Pan de Muertos

In Mexico and many Latin American countries, people celebrate dia de los muertos, or day of the dead. One of the traditional foods for the day (November 2nd) is pan de muertos or bread of the dead. I don't know how this compares to original pan de muertos, but it turned out pretty good!

Pan de Muertos
1/4 c margarine
1/4 c milk
1/4 c warm water (about 110 F)
3 c all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp anise seed
1/4 c sugar, white
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp orange zest
Topping
1/4 c sugar, white
1/4 c orange juice
1 Tbsp orange zest
1-2 Tbsp sugar

Heat margarine and milk in saucepan until margarine melts. Remove from heat and add warm water. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine 1 c flour, yeast, salt, anise seed, and 1/4 c sugar. Beat in butter/milk mixture until well combined. Add flour 1/2 c at a time until dough is soft. Knead until elastic.

Place in lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic. Let raise about 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Remove about 1/4 of dough. With remaining dough, make into a ball and place on greased cookie sheet. Split the remaining dough into 3 chunks. With two of the dough chunks, roll until they are long and place on top of round loaf in an "x". With remaining dough, roll into ball and place in middle of "x". Bake in preheated 350F oven for 25  minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven.

In saucepan, combine 1/4 c sugar, orange juice, orange zest and bring to boil. Let boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a pastry brush, cover baked bread with glaze. Sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp sugar across bread. Best when served hot!

Snickerdoodles

I have always loved snickerdoodles. But they have to be just right for me to eat them. Chewy, but done. Not crunchy and hard. Slight bit of tang but not too much. After some searching and many recipes tried, I found this one and now use it every time I make them. When making them in my KitchenAid I like to double the recipe and freeze some cookies.

Snickerdoodles
Yield: 3 dozen (if using 1 1/2 Tbsp scoop)
1 c butter flavored Crisco
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt

Topping:
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F. Cream shortening and 1 1/2 c sugar. Stir in eggs. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, cream of tartar until well mixed. Combine mixtures together until smooth dough forms. Set dough aside. Mix cinnamon and remaining sugar together in a small bowl. Roll dough into balls (about 1 1/2 Tbsp of dough per ball), then roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture until completely covered. Place 2" apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool on pan at least 5 minutes before removing.

Easy Frittata

I'm all about having a good but healthy breakfast. Because of this, I'm always looking for quick and easy recipes that are filling without many calories. Today I went back to an old favorite: vegetable frittata. I don't use cheese, but most people like it better that way.

Vegetable Frittata

Yield: 6 servings

6 eggs

1 russet potato

1 large tomato

1-2 Tbsp dried minced onion 

1/4 c shredded cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Crack 6 eggs into a bowl. Wash russet potato and cut into cubes about 1/2" x 1/2". Dice tomato. Add potato pieces and chopped tomato into eggs. Add 1-2 Tbsp dried minced onion (more if you like onions, less if you don't). If desired, stir in shredded cheese. Spray pie pan with non-stick spray. Poor in egg mixture. Put in oven for 30-35 minutes until mixture is set and top is just beginning to brown. Cut into 6 pieces. Let cool for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

No Bake Cookies

I usually don't like no bake cookies. When my husband wants them, I even sometimes suggest something else. Well today I had a hankering for some no bakes. Found this recipe in a family cookbook and decided to try it. Let me just say, best no bakes I've ever had. These may even make me a fan of no bakes. I used almond coconut milk for the ones I made which makes them each about 118 calories. Not bad at all if you ask me.

No Bake Cookies

Yield: about 30 cookies

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 c milk

1/2 c butter or margarine

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 c coconut

3 cups old fashioned oats (uncooked)

In saucepan, add sugar, salt and cocoa. Stir until mixed. Add milk and butter and stir. Turn on burner to medium-high heat and stir frequently until boiling. Once at a boil, let boil for 2 minutes without stirring. Remove  from heat. Add vanilla and peanut butter, and stir until well mixed. Add coconut. Stir in 3 cups of oatmeal. Spoon about 2 Tbsp scoops onto wax paper (over a cookie sheet). Cool in refrigerator. Try not to eat them all at once

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

These are pretty much totally delicious. The recipe is adjusted for the elevation in Broomfield, CO so if you live at a lower elevation, you don't need quite as much flour...

3/4 c Butter Flavor Crisco
1 1/4 c firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbs milk
1 Tbs vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 c + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c pecan pieces

Heat oven to 375. Cream Butter Flavor Crisco, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Blend until creamy. Blend in egg. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture, gradually. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough 3 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes for chewy cookies and 11-13 minutes for chewy cookies (I did them about 9 1/2 minutes). Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes. Remove to cooling rack. Makes 3 dozen 3-inch cookies.

Oatmeal Cookies

In my house, we love oatmeal cookies. By love I mean, you generally have to make 3-4 batches if you want cookies 2 days later. As soon as I got my new mixer, I decided to make these...

Oatmeal Cookies

¾ c butter flavor Crisco

1 ¼ c firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/3 c milk

1 ½ tsp vanilla

3 c Quaker Oats (Old Fashion Oats)

1 c flour

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp cinnamon

Heat oven to 375. Combine Crisco, brown sugar, egg, milk and vanilla in large bowl.  Beat at medium speed until well blended. In smaller bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix into creamed mixture at low speed just until blended. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool 2 minutes.

Note: For best results, refrigerate dough at least 1 hour before baking.