Minty Mascarpone Oreo Snowflake Cookies

When I saw the announcement for the Second Annual Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap I knew exactly what I wanted to make and send out. It's the cookie recipe I had in mind for last year, but I got sidetracked by an old family Gingersnap recipe and sent those out instead.

I was drawn to this Minty Mascarpone Oreo Snowflake Cookie because it combined a very classic Italian ingredient (mascarpone—a yummy slightly sweet Italian-stye cream cheese) and a favorite American element (Oreos!) that you can't find in Italy. Basically, this cookie is a fusion of the two places I now call home.

Before sending them out to my three cookie swap partners (Jamie at The Gaited Baker, KT with Ktvorwald, and Kristina at Love and Zest), I sent out several dozen to my husband and voluntold asked him to share them with his crew. He's my go-to man for quality control, so I had to make sure they passed the taste test, and who better to have taste the cookies than a bunch of hungry, deployed airmen? Not only did they make it there in one piece (woohoo!), but he said everyone devoured them. I made half with mint and half without, and everyone enjoyed them, so if you don't have mint—or the mint Oreos—on hand, don't fret.

These cookies are soft, chewy, and almost creamy thanks to the smooth addition of mascarpone. The little bits of Oreos add a slight crunch and just enough chocolate to make things fun. Add in a touch of mint and you'll have yourself a perfect holiday cookie!

 Minty Mascarpone Oreo Snowflake Cookies

by The Tale of Two Kitchens; adapted from Kevin and Amanda

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
4 oz mascarpone cheese (125 grams)
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
2.5 cups flour
1.5 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp mint extract
10 crushed Oreo cookies (regular or mint flavored)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 F. Cream butter and mascarpone for about 3 minutes. Slowly beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk, vanilla, and mint. Slowly beat in the flour until mixed. Stir in crushed Oreo cookies. Scoop or spoon cookie dough on to a cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Makes around 3 dozen cookies (when using a medium-sized cookie scoop).

A very special thanks to those who sent me delicious cookies:

Adri from Food-n-Thought 

Rachel from Williams Kitchen

Hannah from Blue Kale Road

Gingersnaps!

So...I realized I never posted this recipe here. Instead, I posted them on my personal blog. Shame on me! Now I realllly want to make some gingersnaps! Here's the post, published almost exactly a year ago:

Growing up, I developed a reputation during the holiday season at my house: it was assumed that I would take the most glorious nap on the couch while my younger brother and mom made Christmas goodies for all the neighbors.

I would start out helping, but somewhere between my favorite no-bake oatmeal cookies, the melt-in-your-mouth English toffee, mini-loaves of bread and countless other goodies, I'd come down with all the classic symptoms of needing a nap: my eyes would get heavy, the yawning was more prominent, and the only thing I wanted to do was rest my head on a pillow. So that's exactly what I would do. Every. Single. Year. Luckily, my brother would help my mom finish the desserts while I dozed. Some help I was, right?  

My mom knew better, though, and always saved one last cookie for me to help make after I had my nap: gingersnaps. For awhile they were actually fun to help create—my brother and I would roll them into tiny little balls, plop them in a bowl with sugar and sprinkle the tiny crystals all over them until you could hardly tell there was dough underneath.

Gingersnaps also happen to be my dad's favorite cookie, which meant that besides quadrupling the recipe for the holiday bake-a-thon at our house, it meant we'd also make them for his birthday and any other random just-because day. In fact, we used to make so many of them so often that this is the first year I've started introducing ginger into my life again. True story. I would find something else to eat or make if ginger was in any dish, because I had visions of gingersnap dancing in my head. Until now. 

 
When I was researching what cookie I wanted to make for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap I was going to try something fun and unique—a classic cookie with an Italian twist. I even bought all the ingredients, but I never made it (the ingredients are still sitting in my pantry; I'll make them sometime). For some reason I kept thinking about those darn gingersnaps from decades ago—those gingersnaps I loathed making were now calling my name.  

photo from "A Family Recipe"

I answered the call by opening my family's recipe book. While my photo-copied page doesn't look near as "worn" as the original, I still had fond memories while making these. I had flashbacks to all of those baking days with my mom that I took for granted. I also felt a little strange since this was the first time I've actually made them start to finish, instead of just having the task of rolling them and covering the balls in sugar. Talk about a grown-up wake-up call! 

If you need a quick and easy cookie to make—possibly with your little ones—this is it. Dunk them in your morning coffee (my dad's personal favorite way to eat them) or enjoy them as-is, the flavor is magical and they practically melt in your mouth. It makes around five dozen and they'll keep for quite awhile, although I don't know how since they're so gosh-darn tasty!

Gingersnap Cookies
by The Tale of Two Kitchens 

originally posted on Jessica Lynn Writes

Ingredients: 
3/4 cup Crisco
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 (heaping) teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 cup extra sugar for rolling

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350f or 180c.

Cream together Crisco and sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Add in the egg and molasses; mix well. Add remaining ingredients (except the extra sugar) a little at a time; mix well.

Roll dough into little balls (about the size of a ping-pong), then roll balls into white sugar. Place on parchment or a wax-paper lined cookie sheet. Do not flatten—they will flatten as they cook. Bake for about 12 minutes. Enjoy.

Cranberry Relish

November 2012 update: The picture I originally had of this Cranberry Relish was so embarrassing that I wanted a redo the second I published this post. Luckily, a year later, I have my chance. (Although, to be honest, I've made this relish a few times throughout the year, so I could've updated it sooner!) I still love the post, though, so I'm keeping it the same.

Definitely pick up the ingredients to make this, especially if you need a ridiculously quick side dish to take somewhere. You won't be sorry! 

(Originally published on November 18, 2011) 
I'm going to be honest, the picture above is horrible and doesn't actually show you how lip-smacking flavorful this is. I took it from my iPhone at my husband's squadron's Thanksgiving lunch today. Calling it a lunch, however, is an understatement. There were roughly 400 airmen (and women) and their families chowing down and enjoying a wonderful meal inside a giant Air Force vehicle maintenance bay—despite the lingering scent of oil and the half-assembled five-ton truck, it was perfect.

All of the families pitched in to bring food, so a few days ago I got a phone call from my husband saying, "I signed us up to take brownies, 10 pounds of mashed potatoes, and four cans of cranberry sauce, but you should make that cranberry stuff you've made before."

"That cranberry stuff" is a recipe from my lovely Grandma, and on the index card she gave me it says, "This is excellent. Add marshmallows and serve at Thanksgiving." Two years ago I took her advice and served this with our turkey and I haven't looked back since. (Although I actually prefer it sans marshmallows—I didn't get my grandma's sweet tooth.)

This relish is fruity, a tad bit tangy, and compliments turkey and ham perfectly. Fair warning: the recipe below makes a lot of relish—about six cups worth—but if you have leftovers, no worries. We've been known to eat this as a late night snack all by its lonesome, over ice cream, spread over a bagel with cream cheese in the morning, or (my favorite) on a leftover turkey sandwich!

Cranberry Relish 
by The Tale of Two Kitchens

Ingredients:
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whole strawberries, thawed and drained
2 (16 ounce) cans whole berry cranberry sauce, not drained
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
marshmallows (optional, but Grandma says it's better with them)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, chill, serve over turkey or ham, and enjoy!

Grandma's Green Bean Casserole

This Thanksgiving marks the seventh year I've spent the holiday away from home and I remember the first year like it was yesterday. I was studying abroad in England and my "feast" included a frozen turkey meal, an apple turnover, and potato wedges. I watched "Alias" on my laptop and dreamed of eating all the delicious food I knew my family was consuming back at home. 

Flash forward to two years later. I was dating a man (who would become my husband) and I spent Thanksgiving with him and his friends in Georgia (away from my family again). I needed something to take to the shin-dig and I was already craving it, so I asked my grandma for her lip-smacking Green Bean Casserole recipe. It was a big hit and every bite—down to the last bacon bit—was gone by the time we left. 

Little did I know then, but I haven't spent a Thanksgiving at home since I met my husband. Luckily, I've been able to incorporate all of my favorite turkey-day comfort foods into our holiday meal each year, and this casserole always tops the list. Then again, anything that's creamy, cheesy, bacony (it's a word), has a salty crunch mixed into it, and is disguised as vegetables has to be great!

Now that we're living in Italy, making this has been a little trickier. My mom has to ship me one of the ingredients (thanks, mom!), and the store on base typically runs out of fried onion pieces, so you have to plan accordingly and get them in advance. This casserole is worth it, though, and so easy to throw together.

The recipe below serves around 8-10, but I typically double it when I'm serving it for a large group. Leftovers are the best part of Thanksgiving, so these days I don't get hurt if people aren't licking the pan at the end of the night—it just means more for me to eat on Black Friday and over the weekend! 

Grandma's Green Bean Casserole

by The Tale of Two Kitchens

Ingredients: 

• 32 oz. package of frozen French-style green beans
• 1 (10.5 oz) can of cream of mushroom soup
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, diced
• 1/2 Tbs. butter
• 1 (5 oz) jar of Kraft Old English Cheese Spread (usually next to Velveeta) 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 (3.5 oz) container of French's Fried Onion pieces (or more...more is always better)
• 1 (2 oz) real bacon bit pieces (I've made it with "real" bacon and it tastes better with the jarred bacon bits)

Directions: 

Cook green beans by directions on package and set aside in a colander; let drain for at least 30 minutes—try to get as much liquid out as you can. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  

Combine soup and cheese spread in a large, microwaveable bowl; heat in the microwave until both stir together easily.  

Heat butter in a pan on medium; add mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper to taste; keep stirring. Mushrooms will eventually produce their own liquid; when this happens, turn up the heat a little bit so the liquid can cook off.  

Once mushrooms are cooked, add to the soup and cheese mixture. Add salt, pepper, and garlic; stir to combine. Toss green beans into the mixture along with some onion pieces and bacon bits; stir. 

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray; place mixture in dish*. Top with the rest of the bacon and onions. Bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy :)

*If you have a small, oven-proof dish, make your own little portion to enjoy while you wait for guests to arrive!  

Summer Berry Tart

I have a confession to make. Well, it's not really a confession, but more like a fact: I only like to make something if it's simple. I'm still learning my way around the kitchen and I'm still figuring out what works well together, so if something's too difficult, my eyes glaze right over the directions and I forget about making it.

I always see pretty-looking desserts floating around the Internet, but thought they were way above my baking league. But when I saw a version of this tart on Pinterest I couldn't get over how light and refreshing it looked and knew I wanted to try it. Then I discovered the recipe was from Real Simple and breathed a sigh of relief knowing it had to be easy to make. Luckily, it was extremely simple—just like the magazine claims—and I had the perfect place to take it: a 4th of July barbeque.  

You can use cream cheese, but we really like marscapone (Italian sweet cream cheese), so that's what I used. You can also top it with whatever berries you want. The one shown here is clearly decorated like a flag, but I also made one with a mixture of blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. Frozen puff pastry is my new favorite ingredient and I'm already dreaming of other things to make with it.

Sweet Berry Tart

adapted from Real Simple

Ingredients:

2 8-ounce sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten  
2 tablespoon granulated sugar 
8 ounces marscapone (or cream cheese, softened) 
1/2 cup half and half (or heavy cream)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 
6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
3 cups berries

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375° F. On a lightly floured surface, unfold the sheet of pastry and roll it into a rectangle, smoothing out creases. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
2. Using the tip of a knife, score a 1-inch border around the pastry without cutting all the way through. Brush border with egg and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake until golden and puffed, 17 to 20 minutes.
3. Using the tip of a knife, rescore the border of the cooked pastry without cutting all the way through. Let rest until cool to the touch. Gently press down on the center of the pastry sheet to flatten it. Let cool to room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, with an electric mixer, beat the marscapone until smooth. Add cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and 5 tablespoons of the confectioners’ sugar; beat until smooth (will thicken up over time). Gently brush flakes from the center of the pastry off; spread mixture evenly within the borders of the pastry.
5. Arrange the berries on cream mixture and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I'm sorry I left you hanging yesterday with promises of the best meatball I ever ate, but I was just so full I couldn't type another word.

The recipe for this particular spaghetti and meatballs is so easy anyone can do it, and even the pickiest eaters will cheer for joy when they take a bite. So why am I so smitten over this spaghetti and meatballs dish?

Because they're actually cupcakes with hazelnut chocolates and strawberry jam!

APRIL FOOLS!! 

Several months ago I bought a copy of Hello, Cupcake and vowed to make some of the treats nestled within the pages. Luckily for me, there's a whole chapter on cupcakes that "fool the eye." So did I fool you at all or at least make you do a double take with yesterday's post? Truth be told, I really, really dislike meatballs, but this version is definitely a keeper.

If you'd like to know how to make these, they're ridiculously easy. I'm sure you could take the more challenging road and make everything from scratch, but I'm trying to use up our pantry products as much as possible, and it just so happened that I had boxed cake mix and frosting just sitting there waiting to be used.

Spaghetti and Meatball Cupcakes

from Hello, Cupcake!

Ingredients:
10 vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners (I made a whole batch {two dozen} and only used 10 for the actual pasta platter)
16 ounces vanilla frosting
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
3 drops yellow food coloring
11 hazelnut chocolates (Ferrero Rocher), unwrapped
3/4 cup strawberry preserves (low-sugar has the best color)
2 tablespoons grated white chocolate (I used coconut for the "cheese")

directions:
1. Tint vanilla frosting with cocoa powder and yellow food coloring; spread a thin layer on top of the cupcakes. Arrange cupcakes on a platter so they're touching.

2. Spoon remaining frosting in to a ziplock or pipping bag. Press out the excess air and seal the bag. Snip a 1/8-inch corner from the bag (or use a small icing tip). Pip frosting all over the cupcakes to make "spaghetti," piling it high and allowing some of noodles to hang over the edges.

3. Place hazelnut chocolates and the strawberry preserves in a medium bowl and toss to coat. Spoon some preserves on to of cupcakes. Place one chocolate on each cupcake. Top cupcakes with remaining preserves. Sprinkle with white chocolate (or coconut).

Happy Pi Day!

Do you know what today is? It's Pi day! No, that's not a typo—if we have any geeks out in the audience, you probably know that today is "Pi Day" 3.14159!

Because today is officially Pi Day, and because my husband and I really, really, really love pie, I'm going to pass along our favorite pie crust recipe. Making dough is more of my husband's realm, and after trying pie crust after pie crust (did I mention we like pie?), he's dubed this one his favorite. Personally, I think he likes it the best because it has a little alcohol in it, and what's not to like about that? 

This crust is flaky and holds up really well without being too heavy or overpowering. Having a good crust turns a good pie into a delicious pie. My husband also comments that it's really easy to make and freezes really well.

These blueberries were extra juicy, but even the crust still held its own!

Pie Crust: 

from Alton Brown

Ingredients:
6 ounces unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, cold
2 ounces shortening cut into 1/2-inch pieces, cold
5 to 7 tablespoons applejack
12 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 2 3/4 cups, plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Directions:


Place butter, shortening and applejack into the refrigerator for 1 hour. In food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar by pulsing 3 to 4 times. Add butter and pulse 5 to 6 times until the texture looks mealy. Add shortening and pulse another 3 to 4 times until incorporated.

Remove the food processor lid and sprinkle in 5 tablespoons of the applejack. Replace the lid and pulse 5 times. Add more applejack as needed, and pulse again until the mixture holds together when squeezed. Weigh the dough and divide in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

Are you celebrating Pi day? What's your favorite pie?

Pumpkin Pecan Bread

Before I share this recipe with you, I need to let you in on a little secret....I don't like pumpkin. I love pumpkin seeds and I really enjoy carving jack-o-lanterns, but I really don't like the taste of pumpkin. But that's not for a lack of trying, because every season I try it again, hoping my taste buds have changed. I figured that just because I don't like something doesn't mean I should hold out on sharing it with you.

With that said, I've been told—by pumpkin enthusiasts—that this bread is pretty darn tasty. It's moist, smells out of this world while baking, and has plenty of warm spices and the perfect amount of crunch to satisfy any pumpkin craving. I can imagine it'd be pretty great toasted with a little slab of butter on it in the morning for a quick treat.

We have an abundance of pecans in our house and too many cans of pumpkin laying around, which is how this bread came to existence. I doubled the recipe and sent both loaves off with my husband to work. He came back empty handed and said everyone gobbled it up, hardly even leaving a crumb on the plate. If you like pumpkin, you'll love this bread.

Pumpkin Pecan Bread

adapted from Very Best Baking

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 can (15 ounces) 100% pure pumpkin
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup evaporated fat free milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. 

Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and baking soda in medium bowl. Blend pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk, egg, egg white and oil in large mixer bowl. Add flour mixture; mix just until moistened. Fold in 1/2 cup nuts. Pour into prepared loaf pan; sprinkle with remaining nuts. 

Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies {Valentine's Day Edition}

I've been saving this recipe since December, because I thought it'd be a perfect Valentine's Day treat. I'm a huge sucker for cheesecake and red velvet, so combining the two just seemed like a match made in foodie heaven.

Well I'm here to tell you that these are just as delicious as I imagined. They're creamy, velvety, and melt in your mouth. It has a perfect amount of sweetness that keep your taste buds begging for "just one more bite," and before you know it, the whole batch is gone.

You can slice and serve them in bars or get a little fancy and break out your cookie cutter for a little fun. If you do use a cookie cutter, just think of all those leftover scraps you'll get to eat! I know this next part will be hard to follow, but these really taste best when they're completely cooled. They're going to smell amazing and you'll want to eat it as soon as the timer "dings," but after you have a nibble, let them cool and try it later. Trust me, these brownies become sinfully delicious when they're completely cooled.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

adapted from Baking Bites
makes around 24

Ingredients:
for brownies
1 cup butter
4-oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tsp red food coloring
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

for cheesecake

24-oz cream cheese, room temperature

2/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly lightly grease a 9"x13" baking pan.

In a small, heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate together. Stir with a fork until very smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and red food coloring. Add in the chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Batter should be red. If a brighter red is desired, add an additional 1/2 tsp food coloring. Add flour and salt into the bowl and stir until everything is just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain.

Pour into prepared pan and spread into an even layer.

Prepare cheesecake mixture. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Drop in dollops onto prepared brownie batter. Gently swirl two batters with a butter knife. (Really get in there and and make the batters mingle!)

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until brownies and cheesecake are set. A knife inserted into the cheesecake mixture should come out clean and the edges will be lightly browned.

Cool in the pan completely before slicing and serving, either at room temperature or chilled.
Brownies can be refrigerated, covered, for several days.

Eggnog

Eggnog is typically a holiday indulgence, but what if—what if!—you could have it whenever you wanted? Well, now you can!

My husband loves eggnog, but he missed out on drinking the creamy, rich, alcoholic beverage this season, because he was off serving our country in far, far-away lands. So when he came back we had the idea to make it ourselves; it can't be that hard, right? Right! The drink below was just as flavorful and spot-on with the store-bought variety, a whole lot cheaper, and surprisingly easy to make.

So if you feel like celebrating the holiday season all over again, any time of year, whip up some eggnog !

*There's a very similar recipe that uses uncooked eggs, and while the majority of eggs today are pasteurized, we couldn't verify on the carton that ours were. So at my request, my husband made the cooked version.

Eggnog

adapted from Alton Brown

Ingredients: 

• 4 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 pint whole milk
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 3 ounces bourbon
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (pre-ground works fine)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 egg whites

Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add 1/3 cup sugar; continue to beat until it's completely dissolved. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, over high heat, combine milk, half-and-half, cinnamon, and nutmeg; bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and very gradually, temper the hot mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Return everything to pot; cook until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F. Remove from heat, stir in bourbon, pour into a medium mixing bowl; set in the refrigerator to chill.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. With mixer running, gradually add 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Whisk egg whites into the chilled mixture. Chill in fridge and enjoy!

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

This recipe has been in my family for years—I can't remember a year that my mom didn't make this black-eyed pea salad. Black-eyed peas are supposed to be eaten on New Year's Day for good luck in the coming year. (Truth be told, I usually have my first bite a few days into January, because I forget about having a spoonful on January 1st.)

This salad is full of fiber, flavorful, and is perfect to keep in the fridge for a quick, filling snack. The flavor of the salad gets better with time, so don't be surprised if you find yourself eating a huge bowl days after you make it. Black-eyed peas, if you haven't had them before, remind me more of beans than a pea. They're tiny, a little grainy, and pair nicely with the ingredients below. 

When I was younger, my brother and I would do anything and everything we could possibly do to not have a single taste of this salad (I guess black-eyed peas sounded gross back then?), but now I love this and would consider making it any time of the year.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

Ingredients:
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen black-eyed peas
¼  teaspoon salt
1 (14.5-ounce) can vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 jalapeno, rinsed but left whole
1 bay leaf
4 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)
2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
2 green onions

Directions:
In a medium pot, combine frozen black-eyed peas, salt, vegetable broth, water, sugar, jalapeno pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Turn off heat and allow peas to cool in the cooking broth for two hours or overnight before finishing salad.

There should be about ¼ cup of cooking liquid left in the kettle. Discard the bay leaf and dice jalapeno (optional). Stir tin cider vinegar and olive oil into the cooking liquid. Add green pepper, tomato, green onion, and jalapeno (optional). Toss to mix; serve chilled or at room temperature.

*This is a guest post I wrote for Jolts & Jollies

Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake

A few weeks ago I saw a call-out on Twitter for people interested in guest posting on Culinary Covers. Lori Lange, aka RecipeGirl (fantastic recipes, go check out her site!) created Culinary Covers as a way to see if those recipes gracing the covers of magazines actually deserve to be a cover photo.

The second I saw her request on Twitter I knew exactly which recipe I wanted to try: the Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake from the December issue of Cooking Light magazine. Part of the deal with guest posting meant that I had to make the recipe exactly according to the directions, take a picture mirroring the cover, and write about the experience. Seeing as how I've never made a cheesecake before, I was more than up for this challenge.

The result was better than I expected, but I'll let you check out my post on Culinary Covers for  more of my notes. I will say, though, that if you need an easy holiday dessert that not only tastes good, looks great, and is somewhat healthier than regular cheesecake, make this. You won't be dissapointed.

Eggnog Cranberry Muffins

Before I go on a trip I like to clean out the fridge and get rid of things so they don't go bad while I'm away. I noticed that I had an extra bag of cranberries and some eggnog, so I went on a mission to find something to make.

I came across two very similar recipes for Eggnog Cranberry Muffins and immediately made them. My house smelled delicious while they were cooking and I couldn't wait to take them out of the oven.

If I made these again I would probably increase the amount of cranberry and eggnog because I would have liked more cranberries in each bite (recipe below does not reflect my wishful changes). Other than that, I loved the recipe. A friend of mine, The Nifty Foodie, saw my tweets about making this recipe, so she made it into little mini bread loaves. This recipe, however you make it, is perfect for the holidays, and the streusel topping is just delicious.

Eggnog Cranberry Muffins 

from Recipe Girl and Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
For the muffins:
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. granulated sugar, divided
2 large eggs
¾ cup eggnog (would bump up to 1 cup next time)
5 1/3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups coarsely chopped cranberries (would bump up to 2 cups next time)

For the topping:
½ cup sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, slightly softened
½ cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400° F.  Line 14-18 muffin cups with paper liners or grease muffin pan.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir to combine.  In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of the sugar, eggs, eggnog, melted butter and vanilla extract.  Stir until well combined.  Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  Toss the chopped cranberries with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, and fold into the batter.  Divide batter evenly between the prepared muffin liners or muffin pan, filling them about two thirds of the way full.

To make the streusel topping, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter.  Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until a coarse, crumbly mixture forms.  Stir in the pecans if using. Sprinkle the mixture evenly on top of the muffin batter.

Bake for about 18-22 minutes, or a until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

DIY Hot Cocoa Cones

*This was originally posted over here as a wedding favor, but it's so gosh-darn cute, cheap, and easy to make that it'd be perfect for a stocking stuffer or a little Christmas gift. This would also be perfect with a cider, tea, homemade hot chocolate mix, or even powdered lemonade in the summer.


We had a hard time justifying the cost of including favors at our wedding. Simply put, favors can be really, really expensive for something that typically gets thrown away. I wanted something that would fit with our wedding and that would actually be (hopefully) used after our guests went home.

After searching and searching, I finally found these Hot Cocoa Vials and fell in love.

Everything was perfect until I priced everything out for the above DIY favor and found they'd cost around $1 per favor, which would come out to around $150 and that's way more than we wanted to spend...so the search continued. 

Then I found Hot Cocoa Cones...

source

PERFECT! I found several different tutorials on how to make them, so I set out to make our own.

My mom and I made our favors for less than $.40 each and in under 10 steps:

 

Cast of Characters (to make 150 cones) *obviously, make some changes if you don't want make that many hot cocoa cones!

(3) 100, 12" Disposable Decorating Bags (bought these from Michaels using their 40 and 60% off coupons - regularly $19.99)
(2) Nesquick chocolate powder (we got ours from Costco for around $6)
(2) 75 teeny, tiny hair ties ($5)
(4) Marshmallows (from Walmart, $1 each)
Yarn (Michaels for $2.50)
Favor tags
Total spent: (around) $56. We made 150, so they came out to $.37 each!

  Step 1: Cut decorating bags to around 6.5"

Step 2: Fill bag with 2 tablespoons (or whatever your chocolate powder suggests) with chocolate*:

Step 3: Use the teeny, tiny hair tie to close off the chocolate. (You may need to cut the access bag after tying it off. The picture below, for example, should be cut so there's just about a 1/2 inch of bag showing after the hair tie.)

Step 4: Insert chocolate filled cone into another decorating bag; make sure seams line up.

Step 5: Scoop out a 1/4 cup of marshmallows and poor into decorating bag on top of the chocolate cone.

Step 6: Tie a piece of ribbon, yarn, or string above the marshmallows. You need to make this tight so the marshmallows don't dry out. I tied it into two knots:

Step 7: After string is secure around bag, add your favor tag and tie it into a pretty bow. (I simply created one in a Word document, but you could easily just add a gift tag!)

Step 8: Repeat as many times as necessary

And there you have it, a quick, easy, and cheap DIY favor or Christmas gift!

Chewy Molasses Cookies

It's baking season, and this year I desire to bake more than ever! Be prepared to see ALOT of sugary sweets coming out of this kitchen! Starting with one of my favorite Martha Stewart holiday treats, chewy molasses cookies! These cookies are rich but not too sweet and delicously chewy!!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, set aside. Put 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Beat butter and 1 cup of sugar until combined. Add egg and then molasses until combined. Reduce speed to low, slowly mix in dry ingredients, until a dough forms.

Roll dough into balls, about the size of a Tablespoon. Roll balls in sugar.

Place balls about 3 inches apart. Bake until edges of cookies are just firm, about 10 minutes. If their overbaked they get very crispy.

Happy Baking!