White Chocolate Maple Blondies

 

When I found out Chili's let go of their Paradise Pie, I descended into mourning.  I don't think I surfaced for a solid week.  That was the world's greatest dessert in my book.  A warm white brownie with a big scoop of ice cream, drizzled with fudge, caramel sauce, and sprinkled with nuts.  It was bomb.com.  Absolute heaven.  I cannot believe they replaced it with a cookie skillet.  Boring!  My heart was finally restored when I found this gem floating around on Pinterest.  I would like to take a moment now and honor Pinterest.

This baby is outrageous.  I'm talking too hot to handle, too sweet to finish, got to share with your neighbor good.  Sinful, good.  You'll feel like you did a very bad thing after taking a bite.  And again when you take your second bite.  And your third.  But I assure you, it is entirely worth it.

White Chocolate Maple Blondies

YEILD: 16 bars

ingredients:

Blondies:
3/4 cups butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp Maple syrup
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups white chocolate
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Walnuts, for serving (optional)


Maple Butter Sauce:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup pure Maple Syrup
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

directions:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9x9 pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

In a small-medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.  

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  About 2-3 minutes.  Add eggs, vanilla, and maple syrup until mix until incorporated.

Turn mixer to low and mix in flour mixture until just combined.   Stir in white chocolate chips.

Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Cool completely before cutting into squares. 

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and drizzled with the maple butter sauce.


For the Maple Butter Sauce:

To make the sauce combine sugar, maple syrup and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until melted. Simmer sauce for 4 minutes without stirring and remove from heat.

Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla and allow to cool.

Recipe adapted from Cookies and Cups

Lemon Chicken Soup with Spaghetti

Chicken Noodle Soup is one of those soups that can be super flavorful or horribly bland.  I must say I have had more bland encounters than flavorful ones, which caused me to seek out a phenomenal recipe for those sick days when you need some warm love.

And for my darling husband, his day was today.  Poor guy got food poisoning at one of our favorite lunch spots yesterday.  It kicked in late last night and has been haunting him since.  I don't know why chicken soup is the go-to recipe for when you are not feeling well, but it did it's magic with Josh.  He was able to get it down and I even heard an, "Mmm."  Once again, Chicken Noodle saves the day!

Lemon Chicken Soup with Spaghetti

YEILD: 4 servings

ingredients:

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 dried bay leaf
1 (2-inch) piece Parmesan cheese rind, optional
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces
2 cups diced cooked rotisserie chicken, preferably breast meat 

1 cup grated Romano cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt

directions:

In a large stockpot, bring the chicken broth, lemon juice, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind, if using, to a boil over medium-high heat.

Add the carrots and simmer until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add the broken pasta and cook until the pasta is tender, for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and heat through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind and discard. Stir in 1/2 of the cheese and the parsley. Season with salt, to taste. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Fresh Strawberry Jam

Spring is just around the corner, and it's the prime time to indulge in some ripe, succulent fruit.  Also the perfect time to restock your pantry with some homemade berry preserves.  I cannot believe how simple it is to make your own jam.  It tastes a heck of a lot better than anything you find at the grocery store, and the best part is, you control what goes in it!  This recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar, but I substituted half the amount with local honey.  Any opportunity to substitute sugar with local honey, I take it.  Especially this time of year.  It is allergy season after all.  

This recipe also includes a complete guide to full proof canning.  If you plan to make a bunch and stock up as I did, you'll want to double or triple up on this recipe.

 Fresh Strawberry Jam

YEILD: 2 pint sized canning jars

 ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1 large lemon, zested and juiced
1 1/2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

directions:

Combine the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over very low heat for 10 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved. Add the strawberries and continue to cook over very low heat for 20 minutes, until the strawberries release some of their juices and the mixture boils slowly. Cook until a small amount of the juice gels on a very cold plate. (I keep one in the freezer.) Pour carefully into 2 pint canning jars and either seal or keep refrigerated. Use immediately, or follow proper canning guidelines below.

Sterilizing Tips:

Jars should be made from glass and free of any chips or cracks. Preserving or canning jars are topped with a glass, plastic, or metal lid, which has a rubber seal. Two piece lids are best for canning, as they vacuum seal when processed.

To sterilize jars, before filling with jams, pickles, or preserves, wash jars and lids with hot, soapy water. Rinse well and arrange jars and lids open sides up, without touching, on a tray. Leave in a preheated 175 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Or, boil the jars and lids in a large saucepan, covered with water, for 15 minutes.

Use tongs when handling the hot sterilized jars, to move them from either boiling water or the oven. Be sure the tongs are sterilized too, by dipping the ends in boiling water for a few minutes.

As a rule, hot preserves go into hot jars and cold preserves go into cold jars. All items used in the process of making jams, jellies, and preserves must be clean. This includes any towels used, and especially your hands.

After the jars are sterilized, you can preserve the food. It is important to follow any canning and processing instructions included in the recipe and refer to USDA guidelines about the sterilization of canned products.

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten

Dove Heart Peanut Butter Blossoms

Alas, it's that day again.  The day people love, or love to hate.  Valentines Day is one of those holidays I could take or leave.  Sure, it's sweet to get flowers and chocolates or a nice dinner out, but there's so much hype!  The roses are marked up 5 dollars, (at least!) and you are bombarded with the red and pink paraphernalia as soon as you step in the grocery store.  Yesterday, as I passed the array of goodies, I saw men frantically searching for the perfect roses.  Talk about pressure.  Although, I must admit, it was a little sweet.  

What I do love about this holiday or any holiday for that matter, is the excuse to bake.  I enjoy walking over to my neighbors and handing them a sweet treat, and these Valentines will be sure to please!  This is Peanut Butter Blossom meets Dove chocolate.  So long Hershey Kisses!  You'll never be the same after these.

Dove Heart Peanut Butter Blossoms

ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 3/4 cup brown Sugar, packed

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg

1 3/4cup all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt
2 8.87oz. packages Dove Dark Chocolate Silky Smooth Heart Promises, unwrapped  (you can substitute with milk chocolate if you prefer)

Granulated sugar, for rolling cookies

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicon baking mat. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the brown sugar and butter.  Add the egg and beat until well combined.  Beat in the peanut butter, milk and vanilla. 

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Stir the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture and beat until thoroughly incorporated.

Form dough into 1 1/2  tablespoon balls and roll in granulated sugar and place on baking sheet spacing  2 inches apart and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and gently press one Dove Heart into the middle of each cookie and place back into the oven and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before placing on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Triple Chocolate Cookies

The past few days we have been having a much needed yard renovation.  We have been wanting to renovate our yard since we bought our house a couple years ago, but such work can be a mighty expense.  After shopping around we found a fair price and decided to take the bull by the horns and get this yard business under control.  It looks stunning.  So stunning I regret not doing it sooner.  It literally transforms your house.  Honest and truly.

 I'll tell you what I don't regret.  Whipping up a batch of these bad boys.  Decadent, fudgey, and loaded with chocolate chips, these cookies will send you over the edge.  They are my absolute favorite cookie.  You could make a double chocolate batch, leaving the white chocolate chips out, but I can't see why you would.  Unless there's a white chocolate shortage or something.  ;)

Triple Chocolate Cookies

YEILD: About 3 1/2 dozen

ingedients:

1/2 pound unsalted butter, 2 sticks softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.  

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy, scrapping down the sides as needed.  Add the eggs, one at a time mixing well after each addition.  Stir in the vanilla.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients in thirds, mixing until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips. 

Using a cookie scoop, scoop dough onto the prepared baking sheet.  Bake until cookies are set around the edges, but still looks underdone in the middle.  Cookies will keep cooking even after you pull them from the oven.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe by Katelyn of Pisa Cake

Chicken Sausage, Quinoa, and Mozzarella Stuffed Peppers

I love meals you can make in advance.  I've recently become a morning person, thanks to my bouncing bundle of joy, so I've taken advantage of those early hours to take care of some household chores to keep my afternoons free.  And if I can bang out dinner too, all the better.  

Stuffed peppers are a phenomenal make ahead meal.  They are incredibly easy to make, and you can fill them with pretty much anything.  Not to mention they are gorgeous!  This pepper is loaded with delicious spicy chicken sausage and yummy cheese that is sure to impress the boss.  Cancel your reservations for tonight.  You're dining in.

Chicken Sausage, Quinoa, and Mozzarella Stuffed Peppers

YEILD: 6 servings

 

ingredients:

6 red, yellow, or green bell peppers
1 pound hot Italian chicken sausage, casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked quinoa
15 oz can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 cups freshly grated mozzarella cheese
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the bell peppers. Cook until the peppers just begin to soften, about 3 minutes.  Using tongs, remove peppers from the pot, drain off excess water, and set aside to cool.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the sausage, onion and garlic together until the sausage is browned and no longer pink. Remove from the heat and stir in the quinoa, tomato sauce, cheese and basil. Season with salt and pepper. 

 Place the peppers cut-side up in a 9x13 baking dish or two glass pie plates.  Divide the filling evenly inside the peppers. Drizzle a little of the chicken broth evenly over top of the peppers, and then pour the rest into the bottom of the dish. Bake until heated through and browned on top.  About 30-35 minutes. Serve immediately.


Note: These peppers freeze perfectly.  After filling the peppers, wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer safe containers.  Freeze for up to 6 months.  To cook, defrost completely in fridge overnight before completing last step. 

Recipe by Katelyn of Pisa Cake

Banana Nut Chip Granola Bars

A good friend of mine recently had a baby, and I wanted to make her a good snack that she could nibble on anytime throughout the day.  I thought some granola bars would be perfect!  It wasn't too long ago that I was spending my first few weeks at home with a newborn, and my stomach would be screaming to me at 1:00, 3:00, and 5:00 in the morning while nursing my baby.  Granola bars were my go to snack.  Of course mine weren't homemade, because there was no way in you know where I was making ANYTHING from scratch at that point.

These bars are super yummy and good for you too!  This special recipe calls for no eggs or processed sugar.  The bananas work as a binder while the honey gives the bars just the right amount of sweetness.  One bite and you will never buy a box of granola bars again. 

Banana Nut Chip Granola Bars

YEILD: 12-16 snack size granola bars

ingredients:

3 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1 cup mashed banana (about 2 large, very ripe)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips, preferably Enjoy Life dairy-free mini chips

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a 8x8 inch baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl toss together the oats and flax seed.  In a medium bowl stir together the mashed banana, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until well combined.  Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until thoroughly combined and all oats are moistened.  Stir in chopped walnuts and chocolate chips.  Press mixture into the prepared baking pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges.  Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before lifting the bars out with the parchment paper.  Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into bars.  To keep fresh, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  

Recipe by Katelyn of Pisa Cake