Biscoff Hot Chocolate

I have wanted to make Biscoff hot chocolate for a long time, but never really thought of it seriously- then I accidentally came across a recipe for it, so I made it right after that.  In the end, I didn't really use the recipe; just my favorite hot cocoa mix (Spanish Cola Cao), hot milk, and Biscoff spread.  I guess I used the method instead of the recipe.  So, use whatever hot cocoa you like, or make homemade, and just add Biscoff!  :) The original recipe recommends to add the Biscoff to really hot milk and let it sit a while before stirring; this is great advice, it softens and melts and is able to be easily incorporated.  I used my mini whisk for this.

This was super rich and decadent; I think I will only enjoy this treat occasionally.  The Biscoff also adds a bit of creaminess.  It was so good!!  Note:  If you are making your own hot cocoa from scratch, reduce the sugar.

Biscoff Hot Chocolate

8- 10-oz hot milk
2 tbsp Biscoff spread
3 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
OR approx 3 tbsp of your favorite hot chocolate mix in place of sugar & cocoa

1.  In a large mug, combine the milk with Biscoff spread, sugar and cocoa powder (or hot chocolate mix). Let stand for 1 minute to begin to melt the Biscoff, then stir until ingredients are all well-combined and mixture is very smooth.  Serve hot.

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Roasted Potatoes with Smoked Paprika (+ Moving to Italy)

In honor of my daughter's birthday today, I'm posting these roasted potatoes.  She LOVES any kind of potatoes, but especially roasted; it doesn't matter what the seasonings are.  Although, one of her fave potato recipes is Roasted Potatoes with Pesto.  Today she asked for mashed potatoes, though (with roasted Greek chicken & Turkish Garden Salad.)

We were actually sitting down to eat these a few Saturdays ago when we found out we would be moving. Well, we pretty much knew we'd be moving this summer, and were waiting to find out where.  A friend called my husband and said some had assignments already.  My husband couldn't log onto his work Email at home, so we ate these (and some Turkish Garden Salad) and rushed to his work to check his Email there. On the way we saw a baby cow in the midst of being born.  The calf wasn't out yet, but we saw it come out later, after learning our new location.  

Anyway, we found out that we are moving to Italy this summer!  We are very excited; this was our first choice.  As usual, I won't divulge exact details on here, such as location or exactly when we'll move, but we only have a little bit of time left here in the beautiful Azores, about two months.  We have loved living here and will surely miss it.  

Roasted Potatoes with Smoked Paprika

adapted from Aggie's Kitchen

6-8 large red potatoes, skin on
1/2-1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons olive oil (I used 1 TBS. smoked olive oil)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
big dash of kosher or sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1.  Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Wash and cut your potatoes into 1-2" pieces, leaving the skin on. Place in a bowl.

2.  In a separate small bowl, combine olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder and chives. Pour over potatoes and gently toss until completely covered. Spread onto a cookie sheet and place in oven. Roast potatoes for about 30-35 minutes, gently tossing halfway through. Once done, generously sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper before serving.

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Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon

These scrambled eggs were delicious!!  We really, really loved them.  Well, it was just me, my husband, and my two-year old who enjoyed these, but they were very enjoyable to us!  I'll have to do this again sometime.

Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon

adapted from Aggie's Kitchen

4 eggs
splash of milk
1 teaspoon oil or butter
half of small onion, chopped
2-4 oz smoked salmon, sliced
good pinch coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
a couple of tablespoons freshly chopped chives

1.  In a small bowl, whisk eggs well. Add a splash of milk and whisk some more.

2.  Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add oil or butter to pan and melt. Add your chopped onions and cook for about 3-5 minutes, until soft.  Add whisked eggs to pan. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, gently stir the eggs until they start to firm up. Add your smoked salmon to the pan and continue to gently stir until eggs are completely cooked. Season well with salt and pepper. Sprinkle freshly chopped chives over eggs and serve.

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Japanese Croquettes

Last time my friend and I made Macarons together, she showed me how to make these delicious Japanese Croquettes.  They are simple, but so delicious, it's hard to get enough.  You combine mashed potatoes, onion, and cooked ground beef into a ball, then dip it in flour, then into beaten egg, and then into Panko break crumbs, and then fry it in oil.  You can make a lot of these at one time and then just fry as needed; make sure you bring them to room temp before frying.  

Japanese Croquettes

From my friend H.S.

1 pound ground beef

1/2- 1 onion, to taste

3-4 medium potatoes

black pepper

seasoning to taste; garlic powder, seasoned salt, whatever you like

flour- 1/2 to 1 cup

2-3 eggs, beaten

Panko bread crumbs, 1-2 cups

Oil, for frying

Ketchup, for serving

1.  Cook and crumble the ground beef, drain fat and set aside.  Chop onion and set aside.  Peel and boil potatoes until tender; mash.  Combine mashed potatoes, cooked ground beef, and onion.  Season with black pepper and any other additional seasonings you desire.  

2.  Take potato mixture and form into balls with your hands.  You can make them big or small, but not too huge.  I think our biggest were probably about 1/4-1/3 cup of mixture, and the smaller ones were half that.

3.  Into 3 separate bowls, put flour, beaten eggs, and Panko bread crumbs.  (So one bowl for each item.)  Dip the balls into flour first, then eggs, then Panko, making sure to coat all sides.  Set aside.  (Can make these ahead to this point- cover and refrigerate.  When ready to fry, let come to room temp. for 30 minutes or so first.)

4.  Heat about an inch (or more, if you want- should be enough to come up to half-way point of largest ball) of oil in a skillet until hot.  Fry Croquettes until lightly browned on one side, and then flip and cook the other side.  Don't have the oil too hot or will brown too quickly and not warm the inside.  

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Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup (Add Ham!)

Have leftover ham from Easter?  Chop some up and add it to this soup before serving- it would be delicious!!  I have a favorite, very similar slow cooker potato soup recipe I've been making for years, but decided to try this one.  They taste very similar, but the method to each is different, so pick whatever one you're feeling like.  Some of the ingredients are different too.

Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup

adapted from Cooking Classy

6-7 large potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
3 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (6 oz)
6 slices bacon, cooked and diced or crumbled
4 green onions, diced, OR chopped chives

1.  To a 6 or 7-quart slow cooker, add potatoes, onion, and chicken broth, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with lid and cook on HIGH heat for 4 hours or LOW heat for 8 hours (poke potatoes with a fork to check make sure they're soft).

2.  Ladle out 2 cups liquid from soup mixture in crock pot into a liquid measuring cup, set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. While whisking, slowly pour 2 cups liquid in measuring cup into butter mixture (it will thicken quickly). Pour butter mixture into slow cooker and stir to blend. Add evaporated milk at this point.  If desired, mash potatoes with a potato masher to break down into smaller pieces or use an emulsion blender to puree. (I didn't do this.) Cover and cook on HIGH heat until thickened, about 10 minutes. Turn heat off (or to warm), stir in sour cream. Serve warm topped with cheddar, bacon and green onions or chives.  

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Carrot Patch Cupcakes

Happy Easter!  I wanted to make these cute cupcakes as a cute Easter/Spring dessert.  The logical choice would be to use carrot cake cupcakes, but I just used my fave vanilla Greek yogurt recipe.  (Scroll down for recipe.)

Carrot Patch Cupcakes

idea from Our Best Bites

Favorite cupcakes- any flavor (vanilla, chocolate, carrot cake, etc)

Chocolate Frosting

Crushed Oreos (crush in a food processor)

Orange Starbursts (1/2 piece for each carrot)

Green licorice

1.  Place crushed Oreos in a deep bowl.  Frost cupcakes.  Immediately after frosting each cupcake, dip into bowl of crushed Oreo "dirt" and press crumbs into frosting, making sure to get the sides.  Set on a serving platter until all of the cupcakes are frosted and covered in crumbs.

2.  Unwrap orange Starbursts, cut in half, and microwave for 5-10 seconds, until slightly softened.  Rolling in your hands, form into a carrot shape, with a tapered end.  Take a small paring knife and press "notches" into the sides of carrots.  Using a wooden skewer, press a hole into the non-tapered end.  Cut licorice into two or more pieces and stick into the holes in the carrot.  Top cupcakes with candy carrots. Serve.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs

I've always wanted to make these for Easter, and finally did today!  I was super tired for some reason but did it anyway.  My 7-year old helped me shape the peanut butter mixture into eggs and I dipped them later, which was very messy and the hardest part, by far.  After the first one, I didn't bother dipping the bottoms at all.  They're too big and awkward to move around.  You can see my chocolate is hardly smooth and perfect. They are delicious though; taste like Reese's PB Eggs, and makes a lot more, which is both and good and a bad thing.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs (Homemade Reese's Eggs)

adapted from Food

4 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
2 -3 tablespoons milk
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 tablespoon shortening (I used organic- coconut oil would probably work too)

1. Mix together powdered sugar, peanut butter and butter.  Add milk, one tablespoon at a time until it becomes a nice workable dough.  It will be like play dough and easy to work with.  If it is crumbly at all, add more milk; just drops at a time until it comes together, and is smooth with no crumbling when pressed into a ball.  Form dough into egg shapes and place in freezer for 1 hour.

2.  Place chocolate chips in and shortening in a glass measuring cup.  Microwave 1 minute at a time, stirring in between, until melted.  (Can use a double broiler if you prefer; this is what I did.)  Dip each egg in the melted chocolate and place on waxed paper until set.  Trim any excess chocolate off that may pool with a paring knife.  If you wish to decorate with sprinkles, add them immediately, when the chocolate is still wet.  

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BBQ Pulled Pork and Coleslaw

This is a delicious pulled pork using homemade BBQ sauce, made in the slow cooker.  I love the BBQ sauce- I don't like any store-bought varieties very much, so haven't used it much at all lately. This homemade one is really good.  You can top these pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw, which makes it even more delicious.  Note:  The recipe calls for lemon juice in the slaw, but I think I'll replace with apple cider or honey vinegar next time, to add a bit more sweetness.

BBQ Pulled Pork 

adapted from Closet Cooking

1 (3 pound) pork butt
1 cup BBQ Sauce, recipe follows
4-6 buns
coleslaw, recipe follows

1. Put the pork in the slow cooker, pour 1/2 cup of the bbq sauce over it and cook on low heat for 8 hours. (Or, you can start it the night before and have it ready at around lunchtime the next day.)

2. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and let cool.  Meanwhile, skim the fat from the juices, place the juices in a sauce pan and simmer to reduce.  Mix as much of the juices as you want into the remaining bbq sauce.  (Do this step because it adds SO much more flavor!!  You can even just dump all the juices into a little skillet and reduce, and at the end, pour off the thick layer of fat on the top. Discard that, and mix the remaining stuff into your pork.  SO GOOD!!)

3. When the pork is cool enough to work with, shred it with a pair of forks.  Mix the pulled pork bbq sauce.  Assemble sandwiches and enjoy, topping with extra BBQ sauce and coleslaw, optional.

Closet Cooking's BBQ Sauce

1 small onion (grated or chopped fine)
2 cloves garlic (grated or chopped fine)
1 cup ketchup (can use part chili sauce (not Asian chili sauce)
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
chipotle chili powder, to taste (about 1/4-1/2 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon smoked hot or sweet paprika
pepper to taste
smoked sea salt to taste, optional but awesome

1. Mix everything.

Closet Cooking's Coleslaw

2 cups cabbage (shredded)
1 carrot (shredded)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
1 lemon (juice) OR 2 TBS apple cider or honey vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
agave nectar, to taste (I added a bit more to sweeten)
1 handful parsley (chopped)

1. Mix the cabbage and carrot in a large bowl.  Add the mayo, sour cream, sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper in another bowl and combine, and then mix everything together.  Taste and add agave nectar for sweetness if needed.

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No-Bake Cookies, Two Ways (Biscoff & Nutella)

Recently, I tried two different variations on the old no-bake and loved both of them!!  I loved the Biscoff version the best, which is why I'll post it first.  No-bakes are super sweet, but reducing the sugar with these might affect turnout, since these cookies are kind of like making fudge.  Deviate from the recipe too much, and they might turn out too soft or too hard.

In the past, I've had trouble with any no-bake cookie recipe turning out, and I started boiling the mixture a little longer, which seems to help.  I boiled both of these batches for 1 minute and 20 seconds, which seems to be the perfect number for me here, with my humidity, etc.  I'll do that from now on.  Also, have all the ingredients measured out to add after boiling; Nutella, pb or Biscoff, vanilla, oats.  

Biscoff No-Bake Cookies

adapted from Cooking Classy

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced into 4 pieces
1/2 cup milk (preferably 2% or whole)
1/2 cup Biscoff Cookie Spread* (I only had Crunchy on hand; it worked)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups quick oats

1.  In a medium saucepan combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, butter and milk and heat mixture over slightly over medium heat, stirring frequently until mixture begins to boil. Allow mixture to come to a roiling boil, and boil for 1 minute and 20 seconds while stirring, then remove from heat and immediately stir in Biscoff and vanilla, whisking until well blended, then mix in quick oats.

2.  Drop mixture by the spoonful (using 2 spoons - one to scoop and the other to push the mixture off opposite spoon) onto wax paper and allow to cool until set.  (Note: You may need to only boil for one minute if you live in a drier climate; but I'm not sure.)
*Biscoff Cookie Spread can be found near the peanut butter in many grocery stores.

Nutella No-Bake Cookies

adapted from Shugary Sweets

1 3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup Nutella
3 cup quick oats

1.  In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, cook sugar, cocoa, milk and butter. Boil one minute and 20 seconds. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla, salt, peanut butter, Nutella and oats. Stir until combined. Drop by teaspoon on wax paper and cool until set. (Note: You may need to only boil for one minute if you live in a drier climate; but I'm not sure.)

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Greek Pasta Salad

I loved this Greek Pasta Salad.  It contains so many delicious ingredients and flavors.  I made a similar dish years ago, but wanted to try this recipe from Joy the Baker.  Although it says to serve immediately, leftovers are so good, too.  This would be great for a potluck. I want to make this again soon.

Greek Pasta Salad

adapted from Joy the Baker

For the Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil

3-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced shallots
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

For the Pasta Salad:
4-5 cups cooked orzo pasta*
2 cups de-seeded and coarsely chopped English Cucumbers
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 heaping cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced purple onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

1.  In a medium mason jar (or other sealed container), combine olive oil, lemon juice, shallots, mustard, honey, and a pinch of salt a fresh cracked black pepper. Secure the lid tightly and shake vigorously until emulsified. Taste and season with more lemon, honey, salt, or pepper as necessary. Set aside.

2.  In a large bowl toss together orzo pasta, cucumber, tomatoes, feta cheese, onion, and fresh basil. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Just before serving, drizzle in the dressing. Taste and season accordingly. Serve immediately.  (Leftovers are great, too.)

*I cooked about 2 cups of dried orzo & ended up not using all of it for this.  Be careful when draining; if left too long in a strainer, it will stick to it.

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Baked Salmon with Dijon & Garlic

This salmon was easy and delicious- which is very important to me on some days.  I prepared the garlic/olive oil mixture in advance, so when dinnertime came, all I had to do was pour it over the salmon and bake.  My 7-year old especially liked this, and asked for seconds.  We liked this so much that I made it twice in two weeks.

Baked Salmon with Dijon & Garlic

adapted from Natasha's Kitchen

1.5 lbs salmon filets
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 large OR 3 small cloves of garlic, pressed
1.5 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp salt, or to taste
⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
⅛ cup mild olive oil (that's 2 Tablespoons)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Lemon slices

1.  Preheat the oven to 450° F and line a rimmed baking dish with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray.

2.  In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley, 2-3 cloves pressed garlic, 1.5 tsp Dijon, ½ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp pepper, ⅛ cup olive oil and 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice. Mix well.  (Can do this ahead of time and store in the fridge.)

3.  Lay salmon onto your lined baking dish skin side down.  Generously brush all sides of your salmon with the sauce and top with fresh lemon slices.

4.  Bake at 450°F for 12-15 minutes or until just cooked through. Don’t over-cook or your fish will be dry.

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Japanese Yakisoba

A while ago, when I taught my friend to make macarons, she taught me how to make Japanese Fried Noodles, or Yakisoba.  These are so good and satisfying; full of veggies and such great flavor.  You can use whatever veggies you want; cabbage, carrot, onion, sweet bell peppers, etc.  You can use pork or chicken.  You can also make a big batch of this, and it's a perfect dish to bring to a potluck.  The recipe below is per person, so adjust to how many people you will be feeding.  (PS: My friend uses spaghetti noodles here because they're widely available.)

Japanese Yakisoba

from my friend H.S.

Per Person:

Noodles: 120 grams

Onions (sliced): 30 grams

Cabbage (sliced): 30 grams

Carrot (julienne): 10 grams

Garlic (minced): 1 clove

(Other veggies if desired- sliced bell peppers, zucchini, etc.)

Meat (Thin-sliced Chicken or Pork): 65 grams

oil for cooking veggies

sliced green onions for garnish, optional

Sriracha sauce or other chili sauce, for serving, optional

Sauce:

Oyster Sauce: 1 1/2 Tablespoons

Soy Sauce: 1/2 teaspoon

Salt: pinch, or to taste (or omit)

Sugar: 1/2 teaspoon

Black Pepper: to taste

Sesame Oil: 2 drops

1.  Boil noodles according to package directions & drain.  In the meantime, in a bowl, mix sauce ingredients.

2.  While noodles are boiling,  in a large skillet or wok, heat a bit of oil.  Cook veggies until almost tender, and then add sauce and boiled, drained noodles and heat through until veggies are cooked to your liking and everything is heated through.  Serve with Sriracha sauce or other chili sauce, and sliced green onions, if desired.  

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More School Lunch Ideas

I wanted to quickly post a few more school lunch ideas.  These are some lunches my kids enjoy in their Easy Lunchboxes.  (Find them on Amazon; we love them.)  Pictured above: ham and cheese on a small pretzel roll; peeled clementine, treat.  Like I've said before, add anything your kids will eat.  If I include more food than pictured, it usually doesn't get eaten, because the kids don't have a ton of time to eat lunch.  You can add any kinds of fruits or veggies you want, leftovers, whatever.  Be creative.  For an easy, re-usable ice pack, wet a brand-new sponge and stick it inside a ziplock bag; freeze.  

Triscuits & colby-jack cheese, fresh broccoli and homemade ranch dip (in mini container with lid); treat.

Triscuits and mini banana (local!), peeled clementine, treat.  (Juice box, doesn't actually fit in easy lunchbox, lol.)

Greek yogurt with homemade granola (in mini container with lid), grapes, treat.

Two cheese sandwiches on slider rolls, ham, peeled clementine, cashews, and two Golden Oreos.

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Homemade Strawberry Sauce

This is a super easy, super simple homemade strawberry sauce I've made a few times in the last year to top waffles and pancakes.  I was able to get a pic of it last time so I can finally post it here.  :)  I use frozen strawberries for this, making it even easier.  I use vanilla sugar to make this sauce extra tasty.  For a special treat, top homemade waffles with this strawberry sauce and whipped cream.  Or try it with vanilla ice cream!

Homemade Strawberry Sauce

adapted from Nature's Nurture

1 pound bag frozen strawberries (sliced works well)
2 tablespoons sugar or vanilla sugar (or sweetener of choice)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3-4 tablespoons water

1.  Add the strawberries and sugar to a medium-sized heavy saucepan.  Heat at medium-low until the sugar melts, then turn up the heat to medium and bring to a boil.  Once it boils, remove from heat and lightly mash the strawberries using a potato masher, or a fork or wooden spoon.

2.  Return to heat and bring back to a boil, then dissolve cornstarch into the water (using a small jar or air-tight container) and add to the pot. Stir the sauce and continue boiling for another couple minutes until it thickens.  Serve warm over pancakes, waffles, or ice cream.

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