I Hate Pittsburgh Sometimes...

Why is Pittsburgh so hard to navigate? This past weekend is the third time I got lost coming home. My dad told me when coming home, get on the Parkway. Parkway = 376, so I'm driving home, looking for the 376 sign. Nobody told me 376 turned into 279 on the way there, so technically I was looking for 279 which would later turn into 376. Ok so it was sorta outside the city. The second time I got lost, I was inside the city and couldn't figure out how to get back onto 376 because Pittsburgh does not post enough signs. And when I figured out I missed the turn, it took me about 10 minutes to make a U-turn because the city is not built like a grid. In other words, you can't go the next block down and turn around because you physically can't. Seriously, are other cities this complicated?

At least I was with my best friend, and she had Verizon Navigator. However, it does not work fast enough because we kept getting "Recalculating route...recalculating route...make the next legal U-turn." Thanks, Verizon, thanks. I somehow managed to get back home an entirely different way, all because I recognized Walgreens. That is the second time Walgreens saved me. The first time I got lost, I was coming home from my internship in Pittsburgh and took a detour because of construction on 376 (see a pattern here?). I was on the phone with my mom for directions because it was unexpected. She told me to go straight, but she failed to tell me there was a Y in the road and I should yield right then go straight. I somehow made it to an intersection with (a different) Walgreens and knew how to get home.

Moral of the story - pack these no-bake cookies because you will get lost coming home from Pittsburgh. You can't go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter! haha

No-Bake Cookies




2 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup cocoa
5 1/3 Tbsp margarine
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups quick oats

Mix sugar, milk, cocoa, and margarine. Bring to a boil; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and add vanilla and peanut butter. Stir in oats. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets lined with wax paper. Freeze or refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until firm.

Makes 3 dozen.

Source: Recipe Zaar

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One of the Many Christmas Cookies

Ugh. I try so hard to make fudge, but it never turns out perfectly. My thermometer just wouldn't reach 232F, yet it started to burn so I had to turn it off. I'm hoping that letting it chill in the fridge will help it solidify. I really need to test my thermometer.

While I wait on the fudge, here's a cookie that's easy to throw together. It's originally a cookie mix jar recipe, so all the dry ingredients are added together before the wet ingredients. It still came out ok. You can add a festive touch by using red and green MnMs, like I did in my picture.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies




1 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup candy-coated milk chocolate (such as MnMs)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a medium bowl, mix sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and oats. Add butter, water, vanilla, and egg. Mix until combined. Fold in candy.

3. Spoon dough by rounded teaspoons on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are set. Cool 5 minutes; remove from sheets and place on cooling racks. Makes 3 dozen.

Source: Betty Crocker's Holiday Cookies 2007, p. 72

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Thanksgiving Season is Upon Us

Only 19 hours and 45 minutes until my dad picks me for Thanksgiving break. Weeeee!! I'm excited to see my baby, although he isn't going to talk to me when he gets his annual booster shot at the vet on Wednesday.

Shh!! Murray's sleeping


I'm in such a good mood right now. I'm done with class for today, I don't have to work until next Monday, and I got a package from wonderful Anj, who generously gave me 16 cookbooks for my collection.


Thank you so much Anj!! I will let you know what I make with them!



I was bored this past Saturday afternoon, so I baked muffins. The muffins originally called for blueberries, but I hate blueberries and I didn't have any, so I subbed dried cranberries and raisins. I didn't taste the oats, so next time I would increase it to 1 cup. Enjoy!!

Oatmeal Cranberry-Raisin Muffins




1/2 cup rolled oats (may need to use 1 cup)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup oil
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup blueberries, cranberries, and/or raisins
1 Tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Line muffin paper with paper liners.

2. In large bowl, combine oats and water. Add flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, oil, and egg. Mix well. Stir in fruit.

3. Fill paper liners 2/3 full. Blend 1 Tbsp sugar and cinnamon together; sprinkle over batter. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Then remove from pan.

Makes 12 muffins

Source: "Muffins and Cupcakes" by Larry Rosenberg, 1986 p.16

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A Giant Can of Pumpkin Goes a Long Way

When I was home for fall break, I found a 29 oz. can of pumpkin on sale for $1.50. That's a pretty good bargain for so much pumpkin. For the past two weeks I have been trying all those wonderful pumpkin recipes out there.

Before I get to the recipes, I want to thank Megan for doing the cookbook exchange with me.

Pumpkin Nut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting




As a good friend of made said when eating this cupcake, "I'm going to marry this!" She requested a dozen of these as her Christmas present. Glad to know she's easy to shop for. I got lots of compliments on how I decorated, but the idea wasn't mine. But I guess if they don't see the original post and picture, then they'll never know. All I did was cut the recipe in half and added walnuts. I suggest if you cut the cupcake recipe in half, also cut the frosting recipe in half. I didn't and there is leftover frosting in the freezer.

Cupcakes
2 1/4 cups sifted flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup softened butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Frosting
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

1. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl.

2. In a second bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy; beat in eggs. Mix in the pumpkin. Stir in the dry ingredients alternately with the milk until the batter is smooth. Add in nuts.

3. Spoon batter into greased or paper-lined muffin pan cups. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes. Makes 24 cupcakes.

4. In a bowl, beat on medium speed the cream cheese and butter until creamy. With mixer on low speed, make 1/2 cup additions of sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Increase the speed of your mixer between each addition.

Source: Cupcakes: Bake Bake Bake; Frosting: Bake and Destroy


Pumpkin Oatmeal




Another oatmeal recipe, yay! This one is a healthier alternative when you crave pumpkin pie. The first time I made it, I had too much milk. The second time I made, I didn't have enough milk LOL Try to find a happy medium between 3/4 cup and 1/2 cup (for one bowl's worth).

1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup milk
1/8 cup canned pumpkin
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/16 teaspoon nutmeg
1/16 teaspoon ginger
1/8 cup brown sugar

Microwave oats and milk for 2 minutes. Stir in pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and sugar until blended.

Source: Recipe Zaar


Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce



Another "what the hell are you making?!" recipe. That's what my one roommate said with disgust when I was in the kitchen. I was being daring and decided to eat pumpkin for dinner. Don't let the pumpkin fool you because this sauce was great! I used cream cheese instead of heavy cream and left out the red bell pepper because I didn't have any.

1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup water
2 oz. cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup uncooked pasta

1. In a skillet, saute onion and garlic in butter until softened. Stir in pumpkin, broth, water, cream cheese, and nutmeg. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

2. While the sauce is simmering, bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until done.

3. Add pasta to sauce and cook over moderate heat, stirring and thinning with reserved water if needed, until pasta is well coated.

Source: Recipe Zaar


Pumpkin Pudding



It tastes better than it looks, I swear!! It tastes just like pumpkin pie without the pie crust. I really wished I had Cool Whip when I was eating it. I didn't make as much as the recipe called for because I had a small box of pudding and 5 oz. evaporated milk, so I used 1 cup pumpkin. If my picture doesn't make you crave it, check out the picture on Nestle's website.

1 pkg (5 1/10 oz) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
1 can (12 fl. oz) evaporated milk
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Whipped topping (optional)

Beat pudding mix and milk according to package directions in large bowl. Refrigerate for 5 minutes. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; mix well. Spoon into dessert dishes. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until ready to serve. Top with whipped topping, if desired.

Source: Nestle's Very Best Baking.


Pumpkin Raisin Muffins




Since I didn't have much pumpkin left, my choices were pumpkin muffins or pumpkin bread. Muffins are easier to share, plus I had Halloween paper liners I needed to use. I was debating on using white chocolate chips and raisins, and since I don't eat as healthy as I should, I went with raisins. I cut the recipe in half and used all-purpose flour entirely.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease muffin cups or line with paper cups.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in medium bowl. Combine eggs and sugar in large bowl. Add pumpkin and oil; mix well. Stir in flour mixture until moistened. Stir in morsels. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

3. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.

Source: Nestle's Very Best Baking

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Sometimes Being Stubborn Pays Off

Ever had a food that although you enjoy the taste, for whatever reason your stomach rejects it? For the longest time, oatmeal and my stomach have never gotten along. I used to eat those instant oatmeal packs from Quaker Oats, mainly the fruit and cream kind. Shortly afterwards, my stomach churns. All these years later, I buy quick oats to use in cookies. I was looking online for other ways to use oats, and I came across a bunch of homemade oatmeal recipes. One called for peanut butter. I'm a huge fan of peanut butter, and for whatever crazy reason, I decided to give oatmeal one more chance. I made it, ate it, and waited...and waited...and waited. Then I went to work. Still nothing. My stomach seems to like this oatmeal, and what a comfort food it was. Nice, hot peanut butter with a spoonful of brown sugar mixed in with the oats. This makes me wonder if instant oatmeal has some kind of artificial ingredient that shouldn't be in natural oatmeal. I'll need to look at the ingredient list next time I'm at the store. In the meantime, go make some oatmeal and enjoy its warm comfort. The best part? It's the perfect snack for small budgets.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal




1/2 cup water
1/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1 tsp packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter

Microwave oats and water for 1-2 minutes or until oats are soft. Stir in sugar and peanut butter until blended. Makes 1 bowl.

Source: Jif Peanut Butter

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Weekend Cookbook Challenge 18

What do you do when you can't find the recipe you're looking for? Make it up. That's right. I made my own recipe!! I had 1 lemon that I needed to use up. When my dad was going through the cupboard above the stove, he pointed out that I had jumbo shells I needed to use (they were up there probably at least a year). What does lemon juice + shells equal? Greek stuffed shells, of course. I googled for recipes, but I got nothing. So I took the typical Greek ingredients and replaced the Italian ingredients with these. I also decided to enter this into the Weekend Cookbook Challenge 18 - Red and White due to the tomatoes and cucumber sauce.

EDIT - Round up is now posted.

Greek Stuffed Shells




12 jumbo shells
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup cucumber, peeled and diced
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dillweed
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 egg, beaten
5 black olives, chopped

1. Boil water. Cook shells for 10 minutes. Drain; run under cold water to stop any further cooking.

2. For the sauce, combine yogurt, cucumbers, garlic powder, 1/2 tsp dillweed, and 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator.

3. Combine cheese, 1/2 tsp dill, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, tomatoes, egg, and olives.

4. Preheat oven to 350F. Spread the bottom of 13x9 pan with some of the sauce. Place shells on top. Stuff with the cheese mixture. Pour remaining sauce on top. Cover with foil. Bake for 35 minutes.

Source: Sauce from Recipe Zaar, Shell recipe by me


Nectarine Crisp




I also made dessert. This has nothing to do with Greek cuisine but still delicious nonetheless. I used this recipe from Recipe Zaar. I left out the blueberries and wheat germ. Next time, I will try it with raspberries.

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Cookies That Spread

Ever have too much chocolate in the house that you wanted a healthy cookie? We have so much chocolate in the house because I came home from Ireland this past Saturday. I even had a cake. My best friend and I decided to bake oatmeal raisin cookies because they had oats, raisins, and nuts, which is healthy enough for us.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies




3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 cup uncooked quick oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 3 cookie sheets.

2. Combine butter, both sugars, milk, egg, and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture; stir well. Add oats, raisins, and walnuts.

3. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets (cookies will spread when baked). Bake 12-15 minutes (we baked 15-20). Let cool; remove from sheets.

Source: Gooseberry Patch Family Favorite Recipes with Sun-Maid Raisins 2005, p.22

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