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. 

Canning Grape Juice

My first juice making marathon has got to be the singular most loving thing I've completed for my second-born who officially drinks his weight in juice every single day. My attempts at mothering have failed. Juice Abhorrer's unite. He loves juice. What shall a conscientious mother do? Find some grape vines, pick those grapes and juice them. So tedious. So purple. E.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e.  

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chippers

It's Saturday. The day that Before Kids I would lay in bed watching the Food Network until about noon, maybe I'd shlub to the kitchen for a cup of coffee, but probably not. Maybe later in the day I'd proceed to browse Target for the afternoon, completely carefree, buying whatever I wanted, most likely in the accessory department. I didn't even need to consider stopping at the Jumbo Box Warehouse for gigantor boxes of garbage bags, 480 rolls of toilet paper and the largest jug of dish soap known to man. Before Kids the afternoon would proceed into an evening of possibly dancing, maybe dinner, most definitely high heels. And Sunday would be cookies. An afternoon of cookie baking. Something like these Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chippers. You can consider these health food cookies because they have pumpkin. That's Becki Eating Math. See? It's simple: pumpkin + whole wheat flour + coconut oil - sugar = health food cookie. 

Raw Kale Salad

I've hit a blogging wall. I don't know what to write. When I cook I forget to click pictures. I eat every finalized dish without snapping a photo. Even if I do snap a photo, I hate the photo. I'm a half-ass. I suck. And then there's kale. Which is suppose to make you think you don't suck, because you feel smart eating kale. Like you know something everybody else doesn't. 

Maple Coriander Chicken Skillet

My kids are gone. For two days. I have nothing to do. Gone. Do I seem lost? Kind of, but not really. Just a tad. After a blissful morning of no one peeking up at me in the dark of 6:30 am or someone shouting from their crib: MAHHHHHOM! GET ME OUT OF HERE! I'm feeling ready to conquer anything!

Try cleaning the toy box out with the little hands peeking in saying: YOU CAN'T GET RID OF THIS!!! Oh, this McDonald's toy that you played with once and does nothing? Yeah, that one! You can't get rid of that! Oh, but you're not here...so I'm going to!!! Then I'm going to cook a beautiful dinner for Travis and I, like Maple Coriander Chicken Skillet, sit in peace while leisurely eating and I'm going to seriously relish every second and I'm going to miss you so much.

Chia Coconut Energy Bites

CHA! CHA! CHIA! Oh, that was just too easy. And ridiculous. I'll resort to blaming the cocktail. There's something about sipping Rum Chata over ice while composing a blog post that is so...well...creamy. Have you tried Rum Chata yet? It's an oh-so-creamy rum-infused liqueur that has a slight hint of cinnamon and it's made in the Midwest! Rum...made in the Midwest. Yes, please!

You know what else I've been sipping on this past weekend? Wait for it...homemade apple and grape juice! I know! You are slightly dumbfounded right now. Me, too! Homemade. Apple. Juice. All of you with juicers can stop snickering now and welcome me to your world.

Almond-Parmesan Crusted Walleye

I need you to make this walleye now! It is sooo good. No restaurant could ever come close to this. Out of this world unbelievable. So crunchy, so flavorful, so absolutely, unbearably delicious. You will never crust a fillet of walleye the same again. Ever.

Minnesotans adore their walleye. Its kinda like the most prized fish to catch when you're out on the lake. Something about the fish being an elusive species. Makes it more exciting when you reel one in. And, for me, the texture of walleye has got to be the best out of all the Minnesota lake fish. Bass, Northern Pike and Blue Gills all have that mushy texture, walleye is definitely a firmer fish. Let's get cooking!

Pumpkin Oat Smoothie

People are having babies all around me. Precious little bundles of red, mushy skin smelling like something that could never be bottled, but everyone wants to try. Of course, I want to cook some love for all involved. Families that have added +1 to a family of seven and a +1 to a family of five = 14 mouths I get to feed with carefully planned recipes, hours of cutting and chopping behind my cutting board, and delivered right to their front door. Isn't that so Minnesota Nice? What to make? Oh! I'm so excited! 

Crockpot Applesauce

How is it that being home one day with my children after a 3-day blissful vacation with my handsome husband has me wishing I was highly medicated in a psych ward? Not really (OK, yes, really - but I think that's insensitive to say, but now I've said it), I imagine psych wards are a horrendous place I shan't joke about, but recently I'm hyper aware of women locked up in institutions after reading this book. 

Seriously thought provoking. Makes one feel a lil' bit more grateful, for about 3 seconds...then I look at my two year old's work of art and come back to my current reality. The reality of two huge piles of sandbox dirt on the carpet of my bedroom floor. Carpet. Bedroom. Floor. 

How does he do that? Three floors up from ground level. Why does he do that? Because he's two? How does he sneak by me? If you have enlightenment to any of the above or how to discipline a two year old we need to have virtual coffee, stat. Until then, I'll just be feeding the demon child two year old this crockpot applesauce. 

Roasted Turnip Fries

The lowly turnip. Poor dear. When do you ever cook with turnips? I can't say I'm one to chose them at the grocery store, the only other time I've considered a turnip is in chicken stock. But upon the arrival of the purple gems in my CSA box I was forced into turnip submission. After a quick web search on turnips (and I mean quick - can't say much caught my attention), I decided to roast them. What root vegetable doesn't taste infinitely better roasted? This is a root vegetable, isn't it? 

 

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Do you ever come across a recipe and totally disregard it because you think it doesn't follow your flavor profile, might be too time consuming, or whichever mood you find yourself in at the moment just has you disregarding delicious recipes that you should otherwise consider? That was this recipe for me.

My sister-in-law was drooling over the recipe in Saveur magazine and I wanted to drool, too. However, the drool just didn't flow, but ever the competitor, I knew I had to make said recipe because I needed to be first to eat the drool-worthy creation.

 I'm not sure if my sister-in-law ever got around to making Pumpkin Spice Pancakes, but I finally did. And the household applauded. Something about my house being a routine pancake house. Needless to say, Pumpkin Spice Pancakes are whipped up in my kitchen several times during the fall season. I hope the same for your kitchen.

Coffee Toffee Cookie Ice Cream Cake

 

OK. You have to make this cake right now before it gets too cold outside and all you crave is pot roast and chicken & dumplings. In Minnesota today you may have believed it was hot enough outside to consume an ice cream cake. Mmmmmhmmm, Minnesotans talk about the weather all the time. Cuz it's zany and unpredictable and it's our birthright. But I digress... cake! You must eat this. Its as simple as making cookies (you can make cookies, right?) and scooping ice cream (I know you can do that!).

Tomatillo Salsa

My CSA cup runneth over this month with tomatillos, red, yellow, and orange tomatoes, eggplant, kohlrabi, basil, turnips and kale. You shoulda seen me haulin' that box to the car - who needs Bodypump?

I've never been inclined to cook with tomatillos and that is why I absolutely adore being part of a CSA. I'm challenged to think outside of my box and do something I've never done before. I'm thinking this salsa will be the base of a chicken or pork stew/crock pot dinner later this week. Yum? I hope so. 

Cold Beet & Bulgur Salad

This posting is the biggest un-recipe I've ever posted. Its not really a recipe, its more of a way to use up vegetables and other odds n' ends in the refrigerator. After I haphazardly decided to un-thaw 4 cups of bulgur, there sat the bulgur, waiting, wanting. One cup of bulgur consumption later I'm left with 3 cups of bulgur. Bake bread? Too busy. Make soup? Too many leftovers. Toss with beets? Yes! What pairs deliciously with beets? Carrots, celery, green onion, orange juice, walnuts and feta, that's what! 

Blueberry Muffins with Sage Essence

Can you have enough blueberry muffin recipes? I think not. It's such a classic combo, but now with a twist - Sage. The sage in this muffin is very subtle, hence "essence" in the recipe title. The sage give the muffins a slight earthy flavor. Very fabulous. Yes, a muffin can be fabulous in my world. 

BBQ Spareribs

If you live in Minnesota the weather comes up in almost every conversation with friends, neighbors, teachers, fitness instructors, you name it. We talk about the weather - it's our thing. Our weather has extreme changes in temperature and atmosphere, one day it will be 55 degrees, windy and cold and the next its 85 and sunny, the hottest, most humid day you can imagine. Its a whirlwind of confusion and oddness and I think that's why we love to debate on the weather here in the good ole' Twin Cities.

Anyway, what got me started on today's weather rant is because it's absolutely gorgeous in Central MN today. Lovely day. Sunny, breezy, crisp and delicious. A day that inspires a charcoal grill, unfortunately, it's Monday so no one really wants to "fire up" the charcoal grill after a long day of work, but I know what you could do...Get yourselves some ribs for a Saturday grill-fest and think about firing up the grill until Saturday (because that will make your week go by so much faster - insert facetious tone here). Yeah, good plan.