Fun Food

Pure tasty. So, it's been a while.  Been a rough couple of days, especially for the BF.  We all said goodbye to one of the cutest, most spirited little buddies of all time, Turbo.  However, calories totally don't count when you're sad so, I've had several of these ridiculously amazing cookies.  Seriously, best cookies ever. Every September, our company has it's annual Community Support Campaign, where offices raise money for charity and do more volunteering.  My office's biggest fundraiser is our annual auction.  After an "I'm having a bad day and need some fresh air SBux run for a Salted Caramel Mocha," I figured out what to bake for the auction, these fabulous cookies .  They might not look like anything special but, they're amazing.  Seriously.  These cookies are seriously life changing and easy to make, albeit slightly time consuming.  However, in the 2hrs that the dough was chilling, I had time to clean up the mess I m...

So, there is no such thing as a quick trip to the market when the BF comes along.  When I need to make a quick run for one or two things and bring him with me, I have to prepare myself for a much longer journey that will end with multiple other random items not on the list (I say "no," a lot).  Going to the market while on vacation, is no exception.  On this particular trip we ended up with Neapolitan Oreos.  I should preface this with, I'm not an Oreo person at all.  However, these, these are not Oreos, these are awesome!  I don't want to admit how many of them I ate.  The tastiness that these things got me thinking, surely I can recreate these at home- fresher and with less bad stuff in them.   The hardest part was deciding on what kind of cookie to make.  Shortbread or a chewy vanilla cookie? After much deliberation and gathering of opinions, I settled on  shortbread .  Figured that the crunch of the shortbread and the slight...

It's amazing what I get done when I'm avoiding unpacking!  Another tasty recipe I decided to make was   Chicken Piccata .  This recipe calls for chicken thighs, instead of traditional chicken breast...I used chicken breasts though.  I chose this recipe because it's around 170 calories/serving and 16.6grams of protein, a slightly less bad for you version than others - fabulous!   What you'll need 4 chicken thighs, skinned (or breasts) As much as I hate touching raw chicken, this was pretty worth it 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 large egg white, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon water 1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs 2 teaspoons olive oil 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 1/2 cup white wine 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 cloves minced garlic 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley  1 teaspoon capers, drained Grated lemon rind (optional) Put chi...

This last week was fabulous!  Spent the week with the BF and his family at the beach.  One thing I love about visiting his family (aside from how fun they are) is that his Mom always has a few cooking magazines around.  A couple new favorite recipes I found were:  Cumin Curried Hummus  and  Chile-Cilantro Salad Dressing . I've also been wanting to make my own tortilla chips, so I did. Cumin Curried Hummus  1 tablespoon olive oil  3 garlic cloves, chopped 1 tablespoon curry powder 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds  1/2 cup water 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 (15 1/2 oz) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed and drained  Heat oil in a small pan.  Adding in garlic, cooking for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add curry and cumin.  Cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant, stirring constantly. Put garlic mix, water and remaining ingredients in a food processor.  Process until smooth...

It doesn't get much better than a perfect grilled cheese sandwich.  From a simple white bread with cheddar to a fancy pants gourmet sandwich, I love it all.  Problem: I can't make a good grilled cheese to save my life!  I burn it every time.  Luckily I have a boyfriend that is a master of all things grilled cheese.  When he sent me this list of  40 Amazing Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipes , the heavens parted and there it was, the Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich from  Closet Cooking .  SO GOOD!  If you like jalapenos, I suggest you try these asap! How to do what you do (for one sandwich)... 2 jalapeno peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded 2 slices sour dough  1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons cream cheese 1/2 cup shredded jack and cheddar cheese 1 tablespoon crunched up tortilla chips Place peppers on baking sheet cut side down. Place baking sheet on top shelf of oven and broil until outer...

My whole life (well most of it) I have wanted a KitchenAid Stand Mixer , a little weird?  Maybe.  Finally, after years of patience, I got it.  A bright, shiny, Professional 600 Stand Mixer, in nickel pearl.  My baby.  For months (before I hit the "purchase" button) I dreamt of all the fabulous things that my mixer and I would make.  Clearly after waiting years to get this wondrous creation, I would need a fabulous recipe for its maiden voyage.  This perfect recipe was going to be  French Macaroons with Raspberry-Rose Buttercream .  I'm great at making meringues, and with this new device, clearly nothing could stand in my way.  Wrong.  My fabulous French Macarons were anything but fabulous.  Total disaster.  So much for my dreams of greatness. I wanted to cry.  What a mess.  Too bad I had already made the raspberry jam and raspberry-rose buttercream.   Clearly, after the time and effort it t...

Better late than never... Happy St. Patty's Day!  Who doesn't like a good Irish Car Bomb (in cupcake form)?  While researching Car Bomb cupcake recipes for this past St. Patty's Day, I came across the site  Suzie Bakes , which had a great adaption of this fabulous combo.   I typically bake for the fun of it and then force my creations upon people, hardly eating much of what I make, not these!  I don't want to think of how many I had!  Delicious. Cupcakes 1 bottle Guinness 1 cup unsalted butter 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 cups all purpose flour 2 cups sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 2/3 cup sour cream Bake Temp: 350 degrees                                                                                  ...