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Mediterranean Stuffed Mini Peppers

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Kaitlin

I am less than one month away from attending Eat Write Retreat in Philadelphia and am getting so excited for it! Not only is the lineup awesome, but I get to meet a ton of other bloggers, what could be better? As we get closer to the big weekend, the attendees were sent a secret ingredient and were asked to try to incorporate into an appetizer recipe. I received California raisins, which people tend to think of more for sweet foods, but play off savory dishes oh so well. It goes without saying that I haven’t been able to get California Raisins’ classic commercial out of my head since I received them! OXO generously also sent us a few spiffy tools to help create our recipe; I can never have enough of their products! Raisins are a great addition to a meal to add some sweetness without any added sugar. The dried fruit is loaded with antioxidants and fiber while being fat free and cholesterol free. Did you know that one serving of raisins (just 1/4 cup) has more potassium than a banana? I have a friend that absolutely raves about Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers that her grandmother used to make for her, with rice, … Continue reading →

Plum Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Kaitlin

Certain foods just seem to be engrained in what we thing about certain cities, countries or regions. The South is known for its barbecue (which is different state to state), Italy is known for its pasta, Philadelphia is known for its cheesesteaks… you get the idea. I was recently sent a cookbook that plays off of this idea of a region’s traditional foods: The Yankee Chef: Feel Good Food for Every Kitchen by Jim Bailey. The cookbook is filled with traditional New England fare, from pot roasts to chowder, but also gives a “Yankee” spin to other foods, such as Lobster Fried Rice. Jim, the Yankee Chef himself (or, more appropriately, third generation Yankee Chef) fills the pages of the cookbook with background stories, tips, and a bit of humor, which had me reading the cookbook page by page. Not to mention, the photos are breathtaking! I wish my photos looked like the ones found on these pages. I wanted to test out one of his recipes so I went for the Plum Sweet and Spicy Chicken because I don’t think I’ve ever made anything like it, and it sounds fantastic! I altered the recipe so that I didn’t have … Continue reading →

Apple-Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Kaitlin

I know, I know. You probably read the title and thought to yourself there is no way quinoa can be a tasty breakfast. But hear me out. Quinoa, although a great grain to use as a dinner side, can also hold its own as a sweeter breakfast meal. I actually originally made this recipe so that vegan friends who were visiting for the weekend had a breakfast option. (Vegans have a tough time when it comes to breakfast! Oatmeal, quinoa, fruit. I think that’s about it…) Anyways, I wasn’t expecting much. But it was so tasty I made a batch for my breakfasts all week. That’s right, it even reheats nicely! I found this recipe on Budget Bytes and made some minor changes. Check out her original recipe here. Ingredients: 1 cup quinoa 1 1/2 cups apple cider 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon allspice 1 medium apple (I used Fuji) 1/2 cup dried fruit/nut mixture

Tri-Vegetarian Chili

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Kaitlin

I made a realization this weekend. Chili is so hearty that I really don’t realize if there is even meat in them. So why add it in? With a bunch of different beans and peppers, you can still deliver an absolutely delicious chili that doesn’t even need meat! (I’m not knocking those that like meat in their chili, I just apparently prefer the vegetarian version) Katherine Martinelli had a chili link up last week on her blog and I couldn’t stop thinking about chili. Her Three Bean Chili in particular looked so fantastic, I decided to make my own version of it below. It is based off of her recipe but I did make some changes, so to see the original recipe, check it out here. This Tri-Vegetarian Chili is aptly named. It uses three types of beans, three types of dried peppers, and three types of bell peppers. Ingredients: 1 cup dried red kidney beans 1 cup dried great northern beans 1 cup dried black turtle beans 2 dried guajillo peppers 2 dried chipotle peppers 2 dried ancho chili peppers 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1 orange … Continue reading →

Slow Cooker Apple French Toast Casserole

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Kaitlin

I love recipes that make it easy to serve a bunch of people with minimal effort. A slow cooker is usually a go-to for those types of recipes but I’ve never considered using it to make breakfast before. The Ninja Cooking System is the perfect tool for it though. They sent over this recipe for an Apple French Toast Casserole and I couldn’t wait for the weekend to come so I could make it. This recipe makes 8 servings so it would be great for breakfast for a larger group but I also packed up the rest of my servings to reheat during the week. Ingredients: ½ cup butter 2 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1/2 cup chopped walnuts ½ cup packed brown sugar ½ cup pure maple syrup 1 loaf challah bread (about 1 pound), cut into cubes 6 large eggs 2 cups vanilla almond milk (or normal milk) 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon vanilla extract Pinch salt Confectioners’ sugar

Mini Chocolate Swirled Pumpkin Pies

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Kaitlin

Just because Thanksgiving has passed doesn’t mean I can continue to deliver pumpkin-y goodness on this blog. This recipe for Chocolate Pumpkin Pie was featured on The Chew and I just loved the idea of it but wanted to make it a little bit my own. I didn’t want the pumpkin flavor to be lost in the chocolate so I decided to swirl a bit in at the end. And, because I’m apparently on a mini kick, I went with mini pumpkin pies! Ingredients: 3 oz Semisweet Chocolate Chips 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter (cut into small pieces) 1/2 teaspoon Coffee or Espresso Grounds 1 15 oz Can Pumpkin 1 12 oz Can Evaporated Milk 3/4 cup Packed Light-Brown Sugar 3 Large Eggs 1 tablespoon Cornstarch 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract 3/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger 1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg Pinch of Ground Cloves Mini pie crusts

Duck Breasts with Cider-Farro Risotto

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Kaitlin

So, I found myself in the odd position of craving farro. Yes, farro. So after some searching, I came across a Cooking Light recipe that sounded fantastic. The recipe not only has farro, but it also uses apple cider (how autumnal!) AND it’s a risotto! I’ve never thought of using farro in a risotto but, better late than never. Ingredients: Risotto: 1 cup farro 1.5 cups fat free, less sodium chicken broth 1.5 cups apple cider 1 tablespoon butter 1 cup chopped fennel bulb (1 small fennel bulb should cover you) 3/4 cup dry white wine 1/2 cup water (if needed) grated lemon rind from one lemon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon Duck: 4 6-ounce boneless duck breast halves, skinned 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Apple Cinnamon Donut Holes

Posted on November 24, 2012 by Kaitlin

I wanted to make another batch of the Applejack Spiked Hot Cider but *gasp* I couldn’t find any apple cider anywhere! There must have been a Thanksgiving rush, but I wanted some darn Apple Cider. But then I remembered I bought a Babycakes Cake Pop Maker and figured I could at least make Apple Cinnamon Donut Holes as a sweet apple-y substitute. (Because I couldn’t find apple cider, I substituted apple juice) Ingredients (this makes 2 1/2 – 3 dozen): 1¼ cups all-purpose flour ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon allspice ¼ cup vegetable oil 1 egg ½ cup apple juice ¾ cup sugar 1½ teaspoons cinnamon

Pumpkin Eggnog

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Kaitlin

The only upside to the colder weather, is that it is now appropriate for me to make eggnog. And not just any eggnog, but pumpkin eggnog. Pinnacle Vodka came out with a pumpkin pie vodka this year, and I’ve been waiting and waiting for the right weather to make this drink. I actually used a recipe that came from The Cookbook of Ellen M Emlen, which is a recipe book from from the 1860′s that The Historical Society of Pennsylvania found in their collection. I’ve written about this cookbook before on this blog and I just love it. One of the issues in the cookbook though, is that it is written before standard measurements were invented so the recipes aren’t easily reproduced. (For example, this recipe called for a wine-size glass of milk. White wine or red wine glass? Completely full, or what a serving in the glass would be? You get the picture.) But I figured if it was good enough for the 19th century, it’s good enough for me! Ingredients: 2 eggs 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar 2 cups milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree 1 oz pumpkin spice … Continue reading →

Slow Cooker Mulled Wine

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Kaitlin

My goodness it dropped in temperature quickly! It feels like we went straight from September weather to December weather. Luckily, I have the perfect warm drink to keep you toasty. This is a (probably) oversimplified version of a drink my aunt and uncle always have at their house for the holidays: Wassail. It’s basically a mulled wine that warms you up from the inside out. I’ve been thinking about Wassail since the change in temperature so I decided to make a quick batch with things I already had in my house. Ingredients: 1 bottle red wine (I used a red zin) 2 cinnamon sticks 3 whole cloves 5 allspice berries 1 orange 2 oz whiskey 1 oz triple sec 1/4 cup brown sugar I like using the slow cooker so that I don’t accidentally boil the wine. This recipe can be multiplied as needed, it cooks down a bit so one bottle of wine renders about 3 glasses. Add the bottle of wine, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and allspice berries to the slow cooker. Cut the orange in half. Squeeze 1/2 of the orange into the slow cooker. Slice the other half into thin slices and throw in the slow … Continue reading →