Tiramisu, kugel recipe, and hello from Fort Myers!

I've been away from the kitchen for a while, but please don't leave me!  I will be back!  First, I want to say thank you for reading my posts even though I've been away.  I also want to post the Kugel recipe (Jewish creamy noodle pudding) I never posted..Sorry about that Cotton Floozy!!!
Also, I've taken a picture of a Tiramisu cake I found at Fleamasters Flea Market in Fort Myers.  They were not forthcoming with the recipe. I need to study the cake and try to make it at home...I bought the whole cake because they were all out of slices.   BAD IDEA because it is the best tiramisu I have tasted.  I've been eating it for breakfast AND dessert.  Since it has coffee and cream in it, it is breakfast food, right?

Tiramisu layer cake

The top layer is an espresso cream of some sort, then there is a layer of yellow cake, then a layer of mascarpone whipped up with something, then a layer of the espresso cream, then a layer of cake.  It looks like the bottom cake layer is soaked with Kahlua or espresso or something...not sure.  If you have any ideas, let me know.

Next, I went to a Fort Myers River District restaurant called  The French Connection.  I had the most delcious hot fudge crepe ever!  It had a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream inside.

Hot fudge crepe

On to the kugel recipe which can be easily altered for diabetics.  I took a recipe from allrecipes.com  and altered it. It is Jewish comfort food, but you don't need to be Jewish to love it!!!   This is not a low calorie health food dish. 

I'd rather have a small piece of something fabulous than a large piece of blah! 
That being said, you can easily use lower fat ingredients and use sugar alternatives.

Noodle Kugel (pudding)

Recipe:

Noodle mixture:

1 (8 ounce) package medium or fine egg noodles (medium or fine is the noodle size)

8 tablespoons SALTED butter, sliced

6 large eggs

1/2 cup white sugar (or use 1/4 cup splenda and 1/4 cup agave syrup)

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

4 tablespoons sour cream

1 (16 ounce) container of cottage cheese, creamed (in a food processor or blender)

3/4 cup golden or regular raisins

 Orange liquor and apple juice or just apple juice for soaking raisins (or any sweet unsweetened fruit juice)

Topping ingredients:

8 tablespoons SALTED butter (1 stick), melted

1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar

1.5 cups crushed cornflakes or 1.5 cups rice crispies, not crushed

Optional:

1.5 teaspoons cinnamon

1/8 cup white sugar.

Directions:

First, take the enough apple juice and orange liquor to cover the raisins and put it in a microwaveable bowl.  Heat on high for about 2 minutes or just until hot, but not boiling.  Add raisins and leave on counter soaking for about 15 minutes.   I usually use just apple juice unless I have orange liquor handy.  Then I go half and half.

While raisins soak,

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch glass baking dish.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and stir in 8 tablespoons sliced butter.
3. In a medium bowl beat sugar and cream cheese until smooth, then beat in eggs; stir into noodles and add sour cream, creamed cottage cheese, and salt.  Drain raisins and stir them in.  Transfer mixture to prepared dish.
4. In a small bowl combine melted butter, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, and corn flakes.  Sprinkle over noodle mixture.  Combine cinnamon and 1/8 cup of white sugar and sprinkle on top of corn flakes.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.    Tastes good warm or cold.  Store in refrigerator.

Pumpkin Mousse Double-Layer No Bake Pie!

But first, if you like photography and voting, please visit this site and vote for my pictures if you find any you like.  This picture in particular Maple leaf veins is only 3 votes away from 100 and will win a special "award" when it hits 100!
To vote you need to register (simple on the site above) and click DIG IT or NIX IT. 

Ok, on to the pie!!!
My favorite non-traditional pumpkin pie is silky and creamy with a nutty, buttery graham cracker crust..if you have not tried it, you should!  People are usually impressed with the flavors and especially the crust...

The recipe is adapted from an old Cool Whip recipe and Honey Maid Graham cracker crumbs.   I apologize for the less than spectacular pictures....I was in a hurry!!!

Here is the recipe!

Crust:

1 1/4 cups finely-crushed graham crackers

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup finely chopped toasted pecans

5 Tablespoons melted butter

Or you can use a store-bought graham cracker crust if you don't want to turn your oven on!

Bottom layer:

4 oz cream cheese, softened (I use whole fat, but lower fat would probably be ok)

1 Tablespoon 1/2 and 1/2

1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups Cool Whip  or sweetened whipped heavy cream

Pumpkin mousse layer

3/4 cup half and half (you can use milk or heavy cream also)

2 (3.4 ounce) packages of vanilla flavored instant pudding.

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*

1  Libby's canned pumpkin 15 ounces (I find other brands too watery)

Directions

In a medium-size bowl mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, nuts, and then stir in the melted butter to combine. Press mixture into a 9 inch pie plate and bake in a 350° preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes.   Remove crust from oven and cool to room temperature.  

While crust is cooling soften the cream cheese in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl on 50% power for about 30 seconds .  In a medium-size bowl mix the cream cheese, 1 tablespoon half-and-half, and 1 tablespoon sugar with a wire whisk until well combined. Carefully fold in the 1 1/2 cups of Cool Whip.  Spread this layer on top of the pie crust and refrigerate while preparing the pumpkin topping.

In a large bowl mix the dry pudding mix and pumpkin pie spice to combine.  Then add the 3/4 cups half and half  and mix thoroughly and quickly-the pudding will start to set up so you want to add your pumpkin quickly.  Then whisk in the pumpkin and make sure there are no pudding lumps.. whisk until smooth-it will be thick.

Remove the cooling pie from the refrigerator and top with pumpkin mousse mixture.  Refrigerate for approximately 4 hours or until set.   Enjoy!!

*  you can substitute the following spices for pumpkin pie spice to make approximately 2 teaspoons:

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.

Cinnamon rice crispy treats

I have not been posting lately because I've been taking and entering photos in a photo contest called  Capture Minnesota (see some photos at the end of this post).   However, I still look for baking bargains when I'm out shopping for staples.. I perused the baking aisle at Target the other day looking for nut sales and these caught my eye:

Yup, not nuts.  Cinnamon Bun marshmallows-I had no idea they existed!  I ate a dozen before thinking they would be better for me mixed with vitamin-enriched cereal!!   I substituted them for regular marshmallows and they were a hit! 

They came out a bit more golden than regular rice crispy bars, but they tasted great!  The cinnamon was not too strong...

I just followed the recipe on the rice crispy box, but I did add 5 T butter rather than 4.
If you try them, let me know what you think!  They also have pina colada marshmallows..wonder what they would taste like in a rice crispy bar??????

Photos-all were taken at my house and in my yard...

Noodle pudding-kugel

Monarch "straw"

Lantana berries

Fall leaves abstract

Dying aster

Sugar maple on fire

Sunflower center

Sugar free biscotti (vegan too!)

They say necessity is the mother of invention. A family member of mine has type II diabetes so I'm constantly trying to figure out how to make sugar-free desserts from the desserts I like which are never sugar-free! So I made my vegan cupcakes processed-sugar free by substituting two thirds of a cup of Splenda and a quarter cup of Agave syrup for the 1 cup of white sugar.  The recipe makes enough for 18 cupcakes, but I only have one cupcake pan which serves 12 so I always have leftover batter.   Hmm ... what to do with the left over batter?  Usually I just pour what's left into an 8 x 8 pan and bake it and eat it.   I had biscotti on the brain because I was reading Cookie Madness post Red Velvet Biscotti not too long ago. I figured if Anna could use a cake mix type batter and make biscotti, then I should at least try to do the same. They were excellent and I could not tell they were sugar-free!  Because of the oil they have a crispier texture, not hard and crunchy.  They won't crack your crowns! Also, because no eggs are involved they are just plain easy to make, cholesterol free, and it doesn't matter if the cake is under-done!!!!  
Here is what they looked like, but please don't judge their looks too harshly. They were an afterthought after all!  

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (I used lemon juice)
1 1/4 cups cashew milk or other nut milk (or regular milk if you are not vegan)
2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup AP and one cup whole wheat pastry-next time I'd use all ap or add some regular whole wheat..they didn't stay together well enough with the pastry flour)
2/3 cup granulated splenda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup agave light syrup
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon orange extract 
1 cup raisins
3/4 cup sliced almonds optional


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°
Coat a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick spray or line with nonstick foil.  Set-aside.


Put the one tablespoon of lemon juice into a 2 cup measuring cup. Fill with milk to make 1 and 1/4 cups. Let stand until curdled or about 10 minutes. 
Soak raisins in a hot liquid of your choice for about 10 minutes-then drain.  I use a combination of Capt. Morgan's rum and Triple Sec!   (You may want to drain into a mug to enjoy later!)
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  In a separate bowl whisk together the nut milk lemon mixture, oil, and extract.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just blended.  Mix in the sliced almonds and raisins. 
Pour batter into your 9 x 13 pan. (*Note:  For the cookies pictures here I poured the batter into the pan, did not spread it out, refrigerated it for 15 minutes, and then baked it.  It stayed higher in the middle and thinner towards the edges.)  Here's the tricky part: Bake for 15 minutes and check. When using Splenda baked items seem to get done quicker.  When a toothpick comes out clean they are done. Let the cake cool about an hour. This is a delicate cake so it will crumble if not cool.
Turn oven down to 300°
Slice the cake into biscotti size pieces, lay them on a cookie sheet so the cut edges are facing up and bake for 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven, turn them over, and bake for another 15 minutes. I ended up baking mine a little bit longer, but every oven is different.   Your diabetic friends will thank you for this!

Poppyseed Onion salad dressing

Just a quick post about my FAVORITE salad dressing!  I had a strawberry chicken salad at a local restaurant called Crossroads Deli.  It came with their house poppy seed dressing.  It was love at first bite! When I arrived home I went on a quest to duplicate the dressing.  I succeeded.  I found a recipe in Portal to Good Cooking which tasted exactly like the Deli salad dressing on my first try!
As usual I did modify it just a little to suit my tastes.  It is sweet and savory at the same time.  Who would have thought onions and sugar would go well together?
This dressing goes well with a savory salad such as chicken over greens or with mandarin oranges and toasted pecans over greens.   It goes well with sliced strawberries in a garden salad also.   You must try it!

Recipe:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup vinegar-I use cider vinegar or regular vinegar
1/2 of a medium onion quartered
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons dry mustard
1 cup salad oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions:
In a blender blend  the sugar, vinegar, onion, salt, and dry mustard until mixture is smooth.  At this point you can taste it to see if you need more onion.
Add salad oil. Only blend for 10 or 15 seconds-if you blend it much longer it will get too thick.   Add 1 tablespoon poppy seeds and blend another 5 seconds or so. Refrigerate for an hour before using, but if you run out of time it will be fine to use this dressing right after blending is complete.
Enjoy!

Simple vegan cupcakes-you can lick the bowl!

When I first wanted to bake for someone who was on the low iodine diet, I searched the net for vegan recipes knowing I could use non iodized salt in anything out there.

Immature female Eastern Bluebird at my "vegan restaurant"

I came across this Allrecipes Vegan Cupcake.  I adapted the recipe to suit my tastes, what lived in my pantry, and my temporary diet restriction.   Packaged nut "milks" include sea salt.  So I made my own cashew nut "milk" adapted from here.
One of the good things about vegan batter is you can lick the bowl and utensils with no worries.  If your cupcakes are under done, they are still okay to eat! This recipe makes a moist, delicious cupcake. The flavor reminds me of a breakfast food for some reason.  You can frost them or eat them plain.  I usually drizzle them with a delicious lemon glaze recipe I found on Cookie Madness.  Anna used it on her pumpkin molasses loaves.   This time because I'm on a low iodine diet and I can't have dairy (and I was lazy!), they remained naked.  

 The "flashy" picture

Here is my adapted recipe:
1 tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (I used lemon juice)
1 1/2 cups cashew milk or other nut milk
2 cups all-purpose flour (I use 1 cup AP and one cup whole wheat pastry)
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon orange extract (I've only used one half so far, but I think they could use more)

Preheat oven to 350°.  This recipe makes approximately 18 cupcakes so you will need two greased 12 cup muffin pans or you can use 18 liners.

Female Ruby Throat Hummingbird at my "vegan restaurant"

Put the one tablespoon of lemon juice into a 2 cup measuring cup. Fill with nut milk to make one and a half cups. Let stand until curdled or about 10 minutes. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  In a separate bowl whisk together the nut milk lemon mixture, oil, and extract.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups filling at least two thirds of the cup.

Bake in the preheated oven until the top springs back when lightly pressed-15 to 20 minutes. (I baked mine for 17 minutes in an oven set at 345° because my oven runs a little hot)  Cool in the pan on wire rack.
Frost with your favorite frosting or icing-I like the lemon icing because it complements the orange extract in the cupcakes.

Croutons, or what you make when life gives you bad bread brain.

I am temporarily on a low iodine diet. That means I can't have any dairy products, soy products, fish or sea salt products, or anything packaged with red dye or added salt.  I should be losing lots of weight since that list includes just about everything! The problem is  peanut butter, olive oil, unsalted nuts, Jennies Coconut Macaroons, and other vegan goodies!   I haven't attempted making bread in about eight or nine years, but if I want to eat bread, I need to make bread. I went out to the trusty Internet to look for no-knead (I have bad arms) vegan bread recipes.   I was hit in the face with hundreds of no knead recipes!  I settled on an excellent recipe from Baking Bites.  It was a flavorful, easy recipe that I didn't follow correctly :(
I thought whole wheat pastry flour could easily be substituted for whole wheat flour.  (You bread makers are probably laughing and shaking your fingers at me right now!)  I made a tasty bread, but it crumbled a bit when cut... not enough gluten in pastry flour to hold the bread together.
Lesson learned. But I made lemonade out of my lemon! I made the best croutons I've ever had (other than those fabulous homemade croutons at Ruby Tuesday's)!
Did you know they taste fantastic floating in tomato or chicken soup??...just throw them in right before you eat it.

Vegan whole wheat croutons

Here is the recipe as loosely as possible adapted from the Food Network:
Preheat oven to 400°
Line a cookie sheet with foil

You will need:
1 loaf whole wheat bread cubed (I like using fresher bread...then you get crispy on the outside and still a little chewy on the inside)
1/3-1/2 cup olive oil (I used 1/2 cup extra-virgin because I was out of  regular olive oil)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Pour the bread cubes into a large bowl. Set-aside. Blend the next four ingredients until incorporated, approximately 10 or 15 seconds. (Or if you want an aerobic workout you can shake it up in a watertight container for a few minutes.)  You might want to taste the oil to make sure it has enough seasonings before you drizzle.
Drizzle the mixture over the bread cubes and then gently stir to make sure they are coated.  Pour them onto a foil lined pan, spread them out, and bake for approximately 15-18 minutes or until they begin to brown.
Most importantly: Resist the urge to eat them all right out of the oven!