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Chai Tea Eggnog Sugar Cookies

Posted on December 22, 2012 by Kaitlin

Last year, I made sugar cookies and attempted to decorate them myself (attempted being the key word). I may be getting better at cooking, but my decorating skills are still really sub par. I didn’t want to give away funny looking cookies again this year but wanted to still make sugar cookies. Cooking Light’s Chai Tea Eggnog Cookie was the perfect choice. Plus, these cookies are really quick to whip up because you can absolutely use sugar cookie mix! Ingredients: 1 chai tea bag 1 (17.5-oz.) package sugar cookie mix 1/2 cup melted butter 1 large egg 4 tablespoons eggnog, divided 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg Note: These cookies are non-alcoholic so they are fine for all ages of cookie lovers.

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

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 →

Gingerbread Chocolate Pumpkin Trifle

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Kaitlin

Every Christmas, my mom makes an absolutely delicious trifle to give to neighbors and have for dessert on Christmas day. This trifle is so engrained in our winter holidays that I’m pretty sure we aren’t allowed to show up to my aunt and uncle’s house without the trifle in hand. I’ve always loved the simplicity of trifles and wanted to try out a version using my favorite ingredient: pumpkin! I was given the opportunity to enter a contest with nine other bloggers. The challenge is to use Walkers Shortbread products to make a new dessert, and luckily one of the categories was trifle! It was a sign! My mom’s trifle has custard, chocolate pudding, and rum-soaked pound cake slices with whipped cream and fruit on top. So I wanted to keep the general concept the same with my recipe. I am actually I decided to keep the chocolate pudding because, well, who doesn’t love chocolate pudding? A thought a pumpkin mousse would just be fantastic.I decided to make it a bourbon pumpkin mousse to add an extra layer of flavor. And of course instead of pound cake slices, I used Walkers’ Stem Ginger Biscuits and Pure Butter Shortbread.The … Continue reading →

Pumpkin Cheesecake Tarts

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Kaitlin

Have you ever had a recipe just not work out the way it’s supposed to? It happens to me all the time. I usually tend to mess up a recipe so badly that I don’t even post it on here. But every now and then, my odd mistake ends up not being so bad, and is, dare is say it, quite delicious. This is one of those times, so I decided to share it. This recipe is adapted from verybestbaking.com. Ingredients: 2/3 cup (~15) crushed gingersnap cookies 2 tablespoons butter, melted 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 1 can pumpkin puree 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ginger 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 eggs 2 tablespoons dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. (I tried both paper and foil cupcake liners. Use foil, the paper ones got stuck and I couldn’t get the tarts out!) Crumble the gingersnaps. Place them in a ziploc bag and roll with a rolling pin until finely crushed. Combine the cookie crumbs and butter in a small bowl. Evenly distribute into each muffin tin (about 1 … Continue reading →

Butternut Squash Agnolotti with Toasted Hazelnut Cream Sauce

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Kaitlin

What is it about nuts that go so wonderfully with pumpkin and butternut squash dishes? Walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts just pair so nicely with the flavors of squash. When I first received Buitoni‘s Butternut Squash Agnolotti, I knew I wanted to make a hazelnut cream sauce with it. Hazelnuts, like most nuts, taste significantly better when toasted. I have no idea why this is, but I feel the need to always heat nuts for a little while to increase the flavor. Ingredients: 1 package of Buitoni’s Butternut Squash Agnolotti 1/2 cup hazelnuts, blanched 1 stick of butter 1/4 cup sweet vermouth 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon a pinch each of ginger, allspice, and nutmeg (1/8 teaspoon or less) Salt and pepper, to taste Sage leaves, for garnish Begin by bringing a pot of water to a boil. While waiting for the pot to boil, add the blanched hazelnuts to a oven-safe pan and roast at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. (If you can’t find blanched hazelnuts, you have a bit more work ahead of you. Cook the hazelnuts as directed above, at 350 for 10 minutes. Using a paper towel or a cloth towel, take a few hazelnuts … Continue reading →

Cherry Pie and Review of Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Kaitlin

I was recently sent the Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook to review. Paging through the cookbook, I really loved the number of how-to’s included in the book. Everything from how to cook an omelette to what kitchen utensils every beginner cook needs. The recipes are really simple with beautiful photos to help you throughout; it’s basically a better version of my blog! The cookbook isn’t just for beginners though, there are plenty of recipes that are helpful for any level of at-home cook. There is a recipe for gnocchi I can’t wait to try! (I attempted to make gnocchi once before, but they didn’t end up being happy little pillows of deliciousness; they were pretty dense. Sigh) I decided to try to make their cherry pie. I have only made pie crust once before so I was excited to try again. Plus, I recently bought a Babycakes Pie Maker and had yet to try it out. The recipe for the cherry pie was followed by a how-to for making a lattice pie top so I wanted to try that out as well. Ingredients: Filling: 1 1/4 cups sugar 1/3 cup cornstarch 1 cup cranberry juice 4 … Continue reading →

Lobster Mac and Cheese

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Kaitlin

I have wanted to make Lobster Mac and Cheese for the longest time. So when I was having a crummy week, I thought it would be the perfect pick-me up. (I treat myself really well, don’t I?) Continental, a restaurant in Old City and Midtown, Philadelphia, have the most fantastic Lobster Mac and Cheese. Made with orzo, the restaurants use Fontina and Gruyere cheese to make a creamy, crave-worthy meal. I used a FoodNetwork.com recipe as a base with Continental’s version as inspiration. I headed to DiBruno Bros. to pick up my cheeses, and they were somehow out of both Fontina and Gruyere. Sad day. DiBruno Bros. never disappoints though, and the cheesemonger helped me choose two cheeses: Comté and Tomme de Berger. Comté is very similar to Gruyere but is from France (rather than Switzerland). It has a slight nutty flavor to it, and melts wonderfully (it’s commonly used in fondue). Tomme de Berger also has a bit of a nutty flavor and is a blend of sheep and goat’s milk. If you can’t find these, substitute Gruyere for the Comté and Fontina for the Tomme de Berger. Ingredients: 2 cups orzo 1 pint milk 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, … Continue reading →

Bunny Cake

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Kaitlin

Every Easter, we have this adorable little bunny cake that shows up for dessert. I honestly don’t know what bakery we get it from, but it always makes me smile. So I thought I’d try to recreate it. Obviously, a bunny would be filled with carrots, so I decided to make a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, covered in coconut. I used a recipe from David Lebovitz for the cake and frosting, and used Betty Crocker‘s instructions on how to make it into a bunny. Ingredients: for the carrot cake: 4 large eggs, at room temperature ¼ cup vegetable oil ¾ cup butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon cloves 1 teaspoon salt 4 cups loosely packed grated carrots (about 5 carrots) 1/2 cup golden raisins for the frosting: 2 8oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 3 cups powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 bag of coconut flakes green food dye jelly beans Begin by grating your carrots. You can also buy pre-grated carrots, but it’s not too difficult to do. I weighed … Continue reading →