bethany actually? Blog Archive ? Make your own vanilla extract Wouldn’t you be happy to get this as a Christmas gift? I read Catherine Newman’s post about making homemade vanilla as Christmas gifts and thought, Brilliant! I’m gonna do that this year! So we did. I bought a dozen 4-ounce clear Boston round glass bottles and 20 organic Tahitian vanilla beans (I actually received 23 beans). [UPDATE 12 October 2011: The company I originally bought vanilla beans from seems to be on hiatus. I also gathered my two lovely and capable assistants, Annalie and my mom Debbie. For each bottle of vanilla, you’ll need 2-3 beans and 1/2 cup of vodka. First, we used the scissors to cut each vanilla bean in half lengthwise and then again crosswise. We stuffed all the bean pieces into the bottles, seven or eight pieces per bottle. We got vanilla-bean flecks and sticky juice on our fingers, but it washed off easily and as a bonus made our hands smell yummy. After we’d distributed all the beans into the bottles, I poured a half-cup of vodka into the measuring cup.
santa hat brownies « daisy's world Aren’t these Santa Hat Brownies just so cute? Thanks to Erica’s Sweet Tooth for the inspiration. I was looking for a fun and simple holiday treat and I ran across a recipe on her website. They’re so good and easy to make, especially since I bought Trader Joe’s Ready to Bake brownie mix (just pour the ready-made brownie batter in an 8-X 8-inch pan and bake for 22-25 minutes). You can use ready-made brownie bites or bake a pan of your favorite brownies. Update: November 17, 2013 This year, I plan to bake these Santa Hat Brownies and other holiday treats to give as gifts to friends and co-workers. Note: I have been paying for Picmonkey’s monthly Royale Plan for the past year. Santa Hat Brownies Yields 12-16 brownies Ingredients: 1 pan of your favorite brownies, cooled and cut into desired size and shape (I used a round cutter) 12-16 small strawberries, cleaned and hulled vanilla-mascarpone buttercream (recipe below) To assemble, pipe a ring of vanilla buttercream on top of each brownie.
Spicy Honey Chicken This is one of my family’s favorite meals. Both kids and adults gobble it up every time I make it. I love the combo of a savory spice rub combined with a sweet honey glaze. It’s pretty quick and easy too. You don’t have to think ahead about marinating because you’re just throwing together a spice rub. And after the spices have grilled into the chicken, you slather on a honey glaze. In addition to cider vinegar and honey, you’ll need an assortment of spices: garlic, chipotle chili powder, chili powder (oops, forgot that one in the pic!) Spicy Honey Chicken Recipe by Our Best Bites 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2lbs (Yes, Thighs!!) 2 t vegetable oil Rub 2 t granulated garlic 2 t chili powder 1/2 t onion powder 1/2 t coriander 1 t kosher salt 1 t cumin 1/2 t chipotle chili powder Glaze1/2 C Honey 1T Cider Vinegar Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well. Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces.Pat dry. Ingredients:
Baked Parmesan Zucchini Sticks I got kinda hooked on these this summer. I’ve always loved the zucchini sticks my parents served at their pizzeria and used to eat them often when I worked there. But let’s be real, though they are a “vegetable”… the deep fried part kinda trumps the veggie part don’t ya think? I started making these at home this summer…not sure why it’s taken me so long to put this zucchini recipe together. I love zucchini, but get kind of bored of the usual ways I cook it and am always on the lookout for new recipes for zucchini. These are so easy to make, just slice them into sticks, bread and bake. Baked Parmesan Zucchini Sticks Ingredients 3 large zucchini, sliced longways, halved and cut into sticks 2 eggs 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 1 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp dried garlic powder Olive oil spray Instructions Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Tagged as: Appetizers, Side Dish, Vegetarian
no-bake energy bites No-Bake Energy Bites This no bake energy bites recipe is super simple to make, made with healthier ingredients, and they taste like no bake cookies! Be sure to click around on the site for more delicious and healthy recipes ideas. Hip hip for no bake energy bites! I’ll admit, a few years ago when I first posted this recipe, I had never even heard of no bake energy “bites”. And I hope that they are deliciously here to stay. Ever since my friend Courtney first introduced me to them on a ski trip in Breckenridge a few years ago, this no bake energy bites recipe has been on regular rotation in my house. I’ve also posted about five different variations of this recipe on the site, from Cranberry Pistachio to Almond Joy to Nutella to Trail Mix energy bites. I have to say that the original recipe for these No Bake Energy Bites is still my fav. chocolate chipstoasted coconutvanilla extractpeanut butterold fashioned oatshoney (or agave nectar)freshly ground flax seedchia seeds (optional) Directions:
Take a Break from Take-out: Homemade Pot Stickers There are some things that just seem too daunting to make from scratch, and far easier to order in: potstickers, if you haven’t made them yourself, can be one of those things. The truth is, they’re far simpler to make from scratch than you might think. And if you have little fingers around that need occupying, they will most likely be happy to sit around the kitchen table for an hour and assemble little dumplings that you can then cook on the stovetop until golden-bottomed and crisp, or freeze in zip-lock bags to pop into simmering chicken stock with noodles for a quick wonton soup. (No need to thaw them first – just boil straight from frozen.) Northern Chinese guotie, (literally “pot stick”) are said to date back over four millennia, and were known by the ancient Chinese as being exceptionally good for the human soul. When filling your dumplings, make sure you squeeze any air bubbles out, lest they become floatation devices once they enter a pot of water.
100 Delicious, Dirt-Cheap Recipes for the Starving Student Most students don’t have a lot of cash to spend on food, but that doesn’t mean you have to go hungry. With the right recipes and some kitchen savvy, you can eat great even on a student’s budget. Here we’ll share 100 tasty recipes that you can make on the cheap. Breakfast Get a good start to your day with these cheap-o breakfasts. Hash browns: Hash browns are cheap and easy to make, and cheaper than a trip to IHOP.Puff pastry chicken and bacon: You can make bacon and chicken in puff pastry using this recipe.Microwave scrambled eggs: Make scrambled eggs in the microwave with this recipe.Breakfast burritos: You can make these burritos ahead for a quick microwave breakfast.Onion quiche: This quiche makes a delicious, incredibly cheap breakfast.Omelet in a bag: Boil eggs and some handy ingredients for this simple, cheap omelet.Frittata: Add eggs to cheese, vegetables, and herbs you have handy in your fridge to make a frittata. Ramen A college staple gets dressed up in these recipes. Sandwiches
Cheeseburger Macaroni This delicious, incredibly cheesy dish is another one of our favorite weeknight dinners. It’s beefy, hearty and whips up in less than 20 minutes. Hope you love this one as much as we do! Start with one pound of lean hamburger meat, browned and drained. Add a package of taco seasoning. And one can of this. You don’t even have to bother to drain it! Gosh, I really like Rotel. Add two cups of beef broth. (You can also just use water if you want.) And one cup of elbow macaroni. By the way, I’ve tried other shapes of pasta in this recipe, and none of them seem to work as well as good old macaroni. Stir to combine, and heat to boiling. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then add 2 tablespoons of flour. Whisk to combine, and continue to cook, whisking until the roux is fragrant and light brown in color, about 5 minutes. Whisk in 3/4 cup of milk. And bring the sauce to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Glorious!