TMK Recipe #9: Stone Fence (aka: Spiked Cider)

In honor of the holidays and the upcoming New Year’s Eve celebrating that’s upon us, I wanted to get this post up this week. I made this “specialty drink” at our family Christmas party a couple weeks ago and according to most everyone there (with a couple exceptions – the kids and a breast-feeding individual did not partake…and I’m proud of their morals), it was deceptively delicious! Deceptive mostly because you expect the normal spiked cider flavor and you get – well – nothing like it actually. It’s the apple brandy and hint of bitters that sets this drink apart from all others like it. So ENJOY and know that it’s FAR more healthy than those white russians or spiked egg nog you were planning on stepping into the New Year with!

Happy New Year!

Stone Fence Cider Drink

Cooking Light 2008

Ease-Factor Rating: 1. Seriously, you bust out some ice, pour some liquids together, slice an apple and call it a day with this one. ‘Nuff said!

Ingredient Search: I did have a somewhat odd visit to the liquor store (what liquor store isn’t packed with strange-behaving people?)  in search of Calvados (didn’t have it) and Angostura bitters (they only had orange bitters). I was informed that another store in the valley had both items I was looking for but after weighing the idea of crossing town in the hectic holiday bustle I opted for a bottle of Applejack (brandy) instead and I went with the orange bitters they had stashed behind the counter. I didn’t read the recipe thoroughly to realize that my decision wasn’t a bad one – you can use the applejack or even plain brandy if you can’t find Calvados.

Vitals: Calories per serving (makes 8 ) = 147; Fat = 0.1g; Protein = 0.4g; Carb = 24.7g; Fiber = 0.1g; Chol = 0mg; Iron = 0.4mg; Sodium = 3mg

Taste: Wellllll…it’s DELECTABLE, of course! The orange bitters proved to be a nice touch (apple and cinnamon mixed with a hint of orange = rockin!). But drinkers beware: This is one of those drinks that could be deceptively dangerous, too. You don’t notice the liquor so much when you’re drinking it but be sure to savor it because it WILL sneak up on you, guaranteed! That’s the brandy talking, my friends. I loved the decorative touch of the apple slice and cinnamon stick (is it just me that wants to eat the cinnamon stick and is a little let down every time I realize it’s not entirely edible?). My and my family’s verdict = Bottoms up!

Ingredients:

• 3  cups  apple cider
• 3/4  cup  Calvados (apple brandy)
• 1/8  teaspoon  Angostura bitters
• 1  (25.4-ounce) bottle sparkling apple juice
• Ice
• 8  slices unpeeled Rome apple (optional)
• 8  (3-inch) cinnamon sticks (optional)

Prepare:

Combine first 4 ingredients in a pitcher. Serve over ice. Garnish with apple slices and cinnamon sticks, if desired. DRINK IT!

And please: Have a safe, happy, and HEALTHY NEW YEAR!!

TMK Recipe #7: Potato Chips with Blue Cheese Dip

I’m not one to use my calories up on Lays potato chips and the like, but as soon as you throw the homemade quotient in there it’s fair game! Lays has nothing on the freshly baked potato chips in this recipe. And let’s face it: When it comes to cheese, there are few I’m judgmental about. Cheese is gooood, and if you like blue cheese or blue cheese dressing – this is right up your alley of delectability! Great to serve at a football party or holiday get-together.

Blue Cheeseyness!

Potato Chips w/ Blue Cheese

Cooking Light (2008)

Ease-Factor Rating: 3.5. This recipe isn’t difficult, it just takes a bit of technicality at first. You’ll want to slice the potato thin if you like your chips crunchy, but not TOO thin or they’ll burn. Or if you like your chips chewy you’ll need to figure that out too. I used a mandoline and it worked great – literally chopped the prep time in half. I also used two potatoes instead of one so it required more trips to the oven, which is reflected in the extra half a point. The dip is easy breezy!

Ingredient Search: This is a pretty straight-forward trip to the grocery store and doesn’t require much hunting through the aisles. I used an Amish crumbled blue cheese (not patient enough to buy a block and crumble it myself) and it worked just great. If you have a favorite kind then I’m sure it’ll work perfectly. Note: If you’re from Potato Country like me, you’ll feel strange and guilty for buying a potato at the store. Guess I took growing up with a nearby cellar full of ‘em for granted!

Vitals: Calories per serving (makes 6) = 117; Fat = 3.7g (1.6g sat; 0.6g mono; 0.1g poly); Protein = 4.2g; Carb = 16.8g; Fiber = 1g; Chol = 9mg; Sodium = 352mg

Taste: I’ll be honest, this recipe is dangerous! Other than the slightly lighter texture and flavor of the dip, we wouldn’t have been able to tell this was a healthy recipe if we didn’t know better. I personally enjoyed that the dip wasn’t too overpowerful, but if you need a little more blue cheese bite to it, add just a LITTLE bit more cheese but not a lot – seriously, a little goes a really long way here. By the third batch of chips I got the thickness down perfectly and I was wishing we had more people in the house because I knew I couldn’t be trusted alone with this recipe. YumYumYUM!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup finely crumbled blue cheese

1/3 cup fat-free sour cream

2 Tablespoons light mayonnaise (I used slightly less….not a mayo fan)

2 Tablespoons skim milk

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 pound russet potato (about 1 large, but use more if you’ve got company), thinly sliced

Cooking spray

1/2 teaspoon salt

Prepare:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place baking sheet in oven. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well. Cover and chill.

Place potato slices on paper towels; pat dry. Arrange half of potato slices in a single layer on preheated baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with half the salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Turn potato slices over; bake an additional 5 minutes or until golden. Repeat process with remaining potatoes and remaining salt. Serve immediately with blue cheese mixture.

Note: A serving size is about 1/2 cup chips and about 2 tablespoons dip. If you have any leftover (Ha! That’s funny.), store them in an airtight container for up to a week. You’ll need to bake them for two minutes at 450 degrees to recrisp.

ENJOY!

TMK Recipe #6: Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

You know it’s officially Fall when you start seeing pumpkin recipes everywhere. Some turn out mushy, watery, or bland. Others turn out savory and sweet. This is one of the later! Found in a Cooking Light magazine, this recipe is a great alternative to tired zucchini breads (we all know how much! !@#$  zucchini my household saw this summer). So I saw a chance to bake and I jumped at it!

Chocolate chips rock!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

(Cooking Light)

Ease-Factor Rating: 2. Time is really all you need with this simple beauty (it requires over an hour in the oven). Otherwise it’ll take about 10 minutes to whip up and pour in the pan. The recipe makes 2 loaves but I’m not stocking up for the End and I had no room in my freezer for an extra loaf of anything, so that’s that story. But you go right ahead and make 2 loaves – it would be perfect to take to the office without having to hear your co-worker curse you out for causing her weight gain. Hee.

Ingredient Search: Canned pumpkin, chocolate chips, and fat-free vanilla pudding mix were the only ingredients I didn’t have on hand, and they’re cheap! Ingredients, check!

Vitals: Calories per serving (each loaf serves 16) = 152; Fat = 5g (1.2g saturated); Protein = 2g; Sodium = 137mg; Carbs = 26.5g; Fiber = 1.1g

Taste: The ONLY way you’re going to like this recipe is if A: You like chocolate chips; B: You like bread, and; C: You like pumpkin. If you can say yes to all three, you’re set! I personally like this as an occasional snack substitute (I say occasional because I really like my protein and the protein content in this isn’t substantial enough to make it onto my usual snack list). It’s also good heated up a touch and enjoy as dessert. Also – something I don’t have criteria for but should perhaps consider – it makes the kitchen smell GREAT while it’s baking! It’s Scentsy-meets-Betty Crocker-meets-Nutritionist!

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

2 cups canned pumpkin

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup fat-free vanilla pudding mix

4 large egg whites (I used Egg Beaters)

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cooking spray

Prepare:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with a knife. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl and stir with a whisk. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until moist. stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into 2 (8×4-inch) loaf pans coating with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on wire rack. Then remove from pans and cool completely on rack.

Enjoy!