Browned Butter-Cream Cheese Frosting

I tried this frosting for a ward luau this evening, and I fell in love. It is so yummy. I'm not a fan of super-sweet frostings, but the butter and cream cheese in this give it a savory taste to contrast and compliment the sweet. It's kind of an odd recipe, in that it uses a thick bechamel sauce as the base, but after trying it, I'm hooked. Here's my take (with a few changes from the original.)

Browned Butter-Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup butter
6 Tbsp. flour
1 c. milk
1/2 c. cream cheese
1 c. coconut sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

Over medium heat, melt the butter. When it has melted completely, continue to cook over medium heat until it is nicely browned. (It's easy to burn, so stick close.)  Stir flour into butter and mix well. After the roux has cooked a minute or so, slowly add the milk. Stirring constantly, cook until it becomes very thick and pasty. Remove from heat, transfer the paste to a mixing bowl, and stick it in the fridge. It needs to cool completely before you move on to the next step. When you are ready and the paste is cooled, mix together the cream cheese, coconut sugar, and vanilla in a bowl until the sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy. Using the whisk attachment to your mixer, add the cream cheese/sugar mixture to your milk paste mixture. At first it will look a bit gloppy and weird, but keep beating and it will come together. Once it is smooth, it's ready. Delicious frosting for cupcakes, cookies, carrot cake, whatever. Makes enough frosting to frost 24 cupcakes.

Thanks so much to www.heatherlikesfood.com for this recipe.

Pancake Squares with Cinnamon Syrup

I'm trying to be better about getting up and getting breakfast started before I get the kids up. This (hopefully) will make the morning run more smoothly. This morning we tried whole wheat pancakes baked in the oven in a big sheet with a low-sugar cinnamon syrup. The result was pretty good. Vaguely reminiscent of cinnamon rolls. I think next time I'll try half whole wheat flour and half whole oat flour, to see if it would be a little lighter.

Pancake Squares (original recipe here)

3 c. milk
1/2 c. melted butter
4 eggs
4 c. whole wheat flour
2 1/2 T. baking powder
1 t. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 11x15 jelly roll pan (cookie sheet). In a large bowl, beat together milk, butter, and eggs. Gradually beat int he flour. Carefully stir in the baking powder and salt. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Makes 20 squares at about 160 calories per square.

*You absolutely could make this with white flour, and it would probably be delicious.

Low-Sugar Campfire Syrup (Cinnamon Syrup)
(I cannot remember where I got this recipe. If it was from you, thank you)

1/2 c. raw sugar (I used organic coconut sugar)
2 T. Clear Gel
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. powdered stevia
dash sea salt

Whisk together these dry ingredients. Add:

1 1/2 c. water

Whisk together well. Syrup will thicken immediately. Heat until syrup is bubbly. Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes. Stir in:

1 c. milk or half-and-half (or evaporated milk, if desired)

Serve warm. Store in refrigerator. Makes about 2 cups at about 20 calories per Tablespoon.

*This syrup doesn't keep very long, so try not to make more than you will use in a meal. I try to half the recipe.

Tater Tot Casserole Redux

In order to keep this healthy, we use hamburger from our own grass-fed, organic beef cows. I also use raw cheese if I can. You really just have to find the tater tots that meet your nutrition/health requirements. This dinner is not light in calories, but it's good, and the kids love it. (Bear in mind that this recipe feeds my family of 7 big eaters.)


Tater Tot Casserole

 16 oz frozen or fresh green beans
 2 lb ground beef
 1 onion
 1 c. mushrooms, chopped small
 1/2 c. flour
 2-1/2 c. milk or milk/cream mixture
 1 t. sea salt
 1/2 t. ground pepper
 2-3 c. shredded cheese
 1-32 oz. package tater tots

      Steam or microwave green beans for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, brown meat and onion together. Season as you like (I use garlic salt.) When meat is browned, add chopped mushrooms and cook slightly. Sprinkle flour over beef, and stir to incorporate. Mix in milk, salt and pepper, and cook until thick. Stir in cooked green beans. Pour meat/green bean mixture into a 10x15 baking dish. Sprinkle cheese on top and layer tater tots over all. Bake in a 350 oven for 45 minutes.