The Container Store Event, December 5th!

I hope you all are having a fabulous Thanksgiving week!  I may never change out of my stretchy pants. Gosh, I love stretchy pants.

First...no Trader Joe's post this week. We're on a little vacation...this is the first time I've turned on my computer in DAAAAAYS and I've somehow managed to fill my time without it. Imagine that.


Second. While you're wearing those stretchy pants, go check out my latest post for The Pioneer Woman Food & Friends: Hot Chocolate Pancakes. You need these in your life. You do.

Third! Is the Gift Wrap Wonderland at The Container Store your happy place? Mine, toooooo!

Well, there's a little event there next Saturday, December 5th. (The Woodlands, TX location) I'll be showing homemade gifts utilizing some of those adorable Gift Wrap Wonderland goodies. It's going to be fun!

11am - 1pm. Demos, snacks, book signing, ooo and ahh over all of the pretty wrappings!

Locals, I hope you can come! Non-locals...make those pancakes. ;)

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Chocolate Pecan Tartlets

What is it about mini desserts? Do our brains just not register that eating several of them might equal a regular size portion? I’m pretty sure I could eat an entire BATCH of mini desserts with no problem, but give me a big slice of pie and I’m reaching for my stretchy pants.

*this post is sponsored by Wholesome!


Picture this: whole wheat (!!!) cream cheese crust, piled with toasty pecans, an agave-based vanilla butter filling, and a surprise hit of bittersweet chocolate.


These little tartlets bake up golden brown and are pretty near impossible to resist. For those people who claim some desserts are “too sweet” (I am not one of those people), these will hit just the right note. Sweet, but not cloying…the perfect little bite. Or seven.


A three-ingredient crust is a snap to make and filling them couldn’t be easier.

Share them with your family and friends this holiday season…of keep them all for yourself. I’ll never tell!
*Stretchy pants optional.


Chocolate Pecan Tartlets 

Crust:
1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sifted whole wheat pastry flour (can substitute all-purpose)

Filling:
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1 egg white
1/2 cup Wholesome! Organic Blue Agave 
1 TBSP salted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash fine sea salt
Bittersweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli recommended)

Preheat oven to 325.

With the paddle attachment of a mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth and combined. Stir in the flour until a dough forms. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, spread the pecans onto a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the sheet and set aside. Beat the egg white until slightly foamy. Beat in the agave, butter, vanilla, and salt. Mix until combined. (You’ll still see bits of butter.)


Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll into 24 balls. Place the balls into an ungreased mini muffin tin. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of each cup.


Place 2 bittersweet chocolate chips in the bottom of each crust. (Ghirardelli chips are larger than normal chocolate chips. If using smaller ones, add 3.) Place half of the pecans into the tins on top of the chips.


Use a teaspoon to spoon the filling into the cups. (Don’t be tempted to overfill.) Top with the remaining pecans.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and set. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. The tartlets should lift out easily. If there is any sticking, run a thin knife along that edge.

*post contains Amazon affiliate links, thank you!


{It’s always a good idea to test one before serving.}

Sweet on Trader Joe's Saturday: Belgian Flaked Truffles

As many times as we've posted our Sweet on Trader Joe's "Saturday" on Sunday, we really should call these "Sweet on Trader Joe's WEEKEND."


Anyhoo.  Today we're reviewing Trader Joe's Belgian Flaked Truffles. You'll find these in the holiday candy section. A box of 16 truffles costs $2.99.

I didn't realize until I got these home and read the back of the box that inside are 8 milk chocolate and 8 dark chocolate truffles.


A mom's (my) take: These aren't my favorite. (That's what we taught Jack to say when he was little and didn't like a food served to him.) I feel guilty saying this about chocolate, but I did not like these. The milk chocolate truffles were a bit bland and chalky. The dark chocolate ones were better, but still with a strange texture and lacking in flavor. That's ok...there are so many other holiday treats at Trader Joe's that I LOVE; I'll spend my money on those.
Overall rating: 2 of 5 stars

A teenager's (Jack's) take: I LOVE these. It's really interesting how the consistency can be so light yet be tasty and rich in flavor at the same time... That's really all I have. Get them. Now.
Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Trader Joe's Belgian Flaked Truffles: Split Decision! 

[note: We have no affiliation with Trader Joe's. I'm sure they have never read this blog and have no idea who we are. Hey, we like being incognito, although we never wear sunglasses indoors. ;)]

Read all of our Trader Joe's sweet treats and dessert reviews! 

Here's what else we're loving this week:

• still planning Thanksgiving dessert? MAKE THIS CHEESECAKE! 
• a blast from Thanksgiving past, but these peanut butter cup turkey cookies are so fun!
• I'm thinking this mac & cheese from That Which Nourishes is going to be the highlight of our Thanksgiving feast. 
• This pecan tart from How Sweet Eats. Gorgeous!!! 

Korean Style Tofu Salad

This Korean style tofu salad is an easy side dish that I will put together whenever I have some leftover salad mix.

It is rather similar to a Korean tofu dish where tofu slices are pan fried and then cooked in a sauce. For this salad version, the tofu is steamed and left to cool. The ingredients for the sauce are almost the same, with Gochugaru or Korean red chili flakes as one of the key ingredients to differentiate it from other similar cuisines.

PS: Pardon the poor quality image of the above photos, they were taken with my mobile phone.

The savoury, spicy dressing goes really well with the plain cold tofu. It is a light and refreshing appetizer and a great substitute for the usual stir fry vegetable dish.



Korean Style Tofu Salad

Ingredients:

1 pack silken tofu
75g (about half pack) salad mix

salad dressing:
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons chopped scallions


Preparation:

• Steam the silken tofu over high heat for 3 minutes, let cool.
• Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. 
• Wash the salad mix and drain. 
• Cut the tofu lengthwise in half, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place tofu slices on serving plate. Arrange salad mix on top and side of the tofu.
• Drizzle dressing over just before serving.

Don't let the turkeys get you down...

I took a stroll down (turkey) memory lane this week. I'd actually forgotten all of the renditions of turkey cookies I've made over the years.

There were the basic turkeys from my first year of blogging, and the turkey cookies made from a few shapes put together. Then, there were the peanut butter cup turkeys. And last year, I made two turkey cookies: a girly polka dot flower turkey cookie, and an Angry Bird Turkey. (I think I ran out of time to blog them I lost the pictures! Waaaa! Do you know how much it hurts my blogger heart to have cookies undocumented?!?)


Mr. E had a Thanksgiving luncheon at work this week and, of course, I told him to sign up to bring cookies. Now that I think about it, I should have had him help me decorate!


These cookies are made using the most basic turkey cookie cutter that you can pick up most anywhere. This year, I added a wing and some sanding sugar...and used SemiSweet Mike's famous "autumn blue" in the feather. (His cookies = jaw dropping!)


I love how these turned out. You can absolutely leave the wing off. It will save you some time and they'll still be cute...as cute as turkeys can be, I guess.

Here's what you'll need:

• cut-out turkey cookies
• royal icing, divided and tinted brown (Americolor Chocolate Brown + a bit of Super Black), Ivory, orange (Americolor Electric Orange + Super Red), Mike's Blue, Egg Yellow, Super Red, Super Black
• disposable icing bags
• couplers and tips (#2, #1)
• squeeze bottles
• toothpicks
• small paintbrush
• meringue powder
• sanding sugar

Use a #2 tip to outline the turkey body and head. Divide the tail and body sections. 

Thin the brown and ivory icings with water, a bit at a time, stirring with a silicone spatula, until it is the consistency of a thick syrup. You'll want to drop a "ribbon" of icing back into the bowl and have it disappear in a count of "one thousand one, one thousand two." Four is too thick, one is too thin. Count of 2-3 is good. Cover with a damp dishcloth and let sit for several minutes.

Stir gently with a silicone spatula to pop and large air bubbles that have formed. Pour into squeeze bottles. Fill in the outlines with the thinned icing, using a toothpick to guide to the edges and to pop large air bubbles.


If you'd ever wondered what it's like to decorate cookies round here, this sums it up. Hi, Spike! (Cookies on chair by the window just for the picture.)


Thin the blue and orange icings (reserving some piping consistency ornate icing for later) in the same manner. Working 6-8 cookies at a time, fill in the tail section with brown icing. Going back to the first cookie filled, add stripes of the ivory, blue, and orange icings.


Use a toothpick to pull the icing from the top of the tail toward the body to make feathers. So cool, right?

Let the icing dry for about an hour.


Use a #2 tip to outline the wing in ivory. Fill in with the thinned ivory icing.

Add the beak, legs, (#1 tips) and snood (#2 tip).

Let the cookies dry, uncovered 6-8 hours, or overnight.

The next day, mix 1/2 teaspoon meringue powder with 1/2 teaspoon water. Use a clean food-only paintbrush to paint on the wing and head. Sprinkle on the sanding sugar and shake off excess.


Use a #1 tip to add the eye.

*this post contains amazon affiliate links, thank you!

Gobble, gobble! I'll take one cookie and one slice of sweet potato pie, please!

Old-Fashioned Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Warm and comforting, simple and timeless, this old-fashioned spice cake just makes me so happy.


*this post is sponsored by Imperial Sugar.

I've mentioned before that my mom was a really good cook and baker. She was known in our neighborhood for her homemade cinnamon rolls (and would make them for our neighbors when they had out-of-town company) and Italian Cream Cake.


One thing I love about my mom, though, is that she was not a food snob. Yes, she rocked homemade cakes, cookies, and cinnamon rolls, but she was not above using a boxed cake mix.

There was one boxed mix in particular (I'm guessing in the late 70's, early 80's) called Stir 'n Frost. Inside the box was a cake mix, frosting packet, and even a PAN!

Spice cake is the only flavor I remember my mom buying...and I've thought fondly of that cake many times over the years.
(Anyone else remember this???)

FINALLY after all of these years, I decided to try making my own. I'm not sure what took me so long. I will say that there were many fails leading up to this recipes. I think because I had such fond memories of this cake, it was hard to make one that lived up to those warm and fuzzy memories.
This one does.




The cake itself is richly spiced with lots of cinnamon and clove. The cake is topped with a tangy and sweet cream cheese frosting that is the perfect foil to the spiciness. Have it for dessert, have it for a snack, heck...have it for breakfast, I did! Just make it.



I'm sharing the recipe for this cake over at Imperial Sugar.
Go grab the recipe and make some spice cake memories of your own! ♥

Sweet on Trader Joe's Saturday: Pita Crisps with Cranberries and Pumpkin Seeds

Happy Saturday, friends! Trader Joe's is SO MUCH FUN right now with all of the holiday treats starting to hit the shelves. I didn't feel quite ready to review gingerbread cookies or Christmas truffles yet, but I did pick up a box of these. (Danger, danger!)


This week, we're reviewing Trader Joe's Pita Crisps with Cranberries and Pumpkin Seeds. A 6-ounce bag costs $2.69.


A mom's (my) take: These pita crisps are absolutely additive! A little salty, a little sweet...with just a touch of cinnamon...I could not stop eating these crunchy chips straight from the bag. Good on their own, but with cheese, oh my gosh. Cream cheese, goat cheese, parmesan, cheddar - I could go on. If you want to add a bit of interest to your Thanksgiving appetizer platter, pick up a bag of these. Better yet, pick up two. One to sample pre-Thanksgiving, one for Thanksgiving Day.
Overall rating: 5 of 5 stars

A teenager's (Jack's) take: Normally, I wouldn't be a big fan of a sweet flavor mixed with pita chips (or anything remotely sweet-and-savory, for that matter), but Trader Joe's has made an exception with these. I really love how the flavor begins with a salty, crunchy pita chips flavor that is simply classic, and then the sweet cranberry and hints of pumpkin come out. These are AWESOME!!!
Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Trader Joe's Pita Crisps with Cranberries and Pumpkin Seeds: Go get some! 

[note: We have no affiliation with Trader Joe's. I'm sure they have never read this blog and have no idea who we are. Hey, we like being incognito, although we never wear sunglasses indoors. ;)]

Read all of our Trader Joe's sweet treats and dessert reviews! 

Here's what else we're loving this week:

• Vanilla bean paste 101 (my latest post for PW Food & Friends)
• Mercy House Kenya Gift Catalog...what a beautiful way to give.
• Cake cookies with Nutella frosting for Beverly (thank you all who left sweet comments this week. ♥)
• I know I'm going to need to work some salads into my meals as the eating season begins. This one from Aggies Kitchen sounds delicious. 
• This adorable Turkey cake (no, not made with turkey) from The Decorated Cookie. 

Cake Cookies with Nutella Frosting for Beverly

Last week, my sweet friend Beverly left this earth bound for Heaven. I'm still in a little bit of denial about it. (Is the next stage of grief overeating, because I'm pretty sure I'm there, too.)

Beverly...loving wife, mom of 5 beautiful children, a truly thoughtful friend, hostess with mostest, lover of all things good and holy, and someone who knew how to have FUN! (She'd also want to me add: Aggie!) ;) I'm not sure I've ever met a more energetic, faith-filled, and giving person than Beverly. She made every person she met feel welcome, special, and important.


To be a witness to how she handled her cancer diagnosis and treatment with such grace and faith was a true honor. My one regret is that we didn't become friends sooner. I know there would have been a lot more laughs...and probably more margaritas. We really should have been friends years earlier. I can see now that God kept putting her in my path, but I didn't realize it at the time.


When our kids started high school, a little group of 5 of us began monthly lunch dates...which usually ran upwards of 3 hours long. We're going to continue those lunches and I know Beverly will still be with us.


It was really bothering me that I didn't know Beverly's favorite dessert. HOW COULD I NOT KNOW THIS??? She was a lover of desserts...and read the blog and commented on the blog before we even met. I thought Beverly's husband and kids were probably busy with important things and I'd hold off asking them my burning question...what was her favorite dessert???


Then one morning last week as I was brushing my teeth, it hit me. Nutella. (No, I wasn't brushing my teeth with Nutella.) I don't know if Nutella was Beverly's favorite, but I DO know that every time Nutella was in the news, or she came across a particularly delicious looking recipe involving Nutella, she would let me know. Last year, a new cupcake shop opened in our town and Beverly texted me to let me know she was eating their Nutella-frosted cupcake...you know, for testing purposes.

So, a Nutella recipe for Beverly was required. I've had this recipe pinned for a while now.




The cookies look happy...and I think that's what Beverly would want. We're still mourning, but this faith-filled, loving lady would want us to live every moment with joy. 
And lots of Nutella.



Cake Cookies with Nutella Frosting
{makes about 20 cookies, recipe adapted from Baker by Nature}

cookies:
4 cups unbleached cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup salted butter, room temperature
1 & 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sour cream

Nutella frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 pound powdered sugar
1/2 cup dutch-process cocoa
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup Nutella


Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375.

Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in the extracts.

In three additions, add the flour, alternating with adding the sour cream. Scrape down the bowl after each addition and mix just until combined.


[note: Check the ingredients on your sour cream. I'm a big fan of Daisy brand. Look at that ingredient list: cream.]

Scoop the batter onto the cookie sheets using a 1/4 cup measuring cup. With damp fingers, press the cookie dough into a circle about 3" across.

Bake 15 minutes or until the tops spring back with lightly touched. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting:
In a large bowl, beat the butter until fluffy. On low speed, add the powdered sugar, cocoa, and salt and mix until combined. (It will look dry.) Mix in the milk and almond extract. Then, mix in the Nutella, beating until well combined and fluffy.

Spread the frosting onto the cooled cookies using an offset spatula.



Beverly, I miss you, my friend. ♥

{PS: Beverly homeschooled her 4 younger children (14, 12, 10, and 7) while her oldest (16) is in high school with Jack. As you can imagine, this will be a HUGE transition for their family. If you are interested in donating to an education fund for the children, please click here.}

easy okonomiyaki お好み焼き

Okonomi-yaki (お好み焼き) is a Japanese savoury omelette or pancake like dish, which literally means "grill (yaki) what you like/want (okonomi)". As the name suggests, it is a very versatile dish that has many adaptations and various topping options. There are however two distinct types of okonomiyaki...the Kansai (or Osaka) style and the Hiroshima style.

The Kansai- or Osaka-style okonomiyaki is made with a thick batter that consists of flour, grated nagaimo (a type of yam, known as 山藥 in Chinese), water or dashi, eggs, and mixed with other ingredients such as shredded cabbage, green onion, thinly sliced pork belly, shrimp, squid, etc, before it is grilled. For the Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, the ingredients are cooked in layers rather than all mixed together. A crepe-like layer is grilled as the base while the other ingredients are either layered on top to cook or cooked separately before they are layered over the base.

Here's sharing with you an easy and gluten free okonomiyaki which I followed from this youtube tutorial created by Ochikeron. Grated nagaimo is not required in this recipe which makes this a simple everyday dish since nagaimo is not a common ingredient in my kitchen.

Another great thing about this recipe is that the vegetables and meat is stir fried before mixing into the batter...it's easier for me (who is not a good cook) to ensure the ingredients are evenly cooked.

My homecooked okonomiyaki turned out to be very delicious and well received. I love the taste and flavour of the homemade okonomiyaki sauce (a simple mixture of Worcestershire sauce, tomato ketchup and honey) combined with the Japanese mayonnaise.

After getting the hang of making the gluten free okonomiyaki a few times, I experimented with replacing part of the eggs with flour and water. The outcome was great too! The flour and water batter makes the texture more pancake-like while the gluten free version is more omelette-like.

Okonomiyaki is typically topped with bonito flakes and aonori (green seaweed flakes). Although you can either skip the aonori or replace it with finely chopped spring onions, I personally feel that it is best not to omit the bonito flakes. I bought the bonito flakes from local supermarket (Fairprice) and the aonori is available from Daiso.

I serve okonomiyaki as a side dish for dinner and it is excellent as a one-dish meal for lunch.

PS: Pardon the poor quality image of the above photos, they were taken with my mobile phone.





Easy Okonomiyaki

Ingredients:
(makes 2)

for the okonomiyaki:
2~3 slices of bacon (or ham)
300g cabbage
2 stalks spring onion
100g plain flour
160ml water
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
some pepper
cooking oil

for the sauce:
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
1 teaspoon honey (or sugar)

for the topping:
Japanese mayonnaise
katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
aonori (green seaweed flakes)

Preparation:

• Mix together the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
• Thinly slice the cabbage. Cut the bacon into thin strips, and slice the spring onion thinly diagonally.
• Pan fry the bacon till lightly browned. Add cabbage and spring onion. Stir fry till cabbage is softened. Dish up and set aside to cool.
• Mix eggs, flour and water in a mixing bowl till it forms a smooth batter. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Add the cooked vegetable mixture and mix well. 
• Heat cooking oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Spoon half of the batter into the pan and spread it to form a circular shape.
• Cover with a lid and cook on low for 3 minutes or till golden brown. Flip* it over, cover, and cook the other side for 3 minutes or till golden brown. (*Note: to make it easier to flip the pancake, I slide it from the frying pan onto a large plate, then tilt and turn the plate to flip the pancake back into the frying pan.) 
• Slide the pancake onto a serving plate. Repeat with the other half of the batter. 
• Spread half of the sauce onto each panacke. Drizzle top with mayonnaise, then sprinkle with bonito flakes and aonori.

Recipe source: adapted from Ochikeron and Okonomiyaki World.