5 Bean Salad

5 Bean Salad
1 (15 ounce) can Garbanzo (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can Kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can Black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can Red beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can Pinto beans or Black-eyed Peas, drained and rinsed
(Most of the time, I make sure I get the organic brand of beans.)

Put all beans in a bowl. I don't rinse them, but you can if you wish to. Then, make dressing:

1 small white onion, sliced into thin rings (yellow onion is too strong)
3/4 cup white sugar (I used raw sugar)
2/3 cup distilled white vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Shake in bottle, then pour on the 5 beans in bowl. Stir until all is coated and well mixed. Best made the day before and served cold.

chocolate chip banana oatmeal cookies

I modified a recipe for Banana Oatmeal Cookies into Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Cookies. It's so good if you love banana with chocolate!!

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Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Cookies
(original recipe by Lois, modified by Philip)
This cookie recipe takes about 10 minutes to prepare, approximately 15 minutes cooking time per batch, and about 36 servings ready in about 1 hour 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and grease cookie sheets. It will be easier to clean the cookie sheets later if you use parchment paper instead of greasing the sheets.

Whip and fluff:
3/4 cup butter at room tempurature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup Turbinado (raw cane) sugar

Add to sugar mixture:
1 large egg
2/3 cup mashed, very ripe banana
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a separate bowl, sift together:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
one big pinch of ground nutmeg

Pour flour mixture into the banana batter and mix well. Measure and add:
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup crushed almond slices
1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet regular chocolate chips

Mix until even. The batter should be thick and chunky. Drop one inch spoonfuls of batter onto the cookie sheets and leave room for spreading. Prepare them in rows and ready for baking.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in a preheated oven. Depending on your oven, cooking times might vary. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes, then place the cookies on racks. I tend to watch the cookies at the end of 8 minutes and make a guess if it needs more baking time or just pull them out to cool.

ENJOY!

Tags: recipes, cookies, fruits, chocolate

chai bomb.

chai bomb

Tags: beverages, recipes

hell riesen sauce.

Now, I came up with a great chocolate caramel sauce recipe by chance!
I'd like to share it with you. It is perfect and great on warm
chocolate cake or vanilla bean ice cream. Enjoy!

Hell Riesen Sauce

1 cup Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy Dark Chocolate Frosting
10 oz. (32 pieces) Stork® Riesen® Chewy Chocolate Caramel covered in
Rich European Chocolate

Unwrap all the 32 pieces (usually just the 10 oz. bag) of Stork®
Riesen® Chewy Chocolate Caramel covered in Rich European Chocolate. In
a small glass or ceramic bowl that is microwave safe¹, put in 1 cup
Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy Dark Chocolate Frosting. Stir in the
Riesen® pieces. Set the bowl in the microwave and heat for 30
seconds². Stir immediately. Then heat in the microwave for another 30
seconds. Let it sit for a minute or so. Stir again. Repeat with the
microwaving and stirring until you are satisfied with the consistency of
the dark chocolate sauce.

Serve hot on cake, brownies or/and vanilla bean ice cream.

Makes about 16 to 18 oz. Serves about 7 people, depending on how much
was portioned. I haven't weighed it to be sure of the ounces because I
don't have a food scale for that. It would be safe to say the serving
size would be 2 Tablespoons. Ohhh, the Hell with it!! Please be a
little devil and go overboard with the Hell Riesen sauce!

note ¹ - the caramels would be too hot to microwave in plastic bowls,
so be extra careful making it.

note ² - do not go over 30 seconds everytime you heat the sauce. If
you do, you run into the risk of burning it! 30 seconds at a time, ok?

Tags: chocolate, sauces, recipes

a stumbleupon recipe.

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup peanut butter
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Method:
Cream butter and sugars in large bowl until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition.  Thouroughly incorporate peanut butter.
 
In seperate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.  Mix well, and add to butter and sugars.  Stir until *just* combined.  Do not overmix!
 
Scoop onto parchment lined cookies sheets (if you have it; otherwise use non-stick sheets, or as a final resort, a lightly buttered sheet).  Flatten with tool of your choice: a fork, the bottom of a pretty bevelled glass, or the palm of your hand!

Bake at 275 C for 10 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly browned and the top is "set".  Never trust your cookies to a 350 degree celius oven!  Ever!  Most home ovens run 50 degrees hotter than the dial temperature.  It's better to bake them a little longer than to risk burning/overbaking.  Transfer to wire racks to cool, brew a strong cup of coffee, or pour a glass of milk and enjoy!  Oh, and sharing with loved ones makes them taste even better!

Tags: recipes, cookies

raspberry double devil's food pound cake

raspberry double devil's food pound cake

filling:
1 cup melted ganache
1 cup Trader Joe's® organic reduced sugar raspberry preserves

pound cake:
1 package Duncan Hines® Moist Deluxe® devil's food cake mix
1 package (4-serving size) devil's food chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix
1 Tbsp cocoa powder (add another Tbsp to darken flavor)
4 large eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups water
½ cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt® or tube pan.

First, warm up ganache in a small bowl to soften into a thick liquid state. Put the melted ganache into a small baker's piping bag. Ziploc® bag can also be used as a substitute for baker's piping bag with one corner cut off on the bottom. Also, before measuring raspberry preserves, stir it in the jar to loosen the contents. Then measure out one cup preserves into another small baker's piping bag. Again, you can use Ziploc® if you don't have the baker's piping bag. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together cake mix, pudding mix and cocoa. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, vanilla, vegetable oil and water. Pour the liquid mixture into the sifted cake mix, and beat at medium speed with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Pour into pan.

Take the bag of ganache and carefully squeeze around the contents evenly into the cake batter throughout the Bundt® pan. The ganache filling should be on top, but almost to the center inside the cake. Do the same with the bag of raspberry preserves. The raspberry filling will settlea bit as it bakes in the oven. The ganache will also settle some but it will thinly coat part of the cake's crust with a layer of crispy chocolate.

For a few seconds, gently tap the cake pan to remove excess air bubbles. Put the cake pan in the center of the oven to bake. Bake at350°F for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Be careful not to insert toothpick into the filling part, you don't want to underbake or overbake!

Cool the pound cake and turn upside down onto a serving plate.Completely cool before chilling.

*I like to eat this cake warmed up with a scoop of natural vanilla bean ice cream!

**I would suggest putting a sheet of foil under the cake pan just in case it overflows. Mine almost did!

gingerbread cookies

I got the recipe from the Wholesome Sweeteners' website. I will be making this tonight.

Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients:
½ cup butter
¾ cup Wholesome Sweeteners' Organic SUCANAT
½ cup Wholesome Sweeteners' Organic Blackstrap Molasses
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ cup water

Method:
In a large bowl, cream butter with SUCANAT, molasses and spices. In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking soda, then add to butter mixture and stir well. Mix in water until dough is stiff. Chill for several hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough on a lightly floured board to a thickness of ¼ to 1/3 inch. Cut into any shape desired. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on size.

Make 24 large cookies, 48 small ones.
Source: Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op

UPDATE: I made a batch and loved how it tasted chilled. When I baked this batch, it had the texture being bready or cakey. I realized I preferred chewy gingerbread type of desserts.

fat-free chewy chocolate cookies

Recipe from FatFree.com:

fat-free chewy chocolate cookies

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. Karo (light or dark)
3 egg whites

Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Stir in corn syrup and egg white until blended (dough will be thick and slightly sticky). Drop by rounded teaspoon onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes or just until set (cookies will be soft when pressed). Do not overbake. Cool on rack.

fresh ginger cookies

Fresh Ginger Cookies
by Noel Lenhart

* Prep Time: 30 Minutes
* Cook Time: 15 Minutes
* Ready In: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
* Yields: 30 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• * 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• * 1 teaspoon baking soda
• * 1/2 teaspoon salt
• * 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• * 12 tablespoons butter, softened
• * 1 cup white sugar
• * 1/4 cup molasses
• * 1 egg
• * 1 cup white sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. 2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat ginger, butter, and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. Gently fold in flour mixture until just combined. Chill for 1 hour.
3. 3. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and then roll them in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
4. 4. Bake until edges start to brown, about 15 minutes. Centers will be slightly soft. Let stand on cookie sheets 1 minute and remove to racks to cool completely.

** Credit of this recipe goes to Noel Lenhart and AllRecipes.com **

chocolate chip peanut butter cookies

chocolate chip peanut butter cookies

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs (well beaten)
1 c. peanut butter
1 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1 t. soda
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream sugars and shortening. Add eggs, peanut butter and vanilla. Sift flour, soda and salt together. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and blend well. Add chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed. Shape into balls the size of walnuts and place on greased cookie sheet. Flatten with fork prongs into 1/4" thickness and bake in preheated oven.

Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes.

Makes approximately 6 1/2 dozen.

gingerbread dough

Gingerbread Dough

Cream:
¾ c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 egg
4 T. molasses

Sift:
2 c. flour
½ t. salt
2 t. soda
1 ½ t. ginger
1 t. cinnamon

Bake at 350° for 12 minutes.

pumpkin cheesecake

I made a pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving dinner at friend's home. I wasn't sure if it was undercooked or overcooked. I think I overcooked it. The crust had a taste that it was about to get burnt. Cracking is a sign of being overcooked. However, if it doesn't have a crack, then the cheesecake is somewhat raw. My mom and I tried many cheesecake recipes and almost all of them cracked! Aurgh. Frustrating! Since I cannot stand rawness with pumpkin ingredients, I must have it really cooked well. You can see in the photo that my pumpkin cheesecake almost blew up like a failed souffle.

Anyway, this pumpkin cheesecake was made from scratch and baked. I used the boxed ginger cookie thins from IKEA. They tasted great in this crust I whipped up!

(adding recipe soon)

double-chocolate dream cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Baking Cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs for about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are puffed. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely

Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

riesen cheesecake

Ever since Neal bought a big-ass bag of Riesens, I was researching and trying to find the recipe I had lost years ago. I made a Riesen Cheesecake before with chocolate wafer crust and 1 tsp of almond extract in the vanilla part of the cheesecake. It was SO good!

I emailed and wrote to Storck about the recipe. They mailed me a letter of apology and several coupons for 3 dollars off the next time I buy some Riesen candy. Damn.

So, earlier today, I posted a request on the Craigslist's Food Forum. No later than 10 minutes, someone responded with the recipe!

Thanks to the people on Craigslist! Enjoy the recipe as a Halloween treat!

Riesen Cheesecake

Crust

2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter

Melted Caramel filling

25 Riesen chocolate caramel chews
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cheesecake filling

1 cup chocolate chips, melted and cooled
3 packages cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs

For crust: Mix all ingredients and press onto bottom and 1-inch up sides of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan.

For caramel filling: Melt Riesen with milk in small saucepan or in microwave. Stir until smooth, then stir in pecans. Pour mixture on crust and chill for 30 minutes.

For cheesecake filling: Beat cream cheese at high speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar, mixing well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well to incorporate. Stir in melted, cooled chocolate and vanilla. Beat until well blended.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before cutting. Garnish with whipped cream; drizzle with caramel and chocolate, if desired.

(The original recipe called for 30 caramels. I used 25 Riesen because they're a little bigger, but I don't think it would hurt to use more.)

Tags: cheesecakes, chocolate, recipes

nestlé toll house cookies

Original Nestlé Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Estimated Times:

Preparation - 15 min | Cooking - 9 min Cooling Time - 15 min cooling | Yields - 60

This famous classic American cookie is a treat no matter what the age or occasion. Enjoy it with a glass of cold milk.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions: PREHEAT oven to 375° F. COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars. SLICE AND BAKE COOKIE VARIATION: PREPARE dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies. * May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks. FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING (5,200 feet): Increase flour to 2 1/2 cups. Add 2 teaspoons water with flour and reduce both granulated sugar and brown sugar to 2/3 cup each. Bake drop cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and pan cookie for 17 to 19 minutes.

Tags: chocolate, cookies, recipes

banana nut bread

BANANA NUT BREAD

½ c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 lg. eggs
½ c. buttermilk
2 lg. mashed bananas (1 c.)
1 ¾ c. flour
½ t. cinnamon
1 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
½ t. soda
1 t. vanilla
½ c. nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, buttermilk
and bananas. Mix until smooth and well blended. Stir in flour, soda,
baking powder and vanilla. Beat until smooth; add nuts. Pour into a
grease and floured 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes. Makes one
loaf.

(I usually make smaller loaves and toothpick test for doneness.)

fabulous fruit coffeecake.

fruit coffeecake

1 ½ c. sugar
½ c. butter
½ c. shortening
1 t. vanilla
1 t. almond
4 eggs
1 ½ t. baking powder
3 c. flour
1 can pie filling

Mix and ship until fluffy. Stir in flour. Spread 2/3 of batter in greased 15x9-inch cookie sheet. Drop spoonfuls of pie filling over batter. Spoon on remaining batter. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes (toothpick test).

GLAZE: 1 c. powdered sugar, 1-2 t. milk. Stir until well blended. Drizzle over warm coffeecake.

Tags: cakes, recipes, fruits

almond butter cookies

almond butter cookies

1 c. butter
½ c. sugar
2 c. flour
½ c. almonds, finely chopped
¼ t. salt
1 t. almond extract

Cream butter and sugar. Use a food processor or blender and finely chop the almonds into tiny bits, not pasty. Pour the chopped almonds into the creamed butter. Add flavoring, flour and salt. Chill dough (you can skip this step if the dough is firm enough). Roll 1" balls and roll in sugar (or sprinkles, etc.). Stamp with a cookie stamp, a clean fork or bottom of a glass. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Makes 3 dozen.