Granola - A Kimba's Kitchen Specialty

Homemade granola for the speakers of at the 2014 Rhode Island Obesity Symposium!

4 cups rolled oats

4 cuts assorted raw nuts and/or pumpkin seeds (I use almonds, walnuts, pecans and pumpkin seeds)

1 stick butter

1/2 cup 100% pure maple syrup

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with PAM.

2. Melt butter in saucepan. Then remove from heat and mix in maple syrup. Pour over oat and nut mixture. Stir until everything is covered/wet with the butter (this takes multiple turns as it is a lot of mix for a little fluid).

3. Pour onto baking sheet and evenly cover the entire sheet with the granola.

4. Bake for 25 minutes, then rotate the sheet 180 degrees and bake another 10-20 minutes more (the time depends on how brown you like your granola).

5. Remove sheet from oven and place on wire rack. Let cool completely, before storing in containers. Put containers in the cupboard not in the ice box. Enjoy with yogurt, as cereal or even a top a frozen treat like ice cream!

Baked Brie

This is always a crowd pleaser at parties/gatherings, and it makes you look like a fantastic cook, but baked brie is super simple and will take you 5 minutes to put together and about 15 minutes to bake.

*1 wheel (or wedge depending on how many people you will be serving) French Brie (I actually buy mine at Costco – GASP – because the local grocery only usually has Presidente, but you might be able to find a high quality triple cream brie in your local grocery or cheese shop.
*Phyllo dough – about 6-8 sheets
*Jam – I prefer Rosepetal, Apricot or Lingonberry but raspberry or spiced pear would be wonderful as well
*Butter – 1 tablespoon, melted

1. Thaw the roll of phyllo dough (while still wrapped or it will dry out). When soft, open packaging and unroll the whole thing.
2. Place large spoonful of jam down on the dough and spread around until roughly the size in diameter of the cheese.
3. Unwrap cheese and carefully shave off the rind on the sides and top. If you don’t get it all that is ok, it does not taste bad
4. Place cheese down on dough, shaved side to jam. Then take up about 6-8 sheets of the dough and wrap them over the bottom of the brie like you were wrapping a present. I usually roll the rest of the dough back up, place in ice box and use within a week for something else.
5. Flip brie over and place jam side up in baking dish. Pour melted butter over the top and bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, once the top starts to brown your brie is finished!

Serve with cracker, pear and apple slices.

Enjoy!

Lemon "Cheesecake"

Oatmeal Cinnamon Crust:
1 cup rolled oats (old fashion oats)
1/2 cup brown rice flour (can take uncooked brown rice and grind in food processor)
1/2 cup ground walnuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tables pure maple syrup (grade B has more vitamins then grade A)
1/4 cup grapeola (or canola oil)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine oats, flour, walnuts, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl and mix well.
3. Combine vanilla, maple syrup and oil in a bowl and then whisk into dry ingredients.
4. Press firmly into a greased 8 or 9" spring form pan (or you can use a baking dish), bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes - then cool for 30 minutes before filling.

Filling:
1/2 cup millet (or amaranth or brown/tan quinoa)
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoon lemon zest
(1/2 cup silken tofu - optional)

1. Combine millet and water in a saucepan, bring to a bowl, then let simmer covered until water is completely absorbed.
2. While millet is cooking, blend cashews, lemon, maple syrup, vanilla and zest (and tofu if using) in food processor, process on high speed until completely smooth.
3. Pour in warm millet and process for another 3 minutes on high.
4. Pour into cooled crust and let sit at room temp for 1 hour. Then place plastic wrap over top and cool in ice box for another 4 hours before serving.

Topping:
8oz fruit preserves (cherry, raspberry, guava, strawberry, blueberry, ligonberry, orange etc)
sliced fruit like kiwi or berries for decoration

1. Heat preserves and spread evenly over cooled filling.
2. Decorate with fresh fruit.

ENJOY!!

Hey there cupcake

If you are looking for a yum-tastic treat for your November gatherings try these Pumpkin cupcakes with Maple-cream cheese frosting. Another NYC-Ivy discovery, the recipe itself needs to be credited to Ina Garten, but delicious these puppies are! You could make a substitution or two for some healthier attributes like using grapeola instead of vegetable oil for fish-free omega-3s, and fat free cream cheese in the frosting but I would for sure still use real butter as it is much better for you then margarine.

Makes 10 cupcakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup canned pumpkin purée (8 ounces), not pie filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar,
1/2 cup vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup maple syrup
Maple Frosting (recipe follows)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Heath bars, for serving (2 1.4-ounce bars)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and vegetable oil. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.
3. Divide the batter among the prepared tins and bake for 20 min, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.
4. Spread the cupcakes with the Maple Frosting and sprinkle with the chopped toffee bits.

Maple Frosting
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon Maple extract
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ½ cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and butter on low speed until smooth. Stir in the maple flavoring , maple syrup and vanilla extract.
2. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Pie time!

Well we have all heard the phrase "as American as apple pie" and hopefully I am not ruining to many lives when I remind people that apple pie is not an 'American' invented item, similar to how the French Fry is not actually French, anyway, I digress. I tasted my first apple pie of the season on Martha's vineyard, and it was buried in quality and flavor by the blueberry-peach pie that was also served. Disappointed, I thought that perhaps this was not going to be a good apple pie season, much like the weather this fall has drown us with rain and the summer failed to scorch us with heat (for those of you who don't know - I LOOOOOOVE the heat :) ). But Ivy came to visit from NYC two weekends ago and revived my spirits, alright I admit it, revived my faith in bakers that apple pie this fall will definitely be delicious.

Her homemade pie was, in fact, the best apple pie I can remember. It actually looked as though she has hand placed the layers of apple inside it (and if she did this I will take her to Butler Hospital on her next visit to have her head examined). The crust (which she thanked the infamous Martha Stewart for) was flaky, buttery, semi-sweet but yet a perfect compliment to its apple insides. She graciously has allowed me to post her recipe - and you ought to give this sucker a try, or, if you can find her, knock on her NYC door, and I bet she will bake one just for you!

Pie Crust- courtesy of Martha Stewart

Makes 1 double crust 9 inch pie (my apple pie recipe only uses one so you can make 2 pies)

2 Cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt12 TB (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter
3 TB margarine or shortening3 TB sugar (can omit this if making a savory pie, this addition is not part of the Martha recipe)
1/4 Cup ice water

1. In a large bowl sift the flour and salt. cut the chilled butter and margarine/shortening add into the flour and shortening add sugar and with a pastry cutter or paddle attachment on mixer mix until the resembles coarse meal.
2. Add ice water little by little till it forms a ball. Don't over handle
3. wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hr. When ready to use again don’t over handle and keep the mixture as cool as possible

German Apple Pie (for 1 pie, so double if doing above pie crust recipe)

6-8 granny smith apples
1/2cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Peel, quarter and slice apples thin and set aside, sprinkle w lemon to keep from turning brown
3. Combine apples sugar and sour cream. Sprinkle 2tbsps bread crumbs or matzo meal on the bottom of the pie shell to prevent it from becoming mushy.
4. Place apple mixture into the shell. In another bowl combine brown sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon, first w/fork then with fingers until crumbly.
5. Sprinkle over pie. Put a strip of tinfoil around the fluted edge of the pie shell to prevent over browning. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 20min at 425, then reduce heat to 375 and back for 30 min or longer.

So cute!!

I couldn't resist shooting some film of these super cute, very well done cookies from a baby shower my mom attended yesterday. The shower was for a neighbor, who also happens to be an event planner, so we knew the party was going to be well decorated. The shortbread cookies, had a nice buttery taste, but the frosting was very hard (due to the nature of the event, you don't want the frosting to smudge and so it has more of a fondant quality to it). I have yet to try the rice crispy treat, but I am sure I will leave it pocketbook top as is - lord knows I don't need a chipped tooth :) Obviously, my favorite one was of the rocking pony - and it was indeed the first one i tried as well! If you need an even planner check out: Kate Lander's Event Planning

Power Muffins

This is a low fat muffin recipe which is nice and sweet and full of vitamins and iron!

Makes 16 muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached flour
½ cup protein powder or wheat germ
1 tablespoon Baking powder
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 ripe bananas or ½ cup unsweet applesauce
¾ cup soy or almond milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup blackstrap molasses
¼ cup pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup raisins or chopped dates or walnuts (or a mix!)

1. Heat oven to 350 – spray a 12 cup muffin tin
2. Mix ingredients 1-6 in large bowl
3. Mash bananas separately then mix milk, oil, molasses, syrup, vinegar
4. Combine wet ingredients into the dry ones – stir in dried fruit
5. Fill muffin cups and bake for 17-20 minutes – muffin will start to pull away from the side of pan when done

You can add walnuts or pecans if you like or replace the bananas with chopped apples!

ENJOY!

JP Licks - New Spring Flavors

Spring has sprung in Massachusetts - sort of...and JP Licks has released their newest flavors! Their Red Sox themed line up is sure to be a bigger hit the season starting record for Sox Nation.

Batter Up! = cake batter ice cream with brownie bits
Peanut Butter Beckett Chip = peanut butter ice cream with sweet chocolate chips (probably will be my favorite!!)
Papelbon Pineapple Sherbet
Youk's Manischewitz Sorbet = Manischewitz wine
Noodle Kugel = tender egg noodles blended with brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg

Check out the closest JP Licks to you! Newest location is opening in Wellesley Center! Be sure to sign up for a Licks Card to get points towards free coffee and ice cream scoops!

[Blank] Chip Cookies

The [Blank] in this is that you can use what ever you want - raisins, chocolate, white chocolate, carob (vegan chocolate chips), crasins, cherries, nuts - whatever! They are lower in fat and higher in protein then most cookies - I hope they come out great for you!

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup non-fat plain or Greek plain yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chip/nut/fruit of your choice

1. Heat oven to 375
2. In large bowl combine sugar, brown sugar, margarine/butter - beat until well mixed and creamy.
3. Add yogurt and vanilla - blend well again. Stir in flours and baking soda - mix well - blend in chips.
4. Grease a cookie sheet. Drop teaspoon-tablespoon sized balls on cookie sheet a couple of inches apart. Bake ~ 10 minutes or until light golden brown.
5. Remove from cookie sheet and ....
ENJOY!!!

Carrot Cookies

Carrot + Cookie? Really? Does this equation add up to = delicious? Actually it does! (Or I wouldn't bother to put it here right!) These cookies are an easy-to-transport substitute for carrot cake (especially if you put a little swipe of fat free cream cheese and sprinkle a few walnuts bits on top!)

1/2 cup soft margarine
1/4 cup honey
2/3 cups Splenda
1 tablespoon water
1 cup raw carrots, grated
2 egg whites, beaten
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups raw oatmeal, quick oats
1 cup raisins (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees

1. In large bowl cream together margarine, honey, water, Splenda. Add in egg whites and carrots.
2. Mix together rest of ingredients and gradually stir into wet ingredients. Be sure all flour is mixed in but do not over stir.
3. Drop teaspoon-tablespoon sized balls of dough onto greased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly. Bake for approximately 10 minutes until lightly browned.
ENJOY!!

Pie Mania

Apple picking was quite a time. It really brings out the child in you! We drove about 30 minutes west of Waltham, MA to Bolton, MA to the Bolton Spring Farm for some apple picking and of course warm cider donuts! First stop on arrival, donut booth. I had never had cider donuts. They come warm, covered with cinnamon and sugar and completely melt on contact with the tongue and roof of the mouth. I was pretty hungry, hadn't eaten lunch and it was about 12:30 at this point. So that was a good short term fix and it was quite delicious as well!

Off to the orchard we go across the street. We buy a 1/2 bushel sack (about 25 pounds) for $20. (I want to say right now - 25 pounds is A LOT of apples!) Anyway, so off we go - there is a mountain covered with apple trees in front of us. I dart off with one of my friends as we decide to race each other up the side of this apple tree mountain (like this is a good idea), we got half way up and ran out of gas - literally. I grabbed an apple off the ground and started munching. It was crisp and juicy, and almost exploded when I bit into it. There was not a hint of the mealiness which plagues store bought apples. The flesh was so white and the skin so red with a small spot of green making it look quite fabulous! Spam won the prize for the most perfect apple right off the tree, with a leaf and it was shiny right off the tree!!

The five of us ladies roamed the orchards for about one hour, picking apples, discussing Halloween costumes, restaurants, an upcoming wedding and high school drama until that 1/2 buschel sack got to be to much of a pain to carry. We started back to the car with 25 pounds of apples and one very bruised nose. You see, the toddler in me needed to get the perfect apple from WAYYY high up in the tree. In my effort to reach it, I shook another apple loose and it plummeted to the ground, only my upwards facing face was in the way of it hitting the Earth. Instead, it smacked my sunglasses right into the bridge of my nose and that doesn't feel to nice - I assure you of that!

Then after a picnic and the purchasing of more cider donuts, we headed home to commence the pie baking. Spam brought a recipe for hybrid between a pie and a crumble. That recipe only got used for one of the 6 pies though. The rest were termed 'experiments' which lacked precise measuring and even any realm of thought at all. We filled some with pecans or walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, butter, nutmeg, cloves, apple cider and obviously apples! Some had pie crust tops, some the crumble/streusel topping - one even had both! The "purse" pie was deemed best looking, due to folded appearance on top, but all of them tasted fantastic. We even got the three boys up from the basement (with very little coaxing - they kept coming up to check on the status of the pies under the pretense that they needed more beer). We conned one into going to Shaw's to buy ice cream and then sat them down to help us consume these fresh fruit wonders. It really is amazing how different a frozen pie tastes from a homemade one with store bought apples to a homemade one with hand picked apples. There is just no comparison. The fresh apples melt down slightly with the heat, their sweet nectar fills the pie and spreads the sugar and spices throughout, covering each apple slice perfectly. As the crust browns up the smells of browning butter fill the house and relax your mind and body - taking you back to childhood winter holidays! I could do that at least one day per week - how relaxing - especially with great friends!

Substitutions

Some of our favorite recipes we shy away from because of their salt, sugar, or fat content. Here are some suggestions of replacement ingredients to help lighten the load of your favorite recipes!

Recipe calls for-> You should add instead:
Butter - Olive oil if sauting, apple sauce if baking
Vegetable Oil - apple sauce, mashed ripe bananas, fig paste/jam
Milk chocolate - 85% or more dark chocolate
Eggs - egg whites
Sour cream - non-fat, plain yogurt
Reg. Ricotta cheese - part-skim ricotta+non-fat cottage cheese (for lasagna or cheese cake)
Bottled salad dressing - olive or safflower oil + vinegar + dijon mustard
Sugar (in a sauce/soup) - raisins (then strain/sift them out)
Sugar (in baked goods) - Splenda, agave, Stevia
Buttermilk - skim milk (1 cup)+1 tablespoon vinegar/lemon juice
Mayo - low fat mayo/miracle whip, hummos on sandwich, balsamic+mustard for salad

Challah!

While the rap revolution may have popularized the word (written in the slang "HOLLA!") not much has changed in the way of making this ancient holy Jewish bread. It doesn't do all that well sitting around, so it really is best enjoyed fresh from the oven or later the same day you bake it.


1 teaspoon yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 teaspoon sugar
4 large eggs
1/3 stick of butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups, unbleached white flour (you will need more then this most likely)

1. In a large bowl combine water, sugar, yeast - let sit 2-3 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, crack eggs into a smaller bowl, and whisk to break up yolks and combine with whites.
3. Melt butter in a saucepan on the stove.
4. Combine butter and eggs into the yeast/water bowl. Add 4 cups flour and the salt.
5. Keeping one hand 'wet' (in bowl), and one hand 'dry' (holding onto bowl), swirl your hand in a circular motion to start combining the ingredients. As the dough begins to form a ball you can start to kneed it with the one hand in the bowl. Add more flour as your need it if the dough becomes to sticky to work with. Continue to knead until dough is soft and smooth - maybe 5-7 minutes.
6. Remove dough from bowl, drizzle bowl with olive oil, replace dough in bowl and roll in oil to completely coat.
7. Place kitchen towel over bowl and let rise 45 minutes - 1 hour.
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet with PAM cooking spray.
9. Divide dough into 3 sections. (Technically it should be six, and at one point I was taught how to properly braid the Challah with its 6 sections but I can't lie, I don't remember how to do it in the slightest!)
10. Taking each each section by itself, place both your hands side-by-side on top of the piece of dough. Roll your hands simultaneously back and forth over dough moving the hands outward to the edges as the dough starts to roll out into a rod formation. Lengthen the dough to about 1 foot. Repeat with remaining two pieces of dough.
11. Place the three rods of dough next to each other. pinch the top end together, then start braiding it as you would hair. When you get to the bottom, pinch the three ends together again to form a seal so that the braid doesn't unwind in the oven. Transfer to baking sheet and put into oven.
12. Bake for 30 minutes. It will be slightly browned and will have risen to almost double in size.
13. ENJOY!!!

Serve with traditional accompaniments of honey and Kosher salt or butter if you like or just enjoy piping hot from the oven with lunch or dinner!

Blueberry & Bran Muffins

This recipe is courtesy of one of my patients. She baked these low fat, low sugar muffins for me and they are delightful! You won't miss a thing!

Makes 12-16 muffins

1 cup whole bran cereal
2/3 cup skim milk
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
1/4 cup liquid egg
2 tablespoons Canola cooking oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup blueberries

1. Spray 12 - 2 1/2 inch muffin cups with non stick spray. Set aside
2. In small bowl, mix bran cereal and milk. Set aside.
3. In medium bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt.
4. In another bowl (this is a lot of bowls!) mix applesauce, egg, oil, vanilla. Stir in the bran cereal. Add this mixture all at once to the dry ingredients. Stir until just moist.
5. Fold in blueberries.
6. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 way full. If desired, sprinkle a few crystals of sugar on top for texture when eating.
7. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

ENJOY with some fabulous coffee or a glass of milk!

Strawberries standing tall

Spring time means flowers, warm weather, first trips to the beach and succulent spring harvest strawberries! There is nothing better than a fresh strawberry shortcake on a summer's afternoon. Making fresh biscuits to use as the base and serving the treat with still warm biscuits is the secret to the success of this one!

For 6 servings

3 Cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1 pint half & half
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon Splenda or Sugar
sprinkle of cinnamon
6 fresh made biscuits (biscuit recipe below)


Biscuits
2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup skim milk

1. Combine all ingredients in bowl - do not over mix - just form into a mass
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
3. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter, dump dough ball on flour, flatten to about 1 inch thickness
4. Either use cookie cutter to cut out 6 rounds or cut with a knife into 6 squares
5. Coat cookie sheet with cooking spray
6. Place biscuits on cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes
7. Remove and place biscuits on wire rack to cool slightly

MEANWHILE
1. Whip up half and half to desired thickness in a metal bowl with a wire whip, once happy with consistency of cream, add vanilla, sugar and cinnamon and whip to combine
2. If strawberries are not already sliced, go at it

TO CREATE:
1. Slice open a biscuit
2. Place approx 1-2 tablespoons cream on bottom half, then 1/2 cup strawberries, then 1-2 tablespoons cream and then put the top back on
3. Serve with extra cream if needed!
ENJOY!

Don't settle for bad bread

A follower recently had a baby who has since been diagnosed with soy and dairy allergies. At first thought that doesn't seem like a huge life altering disaster, but the baby is breast fed and thus mom can no longer eat soy or dairy products as she will pass those allergens through her system and breast milk to the baby. The only real problem mom has had with this restriction is finding bread at the store which does not contain soy or dairy (today food manufacturers get their kicks from putting dry milk solids and soy lecithin in everything!). She found one product at Whole Foods but stated that it tasted "atrocious". Being a bread fanatic myself, I understand her pain and so here, my dear, is a bread recipe you can make at home which will taste 4 times better anyway because you are going to eat it piping hot from your own oven!


1 teaspoon yeast (I get the Bread Machine yeast in a jar-it ends up being cheaper)
2 cups warm water
4-6 cups UNBLEACHED white flour (you might need even more)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried rosemary (optional)

1. Find a BIG bowl in your house. Combine yeast and water in the bowl. Give the yeast about 3 minutes to start to "wake up" before putting any more ingredients in.
2. Add 4 cups of flour, oil, then salt (and rosemary if desired).
3. Combine ingredients. Use one in the bowl, and hold onto the bowl with the other hand here is your motto, "One hand dry, one hand wet." Swirl the 'wet' hand around in ingredients to get the flour to incorporate into the water at the beginning.
4. Continue to add more flour (about 1/4 cup at a time). Each time making sure to kneed all the loose flour into the dough. You will have to kneed it for about 7-10 minutes, adding a dusting of flour each time the dough gets to sticky. You will kneed the dough until it starts to feel soft and look smooth - not straited or bubbly.
5. When the dough feels nice, take it out of the bowl and put a drizzle of olive oil in the bottom of the bowl. Replace the dough into bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with dish towel and let rise on counter top for 1+ hours.
6. Heat oven to 375. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam. Punch down dough and form into a ball or loaf-type shape and place on cookie sheet. Let dough rise a few minutes while the oven heats up.
7. Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes
ENJOY!

Pronunciation does not matter...

WHEN YOU TASTE THIS GOOD!!

After I left you yesterday, I ventured to Watertown in search of Eastern Lamajoon, WHen I missed a turn at the 5-way intersection with routes 16 & 20 in Watertown I gracefully ended up on the door step of the Arax Armenian Market, so I thought, "What the heck!" In I went. We already know that I can't pronounce the name of the dish I am making so finding the proper dough is going to be a challenge in this market (literally a room) crowded with fresh vegetables, canned goods, spices, olives and cheese. I must ask for help. I look around, there are three men with almost black hair and dark skin loudly joking in what is either Turkish or Armenian. I can't ask them, my accent and pronunciation are horrible, I will totally give myself away as the Armenian with no tie to the homeland. I look around again - BINGO! They employ a black man! He cheerfully shows me where the Khadayeef dough is and then grinds me some Malab from the spice counter, sending me on my way with a "Good Luck Miss!". Mission accomplished!

At home I melt the butter and gradually pull apart the Khadayeef dough, which I have learned is just shredded phyllo dough. I must combine the dough and butter so all strands are coated. By the time I finish this process the kitchen floor looks as if I dumped burnt, dried grass clippings all over it - booooo - I'll clean that up later. I made the syrup and let it cool according to Grandma Sally's instructions. I layer the dough in a Pyrex with a cheesey filling and walnuts coated in cinnamon. Into the oven we go! 30 minutes later, it is nicely browned. I remove it and like the super granddaughter that I am, follow my instructions to pour the cooled syrup over the top of the hot Khadayeef. Except my syrup is a little to cool now, it doesn't really pour but more glops out of the pan - I am frighted to go against my directions to heat it back up so I proceed. What SHOULD happen next is that the syrup seeps throughout the whole pan of Khadayeef and makes the dessert more dense and moist. Instead, mine looked more like a glazed donut. The dough was moist but it was loose when you tried to remove it from the pan. Ho-hum, first timer mistakes I guess, I am no superstart Armenian Grandmother baker yet that is for sure! I am not giving up on this one though! I will attempt to make it again - I just have to practice my Armeturkglish accent first!

Grades:
Taste -> A- (Flavor was good, I would have liked it to have the denser texture I remembered)
Execution -> B- (Syrup is clearly a big factor in this one, better get that part right!)

How do you pronounce that again?!

Today I embark on a small, yet precarious journey down the path to my favorite Armenian dessert - the one with the shredded wheat like pastry dough and creamy cheesey type filling, which I have now been informed is called - Khadayeef. No I can not pronounce that for you, I can barely spell it (though this rendition I copied from Paree Josh! a collection of treasured Armenian recipes.

My father also loves this dessert and instructed me to consult Grandma Sating "Sally" for her friend Ethel's recipe. Apparently Ethel made THE BEST Kadayeef and why wouldn't she, her name was Ethel which is only the most appropriate name for a grandmother or a friend of your grandmother! I phoned Grandma Sally and she wasn't too much help. She has Ethel's recipe but "it is down the Cape house" so it looks like I am going to try this out through my own research.

First, I need to find Khadayeef dough which apparently resembles shredded wheat. "Can I just buy shredded wheat, Grandma?" "Kimberly! Don't be foolish! Of course not! You must get Khadayeef dough but you are not just going to drive down and find it at the Publix (she lives in Florida with every other person over age 70 of course) you will have to go to Eastern Lamajoon" (a favorite Middle East market in Watertown). So in a few minutes, I will drive the 30 minutes to the market to find this dough that I have no idea what it looks like, and I have no idea how to properly pronounce it when I ask the attendant for help, and I have no idea if it will be marked with its Armenian name or its Turkish name! Ahhhhhhh! If and when I finally secure the correct ingredient, I will return home, stand in front of my stove and weigh my options. The only thing Grandma Sally could remember about the preparation of Khadayeef was that "one thing needs to be hot and one thing needs to be cold." Keskace? Come again? What are you talking about Grandma! "Well either the dough needs to hot and the syrup cold or the dough needs to be cold and the syrup hot when you make it. They can not both be the same temperature or it comes out poor, but I can't remember which way it is supposed to go." Well I have a 50/50 shot of getting it right or getting it shitty, hopefully when that moment of truth arises the bulb will light up over my brain and I will be off and running. Until then we can only pray......

Phantom Gourmet Food & Wine Phest

My first experience at this stop on the foodie pilgrimage trail was full of fun and treats. The Bay Side Expo Center, though slightly old and grungy, still houses this ever growing event. Participants show their spirit for The Phantom Gourmet by wearing eggplant purple attire and accessories: shirts, eyeliner, beads and one brave soul even wore a purple body suit! The Andelman Brothers (Dave is pictured above) were on hand to share in the excitement and for the ever popular photo op.

The food vendors came from all over MA to showcase their delights. Everything from pizza to bruscetta, quesidillas, fried chicken, chocolate dipped strawberries, cheese, cookies, cakes, pretty much anything you can imagine filling tables positioned inbetween "watering stations" of unlimited free wine and champagne! The Chowdah station had a fantastic game to win a free t-shirt or sweatshirt. While no one from my clan of friends managed to master the game and take home a prize, I managed to put myself in charge of the game station for 10 rounds. No one was allowed to take their turn without screaming "BEST CHOWDAH EVA". When one girl finally won a t-shirt, I retired, allowing the man who was actually in charge to heckle the players once a again.

Black Tie Cookies was by far, in my book, the best station there! Who wouldn't want all the scrumptious, individually wrapped cookies you can eat and then stuff the ones you can't eat in your purse for a pleasant surprise in the morning! Now I am a chewy cookie girl, I like them to be so chewy they are almost raw, but these cookies were of the crumbly variety. They were moist, and chuck full of flavor and add-ons like chips or nuts. They melted on the tongue into a tsunami of chocolate and white chocolate flavors. After Queen, the girls and I had our fill of these delights we headed to the side room to dance off our sugar rush.

Already can't wait for next year!

Kimba's Cookies

These are the favorite cookies of Team Ashmeadow and Kimba's Kitchen's biggest fan Miss Queen. Hopefully you too will be hooked!

1 batch ~ 14-20 depending on size

Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup (2 sticks butter/margarine/non dairy substitute like EarthBalance)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup Splenda **
1/2 cup brown sugar **
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup natural peanut butter (I like Smuckers creamy or crunchy!) ##
2 cups flour

Steps:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat
3. Add oats and stir until all oats are covered in butter
4. Let cook 10 minutes, stirring gently every 2-3 minutes (be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir but don't grind the oats into a pulp you want the oats to stay whole not look like oatmeal)
5. In a separate bowl, combine Splenda, sugar, vanilla, applesauce, peanut butter and mix together
6. When the oats are golden brown color (or you can start to smell the nutty 'brown butter' scent from the pan) mix oats into the bowl with other ingredients and stir to thoroughly combine
7. Add 1 cup of flour and mix it in. Then slowly add the second cup a little at a time each time stirring the batter to incorporate (you may not have to use the full second cup of flour). You want the batter to just barely hold its shape if you move it in the bowl, yet you do not want it to be runny or really soft
8. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam or some other cooking spray
9. Scoop cookie dough into balls (slightly larger then a golf ball) and place on cookie sheet approximately 5 across and 4 down no need to flatten)
10. Bake for 17 minutes, rotating cookie sheet half way through
11. Remove cookies when finished. Remove cookies from baking sheet and place on wire rack to cool for storage
12. ENJOY!!! Fresh and warm from the oven, cooled, frozen, as a topper to ice cream!

**Splenda can be omitted and in which case you would use total of 1.5 cups brown sugar

##Instead of peanut butter try using: butterscotch chips, cinnamon chips, dark chocolate, raisins, white chocolate, or combinations like: dark chocolate with dried cherries, cranberry pecan, white chocolate with dried cranberries, dried apricots with walnuts, chocolate and cashew - the creation possibilities are ENDLESS! :)

Nutritional breakdown (with Butter & natural peanut butter) if you make 20 cookies
per 1 cookie:
239 calories, 14 grams fat (3 grams saturated fat), 4 grams protein, 2 grams fiber