And yet another Halloween cake

Yes, these are fully edible cakes! Umm,umm good!

Slow Cooker Asian Pork Stew

2 lb boneless country-style pork ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces


3 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch slices

2 medium onions, cut into 1-inch wedges

1 package (8 oz) fresh whole mushrooms, cut in half if large

1 can (8 oz) whole water chestnuts, drained

1 can (8 oz) bamboo shoots, drained

3/4 cup hoisin sauce

1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped gingerroot

4 cups water

2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons water

1/3 cup lightly packed coarsely chopped cilantro


1. Spray 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, layer pork, carrots, onions, mushrooms, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. In small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup of the hoisin sauce, the soy sauce, garlic and gingerroot; pour into slow cooker.

2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 7 to 9 hours.

3. During last hour of cooking, in 3-quart saucepan, heat 4 cups water and the rice to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender and water is absorbed.

4. Gently remove pork and vegetables with slotted spoon to large bowl; cover to keep warm. Skim any fat from liquid in cooker. Pour liquid into 1-quart saucepan. Stir remaining 1/4 cup hoisin sauce into liquid; heat to boiling. In small bowl, mix cornstarch and 3 tablespoons water; stir into liquid. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened; pour over pork mixture and gently stir.

5. Sprinkle cilantro over stew. Serve over rice.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.





Did You Know?

Hoisin sauce is often used in Chinese cuisine. The reddish-brown sauce, flavored with soybeans, garlic, chiles and numerous spices, tastes spicy and sweet.



Nutrition Information:

1 Serving: Calories 510 (Calories from Fat 130); Total Fat 15g (Saturated Fat 5g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 70mg; Sodium 810mg; Total Carbohydrate 63g (Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 5g); Protein 30g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 80%; Vitamin C 6%; Calcium 6%; Iron 20% Exchanges: 3 Starch; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 1 Vegetable; 2 1/2 Medium-Fat Meat Carbohydrate Choices: 4

Seasonal recipe: Apple cranberry cobbler

I think I will incorporate this into a sloww cooker recipe that I posted a couple of weeks back. I will let you know how it comes out!



Ingredients




For Fruit

•½ c sugar (raw cane or organic would be ideal)

•¾ c fresh orange juice (about 3 oranges, squeezed)

•¼ c water

•¾ tsp pumpkin pie spice

•12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries

•6 c cubed peeled baking apples (Rome, Granny Smith or other)

•¼ c dark rum

For Topping

•1 c flour

•¼ c sugar

•1 tsp baking powder

•¼ tsp baking soda

•¼ c chilled butter, cut in small pieces

•2/3 c buttermilk

•1 tsp grated orange rind

•2 tsp sugar

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.Grease or spray with non-stick spray a 3 quart oven proof casserole.

3.For fruit, combine the sugar, orange juice, pumpkin pie spice, water, and cranberries in a saucepan. Bring to boil and stir occasionally. Turn heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes until cranberries pop and mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat, cool slightly and stir in apple and rum. Put in prepared casserole.

4.For topping, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives. Combine buttermilk and orange rind, and add to flour mixture until just moist.

5.Spoon over top of fruit mixture in 8 equal portions. Sprinkle sugar on top.

6.Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes or until fruit is bubbling and topping is browned.

My notes

•For those who don’t cook with alcohol for whatever reason, the rum can be omitted from this recipe.

•Several commenters on the recipe site said that they substituted half whole wheat flour for the white flour with success.

•Make sure you get a good baking apple. Don’t subsitute a sweeter apple or you will end up with a soupy cobbler.

Another Halloween Cake Picture

Mom’s Apple Squares

Traditional recipes for apple squares often use plenty of trans fat-laden shortening in the crust. We replaced it with a mixture of canola oil and butter and swapped out half the all-purpose flour for whole-wheat pastry flour for a little fiber. They are best enjoyed slightly warm. Gently reheat any leftovers in the oven or toaster oven to recrisp the crust.


12 servings

Active Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 3 1/2 hours (including cooling time)

 Ingredients


1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar, plus 3/4 cup, divided

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

5 tablespoons canola oil

1/3 cup ice water

1 large egg, separated

4 cups thinly sliced firm tart apples, such as Granny Smith, Empire or Cortland, peeled if desired

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation


1.Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Cut butter into small pieces and quickly rub them into the dry ingredients with your fingers until smaller but still visible. Add oil and toss with a fork to combine. Whisk water and egg yolk in a small bowl. Add to the flour mixture and stir until it begins to come together. Knead the dough with your hands in the bowl a few times until it forms a ball. Divide the dough in half and shape into 5-inch disks. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2.Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.

3.Combine apples, the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl.

4.Roll one portion of dough between sheets of parchment or wax paper into a 9-by-13-inch rectangle. Peel off the top sheet and invert the dough into the prepared pan. Peel off the remaining paper. Trim the dough so it covers just the bottom of the pan. Spread the apple filling evenly over the dough. Using the parchment or wax paper, roll out the remaining dough, invert it over the filling and trim the edges so it just covers the filling. Whisk the egg white in a bowl until frothy and evenly brush over the top crust. Lightly sprinkle the crust with additional sugar, if desired.

5.Bake until golden brown and bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool for at least 1 hour before cutting into 12 squares.

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Prepare the crust (Step 1), wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
Equipment: Parchment paper

Nutrition

Per serving: 253 calories; 10 g fat (3 g sat, 4 g mono); 28 mg cholesterol; 37 g carbohydrates; 3 g protein; 2 g fiber; 163 mg sodium; 49 mg potassium.



2 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving



Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 1/2 other carbohydrate, 2 fat