Orange Chocolate Chip Scones

I love scones and I love the combination of orange and chocolate and so when I stumbled upon this recipe online, I knew I had to make it. They were delicious and Nick keeps begging me to make them again.

Baked Avocado Fries

 I have made beer battered avocado tacos once before and although they were delicious, it was quite a bit of work. I decided I would give breaded avocados another try but this time by baking them. Honestly, I don't think I will ever do the deep fried version again, this was much too easy and very very tasty and much healthier. 

Basil Coconut Curry

 

I have been a little addicted to Indian food lately and so I finally made a plan to learn to make Indian food at home, the only problem being that I haven't found a local Indian market to buy all the necessary ingredients yet. Luckily I found this recipe for basil coconut curry that is made with ingredients I already have in my house. I decided to give it a try. I should've known from the listed ingredients that it was a spicy dish but I did not realize until we sat down to eat it, thank God both Nick and I have a high tolerance for heat. I really enjoyed this dish, it was unlike anything I have ever had in an Indian restaurant but still very enjoyable.

Lazy Cake Chocolate Chip Cookies

Since I was already making tons of things for Super Bowl, I decided to be lazy with my dessert. I found this recipe called "Lazy Cake Cookies" and it was so simple and really required no effort to make some delicious cookies. I definitely recommend this recipe to any busy person. 

Meatloaf Parmigiana

 

I came across this recipe on Pinterest and found that it belonged to one of my favorite food bloggers, Joelen. I decided to give it a go except I used ground beef because I do not like ground chicken. I thought it turned out absolutely delicious, like one giant meatball but better! I didn't let mine rest after I removed it from the oven so the slices did not stick together but if you do let it rest a bit, it will help the meat to not fall apart. I served it with spaghetti just like I would with chicken parmigiana.

Pineapple Salsa

Another one of my recipes for Super Bowl. I love sweet salsa and so this year I decided to create a pineapple salsa with all my favorite ingredients. It turned out really good and other than the fact that I forgot to wear a glove while cutting my jalapenos resulting in a burning hand, it was a great salsa. 

Pizza Bites (Mini Muffins)

Happy Super Bowl Day! 

 

Besides Thanksgiving and Christmas, Super Bowl is a foodies paradise. I have always loved Super Bowl and not for the reason most people love it, I love the food and I love watching the commercials. Every year I look forward to Super Bowl and making something that usually I wouldn't get away with making due to their goodness (fattiness). This year I created lots of good things but this was by far my most favorite concoction this year. All the goodness of a slice of pizza in a lovely bite sized muffin. Plus they are incredibly easy to make.

  

Pictured: Lazy Cake Cookies, Pizza Bites, Mini Cupcakes, Chili Cheese Dip, and Pineapple Salsa

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Rice Crispy Treats

 This is a delicious rice crispy treat I concocted. It combines the wonderful flavors of rice cripy treats and cookie dough...so good!

Sun Dried Tomato Chicken

I never really liked sun dried tomatoes until recently, which is mainly because most sun dried tomatoes I have had have come from jars and have been soaked in oil. Recently, I have found some amazing sun dried tomatoes at Trader Joe's that are in a sealed bag, more like raisins and they are a hundred times better than jarred ones. Anyway, I have been buying them on a regular basis now and I have been sticking them in all kinds of regular recipes and they have been quite tasty. This is a recipe I found on Pinterest that incorporates the sun dried tomatoes as a main component, this was delicious!

Beef and Broccoli (Slow Cooker Recipe)

 One of my most favorite Chinese sides growing up was beef and broccoli. I was unlike most children because I loved broccoli and I still do. I found this recipe for beef broccoli and after making it, I found that it was an exact replica of Chinese restaurant quality of Beef broccoli. It's an easy recipe and it is great to eat restaurant like food in the comfort of our own home and with knowing the exact ingredients in the recipe. 

Oplatek/Oplatki/Christmas Wafer

For as long as I can remember, my family has honored our Czechoslovakian roots by keeping certain traditions alive. For example, at our wedding, my Babbi sang a traditional Czech wedding song called Redovy (A.K.A. The Bridal Money Dance) while I wore the traditional apron and bonnet, although honestly I did not wear the bonnet because my hair was too nice to mess with. Another tradition that my family has maintained as long as I can remember occurs every Christmas. Every year, we begin our Christmas meal with a prayer and some traditional Christmas wafers called Oplatki topped with honey and walnuts, followed by some sauerkraut and mushroom soup (which is disgusting to most but has grown on me over the years). Although my Babbi is the main reason we have these traditions, now that she is gone it is our duty to keep them going. Although I do not think I will continue the sauerkraut and mushroom soup tradition (especially since Nick does not like sauerkraut at all, it is an acquired taste), I will forever continue to have Oplatki at our Christmas dinners. Oplatki is not something you can pick up in a local grocery store and so my mother or her sisters (depending on who is hosting Christmas that year) special orders it. This year since we were not home, my mother sent us some Oplatki along with our gifts so that we were able to enjoy this tradition in Indiana.

Butter Dinner Rolls

 I made these delicious dinner rolls for our Christmas dinner. This recipe is a simple one and it is great because it can be prepared in advance so as to lessen the load on Christmas dinner. What's nice is that they are very buttery delicious and there really is no need to butter the rolls once they are done.

Baked Brie with Caramelized Onions

This is a traditional appetizer that one of my Aunt's makes every Christmas. It is an absolute family fave and so I could not let this Christmas go by without making this appetizer, even if it was only for two. Everyone should give this appetizer a try, it is just too good.

Horseradish and Garlic Crusted Prime Rib

Our first Christmas dinner alone and so I wanted to make it special. I came up with a menu for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving:  brie and onions appetizer, traditional Oplatki, creamed corn, sauteed mushrooms, asparagus, dinner rolls, roasted potatoes, and prime rib. Once this menu was settled it was literally all I could think about until we finally cooked everything up on Christmas day. This prime rib recipe was absolutely wonderful and the crust was quite tasty.

Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

One of Nick's family traditions is enjoying this lovely breakfast casserole on Christmas morning. It is a delicious hash brown and sausage casserole that can be prepared ahead of time so that all that needs to be done Christmas morning is to bake it in the oven. It can be served alone or with scrambled eggs and/or rice. It's also good with a drizzle of hot sauce. This is a great recipe that we will continue to make an appearance every year for Christmas morning.

Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas Everyone!

This is the first year ever that Nick and I are spending Christmas away from our families. Although we miss our families and friends back home very much, we are managing pretty well. Both our families mailed us some great Christmas packages and we have been Skyping with everyone all month and on Christmas day. One thing we have noticed since we've moved here is how small the world is now with technology like Skype, email, and google chat. It has been very easy to keep in close contact with all of our family and friends no matter where they are now, whether it is back at home in CA or in Africa, and so it doesn't really feel like we are 2,000 miles away. Therefore, it has been less difficult than expected, to not be with family this year.

Since it is our first Christmas alone, we are starting some new traditions. We started by making a quick one day trip to Chicago so that we could check out the city and all the Christmas decór that the city has to offer. We also have started a new Christmas tradition of making homemade pizza Christmas eve and watching The Grinch. Tomorrow, Christmas morning, we will have Nicks family tradition of breakfast casserole and then my family tradition of prime rib for dinner, I'm looking forward to it. Another new Christmas experience for us is enjoying some snowfall outside of our very own house, even if only a little. So far this Christmas has been quite pleasant, but we do still wish we had some family here to celebrate with.

Pretzel Caramel Bark

 

 Okay, it's official, I am addicted to baking. I seriously cannot stop baking things. I spent this weekend baking Nutella cups, chocolate peppermint Andes cookies, brownies and this delicious pretzel caramel bark. This bark is great and tasty, a perfect treat to bring to any holiday party. 

Mini Corn Dogs

 

 I will never buy frozen corn dogs again, no need. This was such a simple recipe and since it is homemade I can guarantee that the corn bread being used is as healthy as it ought to be. I think they would also work great for mothers who want to make them ahead of time and then stick them in the freezer to warm up on a moments notice.

Turkey Tetrazzini

 I was searching for recipes that I could use for leftover turkey. I found this recipe and knew it was perfect, especially since it is made with regular household ingredients. I love Thanksgiving and all the food it entails but when it comes to leftovers sometimes it is great to eat something with the leftover turkey that is not so Thanksgiving-y. This was perfect, a pasta dish with turkey and mushrooms, it was great! This recipe will definitely be added to my arsenal of Thanksgiving leftover recipes. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake

In my office we take turns providing cake for our co-workers on their birthdays. It was my turn this week and I knew my co-worker loves cookies, hence my decision to make this lovely cake. While this cake is quite time consuming, it is well worth the effort. It is absolutely delicious and there are ways to simplify the recipe so that it is not as time consuming as the complete original, shared here.