Peppermint pattie cookies

Let the cookie baking begin. What better excuse than the holidays? As soon as we finish eating one batch, I'm onto the next. Some batches may overlap. In need of a cookie? Come to our house. I can guarantee that we will have cookies through the New Year. As of right now my cookie baking list looks like this: these peppermint pattie cookies, sugar cookies, soft gingersnap cookies, rugelach pinwheels, peppermint fudge, and peanut butter blossoms. I reserve the right to add other batches as I see fit.

These cookies! I'm pretty excited about these cookies. I'm worried I started off on such a high note all other cookies will disappoint in comparison. I love these cookies! First, the cookie itself is super chocolaty and dense. I could eat them on their own. Then add the smooth and creamy peppermint frosting and you will need nothing else in life. Nothing! I promise. Need some holiday cheer? Look no further. 

Peppermint pattie cookies

Adapted slightly from How Sweet It Is, makes about a dozen cookies 

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (my all time favorite is Valrhona cocoa powder) 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt 

10 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 egg and 1 egg yolk 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Peppermint pattie frosting 

2 cups powdered sugar 

1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened 

3 tablespoons evaporated milk 

1/4 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 teaspoon peppermint extract 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two baking sheets

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. 

In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter and sugars until combined. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and whisk until combined. Using a spatula stir in the chocolate chips. 

Add dry ingredient to the wet ingredients and use a spatula to combine. 

Roll cookie dough into 2" balls and place on your baking sheets. Cake for 8-10 minutes. You want to bake the cookies until they have just set. Lean towards less bake time than more. You want your cookies to stay fudgy. Let cool completely. 

While the cookies are cooling, make your frosting. In a medium bowl,use an electric mixer beat together powdered sugar, butter, evaporated milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Beat until smooth. Spread the frosting over the cooled cookies. 

Thai pork lettuce wraps + bonus holiday DIY decoration

Yesterday Blake caught me crafting again. I believe I have mentioned this new affinity I have for home decoration and projects. It freaks Blake out a little. It freaks me out a lot. I now know what it means to decoupage. Oh goody.

What was I decoupaging you might ask? More likely you're not asking. Also, who knew decoupaging was a verb? Not me. I made this darling little Christmas tree, which I framed and now hangs on my entry door in place of a wreath. Did I say darling? You bet I did. Darling is a word reserved for crafters. 

The holiday spirit has taken over my life. I intend to be armed at all times with a glue gun for crafting and spatula for cookie making until December 25th. I'm sharing this tree project with you below because it was easy and fun. If you too have always dreamed of decoupage, this is the project for you. 

When you are in the throes of glue sticks and sequins, you need an easy dinner. Enter Thai pork lettuce wraps. Really yummy Thai pork lettuce wraps with a sweet coconut milk, peanut, and chili sauce glaze. 30 minutes and you have yourself a meal. Did I mention it's also fairly healthy? Let's all be honest a healthy dinner never hurts during the holiday season, when my moto becomes a holiday cookie a day keeps the doctor away. 

Thai pork lettuce wraps

Adapted from Seriously Delish, serves 4

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup sweet Thai chili sauce 

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar (you can sub white wine vinegar) 

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Juice of 1 lime

3 tablespoons brown sugar 

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin chops, chopped into bite sized cubes 

1/2 cup carrots, sliced (about 2 medium sized carrots)

1 head butter lettuce

1/4 cup roasted and salted peanuts

In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together coconut milk, sweet Thai chili sauce, rice wine vinegar, peanut butter, lime juice, brown sugar, garlic, and crushed red pepper until combined. Whisk occasionally for 3-5 minutes until sauce slightly thickens and set aside. 

Sprinkle salt and pepper over your pork. In a medium saute pan over high heat, heat olive oil. Add pork and cook until browned on both sides, 4-5 minutes a side. Add carrots halfway through browning the pork. Stir occasionally. Once the pork has browned, stir in 1/4 cup of your glaze. Stir until all the pork and carrots are coated and remove from heat. 

Using the butter lettuce as a cup add your pork and peanuts. Use the extra sauce for dipping. 

Christmas tree frame for doorway 

Tree adapted from Better Home and Gardens

8" by 10" frame 

1 piece of white poster board cut to 8" by 10" 

Pages from an old book 

4 tablespoons white glue (Elmer's)

4 tablespoons water 

Paint brush

Hot glue gun

1 yard of green lace or thick ribbon (whatever you would like to make your tree from)

Sequins, buttons, or anything shiny to decorate your tree

Lay down some newspaper. 

Cut out 5-7 pages of an old novel. Plan your layout on your poster board. You can crisscross the pages any way you like. They will be your background. 

Mix together your white glue and water. Brush the glue mixture over your poster board and carefully lay your book pages over the sticky poster board (to the best of my knowledge this is more or less decoupage). You will need to add more glue for any overlapping pages. 

Lay your lace or ribbon back and forth across the posterboard to make your tree shape. Once you know what you want this to look like hot glue down the ribbon. 

Glue on any sparkling ornaments. Place in your frame and hang on a wreath/frame door hanger (can be found at most craft stores) on your door. 

Garlicky Collards and Sausage with Jalapeno Cheddar Grits

This dish stemmed from my desire to cook something veggie packed this week. Blake had to point out that including sausage and cheddar in grits may negate some of the value of all the greens. I just call that a balanced meal. I wouldn't want to shock my body by taking all the cheese out of dinner. It's only a little cheese after all.

Southern food tops my list as an area I want to explore further as a cook. It's also an area I want to explore some time in person. I want to drive across the south and eat po boys, biscuits, grits, and BBQ. Give me all the biscuits! Until then I will settle for experimenting at home, which is half the fun of cooking anyway.

The grits in this dish are everything you want, creamy, hearty, and a little cheesy with some heat. That makes them the perfect accompaniment to the collards swimming in garlic with a bright touch of apple cider vinegar. A pretty easy dish that after about 20 minutes of prep, requires only the occasional stirring. A nice way to get a load of greens in without being too healthy. 

Garlicky collards and sausage with jalapeno cheddar grits

Collards slightly adapted from The Kitchn 

Jalapeno cheddar grits

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced

2 cups milk

2 cups water

1 cup grits

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese

Garlicky collards and sausage

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 links of your favorite sausage, pre cooked and cut into 1/2" rounds

2 yellow onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

1 teaspoon salt

2 bunches collard greens, cut into ribbons

3 cups chicken broth 

1/2 cup dry sherry (you could sub a dry white wine)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

In a medium sauce pan over medium high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the jalapeno and cook 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour in you milk and water and bring to a boil. Once boiling add grits and cook 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. Let grits cook 40 minutes, stirring every 7 minutes or so. 

Heat tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add sausage and brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes a side. Add onion, garlic, paprika, red pepper flakes, and salt to the pan. Cook for about five minutes, until the onion begins to soften. Add the collard greens and let wilt slightly. Pout in chicken broth, sherry, and vinegar. Stir to combine. Lower heat to low and cover with a lid. Let simmer for 30 minutes.  

Stir cheddar, salt, and pepper into grits right before eating. Serve collards over the grits. If you have leftovers, reheat the grits with a little milk to make them creamy again before eating. 

Sticky Thai BBQ pulled pork sandwiches with slaw

On any given day, I have about 100 different cravings. Chocolate, something spicy, pizza, pickles!
Thus, around and around goes my mind. This makes deciding what to cook for dinner a difficult task. Usually I have to consult Blake, which goes a little something like this:

Me, "Pizza with figs, blue cheese, and prosciutto for dinner or burgers with goat cheese, roasted peppers, and date spread?" (Yes, the options are almost always this healthy.)

Blake, "Both. With a side of broccoli." (Broccoli always balances out the other poor decisions.)

So I'm back to not knowing what to cook for dinner and then inevitably throughout the day a third option comes to mind. No decision can ever be made. This also means I find myself at the grocery store at a minimum of every other day to meet whatever cravings may come. Luckily I love my grocery store. Mostly because of the samples. The more samples the merrier. Especially cheese samples.

On the day I made this meal, I was craving a sandwich and pork. Easy enough to combine with endless possibilities. The original recipe that inspired this Thai BBQ sauce, slathered ribs with the sauce. Also, a good option. I love the sweet and slightly spicy balance of this sauce. I love the thick stickiness. The slaw provides the perfect counterpart to the sweetness. I also love throwing pork in the crock pot in the morning and having my meal almost ready when I return home from work. This is the beauty of the slow cooker. This sandwich is hearty and assuredly will fill many a craving on a cold winter's day.

Sticky BBQ Thai pulled pork sandwiches with slaw 
Serves 4, Thai BBQ sauce adapted from Half Baked Harvest

1 1/2 pounds boneless pork chops
1 1/2 cups sweet Thai chili sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste (in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores)
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Slaw
Medium head of cabbage, shredded
2 medium carrots, grated
1/4 onion, grated
1/4 cup mayo
3 tablespoons mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Thai BBQ Sauce 
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup sweet Thai chili sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
Juice of one lime
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
4 ciabatta rolls
Bread and butter pickles (optional)

Whisk together sweet Thai chili sauce, soy sauce, red curry paste, garlic, and pepper. In a crock pot, pour sauce over pork chops. Cook in slow cooker on medium for 4-6 hours. Once pork is done pull into strip using two forks.

While the pork is cooking, prepare the slaw. Mix together shredded cabbage, carrots, and onion. Whisk mayo, dijon, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pour over the top of the cabbage mixture and mix until coated. This is best done at least one hour before you plan to use it. Can be made the day before and stored in the fridge. 

About 10 minutes before you plan to eat, make your BBQ sauce. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add you jalapenos and cook strirring occasionally until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add the soy sauce, ketchup, peanut butter, sweet Thai chili sauce, rice wine vinegar, and lime. Stir until just combined. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro.

Pour BBQ sauce over your pulled pork. Toast rolls. Layer pork, slaw, and pickles over the roll. 

Lemon Thyme Creme Fraiche Potato Soup

Today I'm going to tell you a love story. Who doesn't enjoy a good love story? It has to do with potato soup. Oh the possibilities when potato soup is involved. Alright it's about more than potato soup. Really it's about a love that came together over a mutually shared admiration of food (and the outdoors) and the food that continues to sustain that relationship. Because if it's about love, of course it's about food and Blake. Don't worry I didn't forget my husband.

When Blake and I began dating we got to know one another over shared meals, which included dates at restaurants, cooking together, and watching the food network. This is not different then most relationships begin. Whether we are cooking or eating out, food gives us the opportunity to put the brakes on all the noise and chaos that fills our everyday. Sharing meals allows us to have conversations, in a world where conversations have become fewer and further between. Over each meal Blake and I learned more about the other's vision of life and learned that our visions were much the same. Those meals began everything.

Those meals and weekend adventures in the great outdoors still sustain everything. With Blake at law school and me at work, time is limited. Twice a week we drop everything to hang out. Date night and hiking Sundays are sacred in this house. For date night this week, we went to a wine/beer paired walking dinner. Six courses each paired with a wine or beer from a different place. We had conversations. As it does every week, it reminded me how much I like talking to Blake, especially over an excellent meal. Yes, I still like talking to him. This is good news.

During this meal we had velvety potato soup with a dollop of lemon thyme creme fraiche. I loved it so much I immediately went home and attempted to recreate it. This soup is thick and hearty. Perfect for a cold night. The lemon creme fraiche brightens it up. The chard adds some texture. It's a way to eat a bowl of mashed potatoes for dinner and call it a meal. This soup is just one part of my favorite love story.

Lemon Thyme Creme Fraiche Potato Soup
Serves 6

1 head of garlic, roasted
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet onion, sliced
6 medium sized yukon gold potatoes, diced
4 cups chicken broth
8 ounces creme fraiche (sour cream can be subbed)
Zest of one lemon + 3 tablespoons juice
2 teaspoons thyme
1 bunch swiss chard, chopped
1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
1 teaspoon pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Chop off the top of the garlic to expose the cloves and wrap the garlic in foil. Roast for 40 minutes. If you don't have the extra 40 minutes, you can mince the garlic and cook it with the onion and potatoes. Roasted garlic has a caramelized sweet flavor that's pretty magical so I recommend it.

Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Add your potatoes and onion and cook stirring occasionally until the onion has softened, 7-8 minutes. Add your chicken broth and increase heat to high to bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to medium. Simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 10 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, in a small bowl whisk together creme fraiche, lemon zest and juice, and thyme.

Using an immersion blender or regular blender puree the soup. I wanted mine smooth but you can blend yours to your prefered consistency.

Once pureed, add back to the dutch oven over medium heat. Mix in half the creme fraiche mixture and greens. Stir until the greens have cooked down. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche on top.

Sweet potato pie with praline topping and gingersnap crust

Dearest Colorado you still manage to surprise me. Usually in the best possible ways. For example, on Sunday, Blake and I drove up to the mountains and turned on a road we had never been down before. We do this every week. Take to the mountains and hike. We have turned down many roads and been greeted by beautiful things. What still amazes me is how many beautiful places we have yet to see in this state. How many nooks and crannies we have yet to explore.

This road led to a stunning gulch that ended in magnificent James Peak towering 13,000 feet over the valley floor. The temperature was 40 degrees. Warm for that elevation in November. The winds matched the temperature at about 40 miles per hour. Not the most peaceful hiking but we had fun. We saw something new. We got out of the car and were surrounded by nothing but wilderness. Thank you Colorado for these gifts.

Our Sunday adventure 

But of course what Colorado giveth it also taketh away. For example, yesterday morning I ran in shorts in 63 degrees. An hour after my run the temperature dropped 30 degrees and it began to snow. Now I am staring at a few inches of snow of the ground and it continues to fall. Oh Colorado, you are so silly.

I'm learning to embrace snow. Trying my darndest. It's pretty, right? Peaceful. It demands I drink hot chocolate. At the very least I like hot chocolate. It also means Thanksgiving pie season is upon us. This pie is a lot of good things rolled into one. I love the gingersnap crust with the sweet potato. So much more interesting than your average flaky pie dough and so easy. Mix some gingersnap crumbs with butter and you are on your way. The praline topping was a favorite component in our house. A little extra crunch and awesome caramelized flavor. You can double it and spread it all over the top of the pie. I would do this. The more topping the better. Watch out boring Thanksgiving pie! This pie brings some excitement back to dessert.

Sweet potato pie with praline topping and gingersnap
Crust adapted from Joy the Baker, filling and praline adapted from Sunset Magazine

Filling
2 pounds sweet potatoes
3 large eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Gingersnap crust
2 1/2 cups gingersnap crumbs
5 tablespoons melted butter

Praline topping 
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon  bourbon (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup rough chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pierce sweet potatoes with a knife all over. Bake in a shallow baking dish until for tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool and puree flesh (no skins) in a blender.

While the sweet potatoes are baking prepare your crust. In a food processor or blender, pulse about 4 cups of gingersnaps until they are a fine powder. Mix crumbs together with butter. In a 9 inch greased pie dish, press the gingersnap mixture with your fingers or the back of a large serving spoon into the dish and up the sides. The spoon works well for the center and your finger work well for the sides. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups of the sweet potato puree, eggs, butter, sugar, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, allspice, and nutmeg. Pour into crust and level. Wrap rim of pie dish with 4 strips of aluminum foil. This keeps the exposed crust from burning.

Bake for 30 minutes. While the pie is baking, whisk together all the praline topping ingredients.

After 30 minutes, remove the foil from the pie and spread praline topping around the edges. Bake another 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely. About an hour.

Potato "Enchiladas" with Chorizo and Peppers

Initially I was going to talk about a thai brussel sprout salad today but then I realized if I talked about brussel sprouts twice in less than a month, you may all stop reading. So instead I layered some sliced potatoes with chorizo, greens, and peppers, and smothered it with enchilada sauce and cheese. Way more fun than brussel sprouts.

This dish has been on my mind for awhile. I love potatoes. I wanted a way to eat a whole slew of them and call it a meal. I wanted it to have a southwestern feel. The beautiful thing about cooking is that you can make anything you crave a reality. No one is going to tell you no. Dream big dreams.

I dreamed big dreams with this dish and was wholly satisfied. Essentially it's like potatoes gratin without the milk and add in some enchilada sauce and spicy chorizo. We ate half the casserole dish in one night and were simultaneously disgusted with ourselves and delighted. Once again this is one of those recipes you can make your own. Not a fan of chorizo? Do it with chicken or ground beef. Want it a little less spicy? Cut the peppers. Add other vegetables. The world is our oyster.

Potato "enchiladas" with chorizo and peppers 
Serves 6 reasonable people

1 pound chorizo
1 medium red onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 anaheim or bell peppers, chopped (pick your favorite pepper variety)
2 jalapenos, minced (or 1 for something more mild)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 cups spinach
1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, sliced about 1/4" thick
1 (28 oz) can enchilada sauce or you can make your own, I used this recipe
2 cups grated sharp cheddar
Avocado, sliced
Hot sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a nonstick pan over medium high heat, add chorizo and cook stirring occasionally for about 3-4 minutes. Add your onion, garlic, and peppers to the pan and stir occasionally, until vegetables just begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook about 1-2 minutes until just wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, pour off excess grease, and set aside.

Coat a 9" by 13" baking dish with nonstick spray. Layer the bottom of the dish with a 1/3 of the potato slices. Spread a 1/3 of the enchilada sauce over the potatoes, sprinkle half the sausage and pepper mixture and half the cheese over the potatoes and sauce. Take another 1/3 of the potatoes and layer over this. Spread 1/3 of the enchilada sauce and rest of the sausage mixture over the top. Do your final layer of potato slices and smother with the rest of the sauce and cheese.

Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly. Serve with avocado and hot sauce.