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Low Fat Fudgy Ghost Cupcakes
If you are looking for a spooky, fun dessert for Halloween, look no further than my Low Fat Fudgy Ghost Cupcakes. With low-fat cake batter (recipe courtesy of Skinny Taste), made with Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix, canned pumpkin and water (that’s it!) and my very own recipe for homemade whipped vanilla meringue frosting, these cupcakes are a festive way to celebrate Halloween. The cupcakes come out so moist and fudgy that they taste like a just-out-of-the-oven dark chocolate brownie. I finish them off with a traditional vanilla meringue frosting, generously piped into the shape of tall, fluffy white ghosts on the top of each cupcake. The shiny, airy white meringue shapes up a perfect ghost and 2 mini chocolate chip eyes finish off these spooky treats. Enjoy!
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Carla Hall’s Lemon Pudding Cake with Orange Liqueur
ABC’s new daytime show, The Chew, has been killing it with to-die-for recipes rolling out every day. If you are a Top Chef watcher, you will remember Carla and her scrumptious and hearty comfort-food-style cooking. A true lover of sweets (she owns Alchemy cookies after all) it is no surprise this mouthwatering lemon pudding cake recipe comes to us courtesy of Carla Hall. My grandmother set out to make these mini-cakes and they came out truly delicious! Baked in ramekins, these pudding cakes make for a perfect individual dessert treat. With egg whites to puff up the cake, a healthy dose of butter, sugar, milk, fresh lemon juice and a kick of orange liqueur, you will find these pudding cakes irresistible. Once baked, the pudding forms a golden-brown cake on top and leaves soft pudding on the bottom, s
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Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Pecan Cookies
If you love oatmeal cookies and pumpkin you are in for a treat with these delicious Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Pecan Cookies. With a recipe from one of my fave cooking blogs, Skinny Taste, I set out to make these scrumptious cookies. With no oil and very little butter, these cookies are made with pumpkin, oatmeal, sugar, eggs, pecans and an array of fall spices. They come out full of texture with crispy, browned edges and an oat-filled center. You get an extra kick of flavor from the pumpkin and spices that truly make for a unique and delectable cookie. Eat them for a light breakfast or anytime-of-day snack…
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Mexican Tortilla Casserole
For a delicious and easy way to enjoy healthy Mexican food at home, nothing is better than my Mexican Tortilla Casserole. Loaded with vegetables and tasty Mexican spices, this is a perfect weeknight meal that is so easy to throw together. You can make it with all vegetables or add shredded chicken from a small roasted chicken you can find at your supermarket. Either way, this dish is packed with flavor and is a guaranteed hit. Although most Mexican Casseroles include several flour or corn tortillas, I found a recipe that uses only crushed tortilla chips on the bottom layer for a crunchy bottom crust. Once baked, the chips crisp up perfectly and provide a base for the casserole.
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Apple-Cinnamon Oat Squares Recipe
If you love steel-cut oatmeal but don’t have the time to make it in the morning (45 minutes to let it simmer, to be exact!), then this recipe is for you. Call it oatmeal on-the-go, these oat bars are incredibly healthy for you and delicious. Made with steel cut oats, chopped pecans, ground flaxseed, grated apples, almond milk and a hefty dose of cinnamon and vanilla, the oats essentially cook in the oven and are cut into small bars. Every ingredient is good for you and packs a nutritional punch. You can serve the oat bars warm, at room temperature or cold for a quick breakfast or an afternoon snack.
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Healthy Multigrain Pumpkin Muffins
I am always on the lookout for delicious pumpkin recipes that are not only tasty, but healthy as well. I found an amazing recipe for low-fat pumpkin muffins created by one of my fave baking blogs, Love From The Oven. Full of whole wheat flour, flaxseed meal and oat bran, these muffins are bursting with fiber and have the hearty, nutty texture of multigrain muffins. With the addition of pumpkin, applesauce and a hefty dose of pumpkin pie spice, these muffins are truly a delight. They have a moist center and that perfect crunchy top that everyone loves – and no oil or butter. While you are baking, your kitchen will be filled with the delicious smell of fall. Enjoy with a small dab of honey butter or with nothing at all. The recipe is after the jump… check it out! -
Pumpkin Spice Bars
It’s almost fall and that means it’s time to start baking warm, spicy autumn desserts. My absolute favorite spice cake recipe is for Pumpkin Spice Bars. To make the bars, you start out by baking a homemade spice cake in a sheet pan and savoring the smell of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves filling up your kitchen. The creamy, sweet topping is a light and fluffy cream cheese icing, made with real cream cheese. Once baked, cooled and frosted, you have the option of serving as a full cake or refrigerating it until set, and cutting it into rectangular “bars.” Either way, you will die for this mouth-watering dessert. Enjoy for dessert, breakfast or an anytime-of-day snack.
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Anzac Biscuits
Although wildly popular in Australia and New Zealand, Anzac biscuits have not caught on in the rest of the world, until now. I first tried Anzac biscuits at Peels, a hip new eatery on New York City’s Bowery. The delicious, crumbly texture of these sweet, nutty, granola-like biscuits was unlike anything I’d ever tried and I was determined to recreate this addictive confection. Anzac biscuits have a rich history. As the story goes, the biscuits were sent by wives of Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) soldiers abroad because the ingredients do not spoil easily and kept well during war. Brilliant!
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Melanzane Arroste Sottoaceto – Roasted Eggplant in Balsamic Vinegar
For a taste of the Mediterranean at home, I can think of no better dish to prepare then Melanzane Arroste Sottoaceto – Roasted Eggplant in Balsamic Vinegar. My grandmother’s recipe is always a hit, with its vibrant zing of tangy balsamic vinegar and mix of fresh basil and mint coating dozens of pieces of smoky, roasted eggplant.
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Sticky Bun Cake
As a lover of sweet breakfast dishes, I am always thrilled to find new and easy recipes for breakfast and brunch ideas. My boyfriend’s Mom makes a scrumptious Sticky Bun Cake that I look forward to every time I visit. The cake is made using plain frozen bread rolls that, when baked together, form a complete cake in the shape of a bundt pan. The fun begins the night before by preparing the frozen bread rolls and sweet topping in a bundt pan, and simply leaving the pan in a cold oven overnight.
