March 2010

Warm Herb-Crusted Goat Cheese Spinach Salad.

I have a huge confession. I only recently started eating goat cheese. I’m sure some slipped by my lips in previous years without me knowing when I have ordered some sort of salad loaded with bacon and fries. But, I just lately purchased it myself. It was difficult to bring myself to eat something with the word ‘goat’ in it. I just think of hairy, dirty animals with horns. Goats have horns, right? Or something like it. Anyway, I’m in love. And even better, I highly doubt Mr. How Sweet has the sophisticated taste buds to eat goat cheese. In fact, I doubt he would eat anything with the word ‘goat’ in it either, unless it involved massive amounts of meat. And that is just gross. So, as usual, this means more for me. Something else strange has been happening in my world lately. I’ve had this odd craving for . . . salad. Like, a salad full of vegetables. I know. It is weird. So I’ve made some of these strange looking things, these salads as you call them, and of course, 2 bites in, I am totally disgusted. Tastes like grass. And tastes like something else [...]

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Gorgonzola Popovers.

Until I made these, I had never tasted an elusive popover. Sure, they looked golden and puffy and crispy and flakey and delicious and enough to make me go up a jean size, but . . . I’m just not a bread person. Then, I stumbled across the tiny roquefort popovers in my Williams Sonoma cookbook. I’d like to live in that cookbook. I’d also like to live in the Williams Sonoma catalog. Please and thank you. If you’ve been reading along, you know I am a complete sucker for gorgonzola. I would bathe in it if I could. But, I know that many people don’t like gorgonzola. While I’m insistant that those of you may come from outer space, I can understand how eating moldy cheese may not be. . . appetizing. So with that, I’m happy to let you know that these popovers would be incredible with any kind of cheese. In particular, I am thinking of smoked cheddar, asiago, gruyere, havarti . . . you know, just a few of my closest friends. I believe there is such thing as a popover pan, but I used mini muffin tins and they worked prefectly. I’d like [...]

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Peanut Butter Banana Bread Muffins.

There is not a better combination out there than banana + peanut butter. Well, maybe peanut butter + chocolate or chocolate + sea salt. But banana + peanut butter is a combo that allows me to fit into my pants the next day. When my dad was younger, he and my grandfather used to eat peanut butter + pickle sandwiches. Yeah . . . that’s a bit much for me. The furthest I go is chocolate + bacon. Gosh, I can’t wait until Lent is over. These muffins came out super moist and dense, just like banana bread, and the peanut butter chips melted slightly. Each bite had a giant chunk of peanut butter inside. Talk about satisfying! These were basically my dream muffins. I considered slathering each muffin with a bit more peanut butter when it was warm, but decided the ratio of banana to peanut butter was perfect already. Instead, I spread some organic butter on it and let it melt. Best decision I made all weekend. Peanut Butter Banana Bread Muffins adapted from allrecipes makes 12-15 muffins 1 cup sugar 1 egg 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup unsweetened [...]

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Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting.

These cupcakes are a spin off of the popular cookies and cream cupcakes, which I am still having dreams about. Dreams so vivid, that I can taste them in my sleep. Or . . . maybe that is just the cookies I was eating in bed. Kidding! (Sort of.) These cupcakes are dreamy, too. I used the good ole’ recipe for my vanilla bean cupcakes, and simply added some chocolate chips. They came out super moist and tasty. It’s like a cookie in cupcake form. I would be lying if I said these stuck around for a few days. Heck, they barely stuck around for a few minutes! And this time, we didn’t share. We hoarded the cupcakes. That ooey, gooey frosting down there? It tastes just like cookie dough. And you may as well just slather it on the cupcake, because there is no way the chocolate chunks are fitting through a pastry bag. That’s fine by me. I’ll suck it up for the chocolate chunks. Chocolate Chip Cupcakes makes 12 cupcakes 1/2 cup butter 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup milk [...]

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Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas.

Growing up, one of my favorite go-to meals was a flour tortilla with melted cheddar inside. Once I got older, it because easier to throw down 3 or 4 of these cheese quesadillas in one sitting, so I knew I needed to add some bulk. Chicken quesadillas have become one of our staple meals now. Well, one of my staple meals for the time being, while my husband is still participating in the ‘stache off. The best part about these chicken quesadillas? They are protein-packed and healthy! I use my favorite tortillas, La Tortilla Factory brand, which are loaded with fiber and protein. Combine that with chicken breast, low-fat cheese, beans, and we have one protein and fiberlicious meal. I used refried beans in this case, but sometimes I use black beans. The black beans do tend to fall out of the quesadilla mid-cook, however. The refried beans stay nice and mushy inside. Not to mention, fabulous tasting. Check out that mouth-watering, crispy tortilla, jam-packed with goodies. This was such a tasty dinner. Since I am still on my cooking embargo, Mr. How Sweet watched with dripping drool as I ate, while he ate some freezer-to-skillet burgers that [...]

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Cappuccino Brownies.

I am not a coffee drinker, unless said coffee is filled with lots of rubbish that is not ideal for daily drinking – think enormous amounts of sugar, heavy cream, syrups, and fabulous whipped toppings. But, that doesn’t mean I’ll pass up coffee-flavored baked goods or ice cream. Those things are probably healthier than my choice of coffee-flavored beverage. So of course, I will indulge. I made my from-scratch brownie recipe this weekend, without even thinking about adding a frosting. I usually don’t like my brownies frosted. I prefer the flaky, lightly crisp crust that forms on the top – it is the best part. I have a jar of Trader Joe’s instant coffee. Don’t ask why. Just know that it is because I am infamous for buying things that I don’t need and will never use. Things like running shoes, a french press, and skinny jeans. But I want to like coffee. All the cool kids like it. Why can’t I? I decided the best way to start liking it would be to top these brownies with coffee-flavored frosting. It ended up tasting more like a cappuccino, which is even better in my book. This is the same [...]

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Lightened-Up Four Cheese Mac and Cheese.

Mac and cheese is pure comfort food to me. Mother Lovett made some delicious, creamy macaroni and cheese, and I was always trying to perfect it. She always told me my version was ’too dry.’ Of course it was, because Inever used 6lbs of velveeta. One thing I have none of when it comes to mac and cheese? Self control. So I made a lighter version of the heavy duty stuff. And this time, I portioned it into tiny ramekins in hopes of stopping after eating one. It worked. Sorta. I never liked pasta when I was younger, probably because it was usually served with tomato sauce and I do not like tomato sauce. I think that using fun-shaped pasta makes every meal more enjoyable. Here I used whole wheat fusilli. I still made a traditional cheese sauce, beginning with a roux. But most of the sauce was made with skim milk. Oh, and cheese. Lots and lots of cheese. Four different kinds went into this dish. Gruyere. (Sigh.) Smoked Cheddar. (Adore.) Parmesan. (Swoon.) Brie. (Drool.) Could there possibly be a better combination? I didn’t think so. After baking, I set it under the broiler just so the [...]

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Peppermint Patties.

These go down in history as my most favorite treat I have made in years. They top all of the cupcakes, cookies, and bars I have made recently. I enjoyed making them because they are different and unique. Not to mention, they are incrediblly delicious and refreshing. I may be biased, but I truly think they taste better than York peppermint patties! The recipe called for peppermint oil, with strict instructions not to use peppermint extract. I search high and low, far and wide and could not find any peppermint oil, besides the aromatherapy junk in Bath and Body Works. I didn’t think that was ideal. So what did I do? I broke all the rules and used peppermint extract. I combined it with some vegetable oil, and the consistency came out perfectly! The creamy inside is a mixture of butter, powdered sugar, peppermint and vanilla extracts, a touch of vegetable oil and evaporated milk. Once is it mixed, it goes into the fridge for about an hour to get firm so it can be rolled into balls. After some more refrigeration, I pressed each ball down with the smooth side of a meat tenderizer. They weren’t perfect, [...]

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