Pistachio Brownie Wedges

This is the other treat we made when we took our neighbor some goodies a couple weeks ago. I don't really care for brownies and neither does my hubby, so I don't ever make them.
My son on the other hand, loves brownies.
He saw the picture for these in the book and begged me to make them.

These definitely turned out to be cakey instead of fudgy. I sent the remainder of the brownies to work with my hubby and the dipped pistachio combination was a real crowd pleaser.


Pistachio Brownie Wedges adapted from Better Homes and Gardens the ultimate cookie book
1/2 cup butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
1/3 cup pistachio nuts or pecans, finely chopped
dipping chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch baking pan with waxed paper (I used foil); Grease waxed paper and sides of pan. set aside.
2. In a small saucepan heat and stir butter and unsweetened chocolate over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat; let cool.
3. In a large mixing bowl beat eggs 1 minute or until frothy. Add sugar and vanilla; beat 2 minutes or until thickened. Beat in melted chocolate mixture. Stir in flour. ( I added half the pecans to the batter and stirred them in at this point).
Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with toasted pecans; press lightly into batter.
4. Bake about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Remove brownie from pan. Remove waxed paper. Cut brownie into quarters; cut each quarter into 4 wedges.
5. Carefully dip outer edges of brownie wedges into melted dipping chocolate and then into pistachios. Place on waxed paper and let stand until set.

More Christmas Cookies and Treats

When my sister was here visiting a couple weeks ago, I asked her what cookies she wanted me to make and send her for Christmas. I gave her some Holiday Baking Magazines and told her to pick as many as she wanted.
She folded down lots and lots of pages and then I narrowed it down to 6. I chose things that I could make all in the same day and then threw in a couple more treats at the end.

First up is Peppermint Bark. This is a Christmas goodie that my mom has made for quite a few years and she uses Martha Stewarts recipe. I actually like it better when you use almond bark instead of white chocolate, so that is what I did. I like to sprinkle some of the chopped candy canes on top, as well as mixing them into the melted white stuff. My hubby really likes this and so do my kids. Great gift.
Recipe for Peppermint Bark
My sister requested a molasses cookie and I decided I would make Dorie's recipe, because I knew it was a crowd pleaser. This time I didn't flatten my balls of dough, so I had smaller, chewier cookies. This recipe is so great that it really deserves a repeat.
I sent some of the last batch to my family, so they will be super excited to get more of them in the mail.

Recipe for Sugar Topped Molasses Spice Cookies
I saw this cookie in a Martha Stewart Holiday Cookie issue and was intrigued by the combination of cornmeal and dried fruit in a cookie. I knew sending this cookie to someone else would be great, since most members of my family do not like cornmeal. The recipe originally called for dried cherries, but I subbed in dried cranberries because that is what I had in the pantry.
These also have orange zest and they aren't overly sweet. Great cookie.
Recipe for Cornmeal-Cranberry Cookies

I saw this cookie in a couple of different Martha Stewart mags and remembered that Tracey made them a couple weeks ago. I figured bars are great for sending and these have all types of mix-ins, so they were added into the bunch.
I subbed in peanut butter chips for the butterscotch chips, toffee bits for the white chocolate and then, on top of that, these have chocolate chips, cut up caramels, and marshmallows.
What a combination. I think I will have to make these again. My son was upset that he didn't get to sample one.
Recipe for Rocky Ledge Bars
My sister wanted these peanut butter bars. They were supposed to have Hershey's Kisses on top, but I thought they would send better if they didn't have those on top. They are a play on Peanut Butter Kisses, but easier to make because they are a bar. I used creamy peanut butter in these, instead of chunky.

Recipe for Peanut Butter Bars

My sister chose these bars and I thought they were a great choice because they have green and red in them naturally. They have a basic butter, flour, brown sugar crust, which you prebake for a few minutes and then the cranberry-pistachio topping is added and they are put back in the oven to finish baking.
Great way to use fresh cranberries.
Recipe for Cranberry Pistachio Bars
My sister also chose these pumpkin oatmeal raisin cookies. They are just like an oatmeal raisin cookie, but with pumpkin puree added to the batter. I made these into bars, simply because I was trying to bake 8 different things all in one day and it made it easier for me.
I wasn't too excited about these, but I did taste a small square and they really were good. Definitely more tasty then they might seem.
So, these are all the items that made it into my treat box. I sent a few of most of these cookies to my Secret Baker.
I also made a batch of Spiced Pecans and the upcoming cookie for Tuesdays with Dorie got thrown into the mix too.
Needless to say, after this day of baking, packaging and mailing, I was wiped out. It was worth it though.
I also threw in a picture of the Cake Pops I made last weekend for a birthday party. These are a fun little treat for a Christmas or Holiday get-together, if you need a fun idea.
How-to for Cake Pops
Pumpkin Raisin Oatmeal Cookies from Woman's Day Holiday Cookies 2009
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cup quick oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup walnuts (I omitted these)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheets.
2. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla; mix well. Add flour mixture; mix well. Stir in nuts and raisins.
4. Drop by rounded Tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 14 to 16 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned and set in centers. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe for Peppermint Bark

Recipe for Cornmeal-Cranberry Cookies

Recipe for Rocky Ledge Bars

Recipe for Peanut Butter Bars

Recipe for Cranberry Pistachio Bars

Recipe for Sugar Topped Molasses Spice Cookies

Cake Pops

Holiday Biscotti

It's that time of year. The time when you can start making, baking, sending, and sharing food gifts, if you so desire.
I made these Holiday Biscotti a couple of weeks ago when a group of women from church got together to share some ideas for Edible Holiday Gifts.
I hadn't ever made this particular biscotti recipe before, but with dried cranberries and pistachios, these just seemed like the perfect Christmas treat.
They also have lemon zest which makes the flavor really great.
I dipped some in white chocolate and some in white almond bark-which I think holds up better because it doesn't melt. I also left some plain.
These were really good. I recommend them for anyone who likes biscotti. They have great flavor and would make a great gift. Plus, they look pretty with the red and green which happen naturally.
Try them out and send them to someone you love. They will be thankful! (Make sure you taste one first!)


Recipe for Holiday Biscotti

TWD-Rosy Poached Pear and Pistachio Tart

I have had my eye on this Rosy Poached Pear and Pistachio Tart ever since I got my copy of Baking:from my home to yours.
It just looks so beautiful and the combination of pears and pistachios sounds amazing.
Lauren, who blogs over at I'll Eat You chose this weeks TWD selection. You can find the recipe on her blog or on page 370 of Dorie's book.

I switched a couple of things in this recipe just because of things I had on hand at the moment.
I had candied pepitas and a mini pie crust leftover from this Pumpkin Cream Pie, so I decided I was going to make 1 mini pie, using the pie crust I had and the candied pepitas.
I only poached one pear and I used juice instead of wine. My pear was not turning "rosy", so I decided to add a couple of drops of red food coloring to the poaching liquid.
Bad idea.
My pear was bright red. When I sliced it, it resembled imitation crabmeat. Not a good thing.
Oh well. I used it anyway, because I didn't have another pear.

I made 1/4 recipe of the pistachio pastry cream, which was really delicious. I left the nuts in.
All in all, this was a delicious tart.
I think it would be even better with a tart crust.
Go check out the TWD Blogroll and see what everyone else did with this week's recipe!

Pistachio Cupcakes with Raspberries or Pistachio-Raspberry Teacakes

When I was growing up, my grandparents had a large garden. They grew everything imaginable. Every fruit and vegetable there is. They lived fairly close to us, so we spent weekends helping them pick and harvest different things.
One of the jobs I remember most was picking raspberries. They had tons of raspberry bushes and to get all the fruit, we would spend hours out in the raspberry patch. We would end up with lots of berries and lots of scratches.
Not exactly the most exciting way to spend a Saturday morning when you are a 5 year old, but I have fond memories.

The best part about the garden was having a never-ending supply of fresh fruits and vegetables that tasted wonderful because they were ripe, in-season, and fresh. I could go on all day about the delicious dishes my mom used to make us growing up that were so good for you and simply tasty.
One of the problems with having all that fresh produce during your growing up years is that you become accustomed to what fruits and vegetables are supposed to taste like when they are ripe and in-season. It becomes very difficult to find produce that tastes that good all the time.
Raspberries are definitely one of those things that I haven't really been able to enjoy very often, because they just don't taste like my grandpas did right off the bush!
That is the reason I made these cupcakes/ teacakes. I saw some raspberries that were a fairly decent price, so I grabbed a couple containers of them. Sub-par in the flavor department.
I decided they might be better in a baked good. I was thinking muffin or cupcake. I found this pistachio-raspberry combination in Martha Stewart's Cupcakes, searched for the recipe on her website and discovered that it had 2 different names.
On the website these are called Pistachio Cupcakes with Raspberries and in the cupcake book they are called Pistachio-Raspberry Teacakes.
I think the Teacakes name suits them better as they aren't very cupcake-like, in texture, but feel free to call them whatever you want.
I halved the recipe, tooked them to a dinner at my mother-in-laws, and they were enjoyed. A couple of people took an extra one for the next mornings' breakfast, so I guess these are kinda muffin-like too.
Whatever you want to call them- they were a success. They are easy to mix up and my tart raspberries tasted great in these.

I wonder if I am going to plant myself a raspberry bush.

Recipe for Pistachio Cupcakes with Raspberries

One Year Ago-Weekly Lunchbox

Gonzo Garbanzos

I have seen roasted garbanzo beans popping up all over the place in the blogging world. I thought this particular recipe looked really good with the combination of spices and pistachios. And it was.

Does anyone else think it is funny how some cans/brands of garbanzo beans contain really small beans and other cans/brands of them contain huge beans? I think it is a little wierd, but obviously you can see that these were on the smaller side. They also get smaller as they are roasting.

I reduced the amount of olive oil that the chickpeas were tossed with, just because I think you can often reduce the fat content in recipes and still get a great result.

This is a healthy snack, that is really great to grab a handful of as you are busy doing whatever throughout your day. I am going to make this again!

Gonzo Garbanzos Nick Mautone From Every Day with Rachael RayDecember-January 2007

MAKES 2 3/4 CUPS

Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 35 min
Two 15.5-ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans)--drained, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 cup olive oil ( I only used 1-2 Tbls)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 cup shelled pistachios (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the chickpeas in a medium bowl and discard any loose skins. Toss with the olive oil, salt, black pepper, cumin and cayenne until evenly coated. Spread the chickpeas on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and quickly stir in the thyme and pistachios, if using. Bake until crunchy, about 10 minutes more. Let cool and serve at room temperature.

Coming Tomorrow- Cooking Light Night- Chinese New Year!

Citrus Salad with Pomegranate and Pistachios and Roasted Cauliflower

I think that any vegetable tastes incredible if you roast it in the oven. The case is true with Cauliflower. This is a simple way to cook it, but it really has so much more flavor and a little crunch. Plus, it looks so tasty.
This fruit salad was inspired by something I saw at myrecipes.com. Citrus fruits are in abundance in wintertime and so are pomegranates. The flavors go surprisely well together and the pistachios add a nice crunch. All the colors are pretty together too. If you need a delicious side, look no further!

Citrus Salad with Pomegranate and Pistachios by Mary Ann

1 orange, sliced

1/2 grapefruit, sectioned

1/4 cup pomegranate seeds *Tip for removing pomegranate seeds

a handful of shelled pistachios, chopped

Slice your orange and remove the bite size pieces from the rind. Place them in a bowl, along with the grapefruit sections. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds and pistachios over the top. Squeeze the ends of the orange over the salad, to sweeten with a little orange juice.
* Tip- to remove pomegranate seeds, cut the pomegranate in quarters. Fill a large bowl with water. Submerge 1 quarter of the pomegranate and push out the seeds. Repeat with other pomegranate quarters. Strain seeds through a sieve.

Roasted Cauliflower by Mary Ann

1-2 heads of cauliflower, depending on size

1-2 Tbls olive oil

salt and pepper- I like to use my Garlic Sea Salt Grinder

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a large, rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Remove the stem from the cauliflower and slice cauliflower florets as thinly as you want. Scatter the cauliflower onto the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the evenly coat with oil and seasonings. Roast for 15 minutes and then, toss the cauliflower. Up the temperature to 450 degrees F and roast for an additional 10-15 minutes, until cauliflower is browned and tender.

Coming on Monday- Quinoa Pie with Butternut Squash- You don't want to miss this one, it is as beautiful as it is delicious!

Cherry Pistachio Wedding Cookies

These cookies were on my "want to make" list for quite a while. I just couldn't seem to fit them in anywhere. But, then my younger sister came to visit and asked if there were any treats. I took that as an invite to whip these up!
I was a tad bit skeptical because I wasn't sure how this cookie was going to hold together and how it would taste since it was light. But they baked up perfectly and were absolutely fabulous. I will make these again, because they are quick and easy and taste really great. I am thinking that maybe I will add them to my holiday treat making (Yes, I am already thinking about it!)





Cherry-Pistachio Wedding Cookies from Cooking Light

1 1/2 cups cake flour (about 6 ounces)

2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces)

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, divided

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces

3 teaspoons ice water

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup dried tart cherries

1/4 cup finely chopped salted dry-roasted pistachios

Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350°.2. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a food processor; pulse to combine.

2. With food processor on, add butter through food chute a few pieces at a time; process 1 minute or until mixture is the texture of sand.

3. Combine 3 teaspoons ice water and vanilla in a small bowl. With food processor on, slowly add ice water mixture through food chute; process 1 minute or until very well combined. (Mixture will remain crumbly.) Add cherries and pistachios; pulse 10 times or just until combined. Transfer mixture to a bowl. (Mixture will be crumbly.) Gently press mixture into a level tablespoon; pack lightly with the heel of your hand. Turn out onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining dough to form 32 cookies.

4. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or just until bottoms are golden. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes on baking sheet.

5. Place remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a large bowl. Add cooled cookies; toss gently to coat with powdered sugar. Transfer cookies to wax paper to cool completely.

Cardamom Banana Bread with Pistachios

My brother was begging me to make banana bread with the quickly deteriorating bananas at his house. We went to Cooking Light and found 2 types we wanted to make. This banana bread was delicious and the flavors were excellent together. I know the banana pictures are kinda gross, but they were leaking banana juice all over the countertop!

Cardamom Banana Bread with Pistachios (adapted from Cooking Light)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup egg substitute

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

1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
Place sugars 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, sour cream, and cardamom; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in pistachios. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. 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 bread completely on wire rack.