#Basic Fall Flavors Taste Test

Scientifically, it's only been Fall for a few weeks. Thermometer-ly in North Carolina, we've had about three real days of fall (under 75 degrees, in my book). 

But emotionally, for all the #basics, fall started the day kids went back to school in August. Starbucks' cult of devotees were able to order pumpkin spice lattes and find commercial PSL products (like creamer and k-cups) on store shelves August 27 this year; and speculation about the release date began before we'd finished cleaning up our red,white, and blue, Fourth of July decor. 

I do not worship at the PSL altar but I do long for cool days, extra crunchy leaves, and all the other cliches around fall - infinity scarves, shabby-chic flannel with riding boots, slouch beanies, and general Hocus Pocus.

This will of course sound incredibly hipster of me, but I loved fall flavors before they were cool - and still do. We're right in the middle of apple country, so September - November we're overloaded with fresh, delicious apples and all the recipes that come along. Plus, in the South, we love our winter vegetables; bring on the sweet potato pie. 

Unlike hipsters who (constantly) roll their eyes at trends, I'm on board with the glut of products hitting shelves in the fall (or fall-adjacent) months. Some of it is absurd, bizarre and totally unnecessary, but sometimes you can find a gem. We turned this festive trial and error into a fun excuse for a seasonal thematic dinner and taste test with friends. 

K and I went to high school together and have reconnected since she and her husband joined our church. We've always had quite a bit in common, and it's become more pronounced that we're both broke state employees married to total nerds. We both make regular treks to Asheville for bargain hunting at Aldi and Trader Joe's. Currently, both stores are OVERLOADED with all things fall. Trader Joe's monthly ad, Fearless Flyer, is devoted to "Pumpkin Season" and Aldi's weekly specials are full of apple, cinnamon, pumpkin, caramel and maple flavors. 

October 2019 "Fearless Flyer" cover

I did some highly unscientific research with my Facebook community to gauge folks' fall flavor passions and was rather surprised by the results. In the (pumpkin?) pie chart below, my crowd prefers Cinnamon over everything else. No one voted for pumpkin spice and I was the only savory pumpkin hold-out. 

Our taste test dabbled in some of these flavor categories, but I promise, if your favorite was underrepresented there are at least five options at any grocery store right now! 

On to our picks! 

• Trader Joe's Autumnal Harvest Pasta Sauce, $3.49/jar - I love pasta and I really enjoy incorporating savory pumpkin and squash into our dinners. I've served pumpkin alfredo with tortellini for years, but this is so much easier. It's thick, creamy and full of robust flavors. I think of fall dishes as being really warm, rounded flavors, but this was surprisingly bright. We served it with large rigatoni noodles (I think that would be better than long, thin pasta) and a sprinkle of Parmesan. It'd be great with grilled chicken (or rotisserie chicken #MomHack) and roasted veggies. 

• Baby spinach salad tossed with Aldi Apple Vinaigrette - K brought a delicious salad of baby spinach and greens, with pecans, dried cranberries and hunks of goat cheese. She topped it with an Aldi dressing. (Note: Aldi's salad dressings are SO affordable; under $1.50, I believe. But they also have a more refined, glass bottle line, too.) This dressing was tangy - almost sharp - and vibrant, with just the right amount of sweetness from the apples. It pairs greatly with creamy cheese and nuts

• Trader Joe's Pumpkin Biscotti, $3.99/box - I have a love/hate relationship with biscotti. By nature, it's freaking crunchy and my teeny tiny teeth struggle. The flavor in these is delicious; they weren't overpoweringly pumpkin, spicy or sweet. However, it was like eating gravel - which is the way you want your biscotti. For nibbling - no, thanks. With a cup of coffee, in my favorite rocker, in complete empty house quiet - OH YEAH. 

• Trader Joe's Pumpkin Joe Joe's, $2.49/box - If you've never had a Joe Joe, it's basically an Oreo, but incredible quality and made with the most vibrant flavors derived from real ingredients. For example, their Neopolitan Joe Joe's scream STRAWBERRY because the creme is filled with freeze dried strawberry pieces (J would highly recommend). These Joe Joe's are just as saturated with pumpkin-y, spice-y flavor. And...it's a lot. The cookie is thick and just the right texture, but so flavorful. The creme is smooth and sweet and in perfect ratio to cookie, but so flavorful. Like the biscotti, I think I'll like them under specific conditions. Dunking one or two in a glass of milk would be divine. Eating a sleeve on their own (as one is wont to do with Oreos) is not for me. 

• Trader Joe's Pumpkin Cream Cheese - First of all, I love cream cheese. I could eat plain cream cheese right from the package. I ate at least one bagel slathered in cream cheese every day of my senior year of college (RIP 19 year-old metabolism). This, I did not love. It was cloyingly sweet; like honey nut cream cheese sweetness (which I enjoy) x 10. And we served it on plain mini bagels, so they weren't overdone with a pumpkin bread, either. Also, it's the most disturbing camel color... Did I mindlessly eat 2 mini bagels worth? Yes. Would I buy it again? Hard pass. 

• Aldi Bake Shop Pumpkin Cake Roll,  approx. $3.99 - I refuse to make jelly roll cakes. I made one once as a kid and it tore all to pieces; I let J make these desserts instead or better yet, I buy one for less than $5! I enjoyed this! It was simple, but really elegant-looking and tasted great. The cake was dense, but good texture; and the cream cheese icing made it just sweet enough. I'd buy this again. And I'm willing to bet it would freeze beautifully, too (AKA buy a zillion of these, freeze them and save yourself some time at Thanksgiving). 

• Aldi Apple Cinnamon Goat Cheese, $2.49/roll - You know how I said I love cream cheese? I also love goat cheese. I love the tangy smoothness that's easy to spread on a baguette or crumble in a salad. This was no different. The natural sour and saltiness of the goat cheese was perfectly complemented by a thin layer of diced apples and spiced sauce. Each bite gave a little apple crunch and perfect blend of salty and sweet. I served it with some lightly toasted baguette and Town House Crackers. This would be a perfect addition to a charceuterie platter or cheese board; I'd like to try it with some more inventive crackers or add-ons. Aldi also has a salted caramel version too. 

• Trader Joe's Baked Blood Orange Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cheese, $10.99/lb (this block was around $4) - TJ employee's are encouraged (or required?) to be incredibly knowledgeable about the inventory of their stores. They pride themselves on how well the know about the items, where they're located (they actually have to take you to them, not give you directions), how to prepare them etc. So I was slightly terrified when our cashier said "Ooh, what's this?" as he rang up this cheese. He looked at the label, "Baked, blood orange...chocolate chip...ricotta..? Hm.. Well.. Good luck on that." I paid for it, thinking all the while, "This is going to be awful." Boy, was I wrong. This was delicious. I've never had baked ricotta (other than a lasagna) so I didn't know what to expect. My foray into chocolate cheese last year was a NIGHTMARE. And orange flavorings can go wrong so quickly. This cheese was super smooth but light as air. It was fluffy and the flavor was so bright. It was basically a cheese version of the inside of a Three Musketeer's bar and tasted just like those chocolate oranges you get in your Christmas stocking and have to bang on a table. SO GOOD.  

(P.S. Highly recommend this podcast in general, but this episode in particular discusses how dedicated TJ employees are to their job, craft, and products!)

My winner from this was the Autumnal Harvest Pasta Sauce. I will buy this again and I'm very eager to try some of their similar products - like Autumnal Harvest Soup (or I may just add a can of coconut milk to their pasta sauce..) and Pumpkin Bisque. 

The Baked Blood Orange Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cheese gets honorable mention, too. It would be the MVP, but it doesn't quite fit our cliche flavor profile. I would include this on any fall/winter cheese tray; it'd be especially beautiful at Christmastime.

Some items from TJ and Aldi which weren't featured in our taste test, but that I'm so curious about and would love to hear your feedback on, include:

• TJ Spiced Pumpkin Madelines
• TJ Riced Cauliflower & Butternut Squash Risotto
• TJ Maple Ginger Cookie Swirl Ice cream
• TJ Apple Cider Jam or Cinnamon Bun Spread
• TJ Pumpkin Spice Biocellulose Sheet Masks - I may not be a PSL freak, but I'm a total sucker for face masks. Told you I had #basic tendencies. 
• Aldi Pumpkin Brioche

This was a fun, easy, and relatively budget-friendly way to entertain and would be a blast with a bigger crowd and on any theme. It can be an engaging riff on a classic potluck: everyone bring a new snack, Christmas food, exotic fruit etc. you want to try and share with the group. Add cocktails, board games, and lots of laughs. 

Week Nine: The Showstopping Yule Log

Do you watch The Great British Baking Show? I certainly hope so. If you don't, you ought to. It's on PBS (in America) and there are currently four seasons streaming on Netflix. 

British TV, in general, is a delight; from Monty Python to Fawlty Towers to Coupled to a zillion reincarnations of Doctor Who to Sherlock to Downton Abbey (my Winter Break binge) to Call the Midwife, it's all gold! But this show is particularly wonderful and a really under-appreciated TV food market: nice people making nice things. 

The premise is home bakers compete to win title of Best British Baker, not for a bazillion dollars or crazy fame, but an etched cake stand. The challenges are daunting and difficult but the people are so freaking nice. No one is sabotaging; they waste no time with alliances, mudslinging or the other dramatic bullshit we see on 99% of competition shows (I'm looking at you, Cutthroat Kitchen...which I also enjoy); it's all about hard work and supporting each other. 

Each episode includes three challenges: 

1. A signature bake where they have to meet x criteria (like make 48 identical biscuits aka cookies) but they can choose flavors etc.
2. A technical challenge where the splendid judges/British baking heroes, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, provide incredibly vague instructions for the bakers to replicate classic dishes (make a jam, make a batter, bake...= jaffa cake)
3. The showstopper, again with x criteria (a gingerbread centerpiece that is at least a foot tall with four separate pieces) where they are expected to go above and beyond any level of sane baking

These challenges never cease to amaze me - beyond that British baking is steeped in so much (delicious) history - but also because of the wide range of skills needed to produce these beautiful, flavorful dishes. And this week, we made our own showstopper. 

It's something I've only really seen in the past few years, and have only tried twice - with a clearanced Walmart version last year and an annual tradition at The Hop Ice Cream Cafe - but have been too terrified to try to make: bouche noel aka yule log, or according to Great British, a roulade.

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It's Week Nine and I am legit over this. So over it, in fact, I enlisted a guest baker this week - the Hubs. I never thought I'd get sick of cake, but...here we are. 

Looking at the calendar, it
looks like we missed a week,
 but eff it. I've made and eaten
 nine stupid cakes.

To recap the last two months' cakes: 

Week 1: Coconut Cream Poke Cake 

Week 2: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting 

Week 3: Orange Chiffon Cake with Candied Zest 

Week 4: Upside Down Banana Toffee Cake 

Week 5: Maple Bundt Cake 

Week 6: Little French Fudge Cakes

Week 7: Tomato Soup Cake 

Week 8: Sufganiyot 

Week 9: Chocolate Yule Log  as found in Kraft's Food & Family

A yule log is basically a Little Debbie Swiss Roll disguised as a log. Sounds delish, right? Ok, maybe not, but they're so stinkin' cute! I've seen them covered in ganache with wood grain "carved" in, or white icing + cocoa powder and stencils to make birch trees, or detailed piping. The log-o-flauge can be quite time consuming, but that is second only to the tedious nature of the cake itself. 

I remember making a jelly roll cake once as kid, I was maybe 13. It stuck to the towel, cracked and was overbaked, total disaster; and I haven't made once since....speaking of which, does it really count that I've made another, since I had J do it? Dang. 

But this recipe isn't as daunting as I'd feared. The cake was a fairly standard sponge recipe, and it cooked for less than 10 minutes. The rolling was a bit nerve-wracking, but since it was iced and covered in chocolate "bark," cracking could be easily forgiven, if not just hidden. 

It looked AMAZING on our table. It was very realistic (for a cake masquerading as a log), and despite my perfectionist, artist husband's comments about how he'd done his grain incorrectly, I thought it was perfect! 

The recipe even included instructions for a yule log's perfect companion - mushrooms! They are mushrooms made from jumbo marshmallows. Fair warning, however: you will be so tongue tied you'll call both marshmallows and mushrooms the wrong thing for days (I've had to retype the last two sentences several times already). 

Another tip, enjoy the cute rolled up precious log while you can. Because you have to hack the hell out of it to cut a slice. Just like Paul Hollywood butchers the edible art on Baking Show, you'll need to be ruthless and just murder your beautiful log. But it's so tasty, from the soft cake to the sweet filling to the delicious bark, you'll have little time for regrets about knife skills. 

After last week's disastrous attempt to make something from an unfamiliar, daunting ingredient/process (dry active yeast) which yielded an absolute failure, it was wonderful to see another equally scary recipe turn out so beautifully. Perhaps it had something to do with my exceptional guest baker? 

I wouldn't kick him (the tall one) out of the kitchen...
I frequently kick the little one out, however.

One week left to go in the ten weeks of cake, dear readers. And as happy as I'll be to say goodbye to the bizarre year that was 2017, I'll be equally happy to stop baking, researching, writing about and eating cake...for awhile. 

Week Three: All the Cusswords AKA Orange Chiffon Cake

This has been a doozy of a week. I've had a work conference for three days which has meant being at work at 6 a.m. (pitch black) and returning to campus after 6 p.m. (also, pitch black). Plus, I'm trying to get a 16-month-old to understand Daylight Saving Time. I was just starting to relax on Tuesday night when I remembered I had to make this week's cake. Commence all the cusswords. 

Then I realized how many eggs I had to separate. Cuss. 
Then I remembered how much zesting I needed to do. Cuss. 
Then I struggled to differentiate soft peaks and stiff peaks. Cuss. 

Thank goodness we don't use a Swear Jar. If we did, Mama's bank account would be overdrawn. 

But all the cussing certainly made for a damn good cake (another quarter to the Swear Jar). 

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Hello, Week Three! We are approaching one-third completion of the cake-a-week journey to 2018. 

To recap: 

Week 1: Coconut Cream Poke Cake

Week 2: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Week 3: Orange Chiffon Cake with Candied Zest, also from Martha Stewart's Martha's American Food

When I started this challenge, I created very limited, yet important, criteria and this recipe fit the bill. 

First, I want to try a variety of new recipes that cover a litany of dessert categories; "they can't all be chocolate or pound cakes or include cream cheese icing." I have never made a chiffon/angel food cake before and I distinctly remember being very young and asking my dad about them, he sucked his teeth and said "Ohh, those are hard." So, yeah, let's make one after a 12-hour work day. Great idea.

Secondly, I want to find reliable, tasty recipes for both unique and traditional cakes. Angel food cake is such a classic "dinner on the grounds" (church picnic for y'all Yankees) cake, I just had to give it a shot. Now, I'm equipped for any potluck or ladies' luncheon.

Third, I need to share as much cake as possible. Thankfully, the gals at my monthly book club are more than happy to take on this responsibility.

Turns out this cake wasn't particularly difficult to make; however, you do need to do a fair amount of prep work and there is some serious detail work.

Mise en place is critical here. Have all your zesting, juicing, and egg separating done and organized before you get down to the real work. I was scattered and it made things that much more difficult, but could've been disastrous for the cake, too. #MomBrain

Pro tip from my 11-grade Foods and Nutrition class: separate your eggs one at a time over a cup or bowl, then pour into their respective containers. That way, if a yolk breaks, you're only out one egg, instead of the whole shebang. Yolks and oils are MURDER to a good meringue. I mention this only because I forgot my own #@!$ advice and spent 5 minutes carefully spooning yolk out of my five-white bowl. 

And, if you're like me (read: a nervous wannabe perfectionist) pull up some images of soft and stiff peaks on your tablet/phone ahead of time to gauge your progress. And of course, once you perfect those peaks, fold in your batter gently, but thoroughly. I found a couple places that were more egg-y and less cake-y where I'd under-folded; you want the batter/egg to be blended well, but not deflated. 

No Instagram filter can top Christmas lights. 

Scattered prep and peak-induced anxiety aside, making the cake was fairly easy and turned out beautifully. Martha's version cooked longer than ours (we have an overly hot oven and I'm careful with over-cooking), so hers had a thin crust around all the edges not just the bottom; but it still turned out wonderfully fluffy and light. 

And y'all - it doesn't look orange, and you can't see the zest flecks, but this is the most terrifically fragrant and perfectly flavored cake. This would be a great for a spring tea party or a summer picnic, but I also think the winter holidays scream citrus. This would be perfect beside a hot cup of mulled cider or after a heavy Christmas meal (a reduced cranberry sauce, no not that kind of cranberry sauce, would be an excellent garnish). 

Speaking of excellent garnishes, the candied zest is a MUST. I'll just leave my explanation here, with the note I left inside my cookbook. 

Recipes for a Romantic Valentine's Celebration at Home

This was our third Valentine's Day together as a couple and our track record for celebrating is pretty weird.

• Year One: matinee viewing of "A Good Day to Die Hard;" fun, but not a 10 on the sexy-ometer. 
• Year Two: I ditched a sniffling, sick J to rush to my best friend's side and watched her give birth to her third daughter, aptly called Potbelly; J cooked a lovely dinner while I rushed home totally in a tizzy with a flat tire. 

 And here we are at Year Three - wanting to do something truly special without shelling out a lot of money or having to make elaborate plans. So what did we do? We cooked a delicious dinner at home that was simple, yet elegant and then tackled one of our bucket list recipes - French macarons.

Of course, the evening was not without a theatrical twist. A huge wind storm with gusts upwards of 40 mph ascended on our neighborhood and we frantically tried to batten down the hatches and get our outside cats inside. Which meant J was running around moving lawn tools and wood to keep it from blowing away Twister-style and I had to make a mid-gale run to the store for cat litter. Quite sexy, really. 

GoJoe quickly made herself comfortable & began shedding everywhere.

But even with the dramatic interlude, dinner still turned out great and we had a wonderful evening together cooking, eating, Scrabble-ing and praying our house wouldn't blow away. 

And that brings me to my first Date Night (at Home) Tip:

If you're wanting to have a special evening together, you don't need to go for something super complicated. Life happens and gets in the way and if you choose a classic, easy-to-prepare menu it will probably stand up against obstacles or be easily repaired. 

We chose dishes that we love and have mastered, but added some new twists and cooking methods. For dinner we had ribeye steak with herb butter, cauliflower puree and sweet glazed carrots. These carrots are J's speciality; my mom requests them every time we have a big family meal together. And making cauliflower puree couldn't be more simple (steam cauliflower florets, blend in food processor with 2 T butter and/or EVOO, s&p and any other flavorings you'd like). We experimented a little with the steaks.

Date Night (at Home) Tip: Valentine's Day means BIG sales at grocery stores on normally expensive items like steak, lobster, shellfish, fresh salmon etc. This is a great opportunity for Date Night and to 1. keep an eye on your store's meat counter near the end of the sale, they'll reduce "older" items on top of the sale price, and 2. stock up and freeze extra meat. Now you'll have cheap supplies for V-day and your next romantic night in, too!

In the summer time, a grilled steak is wonderful. However, after using this method, we believe pan searing and basting is the best way to cook a steak. Period. We consulted this super handy article from Buzzfeed for instructions.

Here are the highlights:

1. Forty-five minutes before cooking dab any excess moisture off of your steak and season liberally with salt & pepper. Leave on a plate for at least 45 minutes to come to room temp. 
2. Twenty minutes before cooking, start heating your cast iron skillet over medium-high heat to get it screaming hot. Yes, they are serious when they say cover your smoke detector; I'd like to add you should open a window or two...
3. Pat dry your steak again of any moisture the salt pulled out. 
4. Add 2T vegetable oil (not EVOO) to your pan and get the oil hot - shimmery and just beginning to smoke. 
5. Turn the heat to high and add your steak. Leave it alone for two minutes - DO NOT TOUCH IT!
6. Flip and sear the other side. Again, LEAVE IT ALONE. 
7. Continue flipping every few minutes until it reaches 120 at its thickest point. 
8. Lower the heat and add 3 T butter to the pan and let it melt. Then, add around 5 sprigs of fresh thyme (rosemary or sage would also be yummy - be creative!) 
9. Spoon the butter and herbs over the steak until it reaches your desired internal temp. 
10. Remove from heat and let your steak rest for at least five minutes. 

Since we were going for super decadent steaks, I also prepared an herb butter earlier in the day. This is an incredibly easy way to impart extra flavor and juiciness to a steak. I stirred half a stick of softened unsalted butter with about 3 T of chopped fresh thyme (removed from the twiggy part); rolled it into a log in plastic wrap and returned it to the fridge. When plating your hot steak (or mashed potatoes or anything you'd like herb butter on) place a 1/4" medallion on top and let it melt all over the food.

Date Night (at home) Tip: Even if you're eating take out, never underestimate how much a cute tablescape can "set the mood." Take the time to set the table with nice plates (use the good china, why else do you have it?!), pretty glasses, and unscented candles. I even broke out our cloth napkins and my cat napkin rings! A little effort goes a long way - that goes for dinner, romance, manners and so many other areas of our relationships! 

For the "entertainment" portion of our evening, we decided to attempt to make French macarons.

Via pastrygene.com

These are allegedly one of the hardest, most finicky pastry recipes out there. Food Network magazine (where we got our recipe) actually devoted an article to their difficulty and explained the immense struggles of their test kitchen in preparing the meringue sandwiches. So, we were nervous. But we'd seen a boy on MasterChef Junior make them, and he's 15+ years younger than us and that was somehow comforting.

After making them I will say that it's more trouble to find inexpensive almond flour than to make the macarons. They are undoubtedly time consuming and it takes some skill to make uniformly shaped wafers, but if you can make meringue you can do this! And, pretty much anyone can make meringue.

P.S. They're gluten-free, filled with fruit preserves
& use very little sugar. I think these count as healthy.. 

Last year, in my frantic excitement over a new niece, I flubbed the chocolate souffles I had planned to accompany J's V-day menu. I actually was "cooking" the mixture on the stove for 5+ minutes before I realized the eye was off. But this dessert was a success!

We made the blueberry cheesecake and pineapple versions featured in the FN recipe. And they were delicious. Furthermore, I don't know why I haven't been blending cream cheese and jam all these years! The wafers are crispy and light with very subtle flavor and the creamy filling is so sweet but still delicate. This is tea party food at its finest! I can only imagine how big of a hit these beauties would be at a brunch!

Quick tip: Macarons don't store well as sandwiches,
 so if you're not eating them right away, hold off on the filing.
Fill immediately before serving. 

While they were delicious, it's more important to me how much fun we had together making them. We were talking while we measured, dancing as we mixed and playing Scrabble when they were in the oven. It was good, quality time together sharing something we both enjoy.

And that's my final tip:

Date Night (at home) Tip: You don't have to be cliche or meet archaic romance standards. Do something you enjoy. That could be something you share a passion for, like cooking, or have your partner teach you about something they love but you know little about, say salsa dancing. It's all about sharing experience and joy. 

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day and hope this article inspires more romance (or at least better food) in your life.

XOXO,

J & A

More Bang for Your Buck at The Dollar Tree

Today I made my pre-Christmas grocery list and because I was dying to get in the holiday spirit even more, I added the items needed to make some of our favorite Christmas staples, plus some good food gifts.

I knew I wanted to make my boss his favorite linzer tart cookies, they were a big hit last year and his sweet tooth has only gotten more ferocious in 2014.

The old fashioned apple stack cake I made for Thanksgiving was requested again for our employee potluck on Wednesday.

There's no rain in sight, so the humidity is just right for J to make the old family recipe for delectable peanut butter fudge.

And it's just not Christmas until we break out two of my mom's classic recipes - peanut butter sandwich cookies (gluten-free and only 4 ingredients!) and spiced hard candy.

Mom's hard candy takes a certain touch - no candy thermometer used here, just the "feel" of the molten sugar - and is not for the faint of heart. We used to make batch after batch after batch when I was a kid and I'd pass it out to all my classmates and teachers. But as often happens, time got in the way of tradition and we haven't made any in years. So we had to initiate J into the cinnamon candy cult. 

At the "hard crack" stage

Cooling on a marble slab on our coffee bar (more on the "Dream Kitchen" later)

Our final product!

All of these projects made for quite the grocery list of ingredients, tools and containers. And I knew today's haul had the potential to be a bank-breaker; but we were able to save a ton at our local Dollar Tree.

I've been a devout customer since I started getting an allowance as a tween and realized I could buy 10x more tacky, glitter makeup there than at Wal Mart (the early '00s was an awkward time for girl fashion). But I was completely converted in college when DT started renovating their stores to carry a wider variety of higher quality goods - that were all still a dollar. I don't know if it was a stroke of genius or by necessity (what with the recession forcing more people to shop on a budget) but stores expanded to offer more food (even frozen items!), party supplies, bake wear and huge seasonal departments. Our town just renovated their location within the past two years and I couldn't be more grateful. 

DT offers great savings for so many aspects of my life: 

• As a DIY wreath maker, I'm able to get good quality silk flowers and wire ribbon for, you guessed it, a dollar. 
• I still write letters and the stationary at the Tree is wonderful and truly inexpensive; greeting cards are 2/$1! They even carry shipping supplies for when I send care packages to my adorable nieces.
• Their kitchen department carries a number of handy items, from decent dinnerware to utensils perfect for taking to the office to disposable aluminum pans in a variety of sizes (these are perfect for pot lucks!); and even legit cake pans. 
• I can't say enough good things about their food section. You can get name brand items for only four quarters! Most of the items are full-sized and obviously, a great deal - like cans of Hunts crushed tomatoes, bags of walnuts or packs of Hormel pepperoni. But, some of them are in smaller portions and are incredibly helpful for cooking-for-two or new recipes. For example, J's fudge recipe only needs 3 T of corn syrup, so there's no point in buying a giant bottle of Caro that will just make everything sticky; DT carries a little 8 oz. bottle. 
• And the seasonal section is filled with adorable containers. Tins, snack bags, pails and boxes - for all your Christmas goodies! Just look at what we bought for our hard candy. Plus, I bought a snowflake-themed cardboard box for cookies. 

Today, we were able to buy over a third of the items on our list (plus some extras) at the Dollar Tree for only $16!

If you're looking to save some money, or just looking for quality, adorable items for almost any occasion, pop in to your local Dollar Tree and explore! You'll be amazed at how much you can get for your money... but also how quickly you'll fill your cart!

Cheese Plate Date Night!

This weekend J & I had another fabulous date night - this time at home, with a cheese plate, wine and two great food films, "Chef" and "The Hundred Foot Journey" (more on the movies later).

A local grocery store chain, Ingles Markets, has a fascinating cheese section at their Waynesville location. It's a few steps away from their antipasti bar - filled with marinated olives; curves gently around the edge of the deli close to their fabulously stocked bakery (fresh bread and pastries, homemade fudge, cronuts! and ice cream cakes) and is a two tiered celebration of all things cheese. There are colorful "moldy" cheese - like brilliant Roquefort's, soft goat cheeses marbled with berries, a variety of hard cheese and all the accouterments you'd expect, too (think melba toasts). This display fascinates me every time we stop in, and we finally decided to do our own cheese sampling at home.

We're both adventurous and with J being a sandwich artist, we are very pro-cheese and have tried a lot of different types. But the cheeses are usually inside a dish or sammie and we never get to taste them on their own or pair them with other small bites, so I did some research and we put together a pretty impressive and inexpensive (less than $30) spread.

Cheese plates may seem daunting but creating ours was relatively easy, even without going to a specialty cheese shop or a deli-counter. This Buzzfeed article was very informative about national, commercial brands and I was not disappointed by the brand I chose from it.

From the articles I read and our experience, here's my best cheese wisdom:

1. Include a variety of cheese textures and flavors. I'd say at least 3 of the following categories: creamy cheese (like Brie), something fresh (like a chevre), something sharp (like an aged cheddar), something nutty (like gouda) and a wild card - something you've just been dying to try (buy a smaller portion of this, just in case)
2. Don't rule out things you've had on hand for recipes but have never savored on their own. We had the chevre and blue cheeses already! 
3. Intend to serve about 2-3 ounces of cheese per person
4. Serve with lots of "extras" to either pair directly with the cheese or to nibble between bites. I suggest at least 3 of the following categories: dried fruit (like cranberries), fresh fruit (like grapes), crackers, warm bread, a flavorful spread (like fig jam or hot pepper jelly), nuts (salted or raw). 
5. Bring cheeses to room temperature for one hour before serving - their flavors will be more vibrant
6. J and I were multitasking and so we pre-sliced the cheeses and arranged them as such. If you are having a cheese plate at a party or serving a larger group of people, leave the labeled cheeses whole on the board (even the crumbly ones) with appropriate tools for your guests to serve themselves. 
7. Set your tray up on a knife-friendly surface (wooden cutting boards are functional and pretty) and/or provide a cheese slicer. Also, place it in a prominent area at your party where folks can gather and munch - they'll keep coming back for more! 

Rule 6.1 - Cute cheese knives are a plus! 

We featured the following cheese on our plate: "Categories" (see above) listed in parenthesis.

• Layered herb brie (creamy) - Brie becomes the most beautiful, gooey cheese when heated, but even at room temperature is still incredibly creamy and soft. This layered brie was "double decker" with a thin, herb-covered rind between the two. Some brie can have a rather thick, firm rind that, while edible, can be off-putting for some (like J). But this brand, was softer and with the herbs, the rind was flavorful enough to eat. In its unheated state, it's not great for spreading on bread or crackers but is so mild it pairs beautifully with apples or dried fruit. 
• Asiago (nutty) - When I was younger, I loved shaking grated Parmesan on top of buttery popcorn and my dad said it smelled like feet. This cheese brought back all of those memories - but in a good way, I promise! It's a bold, assertive flavor like Parmesan, with a hard, grainy texture. It paired will with the fruits, salami and jelly whose flavored played off each other well. 
• Cabot Seriously Sharp cheddar (sharp) - This was recommended by the Buzzfeed article and the name could not be more spot-on. It's strong and tangy with the beautiful texture we all know from cheddars. To me, Cabot products are upstanding members of the supermarket cooler because their business is owned by the farmers producing the milk, and they take care to do things right, like naturally aging their cheese, which makes for a better flavor. And of course, cheddar pairs well with apples. 
• Chevre (fresh) - I did a copy cat of a snazzy dish called "The Frenchy" from a local restaurant. It really makes the goat cheese shine. I used about 2 oz. of chevre topped with 5-6 chopped kalamata olives and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. It's creamy, tangy, salty and floral - so many flavors that blend so well together! I like to spread this on warm baguette slices for a fancy, but quick, appetizer. 
• Havarti - If you like butter, creamy cheese, havarti is a great choice. Some can be slightly sharp, but most are pretty mild. I love the almost spongy texture; just a little too stiff to spread, but still tender. BTW this is a GREAT sandwich cheese; it pairs will with everything can be just the creamy touch to a meat-heavy sammie, plus is melts perfectly!
• Blue cheese crumbles - I've mentioned before that I have a weakness for blue cheese recipes and like to try to sneak it in everything. This was another cheese we had on hand but never eat on it's own. I would like to try "fancier" brands sometime, but we used our go-to generic brand and it didn't disappoint. 

We also had the following "extras" on the cheese board: 

• Craisins (dried cranberries)
• Pistachios
• Walnuts
• Honeycrisp apple slices
• Hard salami
• Homemade hot pepper jelly
• Monet crackers
• Sliced baguette

The additional items really helped the cheeses to shine. I highly doubt I could have (or would have even wanted to) eat as much cheese as I did were it not for experimenting with different flavor and texture combinations. I would break the cheese slices in half and try one half with a bite of apple, then the other half with a bite of salami, and so on. It really amazed me how well they worked together to bring out different notes in each other. And I must say, the pepper jelly was amazing on everything, but I never would've guessed!

One of the really beautiful things about a cheese plate is that you can customize the "sides" with whatever you've got on hand and some other inexpensive add-ons (I actually got several of ours at the Dollar Tree) and can focus your time and budget on the cheeses themselves. 

If you're looking for an impressive spread for a romantic night in or a fun way to try new things with friends or impress at a party, a cheese plate is the way to go. You'll find wonderful flavors and make a great impression without breaking the bank or your back! 

For other ideas for you and your boo or fun fete food, visit our Date Night or Party Food tabs. 

Thanksgiving Side Dish Showdown

The holiday season is nothing short of chaotic in our family with a minimum of three, and often upwards of five, gatherings to attend per holiday. They're also nothing short of interesting and lively; what with so many personalities, people we love, joyful moods and great food - lots and lots of food.

Our first Thanksgiving together - 2012

And this year, to capitalize on those quirky personalities, love of food and a desire to have a unique experience, my dad, J and I have created our own "game" for our Thanksgiving Weekend Meal.

It's a little bit like our Grocery Outlet Chopped Challenge; because we will be at the mercy of each other for our star ingredient but will still have lots of flexibility and thankfully (no pun intended), planning time.

We drew names and were each granted the power to declare an ingredient for our chosen chef to use to create a side dish. I picked Dad, J got me and Dad chose J.

Here are the rules we're using:

Ingredient:

1. Will be announced on the Friday before Thanksgiving (November 21). 
2. Can be a "category" (like pasta) or a specific item (like carrots)
3. Should be reasonably priced (no caviar or black truffles) and limited in freakiness (Sorry, Mom; no root beer-flavored Magic Shell)
4. Should be featured but not required to be the predominant ingredient
5. May be a traditional Thanksgiving ingredient, but the dish should be non-traditional (like sweet potato gnocchi) OR the dish can be a twist on a classic T-giving dish (like a savory sweet potato "hot dish" instead of candied sweet potato casserole).

We have a few dietary restrictions (no caffeine or chocolate) and we know each others' palates and preferences well enough to not choose a total sabotage ingredient that the person won't enjoy cooking or eating (ex: Dad DESPISES tuna).

My inner Martha Stewart has been buzzing for weeks with the ever-growing list of items I want to cook for Thanksgiving, so I'm excited to have a more focused mission than "COOK ALL THE THINGS," with which to make something creative and delicious.

Dad proposed this idea less than 24 hours ago, but I'm already brainstorming - I'm thinking of the ingredient I want, and resisting the urge to pressure Honey Dearest into choosing it; how to handle the ingredient I do get and what to assign Dad.

And don't you worry dear readers; I'll keep you updated on the progress of this event AND on the recipes we're making for the 3+ other gatherings next week. There's plenty to come!

Fat Kid Friday: No-Bake Cheesecake

It's the Fourth of July and about 900 degrees outside, so I had an urge to make something festive (without gallons of food coloring) and wonderfully refreshing.

I scoured Pinterest for 4th desserts and I was pretty disappointed. Everything was either overly cheesy - like red,white and blue Jell-o parfaits, or overwhelmingly unimpressive - there's nothing "symbolic" or patriotic about kabobs of blueberries, strawberries and marshmallows.

Whenever Pinterest is uninspired and lets me down, I turn to our massive collection of recipes ripped out of magazines. And it worked! I found an old Taste of Home recipe for an easy, no-bake cheesecake - for which I had almost all of the ingredients and would only take up 45 minutes of my precious paid-time-off.

This recipe was a great dessert for a hot summer night. It was creamy and cool, the berries were sweet counterpart to the tart cream cheese and the crust was impeccable. Most graham crusts are just a little bit of white sugar and butter mixed with the graham crackers but two additions in this recipe made a world of difference. Using brown sugar instead of plain granulated sugar added a deeper, molasses sweetness and the ground cinnamon made for a great spicy flavor - like the most delicious warm cookie.

As is, this is cheesecake at it's purest; with so much room to mix and match flavors.You could add a dash (1 t.) of almost any flavor extract or citrus zest, in addition to the lemon juice, to brighten the filling. I think fresh vanilla bean seeds or almond extract would be delicious. And the berries can go in any direction; I used a carton of strawberries and our flavorful vanilla sugar. But you could take it in the 4th of July direction with blue and red berries atop the creamy white cake.

But there is one caveat I'd like to address - because I always forget it. Cheesecake's flavor is pretty universal. There is nothing that is quite as signature as the taste of cream cheese. On an episode of Cake Boss, when the Valastro family goes to Italy, they visit a bakery and bake a cheesecake together. The Italian bakers are talking about each of the ingredients in Italian and then ask for the "philadelphia" - because there is no word for cream cheese, other than that timeless white logo on the silvery-blue boxes of Kraft's Philadelphia cream cheese.

However, baked and no-bake cheesecake are completely different animals. Traditional, baked cheesecake is dense, yet fluffy, and it has a heartiness to it. It's so beautiful with the lightly browned top and thick slices. No-bake cheesecake is creamy, smooth and silky; you barely need to chew it, it just glides around your mouth. Both of these are delicious in their own way, but you have to remember which is which! I forgot until my knife glided through the tender filling and made loosely shaped slices.This no-bake cake is deliciously smooth and soft and almost melts in your mouth.

If you're looking for a quick-and-easy treat that tastes more decadent and time-consuming, and is cool and refreshing, this is the perfect dish.

No-Bake Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/3 c butter, melted
2, 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. sugar
2 t. lemon juice
2 c. heavy whipping cream
Prepared berries (optional)

Method:

In a small bowl, mix crumbs,cinnamon and brown sugar. Pour in butter and stir until all ingredients are wet. Press crumb mixture into an ungreased 9" springform pan covering the bottom and 1" up the sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Using a mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice until smooth; scraping the sides often. Gradually add cream; beat until stiff peaks form. Pour into prepared crust and smooth top with an offset spatula. Refrigerate, covered for at least 4 hours.

If you are using berries, toss them with 2 T. sugar and allow them to set for at least 15 minutes to make a sweet juice. The longer they rest, the softer and juicier they get.

Mardi Gras (or anytime) King Cake

I'm not Catholic, I've never been to Louisiana and I've certainly never "earned" any beads, but I love the season of Mardi Gras and Lent.

I've been observing Lent since I was 10 or 11 and the idea of self sacrifice for religious, and personal clarity has always resonated with me. I usually give up a few things that I love and I struggle to go without for 40 days and last year I started adding commitments - of things I don't do often enough. This year, I'm giving up french fries, all but one non-water drink a day and am going to "perform" an additional mile of exercise a day (on a bike, running, walking etc.). 

And before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday (March 5), I've been binging on my favorite sweet drinks and salty treats and obviously, not exercising regularly. But the best tradition before Lent begins is the big party of Fat Tuesday and its perfect dish - King Cake. 

Mardi Gras King Cake is a traditional dish in honor of the three wise men who visited Jesus as a baby and is eaten in celebration of the Lenten season. It's like a danish, cinnamon roll style dough, sometimes filled, but full of sweet cinnamon and buttery dough and covered with sweet icing or sugar in the colors of Mardi Gras - purple, gold and green (there are several variations in different cultures, like Mexican rosca de reyes which has more of a fruit cake flavor with sugared cherries and fruit pieces).  For Mardi Gras, a plastic baby (originally in honor Jesus) is poked through the underside of the cake and hidden inside. The person who received the piece with the trinket has to buy next year's cake or throw the next party. 

This recipe is a quick and easy version that, thankfully, doesn't involve actually making a yeast dough (I am terrified of using dry yeast) and is prepared in less than an hour. To me, the hardest part is the geometry of making a half-way decent circle shape and dying the icing and/or sugars just the right colors. 

Technically, this is a Fat Tuesday specialty but it is delicious year round and would make a wonderful dish for any breakfast, tea time (I assume people do that), bridal shower, holiday party or any time you're seeking a sweet, simple pastry. You can dye the icing/sugars to suit any color scheme or leave them plain white. 

Bon appetite and laissez les bons temps rouler! 

Mardi Gras-Style King Cake 

Ingredients:

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1/4 c. raisins - golden or purple

1/2 c pecan halves (optional; I suggest including unless you have an allergy)

2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls

1 1/2 c powdered sugar, sifted

3-4 tablespoons milk or half and half

1 tsp vanilla extract

Purple, green and yellow colored sugar or food coloring

Method:

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a baking sheet or pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Soak raisins in a cup of hot water for 15 minutes; drain and pat dry (this will make them beautifully plump and tender). 

Blend cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins in the bowl of a food processor. Add the pecan halves and pulse until the pecans are 1/4" pieces. 

Unroll crescent dough and separate into triangles. Position triangles next to each other with the points toward the center, overlapping the long sides about a 1/4" - this will form a large round. Where the pieces overlap pinch the seams together in the middle of the seam - leave the ends unsealed so you can fold them. 

Visual example thanks to About.Com

Spread the cream cheese filling around the ring covering the center sealed seam. 

Fold the short side of each triangle toward the center, just covering the filling. Pull the point end of the triangles to fully enclose the filling, tuck under the points and lightly press the seams. 

Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool to room temperature. 

Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk or half-and-half (start with 2 T) and vanilla until smooth. This icing should be thick, so slowly add more liquid. Spoon the icing over the ring and allow it to drip over the sides. If you are using colored sugars sprinkle them in wide swaths across the cake. If using food coloring - separate your icings into three bowls and dye them accordingly and pour over individual sections of the cake. 

When it has cooled, you can push the plastic baby in through the bottom into a slice. Note: Some recipes suggest putting a dried bean into the cake, but this is small enough to choke on and hard enough to unexpectedly break a tooth - either do the big plastic token or skip it all together.