The Joy of Almond & Coconut Candies
Valentine's Day is coming up! Want to impress a loved one?? You should totally make these Almond Joy inspired candies. Not only are they super easy to make, you won't be that person scrounging around for an overpriced bouquet of long stem roses at the last minute. Are you that person? Don't be that person! Don't wait til the last minute. People always know. I hope you at least write something sweet & thoughtful in your card!
By the way, I overheard your sweetheart saying that they're not really into roses! They were telling their coworker how much they dig coconut! They especially love it covered in chocolate! They also LOOOOVE salty, crunchy roasted almonds and guess what?? There's one waiting in the middle of EACH. ONE. OF. THESE. CANDIES. Make a batch of these and you'll totally seal the deal. You'll make up for that god awful ratty teddy bear you bought last year. You know why? Because people are always impressed when you make candy. ALWAYS.
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“Life Changing”Vegan Thumbprint Cookies
Whenever I see a recipe described as "life changing," I feel like I'm Marty McFly and Biff is calling me chicken! OH YEAH? I'll be the judge if it's life changing or not! Let me prove you wrong! How could cookies possibly change my life?!? I accepted this challenge and am happy to report that these cookies are life changing in the sense that it's now acceptable for me to eat cookies for breakfast. That in itself is a good enough reason to make these. They pair ridiculously well with my morning cappuccino & make a fantastic snack in the afternoon with some tea. They are like an energy bar in cookie form!
They're a little dense, crunchy and kinda buttery with all of the almonds in them. They're a snap to make, totally kid friendly (as long as there are no nut allergies in your household) and the recipe makes a ton! I definitely think I'll make this WITH Cooper when he's not prone to dumping flour all over the place (that may take awhile). It's no big deal if he eats the batter! The only problem I encountered was figuring out which one of the jams I liked most. I used blueberry jam (I made from scratch) as well as apricot & raspberry jam (from Trader Joe's). I really liked the the seedy raspberry ones; they were the prettiest. I did love the tang of the apricot too! I dunno! I can't decide. Let me just take another sample....
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Peanut Butter Granola Balls
When you're searching for a healthy snack for a toddler, it's important to find one that YOU will enjoy yourself. Why? Because there's a good chance it won't get eaten. Trust me. When I spied this recipe in one of my Everyday Food magazines during the great Magazine Hoard Organizing Marathon, I was totally intrigued. The recipe was simple and the ingredients were easily found in my pantry & fridge. I always appreciate not having to make a special trip to the market--another great ordeal with an active 2 year old.
I quickly whipped up these granola balls while Cooper ate his breakfast this morning and caught myself digging into a few of them. They aren't overwhelmingly peanut buttery; they have a nice little crunch from the crispy rice cereal & the perfect amount of sweetness. I also love the tang of the dried cranberries and raisins. They're a nice little snack for Cooper and I to share. He loved picking out the dried fruit and playing with the wrapper while he ate one for his mid-morning snack. I like to think they help improve his motor skills! They're definitely going in the Toddler/Parent food rotation because after all, I do love my snack time too.
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Orange Ricotta Pancakes
Did you know that I've always wanted to participate in an eating contest? I'm totally being serious here. Over the past few years I've been trying to figure out what would be a good item to compete with. You know what would be terrible? Pancakes. I could eat about 3 and then I'd be down for the count. Pancakes wouldn't get me far; they always seem like a good idea until the moment they start expanding in my stomach. Lead weights, I tell ya. LEAD WEIGHTS. Although now that I've made these Orange Ricotta Pancakes, I'm reconsidering. Light fluffy ricotta pancakes speckled with orange zest and a little drizzle of syrup....I could seriously eat all 12 that this recipe makes. They might be on the my list next to competitive tater tot eating. I don't know...I'm still thinking about it...
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Panettone French Toast
This past Sunday morning, I made breakfast for our friends before taking our kids to see Santa. Our house was warm and cozy, toddlers were chasing each other around, giggling under the lights of our Christmas tree. It was raining outside; the oven was on and butter was melting away on my skillet. While the adults were chattering away in the kitchen, I was shocked to learn that our friends had never tried panettone. WHAT?! The pressure was now on to make them fall in love with it. But really, how could one not?
I whipped up a very quick custard base. Briefly soaked each side of the panettone and laid out the saturated slabs on my buttered skillet to brown. Ahh the beautiful sounds of butter browning egg soaked bread. French toast stacked up on a baking sheet the warm oven. The table was set. Bacon was sizzling in the background (should I mention I burned a small batch of bacon & the power went out for 5 seconds? NO!) and within a second of calling everyone to the table, a tornado hit our kitchen. As usual, I was off to the side taking pictures, while everyone dug in. I could hear forks and knives hitting plates, toddler's making silly noises, adults talking with their mouths full and in that instant, without looking, I knew the french toast was well received.
I think I converted 2 adults and possibly two children into panettone lovers with this recipe. My husband who normally does NOT like french toast, said it was exceptional. I guess he candied fruit & raisins with the orange zest elevated the french toast to EXCEPTIONAL status. Hooray! If you are still trying to decide what to make for Christmas morning, this might be the way to go!
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Flaky Buttery Biscuits
Let's play the WHAT IF game. What if I went back in time and slipped this recipe into my mother's yellow recipe binder when I was a kid? How would that change the course of my life? Would that mean I wouldn't be writing this today? Would I have 9 children and live on a commune in the desert? Would the flux capacitor actually exist? That would mean the delorean would still be a popular car, right!? Would I weigh over 500 lbs? Would I have my own biscuit shop in Vermont? One may never know.... The good news is that today I'm making up for my biscuit-less childhood. Reason #2482 why my son is the luckiest boy--these biscuits! He will never have to ponder this great big WHAT IF? What if my mom wasn't a crazy biscuit lover? She just is.
What I like about biscuits is that they can be eaten at every meal-- all day long. A huge dollop of apricot jam and a sliver of butter and your breakfast is covered. Split one in half, add some bacon, a slice of aged sharp cheddar, some tomato & arugula and you've got yourself a fantastic lunch. Plop one in a big bowl of white bean chili and LOOK! Dinner is served! Or you could be just like your pal, Tracy and eat a whole batch within a course of a Sunday...
NUTS about NUTS! (Roundup)
After doing my Cookie Party Roundup, I realized that there are people out there who get OVER LOADED with cookies on the holidays. Sometimes I feel bad adding to one's cookie loot because there have been times where I've definitely been over-cookied. Since there's a little time left, and some of you might be scrambling to make something this weekend or next week before Christmas arrives, here's a post dedicated to those of you who are NUTS about NUTS! The best part is that they're all simple to tackle and most all of these recipes have a decent shelf life. Who doesn't appreciate that at this time of year?
Addictive Nutty Topping
A snap to whip up. Great added to yogurt, topped on pancakes, or eaten straight out of the jar you present it in.
The hardest part will be having some left to give AS presents. Watch out!
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Peppermint Bark Bandit!
Some bunny is getting into my Peppermint Bark stash! Can you really blame him?!? He's only had the teeniest nibble of one and he WON'T forget it! "Minty Candy? Pweease Mama?" is what I've been hearing over and over again.
In the past week, I've made two batches of Peppermint Bark for my friends & family. I posted the recipe for them long ago...Go check it out! Making this candy and sharing it with loved ones has become one of my favorite Christmas traditions. Everyone raves about it; it's so nice to hear such wonderful compliments! I packaged up a few boxes and shipped them out along with a big honking stack of Christmas cards. I'm glad that I can cross that off the list! Phew. I think I'll make a few more batches of the bark closer to Christmas.
So what does it taste like? Think of a thick white chocolate minty CRUNCH bar with extra crunch (from the peppermint candy canes). It's really light too! If you are looking to make a real show stopper, you might wanna hear what my sister-in-law does. She peels off the bottom sheet of waxed paper when the bark has set and spreads a layer of melted bittersweet chocolate on top. How's that for rich?! The dangerous part is that you might not notice that you've eaten a whole plateful until it's too late. You've been warned! Please enjoy responsibily! ;)
