Cappuccino Chip Kugel

I received a package of granola in the mail - I always appreciate gifts of food! Jessica's Natural Foods, based less than an hour away in Birmingham, had sent samples of its Almond Cherry variety and also its new chocolate-hazelnut one, Motor City Crunch.

Because the products are made with oats that are certified gluten-free, I started thinking about other dietary concerns, as well, and decided to make a dish that is normally off-limits to those who have issues with gluten and also with dairy. Since one of my very favorite foods is kugel - a sweet noodle pudding which is prohibitive to many because of its pasta, sour cream, cottage cheese, butter, and crumb topping - I thought it would be a perfect thing to make.

Often, foods that make significant substitutions of ingredients to accommodate health concerns can have an odd consistency or an "off" taste. This kugel, however, baked up beautifully and was a huge hit with everyone who tried it; until I told them that it was both gluten- and dairy-free, no one knew there was anything different about it.

I love kugel, and so I'm happy to welcome those who couldn't eat it before to the party! It's a great cold weather comfort food.

Cappuccino Chip Kugel

Noodles:
8 ounces medium gluten-free noodles
1 12-ounce container Tofutti sour cream
2 tablespoons instant decaf coffee granules
1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup pareve/non-dairy chocolate chips

Topping:
1/2 cup Jessica's Gluten-Free Motor City Crunch granola
1/2 cup Jessica's Gluten-Free Almond Cherry granola
1/4 cup sliced almonds, chopped
1/8 cup brown sugar
small pinch of cinnamon
1/3 cup margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 9" round baking pan.

Cook the noodles according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together sour cream, coffee granules, vanilla extract, sugar, and eggs. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drain noodles, rinse briefly under cold water, then add to the sour cream mixture; combine well, then pour into prepared baking pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together granolas, almonds, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour melted margarine over the granola mixture, stir to combine, then sprinkle over noodles.

Bake for 35 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Makes about 10 servings.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Kugel ... and it's vegan!

Anyone who's been following along on my adventures knows I believe firmly that kugel [KOO-guhl] is one of the great foods in the universe. There are savory versions; but to me, kugel is a sweet, creamy, luscious noodle pudding ... consummate comfort food. And that, of course, makes it perfect for breakfast, for brunch, as an accompaniment to lunch, as a partner for afternoon tea, for dessert ....

I've made numerous varieties of kugel over the years - chocolate and cherry, apple and almond (which is probably my most requested recipe). They all contain rich dairy products, to make them utterly decadent.

In honor of Ann Arbor Veg Week, which started on Monday, I've taken a pledge to eat a vegetarian diet until Sunday. And as part of that commitment, I'm trying to make some vegan dishes, as well - not just ones that are inherently meat- and dairy-free, but attempts to make healthier versions of beloved favorites.

While I was contemplating what to write about for my meat-free posts, my friend/co-worker Karan brought some kugel for the office staff at lunchtime one day - it was still warm from the oven, fragrant, delicious. And it was then, while enjoying this consummate dairy dish, that I had an epiphany:

Make a vegan kugel. No sour cream. No cottage cheese. No butter. No eggs. No animal products at all.

Vegan. Kugel. These aren't words that would normally play nicely together in my vocabulary. But I like a challenge, and so off I went on my little diversion!

I made sure to buy egg-free noodles, and I knew that I couldn't use eggs to bind the ingredients together, either. I bought Tofutti non-hydrogenated sour cream, and I also bought soymilk-based yogurt. As I perused the various flavors, I chose strawberry because I had yet another epiphany: the traditional crumb topping could be made with chocolate Cheerios and chocolate graham crackers to make a dish inspired by a chocolate-covered strawberry!

I boiled, I stirred, I baked, I waited. Once the kugel cooled enough to taste it, Jeremy was a willing guinea pig. He told me that if I hadn't told him it was vegan, he would never have known that there was anything unusual about the dish. It offered the expected creaminess and crunch, and his favorite bites contained bits of fresh strawberries. He really enjoyed it!

And the best part about this? Almost everyone else can enjoy it, too, no matter their dietary issues or preferences. Use gluten-free noodles, and you've likely met requirements for everyone!


Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Kugel

Noodles:
1 12-ounce package egg-free noodles
1 12-ounce container Tofutti sour cream
2 5.3-ounce containers Silk dairy-free strawberry yogurt
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups chopped strawberries

Topping:
2 rectangles chocolate graham crackers
2 cups chocolate Cheerios
1/3 cup brown sugar
pinch of cinnamon
1/3 cup margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 3-quart casserole dish.

Prepare noodles according to package directions; drain.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, yogurt, sugar, salt, vanilla, and strawberries. Add noodles, stir to combine, and pour noodles into prepared casserole dish.

Grind graham crackers and Cheerios into crumbs; place into a medium mixing bowl. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon, then stir in margarine with a fork until crumbs are moistened. Place crumbs over the noodles, and bake for 30 minutes until topping is toasted and the noodle layer is bubbly.

Let cool, then serve.

Makes 12 generous servings.

Strawberries 'n' Cream Hamantaschen

Every year at Purim [POOR-im], which begins at sundown on Saturday night, there is a debate among Jews about hamantaschen [HAH-men-TAH-shen], the triangular cookies that are traditionally served at the holiday.

Some people think that ones with a poppy seed filling are most authentic, as Queen Esther - the heroine of the Purim story - survived on nuts and seeds while she debated whether to "out" herself as a Jew in order to save her people when they were under threat of extermination by the evil vizier Haman.  (Since she was married to the king, she hoped to have a bit of influence.)

Others, however, feel that the prune ones, with a nod to the Old World, are the only true version.

And then ... well, then there are folks like me who respect tradition but always have to tweak it.

In the past, I've made hamantaschen filled with homemade berry preserves, and even made a lemon-poppy version with poppy seeds mixed into the dough and a bright center of lemon curd.

And this year, I decided to try something really different: a variation on coconut cream pie, which you can find today on AnnArbor.com, and a strawberries 'n' cream version ... sigh.

This post, from two years ago, gives the dough recipe and instructions for making the hamantaschen; I didn't want to reinvent the proverbial wheel, and take up time and space by putting it all on here, too, when I know not everyone is actually going to make these. If you're feeling ambitious, go right on over to the more thorough description!

But this non-dairy strawberry filling could also be used for thumbprint cookies, so it made sense to just offer this part of the whole. You could even drizzle your cookies with a bit of melted chocolate, and relish a luxurious variation on chocolate-covered strawberries.

And just look at how pretty and pink the filling is!

Strawberries 'n' Cream Cookie Filling

8 ounces strawberries, chopped into 1/4" pieces
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon So Delicious dairy-free creamer

In a small saucepan, combine the strawberries and the sugar; cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, mashing berries with a fork.  (The berry mixture will boil.)

Combine cornstarch and creamer in a small cup; pour into berry mixture and cook for 30 seconds or so, just until the filling thickens.  Pour into a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold.

Makes about 1 cup.

Tricky Turkish Taffy Treats

I've been on a mission to make non-dairy caramels. I know that the word "buttery" is usually used in conjunction with the word "caramel," so a version that doesn't contain any milk-based products sounds a bit ... well, odd, to be very polite about it.

But those who keep kosher - many of my friends - don't mix meat and dairy products; therefore, they wouldn't eat a caramel apple, for example, after eating a chicken sandwich. One of my co-workers has a very severe dairy allergy, and many people are lactose intolerant.

And so, it seems to me that being able to make a good non-dairy caramel would be a mitzvah ([MITZ-vuh = good deed]), enabling all of these people to enjoy treats that are currently verboten.

I first tried this project last year, using a non-dairy version of half-and-half; my "caramels" - I use the term with a roll of my eyes and a groan - separated into a layer of goo topped with a layer of grease. This was not one of my finer moments in the kitchen.

But my friend Emil Boch - The Kosher King of Ann Arbor, for those who remember my interview with him - told me that coconut products might be helpful, eliminating the chemical factors of pseudo-milks.

In all honesty, by the time I got around to trying this little venture again, I couldn't remember precisely which coconut product - milk? water? cream? - Emil had recommended. My brain has gone beyond being a sieve, and now qualifies for "burst dam" status. Age will cause your brain cells to implode ... I'm living proof.

But I am determined to make this work! So I bought one of the new coconut milk-based So Delicious non-dairy coffee creamers that are all the rage. I had some pareve ([PAHRV] = neither meat nor dairy) margarine. I had brown sugar. I had the last little dribble of my bottle of Drambuie, for flavoring. I was ready.

I put the margarine, corn syrup, brown sugar, Drambuie, and vanilla extract into a saucepan. I brought it to a boil. It looked beautiful.

I added the creamer, and brought the mixture back to a boil. It was much lighter than my dairy caramels had ever been; but I also knew that the mixture would darken as it cooked down.

From having made caramels before, I knew that it takes a loooong time to boil the ingredients down into a candy. You stand, you stir, you stir, you stand, you wait. Fifteen minutes ... liquid. Fifteen more minutes ... liquid. Fifteen more minutes ... thickening, kinda gooey. But still not looking like caramel. Still not the right consistency.

Since my candy thermometer broke and I haven't yet replaced it, I used the cold water test to see if my candy was even remotely approaching the right state. I dropped a little dribble into ice water, and tested to see if it felt like a little rubber ball ("soft ball" stage).

It was well beyond that. The candy was hard.

So I stopped stirring, I turned off the heat, and I poured this beige, marshmallow-y goo into a greased pan.

It wasn't looking particularly appetizing. But I thought perhaps I could call it "nougat," since it was clearly not even remotely resembling caramel. It might be lighter and fluffier than I'd planned, but that wouldn't mean it wasn't good.

But after I wiped up the grease bubbles and let it cool, it was hard. It was a rock. Seriously, this stuff could've scratched a diamond.

So, obviously, I wasn't going to cut it into little squares, wrap it in pretty papers, and give candies to anyone! What to do, what to do ...?

Well, I picked off a little bitty shard that was thin and fragile. I dared to taste it. And ... it was really good! It was sweet, an indescribable hint of the Drambuie and vanilla shining through, a wisp of butterscotchy-ness. I let my boyfriend, Craig, taste it, and he agreed that it was really nice.

He said, "It reminds me of that taffy you used to get, where you'd smash it and break it into little pieces."

That's it! I didn't make non-dairy caramels, I made non-dairy Turkish taffy (which is hard, rather than the chewy salt water taffy).

So, since today is Hallowe'en, I'm offering both tricks - caramels that magically transform themselves into an entirely different entity! - and treats, which are lovely little sweet taffies.

Once the taffy is broken up, larger pieces can be served as a candy; crumbs can be pressed into a shortbread cookie base, mixed into chocolate chip or oatmeal cookie batters, sprinkled over ice cream ... there are countless possibilities!

Always remember: if your recipe doesn't work out the way you'd originally conceived of it, just rename it, re-purpose it, and pretend that's what you'd intended all along ... :)


Turkish Taffy

• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Drambuie
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pint So Delicious dairy-free French Vanilla coconut milk creamer

Place margarine, corn syrup, brown sugar, Drambuie, and vanilla into a 3-quart (minimum) saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Add creamer and return to a boil; cook, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes. Skim foam from top, then continue to boil for 30 more minutes, stirring frequently.

Prepare a glass of ice water, and dribble a very small amount of the sugar mixture into the water; if it solidifies and is quite hard, the taffy is ready. Remove the saucepan from heat.

Line an 8"x8" pan with foil, extending the foil beyond the edges of the pan, then grease the foil with margarine. Pour the taffy mixture into the pan, and let cool completely.

Pull the taffy out of the pan by using the foil; peel the sides of the foil down. Place the taffy into a sturdy plastic freezer bag, then smash it against the countertop to break up the taffy.

The Hamantaschen Saga

At Purim, which Jews celebrated this past weekend, it is required by Jewish law to hear the story of Esther, who saved the Jewish people from annihilation when the evil Haman wanted to destroy them; but it is required by Jewish custom to eat hamantaschen. And you know me -- I'm always about the food!

Now, some folks may actually know what hamantaschen [hah-men-TAHSH-en] are, because they've evolved into a German Christmas cookie. But they originated -- and continue to exist happily -- as the requisite Purim treat. They are named for either the ears or the hat, according to competing legends, of that consummate bad guy, Haman.

According to Wikipedia:

The name hamantash (המן־טאַש), is commonly known as a reference to Haman, the villain of Purim, as described in the Book of Esther. The pastries are supposed to symbolize the defeated enemy of the Jewish people, and thus resemble the "ears of Haman". A more likely source of the name is a folk etymology: the original Yiddish word מאָן־טאַשן (montashn) or German word mohntaschen, both meaning poppyseed-filled pouches ... was transformed to Hamantaschen, likely by association with Haman. In Israel, they are called Oznei Haman (Hebrew: אוזני המן‎), Hebrew for "Haman's ears" in reference to their defeated enemy's ears.
I love Purim, as it's an excuse for everyone -- especially adults, I think! -- to be silly and to eat cookies ... what's not to love??? And part of the tradition is the inevitable debate over whether anyone likes the prune filled hamantaschen, attempts to claim that only those with poppy seeds are authentic, whether yeast dough or sugar dough is easier to work with or tastes better ... oy. It's a cookie! Just give me the cookie! Apricot, cherry, chocolate, prune, poppy seed, yeast, whatever ... I just want the cookies!

I make my own from scratch each year, including the fillings; I freeze fruits from the Summer precisely to make jam for filling hamantaschen in the Spring.

But I couldn't bring those items, prepared in my old kitchen, into the kosher home I'm currently staying at. So I either had to buy new ingredients and make new fillings here, or I had to find an alternate site for my baking fest.

Tom very graciously invited me to use his kitchen ... :)

I went over there with all of my ingredients -- including my homemade/handmade fillings -- prepared to bake my little heart out. Except that, with all of my things packed into boxes and in storage, I couldn't find my faithful, trustworthy recipe.

So I did a search and selected one of the 843,025 options that were offered, and set to mixing dough, refrigerating dough, rolling dough, cutting dough, forming dough, and baking dough ... only to have my cookies turn out like this:


Popped open ... filling having turned into a topping ... dry ... tasting chalky ... bleah. Worst recipe ever for hamantaschen, apparently!!!

We scraped the fillings off the cookies and put them back into their original containers -- why waste anything??? -- with hopes of trying again another day. But there just wasn't any way to coordinate that at Tom's place, so we moved our operation to the kitchen where I'm staying and I resigned myself to making new fillings -- mixed berry and chocolate.

In the meantime, I'd found my own recipe for the dough; but I had to make some strategic substitutions for both non-dairy and kosher ingredients. I learned that Tofutti makes a "sour cream" that actually looks like the real thing ... who knew??? I didn't actually taste it, 'cause I'm not that brave. But I baked with it nonetheless!

Again I set about to mixing dough, refrigerating dough, rolling dough, cutting dough, forming dough, and baking dough. And I was so devastated at the results -- cookies which collapsed, fillings which oozed everwhere -- that I couldn't even take their picture through my tears.

I thought I'd lost my baking mojo, was railing about the "fake" ingredients I'd had to use, resented not having my own kitchen and equipment, felt that in the midst of the chaos of my travels through various living arrangements and kitchens that now I'd also have to sacrifice a beloved tradition ... these cookies triggered a powerful response, and it wasn't very pretty.

But I'm stubborn. Some might say foolish, but I prefer "stubborn" ... "optimistic"? ... "resilient"??? I tried one more time.

I took all my "fake" ingredients, I took homemade apple and berry fillings, I took my own recipe, and I did everything I needed to do while hoping fervently that this time my hamantaschen would turn out properly. Please, please, please, please, please!!!

And when the timer rang for the first batch on this third attempt, I was leery. I was prepared for disaster, and yet I found that they were perfect! They were triangles! The filling was contained instead of creeping all over the baking sheet! They actually looked like hamantaschen!!!


So, I don't know what happened between attempts #2 and #3, other than the universe took pity on me and righted whatever had been wrong. I was, and am, grateful for it!

Hamantaschen may look difficult to make, but they're very easy. They also don't need to be picture perfect, as I rather like the hint of a rustic look which shows that they were made by hand, with love; but they do need to at least be readily identifiable as hamantaschen!


Hamantaschen

1 cup butter or Earth Balance butter substitute, softened
2 cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream or Tofutti sour cream substitute
2 eggs
5 cups flour
1-1/2 cups any flavor filling (Solo fillings work beautifully)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and brown sugar; stir in the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix in the sour cream and the eggs. Stir in the flour.

Divide the dough into 2 portions, wrap in each plastic, and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

Take one portion of the dough and roll it out to 1/4" thickness. Using a 3" round cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as you can; place dough circles onto the baking sheet, 2" apart.

Place a teaspoon of filling into the center of each dough circle.


Wet your fingertip and run it around the circumference of the dough, one at a time, to help the dough to adhere when you pinch it together.

Pull up two sides of the circle, and pinch the corner where they meet.


Pull up the remaining side, and pinch at the corners.



Repeat this procedure with each of the cookies, then bake for 10 minutes until the cookies are just turning golden. Remove to a rack and let them cool completely, repeating the process with the remaining dough and fillings.


This recipe makes dozens of cookies, but I can't really tell you how many ... maybe 4 dozen??? I just bake until I run out of either dough or filling, so it's a very inexact science!

Peanut-Butter No-Bake Treats

Peanut butter is one of the great foods in the universe. Whether used in a savory meal with coconut milk and chili sauce over noodles, or forming an integral half of the work of art that is known as a PB&J, peanut butter is a beautiful thing. And it is especially fabulous, I think we can all agree, in cookies!

But sometimes you don't feel like baking, or you want something a bit different than a traditional peanut butter cookie with the cross-hatching. What's a girl to do then???

Make these no-bake treats that are a hybrid of cookie and candy, that's what!

These could be made with butter, but one of my goodie recipients has a severe dairy allergy; so I made these with Earth Balance butter substitute -- it's the only one I'll use that has a reasonable taste and the proper consistency. And I used dairy-free chocolate chips for dipping them. Nothing particularly difficult or hard to find -- yay!

No one will know they're non-dairy, trust me ... :) These are delightful, delectable, delicious ... try them and choose your own adjective!

Peanut Butter No-Bake Treats

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup Earth Balance butter substitute, softened
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1-1/4 cups non-dairy chocolate chips
1 teaspoon oil

Lightly grease a sheet of foil and place it on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, graham cracker crumbs, Earth Balance and peanut butter.




Stir everything together, using your hands if necessary, until the mixture holds together.


Roll into 3/4" balls and set on a tray. (Some are darker than others because, near the end, the mixture became a bit dry. I added a touch of almond milk, then it was too soggy; so I added a few more graham cracker crumbs and was back to work!)


Melt the chocolate chips and oil together in a small saucepan over low heat. One by one, drop the peanut butter balls into the melted chocolate; roll the ball with a fork to make sure it's completely covered, then use the fork to lift it out of the chocolate. Wipe excess chocolate off on the side of the saucepan, then place the dipped treat onto the prepared sheet of foil. Continue until all of the peanut butter treats have been dipped.






Refrigerate the treats for 15 minutes to help set the chocolate, then serve.

Makes about 30 treats.

Cinnamon-Sugared Applesauce Breads

I had some leftover applesauce after serving potato latkes for lunch two Sundays ago, on the 5th day of Chanukkah. Latkes are traditionally served both with sour cream and with applesauce, after all, even though people inevitably prefer one over another (and you'll never get an entire group to agree, so you offer both).

Now, you know me -- nothing goes to waste here: oatmeal becomes cinnamon bread, salmon immerses itself in a mustard-cream sauce to pour over pasta, turkey and mashed potatoes become transformed into a casserole. So I put the applesauce to good use by making mini quick breads to give as Christmas gifts. Ah, the spirit of interfaith cooperation!

This is a non-dairy recipe, because one of my co-workers has a severe dairy allergy. Since I'll be bringing treats to my friends for the holidays, I always want to be sure that I have items that are pareve ([PAHRV] = neither meat nor dairy, a designation within the Jewish dietary laws, a.k.a.: rules for keeping kosher) for him to eat -- he has a sweet tooth even more notorious than my own!

This batter can be made into 1 large loaf or, as I made it, into 3 mini loaves to share the wealth among more people. Sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, they are a most fragrant form of aromatherapy even before you can slice into them!

Cinnamon-Sugared Applesauce Breads

1-1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
8 ounces chunky cinnamon applesauce
1 egg
1 cup apple juice

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly oil 3 mini loaf pans.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, whole wheat flour, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, baking powder, 1/3 cup sugar, and brown sugar. Combine applesauce, egg and apple juice; pour over flour mixture and combine well.

Divide the batter among the loaf pans (1+ cups batter per loaf pan). Combine the 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon with the 2 tablespoons sugar; sprinkle over the batter.

Bake the breads for 30 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.

A Few Moments of Diversion

I'm sure everyone is tired of hearing me kvetch about how stressful work is these days with all the High Holiday preparations before Rosh Hashanah [rahsh ha-SHAH-nah], the Jewish New Year which begins at sundown on Wednesday. There is no equivalent in Christian churches, and I would bore you terribly if I were to list in detail the 827 different responsibilities that seem to be looming over me as the date comes closer. Just trust me that there is a LOT that needs to be readied and that there doesn't seem to be enough time in which to do it all, but it all must be done in time no matter what.

And, of course, in the midst of it all has been my own life -- spending time with Jeremy (who started a class at our local community college this week that he said was "awesome"!!!) and with Tom (who moved to a new house last week, in an ill-timed but tremendously exciting venture!), seeing my friends, as well as doing laundry, making dinner, paying bills ... the daily grind.

But because all of this apparently hasn't been enough to manage, there was also an annual festival thrown into the mix -- a "meet 'n' greet 'n' eat" celebration of Fall and the High Holidays, which also serves as a "Welcome Back" to the student community that has returned to this college town. And the place where I work is always represented by an information table and a cookie decorating station. We like to appeal to all ages.

So Nikki, our Kitchen Coordinator, came in a few days before the event to bake cookies and to prepare frosting. And, fabulous person that she is, she made up a tray for the Office staff so that we could have a few moments of diversion in the midst of our chaos. I cannot express how much that small gesture meant -- someone was thinking of us, taking pity upon us, and offering us some fun instead of more chores and deadlines. I was so excited!

So here is the brief step-by-step of my own mini work of art:




The cookies and the frosting were so good!!! If I hadn't known they were pareve ([PAHRv] = neither meat nor dairy), I would never have known they were pareve.

It is with tears in my eyes that I wish you a heart "Mazal Tov," Nikki, as you leave us this coming week to take your fabulous new job with more regular hours and all the other perks you need these days. God was watching over you when that came along! Your smile, your joy and your eternally positive disposition will truly be missed; and I am immensely grateful for the care you've taken of Jeremy when he's worked with you, as well as for your friendship ... :)

Entertainment for an Insomniac

My neighbors woke me up at 3:30 the other morning. They weren't throwing dishes at each other or playing football in the front yard or anything; they were just talking. But there was a group of 6 or 7 of them talking ... and talking 10' outside my open bedroom window. So, I woke up.

I'm a notoriously bad sleeper to begin with -- late to bed, early to rise -- and am sometimes up at 3:30 all of my own accord. But that morning, I had been sleeping. And I couldn't get back to sleep after a gentle "shhhh"-ing of the noisy neighbors and their moving further away from the house.

So, what did I do while Jeremy and Tom slept? I baked.

I had made apricot jam recently ... well, not exactly "jam." I don't bother with pectin; I just chop fruit, throw in some sugar (about 2:1 fruit:sugar), and cook it down into a sorta fruit puree. And Tom had given me some candied ginger, which I adore. So, I played matchmaker and fixed 'em up together into muffins.

A little batter, a little jam, a little more batter, top it with cinnamon sugar and ginger ... if I may say so myself, these were truly exceptional! They were a perfect accompaniment to the massive quantities of coffee I drank through the rest of the morning to keep myself going after my mostly sleepless night ....

Apricot-Ginger Muffins

I made these pareve ([PAHRv] = neither meat nor dairy, a designation for those who keep kosher and can't mix meat and dairy); but you could use butter and milk, if you'd like.

Muffins:
1/3 cup Earth Balance butter substitute
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1-1/2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup thick apricot jam or Solo filling

Topping:
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup finely minced candied ginger

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Make the muffins: In a large bowl, cream together Earth Balance and sugar; stir in egg. Mix in the flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the soy milk. Place a golf ball-sized blob of batter into each of the lined muffin tins. Place about 1/2 tablespoon of jam over the batter; then divide the remaining batter among the tins, dropping it over the jam.

Make the topping: Combine the cinnamon, sugar and ginger; sprinkle over the tops of the muffins.

Bake for 20 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the tin, as they're a bit fragile and need to set before being removed from the tin.

Makes 12 muffins.

Peanut Butter Pie ... Sigh ... :)

At Jeremy's graduation party over the weekend there were a number of dietary concerns to take into consideration, which is why we decided to simply serve desserts rather than hors d'oeuvres or lunch or anything more substantial (or nutritious!).

Many of the people we invited keep kosher, and thus cannot mix meat and dairy products at the same meal. One of our friends has a severe dairy allergy, and so that would have mandated a meat meal if we'd had any notion of providing something for him to eat; but it would have had to meet Rabbinic standards, which would make it prohibitively expensive.

Then, if we'd served a meat meal, that would have relegated our vegetarian friends to eating salad or vegetable sticks or hummus because they won't eat fish, and goodies like macaroni and cheese couldn't be served; and none of this even takes into consideration the picky eaters (bane of my existence) ... oy! My head started to spin in trying to find options for everyone, and so I finally gave up and settled on sweets, a universal favorite.

Those who keep kosher, for the most part, will eat dairy products which have been made in a treyf ([TRAYF] = non-kosher) kitchen like mine. And they'll especially eat things that are pareve [PAHRV], which is neither meat nor dairy such that they can accompany either type of food. And so this was easy -- bake some cookies with toffee chips that were dairy ... serve some fruit, which is obviously vegan ... and make use of items like soy milk to make pareve options. Everyone, in theory, should be happy! (As you can see from the card in the photo above, I labelled each offering so that people would know which category it fell into and not put their health -- or my peace of mind, God forbid! -- at risk.)

When I make pareve items I use non-dairy chocolate chips (which I could pay a lot of money for at a health food store, but which conveniently can also be found as the generic brand at a local grocery store), though you could easily use any other type of chip you want to if dairy products are not a concern. (Although this photo actually shows a bag of pretzels, you can see the designation for the item being "pareve" right next to the OU symbol, which is the highest certification for meeting kosher standards. "Oh, so that's what that little doohickey means! I always wondered ....") And the non-dairy butter substitute of choice -- frankly, the only one I'll use after extensive searching for one that works properly and tastes good -- is Earth Balance. It's still not quite butter, but ....

So today I'll share with you a pareve recipe which works for people who keep kosher, as well as for folks with dairy allergies or lactose intolerance. My Peanut Butter Pie is truly rich, luscious, delicious, and indulgent. Enjoy!!!

Peanut Butter Pie

1 9" pie crust (I bought one at the health food store made with no lard, no butter, no shortening, no hydrogenation)
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup vanilla soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup non-dairy chocolate chips
3 tablespoons finely chopped honey-roasted peanuts

Place the crust into a pie pan. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, brown sugar, peanut butter, corn syrup, soy milk and vanilla extract. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then beat them into the peanut butter mixture.

Pour into the pie crust and bake for 30 minutes or so until the filling is set when tested with a toothpick. Cool completely.

Melt the chocolate chips and drizzle the melted chocolate over the pie. Sprinkle with the peanuts and let set until chocolate firms up.