I love this cake. My husband loves this cake. My children love this cake.
I’m guessing a lot of other people do too, and that’s how it got its name. It certainly is yummy, and it’s a pretty impressive dessert for being so simple to put together. It’s a great dessert for a crowd, or pot luck, because you can make it ahead of time and it actually tastes better the longer you let it hang out in the fridge!
You can’t have a holiday without dessert, right?
This year, when I thought of St. Patrick’s Day desserts, visions of chocolate and Irish Cream danced in my head. I quickly hit the Internet, to see if I could find something, and was greeted with an abundance of Irish Cream desserts. Some of them were pretty intense. I chose this one because, well, it just sounded really good. I don’t mind booze in a dessert, but I don’t like “boozy desserts”. Does that make sense? This cheesecake seemed like the perfect combination of all things Irish Creamy and chocolatey. I knew I had to give it a try.
I’ve already confessed to you all in the past that my cookbook collection is out of control. Well, it’s time for another confession. If the thought of finding cookbooks in four rooms of my house gives you the heebie jeebies and makes you think that calling the producers of “Hoarders” might be the next step, then whatever you do, DON’T think about my collection of cooking magazine back issues.
It’s worse.
I’ve kept every back issue of (almost) every cooking magazine I’ve subscribed to over the past eight years. That’s a lot of magazines, and a lot of closet space taken up.
Christmas dinner, for us, was a small affair this year. It was just the four of us. Pretty quiet, and the youngest two of the four wore their pajamas to dinner. (The cast of “Downton Abbey” would be mortified.) It was a lazy, laid back day over all. One that we all needed and really enjoyed. And at the end of it, I was left with a cozy holiday feeling, and an excessive amount of Christmas ham leftovers.
I hope you guys like ham, because it’s likely that I’m going to throw quite a few hammy favorites your way in the coming weeks!
The mantra I use to get me through the holiday cooking season is simply, “Make Ahead”. I am all about getting things prepped as early on as I possibly can, whether it be for a ginormous Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, or just a smaller, intimate get together. This is a great make-ahead appetizer for the holidays, or any time of the year, really! You can prep these beautiful little rolls earlier in the day, store them in the fridge, and then bake them up right before your guests arrive.
I’ve lived in Georgia for over six years now, and one thing I’ve learned during my stay is that Pimento Cheese is kind of a big deal around here. If you’re not familiar with Pimento Cheese, it’s usually a pretty simple mixture of cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, diced pimentos (which are a type of red pepper), and seasonings. It’s used as a dip, or a spread, and Pimento Cheese sandwiches are commonplace. In fact, here in Augusta, they are a tradition at The Masters Golf Tournament.
Like most of the country, I’m really looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner. It’s the best dinner of the year, isn’t it? Family, friends, an insane amount of food, and good cheer? Perfect.
One of my favorite traditional Thanksgiving dishes to make is a sweet, pecan-crunchy topped sweet potato casserole. It’s a family favorite, and a hit every time. That said, there’s nothing wrong with changing up tradition every once in a while and trying something new. I ran across this recipe for Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes and figured I’d give them a try. It really is a single serving version of the giant sweet potato casserole that I usually bring to the table, but would work for both a crowd or a small group. You just need to adjust the amount of potatoes you use. Plus, they can be made ahead, which is always a huge plus on Turkey Day.
It’s always nice to have a few recipes on hand that can be made ahead and frozen, or split into more than one meal to either save for a rainy day or to share with someone else. The other night, I brought dinner to some friends of ours, and this was what I chose to bring. I’m hoping they liked it as much as our family did! It’s one of our favorite comfort food meals, and works for us because it’s grown up enough for the “sophisticated” taste buds in the house, but still friendly enough for the kids.
Sunday was Avery’s 6th birthday. How did we get to six so quickly? My baby isn’t a baby anymore. In fact, just yesterday she was telling me that someone at school mistook her for a Kindergartener and she was highly offended. *sigh* It just happens too fast, and I don’t know what it is about the second child, but it seems to happen a lot faster since she came along.
I love my slow cooker and I use it every chance I get, but when I have a little more time to mess around in the kitchen and I don’t need to prepare dinner 8 hours in advance, I often turn to braising when I want that slow cooked taste. When you braise meat or veggies, you’re essentially turning a pot on the stove or the pot in your oven into a slow cooker. Braising involves browning the meat quickly with some oil, adding some liquid and then simmering the mixture over low heat. Braising can turn more economical, tough cuts of meat into tender, luscious morsels and the slow cook time helps flavor the meat through and through.