Gingerbread in the fall - perfect!

It's fall.

The air feels clean and cool this morning.

And I found a gingerbread cake recipe in my email - perfect!

Grandmother’s Soft Gingerbread Cake 
(Serves twelve to sixteen)
from Daily Candy

Ingredients for the cake:

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1¼ tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 c. sugar
1 c. dark molasses
1 c. vegetable oil
3 lg. eggs 1 c. boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and lightly flour a 9-inch-round springform baking pan.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, ginger, and cinnamon.
3. In a mixing bowl with electric beaters (or by hand with a whisk), beat together the sugar, molasses, oil, and eggs until well blended and smooth, 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until blended, scraping the bowl once or twice.
5. Add the boiling water and beat just until smooth. The batter should be thin. Don’t overmix or the cake will be tough.
6. Pour batter into the prepared pan and place on a baking sheet to catch drips.
7. Bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 50-55 minutes.
8. Let cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before removing the pan sides.

For the whipped cream: 

1 c. heavy cream
2 tsp. sugar ½ tsp.
vanilla extract
Freshly grated nutmeg

1. In a mixing bowl with electric beaters (or by hand with a whisk), whip together the cream, sugar, and vanilla till soft peaks form.
2. Cut the cake into wedges. Transfer to dessert plates and put a dollop of whipped cream and a few sprinkles of nutmeg on top.

Adapted from The Cakebread Cellars American Harvest Cookbook, available online at amazon.com, $23.

Stuffed Peppers

I used to make these all the time for Grandma (Barbara).  I forgot all about them until Jeane brought over some gorgeous huge peppers from the farmer's market.  They were a huge hit and the kids asked why we don't have these more often.  (I doubled this and it was plenty for our family plus leftovers for the next day).

2 large green peppers
3/4 lb ground beef
1/3 cup chopped onion
7.5 oz can petit diced tomatoes (small can)
1/3 cup uncooked rice
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Halve peppers lengthwise, removing stem ends, seeds and membranes.  Immerse peppers in boiling water for 3 minutes.  Sprinkle insides with salt and invert on paper towels to drain well.

In a skillet cook meat and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender.  Drain fat.  Stir in undrained tomatoes, uncooked rice, worcestershire, basil, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Bring to boil and reduce heat.  Cover and simmer 15-18 minutes or until rice is tender.  Stir in 1/4 cup of the cheese.  Fill peppers with meat mixture.  Place in a baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

*This can be frozen in individual servings.

Easy Yummy Beef Stroganoff

We have very crazy Sunday mornings now.  John has High Council meetings starting very early and a lot of Sundays I have early meetings too.  This is a "just throw it all in and let it cook" recipe that I thought would be worth a try.  I am used to browning meat first so I was skeptical.   After letting it cook all day the meat was very tender and the flavor was great.   Definitely a keeper.

2-3 pounds stew meat (or a 3-pound chuck roast, cubed)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 medium yellow onion, diced

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ cups beef broth or stock

1 tablespoon ketchup

1/3 cup flour

6-7 tablespoons apple juice or water

4-8 ounces sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup light or regular sour cream

Place the stew meat, salt, pepper and onion in the slow cooker. Stir to distribute the seasonings and onion. In a small bowl, combine the garlic salt, Worcestershrie sauce, beef broth and ketchup. Pour over the meat. Cook for 7-9 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. About 30 minutes before serving, combine the flour and apple juice in a small bowl, whisking vigorously to combine well. The roux should be thick but still pourable so add a tablespoon of apple juice or water at a time to thin, if needed. Pour the flour mixture into the slow cooker, whisking quickly to mix in the roux with the stew meat and juices and to avoid lumps. Add the mushrooms and stir. Cook on high for 30 minutes. Stir in ½ cup sour cream right before serving. Serve over pasta, rice or baked potatoes.

*Freezable Meal: The leftovers of the stroganoff can be frozen. I store the leftovers in a freezer-safe container and then thaw in the refrigerator (usually takes about a day) and reheat over medium-low heat in a saucepan on the stove.

Two olive oil cakes

 I just read my email from Daily Tip from Dr Weil.  It has a recipe for lemon olive oil cake.

I like the idea of using healthy olive oil rather than butter - but how will it taste?

Then I remembered that my son and daughter in la, Reid and Lisa, make a delicious walnut olive oil cake. So I'll share both.

(Someone try the lemon cake and let us know how it tastes.)

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

Description

A True Food Kitchen restaurant exclusive! While you might be hesitant to use olive oil in a dessert recipe, such fears are groundless. Olive oil gives this cake a unique flavor and richness that is balanced out by a little sweetness and the light freshness of lemons. Hesitate no more! Watch a video with chef Michael Stebner:How to Make Lemon Olive Oil Cake. Food as Medicine Compounds known as limonins in the cells of citrus fruits have been shown to help reduce the risk of cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon.

Ingredients

4 lemons, zested and juiced 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 6 eggs 1 teaspoon sea salt 2 cups evaporated cane sugar 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder

Instructions

Combine zest, juice and olive oil in a small bowl. In the mixer combine eggs & salt. Mix on medium for 2 minutes. Slowly add the sugar and continue to mix until pale and thickened. Turn mixer to low and slowly sift in the flour and baking powder, followed by the olive oil mixture. Do not over mix at this point; just incorporate the ingredients. Pour this mixture into a cake pan or muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes for cupcakes and 35 minutes for large cakes. Poke with a toothpick to check for doneness. Serve with Greek yogurt and fresh strawberries.

Walnut Orange Cake

(great with chocolate gelato)

1 ½ C chopped walnuts
1 C all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
4 eggs
1 ½ sugar
grated zest and juice of 1 orange (about ½ C juice)
½ olive oil
powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat to 350 degrees.  Spray 9 inch spring form pan with oil
Place the walnuts in a food processor and process until finely ground, almost to the consistency of bread crumbs.  In a bowl, combine the ground walnuts, flour, and baking powder.
Place the eggs in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until frothy.  Slowly add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light, thick, and lemon colored.  Slowly add the walnut-flour mixture, beating continuously.  Then, with the mixer on low speed, add the orange zest and juice and the loive oil and mix until just combined.  Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-60 min.  Se the pan on a rack to cool.
Remove the pan sides and transfer the cake to a transportable serving platter.   Dust the top with powdered sugar, creating a decorative pattern if desired.  Serve at room temp, cut into wedges.

Healthy yummy cabbage soup

I made this for lunch yesterday and we had it again today - it was that good!

Country Cabbage Soup (from allrecipes)

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds ground beef
2 (28 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
1 medium head cabbage, shredded
2 large onions, chopped
6 celery ribs, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the tomatoes, cabbage, onions and celery; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add salt and pepper.

I added some fresh Kale from my garden to make it even healthier.

Birthdays are fun

This is such a cute pictures of Henry (or is it James? - they are identical twins) helping Dad and Sister blow out candles on their birthday cake. I just had to share it.

Chocolate and potatoes are good for you?!

I know - they probably weren't talking about potato chips.

This is from Dr Weil's Weekly Bulletin:

Chocolate and Your Heart
The latest news about chocolate is encouraging: an analysis of several studies involving data on more than 100,000 people suggested that those who reported eating chocolate regularly lowered their risk of heart disease by more than one-third. That may be cause for celebration among chocolaholics, but of course, there's a catch to it: the studies involved were all observational - that is, they all looked at chocolate consumption and health as reported by participants. The analysis didn't directly compare those who ate a set amount of chocolate per week with those who consumed a placebo (in this case, a chocolate look-alike and taste-alike), as would be required in a clinical trial to investigate chocolate's effects on the heart. What's more, the studies included reports of consuming chocolate in all its forms - dark, milk, in drinks, cookies and desserts. And it didn't specify how much chocolate study participants ate. Still, if the analysis has any merit, people who eat lots of chocolate regularly may find that they have healthier hearts than those who don't. The analysis, from England's University of Cambridge, was published August 29 in BMJ online.

My take? Chocolate is a source of polyphenols (the same type of antioxidants found in red wine). Stearic acid, the fat it contains, doesn't affect cholesterol levels, and studies have shown that flavonoids in dark chocolate help reduce the stickiness of platelets, cells that play an important role in blood clotting. As a result, blood takes longer to clot, reducing the danger of coronary artery blockages. Chocolate's polyphenols also appear to boost levels of HDL (the "good" cholesterol) and lower LDL (the "bad" cholesterol), at least in the lab. I recommend consuming good-quality dark chocolate that is at least 70 percent cocoa as a healthy snack, as long as you don't go overboard. An ounce or two a few times a week is good for you.

Eating Potatoes Can Help Lower Blood Pressure
Of course, the potatoes in question can't be French fries or chips or loaded with butter, cheese or all the other high calorie trimmings that sometimes come with spuds. But if you're partial to potatoes and enjoy eating them steamed or boiled, in moderation, they could be good for your blood pressure, even if you're already taking medication for hypertension. Researchers performing a small study (only 18 participants, mostly overweight or obese) at the University of Scranton reported the results of eating six to eight purple potatoes twice a day. After a month, average diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) among the study group dropped 4.3 percent while average systolic pressure (the top number) fell 3.5 percent. Researcher Joe Vinson, Ph.D., noted that plain potatoes are not particularly fattening (a single one contains about 110 calories), and they're loaded with beneficial phytonutrients, which may be responsible for the blood-pressure lowering effect seen in his study. In a statement he noted that earlier research showed that potatoes contain a substance similar to ACE inhibitors, a group of blood pressure drugs.