Tag Archives: Baking

Mar 25 2013
4 replies

Irish Cream Cookies in 20 minutes

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Happy Monday morning loves.  As promised Saturday night via Twitter I am sharing the recipe for these delicious and very soft Irish Cream Cookies that I found on Organized Island. I don’t drink alcohol, but I love the taste of coffee so I figured that sweet, chewy, coffee flavoured cookies had to be fabulous – and they are.

These cookies are not so heavy that you feel the need to sleep after eating a few and they don’t have the bitter aftertaste of alcohol – these cookies are just the perfect combination of sweet and light.  You can eat these Irish Cream Cookies after dinner as dessert or you can have them for breakfast with your tea or coffee.

These Irish Cream Cookies only take a few minutes to make, the batter tastes great uncooked and you don’t need a lot of ingredients.  Actually I already had most of the ingredients left over from my homemade banana bread recipe that I made a few weeks ago, the only item that I needed to buy was the Bailey’s.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking. As always, don’t forget to share your pics on Twitter. We love to see what you are up to!

What you’ll need to make Irish Cream Cookies:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup Irish Cream

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

How to do bake in 5 easy steps:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees

- Cream together butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla and Irish Cream

- Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Slowly add to butter mixture

- Drop onto greased cookie sheet by 1″ balls. Flatten before baking

- Bake 14-16 minutes until golden on the bottom

Feb 4 2013
2 replies

Blueberry Muffins a la Bethenny

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No you didn’t read that wrong, my name is Tahnya Kristina but this weekend I baked blueberry muffins with a recipe by Bethenny Frankel and I want to share.

I am not an accomplished baker, so when I am in the mood to bake I need a recipe that is sweet and simple.  I have been a huge fan of Bethenny Frankel ever since she was a Real Housewife of New York City and I have been following her along the Skinnygirl journey.

I love this recipe for Blueberry Muffins because it doesn’t require a lot of ingredients, it makes the perfect portion and it only takes 30 minutes.  Do you remember last month’s cupcake disaster?  I bought a cupcake kit from the supermarket and ended up making 24 cupcakes for a household of only two people.  Needless to say I threw out approximately 18 cupcakes.

The beauty of baking recipes from scratch is the portion control.  This recipe makes 8 cupcakes, so try it out and don’t forget to tweet me your pics. I made some substitutions to the ingredients because I didn’t want to go shopping for ingredients that I would never use again.  You can save money by substituting ingredients that you already have at home.

You will need:

1 ¼ cups oat flour I used all purpose flour

¾ cup raw sugar I used brown sugar

1 ½ tsp baking powder (the small spoon)

¼ tsp salt

½ cup soy milk I used 1% milk

2 Tbsp fat free shortening, melted

¾ tsp vanilla extract

¾ cup fresh blueberries

How to bake Blueberry Muffins:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your muffin tin with pretty little muffin liners.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.  Combine the milk, melted shortening and vanilla extract in a small bowl.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix in the blueberries. (I needed to add another ½ cup of milk).

Spread your muffin mixture evenly among the 8 muffin liners and put into the oven.

Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pan after 10 minutes. (I baked my blueberry muffins for an extra 5 minutes – maybe because of the extra milk).

And voila! Blueberry Muffins a la Bethenny.

Happy Baking!

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Dec 24 2012
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A Healthier Table: Low Fat Banana Bread

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Merry Christmas Eve everyone.  If you are setting your holiday table and you are looking for a light snack or dessert that you can enjoy for several days may I suggest that you try my recipe (which I borrowed from the Joy of Baking ) for Low Fat Banana Bread.

This recipe is part of The American Cancer Society’s A Healthier Table series which allows bloggers and bakers from around the globe to share their favourite healthy recipes.  I originally posted the recipe a few weeks ago with tips on why healthy living is so important and how healthy eating can help prevent several long term and fatal diseases.  Be sure to check it out.

Today I am sharing the original recipe for Low Fat Banana Bread and I am also going to share some slight moderations that you can whip up to make this low fat recipe even healthier.

Enjoy and if you do make this Low Fat Banana Bread a part of your Christmas table I would love to see the pics on Facebook and Twitter.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Ingredients You Will Need:

1 cup (240 ml)   mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)

1 teaspoon baking   soda

1/2 cup (120 ml)   low-fat plain yogurt

1/4 cup (60 ml) canola,   vegetable, or corn oil

3/4 cup (165   grams) light brown sugar

1 large egg or 2   large (60 grams) egg whites

1 teaspoon pure   vanilla extract

1 cup (130 grams)   all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (65   grams) whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon   ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking   powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Baking Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the rack in   the center of the oven. Spray an 8 x 4 inch (20 x 10 cm) loaf pan with a   non-stick vegetable cooking spray.

In a large bowl,   mix the mashed bananas with the baking soda and yogurt. Allow to sit while   you prepare the rest of the batter.

Meanwhile, in a   separate bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, egg or egg whites, and vanilla.

In another large   bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt.

Then combine the   banana mixture with the oil mixture and then add to the flour mixture. Stir   just until all the ingredients are moistened. Pour into the prepared pan and   smooth the top. Bake for about 45 – 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted   in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a   wire rack to cool.

Make It Even Healthier:

Substitute the all   purpose flour for whole wheat flour

Add some more   cinnamon (it’s very good for the digestive system)

Add another banana   (for even more flavor and potassium)

Substitute the low   fat plain yogurt for low fat strawberry yogurt (Yum!)

Add some crushed   nuts or oatmeal (many nuts are high in vitamins, protein and fiber)

Merry Christmas and   Happy Baking! Don’t forget to share your pics.

Love Always,
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Dec 10 2012
3 replies

Baking for a Cause with The American Cancer Society

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I am not going to lie, I have never really been a girl who likes to spend a lot of time cooking in the kitchen becuase it’s very time consuming and I am not a huge fan of washing dishes.  However my new life plan to get fit by making healthier food choices and exercising on a regular basis has encouraged me to spend more time in the kitchen; surprisingly enough I actually like it.  I find time in my daily routine to cook at least 4 dinners every week and on Sundays I try to bake something.

I actually love baking because it makes my apartment smell great and it’s a really relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  When the American Cancer Society asked me to share one of my favourite recipes for their A Healthier Holiday Table initiative I was more than happy to do so and I immediately knew which recipe I wanted to share…Hello Low Fat Banana Bread!

Eat Healthy with The American Cancer Society

I met the good folks of The American Cancer Society last summer when I attended BlogHer’12 in New York City; it is a good cause that is near and dear to my heart.  Over 4 years ago I lost my best friend Kevin to cancer and since then my life has never been the same.

Thanks to my new friends from The American Cancer Society I have learned a lot about how your diet can affect/reduce your risk of getting cancer. For instance studies have shown that eating large amounts of processed meat increases the risk of stomach cancers; all the more reason to join me on the vegetarian wagon. Eating at least 2.5 cups of fruits and veggies every day can help prevent your risks of cancers, and drinking more than 1 alcoholic drink per day increases the risk of mouth, liver, breast and colon cancer.

5 Reasons Why I Love Banana Bread:

- There is a low fat option

- You can eat it with tea or coffee for breakfast

- You can eat it with fruit for a snack

- You can eat it as dessert after a meal

- You can eat it on the go

I used the Joy of Baking Low Fat Banana Bread Recipe and made a few minor changes.  The recipe is easy to bake and your home will be filled with the scents of bananas and brown sugar. YUM! If you decide to bake Banana Bread I would love to see your pics. Enjoy!

You Will Need:

1 cup (240 ml) mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large   bananas)1 teaspoon baking soda1/2 cup (120 ml) low-fat plain yogurt1/4 cup (60 ml) canola, vegetable, or corn oil3/4 cup (165 grams) light brown sugar

1 large egg or 2 large (60 grams) egg whites

1 teaspoon pure vanilla   extract

1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (65 grams) whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Baking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Spray an 8 x 4 inch (20 x 10 cm) loaf pan with a non-stick vegetable cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix the mashed bananas with the baking soda and yogurt. Allow to sit while you prepare the rest of the batter.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, egg or egg whites, and vanilla.

In another large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt.

Then combine the banana mixture with the oil mixture and then add to the flour mixture. Stir just until all the ingredients are moistened. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 45 – 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Love Always,

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