Monday, January 21, 2008

Super-easy Peach Crisp

Servings: 3-4
Time: 20 min

*2 cans (15.25 oz each) sliced peaches, drained
*2 packages (1.6 oz each) cinnamon instant oatmeal, uncooked
*1/3 cup flour
*1/2 cup chopped walnuts
*1/3 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put peaches into a lightly buttered 2-quart baking dish.
2. In a separate bowl, mix oatmeal, flour, & nuts. Stir in butter. Sprinkle mixture over the peaches.
3. Bake for 15 min or until golden brown.

Note: Good with ice cream!

Pancake For Two

~suggested by Brendan and Taryn... thanks, guys!~

Servings: 2
Time: about 25 min

*2 eggs
*1⁄2 cup flour
*1⁄2 cup milk
*Pinch of ground nutmeg
*4 tbsps butter
*2 tbsps confectioners' sugar --- optional topping
*Juice of half a lemon---- optional topping
*Fig or blackberry jam, pear butter or any kind of marmalade, for serving (optional).

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the flour, milk & nutmeg & lightly beat until blended but still slightly lumpy.

2. Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet with a heatproof handle over medium-high heat. (Taryn says: "what i do is put the butter in the skillet, & then put the skillet in the oven to melt the butter. we use the cast-iron skillet for this, but you could also probably use a cake pan") When very hot but not brown, pour in the batter. Bake in the oven until the pancake is billowing on the edges & golden brown, about 15 minutes. (Taryn says: "this amount of time would depend upon your oven. it takes less than ten minutes in ours. just keep an eye on it. while it bakes, you can fry some apples or heat up some berries for the topping")

3. Working quickly, remove the pan from the oven & using a fine-meshed sieve, sprinkle with the sugar. Return to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes more. Sprinkle with lemon juice & serve with jam, pear butter or marmalade.

Taryn's adjustments: "i skip the lemon, sugar, and jam and serve with either fried apples or berries and maples syrup. the pancake will puff up in the oven and then deflate after you take it out. that is okay. do not feel that you have failed, it is supposed to do that."

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Tangy Vegetable Dip

Serves: about 6 (makes one cup of dip)
Time: 15 min

*1/2 cup non-fat mayonnaise
*1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt
*1 tbsp chopped onion
*1 tbsp fresh minced parsley
*1/2 tsp seasoning salt
*1/2 tsp Worcestershire
*1 to 4 drops hot sauce

1. Combine the ingredients.
2. Chill until ready to serve with vegetables (such as baby carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, etc).


Note: This is also good with dinner, served instead of a salad!