Poor Man's Toffee

I've also seen this called Chocolate Caramel Crackers. There's both a fasting and non-fasting version. The non-fasting one is the tastiest, of course (and what I brought for trapeza today), but the fasting one is incredibly good too! (I've brought that in the past.)

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Poor Man’s Toffee

makes roughly 100 pieces

1 1/4 cups butter, divided
around 40 saltine-style crackers (or graham crackers)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cups finely chopped nuts (optional)

You'll want to have all the ingredients ready ahead of time--once it starts boiling, everything happens quickly!

Preheat oven to 375.
Melt 1/4 cup butter; pour into foil-lined jelly roll pan.
Arrange crackers over butter, edge to edge (cover the entire pan).
Melt remaining butter; add sugar and boil 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally (the longer it boils, the chewier the toffee will be).
Remove from heat and stir in condensed milk. Pour over crackers and spread as evenly as possible.
Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes, until bubbly and slightly darkened.
Remove from oven, cool 1 minute, and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let stand 5 minutes (until chocolate is soft and melty) and spread.
Sprinkle with nuts; press lightly into chocolate.
Cool; refrigerate until chocolate is set.
Remove foil and cut candy.

To make fasting--use margarine instead of butter and omit the sweetened condensed milk. Spread the caramel mixture over the crackers quickly; it will start setting as soon as it's poured.

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(My "personal" version is kind of a combination of an old family recipe, and these two blog posts at Smitten Kitchen and Life in a Shoe)

Orzo Salad with Corn, Tomatoes and Basil

I got this recipe from Soulemama's blog a few years ago and it's one of our favorites. It's fresh, easy, colorful, and keeps well. The original recipe doesn't have the feta, and it's delicious (and fasting!) without it, but with the feta it's even better.

Orzo Salad with Corn, Tomatoes and Basil

DRESSING:
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 TBSP red wine or red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic, crushed

SALAD:
1 cup uncooked orzo (half of a box)
2 cups chopped tomato
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 cups fresh yellow corn kernels
1/2 cup vertically sliced red onion
1 cup crumbled feta (or more!)

Prepare all dressing ingredients and place in a jar. Cover tightly and shake thoroughly. Prepare orzo according to package directions. Drain and place in a large bowl. Spoon half of the dressing over the orzo; toss to coat. Let cool to room temp. Add the remaining dressing, corn, tomato, onion, feta, and basil to the pasta. Let stand for at least 30 minutes.

Serves 8.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 cup white, 1/3 cup whole wheat)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk
1 cup full-fat or low-fat cottage cheese
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Pure maple syrup or honey, or plain yogurt (optional, for serving)

Lightly butter, oil, or spray your griddle–nonstick works best with these, if you have them–if needed, and preheat it over medium heat. If you are using an electric griddle, preheat it to 350 degrees F. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F if you do not plan to serve the pancakes hot off the griddle.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon or nutmeg and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, cottage cheese, butter, eggs and vanilla.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently whisk them together, mixing just until combined. The batter will be thick and bubbly – similar to cake batter.

Spoon 1/3 cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake, nudging the batter into rounds. These are thick and might take a little longer to cook than most other pancakes. Cook until the top of each pancake is starting to dry around the edges – you will get a few bubbles here and there – then turn and cook until the underside is lightly browned. These will keep in a 200 degrees F oven while you finish making the rest, but they are best served immediately, when they are at their lightest and puffiest.

These are very rich and taste great topped with plain yogurt. Syrup is almost over-kill! We often have these as "breakfast for dinner".

Adapted from smittenkitchen.com.

Cheesy Fiesta Pie

Cheesy Fiesta Pie

3 potatoes
2 tbs butter, melted
1 egg, slightly beaten
pinch salt
2 cups shredded colby-jack cheese
about 2 tbs mild green chilies, diced
½ an onion, finely chopped (¼ cup)
1 small red pepper, finely chopped (½ cup)
2 tbs flour
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk

Heat oven to 375. Scrub potatoes (or peel if desired) and grate into a strainer. Rinse potatoes well, then squeeze out as much water as possible. Transfer the potato to a bowl and toss with butter, 1 egg, and pinch salt. Press mixture on bottom and up sides of ungreased 9” pie plate. Bake 20 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350. Toss together cheese, chilies, onion, and red pepper in a bowl. Spread mixture in potato crust. Beat flour, salt, and 2 eggs until blended; stir in milk. Pour over cheese mixture.

Bake about 35 minutes or until center is set and top is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.