Monthly Archives: September 2013

Upside-Down Pear Cake

My grandpa gave us lots of pears last time we were back home for a visit. I have been trying my best to eat them all before they go bad. But it has been difficult with all the good produce in season.

We are having a fall dinner tomorrow and I think this will be the perfect finish to our menu. I have always wanted to make an upside- down cake with pears and since I have plenty on hand I thought there is no better time then now.

Ingredients:
1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup no sugar added applesauce
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 pears (peeled. sliced, and cored)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup egg whites or egg substitute
1/3 cup Maple syrup
1 Tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven 350.

2. Line a 9″ round cake pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

2. Place flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger in a bowl and mix.

3. In a separate bowl mix sugar, applesauce, vanilla, and egg whites.

4. Add flour mix and buttermilk alternating the two and mixing after each addition.

5. In small sauce pan over medium heat warm maple syrup until thick about 2 to 4 minutes.

6. Spread the pears evenly on the parchment paper.

7. Once the maple syrup has thickened pour over the sliced pears.

8. Now pour batter over pears.

9. Bake on 350 for 23-25 minutes.

10. Let cool on wire rack for 5 minutes and remove from pan

Whole Wheat Avocado Brownies

My sister has been trying to get me to make some avocado baked goods for a while. We are celebrating her birthday this weekend! I cannot think of a better time to try brownies with avocado instead butter.

Ingredients:
One large avocado mashed
1 cup of sugar
2 farm fresh eggs
1/2 tsp almond extract or vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 baking powder
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup Dutch processed cocoa (use high quality cocoa; it’s worth it)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Place avocado, sugar, and almond extract in food processor.

2. Pulse until cream like.

3. Add one egg at a time.

4. In a separate bowl sift flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda.

5. Mix with spoon until dry ingredients blended well.

6. Add dry mix into creamy avocado mixture.

7. Pulse until combined.

8. Pour batter into a cooking sprayed 9 inch baking dish.

Spread evenly

9. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes on 350 degrees or until toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy !

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits

I had to make biscuits to go with yesterday’s homemade apple butter! This recipe was adapted from a Taste of Home recipe

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Rolled-Buttermilk-Biscuits. I of course made of few changes to incorporate some whole

grain goodness.

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup AP Flour
3 Tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 TB cold butter (unsalted)
1 cup buttermilk
1 TB skim milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450.

Place both flours, salt, soda, baking power in bowl.

2. Cut butter into dry mixture.

3. Until resembles course texture.

4. Pour buttermilk into dry mixture.

5. Mix with wooden spoon just until ingredients are combine.

6. Sprinkle flour onto a clean surface and knead dough 2 to 3 times.

7. Roll dough with floured roller.

Cut 12 cutouts with 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter.

8. Roll second time and cut 12 more biscuits.

9. Layer biscuits on top of each other in rows of two on parchment paper.

10. Brush with the skim milk.

11. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes on 450 degrees.

Yields 12 biscuits!

Plus it goes well with Apple Butter

Apple Butter

There is nothing better than the smell of apples and cinnamon cooking in the slow cooker all day! My grandpa gave me a basket of some of his homegrown apples this past weekend. I have always wanted to make my apple butter instead of buying it for 5-6.00$ a jar. Well today is the day. The longest part of the process is peeling the apples! But well worth the time.

Ingredients:
16 Cups of peeled, corded, chopped apples
6 three inch cinnamon sticks
1/4 tsp clove
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 cups of packed brown sugar

Directions:

1. Place all the chopped apple pieces in slow cooker.

2. Add lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, salt and cloves.

3. Top apples with brown sugar.

4. Turn slow cooker on low and cover.

5. Stir every few hours.

6. Cook for 16 to 20 hours.

7. Remove cinnamon sticks and if needed use hand held emulsion blender to purée.

Makes Seven 8 oz jars.

Rhubarb Almond Crisp

Whole Wheat Rhubarb Crisp

Woo
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup AP Flour
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 cup Brown Sugar (not packed)
1/2 Cup melted butter (no added salt)
3/4 cup quick oats
4 cups of Chopped Rhubarb
1 cup water
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup toasted slivered Almonds
2 TB corn starch
1 tsp pure vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

1. Place first three ingredients in medium bowl.