cranberry pomegranate dip

This is one of my favorite seasonal dishes. I got the recipe from my cousin a few years back and I make it as many times as I can get away with during the holidays! Doesn't it look festive with all that red and green?

Cranberry Pomegranate Dip

3/4 cup cranberries, finely chopped

1 cup pomegranate seeds

2 T. cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

2 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup sugar

1 T. fresh lemon juice

dash of ginger 

1 block of cream cheese, softened

Mix all the above ingredients except for cream cheese. Pour over cream cheese and serve with your favorite crackers. 

What is one of your favorite holiday dishes? Please share! 

homemade oreo's with peppermint cream cheese frosting

Homemade Oreo's with Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

Cookies:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 t. baking soda

1/4 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 T. butter, softened

1 egg 

Frosting:

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 t. vanilla

2 T. butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

a few drops of peppermint extract 

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar. On low speed, beat in butter and egg until well mixed. Put dough in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. Roll dough out by rounded teaspoons and indent slightly with your fingers. Bake for 6-8 minutes and let cookies cool completely. Meanwhile, whisk all frosting ingredients together until light and fluffy. Put the frosting between two cookies and enjoy! 

Ginger Cookies

Now that it's fall, I want to be in the kitchen all day. Breads, soups, cookies, anything that has to be baked and simmered. I ordered The Family Flavor cookbook recently and have tried several recipes... all have been so good! I made these one weekend and we devoured them. Usually ginger cookies aren't my favorite, but these were so soft and chewy. I'll definitely be making them again! 

Ginger Cookies

from The Family Flavor

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 t. ground ginger

1 t. baking soda

3/4 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. ground cloves

1/4 t. ground nutmeg

1/4 t. salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 

1 cup sugar, plus more for rolling

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

Set oven to 350. Combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside. Mix butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and molasses and mix well. Add flour mixture. Pour a small amount of sugar into a small bowl. Portion dough into small balls and roll into sugar. Set on baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack.

double chocolate banana bread

Remember how I used to post recipes on the blog? Yeah, me neither. Cooking has slowed down a little bit over the summer, but really it's just difficult to pull out the camera at dinner time when there are a dozen other things to do to get the food on the table and everyone's tummies happy. I really love cooking, baking and photographing food so I still try to sneak it in when I can. 

I'm kind of over summer, so in an effort to make it feel like fall in my kitchen I made some quick bread. I've made this recipe a few times and it has always turned out. 

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/4 t. salt
• 2 T. cocoa powder 
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 t. vanilla 
• 1 cup mashed banana (about 2 medium bananas)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup chocolate chips 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two mini loaf pans. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the vanilla, banana, and sour cream. Gently mix in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips until well incorporated. Pour batter into pans and bake for 45-55 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then turn out to cool completely. 

my favorite way to eat asparagus

For a long time I didn't think I liked asparagus. But, like most foods, you just need to play around with it and figure out how to cook it well and to your liking. I've learned that I like pretty much any vegetable if it's roasted. Right now I'm kind of obsessed with asparagus. This is my absolute favorite way to eat it. I can almost down a whole pan by myself. Here's how I do it:

Take one bunch of asparagus and place in a roasting dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Add the zest and juice from one lemon. Sprinkle with a little salt & pepper and roast in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 20-ish minutes (I like my vegetables soft... cook for less time if you want them to still have a bit of crunch). Go ahead and inhale them.

brunch

One of my good friends had a birthday last month! We had a small get together to celebrate. I decided to bust out the real plates and silverware for the occasion. That's the sign of a fancy gathering at our house. I made strata and I really loved how it turned out. It was very simple and I'm going to keep the recipe in our rotation.

Spinach and Cheddar Strata

from Martha Stewart 

Ingredients: 

1 t. olive oil

10 ounces spinach

1/2 baguette, one day old, cut into cubes

5 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup whole milk

1 1/4 cups grated white cheddar 

s&p 

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add spinach and stir constantly until wilted. Remove from heat. In a 8x8 pan, layer spinach and bread cubes. In a bowl, mix eggs, milk, cheese and s&p to taste. Pour egg mixture over bread and spinach. Bake at 400 for 35-40 minutes until cheese is bubbly on top. Enjoy!

blueberry lemon cakes

I found this recipe in one of my favorite food magazines, Martha Stewart Everyday Food. I made it once, ripped it out and it's stayed in my recipe book ever since. It's delicious, one of my favorites. 

Blueberry Lemon Cakes

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan

2 cups flour, plus more for pans

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

1 T. lemon zest 

1/2 cup plus 2 T. lemon juice

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 t. vanilla

1/4 t. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

2 eggs

6 ounces blueberries 

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour four mini loaf pans, set aside. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until thickened, about 4-6 minutes. Let stand while making cakes. Meanwhile combine heavy cream, 2 T. lemon juice and vanilla, set aside. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside. Beat butter, lemon zest and remaining 1 cup sugar with mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Reduce speed to low, add eggs one at a time. Beat in flour mixture in three additions, alternating with cream mixture beginning and ending with the flour. Gently fold in blueberries with a rubber spatula. Divide batter evenly among pans, bake 40-50 minutes. 

Transfer pans to wire racks and brush tops with lemon syrup. Let stand for 15 minutes. Turn cakes out from pans and brush all over with remaining syrup. Let cool completely. Cut and serve! 

make your own taco seasoning

I love finding little shortcuts in the kitchen. Things that save me time, things that save me money. This week I made my own taco seasoning. I needed some for a dinner I had planned and thought, Hey, how hard can this be? After a quick google search I found my answer. Easy peasy. I had all the spices, save one, in my pantry already. Bam! Take that, taco seasoning packet!

Taco Seasoning 

makes the equivalent of 1 packet 

1 T. chili powder

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. onion powder

1/4 t. ground oregano

1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes (optional... this makes it REALLY spicy so you may want to cut back or omit all together)

1/2 t. paprika

1 1/2 t. cumin

1 t. salt

1 t. pepper 

I'm planning on making a big patch and keeping it with the spices. 

What are some of your favorite kitchen shortcuts?

peaches & cream bundt cake

taken on instagram

Who else thinks of My Big Fat Greek Wedding when it comes to bundt cakes?

I had this recipe sitting in my cookbook for a few weeks. I wanted to try it, but I just can't justify making a huge cake for just Trevor and me. We had a potluck with some friends in the park this week and it was the perfect time to try this recipe out. It was SO good. I'll definitely be making this again!

Peaches and Cream Bundt Cake

from Martha Stewart Everyday 

Ingredients:

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature 

3 cups plus 2 T. flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. fine salt

4 peaches - peeled, pitted and diced small

2 1/4 cups sugar 

6 large eggs, room temperature 

1 1/4 cups sour cream 

1 1/4 t. vanilla 

1 1/4 t. ground cinnamon 

Directions: 

Heat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 14-cup bundt pan and set aside. Whisk together 3 cups flour, baking soda and salt, set aside. Toss peaches with remaining 2 T. flour to coat, set aside. In a large bowl, beat 2 sticks butter and 2 cups sugar on medium-high until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. With mixer on low, alternate adding the flour mixture and the sour cream until combined. Gently fold in peaches and vanilla and pour batter into the pan. Bake for an hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, melt remaining stick of butter. In a seperate bowl, mix cinnamon and remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Gently coat the cake in butter, sprinkling with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve! 

naan

Oh, naan. How I love you. How my husband loves you! We make naan a lot in this house... every time we make Indian food, or we use it to make mini "pizza" or tostadas with hummus, greens, olives, red peppers... whatever we feel like. 

Even though my luck with yeast breads is still a little hit and miss, naan has come out every time!

Naan 

from sheena!

1/2 cup warm water

2 t. yeast

1 t. sugar

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 t. salt

1/4 cup canola oil

1/3 cup plain yogurt 

1 egg

Mix water, yeast and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy. Add remaining ingredients. Knead until dough is soft and pliable. Cover and let rise until doubled, about an hour. Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll out into circles on floured surface. Cook (like pancakes!) on a hot griddle drizzled with olive oil. Serve warm. 

fiesta chicken

This has become one of our favorite recipes. I usually have everything for it on hand, and it can work with tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, anything really! This time we used it in tacos! 

Slow-Cooker Fiesta Chicken

1 lb. chicken

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup salsa

1 T. chili powder

s&p to taste 

Cook on low for 8 hours. Voila!

We used homemade tortillas, corn, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, cheese and cilantro to make it a meal. Soooo good!

Have a happy memorial day weekend!

quinoa

Quinoa. I heard about it awhile ago, and then it took me even longer to learn how to say it (it's pronounced keen-wa). We tried it for the first time last week and we are now big fans! Below is the recipe we used. It was really simple and very healthy. Give it a go! 

Quinoa with Corn and Beans

Ingredients:

1 t. canola oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa 

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 t. ground cumin

1/4 t. cayenne pepper (I think I might use less next time, it was a little on the spicy side) 

s&p to taste

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 can of beans (we had kidney on hand)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for 5 or so minutes. Mix in quinoa and cover with vegetable broth. Season with the cumin, cayenne pepper, s&p. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in frozen corn until heated through. Add beans and cilantro. Enjoy! 

Any other quinoa recipes you've tried and liked? I need some more!

cookies!

 This week I decided to get back on the exercise train. I had been running most days in Philly and while my efforts were still pathetic and feeble, I WAS DOING IT. Then, we moved. And all my efforts died. This week, though, I bought a jogging stroller (thank you, craigslist) and have gone running most every day. 

Can I just say how unfair it is how difficult it is to get in shape and how easy it is to get out? It's a cosmic joke. 

Anyhow, since I'm back exercising, I naturally made cookies. It's almost Valentines day and I had just bought some cookie cutters so I put them to good use. I had this recipe last year and I LOVED the almond flavor the cookies had. Try it, you'll like it.

Sugar Cookies:
from Annie's Eats


1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 t. almond extract
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
2 1/2 cups flour


Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, beat well. Add egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour. Beat well. Chill dough in fridge for at least 4 hours. Divide dough into thirds, working with one while the others stay in the fridge. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters. Put cookies on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Cookies should not brown.

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 T. milk
desired food coloring

Cream the butter for about 3 minutes. Add powdered sugar, then milk. You can adjust the amount of powdered sugar or milk to reach desired consistency. Frost your cookies and admire your work!

pumpkin whoopie pies

I made these in lieu of pie for Thanksgiving. I've never been a big fan of pie, and had never made one before so I looked for a good alternative. I found this recipe in my Martha Stewart Everyday magazine. They were so good! I know the pumpkin season is over, but if you have an extra can lying around, whip these babies up. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Whoopie Pies

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 t. pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup unsalted butter melted, plus 1/4 cup at room temperature

3/4 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, plus more for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, melted butter and 1/4 cup heavy cream. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and whisk until just combined. Drop dough in 2 T. mounds on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 14 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely. 

In a medium bowl beat the room temperature butter, 1/2 cup heavy cream, cocoa powder and powdered sugar on medium-high until fluffy. Spread filling on flat side of the cookies and sandwich cookies together. Dust with additional powdered sugar before serving. 

Enjoy!

peppermint thumbprint cookies

Peppermint and Chocolate together just scream Christmas to me. I've always liked the combination and will eat it year round, but I feel compelled to eat it around Christmas! Speaking of which... do you live near a Trader Joes? Have you had their Peppermint Jo-Jo's dipped in dark chocolate? Oh. My. Goodness. So insanely good. 

Anyhow... back to these cookies. I've never made thumbprint cookies before because they looked like they took a lot of time. NOT! Easy peasy. 

Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies

from Martha Stewart 

Ingredients: 

2 cups flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 t. fine salt

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 egg

1 T. vanilla

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 t. pure peppermint extract 

Directions: 

Heat oven to 350. In a medium bowl whisk the flour, cocoa and salt. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, beat 1 cup butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture and combine. 

Place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl. Roll dough into 1 inch pieces and roll in sugar to coat. Put on a cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Remove and indent each cookie with the bottom of a small measuring spoon. Return to oven and cook for 4 additional minutes. Let cookies cool completely on wire racks. 

Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, melt the remaining 1/4 cup butter and chocolate chips in 10 second increments. Stir in peppermint extract. Let cool for 5-10 minutes, then put into a ziploc bag. Snip off one corner and pipe into cooled cookies. Let the ganache set and enjoy! 

What flavors scream Christmas to you? Is it peppermint and chocolate like me? Egg nog? Hot cocoa? 

simple biscuits

I can't remember where I originally found this recipe, but I've been making them a lot lately! These biscuits are incredibly easy. They are a great option if you need bread last minute, especially with soup! 

Simple Biscuits

2 cups flour

1 T. baking powder

1/2 t. coarse sea salt 

1/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1 T. vinegar

1 cup milk 

Heat oven to 450. Add the vinegar to the milk, set aside for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Add the butter with a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like small pebbles. Slowly add the milk mixture, mix until combined. Drop by spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 14-16 minutes. 

pumpkin scones

Fall and baking just go together, am I right? 

I had a little get together with some friends the other night and wanted to make something that would make the house smell like fall. Enter pumpkin scones. 

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 T. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. cloves

1/4 t. ginger

6 T. cold butter, cut into cubes

1/2 cup + 3 T. pumpkin puree 

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Add butter with a pastry cutter (or two knives, cutting against each other) until the mixture looks like pebbles. Gently stir in the pumpkin until barely mixed. Divide the dough in half and make two 6-inch rounds. Cut each round into 6 wedges. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Let cool completely and drizzle with sugar and spice glaze. 

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 T. milk 

Mix together until frosting form. Drizzle half of the glaze over cooled scones. Then add: 

1/4 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. nutmeg

pinch of ginger

pinch of cloves

... to make your spice glaze. Drizzle the rest of it over the scones. Let the glaze set before eating. 

Enjoy!

whoopie pies

For Halloween, I made these whoopie pies. I've eaten them before, but have never made them myself. I thought they would be a fun holiday treat for the husband and I, rather than pilfering the trick-or-treating candy.  

Whoopie Pies

from Martha Stewart

for the cookies: 

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt 

1 stick unsalted butter, softened 

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup applesauce 

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg. With the mixer on low alternately add the applesauce and the flour mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until smooth. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Immediately move the cookies to a metal rack to cool. 

for the frosting: 

1 stick unsalted butter, softened 

1/2 t. vanilla 

1 cup powdered sugar 

Beat the butter and vanilla until smooth and light. Slowly add the powdered sugar, beating until smooth. 

When the cookies are cool, spread the frosting on and sandwich together. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to set. 

Enjoy!

sausage and white bean stew

Fall is here! That means SOUP. I love, love, love soup. I even find myself making it a few times over the summer. I'm always looking for new recipes. They are inexpensive and can help you use up extra stuff in your pantry and fridge. 

We tried this soup yesterday and it was really yummy. Hearty and warm. 

Sausage and White Bean Stew

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil

1 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed

1 T. tomato paste

1/2 t. cumin

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

28+ ounces vegetable stock

2 cans of white beans

2 thyme sprigs

1 rosemary sprig

1 bay leaf

2 t. balsamic vinegar

s&p, to taste 

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, cook through. When cooked, remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate. Set aside. Put tomato paste, cumin, carrots, celery, onion and garlic into the pot. Let cook 5-7 minutes, until veggies start to soften. Add vegetable stock, beans, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer 30-60 minutes. Before eating, add the balsamic vinegar and s&p to your liking.

What is your favorite type of soup? I'd love to hear! 

applesauce bread with cream cheese frosting

This week has been rainy. Whenever it rains I feel like baking. Since fall is here now, I opted for something autumn-y. Anything with pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg... you get the picture. 

Applesauce Bread

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 t. salt

1 egg

1 cup applesauce

1 1/2 cups flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. cloves

Blend the butter, sugar, salt and egg until light and fluffy. Mix the remaining dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Alternately add dry ingredients and applesauce to the butter blend. Pour into a loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting


4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 T. butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 t. vanilla

Blend it all together and spread on your cooled cake!

Have a fabulous weekend!