Smoked Salt & Pepper

Custom cookies or baked goods are a sure fire way to my heart. Hayley Cakes and Cookies were randomly introduced to me via Instagram and my Insta-savvy cousin, Yvi. Yvi lives in the Los Angeles area of California. How she stumbled upon Hayley Cakes beats me, but once she shared their instagram page I was sold. So since I was the designated 'local,' I had to peep into their store and buy some cookies. Ok, I bought a ton of cookies. Like a bucket-full. Or pants-load full (Dragons Love Tacos reference here for those who aren't in the know ;) ) I was like that's cute. and that one. and that one. ooo that one, too! They weren't for me, so they were guilt-free cookies. The first box I purchased were for Reid's grandmother, Mimi. Mimi, or Margaret Bolding, is amazing. She's like, this super-hero woman who has appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live ( no joke, check those commercial breaks) and can strike up a conversation with just about anyone. Mimi is one o...

So, as previously mentioned I'm totally Basic and love PSLs (pumpkin spice latte's for those of you without an addiction). Fall is my excuse to get fat and eat pumpkin spice errrrrrrthing. Without further explanation, here are AMAZING PUMPKIN SPICE BROWNIES!!!!!! Of course, you could just buy a box of brownie mix and add pumpkin pie spice but what would be the fun of that? Especially when you are juggling your 11 month old alternatively on your hip and handing him wooden spoons and bowls and letting him open all the cabinets so you don't burn him with a double boiler? --that's sarcasm...it has recently come to my attention that sarcasm does not come through on texts, after offending multiple people : | This recipe was adapted from the Cook's Illustrated Classic Brownies recipe Pumpkin Spice Brownies Makes about 24 brownies Recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated Classic Brownies recipe Ingredients 1 1/4 c. cake flour (5 oz) 1 tbs. cocoa powder 3/4...

It's fall! It's fall! It's fall! That means now I have an excuse to drink/eat ALL the pumpkin spice flavored things like your typical basic B and wear sweat pants.  But lets get real.  I wear sweat pants year-round.  And also drink pumpkin spice everything. Fall also means squash season.  And apple everything.  And warm goodness.  And casseroles.  So basically fall is like my favorite season. Until the next season hits :) So why not combine my two favorite things? Pumpkin + Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!! Yum Yum Yum Yum <------my Cookie Monster impression In all seriousness, I would say these turned out a bit more pumpkin bread-y than cookie texture.  Or at least that's what the discerning Cookie Monster living in my house decided.  But that didn't stop us from eating all 48 of them.  In one day. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe adapted from Food Network Recipe Ingredients: 1 lb. butter (2 sticks), softened 1...

When you have a 3 week old, you make super duper easy semi-homemade shortcut Christmas cookies. Made peppermint brownies by adding peppermint extract and crushed peppermint to store bought brownie mix, store bought chocolate chip cookie dough, and poor man's turtles (pretzel+melted Rolo+M&Ms). 

I love fall flavors.  I think I already rambled on about that in my butternut squash soup post .  There's just something so comforting with fall flavors.  It's like getting a big, warm, spice hug.  I also love bread.  And muffins.  And pie.  And pretty much everything I'm not supposed to eat according to the nutritionist that is helping me manage my gestational diabetes.  I've been pretty good lately and hadn't baked anything recently,  but it was starting to get really hard to not fill my Sunday early afternoon with the oven on and tinkering with baking recipes.  So, I decided to try to 'healthi-fy' or low-carb-a-fy? a pumpkin bread recipe. Pumpkin bread/muffins/cupcakes are pretty good for my diabetes since pumpkin has fiber and protein and beta-carotene, and only 8 g. of carbs per cup.  Basically, it's good stuff.  I'll even recommend canned pumpkin to some of my doggie patients that are having some GI issues (helps firm u...

We are sadly coming to an end of peach season here in Central Texas.  I love a good, juicy, sweet, fresh peach.  Reid and I actually have 2 peach trees in our front yard that my dad planted around 2008 that we have managed not to kill.  Miracle!  This year we got a really good harvest from them.  Usually the birds or neighbors get to them before we do.  So back around July (before I was forbidden to eat pie by my gestational diabetes nutritionist) we picked about 1-2 lbs. worth of fresh peaches form our tree.  It was awesome.  Until I broke out in a skin rash. (I must be allergic to the fine hairs or splinters on the peach tree) Our peaches are the small kind.  I think they are some French peach variety.  Real small and a bit firmer then what you'd find in Fredricksberg.  I blanched, peeled, cut and pitted them.  And made a pie.  It was a time-consuming, but relaxing Sunday project. I do like to make my own pie crust i...

It's the summertime! And here in Austin, it's hot!  Watermelon is in season and the mint in my backyard has not yet had a chance to be demolished by my fresh mint chocolate chip ice cream . So I bought a little personal sized watermelon at the grocery store, cut some up to refrigerate and enjoy left over and was still left with a lot that wouldn't fit in my tupperware. Enter, the Blendtec.  Popped the rest of the watermelon in there with some fresh mint, lemon juice, sugar and triple sec and had a tasty and refreshing dessert for later. Ingredients: 3 cups watermelon 1 tbs. fresh mint 1/4 c. sugar 1 tsp. triple sec or vodka, can omit 1 tbs. fresh lemon juice Directions: Throw everything in the blender and blend. Freeze or refrigerate until sorbet-y Use a fork to carve out sorbet or spoon depending on consistency. Watermelon and Mint Sorbet

I remember a time period when I was younger, maybe about 10 years old, when my mom would bring this flan (or as she called it by it's fancy French name, creme caramel ) to every family or friend gathering. It was tasty and looked pretty. Maybe it was a thing to do in the 90's, because my husband said his mom also went through a similar flan phase. Well, here is my mom's recipe. I made it for the first time yesterday when we had a few friends over and I had to get creative with things husband-who-just-had-wisdom-tooth-removed and guests could eat. Though it is a very simple and easy recipe, I was pretty nervous the entire time I made it. Worrying about the caramel sticking to the pan or the flan breaking while I flipped it. Came out great, though!  Like my mom says, it's a simple and easy recipe. Mom's Flan aka Creme Caramel Ingredients: 2 c. sugar, divided 6 eggs 6 egg yolks 5 c. whole milk 1 tsp. orange liquor  1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sl...

This year, like every year, Reid and I decided to celebrate Valentine's Day in.  I think there is very little desire, for most people, to fight the crowds, reservations and hastle of going out on Valentine's Day.  Heck, if you've been together for more than a year, or are older than 8 years old, you probably don't even celebrate Valentine's Day anymore. Well, we still celebrate Valentine's, even though we know it's a stupid, not-historically-accurate, Hallmark-sponsored holiday.  Mostly because it's an excuse to eat chocolate.  And pamper each other a little.  And give each other cheesy cards like this one I made Reid: From Julius So we often end up just having a nice meal in.  This year I'm making a cheese plate (thanks to my Antonelli's cheese of the month subscription), linguine with lobster in garlic cream sauce, and chocolate molten cake.  I also made some last minute chocolate covered strawberries. So excited about my...

Nothing goes hand-in-hand quite like hot summer days and ice cream.  I love ice cream.  I probably have an unhealthy addiction to ice cream.  But it's not like I can help it.  It's in my genes!  My dad's family used to own an ice cream shop in Vietnam.  I look back fondly to the moments my dad and I shared watching Tom and Jerry cartoons and eating ice cream after dinner when I was younger. One of my favorite things on ice cream is a nice, ooey-goeey melty salty caramel sauce.  So let's make some caramel chocolate ice-cream!  The sweetness of the ice cream and chocolate go well with the salty caramel flecks.  This recipe was inspired by this Tasting Table recipe for Snickers ice cream. Twix-Style Ice cream Ingredients: Caramel: 2/3 c. sugar 3/4 c. heavy cream, heated but not boiling 1/2 tsp. sea salt Ice cream base: 1 c. whole milk 3/4 c. sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 2 c. heavy cream 5 large egg yolks pinch of salt ...

Just in time for Valentine's Day! Reid calls this "the amazingly good cheesecake".  It is really good.  I don't think I could over express how freaking delicious this cheesecake is.  I have given this recipe to one friend in vet school and she also gets comments on how delicious this cheesecake is.  I recently made this for work because a whole slew of us had birthdays at the end of January/beginning of February.  One of my receptionist requested it for her birthday in September, too.  Reid also requested it for his birthday, coming up next week.  This cake is Reid's absolute favorite cake.  So in summary, everyone freaking loves this cheesecake.  It is amazingly smooth and fluffy and delicious all at the same time. It would be great for Valentine's Day.  This recipe comes from my aunt Co Be's friend Art, who went to culinary school for fun.  He had catered a few of our family reunions and we all had to have this recipe. ...

What's in your Christmas cookie tin?  In previous years, I usually just do gingerbread mean, but this year I was really in the holiday spirit and baked gingerbread cookies, Christmas Kisses thumbprint cookies, magic bars, peppermint bark, and no-bake chocolate bon-bons.  I gifted these to the techs, receptions, and vets at my work and my family.  Each of these recipes are relatively easy and simple, and I even used a mix to cut down on work for the thumbprint cookies.  The peppermint bark especially, was very tasty to test-try.  The peppermint bark rivals the famous William-Sonoma ones. The gingerbread men are my favorite recipe for producing perfectly crispy on the outside, but chewy on the inside gingerbread men.   The no-bake 5 ingredient bon-bons are great because they use almond butter instead of peanut butter which means my peanut-allergic-self can make them without fear that my fingers will swell up! Gingerbread man recipe from Food Network Kitch...

It’s still 90F this week in Texas but I’m still calling it the beginning of pumpkin season.  Got my Halloween decorations up. Oh my Gourd, it’s pumpkin time! I’ve tried so many different pumpkin recipes. Roasting pumpkin pie pumpkins and making crusts from scratch, doing all the different techniques and combos.  But nothing beats the taste of just cracking open a can of Libby’s, adding some evaporated milk, spices, eggs and sugar, and dumping that goodness into some pie crust. Pumpkin Pie Ingredients: 1 15oz can of pumpkin 1 12oz can evaporated milk 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 c. Sugar 1 tsp Cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground Ginger 1/4 tsp ground Clove Dash of ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp salt Pie shell (see below for recipe) Directions: Combine milk, eggs, sugar and spices in a large bowl. Beat on medium with an electric mixer until sugar dissolved.  Mix in pumpkin Pour into prepared pie shell and bake at 350F for one hour or until set Hybrid Butter/Shortening Pie Crust (Makes 2) Ingredients: ~...

It's national veterinary technician week! So give all your pet nurses a hug, because they work hard to help make your dog/cat/horse/goat/cow/snake/guinea pig feel better!  Sometimes as vets, we get busy trying to diagnose crazy illnesses (I diagnosed my SECOND case of Addison's in the past 3 months, what?!) that we don't get to love on your pets.  That's why we have awesome staff who help us provide the TLC your pet needs to feel better, help restrain animals during exams, pull blood, run labwork, and take x-rays.  They work hard, often coming home bruised, bitten, scratched and smelling like who-knows-what, but still manage to come in the next day with a smile on their faces.   I brought in cookies and pumpkin-ginger snap bites to the office as my little way of saying thanks to all our awesome vet techs.  A few of our vet techs are vegan or vegetarian, so I had a bit of a baking challenge.  Usually, I'd be all about adding 1/2 lb. of butter to make my...

"Wow! That doesn't taste like Mylanta!" -Reid Mint chocolate chip ice cream is my favorite classic ice cream flavor, but my husband never shared my love of that Blue Bell mint chocolate chip with it's garish in-your-face-green color and a flavor he associated with heartburn/stomach medication.  I think I've converted him with this recipe. That deserves making another pint.  And another. And another.  It's now a summertime staple, especially when our mint plant needs some pruning (you can only make so many Mojitos...).  The great thing about using fresh mint in any recipe, especially ice cream, is that it does what extracts can't do: provide that subtle, cool, refreshing feeling that is exactly what you want on a 100 degree Austin August summer day. Adapted from David Lebowitz's recipe . Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Ingredients: 2 c. heavy whipping cream 1 c. whole milk 2 cups fresh mint leaves 2/3 c. sugar pinch of salt 5 egg yo...

It has been reaching the 100-110*F temperatures here in Austin.  And you know what that means...time for some frozen delights.  Oh, also, we got an awesome Cuisinart ice cream maker for our wedding so I had to bust that thing out. Take a look at this bad momma jamba.  Pic courtesy of Google  Images With fourth of July coming up (haha, oops, published this post a little late!), this would be the perfect dessert to bring to a backyard BBQ.  I found the recipe via a Pinterest post about all these different fun ice cream recipes.   http://www.somethingswanky.com/cinnamon-graham-cracker-ice-cream/ The recipe can be found at this blog, which probably has the prettiest background and font ever.   http://shewearsmanyhats.com/2011/06/blueberry-pie-ice-cream-recipe/ I used canned blueberry pie filling, but if you have the time, you can use homemade too.  I thought about it for a while and had a pint of blueberries to make some, but then got l...