Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake - Holiday Season Begins

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Pumpkin Spice Season isn't over until I SAY it's over, okay? Pumpkins keep well in winter and I know y'all have a bunch of extra cans hidden in your pantry.

Holiday season is upon us! Do you know what YOU'RE bringing to your office potluck?


Believe me, this cheesecake is the highlight of ANY holiday table. Funny story: I attended a potluck for local theater people and accidentally dropped this cheesecake. I had nothing else to bring, so I ended up salvaging what I could and putting it in the pan. I kid you not, I heard, more than once, "who brought the weird pudding thing? IT'S DELICIOUS!"

So, even when you drop it and it looks like nothing, it still tastes amazing. Get on this.


Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

  • 1 1/2 cup crushed ginger snaps
  • 1/2 stick butter, melted
  • 3 packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp vanilla (I use bourbon vanilla)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 3 large eggs

Topping: 1/4 cup caramel sauce (I use homemade with bourbon mixed in), pumpkin pie seeds (I used Trader Joe's spiced)

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

-Mix together crushed ginger snaps and melted butter. Press into a springform pan (or deep pie dish), using a glass to press the crumbs as tightly as possible, and pushing them up the edges of the pan.

-In a stand mixer, mix together the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time. Taste, and adjust spice if desired.

-Pour the cheesecake mixture into the prepared crust. Bake for an hour, until firm. Let cool completely.

-Drizzle caramel over the prepared cheesecake and top with pumpkin seeds.

Tip: to avoid the top cracking in the oven, place a pan with water on the bottom shelf of the oven and let it bake with the cheesecake.



Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Back for the Season with Hot Mulled Wine

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I've been absent from the blog. I missed the biggest foodie holiday. I'm sorry. Election season hit and I didn't really feel like cooking. It's been hard to focus on lighthearted things when you're preoccupied with the outcome of a polarizing election and feeling helpless and upset. It feels fake to get excited about recipes when so many are hurting.

When not trying to be a millennial social justice warrior princess, I've been diving into improv with my new troupe, a group of girls who I just adore. I suppose jumping on stage and being forced to be lighthearted and funny and find humor and healing with no prep is easier than sitting down and creating a recipe and writing a post. Excited to see where our group goes in the coming year.


My darling fiance, who typically helps me with my food photography, has also been recovering from surgery. So without the help here, it was just easier to take a mini-hiatus.


Anyways, that's where I've been.

About this recipe, my grand return back to blogging--it's funny, because I've challenged myself to avoid alcohol until Christmas--is a delicious hot mulled wine. Mulled wine reminds me of nearly 10 years ago, when I was wandering the gorgeous streets of Prague during a study abroad trip. It's hot, boozy, and perfect for the season.

Texas is still lovely and warm, but if I close my eyes and sip slow I can almost hear the snow patting softly on the windowsill.

Serve a big pot for your holiday party. It's like winter sangria. And sangria is legit.


Hot Mulled Wine

  • 2 bottles of mild red wine - I use a red blend
  • 1 apple, cored and sliced into rounds
  • The peel from 1 orange
  • 1 tsp dried whole cloves
  • 1/2 tsp allspice berries
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 whole star anise
  • 1/3 cup sugar

-Over medium heat, combine all ingredients.

-Let wine simmer for 10 minutes, until fragrant. Let simmer longer for a more intense flavor.

-Use a ladle to pick out the spices. Serve in heat-proof cups. Optional: serve with a sprig of rosemary.

Monday, October 31, 2016

Pumpkin Beers

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Hey all! I made a few Youtube videos of my friends and I trying to find the perfect pumpkin beer!








Check it out and have a happy and safe Halloween :D I know I will... can anyone guess what my costume is?



Wednesday, October 19, 2016

EASY Pumpkin Crescent Roll Breakfast Danish

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Crescent rolls are one of the most versatile processed foods around. Yes, processed. Mass produced. Probably super bad for you. But also super buttery and delicious and can be morphed into anything from a simple piece of twisty bread to a homemade hot pocket.

In this EASY pumpkin crescent roll breakfast Danish, the crescent roll provides the pastry base, holding the creamy, pumpkin-spiced filling. Drizzled with icing, it's irresistible.


As we know, I'm battling dumb body issues and constantly trying to force myself to eat better. But in moderation, this sometimes-treat can be worth it. A slice for a special occasion. In this case, it was my birthday. So I can make the exception.

Plus, my coworkers helped me eat it, so over-indulgence was impossible ;)

Brimming with deeeelicious pumpkin flavor, my EASY pumpkin crescent roll breakfast Danish makes a lovely addition to your fall brunch table.



EASY Pumpkin Crescent Roll Breakfast Danish
  • 2 tubes of crescent roll dough
  • 1 8oz package of cream cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin butter (approx.)
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar + 1 tsp (or more) water

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

-In a stand mixer, mix together the sugar, vanilla, cream cheese, and egg until smooth.

-Spray a pie or tarte pan with cooking spray and press the dough triangles from 1 crescent roll tube into the bottom of the pan. Pour in the cream cheese mixture.

-Top the cream cheese mixture with teaspoon-sized dollops of the pumpkin butter, dropping teaspoons across the surface.

-Gently press the remaining crescent roll dough pieces on top of the cream cheese and pumpkin butter in your desired pattern--I am lazy, so I left them as triangles.

-Bake for 20 minutes, or until the crescent roll dough has become golden brown in color.

-Let cool completely. Mix the powdered sugar and water together gently, until thick but able to be drizzled easily. Drizzle over cooled pastry. Cut into slices and serve.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Halloweeny Goodies

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Once upon a time, I had a blog called Quarter Life (Crisis) Cuisine.

It's still there, but I don't update it as much, since I'm building up this one now. Plus, I just turned 29. My quarter life is done.

The downside? All my best recipes are still there!

So please check out last year's Halloween recipes, on the offchance I run out of time to make any this year ;)
















Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Pumpkin Spice Three Layer Bars

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It's October! And while I'm lamenting the loss of summer--though thankfully, here in Austin it'll be comfortable temperatures until at least December--I'm happy for the change of wardrobe and slightly cooler days. And all the pumpkin stuff everywhere!

Yea, I'm a Pumpkin Spice Latte bitch. You wanna fight about it?


I do miss New England fall. Texas fall is still fun though. Now I can FINALLY wear a Halloween costume without freezing my ass off. Perks!

These are a variation of my "I Love You Brownies" (recipe forthcoming) that I make when I am celebrating something special for people I love. Those brownies are chocolate and peanutbutter. These are white chocolate and pumpkin.

I kind of wish they came out more pumpkin-y looking (no artificial colors!), but the taste is out of this world.



Pumpkin Spice Three Layer Bars
For the Blondie
  • 1 stick + 2 tablespoons butter, room temp
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg 
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 tsp powdered ginger
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 baking dish.

-Brown the butter--cook over medium heat until frothy, stir, and take off the heat once brown bits are beginning to form. Let cool slightly.

-Add brown sugar, eggs and maple syrup.

-In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry to the wet, mixing well until there are no clumps.

-Pour into prepared baking dish and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

For the Filling
  • 1/2 stick butter, room temp
  • 1/4 cup pureed pumpkin
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin spice
  • 2+ cups powdered sugar

-In a stand mixer, mix together the butter and pumpkin. Add the spices and slowly add the powdered sugar until a stiff buttercream forms.

For the Fudge Topping
  • 2 cups white chocolate chips
  • 1 stick butter

-In a double boiler or microwaved in batches, melt the chocolate chips. Add the butter and stir until smooth.

To assemble the bars: Spread the pumpkin buttercream over the blondies and let air-dry until just firm. Pour the white chocolate over the top and let chill until firm. Cut into bars and serve.


Monday, September 19, 2016

An Exercise Post.

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Trigger Warning: weight talk.
TL, DR; I am struggling with weight and felt like talking about it.

Today I realized that, despite calling myself a "writer," I rarely express myself much further than "this recipe is good and here is why!" on this blog.

Perhaps it's because the feedback from the casual blog follower tends to be "I just scroll down to the recipes." Has that subliminally affected my content? Who knows. But I do know that this is my blog, and I need to let myself shine in it a bit more. So, that said, here's a topic I'd like to talk about.

Exercise.

Still with me? Good. Because I'm not going to tell you pain is gain and nothing tastes as good as skinny feels and all that bogus. Because it IS bogus. I'm of the opinion that tough love and shaming yourself into the process is just never going to work. One of the reasons I had a major issue with the Whole 30 official plan. It didn't for me--I'd end up frustrated and crying and giving up so I would stop that racing feeling in my chest that made me feel not good enough to continue.

Literally the last picture where I feel confident about my body. It's from 2012.
For about 24 years of my life I was effortlessly skinny. I never once had to think about what I ate or how much, and aside from struggling through gym class every other day in high school, I never really did any exercise. Then comes 25 and the Ass Fairy paid me a visit and never left. I went from a size 4 to a size 8 seemingly overnight, and it's been a steady crawl to a size 10-12 ever since.

And despite having a fiance who thinks I'm the sexiest being on the entire planet (and who, yes, tells me this every day), my self confidence has plummeted below the ground and caused me all sorts of anguish. I look in the mirror and think, "this is not my body, where did my flat belly go?" all while the outside world would probably still consider me thin by most standards. And with the knowledge that weight doesn't matter, there are worse things than being "fat" but the idea of the bitchy girls from high school or my ex's ex who hated me would look at my pictures on FB and think "wow, she really let herself go" would keep me up at night.

The body I used to have.

And, sadly, the little voice in the back of my head reminding me that if my dad had gotten control of his weight just a little sooner, maybe he'd be alive today...

My food blogging didn't help, but my typical diet wasn't enough in and of itself to be responsible for the extra poundage. I knew I was just fighting my aging ass as well.

So I got gym memberships. And I hated every minute. My long hair gave me a headache when it was in a ponytail for too long. I had to go home to shower before going out. I couldn't wake up early enough and was too tired after work. I hated the way the sweat felt. I hated the little hives I'd get when I worked too hard. I went for a solid month and saw no results. Then I tried classes like Zumba or Jazzercise and failed hard at both--I could feel all eyes judging my out of step moves, even when I knew no one actually cared--I even tried running through Austin's gorgeous landscape... and was embarrassed I couldn't keep up. I attempted Whole 30 and Paleo and calorie counting and each one ended way too quickly. How can I get through this without wine? And sugar? But how do I do this and still feel satisfied? I did more crying about my weight than action.

2013, when I began to feel less confident

If only I had a workout buddy, I'd think, someone to hold me accountable... then I'd reach out to people who weren't interested, or would flake (or I would flake) and then get sadder and lonely feeling, adding to the heap of negative feelings about the situation. So I'm a blob with no friends? Great.

Step one was realizing I was suffering from depression, and the resulting body dismorphia was a product. The meds I was put on ("please, not the ones that make you gain weight!" I begged my doctor) helped even me out. I still hated the idea of sweating, and avoided the gym, but the crippling anxiety about the whole situation was quelled.

Then my wedding date was set and the idea of having pictures that hang in my house forever showing me marrying the love of my life was the motivation to try one more time. And I know, it's silly and superficial and it's not about pictures at all--but sometimes I'm silly and superficial. I freely admit that. And whatever works, right?

Now it's been nearly three months of three workouts per week. With Austin's Class Pass I've found a system that works for me. I found Barre, while still dance-inspired, is slower and more my pace, but results in a deep burn the next day that I know means it's working. Piloxing Barre is even better, because it has bursts of cardio. Class Pass is five times the price of a discount gym membership ($50 for beginner, $90 for unlimited) and at the limit of my budget, but the ability to check out a variety of gyms in my area keeps it interesting for me. Plus, once I reserve a spot, I'm tied to it, lest I lose my money or one of my allotted monthly classes.

Thanks to my medicine, the anxiety and sadness surrounding exercise are gone. It's still not my favorite activity, but I don't spend all day dreading it. The endorphins have yet to kick in, but the energized feeling I get after the class is over gets me motivated to do the little things I need to do--like clean my house, make a healthy dinner, catch up on work.

I got a Fitbit HR, to get the most accurate calorie counts for my activity levels. Before, keeping myself to 1200 calories just because that is the "magic" weight loss number was impossible. Now, I know that if I burn 2000 in a day, I can have as many as 1500 and still be on track.

No weight loss yet, but my tummy looks flatter and my arms have lost a bit of jiggle already. And the scale tends to trend on the lower side of my usual range.

I guess the point of all this is... This is what I'm doing, and so far, it works for me. Weight loss and, more importantly, getting healthy, are so hard. If it's important to you, you can find a way to do it. Don't beat yourself up if the first or even the tenth try doesn't get you where you want to be.

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Plenty o' Pickles Courtesy of Wheatsville! Easy Fridge Pickles

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Fall is in the air--and that means the harvest is nigh! How do you preserve your delicious summer fruits and veggies, and how do you do it in a unique (and tasty!) way?

Pickle that stuff up.


So, to be honest, I'm totally new to pickling. I took the "easy" route and did them all via the "fridge pickle" process. This means that they're not shelf stable, but they'll last a long while in the refrigerator.

Austinites are lucky: at Wheatsville Coop, we have a plethora of fresh, organic, and local goodies to choose from! Take a look at the haul I got.


All of that gorgeous produce got pickled in a variety of ways.


First, I did a very basic pickle: cukes, onions, garlic, dill, and brine, with this neat pickling spice mix I found at Wheatsville.


Then, I got a little crazy. I have no idea what I'm going to do with all of these pickles--I think I need to have a fancy hors d'ovres party or something.


Basic Pickling Process

  • 1 cups vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup pickling salt
  • 1 tbsp dried dill
  • 1 tbsp pickling spices
  • 3 large cucumbers
  • 1/2 onion, sliced thin


-In a pot over medium heat, mix together the vinegar, water, salt, dill, and spices. Let boil until steamy and the salt is dissolved. Let cool to room temp.

-Place sliced cucumbers and onions in a glass jar that has been thoroughly cleaned. Pour brine over the cucumbers and refrigerate for 2 days.

Please note: these will not be shelf stable. Keep cold at all times.

Creative Pickles (variations)


Blueberry Fennel
-sub 1/4th cup of the water for red wine
-sub 1/2 cup of the vinegar for balsamic vinegar
-add 1/4 cup brown sugar to the brine
-sub the cucumbers for blueberries
-sub fennel for the onions


Asian Carrot
-sub 1/4th cup of the water for mirin wine
-sub the vinegar for rice vinegar
-add 1 tbsp sesame oil
-add 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
-add 1 knob of peeled ginger, coarsely chopped
-sub the cucumbers for carrots

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

The last day of Bacon Month - Potato Salad

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If you've just noticed, me and a whole bunch of bloggers (wrangled together by Julie of Bread Booze Bacon) made bacon recipes ALL MONTH!



For the LAST DAY of Bacon Month, I wanted to challenge myself. I set lofty goals. I was going to make a maple bacon Dutch baby. Fluffy, eggy, sweet and savory goodness.

Then why do I have friggin potato salad?

Because life had other plans. Note to self: taking on hefty blog projects when one has multiple improv shows a week is a recipe for failure. I burnt no fewer than FIVE Dutch baby pancakes. Two because I literally LEFT THE HOUSE IN THE MIDDLE OF MAKING THEM, two because I had my measurements off, and one because I fell asleep. And then, homegirl was out of eggs.


So, here you have something totally different and hopefully not too underwhelming. A potato salad with amped up bacon. Yes, I had made it beforehand for dinner. But it DOES include delicious bacon, and we all know bacon and potatoes is a match made in heaven.

Dijon mustard. Friends: I am never making potato salad without it again.

Check out the last day of Bacon Month's recipes!!



Bacon & Egg Stuffed Baked Potatoes from Love Bakes Good Cakes
Bell Pepper & Bacon Cheese Ball from Bread Booze Bacon
Spicy Bacon Whiskey Soda from Nomageddon
Jalapeno Popper Mac & Cheese from A Dash of Sanity
Chocolate Caramel Bacon Milkshake from Around My Family Table
Bacon Waffle S'mores from A Simple Pantry
Skillet Breakfast Potatoes & Bacon from Kleinworth & Co.
Bacon Fried Apples from It Is A Keeper
Bacon Potato Salad from Forking Up
Maple Bacon Cheesecake from Ashlee Marie

Bacony Potato Salad
1 lb red potatoes, cut into bite-sized cubes
5 slices bacon, crumbled
1 small red onion, diced
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp dried chives
1 tbsp chives
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar

-In a pot of salted water, boil the potatoes until done and easily pierced with a fork--about 20 minutes. Drain and let cool to room temp.

-While potatoes are boiling, cook the onions and bacon together until bacon is to desired done-ness (I like mine a bit chewy). Drain well and set aside.

-In a small bowl, whisk together all other ingredients. When potatoes are cool, gently toss with the mixture and sprinkle in the onions and bacon.

-Serve with extra bacon. Because bacon.

Friday, August 26, 2016

#BaconMonth Bacon Stout Risotto

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Disclaimer: I received a complimentary Lodge Cast Iron skillet for #BaconMonth for the purpose of creating a recipe

Sidenote: more (and better!) pics coming soon as I have temporarily misplaced my SD card...

If you've just noticed, me and a whole bunch of bloggers (wrangled together by Julie of Bread Booze Bacon) are making bacon recipes ALL MONTH!


 Check out my first post to see what amazing prizes you could win.


Guyssss #BaconMonth is almost over! And I couldn't let it pass without a serious shout-out to the best cast iron producer of all time: Lodge Cast Iron. Fun fact: my fiance has done Revolutionary War reenactments his whole life. I've attended a few, and we go ALL OUT. This means using cast iron for all the cooking, over a campfire. We always use Lodge and it is seriously the best.


For #BaconMonth we used Lodge for, what else, BACON! I loved how evenly the bacon cooked. It's really perfect!

I've been wanting to do a beer-based risotto for a while. I think the main thing I need to point out here is that you want LOW SODIUM broth. The bacon adds more than enough salt, so any extra and it's going to be too salty. But the beer reduces beautifully and the flavor profile is awesome.

Risotto really isn't as hard as people think! Give it a try :) Bacon makes everything awesome, so you'll be safe.

Check out the other recipes for today's #BaconMonth roundup!


French Onion & Bacon Dip from Around My Family Table
Bacon Bourbon Caramel Popcorn from Cooking in Stilettos
Cheesy Bacon Jalapeno Bread Sticks from A Dash of Sanity
Bourbon Bacon Chocolate Balls from A Simple Pantry
Coffee Maple Bacon from Nomageddon
Southern Bacon-Fried Cabbage from Love Bakes Good Cakes
Bacon Stout Risotto from Forking Up
Maple Bacon Monkey Muffins from It Is A Keeper


Bacon Stout Risotto

  • 4 slices bacon, diced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1/2 cup aroborro rice
  • 1/2 cup dark stout beer
  • 4-6 cups low sodium beef broth
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • handful of shredded cheese, for topping

-In your lodge cast iron, fry the bacon until desired done-ness (slightly crispy is always a good bet). Add the onions and garlic and cook until transluscent.

-Add the rice and stir until the rice has soaked up most of the bacon fat. Slowly add the stout, and stir until absorbed.

-Continue adding the beef broth, a half cup at a time, and stirring until liquid is absorbed. Once rice is soft, remove from heat and stir in the parsley. Top with cheese.

Monday, August 22, 2016

#BaconMonth Peanutbutter Banana Bacon Muffins

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Disclaimer: I received a bunch of free bottles of Torani syrup for #BaconMonth for the purpose of creating a recipe

Don't worry, everyone, BACON MONTH still has some steam left! If you've just noticed, all month me and a whole bunch of bloggers (wrangled together by Julie of Bread Booze Bacon) are making bacon recipes ALL MONTH!

 Check out my first post to see what amazing prizes you could win.


Today's recipe is brought to you by the oh-so-wonderful Torani syrups! These little muffins get a bit of a kick from the brown sugar cinnamon syrup (though the bananas keep it pretty sweet!) better yet, they're gluten free!


I adapted a paleo recipe I use regularly, so these are gluten free and HIGH PROTEIN! Feel free to grab one as an after workout snack... or breakfast. Whatever you'd like.

I always see peanutbutter and chocolate with bacon... but never just PB & Bacon, so I stopped myself from pouring in the chocolate chips. While I think the chips would make a fine addition, these are pretty baller just on their own.



 Before we get to my recipe, check out all the other #BaconMonth recipes today!
Bacon & Egg Puffs from It Is A Keeper
Bacon Scalloped Potatoes from Kleinworth & Co.
Beer Bacon and Cheese Dip Recipe from Bread Booze Bacon
Sticky Bacon and Salmon Kebabs from Hey Grill, Hey
Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pull-Apart Rolls from Love Bakes Good Cakes
Peanutbutter Bacon Protein Muffins
  • 4 slices bacon, crumbled
  • 2 ripe bananas, smushed with a fork
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 tbsp peanutbutter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 1/8 cup coconut flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbsp apple pie spice mix
  • 1 tbsp Torani brown sugar cinnamon syrup

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 6-welled muffin tin with liners.

-In a stand mixer set to medium, mix together the bananas, eggs, butter, peanutbutter,  Torani brown sugar syrup, and vanilla.

-In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.

-Slowly add the dry to the wet, mixing well between each addition. Finally, fold in the bacon.

-Fill the muffin cups 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.