1/2 Point Brownies

Amy suggested I find out how to make low point (Weight Watchers) desserts. That's a really good idea...I like to cook and I'd like to stay on my diet. I've been finding it hard lately to stick to the diet...the sweet tooth is back with a vengeance! I found this recipe on the web and decided to try it out. They are cooked in a small muffin tin...which makes portioning easier. The ingredients are a bit strange...you'll see. They are actually good...very fudgy. I gave one to my husband (without telling him what was in them) and he gave them a thumbs up! Of course, I did put a dab of buttercream icing on his....so it wasn't a perfect test. I liked them....I thought I detected a bit of an aftertaste of the ingredient...but that could have been my imagination. I put a dab of fat free cool whip on mine. They satisfied the sweet craving I had and I didn't have to feel guilty afterward. Nice! I'll definitely make them again. I'm going to share them with some friends that are doing WW and see what they think.

1/2 Point Brownies

• 1 Box Betty Crocker Brownie mix (I don't really know if it has to be Betty Crocker, but that's what the recipe said)
• 1 can Black Beans - SURPRISE!!!!

Preheat oven to 325.

Puree the black beans (undrained) in a food processor or blender.

Add the brownie mix and mix until smooth.

Put batter in small cupcake pan and cook for about 15-20 minutes.

The recipe said it made 36 brownies, but I got 48...I'm really not sure why.

Black Forest Cupcakes and Leaf Sugar Cookies

Our Thanksgiving lunch at work is today. I had several things to make for people, so I needed something easy to take for the lunch. Black Forest cupcakes to the rescue! These are easy, pretty and very good. I just make the chocolate cupcakes and let cool. Then I cut out the center using the cone technique, saving the caps. Fill with cherry pie filling (canned). Put the cap back on. Pipe vanilla buttercream icing on them and top with a drained cherry. Voila! Easy as cherry pie...sorry, I couldn't help it. ;)

A friend asked me to make sugar cookies for her family Thanksgiving. They are going to the mountains for Thanksgiving and sugar cookies definitely travel well. I made leaf and acorn cookies (using Wilton's nesting cookie cutters). I iced them with royal icing. For the acorns, I added cocoa powder to the icing to make it brown. I like this better than adding brown coloring. If you do this, you'll need to add more water. I thought these turned out very cute. And a million thanks goes to Jessi...she actually did the acorn cookies.

Truly, to be fair I'd have to send a million thanks to Frank also. He washed the dishes and cleaned up after me...I had a royal mess going on. Frank and Jessi stayed up til 2 am helping me. Last night I made Wuthering Heights cupcakes, Black Forest cupcakes, sugar cookies and 2 batches of cinnamon rolls...so you can see why I needed help! A great time was had by all. Well, by me anyway.

New Hobby Ideas...

I think I have to find a new hobby. I used to be able to bake and not eat any of it. Now....I can't seem to resist. This is not good for my weight! So, I need a hobby that doesn't involve me eating the result! Any ideas?

Jewish Apple Cake

Blake's parents went to Ellijay and brought home apples. They generously sent us a bag. Obviously this was a sign that I needed to make an apple cake. :) The one I made on Saturday was ok, but not great. It was a cinnamony cake with apples in it. Tonight I made a Jewish Apple cake. This is closer to a vanilla cake that uses orange juice instead of milk and the apples are layered in the batter. This cake is really good. It tastes like apple pie in a cake. And the smell in the house was incredible! I'm not exactly sure why it is called "Jewish Apple Cake". As far as that goes, why is my mom's Japanese Fruit Cake "Japanese"? Hmmm.....

Jewish Apple Cake

2 3/4 cups flour

1 tablepoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs

5-6 apples - peeled, cored, and chopped

1 tablespoon cinnamon

5 tablspoons sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 10" tube pan (I spray mine with Bakers Joy). Mix cinnamon and sugar. Toss apples with the cinnamon sugar mixture and set aside.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix oil, applesauce, orange juice, sugar and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients. Add eggs, one at a time.

Pour half of the batter into prepared pan. Arrange half the apples in a layer over the batter. Pour the rest of the batter into the pan to cover the apples. Arrange remaining apples on top.

Bake for about 1 1/2 hours. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean. Let cake cool in the pan. To loosen cake from pan, run a knife around the edge. Invert cake onto a plate. Invert again onto serving dish. This gets it topside up. Dust with powdered sugar.

Treats for a Fish Fry

I think all I did this weekend was cook. Whenever the kids are coming I like to have things for them to take home. Sourdough rolls, banana nut bread, turkey...yep, that's right turkey and fixins! (Thanks to Amy, I realized turkey isn't just for the holidays). It was a surprise to everybody that came for supper Saturday night. We decided that it was stomach training for the upcoming holiday/eating season - you know...a stretching exercises. Jessi and Blake were here for the weekend; Tyson and Kimberly came for dinner as did Mary and Alberto. Oh what fun to have the house full like that again!

Where was I...oh yes, back to what I cooked this weekend. Well, we are having a fish fry at work on Monday and I offered to bring something. JR said bring dessert. Hmm, what goes with a fish fry...well cupcakes of course! Beth wants something lemony, Derek wants banana cream, and CJ wants sugar cookies.

I made Paula Deen's banana cream cake as cupcakes, iced them with buttercream frosting and then Jessi put blue sprinkles and the little fish on them. Home from college to help me make fish cupcakes...man I miss her!

For Beth's lemony treat, I made lemon curd. I had never made lemon curd before, but it turned out great. I put this in vanilla cupcakes (Magnolia Bakery's recipe). They were also iced with blue buttercream and blue sprinkles with fish on top. These are really good! I debated on making a lemon flavored cupcake to fill...but the vanilla cake with the lemon filling is really just the right blend of sweet and tart. These cupcakes need a name though. Any suggestions?

The last thing I made was fish sugar cookies. I had planned to put these on top of the lemon cupcakes, but the only fish cookie cutter I found was too big for the cupcakes. So, I just decorated them and put them on a platter.


RECIPES

Paula Deen's Banana Cream Cake (as made for cupcakes - makes about 24 cupcakes)
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (~4-5)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp bakng powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp buttermild
1 (3.4 oz) box banana cream instant pudding mix
2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350.
* In large bowl, combine butter and sugar. Beat at med speed until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, betaing well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
* In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (I just sift together). Add to butter mixutre alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. fold in bananas. Pour batter into paper lined muffin tin. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
* Once cupcakes are completely cool, make a hole in the center for the pudding. I used a melon baller. Prepare the pudding with the milk. Fill the holes with the pudding. I fill a freezer bag with the pudding and then cut a small hole in the corner to fill the cupcakes. Ice and decorate.

Lemon Curd - from Fine Cooking
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon zest

* In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, about 2 minutes. slowly add the eggs and yolks. Beat for 1 minute. Mix in the lemon juice. The mixture will look curdled, but it will smooth out as it cooks.
* In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter melts.) Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickes, about 15 minutes. It should leave a path on the back of a spoon and will read 170 F on a thermometer. Very important to stir constantly. You don't want it to boil or to burn on the bottom.
* Remove from heat; stir in lemon zest. Transfer to a bowl. Press plastic wrap on the surface to keep a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator. It will thicken further as it cools. Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for 2 months.

NOTE: It says you can substitute fresh lime juice and zest for the lemon to make lime curd.