Chocolate Turnovers

Here I am going to give the filling for the turnovers, but I used the same dough featured on Wednesday.  These will probably cook for just a little less time, and I made 12 turnovers out of this.  I found the recipe for the chocolate filling in my The Golden Book of Chocolate cookbook, and we really liked it, everyone giving them a perfect 10.  Each turnover is 273 calories, and here is the filling:

1 c ricotta cheese
1/3 c sugar
2 egg yolks
1 T vanilla
2 T flour
1 T cocoa powder
2 T craisins (we used blueberry, because that's what I had, but I think cherry would've been better)
4 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

Mix together the ricotta, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, flour and cocoa powder in a food processor.  Fold in the craisins and the chocolate chips.  Fill the turnovers, fold them, then egg wash and sprinkle with sugar, vent the pastries, then bake in a 350 degree oven, checking at around 30 minutes.  Cool and then serve.

365 Days of Crockpot's Steel Cut Oats with Cranberries

So I found this recipe in the 365 Days of Slow Cooking cookbook, but you can find the same recipe here.  This is a great recipe, but I still am disbelieving that you can let this cook overnight.  I think if you have a small enough crock pot, and are willing to give up sleep (which I am not), you could maybe make this work for an overnight thing.  I let mine cook for 5-6 hours, and it was done and over cooking a little at the edges.  So yeah, no overnight thing for me.  If someone has luck cooking steel cut oats overnight, let me know, I would love to have hot oatmeal overnight without having to get up and make it in my morning fog.  Regardless, this is wonderful oatmeal, and still easy, just not in the morning.  We gave this a perfect 10, and each serving (5 servings) was 352 calories.  Here's what I did:

1 c steel cut oats
1 c Craisins
1/4 c brown sugar
3 1/2 c water
dash of salt

Spray your crock with cooking oil.  Add all the ingredients in, and cook for about 5 hours.  Serve with more brown sugar, milk, etc.

Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies are ones I have made forever, and they are the ones from the back of the Craisins box/bag.  Here is a link to the recipe, I only add one thing in, 1 t vanilla or almond extract (I like almond the best), and otherwise I follow the recipe exactly.  I get about 35 cookies, and each cookie is 113 calories.  These are a perfect 10 at our house, and truthfully, they aren't that bad for you, what with the Craisins and oats, and the lower calorie count.  Try them, my kids love them!

Applesauce Spice Bars

Applesauce Spice Bars
Pages 117-118, Baking: From my home to yours Dorie Greenspan
For the Bars1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar (I used dark brown for this and the glaze)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon applejack, brandy or dark rum (optional) (I didn't use this)
1 baking apple, such as Rome or Cortland, peeled, cored and finely diced or chopped (I used a honey crisp apple)
1/2 cup plump, moist raisins (dark or golden) (I used pomegranite Craisins, because that's what I had and I like them better :))
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I didn't use these, I don't like nuts and my kids can't have nuts in their classes)
For the Glaze2-1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
GETTING READY: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-x-13 inch baking pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, butter the paper and dust the inside of the pan with flour. Tap out the excess flour and put the pan on a baking sheet.
THE BARS: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir with a whisk until it is melted and the mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat.
Still working in the saucepan, whisk in the eggs one at a time, mixing until they are well blended. Add the applesauce, vanilla and applejack, if you’re using it, and whisk until the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is once again smooth. Switch to a rubber spatula and gently stir in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear, then mix in the apple, raisins and nuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until the cake just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the baking pan to a rack and let the cake cool while you make the glaze.
THE GLAZE: In a small saucepan, whisk together the cream, sugar, butter and corn syrup. Put the pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to the boil, whisking frequently. Adjust the heat so that the glaze simmers, and cook, whisking frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Turn the bars out onto a rack, remove the paper and invert the bars onto another rack, so they are right side up. Slide the parchment paper under the rack to serve as a drip catcher, grab a long metal icing spatula and pour the hot glaze over the bars, using the spatula to spread it evenly over the cake. Let cool to room temperature before cutting.
Cut into 32 rectangles, each about 2-1/4 x 1-1/2 inches.

Storing: In a covered container, the bars will keep for about 3 days at room temperature. Because of the glaze, they cannot be frozen.

I was so happy to feel a little like baking again, and although it didn't last long, I made these and have really been enjoying them since.  Noah and I really liked them, I gave them a 9, Noah gave them an 8, and Owen and Aaron didn't like them very much, not really surprising since they weren't brownies or chocolate chip cookies.  Owen gave them a 5 and Aaron gave them a 3.  At least I enjoyed making them and Noah and I enjoy eating them :)  I like that they are full of fruit, and that they are so easy to make.  Quick, smell good, easy food.  Perfect when pregnant :)

Pork, Potatoes, Rolls and Cookies

Tonight we had some delicious food! We had a recipe from Our Best Bites cookbook for pork, and this was so great. Here's the recipe:
Roasted Pork Tenderloin

4-5 cloves garlic, minced
Rosemary
Salt
Pepper
1 lb Pork Loin Roast
1 1/2 t balsamic vinegar
2 t olive oil

Mix first four ingredients together and smoosh it all over the pork.  Place the pork in a sealable bag.  Mix together the vinegar and oil.  Pour over the pork.  Marinate for 4-10 hours.  Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes (according to the recipe, mine took a LOT longer) or until the pork reaches at least 135 degrees.  Let rest a few minutes, then serve. 

For six servings, the calorie count is 125/serving. Great, easy, and super moist and delicious. The boys gave this a perfect 10, Aaron and I gave it a 9.  Noah even asked for seconds.
Next we had Perfect Potatoes au Gratin from the Pioneer Woman.  This was also easy and delicious, and we will be having this again.  Aaron said it is his favorite potato recipe he's had in a long time.  The calories are 231 for 1/12 of the 9x13 pan.  Aaron and I gave this a 9, the boys gave it a perfect 10 again.

These rolls are fool proof and amazing.   They are Buttered Rosemary Rolls from the Pioneer Woman, and they are not even a recipe, just a really great idea for using Rhodes dinner rolls.  We loved these.  They are 135/roll (the calories depend on how many rolls you make, we made 9) and everyone gave these a perfect 10.  So good.

Last but not least come the cookies. We got this recipe from Baking From My Home To Yours from Dorie Greenspan. These are incredibly chocolatey and delicious. Here's the recipe:
Chocolate Chunkers
1/3 c flour
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t baking powder
3 T butter, chopped into 3 pieces
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 eggs, at room temperature
2/3 c sugar
1 t vanilla
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 oz white chips (or milk chocolate chips)
1 c cherry Craisins (Dori calls for raisins or apricots)
(Dori also calls for 1 1/2 c coarsely chopped nuts.  Because I can't send any nuts to school, we went nut free)

Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheet with parchment.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder.  (I just whisked them together, I missed the whole sifting thing :))
Melt butter and chocolate together til smooth and shiny.  Set it on the counter to cool.
Beat together the eggs and the sugar until pale and foamy, about 2 minutes with a stand mixer.  Beat in the vanilla and scrape down the bowl.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in the chocolate butter mixture.  Mix until just incorporated.  Scrape down the bowl again and add the dry ingredients.  Mix until the dry ingredients disappear into the dough, which will be thick, smooth and shiny.  Mix in the chunks.  Drop by spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes (I only needed 10), then remove from sheet to cool. 

My recipe made 24 cookies, and each cookie was 189 calories.  Aaron gave these an 8, saying he wasn't too sure about the fruit but thought they were great.  Owen and I gave them a 9, and Noah gave them a perfect 10.  It's nice he likes all my food so much :)  Don't those cookies look great!  I wish I could eat more of them, too bad they aren't calorie free.

Tomorrow we're having some crockpot chicken and crockpot veggies.