Garlic Scape Pesto

What is a garlic scape? Had I not participated in a CSA (Community Support Agriculture) last year, I too, would have no idea what a garlic scape is. Through our CSA, I’ve become acquainted with many new types of vegetables/herbs, many I would not have known were edible. While we all know that a garlic  bulb is edible (and delicious!), this curly stalk part is as well. Garlic lovers unite! This is a strong garlicky spread, not first date food.

I challenged myself this week to try and cook/eat everything we brought home from the CSA. It’s harder than it sounds. It’s Saturday and I’ve succeeded in eating everything so far except the radishes and pok choy. Not bad. If you do a farm share you’re bound to get garlic scapes and this is a under 10 minute solution for using them. We made this pesto and ate it with some yummy steak we broiled. It would be delicious on roasted chicken, pasta as well or just bread (as shown above). It also looks really cute labeled in little mason jars.

Cute Mason Jar Storage! Sugar Googly Eyes in Jar at Left

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Mint “Add Anything” Ice Cream

Two weekends ago we packed up the car and headed up to Vermont for a super exciting event!! Details to come in future blog post. We tried to be as Vermont-y as possible. We camped, cooked over a wood fire, found a massive bottle of maple syrup and most importantly, visited the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream factory (see photographic evidence below)! I went for a tour of the factory over a decade ago and still talk about it, it’s my own personal heaven.

As a kid I read the Ben & Jerry’s Cookbook as if it was a fairytale. The story opens with the tale of two students who began their decadent empire in a renovated gas station and churned it into a worldwide sensation! After the intro, the book reveals all of the delicious ice cream recipes so any old Harry, Jane or Joanna (ME!) can make them. So far Mint Oreo is our favorite; what’s great about this recipe is you can really mix in anything. We’ve mixed in cut-up brownies. Chocolate chunks and even cake would probably work. You can no longer find Mint Oreo at B&J scoop shops or pints as it’s been renamed Mint Chocolate Cookie, but don’t worry, you can always whip up a batch at home!

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White Chocolate Chex Mix

Pat tried this sweet/salty snack mix at a Christmas party a few years ago and wanted to know why I’d never made it.  To be honest it’s not really my style – I love to bake so mixing a bunch of ingredients together in a large bowl and calling it a day isn’t that appealing.  To Pat, on the other hand, that simplicity was what he liked.  This mix is a delivery system for snacks he loves, held together with white chocolate glue.  The ease of making it came in handy, when we recently had some friends over, and I’d already baked two desserts and wanted to make a third option that wouldn’t take a lot of time.   I looked up this recipe, walked to the store, bought the ingredients, and had it made in less than an hour.

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Minnie Mouse Rice Krispy Pops

A couple of months ago a friend from work asked if I could make Minnie Mouse Rice Krispy treats.  My automatic response, “Of course.”  A week before the party she asked if I could make them as lollipops.  Again, “Of course.”  Have I ever made Rice Krispy lollipops before? No.  But it did not seem difficult.  I’d make a sheet pan of Rice Krispy treats, cut them with a Micky Mouse cookie cutter, put a lollipop stick in them, and then dip them in pink candy coating.  It would be easy.  Or so I thought.

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Peanut Butterscotch Drops

When I bought a box of cornflakes to make cornflake-crusted French toast earlier this week, I was really excited because it meant I had an excuse to make these awesome treats.  I first had them a few years ago when my Auntie Sharon brought them to our Christmas Eve dinner.  I found them completely addictive.    They’re perfect if you need a delicious dessert and only have about 25 minutes to spare, since they’re no-bake and only require three ingredients. Read the rest of this entry »

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Krispies

So it’s really hot in New York.  Really, really, really hot.  Just terribly hot.  And it’s going to be hot for 10 days.  There are a lot of terrible things about the heat.  Being outside is miserable.  Being inside can also be miserable (my office likes to crank the AC so high that it’s like working inside a walk-in refrigerator).  You feel tired before you even make it to the end of your block.  What do I usually do when I’m miserable?  I bake.  Not when it’s 99°.  That’s where no bake recipes come in.  And these chocolate-covered peanut butter krispies are definitely the best no-bake dessert I’ve made this year. Read the rest of this entry »

Mixed Berry Terrine

I’ve wanted to try this recipe for a long time, and the stars finally aligned this weekend.  Berries were incredibly cheap at my local fruit stand and we were cursed with a heat wave in New York City which made turning the oven on impossible.  I’m really disappointed I couldn’t get a better picture of this terrine.  It’s delicious and the picture above really doesn’t do it justice. Read the rest of this entry »

Cookie Dough Truffles

This weekend was my boyfriend and my 2nd anniversary.  I could have made him an elaborate dessert, but the reality is he doesn’t enjoy anything more than chocolate chip cookies.  But I make him chocolate chip cookies all the time.  For our anniversary it had to be something special.  These truffles were the perfect solution.  They satisfy his love of chocolate chip cookies, but were something a little bit different.

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Peanut Butter Fudge

I began baking in college, but it was after I graduated and had a real kitchen that I started baking a lot.   Inevitably when I meet a new person and start talking about baking they say, “I could never make all those treats.  I’d eat them all.”  I understand why people say that.  I love sweets too, but it would be impossible to eat two dozen cookies, a cake, and twelve muffins all in the same week, all by yourself.  It’s just too much food.  When you bake a lot you need to have friends, family, or coworkers to give all of the food to.

That’s where my office comes in.  I’m very lucky to work in an office that has between 30 and 50 people in it everyday.  That means that I can put out whatever I’ve baked the night before and it will be gone in less than an hour.  And no matter what it is, and no matter how bad I think it has turned out, everyone is so nice and thankful.  And it makes me want to bring them more sweets.  This recipe is the first thing I ever brought into work.  Everyone raved.  I never told them that there was Velveeta in the fudge.  At the time I’d only worked there for 3 months.  I thought they would be disgusted and think I was a weirdo.  This week I made it again.  And I told everyone was in it.  And they ate it anyway.  And raved.

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Gingersnap Truffles

This Wednesday was over 80 degrees in New York City.  So naturally my mind wandered to no-bake desserts on my bike ride home.  I do bake over the summer, but definitely less, so I’m always on the look out for tasty no bake desserts.  Another great thing about no-bake desserts is that they’re very accessible for people who don’t bake very often.  When me and Pat did the cookie experiment it really got me thinking about how expensive baking can be if you don’t have all of the ingredients in your pantry already.  This recipe only contains 3 ingredients and doesn’t require any special equipment.

This is all you need.

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