Maca Energy Truffles

It's eerily quiet in my house this Thanksgiving morning. There isn't a dish in the sink, no pots bubbling. My hair isn't piled atop my head, elbows deep into a pie crust, flour on my nose, timers beeping loudly, onion skins littering the floor below. That would be more my style. So, as I look around my utterly way too clean kitchen wondering what on earth is wrong with me I just relax and leave it to my father who is doing the cooking this year I write a grocery list and head to the grocery store! Exactly. That's what I do. I cook.

These truffles would be a great thing to un-cook for the holidays, un-cook because they require no cooking! Measure, Dump, Stir, Form into balls and eat. And I guess you might call them health food? Maca is a root that was used in ancient Peru as an aphrodisiac and mood lifter! Isn't that great? Because judging from my post yesterday, I might need a mood lift.

Twix Bars

 

I love shortbread. Like, a lot. It's my downfall at Starbucks. I love it so much, it was one of my first blog posts. Something about the crunch and texture. Like kinda sandy.

Once, in line at Marshall's, I was buying shortbread because the cookies stare at you in the check-out aisle, taunting you to make an impulse buy, fueling your shopping adventures with more sugar, I asked the checkout girl if she had ever tried the shortbread that stare at her day in and day out for hours on end? Why no, she was not a fan of my beloved shortbread because they are, and I quote, "sandy" cookies.

That is what she said. I couldn't believe it. Sandy! Cookies! Never thought of shortbread in that way, but I guess she's right. Gah! But I digress. Because these sandy cookies are covered in caramel and chocolate. And that makes any sandy cookie a yummy cookie.

Bacon Bread-Crumb Topped Mac n' Cheese

In honor of my first born's birthday being today I must post a recipe that reflects him. His recipe reflection is Mac n' Cheese. Unfortunately, my desire to make every dish a culinary masterpiece is not appreciated here because the only type of mac n' cheese he wishes to eat comes from a blue box. No, I take that back, once he did eat my gourmet version. Most likely because he was starving and would've eaten anything I put in front of him, but nonetheless! I shall push forward in my mac n' cheese masterpiece culinary experiments! 

Swedish Rye Limpa Bread

I'm not sure what Limpa means. But what I do know is that the Dassel Covenant Cookbook from 1972 had 9 recipes listed for "Limpa Bread." And as a woman who has married into Scandihoovianess I'm determined to make and love Limpa bread. Whatever that means.

Maybe another more academic type would Google about, reading all available scholarly descriptions on the word limpa. I could learn its roots and origins. Who was the first limpa maker? Why did they eat limpa? When did they eat limpa? Where did they eat limpa?

Egg Foo Young Casserole

I am so excited about this recipe!! It's one of those recipes that I've been meaning to make for about 3 years, which the can of bean sprouts can attest to, because it had been sitting in my pantry one year after the expiration date patiently awaiting to become something greater. Don't worry, no stomachs were harmed in the consumption of these bean sprouts (in my mind, canned goods never expire -- hmmm, something wrong with that?). Just these stomachs.

Chewy Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are dangerously good. I think I will rename them to Dangerous Chewy Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies. That will be a better descriptor for these bad boys of moist, chocolatey coconut-flecked perfection.

I'm grateful the recipe only makes 2 dozen, because that means only 24 opportunities to fall off the I'm-going-on-a-cruise-in-January-so-I-better-not-eat-24-cookies bandwagon. Or 24 minus the 4 or 5 my kids and husband eat. 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen. I'll just make that my first statement because I can't pretend to be as witty, creative or beautiful with the camera as she (but I'll try!). But she is all of those things, plus much more. Her site is amazing. If you've never been there, go there now. Her website has this feature called "Surprise Me." When I'm bored beyond belief doing blog research I sit in front of my computer like a zombie clicking "Surprise Me" over and over again, watching images of delicious food cause my mouth to water and stomach to grumble even though I just ate a whole bag of popcorn and I begin to drool. I may need an intervention. 

Swedish Pancakes

My husband's mom is all things domestic. I worship her. I channel her. But what I find the most awe-inspiring is that she's 100% Swedish. As a child I found it completely embarrassing to be an ethnic no-name, a Heinz 57.  I wanted to proudly wave the flag of Ireland or Germany or Sweden!!  

Chili-Lime Quinoa

My day can only vastly improve after a big bowl of quinoa that has been flecked by black beans, red pepper, carrot, onion and cilantro. Which has been flavored with smokey cumin and chipotle in adobo. Then tanged up with lime juice and smoothed out with olive oil. Yes, you can have this life, too when you welcome Chili-Lime Quinoa into your day.  

Smoked Trout Cakes with Wild Rice

Ook. So listen. Smoked fish. And wild rice. It's happening. These were inspired by a walleye cake I had while up north (it's a term Minnesotans use for the Northern part of the state - so original) at this amazing restaurant. The fish was caught while in Door County. 

Do you know about wild rice?? My sister lives in Steamboat, CO and after she had made a Wild Rice Soup and served it for her co-workers they were all befuddled by the black flecks of chewiness. Quinoa, they guessed? Nope. Wild rice people. Know it. Eat it. Love it.

Mulligatawny Soup

Tomorrow there may be plowable snow. Plowable snow. Please, no. On the bright side my winter travel schedule is looking quite promising with a cruise to the Bahamas in January, a flight to Denver booked for February and a possible March spring break with the family. These are the things I hold onto when the words "plowable snow" are uttered during the weather forecast. 

I also hold onto soup. This version of Mulligatawny Soup is something I'd call a Grandma's version of Indian food. The recipe is from a cookbook literally called "Grandma's Best-Loved Recipes." I'm not making this up.