Sunrise Cookies

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Andrea

When I tell you about these cookies, I’m pretty sure that you are going to think that I have crossed over into crazy land. Let me assure you that I have not.

I have been dreaming of a cookie that I could eat for breakfast for a long time now. Something that I could make ahead and keep in the freezer where I could pull out one or two, heat up quick in the microwave and eat. With my hands and not a fork or spoon.

I wanted a cookie that would make a great on-the-go snack that was low in sugar but loaded with flavor and good stuff.

I wanted something that could be legitimately called a cookie because they were made and eaten just like a regular cookie.

I wanted it to have whole grains and veggies in it.

Stay with me, remember I promised you I wasn’t crazy.

I’m calling these Sunrise Cookies because you can have them first thing in the morning and feel good about starting you day off with a cookie.

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Andrea

I grew up in Pennsylvania. Western PA as a matter of fact. Home of the Steelers, The Penguins (and the Pirates if we must) and the City of Bridges. I didn’t grow up in the city but in a rural coal mining and farming town which was only an hour south of the city. I now live in Columbus, which is only 3 hours away from my hometown.

Doesn’t sound like a huge difference but in terms of weather it totally is! Ohio gets some of the most crazy weather and by crazy I am referring to how extreme it is. It goes from one end of the spectrum to the other, sometimes in the same day.

This week we have the pleasure of dealing with an ice storm and then more snow. Good times.

Thankfully Scott and I work from home which means we can stay bundled up.

On the first cold and iced-in day, I decided to kick my normal bowl of morning oats up a notch and make it something special. I’ve seen others talk about baked oatmeal before and the concept always intrigued me. Baked oatmeal sounds really decadent and like a lovely winter treat, doesn’t it?

Spicy Chex Mix

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Andrea

When the holidays roll around a lot of people think of Chex Mix as one of the staple holiday snacks. Growing up we didn’t have it until it started appearing on the shelves in packages. It was a long time before I realized you could make this yourself. Maybe that’s strange to some, but the snack wasn’t a staple at our parties. We’re a more chip ‘n dip kind of folk.

I have to say, that I love the taste of Worcestershire sauce! It is that flavor that drew me in and kept me coming back for more snack mix. It’s spicy, salty, and so potent. Right up my alley! I prefer the original flavor of snack mix for this very reason. I’m not really into the other flavors and variations of the snack mix. Call me a Chex Mix purist.

I decided to create my own recipe and of course it has a heavy Worcestershire base to it. Lea & Perrins happens to be my favorite Worcestershire sauce and when Foodbuzz offered us the opportunity to get a free bottle of it for using in holiday recipes, I jumped at the chance.

Blueberry Cottage Cheese Bread

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Andrea

Growing up, cottage cheese was a staple at the dinner table. My mom served it as a side dish and she topped it with lots of black pepper. Both her and my dad loved it but I on the other hand found it vile. I do not like cottage cheese. The taste is a little off but the texture does me in. I really cannot handle that sort of chunky type texture.

However cottage cheese can be a great source of vitamins and protein making it a lovely addition to other things. My favorite way to eat cottage cheese is actually mixed in with some oatmeal. It gets warm and takes on the sweetness of the oats. There’s no more chunky texture but instead a nice lovely smooth and creamy texture to the oats.

I also make another warm dish with cottage cheese but you’ll have to wait on that recipe!

Since I’ve cooked with cottage cheese it then occurred to me that I could most likely bake with it as well. I had some cottage cheese that needed used up before it went past its prime and I figured this would be a good time to test out baking with it.

Cheddar Dill Buttons

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Andrea

The first time that I came across the concept of cheddar and dill, I was watching an episode where Ina made some cheddar dill scones.

Oh?

I love dill very much. It is probably my very favorite herb and no I’m not kidding you. I also love really great cheddar and combing the two seemed like a great concept. While I didn’t really want a scone to snack on, I did think that this could be transferred to a great biscuit.

The first time I made this was years ago using a drop biscuit method. I used really poor cheddar, factory farmed milk, and some Bisquick. Oh yeah totally not something that would be considered healthy but instead more likely to be found as an option at The Red Lobster. You know what I mean.

Now I have several years of baking under my belt which has given me more experience and new techniques that can be applied to many different things. My outlook and choice of ingredients have also greatly changed since the early days. Now I like to keep things simple, more homemade, and incorporating more whole grains into the mix.