Monthly Archives: November 2009

Chocolate Snowflake Cookies

chocolate snowflake cookies

Over the next month, I will be celebrating the upcoming holiday festivities (and escaping the chaos) by baking cookies.  A lot of cookies. For me, the best part about the month of December  is baking and making sweets… so many sweets, in fact, that there is hardly room to store them all.  During this time of year, my mom would dedicate the entire “formal” dining room as a cookie and fudge haven.  All month long she would bake her butt off— right up until Christmas morning.  The huge stack of  dessert boxes would rival the enormous pile of gift packages… and disappear quickly.  She never gave any away.  Her children were just gluttons for sweets.

So, prepare to be drowned by a sea of cookie recipes all throughout the next month.  If I happen to sneak in a recipe or two that is savory… it will most likely come in the form of a cookie.  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving… and now on to the cookies!

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Black Rice Phyllo Tarts

Thanksgiving appetizer

With Thanksgiving coming soon, I know I’ve been focusing on all the goodies that will grace our table as we sit down to our feast.  But what about  the appetizers?  If you are having company, and dinner won’t be ready right away, appetizers certainly come in handy.

Think of all of your poor hungry guests who will be drooling over the mashed potatoes and gravy and succulent field roast that are nowhere near ready.

This is the perfect mini-dish to occupy their hunger pangs.  The rice, like all rice, takes about 40 minutes to cook, but then you just throw in some nuts, spices and berries and use some store bought phyllo dough to whip together a stunning, but simple hors d’oeuvre.

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Pecan Sandiedoodles

pecan sandiedoodle

This cookie is a fun combination of two of my faves: Snickerdoodles and Pecan Sandies.  And, there are some more spices laced in to make them super festive.  These are so simple to prepare, and take almost no time to bake and cool.  They would be a perfect addition to any holiday cookie line-up.  Double the batch and you will have plenty to go around…

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Pretty Darn Raw Vegan Cheesecake with Blackberry Topping

raw cheesecake

Today is my birthday, (yay!) and to celebrate I decided to use this awesome and simple recipe for my birthday cake (I changed it up a bit). What a great gift to receive-  thank you so much, RawFoodNut!  I also really wanted to create a new version of my all time favorite- blackberry vegan cheesecake.

Oh man!  After tasting this- there is no reason in the world I need to ever bake a cheesecake again.  Nope, never.  Ever.  And a super bonus… it is very healthy!  For those of you who have had the pleasure of eating amazing raw desserts- this is a great recipe… and has lots of wiggle room in the ingredients, etc.  For those of you who have not experienced raw cheesecake- try this out, and fall in love. <3

I personally am still inching my way into higher-raw eating.  This was the first “raw” cheesecake I have ever tasted, let alone made myself- and already I am hooked.  I just can’t believe I have never tried one of these before… Happy Birthday to me!  And Happy Cake-eating to you!

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Appalachian Pierogi

pierogie

This is more of a how-to, rather than a recipe.  But I would like to share my basic process of creating a dish that has served my family happily for many years.  There are so many variations on pierogi… but I find this version to be pretty fool-proof.  And, it’s really the only kind I have ever known since I was a wee little thing.  (My mother and father were born and raised in West Virginia–tis why I named them “Appalachian Pierogi”) When my mother would make her version of pierogies-  the entire family would gather like vultures.  In a way, they still do.   There are a few steps… but if you get your timing down, they are not at all overwhelming to make.  In fact, they are pretty fun!

And, for all of you gluten free folks- try this gluten free pierogi recipe I created : (updated)

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Almond Butter Sandwich Cookies

almond butter sandwich cookies

Lately I have been loving me some almonds…and these cookies are a great way to get a good fix of almonds  AND overdose on sugar.  They are crunchy cookies with a filling that is eerily similar to a store bought peanut butter sandwich cookie’s filling- especially the generic kind.  And that just makes my day.

Be careful with these, though.  Like the store bought kind, they tend to give you that same kind of sick feeling after eating just a couple.  I guess this could probably be due to the fact that you are actually eating 4 cookies and a bunch of sugary filling.

Details, details….

I guess my point is, be sure to share… your recipients will thank you.

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Veggie Mash-Up Casserole with Daiya

veggie casserole

Yay! I got some Daiya.  I’ve topped pizza, grilled “cheese” sandwiches, eaten it straight from the bag, and each time I have been thoroughly satisfied.  But, I wanted to test out its ‘casserole’ abilities -to see if the “cheese” could be crispy and melty at the same time.  It has been quite a while since anything remotely close to cheese graced the top of one of my casseroles.  It worked great!  The Daiya was crispy on top, and the “cheese” directly underneath was ooey and gooey. I am sold, this Daiya stuff rocks!

For those of you who can not, or choose not, to incorporate Daiya into your life,  this casserole is very yummy without it.  A little bit of nooch would be awesome sprinkled on top.  But like I said, I had to try it on a casserole.  And, I suggest if you get your hands on Daiya anytime soon, you should too.  This dish is perfect to make if you have some leftover mashed potatoes… but if not, whip up half a batch and treat yourself to something different.  I’ll give you a basic run-down of how to make mashed potatoes below, if you aren’t quite sure.

I also happened to have corn and peas in my freezer, so that is what this recipe calls for, but some yummy sautéed mushrooms, or any other veggie you can think of would go great mixed in too.  Ya know, it’s a casserole– anything goes.

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Pumpkin Apple Ginger Soup

pumpkin apple soup

This is by far the best “convenient” soup I have ever made.  The second I tasted it, I knew I would be devouring the entire pot.  I have been on a canned pumpkin binge ever since I made  this pumpkin chili recipe from GlueandGlitter.com.  That particular recipe inspired me to combine everything under the sun with canned pumpkin and heat it all up in one pot….several different times.

I am especially fond of the recipe I share with you today.  It has a great flavor with the apples, ginger and garlic, and the pumpkin acts as the perfect base for it all.

This soup is hearty, tasty, and low in fat.  It also takes no time to prepare and is very filling, especially if you opt for the frozen veggies as I did.  Using fresh grated ginger is a plus… but since we are already starting with the canned pumpkin… there’s no need to be picky.

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