Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky Toffee pudding: a British tradition. I actually had my first real taste of sticky toffee in the Netherlands and then ate quite a few Sainsbury's ready made puddings for breakfast whilst in London two summers ago. I had always intended to make my own, but so many of the recipes seemed so involved and long, so I just went without pudding...until I stumbled upon this beauty and adapted accordingly: 

Easy Sticky Toffee Pudding for Two (adapted from a Daily Mail recipe)

Golden syrup
1/4 c butter
1/4 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c flour (I use white)
1 banana, mashed
1/4 c chopped, pitted dates
1 tbsp skim milk

Spray two ceramic ramekins well with non-stick spray.

Spoon a heaping teaspoon or two golden syrup into the bottom of each ramekin; set aside.

Cream sugar and butter together.

Add egg and vanilla; beat to combine.

Mix in mashed banana followed by chopped dates.

Fold in flour and stir in milk.

Split mixture between two prepared ramekins, filling both evenly until you've used all the batter. 

Wrap the tops of the ramekins tightly in foil and place if water bath.

Bake for 50 minutes at 355 degrees. (Or until they are sponge-y and golden brown.)

Remove carefully from water bath and take of foil. Invert on a plate and admire the golden syrup pool of deliciousness. Enjoy.

The end result, in all it's glory:

And with it's twin.

They may not be the most beautiful pudding ever presented, but they make up for it in taste, I promise!

Thrifty Thursdays Snackles: MUFFINS

I hate to waste food. I can invent meals with the best of them. It's like the Great Depression in our kitchen; I won't throw anything out and the Month stockpiles food like there's no tomorrow.

I have had Trader Joe's pumpkin pancake mix living in my pantry for an unpublishable amount of time. Since I didn't really want to eat three pounds of pancakes in the near future and it's essentially fall flavor season, I decided to do something with it. The power of google brings us to the solution:

Pancake Mix Muffins (adapted from a post found via Taste of Home)

3 cups pancake mix (I used Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pancake & Waffle Mix)

2 tsp brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 - 1 2/3 cups milk

 Chocolate chips, nuts, etc for topping / mixing in.

Mix till just moist. Add toppings as desired. Bake at 375 for 18 min. Makes 12 muffins.

 I customized each muffin with different toppings: chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, vanilla almond granola, and a combo of all of the above. These muffins puffed up gloriously and were taste tested approved.

*The phrase "Thrifty Thursdays" popped into my head an a delightful alternative of what used to be "Thirsty Thursdays"...why drink heavily when you can make muffins?

Snackles: Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is a comfort food I denied myself for years, since dairy often equaled 'fattening' in my head. Nowadays I feel good feeding my woman tasty treats and she's most happy if I'm sharing, so everything in moderation. This is easy and so wonderful and makes great lunch the day after (if any survives that long).

Baked Macaroni & Cheese (adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens recipe)

2 cups cooked pasta (penne or fusili work well)

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

Black Pepper

1 1/4 cup milk (I always use skim, lactose-free since that's what we keep in the house)

2 cups shredded milk (A mix is best: this batch has colby jack, sharp cheddar, swiss & guyrere)

1/2 to 1 cup of cracker or bread crumbs (I used ritz)

A sprinkling of Parmesan cheese

1. Cook and drain the pasta.

2. While the pasta is cooking, melt butter completely and add flour and pepper; stir until well mixed.

3. Add the milk all at once and stir until it begins to thicken and bubble.

4. Add cheese and stir until completely melted and smooth.

5. Toss well drained pasta in cheese sauce, coating all pasta evenly.

6. Distribute cheesey pasta into a square 8"x8" glass baking pan.

7. Sprinkle crushed crackers or bread crumbs on top; add a dusting of parmesan for extra cheese goodness.

8. Place baking pan into a 375 degree oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the top of the dish has browned lightly and is bubbling.

And enjoy!

Final Product!

Snackles: Marty's Breakfast Bars

I love carbs. I love bread. I love cake. I love cookies, scones, biscuits, croissants, pastries...if it's verboten on a low-carb diet, I like it. A lot. My family's French (Canadian) and Italian: it's just in my blood.

(Within the world of carbohydrates I also love pasta, but that is for another post.)

Any morning worth having must start with tea and toast. Or tea and cereal. Or tea and some type of baked good. Those are the best kind of days. I have a fabulous recipe for scones, many tried-and-true coffee cakes, and all the muffins you could wish for but sometimes, a girl's got to try and keep thy beloved carbs as healthy as possible.

Enter stage right: Marty's Breakfast Bars.

Originally from a magazine (Taste of Home, mayhap?) this recipe comes to me via my Mom's best friend's sister.  It is both decently healthy and tasty. Perhaps best of all, it's very customizable. Any kind of dried fruit, nut, and chocolate can be used. You can even swap the molasses for alternative sweeteners; I've used both agave and maple syrup and had great results. (Who doesn't love maple anyways?) Also, honey - but I don't like honey. I'm sure it would work though.

Past successful / future potential combinations include:

• cranberry, pecan, semi-sweet chocolate, molasses
• apricot, almond, white chocolate chip, maple syrup 
• mango, macadamia nuts, white chocolate, agave
•  cherry, walnut, dark chocolate chunks

 This evening's batch are mixed fruit (blueberry, cranberry, cherry), pecan walnut, white chocolate.

  Marty's Breakfast Bars 

Some ingredients gathered

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 molasses (or other sugar sub)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups oatmeal

1/2 chopped walnuts (almonds, pecans, etc)

1 cup raisins, dried cherries, cranberries, apricots, etc

  1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (etc)

the Ninja in action

Combine butter, sugar, eggs, and molasses in a large mixing bowl. Stir together flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon; add to first mixture and stir to mix well.

Stir in oatmeal, nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate. Spoon into a greased 13x9 baking pan and bake in a 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until done (it always takes longer!) Cut into bars to serve.

Action shot

 

These bars are great for breakfast, after lunch, or even dessert.  I wrap them in plastic wrap then foil and freeze them in individual squares to save them for later (and prevent myself from eating them for every meal).

Ta-daaa!

Enjoy with hot beverage of your choice