Recipes

Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

Dec62012

I love apple desserts. They are just so homey and comforting. This is a great cake to make for the holidays because it’s super versatile. It would be a great snack for unexpected guest, a fabulous dessert with a dollop of whipped cream, or a sweet breakfast when the urge strikes. The batter is super thick, almost like dough, so when it bakes up it’s super moist and will stay that way for days. The addition of the glaze give it an extra special kick. And it makes full 13 x 9 in. pan’s worth, so you can feed a lot of people with minimal effort.

I’m having so much fun looking at all the scrumptious holiday recipes online, I don’t think there will be enough time to make it all! What is on your “Must Make” list for the holidays?

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· Filed Under: Recipes, Sweets · Tagged With: apple, brown sugar, cake, dessert, glaze, pecans, snack

Brussels Sprouts with White Wine & Pancetta

Nov292012

As I mentioned earlier this week, we had a really wonderful Thanksgiving this year. There was a lot of hoopla trying to get everyone to the streets to see the Macy’s parade (which conveniently takes place right outside our apartment), so there wasn’t a whole lot of time to do some serious cooking. We decided to skimp on the mains and ordered the turkey and ham, then my mom, grandma, and myself split up the sides and desserts. In the end it was perfect – a very relaxed but beautiful meal. The main point was to be together and for my dad to see the parade, which has been a long time bucket list item for him. Although it’s super crazy crowded, we hit the streets early (6!) and had a great spot. Brandon especially loved the marching bands and balloons. In fact, that’s the first thing he mentions when he wakes up now. Sorry kid – there’s a while to go before the next one!

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· Filed Under: Our Family, Recipes, Sides · Tagged With: brussels sprouts, holiday, pancetta, Sides, vegetable, white wine

Navy Bean Soup

Nov262012

Happy Monday! We are still getting back to normal around here, after celebrating our first Thanksgiving in NYC. Although I’m going on 8 years in NYC, we’ve always hightailed it out of here around the holidays to go and visit family. This year we were lucky enough to have family come to us. I will put up some pictures and recipes from our Thanksgiving table later this week, but I wanted to quickly share this awesome way to use up your leftovers. This soup is a fantastic way to utilize a leftover ham bone. My mom makes it after nearly every holiday, and my husband especially loves it. It’s super easy and delicious. If you have additional ham left on the bone, it will just fall off into the soup, making it even more yummy (and probably salty, so watch how much you add). Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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· Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes, Soup · Tagged With: beans, dinner, ham, leftovers, soup

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Nov162012

With the holidays quickly approaching, you undoubtedly will be inundated with lots of festive cookies. I love a good Christmas cookie as much as the next person, but I thought I would change it up a bit and instead give you my go-to cookie recipe. I have made these amazing peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies more times than I can count. Frequently, they’re made post dinner when that hankering for something sinful sets in. There simply is no better cravings cure than chocolate and peanut butter. The trick, and this applies to almost every cookie out there, is not to over bake them. I’m sure you will love this recipe just as much as I do. And hey, the diet doesn’t start until Jan. 1st anyways, right?

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· Filed Under: Recipes, Sweets · Tagged With: chocolate, cookies, peanut butter

Baked Rigatoni with Sausage and Eggplant

Nov142012

This is the kind of meal you need in your life. Just the kind of thing you want to eat when it’s chilly outside. Earmark this one for when you are all turkeyed out in a few weeks, but still want something warm and satisfying. Feel free to use whatever kind of sausage you like – spicy if that’s your style, but in our house we stick with sweet Italian to appease the younger appetites (and we tend to be wimps where spice is concerned). The leftovers will be perfect to stick in your freezer or share with your (sure to be very appreciative) neighbors!

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· Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: baked, dinner, eggplant, Pasta, recipes, sausage, tyler florence

Honey Plum Soy Chicken

Nov52012

When I first met my husband, the only things he had in his fridge were beer, ketchup, and a large bottle of soy sauce. I’m sure he wasn’t the only bachelor to live this way, but I would like to think his culinary requirements have expanded since marrying me. Although we try and stay away from super salty dishes, I couldn’t resist trying this knowing that Brad would absolutely love it. I mean the recipe calls for an entire bottle of soy sauce. It practically had his name written on it, and I do aim to please every once in a while. I did knock the soy sauce down to about half (I just couldn’t bring myself to do the whole thing), and I can’t imagine it could have been more delicious. An easy and elegant meal for the soy sauce lover in your life.

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· Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: chicken, dinner, egg noddles, honey, pioneer woman, plum, soy sauce

Veggie & Bacon Breakfast Hash

Nov22012

Every couple of weeks, I will clean out my veggie drawer by either making a fritatta or a hash like this one. They both make for fantastic dinners – quick, easy, warm and filling. And there’s always something fun about having breakfast for dinner. This would, of course, make an amazing breakfast as well (especially if you’ve had a few too many cocktails the night before). And I doubt you would need lunch afterwards! We still (thankfully) have power here in nyc, but the pickins at the grocery store were slim, so this was the perfect meal to use up what we already had on hand. I’m sure a few fellow New Yorkers could benefit from a meal like this. Have a great weekend everyone, and a special good-luck to all the marathoners out there – although I’m still a bit torn as to whether or not the marathon should go on, we will be out cheering!

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· Filed Under: Breakfast, Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: bacon, breakfast, eggs, Giada De Laurentiis, hash, potatoes, skillet, spinach

Slow Cooker Tomato Soup

Oct282012

There’s not much that can beat a warm bowl of tomato soup and gooey grilled cheese. And this recipe is a real winner. It’s super flavorful and rich, but with just a touch of cream. I actually think this would be the perfect meal to feed your kids before a night of trick-or-treating. Give them something filling and nutritious to offset all that sugar! Using Halloween inspired cookie cutters to cut out the grilled cheese is sure to make it a hit with the little ones. Brandon (my toddler) absolutely devoured this – a rare occurrence that nearly warrants a parade.

We hope everyone in the northeast stays safe against Sandy. We are crossing our fingers that it is through NYC by Wednesday so as not to ruin the fun! I also don’t know how many days you can keep two kids inside without losing your mind…pray for me.