arugula pesto pasta with roasted asparagus

So March came in like a lion and went out like a, well, still a lion. We skipped over the whole lamb part of the month right through to April showers. You won't hear any complaints from me though. I'll take a month of rain as long as it means no snow.

Rain doesn't accumulate into a solid mass twelve inches deep that you must remove from your driveway. Rain doesn't keep you from seeing the ground for weeks on end. Rain doesn't necessitate five layers of clothing to keep from getting frostbite. Rain I can deal with.

Thankfully, rain also means that fresh things will be growing out of the ground soon. Asparagus season is in full swing and I've been taking full advantage. Look at those pretty maids all in a row up there. While I love me a good brussels sprout in the fall and winter, asparagus is my go-to spring veg.

I've now made this pasta twice within one week and as long as asparagus keeps growing, it will continue to be on the rotation. Thank goodness for green food!

I had originally planned to make this pasta with a traditional basil pesto; however, I don't know about you, but fresh basil is nowhere to be found in my supermarket just yet. So I got creative and grabbed a bag of arugula and just went for it. The result is a pesto that is super fresh, a little spicy, yet fairly subtle in flavor. This pesto is a good match for this dish because it won't overwhelm the strong flavors of the sun-dried tomatoes and roasted asparagus. 

Sidenote: look at all those delicious pine nuts up there. I've been buying mine at Trader Joe's lately because they are freakishly cheap…well, cheap for pine nuts at least. Go stock up so you're ready for pesto season!

The recipe below calls for arugula pesto, mozzarella, and sun-dried tomatoes. But who am I kidding? This dish would work with whatever you have on hand. The sun-dried tomatoes could be subbed for Kalamata olives or capers. The mozzarella could be subbed for parmesan or feta. The pesto could be a traditional basil pesto or even a sun-dried tomato pesto. Use what you have on hand. Just be sure to take advantage of some of the fresh veggies finally emerging from the ground!

arugula pesto pasta with roasted asparagus

ingredients:
8 ounces pasta (I recommend rotini)
1 pound asparagus, trimmed
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 cup arugula pesto (see recipe below)
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, chopped into cubes

directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat mat.

Place asparagus in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with vegetable oil, salt and pepper, to taste; gently toss to combine. Place into oven and roast for 8-12 minutes, or until tender but crisp. Let cool before cutting into 1-inch pieces.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.

In a large bowl, combine pasta, asparagus, pesto, sun dried tomatoes and mozzarella. Toss well. Serve warm or chilled.

Yield: 6 servings

arugula pesto

ingredients:
2 cups packed arugula
1 cup finely grated parmesan
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, chopped

3/4 to 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

directions:

Add arugula, parmesan, pine nuts, lemon juice, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse briefly until chopped. Then, with food processor running, slowly add olive oil until mixture reaches a smooth consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups
Source: adapted from Saveur

peanut butter and honey oatmeal bars

So it snowed here this week. Not a lot, but enough to stick to the ground. I've said it before and I might eat my words again, but surely this is the last of winter. Right? Right?!?

And, as if snow is not bad enough, we've had insane wind right along with it. I'm not one to complain about wind. I mean, coming from Kansas, the land of few trees and zero hills, wind is just a part of life. But that wind had nothing on this. I'm talking about almost knock me over wind gusts. Like, walking to campus and had to stop and brace myself so I didn't get swept away. People driving by are probably still laughing about it. Next time I'll be sure to strap bricks to my feet to keep me on solid ground.

Spring, please?

I've been bringing you non-stop winter food for what feels like a million years and it's time to change things up. I whipped up these bars one evening when my sweet tooth was jonesing for a snack and I miraculously had all the ingredients on hand. Even though these are technically dessert, I'm going to go out on a limb and dub them (pseudo) health food. These bars are packed full of oats and peanut butter and relatively light on the butter and sugar. Nevertheless, these bars are full of flavor, especially if you opt for honey roasted peanut butter.

I think I could take down a pan of these on my own. In fact, my mouth is watering for one right now. Might have to make another batch of these this weekend to ease my pain at the cold, gloomy weather.

Happy Friday!

peanut butter and honey oatmeal bars

ingredients:
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy (I used honey roasted peanut butter to enhance the honey flavor)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oatmeal (not instant)

peanut butter and honey icing:
1 Tbsp butter, room temperature
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar
1/8 tsp salt

directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9×9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and lightly grease.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, honey, peanut butter and vanilla until well-combined. At low speed, blend in the flour and salt. Stir in the oatmeal until ingredients are completely combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain.

Transfer to prepared pan and spread, using a spatula, into a thin, even layer. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until bars are golden brown around the edges and set. Allow to cool.

For the icing: Beat together butter, peanut butter, milk and honey in a small bowl until well combined. Blend in 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar and salt until smooth. Gradually blend in additional confectioners sugar, one tablespoon at a time until icing has a thick, but still spreadable consistency.

Spread icing into an even layer on top of the bars. Allow icing to set for about 2 hours before slicing the bars. Store bars wrapped or in an airtight container.

Yield: 9 bars

Source: very slightly adapted from Baking Bites

guinness beef stew

I want to face plant in this pot of stew and I'm not even sorry about it.

Yes, that's right, I'm dropping yet another cold weather recipe on you…at the end of March! But hear me out...

I really did think we were over and done with winter foods a few weeks ago. At that point, I thought I had made every winter meal there was. But, I forgot one. And Mother Nature knew. She knew I forgot to make stew. And because of it, we're still stuck with highs in the 30's and a snowstorm in the forecast. Whoops.

So, to appease Mother Nature, let's all make stew. And then maybe April will be different? Maybe?

To be honest, beef stew has never been high on my list. However, I had some Guinness in the fridge for St. Patrick's Day and it only seemed right to put it to good use in a big pot of stew. And I'm certainly glad I did. This guinness beef stew has officially changed my thoughts on stew. The meat is flavorful and perfectly cooked, the veggies are chunky and hearty, but the real winner here is the base of this stew. It's flavored with Guinness, brown sugar, and tomato paste and I'd drink it with a straw. No lie.

Here's hoping this is the last of the cold weather and comfort food. Now go make this stew before spring really gets here.

guinness beef stew

ingredients:
1 (3½ to 4-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled apart at seams, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 yellow onions, diced
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
1 (12-ounce) bottle Guinness Draught, divided (do not use Guinness Stout as it is too bitter)
5 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp thyme
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

directions:
Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat to 325 degrees. Season the beef with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the onions and salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for an additional 1 minute.

Whisk in the chicken stock, 3/4 cup of the Guinness, brown sugar and thyme, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the beef and return to a simmer.

Transfer the pot to the oven and cook, uncovered, for 90 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.

Stir in the potatoes and carrots and continue cooking until the beef and vegetables are tender, about 1 hour, stirring halfway through cooking. Remove the pot from the oven and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of Guinness and the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Yield: 6-8 servings
Source: slightly adapted from Brown Eyed Baker, originally from Cook's Country

chicken biscuit pie

Okay, enough already. It's March and there is snow on the ground outside my window. As much as I love sweaters and boots and layering to my heart's content, I'm calling it. We've all had enough, Mother Nature. Give it a rest already.

March has officially come in like a lion so does that mean we for sure have the lamb part ahead?

The only saving grace of all this cold, yucky weather is that I have had ample opportunity to make all my favorite stick-to-your-ribs meals. Chili, stew, risotto…and now pot pie! This is an old-fashioned pot pie with a twist. Instead of the traditional flaky crust (which I will never turn down, by the way…flaky crusts for life!), this pot pie features big scoops of hearty chive buttermilk biscuits, baked right on top of the filling. If you like a greater topping to filling ratio (and who doesn't?), this pot pie is for you.

If you have some shredded chicken on hand (or decide to opt for a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store), this meal will come together mostly in one dish. You'll need an extra bowl for mixing the biscuits, but the rest of the meal is sautéed, baked, and served in one dish. Because we may be stuck inside, but that doesn't mean we want to spend our time doing dishes.

BTW, I have my fingers crossed that this is the last wintery meal I have to make. Can we get a second opinion on that whole groundhog thing?

chicken biscuit pie

for the filling:
4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 onion, diced
2 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped

1 tsp thyme (or 2 tsp fresh thyme, if you have it)

Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp whole-grain mustard
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup milk (preferably whole milk, but 2% will work)

4 cups shredded chicken
1 cup frozen peas

for the topping:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
Salt and pepper
6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk

directions:
Make the filling: Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion, chopped carrots, celery and thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes. Stir in the mustard, then sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Cook, stirring, until the flour is toasted, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the broth, milk and shredded chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.

Make the topping: Whisk the flour, cornmeal, chives, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add 3/4 cup buttermilk and stir until the dough comes together. If the dough feels dry, add additional buttermilk, one tablespoon at a time.

Stir the peas into the chicken filling. Using a spoon or cookie scoop, drop about 14 mounds of batter on top. Transfer the Dutch oven or skillet to the oven and bake until the topping is puffed and golden, about 25-30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Source: adapted from Food Network's Turkey Biscuit Pie

maple blueberry scones

My Momma K is having a birthday today! Yup, it's my momma's birthday and I don't even have a cake for you today. Fail. Pretend there's a candle in that scone up there, please!

For those of you who know my momma, please be sure to wish her a happy birthday! For those who don't know her, well, you're missing out on a good lady.

She's the kind of mom who mails me boxes of Girl Scout cookies and funny cards, just because. She's the kind who will drink too much red wine and refer to herself as Betty Badass…even though she'd never hurt a fly. She's the kind who will watch Project Runway with me every week (even though we live hundreds of miles apart) so we can text each other our opinions the entire time. And she's the kind who will choose everyone else's favorite cake for her own birthday.

So, momma, I owe you one birthday cake of YOUR choosing.

But in the meantime, I offer up these scones. Because when I was first learning to bake you would always try my scones and claim to like them…even when certain other members of the family (cough cough dad) gave them the side eye and referred to them as the "big, ugly cousin of the muffin." (Poor scones…)

Thanks for being wonderful, momma! Happy birthday to you!

maple blueberry scones

ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, but into small cubes
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
3/4 cup cold buttermilk
1 cup fresh blueberries
3 Tbsp buttermilk for brushing the tops of the scones before baking
granulated sugar for sprinkling on top before baking

directions:
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, pinch of nutmeg, and salt. Cut in butter (using your fingers or a pastry cutter) until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Work the butter into the dry ingredients until some of the butter flakes are the size of peas and some are the size of oat flakes. In another bowl, combine egg, maple syrup, and milk and beat lightly with a fork. Add to flour mixture all at once, stirring enough to make a soft dough. Fold in the blueberries.

Turn out onto a floured board and knead until just combined. Roll or pat out into a 1-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch rounds using a round cutter. Reshape and roll excess dough to create more scones with dough scraps. Place on prepared baking sheet. Brush lightly with buttermilk and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve warm. Scones are best the day they’re made but will keep up to five days refridgerated.

Yield: 10-12 scones

Source: Joy the Baker

maple bacon brussels salad with cranberries and gorgonzola

Brussels sprouts are clearly having their moment right now, their fifteen minutes of fame. They're everywhere. Sautéed, roasted, deep fried, any way you can imagine. I'm gonna go ahead and jump on the brussels sprout train; however, I'd just like to first point out that I liked brussels sprouts before they were cool. My momma served them up boiled when I was a kid and my five-year-old self was all over it. Momma and I were clearly ahead of the brussels sprout game.

In hindsight, I think I may have just liked that they looked like little baby heads of lettuce…but whatever.

Maybe it's all these delicious brussels sprouts recipes popping up on Pinterest or maybe it's just childhood nostalgia, but lately I've been hankering for brussels sprouts in a big way. Like daydreaming about brussels sprouts all day. Yeah, not normal. But, hey, it's healthier than my usual daydreams, which tend to involve Five Guys burgers and brownies.

And all those daydreams added up to this here salad. Brussels sprouts sautéed in bacon grease and maple syrup and mixed with dried cranberries, gorgonzola, and crumbled bacon. Basically, brussels trashed up in the best way possible. I could eat this every day forever. Yeah, it's that good.

maple bacon brussels salad with cranberries and gorgonzola

ingredients:
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, chopped (about 5 slices)
1 pound brussels sprouts, stems removed and sliced
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup gorgonzola, crumbled

directions:
Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy, about 5 to 6 minutes. Reserving as much of the bacon grease as possible, remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel to remove any extra grease.

Add the brussels to the bacon grease still in the skillet and stir to coat. Cook until the brussels begin to soften, about 5 minutes, then stir in the maple syrup. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, then season with the salt and the pepper.

Remove skillet from heat. Add the bacon back into the skillet along with the gorgonzola and dried cranberries, stirring to combine. Transfer to a plate or serving dish. Refrigerate leftovers.

Yield: 2-4 servings as main dish, 4-6 as side dish

Source: adapted from How Sweet It Is

chocolate cherry cake

I made you a Valentine's Day-ish cake!!! (With a horrible photo to boot!) You're welcome. :)

My own Valentine's Day has already come and gone. But that doesn't mean I can't force chocolate goodies upon you, right? Okay, good.

The BF and I celebrated an early Valentine's Day this past Friday night so, naturally, I was on a mad dash to the mall Friday afternoon for the perfect gift. Actually, being so unprepared for a holiday is very un-Katy-like and it caused me more anxiety than I'd like to admit. I'm the girl who has birthday and holiday gifts purchased a month in advance. I don't know what happened this time around. I must be losing my edge.

Anywayssss, I made the vital mistake of going shopping with my friend (who is a nanny) and her three charges, a toddler and twin baby boys. Let me just say that we were only at the mall for about two hours but during that time we had a near-miss bathroom accident and some full-on excitement-induced nausea in Build-a-Bear. I've officially learned my lesson. Never again will I wait until the last minute.

But the story has a happy ending. I got a dang gift and our early Valentine's Day was a success.

Whether you're planning on celebrating Valentine's Day with a significant other or with friends (or just boycotting it altogether) might I suggest this decadent chocolate cherry cake? Chocolate + cherries just seems like the perfect Valentine's Day combo. And this cake is ridiculously easy to whip together. Aside from the less-than-desirable chore of cherry pitting, this cake batter comes together in one bowl and in less than ten minutes. So if you're a "wait 'til the last minute" kinda gal (or guy), this low-maintenance cake might just save the day.

chocolate cherry cake with chocolate glaze

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp vinegar (or lemon juice)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
2 cups cherries, pitted and halved

chocolate glaze: 
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp hot water

directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add the vanilla extract, vinegar, oil, and water. Using a spatula, mix the batter until smooth. Stir in the cherries.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool to room temperature.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate. Stir in hot water and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. If the chocolate appears to seize up, keep stirring. After a few minutes, it will turn into a workable consistency.

Spread the icing lightly onto the cooled cake and garnish with cherries.

To store for longer than a day, place the cake into an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator.

Yield: one 9-inch cake

Source: Pastry Affair

caramelized onion risotto with rosemary and gorgonzola

Ugh. It's so hard to make risotto look appetizing. Bright colors? Good lighting? A variety of brightly colored herby garnish? Sorry, still looks gross.

Risotto is one of my favorite cold weather dishes to cook because it's endlessly adaptable, it cooks up on the stove in a half hour and it's just comforting. Yesterday, after trudging around all day in what was predicted to be "up to an inch of snow" but actually turned out to be five inches, dropping my gloves in a public toilet (why????), and neglectfully forgetting to wear snow boots, this risotto was the only thing that could make everything better.

However, blogging about said risotto is another matter entirely. This is why I typically keep risotto to myself. But, well, that's just selfish. So I'm here today offering you a fabulous risotto recipe and some mildly adequate pictures of it.

You win some, you lose some, amiright?

But here's the important thing about this risotto. It has a holy trinity of deliciousness. I'm talking caramelized onions. And gorgonzola. AND my main herb, rosemary. It's not a recipe for good breath. But who cares? It's winter. It's snowy. And I want some dang carbs heaped up in a bowl of deliciousness. Perhaps alongside some of these perfectly crusty and ridiculously easy crusty chicken thighs. Or perhaps just straight from the pot to my mouth because who has time for chicken when there is risotto???

caramelized onion risotto with rosemary and gorgonzola

ingredients:
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 large or 3 medium yellow onions
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 clove garlic, minced
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock, warmed
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

directions:
Heat the butter and oil in a large nonstick sauce pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cut the onions in half and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. Add the onions and sauté for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 more minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. Add rice and sauté until well coated with oil, about one minute. Add the garlic and sauté one minute longer.

Add 1/2 cup stock and stir continually until almost absorbed. Repeat until all broth is incorporated, cooking and stirring until the rice is “al dente," approximately 30 minutes. Keep a close eye on the risotto throughout this process and stir frequently.

Add rosemary, and then add salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, add the crumbled gorgonzola cheese. Stir just enough to incorporate, leaving larger pieces of cheese intact throughout the risotto. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 to 8 as a side dish, 3-4 as a main dish

Source: Sprinkles & Champagne original

the skinny on stitch fix

So I broke down and ordered my first Stitch Fix. Some of my peeps have been asking me about it and I thought it might be easier to just explain it all here. For those of you not in the know, Stitch Fix is a personal styling service done through the mail.

Here's the quick rundown: You fill out a survey about your style, budget, and sizes, pay a $20 styling fee, and they send you a hand-picked selection of five items. You have three days to try everything on, see what you like, and go through endless internal debates (or maybe that's just me). Keep what you like and send the rest back. The $20 styling fee is applied to whatever you keep and, if you keep all five items, you get 25% off everything.

When you refer others to the service, you can rack up credit towards your purchases. So if you decide you want to give it a try, here's the link.

Okay, we got that out of the way. So here are the goods!

Fate Elyse Striped Sheer Sleeveless Top I'm a sucker for white and navy stripes and I'll wear this with everything.

Sanctuary Rizzo Skinny Ponte Pants I didn't anticipate loving these, but these pants are my new wardrobe staple. They're like a cross between leggings and skinny jeans.

Sweet Rain Roger Asymmetrical Zipper Jacket I really loved this jacket, but it was just a little tight. Like a motorcycle jacket, but in a comfier fabric.

Collective Concepts Melandry Button-Up Tab-Sleeve Blouse Love the color of this one and the overall style, but it was a wee bit short on me. I must have a long torso?

41Hawthorn Walt Striped Skirt This skirt was the perfect fit and cut. At first, I thought this skirt was navy and kelly green, but it was actually black and green. I would have kept it, but I was scared off by the black and green combo.

I went back and forth debating several of these pieces. Ultimately, I decided to keep the navy and white  striped blouse and the black ponte pants. I would've kept the jacket and the blouse as well, had the fit been right and I'll always be sad that the skirt was black instead of navy. But, overall, I'd call this first box a success!

I'm trying to watch my spending so I didn't sign up for the monthly shipments (yet), but I'll definitely order again in two or three months. Again, here's the link if you're interested. Let me know if you try it. I'm nosy and want to know what you get!

morning glory oatmeal

As promised…health food! And, bonus, it's also tasty. This is my apology for Tuesday's gastronomical gut bomb. I'm not gonna take it back. But just know you should probably try to work some of this oatmeal into your diet to balance out that mayo- and cheese-laden craziness. Everything in moderation, amiright?

So in college I was a devoted fan of instant oatmeal. You know the kind. Comes in a little brown packet. Pre-seasoned with dried chunks of apple or maple flavoring or spices. Done in a minute. Those packets were my go-to breakfast most days.

Recently, I tried instant oatmeal again. I know this is the part where I'm supposed to say something like this: Horrors! Instant oatmeal is a scourge upon our society and all that is wrong in the world!!! Never again will I sully my taste buds with such a vile creation!

But, guys, instant oatmeal is still pretty decent. However, I knew it could be better, as most all things are*, from scratch.

This oatmeal is inspired by traditional morning glory muffins, with grated carrots, orange zest, coconut, raisins, and lots of spices. However, I'm already planning other variations like maple pecan, chocolate peanut butter banana, or just a basic version with brown sugar and cinnamon.

I'll just go ahead and state the obvious: this oatmeal blew those old brown packets out of the water.

morning glory oatmeal

ingredients:
3 cups water
1 cup milk, plus extra for serving
1 cup steel-cut oats
1 cup grated carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
1/2 cup golden raisins
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tsp grated orange zest

directions:
In a saucepan, bring the water and milk to a gentle boil. Stir in the oats, carrots, golden raisins, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt and return to a boil. Decrease the heat to low and partially cover. Cook the oats stirring just once or twice until it begins to thicken and the oats are soft yet chewy, 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut flakes and orange zest. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve warm as is or with an extra splash of milk. Can be refrigerated and reheated throughout the week, just add more milk before reheating.

yield: 4 servings
source: barely adapted from Joy the Baker, originally from Whole Grain Mornings

*With the exception of boxed brownie mix, of course.

baked tex-mex pimiento cheese dip

I have another SuperBowl recipe for you! Look at me go! Let's take a moment to revel in my preparedness and total life domination, shall we?

What's that, you ask? Could this be yet another recipe from last year's SuperBowl that I simply failed to post in a timely manner?

…gahhhhh….can't you just let me have this one moment of victory? Fineeee. Yes, this is another recipe served at last year's SuperBowl. But food is like fashion. If you wait long enough, everything comes around again. Like skinny jeans. Or neon. Or crop tops. Or scrunchies. Wait…scratch that last one. But give it a year or two. They'll be back. Mark. My. Words.

So this dip is an obvious candidate for SuperBowl Sunday. We've got the SuperBowl holy trinity here: cheese, mayo, and cream cheese. In dip form no less. How could you go wrong?

If you're not familiar with pimiento cheese, it's a spread, most common in the south, that features, you guessed it, pimientos and cheese. This version subs in tex-mex flavors such as roasted red peppers, jalapeños, and cilantro.

Just be careful. You sit down with a bowl of this stuff, you might have a hard time coming up for air. It's SuperBowl gluttony in it's purest form. You're welcome?

P.S. I owe you some serious health food.

baked tex-mex pimiento cheese dip

ingredients:

1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 oz. cream cheese, softened (I like to use reduced-fat)
1/2 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and diced (or 1/3 cup jarred roasted red peppers, diced)
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, minced (plus more for garnish, if desired)
4 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 oz. pepper jack cheese, grated
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper, to taste

directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚ F.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well with a spatula until evenly combined. Spread the mixture in an even layer in a small casserole dish. Bake 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and bubbling.

Remove from the oven, garnish with additional cilantro (if desired), and serve warm with tortilla chips.

Yield: 8-12 servings
Source: adapted from Pink Parsley

jalapeño sweet corn muffins

So we had a snow storm. Yes, another snow storm. I love me some winter, but I think I've officially hit my limit. I want to walk outside without my toes going numb. I want to drive somewhere in my car without first scraping off layers of ice. I want to wear less than three layers sometimes. I'm daydreaming of sundresses and sunshine and mojitos on a deck somewhere. (sigh)

The one redeeming feature of the cold weather? Cold weather = soup weather! As soon as I got wind of our impending winter storm, I immediately put a batch of this to simmer on the stove. I've made this soup so many times now and it never gets old. It's the perfect balance of healthy and hearty.

And what goes better with soup than bread? Answer: nothing! Cornbread is my go-to bread. It's quick. I always have the ingredients on hand. And it's stinking delicious. I typically go for a sweeter cornbread, but switched it up this time, making a more savory version full of green onions and jalapeños.

I may or may not have been ridiculed as I painstakingly placed a perfect jalapeño slice on top of each of these corn muffins. Whatevs. Haters gonna hate.

Note: Please excuse the awful photo. I'll do better in the future.

jalapeño sweet corn muffins

ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup fine ground cornmeal
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
3/4 cup milk (or buttermilk)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup fresh corn kernels (or frozen, defrosted)
2 green onions, chopped
2 jalapeños, 1 chopped and 1 sliced

directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray or put cupcake liners in each well. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine butter, egg and milk. Add dry mixture to wet mixture, mixing just until combined. Gently stir in shredded cheese, corn, green onions and the chopped jalapeño. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Top each muffin with a jalapeño slice.

Bake for 14-16 minutes. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes back clean.

Serve warm with butter and honey, or dunked in your soup.

Yield: 12 Muffins
Source: The Novice Chef Blog

crackly banana bread

I think I'm physically incapable of making a normal loaf of banana bread. On the blog I've posted recipes for coconut pineapple banana bread, peanut butter banana bread, banana espresso chocolate chip muffins, and nutella-filled banana muffins…and I have two more banana bread recipes lurking in drafts just waiting for their big moment. But amongst all these recipes, not a single one for basic banana bread. I suppose I just can't leave well enough alone.

Anyway, why should I? Honestly, who wants normal banana bread when you can have banana bread with peanut butter or coconut or…bacon??? Not this girl.

This loaf is the closest I've come to traditional banana bread. But, alas, as soon as I saw Smitten Kitchen's addition of millet to her banana bread, I had to make it happen. The millet provides a crunchy texture to the bread, spicing up what would otherwise be a very traditional loaf of banana bread. Omit the millet and there you have it…basic banana bread. But the crunch is soooo good.

I had a tough time finding millet at first. My regular grocery store only carries ground millet. I eventually found whole millet at a fancy pants grocery store, in the bulk section amongst the nuts and grains. It can also be ordered online here or here. Either way you go, this is what banana bread should be. In all it's semi-healthy deliciousness.

crackly banana bread

ingredients:
3 large ripe-to-over-ripe bananas
1 large egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup uncooked whole millet

directions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray.

In the bottom of a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork or the back of a wooden spoon until mostly smooth, with only a few lumps remaining. Whisk in egg, then oil, brown sugar, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Sprinkle baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves over mixture and stir until combined. Stir in flours until just combined, then millet.

Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake until a tester comes out clean, approximately 40 to 50 minutes. Cool loaf in pan on rack.

Yield: one 9x5 loaf

Source: slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen

earl grey shortbread cookies

Have I told you that I'm a recently converted tea lover? I swore I never would be. I'm a coffee gal, tried and true ever since college. Gotta have my cuppa joe every morning. But, dangit, here we are. Starting every morning with coffee and ending every evening with tea.

And you know what the worst part is? I like my tea a little trashed up. Is it fruity? Is it spicy? Is it named after a dessert? Are there pieces of dried fruit/whole spices/popcorn in it? Yes? Then I'm in!

I'm the tea equivalent of that person who claims to like coffee but will only drink it when it's half cream and sugar or blended with ice and flavored like caramel flan or some nonsense. Call me a coffee snob, but I always thought that the great thing about coffee is that it tastes like coffee. (Also, the caffeine is a perk. But that's neither here nor there.)

Anyway, tea. The BF is an English Breakfast/Irish Breakfast/Earl Grey kind of man. I'm not that classy just yet. But I'm trying…in cookie form for now. I'll work my way up to actually drinking the stuff one day. For now? Tea-flavored shortbread. Obviously.

I haven't experimented yet, but I think this recipe would be great with chai tea or even maybe some fruity green tea? Let me know if you try any variations!

earl grey shortbread cookies

ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves (or 6 tea bags)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

directions:
In a food processor, pulse together the flour, tea, and salt, until the tea is just spotted throughout the flour. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and butter. Pulse together just until a dough is formed. Place dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, and roll into a log, about 2 inches in diameter. Tightly twist each end of wrap, and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice the log into 1/3-inch thick disks. Place on parchment or silpat lined baking sheets, two inches apart. Bake until the edges are just brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and cool to room temperature.

Yield: approximately 2 dozen cookies

Source: Claire Robinson at Food Network

baked jalapeño poppers

So I'm a little early to the party, but I have Superbowl food!!! This is real progress. Typically, it's not until the day of a holiday or event that it occurs to me I should have made something in advance to share on the blog. And posting it after the fact? Forget about it. Who wants a Christmas recipe in January? Answer: no one.

But not this time folks. Oh no, this time I'm ahead of the game (literally).

Okaaaay. Not exactly ahead of the game. More like far enough behind last year's game that I seem relevant again. Yes, that's right, this recipe and these images have been sitting in a blog post draft since last Superbowl. But better late than never? (sigh)

I would be remiss if I didn't offer you this recipe with a warning. I've mentioned these baked jalapeño poppers before here. In fact, this very recipe was the reason behind Katy's horrific jalapeño burn incident of 2011. I won't share all the details of that harrowing affair, but I will pass along a few valuable lessons learned during that experience. Let me share:

Lesson #1: Do NOT use your bare hands to de-seed jalapeños. Use a spoon. Use gloves. Use anything except your bare hands. This is especially true when making multiple batches of jalapeño poppers. Just don't.

Lesson #2: The so-called home remedies for pepper burns do NOT work. Sure, you can try slathering your hands in yogurt and wrapping them in plastic wrap. You can also try lotion, Vaseline, or even Preparation H. Aside from ice packs and time, I've yet to find a true remedy for pepper burns. If you know of one, please share. I'm sure I haven't seen my last pepper burn. See Lesson #3.

Lesson #3: There is no amount of pepper burn pain that will keep me from making baked jalapeño poppers. Sad but true. They're just that good.

Rest assured, no pepper burns were obtained in the making of this particular batch of jalapeño poppers. I've learned my lesson…at least until I forget again.

baked jalapeño poppers

ingredients:
9 jalapeños
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups grated pepper jack cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp chili powder

directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice each of the jalapeños in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Remove all the seeds if you want these to be less spicy; keep a few if you like some heat. In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, shredded cheese, garlic and chili powder. Divide the mixture among the jalapeño halves, spooning it in and pressing it down to fill the jalapeño. Arrange on a baking sheet.

Bake the poppers for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown.

Yield: 18 poppers

Source: very slightly adapted from A Cozy Kitchen

friday thangs

So I'm officially back in action with a "Friday thangs" post!!! For those of you who forgot and those who are new around here, these posts are completely random and mostly just contain the current thoughts/obsessions in my Katy brain. So, without further adieu…

1. Warby Parker glasses. Yes, that's right, new reading glasses are my cool obsession of the moment. I am, in fact, a little old lady in the body of a twentysomething. Anywho, my parents gave me a gift card to Warby Parker for Christmas and so I naturally spent hours pouring over their glasses selection and picking my top five for my free in-home try on. The top five are pictured above. In case you are interested in purchasing from Warby Parker, from top to bottom: Preston, Downing, Ainsworth, Duckworth, Fillmore. I ultimately decided on Duckworth and ordered them a couple days ago. It's embarrassing how excited I am over a pair of reading glasses.

2. Lululemon vinyasa scarves. My sister gave me one of these for Christmas and I've been wearing it daily. No joke. In fact, I'm thisclose to just sleeping in the dang thang. When I first heard of these scarves, I thought the price was a little much. And, yeah, it is. But now, I get it. In fact, I may or may not have just purchased another in a new color. Yikes.

3. How I Met Your Mother. So the BF and I watched the entire series (yes, that's right…all eight seasons) last summer. And now? This final season is out. of. control. Roughly five weeks in to this season the BF thought there is no way they could stretch out the entire season to take place in one weekend. But, sure enough, they are. And I love it. I'm so antsy for episodes to resume next Monday!

4. Jif Whips! As a self-proclaimed peanut butter addict, I'm obviously obsessed with this stuff. It's basically what it sounds like…whipped peanut butter. It's a lot lighter than regular peanut butter and has less calories. I've been eating this stuff every morning slathered on a banana. Soooo good. I wish they made this stuff back when I was in college and dominated some peanut butter and pretzels for dinner on a regular basis. Probably would've kept off those college pounds a bit more effectively. So far, I've just tried the regular flavor, but the others are sounding pretty tempting! Peanut butter chocolate? Yup!

5. Are you watching the new Bachelor? I'm loving it. All of the classic Bachelor requisites: emotional drunk girl who cries the first night, weird stunts that make everyone cringe (I'm looking at you girl who wore a fake pregnant belly), girls who already claim to be in lurrve. What more could you want?

6. Happy Endings! Last TV thing, I promise! On New Year's Day, we got sucked into a major Happy Endings marathon on VH1. I've never really watched the show, but oh. my. goodness. It is heelarious! So underrated! Go watch it. Trust. You won't regret it.

7. Finally, these cookies. I have no reason to make them, but I think I will anyway. Because houndstooth.

That's all for now folks. Have a great weekend and stay warm!

blood orange sangria

I think I have a serious problem. I officially suck at relaxing. In theory, I love and adore my downtime and I've been dreaming of what it would feel like to have a free weekend since midterms last semester. No grading! No research! All of the time for Netflix marathons and fun reading and (gasp) cooking!!! In reality, however, come day two of winter break I'm starting new projects, deep cleaning everything, and beginning to feel my brain melt from boredom. When did I become this way? WHY?!?

And that's about where I'm at currently. I'm beginning to feel the winter doldrums. The rush of the holidays is past, spring and outdoor activities are a distant dream, and school won't be back in session for a couple more weeks. What's a gal to do? I mean, sure, I could be course planning and dissertationing and whatnot. And I am doing those things. But my busy bee self is restless. Anyone need cupcakes for a small city? Their closets/bookshelves/pantries organized ROY G. BIV-style? I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I made planners for the BF and myself just because…with personalized monograms no less! I can't decide which part of that sentence is the most humiliating. (Side note: If I'm being honest, they actually turned out pretty cute.) But, still, I'm ashamed.

Let's just hope school starts back up before I completely lose touch with reality.

It may seem like the wrong season for sangria, but I assure you it's never the wrong season for sangria! Citrus is just coming into season and that is reason enough to whip up a big ol' batch of this sangria. Feel free to play around with the fruits. I used what I had in the house. If you can't find blood oranges, regular naval oranges will do the job…they're just slightly less pretty. :)

Similarly, you can also mix up the liquor in this recipe. The original version called for brandy. You could probably also use triple sec or some kind of fruit schnapps if you like a more fruity/slightly less boozy flavor. Or you could go for bourbon if you're a girl after my own heart.

blood orange sangria

ingredients:
6 blood oranges
1/2 cup sugar, for glass rimming
1 (750ML) bottle of pinot grigio
1/2 cup club soda
1/4 cup peach schnapps
6 ounces of strawberries, sliced
1 cup of blackberries
1 apple, sliced

directions:
Zest one of the blood oranges and combine it with the sugar in a small bowl. Rub the sugar and zest together with your fingers until evenly mixed. Juice four of the blood oranges (including the zested orange), discarding any seeds. Chop the remaining two blood oranges into quarters.

In a large pitcher, combine the blood orange juice, wine, club soda, peach schnapps, strawberries, blackberries, apple, and blood oranges. Stir well to combine, crushing the fruit a bit to release the juices. Place the orange sugar on a plate, then run a lemon, lime or orange slice around the rim of each glass. Dunk each glass in the sugar, coating well. Fill each glass with a few ice cubes, then add some of the fruit from the sangria. Pour the sangria into each glass and serve.

Yield: serves 2-4
Source: adapted from How Sweet It Is

apricot, ginger and white chocolate scones

Happy New Year!!! As you can see, my New Year's resolution has absolutely nothing to do with dieting. No, my 2014 is already chock full of butter and baking chips. So I guess what I'm saying is that 2014 is off to a good start. :)

Instead, my resolutions are more of the be productive/dominate life variety. For example, I promised myself I would blog more(!) in 2014. 2013 was a pretty weak year for this here blog. And I'm sorry. From here on out I'll do better! Thus, this post is step one to being the best blogger I can be.

Also on the list of New Year's resolutions? Minimize. First stop: my wardrobe. You should see the insane piles of clothes covering my bedroom floor at the moment. On a related note, anyone between the sizes of XS and M living in the Rhode Island area who would like to come peruse, please let me know!

Next stop: my bookshelves. Book worms stay tuned...

Of course the perfect comeback recipe must be a scone. Have I beat you over the head with enough scone recipes for one lifetime? I hope not.

These scones are a little out of the box for me. I'm not typically an apricot, ginger, or white chocolate fanatic, but I had leftover ingredients and somehow these flavors meld together perfectly here. These scones and a big mug of tea…there are worse ways to get through a polar vortex.  :)

Stay warm!

dried apricot, ginger and white chocolate scones

ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and cut into pieces
3/4 cup milk or half and half
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger
1-2 tbsp milk or cream, for finishing
coarse sugar, for finishing

directions:
Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat mat.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter to dry ingredients and toss to coat. Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour mixture until no pieces larger than a pea remain.

Add in milk and vanilla and stir with a fork almost until the mixture comes together. Stir in apricots, white chocolate chips and ginger until evenly distributed.

Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and divide it into two balls. Shape each ball into a disc about 3/4-inch thick and cut into quarters. Arrange piece on prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scone with a bit of milk or cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake for 16-20 minutes, until scones are golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool before serving.

Yield: 8 scones

Source: Baking Bites