I had no clue that Election Cake used to be a thing until I saw an article recently about this lost tradition! Recipes for Election Cake are found back to the late 18th century, but apparently the tradition has fallen off in recent years.
This yeasted spiced bundt fruitcake was traditionally prepared prior to Election Day and served to hungry voters.
For years, I was the machine inspector for every general and primary election in my South Philly polling location, so any attention I can bring to voting is super important to me! I am also down for any and all food holidays so let’s bring back Election Cake!
I don’t have a ton of experience using yeast, so I looked up a recipe from NY Times Food. Because of the yeast, there are two proofing times in this recipe, so set aside 4 to 6 hours to make this cake.
Ingredients (serves 10):
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
My love for all things pumpkin is no secret. But it’s about time I gave apples their autumnal spotlight! These Apple Cider Whoopie Pies combine two of my favorite things – whoopie pies and apple cider donuts – to make an absolutely wonderful fall dessert.
If you’ve never had a whoopie pie before, they are just two cake-like cookies with a creamy frosting sandwiched in between. These Apple Cider Whoopie Pies have two spiced apple cider flavored cookies, coated in a cinnamon sugar, and then filled with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients (makes 10 whoopie pies):
Cookies:
1 1/4 cups apple cider
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
I’m still trying out some recipes for my sister’s upcoming baby shower, which is going to be bumble bee themed. I’m working on making a beehive cake and have already determined a batch cocktail with honey to serve. Because it is a baby shower, it seemed only appropriate to also serve an alcohol-free beverage. After testing a few versions, this recipe for Honey Ginger Lemonade the perfect nonalcoholic drink for my sister to enjoy!
This recipe has just four ingredients and feels special enough for a baby shower or other celebration!
I hope you’ll allow me one more festive holiday recipe. Honestly, these Holiday Spiced Nuts are so tasty, they can (and should!) be enjoyed all year!
Around Thanksgiving, I was in Lancaster, PA and popped into Lancaster Central Market. While there, I stumbled upon Totally Nutz, which sells various cinnamon glazed nuts. They were so addicting, I wanted to try my own at home!
This recipe includes a bit more of the “holiday” spices than just cinnamon and includes four different types of nuts: pecans, walnuts, almonds, and cashews for a tasty sweet and spiced mixture!
Note: I was sent a copy of America’s Test Kitchen The Complete Modern Pantry Cookbook in order to write this review. Opinions are mine alone.
Recently, my husband and I moved to the suburbs. One of the biggest adjustments has been having to make basically every single meal at home, where when we lived in Philadelphia, we were able to get amazing takeout whenever I was too wiped to cook or hadn’t gone food shopping.
So when I was contacted to review America’s Test Kitchen The Complete Modern Pantry Cookbook (paid link), I jumped at the chance. This book gives you more of a blueprint than tried and true recipes so that you can easily use whatever you might have on hand. The Complete Modern Pantry has a ton of information and tips to help home cooks reduce waste, save money, and get the most out of their grocery purchases.
The CompleteModernPantry is anchored in the realization that every pantry is unique. Rather than expect all readers to have similarly stocked pantries, the recipes and suggestions in this book focus on what the ingredients do for the finished dish, instead of what they are. This book also looks to remove many of the common hurdles to creativity by empowering home cooks to:
Utilize a wide range of tangible variations and suggested improvisation to core Test Kitchen recipes so new ingredients don’t need to be purchased.
Understand key principles to everyday recipes (and some not-so-everyday) so they feel confident iterating on them based upon what is on hand in their kitchen.
Recognize how simple changes to a few ingredients in a recipe can make a big impact on the appearance and flavors of a dish- getting rid of the monotony of common meals.
The book has plenty of information on how to store fruits and vegetables in a way that will extend shelf life, recipes that rely on frozen items such as frozen tilapia which is cost effective are included as are tips on making the most of ingredients.
I was really impressed with a lot of the main dishes in this cookbook but I couldn’t stop thinking about this recipe for Spicy Carrot Dip that would be perfect to serve last minute guests, so I wanted to highlight it here.
This recipe uses fresh carrots, plus a bunch of spices and hot sauce to deliver a flavorful dip! I actually had all of these ingredients already on hand, making it super easy to make.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for serving
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):
Note: I was sent a Drinkmate OmniFizz Beverage Carbonator in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.
I know I’m not alone that once the calendar says September, I start assuming fall weather is right around the corner. And yet, the warm weather always holds on longer than I expect.
This recipe for a Fizzy Bourbon Apple Cider is the perfect cocktail for these still-warm evenings while still having a decidedly autumnal flavor.
This pretty little machine does not require electricity, so it is easy to use basically anywhere. Just screw in the CO2 cylinder, add your ingredients, and press down to carbonate!
The carbonation adds a lightness to the cocktail, resulting in a super refreshing apple cider beverage. This is going to become one of your favorite summer-into-fall cocktails!
Note: I was sent a bottle of Black Button Distilling’s Bespoke Bourbon Cream in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.
If you’re a fan of creamy cocktails, I have the perfect cocktail to share with you today! The team at Black Button Distilling sent me a recipe for a Maple Chai Latte Cocktail that sounded so tasty I knew I had to pass it along.
Black Button Distilling, based out of Rochester, NY, was actually Rochester’s first grain-to-glass distillery since prohibition when it was established in 2012. The cocktail is made with Black Button Distilling’s Bespoke Bourbon Cream, which combines their hand finished bourbon and local farm fresh New York State cream — it’s similar to Irish Cream but the bourbon brings a different (and delicious!) flavor profile.
This Maple Chai Latte plays up the vanilla and caramel notes in the Bourbon Cream with the addition of maple syrup, a chai simple syrup, and coffee liqueur.
You can buy chai simple syrup (paid link), but I’ve included a recipe below in case you want to make your own at home, like I did.
Ingredients (serves 2):
ice
3 oz Bespoke Bourbon Cream
4 oz coffee liqueur
1 oz Chai simple syrup (recipe below)
1 oz maple syrup (I used a bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup to really up the flavor!)
Note: I was sent coupons from Nasoya in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.
Despite working from home for nearly a year now, I feel like I have less time to cook! I have a feeling I’m not alone, so I wanted to share a healthy, quick, and comforting recipe for a yummy Crunchy Noodle Salad that you can get on the dinner table in ~40 minutes.
This Crunchy Noodle Salad is made with glass noodles, sugar snap peas, shredded carrots, bell peppers, and crispy tofu tossed in a yummy peanut dressing, and can be served at room temperature or cold, so it makes for a great dinner-plus-leftovers option.
Don’t let the whole vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free part of this recipe throw you, it will fill you up! I this recipe uses Nasoya’s Organic Super Firm Tofu that delivers 15g of protein per serving to keep you full. Nasoya’s Organic Super Firm Tofu is also pre-pressed and drained so it’s perfect for quick dinners. Plus Nasoya’s Organic Super Firm Tofu is non-GMO project verified, USDA organic, cholesterol free, gluten free, and made with no preservatives. Nasoya is widely available in most grocery stores; I stopped into my local Shop Rite (it’s also available locally in Philly at Walmart Supercenters, Giant and Giant Heirloom Markets, The Fresh Grocer, and Wegmans), plus you can use their store locator to find which local grocers near you carry it.
Ingredients (serves 4):
6 oz glass noodles
8 oz sugar snap peas
1 package Nasoya Organic Super Firm Tofu, cubed
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup carrots, shredded
1 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 scallions, sliced
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup tamari (or low sodium soy sauce if you don’t need this recipe to be gluten-free)
1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon roasted white sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
Note: I received a bottle of Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Vanilla Extract in order to write this post. All opinions are mine alone.
I have quite a few holiday cookie recipes on my blog. I even highlight a cookie recipe on my Instagram every day leading up to Christmas. But I have never tried to make fudge before. So when Nielsen-Massey contacted me about highlighting their Holiday Flavors Bundle, I was excited to find a holiday-themed Gingerbread Fudge in their recipe section!
The fudge uses Nielsen-Massey’s Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract, one of the extracts included in the Holiday Flavors Bundle. The Holiday Flavors Bundle also includes their Pure Almond Extract and their Pure Peppermint Extract, so you’re all set for your holiday baking!
Source: https://nielsenmassey.com
Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract, like Nielsen-Massey’s Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
sprinkles, if desired (I used red and green sprinkles)
I mentioned in a previous post that I had the opportunity to try a box of Misfits Market, a Philadelphia-based company that rescues produce from regional farms and distributes it throughout the Northeast. (Check out my last post to learn more about them!)
The box came with an assortment of fruits and vegetables: Mushrooms, Pears, Artichokes, Mango, Lettuce, Bell Peppers, Butternut Squash, Spinach, Corn and Cucumbers. I highlighted the artichokes in my recipe for Baked Stuffed Artichokes, so today I want to share a simple recipe using fresh mango.
I absolutely love mangos, and there is nothing quite like a perfectly ripe mango. They are delicious just on their own, but this recipe for Mango Peach Lassi is a simple make ahead recipe that you can enjoy for breakfast on the go!
If you’re looking for some guidance on how to cut a mango, this tutorial from Real Simple is super helpful!
A few weeks ago, I became an aunt! My sister and brother-in-laws are new parents to a beautiful baby girl. My husband went up to visit them recently, so I sent him up with some frozen food options to stock their freezer, including some of these Mandu Korean Dumplings.
I thought dumplings would be a perfect freezer friendly meal that also doesn’t add much to the cook time. You can cook mandu straight from the freezer, no need to thaw!
This version has a mixture of ground beef, pork, and vegetables, but the recipe can easily be adapted to fit whatever you have on hand, or have a craving for.
I’m on a pretty good streak of making a bunch of meals on weekends so that we have quick and easy meals on weeknights. Last weekend, I came across this recipe for Indian Spiced Chicken with Tomato and Cream and knew it would reheat nicely. It takes some time to make, so it’s best for cooking on a weekend. But it’s a one pot meal!
This adapted version is awesome over cooked rice. If you like a thicker sauce, you may want to add some water mixed with cornstarch at the end to thicken.
Note: This post is sponsored by Nasoya. All opinions are mine alone.
I’ve been sharing fairly meat-heavy recipes recently, so it’s about time I shared a meatless (and vegan) option that is perfect for busy weeknights, so here’s a yummy recipe for Thai Basil Vegetable Dumplings with Spicy Peanut Sauce.
Nasoya, the nation’s leading brand of tofu, has two flavors of Vegan Dumplings (Tofu Vegetable and Thai Basil Vegetable) that can be ready to eat in as little as 10 minutes!
Source: Nasoya
The Tofu Vegetable Dumplings (filled with tofu, mushrooms, bok choy, carrots, ginger, green onions, and sesame oil) and the Thai Basil Dumplings (filled with tofu, red bell peppers, green peas, carrots, and basil) are USDA Certified Organic and also contain 6-7 grams of plant-protein per serving. Nasoya can be find at most retailers, including Acme, ShopRite, Giant, Weis, and Wegman’s. Check out Nasoya’s retail finder here to find your nearest location that sells Nasoya products.
This quick recipe for Thai Basil Vegetable Dumplings with Spicy Peanut Sauce uses the Thai Basil Vegetable Dumplings, but the Tofu Vegetable Dumplings can definitely be substituted.
Harira is a wonderfully filling and hearty soup originally from Morocco. It can be made with many different ingredients (and can be made vegetarian), but it’s typically made with lamb, chicken, or beef, lentils, and chickpeas in a lightly spicy tomato broth.
This dish is a staple during Ramadan to break the daily fast, and also makes for an awesome dinner on chilly nights!
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 lb lamb chunks
1 large onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced (or if you’re like me and don’t like the texture of celery, keep large so you can remove later)
3 carrots, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ to 1 teaspoon harissa paste, depending on your heat tolerance
1 (28oz can) crushed tomatoes
½ cup parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
¼ cup cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
1 cup red lentils, rinsed
1 (15 oz can) chickpeas, drained
6 cups chicken broth
4 oz vermicelli, broken into smaller, 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch to make gluten free)
