This Mama Cooks! On a Diet

Reynolds Parchment Paper is not just for holiday cookies

Even though you're trying to lose weight - and all your friends know it - you've probably been invited to a cookie swap party. You know, a party where each participant brings cookies to swap with friends along with a copy of the cookie recipe.

I was invited to two cookie exchanges this month, and I couldn't attend either of them because of a my new job (I'm now a community manager at CafeMom.com), and because I was already going out three times that week to parties and a holiday concert. Like I had time to bake let alone go out two more times!

I really dodged a bullet there and was thankful not to blow my weight loss plan. But just in case you're invited to a cookie exchange - and promise only to indulge a little and to give the rest of the cookies to friends, family and coworkers - you may want to check out ReynoldsSimpleSecrets.com.

(You should also check out my 5 Ways to Avoid Temptation During Bake Sale Season post for some tips to get out of baking yourself or eating everything you make.)

Get a Free Cookie Swap Starter Kit from Reynolds

Reynolds Parchment Paper and cookie exchange hostess, Robin Olson have teamed up to give helpful tips and tricks for a successful cookie exchange this holiday season.

Here's the cool part. You can get a cookie swap starter kit complete with Reynolds parchment paper, recipe cards, invitations, a cookie tin, and tips and tricks for hosting your own cookie swap by signing up here. The nice folks at MS&L Digital sent me one and its worth getting.

Extreme Fat Smash Diet uses for parchment paper

But since you don't want to get side tracked on your weight loss journey, give the recipes and invites to a friend, put your arts and crafts supplies in the tin, and keep the parchment paper to make a delicious, low calorie - Pesto Snapper en Papillote (in paper). This would be a perfect meal on either Weight Watchers (only 4 POINTS per serving) or the Extreme Fat Smash Diet.

(Check out Reynold's other en Papillote recipes.)

My complete Thanksgiving meal (dieters beware)

I'm printing out all my recipes and making the final runs to the supermarket, cheese shop, and health food store. And yes, I'm off the diet bandwagon, so if you're trying to lose weight and not be tempted, you may want to skip this post even though I'm using several Weight Watchers recipes.

I'm going to make Alton Brown's Honey Brined Smoked Turkey and two Weight Watchers dishes - Cranberry-Cherry Compote and Weight Watchers Sausage, Apple and Cornbread Stuffing.

I'm also making a Cranberry Cocktail Sauce to go with the tail-on shrimp appetizers. (I love shrimp for the taste and because you can eat a lot even if you're on a diet.) Cranberries were being sold BOGO (buy one, get one) this year at my supermarket, so I needed a recipe to use up the other bag.

The November 2007 of Bon Appetit magazine was particularly inspirational. I will be making their recipes for Green Onion Gravy (gluten free since it uses cornstarch!), Brussels Sprout Hash with Caramelized Shallots, and Pumpkin Mascarpone Pie.

Oh, and I'm making a ham in the crockpot for Nathan who swears he hates turkey, and mashed potatoes.

TIP: This year I'm printing out everything and putting the recipes in plastic sheet protectors so my magazines won't get messed up from food stains and splatters. Afterwards, I'll put the recipes in my three-ring binder for next year's use.

Cranberry Cocktail Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
• 1⁄4 cup tomato ketchup
• 1⁄4 cup raspberry preserves
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons hot sauce, or to taste
• 1 (1⁄4-inch thick) slice of a large onion
• 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
• 2 tablespoons honey

Instructions:

Place all ingredients in a food processor; pulse until smooth, yet chunky. Pause several times to scrape down the sides of the processor. Makes 1 1⁄2 cups.

Recipe by Crescent Dragonwagon, Relish magazine November 2007. Picture by High Cotton Food Styling & Photography.

Green Onion Gravy

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (or more) Shortcut Turkey Stock (I'll be using plain old chicken stock out of a can. I'm a busy gal who believes in short cuts.)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3 green onions, white parts and green tops chopped separately
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley (we still have lots of fresh parsley left from our garden)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Directions:

1. Scrape juices and browned bits from reserved roasting pan into large glass measuring cup. (Since we're smoking the turkey, I'll be grabbing the juices from the drippings in the smoker. I just need to figure out how to do that.)
2. Spoon off fat, reserving 2 tablespoons. Add enough stock to pan juices to measure 2 cups. Whisk together 2 tablespoons water and cornstarch in small bowl until smooth.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons reserved fat in large saucepan over medium heat. Add white parts of green onions. Sauté until beginning to color, about 6 minutes. Add degreased pan juices, 2 cups stock, and cream. Whisk in cornstarch mixture. Simmer until reduced to desired consistency, whisking occasionally, about 8 minutes. Stir in herbs and green onion tops. Season with salt and pepper.

An eggless chocolate cake

When my friend Suzanne heard that my daughter is allergic to eggs, she sent along this recipe for an eggless chocolate cake. It's named after the mother of an old friend of hers who used to make it.

Since my daughter is also allergic to peanut butter, I'd make a traditional frosting or maybe a sugar glaze instead.

Shirley's Chocolate Cake - The best in the world!

Cake ingredients:

• 3 cups of flour
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 9 tablespoons cocoa
• 2 cups of cold water
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 3/4 cup oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Icing ingredients:

1. 3 cups confectioners sugar
2. 1/4 cup milk (approximately)
3. 3/4 cup peanut butter

Cake directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl using an electric mixer.
2. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes.

Icing directions:

1. Mix confectioners sugar and milk - it will be thin.
2. Stir in peanut Butter, which will thicken the icing.
3. Ice your delicious cake.

Photo credit goes to Diana's Desserts who offers her own version of an Eggless Chocolate Cake.

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A Review of PopularCookieRecipes.com

Did you know that the first cookie dates all the way back to the 7th century in Persia? Seems that sugar was first cultivated there and then spread to the eastern Mediterranean. At the end of the 14th century, you could walk along the streets of Paris and buy little wafers, and cookie recipes began to show up in Renaissance era cookbooks. From there it was only a matter before cookies took over the world - well its sweet tooth that is.

That's one of the fun things I learned about cookies at PopularCookieRecipes.com, a collection of popular cookie recipes from around the world - a website you should check out for basic, simple cookie recipes.

This time of year we don't think about cookies much since we're busy making pies and tarts from all the great fruit available in the summer. Still, cookies are classic and very portable - great for picnicking or taking to the beach for a snack.

Since I'm always on the lookout for eggfree dessert recipes, I thought I'd share PopularCookieRecipes.com recipe for shortbread cookies.

Shortbread Cookies
I think these cookies would be marvelous to dip into a little fruit preserves or maybe eat with a bowl of fresh berries and a tall glass of iced tea.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups all purpose flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix butter and sugar in large bowl.
3. Stir in flour. If dough is crumbly, mix in an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of softened butter.
4. Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness and cut dough with cookie cutters into desired shapes. The dough can even be cut with a knife into wedges or strips for interesting designs. Get creative and have fun!
5. Bake about 20 minutes or until set.
6. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

PopularCookieRecipes.com bills itself as a collection of popular cookie recipes. Yet the selection is pretty limited now. Since it's a new website, I look forward to seeing them expand their cookie recipe collection.

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Get your children to eat healthy with the Sneaky Chef

Missy Chase Lapine's The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids Favorite Meals helps you prepare meals that your children already loves, but with secret, healthy ingredients. Missy also runs The Sneaky Chef workshops, which is a program of cooking classes and demonstrations that teach families how to eat healthier. You can learn more about her classes and book at TheSneakyChef.com.

Who knew brownies could be good for you?

Sneaky Chef Brainy Brownies
Makes about 30 kid-sized brownies

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup Purple Puree (see Make-Ahead Recipe below)
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons Flour Blend (equal parts white flour, whole grain flour, and wheat germ)
• ¼ cup rolled oats, ground in a food processor
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Butter or non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter or spray only the bottom, not the sides, of a 13-by-9-inch or 9-inch square baking pan.
3. Melt the butter and chocolate chips together in a double boiler or metal bowl over simmering water (or in a microwave, checking every 15 seconds). Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool a bit. Meanwhile, in another bowl, stir together the eggs, vanilla, sugar, and Purple Puree. Combine this purple egg mixture with the cooled chocolate mixture. In a mixing bowl, stir together Flour Blend, cocoa powder, oats, and salt. Add this to the chocolate mixture and blend thoroughly. Mix in the chopped walnuts, if using, then pour the entire mixture into the baking pan.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in pan before cutting the brownies and use a plastic or butter knife. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired. Keeps for a week in the refrigerator, covered tightly.

Sneaky Chef Make-Ahead Recipe: Purple Puree

• 3 cups raw baby spinach leaves (or 2 cups frozen chopped spinach, or frozen chopped collard greens)
• 1½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries (no syrup or sugar added)
• ½  teaspoon lemon juice
• 1-2  tablespoons water

Directions:

1. If using raw spinach, thoroughly wash it, even if the package says “prewashed.” Bring spinach or collards and water to boil in a medium pot. Turn heat to low and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. If using frozen blueberries, quickly rinse them under cold water to thaw a little, and then drain.
2. Fill the bowl of your food processor with the blueberries and cooked spinach, (or collards) along with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of water, and puree on high until as smooth as possible. Stop occasionally to push top contents to bottom. If necessary, use a second tablespoon of water to make a fairly smooth puree.
3. This amount of spinach and blueberries makes only about 1 cup of puree. Double the recipe if you want to store another cup of the puree. It will store in the refrigerator up to 2 days, or you can freeze ¼ cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers.

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Bake sale help for the harried parent

Does your child's school have a bake sale coming up? Well Reynolds Fun Shapes has come to your rescue. As you already know it can sometimes be challenging to make delicious treats that appeal to the customers’ eye as well as their taste buds. Round cookies and square brownies are out, and new shapely treats are IN!

Now, thanks to Reynolds® FunShapes™ Baking Cups, making fun-shaped and beautifully decorated treats is a breeze. For a limited time only, FunShapes is giving away "Shape Up Your Bake Sale" kits, jam-packed with the tools you'll need to be the STAR of your next bake sale.

The "Shape Up Your Bake Sale" kit includes:

• Reynolds® FunShapes™ baking cups
• CD-rom with bake sale tips, recipes and signage
• FunShapes tablecloth
• FunShapes calculator (for tallying your customers' bills)

"Shape Up Your Bake Sale" kit winners will also receive a disposable camera and entry information for an exclusive photo contest, with a chance to win a donation to your bake sale from Reynolds FunShapes. To win a Shape Up Your Bake Sale" kit , fill out the entry form.

The Reynold's website also features bakesale tips, signage, and recipes. I especially like the recipe for Flying Ghost Lollipops.

Baking for the cupcake challenged

Earlier this year, Jamie at BlondeMomBlog was pondering her Inner Domestic Diva in Move Over Betty Crocker:

I’m entering unchartered territory as the girls get older…the obligatory birthday cupcakes. I made a batch of two dozen strawberry cupcakes with vanilla icing last week for Caitlin’s class in honor of her 4th birthday. A mixing bowl was unearthed from its dusty confines. Cupcake bling* in cheery pastel colors was purchased. And although they weren’t from scratch, it did require some egg cracking and actual mixing with my electric mixer, which has been used as about as infrequently as Jessica Simpson’s brain cells. I’ve set the bar low all these years and headed straight to the baked goods aisle at the grocery. I mean why bake when you can buy?

With the beginning of the school year, parents of young school aged children will soon have a need to supply a classroom full of hungry kids with cupcakes. Here are some great websites for the cupcake and cake decorating challenged:

• Wilton - The ultimate website for cake decoraters. Check out their Recipes & Projects section for great holiday ideas including these Greetings Earthlings cupcakes.
• Nick, Jr - Got a Blues Clues or Dora fan? The best place for how-tos on character cakes and cupcakes.
• Family Fun magazine - More birthday cake and cupcake ideas.
• Baking at About.com - cupcake hints and tips, frosting and icing recipes, and cake recipes and tips
• And for some great ideas for *cupcake bling (ha!) go to a Daily Dose of Denise for her ideas on cupcake toppers

And how do I feel about cake mixes and store bought icing? I love them. Baking an high elevation is very challenging for me, and Duncan Hines Deviled Food Mix always turns out well. While I make my own frosting based on Wilton's buttercream recipe, Duncan Hine's frosting is terrific, too. After all the bottom line is doing something special for (and hopefully with) your child, without killing yourself.

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Earl Grey, hot

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Star Trek TV show. To celebrate and join in at the Star Trek Blog Carnival at A Mama's Rant, I'm highlighting various recipes from The Star Trek Cookbook written by Star Trek Voyager's chef Nelix (also known as actor Ethan Phillips).

The Star Trek Cookbook - I must be joking, right? Well that's what I thought when the book originally came out. However, since I was participating in this blog carnival - and needed some Star Trek inspired recipes -  I thought I'd purchase a cheap, used copy.

Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. There's some darn good recipes in the book like Ratamba Stew (eggplants, peppers and tomatoes over pasta or rice), Laurellian Rice Pudding (with unsweetened coconut milk and mangos), and Spider Apple Pudding (instead of using Talaxian blue spider stomach, use stale white bread instead since they have similar consistency and taste). The Star Trek lore around the recipes is kind of fun, but will only be appreciated by die hard Trekkers, especially those familiar with DS:9 and Voyager.

Nelix features some Classic and Next Generation Trek recipes, too. At A Readable Feast I've featured a recipe for Vulcan Apple Pastry which is very practical for us eating-on-the-run 21st century types. However, I was intrigued by his Picard inspired recipes, and his use of Earl Grey tea.

Nelix gives the history of the tea and writes about Captain Picard's love of the drink. Then he gives recipes for an Earl Grey chocolate cake and a cocktail. I find the use of infused tea very interesting, and hope non-Star Trek fans will find these as enticing as I did.

The Picard Cocktail
Nelix isn't sure if this was ever served at Quark's or Ten-Forward, but it should make for a great hot after dinner drink. Serve it with some fo the Earl Grey Chocolate Cake!

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces fresh spring water
• 1 ounce Grand Marnier or Cointreau liqueur
• 1 tsp. Earl Grey tea leaves

Directions:

1. Heat the water to nearly boiling, and pour over the tea, steeping for about 3 minutes.
2. Pour into a cup, straining out the leaves.
3. Slowly pour in the Grand Marnier or Cointreau
4. Serve at once.

Thanks to Ross Hines at RainbowAnimations.com. Boy was I pleasantly surprised to find this image. What a hoot!

Food Blog of the Week - Coconut & Lime

This week's Food Blog of the Week is Coconut & Lime blogged by 27-year-old Rachel R. of Baltimore, Maryland. (She also blogs at Food Maven.)

All recipes at Coconut & Lime are the original creations of the author. (How many of us food bloggers can say that?) The blog features great pictures in a clean and attractive blog design. The writing is excellent, especially the "My thoughts" feature where Rachel gives insight into her cooking experience.

I'm having a tough time deciding on which recipe to feature. Should it be the Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes since I'm always on the lookout for egg-free recipes for the Boo Girl? Should it be the Blackberry Clafouti because it looks like a great way to deal with two large bowls of blackberries in the fridge I have? Then I found it - Key Lime Pie, my most favorite dish on tbe planet.

Key Lime Pie
by Rachel of Coconut & Lime

Ingredients:

• 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk (fat free is fine)
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup key lime juice*
• 2 1/2 teaspoons key lime zest
• 9 inch round graham cracker crust

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300.
2. In a large mixing bowl, using your electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and zest until the eggs are creamy.
3. Slowly add condensed milk and mix until well combined. Add key lime juice and mix to combine thoroughly.
4. Pour into crust and bake 15 minutes or until the pie is "set" and no longer feels liquid to the touch. Cool on wire rack, refrigerate.

*Note: For an authentic pie, you need the juice of fresh key limes. Using a juicer is the most efficient way to extract the most amount of juice from tiny key limes limes. I was able to yield 1/3 cup of juice from only 10 (2 inch diameter) limes using my juicer. If you have to use bottled juice, make sure it is from actual key limes (the juice will be a pale yellow) and not just (Persian) lime juice with citric acid added to make it tart.

Rachel's thoughts: Who knew key lime pie was so easy to make? It's one of my husband's favorites so when I saw fresh key limes in the store, I couldn't resist. The bag came with a recipe, but I upped the amount of zest and juice it called for to yield a more tart pie. It came out as well if not better than the pies I've had from places that specialize in key lime pies.

This Mama's thoughts: Piping a little sweetened whipped cream around the edges would be a nice touch.

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Chocolate raspberry pavlova

Thanks to the Library Lady for introducing me to Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova, a fantastic recipe by Nigella Lawson. I love Nigella's website since with a click of a mouse, you can get recipes in either metric or US measurements. Since I have a sister in Switzerland, this is very handy. She often wants to send me recipes but converting them is a bit haphazard.

While Library Lady made hers with strawberries, I'll wait until later this summer when raspberries come into season. I'm always on the lookout for raspberry recipes. The four little raspberry plant sticks that came to us via mail order have now taken over the garden and is beginning to take over the side yard. Big Bad Dad finds new raspberry branches popping up in the grass two feet from the rest of the bushes. It's wonderful having buckets and buckets of raspberries every summer, but not if the plants turn into a small jungle.