Where You'll Find Me

This blog has been rather quiet of late. I'm still cooking, but I've been posting new recipes at a new website:  Cook and Count. The new site features the same family-friendly recipes you're used to finding here, with the addition of carbohydrate information per serving.

That's because my youngest child was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes this past November. Fortunately I haven't had to learn a new way to cook, but I have had to pay attention to how many carbs are in the food my son eats.

The recipes at Cook and Count are for anyone--not just diabetics. And yes, there will still be cookies. Little Brother can still have cookies, as long as he knows how many carbs are in them so he can use insulin accordingly. He is learning to enjoy two cookies instead of scarfing down five or six. (And that's a good thing.)

This site isn't going anyplace, but new posts will be happening at the new site.

I've Given Up Ice Cream

I like ice cream.

A lot.

That's the problem. Ice cream is yummy, but it's also very easy to eat way too much of it.

Since I also like fitting into my clothing, I tried cutting down on the size of my ice-cream bowl. That didn't work too well.

What did work was substituting gelato for ice cream.

Talenti Gelato is rich and delicious, and a little goes a long way. A small dish of Talenti Gelato is just as satisfying as a big dish of ice cream, and a lot easier on the waistline.

Because I enjoy frozen desserts almost as much in winter as I do in summer, I tried some of Talenti's seasonal flavors this winter. My favorite seasonal flavor was Peppermint Bark, which takes plain old chocolate-chip-mint to a fabulous new level. I hope they'll bring this flavor back next winter--I'll buy it by the case if they do.

If you like your desserts a little nutty, try the Sicilian Pistachio, which is loaded with chunks of pistachio as well as plenty of flavorful pistachio butter.

Want something smoother? You can't miss with Sea Salt Caramel. You'll find caramel truffles in there--a winning combination.

Take a look at all their current flavors! On my list to try:

Argentine Caramel

Coffee Chocolate Chip

Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip

Southern Butter Pecan

Here's how to find Talenti Gelato at a store near you.

FYI:  Talenti's one-pint plastic containers are great for storage once dessert is done. Fill them up with rice, pasta, cookies, whatever.

Sunshine Citrus Salsa with Fish

In the middle of winter, you need all the sunshine you can get, and with citrus fruit at its peak of flavor (and lowest price), it's a great time to add the taste of sunshine to any meal.

You'll find this recipe at my new website, Cook and Count!

Maple-Walnut Cupcakes

Excuse the slightly-lumpy icing--I should have poured
the sugar more carefully.

I'm not much of a cake baker, and most of the cakes I've baked have been from the boxed-mix variety. But these cupcakes are just about as easy to make as opening a box--and way more delicious. Plus there's nothing artificial here.

MAPLE-WALNUT CUPCAKES

Makes 18 cupcakes

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
3 tbl butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk

1/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Combine flour and baking soda. Set aside.
Cream together butter and sugars in mixing bowl. Add eggs, beating in one at a time. 

Measure milk and syrup into a measuring cup.

Alternate adding milk mixture and flour mixture to batter with mixer on low speed. When batter is beaten well, stir in the chopped walnuts.
Pour batter into prepared cupcake pan.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cupcakes pass the "toothpick test."

MAPLE-BROWN SUGAR ICING

2 tbl butter

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tbl milk

1 TBL maple syrup

½ cup + 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Melt butter in small saucepan.  Add brown sugar and stir until bubbly.  Remove from heat.  Add milk and syrup and stir until smooth.  Add powdered sugar and beat until frosting is ready to spread.  Use IMMEDIATELY.

Mom's Penicillin

It's a Sick Day for my daughter today, so I've got a pot of homemade chicken-noodle soup simmering on the stove. Chicken soup really does make you feel better--and this is the good stuff right here; nothing artificial added! Chicken soup is also a frugal dish; you can use leftovers to make the stock (it's really easy) and this is a great way to use up those odds and ends of baby carrots and that last bit of the box of pasta.

CHICKEN-NOODLE SOUP

For the soup:
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups carrots, chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
parsley (fresh, if you have it--a generous handful)
freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 tsp rosemary

Add-ins:
1 1/2 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups fettuccine, broken into fourths (less than 1/4 pound)*

Start the soup at least 1 1/2 hours before serving. Simmer, covered. About 1/2 hour before serving, add chicken and pasta and cook uncovered until pasta is done.

*If you prefer to use a smaller noodle such as dilatini, pastina or orzo, 1 cup will be plenty.

Breakfast Delight: Maple Oatmeal Bread

A friend of ours gave us a bottle of "the good stuff":  real maple syrup from Coombs Family Farms.

I had to act quickly if I was going to get a chance to bake anything with this, as the pancake eaters in the house were making short work of this delicious syrup.

(Coombs, you've completely spoiled my family regarding maple syrup. They've enjoyed the real thing. There's no going back.)

I managed to reserve enough of this maple syrup to add to an oatmeal bread that's great for toasting and has a hint of sweetness--but doesn't go overboard.




For the recipe and nutrition information, please see my new blog, Cook and Count.

The fine print:  recipe and opinions are all mine. I was given no compensation by Coombs Family Farms or any other entity for this post.

Spicy Corn Chowder in the Slow Cooker

This soup got started as the Corn Chowder recipe from 365 Slow Cooker Suppers. That chowder needed something, so I decided it spice it up with some Ro-Tel (and omitted the potatoes). You can make this chowder as chunky or smooth as you would like, as there's a blender step in the instructions. The more soup you reserve before blending, the chunkier the chowder will be. This freezes well.

For this recipe, including nutrition information, please see my new website at Cook and Count!