Layer 1: The first layer is a basic "press in" crust:

• 1/4 c (1/2 stick) butter, softened
• 1/2 c flour
• 1/3 c chopped nuts
• 1 T sugar or Splenda (optional)

Toss together the flour and sugar or Splenda; cut in the butter, then add the chopped nuts. (I used walnuts because they're about half the price of pecans in the grocery store.) Press the mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 8 pan. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until set and just slightly brown around the edges. Set aside to cool.
Layer 2: While the crust is cooling, mix together in a medium bowl

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 c sugar or Splenda
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 c whipped topping (I used sugar free)

Mix everything together until well blended. Spread on cooled crust.
Layer 3: This is where you can get creative with the flavor

• 1 small pkg instant pudding (I used sugar free butterscotch)
• 1 1/2 c milk

Whisk together until blended and the mixture starts to thicken. Pour over the cream cheese layer and smooth the edges.
Layer 4: Add a layer of whipped topping (again, I used the sugar-free)

Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve. I usually cut this into squares, but I didn't let this one set up long enough, so I just sort of scooped it out onto the plate (see the top picture) then I had to eat along the edge to straighten it out. Sometimes we all have to make sacrifices for the sake our art. Cough.

If you have a sugar-free recipe, please feel free to post your link.

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Sugar-Free Sunday--Sugar Free, Flour Free Peanut Butter Cookies

I don't know about you, but my body has been begging me to get back on the straight-and-narrow of healthier eating.  So much so, that my son and I actually started off the new year with a fast, just to get ourselves back to a better place just a bit more quickly!

Now we're transitioning to low- or at least lower-carb eating for a while, which included drastically reducing our sugar intake.  One thing I discovered when we did this a couple of years ago, no sugar doesn't have to mean no goodies, at least not all the time, so I'm bringing back my Sugar Free Sunday feature.  I'll be highlighting some no sugar, low-sugar, and sugar-free recipes and products, as well as searching out some recipes on the internet to link to. 

For now, I want to reprise the sugar free version of my favorite Believe-it-or-Not Peanut Butter Cookies. These are not just sugar free, they're flour free, and were a big hit with everyone who tried them.

Do you have a sugar free, or reduced sugar recipe to share?  Please feel free to link up!

---

1. Sugar Free Hot Cocoa Mix

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This post is linked to:
Meatless Mondays at My Sweet and Savory

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!

Quick and Easy Pull Apart Monkey Bread

Pull Apart Cinnamon Sugar Monkey Bread

I woke up this morning knowing that as of tomorrow, the whole family is back on the straight-and-narrow of healthier eating.  We have one day left of (over)-indulging in too much sugar, fat, too much anything that doesn't eat us first.  So of course we needed an ooey, gooey breakfast to set the tone for the rest of the day. 

A couple of years ago, I did a regular and sugar-free version of a personal sized (or maybe for two) cinnamon sugar pull apart bread, better known as monkey bread.  Today I wanted a full-sized version, so I looked at a couple of recipes on the internet and warped them together into this:

Ingredients:

• 4 tubes of refrigerated biscuit dough (these are the small, inexpensive tubes, 10 biscuits each)
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1-2 t cinnamon
• 3/4 c butter, melted
• brown sugar
• pecan pieces

Mix together sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Grease or cooking spray a bundt or tube pan.  Sprinkle a few chopped pecans in the bottom of the pan (when inverted, this will be the top of the bread.  Roll each biscuit in the cinnamon sugar mixture, and place in the pan.  Every couple of rows, or layers, I sprinkled a handful of brown sugar and a few nuts, then drizzled some melted butter over it.  When I had placed all of the biscuits, I poured the remaining cinnamon sugar and then the rest of melted butter all over the top layer, then baked for about 30 minutes.  I started off with the oven around 375, but the top started to get too brown, so I reduced the oven temp to around 300-325.  Let cool for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate. Mine stuck in one place, but we just dug it out and stuck it on top for the picture!  This was good, but I would do one thing different next time--some of the middle biscuits were dry-ish, so next time I'll roll every biscuit in melted butter, then cinnamon sugar.  That's what I did when I made the mini monkey breads, but I was afraid on a big one that it might be too much or too soggy.  But face it--this isn't something you're going to have every day, so when you do make it--make it good!

This recipe is linked to:

Recipe Box at Bizzy Bakes
Meatless Monday at My Sweet and Savory
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Until next time, good cooking, and good eating!