Easter Recipe Ideas

Easter has always been a pretty cool holiday in my family, my mom always did the traditional Easter basket and hid some eggs around the house. I remember THE BEST Easter was when I got a gameboy game in my basket (man, I feel old). After that we would attend the sunrise service at our church which was always held outside in a field and we would watch the sun come up over the tree tops. Afterwards we would usually head over to my grandparents house and partake in the traditional hard boiled eggs and kielbasa (from my grandmother Polish side of the family).

Not all Easter Recipes have to be obnoxiously themed (even though I'm kind of a sucker for themes) I always try to base a menu around what is currently in season so I also included some easy to prepare springtime goodies that would impress any crowd.

From top left to right:
Key Lime Pie Cupcakes
Asparagus & Parmesan Crustless Quiche
Summer Berry Skillet With Toasted Oat Topping
Speckled Egg Italian Cream Cake
Coconut Lime Pops
Chocolate Carrot Garden Cupcakes

Christmas Stollen with Almond Filling

If I was trapped on a dessert island and I could only take three foods with me, I am pretty sure 2/3 of those foods would be marzipan and bread.

So, as you can imagine, when I discovered that there was a magical pastry that combined these two coveted ingredients I fell in love. Never has a pastry been so balanced with fruity, spicy, savory and sweet.

While I have eaten this tasty dessert for years, this was my first attempt at actually baking it. I must admit that despite my schooling and what little experience I do have, I am still super intimidated at making breads but with a whole lotta patience, this recipe will turn out perfect every time. As far as what fruits to add to your stollen, I prefer to use orange juice/zest as opposed to lemon because it's not as harsh of a flavor, I also think that orange goes better with the flavor of almond. You could buy the packaged dry candied fruit but I found this combo to be quite amazing.

Christmas Stollen with Almond Filling

makes 2 loaves

For the Fruit:
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup diced candied orange peel (I candied my own, you can learn how HERE)
1 cup raisins
3 TBS cherry Kirsch
2 TBS orange juice

For the Sponge:
1 scant TBS or 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp honey
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

For the Dough:
1/3 cup honey
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted (optional)
3 to 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Oil, for coating bowl

For the Filling:
12.5 oz can of almond filling OR 12oz of marzipan

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Directions:
1.Prepare Fruit: Combine the fruit, orange juice, and booze. Cover and set aside. Shake or stir the mixture every so often to coat the fruit with the kirsch.

2.Prepare Sponge: In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast in the water to soften. Heat the milk to 110 degrees F and add it to the yeast along with the honey and 1 cup flour. Cover the sponge with plastic wrap and let rise until light and full of bubbles, about 30 minutes.

3. In a bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, add the fruit mixture, honey, egg, butter, zest, salt, nutmeg, almonds, and 2 cups of the flour to the sponge. Beat the mixture on medium low speed for 2 minutes. Gradually add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. Change to the dough hook. Continue to add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough just begins to clean the bowl. Knead 4 to 5 minutes on medium-low.

First rise: Put the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour (mine took around 3).

Shape and Fill: Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. For 1 large loaf, roll the dough into a 9 by 13-inch oval. For 2 loaves, divided the dough in half and roll each half into a 7 by 9-inch oval. Brush the melted butter over the top of the oval(s). Using a piping bag, pipe a line of marzipan OR almond filling down the center (lengthwise) of the oval(s). Fold the dough in half lengthwise and carefully lift the bread(s) onto a parchment-lined or well-greased baking sheet. Press lightly on the folded side to help the loaf keep its shape during rising and baking.

Second rise: Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven: About 10 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Bake and cool: Bake for 25 minutes until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190 degrees F. Immediately remove from the baking sheet and place on a rack to cool. To serve: Sprinkle heavily with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

I hope everyone out there has a wonderful (and delicious) Christmas tomorrow!

Woodland Gingerbread Cookies

I'm not gonna lie, I freaked out a little bit when my mom surprised me with these woodland cookie cutters she picked up at Ikea! If you follow me on Instagram, you know that our Christmas tree is woodland themed, so I pretty much had no choice but to make cookies today.

A lot of times, gingerbread cookies can be hit or miss for me. They either look really pretty but taste like bland cardboard or look hideous and taste alright. I decided to keep decorating to a minimum (because let's be honest, gum drops don't belong on cookies) and utilized some chocolate flavored icing from a previous post, which I must admit was a better idea in theory because this icing doesn't harden all to well (only caused a minor breakdown whilst decorating).

These cookies not only look super cute but perhaps even more importantly they taste ammmazzinngg since you can't really re-roll dough I used the uncut dough, rolled it in sugar and baked it along with the others. The key to making gingerbread cookies that will roll out easily and won't spread during the baking process is to make sure the dough is chilled! Believe me, it will save you a lot of heartache.

Gingerbread Cookies

makes about 24 regular sized cookies
Recipe from last years post

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
4 TBS molasses
2 and 1/4 cup sifted AP flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 white sugar (to coat cookies)

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.Cream shortening and add sugar gradually and cream together until light and fluffy. Blend in beaten egg and molasses.

3.Sift flour together with slat, baking soda, and spices and stir into reamed mixture. Set in the fridge to chill (1 hour or more) then roll using the tiniest bit of flour (so the rolling pin won't stick) and cut into desired shapes. Place carefully on cookie sheet and bake for 15-12 min.

4.Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to stand until the cookies are firm enough to move to a wire rack. After cookies are cool you may decorate them any way you like (I used left over icing from these cupcakes).

My Mamma's Hot Apple Cider (No Sugar Added)

Growing up we would always host a huge Christmas party at my house every December. I remember helping my mom prepare weeks in advance, baking every kind of cookie you can fathom, cutting vegetables for platters, and having a huge pot of simmering cider on the stove top.

I have always been a fan of hot apple cider, it's one of those drinks I only enjoy during the holidays. I particularly love my mom's recipe because there is no added sugar, which is surprisingly hard to find in a cider recipe. This drink is not only easy to make but it allows the natural sweetness of the apple to shine annnd it will make your house smell awesome!

My Mamma's Apple Cider

makes 2 quarts

1 large orange
4 cinnamon sticks
1/4 cup whole cloves
1 tsp lemon juice
2 quarts (8 cups) organic unsweetened apple juice
cheesecloth or cloth bags

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Insert cloves (about 1/2 inches apart) into orange, place in shallow baking pan and bake for 30 min.

2.Once orange is baked, pierce with knife in several places. In a large sauce pan combine apple juice, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks (in cheesecloth) and baked orange. Simmer covered for about 30 min. (the longer you simmer the more prominent the spices become) Remove orange and sticks and drain using a fine mesh strainer if needed.

3.Serve in a heatproof punch bowl, can serve cold or mix with club soda for sparkling cider.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies Day 6: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

It's finally here! A mere 8 hours of work stand in between me and my vacation! I can't wait to take some time to relax, concentrate on the blog (without having to rush into work after), start wedding planning, and exploring! In the meantime though, let us move forward on this cookies quest. These cookies are a Christmas classic, you really can't go wrong with the combo of peanut butter and chocolate. They are super easy to make and they always give a different look to a tray than a typical cookie.

I made these cookies a wee bit healthier by using the dark chocolate kisses, plus, I really don't like milk chocolate anyways so it was a win-win.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (I've used crunchy before and it has turned out just as good)
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
sugar (for rolling)
12 ounces Hershey chocolate kisses

Directions:

1.Preheat over to 350 degrees.

2.Cream peanut butter, shortening and sugars Add egg, milk and vanilla and beat until fluffy.

3.In a separate bowl, stir together flour, soda, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet, beat until blended.

4.Shape in to 1/2 inch balls Roll in sugar. Place on cookie sheet 1 1/2 inches apart and bake for 5-6 minutes or until set.

5.Once out of oven, immediately press a kiss in each cookie. then cool on wire rack.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies Day 4: Lemon Cream Cheese Chocolate Dipped Cookies

I can't believe Christmas is only a number of days away! It's funny how time goes by so slow but then you turn around and WHAM it's almost 2014. As we continue on this cookie quest, I bring to you these chocolate dipped little bits of heaven. When I was little I remember just biting off all the chocolate dipped ends, but now I find myself just eating the whole thing. The cookie itself is soft and chewy with the slightest hint of lemon, the chocolate is a necessary accompaniment to this tasty cookie, and let's be honest, when is adding chocolate ever a bad idea? For the toppings I typically use crushed nuts, 2 different types of rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, shredded coconut, and Christmas themed sprinkles just to add some visual interest to cookie trays.

Lemon Cream Cheese Chocolate Dipped Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
3 oz. of cream cheese, softened
1 egg yolk
2 and 1/2 cups flour
1 cup finely chopped nuts (I used pecans)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
6 oz. package of dark chocolate morsels, melted over a double broiler (for dipping)
Assorted sprinkles, nuts, and shredded coconut for decorating.

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2.Combine first three ingredients until light and fluffy in texture. Add egg yolk - beating well, stir in flour, nuts, salt, and lemon.

3.Chill dough for at least 2 hours. Form into 2" logs and bake for 12 min. When cookies are cool, dip in chocolate, then in sprinkles and/or other decorations. Store on wax paper.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies Day 3: Molasses Ginger Crinkle Cookies

As much as I love this time of year, I am always a little relieved when it is over. I don't wanna sound all bah humbug but it's always nice to get away from the crowds, the long hours at work, and the pressures of gift buying/giving. Our Charleston trip is coming up next week and I cannot wait to share in all of my food and travel explorations! After this crazy semester I REALLY need a vacation.

Now, let's talk cookies! This recipe is from my Nana who was pretty amazing in the kitchen, these are my ideal gingerbread cookies because they are soft and chewy in texture with a little heat from the ginger spice and rich subtle sweetness of the molasses. All in all, they kick those gingerbread men's butt!


Molasses Ginger Crinkle Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
4 TBS molasses
2 and 1/4 cup sifted AP flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 white sugar (to coat cookies)

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.Cream shortening and add sugar gradually and cream together until light and fluffy. Blend in beaten egg and molasses.

3.Sift flour together with slat, baking soda, and spices and stir into reamed mixture. Set in the fridge to chill (1 hour or more) shape dough into 1" balls and dip into sugar. Place cookie sugar side up on a cookie sheet about 2" apart.

4.Bake for 12-15 min. the cookies will puff up than flatten out towards the end of baking creating that "crinkle" effect.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies Day 2: Candy Cane Crisps

It's day numero dos on the cookie countdown! Unfortunately my something is wrong with my photo editing system and my pictures are turning out all distorted and wack so these are just temporary and I will try to replace them by tomorrow. Anywho, let's get down to the cookie talk, these Candy Cane Cookies literally taste like Christmas. The cookie itself it sort of a cross between a sugar cookie and a shortbread cookie, rolled in sugar then sprinkled with love...I mean, candy canes. With these I added the candy on top before baking and they sort of melted, so I would suggest adding the candy midway to reserve the pretty color and shape.

Candy Cane Crisps

1 cup butter (room temp)
1 and 1/4 cup powdered sugar (separated)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup coarsely crushed candy canes

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a cookie sheet and set aside.

2.In a large bowl, beat butter and 1 cup of sugar until creamy. Beat in vanilla.

3.In another bowl, stir together flour, oats, and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture, blend thoroughly.

4.Add 1/4 cup of crushed candy and mix well. Roll dough into 3/4" balls, roll in remaining sugar to coat. Place balls about 2" apart on cookie sheet and flatten slightly using a fork. Bake for 18-20 min. About halfway through the baking process take cookies out and sprinkle with remaining crushed candy.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies Day 1: Snowball Cookies (Pecan Shortbread)

Hey everyone! I can now speak as a free woman! School is officially done for the semester and I all I can think to do now is lay in bed surrounded by big blankets and freshly baked cookies.

Don't judge.

For real though, it's not officially Christmas in my house until every nook and cranny of our kitchen is filled with boxes of festive cookies. We started baking as far back as I can remember for our annual Christmas party we used to hold but since we moved away we stopped having the party, however, we still continued to bake enough cookies to feed 100 + people three times over. Can you blame us?

Now we just give them away to friends/family and of course we keep some for ourselves (and by some I mean over half). Since I have soooo many awesome recipes to share, I decided to do a 12 Days of Christmas Cookies series in which I will (try) to post a different cookie recipe everyday.

These cookies are probably one of my faves just because they are so light and crispy you don't really feel weighed down after eating them. The powdered sugar on top gives it that perfect amount of sweetness and the cookies itself resembled a lighter version of a shortbread.

Snowball Cookies

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (soft)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups chopped pecans

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2.Stir together flour, sugar and salt. With mixer on low add the butter, vanilla and nuts until just combined.

3.To make cookies easier to roll, you might want to put the dough in the fridge for about 15 minutes or so. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 20-25min.

Hobbit Seed Cakes

It's that time of year again! HOBBIT PREMIER TIME!! If you didn't already know it yet, I am a HUGE LOTR/J.R.R. Tolkien fan, like, super huge, so huge I made these Hobbit seed cakes to celebrate the release of the 2nd Hobbit movie coming out this Friday! Here is the reference from the first chapter of The Hobbit,

“Come along in, and have some tea!” he managed to say after taking a deep breath.

‘A little beer would suit me better, if it is all the same
to you, my good sir,” said Balin with the white beard. “But I don’t mind some
cake – seed-cake, if you have any.”

“Lots!” Bilbo found himself answering, to his surprise; and
he found himself scuttling off, too, to the cellar to fill a pint beer-mug, and
then to a pantry to fetch two beautiful round seed-cake loaves which he had baked
that afternoon for his after-supper morsel.

The Hobbit- Chapter 1, An Unexpected Party, J.R.R. Tolkien

I can imagine these cakes were light and fluffy, slightly sweet, and a perfect pair for a cup of tea or coffee, which is exactly what these cakes are! For the "seeds" in this seed cake I used poppy seeds, just because they added that pop of texture to the bread. This cake-like bread will make the perfect addition to an elevenses or second breakfast meal (okay, I'll stop with the references now).

Zooey was very intrigued with them...

Hobbit Seed Cake

makes 1 loaf

1/2 cup sweet creamy butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs, separated
1/4 tsp cream of tarter
1 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 TBS poppy seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk or 1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1 TBS sugar (for topping)

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350°F loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2.In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beat well after each.

3.In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients and poppy seeds, with the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating two times with the buttermilk,and then vanilla. Beat just until smooth.

4.In another bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tarter until soft peaks form. Gently fold them into the muffin batter until blended.

5.Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle top with sugar then bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely.

10 Unique Thanksgiving Ideas for Sides and Sweets!

From top (left to right)
Roasted Root Vegetables
Twice Baked Butternut Squash Topped with Parmesan Breadcrumbs
German Style Potato Salad
Healthy & Hearty Pumpkin Bread Topped with Toasted Pepitas
Cranberry & Lemon Tart
Cinnamon Sugar Coated Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins
Balsamic Roasted Apples and Brussel Sprouts
Mini Pumpkin Pies with Homemade Crust
Sweet Rosemary Cornbread
Savory Sweet Potato Souffle

Often times, the entire focus of Thanksgiving is the prized turkey, after all, it isn't nicknamed "Turkey Day" for nothing. MY favorite thing about this food obsessed holiday has always been the sides and the desserts, even before I was a vegetarian. I remember my grandma's mashed potatoes and fresh green beans, succulent stuffings and THE BEST EVER mushroom gravy. But the best feeling of the entire year was gazing upon the fabled pie table, yes, pie TABLE as in an entire buffet table dedicated to made from scratch pies as far as the eye can see. Pumpkin, blueberry. black cherry, apple walnut, the list goes on and on. When you stop and think about it, Thanksgiving is the only time where the sides outshine the main dish, it is the sides that provide all those comforting savory-sweet compliments that make the meal complete.

Healthy (ish) Corn Chowder

It's officially soup season! Soup is a VERY underestimated meal, it might seem simple but soup really takes a lot of time and patience, not to mention many little tastings to get the seasonings just right (hence the absence of soup recipes in my index). If I could pick a favorite among the soups it would have to be chowders! In the culinary world, chowders often contain seafood but they always contain potatoes and milk or cream. I trimmed up this recipe by cutting the amount of cream and butter in half (because you just can't have chowder without a little indulgence) and trust me, you won't be able to tell the difference. This soup is creamy, sweet, and bursting with flavor!

(Semi Healthy) Corn Chowder

serves 6-8

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced small
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only OR you could use about 1 teaspoon crushed dried thyme
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups canned vegetable stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup skim milk or soy milk
2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced
6 ears corn OR two 15oz. cans of canned corn
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

1.Heat the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme and cook until the onion is soft and translucent (about 8 to 10 minutes). Dust the onion mix with flour and stir to coat everything well.

2.Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add the cream, milk, and the potatoes, bring to a boil and boil hard for about 7 minutes, until the potatoes break down (this will help to thicken the soup and give it a good texture).

3.Cut the corn kernels off the cob and add to the soup (or if you're using canned corn, drain, and add. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the corn is soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve sprinkled with parsley, this soup is also excellent for dipping bread into!

Lemon & Cranberry Tart

By now you know that fall/winter is my favorite time of the year BUT it never fails to also coincide with being the most hectic and I always end up getting caught up in finishing the semester or working too many hours. It's days off like today where I try to take a step back and become reacquainted with the kitchen after days of eating on the go and surviving off of Amy's microwave burritos and pretzel chips (don't judge me).

After I did the post for Ocean Spray Cranberry Orange Bread I had a decent amount of cranberries left. What could you do with fresh cranberries?
Make juice?
Popcorn garland?
Delicious tarts?
I think I'll go with the latter.

This tart was super easy to make, at first I was hesitant to combine the tart flavors of lemons and cranberries together, but the crust is so flaky and buttery that it creates the perfect balance of tart and sweet. If you don't have a tart pan you could always just bake them in a 13 x 9" pan and cut them into bars.

Lemon & Cranberry Tart

recipe was adapted from Kitchen Culinare

for the dough...

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
Zest of one lemon
1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cubed
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBS PLUS 1/4 cup cold water

for the filling...

2 cups fresh cranberries
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Juice of one small lemon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a standard 10 1/4" tart pan and set aside.

For the Dough:

1.In the bowl of a food processor, add flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until dough is crumbled into small pieces. If you don't have a food processor (like me) I use a biscuit cutter to break up the butter bits.

2.Move the crumbles to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough comes together. The dough should still be slightly dry.

3.Press slightly more than half of the dough in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Set the remaining dough aside for the topping.

For the Filling:

1.In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add cranberries and lemon juice. Stir to completely coat cranberries. Pour filling ingredients over the dough in the baking dish. Spread cranberries so that they are in a single layer.

2.Crumble the remaining dough over the top of the cranberries. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top and the sides are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, lift tart out of the baking dish and serve.