Let the holiday baking begin!

 

While I love complicated and time consuming recipes as much as the next person, at this time of the year I whip out my collection of super easy holiday cookies.  I had seen the Pioneer Woman’s two step recipe for candy cookies a while back and immediately bookmarked it, knowing it would fit perfectly into my repretoire.  Basically it goes like this:

Step One: open refrigerated premade dough of cookie of your choice and bake in chunks in a mini muffin pan

Step Two:  insert candy of your choice

Optional Holiday Step Three: add red or green sprinkles!

I used brownie dough and Hershey’s chocolate caramel kisses.  Pioneer Woman advises to insert candy into the dough immediately upon removal from the oven, but I found that giving the cookies about 10 minutes to cool kept the candy from melting into oblivion.  Refridgerating the candy helped as well.

These came out so good I have a feeling they will mysteriously disappear before the Christmas party!

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Ginormous Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

These are not your healthy weekday muffins!  These are sexy Sunday morning indulgences. Read more

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Eggplant Parmesan

One of my favorite shows on the Food Network is Throwdown with Bobby Flay, where the chef challenges a specialist to a judged contest to see who makes the better dish.  It’s all in good fun and I learn a lot from watching the show.  A recent throwdown about eggplant parmesan inspired me to revisit my favorite summer comfort food! Read more

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Bean salads: healthy fast food

This took me all of five minutes to make!

I ate this with a toasted whole wheat roll, avocado slices and some fresh corn on the cob.  Bean salad is great when it’s 90 degrees out and you want something super easy to prepare.  You could also stuff it in a pita and have it for lunch. It’s also a great side dish for a more ambitious meal.

I used:

1 can or drained and rinsed cannellini beans (2 cups cooked dried beans if you like)

1 TBL olive oil

1 TBL balsamic vinegar

2 cloves minced garlic (use one if you’re not a garlic addict like me)

1/2 of a small vidalia onion, finely chopped

seasoning to taste:  Mrs. Dash Italian Blend, kosher salt, and shredded fresh basil or whatever you feel like.  Parmesan cheese is also optional.

To prepare, stir everything in a bowl and serve.  You can even serve it in the mixing bowl (as I clearly did!)

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Unexpected garlic

Like many people, I’m always on the lookout for food with health benefits.  And, like many more people, I absolutely love love love garlic and put it in practically everything I make.  So I was delighted to find out that not only does it ward off vampires, but it is good for you too.

Read more

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The last of the cherries…

I live in the western part of New York State, and yesterday at the farmer’s market there was a little sign, “last of the cherries.”  I am a cherry addict and was duly saddened by this announcement.  However, I was cheered by the fact that they were only $4 for at least two pounds, which is why you should shop at the farmers market because they would cost at least twice that at the grocery store.

See you next year, cherries!  Coming soon:  peaches, raspberries, blueberries, local corn…I LOVE this time of year!

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Dogerati: Dog Diet Update!

Back in April I posted about how my elderly dog needed to lose a few pounds, and details of his diet.  Since then Beau has lost six pounds!   He’s a little quicker getting up off the floor, for sure.  He still needs to lose about five more but we’re doing just fine.  And the best thing is that Beau’s meals are satisfying enough that he doesn’t walk away from his dish hungry.  Yay!

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Five Ways To Save At the Grocery Store

Recent spiking food prices have spurred a flurry of blog postings and articles about people going broke at the supermarket. One caller to a radio talk show claimed that times are so tight she can’t afford to feed her whole family. She buys food for her kids and she and her husband eat what the kids don’t finish. “But we’re middle class!” she lamented.

I have a few ideas to help with the pain. Let’s assume you’re a savvy shopper who has the basics covered. You know how to compare unit prices, you buy store brands, watch for sales, cut coupons, shop in bulk, and save your leftovers. (If you don’t do these things, I highly recommend them.) Here are a few more ideas to help you shave a few bucks off of your grocery bill. Read more

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Grilled Stuffed Peppers

Grilled Peppers Stuffed with Black Eyed Peas Read more

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Moroccan Chickpea Soup

I didn’t think I would be making soup this late in April but we’ve had a cold snap. I just got home from walking the dog and freezing like an icicle. Time to de-thaw with my favorite soup; I have a pot on the stove right now!

This healthy soup is made up of inexpensive, simple ingredients and relies on spices and herbs for flavor. It’s adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks and has been in my cooking repertoire for years. Read more

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