Food

Easter Brunch Carrot Cake Muffins

Food

Call me out for being a Millenial, but I LOVE brunch. For one thing, I love how it’s strictly a weekend thing (not being able to brunch every day makes it more special) and for another, I love how creative you can be in your brunch menu.

Is it breakfast? Lunch? Dessert? It’s whatever the heck you want it to be! And that’s what makes it fabulous.

Usually my family does Easter dinner but this year we’re changing it up to accommodate everyone’s busy schedules and dong brunch instead. As you can probably imagine, I’m really excited about this! I’m looking forward to mimosas, biscotti and breakfast casseroles all around.

Because I’m not one to show up empty-handed, I decided to whip up some carrot cake muffins. This sounds like something the Easter bunny would like, right? I found this amazing recipe for healthy carrot cake muffins on The Ambitious Kitchen and was pleasantly surprised to realize I had all of the ingredients in my house already (serious adulting win).

I followed the recipe for the muffins step-by-step but decided to stray from the recommended glaze suggested in the post. Because it’s a holiday afterall, I went with a more traditional cream cheese frosting and honestly love how the hearty, healthy flavoring of the muffin pairs with the sweet cream cheese frosting.

In an attempt to make the muffins look a little fancier, I used a piping bag and round decorating tip to pipe on the frosting. I also added a sprinkle of nutmeg for the finishing touch.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup finely shredded carrots (about 2-3 carrots)
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/3 cup natural unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup Almond milk
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut flakes (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12-cup muffin pan with liners and spray the inside with nonstick cooking spray to prevent batter from sticking to the liners.
  2. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to a medium bowl; stir to combine and then set aside.
  3. In a separate large bowl, add carrots, maple syrup, olive oil, applesauce, egg and vanilla. Whisk to combine wet ingredients then slowly stir in almond milk and flour mixture until just combined. Fold in coconut flakes if you’d like.
  4. Divide batter evenly between muffins cups or liners.
  5. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  6. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in pan then transfer muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling.

I paired these muffins with my go-to recipe for cream cheese frosting. It’s the perfect amount of sweetness and requires minimal ingredients. Whip it up by combining these ingredients with an electric mixer:

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 cups confectionary sugar
  • 2-3 teaspoons milk

 

While I’m posting this recipe for Easter, these muffins would be great any time of the year! I know I’ll definitely be revisiting this recipe in the fall when I’m craving all-things-spice.

To shop the products featured in this post, click on the corresponding links below!

Carrot garland 

Cupcake stand

Cake decorating kit 

The links featured in this post are affiliate links. 

Whipped Mocha Frosting and the Cutest Dessert Stands

Food

This weekend we celebrated my husband Andy’s 35th birthday! This was really exciting for us as it was the first birthday celebration we were able to host in our own home (our last house was waaaaay too tiny to host his large family all under one roof). It was really great having everyone over for what turned out to be a lovely afternoon spent indulging in entirely too much pizza, ice cream and cake covered with Andy’s favorite frosting: Whipped mocha.

Typically, I pair this frosting with marble cake and an apricot filling but it really does taste great with any kind of cake. Andy actually asked for a devil’s food cake this year and the added chocolate made the dessert extra decadent.

I was really missing the apricot filling though so I decided to also whip up a batch of yellow cupcakes and fill them with apricot preserves!

While I’m still very new to cake decorating, I tried to make both the cake and cupcakes fun by piping details with a star tip and throwing some colorful sprinkles on the cupcakes.

Adding to the whimsy, I displayed the treats on stands. Doing so really helps elevate your display and makes grabbing for a treat extra fun for your guests!

The Pioneer Woman cake stand featured in these photos is so adorable and I honestly leave it out on my counter all the time. Its farmhouse charm adds to my kitchen decor and it is perfect for storing all kinds of goodies including cookies, bars, brownies and doughnuts. I can honestly say it’s one of my favorite kitchen items!

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I’m also loving this cupcake stand, which holds up to 13 treats. One thing I especially love about it is that it unscrews into three pieces, making it incredibly easy to store in your cabinets. This also makes it portable for displays on the go! Bring it to parties or family gatherings for a more sophisticated display.

To check out my recipe for whipped mocha frosting, click here. I promise you’ll use it again and again – it’s so tasty!

And to shop the items featured in this post, click on the links below:

Large Chalkboard

Pioneer Woman Cake Stand 

Wilton Dessert Stand

The Perpetual Creator a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

Fudgey Chocolate Cut-out Cookies 💞🍫

Food

Chocolate cut-outs are admittedly delicious any time of year, but they are extra fun around Valentine’s Day! I made a batch of these decadent cookies this year to give away to my co-workers and family members, and left a few for my husband, of course. 😘

The dough whips up super fast and you can even make it a few days in advance. If you choose to do so, just be sure to wrap the dough in plastic wrap tightly to prevent air from getting in and drying it out.

While I’m writing this post for Valentine’s Day, I encourage you to get creative and use this recipe all year round. I love my Wilton cookie cutter set because it allows me to make cookies for literally any occasion.

Christmas, Saint Patrick’s Day, dinosaur day…no wait, that’s not a thing. But it very well could be!

Side note: this recipe produces quite a few cookies so be prepared to be a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for counter
  • 2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa
  • 3/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1  1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup white chocolate melting wafers (I used Ghirardelli)

Instructions 

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Whisk flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder together in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
  3. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down side of bowl. Mix in vanilla.
  4. Gradually mix the dry ingredients.
  5. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
  6. Roll out the cookie dough on a floured counter to about 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut dough into heart shapes.
  7. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 7-8 minutes. The edges should be firm and the centers are slightly sod and puffed.
  8. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
  9. Once cooled, melt your white chocolate according to the instructions on the package. Use a fork to drizzle the melted chocolate onto the cookies.
  10. Enjoy! 😍

Original recipe retrieved from Shutterbean.

Valentine’s Day Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Food

I love Valentine’s Day! It’s a great reminder for all of us to take the time out of our day-to-day to show appreciation for those we love most.

Valentine’s Day also means a plentiful amount of one of my favorite things: Chocolate! While I’m always down for a box of assorted truffles, I love using the holiday as an excuse to bake up some delicious homemade goodies.

This V-day I decided to bake up these extra-festive red velvet crinkle cookies. Because of their mild flavor these cookies are perfect for choco-holics and vanilla-lovers alike.

Ingredients

2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 & 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 stick of salted butter
3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp. red food coloring (Tip: use gel food coloring for more vibrant color!)
1/4 c. powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  3. In another large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time and beat after each addition. Add vanilla.
  4. Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
  5. Roll about 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball, then roll ball in powdered sugar. Repeat with remaining dough then reroll each ball in powdered sugar again.
  6. Arrange balls about 1″ apart on prepared baking sheets and bake until cookies have flattened and set in the middle, 10 to 12 minutes
  7. Let cool on trays 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to let cool completely.

Bake up a batch of these to share with your loved one, your parents, your co-workers, or your friends!

Original recipe retrieved from Delish. 

How to preserve fresh pears

Food

One of the things I’m loving the most about our new house is the flourishing pear tree in our back yard. This is (apparently) a great year for pears, and Andy and I are currently overrun with them.

As much as we love having natural, fresh fruit at our disposal, there is absolutely no way we are capable of eating all of these pears before they go bad.

Accepting this reality led us to look into different methods of preserving our bounty.

Pearpicking

After doing some Google research I quickly learned that there are dozens of ways to preserve this fruit, some easier than others.

Naturally, I gravitated towards the easiest solution!

Here is perhaps one of the easiest ways to preserve fresh pears:

  1. Wash and peel your pears
  2. Core and slice (be really careful – peeled pears are very juicy and as a result, difficult to hold on to while slicing!)
  3. Bring two cups of water and one cup of sugar to a boil
  4. Boil the pears for 2-3 mins
  5. Drain
  6. Let them cool
  7. Throw them in a freezer bag and stick them in the freezer
  8. Done!

Use this method to keep your pears fresh for up to six months!

pears1

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Food

I found this recipe on the 4th of July when I was looking for something cute, simple and delicious to make for the holiday festivities — not to mention easy to eat while we sat around the campfire watching the fireworks!

This Tyler Florence recipe was ridiculously easy to put together (you can make the whole thing in the food processor!) and was a huge hit with my fiancé’s family.

I’m a big fan of anything lemon and this sweet and zesty bar certainly hit the spot. Another bonus? You can make them the night before!

Find the full recipe, here.

Healthy Dose of Southern Cuisine: Shrimp and Grits

Food, Wellness

You may remember my mentioning that for me, wedding planning has meant more than just picking out colors and flower arrangements: it has also meant a reboot on my overall wellness.

Ever since I was a child, I have been very mindful of my physical wellbeing. I workout on a daily basis — it’s my favorite part of the day! But as most of us know, what you eat is just as important (if not more so) and plays a HUGE role in your body composition, your energy levels and how you feel!

Thinking about the wedding dress hanging in my closet, I’ve been recommitting to my nutrition and exploring healthy, delicious recipes to add into my weekly rotation.

In my search for something different, I came across this great recipe from Food Network for Shrimp and Grits.

I’ve always shied away from this dish, knowing that most recipes are calorie-laden and rely on a heavy amount of butter for flavor and consistency. Much to my delight, this recipe is only 367 calories per serving and packs a whopping 34 grams of protein per dish.

It seriously only took me 15 minutes to prepare so keep this one in mind for busy weeknights!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup instant grits
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus wedges for serving
  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley

Directions

  1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, covered.
  2. Uncover and slowly whisk in the grits, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in the parmesan and 1 tablespoon butter.
  5. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.
  6. Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper.
  7. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic and cayenne, if using, and cook, tossing, until the shrimp are pink, 3 to 4 minutes.
  8. Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons water, the lemon juice and parsley; stir to coat the shrimp with the sauce and season with salt and pepper.
  9. Divide the grits among shallow bowls and top with the shrimp and sauce.
  10. Serve with lemon wedges.

I paired my shrimp and grits with a side of maple brussels sprouts for an extra dose of southern flair!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Food

Like most of us – I adore chocolate chip cookies. In fact, they might be my favorite cookie of all time.

The comforting combination of vanilla, butter and chocolate is pure bliss in a baked format. Not to mention there’s nothing quite like the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven.

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Seriously – this is true Americana.

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During the holidays, I shared a trick for making your average CCC a little more festive: substitute the chips for chopped pieces of Andes candies.

This trick also proved useful during Saint Patrick’s day and is, overall, just an easy way to add a fun twist to this American cookie classic.

The freshness of the Andes mints actually lighten up the cookie and provides for a more complex flavor profile.

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Don’t care for mint? The vanilla base to these cookies is just a canvas waiting to be painted!

Try adding different candies and share your creations below!

Irish Soda Bread

Food

An ever-classic addition to the Irish table: Soda Bread! While obviously a commonly prepared piece of the St. Patrick’s day dinner menu, this crusty bread is so hearty there is no reason not to enjoy it all year round!

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To be honest with you, I had never actually made Irish Soda Bread before this St. Patrick’s Day, but was inspired by this recipe on Chobani.com.

I was attracted to the inclusion of the Greek yogurt (a great way to cut calories and add protein) but also loved how few ingredients were involved!

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The other thing I loved? You don’t need yeast! Yeast is something I never think to keep in the house, so I thoroughly appreciate a yeast-less bread recipe. Check it out below:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Chobani® Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450ºF.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine yogurt and buttermilk, and mix well.
  3. In a separate mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
  4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in wet ingredients. Using one hand, pull together ingredients in a circular motion from the center to the outside of the bowl in circles. The dough should be soft, but not too wet or sticky.
  5. When dough comes together, turn onto a well-floured surface. Pat the dough into a round, about 1.5 inches thick and about 8 inches wide.
  6. Cut a deep cross in the loaf and poke a hole in each of the four corners.
  7. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 400ºF and bake for an additional 30 minutes. To ensure bread is done, tap the bottom of the loaf-it should sound hollow.
  8. Let cool slightly on a wire rack and serve warm.

Enjoy this crusty bread with corned beef, cabbage and (most importantly) a good beer!

IRISH SODA BREAD

*Original recipe retrieved from Chobani.com

 

 

Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins!

Food, Wellness

In a true New York effort, the Nor’easter has covered my tiny town in snow! With travel bans keeping us appropriately holed in at home, this morning was the perfect time to try out a new recipe and indulge in an unhurried breakfast.

Leading up to the wedding, Andy and I are doing what most engaged couples probably do: recommitting to health and wellness.

As I already workout on a daily basis, for me this means re-focusing on nutrition and finding exciting ways to eat healthy. Prioritizing health without losing flavor!

With an itch for baking, I scoured the internet for ideas and found this recipe by Ambitious Kitchen for lightened up Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.

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It’s the first time I tried this recipe and was definitely impressed by the flavor – you’d never know that these muffins are made without processed sugars and contain essentially no fat! I also love the extra protein you get from incorporating Greek yogurt – always Chobani in our household!

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Check out my adapted version of the recipe below:

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 bananas
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup Chobani plain greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon milk (or almond milk)
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips (add a full cup if you’re a dedicated chocoholic!) 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. *Make sure to grease the pan well!*
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix mashed bananas, honey, vanilla, oil, egg, milk and yogurt until well combined.
  5. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
  6. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
  7. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean.
  8. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. 
  9. Enjoy!

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