Monthly Archives: September 2011

Sweet & Simple: Easy Pumpkin Oreos

Are you in need of an easy and sweet spooky treat? Then these grinning jack-o-lantern Oreos are for you! The classic sandwich cookie gets all dressed up in a pumpkin costume for Halloween! They’re perfect for Halloween parties & handing out to trick-or-treaters for several reasons:

  1. They look so cute and festive, but they’re cake to make.
  2. They’re made from a delicious cookie that everyone loves, made better with a white chocolate coating!
  3. Finger foods = perfect party munching!

You can whip the white chocolate glaze up in minutes, so these Oreos are as easy as they are tasty! It’s a fancy and festive snack without all of the fuss.

So, saddle up with your Halloween spirit and whip up these cute & delicious, white chocolate-drenched Oreos. You’ll be feeling spooky in no time!

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The Best Eggplant Parmigiana

I know, you see the words “the best” and you’re like, “Psh. Yeah, okay.” Well, “the best” is certainly quite a claim to make, one that I don’t take lightly. Declaring something as “the best” is like saying “I love you;” you don’t just go tossing it around. But unfortunately, many people do. That is why we don’t always take such phrases as seriously as we should.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to launch into a lecture. I’m just trying to make clear that I mean business! This is some seriously good stuff, the best I’ve ever had. If you don’t believe me, then try it for yourself. I’m sure, after just one bite, you’ll agree!

This is a really special dish. My mom first made it for me, which makes it all the more near and dear to my heart. I usually like to do the recipe-testing, but it’s nice to have my mother make something special for me once and a while. Even better is when we cook together, as we did tonight. Those are the kinds of memories I’ll carry forever.

But enough about me. I like to spare you little cookies of the personal details in my life (like what I did today and how cute my dog is, etc.), because that’s not what this is about. It’s about the food. I do hope, however, that in sharing my personal attachment to this dish, you will better understand why it’s so sublime.

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Healthy Cookie: Classic Creme Brulee (104 calories!)

Creme brulee is a sultry, sophisticated dessert. It frequents fancy restaurant menus and romantic dinners for two. It’s creamy and luscious in the middle with a crisp, golden brown sugar topping that offers a satisfying crackle to each bite. Its flavor is not complex, just classic, indulgent vanilla. With that caramelized sugar top, creme brulee is an impressive and divine dessert.

The funny thing about creme brulee is that it’s actually insanely simple to make. You whip up the custard (super easy), bake it until it sets (cake), then top it with the sugar and caramelize it (simple). The best part is, you can make the custards ahead of time then refrigerate until you’re ready to serve! You can choose to wait until serving to top them with the sugar or do it before refrigeration; it doesn’t matter.

Oh wait…I forgot. There’s a major downside to creme brulee: it’s not calorie-friendly.

Or at least, it wasn’t. Thanks to that genius Hungry Girl, we can now enjoy all the creamy, heavenly indulgence of a creme brulee without the guilt. These creme brulees are only 104 calories each! Yes, 104 calories! Try and tell me that’s not insanely awesome. And they’re SO GOOD. They have a perfect creamy texture plus a beautiful crackling sugar topping. If no one told you it was low-cal, you’d never know. It’s as good as any other creme brulee out there. You need this in your life.

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Healthy Cookie: Kickin’ Italian Veggie Skillet (140 Calories)

It’s been scientifically proven that we eat with our eyes first. Well then, it’s a good thing that this dish is so colorful. Your eyes will greedily eat up my Kickin’ Italian Veggie Skillet, and then your mouth will happily follow. You see, it’s not just this skillet’s appearance that’s colorful; there is a rainbow of flavors working together here as well. Wonderful garlic, sweet tomatoes, spicy red pepper flakes, robust onion, and salty parmesan. The elite Italian seasonings came together to make one incredible dish that sings with flavor. Your mouth will go nuts (in a very good way).

Perhaps as awesome as this veggie skillet’s flavor is its fabulous texture. The secret is the broccoli slaw upon which the recipe is built. It cooks down to acquire a slight softness, but still packs some crazy crunch in every bite. Then you get the smooth marinara sauce as well. It’s crunchy, tasty, and amazing.

And did I mention you can eat HALF of this entire ginormous pot of vivacious veggies for only 140 CALORIES?

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Sweet Cinnamon Glaze

Cinnamon is sweet, sinful, and warm. It’s the coziest spice in existence. But beneath that warmth is a bit of kick, the spicy side of cinnamon. That, my little cookies, is what makes cinnamon such a sultry sweet spice.

We find cinnamon sizzling in all kinds of recipes. But when we really start to see cinnamon starring is during the holiday season. Because of its comforting qualities, the spice is ideal during this time of year when the weather is cool and our spirits are warm. It’s what makes pumpkin pie so delicious, give eggnog an added kick, and makes our Christmas cookies extra special. Without cinnamon, our holidays would be nothing.

So, now that Autumn is upon us, we’ll be seeing a lot more of cinnamon. Yesterday, I made my first official Fall recipe: Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting. They were the most delicious, soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookies I’ve ever had. But I’ve got a confession: I doubled that recipe. And I didn’t just top it with the buttercream frosting; I made half with a Sweet Cinnamon Glaze. I’ve got to say, I was shocked. Why? Because I was expecting the Butterscotch Buttercream to be my favorite topping. But that was not the case. As amazing as the buttercream was, this Cinnamon Glaze was even better. It went so perfectly with the Pumpkin Cookies I can’t even describe it. All I can say is, “Wow.”

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Soft Pumpkin Cookies w/ Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting

When the leaves start to turn and the air proceeds to chill, there is one thought that bursts into my mind like a child leaping into a pile of fallen leaves: Pumpkin. It is pumpkin season, my little cookies, and I couldn’t be any happier! Pumpkin is quite possibly one of my favorite flavors in existence, and I know I am not alone in this. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin milkshakes, Pumpkin Pie Blizzards, pumpkin bread; Autumn is Pumpkin-palooza.

Slowly, the pumpkin recipes have been sprouting up on blogs all over just like pumpkins in a pumpkin patch. It is time that I give fall (and pumpkin) a proper welcome. Hence this pumpkin-packed post. Pumpkin-haters, I shall not apologize, for even you will fall in love with this recipe (no pun intended): Soft Pumpkin Cookies.

Let me start by saying that these might but some of the best cookies I’ve ever had. They are certainly my favorite pumpkin treat. Even my mother who doesn’t get very excited by sweets is in love with them and declared them as her new favorite. They are so delicious and I know you’ll agree.

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Frittata Pizza Dippers

Frittata fans, boy have I got something for you.

For those of you who aren’t avid frittata followers, a frittata is kind of like  a giant omelet stuffed with all kinds of good stuff. There in lies the problem with frittatas: their behemoth size. If you’re making one for your family or a some guests, they’re awesome. But what if you’re just cooking for two or for yourself? What if you don’t want to wait forever while it bakes in the oven? How does one get their frittata fix then?

Simple. You make mini frittatas so portion control is is easy as cake. Eat as many or as few as you want. AND you make those eggy babies in a Babycakes maker, not only to achieve their adorable miniature size, but also so they cook up in a mere eight minutes. That’s some easy and eggcellent cooking (sorry, I had to).

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Judgment Time: Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Cereal

There are two types of people in this world: the ones who acknowledge cereal’s existence but choose to pursue other breakfast endeavors, and the ones who are devoted cereal fanatics. They can’t get enough of the sugary stuff and they don’t limit cereal to just breakfast.

Guess which one I am.

I LOVE CEREAL. I’ll scream it from the mountain tops and declare my love in the check-out line at the grocery store. I am obsessed. There are just so many different kinds to love and the stuff is good at any time of day. I’ve eaten it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and as a snack. It’s always awesome.

Naturally, I’m always checking out the new cereals that hit the shelves. Sure, I’ve got my tried & true favorites that I can always count on (Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Rice Krispie Treats Cereal, Honey Bunches of Oats, Lucky Charms, Count Chocula, etc.). But I’m always open to adding a fresh favorite to the collection. Which brings us, my little cookies, to Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Cereal.

I was very excited when I first saw this. I love cereal (duh) and I also love nuts. Anything that addresses both of those needs is an automatic win.

As I poured the cereal into the patiently awaiting bowl, I experienced that lovely jingling sound produced by the scattering of the crisp flakes. Immediately, I took note of their resemblance to Frosted Flakes (a solid cereal, for sure). It’s quite possible that since both cereals are made by Kellogg’s, they are, in fact, the same flakes but with different coatings.

I tried this cereal two ways: once with almond milk and once with regular milk. Both ways were fantastically delicious, although I must express my love for the almond milk. If you’ve never tried it, it’s completely delicious and the unsweetened kind has ridiculously less calories than regular milk. The nutty almond flavor of the milk perfectly complimented the nut & honey taste in the cereal. It amplified the deliciousness.

The cereal was wonderfully crisp and crunchy, even after sitting in the milk for a while. It achieved that perfect balance of absorbing the moisture of the milk while still retaining some crunch factor. My only complaint is that the nut bits were so teeny tiny that they weren’t even noticeable. I would’ve preferred bigger pieces or perhaps sliced almonds.

The honey part of the cereal was delightfully sweet. It was like Honey Bunches of Oats but with even more honey flavor. If only I could combine the sweet flakes of Crunchy Nut with the yummy oats in Honey Bunches. Then I would have the ultimate super cereal.

For now, plain ol’ Crunchy Nut will do. Sweet & crunchtastic, this cereal is cereaously awesome (get it?). I definitely recommend it to cereal lovers all over.

Overall Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Have you tried Crunchy Nut? What did you think?

Roasted Chickpeas with a Kick

Crunchy munchy eats are the ultimate snacks. Refer to nuts, chips, popcorn, granola, etc. I’m always looking for new ones, especially ones that pose healthy benefits as well. I love a good handful of nuts for an afternoon boost of protein. For a long time, I’ve been wanting to try roasted chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans). Lucky for me, my monthly Food Network Magazine came in today and what easy recipe did it offer?

Roasted Chickpeas of course!

I had all of the ingredients on hand so, naturally, I roasted these babies up in no time. Man, is this one tasty & addictive snack! You pop one in, and you pop in ten more! They’re just so yummy with a crispy, crunchy exterior and tender, creamy interior. It’s a textural rainbow. Plus, these little chickies are bursting with flavor from the zesty seasonings. Snacking never tasted so good!

But wait! There’s more! These tasty toasted treats aren’t just for snacking. Sprinkle ‘em over a salad for the perfect crunchy kick to your leafy greens. Plus, it bulks up the salad with protein.

Best of all, these are easy as pie to whip up. Toss the chickpeas in the seasonings and some olive oil then roast and toast! It’s that simple.

With such an easy, crunchy, tender snack that’s packed with 12 grams of protein per cup, why would you not make these?

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

  1. Dry the chickpeas very well. The drier they are, the crispier they’ll get!
  2. Play with the seasonings to create a mix you like. Although, this one is pretty darn good!

Zesty Roasted Chickpeas
Recipe adapted from The Food Network Magazine

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans of chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and thoroughly dried
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. chile powder or chipotle chile powder for an extra kick
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  2. Toss the chickpeas with the olive oil and seasonings until thoroughly and evenly coated.
  3. Spread coated chickpeas out on baking sheet in an even layer. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Judgement Time: Wegman’s Tiramisu

You know what’s awesome?

Tiramisu.

You know what else is awesome?

Wegman’s.

If you’ve never experienced either, then you haven’t experienced life itself. Tiramisu is one fantastic, heavenly dessert. Its layered structure, consisting of sweet, fluffy cream and espresso-soaked ladyfingers is only bettered by a dusting of cocoa powder or sprinkling of chocolate shavings. It is creamy, dreamy, and decadent, but also light and heavenly. But could Wegman’s do it right?

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