Whipped Caramel Frosting

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• Pinch of coarse salt
• 2 cups heavy cream

Directions

Prepare an ice bath; set aside. Cook sugar, water, and salt in saucepan over medium heat, stirring once, until sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking, without stirring, until sugar turns golden amber. Remove pan from heat; slowly pour cream down sides of pan in a slow, steady stream (it will spatter). Return pan to medium heat, and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.

Transfer caramel cream to a mixing bowl set in ice bath; let sit until very cold, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Mixture can be refrigerated overnight. Before serving, whip the caramel cream until stiff peaks form. Use immediately.

Chocolate Swirled Banana Bread // Old Fashioned Banana Bread

Chocolate Swirled Banana Bread  
2 c. flour

¾ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 c. sugar
¼ c. butter, softened
1 ½ c. mashed ripe bananas (about 3-4 medium bananas)
2 eggs
1/3 c. plain lowfat yogurt or sour cream
½ c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cups and level. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Cream sugar and butter. Add bananas, eggs, and yogurt, beating until just blended. Add flour mixture. Beat on low until just moistened. Microwave chocolate chips in a medium bowl for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Add 1 c. batter to chocolate, stirring until well-combined. Spoon chocolate batter alternately with plain batter (so you have stripes of plain and chocolate batter) in an 8 ½” x 4 ½” loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Swirl batters with a knife.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes (give or take a little; I’d probably set your timer for 1 hour and 10 minutes to be safe) or until a knife comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan and then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
If you really want something yummy, spread a little peanut butter on top of a toasted (or at least warm) slice. Really, can you beat a combo of peanut butter, bananas, and chocolate? No, you can’t, in case you were wondering…

Classic Banana Bread 

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)

1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 Tbsp. brown sugar

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Spoon batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle brown sugar on top. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Asian Lettuce Wraps
Recipe by Our Best Bites
2 tsp canola oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 lb ground chicken*
3 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped (about 8 small mushrooms)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 C bagged coleslaw mix or thinly shredded cabbage
1 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained, rinsed, and finely minced
1/2 C thinly sliced green onions
4 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 3-4 Tbs juice)
1/2-1 tsp sriracha or other hot sauce (1 tsp of Sriracha is fairly spicy in my opinion, so if you want less or no kick, just give it a little, or you can leave it out completely)
1/3 C roughly chopped cilantro
1-2 heads iceberg lettuce
*To prepare your own ground chicken, cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into large chunks and pulse in a food processor until ground.

Dipping/Drizzling Sauce
4 Tbs soy sauce
4 Tbs rice vinegar
3 Tbs water
2 tsp honey
1-2 tsp finely minced fresh ginger
Heat a very large skillet to medium-high heat on the stove top.  When hot, add vegetable  oil and then garlic and ginger.  Saute for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, and then add ground chicken, chopped mushrooms, and kosher salt.  Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until chicken is cooked through.  (*At this point, sometimes I have some extra liquid in the pan from the chicken.  If it’s quite a bit, I tilt the pan and spoon it out so the chicken can cook and not boil.) Add cabbage/coleslaw, water chestnuts, and green onions.  Cook for about 2 minutes, until cabbage starts to wilt.  Add soy sauce, sesame oil, the zest from the lemon and the lemon juice, and hot sauce to taste.  Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
To prepare dipping sauce, combine all ingredients and whisk to combine.
To serve, carefully remove the individual leaves from the head of lettuce.  (The closer you get to the center, the easier it becomes!)  Place chicken mixture in the leaves and serve with sauce.
Yield: about 5 C chicken mixture.  Makes 14-16 lettuce wraps.

Hawaiian Haystacks

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks (or leftover cooked chicken, cubed)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• ½ onion (about ½ cup), finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic; finely minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

1. In a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat and add the onion and raw chicken (if using leftover cooked chicken, don’t add it to the skillet now, you’ll add it later). Saute the onion and chicken, if using, until the onions are soft and translucent and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about one minute, stirring, until fragrant.
2. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and chicken and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for one minute – this helps get rid of the starchy, flour taste. Slowly whisk in the milk and chicken broth. Cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, and bring the sauce to a simmer over medium to medium-high heat. Add the salt and pepper. If you are using leftover cooked chicken, add it now. Continue simmering, stirring the sauce frequently, until the sauce has thickened, about 5-8 minutes.
3. Serve the chicken sauce over rice with your toppings of choice, such as olives, tomatoes, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, green onions, mandarin oranges and chow mein noodles.

Smothered Pork Chops (Slow Cooker)

Ingredients:
5 slices bacon, chopped
6 pork chops, about 3/4 inch thick
Salt and Pepper
2 yellow onions, peeled, halved into half moons
1 tsp plus 1 TBS light brown sugar
1/4 C plus 2 TBS cold water
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp dried thyme
3 C chicken broth
1 TBS soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1 TBS cornstarch
1 TBS cider vinegar
Fresh Parsley

Directions:
In a large skillet over medium heat, fry bacon until lightly browned, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towls, leaving the drippings in the pan. If you have more than 2 TBS drippings, drain the excess. If you don't have quite that much, supplement with canola oil. When the bacon is cool, transfer to a small bag or tupperware and refrigerate until later.

Heat the skillet with the drippings over medium or medium-high heat until rippling and hot. Meanwhile, pat pork chops dry with paper towels and sprinkle each side with salt and pepper. Cook pork chops until they are golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side, cooking them in batches in the skillet if your skillet isn't big enough. When golden, transfer the chops to the slow cooker.

Pour off all but 1 tsp of fat; add onions, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 C water to empty skillet. Using a wooden spoon, scrape browned bits from bottom of the pan and cook over medium high heat until onions are soft, about 4-6 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour onion mixture over chops in the slow cooker. Add broth, soy sauce, and remaining 1 TBS brown sugar to skillet, bring to a boil and add bay leaves. Pour mixture over onions in slow cooker.

Cover slow cooker and cook on low until pork is tender, about 8 hours.

When ready to serve, carefully transfer chops to serving platter with a large spoon and tent with foil. Discard bay leaves and pour liquid through a mesh strainer into a saucepan, reserving the solids. Transfer solids to a food processor or blender with 1 C liquid and blend until smooth. Stir the blended mixture back into remaining liquid in the saucepan. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and remaining 2 TBS water together in a small sauce pan and stir into sauce. Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, pour over pork chops and sprinkle with reserved bacon and parsley. Serve. 

Pumpkin Cake Doughnuts

Doughnuts

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar*
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée (canned pumpkin)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, or 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus heaping 1/4 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour**
• *See "tips," below, for a lower-sugar option.
• **See tips, below, to substitute King Arthur Unbleached Self-Rising Flour.

Coating

• 3 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two standard doughnut pans. If you don't have doughnut pans, you can bake these in a standard muffin tin; they just won't be doughnuts.
2. Beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking powder until smooth.
3. Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.
4. Fill the wells of the doughnut pans about 3/4 full; use a scant 1/4 cup of batter in each well. If you're making muffins, fill each well about 3/4 full; the recipe makes about 15, so you'll need to bake in two batches (unless you have two muffin pans).
5. Bake the doughnuts for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. If you're making muffins, they'll need to bake for 23 to 25 minutes.
6. Remove the doughnuts from the oven, and after about 5 minutes, loosen their edges, and transfer them to a rack to cool.
7. While the doughnuts are still warm (but no longer fragile), gently shake them in a bag with the cinnamon-sugar. If you've made muffins, sprinkle their tops heavily with cinnamon-sugar.
8. Cool completely, and store (not wrapped tight) at room temperature for several days.
9. Yield: 12 doughnuts or 15 muffins.

Cranberry Apple Cider (Slow Cooker)

Ingredients

• 1 liter apple juice, pure unsweetened
• 2 cups orange juice, pure unsweetened
• 1 liter cranberry juice, unsweetened
• 1/2 cup sugar, stevia, honey or other sweetener (to taste)
• 3 cinnamon sticks, whole
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

  Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients to a 4 quart or larger slow cooker. Stir.
  2. Cook at least 3-4 hours on low or until hot. Keep warm as long as needed on the low or warm setting.
  3. *Leftovers refrigerate wonderfully and reheat just fine!
   

Chocolate Doughnuts // Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

For the donuts:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 6 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and baking soda.
3. In a small bowl, beat together the vanilla, egg, sour cream, milk, and oil.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined.
5. Spoon in a greased donut pan.
6. Bake for 8 minutes or until the tops spring back when you touch them.
7. Let the donuts cool in the pan before glazing.

Chocolate Glaze

• 1/2 cup (90g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 Tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 2 teaspoons water
• Make the chocolate glaze: Place the chocolate chips, butter, corn syrup, and water in a medium bowl. Melt in 20 second increments in the microwave, stirring after each time, until completely melted and smooth. Dip the tops of the donuts into the chocolate glaze and then cover with sprinkles. I simply poured the sprinkles into a deep bowl and dipped the tops of the donuts into it. You'll likely have leftover ganache. It's great on ice cream!
• Donuts taste best eaten the same day, though they may be covered tightly and stored at room temperature for 2 days.

Asian Sweet Chili Sesame Chicken

2 pounds chicken breasts (thawed)* 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch 1/4 cup water sriracha to taste (optional) Sweet Chili Sesame Sauce 2-4 tablespoons Asian sweet chili sauce ** 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce 1/3 cup ketchup 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 2 tablespoons quality hoisin sauce (like Lee Kum Kee or Kikkkoman)*** 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder or 3-4 garlic cloves minced 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder or 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper Garnishes toasted sesame seeds chopped green onions

1. Add chicken to the bottom of your crockpot.
2. Whisk the Sweet Chili Sesame Sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl. Pour over chicken.
3. Cook on low for 5-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
4. Shred chicken and add 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water to the crockpot. Stir contents around. Cook on high for 20-30 minutes until sauce thickens. Taste and add Sriracha for spicier, brown sugar for sweeter if desired.
5. Serve with rice and garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

Pizza Dough + Pizza Sauce

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for oiling bowl 

For the pizza dough: Sprinkle the active dry yeast over 1 1/2 cups of warm--not lukewarm--water.
In a mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed, drizzle in the olive oil and mix until combined. Pour in the yeast mixture and mix until combined.
Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil and tip the dough in. Form a ball and toss to coat the dough ball in the olive oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 or 4 days refrigerated.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
To prepare the dough for the pizza assembly: Divide the dough into two equal parts. Roll out one part as thinly as possible and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the second piece of dough.  

• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely 
• 1/2 cup chicken broth 
• Three 15-ounce cans crushed tomatoes 
• Salt and pepper 
• Pinch sugar 
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 8 to 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped 

For the pizza sauce: Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil into a hot pan over medium-high heat. Throw in the garlic and chopped onions and give them a stir. Cook until the onions are soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, whisking to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Cook until the liquid reduces by half. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of sugar. Add the dried oregano and basil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.