Sweet Potato Casserole with Apricots [RECIPE]

Sweet Potato Casserole with Apricots
Your guests will love this variation of sweet potato casserole because of its secret ingredient: apricots! (Photo by Jathan Fink, Jadeworks Entertainment)

Although we both love sweet potatoes, whether they are simply baked, cut into wedges and roasted, or turned into our fan-favorite sweet potato spoon bread. But growing up in the South, I sometimes get a hankering for sweet potato casserole. While Heather finds the traditional recipe topped with marshmallows too sweet for her liking, she actually enjoys eating this version because it is subtly sweetened with the secret ingredient: diced dried apricots! Nearly all the ingredients in this dish are orange, so your family probably won’t even notice the apricots are in there until they take a bite and ask, “What’s that I’m tasting? It’s yummy!” It makes for a fun guessing game and a tasty side.

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Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting [RECIPE]

Banana cake with cream cheese frosting
Use those ripened bananas to make this yummy banana cake with cream cheese frosting. (Photo by Jathan Fink, Jadeworks Entertainment)

If you’re like us, you may find that bananas always seem to ripen before we can eat them all. Since we hate to waste food, we usually wind up using those very ripe bananas to bake up a batch of Banana Nut Bread or Banana Crunch Muffins. But sometimes we just get a hankering for something sweet. That’s when this delicious Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is just what the doctor ordered. It is tall, beautiful, and super moist and the citrus zest adds just the right amount of brightness. Best part of all, you probably already have all the ingredients on hand. Enjoy!

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Carrot-Cake Thumbprint Cookies [RECIPE]

Carrot Cake Thumbprint Cookies

Does carrot cake get your mouth watering? Then these cookies are just what the doctor ordered! (Photo by Marcus Nilsson)

We’re always excited when we get to introduce you to great new cookbooks with out-of-this-world recipes. Since this is the time of year when lots of families get together to bake cookies, we knew you’d be thrilled to receive several new recipes this week, selected just for you, and all from the beautiful new volume, Martha Stewart’s Cookie Perfection. We’ve tested several recipes from this book already, and simply can’t say enough good things about it! So stay tuned all this week and discover recipes we know you won’t be able to wait to bake up in your own kitchen. To kick things off, here’s Martha’s Carrot-Cake Thumbprint Cookies. Enjoy! —J&H Read more of this post

Chicken, Pecan, and Red Pepper Stir-Fry [RECIPE]

Chicken, Pecan, and Red Pepper Stir-Fry - Photo by Jathan Fink, Jadeworks Entertainment

Craving healthy, Asian-flavored goodness? Try our Chicken, Pecan, and Red Pepper Stir-Fry. (Photo by Jathan Fink, Jadeworks Entertainment)

You don’t have to order takeout dinner to enjoy a delicious Asian-inspired meal at home. Our Chicken, Pecan, and Red Pepper Stir-Fry is healthy, light, and packed with flavor. Best of all, you can get it on the table in about 30 minutes.  Read more of this post

Breakfast Week: Buttermilk Pancakes

Buttermilk pancakes with butter and fresh maple syrup

Buttermilk pancakes are a surprisingly versatile breakfast that can be prepared in advance, taken on the road, or served with whipped butter and fresh maple syrup.

Perhaps you don’t think about pancakes as a breakfast food you can take on the road with you. But actually, they’re quite versatile. Whip up an entire batch and freeze the leftovers, then reheat in the toaster for a future breakfast. If you have to head out the door, spread peanut butter and strawberry preserves on them, wrap them in waxed paper, and they suddenly become a portable snack. However, if you have time, add 1 cup of roasted chopped pecans to the batter and smother them in butter and fresh maple syrup for a traditional favorite that never grows old.

PREP: 10 minutes
COOK: 3 minutes per batch

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

  1. Combine first 5 ingredients; stir well.
  2. Combine eggs, buttermilk, and oil in a bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.
  3. Pour about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto a hot, lightly greased griddle. Cook pancakes until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked; turn and cook other side. (Store unused batter in a tightly covered container in refrigerator up to 1 week. If refrigerated batter is too thick, add milk or water to reach desired consistency.)

YIELDS: 18 (4-inch) pancakes.

TIP: To reduce calories, replace buttermilk with 1 cup Greek yogurt mixed with 1 cup milk. Simply mix the two ingredients together until smooth. The result is that your pancakes will actually come out fluffier and they will taste just as good!