Food
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Copy Cat Cafe Zupas Chicken Enchilada Soup
I am a sucker for just about any creamy soup, combine that with Mexican food flavors and I would do just about anything for a taste. Cafe Zupas just has yummy food in general. If I had to absolutely pick between Panera Bread and Cafe Zupas, I wouldn’t even bat an eye saying goodbye to Panera. Their Chicken Enchilada Soup is definitely in my top 3 faves…and even though a new location opened up less than 5 miles away, I just cannot justify eating there every other day…so…of course I had to figure out how to make it at home. Besides, there are plenty of poor souls who either haven’t…
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Everything Bagel Dip
I’m constantly looking for quick recipes that are easy to share at a party, potluck, or any sort of get together with friends and family. Homemade dip is always a crowd pleasing go-to, whether it is sweet and served with wafers and fruit, or it is savory and served with crackers and vegetables. The everything bagel seasoning is very versatile and can be used in a variety of ways. I like to especially use it to make my own spread. The everything bagel dip can be used solely for a cracker and vegetable dip, or it can be used as a spread for sandwiches, bagels, or wraps. While the everything…
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Baked Ziti
Throughout the years, I have both provided many meals for families and friends and received many meals from family and friends in times of need. While it is always nice to help another, if you are anything like me you tell someone you are going to bring them dinner and then forget until the day of, you suddenly remember and your kitchen doesn’t have anything that when combined would even be remotely edible. This is where baked ziti comes in. I almost always have the ingredients for baked ziti. Not only is it the perfect dish to provide a family a meal for, but it is one of my kids’…
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Lefse
Every holiday season as far back as I can remember, making lefse has been a family tradition. It wasn’t until I became an adult and moved away that I realized just how many steps it takes to create it. The first year I tried my hand at lefse making without parental supervision, I made too large of a batch and it took me several hours four nights in a row to finish baking the batch. I have seriously wised up, and I now have many willing helpers so I don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen. This year was especially fun having these two nerds helping me. I don’t…
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Thumb Print Cookies
One holiday baked good I remember my mom making often was the thumb print cookie. She would vary in the jam flavors from year to year, but the dough and technique was always the same. Whenever I make thumb print cookies, I always think of the first time my mom taught me how to make them. I was not an easy child to convince to learn the art of cooking and baking. I just wanted to eat the food, I didn’t want to put forth the work. Little did I know how much I would later enjoy the culinary arts. This year I knew I needed to recreate the thumb…
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Hot Cocoa Dip
With all of the baking, sometimes I just want to make something that requires less than 5 ingredients and doesn’t take any baking at all. With all of the holiday parties, it can become tiring having to provide a treat to share. This dip was developed out of desperation and tiredness of baking. Sometimes the best ideas come from desperation. This dip doesn’t need to be limited to the holidays, and for that matter, it is a tasty treat to have year round. It can be served with graham crackers, Nilla Wafers, but personally I think it is most tasty with fruit. Strawberries, blackberries, and apple slices are some of…
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Mint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Chocolate crinkle cookies are a common staple among families’ holiday baking traditions. This year though, I wanted to put a little spin on it. I thought adding in chopped Andes Mints would be a good addition. Chocolate crinkle cookies are traditionally a chewy, fudgey texture, so I knew I needed to make mine trying to keep true to the typical chocolate crinkle cookie. Chocolate crinkle cookies are a drop cookie that has been rolled in powdered sugar. The texture contrast of the powdered sugar with the fudgey cookie is definitely pleasant to the taste buds. These crinkle cookies are chocolate version of sugar cookies. The chocolate crinkle cookies actually originated…
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S’more Brookies
I don’t know who decided brownie batter and cookie dough needed to be put together, but whoever did is a genius…especially when using premade cookie dough and box brownie batter. Sometimes though, even a genius idea can be spruced up a tad. Marshmallows, caramel, and peanut butter are all additional flavors that can add to the brookie. When I decided I wanted to make a quick and tasty holiday baked good, I knew I wanted to add in some of these flavors. That’s when the s’more brookie idea came to me. I also decided I needed to go big with this treat. I used my large muffin pan, but this…
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Aebleskivers – Scandinavian Pastry
Growing up, Aebleskivers were a staple on Christmas morning. We’d have Aebleskivers, scrambled eggs, and either sausage or bacon. Since I became an adult and am now responsible for Christmas morning breakfast, I quickly realized just how time consuming Aebleskivers are. So we’ve changed this Norwegian family tradition to suit our timeline. We have them for Christmas Eve breakfast and then again for New Year’s Eve breakfast. Aebleskivers are essentially pancake balls made in a semi-odd shaped cast iron skillet. Some times people like to fill the pastry balls with fresh fruit or fruit jam, we like to keep it simple; plain Aebleskivers served with a sprinkling of powdered sugar…
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Cutout Sugar Cookies – Minimal Spread
One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard about making cutout sugar cookies is that the dough spreads as it bakes. This is always due to the leavening ingredient – ie: baking soda, baking powder, eggs; these are all examples of types of leavening agents. While I have attempted MANY times to create an edible sugar cookie recipe without any leavening ingredient at all; but I have not been successful. Thus, I have a cutout sugar cookie recipe for you that has very minimal spread. The dough doesn’t spread out, it only slightly puffs up and rounds the edges. Also, these sugar cookie cutouts are actually tasty and soft, but not…
