Table for Two.

Ice Cream Alternative

2012-07-19T17:15:00.000-04:00

What if I told you that there was an ice cream that is gluten free, dairy free, has around 100 calories per serving, and, could infact be considered healthy?

Annnd what if I told you that there was only one ingredient and you don't need an ice cream maker to make it?

I know, I may sounds crazy. But see, I have a problem.

It's ice cream.

I love it....like a lot. Especially in the summer. But it's not too good for me. Or you, for that matter. So when I found this alternative, I was very skeptical, but willing to try anything that would satisfy my ice cream cravings.

So, what's the one ingredient, you may ask?

Bananas. Rippen bananas, actually.

So here's what you do: Cut 2-4 (approx 2-4 servings) ripen bananas into little wheels as seen. Then place banana in freezer for 2-3 hours.

Once frozen, you'll need a food processor to do the rest.

Process your bananas on low. This may take a little while, and you may need to scrape down the sides a few times, but after a few minutes you will get the texture you want.

Here's the fun part! While this is a one ingredient recipe, you can also add some fun things. I added about a tablespoon of Nutella to mine. Yes, it decreases the health factor a bit, but it's still better than ice cream.

Spin it a few more times to mix in the nutella, it should look like soft serve!

So right as I was finishing up this 'ice cream' recipe, Shawn walks in. I ask him to try it and he loves it! Then I ask him to guess what's in it. He had NO CLUE.

You could also mix in almond butter or peanut butter, which would give it a nice kick of protein and keep you full. You could also mix in chocolate chips, strawberries or blueberries, caramel, vanilla extract, even vanilla wafers and marshmallow fluff to make banana cream pie!

Cute, huh?

Place it in the freezer to get a firmer ice cream. I can't wait to get into this again!

Has anyone else tried this before? Any other ideas for mix ins?

Cat Picnic and Discontentment

2012-07-16T20:09:00.000-04:00

Discontentment.

A few weeks ago, my lovely (er, handsome?) husband spoke on the subject. You can listen to that sermon, here.

The ironic thing is, lately, that is how I have been feeling. Maybe it's just that I've been restless since things have slowed down after graduation, vacation, weddings, mission trip, and I'm now in this "waiting period" before I start my job on the 23rd. Even so, there's still this need to "do" something or "buy" something constantly running though me.

So on Saturday, I decided to have a "cat picnic." No, I didn't eat our cat.

Wait, let me back up. First, I have to clarify that we put our cat on a leash. Yes, we are those people. Our cat is an indoor cat, and we live right next to a main road, so we do leash our cat when she's outside. Anyways....

So back to my picnic. I decided to put our cat on her leash next to a blanket that I laid out in the yard. I thought it'd be so cute to have a snuggly place to enjoy the one non sweltering day of the weekend.

When, alas, Sidney did not sit down, and in fact walked as far away from the blanket as her leash would allow...

So that was annoying. But it got me thinking about her leash and how it relates to discontentment. See, her leash can be extended. So sometimes I'll just leave her outside with a little bit of leash to run around on. Eventually, she tries pulling herself as far as she can go, and then meows because she's unsatisfied.

On this day, I had her leash at it's fullest extent, and she was still discontented. She still wanted to go further, whether it was chasing a butterfly into the woods or watching 'her daddy' repair his bike. Even though she was getting way more freedom than she normally does, she was still meowing and pulling herself to show she was unhappy.

Sometimes I'm like that. No matter where my "leash" is at (whatever the status God currently has me residing in) I am always pulling it a little further, trying to get more, do more. Somehow I am never satisfied.

So while I was laying in the grass on a blanket I started laughing about how silly I was acting like our pet cat, feeling that I needed more than what was currently provided me.

The truth is, I am so incredible blessed. I have the best husband I could ever ask for, great education, family, friends, I'm about to start a new job, and all of our expenses are met. What else could I ask for or need?

Skin Care for 20 Somethings

2012-07-12T20:28:00.002-04:00

What better way to expand my blog than to write about skin care, right?

Totally random, I know, but it's something that I've been thinking about lately. No, I don't sit around and day dream about skin care, but it is important! I'm 25 (going on 26 this year) and every once in awhile I get this overwhelming fear of getting wrinkles. I know, it may seem shallow, but I guarantee every female thinks about this at some point!

Anyways, here's the on going dilemma. What really works? How do I afford it when I'm on a budget? What's really necessary?

From what I've read, the key to fighting aging in your 20's is MOISTURE. Keeping your skin from drying out is crucial to fighting wrinkles. In your 20's your skin slows down the process of producing the natural oils and whatnot that keep it youthful and that's when cracks can appear.

So, here's what I use (for normal to combination skin). It's all super affordable and I think keeps my skin pretty awesome.

(Going left to right)

Equate (Walmart) Microdermabrasion Exfoliating Face Towelettes ($6 for 120 wipes): I'm not a fan of Walmart. But, these are the most affordable and best-working make remover wipes I have found. Up until I got married, I never took my makeup off a night. *gasp* I know, a huge no-no for skin care. If you're anything like me, you know that at night you are typically too tired to go through a long facial cleaning process. These are super cheap and easy. Plus, I love the added texture they have that allows you to really scrub everything off.
Equate Daily Regenerating Cleanser ($3.97): This is the generic version of Olay Regenerating Cleanser. I use this in the shower, and I like it because it has somewhat of an exfoilator in it but doesn't dry out your face. Plus the salicylic acid accelerates cell turnover, which helps you look 'youthful' I suppose. And it's a lot more affordable than Olay.
Olay All Day Moisturizer with Sunscreen (around $8): Remember how I said moisture is imperative to fighting aging? This is where it starts. Before putting on makeup in the morning, this is my go to moisturizer. It's simple, light weight, not greasy, plus has an SPF, which is VITAL to protecting skin. I find a bottle this size will last me 4-6 months.
Freeman Clay Mask Avocado and Oatmeal ($3.99): I was looking for a good face mask, and this is what all the reviews I read recommended. It's super affordable but definitely cleans out your pores and leaves your skin super smooth. I use this once a week to 2x a month (depending on need).

The clay mask not only cleans but also works for scaring your husband! :)

Boots Expert Sensitive Hydrating Serum (at Target, around $6.50): Not only is it important to moisturize during the day, but also at night. I use this after taking off my makeup every night. It's light weight and leaves my skin smooth and happy in the morning.
Nalgene Water Bottle ($10): Water. The most important way to moisturize your body. Whether I'm home all day or on the go, I have this by my side. I have several water bottles, but I like this one right now because it shows me how much I'm drinking. 2 of these babies equals the daily recommended water intake.

Well, that's it. Anyone have any other products you highly recommend?

Neglect and New Beginnings

2012-07-12T19:25:00.000-04:00

Oh, blog world, how I've neglected you. If you were a pet fish, you'd have died months ago. If you were an exercise bike, you'd be dusty-and I overweight.

But I was thinking about you today, and how I miss this tiny outlet in my life. I can offer excuses (food blogs aren't helpful to those attempting to tone up, I was busy finishing school, out of the country for over 2 weeks) but...I won't. ;)

While I was thinking about this blog I was wishing there was a way to combine my love for food with my love for other things. Expanding my blog beyond just my love for food and opening it up to travel, fashion, thrifty spending, crafty-ish things (not which I am the best of), and most importantly, inspiring thoughts from my own head.

On July 23rd I am beginning a new path as it is, starting my career in counseling as a Family Based Therapist. I am excited for the transition from student to employee, but I am aware that with this transition I will need, more than ever, a creative outlet.

So, I am setting out to attempt this expansion. It will be a slow and gradual change, and I can't guarantee what it will look like, so bare with me. :)

Saphire Beach, St. Thomas

Pistachio Cupcakes with Pistachio Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing

2012-03-04T21:47:00.002-05:00

So it appears that I have committed the ultimate blogging crime. Establish a dedicated group of followers by blogging regularly, and then falling off the face of the earth. I always said I wouldn't do that, and, alas, I did. :( I apologize for my negligent care of my blog. The reason I haven't blogged in almost a month? Well, yes, I was very busy. But beyond that I started realizing that I was beginning to find my blog more of a hassle than I believe it was meant to be. I was blogging to gain followers, to get more comments, to up blog popularity. I spent way too much time critiquing my photos and comparing my food blog to others, that it became an extra stress that I didn't need. But, I'm back. Partially because I'm doing a cooking class at our church tomorrow and need to blog this recipe for that, but also because I kind of miss it. :) While I cannot guarantee 4-5 consistent new posts a week, I can tell you that I hope to be more consistent sharing my creations. And here's one of them:

Pistachio Cupcakes:

This is insanely easy, especially if you are someone who struggles with measurements, as I do. Preheat oven to 350. 1 box of your fav white cake mix, 1 cup of vegetable/canola oil, 1 cup of club soda, 1 3.4 oz box of pistachio pudding (instant), and 3 eggs.

Throw them all in a bowl. Just like that. Looks gross but kinda awesome, doesn't it?

Using mixer, mix until combined. If you want your cuppies to be more green, add additional food coloring while mixing.

Fill cupcake tins 2/3 of the way full.

Bake 15-20 minutes, or until tops are slightly brown.

Cool your cakes! I made 90 of them. I know, I'm ridiculous. My husband agrees.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

Okay, while the cupcakes were brainlessly easy, the icing is a little more time consuming. Even so, if you are like me, and super picky about your icing, you may want to venture out. I HATE plan buttercream. It's thick, and I feel like I'm eating straight confectionary sugar and butter. EW. And while I totally prefer a whipped icing-nice and light-I also hate that it has to be refrigerated, and that can be a hassle. So this is sort of the best of both worlds. It's a lighter, fluffier version of buttercream that I can actually enjoy and doesn't have to be refrigerated!

Prior to starting frosting. You'll need 4 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature. This doesn't mean pull them out 30 min before starting icing, this means at least 2-4 hours. Cut into tablespoon sized pieces.

Separate 5 egg whites. Save the yolks for gelato! Or creme brûlée!

Bring medium saucepan to a simmer. In a heatproof bowl combine 5 egg whites, 1 cup plus two TBLS of sugar, and a pinch of salt. Whisk constantly until mixture is warm to touch and not grainy.

Ingredients prior to whisking

Ingredients after whisking. Warm, smooth, and slightly frothy.

Attach bowl to mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Start on low, gradually working up to medium-high speed. Whisk until mixture is fluffy and glossy (as pictured) and stiff peaks begin to form.

Turn mixer on medium-low speed and gradually add in a few tablespoons of butter at a time. Allow butter to incorporate before adding additional butter.

After fully incorporated, don't freak out if your mixture looks like cottage cheese! It'll get better, I promise. :)

Add box of pistachio pudding mix and almond extract. Remove whisk attachment and put on paddle attachment.

Put mixer on low for 2-4 minutes to allow everything to incorporate. Icing will start looking more like icing!

Here's what it will look like! Light and fluffy but definitely workable.

Add icing to piping bag or zip lock bag, snip off the end like so.

If you want to get fancy, take some pistachios (please shell before, people don't want to eat shells)

Place 'stachios in a food processor (or you can put em in a plastic bag and hammer them, that's always fun!)

Chop them up! Be careful not to pulverize them, you don't want 'stachio dust!

Here's the 'stachio cuppies for my cooking class. Well, some of them. Like I said, I made 90 altogether. Just in time for St. Patty's day!

Didn't this frosting turn out gorgeous? Oh my, this isn't a pic from a cook book, I am proud to say I took this myself!

So here's the recipes:

Pistachio Cupcakes

(original recipe found here)

Ingredients:

1 box of white cake mix

1 3.4 oz box of instant pistachio pudding

1 cup of club soda

1 cup of vegetable/canola oil

3 whole eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients and beat until combined (approx. 3 minutes on low setting). Pour batter into cupcake tins and bake for 18-22 minutes. Yield approximately 24 cupcakes.

Pistachio Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing

(adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe, found here)

Ingredients:

5 large egg whites

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

1 3.4 oz box of pistachio pudding

Directions:

Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips).

Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.

With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once all butter has been added, whisk in almond extract and box of pistachio pudding. Switch to the paddle attachment, and continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula, and continue beating until the frosting is completely smooth. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day, or store in refrigerator up to 3 days.

(Optional) To tint buttercream, reserve some for toning down the color, if necessary. Add gel-paste food color, a drop at a time (or use the toothpick or skewer to add food color a dab at a time) to the remaining buttercream. You can use a single shade of food color or experiment by mixing two or more. Blend after each addition with the mixer (use a paddle attachment) or a flexible spatula, until desired shade is achieved. Avoid adding too much food color too soon, as the hue will intensify with continued stirring; if necessary, you can tone down the shade by mixing in some reserved untinted buttercream. Yields 5 cups of icing, approximately enough to cover 48 cupcakes.

So, these cupcakes are a sure win to impress your friends. They may be hesitant, feeling that pistachio-related foods are just for the elderly, but you will soon prove them wrong. Make these for St. Patrick's Day, and you won't even need food coloring! These babies are perfect for early spring. And if you feel that the icing is too much of a challenge, you can easily buy store bought icing. Try chocolate icing!

Valentine's Day Devils Food Cupcakes

2012-02-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

So I promised the "evil" portion of my valentine's desserts today. Well, I hate to say these are evil, but they are a chocolate lover's weakness, to say the least. This makes about 32 cupcakes. You can always half the recipe if you'd like. But you do get a bunch!

These are Martha Stewarts. She get's all credit here!

Start with your ingredients: cocoa powder, 3/4 cup hot water, 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 1/4 tsp salt, 3 sticks of butter, 2 1/4 cups sugar, 4 large eggs, 1 tablespoon plus 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, 1 cup sour cream.

Preheat oven to 350. Combine hot water and cocoa powder, whisk until smooth.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Melt butter and sugar over medium-low heat.

Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs one at at time (not whole as it looks like I'm doing in photo).

Add chocolate mixture and vanilla, beat until combined.

Then add half of the flour mixture, half of the sour cream, then the remaining flour mixture and the remaining sour cream.

Mix until just combined.

Fill up cupcake tins about 3/4 full.

Bake approximately 20 min. Allow to cool.

Here's my marshmallow cream. SOOOOO tasty! All it is: 1 cup of marshmallow fluff and 1 stick of room temp. butter cut into tiny pieces. Beat until butter is well incorporated.

Here's where I wasn't thinking. It really would have been best to fill these guys from the bottom, since I was doing a chocolate ganache. Be smart and don't make this mistake!

Ok, now for the ganache. Place 1 bag of semi sweet or dark chocolate chips in a bowl. Heat 2 cups of heavy cream in a small saucepan just until it starts to boil. Pour over chocolate and let it sit about 5 minutes. Then slowly mix chocolate...

Until it looks like this.

See why it's better to fill cupcakes from the bottom?

Dip cakes into ganache, allow them to drip free of excess chocolate.

Here's what your cupcakes will look like!

Now, if you want to make it v day appropriate, take some white chocolate melts and melt them down. Use a pastry bag with a fine tip to make little hearts. This is sort of difficult, that's why my hearts looks like a first grader did them. It may be easier just to buy heart-shaped candy to go on top.

Here's mine! Yours will look better because you won't make the mistake of filling them from the top.

The sour cream add a nice tanginess to the flavor, and I LOVE marshmallow cream. Definitely a chocolate lovers dream.

Martha Stewarts Devil's Food Cupcakes

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 cup hot water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
Chocolate Ganache Frosting
Chocolate Curls, for decorating (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each.
Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three- quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting.

Marshmallow Cream Filling:

1 Stick of room temperature butter
1-1 1/2 cup marshmallow fluff

Cut butter into 1/2 inch pieces. Combine fluff and butter, beat until butter is well incorporated. Pipe into the bottom of cupcakes, or cut holes in the bottom and add filling.

Here's Martha's Chocolate Ganache recipe. I sort of doubled it.

Valentine's Day Strawberry Angel Cake

2012-02-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Oh blog world, how I've neglected you! I cannot say I haven't attempted recipes for my blog, because I have. Last weekend, in fact, I attempted two types of candy, both resulted in a huge FLOP. Mostly due to the high humidity. At least I'm telling myself that.

Anyways...I figured it's almost V day, and whether or not you have a special someone to bake for, I think Valentines is an awesome excuse for more dessert!

So, I'm going to provide good vs. evil desserts for this occasion. Today I'm sharing the good. Strawberry angel food cake. Not only is it good because it's angel food, but it's also low fat. So, make this for the calorie conscious person in your life, and you'll score major points.

Start with a angel food cake mix. Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines will do. Most are just add water recipes. Easy. Or, make it even easier and buy an already made angel food cake.

I baked mine in two loaf cakes. I baked them on a cookie sheet just in case they overflowed. Which did happen. Once out of the oven, tilt them on the sides to loosen. Wait until cooled to remove.

Once cooled, cut your cake into 1 inch pieces, or close to it. Use a good bread knife (as seen) to make it easier on yourself.

Set your angel food aside for awhile. You'll need a 3 oz strawberry jello box, 2 containers of cool whip, and some frozen strawberries (or fresh works, if in season).

Make the jello according to directions. Pour some of the strawberry juice from the frozen strawberries in, if you can. Allow jello to get thick in the fridge (about 30-45 min) just until it starts to thicken.

Whisk thickened jello, then fold in 1 container of cool whip and strawberries.

It'll look like this, kind of a hot mess, but it's okay.

Now you're going to make lasagna. Well, sort of. It is a layering process. I was clever and used a spring form pan so it would be easy to take out. You could also use a bundt pan. I don't have one of those. So start with your angel food pieces...

Then add a layer of jello-cool-whip mixture.

And another layer of angel food followed by the rest of the mixture.

Then I topped with the remainder of the angel food.

Cover well with aluminum foil and saran wrap for at least 4 hours, to allow jello to set.

If you use a spring form pan, you can easily keep your cake form nicely when you release the spring. See?

Pretty cool, huh?

Now, you need that other container of cool whip. Use like icing to cover entire cake.

Pretty, huh?

You could top with fresh strawberries. I didn't have any, so I used sprinkles!

Wouldn't this be cute for your valentine??

I found this recipe on the Duncan Hines website, here. This is a very easy recipe that will be quickly devoured by any guest. I made this for a youth leader meeting this past week and I only returned with one tiny sliver. That means it was good! You could even do these in individual ramekins for v day and impress your love. Plus, you won't feel guilty! Well, not too guilty. :)

Tomorrow I'll have the Evil portion of my valentine's dessert. That means devils food cupcakes with marshmallow cream filling and dark chocolate ganache icing. Anything but light!!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Stewed Tomatoes

2012-02-02T19:28:00.000-05:00

Motivation. Ever loose it? I did big time this week. Things got super busy and, even when they weren't, I couldn't find the motivation to get this blog done. Times when motivation is lacking go hand in hand with this type of recipe. Comfort food.

After a rough week, what else do you need? Something warm and nostalgic is the best medicine for lack of motivation. Right? Actually, it's probably enabling your lack of motivation even more, but who cares (says the counselor)?

Here's what you need: 1 lb box of macaroni (I used orecchiette), 2.5 cups of milk, plus an extra 1/4 cup, 1 stick of butter, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 4 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 bag of three cheese from Kraft (8 oz or 2 cups), 1/2 block of extra sharp cheddar (4 oz), 2 cans stewed tomatoes, 1 cup of breadcrumbs (not pictured)

This is the cheese I used. You could do something different.

Boil pasta, strain and set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat 2-3 cups of milk. I used low fat milk, and it didn't thicken as well as whole milk would have. But I didn't want those ridiculous extra calories. Also, the original recipe calls for 3 cups of milk, but I think you could get away with less. Add stick of butter and salt and pepper. Stir until butter is melted.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of milk with cornstarch and stir until dissolved, then slowly add to milk mixture, whisking constantly. Add cheese stirring until melted. Then combine pasta, two cans of tomatoes, and milk/cheese mixture, as well as 1 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs. Cut up blocks of cheese and place on top and sprinkle breadcrumbs across as well.

Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until it looks like this!

Those tomatoes are like hidden jewels in all that cheese. If you've never had stewed tomatoes alongside your mac n cheese, you are really missing out!

The sad thing about food blogging is that by the time I actually get the blog up, all the delicious food is gone. I miss it. So does my tummy.

So, this weekend, instead of reaching for the box-in-blue, try some homemade mac n cheese that will comfort even your worst day.

Recipe adapted with minor changes from food.com recipe found here.

Baked Mac n Cheese with Stewed Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 (1 lb) box of pasta, I used orecchiette because that's what Shawn picked out
2.5 cups of milk, plus 1/4 cup
1 stick of butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 tablespoons of cornstarch
2 cups of Kraft shredded Three Cheese (or just sharp cheddar cheese)
1 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs, plus extra for sprinkling on top
4 oz of block extra sharp cheddar cheese, cut in 1 inch pieces
2 cans of stewed tomatoes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook pasta as directed on package in a large pot, strain and set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat 2/5 cups of milk, butter, salt and pepper, until butter is melted.
In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of milk with cornstarch and stir until dissolved. Slowly add to milk mixture, whisking continuously.
When mixture has thickened, remove from heat and stir in 2 cups of shredded Kraft cheese until melted. Mixture may be somewhat liquidy depending on type of milk you use, but don't worry.
Using large pot you cooked pasta in, add pasta, cheese mixture, 2 cans of tomatoes, and 1 cup of breadcrumbs. Mix until well combined.
Pour into greased 9x13 baking dish and top with remaining cheese pieces and a sprinkle of breadcrumbs.
Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until cheese on top is melted and the top is golden brown.

Some people like to chop up the tomatoes some before putting them in, but not me. I enjoy finding the big pieces among my pasta. When I was little, the idea of tomatoes and macaroni was yucky, and I hadn't tried it since. I'm very glad now that I decided to revisit this recipe and I guarantee it will remain a comfort food fav through the years.

Snow Cream

2012-01-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

Oh the weather outside is...rainy? Well, unfortunately in Western PA, that's how it has been for the past week. But prior to that, we had a nice snowfall. During that time I collected some snow for snow cream! What is snow cream, you might ask?

Snow cream is more than a delicious dessert, it is also a memory for me. My Mamaw, who past away recently, would always talk about making snow cream during the winter. My aunts have also always made this wintery dessert, and I guarantee if you went to visit my Aunt Bonnie or Aunt Barrie at almost anytime during the year, they would have a batch of snow cream in their freezer. I figured it was time for me to past on the tradition.

Doesn't that look amazing? Like a pile of sweet, snowy heaven.

This stuff will help you make sense as to why kids stick their tongues out to catch snowflakes.

Normally, I hate snow. But snow cream makes me anticipate our next snow fall. You better get your bowls and ice cream scoops ready!!

Aunt Barrie's Snow Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup of Heavy cream

3 Tbsp. of Sugar

Vanilla, to taste (I used 1/2-1 tsp approx)

4 Cups of fresh dry snow

Cinnamon/Nutmeg to sprinkle

Directions:

On a nice, snowy day, stick a large plastic bowl outside to collect snow. Or you can go out after it's fallen and collect it. Just make sure it looks pretty clean. No yellow snow. Store snow in freezer until you are ready to use.

In a mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat cream and sugar until peaks begin to form, add vanilla towards the end of beating. Take snow out of the freezer and beat snow into mixture so that it is very light, cold, smooth and firm. Dust with nutmeg/cinnamon and serve immediately or place in freezer until ready to eat!

----------

There are lots of variations to this recipe, but this one is excellent. My Aunt Bonnie just adds milk, vanilla (or other flavoring), and sugar with no particular measurements. You can also add sweetened condensed milk and leave out the sugar all together. I've heard of chocolate and lemon variations, as well. Maybe I'll try those next snow fall!

So, right as I finished photographing this bowl, Shawn comes home. Very convenient, right? He finished the whole bowl.

Like I said, this gives you a reason to look forward to the next snowfall. And, if you are one of the few people who LOVES snow, you can stick this in your freezer and enjoy it in July! Who wouldn't want snow cream in July?

Cinnamon Pita Chips and Cocoa Yogurt Dip

2012-01-28T21:44:00.000-05:00

Saturday night we went to a magical place. Trader Joe's! There is only one in Pittsburgh, and I have been deprived up to this point of visiting. I wanted to buy everything, and that is an understatement.

Cocoa Almond Spread. One of my more valued purchases from that night. Similar to Nutella, but instead of being a hazelnut spread, this comes from almonds. Whoa.

So, besides put this stuff on absolutely everything (i.e bagels, toast, cookies, veggies, pizza), I decided to attempt a cocoa almond based dip. What you'll need: TJ's Cocoa Almond Spread (or Nutella), vanilla yogurt, whole wheat pita, olive oil, honey, and cinnamon.

Start with your cocoa spread. Take one tablespoon of it and microwave for 20 sec until it stirs smoothly with a spoon.

Add three tablespoons of yogurt, stir until smooth.

Yeah, I accidentally used the same spoon to scoop my yogurt. Oops!

Stick your dip in the fridge and start on your pita. Preheat oven to 350. Cut up two pitas like so.

Drizzle olive oil over your pita pieces.

Then add honey and cinnamon. You won't even need sugar, so don't think about it!

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until edges start to brown and pita becomes crisp.

Look how pretty. You could serve these at your Super Bowl party alongside your fancy popcorn. All the ladies in attendance will be happily impressed!

Crispy, slightly sweetened, guilt free pita chips.

Shawn and I finished these off in 10 minutes.

I was worried the vanilla yogurt and cocoa spread would be too sweet, but I was very wrong. The tanginess of the yogurt combined with the chocolate flavor is nothing less than addicting. Set this stuff out for a party and watch your guests devour. You can decide whether or not you'll share that it's healthy. Or, just make it for yourself. You deserve it, and it's a great way to snack with little guilt. :)

Cinnamon and Honey Pita Chips

Ingredients:

2 Whole Wheat Pitas (I like Kangaroo)

4 tablespoons of olive oil

4 tablespoons of honey

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Cut pita across 4 times, so that you have small bite size pieces. Drizzle olive oil, followed by honey across pita pieces. Then add cinnamon. Bake for 10-15 minutes until edges are browned and pita pieces are crisp. Yields 2-4 servings.

Cocoa Yogurt Dip

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of cocoa almond spread (or similar hazelnut spread)

3 tablespoons of plain vanilla yogurt

Directions:

Microwave spread for 20 seconds or so, just enough to soften it up so it's easy to stir. Then add yogurt and stir until well combined. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. (Note: If you are making for a party, you'll want to increase how much you make. Just remember 1 part spread, 3 parts yogurt!)

Marketing, Motivation, and Recycling

2012-01-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

I didn't know how to title this post. But I promise it will encompass all of the above.

Believe it or not, but it is almost the end of January and Shawn and I are still attempting to eat healthy(er).

Also, marketing. What about Marketing? Well I believe a part of staying motivated to eat better can be done by marketing healthier foods to yourself.

What are two basic marketing techniques that every consumer consciously/subconsciously looks for? Appeal and access. Does it look pretty and/or fun? And how easy is it to get or to do?

If it's easy and hot, we want it. So do stupid boys, but don't get me started on that!

But one way to market healthy foods to yourself is by having them in places you frequent (easy access). Such as on your kitchen counter instead of in your pantry. Also, instead of having a bunch of bags of food sitting out, why not use something a bit more attractive and organized.

A lot of times you'll see the decorative glass containers that will hold your snacks for you, and those are great, but they cost money. I have a more affordable option....

What does Giada have to do with this? Well, nothing at the moment. Oh, and this pasta sauce is 'off the hook' as some would say. You can buy it at Target. Look at my marketing skills, helping Giada make a few dollars on my blog. Ok, sorry. ANYWAYS, a cheap/easy way for storage is by using empty glass containers. You can recycle old pasta jars, jelly jars, canning jars..the options are endless, really.

I have some pretty mason jars I wasn't using, so I added them to the mix.

I ran my Giada jar under warm water to loosen the glue and the paper came right off. The I added my, ahem, healthy snacks. Yes, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and....yes....peanut M&Ms. I know, I know, I'm not helping the cause, but I needed to store them. They were soon replaced, anyways, as you'll see below....

Also, if you're using a mason jar, you can easily remove the center and screw the lid back on for easy access during a party or what have you! A nice way to share, huh? (Not my idea, I saw it on Pinterest)

See? I put my popcorn in it and added a bow to make it pretty!! Great way to gift.

See, you can market things to yourself. You could even go a step further and decorate the jars in eye catching colors or something. Regardless what you do, I guarantee that if you make those less desired foods look more desirable and easier to access, you will me MUCH more likely to consume them.

Try it and let me know how it goes!

Sophisticated Popcorn

2012-01-24T20:30:00.000-05:00

So on Monday I told you about our brilliant breakfast experience at Yolk. Today, I'm going to share another recipe inspired by our Chicago trip.

On the last day we spent in the Windy City, we visited Grahamwich. Grahamwich is this cute little sandwich shop that Shawn really REALLY wanted to go to. So much so that we traveled through a rainstorm to get there. Yeah, ridiculous.

One of our favorite foods from this shop was their popcorn. Now, Chicago is well known for it's popcorn. I'm not sure why, but it is. But Graham Elliot decided to take good popcorn to the next level. I'm calling it sophisticated popcorn. Why? Well, I'll tell you:

Notice anything 'sophisticated?' Black truffle oil. It's not cheap, and most would hesitate to put it on popcorn. This little bottle could go for upwards of $15! Want to know my cheap secret? TJMaxx Homegoods. They had it for $5. That's a bargain for sure. You could also use white truffle oil if you wanted. If you don't want to make the splurge and can't find a decent deal, you could use grape seed oil, walnut oil, or garlic oil. You can even totally omit it, if you have to.

Finally chop your chives. You want about 2 tablespoons. Chives are awesome, they provide a great oniony flavor in such small green.

Pop your corn! I love our popcorn maker. :) You could do them over the stove, though.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil while popcorn is still warm to help ingredients to stick. Then add 1/4-1/2 tsp of truffle oil. A little goes a long way! Add chives, cheese, and salt and pepper.

Look at that. Incredible flavor. The truffle oil adds this distinct earthy, nutty flavor that quickly becomes addicting. The cheese and chives also add to the addiction factor, and you'll soon find yourself polishing off a whole bowl.

So, for the Super Bowl, take regular brown bags and fold the edges down and fill with this stuff. Your guests will definitely be impressed!

Sophisticated Popcorn (inspired by Grahamwich popcorn)

Ingredients:

*1/4-1/3 cup of popcorn kernels

*2 Tbl of olive or vegetable oil

*1/4-1/2 tsp of truffle oil (can substitute grape seed oil, or garlic oil)

*1/2 cup of Parmesan or Romano Cheese, finely grated

*2 Tbl of fresh chives

*sea salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Chop chives and grate cheese (if necessary).

Pop popcorn kernels using popcorn maker or over the stove.

As soon as popcorn is done (while warm), add 2 tablespoons of olive oil followed by 1/4-1/2 tsp of truffle oil, mixing popcorn well so that it becomes lightly coated.

Add cheese, chives, and salt and pepper.

Serve to your friends and watch them be impressed by your fanciness. :)

Blueberry-Granola Pancakes with Honey

2012-01-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

Over the summer we went to Chicago with some friends. It was a great trip. One of my favorite aspects, was, of course, the food. For brunch one morning we went to Yolk.

Yolk is this trendy breakfast joint that has outrageous food.

I had their Banana-Blue Crunch Cakes! This is a picture of my food. Because I am weird and take pics of my food at restaurants sometimes. These little babies comes full of granola and blueberries and are topped with bananas and served with a side of warm honey. YUM!!

So, it's been several months since this trip, and I kind of miss some of the food we ate. So I decided to create my own pancakes inspired by their delicious banana-blue crunch cakes. Here's what happened:

Gather your ingredients. Pancake Mix: This is our go-to pancake mix, Krusteaz. It always turns out beautiful, delicious, fluffy pancakes. Yolk's cakes are actually multi-grain, but I didn't have that. Your standard pancake mix wil do or you can make your own. Granola: Again, you can buy it our make your own. You'll never guess where I found this at. TJMaxx. I thought it'd be perfect since it's a blueberry and banana granola in itself. Then you'll need blueberries and bananas. Gotta have fruit. Also, honey for serving. You could just use standard syrup, but why not try honey? It's something out of the ordinary. And, lastly, water for your mix (duh).

Follow standard directions for pancake mix. For 4-6 standard sized cakes, I used 2 cups of mix and 1 1/2 cups water. I actually ended up adding another 1/2 cup later, because the granola will absorb some of your water and make the batter thick. I then added 1/2-3/4 cup of granola, followed by 1/2-3/4 cup of blueberries.

Here's my batter. Almost looks like yogurt, doesn't it? You don't want it this thick, though. Add some water to get a looser batter. Like I said, I added about 1/2 a cup. If you like more dense pancakes, then leave it as is. Also, since there is granola, it may take a few minutes longer to cook than regular ones.

After pancakes are done, top with slices of bananas and blueberries. Add a side of honey and serve with bacon (well you don't have to, but who doesn't like bacon?)!

Here's an idea, make this as breakfast-in-bed for your sweetheart on Valentine's Day. I think you would definitely score major points with that one. Just don't spill the juice on them or anything.

Warm honey in the microwave for a few seconds and drizzle across your cakes like so. Wow, I miss these guys already!

Um, yeah, that's pretty incredible.

Just because these cakes are full of healthy stuff, doesn't mean they won't fill you up. Adding granola to pancakes makes them super filling. They will definitely keep you going throughout your morning!

Look at those blueberries. Wow. I think the people of Yolk would be proud of my efforts, don't you?

Okay, you know these aren't that difficult to make. Go get the ingredients and make these for someone special (i.e. yourself). :)

Blueberry-Granola Pancakes w/ Honey (Inspired by Yolk's Banana-Blue Crunch Cakes)

Ingredients:

-2 cups of pancake mix

-2 cups of water

-1/2-3/4 cup granola

-1/2-3/4 cup blueberries

-2 bananas

-Honey (for drizzling on top)

Directions:

Combine pancake mix and water, whisk until JUST COMBINED. Don't over mix, or you're batter won't be fluffy.

Fold in granola and blueberries. If mixture becomes very thick, add additional water a few tablespoons at a time.

Turn griddle to 350 degrees or turn stove to medium-high heat. Allow griddle/non-stick pan to heat up. Ladle desired amount of pancake mixture onto surface. Remember, the bigger the pancake size the longer they will take to cook. Once you start to see bubbles on the surface of the cake, and the cake bottom starts to pull away from the surface of the pan, it's ready to flip.

Top with slices of banana and left over blueberries. Serve with warm honey.

Yields: 4-6 medium-large pancakes.

On Wednesday I will be sharing a recipe in which popcorn is drizzled with truffle oil. It is also inspired by another Chicago experience!

Sweet Potato Shrimp Chowder

2012-01-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

Sweet Potato Shrimp Chowder.

Sounds crazy, right? It is....crazy good. That sounded lamer than I was hoping.

But really, this recipe is a great way to shake up your boring soup, chili, or chowder.

One of the key ingredients in this chowder is dill.

There wasn't any fresh dill at the store, so we got dillweed. Isn't that a mean name kids call each other?

The longest part of this dish is chopping up the sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces, which isn't really that long. Then sauté with olive oil and sweet potatoes over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes.

Next, add garlic and onion and saute for an additional 2 minutes.

Then add 4 cups of stock. The recipe calls for chicken stock, but I used vegetable. It's what I had, and I figured it would make it a tad bit healthier.

Cook until potatoes soften up (like so).

The recipe says to then remove sweet potatoes and mash, but I just mashed them in the pot. One less dish to wash later!

Then add corn (it's ok if it's still frozen, it will dethaw quickly in the pot!), shrimp, hot sauce, salt, pepper, dill, and thyme. Turn stove down to a simmer and allow it to combine in all it's yummyness for 5 minutes. **Tip: I used a bag of frozen pre-cooked shrimp to save time. I just took out the needed amount before I started cutting the potatoes, stuck them in a colander and ran them under cold water to help them defrost. Then I removed tails and added them to the chowder. They warmed up with the soup.


Top with sour cream and more dill.


Look at those colors. The sweet potato adds this amazing, well, sweetness, and the dill is just incredible. This unusual dish is definitely an awesome way to give your old chowder a makeover. I found this recipe on delish.com. I only made a few minor changes, which are noted below: Sweet Potato, Corn, and Shrimp Chowder 2 tablespoon(s) olive oil 4 medium North Carolina sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used 2 large potatoes and that was plenty) 2 strip(s) lean bacon, diced (didn't include, but I'm sure would be amazing!) 1 large onion, diced 2 clove(s) garlic, mined or grated 4 cup(s) chicken stock (used vegetable) 1 bag(s) (16-ounce) frozen corn kernels or kernels cut from 4 ears fresh corn 1/2 pound(s) raw medium shrimp, peeled (next time I would use a whole pound) 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt 1 teaspoon(s) hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco® 1/2 teaspoon(s) cracked black pepper 2 tablespoon(s) fresh thyme leaves (dried) 2 tablespoon(s) chopped fresh dill (dried) 2 teaspoon(s) chopped fresh dill, for garnish 1/2 cup(s) sour cream (optional), for garnish Directions: In a stock pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sweet potatoes and bacon and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and cook until potatoes are just tender but hold their shape. Remove 1 1/2 cups sweet potatoes from stock pot and mash with a fork. Return mashed potatoes to pot. Add corn, shrimp, salt, hot pepper sauce, pepper, and fresh herbs, stirring to combine. Return soup to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes; be careful not to overcook. Garnish soup with dill and sour cream, if desired. Soup may be made a few days ahead and chilled. Reheat before serving. Yields 10 cups of soup. Try this. It's super healthy (especially if you include the changes I made) and will warm you up on a cold snowy night.

Lemon Cranberry Scones

2012-01-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

Snowy days. We haven't really had any this year. Last year, the snow started in October and didn't end until April. That's way too much winter for me.

But today was a cold snowy day. So what did I do? I baked.

Not only did I bake, I baked lemon cranberry scones.

And they were fantastic.

Here's Sidney in here chair looking out at the snow. She's not apart of the recipe, but she's cute. :)

Meyer's Lemons. Ever heard of them? Neither had I. They are a little smaller, smoother, and sweeter than 'regular' lemons. They grow in California. I got a bag of them at Walmart. You can use regular lemons and I'm sure they will work just fine.

Preheat oven to 400. Zest 3 lemons.

Add zest to food processor.

In a food processor pulse flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, butter and zest until mixture resembles coarse meal and transfer to a large bowl.

Before...

After. For doughs it always says to get it to look like cornmeal. I'm never really sure what that's supposed to look like. But this seems pretty close. Kind of grainy, butter is well incorporated. Good enough for me. BTW, this mixture smelled amazing. I think it was the sugar and lemon zest. Pour flour mixture into a large bowl.

You might have some frozen cranberries left over from Christmas. These little guys seem to last awhile. You can chop cranberries or use them whole as I did. If you are using fresh cranberries, add a tablespoon of sugar and allow them to macerate for a minute or so. If using dried cranberries, skip this step. Don't have cranberries? Blueberries or cherries would be divine!

Add your cranberries to your lemon flour mixture.

Mix in.

Last minute I thought to add some dried cranberries too. I don't know why but I did.

Fold those in, too. Set flour mixture aside.

In a bowl, crack together one whole egg and one egg yolk.

Scramble like your making breakfast.

Okay, it's going to take some explaining here. The recipe calls for 1 cup of heavy cream. Well, I didn't have it. So I found somewhere online that said I could used 5 tablespoons of melted butter mixed with 3/4 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of flour. I whisked it all together, and it ended it a gloopy mess. But I figured, what the heck. Let's see what happens. So that's what that is. If you are smart and follow the recipe exactly, yours won't look like this. Unless your cream is bad, and then you have a whole other problem.

Add your egg and cream mixture to your flour mixture. Slowly fold wet and dry mixtures together JUST UNTIL COMBINED. It's even okay if some of the flour isn't totally wet. Over mixing will ruin your scones.

See? Doesn't need to look perfect.

So then I realized I was completely out of flour. And in the recipe, it says to make nice 8 inch disks of dough and then cut them into perfect circles to achieve a nice little scone. Well, I said, forget that. I'm out of flour, which means I can't handle dough without it sticking. So I just spooned globs of the dough onto parchment paper, as pictured.

I sprinkled some sugar on top of each of them and then I said, "here goes nothing!" Sometimes that happens in baking. Typically, it doesn't end well....

...but this case was an exception. I baked scones for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned.

Beautiful. Maybe they aren't perfect circles or triangles like some snobbish scones....

...but these scones have character and flavor!! My kitchen smelled incredible, too.

Not that they really need it, but I decided to make a glaze, for looks. For these two scones I used 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and 1 tsp of milk. I whisk them together and added a squirt of lemon juice. Perfection.

You want one, don't you?

Light and airy inside, but packed full of flavor. Like whoa.

I just can't stop adding pictures....can't. stop.

These will be great tomorrow with a cup of coffee or tea. Scones are awesome because you are permitted the excuse to eat them for breakfast, but you can also enjoy them as a dessert. Make these for a work brunch, take them to some friends, or make up the batter and freeze it, so you'll be able to make a scone for breakfast each morning.

The morning after making these, I did treat myself to a scone slathered in butter and some green tea. The green tea makes it healthy. :) Doesn't it look as if my chirp birds are trying to take a bite? I think so.

Meyer Lemon Cranberry Scones

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (from about 3 lemons; preferably Meyer)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar plus 3 tablespoons additional if using fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 1/4 cups fresh cranberries, chopped coarse, or 1 1/4 cups dried cranberries or dried cherries
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream (or, if you want to try what I did, melt 5 tablespoons of butter, 3/4 cup of milk, and 1 tablespoon of flour. It won't look pretty, but it worked for me!)

Accompaniment: crème fraîche or whipped cream (or glaze, recipe follows)

preparatio

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

With a vegetable peeler remove the zest from lemons and chop fine, reserving lemons for another use.

In a food processor pulse flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, butter and zest until mixture resembles coarse meal and transfer to a large bowl.

In a small bowl toss together fresh cranberries and 3 tablespoons sugar and stir into flour mixture. If using dried fruit, just add straight to flour mixture.

In another small bowl lightly beat egg and yolk and stir in cream. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined.

On a well-floured surface with floured hands pat dough into a 1-inch-thick round (about 8 inches in diameter) and with a 2-inch round cutter or rim of a glass dipped in flour cut out as many rounds as possible, rerolling scraps as necessary. Arrange rounds about 1 inch apart on baking sheet and bake in middle of oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until pale golden.

Serve scones warm with crème fraîche or whipped cream. Scones keep, individually wrapped in plastic wrap and foil, chilled, 1 day or frozen 1 week.

Yields: 14-16 scones

I included my recipe for a lemon glaze for just two scones, but if you want to make it for the whole thing, here's one Giada uses on cookies:

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

I used to think scones must be difficult to make. I'm not sure why, maybe because of the name, maybe because Starbucks sells them, I don't know really. But they aren't. What they are is delicious!

Healthy Snacks: Homemade Hummus

2012-01-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

Hummus. I'm a fan. Are you?

During our detox week, hummus was our hero. We put it on pita with veggies, we ate it with cucumbers, we ate it with, well everything really. It kept things from getting too boring.

I decided to make my own hummus, and see how that turned out. I figured it would be rather challenging. But I was wrong.

Here's the basic ingredient from the recipe I had: 1 16 oz can of chick peas (also know as garbanzos), 1 tsp of cumin, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 3 garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of salt (I also added 1 tsp of lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice, 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper).

You'll need the food processor for this. I'm always excited for that.

Empty can of chick peas, but keep some of the bean juice. You'll find out why in a minute. In the meantime, rinse your chick peas.

Here's the bean juice. Looks gross, right? Well, you're going to need a little bit of it to get the right consistency for your hummus.

Pour chick peas into food processor.

Like I said, I decided to add some lemon zest to brighten up the flavor some. Being that this recipe doesn't call for tahini, which is usually in hummus, I think lemon zest is important. I added about a teaspoon or so.

Crush 3 gloves of garlic (to release flavor) and then drop them in. The food processor will do the rest.

The original recipe calls for 2 tsp of cumin, but in reviews people complained this was too much. I think 1 tsp is definitely enough.

1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Add about 1/8 tsp or so of cayenne pepper. It won't add a lot of heat. If you want more, add more.

All ready to go! Turn processor on low.

Once everything looks combine and you are able to kind of figure out what the consistency is, add some of the bean juice, just a little at a time.

Here's the consistency I was looking for.

I have this cute little snowman tray left over from Christmas. I decided to cut up some cucumbers for my hummus!

Here she is! I sprinkled a little extra cayenne on top for color.

This has nothing to do with the recipe, but I just love this set of flatware we have. There are different kinds of birds at the end of each handle! Sorry, back to the recipe....

I LOVE pita chips. Pita chips, hummus, and some veggies. What more could you ask for?

Beautiful. Looks like ice cream. Taste like what hummus is supposed to taste like. Again, I love what the lemon does, as well as the garlic.

Ok, I'm going to go snack. YUM!!!

I found the original idea for the recipe here. But I added 3 cloves or garlic, only 1 tsp of cumin, plus I added 1 tsp of lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice, and 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper.

Do you like hummus? I was thinking you could even add some roasted red pepper. That would be super delish. This is an easy 5 minute, fool-proof recipe that will more that satisfy your hummus needs, minus the additives that can be sometimes found in store bought versions.

On Thursday, I'll be sharing a recipe that Shawn REALLY enjoyed. And by that, I mean he pretty much ate them all. Lemon cranberry scones. Oh. My. Word.

Healthy Snacks: Kale Chips

2012-01-16T17:00:00.000-05:00

Preheat oven to 275. All you'll need for this is fresh kale, olive oil, and sea salt. Later I thought it would have been awesome to use garlic salt and/or parmesan cheese. I wish I thought of it earlier! Oh well.

Kale Chips. Yup, I know what you're thinking. "Ew."

Well, I kind of thought the same thing. But I have a bunch of kale I needed to use, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

I mean, if there's a possibility I can get my greens in by eating something in the form of a chip, it's definitely worth a try!

Look at this leafy guy. So full of vitamins A, C, and K. Yet, we neglect him. Because he's kind of yucky.

Start by removing the stalks from your kale. Forgive my poor chipped coral nails during this post, please.

That's the stalks. If you didn't know.

Tear your pieces down and wash them thoroughly. Pat dry and/or use a salad spinner.

Ready to go!

Lay your kale pieces out flat on a baking sheet.

Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and sprinkle salt. BEWARE: Less is more with salt on these guys. The first batch I did was wayyy too salty. So just a little will go a long way.

Bake for 10 minutes.....

Then flip chips! (I rhymed)

And bake another 10 minutes. After removing from oven, lay on paper towels to allow excess oil to drain.

Here they are!

So the results? They're pretty good. I don't think I'll be replacing them with Lays anytime soon, but it definitely is a good way to get in your veggies. Kale is a little bitter, and some of that shows up in the flavor, but I kind of don't mind it. Bitter is a flavor most of the time I'll avoid, but the combo of bitter with the saltiness is pretty enjoyable. I was also surprised how these crunch/flake in your mouth, and then kind of melt. It's hard to describe, but I think the texture made me enjoy them even more.

As for Shawn? He said they taste like farts. That's gross, huh? Don't listen to him. They are unique, and if you aren't brave enough to try them with olive oil and salt alone, I definitely doctor them up with garlic and cheese.

I got this recipe from the food network, found here. So, do you think you'd be brave enough to try kale chips, or do you think you'd opt for another form of snack?

2 Ingredient Frozen Yogurt

2012-01-15T20:00:00.000-05:00

Pineapple Frozen Yogurt.

I got a lot of great gifts for Christmas this year. One that I've been extra excited about is my Kitchenaid ice cream attachment.

Well, you know, we're being all healthy as of late, so I can't go making REAL ice cream, can I (I'll save that for next month)? And we all know that frozen yogurt stores are all the rage, so I decided to jump on the trendy health bandwagon.

Just 2 ingredients. Yup, believe it or not. If you buy vanilla yogurt, it's already sweetened, so you don't have to. You could do greek yogurt, that'd be awesome. I decided to add pineapple, because, well, I had one I needed to use!

Chop up your fruit into little chunks. You could do blueberry, strawberry, etc, add some chocolate chips...the options are endless, really. You could even use canned or frozen fruit if you wanted.

Okay, okay, I know this is more than 2 ingredients. I didn't have to use the brown sugar, but I decided since my pineapple wasn't real sweet, that I would sauté it with a little brown sugar to sweeten it up some.

Add my pineapple to a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.

Add about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar....

Allow it to melt and get all gooey and bubbly. Yum. I could just eat this!

I put my pineapple in a bowl and stuck it in the fridge to cool down. You don't want to add hot ingredients to your ice-cream while it's churning, it'll melt!

Non-frozen (but chilled) yogurt, all ready to go!

Here she is! If you have the same attachment, you must put it in the freezer for at least 15 hours ahead of time, to be sure it's all nice and frozen. It was awesome how nicely it fit into my mixer, with the cool little churning attachment. Very fun.

Turn mixer on lowest setting. Allow it to turn a few times, making sure it's going smoothly. Then add yogurt.

Watch it spin and start to solidify! I'm easily amused, sorry.

Allow yogurt to spin for at least 12-15 minutes before adding an solid ingredients. *Tip: You can add something cream based if you'd like your yogurt to be more creamy than icy. It's not necessary, but you can. I added just a splash of milk. You could do heavy crew, half and half, or whatever you have on hand. Again, it's not necessary but you can do it if you'd like.

After 12-15 min of churning, start adding your fruit.

I spooned my pineapple in and watched it disappear into the creamy consistency. Ahhh, lovely.

There it goes!

Allow mixture to turn another 15-20 minutes. For the kitchenaid, you'll know it's done when the attachment starts clicking because it's getting to thick to turn.

He did his job!

I poured my mixture back into the container it came in. Perfect, huh? It won't be as thick as you want it still, so place it in the freezer for another 4-6 hours (if you can make it that long).

(4-6 hours later) Ready to eat!!

Beautiful. It has that awesome tangy yogurt flavor, but is creamy like ice cream. The pineapple adds some additional tanginess.

I feel like I should be eating this on a beach somewhere, instead of at my table looking out at the snow. Oh well, I can pretend. ;)

Super easy. This will be great for summer too. I don't feel guilty about it either!

So you don't have an ice cream maker? Well, I've made gelato before without a maker and it still turned out pretty good! All you do is combine chilled yogurt and pineapple (or other mix in) in a large bowl. Stir together, then place in freezer friendly bowl and stick it in the freezer. Check on mixture every 30 minutes, stirring vigorously each time. Do this for about 2 hours (so you'll check on it at least 4 times). You can also place contents in a large zip lock bag and squish the mixture every 30 minutes

Lot's of new post coming this week!

What would you make if you had an ice cream maker?

Fabulous Lemon Marinade and Weeknight Dinners

2012-01-12T20:25:00.002-05:00

So I bought this bag of lemons when we were going crazy buying produce last week. I don't know why.

It's not exactly lemonade season, so I decided to try the marinade recipe on the back of the lemon bag.

It turned out pretty awesome! I tried it on mahi mahi, but you could do it on chicken, or even use it as a salad dressing!

Here's a weeknight dinner that will look like you put in the effort of a weekend meal.

Shawn used to not be a fan of fish. If you feel the same way or it freaks you out a bit, but you'd like to take the plunge, I'd recommend starting with mahi mahi or tilapia. These two fishies are mild and not fishy flavored AT ALL. We love to buy these fillets from Giant Eagle because they are affordable without settling in quality.

Here's what you need for the marinade: 2-3 lemons, 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of olive oil, 2 garlic cloves (minced), 2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger (or 1 tsp of ground ginger), 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, 1 tsp of cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp of pepper.

You need a large ziplock bag. I got creative and used my blender pitcher to keep my bag open....

Then I just folded the edges back to keep the bag open.

Here's a helpful tip! To get the most out of your lemon, roll the lemon across your cutting board with you palm to soften it up and get all the juices flowing.

I wish I could take credit for that little tip, but I think I saw it on the Foodnetwork or something. :)

Combine all ingredients

Whisk together!

Add fillets...

Allow to marinate for 1-2 hours, but no longer than 4 hours. The lemon might start cooking the meat after 4 hrs. Yes, it can do that!

Weeknights mean I only put effort into one thing I'm making. Like I put some effort into the fish, so I'll do an easy side. This is a super tasty and easy frozen side that takes 12 minutes to make.

So I started the veggies, just sautéing a little bit.

In the meantime, add olive oil to your skillet and bring oil up to medium-high heat.

Once hot, it will only take your fishies 3-4 min on each side to cook. That's the awesome thing about fish, it cooks super fast! And it's really not that hard to mess up. I added some of the marinade too.

Fish is ready when it's white and flakey all the way through.

So I had this leftover yummy-heated-lemon sauce. I didn't want to waste it! So I had some quinoa...

I brought the marinade up to a boil and added quinoa. Quinoa is like couscous and only takes a little bit to cook. Then I turned my pan down to a simmer and allowed it to cook for 7-10 minutes, until liquid absorbs and quinoa has softened.

Words can't describe the flavor going on here. And quinoa is SUPER healthy.

SO. GOOD. SO. EASY.

Shawn gave this "a 10 in the husband category." And let me tell you, it's not easy to get a 10 with him. I think this marinade is definitely one I'll use again, and may even try with a salad.

See? Weeknight meals don't have to equal frozen pizza or fast-food! :D

It's supposed to be a snowy weekend, so I'm hoping that means time to try out some new recipes! I'm doing a homemade hummus and trying out my ice cream maker with some pineapple frozen yogurt...I can't wait for that one!!

Healthy Granola Bites

2012-01-09T20:00:00.001-05:00

Confession time. Yes, I love baking. But sometimes I also hate it. And the time of the year I despise it the most is right after Christmas.

During the holidays, I'm full of Christmas spirit and that comes out in my baking (and blogging). But, afterwards, I've done so much that I'm sick of it.

To the point it causes me pain, literally. Being 5'11, the average countertop is a bit too short for me. So spending hours leaning over a counter or stove leave my back a hot mess. To the point I have to take a lovely trip to my chiropractor.

So, not only does a detox allow my body some time to recover, it also allows me the downtime I need to recover from my overindulgence in baking, to the point I actually come around to wanting to do it again. So that is where I find myself today. Ready to bake!

These are a healthy alternative snack, to cookies or something of the like. Preheat your oven at 325. Start with: 2 cups of plain rolled oats, 1/4 cup of ground flaxseed, 1/4 cup of wheat germ, 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds, 1/4-1/2 cup of nuts, 1/2 cup-1 cup of dried cranberries or other dried fruit, 1/3 cup of dark chocolate chips, 1/2 cup of peanut butter (chunky or smooth), 1/4 cup of honey, 1 tsp cinnamon. These measurements don't have to be exact, and if you don't have wheat germ or flaxseed don't worry about it.

Decided to pull out my processor for this one...Mwahaha. I need to chop up my nuts and chocolate, so I use a multipurpose blade to start.

You can use any nuts. Or none. I had a variety pack left over from Christmas I needed to use. Perfect for this.

Ohh it's so pretty and quiet. I love kitchenaid. :)

I think that's pretty good. You can do them smaller if you'd like.

I switched my blade for a dough mixer attachment, so it will combine and not dice anything, then I added the 2 cups of oats

Add flax seed and wheat germ

Okay, I messed up! I remembered that I wanted to use left over dark chocolates that needed to be crushed a bit. So I emptied the above ingredients into a bowl for the time being, and processed my chocolate. You won't do this because you're going to think of this first or use regular chocolate chips, right?

I reattach my blade and crush my chocolates like so...

I reattach my dough mixer attachment, then I add all the ingredients back into the processor, and proceed to add 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds while on low

Add 1/2 cup-1 cup dried cranberries or other dried fruit.

I add 1/2 cup of peanut butter. You may say, "hey, that's fatty!" Well, you're going to be spreading the calories out among 48 little bites, so 1/2 cup won't kill you. Plus peanut butter is high in protein and will help you stay full longer. But, if you want, you could do almond butter or something of the like instead.

Add 1/4 cup of honey. You'll need more most likely. You want a nice consistency that's not going to be too dry but will help keep all your ingredients together.

I decided to add about a teaspoon of cinnamon.

Here's what it should look like!

Scoop down the sides, and make sure there isn't any dry granola. Make sure everything is at least kind of moist.

I decided to use my new mini muffin pan to make these cute and bite-sized. If you don't have one, just use a regular baking pan and cut them after they have baked into rectangles (like regular granola bars) or squares would be fun too. I won't recommend a regular muffin pan because I think they'd be too big and too much to eat. I used a tablespoon measurement to get the right amount for my mini muffins.

Spray non-stick pan with Pam, or rub down with olive oil. Scoop granola into pan. If it feels like it's falling apart, add more honey. **Remember: if you like your granola more soft and chewy, add more honey. If you like it more crisp and crumbly, add less honey.**

Look how nice?

Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes or so, until granola has browned just a bit on top. Your granola bites will be a little soft still, but let them cool and they will harden up a bit.

Look at these guys! Aren't they cute??

Almost makes me wish I had kids to give this to as an afternoon snack (keyword, ALMOST).

Tons of flavor, tons of healthy stuff inside. And very filling! I think it's a nice alternative to cookies, don't you?

That gave me an idea! My mother-in-law bought me this cat cookie jar for Christmas. Shawny may be a bit disappointed when he looks inside and doesn't see Oreos, but his waist size will thank me later!!

"Meow Meow!" (That means go and try these, now)

Okay, so if you don't have a food processor you can totally still make these. Just combine everything into a large bowl and stir. You may have to use your hands some to get the honey and everything combined, but a little messiness won't hurt you.

Here's where I found the original recipe. I added/changed a few things, but it's the same for the most part. I got exactly 48 mini muffins out of mine, using the tablespoon sized portions. Baking times will vary if you use a regular 8x8 or 9x13 baking pan.

Happy (healthy) eating!! :)

End of Detox: What We Ate

2012-01-09T20:00:00.000-05:00

So, we are done our detox. I should've updated sooner, but I've been super busy!

But I decided to do one last post to show you what we ate on our last day.

How have we been doing since? Pretty good! We allowed ourself some "food fun" (that's really corny, I know. Forgive me) Over the weekend, but we've been able to allow for a little spurge here or there without totally going off track. And I think that's what it's all about, right?

To the left are the ingredients to my morning smoothie last week, one banana, one of my frozen smoothie packs, a couple tablespoons of greek yogurt and 2 tablespoons of flaxseed.

Here's how she turned out. Very delish! I'm actually craving one while I type this..Hmm...

Okay, okay. Before you say "EW!" Let me tell you what's in this. This was my brunch before work last thursday. It consists of a cup of greek yogurt, 1/2 cup or so of plain oats, a sprinkle of dried cranberries, and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds. This was super delicious and very filling!

I took a snack with me, because I knew I'd get hungry at work, and coming home ridiculously hungry only ends up in overeating. So I tupperware of one whole wheat pita (sliced) and two tablespoons of garlic hummus. Also, an apple (not pictured). FYI, if you eat this at work, take some tic tacs. I would have destroyed clients with my breath if I hadn't brought them along!

For Dinner: A salad. And this was the only actual salad we had while on our on detox! So we weren't sick of them and actually enjoyed this. There's 2 cups of baby spinach, 7 or so slices of cucumber, a few slices of tomato, half a green pepper, a sprinkle of feta cheese, and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds. We used a vinegar-based salad dressing.

I LOVE sunflower seeds on a salad. They add so much texture and flavor, don't knock it 'til you've tried it!

So if you're going to have a salad for dinner, yes, you are going to be hungry for a snack later. I did popcorn again but I wanted something sweet, instead of my usual cayenne.

So I drizzled honey over my air popped corn...

....and then sprinkled cinnamon over it.

Tastes better than Christmas!!!

Detox Day 2: What We Ate

2012-01-03T19:44:00.004-05:00

Day 2. That means we made it through day one! Yippie!!

Actually, being that we aren't strictly just doing fruits and veggies but are allowing for some whole wheat stuff and yogurt, it's been much easier than I thought. I've been feeling full and have a decent amount of energy.

Here's what I ate:

Breakfast (not pictured): 1 cup of greek yogurt with a sprinkle of flax seed and dried cranberries, one banana, and a cup of green tea (p.s. I didn't drink one of my smoothies this AM because I was feeling a little yucky when I woke up. But I read that's normal with a detox. Feeling much better now!:))

Here's lunch: Half a whole wheat pita, a cup of spinach and 6 slices of cucumber with a hummus spread

You could add tomato, onion, or bell pepper if you wish :)

You'll need some protein to get you until dinner (or you can take this as a snack for in between!) I ate some dried fruit and mixed nuts

Dinner: Now, I didn't get home tonight until 6:30, so Shawn was on his own for dinner. I'll admit, I had a little bit of fear that he might cave without my support, but he did pretty good! He even was thoughtful enough to take pictures for my blog. What a guy. :)

You'll need: 2 stalks of celery, 2 cans of tomato (one not pictured), 1 onion, 2 Zucchinis, 1 cup diced carrot, 1 can of northern beans (or other white bean), 2 garlic cloves (not pictured), 1/4 cup of uncooked pasta (whole wheat), 1 tsp dried basil, 1/4 tsp dried oregano, 1/8 tsp ground pepper, 3 cups organic vegetable stock

Chop up everything

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat, Add chopped onion and sauté for 4 min

Add water, zucchini, carrots, canellini beans, celery, basil, oregano salt, pepper, tomatoes and garlic.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally

Add macaroni, cover and cook additional 10 min

Super hearty, awesome flavor! I'm proud of my little chef! :) Here's the original recipe, plus/minus a few changes.

Snack time! You know you can just eat dinner and be okay until tomorrow morning. Maybe you can, but I can't. I opted for some plain, air popped, popcorn. I used our jiffy popper, but you could do this on the stove too. Just be sure to buy a plain bag of kernels, none of that bagged and buttered stuff.

Instead of salt, add another spice. I added a tablespoon of olive oil (to add some stickiness for the spice), and cayenne pepper because I like it hot!

Doesn't that look nice? I ended the night with some calming herbal tea.

Not bad, huh? If we can do it, anyone can. Seriously. We will see what tomorrow brings.....

Detox- Ziplock Smoothies

2012-01-02T20:00:00.001-05:00

Smoothies.

Smoothies can be another great way to get in the daily recommended amount of veggies and fruits. Plus, you can hide things that you may not be such a fan of, but are super health foods.

Fresh fruits and vegetables can be very expensive (especially if they aren't in season) and don't last long after they are ripe. Here's some tips for buying healthy stuff that's affordable, but not lacking on the nutrients you need:

-Buy frozen: frozen produce is typically frozen at the pick of ripeness. That means, you are getting the most out of the vitamins/minerals

-Get what's on sale or what's in season: I bought cranberries because they are super cheap after Christmas.

I got this huge bag of mixed fruit. It's a great 'base' fruit for my smoothies.

Cranberries!

Here's another secret. Adding spinach to your smoothie is an excellent way to boost the vitamins/antioxidants in your smoothie, but it won't affect the flavor of your smoothie. But keep in mind, it camouflages in taste, but it will turn your smoothie green! :)

Kale. Kale is super healthy, but I wouldn't recommend for the beginning-health-smoothie-drinker. It adds a particular texture that some may not be fans of.

Greek yogurt. Provides smooth texture, sweetness, and vitamin D.

I started with 1 cup of the frozen fruit, 1/4 cup of cranberries, 1 orange, 1/2 cup of frozen spinach, and one kale leaf.

Start with your frozen stuff first. This will take a bit longer to puree than the rest.

Then add cranberry, kale, spinach, and orange. Pulse together well. Then add1-2 tablespoons of yogurt and a splash of OJ.

Here's my smoothie! I love the cranberry and OJ combo, it tastes like a healthy Christmas!

So smoothies are great for breakfast, but most people don't feel like going through the process of cutting everything up prior to going to work. So I decided to make individual smoothie bags. I measured out 1 cup of frozen 'base' fruit, 1/2 cup of frozen spinach, and 1/4 a cup of cranberries.

I made enough for a week. In the morning, all I have to do is pop these in my food processor (or blender) and add yogurt. I also have fresh fruit that I can incorporate that will keep it from getting boring. Wheat germ and flax seed are also great things that I will add.

Ridiculously easy and healthy! Get in a full serving (plus) of fruits and vegetables before your day even begins.

After Christmas Detox-Part 1

2012-01-02T20:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!!!

I haven't posted in quite a while, partially due to the busyness that is the holidays. I don't know about you, but I ate my fill.

I truly do enjoy baking and cooking during the Christmas season. I also enjoy eating. A LOT.

Totally normal. Don't deny that you didn't do it too. Do I regret indulging over the past few weeks. Nope. Am I prepared to make some changes for a healthier January? Definitely.

The next few weeks (or so) I'll be sharing healthier recipes that will make it easier to keep up with those new years resolutions.

Shawn and I have decided to do a detox to start the year off right. A few years back, we did a 3 day fruits and veggies (only) detox. By the end of day 3, we wanted to kill each other. It was rough. This year I'm being more realistic by allowing whole wheat pasta and pita into the mix.

Can I brag on one of my Christmas gifts for a minute? Shawn bought me the 13 cup KictchenAid exact slice food processor. This is like the Cadillac of food processors.

It can do pretty much anything in the world. Yep. Here's a little video if you don't believe me.

Today I started with something easy. A veggie marinara sauce. For two servings, all you need is a can of tomatoes (doesn't really matter if it's diced, stewed, etc.), 1 bell pepper, 3 mushrooms, handful of baby spinach, handful of kale (not pictured 2 cloves of garlic).

I used the mini bowl since it's a smaller serving, and the mini multipurpose blade.

I added the tomatoes, gave it a couple pulses.

While on low, I added the bell pepper...

....kale....

and baby spinach.

Made sure it was all combined

It may not look super pretty!

I spooned out my marinara sauce into a medium saucepan over medium heat, and then boiled my whole wheat pasta

Drained pasta, added sauce...

Looks pretty hearty, right?

This pasta is FULL of flavor. Not to mention, super healthy greens.

This is a great way to hide some of those less attractive greens (i.e. kale) while still getting the veggies you need. You could add onions, carrots, squash, artichoke hearts...the list is endless!!

This will also keep you full. Which is especially important when you are starting a healthy eating plan. The more you stay full and enjoy what you are eating, the more likely you will stick with it!

The Perfect Sugar Cookie (and party!)

2011-12-18T14:15:00.000-05:00

Sugar cookies. What do you think when you hear that word? To be honest, I used to think, "mehh a cookie that takes a lot of effort with little result." Well, I think after this baking experience my perspective may have changed a little bit. I found a recipe that results in a soft, chewy, tasty (it's true!) cookie that is not too delicate to decorate.

Also, I had our youth girls over to decorate! I went ahead and made the cookies, and set up a table so they could do the fun part and decorate. They definitely enjoyed it, as you'll see!

Here's my take:

In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and sugar until smooth.

Next, beat in 4 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp of almond and the zest of an orange (or clementine, that's what I used) I also squeezed in some of the juice. The almond and zest is what is going to give your sugar cookie flavor! It won't be overpoweringly citrusy, trust me.

Stir in 5 cups of flour, 1 tsp salt, and 2 tsp baking powder. You dough will probably be similar to the consistency of a pie crust.

Keep folding until dry ingredients are combined. You may even want to use your hands, like you would dough for a pie crust.

Place your dough in saran wrap....

Wrap up and place in the fridge for AT LEAST 1 hour. When removing, allow it to sit for 5 min before working with it.

While your dough is chilling, get your work space ready. I think one trick to a stress-free sugar cookie is having everything prepared to go! Get a large baking pan and place parchment paper down. This will guarantee no sticking!

After your hour is up, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Have your cookie cutters ready, and wax (or parchment) paper down on your workspace. Put some flour down too. You don't want your dough to stick..no good!

This isn't a step, I just thought it was kinda a cool picture. :)

Okay, so cut a slice of your dough off, powder the top with flour and powder your rolling pin.

I prefer my cookies about this thick. I don't know the measurements, but I'd guess about 1/4 inch? Maybe a little less?

Pretty dough!

Cut out your shapes! Should you reuse scraps?...I did!

So nice

Bake for 6-8 min. I found 6 min were perfect for my oven.

All baked

This recipe makes about 60 cookies (if you use similar sized cutters). I did two batches and had around 120-130 cookies.

So I covered our dining table with a cheap plastic table cloth (I knew it'd get messy!). I placed the cookies in the center and then placed dixie cups full of different colored icing around the cookies. I also circled them with sprinkles, chocolate chips, candies, and marshmallows.

See?

One awesome trick for icing is to buy the ketchup and mustard bottles and fill them with icing. They are great for details and hold a ton of icing. These would be perfect for kids! I placed the green, red, white, and yellow icing colors in the bottles and the rest in the dixie cups.

Here's some of their art!

Here's the link to the icing recipe I used. It made a decent amount, but I needed more so I had Shawn buy a big tub of white frosting. You can't tell which is which, but I did like the homemade icings flavor much better. If your canned icing is too thick, add a super tiny amount of milk. Mix in, then add a bit more until you get the desired consistency.

I finished up the rest of the cookies after the girls left

Icing dries shiny and hard. Awesome! Took this batch to sunday school today and they are all gone. :)

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

2 cups white sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

zest from an orange

tablespoon of juice from orange

5 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Here's another blog that had some useful advise too!

So, maybe sugar cookies don't look as intimidating? The recipe is very simple, but it does have great texture and flavor. I know it's just a week until Christmas, but I think this recipe is worth trying. And if you have kids (or adult kids, like us :)) they will love decorating!

Today I'm using some of my frozen pumpkin (I still have 4 cups left!) to make pumpkin gingerbread cookies...I'm sure I'll have a blog up in the next few days :)