Let me start by saying that I love coffee. I hate mornings but what keeps me sane is that warm cup of slightly sweet (I add creamer – International Delights Coldstone Creamer to be exact) and warm cup of heaven. I was watching Barefoot Contessa on the Food network one morning and she made this crazy, yummy desert called Viennese Iced Coffee and I knew I had to make it.
Ina Garten made this for dessert using decaf coffee, but I have also been known to enjoy this crazy good cup of heaven mid-day as well. I love her recipe as is, but I love to make a few fun additions as well.
I LOVE chocolate, sugar, candy, sweets, and all sorts of amazing, yummy treats. I have tried to give up sugar at times but was so miserable that I will no longer attempt to deprive myself. However, I have promised to be a bit healthier while I embrace my love of sugary sweetness. This is where my delectable Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding Parfait comes in.
Chia seeds are amazing for you and are such a versatile ingredient. They are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, high in protein, fiber and anti-oxidant rich to boot! These magical seeds naturally thicken in liquid making them the perfect way to create a healthy pudding. My favorite way to enjoy this pudding is to add granola (for crunch) and fresh fruit (in this case raspberries) for a burst of freshness.
I enjoy this pudding for breakfast or it can be eaten as a snack or dessert. This is such a tasty and healthy dish that you can enjoy it guilt-free any time of day. Please let me know of any healthy dessert swaps that you might have!
Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding Parfait
Ingredients
1 cup milk (I use unsweetened almond milk)
1/4 cup chia seeds
2 T. cocoa powder
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
Granola
Fruit/Berries
Directions
Whisk milk, chia seeds, cocoa powder, brown sugar, white sugar, coffee granules, vanilla extract, and salt together in a bowl until pudding is smooth. Let sit for 5 minutes; stir. Repeat sitting and stirring process at least 2 times.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight. Pour mixture into blender and blend until smooth. Spoon into bowls and top with granola and berries.
Image Courtesy of MarthaStewart.com
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year. I love eating with reckless abandon and turkey day is the day to do just this – as far as I am concerned anyways…. Over the years I have come up with my traditional thanksgiving favorite recipes and I wanted to share them with you.
My normal menu consists of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, pumpkin crisp, gravy and cranberry sauce. In looking at this menu, the first thing I always notice is that there is nothing green – no vegetable or salad and I must say that is just fine with me. So without further ado…
The turkey recipe I use is Martha Stewart’s Turkey 101 which is amazing and turns out perfect every time. I am sure that it has something to do with the bottle of wine and pound of butter used to baste the turkey that makes it so succulent and amazing!
photo courtesy of MarthaStewart.com
As for stuffing…I used to make Martha Stewart’s standard stuffing recipe that can be found here, however about five years ago I was introduced to a stuffing recipe that won a Good Morning America stuffing recipe contest. OMG – this stuff is SOOOOOOOOOO freaking good! It is ridiculously fattening so I only make it once a year, however it is so worth it! The recipe dates back to 2007, however you can still find it online here. I have included the recipe below just so I always have it in the event that page ever gets taken down.
Corn casserole might sound a bit unusual for Thanksgiving but again, I make it once a year and just seems to mesh well with everything on the plate. Think cornbread but more delicate and buttery. The recipe is from AllRecipes and can be found here.
Now Gravy is so easy and I do cheat by using a bottled product, but it is so delicious nobody will ever, ever know and you don’t have to worry about lumps! Williams Sonoma Turkey Gravy Base is a gem! You can thank me later.
I am not a pumpkin pie fan. I think it is part texture and part overall pumpkin taste but I always had a pumpkin pie and an apple pie at Thanksgiving until I stumbled upon Pumpkin Crisp. This dessert is made with boxed yellow cake mix so if you have any nostalgia for a basic yellow cake then this could be one of your new favorites as well. I blogged about this a while ago and you can see the full recipe here.
The cranberry sauce I make is the standard Ocean Spray version that can be found on the back of the fresh cranberry package. Sometimes I will add some fresh orange zest to add an additional flavor element to the sauce but that is optional.
So….that is my run down for what I make for my family on turkey day. I hope you try some of these delicious recipes. They are tried and true for multiple years so I can vouch that they are all super yummy!
Down Home Italian Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 extra-large yellow onion, chopped
- 7 large celery ribs, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 ounces pancetta, diced&
- 6 cups day-old, finely diced French bread
- 3 cups crumbled unsweetened cornbread
- ½ cup butter, cubed, cold
- 1 tablespoon ground sage
- 1½ tablespoons poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup toasted pine nuts
- 4-5 cups chicken or turkey broth
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- large Parmesan shavings
Directions
- Heat oil in large skillet on medium. Sauté pancetta for 2 minutes.
- Add onion and celery and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook another 3 minutes.
- Mix together breads and ¾ cup toasted pine nuts in a large mixing bowl. Add cheeses and cooked sausage to the breads. Mix together with the dried seasonings.
- Add sautéed veggies with any pan drippings.
- Slowly add broth and stir until mixed thoroughly. The consistency should not be soupy, but very moist. If not, add more broth.
- Test for saltiness and add a dash more if needed.
- Place in an extra deep 9-inch-by-13-inch greased pan.
- Dot the top with the cubed butter and cover with foil. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or until slightly crusted on the edges.
- Top with remaining toasted pine nuts and chopped fresh sage. Add shaved cheese just before serving.
One Saturday morning I was lounging with a cup of coffee, enjoying some cooking shows when Trisha Yearwood’s show came on. I love me some good old comfort food and I love her show because everything she makes looks amazing and all the ingredients she uses are items I almost always have on hand. Case in point, this Skillet Apple Pie. She told the guest helping her, “this pie will change your life.” Now, I don’t know about you, but if someone claims that your life will be more fulfilling by cooking up an apple pie then by all means I am going to give it a try.
There are two things that really sets this apple pie apart. First, is that you make it in a skillet and the second is before your lay down your first pie crust you melt butter and brown sugar together to make a caramel glaze that seeps into the crust that makes this pie unreal. Now…when I mean unreal, it is really, really freaking good. Like, I would starve myself all day to have a slice of this when I am trying to be good or if I did make this and was left home with it I would either – a) pig out and eat the whole thing or b) throw it in the trash covering it with dish soap because I am that gross – and no, I don’t trust myself.
Here are some images of the recipe as I made it:
Now for the changes I made. In her recipe Tricia uses canned apple pie filing, however I am not a fan of canned apple pie filling so I sliced a few apples up added some sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and salt and proceeded with the recipe as written.
Here is a a link to Tricia’s recipe and below is my modified version. Enjoy and let me know if you find this recipe life changing. Oh and for the record, yes I did find this recipe life changing. 🙂
Tricia Yearwood’s Skillet Apple Pie
(adapted from Tricia Yearwood’s recipe)
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
2 refrigerated rolled pie crusts, such as Pillsbury
3-4 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced into small pieces
1/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. granulated cinnamon
1 T. cornstarch
Cinnamon Whipped Cream:
2 cups whipping cream, chilled
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons sugar
Directions
For the skillet apple pie: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet; set aside 1 tablespoon of the melted butter for the top crust. To the melted butter, add the brown sugar and melt them together on medium heat, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and line the skillet with one of the pie crusts. Add apples, sugar, cinnamon and corn starch together in a bowl and pour into the pie crust. Use the second pie crust to cover the filling. I like to cut my pie crust into shapes and cover the filling (I just think it looks prettier.) Brush the top with the reserved melted butter, then sprinkle with a bit more sugar. Make sure the pie crust has room to vent and bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot, topped with a generous dollop of cinnamon whipped cream, ice cream or both!
For the cinnamon whipped cream: Chill a large metal mixing bowl and a wire beater attachment in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Pour the cream, cinnamon and sugar into the cold mixing bowl and beat until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes; the mixture should hold its shape when dropped from a spoon. Don’t overbeat or you’ll have sweetened butter!
I am a chocolate chip cookie freak. They are definitely one of my favorite foods and I have to say that there is nothing I love more than eating them fresh out of the oven. So incredibly good! I have blogged about my tried and true chocolate chip cookie recipe here and still use this as my go to. If you haven’t tried it you must – they are foolproof and incredibly delicious. Oh and you don’t need to bust out a mixer – this one can be done completely by hand. 🙂
So since I am madly in love with chocolate chip cookies I am always eager to come up with a way to make them healthier. I have combined numerous recipes to come up with my Skinny Chocolate Chip Cookies that I think are pretty tasty. My two boys even thought they were good and didn’t complain when eating them asking what was wrong with them and why they tasted funny. A couple of things to keep in mind – I used coconut oil as the fat, however if you chose to use melted butter that would work as well and would probably taste even more like chocolate chip cookies. As for flour – I chose a combination of equal parts all-purpose white flour, whole wheat flour and coconut flour. As long as you use 1 1/2 cups of flour you will be golden. Just keep in mind that the flour you choose will affect the taste and texture. By using the three I listed above they didn’t have a heavy wheat taste and were very soft.
I hope you try these out and let me know what you think. They are my new favorite skinny cookie and when I am trying to be good, I will whip up a batch of these instead of my full fat version.
Skinny Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour of choice (you can use all whole wheat or AP flour – I used a combination of coconut, whole wheat and AP flour)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. organic coconut oil, melted or 1/4 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. dark chocolate chips (more anti-oxidants!)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl mix together coconut oil (or butter – whatever you choose), applesauce, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Once combined, add flour mixture and stir just until incorporated. Add chocolate chips.
If you have time, put the dough in the fridge for about an hour, if not put the dough in the fridge in between batches that are baking. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheet and bake for about 9-10 minutes. Let cool.
Make approximately 36 cookies depending on the size of themm
