Baked Tofu

This was by far the best tofu I've made. I've had a few stir-fry disasters where the tofu either burned at the bottom, or turned to mush, but this method prevents all that. Two other bloggers have done a fantastic job of capturing the whole process both here and here. I cut the tofu block into slices, and pat them dry with a paper towel. Then, I marinated the slices in soy sauce for about a half hour, and baked them on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray for about 40 minutes at 400F, turning them halfway through. That's it!









The pieces of baked tofu are firm and flavorful, and I know that not everyone is into tofu in the first place, but if it's just a little fear that's holding you back, give this a try!

Cranberry Liqueur

Now, you know I don't usually post things I haven't tried, but I so wanted to share this recipe for homemade cranberry liqueur. It really seems like a fabulous idea! You could serve it at a party, or make holiday gifts. This is definitely on my list of upcoming projects, but since it takes three weeks to finish, I decided to tell you about it today. Have a great weekend!

Kashi 7 Grain Pilaf

I bought this bag of Kashi 7 Grain Pilaf a while ago. In fact, I can't even remember if I bought it at a conventional grocery store, or a specialty store. I was enticed by the convenience; 60-90 seconds in the microwave. I was saving it for a 'rainy day' when I needed a quick whole grain side dish, and didn't have time to boil water. So, between work and finals and the holidays, the rainy day arrived and I happily reached for the pilaf in my cabinet.

I put the contents in a glass bowl, added a splash of water, and popped it in the microwave. And there you have it, 7 grain pilaf! I loved the nutty texture, but it did taste very plain. So the next night I added some Parmesan cheese, which definitely helped. This would have been great with some chopped veggies to make a quick grain salad.

But when I searched for the product on Kashi's site to create a link, I couldn't find it! Amazon says the plain pilaf in the bag is discontinued, although there are 2 other flavored varieties. So I had a product review for a product which was no longer available! I decided to share this anyway, because it is a great concept, and the perfect type of food to keep in your pantry for those crazy days.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way for reviewing this product. I purchased this product at retail value.

Creamy Mexican Turkey Soup

I have a new favorite recipe for leftover turkey! This soup from recipegirl is easy to make and you might even have most of the ingredients on hand. I left out the chilies and kept things mild, but you can certainly make this as spicy as you wish.

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

The kitchen was just about cleaned up from Thanksgiving dinner, and our thoughts turned to the annual family party on Friday which warranted a freshly made dessert. This cookie recipe is from an old newspaper clipping, and credited to Quaker. It's a fairly basic recipe, with the addition of dried cranberries. The cookies came out pretty well, and of course we had to sample a few ourselves.








1 c. butter, softened
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
3 c. oats
1 c. dried cranberries



Heat oven to 350F. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, and cinnamon and mix well. Stir in oats and cranberries. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes, or until brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet, and then remove to wire rack.

Pumpkin Bars

There was a new pumpkin dessert at our Thanksgiving table, courtesy of this recipe from Paula Deen. I had some nutritional modifications in mind, but my sister didn't think that Paula would approve of using applesauce in place of the oil so she kept to the original recipe.

The bars have a cakelike texture, and they were good but not extraordinary. The best part was definitely the cream cheese frosting - butter, sugar, and cream cheese are always a winning combination!

Turkey Enchiladas

Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving! This is my favorite recipe for leftover turkey, just in case you have some lying around. Be back Monday with new recipes!