Home Baked Breakfast Treats

 Breakfast sould be the most important meal of the day. It's sometimes the most boring , thanks to an every day rote of toast or cereal. Try home baked treats that are both healthy and nutritious to liven up the first meal of day . Another plus  - they can be eaten on the go.

One of the most fun breakfast treats is a good for you muffin.  Use healthy ingredients like honey and orange juice for sweetening and flavor along with mixing whiole oats with flour,. They can even be made eggless by subbing in flax seed or Just Egg vegan substitute and employing plant or nut milks for dairy. can a chocolate muffin be just as healthy? Yes!!!! You can even pack them with veggies for extra goodness. Spinach, kale, carrots or bananas can be added for extra vitamins and minerals. cooca powder, which doesn't have eany extra sugar or even fat is mixed into the recipe. You can amp up the flavor with tossing in chocolate chips. If these are too sweet then think about the classic bran muffin. This has whole wheat pastry flour along with wheat bran in it. Blackstrap molasses and apple sauce give the classic batch their deeply rich and fruity flavor.Blackstrap molasses is rich in antioxidants and helps with bone and hair health as well as alleviating anemia. Make ti an important part of breakfast baking.

Another tasty and healthy breakfast treat are breakfast bars. These are fun and a bit easier to make than muffins. Tne ingredients are basically the same as the muffins. Rolled oats give the bars their base and crunch while maple syrup or honey lend it sweetness. Flax eggs or regular ones are added along with bananas.As with any baked good, baking powder and soda are also tossed in  for lift and body. Peanut butter gives the bars a silky texture . Some home bakers put coconut oil in their bars to grve the bars a flakiness,It's a butter or margerine substitute. Add ins are encouraged. You can try dark chocolate chip or dried cranberries like "Craisins" for more color and flavor.  For more nutrition , try a half cup of pitted and chopped dates or raisins.Even though  it's not baked museli can still be made at home. it';s a nice change up from some of the store bought kind and better for the kids than all those high in sugar commerical cereals.Muesli starts with grains of any kind. You can use anything from rolled oats to quinoa flakes to millet puffs. Then it's adding dried seeds and dried fruits.agains there's a wide range to choose from. Try a combo of craiosns and pistachios or dried cheries and almonds.

Home baked and homemmade breakfast treats are just that - treats. They not only delicious but a great healthy bite. Make muffins or bars or whip of batch of muesli for a great way to start the day.

Sweet Spins On Thanksgiving Desserts

 Thanksgiving demands tradition. Yet more and more home chefs are rethinking sides, and reimagining sides and even the turkey itself. Now that idea is coming to dessert. It's not just the traditional pies. It's taking time honored recipes and spinning them around.

Pie has always been the tried and true way to end the holiday dinner.There had to be  home baked pumpkin pie, and if you were feeling ambitious apple and pecan. You can srill have these but rethink them as tartlets The crust can be either already made dough like Pilsbury's or homemade. Instead of using a pie tin, a muffin tin works the best for this. Another idea is ditching the pie pan completely and making a free form galette.  The crust should be a butter one which complements the filling's richness. Fill it with any of the traditional pie recipes. Most galettes are fruit filled so you could just make an apple one although the other fillings work equally as well. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche  Instead of the usual Cool Whip or even homemade whipped cream. Its' tanginess is perfect to offset the galette's sweetness. if you still want to make pie, then think alternatives. Pears are another delicious fall fruit that unfairly gets second billing. A pear pie would be an interesting way to end the meal. Use Bartlett or Bosc for the filling.Walnut pie can be a tasty sub in for pecan, Use maple syrup instead of corn syrup though. Walnuts have a bitter taste the others don't have.

You can use relatively the ingredients but in different recipes. What about ending the meal with a pumpkin tiramisu? It has the same pumpkin puree and the same spices of cinnamon and nutmeg.The puree is combined with cream cheese and mascapone to form a creamy filling. Lady fingers are still a vital part of the recipe and , yes, there is espresso used as in traditional mascapone.Yet it's given a new spin with cinnamon and nutmeg for a more pumpkin pie tasting flavor. Pumpkin is also an excellent medium for mousse. You can create an easy one using vanilla pudding mixed with pumpkin puree, and maple syrup.  Top with homemade whipped cream. Apples may be good in a pie but they're fantastic in cake. It's a nice old fashioned cake using shredded apples along with apples and cinnamon. It' also makes a good snack cake too when you just want a slice of cake and a cup of coffee or tea later on. Another fun home baked treat is pecan caramel bars. It has all the gooey nuttiness of pecan pie but on top of a buttery shortbread crust. You can also just candy pecans as an after dinner treat too.

Traditional Thanksgiving desserts can be changed up too. It's easy to sub in a galette for pie or create a mouse , cake or bar. Use a new ingredient like a pear or walnuts  in a classic recipes. These  spins will definitely liven up the holiday dessert table.

The Cheesecake Bible Your Holiday Must Have

Cheesecake lovers rejoice! There is a new book out that celebrates this famed treat with a variety of sweet and savory (!) recipes. Everything from just plain cheesecake to taco one is in here. This is a great gift for those who love a good wedge of cheesy goodness..

The Cheesecake Bible: The Second Edition (Robert Rose Press 2018)  was written by George Geary who also created the original Cheesecake Bible  as well as 150 Best Donut Recipes. Mr. Geary may not be known to all, but his cheesecakes are. They were featured on the hit Eighties comedy,  Golden Girls where the "girls'  Sophia, Dorothy, Rose and Blanche would gather around the kitchen table and share a whole cheesecake. At this time he was also a pastry chef at Disneyland where he bake anywhere from 250 to 350 cheesecakes a day for ten years! This  book has everything from  all sorts of flavors for the sweet along with refreshing savory ones, perfect for any upcoming holiday gatherings. The book is a great primer for beginners because Mr. Geary goes into extensive detail about what kinds of pans to use along with the different cheeses used. His suggestions are ones from an experienced pastry chef about what kind of measuring cups to use to what to look for in a perfectly made cheesecake. Another plus is that he isn't fussy when it comes to the crust. You can use the cookie and cracker recipes he provides or just buy the store bought kinds and crush them.

I love this book for many reasons. The savory cheesecakes are on the top of my list for holiday must bakes. I want to try the black olive and herb one, redolent with fresh basil and tarragon.Another one that has piqued my interest is the cheddar chili one  loaded with refried beans and tomatoes  along with an artichoke cheese cake, graced with artichoke hearts and shredded Swiss cheese.  Of course there are the sweet ones. There is  the  well known and internationally loved  Lindy's cheesecake  and the famed Golden Girls one. This last is a classic recipe with a drizzle of  raspberry sauce and buttery crust.I love the variations. There's so many that I want to bake.There's a rich blackout one with a chocolate cookie crust accented with a truffle fudge topping, made with both milk and bitter chocolate. Then there is a South of France one , made with ricotta, along with orange and lemon zest. There are also recipes for bites and bars too, perfect for a holiday dessert table.Mr. Geary has recipes for ones made with the German quark cheese and hoop cheese. Another aspect of the book that's fantastic are the recipes for cookies and crackers. They'd be wonderful on their own and I plan on trying his butter cookies and graham crackers.

The Cheesecake Bible, The Second Edition is the must have book for cheesecake lovers and bakers.It is chock full of delicious sweet and savory recipes.. Get it and start with the holiday baking !

The Best Low Calorie Ice Creams

It's another hot summer and that means eating a lot of ice cream. Unfortunately it also means saying goodbye to that beach body. A steady diet of the chilled stuff can put on pounds  - not a good thing in this season of skimpy clothes and skimpier bathing suits. However you can have your scoop and eat it too if you go low calorie.

Years ago low fat ice ream was a bit of a unicorn.If you wanted something low in calories and high in chill, it was  the old stand by Italian ices. These are refreshing yet somehow lacking in satisfaction. Nowadays many companies produce a lighter , yet still tastier version of their regular flavors. One at the fore front of this is Breyers. They have a wide variety of different "healthier version". You could easily pick up their fat free vanilla and chocolate versions, pair it with a flavored seltzer for an indulgent yet guilt free soda.They also have CarbSmart cartons and bars  that have reduced carbohydrates.Like the fat free, it comes in chocolate and vanilla while the bars have such exciting flavors as vanilla almond,, mint and an old fashioned chocolate coated vanilla. There is also an old fashioned Fudgicle that's less than a hundred calories. They also have Breyers Delights, which comes in two sizes, a cute mini pint or cupcake size and a regular pint. The mini which have add in like sprinkles are only eighty calories a cup while the larger ones are between 260 and 330 calories. Again, there a wide gamut of tastes,from butter pecan to raspberry fudge to cookies and cream.

Another classic brand that weigh watchers will like is Edy's. Their slow churned variety is only 110 calories a cup. Their flavor selection is much wider including caramel , Neapolitan and coffee. They also sell a slow churned version that has cores such as fudge and caramel for an extra treat. Anyone who loves the healthy Greek yogurt will appreciate Yasso. The company first started out with bars and now have recently added pints. Both are 130 calories each and have all sorts of delicious flavors.They've expanded on the bars that now include S'Mores and Pistachio Brittle as well as their classics such as chocolate chip and vanilla bean. Their pints celebrate all the trends from salted caramel to coffee and brownies. Of course there is the dieter's go to Skinny Cow which has the most choices.Their pints have only ninety calories of fat with 370 in total.  The flavors are indulgent with a chocolate peanut butter along with a mocha one. Try their cones at only 170 calories each or their bars at 200 calories.The giant of the industry , Ben and Jerry's also has jumped on the diet bandwagon. Their cups, chock full of fun ingredients like fudge and peanut butter are only 140 calories a cup.

You can have your ice cream and eat it too. Don't deprive yourself of a cooling treat on a hot day,Indulge in the lower calorie ice creams. They can help you beat the heat and keep that beach body.

Hitting The Cookie Bars

Nothing beats a cookie bar as an after school snack. The best ones are the homemade one, full of yummy ingredients. Cookbook author , Esther Brody , has come up with a great books full of all sorts of bar and brownie recipes. There are all sorts for every one's tastes.

Ms. Brody 's 250 Best Brownies , Bars and Squares (Robert Rose Publishers) has a plethora of not only recipes but advice. This is an excellent book for novice bakers.Ms. Brody give explanations of why a cake could have holes or why it burned. This helps in creating the perfect bar and brownie. She also give good tips such as storing marshmallows in the freezer  as well as buying nuts and certain other ingredients in bulk. There are also suggestions for making a healthier treat such as subbing in all natural honey for refined white sugar.

Her recipes are varied and interesting. There are the traditional lemon bars and chocolate brownies. There there are the twists such as the pink lemonade bar that's made with pink lemonade concentrate.. There's also lemon blueberry and lemon cream cheese .She includes a scrumptious gingerbread bar recipe that just right for fall. The brownie recipes are perfect for chocolate lovers plus there's a whole slew of variations, Try the chocolate banana brownies for a different after school treat or make the pecan brownies for a lunchbox or brown bag surprise.Ms  Brody is as sweet as her creations., She includes a section on recipes from family and friends

Happiness is a good homemade brownie or cookie bar. Esther Brody gives us the means to make them in her latest cookbook,. Get 250 Best Brownies, Bars And Squares to make classic and new treats for the students (and graduates ) in your life