The TOP 10 Googled Foods of the Year!

According to Restaurants & Institutions, the top 10 most-Googled recipes of last year were:

1. Chili
2. Meatloaf
3. Cheesecake
4. Banana bread
5. Pancake
6. Salsa
7. Hummus
8. Lasagna
9. Apple pie
10. Meatball

This isn’t all that surprising, is it? Seems there are just standard foods we just gravitate to, and this list reflects that. Does it gibe with your own cooking-search behavior in 2009? Myself, searched for 4 out of the ten recipes—cheesecake, banana bread, salsa, and lasagna.

Salsa because I am planting 20 tomato plants this gardening season, with hopes and dreams of having enough tomatoes to put up my own salsa. Here you’ll see the recipe I plan to use. And since I have a LOT of apples (it’s the end of the fruit storage season and the beginning of a new one), I thought I’d make up a few pies. So here you’ll also see one of the apple pie recipes I plan to use.

If you have a recipe you could share in any of these categories, please do. I’d love to see what your best recipes are. We’re all in this together, remember, so let’s help each other out. No need reinventing the wheel, after all. And until next time, happy cook’n!

HOMEMADE TOMATO SALSA

4 large ripe tomatoes on the vine

1/2 white onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

2 green onions, thinly sliced

2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped

1 red jalapeno chile, seeded and finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chop, dice, etc. Mix altogether and enjoy!

CARAMEL APPLE PIE TO DIE FOR

10 individually wrapped caramels

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

2/3 cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon lemon juice

4 apples - peeled, cored and chopped

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Unwrap and cut caramel candy in half. In a large bowl, mix candy with flour. Stir in apples, ice cream topping, and lemon juice. Pour filling into pie crust and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Place in oven on a sheet of foil to catch the drips. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.

Bars that Are Above Par!

Don't you love picnics and backyard barbecues? And the warmer weather that's coming (please tell me it's coming) means picnics and BBQs! So with this in mind, I thought it would be fun (and would take our minds off this lingering cold front that's moved in), to test-drive some new dessert recipes--bars to be specific.

Try these out and let me know what you think. Also, if you have a good bar recipe, share it with us. We're all in this together, so let's help each other out. When we share, no one needs to reinvent the wheel, so to speak! And until next time, happy cook'n!

APRICOT ALMOND BARS (makes 36 bars--well, depending on how you cut 'em. I LOVE a big, honkin' bar!)
CRUST:
1 C flour
1/2 C butter, chilled, cut up
1/4 C water

FILLING:
1 C water
1/2 C butter, cut up
1 C flour
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp almond extract

TOPPING:
1/2 C apricot jam, warmed
1/4 C slivered or sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 C powdered sugar
2 to 2 1/2 tsp milk
1/4 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9-inch pan. Place 1 cup flour in medium bowl. With pastry blender, cut in 1/2 C butter until it's the size of peas. Add 1/4 C water; mix until dough forms. Flatten dough into a disk. Press dough evenly in bottom of pan. Cover; refrigerate 30 min.

In medium saucepan over medium heat, bring 1 C water and 1/2 C butter to a boil. Pour boiling mixture into large bowl. Add 1 C flour; beat at medium speed until smooth and flour is absorbed. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in 2 tsp almond extract.

Spread batter over dough in pan, covering completely. Bake 50 to 55 min. or until deep golden brown. Remove from oven. Spread with apricot jam; sprinkle with almonds. Cool on wire rack.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk and 1/4 tsp almond extract; mix until smooth. Drizzle over cooled bars.

LEMON RASPBERRY BARS (makes 30 bars...well, maybe, or maybe 15 biggies!)
CRUST:
1 1/2 C flour
1/4 C sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C unsalted butter, chilled, cut up
2-3 Tbsp water

FILLING:
4 eggs
1 C sugar
1/4 C flour
1/2 tsp baking powder (I prefer non-aluminum, such as Rumford's)
2 tsp finely grated lemon peel
6 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 C raspberry jam
Powdered sugar
Fresh raspberries for garnish (if desired)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9-inch pan. In medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 C flour, 1/4 C sugar and salt; mix well. With pastry blender, cut in butter until butter is the size of peas. Add 2 Tbsp water; toss to moisten. Mixture should be moist and crumbly; if mixture seems dry, add additional water. Press mixture evenly over bottom of pan. Bake 18-20 min. or until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, in medium bowl, whisk together eggs, 1 C sugar, 1/4 C flour and baking powder until well blended. Add lemon peel and lemon juice; blend well.

Spread jam over partially baked crust. Top with lemon mixture. Return to oven; bake an additional 20-25 min. or until set and lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. When cool, cut into bars; sprinkle with powdered sugar and garnish with fresh raspberries, if desired.

CHOCOLATE CHIP-OATMEAL-WALNUT BARS (makes 48 bars--hmmm, maybe--maybe 20 humungous bars! This is a delicious twist on Blond Brownies.)
1 C butter, softened
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/4 C old-fashioned oats
1 C whole wheat flour
1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
Dash salt
1 (12 oz) pkg chocolate chips
1 1/2 C chopped walnuts, toasted*

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, beat butter at medium speed until soft an smooth. Add brown sugar, sugar and vanilla; blend well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In medium bowl, combine oats, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt; mix well. Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Spoon and spread dough in ungreased 15x10-inch pan. Bake 15-20 min. or until golden brown; cool on wire rack.

*TIP: to toast nuts, spread on baking sheet; bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 min. or until lightly browned. Cool.

Uh-Oh! Gotta Work Late--What'll I Do For Dinner?

Life can be such a rat race. But we don't need that race to interrupt our goal of preparing a good dinner tonight. Here's what to do: Let CHEESE come to the rescue! Here are a couple recipes our family likes that's "saved my bacon" more than once. And anyway, who doesn't love cheese?

Try these out and let me know what you think. And if you have a quick and easy recipe you can share, please do. We're all in this together, so let's help each other out. And until next time, happy cook'n!

QUICK MEXICAN PIZZA (serves 4)
2 C shredded Colby/Monterey Jack Cheese
1/2 lb ground beef
4 flour tortillas (10-inch)
1 C salsa
1 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
1/4 tsp cumin (or to taste)
Green and red sweet bell peppers
Onions
Mushrooms
Fresh tomato slices
Black beans
Cilantro
etc.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook meat, drain. Stir in seasonings (you could also just add 1/2 pkg taco seasoning mix instead of these seasonings). Spread 1/4 C salsa and 1/2 C meat mixture on each tortilla. Top each with 1/2 C cheese and desired toppings. Bake for 8-10 min. or until crisp and lightly browned. Top off with cilantro, if desired.

CHICKEN & CHEDDAR GRILL (serves 2-4, a great use for leftover chicken)
Cheddar cheese, shredded or sliced
French or Italian bread, sliced in half lengthwise
Chunky salsa
Sliced cooked chicken breast (shredded works well also)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Layer bread halves with cheese, chicken, salsa, and addtional cheese. Place on cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 min. or until cheese is melted.

More Veggies--Better Health--Easy Meals!

Spring has sprung--well, sort of (I'm in Utah). But hope is definitely on the horizon because I saw some very brave daffodils yesterday. With the coming of warmer weather and thoughts of getting into the old bathing suit in a few short months, we tend to look for healthier meal ideas that might help us shed a pound or two.

Relate to any of this? It's a pretty standard pattern of behavior. So with that thought in mind I've been scouring my Aunt Annie's recipe collection, and sure enough, there they were--"Veggie Recipes for Losing Weight." I kid you not. I wish you could've known her--what a darling she was!

Anyway, like the rest of us, Aunt Annie understood that eating more vegetables really is the way to better health, that they're a fairly easy meal to make, and as said, that increased consumption can lead to weight loss. So here are a few she marked with a star (those were her favorites). Be sure to comment if you have a good veggie recipe, or just want to tell us about YOUR favorite Aunt. And until next time, happy cook'n!

ALMOND ASPARAGUS (serves 4)
2 lbs fresh asparagus
1 1/2 tsp salt
boiling water
3 Tbsp butter
4 tsp slivered almonds
dash nutmeg

Wash asparagus thoroughly; remove scales and woody base. Tie in bundle. Stand upright in tall saucepan or coffee pot; add salt and boiling water to a depth of 2-inches. Cook 10-20 min. or until just tender. Do NOT overcook. Drain; place in serving bowl. Melt butter; stir in almonds. Pour over asparagus. Finish off with a dash of nutmeg.

COTTAGE VEGETABLE CASSEROLE (serves 6-8; nah--I don't think this really contributed to Aunt Annie's weight loss, but it was a favorite...)
2 (10 oz) pkg frozen mixed veggies
2 C cottage cheese
1/4 C sour cream
2 eggs
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Paprika

Thaw veggies, place in shallow 1 1/2 qt casserole. In small bowl, combine cottage cheese and sour cream; beat until blended. Add eggs, flour, sugar, salt and pepper; beat well. Pour over vegetables. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 min.

CHEESY-ALMOND BROCCOLI (serves 8; OK, I see what went on here: Aunt Annie started out with the healthy asparagus thing, got a little tired of that and went to the cottage cheesy thing, and finally just said, "FORGET IT!" and ended up in cream cheese!)

2 (10 oz) pkg frozen broccoli spears (fresh will substitute nicely)
2 (3 oz) pkg cream cheese
1 Tbsp butter
1/3 C milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 C toasted slivered almonds

Cook broccoli as directed on package; drain. In small saucepan combine cream cheese, butter, milk, salt, lemon rind and juice. Stir over medium heat until smooth and bubbly hot. Spoon over cooked broccoli; garnish with slivered almonds.

A Passion For Nutmeg!

When next you dust a fruit punch, custard, or cake with nutmeg, think of this: There was a time when smugglers of this aromatic spice were put to death. in fact, as food historian Waverly Root tells us, the Portuguese so valued their 16th-century monopoly of nutmeg that they distributed phony charts of the seas surrounding the Spice Islands, hoping to steer foreign vessels toward dangerous unknown reefs.

Thank goodness this isn't the case today--nutmeg is plentiful, and easily available. But some things haven't changed--we still appreciate this versatile spice. In Grenada, even ice cream is flavored with it, and good cooks use it in pumpkin soup and with every vegetable imaginable. I LOVE what it does to my spinach souffle, for instance. In America, we add a pinch to white sauce for just the right mellowness, and use the spice to accent baked acorn squash. Of course, eggnog without nutmeg just wouldn't be eggnog at all.

All this said, let's look for more nutmeg-involving recipes--maybe add a few to an Easter or "Welcome to Spring" brunch or luncheon. Here's a dandy recipe to get us started. It's a time-honored cake that's a tradition for good reason. It's SO good. Now, do YOU have a recipe, thought, idea, or good story we ought to know about? Please share. We're all in this together, so let's help each other out. And until next time, here's to enjoying more nutmeg, and of course, happy cook'n!

OATMEAL CAKE
A broiled coconut icing makes a quick topping for this old-fashioned cake.
1 1/2 C hot water
1 C old-fashioned oats
1 1/3 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 C sugar
1 C firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 C butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Icing (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, combine hot water and oats; set aside to cool slightly. Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.

In large bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat sugars and butter until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add oats mixture and flour mixture; beat until uniformly combined, scraping sides of bowl frequently. Spoon mixture into greased pan. Bake 45 min., or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 5 min. Meanwhile, prepare icing:

ICING:
1 C flaked coconut
1 C chopped nuts (pecans are wonderful for this)
2/3 C firmly packed brown sugar
6 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Stir together. Heat broiler. Spread icing over top of cake in pan. Place under broiler just until bubbly and golden, about 2 min. (Watch carefully to prevent burning.)

The "Skinny" on Sweet Potatoes, Plus a Not-So-Skinny Recipe to Die For!

Do you know the differences between a yam and a sweet potato? Although the terms are generally used interchangeably, there are some distinct differences:

SWEET POTATO:

• short, blocky, with tapered ends
• 22-28% dry matter
• feels moist in the mouth
• tastes sweet
• high in Vitamin A

YAM:

• long, cylindrical, some w/toes
• 20-35% dry matter
• Starchy taste
• Low in Vitamin A
  

It’s economical and blends well with herbs, spices and flavorings—from processed baby foods to main dishes, casseroles, salads, breads and desserts, the sweet potato adds valuable, appetizing nutrients and color to any meal.

One baked sweet potato (3 1/2 ounce serving) provides over 8,800 IU of vitamin A or about twice the recommended daily allowance, yet it contains only 141 calories—weight-watchers love this! It also provides 42% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C, 6% of the RDA for calcium, 10% of the RDA for iron, and 8% of the RDA for thiamine for adults. It’s low in sodium and is a good source of fiber and other important vitamins and minerals. This complex carbohydrate provides beta carotene, a factor in reducing certain cancer risks.

For the most food value, choose deep orange-colored sweet potatoes, and select sound, firm roots. Handle carefully to prevent bruising. It’s best to store in a dry, unrefrigerated bin at 55-60 degrees F (this is called curing). DO NOT REFRIGERATE; temperatures below 55 degrees F. chill this vegetable, giving it a hard core and an undesirable taste when cooked.

Wash cured sweet potatoes, scrub skin and trim off any bruised or woody portions, and bake or boil until slightly soft. If boiled, drain immediately. Thoroughly cool then wrap individually (skins left on) in freezer film or foil, and place in plastic freezer bags. Seal, label and freeze (most dishes freeze well).

If cutting calories, serve the sweet potato plain—minimize margarine or butter and use skim milk or unsweetened orange juice as liquid when preparing them mashed.

Helpful Hints:

• Bake large pan of sweet potatoes at once; freeze or store in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.
• Freshly dug or uncured sweet potatoes are better boiled and used in dishes that include fruits or syrups. The curing process makes it sweeter and improves the cooking quality.
• Canned or frozen sweet potatoes can substitute for the fresh form in any recipe calling for cooked sweet potatoes as the starting point. Six to eight canned sweet potatoes equal about four medium fresh sweet potatoes. (See measurement relationship below.)

Fresh	Canned	Cooked & Mashed
2 medium sweet potatoes	3 to 4	1 1/4 cups
3 medium	1 pound can	2 cups
4 medium (23 ounces)	3 quart cans	2 l/2 cups

• To reduce calories in your favorite recipe, experiment by reducing the sugar or fat by using the next lower measure on the measuring cup. For example, when a recipe calls for 1 cup sugar or fat, reduce the amount to 3/4 cup. For 3/4 cup, reduce it to 2/3 cup, etc.

Sweet potatoes make an attractive house plant. To grow a sweet potato vine, place it in a jar of water with part of the potato remaining above the water—narrow end down. Put the jar in a warm, dark place; keep it filled with water. You’ll see new roots and a stem in about 10 days. As soon as this happens, move it to a sunny window.

SWEET POTATO PECAN PIE (One 9”pie)

1 (9”) unbaked pastry shell
2 medium sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled
1/4 cup butter
1 (14 oz) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk, (NOT evaporated milk)
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
Pecan Topping

Preheat oven to 350 F. In large mixer bowl, beat hot sweet potatoes and butter ‘til smooth. Add remaining ingredients except pastry shell and Pecan Topping; mix well. Pour into pastry shell. Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven; spoon Pecan Topping evenly over top. Bake 20-25 minutes longer or ‘til golden brown. Serve warm or chilled. Refrigerate leftovers.

Pecan Topping: In small mixer bowl, combine 1 egg, 3 tablespoons dark corn syrup, 3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, melted, and teaspoon maple flavoring; mix well. Stir in 1 cup chopped pecans.