Hot Cross Buns

Every time I hear "Hot Cross Buns" blaring out of my car CD player I wonder what they are. So I looked them up and found that you should make these on Good Friday, which is the Friday before Easter. They were named in 1733 and have a lot of history behind them. My favorite superstition is that if I hang one in the kitchen, it is said to " . . . protect against fires and ensure that all breads turn out perfectly. The hanging bun is replaced each year." (Wikipedia) I wonder how it makes the kitchen smell as the months go by. I recommend eating them instead of hanging them as they are really good.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup lukewarm milk

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 egg

1 egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 cups bread flour

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

3/4 cup raisins or other dried fruit

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons water

cream cheese frosting

Directions:

Put all ingredients except egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water in bread maker pan in order listed. Set to dough setting. Or use a mixer to mix and rise until double. When done mixing and rising, punch down dough on floured surface, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape into 12 balls and place in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place till double, about 35 - 40 minutes. Mix egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water. Carefully brush on rolls. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. When cooled completely put frosting in a zip lock bag, cut corner and make an X on each bun.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

I have been searching for a great peanut butter bar recipe. In college I remember having a few black sharpie fights in order to either confiscate or claim my friend Erica's peanut butter bars. They were usually being held hostage by Dave. I still haven't found a recipe that requires sharpie fighting, but this one is close.

Adapted from Once Upon a Plate

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup peanut butter, smooth or chunky

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups rolled oats (regular or old fashioned)

Topping:

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream or evaporated milk

5 tablespoons butter

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Position oven rack to center position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10 x 15 inch baking pan, set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Cream together butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and vanilla to butter mixture; beat until combined. Add flour in 2 additions, mix well but do not over-beat. Stir in oats by hand until evenly distributed.

Spread mixture evenly into prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and slightly firm. Remove from oven and quickly place spoonfuls of the 3/4 cup peanut butter on the surface. As the peanut butter melts, spread evenly with a knife. Allow to cool completely. When cool, make the chocolate topping.

Bring sugar, cream and butter to a full rolling boil. Boil for 45 seconds. Remove pan from heat and add the chocolate chips. Whisk gently or stir until chocolate mixture is smooth. As soon as mixture is smooth, pour evenly over the cooled cookie and peanut butter base. Allow chocolate to set up and harden. When set, cut into squares and serve.

Chewy Chocolate Brownies

I'm always a little skeptical of recipes labeled "light" or "healthy," especially when it comes to treats like brownies or cake or cookies. I mean, really? Can they actually be as good as the full-fat version? Well in this case, they are! These brownies turned out delicious, and you'd never know they are lightened up a bit. Chewy Chocolate Brownies
from Taste of Home Healthy Cooking 2009

3 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 c. packed brown sugar
3 Tbs. unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1 egg white
2 Tbs. canola oil
4 1/2 tsp. light corn syrup
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. baking cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt

In a microwave, melt chocolate; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, beat the brown sugar, applesauce, egg, egg white, oil, corn syrup and vanilla. Beat in chocolate until blended. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; beat into brown sugar mixture just until blended.

Pour into a 9x13 baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 18 brownies.

*I will admit that I fattened up my batch of brownies a bit with about 1/2 cup of Andes mint baking chips that were left over from Christmas. Yum.

(For those of you interested, each brownie has 125 calories and 4 g of fat. Without the addition of the mint chips, of course.)

Avocado Sauce

I made this sauce to serve with Baked Chicken Taquitos. It would also be really good on burgers, sandwiches and tacos.

Avocado Sauce
from Taste of Home Healthy Cooking 2009
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled
1/2 c. fat-free sour cream
2 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro
2 tsp. lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 tsp. salt

In a small bowl, mash avocado with sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, garlic and salt. Refrigerate until serving.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

New Mexico is known for its chilies. The state motto is practically, "Red or Green?" You can get green chilies on practically everything you order around here - pizza, burgers, eggs, sandwiches, and bagels. In the late summer you can smell green chilies growing in the fields south of Albuquerque, and people here buy them by the case at the grocery store. Every store has a roaster out front where they roast the chilies before customers take them home to freeze for later use. I love the smell. At first I didn't really love green chilies, but now I use them in a few dishes I make and I really like them. I don't buy them by the case, however, because I don't want everything else in my freezer to taste like green chilies!

Baked Chicken Taquitos

adapted from ourbestbites.com

2 C. cooked, shredded chicken

3 oz. cream cheese

1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies

1 T. lime juice

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 C. shredded cheese (Monterrey jack or cheddar)

12 corn tortillas

kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Cook and shred chicken. (I cooked mine on the George Foreman grill after seasoning with salt and pepper.) Combine chicken with remaining ingredients. The best way to work with corn tortillas is to heat them up before trying to roll them. They will crack if you try to work with them while they are cold. Place the stack of tortillas between wet paper towels and microwave for 1-2 minutes, until soft and pliable. Fill each tortilla with 2-3 Tbs. of the chicken mixture and roll tightly. Spray the tops of the taquitos with a little cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until the ends of the tortillas are golden brown. Serve warm with avocado sauce, pico de gallo, sour cream, salsa, or hot sauce.

Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing

The girls and I made these chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing during Spring Break last week. We made a total of 23 miniature cupcakes, which Olivia says the three of us ate in one day. I didn't believe her until all proof was gone, or probably devoured. We were cleaning, we needed chocolate. And besides, doesn't one mini cupcake equal about one bite of a regular sized cupcake? That's what I thought. Exactly.

recipe from Ina Garten

Ingredients:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Morning Glory Muffins

These muffins are what I would consider a "healthy" muffin. But they're still really, really good. They're also a great way to sneak some vegetables in your your kids' diet. (Oh, who am I kidding? I have to sneak vegetables disguised as muffins into my own diet, too.)

Morning Glory Muffins

(from allrecipes.com)

1 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1 1/4 c. sugar

1 Tbs. cinnamon

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 c. grated carrots

1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 c. raisins (or dried cranberries)

1 egg

2 egg whites

1/2 c. applesauce or apple butter

1/4 c. oil

1 Tbs. vanilla

2 Tbs. chopped walnuts

2 Tbs. toasted wheat germ

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 18 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, applesauce, oil, and vanilla.

3. In a large bowl, stir together flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in carrots, apples and raisins. Stir in applesauce mixture until just moistened. The batter will be very thick. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling them about 3/4 full.

4. In a small bowl, combine walnuts and wheat germ. Sprinkle over the muffin tops.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed.