Just in time for Hallowe'en! Witch Fingers & Ogre Toes!

I was reading one of my favorite food blogs, Macheesmo and came across a recipe for Witch Fingers.  I needed something relatively sugar free and healthy for snacks at my clients' upcoming Hallowe'en Party, and these (see his picture) were my inspiration!  If you would like to make Macheesmo's recipe, follow this link:
http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/10/witch-fingers/?  I decided due to my time constraints to simply use frozen bread dough rolls!

 

 

Witch's Fingers & Ogre's Toes!

 

 

2 packages frozen dough dinner rolls

Sesame Seeds

1 egg, lightly beaten

Whole or Half Almonds

Cashews

Red & Green Food Coloring

 

1.  Allow dough to defrost until dough is soft, but has not begun to rise (1-1.5 hours on my countertop.
 

2.  For the witch's fingers, cut each roll in half, and roll snake-fashion into 'fingers' approx 3-4 inches in length.  I twisted them also, so get the lumpy knuckles affect.    For the Ogre's Toes, simply cut each roll in have, form into an oval/egg shape.

3.  Put several drops of GREEN food color into a plastic bag, add 1 tsp water, being careful *not* to dilute the color too much. Add enough almonds (for the nails) and cashews (for the claws) to the bag, and squeeze thoroughly, getting each nut coated in green.  In another small bowl or saucer, add several drops of RED food coloring, undiluted.  Using a fine paint brush, paint one end of each 'finger' and 'toe' with the red food coloring.  Push the almond and cashews into the dough firmly.
 

4.  Place on a parchement lined sheet pan.

5.  Cover the pans with oiled plastic wrap and let rise approx 30 minutes in a warm draft-free area..

6.  Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds

7.  Bake 15-20 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven until lightly golden in color..

 

On Macheesmo's Blog, he has a very yummy mustard/mayo dip to serve with his fingers.  I plan to warm up some marinara sauce for mine!

 

Hope you have a Fun Hallowe'en!

 



Back to the Blog!

It's been ages since I've posted.  What can I say? Life gets busy!!! But, the holidays are coming, (we've already celebrated "Canadian" Thanksgiving with my family, but there's certainly more to come!  I want to share an awesome dessert I made from a recipe I found on ..where else?.. Pinterest! This got raves at our Thanksgiving Feast!  It is very easy, and you make it in a crockpot!  Before you start, make sure you have a heat-proof bowl or casserole dish that will sit inside your crockpot.  This is because the cake is actually cooking inside the dish, which sits in your crockpot, to which you add a cup or so of water (enough to come half-way up the side of the bowl).  It gently steams, and the results are amazing!!!!

                            Slow-Cooker Turtle Cake





Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours, 55 minutes

Ingredients:

• 21 oz. pkg. brownie mix
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 14 unwrapped caramels, cut in half

Preparation:

Place a vegetable steamer or other low rack on the bottom of a 5-quart slow cooker. Pour in 4 cups hot tap water and turn to high heat. (I just used a piece of tin foil that I crumpled up)

In a large bowl, combine the brownie mix, 1/2 cup water, oil, and egg and beat with a wooden spoon to mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Spray a 2 1/2-quart souffle dish that fits in the 5-quart slow cooker with nonstick baking spray containing flour. Pour brownie mixture into the dish. Push the caramels pieces partially into the batter, but do not push all the way into the brownie mixture.

Wrap the dish in a double thickness of foil. Tie with kitchen string, making a handle to make the dish easier to remove. Place on the rack in the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on the high heat setting 4-1/2 hours. Remove the dish from the slow cooker, remove string and foil, and let cool 30 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream. 8 servings.

If you have a newer hotter cooking crockpot, check the cake at 3 hours. The cake will be very

fudgy but should be set at the edges.  Serve warm with ice cream!  Yum!

Salsa Verde for Every Day and Every Food!!!!

During our first week's foray into low carb eating, I came across this delicious and easy dressing/dip/sauce!! It's amazing! The flavors lend themselves to just about anything you could think of! I first made it as an accompaniement to some grilled pork tenderloin. Then, the next day, on a whim, I brought some to work in a little dish to have with my raw veggies. We've also spooned it over scrambled eggs, used it as a salad dressing, and mixed it with egg yolk for devilled eggs!! Can you think of anything this versatile!??? Give it a try, and let me know how you liked it!

Salsa Verde

1 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves and stems
1/2 cu flat-loeaf parsley leaves and stems
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp finely chopped onion (I like to use shallots)
1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice (1 lime)
1-2 cloves finely choped garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Throw everything into the food processor, and pulse until creamy. Keeps forever in the fridge, but I guarantee it won't last!!

Salmon with a low Carb Twist!

So, Thom & I are embarking on an "Atkins" style eating plan, where carbohydrates are restricted, (pretty severely for the 'induction' or beginning phase). I want to try to lower my blood sugar levels more through diet, and, quite honestly, I have gained a few pounds this summer, that I'm finding hard to lose. Thom has been working hard in the gym, and wanted to kick his shape up program into a higher gear, so we decided to try the program. So far we have learned a couple of lessons: #1, I CANNOT eat a salad for lunch and a salad for dinner, I don't care how much protein is in there! One salad a day. No problem, there are a ton of great choices for dinner. #2, I liked carbs A LOT! Both Thom & I were a little surprised at how we missed just reaching for a piece of bread, or crackers, or having a potato or pasta or rice with our meals!! That's been an eye-opener, but so far we are doing well, and making good use of the extra snacks that are part of this eating plan. So, one of the first meals we made was this salmon dish. The salsa topping was *really* good, but what makes the meal outstanding, is the side dish of Cauliflower, Broccoli simply steamed and served with some EVOO, and 1/4 cup sliced calamata olives and a bare shake of dried red peppers.

For 4 servings:

1 pound salmon fillet, cut into 4 portions
2 Tbsp. oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. Salt & 1/2 tsp. Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 475.

Once the oven is at temp, place the butter and oil in a heavy oven proof skillet (large enough to hold the fish in one layer) or casserole, in the oven for 4 minutes.

Season the fish with the salt and pepper. Place skin-side UP in the skillet. Bake for 10 minutes, turning carefully once, halfway through the cooking time. Use two egg lifters, as you don't want to lose the nice brown crust that will have formed on the fish. Once cooked, remove from the oven, out of skillet onto platter, tent with foil.

Meanwhile, cut up 2 cups cauliflower and 2 cups of broccoli into flowerets, and cook in boiling water until tender crisp. Drain.

Add the cauliflower and broccoli to the skillet, drizzle the olive oil and add the olives. Return to the oven for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through.


To Serve: Divide the veggies onto the plates equally, place the fish on top, and dollop the puree on top of the fish. mmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

For the Topping:
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup Roasted red pepper

Pulse in a food processor until pureed.

Zuchinni Fritters for Breakfast! YUM!

Last entry, I posted a recipe for those gigantic zucchini and summer squashes that "hide" under the leaves in your garden until they are the size of little league baseball bats! This weekend, I really wanted to make pancakes, but because Thom & I have begun an "Atkins"-style diet, carbs are not on the menu plan! (More on the diet in the next post!)

Anyway, I had a brainstorm! Use the zucchini fritter recipe, but "tweak" it a little. This is how it turned out!

Quick Zuchinni Fritters

1 lb of zucchini (about 2 medium sized or one honking big one!), coarsely grated
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp Pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. Splenda
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup grape seed oil or olive oil (I used vegetable oil)

Grate the zucchini and place in a clean tea towel, wring/squeeze to get as much water out as possible. Set aside

In a large bowl, beat the egg, with the vanilla extract and the sugar. Add the zucchini, and the flour. Stir well.

Heat the oil in a skillet to approx 375-400degrees. Place a generous heaping tablespoonful of the zucchini in the pan, and flatten it out with the back of the spoon to look like a pancake. Continue with rest of zuccini mix... cook the fritters 3-4 minutes per side, letting them get crispy and golden/brown.

Serve with your fave topping, cinnamon, syrup, butter, etc.
About 44 carbs for the entire recipe.. Recipe serves 4. Sooooo Yummmy!!

Garden Bounty

It seems a perennial summer 'problem'! What to do with those pesky zuchinnis!! You know, not the cute little baby ones you can sautee, or steam.. no, I'm talking about the MONDO-HUMONGOUS-GIGANTIC ones that hide under the leaves, and then when you *do* notice them, you wonder if they were on steroids!!! Well, here is a wonderful, easy recipe for Zuchinni Fritters. I found it at Simply Recipes.com They are like potato pancakes. I think they would freeze well too, and then re-heat just fine in a hot oven. Enjoy!

Quick Zuchinni Fritters

1 lb of zucchini (about 2 medium sized or one honking big one!), coarsely grated
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1 generous teaspoon "Mrs. Dash" or your fave seasoning
1 large egg
2 scallions, finely chopped (I omitted this, as I didn't have any)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grape seed oil or olive oil (I used vegetable oil)
Sour cream or plain yoghurt

1 Salt the zucchini with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Try to remove the excess moisture from the zucchini by squeezing with paper towels. (The original recipe calls for putting the zucchini in a colander set in the sink to let it drain for 10 minutes after salting it. I actually used a clean dish towel, worked great.)

2 Whisk egg in a large bowl; add the zucchini, flour, scallions, seasoning, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Mix to combine well.

3 Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook fritters in two batches. Drop six mounds of batter (2 Tbsp each) into the skillet. Flatten slightly. Cook, turning once, until browned, 4-6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve immediately, with sour cream or plain yoghurt on the side.

Casual Sunday BBQ w/ Family

We capped off a great weekend with a casual get-together with my sister and her partner this weekend. She has 'gifted' us with lot's of yummy veggies from her garden, so we decided to return the 'gifting' by providing the main course for dinner, namely some delicious steak tips from a local farmer who provides the best in organic, grass-fed cattle, from his small farm in Wilton NH. We usually just do a simple marinade, and then throw them on the grill. For starters, we combined my sister's raw veggies, hummus dip and smoked oysters with our offering of kalamata olives with fresh feta cheese, which is drizzled with EVOO, a sprinkling of fresh oregano, and then baked (Or microwaved)just until the olives are warm and the cheese is melted. We also brought an artichoke "marinade" recipe that I got from my mum that is ADDICTIVE. It's so easy, and we end up using it for just about anything, from salad dressing, to a topping for grilled veggies, fish, etc, but it's best served in a little dish to eat spooned on crackers or crusty toasted bread! Best of all, it keeps a long time in the fridge, which makes it the perfect little snack to serve with drinks for drop-in company!

Mum's Artichoke Marinade

1 large jar (16 oz) of artichoke hearts (in oil)save oil/marinade from jar
2 small tins (8 oz each) mushroom bits/stems, drained
20 pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 tsp ginger, finely chopped (must be fresh, do not substitute dried ginger)
2-3 TBSP good extra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar.

Chop artichoke hearts add to a glass bowl, adding the marinade from the jar.
Add the remaining ingredients, stirring well. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving. Keeps weeks in a jar in the fridge. Good as an accompaniment for crackers, bread etc, as well as in salads, and on grilled fish, chicken. Try it in hot pasta. Enjoy!!!