My morning cup in a cake

When I quit drinking coffee I searched for a replacement that still satisfied my morning taste. Today I treat myself occasionally to a latte when out, but everyday I make chai with french vanilla creamer. It's simple, flavorful, and warm. This cake turned out to satisfy those same qualities.

Spiced Chai Bundt Cake
by Donna Hay

1 tablespoon chai tea leaves
2 tablespoons boiling water
2 1/2 cups self-rising flour*
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar*
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the chai and water in a small bowl and mix to combine. Place the flour, sugar, pumpkin pie
spice, eggs, milk, butter, vanilla and tea mixture in a large bowl and whisk until smooth.
Pour into a well-greased Bundt pan and cook for 30–35 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Invert onto a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Gently lift off the pan and allow to cool completely before serving.

We added a glaze made from french vanilla creamer, powdered sugar and tea. Delicious!

* So many recipe notes:
1) self-rising flour can sometimes be found now in US markets. You can make your own though: Mix 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt (for this recipe use: 2 1/2 cups flour, 3 3/4 teaspoons baking powder, 5/8 teaspoon salt)
2) superfine sugar is usually called for if they want a quicker melt and incorporation. You can process regular sugar for a few moments or purchase the superfine
3) pumpkin pie spice: you can purchase, but why? Mix 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg, 1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice and 1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves

published by Epicurious
Internet address: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/spiced-chai-bundt-cake-56390089
Reprinted from Donna Hay Magazine. Published by News Life Media. All rights reserved.
Yield: 8 –10 servings
Copyright: Oct 2015

So Many Steps, Let's Cheat!

This recipe was a compilation of several others, which we adapted for easy cooking! It will feed 4 easily and 6 without too much trouble. Don't be put off with the length of it, our cheats are included!

Spinach Salad with Sweet Corn Polenta and Asparagus Bundles

Polenta Part
6 ears corn
2 1/4 cups water
3 tablespoons butter, diced
**7 ounces feta, crumbled
**1/4 teaspoon salt
**Black pepper
    Cheat: While I loved the idea of fresh corn polenta (!) we used ground polenta with milk and added frozen corn kernels with the feta.

Salad Part
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons chopped marjoram or oregano
1 eggplant (1 1/4-pounds) trimmed and cut into 8 (1-inch-thick) rounds
1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds
10 ounces baby spinach
1/4 cup pine nuts (1 ounce), lightly toasted

Asparagus Bundles
8 slices bacon
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 pound asparagus
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Polenta
Cheat: Use package directions with milk as liquid, then skip everything to ***
Remove the leaves and "silk" from each ear of corn, then chop off the pointed top and stalk. Use a sharp knife to shave off the kernels -- either stand each ear upright on its base and shave downward, or lay each ear on its side on a cutting board to slice off the kernels. You want to have 1 1/4 pounds kernels.
Place the kernels in a medium saucepan and barely cover them with the water. Cook for 12 minutes on a low simmer. Use a slotted spoon to lift the kernels from the water and into a food processor; reserve the cooking liquid.
Process them for quite a few minutes, to break as much of the kernel case as possible. Add some of the cooking liquid if the mixture becomes too dry to process. 
Now return the corn paste to the pan with the cooking liquid and cook, while stirring, on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the mixture thickens to mashed potato consistency. (Be aware that if you have a lot of liquid left in the pan, it can take a while to cook down the polenta, and it will sputter. Consider holding back some or all of the liquid. Alternately, if you like the consistency after processing, you can skip to step 5.)
***Fold in the butter, the feta, salt and some pepper and optionally cook for a further 2 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Salad
Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking.
Whisk together oil, lemon juice, garlic, marjoram, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper
in a small bowl.
Brush both sides of vegetable slices with some of dressing. Season with 1/4 teaspoon each of
salt and pepper. Oil grill rack, then grill vegetables, covered only if using a gas grill, turning
occasionally, until tender, 12 to 15 minutes total. Cut into pieces.
Toss spinach with enough dressing to coat and season with salt and pepper. Add eggplant and zucchini and toss again. ***Cheat: use the broiler to speed the vegetable roasting. Don't worry about tossing it all- arrange spinach as the base, top with vegetables and sprinkle the dressing.

Bacon/Asparagus
Place the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon until it begins to shrink up
and gets just a little crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the heat, sprinkle on the
brown sugar, and stir until well coated. Allow the bacon to cool until it is no longer too hot to
handle.
Place the asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzle with the vegetable oil. Season with salt and
pepper, then toss to combine. Divide the asparagus into 4 bundles and wrap each with a slice
of brown sugar covered bacon. **We had 3 spears for each slice of bacon
Place the bundles on the baking sheet and bake in the oven, or grill on the grill, until the bacon

becomes crispy on the ends, about 10-12 minutes. Allow the bundles to cool for about 5 minutes, then garnish with cracked pepper.

Putting it All Together
Simple! Spinach first. You could stretch extra plates by adding extra of this. Next, the Salad; be sure that some vegetables show. Next, the polenta, then top with the asparagus bundle. We scattered cherry tomato quarters and pumpkin seeds around for garnish.

Beautiful!

Pulled Pork. Make it Thursday for an easy start to your weekend

It looks like a lot- almost 20 ingredients just for the pork, more for coleslaw, but it goes together quickly, cooks on its own the next day and needs only a quick final prep when you get home from work.

Serves 8

	DRY RUB:
1 1/2	teaspoons  whole coriander seed
1 1/2	teaspoons  whole cumin seed
1 1/2	teaspoons  black peppercorns
2 1/4	teaspoons  coarse kosher salt
1 1/2	teaspoons  dry mustard powder
1 1/2	teaspoons  chile powder
3	Tablespoons  dark brown sugar
	PORK:
3 1/2	pounds  boneless pork shoulder
	Hamburger or brioche buns, for serving
	SAUCE:
1 1/2	cups  ketchup
1/4	cup  packed dark brown sugar
2	Tablespoons  molasses
2	garlic cloves, minced or grated
1/4	cup  cider vinegar
2	Tablespoons  Worcestershire sauce
2	teaspoons  sweet or hot paprika
1	teaspoon  black pepper
1	teaspoon  dry mustard powder
1	Pinch  cayenne
1	Dash  hot sauce, more to taste
	COLESLAW:
1	small head  green cabbage, outer leaves removed, shredded (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2	small  red onion, thinly sliced
1	large  jalapeno, seeded if desired, thinly sliced
3/4	cup  mayonnaise
2	tablespoons  cider vinegar
2	tablespoons  extra virgin olive oil
1	teaspoon  coarse kosher salt
	Black pepper

Yes, that's a lot of ingredients! But worth it, I promise.

Thursday night: Assemble the spice rub for the pork: In a dry, small skillet over medium-low heat, toast coriander, cumin and peppercorns until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind toasted spices into a fine powder. Transfer to a bowl and mix with salt, mustard

powder, chile powder and sugar.

If your roast is tied up, untie it. Massage meat generously with spice rub. If you have time, let meat rest for an hour or two at room temperature, or refrigerate for several hours or OVERNIGHT. I put mine fat side up in the crockpot insert and refrigerate in that.

Prepare the barbecue sauce: Combine ingredients in a medium pot. Simmer over medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce has deepened in color. Season with more hot sauce if you like. Add two-thirds of the sauce to meat and toss to coat, adding more sauce as

needed. (Any leftover sauce will keep for at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator.)

Friday: Start the crockpot before you leave for work. Put on low, close it up, and head out. Cook until meat is pull-apart tender and internal temperature reads 200 degrees on a meat thermometer. Let meat cool for at least 30 minutes before pulling it apart and shredding with your hands or two forks. (This

works best when the meat is warm but not hot.)

Make the slaw: Combine cabbage, onion and jalapeño in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add dressing to cabbage and toss well.

Serve pulled pork with slaw, buns and hot sauce on the side, letting people assemble their own sandwiches.

From the NY Times

Asparagus and Mushroom Tarts

Recipe by Betty Rosbottom
Serves 8 with side salad for lunch

 1  package frozen puff pastry -- 17.13 ounces
   1/4 cup  unsalted butter
 12 oz  mushrooms -- stemmed, caps cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
 1 tsp  kosher salt -- divided
    1/2 tsp  black pepper -- divided
 1 lb  asparagus spears -- slender - trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
 1 1/2 teaspoons  fresh thyme -- chopped
 1 1/2 tsp  lemon zest
    1/2 cup  crème fraîche
    1/2 cup  Gruyère cheese -- (packed) coarsely grated
           Fresh thyme sprigs (for garnish)

Roll out each pastry sheet on work surface to 10-inch square. Cut each
into 4 squares. Using small knife, score 1/2-inch border (do not cut
through pastry) around inside edges of each square. Arrange squares on 2
rimmed baking sheets. **DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and
chill.**

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms;
sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sauté
until tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to
large bowl; cool 15 minutes. Add asparagus, chopped thyme, lemon peel, 3/4
teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to mushrooms. Mix in crème
fraîche and cheese. **DO AHEAD Filling can be made 1 day ahead. Cover;
chill.**

Preheat oven to 400°F. Mound filling atop pastry squares, leaving 1/2-inch
plain border.

Bake tarts 12 minutes. Reverse sheets. Continue to bake tarts until crusts
are puffed and golden and filling is cooked through, about 10 minutes
longer. Transfer to plates; garnish with thyme sprigs.

Source: Epicurious.com

DOWNTON ABBEY EARL GREY SHORTBREAD COOKIES

MAKES: 2 DOZEN

INGREDIENTS

·         1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter

·         ½ cup Confectioners Sugar

·         2 cups All-Purpose Flour

·         ½ tsp Salt

·         1 bag Earl Grey Tea Leaves, 2 bags can be used for a stronger flavor

INSTRUCTIONS

1.      Preheat oven to 350­°.

2.      Cream butter and confectioners sugar in a large bowl or stand mixer.

3.      Add in flour, salt, and tea leaves. continue to mix until a soft dough forms. The mix will be dry and crumbly at first but will come together.

4.      Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface until it's ¼ inch thick.

5.      Cut out cookies using a 2 in round cookie cutter.

6.      Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 20-22 minutes or until edges are a golden brown.

NOTES

For a stronger initial flavor, mix the butter and tea leaves together about 6 hours ahead of time to infuse.
Slightly Adapted from Dine & Dish.
1 cookie is 3 WW PointsPlus.

RACHEL’S NOTES

I used 2 tea bags and sprinkled the tops with powdered sugar. Reports were that they were not “too sweet” and “melt in your mouth addictive”.

direct FROM SUGAR AND SOUL

HTTPS://WWW.SUGARANDSOUL.CO/DOWNTON-ABBEY-EARL-GREY-COOKIES/

Crispy Sesame Beef

CRISPY SESAME BEEF

from the author:  "Restaurant-quality, amazingly crispy beef made in just 30 min with
  less oil – you won’t even be able to tell the difference!"
from me: "Surprise! It really does get crispy!"

Serves 4

1  cup  peanut oil
1 pound  sirloin steak -- sliced into thin strips
4 Tablespoons  cornstarch -- divided
                        FOR THE SAUCE
   1/4 cup  soy sauce
   1/4 cup  brown sugar, packed
  2 Tablespoons  fresh orange juice
  2 Tablespoons  rice vinegar
  2 cloves  garlic
  1 Tablespoon  fresh ginger -- grated
  1 Tablespoon  Sriracha
  1 teaspoon  sesame oil
  1 teaspoon  sesame seeds
  1 each  scallion -- thinly sliced

Heat peanut oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. I used vegetable oil

In a large bowl, combine steak and 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, tossing to coat and letting the steak absorb the cornstarch. Add remaining 2 Tablespoons cornstarch before adding to the stockpot.

Working in batches, cook steak until golden and crisp, about 2-3 minutes.
The cornstarch will really crisp up, don't take it out when the meat is
done: let it cook. Tra
nsfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine soy sauce, brown
sugar, orange juice, vinegar, garlic, ginger, Sriracha and sesame oil
until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in steak and gently toss
to combine.

Serve immediately, garnished with sesame seeds and green onion, if
desired.

Recipe by Chungah On
www.DamnDelicious.com
March 2016

Ginger Chicken Meatballs with Broccoli

At lunch today 4 people ate the meal for I cooked for 6! These meatballs smell amazing as they cook and are easily put together.

I used 1/2 ground chicken and 1/2 ground turkey to give more body and avoid adding breadcrumbs. I fried them in a mix of vegetable and sesame oil to brown them, then finished them in the oven.

Ginger-Chicken Meatballs with Chinese Broccoli
Serves: 6 (4 if really hungry)

  1 garlic clove -- finely grated
  2 pounds  ground chicken
  1 Tablespoon  reduced-sodium soy sauce
  2 teaspoons  ginger -- finely grated
  4 scallions -- thinly sliced, plus more for serving
  2 cups  low-sodium chicken broth -- divided
  2 Tablespoons  vegetable oil
     1/2  bunch  Broccolini -- chopped
     1/2  teaspoon  crushed red pepper flakes
  Kosher salt and pepper -- freshly ground pepper

Using your hands or a rubber spatula, gently mix garlic, chicken, soy
sauce, ginger, 4 scallions, and 1/2 cup broth in a medium bowl just to
combine. Scooping out by the tablespoonful, form mixture into
1inch-diameter meatballs.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook,
turning occasionally, until golden brown all over, 8-10 minutes. Transfer
to a plate.

Combine broccoli and red pepper flakes in same skillet, season with salt
and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat until broccoli is bright green
and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add meatballs and remaining 1 1/2 cups
broth. Bring broth to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until meatballs are
cooked through and broccoli is tender, 5-8 minutes.

Serve with rice and sprinkled with more scallions.

Source: Bon Appetit Test Kitchen March 2014

Apple Cutie Pies

Apple Cutie Pies

I haven't posted many desserts as I don't make very many. This one is an easy and fun option. The first time, I used the lattice design it calls for (top picture). The second time, I made them for Thanksgiving and used little leaves instead.

Servings   : 10 

  2  T  butter
  3  ea Granny Smith apples -- finely chopped
   1/4 c.  sugar

   1/4 c.  brown sugar
  1 T cinnamon
   1/2 T ground nutmeg
  1 T cornstarch
   1/2 each  lemon -- use the juice of this half
  Flour for rolling
  2 refrigerated pie crusts (I cheated and used pre-made)
  1 c.  caramel -- (warmed in microwave to make spreadable if necessary)
Egg wash
  2 T cinnamon sugar -- for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment
paper. 

Make apple pie filling: In a large pot over medium heat, melt
butter. Add chopped apples and cook until beginning to soften, then add
sugar and brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir. Let cook a few
minutes more, then add cornstarch and lemon juice. Remove from heat and
let slightly cool.

Roll out refrigerated pie crusts on a floured work surface. Slice one into
long 1/2" thick lattice strips. Set aside.

Spread the second pie crust with caramel.

Top with apple pie filling.

Top half the lattice strips going one direction and then top the remaining
half going the other direction.

Use a cookie or biscuit cutter to cut small rounds. Transfer to
parchment-lined baking sheet. Discard scraps.

Brush cookies with egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Recipe By :Lindsay Funston
Source:  "Delish.com"
S(Internet address): http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a49160/apple-cutiepies-recipe/
Copyright: Sept 2016

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I currently have a "no carbs" client. I wanted to do personal pizzas for lunch, but still satisfy his requirements. This 'crust' worked well.

Recipe By     : Food Network's Katie Lee
Serving Size  : 2

  1         head  cauliflower -- stalk removed
              NOTE: I used cauliflower rice now easily found in the grocery
     1/2   cup  shredded mozzarella
     1/4   cup  grated Parmesan
     1/2   teaspoon  dried oregano
     1/2   teaspoon  kosher salt
     1/4   teaspoon  garlic powder
  2         eggs -- lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment
paper.

Break the cauliflower into florets and pulse in a food processor until
fine. (NOTE: or use cauliflower rice) Steam in a steamer basket and drain well. Let cool.

In a bowl, combine the cauliflower with the mozzarella, Parmesan, oregano,
salt, garlic powder and eggs. Transfer to the center of the baking sheet
and spread into a circle, resembling a pizza crust. Bake for 20 minutes.

Add desired toppings and bake an additional 10 minutes.