Sorry For Slacking

Aplogies for rediculous delays in updates...

Brief recaps of recent activities:

Cheerful Carrot Muff-Cakes (thicker than a cupcake, more indulgent than a muffin)
The moment I posted this on facebook, there was a line outside my cubby at work.  Hope they were actually tasty!

Knorr Great Chowder Cook-off = Amazing.Couldn't have asked for more gorgeous weather.  First Mr. & Mrs. T's Bloody Mary competition on the Knorr test kitchen stage, brought new excitement to the C Tent.  Here is a snapshot of a citrus Mary with grapefruit.  Not my concoction, but loved the colors when we served them up.

Strawberries and Cream for Britt's Birthday/Graduation/Steph Going Away party

Sometimes simplicity prevails over the frills and thrills of too many ingredients.  Reused the basic cream cheese frosting inside some juicy ripe strawberries from Stew Leonard's.  A few simple scores on the berry and a dollop of frosting from a pastry bag and you're golden.  Couldn't keep them on the plate long enough to take a picture of a filled plated dish!

Kaniwa - my new Whole Foods discovery!  Relatively similiar to Quinoa - but mini mini in size.  Delicious and packed with protein.  I'm just eating it plain out of the batch I cooked up mid-week, however there is a great summer salad with basil, lemon and tomato I plan to try out this week.

Finally, my new addictive alternative to any pasta - I will never go back to regular (not only because I was diagnosed with wheat intolerance, but because this is just a fabulous alternative to hefty pastas.)  Shirataki Noodles.  I mixed this all up with some fresh zucchini, summer squash, broccoli, and sundried tomatoes with garlic chicken.  Top with a few spoonfuls of roasted tomato sauce and a sprinkle of parm and YUM.

Bon appetit!

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

These monsters were my post-holiday creation for friends and family.  A meal in and of itself.  With a bit of cinnamon fluffyness to cusion between the ginger layers.  Definitely would recommend narrowing the size a bit next time around.  Fills the home with the warm comfort of spices and delicious ginger...

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

3 3/4 cups Wheat Flour

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 1/2 tsp Ginger

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Ground Cloves

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1/4 Vegetable Shortening

1 Stick Unsalted Butter, softened

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

1 large Egg

3/4 cup Molasses

3/4 cup Buttermilk

(or substitute 1 Tbsp lemon juice w/ regular milk and let sit for 5 minutes)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk together Flour, Salt, Baking Soda, and Spices.  Set to the side, while in a larger bowl, with a hand mixer, combine Shortening, Butter and Brown Sugar.  Beat until smooth and fluffy.  Add in the egg, until incorporated and then scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Slowly add in half of the dry ingredients.  Stir in the molasses, and combine with the remainder of the dry ingredients and buttermilk.

Scoop dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Approx. 1/4 cup scoops for each cookie.  Into the oven they go "Good Luck!" (as Nana would say), and Bake for 15 minutes, until cookies are puffed.  Let cool on wire rack.

Cinnamon Fluffy Filling

2 Sticks Butter, melted

2 cups Powdered Sugar

1 jar Marshmallow Fluff

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 Tbsp. Cinnamon (or more to taste)

Blend all ingredients together until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes.)  Place to side, until cookies are cool.  To assemble pies, spread fluffy filling on one cookie bottom, and press together with the base of another.  Pies can be individually wrapped with plastic wrap and frozen, or refrigerated before serving if needed.