For Valentine’s Day this year, I thought I’d remind my friends and family how much I love them with a sweet chocolate treat to warm their mugs. These truffle balls are made with two simple ingredients, chocolate and heavy cream, and take very little time to prepare. Despite their simplicity, they make the best cup of hot chocolate you’ve ever tasted. Hot Chocolate Truffle Balls • 1 Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Dark Chocolate Bar (or 17.6 oz dark chocolate), chopped • 1 1/3 cups … [Read more...]
Super Bowl Sunday is almost here! I’m hoping my favorite team (Go Patriots!) make it all the way this year, but no matter which teams earn their spot in the big game, my friends and I are getting together to watch the excitement. To celebrate the occasion, I’m planning to prepare a big batch of a game-day classic: onion dip. Except, instead of using the standard packets of dehydrated onion mix you can find at the store, I’ve decided to make it all from scratch. The secret? Caramelized … [Read more...]
Now that holiday season is over, I’m feeling the need to step away from rich foods and sweets, and opt for healthier alternatives for the New Year. That’s why I decided to make these “after-holiday” granola bars for my family and co-workers this week. They’re sweetened with dates, lightly salted, and make a great healthy breakfast or snack option on the go. The best part is that they’re super easy to prepare, and totally customizable. You can mix in any kind of nut, dried fruit, or … [Read more...]
Decorating gingerbread cookies is a Christmas tradition I’ve always enjoyed, so this year I decided to spice things up by making large gingerbread people who represent my real-life friends and family, and to give each individual their own respective cookie as a Christmas gift. To frost my cookies, I used store bought cookie icing in various colors, and chose one feature from each person – usually hair or clothing style – as inspiration. For instance, my father always wears coveralls … [Read more...]
I've always enjoyed making festive beverages for friend and family gatherings during the holidays, so when I came across a recipe for candy cane coolers on the web, I immediately bookmarked it so I could try it myself once I got my hands on some candy canes this year. Much to my dismay, this particular recipe looked a lot better than it tasted. So, in order to salvage my ingredients, I took a few liberties and came up with a candy cane recipe that tasted exactly how I envisioned. And since I'm … [Read more...]
Almond Roca is a staple sweet treat for family during the holidays. It takes very little time and effort to prepare at home, and makes the perfect homemade gift idea for the toffee lover in your life. The best part about making it from scratch is that you can use any kind of chocolate or nut variety you like. I personally love dark chocolate with almonds and cashews, but you can use milk chocolate or white chocolate, or any other nut variety you like best. Almond Roca Adapted from Simply … [Read more...]
One thing I crave during the holidays when it's cold outside is a warm mug of mulled cider or wine. I especially enjoy making a large batch during family gatherings for Thanksgiving or Christmas because it makes the house smell cozy and festive while it's on the stove. I always keep the heat on low so people can come back for more throughout the evening until it's gone. I'm especially excited this year because I'm preparing gift packets of mulling spices for my friends and family so they … [Read more...]
Pears aren't a fruit I normally come by during the canning season, which is why I was so excited when my husband's aunt let us have access to her pear tree this year. I immediately knew what I wanted to make with her pears: pear-cinnamon jam from Food in Jars blog. I've had my eye on this recipe for a long time, and can safely say that it exceeds expectations. So this year, for our annual Thanksgiving gathering, I thought I'd bring a gift basket with two or three jars of the pear-cinnamon … [Read more...]
A bottle of pumpkin pie spice can be a really handy thing to have around the house, especially during the fall season when pumpkin and apple flavored baked goods are in full swing. Unfortunately, most store-bought versions are stale and exorbitantly priced, so I like to make myself a big homemade batch from whole spices to use throughout the season. This year, because our pumpkin harvest was so bountiful, I've decided to give a few of our smaller sugar pumpkins away to friends of ours who … [Read more...]
For Halloween this year, we're hosting a pumpkin-themed party to slim down our enormous squash harvest from the family garden. We'll be serving pumpkin soup with pumpkin biscuits, drinking pumpkin juice, and for dessert? You guessed it: pumpkin pie. Although we're baking full-sized pies for the party, I thought it'd be fun to send our guests home with their own individual pumpkin pie-in-a-jar to bake fresh at their convenience. Each pie is the perfect individual-sized dessert, and takes less … [Read more...]
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