Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Somehow these seem very seasonal and festive! Who doesn't love a sweet treat now and then? These sweet deserts fit nicely at the end of an Easter meal, or they're perfect for a birthday treat. They're small enough so that you don't feel overly full, yet large enough to fill the want for a sweet. These are lightened by substituting some of the oil with applesauce and increasing the amount of grated carrots. When I made these, I used gluten free flour, finding that I can substitute Bob's Red Mill gluten free flour cup for cup. 

Ingredients: 

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup applesauce

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 cups grated carrots

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup butter

4 oz cream cheese (or use vegan cream cheese)

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbs soy or almond milk

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbs sweetened coconut flakes

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350F. Beat the sugar together with the olive oil and applesauce until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla. Mix in the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. When the mixture is smooth, fold in the carrots and raising until well mixed. Prepare cupcake tins either by adding a paper cup or spraying the tins with olive oil. Fill each paper or cup 3/4 full of the batter. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool. 

Make the icing while the cupcakes cool. Bring the butter to room temperature. Beat in the cream cheese until the mixture is smooth. Add the vanilla and nut milk. Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth. The mixture should be thin enough to spread on the cupcakes. Add an extra teaspoon of nut milk if the icing is too thick, or an extra tablespoon of powdered sugar if the icing is too thin. Sprinkle the frosted cupcakes with coconut flakes. Serve

Makes 12 cupcakes

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Cupcakes are a sure way to limit portion size. This recipe easily doubles, if you're having a large group. This recipe is also easily divisible by two, if you're a small group, or if you're easily tempted to eat more than your fair share! 

Rhubarb Orange Compote

Compotes were fruity desserts in medieval times. Now, they are sweetened fruits that can make an appearance on a dessert or appetizer tray or can be served alongside meats during a main course. I made this rhubarb compote with the last of the rhubarb from my yard and used kumquats instead of orange juice. I found a kumquat tree (on public land) with fully ripened fruit just waiting to be used! It was fun to harvest a few kumquats by climbing the tree and shaking the limbs until the ripest fruit landed below. Kumquats are little oranges that can be eaten whole, or used in place of oranges.

Ingredients:

2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup quartered kumquats (or 1/2 cup orange juice and 1 tsp orange zest)
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbs minced crystallized ginger or ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp curry powder (optional)
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes if using kumquats or 30 minutes if using orange juice. Taste and enjoy. Makes about 2 cups.

Serves 4 for dessert or 8 as an appetizer or a sauce for meat

Stealthy Cooking Tip: I've been using up ingredients in new and unusual ways during this difficult time of shopping during a pandemic. I don't want anything to go to waste, but I certainly want everything to taste delicious! This will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator, so make some up now if you're ready to harvest your last rhubarb for the season. 

Blueberry Rhubarb Pie

These are trying times when it's difficult to impossible to get out of the house and go to the store, and the times bring cooking innovation to new heights. Spring rhubarb is making a great showing in my garden. A couple of days ago, I made a great rhubarb compote, and now I'm craving p-i-e. You already know that strawberry rhubarb pie is one of my all time favorites, but I don't have any strawberries. I do have blueberries, so this recipe is born of innovation and practicality. There's also a new crust recipe, as I don't have a lot of olive oil, but I do have a lots of butter. This crust uses half the amount of butter as a regular butter crust, and substitutes olive oil for the remainder. The result is a buttery crust, one that's got a great crispy crumb, yet has a (modicum) of health!

Ingredients:

3 cups blueberries
2 cups sliced rhubarb
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 Tbs cornstarch

Pastry

2-1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup ice cold water, plus an extra Tbs, if needed

1 tsp butter
1 tsp soy or almond milk
1 tsp turbinado sugar

Directions:

Combine blueberries, rhubarb, sugar and cornstarch. Set aside. Mix the flour with the butter and olive oil, sugar and salt, and combine with two forks until the mixture is the size of peas. Add the ice cold water by the tablespoon until the mixture forms a ball. Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Roll the pie dough into three 7 or 8 inch rounds. (Save one of the rounds for another use.) Transfer one the pastry rounds to a 7 or 8 inch pie plate. Trim the pastry even with the edge of the pie plate. Stir the blueberry rhubarb filling and pour into the pie crust. Top the filling with small pieces of butter. Top with a second crust. Seal the edge, crimp, and either make cut outs in the top crust or slice a design in the crust with a knife. Use a pastry brush to brush milk on top of the crust. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar on top of the crust.

Place the pie on a cookie sheet and place in the oven. Reduce the heat to 350 and cook for about 40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is visibly bubbling. Remove the pie, let cool, and enjoy either warm or cold.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: This particular combination tastes more like blueberries than rhubarb. Depending on your taste, you can adjust the amount of blueberries and rhubarb. I think this would be excellent using 3 cups of rhubarb and only 2 cups of blueberries. 

Watermelon Ice

Here's a refreshing dessert that my grandkids love! Don't tell them it's simply watermelon - I serve it instead of ice cream and they feel like they're getting something extra special!

Ingredients:

4 cups cubed seedless watermelon

Directions:
Prepare a freezer tray by lining it with parchment paper. Place watermelon cubes on tray and freeze for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until extra firm. Blend the cubes in a blender for several minutes, until you like the texture. Blending longer will make a finer texture, and blending shorter will leave the texture slightly chunky. Serve.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: This dessert has all the goodness of watermelon, because that's all it is! The different look will delight those young and young at heart. 

Lemon Pie

March 14th is Pi Day, for us math nerds. This day just calls for pie. Here's a lemon pie, one which I followed (not so faithfully) from epicurious.com. I was looking for a somewhat healthy version of lemon curd, as my versions all use so much butter! Their version uses olive oil in place of some of the more traditional butter. Not only that, but they use olive oil in both the crust and the curd. I tried both, and was happy with the result.

For the tart shell:

2 Tbs. toasted, sliced almonds
3/4 cup flour (I used gluten free flour with good results)
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
4 Tbs (1/2 stick) cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large egg yolk
3 Tbs. olive oil

Place the almonds, flour, sugar, and butter in a food processor and pulse until the almonds resemble coarse meal, like corn meal. Add the egg yolk and the olive oil and pulse until a soft dough forms. Spread the dough into a tart shell or pie pan. Chill for 30 minutes, then bake in a preheated 425F oven for about 13 minutes, until the shell is brown all over. Remove and let cool.

For the lemon curd:

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs of lemon zest (zest the lemons before squeezing the juice)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
2 whole eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
4 Tbs butter (1/2 stick), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

Squeeze the lemon juice into a saucepan. Whisk the juice, along with the zest, sugar, cornstarch, and eggs. Then, whisking constantly, bring to a boil over medium low heat. Cook for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, then stir in the butter and olive oil, until the butter melts. Cool.

To serve: Pour the cooled curd into the cooled pie shell. Refrigerate for at least one hour, then serve. I served this with raspberries, for an added zing!

Serves 8

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Even though I whisked constantly, there were some egg "shreds" in my lemon curd. Easy to solve! Just pour is through a colander. The raspberries added zing, and covered up any remaining white spots in the curd.

Cherry Clafoutis

What better day than Bastille Day for clafoutis! Clafoutis (or clafouti) is a French custard type dish that hails from the Limousin area. It's typical for this dish to be made with dark cherries, including the pits. The reason the pits are left in is because of their faint almond taste ... I've added some almond extract and omitted the pits because I don't like to find the pits in my mouth, and because I just got a cherry pitter. This comes together quickly when one person pits the cherries and another person mixes up the batter. Let it cook while you're eating, and serve it warm for dessert.

Ingredients:

1 tsp. butter
1 Tbs. sugar
1 cup vanilla soy milk or regular milk
1/4 cup almond yogurt or vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup flour
3 cups pitted cherries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9 inch round or 8x8 square baking dish, then dust the dish with the tablespoon of sugar. Pour the milk, yogurt, 1/4 cup of sugar, eggs, vanilla, almond extract, salt and flour into a blender. Blend until well combined. Place the cherries on the bottom of your baking dish, then pour the blended custard mixture over the top. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until there are some brown spots on the top of the custard and the middle is no longer liquid. Remove and let set at least 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Serves 8

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Don't like cherries? Not to worry. This flan type dish can be made with fruits other than cherries. You could easily substitute red cherries, plums, apples, pears, or blueberries. When you use fruit other than cherries, this dessert is called a flaugnarde. You may need to adjust the sugar depending on the sweetness of your fruit. Sour cherries or green apples may need an extra tablespoon or so more sugar, while sweet Rainier cherries or blueberries may need slightly less. 

Pumpkin Bread with Chipotle Cranberries

Here's a seasonal favorite that I've healthied up, just a bit, plus added a southwest spin that gives this version a slight kick.

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup water

1/2 cup dried, sweetened cranberries (like Craisins)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Beat the eggs with a fork until frothy in a small bowl. Add the remaining wet ingredients. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the cranberries and pecans.

Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan with oil. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 for 60 to 75 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the loaf, and having the toothpick come out clean. Remove from oven, let cool, then turn onto a board and slice.

Makes 16 slices

Stealthy Cooking Tip: If you slice this loaf into 16 slices, they will be skinny slices. What I did was slice the loaf into 8 slices, then cut each slice in half. I then laid the slices out in a pretty design on a serving tray. Each piece still had some "heft" to it, but was more in the range of a healthy serving size. 

Watermelon Salad

Here's a salad that is sure to be a big hit with kids, both big and small. It's simple to make, easy to pack, and easy to eat. It's great for picnics, at the beach or in the backyard. Enjoy this "salad" as either a side dish or as a dessert.

Ingredients:

2 cups peeled, cubed seedless watermelon
1/2 cup blueberries
1 Tbs. chopped mint

Directions:  Mix all the ingredients together. Serve. How easy is that!

Serves 4

Stealthy Cooking Tip: This is one of those recipes that is sinfully easy. Most of the watermelon salads I've seen have dressings full of sugar, but both watermelons and blueberries are so sweet, who needs dressing? 

Lemon Curd with Limoncello and Berries

Here's a winter dessert that's excellent when you want to prepare dessert ahead of time. You can make the lemon curd several days before serving, then put the dessert together the day you want to eat it. You'll see an ingredient here that I reserve for the holidays: butter! The secret is serving size.

Ingredients:

for the lemon curd

2 lemons
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 stick butter, at room temperature
4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 pint raspberries
1 pint blueberries

8 tsp. limoncello

Directions:

Remove the zest from the lemons. Roll the lemons, then juice them to make 1/2 cup of juice. Add the zest to the sugar and pulse in a food processor so that the zest is finely ground into the sugar. If you don't have a food processor, just chop the zest into a fine mince and mix with the sugar. Beat the sugar and butter together, either doing so vigorously with a mixing spoon or with a mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each one into the mix. Add the lemon juice and mix until everything is well combines. Pour the curd into a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Cook over medium low heat until the curd begins to thicken. This should take about 10 minutes. If you have a candy thermometer, the curd will reach 175F when it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and cool.

To make the desserts, divide the curd into 8 serving bowls, topping each one with a handful of berries and a teaspoon of limoncello.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Don't forget dessert! Berries and fruits make excellent desserts. This one adds the sweetness of a lemon curd, together with the tartness of the limoncello, both in small amounts, to make a dessert worthy of the holidays. I served this up in small wine glasses. Remember that we taste with our eyes first!

Rhubarb Strawberry Pie

Some desserts are too good to pass up all the time. That's just how I feel. It's the justification I use for moderation! And, how a recipe for a sweet treat like rhubarb strawberry pie is here in a stealthy cooking blog. To me, that means I make this pie when we have guests for a special occasion, so there's only one piece available for everyone! Most strawberry rhubarb pies have equal amounts of strawberries and rhubarb, but I find the strawberries overpower the taste of the rhubarb. Using more rhubarb than strawberries evens out the taste, with lemon melding the flavors. The small amount of butter makes this pie taste rich!

Ingredients:

2 rounds of whole wheat pastry dough

1 lb rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/2 inch lengths to make 3 cups
1 quart strawberries, cut into half, lengthwise to make 2 cups
1/4 tsp grated lemon zest
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 Tbs butter

1 tsp milk
1 tsp sugar

Directions: Preheat the oven to 425F. Mix the rhubarb and strawberries with the lemon zest, sugar, and cornstarch. Let sit for 15 minutes. Place one of the pieces of pastry dough in the bottom of an 8 inch pie plate. Fill the pie with the rhubarb and strawberry mixture. Cut the butter into small pieces and sprinkle over the top of the pie. Top the pie with the second crust. Brush the top pie crust with the milk, then sprinkle with sugar. Cut vents in the top of the pie crust. Place the pie on a rack in the middle of the oven. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350F, place a cookie pan on a lower rack of the oven to catch drips, and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Let the pie cool, then cut into wedges and serve.

Serves 6

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Sometimes moderation is what it's all about! Wait for a special occasion to cook this springtime wonder!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Two of the "littles", my word for grandkids are visiting. They've been here since Valentine's Day. I looked for something that was easy to make, and is delicious. Dipping strawberries in dark chocolate is super easy, and is definitely delicious! I did the first strawberry, and the 6 year old and 8 year old did the rest! Get the best dark chocolate you can - 70% cacao is my favorite!

Ingredients:

1 dozen strawberries
1/4 pound dark chocolate

Directions:  Cut chocolate into large chunks. Place in a glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Continue microwaving and stirring until the chocolate is just melted, about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Stir the chocolate until it is smooth. Hold each strawberry by the stem and dip the bottom half into the chocolate. Lay the strawberry on a piece of wax paper until it cools. Place on a pretty platter and serve. (Then, enjoy the remaining chocolate!)

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Dark chocolate is a rich source of antioxidants. In addition, the saturated fats in chocolate don't elevate cholesterol levels. Chocolate can be a healthful addition to a well rounded diet, however a key word here is well rounded. Enjoy a piece of chocolate every once in a while!

Poached Pears in Red Wine

Here's a dessert that's truly holiday worthy. It's dramatic, tasty, easy to make ahead, and best of all, it's on the healthy side of the dessert cart!

Ingredients:

4 Bosc pears (or use other firm pears such as Bartlett)

1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup red wine, such as Syrah
3 cups water
1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp whole cloves

1Tbs Grand Marnier

Directions:

1. Use a peeler to peel the pears, leaving a small amount of skin near the stem end. Make sure the bottom of the pear is flat, so that the pear can stand upright. Use a melon baller to remove the seeds from the inside of the pear. Start at the flower end of the pear, and make several scoops to remove all the seeds and the core.
2. Toll the lemon on a counter to maximize the juice. Use a peeler to peel several strips of lemon peel, removing only the yellow part of the peel, and leaving the white pith on the lemon. Slice the lemon in half, and squeeze the juice into a cooking pot that is large enough to hold 4 pears snugly, and tall enough so that the pears can be covered by liquid. Add the sugar, wine, water, and spices to the cooking pot and place on a stovetop. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
3. Place the peeled and cored pears in the poaching liquid. Make sure the pears are covered with the liquid. If not, add a little more water, sugar, and wine (in the proportions of 1/2 cup sugar to 1/3 cup wine and 1 cup water) so that there is enough liquid to cover the pears. Cover and simmer until the pears are tender. This will be about 30 minutes for Bosc pears, and as little as 10 minutes for ripe Bartletts. Test the pears by piercing with the tip of a knife. If the pear pierces easily, it's done.
4. Let the pears cool, in the syrup. They're good warm, cool, or cold from the refrigerator. The pears can cool in the syrup for up to 3 hours. Remove them after 3 hours, and cover them on a plate. Keep the poaching liquid! Keep it in a glass container in the frig ...  you can re-use it again later.
5. To serve, cut the pears lengthwise, at 1/2 inch intervals, starting about 1/2 inch below the stem and cutting through the bottom. They're delicious as is, but can also be served with some of the thickened syrup. To thicken the syrup, pour 2 cups of the cooking liquid into a saucepan and boil for about 10 minutes until the sauce is reduced to about 2/3 cup. Stir in the Grand Marnier after the syrup is removed from the heat. Place each pear on a serving plate, then drizzle 2 Tablespoons of syrup either on top of the pear, or around the base.

Serves 4

Stealthy Cooking Tip: This dessert is quite beautiful ... and is all about the fruit. Use firm pears, with no blemishes. Also, use a wine that has a taste you like, as the pears absorb the taste of the wine.

Rice Pudding

Here's a tasty treat. I usually make this with leftover brown rice and vanilla soy milk, but feel free to use whatever kind of rice or milk you like best. I also like to load this up with raisins, they add a special sweetness to this. Serve it with milk for breakfast, plain for a snack, or with a little bit of fresh fruit for dessert.

Ingredients:

1 cup milk or soy milk
2 whole eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup cooked brown rice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour milk into a medium size microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minutes until warm. Add remaining ingredients to bowl and mix to combine. Lightly grease an oven baking pan or bowl and pour all ingredients into the bowl. Bake the pudding in a water bath. To do this, set the cooking pan with the rice pudding into a second larger pan. Add water to the larger pan so that water comes up about 1/2 inch on the side of the pudding. Check for doneness after 45 minutes by seeing if the outside of the pudding is set (the center will still be moist, but should no longer be runny). If the center is still runny, cook for an additional 5 minutes and check again. Total cooking time will be between 45 minutes and 1 hour. Remove the pudding when done a let cool. The pudding will continue cooking as it cools, and the center will set. Eat when slightly warm or refrigerate and eat cold.

Serves 4.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Here's a good dish to introduce whole grain brown rice to you and your family. If you're not used to the chewy texture of brown rice, the sweetness of the raisins will enliven the taste of the dish and balance the textures.

Apple Pie Streusel

My Mom is known for her apple pies. People request them all the time. So, I thought I'd get the recipe and share it with you. Her recipe? It's simple. Use the tastiest apples you can find, tart ones and sweet ones combined. Then, mix with a little bit of sugar and bake. I've fiddled around with those directions and come up with some rough numbers so it's a little easier for me to make this great pie a second time. Also, remember all of those lovely apples from last fall? If you're like me, you might still have a few in your refrigerator, begging to be made into a pie. If not, you can easily pick some up from the store (where they've been stored in a larger storage facility refrigerator!)

Ingredients:

1 whole wheat pie crust

7-8 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced to make 8 cups
1/2 cup cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbs flour
1 tsp cinnamon

for the Streusel Topping:

2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 Tbs butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Make the pie crust, and line the bottom of the pie plate making high fluted edges. I used a 10 inch deep dish for this pie. However, the amounts will still work for a very full 9 inch pie. Peel, core, and slice the apples. I used a combination of Golden Delicious, Gala, Fugi, Winesap, and Arkansas Black. Of course, other apple varieties can be substituted. The only type of apple I don't recommend for pies are Granny Smiths as they can become mushy when cooked. Mix the apples with the cranberries, sugar, flour and cinnamon, then keep the apples in the mixing bowl until the streusel topping is made. Make the streusel topping by mixing the ingredients together, either by hand or by pulsing in a food processor until well mixed. Mound the apple mixture into the pie crust, then top with the streusel mixture. Place the pie on a center rack in the oven and cook until the topping is is golden brown and the apples are tender, about 1 hour. Remove the pie and let cool on a rack. A deep dish pie makes more servings than a regular pie. This 10 inch deep dish pie easily serves 8 to 10.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Fruit pies are a sweet way to eat a serving of fruit! This pie has slightly less sugar than most, as it depends on the sweeter varieties of apples for its sweet flavor. Golden Delicious, Fuji, and Gala apples are all high in natural sugars.

Mince Meat Pie

Here's a recipe by request! When I first received this request for mince meat pie, I thought this dessert was too decandent to be included in a group of healthy recipes. Then, I reviewed the recipe, and reconsidered. This mince meat has no meat - so it's more correctly called a "mock" mince pie. Also, this pie has lots of fruit, with minimal sugar ... well, minimal sugar for a dessert. I generally make mince pie filling in mid summer when green tomatoes are readily available, making about a gallon of pie filling, then can it for use in the fall. However, I've also made just one pie's worth in the fall - like today's recipe - and used just apples when green tomatoes aren't available. Either way, the mince mixturer cooks up rich and spicy, just like the pies I remember from my childhood visits to rural Michigan.



Ingredients:

2 medium size tart apples
2 medium size green tomatoes, or use 2 additional tart apples
1-1/2 cups raisins
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
2 Tbs crushed crackers
2 Tbs brandy
two crust pie crust

Directions:

Pare, core, and chop the apples and tomatoes. Mix the apple/tomato mixture together with the raisins, orange zest, and juices in a stainless steel saucepan. Cover, bring to a simmer and cook about 5 minutes, until the apples are soft. Stir in the sugars, spices, and crackers. Either keep mixture in the non-reactive stainless steel pan or pour into a glass bowl. Cover and refrigerate for between 2 and 4 days.

When ready to cook your pie, preheat the oven to 450 F. Stir the brandy into the mixture before adding to the pie shell. Line a pie pan with one of the pie crusts. Add the mince mixture, and cover with an upper crust. If you have time, this pie looks very nice with a lattice crust. Bake for 30 minutes.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Desserts have their place in a healthy diet. It's portion size and variety that are important. This pie can be cut into 6 pieces or 8 pieces. Cut it into 8 pieces, and you'll be cutting your portion size. Also, share this pie with friends and family. Everyone gets one piece! Tomorrow have something different - fresh fruit, anyone?

Marion's Apple Crunch

It's fall here - finally! Fall arrived in Sacramento this year with a huge storm, one that knocked out power, and our internet, for a full day. That fall storm left just as quickly as it arrived, so that thoughts of picking fall apples seemed a likely possibility. Our family went up to Apple Hill just outside of Placerville one day last weekend, where we spent a morning picking organic apples at one of the u-pick orchards. Even after the heavy winds and rain of the storm, there were plenty of apples. That said, you'll be seeing several of my favorite ways with apples. Here's a family favorite.

Ingredients:

4 large golden delicious apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (about 4 cups)
a sprinkle of cinnamon
1 tsp butter, cut into bits
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 large egg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread apples slices in the bottom of a 9x9 baking dish. Sprinkle the apples with a little cinnamon and the butter bits. Mix the flour, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl. Add the egg to the flour mixture and mix until moist. Spread the flour topping onto the apples. Bake the crunch for 30 - 40 minutes, until the topping is lightly browned and crunchy.

Serves 6

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Picking apples at a u-pick orchard has many benefits. Enjoy the outdoors and the beauty of apples trees against the sky. When choosing your u-pick orchard, do look for orchards that grow organic apples. More pesticides are used on apples than on any other food, so organic apples are always best!

Whole Wheat Pie Crust

Here's a pie crust that still has plenty of good flavor, even if it doesn't have butter or lard.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp white vinegar
5 Tbs olive oil
3-4 Tbs water

Directions:

Measure flours into a bowl. Combine oil, vinegar and 2 Tbs. of the water. Pour liquids into flour. Add more water until the dough mixture forms a ball. Roll flat between two sheets of wax paper. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Then, lift dough into an 8 or 9 inch pie plate and form edges. Cook as directed for pie, or bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes for pre-cooked pie crust.

Makes one crust, 8 or 9 inch pie plate.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Use this pie crust when you introduce a new pie (like the cheese and vegetable quiche) to your family. Break them in slowly! That way, they won't think you're doing something too sneaky to their old favorites.