quick enchiladas

This is one of my easy, go-to recipes, when I want something tasty that is simple to make. There are so many possible variations*, I don't think I've made these exactly the same way twice.

Most recently, I made these with black bean filling. I used a store bought jar of tomato salsa, and shredded "mexican blend" cheese.
First, I simmered 1 cup of dried black beans with 4 cups of water, plus a teaspoon of each of the following- cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder, along with a pinch of salt and pepper in a slow cooker on low for 8 hours (I did this during the day while I was at work, so all I had to do when I came home was assemble and bake).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Begin by spreading about 1/2 cup of the prepared salsa on the bottom of a 10" x 10" baking dish. Assemble the enchiladas one at a time. On a flour tortilla, spread about 1/4 cup cooked black beans, along with 1/4 cup shredded cheese.

Roll tortilla around fillings and place the roll into the prepared baking dish. Continue until you have filled the dish (using a 10 x 10 baking dish I had room for 6 rolls). Cover the enchiladas with the remaining salsa, and the remaining shredded cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until warm and bubbly. Take out of the oven and top with chopped cilantro (optional of course). Enjoy!

* we've also made these with roasted veggies, shredded cooked chicken, and shredded cooked pork, and have used salsa verde instead of the tomato salsa- delicious!

vanilla cupcakes

This blog may be called Sprinkle with Salt, but as you might have guessed, I have a serious weakness for sweets. There is not a day that goes by when I don't eat something sweet. After ever dinner I crave dessert...I just can't help it! I think it runs in my family :)

I was craving something sweet, but light. So I made some vanilla cupcakes with cream cheese frosting topped with toasted coconut. Did I say light?!


The vanilla cake is very versatile, and very good. I like it because it's light and airy. And you can pretty much add anything you'd like...cream cheese frosting, chocolate frosting, ganache, lemon curd, fresh strawberries...not that I've been thinking about it at all.

Quick Yellow Cake
makes one 9x13 or two 9-inch cakes, or about 20 cupcakes

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Take the butter out of the fridge to soften and preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare one 9x13 pan or two 9-inch round pans by greasing them thoroughly with butter or non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening. You can also flour them, if you want, although this isn't strictly necessary. Sprinkle a little flour over them, tilt and shake to distribute evenly, then tap out the excess over the sink.

Mix the ingredients together in the order they're listed - creaming the softened butter and sugar first, then adding the eggs, flour, salt, baking powder, and finally the liquids. Using an electric beater, beat everything together on low for 30 seconds, then high for 3 minutes.

Immediately pour into the prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops spring back slightly when pressed.

Let cool on wire racks for at least 15 minutes, then flip each pan over onto the rack and tap gently all over. Lift the pan slightly. If the cake doesn't feel like it's falling out smoothly, lay a slightly damp kitchen towel over the pan and tap again. If necessary, let the cakes cool more. If they have been baked thoroughly, however, they should fall right out of the pans once they've cooled a little and the sides of the cake have shrunk back from the pan.

Cool completely then frost and eat!

italian love knots

My grandmother, Louise, was a wonderful cook and baker. She passed her experience, skills, and knowledge down to my mom, who has impressed people with her food for decades! I like to think that I've inherited some of these abilities.

As a kid, whenever we went to visit my grandparents there were two guarantees-- biscotti and pizzelles. No matter what my grandma always had a stockpile of both. I can still remember the taste, texture, and smell of each. I've tried to re-create them and I've come close...but I need more practice.

Another one of my grandma special cookies was the italian wedding cookie or love knot. These cookies are light and slightly sweet, flavored with lemon juice and zest. They are wonderful with coffee. My mom has perfected them, but I'm still working on it.


My latest attempt turned out pretty well!

Italian Love Knots (adapted from my grandma's recipe)

Cookies:

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons lemon zest

Icing:

1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

4 to 5 tablespoons milk or half-and-half

1 teaspoon almond extract

Colored sprinkles

To make the cookies:

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the lemon juice and zest.

Gradually add the flour mixture, beating well to combine.

The dough will be soft.

Wrap the dough in wax paper and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease 2 baking sheets.

Place the dough on a lightly-floured surface.

Break off golf-ball size pieces of dough.

Roll each piece into a rope about 7 inches long and 1/2 inch in diameter.

Tie into a knot with one end poking up in the center.

Place 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly.

You want the cookies to be slightly warm when you add the icing.

To make the icing:

In a bowl, stir together the confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth.

Stir in the almond extract.

Add more milk if necessary to make a slightly thin icing.

Dip the top of each cookie into the icing.

Place the cookies on wire racks and top with the colored sprinkles.

Allow the icing to dry before storing.

These cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container for about 1 week.

lazy sunday morning

On Sunday mornings we desperately try to relax. We usually begin with a pot of coffee and breakfast. We typically make something a little more special than what we'd eat during the week.

This Sunday we made simple baked eggs and sour dough toast . It was so good, and so easy-- a wonderful way to start the morning. After we ate we lounged on the couch with our two dogs, read the papers, drank more coffee, and tried to refresh ourselves for the beginning of the new week.



Simple Baked Eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crack 2 eggs into a small baking dish or ramekin. Add a splash of cream or milk. Add chopped parsley or any other fresh herbs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on how well done you like your eggs.

Serve with toast (I usually just throw a few buttered slices into the oven to toast while the eggs are baking).

Eat, and relax.

carrot cake and other baking disasters

For my husband's birthday I decided to bake him a carrot cake, one of his favorites, complete with cream cheese frosting. I used a recipe out of a food magazine I'd just received, one that I'd never tried before. And I say I "tried" the recipe, because, it did not work. The cake was really dry, and there just wasn't enough cream cheese frosting to cover up this terrible cake. Of course my husband and our family ate the cake politely, but it was confirmed later that yes indeed, this was a dry cake! (everyone like the cream cheese frosting though!).


In my quest for baking perfection, I decided to "try" another carrot cake recipe. In cupcake form this time. Sadly, as the photos below display, this was yet again another carrot cake disaster! In my opinion, I think the recipe had too much baking soda...

what the???

I don't know why this bothers me so much, but it does...so now I will probably attempt yet another carrot cake next weekend. Good thing I bought the giant 5 POUND bag of carrots last week!

I've had several of these baking failures lately, and I just don't get it. I'm following the recipes!! I guess you can't win 'em all. But I'll keep trying.

sweets for my sweet

These cookies are awesome! I made these brownie roll out cookies last week in honor of Valentine's day. Sweet, right? These cookies are chewy, and chocolatey, and really taste like brownies.



As if they weren't sugary enough, I dipped half in white chocolate. I must say, they were a hit!



And I highly recommend these cookies for ice cream sandwiches. Very good.

great granola

I've been trying to make the perfect granola for 6 months now. I've tried several recipes and many variations, and finally-I got it! I made granola that is actually GOOD. It's sweet, and crunchy, and has a great blend of dried fruit.

GRANOLA
3 cups extra thick old fashioned oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup mild honey
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of salt

1 cup dried apricots, diced
1 cup dried figs, diced
1/2 cup dried tart cherries, diced
1/4 cup dried blueberries
(or 2 3/4 cups dried fruit of your choice)

Serve with vanilla yogurt and sliced bananas for a delicious breakfast treat!

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Stir all ingredients together except for dried fruit. Spread mixture evenly on a non-stick baking sheet. Place baking sheet in the oven and stir every 5 minutes after the 5-minute mark. Be careful, it burns easily! Bake for 15-20 minutes or until light brown. Transfer granola in baking sheet to cooling rack and cool for 10-15 minutes, until crispy. Combine granola and dried fruit in a large bowl and stir to combine. Store in an air tight container, in the freezer.

If you have a secret to great granola, please share your tips!