Cranberries and toasted walnuts. For me, these count as winter flavors. Sort of like apples tend to be autumn flavors. It’s funny how my brain associates flavors with times of the year, eh? Seeing there is still snow in the air and the Winter Olympics are on the TV, winter food is fair game right about now, so I thought these Cranberry Chocolate Chip and Toasted Walnut Blondies to be perfect for an afternoon snack. And foolproof, I might add.
Happy Anniversary to CSPS! It’s been 8 years since I started this silly endeavor and happy to say that I still love it very much. It’s helped me in so many ways, I can’t even count. So to mark the occasion, here are some Chambord Royale Mini Cupcakes (Champagne Cupcakes and Chambord Raspberry Frosting. Happy Happy!
It’s Superbowl Sunday, and while I don’t care about the game all that much (I like close and interesting games, but NFL Football isn’t really my thing), I do like making “Game Day Food”. If I were having a gathering (which I am not), I might make this … Three Bean and Beef Chili. I like flavorful chili that isn’t over the top hot (feel free to adjust with cayenne, if it isn’t hot enough for you). Trick for keeping the beef tender? “Brining” with a bit of salt, water and baking soda. Works like a gem!
Happy Valentine’s Day! OK, it’s still a full on 10 days until Valentine’s Days, but I like to make cookies ahead of time. And Linzer Cookies it is, because I seem to *always* make Linzer Cookies at Valentine’s Day. This year, I went with some of both my standard (raspberry) but also Passion Fruit, which is a jam that is harder to find. Search around for a bit – it’s worth it (note: I found it in a Latin American bodega… language lesson of the day is that passion fruit in Spanish is Maracuya!)
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!