From Cooking Light magazine, here is an article on low-fat baking posted on MyRecipes.com. Aside from being informational, this article helps usher in the new year resolutions. There are several low-fat recipes attached, including Cream Cheese Brownies and Triple-Fruit Shortcakes. The article also explains why sugar, eggs, and butter are necessary in baking. Check out the full text of the article here.

Pictured: Cooking Light’s Double-Caramel Turtle Cake. Yum!

Slashfood.com recently posted an article about making pomander balls. I decided this would be a fun activity to get into the holiday spirit. Basically, you take an orange and poke it with whole cloves. Some of the comments on the Slashfood article suggested using toothpicks or forks to poke small whole to push the cloves in to, and I found using a toothpick worked the best.

The options for poking designs into the orange are endless, but I stuck to a pretty basic pattern of lines. It was a bit difficult to push the cloves without breaking them, but it smells fabulous, which really is the whole point of the project. The smell of spice with fresh citrus is wonderful for this time of year. I saw a suggestion of using lemons or limes, but I’m not sure how that would smell with the cloves. Obviously, the more cloves you poke into the fruit, the stronger the smell will be. You can attach a ribbon and hang for decoration if desired, or just sit pretty in a bowl.

Look for whole cloves at gourmet markets or specialty stores to get a bargain.

Here is my attempt:

Today, I decided to give my stove a break and made some Coffee Toffee Cookies for the office potluck. What I love the most about no-bake cookies is that it only takes a few ingredients to get big results. Also, making no-bake cookies doesn’t fill my dishwasher with tons of dirty dishes. The hardest part? Waiting for the cookies to set before eating them!

Of everything I have made so far, these cookies by far get the most requests. Not your typical no-bake cookie recipe, these cookies have the taste of a flavored latte from instant espresso, butterscotch pudding mix, and dark brown sugar. Add some butter and quick oats (plus a dash of evaporated milk), and you’ve got a pretty awesome cookie!

Waiting for cookies to set on waxed paper:

Here is a quick and simple dinner from Everyday Food magazine. The frozen peaches do not need to be thawed and are a real time-saver. To easily grate the fresh ginger, peel a finger of ginger and freeze overnight in a zip-lock bag. The flavors in this recipe are fresh and light, with a touch of Asian flair. The original recipe calls for bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, but I prefer boneless, skinless. Adjust the red-pepper flakes to your tastes. Serve with Coconut-Ginger Rice.

1 bag (1 lb) frozen peaches, unthawed
2 red onions, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
salt and pepper
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, to taste
3 to 4 chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 450F

Place peaches and onions on a large rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with ginger, soy sauce, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, sesame oil, and red-pepper flakes.

Rub chicken with remaining teaspoon vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange chicken (skin side up, if using skin-on) among peaches and onions.

Roast until chicken is opaque throughout and no longer pink, about 25 minutes. Serve chicken over rice, topped with peaches and onions.

Matches made in heaven: chocolate, orange, and hazelnut. This “bark” recipe from Everyday Food magazine combines these ingredients into a tasty treat, perfect for the holidays.  According to Everyday Food, “the slight bitterness of the orange zest and a sprinkling of salt round out the richness of the chocolate and hazelnuts.”

Hazelnuts are available pre-chopped, shelled, or unshelled. For this recipe, I bought unshelled hazelnuts and cracked them the old-fashioned way. After shelling, I roasted the hazelnuts at 250F for 15 minutes, then wrapped the nuts in a kitchen towel. The towel allows the nuts to steam, which loosens the skins. The skins can then be rubbed off and the nuts chopped. The roasting also draws out the hazelnuts nature oils and intensifies the flavor, which is worth it if you are able to take the time.

1 navel orange
8 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup hazelnuts, skins removed and coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp coarse salt

Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil. With a vegetable peeler, remove zest from half of the orange, avoiding as much of the white pith as possible (reserve the rest of the orange for another use). With a sharp knife, cut zest into very thin strips about 1 inch long.

Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set oven (not in) a pan of simmering water, or use a double-boiler. Stir until melted and completely smooth. Mix in half the zest and hazelnuts. Immediately pour onto prepared baking sheet with a flexible spatula. Spread mixture about 1/4 inch thick in a rectangle on the prepared baking sheet, avoiding the sides of the baking sheets.

Sprinkle with remaining zest, nuts, and coarse salt. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. To serve, break or chop into pieces. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.