Bourbon Blondies

This past weekend I realized that I had not baked since Christmas.  Christmas I tell you!  That’s unheard of.  Well, I put on my apron and ended my non-baking streak on Sunday.  I baked cookies for me and bourbon blondies for him.  To say that these were successful is an understatement – Big Guy returned the container (empty) promptly on Monday evening after taking all the leftovers to work.

As for the cookies I baked myself…peanut butter and chocolate chunks.  Enough said.  But it gets better – they’re gluten-free.  So I got to actually enjoy my baking.  They didn’t photograph well but they sure did taste delicious and that’s all that matters.  I have a few more gluten-free cookies I have up my sleeve “pinned” on Pinterest that I can’t wait to try.  Even non-gluten-free folks loved these rich, decadent cookies.

And onto the bourbon blondies!  It’s pretty obvious that Big Guy is a fan of blondies (aka ME – har-har-har) and you can believe he loves a blondie even more when you throw some bourbon (Maker’s Mark, please) in (another har-har-har).  Since I don’t drink bourbon, this is as close to a bourbon blonde that he’s going to get.

 

The ingredients aren’t too complicated – unless you don’t keep bourbon on hand – but don’t leave it out.  And don’t leave out the walnuts.  That was actually the first thing he noted that he loved the most about these bars.

 

Are you a bourbon lover?  (I actually really like bourbon in a lot of recipes…just not in my drink!)

Snickerdoodle Mix

For the past couple of years, I’ve taken a random day before Christmas to bake.  These goodies are packaged up for me and Big Guy to distribute to friends and co-workers.  Well my bake-a-thon was last Sunday.  Five hours of nonstop baking and washing dishes!  Thankfully I had great “management.”

quality controller

Yes, that really happened.  He wanted to bring his leather chair into the kitchen but I wasn’t having that – so he settled with a tailgating chair.  But honestly, him and the Christmas movies we had playing are what made this bake-a-thon so much fun.  The only thing that would have made it better was a glass of wine in my hand.

I made a variety of items but one quick and easy treat is actually not even baked.  Shhhhh.  So if you need a last minute item to whip up for a holiday party or a sweet treat for guests, this Snickerdoodle Chex Mix is just the recipe you need.

The recipe only calls for a handful of items and I actually cut down that list by purchasing Kettle Corn Pop Corn (I found it at our local Walmart – it’s in a red bag).  Because I used kettle corn, I didn’t need the sugar and I really didn’t think the cinnamon was necessary either.  So you’ll need Cinnamon Chex and Chocolate Chex along with pop corn and butter.  Mix together the cereals and pop corn and then toss with the melted butter.  Pour out onto parchment paper, spreading out to allow it to dry.

Friday Favorites: Food for Holiday Parties

Whether it’s an intimated dinner party or a full-fledged tacky Christmas party…here’s a few of my favorite “pins” of food to take to a holiday party this year…

Favorite “Spin” on a Favorite App:  I adore bacon wrapped dates so why not try apricots?

Favorite One-Bite App:  Goat cheese + Bacon + Roasted Red Pepper

Favorite Salad:  How fun is this?  Cornbread Layer Salad.

Favorite Cookie:  You had me at salted caramel…

Favorite “No-Cook” App:  Antipasto Skewers.  I’m obsessed with mini pickles, and yes, I know they’re not called mini pickles.

Favorite “Sweet ‘n Savory” App:  Jerk Chicken topped with Rum Glazed Pineapple.  

Favorite Spiced Nut:  First of all, I love pistachios. Secondly, maple makes everything better…kind of like bacon.

Favorite for a “Brunch-time” Party:  I’m a little obsessed with butternut squash lately…they’re like little nuggets of gold, I tell you.

Favorite Cocktail:  Because it’s not a Christmas party if there’s no cocktail involved.  Just sayin’.

Happy Partying!

Christmas Cookies

It’s December!  We can finally talk everything and anything Christmas (despite some of the world wanting to start before Halloween).  Today’s a manic Monday…but here are two cookies that I’ve made recently that would be perfect for any Christmas cookie exchange or any holiday party.  Enjoy!

Angeletti

Angeletti Cookies - I made these for Chris’ sisters.  They’re like little sugar cookie balls.  Cute and delicious.  And super easy to make!  Want to know why I really like this recipe…the butter is melted, not softened (I always forget to lay out).

Pecan-Lace Cookies

Pecan-Lace Cookies - I made these cookies for Big Guy to take home this past weekend.  These cookies take a little time (you can prep the dough far in advance but it must refrigerate for at least 2 hours) because you can only fit 6 on a baking sheet at a time.  They’re fun though!  You roll the dough 1 teaspoon at a time into a ball.  When baked (only 8 minutes) they spread out and look like lace.  So Southern.

 

Happy Baking!

Black Friday Favorites

Are you out hustlin’ and bustlin’ with the crazies?  I’m not.  I’m pinning my favorite things per usual…

Favorite Side Dish I Should Have Made Yesterday:  Cranberry Orange Brussels with Walnuts.  

 

Favorite Holiday Party Dress:  I just adore this neckline!

 

Favorite Post-Turkey Workout:  Who knows, maybe I’ll bust out this sweat sesh sometime today.

 

Favorite 3 Words:  Pop. Fizz. Clink.

 

Favorite Bell Print:  ‘Tis the season for bells.

 

Favorite Sweet I made for Thanksgiving:  Salty Bourbon Squares

Favorite Appetizer In-a-Pinch: I’m loving the salty and creamy combo of salami, cream cheese and pepperoncini.

Favorite Closet:  I’m obsessed with closets lately.  I’ve also found a new obsession for renovated bungalows.

Favorite Tree for Haines to Decorate:  How adorable is this?  I wonder if Gigi could pull this together for us?

Enjoy your weekend!!!!  The holi-daze are here.

Forgotten Food

I guess it’s not technically “forgotten” but there are a few things that I’ve been messing my up kitchen making that I haven’t mentioned!

Honey Bun Cake

Not the most photogenic cake but Big Guy loved it!  In fact, it’s on the way to the guys he works with now.  The only change I made to the recipe was using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

chewy pumpkin spice granola bars

These lovely bars are gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free…healthy!  I did leave out the dried cranberries (due to lack of dried cranberries) and I plan on taking these to work tomorrow AM.  I made mine into little granola bites instead of bars for portion control.  (Obviously that’s not a picture of the bars that I made…)

Joe made me dinner!

I worked late earlier this week and needed something quick and easy for dinner.  Joe to the rescue!  Pumpkin soap with goat cheese crumbles.  Delicious.  (Tomorrow is all about TJs! Get excited!)

Ritzy Rolos

These were a fantastic tailgate treat!  Two ingredients:  Ritz crackers and Rolos.  Simply lay our the Ritz, top with a Rolo and bake…once soft, top with another Ritz and let them cool.

And I can’t wait to share last night’s dinner with you!

Happy Thursday.

 

 

A different kind of Friday Favorites.

Friday Favorites is going to be a little different this week.  I’m going to share with you one of my favorite ways to use your crock-pot along with a new favorite meal that came out of our kitchen.

Did you know that you can cook sweet potatoes in your crock-pot?  You can.

 

First, wash and trim the ends off your sweet potatoes.

 

Next, bundle up each little potato in foil.

 

Place all the potatoes, wrapped, in the bottom of your slow cooker.

 

Set the slow cooker on HIGH for 4 hours.

4 hours later you have perfectly cooked sweet potatoes (or regular potatoes).  Two of the tators went into the fridge to be eaten later this week.  The other two were used to make Big Guy some Sweet Potato Muffins.  The only change I made was not using the glaze on top.

And now that the weather has gotten cooler (Fall might really be here!) I was able to make a comforting meal that made me warm inside.

Rachael Ray’s Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken with Cannellini Beans.  Dinner was way better than I ever expected and this is honestly a new favorite.  There was so much flavor in this dish.  The chicken remained super tender and I loved the addition of proscuitto and rosemary.

 

The pictures don’t do this dinner justice but it was such a perfect fall dish.  I made a few changes to the recipe:  I did not use any celery (simply forgot to purchase at the store); I also didn’t use a chili pepper; I used an extra clove or two of garlic; and instead of using white wine, I used 1 cup of chicken broth.

One thing I recommend you NOT change, use chicken thighs.  They have so much more flavor than any other part of the chicken.

Thighs for the win!

A lonely Guinness.

There is one magazine subscription I’ll never cancel.  Cooking Light has my heart.  In fact, I just renewed for 3 years.  I’m set until December 2015.  (Now that was weird to type.)  My love for this magazine stems from the fact that no ingredient is considered “bad.”  They follow my belief in that little thing called “moderation.”  Bacon’s in the magazine, beef’s in the magazine, butter’s in the magazine.  Food is supposed to be enjoyed.  And boy do I enjoy the food that comes out of my kitchen by using recipes from Cooking Light.  

On Tuesday I got the urge to bake.  The funny thing is, I rarely eat what I bake because of the whole tummy vs. gluten battle.  But I enjoy baking.  And I enjoy the smell of my house even more after baking.  I remember running across a recipe for Maple-Stout Quick Bread in the latest issue of my beloved magazine and I also remembered a lonely Guinness in the fridge from another recipe.  It was meant to be.

 

I gathered all the ingredients and the bread was in the oven in no time.  The only substitution I made was using fat-free Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and I only had light brown sugar on hand.  The cooking time made me laugh, though – 43 minutes.  Such a random number.

And while I caught up on DVR and chatted away on the phone the house began to smell amazing.  And 43 minutes later, this came out of the oven:

 

There’s no longer a lonely Guinness – but now Big Guy has a special treat this evening!

Banana Cream Pie Request and Joey Lawrence

Last week I sent my Dad an email:  ”If you could have one sweet treat this weekend, what would it be?”  About an hour later, I got the response: ”Banana cream pie.”  

Banana Cream Pie with a Pretzel Crust

Ask and you shall receive!  The pie was a huge hit.

This sweet treat came after devouring homemade guacamole and Summer Citrus Fish Tacos.  Apparently these were another request from Dad after seeing Joey Lawrence, yes, that Joey, on Live with Kelly!

from Google images

We got a great laugh from the fact that this recipe came from Joey Lawrence.  The only change my Momma made to the recipe was using gluten-free soy sauce (she loves me so) and instead of mangoes, peaches were used in the salsa.

Thumbs up to Joey

Jaime, Meat Stick’s gorgeous girlfriend, isn’t a fan of fish.  So of course we made her try a bite before she was allowed to eat pie.

Great Saturday night dinner full of family and laughs.  And Joey Lawrence.

Finally Friday

1.  This has honestly been one of the longest weeks ever made.

2.  I made a sweet treat last week that I never shared.

chocolate chunk oatmeal cookie bread

It was the best smell ever.

3.  There’s going to be a lot of wedding talk this weekend.  (This is a warning for the men.)

4.  There’s plans to bring back pizza in our lives on Sunday evening – yep, we’re already thinking about what we’re eating Sunday.  Welcome to my life.

5.  Who knew?

6.  I attempted to make squash chips via a recipe on Pinterest.  Pinterest fail.

7.  Something that won’t fail me, a margarita on Saturday.

8. Frankly Scallop, I don’t give a clam.

9.  I wish that my closet had this in it.

10.  Happy Friday!