A Long Awaited Coconut Cake

COCONUT CAKE! COCONUT CAKE! COCONUT CAKE!

That is just about all I have heard for the past couple of months when I asked Greg what I should bake. I know how much he loves his mom's coconut cake, and I knew it was only a matter of time until I had to make one for the boy too. Normally when I see a recipe that I don't have a few ingredients for already, it slips lower and lower on my list of things to make. And I'm not talking about needing chicken or flour. I'm talking about the lesser used ingredients like coconut milk, coconut extract and cream. 

Well, I gave in.

I actually think this is the first cake I have ever baked completely from scratch. Not including cupcakes obviously! After baking the cake batter evenly in two 9-inch round pans, you have to cut across the top of one half to even it out for layering. Of course I was not about to let that rounded top go to waste. So Greg and I got a sneak preview of what was in store for the final product. As much as I LOVE frosting, this cake doesn't even need it. The cake itself was the star of the show. I just about ate the entire "top" of one of the cakes in a matter of minutes.

But I didn't. Aren't you proud of me?

I was only saving it for later. 

The second dinner was over, we dug into that cake like it was our last day on earth. 

It's not pictured here, but we topped our slices off with some chopped pecans straight off the tree! We had gone on a walk before dinner and carried some of the nuts home with us. It was all Greg's idea and I was pleasantly surprised with the look and taste of the pecans sprinkled on top. Something I will definitely remember for the future. 

Coconut Cream Cake

(Cake adapted from the Food Network's Alton Brown)

Makes 10-12 servings

Ingredients:

For the cake-

3 cups cake flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup half and half (I used fat free)

8 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature (2 sticks)

2 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon coconut extract

4 egg whites

1 cup shredded coconut, for topping

For the frosting-

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon of salt

2 egg whites

1/3 cup water

1 teaspoon coconut extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

For the cake-

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 9-inch cake pans and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

3. In a small bowl, stir together coconut milk and half and half.

4. In the bowl of a stand alone mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add sugar and continue to mix until light and fluffy. Add coconut extract and mix for an addition minute.

5. Turn the mixer on low speed and gradually add the flour mixture alternately with the milk mixture until just combined.

6. In a separate medium bowl, add egg whites. Beat with hand mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Fold this mixture into the batter.

7. Pour batter into the two cake pans evenly. 

8. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until cake becomes a golden color and separates from edges of pan.

9. Allow to cool about 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. To allow for easy layering, lay butcher's knife flat on it's side on the top of one of the cakes. Slice straight across the top to remove the rounded top. 

10. Continue to allow cakes to cool completely before frosting. 

For the frosting-

1. Combine sugar, cream of tartar, salt, egg whites and water in the top bowl of a double broiler. Place over boiling water and beat with hand mixer for about five minutes on medium speed.

2. Add vanilla and coconut extract and beat another minute until completely combined.

3. Remove from heat and let cool 5-10 minutes before spreading onto cake.

Sunday Blessings - New Toy!

I bought myself a new toy yesterday.

Sorry for the quick post, but I am preoccupied with this at the moment. I'm working on a new recipe and will let you know how it turns out!

...I hope dropping it the second I pulled it out of the box didn't do too much harm :/

Have a great Sunday!

CInnamon Oatmeal Cake

Breakfast is my favorite meal. Maybe not necessarily breakfast itself, but mostly I mean breakfast foods.  Don't get me wrong, I love waking up in the morning and breaking my fast with a big bowl of cereal or oatmeal and some fresh fruit. And we all know my obsession with pancakes...see?

But honestly, the best time to have these richer, more sugary 'breakfast' foods like pancakes is for dinner. I crave pancakes more for dinner than I ever do at normal breakfast hours.

When it comes to these oatmeal cakes, the best time is for dessert! Oatmeal cakes are not rich or even too sugary. In fact, they are are hardly high in calories at all and contain a lot (I could be exaggerating by saying a lot....maybe just a couple) of healthful ingredients. They make a great dessert without having to feel too guilty.

It could be easy to get carried away with these and add all kinds of mix-ins. Chocolate chips, raisins, peanut butter or icing (like I chose), can add lots of calories quicker than you can say, "GimmeMore!" (while channeling your inner Britney Spears). I recommend just picking one extra ingredient to go crazy with. The cinnamon-y oatmeal is filling enough that you really don't even need extras. But frosting is my weakness.

I may or may not eat by the spoonful straight from the jar. But who doesn't?

Cinnamon Oatmeal Cake

(Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie)

Makes 1 cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 packet of Splenda (or another choice of sweetener)

1/4 cup reduced sugar applesauce

1/4 cup almond milk

Dash of salt

1-2 teaspoons brown sugar (for topping)

1 tablespoon cream cheese frosting (I used Pillsbury)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line one well of muffin tin and fill the other wells 2/3 full with water. 

2. In a small/medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Whisk together until just combined. Pour into muffin well. 

3. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Remove from heat and top with brown sugar and cream cheese frosting. 

Spontaneous Sushi at Umi

About half way through the day yesterday, I was talking to Greg and we both agreed it was not the best of days. Work was taking its toll on us. No particular reason, it was just one of those days. Anyway, I was already thinking about what dinner would be and thinking how I had no desire to cook whatsoever.

Date night!

I really wasn't planning on spending more money on food this week...we've been grocery shopping so much recently. But there was no way I was going to cook. 

Greg and I met up after work and he left it up to me to decide where to go. Knowing how indecisive I am, you can imagine how long it took me to choose. Even after I said I wanted to fulfill my sudden (as in the last couple of weeks) craving for sushi and picked a place, I kept naming other restaurants until the moment we parked the car. Like I said, I've been wanting to try sushi. I tried a bite a couple of years ago and didn't hate it, but wanted to give it another go. 

UrbanSpoon helped us choose the right place: Umi Japanese Restaurant. 

I wasn't expecting much, but the atmosphere was much nicer than expected. Not a five star restaurant by any means, but definitely not the standard Asian take-out place. The lights were dim and there were booths along the wall for semi-private seating. We were seated right away and checked out the menu. Greg already knew he wanted hibachi chicken. It took me just a few minutes longer to choose what sushi I would try for my first real experience. 

I went with the Spicy Shrimp and Cucumber. As always with my restaurant photography, this doesn't look nearly as pretty as it did in person. And that's actually a white sauce on top, not yellow.

I also ordered a side of vegetables. Yes, that is their "side" portion. Enormous. Half of that will be my lunch today. 

I did like the sushi, but I think I am ready to turn it up a notch and not get something so mild next time. It wasn't the least bit spicy for me. Maybe spicy in terms of sushi means something different? I don't know. Either way, I am excited to join the sushi-eating world and try new kinds. One of the other types of rolls that appealed to me was the Philly with salmon, cream cheese and cucumber. Yum. 

The service was extremely fast and our total was right around $20. For a good meal and pleasant atmosphere, it doesn't get too much better.

Until this...

Menchie's just happened to conveniently be right on the way home. With the BOGO coupon that came in the mail last week, Greg and I both got bowls of froyo for $2.09!!

You: "Are you kidding??" 

Me: "Nope!"

Now, it doesn't get too much better than THAT.

I think I'm in love with Menchie's. Everything about it. Especially the combination I had tonight. Pumpkin, Praline Pecan and Country Vanilla topped with strawberries and cherries...NOT mixed with the pumpkin side though. Don't you worry. I am a pro at pairing the right toppings with the right froyo and keeping them separated. Finally I added a pump or two of marshmallow cream to finish it off. 

Goodness gracious. That was a good night.

The end.

Triple Berry Smoothies

Smoothies may be more of a summer drink, but when I have a fridge full of the ingredients for a perfect smoothie I don't have another choice!

Seriously, just LOOK at those strawberries. B-E-A-utiful. 

After my Saturday morning workout this past weekend, I came home sweaty, red face and all. I knew exactly what I could make. Just a few short minutes later, I had a flavorful, fruity smoothie to cool me off.

I spent a lot of time at Planet Smoothie in high school. Captain Kid anyone? Brooke--I know you know what I'm talking about :) There is a Planet downtown, but not any place like it too close to me anymore. I really miss those smoothie days. 

While smoothies can be full of added sugars and pack on the calories, a homemade smoothie can be very low cal and a great way to start the day. This particular one comes out to around 180 calories.

Triple Berry Smoothie

Makes 1 medium smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup sliced strawberries

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup low fat raspberry yogurt

3/4 cup Almond milk

Splash of cran-grape juice (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth, stopping to stir occasionally. 

2. Pour into glass and serve cold. Top with extra berries and whipped cream if desired.

Single Serving Pumpkin Cakes

I was experiencing pumpkin overload a couple weeks ago. Not even just baking and eating it, but just reading about it on every other blog was getting to be overwhelming. I almost made myself sick of it. ALMOST.

After a couple of short days of avoiding the beloved fall flavor, I was ready to rekindle our relationship.

Although Mrs. How Sweet created these precious babies as a breakfast cake, I wanted them for dessert. As you might have figured out already, I love recipes that make just enough for a serving or two. The batter filled two ramekins of cake, but it actually probably could have served three or four. And that's saying a lot coming from me. I can normally eat large portions of dessert, no problem. Then again, maybe I just had a big dinner so wasn't as hungry. I don't remember. Either way, one ramekin per person is plenty.

I have to say, I should have used the original name of these as a hint that they might not be the best dessert. They were not as sweet as I expect desserts to be. Greg just about licked his clean and thought it was delicious (interesting because he has previously told me he doesn't like pumpkin. Hmm...). So I guess they do make a great dessert for some. But next time I would stick to making these for breakfast. They would be great in the morning as more of a pancake type of thing. 

Check out How Sweet It Is for the recipe!

I am glad to be back on the pumpkin band wagon, because I still have at least five more recipes I want to make before fall is over! 

What has been your favorite pumpkin food (or drink!) so far this year?

Sunday Blessings - Highlights of My Day

What am I thankful for today?

This banana for one. It might be ugly to some, but in my eyes its a bowl of fresh banana ice cream waiting to happen! I have seen blended banana ice cream all over food blogs and I am anxiously waiting for this banana to ripen a bit more so I can make some for myself!

Ever since I gave up soda ("pop" as I used to call it until I moved south) for lent one year in middle school, I haven't cared for it too much. Water is almost always my drink of choice, although sometimes I find myself craving the carbonation. I haven't bought packs of soda to keep at home in a couple of years, but I saw some on sale for dirt cheap so picked up a case. Diet Coke is my fave and with zero calories, it's an easy way to keep me from eating extra sweets. Having an occasional soda can be enough of a treat for me.

An even better treat are Honeycrisp apples. These were on sale too so I was sure to buy plenty to keep up with my apple addiction. Seriously, if apples weren't so good for you, I would consider this a problem. But this has got to be one of the best, healthiest addictions in the world.

This might not be quite as healthy, but things could be a lot worse. Homemade baked sweet potato fries and an asparagus/mushroom medley. That's what I had for dinner the other night. Details on that later, but let me just say, if you have never had sweet potato fries, find yourself some as soon as possible. Even though I don't have any leftovers to eat today, I am drooling just looking at my pictures of the fries.

How are you spending your Sunday?

Weekend Kickoff at Vespa Pizzeria

Aren't Fridays the best? Besides Saturdays and Sundays, that is. Even though Friday is still a part of the workweek, everyone is always in such a better mood just because of the fact at 5:30pm it is officially the weekend. The whole energy of the office is completely different. Love it.

When deciding how we would spend our Friday night, I suggested to Greg that we choose between eating dinner at home and going out to a movie, or going out to dinner and renting a movie. Splurge on one, save on the other.

Even though we have just about seen every movie worth watching that is at Redbox right now, we decided to go out to dinner and skip the movie theater. That took care of one decision, but then we were left with where we would eat. Too many choices!!

After some UrbanSpoon-ing, we decided on a place right around the corner: Vespa Pizzeria. For some reason, we have never made it to the popular Island pizza joint. Greg has lived here for almost a year and a half now, yet we have always seemed to choose a different place for dinner. We were both looking forward to trying something new, and it didn't hurt that we could walk to the restaurant on such a pretty evening (even though it's already getting too cold outside for me, but it would not be worth a 30 second car ride to drive).

As much as I wanted to try any one of the amazing-sounding wood fired pizzas, the Chicken Parmesan Sandwich stuck out to me. I am not always a fan of Chicken Parm, but once I saw it on the menu, I couldn't stop wondering what their's was like. And, since Greg was getting pizza, I knew I could steal a bite of his ;)

Chicken Parm it was. And boy was it delicious. It was way too dark to capture a decent picture, but just look at that bun! The bread was so so so good. The sandwich was the perfect size and came with a side caesar salad with a soft boiled egg on top. The salad was just as good as the sandwich, but the two together made a great combination.

Like I said, I couldn't get a good picture, but I felt like you needed to see the inside of the sandwich. The tomato sauce was somewhat sweet. That was different than I'm used to and it was great change.

Greg had the Pepperoni, Bacon, Sausage pizza. Kind of self-explanatory. Greg kept saying how much he was enjoying "so many different flavors!"

Once the food was set in front of us, we really didn't say much besides how good it was. We were too busy taking it all in. 

I don't know why it took more than a year to make it to Vespa when we live right across the street, but now I know what we've been missing. I will be back much sooner next time.

Grilled Chicken Marsala Penne

Last night I felt like putting myself up to a challenge. While baking and cooking each have their own special place in my heart, I know that baking is more of my specialty. I am more comfortable testing a new baked good recipe than I am trying a new main dish. My enchiladas were a success earlier this week, so why not try another new dinner? Bring it on!

Almost a year ago, I bookmarked a recipe called "Rigatoni di Gregorio." Besides loving the name, this pasta dish sounded like something right up my alley. But somehow, some thing has been holding me back.

The ingredient that intimidated me most was the Marsala. I rarely, as in never, make homemade sauces. Whenever I make pasta, I mostly stick to canned tomato sauce to top it off. The only deviation I make is whether it's meat flavored or roasted garlic. 

Boiling noodles, chopping herbs and sauteing veggies are familiar to me. Creating a homemade Marsala cream sauce...not so much. This is where the challenge came into play. First of all, where do you even find Marsala?? I checked up and down the wine aisle to no avail. It is a type of wine right? Turns out it was in the cooking aisle with other spices and cooking liquids. But you probably already knew that. 

I cheated a little bit by using the precooked grilled chicken from the deli section instead of cooking my own. It made the process much easier, and as hungry as I was getting while caramelizing the onions I needed this meal to be ready as quickly as possible. 

I modified measurements from the original recipe and the recipe below reflects that. For the most part, these changes were decreases in the amount of liquids. And I still thought it was a bit too liquidy. But that is just my personal preference. I like thicker sauces that actually stick to the noodles. This sauce was still full of flavor that spread throughout every bite, so I'm not complaining. 

As always, nothing goes with a nice Italian meal better than some wine! So don't forget that very important addition.

Grilled Chicken Marsala Penne

(Adapted from Annie's Eats)

Makes about 2-3 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups dry penne

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms, rinsed and drained

2 cloves garlic, mined

1/4 cup Marsala cooking wine

3/4 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup half and half

2 teaspoons fresh basil, finely chopped

2 teaspoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup precooked grilled chicken, sliced

Directions:

1. Bring medium pot of boiling water to a boil. Cook penne according to package directions, about 8-11 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a deep skillet. Once hot, add onions and cook for about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until onions are softened. Add garlic and stir ingredients together. 

3. Remove skillet from heat and add Marsala. Stir to coat all ingredients. Pour in the chicken stock and turn heat back on to low. Let everything simmer for about 5-7 minutes. Add half and half and cook until heated. Mix in herbs, Parmesan and butter and stir until all ingredients are evenly dispersed.

4. Add cooked penne to the skillet and toss all ingredients together. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Top with cooked chicken and more Parmesan.

Ranch Chicken Enchiladas

Ranch may not be the most Mexican of dressings, but it sure is delicious. Back in the days when I was forced to eat salad at dinner, and I couldn't leave the table until I did, I doused that lettuce in ranch. And nothing else. 

I stopped eating ranch when I realized my body wasn't going to stay stick thin forever. Making the switch to raspberry vinaigrette is one of the best decisions I have ever made. We all know how much I love that drink...I mean...dressing. I talk about it enough, huh? Like here, here and here, just to name a few.

I am certain Raspberry Vinaigrette Enchiladas would be just awful, so I made the switch back to ranch for the sake of my taste buds. Even if it means I have to run an extra five minutes tomorrow. And fat free ranch cuts the calories in half, so I really don't need to justify this anymore do I?

I was worried these enchiladas might be too plain, and from the outside they do look that way. But the combination of flavors makes magic in your mouth. I only wish I would have added bacon. Yum! Now that would have been a party. 

This was my first enchilada experience, but not my last! They were much easier than I expected and definitely easy enough for a weeknight meal. I have about ten other enchilada recipes bookmarked and they are about to become my best friends.

Ranch Chicken Enchiladas

(Adapted from Annie's Eats)

Makes 6 enchiladas (about 3 servings)

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked

6 8-inch flour tortillas

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup ranch dressing

1/2 cup medium or hot salsa

1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 9-inch square pan with non-stick spray and set aside.

2. Prepare sauce by mixing 1/4 cup of each of the sour cream and ranch in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, mix the other 1/4 cup of sour cream and ranch. 

3. Shred the cooked chicken and add to larger bowl. Stir to combine with the ranch sauce. 

4. Taking one tortilla at a time, spread about 1 tablespoon of the ranch sauce onto the tortilla. Scoop a large spoonful of the chicken mixture into tortilla. Top with about 1-2 tablespoons of salsa and cheese. 

5. Roll tortilla and lay seam-side down in pan. Repeat until all tortillas and chicken mixture has been used. 

6. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until tortillas are golden brown.

Baby Ruth Mini Cookie Cakes

Ever since the grocery store has set up their Halloween candy display, I have found myself browsing the aisles for my favorite childhood candies. I have somehow managed to not buy anything, except a small bag of candy corn. When I saw a recipe for candy bar-filled cookies, I knew my time of passing up the candy bars had come to an end. Since I can't go trick-or-treating for free candy these days, I suppose I can buy some for myself. 

I put off making these cookies long enough and couldn't stand to wait any longer. The only candy bars that were on sale were Baby Ruth bars. While these aren't my favorite by any means, they do have chocolate and caramel. Check annnnddd check!

Instead of making traditional cookies, I used a standard muffin tin to bake the dough. This made for mini cookie cakes! Cookie cakes are always a hit and anything mini is even better.

Sticking with the Halloween theme, I dressed these cakes up with some fall colored sprinkles. They were everything I look for in a cookie and more! Extra thick, soft and chewy. They would be great as regular chocolate chip cookies too, but the candy bar pieces hidden inside added another delicious dimension.

I am really looking forward to digging into the candy corn for the rest of fall. I know they all taste the same, but I really love the pumpkin shaped ones. I even have a cookie recipe for those! Coming soon :)

What are your favorite candies? Do you have any fun recipes that you incorporate them with?

Baby Ruth Mini Cookie Cakes 

(Adapted from Picky Palate)

Makes about 3 dozen cookie cakes

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

15 mini Baby Ruth candy bars (or candy bar of choice), chopped into half-inch pieces

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare muffin tins by filling with liners or spraying with non-stick spray.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugars and beat until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla until well mixed.

3. In a separate large bowl, stir flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Fold in candy bar pieces and chocolate chips.

4. Using a spoon or cookie scoop, scoop dough into muffin tin wells. Press down to flatten.

5. Bake 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat, top with sprinkles immediately, and cool 5-10 minutes before removing from pan. 

Sunday Blessings - Making Changes

Good Sunday morning everyone! I hope you are all having a great weekend so far. I am :)

My weekend got off to a great start on Friday when I was let off work early. We had a day-long meeting,  (including being treated to lunch at Basil!) and wrapped up around 4:45. It was such a nice surprise to be allowed to leave then. I headed straight to the outlet mall to make a couple returns.

I have a problem of buying things with the mindset that I can always return it later. Sometimes it is due to impulse buying, but sometimes I really just don't know if I like something so I buy it anyway just in case. My shopping spree last weekend resulted in a few of these purchases.

I bought myself a couple of new cell phone cases- why a couple? Well, you see I let the man in the booth talk me into it. "If you buy this one, you can get a second for $10!" Great deal, right? If I had a friend with me who also needed a case, it might have been a great deal. But two for myself? So unnecessary.

This is the lifesaver of a case that I have had on my phone since the day I bought it, before I even walked out of the store. The Otter Box, as it is called, has been nice to have since I drop my phone all.the.time. But it is so dang bulky. I was ready for something new. 

The two I bought last week were flowery and sparkly. But after a day of trying them each out, I realized they were not going to work. The rhinestones started falling off of the one and the other didn't even stay on! 

Of course I bought these from the type of store that has a "no return" policy, except you can exchange within a week. I figured I could at least try to find something that worked a little better so I didn't completely waste my money. 

I found these simple silicone cases that won't protect as much at the Otter Box, but at least they will work better than those stupid plastic ones I bought the first time. Lesson learned. 

Greg met me at the outlets when he got off work and we grabbed dinner at Chick-Fil-A. I got my most favorite salad: Southwest Chargrilled Salad with none other than... Berry Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Since I was extra healthy with the salad, I thought it would be okay to use the free milkshake coupon I have been hoarding for months. Greg and I split a vanilla shake, but the cherry on top was all mine. No sharing there.

Yesterday was a pretty good day of football for Greg and I. Both of our teams won! Finally. It was nice to be on the winning side of things again. At least for this week. Next week is going to be a different story. OSU vs. Wisconsin. Uh-oh. Times ten. 

Now I am about to go grocery shopping to stock up on healthy food. Last week I told myself I was going to get back on track with eating healthfully again. Instead, I ended up eating out a lot. As in almost every day, which is something I never used to do. I also ate almost an entire bag of pralines Greg brought home from Louisiana last weekend. Whoops.

I am excited to start working out and eating like I used to, even if that means fighting for the treadmill in the gym at six in the morning or not letting myself lick the spoon clean when making cupcakes :) Gotta make sacrifices to reach your goals!

Honey Chicken Stir-Fry

I love cooking stir-fry for so many reasons. When it's homemade, stir-fry can be so healthy, yet filling at the same time.

I have had the recipe for this Honey Chicken bookmarked for a long time. I am always looking for new ways to cook chicken, because I tend to get stuck on one flavor or method. The original name of this is actually "Crispy Honey Chicken," but mine didn't turn out very crispy. Tear. Plain old "honey chicken" it is. The flavor was great, just not as much texture as I was hoping for. 

Even still, this was a great chicken to add to my stir-fry. With some bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, carrots and rice, this baby is a winner.

This stir-fry is significantly different than the other I have written about. In the past, I have relied on a sauce to flavor it up. This time the key was the chicken. The honey sweetened things up just the right amount. 

I want to try this again to perfect the crispiness factor. Any suggestions on how to do so would be greatly appreciated!

Honey Chicken Stir-Fry
(Adapted from How Sweet It Is)

Makes 2-4 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into even sized chunks

2 egg whites

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup sliced red and green bell peppers

1/2 cup sliced yellow onion

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add sliced vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add soy sauce and garlic and stir to combine. Cook for an additional minute then remove from heat.

2. Place the egg whites and cornstarch in two separate bowls. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.

3. While the oil it heating, season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Dip each piece in egg whites then coat in cornstarch. Add coated chicken to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes. Flip pieces and cook on other side until cooked through.

4. Add vegetables back into skillet with chicken. Add honey and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken and vegetables over brown rice. 

Bricco Bracco

My deep(ish) Italian roots were loving me when we went to Bricco Bracco for dinner the other night. Greg and I went to the Italian restaurant a few months ago and l-o-v-ed it. Greg's mom was in town for work this week so we headed back to re-experience the carb-filled goodness.

Every single part of the meal was amazing. First of all, the garlic olive oil and bread. Hot. Fresh. Soft. Flavorful. Perfect. 

Then came the appetizer. The restaurant is known for their fresh mozzarella made in-house. Since Greg and I didn't try it the first time we were there, it was a must this time. We had the "A La Prosciutto" mozzarella plate. It was good, but I would also be curious to try something different next time. 

Next up: Entrees. Just like the first time we went, it took me about 20 minutes to decide what I wanted (my indecisiveness drives Greg cray-cray). Side note- You know what "cray-cray" is if you have watched the new show "Whitney" on NBC. It's Greg's new thing to say "cray-cray" all the time, rather than "crazy." Ok back to business. I finally decided on the Eggplant Parmesan Tower.

I made a great choice and will not forget about this baby next time we go. As if the tower wasn't enough food by itself, it comes with a side of penne with marinara sauce. The penne wasn't anything amazing, but still nice to have on the side.

Greg ordered Chicken Giambotta. However you think that word is pronounced...I would bet to say you are wrong. The waiter had to correct us, and I still didn't quite catch the proper pronunciation. Basically it involved chicken, roasted peppers, sauteed onions and sausage. All of that was topped with "fried potatoes." I don't know what I was expecting to see with the fried potatoes, but we were all surprised to see what that meant...

...Potato chips! Interesting touch, huh? I only had a small bite of this, but Greg really enjoyed it.

The star of the evening was the Butternut Squash Ravioli that Greg's mom ordered. It was a special for the evening and part most of the reason I had such a difficult time deciding what I wanted in the first place. I think we all agreed that the ravioli was a great choice.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture at the restaurant. Fortunately, there were leftovers that I had for lunch the next day. I was sure to snap a photo then.

Sorry it's not the most appealing pic, but don't judge a ravioli by my poor photography skills. 

I don't think I could choose between the ravioli and my eggplant tower. Hopefully they don't have this ravioli on special next time so my decision will be made a little easier. 

Oh yeah, and I forgot about the wine! It is hard to find a restaurant where you can get a bottle of wine for $18. But you can at Bricco Bracco! We had the house Malbec. An Italian meal without wine is like "a boyfriend without his girlfriend" (so says Greg when I asked him for advice with this one. Isn't he so cute. Ha!).

Another nice thing about this meal was that it was stretched far beyond that hour in the restaurant.

See those? Those are all of our leftovers! Guess I don't need to go grocery shopping this week. I have lunch and dinner taken care of for a few days. 

If you're in the Charleston area, I highly recommend Bricco Bracco. I knew how great it was after the first time I went, but the second time was even better and reaffirmed my original thoughts. It might just be my favorite restaurant. And I don't use that term loosely. Well, sometimes I do, but I'm serious this time.

I've Got the Blues

Don't you worry. I'm not depressed. I am not blue in a bad way.


Rather in a cheesy macaroni way. You remember that jingle, right? Kraft Macaroni and Chheeeeese...I've got the blues.

I'm not going to lie. This isn't actually Kraft. It's Publix brand. Most of my groceries are generic brands. Hey, it's cheaper that way. And it all tastes close enough...usually. There are a few things I have learned I am better off buying the higher end brands, like cereal and ice cream. This mac and cheese was on sale for so cheap I just couldn't pass it up. And I was pleasantly surprised. It's no Velveeta, but it is very comprable to Kraft's blue box. 

That is all besides the point though. I didn't intend on telling you about my grocery shopping habits. 

The point is that I had forgotten how comforting it is to curl up on the couch with a nice hot bowl of mac and cheese for dinner after a long day of work. I am coping with the fact I can't have this every day of the week. Boxed mac and cheese can be (barely) just as sufficient if you are in the right mood. 

One day I will need to make it from scratch. First I have to eat all of the boxed stuff in the cabinets that I stocked up on while it was on sale. 

Peanut Butter Cookies - Three Ways

After my first batch of tailgate cookies, I have received a couple more requests. I made the frosted sugar cookies for an OSU soccer game, which were delish, but the frosting didn't do so well being trucked around.

For the next tailgate, I chose something different in hopes they wouldn't be damaged before the game!

Since it was a Buckeye game, I wanted to use the traditional Buckeye candy flavors: Chocolate and peanut butter. 

I used a basic peanut butter cookie recipe to start with, and winged it from there. I baked about half of the batch following the recipe exactly, aka no chocolate involved. For the other half, I incorporated the chocolate in a couple ways. 

One way was making a chocolate-filled cookie. To do this, form two relatively small balls of dough. Place a few chocolate chips on one ball and press the other ball on top. Press around the edges to seal the chocolate inside. Done.

For the remaining dough, I simply stirred in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

I wasn't sure how much these cookies would spread while baking, so I slightly pressed each one down with a fork to flatten a little. 

The chocolate chips were a nice addition to the cookie, but this particular recipe doesn't lend itself well to the chips. The consistency of the dough did not hold the chocolate chips very well. So although they tasted great, it was a bit difficult working with the dough and forming the cookies into the right shape. Overall though, the flavor was rich and the texture was chewy and soft. You can't have one of these without a glass of cold milk!

I have included the basic peanut butter cookie recipe below, but feel free to add chocolate chips as I did! I used about 1/2 cup of chips. 

Peanut Butter Cookies

(Adapted from Annie's Eats)

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

Sugar for rolling cookies (about 1/3 cup)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheet(s) with non-stick spray. 

2. In a medium bowl, combine first 5 ingredients until well incorporated. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the shortening, butter, peanut butter and honey. Add the eggs one at a time. While the mixer is on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture and mix until just incorporated.

4. Roll the dough into balls and roll each ball in sugar until coated. Place the dough balls on baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden in color. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Repeat until all of the dough is used.