Tag Archives: food

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Things have been hectic lately so I haven’t been able to update my blog as much as I wanted to – sorry! But, I hope to make it up to you this week with days and days of cookies! The first cookie I’m spotlighting this week is the cute, melt-in-your-mouth treats, Red Velvet Whoopie Pies. Whoopie pies used to be something that people bought more often than made themselves but now they are becoming slightly trendy and there are even whoopie pie pans on store shelves. I made these red velvet cuties last year at Christmas and used a whoopie pie pan. I hated the way they looked. That pan is now in the bottom of a drawer and is doubtful to see the light of day again. Maybe I just didn’t do it right but they turned out like flat little cupcakes with a mushroom top – not at all what you want a whoopie pie to look like. This time, I used a small cookie dough scoop and a regular baking sheet and they turned out perfect. These are like pillows of red velvet cake and festive for the holidays!

The whoopie pie ingredients:

Mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile, beat together butter and brown sugar.

Beat in egg and vanilla.

Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately until thoroughly combined.

Here’s the good part – pour in an entire bottle of red food coloring and mix…carefully!

Drop dough by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet and bake for 7-9 minutes in a 375ºF oven.

The filling ingredients:

Better together softenend butter and cream cheese until smooth.

Fold in marshmallow creme.

I used a storage bag with a corner snipped off to easily and cleanly top one side of the whoopie pies with the filling.

Keep this in the refrigerator until ready to serve for up to four days.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

1/3-less fat cream cheese

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

Italian Meatballs with Smoky Tomato Sauce

I’m not really a big meat-eating person but I do love a turkey burger or turkey meatballs sometimes. These Italian Meatballs with Smoky Tomato Sauce not only have ground turkey but they also have turkey sausage to add a little flavor. Mixed with egg, garlic, and parmesan cheese, these meatballs can be made quickly and include one of my favorite spices – smoked paprika! Personally, I would have preferred if there was a little more sausage in the mix but overall, I thought these meatballs were very tasty. The tomato sauce also has smoked paprika and was a hearty, albeit garlicky, sauce. I cut this recipe in half because I wasn’t looking to feed an army here and I still didn’t put in as much garlic as the recipe calls for. These meatballs would make great appetizers for your next get-together – or maybe a nice topping to some whole wheat pasta!

The meatball ingredients:

In a bowl, mix together egg, garlic, bread crumbs, cheese, salt, and pepper.

Add in ground turkey and sweet turkey sausage. Mix until just combined.

Roll mixture into balls and lay on a baking sheet. Combine olive oil and smoked paprika and brush on each meatball. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes.

The sauce ingredients:

In a large saucepan, heat onion, garlic, basil, and oregano in olive oil until onion is tender.

Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and allow sauce to simmer for 20 minutes.

Top meatballs with sauce or serve it on the side. Add more grated parmesan if you desire.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Better Homes & Gardens Magazine

Spinach, Pasta, and Pea Soup

I was a vegetarian for several years and used to make soups like this Spinach, Pasta, and Pea Soup often. Soup is one of those great meals that can easily be made vegetarian by swapping out meaty broths for vegetable or mushroom broth (I used vegetable broth). But sometimes, vegetarian soups can be boring and too soft. This one has chickpeas which hold up well in the cooking process giving you something to sink your teeth into. The lemon added a light freshness without being overbearing and the parmesan cheese gave a needed salty flavor. Consider substituting kale for the spinach or swapping out the chickpeas for cannellini beans. This soup was great for workday lunches and always left me feeling satisfied.