Herbed Cheese Straws
Want to give people the impression that you're super awesome in the kitchen? Make a batch of these and bring them to a party! I guarantee the lucky recipients of these Herbed Cheese Straws will assume you've spent hours making them. You might be the talk of the party, watch out!
Want the truth? It's pretty shameful how easy these straws are to whip up. Don't feel bad about the praise.
You totally deserve it!
Afraid of puff pastry & dough? Don't be a wuss! This is recipe is totally attainable. You can do this. I have faith in you. The power of puff pastry is ridiculous, and once you've conquered your timid frozen puff pastry dough ways, you are gonna find any excuse to make something ANYTHING with a box of puff pastry. I'm thinking these would be equally enjoyable if I substituted all the savory bits with cinnamon, sugar and a smear of yummy pumpkin butter!
But that's an entirely different post..... Stay tuned.
Hash Browns with Fried Egg & Avocado
Hash browns. Avocado. Fried Egg & Hot Sauce. What else is there to say? All my favorites taking up a lil space on my plate and I couldn't be happier. I made this for a good friend the other day and two days later she was in her kitchen making it for her man. Watch out! It has the power to change you.
This was my first time making hash browns. They were good. REAL GOOD. And super easy! My thighs are frightened by the future hash brown filled breakfasts I plan on busting out this fall & winter. Guess who will be wearing stretch pants til Summer 2011?
And let me just say that I've been having some of the most AMAZING avocados lately. FINALLY! I spent the whole summer eating crappy avos just so I could delight in the most perfect topping for this batch of hash browns.
You are gonna go nuts when you take your first bite. End of story.
Spiced Lemon Cake
When you've tackled 5 loads of laundry, cleaned up Cheerios for the 1000th time after being on hold with the garbage company for 25 minutes, and you're working from home battling Excel spreadsheets to the soundtrack of a little boy screaming "baseball and skateboards," THIS is the cake that you must turn to to quiet the shit storm you've just encountered.
You are worthy. You are capable and you can handle anything now that you have a slice of this cake. Go ahead. You deserve it! The liberation derived from a slice can be compared to the feeling of removing your spanx, pantyhose AND clingy dress with too tight of a waistband and substituting them with a baggy sweatshirt and soft yoga pants. Finally, you can breathe again.
Spiced Lemon Cake. Spiced? Not really. The cardamon didn't pack as much of a spice punch as I'd hoped. Is it still worthy of being one of the best/simplest lemon cakes? Yes. The glaze provides just enough tang to match the fluffy light lemony cake it rests upon. If you are looking to fulfill the spice aspect, perhaps a full teaspoon instead of 3/4 will do the trick.
Pair a slice with a cup of milky tea, and this cake is absolutely divine.
Crazy day? What crazy day? There's cake!
Green Lemonade
Ahhh yes! I'm back on juicing! Life kinda got in the way!
I found this *recipe* for Green Lemonade in the latest Whole Living Magazine. I had all the ingredients and gave it a try. Genius! The apples provide the sweetness you need in a lemonade. The head of romaine lettuce gives the green element & the extra juice you need to dilute the lemon & apple juice.
Continue reading→
Quick Mexican Stir Fry!
A new post is up at Modern Kiddo!
This week I'm showing you my quickie Mexican Stir Fry- a dish I make (almost) weekly!
Take out the cheese on top and it's Vegan! (I've had a few requests for vegan recipes, so here's one for you!)
Please come check it out!!
Salted Caramel Popcorn Pretzel Bars
So I went to the dentist last week after dodging a cleaning for 2 years (it could have been worse!) Coast is clear! No cavities! We are all good. To celebrate this accomplishment, I busted out a batch of these ooey gooey Salted Caramel Popcorn Pretzel Bars!! Because really...what dentist would approve such a treat?
I stood there in the kitchen, cutting up the bars and had to walk away for a minute to regroup. Why? Because I was eating too many of them! There were a few that didn't have *perfect* edges and I HAD to take care of them. There was one with a pretzel sticking out and God forbid someone got poked with it! There was one that didn't have enough caramel on top and one that did. I took care of those for you because I totally have your best interest in mind.
I really had no idea how good these bars were going to be! I probably ate a whole plate of them yesterday and have the scratched up gums to prove it. I think my dentist would probably say, "I told you so!"
Make these and share them. Like, put some on a plate and wrap them up and give them away BEFORE you take your first bite of one. They are utterly AHHH-DDICTIVE.
Apple Pear Phyllo Crisp
Phyllo dough. Love the stuff. Anytime I see anything phyllo dough related on a passed hors d'oeuvres tray, I grab as many as possible. It's a good idea to make friends with the server carrying the tray because you'll be guaranteed first dibs when a fresh batch comes out of the kitchen!
Tell them a dirty joke and they'll bring you more than just hors d'oeuvres....Trust me.
This recipe was the first time I've actually USED phyllo dough. I've spent all of my adult life avoiding the stuff because I was always told that phyllo dough is ridiculously hard to work with (thanks, Mom!) Guess what?!! I am a phyllo dough survivor and it wasn't so bad!! I just remembered to religiously cover the sheets after pulling a new one out. There was one moment where I ripped a sheet and then I said F-it. Like anyone is going to see a rip when they are having buttery flaky phyllo dough mouthgasm.
How would I describe this Apple Pear Phyllo Crisp?
Crispy, crunchy, flaky, nutty, fruity, buttery.... It's like baklava with fruit on top!
I'm thinking it would be divine with a little ginger simple syrup mixed in the butter. Oh! What about some ginger spiked whipped cream? I'd love some with a hot toddy!
Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs
I have a confession to make. The only reason I tried this recipe was because I was seduced by the magical powers of sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top of meatballs. The bright yellow spaghetti squash intrigued me and I knew the mushroom/spinach profile would be good, but MEAT & CHEESE sold me. I loooove meatballs. I'm 1/2 Italian. It's in my genetic makeup. My grandma's meatballs are what broke my 3 years of Vegetarianism. Seriously.
Is spaghetti squash like pasta? NO. There's really no comparison BUT! spaghetti squash does taste fabulous in its own right. It's soft & semi crunchy and a good vehicle for sauce---hence the pasta substitute. The strands aren't soo long that you hafta twirl your fork over and over again. This means you can get it into your mouth faster. Win!
So how was this dish? Pretty good! I really liked the mushroom sauce and might add more mushrooms and spinach next time. If you are vegetarian, cut out the meatballs and you'll still have a wonderful, hearty dish! People with children? You listening? I learned that you cannot trick a 2 year old boy into thinking that spaghetti squash is noodles. Cooper tossed them on the floor to show is disapproval. Someone is too smart for his own good....
