Almond Buckeyes

Having several friends from the state of Ohio, the official recipe for this school was an easy one to figure out. These little cookies are the perfect representation of Ohio State's mascot: the Buckeye! I put a little twist on them by using almond butter instead of peanut butter because I happen to like it better. But what really makes them stand out is the nutty, sweet flavor from the almond extract and toasted almonds. Like Ohio State's football team, these are a winner! 

Grocery list (20-25 cookies): 

• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

• 3/4 cup almond butter

• 1/2 cup butter - room temperature

• 3 cups powdered sugar

• 1/4 tsp almond extract

• Kosher Salt

• 2 cups chocolate chips

• 2 tbsp Crisco
  

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350. Evenly spread the sliced almonds on a small baking sheet. Roast in the oven for about 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool and chop into small pieces. 

2. In a medium bowl, add the almond butter, butter, powdered sugar, almond extract, and a dash of salt. Mix together until completely smooth and even. Using a small ice cream scoop, roll into 1 inch, smooth balls. You should have about 20-25 balls. Place on waxed paper or a silicone mat and chill in the fridge for 30 to 45 minutes, or until firm.

3. In a small bowl, melt the chocolate chips and Crisco together in the microwave. I do this by heating for 15 seconds, taking it out and stirring. Then I repeat that process until it comes together melted and smooth. 

4. Using a toothpick, dip each one of the balls in the chocolate one at a time, leaving a small amount of the almond butter showing at the top so they look like Buckeyes. Sprinkle the sides and bottom with the chopped almonds and place back on the waxed paper. When you remove the toothpick, smooth the hole over with your finger. Refrigerate until the chocolate hardens. 

CHEERS TO A HAPPY FOOTBALL SEASON!!!

Andrea's Cooktales - Series 2, Episode 7 - Bourbon Peach-Pecan Galette w/ Maple Cream

Mascarpone French Toast Bake

Winter is wrapping up, and that makes me think of the ski trip me and Tres took with friends last year. We spent several days in Steamboat, Colorado in a cozy cabin, and I cooked almost every day. When I'm on vacation with a group, I love waking up before everyone and making breakfast. Our snow-covered cabin right on the slopes was the perfect place to tip-toe out of bed, light the fireplace up, pour myself a cozy cup of coffee, and cook it up! One morning, I made my mascarpone french toast bake, and it was everyone's favorite! This recipe is really easy and can even be made the night before, refrigerated, and popped in the oven the next morning! 

Because of all the cooking I did, skiing has become one of my favorite trips. The skiing, I'm not real sure about, but I love the cooking, lodge lunches with good beer, the wine drinking, the hot tub after a long day on the slopes, and the cozy cabin. Tres' response to my "love of ski trips," is, "so you love ski trips but you love everything about them but skiing?" Haha... I suppose that's the best way to sum it up! 

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE! 

Grocery List: 

For the custard: 

• 8 eggs

• 1 cup milk

• 1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half

• 2 tbsp sugar

• 2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• Dash of salt

For the filling: 

• 1 container mascarpone cheese

• 4 tbsp butter - room temperature

• 1/4 cup honey

• 2 tsp sugar

• 2 tbsp cinnamon

• 3 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls

For the topping: 

• 1 cup pecans - chopped

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 2 tbsp candied ginger - chopped

Directions: 

1. Beat the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt together until eggs are beaten and mixture is smooth. Set aside.

2. In another bowl, whisk the mascarpone, butter, honey, sugar, and cinnamon together. Open the crescent roll cans and separate each dough piece from each other. Fill each piece of crescent dough with some of the mascarpone mixture and roll the dough up. Line the rolls in a buttered 9x13 baking dish side by side.

3. Pour egg mixture into the baking pan, over the crescent rolls. ***At this point you can let it sit for several hours or overnight if you wish.

4. When you're ready to bake, set oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together the pecans, brown sugar, and candied ginger. Sprinkle over the top of the crescent roll mixture. Bake for about 35 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Cheers to happy eating!!! 

Quick & Easy Pumpkin French Toast

I always love to wake up on a weekend morning, make myself a cup of coffee, and sit outside on the balcony and enjoy the day. Sometimes, I like to make myself a quick breakfast before. This morning was one of those mornings. I woke up starving, but I didn't want to waste the beautiful day away cooking for hours. I found a few things in the pantry and created something I think we can all agree to like this time of year: Pumpkin French Toast! Y'all, this took 15 minutes and the enjoyment it gave me will last me all day!

Grocery list (2 people):

3 eggs

3 tbsp cream

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp honey

2 heaping tbsp canned pumpkin

Pinch of salt

Butter Bread (I like a fresh loaf but you can use any you have on hand)

Directions:

Step 1:

In a shallow dish combine the eggs, cream, spice, vanilla, honey, pumpkin, and salt with a fork until smooth.

Step 2:

Over medium heat, add butter to a griddle or pan.

Dip sliced bread into egg mixture.

Step 3:

Fry bread for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden.

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!

Berry Vanilla French Toast

French toast is one of the first meals I ever remember cooking. I've always heard that most kids learn to cook for the first time by making breakfast, and in my case, this proves to be true. French toast was always one of my favorite make-at-home breakfasts, and I remember when I got old enough, it was just the easiest thing in the world to jump in the kitchen early in the morning, mix up some eggs with milk, add a splash of vanilla, some sugar, some cinnamon, and dip whatever bread we had in the pantry into the mix and fry it up in butter. That was the quickest, easiest way to make French toast, and as a youngun, I always felt like such a great cook making this meal! Here's a fancier version of one of the simplest breakfasts in the world: Berry Vanilla French Toast. Fruity and fabulous.

Grocery list (4 people):

1/3 cup blueberries

1/3 cup blackberries

2 tbsp sugar

5 eggs

1/2 cup cream

1 tsp vanilla

1 vanilla bean scraped

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 tbsp honey

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 loaf Challah bread

Step 1:

Mash the blueberries and blackberries in a bowl with a fork or potato masher, add sugar and stir together. Set aside.

Step 2:

In a shallow bowl or pan, lightly whisk together the eggs, cream, vanilla extract, vanilla bean, ginger, honey, and salt. Add half of the berry mixture and whisk until combined.

Step 3:

Make the syrup. In a small saucepan, add the reserved mashed berries, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat.

Step 4:

Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cut bread into 1/2 inch slices. Dip bread into the egg mixture on each side. Make sure each slice has plenty of egg mixture on it. Fry slices until golden brown on each side. Top with the warm berry syrup.

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!

Fig Toast

One of my favorite things to do on a Saturday or Sunday morning is tip-toe out of bed without waking Tres and have breakfast made for him before he gets up. I make my coffee, pull out whatever ingredients I picked up from the market during the week, and create something with whatever I have on hand. I never turn on the TV or listen to the radio. I just simply enjoy the silence I have in the kitchen. It's so relaxing. I did this very thing yesterday and loved the recipe I made so I wanted to share it with you. We've all heard of Avocado Toast but for a much "sweeter" version, try Fig Toast!

Grocery List (for 2):

2 pieces thick cut bread

2 tbsp butter

4 ripe figs - chopped

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

1 inch honeycomb (or more honey)

Balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Step 1:

Toast and butter the bread.

Step 2:

With a fork, smash the figs together in a bowl with the honey, cinnamon, and salt. Spread the mixture thickly and evenly over the bread.

Step 3:

Slice and crumble the honeycomb over top of the mixture. If you don't have honeycomb, no problem! Just drizzle a little more honey over the top.

Step 4:

Drizzle the toast with balsamic.

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!