Strawberry-Grapefruit Poptail

I've got fruity cocktails on the brain, y'all. And this week's it's grapefruit-strawberry poptails. What is a poptail, you might ask? Think of your favorite fruity alcoholic beverage and put it on a stick. The brilliant idea comes from Endless Simmer, and the classic Greyhound version is just one of many poptail concoctions, as you can probably imagine. Get the recipe for strawberry-grapefuit poptails and 20+ other  poptail recipes here.

Grapefruit Mojito

Frozen treats and fruity cocktails are quickly becoming weekend rituals around here. And grapefruit has become my go-to ingredient for this kind of thing. Last week I found the perfect recipe on Martha Stewart Weddings for grapefuit-mint mojitos, made with homemade mint syrup! Yes, I made them right away. And I think I went a little crazy on the mint, especially for the garnish. I think it's pretty.

Martha's recipe makes 4 fabulous servings ...

What you'll need:

1/3 cup sugar 

1/2 cup water 

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, plus sprigs for garnish 

1 grapefruit 

3/4 cup white rum 

3 cups ice 

1 cup seltzer

What to do: 

1. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. 

2. Remove from heat, and add mint leaves. Let steep 10 minutes.

3. Strain mixture to remove mint particles and discard mint. Let cool.

4. Using a vegetable peeler, remove zest from grapefruit in long, wide strips. Place in a large glass, and add rum. Cover, and let stand for 30 minutes.

5. Strain infused rum and discard zest.

6. Cut grapefruit so you have 3 to 4 fruit segments per serving.

7. For each drink, place segments in a glass and top with 3/4 cup ice. Stir in 3 T infused rum, 2 T mint syrup, and 1/4 cup seltzer. Garnish with mint sprigs.

The Afternoon Cheese Spread

I usually reserve a delicious cheese spread for small get-togethers at our place. But a quick trip to Spec's for a bottle of wine last weekend turned into a cheese-sampling fest, so I simply felt forced to pick up a few cheese spread favorites.

We weren't planning any sort of gathering, so we only needed enough for two. Some fresh pepperoni, Kalamata olives, Marcona almonds, and our two favorites types of cheese were all we needed for an afternoon binge. My new favorite way to spend a Saturday afternoon, I tell ya.

Memorial Day Berry Tart

How are you spending this glorious Memorial Day? I'm hoping to get outside, hit up Barton Springs, and finish off this splendid berry tart I made yesterday in celebration of the three-day weekend.

I'm crazy about this recipe from Serious Eats. It's sweet, filling, and fruitilicious. And did I mention it's extremely easy to make?

What you'll need:

For the crust 

2 1/2 c crushed graham crackers 

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted 

3 1/2 t sugar 

For the filling 

1/2 c sour cream 

8 oz cream cheese 

1/3 c light brown sugar 

1/2 t vanilla extract 

1 t lemon zest 

3 T fresh lemon juice 

For the topping

6 oz blueberries 

6 oz strawberries, cut into quarters 

1/3 c apricot jam 

1 t water

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar until combined. 

3. Press mixture into bottom and sides of tart shell. 

4. Bake crust until darkened for about 15 minutes. 

5. Remove and set aside to cool. 

6. Beat together cream cheese, sour cream, and light brown sugar until smooth and sugar has dissolved.

7. Mix in vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice. 

8. Spread lemon filling evenly over cooled pie crust. 

9. Line circumference of tart with strawberries. 

10. Pile blueberries into the center of the tart. 

11. Put apricot jam and water in a small bowl and mix to combine. 

12. Brush berries with apricot glaze. 

13. Let tart chill in refrigerator for one hour and then serve!

Quiche Me

Remember that little diet I mentioned last week? I think things are going pretty well. I'm generally trying to avoid cheese and rich food like quiche. But I found a fabulous recipe for mini zucchini quiche and, once again, I couldn't help myself. The nice (or not so nice) thing about the recipe is it's pretty light on cheese. In the real world, the flaky crust and abundance of Swiss cheese tend to make a winning quiche in my opinion. But I'll settle for any quiche-like dish right now, including these bite-sized morsels of zucchini-parm goodness.

What you'll need: 

 Cooking spray 

2 small zucchinis, finely chopped 

1 large onion, finely chopped 

1 c shredded Parmesan cheese 

6 eggs 

1/2 c flour 

1/4 fresh basil, finely chopped 

3 T olive oil 

2 t baking powder 

1 t sugar 

1 t salt 

1/2 t black pepper

 

What to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 

2. Coat two 24-hole nonstick mini muffin pans with cooking spray (or use one pan and cook two batches). 

3. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. 

4. Spoon about 1 heaping tablespoon of the egg mixture into each prepared hole.

5. Bake for 15 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown and quiche are cooked through. 

6. Remove from oven and let quiche cool for a few minutes in the pan. Remove quiche to a wire rack to cool more.

7. Sprinkle the tops with extra cheese (optional, but definitely a good idea). 

Sprinkle City

I finally got around to making more donuts. Baked donuts, I mean. This chocolate donut recipe by Jess Simpson (the genius behind Forgiving Martha) has been calling my name for months and I'm just now getting around to trying it out.

The truth is, reader, I've been trying to cut back on the sweets and fatty stuff lately. But sometimes a girl just has to give in. And I did by making baked chocolate donuts with rainbow sprinkles on top. Just like old times.

Hop on over to Camille Styles to get Jess' recipe. It's a real winner.

Sugar & Pecans

I wanna thank Paula Deen for this recipe right here. This is the first time I've made any sort of candy. I wanted to make the richest candy I could think of, and classic pecan pralines came to mind. I love to make mine with whole pecan halves (as opposed to crushed), but the best part is taking that first bite -- part soft and crunchy. Yum!

What you'll need:

1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 c packed light brown sugar
1/8 t salt
3 T dark corn syrup
1 c evaporated milk
2 T butter
1 t pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 c pecan halves

What to do: 

1. Butter the sides of a heavy saucepan. 

2. Put the sugars, salt, corn syrup, milk, and butter in saucepan over medium heat. 

3. Stir mixture constantly with a wooden spoon until sugars have dissolved and mixture comes to a boil. 

4. Continue to cook to a soft ball stage, approximately 236 degrees on a candy thermometer.

5. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. 

6. Add the vanilla and nuts and stir for approximately 2 minutes or until candy is slightly thick and begins to lose its gloss. 

7. Quickly drop heaping tablespoons onto waxed paper. 

8. Allow candy to harden and then enjoy!

Pretty Chocolate

First of all, how cool-looking are these bros? I mean, they're probably the cutest chocolate-making hipsters I've ever seen.

These are the Mast brothers, owners and makers of Mast Brothers Chocolate. Bri posted an Instagram of some of their chocolate bars last week--their gorgeous, and beautifully packaged bars of yummy-looking chocolate. All handcrafted and hand packaged in their cute little Brooklyn chocolate factory.

Chocolate. 

On top of all that, they seem like really nice guys. And I bet that makes the chocolate even better.

Have you ever had a Mast Brothers chocolate bar? I'm dying to get my hands on one, just to hold it. Some things are too pretty to open.

Red Curry & Noodles

Hooray! I cooked again, but this time I made a spicy, scrumptious noodle dish rather than just a sweet or salty snack. We tend to order a ton of Thai around here, any my dish of choice is veggie curry with tofu and rice. It's spicy and delicious, and I've been dying to make my own version using this recipe.

What you'll need:

1 package of ramen or udon noodles

2 oz Thai curry paste 

1 1/2 c coconut cream 

1 carrot, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped or sliced

2 T peanut oil

What to do:

1. Boil some water and pour over noodles in a heatproof bowl. 

2. Let noodles stand for 1 minute then massage to loosen. 

3. Drain and set aside to cool.

4. Heat peanut oil in a large saucepan over high heat. 

5. Add curry paste and stir fry for about 30 seconds. 

6. Immediately add coconut cream and 2 cups boiling water. 

7. Bring mixture to a boil and add vegetables. 

8. Simmer for 2 minutes or until vegetables are cooked. 

9. Serve up the soup over the noodles and top with basil leaves.

Too Pretty to Eat

Avocado toast? Brilliant and delicious looking. I'm drooling over all these healthy combinations.

Photo.

Pretzel Bites

I love a good mall pretzel. Nothing beats a chewy and buttery Auntie Anne's pretzel on a shopping binge. I just wish there were more Auntie Anne's outside of malls and airports! I'm talking to you, pretzel enthusiasts. I can envision it now -- pretzel stands and pretzel trucks in various Austin locations, serving me those salty homemade pretzels with cheesy dip on the side.

In the meantime, I'll be over here making pretzel bites (recipe here), very overly-salted pretzel bites. Next time I'll go easy on the sea salt, but I love how soft and chewy these bites were on the inside. The perfect midday/game day snack, I say.

What you'll need:

1 1/2 cup warm water
2 T brown sugar
1 package active dry yeast
6 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 1/2 t salt

4 1/2 to 5 cups flour

3 quarts water 

3/4 cup baking soda 

1 whole egg, beaten with 1 t cold water

Coarse sea salt

What to do:

1. Mix the water, brown sugar, yeast, and melted butter in a stand mixer on low. Let it set for 5 minutes. 

2. Add 2 ½ t of salt and flour and mix on low until combined. Continue kneading on low until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. 

3. Remove the dough, place it on a lightly floured surface, and knead into a ball with your hands. 

4. Spray a bowl with cooking spray, add the dough, and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour. 

5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray. 

6. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a pot over high heat and add the baking soda. 

7. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide it into 8 equal pieces. 

8. Roll each piece into a long rope measuring about 18-22 inches. 

9. Cut the dough into 1 inch pieces to make pretzel bites. 

10. Boil the pretzel bites in the water solution in batches of about 10-15 for 30 seconds. 

11. Remove with a large slotted spoon and place the pretzel bites on the prepared baking sheets. Make sure they don’t touch. 

12. Brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt. Place into the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. 

13. Remove to a cooling rack and let rest 5 minutes before eating. 

14. Dip in mustard or cheesy sauce and enjoy!

Homemade Brownie Bites

The best thing about brownie bites is that they're such a small and simple treat. Just sweet and small enough to hit the spot without going overboard.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a few recipes I've been dying to try out, these Nutella brownie bites being one of them. These things were delicious and beyond easy to make. Just whip three ingredients together and you have yourself a batch of the gooiest/easiest-to-make treats ever.

What you'll need:

12 cup muffin tin

Muffin liners

1 cup Nutella

2 eggs

10 T (or 1/2 cup + 2 T) flour

What to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line your muffin tin with liners.

3. In a large bowl, mix together your eggs and Nutella until smooth.

4. Add and mix in your flour.

5. Spread your mixture into the muffin tins.

6. Bake 11-12 minutes. Tip: for gooier bites, bake for 10-11 minutes.

Enjoy!

To Make, and Then Eat

There hasn't been much cooking around here lately. Just a lot of take-out, eating out, and cereal-for-supper kinda nights. I really do enjoy cooking, but it's more of a planned event for me. I never come home from work thinking about what I'm going to make for dinner that night. Cooking dinner is always this messy, premeditated event. Maybe that's because I'm not completely comfortable in the kitchen yet (our juicer still freaks me out). But I'm getting better at it, and I said I would cook more in 2012. I've got a few ideas in mind, and I've started drooling over all kinds of recipes via Pinterest.

Now, which one to make first? Pretzel bites, strawberry bruschetta, curry and noodles, or Nutella brownie bits.

I think I have food blogs and their gorgeous photos to thank for getting me back into cooking. Some of my favorites are Smitten Kitchen, A Cozy Kitchen, and Simply Breakfast.

Which food blogs make you super, super hungry or inspire you to cook?

Love on Toast

I recently had a serious craving for toast. We don't keep bread around the house, so loaves of delicious, seedy bread are sort of a treat.

The craving also consisted of a variety of toppings, mostly combinations I discovered several years ago during a trip to Berlin. Breakfast consisted of bread, jam, cheese, and smoked salmon. All typical ingredients, but I never even thought to eat salmon on toast, and the Quark cheese spread made all the difference.

And then there was Swiss cheese on jam. Yes, it is good.

How do you dress your toast?

Bacon, Avocado, and Tomato Sandwich

It seems as though bacon is going through one of those "I'm so popular/just put bacon on everything" sort of phases. I'm definitely okay with this. I'm totally on board with the bacon trend and trying new and inventive bacon-inspired dishes. But there's something so refreshing about the classics, like the bacon, lettuce (or avocado), and tomato sandwich.

Why do I sub avocado for lettuce in my BLT? Because I prefer something with a little bit of flavor, people. Don't get me wrong--I totally love lettuce, but I often consider it filler. I like a BLT with some punch, and bacon on top of that sliced avocado makes for a real winner.

You probably don't even need a recipe for this one, but here it goes anyway.

What you'll need:

• Two slices of bread (I prefer the really yummy, seedy kind)
• 1 medium-sized tomato, sliced
• 1 ripe hass avocado, sliced
• Mayonnaise
• 2-3 slices of cooked bacon

1. Toast your slices of bread until they're nice and golden.

2. Garnish your bread with plenty of mayo, tomato, avocado, and bacon.

3. Eat.

Delicious, I know.

Blogging About Biscotti

Hey, hey. You can check me out over on Camille Styles today blogging about one of my favorite coffee shop snacks: biscotti! Cranberry pistachio biscotti, that is. Hop on over to see more photos and grab the recipe for yourself.

Thanks so much for having me Camille and Camille Styles team!

Baked Potato Soup

Mmmmm ... you can't go wrong with bacon, potatoes, sour cream, and lots and lots of garlic. My favorites recipes this time of year are the delicious and hearty ones, much like this one by Smitten Kitchen for tasty baked potato soup.

This recipe is for garlic lovers. It calls for an entire head of garlic and I love how you cook and simmer it with the potatoes and broth.

What you'll need:

• 1 head of garlic
• 3 T unsalted butter
• 2 medium leeks, white and green parts chopped
• 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2.5 pounds russet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I left the skins on for the extra nutrients.)
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• Salt
• Scallions, chopped
• Bacon bits
• Grated cheese
• Extra sour cream

1. Take your head of garlic and chop off the top third. Pop out the cloves from that top third and mince them. Leave the larger part of the garlic head whole.

2. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat and then cook the leeks for about 5 minutes until they're soft.

3. Add the minced garlic and cook another minute.

4. Then add the larger part of the garlic head, broth, and 3/4 teaspoon salt.

5. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the garlic is super tender. Add potatoes and continue to simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender.

6. Remove the garlic head and squeeze the tender garlic cloves onto a cutting board. Take a fork and mash the garlic cloves into a smooth paste and add it back to the soup. This will make your soup super garlicky.

7. Add sour cream to the soup and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

8. Add your salt and pepper to taste.

9. Transfer a portion of the potatoes and broth to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

10. Serve and dress with more sour cream, cheese, bacon bits, and scallions as the toppings.

Ta-da! Soup!

Baked Donuts

News flash! I have a pretty healthy donut obsession. It's true. I'll never say no to a donut. But due to the all the fried-ness, I try to keep my donut intake in check. I think my body appreciates it. And that's also why I've been dying to experiment and make my own donuts at home, including the incredible, oil-less baked donut!

Sorry, but I don't have an actual recipe to share today. I'm more interested in writing about the wonder and glory that is pre-made donut mix. Kyle's mom sent us two packages of pumpkin spice donut mix for Christmas. All I needed to actually make them was an egg, butter, and some milk. Oh, and a swanky donut pan. Fifteen minutes later and I had myself some warm, freshly glazed donuts. I don't think it could have been any easier.

Do you think baked donuts are actually healthier than the regular ones? I'm not so sure since it's essentially still cake covered in frosting. Sounds delicious, though.

Now I'm eager to make my own donuts from scratch, starting with these chocolate donuts from Camille Styles. I'll let you know how those turn out.

P.S. I've thought about doing a series on my favorite Austin donut shops on the blog. What do you think? Do people even care that much about donuts? If you do and you're in Austin, maybe we should hang out.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were always a childhood favorite of mine. I still enjoy a good ol' PB&J with a giant glass of milk. I try to avoid having bread in the house for this very reason. If there's bread there's also peanut butter and that makes for way too many PB&J sandwiches. But a cupcake here and there never hurt anyone. I went off this little recipe here to make some peanut butter and jelly cupcakes.

What you'll need:

Jelly Cupcakes

• 1 stick of butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1.5 cup flour
• 1.5 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 1 cup strawberry jelly

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 stick butter at room temperature
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 8 oz. package cream cheese
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1.5 cup powdered sugar
• Rainbow sprinkles for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.

2. Get your stand mixer ready. Add the butter and sugar and beat for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. Add the sour cream to the butter and sugar mixture and continue to beat until incorporated.

5. Add the eggs and yolk, 1 at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed in.

6. Add in the vanilla and continue to mix.

7. Slowly add the flour, salt, and baking powder mixture and mix until combined.

8. Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners to fill 3/4 of the way. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes until the cupcakes are a pale gold color and a toothpick comes out clean.

9. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let cool in the tin.

10. As the cupcakes cool, begin making the frosting by beating the butter and cream cheese together in a large bowl until well combined.

11. Add the vanilla and peanut butter and mix well.

12. Slowly add the powdered sugar beat until well mixed.

13. After the cupcakes have completely cooled, fit a plain pastry tip to the bottom of a gallon-sized resealable bag.

14. Fill the bag with strawberry jelly.

15. Insert the tip into the center of the cupcake and slowly squeeze in about 1 tablespoon of jelly.

16. Frost the cupcakes with the peanut butter cream cheese frosting.

17. Sprinkle lightly with the rainbow sprinkles and serve!

Enjoy!

Black Bean Chili

Nothing says warm and hearty like a big bowl of chili. I mean it! And the combinations are endless. I love a good white bean and turkey chili, the classic beefy kind, or a veggie-filled recipe. In fact, I've been craving a good, healthy meal full of all the vegetables I've been missing out on lately. The holidays have my diet all out of whack, so this vegetarian black bean chili recipe was just the thing I needed to start off the new year.

What you'll need:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 2 medium red bell peppers, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 T chili powder
• 2 t dried oregano
• 1.5 t ground cumin
• .5 t cayenne pepper
• 3 15 oz. cans of black beans
• 1 16 oz. can tomato sauce
• Sour cream
• Cheese (I chose a 4-cheese blend)
• Chopped green onions

1. Heat the 1/4 cup oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.

2. Add chopped onions, bell peppers, and garlic and sauté for about 10 minutes until the onions have softened.

3. Mix in the chili powder, oregano, cumin, and cayenne and stir for 2 minutes.

4. In the meantime, drain your black beans, but reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid for the chili.

5. Mix in the beans, tomato sauce, and 1/2 cup of black bean liquid.

6. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir occasionally. 

7. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 15 minutes until the chili thickens.

8. Season to taste with salt and pepper and then serve with sour cream, grated cheese, and green onions. 

Enjoy!

What are your favorite cold-weather recipes?