Tag Archives: cinnamon

Peaches and Cream

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One of my favorite memories growing up is the dessert my sister and I used to get just before bed. Most of the time I would choose vanilla ice cream…and not much has changed since then. I may not eat dessert right before bed anymore, but I still looove vanilla ice cream. I wanted to put a fresh twist on my fav dessert by adding some hot cooked peaches. It makes this cool dish, cozy. Who knew a summer dish could actually be cozy?!

  • 3-4 fresh peaches, pitted and thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp of water
  • 2 tbsp of brown sugar
  • A dash of salt
  • 1 sprig of mint leaves
  • 1 pint of vanilla bean ice cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cover a cookie sheet in foil with enough slack on the sides to form a packet. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, cinnamon, vanilla extract, water, sugar, and salt. Slowly add in the sliced peaches and mix until fully coated. Lay the peaches flat on the cookie sheet and close the foil over top. Bake for 20 minutes or until slightly soft and they have a glaze on them.

Place two scoops of ice cream in a small bowl for serving, and top with the hot peaches, garnishing with a mint leaf.

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Happy Eating, XO

 

Muffin Mania Part I

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OK so sometimes I buy way too many veggies in attempt to eat healthier. Now we are at that moment in which they will go bad if not consumed soon and I just cant finish all of this myself. So, juicing is usually a good fallback option however I sold my juicer in attempt to buy a new pair of shoes, so there’s that. Good old Pinterest to the rescue. I searched for a recipe that would use ingredients I already had in my pantry/kitchen. What a yummy way to eat my veggies and a resolution to my overabundance problem!

  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour (I used all purpose because that’s all I had lying around)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled (I forgot this, that’s what rushing to take photos does, don’t forget it, seems to be the element that adds a certain richness)
  • ½ cup pure maple syrup (I would also add a tbsp. of sugar because I don’t think they were sweet enough)
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup grated zucchini
  • 1 cup grated carrot (original calls for 1/2 cup but I think it needs 1, came out too doughy)
  • Original recipe had raisins and nuts (walnuts or pecans would work best), I left out but its a good idea to add some more oompf to the muffins.
Preheat oven to 350°F and place rack in the center of the oven, and coat a mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the butter, maple syrup (& sugar), egg, and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir together until just barely combined. Add the zucchini, carrot, and stir gently until just distributed. Fill each cup in the mini muffin pan approximately ¾ full (my tins were only half full) Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
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Happy Eating, XO

Squash It

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I have a fellow foodie that is just my spirit animal when it comes to trying new dishes and eating out together. Not only is she just as adventurous as me, but she is a phenomenal cook. One day when we were discussing different recipes we both came to the conclusion that we are obsessed with autumn vegetables and summer fruits. Those are the best seasons for the respective produce and you should go crazy making dishes that incorporate those seasonal ingredients. Now I know I am a long shot away from Fall, but with the recent flurries we experienced in the Philadelphia area, it sure feels more like autumn than spring. Check out this lovely butternut squash (one of the shining stars of the Fall veggie scene) recipe, it even re-uses the maple syrup you bought for this chicken recipe and the squash from the Fall Stew. Plus, eating it should help me “squash” my feelings of missing Fall. Oh what a wordsmith I can be.

  • 1 package of the pre-peeled and cubed butternut squash from Trader Joes (I am obsessed with TJ and lazy, perfect combo).
  • 1 tbsp. of olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. of the maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. of cayenne (although I did equal parts of cinnamon & cayenne, since I like the heat)
  • 1 tsp. of course sea salt
  • Optional: 2 tbsp. low fat sour cream & 1 tsp. chopped fresh chives.

Set the oven at 400 degrees and toss the ingredients with the squash. Spread out on baking sheet and cook for 20-30 minutes. I do the fork test and prick the larger piece to check for done-ness. If it slides out and the squash is soft, you can shut off the oven & let it cool. I also serve this with a dollop of cold low fat sour cream which I sprinkle with chopped chives. I adore the yummy mild onion flavor it adds to the dish. Plus any potato chip lover knows that sour cream can’t breath without onion/chives.

Happy Eating, XO.

Rise & Shine Puddin’

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Ok so I have special place in my heart for bread pudding. It was my paternal grandfather’s favorite dessert. So I feel as if I am doing the family a disservice if its on a menu at a restaurant and I don’t order it. Having said that, this is a dessert that can either be amazeballs or really really crappy. I just don’t get it to be honest, however since that is the case I have always been afraid to make it in fear of the fact that I will end up making the crappy version (or that I should have gone to culinary school because I don’t know what the freak “place in a water bath” means? I mean don’t all baths have water? Whatever, I digress). Alas, I came across a recipe that not only seemed easy enough for a home cook to make, but also seemed fool proof at not sucking. I tried it out and just loved it. So much so, that I served it for brunch & looked like a culinary wizard (you know one that bathes their food & such).

Have at it and comment below. Jess and I just don’t have enough reading to do…so write us something! STAT.

  • 7-8* slices day-old bread (I am lazy and didn’t wanna have to buy raisins and cinnamon per the recipe’s instructions so I just used Pepperidge farm raisin cinnamon swirl bread. Best short cut ever, I’m a genius!)                                                  
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted                                                                     
  • 4 eggs, beaten      
  • 2 cups of half & half                            
  • 1/2 cup (white or brown) sugar (original calls for 3/4 cup & that was way too sweet for brunch, but if making as a dessert you can always increase the sugar, but again I left it at 1/2 cup).                                             
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chopped (candied or regular) walnuts (optional since I know some of y’all have nut allergies)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. If using, sprinkle with the nuts now. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped. Top should look golden brown.

* the bread quantity varies only because I don’t know how custardy or solid you like your bread pudding. Everyone’s preference differs, so just eye ball it.

Happy Eating, XO.

Honey Roasted Brussels Sprouts

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Before you roll your eyes and gag on the words “brussels sprouts” you need to keep reading. These little balls of bitterness are actually really sweet and tasty when roasted with some honey. Trust me, I’ve converted two non-brussels sprout eaters into sprout lovers with this combo. It’s easy to whip up for a last minute dinner date or just a night when you really don’t want any effort involved. The total prep and cook time is 15 minutes. It doesn’t get much quicker than that people.

  • Half a stalk of brussels sprouts (about 3 cups)
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil (enough to coat the sprouts)
  • 2-3 tablespoons of honey (again, enough for a nice coating)
  • A dash of salt and cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut the bottoms off of the sprouts and slice them in half. Toss them together with the olive oil, honey, and cinnamon until fully coated. Lay them flat side down on a baking pan and sprinkle with salt. Bake them for about 10 minutes or until browned.

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Happy Eating, XO.