cinnamon

Coconut Sprinkled Fruit Cup

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Table Food: Coconut Sprinkled Fruit Cups! Whether you choose to enhance a hearty breakfast, compliment a light lunch, or serve as a healthy dessert, fresh fruit is always a good idea. Take a moment to look in the fridge. Perhaps you see an apple, a bunch of green grapes, a ripe banana, or a few stragglers from a berry basket. Combine them together for a surprising and colorful addition to any meal. Sprinkle on some coconut flakes to jazz things up. Drizzle with maple syrup, wildflower honey, or agave nectar. Just a touch. Then, for a nice finish, sprinkle on cinnamon, nutmeg, or citrusy cardamom. Dessert-lovers may add a dollop of whipped cream. The choices are endless. When building a fruit salad, think color, flavor, and presentation. The results may surprise you.

COCONUT SPRINKLED FRUIT CUPS

Ingredients:

1 Cara Cara orange, divided into segments

1/2 cup pineapple, tidbits

2 tablespoons coconut, shredded

2 teaspoons agave nectar

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, ground

Instructions:

Fill two fruit cups with orange segments and pineapple tidbits. Sprinkle shredded coconut over top. Drizzle with agave nectar. Garnish with ground nutmeg.

Applesauce Morning Muffins

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Table Food: Applesauce Morning Muffins! I have always been a fan of fruity sweet apples. Growing up in an apple orchard, on a road called Orchard Lane, I never grew tired of picking the dark red and yellow-striped fruit off a low tree limb on my way home from school. I’d twist the stem, quietly reciting the alphabet until the stem snapped off. Whatever letter I was on told me the name of my next boyfriend. My heart would flip into a flutter as I whispered his name under my breath before sinking my teeth into its tasty core. Juice would run down my chin before I could swipe it away as I continued crunching. Did those wise and wonderful apples ever grant me a wish? I’ll never tell.

APPLESAUCE MORNING MUFFINS

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup applesauce

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For topping:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, melted

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spray a muffin pan with nonstick oil. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beating well after each addition. Stir in applesauce. Combine flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Add to batter; stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling 2/3 full. Bake 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish. Dip muffin tips into melted butter. Roll in cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.

Mandel Bread

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Mandel Bread! There’s a reason family recipes are handed down through the generations. It’s usually because they are steeped in tradition and rich in memories. Mandel Bread is also known as Jewish Biscotti. When my friend, Lorrie, presented me with this homemade gift of love, I knew before the very first bite that it was something extraordinarily delicious. The twice-baked crunchy sweet texture, with a hint of almond, is perfect for dipping into a shot of espresso. The chocolate, flavorings, and another ingredient keep it from turning dry. Bet you can guess what that is. It’s worth every bite.

MANDEL BREAD (Lorrie’s Recipe)

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon rum extract

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

3 1/2 cups flour

1 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Cinnamon Sugar, for dusting

Instructions:

Beat eggs for 10 minutes, using a stand mixer. Gradually add sugar. Slowly add vegetable oil, vanilla extract, almond extract, and rum extract. Mix to incorporate. Sift together baking powder, sea salt, and flour. Add flour mixture to egg mixture. Allow dough to “rest” in the refrigerator for one hour. Remove from refrigerator and add chopped walnuts. Divide batter in half; putting one half back in the refrigerator for second batch. Divide the first batch into three loaves. Arrange parallel on a slightly oiled baking sheet. Sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar. Bake in a 350° preheated oven on the middle rack for 20 minutes, then move baking sheet to the top rack for 10 minutes to brown. Remove from oven and immediately cut into slices. Turn on sides and put back in oven on the top shelf to dry for another 8-10 minutes. Remove, turn on the other side and repeat. For the refrigerated second batch, add the chocolate chips to the remaining dough and repeat baking process.

Fig Jam Pear Puffs

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Fig Jam Pear Puffs! Sweet and spicy pepper jellies or jams make such interesting bedfellows when paired with cheese and fruit. You’ve probably noticed them on a charcuterie tray since cheese has a way of “cooling” the heat that can make hot peppers often intolerant. By adding the honey-like sweetness of ripe figs, the combo becomes a tug-o-war fusion between instant gratification, excitement, and joy to an endorphin rush of pleasant feelings.

FIG JAM PEAR PUFFS

Ingredients:

8-ounce tube of crescent rolls

4-ounces cream cheese

2 pears, peeled and finely chopped

1 pinch cinnamon

1 smidgen ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons blistered jalapeño fig jam

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick oil. Set aside. Unroll the crescent dough onto a work surface. Press seams together to form a rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into 6 rows by 4 rows to make 24 squares. Press one dough square into each muffin cup. Cut cream cheese into 24 cubes. Place one cube of cream cheese into the bottom of each dough-lined cup. Cover with a heaping teaspoon of finely chopped pears. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over all. Top off with a small dollop of jalapeño fig jam. Bake 10-12 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Cool 5 minutes and then transfer each pear puff to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Donut Muffins

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Donut Muffins! I was tickled to pieces when my friend, Judy, gifted me with a spice jar of Vietnamese Cinnamon. I had never used it before, but being a fan of cinnamon, I thought I could do no wrong. I was right on the money. The intense flavor, baked into a luscious donut muffin and then rolled in a buttery cinnamon sugar coating, practically made my eyes roll back in sublime pleasure. Now that I have experienced the taste of imagination and exhilaration, how can I ever go back to ordinary cinnamon?

DONUT MUFFINS

Ingredients for the Muffins:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

Ingredients for the Topping:

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons Vietnamese cinnamon

5 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 12-count muffin tin with nonstick oil. Set aside. For the donut muffins, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, sea salt, Vietnamese cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. In a small bowl, beat the egg. Add milk, pure vanilla extract, and melted butter. Mix well to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened. Do not over mix. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. For the topping, in a shallow bowl, combine the sugar and Vietnamese cinnamon. In another bowl, warm the butter for 30 seconds in the microwave. Stir when melted. Carefully dip one donut muffin into the warm butter; roll the donut muffin in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Papaya Banana Boat

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Clean Eating: Papaya Banana Boat! When my son and daughter-in-law visited us in Kauai, I wanted to treat them to a special island breakfast. It was a perfect portion for them after greeting the sunrise sipping on macadamia nut coffee. Ripe papaya has such a naturally sweet flavor. It practically melts in your mouth with its creamy, butter-like texture. If you like cantaloupe, I promise you this: Papaya will take you “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. You may even hear the magical sounds of a ukulele strumming in the background.

PAPAYA BANANA BOAT

Ingredients:

1 ripe papaya, cut in half with seeds removed

1 banana, sliced

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

2 dollops Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons granola

Drizzle of agave nectar

Instructions:

Split the papaya between two plates. Fill half the cavity with sliced bananas. Sprinkle cinnamon over banana slices. Fill the other half of the papaya with a generous dollop of Greek yogurt. Sprinkle granola over top of yogurt. Drizzle entire papaya boat with agave nectar.

Oatmeal Options

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Clean Eating: Oatmeal Options! Some people tell me if they eat breakfast, they end up nibbling and snacking all day long. These same people tell me when they skip breakfast, they keep their diet in check. Who’s correct? Is it mind over matter? Studies show that skipping meals can be a trigger for migraines. Others show metabolism irregularities associated with hair loss and, ironically, unexpectedly weight gain can result from unstable choices. Now I don’t know about all that. I do know that maintaining a routine seems to reap optimum results for me. I’ve read that eating oatmeal regularly seems to prevent obesity and weight gain. Could it be due to the feeling of “sticking to your ribs”, so to speak? Makes sense to me.

OATMEAL OPTIONS

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole grain oats

1 cup skim milk

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic reduction

1 tablespoon pecans, chopped

Fresh thyme, for garnish

Instructions:

Combine whole grain oats, skim milk, and cinnamon in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir well. Microwave on High 1 1/2-2 minutes. Stir. Sprinkle on brown sugar. Drizzle with balsamic reduction sauce. Add chopped pecans. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves. Serve immediately.

Kumquat Lollipops

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Clean Eating: Kumquat Lollipops! I must admit discovering kumquats at the Farmers Market in Kauai was a thrill beyond imagination. My mind was spinning with all the possibilities. Don’t get me wrong, eating them out of my hand brought instant gratification. Yet, I wanted more. After making a batch of salsa*, I wanted to try something for dessert. That’s when I came up with my version of Kumquat Lollipops. It’s sugar and spice and citrusy nice. I hope you like it, too.

KUMQUAT LOLLIPOPS

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup filtered water

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 drops habanero pepper sauce

1 cup kumquats, washed and blemish-free skins

Bamboo party picks

1/4 cup sugar for rolling the lollipops

Instructions:

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar, water, ground cinnamon, and habanero pepper sauce. Bring to a boil. Add kumquats. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer for 15-20 minutes. The skins will be knife tender. Remove saucepan from heat. Set aside until the simple syrup and kumquats are room temperature. This will take 2-4 hours. Remove the kumquats; set aside. Pierce each kumquat with a bamboo party pick. Roll each lollipop in sugar. Place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate kumquat lollipops in an airtight container until ready to serve. The reserve simple syrup can be used to enhance beverages.

*Click the link below for Kumquat Cilantro Salsa.

http://Snapshotsincursive.com/2020/05/11

Ice Cream Grilled Pineapple

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Clean Eating: Ice Cream Grilled Pineapple! If you’ve decided it’s better to unplug with a “staycation” this year, there’s no need to give up guilty pleasures. Minimizing expenses with less stress is smart living. Take advantage of the leisure activities and points of interest in your own community. When was the last time you popped in to the local Welcome Center or Chamber of Commerce? You may see things through a fresh pair of eyes. Others do. Make a tropical dessert that will transport you to your very own private island. Dress it up with colorful parasol party picks.

ICE CREAM GRILLED PINEAPPLE

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

4-6 fresh pineapple rings

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Maraschino Cherry, for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat a gas grill to medium-high temperature. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish. Mix well. Rub both sides of pineapple rings with brown sugar mixture. Transfer to a large baking dish for 10 minutes. Using a heat-proof brush, lightly grease the grill with vegetable oil. Place pineapple slices directly on grill, leaving space between fruit slices. Cook 1-2 minutes per side to sear the pineapple rings. You should see grill marks. The pineapple will turn a golden yellow. Remove from grill. Allow pineapple rings to cool before adding a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Garnish with maraschino cherry. Serve immediately.