Healthy Raspberry Peach Crumble

For the month of September, I attempted a refined sugar free diet.  I say attempted because I wasn't vigilant with every food, and mainly tried to avoid sweet treats with loads of sugar in them.  I also let my hair down a few times and enjoyed treats on three specific occasions over the month.  I liked this way of living and think I will continue.  My theory is that sugar is not evil, it should just be limited and reserved for special occasions.

I have a major sweet tooth, so I had to work a bit harder to get my sugar fix this past month.  I ate a lot of fruit, but had a few other baked staples that I will continue to make.  This Oatmeal-Raisin Breakfast Cookie recipe is awesome, and this Simple Gourmet Granola is a staple at my house. 

Since October 1st was the first time I was allowed a sugary treat, I indulged and made dessert.  I made a Raspberry Peach Crumble, something that is still healthy enough, I ate the leftovers for breakfast.  I could have made it last month had I substituted the sugar in the topping for maple syrup.  I served it with ice cream, but I think it would taste awesome with a creamy thick yogurt.

 

 

Raspberry Peach Crumble

(from the Usborne Healthy Cookbook)

 

 

Topping:

 

1/4 c. whole wheat flour

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

4 T butter

1/2 c. ground almonds

1/4 c. brown sugar

2/3 c. oats

 

Filling:

 

 

14 oz. canned peaches with 4 T of juice reserved

2 c. raspberries

 

 

1. Mix the topping together.

2. Mix the fruit in a 9x9 pan.  Pour 4 T of peach juice over the fruit.

3. Spread the crumble over the fruit.

4. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes.

 

 



(Wacky) Chocolate Cake

We are in the thick of birthday season at my house and I have been baking a lot of cakes.  I've also been eating a lot of cake.  It was my birthday, my two boys got a year older, and I also made cake for two friends.  All in the last month.  It's my new 'cake a week' diet.  Incidentally Emily and Mr. Emily are doing 'Sugar-Free September'.  Good thing we live so far away from each other so I can't tempt them with my delicious and beautiful cakes.  Are you jealous that I have my own personal cake decorator?  Mr. Carlee always does the finishing touches on our cakes after I've assembled them and put on the main frosting - we have a good thing going on. 

Can I share my new favourite cake recipe?  Maybe you are all familiar with this type of recipe, but I just learned about the beauty of the chocolate 'wacky' cake this year from my friend Kelly. 

This is a great basic cake recipe.  I love that it is made entirely with stuff I always have in my pantry.  The recipe dates from the earlier (some things I read said the Depression and others WW11) when ingredients like butter, eggs, and milk were expensive and out of reach for lots of families.  There is no dairy or eggs, so it's great for vegans, and those with egg allergies.  Not so great for those people with loads of will-power and their 'Sugar-Free September', but you can't please everyone.

The last few times I've made chocolate frosting I've just sort of winged it.  For me this works since I have an idea of the taste and texture I want, and I know more or less how to get there.  I prefer to use cocoa powder for frosting over actual chocolate.  My reasoning for this is that I have an easier time  making a stiffer frosting without it being overly sweet.  And it's cheaper, so in my books it's a win.  

We had a hard time getting a good picture of the texture because the cake is so dark.  My apologies for not being a better food photographer.

Wacky Chocolate Cake

3 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup cocoa (I use Hersey's Special Dark)

2 TBSP vinegar

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup + 2 TBSP oil

2 cups cold water

1. Sift the first five ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.  The original recipe that I use calls for only 5 TBSP of cocoa, but I add more because I like it dark.   
2. Make three indentations into the mixture.  Into the first hole pour the vanilla, into the second, vinegar, into the oil into the third.  
3. Pour 2 cups of cold water over the mixture.  I've also tried replacing some of the water with milk, buttermilk, or sour cream.  All are delicious and give it a slightly different taste.  Which is good when you are making a cake every week during Birthday Season.  
4. Beat until smooth.  
5. Spray your pans with Pam with Flour and pour in the cake batter.   
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes for a 9 x 13 pan.  When using two round cake pans, bake it at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Reducing the heat makes the cakes bake flatter and means you have to trim off less when you are leveling and stacking your layers.  
7. Pull the cakes out of the oven when a toothpick comes out clean. 
8. Cool for at least 10 minutes before turning your cakes onto a wire cooling rack.  

Winging It Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa
5 cups icing (powdered) sugar

1. Cream butter and cream cheese until evenly mixed and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla.
3. Add sugar. If you need some white icing for decorating your cake, add the sugar first and then save some in a little ziplock bag (if you are not fancy and do not have piping bags). 
4. Add cocoa.  If you want it less chocolaty, start with less cocoa and add sugar and cocoa until you are happy with the taste and texture.  I find this type of frosting to be very forgiving.  It's hard to go wrong with butter, cream cheese, sugar, and cocoa.   
5. Frost your cake.  If your icing seems a bit too soft, chill it for a bit in the fridge.  You don't want it too cold and stiff or it will tear your cake (although if you are using frozen cakes this is not really a problem).  

Isn't my son sweet?  He was so bashful when we were all singing Happy Birthday too him.  Thankfully we have a break before the birthdays start up again around here.  I LOVE this cake, but I'm ready to go back to eating cookies for awhile.  

Oven Baked Caramel Popcorn

Here is a recipe that is simple and oh-so-satifying.  It is also a recipe that you can't mess up.  (Unless, of course, you use vinegar instead of white corn-syrup.  But who would do that?  Ah-hem...  Okay, I did that one time, and it was not my finest moment.)

Whenever I bring this caramel corn to a potluck, it gets gobbled up, and everyone asks for the recipe.  I am always happy to oblige.  I often make a quick no-bake caramel corn, but when you have the extra time, baking it in the oven is worth it, if only for the fact that it won't stick to your teeth.  Make this and your teeth will thank you, but more importantly, so will your stomach.   

Oven Baked Carmel Popcorn

15 Cups Air Popped Popcorn

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup Butter

1/4 Cup Light Corn Syrup

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1. Preheat oven to 200º.
2. Place popcorn in large roasting pan or 2 ungreased 9 x 13 pans.
3. Heat brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, salt in saucepan over medium heat.
4. Stir occasionally until bubbly.
5. Cook 5 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda.
7. Pour sugar mixture over popcorn and toss until evenly coated.
8. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
9. Spread out and let cool.

Real Gingerbread Houses

Last year my family all got together for Christmas in a rented cabin in Upstate New York.  We had 11 adults and 5 little kids squeezed together.  It was so much fun - probably my favourite Christmas to date.  Some of the highlights of our week was the amazing food that we all cooked, and the fact that we were all actually together.  At the end of the week, when everyone was asked what they liked best about our Christmas, I think the unanimous answer was Gingerbread Houses.

Growing up, I think I remember putting together a gingerbread house from a kit or graham crackers here and there, but it was never the highlight of my Christmas.  When I married Mr. Emily however, I inherited the tradition of complex and labour intensive gingerbread houses done "the real way."  Let me tell you, it is a lot of work, but it is so much fun to make the shapes, build the houses, and decorate them in elaborate ways.  Gingerbread house building is not just for kids.

Last year, my family made a camping scene (complete with outhouse), an A-frame house (which the kids were allowed to COVER with candies) and a traditional house with a picket fence.  It was a really fun activity to do together as a family. 

Click through for the recipes for the dough, icing, and melted sugar glue (which holds the houses together better than icing ever could).

Cranberry Pound Cake

This year at my extended family's Thanksgiving Dinner, my aunt brought the most delicious cranberry cake.  Lucky for most of you, in Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated at the beginning of October.  This means that you can still make this divine cake for your Thanksgiving dinner.  Or any old day, because it is so good.

Cranberry Pound Cake                

6 Tbsp. butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups evaporated milk
4 cups flour
6 tsp. bk. powder
2 tsp. salt
4 cups whole cranberries

1. Cream together the butter and sugar. 
2. Mix the dry ingredients together and add to the wet, alternately with the milk.  Your batter will be thick.
3. Add the cranberries and pour into a greased angel food cake pan.
4. Bake 1 1/2 hours at 350 F.
5. To serve, drizzle sauce over cake slices.

Sauce

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
¾ cups heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla
few drops red food colouring

1. Mix all ingredients in a heavy saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add vanilla and a few drops red food coloring.

Enjoy!