Fresh Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

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This recipe was shared with me by a friend who posted about it on Facebook. It sounded so delicious, that I had to try it that very day. Thanks, Julie! And can I just tell you.... these are honestly some of the best cookies I have ever tried in my life. The fresh cranberries lend a crisp, cool tang, the white chocolate chips add a hearty texture, and the oatmeal base is completely satisfying! You'll be so glad you made these!

Okay, it's your turn! Can't wait to read your homemaking posts! Thank you so much for your links and visit and I hope you have a wonderful Homemaker Monday! :)

Cinnamon Sugar Pie Crust Cookies

Just a reminder, that when you make pie crust, it's always fun to make cookies for the kids with the leftovers. THIS is one of my favorite pie crust recipes, and with the portions I cut off the edges of the pie plate, I re-roll it, cut it into squares, brush melted butter on...

...sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top...

...then bake at 400 degrees F for 7 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown....

This plate of cookies lasted no longer than four minutes as it was set on the kitchen island directly within the traffic pattern of many boys and nearly grown men running through the kitchen. What with pie-making season approaching, you'll have ample opportunity to make this. Have fun and thanks for listening!

Vegan Vanilla Squash Cake

I adapted this delicious recipe from the chocolate vegan cake recipe my daughter recently shared with me. I would never have left out the chocolate of my own accord, but we were having a guest over who can't eat chocolate because it aggravates his migraines, so I thought if I simply substituted the cocoa powder with flour, I would have a vanilla cake. I was surprised and delighted at how well this worked and how delicious this cake was. If you love a dense, rich, moist cake, you'll love this. You can frost it however you like, but I used THIS strawberry frosting recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2½ cups flour
1½ cups granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp vanilla
½ cup oil
2 cups cooked spaghetti squash

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F degree.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Bake in a greased 9 × 13 inches pan at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 30 minutes or in a cupcake tin for 15 to 18 minutes.

5. When cooled, frost as desired.

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes

I've posted this recipe on my blog before, but I just need to reiterate that if you ever want to make some flourless chocolate cupcakes for someone who is gluten-intolerant, this recipe is sooooo delicious! It uses ingredients usually found in any pantry, and I substituted the grape seed oil with regular canola oil. Go HERE for the recipe. Enjoy!

Homemaker Monday: Chocolate Squash Cupcakes! (Or Muffins?)

Okay, I'm throwing this up really quick, without doing the "YOURS" section of Homemaker Monday, because I just don't have time to do any better today.

So I was introduced to this recipe by the 22-year-old girl. The original poster actually calls it a brownie recipe, but to me, it is too cake-y to be considered so. Plus, maybe the one pictured above can't even be considered cake because I only sprinkled it with brown sugar, making it more of a muffin. I just don't know. Call them what you will, but when I passed the chocolate-frosted version around at the high school football game, calling them chocolate squash cupcakes, most people, especially the close-minded men around, shunned me. I eventually did talk them into trying some, however, and they always came running back for more. I promise you your kids nor husband will have any idea that this recipe is teaming with squash. Hope you enjoy! (Original recipe HERE.)

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1½ cups granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
½ cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp vanilla
½ cup oil
2 cups cooked spaghetti squash

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F degree.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Bake in a greased 9 × 13 inches pan at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 30 minutes or in a cupcake tin for 15 to 18 minutes.

5. When cooled, frost as desired.

No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake

This rich and easy cheesecake recipe was shared with me by Hermana Layton, an amazing missionary who happens to be my neighbor and dear friend. I could blog for days about the things she's taught me over the few short weeks I've know her, and I probably will. Thank you, Hermana Layton. You're the best!

Ingredients:

1 Graham cracker crust, store-bought or homemade (I used THIS recipe)

For the filling:
2 8-oz. boxes of cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
The juice of one small lime
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the blueberry topping:
¼ cup cold water
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 cup blueberries
½ cup sugar

Directions:

1. With an electric mixer beat cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and vanilla until creamy, then spoon into cooled graham cracker crust, leaving a raised lip around the edge to contain the fruit topping. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

2. In a blender, combine 1 cup blueberries, cold water, corn starch and sugar. Blend until smooth.

3. In a small sauce pan, cook the blender mixture on medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Let cool, then add the remaining 1 cup of blueberries. Pour this over the cheesecake. Let cool until the topping has thickened.

Enjoy!

P.S. I'm are finally getting skinnier!

See how I'm doing it HERE! :)

The Definition of Red Velvet Cake

-Red velvet cake

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"A Red velvet cake is a cake with a dark red, bright red or red-brown color. It is usually prepared as a layer cake somewhere between chocolate and vanilla in flavor, topped with a creamy white icing. Common ingredients are buttermilk, butter, flour, cocoa, and red food coloring or beetroot; although beetroot is traditionally used, many prefer food coloring since it is seen as more appealing. The amount of cocoa used varies in different recipes. A typical frosting is a butter roux (also known as a cooked flour frosting). Cream cheese or buttercream frostings are also used.^[1]"

I've always wanted to make a red velvet cake. So once I looked up a recipe and was shocked to find out how much red food coloring was called for. I shun even using a few drops in my recipes, but most red velvet cakes call for almost an entire half bottle of the chemical!!!

Here's something else I read on Wikipedia...

"Though past research showed no correlation between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and food dyes,^[6][7] new studies now point to synthetic preservatives and artificial coloring agents as aggravating ADD and ADHD symptoms, both in those affected by these disorders and in the general population.^[8][9] Older studies were inconclusive, quite possibly due to inadequate clinical methods of measuring offending behavior. Parental reports were more accurate indicators of the presence of additives than clinical tests.^[10] Several major studies show academic performance increased and disciplinary problems decreased in large non-ADD student populations when artificial ingredients, including artificial colors, were eliminated from school food programs.^[11][12]"

I've heard of these studies for quite some years now, so have tried to avoid using food dyes where possible. That doesn't mean we don't use them ever, but I try to be aware of how many artificial dyes my kids consume.

Now, back to the red velvet cake. My husband, an avid and successful gardener, harvested our beets this weekend. As he processed them, I observed their beautiful deep red color and thought to myself that perhaps this is the dye I have been looking for to use in my red velvet cake. I had never before heard that beetroot was sometimes used in this cake, and when I mentioned my plan to the 15-year-old girl, she said, "Mom! That's going to be so gross! Don't use beets in a cake. It's going to taste lame and it's not going to work!"

So, you can imagine my glee when, upon researching how many beets I might use in my cake, I stumbled upon the fact that beets were indeed originally used in the making of red velvet cake! I cried to the 15-year-old girl, "See 15-year-old girl! Beetroots! I intuitively knew that beetroots would work in red velvet cake!"

She laughed at me, but couldn't deny that I was right, as usual.

So, I made the batter, and it was indeed quite red...

...but when it was finished baking, sadly, it was only the color of spice cake. However, as per the definition of red velvet cake, it being a cake somewhere between a deep red and reddish brown color, I'm still calling it red velvet.

And you know what, it tastes like velvet and it is so delicious, that I don't care if it's not quite red. Here's the recipe and thanks for listening!

P.S. You might not want to look at the nutrition data on this one. 

Ingredients
For the cake:
1 cup shredded beetroot
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup cocoa powder
4 eggs
3 tsp baking soda
2 cups milk
2 tsp salt
3 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp cider vinegar
5 cups flour

For the frosting:
8 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 tsp vanilla
1/4 to 3/4 cup milk

Directions

1. Combine and milk and vinegar in a glass and leave for 10 minutes, until milk is slightly curdled.

2. In a blender, blend milk and beets until smooth.

2. Whisk together all dry ingredients.

3. Beat sugar and butter together, until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, and milk mixture.

4. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

5. Pour batter into 4 9” greased and floured cake pans or 3 cake pans and 12 cupcake papers.

6. Cook for 15 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

7. When finished baking, leave in cakes pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool.

8. For the frosting, beat together powdered sugar, butter and vanilla. Slowly add milk until frosting is desired consistency. Frost cake when it is completely cooled.

PSSST! To find great deals on fun stuff to do in your area, go HERE!

How to Freeze Doughnut Dough

Do you remember when I shared THIS "Crispy Creamy Doughnut" recipe with you a few weeks ago?

So just in case I didn't adequately describe these doughnuts, can I just say that they are the most exquisite thing I think I have ever put into my mouth. The first sensation you experience as you bite into the doughnut is the light powdered sugar glaze that coats the entire doughnut. It has hardened to perfection and flakes in light, crispy pieces on your lips and tongue, leaving just a hint of vanilla flavor. As you bite further into the doughnut, your teeth sink into a soft, warm, light, fluffy, rich (yes, all at the same time) confection that seems to melt in your mouth the entire duration it's in there. Oh, YES.

I didn't mean for that to sound sexual, but it kind of did. These doughnuts are just so, so good.

So, in an effort to make it easier for me to indulge in these little rotund delights, I recently attempted to freeze them after they had risen the second time, then thaw them, then fry them. And let me tell you... ecstasy all over again, completely fresh-tasting, light (although a smidge heavier than when fried fresh), and warm... perfect for these chilly fall mornings.

So, just in case you didn't get the process in the above wooing of my doughnuts, here it is...

Step 1. Make the Crispy Creamy Doughnut recipe posted all allrecipes.com HERE.

Step 2. After punching down the dough after the first rise, form into doughnut shapes and allow the doughnuts to rise until doubled in bulk. At this point, flash-freeze them in the freezer for one to two hours, or until completely hardened, then place them in sealed Ziploc freezer bags.

Step 3. About an hour before you are ready to consume them, remove them from the freezer and allow them to defrost out on the counter. This is a most important step. I tried to fry them right out of the freezer, and while they looked absolutely stunning on the outsides, their insides were completely raw... I mean COMPLETELY raw. Don't make the mistake I did and make sure to defrost them.

I'd love to know if you try this recipe and/or technique and what you think of it.

By the way, I have no idea why I make these doughnuts and think that I'm going to lose weight. Maybe just once a week? Don't tell my health coach.

Today on some of my other blogs...

-365 Days of TV-Free Toddler Time: Shovel Time
-life in mexico {and other places}: {baby in ikea sink}

PSSST! To find great deals on fun stuff to do in your area, go HERE!

Fresh Strawberry Honey Popsicles

I think this has to be one of the most beautiful Popsicles I have ever seen in my life. We were lucky to have used tiny fresh strawberries from our garden, simply cut in half, but if you are using the large, store-bought variety, just slice them 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Enjoy!

Ingredients

* 2 cups fresh sliced strawberries
* 4 cups water
* ¾ cup honey
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* Pinch salt

Directions

1. In a blender, blend water, honey and vanilla for about a minute, until honey is completely dissolved in the water.

2. In Popsicle molds, drop in 4 to 8 strawberry slices, depending on size.

3. Fill in molds with the honey water mixture.

4. Freeze for at least 6 hours. To remove Popsicles, leave out at room temperature for a few minutes or run under cool water for a few seconds.


Direct recipe link: http://keyingredient.com/recipes/328746/


Today on Whole Food Kids: Salad for Toddlers...

I'm Declaring it National Popsicle Month! Oh, and Whole Food Olive Oil Carrot Cupcakes

I told you I would, and I really am.

Hopefully, for your daily enjoyment, I will be posting the recipe for a Popsicle a day on this blog or my Whole Food Kids blog. It's June first, many of you have kids who are out of school for the summer, and what could be a better time to be inspired by Popsicles?

My first recipe for Popsicle month is posted over at Whole Food Kids. I call it the Iron Man Popsicle...

...and you will see what effect that name had on the ten-year-old boy. To read the post, go HERE. Thank you!

Okay, now for the olive oil carrot cupakes!

This recipe is a whole foods version of The Best Carrot Cake in the World recipe I posted in January. It felt great eating these cupcakes, not only because they are totally delicious, but because we ground the wheat into flour ourselves, and we dug up baby carrots from our garden, which were sweet and tender...

To cut down on the sweetener, I served the twins these cupcakes "commando, or sans frosting, and they didn't seem to know the difference...

However, if you feel a little more indulgent, I came across a whole foods recipe for cream cheese frosting yesterday at Elana's Pantry, made it, and used it...

It was amazing. Hope you love these!

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:
* 6 tablespoons whole flax seeds
* 1 ½ cups water
* 3 ¾ cups agave nectar
* 3 cups olive oil
* 6 cups whole wheat flour
* 4 teaspoons cinnamon
* 4 teaspoons baking soda
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* 6 cups grated carrots
* 1 ½ cups chopped pecans (optional)
* 2 cups craisins (optional)
 For the frosting:
* 2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese
* ½ cup butter
* ½ to 1 cup agave nectar

Directions

Step 1: In a blender, blend flax seeds and water until smooth and creamy.

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, combine oil, sugar and the flax seed mixture.

Step 3: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

Step 4: Add the flour mixture to the flax seed mixture, and stir until well mixed.

Step 5: To this mixture, add the vanilla, pecans, carrots and craisins.

Step 6: Pour this batter into greased pans or cupcake papers, and bake at 350 degrees F until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The time will vary depending on what size pan you use, but will probably be between 20 and 35 minutes.

Step 7: To make the frosting, let cream cheese and butter warm to room temperature, then add agave and beat with a hand beater until smooth. Frost cupcakes when cool.

Direct recipe link: http://keyingredient.com/recipes/327826/

Product helps I used for this recipe...

...and...

Super-Cheap Vegan Brown Sugar Chocolate Ice Cream

Sometimes when you lose, you win.

The 15-year-old girl has recently become a vegetarian, and is trying to stay away from dairy as well. Thus, she has taken to drinking rice milk, which I'm okay with, as long as we are making up what dairy offers in other ways. The problem with rice milk is that it is expensive, especially compared to having our Daisy milked every day, and it has strange ingredients like "natural flavors", which no one seems to know anything about.

So.... I decided we should try our hand at making rice milk from scratch. That night we had stir fry, and with the leftover rice, we made the attempt, and...

We did not like it, not one little bit. The texture was all wrong, the taste was bland, and basically, it was a big disappointment.

As we stood by the counter looking at the 5 quarts of unwanted product, I suggested that we try making ice cream out of it. The 15-year-old girl thought that that was a great idea, so I did, and it worked, and instead of losing, we won, because ice cream made with homemade rice milk is really, really cheap, and has about half the fat of Häagen-Dazs®.

I just need to warn you about one thing, though. Because of the low fat content of this ice cream, it sets up kind of hard. That can be remedied, however, using a number of techniques, such as leaving it out for a few minutes before eating it, putting it in the microwave for a few seconds, or initially spooning it into individual containers after taking it out of the machine.

Other than that little issue, this ice cream is really chocolate-y and really good. I just went and got a bowl of it and am eating it right now. Hope you love it, too.

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil
4 cups rice milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Melt the coconut oil by placing it in a glass and submersing the glass in warm water. Pour this, the sugar, and 1 cup of the rice milk into the blender and blend until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes.

2. Pour the remaining ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth.

3. Immediately pour mix into your ice cream maker. It will take longer than normal to freeze because you won't be chilling the mix. If the mix is placed into the refrigerator to chill, the coconut oil will float to the top and make the ice cream unpalatable.

Before serving, leave ice cream out at room temperature for a few minutes for easier scooping.

Rosemary Olive Oil Chocolate Chunk Cake

I have been totally stoked to make and post this recipe. Rosemary is probably my all-time favorite herb and chocolate is probably my all-time favorite thing about life, soooo.... why not put them together in a cake?

I found the original recipe at 101 Cookbooks dot com, a really wonderful food blog written by a really cool girl that I'm jealous of because she travels everywhere and is pretty and knows all these big, smart-sounding food terms and has like 375,000 subscribers to her blog, literally. I came across her blog while searching for a black bean brownie recipe, and I totally fell in love. I subscribe by email to 3 blogs, and her's is one.

So... you should really go check her out. Her photo composition is gorgeous and her recipes are amazing.

Providence was on my side when it came to making this cake. It just so happened that John had purchased myriad dark chocolate bars from different countries at Walmart the week before...

...and as far as the rosemary was concerned, after calling all over town, I found someone who grew it. I know I had some last summer, but the pot it was in was moved before the frost came, and I couldn't find it when I needed it. Thanks Ken and Lauretta!

To make Heidi's cake, I altered the recipe a little. She called for spelt flour, which I've never heard of, and I am sure the people at the local Mexican market have never heard of it either, so I used whole wheat flour...

....I also added a ganache-style chocolate frosting to make it a little more "dessert-y", also made with the dark chocolate John had brought down...

And to add to all this, I doubled the recipe and made one a healthier, whole foods version, substituting all of the white flour with whole wheat flour (which I ground myself in my handy-dandy Golden Grain Grinder, by the way), and using honey as the sweetener. There were a few other minor changes I made as well. If you'd like to see that recipe, just go to my Whole Food Kids blog.

This cake was moist and had a wonderful, unique taste. It tasted, I guess I could say, "classy" for lack of a better word. The rosemary added a surprise in the flavor and the chocolate chunks of different sizes were so good...

(shown above before frosting)

This is something I would love to make for a lady luncheon, and plan to. Hope you love it, too...

Ingredients

For the cake:
* ¾ cup whole wheat flour
* 1 ½ cups white flour
* ¾ cup sugar
* 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
* ¾ teaspoon sea salt
* 3 eggs
* 1 cup olive oil
* ¾ cup whole milk
* 1 ½ tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
* 5 ounces chocolate (70% cacao), chopped into ½-inch pieces
For the frosting:
* 1 ½ cups chocolate chunks (70% cacoa)
* ¼ cup butter

Directions

1. In a blender, process oil and rosemary until smooth.

1. Combine the dry ingredients.

2. Combine the wet ingredients, including rosemary olive oil.

3. Combine these two mixes until barely moistened, then stir in chocolate chunks.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 40 minutes, depending on your pan size. I used an 8×11 and baked it for about 35 minutes.

5. For the frosting, slowly melt butter and chocolate together, then spread on cake once it has cooled.

Direct recipe link: http://keyingredient.com/recipes/321499/

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes with Vegan Chocolate Frosting

Sometimes blogging can take up a lot of time...

But sometimes, just sometimes, blogging can inspire the mind of the writer to actually do something blog-worthy. Since the conception of my new food blog called Whole Food Kids, I've had tons of fun poring over internet sites in search of whole food recipes to try out on my kids and blog about. In the process, I have come across an amazing site called Elana's Pantry. Not only does this lady have a really cool name and a lovely face, her recipes use healthy flours, such as almond and coconut flour, and she's got tons of them!

Yesterday I came across one of her chocolate cupcake recipes, and strangely, this recipe called for no flour at all, not even almond flour. I still haven't quite figured out how this cupcake comes together, but it does, in a nearly guilt-free manner. Shown below, the batter right before it goes into the oven...

One disclaimer I have to make, however, is that I tried to follow her vegan chocolate frosting recipe linked to from the brownie recipe, but I must have messed up. Her recipe says to melt dark chocolate and oil, among other ingredients, in a pot, then freeze it for a while, then beat it until smooth. This didn't work at all for me, and it could have been because I left it in the freezer for too long while I was visiting my in-laws. When it comes to visiting the in-laws, you just can't scrimp on time. Anyway, my frosting resulted in a grainy, almost curdled mess. However, I wasn't going to let that deter me. I added a bit of powdered sugar and some water, and just look at the results...

Honestly, I love this frosting much more than the typical butter cream frosting I usually make, so this will be my go-to chocolate frosting from now on. I'm also thinking it would be absolutely DELICIOUS on THIS chocolate cake, which is my favorite chocolate cake recipe in all the world, and is also vegan.

Anyways, here is the recipe, and I hope you love it...

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:
* 1 ½ cups dark chocolate pieces, 73%
* ½ cup almonds
* 3 eggs
* ¼ cup grapeseed oil (or other oil)
* ¼ cup agave nectar
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* ¼ teaspoon sea salt

For the frosting:
* 1 cup dark chocolate pieces, 73%
* ½ cup grapeseed oil (or other oil)
* 2 tablespoons agave nectar
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* pinch sea salt
* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 1-2 TB water

Directions

To make the cupcakes:

1. Place chocolate and almonds in a food processor.

2. Grind until the consistency of coarse sand.

3. Pulse in eggs, grapeseed oil and agave.

4. Then pulse in vanilla and salt.

5. Spoon batter into cupcake tins lined with baking cups
.
6. Bake at 350° for 12–15 minutes.

7. Cool and frost with Vegan Chocolate Icing.

8. Serve.

To make the frosting:

1. In a small saucepan over very low heat, melt chocolate and grapeseed oil.

2. Stir in agave, vanilla and salt.

3. Place frosting in freezer for 15 minutes to chill and thicken.

4. Remove from freezer, add powdered sugar and water, and whip frosting with a hand blender until it is thick and fluffy.

5. Frost over cake, chocolate or vanilla cupcakes or between cookies

Direct recipe link: http://keyingredient.com/recipes/311880/

I am pleased to list this post @...

Today on Whole Food Kids: Purple Fruit and Veggie Popsicles...

Omega-3 Chocolate Ice Cream

Have you ever heard of avocado ice cream? I know of one family who mixes avocados and milk in a blender, pops the mixture in an ice cream machine and serves it to their kids like that. I have to say that they must have taught their children at a very young age to like really gross things, because I know my kids would never eat such a thing.

So the avocado ice cream recipes I have seen in my searches at least call for sugar and spice and everything nice, but it still sounds really gross, and I've never gotten up the courage to try it. Until....

Remember that avocado/orange/chocolate pudding I made a few days ago? It really was delicious, even though my friends in the next town over had a hard time believing me. So, I got to thinking, if avocado chocolate pudding is good, I'll bet avocados would be awesome in ice cream, because of their luscious creaminess and their healthy fat content. I was right. Look at this chocolate-y goodness...

You can be satisfied to look at all the pretty pictures, but if you'd like the recipe, come on over to my Whole Food Kids blog. Plus, I give a tip there for another use for chocolate avocado ice cream which involves cute pictures of the twins. Yes, I'm trying to tempt you. Thanks for listening.

Oh, and the following photo has nothing to do with Omega-3 Chocolate Ice Cream. I just wanted to show you how cute the 13-year-old boy looks in his father's army fatigues. He dressed up this way to participate in a school museum display....

Some adults visiting the school actually thought he was a real soldier and respectfully shook his hand. He loved that!