Recipes

Homemade “Kit Kat Bars”

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Before I get into today’s recipe I feel compelled to explain why I put “Kit Kat Bars” in quotations. It’s for the same reason these don’t get the tag “Copy Cat.” The Kit Kat you buy in the red wrapper does not contain nuts, this homemade version gets its goodness from Nutella. But seriously, have you ever actually smelled Nutella? And have you ever smelled a Kit Kat? Samesies!

There are a lot of “copy cat” Kit Kat recipes out on Pinterest that use a wafer cookie for the filling. This recipe uses Nutella and crushed corn flakes to get that wafer effect and it’s delicious! We could just eat that filling and forget about the chocolate. I would suggest using whatever chocolate quality you prefer, I used bittersweet chocolate.

Stuart pointed out that this recipe would work much better as truffles, forming that filling into balls and then dipping into the chocolate as my chocolate to filling ratio was way off. (User error though – I’m sure the recipe is fine.) Another option would be to make half the chocolate and spread that out, let it set, then make the filling, and top it off with the rest of the chocolate for a more traditional “sandwiched” Kit Kat Bar.

Much like the Reese’s Cups from yesterday, these melt so are best kept in the fridge. And they actually taste better the next day(s)! My husband has banned me from making them again, because you open the fridge, you see a tray of Kit Kat Bars staring at you, so naturally you have to take one. Happy Halloween, right?

Homemade “Kit Kat Bars”

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (a scant 1/4 C)
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 3/4 C Nutella
  • 2 C crushed corn flakes (3-4 C whole)
  • 12 oz bittersweet chocolate, broken
  • 1 3/4 C heavy cream

Steps:

  1. Melt chocolate chips and 1 tbsp butter over a double boiler. Remove from heat and mix in the Nutella. Allow the mixture to cool slightly before stirring in the corn flakes. Spread mixture onto a 9×13″ baking sheet. Set in the fridge.
  2. Melt chocolate into heavy cream over a double boiler. Pour over Kit Kat Bar filling. Set in fridge until firm. Cut into bars.

*This recipe is adapted from Balaboosta by Einat Admony*

Homemade Kit Kat Bars | Sew You Think You Can Cook

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Copy Cat: Reese’s Cups

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

I can’t have a candy week without including the most popular piece of candy – Reese’s.

That chocolate and peanut butter combination has become a winning recipe in everything from cakes to ice cream.

Reese’s has been one of those candies I thought would be easiest to make as there isn’t any boiling of sugar involved. I couldn’t have been more right! Although slightly tedious, this was a chocolate product I managed to do without supervision.

I had enough chocolate to make 24 Reese’s cups – thank heavens for the invention of the spatula because I scraped that bowl clean to cover that final piece of candy. I had enough peanut butter to make probably 10-15 more chocolate peanut butter cups. (I saved that peanut butter filling for mixing into brownie batter – because, why not!?)

I was quite nervous that despite spraying them I wouldn’t be able to pull the candies out of the cupcake liners. I had nothing to fear and these tasted just like the real thing- maybe better!

Without the added chemistry type ingredients, these babies melt fairly quickly, so I suggest storing them in the fridge.

Copy Cat: Reese’s Cups

Ingredients:

  • 1 bag (11.5 oz) milk chocolate chips (you could use dark or white chocolate if you prefer)
  • 1 jar (10 oz) creamy peanut butter
  • 3/4 C + 2 tbsp powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tbsp melted butter

Steps:

  1. Line a mini muffin tray with mini cupcake liners. Lightly spray with cooking spray.
  2. Melt chocolate over a double boiler.
  3. Spoon chocolate into liners and spread it up the sides. Place tray in the fridge for 10 minutes.
  4. In a large bowl mix peanut butter, powdered sugar, and butter with a hand mixer until smooth. Place in a piping bag. Pipe peanut butter mixture into chocolate lined cups. Flatten with spoon or finger.
  5. Top peanut butter filled cups with remaining melted chocolate.
  6. Chill at least 1 hour.

*This recipe is adapted from Jillee at http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/04/homemade-reeses-peanut-butter-cups.html

Copy Cat: Reese's Cups | Sew You Think You Can Cook

Copy Cat: Snickers

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

It’s Halloween week and that means I’ve got a theme. My very first Halloween blogging I did a week of Candy Corn inspired recipes and posts, including a pillow cover and pizza. The following year ghosts hit the scene so pancakes and cookies were created in adorable ghostly shapes.

I toyed with the idea of mummies, Frankenstein’s monster, or pumpkins this year but the opportunity to make candy couldn’t be surpassed. It was time to face my chocolate and sugar fears and try making trick-or-treat favorites at home. For the these 4 days I’ll be sharing some sweet treats all made from scratch!

To kick off “candy week” I am sharing a Copy Cat recipe for Snickers! And it was much easier than I ever thought it would be. I was definitely doing a happy dance after taking my first bite of homemade candy bar. It actually tastes like the real thing! I was nervous that the amount of chocolate looked too thin, but the ratios of chocolate to nougat and caramel is perfect!

This recipe makes a 9×13″ pan of layered goodness. That’s a cake’s worth of candy bars people! I hope you have friends to share these with. Throughout my weeks of candy making I’ve realized that homemade chocolate candy bars melt/soften fairly quickly and are best kept in the fridge. Keep that in mind if you plan on gifting some homemade candy – don’t leave it on someone’s doorstep… unless there’s a lot of snow and cold to keep the candy from turning into a delicious mess.

Copy Cat: Snickers

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 C milk chocolate chips, divided use
  • 3/4 C creamy peanut butter, divided use
  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 1 C sugar
  • 1/4 C evaporated milk
  • 1 container (13 oz) marshmallow creme
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 C roughly chopped salted peanuts
  • 14 oz caramel squares, unwrapped
  • 1/4 C heavy cream

Steps:

  1. Line a 9×13″ cake pan with foil. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. In a microwave safe bowl, combine 1 1/4 C chocolate chips and 1/4 C peanut butter. Microwave 50-60 seconds, stirring every 20 seconds, or until completely melted and smooth. Evenly spread mixture into prepared cake pan. Place in fridge.
  3. In a large saucepan over medium heat melt butter. Add the sugar and evaporated milk. Stir and bring to a gentle boil. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the mixture from burning. Add in the marshmallow creme, 1/4 C peanut butter, and the vanilla extract. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and fold in the chopped peanuts. Evenly spread the nougat over the chocolate layer. Return to fridge.
  4. In a microwave safe bowl, combine caramels and heavy cream. Microwave 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, or until completely melted and smooth. Evenly spread caramel over the nougat layer. Return to fridge.
  5. In a microwave safe bowl, combine 1 1/4 C chocolate chips and 1/4 C peanut butter. Microwave 50-60 seconds, stirring every 20 seconds, or until completely melted and smooth. Evenly spread mixture over the caramel layer.
  6. Return to fridge and chill until completely set. Cut into bars.

*This recipe is adapted from Alyssa at http://therecipecritic.com/2013/11/homemade-snickers-bars/*

Copy Cat Snickers | Sew You Think You Can Cook

SRC: White Chicken Chili

~ lk529 ~ 19 Comments

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It’s Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day! In the Secret Recipe Club, each participating blogger is assigned a blog from another participating blogger and secretly searches their site for something to recreate. The accompanying blog post then goes live on reveal day! So while I was immersed in my assigned blog, someone else was picking through mine! I’m so excited to be part of this group, to see what on my blog peaks other’s interests and to stumble upon new blogs and new recipes.

This month I was assigned the blog Shockingly Delicious written by the talented Dorothy. With 25 years of food writing and recipe developing on her resume you can be sure you’ll come to her blog for the food and stay for the stories. On her “About Me” page Dorothy answers the question, “What kind of cook am I?” One of her bullet points is that “leftovers are king” so I know she’ll approve of the reasoning behind why I chose today’s recipe over some of her others.

This week kicks off Halloween week, which I always do themed for the holiday. This year (spoiler alert) I decided to make homemade classic candies. So I originally searched Dorothy’s blog with that task in mind only. The closest thing I could find towards my task was her post on left-over Halloween candy cookies utilizing Snickers bars. (yum) I then managed to stumble upon Cookies and Cream Rice Krispie Treats and I swear, if my grocery store had those Halloween Oreo’s, you know the ones with the orange filling, I would have looked no further! Our waistlines are probably thankful those didn’t happen (at least not yet!).

I ended up going in a completely different direction with the recipe I recreated. I decided to search for something that I could make and freeze for when Baby Boy 2 enters the world in the next week or so. Of course, we did enjoy the meal the day it was made, because you have to taste the food to talk about the food!

I’ve been venturing out on my chili making and decided it was finally time to try the mysterious “white chili”. White chili is “white” because there aren’t any tomatoes, the beans used are in the white/beige/tan family, and the meat of choice is often chicken. That doesn’t mean there isn’t great chili flavor though! This particular version gets its heat from a can of green chiles and a dash of cayenne pepper.

Disclaimer: My chili is far from “white” as I used ground chicken instead of shredded white meat chicken, more pinto beans than white beans, and my vegetable broth has an orange tint to it from the carrots – I actually think chicken stock would have been more appropriate in keeping a lighter chili.

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 can (4 oz) green chiles
  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 6 C vegetable broth
  • 2 cans (15 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can (15 oz) Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tbsp flour

Steps:

  1. In large pot over medium-high heat saute onions in the oil, season with S+P, until tender. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the ground chicken to the skillet breaking it up until it’s fully cooked.
  2. Add the green chiles, cumin, oregano, and cayenne and cook for 2 minutes, coating the meat and veggies in the spices. Add the broth, beans, and flour. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until desired consistency is achieved, at least 1 hour. (Note: If you want a thicker chili, cook uncovered.)
  3. Serve with desired toppings: tortilla chips, corn chips, cheese, sour cream, scallions, cilantro, etc.

*This recipe is adapted from Dorothy at http://www.shockinglydelicious.com/newfangled-cowtown-white-chicken-chili-for-labor-day-sundaysupper/*

White Chicken Chili for Secret Recipe Club from Sew You Think You Can Cook

To see the other bloggers who participated in the Secret Recipe Club this month click here:

An Orange Potluck Party

~ lk529 ~ 4 Comments

Instead of choosing a Fall or Halloween theme for our October potluck, we decided to broaden the category a little bit by going with “orange.” Anything orange in color, containing an orange ingredient, or using the flavor of orange was fair game. Understandably our menu contained a lot of pumpkin and squash.

I brought sweet potato chili. This chili recipe was inspired by my October CLUE assignment Eliot’s Eats. I made quite a few changes to Debra’s recipe, the main one being that I added ground beef to make a hearty chili versus something a little “soupier.” I swapped out the beans for adzuki beans, used crushed tomatoes instead of diced, removed the kale, and forgot about the orange zest.

I first made this chili as football grub when some friends came over. I needed something gluten and lactose free and chili seemed like the perfect solution. And it was a huge hit! Everyone went back for seconds and there wasn’t anything left the next day. Top your chili with tortilla chips and cheese, if desired.

I thought it’d be a perfect fit for our themed potluck and easily transportable in a slow cooker. Be sure to read past my recipe for the amazing collection of “orange” foods. We had a spectacular turn out of over two dozen friends.

Sweet Potato Chili

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 C dried adzuki beans
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided use
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 tsp chili powder, divided use
  • 1/2 large onion, diced
  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 C peeled and diced sweet potato
  • 2 – 2 1/2 C broth (I’ve used both chicken and vegetable)
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tsp finely diced chipotle in adobo
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tbsp dried parsley

Steps:

  1. Soak beans for 1-2 hours. Rinse. Cover with water by 2″. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook uncovered 50-60 minutes. Set aside.
  2. In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef in 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Season with 1/2 tsp chili powder, S+P. Set aside.
  3. In a large pot over medium-high heat, cook onion in 1 tbsp vegetable oil until tender. Add 1/2 tsp minced garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the diced sweet potatoes and cook for 2 minutes, allowing them to get some color. Add 1 1/2 C broth and the cooked beans. Simmer for 10 minutes, covered.
  4. To the chili, add the crushed tomatoes, 1 chipotle in adobo, 1/2 tsp chili powder, coriander, parsley, S+P. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked ground beef to the pot. Add 1/2 – 1 C more broth and simmer until the beans are completely tender, approximately 30 minutes. (Note: If you want a meatier chili, cook uncovered. If you want more liquid cook partially covered, and add more broth as needed.)

*This recipe is modified from Debra at http://eliotseats.com/2012/03/01/black-bean-and-sweet-potato-chili/*

Sweet Potato Chili | Sew You Think You Can Cook

Here are the other recipes brought to the orange potluck:

  • Orange Julius: Mix 1 can (12 oz) frozen OJ concentrate, 2 C milk, 2 C water, 1/2 C sugar, 2 tsp vanilla. Add approximately 16 ice cubes and blend until smooth.
  • Pumpkin Spice Latte: http://thrivinghomeblog.com/2013/09/crock-pot-pumpkin-spiced-latte/
  • Buffalo Chicken Dip: https://www.franksredhot.com/recipes/print/?re=re1242-1
  • 12 Recipes for an Orange Themed Potluck | Sew You Think You Can CookMacaroni and Cheese: Cook 1 lb pasta, drain, and set aside. In skillet, cook 1/2 onion (diced) and 2 tsp minced garlic in 2 tbsp veg oil until tender. In a large pot add 4 tbsp butter, 1 C milk, 1/4 lb Velveeta cheese until melted. Add in pasta, onions and garlic, and 2 C shredded cheese until mixed completely.
  • Gnocchi with Squash, Spinach, and Prosciutto: Cook 1 lb gnocchi according to package instructions, reserve 1/2 C cooking water, drain and return to pot. In a large skillet, cook 6 slices chopped prosciutto in 1 tbsp butter, transfer to paper towel lined plate. Add 3 tbsp butter to same skillet and brown 1 1/2 lb cubed butternut squash 4 min, add 2 tbsp fresh thyme and cook 30 sec, deglaze pan with 1/2 C white wine until reduced by half, add 1 C chicken broth and cook 4 min until thickened. Add squash, 4 oz baby spinach, and cooked prosciutto to gnocchi, adding reserved pasta water as needed.
  • Carrot Pudding: Boil 5 lb peeled and chopped carrots until tender, drain, and mash. Cream 1 C melted butter, 1 C sugar, 1 C brown sugar and add to carrots. Mix in 2 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp ginger, 1 tbsp nutmeg, 1 tsp ground cloves, 6 eggs, 1 heaping tbsp baking powder, and 1 tbsp vanilla. Pour into a 9×13″ casserole dish and bake 1 hr at 350 deg F.
  • Sweet Potato and Orange Puree with Almond Streusel: Make Streusel: Combine 1/3 C flour, 1/3 C whole almonds, 3 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tsp paprika, 1/2 cold cubed stick butter; refrigerate at least 1 hr. Make Puree: Mix together 4 lb worth cooked peeled sweet potatoes, 1/3 C OJ, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp room temperature butter, 1 1/2 tsp orange zest; place in 9×13″ casserole dish, top with streusel, bake 40 min at 400 deg F.
  • Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with Sage Browned Butter: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/butternut-squash-stuffed-shells-with-sage-browned-butter/
  • Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/09/oatmeal-pumpkin-cookies/
  • Met in your Mouth Pumpkin Cookies: Beat 2 C butter until fluffy, mix in 2 C sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg until combined, add 2 eggs and 2 tsp vanilla until combined, mix in 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin, slowly add 4 C flour until combined. Drop spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet and bake 10-12 min at 350 deg F. Make icing: Beat together 1/2 C butter, 1 pg (8 oz) softened cream cheese, 3 3/4 C powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla. Frost baked cookies. Garnish wish cinnamon.
  • Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars: http://roxanashomebaking.com/pumpkin-cheesecake-bars-recipe/

CIC: Apples & Chives

~ lk529 ~ 6 Comments

CIC-header

The ingredients I voted for actually won this month’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge! It did come down to a one vote swing though for the chives over graham crackers. I have to say, graham crackers and apples wouldn’t be that “crazy” so I’m glad chives took the lead.

I didn’t think this combination would be too difficult though. I ended up being surprised. I kept thinking of some sort of tart or pie type dessert, but honestly, I didn’t have the time (or energy) for that. I then decided to try making an apple jelly with chives. I found a two-ingredient jelly using just apple juice and honey and thought, “Now that I have time for!” I think I cooked the mixture too long because what I ended up with something closer to a candy. Had I realized it was candy I wouldn’t have put it in an ice cream dish to cool and instead have spread it on a baking sheet. The aforementioned ice cream dish was sacrificed to the garbage can (good thing it was a 59 cent thrift store find!). It was now back to the drawing board.

I settled on an Apple and Cheddar muffin recipe. I simply swapped cinnamon for chives. The batter really reminded me of a corn bread (although with flour instead of cornmeal) so I decided to bake these in my Mini Loaf Pan instead of a muffin tin. But then I ran into a dilemma of what to call these guys! They weren’t flakey enough to be biscuits, but lighter than a savory scone would be, and it wasn’t a muffin at this point. So… mini loaves it is!

We loved these mini loaves. They were a great accompaniment to some buttermilk brined chicken and green beans. The loaves were also begging to be dunked in a warm bowl of soup or chili or paired with eggs in the morning. I found them best eaten the same day however the do warm up nicely in the microwave.

Apple Cheddar Chive Mini Loaves

Ingredients:

  • 2 C flour
  • 1/3 C sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 C shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/3 C shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
  • 1 egg
  • 1 C buttermilk
  • 1/4 C vegetable oil
  • 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-well mini loaf pan or a 12-well muffin pan.
  2. In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the cheese.
  3. In a small bowl whisk the egg with buttermilk and oil. Stir into the dry ingredients.
  4. Shred the apple over the bowl and fold into the batter.
  5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Allow loaves to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

*This recipe is adapted from http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/apple-cheddar-muffins*

Apple Cheddar Chive Mini Loaves for Crazy Ingredient Challenge from Sew You Think You Can Cook

To see the other bloggers who participated in this month’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge click on the link below.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. 

#BundtBakers: Beverages

~ lk529 ~ 23 Comments

4ae7b-bundtbakerspostIt’s that time of month for me to share a bundt cake with you alongside #BundtBakers. #BundtBakers is a group of bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bundts with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient. This month Laura of Baking in Pyjamas chose Beverages to be our inspiration in baking.

I wracked my brain for this one. I’ve already shared a mimosa bundt and one with Khalua. I wasn’t even convinced I’d fit “bake a bundt” into my busy last-month-before-baby schedule but when I spontaneously purchased Apple Cider a light bulb went off.

This pound cake tastes like Fall. My husband said it reminded him of banana bread and I found the seasonal spices to hint towards a pumpkin treat. It’s a dense cake that lends itself nicely to being thinly sliced, toasted, and topped with apple butter.

I didn’t make a glaze for my cake because I didn’t want it to be too sweet, but if you think it to be “naked” a simple confectioners sugar & milk mixture would be great – especially if you throw some cinnamon and nutmeg in with it – or confections sugar & apple cider. Maybe even some real maple syrup (especially if you toast a slice!) or caramel.

Apple Cider Pound Cake

Ingredients:

  • 3 C apple cider
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 3 sticks butter, softened
  • 2 C sugar
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 C flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Steps:

  1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring apple cider and maple syrup to a boil. Boil, stirring occasionally, 30-40 minutes, or until reduced to 1 C. Remove from heat and set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a bundt pan.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla, mixing until combined.
  4. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and spices. Add half of the dry ingredients to the stand mixer and mix until incorporated. Add the apple cider and mix until combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.
  5. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan. Bake 1:15-1:30, or until a cake tester inserted comes out cleanly. Allow cake to cool in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack.

*This recipe is adapted from Mary at http://oneperfectbite.blogspot.com/2010/10/apple-cider-quatre-quarts-cake.html*

Apple Cider Pound Cake for #BundtBakers from Sew You Think You Can Cook

You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about #BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

And don’t forget to take a peek at what other talented bakers have baked this month:

Apple Cider Bundt Cake from That’s My Home

Apple Cider Bundt Cake w/ Caramelized Apples from The Freshman Cook

Apple Cider Bundt Cake from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Apple Cider Pound Cake from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Apple Juice Spice Bundt with Caramel Apple Glaze from Our Good Life

Apple Spice Latte Bundt from Living the Gourmet

Black Forest Hot Chocolate Bundt from Baking in Pyjamas

Cava Bundt Cake from La mejor manera de hacer…

Chai Bundt Cake from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner

Chocolate Chai Bundt Cake from Basic n Delicious

Chocolate Expresso Bundt Cake from En la cocina de Caro

Dark ‘n Stormy Bundt Cake from Eat, Drink, and Be Mighty

Earl Grey Bundt Cake with Milk and Honey Glaze from Brooklyn Homemaker

Margarita Bundt Cake with Candied Limes from How to Philosophize with Cake

Mexican Hot Chocolate Rose Cake from Faith, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Milo and Condensed Milk Bundt Cake from Passion Kneaded

Mojito Bundt Cake from Baking Yummies

Orange Juice Pine Nut Bundt Cake from A Kingdom for a Cake

Pacharán & Apple Bundlettes from I love Bundt Cakes

Pumpkin Coffee Bundt Cake from Los Chatos Chefs

Pumpkin Spice Latte Bundt Cake from Liv for Cake

Red Wine Chocolate Bundt Cake from Brunch with Joy

Root Beer Float Bundt from Food Lust People Love

Tiramisu Bundt Cake from Patty’s Cake

Vanilla Chai Honey Latte Bundt from Tartacadabra

White Chocolate and Espresso Bundt Cake with Coffee Glaze from Taking On Magazines

White Russian Mini Bundt Cakes from Magnolia Days

Blogger CLUE: Honey Sriracha Sweet Potatoes

~ lk529 ~ 21 Comments

blogger CLUE

Today Blogger CLUE is continuing with our Fall celebrations with a wide open theme of “Autumn” for October’s reveal day.

This month I was assigned the blog Eliot’s Eats. I actually had Debra’s blog for the berries reveal day. Her blog is named after her cat (and favorite poet). I had fun searching through Debra’s blog this time with another season in mind. And I was ecstatic to find a plethora of sweet potato recipes!

When it comes to Autumn recipes the blogosphere becomes filled with pumpkin this and pumpkin that. Thanks to a pumpkin allergy (which I developed at the ripe old age of 21) Fall cooking has become quite disheartening. Luckily there’s the lovely sweet potato to make me pretend I’m in on the craze. 🙂

I made two dishes from Eliot’s Eats this month – one I made a fair number of changes to and will be sharing with you at a later date and this simple side dish. These sweet potatoes are doused in a honey sriracha sauce before being baked until tender. This sauce would be fantastic for any number of vegetables and even chicken. Actually, while I was mixing up the concoction I couldn’t get wings off the brain – probably because of the melted butter and the smell of vinegary heat. Yum!

I used half of the amount of sriracha Debra used on the off chance my little man would give them a try. (And because I’m a wimp.) I’m happy to report my 15 month old showed a little interest and worked on fork stabbing practice with these potatoes. He even licked a couple, but wouldn’t actually eat it. (…I’m trying to remain calm and patient while he goes through this stage of eating…)

Honey Sriracha Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

  • 2 small or 1 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size cubes
  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1-2 tbsp sriracha
  • 1 tsp olive oil

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease with cooking spray.
  2. Place sweet potatoes in a bowl.
  3. Whisk together butter, honey, sriracha, and olive oil. Pour over potatoes and toss to coat. Season with salt.
  4. Place potatoes on prepared baking sheet and roast for 20-30 minutes until tender, flip the potatoes halfway through the cooking process.

*This recipe is adapted from Debra at http://eliotseats.com/2015/04/12/roasted-sweet-potatoes-with-honey-and-sriracha/*

Honey Sriracha Sweet Potatoes for #BloggerCLUE from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Here’s a list of the other players of Blogger CLUE this month:

Apple Pie Waffles

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

It seems there’s been an influx of apple recipes on the blog lately. But what can I say, that happens when you go apple picking! Do you know how many apples fit in a half bushel!? (And I only kept half of them!)

On the first day of Fall my mom and I took the little man to a local orchard to do some apple picking. We picked some Fuji, Winesap, and Johnathan apples and had a great time doing so. My little guy who only likes apple in sauce form even took some bites of a freshly plucked apple. I guess it’s true what they say, “Allowing kids to be involved in the food encourages them to eat it.” (The same rang true for raspberries we picked at the end of summer.)

Two of those apples, 1 Winesap and 1 Fuji, were shredded and added to waffle batter for some Apple Pie Waffles. With my son being in an “I only eat bread” phase, waffles have become a great way to sneak in some extra nutrition. (Half of a baked sweet potato that he wouldn’t even touch was turned into sweet potato waffles.) These apple pie waffles are packed with apple and Greek yogurt for that extra bit of protein and dairy.

Apple Pie Waffles (1) for #MadewithChobani from Sew You Think You Can Cook

There’s a good chance this is my new favorite waffle recipe! It probably doesn’t hurt that I ate them with vanilla ice cream… only the two I photographed, I promise. Actually, the rest of them were enjoyed solo – no butter, no syrup needed. I tried a little bit with honey and cinnamon sugar and that was quite delightful, but not necessary. My husband still ate them with maple syrup.

Apple Pie Waffles (3) for #MadewithChobani from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Apple Pie Waffles

Ingredients:

  • 2 C flour
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/4 C milk
  • 1/4 C vegetable oil
  • 1/2 C vanilla Greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
  • 1 C shredded peeled apple (1 large or 2 small)

Steps:

  1. In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.
  2. In another bowl beat eggs with milk, oil, and yogurt.
  3. Combine wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold in the shredded apple.
  4. Into a hot greased waffle iron, drop 1/3 C of batter and cook until golden.

*This recipe is adapted from David at http://spicedblog.com/apple-pie-waffles.html*

Apple Pie Waffles (2) for #MadewithChobani from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Disclaimer: I was reached out to by Chobani to create a post for their #MadewithChobani series. Check out Chobani’s recipe page and search the hashtag (#MadewithChobani) on social media for other great fall recipes made healthier with Greek yogurt. 

Apple Chicken Chorizo Meatloaf

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Confused?

Don’t worry, we are too.

This meatloaf started out with all intentions of being hamburgers. The original recipe called for ground pork, but my grocery store didn’t have any so I went with chicken instead. And then I messed with the ratios because I didn’t need 2 lb + worth of burger meat. The result? A mixture so sticky that there was no way it’d become burgers. So, we threw in some bread crumbs. And then I decided to just stick it in a loaf pan and hope for the best because even still, there was no way this meat mixture would survive a grilling.

While I was trying to imagine what this would taste like, I couldn’t get breakfast off my mind – probably because of the apple. If the burgers had worked out I wanted to figure out some sort of maple-mustard or maple-mayo concoction. Now that it’s a meatloaf I could’ve tried some sort of maple-barbecue-ketchup mixture to put over top but I simply didn’t have the energy to try making something up.

We ended up eating this meatloaf with syrup instead of kethcup. Quite tasty! The meatloaf reminded me of a gourmet sausage from a fancy butcher or deli. This meatloaf is one that could actually work as a breakfast option, just add a fried egg!

Apple Chicken Chorizo Meatloaf

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 1 link Mexican chorizo, casing removed
  • 1 Fuji apple, shredded
  • 1/4 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 C panko bread crumbs

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl combine all ingredients with your hands until incorporated. Place in prepared loaf pan.
  3. Bake 35-40 minutes, or an internal temperature of 165 degrees F is reached.

Apple Chicken Chorizo Meatloaf | Sew You Think You Can Cook