october cookie: flourless rocky road chocolate chip cookies

we had a cool day in october so I was looking for a meringue-like cookie that would go well with hot chocolate. I adapted this recipe slightly from here & added marshmallows, which was a great addition. 

flourless rocky road chocolate chip cookies

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (dutch if you have it)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups mini marshmallows 
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or heck, just dump the whole bag in if you're feeling crazy)

1. preheat oven to 350.
2. in a large bowl, mix together powdered sugar, cocoa powder and sea salt. add in vanilla. whisk in egg whites until just moistened. add in marshmallows & chocolate chips. pop in the fridge for about 20 minute so that the dough becomes cool (this will keep them from spreading when they bake). 
3. spoon batter onto cookie sheets in small mounds.
4. bake for 12 minutes or until tops are glossy and lightly cracked.

goat cheese & pistachio filled dates

I feel like I'm always looking for easy appetizers to take to get togethers, especially around the holidays. I want something easy to make, that I can assemble ahead of time, without a lot of ingredients that still tastes really delicious. these goat cheese filled dates fulfill all my requirements. I had these dates at my friend heather's baby shower & the hostess was kind enough to give me the recipe. they are so delicious I could sit down & eat the entire plate. I promise, your guests will love them! 

goat cheese & pistachio filled dates

4 oz soft goat cheese (I used the kind with honey!)
3 tbsp shelled, salted pistachios, lightly toasted & chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
fresh ground pepper
10 medjool dates, pitted & halved lengthwise

in a small bowl, combine cheese, 2 tbsp pistachios & 1 tbsp chives until smooth. season with a little pepper. spoon cheese mixture into each date half to cover. garnish dates with remaining pistachios & more chives. cover in the refrigerator until ready to serve (I usually pull them out about 15 minutes before my guests arrive so they aren't too cold). 

pie pops

why is it that everything is better in miniature form? mini golf, puppies, bite-sized cupcakes, european cappuccinos, horses (any rob & big fans out there?) and pies. a whole pie just never looks that appealing to me, but make them mini & put them on a stick & I can't stop eating. I had some blueberries left in the freeze from our summer picking, so I used them to make a sweet filling for the pops. 

although it will feel like summer for another 3 months here in florida, these pie pops make me wish for fall weather. here are bakerella's instructions if the cooler weather inspires you to make some for yourself. 

august cookie: french crullers

today would have been my pop's 84th birthday. in his honor, I decided to dedicate my august cookie to him. we always gave pop a hard time for not liking chocolate. he was, however, a huge fan of the donut (he used to stop by our old house on the weekends when I was just a tot & tap on the backdoor while everyone else was still asleep & I'd let him in & he'd leave a dozen hot donuts for us for breakfast). I saw this delicious recipe for french crullers on pinterest & knew it would be right up pop's alley (even thought it's technically not a cookie). they didn't turn out as beautiful as the recipe photo, but they were pretty tasty with a cup of tea. cheers to pop, who's probably eating vanilla birthday cake up in heaven right at this moment. 

{recipe from here}

mini caprese skewers

we had two get-togethers to go to in the same day & I wanted to make something easy that I could take to both parties, without too much effort. with all the delicious tomatoes in the store this season, I decided to create these little mini caprese skewers. I bought a ball of mozzarella & used a really small circle cookie cutter to cut out pieces (or you could just cut it with a knife), halved a bunch of grape tomatoes, picked some fresh basil from the garden, & threaded everything onto toothpicks. I added a little drizzle of fresh lemon, olive oil & salt & pepper too for flavor. they were delicious & the perfect one-bite appetizer. 

breakfast (or dinner) bread bowls

aaaand pinterest saves us yet again from another night of cereal for dinner. robert baked up these little "breakfast" bread bowls thanks to this recipe & they were delicious. so delicious that we also made them again for breakfast the next day. you just scoop out the bread from a roll & fill it with whatever you choose. we used some sliced ham, cherry tomatoes, chives, boursin cheese & an egg. then you bake them until everything gets nice & melty. serve them with some potatoes & fruit & it's a perfect meal, any time of day. 

easy + healthy dinner

this is a really easy & healthy meal to make when you don't have much motivation to cook. we actually happened to have all of these random ingredients on hand & decided to throw them all together, & it was actually pretty tasty (that never happens with me). this is what we used:

cooked chicken (we grilled ours with seasonings)

cooked rice (I had a packet on hand)

some fresh ginger (just shave a teaspoon or two into the water for the rice. it adds great flavor)

steamed edamame beans (be sure to salt them)

pineapple (we also grilled it)

cilantro for garnish

soy sauce (if you feel the need for a little drizzle to add more flavor)

st. patty's chocolate stout float

need a quick & easy dessert to serve for st. patty’s day? try this chocolate stout float. it’s super simple.

here's how: place a brownie in the bottom of a mug (a boxed brownie mix works just fine). then add a few scoops of vanilla ice cream and top off with your favorite irish beer. I used murphy’s irish stout, but you could also use guinness. erin go bragh!

o christmas crack, o christmas crack

obviously I've never done crack (or any other drug for that matter), but I can't image that it could be any more addictive than this christmas toffee (a.k.a. "crack"). I've been making it every year since probably high school. I only allow myself to make it once a year at christmas, or else I'd be about 400 pounds. because once you pop a piece, you can't stop.

it's extremely simple to make & is great for gift-giving. photo below in case you need 'em.

saltines (I use the generic version)
2 sticks butter
1 cup light brown sugar
a bag chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet)
crushed nuts (I like pecans or walnuts)

preheat oven to 350
melt butter & sugar on low in a small pot on the stove until completely blended.
cover a raised-edged cookie sheet with aluminum foil (I used a silpat mat instead).
completely line the cookie sheet with saltine crackers.
pour blended butter & sugar mixture over crackers.
bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes.
remove from oven. sprinkle chocolate chips over toffee.
put back in the oven for 2 minutes to help melt the chocolate.
remove from the oven & carefully spread the melted chocolate chips with a spatula.
sprinkle some chopped nuts over the toffee.
let cool & then put in refrigerator until hard (do not freeze).
once toffee is hard, remove from foil & break apart.
store in an airtight container in the fridge. I promise it won't last that long, though. 

 

 

 

lemon icebox cookies

for those of you with an overabundant supply of lemons from lemon trees this season, this martha recipe is a very easy & tasty cookie recipe. I used meyer lemons, but any lemon will do. and the best part is, you have to freeze the dough, so you can make it a month ahead & have it ready to go when your sweet tooth calls or when guests pop by.

ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar, for rolling

directions:

1. In a food processor, pulse flour, confectioners' sugar, salt, and lemon zest until combined. Add butter and process until sandy. Add egg yolks and lemon juice; pulse until dough comes together. Divide dough in half and form each into a 1 1/2-inch-wide log. Wrap in plastic and freeze until firm, about 2 hours (or up to 1 month).
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Spread granulated sugar on a piece of parchment; roll logs over sugar to coat. Slice logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices and arrange, 1 inch apart, on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are golden brown around edges, about 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

thankful

I love thanksgiving & all of the traditions that come along with it. this year robert & I made some new things for the feast at the lakehouse. I love getting together with my whole family every thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for!

{ina's cranberry fruit conserve} 

{prepping the honey glazed carrots} 

{prepping the roasted garlic mashed potatoes} 

seasonal appetizer: peach + prosciutto + blackberry

when I walk by the peaches in the grocery store, they smell amazing. I knew I wanted to make some sort of appetizer using fresh peaches for our party, but just wasn't sure what. as soon as I saw the cover of the latest jacksonville magazine, I knew it would be the perfect end-of-summer appetizer to recreate.

I cut the peaches into slices, wrapped them in prosciutto & then used a toothpick to stick the blackberry on top. such a delicious combination.

{the perfect summer appetizer}

confetti cupcakes

sometimes I like to celebrate... for no reason at all. confetti cupcakes always seem to do the trick. try my new favorite chocolate buttercream recipe here.

summer kabobs

nothing says summer like kabobs on the grill. I marinated some chicken in a little olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, paprika and s&p for a few hours. we threaded skewers with green peppers, banana peppers, onion & my favorite, pineapple & threw them on the grill. they were delicious & so easy.

the next morning robert cooked up some omelets with the leftovers.

chocolate guinness cake

when I heard nigella lawson on npr describing her chocolate guinness cake, I knew I had to try it out for st. patty's day.  it was surprisingly delicious, with a hint of guinness flavor. I iced the top only so that it would resemble a pint of guinness. I might just make this a tradition every st. patrick's day.                                                                                                                    

chocolate guinness cake by nigella lawson

ingredients for the cake:

1 cup guinness
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

ingredients for the frosting:

8 oz  cream cheese
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar (sifted)
1/2 cup heavy cream

preheat the over to 350 F, and butter and line a 9 inch springform pan.

pour the guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter and heat until the butter's melted. next, whisk in the cocoa and sugar. beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the pan. after that is mixed, whisk in the flour and baking soda. make sure all the lumps are out.

pour the cake batter into the greased and lined pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. let cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack.

to make the frosting, lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sift the confectioner's sugar and then beat them both together.

add the cream and beat again until it makes a spreadable consistency. ice the top of the cake so that it resembles the frothy top of a pint of guinness.

Makes about 12 slices