Vegetarian Meatballs With Masala Sauce!

I saw this recipe via video on Facebook, courtesy of awesome blog/site Pinch of Yum! I was immediately on board with the concept - a veggie base for the "meatballs", and a sauce made from tomatoes, coconut milk and Indian spices? Delish!

These were quite a hit in my household. I used a mix of cauliflower and broccoli florets for the base, so the "meatballs" were a little bit green at first, and I chose to bake them versus cook them on the stovetop, but these were minor changes, and the overall dish was fantastic. The sauce was silky smooth and so flavorful!

Find the complete recipe here!

Banana Cupcakes With Coffee Kahlua Frosting!

For a former coworker (and very good friend)'s birthday in January, I made banana cupcakes with an espresso and Kahlua cream cheese frosting. Yum!

The cake, flavored by ripe bananas, is moist and fluffy, and the creamy, coffee-flavored frosting is a great complement to the banana flavor.

She loves flamingos, so I couldn't resist adding a decorative garnish at the end!

Recipe adapted from here!

Skittles Vodka!

I made these for fun one day (no intention of drinking them anytime soon)! I picked up 5 mini Absolut bottles at my local liquor store, and one bag of Skittles. I separated the skittles by color, and put them in the bottles. I shook them up and left them out on the counter for a few hours. The colors are so pretty and look cute as a decoration in a kitchen or bar area. These would also be cute in a gift basket for friends!

A more detailed process can be found here!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Swirl Brownies!

I made these delicious, rich, and creamy red velvet cheesecake swirl brownies last month, just in time for Valentine's day!

The brownie batter is your basic, classic brownie batter, dyed red with food coloring, and layered into a pan. In a separate bowl, prepare the cheesecake filling, and drop on top of the brownie batter in dollops. Put a few drops of red food coloring on top. Next, using a butter knife (or toothpick), make the swirl design all the way across the top of the batter. Bake, cut, and voila! Beautiful and delicious!

Recipe link here!

Bento 1

I am joining the latest trend in lunch box fare - the "bento" style lunch box. Apparently, this is a thing.

I always struggle with what to eat for lunch during the workweek. I need variety, instead of routine, which quickly gets boring! Ordering delivery is not always an option because it can get expensive, and be unhealthy.

Enter ... the Bento Box!

The concept is simple. The lunch box is divided into 5 different sized compartments. Each compartment represents a "food group", so to speak, such as protein, carbs, fruits, veggies, etc.

Plus, I figure this will give me a few years to practice before Giuliana goes to school with her little lunch box!

If you want to read more on parents taking it to the next level with their kids' lunch boxes, check out this article here.

Here's a link to purchase your very own Bento style lunch box on Amazon!

A breakdown of the different food groups, and suggested options.

My pretty box ... comes with it's own carrying case!

First lunch: saltines, cubed Cheddar cheese, sliced rotisserie-style chicken deli meat, sliced hard boiled eggs, cucumber slices, and Greek yogurt.

Second lunch: saltines, Babybel cheeses, blueberries, slices cucumbers, sliced hard boiled eggs, baby carrots, and cottage cheese.

*Edit* Added on 3/13/17:

Making baby cheesy quiches is something I do at least once a month, when I have various leftover cheeses in my fridge. They make the perfect addition to my lunchbox, along with some roasted broccoli leftover from dinner the night before, and some cottage cheese for dipping in carrots. Yum!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

It was my dad's birthday a few months ago, and his favorite (and only) granddaughter sang (or garbled) Happy Birthday to him over vanilla mascarpone cupcakes!

2019 Birthday!

Fall Cooking!

My husband and I both love to cook. In our newly remodelled kitchen in our new home? Even better! My husband designed every aspect of our new kitchen and it is a chef's dream - plenty of light, gorgeous granite counter space for prep, and handy cabinets every which way.

Gemelli with fresh pesto and burrata cheese.

Oven roasted chicken thighs, marsala baby bella mushrooms, and oven roasted asparagus.

Orzo salad with roasted zucchini, potatoes and mushrooms, and grilled chicken breasts.

 Linguini alle vongole - pasta with clams in white wine sauce.

Cheese plate, grapes, and a glass of Cabernet - this is a weekly staple at our house!

Pizza pizza!

My husband is Italian and the best chef I know. His food is incredible. He doesn't ever need a recipe, and he's one of those self-assured cooks who can absolutely wing it, and whatever "it" is, will be the best you've ever had. My favorite has to be his pizza. His dough is perfect, sauce delicious and toppings always come out just right!

Fall Baking!

Fall is my favorite season. Though we miss out on beautiful leaves changing color, it finally does cool down here in South Florida and there are a handful of days where we can legitimately wear scarves (closer to December/January).

My birthday, my husband's birthday, our dating anniversary, and our wedding anniversary are all within the next three months (not to mention Thanksgiving and Christmas!) so this is a special time for us and our family.

What better way to celebrate so much love, than with baking? And holiday flavors no less! I love breaking out that pumpkin!

Pumpkin Ale Cupcakes With Baileys Cream Cheese Frosting - Recipe here!

Pumpkin Spice Muffins -Recipe here!

Cream Cheese Swirled Pumpkin Muffins - Recipe here!

White Chocolate Macademia Nut Muffins With White Chocolate Glaze - Recipe here!

Strawberry Muffins!

I wanted to bake something fresh and healthy for a friend who recently had a beautiful baby girl. I saw a gorgeous carton of organic strawberries and thought of muffins instantly.

I love Ina Garten's fruit recipes, so I used one of hers (link here!)

As with all muffin recipes, you really shouldn't use a mixer. Mixers are best for cupcakes or dense cakes, but muffins should be light and their dough barely mixed together.

I prepared the wet ingredients in two cups, the first with melted butter, and the second with beaten eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.

I made a well in the dry ingredients (sifted together first) and then stirred it all together, adding the strawberries and white sugar last.

Veggie Egg Cups!

Small, muffin-sized veggie egg cups are packed with protein, taste great, and refrigerate well. They're perfect for sticking in the fridge at work and heating up throughout the week.

The recipe can be found here!

I used sweet kernel corn and roasted zucchini as the veggies to add to the eggs, and made sure to include shredded cheddar cheese within the veggies to add extra flavor. Once the muffin pan was set, I topped them off with grated asiago and parmesan cheese for some added oomph!

Smash Cake - The Test Run!

Oh, the ever-so-popular smash cake trend! I had never heard about this until after Giuliana was already here, but since I am a baker at heart, I immediately jumped on board with the concept. If this is relatively new to you, you can read about the trend here!

The idea is fabulous - make (or order) the baby a tiny, beautifully but simply frosted and decorated cake so that he/she can destroy it, or alternatively, eat it with glee while you snap photo after photo!

I am a baker, but also a perfectionist, so two months before G's first birthday party, I just had to try out the recipe to see if the smash cake would be worthy.

In order to make the smash cake, which is typically 4 inches tall, I went to Target to buy three tiny springform pans by the Wilton brand.

They are adorable! I cannot wait to re-use these and make small cheesecakes or even small birthday cakes for people in the future. I can forsee these coming in handy! I just love to make mini, or individualized desserts.

Next up was finding a healthy but fun recipe. I used a cake recipe from the lovely blog, Oh Everything Handmade. I found a fabulous frosting recipe from the uber healthy website, Our Haven Hill.

I made two batches of frosting - one I left white from the cream cheese, and the other I dyed pink using natural dye made from boiling beets (you can find out more about this process here).

Applying the base layer of white frosting.

Using a spatula to get the smoothest finish, since I am too lazy to buy a metal offset spatula to do the job!

Piping flowers/swirls using the Wilton 21 tip.

All piped out and ready to go to the fridge and not melt all over Grandma's kitchen table!

Frosting settling nice and coldly.