Wishing you a very Happy Valentine’s Day filled with lots of love and happiness! Regardless of who you spend the day with, spread the love while indulging in some delicious Valentine’s treats.
Since this holiday is synonymous with sweet treats and desserts, I decided to do a little baking to get in the spirit. I made heart shaped shortbread cookies and decorated them with pink icing. I know everyone in my office bursts with excitement any time food is in sight, so I figured it would be a nice little gesture to share the love and bring the cookies into work today for everyone to enjoy.
See below for the recipe.
14th February 2013
Notes: 1
As promised, I will share with you the recipes that I used for the Chef’s Challenge Cookie Battle that I attended the other night. I made two different cookies, leaving me options as to which cookie to bring with me to the battle. The face-off was between Momofuku Compost Cookies and Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip cookies with browned butter, vanilla beans and sea salt. I decided to go with the Momofuku Compost Cookies, as you saw in my previous post.
Nothing quite says like fall like a nice, crisp apple. This chilly weather got me thinking just exactly how to put a spin on the season’s hottest fruit. I came across this recipe for Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars, and there was no turning back. Plus, it is Paula Deen’s creation, which means you’re in for a treat…a real, buttery treat. Nonetheless, everything Mrs.Deen makes is truly worth the extra 48374375987 hours on the treadmill!
It was a quiet, rather chilly fall day, and I was in the mood to bake something indulgent. I started thinking and realized that there is nothing quite like a hot, gooey cinnamon bun straight out of the oven. Baking these can seem quite intimidating because of their complex shape and pure deliciousness, however, they are actually quite simple. Check out the pictures and recipe below to find out how you too can make this wonderful treat.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
I love avocado. I love mac and cheese. However, I have never thought of merging the two. While I was casually browsing recipes online, I became almost shocked when I saw one for Avocado Mac and Cheese. Such a simple combination sounds quite unique and intriguing as well. I immediately knew this would top my “to-cook” list. I got right to it that night and decided to play “housewife” and have it waiting for Jonty when he got home from work.
I will start off by showing some step-by-step photos, followed by the recipe (which I made a few changes to) below.
Combine butter, and milk in sauce pan, bring to a boil.
Just like pesto makes any savoury dish a thousand times more delicious, so does caramel in the dessert world. I absolutely love caramel anything, especially caramel apples. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has perfected these, but I figured I would take this task to the kitchen. There is always the easy, boring way of melting those caramel squares and dipping apples into them, or there is the more time consuming, yet rewarding way of making caramel from scratch. I chose the latter.
The process takes about 45 minutes to an hour in total, but it is totally worth it. After combining all of the ingredients, you must watch and stir it consistently (see recipe below). When all is said and done, I was left with buttery, creamy, sweet, sticky goodness, in which I dunked Granny Smith apples into. Since I also have a love affair with oreos, I crushed some up and rolled the apples in them, along with skor bits. These caramel apples were literally just as good or better than Rocky Mountain if I do say so myself! They were also a huge hit with my friends and family!
Here are some pictures of the process, followed by the recipe.
Years ago my brother perfected a risotto recipe. Not too long after, my mom decided to attempt it. I had never even thought about cooking risotto, as it was something I viewed as timely, difficult and reserved as my mom and/or brother’s specialty. However, all that changed after Jonty’s risotto craving for the past little while.
As dinner time approached, we debated the popular questions of “what’s for dinner?” “Should we cook or go out?” Yes, going out can be the easier and tastier option, but Jonty and I like to think that our homemade meals are just as delicious, and usually even better than a restaurant! Jonty’s automatic suggestion was that we make risotto. Although my mom and brother’s recipes are mouthwatering, I decided to try out a different one, by one of my favourite chefs, Giada De Laurentiis.
Mushroom risotto is a pretty popular choice, and Giada’s recipe looked absolutely to die for! We did make some changes to the recipe, which I will describe below.
