Dear faithful blog readers, I am so sorry that we have been on a fall/winter hiatus. I've sort of been hibernating, and eating more food than I've been cooking. Rose and I are both a year older as well, which I am using as an excuse for our slowed-down blogging. It's a feeble excuse. I know.
We will be back SO SOON. Pinky swear.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Pumpkin Loaf
Labor Day. The glorious segue from summer into fall. In honor of the most fantastic season being right around the corner, I'm going to give you all a fabulous recipe to get your warm and fuzzy fix. I had a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbuck's this morning, and this recipe would have been a perfect match. This pumpkin bread is to die for. I personally think it's better than Starbuck's pumpkin loaf and it's easy to make. It's rainy and chilly here in Pittsburgh (which I happen to love) and I'm planning on snuggling up to a movie tonight and waiting for the incredible scent of pumpkin spice to fill my house while this bakes. What are you waiting for? You do it too!
First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and in a big bowl, mix these together:
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (or 2 cups if you have a bigger can)
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup lukewarm water
3 cups sugar
Now in a separate bowl, whisk together:
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
and all the fragrant lovely spices: 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg, 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger. I love it with lots of spice, but if you want a milder flavor, feel free to cut back on them.
Stir all the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients just until combined. Don't over-blend. Pour into (2) 9x5" loaf pans that have been greased and floured. My oven takes about 55-60 minutes.
Ready for this? Sit down, because this is going to knock your socks off. As if this wasn't delicious enough already, we're going to push it right over the top. After you take the loaves out of the oven, while they are still hot, poke several small holes in the tops. Melt some butter, cinnamon, and sugar in a bowl and drizzle over the loaves. No specific amounts, just add enough til you think it's awesome. You can thank me later.
While it may feel like torture to have these incredible delights tempting you on the counter, do yourself a favor and let them sit overnight. If they rest for about a day, all those spices get to know eachother and become friends. While the loaves are still warm, wrap them up in saran wrap, and they'll become even more delicious and moist and fabulous.
First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and in a big bowl, mix these together:
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (or 2 cups if you have a bigger can)
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup lukewarm water
3 cups sugar
Now in a separate bowl, whisk together:
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
and all the fragrant lovely spices: 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg, 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger. I love it with lots of spice, but if you want a milder flavor, feel free to cut back on them.
Stir all the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients just until combined. Don't over-blend. Pour into (2) 9x5" loaf pans that have been greased and floured. My oven takes about 55-60 minutes.
Ready for this? Sit down, because this is going to knock your socks off. As if this wasn't delicious enough already, we're going to push it right over the top. After you take the loaves out of the oven, while they are still hot, poke several small holes in the tops. Melt some butter, cinnamon, and sugar in a bowl and drizzle over the loaves. No specific amounts, just add enough til you think it's awesome. You can thank me later.
While it may feel like torture to have these incredible delights tempting you on the counter, do yourself a favor and let them sit overnight. If they rest for about a day, all those spices get to know eachother and become friends. While the loaves are still warm, wrap them up in saran wrap, and they'll become even more delicious and moist and fabulous.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Happy Birthday, Bloggy!
Today is our one year anniversary of blogging on Rosebuds & Buttercups...thank you to all of you who are reading out there! It means more than we can say. Here's to another wonderful year of food, fun, and friendship!
Love,
Rose & Jenny
Love,
Rose & Jenny
One Sip and You’ll Surrender
Strawberry Basil Caipirinha
Take a sip, close your eyes, and be transported to Rio De Janeiro…Brazil’s national cocktail is a perfect drink for summer and you’ll love this lightened up version with a twist.
Muddle together 4 strawberries and 3 large basil leaves with a packet or two of Splenda (to taste) and some club soda. Add the juice from ½ a lime and 1-2 shots of cachaça. Shake with ice and serve on the rocks. Garnish with a lime wedge or a strawberry.
Put Da Lime In Da Coconut
This simple cocktail is great for laying out by the pool. It’s simple and tasty and the calorie count is about as low as it gets for something that tastes like a dessert.
Shake up the juice from ½ a lime, 1-2 shots of Bacardi Rock Coconut and enough club soda to fill the glass. Pour over ice and serve with a lime wedge.
Take a sip, close your eyes, and be transported to Rio De Janeiro…Brazil’s national cocktail is a perfect drink for summer and you’ll love this lightened up version with a twist.
Muddle together 4 strawberries and 3 large basil leaves with a packet or two of Splenda (to taste) and some club soda. Add the juice from ½ a lime and 1-2 shots of cachaça. Shake with ice and serve on the rocks. Garnish with a lime wedge or a strawberry.
Put Da Lime In Da Coconut
This simple cocktail is great for laying out by the pool. It’s simple and tasty and the calorie count is about as low as it gets for something that tastes like a dessert.
Shake up the juice from ½ a lime, 1-2 shots of Bacardi Rock Coconut and enough club soda to fill the glass. Pour over ice and serve with a lime wedge.
Thai Curry Tofu
So this is more of a product review than a recipe, but we’ll call it a two-fer. I’m not at all into curry or tofu, but these two things together are delicious! Never something I though I would like, but gave it a shot just in case. It’s spicy (but not too spicy) and flavorful and just really good. I like to eat it with chopsticks just for fun. This is such a quick thing to whip up, it’s nice when you’re whooped at the end of the day and just want something easy to throw together.
Start off by steaming a bag of frozen broccoli and cooking up some mushrooms.
Cut up extra firm tofu into bite size chunks (serving size is 1/5 or 1/4 of the package depending on brand) and sauté in a pan until there is a nice golden color on the edges.
In a separate pan, heat up a ¼ cup of Trader Joe’s Thai Red Curry Sauce.
Mix it all together and you’re set!
Nutritional information:
Calories: 250
Fat: 13
Carbs: 24
Protein: 19
Start off by steaming a bag of frozen broccoli and cooking up some mushrooms.
Cut up extra firm tofu into bite size chunks (serving size is 1/5 or 1/4 of the package depending on brand) and sauté in a pan until there is a nice golden color on the edges.
In a separate pan, heat up a ¼ cup of Trader Joe’s Thai Red Curry Sauce.
Mix it all together and you’re set!
Nutritional information:
Calories: 250
Fat: 13
Carbs: 24
Protein: 19
Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Pasta
I’m starting out with my favorite healthy recipe. This is so delicious, you would never guess it was a lighten up version. It has a sort of alfredo-ness about it, but not as rich. It’s just creamy and flavorful and seriously yummy. You’ll crave this whether you’re trying to cut back or not. Here’s a recipe for 2 servings.
Start off by boiling some Dreamfields spaghetti (1” dry circle) This is low-carb pasta that seriously doesn’t taste any different from normal stuff. I hate whole wheat pasta – it tastes like cardboard. I also can’t get into shirataki noodles – way too weird of a consistency. The Dreamfields is right on in taste and texture, just make sure you cook according to the instructions on the box. If you overcook your noodles, the carbs will creep back in.
Combine 2 wedges of Laughing Cow light garlic and herb, 1 Tablespoon of fat free sour cream, 1 Tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese, and garlic salt to taste. You’ll want to heat this up in the microwave for 30 seconds or so just to make it smoother. Stir this sauce into drained and heated frozen spinach (a 10 oz box is good) and cooked baby bella mushrooms ( I used about 10-15). When your pasta is finished cooking, drain it and mix in the spinach/mushroom sauce. I like to sprinkle the top with fresh diced tomatoes. Feel free to add some chicken in the mix, but I prefer it without.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 304
Fat: 4.5
Carbs: 19
Protein: 16.5
Start off by boiling some Dreamfields spaghetti (1” dry circle) This is low-carb pasta that seriously doesn’t taste any different from normal stuff. I hate whole wheat pasta – it tastes like cardboard. I also can’t get into shirataki noodles – way too weird of a consistency. The Dreamfields is right on in taste and texture, just make sure you cook according to the instructions on the box. If you overcook your noodles, the carbs will creep back in.
Combine 2 wedges of Laughing Cow light garlic and herb, 1 Tablespoon of fat free sour cream, 1 Tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese, and garlic salt to taste. You’ll want to heat this up in the microwave for 30 seconds or so just to make it smoother. Stir this sauce into drained and heated frozen spinach (a 10 oz box is good) and cooked baby bella mushrooms ( I used about 10-15). When your pasta is finished cooking, drain it and mix in the spinach/mushroom sauce. I like to sprinkle the top with fresh diced tomatoes. Feel free to add some chicken in the mix, but I prefer it without.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 304
Fat: 4.5
Carbs: 19
Protein: 16.5
Lighten Up
The next handful of recipes I post are going to have a healthier, lower cal, lower fat spin on things. Nobody craves diet food, but these recipes are tried and true winners and you won’t feel like you’re missing out on anything. I’ve adapted most of them from the popular Hungry Girl books, just tweaking them a bit to my taste, or if they’re good as is, I’ll give you a review so you can try it for yourself. I’ll categorize this new little series as “deLIGHTful” :-) Enjoy!
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