Full Circle Foodie

merry christmas, y'all!

2012-12-25T00:47:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas, from our kitchen to yours!

gingerbread spice caramels

2012-12-25T00:43:00.003-06:00

If you haven't spent the holidays with Full Circle Foodie before, I'd like to extend a warm welcome. This is my fifth year executing my "Baked with Love" project where I bake a variety of cookies and candies and then package them up all pretty to give, with love, to coworkers, friends and family.

Each year, I incorporate tried and true traditions as well as new recipes that I am equally excited about. Grab some hot cocoa and enjoy your stay as my 2012 Box of Love unfolds before your eyes!

After discovering how easy it was to make caramels, I got hooked and wanted to try new flavors. My next adventure included gingerbread caramels and they turned out to be a huge hit. The buttery caramels paired with the molasses and gingerbread spices was the perfect holiday indulgence.

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apple cider caramels

2012-12-25T00:04:00.001-06:00

With the help of a candy thermometer, making delicious caramels is nothing more than a touch of patience over the stove. Perfect caramels can be achieved every time as long as the desired temperature is reached at each stage. Sweet apple and distinct winter spices made these caramels too delicious to not include in another round of boxes. A sprinkle of delicate sea salt at the end will also enhance these flavors to the next level.

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peppermint bark snowflakes

2012-12-23T13:05:00.001-06:00

Using holiday themed silicone molds transforms traditional peppermint bark into miniature works of edible art. These festive snowflakes are a fun addition to the baked with love boxes and even the most beginner chefs can gift these impressive candy creations.

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linzer pinwheel cookies

2012-12-20T00:01:00.000-06:00

These Linzer Pinwheel Cookies were a welcomed addition to the boxes this year. The lemon zest and raspberry jam added bright flavor to the sweet selections. My favorite part about these cookies is that they can be made and shared all year long.

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three-ginger gingersnaps

2012-12-19T12:15:00.003-06:00

A crowd favorite every year are Three-Ginger Gingersnaps. Recipients always try and guess what makes these cookies pop. The secret? Fresh, ground and candied ginger.

The crispy sugared outside and chewy ginger inside make these a unique addition to any gift box or cookie tray.
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almond spritz cookies

2012-12-18T22:52:00.001-06:00

I don't think a year will ever go by where my Almond Spritz Trees won't make an appearance in my Baked with Love boxes. These timeless cookies have been my favorite on the cookie tray for as long as I can remember.

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peppermint bark pretzels

2012-12-17T20:07:00.001-06:00

I originally made these Peppermint Bark Pretzels as a small gift for a large group of awesome people. Four pretzels perfectly nestled into each mini treat bag for an inexpensive, yet impressive way to say thank you.

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baked with love - packaging

2012-12-16T22:24:00.000-06:00

Before we get to this year's recipes, I'd like to share some tips on presentation. One of the most important aspects to my anual Baked with Love boxes is the festive packaging. I have rounded up my favorite supplies to use as well as listed where you can purchase them. These recommendations are in no way sponsored, but simply companies and products that I have had large success with throughout the years.

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staying warm with panera soups

2012-12-12T23:08:00.000-06:00

I'd be lying if I told you that Southern California was actually experiencing winter weather, but it has been fairly chilly as of late. One of my favorite cold weather meals is a hearty bowl of soup and a hot sandwich. I have always enjoyed the fresh soups at Panera Bread and was thrilled to be asked to try out a few new additions to their menu.

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thanksgiving 2012

2012-12-04T23:16:00.002-06:00

Our Thanksgiving was absolutely lovely this year; and although I'm a bit late in posting a brief recap, the pictures of the impressive spread were too tasty not to share. A huge thanks to Marie for hosting our quaint party of fourteen and to Masterbuilt for providing the Indoor Electric Turkey Fryer!

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brown butter pumpkin ravioli #WFMClash

2012-11-23T06:00:00.000-06:00

I am so excited to be participating in a Clash of the Cooks challenge with Whole Foods Markets. Each week, participants pick up a box of mystery ingredients and are challenged to create a delectable dish inspired by the holidays. This week's bag contents included: canned pumpkin, whole coffee beans, Forager Mike's DANG! it's GOOD hot sauce and parmesan crisps. Keep reading to discover what I came up with; and in the meantime, be sure to let me know in the comments what you would have created. I'd love to hear your take on the challenge!

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mommom's pecan pie

2012-11-22T22:40:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving! We may not be traveling home this year, but we will definitely indulge in the flavors of home. In addition to a few classic sides, I'll be bringing my Mommom's recipe for pecan pie to our belated dinner tomorrow night. I had quite a few things going on in the kitchen today and decided to go with a store-bought pie shell, but spiced it up by cutting leaves out of the second shell that came in the pack. I just scored some veins in the leaves, brushed a bit of water on the back and arranged them around the crust before baking. I have to say it turned out great; now I absolutely can't wait for our Thanksgiving feast.

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rethink thanksgiving

2012-11-20T23:01:00.000-06:00

John McLemore, co-owner and CEO of Masterbuilt Manufacturing, challenges you to rethink your Thanksgiving menu this year. Have you considered deep frying your turkey? If you're anything like my mother, who immediately shared her concern after finding out about our plans to fry this year, you may be hesitant to take on such a task in your own home. Thanks to the folks at Masterbuilt, the dangers of frying a turkey at home have been eliminated with their completely electric Butterball Indoor Electric Turkey Fryer.

Aside from eliminating the risk of open flame, the Masterbuilt indoor fryer makes preparing your Thanksgiving turkey a breeze. The actual cooking time is only 3-4 minutes per pound, almost half the time of cooking in your oven! This not only allows you more time to entertain your guests, but more importantly frees up valuable oven real estate for all of your incredible sides and desserts. Clean up is a breeze with its porcelain-coated inner pot and drain valve for discarding used oil - no more soaking and scrubbing of roasts pans at the end of the day!

John McLemore wants to make sure your use of the indoor fryer doesn't stop with turkeys. In his latest cookbook "DADGUM That's Good, Too!" he shares his family stories, pictures and favorite recipes for smoking, frying and grilling. Among some of my must try dishes are recipes for Loaded Baked Potato Bites and Corn Fritters. Who am I kidding? In true southern fashion, I also can't wait to try Fried Pickles and a slue of other deep fried greatness.

On Friday, several friends will be joining forces to create a Thanksgiving dinner to remember. In addition to frying not one, but two turkeys, we'll also be contributing enough sides, desserts and drinks to feed a small army. We're so intense that there is an actual shared spreadsheet involved.

An epic meal deserves sides of epic proportions. Inspired by John's Loaded Baked Potato Bites and in conjunction with the fact that we won't actually be stuffing our turkey, I thought Fried Stuffing Balls would be a fun and delicious addition to our Thanksgiving spread. I cannot wait to share our adventures on Friday as well as share our experience with frying our very first turkeys. In the meantime, I'll leave you with John's recipe for Loaded Baked Potato Bites in hopes of inspiring you to rethink your Thanksgiving menu this year!

Loaded Baked Potato Bites
serves 12-16

Ingredients:
2 large baking potatoes
1 gallon cooking oil
1 1/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
sour cream and chives for serving

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place potatoes directly on oven rack and bake for 1 hour, until tender. Let cool slightly and mash, with or without skin depending on preference.

Fill deep fryer halfway with oil and heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, cheese, bacon, chives and salt, mixing well. Shape mixture into 1 1/2 balls and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Stir in eggs and milk, mixing well. Dip potatoes in egg mixture and fry in batches for 5 to 6 minutes until golden brown. Use a metal slotted spoon to transfer to paper towels to drain.

Serve immediately with sour cream and chives, if desired.

Be sure to also follow John on Twitter for more inspiration on using the indoor electric fryer as well as the rest of the culinary products in the Masterbuilt line!

*John McLemore's cookbook as well as the Butterball Indoor Electric Turkey Fryer have been generously provided to me for review. As always, all opinions are strictly my own. Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

scrumptious sundays

2012-11-18T00:00:00.000-06:00

I love pictures. I love to take them, relive them, etc. I'm guilty of browsing complete strangers' photos on Flickr and Facebook. There are so many talented bakers and photographers sharing their creations over the internet that each Sunday I will highlight my favorites of the week.

This Sunday's theme is Turkey Cookies! I cannot wait for Thanksgiving this year as we are sharing our meal with some lovely San Diego food friends. We'll get all of the traditional comfort dishes without having to prepare everything ourselves. I'll be contributing my Mommom's pecan pie, but if I was going for something less traditional, these cookies sure would be fun!

1. Oreo Turkey Cookies, 2. Turkey Cookie Treats Recipe, 3. Thanksgiving Turkey, 4. Thanksgiving Turkey, 5. turkey cookies 1, 6. Turkey, 7. TurkeyInvade, 8. decorated sugar cookies, 9. Gingerbread Turkey Cookie, 10. Flower Turkey, 11. flickr.com/photos/56001997@N02/5183302915/, 12. turkey cookie, 13. Thanksgiving Cookies, 14. turkey cookies, 15. Gobble, Gobble, 16. IMG_8329

twisted holiday cornbread #WFMClash

2012-11-15T12:11:00.000-06:00

I am so excited to be participating in a Clash of the Cooks challenge with Whole Foods Markets. Each week, participants pick up a box of mystery ingredients and are challenged to create a delectable dish inspired by the holidays. This week's bag contents included: tortilla chips, chicken broth, cranberry sauce, and Maggie's Medley - a mix of artichoke tapenade, pistachio pesto and sun dried tomatoes. Keep reading to discover what I came up with; and in the meantime, be sure to let me know in the comments what you would have created. I'd love to hear your take on the challenge!

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picnic cake

2012-11-12T00:00:00.000-06:00

When it comes to my love of baking, my mother has always been my biggest influencer. She has been icing rolled sugar cookies long before it was the cool thing to do; I can actually still taste the strawberry ice cream cone cookies that she made for my elementary school birthday celebrations. Her advanced candy making skills are also impressive and evident in her dark chocolate almond caramels, a treat she hesitates to make due to all of the cutting and wrapping of each individual piece. Although as her one and only, it doesn't take too much convincing to get at batch out of her around the holidays.

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it's the most wonderful time...

2012-11-10T00:00:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again - time to torture Gabby into taking the most adorable holiday photo ever. In order to get custom holiday cards printed, shipped, addressed and delivered in time for Christmas, I realized I had better hurry and choose a design! I fell in love with the ornament style Christmas Cards from Tiny Prints and can't wait to execute this year's feline ridiculousness. If you haven't found your perfect paper sentiment, Tiny Prints has a huge selection of cards of all sizes, address labels and gift tags that you don't want to miss. Don't forget to check out their current specials before ordering.

*This is a sponsored post by Tiny Prints; however, all opinions are my own.

baked okra chips

2012-11-08T20:35:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite harvests from our Suzie's Farm tour was a container of fresh okra simply because I never buy it for myself. I didn't have enough to make a batch of okra and tomatoes so I decided to bake them into some tasty chips for snacking. I'd be lying if I didn't eat the entire batch in one sitting; they were so addictive. I forgot how much I love okra, but thanks to our day on the farm I'll be sure to remember to pick some up the next time I'm at the store.

Baked Okra Chips

Ingredients:

fresh okra, cut lengthwise

a pinch of salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Arrange okra in an even layer on baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and bake for 15-20 minutes until desired color is reached. I like mine crispy and browned on the edges so I went the full 20 minutes.

Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container (if any are left).

suzie's farm tours - san diego, ca

2012-11-05T20:35:00.001-06:00

I had so much fun accomplishing my 30 Before Thirty goal of visiting a local farm that I've actually gone twice and have plans of returning at least once a season. Southern California's unique coastal climate enables farmers to harvest bountiful crops year round so finding a local farm to visit wasn't hard at all. Suzie's Farm offers harvesting tours that include tours of their fields as well as the opportunity to fill a shopping bag with fresh seasonal produce. Several of our friends are members of their CSA so this seemed like the perfect place to start.

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peanut butter chocolate pretzel pumpkins

2012-11-01T22:48:00.001-05:00

Say that five times fast? Thankfully these fantastically Fall treats are much easier to make than their name is to say. In fact, they're ridiculously easy to make and ridiculously good. They kind of remind me of the Friends trifle episode: pretzels - good, peanut butter - good, chocolate - goooood. What's not to like?!

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happy halloween!

2012-10-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

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salted caramel twix

2012-10-29T18:40:00.001-05:00

If you're feeling especially adventurous, I highly recommend making Salted Caramel Twix from scratch. Sounds laborious, but I assure you the only thing difficult about this recipe is refraining from eating the entire batch in one sitting. I also apologize in advance for the fact that eating the original candy inspiration will never ever be the same.

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scrumptious sundays

2012-10-28T11:03:00.001-05:00

I love pictures. I love to take them, relive them, etc. I'm guilty of browsing complete strangers' photos on Flickr and Facebook. There are so many talented bakers and photographers sharing their creations over the internet that each Sunday I will highlight my favorites of the week.

This Sunday's theme is Pumpkin Cookies! I love pumpkins around Halloween because, minus the spooky fun faces, can totally stick around late into Fall for multipurpose decorating. I have a fun pumpkin 'baked' treat to share with you this week that is so easy and perfect for small holiday gifting. Stay tuned!

1. Pumpkin Cookies, 2. Pumpkins & Jack O' Lanterns, 3. Pumpkin Cookies, 4. Giant Pumpkin Cookie, 5. Pumpkin Cookies, 6. Pumpkin cookie pops, 7. Fall Pumpkin Cookie, 8. Mini Jack-o'Lantern Cookie., 9. Jack O Lantern Cookies, 10. Pumpkin Sugar Cookie @ Panera Bread, 11. Jack-O-Lantern Cookies, 12. jack-o-lantern cookies, 13. Pumpkins in Costumes, 14. scared pumpkin cookie, 15. Jack O' Lantern Cookie, 16. Jack O'Lantern Sugar Cookies

halloween baking inspiration

2012-10-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

If you're searching for festive treats to bake this weekend, look no further. I have rounded up some of my favorite Fall recipes for your Halloween baking adventures.