Monthly Archives

January 2018

Cookies, Sweet Snacks

Salted Honey Pistachio Cookies,
with White Chocolate Chips

Not sure if I have ever mentioned my love of honey. I absolutely adore it! Some of my relatives in the Black Forest have been bee keepers (as a hobby) for a few generations so it’s always a treat to visit — and sneak home a jar of good raw honey. These cookies accentuate the honey flavor, and combine that with pistachios, actually give it a bit of a Middle Eastern flavor. Yum!
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Lunch, Sandwiches/Paninis

The Figgy Piggy

A yummy sandwich / panini with a silly name! As you may know, I have a thing for figs… fresh figs, dried figs, fig jams and butters… all yummy additions and lend this “something” to sweet and savory things. IN this case, I used Trader Joes fig butter on a grilled cheese with bacon, hence the silly name.
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Dinner, Lunch, Soups

Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup

I’ve been feeling a little under the weather these days, with mostly what feel like a head cold. Seemed like a good excuse to make Chicken Noodle Soup, but frankly, I didn’t feel much like cooking either so enter the “cheater” recipe for soup, using a rotisserie chicken. The ones from Whole Foods seem mostly healthy, and yes, I did have to go to the store to buy said chicken (nothing like spreading germs!) but this was ready to eat in a just a short bit. It did make me feel a bit better though, so success on that front!
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Cookies, Sweet Snacks

Almond Butter Blossoms

Here’s a little bit of a riff on your standard peanut butter kiss cookies — Almond Butter Blossoms! While peanut butter is ok, I like almonds better, so I thought I would try these out. The Hershey’s Kisses are also the ones with almonds in them, so a little surprise inside. Easy to make and this recipe makes a bunch (it can be halved).
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Dinner, Lunch

Easy Peasy Pasta Cheesy (with Peas-ies, please)

Today is National Cheese Lovers Day. Again, a WTF “holiday” made up by the promote cheese eating association, but while were all here, I might as well share my recipe for easy stove-top Mac + Cheese (only with a sillier name). Believe it or not, it uses American cheese for part of it (mostly because of the emulsification factor). If you can’t get get American, a mild Fontina will do. If you happen to be in Germany, “Butterkäse” is a good substitute. The cheddar makes it kick-ass though (if you aren’t a cheddar person, a young Emmentaler or Grueyer will do the trick). Best part of this recipe: takes all of 22 minutes to make, which is pretty much long it would take you to make the “out of the box” (blech) kind, so you might as well go with a good one. Peas are optional, but not in my world.
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