Gingerbread Rice Krispie Treats

It may be past the holiday season, but I firmly believe that traditional holiday treats can be enjoyed all winter long. Just because it's January does not mean I will stop enjoying things such as peppermint hot chocolate, pumpkin anything, and gingerbread. So when my mom gave me a bag of gingerbread marshmallows in my stocking I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them: gingerbread rice krispie treats!

I basically followed a traditional recipe for rice krispies, but in addition to the gingerbread marshmallows I also added special touches like vanilla, cinnamon and cloves. These marshmallows are only available around the holiday season, but if you head to the stores soon you can pick them up on sale before they disappear until next year! My sister also mentioned that she found other flavored marshmallows such as peanut butter and coconut.. so I'm thinking some more rice krispie treat experiments will be taking place in the future!

Ingredients

• 1/4 Cup butter or margarine
• 1 (10oz) bag gingerbread marshmallows (I used Kraft brand)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 4 Cups (heaping) Rice Krispies 

Directions

Butter a 13 x 9 inch baking pan, set aside. Microwave butter in a large, microwavable safe bowl for 1 minute on high, or until butter is mostly melted. Add the full bag of marshmallows and microwave on high 1 minute at a time until marshmallows are completely melted. Quickly add the vanilla, cinnamon,  cloves and nutmeg and mix well to blend. Add the rice krispies and stir to cover the marshmallow mixture. Pour into prepared pan, press with wax paper that has been sprayed with Pam, or buttered hands, until evenly distributed. Allow to cool before cutting. 

*Notes: I used a 9x9 inch pan for thicker pieces and it worked just as well. This would also be really fun topped with red and green sprinkles for the holidays. Also, I know that a lot of recipes call for these to be made on the stove top, but my mom taught me to do it in the microwave, and that's the only way I've ever done it! Lastly, it's helpful to spray the spatula, wooden spoon or whatever you are mixing the rice krispies in with Pam.

**UPDATE: I made this recipe again for Super Bowl Sunday (and they were DEVOURED), but I made a couple of changes that I think really made them even better. The seasoning was not quite strong enough, so I sprinkled about 1/2 - 1 teaspoon each of ground ginger, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg on the top. Being able to smell the spices before you take a bite really made a big difference.

My ingredients

Love that these are even shaped like gingerbread men!

Finished product

Yummm!

Time Flies

Well, I've officially been in New York for 6 months.. I can't believe it has already been that long! We've had a really great time living here, and although I miss my friends and family in NC, I am so happy with my decision to move here.

That being said, there are a couple of things that I miss about the small(er) city living, and they're things that actually really surprise me:

1) Driving: I've learned that I prefer spending the down time to and from work in the privacy of a car, but mainly I miss singing my heart out to the latest Lady Gaga without judgement.

Hyundai Elantra, my old car

2) Target: It really may be for the best that there is no Target remotely close to us, seeing as how I could never go into one and come out with ONLY the items on my list. But I do miss having a one stop (cheap) shop for items such as cleaning supplies, toiletries, household items, beauty products, etc. Here in NYC I can usually find what I need from the local drug store, but the variety isn't great and the prices are high. 

3) Seeing stars: Getting to see the gorgeous city lights every night is really great, but I do miss looking up sometimes and just gazing at the stars (and maybe making a wish or two)..

That being said, I love this city and I will continue to explore and enjoy all of the amazing things it has to offer!

Sweet Potato, Sausage and Kale Soup

Happy 2012 everyone! While we've been in the new year for about a week now, most people still have resolutions fresh on their mind. I do like to try and cook healthy as much as possible, and I don't exactly make resolutions each year, but I did feel as though it was fitting to have my first cooked meal of the year be super healthy.

There are so many pros to this soup that I can't believe I've had the recipe for this long (years) and never made it. As many people know, I appreciate recipes that utilize as little dishes as possible (our mini dishwasher can't fit my biggest cookware pieces), and this is truly a one pot soup. That combined with the fact that it's super healthy (sweet potato, kale, white beans and turkey sausage!) AND delicious, and I'm hooked.

I did add a little freshly grated cheese as a finishing touch (we tried both parmesan and swiss and they were equally delicious), but even with that a big bowl of this stuff will really fill you up without the calories. Love.

Sweet Potato, Sausage and Kale Soup

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 4 cups chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more if you want more kick)
•  6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb sweet turkey Italian sausage
• 8 cups coarsely chopped and peeled sweet potatoes (about 2 1/4 lbs)
• 5 cups water
• 4 cups fat free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (16oz) package pre-washed, torn kale (or spinach if you can't get kale)
• 1 (16oz) can cannellini beans

Directions

Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, saute 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and garlic, saute 1 minute. Add sausage to pot, cook 5 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned, stirring to crumble. Add potato, 5 cups water and broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 8 minutes. Gradually add kale, cook 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and beans, cook 5 minutes until thoroughly heated.

Notes

This makes A LOT of soup, so if you're like me and only cooking for 2 people I would recommend halving the recipe (or you'll end up with a fridge full of leftovers and be eating soup for days like I did.. thank goodness it's so good). This would probably serve 4 people as a main course, or 6-8 people as a side to something else (salad, sandwich, etc). 

Also, like I mentioned earlier I topped each bowl with a little grated cheese and cracked fresh pepper, and I think that really added a nice touch, but it's certainly good without it.  Enjoy!

Note the glass of wine in the background. I always drink a glass of vino while cooking, it's a must.

 Bringing the soup to a simmer.

 After the kale was added.

Finished product!

NC to NYC: Parents Come to Visit!

The weekend after Thanksgiving my parents came to visit me for a few days in the city. I was so grateful that they came up, and I had such a blast showing them some of our favorite spots to go in our new home town.

We started on Saturday morning by going to the World Trade Center memorial, and although it was very cold and kind of a pain to get in to (there was as much security as an airport), it was very moving. The whole memorial is very peaceful and calming, but seeing all of those names around the reflecting pools was very touching.

Next we went to a small Italian restaurant in Little Italy for some seriously delicious, authentic Italian food and wine.

We also took my parents to one of our favorite spots, the Cellar bar at Beecher's cheese shop. They have some of the best mac n cheese, and we love the whole "cave" look of the bar downstairs.

 Dad's "cheesin" at the cheese shop. he he

 Vlady and I

 Dad's self portrait

 Dad told us to pose differently..

My wonderful parents!

Before dinner we stopped by our apartment to show my parents where we live, and when we tried to go up on the roof to show them the amazing view we ended up setting off the alarm. Ooops!

To close out the night we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Flex Mussels, where we had tons of amazing mussels (the Thai is the BEST) and homemade donuts (lemon, strawberry cheesecake, salted caramel and "drunken"). Oh, and Vlady did an oyster shooter.

We spent the next day eating at Spice Market, exploring Chelsea Market and walking the High Line. Since I could not go home for Thanksgiving it was so nice to get some family time in, and to show my parents what NYC is like from our point of view!

Bakery Tour

One day a couple of months ago Vlady and I decided to do a "self-guided bakery tour" around our neighborhood. We researched some of the top rated places within walking distance, and spent the next couple of hours indulging in all sorts of treats.

We started out at Insomnia cookies where I had the s'mores cookie and Vlady had oatmeal raisin, both served warm. Oh my word they were the best cookies ever. Oh, and they deliver until about 3:00am.

 Cookies on display

In between stops we walked through Washington Square Park where we saw some interesting sky writing.

The next stop was Mille-Feuille where we had some amazing macaroons and cheesy bread.

Passion fruit macaroon.. heaven!

We made two other stops that included a french bakery (pain au chocolat and a butter croissant were consumed), and ended at a bakery where I was too stuffed to eat anything. Over all it was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon in the city!

Apple Raspberry Crumble

I originally made this recipe because I just happened to have every ingredient on hand, but after tasting it I think it will be a go-to for years to come! It's a super simple recipe that I got out of the September 2010 issue of Food Network Magazine in their "Mix & Match Crumbles" article.  The article explains how you can pick your nut (walnut, almond, pecan, etc), pick your grain (cornmeal or oats), and pick your filling (apple-raspberry, blueberry, pear-pineapple, etc) and you can mix and match from there.

These days when I'm so busy that I barely have time to cook (sorry boyfriend!) I love to have found another recipe that I can file under the "super fast and super delicious" category in my recipe box. Enjoy!

Apple-Raspberry Crumble

Ingredients

• 3 lbs baking apples (such as Macoun or Cortland), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 2 cups fresh raspberries
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup almonds, slivered
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• 7 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into chunks

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 2-quart shallow baking dish with non-stick cooking spray (or eight 6-ounce ramekins if you want to make individual desserts).

In a large bowl, toss together the apples and raspberries with the granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, combine oats, 3/4 cup flour, brown sugar and a pinch of salt and whisk. Add the nuts to the bowl. Work in softened butter with your fingers until evenly moistened.

Transfer the apple-raspberry mixture to the prepared dish (or ramekins) and dot with 2 tablespoons of cut-up cold butter. Squeeze handfuls of the crumble mixture and scatter on top of the fruit mixture.

Bake until golden brown and bubbly, 40 to 45 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving. Top with whipped cream or, as I did, homemade french vanilla ice cream.

*My apologies for no pictures.. I took a bunch but I think they somehow got deleted! I'll post them if they turn up.

Orange You Glad It's October

I have to say that I've never really won anything before, other than the one time that my sister hosted a jewelry party and I won the door prize (and you can bet I was excited about that). So you can imagine that I was very excited when I found out that I had won a pair of tickets to a brunch event through a blog that I read called Ramshackle Glam.

The event was called Orange You Glad It's October, and it was an all you can eat and all you can drink gathering hosted by brunchcritic.com. The idea was to celebrate October, so of course everyone had to wear at least a small bit of orange.

We noshed on items such as biscuits in sausage gravy, frittatas with brussel sprouts, and some seriously yummy yogurt panna cotta with granola. We sipped champagne and chatted with one of the other couples that won tickets to the event. We were even interviewed for the Brunch Critic website, and I may or may not have said the words "smooshey smooshey" while answering a question (hint: I did).

With Virginia, one of the other winners

We had to get a picture of George and his awesome pants

Enjoying the biscuits and gravy

Thank you again to Andrea from Brunch Critic and Jordan from Ramshackle Glam for giving us the tickets, we had a blast in our orange!