A few years ago I started making baked beans pretty religiously, after receiving a bean pot from my mother-in-law as a gift.
Nanaimo Bars
Holiday Gift Guide
A lot of my friends have been asking for kitchen/food-related gift ideas this year, so I thought it'd be fun to share a holiday gift guide. A few of these items I have already purchased for other people, a few of them I am hoping Santa puts under the tree, and the rest I own myself and absolutely adore.
Dark Chocolate Salted Caramels
These caramels!!! Now, I'm not going to take the claim to fame for inventing this caramel recipe, because it is a very slight adaptation from Ina Garten's fleur de sel caramel recipe, but I did come up with the idea to cover them in dark chocolate and top with some flaked sea salt, and that's got to mean something.
Gnocchi with brown butter, sage, and chanterelles
This brown butter, sage, and chanterelle sauce is fairly easy to make. Beginning in September, chanterelles are really easy to find in the PNW, but I understand that they may not be that available in other parts. If this is the case for you, substituting any of your favorite mushrooms will work just as well.
Maple Walnut Apple Crisp with Raisins
Did I mention that last week I was able to finally perfect my apple crisp while the baby was sleeping? Since the beginning of the summer I've been on a quest for the ultimate apple crisp, which to me means big juicy chunks of apples, a little tart a little sweet, slightly soft with a little crunch, bathed in a thick sweet syrupy liquid topped with a buttery, nutty crumble, but not too crumbly.
Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake with Salted Caramel and Candied Pecans
Vegetarian Stuffing with Broccoli Rabe
Chocolate Doughnuts with a salted caramel glaze
The base for this doughnut recipe, I've made a few times and it's one of my favorite baked doughnuts out there. The salted caramel glaze is rich and buttery and a perfect accompaniment. The crunchy Skor bits were a bit of an afterthought and definitely not needed, but absolutely worth it. It's a real shame that I only made six because they were all gone before I could blink an eye.
Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole with a Cream Cheese icing
Vegetarian Taco Salad with a honey lime dressing
Welcome To The World Sebastian Thomas!
He has finally arrived! Sebastian Thomas Hands was born on Saturday, September 19th at 10:27 pm. As predicted by the ultrasounds, he's a big boy weighing 9 lbs and measuring 21 inches in length. Sometimes, when I hold him, it's hard to believe that he was once inside of me. It's an incredibly surreal feeling.
Broccoli Rabe Arancini with Marinara Sauce
Since that evening in Milan, I vowed to learn how to make a risotto as good as the one we shared. In the beginning, I started off by making small servings. Not confident in my ability to pull it off, I figured that I wouldn't feel as bad if it didn't turn out and I only made enough for two. Now when I'm making risotto, I'll make enough for a family of 8 - I can't help myself.
Sweet Crepes, Creamy Yogurt, and Fresh Fruit
Last week, I decided that it had been too long since we'd enjoyed crepes together. I came down to the kitchen and started preparing the batter. That particular morning, our fridge was lacking the necessary savory ingredients Brent enjoys. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to win him over to my side - sweet crepes with yogurt.
Crispy Za'atar Fries with a Garlic Scallion Dipping Sauce
Veggie Quesadillas with a Tangy Chipotle Lime Sauce
In celebration of summer, markets, eating your veggies, and helping others, I wanted to share a recipe for grilled vegetable quesadillas. After my trip to the market this past Sunday, I actually came home with more produce than I could eat in one week. When this is the case, I like to fry up all the veggies I have no plans for and serve them in a warm tortilla with melted sharp cheddar, and a chipotle dipping sauce on the side. It is such an easy and healthy meal to prepare, which is exactly what I am looking for these days.
Zucchini Fritters with a Honey Dipping Sauce
Zucchini and Fennel Salad with a Spicy Honey Dressing
This is recipe #4 in the #TABASCO10 third annual 10 Ingredient Challenge - creating 5 different recipes in 5 days with the following 10 ingredients: TABASCO® Original Red, Green Jalapeño or Chipotle Sauce, Chicken, Eggs, Mozzarella, Fennel Bulb, Zucchini, Rice (Brown, Basmati, Jasmine or Wild), Rigatoni, Ciabatta, and Honey (Salt, pepper, oil are 'free' ingredients).
Cheesy Mozzarella French Toast with Honey
Mini Baked ZucchinI and Mozzarella Rigatoni
This is recipe #2 in the #TABASCO10 third annual 10 Ingredient Challenge - creating 5 different recipes in 5 days with the following 10 ingredients: TABASCO® Original Red, Green Jalapeño or Chipotle Sauce , Chicken, Eggs, Mozzarella, Fennel Bulb, Zucchini , Rice (Brown, Basmati, Jasmine or Wild), Rigatoni, Ciabatta, and Honey (Salt, pepper, oil are 'free' ingredients).
