Earl Grey Chocolate Cake
Food blogs are funny. If you look at this picture, you might assume that I had a neighbor/ friend over for tea. In reality I was standing on a chair, trying not to make a lot of noise while my 3 year old napped away in his room upstairs. I was also trying really hard not to fall off said chair; I don't have a good history with standing on chairs...
I was sorting my way through a pile of papers during Cooper's nap when I found a little recipe card for this Earl Grey Chocolate Cake. It's been waiting to be made since I clipped the recipe out in college. I was craving something chocolatey, I had all of the ingredients and wanted a cup of tea. It was a sign. I feel it's important to always pay attention to signs like these. This cake came together in less than 15 minutes and it took about the same amount of time to clean it all up. I love that in a cake.
After the cake was done and sprinkled with powdered sugar, I had a pretend tea party in my kitchen where I drank one cup of tea and ate two slices of cake. You can't let cake go to waste like that. When it's exposed to air like that it's got a short shelf life...or something.
Tea parties for one are where it's at. Especially when a beautiful Earl Grey perfumed chocolate cake is your star dessert.
A fancy hat & gloves are totally optional.
Warm Pear-Raspberry Bruschetta
ENTERTAINING 101: If you're planning on having a slumber party involving LOTS OF WINE, make sure breakfast the next morning is SIMPLE.
Toasting bread, caramelizing pears and spreading cinnamon sugar & mascarpone on top is child's play.
Adding a side of scrambled eggs with truffle salt & bacon? That's where things get a little more complicated.
Photographing a brand new recipe in front of 4 people who are waiting to eat breakfast? Crazy idea!
Especially when you forget to drink coffee.
This one is definitely going in my I DRANK TOO MUCH LAST NIGHT BUT HAVE TO FEED SOMETHING AWESOME TO GUESTS, folder. It's super scrumptious & simple!
Heart Glazed Cornmeal Cookies
My Kitchen Aid Mixer is named Sir Charles Mixalot III. I just call him Sir Mixalot for short. We had a conversation the other day. It went something like this:
Sir Mixalot: Hey Trace! Would you please use me? I'm sick of collecting dust on your pantry shelf.
Tracy: Hey. You talk! Fiiiiine. I'll use you. What should I make?
Sir Mixalot: I'm a little outta shape. Something easy. Baby steps. Take it easy on me.
Tracy: I totally get it Sir Mixalot, I haven't worked out in awhile too. How about cornmeal cookie dough?
Sir Mixalot: I can totally handle that. You're a dear. Many thanks. Don't forget to clean my crevices afterward.
Tracy: Ummm. OK...
So I busted out Sir Mixalot and put him to work. The dough came together in a snap. We high-fived and I gave him a deep cleaning (head out of the gutter!). Then I got to work cutting, baking & glazing these cookies. The dough was the easiest part thanks to Sir Mixalot. The glazing part was a little tough and I only say that because I had a 3 year old running around the kitchen island begging me for some cookies and showing me a new toy every 5 seconds. Labor of love, my friends. LABOR OF LOVE.
Valentine's Day is coming up! Bust out your Kitchen Aid Mixer (and name him/her if you haven't already) and get to work. Your Valentine is gonna love the crunchy bite of a sugary cornmeal cookie. I know this.
Raw Chocolate Milk
Brace yourselves. Your minds are about to be blown. You ready? You braced? Good.
What if I was to tell you that you can easily make chocolate milk that tastes like a frothy chocolate malt without using malt or dairy?
(Omg. This is starting to sound like an infomercial! Crap! I need a big screen projector behind me!)
Well, YOU CAN. You can make delicious chocolate milk with your blender!
(this is not an infomercial for a Vitamix cuz I don't have one. I want one though! Like really really bad.)
So this is raw chocolate milk. What makes it raw? So glad you asked! It's made with cashews that have been soaked in water! There's also cocoa nibs up in this mix which makes things extra fancy in my book. Looking to make plain vanilla cashew milk? Just omit the cocoa nibs and reduce the agave syrup. This recipe is a game changer & approved by my picky 3 year old. Winning!
Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake
Everyday between 2-3pm, my body craves chocolate cake. The cake I crave is not a cake that's saturated in chocolate frosting. I'm talking about a dense/moist/slightly chewy chocolate cake with a few drizzles of chocolate frosting. When I'm not able to fulfill this craving (which is like all the time), my mind goes into daydreaming mode and I start to fantasize about a chocolate cake delivery service at my work and how wonderful it would be if there were ice cream sundae vendors at every street corner. Imagine that. That would be the life!
I also had this thought the other day: Has anyone ever put EAT MORE CHOCOLATE on their New Year's Resolution list? Doubtful.
With a chocolaty dense bundt cake like this, I can't see why that wouldn't be a good idea.
Maybe I should give in to my chocolate cravings more often. Maybe then I could consider myself a chocolate lover.
Spiced Orange Popovers
Ready for my David Letterman impression? I'll do it if you stop staring at my gap teeth!
TOP 10 REASONS WHY YOU NEED TO MAKE THESE SPICED ORANGE POPOVERS:
- They taste like donuts, yet they're not fried!
- They're ridiculously easy.
- Your house will smell like a high-end Christmas candle.
- It's the holidays & you're looking for something festive for breakfast.
- Clove, cinnamon & orange are your best friends this time of year.
- You need an excuse to dust off your popover pan.
- They're light and fluffy. Means no calories, right?
- They're a perfect breakfast, snack or dessert. You could make dinner out of them. (I totally did)
- Your coffee is lonely. It needs company.
- Because I said so!
I should also note that I ate 5 popovers within an hour after I made them....I blame the delicious clove cinnamon orange sugar. Well...that and they were WARM.
It's not like I have to wear a bathing suit anytime soon...
OH WAIT. I do. CRAP!
White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzels
I dropped Cooper off at preschool yesterday and immediately headed to the post office to mail packages & pick up stamps for the holiday cards I have yet to send out. The line at the post office went smoothly and the lady who helped me was an absolute dream. Hooray for excellent customer service! Then I went to pick up a few groceries and just when I was ready to tackle another item on my TO-DO list, my car wouldn't start! For the first time in my life, I ran out of gas. I KNEW I should have stopped at the gas station before I got groceries but I felt like I've been pushing EVERYTHING in my life to the limit lately, I assumed my car would push too. Thank God for husbands who come to the rescue!
Emails piled up in my inbox, clean laundry overflowed in baskets on my living room floor and then one of my cats puked on my stairs (which I stepped in!). To combat the stress, I took a break and went out to lunch with Casey. We went to get fancy sandwiches and fresh air but after THREE attempts at making my sandwich without mayo and over an hour of my limited time wasted, I felt like throwing in the towel. It just wasn't my day!
Instead of tackling my TO-DO lists when I got back from the sandwich fail, I made these white chocolate peppermint pretzels instead. Getting lost in dipping pretzels into creamy melted white chocolate, studding them with cracked candy canes and lining the rods (haha, rods!) up into organized rows, made me happy. And then... I got a call from preschool telling me that Cooper needed to be picked up ASAP because he contracted pinkeye. It's a good thing I got at least one solid thing done that day...
What's my point? There's no doubt that the holidays can be stressful. These little obstacles in life are only as big as we make them.The pressure we put on ourselves this time of year has the power to erase the holiday spirit we're supposed to give & receive. Relax!
If you're stressing out because the clock is ticking and you haven't figured out what to make for the holidays, just make these easy white chocolate peppermint dipped pretzels. They're therapeutic and they pose as little reminders of how sweet, savory & crunchy life can be.
Remember: Make things simple and give yourself permission to slow down!
Coconut Lime Bars
I think you've heard me confess in some other post that I am not a big chocolate lover. Yeah, I said it! I like chocolate, I just don't LOOOVE it like I love desserts starring coconut, citrus, nuts, cinnamon, or fruit. When Christmas rolls around, I have a bunch of chocolate related gifts from people and what do I do with them? I pass them off to my husband, who happily devours anything sweet in nature.
If you were to give me any type of homemade treat for Christmas, I'd happily enjoy a little package of these Coconut Lime Bars. Let me tell you why! Imagine two outrageously chewy cookies (one coconut & one macadamia nut lime) placed on top of each other & smooshed together in bar form. That's what these bars taste like. The bite is AMAZING and that crunch from the macadamia nut? I die.
So when you're thinking of homemade gifts, consider your friends (like me!) who don't go gaga for chocolate. These will certainly do the trick! Besides, your bars will stand out in a crowd and you know how much we want that ;)
