One Last Taste of Summer

I can hardly believe that summer is almost gone. We've had a relatively mild summer here in Texas, which has been pretty enjoyable, but i'm just wondering where my blistering summer was? Without it my summer feels incomplete. It really feels like August never even happened. 

Still, now that school has started and Starbucks got it's pumpkin spice latte back its time to say goodbye to another warm season. Personally, I'm ready for those leaves to change and the crisp air to make it's way back. The scents and flavors of fall are pretty hard to beat.  That being said I'm pretty annoyed that Starbucks already has it's Pumpkin Spice Latte back. It is one of the most wonderful of treats (even though facebook likes to tell me how gross it is). I do not care, I will drink them frequently this season. But, to me, it really takes the fun out of the season and the PSL excitement when it comes early. If we had a pumpkin spice latte all year it wouldn't make the fall so special. It's not fall yet so Put. It. Away.

 It is still summer until September 22nd people. And since I've really enjoyed the little citrus kick I've been on the past few months. So I thought I'd share one last recipe for summer for you to enjoy. These lemon Raspberry Whoopie Pies are delightful. They are a wonderful treat to end your day...or start it if you're anything like me ;).

I'm fascinated by the whoopie pie. It's basically like a cake sandwich. And you don't need a fork, so that's always nice. It makes them a great food for a party. You just have to be careful not to let the icing get too runny, which was my problem. To do that just make sure you add more powdered sugar to get a thicker consistency.

This recipe can be adjusted for a number of flavors (and seasons if you insist on switching to fall). Just switch the cake recipe to whatever you want, and adjust the icing to match it. Some good combos would be red velvet with cream cheese frosting or pumpkin with maple buttercream. And you can always stick with the basics like white cake/white icing, yellow cake/chocolate icing, etc.

**Note: to make this recipe you ideally need a whoopie pie pan, but it's not a necessity. You can buy one on amazon or bed bath and beyond if you desire.

Lemon Raspberry Whoopie Pies

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 1 C. Unsalted Butter
• 1 1/2 C. Flour
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. Lemon Zest
• 2 C. Sugar
• 2 Eggs + 3 Egg Yolks
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 C. Buttermilk

For the filling:

• 6 Tbsp. Butter, room temp.
• 2+ C. Powdered Sugar
• 1/8 tsp. Salt
•  1 Jar of Marshmallow Creme
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1 C. Fresh Raspberries

How To: 

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest in a medium bowl and set aside. 

Step 2: Beat the butter and 1 1/2 cups of your sugar together until light and fluffy. 

Step 3: Beat in your eggs and yolk one at a time just until combined. Add the lemon juice and beat until combined. For a stronger taste add a bit more lemon.

Step 4: You are going to alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk, starting and ending with flour (so the pattern should be 1/3 flour, 1/2 buttermilk, 1/3 flour, 1/2 buttermilk, 1/3 flour). Don't over beat you just want these to be combined in with your batter.

Step 5: Pour the batter into your pans (I would grease them with melted butter first). Or if you do not have a Whoopie Pie Pan. Use a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Scoop the batter onto the cookie sheet. Don't make your circles too too big though! Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden yellow and the edges slightly browning.

Step 6: After they come out of the oven let them cool to room temperature before you start filling them.

Step 7: While your pies are baking. Beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and salt and mix well.

Step 8: Add the marshmallow creme and vanilla and beat until well blended. Then add the raspberries. Beat until your icing turns pink and there are no longer chunks of raspberries left. Your filling should be thick. If it's not add some more powdered sugar until you get the consistency you ant.

Step 9: Refrigerate your icing until the pies are ready to be filled.

Step 10: When ready to ice (I used an icing bag you can use a knife if you want) begin icing the pie from the center. You don't want to go to far to the edge because when you sandwich the sides together it will over flow. After you stick the second side on you're good to go!!

No harder than making a cake or cupcakes just handheld! And having the icing in the center is a real game changer.

Hope you like them!

Happy Eating! xoxo

Tan

Key Lime Pie

There are a couple of foods and flavors that scream for their season. Winter you have cranberries, peppermint, soups and roasts. Spring brings florals, rosemary, thyme, lavender, deviled eggs. And Fall smells of cinnamon, corny dogs (You texans know what I mean), and buffalo wings for those college football watching Saturdays. Typically, I'd tell you the fall is my favorite season of the year. BUT my favorite cooking season would have to be the summer. Summer flavors like citrus, grilled steaks and fish, salads with fresh berries...the list goes on. I just love it.

Today I'm going to focus on the citrus, I can't remember the last time I let a summer go by without making a batch of lemon bars and a key lime pie....usually several. It's just so light and refreshing yet tangy and delicious! It's also a pretty easy flavor to work with and goes well with just about everything. I highly recommend the meyer lemon olive oil that O Olive Oil Company  makes. I use lemon on chicken, when i bake shrimp, in my butter that goes with crab legs, in cupcakes, in buttercream. Everywhere! And the same can be said with limes. Limes also go great with jalapenos. The multitude of combinations you can do with these two fruits is ridonkulous. Which is why I enjoy cooking in the summer so much!

Unfortunately there are a lot of reasons I have slowed down my cooking this season, but this weekend I said enough is enough and set out to make my pie.

Key Lime Pie is one of the easiest pies you can make. People pretty consistently tell me that what I think is easy is not easy for everyone else. That may be true from time to time.  But I try to share recipes that the average cook can make. Otherwise what fun is it to share them?

Pies are tricky and what is tricky about them is typically the crust. Especially when making one from scratch. With this recipe it is extremely hard to mess up the crust! And there is no crust on top which makes it even easier to deal with.

This is a recipe I found on Sweet Pea's Kitchen, but I have changed the proportions and added some vanilla. I prefer a thick layers of each level: the crust, filling, and topping. I think I'd even go larger than what I did this weekend. But it's up to you! I also used actual key limes from the grocery store where as Sweet Pea used limes. The first time I used it i used regular limes and it worked just fine. You have to use A LOT of key limes to get the required juice amount, so it just depends on how hard you want to work ;)

Key Lime Pie

Ingredients:

•   8 tsp. Lime Zest
•   1 C. Lime juice*
•   8 Large egg yolks**
•   2 (14 oz.) cans of Sweetened Condensed Milk
•   18 Honey Graham Crackers
•   4 Tbsp. Sugar
•   10 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, melted
•   1 1/2 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
•   1/2 C. Confectioner's Sugar
•   2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
•   1/2 lime thinly sliced + sugar for garnish (optional)

* 6-7 Large Limes OR a whole bag of key limes
**If you don't know how to separate the eggs and yolks send me a message! But I save the whites for egg white omelets the next morning :)

How to do it:

Step 1: Whisk together your zest and egg yolks. The mixture will turn a little green and that's ok! Add the sweetened milk and whisk until combined. Then do the same with the lime juice. Put the bowl to the side and let your mixture sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This will allow your mixture to thicken. You don't need to touch it! It will do it all by itself.

Step 2: Start on your crust! Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Most pies cook best if you move your rack to the center of your oven. Use a food processor to grind the graham crackers into find pieces. Add your 4 TBSP of sugar and pulsate just until combined. Then pour your crumbs into a small bowl. Add your melted butter and mix until combined. I use my hands to make sure everything gets really evenly spread out. 

Step 3: Move your crumbs to the pie plate. Using your hands press the crumbs into the plate until evenly distributed. And don't forget to go up the sides! The crumbs tend to group together in the middle of your plate, so be sure to really work them out to the sides. 

Step 4: Bake the crust for about 20 minutes. Your oven should smell fantastic and the crust should be browning just a little. (this is hard to tell because the graham crackers are already brown!) I do it mostly based on smell. This doesn't matter too too much as the crust will continue to cook when you put it back in with the filling. That being said don't skip it!

Step 5: Pour your newly thickened filing into the crust and bake for 22-25 minutes. Gently jiggle the pie. You want the filling to be firm but still have a little bit of jiggle. If it's moving around too much it's not set enough and you need to leave it in a little longer. 

Step 6: Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then chill in your refrigerator for 3 hours. DO NOT put the cream on until it is cooled, or else it will just melt.

Step 7: While your pie is chilling you can start the whipped cream. Pour your heavy whipping cream into a bowl with your mixer. Beat on a HIGH speed until soft peaks form. (It will look like nothing is happening for a little while and then like magic it starts thickening. Quickly stick your finger in and pull it out. You should see a little tiny peak appear). Once you have soft peaks add your confectioner's sugar just a little at a time and your vanilla. Beat until you get stiff peaks! (Ones that keep their peak shape after you pull your finger out). 

Step 8: Use a spatula or icing knife to spread your whipped cream over the cake. If you want to use the garnish. take your thinly sliced lime and coat it in your sugar. You can cut a small slit and twist them, put whole slices on your cake, or do halves like I did. 

Happy Eating! 

xoxo
Tanner 

Grilled Pizzas

You know that time I said I would be better about posting and then wasn't? Yeahhhh...sorry about that. BUT my little weather app tells me this weekend in Dallas is going to be warm and GORGEOUS! Which is hilarious since it was freezing last night. Anyway, this grilled pizza receip is to die for and is a perfect way to kick off the warm (or excruciatingly hot?) season.

When it comes to pizza I will literally eat it all. Lunchable mini pizzas? Duh. Domino's? Check. That new (but i guess really not so new) garlic crust is the bomb. Lover's pizza? Check. Campisi's? Check. Grimaldi's? Double check. There are so many other great pizza places around this city and I'm sure plenty I've never heard of. Union Bear in west village is one of my new favorites and I highly recommend it to anyone.

But with all of these options it's easy to throw away home cooking and my favorite motto of fresh is best.  I know it's pretty hard to get motivated, especially when you have to make some sort of dough. It's time consuming for sure! But it tastes amazing, it's healthier, and it's a good way to get kids, other family members or friends involved in the kitchen.

These little pizzas are also a great idea for a small party or get together. Every time I have made these I've set up a pizza bar and invited friends and family over to dig in. You just need to make a bunch of dough discs and chop up your favorite toppings like pepperoni, sausage, bell pepper, olives, jalapeno's, onions, etc. and let your guests make their own creations. It's great because it can be hard to cater to and please everyone at a party. This way you most definitely don't have to.

Without further ado your recipe! The dough recipe is courtesy of Ina Garten but i changed it up a tad and grilled it instead of putting it in the oven :)

Tan Tan's Grilled Pizzas
 **The dough makes about 4-5 pizzas
 

Dough essentials:
1 1/4 cups warm water
2 packages dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey 

Olive oil*
4+ cups all-purpose flour

Kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, sliced
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Toppings

My Homemade Pasta Sauce

Whatever you want!

4 C. Mozzarella

Mushrooms

Bell Pepper

Pepperoni (I buy from butcher)

Sausage

Jalapeno

Olives

Onions

Pinapple

Ham

 

 

 

*I recommend  O Olive Oil's Roasted Garlic You'll have to order it, but it (and all of the flavors) is amazing!

 

Instructions:

Step 1: Combine the water, yeast, honey and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl (I use my hands, but if you want use an electric mixer with a dough hook). Allow the yeast to dissolve.

 

Step 2: Add 3 cups of your flour a teaspoon or two of salt and begin mixing. I start with a spoon and as it begins forming into a dough I add 1 more cup of flour and also cover my hands in flour (it helps with the stickyness). Work the dough until it becomes smooth. You can add flour if kneaded (haha get it?)

Step 3: Continue kneading until the dough is elasticy. Then coat your bowl and the dough lightly in olive oil, cover it with a towel, and all the dough to rise for about 30 minutes. No need for a warm location it will be just fine at room temperature.

Step 4: While that is rising you can make your garlic oil that coats your pizzas. Using a small sauce pan add 1/2 C. of olive oil, the garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes together. Simmer over medium low heat so all of the flavor blends together. Just be sure nothing is burning. Let it sit for roughly 10 minutes.

Step 5: Divide the dough into equal pieces. Cover them with a damp towel and let them for 10 minutes. Then take each piece and stretch it, knead it, flatten it, whatever you need to do to get the dough in the size and shape you want. (this is a great time for kids to get involved).

Step 6: At this point you should do 2 things. Turn on your grill and heat up a fry pan on your stove with a little olive oil. You are about to cook the dough just a tad on the grill and while that is happening you can cook the sausage or soften your vegetables like bell peppers, mushrooms and jalapenos if desired.

Step 7: When your grill is ready to go. Brush ONE side of your pizza with the garlic oil you made earlier. Put that side down on the grill. (the olive oil will help it not stick to the grill). Try not to put it directly over flames if it can be avoided. You only want to let it cook for 5 minutes max. You want the bottom to appear lightly cooked. Then bring the pizzas back inside. Have everyone put their sauce and toppings on the cooked sides of their pizzas. I recommend toppings first then cheese on top. (as it melts the cheese traps the toppings so they don't fall off). Then bring them back out to the grill and cook through! You can gauge it based on the cheese. Once it is done melting start checking the bottoms of your pizza. I typically move mine to the little rack in my grill so it's further away from the heat to allow the dough to cook all the way through.

Then you can enjoy it!

I hope you don't let the fear of dough or the time consumption deter you from trying this recipe, because seriously you won't be disappointed! As always let me know if you have suggestions or if you try it another way! I'm always looking for new variations of my favorite recipes! Have a beautiful weekend!


xoxo & Happy Eating!

Tanner

King Cakes!

This week brings about Fat Tuesday and the start of lent. What better way to celebrate than by stuffing your face with a seasonal favorite! First of all it's tradition, and second you are likely about to make a half hearted attempt at giving up sugar so you need to get it out of your system.

King cake and I go way back. My mom has had it for us for as long as I can remember. When I couldn't find one in New York, she mailed it to me. One year she couldn't find fresh ones because they were sold out, so she sent me king cake mix to bake one myself. I was pretty lazy in college so I think that box stayed in my pantry until I moved out for the summer, but I'm making up for it now with this delicious version I found from The King Arthur Flour Company's website.

One thing that disappointed me about it was the lack of cinnamon sugar. I love that ribbon that runs through the cakes you find at our grocery store, so I ended up adding 2 TBSP. of cinnamon to this recipe...unfortunately, it did not have the added effect I desired. You can taste it but not much. The lemon definitely outdid it. If you want to add it I would consider adding more.

This is a bit of a rushed blog post this time, but only because I wanted to get this posted in time for you to enjoy this dessert for Fat Tuesday!  So without further ado

Individual King Cakes

Ingredients

• 8 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 C. Milk
• 2 Large eggs + 1 egg yolk, white reserved
• 1/4 C. Sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 2 Tbsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. Lemon zest
• 3 1/2 C. Flour
• 1 Packet yeast
• 1 C. Powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
• Milk
• Sprinkles

Directions

Step 1: Combine the first ten ingredients together until a soft and smooth dough is formed.

Step 2: Cover the dough and put it in a warm place so it can rise. About an hour. 

Step 3: You can use these pre made parchment paper cups or a muffin pan. Divid the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a smooth ball. (Grease or flour your hands if the dough is too sticky)

Step 4: Drop the dough balls into the cups or baking tin. Cover the pan with a dishtowel and let the cakes rise for another hour. During this preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Step 5: Whisk the left over egg white w/ 1 TBSP of water. Brush it over your cakes

Step 6: Bake for 20 minutes. Then cover with loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until the cakes turn a golden brown. When done let them cool on a wire rack.

Step 7: Mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. You should gradually add the milk one tablespoon at a time until you get a thick icing that can still easily be spread.

Step 8: Pour over the cakes and cover in purple, green, and yellow sprinkles! ENJOY!

As usual I'd love to hear about changes you've made! Feel free to post them in the comments. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. Happy Eating! 

xoxo, Tanner

Beb's Banana Pudding

I never know how to feel on Hayden's birthday. Should I be sad? Should I celebrate? Should I ignore it? It's the second hardest day of the year for me. I want to be happy and celebrate it but it's hard to ignore the lingering and nagging grief and sadness, She should be the one celebrating not me. But in true Hayden fashion I'm sure she is at the beach somewhere getting a super dark tan and reading the flood of Facebook messages that are finally all about her ;).

I really embraced cooking after she died. It was an outlet, I didn't have to think. But most importantly the smells and the food itself were so comforting. Pasta's, cupcakes, popcorns...all that stuff that is so bad for you but warms your heart and reminds you of home all at the same time. I've often thought about writing a book about cooking through grief and how it helped me get by. As tragic as this situation has been and still is, the silver lining was that I found a love for cooking and sharing that with all of you.

Today I have really loved seeing everyone remembering, wearing purple or pieces of her clothing, eating her favorite foods. So it's only appropriate to share a recipe for one of her all time favorite foods...Banana Pudding.

 

First, you need a little back story on this gem of a snack. I guess it all goes back to Black Eyed Pea. We had one down the street and frequently ate there as a family. I don't think anyone ever ate their meals especially not the vegetables, but we certainly ate that banana pudding. It was a moment where all four of us could come together and appreciate something (that doesn't happen often). This period was follwed by a lull in banana pudding eating. Not to worry though, we more than made up for lost time when Hayden moved up to New York with me. I had discovered that Magnolia Bakery offered a $45 dollar tub...yes a large TUB of banana pudding. I made the mistake of telling Hayden about these heavenly tubs, and soon she was there on a regular basis. She would single handedly devour those tubs. She might have claimed to buy one for her whole apartment, but we all know she would just finish it alone in one sitting. Those expensive tubs brought her so much joy, and brought the rest of us years of laughs with her then and now.

The banana pudding recipe I'm going to share with you is by Paula Deen. Everyone can have their opinion about her, but the lady is a darn good cook. And her banana pudding is absolutely amazing. Lots of southern families have family recipes that have been passed down, but do yourself a favor and give this one a try. It might just become your new favorite and one of the best ways to remember Hayden.

Beb's Banana Pudding

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies*
6 to 8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 box instant** French vanilla pudding (5 oz.)
1  package cream cheese (8 oz), softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)
1  container Cool Whip thawed (12 oz)

*Make sure to get the seasonal ones for Christmas!

**Make sure you get instant! This is essential

Step 1: Use the cookies to line the bottom of a 13 by 9 inch casserole dish, Then make a second layer with the sliced bananas.

Step 2: Blend the milk and pudding mix with an electric mixer. In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese and condensed milk together until smooth. (DON'T CHEAT! Make sure it's smooth). Gently add the cool whip into the cream cheese mixture and then add to the pudding mixture. Stir until completely blended.

Step 3: Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas. Then top it off with a final layer of cookies.

 

Step 4: Refrigerate! You could eat it right away but I suggest refrigerating for 1-2 hours so it gets nice and cool. The way banana pudding should be eaten.

 

I hope you like this recipe as much as I do. It has become a staple in my recipe arsenal, and it is a quick and easy dish to bring to any get together or party you may have especially during this hectic holiday season. 

Happy Eating and lots of love to HH today. Happy Birthday Beb, we all love you very much

xoxo Tanner

Buffalo Chicken Cannolis

So I really debated posting these or waiting till football season, but I decided they were too good to hold off on. I've been going through a little of a spicy phase. I can't get enough! Especially jalapeños...don't know why, what an odd craving.

I found these little gems on one of my favorite blogs How Sweet It Is . They really have the best recipes ever! And these were no exception.

I personally thought these were a great week night meal, but they'd be great for game day. I wonder how buffalo chicken became a staple of game day flavors. I bet Hooters is to blame. Seriously though! So many recipes especially around football season use this flavor. Is it more "manly" to eat? Is it because it's spicy? Messy?

If this really is a manly meal I can't really complain my college roommate Allie and I are all about buffalo chicken or "buff chick" as we so lovingly refer to it. It's just so good! There was this pizza shop around the corner from our apartment in the bronx they had the BEST buff chick pizza. I'm pretty sure I have a picture of me eating a slice at 3 in the morning compliments of Allie...

no time to wait till I got home...

Anyway, I recommend EVERYONE try these cannolis and not just on game day.

Buffalo Chicken Cannoli

20 Flour tortillas (I bought fresh ones from Rosa's)

24 ounces Canola Oil (or whatever you like to fry things in)

2 1/2 C. Cooked chicken shredded or diced

1 whole large celery stalk, diced or minced

1/4 C. mayonnaise

1/4 C. Prepared hot wing sauce (more if you want)(I used Frank's Red Hot)

1/4 C. Blue cheese crumbles

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Black Pepper

Step 1: I just folded the tortillas over to make a shell and secured it with a tooth pick. (**advice: make sure enough of the toothpick is visible so you can get it out after you fry them!). 

Step 2: Use a pan or pot that can fit about an inch and a half of oil in it. Heat it so it gets super hot. You know it's ready if you can flick a tiny bit of water on it and it crackles and bubbles. Place the tortillas in the pan 2 or 3 at a time. The tortilla will bubble. I recommend taking it out popping the bubble inside the shell and putting it back in. You don't want to not be able to stuff the center. Drain them on a paper towel.

Step 3:  In a mixing bowl toss the diced chicken and celery. In a second bowl mix the mayonnaise and hotwing sauce together. (This is the stage you can add more hot wing sauce to get a spicier or more mild flavor). You do want to try to make it a little hotter than you actually want it because this taste will mix with the chicken and celery which will minimize the heat. When it's where you want it mix in with the chicken and celery. Stir in some of the blue cheese if you want (or you can just serve it in the left over hot wing sauce later).

Step 4: Stuff the cannoli shells with the chicken mixture. You will likely have to go from both ends to fill the shell. Do your best to push it to the center. Then you are done!

I served mine with bell peppers but you could make any side to go with them, or put them on a try with hot wing sauce and blue cheese in the center!! 

Enjoy!!

<3 Tanner

Sinfully Addicting Red Velvet Brownies

I want to write about how just how amazing these brownies are, but the words cannot do these little guys justice. It's definitely the most requested recipe by friends and family, and they have been huge hits when i've given them as gifts. With Valentines day right around the corner, this could be a good recipe to perfect!

I will give fair warning about experimenting with the recipe though. I tried to double a batch and it was a failure. I haven't decided if it's because the ingredients don't work well doubled or if it just made them two thick. I used the same size pan as a single batch, so perhaps if I had switched to a rectangle they would have cooked more evenly. That being said, if any of you try to alter the recipe and succeed (or fail ;) ) please let me know!

Another helpful tip about this recipe is in the parchment paper. I HATE trying to get parchment paper to stay or to keep it's shape when pouring in batter. To do so is an art form...one i am still trying to perfect. But  I have found it helpful to fold the sides to help it keep its shape, and just tape it to the outer edge of the pan until you pour in the batter (just don't forget to remove the tape!) It really does make a huge difference.

But without further ado.......drum roll please!!!!

***I forgot to take a picture when they were done!!!! WHOOPS!

Red Velvet Brownies

1/2 C. of room temperature butter

1 1/2 C. Sugar

2 Eggs

2 tsp. Vanilla

1 1/4 C. Flour

1/4 tsp. salt

3 Tbs. Cocoa Powder

2 Tbs. Red Food Coloring

White Chocolate Icing (optional...but necessary)

1/2 C. Room Temperature Butter

2 1/2 C. Powdered Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

4 Oz. White Chocolate

1-2 Tbs. milk

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and either line a baking pan with parchment paper or grease and flour it. (**If bringing to a party I recommend the parchment paper it makes it easier to cut clean squares)

Step 2: In a small bowl mix the cocoa powder, food coloring, and 1 tsp. of vanilla to form a paste like mixture. 

Step 3: In a larger bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy!!! (**"IT'S SO FLUFFFFYYYYYYY" - I love Despicable Me, what a great movie!) Add the eggs one at at time and then the rest of the vanilla. Beat in your paste mixture, and then SLOWLY add the flour and salt.

Step 4: Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. DO NOT ICE THEM UNTIL COMPLETELY COOLED!!!!

Step 5: Melt the white chocolate (**You can find instructions on the package or ask me!) then set it aside. Then cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy again. add the vanilla, and then slowly start adding the powdered sugar. When mixed in add the white chocolate. Finally add just tiny bits of milk a time until you reach the desired consistency. (**If you over do it just add more powdered sugar) Then you can ice them and eat up!

If you gain 20 pounds because you can't stop eating this...don't blame me! I tried to warn you

Eggnog Fudge

Need a way to use up any leftover eggnog? Try this fudge it's relatively easy and tastes amazing. Even though a fudge recipe is short and doesn't take much time it still can be a little bit of an art form. Before starting this recipe make sure you have a candy thermometer!!!!! One of the steps requires you to boil some of the ingredients, and they MUST reach a certain temperature or it will never give you the right consistency; leaving you with a gooey mess.

I quadrupled my recipe for the holidays and it made far too much. If you make it for a party I would suggest making a batch and a half, but pouring it into the same pan so you get thicker squares of fudge. A single batch is plenty though!!!

Fair warning this stuff is incredibly addicting.

Eggnog Fudge Recipe

2 C. sugar

1/2 C. salted butter

3/4 C. Eggnog

10.5 Oz. White Chocolate bars - chopped

**(Note: I just use a bag of white chocolate chips)

1/2 tsp. Nutmeg + a little extra to sprinkle on top

7 Oz. jar of Marshmallow creme

1 tsp. Rum or Rum extract

Step 1: Line a pan (you can use square or rectangle - if you double it use a rectangle or 2 squares!) with aluminum foil and lightly butter it.

Step 2: In a large sauce pan boil the sugar butter and eggnog until a candy thermometer reads 234 degrees. This will take about 10 minutes, and make sure you are stirring constantly. Take it off the heat.

Step 3: Use a wooden spoon, and QUICKLY add the white chocolate and stir until smooth. Then add the nutmeg, marshmallow creme and rum. When well blended you can pour it in the pan and sprinkle some nutmeg on top to make it pretty!

Step 4: Let it cool at room temperature or put it in the refrigerator until hard. (**I recommend the refrigerator if you have the extra space, it is SIGNIFICANTLY faster)

Step 5: Cut into squares and enjoy!

Pepperoni Pull Apart Bread!

Here it is!!!!!!! It's only been two days, but I have gotten more requests for this recipe then most of the other ones.

I have a tendency when I cook to not want to eat what I make. Mostly because I snack on things as I'm cooking, so by the end I'm no longer hungry. But I couldn't resist these. This recipe is great because it can be made for so many different things. A weeknight meal, after school snack time, a party appetizer, you name it.

The other great thing about the recipe is that it can be as easy or as hard as you want it to be. I made the dough from scratch...does that make you nervous or you don't have the time? Just use frozen dough. I bought large pepperoni's from the deli counter and cut them up, but really you can buy a package of the mini one's and you're good to go!

Pepperoni Pull Apart Bread!!!!

Dough:

1 3/4 cup warm water, divided
1 tsp sugar
1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing bowl and springform pan
4 cups (22 oz) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp salt

To make the Rolls:

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

4 Tbsp butter

2 lbs pizza dough (1 batch of above recipe)

6 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes (about 48)

48 slices pepperoni (from 1 package) - I bought 16 large slices and cut them in fours

2-3 cups marinara sauce, warmed, for serving

How to!

***Note: if you bought frozen dough skip steps 1-3, just make sure to let the dough thaw!

Step 1:

   put 1/2 a cup of warm water into a bowl (if you want to use a stand mixer use that bowl) and stir in sugar until dissolved. 

Step 2:

    Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let stand until frothy (this should only take a couple of minutes) then add remaining water and oil.

Step 3: 

      Add the flour and salt to the bowl. Then, I knead the dough with my hands until smooth and elastic. Not everyone likes to do that, so if you are using a mixer you want to use your dough hook. Mix on low until flour is combined then on high until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough double in size (about 1.5 - 2 hours). ***I always put mine on the dryer. I don't have confirmation that that makes it go faster, but they always say put it in a warm spot, and what's warmer than the top of the dryer?

Step 4:

    Heat the garlic and butter over medium heat just until the garlic begins to brown. Remove it from the heat and let sit. 

Step 5: 

     Lightly brush the inside of a bunt pan with garlic butter. (don't have a bundt pan? No problem! You can use any pan. I used an angel food cake pan so I could pull the sides away easily. 

Step 6:

    Pull of pieces of the dough and flatten. Lay a piece of pepperoni and a piece of mozzarella on top. Then wrap the dough around it and seal the edges together. Roll the dough in the garlic butter and place on the pan. And Repeat till the dough is gone!!!!

Step 7:

   Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Step 8:

    Bake for 35 minutes or until the top is very brown. Let it sit for 10 minutes and then you are ready to go! I use that 10 minutes to heat up the sauce. Any sauce will do whatever is your favorite!

I promise you won't be disappointed with this recipe!

Perfect Little Gift or Snack idea for the Holidays!

This is so easy it doesn't even need a recipe! (Well it kind of does, but you can find it on a box of rice krispies.) I wanted to give a little something to my friends for the holidays, but I'm fortunate to have a lot of friends! That can get a little pricey giving them all gifts. So I needed to come up with something that could be done pretty easily, relatively cheaply, but made with lost of love. Thanks to pintrest I found the perfect idea.

I just made 2 batches of rice krispie treats. Right before I poured in the cereal I died the marshmallow mixture red in one batch and green in the other. I finished making the treats and then let them cool. The cooling part is ESSENTIAL! You will never be able to get them to mold if you try to do it while they are still warm. So take them out of the pot set them on parchment paper, and let them cool off for a few minutes.

After they cooled I rolled them into balls and put a rollo on top to make it look like a little ornament! The goal was to give each friend a red and a green one, but I ended up not having enough :(. That's ok! I put them in little baggies and tied them up with red and green ribbon and Wah la! (I don't really know how to spell that, but you get my gist). They were tasty, and it seemed like everyone appreciated it. Sometimes it's not the size of the gift, but just that you thought to make something. I know that sounds cliche, but everyone likes to get gifts even if it's just a little something. The fact that you took the time to MAKE it just makes it even better!

Happy Baking!

An Appetizer to Bring to All your Holiday Parties

Tis' the season...to never know what to bring with you to all of those holiday parties! But whether you are hosting the party or just want to bring a little appetizer this dish is super easy to make and will be a huge hit. I promise!

Cranberries are a very popular food in the winter both to eat and decorate with, but when I think of a "snack" my mind never goes "ooohhh Cranberries sound yummy", but lately I've been trying to use them whenever I can. They are gorgeous to look at and very tasty. You can also do a ton of stuff with them......things you may not have ever thought to pair with cranberries. This particular recipe is a Cranberry Salsa, and I hope you like it! 

Fair warning...I made it the night before Thanksgiving and let it sit over night. This ended up being good on many levels. The biggest reason being that I got jalapeno in my nails and then of course I rubbed my lips with said fingers/nails and both burned for AN HOUR AND A HALF! I couldn't make it stop. Burt's bees helped ever so slightly, but that would have been an awful Thanksgiving lunch had I still been burning! So be careful as you chop up and de seed the jalapeno...if you do get some on your hands keep them away from your face!

Cranberry Salsa

1  12 oz package fresh cranberries

1/4 C green onion, chopped

1/4 C cilantro, chopped

1 small jalapeno pepper

1 1/4 C sugar

1/4 t cumin

2 T lemon juice

dash salt

2  8 oz packages cream cheese

Steps!!!

Step 1: Put the cranberries in a food processor. You want to chop them up so just twist the top on and off in a pulsing motion until the cranberries are as fine as you want them. You can also chop them up if you want, but it's going to be a lot more work for you. 

Step 2: Chop up the green onion, cilantro, and jalapeno into small peppers. Make sure on the green onions to use the white portion because that's where most of the flavor is. You can use the green too though! For this step I left out the cilantro because my mom doesn't like it (and I may have forgotten it at the store...oops!), but it turned out just fine without it. Cilantro is a strong flavor, and isn't for everyone. That being said I think my mom is an exaggerator because depending on the dip you can't even taste it.

Step 3: Add all of the ingredients (except the cream cheese) in a bowl. Mix it all together and cover/store in the fridge for at least 4 hours. It helps the sugar soak up and causes the cranberries tart flavor to fade just enough. 

Step 4: Right before you are ready to serve. Put the cream cheese on your serving plate (you may want to let it soften just a little before spreading it) and spread the cream cheese in about a quarter of an inch to half inch layer across the plate. I would leave some room on the edges so if the cranberries spill over the edge it doesn't go off the plate. 

Step 5: Pour cranberry sauce over the cream cheese and spread it all around! And you're done! Hooray!!!!!!

This will seriously be gone in 5 minutes, so if you have a big family you might consider making a double batch. Or two separate batches, that way if no one eats it you can save the other for yourself! I served it with these pita type chips, but you could use wheat thins, slices of garlic toast, or pretty much whatever you want or what type of chip your family prefers. I would stick to a relatively bland flavored chip or cracker though because the salsa has so much flavor and you don't want to take away from it. 

You could serve this at a holiday meal, bring it to a holiday party, or serve it to guests at YOUR next holiday party. Merry Christmas! And Happy Dipping!