Get some cocoa powder, coconut milk, and other milk of choice on your way home from work/school/etc. because you’re going to want to celebrate…

National Hot Chocolate Day!

I heard about the holiday on twitter earlier and decided to whip up something for the special event. I actually tried googling to learn more about the holiday, but as it turns out (like it does with many of these food or at least lesser-known holidays) there are multiple National Hot Chocolate Days. But who needs a legit holiday to celebrate something as simple as hot chocolate, right?

That’s what I’m going with…

WIth my newly-found excuse to make hot chocolate, I decided to work up a recipe for something else inspired by twitter – coconut milk hot chocolate. I tried this once a year or so ago when I heard a twitter friend mention it on a particularly cold and dreary day, except I used 100% coconut milk for the recipe. As it turns out, too much of a good thing really can be…well, not so good. The full-coconut milk hot chocolate was just so-so. I found it to be too thick and rich (perhaps because I was using the canned version instead of the carton type?).

Lesson learned. This time, I followed my trick for making oatmeal with coconut milk – I went 50% coconut milk and 50% something else. When I make oatmeal, the other 50% is usually water. Today, for the hot cocoa, I decided to use some rice milk.

And since I was feeling really festive, I also whipped up (literally) some whipped cream for the top. Mmm…

Coconut Milk Hot Chocolate

It doesn’t have to be National Hot Chocolate Day for you to enjoy this cozy drink. Coconut Milk Hot Chocolate yields a tasty twist on this classic dessert beverage. As for making the drink from scratch…For most of my life I used packaged hot chocolate mixes to make hot chocolate, but from-scratch really takes very little additional effort. I made mine stovetop, but you could easily adjust the recipe to make it quicker in the microwave. Oh, and if you’re feeling particularly lazy, you can try skipping the step of mixing the cocoa powder in a separate bowl by putting it straight in the pot…however, I find that usually creates lumps making the extra step useful. And I only used 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder, which I thought tasted plenty rich, true chocoholics may want to add 1-2 additional teaspoons.

Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 1 (but you can easily multiply for fellow chocoholics)

*Vegetarian, Vegan if you use vegan milks and whipped cream*

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup coconut milk (canned), or sub carton version for a lighter flavor or sub other milk of choice if you really want
• 1/2 cup rice milk, plus 1-2 tablespoons (or sub other milk of choice, but please read above story before using coconut here, too)
• 2 rounded teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• sweetener of choice, to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon of agave syrup)
• whipped cream, optional, for serving

Directions:

1. Place coconut milk and 1/2 cup rice milk in a small pot over medium low heat.
2. Meanwhile, place cocoa powder and extra tablespoon of rice milk in a small bowl. Whisk until a paste/thick mixture forms and powder is absorbed. Add additional tablespoon of rice milk, if needed.
3. Whisk cocoa mixture into milk mixture. Heat till hot but not boiling.
4. Pour into a mug and top with whipped cream, if using.
5. Serve and enjoy once the drink is cool enough to safely drink.

Enjoy!

***

PS: It’s the last day of Eat in Month! Gotta admit…I can’t wait to eat out again! lol

***

Reader question: Are you celebrating National Hot Chocolate Day today? Do you prefer “regular” hot chocolate or a particular flavor?

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Hubby and I had a pretty low key weekend, which was great for me. I’m in serious need of more down time. We pretty much just relaxed, took care of a few things around the house, and enjoyed some good eats. We did get the chance to make it out to a neat exhibition in town – Mummies of the World. I’ve watched a couple historical shows on mummies recently, so it was interesting to see in person.

Anywho, I made something fun this weekend and wanted to share with you guys…

A Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. Mmm…

I realize it’s a bit late in the season (or completely past the season…whatevs), but timing hasn’t always been one of my strong points. I had a can of pumpkin I didn’t want taking up space in my pantry till next fall, so I decided to go ahead and open it for some everyday eats.

I based the smoothie on my Blueberry Pie Smoothie with a couple simple ingredient swaps. Pumpkin was obviously the star ingredient, but I also added one of my favorite, staple smoothie ingredients – banana. I think bananas give smoothies a nice texture and add natural sweetness, so I like to include them in most smoothies I make.

Hello beta-carotene!

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Here’s a great way to use leftover (and healthful) canned pumpkin. I did a play on my Blueberry Pie Smoothie with a new flavor profile. You could add canned pumpkin to any ole smoothie, but paired with oats, cinnamon, and vanilla, you get a more pie-like flavor, which is way more fun.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vanilla almond milk (or other non-dairy or dairy milk), sweetened (or use unsweetened milk, dairy or non-dairy – just also add a drop of vanilla and your sweetener of choice, to taste) – see notes above
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 frozen banana
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon pumpkin (this will yield a light pumpkin flavor – add more to taste)
• 2 ice cubes
• dash-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, to taste (or sub pumpkin pie spice)

Directions:

1. Combine milk and oats in a medium bowl/pyrex and let rest in refrigerator for 5 minutes.
2. Combine milk/oat mixture, banana, pumpkin, ice cubes, and cinnamon in a blender. Blend till ingredients are combined and smooth, about 1-2 minutes, or until smoothie reaches your desired consistency.
3. Enjoy!

You may also enjoy:

• Blueberry Pie Smoothie
• Figgy Green Monster Smoothie (tastes like cake batter!)
• Healthy Cookies ‘N Cream Smoothie

Reader question: Do you only eat pumpkin in one season or all year long?

I realize in this chilly weather that an ice-cold smoothie probably isn’t the first thing to come to mind, but since we’re still in cold & flu season, this one may…

I was feeling a little run down the other day and in need of a big blast of Vitamin C to ward off any approaching sickness. So, I blended up this little concoction to help the cause.

I call it Tropical {Vitamin} C Blast Green Monster Smoothie.

I picked fruits {and some other goodies} that I had in my freezer and kitchen that I thought were good sources of vitamin C: pineapple, mango, orange juice, bananas, spinach, and…wait for it…parsley.

We’ve talked about the health benefits of spinach before, but did you know parsley is a good source of vitamin C? Yup, it’s not just a pretty face…er…garnish.

Here’s a snippet from whfoods.com:

“In addition to its volatile oils and flavonoids, parsley is an excellent source of two vital nutrients that are also important for the prevention of many diseases: vitamin C and vitamin A (notably through its concentration of the pro-vitamin A carotenoid, beta-carotene).”

Tropical {Vitamin C} Blast Green Monster Smoothie

This smoothie takes me to the tropics flavor-wise, but it’s good for you, too. The smoothie contains a few ingredients that are good sources of vitamin C to help fight off colds and the flu: pineapple, mango, bananas orange juice, spinach, and parsley. Yes – parsley! Just a wee bit. I will warn you – parsley has a strong flavor. If you don’t really like it, you may be better off leaving it out. If you want to add some, err on the side of less-is-more. And if you’re a regular juicer, then, you’ll probably think lots of parsley is delicious.

Total Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 – 2 cups loosely packed spinach (or sub 1/4 cup frozen spinach)
• 1 small sprig parsley (about 3 leaves) – see note above for suggestions, optional
• 1 banana (a frozen banana will give you a thicker consistency, but non-frozen works, too)
• 5 small pieces of frozen mango, about 1/4-1/3 cup
• handful of frozen pineapple pieces, about 1/4-1/3 cup
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• soy milk (or milk of choice, but dairy may curdle with the acidic fruits), as needed to reach desired texture
• sweetener of choice, to taste, optional (but you probably won’t need it – the pineapple and bananas are very sweet naturally)

Directions:

1. In order: place spinach, parsley (if using), banana, mango, pineapple, and orange juice in the blender.
2. Cover and blend until ingredients are processed and smooth, about 1-2 minutes (if you need, stop and add milk and blend again until smoothie starts blending and/or reaches desired texture). Taste test and if desired, blend in sweetener of choice to taste.
3. Enjoy!

***

How’s everyone doing with Eat in Month? Things are going pretty well on my end, especially since hubby is really into the challenge this year. With my work hours being pretty insane right now, he’s really been helping out with cooking and cleaning. Bless him!

I’ve updated the Eat in Month Challenge post (click) with links to blogs for those who left comments on the challenge page saying they were participating. I added names (sans links) for those who are playing but do not have blogs/web sites. I noticed a couple other people playing who left comments on other posts here on TCL, so once I find them, I’ll get you added.

If you haven’t commented yet, but you’re playing and you want to see your name in the EIM Challenge participant list, just leave me a comment, and I’ll add it!

Ooh, and fun news on the food front…I saw a neat feature in Real Simple where they did 5 take-out style meals you can easily re-create at home, and I’m working on some of my own so help you EIM-ers curb your take-out cravings.

What are your favorite things to order for take-out?

Put some frozen pastry dough in your fridge tonight, because you’re going to want to make these tomorrow…

Quick Cinnamon Rolls – no yeast or kneading required! It’s true…read on for details – see the end of the post for the recipe.

Frozen puff pastry dough is the key to this easy recipe. You can defrost it however you want, but I found placing a sheet in the fridge the night before was easiest and didn’t really leave me waiting like the “quick” method does. The dough was waiting for me in the morning when I was ready to bake.

You don’t really have to roll the dough out, but I opted to.

Brush the whole sheet with melted butter.

And spread with brown sugar…

…and cinnamon. I thought about adding nuts, too, but I didn’t want the crunchy texture today. If you want, you could add them easily with the brown sugar and cinnamon.

You’ll want about 1/2 inch border on 3 sides and 1 inch on another.

But, it doesn’t have to be exact.

Start on the end with the 1/2 inch border and begin tightly rolling the dough up.

When it’s all rolled up, pinch the end of the dough to the roll to help seal it.

Trim off the uneven parts from the ends.

Cut the dough in half.

Cut each half into thirds.

Just look at all the cinnamon-sugar goodness!

Spray a standard-sized muffin/cupcake tin with non-stick spray.

And here it is after baking only about 30 minutes. Golden deliciousness!

While the rolls cool, you can make the icing. I kept it simple with just powdered sugar and milk, but there are fancier versions out there (just a google search away!) with mascarpone and cream cheese.

Top your rolls with a bit of icing.

You can dollop it or drizzle it. You can even make more icing if you want it extra-sugary. Whatever you do, consider enjoying your “hard” work while it’s still warm (but not too hot – don’t burn yourself!). Mmm…now go sprinkle some flour on your face so people think you worked hard at this and stuff and serve them some breakfast all Martha-Stewart-like.

Quick Cinnamon Rolls {Without Yeast}

While I prefer a yeasty cinnamon roll, with its tender-swirled layers, I don’t always prefer all the waiting and kneading and what not involved. These are the lazy-gal version of the classic cinnamon roll, and frozen puff pastry dough is they key. You’ll have to let the dough defrost, but if you plan ahead, you can put it in the fridge the night before, and it will be ready for you in the morning. Or, you can do the quick defrost recommended by the package instructions if you forget. Do note that the rolls are a little on the small side. I thought they’d be a little larger for some reason, but they were only about 2 inches in diameter. They were small in size but plenty delicious.

Adapted from Ina Garten’s Easy Sticky Buns

*Vegetarian*

Prep Time: 10 minutes (not including time to defrost the dough)
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6 rolls (but you can easily double the recipe); serves about 2-3 people

Ingredients:

• non-stick spray
• flour, to prevent puff pastry from sticking
• 1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted (follow package instructions)
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon milk, plus additional, as needed

Directions (see photos above for tips):  

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray a standard size muffin/cupcake tin with non-stick spray.
2. Lightly flour a large flat surface (I used a cutting board), and place puff pastry on top with folds/seams running horizontally. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough out a bit so it’s stretched horizontally by about 1 inch…unless you’re feeling particularly lazy and then just skip the rolling out step.
3. Leaving a 1/2 inch border on the top, bottom, and one side and a 1 inch border on the other, evenly distribute the brown sugar and cinnamon. Working toward the 1 inch border side, tightly roll the dough up, pinching the seam to seal.
4. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces – I like to cut the dough in half and then cut each half into thirds.
5. Place each dough piece, swirl side up, into one of the muffin/cupcake cups and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is nice and golden brown.
6. While the rolls cool, make the icing – in a medium bowl combine powdered sugar and milk and whisk to combine. If needed, add additional milk (just a wee bit!) and whisk till the icing is the consistency you want.
7. When cinnamon rolls are safe to touch, move them to a plate and top with icing – add a dollop or drizzle the icing over top.
8. Enjoy!

These rolls don’t get the same doughy texture you get with the yeast version, but considering the time savings, they are a great quick-fix replacement.

We had ours with eggs and bacon…yum!

Happy baking!

Whether you really love the flavor of peppermint or you’re just trying to figure out what the heck to do with all the leftover Christmas candy sitting around your house, these Peppermint Snow/Dough Balls are sure to fit the bill.

I made two variations of the recipe – one with candy pieces on top in frosting (pictured above) and another that is more like a snow ball with candy inside the cookie and powdered sugar on top.

The key to both is the use of crushed Christmas candy (candy canes, peppermint swirls, etc.).

While both cookies feature peppermint extract instead of vanilla…

…the first is more like a sugar dough ball as the base with the candy sprinkled on top of creamy, sugary glaze.

The latter gets the candy mixed into the batter and then gets dunked into powdered sugar.

So, it looks like a snow ball!

I taste-tested both…

…and I took some to a friend’s house for taste testing. The result of which version was better came down to personal preference.

Bake up a batch of each and decide for yourself! You can even split a single batch of cookies in half and try both methods (at least that’s what I did!).

Peppermint Snow/Dough Balls Recipe

This recipe makes great use of leftover Christmas candy. Just crush it up and choose one of the two methods below to add it to a peppermint-infused sugar dough ball. You can either bake the cookie, top it with icing, and sprinkle candy pieces on top (this is the method described in the main recipe) or stir the candy pieces into the cookie batter, bake, and dunk the cookie in powdered sugar to make it look like a snow ball (this is explained in the alternate directions below)!

You can even make these well ahead of time and freeze them till you’re ready to bake them, which makes these dough balls great for entertaining.

Inspired by Annie the Baker, adapted from my Sugar Cookie Dough Ball Recipe

*Vegan options listed*

Prep time: 1 hour 30 minutes (this includes 1 hour required to freeze the dough after initial prep)
Bake time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 3/4 stick butter, softened/room-temp (or vegan butter alternative)
• 1 egg (or flaxseed-egg)
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• Simple Icing, recipe follows
• Crushed peppermint candy, about 1/2 cup
• Powdered sugar, about 1 cup – this is only needed for method #2 – see Alternate Preparation below

Directions (Scoop then freeze method):

1. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda.
3. In a medium bowl, mix sugar and butter till creamy. (I used a handheld mixer, but you could probably just use a whisk). Add egg and peppermint extract and mix till combined.
4. Mix wet into the dry. Note: it will appear there is not enough liquid for the amount of dry ingredients, but continue mixing. It will form into a dough, it will just be a firm dough. See tips on this post (click) for combining. Careful to not overmix. I’ve found pressing the back of a firm, medium/large spatula into the dough seems to work well. Also note: if you want to go with method #2 for this recipe, see alternate directions below because you would mix the candy in here for that alternate version.
5. Use a small sorbet scoop to scoop out dough into small mounds. Spread evenly on a baking sheet so mounds don’t touch. Freeze for at least 30 minutes, though 1 hour is better if you can wait that long. I often leave mine in the freezer overnight or till I’m ready to eat them.
6. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake balls for 10-11 minutes, depending on how set you want your centers. If you use egg, and you’re paranoid like me, you can use a meat thermometer to ensure the centers of the balls are at least 160 degrees F, which many web sites say is the safe temp to eat eggs. The tips should just be turning lightly brown.
7. Let your dough balls cool to room temperature.
8. Top with a bit of Simple Icing (see next recipe) and top with crushed candy.
9. Enjoy!

Alternate Preparation:

1. Follow steps #1-4 above. Stir in crushed candy pieces.
2. Follow steps #5-6 above. Pour some powdered sugar into a bowl. When cookies are still warm, but safe to touch, dip tops into the powdered sugar shaking excess off. Note: some of the sugar will be absorbed by the cookie.
3. Enjoy!

Simple Icing

I’ve tried making this icing with water before, but milk just tastes so much richer and creamier. You’ll just have to be a little more careful since you’re using dairy. If you’re planning to leave the cookies out for a long time, you may want to consider substituting water. Either way, start with the directions below and add additional liquid as needed to get the icing to the thickness you want.

*Vegan options listed*

Total time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon milk (or vegan substitute)

Directions (Scoop then freeze method):

1. In a medium bowl, combine sugar and milk and whisk until smooth.
2. Add additional milk if needed.

Peppermint-goodness. I may have to actually bake these before Christmas next year!

So, I was WFH the other day, scavenging my freezer for something to eat for lunch when I stumbled upon a tupperware of frozen turkey chili. Score! The chili was great, but I needed something to go with it.

I know a lot of people enjoy various things with chili: tortilla chips, pasta, etc. Personally, my favorite thing to go with chili is corn bread…or corn muffins. I’ve been baking corn muffins up the last several times I’ve made a cornbread batter because I can be impatient and the muffins just bake faster (not to mention they’re easier to share and freeze for later).

Sometimes, I freeze the leftover corn muffins I make the same day I do the chili, but there were no corn muffins to be found. I considered baking a whole batch of muffins, but it seemed like a bit much and my corn meal was running low. That’s when inspiration (or curiosity) struck. Could I possibly convert one of my Cake Mini recipes into a Cornbread Mini?

I took one of my Cake Mini recipes, did some simple updates, and decided to test out the depression cake trick (vinegar & baking soda) for leavening.

They were a success! So successful, in fact, that I ate both. I just had to drizzle them with a little local honey first. Mmm…

Cornbread Minis

If you have the time and ingredients, I’d probably just bake up a whole batch of corn bread or corn muffins. But, if you’re ever feeling a little lazy, cooking for just yourself, or running low on baking ingredients, definitely give this recipe a whirl. They’re just a little faster and more convenient…and, they’re even made without eggs or butter, thanks to the Depression-Cake trick I learned recently. The recipe makes enough for two people who want a small piece of corn bread or for one person who wants a lot. They’re perfect with chili or even with breakfast.

*Vegetarian* *Vegan options listed below*

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Bake Time: about 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons corn meal
• 2 tablespoons flour of choice (I like unbleached all purpose for this one)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons milk (or use vegan substitute)
• 1 tablespoon flavorless oil (for example: canola)
• 1/4 teaspoon white vinegar

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two ramekins with non-stick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, combine and then whisk together corn meal, flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda until even distributed.
3. In another medium bowl, combine and then whisk together milk, oil, and vinegar until evenly mixed.
4. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined, careful to not overmix. Batter will be lumpy. Evenly distribute batter between the two ramekins.
5. Bake 14-16 minutes, or until top is just golden brown and corn bread is cooked through (when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).

Happy baking!

What’s your favorite kind of chili? Turkey, beef, vegetarian, tempeh…anything else?

Hubby has always been a fan of spicy foods, but I’ve only started getting into them since I started dating him. I blame my family for my delayed interest. My family prefers foods with very little heat at all. Not sure why, but that’s how they roll. It works, and I enjoy it, but I’m also having fun flirting with foods on the hot side.

Besides learning to like things spicier eats like more-than-one-star-spicy Thai food, wings, non-mild salsa, and chili, I’ve also really enjoyed the unusual combo of heat with chocolate. Have you seen some of the bars available these days?!

Enter Mexican Hot Chocolate Dough Balls. I took one of my dough ball recipes, converted it to a chocolate version and added cinnamon and cayenne pepper to give it some real kick.

I wasn’t sure at first how much cayenne to add, but like most great questions these days, the answer was just a quick google search away. I found this recipe by Martha Stewart, and since it had a similar dry ingredient amount to a doubled-version of my recipe, I used half her measurement, which ended up being a mere 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne. Not too scary an amount, right? One batch later, and I knew I’d had success. A spicy-chocolate cookie – oh yes!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Dough Balls

These chocolate cookies have a spicy kick thanks to the simple addition of cayenne pepper. Add chocolate chips for extra richness. I bet a drizzle of melted chocolate syrup would be fun, too, and would make great presentation if you were entertaining with them.

Adapted from my Sugar Cookie Dough Ball recipe with spice inspiration from this recipe by Martha Stewart

Prep time: 20 minutes, plus at least an additional 20 minutes for the chill/scoop method (chill time) or at least 1 hour for the scoop/freeze method (freeze time)
Bake time: 10-14 minutes
Yield: Makes about 16 cookies depending on scoop size

*Vegan options listed below*

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you want your cookies – 1/4 is pretty spicy)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 stick butter, softened/room-temp (or use vegan substitute)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 egg (or flaxseed-egg)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or use vegan chocolate/carob chip substitute)

Directions (Scoop then freeze method):

1. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, salt, baking powder, baking soda.
3. In a medium bowl, mix sugar and butter. (I used a handheld mixer, but you could probably just use a whisk). Add egg and vanilla and mix till combined.
4. Mix wet into the dry. Note: it will appear there is not enough liquid for the amount of dry ingredients, but continue mixing. It will form into a dough, it will just be a firm dough. See tips on this post (click) for combining. Careful to not overmix. I’ve found pressing the back of a firm, medium/large spatula into the dough seems to work well.
5. Stir in chocolate chips, if using.
6. Use a small sorbet scoop to scoop out dough into small mounds. Spread evenly on a baking sheet, leaving roughly 2-3 inches between each ball. Freeze for at least 30 minutes, though 1 hour is better if you can wait that long. I like to bake half of the dough balls after freezing them for between 1 hour and overnight and save the rest to bake off later at my convenience.
7. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake balls for 10-11 minutes, depending on how set you want your centers. If you use egg, and you’re paranoid like me, you can use a meat thermometer to ensure the centers of the balls are at least 160 degrees F, which many web sites say is the safe temp to eat eggs.
8. Let your dough balls cool to room temperature.
9. Enjoy!

Optional Preparation (Chill then scoop):

1. Follow above directions through step #5.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Refrigerate dough for at least 20 minutes before using a small sorbet scoop to scoop out dough into small mounds. Roll each mound into a ball and spread evenly on a baking sheet, leaving roughly 2-3 inches between each ball.
4. Bake balls for 10-14 minutes, depending on how set you want your centers. If you use egg, and you’re paranoid like me, you can use a meat thermometer to ensure the centers of the balls are at least 160 degrees F, which many web sites say is the safe temp to eat eggs.

***

Other recipes you may like:

• Chocolate Chip Dough Balls (the original and most popular flavor!)
• Sugar Cookie Dough Balls
• Chocolate “Depression” Cake Minis (emergency chocolate cake when you need a quick fix)

Sweet, chocolatey, and yes…spicy! Try these out this holiday season to freshen up your cookie line up. Happy baking!

I know you guys know I like my noodle bowls, but this week, I’ve been feeling something else – noodle soup! And by the way, is it just me, or do the words “noodle soup” conjure up memories of Joey on Friends? “Mmm…soup…I mean noodle soup! I mean soup!” Oh Joey…

I’ve been a bit under the weather this week, so I’ve had a big, hot, comforting bowl of noodle soup every day for lunch this week so far.

I love them because they’re so easy to throw together and taste great. They even use a lot of pantry ingredients (boxed broth, dry noodles, long-storing tofu, and you could probably use frozen vegetables, though I prefer fresh).

I’ve made a few variations this week – all using tofu because it was easier to cook than meat since I basically just warmed it through in the last couple minutes of cooking. But, you could easily cook chicken, etc. in the broth, or even saute it in a separate pan and add it to the soup (or even serve it on top!).

Today I tried a new type of noodle – spelt (love!) soba. I thought they were really good, not that they were all that different from other soba (or even udon) noodles. I’ve found the Eden Organic brand noodles to be a bit thicker than some others, so they take about twice as long to cook and will yield a different texture. There are other brands that cook faster if you’re in even more of a rush. Honestly, I usually just buy whichever one is on sale.

Whole Health Noodle Soup

One big bowl of noodle soup is sure to comfort a sore throat, warm you from the inside, and just make you feel better overall. But, you don’t need to be sick to enjoy this dish. Noodle soup makes a great light lunch or dinner when you want something small, stress-free, and/or quick.

Overall cook time will depend on how long your noodles take. The ones I used for this recipe cook in 8-10 minutes, so adjust cooking time as needed.

Ingredient amount ranges are provided below so you can use the amount you prefer depending on taste preferences and hunger levels. I really love vegetables, so I get pretty heavy-handed with them. Love onions? Add more! Hate garlic? Leave it out, or go with one clove. Feeling famished? Maybe add in some extra noodles and tofu. Customize!

*Vegetarian* *Vegan*

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes (depending on how long your noodles take to cook)
Serves: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups broth (vegetable – or chicken if you want to go non-vegetarian/non-vegan)
• 1/2 cup water (or just use more broth)
• small handful noodles – about 1/4-1/2″ in diameter, depending on how much you want
• 1-3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/8-1/4 cup onions, chopped
• 1/2-1 cup broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
• 1/4-1/2 cup fresh baby spinach
• 1/4-1/2 cup tofu
• 1 teaspoon – 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• fresh cracked black pepper
• sesame seeds, optional

Directions:

1. Pour broth and water into a small/medium pot and bring to a boil.
2. Add onions and garlic. Add noodles, gently pushing dry noodles into the broth. Set timer for recommended cook time following package. Note: The package I used had a cook time of 8-10 minutes
3. With 4 minutes left on the timer, add broccoli and stir into soup.
4. With 2 minutes left on the timer, add spinach, tofu, and 1 teaspoon soy sauce.
5. Cook until spinach is wilted and tofu is warmed through (this should be done in the 2 minutes remaining on the timer). Taste test and add additional soy sauce for more of a salty flavor and add pepper as you like.
6. Pour into a large bowl. Garnish with sesame seeds, if you want. Serve and enjoy.

Dear noodle soup, I love you. <3

Hubby brought home a snack for me today – a pumpkin scone from Starbucks. I really liked the flavor, but thought the icing was a little overwhelming in sweetness levels. I prefer how they do the icing drizzle on their cinnamon scones. Anywho, I’d really like to try to make some pumpkin scones from scratch some time. They’d be a great brunch item for this time of year.

But uber-sweet or not, I thought the scone was very thoughtful. Thanks hubby!

And one more photo I had to share from today – I found Bailey lounging on the couch just like this earlier today. I think his butt is about one foot higher than his head. Silly boy!

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Reader question: What’s your favorite type of noodle? Whole wheat spaghetti, regular angel hair, spelt soba, udon, ramen…?

One of my favorite things to do when I have guests over is make them TCL-style eats. My sister is the easiest to please because she always comes prepared with a list of things she wants to try.

I decided to make a few of my most popular recipes for my friends Beth and Bri.

Basic Green Monster Smoothies

I even decided to do a play on one of my faves for entertaining – mini frittatas.

This time, I made them sans rice and just with parsley and parmesan…and served them with Individual Blueberry Breakfast Crisps.

Parmesan Parsley Mini Frittatas

These easy mini frittatas are not only great for sharing…they whip up in under 5 minutes and take only about 10 in the oven. Switch out your favorite mixins to suit your tastes.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8-10 minutes

Serves 4 (makes about 16-18 mini frittatas)

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F and prep a mini tart/frittata pan with non-stick spray.
2. Whisk eggs and milk in a bowl. Stir in cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper.
3. Use a mini ice cream scoop (or melon baller) to fill tart/frittata cups about 3/4 full.
4. Bake 8-10 minutes until the eggs are cooked through (I usually wait till the tops are just starting to brown lightly).

Hello gorgeous!

In the afternoon, I did a super-fun kickboxing-inspired workshop that my friend Megan was leading with another friend Ashley.

And post workshop, I went with my friends Sarah and Bri to Mac’s for some casual afternoon eats.

We shared a basket of fried pickles. I’m starting to think that Mac’s makes the best fried pickles I’ve ever had. They’re nice and crispy with just the right touch of spice to let you know it’s there without burning your tongue.

Hubby stayed home to watch football, but he requested I bring home leftovers. So, I ordered the small (haha – do you see that photo?!) combo, which yielded plenty of leftovers.

After such a big lunch, I just whipped up a simple bowl of udon-noodle soup for a light dinner.

I had to save room for dessert…two desserts!

First up…a hefty slice of cheesecake that my friend Sarah made (thanks Sarah!). She first made this tasty dessert way back when for my housewarming, and I still rave about.

Plus, I had caramel apples, which were birthday gifts from Megan and Erica (thanks guys!).

They gave me four fun flavors, but I decided to crack open the pecan pie first.

It had a lovely layer of chewy caramel with crunchy nuts and warm cinnamon.

Delish! I think I’ll be ordering more of these in the upcoming holiday season. I mean…is it just me or do caramel apples scream “holidays”?!

All settled in for a cozy night at The Chic House.

Fried Pickles: Yay or Nay?

Reader Question: Do you like caramel apples? Have you tried any interesting flavors?

Well folks, we have about one week of summer officially left in the year. Are you ready for it to be over? I guess I am, but I’m still celebrating the last week of summer with some favorites – flirty skirts & flip flops and of course eats.

Not sure what to do with the last of your tomatoes? Why not try this End of Summer Chilled Cucumber-Tomato Soup?

I used Green Zebra and Sweet 100 tomatoes from my garden, along with this cucumber that we got from I forgot where – my mom? A co-worker? Who knows. But I had it.

Since it was a traditional cucumber, I peeled it…

…and seeded it.

And these Green Zebras are really fun to work with – check out the bizarre green color! If you don’t have these, don’t worry, other tomatoes will work. See recipe notes for tips.

Anywho, this has to be one of the easiest recipes I’ve ever made. You basically just put all the ingredients (save for the cherry tomatoes) into a blender, blend…

…chill…stir in some extra flavors and…

Voila! Lunch is served…with maybe a nice, hearty piece of buttered whole grain toast. Gotta have my carbs.

End of Summer Chilled Cucumber Tomato Soup

This chilled soup is similar to a gazpacho but with a shorter ingredient list. It uses what I like to think of as the most common summer vegetable garden ingredients: cucumber, tomato, and basil. And is it supposed to be eaten cold? Why yes. You know those days where it’s so hot outside, you almost don’t want to eat? This would be perfect for such a day…or really any warm weather day where you just want something cold on your tongue – like a day you want a smoothie, but aren’t feeling something sweet.

Don’t have Green Zebra tomatoes? Sub roma – the smaller ones are similar in size.

*Vegetarian, Vegan*

Serves 1

Prep time: Does rinsing and chopping count? No, since I put prepped ingredients in the list? Ok, then I’d like to say 0, but let’s go with 5 minutes to be safe.
Cook time: Hmm…is this a trick question? Also 0. There is no cooking involved in this recipe. But there is 1 hour of chilling and some mixing involved, so let’s say 1 hour (for chilling) and 10 minutes (for blending and stirring).

Ingredients:

• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and de-seeded and cut into chunks
• 3 green zebra tomatoes, quartered
• 6-8 fresh basil leaves
• 1 small sprig fresh Italian parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar (or go a little heavier for a more tangy flavor)
• small handful cherry tomatoes (about 6), halved
• drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Place cucumber, tomatoes, basil, parsley, salt and pepper into a blender. Blend until smooth, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Pour soup into a container and cover. Place in refrigerator and chill for at least one hour. Note: You can probably eat it sooner – temperature is up to your personal taste.
3. Stir in vinegar and salt and pepper, if needed.
4. Pour soup into a bowl, add cherry tomato halves, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, serve and enjoy.

Don’t forget the extra virgin olive oil drizzle!

Now, go enjoy this somewhere warm. Stop and smell the roses. Admire the sunlight. Enjoy the fresh air.

Reader question: Which summer fruit or vegetable will you miss most?