S'mores Cake

It took some effort to come up with a cake whose decadence could match last week's  Caramel Coffee Cake, but I believe this S'mores cake fits the bill.

The Ingredients:
1 c flour
2/3 c sugar
1/3 c cocoa powder
3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 c almond milk
1/3 c oil
1 t vanilla
4 graham cracker sheets, broken in small pieces

Topping:
2 graham cracker sheets, broken in pieces
about 1 c marshmallows (I used Dandies)

The Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. (Sift if your cocoa has a lot of clumps.)
3. Add almond milk, oil, and vanilla, and stir until combined.
4. Fold in graham cracker pieces.
5. Pour into an oiled 9-inch round cake pan, and bake about 26-28 minutes or until cooked through.  At this point, you can either let the cake cool and de-pan it onto a cookie sheet before proceeding, or if you're impatient as I was go ahead an top it and eat it hot out of the cake pan.
6. Sprinkle marshmallows and graham cracker pieces on top of the cake, and put it under the broiler for a minute or two, turning if needed to brown the marshmallows evenly, keeping a close eye on it to make sure the marshmallows don't burn.
7. Best served while topping is still warm.

Garlicky Greens and Spaghetti Squash

This was my first experiment with the oddity that is spaghetti squash.  I found it fun to cook, and it really does come out looking like noodles.  I think you could also make a pretty tasty pasta dish by subbing spaghetti for the spaghetti squash in this recipe.

The Ingredients:
1 medium spaghetti squash (2-3 lbs)
4 c (packed) chopped kale (or your favorite greens)
3-4 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 t chili paste
splash lemon juice

The Process:

1. Preheat oven to 375, then place the squash (whole) in the oven and bake about 1 hour or until soft enough to pierce easily with a fork.
2. Let squash cool for 15-20 minutes before handling.
3. Halve squash, discard seeds, and scoop out flesh.
4. In a wok or large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Saute garlic and chili paste, stirring, for about 2 minutes.  Add greens and cook 2-3 more minutes, then toss in squash and cook, stirring, until heated through.  Toss with a splash of lemon juice before serving.

Maple Glazed Tempeh, Squash, and Brussels Sprouts

I thought I didn't like brussels sprouts, until I tried them baked in sweet/spicy maple sauce.  This is warm and autumny, and would make a good Thanksgiving dish.  Just keep in mind that unless you have mad knife skills and way sharper knives than I've got, the acorn squash takes some time to prepare, so don't try to make this when you're in a hurry.  The tempeh tastes best if you marinate it at least overnight, or up to 24 hours in advance.

The Ingredients
16 oz. tempeh, cut in 1-1 1/2 inch pieces (I prefer triangles, because they look fancier.)
1 lb brussels sprouts, halved
1 medium acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and cut in 3/4 inch cubes.

Marinade:
1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c maple syrup
1 T apple cider vinegar
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 t cayenne

The Process:

1. Combine all marinade ingredients.  Place tempeh in a container, pour marinade over it, and refrigerate up to 24 hours, shaking occasionally to coat the tempeh.
2. Preheat oven to 375.  Toss together all ingredients (including the marinade) in an oiled Dutch oven or casserole dish.
3. Bake covered 40 minutes, stirring a few times.  Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Mason Jar Love

It's a pet peeve of mine that most spice jars have lids or necks that are too small to admit my measuring spoons.  I also get annoyed when I'm in the middle of a recipe and I can't find the spice I need on a messy shelf.  I solved both problems when I discovered that 4-ounce mason jars are just short enough to fit in my silverware drawer.  I labelled the lids and arranged them in alphabetical rows so I can always find what I'm looking for.  They are easy to decant into and measure from, I can take them to the co-op and measure bulk spices right into them, and I can easily see when something is running low so I don't run out.

In my kitchen, mason jars also serve a lot of other purposes. I use them for canning, or course, but I also use the smallest ones to serve dips or condiments; larger ones for drinking glasses and leftover storage; and quart and 1/2 gallon ones for storing dry goods in the pantry.  Basically, I love them.

Shortcut Strawberry Shortcake Muffins

These muffins are super fast to make because they use Bisquick as a base.  It's kind of cheating, but if you just want muffins, stat, it will do the job.

The Ingredients:
2 1/3 c Bisquick
1/3 c sugar
2/3 c almond milk
1 1/3 c pureed strawberries
1 t vanilla
(optional: 1/2-1 t strawberry extract for a stronger strawberry flavor)
12 whole strawberries, tops removed

The Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Stir together everything but the whole strawberries.
3. Fill lightly-oiled muffin tins, and bake about 20 minutes.
4. Cool on a baking rack, and serve with a strawberry atop each muffin.  (You could try spooning strawberry jam on top if you don't have fresh berries.)