Cheddar, Rosemary and Garlic Pull Apart Bread

Can you believe I've never made any kind of monkey bread or pull apart bread before? I honestly can't tell you why it's never come up but of course that had to be remedied. Typically you probably think of a sweet cinnamon sugar bread when you hear monkey bread but when Red Star Yeast said they'd love to have some new savory pull apart bread recipes, I was on it! I knew right away there had to be cheese and I knew that a good sharp cheddar would be perfect. Then I started thinking what herb would pair well with it and decided on some fresh rosemary. The garlic was a last minute addition but it ended up being the ingredient that pulled it all together and when the bread is toasted, the garlic makes it divine.

Olive Oil Gingersnaps

As much as I like the intricate and more difficult cookies and baked goods around the holidays, sometime you just need a good simple cookie to whip up for a last minute party or event. These gingersnaps are those cookies. They're perfect all year round and are some of my favorite cookies.

Tuscan White Bean Soup

Today at lunch I went for a hot bowl of Tuscan White Bean Soup from the cafeteria at work. Our cafeteria went through a remodel last year and actually serves some pretty decent food. The soups have always been great but this one was extremely underwhelming. Not necessarily bad but really not good in any way. I even had to go get a big side of onion rings to make up for it. 

Super Pecan Caramel Rolls

We survived Thanksgiving and now the mad rush of holidays has begun. I love this time of year and everything that goes with it, especially the food. With more days off from work it means more days I get to make breakfast at home too. We do so many breakfast for dinner nights, it's not like we are lacking for breakfast items but it's just more fun eating it when it's actually for breakfast.

The Kitchen Appliance Solution

As most of you know, we just finished a four month remodel of most of our home. Obviously as a Food Blogger, the kitchen and the kitchen appliances were among my top priorities. We wanted to transform our kitchen into a an efficient use of space that fit our needs and had as much functionality as possible. We went through numerous designs and debated the many different ways to achieve that. A few key issues that that we had to address:

2013 Kitchen Remodel

That was the longest four months of my life. Living in the same house you are trying to remodel, with four kids, working full time, running a company and doing all the work yourself. Sound like fun to you?

Crispy Sweet Potato and Zucchini Pancake

 

If you've seen the recipes I typically post, you obviously know that I'm not Diabetic. But the Virtual Potluck group is celebrating World Diabetes Day and our challenge was to share a diabetic friendly recipe! We're also working with two great companies, Anolon and Microplane so that made the challenge even more interesting. Best part is, you'll be able have a chance at winning the tools that we used for this dish!

Flank Steak Tostadas with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

We are so close to being done with our remodel! The kitchen is pretty much done and it has been so nice to be able to cook again. Countertops... you have no idea what you're missing when they're gone. And now we have 84 square feet of beautiful counter space that is perfect for everything! I've got a whole post coming soon with all the pictures you could ever want, so stay tuned.

Hummus Stuffed Sweet Peppers

Renovation is still in full swing around here so we're doing many quick and easy meals, things in the crock pot and definitely grilling. Grilling means no mess in the kitchen and no stepping over wires and holes in the floor for the duration of the meal.

I love the creativity that the grill opens you up to as well. You don't have to just grill burgers on it. Throw on fruit, veggies or any number of other things and you're sure to come up with a fun meal. Last year I recreated these jalapeno peppers that we had experienced at the state fair. As I was thinking of new ways to use my Sabra hummus and the sweet peppers I had in the fridge, those state fair treats came right back to me.

Music and Movies in the Park with Duff Goldman

It couldn't have been a much better evening than last Thursday night. They had warned of thunderstorms for the evening but they never came about and it ended up being the perfect temperature to spend an evening in the park enjoying some great food and a movie with the family.

We don't get out much to any formal activities lately with all the construction going on, so it was nice to put this on the calendar and force ourselves to take an evening off and just enjoy some time together. I was invited by American Express to attend the recent cardmember event featuring Celebrity Chef Duff Goldman and sponsored by the Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express. There was going to be food trucks, desserts and book signing from Duff and then a movie in the park afterwards. How could we say no to that? This was part of the summer Music and Movies in the park series, which is a great opportunity to get out and see some great movies in some of the amazing parks throughout the city.

Hummus and Edamame Pasta with Caramelized Tomatoes

This dish was the last meal that we made in our kitchen before we tore it out. On Saturday morning our old kitchen looked like this:

Now it looks like this:

We've got a lot of work to do but I can't wait to share the progress with you and hoping it turns out as great as it is in my head!

Wild Rice Bread

 

Even when I don't seem to have time to really cook anything amazing, there always seems to be enough time to bake. Baking is therapeutic to me and I can do it without even thinking about it anymore. It just seems to fit in to your schedule if you allow it to.

For example, I really needed to get this bread made today but had a million other things to do as well. So I get the dough going and then I clean up the kitchen and clean the house during the first rise. Form it in to loaves and then mow the front lawn while it raises. Run inside, throw it in the oven and then finish the back lawn. Take it out of the oven, place it on the racks and let it cool while we run out to the store to finish our kitchen remodel plans.

German Pancakes

This is one of the first recipes that I ever made consistently as a kid. I remember I had the recipe written on a small note card and I would even take it with me when I stayed over at a friends house so that I could make it there. I'd be the star of the show even at 8 or 9 years old.

The ingredients are so simple but combine them and bake and an amazing transformation takes place. The batter rises up out of the pan at each corner creating gigantic crusty crests and then tender dense bread in the center of the pan. It's impressive as you pull it out of the oven but you've got to act fast, it quickly deflates in just a few minutes.

Danish Yeast Rolls

I think out of any type of bread other than your typical loaf of bread, I'm sure I've made cinnamon rolls the most. There's just nothing quite like a fresh from the oven cinnamon roll covered in sticky frosting. I've tried tons of different recipes and never really been disappointed with any. I certainly have my favorites and I love trying different variations of fillings and flavors.

I'm not quite sure what makes this specific recipe "Danish" but it's essentially a cinnamon roll but the filling is only sugar and coconut. I really like coconut and so I was surprised I had never tried this combination before. When I came across it at Red Star Yeast, I knew it was one I wanted to try.

Rosemary-Pine Nut Cookies

I had the opportunity to attend the latest Macy's Culinary Council demonstration here in Minneapolis last week with Chef Nancy Silverton. I love attending these events and getting a chance to see some of these great Chefs up close and personal.

Hummus Stuffed Chicken Breast

I'll admit, before a week or so ago, I had only had hummus once in my life. It was almost embarrassing when Sabra contacted me to say that they've never seen me write about hummus before. I really even didn't know much about it. So they sent me some samples and I can now say that I am much more educated and we are definitely in love! My wife wouldn't even wait for me to get home on the day the box came. She had it opened and already had a favorite before I even walked in the door from work.

Finnish Easter Bread

For our kids, sleeping in is if they make it to 6:30 in the morning. None of our kids have ever slept in and I'm not sure they ever will until they become teenagers and we no longer need them too. We have taught them to get up quietly at least and so they aren't typically running around screaming. At least until 7:00.

I'm always looking for a good bread that can be made for those holiday mornings where you get up early and want to have something freshly made to enjoy for breakfast. Easter is coming up and if you've got kids, it's not likely you're going to be sleeping in any way, so wake up early and get this bread going.

Bruegger's Bagels

Flour, salt, barley malt, yeast and water. That's all that goes into the base dough for Bruegger's bagels that are made fresh every day throughout the country. Simple ingredients that transform into so many amazing flavors and result in a perfectly chewy New York style bagel.

Chicken Pot Pie with Bacon and Butternut Squash

It's Pi day and what better way to celebrate than with a whole assortment of pies!

I remember every year in high school there was always a Pi day celebration and one of the events was to see who could memorize Pi the farthest. I never participated but I was always amazed at how far some people got.

Are you surprised that I'm posting a savory pie today? I kind of am. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to make and I just couldn't think of a sweet pie that I was really craving. Which is also odd. I have been craving chicken pot pie for awhile now though so it kept coming back to me. I had a recipe that I loved that I made a whole bunch a year or so ago but I haven't been able to find it lately. I gave up on finding it so I went exploring the internet for something new. I found this one on Bon Appetit and I thought it would serve as a good base and I liked how it was a bit different than usual.

Chocolate Cinnamon Crisps

I love experimenting with new recipes, especially bread ones. It's amazing how many different things you can make from a few simple ingredients.

Take this recipe from Red Star Yeast for example. All they've done is add some chocolate to the dough and then it's all in how you form the dough in the end. Yet it's completely different than anything I've made before. Almost like a flattened cinnamon roll but the chocolate brings it a whole new direction. The kids loved these, so it's a good thing I doubled the recipe to start with.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

I realize that this recipe is coming out a little too late if anyone was looking to make it for Mardi Gras this year, but it's worth having in your arsenal and it's something you could make any day of the year and be happy with.

When we lived in New Orleans we were introduced to many new foods. Many of them were traditional southern style dishes and I fell in love with the deep richness that so often accompanied the meals we tried. Gumbo was one of my favorites because the ingredients were fairly simple but there was so much depth to it.

Sweetheart Coffeecake

I think I said this last year too, but we're not really big Valentines Day celebrators around here. We'll maybe go out or do something fun but not really into the gifts or anything extravagant like that. More often than not we'll stay in make something fun for dinner together.

I know though that others out there love to celebrate and love to find anything and everything Valentines. If you want to do something a little different this year, I've got this great bread from Red Star Yeast that you can make for breakfast the day of, or make it the weekend before for a special pre-Valentines day kickoff. It's a heart. I mean what else could you ask for if you want something to scream Valentines day.

Borscht

What's the most powerful memory that you have that's tied to a specific smell? I think many of my memories are tied to remembering a specific smell, whether it be the wet streets as it starts to rain in Seattle or the blast of aroma of freshly baked bread as you walk in the door.

One of my favorite parts of cooking is the smells. You start out using a spice like freshly ground nutmeg or crushed garlic. Wonderful smells individually start to come together with other ingredients as you cook or mix them together. Then as something simmers away on the stove top or starts to bake, the aromas fill your home, tempting you with what's to come. I love the anticipation of it, the not being able to fully experience the food yet, but with some smells that are powerful enough, you almost can.

Pineapple Chipotle Mango Guacamole

It's the 14th of January and this is my first post of the year. Two weeks into the year and I feel like it's already been months.

We're launching a new business, completely un-food related, and it's made it a bit more difficult to be in the kitchen. We've been pulling many more of the "breakfast for dinner" or other quick classics to keep us moving along. I'm still planning to keep posting though so don't give up on  me quite yet. Spending time in the kitchen is still a great release, I just have to plan that time a little more strategically now.