Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows

October 7, 2021 by

Sometimes it doesn’t make much sense to make something homemade versus buying it pre made.
Marshmallows is NOT one of those things. Don’t get me wrong, I keep a bag of marshmallows in my pantry for some recipes. But homemade marshmallows are so much better that there really isn’t a comparison in my opinion.
My youngest describes them as “so fluffy it’s like eating a cloud”.
This is an easy adaption from my regular marshmallows I’ve made a million times.

I don’t keep homemade marshmallows around year round, but I do make a batch on occasion for a treat and more often in the fall and winter for hot cocoa season.

When we saw some pumpkin marshmallows in the store the other day I knew we needed to make some homemade ourselves. Adding a little pumpkin puree and a plethora of spices make them the perfect addition to hot cocoa (especially Mexican hot cocoa!) If you don’t have the spices I used but have pumpkin pie spice you could use that instead, and I went a little heavy on the spices, which is just how we like them!

Homemade marshmallows will tend to soak up the cornstarch/ powdered sugar coating so if you want to keep them for longer than a few days I like to dip them in chocolate or candy coating. They will keep for weeks this way. This jar is going on the hot cocoa bar but I suspect it will be empty soon!

Filed Under: Candy / Confections, Halloween / Fall, Pumpkin Tagged With: , ,

Fresh Roasted Enchilada Sauce

September 20, 2021 by

If your counter is full with the last tomatoes from your garden I have just the recipe for you. Or, if you pick some up at the store. No judgement here.
This makes a generous amount because in my house it goes quick. My husband and oldest daughter love this sauce, on enchiladas (of course), tamales, burritos, tossed with meat for tacos, stir into rice for an easy red rice.
A quick roast under the broiler then throw it all in the blender. Doesn’t get easier than that!
If you haven’t used ancho before it has a lot of deep flavor without the heat so it is great for using with kids or those who don’t like a lot of heat. If you want a spicier version I would add chipotle powder or canned chipotles in adobo sauce.

Filed Under: Mexican Tagged With: , ,

Dark Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Peanut Butter Caramel Mousse Filling and Whipped Dark Chocolate Frosting

September 8, 2021 by

I have been playing around with my chocolate cake recipe for around 2 decades now. There was always some little thing I wanted different in it every time I made it. I feel like a go-to chocolate cake that’s easy and quick to make is something everyone should have in their back pocket. One you can whip out for birthdays, special occasions, tuesdays… you know, chocolate cake emergencies.

After making countless trials over the years when I made this one I wrote on the recipe “THIS IS IT!” and is it ever! For me, this is exactly what I want in a chocolate cake. Moist, super chocolaty, easy enough my kids or husband could make, and could be made with all manner of fillings to change it up.

I used this Wilton 10″ x 4″ cake pan set (makes 4 layers, plus a little extra for a few cupcakes) for pictures but it can be made into 2 (8 inch) rounds as well or a 9 by 13 pan, just bake longer.
You could easily adapt this recipe using a different type of chocolate. Milk chocolate will obviously be sweeter, I would use semi sweet for a pretty similar result to the dark chocolate. My go-to is the big pound plus dark chocolate bar from Trader Joe’s. (Just the plain dark chocolate, not the extra dark).
For the caramel sauce I used my homemade pink salt caramel sauce but you could also use a premade caramel sauce, I won’t tell.

Assembly goes quick, just make a dam of frosting around the outer edge:

Fill with mousse:
(This is really a flavored Chantilly cream)

Drizzle with caramel sauce:

And repeat. Frost outer cake with frosting. Add fancy shards if you’re feelin fancy.
Cupcakes are easy , just remove a hole of cake and fill with mousse. Overfill if you want extra mousse… and yes, you do! Top with frosting and a fancy shard!

Filed Under: Cake / Cake Pops Tagged With: ,

Golden Blend Tortillas

August 26, 2021 by

Truth be told. I don’t always make homemade tortillas. Especially if I’m making salsas, rice, beans, meat, sauce (and 20 other things it seems). We take taco night pretty seriously after all!
I’ve started using “golden blend” tortillas for enchiladas because they hold up so well (like a corn tortilla) but are also more pliable, like a flour tortilla.
I wanted to make homemade tortillas for these smoky halibut tacos because the slaw was made ahead of time and the fish would be finished just before so I knew I’d have time to do tortillas with them.
They are very easy and super easy to roll out or press. I prefer using a tortilla press because it’s so fast and they stay in a nice circle better. But if you don’t have one rolling out will work just fine.
They are sturdy enough to use in enchiladas or something with a lot of salsa or sauce but also tender and pliable.

Filed Under: Mexican Tagged With: , , ,

Smoky Halibut Tacos

August 20, 2021 by

Halibut is a great fish for people who aren’t fish lovers or picky young eaters. It is fairly mild in flavor and doesn’t have a “fishy” taste and as long as it’s fresh, shouldn’t have a “fishy” smell, even when cooking.
I don’t buy it often since it is more expensive but my father in law gave us some from one of his fishing trips and I wanted to do it justice!

Tacos are a great way to extend a more expensive fish as well. You could marinade the slaw overnight even (I think it’s a little better the next day even!) and the fish could be marinated for a few hours even. So these are really quick to put together just before dinner.
If you don’t have halibut you could use cod or tilapia or even shrimp.

Filed Under: Fish / Seafood, Mexican Tagged With: , , ,

Charred Green Onion Pesto

August 9, 2021 by

If you go to the farmer’s market you’re likely to find an abundance of spring onions (or green onions) this time of year. Mine went a little wild in our garden this year because we’ve had a plethora of tiny baby bunnies make their home in our garden and well, I’m too much of a sucker to disturb them. I mean, come on…

Making a pesto is a great way to save fresh herbs for later but it makes great use of green onions as well.

Grilling is optional but I love the slightly charred flavor it gives the pesto and if you haven’t grilled lemons before you’re missing out on my favorite food group! I used roasted garlic cloves to add a little more flavor but fresh garlic cloves would work as well. I don’t use as much olive oil in this pesto because I can always add more when I’m using it to dilute it. I use these cookie dough silicone freezer containers to freeze mine in but ice cube trays work well too. One batch fit in 2 of my trays. Each tray has 15 compartments (about 2 Tablespoons in each compartment).

Toss with pasta, roasted potatoes or vegetables, add to a ranch dressing, spread on sandwiches…

Filed Under: Sauces / Condiments Tagged With: , , ,

Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables

July 14, 2021 by

Roasting and vegetables go together like Julia Child and French Cooking.
If you are steaming, boiling, or microwaving vegetables you are really missing out on all the flavor and texture of roasted vegetables. It takes no time at all as well.

For these tossing them with lemon, garlic, and some fresh herbs give a flavor boost and only a little olive oil is needed. If you don’t have fresh herbs, just add a little dried herbs.

Topped with Feta and served with Roasted Lemon Garlic Shrimp and some whole wheat orzo and you have one of my favorite meals!

Filed Under: Side Dishes Tagged With: , ,

Roasted Lemon Garlic Shrimp

July 14, 2021 by

If ever there was a 10 minute dinner this is it! Shrimp cooks incredibly fast and broiling it in the oven is one of my favorite ways to make it. It is done in just a few minutes!
This is my healthy version of shrimp scampi. I swapped out the loads of butter for lemon juice and zest and an obscene amount of garlic.
I like to serve this with rice or pasta but it makes a great appetizer as well.
Because we’re all nutty over lemon I put an extra one… or two on the baking sheet for serving with.
This goes really well with Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables. When the vegetables are done just turn the oven to broil and the vegetables will still be hot when the shrimp is done!

Filed Under: Fish / Seafood Tagged With: , , ,

Firecracker Munch Mix

July 1, 2021 by

Last minute easy 4th of July idea for you. Our 4th of July plans are a relaxed BBQ weekend with some games in the yard. But my youngest was disappointed we weren’t making any fun themed dishes (I’ve trained her well it seems!) So we whipped up something simple and quick. This is our families favorite sweet snack mix and we make it for most holidays.
It’s super addictive! And you can change it up easily to what you have on hand.

Filed Under: Candy / Confections, Independence Day

Lime Cucumbers

June 11, 2021 by

Cucumbers totally count as a side dish in my house. This is my favorite way to eat them. You only need 3 things. Cucumbers. Limes. Salt. I usually make this before cooking dinner because the flavor is better after sitting for a short while. I’ve heard of other versions of lime cucumbers where you add a large amount of salt to soften the cucumbers then rinse it off. We really prefer them this way with some crunch still. This is a great cooling side dish for summer BBQ’s or to add to burgers instead of pickles even!

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Filed Under: Side Dishes Tagged With: , , ,