baked sweet potato taquitos

One of my favorite snack foods are those frozen taquitos. I bake them and dip them in queso, then stay up late and watch movies. I haven't gotten them in a while and they aren't something I've attempted to make before. When I saw a contest featuring sweet potatoes put on by North Carolina Sweet Potatoes, I thought that a savory sweet potato filling inside a baked toquito would be a unique and healthy alternative.

The filling is simple and cooks in about 25 minutes. All that's required are sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, seasonings, and cheese.

The festive Mexican flavor is from the oregano, cumin, and a packet of Goya seasoning. I like this seasoning because it gives foods a different taste. My favorite is the Sazon with Coriander and Annatto. You can locate Goya in the Mexican aisles of grocery stores. Aldi's had their own version so that's what I used here, but it's pretty much the same thing.

Once you add the sweet potatoes and toss them in the seasoned onions, I added a bit of water, covered the skillet, and the potatoes cooked away until very tender and soft. Since I sliced them into small, 1/2 inch pieces it took about 15-17 minutes to cook. It tastes great!

After the mixture cooled down, I processed the sweet potatoes to a smooth consistency. I then transferred it to a mixing bowl and stirred in cheddar cheese.

The number one problem you might encounter when working with corn tortillas is that they'll tear as you try to roll the taquitos up. The solution is one I learned from watching Rick Bayless on his show. He brushes both sides of the corn tortilla with oil (I used cooking spray) and puts them on a baking sheet to soften in a warm oven. This only takes about 5 minutes or so. You can stack them up all at once, though you might need to add on a few minutes. Since the corn tortillas are soft and pliable, they hold the roll without unraveling. Because the corn tortillas were lightly brushed or sprayed with oil they'll cook up to be crispy and a bit browned. Much easier than frying!

To roll these up tightly, press the first roll in on the filling. Continue to roll the tortilla in on itself with each turn. I hadn't been thinking or else I would have taken a video to show you how, but I will advice you to Google "Seinfeld crepe cuban cigar YouTube".

Once you get a tray of tasty taquitos, it's baking time.

Mmm. Crispy and crunchy with a savory sweet potato filling. These were enjoyed by everyone, even my mom (who didn't think she'd enjoy a meatless version).

I tested this recipe out again, but using ground turkey in the filling (which caused me to use about 45-50 corn tortillas). The taste was consistent and was just like before, though the turkey wasn't prominent. I've found that turkey blends with flavors well without giving the dish a meaty taste.

I'm entering this recipe in their kid friendly category. Kids like snack food, and growing up my mom always looked for unique ways to use vegetables in recipes. If your kid is super picky, just tell him there's cheese! Also tell them that they can use their hands (I'm not sure if I cared about this, but who doesn't like playing with their food).

Give them a try the next time you're cooking up Mexican food, or a healthy snack for movie night.

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baked sweet potato taquitos
Recipe by Christina Provo

Serves 4-5

ingredients -

4 1/2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 packet Goya Sazon with Coriander and Annatto seasoning
1 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
About 25 corn tortillas
Cooking spray

directions -

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until beginning to turn translucent. Stir in Goya, oregano, salt, and cumin, followed by the garlic. Add sweet potatoes and stir to coat in onion mixture. Cook for a minute. Add water and bring to a boil; lower heat to medium low, cover skillet, and let cook until sweet potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Uncover skillet; raise heat to medium and cook for 3-4 minutes, just until most of the liquid has evaporated (you want a bit of a thick liquid remaining). Remove from heat and let cool.


2. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with corn tortillas. Spray both sides lightly with cooking spray. Continue process, stacking corn tortillas on top of each other and place sheet in the oven. Warm for 5-7 minutes, or until tortillas are soft and pliable. Remove from oven and place tortillas in a covered dish to keep soft.


3. When mixture has cooled, transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Puree just until smooth. Remove to a mixing bowl and stir in cheddar cheese. Set aside.


4. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Working with one corn tortilla at a time, spread a bit less than two tablespoons sweet potato mixture along the bottom edge. Tightly roll up and place, seam side down, on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining potato mixture and tortillas. When all the tortillas have been rolled, bake the taquitos in the oven for 15 minutes, until crispy and browned. Let cool slightly, then serve with your favorite salsa.

baked onion rings

Please vote for my cupcakes!

I was perusing blogs and came across a recipe for baked onion rings. What drew me to try them was that they really did look like the real deal, minus the hassle of frying. The coating evenly coated the onion rings and the mixture remained intact. After baking, the crunchy coating was evenly crisp with a perfectly cooked onion in the center. I was sold, and knew that the effort would pay off with crunchy deliciousness.

To start, you prepare a thick buttermilk mixture with flour and seasonings. You'll want to make sure this is properly seasoned since all the flavorings are mixed into the buttermilk mixture instead of the coating (which you can also jazz up with an herb blend, if desired).

For the coating, the directions call for cornflakes and bread crumbs, though I didn't have any. Rice Krispies make a good substitution, as well as bran flakes or any light, relatively flavorless cereal. I replaced a bit of the rice cereal with oatmeal ground to a powder. I liked the flavor it added, though the coating was a little mealy. Not enough to detract from the taste, so I might do it again.

A few pointers to ease the coating process:

• Make sure all excess buttermilk mixture has dripped off the onion rings, otherwise it'll leave to many clumps in the crumb mixture.


• Work with half the crumb mixture at a time, adding more when you get low. This will prevent more of the mixture from clumping.


• Use your other hand to coat the rings with the crumbs, preferably using a fork. The less you dip your fingers in the mixture, the less messy it'll be.

I found that the rings, once coated in both mixtures, can be left to air dry for a couple of minutes, or even up to an hour. You might then be able to freeze the rings and cook later. If you opt to try this out, freeze in a single layer on wax paper lined baking sheet. Transfer to a gallon size ziploc bag to freeze for up to a week.

To bake, a few tablespoons of oil are heated on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven before the rings are placed on the sheet. This most likely assures maximum crispiness and mimics the frying technique. It produces a very crisp ring with a light and crunchy coating. The flavor was great, and these make a nice addition to hot dog, sandwiches, and burgers as well as soups, or simply for general snacking. Serve alongside your favorite dipping sauce and you're good to go.

Recipe after jump.

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baked onion rings
Recipe from Martha Stewart

Serves 4

ingredients -

1 1/2 cups cornflakes
1/2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Coarse salt (I used around 3/4 teaspoon) and ground pepper
1 medium sweet onion, such as Vidalia (or 2 regular white onions), sliced crosswise into 1/4-1/2 inch slices and broken into rings (discard small center rings)
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

directions -

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a food processor, pulse cornflakes and breadcrumbs until fine crumbs form, then transfer half to a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, flour, and cayenne and season with salt and pepper.


2. Dip onion rings in egg mixture (letting excess drip off) and dredge in cornflake mixture (adding more when needed); place on a large plate. Rings can stand for up to an hour. Pour oil onto a rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven and heat 2 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and tilt to coat evenly with oil. Arrange onion rings on sheet. Bake, turning once, until onion rings are golden brown, about 16 minutes.

superbowl football eats: savory lentil-rice pizzelles

I'm going to be posting a few recipes that will work for a Superbowl party. Since many parties include at least one dip, here's an idea for a cracker substitute. The only appliance needed is a pizzelle maker, though.

To start, I used a blend of three kinds of flours. First was lentil flour I received from the US Dry Pea & Lentil Council a while back. A light flavor packed full of protein makes for a delicious pizzelle with optimal nutritional benefits. If you're wary of the fact that it's lentil-based, don't be worried. The flavor is neutral.
The remaining two flours are regular all-purpose wheat flour and a bit of white rice flour.

I chose to add lemon zest to brighten the flavors of the herb blend I used from a Penzeys Spices gift set I received a while ago from a friend. This "Parisien Bonnes Herbes" blend is described as a sweet all-purpose herb mix. The ingredient list has chives, dill weed, basil, French tarragon, chervil, and white pepper. The "sweet" is probably due to the lighter flavor of the herbs. You could substitute herbes de provence. The remaining flavorings are garlic powder and ground black pepper.

Mise en place.

The batter mixes up quickly. All you have to do is whisk eggs with melted butter for about a minute, followed by milk. Stir in the blended dry ingredients and you're ready to bake pizzelles.

I have a mini pizzelle maker and it's really come in handy, not just for gingerbread house roof shingles but for mini cracker-size portions perfect for dipping. They only take around 45 seconds to cook.

The outcome was great. A subtle taste from the flours and a lively bright note from the lemon zest. The herbs were accented by the pepper and the entire pizzelle seemed to cleanse the palate. These would make a great accompaniment to chowder or tomato soup, too.

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savory lentil-rice pizzelles
Recipe by Christina Provo

Yield: about 40 mini pizzelles

ingredients -

4 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup lentil flour
1/4 cup white rice flour
2 teaspoons herb blend
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

directions -

1. Preheat pizzelle maker and adjust brown setting to level of preference. Place cooling racks nearby.


2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, herb blend, baking powder, lemon zest, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and butter vigorously for a minute. Pour in milk and whisk to blend. Stir in flour mixture with a spatula or wooden spoon.


3. Portion about 1 1/2 teaspoons batter into center of each pizzelle mold. You may need to use more or less depending on your maker. Let cook according to maker's instructions. When browned to desired preference, remove and place on cooling rack to cool completely.


4. Serve as an accompaniment to soups, salads, dips, spreads, or as a snack.

william shatner's cappuccino muffins

I've been wanting to make these muffins for a while now, partly because I love anything coffee-related, partly because I thought it was cool how these might possibly be from William Shatner. Come on, the man was captain of the Enterprise. After retiring, he became a lawyer in Boston. He gets around, and he still finds time to be in the kitchen!

Of course, I changed up the recipe because I wanted to make these in the manner of a cupcake. Ideally, I wanted to brown the butter, let it cool, and beat with the sugar. I could have simply mixed the browned butter with the milk, but I was aiming for a lighter texture.

What happened next, since I was too hasty and didn't let the butter cool, is that the butter and sugar didn't whip properly because the heat sort of dissolved the sugar. After I added the egg, the mixture looked similar to a congealed mayonnaise mixture. In the end, the batter came together without a problem and resembled a pretty nice cupcake consistency.

Besides the browned butter, I replaced the cinnamon (too warm a flavor for the current heat wave) with cardamom (probably the same thing, but it seems lighter) and used only 1/2 cup chocolate chips. For the crowns I sprinkled 1/2 teaspoon sugar on top of each cup to look pretty. Unfortunately, I didn't remember that I had ground coffee beans mixed with sugar, otherwise I would have gone with the gold.

Based on pictures of other bloggers' cappuccino muffins, I had high expectation that the crowns would beam up into epic proportions. And they did! One of the most beautifully baked up muffin recipes I've ever encountered, and I was pretty happy. I also didn't grease the sides of the muffin tins, which I think is a Cook's Illustrated technique as it allows the batter to "grab" the sides and rise higher, if I recall correctly.

The texture was soft and fluffy, with just enough sweetness to make it appropriate for brek-fast, elevenses, you name it, spread with a sweetened whipped coffee cream cheese-butter spread (which I just thought of at this moment). The espresso flavor wasn't particularly strong, and the cardamom wasn't detectable whatsoever, though I'm thinking the combination of the two flavors with the browned butter, accented by vanilla, is what made the muffins tasty. If you would like a stronger coffee flavor, adjust the amount of espresso powder to suit your tastes. Definitely a repeat worthy recipe, though next time I'll bake the original version for comparison.

Recipe after the jump

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william shatner's cappuccino muffins
His original recipe with my mods

12 muffins

ingredients ~

2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, browned and cooled to room temperature (you can refrigerate the butter to speed up the process, but make sure it doesn't completely solidify)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk, room temperature
1/2 cup chocolate chips
extra granulated sugar

directions ~

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray the bottoms of a 12-cup nonstick muffin tin.


2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, espresso powder, cardamom, and salt.


3. In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sugar for 3 minutes on medium-high speed. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until mixed. On low speed, blend in one third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the milk. Continue alternating the flour and milk, ending with the flour. When a few traces of flour remain, stir in the chocolate chips just until mixed.


4. Divide batter evenly amongst all 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle each top with 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in center of muffin comes out clean. Let muffins cool in tin for 5 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack.

Foodbuzz FB: Caramelized Onion-Bacon Dip in Mini Bread Bowl

I can't remember when I made this one, but it was near the end and my brain was absolutely fried. My mom already helped me out with one recipe (which I'll post later) and she also helped me add up the times for everything, which was almost worse than making up the recipes!

So we kind of were all sitting around and someone decided to "brain storm" by throwing out a bunch of stupid ideas. Along the way my dad said something about a dip in bread bowls, though the exact wording sounded dumber (yes, it did, and I wish I could remember it because I first gave him sort of a Spock stare minus the Dramatic Spock Eyebrow Raise before laughing), though for a split second it all made sense and I realized that having your own dip in an edible bowl would make the perfect party appetizer. If you whip up a pot of chili, after eating the dip with crackers you can fill the bread bowls up with chili and you've got a meal!

My concern for this was that I didn't have mini bread bowls, and I most definitely did not feel like waiting around to bake bread for 2 hours. After a quick Google search I found a recipe for hamburger buns from All Recipes. The dough comes together and kneads very quickly, and the only rise is after you form the balls of dough, so really quick and perfect for my time crunch.

With that out of the way, I proceeded to make the dip. Bacon, for sure. What else? Caramelized onion. It gives it a bit of sophistication while lending a really delicious flavor to the bacon. A combination of spices, Worcestershire sauce, and liquid smoke makes the flavor a unique and very hard to resist. For the creaminess, I used fat free cream cheese and plain yogurt. The yogurt sort of thins the mixture out while maintaining the tangy flavor. A sprinkle of sliced scallions at the end and your party, or movie night, or game night, is all set!

Recipe after jump.

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Caramelized Onion, Bacon, and Spinach Dip in Mini Bread Bowls
recipe by Christina Provo

A festive, flavorful onion dip served in individual bread bowls.

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients -

1/2 pound bacon
2 cups diced onion
1 1/4 cup chopped fresh baby spinach
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
8 ounces fat free cream cheese, cubed and at room temperature
1/4 cup plain yogurt, at room temperature
12 small dinner rolls, tops removed and reserved, the inside of the bottoms scooped out to create a 1/2-inch deep hole
1/4 cup sliced scallions
Crackers for serving

Directions -

1. In a large skillet, cook bacon on medium heat until browned and crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and crumble; set aside. Remove all but 3 tablespoons bacon grease from skillet. Add diced onion, salt, and black pepper and cook for 10 minutes or until reduced and caramelized (the onions will look brown because of the bacon bits, but they shouldn't look charred or browned around the edges; adjust heat accordingly).


2. To onions, stir in chili powder, celery salt, and paprika; stir to coat onions and until the seasonings coat the bottom of skillet. Toss in spinach and stir until completely wilted. Add Worcestershire sauce with the liquid smoke, stirring up the fond from the bottom of the skillet. Reduce heat to low and stir in cream cheese until completely smooth and blended with onion mixture. Stir in yogurt and crumbled bacon.


3. Either hot or at room temperature, spoon about 2 tablespoons onion dip into hollowed out dinner rolls. Garnish with scallions and a sprinkle of paprika and top with lids. Serve immediately with crackers; alternatively, you can refrigerate until serving time.

Foodbuzz Family Bites: Greek Eggplant Dip

I wanted to include some really good snack recipes with my submissions, and one of my favorites out of the bunch is this Greek Eggplant Dip, a take on moussaka (a lamb-eggplant casserole of sorts with a bechamel sauce) and tzatziki (a fresh yogurt-cucumber dressing). I wasn't going to use lamb, so I switched that out with turkey because I like it and it has a milder flavor than beef. My first take was roasting the eggplant separately, then tossing it with the finished turkey-tomato mixture. The result was tasty, but some tasters didn't quite like how the flavors stood out more (some allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg) and we all felt the texture of the eggplant didn't blend well. Moussaka is cooked for at least 45 minutes, and that's plenty of time for the eggplant to achieve sort of a creamy, melty texture. Here, the eggplant wasn't roasted long enough for it to fall apart. My next try was to add the eggplant to the simmering turkey mixture. This proved to be the winning method, as the flavors melded much better and the end result was completely delicious.

To make the "cheese" part, I decided to strain yogurt so it wouldn't be very runny, then mix it with peeled, seeded, and grated cucumber (which has quite a bit of liquid, hence the strained yogurt). I then added fresh garlic along with oregano and salt, then set that aside while I prepared the filling. You can serve this with whatever you'd like, though pita chips are definitely preferable.

The great part about this recipe is that although it's a bit time consuming, you can make it the day before you need it, even two days, and the flavor will only get better with time.

Thinking back on this, I have some eggplant I need to use up and I'm now hungry.
(recipe after jump)

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Mom on the Run is having a wonderful giveaway over at her blog for Le Creuset Pinch Bowls, a set of brightly colored bowls that hold just a little of an ingredient. I can't think of how many times when prepping ingredients I'm looking around for a bowl that's small enough for the amount needed, it gets aggravating sometimes! Check it out.

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Greek Eggplant Dip
recipe by Christina Provo

Moussaka, the classic Greek eggplant-lamb dish, has been turned into a savory dip for snacking. The lamb has been replaced by ground turkey, and instead of the cheese topping there are layers of tzatziki, a fresh cucumber-yogurt sauce.

Prep Time: 50 minutes
Serves 6-10

Yogurt layer ~

2 1/2 cups yogurt, strained for 2 hours or overnight
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 garlic clove, finely minced

Turkey layer ~

1/2 pound ground turkey
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound eggplant, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, pulverized with liquid briefly in food processor
Pita chips, soft pita wedges, baguette slices, crackers, or chips

Directions ~

1. For yogurt: Grate the cucumber (if the yogurt has not been strained for at least 2 hours, press the liquid out of the grated cucumber with paper towels) and mix with yogurt, oregano, garlic, and salt in a bowl. Place in fridge.


2. For eggplant and turkey: Meanwhile, on medium heat brown turkey in a large skillet until almost completely browned. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to turkey along with the onion and garlic; saute for 1 minute. Mix in the oregano, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, and salt. Once mixed, stir in the eggplant with remaining tablespoon olive oil and toss to coat. cook for 5-7 minutes, until eggplant begins to cook down. Pour in the tomatoes, stir, and cook for 15 minutes, covered. remove lid and cook for 5 minutes so any liquid evaporates. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes.


3. In a 9-inch glass pie dish, spoon half of the eggplant-turkey mixture onto bottom and spread to edge of dish. Dot half of the yogurt layer on top of the turkey and carefully spread to edges. Repeat with remaining eggplant-turkey mixture, and finally the yogurt, carefully spreading to the edges. (Dotting the mixture around the entire surface helps make spreading easier.) Chill in refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

Serve with pita chips, soft pita wedges, baguette slices, crackers, or chips.

peanut butter espresso cookies

I've been thinking of peanut butter cookies lately, but I didn't want to make any I had tried before. They were in between chewy and sandy, and I wanted a chewy peanut butter cookie through-and-through. My option clearly was to come up with my own, and from the first go they were pretty good.

To make them chewy I melted and browned the butter, used all brown sugar and a bit of honey, and used half bread flour. I added my own flavor spin by mixing espresso powder in the dough and rolling the balls in a mixture of freshly ground coffee beans and sugar, hence the "volt" part of the cookies. Next time, instead of adding peanuts and chocolate chips to the dough, I'll add chocolate covered espresso beans.

The verdict is that these were a hit. Coffee tastes surprisingly good with peanut butter, and the cookies retained their chewiness days later (and make an excellent cookie to bring on a run). My one problem is that the peanut flavor wasn't as intense as I'd have liked, but it was good nonetheless and I'm going to come back to the basic formula in the future.

If you try these out, tell me what you think! (Recipe after the jump)

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peanut butter espresso cookies
Recipe by Christina Provo

Makes about 3 dozen

ingredients ~

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, browned and cooled
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup roasted, salted peanuts
2 tablespoons whole coffee beans, ground (not too fine, but not coarse)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

directions ~

1. Whisk together flours, baking soda, powder, salt, and espresso powder in a medium bowl.


2. In a large bowl, mix together browned butter and peanut butter with a mixer on medium speed. Add brown sugar and honey and beat for 3-4 minutes on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing just until blended. Mix in vanilla.


3. In thirds, stir in flour mixture. When a few streaks of flour remain, mix in chocolate chips and peanuts. Place dough in a container, covered, and refrigerate at least overnight.


4. Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a shallow bowl, mix together ground coffee beans and sugar. Portion 2 level tablespoons of dough out per cookie, rolling to shape the balls. Roll in coffee-sugar mixture. Using the tines of a fork, score crosshatch pattern on top, flattening cookies to about 1/2-inch thick.


5. Bake for 11-12 minutes, or until set (the tops won't look raw) but not thoroughly baked. Remove sheet from oven and let cookies cool for 10 minutes, on sheet, before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

the end to the super bowl

This post will include the remaining foods I made for the Super Bowl because I'm getting tired of posting about them.

I've been wanting to make pretzel bites for quite a while now, and what better time to finally make them than for a party where finger foods are appropriate. These ended up tasting like a super awesome pizza roll, but with a chewier bready matter with much more flavor that the boiling technique gives bread.

Anything involving the extra step of boiling might seem time consuming, but unless you're really lazy it wasn't that bad. The recipe I used says these can be frozen, once baked and cooled, up to two weeks, then reheated when needed, so they really are an excellent choice to make for an event.

My concern was that the filling would come out of the bites when boiling, and a bit of it did, though not enough to leave a void. I do want to try an alfredo-like filling next time, though in that instance I will make sure the bites are more like closed pockets.

Very delicious, the best appetizer I've ever made. I served them with a honey mustard dressing, though they tasted best without any dipping sauce thanks to the pepperoni-bell pepper-cheddar cheese filling.

Next up was a buffalo chicken dip. I've never made this before and figured it would take the spot of wings, as this would be less messy but can still be eaten with your fingers if you really want to do that. This was really delicious, and the blue cheese rounded out the heat from the hot sauce most excellently.

My disappointment with the recipe is that no one punched their way to the last portion like the blog post said. I really was looking forward to witnessing this, and I'm sure I was more upset about that than the loss of the Colts.

Finally, we have puppy chow, which really is called Crack, but the Chex marketing/PR department decided it wouldn't go over well with families. But the correlation to pet food is more than fine! Actually, the Chex website calls this "muddie buddies", so what, Teletubbies covered in dirt? Whatever. How about "peanut butter and chocolate-coated chex pieces covered with white sugar". Sometimes it's best to call it what it is.

My brother really wanted this since it wasn't made for New Year's, like it usually is. I decided to make cake balls instead, but those actually didn't come out correctly and I couldn't even get myself to eat any. For my loss.

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Recipes used ~

Country Ham and Cheddar Pretzel Bites

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Muddie Buddies -- I made 1 1/2 times the peanut butter-chocolate stuff, though I didn't increase the butter

on-the-go oatmeal cups

I actually followed through! I said I was going to come up with more of a breakfasty oatmeal cookie thing based on the oatmeal macaroons I made a few posts ago, and here they are! Filled with pineapple juice-soaked prunes and slivered almonds, these are a perfect way to bring a bowl of oats with you no matter where you are.

A few changes were made to make these more suitable for breakfast, one being to keep half of the oats whole, two was decreasing the amount of sugar, and three was adding an extra egg white. While having whole oats made these look more like a traditional oatmeal bar, I preferred the consistency when all the oats were ground. Also, I think these benefited from having a bit more sugar, so next time I'd add a few more tablespoons, or maybe 1/2 cup. Another change was to increase the cooking temperature to 325° and bake the cups for about 20-25 minutes. Unfortunately, the oatmeal seemed to soften overnight after being stored in a ziploc bag for whatever reason, so maybe they needed to be cooked longer and at the lower heat (I should try adding a slice of bread to the bag). I didn't toast the oats and didn't let the mixture chill overnight. So a few changes could have contributed to the chewiness.

If you're looking for a protein-enhanced breakfast, this is it. Serve crumbled in a bowl and topped with milk or yogurt, or simply eaten as is, it's a delicious way to start the day, or a great snack that'll leave you satiated between meals.

Recipe after jump.

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oatmeal cups
Recipe by Christina Provo

Make 12

ingredients ~

3/4 cup California Dried Plums, sliced in quarters
1/4 cup pineapple juice
3 1/2 cups whole oatmeal
1/2 cup slivered almonds
4 large egg whites
1/3 cup granulated sugar

directions ~

1. Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat pineapple juice until hot in microwave. Pour over dried plums in a small bowl and set aside.


2. Place half the oats and half the slivered almonds in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the oats are broken up but not a fine powder. Pour into a medium sized bowl with remaining oats and almonds and stir.


3. In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites and sugar until frothy, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in prunes with any remaining liquid, then stir in oatmeal until well mixed. Refrigerate mixture for 10 minutes.


4. Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, portion out oat mixture, packing slightly, and invert onto parchment-lined baking sheet, tapping the cup against the sheet gently to remove the oats. Repeat with mixture. If any oat mixture remains, press it lightly on top of cups.


5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. A longer baking time will yield crunchier oatmeal cups. Remove from oven and let rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Package individually and you're good to go!

big beautiful banana muffins

My love affair with America's Test Kitchen continues with a recipe for muffins. The basic recipe is plain with options for various flavors, and I chose the banana. A couple changes I made were to replace half of the flour with white whole wheat, not subbing brown sugar for the white, and not adding walnuts, though I used slightly more than the amount of finely diced banana called for to make up for it. That's right, the bananas weren't mashed, and I kind of like that.

Using yogurt as the liquid, along with eggs and melted butter, the recipe whips up quickly and even can be made a) ahead of time, and b) ahead of time and frozen in pre-portioned "cups" for future baking, which I'll be trying out later for the sake of testing.

The texture is moist, spongy, and soft. It didn't have a mouth-melting quality of a muffin made where the butter is beaten with sugar, it was light and good for what a muffin should be.

To make the crowns large and domed, the same Once Upon a Tart principle of filling the tins to just below the top is implemented with the ATK muffins. I still wasn't quite pleased with the overall height, though I figured I slightly overmixed the batter since didn't have the correct egg size and used 2 tablespoons less butter because I didn't want to cut into another stick, so I quickly beat a third medium size egg with a few tablespoons of milk and stirred that in. I wouldn't say it was really overmixed, but it probably was just by a bit. I also got 17 muffins instead of the 12 they said, most likely due again to the extra additions. I didn't see when they said to fold the extra ingredients into the batter, but I'm assuming it's before all the wet and dry ingredients have been folded together properly (a few light streaks of flour should remain).

One mistake I realized I made was that the recipe says to mix the wet ingredients with dry just until combined, then fold in melted butter. Obviously, I did not do this, and they make no explanation for why this method differs. This only means I'll have to make even more to see what happens.

I had a little ATL experiment of my own, one I've noticed in the past, too. Whenever there isn't enough batter to fill all of the cups in the muffin tin, I fill the empty cups halfway with water. I notice the muffins in the tin with water tend to have a higher crown than those in tins filled with all batter, even though the steam should hit all of them. Interesting.

Also, I notice that if the muffins come out at a certain height, after cooling they fall down a bit, even if cooked completely. Is this a steam being released thing going on?

Edit: These were delicious. Not too sweet, yet a perfectly accented banana flavor. I already noted the texture above. Here are some previously blogged banana bread recipes: black-and-white banana loaf, GT's banana bread, Mom's favorite banana bread.

Anyway, I have a few more recipes I've made that I need to blog about. If I don't, I certainly will talk about it. I may get them all out of the way in one sweet post. In the meantime, enjoy the recipe for muffins after the jump.

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big beautiful banana muffins
Recipe from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

Makes 12

ingredients ~
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk or low-fat yogurt
2 large eggs
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups finely diced bananas

directions ~

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 370 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.


2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt and eggs together until smooth. Gently fold the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined, then fold in the melted butter. This is where, maybe along with the butter, I'm guessing you also fold in the bananas.


3. Using a greased 1/3-cup measure, portion the batter into each muffin cup. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking time.


4. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack, and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

coconut chocolate biscotti, or Mounds Bar biscotti

Hope everyone's enjoying the final week before Christmas! I haven't been able to bake all that I wanted, so don't be surprised to see Christmas cookies on here after Christmas.

I had an idea yesterday to bake coconut biscotti that reminded me of the classic Mounds Bar, a chewy coconut center encased in an envelope of chocolate coating. However, instead of a chocolate coating I added chocolate chips, for two reasons: The chocolate chips wouldn't overpower the coconut, and it wouldn't be as sweet. I enjoy eating biscotti for breakfast with coffee, and a sweeter biscotto would be too much.

I followed the same recipe outline I used for the gingerbread biscotti, which was adapted from the Once Upon A Tart method for biscotti. The egg yolks are whipped with sugar until pale and thick, then the egg whites are whipped into a meringue (I like that I get to work on my meringue skills whenever I make biscotti) with more sugar before being folded into the egg yolk mixture. Melted butter is then blended in, followed by the flour and any add-ins. I like this method because the biscotti come out a bit dense, yet not heavy, and the dough is incredibly easy to work with. These Tart guys really know what they're doing.

Instead of leaving the coconut raw, I toasted the coconut to release the oils and enhance the flavors. Coconut toasts much quicker than nuts, so don't walk away from the oven once you begin toasting.

I added flavors I felt would compliment the coconut without being detected on their own, and those were grated lemon zest and cardamom. Coconut extract also went into the mix to further heighten the coconut flavor. I chopped up regular chocolate chips so the texture was more like shavings. If you have mini chips, use those.

I like miniature biscotti the best. Unfortunately, the dough spread more than I thought and I ended up with regular biscotti, so next time I'd divide the dough into fourths.

These ended up baking a bit too long the second time, but overall I was pleased with them. The sanding sugar on top lends a sparkly, crunchy coating that looks pretty, and there's just enough chocolate without it overwhelming the coconut. The coconut flavor came out pretty much how I hoped! These aren't too sweet at all, either, even with using sweetened coconut.

As always, I like to eat biscotti with tea or coffee because it, I feel, somehow brings the flavors out a bit more, and because all good cookies deserve to be treated like they're special.

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Print this recipe

Mounds Bar Biscotti aka Coconut Chocolate Biscotti (to prevent a lawsuit)
Recipe by Christina

ingredients ~

1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and set aside
3 large eggs, separated
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon coconut or vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, or standard chip chopped up a bit
White sanding sugar

directions ~

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheet (you may need sheets, plural) with parchment paper). Place 1 1/2 cups coconut on another baking sheet and toast for 8 minutes, or until thoroughly dry and crispy and there's lovely golden-brown color on much of the coconut. Remove from oven and let cool slightly; place coconut on cutting board and carefully run a knife over it a few times to break up the strands.


2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together toasted coconut, flour, baking powder, salt, lemon rind, and cardamom; set aside. Beat the egg yolks with 3/4 cup granulated sugar on medium until yolks become pale yellow and thick, about 2-3 minutes.


3. In another bowl and with clean beaters, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. With the mixer still on high, beat in the remaining sugar until incorporated. Fold 1/3 of the meringue into the yolk mixture. When lightened, fold in remaining meringue. Gently fold in butter and coconut extract.


4. Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet, until dough forms a ball. With the last of the flour, stir in the chocolate chips.


5. Get a small bowl with some water. With lightly moistened fingers, divide dough into thirds and shape into 2 1/2x11-inch logs on the baking sheet (moisten your fingers with water as needed). Sprinkle each log with about 1 1/2 teaspoons sanding sugar. Freeze the dough logs for 15 minutes before baking so they don't spread out so much. Bake until the tops of the logs are golden brown and firm when pressed with your fingertips, about 25-30 minutes.


6. After baking, remove parchment sheet with logs still on it to a wire rack to cool for 15-20 minutes. Slice diagonally into 1/2-inch slices and place, sliced side down, back on baking sheet, no parchment necessary. Tops and bottoms can be touching since they're already cooked. Bake for 15 minutes; flip biscotti over and continue baking for 10 minutes. You're looking for a thoroughly golden color, nothing too dark since it'll detract from the flavor. Place biscotti on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Hostess Giant Orange Cupcake Birthday Cake

My mom's request for her birthday this year (earlier in November; yes, I'm behind; Happy Thanksgiving!) was for a giant Hostess Orange Cupcake cake.

I settled on a yellow cake recipe from Nick Malgieri, a vanilla pastry cream buttercream, and orange marshmallow fondant to cover the cake. This butter is for the frosting; the butter gets whipped, the pastry cream is slowly added. I liked the frosting, but at room temperature it wasn't as sturdy as a Swiss meringue buttercream, or even a regular buttercream. It did have more of the texture and taste of the vanilla filling the regular snack cakes have, though there's room for improvement.

If you don't like fondant, I urge you to try marshmallow fondant. In fact, I will pester you until you do. Not only is it incredibly simple, but so tasty that you'll want to pinch pieces off and eat it. The bad part is that I broke my hand held mixer because I continued to use it instead of using a giant wooden spoon once I realized it might be too thick. But now you know that it's possible to mix it by hand! At a certain point I began kneading the fondant and it was all really easy. I added the flavoring (orange oil) and food color (orange, obviously) after the marshmallows were melted.

Easy to roll out with a bit of confectioners' sugar to keep the fondant from sticking to the surface. I quickly realized that I should have halved the recipe; even now, a few weeks layer, half of the fondant remains.

And here we are, a giant Hostess Orange Cupcake, complete with the squiggly line across the top.

The cake was a hit, and Mom was very pleased! We decided the coating should probably be an orange white chocolate ganache next time, but none of us picked the marshmallow fondant off the cake.

Happy Birthday!