Silent Night, Holy Night

My mom used a different vendor for Dad's grave blanket this year.  I drove out to see it two weeks ago and the second I put my car in park, Silent Night came on my Christmas Pandora station.  It was very fitting, since that was his favorite Christmas carol.  In a similar way, this year's grave blanket was perfect and very appropriate.  Classic and handsome, just like my dad.

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

Wow it's been awhile!  Life has been crazy and I've constantly been on the go enjoying it!  First we vacationed in Italy for a week, then we moved from Northwest Indiana to the BIG city of Chicago, and then it was fourth quarter, which is always a blitz of busy in accounting/finance.  It's still Q4 and I'm still racing around super busy, but I've been meaning to get back to two things: A) exercising and B) blogging.  Since I did Jillian's yoga DVD yesterday, I suppose I'll blog today.  What better to start back with than Banana Daiquiri Cupcakes, right?!

So the hubby went to the store last week and got all ripe bananas.  Naturally that means some of them turned to mush before I could work them into my daily menu, so I was on the search for mashed banana recipes.  Here is this week's winner.

Banana Daiquiri Cupcakes
(adapted from this recipe)

Cake:
1/4 cup unsalted butter - melted
1/3 cup Domino Light
1/3 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
1/3 cup Jell-O Banana Pudding Mix
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 mashed ripe banana
1 cup + 2 Tbs cake flour
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup banana liquor

Icing:
4 Tbs butter
4 oz. light cream cheese
1 Tbs rum
1 Tbs banana liquor
1/2 tsp rum extract (to enhance the flavor if you don't add extra booze)
3-4 cups powdered sugar depending on what consistency of icing you prefer
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pan with 15 liners.

Whip together the melted butter, sugars, and pudding mix.  Add in two eggs and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth.  Mix in the mashed banana and begin adding dry ingredients once the banana is thoroughly incorporated in the mixture.  Add the liquor and mix until well blended.  Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

For the icing, beat together the butter and light cream cheese until the blend is one consistency.  Add the liquors and rum extract.  Mix well.  Gradually add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until the icing has reached your desired consistency.  You can also refrigerate the icing for 30 minutes while the cupcakes cool. 

This recipe is definitely a keeper; the cake baked wonderfully and was literally perfectly done at 20 minutes!  The one thing I may change next time is the icing.  The cake recipe calls for 1/3 cup banana pudding mix; since this isn't the full package I will probably add some leftover mixture to the icing next time to give it a bit more banana flavor and thicken it up all in one swoop. 

Cheers!

Halloween Wreath {Deco Mesh DIY}

Do you know what today is?!  If you said "It's the day you leave on an Italian vacation!" ding, ding, ding, you're right!  I can't wait to experience Italy for the second time!

With that said, I recently DIY-ed a Halloween wreath and wanted to post it before we leave since we get back only a week away from the festive holiday!

What I Purchased:

Medium size square wreath frame (to switch it up)
21" Orange metallic deco mesh (main color)
21" Black/striped metallic deco mesh (accent color)
Small Halloween decoration (for middle of wreath)

I found everything I needed at the local JoAnn Fabrics and had two coupons so my total rang in at less than $40.  I'm sure some of the supplies are on clearance by now, so yours may be less.  It's still a whole lot cheaper than buying the expensive version on Etsy!!

Since this is on a wire wreath frame with deco mesh, I basically combined my previous tutorials for the Christmas Wreath and the Burlap Wreath.  I tied one end of the orange deco mesh to the wire frame with a simple double knot to secure it.  Every 4-6 inches, I gathered the deco mesh and wound it either under or over the wire. I kept the orange on the outer two areas, so you can see in the materials picture the two wire barriers I used for this over/under technique.  You will use the entire roll of deco mesh if you are aiming for a fluffed look.  Once happy with the orange, I secured the black striped deco mesh and began looping it from the inner wire out to achieve the accent look.  I did not use all of the black striped deco mesh since it's just an accent.  Finally, I used a loop of deco mesh to knot the Halloween decoration where I liked it.  Make sure you're loops are fluffed appropriately and you're finished!

As a side note, I thought the square wreath frame would make the actual wreath itself more of a pronounced square.  As you can see, it still looks like a general circle wreath, so next time I will just stick to the wire circle frame.  Those corners were hard to maneuver around!!

Enjoy your Halloween wreath!

Kentucky Bourbon Cupcakes

As you all know, my dad loved bourbon; specifically Maker's Mark.  Four years ago, for his birthday present he and my mom came to visit in Kentucky and I treated them to Woodford Reserve and Four Roses tours.  It was such a great weekend.  This year, his 57th birthday would've fallen on Labor Day weekend so we had an extra day.  An extra day usually makes for a lovely, lazy weekend.  With my extra lazy time, I decided it was fitting to bake bourbon cupcakes.  With Maker's Mark of course.  The cupcake is a fabulous recipe that tastes like a spice cake and the buttercream tastes delightfully like the inside of a bourbon ball.  So go ahead, bake these babies up!

Maker's Mark Cupcakes with Bourbon Buttercream
(cupcakes adapted from Maker's Mark; icing from this recipe)

Cupcakes:
8 Tbs unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup Splenda brown sugar blend
3 large eggs
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup skim milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 
1/2 cup Maker's Mark bourbon

Icing:

1 cup unsalted butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbs Maker's Mark bourbon
2 slight pinches of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking pans with cupcake liners.

Cream together the butter and brown sugar.  Add in the eggs and molasses.  Next, begin adding in all the dry ingredients.  Mix in the skim milk until all ingredients are well incorporated.  Add the bourbon and fold in manually with a spoon.  Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 27 minutes.  Let cool in pans for at least 5 minutes and then transfer to cooling racks.

For icing, cream the room temperature butter.  Slowly add in the powdered sugar in increments.  Follow that up by adding the vanilla, bourbon, and salt.  Mix until the icing has that 'whipped' look.  Frost once the cupcakes are cool.  Cheers!   

Restaurant Review: Russian Tea Time

A few weeks ago Carl and I celebrated our second anniversary downtown.  Let me just say, we had to fight the Transformers filming road closures, traffic caused by the road closures, throngs of people trying to catch a glimpse of Transformers, and a huge protest to get anywhere near Chicago.  But don't worry, we rewarded ourselves by staying at the W Chicago City Center for the evening rather than going home (which was absolutely stunning, I may note.  Stay there if you have the chance).  Obviously, after all that traffic we wanted to relax with a glass of wine, so we enjoyed the day at the Windy City Wine Festival, which was summery and fun.  Stella Artois even sponsored beer pairing classes on the hour and that was fabulous!

Then the festival ended.  And we were hungry.  And wanted to continue celebrating our anniversary.  We brainstormed several places we could go, but some were a la carte dining, tapas, small plates, etc. so naturally we settled on Russian Tea Time.  Carl is German, and I'm part Polish, so we knew we'd definitely be able to find food we loved. 

www.russianteatime.com

I'm just going to be blunt, you must eat at Russian Tea Time!  This restaurant is absolutely beautiful inside and the staff is extremely polite.  This was a late dinner (9pm) so we had the place to ourselves, which, of course we loved.  Stuffed mushrooms and dumplings served as our appetizers and their dipping sauce was different and very good.  I got the Moulard Duck Leg for my main course and it was so good I literally can't even tell you what Carl ordered as his main dish.  I was too busy either A) devouring my main dish or B) gushing to Carl about just.how.amazing.this.duck.is.  You get the picture.  [Side Note: I do know he loved his dinner, just can't remember what he ordered.]  We mentioned we were celebrating our anniversary when we ordered a bottle or champs for the table (yep, we decided to be fancy), and the next thing you know, after the dinner plates were cleared our waiter came out with a dessert and candle.  It was the owner's anniversary as well so they treated us to dessert!  Since this was a surprise I'm not entirely too sure what the name of it was, but I am strongly guessing it was a type of strudel because the dough portion tasted pretty similar to the phyllo dough used for baklava.

www.russianteatime.com

Last but not least, as if we had not already had enough to drink between the wine festival and the bottle of champs, we couldn't go to the Russian Tea Time and NOT try a flight of vodka, am.i.right?  Not sure what to chose, we settled on splitting the house flight - Coriander, Black Currant Tea, and Lime.  Pumpernickel and pickles were provided so we took each sip the 'traditional Russian way' (that we looked up on their menu).  This vodka was smooth.  I am not a vodka person.. not not not.. just not me.  But this was good.  Now that I'm looking at the menu online to write this and I know how smooth it is, I'm wishing I could've made my own flight.  I'd pick Mint, Coffee, and Cinnamon.  Yum.  These new choices coupled with the amazing food gives us an excuse to go back, because I definitely will be stopping there again.  Delicious!

6 Can Chili

Last year I found a dynamite recipe for 8 Can Taco Soup that is absolutely delicious.  Now that fall is here, I thought "I've got to be able to find a similar chili recipe, right?"  Right.  I successfully searched the web for a quick and simple chili recipe, because let's be serious - after we both work full days and commute an hour each way, who wants to cook a detailed dinner?  Not me, I can tell you that.  Below is the recipe I followed.  Next time we plan on adding more meat (probably 2lbs rather than 1lb) and we will add more spices to taste as well. We seasoned our own bowls and found that paprika and garlic salt gave it the added oomph we were looking for.

6 Can Chili
adapted from allrecipes.com

2 tsps olive oil 
1lb ground beef
1 packet McCormick reduced sodium chili seasoning
1 can whole peeled tomatoes (14.5oz)
1 can hot chili beans, undrained (16oz)
1 can pinto beans, undrained (15oz)
1 can kidney beans, undrained (15oz)
1 can baked beans (28oz)
1 can tomato paste (6oz)
Reduced fat shredded cheese - for topping
Reduced fat sour cream - for topping

Heat the olive oil over a medium heat.  Add the meat and spice packet and cook the meat until it's no longer pink.  This should be between 10 and 15 minutes.  Pour the tomatoes into the skillet and crush them into chunks.  Transfer this mixture to a soup pot.  Add all other canned ingredients.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.  Top with shredded cheese and enjoy!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies {with Cinnamon Chips!}

After months of corresponding with the Chicago Alpha Gam Junior Circle, I finally made it to an event!  Woohoo!  It was the A(GD)mazing Race, themed after the show but taking place in Chicago and there was a potluck afterwards.  Seeing as it has cooled off lately, I baked my go-to fall potluck dish: Harvest Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.  These things are amazing.  I ran across the recipe in a Splenda cookbook I purchased several years ago and now make these cookies several times every fall.  The pumpkin makes them light and fluffy and the spices and raisins give it the perfect fall flavor!

Harvest Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
(Adapted from the Splenda cookbook)

1 cup butter or margarine - softened
1/2 cup Splenda sugar blend (I haven't been able to find this lately, so I used the Domino Light blend)
1/2 cup Splenda brown sugar blend  
1 cup Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup raisins
1 package Hershey's Cinnamon Chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream together the softened butter with the sugar and brown sugar.  Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla, blending until thoroughly combined.  Gradually add in the flour, oats, and other dry ingredients and mix well.  Fold in the raisins and cinnamon chips.  Place dough in tablespoon sized dollops on the baking sheets.  Bake for 14-16 minutes or until bottom is lightly browned.  Cool on baking sheet for 7-8 minutes and transfer to wire cooling rack.

To achieve the more healthy Splenda version, just omit the cinnamon chips.  I was feeling adventurous and wanted a bit of extra fall flavor in this batch and therefore added the chips.  If you're all about some cinnamon-y delicious fall flavor, stick to this recipe.  This is my favorite fall cookie and super easy to prepare.  Hope you enjoy this batch of cookies as much as I always do!

Chicago Chocolate Tours

Do you ever feel like Groupon just gets inside your mind sometimes?  It's like Groupon knows there is something that has been catching your eye in emails so it just keeps emailing about it.  That's what happened here.  I kept getting Chicago Chocolate Tours deals in my Groupon emails.  And who doesn't want to walk around Chicago and eat chocolate for 3 hours?!  As I mentioned before, my office is big on team building, so (after 17 Groupon emails) I eventually organized a chocolate filled outing for all of us.

Since we were going as a group, I contacted customer service for a group rate.  They were always quick to respond and very helpful.  We decided on taking the group rate on a public tour, but Chicago Chocolate Tours also offers private tours for any event, like a birthday, bachelorette party, etc.  When 12:45PM rolled around on Monday afternoon, we were all pretty excited to partake in the Downtown Loop tour.  The first stop was Macy's (previously the famous Marshall Fields) where we tasted the signature Frango mint and also indulged in other chocolates from the world assortment.  The tour went up the Walnut Room, showcased one of the original Frango machines and highlighted a chocolate sculpture.  We stopped to admire the Tiffany's ceiling on the main floor, and then we were on our way to Toni's Patisserie.  What a cute cafe!  I definitely plan on going back there to enjoy a bite to eat.  The brownie we sampled at Toni's was rich, chocolate decadence.  After enjoying the quaint shop, the tour guided us to Fannie May, where the employees were by far the most generous with the samples.  Naturally, we tried the famous turtle, but we also tasted the new artisan line and were given a couple chocolates to take home as well.  Around the corner, the tour came to the last stop - Argo Tea.  Who would have thought, right?!  But yes, we drank chocolate chai tea and it was delish.  Overall, it was a great experience!  The guide was really informative, so we learned about chocolate, little tidbits about the city, and of course also got to try all kinds of chocolate desserts. 

Chicago Chocolate Tours has several additional routes and during the winter they offer a gourmet hot chocolate tour too, so I have feeling Carl and I may make a date night out of another tour sometime!

Cherry Beer Cookies

A little back story for you here - We honeymooned in Boston in early September of course.  By then literally all of the east coast fall beer was already on tap in the city bars.  One of our big to-dos was visit the Samuel Adams brewery, which led us to the first pub that ever served Sam Adams beer.  If you make it there, show your brewery tour ticket, and buy a Sam Adams draft, you get to keep the glass.  And that's how I tried the cherry wheat ale.  It's amazing on tap.

With that said, I bought a 6 pack the other day and unfortunately am not liking it as much out of the bottle.  I thought "Oh I can definitely bake with this then."  But cupcakes are so hard to share if you aren't planning or attending an event.. like oh hey just had these extra cupcakes laying around that I wanted to share.  So I decided to take a shot at creating my own cherry beer cookies!

Cherry Beer Cookies

1 1/2 sticks butter - room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup Splenda brown sugar blend
1 tsp almond extract
1 12oz bottle of Sam Adams Cherry Wheat Ale
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup dried cherries
2 cups chocolate chips (I split mine, 1 cup white chocolate chips & 1 cup chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whip together the butter and both sugars.  Add in almond extract and begin adding beer in small increments.  Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt until ingredients are well incorporated.  Fold in cherries and chocolate chips.  Chill dough for about 20 minutes.  Drop dough onto baking sheets in tablespoon sized dollops.  Bake for 13-15 minutes or until bottoms are slightly golden.  Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes and transfer to cooling rack.

Cheers!

Accounting Chefs in the Kitchen

What do ya think about that title?  Not happening, am I right?!  But it did!  The company I work for puts a huge emphasis on team work so they encourage team events.  Sometimes we plan smaller specific team events and other times larger outings.  This time was the latter option; our entire financial services team competed in an Iron Chef of sorts!  And it was a blast!

We walked down the street to Kendall College because they offer 'Home Chef' classes for those not looking to obtain a degree.  They split us into two groups and from there into smaller sections to work on protein, starch, veggies, and (of course) dessert.  It was great!  We had an hour in the kitchen with a legit chef helping with ideas and students also helping out.  Ultimately we split the food winnings; my team taking starch (my group!) and dessert with the other team swiping protein and veggies.  The tie breaker was which kitchen was cleanlier, so we conceded the win.. womp, womp.  BUT we did get to enjoy all the food.

What I'm really excited about is finding this new college.  I looked up more of their 'Home Chef' offerings and they sound really interesting.  Classes are split between beginner, intermediate, and advanced.  Some of the beginning classes are one night, 6-9PM, while some of the advanced classes have a more 'boot-camp' type name and feel stretching over both days of the weekend.  Seriously, once we move into the city I am definitely participating in these!  Artisan pizza, beer enthusiast, and pies and tarts?!  You guys, they're about to have a regular!

{Maker's Mark} Sugar Babe Cookies

This post is a bit late...  Father's Day was a bit trying this year to say the least.  It's been over a year since we lost my dad, but this was the first time I was here in the house without him on Father's Day.  And let me tell you - I never realized how many Father's Day email/advertisements were sent out until I got a million a day like a nagging little reminder.  SO, on Father's Day I did what naturally makes me feel better.  I baked.  And I baked with Maker's Mark bourbon to remind me of Dad.

Sugar Babe Cookies
adapted from the Maker's Mark That Special Touch cookbook

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 orange rind, grated
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
4 Tbs Maker's Mark
3 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 egg white
Granulated sugar (for topping)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cream butter and add sugar.  Add egg yolks, orange rind, cinnamon, vanilla, and Maker's Mark; mix well.  Gradually add in the flour and mix until well incorporated.

Roll dough into tablespoon sized balls and place on baking sheet.  Press down with a fork, brush with egg white, and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake 13-15 minutes or until the bottoms barely begin to brown.  Watch carefully!  Let sit a few minutes and then transfer to cooling rack.

Enjoy with some bourbon; Cheers!

Restaurant Review: Stacks

Everyday as I scroll through my Facebook, so many local friends have 'liked' Stacks that it inevitably shows up as one of those wonderful 'recommended posts.'  After seeing pictures of their specials for literally the past month, Carl and I headed to Valparaiso to check this place out and we were not disappointed.

Photo by Stacks

Little did we know, downtown Valpo actually had a free concert taking place, so everyone wanted to eat outside or stop into Stacks.  This caused a small wait and we were able to look around the place.  It's decorated with old stacks of books (of course), old computer monitors used in libraries, etc.; just a great decor scheme in general.  Once seated, the large list of beer, wine, and specialty cocktails is actually bound into an old book, just adding to the vibe.

Cocktails up first, I have finally found a place in Northwest Indiana that makes a mean Moscow Mule.  Yes, please.  As an added bonus, they also had hefeweizen for Carl.  Pretzel bite appetizers were a hit, but we're pretty easy to please on that front.  The true test: dinner was absolutely delicious.  We both got the specials; prosciutto wrapped shrimp with Tuscan roasted potatoes, asparagus, & pineapple-mango salsa for me, and a cheese steak burger (prime beef burger topped with sautéed green peppers, melted cheddar, sliced steak, melted provolone, onion straws, & chipotle aioli) for Carl.  Naturally I finished by following up our fabulous meals with the bourbon grilled peaches.  You guys, dinner was great.  If you haven't tried Stacks, we both definitely recommend it!

Tooty Fruity Sangria Cupcakes

One can only wander through airport bookstores for so long without buying something.  And let's be serious, for me that 'so long' is not really long at all.  While traveling to Hermosa Beach, CA for a work trip, I stumbled upon a Kitson shop with all kinds of odds and ends, thus scoring the amazing cookbook Intoxicated Cupcakes: 41 Tipsy Treats by Kate Legere.  This cookbook is dynamite.  I want to try every single one of the recipes!

Tooty Fruity Sangria Cupcakes
adapted from Tooty-Fruity Sangria Cupcakes in Intoxicated Cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1 16.5oz box yellow or white cake mix
2 3.4oz boxes instant vanilla pudding mix
3/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sangria/red wine
4 large eggs
1 Tbs red food coloring (if desired)
1 cup canned fruit cocktail, drained (I used the 100 calorie version)

Icing:
8oz (2 sticks) salted butter (at room temperature)
2/3 cup chunky orange marmalade
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 Tbs heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp orange extract
2 tsp sangria/red wine used for cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake baking tins with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, mix all cupcake ingredients together until well combined.  Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter.  Bake for 19-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.  Let cool in cupcake tin for at least 5 minutes and transfer to wire cooling rack.  Let cupcakes cool completely before icing.

For the icing, cream the butter and sugar together.  Add marmalade and mix until well combined.  Gradually add in the confectioners' sugar and then the remaining ingredients, mixing until everything is well incorporated.  Ice the cooled cupcakes.  I used a bag and tip to ice mine, and the frosting didn't hold as well as I expected.  If this is how you plan on icing your cupcakes, I would recommend placing the icing in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set before icing.

I chose these as my dessert to take along to a summer barbeque and they were a hit!  The cupcake is moist and delicious while the icing wonderfully compliments the cake.  You could probably even argue that the icing steals the show because it is also just that good.  Seriously.  Make these & enjoy them with a glass of your favorite sangria!  Cheers! 

Brew Review: Hunter's Brewing

Always on a search to try new breweries and wineries, we checked another off our list.  Hunter's Brewing is a relatively new nanobrewery in Chesterton, open Thursdays through Saturdays (and occasionally now on Sundays too!)  There are high top tables, a couple couches, and the bar to sit and enjoy beer.  They have prepackaged snacks and lately The Rolling Stonebaker wood-fired pizza food truck has been there on Thursdays.

Of course you know I tried a flight, which was 8 beers, just over $11.  It seems that Hunter's doesn't offer any light summer beers yet, so they were all relatively heavy.  The Khao Hom Mali, a jasmine rice cream ale, was probably the one I liked most.  It's definitely creamy and the jasmine gives it quite an interesting taste.  Mild Child, the English brown ale, was also good.  Even though I do love a good flavored stout, the others were a bit too heavy for me.  Of course that doesn't mean we won't be back to try more.  The owners were extremely nice and they participate in all of the local brew fests so we will see them soon at Beers Across the Wabash!

Eggplant Pizza

In a quest to be healthy but still fulfill our everlasting love for pizza, Carl and I experimented with a recent recipe we found on Pinterest (of course): Eggplant Pizza.  I can't get over how good it was!

Eggplant Pizza
(adapted from this recipe)

2 medium to large sized eggplants
Olive oil
1 jar tomato sauce (whichever flavor you love best)
1 bag Italian blend shredded cheese
Baby tomatoes
1 package fresh mushrooms
Sliced prosciutto
Basil leaves (chopped)
Sea salt, pepper, & grated Parmesan cheese to taste

Slice the eggplants into 2cm thick slices.  Brush each side with olive oil and place on grill.  Grill over a medium heat until the eggplant slightly begins to char, but is still firm.  Be careful not to overcook.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place grilled slices onto a baking sheet.  Spread the sauce onto the eggplants and layer toppings as you please.  My personal favorite was sauce, prosciutto, mushrooms, freshly chopped basil, cheese, and a few tomato toppers.  Bake for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and begins to bubble.  Top with sea salt and pepper.  Ta-da, satisfy your pizza craving!!

 

Caramel Apple Cookies

During the prime time holiday season last October through December I was always seeing recipes involving cookies stuffed with caramels.  I'm not all about taking the time to roll out dough and actually wrap it around candy, so I usually adapt those recipes into something a bit quicker.  Unfortunately I was never able to find chip sized caramel pieces.  Add the grand opening of the new Meijer in town and welcome in bags of premium caramel bits for baking!  Woohoo!  Can't you just feel my excitement through the computer screen?!?!  I snagged a couple bags a few weekends ago and below is the first recipe I've tried.

Caramel Apple Cookies
(adapted from this  recipe)

1 cup butter - softened
1 cup Domino light (sugar & stevia blend)
1/2 tsp salt
1 box (7.4oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Original Drink Mix - all 10 packets (can be found near the hot chocolate mixes)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 cups all purpose flour
1 bag (11oz) + 1/3 cup Kraft Premium Caramel Bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees & line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, combine softened butter, sugar, salt, and cider mix.  Mix until light and fluffly.  Add in both eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, cinnamon, and baking powder, mixing until well incorporated.  Gradually add in the 3 cups of flour, blending well.  Finally add in the caramel bits until just combined.

Drop dough in tablespoon sized balls onto the lined baking sheet.  Bake 12-14 minutes until the cookie bottoms barely begin to brown.  Let cool on baking for several minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  Makes over five dozen cookies.

These cookies are fabulous: more taste than a sugar cookie but not as heavy as a chocolatey cookie.  I will definitely be baking these again during the cozy fall season!

Crown Brewing Company

As you know, Carl and I are steadily working our way all around the local breweries.  Fortunately, I don't think we will ever run out of places to try since there are so many in the Chicago, Northwest Indiana, and Southwestern Michigan areas. 

Crown Brewing Company hosted the beer festival I blogged about here, so I'd known for awhile that I wanted to head out to Crown Point and try a whole flight full of their beers.  My gut feeling did not lie.  Crown Brewing is definitely one of my favorites around! 

My flight consisted of Crown Blue, Crown Brown, Weizenhammer Weiss, Industrial Porter, Raspberry Creme Java Porter, and Plead the 5th Anniversary Imperial Red Ale.  Crown Blue was a very light blueberry that is definitely a summer beer.  I also really enjoyed the Crown Brown because unlike other brews that boast a nutty, caramel flavor, I could actually taste both flavors impeccably well.  The industrial porter was very smooth, much smoother in fact than my normal stout picks.  And my absolute favorite was the wonderfully delicious Raspberry Creme Java Porter.  It is so good.  You can smell the hint of raspberry the second your glass is raised and it has an incredibly smooth finish for a porter.  I added to our growing growler collection (SunKing, Figure 8, etc.) and landed one of these to go.  I can't like 'em all, so naturally I was not a fan of the red ale; it really came off as more of an IPA taste to me.  With that said, I can't believe I thoroughly enjoyed five out of the six beers I sampled, so we will definitely be returning to Crown Brewing.

As a side note, they are in the same building as Carriage Court Pizza, so you can enjoy some carbs to soak up the good beer.  I recommend the margherita pizza, but skip the beer cheese appetizer (not the best we've had.)

Overall, I definitely recommend trying this place; I'm ranking it right up there with my Three Floyds review.  Enjoy & let me know which beer is your fav!

S'mores Graham Krispies

Say hello to the chocolately goodness of the S'mores Graham Krispie.  While I've tried several variations of several s'mores cookie recipes and been left disappointed and unsatisfied, this recipe certainly takes the cake.  It's a fabulous and true-to-taste combination that will definitely give you the s'more taste you're looking for!

S'mores Graham Krispies

4 tbs butter
1 bag (10oz) mini marshmallows
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6 cups Golden Grahams cereal
1 1/4 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Melt butter over low heat.  Add in marshmallows and continue to melt.  Once marshmallows are melted, stir in vanilla extract and remove once fully combined.  Pour over cereal, begin mixing, add in 1 cup of the chocolate chips and continue to mix until evenly coated.  Using a spatula, press into a greased 13x9 cake pan.  Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips over the top and press into the mixture.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.  Enjoy that campfire taste!

Baked & Crispy Coconut Chicken

We've been trying to stay healthy lately since it's swim suit season, of course.  In order to do this, we make ourselves sit down on Sundays and plan dinner for the week.  Otherwise it's way too easy to grab a bite out!  This week we tried several new recipes and this coconut chicken is by far one of my favorite dinners that Carl has ever cooked up!!

Baked & Crispy Coconut Chicken
(originally found here)

12 thin sliced chicken tenders (ours came as a 6 pack which we cut in half)
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp table salt
3/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Chop the coconut the flakes until they are roughly a similar size to the bread crumbs.  Combine with bread crumbs and all of the spices.  Mix well to make sure all the ingredients have blended together.  Place the flour in a separate dish, and in another dish crack both eggs and beat lightly.

One chicken tender at a time, dredge in flour, dip in egg, and coat in coconut/bread crumb mixture.  Press the mixture into the chicken and make sure it is well coated.  Place the tenders on your baking sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for 20 minutes or until the juices run clear.  Make sure not to overcook!  The coconut/bread crumb mixture will be lightly crisped and golden.

Sweet & Spicy Apricot Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup sugar free apricot preserve
1 tbs rice wine vinegar
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Mix all ingredients together until they are well incorporated and use as a yummy dipping sauce for the chicken!

Like I mentioned above, this has been one of our favorite recipe finds yet so enjoy and let me know what you think!!

 

Monogram Love

I'm sure you've seen my new monogrammed cup posted on my Instagram & Facebook pages and it comes with quite exciting news.  One of my favorite crafty ladies (who also happened to be one of my beautiful bridesmaids) finally started a shop of her own!!  Check out Initial It Gifts' page here and I promise you will not be disappointed. 

I'm beyond excited for Brittany & this new adventure!  I was lucky enough to enjoy her craftiness during my wedding planning days and all throughout my time spent in North Carolina.  Brittany was kind enough to etch all of our glass beer boots to personalize our groomsmen gifts and one of our wedding gifts was a monogrammed plate (with my new last name initial!!)  Last year I got a wine glass decorated with wedding colors & a cute "K" as well, so as you can see I have shared in her monogram love for several years.  Brittany & her cute shop, Initials It Gifts, can monogram anything and everything!  I'm excited to see what great ideas the shop will continue to come up with.  As for me, I can't wait to enjoy my new monogrammed cup this week on the lake for 4th of July!  Cheers!