Simply Social Blog

New look and feel

2013-08-14T09:28:00.000-05:00

Thanks for visiting. You can now find me over on Wordpress at Simply Social Blog.

White Chocolate Scones

2012-01-29T14:10:00.002-06:00

I love scones. My addiction started the first time I bit into a Nordstrom cheddar and chive version a few years ago and I've been hooked ever since. I often find myself ordering a soup or salad at the cafe regularly just so I have an excuse to get a scone. No one likes a solo scone purchaser.

I've since found a recipe that dare I say is even better than the Nordstrom version, but I'll let you judge for yourself here.

My mom likes scones too. We talk about scones a lot. While unpacking after a recent trip home, I found a random folded piece of paper in one of my ~~how much leftovers and high end ingredients can I steal from my parent's house~~ reusable bags. White Chocolate Cranberry Scones, it read. Yes please, I thought as I smiled thinking about my mother hurriedly searching for the paper and secretly stuffing it in my things before I rushed out the door. Add that to the flour and butter stains that dotted the paper stamping any recipe with approval and I know I had to try these out for myself.

I made a batch of these for a brunch my girlfriends and I were having last week. They are just sweet enough to enjoy as dessert but can also be justified for breakfast, brunch or anything in between. Adaptability at any meal. Just one more reason I love scones.

White Chocolate Cranberry Scones
serves 12

Ingredients

2 C unbleached all purpose flour

1/3 C plus 2 TBL sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

7 TBL unsalted butter-chilled

1 tsp grated orange or lemon peel

3/4 C finely chopped white chocolate (or mini chocolate chips)

3/4 C coarsely chopped dried cranberries or cherries

2/3 C chilled buttermilk plus 1 TBL for glazing

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

Directions

WHISK flour, 1/3 C sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large mixing bowl.

GRATE citrus peel into dry ingredients.

ADD butter and mix with pastry cutter or hands until you reach a coarse consistency.

MIX in chocolate and dried fruit.

WHISK buttermilk, egg yolk, vanilla and almond together in a separate bowl.

ADD buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with fork until dough comes together in moist clumps.

PRESS out dough on lightly floured surface or rollpat to a 3/4 inch thickness.

CUT scones into equal triangles or use biscuit cutter and place on silpat or prepared pan.

BRUSH scones with remaining buttermilk and sprinkle with remaining sugar.

BAKE at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden.

SERVE at room temperature and enjoy!

Pin It

Birthday Balloon Wreath

2011-04-21T16:52:00.001-05:00

Sometimes the craft bug bites me. It doesn't happen very often and even more regularly the itch goes away before the project is complete, but occasionally I end with something to show for it. I'm sure my friends and family probably get sick of my "check this out emails" with yummy recipes, fun crafts and cool ideas that they know they nor I will likely ever attempt. But because I trust the ladies from the Our Best Bites blog so much, I've attempted and COMPLETED now two of their wreaths and within a reasonable amount of time! You may remember this fabric flower wreath from Christmas...ok so my craftiness only comes every 4 months.

I was pretty shocked when I sent a link to their ~~totally puts mine to shame~~ awesome balloon wreath to my sister in the midst of the birthday planning and not only did she like it, but she actually wanted me to make it for her. You see, I come from the philosophy of seeing something in Pottery Barn and thinking I could make it myself, while my sister follows the why wouldn't I just buy it from Pottery Barn and save us all the time and hassle mindset. Naturally, we have a lot of fun with that.

The nice thing about this wreath was that it was quick, cheap and can be re-used. The O-man's birthday is coming this summer and the colors could be easily adapted depending on the party theme (currently all things Star Wars). And even if my purge-everything-once-I'm-done-with-it sister were to toss the thing, I would not hold a grudge because I didn't spend a lot of money or time creating it. Best of both worlds, no?

So the question is, do you trust me enough to try it yourself?

Here's what you need:

Straw wreath- I got mine at Michaels. They come in various sizes. Leave plastic on.

Balloons- I used some leftover water balloons to fill in at the end but mostly standard sizes depending on how big of a wreath you buy

Floral pins (or straight pins)- floral pins are ideal but I used smaller pins for the smaller balloons.

Wide Ribbon- for hanging

And here's where it gets tough...you simply take the balloons and pin them into the wreath! The ladies at Our Best Bites blog do a much better job than I of explaining but I can't tell you how easy this is.

After sticking a few in solo I realized that if I did 3-4 at a time and just alternated the direction of each balloon (wide to narrow, etc) I could easily fill the wreath a lot faster. Plus, the floral pins are very wide and you can pull them back out to adjust as you go. Don't worry about doing the sides or back, just fill in as you see fit and have fun with it.

Oh, and wash your hands afterwards. I could have done a chalk drawing with my fingers by the time I was done with it. On second thought...just kidding :)

An Airplane Affair...

2011-04-14T11:13:00.000-05:00

It began with an invitation. What was to follow was a ~~slightly over the top~~ tons of fun airplane-themed bash for my nephew Jake, who celebrated the big 0-1 last weekend.

I have to give my sister credit for this one. We were brainstorming ideas for the upcoming birthday when she called me and said, "I'm thinking airplanes."

Awesome, I thought. A chance to work on my cookie decorating! Ok, so the cookies weren't my only motivation, but I do love any chance to take a theme and run with it. Besides, what little boy (or big older brother) wouldn't love an airplane party?

Within a few hours of said theme selection, I had a sample of the invitations in my inbox and an adorable color palette to work with. What can I say, my sister is a doer.

(NOTE: I highly recommend this theme for a kids party. While I'm all for uniquely designed parties with custom color palettes and PMS color overload, my sister and I worked on this party from opposite ends of the state and choosing a more general theme made it that much easier to coordinate all of the elements the day of the party.)

I had so much fun working on Jake's party because it allowed me to incorporate all of the things I love: a little baking here, some arts and crafts there and a splash of graphic design everywhere. I'll try to add more photos from the day later, but for now here are the detail shots from:

Jake's First Birthday

The Details:

Invitations- Shutterfly

Cake- Specialty Cakes, Springfield, IL

Balloon Wreath- adapted from this celebration balloon wreath on Our Best Bites
Wooden "J" with airplane- JoAnn fabrics
Labels and Cupcake toppers-design based off invitation design
Birthday Banner- hand-made
Cookie favors- hand-made

St. Patty's Sweets...

2011-03-18T10:04:00.000-05:00

I was a little early on the St. Patrick's Day goodies this year as my mom's birthday fell the weekend before and I wanted to have a small treat to surprise her when she came to visit. Enter the mom-loved cake ~~ball~~ bite!

I've been practicing with my piping to create shapes to top my cake bites/cookies and with a small batch of green candy melts leftover shamrocks seemed logical. Fortunately, I think my mother is one of the few who doesn't mind having holiday-themed treats around her birthday so it worked out well. And with a luncheon at work the day before St. Patrick's Day, I needed little encouragement to try my hand at more piping with some shamrock cookies.

I've been busy this week so all I have is iPhone photos for now. Watch for another post (hopefully) with detail shots of the process. In the meantime, I bring you St. Patty's Day sweets, made early, posted late :)

Chocolate Swirl Bread...

2011-03-14T16:20:00.002-05:00

I've been a little delinquent on the blog as of late. I'm catching up with some posts I meant to publish a while back. My goal is to be more timely in the future. In the mean time here's a few oldies but goodies:

I like to think I make a pretty decent banana bread. (If I do say so myself...which I'm allowed to do because I'm the only one writing this blog) With a co-worker requesting something with chocolate for her birthday treat and bananas overloading my freezer door, I went in search for a recipe that could combine the two. I should have known that the folks at Our Best Bites (be sure to check out their new blog design!) would come through yet again and offer a delicious new recipe for me to experiment with combining, you guessed it, banana bread and chocolate.

Usually, I'm a traditionalist when it comes to my banana bread. I have a pretty simple recipe that works just fine for me-bananas, butter, eggs, sugar, etc.- and judging by the record time it takes to disappear from the kitchen, I think my co-workers like it too.
(an aside-I'm pretty sure I could accidentally swap the sugar for salt and said bread would still be eaten in record time, but that's just the nature of homemade food in an office kitchen, isn't it?)

Now don't get me wrong, I've experimented a few times, adding pecans here, a bit of peanut butter there, but for the most part I enjoy the simple super-moist version. For all you chocolate lovers out there, this recipe might change your mind. And a little change never hurt anyone, so the next time you are ready to fall back into that trusted recipe, take a minute to add a twist. Your co-workers may thank you :)

Chocolate Swirl Banana Bread

adapted from Our Best Bites recipe and Sarah's Simple Banana Bread (See below)
2 c. flour
¾ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 c. sugar
¼ c. butter, melted
1 ½ c. mashed ripe bananas (about 3-4 medium bananas)
2 eggs
½ c. chocolate chips

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees

MIX flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.

CREAM melted butter, eggs and sugar in stand mixer. Add bananas. Add flour mixture until just combined.

MELT chocolate chips in microwave on low power. Add 1 cup of batter to chocolate and mix together.

ALTERNATE layers of chocolate batter and regular batter into loaf pan coated with cooking spray.

SWIRL chocolate batter with knife.

BAKE for 1 hour. Let cool before slicing.

ENJOY!

Sarah's Simple Banana Bread

1 1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter, melted
3-4 mashed ripe bananas

1 egg

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees

MIX butter, bananas, sugar egg and vanilla.

SPRINKLE baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.

MIX in flour.

POUR mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan.

BAKE for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

ENJOY!

Creative Wedding Crafts...

2011-02-17T09:02:00.000-06:00

I recently got the Handmade Weddings book as a gift for a good friend of mine who is getting married this year. I thought it might drum up some excitement at the 6-month-out mark when most of the big planning is over and the waiting game begins. Whether your are crafty or just looking for ideas to hand off to your wedding planner, this is a great coffee table book for a soon-to-be bride.

Dreamy Valentine Desserts...

2011-02-11T15:06:00.006-06:00

A girl can dream, right?

Maybe someday I will have the talent to be able to show off creations like this for Valentine's Day. In the meantime I'll just share a few "wow" treats I've been drooling over this week as I search for inspiration. Stay tuned for next week to see what I actually come up with for the holiday...so many options!

Heart Cake by the I am Baker Blog

Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies from Bakerella

Valentine's Day Cookies by Tidy Mom Blog

Rose Cakeby the I am Baker Blog

Creamy Avocado Pasta...

2011-02-09T11:25:00.000-06:00

I know what you're thinking...avocado pasta? I was skeptical too, but trust me on this one.

I often browse recipes on my Fit/YumSugar app on my commute and this recipe peaked my interest not only for its use of avocados (who doesn't love those things?), but as a healthier alternative to heavy cream in a pasta dish. And with the help of my turbo-charged food processor, I was able to whip up this sauce in no time and avoid the elusive pasta ready but sauce is still cooking dilemma. Even better, the whole thing took less than 15 minutes to make!

Try this recipe the next time you are craving a creamy pasta, but don't want the fat. See the full recipe by visiting the Oh She Glow's Blog.

Creamy Avocado-Pesto Pasta

1 medium sized ripe Avocado, pitted

2 Tbl fresh lemon juice

3 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

1/2 cup Fresh Basil

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 servings pasta (I used Giada's spaghetti noodles)
1 Tbl pesto (Classico makes a good pre-made version)

Freshly ground black pepper/Parmesan cheese to taste

Directions:

COOK pasta according to package directions, saving approximately 1/4 C of pasta water.

BLEND garlic cloves, olive oil and lemon juice in food processor. Add fresh basil, salt and avocado and blend until smooth.

MIX pasta with sauce and add pasta water to get desired consistency.

GARNISH with pepper and parmesan cheese.

DIG IN!

Blizzard Baking Binge...

2011-02-07T11:41:00.000-06:00

What does one do when she gets stuck inside her place for 48 hours thanks to the Blizzard of 2011? Well if you're this girl, you bake, cook and experiment until you run out of ingredients (or are brave enough to walk the half-block to the grocery store). Then sit back and wonder what the heck you are going to do with all this food?

First up, my grandmother's rhubarb cake. I usually save this one for summer when rhubarb is actually in season, but I wanted to try some different fruits in this cake and see how they came out. In an ideal world, a mix of strawberry and rhubarb is excellent with this light cake, but this simple strawberry version did not disappoint.

Grandma's Rhubarb Cake
2 Cups Sugar
1/2 Cup Shortening or Butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 Cup Flour
1 Cup Buttermilk mixed with 1 tsp baking soda
4 Cups Rhubarb (or other fruit)

Topping:
1/4 Cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 350° F.

COMBINE flour and salt in large bowl.

COMBINE cinnamon and sugar topping in small bowl.

BEAT egg, butter, sugars and vanilla in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually add flour mixture into bowl alternating with buttermilk. Fold in rhubarb or fruit. Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 pan.

SPRINKLE with cinnamon-sugar topping.

BAKE for 40-50 minutes or until knife comes out clean in center. Cool. Slice and serve!

ENJOY!

Quick Cozy Soup...

2011-02-01T09:23:00.000-06:00

Looking for a quick week-night meal to warm you up this winter? This soup is just for you!
I wonder if I promoted it enough they would give me free Trader Joe's products for life? Probably wishful thinking :)

I occasionally run down the street from my office to Trader Joe's when I need a last-minute item or party foods. I love that they give free samples, but hey, who doesn't?

On a recent trip I discovered this tasty and super-simple soup:

Would you like to try a sample of our soup m'aam?

Why yes I would!

Just mix a can of crab meat with our Roasted Red Pepper Soup and garnish with fresh ground pepper.

Really? Wow, that's very tasty. What aisle are those in?

SOLD.

Feeling a little under the weather that week, this simple recipe was just what I needed. I ate it for nearly every meal all week. I know sometimes pre-made soups can be high in sodium and calories, but Trader Joe's has some healthy and tasty versions. So the next time you're craving soup, try this one.

Creamy Corn & Roasted Red Pepper (&Crab) Soup

1 Quart Trader Joe's Creamy Corn & Roasted Red Pepper Soup

1 can lump crab meat

Fresh ground black pepper
red pepper flakes (added for heat)

freshly chopped cilantro

Heat in saucepan. Garnish with cilantro.

Crunch Bar Cookies...

2011-01-25T10:49:00.001-06:00

So I finally returned from my baking hiatus if for no other reason than an excuse to use my new camera.

I decided on a trusty batch of heath bar cookies, even imagining added a new element, peanut butter. The only problem: my stockpile of cooking fillers had dwindled over the holidays and I was left with was a bag of leftover Halloween candy and no heath bars to speak of.

I can't say improvised recipes will always be a success, but these last-minute ~~heath bar~~ Peanut Butter Crunch Cookies were a hit!

Mini food processor meets mini crunch bars

Peanut Butter Crunch Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup chopped Nestle Crunch Bars
1/2 cup Chocolate Chips

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 350° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in large bowl.

BEAT eggs, butter, sugars and vanilla in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add peanut butter. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in Crunch pieces and chocolate chips. Use cookie scoop to drop rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheet.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

ENJOY!

Happy New Year...

2011-01-04T21:51:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

I rang in 2011 with a double-wedding weekend. First, we celebrated the wedding of one of my cousins down state and then headed up north to dance the night away with a good friend of mine.

I've attended a few weddings in my day and I must say my favorite part (besides the exchanging of vows of course) are always the details! I absolutely love browsing photography blogs for detail shots. I believe that the details are what make a wedding unique and all too often, the only pictures I see post-wedding are the posed group shots and the bride and groom with [insert guest name here]. So to all you brides out there, keep spending ~~countless hours~~ a little time on the details. It's worth it!

Canon Camera Love...

2010-12-29T12:51:00.000-06:00

Santa must have been sick of me complaining about point and shoot and iPhone food photos because I finally made the jump to DSLR world this weekend!

And as soon as I recover from my baking binge, I expect to share better photos on the blog from here on out. Between a new food processor, chef's mat and this puppy, hopefully I'll get some motivation here soon.

Christmas Cookie Creations...

2010-12-21T16:38:00.000-06:00

Occasionally I bake. Ok, so maybe I bake a lot. Especially around the holidays. And this year was no exception. I love the holidays because it gives me an excuse to crack out the sprinkles and try some new recipes. This year i went a little nuts on cookies, and cake balls, and bark and pretzels.

The best part about baking all these things is the gift boxes that come as a result. Who doesn't love a variety of home-baked goodies as a gift? Here's hoping I can rid of them all before the New Year.

Festive Fabric Flowers...

2010-12-13T14:38:00.002-06:00

It's not often that I post about much else besides food, but when I saw this fun holiday wreath on the Our Best Bites blog I just had to try my hand at making the rolled fabric flowers that fill it. After all, it looked easy enough.. cut strips of fabric, roll, twist and glue. Normally, attempts at homemade craftiness end up costing me more than buying the 'pottery barn version,' but in this case it worked! These flowers were really easy to make and by simply pinning them, along with some berries I had from Christmas decor, you have versatility versus gluing them on. Try swapping them out depending on the season or adding them to other items like a scarf or hat. They make great holiday gifts as well! Check out the our best bites blog for detailed instructions.

Rolled Fabric Flower Wreath

Quick Peppermint Bark...

2010-12-09T14:54:00.000-06:00

Lately, I've found myself wandering aisles and paging through magazines filled with holiday treats thinking the same thing: "I could totally make this myself..." And while I am not above spending a good chunk of change on pre-made treats if they live up to their hype, I refuse to spend incessant amounts of money on chocolate-dipped pretzel rods and fancy chocolate bark when I can ~~stay up all hours of the night~~ enjoy making these treats myself!

Last year, my kitchen and I had some quality bonding time as I attempted to make enough treats to share a variety of sweets with all of my friends and family for the holiday season. Now that the knots in my shoulders have subsided, I think I'll take a different approach this year and do more make-ahead goodies.

This week I attacked the Williams Sonoma Peppermint Bark. After reading about this holiday treat in their catalog and tasting it first-hand when someone shared it in our office, I decided to try my hand at the peppermint version first. This recipe was very simple and looks pretty, but I will admit, Williams Sonoma might beat my flavor this time around. However, this is just my first attempt and I plan on making a few other varieties of bark before the season is over, so stay tuned.

Quick Peppermint Bark

1 bag Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

1 brick Vanilla Almond Bark

1/2 teaspoon Peppermint Extract

Crushed Candy Canes

Line the bottom of a cookie pan with parchment paper. Pour bittersweet chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave chocolate chips according to directions. Add 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract. Spread melted chocolate as evenly as possibly into lined pan. Place pan into fridge for 20 minutes. Repeat the same melting process with the white almond bark. While chocolate is still smooth, stir in half of the crushed candy cane mixture. Allow the white chocolate to slightly cool for a minute. Remove pan from fridge and spread white chocolate/crushed candy canes mixture on top of the chocolate layer. Spread white chocolate as quickly as possible. Top off with remaining crushed candy cane and gently pat down with the back of a spatula. Return pan to fridge for 30minutes. You should now have a solid sheet of peppermint bark. Remove parchment paper and break into pieces. Store any left over bark in a plastic bag or tin in fridge or freezer until eaten. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Crumble...

2010-12-03T08:53:00.000-06:00

Have I mentioned previously that I love pumpkin?

I used this recipe from Bon Appetite for our Halloween Dinner Club a few weeks back and it was a hit. Faced with making a dish suitable for toting to multiple Thanksgiving dinners miles apart, I decided to go with this make-ahead recipe. NOTE: While flavor is amazing regardless, limiting transportation and re-refrigeration will lend itself to crispier bars. These bars make a great alternative to pumpkin pie and can be cut in fairly reasonable portions. No one said you had to stop at just one bar though :)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Crumble Squares

Cranberry Oatmeal Bars...

2010-11-23T10:36:00.000-06:00

For the past few years, my friends and I have a Thanksgiving dinner together prior to the holiday. Since Thanksgiving is usually a time spent with family, the early scheduling of our dinner allows us to not only share a holiday with close friends, but it allows us to experiment with dishes that we might not traditionally have. Knowing I would be feasting on a wealth of pumpkin, stuffing and turkey at multiple venues this year, I decided to make an alternative dessert: Cranberry Oatmeal Bars for this year's dinner. I recommend bringing something like this if you are a guest at a Thanksgiving this year as these bars are easy to transport, can be made ahead of time and can be sent home with guests if their bellies are too full for that last dessert. I've included the Cooking Light recipe I used below, but I plan on making this Our Best Bites version very soon.

Cranberry-Oatmeal Bars

    Crust:
    * 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
    * 1 cup quick-cooking oats
    * 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
    * 1/4 teaspoon salt
    * 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
    * 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    * 6 tablespoons butter, melted
    * 3 tablespoons orange juice
    * Cooking spray

    Filling:
    * 1 1/3 cups dried cranberries (about 6 ounces)
    * 3/4 cup sour cream
    * 1/2 cup granulated sugar
    * 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    * 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
    * 1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. To prepare crust, weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle butter and juice over flour mixture, stirring until moistened (mixture will be crumbly). Reserve 1/2 cup oat mixture. Press remaining oat mixture into the bottom of an 9x9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. To prepare filling, combine cranberries, sour cream, granulated sugar, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well. Spread cranberry mixture over prepared crust; sprinkle reserved oat mixture evenly over filling. Bake at 325° for 40 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Haunted Halloween Treats...Part Two

2010-11-18T09:15:00.000-06:00

A few weeks back, I wrote about some haunted halloween treats I was going to try this year. Though a bit laborious at times, these witch wands and ghost bites sure were a hit at our work Halloween party. Here's a little montage to the hallowed eve:

On the menu:
Pumpkin Ghost Bites
Witch's Brew
Witch Wands
Pumpkin Cupcakes
Gravedigger Cake
Cheesy Fingers

Spicy Pumpkin Soup...

2010-11-15T20:52:00.000-06:00

I've been dying to make this soup since my friend Trista brought it over for our spooky dinner club a few weeks back. While I knew my first attempt wouldn't live up to Trista's version, the recipe allows for a lot of experimentation so I plan on trying a few more times this pumpkin season. I substituted canned pumpkin for the real thing and lightened it up with half and half and 1% milk. If you are looking for a warm meal as the weather cools, this one is a must!

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

Serves 4

2 tbsp butter

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp red chile flakes

7-ounce pumpkin, seeds and flesh removed, chopped into 1-inch cubes

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

3 cups whole milk (vegan: soy silk)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp ground cinnamon

chopped cilantro

Melt the butter in a heavy stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the cumin and red chile flakes and cook for 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin, stock, milk, and salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender. Purée the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Spoon into warmed soup bowls, add freshly chopped cilantro, and dust with the cinnamon.

Thanksgiving Turkey Treats...

2010-11-12T15:49:00.000-06:00

So I realize I've been promoting the Our Best Bites blog a lot lately, but they keep inspiring me with their adorably cute holiday treats. I have yet to blog about my successful Halloween-themed treats based on my previous post, but these were too cute not to share. Gobble, gobble folks. Thanksgiving is right around the corner!

Oreo Turkeys and Cookie Pilgrim Hats

Caramel Apple Pudding...

2010-10-27T12:54:00.000-05:00

Sometimes fate steps in...ok so that's a little dramatic, but what's a girl to do when she's emailed a recipe and just so happens to have all of the ingredients on hand? Well, she makes caramel apple bread pudding of course!

I spent the majority of my weekend baking and with a bag full of apples and some stale french bread to use up, this recipe from Our Best Bites seemed just right. On a side note, after peeling apples this past month I've decided I might need to add this handy apple corer/slicer thingamajig to my arsenal. A must right?

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

Recipe adapted by Our Best Bites from C&H Sugar

5-6 c. stale French bread cubes (about 1/2 of a standard loaf cut into 1" cubes)
3 c. apples, peeled and chopped into small pieces
4 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
2 tsp. pumpkin or apple pie seasoning
1 Tbsp. butter, chopped
1 recipe Buttermilk Syrup

*If possible, cut the bread into cubes and leave it out for several hours or overnight. If not, place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the bread cubes are dried out but not toasted.

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease or spray a 9x13" baking dish with shortening or non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, toss together the bread cubes and the apple pieces. Transfer to the baking dish. In the same large bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients except for the butter. When combined, continue to whisk while pouring over the bread/apple mixture (just to make sure the spices are evenly distributed). Gently combine the bread and egg mixture, making sure each piece of bread is soaking in part of the egg and milk mixture. Allow to stand for at least 15 minutes (longer, if you can; you could even do this the night before, cover it tightly, and then bake it in the morning).

When the egg/milk mixture has mostly soaked into the bread, dab the butter over the bread and place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the center is set but not dry or burned.

Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Cut into pieces and serve with warm Buttermilk Syrup (and vanilla ice cream if you really want to walk on the wild side.)

Haunted Halloween Treats...

2010-10-19T21:58:00.000-05:00

I love rss feeds. Especially when they send me fun Halloween treat ideas. Check out these fun treats from the Our Best Bites blog. Our office just started a Halloween "boo" game and I think these are perfect for my contribution. Check out the game here and start one in your office or neighborhood.

Monster Munch

Witches Wands

Spiced Apple Muffins...

2010-10-14T14:51:00.000-05:00

Apple Muffins with Streusel Topping

Cream together:
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup oil
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Mix dry ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 cups peeled, cored, diced apples (around 3 apples)
Brown sugar, butter and chopped pecans for topping (around 1/2 cup)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. The batter will be very thick. Add the diced apples.

Butter & flour muffin tins or use paper liners. Fill muffin tins to the top. Sprinkle with topping.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes