Recipe

I don’t really like Tiramisu.  <Gasp!  What?  Say it isn’t so!>  I remember when it was all the rage in the late 80s/early 90s, and I felt almost embarrassed to admit my dislike for this popular dessert.  Perhaps I should give it another Green-Eggs-and-Ham try sometime, but I’ve just never felt inclined.

THIS recipe does not remind me of traditional tiramisu much at all.  Perhaps some would even be appalled at its comparison.  But this lovely gluten-free treat is crazy yummy.  I’ve only made it twice – once on New Year’s (a great new tradition, I think) and once on the day we celebrate the Italian branch of our family.  The trick I’ve learned is not to eat it right away –Torture, I know.  But, I don’t find it as good when it’s fresh, even after it’s done the necessary cooling time.  Both times I almost gave up on it.  But once it’s sat in the fridge for awhile….Oh, Wowza!  Dangerously delicious.  I highly recommend these tiramisu bars as a celebratory treat!

(I used espresso powder from King Arthur for the coffee bit.)

Update:
This is now a New Year’s tradition for us, and it is so wonderful to look forward to!!

Recipe

I’ve been trying to find a peanut butter cookie recipe for years.  They’re not my personal favorite, but there are a couple people in the house who love them.  I’ve been disappointed by the last few recipes I’ve tried, and so I’m more and more hesitant to make these.  One of the big issues is that we use an all-natural peanut butter.  And I know the tips say to use a name-brand for p.b. cookies, but I just refuse.  The ‘extras’ in Jif and other brands give me the shivers and make the peanut butter taste plastic-y, in my opinion.  So, I’m left with more crumbly homemade peanut butter cookies at this point.  But, it’s worth it.  And maybe I’ll stumble across a way to fix this problem, while still sticking with our pure peanut butter.  But this recipe tastes yummy, despite the somewhat crumbly nature our p.b. gives them.  I think I should have been more patient with the mixing and actually had the egg at room temp.  I’ll try again in the future and update if I find a way that works better with the non-plastic, natural peanut butter.

Recipe

Yes!  Yum!!  (Although I will say that my kids, who both love carrots, and one of whom I consider a ‘sophisticated’ eater, will not eat these.  More for me!)

Also found in The Forest Feast Cookbook

I never thought I liked chai.  Turns out, I just didn’t like the overly-sweetened, overly-creamy ones found at most coffee shops.  But then we were lucky enough to have a tea shop open near us that specialized in chai–warm, delicious, simple chai.

We’ve moved since then, and even though I would hardly call this a ‘copy cat’ of the authentic chai found at our local tea spot, I still enjoy a cup for this from time to time. This recipe is adapted from the Tibetan-Style Chai recipe in Moosewood Celebrates cookbook.  I would love to provide an online link to the original, because I never like to share someone else’s recipe on my site.  But since this one is modified, I’ll share it here.

Modified from Moosewood Celebrates

2 1/2 cups water
1 tsp (or less) dried ginger (I like way less than the original recipe calls for, which was 2, I think? and I keep it simple with the dried ginger)
1/2 tsp (or a bit more) cardamom seeds
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tsp loose black tea

Bring above ingredients to a boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes

Then add:
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar (I’d love to say I add less, but sometimes I find that more than this amount actually makes the whole thing better)

Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer for 5 minutes
Strain.
Serve.

I once thought it would be clever to strain the spices before adding the milk and sugar, but that didn’t work out well for me.  I do recommend waiting until the end.

Above is the modified version, cut in half, but it still makes a lot.  I usually cut it in half again. (shown below)

1 1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp or less dried ginger
1/4 tsp or more cardamom seeds
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp black tea

later, add

1 cup milk
1/8 cup sugar (or 2 Tbsp)

 

Pumpkin Cookie recipe

My mom used to make pumpkin cookies every Halloween season, and every year I wonder if I’m going to find the ‘right’ recipe that tastes as good as the ones I remember.  And, somehow, every recipe seems to be delicious!  But I thought I’d mark this one this year, so I can keep track a little better.

Pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting?!  Yes, please!  These taste wonderful fresh, but I’ve also frozen leftovers with great success.  They probably aren’t ‘best’ right out of the freezer, the way some other stuff is, but with a little time on the counter or in the microwave, they’re golden.

We also sprinkled a bit of pumpkin pie spice on top at the end, and my daughter really wanted to add roasted pumpkin seeds as well.