Mini Lasagna Cups

Lasagna is comfort food at it's best! My mom made great lasagna growing up. I loved the thick layers of noodles, creamy cheese filling and the tasty meat sauce. I always had a hard time waiting for the pan of lasagna to cool down enough to dish up so that it wouldn't spread all over my plate!

Well, the only thing better than homemade lasagna is homemade MINI lasagnas! Food always tastes and looks better when in mini form, don't you agree? How cute are these? I had so much fun making them. This is some absolutely delicious lasagna and in perfect portions too.

Making mini lasagnas takes about the same amount of time as it does to make traditional lasagna. Although you don't have to precook noodles, you do have to scoop filling into each cup. But a small scoop, like ones you use for cookie dough, makes quick work of it and you'll be done before you know it.

This is a fun way to change up your typical lasagna. It's also great for large gatherings or small munchkin mouths.

Mini Lasagna Cups
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 1/2 - 2 cups marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper
24 square wonton wrappers
1/4 cup chiffonade of fresh basil

Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble sausage into pan and saute until cooked through. Drain fat from pan and add marinara sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, dried oregano and dried basil, a pinch of salt and pepper, and just over 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Set aside.

Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. Line each cup with 1 wonton wrapper, pressing firmly in the bottom of the cup and up the sides. Using half of the cheese mixture, divide it evenly into each of the muffin cups. Do the same with the meat sauce. Gently press another wonton wrapper, in the opposite direction of the first wrapper. Repeat layers with remaining cheese mixture and meat sauce. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and wonton wrappers are golden. Remove from oven and sprinkle fresh basil over the top of each one. Allow to cool in pan 5-10 minutes before serving.





SOURCE:Adapted from Kevin & Amanda and Sensible Shoppers

Valentine's Day Round-up

If you are still searching for some ideas for your Valentine's Day meal, I've rounded up some ideas for you. Hope your day is wonderful and full of love!!!

Breakfast in Bed
Banana Pancakes with Peanut Butter and Maple Syrup
Oatmeal Raspberry Pancakes with Berry Coulis
Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes
Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes
Baked Oatmeal


Elegant Dinners
Chicken Milano
Chicken Parmesan
Lemon garlic Shrimp with Orzo
Risotto with Roasted Chicken and Caramelized Onion
Squash Ravioli
Four Cheese Ravioli

Decadent Desserts
Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies
Lemon Poppy Seed Cakes with Raspberry Filling
Decadent Brownie Pie
Peanut Butter White Chocolate Popcorn
Peanut Butter Cup Trifle
Chocolate Chipotle Cupcakes with Chocolate Chili Ganache and Cinnamon Ice Cream
Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Cherry Chocolate Cake
Tres Leches Cake
Bittersweet Chocolate Pear Cake with Buttermilk Ice Cream
Mini Orange Chocolate Chunk Cakes

Wheat-Oat Pancake Mix

My daughter asks for pancakes just about every other day, and since we just LOVE pancakes around here, this mix was a no-brainer. Especially since it's a whole grain mix. Now, I've made my fair share of pancakes over the years, so I can pretty much do it with my eyes closed in about 30 seconds flat! BUT, having a mix all ready to go, takes it down to about 15 seconds. Who can beat that? Now, I'm sure a bowl of cold cereal probably could, but how can you pass up a nice hot breakfast? Not I.

Even if you're not a morning person, throw together this mix ahead of time and you can still have a yummy, healthy hot breakfast in no time!

Wheat-Oat Pancake Mix
3 1/2 cups oats (rolled or quick is fine)
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking soda
3/4 cup oil*

To make the mix: Grind the oats in a food processor until they're chopped fine, but not a powder. Combine the oats, flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl, preferably an electric mixer. Mix on low speed, and drizzle the oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of the mix in your hand; if it holds together, it's just right. If it won't hold together, stir in 1 tablespoon of oil at a time, until it does. Store indefinitely in an airtight container in the freezer. *(I have also left the oil out of the mix and just added 2 tablespoons for each cup of mix at the time I make the batter up. Either way works well.)

To make the pancakes: Whisk together 1 cup mix, 1 cup buttermilk (or other milk) and 1 large egg. Don't worry if the batter seems thin at first; it'll thicken as it stands. Let the batter stand while the griddle heats up.

Heat your griddle or pan till a drop of water sputters when you drop it on the surface (on my griddle it's about medium-high or 250 degrees F). Lightly grease, if necessary, and pour pancake batter by the 1/4-cupful onto the griddle. A muffin scoop works well here. Cook the pancakes till they're golden brown on the bottom, flip them over, and cook till golden brown on the other side.

We love to change up the batter every once in a while and add different mix-ins for variety. Here are some of our favorites:
1 large, ripe banana, smashed
1 cup pumpkin puree and 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (and chocolate chips sometimes too)
1 cup applesauce (or shredded apple), with cinnamon and nutmeg

Each batch makes about 8-10 pancakes or about 12-14 when you mix in fruit.


SOURCE: King Arthur Flour

Pretzel Rolls

Ok, a while back a friend and reader asked if I had a recipe for pretzel rolls. Well, not only did I NOT have a recipe but I had never heard of them! That totally intrigued me and sent me on a search for a great recipe. I bookmarked a couple recipes but wasn't able to get to them for quite a while.

Recently my two oldest girls have developed a small love affair with hamburgers and when putting them on our weekly menu a little while ago, I remembered the pretzel rolls my friend had asked me about and thought they would go perfect with homemade hamburgers. (Although I still totally love these buns I usually make.)

I have to admit, although the recipe is easy, the rolls totally flopped the first time I made them. I was SO disappointed that I made them again the very next day! I think my problem was that I made the dough too moist like the dough I make for our sandwich bread; this requires a much stiffer dough than I am used to.

Anyway, the second time I made them they were both delicious and beautiful. They just looked adorable! I loved how the cracks on the top made them look just like real pretzels.

So, try these the next time burgers are on your menu and change it up a bit from the norm! You'll love them too.

Pretzel Rolls
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/4 cup baking soda
large saucepan of water
1 egg, lightly beaten
pretzel salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and butter. Pulse just to combine. Add the water and mix 3-5 minutes; until thoroughly combined. Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a light towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Punch down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.

Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Cut the dough into 18 pieces (2 ounces each-I use my kitchen scale but you can just eyeball it). For larger rolls, like for hamburger buns, I suggest you make the dough into about 3 1/2-4 ounce balls.) To shape, take a piece of dough and start forming a round, smooth ball by pulling the sides to the center and pinching to seal.

Place, pinched side down, on a counter and lightly cupping your hand around the dough ball, rotate your hand in small circles lightly rolling the ball around the palm of your hand. Place on baking sheet pinched seam side down at least 1” between each roll. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for until doubled in size again.

Preheat oven to 425°F and place oven racks on the lowest and middle positions.

In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a LOW boil. Add the baking soda (it will bubble a bit) and LOWER heat to a simmer. Put the rolls into the poaching liquid, 2-3 at a time and seam side down. Poach for 30 seconds then carefully turn the roll over and poach other side for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon to the same prepared sheet pans, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining rolls.

With a pastry brush, glaze each roll with the lightly beaten egg making sure to coat all sides completely. Top each roll with a sprinkle of pretzel salt.

Bake the rolls in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.

Source: Slightly adapted from The Misadventures of Myrtle Grace

Greek Pasta Salad

Ok, it's probably time I threw in something healthy again, you know with it being the new year and all. I don't know about you but my attempts to keep away from sweets are just not working!!! Maybe it's the whole having a baby thing and those extra 300 calories a day I need in order to feed baby. We do eat rather healthy at mealtimes, it's just those times in between that get me. A girl needs her chocolate you know!!

Anyway, I digress. On to this salad. I love salads. I love Greek food. Pasta is good. This is a great combo! My sister brought a similar pasta salad to one of our family dinners over the holidays and I had been thinking about it ever since. I knew it would be something that the whole family would eat and enjoy; not always an easy task with a toddler and preschooler to please. When I came upon this recipe and looked at the dressing ingredients, I realized it was pretty much the same dressing I use on my Greek Panzanella, which I love, so I knew the flavor would be spot on.

We ate this as is, meatless, for our whole dinner, although it would be fabulous with some roast chicken shredded on top (YUM!). I love that this only took about 10 minutes to prepare (almost a necessity these days). I made the dressing, then while the pasta cooked, I chopped veggies.

Greek Pasta Salad
For the salad:
1 pound gemelli or other short pasta
1 cucumber, peeled and diced (about half-inch pieces)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 large red onion, thinly sliced (or more if you like)
1 can black olives, drained (halved, if desired)
3 cups firmly packed baby spinach
feta cheese, crumbled

For the Greek Dressing:
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp.Dijon mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup olive oil


To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper and olive oil until well combined. Set aside. (This can be made ahead of time)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes, or as label directs. Drain, rinse under cold water and transfer to a bowl. Add remaining salad ingredients, all but the feta. Toss with dressing and crumble feta over the whole salad or each individual salad.


SOURCE: myrecipes.com

Trail Mix

I've been eating this stuff as long as I can remember. Although I haven't made it much the past few years, my mom would make this every once in a while growing up. The other day I was looking for a treat to make for our family night and I remembered this! It's so quick and easy to throw together and you probably have most of the ingredients on hand.

Not only is this a perfect snack for a family fun night, but it also makes a great little gift for a teacher or friend.

Trail Mix
5 cups Cheerios
5 cups Corn Chex
4 cups pretzel sticks
2 cups peanuts
1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups light Karo syrup

Mix first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil butter sugar and Karo syrup. Boil for for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir down bubbles. Pour over dry mix and stir to combine. Pour onto a cookie sheet after mixed to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Neapolitan Layer Cake

Ok, I thought it was high time I got this cake posted. I made it for my three-year-old's birthday the beginning of December and I've been wanting to post it ever since. I wanted my daughter to help choose her cake so we sat down together and looked and some pictures of yummy cakes. She chose this one because it was PINK!!! Go figure, she's such a girl.

Actually, this cake was really delicious, despite being chosen mainly for it's color. I loved each and every layer. The original frosting, however, I wasn't crazy about, so I tweaked it and came up with what you see here.

This cake comes together pretty easily, although it may look hard. Two things I would suggest in making this cake is to leave yourself plenty of time and chill, chill, chill!!! I made the cake layers the day before I planned on putting it together so they could chill in the fridge overnight. A chilled cake is also much easier to cut and very helpful when applying your crumb coat.


Neapolitan Layer Cake

For the chocolate cake:
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp. dark cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the white cake:
2 large egg whites
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup very cold water
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract

For the strawberry cake:
1 1/4 cups plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1.5 oz. strawberry gelatin
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup sweetened strawberry puree*

For the filling:
Vanilla buttercream or good quality strawberry jam (I actually had plenty of strawberry frosting leftover, I could have used a thin layer as the filling.)

For the strawberry buttercream frosting:
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries (8 oz.), rinsed, hulled and coarsely chopped*
4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar

*To make the strawberry puree, process partially thawed frozen strawberries with a bit of sugar in a blender or food processor until smooth. If using sweetened frozen strawberries, no additional sugar is necessary.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. To make the chocolate cake, butter and flour the edges of a 9-inch round pan, shaking out the excess flour. Line the bottom with a round of parchment. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt; whisk to blend and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar, vegetable oil and egg. Beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, blend in half of the dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated. Blend in the coffee, buttermilk and vanilla just until smooth. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, then turn the cake out onto the rack and let cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least an hour, up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. To make the white cake, butter and flour the edges of a 9-inch round pan, shaking out the excess flour. Line the bottom with a round of parchment. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; whisk to blend and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to medium high and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.

Transfer the egg whites to another bowl and set aside. In the bowl of the electric mixer now fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and butter, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Blend in the water, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients just until incorporated. With a silicone spatula, stir in about a quarter of the egg whites to lighten the batter. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites, until the batter is smooth and no streaks remain.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, then turn the cake out onto the rack and let cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least an hour, up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. To make the strawberry cake, butter and flour the edges of a 9-inch round pan, shaking out the excess flour. Line the bottom with a round of parchment. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; whisk to blend and set aside. Combine the sugar, strawberry gelatin and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat the eggs into the sugar mixture one at a time, mixing well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until incorporated. Blend in the milk and vanilla extract. Add in the remaining dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. Blend in the strawberry puree.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, then turn the cake out onto the rack and let cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least an hour, up to overnight.

To make the frosting, place the strawberries in a food processor or blender. Puree until completely smooth. Combine the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer** fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes. (The bowl should be cool to the touch.)

Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (or longer – don’t worry, it will come together!) Blend in the strawberry puree until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Finally, add in the powdered sugar and beat until incorporated.

To assemble the cake, slice each of the (chilled) cake layers horizontally into two thin halves. Place one of the chocolate layers on a cake board or cake platter. Top with a very thin layer of the vanilla buttercream or strawberry jam (I alternated buttercream and jam on each of the layers). Place a layer of the strawberry cake on top. Again, cover with a thin layer of vanilla buttercream or strawberry jam. Top with a layer of the white cake. Cover with a thin layer of the vanilla buttercream or strawberry jam. Repeat the process with the remaining layers of chocolate and strawberry cake. (For a taller cake, you can use the remaining layer of white cake. Otherwise, you can wrap tightly and save for later use or discard.)

Crumb coat the top and sides of the cake with the strawberry buttercream and let it chill for 30-60 minutes in the fridge. Remove cake from fridge and evenly frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining strawberry buttercream; leaving some for detailing, if desired.

Transfer remaining buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip for detailing as desired. (I skipped this step as my detailing skills leave much to be desired, although I had enough buttercream to do so.)



SOURCE: Lightly adapted from Annie's Eats

Tropical Granola

Today I've got a little mid-winter pick-me-up to share with you. Now's about the time of year that winter starts getting old. The dreary, cloudy days. The enormous piles of snow everywhere. The days that get dark by 5pm. Although this winter has been pretty mild actually (it's snowed like twice here in Utah), I still find myself longing for the warm spring days when I can take my kids out again on walks and to the park to play with their friends.

Making food that's light and refreshing always makes me feel better, just like this granola. Granola is so versatile, I love it! Occasionally I'll make the same granola more than once, if it's super good, like this cherry almond granola or this pepita granola (perfect for fall!!). However, there's just so many flavor combinations to try out, I make it different often.

Since dried fruit is available year round, you can make this granola any time! I have found dried fruit at my grocery store both in the produce section and on the aisle next to the canned fruit and raisins. Normally, I try to purchase my dried fruit at grocers that have a bulk section. That way I can get the amount that I need and it's usually more fresh.

Tropical Granola
3 cups oats
2 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup cashews (preferable unsalted)
1 1/2 cups coconut flakes
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 - 1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 cups dried pineapple, mango and papaya, small-diced
2 Tbsp. crystallized ginger, finely diced

In a large bowl, mix together oats, cereal, nuts and coconut flakes. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the coconut oil and honey; stir in the applesauce and spices until well-combined. Pour over the oat mixture and stir until completely coated. Spread granola out over 2 large, rimmed cookie sheets and bake at 325 degrees F about 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

When done cooking, remove granola from oven and let cool. Add dried fruit and ginger. Store in either an airtight container or a heavy-duty zip-top bag in the fridge or freezer to maximize freshness.

Thai Chicken Pizza

I absolutely could not wait to share this pizza with you. It was so incredibly delicious and quite unique too. If you love Thai food, this is right up your alley. The pizza has pretty typical toppings found in many Thai dishes: carrots, red pepper and cilantro. And the sauce....oh the sauce!!! Let's just say I could swim in it and slurp it up all day. It's the most amazing thing ever. I found myself using the leftovers for pasta, dipping veggies, and as a salad dressing.

I threw this together rather quickly on some Indian Naan bread. It makes a fabulous lunch or a speedy weeknight dinner.

Thai Chicken Pizza
4 Indian Naan bread
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
1 red pepper, julienne
2 green onions, chopped
1-2 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Thai Peanut Sauce (recipe below)
sweet chili sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Make the Thai peanut sauce and set aside. Gather the veggies and chop them up accordingly. In a small bowl, toss the chicken with a little sweet chili sauce.

On each piece of Naan, spread about 2 tablespoons of the peanut sauce. Layer with chicken, peppers, onions, carrots and cilantro. Top with a small handful of cheese. Bake about 7-10 minutes.


Thai Peanut Sauce
1/2 C peanut butter
1 lime, juiced
2 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. minced ginger
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
2-3 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce
2-4 Tbsp. water

SOURCE:Pizza adapted from Budget Bytes and sauce adapted from Our Best Bites

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Hot Fudge Sauce

What better way to start off a Monday morning than with chocolate right? I have been making things from scratch for my family for quite a while, and I am still trying hard to do as much as I can, and more, from scratch so I know exactly what goes in to our food.

Making condiments, like sauces, syrups, salad dressings and spice mixes, is not any harder than making a home cooked meal. In fact, in my experience so far, it is fairly easy, takes a minimal amount of time and usually the ingredients are not hard to find. You may even have them on hand in your pantry. I can't remember the last time I bought salad dressing or a seasoning packet for my meat.

This chocolate sauce is one of those things that I will never buy again and always make at home. I think the taste is FAR better than anything you can get in the store anyway. I have made it several times recently and let me tell you, it doesn't last long at our house. I've even snuck into the fridge a time or two and eaten it right off a spoon!!!

Hot Fudge Sauce
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 12-oz can evaporated milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

In a medium saucepan, melt chocolate chips and butter over low heat. Gradually add evaporated milk and powdered sugar. Blend well and bring to a boil. Boil for 8 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve warm. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

2011 Favorites

Looking back through all my posts from this year, I was surprised how many there were, considering how sick I was with my pregnancy and how delusional I was (and still am) from lack of sleep now that she's here.

It was fun to look back and reminisce on all the yummy food that was made and reminded me of some dishes I NEED to make again. So, I've made a line up of my favorite savory dishes and my favorite sweet treats. Here they are, in no particular order.



Sweet Pepper, Tomato and Feta Pizza-I fell in love with this pizza too and made it many, many times over the summer.

Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers-Well, you know I love coconut anything, but I wasn't the only one that loved these in our house; my kids gobbled them up as well.

Lemon and Oregano Roast Chicken-Love, love, loved this chicken! After grilling, roasting chicken is my next favorite way of preparing it. Plus, when you roast a whole chicken, you have it all cooked for several meals ahead of time.

Chicken Milano-We so totally fell in love with this dish. It is the perfect combination of flavors.

Asian Wonton Salad- I'm a firm believer that when it comes to eating salads, variety is the key. This was so fun and different, I loved eating it.

Asian Wraps with Creamy Peanut Sauce-Maybe it's my love of peanut butter that I loved this dish so much because man that dipping sauce is something else! This is SUPER delicious!

Chicken Parmesan-This was easily one of the two best meals I made this year (Chicken Milano being the other one). It was absolutely perfect.

Sesame Noodles-Made this many times, even the kids eat it!

Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Orzo-Incredibly simple dish but packed with flavor.

Berry Chicken Salad with Berry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette-Another tasty and colorful salad.




Coconut Brownies with Creamy Coconut Frosting-Rich, creamy and delicious and totally unique!

Bananas Foster Bread-I love banana bread in general; this is my boozy bread version.

Cake Batter Pancakes-We totally love pancakes around here. I think I made these for every birthday this year. So fun!


Tres Leches Cake-I don't make a whole lot of cake, except for birthdays and such, but this is absolutely to die for. I'll have to make it again for our 5 de mayo party.

Raspberry Almond Cookie Bars-Sometimes you just want something sweet and delicious and NOT chocolate..cue these rich cookie bars-YUM.

Sugar Cookies with Cherry Buttercream-I've made and eaten a lot of sugar cookies in my day and I can honestly say that this cookie and frosting recipe are so perfect. The subtleness of the cherry in the frosting is absolutely amazing.

S'mores Ice Cream-Love s'mores; love ice cream. Great combo!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies- I can't believe I ever waited so long to try these. One of my most favorite cookies ever.

Chocolate Coconut Fudge-Million dollar fudge right here folks...not joking!

Egg Nog Syrup-This is the perfect condiment for the holidays. You can use it on pancakes, ice cream, warm gingerbread or cake, the sky is the limit!

Egg Nog Gingerbread Trifle

I'm so glad I finally get to post this delicious trifle! I saw it last year and made my version of it, but it was gone before I could get a photo or hardly even a taste. I took it to a Christmas party this year and the same thing happened, so I was determined to make it again. I decided to make it a third time for our family dinner on Christmas day and I finally got a nice big helping, and leftovers to eat for breakfast the next day!!!

This is a beautiful and festive trifle with layers of yummy gingerbread, tart raspberries and delicious custard made with egg nog, topping it off with some whipping cream, fresh raspberries and ginger snap crumbs. This will definitely wow the socks off any guests you have over this holiday, or even your family

For the gingerbread:
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, slightly softened
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark molasses
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup buttermilk

For the egg nog custard:
9 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
3 cups good egg nog

For the filling and garnish:
3 (12-ounce) packages frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed and drained
1 cup chilled heavy cream
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. confectioners' sugar
1/2 pint fresh raspberries
ginger snap cookies, crumbled (optional)


To make the gingerbread: Heat the oven to 350°. Generously grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, beat the butter until it's soft and creamy, about 1 minute. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the sugar and molasses and beat again until the mixture is well blended and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each addition. Slowly pour in the buttermilk and beat well. Reduce the mixer's speed to low and slowly add half the flour mixture to the bowl and beat until blended. Repeat with the other half.

Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack, then cover it tightly with plastic wrap until ready to use. It can be stored in the pan at room temperature for up to two days.

To make the custard: Divide the egg yolks and whites. Set the egg whites aside for another use (they may be frozen). In a large bowl with an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, beat the yolks and sugar until the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour.

In a medium saucepan, bring the egg nog to a boil. Temper the eggs by very slowly (I do about a cup at a time) pouring half the egg nog into the egg mixture and beat until blended then pour the mixture into the remaining egg nog in the pan. Over medium heat, bring the ingredients to a boil while whisking constantly. Allow the custard to boil for 1 minute as you continue to whisk. Remove the pan from the heat.

Let the custard cool slightly, then cover its surface with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Let the custard cool completely, then refrigerate it until ready to use (up to three days).

To assemble the trifle: In a medium bowl, toss the thawed raspberries and sugar. Remove the gingerbread from the pan and use a serrated knife to slice it into four equal wedges.

Take one of the gingerbread wedges and crumble it over the bottom of a trifle bowl or a 2 1/2-quart bowl. Spoon and spread about 3/4 - 1 cup of the raspberry mixture over the cake, then top the fruit with 1 cup of custard. Repeat the layering two more times with the remaining ingredients. (You can actually do three more layers, you will have an extra wedge of cake to do that. However, you will have to do a little less custard and raspberries on each layer, and I found that three layers filled my trifle bowl pretty much to the top. I just saved the fourth wedge of gingerbread.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours to let the flavors meld (the dessert can be stored overnight).

Before serving, make the whipped cream. In a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whip the cream with the confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Use a spatula to spread the whipped cream on top of the trifle, and garnish it with the fresh raspberries and crumbled ginger snap cookies, if desired.




SOURCE: Adapted from Family Fun Magazine

Chocolate Coconut Fudge

Healthy fudge....what! I've mentioned before how much I love coconut and what great health benefits it has. It also has great flavor to boot and when paired with chocolate, it's like a match made in heaven.

I created this fudge using coconut oil instead of butter and coconut milk instead of any kind of dairy milk or cream. I also used dark chocolate and about a fourth of the sugar used in regular fudge recipes. Don't you worry though, it's still plenty rich and sweet and incredibly creamy and smooth! My husband and I both agreed that this was the best fudge either of us had ever eaten (and believe me, I've had my fair share)....a million dollar recipe.....hmm, maybe!

Chocolate Coconut Fudge
16 oz. dark chocolate, chopped (or dark chips)
1/2 cup flaked coconut
3/4 cup canned coconut milk, full-fat
3 1/3 cups mini marshmallows
5 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt

Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with coconut oil, or lightly spray with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper, if desired, leaving about 2 inches of overhang on each side for easy removal.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine coconut milk, marshmallows, oil, sugar and salt. Stir until everything is melted and completely smooth. Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate. Stir again until completely melted and smooth. Add flaked coconut and stir to combine. Pour into prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Allow to cool.

Fudge will be soft at room temperature. To aid in cutting, place fudge in the fridge until slightly firm. Cut into 1-inch squares and store either at room temperature or in the fridge. You can also wrap it up in wax paper and put it into a freezer safe zip-top bag and store it in the freezer. Serve at room temperature.


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Egg Nog Syrup

I'll just get to the point here. If you like egg nog, this syrup is going to knock your socks off!!! I couldn't wait to try it when I stumbled upon it a while ago and, believe me, I was NOT dissappointed. Not only is this a delicious and seasonal pancake topping, but you can also use it on ice cream or even a slice of warm gingerbread (yum!).

If you really like egg nog, you can serve this syrup with the egg nog pancakes I posted yesterday, even more delicious! But, good old buttermilk pancakes are great too.

Egg Nog Syrup
1 stick butter
3/4 cup good eggnog
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp rum extract
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch of fresh grated nutmeg

In a large saucepan, bring to a boil the butter, eggnog, and sugar, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and whisk in rum extract and baking soda (it will foam when you put in the baking soda, so make sure you are using a large saucepan).

Allow to cool and either serve warm right away or refrigerate in an airtight container.


SOURCE: Adapted from Dine & Dish


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Egg Nog Pancakes

One thing I love about the holidays is that I get to indulge in yummy treats I don't usually get to, egg nog being one of them. Other than homemade fudge and caramel, a good egg nog hits right up there with one of my favorites and a must-have during the season. I love it so much, I've been known to drink it right out of the carton, forgetting about sharing it with anyone else or even using a proper cup. Thankfully I'm not the only egg nog-lover in my family; my dad and siblings are as well. In fact, last year my older brother went so far as to make his morning cream of wheat with egg nog-not sure about that one.

Well, another love of mine is anything breakfast, especially pancakes. So, when I bought an abundance of egg nog a couple of weeks ago, naturally my mind turned to egg nog pancakes, egg not syrup, egg nog breakfast cake....you get the picture. So, I created this recipe based on my basic pancakes recipe and it is absolutely delicious!

These pancakes are a little sweeter than your typical pancake because of the egg nog. I enjoyed eating them with just some melted butter and a dusting of powdered sugar. HOWEVER, I also made some crazy good egg nog syrup (which I will share tomorrow) and put it on top of the egg nog pancakes and it was complete bliss-to DIE for!!! So, you choose how you want to serve them; and the sooner the better.

Egg Nog Pancakes
3/4 cup good egg nog, room temperature
1/2 cup milk, room terperature
1 egg
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 tsp. rum extract (optional)
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg nog, milk, egg, sugar, butter and rum extract, until well-incorporated. Then, stir in the rest of the ingredients until combined, taking care not to over-mix.

Let batter sit while griddle heats up. Ladle batter by the 1/4 cup onto griddle and cook until edges start to dry and bubbles start forming on top; about 2-3 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Serve warm.

Makes about 8-10 pancakes


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Autumn Panzanella

I think now is a good time to stick a salad in here; mix it up with all those sweets and something healthy to stick under your belt before the onslaught of holiday goodies begins rolling in (if it hasn't already).

Panzanellas are one of my favorite kinds of salads, especially with the right kind of bread, toasted to perfection. I'm glad I stumbled upon this salad because sometimes it's easy to forget to eat your greens (and sometimes veggies too!) during the cold fall and winter months. Well, now there's no excuse. This fall-inspired panzanella gives you a mixture of delicious fall produce, good-for-you greens along with toasty bread and pumpkin seeds and a pop of both color and sweet-tart flavor from the dried cranberries.

Autumn Panzanella
olive oil
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 apples, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3-4 cups fresh greens
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4-1/2 cup green pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds would work too)
4-5 thick slices multi-grain bread, cut into chunks


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix salt, pepper, chili powder, cinnamon, and garlic powder in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, mix sweet potato and squash chunks, then generously drizzle olive oil on top and toss to coat. Add about 3/4 of the spice mixture, and toss again to coat. Lay on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring about half way through.

After 20 minutes, toss apple chunks with remaining spice mixture. Add apple to the baking sheet and bake for another 10-20 minutes, or until everything is tender, tossing once or twice. Remove from oven and cool.

Toss pieces of bread in some olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, then spread on a separate baking sheet . Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden and crispy.

Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add (green) pumpkin seeds and toast until lightly golden. Remove from heat and allow to cool in a separate dish.

In a large bowl, combine greens with roasted veggies and apple, toasted bread, seeds and cranberries. Toss with some of the vinaigrette and serve immediately. (You can serve the dressing separately if you don't plan on eating it all right away.)

Vinaigrette:
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt
pepper

SOURCE: Adapted from How Sweet It Is

Gingerbread Play Dough

Here's another great holiday gift-giving idea; especially for the little ones. While looking for seasonal activities for my girls to do to keep them busy during the day, I remembered my friend gave me the recipe for this gingerbread play dough years ago. Playing with play dough is fun anyway, but it's even better when it makes everything smell like warm cinnamon and ginger.

Kids of all ages (and even the occasional adult) enjoy playing with play dough. Gift wrap some up and tie it with a small gingerbread cookie cutter for your kids to give as friend gifts, or just keep some on hand for those long quiet afternoon hours when the little ones get bored. This will keep them busy; and smelling great too!

Gingerbread Play Dough
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups salt
1 Tbsp. cream of tartar (or alum)
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
6 Tbsp. oil
3 cups water

Heat mixture on low heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and knead. Let cool and keep in an airtight container or zip-top bag.

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Hot Chocolate Mix

If giving neighbor gifts around the holidays is your thing, than you might not want to let go of this recipe. Your neighbors will love you! Make sure you keep some for yourself though because it will knock your socks off how delicious it is. It is so rich and chocolaty and you can use whatever kind of milk you want. That's a bonus in our house since we drink two different kinds of milk around here.

...and can I just put in a little plug for my canning jars? I love them, they are so versatile! I use them for home canning but I also store anything and everything in them. They are also great for gift-giving things like soup mix, cookie mix and, of course, this hot chocolate mix.

Hot Chocolate Mix
4 cups granulated sugar
1½ lbs. good quality semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
9 oz. good quality dark or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups cocoa powder

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the sugar, semisweet and bittersweet chocolate, and cocoa powder. Process in 4-second pulses until the chocolate is very finely ground and the mixture is well combined. Store the mix in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Serving Instructions:
Combine 2 tablespoons hot chocolate mix with 8 oz. of very warm milk and stir to combine until well blended.


SOURCE:Annie's Eats


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Coconut Spiced Sweet Potatoes

Ok, last Thanksgiving leftover-ish post because it is now December and we want to move onto December things right?

Remember this post where I said I hardly ever had leftover sweet potatoes after Thanksgiving? Well, I've been lucky this year because I had lots of sweet potatoes. I did end up making those Ginger Sweet Potato Muffins I mentioned in the other post, as well as some Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting which, by the way, were to die for, but that's another post for another time.

Even after all that I still had some sweet potatoes left so I looked for another way to use them up. I love sweet potatoes just about any way I can get them, but I also like to try new things and change it up a bit once in a while. I found this slightly non-traditional recipe for mashed sweet potatoes and marshmallows that I really enjoyed. Coconut milk and warm spices with just a hint of brown sugar really make this dish. Then to top it off toast some marshmallows on top! You can either serve this dish in a 2-quart baking dish or or 4 1-cup ramekins.

Coconut Spiced Sweet Potatoes
2-2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 large sweet potatoes)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 cup miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350°F. Scrub the sweet potatoes and boil or steam until very tender. Remove from heat and let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel the sweet potatoes. Alternately, you can peel and dice the sweet potatoes then boil them until tender.

Put the sweet potatoes in a bowl and mash with salt, brown sugar, butter, ginger, cinnamon and coconut milk until very smooth. Spoon sweet potatoes into baking dish or ramekins. Top with coconut and marshmallows. Bake until marshmallows and coconut are lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes.


SOURCE:Slightly adapted from Whole Foods Market

Wild Rice and Quinoa with Turkey, Cranberries and Winter Squash

Here's another installment on using up those Thanksgiving leftovers. This casserole-type dish may not look like much, but let me tell you, it's some wonderful comfort food! It kind of tastes like a whole Thanksgiving meal wrapped up together. And since it's pretty much every course in one, I didn't have to make anything else to go with it (although you could), which made for a pretty easy weeknight meal. And my kids at it too, which is another bonus!

Wild Rice and Quinoa with Turkey, Cranberries and Winter Squash
1 cup wild rice blend, uncooked
1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup diced onion
1 stalk celery, small diced
1 medium carrot, small diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 14-oz can chicken broth
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 cup butternut squash, peeled and shredded
1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked turkey, shredded
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped mixed herbs (such as rosemary, sage, thyme or oregano); alternately you could use poultry seasoning, to taste

In a medium saucepot, bring to a boil 2 cups water, wild rice and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 40 minutes. In a small saucepot, bring to a boil 1 cup water and quinoa. Cover, reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil and butter in a large, high-rimmed skillet, over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery and carrots and saute about 6-8 minutes or until soft and onions are translucent. Add shredded squash about the last minute of cooking. Sprinkle with flour and let cook for about a minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and let thicken; about a minute or two. Add turkey, cranberries and walnuts and cook until heated through; add cooked rice and quinoa and stir to combine. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add the fresh herbs last, stirring to incorporate. Check again for seasonings and adjust as necessary.


SOURCE: Adapted from Whole Foods Market

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Orange Cranberry Scones with White Chips

Anyone still eating leftover Thanksgiving pie for breakfast? I think one of the best parts of a huge Thanksgiving meal is eating the leftovers for days in a row. I usually eat some of the leftovers straight up, but I like to save a little bit of turkey to make some good old comfort food; Chicken Pot Pie and Chicken Noodle Soup. IF there are any sweet potato leftovers (which their usually isn't), I like to make these Ginger Sweet Potato Muffins, practically my favorite muffin ever!

Leftover cranberry sauce probably gets overlooked most of the time. I know I haven't paid much attention to it in the past. I don't like to let things go to waste though, so I decided to incorporate what I had left into a scone. I think it worked out perfect. I had been dying to make scones anyway and the combination of the cranberries, orange and white chocolate chips couldn't have been better.

These scones are more moist than your typical scone, due to the cranberry sauce, but they still turn out wonderfully light and flaky. You may need to sprinkle your hands with flour when patting them out, and remember not to work them too much.

Orange Cranberry Scones with White Chips
For the dough:
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. orange zest
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
6 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
1/2 cup cranberry sauce
3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice (about half a small orange)
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. heavy cream, chilled

For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
3-4 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice (about half a small orange)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon and orange zest. With either a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the cold butter until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in white chips and set aside.

In a separate small mixing bowl, combine egg, cranberry sauce, orange juice and 1/2 cup heavy cream. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry and form the dough into a disk.

Gently and quickly pat the dough out, on a floured surface, into an 8-10 inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges and place onto baking pan. Brush tops with remaining 2 Tbsp. of heavy cream.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until scones are slightly brown on top.

For the glaze, mix powdered sugar and orange juice and drizzle over top of the warm scones. Serve warm or allow to cool completely.


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Cranberry Sour Cream Crumble

Not all the recipes that I share have a story or history behind them, but I love that this one does. My mom has had this recipe in her file box since probably before I was born; let's just say a LONG time. Back then my parents were young, finishing college, with three young children, and didn't have much extra money to splurge on things like REAL butter and sour cream. My mom, she has a good eye. She knows a good thing when she sees one. She tucked this recipe away until later in life when things were a little more established.

Now my mom has been making this for years and I've always enjoyed it but I have never actually made it myself until now. This crumble is perfect for serving at a breakfast or brunch, and especially perfect now that the holiday season is upon us.


Cranberry Sour Cream Crumble
1/4 cup chopped almonds

For the topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract


For the cake:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
1 cup whole cranberry sauce

Heat oven to 350° F. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of almonds on the bottom of a greased 9-inch spring-form pan or 10-inch tube pan. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together all the topping ingredients until crumbly and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, soda and salt.

In large mixer bowl, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy; about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, then vanilla. Add in dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until incorporated.

Spoon half of batter into prepared pan, spreading to cover the bottom. Next, spoon cranberry sauce over the batter, spreading to the edges. Spoon remaining batter over cranberry sauce, spreading to cover. Sprinkle topping over batter.

Bake for 70-85 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on wire rack. Remove sides of spring-form pan and cool completely.


SOURCE:Land O' Lakes

Whole Grain Apple Cinnamon Chip Pancakes

You can tell by the sheer number of pancakes on this blog that we LOVE to eat them around here. I haven't posted a pancake recipe in a while but that sure doesn't mean we don't eat them often. In fact, my girls only eat a bowl of cereal once or twice a week, between pancakes, hot cereal, granola and the occasional eggs and toast.

We were lucky enough to score some fresh apples right from the orchard the other day. I love getting fresh fruit in season! I knew they would taste perfect shredded up in these pancakes. I don't usually throw "chips" in my pancakes, since I try to keep them pretty healthy, but this is about the only time of year you can find the cinnamon chips at the store and I thought I'd throw in a small bit.

My girls loved theses pancakes! My husband also went to work a few minutes late the morning I made these, just so he could have some. Delish!

Feel free to serve them with whatever syrup you would like, or top them with some warm applesauce or even apple butter.

Whole grain Apple Cinnamon Chip Pancakes
1 cup oats, quick or rolled
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
3 tbsp. oil
2 cups buttermilk
1 large apple, peeled and shredded
1/3 cup cinnamon chips

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg, oil, buttermilk and vanilla. Add in oats, flour, baking powder, soda and salt and whisk until just combined. With a rubber spatula, fold in the shredded apple and cinnamon chips. Let batter sit while griddle heats up.

Heat griddle to 250 degrees F, or about medium heat. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls and cook until edges start to look dry; about 2 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook on the other side until golden; about another 2 minutes. Serve warm.

Bacon and Wild Mushroom Risotto with Baby Spinach

Considering I don't like rice much, although I've grown to like it more over the years, I really enjoy risotto. Maybe it's the creamy, soft texture, or the magic that happens after you put the salty cheese in at the end. Hmm, I don't know, but it sure is good.

Risotto can pretty much be tailored to any season of the year by what ingredients you add to it. Fresh ingredients, in season, are the best. I love that it is so versatile and turns out wonderful each time.

This risotto is perfect for fall. I love the combination of the three mushrooms but if you can only find a couple of them, it is still sure to turn out for you. Finding dried mushrooms might be an option for those that are hard to find. I could only find dried shiitakes in the Asian section at my grocery store and just reconstituted them before adding them to the risotto.


Bacon and Wild Mushroom Risotto with Baby Spinach
4 cups chicken stock
6 bacon slices, cut into about 1-inch pieces
1 cup finely diced shallots
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped (dried is ok too)
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
4 oz. oyster mushrooms, sliced
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice or other medium/short-grain rice
1/3 cup sherry cooking wine
4 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup (2 oz.) grated fresh Asiago cheese (can substitute Parmesan)
1/2 tsp.salt
1/4 tsp.freshly ground black pepper


Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a small saucepan, without boiling; keep warm over low heat.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon to pan; cook 8 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel lined plate. Add shallots, oil, thyme, and garlic to drippings in pan; cook 6 minutes or until shallots are tender, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms to the onions and cook about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add rice and cook 1 minute until it turns slightly opaque; stir constantly. Stir in cooking wine and cook a minute or two, or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly.

Stir in 1 cup stock, cooking until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring occasionally. Add remaining stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring occasionally until each portion of stock is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total). Taste for doneness of the rice near the end of cooking; it may be done before you've used all the stock. Do not add the rest or the rice will become too mushy.

Stir in spinach; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in cheese and bacon. Check for seasoning and then add salt and pepper to taste.

SOURCE: Adapted from Cooking Light

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

White chocolate macadamia cookies were always my favorite growing up. Although nothing beats a homemade chocolate chip cookie straight out of the oven, there was just something about these cookies that beckoned me. They were like a special treat. I would choose them over any other cookie if they were offered at a party or gathering. Sometimes I would even snag one at Mrs. Fields or Subway when I was at the mall hanging out.

That having been said, I never ONCE made them all that time! People don't really make white chocolate macadamia cookies do they? I mean, I know you can get them in large quantities at your local Costco and such, but really, I don't think I've ever eaten a homemade one! Do you even see many recipes for this wonderful cookie in many cookbooks? I'm sure the recipes are actually there, even if they are few and far between.

I don't know what prompted me to make these the other night, but I'm so glad I did! Well, actually, I have this love affair with the bulk foods section at WinCo every time I go there and the last time I was there I grabbed a small bags worth of macadamia nuts. I had great intentions to use them but never did. So, I figured there's no time like the present. Sunday nights my girls and I are almost always in the kitchen together making treats; usually brownies or cookies. So, as I opened my cupboard and saw all the little bags of bulk food goodness, I spied that little bag of nuts and naturally my mind went to cookies...and the rest is history.

So, long intro, I know, but I have to say these cookies are superb (and I'm pretty picky about my cookies)! They are a little crunchy around the outside edges but nice and chewy in the middle and they have that nice contrast between slightly salty and sweet. Stick this recipe in your cookie file, you're going to want to make them. (You can probably find good deals on nuts and chocolate chips now or soon with the upcoming holiday baking season, so stock up!)

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cups chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together the melted butter*, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the egg, then beat in the egg yolk, then beat in the vanilla. (*Do NOT skip cooling the butter down to room temperature, you may encounter problems with your dough if it is too hot.)

Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture until just moistened. Gently mix in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips either by hand with a rubber spatula, or with a few pulses of your mixer.

Using a small scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets. Slightly press down on the cookies with the palm of your hand a bit to flatten. but not too much. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges look golden brown and the middles don’t look quite set. Allow to finish cooling on the baking sheet. Remove cookies to a cooling rack and repeat with remaining dough, scooping dough out onto COOLED baking sheets (this will prevent them from spreading too quickly).


SOURCE:Slightly adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Pepita Granola and Pumpkin Butter

If you like granola, you're in for a treat for today's post! I daresay that this has become my favorite granola...ever...I think. I first discovered it last fall, when I fell in love with it. Then I waited all the way until this fall to make it again, don't ask my why. Maybe because it seems strange to eat pumpkin other than during pumpkin season.

I usually eat my granola on top of some plain yogurt, but I couldn't resist mixing it together with some pumpkin butter to take it over the top. If you've never heard of or had pumpkin butter, it's pretty similar to apple butter in that you let it cook down with some sugar and spices. It's very easy to make and very tasty, but you only need a dollop because it packs a spice-packed punch.

If you have a hard time finding the nuts and dried fruit that you want, try shopping where they have a bulk foods section. I usually buy all my ingredients to make any kind of granola from the bulk section at my local WinCo. They are also less expensive there as well and you can just buy the quantity that you want.

You can also experiment with dried fruit by drying your own, especially if you have a dehydrator. I like to buy boxes of fruit, in season, to can and dry to use throughout the rest of the year. This year I got about 40 lbs. of delicious pears; you wouldn't believe how yummy they are dried! I'll hopefully be doing apples soon as well.

Pepita Granola
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup crisp rice cereal
1/4 cup ground flax seed (optional)
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups nuts and seeds (I used about 1/2 cup each of sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, and green (hulled) pumpkin seeds-not roasted)
2-3 cups mixed dried fruit (I used pears and cranberries; you could also use apricots, cherries, raisins, apples, figs, or whatever else you want.)
1/4 cup coconut oil (or other oil)
1/4 cup mild honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 - 1 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch salt
splash of vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, cereal, flax meal, coconut and nuts. In a microwave safe bowl, gently melt the oil and honey; add the sugar, applesauce, cinnamon, salt and vanilla and stir until incorporated. Pour over the dry mixture and stir until it's evenly coated.

Spread granola over two cookie sheets and bake about 15-25 minutes, until lightly golden, stirring every 5 minutes. Stir in dried fruit. Let granola cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.


Pumpkin Butter
1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin, or about 3 1/2 cups fresh pumpkin puree
3/4 cup apple juice
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Juice of half a lemon

Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently. Adjust spices to taste. Stir in lemon juice, or more to taste.

Once cool, pumpkin butter can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge


SOURCE: Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Moroccan Fall Salad

I feel like the boy who cried wolf a little bit right now. Although it's been nice not having to worry about scheduling posts (while making preparations for baby instead), I still find myself wanting to share with you the yummy things I've been making!

I like food...a lot, and I love sharing it all with you. So, here I am again; I just can't stay away.

Baby is still due in 2 weeks. This will be girl #3-heaven help us! Some say #3 is the hardest, some say #2 was hardest. I guess we will see.


This is a truly unique salad! I had it for the first time about a year ago and tried to recreate it last fall but didn't do so hot. Recently I found myself with some root veggies that had been given to me and this salad came mind again. So, I went about trying to recreate the salad. Well, it made it on the blog, so this time was definitely a success!

I just love how loaded it is with different veggies; not to mention the dried fruit and nuts. When I ate this salad before, it was topped with Moroccan-spiced chicken. I didn't want to use chicken but still wanted those authentic flavors to pull the dish together. So, I created a vinaigrette that has some of those same spices, and I think it worked great! Here's some healthy eating inspiration to use up those fall veggies!

Moroccan Fall Salad
1 head romaine lettuce, shredded
1/2 cup butternut squash, diced (boiled or roasted*)
1/2 cup beets, diced (boiled, roasted* or canned)
1 avocado, diced
1-2 small carrots, peeled and sliced (or shredded)
1/2 cup button mushrooms, sliced or diced
1/2 large bell pepper, diced
1 hard-boiled egg, diced
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dates, small-diced
1/3 cup sliced toasted almonds
Feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

*You can roast the squash and beets at the same time if you wish. Just wash, peel and dice them. Throw them on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I kept them separated on the same cookie sheet so the beets wouldn't bleed onto the squash. Roast in a 425 F oven for about 15-20 minutes, checking every 10 minutes or so and tossing them around a bit.

Prepare all the rest of the ingredients while the squash and beets are roasting, setting aside the eggs, avocado.

When beets and squash are finished cooking and cooled down, toss everything but the eggs and avocado together in a large salad bowl. Dish out salad onto individual plates and top with egg, avocado and feta cheese, if desired. Serve with Moroccan vinaigrette.


Moroccan Vinaigrette
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1-2 Tbsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. honey
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. each cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, ginger (I actually used fresh)
1 garlic clove, minced

Put all ingredients into a small mixing bowl and whisk until combined.

Easy Pizza Sauce

Just taking a second to throw this up here, especially since it goes with my last post for pizza. I love this pizza sauce. If you make pizza a lot, you should try it.



For over a year now I have been using an easy pizza sauce that you just add a powder mix to a can of tomato sauce. I liked it ok, but I realized it wasn't the freshest option, nor the healthiest (since most pre-packaged spice mixes have anti-caking agents in them for a long shelf life.) I don't know about you but I'd much rather have something fresh, plus the taste is always better. This sauce is pretty close to fresh and it's super quick and easy to boot! It also tastes loads better than the stuff you can get in a pre-packaged spice mix.


Easy Pizza Sauce
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
drizzle of olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

Add everything together in a small mixing bowl and mix well. Let sit for an hour or so before you're ready to make your pizza.

SOURCE: Adapted from Alli-n-Son

Sweet Pepper, Tomato and Feta Pizza

This has been my new favorite pizza lately. I actually made it twice within a week once and didn't even get tired of it. The flavors of all the fresh veggies and two cheeses really go together well; I especially love the pop of the fresh basil. I know it's nearing the end of the season, when you can get all this produce cheap, but if you have a chance, squeeze this into your menu before it gets too cold!

Sweet Pepper, Tomato and Feta Pizza
Makes 1 large (about 16-inch)pizza
1 recipe Perfect Pizza Crust
your favorite pizza sauce
2 Roma tomatoes
1/2 cup julienned red and yellow peppers
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 cup fresh basil, torn or chiffonade

Make pizza crust according to directions. Preheat oven (and pizza stone) to 450 degrees F. Roll pizza dough out onto either a pizza stone or the back of a cookie sheet that's been generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Spread sauce on top.

If you're using sun-dried tomatoes that are not packed in oil, place them in a small saucepan and add water until they are just covered. Boil for about 5 minutes, until soft; drain and chop.

Layer Roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and peppers on top of pizza dough. Top with feta, mozzarella and basil. Bake for about 7-10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and just starting to brown.



SOURCE:Adapted from the Costco Cookbook

Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers

*I had a request over 2 weeks ago to post theses chicken fingers. Sorry it has taken me so long, hope you enjoy!

Mmmmm, crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside, these chicken fingers were pretty perfect; aside from the fact that there was coconut involved-which I love! We couldn't get enough of these, they were a big hit at our house, kids and all! I loved dipping them in the sweet chili sauce; the contrast was a great combination. To use some of the leftover coconut milk, I served the chicken with this Thai Coconut Rice, as well as some sweet peas.

Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2)
1 large egg
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
sweet chili sauce

Trim off fat from chicken breasts and cut them into strips. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Set up your breading station on the counter, using either 3 plates or bowls, set in a row. At the end, place your baking sheet, either sprayed with cooking spray or lined with a silpat. In the first container, combine the flour, salt and pepper. In the second, whisk together the egg and coconut milk. In the last container, combine the panko with the shredded coconut.

Bring your chicken over; dredge each piece lightly in the flour, shaking off any excess. Next dip it in the egg/coconut mixture, then the coconut and bread crumbs, pressing lightly to make sure it sticks to the chicken. Lay each piece on the baking sheet. (When putting your chicken pieces through the breading station, it is helpful to use one hand for the wet and one hand for the dry. That way, your fingers don't get stuck with all the breading on them.)

Bake chicken strips for about 12-15 minutes or until no longer pink. Serve with sweet chili sauce (readily available on the Asian aisle of most markets).

SOURCE: Adapted from Budget Bytes