I made this Vegan Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie and then realized it was perfect for our vegan friends. The other reason I made these is because I have a friend who much prefers savory over dessert, and Take 6 bars are her favorite. I wanted her to be able to enjoy a little something sweet too! And anyways, I have never met someone who didn't like a peanut butter/pretzel/chocolate combo. Have you?????
Brûléed Maple Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust
The memory of this pie tugs at me during the hottest months of the summer. It is that good.
I love pumpkin pie, and always have since I was little. Growing up in Minnesota, the weather was usually pretty cold by the time Thanksgiving rolled around, so we could just store pies in the garage. I used to sneak out to the garage with a fork and just help myself from time to time. I consider myself a pumpkin pie enthusiast. It's possible I gave myself away by leaving pits of crust behind. Friends, I believe I have solved the problem of boring crust.
Easy Vegan Cheesecake (No bake)
I oscillate between feeling on the cusp of being real life adult, and therefore being ready for the responsibility of a human life, and still feeling like a tween. Read on for evidence...
One thing I have improved on over the last few years is making healthy versions of my favorite desserts! I am lactose intolerant, and even though I love cheesecake, I usually end up feeling awful after eating it. The 'cheesecake' filling is thick and velvety. It is smooth and cooling to the tongue, with a slight nutty taste. It is custardy and the level of sweetness from maple syrup is perfect. The touch of lemon lends a certain tang, reminiscent of cream cheese. You will be shocked that this is dairy-free (minus the chocolate if you'd decide to use it!)!
LLH Celebration Part 1: S'mores Ice Cream Sandwiches
Lainee Lou Hou is finally medication free! This is Part 1 of our celebration! We are so thankful for your support and love and prayers!! We wish we could have you all over for a dinner party! We'd have all of my favorite summer time cookout foods; Grilled Pizza, Grilled Romaine, watermelon (Lainee's favorite), and because we don't have a bonfire, we'd have to settle for S'mores Ice Cream Sandwiches!
Watermelon Reverie for Heat Advisories
It is H O T. The kind of hot that makes you drip sweat even when you are standing still. The kind of 'hot' that turns the metal part of your seat belt into a weapon with a risk of burn. So hot, that even at 9:30 pm, doing the polka makes you look like you just went swimming. Not that it has ever happened to me or anything . . . Summer is a big bowl of cold watermelon on a hot day. I look forward to watermelon season all year long!! These days I am averaging at least one watermelon a week. Reading and frozen desserts, much like watermelon, are also major requirements of summer. I was lucky enough to find a brand spankin' new copy of The Big Gay Ice Cream book at McKay's Used Bookstore last week. It stopped me dead in my tracks. I AM OBSESSED. Their sorbet recipes inspired me to make watermelon sorbet.
Strawberry Rhubarb Tart with Cracklin' Oat Bran Crust (<--- I KNOW!!!)
Our car broke down again, for the second time in the past couple weeks, so Chris takes our working car and I work from home. Unless I have to run an errand, then I literally run them. So there I was, running an errand. It was a drizzling and I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Selected Shorts. Wham. Bam. Alakazam. Cracklin' Oat Bran. I wanted some. And wouldn't that make such a yummy tasting tart crust perfectly matched with fresh hand picked strawberries and rhubarb??
No Bake Mocha S'mores Pie
I made two pies to celebrate PI day!
One was a Peanut Butter Banana pie. The recipe comes from Collards & Carbonara - Southern Cooking, Italian Roots, written by the chefs of Hog & Hominy; Michael Hudman and Andy Ticer. IT WAS SO GOOD!! (And so bad, health wise.)
The second one I made, was a Coffee S'mores Pie. DELICIOUS CITY. It should probably be named Mocha S'mores Pie because the blend of coffee and chocolate is more mocha-ey than coffee-ey (pretty sure neither of those are actual words). DELICIOUS CITY. The recipe is very approachable, no baking required. Plus, I got to use my kitchen torch. Win win.
S'mores Rice Krispie Bars & Precious Moments from the first week of GOTR!
To celebrate the start of the Spring season of Girls on the Run, I made S'mores Rice Krispie treats. What brings you back to childhood more than a good ol' rice krispie treat? The recipe is at the bottom of this post, but first I wanted to share some precious moments from the first week of Girls on the Run! Here's a teaser: "Is there anything you are hoping to learn from Girls on the Run? Anything you are excited or nervous about?" "I am really nervous about getting Ebola."
Breakfast Crumbles - Second in The Grateful Plate Series!
I have been dreaming of this recipe for a while now. I’ve tried a couple of variations but things all came together Friday night, on a whim. I wanted something similar to granola, but not as scattered. Something akin to an apple crisp topping but may not as crunchy. It needed to have some spice in it, kind of like a good ginger molasses cookie. This is what happened. I figured it was the perfect second post for ‘The Grateful Plate’ series. In case you missed the last post, The Grateful Plate series is my response to the benevolence of those who donated to Lainee’s gofundme account.