Gingerbread House

This weekend, I was in St. Louis to visit Bri.  We had one super fun Saturday...check it out!

Bri's and my gingerbread home! 

Of course, Bri found a list of the most "life changing pizzas."  And, of course, one of the places was located in St. Louis.  So, we just had to go there for dinner!  The place is called Pastaria and aside from great pizza, they have all sorts of yummy soups, salads, sides, and pasta! It was a great place to go for dinner and we had a lovely evening.  We agreed that the pizza was extremely yummy.  The crust was fantastic!  Also, we tried some soup and their risotto balls.  Everything was delicious.  Cue the food:

Earlier that day, we put together our very first gingerbread house! We made the cookie pieces from scratch as well as the icing and then we got to decorating.  It was such a fun day!

For the gingerbread, we used Martha Stewart's recipe.  We made more than enough dough and so I saved half of it for a future gingerbread creation.  Then, we also used her Royal Icing recipe.  Everything was fairly simply and we ended up with one great looking home.

Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Cranberry Sauce Topping

This is the perfect Christmas Cheesecake.  It was absolutely amazing!  I was shocked at how creamy this guy was, but also how light it was.  Plus, the beautiful cranberry topping put this cake over the top.  I am going to make this again!  However, I am celebrating Christmas at my aunt's house and she is lactose intolerant.  Maybe cheesecake isn't the best dessert to bring over there...

Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Cranberry Sauce Topping (adapted from Dash of East)

Ingredients:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
4 tbsp unsalted butter, browned
16 oz low-fat cream cheese
12 oz goat cheese
1 cup sugar
zest of one lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
12 oz fresh cranberries, rinsed
1 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 and lightly grease a 9 inch spring-form pan.
2. Brown butter in a saucepan: over medium  heat, melt butter and then continue to swirl for a few minutes or until it is lightly browned and fragrant.
3.  In a bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, oats, and brown butter together.  Press the mixture into the bottom of your pan.  Bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove and let cool.
4. Reduce the oven heat to 325.
5.  In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese with the goat cheese until well combined.  Scrape down sides and add in the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  Beat until well combined.  Scrape down sides and mix in the eggs one at a time until well combined.  Beat in the vanilla.  Scrape down sides and continue to beat for another minute or two.  Pour mixture over your crust and bake in the oven for about 60 minutes.  Sides should be firm and middle can be slightly wobbly.  Remove and let cool.  Cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
6. Make the cranberry sauce: Place the cranberries, orange juice, sugar, and spices in a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat.  Stir and bring to a boil until all the cranberries have popped.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Mixture will thicken.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Top cheesecake with the cranberry sauce.

Enjoy :)

Maple Pumpkin Souffles with Maple Whipped Cream

If you are ever in St. Louis, you need to go to Jilly's Cupcake Bar & Cafe.  I have been to St. Louis a ton and I can't believe that I just went for the first time!  They were winners on Cupcake Wars and they have been ranked one of the best cupcakes in America on The Daily Meal.  Bri and I went there for lunch and had food as well as cupcakes.  Everything was amazing, but beware, the cupcakes are gigantic! I was amazed at how big they were.  However, the cake and frosting is surprisingly light.  Somehow I managed to devour the entire thing.  We got the Reese's Chunkage and Peppermint Stick.  It was crazy good.

Now, I know that October is way over, but today's recipe is sort of like a flashback.  During October, I went a little pumpkin crazy.  I love pumpkin and so I made a ton of stuff with it.  However, I still had one can of pumpkin left over and so today's recipe had to happen.  The "future teachers" were told that we should treat ourselves in some way after the recruitment fair.  My mind immediately traveled to dessert.  I came home and Casey and I made Pumpkin Souffles and then topped them with maple whipped cream.  This recipes is really good, super simple, and amazingly light (sort of like those cupcakes).  I guess they our on my mind because I love little treats that don't make you feel absolutely terrible after you eat them.  In fact, these pumpkin souffles could be a breakfast item.  They have no flour and use light maple syrup instead of sugar.  Crazy right?  You have to try these!

Pumpkin Souffle (adapted from Serious Eats)

Ingredients:
4 eggs, separated
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
3 tbsp light maple syrup
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of salt
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp maple syrup

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 and lightly grease 6 6 oz ramekins.
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks, pumpkin, and maple syrup.
3.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.  Mix a heaping spoonful of the egg whites into the pumpkin mixture and stir to combine.  Then pour the pumpkin mixture into the egg whites and, using a spatula, fold gently until just combined.  Divide the batter amongst the ramekins.
4.  Place ramekins on a baking tray and place in oven.  Immediately reduce heat to 350 and bake for 25 minutes.
5.  While they are baking, in a large bowl, beat the cream until stiff peaks.  Mix in the maple syrup.  Top finished souffles with the whipped cream.

Enjoy :)

Roasted Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts

This semester has been so hectic for me.  When I saw that I had a chance to leave for a weekend, I got really excited! I decided to visit Bri in St. Louis for the weekend and it worked out that my best friend, Michael's group would have their fall show while I was in town! In order to get in at a good time, I was going to have to leave pretty early on Friday.  So, I drove to Chicago Thursday night to see my family acapella because then I would be able to leave earlier on Friday and have a slightly shorter drive.  Plus, I really wanted to see my parents!

Thursday was great!  After my Methods class, I drove home.  As soon as I got home, we went out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and then had Swirlcup for dessert.  It was a great evening and I really loved getting to see my parents.  My mom and I watched Grey's Anatomy and Glee and I was able to pick up some stuff that I needed to take back to school.

Friday morning, I woke up and went for a great 5 mile run, showered, and then got ready to get on the road to St. Louis.  I arrived around 3:30 and then Bri and I met up with his friends around 5:30 for dinner at the Fountain.  This is Bri's favorite restaurant.  They have great food and amazing desserts.  Bri tried their Thin Mint Martini which is made with mint ice cream and I had the NuttyIrishman for my dessert.  Coffee ice cream, hot fudge, and pecans.  Yum!  It was a really fun evening.  I can't wait for tomorrow!

Today's recipe is all about veggies.  It is a fantastic side dish and will look great on the holiday table.  I made this for my sister's Thanksgiving, but I'm probably going to be making it again for my Aunt's Christmas party.  I found a recipe on the Food Network that was all about roasting potatoes and then I adapted it to incorporate brussel sprouts as well.  Brussel sprouts are great because they are in season and they add awesome color to your dish.  This dish was super yummy and a huge hit!

Roasted Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts (adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:
3 lbs. russet potatoes
3 lbs. red potatos
4 lbs. sweet potatoes
5 lbs brussel sprouts
3-4 tbsp canola oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
3 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.  Wash the potatoes and chop into 2-inch thick pieces.  Place in a pot, cover with water and let boil for 10 minutes.  Drain potatoes and spread them out on a baking pan in one layer.  Drizzle 2 tbsp of canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Toss the potatoes to combine and then spread them back out. Place in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until potatoes are crisp.
3.  Wash the brussel sprouts and cut off the white ends.  Remove any yellow leaves.  Place on another baking sheet in one layer and drizzle the rest of the canola oil, salt, and pepper over the sprouts.  Toss the combine.  Place in the oven for about 30 minutes or until sprouts get crispy.
4.  While your veggies are roasting, mix the butter with the parsley, thyme, and rosemary.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Place in a container and refrigerate until you are ready to serve the dish.
5.  When the veggies are done, place in your serving dish.  When ready to serve, make sure they are warm and then drop spoonfuls of the butter into the veggies so that it melts.  Toss to combine and serve!

Enjoy :)