Chocolate-Dipped Cookies and Fabulous Reviews

Ladies and gentlemen, there is an absolutely ludicrous amount of sugar in my home at the moment.

So many cookies.  So much snack mix.  So many tubs of frosting in the fridge.

A few weeks ago, before my house had been inundated by sugary holiday madness, I created a recipe for Allrecipes.  I ate some, I froze some, I sent some to my parents, I called it a day.

I just happened to notice that Allrecipes published my recipe and clicked on over to see it.

Ummm...guys, it has 9 reviews from the last two days alone and every single one of them is glowing.

Talk about an ego boost!

Well world, I'm glad you're enjoying them!

Cranberry-Turkey Pinwheels and Too Many Leftovers

The day after Thanksgiving my husband left to go visit family for a few days.

Do you know what that means?

He left me with boatloads of Thanksgiving leftovers.

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays where the menu simply must stay fairly set.

I mean sure, you can add or subtract a dish here or there.

But we have to have turkey (rather, my daughter requires turkey).

We have to have cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, corn, Mac and cheese, deviled eggs, sausage balls, pumpkin pie, and other things I'm sure I'm forgetting.

Oh, also my son- who generally just doesn't eat most of what we eat- got very excited about "Thanksgiving pizza!" this year.

Read: I made a bunch of food, placed tiny bites of it on a plate for him, and then served him a single-serving Digiorno.

He was incredibly pleased with his meal.

Sausage Balls and the Perfect Recipe

I was 22 when I ate my first sausage ball.

That's right- I spent over two decades of my life completely oblivious to these fantastic little balls of goodness that have been ever-present at every southern get-together I have attended in the intervening years.

That's 22 years of my life I'll just never recover.

Ugh.  That's a hard fact to swallow.

The first time I lived anywhere outside of California I was stationed in Mississippi- which was an eye-opening experience for sure.

I'll lead with the fact that Mississippi is lush and green and beautiful.

I'll close with the fact that Mississippi has the biggest bugs I've ever encountered and more means of preparing catfish than I'd ever considered.

(FYI- I despise catfish.)

So anyway, first I spent four years in Mississippi, then I moved to Tennessee.

There simply isn't a gathering or holiday that doesn't include the ubiquitous sausage ball.

Dulce de Leche Bars and the Holiday Season

Is it just my family that's really excited about the holiday season this year?

Normally I roll my eyes when I see the Thanksgiving and Christmas things hitting the shelves the day after Halloween but I can honestly say that this year I didn't have that reaction.

I don't know what it is, but there's something about this year that has everyone under our roof ready.

While we've held off getting out the tree and lights, it's something we're all looking forward to with a great deal of anticipation.  My daughter and I have been listening to Christmas music every morning on the way to school for at least a week now and we've already made it through several Christmas movies.

Not White Christmas, though- that one must be saved for right after we finish decorating the tree and enjoyed with gingersnaps.

It's kind of our thing.  

Meat, Cheese, and Impressive Appetizers

Things I should be doing right now:

Writing a research paper.  Studying for my Spanish midterm.  Reviewing for my math class.  Reading next week's economics materials.  Cleaning my kitchen.  Doing laundry.  Vacuuming.

Things I am currently doing:

Sitting on the couch in my pajamas actively avoiding any of those things.

I know that means I have more work waiting for me tomorrow...but in this exact moment I'm ok with that.  I may feel differently in the morning!

I needed a break this weekend, and I took one.

Actually, I cooked.

Cuban Sandwiches, Finger Foods, and Much Needed Breaks

Once upon a time, long before I went back to school and found myself with zero free time, I made Cuban sandwiches.

If you look at pretty much anything I wrote here before returning to school, you'll notice that I generally went all out.  I did it all from scratch- I tend to be a bit of an overachiever.

I made Cuban bread for goodness' sakes.

The pork?  I marinated that in a citrus marinade and it was fabulous, just fabulous.

Do you know what I don't have time for these days?

Any of that.

Just...no.

I have a freezer full of convenience foods and am now well versed in which brand and variety of frozen lasagna my family prefers.

Part of me hates that.

The other part?

Well...she's pretty darn proud of me, to be honest.

My family is fed and happy- that's what matters.

Rocky Road Ice Cream and Weird Kids

A month or so ago, as I was deep in the throes of my ice cream obsession, my 12 year old asked (more like begged...) me to make Rocky Road Ice Cream instead of something more fun, like Honey Lavender or Cherry Pie à la Mode.  So of course I made it, right?

But then I served her a bowl of that ice cream she had begged for.

She wrinkled her nose.

"Are these...NUTS?!?" she gasped.

Ummm...yes.  That's kind of what makes that Rocky Road ice cream you've been enjoying for years rocky.

She followed with, "...is this MARSHMALLOW?!?"

Yes, my child.  Also, you love marshmallows.  Also marshmallows are always in Rocky Road ice cream.

Kids...they're a weird, finicky breed.

I was confused by the reaction, to be honest.

She asked me to pick out the nuts and the marshmallows, for her.

I- of course- refused.

*sigh*

Ice Cream Contests and Cherry Pie

So, if you're keeping track, I've made something like five different kinds of ice cream this summer- and June isn't even over yet.

I'm actually at the point where I can't make any more until my family finishes off what I've already made because there just isn't room in the freezer anymore.

This month the Allrecipes Allstars were challenged to create a fun, interesting new flavor of ice cream- and my goodness did they rise to the challenge!  Brian came up with Raspotle Sorbet, Nikki created a number of fun varieties like Sriracha Lime Ice Cream, and Pat went another interesting direction with Earl Grey Tea and Lime Ice Pops.

I certainly have some creative fellow Allstars!

I threw my hat in the ring with a new ice cream creation too- though mine wasn't quite as out there as flavor profiles go.

Me?  Well I created this recipe: Cherry Pie à la Mode Ice Cream.
Doesn't sound too weird, does it?

It's not.  Lets be honest.
Flavor-wise at least.

Lemon Ice Cream and Summer Obsessions

I have been going a little ice cream crazy lately.
Ok...maybe not just a little.  At this moment I have Lavender Honey, Banana Pudding, Rocky Road, Cherry Pie à la Mode, and this Lemon ice cream in my freezer...and I have more cream in the fridge just begging to be used.

I'm on a roll, guys.
I have mastered the art of tempering eggs for custard bases and have moved on to experimenting with my own recipes.

I have way more ice cream than my family can possibly eat in that freezer already!
It's just so much fun to play around with these recipes.

I've always wanted to try a lemon ice cream so when I saw this recipe I knew that I was going to have to give it a whirl- especially since I already had all of the ingredients on hand.
Once I realized that there was just no saying "no" to this recipe!

Banana Pudding Ice Cream and Underrated Desserts

I think pudding is a highly underrated food.

Has there ever been a time when downing a spoonful of that cool, creamy, concoction didn't make you happy?

I think not.

Chocolate pudding, pistachio pudding, tapioca pudding- all excellent.

Even custard.  Oh my do I miss that Jell-O brand custard I grew with!

I may have overindulged in that particular treat just a wee bit when I was pregnant with my son.  :-)

Banana pudding, though- that's something special.

While all of the other puddings are generally served with little fanfare, remaining largely under-appreciated in the world of desserts, banana pudding has managed to escape a similar fate.

No, banana pudding brings to mind recollections of family meals and happy times.  Nilla wafers and whipped cream.  Sometimes soft and sweet slices of banana- though you can keep those for yourself.

I'll stick with the pudding and Nilla wafers.

Lavender Honey Ice Cream and Perfect Summer Desserts

The first time I drove over the mountains from Tennessee to Asheville, North Carolina it felt like I'd come home.  It was more like what I'd left behind in California than anything I'd experienced in Mississippi or Tennessee.  Quirky, funky, foodie-filled, artsy.

Fabulous.

Very Nora.

I could take a deep, mountain air-filled breath and feel my whole body relax in that same way it does when you slip into your pj pants and collapse on the couch at the end of the day.

It felt comfortable.

My husband and I quickly made it our weekend getaway destination when we had a day or two away from the kids.  We wandered the meandering aisles and cozy spaces of Battery Park Book Exchange, we followed very Nora-ish type lunches with grown-up beverages and giddily strolled the art at Woolworth Walk and scooped up fun hats and silly jewelry from cute stores.

Ok...all of that was definitely me enjoying Asheville, but my husband was generally a good sport about tagging along on my adventures as long as there was the promise of good food and adult beverages.

Decadent Appetizers and Low-Key Birthdays

I turned another year older yesterday.

I've got to say, while getting older is certainly far superior to the next best option birthdays certainly lack the excitement that accompanied them when I was younger.  This may be the last year that I can say with certainty that I'm in my mid-thirties- possibly next year, but after that I'm certainly in late 30's territory.  Aging is weird.

My husband wanted to take me out for dinner last night, but if there's one thing that we know about me at this point it's that I love a good cheese board.  I told him that all I wanted was cheese and prosecco and he obliged.

So last night we feasted- a multitude of cheese, crackers, a loaf of sourdough bread from the German bakery near my sister-in-law's house that I had been stashing away in the freezer, flavored olive oil, and these guys- Honey Balsamic Bacon Goat Cheese and Pistachio Bites.

Boy, that's a mouthful of a name, isn't it?

Trust me, you want these in your mouth.

Wanderlust and Wedding Cookies

Sometimes it drives my family a little crazy that I rarely make the same recipe twice, that I'm always on the lookout for something new to make as I inhale cookbooks as if they were novels and compile lists of recipes that I imagine myself making one day.

My kitchen cabinet is full of books whose pages tell the story of Latin America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East.

I want to take it all in.  Every recipe, every ingredient, every cuisine.

I want to travel, see, and experience.

I want to see it all.  Do it all.  Try it all.

I want to learn everything possible about every subject I encounter.

Take in everything I can and weave it into myself.

I guess loving me requires, if not an equal desire to absorb the bigness of the world, at the very least an appreciation of my awe of it and some tolerance of my love of whimsy.

It seems such an unfathomable waste of this fantastical world not to experience as much as one is able.

Bread Dipping Oil and Girls' Weekends

My sister-in-law and I are kind of two peas in a pod.

I don't see her nearly enough, but every once in awhile I manage to get away for a weekend for some girl time and we get to hang out eating the things no one else wants to eat and drinking the things no one else wants to drink and doing the things no one else wants to do.

It's kind of wonderful, to be honest.  :-)

While we may try new restaurants or wineries or go to a museum or get a pedicure during the day, our evenings are always the same.  We pop in a movie that we will only half watch (if that), pour some wine, and create one amazing spread on the coffee table on which to nosh while we talk and laugh.

It's dinner and dessert and evening snacks all rolled into one.

There's always a baguette and crackers.

An amazing spread of cheeses.

Hummus, maybe some tapenade.

And flavored olive oil in which to dip our bread.

Heaven.

Lemon Bars and Fellowship Halls

Do you know what I miss about the churches in which I grew up?

The fellowship hall after our service.

I grew up in two churches- first Methodist, then Baptist, then back to Methodist.

Both churches were super down with cookies and coffee after service and fairly regular post-church Sunday potlucks.

I really, really miss that.

Fellowship.

It's something I struggle with as an introvert who constantly forces herself to fight against social anxieties.

Having a close-knit church family was something I took for granted.  I was surrounded by the most wonderful group of people, a surrogate family who loved me and stood beside me as I grew up.

My goodness- that Methodist church?

An earthquake deemed it unusable in 2003.  It was torn down, the property sold- all of that history replaced by new development.

But the people?

My church family?

When I got divorced they emailed me.

When I was a single parent struggling I was supported.

I still get birthday and Christmas cards after all of these years away- and so do my children, despite never have even lived near those wonderful people.

Quick Breads and Easy Gifts

I've baked a lot of bread in my life.

Loads of it.

It started in middle school and the trend has continued well into adulthood.

While I have made many types of bread over the years, I honestly don't make many quick breads.

The entire concept of working with yeast- that living, consuming, gas-producing, stuff- is just fun for me.

The one time of year I tend to get really into quick breads is over the holiday season.

Quick breads differ from yeast breads in that they typically use baking soda or baking powder as a leavening agent (the ingredient that causes them to rise) rather than yeast.  They can be sweet or savory (think cornbread or biscuits) but over the holidays I like to go a little nuts with the sweet varieties.  Not only are they delicious, but they're kind of perfect for giving as gifts.  Last year I found a great deal on a set of 50 mini loaf pans and baked mini loaves of that amazing, moist Eggnog Quick Bread I wrote about a few years ago.

It's seriously delicious, you should definitely try it.  Trust me.

Crab Rangoon Pizza and Unbridled Gluttony

  Crab.  Rangoon.  Pizza.

I know.  Sounds a little...weird.

Also, I know I just wrote about crab rangoon.

Sorry.

I've had this recipe on my radar for quite awhile, yet every time I mentioned making it my husband recoiled.

He might not be quite as adventurous as me when it comes to food.

Seriously, though...it might sound weird.

But we already know we like crab rangoon, right?

There is NOTHING not to like.

Mini Italian Skewers and Busy Lives

This year was the first time in a while that I haven't hosted Thanksgiving dinner at my house and I have to say it was a little strange.  I've kind of become accustomed to the massive prep and recipe planning, the influx of visiting family, and the leftovers in the fridge.

Part of me really missed having that this year...and the rest of me was eternally grateful that I didn't have to handle the house cleaning, food prep, cooking, and everything else that goes along with having a house full over the holidays.

There is just no way I could have done it all this year.

Sooo...I didn't buy the big turkey this year.

No Leftover Turkey Tamales were made- though I am absolutely making tamales before New Year's!

I just brought along the Mac and Cheese recipe that everyone loves, some green beans, and these Mini Italian Appetizer Skewers from Lilly at Listotic to snack on while eggnog was being made, sweet potatoes were being chopped, and pies were being admired.

These things are so simple to put together...contributing them to the holiday festivities was literally the least I could do.

Crab Rangoon and Insatiable Cravings

Sometimes I get a craving for Chinese food.

No...not the kind from a nice sit-down restaurant.

Not that (delicious) Asian Orange Chicken I make.

Nope.

It's that super-Americanized, incredibly gluttonous, buffet-style Chinese food I crave.

Sesame chicken.

Egg rolls.

Beef and broccoli.

Fried rice.

Those super thin rice noodles.

A little bit of everything...

And crab rangoon dipped in gobs of sweet and sour sauce in the most unnatural shade of red possible.

That's a must.

It's not a craving I indulge in often, not at all.

However when the craving hits, it hits hard.

Best (And Easiest!) Ever Piña Colada Cake

Friendships were much easier to come by when I was younger.  It seems like the older I get the more I have acquaintances rather than friends- and that kind of makes me sad.

Well...lets be honest...the part of me that likes hanging out in my PJ pants with my family and not making plans is ok with it for the most part.

But having friends to laugh and talk to is important too.

My husband may be my best friend, but sometimes I need some girl talk and a cheese plate!

Anyway, I've been working on fostering friendships- I'm well aware of the fact that like any relationship friendships require intentional attention.

Let me just say guys...while I may not have the wide group of friends I had in my youth the friends I do have are pretty freaking spectacular.

I am blessed.