Molasses Spice Cookies

Good morning! I'm currently on a 4 day trip for work and it's been filled with terrible luck. On the way to work, I was stuck in HOURS of traffic and got rear ended. Then, I go home in LA for my long layover and my mom's car gets backed into while we're eating lunch. Can you believe it? People these days... Get off your cell phones and pay attention to what you're doing! We're not playing bumper cars here.

I've never really been a fan of molasses cookies. I always thought the taste was a little too strong. For some reason, I decided to give it another shot and bake a batch. I'm sure glad I stumbled across this recipe from Always With Butter because I will never look at a molasses cookie the same way again! The molasses was subtle, the cookie was chewy for days, and it wasn't too sweet-- meaning I could eat five of them in a sitting on not even notice it.

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus additional for rolling
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 375. 
2. Cream together the butter and both sugars. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and molasses.
3. Stir in the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls and roll in sugar. Drop onto baking sheet, at least two inches apart.
5. Bake for 11 minutes.

Tuna Caesar Salad

You know those days when you don't have enough time for anything? Well, here's something quick to whip up (assuming you like eating vegetables). This really is a no brainer meal, meant for the nights or days that you don't want to wash a million dishes. The tuna is loaded with protein to keep you full until the next meal. For once... something without a stick of butter! Hey, I can be healthy, sometimes.

• 1 head of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
• 1 can of tuna, drained
• 1/2 avocado, sliced
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 lemon wedge, squeezed
• 2 tablespoons caesar salad dressing (more or less, according to your liking)

1. Toss all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl until evenly coated.

Baked Apples

After a day of long flight delays, all I want to do is eat a bowl of ice cream topped with warm baked apples. Something about freshly baked apples just comforts the soul-- and that's exactly what I need. San Francisco's weather has been kicking my butt lately. All I wanted to do was get home in time so that I can visit my bestie tomorrow, but nope... apparently mother nature had other plans for me.

I'm really bummed that I won't be going to Utah since I'm long overdue for a visit and I miss my BFF so  darn much. Plus, I had a bunch of baked goods to bring with me. Bahhh excuse my ranting. A 5 hour work day turned into 16 and I'm a bit tired.

I'll get right to the point: Baked Apples. Warm. Cinnamon-y. Simple. Just as good eaten with a fork as it is served with ice cream. Bam.

Ingredients

• 3 fuji apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• juice of half a lemon
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 420 degrees.
2. Mix all of the ingredients (except for the last) together in a bowl until apples are evenly coated. Cube the butter and scatter on top of the apples.
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Chocolate Marshmallow Cake

Planning a Disney World trip is by far harder than any other trip I've planned. New York, I can do. Seattle, a breeze... but out of all the options in Orlando? Whoa mama! Talk about overload. I've already spent hours researching different hotels around the area in a budget price range. I have yet to find one that has it all. Bummer. Until then, I'll catch up on my Desperate Housewives; I'm only on season three!

How cute is this cake? I love the look of the marshmallow topping with the light fudge layer on top. Heck, I could eat the chocolate-y topped marshmallows on its own. Overall, the cake is extremely moist and very sweet. I'm talking overload sweet. If you can't handle eating spoonfuls of sugar, then I'd only recommend eating a bite instead of a whole piece. I mean, you've still got to try it! Recipe from Made.

• 1 cup boiling water 
• 2 cups sugar 
• 1 3/4 cups flour 
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder 
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt 
• 2 eggs 
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup oil 
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• Chocolate Satin Frosting (see recipe below) 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Boil the water and keep it simmering. 
3. Mix the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla and beat together. 
4. Add the 1 cup boiling water and carefully stir until the water is mixed in; beat for 1 1/2 minutes. 
5. Pour the batter into the 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 35-38 minutes.
6. Make the frosting while the cake is baking. When the cake is done, pour the warm frosting over the hot cake. 

 CHOCOLATE SATIN FROSTING

• 1/2 cup butter 
• 6 Tbl buttermilk (or use 6 Tbl milk mixed with 1 tsp vinegar) 
• 4 Tbl cocoa powder 1 (16 oz) box powdered sugar 
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• 2 cups marshmallows (optional) 

1. Cook the butter, buttermilk, and cocoa in a medium saucepan. Stir constantly, just until it comes to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat. 
2. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat with a wooden spoon until frosting is nearly smooth (remember to stir every now and then while the cake bakes). 
3. Put the marshmallows on top, then evenly pour the warm frosting over everything. Cool to room temperature before serving

Chicken Bacon Pasta

I'm having Disneyland withdrawals. So naturally, what do I do? Start planning a trip for a Disney World trip in May! My DB and I have never been, so it'll be a fun celebration after my DB's first year of law school. I started researching hotels and trip plans, and my goodness.. there's a lot to plan! Does anyone have any tips on hotels to stay at or places I must see/eat while in Orlando? Or any tips on how to save on admission? Thanks in advance!

Here's an easy weekday meal that takes 20 minutes to prepare. You can never have enough pasta recipes in your life. True story. In all honesty, the cream cheese makes the pasta quite heavy.. a little too heavy for me. That's coming from a girl that'd be fine with a bit of butter and parmesan cheese on her pasta. Recipe from Plain Chicken.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound bacon, cooked and roughly chopped 
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 
• 1 tsp garlic powder 
• 1/2 pound penne pasta
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 grilled chicken breast, sliced

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
2. Heat heavy cream and cream cheese in a small saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
3. Add the parmesan cheese, eggs, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and pepper and whisk until blended. 
4. Drain pasta (reserving 1/2 cup of hot water) and return to pot. Immediately add the sauce and gently fold until the pasta is coated. The hot pasta will cook the eggs. Stir in the bacon, and add some reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce. Serve with grilled chicken.

Mango Pineapple Smoothie

Good morning! There's nothing like a smoothie to kickstart your day. Well, besides coffee. I know we're far away from summer, but that doesn't mean we can't pretend that the hot weather is still here. Even though I'll have to drink my smoothie wearing three layers of clothes and wrapped in two blankets, it'll be worth it.

I got my ingredients from Trader Joe's. They have the best frozen fruit year round. Again, this recipe is rough. Just play with the ingredients until you get your desired taste. Enjoy!

• 1 cup frozen pineapple
• 1 1/2 cups frozen mango pieces
• 1 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• a couple of ice cubes

1. Throw all your ingredients in a blender and blend away! Taste and adjust to your liking by adding more milk/ice cubes/sugar/whatever floats you boat.

PS! I got an Iphone for Christmas from the DB and now have jumped on the Instagram bandwagon. Feel free to follow me on there @kimberlywyn. I can guarantee lots of food pictures. :)

Crockpot Chicken Adobo

Man oh man oh man oh man. While making this recipe, I realized that I'm afraid of something else in my life... a fully uncooked chicken. I'm terrified of it. I don't even know where to start. How do people deal with the skinning, the emptying, the pulling, all the extra stuff? My mom cooks meat all the time and nothing phases her. Eyeballs? Gone. Beaks? More flavor. I have no idea how she does it. She's a miracle worker.

I, for one, have cooked my first and last whole chicken. The prepping process took me over half an hour. Is that normal? I'll be sticking to my precut chicken breasts from now on. I'm really not meant for the cooking world.

Aside from the chicken parts, this recipe was full of flavor. It had a kick to each bite with quite a bit of tart. My favorite parts of the dish were the cooked onions and carrots. Recipe from who else, but Crockpot365!

• 3 to 5 pounds of chicken meat (I used a whole chicken. Next time I will use boneless pieces.)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced in rings

Directions

1. Marinate the chicken overnight in the refrigerator with the salt, pepper, soy sauce, garlic, and vinegar.
2. In the morning, dump the chicken on top of the carrots and onions in the crockpot. Make sure the crockpot is big enough for your chicken!
3. Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for 4-5. Make sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked before serving.

Banana Almond Pancakes Topped with Nutella

2012! How has your new year kicked off so far? I'm not one for new year resolutions, but how about more posts this year than last year? I can work with that.

I started this year with a fresh stack of flapjacks, so it only makes sense to share with you a pancake recipe. As always, I had browning bananas on the kitchen counter and had to find a use for them. Since I wasn't planning on eating them soon, I tossed them into a pancake batter and slathered them with Nutella. These pancakes are great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or any meal in between! They turned out to be a little on the flatter side, but the taste was spot on. The recipe makes approximately 12 pancakes.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping

• 1 tablespoon nutella
• half a banana, sliced
• a pinch of sliced almonds

Directions

1. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
2. Add the bananas, buttermilk, eggs, honey, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract to the dry mixture and stir until just moistened. A couple of clumps are okay!
3. Scoop the batter by 1/3 cup onto a pan over medium heat. Once bubbles start to appear, carefully flip the pancake and let the other side cook for another minute or two. 
4. Spread your desired toppings on top of the pancakes and eat away!

P.S. Have you ever used this stuff? It's one of the greatest things I've ever stumbled upon I hardly use buttermilk, so I end up throwing a lot of the fresh carton in the trash. It's such a waste! With this, I can have buttermilk on hand at all times, without having to worry about an expiration date (well, right away, anyway).

You just mix this powder with some water and voi-la! You've got some buttermilk for baking.

2011 Recap and a Happy New Year!

As I did last year, I'm recapping my favorite desserts from each month in 2011 (which is probably not going to help your new year's resolution). Enjoy!

January: Cinnamon Roll Cake. Tons of butter = ultimate satisfaction.

February: Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies. Cookies inside of cookies. 

March: Nutella Cheesecake Gooey Cake Bars . Hearty bars. My kind of dessert.

April: Buttermilk Biscuits. A lot of work, but the result is fluffy piece of buttery goodness!

May: Star Wars Brownie Roll Out Cookies. Hmmmm. I need to use these again.

June: Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins with a Cheerios Streusel. Cheerios party!

July: From Scratch Funfetti Cupcakes. No words needed.

August: Cake Batter Bars. I would say this is my favorite recipe of all of 2011. That's quite a statement, so if you haven't tried them yet, get on the cake batter bandwagon!

September: White Chocolate S'mores Gooey Cake Bars. Condensed milk MAKES this dessert.

Also from September: Nutella Puppy Chow. So I cheated and chose two from September. Since this doesn't require an oven, it didn't count.

October: S'mores Brownies. Tired of seeing s'mores yet?

November: Peanut Butter Blondies with Chocolate Sunflower Seeds. The ultimate soft bar.

December: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. One of my favorite cookies.. and I don't even care for peanut butter!

Actually, December was filled with great cookies, so check the archives out!

This year has been an enormous year of growth for my blog and me, and I look forward to seeing you all in 2012! Thanks for you continued support throughout the years. Wishing you all a safe and happy new year!