Yesterday, I noted a few tidbits from the backdrop noise of Rachel Ray's show. (1) Most cooking errors can be remedied, but burnt food can't be saved. True. (2) Never try new recipes on holidays. Nonsense. (3) We will be unhealthy, dull and unproductive, without seven hours of sleep a night. Uh-huh.
Dr. Oz was her guest. He said that given a seven-hour time slot and the choice of one of two things to do, choose sleep over exercise. Yep, it's true. Exercise is important, but sleep is mandatory. Wonder what he'd say about my awakening at 2:30 a.m.
I gave it an hour of clock-watching and tried a cup of chamomile tea - it wired me further. By 4:00, laundry was sloshing and the crock pot was filled with a bird and veggies, for soup. By 5:00, I had carrot-cranberry cakes in the oven. By 6:30, soup was bubbling, clothes were folded and baked goods were cooling. Now it's 7:30 a.m., my typical hour for blogging.
This (link) carrot cake recipe is foolproof. It is outrageously flexible and beyond decadent... no low-cal subs here. Last time, I added golden raisins and topped with rather mistakenly soggy icing and berries. This time, I chose to make cupcakes for ease of serving to a mini-mob on Thanksgiving Day, when I'll frost the freezer-fresh confections. What I added to the batter, instead of raisins:
FIVE ounces of DRIED Cranberries from Trader's that had been brought to a simmer in about a quarter-cup of liquid consisting of apricot brandy and orange juice. I let it sit while the rest of the ingredients were in the works and added last, WITH the liquid... yum.
It's now 7:46 a.m., and I taste-tested. Moist beyond belief. Do try something different; it might be a recipe for success. But in the name of tradition, up next are apple and pumpkin pies. I'm thinking cake pops for the kids... they'll ♥ the surprise.
Man, I'm pooped. Does Oz-Man have a recipe for sleepin'?
