Strawberry & Chocolate Nachos I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: sometimes the best creations are the ones you don’t set out to create! This might be my new favorite thing. It’s the perfect easy, throw-together, family style dessert for summer. I did a local tv segment this week and made my Baked Cinnamon Chips and Fruit Salsa. When I got home I had a bag full of cinnamon chips left over and started snacking. Then my boys walked in from the back yard with handfuls of strawberries from our garden and I started thinking about how chocolate covered strawberries sounded so good right then because my first thought when I see any sort of food product is how it would taste covered in chocolate. So I chopped up those berries and let them sit in a spoonful of sugar for a bit. Then I sprinkled them all over those crispy cinnamon-sugar coated chips. I grabbed some chocolate chips, and ate a few. Adding just a touch of vegetable oil or shortening to your chocolate makes it nice and smooth for drizzling. Holy Frijoles.
Baklava I wish I could tell you I was a ballerina or, at least, I wish I could tell you I used to be a ballerina. However, I cannot lie to all of you. I was born with neither grace nor the self-restraint to live for an extended period of time on nothing but birdseed and feathers. Despite many years of ballet lessons, I remain the same lumbering girl I always was. It’s too bad, really. I actually dreamed of being a ballerina. Part of me remains convinced, despite the above evidence to the contrary, I could have been successful were it not for my mother. Yes. My mother. Isn’t it always this way? In this case, however, I think I might be right. And, when I say love, I am only mildly sarcastic. Up to now, however, I did not dare attempt making baklava from scratch. It wasn’t until last week that I finally mustered the courage to attempt this treat at home. Flakey on top and soft in the middle and oozing with nutty sweetness, this baklava is the baklava of my youth. Thanks, Mom. Baklava
Make Your Own Rock Candy Throughout my scholarly career, there were two things I was never any good at. Science and art. Fine, three things. My point is, this post is all about two things I’m horrible at. You see, I had a really bright idea to make our own rock candy for the wedding. But please know you have to be incredibly patient to make rock candy. The process is simple. Homemade Rock Candy (makes 2 rock candies):Print the instructions! 2 Wood skewers or threads2 glass jars2 C water3.5 C sugarFood coloring If you can, prepare your skewer (or thread) a day ahead of time. You should also prepare your jars before starting the process. When you’re ready to make your rock candy, start by bringing the 2 cpus of water to boil. Add your sugar in cup by cup, stirring and letting each cup dissolve before adding in another. Continue until all 3.5 cups of sugar have absorbed. See how much fun I’m having? Now, here’s where all the various sets of instructions I read varied. So, I did that. He opted for blue. Mine? Dang.
Muddy Buddies I LOVE LOVE LOVE when some of the most yummiest treats are also the most easiest to make. Ten years ago my friend Nancy gave each woman in our small group a beautifully packaged container of Puppy Chow aka Muddy Buddies. This was the first time I had ever had this “crazy good” treat. **DISCLAIMER** Although this recipe is called “Puppy Chow” it’s not for doggie consumption – since chocolate is poisonous for dogs. Puppy Chow Recipe – Muddy Buddies Author: Savory Sweet Life Recipe type: Appetizer Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Serves: 9 cups 9 cups Combination of Corn, Rice, and Wheat Cereal squares (Chex) *For gluten-free, omit the wheat chex.1 cup chocolate chips½ cup creamy peanut butter¼ cup butter2 teaspoon vanilla *make sure to check vanilla for gluten-free1½ cups powdered sugar2 1-gallon ziplock bags Place cereal in a large bowl and set aside. *Several people have asked me where I got my snow flake pails I used to package these.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie I made you a pie. Well, okay… I made you the filling of a pie. I bought the crust. I don’t do crusts. Remember when I tried? Yeah… not happening. But I made croissants so that makes up for it. Way back when I shared a chocolate chip cookie pie that I found on a yellowed scrap of newspaper in my mom’s recipe box… and it literally tasted like a giant chocolate chip cookie. I’ve only made it once since then because if it’s made, it’s eaten. By me. All of it. Just try it. So… I made the pie with pumpkin. I woke up on Sunday morning with one thought in my mind: pumpkin chocolate chip cookie pie. Alright, I sorta do. See, for the last four weeks I’ve been trying to perfect a seriously CHEWY pumpkin chocolate chip cookie. I’m probably the reason for the pumpkin shortage because, um… I think I’ve gone through at least 10 cans trying to perfect these stupid chewy cookies. I’m convinced waking up with pumpkin cookie pie on the brain was the universe’s way of telling me to lay off the cookies. Print Save
Café Au Lait Pudding Yesterday I read Ree’s list of Ten Important Things About Blogging and one of the things she recommended was to tell people who visit and read your blog that you love them.So I figured our relationship had gotten to that point where I should tell you. And though it feels a bit awkward to be the first to say it–I don’t care. Sometimes you gotta be the first to say it, ya know?
Honey and Rose Water Tapioca Cinnamon and Vanilla Walnuts These nuts are slightly sweet and salty and laced with cinnamon and vanilla. I’ve made candied nuts quite a bit in the past, but I love this newest recipe. It’s not as sweet, so I like them better for snacking on or for putting in salads. They add just the right amount of sweet and saltiness to a salad. Yum! This simple recipe is perfect for doing with children. Of course, if you wanted a sweeter version, you can easily up the sweetener, up to double. 1 egg white 2 teaspoons of cinnamon 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 1 teaspoon of salt 1/3 cup of rapadura, sucanat, maple sugar, or palm/coconut sugar 2 1/2 cups of walnutsPreheat the oven to 300 degrees (the rack should be in the middle of the oven). KimiHarris I love beautiful and simple food that is nourishing to the body and the soul. Latest posts by KimiHarris (see all)
Mini Fruit Pies I love pie. I love eating pie, I love making pie, I love nearly all vartities of pie! The only problem with pie is that the crust always seems to get soggy before we can eat it all — there are just 2 of us you know. So today — as I was contemplating whether or not I should make a pie (and knowing that my husband would definitly want me to make a pie) — I decided to try something new… … mini pies! I figured that if I made mini pies, I could make as many as we needed and I could customize the filling so everyone got their favorite pie. Not sure why I didn’t think of this sooner? Anyway, mini pies are extremely easy and take less than 20 minutes to bake (half that of most full pies) Ingredients: Pie Crust Dough — I used store bought refrigerated crust but feel free to use homemadeFilling — choose your favorite pie fillings and make mini batches of each one (or use canned filling) Directions: Use a biscuit cutter to create mini pie crusts — cut as many or as few as you want What is your favorite pie?
Cheesecake and Fruit Lollipops Ricotta Cheesecake and Fruit Lollipops Dessert, Fruit Desserts | 27 comments I was craving cheesecake last week, but knew I didn’t have time to make a full cheesecake recipe. I had some leftover ricotta in the refrigerator from making Spinach, Ricotta and Tomato Calzones for dinner recently. This is a really easy, no-fuss recipe. The ricotta cheesecake recipe was super simple to make and baked up quickly in a 9×13 inch pan. You can use whatever seasonal fruit you like to pair with the cheesecake or if you’d like them to be more kebab-like, you can repeat layer the fruit and cheesecake on the lollipop sticks. Other fun fruits to use for these simple pops would be kiwi, mango, blueberries, black berries, and raspberries. Do you have a favorite easy dessert that is a hit with your family? Don’t forget to check out the GoodLife Eats 2011 Mother’s Day Kitchen Gift Guide for some awesome giveaways – there’s still a few open for entries. About the Author:
Fruit Dip Friday, May 21 I’ve had this fruit dip recipe up on the blog for ages, but never had a good photo of it. Today I remembered to take a few quick snapshots and I can finally give it the attention it deserves! This fruit dip is one of my favorites recipes of all time. It’s easy. It’s delicious. Fruit DipFrom who knows where…I’m sure half of you already have this one in your recipe box! Print This