The Fat Girl's Guide to Living

We’re moving quickly into the season of many celebrations, and if you’re like me, you’re always on the lookout for amazing appetizers that look impressive yet are easy to make. These fig and goat cheese apps really fit the bill. They’re salty and sweet, crunchy yet creamy–the perfect combination of flavors and textures. They’re also perfectly gorgeous!

It’s just past fig season, but if you look around you’ll find them in some form or another. I found mine (dried Calimyrna figs) at Trader Joe’s. You can make the tapenade a few days in advance so all you’ll need to do is assemble them the day you need them, which is exactly what I’ll be doing next week in preparation for Thanksgiving!

Figs are a great source of fiber (5 grams in a quarter cup) even if they are pretty sugary. Goat cheese tends to be lower in fat and calories than many cow’s milk products, and its stronger flavor allows a little to go a long way, which is perfect when you’re entertaining.

Whether you’re looking for an impressive opener or something flavorful to enjoy with a glass of wine after a long day — give these a try. You won’t be sorry. Enjoy!

Fig and Pecan Tapenade with Goat Cheese
(adapted from Bon Appétit)
1 cup chopped dried figs
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup pitted chopped Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans, plus whole pecans for topping
Salt and ground fresh pepper
2 5-oz. logs soft, fresh goat cheese
Assorted crackers

Combine figs and water in medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until all the liquid is gone and the figs are soft, around 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add the olives, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pecans. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Crumble goat cheese onto crackers, top with tapenade, and place a whole pecan on top.

Looking for more great recipes? Visit my blog at
http://culinography.wordpress.com

Two of my faves: Pure Vanilla Extract and Saigon Cassia Cinnamon

We’ve all read countless weight loss/healthy eating articles touting the value of adding fresh spices to enhance the flavor of lighter fare, particularly when switching from processed foods. Well, we believe in what works, and this is one oft-parroted idea we heartily endorse.

Whatever your reason for being a foodie – adopting new habits for health-related reasons, preparing freeze-and-reheat lunches to bring to work, or forming a Fat Girl’s Guide Supper Club (speaking of great ideas), quality spices and seasonings are a must. My favorite source is The Spice House. I’m lucky to be within driving distance of all of their stores, but the humble (and great-smelling) Evanston, Illinois shop just north of the city is my favorite.

Non-Chicago-area foodies are in luck, because you can shop online, sample their impressive, free recipe collection, and purchase unique gift boxes that will enhance your gift-giving super powers. My two favorite finds are their pure vanilla extract (love it in oatmeal) and ground cinnamon (delish on hot cocoa–the best cinnamon I’ve ever tasted). Shopping for spices, rubs, marinade mixes, and extracts is the perfect way to be indulgent without over-indulging – and that’s something we can definitely get behind.

Editors’ Note: Though we accept paid advertisements at FGG, any products we endorse on the site were researched and/or purchased ourselves. We do not accept free products for testing, endorsement, or reviews.

Image by Happywalks

Michelle has tempted us with mini muffins and cupcakes in the past, and this week’s photo reveals how sweet it is to downsize our favorite treats (in this case, red velvet cupcakes). I love Regina’s joyful smile here, and her adorable kitchen!

Our FGG Girls Flickr group is growing every week, with amazing images of women sharing their lives, personalities, and curves.

You don’t have to be a professional or even advanced amateur photographer to join – just take photos of yourself truly living. That’s it. Show us your favorite hobbies, new fall sweater, or that cute haircut and color (ahem, Tee!). We started this group as an outlet for us fat girls to see ourselves in a kinder light and appreciate just how fun, adorable and sexy we can be. And even if you’re not feeling particularly fun, adorable, or sexy, give it a shot anyway – you may surprise yourself.

Each week we select one photo from our group as the FGG Photo of the Week. At month’s end, we pick one photo from those weekly entries to win a prize. This month’s theme is COOKING, which should be easy enough to capture in the next two weeks.

So if you haven’t already, join the fun! We look forward to seeing how you’re living.

Forgive me, Foodie Friday fans. I can’t stop with the pumpkin. This time of year, I find myself consumed by the thought of it and fixated on the many things I can work it into. I feel as though I have to pack all the goodness of fall into the months of October and November because, as soon as the end of the month arrives, it’ll be time for the big switch to peppermint and chocolate and sanding sugars (though not necessarily together). What can I say? The holidays are rough on me.

But I’m here for you. And because I’m here for you, I’m going to share with you a wonderful pumpkin bread recipe. It’s moist and flavorful and perfect for office parties, holiday get-togethers, appreciation gifts, and – of course – just for snacking.

I’m also going to share a little secret with those of you who don’t like buttermilk. You see, *I* don’t like buttermilk. Therefore it tends to be a waste of buttermilk – and of money – for me to buy a quart of buttermilk just to use under a cup of it in a recipe. But! There is a solution. Measure out just under a cup of milk (whatever you have… and skim is fine). Add one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for about five minutes and…. viola! A buttermilk substitute that’s perfect for baking.

Alright… now get out there and make this bread. You’re all out of excuses. Happy baking!

Pumpkin Bread
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and coat a standard loaf pan with baking spray (Baker’s Joy).

Spread the pumpkin over 2 layers of paper towels and cover with 2 additional layers of paper towels. Let stand about 10 minutes. Scrape drained pumpkin into a bowl.

Place granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed for 3-4 minutes or until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in pumpkin and vanilla. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and 3/4 cup buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from pan, and cool completely on wire rack.

Yield: 10-12 servings

Looking for more great recipes? Visit my blog at
http://culinography.wordpress.com

Mini muffins. They’re fun, they’re bite-size, and they’re portion controlled… what’s not to love here? I recently dug up this recipe to bring to work for a friend’s birthday after remembering that she loved a similar version from one of the large coffee shop chains. The upside of doing them homemade vs. store-bought is you know exactly what’s in them and exactly how fresh they are.

These little gems aren’t overly-sweet. Instead they’re light and citrusy with little bursts of tart cranberry, and a slightly crunchy, sugary top…mini perfection! You can certainly make them in a regular-sized muffin tin but I like them better as minis – not only because they’re adorable, but also because their small size allows you to eat two or three of them instead of just one. Seems a little more decadent that way, don’t you think?

Orange-Cranberry Muffins
(recipe modified slightly from Food Network)
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup orange juice
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
zest of one orange
2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus some for topping the muffins
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup skim milk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Put the cranberries and orange juice in a small saucepan, and bring just to a simmer over medium heat. Remove berries from the heat, and set aside to cool and plump. Drain off any excess liquid and set aside.

Line a 24-mini muffin tin (or regular size 12-muffin tin) with paper liners. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with an electric hand-held mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter, orange zest, and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Remove the bowl from the mixer.

Fold the flour in 3 parts into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk in 2 parts, until just combined. Fold in the cranberries until just incorporated. Do not over mix. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin and sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes for minis and 25 minutes for regular-size muffins. Cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes before removing from pan.

Yield: 12 regular-sized muffins or 24 mini-muffins

Looking for more great recipes? Visit my blog at
http://culinography.wordpress.com

The mellow, warm color of pumpkins signals to me that fall is in full swing. This time of year, pumpkins are everywhere, from pumpkin patches, pumpkins on front steps, pumpkins in loaves, muffins and pies, and pumpkins carved and flickering in the night. However, for years – and much to the dismay of my husband – I’ve adamantly claimed that I didn’t like roasted pumpkin seeds. My friends, I was wrong.

Until very recently, I’d never roasted my own seeds. I’d tried them when offered to me, but was always perplexed that anyone would enjoy the strange texture of the hulls that apparently you were supposed to eat. Now I know: they weren’t full toasted! Properly toasted pumpkin seeds are crunchy all the way through and are a pleasure to eat (think sunflower seeds you can flavor as you wish without the mess of having to spit out the shells!).

Now, everyone knows that what you find on the inside of a pumpkin is, shall we say, less than appetizing. Don’t let that deter you! It’s pretty simple to separate the seeds from the rest of the insides – just scoop everything out and into your clean sink or a large bowl of water. Be prepared to get messy for this step; using a spoon or one of those scrapers that come with pumpkin carving kits helps. Swish the gooey contents all around in the water; the seeds will float and everything else will sink to the bottom. Easy!

Not only can you make roasted pumpkin seeds a hundred different ways to satisfy any craving of the moment, they also pack a decent nutritional punch (iron, magnesium and protein). They also contain phytosterols, which have been shown to reduce levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. To be fair, heat does tend to destroy some of the nutritive value of the seeds – so a light roast is certainly better than dark – but they’re still better for you than that bag of chips that’s been calling your name. After visiting your local pumpkin patch, try this sweet and spicy version of roasted pumpkin seeds.

Spicy Candied Pumpkin Seeds
1 cup of raw pumpkin seeds, separated from the stringy insides and rinsed
4 cups water
1 tablespoons salt
1/4 cup natural cane sugar or brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine pumpkin seeds and 1 tablespoon of the salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine sugar, pepper, cinnamon and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a small bowl. When seeds are done, remove from heat, drain and spread onto a paper towel. Pat dry. Pour onto oiled cookie sheet and coat all seeds with oil. Sprinkle with sugar mixture and mix to coat evenly. Arrange seeds into a single layer and bake for 12-18 minutes until golden (be sure to watch closely toward the end – they’ll burn quickly). Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to three days.

Yield: 1 cup

Looking for more great recipes? Visit my blog at
http://culinography.wordpress.com

It’s no secret that adding whole grains to our diets is important. But did you know that you can also work them into your baked goods? Oh yes… and no one will even notice. The secret to putting a healthy spin on even your most guilty pleasures is simple: white whole wheat flour (my personal favorite is King Arthur White Whole Wheat).

White whole wheat is an albino variety of wheat that is not only lighter in color but has a lighter texture and a milder flavor. Although it’s different in both taste and texture than standard red wheat (what we would recognize as standard whole wheat), it still carries the fiber and nutrients of a whole grain.

I typically substitute up to 50% of the flour used in a recipe with white whole wheat flour and, I promise, no one has ever discovered my secret. This is also a great way to get your pecan pie fix (it’s another favorite fall food, after all) in smaller, more manageable portions over the holidays. Not overly sweet, wonderfully crunchy, perfect for sharing, and packing whole grains… who can argue with that?

Pecan Pie Bars
(adapted from Magnolia Mom)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped, plus 1/2 cup whole pecans
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk — lowfat works fine)
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons lemon juice (from concentrate is fine)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine flours and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly.

Press mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 13×9-inch baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine chopped pecans, condensed milk, eggs and lemon juice. Pour over baked crust and place whole pecans on top in a decorative pattern. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until filling is set.

Remove pan from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into bars and store covered at room temperature.

Yield: 36 squares

Looking for more great recipes? Visit my blog at
http://culinography.wordpress.com