Holiday Appetizers: SeaPak Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce

December 3, 2013 by

I made this delicious spicy peanut sauce as part of a compensated social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and SeaPak. All opinions are my own.

SeaPak Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce #PakTheParty #shopIt is officially December and I’m in holiday planning mode. That means seeking out the best holiday appetizers and desserts for our annual get-togethers and events. This weekend will kick off the celebrations with my daughter’s 3rd birthday. Not only are we feeding a large crowd, we’re also entertaining them as well.

When I decided on the party food I wanted to serve at her birthday party, I went with simple, delicious, and crowd-pleasing. Luckily these spring rolls are just that. By making a spicy peanut sauce to pair with the chili sauce included in the packaging, I can make a store bought appetizer more homemade. And everyone loves options, right? Since I can prepare the dip ahead of time I can spend more time with my guests. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Men Cookies

December 1, 2013 by

Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

While everyone was slaving away on Thanksgiving making beautiful turkeys, preparing casseroles, and baking bread, my family was baking something else… gingerbread men and women! My husband is slightly obsessed with the holidays and asked the kids if they wanted to make some soft and chewy gingerbread men to take with us to Thanksgiving dinner. You know, to get in the holiday spirit!

After they baked them up they turned the reigns over to me and had me make the royal icing and decorate the men and women. We threw in some turkeys and fall leaves (not pictured) to round out the merging of the holidays but most purists around the dinner table grabbed for the gingerbread men and women.

Now that we’ve found an awesome recipe for the cookies it’s time to start planning what recipe we’ll be using for the houses we construct!
Soft and Chewy Gingerbread cookies platter

Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Men Cookies

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
  • 3/4 cup molasses
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground roasted ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 2 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Royal Icing

  • 1/4 cup meringue powder or egg white powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
  • 3/4 cup cool water
  1. In a saucepan set over low heat, or in the microwave, melt butter, then stir in the brown sugar, molasses, salt, and spices.
  2. Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized mixing bowl, let it cool to lukewarm, and beat in the egg.
  3. Whisk the baking powder and soda into the flour, and then stir these dry ingredients into the molasses mixture.
  4. Divide the dough in half, and wrap well. Refrigerate for 1 hour or longer.
  5. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Get out several baking sheets and line with parchment.
  6. Once the dough has chilled, take one piece of dough out of the refrigerator, and flour a clean work surface, and the dough. Roll it out as thin or thick as you like; for slightly less crisp cookies, roll it out more thickly. We go for 1/4 inch for a soft and chewy gingerbread man.
  7. Place the dough on parchment, and put a sheet of plastic wrap over it as you roll, pulling the plastic to eliminate wrinkles as necessary when rolling; this will keep dough from sticking without the need for additional flour.
  8. Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter, cutting them as close to one another as possible to minimize waste.
  9. Transfer the cookies to un-greased cookie sheets (or, if you’ve rolled right onto the parchment, remove the dough scraps between the cookies). Bake the cookies just until they’re slightly brown around the edges 8 to 12 minutes, or until they feel firm.
  10. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for several minutes, or until they’re set. Transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
  11. Decorate the cookies with Royal Icing.

For the Royal Icing:

  1. In a stand mixer or large bowl with electric mixer, add dry ingredients. Start the mixer and slowly pour in the cool water.
  2. Mix on low speed at first, increasing to high speed over several minutes. Beat until the icing is fluffy.
  3. Keep the frosting covered with a damp towel and some plastic wrap until you are ready to use it.
  4. Divide the frosting into smaller containers and mix with food coloring for several colors.

Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Men Cookies

What’s your favorite holiday cookie?

This recipe originally appeared on this site on December 1st, 2013

Filed Under: Baking, Desserts, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Enjoying Sticky Buns and Coffee with Friends

November 25, 2013 by

This is a sponsored post

Sticky Buns #loveyourcup #shopOne thing I absolutely love about my friends is that I can call them up at a moments notice and invite them over for an impromptu play date. If my youngest is driving me up the wall because she’s “bored” while her brother is at school I can simply hit up my friends and tell them to bring their kiddos over for a fun morning.

And, of course, that’s the perfect time for us mamas to reconnect and enjoy each other’s company while sipping on coffee and treats. Because caffeine is a must at play dates.

With the holidays fast approaching I also always try and use these play dates to my advantage by testing out fun recipes with my friends to see if they make the cut for the holiday baking frenzy to come. This past week I had a few friends over for some homemade sticky buns I made using my favorite flavored creamer, peppermint mocha. It’s great in coffee but also makes a great addition to baked goods.

Sticky Buns ingredients #loveyourcup #shopThere’s something magical about sharing a meal with friends. Being able to sit down together, take in a few laughs, and really enjoy each others company.

Over the past few years of running my playgroup I’ve come to know these ladies quite well. So much so that I feel comfortable enough with them, and them with me, that we allow our kids to enjoy playing in the playroom or living room while we catch up. No need to hover or follow our kids every step.

It does help that the kids know our home well and know where their favorite toys to play with are. And my daughter so looks forward to these mornings filled with fun and laughter.

Sticky Buns filling and topping #loveyourcup #shop

On a recent trip to Walmart I picked up some Peppermint Mocha creamer to replace the Pumpkin Spice creamer I had just run out of. Tis the season for delicious coffee and I need my creamer!

I figured that the creamer would not only taste good in my coffee but in the sticky buns I was making as well. And I was right! These sticky buns were so delicious. They definitely hit the spot and were a huge hit with the moms and kids.

Sticky Buns mixing ingredients #loveyourcup #shop

Sticky Buns

  • 3/4 cup plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature, plus more for muffin tins)
  • 1 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 3 tablespoons Peppermint Mocha creamer
  • 1 3/4 pounds Martha Stewart's Yeast Dough (room temperature – or – 2 tubes crescent rolls, rolled out and pinch seams together)
  1. Generously grease 2 24-cup muffin tins with butter or spray. Divide yeast dough into 2 equal balls. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream 3/4 cup butter together with 3/4 cup brown sugar and the salt on medium speed. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add corn syrup and creamer. Mix until well combined.
  3. Divide butter-brown sugar mixture evenly between prepared cups, about 2 tablespoons per cup. Sprinkle a tablespoon of pecans into each cup.
  4. Grab one of the dough balls. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll into an 18-by-10-inch rectangle. Brush dough with 2 tablespoons butter and liberally sprinkle with remaining brown sugar and chopped pecans.
  5. Beginning with the long side facing you, tightly roll dough away from you into a round log; pinch the edge of the dough to seal it. Cut the dough crosswise into 1 inch pieces.
  6. Place each cross-sectional piece into prepared muffin cup and lightly cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with second dough ball Place muffin tins in warm place until buns double in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
  7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  8. Once dough has doubled in size, remove plastic wrap and place on middle rack. Bake until tops are dark brown, about 35 to 40 minutes.
  9. Remove from oven and immediately invert to cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Let cool slightly before serving.

Sticky Buns with coffee #loveyourcup #shop

One thing I can always count on with these ladies is a good time. And they’ll eat pretty much anything. Even when I had to sub crescent roll dough for yeast dough in this recipe because my yeast dough was still too cold to work with!

The recipe still turned out absolutely delicious and tasted great with a nice cup of coffee. With some peppermint mocha creamer, of course.

Sticky Buns and coffee with friends #loveyourcup #shop

How do you enjoy time with friends?

Filed Under: Breakfast, In the Kitchen, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Apple Cheddar Quick Bread

November 24, 2013 by

Apple Cheddar Quick Bread

I absolutely love a good, hearty bread with a bowl of soup when it’s cold outside. And this week it’s gotten pretty chilly! So when I stumbled upon this delicious Apple Cheddar Quick Bread recipe over at Simply Stacie I knew I needed to try it.

From it’s deliciously soft inside to the crunchy crust on the outside, this is the perfect comfort food to go alongside your favorite warm dish. And it’s so easy to throw together!

In true Danielle fashion, though, I did make a few changes to the recipe to tweak it a bit to our liking. Our version is below but I highly suggest checking out Stacie’s too! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Baking, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,

Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes

November 23, 2013 by

Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes

One of my favorite parts about Thanksgiving, besides the giving thanks and being with friends and family, are the leftovers. The delicious, tasty, easy to heat up and eat whenever you please leftovers. I love Thanksgiving leftovers so much that when I started writing up this post I realized that I had no Thanksgiving leftover recipes of my own. Because I just eat the leftovers as is! Or in a huge, Dagwood style sandwich.

So I reached out and asked my blogging friends what they do with leftovers. And I’m so glad I did. Some of these dishes may sound a little weird, and others sound absolutely amazing. But they all have one thing in common. They’re delicious! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, Breakfast, Dinner, Holidays, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Soups & Salads, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Holiday Baking with Land o’ Lakes Butter {Gingerbread Cake Recipe}

November 15, 2013 by

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This Land o’ Lakes butter shop and gingerbread recipe have been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client.

Gingerbread cake - This gingerbread cake is not only full of spices and yum, it's also not overly sweet. It goes great with a nice cup of coffee or a scoop of ice cream.The holidays are here and my kitchen is in full gear for all of the holiday baking that’s going to be done over the next two months. Luckily I stocked up on butter and the rest of my needed pantry staples so that I can whip up whatever I need when the time comes.

Since I’ve been hosting quite a few playdates I wanted to test out a great cake recipe that wasn’t too sweet. My husband and I love baking and the number one rule in our home (and a little inside joke with the husband) is that our fridge can never be without butter.

While we were at Walmart picking up a few crafting items for my daughter’s upcoming birthday I jokingly asked my husband if he was sure we had butter in the house. He sighed, rolled his eyes, and ran to go grab a 4-pack.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Christmas, Desserts, Holidays, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Grilled Teriyaki Salmon

November 13, 2013 by

Grilled Teriyaki Salmon

With the hubub of the holidays around us, I’ve found myself indulging a bit too much lately. So I’ve decided to try and get back on track and watch my eating habits over the next few weeks. Sure I’ll save a few moments of indulgence for Christmas when it arrives but there’s no excuse for treating every day in December like a holiday! This grilled teriyaki salmon is one step in my plan of eating healthier than I have been.

In order to get this beautiful char on the salmon, and not have my salmon stick to the grill pan I used, I sprayed a little Pompeian Grapeseed Oil that I received for review onto the grill pan first before using it. And what do you know?! The salmon came off the pan easily and effortlessly! Plus the oil didn’t interfere with the awesome taste of the marinade I used on the salmon.

To keep things simple I served this salmon to the family with my kids favorites: brown rice and broccoli. They’re broccoli fanatics so I knew they’d gobble up their plates. And they did! They even tried the salmon. My daughter still isn’t a fan but my son asked for another fillet! The next day I stir fried the left over broccoli, rice, and a few other ingredients in my fridge using the grapeseed oil again and made a delicious healthier “fried” rice for breakfast. Yum!
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Dinner, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Enjoying a Mom’s Night In with Mrs T’s Pierogies

November 12, 2013 by

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Millennial Central Consulting for Mrs. T’s Pierogies. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Mrs T pierogies with friends

About once a month or so my friends and I make a point to get together and enjoy a little adult company sans kids. And about every other time we choose to have a mom’s night in as opposed to a mom’s night out.

When it’s my turn to host I always want to serve a dish that just about anyone can eat and that’s simple and versatile. So when I was asked to try Mrs T’s pierogies with my friends I was excited to try it out! Surprisingly I had never tried pierogies but am always looking for new foods.

Not only did Mrs. T’s pierogies turn out to be super easy to make but they’re also very tasty. The perfect comfort food for a mom’s night in. And great with a glass of wine. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dinner, In the Kitchen, Life, Mom's Night Out, Recipes, Uncategorized

Bombay Chai Shortbread Cookie Recipe

November 11, 2013 by

Disclaimer - Review Posts
Bombay Chai Shortbread Cookie Recipe pinterest

Before my love of coffee came my love of tea. Growing up my nanny and dad would always start their day off with a hot cup of tea and if I was lucky I could usually get them to make me one too. More cream and sugar than tea but still…

So when one of my favorite tea companies asked if I was interested in featuring two of their gift products in my holiday gift guide I couldn’t help but jump for joy and immediately say yes.

Mighty Leaf is a company I’m very familiar with. My husband loves the Mighty Leaf iced black tea that they serve at Nordstrom Cafe so much that he tried to hunt it down in the individual packs only to find out that it was sold in bulk. So what did he do? He chatted with the manager at the cafe and was able to purchase some for home right from Nordstrom.

Now I’m easy, I stick to the varieties of Mighty Leaf that I can find on store shelves. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Desserts, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

Easy Chicken Sausage Gumbo Recipe

November 5, 2013 by

This easy chicken sausage gumbo recipe is sponsored by Farmer John.

chicken sausage gumbo

I have a confession to make. I’m totally a teenaged girl when it comes to tv shows. And lately I’ve been obsessed with Vampire Diaries. Yes, I know. I’m horrible.

But I love the fake drama of it all. And sometimes it inspires me.

Take this chicken sausage gumbo. I’ve been dying to make it ever since the storyline of the show headed to New Orleans for a while (I’m at the end of Season 4). Because who doesn’t think of gumbo when they hear New Orleans or Louisiana? Or am I the only one?

So when Farmer John sent me their new hot Louisiana style chicken sausage I knew exactly what I was going to do with it. Make gumbo! And oh my word. The sausage gave this dish an out of this world flavor with just a hint of spice. Yum. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dinner, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Soups & Salads, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,


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