Category: Make Ahead

Chicken and Dumpling Soup

I was feeling a bit under the weather recently and realized I didn’t have any homemade soup on hand to enjoy, what a bummer! So when I was feeling better, I decided it was time to make some Chicken and Dumpling Soup so that the next time my husband or I don’t feel 100%, we have a comforting soup waiting for us in the freezer.

This recipe is based off an Allison Roman recipe but uses boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of bone-in, and substitutes shallots for leeks because I didn’t have any leeks on hand. The result is a comforting and hearty soup that warms you up in no time!

Ingredients:

Chicken and Broth:

  • 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 celery stalks, chopped
  • 6 carrots, peeled and sliced, divided
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 3 shallots, chopped

Dumplings:

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
  • chives, chopped, for garnish

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Monster Bark

If you’re looking for a quick and easy treat for this Halloween, this Monster Bark is for you!

This recipe uses just a few ingredients: candy melts, sprinkles, candy corn, and candy eyes (paid links). That’s it!

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz black candy melts
  • 6 oz orange candy melts
  • 6 oz white candy melts
  • 1/4 cup Halloween-themed sprinkles
  • 2 tablespoons candy eyeballs
  • 1/2 cup candy corn

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Slow Cooker Short Ribs

Well. It became fall weather basically overnight, which means it is time for more slow cooker recipes! This recipe for Slow Cooker Short Ribs is melt-in-your-mouth tender and is basically the most comforting meal ever made when served over mashed potatoes.

This recipe is adapted from Delish and will definitely serve a crowd or can be made ahead of time and frozen.

Ingredients:

  • 5 lbs bone-in beef short ribs, sliced crosswise
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos to make gluten free)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into thirds
  • 1 onion, cut into half moons
  • 5 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
  • mashed potatoes, for serving
  • scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish
  • toasted sesame seeds, optional, for garnish

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Spiced Walnut Peach Mini Bundt Cakes or Muffins

Note: I was sent a copy of Muffins (paid link) by Cyndi Duncan and Georgie Patrick in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.

One of the best perks of being a food blogger is the ability to receive and review cookbooks. Not only are they a great source of inspiration for me and my cooking journey, but they also provide a little peek into other fellow passionate cooks and bakers.

This latest cookbook, Muffins (paid link) by Cyndi Duncan and Georgie Patrick, focuses on one of my favorite foods. Muffins are one of my go-to choices for food prepping for the week.

From comforting favorites to spicy surprises, Muffins cookbook includes delicious recipes for more than 70 nourishing breakfast staples, fruity bites for brunch, and savory morsels that go great with soups and salads. The cookbook also includes ingredient substitutions, helpful baking methods, and other useful kitchen tips.

 

As my husband was paging through the cookbook, their recipe for Spicy Peach and Nut Muffins caught his attention. I used that recipe as inspiration to make these Spiced Walnut Peach Mini Bundt Cakes. Mini Bundt Cakes are essentially fancy muffins anyway, don’t you think?

And, if you have no interest in my fake fancy muffins, no worries! I’ve included info below to make these as normal muffins by using a cupcake pan.

Ingredients (makes approximately 12 mini Bundt cakes or 18 cupcake-sized muffins):

Cakes/Muffins:

  • 1 (15 oz) can peaches
  • ~3/4 cup buttermilk (see directions below)
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Glaze:

  • 4 tablespoons reserved peach juice
  • 1 cup powdered sugar

Continue reading Spiced Walnut Peach Mini Bundt Cakes or Muffins

Pumpkin Snickercrinkles

Note: I was sent a review copy of Fabulous Modern Cookies in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.

I am well aware that people have strong feelings about pumpkin/fall/cooler weather recipes this early in the year. It technically isn’t even fall for about another week. But I’ve shared pumpkin filled recipes much earlier in the “season” than this so I hope you’ll give me a pass again, especially for these pretty little Pumpkin Snickercrinkles.

I found this recipe for Pumpkin Snickercrinkles, which is a mix of a traditional crinkle cookie and a snickerdoodle, in the recently released cookbook Fabulous Modern Cookies: Lessons in Better Baking for Next Generation Treats (paid link) by Chris Taylor and Paul Arguin.

With bold and fearless suggestions, Taylor and Arguin, scientists turned bakers, explore the deep-in-our-heart love of cookies as well as the philosophy behind them.  Does a cookie always have to be round, sweet, or soft?  Breaking down the essential rules, ingredients, and equipment needed, Fabulous Modern Cookies demystifies the cookie and provides home bakers with fun and unique cookie recipes.
Filled with 100 recipes, Chris and Paul also provide “Cookie Bytes” – short tips, tricks, helpful techniques, and explanations to demystify the science of baking.  The recipes are grouped in chapters like Bar Cookies; Drop Cookies; Rolled Cookies; Filled, Stuffed and Sandwiched Cookies; Savory Cookies and Slice-and-Bake Cookies.
This recipe for Pumpkin Snickercrinkles can be found in the Drop Cookies chapter. Although this recipe is a bit more involved than most drop cookie recipes I’ve made in the past, the result is absolutely worth it!
Ingredients (makes about 3 dozen cookies):
  • 2 1/4 cups flour, divided
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2/3 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
  • 3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Continue reading Pumpkin Snickercrinkles

No Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake

It’s that time of year where there are plenty of barbecues and outdoor gatherings again. Whenever our friends host, I never want to come empty handed so I like to have a bunch of dessert recipes on hand, especially no bake dessert recipes!

This No Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake is perfect for summer meet ups – you don’t have to turn on your oven and overheat your own home, and it can be made ahead and served chilled or at room temperature.

The cake is super simple to make. It is layers of graham crackers, whipped cream pudding, and chocolate frosting, mimicking the flavors of a chocolate eclair. If you don’t want to make your own frosting, you can also buy store bought and just use that.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pint heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (16 oz box) plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, divided
  • 2 (3.4 oz) boxes instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 3 cups whole milk, divided
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon coffee extract
  • 1 (14.4 oz) box graham crackers

Continue reading No Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake

Banana Walnut Bread

I recently came home after a weekend trip to some of the saddest looking bananas I’ve seen in a long time. Which means I spent my Monday making this super delicious Banana Walnut Bread!

This recipe largely uses typical pantry items, so the next time you find yourself with overripe bananas, there is a good chance you will already have everything on hand to make this banana bread — if you don’t have any walnuts, you can substitute another nut or omit them completely.

If kept in a sealed container at room temperature, the bread will last for 4 days so it’s perfect for breakfast for most of the week!

If you want to store it longer, you can also freeze the bread by wrapping it completely in plastic wrap before adding to your freezer.

Ingredients:

  • 3 medium very ripe bananas
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

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Chocolate Coconut Cake

I originally made this Chocolate Coconut Cake for my dad for his birthday a few years ago. Since then, my parents request it any chance they get!

The recipe is a chocolate cake that substitutes coconut milk for regular milk in the recipe. It is then topped with a coconut cream frosting and some coconut flakes for extra coconut-y goodness!

Cake:

  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened (or margarine to make dairy free)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk

Frosting:

  • 4 sticks (2 cups) unsalted butter, softened (or margarine to make dairy free)
  • 2 16 oz boxes (about 8 cups) powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (5.4 oz can) coconut cream

Topping:

  • 1/2 cup coconut flakes

Continue reading Chocolate Coconut Cake

Walnut Whiskey Cake

Whiskey Cake is something that has shown up to family gatherings since before I can even remember. My mom makes this cake for basically all extended family celebrations, and it has become a favorite of mine. Recently, we were celebrating a friend’s birthday and I thought a Walnut Whiskey Cake would be the perfect birthday cake for him!

My version is a bit different than the one my mom makes, but the general gist is still there. I added some candied walnuts on top because, why not, but feel free to omit them.

The best part of this recipe is it is made with cake mix and instant vanilla pudding mix, making this cake both super easy to make and incredibly moist! Using a Bundt pan makes this cake look like it took you all day to make, but the hardest part of this recipe is patiently waiting for the glaze to soak into the cake before removing it from the Bundt pan.

Walnut Whiskey Cake Ingredients:

Cake:

  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 (15.25 oz) box yellow cake mix
  • 1 (3.4 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil or canola oil
  • 2 oz whiskey or bourbon

Glaze:

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (4 oz) whiskey or bourbon
  • the juice of 1/2 orange
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Candied Walnuts:

  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Continue reading Walnut Whiskey Cake

Pistachio Panna Cotta

One of my favorite things about having a blog is the opportunity to try new recipes and learn new cooking methods. I have never made Panna Cotta before, but it seems to be a relatively simple dessert to make.

Panna Cotta, which means “cooked cream” in Italian, is an Italian dessert traditionally made with sweetened cream and gelatin. Because of the gelatin, it maintains the shape of whatever vessel it is in.

It would have probably made sense to try to make a class panna cotta first, but my husband and I love all things pistachio, so I decided to try to make a Pistachio Panna Cotta as a treat for us!

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz shelled roasted and salted pistachios
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 2 1/4 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • chopped pistachios, for garnish

Continue reading Pistachio Panna Cotta

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Fudge

Now that I know how darn easy it is to make homemade fudge, I like experimenting and making my own at home when the mood strikes me. This recipe for Homemade Chocolate Peanut Fudge uses just 5 ingredients and can be made with ingredients you might already have in your home!

I used peanuts in the below recipe, but really any nut you enjoy can be substituted in (walnuts would be the more traditional choice).

Ingredients:

  • 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into smaller pieces
  • 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup roasted salted peanuts

Continue reading Homemade Chocolate Peanut Fudge

Herb Rice with Peas Prosciutto and Ricotta

Warmer weather is nearly here, and we can all use more recipes that won’t heat up the whole house. This recipe for Herb Rice with Peas Prosciutto and Ricotta is largely a no-cook recipe – you only have to make the rice!

Ideally, you can use day old rice so there is no stove use at all, but I personally have a hard time thinking a day ahead for a meal, so I wrote the recipe below to be made all in the same day. Feel free to make the rice the night before, refrigerate, and assemble everything the night you plan on having this for dinner for a quick and easy make ahead meal.

I adapted this recipe slightly from a New York Times Cooking recipe from Emily Nunn.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (10 oz) bag frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • the zest and juice of 2 lemons
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 a red onion, halved
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 cups white rice
  • salt, to taste
  • 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil
  • 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh mint
  • 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh parsley
  • ~5 fresh chives
  • 3-4 oz fresh ricotta
  • 18 slices prosciutto (omit to make vegetarian)
  • black pepper, to taste

Continue reading Herb Rice with Peas Prosciutto and Ricotta

Tiramisu Cake

I am about to share with you my new favorite cake. Not only does this Tiramisu Cake taste amazing, but it is actually just a more spiffed up cake from a box!

I made this cake originally to celebrate my mom’s birthday, and everyone loved it so much, I decided to share it here too (my husband wasn’t upset at all to have this cake show up in our house again either!)

Ingredients:

  • 1 package white cake mix (I used a Super Moist French Vanilla Cake Mix)
  • 1 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled, divided
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
  • 2 tablespoons coffee flavored liqueur (like Kahlua)

Filling:

  • 1 (8 oz) container mascarpone cheese
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup coffee flavored liqueur (like Kahlua)

Frosting:

  • 1 cup cold heavy cream
  • 1 (8 oz) container mascarpone cheese
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup coffee flavored liqueur (like Kahlua)
  • pinch of salt

For Garnish:

  • unsweetened cocoa powder
  • semisweet chocolate bar

Continue reading Tiramisu Cake

Lemon Blueberry Drop Scones

Lemon and blueberry is such a solid combination. I’ll basically eat any baked good with those two flavors together, which might be why I already have shared a lemon blueberry pancake, cupcake, and icebox cake on here already! So when I saw a recipe for Lemon Blueberry Drop Scones on Taste of Home, I wanted to try them. I messed with the method of their recipe and adding a bit more lemony goodness through lemon extract because I really wanted that flavor to come through.

These are super easy and rustic looking scone recipe. The more misshapen they are, the better they look!

Ingredients:

Scones:

  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup lemon flavored yogurt
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • the zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract (paid link)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup blueberries

Glaze:

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • the juice of 1/2 a lemon

Continue reading Lemon Blueberry Drop Scones

Roasted Beets and Sweets

I recently bought a ridiculous number of beets. I honestly can’t even tell you what moved me to do so, but I was staring down a good dozen plus beets for a household of two.

We were able to use some up in this awesome recipe for Gemelli with Brown Butter Beet Sauce, and I used a lot up in a salad recipe I will post later, but I was still left with about half a dozen beets!

This recipe for Roasted Beets and Sweets is fairly straightforward, used up all my remaining beets, and works as a good Sunday afternoon recipe so you have an easy side ready for later in the week (or to eat immediately with Sunday dinner).

Ingredients (serves 6):

  • 6 beets, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
  • 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1 teaspoon pepper, divided
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided

Continue reading Roasted Beets and Sweets

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