Monday, December 30, 2013

13 Favorite Recipes of 2013

It's almost 2014...can you believe it?? Where did 2013 go?? Like last year, I decided to do a roundup of my favorite recipes I made throughout the year, only sharing 13 faves for 2013, as well as the most popular post of the year. Cute, huh? Sometimes recipes get lost in the back of my mind, so it was nice to go back and sift through this year's posts. Enjoy!!


I am a sucker for a good cheesecake, and this one was probably the best I ever made. It didn't crack at all, and as always, a layer of sweetened sour cream is what takes this cake to the next level. Chris was a happy birthday boy that day!


I'm so glad I went through this past year's posts, because it reminded me of these delicious burgers, which I'll definitely be making soon. I'll be stocking the freezer again, and these are already on the list! They were that good.



Just thinking about this salad makes me yearn for warmer weather. I can't wait until May when strawberries are back in season so I can have this salad again! Definitely one of my favorites.



SO DELICIOUS. I'm going to have to buy a cast iron grill pan for the summer, so I can make this again (made a huge mess using my panini maker/griddler...but well worth it). I love how this recipe makes use of the the remaining coconut milk, so none goes to waste. I've used this idea for rice when making daal with coconut milk too!



I grew up eating cobbler for breakfast (my mom's peach cobbler is the best!), so it was no surprise I loved eating this fruit crisp for breakfast, straight from the fridge with unsweetened greek yogurt and honey. Filling, satisfying, amazing!



Oh man, was this good! Full of stinky cheese and herbs, this was a fancy treat. Since Chris has been gluten free for a while now, I haven't made much pasta lately, but I may have to make this again, even if it's just for me :)



Speaking of gluten-free, this cake is a great option for people who can't eat gluten, and well, everyone! Though the cake is tasty, the frosting was my favorite part. I have a favorite chocolate cake recipe, so I think I'll have to whip one up using this frosting. Maybe once the holiday sugar rush slows down, I'll make one to share with you all!



OMG...I love naan, and this recipe is a good one. It's no secret I love Indian food, and naan is a requirement with all Indian dishes. I froze my batch for the fall, using them for not only sopping up Indian food goodness, but also individual pizzas!  No question, naan is already on my to-freeze list for winter.



Without a doubt, this is the recipe I've made more then any other from this year's list. I just love Indian food (thank you Cincinnati!), and it's so easy to have all the ingredients on hand and throw together on a week night. 



This salad is definitely a favorite. Though it required a little more effort, it was well worth it in the end! I even won an award for it! (though it's not my recipe, it was a favorite in a food blog event I occasionally participate in). Fresh, vibrant, and delicious, it came from one of my new favorite cookbooks (I must get my own copy), River Cottage Veg.



Though my mom's stuffed mushrooms will always be the best, these were pretty dang good. Chris even broke his gluten free kick for a day and demolished about 3 of them, if that tells you anything!



This beautiful chili is now my go-to turkey chili recipe, it's just that good! As I mentioned in the post, I made a version of this last year based off of a vegetarian chili, using butternut squash instead of meat. I'll definitely be giving the veggie version a try in 2014! Don't skip the garnishes, they're the best part!



To end things on a sweet note, these snickerdoodles definitely needed to make the favorites list. They were SO NUMMY. I love a good snickerdoodle!!!

...and without further ado, the most popular post of 2013 is...........



Cold Brewed Iced Coffee with nearly 1,500 pageviews! I'm not drinking much iced coffee these days (too cold...brrr!), but once it warms up out there, many iced coffees will be had.

I hope your 2014 is full of health, happiness, and delicious food. See you in 2014!!

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Chocolate Raspberry Rugelach

I'm home. After finals, work, and 15 nutcracker performances, I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to finally be here, relaxing and soaking it all in. As always, my mom's house is covered in garlands, bows, lights, ornaments, poinsettias, and Santas (some of them even dance!). We're getting ready to do some serious holiday baking around here. So far, the plan is to make some kind of caramel pecan cheesecake (my honey's fave), and cut out cookies (I'm hoping for gingerbread!). However, I have made a promise to make another batch of these chocolate raspberry rugelach, simply because they are so scrumptious, I just have to share!

I know it seems odd, baking a traditionally jewish cookie for Christmas, but they're so tasty, that I just don't care. I made these for some friends of ours in the orchestra, for the arrival of their son returning from Afghanistan. They're having Thanksgiving and Hanukkah to make up for holidays missed with their son, so I definitely wanted to make this for them. They have been so sweet to me and Chris this past fall, that I wanted to do something nice for their son's homecoming. They seemed to be very well received! I also have a bunch left in my freezer back in Cinci, so I can bake some whenever the craving hits. 

Before I sign off, I wanted to take a moment to thank anyone who has taken even a minute to stop by my little blog. It brings me joy to share these culinary experiences with you all, and I am grateful for your time and comments. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas full of love, family, joy, and delicious food. Happy Holidays! 

Chocolate Raspberry Rugelach

Ingredients

Dough
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
8 ounces (1 brick) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour

Fillings
2/3 cup raspberry jam (preferably seedless)
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate or miniature chocolate chips

Glaze
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon water
Coarse or sanding sugar, for sprinkling, or additional cinnamon-sugar

Directions

In the bowl or an electric mixture, beat butter and cream cheese together until they are light and fluffy. In a medium bowl, combine the salt and flour, then pour flour mixture into the mixer. Beat on a lower speed until the flour just disappears. Scrape the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and shape as best as you can into a flatish packet. Wrap well in plastic and chill in fridge for two hours or up to three days. The dough can also be frozen for up to two months.

Once, the dough is chilled, line three large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Heat the jam in a small saucepan until it simmers. This will loosen it, so it will be easier to spread thinly. Set the warm jam aside.

Grab four small dishes. Stir together your sugar and cinnamon in one and set it aside. In your second dish, put the pecans. In your third bowl, put the chocolate. In the last one, whisk together your egg yolk and water until it's smooth. While you're getting organized, so ahead and grab a rolling pin, flour for the  counter, a butter knife or spoon for the jam, a knife or a pizza roller for cutting the dough, a spoon for the dry toppings, a large piece of waxed paper to help set the fillings (I just used my hands lol), and a brush for the egg wash. 

Divide your dough into thirds. On a well-floured counter, roll the first third (the remaining two can go back in the fridge until needed) into a large, thin circle about 12 inches in diameter. It does NOT need to be a perfect circle at all...and odd shaped oval works just fine.  

Spread two to three tablespoons of jam thinly over your dough. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar, 2 tablespoons chopped chocolate, and 1 tablespoon chopped nuts. Use your piece of waxed paper to gently press the toppings into the dough, so that they'll spill out less once rolled. Use your knife to divide the dough into 16 wedges. Roll each wedge tightly from the outside to the center. Transfer the rugelach to the prepared baking sheet-keepong the pointed end of each rugelach tucked underneath and space them 1 inch apart. Pop the tray in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking. 

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Repeat the rugelach-making process with remaining filling and two pieces of dough, then chill the trays in the freezer.

Before baking, brush the rugelach with the egg yolk wash. Sprinkle with coarse sugar or extra innamon sugar. Bake the rugelach for 20-25 minutes, until they are puffed and golden brown. Transfer the rugelach to cooling racks while they are still hot-this is important because the jam that spills out will harden as it cools, making the cookies harder to remove from the paper. Serve cooled or lukewarm.

Recipe source: adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
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