Corn Flake Macaroons

As vintage month comes to end I thought I would adapt an old recipe I found in a Searchlight Recipe Book printed in 1944, sidenote: this book also contains several recipes for squirrel (perfect for wedding receptions). Corn flake macaroons just sounded olde tyme to me. Sure adding cereal to a dessert is pretty normal just ask Snap, Crackle or Pop. But corn flakes? They're one of the oldest types of cold cereal. Honestly I think they should be added to more recipes. It adds just enough of a crunch. 

Corn Flake Macaroons remind me a lot of rice crispy treats. They're both crispy and sweet, but these macaroons have a bit more depth to them, thanks to the coconut and chocolate. So if you're ready to step up your dessert game and impress everyone at the next family event. Let the kids make the rice crispy treats and make an adult dessert instead. 

Espresso Hazelnut Crème Brûlée

I don't mean to brag, but this is the best Crème Brûlée ever, so suck it France! Crème Brûlée is one of the most elegant desserts you can make. Maybe it's the simplicity of its ingredients or the crunch of the burnt sugar that gives way to the creaminess inside. Or it could be that infusing flavors into this classic dessert is like painting on a blank canvas. That, or it might just be that the French know their way around desserts, but that seems unlikely.

Quick shoutout to Oregon hazelnuts!! What what!! That is all. Carry on.

Meatloaf Pie

We're back! And what's the sexiest dish to make for our return? Let's say it together, Meatloaf Pie! Our short little hiatus was nice; I was able to recharge my creative batteries and I even learned the true meaning of Presidents Day. Anyway, what's better than meat? (I'm not asking you, vegans). That's right, meat wrapped in dough! Let's dig in.

Meatloaf Pie

Makes two pies or one pie and a bunch of meatballs

Sesame Seed Sticky Buns

We're taking a lil break! I'm starting up a few new projects including a Podcast! And Katy is going to be in SE Asia for a month, so we're taking a lil break and will be back in March with some more amazing recipes!! So this post is going to have to hold you over for a while.

Yam and Marshmallow Whoopie Pies

Thanksgiving is already upon us. If you follow this blog then you know we've been making Thanksgiving inspired recipes all month and there's no better way to end November than with something sweet. Yams with marshmallows are usually pretty delicious, but the yams turn out too soggy half the time. Instead of making those soggy tubers, make the stickiest damn cookies EVER. If you have kids I highly recommend giving them these cookies. They'll be so sticky that you can just kind of stick them to a wall and not have to worry about them for a while. Or they'll just make everything in your house sticky. Do whatever you want, they're not my kids.

Despite being so sticky that NASA uses the filling to patch holes in the space station, these cookies are pretty damn good to be honest. They're a nice break from the traditional pumpkin and pecan pie and they still feel extremely seasonal too. So now is the time to bust out this new recipe and finally show grandma who's really in charge of the kitchen.

Spiced Apple Cider and Butternut Squash Snickerdoodles

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I'm not going to write a post about how things change with the seasons. It's been done too many times (we get it Ben Gibbard, you're sad). Instead, just enjoy these fun and easy seasonal recipes. If you don't enjoy them, you probably read the recipes wrong. These recipes are like hugs while wearing your favorite sweater... or that warm feeling could just be glucose rushing to your brain.

Spiced Apple Cider

• 1 quart Apple Juice/Cider 
• 2 Cinnamon Stick
• 5 Whole Cloves
• 1/3 cup Dark Spiced Rum (Kraken of kourse)
• 1 Fuji Apple sliced
• 1 1 in. Orange zest

1. Heat everything in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat until the liquid comes to a simmer and your entire house smells like autumn. 
2. Serve in fancy mugs or mason jars and garnish with an apple slice. Then drink to keep the cold weather at bay.

Butternut Squash Snickerdoodles

• 2 3/4 cup A.P. Flour
• 2 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 cup Butter
• 1/4 cup Shortening
• 1 3/4 cup Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon ground
• 1 teaspoon Baking soda
• 1/3 cup Butternut Squash as prepared in this recipe 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400°
2. Mix the sugar (1 1/2 cups of sugar), eggs, butter, vanilla, shortening and butternut together in a large mixing bowl. Mix with one of those new fangled electronicized mixers until the consistency of the mixture is that of canned icing.
3. In a separate bowl sift the salt, baking soda, flour, and cream of tartar together, (if you don't have an extra mixing bowl you can use the hollowed out skull of your enemies). Mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. 
4. In a small bowl mix the rest of the sugar and cinnamon together.
5. Using a kitchen scooper make small dough balls and roll them in the cinnamon sugar. Place the balls on baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and place directly in your mouth. 

Uhh, in conclusion enjoy everything fall has to offer and watch out for cloves in your cider! Enjoy!

All photos taken by Katy Weaver. Check out her site!

Picnic

Where did this summer go? Labor Day is already here and I didn't even get around to half of the summer activities I wanted to do. I guess that skydiving roadtrip pool party will have to wait until next summer. At least the weather is still nice enough to have a picnic, so that's what we did.

Picnics should be simple and relaxing, so I decided to make some simple things to eat. Don't stress about creating an epic meal for your Labor Day picnic. Make something easy and enjoy your picnic and the sounds of dogs, kids, and that squirrel who won't stop making noises in the tree above you. Just drink your wine out of your water bottle and enjoy life.

Homemade Focaccia

• 1 3/4 Cups Warm Water
• 1 Package Active Dry Yeast
• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 5 Cups All-Purpose Flour 
• plus extra for kneading
• 1 tablespoon Salt
• plus Sea Salt (or pink Himalayan salt for sprinkling)
• 5 tablespoons Butter melted
• Olive Oil for drizzling

1. In a small bowl combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Fun fact: sugar makes yeast fart. Put the bowl in microwave for 15 minutes, but DO NOT turn it on. The microwave is a warmish environment that allows the yeast to grow.
2. In a mixing bowl combine the flour, salt, butter and the yeasty sugar water. Combine using a mixer with dough hooks on low speed for 1 minute. Once the dough clumps together crank the speed up to medium and continue kneading for another 5 minutes or so. Knead until the dough becomes smooth and soft. Add more flour to the dough if it becomes sticky and tacky.
3. Finally get around to cleaning off some counter space, and then immediately cover it lightly in flour. Knead the dough by hand once or twice, add more flour if needed.
4. Coat a clean mixing bowl with the olive oil and place the dough ball in the bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and place in microwave with a cup of hot water for at least an hour. The dough should double in size.
5. Coat a casserole pan with olive oil. Stretch the dough out in the pan. Press it out to the edges of the pan. 
6. Preheat the oven to 425. Let the dough rise until the oven reaches temperature. Press little indentations with your finger into the dough, like the picture above. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the dough and be pretty liberal with your oil. Then grind the salt over the dough and then bake for about 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
7. Let it cool before slicing into it. Add any sort of meat and cheese to this bread to make a delicious picnic sandwich. We went with prosciutto and asiago.

Mason Jar Parfait

Serves two

• 2 Shortcakes cubed
• 12 Raspberries
• 3 oz. Dark Chocolate shaved
• Whipped Cream
• 1 1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

1. Using a mixer whip the cream, sugar and vanilla over medium speed for 3 minutes or so.
2. Split the shortcake between two mason jars. Then add some whipped cream, then the raspberries, then chocolate, more whipped cream and top it off with more chocolate.
3. Cap it and there you go, a perfect portable picnic dessert.

Keep your picnic simple and enjoy your Labor Day weekend! These picturesque picnic pics by Katy Weaver