Still here!

And I miss my cooking blog! Sadly, I really haven't been making anything blog worthy recently. Joe requested that I get more back-to-basics with my dinners - in other words, stop trying so many new things and make more of the old recipes we know we like. And I guess he's right - so often I make something that we both love, but in my desire to keep trying new things I never make the favorites again. I have made a few new things here and there, but in the crazy pre-dinner rush to feed Charlie, Lily, Joe and I before the pre-bedtime meltdown, I often forget to take pictures anyway. So there's been a few new, un-blogged meals and a lot of repeats going on here, plus a lot of quick and easy meals that I can throw together at nap time or when Joe gets home from work. And meals like that often turn out great - like this pizza! I took a store-bought pizza crust and topped it with pre-made shredded barbecue chicken (Lloyd's), caramelized onions and cheddar cheese - it was awesome!

But I do have some new recipes planned for this week, so I hope to get them posted and maybe resurrect my little cooking blog. Here's hoping!

Sweet!

I love to enter online contests, but I'm not very lucky with that type of thing and never really win anything. So I was super excited when I was announced as a winner of a jar of Bee Raw Honey from cool food blogger Blake of Blake Makes. I love me some honey, so I was excited to break right into my jar of Wild Raspberry honey when it arrived. I decided to try it out in my favorite way to eat honey - on toast with peanut butter. The honey was perfectly smooth and golden and the taste was fantastic! Sweet, of course, with just the slightest tang of raspberry. Delicious, and much better than the stuff you pick up at the grocery store (although I will always love you, Mr. Honey Bear). Thanks Blake and Bee Raw!

I'm back!

So by now everyone knows why I haven't been baking or cooking much since my last post! Joe and I have been spending a lot of time in the NICU with Charlie and Lily - we love being parents! I don't have much free time at home these days, but I'm trying to cook and bake a little when I can. So stay tuned for some new posts!

On Hiatus

Well, I'm sorry to announce that "...and a cookie for dessert" will be taking a rather lengthy hiatus. I've been put on bedrest, most likely until the babies arrive, and then I think I'm going to have my hands full for awhile after that. I hope to be able to return at some point though, as I really do love this blog!! But thank you to everyone who's been reading all this time and hopefully, I'll be back!!

In the meantime, if you're curious to see what's going on with me in baby land, check out my baby blog - http://threecheersforbabies.blogspot.com/

An Excuse - Times 3!

So I've been gone for quite some time now, and I apologize! But I have a good reason - in fact, I have three!! I am expecting triplets in late August! Joe and I are so, so excited and ready to be parents to our beautiful little babies. Needless to say, I've sort of been preoccupied with things other than my food blog. A combination of not having the energy or desire to cook, having had surgery I needed to recover from, and the development of an aversion to chicken breasts (what used to be our main protein) have led Joe and I to live off of takeout (hello, Wendy's) and meals prepared by my wonderful mother-in-law.

Of course, a perk of being pregnant with triplets is that you need to gain a lot of weight and eat a lot of calories daily. Therefore, I have become a close personal friend of Cold Stone Creamery, Carvel, the Chinese delivery guy... Or I should say Joe has become a close personal friend as he is the one who keeps me stocked with treats :)

I do have a few new recipes ready to blog and I hope to get to that soon. In the meantime, if anyone has super fast and easy recipes that are simple enough for a husband to prepare (and 0that don't involve whole chicken breasts) please send them my way! I also accept donations for my daily ice cream habit....

I'm still here!

I need to apologize to my poor neglected blog for the lack of updates. I've had some health issues recently that have prevented me from doing any cooking or baking. I'm hoping though that by next week I'm back on my feet and back in the kitchen. Stay tuned!

Happy Birthday Joe!

Today my wonderful husband turns the big 3-0! I was lucky enough to be by side the day he turned 18, and I plan to be by his side the day he turns 80 as well. He's the best husband that a girl could ever ask for and I am thankful each and every day that he belongs to me. But I am not the only person who thinks so highly of him, as evidenced by the huge outpouring of love for his 30th! 45 of his friends and family gathered last Sunday for a surprise party in his honor, and today at work he was showered with gifts, cards, balloons and home-baked treats from his students. See, turning 30 isn't so bad! Happy birthday, baby!

The surprise party:

I think I got him ;)

Pumpkin Pie Dip

After my whirlwind weekend of cookie baking and candy making, I wasn't really in the mood to bake yet another treat for the pre-holiday get together being held at Joe's aunt's house. However, I didn't want to show up empty handed so I started thinking of alternatives to baked goods. I remembered my friend Lauren mentioning a pumpkin pie dip when she was getting ready for her son's birthday party last month and I thought that sounded like a great idea, especially since I had two big cans of pumpkin in my pantry. I hit Google and came up with this recipe on RecipeZaar. This mixes up in no time at all, and let me tell you, it is good! It tastes just like the center of a pumpkin pie - I could have eaten it with a spoon! Instead, I did the civilized thing and served it with gingersnaps and graham cracker sticks for dipping. This was a hit for sure - I definitely plan on making this again. It's a great dessert alternative to the usual cakes and brownies.

Pumpkin Pie Dip

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioner's sugar
15 ounces canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed of an electric mixer until smooth.
Add pumpkin, cinnamon, and ginger, beating well.
Cover and chill up to 5 days.

Revised Recipe: Peanut Butter Fiber One Bars

Don't get me wrong, I loved these the old way, but this revised recipe version is even better! The former version of this recipe made bars that were crumbly and didn't hold together very well. Still delicious, but more like trail mix than bars. The recipe's creator at Must Love Chutney recently revised the recipe, and now it's spot on! Have I mentioned I love these? Cause I do! The recipe has been revised in my original post. Do yourself a favor this gluttonous holiday season and make up a few of these healthy goodies for breakfast. Then make more cookies ;)

Happy Blogiversary to me!

One year ago today ...and a cookie for dessert was born! I've had so much fun with this blog and I look forward to growing in the kitchen this upcoming year and having lots of exciting things to post. For now though, in honor of my blogiversary, I thought I would look back over the past year and show off some of the best recipes.

First things first - dessert! By far, my best received dessert of the year were the peanut butter cupcakes pictured above. The frosting is out of this world. Seriously. If you need an amazing dessert, try these!




My pick for my other favorite dessert of the year is a shocker even to me, since it contains no chocolate. I am usually a firm believer that a dessert must contain chocolate to be worth the time, but this banana split "cake" proved me wrong in a big way. It is so, so good - light, fresh and incredibly delicious.

Next up, my second favorite topic - baked goods! I've had a lot of winners this year, but these two knocked my socks off!

My top pick, and contender for favorite all around recipe of the year, is these Hawaiian rolls. Words can not describe how delicious these are. Soft, sweet...mmmmm... I dare you to make these and not love them. Double dare you.


This year, I also discovered that I love pumpkin. Like really, really love pumpkin. Last fall pretty much everything and anything that came out of my kitchen was pumpkin related. The best of the brightest? This pumpkin chocolate chip bread. Incredibly moist, dense and sweet, this bread just rocks. I know, because I ate an entire loaf myself in one sitting the first time I made it.

Okay, okay, I do cook some dinners around here too - so here are two of the year's winners.

These teriyaki turkey burgers became my all-time favorite dinner after having them just once. There's just something about them - the moist, tangy burgers, the sweet grilled pineapple. I'm forever making Joe light up the grill for these babies.

I also spent the past year making many a chili in a quest to find the very best. The one that stole our hearts - this corn chip chili from Rachael Ray. It's easy, full of flavor and it gave me the idea to serve my chili over Fritos - so simple, yet so brilliant.

This year also gave me the confidence to experiment and try things that I never would have tried before and get creative in the kitchen. The best random treats? Homemade granola bars!

Wow, are these good. In just the past month or so I've made granola bars and homemade peanut butter Fiber One bars, and let me tell you, store bought has nothing on these babies. I just keeping making batches of these over and over because I inhale them so quickly. But that's okay, because they're healthy!

Oh, and speaking of healthy - I had to remind you about his rockin' fat free fruit dip! Mostly guilt-free but addictingly yummy.

And finally, I need to give a little shout out to my sous chefs and taste-testers, without whom many of these recipes would not have been possible - my kitties Roy and Roger and my dog Tucker. Roy and Roger (especially Roger) are always anxious to "help" me slice, dice, saute and assemble and Tucker is the best beater-licker there is. So I leave you with a pet friendly treat for your favorite kitchen assistants - cat crackers.

So with that, I call it a year! Thanks for reading and I can't wait to see what this next year brings!

Food photographers beware

What happens when you're too focused on taking pictures of your food and let down your guard...

Peanut Butter Fiber One Bars

I am a big fan of all the Fiber One products, but far and away the most delicious are Fiber One bars. So sweet and good. So when I saw this recipe for homemade Fiber One bars on Must Love Chutney I knew I had to make them. Having recently discovered the wonderfulness that are homemade granola bars I was eager to try a new twist, plus I had about three full boxes of Fiber One cereal sitting in my pantry that needed to be put to good use. I followed the recipe almost exactly, except I used cashews for the nuts and threw in some wheat germ for extra nutrition. These are super quick to make, however mine did not hold together well at all. Even after I refrigerated them in an attempt to meld them a bit they still ended up crumbling apart.

I managed to get a few bars to stay intact but for the most part I ended up with Fiber One trail mix. No worries as far as I'm concerned though - this stuff tastes damn good no matter how you eat it. And I can't stop eating it. I plan to use the trail mix portion in my yogurt, but the treats that stayed in bar form have been gradually devoured by me all day long. I will definitely make these again soon...maybe tomorrow. :) I am trying to figure out how to make them stay together a little better though - any suggestions?

Peanut Butter Fiber One Bars

2 1/2 cups Fiber One cereal
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup chopped almonds or peanuts
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup honey
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)

In a large bowl, stir together the cereal, oats and nuts. Set aside. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Combine the brown sugar and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat just until boiling, then remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, salt, vanilla and cinnamon until smooth. Pour over the cereal and oat mixture, stirring quickly (as sugar mixture cools it hardens quickly). Immediately press mixture into the prepared pan using the back of a large spatula. Lightly press chocolate chips into top of bars (if using). Allow to cool slightly, then cut into squares. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 18 bars.

Happy Birthday to me!

I love my birthday. And I especially love when my birthday brings lots of kichen-centered gifts! This year I was lucky enough to get an ice cream maker and a Ben & Jerry's recipe book to go with it, so get ready for some yummy homemade ice cream recipes coming soon. And Joe gave me five new cookbooks, including two that focus entirely on cookies. I can't even tell you how many recipes I want to make. Thanks everyone for the awesome gifts. I plan to start cooking and baking right away...well as soon as I go polish off my Cold Stone Creamery birthday cake!

Sweet and Creamy Fruit Dip

Our friends Jamie and Dave came over last night for dinner and a rousing game of Jumanji (ha!). Jamie has been doing awesome on Weight Watchers so rather than the usual dessert feast of fatty goodness we usually enjoy I wanted to lighten things up a bit. It's the perfect time of year to enjoy fruit, so I hopped on to All Recipes and found this recipe for fruit dip to serve along the strawberries, bananas, grapes, pineapple and apples I picked up at the grocery store. I lightened the dip even more by using fat free Cool Whip and fat free cream cheese. This dip is so, so good. I couldn't stop sneaking spoonfuls of it from the fridge as it chilled. And the four of demolished almost the entire huge tray of fruit with the dip. But luckily there was still enough dip at the end of the night for me to keep some leftovers and to share some with Jamie. But once those are gone, I know I will be whipping up another batch of this ASAP!

Sweet and Creamy Fruit Dip

1 (8 ounce) container fat free frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
1 (3 ounce) package fat free cream cheese

In a mixing bowl, combine the frozen whipped topping, marshmallow creme, and cream cheese. Mix until smooth. Serve chilled.

Better than Kashi - Granola Bars!

It honestly never occurred to me to try to make something like granola bars at home. After all, there are tons of yummy, conveniently packaged bars on the shelves at the grocery store. But yesterday I was really in the mood to bake, but I'm trying to limit junk food so I knew that a weeknight brownie or cookie binge would be out of the question. I had spotted this recipe for peanut butter granola on Everybody Likes Sandwiches a few weeks ago and it had been on my mind ever since. I originally planned to make that, but then decided I was more in the mood for something with nuts and fruit. I went to the Food Network website and found Alton Brown's recipe for granola bars. I am not a fan of Alton Brown's Good Eats, but I've yet to encounter one of his recipes that I didn't like. (My brother-in-law makes Alton's awesome soft pretzels and I'm hoping he'll make them again soon so I can get them on the blog!)

Score another for Alton. THIS is why it's worth it to make granola bars at home. These are so, so good. Shortly after baking (because who can ever wait to "cool completely?") they were soft and chewy, but once cooled they are nice and crisp. The honey and brown sugar adds the right amount of sweetness to complement the hearty crunch of the oats and nuts. I made a few changes to the original recipe that are reflected in the recipe below. I did not have sunflower seeds, nor do I really like them, so I added 1/2 cup of Fiber One cereal in their place and I really liked the way it worked in with the granola. I used a mix of sliced and whole almonds and used craisins and raisins for my fruit. I also used quick-cooking oats rather than old-fashioned rolled oats and they were fine.

I can't wait to make these again. And I can't wait to eat the one I brought to work for my afternoon snack...

Granola Bars

Butter flavored cooking spray
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats or quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup Fiber One cereal
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1-ounce unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup chopped dried fruit (I used raisins and craisins)

Spray a 9 by 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the oats, Fiber One, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved. Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

"Sun" Dried Tomatoes

All hail Joe, lord of the tomatoes! (I promised Joe he would receive proper credit for his contribution to these tomatoes - how was that, baby?) Anyhow, my brother-in-law John planted several tomato plants last spring, which grew like crazy leaving him with tons and tons of tomatoes. Among them were these little cherry tomatoes which John said were perfect for drying. I love sun-dried tomatoes (although I will go nowhere near a raw one) and actually had a pasta dish on the menu for this week that called for sun-dried tomatoes, so John and I decided to make some. Unfortunately neither of us thought to do it on Sunday when we were home - the tomatoes need to be in the oven for 6 hours so you have to stay close to home- so we ended up making Joe the official tomato cooker yesterday (and yes, he was THRILLED to help). John already knew how to roast the tomatoes - cut them in half, place cut side up on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and bake for 6 hours at 200 degrees - so we cut them up Sunday night and left them for Joe to salt and bake the next day.

These came out fantastic! They are so sweet and soft - yum! I can't wait to try them in pasta. My suggestion is to watch them closely towards the end of cooking. I ended up having to throw several away because they got too crisp in the oven. John's tomato plants are still flourishing so I'm sure we'll be making more of these soon!

Dog Days of Summer

In terms of classy dinners, this Rachael Ray recipe is up there with the cheeseburger and fries casserole I made a few weeks ago. Still, this dinner was a lot of fun and very delicious! So what if it's meant for kids? Both Joe and I really enjoyed it. I used turkey kielbasa instead of hot dogs and maybe a little more dough and chili per dog than called for, but I only made us one dog each so I wanted them to be filling. I would definitely make these again, and they were a fun summer evening meal.

Chili Cheese Dogs in Beach Blankets

1 tablespoon vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3/4 pound ground beef or turkey
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
2 teaspoons dehydrated onion
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup water
1 tube pizza dough, from the dairy aisle at the grocery store
8 beef, turkey, pork or tofu dogs
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
In a small pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the meat to the pot and brown it up, 6-7 minutes. Season the meat up with chili powder, granulated garlic, dehydrated onion and a little salt and pepper. Add the tomato paste to the pot and stir it around a minute, then add the water to help loosen the tomato paste up and get it everywhere. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for five minutes, then turn the heat off. Roll the pizza dough out into a big rectangle. Cut the dough in half lengthwise with a small knife. Cut the dough into four equal pieces across so that you end up with eight small, rectangular pieces of dough. Across the center of each rectangle, place a couple of spoonfuls of chili sauce and a small handful of cheese sprinkled on top. Set the dog on the dough and wrap and roll the pizza dough around the dog like a blanket, sealing in the chili and cheese too! The nubs of each end of the dog should be peeking out. Bake in the oven 18 minutes, until golden.

Something's Fishy!

My sister is throwing her boyfriend a surprise 30th birthday party today and asked me to make a cake. But not just any cake - a fish-shaped cake since her boyfriend loves to fish. I requested that she find me a cake pan in the shape of a fish, but instead she produced a photo of a cake from a magazine and asked me to recreate it. It was actually quite simple and I love the way it turned out. I just used a box mix and canned frosting. Mr. Fish is simply a 9-inch round single layer cake frosted with icing I tinted green and deocrated with candy orange slices and gumdrops. Since I had extra batter after making the cake I also made a bunch of mini cupcakes to serve as bubbles and topped them with a bunch of "Aqua Life" Swedish fish candies. Happy Birthday Aaron!

Are you ready to party?

When my friend Jamie emailed me last month to tell me that she and her boyfriend had gotten tickets to one of the special New York tapings of Paula Deen's show, Paula's Party, I was extremely jealous. But Jamie kindly sent me the ticket information and I managed to get a pair of tickets for Joe and I to attend today's show. Filming at the Food Network Studios in Chelsea Market, it was exciting to see where all the Food Network magic happens. We arrived at 9:15 am as instructed and were placed in line outside the studio door. As we stood there, I spotted Paula's husband, Michael, walking in. Of course I had to call out and say hello, and he stopped to greet me - for some reason I found this exciting. Anyhow, after waiting a few minutes in line we were brought into the studios and taken on a giant elevator to the 6th floor, where Paula's show would be filming. There, were given our instructions for the taping - clap loudly and show lots of energy, eat anything Paula may give you and act like its the most delicious thing in the world even if you hate it, don't pick your nose or do anything else unsightly, etc.

Armed with our do's and don't's, we were granted access into the studio where the show would be taped. Decorated in greens and blues with beads and chandeliers, it was very inviting. We were told that cameras were prohibited, but I snuck a quick shot of the set while no one was looking:

Joe and I were seated at a great table close to the "stage," but truthfully every seat was good as the studio was small and there were no more than 120 guests. Once the audience was seated, we were entertained with Paula trivia, a dance contest and other fun things until they were ready to begin filming. We also filmed a lot of "reaction" shots - the audience clapping, laughing, cheering, etc. Things moved quickly once taping began. Gordon Elliot, Paula's producer ran the show and before we knew it Paula was on set and we were rolling. Paula is adorable in person and super sweet and friendly.

The theme of the show we attended was "Lay it on Me" and all the recipes featured were layered. Paula's first guest was Cameron Matheson from All My Children and Dancing with the Stars. I wasn't very familiar with him, but he was very charming and funny. He and Paula made a french toast trifle together. It was interesting to see how the show was filmed. They would film some banter, then taping would stop and a staff member would come out and walk Paula through the recipe she would make, showing her where all the ingredients were, etc. Then they would return to filming. After Cameron, Paula welcomed Daisy Fuentes and her sister, who made a Cuban lasagna with eggplant and chorizo. The final guest was a comedienne, whose name, no matter how many times Paula told us to "remember her name, because she's going to be huge" I have forgotten. She and Paula made a layer cake with a cheesecake in the center. Between takes Paula walked through the audience and made it a point to talk to greet every single guest and shake everyone's hand. It was a fun experience and I can't wait to see the finished show!

After the taping, Joe and I grabbed yummy burgers at the Meat Packing District Diner, then went back to Chelsea Markets. I had been eager to check out Eleni's Bakery, since I had heard a lot about their cupcakes, but I found myself underwhelmed with the store and unwilling to shell out $3 for a single cupcake. I decided to spend my money on other sweet treats, so Joe and I headed to one of my favorite NY spots - Dylan's Candy Bar.

This two-story candy land has a staircase made of candy and features a vast candy store downstairs and a cafe and ice cream parlor upstairs. I could spend all day wandering that store!

Decisions, decisions. I finally settled on four chocolate bars - milk chocolate toffee and banana for my mom, a fellow chocoholic, and s'mores and hazelnut for me, and a bag of assorted candy (chocolate-covered cashews, chocolate-covered cookie dough, malt balls, etc.) which I am currently enjoying as I type this. Mmmmmm....

Overall, Joe and I had a great day in the city and I am thrilled I got to get up close and personal with the Food Network. Hopefully you'll spot Joe and I on an upcoming episode of Paula's Party! And babe, thanks for coming with me today - I love you and your willingness to follow me all of NYC in search of candy and Food Network fame!

Love is...

a man and his steak. Just look how happy this giant, heart-shaped rib eye made Joe! It was a gift from Kara and Audrey, Tucker's doggie daycare "teachers," to thank Joe for helping them master their brand new Wii. I don't eat steak, so Joe shared this with his brother John. It was, as Joe said, "the best steak he's ever had." So thanks Kara and Audrey - you made Joe's week!