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- 1 cup unsalted butter or Earth Balance margarine, softened, but still cool
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon pomegranate or strawberry juice OR 1 tsp natural red food coloring
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sour or sweetened dried cherries, chopped
- Granulated sugar, for rolling the cookies
- 36 dark chocolate kisses, unwrapped
- 1 large beet, peeled and cubed
- olive oil
- sea salt
- black pepper
- 4 cups chickpeas, cooked
- 2 Tablespoons tahini paste (Sesame seed paste)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 10-12 whole wheat pita rounds, 6-8 inches wide
- 10 cups mixed greens
- olive oil
- balsamic glaze, store-bought
- sesame seeds
- 8 graham crackers, split in 2
- 8 Ghirardelli dark chocolate sqaures, from the bar
- 16 marshmallows, Mallow tree’s marshmallows are small
- use 1 large pink marshmallow if using other brand
Chocolate Cherry Kiss Cookies
January 31st, 2013
This weekend I baked a lot for different occasions. We have been having different engagements and so the opportunity to bake has been available. Let me just say that I have been inspired. I probably should not have been on my feet that long but I had so much energy.
Julianne has been having so much fun walking around the house and discovering new places to explore. We are working on putting safety locks or certain drawers but she has been great in obeying. At one point she started fussing because she wanted to be near me. How did we solve it?
I do not like putting her in the high chair cause she thinks she will get a snack or food even though I give her toys. I placed her in her red wagon she got for Christmas and put in some toys, her sippy cup, crayons and a coloring book and rolled the wagon in the kitchen. She LOVED it.
She could see all the action and be a part of the baking too! It is amazing to challenge oneself as a parent to be creative with their children. I was able to turn on the oven light and have her see what was baking. She was intrigued. How easy is it to get your child involved? Seems very easy.
What about these cookies? The original recipe was pinned on my Valentine’s Day board on Pinterest because the recipe was beautiful. I found that it was from The Curvy Carrot and they had been posted last year.
I knew I had to modify and adapt the recipe because I do not like eating or using maraschino cherries. Red 40 makes my ears flush and react. Obviously the unnatural food coloring is not healthy. I tried using my natural red food from Indian Tree, but the red coloring had turned brown. Boo. I decided to go with pomegranate juice which made the cookies a light rose color but nothing like the original recipe. Either way, I was going through with the recipe.
I subbed the maraschino cherries for dried sour dried cherries but I know I would use sweetened dried cherries too. I knew this cookie would be more like a shortbread cookie and not that sweet so I rolled the cookie dough in sugar and then baked them. YUM!
These are husband approved. I sent half of the cookies to a new neighbor with their 3 cookies and we kept the other half of the batch. Ryan said these were one of the best cookies he had tasted. The cookie STILL tasted like a shortbread cookie but they were perfectly sweetened with the dark chocolate kiss combo and the rolled sugar on the cookie. Score!
These are a must make for your Valentine. I am baking early and gifting friends and neighbors cause I do not know if I am having this baby during that week. Why not celebrate early?
Enjoy!
Chocolate Cherry Kiss Cookies
by Noelle Kelly
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes
Ingredients (36 cookies)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
In the bowl beat the butter until creamy, about 1 minute. Slowly add the powdered sugar and salt.
Add the fruit juice or natural food coloring and the almond extract until combined.
Slowly add the flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the cherries and shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the granulated sugar and place the balls on a baking sheet, approximately 2 inches apart.
Bake the cookies until the bottoms are lightly browned, about 14 minutes.
Once removed from the oven, immediately press a chocolate kiss into each cookie’s center.
Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
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{Product Review} Flower Child™ Non-Skid Plate
January 29th, 2013
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I am now a mommy blogger for Nûby™. They offer the best and safest products for moms like me. Something new I learned about this company is that they distribute their products over 155 countries and have been used worldwide for 35 years! So much to learn about products when a new baby is introduced in one’s life.
I received a lovely package of items to review and have slowly bee enjoying them. Most of them have to do with feeding time because it is the most important activity in our life right now. Julianne is growing SO quickly and enjoys eating.
She loves her fruit and she also loves to give her opinion even though she does not know how to talk yet. She is learning that she can ask for something else other than what I serve her. So frustrating and yet so incredible. Breakfast time is usually the easiest because I always serve my daughter a variety of fruit.
I have started varying with some fruit smoothies but I will talk about that on another review.
One of the items I received was this Flower Child™ Non-Skid Plate. Even though this product is geared to toddlers starting at 18 months I decided it would be ideal for Julianne. She started feeding herself last month and as we are teaching her to keep food on her plate this non-skid plate was perfect!
The plate is durable, sturdy and a fun color. It is microwave safe and is perfect for cold and hot foods. Can I say that all food was kept on the plate? I am so proud of my daughter. She usually lifts her plate when she is done but somehow the colors in the plate kept her entertained.
We definitely look forward using this a lot. A huge plus? No BPAs!
If you are interested in the plate, know that there is a feeding bowl and feeding snack keeper in the same design. 🙂
*Disclosure: I received these items for my review as a Nuby Mommy Blogger. All opinion are of my own and may differ from yours.
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Roasted Beet Hummus Pizza
January 28th, 2013
I think I am pumped about Valentine’s Day. Can you tell? Maybe because there might be a possibility I might have a Valentine’s baby. Hmmmm. Either way, the hubby and I have been preparing furiously making sure everything is ready for our new baby.
It is incredible realizing one does not have enough furniture like drawers for the baby and the toddler. How much can one accumulate? I guess the more bodies become part of the family the more it is required. We bought some drawers for our toddler and I am in the process of washing and drying all the newborn clothes.
Oh yes, we are having another girl!
I think I might be celebrating pink. I never liked the color pink until my first baby girl was born. I had my nails painted pink and I bought a pink cellphone cover. I did a whole 360. It is nice to know we did not have to buy anymore clothing. It was beautiful going through the newborn clothing and seeing how tiny a baby can be. She will be here soon!
So pink hummus? I really tried convincing the hubby to taste some of this hummus but he has something against beets. Even though he likes hummus, beets are not. I made a double batch of hummus because Julianne LOVES hummus with veggies and rice crackers. She can eat spoons of it,
Since the veggie intake varies daily with Julianne, I try adding it to different meals in puree or dip form. This recipe was really easy and SO delicious! You can make this for a Valentine’s Day lunch or for a light dinner. It will set such a mood and little is required. Even though I used pita rounds you can use your own pizza crust recipe.
I made a similar pizza for Thanksgiving one year called Caramelized Red Onion, Spinach, and Pumpkin Hummus Pizza. It is actually one of the most popular recipes on my website and is listed on the left side of my website. Of course you would have to modify the recipe as I wrote it but it would just be fine. A warm pizza with hummus is amazing and does not require any cheese. If you wanted cheese I would feta cheese sprinkled on top of the salad portion of the pizza.
The other ingredient that seals the deal for me is the balsamic glaze. I did not make it but I bought a huge bottle of it at Home Goods for super cheap. Can you tell I like Home Goods? It totally skips a step and saves time. Perfect for busy families. I still need to drizzle some on strawberries….yum!
Make the hummus at least and snack on it daily. You are getting your daily iron and protein with this. Enjoy!
Roasted Beet Hummus and Pizza
by Noelle Kelly
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Ingredients (10-12 people)
For roasted beet hummus
For pizzas
Instructions
Roasting Beets
Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel beet and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Drizzle with olive oil (1-2 Tbsp) and sprinkle salt and pepper. Cook for 15-20 minutes.
Allow the beets to cool.
Chickpeas
You can use canned beans but crock pot beans are the best and make the most creamy hummus.
Soak 1 1/2 to 2 cups dry chickpeas overnight. Place in crock pot, cover in water, place 2 pieces of kombu (seaweed) the next day on high and cook for 3-4 hours. Keep a 1/2 cup of chickpea liquid for blending.
Cool the chickpeas.
Blending
If available, use a high-powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec. It makes for the creamiest hummus. I have made it in a food processor and it is not the same.
Add all the ingredients including the beets and chickpeas and blend until smooth. Use hummus immediately or refrigerate.
For pizzas
use 6-8 inch pita bread rounds (hummus makes for 10-12 pizzas)
Add 1/4-1/2 cup roasted beet hummus to each pita
Bake in oven for 10 minutes on 400 degrees.
Toss mixed greens a little olive oil and sea salt and mix in some balsamic glaze.
Place on top of the hummus pita pizza. Drizzle with more balsamic glaze and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
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{Performance Review} Christmas with The Philadelphia Singers
January 25th, 2013
Last month, Ryan and I had the awesome opportunity to continue to envelope ourselves in the Christmas spirit with a performance given by The Philadelphia Singers. We found out about this wonderful professional ensemble that pretty much has a wonderful 1012-2013 season. They are currently celebrating their 40th anniversary and the director, David Hayes, is also celebrating his 20th anniversary with the group.
The Christmas program was delightful! It was not help anywhere near downtown Philly but was conveniently held at the Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli, not to far from where we live. This was perfect for a couple with a baby. 🙂 Perfect for any emergencies with a babysitter too!
This ensemble started in 32-voice ensemble in 1972 as a professional chamber chorus performing contemporary works and choral masterpieces. As each decade passed, the ensemble started performing music from different eras. From Renaissance to baroque to more contemporary works with world premieres.
In the 1990’s The Philadelphia Singers expanded their group composed of professional singers and talented volunteers, to create a symphonic ensemble called The Philadelphia Singers Chorale. They have performed Carmina Burana and Messiah with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
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At this December concert, the first piece started out with the group split in half and one group singing in front of the church and the other in the back of the church. The piece was truly effective. At the end of that piece, the ensemble from the back processed in and they came together and performed the rest of the program in the front.
The blend of the group was truly beautiful and very controlled. It was finally nice to hear a professional group in the area that had a great sound. I only say this because I am currently on hold with performing and getting ready for a baby, but I truly miss singing in an ensemble like The Philadelphia Singers. Reminds me of our group in Holland, MI. 🙂
All in all, Ryan and I enjoyed our outing and musical experience. We look forward attending some of their other performances later in the season. Here are a few performances coming up:
Follow The Philadelphia Singers on Facebook
and The Philadelphia Singers on Twitter for more information!
After the performance was over we enjoyed a late night dinner. Well, somewhat. Even though I try not to eat late it is was inevitable in this case. We visited Great American Pub in Paoli. I had been there with my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law back in August when they helped us move in but I had been wanting to bring Ryan.
I had their fish and hush puppies, made with fresh haddock and their house-made tartar sauce. It was HUGE!! If I had known it was so big I would have convinced Ryan to share it with me. Probably not since he felt like eating a burger. He loved his choice as did I and we agreed we would have to come again especially since the pub had karaoke night. It was a tad bit loud. 🙂
Even though I did not finish my dinner, I knew I had to try their apple crisp. Ryan and I shared a small ramekin piled high with ice cream and all this goodness you see. It was a nice warm crisp with cold ice cream. YUM! It was definitely a treat. We look forward trying this place again since they have SO many options for a pub. Check out their menu.
Have you heard of The Philadelphia Singers?
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Raspberry Coconut and Dark Chocolate S’mores
January 24th, 2013
Anyone ready for Valentine’s Day? I think I might and perhaps our new baby will too. There is a possibility that she will be born around that time and what a better time, eh? We are getting ready in our house, making sure things are a bit organized and cleaned up. I mean there is only so much one can do with that especially with an ACTIVE toddler.
We have been teaching Julianne to put things where they belong. Some days are good and other days not so great but she is getting there. It is pretty amazing what an almost 15-month old understands. I know she is a baby but she is not stupid. It is pretty crazy how much she does understand.
How does a child learn how to say “no” before “yes?” The word “no” seems so easy to say and since we have been disciplining her she knows when she is not supposed to touch something. She goes to it and wags her finger and repeats the word. Hilarious. It is hard not to laugh in her face. 🙁
These are the joys of parenthood and it is a daily blessing.
Now back to a quick dessert. 🙂 I had a hankering for an old school dessert. I had no fire pit or desire to start up the fireplace but I SO wanted s’mores. Anyone had the same craving? Yum! This recipe is SO quick and perfect for families. It is cool to see a marshmallow in a microwave. It would be the perfect entertainment for kiddos. Hee hee. Unfortunately ours was asleep. 🙂
This fun dessert was enjoyed by the adults in the home though.
Where did I get my pink marshmallows? These lovely marshmallows are Raspberry Coconut Marshmallows made by a company called Mallow Tree. You can pretty much only find them at Home Goods in the US. If you read the reviews a lot of people want these badly! I am glad I have my own container because they are super tasty.
Raspberry Coconut and Dark Chocolate S’mores
by Noelle Kelly
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 10 seconds
Ingredients (8 servings)
Instructions
On a plate, place 2 graham crackers as 2 servings. Place 2 marshmallows on each graham cracker and then add the chocolate square on top. Microwave for 10-12 seconds. The marshmallow will expand so do not get scared. Remove from the microwave and top each serving with another graham cracker. Consume in less than a minute. Repeat for multiple servings.
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