April 7th is National Coffee Cake day! Not that we need a special day to eat cake to enjoy with our coffee...but why not "celebrate" with one of these recipes that are sure to make the day super delicious.
Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
Coffee Cake wih Sweet Almond Topping
Pear & Cardamom Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusal
Chocolate, almonds, and marshmallows are one of my all time favorite combinations. Thus, I love, love, love a “rocky road” anything. My kids also love this combo. As well as anything with caramel, blueberry muffins, a fruit tart, any kind of cookie and s’more. S’mores = Summer. They could care less if it is made over a camp fire or on the stove. It is the all time favorite summer dessert and I am embarrassed to say that they eat way more than I care to admit.
A couple of years ago I came up with way to combine the two. Sometimes, I add a bit of chocolate chunks right into the ganache. I have been known to make some homemade marshmallows and last year I made a marshmallow meringue top – torched it and made a group of 12 year old boys very, very happy.
Last month, I had made some homemade graham crackers. A few of them got a bit over done so I stuck them in the freezer (I think you all know by now, I hate wasting anything). Instead of using store bought, I made my crust using the “not so perfect” graham crackers and no one knew the difference.
A rocky road tart gives us the perfect combo of a s’more and a rocky road candy bar. One cannot really go wrong with graham crackers, creamy chocolate ganache wtth a bit of marcona almonds and marshmallows on top!
How I love braised short ribs, let me count the ways....
When it comes to short ribs, the secret is in the sauce and this creative twist using root beermakes itwell worth the time it takes to braise. The sweet and spicy root beer really enhances the meatiness of the ribs.
We loved it. The sauce reduces to this really concentrated sweet and savory combination full of flavor. Of course the meat just falls of the bone and goes perfectlywith mashed potatoes. Mashed sweet potatoes would also be a nice side dish to incorporate as well.
My oldest son ate two or three ribs before he asked what kind of sauce I had made. When I explained to him it was root beer sauce, he couldn't have been happier.
This is definitely a meal we will make again and again. I bet you will too.
Who doesn't love a good dip?! And since it's what I officially call "dip season", why not enjoy the heck out of it. Dip is what we all get together for anyway. Isn't it? Maybe I'm misinformed.
This particular Fancy Artichoke Dip is an elevated version of the classic. It almost looks like there is sausage on top, but it's really wheat bread crumbs. There are many layers of flavor in here, I just kept adding things until it was right.
I know you are going to enjoy this one, it will disappear before your eyes.
When we first moved to Southern California, we thought we were in pretty good shape; turns out that “pretty good shape” is a relative phrase. Even the guy bagging our groceries knows his body fat percentage. In fact, the popular gym chain, 24 Hour Fitness (yes, they are open 24 hours a day), originated here. That pretty much says it all.
After a killer leg workout at the gym this past Sunday, we wanted to treat ourselves to a mega-carb meal. Since I had a butternut squash saved and had just purchased some fresh rosemary, I decided to make butternut squash risotto.
I prefer fresh rosemary to dried because its soft needles are much more redolent and its flavor is brighter. In this butternut squash risotto, it heightens the flavor of the squash and balances the pungent blue cheese.
I know some people don’t make risotto because it takes too long and the continuous stirring is tedious. Well, I’ll let you in on a secret: I’ve been making risotto for years, and I don’t stir it continuously.