February 2010

Bite Size Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches.

Still looking for a special treat for Valentine’s Day weekend? These adorable, bite-size ice cream sandwiches were super easy and quick to assemble, albeit a bit messy. But that is part of the fun, right? We like our chocolate chip cookies very thin. In my family, this comes from my dad’s grandmother, who made incredible, thin chocolate chip cookies. At a family reunion a few years ago, we even had a cookie bake-off to see who could make cookies most like my great grandmother. Luckily, I married someone who also likes his chocolate chip cookies thin. It makes up for the framed picture of Chris Benoit that had to make the trek from his apartment to our new home. Good thing he likes thin cookies. There isn’t anything else going on in this house that is thin. Apparently he doesn’t like his cookies the same way he likes his women – thick and meaty. In an effort to be less thick and meaty, I stuffed the inside of the cookies with low-fat frozen yogurt. While they may not be the prettiest of desserts, they made for a scrumptious, fairly low-calorie treat since the cookies were so light. And since [...]

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Loaded Baked Potato Soup.

A few weeks ago, I had the creamiest potato soup for lunch. I went home the next day and re-created it, and I think my own version was even creamier. Yes, I realize this makes multiple posts this week that include bacon. I just can’t help it. Bacon is my soulmate. It never leaves my side. It doesn’t judge me. However, I think it’s time bacon and I took the next step in our relationship. I’m going to start doing squats with bacon and bacon bicep curls. It’s very necessary. If you don’t like bacon or don’t eat it, it definitely isn’t necessary in this soup. (And if you are one of those vegetarians/vegans that reads my blog, thank you and I love you! It can be bacon overload sometimes.) I added the bacon once the soup was finished – half of the bacon went into the soup, the other half was saved for garnish. The starchy potatoes gave the soup such a thick, smooth consistency. It was addicting. I don’t make soup very often, because, well. . .I have no patience. While soup is simmering away, I usually consume a few bananas, some sandwiches, chocolate chips [...]

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Chicken BLT Pasta.

I’ve had to get a bit more creative in the dinner department with this blizzard we are having. While my husband is eager to venture out to go to work, the gym, and run errands, I prefer to stay lounged on the couch eating bon bons, with my feet up. I had about 16 different ideas for dinner last night, involving tomato sauce, cheese, and steak – none of which we had. Yes, friends – my house currently is cheese-free. Not because I want it to be. More because I’ve eaten my emotions while watching 30 inches of snow creep up my windowsill. I need more cheese please. One thing I do have? Bacon. Thank goodness, because if I did not have bacon, I would probably have to commit myself. This dish is actually very healthy: whole wheat pasta, grilled chicken, crispy kale, tomatoes, and only 2 slices of crumbled bacon for 2 of us. You gotta indulge somewhere. We had the juiciest tomatoes ever, so I knew I needed to incorporate them in the pasta. My hubby graciously picked up some whole wheat pasta on his way home, which we were also out of. [...]

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Cookies and Cream Cupcakes.

Cake is not my favorite treat, which is one reason I like cupcakes so much. I feel they are the perfect portion size, and sometimes I cannot even finish a full one. That is sooo not the case with these cupcakes. These are dreamy. And creamy. Check out the batter – it looks like cookies and cream ice cream! I initially saw this recipe in the book 500 Cupcakes, but their recipe called for self rising flour. I didn’t have any on hand, and didn’t feel like braving the blizzard for it. So I used my own recipe for vanilla bean cupcakes and added the cookies. I should thank Caitlin for leaving this book at my house, but I really can’t since it is only plumping me up. Note to self: find a new hobby. Preferably one that includes hours upon hours of running to work off cupcakes. I’ll work on the I-hate-running part later. My most favorite part about these cupcakes? They are crunchy. The crumbled cookies inside gives each bite a crisp crunch, on top of delicious chocolate-vanilla flavor. And I normally do not like frosting. I know that sounds hypocritical with all other sugar, butter, and fat-laden items [...]

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BBQ Ranch Shredded Chicken Sliders.

Don’t forget to become a fan of How Sweet It Is on Facebook! I braved the grocery store last night. When I say there was nothing on the shelves, there was literally nothing on the shelves. I know I can be a bit dramatic at times, but this is not an exaggeration. There was no bread, no eggs, and no milk. Which brings me to my next (or first) question: why the rush for eggs? Are people who are snowed in going to bake multiple cakes and eat scrambled eggs for days? And most importantly, if you are without power, you can’t even utilize the eggs. Unless you want to go all Hilary-Swank-training-for- Million-Dollar-Baby on your eggs. I would just buy the eggs because I have a food-hoarding and money-spending problem. Just sayin’. There weren’t any chicken breasts left either, but there were chicken tenders. Works for me. I knew if I didn’t come home with some form of meat, my other half may throw the tantrum of all tantrums. I grilled the chicken tenders with some McCormick’s BBQ seasoning, which we love. See that chicken up there? Still not enough for my husband. Someone needs to go [...]

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Strawberry-Kiwi Smoothie.

Finally! Check out my RECIPE INDEX. Over a week ago, my husband brought home 3 lbs of kiwi’s. Needless to say, my kiwi craving has diminished. The day he brought them home, I was craving a sweet, milkshake-like smoothie. This was before we were pummeled with 24 inches of snow and lived like barbarians with no heat. Now, I have panic attacks just looking at this smoothie. I don’t need any more ice in my life. However, it certainly was delicious. Once we break out of our igloo and my fingers and toes are no longer tingling, it will be the first thing I whip up. Not only is this smoothie fat-free, it also contains a decent amount of protein. Adding a scoop of protein powder would bump it up even more. Strawberry-Kiwi Smoothie 1/2 cup skim or almond milk 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 1/2 cup chopped strawberries 2 kiwi’s, chopped 1 teaspoon honey 1 teaspoon orange zest 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Add all ingredients to blended and puree until smooth. Garnish with additional strawberries and kiwi. Until the sun shines, I will be living in my Uggs, which could also [...]

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Beef Bourguignon.

We are currently snowed in and going crazy. We might have power back by Friday. Needless to say, I should probably be concerned with important things like our pipes freezing, but I am really just worried about all the yogurt, bacon, and tasty leftovers that will probably go to waste. Leftovers that include this beef bourguignon. Ever since I watched Julie and Julia, I wanted to make beef bourguignon so badly that I could already taste it. It was time consuming. Much more time consuming that I initially thought. It also called for these itsy bitsy onions, which I had never worked with. Until recently, I disliked onions. Then my husband begged for them every single day for 3 months, and they started to grow on me. The root ends are supposed to be trimmed off. I, carelessly not paying attention to the root ends, chopped off the top instead. Whoops. My beautiful, pearl shaped onions soon became sharply-edged ovals. The recipe calls for the carmelization of these onions and mushrooms. I didn’t complain. Usually, I am not overly excited to feed my husband dinner. I love cooking, most of it comes naturally to me, and I get enjoyment from [...]

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Roasted Vegetable and Goat Cheese Flatbread Pizza.

Maybe sometimes there are vegetables served in this house. Of course, they must be smothered with cheese and bread before becoming edible. Last week, Caitlin walked into my house and saw this pizza sitting on the table. The first words out her mouth? ‘There are vegetables in this house???! You allow that?’ Yes. The secret is out. Occasionally, we have some vegetables. This was an experiment. Roasted veggies and goat cheese just sounded so delicious on pizza, that I had to try it. I think my abhorrence for veggies is rubbing off on my husband. I remember that he used to eat them when we first met. In fact, I think he had about 600 cans of peas in his cupboards. Gross. No wonder I hate veggies. He took one look at this pizza as I was making it and asked ‘Where’s the meat?!’ And boy,was he mad. He was disgusted. How dare I make food and not included meat?? Luckily, I had made another pizza (one even more fantastic), loaded with other forms of protein. I will share at a later date. After the veggie and goat cheese pizza came out of the oven, he chimed in, [...]

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Seared Scallops with Carmelized Mango Slaw.

Hey, friends. I have made no secret that blogging has changed my life. Many of the people I have met have changed my life, too. Unless you are a blogger yourself, it is hard to understand that passion for it. Take a moment and check out this incredible post by my friend Caitlin on the power of words. She is the type of writer I hope to someday be. How has blogging changed your life? Last week, I was a bit of a slacker in the cooking-dinner department. I just couldn’t tear myself away from the 90′s hairstyles and MC-Hammer pants on Saved By The Bell. Or my comfy couch and college XXXL sweat pants. I am such a lady. That guy I live with was feeling deprived. After a few days of listening to his whining over a lack of pre-made lunches and dinners, I got back to my regularly scheduled program. I did feel a bit bad. I was long out of creative, tasty dinner ideas for the last few weeks, and subjected The Protein King to dinner after dinner of chicken and burgers. He didn’t really complain, but . . . I wanted to spice things up. [...]

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Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake.

Become a fan of How Sweet It Is on Facebook! Saturday night, I had an intense craving for chocolate. There wasn’t anything special about this, because I usually am craving chocolate 23 out of 24 hours each day. I even crave it when I sleep. I dream about it. I would marry it if I could. Sorry, hubby. This craving was different. I wanted something rich. Something so chocolatey that I couldn’t see straight. I didn’t want a cookie. I didn’t even want a brownie. So after reading the reviews for this chocolate loaf from Nigella, I decided it would fit the bill. It was super easy – all of the ingredients just went into a food processor! I knew the cake would be tasty with the addition of sour cream. I love sour cream in my baked goods – it makes them so moist. The batter was a smooth, thick, chocolate mess. Thicker than brownie batter and fabulous tasting. I was satisfied just by eating the batter. And the final product? Just perfect. Double Chocolate Chip Loaf from Nigella Lawson 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup cocoa 1 1/3 cups sugar 1 1/2 sticks soft unsalted [...]

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