The Sweets Life

Almond Joy Bread

2012-02-09T04:24:00.001-06:00

The town that I attended college in--Kirksville, Missouri--had a tradition where every Halloween the kids from the neighboring area could come treat or treat in the Truman State residence halls. It gave us college kids the chance to ooh and aah over the cute costumes (okay, the college girls! I don't remember many male rooms participating!) and meant bonus candy for all of those kids, who also trick-or-treated in their own neighborhoods!

A few friends and I stocked up on the Hershey's bag of fun-sized candy bars that came with an assortment of candy including Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Heath Bars, and my personal favorite, Almond Joy. My friend Kacey was also an Almond Joy lover and we unashamedly removed each and every Almond Joy from the package, consuming the majority of them while we handed out the remaining varieties to the costumed children that came to our dorm room. Kids don't like almonds or coconut anyway, right?!

My love for Almond Joys remains strong, although I rarely buy them these days. Instead, I've found a (slightly) healthier way to enjoy the combination of coconut, almonds, and chocolate, thanks to this quick bread! I've had this bread recipe saved in my email for almost two years...I'm so glad I finally decided to make it. These mini loaves baked up perfectly--rounded domes of a slightly crisp crust with a moist and chewy interior. I reduced the sugar, added some whole wheat flour, and skipped the coconut syrup and chocolate glaze that Peabody included in her version and found these were still perfect, modifications and all (instead I dressed it up with a bow for the photographs ;)). My only change would be to use regular-sized or mini chocolate chips. I used the giant Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips (more like discs!) and so there were fewer bites with chocolate. I'd rather have smaller bits of chocolate scattered throughout!

One Year Ago: Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

Two Years Ago: Oatmeal Raisinet Cookies

Almond Joy Mini Loaves
slightly adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

Ingredients:
-4 eggs
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-3/4 cup canola oil
-1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 tsp almond extract (could sub coconut extract)
-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 cup buttermilk
-1 cup sweetened coconut
-1/2 cup raw almonds, chopped
-1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine eggs, sugar, oil, butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Beat on medium for 2 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beginning with the flour mixture, alternate flour, buttermilk, flour, buttermilk, and finally the remaining flour. Mix until just combined (do not overmix!)
3. Gently stir in coconut, chocolate chips, and almonds.
4. Grease and flour four mini loaf pans. Divide batter equally among pans, filling each 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow pans to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before running a knife around the edges of each and removing from the pans. Allow to cool completely on wire rack before wrapping to store.
*Wrap in foil and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days

Easy Vegetable Minestrone

2012-02-08T04:05:00.001-06:00

There's quite a collection of soup recipes on this blog. Fact of the matter is, I really really like making soup. In general, it's easy to make, easy to freeze, and easy to reheat--all of which are good things if your life is anything as crazy as ours. Pair it with salad or bread or saltines, one of my favorite soup companions, and you've got a meal that's better and cheaper than anything you'll get from a drive-through window.

I particularly like this minestrone for all of the above reasons, plus the fact that it packs a serious veggie-punch. Next time I might use fresh herbs instead of dried to add some extra flavor, but feel free to use dried if that's all you have on hand.

Looking for another minestrone soup? I also love this butternut squash and kale version!

One Year Ago: Black-Eyed Pea Stew
Two Years Ago: Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes

Easy Vegetable Minestrone
from Two Peas & Their Pod

Ingredients:
-2 tbsp olive oil
-1 small onion, chopped
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 carrot, peeled and diced
-1 celery stalk, diced
-1 zucchini, diced
-1 cup green beans (fresh or frozen)
-2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes
-4 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth
-2 cups water
-1 (14 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
-1 cup whole wheat elbow macaroni
-1/2 tsp dried oregano
-1 tsp dried basil
-salt and pepper, to taste
-parmesan cheese (optional), for serving

Directions:
1. In a large stockpot, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, carrot, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes, until lightly browned.
2. Add zucchini, green beans, and diced tomatoes. Stir in broth and water. Add beans, macaroni, oregano, and basil. Simmer until vegetables and macaroni are tender (approximately 30-40 minutes).
3. Season soup with salt and pepper. Serve with parmesan cheese, if desired.

Cannoli

2012-02-07T04:21:00.004-06:00

Cannoli is not something I ever considered making at home. After all, any cannoli craving is an excuse to book a trip to Boston and stuff ourselves with cannoli from Mike's Pastry (if only it were that easy, right?!). However, when a reader (hi Brandon!) recently contacted me inquiring about a cannoli recipe, I couldn't resist bringing a little Mike's to St. Louis!

Although I'm sure freshly fried cannoli shells are delightful, I wasn't up for risking oil burns, nor do I have the proper cannoli-making tools. Thankfully, St. Louis has a wonderful Italian neighborhood full of family-owned restaurants and bakeries. Ryan graciously set out on an adventure one weekend and even showed up late to church that Sunday, all in the name of securing cannoli shells from Missouri Baking Company.

The recipe I used for the cannoli filling is from Giada's Everyday Italian cookbook. She uses it to top fruit salad, but I went the unhealthier route and stuck it in the fried shells :) At first I was concerned that the filling was too thin. In retrospect, I would probably reduce the amount of heavy cream next time to have a thicker filling, more true to form of traditional cannoli. However, the flavor itself was fantastic...good enough to dig in with just a spoon (not that I would know about that...).

I added mini chocolate chips to my filling, but you could easily mix in toffee chips, a little amaretto, sprinkles...whatever your heart desires! The shells looked a little boring and my brilliant friend Paige gave me the idea to make them Valentine's Day themed. Traditionally, cannoli are sprinkled with powdered sugar, but I didn't want to detract from my cute shells!

One Year Ago: Banana Coconut Muffins

Two Years Ago: Banana Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Cannoli
adapted from Everyday Italian
*note--this is the recipe, doubled, which is technically for topping fruit salad. Don't add any cream to the ricotta in step 1 if you want a thicker filling! I also found that mine thickened a bit after sitting in the fridge overnight.
*makes enough filling for at least 8-10 large cannoli shells (plus extra for sampling!)

Ingredients:
-1 (15 oz) package whole-milk ricotta cheese
-2 tbsp plus 1 cup heavy whipping cream
-1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
-pinch of ground cinnamon
-mini chocolate chips, if desired
-cannoli shells

Directions:
1. Stir ricotta and 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream in a medium-sized bowl to blend.
2. In a large bowl, beat 1 cup heavy whipping cream with powdered sugar and cinnamon until semi-firm peaks form. Fold the ricotta into the whipped cream.
3. Stir in mini chocolate chips, if using. Refrigerate cream until ready to fill cannoli shells (don't fill until a little before serving or your shells will get soggy!). To fill shells, place filling in a large ziploc bag with the corner cut off or a piping bag. Pipe filling into shells. Chill until serving.

Honey Chipotle Turkey Meatballs

2012-02-06T04:07:00.000-06:00

When I was first getting acquainted with this whole cooking thing a few years ago, I stuck to the basics. If I didn't recognize a name in the ingredient list, I immediately passed over the recipe. If there was any way to simplify the recipe, I took advantage of it. My horizons have significantly broadened since then, so much so that I now get excited about cooking with new ingredients or trying a challenging recipe.

Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce are one of those previously ignored ingredients that I now use frequently. My first time purchasing them, I was confused...they came in a medium-sized can but my recipe only called for one. Huh?! After throwing away a can or two of them, I finally decided to start freezing the leftovers. I highly recommend this solution--just stick your extras in a small tupperware or freezer-safe container. When a recipe calls for them, I either thaw the container and pull out what I need, or I chop off a frozen chunk and let them thaw before using (alternately, you could freeze smaller amounts in an ice cube tray).

The chiles were the highlight of this meatball recipe. They were the perfect spicy complement to the honey in the sauce. Made with ground turkey, I was worried these meatballs would be dry and flavorless. They were neither, thanks to the seasoning in them and the sauce. If you prefer lots of sauce, I'd double the recipe for a heavier coating.

We ate these with sauteed spinach and a rice dish that I'll soon share, but you could also top a salad with them or eat them on slider buns. They'd also be a fun party food--just stick a toothpick in them!

(need other ways to use up those chipotle chiles? try Southwestern Potato Salad, Turkey Quinoa Chili, Slow Cooked Smoky Chipotle Brown Sugar Chicken, or Slow Cooker Tequila Turkey Chili!)

One Year Ago: Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Honey Chipotle Turkey Meatballs
from Everyday Food Jan/Feb 2012

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
-1/2 yellow onion, diced small
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp ground pepper
-2 tbsp honey
-1-2 tbsp chopped chipotles chiles in adobo sauce
-2 tsp cider vinegar
-1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, mix turkey, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper until combined. Be careful not to overmix. Form into 16 meatballs.
2. In a small bowl, combine honey, chiles, and vinegar.
3. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high. Add meatballs and cook until browned on all sides, 10-12 minutes.
4. Transfer skillet to oven (or transfer meatballs to an oven-proof dish) and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and pour honey mixture over the meatballs, swirling the skillet to coat. Bake an additional 5 minutes, until liquid is reduced and meatballs are glazed (swirl halfway through).

Recipes for World Nutella Day

2012-02-05T04:47:00.000-06:00

(source)

Did you know today is not just Superbowl Sunday, it's also World Nutella Day? Okay so maybe it's not quite as well-recognized as the Superbowl, but Michelle and Sara were onto something when they declared this holiday back in 2007. Who doesn't love Nutella?! The Sweets Life certainly does, as a peek into our archives proves. I'm posting links to some of my favorite Nutella recipes below. If you are boycotting the Superbowl, why don't you head to the kitchen instead? All you football fans, store these recipes away...tomorrow sounds like as good a day as any to celebrate Nutella!

Brownie Bottom Nutella Cheesecake Squares

Chocolate Caramel Banana Hazelnut (Nutella) Tart

(Almost) No-Bake Nutella Pie with Peanut Butter Crust

Nutella Ice Cream

Nutella Pocket Cookies

Peanut Butter Nutella Brownies

Pumpkin Nutella Bread

What's your favorite way to eat Nutella? When I'm not baking with it, we love to dip pretzels in it, something I discovered back in college!

One Year Ago: Cheddar and Sage Crackers

Two Years Ago: Crockpot Lentil Soup

Lemon Ice Cream Cake with Vanilla Wafer Crust

2012-02-04T04:36:00.000-06:00

Blogging definitely has its perks, one of which is receiving free products to review or use. Depending on the product, I sometimes say no because The Sweets Life is first and foremost a place to share recipes, not a walking advertisement. However, when I was contacted on behalf of Wrigley and Amy Atlas Events about receiving some candy to use in my kitchen I couldn't say yes fast enough. My friends in real life know I have a candy obsession that I'm always trying to keep in control!

I received a huge box full of Wrigley products--everything from Orbit gum to Lifesavers to Skittles...lots and LOTS of Skittles! I was most intrigued by the packs of Skittles Blenders, which I'd never tried before. After a bit of brainstorming, I decided to combine the Skittles with another favorite of mine: ice cream. Knowing a super sweet ice cream on top of super sweet candy would be an overload, I decided to make lemon ice cream, hoping that the tartness of the lemon would quell some of the sugary taste.

Lemon ice cream is never one I would order if going out for ice cream, but I think I might have to change that in the future. This isn't an icy sorbet--this is a real, creamy ice cream spiked with a punch of lemon flavor. It was refreshing in its own right, and would pair wonderfully with a lot of desserts, including this ice cream cake! I painstakingly picked out the red (cherry tropicolada) and pink (strawberry lime) colors from the packs of Skittles and used them to create a heart, just in time for Valentine's Day. Note: the Skittles got really hard in the freezer so be careful when you bite in, or remove them and let them soften before eating. My favorite part of this cake? The vanilla wafer crust--I think this will be my new go-to crust. I preferred it over a graham cracker crust and it was a good match, both flavor and texturally, to the ice cream!

Stay tuned--I'll have another candy inspired recipe for you in a few weeks!

One Year Ago: Curried Chicken Saute

Two Years Ago: Steak Fajita Pitas

Lemon Ice Cream Cake with Vanilla Wafer Crust

ice cream recipe from Use Real Butter

Ingredients:

for the crust-

-1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs

-1/3 cup butter, melted

for the ice cream-

-zest of 3 lemons

-1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed

-3/4 cup sugar

-4 egg yolks

-pinch of salt

-1 cup milk

-2 cups heavy cream

Directions:

1. To make the ice cream, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and salt in a non-reactive bowl. Refrigerate for a few hours.

2. Heat the milk in a large saucepan, just until it begins to boil. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks. Slowly whisk the warm milk into the yolks, stirring constantly so the eggs don't cook. Pour the egg yolks and milk back into the saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring constantly until it thickens slightly. Place the milk mixture in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight (until completely chilled).

3. Combine the milk mixture, the heavy cream, and the lemon slurry. Churn according to your ice cream maker's instructions.

4. To make the crust, mix the vanilla wafer crumbs with the melted butter. Press into a 9-inch pie pan and chill in the fridge until ready to use.

5. Fill crust with lemon ice cream (note-you will not need the whole batch. Place the remaining in an airtight container and freeze.). Use a spatula to smooth evenly. Decorate as desired. Freeze at least 4 hours, until ice cream is solid.

Split Pea and Barley Soup

2012-02-03T04:54:00.007-06:00

I've been on an airplane at least once a month since August. Some for fun, some for work, but regardless, a lot of time spent in airports. Because it's no secret that I like to indulge while in new cities, I try to keep my airport eats relatively healthy, no matter how tempting Baskin Robbins is! When I was in the St. Louis airport in December, I needed a bite to eat before taking a long flight to Seattle and I noticed California Pizza Kitchen was offering soups. I ordered the split pea and barley soup and was amazed by how good it was...so much so that I immediately googled "California Pizza Kitchen soup" in search of a copycat recipe.

The internet came through for me, and I made a mental note to make it once home again. Because I was striving for something very similar to what I'd had in the airport, I stuck with the recipe I found online, not changing much of anything. The result? Very close to the original! Mine was a little thicker (I didn't measure my vegetables and likely had extra), but I preferred it that way. Although I love the bacon version of this soup, this is a good option for vegetarians. I really like the inclusion of the chewy barley, so maybe next time I'll combine the bacon version with this one!

This freezes and reheats well! It was the perfect lunch to bring to the office!

One Year Ago: Raspberry Truffle Tarts
Two Years Ago: Banana Oat Bars with Peanut Butter Chips

Split Pea and Barley Soup
from the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinal

Ingredients:
-1 lb dried split peas, sorted and rinsed
-1/2 cup pearl barley
-2 quarts (8 cups) water
-2 bay leaves
-1 tsp salt
-1 tbsp soy sauce
-1/2 tbsp dried thyme
-2 tsp minced garlic
-1/2 tsp dried sage
-large pinch ground cumin
-2/3 cup minced onion
-1 1/2 cups diced carrots
-1/3 cup finely diced celery
-sliced green onion tops, for serving

Directions:
1. Place peas, barley, water, bay leaves, salt, soy sauce, thyme, garlic, sage, and cumin in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add carrots, onion, and celery to the soup. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, 25-30 minutes. Add small amounts of water if needed (depending on your desired thickness). Before serving, discard bay leaves.

Superbowl Party Food Ideas

2012-02-02T04:02:00.001-06:00

I'm willing to bet most of you--at least most of my domestic readers--will be watching the Superbowl on Sunday. Regardless of who you're rooting for, or whether you're only tuning in for the commercials, you'll need to eat!

Here are a few last minute recipe ideas to fuel all that time sitting in front of the television! Note: pretty much all of them can be made ahead of time, so get busy in the kitchen in the next few days and enjoy a stress-free Superbowl party!

Finger Foods...
Buffalo Blue Cheese Dip--make it today, dip your veggies or chicken fingers in it tomorrow!

Buffalo Chicken Cheese Bites--(pictured above) worth skipping a commercial or two to grab a few more of these!

Loaded Baked Potato Dip--this screams "FOOTBALL"

Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Bacon--my bet's on this one disappearing before halftime!

Life Cereal Snack Mix--something crunchy to get you through those tense moments while you wait for the referees to determine a challenge

Sweet Potato Chorizo Empanadas with Avocado Cream--a little bit of a "heavier" to keep you full through the three-hour ordeal

Sandwiches... (all can be made ahead of time, no slaving in the kitchen during the game!)
Bombay Sloppy Joes--my favorite version of a sloppy joe, ever!

Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken--anything with beer in the title is made for football-watching

Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches--simple to assemble, then just throw in the oven!

Slow Cooker Balsamic Pulled Pork Sliders--if your team loses, these sandwiches will still be a victory ;)

Try serving your sandwiches with one of these salads:
Autumn Chopped Salad--even the men will love this salad (full of bacon and blue cheese!)

Curried Cashew, Apple, and Grape Salad--one of my favorites from The Sweets Life

Winter Fruit Salad--(pictured above) who needs summer berries when you can fill a salad with apple, pear, and dried cranberries?!

And because a party isn't a party without dessert:
Superbowl Funfetti Cupcakes--(pictured above) funfetti doesn't have to come from a box!

Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies--amazingly soft, thanks to their secret ingredient

M&M Dream Bars--a fan favorite!

Sweet and Salty Brownies--a truly winning brownie!

One Year Ago: Quinoa, Leek, and Squash Pilaf with Runny Eggs

Two Years Ago: Margarita Ice Cream Pie

Skillet Black Beans with Sweet Potatoes and Tortillas

2012-02-01T04:19:00.023-06:00

January 16th and 17th were crazy days for those of us living in St. Louis. We spent the 16th relishing temperatures in the 60s. In a state of glee over the warm weather, I went out running after work in shorts and a t-shirt, optimistic that perhaps Spring was just around the corner.

Several hours later, I was rudely awakened by a violent thunderstorm. The storm brought with it high winds, tornado warnings, and hail, all of which kept me awake for several hours during my prime sleeping time. The next morning I wanted to cry when I realized that I not only needed to survive the day on three hours of sleep, but that the temperatures were quickly dropping. My visions of Spring vanished.

Exhausted and cold, I was not up for making dinner after work on the 17th...but my all-star of a husband willingly jumped in and set about making the meal I had planned. I am so glad he stepped up to make this because it was one of my favorite dinners we've enjoyed lately!
Although skillet meals aren't exactly visually-appealing, this was exactly what we wanted on a weekday evening. It came together relatively easily and tasted a whole lot unhealthier than it actually was! We ate it on top of beds of spinach for some extra greens, but you could also scoop up the mixture with tortilla chips. Top it with salsa, cheese, or sour cream if you so desire. I will warn you that it has a bit of a kick, thanks to the chipotle peppers in adobo and the tomatoes with green chilies. Reduce or omit these if you're serving kids or prefer a milder flavor.

If winter's going to stick around a bit longer, I'm happy to have warm and comforting meals such as these to stick to my ribs!

One Year Ago: Homemade Marshmallows
Two Years Ago: Snobby Joes (Lentil Sloppy Joes)

Skillet Black Beans with Sweet Potatoes and Tortillas
slightly adapted from VegKitchen

Ingredients:
-4 medium-sized sweet potatoes
-1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-1 medium-large onion, chopped
-2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 medium bell pepper, diced
-2 chipotle chilies in adobo, minced
-2 cans (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies
-2 cans (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
-2 tsp ground cumin
-juice from 1 lime
-6 corn tortillas, cut into short, narrow strips
-salt, to taste

Directions:
1. Microwave or bake potatoes (skin can remain on) until cooked through but still firm. Allow to cool and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft. Add garlic and bell pepper and saute over medium heat until onion is golden.
3. Add diced chilies, tomatoes, black beans, and cumin. Bring to a simmer and cover, simmering gently for 10 minutes.
4. Stir in lime juice, tortillas, and potatoes and cook briefly, until heated through. Season with salt to taste and serve immediately.

Texas Sheet Cake

2012-01-31T04:12:00.026-06:00

I was intrigued by a feature in Cooking Light's most recent issue--a chocolate dessert bake-off. Set up in tournament style brackets, the magazine displayed 16 chocolate recipes from the magazine's past and pitted them against each other, re-testing each to declare an ultimate chocolate recipe winner. I studied the outcome of each rivalry--bourbon-caramel truffles vs. chocolate baklava, chocolate pudding vs. chocolate-hazelnut mousse, and Mexican chocolate cream pie vs. triple-chocolate cheesecake, to name a few.

The championship came down to Texas Sheet Cake and Classic-Fudge Walnut Brownies. Although the brownies pulled through for the title, it was the pictures of the sheet cake that screamed "make me!" from the pages of the magazine. Normally I'd always choose brownies over cake, but I've long heard praise for Texas Sheet Cake and I was eager to give it a try.

I'll have to make the brownies to declare my own personal winner, but this cake was definitely a winner in its own right. It makes enough for a crowd, especially because a small piece is enough to satisfy any chocolate cravings you have. It's very chocolatey and very sweet--there's no questioning why it was picked by the editors of Cooking Light. Don't omit the nuts-they're a nice texture addition and help cut some of the sweetness!

P.S. My favorite way to eat these was FROZEN! They don't get rock hard in the freezer and the cold chocolate and creamy frosting was divine. I originally froze them with the intention of thawing them, but then I just started eating them frozen!

One Year Ago: Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette
Two Years Ago: Zucchini Banana Bread

Texas Sheet Cake
from Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2012

Ingredients:
-cooking spray
-2 tsp all-purpose flour
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-2 cups granulated sugar
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp ground cinnamon
-1/4 tsp salt
-3/4 cup water
-1/2 cup butter
-1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa, divided
-1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
-1 tbsp vanilla extract, divided
-2 large eggs
-6 tbsp butter
-1/3 cup fat-free milk
-3 cups powdered sugar
-1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 15 x 10 inch jelly-roll pan with cooking spray and dust with 2 tsp flour. Set aside.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon 9 oz (2 cups) flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour with sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
3. In a small saucepan, combine 3/4 cup water, 1/2 cup butter, and 1/4 cup cocoa. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Pour chocolate mixture into flour mixture and beat with a mixer until well-blended. Mix in buttermilk, 1 tsp vanilla, and eggs. Beat well before pouring batter into prepared pan. Bake at 375F for 17 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Place pan on a wire rack.
4. In a saucepan, combine 6 tbsp butter, fat-free milk, and 1/4 cup cocoa. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and gradually stir in powdered sugar. Add 2 tsp vanilla and pecans. Spread frosting over hot cake and allow cake to cool completely on a wire rack.
*Note--these bars freeze well, even frosted! Just wrap them well before freezing.

Wilted Greens and Roasted Sweet Potato Winter Salad

2012-01-30T04:58:00.001-06:00

I was flipping through the Epicurious app on my phone when this recipe caught my eye. Admittedly, it was the word "kale" that grabbed my attention. Regular readers of this blog know I love the superfood! I set out to make it that weekend, but ended up putting my own spin on the recipe. Sweet potatoes instead of regular and collard greens instead of kale (the horror! Our grocery store was out!).

I wasn't quite sure how the different elements would work together, particularly the lemon tahini dressing. The finished product proved me wrong. I loved the slivers of roasted garlic, the Parmesan-crusted potatoes, and the earthiness of the greens. I will say if you aren't a huge tahini fan you may not like this because its flavor is pretty prominent in the dressing (though you could also add extra lemon).

Worried about that whole jar of tahini you'd have to buy to make this salad? You can also use it in sweet potato butter, warm butternut squash and chickpea salad, and edamame hummus (or any of your favorite hummus recipes).

One Year Ago: Cranberry, Pistachio, and Ginger Blondie Cake

Two Years Ago: Ten Minute Tomato Soup (perfect if you don't have time to roast and simmer!)

Wilted Greens and Roasted Sweet Potato Winter Salad
adapted from Gourmet December 2008

Ingredients:
-2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
-1/3 cup olive oil
-4 garlic cloves (3 thinly sliced and 1 minced)
-1 tsp salt, divided and 1/2 tsp pepper
-1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
-1/4 cup well-stirred tahini
-2 tbsp water
-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
-3/4 pounds greens, stems and center ribs discarded and leaves thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450F. Toss potatoes with oil and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet in one layer. Roast, stirring once, for 10 minutes. Add sliced garlic and roast for an additional 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and roast for 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and slightly golden).
2. Meanwhile, in a blender, food processor, or with an immersion blender, puree tahini, water, lemon juice, minced garlic, and 1/2 tsp salt. Puree until smooth, adding a bit of water if too thick.
3. (Do step 3 only if you prefer more wilted greens) Place greens in a large saucepan with a few tbsp water over medium-high heat. Cover to steam. Stir occasionally, until greens are wilted.
4. Toss greens with hot potatoes and any remaining garlic and oil from the pan. Toss with the dressing and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Banana Bread Ice Cream with Peanut Butter and Chocolate

2012-01-29T04:37:00.041-06:00

Never mind that it's January. The ice cream maker is still in full force in the Sweets Life kitchen! Of course, it's helped that we've had a few fifty and even sixty-degree weather days this month. The weather here in Missouri certainly keeps us on our toes, that's for sure. Although you won't find me denying ice cream any month of the year, it's been easier to swallow this January with a few warmer days!

The ice cream of choice? Banana Bread! I had a ton of bananas on hand, after I went a little crazy buying a HUGE bag of bruised bananas on clearance at the grocery store. I made banana bread and some banana oatmeal breakfast bars, but still had a pile of bananas hanging out on my countertop. I remembered seeing a recipe for banana bread ice cream awhile back so I headed to google to find it again and immediately go to work making it.

I was skeptical about calling it banana bread ice cream. In my mind, a more appropriate title would've been Roasted Banana Ice Cream with Chocolate and Peanut Butter. But then I served this and my friend Colleen, without any knowledge of what flavor it was, said, "Hey! This tastes like banana bread!"

I stand corrected.

Like pretty much every ice cream I've now made, we had a hard time staying away from this one....with ample chunks of peanut butter and smatterings of chocolate throughout, every bite was to die for!

One Year Ago: Oregano and Prosciutto Pinwheels
Two Years Ago: Butternut Squash Lasagna

Banana Bread Ice Cream with Peanut Butter and Chocolate
from Guilty Kitchen

Ingredients:
-2 lbs ripe bananas (I used about 6)
-1/3 cup butter
-1/2 cup sour cream
-1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
-1/2 tsp salt
-3/4 cup heavy cream
-3/4 cup half & half
-2 tsp vanilla

for peanut butter chunks-
-1/2 cup peanut butter
-1 tbsp confectioners' sugar

for stracciatella
-3 oz. dark chocolate
-1 tbsp + 1 tsp butter

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the 1/3 cup of butter. Continue to cook until the butter begins to foam and bubble. Don't stir. When the foam dissipates you'll be left with brown butter.
2. Slice bananas and place in a large baking dish. Pour browned butter over and stir gently to combine. Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes. (Remove when bananas are caramelized and golden). Allow bananas to cool before continuing.
3. In a blender or food processor, puree the banana mixture with the sour cream.
4. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat heavy cream and half and half with brown sugar, salt, and vanilla. Bring to a high heat that it begins to steam and sugar is dissolved (don't bring to a boil). Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, blend with pureed bananas.
5. Cover mixture and refrigerate overnight. That same day, mix peanut butter and confectioners' sugar until well blended. Drop teaspoon-sized portions of peanut butter on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Place in freezer overnight.
6. The next day, in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a pot of gently boiling water (or in the microwave, carefully!), melt chocolate and butter until smooth.
7. Churn ice cream according to manufacturers instructions for your ice cream maker. When ice cream is almost finished, drip chocolate in a fine stream into the ice cream. It will form stracciatella (little bits of chocolate). Before storing ice cream, stir in peanut butter chunks. Place ice cream in an airtight container and freeze for at least four hours.

2012: Eat and Repeat - Salt

2012-01-28T04:35:00.008-06:00

For our first 2012: Eat and Repeat challenge of the year, I found myself at one of my all-time favorite restaurants in St. Louis. Yes, we’ve been there before. I’ve even gone so far as to recreate one my favorite dishes from last summer’s menu (asparagus goat cheese gratin). But Salt still made the list, for a few reasons. I wanted to introduce my parents, in town for a weekend in January, to the restaurant I’d been raving about. I also knew Ryan and I had limited time to hit up a restaurant this month, given our travel schedules. Finally, I know some St. Louisans use my restaurant reviews when researching local restaurants and Salt is one that should not go unnoticed!

Much like my other visits to Salt, our service was spot on. Our waiter was attentive, quick to recommend dishes when asked, and generally friendly. The more I spend time in restaurants, the more I appreciate good service and Salt has this down to a science!

Not wanting to pass up any of the delectable-sounding dishes on the menu, our party of eight found ourselves ordering nearly all of the small plates. For a leisurely two hours, we passed plates around the table, getting tastes of everything from smoked pig’s tongue (yes, pig TONGUE…which wasn’t all that bad!) to duck-fried frites to the most heavenly butternut squash soup I’ve yet to taste.

Seated at a large table in one of the back rooms, we sipped wine and shared stories, all while oohing and aahing over each new dish brought to us. It’s hard to pick a personal favorite, or to even predict which dish I’ll try to recreate next month for the “repeat” portion of the challenge. Everything was delightful—perfectly cooked (and yes, full of salt!), it’s easy to see why Chef Wes Johnson has decided to stick to simple flavors. He manages to make magic with just a few ingredients!

We of course couldn’t pass up dessert, not when chocolate brulee with a goat cheese oreo and an apple crostado with salted caramel ice cream were on the menu. A few bites of each and our group headed out into the evening with satisfied—but not stuffed—stomachs full of Salt’s fantastic small plates!

One Year Ago: M&M Dream Bars

Two Years Ago: Carrot Cake Pancakes

Dark Chocolate Almond Cranberry Quinoa Cookies

2012-01-27T06:25:00.000-06:00

As it turns out, quinoa is not just a healthy ingredient, but it’s pretty darn versatile too! After using it in chili, salad, and meatloaf, I’ve discovered it’s one of those staples I need to keep on hand in my kitchen. Even better, I can now use it for COOKIES! I first saw these Bon Appetit cookies on Baking and Boys and made a mental note to try them sometime when I had some extra cooked quinoa. No less than a day later, my mom arrived in town with a Tupperware full of cooked quinoa! Aren’t moms the best?!

After making a batch of my favorite quinoa fried rice, I still had some quinoa left and remembered the cookie recipe. I mentioned to my mom, my friend Colleen, and Ryan that I intended to make quinoa cookies. All seemed intrigued and a little skeptical. As it turns out, Colleen thought I planned to use the leftover quinoa fried rice in the cookies!

Because all cookies are better with chocolate, I added a handful of dark chocolate chips to the dough along with the dried cranberries and chopped almonds. The dough, even with the quinoa folded in, tasted no different than your standard cookie dough. These cookies baked up nicely, although I made them quite a bit smaller than the original recipe called for (and consequently took them out of the oven a few minutes earlier). Although they were good at room temperature, I had a sneaking suspicion they’d be really good cold, so I stuck a bag of them in the freezer. As it turned out, my favorite way to eat these cookies was straight from the freezer. They were still soft enough to bite into and had a great crunch from the almonds and cold chocolate chips.

Next time you’re matching a batch of quinoa, make a bit extra and give these cookies a try…you can’t beat cookies with an extra boost of protein!

One Year Ago: Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls
Two Years Ago: Puppy Chow

Dark Chocolate Almond Cranberry Quinoa Cookies
from Bon Appetit January 2012

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
-1/4 cup granulated sugar
-1/4 cup light brown sugar
-1/4 cup honey
-2 large eggs
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 tsp almond extract
-1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled
-1 cup old-fashioned oats
-1 cup dried cranberries
-1/2 cup slivered unsalted almonds
-1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter, both sugars, and honey for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs and extracts. Beat until pale and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time, beating until mixed in.
3. Stir in quinoa, oats, cranberries, almonds, and chocolate chips. Spoon dough (2-tbsp--I made mine closer to 1 1/2 tbsp) onto prepared baking sheets and bake for 11-13 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.

Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

2012-01-26T04:55:00.019-06:00

I actually posted this recipe before. However, it was in the very early days of the blog when I had just a handful of readers (most of them related to me). The pictures in that post are awful and because this is one of favorite meals/party foods, they deserved a new post.

In all the times I've made these, or someone I've passed the recipe along to has made them, I've never had someone say they don't like them. I've had ham haters tell me they like them. I've had mustard haters tell me they like them. Something about these converts even the pickiest eaters!

The best thing about these is that they can be made ahead of time. This most recent batch I made on dollar rolls (feel free to use whatever size roll you prefer)...I prepared 48 of them and stuck about half of them in the freezer, wrapped in their foil. When we want to eat them, I pull out a few and just throw them in a warm oven. Those that you make and bake right away will keep, cooked and still wrapped in their foil, for a few days in the fridge. Unwrap them and zap for a few minutes in the microwave to reheat!

These would be a great food option for your Superbowl party!

One Year Ago: Scotch Oatmeal Soup
Two Years Ago: Mexican Pot Pie

Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

Ingredients:
-Rolls (small to medium sized)
-Sliced deli ham (I've also used leftover baked ham sliced as thinly as possible)
-sliced Muenster cheese (can substitute swiss if you'd like!)
-1 stick butter, softened
-1 tsp dried mustard
-1 1/2 tsp poppyseeds

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, mix butter with dried mustard and poppyseeds until well-combined.
2. Slice each roll in half. Spread a generous amount of butter mixture on one half of the roll. Top with ham and cheese.
3. Wrap individual rolls in aluminum foil, making sure to wrap completely.
4. Bake sandwiches at 350F for 20-30 minutes, until cheese is melted (sandwiches can be placed directly on oven rack). Remove sandwiches and allow to cool for 5 minutes before unwrapping and serving.

Roasted Sweet Potato Salsa

2012-01-25T04:32:00.022-06:00

Sometimes I see a recipe and I want to try it because the pictures of it, whether from a magazine or a website, are so beautiful. Sometimes I see a recipe and I want to try it because it forces me to try a new ingredient or technique in the kitchen. Sometimes I see a recipe and I want to try it because I am 100% confident we’ll love it. Such was the case with this roasted sweet potato salsa, which I pulled from an Everyday Food magazine a few months ago. With roasted sweet potatoes, avocados, cilantro, tomato, and lime juice, I knew it fit well-within the “favorite ingredient” standards in our household.

As predicted, this ended up being as loved as I anticipated. I brought this to a potluck to friends where we ate it as a side salad, but it could be used in a variety of ways—served with chicken or pork, scooped up with tortilla chips, or eaten atop greens. Next time I’ll double the recipe because the only thing better than roasted sweet potato salsa is LOTS of roasted sweet potato salsa!

One Year Ago: Kaleslaw with Red Pepper
Two Years Ago: Three Bean Salad

Roasted Sweet Potato Salsa
slightly adapted from Everyday Food November 2011

Ingredients:
-2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced small
-1 red onion, diced small
-1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
-2 medium tomatoes, diced small
-2 avocados, diced small
-4 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
-juice of 1 lime
-coarse salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray or olive oil. Toss together sweet potato, red onion, and olive oil on top of sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until potatoes are tender and brown in spots.
2. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool completely. Toss with tomato, avocado, cilantro, and lime juice. Season with salt and toss to combine.

Homemade Oatmeal Creme Pies

2012-01-24T04:12:00.022-06:00

I know I’m not the only one who grew up with Little Debbie snacks in my lunchbox. Although I have stronger recollections of the cream-filled Zebra Cakes, as well as the Hostess Ho-Ho’s that I received from my friend Rose nearly every day of 8^th grade, I also had my fair share of oatmeal crème pies. I actually think these were my favorite of the bunch—so soft and chewy and sweet!

For years now I’ve seen copycat recipes for Oatmeal Crème Pies on the internet, but for whatever reason never got around to making them. Recently, I was reminded of them again and decided to go on and give them a try. Of course it wasn’t until after I’d already made the batch that I realized I’d completely omitted the granulated sugar from the recipe. The brown sugar I included, but somehow missed the white.

This unintentional omission explains why my soft and chewy oatmeal cookies turned out a little puffy. More sugar certainly would’ve helped these retain the intended shape. Even without the extra sugar and that recognizable crème pie shape, the taste wasn’t negatively impacted. These were quickly gobbled up by friends at church and I returned home with a completely empty plate. I of course now need to re-attempt the recipe the correct way but can assure you that either way, these are a pretty good substitute for the plastic-wrapped originals!

One Year Ago: Whole Wheat Quick Bread with Pumpkin Seeds (perfect paired with soup!)
Two Years Ago: Greek Salad Pita Sandwiches

Homemade Oatmeal Creme Pies
from Natalie's Killer Cuisine

Ingredients:
-1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 tbsp molasses
-1 tsp lemon juice
-1 tsp vanilla
-2 eggs
-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp nutmeg
-1 1/2 cups quick oats (I used old-fashioned)

for the filling
-1 tbsp hot water
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow fluff
-1/2 cup shortening
-1/3 cup powdered sugar
-1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter with sugars until fluffy. Add molasses, lemon juice, vanilla, and eggs, beating until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Add oats and mix to combine.
4. Place 1-inch balls of dough on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes until cookies begin to brown around the edges.
5. To make the filling, in a small bowl dissolve salt in the hot water. In a large mixing bowl, beat fluff, shortening, powdered sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. Add water and beat until mixture is glossy.
6. Spread 1 tbsp marshmallow filling on a cooled cookie and sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with all cookies. Store in a covered container at room temperature.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

2012-01-23T04:05:00.000-06:00

The summer between 8th grade and freshman year, I participated in the sports camps at the high school I was about to attend. Soccer camp was from 1-4 pm followed by basketball from 6-9 pm. There wasn't enough time to trek home between the two camps, but a sophomore girl--Jessica--befriended me and invited me to her house between sports each day. We used the two hours to swap out basketball shoes for shinguards and "refuel" aka stuff our faces.

Our meal of choice? Kraft macaroni and cheese with a generous amount of ketchup swirled in.

I know what you're thinking. Ewwwww! Maybe mac and cheese with ketchup isn't your thing (although don't knock it until you try it!), but what about tomato soup and grilled cheese? I consider this the more grown-up version of my fourteen year old self's favorite meal. This tomato soup takes a little bit more effort than the Kraft blue box, but when you take your first bite, you'll be so glad you roasted your tomatoes! This soup is a little spicy (omit the red pepper flakes if you want a milder version) and bursting with the flavor of basil. Paired with grilled cheese, it's perfect comfort food!

One Year Ago: Mini Berry Swirl Cheesecakes

Two Years Ago: White Chocolate Toffee Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, as seen on Food Network

Ingredients:
-3 lbs ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
-1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp olive oil
-1 tbsp kosher salt
-1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
-2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
-6 garlic cloves, minced
-2 tbsp unsalted butter
-1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
-1 (28 oz) can plum tomatoes, with their juice
-1 bunch fresh basil leaves, packed
-1/2 tsp dried thyme
-1 quart chicken broth

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F. In a large bowl, toss together tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread tomatoes in one layer on a baking sheet lined with foil and roast for 45 minutes.
2. In a large stockpot over medium heat, saute onions and garlic with 2 tbsp olive oil, butter, and red pepper flakes. Saute for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken broth.
3. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes and their liquid and bring mixture to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Blend to desired texture with an immersion blender.

Steamed Kale and Broccoli with Sun-dried Tomatoes

2012-01-22T04:27:00.019-06:00

I don’t think one should force themselves to eat certain nutritious foods if they can find an equally healthy substitute. For instance, if you absolutely hate cauliflower, don’t choke some down. There are plenty of other vegetables chock full of nutrients that you might like better. Eat those instead and you likely won’t be missing anything essential!

That being said, I do think everyone should at least give foods they don’t like a chance. For one, taste buds change. Just ask my previous self and its hatred for pickles, olives, and guacamole! For another, there are so many different ways to prepare vegetables.

Case in Point:

Grilled Zucchini and Red Onion with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette

Oven Baked Potato Chips

(Pan Fried) Zucchini Pancakes

(Boiled) Raisin and Pine Nut Asparagus

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Toasted Pecans and Dried Cranberries

As you can see, there are a variety of preparation methods when it comes to vegetables, and there’s a chance you might hate steamed broccoli but love it roasted.

Although I’ve long been an advocate for kale chips, I’ve been trying to branch out lately and try it in other ways. I throw it in soups, toss it with sweet potato hash, and now, have a new side dish to add to my kale repertoire. This side dish came together quickly and easily. It’s healthy, but isn’t boring or tasteless, thanks to the addition of sautéed garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and a squeeze of lemon juice. I bet some sprinkled parmesan would be good on here too!

Does the thought of kale chips make you grimace? (My sister Julia thinks they taste like burnt paper) Try this instead!

One Year Ago: Mini Double Chocolate Cheesecakes
Two Years Ago: Pineapple Orange Pork Chops

Steamed Kale and Broccoli with Sun-dried Tomatoes
slightly adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
-1 tsp olive oil
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-1 head fresh broccoli, chopped
-1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped
-1/4 cup water
-1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut into thin strips
-1/2 lemon, juiced
-salt

Directions:
1. In a large wok or skillet, add olive oil and heat over high until shimmering. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add broccoli, kale, and 1/4 cup water. Cover and allow to steam for 5-6 minutes, until vegetables are tender (stir occasionally).
2. Remove cover, stir in sun-dried tomatoes and squeeze lemon juice over vegetables. Season with salt to taste and serve immediately.

Chocolate Caramel Banana Hazelnut Tart

2012-01-21T04:03:00.028-06:00

Tell me I’m not the only one who gets satisfaction out of the words “I told you so”. Granted, these four little words have the power to jumpstart an argument or hurt feelings, so I try to use them sparingly. But seriously, doesn’t it feel so good sometimes to say “I told you so”, if only in your head?!

I made this Banana Hazelnut Caramel Tart in a chocolate crust for New Years Eve. Unfortunately, we had an overwhelming amount of food and sweets that night and I was left with the majority of a tart heading into January. Wanting it as far away from my sweet tooth as possible, I packed it up for Ryan to take to work. He tried to resist. Rolled his eyes. Mumbled something about his coworkers not wanting any and it being January—the season of resolutions and healthy eating. Not to be deterred, I grabbed the plate on the way out the door, once again reminding him to take it in to work as he dropped me off at my office building.

Shortly after lunch I received an instant message from him. I believe the exact phrase was, “People are going crazy for this tart.”

I told you so. (Couldn’t resist)

Why wouldn’t they? It’s a chocolate crust filled with a mixture of homemade caramel, Nutella, and banana then topped with ganache. A variety of intense flavors, but too good to stay away from-even in early January! I’ll admit, this dessert gave me a few problems. My caramel seized up and it wasn’t until I brought out the secret weapon (my KitchenAid mixer) and mixed on high with the Nutella and mashed bananas that I got it all into a smooth, pourable texture.

Not a fan of banana? Omit. No Nutella on hand? Swap it out for peanut butter. I left mine plain, but it’d also be pretty sprinkled with hazelnuts, as Bria did.

One Year Ago: Mini Turtle Cheesecakes
Two Years Ago: Popovers

Chocolate Caramel Banana Hazelnut Tart
from These Peas are Hollow

Ingredients:
for the crust-
-1 stick unsalted butter, softened
-1/2 cup powdered sugar
-3 egg yolks
-1/4 tsp salt
-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1/4 cup cocoa powder

for the filling-
-1/2 cup granulated sugar
-2 tbsp water
-2 tbsp heavy cream
-2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
-1/4 cup nutella
-2 bananas, peeled and mashed

for the ganache topping-
-1 cup dark chocolate chips
-1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1. To make the crust, beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until combined. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the flour and cocoa powder and mix just until combined. On a floured surface, shape the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
2. To bake the crust, preheat the oven to 350F. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out on a floured surface. Carefully transfer to a tart pan (sprayed with cooking spray) and press to fit, cutting off excess if needed. Top the crust with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven, remove the parchment and weights, and allow to cool completely.
3. To make the filling, bring the sugar and water to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan over high heat. Once it turns a deep caramel color (it may first just be piles of dried sugar that will then start to melt and change color), remove from the heat. Add the butter and cream and stir to combine (it will bubble). Return to the stovetop and stir over low heat until smooth. Allow to cool slightly before stirring in the nutella and bananas. Pour into the cooled crust. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
4. To make the ganache, place chocolate in a glass bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Pour the cream over the chocolate and allow to sit for 30 seconds. Stir with a wooden spatula until smooth. Allow to cool for a few minutes before pour and spreading over the chilled tart. Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Refrigerate until firm.

Tijuana Trash (Snack Mix)

2012-01-20T04:57:00.007-06:00

In another life, I would be fantastically talented in the arts, particularly singing and dancing. Alas, my cousins Ashlyn and Benjamin nabbed those genes in the family and I’ve resigned to singing showtunes while I bake and making a fool of myself at every wedding I’m invited to. I told you I was recently introduced to the Wii’s Just Dance 3 at my friend Kacey’s house. What I didn’t tell you is that I now have a borderline obsession.

Unfortunately (well, fortunately), we don’t have a Wii. I managed to borrow one “for our New Year’s Eve party” and then proceeded to spend more than six hours over the course of two days playing. SIX hours. That’s a lot of dancing. Over 100 songs, I believe. Don’t laugh, I was fulfilling a dream.

In those two days, I discovered a few things:

1. It is possible to make dramatic dancing improvements after several hours of play.

2. Six hours of flinging around your arms will result in sore elbows. Six hours of jumping will result in sore calves. Forget working out, I’ll just dance!

3. That kind of continuous movement makes me hungry.

Thankfully, I had some of this Tijuana Trash on hand. As soon as I saw it on Amanda’s blog, I bookmarked it. Having a thing for various snack mixes, I knew I’d be a fan of this one. It has all the best elements of a snack mix—crunchy, sweet, crispy, and with a bit of heat in the aftertaste. My favorite part was the tortilla chips, a new snack mix ingredient to me! This is a great make-ahead party food. Or, you know, dance fuel.

One Year Ago: Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew with Couscous
Two Years Ago: Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Tijuana Trash (Snack Mix)
from Fake Ginger

Ingredients:
-4 cups tortilla chips, broken into 1-inch pieces
-3 cups Corn Chex cereal
-3 cups Cheerios
-1 (10 oz) can of mixed nuts
-1/2 cup light corn syrup
-1 stick butter
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
-1/4 tsp cinnamon
-1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 250F.
2. In a large bowl, combine tortilla chips, Chex, Cheerios, and nuts.
3. In a small saucepan, mix corn syrup, butter, brown sugar, chili powder, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Heat to boiling.
4. Pour mixture into the bowl and stir to completely coat. Pour mixture out onto two baking sheets lined with foil. Bake uncovered for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
5. Allow to cool completely before placing in an airtight container to store.

Cranberry Poppyseed Bundt Cake

2012-01-19T04:16:00.021-06:00

When six people eat almost an entire bundt cake in one morning, you know it's good. Such was the case with this bundt cake, which I served my parents and friend Colleen when they visited a few weeks ago. More cake than healthy breakfast bread, at least you get a dose of fruit from both the fresh and dried cranberries. You could certainly try to healthen this--subbing some whole wheat flour for the all-purpose or some applesauce for the oil, but this is pretty perfect as is. Serve as part of a brunch spread or a special occasion breakfast.

The middle of my bundt cake was still a little gooey--keep that in mind as you're checking it in the oven. We tend to like a softer center but leave it in a few extra minutes if that's not your preference. Don't omit the nuts unless you really don't like them; they were a nice texture and flavor contrast to the rest of the cake. This is also easily made ahead. I had my cake wrapped well (saran wrap, foil, and a freezer bag) and it thawed on the countertop wonderfully--no one would've guessed it hadn't been freshly baked!

What's your favorite "breakfast that's more of a dessert"?!

One Year Ago: Southwestern Potato Nachos
Two Years Ago: Chocolate Chip Bailey's Torte

Cranberry Poppyseed Bundt Cake
from Anecdotes and Apple Cores

Ingredients:
-1 cup dried cranberries
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-3 eggs
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 cup canola/vegetable oil
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 cup poppy seeds
-2 cups fresh cranberries
-1 cup chopped and toasted walnuts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and grease a 10-inch bundt pan and set aside. In a small bowl, mix dried cranberries with 2 tbsp flour (to prevent them from sinking in the cake).
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and oil and mix on low until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and poppy seeds. Add to the egg mixture, beating until combined. Fold in fresh and dried cranberries and walnuts.
4. Pour batter (it will be thick) into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 45-60 minutes (mine took just over 50 minutes), until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow pan to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan.
*Cake can be wrapped well and frozen or served immediaetely. Will keep at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Slow-Cooker Balsamic Pulled Pork Sliders

2012-01-18T04:48:00.022-06:00

I'm hesitant to fill this blog post up with words. This is about the fourth time I've sat down to write this post and each time I find myself struck with writer's block. Occasionally this happens, but I'll set the post aside and come back to it later, at which point I've either come up with a little anecdote to share or a way of describing the recipe.

For these balsamic pulled pork sliders, I have neither. Deep down, I think I'm afraid of being unable to do this recipe justice. The thing is, these were good. As in, hit of our New Year's Eve party good. As in, I will be pulling this recipe out for party after party because they're the perfect appetizer/small plate for entertaining. As in, I'll sometimes make this just for me and Ryan, simply because I want to eat the leftovers for days on end.

Does that about capture it? I hope so, because I'm not going to say much more. This is easy and so, so good. Make it and see for yourself. Report back-I'm anxious to hear what you think!

Thanks to those of you that entered my giveaway the other day--if you love reading you should check out the comments on the post, lots of good book suggestions! The winner of More Than Words Can Say is Sarah! Sarah--please send me an email (natalie.mclaury@gmail.com) with your mailing address so that the publisher can get the book to you!

One Year Ago: Buffalo Chicken Cheese Bites
Two Years Ago: Thai Turkey Burgers

Slow-Cooker Balsamic Pulled Pork Sliders
from Handle the Heat, adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients:
-1 (2 1/2-3 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast
-1 large onion, chopped
-1 medium green pepper, chopped
-1 tsp dried thyme
-1/2 tsp dried rosemary
-1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
-1 cup balsamic vinegar
-3/4 cup ketchup
-1/4 cup packed brown sugar
-1/4 cup honey
-1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
-1 tbsp Dijon mustard
-pinch red chili pepper
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
-15-20 slider buns or small dinner rolls, split

Directions:
1. Trim the fat from the meat. Add the onion and the green pepper to the slow cooker. Place the meat on top and sprinkle with rosemary and thyme. Cover with broth. Cook on low for 8-9 hours.
2. Meanwhile, make the bbq sauce. In a medium saucepan, combine the vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, chili pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
3. When meat is finished, transfer to a cutting board. Shred meat with two forks, discarding the fat. Strain the vegetable mixture, discarding the liquid. Add the strained vegetables and the pork back to the slow cooker. Add the sauce and stir. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes before serving.

Spicy Homemade Salsa

2012-01-17T04:42:00.008-06:00

Unless I’m making “salsas” like cowboy caviar, I’m usually content to purchase my salsa when I’m eating it at home. The grocery store has a lot of good ones—fresh and canned—and they met my salsa needs, or so I thought. Then my coworker brought his infamous homemade salsa to our Christmas luncheon at work and my eyes were opened to the world of homemade salsa. Although he claims he makes it differently every time, he was kind enough to email me this particular version—so hot it had me sweating and munching on extra (plain) tortilla chips to quell the heat.

When I set out to remake the salsa for our New Year’s Eve party, I reduced the heat-slightly-so as not to scare off my party guests. Even so, it was a fantastically spicy salsa—hot, but not enough to bring out the sweat and tears!

This makes a HUGE batch. I had to put half of the ingredients in my food processor before removing and doing the second half. Even so, this disappeared within two days. Ryan, Nate (future bro-in-law), and Mike (friend) went so far as to turn the remaining smashed chip bits into “salsa cereal”. Determined not to let a single drop go to waste, they literally poured in crushed chips and ate the salsa with a spoon—a culinary delicacy, or so they declared!

Whether or not you turn it into salsa cereal, this is one ‘from scratch’ recipe you don’t want to pass up!

One Year Ago: Feta and Sun-dried Tomato Torta
Two Years Ago: Spinach and Black Bean Pasta

Spicy Homemade Salsa
from my coworker Chris

Ingredients:
-1 whole white onion, diced
-1/2 red onion, diced
-2 small cans mild green chilies
-4 small fresh chilies, de-seeded and diced (to tone down the spice, reduce the number of chilies. I used 1 small green chili and 1 anaheim chili)
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 bunch cilantro, de-stemmed and leaves chopped
-1 bunch green onions, chopped
-3 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes
-1 jar sliced jalapenos
-2 tbsp cumin
-1 tbsp chili powder
-1 tbsp salt
-2 tbsp dried oregano
-juice from 1 lime

Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor (I did this in two batches) and pulse until consistency is fairly smooth but with chunks.
2. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Barley Stuffed Acorn Squash

2012-01-16T04:50:00.007-06:00

Despite my complete inability to follow the directions with this recipe, it still turned out pretty well. It wasn't until I was typing up the recipe (AFTER we'd eaten it), that I remembered I was supposed to drizzle the finished product with balsamic vinegar. Then, I realized I had forgotten to scrape out the squash flesh and add it to the barley mixture before its final bake. Double oops.

The balsamic would have been an awesome addition, but the squash mishap wasn't a big deal. We simply scraped out the squash along with the barley as we dug in. Our grocery store only had one acorn squash left so I halved the recipe and we were both a little disappointed that there weren't leftovers for the following day.

This was my first experience cooking with fennel. I've had it in a few restaurant dishes, so I knew what to expect, but I found the flavor very pronounced in this recipe. If you stringently hate the taste of black licorice you might want to find something else to stuff in the squash. I was a little worried the strong flavor would turn Ryan off but he only had compliments for this recipe. Another America's Test Kitchen Cookbook success (I have yet to find a failure)!

One Year Ago: Warm Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad with Tahini

Two Years Ago: Orange French Toast with Challah

Barley Stuffed Acorn Squash
From The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

Ingredients:
-2 small acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds each), halved and seeded
-2 tsp olive oil
-salt & pepper
-3/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed and drained
-1 onion, minced
-1 fennel bulb (about 12 oz), tops discarded, halved, cored, and chopped fine
-6 garlic cloves, minced
-1 tsp minced fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp dried)
-1 tsp ground coriander
-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 oz)
-2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
-2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
-1 tbsp unsalted butter
-4 tsp balsamic vinegar

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Brush cut sides of the acorn squash halves with 1 tsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 45-55 minutes, until tender. Once squash is finished, remove from oven and increase the oven temperature to 450F.
2. While squash is roasting, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add barley and 1/4 tsp salt. Return to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook barley for 20-25 minutes, until tender. Drain and set aside.
3. Wipe the barley saucepan dry and add 1 tsp oil, onion, and fennel. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened (8-10 minutes). Add garlic, thyme, and coriander and cook for 30 seconds.
4. Remove mixture from heat and stir in barley, 3/4 cup of Parmesan, parsley, pine nuts, and butter. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Place squash cut side up on the baking sheet and scoop out squash flesh (leave about a 1/2 inch thickness in each shell). Fold squash into barley mixture and fill each empty squash half with the mixture (about 1 cup of filling for each). Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and bake for 5-10 minutes, until cheese melts. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar just before serving.

Chocolate Liqueur Ice Cream

2012-01-15T04:26:00.007-06:00

As much as I love making custards, creamy and rich from all of the egg yolks, sometimes it's so much easier to make ice creams that don't require tempering eggs. This ice cream recipe is about as easy as it gets (right up there with cake batter ice cream), just mix a few ingredients together and churn. I refrigerated the mixture overnight before churning because I've found that it thickens more quickly when fully chilled, but if you're short on time you could skip this step.

Although this hardens more in the freezer eventually, I loved it straight from the ice cream maker when it had the consistency of soft-serve. This boozy ice cream would be wonderful along with the brownies that also feature chocolate liqueur. Why choose between alcohol and dessert?!

I included this in the ice cream gifts I made Ryan's family for Christmas and I hope they enjoyed it as much as we did!

One Year Ago: Garlic and Sundried Tomato Hummus
Two Years Ago: Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries

Chocolate Liqueur Ice Cream
adapted from NewlyWife

Ingredients:
-2 cups heavy cream
-2 cups half and half
-1 cup sugar
-1/2 cup chocolate liqueur

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, stirring to dissolve sugar. Churn according to ice cream maker instructions. Place in an airtight container and freeze at least 4 hours, until ready to serve.

Banana Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Bread

2012-01-14T04:44:00.022-06:00

A few days after Christmas, I set out on a run. Yes, I was determined to burn off some of the dozens of cookies I consumed in the month of December. More importantly, I wanted to take advantage of the time off and the fact that I could leisurely run without having to worry about rushing to shower and get to work.

1.5 miles into my run, I managed to slip on the one patch of ice in St. Louis that day (literally. It was sunny and 30 degrees with temperatures quickly rising). One bad fall and a long walk home later, i found myself sobbing on the couch, debating whether a trip to the ER was necessary.

Thankfully after popping some ibuprofen and icing for awhile, we determined my arm was swollen and sore, but not broken. Relieved, I spent the evening making this bread, breaking Ryan's orders to rest. As annoyed as he was at my refusal to sit still, he was no longer mad when he cut a slice of this bread.

My increasingly sore arm was totally worth it and I opted to use the bread to soothe the pain ;) Twenty-four hours later, this bread was nearly gone. I took photos of this after the first evening, when we'd already eaten almost half of the loaf. My bread looks extra chocolaty due to the full cup of chocolate chunks I added. For a more moderate amount, use just 3/4 cup.

This is good for dessert, breakfast, a mid-morning snack, whatever. We would know, as we had it for each! I don't recommend attempting to run on a patch of ice, but I do recommend mixing up a loaf of this. (Note--I adapted from Jessica's recipe which didn't include bananas. To make a non-banana version, omit the bananas and up the buttermilk to 1 cup!)

One Year Ago: Creamy Peanut Butter Dip
Two Years Ago: Whole Wheat Beer Bread

Banana Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Bread
adapted from How Sweet Eats

Ingredients:
-1/4 cup butter, softened
-1/3 cup brown sugar
-2 ripe bananas
-1 large egg
-1 tbsp vanilla extract
-1 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose)
-1 cup old fashioned oats
-1 1/2 tsp baking soda
-2 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 tsp salt
-2/3 cup buttermilk
-3/4 cup chocolate chunks

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and set aside.
2. Beat butter until creamy. Add brown sugar and bananas and beat until combined. Add egg and vanilla, beating after each addition.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, combined flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, beating just until combined. Add buttermilk, mix, and then add remaining dry ingredients.
4. Fold in chocolate chunks before pouring batter into the prepared pan and spreading evenly with a spatula.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean (mine took closer to 25 minutes). Place loaf pan on a wire rack to cool before removing bread and slicing.

Roosevelt's Roast with Mushroom Bourbon Sauce & Book Giveaway!

2012-01-13T04:35:00.056-06:00

Much as I love blogging, I'm the first to admit that it takes up an obscene amount of time. Most of the time, this doesn't bother me. I'm happy to have a hobby that I am so passionate about and don't mind putting so many hours into it. I do, however, sometimes miss having time for other things, like reading.

I think I still read more than the average person, but I definitely don't fly through two books a week as I'd like to. Recently, my love of reading collided with The Sweets Life. I was offered a chance to review More Than Words Can Say by Robert Barclay. After reading the synopsis of the book, I knew it would be right up my alley...

Synopsis from Amazon:
Chelsea Enright never expected to inherit her grandmother's lakeside cottage deep in the Adirondack-a serene getaway that had been mysteriously closed up decades ago. This is no simple bequest, however, because when Chelsea finds her grandmother's WWII diaries, she's stunned to discover that they hold secrets she never suspected...and they have the power to turn her own life upside down.

Even more surprising is the compelling presence of local doctor Brandon Yale, and Chelsea soon finds her "short stay" has stretched into the entire summer. She cannot put this cottage and her family's past behind her easily-and the more she learns about the woman her grandmother truly was, the more Chelsea's own life begins to change...and nothing will ever be the same again.

A love story that switches between two periods of time, I absolutely loved getting to know both Chelsea and her grandmother. Although I don't think this will win any major Literature awards, I appreciated how easy the book was to read and it certainly kept me captivated from start to finish.

Even better, the book contained several recipes straight from Chelsea's grandmother's diary. I couldn't resist making Roosevelt's Roast, in part because the mushroom bourbon sauce sounded to die for. We don't eat a lot of red meat in our household, but when we do, it's a special treat. This was just the kind of special occasion meal we like to save our red meat intake for. Dinner with friends, during a week-long break from work over Christmas, this was met with thumbs up all around. As predicted, my favorite part was the mushroom bourbon sauce. Although I posted the original recipe below, I added twice as many mushrooms. Mushroom-haters, I don't understand you!

It was fun to dig into this meal while picturing the scene in the book where this meal takes place. Want to win your own copy of More Than Words Can Say, with access to both the love story and other recipes such as Churchill's Cherry Pie? Leave a comment on this post telling me the best book you've read recently and I'll pick a random winner on Tuesday, January 17th at 8 pm (and announce the winner in Wednesday's post). (note--United States addresses only and no PO boxes!)

One Year Ago: Chicken Curry Soup
Two Years Ago: Crockpot Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Curry & Honey

Roosevelt's Roast with Mushroom Bourbon Sauce
from More Than Words Can Say

Ingredients:
-2-3 tbsp grapeseed oil, for searing (we seared it in olive oil)
-1/4 cup coarse sea salt
-1/4 cup coarse cracked black pepper *we didn't measure the salt & pepper--just made sure it was well-covered!
-1 whole beef strip loin, trimmed with some fat remaining (ours was about 2 lbs)
-bourbon mushroom sauce (recipe below)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 300F. Add the oil to a saute pan and season the meat on all sides with salt and pepper. Add meat to pan, searing on all sides (2-3 minutes per side).
2. Place meat in a roasting pan on a rack. Roast for 30-40 minutes. Increase oven heat to 450F and roast for an additional 15-20 minutes, until a crust forms and meat is nicely colored.
3. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. In a small bowl, reserve any drippings for the bourbon mushroom sauce.

For the sauce-
Ingredients:
-5 tbsp butter
-1 tbsp garlic, minced
-1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
-1 cup onion, finely diced
-4 tbsp all-purpose flour
-1/4 cup bourbon
-3 cups beef stock
-salt
-1 tbsp cracked black pepper
-2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add 4 tbsp butter. Once melted, add garlic, mushrooms, and onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes until browned.
2. Add flour, bourbon, stock, salt, pepper, and parsley and simmer for 10 minutes. Before serving with the beef, stir in reserved drippings.

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad

2012-01-12T04:26:00.021-06:00

As I put this salad together on Christmas Eve, I commented to my mom, "you, Ryan, and I are probably the only ones who will eat this." "No," she said, "Dad will eat it too."

My younger siblings, with ears like a hawk immediately chimed in from the other room. "Ooooh I guess Natalie doesn't have to think we have sophisticated enough palates for this dish. Fine, we don't want your stupid salad!"

It wasn't their palates I was skeptical of necessarily, but I do know that kale is a scary enough vegetable for people. Raw kale (and raw brussels sprouts) were likely that much scarier!

As it turned out, everyone put some of the salad on their plate that evening...and from what I could tell, most finished their portion of it. When you flavor it appropriately, raw kale and brussels don't have to be scary. The addition of salty toasted almonds, a lemony dressing, and plenty of parmesan cheese made this a unique but tasty salad!

Ryan and I liked it so much (surprise surprise) that I made it again for us a few days later...at which point our friend Mike also fell in love with this salad. Though I made the recipe as is both times, I plan to try it with the addition of dried cranberries next time, which I think would "normalize" this salad even more.

You might meet some resistance depending on who you try to serve this salad to, but I think you just might win kale some new fans with it! Let me know if you give it a try!

One Year Ago: Life Cereal Snack Mix
Two Years Ago: Red Shrimp Curry

Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad
from Bon Appetit November 2011

Ingredients:
-1/4 cup lemon juice
-2 tbsp Dijon mustard
-1 tbsp minced shallot
-1 garlic clove, finely grated
-1/4 tsp kosher salt
-freshly ground black pepper
-1 large bunch of kale, center stem discarded, leaves thinly sliced
-12 oz. brussels sprouts, trimmed and finely grated or shredded with a knife
-1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
-1/3 cup almonds with skins, coarsely chopped
-1 cup finely grated Pecorino

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, mustard, shallot, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, and a pinch of pepper. Stir and set aside to let flavors meld.
2. In a large bowl, mix kale and brussels sprouts.
3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil (from the 1/2 cup total) in a small skillet and add almonds, stirring frequently until toasted and golden brown (approximately 2-3 minutes). Transfer nuts to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle almonds lightly with salt.
4. Whisk remaining olive oil into the lemon juice mustard. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Toss dressing with kale mixture. Add almonds and cheese and stir to combine.

*Note--almonds, kale mixture, and dressing can be prepared up to 8 hours ahead of time. Chill kale mixture and dressing separately. Cover almonds and let stand at room temperature until ready to prepare salad. (I like to let the dressing sit on the salad for 30 minutes or so to soften the kale a bit. Also, this dressing makes for a very lightly dressed salad...make an extra half batch if you prefer a more heavily dressed salad!)

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce

2012-01-11T04:21:00.020-06:00

At a family dinner about a month and a half before Christmas, Ryan's side of the family agreed that we would do all homemade gifts this year. I was excited--in this day and age of Pinterest, coming up with DIY gifts is much easier. Although Ryan and I tossed several ideas around, we ultimately settled on ice cream.

Ice cream seemed a much safer choice than some of the projects I wanted to undertake and I've proven that my best creations come from the kitchen. Thankfully, every member of Ryan's family is a fan, so we figured we couldn't go wrong.

Although these gifts took quite a bit of time, I had so much fun preparing them. I found some adorable pint containers online and my friend Paige created labels for me that I put on each of the pints.

Each of the three couples got the following:
1 pint of Banana Pudding Ice Cream
1 pint of Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
1 pint of Coconut Rum Ice Cream with Toasted Coconut
1 pint of Chocolate Liqueur Ice Cream (to be posted soon!)

Additionally, we wanted to give them some non-ice cream accompaniments, such as this hot fudge sauce. I love the hot fudge you can buy at the store, but the homemade stuff is even better! I was sure to use high quality chocolate which definitely added to the flavor of the finished product.

Our final additions to the gift were homemade waffle cones and gingerbread chocolate syrup. The gingerbread chocolate syrup was a serendipitous addition that I hadn't planned on...when I went to borrow the waffle cone maker from Stef at Cupcake Project, she had just finished attempting a batch of Chocolate Gingerbread Fudge that had, for whatever reason, refused to solidify. With no use for the syrup, she offered it to me. Too tasty to throw away, I bottled it up and included it in the gifts...and the remaining syrup I could not stop attacking with the spoon. I've never tasted such a delicious mess-up!

Ryan was the master behind the waffle cones. He used this recipe from Cupcake Project and made a variety of rolled cones as well as flattened cone pieces to include in the gifts. We could not get over the stellar flavor of these. I realize a waffle cone maker is a novelty item but I'm tempted to get one because the homemade cones are so good. (Thank you Stef for letting us borrow your maker!!)

All in all, our ice cream gifts were a hit! Even if you don't have an ice cream maker or any intentions of DIY gifts, I recommend making a batch of this homemade hot fudge sauce to serve with your favorite desserts!

One Year Ago: Cranberry, Caramelized Onion, and Goat Cheese Dip
Two Years Ago: Grammy's Chocolate Cookies

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
seen on Annie's Eats
*makes 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
-4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
-3 tbsp unsalted butter
-2/3 cup water
-1/3 cup sugar
-6 tbsp corn syrup
-pinch of salt
-1 tbsp rum (or vanilla extract)

Directions:
1. Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Add chocolate and butter and heat slowly, stirring with a spatula, until smooth and melted.
2. Meanwhile, heat the water to boiling in a small heavy saucepan. Once chocolate/butter is melted, add to boiling water. Stir in sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Increase heat and bring mixture to a boil. Adjust heat so that the sauce is maintained at the boiling point. Boil for 9 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Stir in rum.
*If not using immediately, store in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat by microwaving in 15-second intervals until shiny and smooth.

Turkey Quinoa Chili

2012-01-10T04:10:00.010-06:00

When I made that tequila turkey chili a few weeks ago, I mentioned that chili isn’t usually a go-to meal for me…and now I’m back with another chili recipe. Fact of the matter is, chili is easy, hearty, and adaptable to serve a crowd. I doubled this batch of chili to serve Ryan’s family and we ended up with massive amounts of chili! My freezer was already full, so we spent a few more days enjoying it and sharing it with friends. I’m pretty sure the double batch made at least 14-16 servings!

The prep for this chili is a little time-intensive…lots of chopping and then browning the meat. I also cooked the quinoa separately before adding it to the chili, but you could probably just cook it, along with its water, right into the chili and it’d be fine. After making my gigantic batch, I placed whatever could fit in my crockpot and let it sit on warm for several hours until dinnertime.

Like most batches of chili, this improves with age. It’s quite fibrous with all of those beans (esp in a double batch), so consider yourself warned if you’re sensitive to that :) Between the vegetables, the quinoa, and the lean turkey, this was a pretty dinner…perfect to pair with some sinful cheesy bread!

One Year Ago: Cinnamon Apple (Breakfast) Cake
Two Years Ago: (the infamous) Kale Chips

Turkey Quinoa Chili
from Eating Well, Living Thin

Ingredients:
-1/3 cup quinoa
-2/3 cup water
-2 tbsp olive oil
-1 large onion, diced
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-1 tsp sugar
-1 orange bell pepper, chopped
-1 zucchini, chopped
-1 lb ground turkey
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1 tbsp cumin
-2 tbsp chili powder
-1 tsp dried oregano
-1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
-1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
-1 (15 oz) can chicken broth
-1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 (15 oz) can red beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:
1. Bring water to a boil and add quinoa. Reduce heat and simmer quinoa for 15-20 minutes, until water is absorbed. Set aside.
2. In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and sugar, sauteing until soft. Add zucchini and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook, breaking into chunks, until no longer pink (but not cooked all the way through).
3. Stir in cinnamon, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cocoa powder, chipotle pepper, tomatoes, chicken broth, and beans. Simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add quinoa and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

Butterscotch Blondie Bars with Peanut Pretzel Caramel

2012-01-09T04:11:00.006-06:00

Natalie – 2 Caramel – 1

A few months ago I made salted caramel ice cream and although I had a few scary minutes when my caramel seized up, it was ultimately successful. Then a few weeks ago I attempted homemade salted caramel sauce and it was a huge fail. In the end I’m pretty sure I removed my caramel from the heat too soon, but I was had too much on my to-do list and not enough ingredients to spare, so I decided to tackle that challenge another day. (Note—I also successfully made that salted caramel pie, but I kept that out of the official tally since it didn’t require making caramel over the stovetop)

When I stumbled across the butterscotch blondie recipe in Bon Appetit, I immediately wanted to make it. Then I realized it would require me to once again make caramel. Game on.

This time, my caramel turned out perfectly. I turned on the lights over my oven so I could see exactly when the caramel changed to that deep amber color. Rather than mix the peanuts and pretzels into the caramel, I sprinkled them atop the caramel once I spread the caramel over the blondies (I recommend this—prettier and easier to spread!).

Despite the fact that I had several different kinds of Christmas cookies surrounding me at home, these were the sweet treat I kept turning to. Sweet, salty, chewy, these were the best of all worlds! Be sure to chill them before you try to cut into them…and let them come to room temperature a bit before serving so you don’t break a tooth!

I made a half batch of these and reduced the amount of pretzels and peanuts, based on feedback from the Bon Appetit reviews online. Next time, I’ll still stick with less pretzels and peanuts than called for but I will definitely be making a full batch!

One Year Ago: White Bean Roasted Red Pepper Dip
Two Years Ago: Coconut Shrimp

Butterscotch Blondie Bars with Peanut Pretzel Caramel
from Bon Appetit December 2011

Ingredients:
for the blondie-
-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-2 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp kosher salt
-1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
-2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
-2 large eggs
-1 tsp vanilla extract

for the topping-
-4 cups roasted unsalted peanuts (I recommend using about 2-2 1/2 cups)
-2 cups sugar
-1/4 cup honey
-1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
-1/2 cup heavy cream
-1 1/2 cups twisted pretzels, coarsely crushed (I recommend using about 1 cup)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1 inch overhang on the long sides of the pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until browned bits form at the bottom of the pan (7-8 minutes). Transfer to a medium bowl and add brown sugar. Beat with a mixture for 2-3 minutes until the mixture resembles wet sand.
3. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until fluffy and well-combined. Add dry ingredients, beating until smooth (batter will be thick). Spread batter into prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Allow blondies to cool completely on a wire rack.
5. To make the caramel topping, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350F. Spread peanuts over baking sheet and bake, stirring frequently, for 5-7 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant. Set aside.
6. Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring the mixture to a boil without stirring, occasionally swirling the pan, until the caramel is deep amber (12-15 minutes). Add honey and return mixture to a boil, stirring often, for about 1 more minute. Add butter and stir until blended.
7. Add heavy cream (mixture will bubble). Whisk until smooth before stirring in peanuts and pretzels. Pour caramel mixture over the cooled blondie. (Or spread caramel over blondies before sprinkling peanuts and pretzels on top, pressing down gently so that they stay.) Chill until cool, about 30 minutes.
8. Using the parchment paper overhang, lift the blondies from the pan and cut into squares.
*Note--can be made up to 1 week ahead of time (keep refrigerated in an airtight container and bring to room temperature to serve).

Guest Post: Chicken Basil Pasta

2012-01-08T03:25:00.004-06:00

Hey all--I'm interrupting my regular posts to bring you a guest post from reader Jackie, who asked if she could share some healthy living tips and a recipe with you today. Despite my excessive number of desserts on this blog, I do strive to live healthfully most of the time (and believe dessert is included in this!), so I was more than happy to let Jackie guest post. You may have heard some of her tips before, but it's always good to be reminded of them again...especially in January, right? Read on to see what she has to say...I definitely want to try her pasta recipe sometime!

Eat Right And Keep Yourself Healthy

By: Jackie Clark

Eating right is an easy way to maintain your health. Many people go to great lengths to find solutions to their health problems without realizing that they could have avoided those problems by eating healthy foods on a regular basis. Proper diet can keep you from suffering a number of diseases, such as diabetes or mesothelioma, and increases your survival rate from any diseases that you do acquire. Here are some tips for keeping a healthy diet and a sample recipe that is easy to make and tasty as well.

• Eat a lot of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Many health problems can be traced back to an over-reliance on processed foods. You are actually supposed to eat 6-11 servings of breads, cereals and pasta. Every person is also supposed to eat 2-4 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of vegetables.

• Eat a variety of foods that are rich in nutrients. You cannot improve your health by eating just fruits or just bread or just meat. Your body needs to receive nutrition from a variety of food products.

• Eat small portions. The average size of portions has grown considerably in the last few generations. Ironically, as people began to work in jobs that were increasingly sedentary and required less of them physically, they began to eat more food. The actual recommended size of a meat portion is just three ounces. One cup of pasta is equal to two servings.

• Eat regularly. Do not do what many others do to handle their weight problem: starve themselves. This just causes your body to go into survival mode and stop burning fat.

• Enjoy what you eat. Do not eliminate everything that you enjoy eating from your daily menu. Instead, learn to reduce or moderate the amounts of these foods that you eat. If you challenge yourself too much, you increase the chance of failure and a return to the poor diet habits that you had before.

A Healthy Recipe:
Basil Chicken And Pasta

serves 4

Ingredients:
-8 ounces pasta
-2 teaspoons olive oil
-½ cup chopped onion
-1 clove chopped garlic
-3 cups diced tomatoes
-¼ cup basil
-½ teaspoon salt
-1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
-¼ cup parmesan cheese
-2 cups boneless chicken breast, cooked and in cubes

Directions:
Cook the pasta until it is soft and ready to eat. This usually takes about ten minutes. Drain the pasta and set it aside. In a large pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic. Stir in the remaining ingredients except for the parmesan cheese. Simmer for five minutes and continue stirring until everything is hot and the tomatoes have softened. Coat pasta with the resulting sauce and serve with parmesan cheese.

Thanks again Jackie! Readers, any additional healthy living tips to share?

One Year Ago: Crockpot Chicken Wings
Two Years Ago: Cranberry Orange Bread

Cake Batter Truffles

2012-01-07T04:02:00.004-06:00

Can you believe we’re seven days into the new year and this is the first dessert recipe I’ve posted? I did that on purpose. I knew after a few weeks of indulging over the holidays, most people are trying to start 2012 on the right track which, for many, includes eliminating or decreasing the amount of dessert in their diet. I knew if I bombarded you with sweet treats on January 2^nd, there was risk of you shunning The Sweets Life.

Here we are now a few more days in. I’ve posted several healthy recipes the past few days, hopefully showing you that healthy food doesn’t have to be boring or bland. Now, however, it’s time to change things up. These little sugar bombs, better known as cake batter truffles, are just the thing! They’re super sweet, but they’re small, so you can portion control (or not, I’ll leave that up to you!).

Thanks to cake batter mix in both the filling and the coating, there’s no mistaking the flavor! Add this to the list of successful cake batter treats!

(the list being the blondies, ice cream, ice cream cake, pancakes, and rice krispy treats!)

One Year Ago: Soft Gingersnaps with White Chocolate
Two Years Ago: Sweet Potato Chili

Cake Batter Truffles
from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups flour
-1 cup yellow cake mix
-1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
-1/2 cup white sugar
-1 tsp vanilla
-1/8 tsp salt
-3-4 tbsp milk
-2 tbsp sprinkles
-16 oz (8 squares) white almond bark
-4 tbsp yellow cake mix
-sprinkles, for decoration

Directions:
1. Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until combined. Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla, mixing well. Add milk and beat until a dough consistency forms. Stir in sprinkles.
2. Roll dough into one-inch balls. Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Chill for 15 minutes in the fridge or freezer.
3. Melt almond bark in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each increment. When bark is smooth and melted, stir in cake mix until smooth.
4. Dip cake batter balls in almond bark to coat completely. Remove with a fork and place on wax or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Decorate immediately with sprinkles. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Cheesy Pull Apart Bread

2012-01-06T04:09:00.004-06:00

Did anyone else eat those canned biscuits with the layers when you were little? Those were frequently on our dinner table growing up. I remember peeling off each layer and placing it in my mouth, letting the flaky warm pieces melt in my mouth.

In the past few months, pull-apart bread has taken the blog world (and consequently Pinterest) by storm. There are pumpkin versions, cinnamon sugar versions, and now this cheesy version. Originally I intended to try one of the sweet variations first, but something about cinnamon and sugar paired with meaty chili just didn’t sound right!

Cheesy bread it was. Flaky cheesy bread that, just like the biscuits from my childhood, could be peeled apart layer by layer meaning I could savor each and every bite.

For as impressive as the loaf looks, it wasn’t all that difficult to assemble. The instructions were easy to follow and even though my assembled loaf looked a little uneven and sad, it baked up nicely and filled out the pan. In my excitement of eating it, I took it out of the oven a bit early. Although it was starting to brown on top, the bottom of the loaf was still a little doughy…not at all a problem for the dough-lover that I am, but you may want to cover with foil and bake a few extra minutes to ensure it cooks throughout!

One Year Ago: Pork with Spicy Red Plum Sauce
Two Years Ago: Peanut Butter Temptations

Cheesy Puff Pull Apart Bread
from How Sweet Eats

Ingredients:
-1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
-1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
-1 tbsp sugar
-2 1/4 tsp instant yeast (1 envelope)
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/3 cup milk (I used 2%)
-1/4 cup butter
-1/4 cup water
-2 eggs, at room temperature
-12 oz sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
-1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:
1. Combine 1 cup of all purpose flour with 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar, salt, and yeast and stir to combine (can be done in an electric mixture).
2. In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter, just until butter melts. Let rest for 1 minute before stirring in water. Add milk mixture to the flour mixture, stirring to combine (can use dough hook on the electric mixer). Add eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition.
3. Mix in 8 oz. of the cheese (may need to use your hands). Dough will be sticky.
4. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Punch dough down before rolling into a giant rectangle (about 12 x 12 inches). Brush dough with melted butter and top with remaining cheese.
5. With a pizza cutter, slice the dough from top to bottom into 6 even strips. Pile the strips on top of one another and cut into 6 pieces again (horizontally). Butter and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
6. Layer the square slices in the loaf pan cut side down (so that they're standing up in a line). Cover pan with a towel and allow to rise for 1 hour.
7. Preheat oven to 350F and place the loaf pan on a baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

Spicy Chickpea Salad

2012-01-05T04:07:00.003-06:00

I know we celebrated Thanksgiving back in November, but I think it’s important to recognize what you’re thankful for daily. This recipe reminds me of my thankfulness for Ryan. Though we love to drive each other crazy, I am thankful that he daily makes sacrifices-big and small-for me. A few weeks ago I threw this salad together on a busy weeknight. I was crabby. He was crabby. Though most evenings I’m happy to be preparing dinner, this particular night I was a little bitter that he wasn’t the one making it. There was useless bickering and a few unkind words, mostly from me, but despite my behavior and attitude, Ryan still went out of my way to tell me he really liked this salad.

The next day, I sincerely apologized for the prior days behavior and he immediately forgave me with such kindness, I remembered just how blessed I was. Then we sat down to a dinner of the week’s leftovers and he graciously let me have the spicy chickpea salad, even though it was clear that it had been his top pick.

The moral here? This salad is really good, and my husband is a gem!

Though it has the word spicy in the title, I didn’t find it too spicy. However, the dressing is incredibly flavorful and the addition of both avocado and salted cashews make for a great mix of tastes and textures. Because I’m always making new stuff for the blog, repeated meals in our household are few and far between. Ryan’s asked for this to be a repeated meal and for him, I think I can make that happen!

Who are you thankful for today?

One Year Ago: Vegetable Tian (one of my favorite veggie side dishes)
Two Years Ago: Goat Cheese Endive Appetizer

Spicy Chickpea Salad

from Joy the Baker

Ingredients:

-2 (15 oz.) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

-1/4 cup finely diced red onion

-1/2 to 1 whole jalapeno, deseeded and finely diced

-1/2 tsp lemon zest

-juice of 1/2 a lemon

-1/3 cup roasted, salted cashews or almonds (I used cashews)

-1 ripe avocado, diced into chunks

-small handful flat leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped (I used cilantro instead)

-1-2 cloves garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped

-1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

-heaping 1 tsp whole grain mustard

-1 tsp agave or honey

-2 tbsp red wine vinegar

-1/4 cup olive oil

-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

-salt to taste

-2 cups baby spinach leaves

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mash the garlic and salt until a paste forms. Add the mustard, honey, red wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Whisk together and while whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the mixture is thick and emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. In a large bowl, add the chickpeas, onion, jalapeno, lemon zest, lemon juice, nuts, avocado, and parsley. Toss the dressing with the chickpea mixture to combine well. Just before serving, add the spinach. Can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Vegetable Enchiladas

2012-01-04T04:04:00.006-06:00

As time goes on, I have found that many of my friendships have changed over the years. I have developed friendships at work, my church friends are practically family, and I have, nerdy or not, "met" a lot of people through this blog that I also consider friends. Through it all, however, I have stayed friends with a few core groups of people, including a handful of girls from high school as well as a few girls from college.

The week before Christmas I had the chance to have a few of my best college girlfriends over for dinner. Although three of the four of us still live in the St. Louis area, it's near impossible for us to coordinate our crazy schedules and I don't see them as often as I'd like. Settling in for an evening of chatting, I was reminded just how thankful I am for these three friends. I truly believe the college years are pivotal, or at least were for me, in who you become as a person. These were the girls who were on that journey with me...the girls who held me when my heart was broken, forced me to shut the textbooks when I got too caught up in school, and taught me the ropes when I-the baby of the group-finally turned twenty-one.

Our night together a few weeks ago was more about the company than the food, but these enchiladas did not go unnoticed. I intended to add chicken to the vegetable mixture but skipped it when realized I only had one tiny chicken breast. Even without meat, these were perfectly filling. Making enchilada sauce from scratch (super easy!) was definitely worth it. I actually had enough filling to make a 9 x 13 pan plus 2 other small pans. I froze them all and baked them straight from the freezer before I wanted to serve, which worked out perfectly. (Note--to freeze, I covered in foil and an airtight lid. I baked at 375F for about an hour with the foil on top)

Here's to good food AND good friends!

One Year Ago: Portobello Mushroom and Almond Pesto Lasagna (one of my favorite pasta dishes to date!)
Two Years Ago: Raspberry and Amaretto Trifle

Chicken and Vegetable Enchiladas
adapted from Dishing the Divine

Ingredients:
for the sauce-
-1 tsp canola oil
-1 onion, finely chopped
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-2-3 tbsp chili powder
-2 tsp ground cumin
-2 tsp sugar
-2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
-1/2-3/4 cup water
-salt and pepper

for the filling-
-1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 tbsp canola oil
-1 medium onion, chopped
-1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
-1 zucchini, halved lengthwise, seeded and chopped
-1 cup frozen corn
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (above), divided
-1 cup crumbled feta cheese
-1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
-1/4 cup drained chopped canned green chiles
-salt & pepper

for assembly-
-12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
-lime wedges, for serving

Directions:
1. To make the sauce, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a saucepan. Add onion, cooking until soft (about 5 minutes). Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, cooking about 30 seconds (until fragrant).
2. Add the tomato sauce and water. Bring got a simmer and cook until thickened (about 5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Preheat the oven to 450F. Mash half of the black beans in a bowl until smooth. Set aside. Heat oil over medium-high in a saucepan. Add onion and pepper, cooking until softened slightly (5-7 minutes). Add the zucchini and corn, cooking an additional 3-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cooked chicken, cooking just until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
4. Add the mashed and remaining whole beans and cook until warmed through (about 2 minutes).
5. In a large bowl, stir the veggie mixture in with 1/2 cup enchilada sauce, feta, cilantro, and green chilies. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Warm tortillas in the microwave for a few seconds to make them easier to roll. Place 1/3 cup of filling in the center of each tortilla. Roll tightly and place, seam side down, in a 9x13 pan. Top with 1 cup sauce, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes, until enchiladas are heated through. Remove foil and continue baking until cheese melts (3-5 more minutes). Sprinkle with additional feta and cilantro if desired. Serve warm with lime wedges.

Broccoli, Cannellini Bean, and Cheddar Soup

2012-01-03T04:03:00.006-06:00

I love to explore the culinary scene whenever I’m traveling, whether for work or fun. It’s why I do restaurant reviews and vacation recaps from time to time…I like to discover food in new places and then share it with others! After too many days of eating out, however, I start to crave being home and in my kitchen. Sometimes it’s because I’m inspired by something I ate in a restaurant that I want to recreate (like that pesto berry balsamic flatbread). Other times, it’s because I can’t stomach the thought of one more indulgent meal.

A few weeks ago, I went straight from gorging on the best burger of my life in Minnesota to a business trip in Seattle where I finished an excellent meal at Dahlia Lounge with a giant slice of triple coconut cream pie, big enough to share but good enough not to (I didn’t).

After a solid week of nothing but eating in restaurants with food prepared by others, I was more than ready for something a bit healthier. Thank goodness for Eating Well, a magazine whose tagline (“Where good taste meets good health”) rang true with this broccoli, cannellini bean, and cheddar soup. You’d never guess that the creaminess of this soup comes from pureed beans, not heavy cream or half and half. I pureed the whole batch of soup with my immersion blender, but if you like chunks of broccoli, set some of it aside after cooking it and add it after you puree the rest. This was healthy and comforting and exactly what I needed before setting out on my next travel/restaurant adventure!

I’ve made broccoli cheddar soup before….check out another version here!

One Year Ago: Autumn Salad (poorly named because its still perfect for Winter! ;))
Two Years Ago: Pomegranate Salad with Honey-Cider Vinaigrette

Broccoli, Cannellini Bean, and Cheddar Soup
from Eating Well

Ingredients:
-1 (14 oz.) can reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
-1 cup water
-1 lb broccoli crowns, trimmed and chopped (approximately 6 cups)
-1 can (14 oz) cannellini beans
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp ground white pepper (I used 1/8 tsp ground black pepper)
-1 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring water and broth to a boil. Add broccoli. Cover and cook until tender (approximately 8 minutes).
2. Stir in beans, salt, and pepper. Cook until beans are heated through, about 1 minute.
3. Transfer half of the mixture to a blender with half of the cheese and puree (or use an immersion blender and blend to desired texture). Serve warm.

Quinoa Fried Rice

2012-01-02T04:03:00.004-06:00

The awesomeness of this meal can be summed up in a twitter conversation between Holly, the creator of this recipe, and myself.

I speak the truth. It was a Friday afternoon and I had a wild evening of baking and movie-watching ahead of me. But first, I was excited to try Holly’s Quinoa Fried Rice. My excitement began on the way home from work. You know you need to get a life when you’re excited about dinner at 4 pm.

Dinner may or may not have been consumed before 5:30pm, with dinner round two shortly thereafter. I then proceeded to finish off the leftovers for breakfast the next morning. If that isn’t indication of how much I liked this meal, I don’t really know what else to tell you!

We rarely eat out or order in Chinese for no real reason other than the fact that we have a thing for Thai and Vietnamese most of the time. Therefore, it wasn’t the need to find a healthier alternative to my takeout obsession that drew me to this recipe. Fortunately, it is healthy. And easy. And now I will be craving Chinese, or at least this version of it!

Mix up the vegetables or add additional protein (bonus protein since you’re already getting lots from the eggs and quinoa!). I think edamame or broccoli slaw would be great in this as well. Though I didn’t add additional soy sauce at the end, I did liberally add Sriracha. Ryan added neither. To each his own!

I can’t think of a better way to kick off your cooking in 2012!

One Year Ago: Spicy Pasta with Sweet Potatoes
Two Years Ago: Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza

Quinoa Fried Rice
from The Healthy Everythingtarian

Ingredients:
-2 tbsp sesame oil
-1 tsp minced garlic
-1 tsp minced ginger
-1/2 white/yellow onion, finely diced
-1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
-1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
-1 cup shredded carrot
-3-4 cups cooked quinoa
-2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-3 eggs
-salt & pepper, to taste
-extra soy sauce + Sriacha, to taste

Directions:
1. Heat sesame oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and saute for 1 minute. Add onion, corn, peas, and carrots and cook until thawed (3-4 minutes). Add quinoa, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar. Stir occasionally, until quinoa soaks up the liquid.
2. Push quinoa to the side with a spoon and create a hole in the middle of the saucepan. Crack the 3 eggs in the hole and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes. With a spoon, gently mix the eggs into the quinoa. Allow to cook for an additional few minutes. Continue mixing every few minutes until egg is completely cooked. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Top individual servings with additional soy sauce and Sriacha, if desired.

2012: Eat and Repeat

2012-01-01T04:01:00.006-06:00

(source)

January 1st, 2010 I introduced Twelve in Ten, where Ryan and I took on a monthly "challenge". Six of them involved St. Louis restaurants we were wanting to try and six involved cooking challenges I wanted to undertake.

January 1st, 2011 I introduced Best of 2011, which had a bit more of a focus than the previous year. I selected a book (The Twelve Best Foods) and a restaurant list (The 40 Best Restaurants in St. Louis) and each month we either ate at a restaurant on the list or I made two recipes from the cookbook featuring one of the twelve best foods. By the end of the year, we'd tried six (new to us) restaurants in St. Louis and eaten a recipe for each of the twelve best foods.

(For a complete link list of the 2 challenges, scroll to the bottom of the post)

I really liked last year's challenge. We had a blast picking which restaurant from the list to try every other month and it forces us to always try new places instead of sticking to our favorites. Although I only posted about six of the 40, there are several others on the list that we've tried and even more that will still plan to try. The recipe side of Best of 2011 was fun too. Although I don't know how you can truly say which twelve foods are the absolute best, it was fun to take this author's perspective and try out her recipes. The cookbook itself was pretty great and, much like the restaurant list, there are many other recipes I'd still like to try. Best of 2011 can be deemed a success!

(source)

Today, January 1st, 2012, I am once again introducing a personal challenge for the year. This year's, as named by my husband, is 2012: Eat and Repeat. The concept? We want to continue trying different restaurants in the St. Louis area and our inspiration is the 25 Best New Restaurants list put out a few months ago by St. Louis magazine. I'm hoping with only 25 restaurants instead of 40, it'll be easier to make our decision every other month!

The second half of the challenge will take place in The Sweets Life kitchen. Each month, following a new restaurant meal, I will attempt to recreate either something that Ryan or I ate at that restaurant, or something off of their menu. I love experimenting in the kitchen and basing my own meals off of what I've tried in restaurants (like the Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, and Spinach over Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta, inspired by 1111 Mississippi). I think this will be a fun way to link the restaurant months to the cooking months while forcing me to try new things with my own cooking skills, especially since I often order more adventurously in restaurants. I can't wait to see how this year's challenge plays out!

Best of 2011

The Twelve Best Foods Recipes:

BBQ Collard Greens with Edamame

Black Bean and Walnut Salad

Blueberry Polenta Muffin Tops

Broccoli Pesto Dip

Chocolate Chili Nuts

Kaleslaw with Red Pepper

Salmon and White Bean Salad

Scotch Oatmeal Soup

Spinach Salad with Nectarine, Blueberries, and Lime Balsamic Vinaigrette

Sweet Potato Butter

Tuna and Vegetable Salad

Warm Avocado Salad

Best STL Restaurants:

Bahn Mi So

Blues City Deli

Harvest Restaurant

Five Bistro

Pappy's Smokehouse

Taste Bar

Twelve in Ten

Kitchen Challenges:

Cooking a Whole Chicken

Making a Lamb Dish

Making a Pie from Scratch (I chose peach)

Making a Torched Dessert (Bananas Foster)

Make a Yeast Bread (funny how this is no big deal anymore!)

Making Something with Shellfish (ended up being Lobster)

Restaurants:

Ari's Restaurant

Local Harvest

Priyaa Indian Cuisine

Ranoush

The Fountain on Locust

The King & I

A Year in Review: Favorite Recipes from 2011

2011-12-31T04:53:00.103-06:00

Once again I’ve decided to share a list of my eleven favorite recipes for the year (11 in honor of the year and the fact that I couldn’t narrow it to 10!). This is by no means an all-inclusive list. We’ve eaten some good food this year (which I attribute to great recipes, not necessarily my skills!) and it’s impossible to come up with a true list of favorites. These eleven, however, stand out for one reason or another…

Sweet Potato Hash

Incredibly simple and easily adaptable, we eat this all.the.time. We eat it for weekend breakfasts after long runs and for quick dinners when we’re not up to cooking or we’re out of food. We add other vegetables to it (zucchini, spinach, kale), sometimes we shred the sweet potatoes, and we rarely omit the bacon. This is by far the most frequently made dish in our kitchen!

Peanut Butter Jelly Bars

I can't believe I haven't made these again, because I still vividly remember just how much I loved them, as well as everyone I shared them with. Anytime I can take my favorite childhood sandwich and turn it into a dessert, I'm a happy camper!

Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchilada Casserole

This was by far one of my favorite dinners over the past year. Several readers also made variations of this dish (it's easy to mix up the vegetables based on what you like or have on hand) and I've heard nothing but positive feedback!

Strawberry Mango Avocado Salad

I never would have thought that combining strawberry, mango, and avocado together would be so good, but the three, tossed in a honey balsamic vinaigrette, was one of our favorite side dishes last summer!

Banana Pudding Ice Cream

This ice cream will forever be remembered as the one that caused a fight between me and Ryan, only because we both loved it so much. I've made it several times since and each time it's more addicting than the last! (That being said, we enjoyed a LOT of good and new ice cream flavors this past year, all of which bear mention.)

Bacon Bourbon Caramel Popcorn

This is without a doubt the most addicting recipe from 2011. Put me around a bowl of this and I will literally eat it until I'm sick to my stomach. I know because I did it, several times. I like to credit this snack to opening my eyes to the world of bourbon, which I've now discovered I also enjoy in my cocktails :)

Eggplant and Mushroom Veggie Balls

This vegetarian take on meatballs was probably one of the the most creative recipes of the year, taken from a St. Louis food magazine. I didn't anticipate liking these quite as much as I did, but both Ryan and I were majorly impressed with this meal. I don't shy away from eating meat, but it's meals like these that prove how good meatless dishes can be!

Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread

It's only fair that this make the list, as it was by far the number one most viewed recipe on my site this year. With almost five hundred thousand views, largely thanks to StumbleUpon, it still gets more hits than any other most days of the week. Based on the comments, tons of people have also made it and gone as crazy for it as we did!

Mocha Coconut Granola Bars
I created these on a whim, inspired by the mocha coconut frappuccino at Starbucks and then proceeded to make them a few more times in the course of a few short weeks. To be honest, I can't get enough of their chewy texture and the way coffee, coconut, and chocolate seem made for each other!

Blue Cheese and Fig Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Although stuffed chicken breasts aren't the prettiest looking food, this dinner was pretty dynamite (as was the asparagus also pictured above). A few simple ingredients (blue cheese and fig jam, in this case) transform a pretty boring meat into something special!

Cake Batter Blondies

This was the year of cake batter, both in the blog world at large and on The Sweets Life in general. It's hard to say which is better, the cake batter ice cream or these blondies, but there's just something about these gooey treats that keep you cutting off "just one more sliver". They have all of that cake flavor with an even better texture!

Needless to say, it's been another good year of eating, to be continued into 2012! Come back tomorrow to see a recap of my Best of 2011 Challenge and what 2012 holds for The Sweets Life!

See my Top 10 List from 2010 here!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Barley Stew

2011-12-30T04:39:00.000-06:00

It turns out Ryan and I both love beef and barley soup. He remembers it from his childhood, when he would visit his dad at work and always enjoy a big bowl of it (and a slice of cherry pie!) from the cafeteria. I remember it from college. When the dining hall pickings were slim, I knew I could count on a warm bowl of this to fill me up.

This is not beef and barley soup, this is obviously chicken and barley soup, made because I already had the chicken on hand. However, Ryan and I discussed our love for beef and barley soup, meaning that’ll be making an appearance soon (any favorite recipes to share?).

You know I love crockpot meals, and this was another easy one—just chop, dump, and let it cook away. The recipe said it would take 8-9 hours to cook on low, but ours was more than ready after about 5, so plan accordingly! Simple ingredients, easy preparation, and hands-off cooking…it doesn’t get much better than that!

P.S. This freezes well! Also, I reheated some with some kale in there and it was an excellent addition and easy way to get some extra greens!

Crockpot Chicken and Barley Soup
slightly adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:
-3 large carrots, sliced (2 cups)
-2 stalks celery, sliced (1 cup)
-1 large onion, chopped
-2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
-3 cups water
-2 cups chicken broth
-3/4 cup uncooked pearled barley
-1/4 tsp pepper
-1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
-2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I used some dried parsley)
-1 tsp dried thyme leaves

Directions:
1. Add the carrots, celery, and onion to the bowl of the crockpot. Add chicken, water, broth, barley, pepper, and tomatoes.
2. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours, depending on your crockpot (you want to make sure your chicken is cooked through and your vegetables are tender).
3. Add parsley and thyme to stew just before serving.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Bacon

2011-12-29T04:08:00.007-06:00

Let’s go back in time. The scene is January 2005. I’m eighteen years old, a freshman in college, away at a retreat for the weekend.

My best friend Kacey and I were pretty cool. Or at least, we thought we were pretty cool.

How cool? Cool enough that when a group of guys along on the retreat decided to brave the 30-degree temperatures and spend the night in a treehouse instead of in the retreat cabin with bunk beds, the two of us decided to join the party.

I write this and laugh, because I would never, ever do this now. I despise the cold and prefer to sleep in fleece pants and a sweatshirt with my mattress heating pad ON. Times have changed.

But then the appeal of being the only two girls to brave the cold and hang out with the boys all night won out! You don’t need me to go into details about the horror of that evening. I still shiver just thinking about it. I have vivid memories of, after sleeping not a wink all night, trudging back through the snow, pillow and sleeping bag in hand, to the cabin. While the others spent the day playing games and hanging out, Kacey and I collapsed in the bottom bunk of a bed and literally slept the day away.

We’re older now, and debatably wiser. We still think we’re cool, but you won’t find us having winter sleepovers in treehouses! Instead we do things like host ugly Christmas sweater parties (or pajamas, in my case!) and fulfill our performance dreams in front of a TV with Wii’s Just Dance 3. Need proof? See below. And then forget you saw that and instead focus on one of the snacks that fueled our dancing that evening: fresh spinach and artichoke dip with bacon.

Another winning Jessica recipe, this takes your standard spinach artichoke dip up a notch with the inclusion of fresh spinach as opposed to frozen and bacon…because bacon makes everything better! Whether you’re looking for a performance-enhancing snack to share with your best friend or you just need a really great New Year’s Eve appetizer, this dip is your thing! Cheesy, gooey, WARM…much warmer than that night almost seven years ago!

Love the spinach artichoke combo? Try this flatbread pizza!

One Year Ago: Cranberry Orange Cinnamon Rolls
Two Years Ago: Gingerbread Pancakes

Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Bacon
from How Sweet Eats

Ingredients:
-2 (8 oz) blocks of cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat)
-1/2 cup sour cream
-1/2 cup mayonaise
-1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
-1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
-2 tbsp olive oil
-1 (6 oz) bag of fresh spinach
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1/2 shallot, chopped (I used a bit of onion)
-8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
-1 (12 oz) jar of marinated artichokes, drained

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F. In a skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add spinach, garlic, and shallots, stirring until spinach cooks down. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, mayo, and sour cream. Beat until smooth. Fold in 1/2 cup of each cheese along with the spinach mixture, artichokes, and bacon. Spread into a baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
3. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes. Serve with bread, chips, or crackers.

This post is linked to Eat at Home.

Dark Chocolate Cake with Hot Chocolate Buttercream

2011-12-28T05:09:00.008-06:00

If you follow me on Facebook, you may have noticed I posted a picture of this cake a few weeks ago with the caption "You know a cake is good if you make it twice in one week!"

The first occasion was my friend Maggie's birthday. After last year's Giant S'Mores Cake, I knew I needed something equally impressive. Maggie requested chocolate and I immediately went to the recipe for this cake, which I'd had saved ever since seeing it on Megan's blog.

This cake was, in a nutshell, perfect. The cake is tender, moist, and so dark it looks burnt. It matched wonderfully with the chocolate buttercream, flavored with some hot chocolate powder.

Maggie loved it, and so did the friends who celebrated with us. When it got two thumbs up from Mike, Maggie's husband, and Ryan, two self-proclaimed cate haters, I knew I had something special on my hands.

A few days later I made it again so that Ryan could bring it to work. His coworkers requested a cake for a surprise baby shower. A raging success again, trust me that you must give this cake a try! I love making layer cakes--in part because I do it so infrequently--and making this one twice has inspired me to try them more often. Which kind should I try next? (I've already made Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake and White Chocolate Amaretto Cake)

One Year Ago: No Potato Venison Stew
Two Years Ago: Black and White Bean Soup

Dark Chocolate Cake with Hot Chocolate Buttercream
from What Megan's Making

Ingredients:
For the cake-
-1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
-2 cups granulated sugar
-3/4 cup dark cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Dark)
-2 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp salt
-2 eggs
-1 cup strong black coffee
-1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
-1/2 cup vegetable oil
-1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

For the buttercream-
-1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
-1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
-1 tsp pure vanilla extract
-2 tbsp milk
-1/2 cup heavy cream
-1/3 cup powdered hot chocolate mix

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans with butter and flour or parchment (I did both to ensure it didn't stick!). In the bowl of an electric mixer, sift the dry ingredients. Add the eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla to the dry ingredients and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed. Batter will be very liquidy!
2. Divide batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pans in the oven (I placed them on the same rack but still rotated after 20 minutes). Bake an additional 15 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean (35 minutes total!). Cool pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes before carefully inverting the cakes onto racks to cool completely.
(Note--At this point I wrapped the cakes in saran wrap and foil and placed each layer in a gallon-sized freezer bag. When ready to frost, I removed cakes from the freezer and frosted immediately.)
3. To make the frosting, cream together the butter, cocoa powder, and salt. Scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. In a small separate bowl, mix heavy cream with hot chocolate mix. With mixer on medium, add cream mixture to frosting until you've reached your desired consistency (I used it all).
4. To frost the cake, place cake on plate or whatever you plan to serve it on. Put approximately 3/4 cup frosting on one layer and spread evenly to cover. Top with second layer. Frost top and sides of cake until even and smooth. Decorate as desired. Cover and store at room temperature.

Zucchini Parmesan

2011-12-27T04:04:00.002-06:00

I did not expect us to love this dish as much as we did. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. We love our vegetables, and it’s a well-remembered fact that Ryan ordered eggplant parmesan on our first date. However, I really added this to our menu plan because I had three zucchini sitting in my produce drawer and as much as I love this healthified zucchini bread, I spent the last few weeks more focused on Christmas cookies!

There are days like I like to pull out all the stops with my cooking—bake my own sandwich buns, make pasta sauce from scratch, you get the picture. Other days, it’s all about getting food on the table fast, or in the case of this recipe, faster. This zucchini parmesan casserole requires a number of steps before you get it in the oven to bake (though I’m sure you could do this a few hours ahead of time and bake once ready!), so don’t feel bad about cheating with store-bought marinara sauce and bread crumbs! The steps, though a bit time consuming, go quickly and the end product is worth the assembly line of dipping zucchini that’s required!

When I say we loved this, I mean we managed to eat half of the 9 x 13 inch sized casserole for lunch one Sunday afternoon and would’ve kept going for more, had we not wanted to save it for leftovers. We ate the casserole as is, but you could also serve it over pasta. Stuffed with pasta sauce and cheese, this hit the spot…pretty sure even non-zucchini lovers would go for this!

One Year Ago: Baked Potato Soup

Zucchini Parmesan
from Taste and Tell

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup flour
-3 eggs, lightly beaten
-1 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs (mine were Italian seasoned)
-3 large zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices
-1/4 cup canola oil
-1 (25 oz) jar prepared marinara sauce
-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
-1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.
2. Put out three shallow dishes. Place the flour in one, the eggs in another, and the breadcrumbs in the third. Dip each slice of zucchini in the flour, followed by the eggs, followed by the breadcrumbs. Cover both sides of the zucchini to coat. Set zucchini aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook the zucchini for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Cook in batches and add more oil if needed.
4. Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Place 1/3 of the zucchini in the pan, topped with 3/4 cup sauce and 2/3 cup mozzarella. Repeat twice, finishing with the sauce and cheese. Sprinkle with the Parmesan.
5. Lightly cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing.

Best of 2011: Taste

2011-12-26T04:58:00.004-06:00

Since reading through the 40 Best Restaurants in St. Louis list and deciding to use it as part of the Best of 2011 challenge, Ryan and I knew we wanted to go to Stone Soup Cottage, named restaurant of the year by St. Louis Magazine. We’d never heard of it before, in part because it’s about 45 minutes outside of St. Louis city. Unfortunately in November when I went to make reservations for December, I saw that they were booked through March (they only have one seating nightly)! Apparently they’ve been named the best restaurant for a reason!

Though we were disappointed, we know we’ll eventually get there, and we instead returned to the list to make a new choice. In the end we settled on Taste, a tiny bar in the Central West End that’s known for having the best mixologist in St. Louis—Ted Kilgore. Although we’ve stopped in for cocktails before, we’d never eaten there, despite hearing good things about their small plates.

Last week we stopped in on a weekday, without a reservation, and were surprised to see how packed it was at 7 pm. Thinking we’d have to move on to Plan C for this month’s challenge, we were pleasantly surprised when they changed a few things around and were able to seat us immediately.

(image source)

Given the setting—small, intimate, and dark (very, very dark!), I didn’t feel comfortable whipping out my huge camera when I was practically touching elbows with the patron to my right. Instead, I attempted to take a few iphone pictures which was also nearly impossible, given the darkness. St. Louisans, you’ll just have to head there for yourself to get a glimpse. The space itself is gorgeous—wood ceilings, funky light fixtures, and an impressive-looking bar. A tiny kitchen sits on one side of the place, where a pair of chefs whips up snacks and small plates. (for great pictures of the space, check out the Riverfront Times Slideshow of Taste, here!)

You can’t go to Taste without taking advantage of the cocktail menu and we spent quite some time poring over our options. I ultimately settled on the Mr. S.A.P.P., which isn't listed on the menu but featured rum, pineapple juice, cinnamon, and all sorts of other flavors. Ryan went for the Fallspice, also not on the menu, but a combination of bourbon, orange juice, allspice dram, grapefruit bitters, and more. As you can see, these are complex cocktails--I have yet to order one that wasn't excellent! At $10 a drink, it’s easy to rack up quite a bill here…especially since once you’ve tried one, you’re tempted to try all of Ted’s other creative combinations. Last week we stuck to one each and instead focused on the food.

The menu, which changes nightly, is a collection of snacks (house-made pickles, fried smelts, French fries, etc.), small plates, one or two large plates, and desserts. We stuck to four small plates: the beet, chevre, and pistachio salad, the squash risotto, the pork scrapple topped with a fried egg, and the mussels.

Each plate came out as it was ready, giving us plenty of time to mingle over the different tastes. Now that we’ve eaten at several restaurants in St. Louis that feature small plates, we love the play the comparison game (again, St. Louisans, shoot me an email if you want my thoughts on this!).

We loved the beet salad, but we’ve yet to find a beet and goat cheese salad we don’t like. The squash risotto was good—the Arborio rice was not as soft and creamy as most risotto’s I’ve had, but I loved the spiciness of this dish which was an unexpected surprise. Our pork scrapple had great flavor and you can’t go wrong with something topped with a fried egg! Our mussels arrived last, and though I was pretty full by this time, I couldn’t get enough of the rich broth it was served it. Although we passed on dessert, the lemon custard I saw another couple order came in a tiny mason jar and almost made me reconsider!

Although I still think Taste’s best feature is its cocktails, it definitely features some great menu items—as should be expected, coming from the famed Gerard Craft!

And with that, we’ve completed our Best of 2011 Challenge. I’ll be recapping the entire series and introducing our plans for 2012 on January 1^st...come back and check it out!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T04:11:00.004-06:00

A Christmas Blessing...

God grant you the light of Christmas,
which is faith;
the warmth of Christmas,
which is purity;
the righteousness of Christmas,
which is justice;
the belief in Christmas,
which is truth;
the all of Christmas,
which is Christ
(source)

I hope all of you are having a wonderful, joy-filled day celebrating the birth of Jesus!

Christmas Breakfast Ideas

2011-12-24T04:10:00.005-06:00

Merry Christmas Eve! Rather than posting a new recipe today, I thought I'd share a few last minute breakfast ideas with you, all perfect for Christmas morning. Whether you're looking for something sweet or savory, none of these are terribly difficult (not even the cinnamon rolls!) and all of them can be made today, meaning you can have a relaxing Christmas morning.

Make one final trip to the store, put together one of these breakfasts, and then sit back and relaaaaax. If you haven't yet had a chance to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas--now's the time!

For the egg lovers...
Breakfast Tortilla Strata
Chicken Sausage and Apple Strata
Frittata with Chard, Sausage, and Feta
Sausage and Egg Casserole with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Scrambled Egg Cups

For the carb lovers...
Amish Baked Oatmeal
Apple Cranberry Baked French Toast
Banana Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
Carrot Spice Muffins
Cranberry Coffee Cake
Peanut Butter Banana French Toast Enchiladas

One Year Ago: Monster Cookies

White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge

2011-12-23T04:59:00.004-06:00

Peppermint isn't my go to flavor, unless we're talking gum. In December, however, that all changes! I can't seem to resist mint oreo truffles or chocolate mint puddles, both of which are now Christmastime staples for us. When a reader/soon to be running buddy/sister of a friend who happens to share a name with my sister (Julia) emailed me this recipe last week with a personal recommendation, I knew it was the perfect thing for my December mint addiction!

With only a few days until Christmas, you may be sick of cooke baking. Lucky for you, this doesn't require an oven...it's just a matter of mixing a few ingredients together and letting it set in the fridge. Easy, and because it's fudge, you can cut it into tiny pieces and serve a crowd! Mine didn't cut as nicely as I would have liked, but I just ate the ugly pieces and plan to serve the rest :)

With a cream cheese base, this fudge is stickier than other versions I've had. I loved what the cream cheese added--along with the peppermint and white chocolate it was a perfect match!

Tell me, what's your "Christmastime only" obsession?

One Year Ago: Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge
slightly adapted from Mindika Moments

Ingredients:
-8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature (I used 1/3 less fat)
-4 cups confectioners sugar
-1 1/4 tsp peppermint extract (could use vanilla extract)
-12 oz. white chocolate baking bar, chopped into small pieces
-1 cup crushed peppermint candy canes

Directions:
1. Line an 8-inch pan with wax paper and set aside.
2. Beat cream cheese with confectioners sugar until creamy. Stir in peppermint extract. Meanwhile, melt white chocolate over in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl placed over a pot of simmering water. Stir until smooth.
3. Allow chocolate to cool slightly before stirring into the cream cheese mixture and beating until smooth. Stir in the crushed candy canes (reserve a few tablespoons for decoration).
4. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Top with remaining candy canes. Cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Cut into small pieces and serve.

Gingerbread Espresso Bundt Cake

2011-12-22T04:00:00.004-06:00

Gingerbread and espresso? Together? Yes! The flavors in this bundt cake are complex, but it's exactly this combination that makes the cake so wonderful. Next time, I think I'll add chocolate chips, which would add another interesting (and delicious!) element to this cake.

I think I over-baked my cake by a few minutes, making it a little drier than I would have liked. Thankfully, the taste of the cake out-shined the texture! We ate pieces of this topped with vanilla ice cream, but it's also good plain (or with freshly whipped cream). Coffee or hot chocolate is another perfect accompaniment.

This is a great option if you're looking for an easy Christmas dessert that will still impress...and the leftovers make for an excellent breakfast ;)

One Year Ago: Brownie Bottom Nutella Cheesecake Squares

Two Years Ago: Sugar Cookie Bites

Gingerbread Espresso Bundt Cake
from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup molasses
-1/2 cup very strongly brewed coffee or espresso (cooled to just warm)
-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp baking soda
-1 tbsp instant espresso powder
-2 tsp ground ginger
-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
-1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
-1/8 tsp ground cloves
-2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
-1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
-3 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

for the glaze-
-1 1/2 tbsp brewed espresso (or 1 1/2 tsp instant espresso dissolved in 1 1/2 tbsp hot water)
-1 cup confectioners' sugar
(I also added a tbsp or so of milk to thin the glaze a bit)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick spray and flour.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together molasses and coffee. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, espresso powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until smooth (approximately 1 minute). Add brown sugar and beat for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition.
4. With the mixer on low speed, alternate between adding the dry ingredients and the coffee/molasses mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat just until ingredients are mixed in and the batter is smooth.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Run a knife through the batter to eliminate air pockets. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing cake from pan and cooling completely on the wire rack.
6. To glaze, mix the confectioners' sugar with the espresso until smooth. Drizzle over cake.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies with Hot Chocolate Buttercream

2011-12-21T03:58:00.007-06:00

The other day I mentioned visiting my brother in Minnesota. Even though the trip itself was our birthday gift to him, I knew we couldn't show up empty handed! It hasn't been too long since I was a college student, so I remember how wonderful it was when my family or my friend's families showed up bearing gifts, usually in cookie form.

These cookies would be just as good with a peanut butter filling, but I had some extra chocolate buttercream on hand (from an amazing cake I'll be sharing next week!) and decided to take advantage of one of Quinn's favorite flavor combinations. It turns out he isn't the only one who loves this combination, and he quickly decided to keep these cookies hidden from his other roommates, lest they disappear too quickly!

The peanut butter cookies are sturdy, but chewy, making them ideal for sandwiches. However, you could easily just make the peanut butter cookies and enjoy them plain. I made them a lot smaller than usual because I wanted mini sandwiches, so if you decide to make larger cookies you may need to adjust the baking time.

Need a last minute Christmas cookie? These may be just the thing!

One Year Ago: Mint Oreo Truffles

Two Years Ago: S'mores Bark

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies with Hot Chocolate Buttercream
cookies slightly adapted from Our Best Bites, buttercream from What's Megan Making

Ingredients:
-1/2 cup shortening
-1/2 cup peanut butter
-1/2 cup granulated sugar
-1/2 cup packed brown sugar
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-2 eggs
-1 1/2 cups flour
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp salt
*additional granulated sugar for rolling

for the buttercream (this makes a full batch--enough to frost 24 cupcakes or an 8-inch layer cake...you can easily cut the quantity in half or use the leftover frosting for something else!):
-1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
-1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
-1 tsp pure vanilla extract
-2 tbsp milk
-1/2 cup heavy cream
-1/3 cup powdered hot chocolate mix

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Cream shortening, peanut butter, and sugars in a large mixing bowl until fluffy. Mix in vanilla and eggs, beating after each egg.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix to combine.
3. Roll dough into 1/2 inch balls, roll in granulated sugar, and place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Use a fork to make criss-cross marks in each cookie, flattening slightly.
4. Bake cookies for 6-8 minutes, until cookies are puffed and set (not brown). Remove from oven and allow cookies to sit for 2-3 minutes before transferring cookies to a cooling rack.
5. To make the buttercream, cream together the butter, cocoa powder, and salt. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat slowly until sugar is incorporated. Increase the speed of the mixer and beat frosting until smooth. In a separate bowl, mix together heavy cream and hot chocolate mix. Add to frosting mixture slowly while beating until you have your desired consistency (I used it all--use less for a thicker frosting).
6. Once cookies have cooled, spread a thick layer of buttercream on one cookie and top with a second cookie to create a sandwich. Makes about 2 dozen sandwiches.

Oatmeal Cheesecake Cranberry Bars

2011-12-20T04:58:00.001-06:00

Thank goodness canned goods have a long shelf life. You don’t want to know how old my can of cranberry sauce was! (Don’t freak out, I think I bought it last November or December…definitely not years old or anything) If you don’t have a bad habit of picking up canned goods and then storing them in your pantry forever, fear not…just head to the store and pick up a can of the whole berry sauce. I’m pretty sure you could also use fresh cranberry sauce, if you happen to have any frozen from Thanksgiving.

You know a dessert is a hit when someone admits to eating five of them in one sitting. Don’t worry Brian, I definitely had more than my fair share too ;)

The cheesecake layer in these is thin, but it’s just enough to complement the cranberry sauce. The crust is the star here—thick and full of oats and butter. Cut these small, and then eat five! Yum!

Looking for another holiday cheesecake bar that’s more about the cheesecake? Try these Blushing POM Holiday Cheesecake bars, featuring a pomegranate juice glaze!

Oatmeal Cranberry Cheesecake Bars
from Taste and Tell

Ingredients:
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-1 cup butter (2 sticks)
-12 oz. cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat)
-1/2 cup sugar
-2 eggs
-2 tsp orange juice (original recipe called for lemon juice)
-1 tsp orange extract (can sub vanilla extract)
-1 can whole cranberry sauce (mine was 14 oz)
-2 tsp cornstarch

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9 x 13 inch dish and set aside.
2. Combine flour, oats, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (I did this in my food processor but didn't add the oats until after). Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the mixture. Press the remaining mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
3. While crust is baking, beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, orange juice, and extract and beat until smooth. Spread the cheesecake mixture over the baked crust.
4. Combine cranberry sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl. Carefully spoon cranberry sauce over the cheesecake mixture (it will not cover completely, just drop spoonfuls all over). Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top.
5. Bake for 40 minutes, until set. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until completely cooled and firm. Cut into bars and serve chilled.

Molasses Crinkles

2011-12-19T04:40:00.004-06:00

Year-round, Ryan asks me to make these ginger cookies. They're one of the very first recipes I posted on this blog, which explains the pitiful photo, but to this day they remain one of Ryan's favorites. As much as he loves me trying new recipes all the time, he'd be perfectly content if I only made the aforementioned ginger cookies and these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. December is a natural time to break out the molasses, so I had every intention of making the ginger cookies when I saw a tweet from Jamie about her molasses crinkles.

Jamie is my sister-in-law's sister-in-law. Did you catch that? From what I know of her, Jamie is talented and beautiful...and now I can say she's a really good judge of cookies! When I compared this recipe to our ever-favorite ginger cookies, I noticed they were quite similar...just a few slight differences in the quantities of a few ingredients (and her batch makes a much more reasonable number of cookies--4 dozen vs. 8 or 9 dozen!). Much like our favorites, these have a slightly tough exterior that gives way to a creamy middle that melts in your mouth.

I made these for Ryan but ate more than my fair share of them. In fact, several times he said, "didn't you make those for ME?" Oops. Better make another batch...

We really like ginger cookies! Besides the original, I also recommend these flat and chewy gingersnaps, or these with white chocolate!

One Year Ago: Twelve in Ten Challenge: Priyaa Indian Cuisine
Two Years Ago: Chocolate Mint M&M Cookies

Molasses Crinkles
from Jamie

Ingredients:
-3/4 cup shortening
-1 cup sugar
-1/4 cup molasses
-1 egg
-2 cups flour
-2 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp ground ginger
-1/2 tsp ground cloves
-1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add molasses and egg, beating until combined.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients (flour through salt). Slowly add to wet ingredients, mixing just until combined.
3. Grease or line baking sheets with parchment paper. Form 1-inch balls of dough and roll in granulated sugar. Place two inches apart on prepared baking sheets and bake 7-9 minutes, just until cookies begin to crinkle. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes before transferring to cooling racks.

The Best Burger of My Life & Trying Serve

2011-12-18T04:36:00.039-06:00

I'm taking a minor break from Christmas cookie posting to tell you about another brief getaway Ryan and I had. I wouldn't call Minnesota in December a vacation, but we found ourselves in the Twin Cities to visit my brother Quinn, so I sucked it up (or rather, bundled up) for the weekend and endured the cold temperatures.

We ended up having a rather fantastic weekend full of quality time with the brother and some seriously good food! Thanks to Taylor and Madison, we knew just where to go. Friday night we stuffed ourselves with Punch Pizza, Neapolitan pizza baked in a wood-burning oven. I failed to take any pictures, but if you find yourself in MN, I recommend giving Punch a try!

Saturday, however, beat out Friday night's meal when we found ourselves in the very tiny and very crowded Blue Door Pub. Known for their "Juicy Blucy" burgers, we almost walked out, too impatient to wait 45 minutes to sit. The smell of the burgers around us and the sheer madness inside the restaurant convinced us it'd be worth the wait and we stuck it out.

The verdict? Best burger of my life, best burger of Ryan's life, best burger of my brother Quinn's life, and best burger of Jay's life. I didn't think anything could beat the burgers at Burger Up in Nashville, but I have seen the light. Though I love and appreciate a good burger from time to time, they are Quinn's very favorite food, not counting ice cream. The boy has had more than his fair share of burgers and for him to call this the best is really saying something!

Lest you think this is just a regular hamburger, let me set you straight. These are the biggest, juiciest burgesr I've ever seen. Even better, they have some fantastic flavor combinations. Mine, for instance, featured coconut milk-soaked mozzarella stuffed inside the burger topped with pickled vegetables and a curry sauce. Ryan's, the winner of the night in my opinion, included bacon, blue cheese, and currant jelly. Check out the menu if you want to really drool.

Also incredible? Their fries, tator tots, and, best of all, beer-battered green beans...my attempt to get A vegetable in my meal that night :)

We cleared our plates and then headed to Izzy's Ice Cream because stuffed as we were, my brother convinced us there is a separate stomach with room for ice cream...and when have I ever turned down ice cream?! Turns out our gluttony was worth it, as this ice cream was the real deal--creamy and fatty and perfect. My favorite feature was their "Izzy" scoop, a mini scoop in addition to your regular scoop...a brilliant idea since I'm usually forced to get 2 large scoops in an attempt to enjoy as many creative flavors as possible!

The trip actually fell at the perfect time...Foodbuzz paired with American Express and offered me the chance to try out their new Serve system, which allows for a new method of payment. You set up an account, connect it to a bank account, and it allows you to easily transfer money from one person to the other. The idea is that you can easily pay back your friends by wirelessly transferring money to them, instead of dealing with split checks or cash in the restaurant.

Because my brother is still a poor college student, something I remember all too well, Ryan and I wanted to spend the weekend treating him and his friends. Rather than having him set up a Serve account (pretty sure he doesn't have enough money in his bank account to cover all of us for meals!), Ryan instead set up one so that we could test out the software and how it works. I personally loved the app and hope that it catches on--it would make it so much easier to pay back or receive payment from friends. We often go out to eat with others and are always asking the server to split the check...Serve allows one person to pay the full bill and has calculators to determine who owes what, which can then be sent to the payer by logging into the Serve app or the Serve website. Setting it up was simple and using it was even easier...if we can get our friends on board with using Serve I think it will be widely used by Ryan and me!

I think you should try Serve too! Thanks to Foodbuzz and American Express, you have a chance to...read below for details and a chance to win $100...then I recommend getting yourself to MN for a Juicy Blucy!

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a $250 stipend to try Serve from American Express. Sign up for Serve and receive $10 credit towards your first use. Comment below within the next 7 days for your chance to win an extra $100 credit to your account! Official sweepstakes rules and regulations may be found here: http://www.foodbuzz.com/blogs/4622317-win-serve-dollars-giveaway-official-rules

One Year Ago: Green Tea Sugar Cookies

Two Years Ago: Strip Steak with Rosemary Wine Sauce

Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

2011-12-17T04:43:00.023-06:00

Yes, I know I posted a cookie recipe just yesterday. And now I’m back with another. Tomorrow you can expect something different, but then I've got a few more treats to share. All worth it, I promise! ‘Tis the season, right?

There are plenty of healthy recipes in the archives to carry you through until I start posting normal food again. Might I interest you in some butternut squash and kale minestrone, mushrooms, caramelized onions, and spinach over goat cheese polenta, or a Moroccan chicken salad with carrots? That should scratch the ‘normal food’ itch.

Back to the dessert, and this is one you don’t want to miss!

I finished many, many lunches in high school with one of those soft frosted sugar cookies. You know the ones… bright pink frosting, multi-colored jimmies. Our school cafeteria sold them daily and most days I couldn’t resist picking one up as an after lunch treat. Since then, I’ve maybe had one or two…mostly because I now tend to bake cookies more than I buy them. I had seen several copycat recipes for them and when I unpacked my Christmas boxes and found an abundance of green and red sprinkles, I knew it was time to make them.

Although I didn’t make my quite as large as the recipe stated (original recipe is posted below though), they were pretty close to what I remembered. Take care not to overbake them—that’s the key to getting the right texture and flavor! Perfect circles, they are not, but judging by how quickly they disappeared when I served them, I’d say no one minded. Though I decorated these for Christmas, these would be a fabulous treat year-round!

One Year Ago: Baked Vegetable Mac and Cheese
Two Years Ago: Ghirardelli Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies
seen on Tracey's Culinary Adventures, originally from Hostess with the Mostest

Ingredients:
-4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-4 1/2 tsp baking powder
-3/4 tsp salt
-3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-3 large eggs, at room tempearture
-5 tsp vanilla extract

for the frosting-
-5 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
-1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
-1 tbsp vanilla extract
-7-8 tbsp milk (plus more, if needed)
-food coloring & sprinkles (optional)

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (3 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
2. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture a little at a time, mixing just until combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Remove dough from fridge and measure approximately 1/4 cup of dough for each cookie. Roll the doll into a ball, place on the cookie sheet, and flatten slightly (cookies will spread so don't flatten completely). Space cookies at least 2 inches apart.
5. Bake cookies 12-13 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are just set (don't overbake or you'll ruin the texture!). Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks to cool for 5 minutes before moving cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
6. To make the frosting, combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla, and milk in a large bowl. Whisk or beat to combine. If texture is too thick, add additional milk 1 tsp at a time (I didn't need to add any). Color frosting with food coloring, if desired. Spread frosting on cooled cookies and decorate as desired. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

2011-12-16T04:35:00.021-06:00

There are times that you need a cookie the size of your face (like when you’re in New York City and you stop in at Levain Bakery), and then there are times when you need a bite-sized cookie. Bite-sized cookies are ideal around this time of year when every place you go—the office, the neighbor’s house, the dentist’s office (okay, maybe not the dentist’s office!), seems to have a Christmas cookie that’s yours for the taking. These double chocolate peppermint cookies ensure that you can enjoy the cookie AND whatever else is on the cookie tray. Or, you know, enjoy that mini cookie and then five more, since six mini cookies equal one regular-sized cookies.

Or, if you’re good, enjoy that one cookie and call it good. Definitely not my choice, but perhaps some of you have more self-control than I do!

Small in size but big in flavor, these cookies are soft and chewy, with an intense chocolaty flavor thanks to both melted chocolate chips and cocoa powder in the batter. Topped with a chocolate ganache and crushed candy cane pieces, these are almost too cute to eat (I said almost. You won’t be able to resist them once you try them!).

A full batch of the recipe makes six dozen cookies, meaning you can share these with, quite literally, all of your friends!

One Year Ago: Cinnamon Pretzels (so easy and so addictive! wrap up little bags of them and give to all your friends!)
Two Years Ago: Tortilla Black Bean Pie (this begs to be re-photographed but continues to be one of my favorite Mexican meals!)

Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
from Women's Day Magazine December 2011

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/4 tsp kosher salt
-2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (I used semisweet)
-1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
-3/4 cup sugar
-2 large eggs
-6 tbsp heavy cream
-8 candy canes, smashed (approximately 3/4 cup)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
2. Melt 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in the microwave in a glass bowl. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (approximately 3 minutes). Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the melted chocolate and the flour mixture. Mix just until incorporated. Stir 3/4 cup chocolate chips into the batter.
3. Drop rounded teaspoons (these are small cookies!) onto the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating the position of the pans halfway through, until cookies are puffed and set (8-10 minutes). Allow cookies to cool on sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, heat heavy cream until simmering (about 30 seconds). Add the remaining 3/4 cup chocolate chips to the cream and allow it to sit for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Using a spoon, top each cookie with a bit of chocolate and crushed candy canes. Refrigerate cookies until set (about 20 minutes).
*Cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two weeks

Slow Cooked Smoky Chipotle Brown Sugar Chicken

2011-12-15T04:45:00.011-06:00

Let’s talk genetics for a minute. You know that gene, the one that determines how crafty you are and how well you’re able to decorate your home? It totally skipped me. In fact, I’m pretty my gene somehow ended up with my sister Julia, meaning she got a double portion of it!

Okay, maybe I made that gene up, but the fact of the matter is, my creativity (little of it there is) comes out in the kitchen. I haven’t yet figured out how to manifest it into anything decorating-related. I’m scared to think what my house would look like if my mom weren’t so willing to coach me every step of the way. Thank God for camera phones, and moms willing to make trips to St. Louis to select paint colors, dining room rugs, and home accessories!

Recently, my mom made a trip down to St. Louis. The focus of the trip was wedding planning, but I took advantage of her presence and begged her to help me decorate the house for Christmas. To make a long story short, my house looks 100x better than if I had attempted to do it myself…and she somehow managed to sneak TONS of glitter in without Ryan having a meltdown (the boy hates glitter, but apparently it looked so good he was willing to overlook this!).

I wasn’t much assistance in the decoration department, but I was able to feed her! These sandwiches filled with slow cooked smoky brown sugar chipotle chicken were on the menu one night. Though the BBQ Beer Sandwiches are still probably my favorite, these were really good too (and really, REALLY easy to prepare!). I didn’t have any liquid smoke on hand, which probably would’ve added some smoky flavor to the chicken. We ate them on hamburger buns, but the original recipe had them served on tortillas with taco fixins. This meat would be good used in a variety of ways and, like I said, you can’t beat how easy it is!

I’ll stick to cooking and leave my mom to the decorating!

One Year Ago: Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls

Two Years Ago: No Bake Granola Bars

Slow Cooked Smoky Chipotle Brown Sugar Chicken
from Can You Stay For Dinner?

Ingredients:
-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1/2 red onion, chopped
-3 cloves garlic
-1 (15 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
-1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped
-2 tbsp brown sugar
-juice of 1 lime
-1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro
-1/4 tsp liquid smoke

Directions:
1. Add the chicken to the slow cooker.
2. With a blender or a food processor, blend the remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour mixture over chicken.
3. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Shred using 2 forks and serve on sandwich buns, in tortillas, on salads, etc.

Banana Espresso Crumb Cake

2011-12-14T04:22:00.003-06:00

Next time I have a few ripe bananas on hand, there is no doubt that I'll be making anything but this! I love banana bread and peanut butter banana muffins, but this crumb cake is a new obsession. The espresso is apparent but not overwhelming and pairs perfectly with the chocolate chips studded throughout. I only had three bananas but the banana flavor was plenty strong. The best part of this? The coarse salt in the crumb topping! The saltiness stood out prominently and was a bit surprising at first, but each additional bite solidified that the salt was a key ingredient. Just typing this out now already has me excited to make it again!

I wasn't the only fan of this breakfast...err dessert?!...treat. I brought this to Chicago for my family to enjoy over Thanksgiving weekend and there might have been a bit of a fight over the last piece!

One Year Ago: Nutella Pocket Cookies
Two Years Ago: Chicken Enchiladas

Banana Espresso Crumb Cake
from vanilla sugar

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3-4, I used 3)
-1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
-1 stick unsalted butter, melted
-1/4 cup half & half
-1 large egg
-3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
-3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or use 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour)
-1 1/2 packets Starbucks Via (I used 1 packet + 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules)
-1 1/2 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp sea salt
-3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

for the crumb topping
-3/4 cup flour
-1/2 cup light brown sugar
-1/2 tsp coarse salt
-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
-1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray an 8 or 9-inch square pan with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, mix bananas, sugars, butter, half & half, and egg.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and pour the batter into the prepared pan.
5. To make the crumb topping, mix together the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Pour melted butter over the mixture and toss until crumbs form. Sprinkle over batter.
6. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting.

Christmas Cookies Galore!

2011-12-13T04:47:00.005-06:00

Have you started your Christmas cookie baking yet? It seems that every December even people who don't use their mixers the other eleven months of the year pull them out to do some holiday baking. In case you haven't been baking and freezing cookies for the past few weeks (if you have I am seriously impressed), here are a few ideas to get you started...These are cookies from my archives, many of which I've already made this month and others that I have plans to make this upcoming weekend.

Be sure to come back later this week, as I'll be posting a few new Christmas cookie ideas that I recently made!

What are your favorite Christmas cookies? I'll happily take ideas...I haven't finalized my list of what I'll be making yet and I am responsible for bringing cookies to a family party next weekend!

Candy Cane Cookies (quite possibly my all-time favorite Christmas cookie)

Gingerbread Truffles (Cake Balls)

Nutella Pocket Cookies

Rocky Road Fudge

Cinnamon Pretzels (not a cookie, but the EASIEST treat you can make this season!)

Mint Oreo Truffles (only 3 ingredients!)

Soft Gingersnaps with White Chocolate

Cranberry, Almond, Orange Biscotti

Homemade Marshmallows (Not nearly as difficult as you'd imagine!)

M&M Dream Bars

Brownie Bottom Nutella Cheesecake Squares

S'mores Bark

Chocolate Mint Puddles (it isn't Christmas in our house until these are made!)

These are just a few ideas...for tons more check out my lists of all cookies and bars on The Sweets Life!

Crunchy Peanut Butter Mix

2011-12-12T04:15:00.004-06:00

If I send Ryan to the grocery store by himself, it is inevitable that he will come home with a few extra items. Sometimes it’s Schlafly beer, sometimes it’s the bourbon that was “a really good deal”, but more often than not, it’s cereal. The boy loves his cereal, loves it. He has some of the stranger habits I’ve seen when it comes to cereal eating. Do you know anyone who adds a tablespoon or two of peanut butter to their bowl of Reese’s Peanut Butter Puffs (along with the milk of course!)? If you didn’t, now you do. I buy multiple boxes of cereal each week, some for Ryan to take to work for his daily breakfast, and some for him to keep at home for an evening snack.

I recently sent Ryan to the grocery store with a list that already included two boxes of cereal on it, and surprisingly he came home with only the two requested boxes! I guess he realized he’d be privy to the leftovers once I used what I needed. My mission? This Betty Crocker snack mix that my mom found on Pinterest and requested I bring on Thanksgiving for some pre-meal snacking.

Golden grahams are one of my favorites (especially in these dessert bars!), but cocoa puffs I could take or leave…that is, until I tried this mix. The combination of the sweet cereals, the salty pretzels, and the crunchy peanuts, all covered in white chocolate bark and powdered sugar is positively dreamy. Oh, and don’t forget about the peanut butter M&Ms (or Reese’s Pieces) that you also toss in there! In 20 minutes you can have an addicting snack mix that gives puppy chow a serious run for its money!

One Year Ago: Cranberry Coffee Cake
Two Years Ago: Ghirardelli Brownies with Chocolate Ganache

Crunchy Peanut Butter Mix
from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:
-4 cups Golden Grahams cereal
-2 cups Cocoa Puffs cereal
-2 cups thin pretzel sticks
-1 cup Reese's pieces or peanut butter M&Ms
-1 cup dry-roasted peanuts
-10 oz. white chocolate baking bars or squares, chopped
-2 tbsp butter
-1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Mix cereals, pretzels, candy, and peanuts in a large bowl.
2. In a 1-quart microwaveable bowl, microwave white chocolate and butter uncovered on high for 1 minute, stirring once, until melted and chocolate can be stirred smooth (I used almond bark and it took about 2 minutes to melt completely). Pour chocolate over cereal mixture, stirring to evenly coat.
3. In a large resealable plastic bag, toss half of the cereal mixture with 1/4 of the powdered sugar, shaking until evenly coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Repeat with remaining cereal mixture and remaining 1/4 cup powdered sugar. (I just put it all in a paper bag and added 1/2 cup powdered sugar). Store mixture in an airtight container at room temperature.

Goat Cheese Biscuits

2011-12-11T04:54:00.013-06:00

Rumor has it, my 94 year old great grandma, affectionately known as Peanut, has a killer biscuit recipe. My mom tells me she used to make these for us all the time, but the only food memories I have of Peanut revolve around an abundance of Bugles, which we loved to place on the tips of our fingers, and the end pieces of the bread, which we’d take from her apartment and make the trek to the nearby pond to feed the ducks. Apparently the biscuit recollections are lost amongst the Bugles and the duck-feeding!

These are not those biscuits. I have that biscuit recipe and now that I’ve discovered a slight obsession with biscuits, those are next on my list to try. I’ll report back.

In the meantime, make these. It’s not a question of if you should make them, it’s a question of when. Take it from me: sooner than later! Take it from Ryan, who was very quick to call dibs on the leftovers.

These are basically edible pillows—soft and light with a slight tang from the goat cheese. They’d be perfect for breakfast (I’m now cursing myself for not trying one with jam!), lunch, or dinner. I served them alongside soup, but I’d be perfectly content to whip up a batch and eat them plain, one by one!

One Year Ago: Vicky's Spinach Dip

Two Years Ago: Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

Goat Cheese Biscuits

from Joy the Baker

Ingredients:

-2 cups all purpose flour

-3 tsp baking powder

-1 1/2 tsp salt

-4 tbsp (2 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

-1 tbsp unsalted butter, for the pan

-2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted to top the biscuits

-4 tbsp (2 oz.) goat cheese, crumbled

-1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

1. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425F. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven to preheat (note-I don't have one and just used a baking dish)

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and goat cheese, mixing with your fingers, until mixture is coarse and pebbly.

3. Create a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Mix together with a fork until the dry flour disappears.

4. Melt 2 tbsp of butter and set aside. Remove the baking dish from the oven and add a tbsp of butter to it, allowing it to melt and tilting dish to spread and grease the pan.

5. Spoon the batter into the hot skillet, 1/4 cup at a time. Brush biscuits with melted butter and bake for 14-16 minutes, until slightly golden. Remove from oven, let rest for 5 minutes, and serve warm.

No Bake Biscoff Granola Bars

2011-12-10T04:50:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago I was stuck in traffic on the way home from work. Now, no one likes to sit in traffic, but this day was particularly frustrating. You see, normally Ryan drives me to and from work, meaning he deals with incompetent drivers and stop and go traffic while I play Words with Friends on my phone or flip through a magazine. This particular day I was left to fend for myself, since Ryan had left that morning for a business trip to San Diego.

With nothing on the radio and a telephone call that went unanswered by my mom, I set out to distract myself and in the process, dreamt up these granola bars. I've had Biscoff spread in my pantry for several weeks now...I'd seen it popping up in recipes all over the blogosphere and snapped up the only jar I saw on a trip to World Market. (Never heard of the stuff? It's essentially crushed up Biscoff cookies, which you may be familiar with if you've ever flown on Delta airlines. Can't find the stuff? You can buy it online here!) Since then it had been sitting in my pantry, but I'd been too busy making sinfully delicious cupcakes and pumpkin rolls to crack it open. Knowing I also had an open bag of puffed wheat cereal--a clearance buy I'd snagged at the grocery store (who can resist those bright orange tags?!)--I figured I'd give a Biscoff granola bar a try.

These are chewy and slightly sweet, with the gingery cinnamon Biscoff flavor hitting you after your second or third bite. I opted not to add any sweetener aside from the honey or Biscoff, making this sweet but not sickeningly so. My original recipe needed a bit more "stickiness" to give that extra chew I love, so I slightly adjusted the amounts below. If you'd like a drier bar (note--they will crumble a bit more easily), use only 1/2 cup of honey and 1/2 cup Biscoff spread.

Now that I've opened the jar of Biscoff, there's no stopping me. I can't wait to create something else with the delicious spread...that is, if I don't use it all to make more of these granola bars!

Note--I actually made these several weeks ago...since I made them, Trader Joe's came out with "Cookie Butter" which is essentially Biscoff....so if you can't find Biscoff, check out your local Trader Joe's so that you can give these a try!

One Year Ago: La Cuisine Chocolate Cookies

No Bake Biscoff Granola Bars
A Sweets Life Original

Ingredients:
-3 cups puffed wheat cereal
-1 cup old-fashioned oats
-3/4 cup honey
-3/4 cup Biscoff spread
-1/3 cup M&Ms

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat honey and Biscoff, stirring until smooth.
2. In a large bowl, combine puffed wheat and oats. Pour Biscoff mixture over cereal and stir with a wooden spoon to fully combine. Stir in M&Ms.
3. Press mixture into a greased 9-inch square pan. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Cut into squares and serve.

Creamy Sweet Potato and Chipotle Soup

2011-12-09T04:47:00.004-06:00

I am all about soup for dinner. Paired with salad or bread (preferably both!), it makes for a (usually) healthy meal. Even better, most soups can be made ahead of time and then re-heated just before serving. Even better than that, most soups make large batches and the leftovers can be frozen. I seriously love planning my meals for the week and knowing I have soup I can pull out of the freezer to thaw the night before we want to eat it.

This sweet potato soup is another one to add to my growing list of soups and stews! I have a favorite creamy sweet potato soup that I frequently make—it’s definitely a household favorite. This time I branched out and tried a new recipe, courtesy of Food and Wine magazine.

I doubled the recipe which meant there was enough for 4 of us, plus extra for freezing. The flavor in this soup was fantastic—spicy and smoky from the chipotle pepper, but with a bit of sweetness from the apples. My only complaint was the texture. I prefer a thick soup and the water added to this one makes for an incredibly thin and runny soup. My recommendation is to start with broth only and add additional broth or water after you blend it, based on how thick you’d like it.

Any favorite soup recipes you’d like to pass along to me? There’s LOTS of winter left (ugh), meaning lots more soup-making and eating!

One Year Ago: Winter Fruit Salad (one of my FAVORITE green salads!)
Two Years Ago: Chicken Sandwiches with Mushrooms, Spinach, and Cheese

Creamy Sweet Potato and Chipotle Soup
seen on Healthy Delicious, adapted from Food & Wine Magazine

Ingredients:
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1/2 onion, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 tsp freshly grated ginger
-2 gala apples, peeled and chopped
-1 celery rib, chopped
-2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
-4 cups vegetable or chicken stock (I used broth)
-2 cups water (reduce or eliminate for a thicker soup)
-1 chipotle pepper (from a can of chipotles in adobo), chopped
-1 cinnamon stick

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the apples, celery, and sweet potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the water, broth, and cinnamon stick. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are soft. Remove the cinnamon stick and discard. Stir in the chopped chipotle.
3. Puree in a blender or with an immersion blender. Reheat until warm.

Southern Comfort Apple Pie

2011-12-08T04:11:00.028-06:00

Do you want the good news first or the bad news first?

Had you asked me, I’d want the bad news first, so that’s what you’re getting. This pie almost burnt my house down.

Okay, “burnt my house down” might be a slight exaggeration, but it did cause my entire kitchen to fill with smoke, set off our smoke detector, and then require us to open every window in the house for the afternoon in an attempt to remove the smell.

WAIT, don’t leave! This pie doesn’t have to be dangerous…chalk it up to my overly filled pie plate. So long as you save enough room (1 ½ inches or so) between the top of the filling and the edge of the plate, you’ll be good to go. No overflowing caramel. No burning caramel in oven. No smoky kitchen.

Onto the good news. This pie is really good. I feel a little bad giving it to you after Thanksgiving, which in some families might as well be called Pie Day. If you’re like our family, however, you’ll eat apple pie year round, meaning you don’t have to wait 11 months to give this a try!

Several reviews I read of this pie called it the best pie they’d EVER eaten. I’m still partial to my grandma’s apple pie, but this is definitely a fantastic pie…especially if you love caramel! The filling is sweet and the topping has a nice crunch from the pecans, making this more of a caramel apple pecan pie than anything else. I brought this to our church Thanksgiving dinner, which is why I only have pictures of it prior to us cutting into it. Rest assured, underneath the crumble topping is a thick layer of caramel soaked apples. It was worth the shivering I did while we aired out the house ;)

One Year Ago: Gingerbread Truffles (Cake Balls)
Two Years Ago: Pumpkin Blondies

Southern Comfort Apple Pie
from the Pastry Queen cookbook, as seen on 20-something Cupcakes

Ingredients:
-1 single crust pie, homemade or store bought

for the topping-
-1/2 cup pecan halves
-1/3 cup sugar
-3 tbsp firmly packed dark brown sugar
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/3 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter

for the apples-
-5-6 medium-sized tart apples (I only used 4 and I used Braeburn)
-1/2 cup unsalted butter
-3 tbsp cinnamon
-1 cup sugar
-3/4 cup Southern Comfort liqueur
-1/2 cup whipping cream

Directions:
1. Roll out pie crust and place in a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork and store in fridge until ready to fill.
2. To make the topping, combine the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and flour in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Meanwhile, lay pecans on a baking sheet and bake at 350F for 7 minutes, until toasted. Coarsely chop nuts and set aside.
3. Add butter, cut in small pieces, to food processor and pulse until mixture is crumbly. Pour mixture into a bowl, stir in pecans, and refrigerate until ready to use.
4. To make the apples, peel, core, and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once butter is foaming, add apples and saute for 5-8 minutes.
5. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Pour over apples, stir to combine, and cook for an additional minute. With a slotted spoon remove apples (leaving as much butter mixture as possible in the skillet) and lay in a single layer on a baking sheet.
6. Add Southern Comfort to butter mixture and simmer over medium heat until alcohol burns off (5-10 minutes). Add cream and continue simmering until mixture thickens slightly (5-10 minutes). Pour apples back into skillet and stir to coat.
7. Fill pie crust with apple mixture, leaving 1 1/2 inches between the apple mixture and the top of the pan, and sprinkle with topping. Bake at 375F for 50-60 minutes, until filling is bubbling and topping is brown.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

2011-12-07T04:20:00.006-06:00

On Thanksgiving Day, Nate (my sister's new FIANCE :)), Ryan, and I were en route to Children's Hospital to pick Julia up from her overnight shift. While at a stoplight, a man in a truck next to us waved his arms to get our attention. I rolled down the window and he casually mentioned that we had a cupcake sitting on the back of the car. I looked over my shoulder to discover that it was not a cupcake, but a pumpkin cream cheese muffin, precariously resting on the edge of the trunk.

It must've looked appetizing, because the man continued to question me. "Is that indeed a cupcake?" I told him it was a muffin and the light changed before we had a chance to grab the escapee (okay, false. The boys refused to get it from outside because they wanted to see if it would make it all the way to the hospital!).

The muffin managed to stay on the car a few more miles and when we pulled into the hospital parking lot, Ryan promptly grabbed the muffin and ate it!

I'm very glad we didn't lose a muffin en route, because these are too good to be run over on the highway! These muffins require multiple steps and a bit of attention, but the end result is oh so worth it! My cream cheese mixture wasn't freezing very well, so I just spooned it into the muffin cups instead of slicing pieces and it still worked wonderfully. These muffins are perfectly spiced, with a streusel that puts them over the top!

Hopefully you still have some pumpkin hanging out in your cabinet because you don't want to wait until next Fall to make these!

One Year Ago: Turkey, Mushroom, and Broccoli Pie

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
from Annie's Eats
*makes 24 muffins

Ingredients:
for the filling-
-8 oz. cream cheese, softened
-1 cup confectioners' sugar

for the muffins-
-1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (original recipe calls for 3 cups all-purpose)
-1 tsp ground cinnamon
-1 tsp ground nutmeg
-1 tsp ground cloves
-1 tbsp plus 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp baking soda
-4 large eggs
-1 1/2 cups sugar (original called for 2 cups)
-2 cups pumpkin puree
-1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

for the topping-
-1/2 cup sugar
-5 tbsp flour
-1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
-4 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions:
1. Combine the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar in a mixing bowl, beating until smooth. Place the mixture into a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log (1.5 inches in diameter). Cover the wrapped log in aluminum foil and place in the freezer for 2 hours until slightly firm.
2. To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper lines. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, all of the spices, the salt, and the baking soda. Stir to combine.
3. In a large bowl, add the sugar, eggs, pumpkin, and oil. Use an electric mixer to mix on medium-low speed just until blended. Add the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
4. To make the topping, mix the sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Refrigerate mixture until ready to use.
5. Fill each muffin cup with 1-2 tbsp of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the muffin cup. Slice the cream cheese log into 24 pieces. Place a slice in each muffin cup on top of the batter. Top each muffin cup with remaining batter. Sprinkle topping over each of the muffins.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer muffins to a wire rack and cool completely before serving.

Slow Cooker Tequila Turkey Chili

2011-12-06T04:11:00.010-06:00

Chili is one of those meals that I don’t remember how much I love until I’m actually dipping my spoon into a steaming bowl of it. We eat soup far more often than we eat chili, but that might be changing now that I’ve tried this turkey tequila chili! Seen on Tracey’s blog, it is originally a Cook’s Illustrated recipe, so I knew it would be successful. It takes a little bit of pre-work, but then you just stick it in the crockpot and let the flavors mesh for a few hours. I prepped it the night before and then set my crockpot on warm the next morning since everything in it was already cooked (good thing, because we ended up being gone for 12 hours!).

This chili is spicy and comforting. The tequila isn’t overtly noticeable, but I liked the flavor it added. After filling up on a bowl of this, I still found myself eating spoonfuls of the leftovers! We served ours with homemade baked tortilla chips because I had some corn tortillas that I needed to use up (just cut, place on a baking sheet lined with foil, spray with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt, and bake at 400F for 10 minutes or so, until lightly browned and crispy). This would also be good with cornbread or whatever your favorite chili accompaniment is! Next time I’ll double the recipe—there was ample room in my crockpot for more and I wouldn’t mind eating this for days!

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Slow Cooker Tequila Turkey Chili
From Tracey’s Culinary Adventures

Ingredients:
-1 slice sandwich bread, torn into pieces
-2 tbsp milk
-1 lb ground turkey
-2 tbsp vegetable/canola oil
-2 onions, minced
-2 tbsp chili powder
-2 tbsp tomato paste
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-2 tsp ground cumin
-1/2 tsp dried oregano
-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
-1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
-1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
-1/4 cup tequila (plus more for serving, if desired)
-2 tbsp soy sauce
-1 tbsp honey
-1 tsp minced chipotle chile in adobo
-1 tsp lime zest
-1 tbsp fresh lime juice (plus more for serving, if desired)
-sour cream, cheese, chips, or other desired toppings

Directions:
1. Mash the bread and the milk into a paste into a large bowl. Add the turkey with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Gently mix to combine and set aside.
2. Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, chili powder, tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, and red pepper flakes, sauteeing for 8-10 minutes, until onions are soft and browned.
3. Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking up pieces with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink. Stir in tomato sauce.
4. Transfer mixture to the slow cooker. Add the diced tomatoes (with juice), 3 tbsp of tequila, soy sayce, honey, and chipotle chili, stirring to combine. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
5. Just before serving, stir in remaining tbsp of tequila, lime juice, and zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with favorite chili toppings and additional tequila or lime juice, if desired.

Cinnamon Apple Salad

2011-12-05T04:53:00.005-06:00

I have a ton of salad recipes on this blog. I also have a ton of favorite salad recipes on this blog. I love me a good dinner salad, which I most definitely got from my mom. Despite the abundance of salads you'll find on this blog, I'm not going to stop trying new ones. I can't, because then I might miss out on wonderful new discoveries like this one.

The ingredients are basic: apples, goat cheese, walnuts...but when combined with a cinnamon raspberry vinaigrette, the salad is anything but basic! The original recipe calls for microwaving the apples in cinnamon. I did that the first time I made the salad, as you'll see in the photos above. The second time around, I just added a chopped apple and skipped the microwaving/cinnamon step. To be honest, both versions were good, but I probably liked the non-cinnamon apple version better. You still get the cinnamon flavor from the dressing and I imagine mushy apples might be a turnoff for some. Still, try it either way you desire...the salad's sure to be a win!

One Year Ago: Pumpkin Gingerbread Mini Loaves

Cinnamon Apple Salad with Goat Cheese and Walnuts

from Southern Living, December 2006

Ingredients:

-1 apple (I used honeycrisp!), quartered and cored

-2 tsp water

-2 tsp ground cinnamon, divided

-1/4 cup raspberry vinegar

-1 tsp sugar

-1 tsp Dijon mustard

-1/4 tsp salt

-1/2 cup canola oil

-1 (8-10 oz.) package mixed salad greens

-1/2 package (4 oz.) crumbled goat cheese

-3 tbsp walnuts, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Cut apple quarters into 1/4-inch slices. Place in a microwave-safe bowl with 2 tsp water and 1 tsp cinnamon. Microwave on high for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds. Set aside to cool. (Alternately, you could just cut the apples into chunks and skip the cinnamon/microwave part of this.)

2. Whisk together vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, and remaining 1 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl until combined. Add canola oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking to combine.

3. In a large bowl, toss salad greens with goat cheese, walnuts, and apples. Add vinaigrette (you might have extra, depending on how heavily dressed you want your salad) and toss to combine.