I skipped yesterday’s countdown of Main Dishes because I instead shared my first #MuffinMonday post! Those Lemon Ricotta Muffins would definitely be on my breakfast favorites of 2015.

This blogging countdown party is hosted by Sarah at Fantastical Sharing of Recipes. Scoot on over to her page to see more round-up recipes.

Today’s countdown though is all about dessert. Desserts are definitely the highest grossing posts on Sew You Think You Can Cook.

So how did I pick my favorites? I do not have a very big sweet tooth and when it comes to cravings I reach for salty snacks over chocolate (though my like of chocolate has increased after my two pregnancies). When I bake I tend to enjoy a slice the day I make it and I’m content. My husband is the one who polishes off the desserts over the week. And/or I send them with him to work or take them to friends. So, this list encompasses the desserts that I ate more than once.

Copy Cat: Reese’s Cups

Copy Cat: Snickers

Cranberry Spice Bundt Cake

Cranberry Tart

Fudgey Cashew Brownies

Key Lime Cheesecake Filled Graham Cracker Bundt Cake

Mantecaditos

Tahini and Lemon Curd Ice Cream

White Chocolate Chip Cookie Souffles

Merry Christmas Eve Eve everyone! I hope you’re done with all your holiday shopping and are ready to enjoy the long weekend with your family and friends with good food, laughter, and lots of love.

Every year my future sister-in-law’s family throws an open house party on Christmas Eve. We’ve gone the last couple of years and have brought along with us bacon wrapped dates (that almost burned my parents’ house down), sausage pinwheels, and broccoli and grape pasta salad.

This year I’ll be bringing an appetizer that we had as lunch this Thanksgiving. A Brussels Sprout Crostini. (We made it lunch by using toasted Italian sandwich bread slices instead of crostini sized bread slices.) The day before Thanksgiving my husband and I were watching an episode of Giada’s Holiday Handbook on Food Network and she made a charred Brussels sprout crostini for a holiday cocktail party. We looked at each other and declared, “That looks good!”

I suggested we make that for lunch on Thanksgiving, but as sandwiches with some meat. (We weren’t having our traditional Thanksgiving Brussels Sprouts since it was a small gathering this year.) We immediately headed to the store and it was the best decision ever. I fried up some pancetta to provide a crunch factor (and protein) to the sandwiches and omitted the pine nuts. I also used red wine vinegar in place of champagne vinegar because I had 3 bottles of red wine vinegar in my pantry (that’s what happens when you forget you have red wine vinegar a couple of times…).

I will be bringing an appetizer-appropriate version to the party tomorrow and will add those photos to this post after Christmas. I plan to bring everything already prepared but not assembled, allowing people to make their own crostini as they wish.

Brussels Sprouts Crostini

Ingredients:

• 1/4 C red wine vinegar
• 1/4 C sugar
• 1/3 C dried cranberries
• 1 lb Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
• 1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 1/4 C ricotta cheese
• 4 oz pancetta, cooked and crumbled
• 6 slices of thinly sliced Italian sandwich bread or 24 crostini

Steps:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the vinegar and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the cranberries. Allow the dressing to sit for at least 10 minutes.
2. Preheat the broiler.
3. Toss the sliced Brussels sprouts with 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and broil for 6 minutes, stirring halfway through.
4. Transfer Brussels sprouts to a bowl and toss with the dressing from Step 1. Set aside.
5. In another bowl, mix the remaining olive oil with the ricotta cheese. Season to taste with salt.
6. Assemble crostini by spooning the ricotta mixture on the bread and topping with crumbled pancetta and the Brussels sprouts.

*This recipe is modified from Giada at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/charred-brussels-sprout-crostini.html*

I can’t believe my baby boy is just over a month old already! I did such an amazing job pre-scheduling blog posts for the month of November that I didn’t have an opening to share his birth story until now.

The birth of my baby boy was so different from that of my little man. Not only were we in a different hospital, we were in a different state! And to be honest, I liked my experience more with my little man. Up to a point. You’ll see what I mean as I tell you my story. (You can read about his birth here.)

I made the decision to take advantage of modern medicine and issued my baby boy his eviction papers at 39 weeks gestation. My reasoning for doing so was because of my almost 16 month old. I really wanted to have his grandparents here to watch him while we were in this hospital. With us living in Ohio and the grandparents in Alabama and Florida, I knew it’d be easier to have a known due date and all four grandparents were able to be here!
My little man had never spent a night without us and while I had a good friend offer their home to him if needed, I didn’t want his first night away to be in an unfamiliar location. (Not to mention he doesn’t sleep through the night and their daughter does!)
My little man was well taken care of and smothered with lots of love during the entire process. His grandparents even took him trick-or-treating for the first time!

Because I was being induced early instead of late the process for induction was different than my first delivery.

Here is the story of how Walcott entered the world:

We checked into the hospital at 8 pm on Thursday night. Upon being taken to the labor room I found out that it was hospital policy to not allow any tub labor (I didn’t want to deliver in the tub) with an induced delivery. While that information wouldn’t have changed my decision, it would’ve been nice to know ahead of time. That news was a big blow and did nothing to calm my nerves. (Laboring in the warm bath was a great pain reliever with my little man.)

The family came with me to check in to get an idea of where the hospital was located and which room I was in. It also gave my little man a visual of where we were. He loved exploring the labor room and played hide and seek behind the curtains at the door. He was put in a night diaper and pajamas before leaving the hotel. My hope that he’d fall asleep in the car on the long drive back to the house was realized thereby making bed time much easier on the grandparents.

At 10 pm I was only dilated 2.5 cm so it was decided that a cervix ripening gel was to be inserted. I had to remain on my back for 30-45 minutes and highly encouraged to remain in bed for 4 hours, at which point there’d be a second application of the gel if needed. Unfortunately the gel and my stomach were not friends and I found myself taking frequent trips to the bathroom. Because that’s what every laboring mother wants to experience! I was still only dilated to 2.5 cm after the first 4 hours so a second round of gel and more stomach problems. This time there was progress and I hit 4 cm.

At 6:10 am Friday morning they started the Pitocin and at 6:20 a resident broke my water. Much like my first labor I reacted very well to the Pitocin with frequent contractions and again I experienced “back labor.” The Pitocin, which starts at a rate of 2 miliunits/minute, was increased to 4 and then eventually turned off completely.

The NST kept showing that my baby’s heart rate would drop with consecutive contractions so the nursing staff told me to remain on my left side. Honestly, we believe that the monitor would simply lose the baby when I was in certain positions due to my small stature. But, I know they could only go off of what the monitors indicated and so the positions that were best at pain tolerance – using a birthing ball or sitting up – were denied me. At 6 cm, around 8:30 am, I began to consider an epidural (laying in bed is not the best way to labor if you’re trying to go “natural”). I had a whimpery conversation with my mom and decided to go for it. Why not experience labor both ways, right?

The anesthesiologist was attending a C-section so I had to wait. The pain was reaching the “I give up” level. Because I had asked for the epidural I “rebelled” against the nurses and said “screw it” to laying on my side. I got on my hands and knees and felt immediately better (probably the best position if you’re trying to go “natural”, in my opinion)! Then I felt the pressure. I was complete and ready for delivery at 9:17 am.

The nurses kept saying, “Don’t push until the doctor gets here.” My mom, husband, and I were thinking “Okay, don’t be so dramatic!” I had pushed for 2 hours with my little man and had mentally prepared to have a repeat. My husband was already trying to figure out how to keep me calm and motivated through another delivery. (He had been glad I’d asked for the epidural!) Turns out the nurses were all right – after two contractions and less than 7 minutes of pushing my baby boy entered the world at 9:25 am. 5 minutes later the anesthesiologist arrived.

This month’s crazy ingredient challenge was to come up with a dish combining sweet potatoes and jalapenos. Nothing too crazy if you go a Southwest/Tex-Mex direction. I though of doing potato skins or some sort of play on jalapeno poppers – I guess I had game day snacks on my mind.

Instead though I decided to go with burgers. I got the idea after going to the zoo. Random. right?

On Veteran’s Day we took advantage of the husband’s day off and traveled to the Columbus Zoo. It was an incredible trip! It was a cool day and the animals were our to play! We saw a rhino rolling in the mud; lion cubs chasing their mama; the tigers and pumas were out in force, too; and we finally laid eyes on the red panda! The zoo wasn’t very crowded either on a Wednesday and we were able to let our toddler run around some.

But back to the dish at hand.

The food at the zoo is actually pretty good. This visit was our second one to the Columbus Zoo and my husband ordered their black bean burger for lunch. (I like their cranberry feta salad.) After two enjoyable black bean burgers I figured I ought to give veggie burgers a try at home. And why not add some sweet potato and jalapeno!?

I’m pleased to declare my veggie burger adventure a successful one. While it wouldn’t fool a carnivore, it will satisfy one! I was surprised at how filling the patty was. I assembled my burger with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. Barbecue sauce or ketchup would also compliment the patty nicely.

BBQ Veggie Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1/4 C diced red onion
• 1 jalapeno, deseeded and diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained
• 1/2 C mashed cooked sweet potato
• 1 egg
• 1 C panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp barbecue seasoning (I probably could have bumped this up to 1 tbsp)
• vegetable oil
• 4 buns
• toppings: cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, etc

Steps:

1. In a small skillet over medium-high heat, saute onion and jalapeno in olive oil until tender. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Remove from heat.
2. In a bowl mash the black beans, leaving some texture. Mix in the sweet potato, sauteed veggies, egg, panko, and seasoning until combined. Form into 4 patties.
3. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with vegetable oil. Cook patties over medium heat for 3-5 minutes on each side. Melt cheese, if using, on top of patties during the last two minutes of cook time.
4. Assemble burgers as desired.

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

This month I put out a vote to my Recipe Club friends for the theme for our monthly potluck: 5 ingredients or less, tailgating, or a new dish. I wasn’t surprised to see that 5 ingredients or less won the vote by a landslide, especially with school starting up and schedules being busy.

What I didn’t expect was the plethora of desserts! My Lemon Ricotta Pasta was the only savory item on the menu! I had to adjust the recipe to fit the theme though. I eliminated the sausage and used garlic powder in the sauce instead of taking the effort to fry up garlic in olive oil. (Olive oil would not have counted towards my 5 ingredients, though.) I made my pasta dish right before heading out the door and kept it warm in a slow cooker at the event.

Thank goodness for boxed cake mix – we had an incredible apple pie dessert (apple pie filling, yellow cake mix, butter) and a berry crumble type dessert (berries, cake mix, butter), no one would know these desserts were “semi homemade.” And one of my friends turned to our group as guinea pigs to experiment with two different brands of gluten free cake mix for her daughter’s upcoming 1st birthday.

A cheese cake inspired dessert joined the menu because of a broken oven (cream cheese, condensed milk, lemon juice, cool whip, pre-made crust). And to round out the cold sweet offerings, a frozen blueberry dessert (blueberry pie filling, evaporated milk, lemon juice, almond extract, cool whip).

A dinner of pasta, desserts, and great conversation meant we were a happy bunch of ladies!