Like so many people I have been cooking, baking and eating up a storm during quarantine. No matter what I do, I can’t seem to stop. Being that I love to cook and eat, there has been an onslaught of deliciousness and just when I am about to hang my apron up for a few days, I am triggered by yet another recipe. The latest treat I dished up is Olivia Culpo’s Carrot Cake. I came across this recipe while watching one of her Instagram stories and oh my, is this cake amazing.
Salted Maple Coconut Chips…a delight, a marvel and probably one of the easiest recipes I have ever posted. I started writing this blog post and was having trouble coming up with what the title should be – should I call it candy, bark, a crisp? I wasn’t sure, but what I did know is regardless of what I called it, the recipe is definitely worth sharing.
The holidays are over and I, like many, have felt the need to stop indulging – all the time at least. I feel that moderation and a healthy lifestyle are key, however I went wild this holiday season gorging on spritz cookies, sugar cookies, haystacks, fudge, caramel corn – you name the cookie/candy and chances are I took a bite. Same goes for cheese – brie, cambozola, gouda…yum! I enjoyed every moment, but I feel gross and my jeans are snug. In an effort to save money and not have to purchase new pants I am breaking out some of my favorite recipes to curb my appetite. Which leads me to this little gem I wanted to share, Frozen Yogurt Bark, a favorite treat.
I love a good cupcake. There is something about a fluffy, decadent, sinful piece of heaven that makes me want to melt and immediately cheat on an otherwise healthy day of eating. And you know what? It’s worth it. Every. Single. Time. No regrets – ever. The one time I don’t like to buy those delicious cakes is when I need to bring a lot of cupcakes. A couple of dozen cupcakes can cost a pretty penny which is why I LOOOOOVE this recipe for Extreme Chocolate Cupcakes. It is moist, delicious and you won’t believe how easy they are to whip up.
Living in the Northwest my entire life, I grew up shopping at Nordstrom and eating at the Nordstrom cafe. To this day, one of my favorite dishes to get is still the kids grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup. If you haven’t ever experienced Nordstrom’s creamy, slightly space tomato soup – you must try it. I have so many amazing memories being a little girl and cruising through the little girls department with my mom shopping for the latest in Guess Jeans and Esprit sweatshirts after devouring my luscious lunch.
In recent years I have come to love more than just the grilled cheese and have found their Lemon Ricotta cookies. Nordstrom came out with a cookbook called the Family Table Cookbook and once while waiting for my takeout order I picked up the book and noticed that the recipe for these delectable cookies were in there. I was sold! I purchased the cookbook and the rest was history! These cookies are so soft and delicious it is almost like having a cake in cookie form. As you can see from the pictures these are not crisp cookies. They are soft, creamy and luscious. See inside one…
Now I have to warn you – PLEASE read the directions for these cookies. The first time I planned on making these cookies I made sure I had all the ingredients but had no idea all the steps you had to take with the dough prior to actually putting them in the oven. Unfortunately these are not cookies that you can easily whip up in one afternoon – these take planning due to having to let the dough rest, then freeze, etc. On the plus side, these can be made in advance and you can bake them the day of and have a fresh treat that people will be in awe of.
I hope you try making these cookies. They are delicious minus the frosting – but if you are a frosting lover like me, frost them and you will find them OUTSTANDING!
