I’ve had a bag of cornmeal in my pantry for quite some time and I knew wanted to make cake out of it. This recipe was inspired by three staples of the ancient Roman diet: whole grains, honey, and cheese. Separately they might not sound extraordinary, but when combined they form something truly magical. One of the most interesting things about ancient Romans’ eating habits was how they would recline while eating their largest meal of the day, which typically consisted of three courses. These little cakes are the type of sweets that I imagine would be found gracing the third course of such a […]...
Chocolate Hazelnut Truffle Cupcakes with Hazelnut Buttercream, A Sweet Award, & An Announcement
I want to announce that the wonderful people at CSN Stores offered to let me do a review of one of their products. Choosing a product was hard since they have so many wonderful things…they literally have everything from bar stools to cookware to shoes! I decided on a cast iron skillet with a lid since this is such a versatile kitchen tool…I like to use it for fried eggs (it makes literally the best fried eggs, ever), frittata, potatoes anna, pancakes, or even sautéed veggies. I can’t wait to review this product and let you all know how it is! Now for […]...
Valentine’s Day Menu: Dark Chocolate Mousse
This is the final course of our homemade Valentine’s Day meal. And it really goes out with a bang. It’s not your typical mousse, since you won’t find any eggs here. Instead I used Greek yogurt to make it a little healthier (let’s face it, this meal was not light on calories, so we might as well make up for it a little bit ;) ), and also because with this method the dessert is literally made in minutes. This mousse is so decadent you won’t miss the eggs. I’m sending this mousse over to Natasha of 5 Star Foodie for her 5 Star Mousse […]...
Spiced Coffee Cupcakes
Turkish coffee is very finely ground coffee that’s brewed in a special pot (traditionally a copper pot with a narrow neck) called an ibrik or cezve. The finely ground coffee is typically spiced with cardamom before brewing, which gives it a very unique flavor. Sugar can be added to the coffee (depending on personal preference) but milk is never added. Once the coffee is brewed it’s poured into small cups called fincans, which are similar to espresso or demitasse cups; the dregs settle to the bottom and are left in the cup when the coffee is drunk. Turkish coffee is almost magical…it’s smooth and velvety […]...
Salted Pretzel Toffee
If you’re going to do something wrong, make sure to do it right…you know what I mean…like if you’re going to “take a break” on your diet, do it with triple chocolate cheesecake instead of a Hershey’s bar. Or if you’re going to skip work for the day, go to the beach or shopping instead of cleaning the house. Or if you’re going to buy (another!) pair of shoes, why not make them Manolos instead of Payless? (You’d be surprised at the deals you can find on eBay! ;) ) If you’re going to indulge during the holidays, why not indulge in salted pretzel toffee? […]...
Twix Bar Cookies {aka Millionaire’s Shortbread}
Twix is my husband’s favorite candy bar, and I immediately knew I wanted to make him these bar cookies when I first saw the recipe for Millionaire’s Shortbread on Joy of Baking. Millionaire’s Shortbread is nothing other than shortbread topped with a layer of caramel and then a layer of chocolate – just like Twix! It’s a pretty simple and straightforward recipe to make; the only thing that’s even a little difficult/time consuming is the caramel filling....
Pecan Pie
Don’t forget to submit your Thanksgiving recipes today at All Through the Year Cheer! (Your recipe can be for anything that says Thanksgiving to you.) On Monday a round-up of the submissions will be posted, as well as the winner! Oh, and be sure to head over and check out the great prize that Brandy has for the winner! Since the holiday season (a.k.a. the season for pies!) is upon us, I wanted to share one of my favorite pie recipes. There’s an over-abundance of wonderful recipes for apple and pumpkin pies; however, pecan pie is one of my favorites and it’s not quite […]...
Individual Apple-Cheesecake Pastries
Right now I have more apples to use up than I know what to do with! I’ve already made applesauce (post coming soon), baked apples, dehydrated apples, apple butter, and toasted apple-cheese sandwiches. Later this week I’m planning to make a savory soup with apples and cheddar, and if I get a chance I want to try my hand at Spiced Apple French Macarons. (So many apples so little time!) Anyway, back to my Individual Apple Cheesecake Pastries. I wanted a way to use up some of my abundance of apples…I had puff pastry in my freezer that wasn’t earmarked for anything…I’ve been craving […]...
Baked Apples 2 Ways
As you may know, apples are closely related to roses (I only found this out recently, and I thought it was so interesting!). This might seem strange, but bake an apple and it won’t seem so odd. Baked apples have a distinctive sweet, floral aroma just like roses. You’re probably thinking that this scent would make a lovely perfume, right? This is exactly why I love the DKNY Be Delicious fragrance collection! As edible (or food-based, I should say) scents go, this is the only one I like to wear…but vanilla is my favorite candle scent! It makes the house smell like fresh baked cookies. […]...
All Through the Year Cheer Halloween Recipe Submissions & Recipe For Spiced Pumpkin & Dark Chocolate Truffles
Brandy and I are very excited…it’s time to submit your Halloween recipes for All Through the Year Cheer! Your recipe can be for anything that says Halloween to you. You can either enter the link to your recipe in the MckLinky list below, or email your recipe to me at [email protected] (deadline to enter is 9PM EST on Oct. 29). On October 30, I’ll post a round-up and announce the winner, who will receive a prize (the prize was announced here). Brandy and I can’t wait to see what all of you came up with for Halloween! And speaking of Halloween, I couldn’t let […]...