Chubby Hubby Truffles

For Christmas I have decided to go baking/candy-making insane... and to kick things off, these chubby hubby truffles are idyllic.  They are peanut-buttery, pretzely, chocolatey, holidayey... well, they're just really good.  

Chubby Hubby Truffles

• 1.5 cups crushed pretzel pieces
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 1 tbs butter softened
• 3 tbs powdered sugar
• 1 cup chocolate-peanut butter swirl chips
• 1 tbs shortening

1. Mix the pretzel pieces, peanut butter, brown sugar, and butter
2. Add the powdered sugar and mix until fully combined
3. Roll mixture into quarter-sized balls and refrigerate for at least half an hour
4. Melt the chocolate chips and mix in the shortening
5. Dip the cooled truffles to cover in chocolate and place back in refrigerator to cool

Cider Glazed Pork with Apple Bacon Compote

Although this isn't exactly a recipe you can make in your dorm room, nor is it a "snack", it is worth the wait!  It would be an amazing gift to your parents over the holidays, when you are sick of eating turkey leftover sandwiches.  (If it is possible to get sick of those).  The cider and sage flavors infuse and enhance their porky counterparts, resulting in a beautiful autumn dinner. Adapted from the CIA Greystone Cookbook

Cider Glazed Pork with Apple Bacon Compote

• 24 fresh sage leaves
• 2 one-pound pork tenderloins
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 thin applewood-smoked bacon strips
• 2 clv garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 small onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 4 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 cup apple cider

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Mince 8 Sage leaves
3. Season tenderloins with salt, pepper, and minced sage leaves
4. In a large pan over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the pork tenderloins one at a time and brown each sides, about 2 mins each side. Repeat with second
5. Remove tenderloins from pan and place on a sheet tray, pour 1/2 cup of cider on and bake for 25 minutes
6. While the pork cooks, cook the bacon in the same pan for 8 minutes, then add onion and garlic
7. After about 5 minutes, add the apples and thyme
8. Then, after 5 more minutes add the rest of the cider and reduce the heat
9. Let the tenderloins rest 10 minutes before serving, serve on top of the compote

Goat Cheese Truffles

When you hear the word truffle, what comes to mind?  Smooth, creamy, dense balls of chocolate dusted with cocoa that simply melt, as you eat them one by one.  However, while walking through Wegman's the other day, I was inspired to make a new kind of truffle: Goat Cheese Truffles.

These truffles are sweet AND savory; creamy goat cheese is formed into balls and then rolled in spiced pecans and dried cranberries.  These make perfect appetizers or toppings for salads.  They are simply adorable and would be perfect for a light holiday hors-d'oeuvre.

Goat Cheese Truffles

• 1 8 oz. Goat Cheese log, medium consistency
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup Spiced Pecans

1. Pecans:  Cover 1/2 cup of pecans in 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp curry powder. Cook in a skillet on medium heat until pecans have absorbed the syrup; let cool.
2. Chop cooled pecans and mix with cranberries in a small bowl
3. Roll goat cheese into 1/2 oz balls, making about 16
4. Roll the goat cheese balls into chopped pecan and cranberry mixture

Roasted Carrot, Pistachio, and Poppy Seed Soup

This weekend I went home to meet a combination of Halloween and Christmas... 10 inches of snow in October.  This melange of seasons inspired me to incorporate fall flavors into a hearty, warm soup that would be just as relevant in January.  This soup is beautiful: a vivid orange contrasted by a snow white drizzle of cream and dotted with black poppy seed speckles.  Best of all it is low calorie, low carb, and delicious.  Your whole house will smell of roasting nuts and vegetables... a scent that can't be bought or plugged in.  Enjoy on a cold night ( I'm sure there will be enough of them to come!)

Roasted Carrot, Pistachio, and Poppy Seed Soup

Yields 4 servings

Cost: $$$$$

• 2 bags baby carrots
• 2 yellow onions, cut in fourths and separated
• 1 cup pistachios, toasted
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 4 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 2 large pieces of old country bread
• Drizzle heavy cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Roast baby carrots, onions, and cloves of garlic in 1/4 cup of oil in the oven for 30-45 minutes, until caramelized and slightly blackened
3. Heat chicken stock in a large soup pot and add nuts, 2 tbs poppy seeds, and vegetables; let simmer on the lowest heat for 1-3 hours, to develop flavor
4. Blend soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender, return to low heat to serve
5. Top with poppy seed croutons and a drizzle of cream, if desired
6. Poppy Seed Croutons: Tear bread up into cubes, cover with remaining olive oil and poppy seeds, toast in the oven at 400 for about 15 minutes until browned and crispy

Roasted Butternut Squash with Dried Cranberries, Vanilla Bean, and Sage

Fall brings a bounty of beautiful squashes, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins, perfect for roasting, sauteeing, mashing, pie-ing... basically whatever inspires you.  This unique dish combines sweet and savory flavors giving you a robust fall side dish.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Dried Cranberries, Vanilla Bean, and Sage

• 1 Butternut Squash skinned and cubed
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 tsp sage
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Mix all of the ingredients together except for cinnamon sticks
3. Spread mixture onto a baking sheet and place cinnamon sticks on sheet as well
4. Bake for 30 minutes until caramelized
5. Salt and pepper at the end to taste

Chili Lime Peanuts

When you are craving quesadillas and margaritas, but are far from summer's Mexican flavors these peanuts will help you through.  They are sweet, spicy and tangy simultaneously.  I could eat a whole bowl, if they weren't already all gone.  The best part is that they can be made up to a week in advance!

Chili Lime Peanuts

Yields: 2 cups of nuts

Cost: $$$$$

From Bon Appetit, February, 2009

• 2 cups raw peanuts
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix ingredients sugar, olive oil, and peanuts in a bowl
3. Transfer onto a lined, rimmed baking sheet and toast for 30 minutes
4. Remove from oven and add lime juice, cayenne, and salt
5. Let cool for at least 30 minutes

 

 
 

Halloween Candy Popcorn Pops

I know candy corn is gross.  It has all the food dyes and corn syrups I try to avoid during my everyday food choices.... but

I love it.

I can't help it.  There is something about the way it sticks to my teeth, the addicting second handfuls, the bright Halloween colors that gets me.  I also love Reese's Pieces for the same reasons.

My friend Sam asked me to develop a recipe using popcorn, because in college there is always an abundance of microwave popcorn.  So for Sam, here are some popcorn pops to put you in the mood for fall!  I used pretzel sticks as the base and then molded them inside of plastic cups.  Enjoy :)

Halloween Candy Popcorn Pops

• 1 bag of microwave popcorn (light butter or natural) 
• 1 bag of marshmallows
• 1 bag of Reese's Pieces
• 1 cup candy corn
• 1/2 cup peanuts
• 1/2 stick butter
• Pretzel sticks
• Plastic cups
• Baking spray

1. Pop popcorn in microwave and pick out kernels/burnt pieces
2. Place into a bowl with Reese's Pieces, candy corn, and peanuts
3. Melt butter on low heat, add marshmallows, and stir until it becomes a uniform marshmallow sauce
4. Add marshmallow sauce to popcorn mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed
5. Spray plastic cups with non-stick spray and fill 1/3 of the way up with popcorn mixture
6. Stick pretzel rod in the middle pressing popcorn around it so it stays
7. Place cups in refrigerator and take out 1 hour before serving

Honey Butter Cowboy Biscuits

So I'm not from the south, but there's something about watching Paula Deen that makes me wish I was.  I wish I could throw a stick of butter in every dish I made and call it a day.  But for now, I'll leave southern cuisine as an occasional treat.


These biscuits were described by one of my friends as "the most delicious thing I've eaten here (college) so far."  That's a pretty good review I'd say!  They are salty, cheesy, sweet and spicy! They hit all of the flavor notes, while being very pocket friendly.


Honey Butter Cowboy Biscuits

• 2 cups pancake mix
• 1/2 cup cheddar cut into little cubes
• 3 jalapenos seeded and finely diced
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup cream
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp honey

1. Preheat oven to 450 and grease a baking sheet
2. Mix the first 5 ingredients together
3. Melt butter and honey in microwave for 30 seconds
4. Form batter into drop biscuit balls and brush with honey butter
5. Bake for 12 minutes

Tailgate Food for Homecoming!

My high school did not have a football team.  So Saturday will be my first football game where I cheer for the school I attend. To say I'm excited is an understatement... and as you can see I have already cooked some tailgate themed food to celebrate.

My friend Devin told me he was going home for the weekend and that he would bring me back some jalapenos from his garden.  I thought, great! I'll make some salsa, maybe some biscuits. It turns out Devin invented Miracle Grow, because he brought back over 30 jalapenos.  Most recipes use 1-2 jalapenos maximum because they are so spicy.

So jalapeno poppers were the perfect fit to both celebrate homecoming and use massive amounts of jalapenos! However, fried food is pretty hard to do in a dorm, because you need a ton of oil, and preferably... a fryer.  So I decided to go the healthy route and bake them.  I filled them with low fat cheese, salsa, and light cream cheese so that they are less fattening than your average bar's jalapeno poppers.  Then instead of a thick breading, I topped them with crushed pretzel bits, to add crunch and saltiness.  The verdict... amazing!

Baked Jalapeno Poppers with a Pretzel Crust

• 18 jalapenos
• 1 cup light cream cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack or cheddar
• 3 tbsp salsa
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 mini bag of pretzels, crushed

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Slice jalapenos in half and take out the seeds
3. Aline on a foil covered sheet tray
4. Place a pinch of shredded cheese in each halve
5. Mix cream cheese, salsa, cilantro and honey in a bowl
6. Place a dollop of the cream cheese mixture into the peppers
7. Top with a sprinkle of shredded cheese
8. Cover with crushed pretzel bits
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes, serve with salsa