Merry Christmas from The Culinary Capers! And if you don’t celebrate Christmas, then I hope you’re having a fabulous December 24th and 25th off of work, and with family and friends!
My gift to you this year: simplicity in the kitchen. You have stressed yourself out with holiday shopping, unexpected visits, and multiple trips to the grocery store.
But this chocolate pretzel candy couldn’t be any easier. Continue reading
So, I had all this holiday baking planned. Post after post after post of snowman cupcakes, gingerbread houses, santa brownies, and more.
Then I got the stomach bug. I’ve spent some prime Christmas goody-making time huddled under the covers, avoiding anything edible, and cursing my work schedule for packing 3 late nights on top of my already precarious condition.
Best laid plans, right? Continue reading
Yep. I went there.
Right when you were thinking you were off the hook this year. Being mindful about your eating. Avoiding the cheese platter at holiday parties. Sipping your skinny cocktails.
But no, no, no, my friends. You are not escaping the holiday pounds that easily.
Not after I made these. Continue reading
I had planned to make these melted snowman ginger cookies all weekend. It was just fate that it happened on the day we had a foot of snow dumped on us.
Hello, Minnesota Winter. I see you’ve decided to join us this year. Lucky for you I have a kitchen full of candy melts, flour, sugar and spices.
Snow all you want to. I will sit inside and eat so many cookies that I become big enough to be my own snow plow. Who’s winning now, Mr. Snow? Continue reading
Because it’s December in Minnesota, I thought I’d make ice cream.
It’s never too cold for ice cream in Minnesota, doncha know.
Why not make ice cream when I bought my ice cream maker during the 100 degree days we were having in July?
Well, that just would have made too much sense. Continue reading
Baked brie is sort of an obsession of mine. Gooey, melted cheese topped with something sweet, wrapped up in puff pasty? Where do I sign?!
It’s an awesome dish to bring to a holiday party, and it looks gorgeous until people start digging in. Then it gets tricky.
As tasty as it is, baked brie usually ends up becoming a mess. Slicing through the puff pastry layer, and attempting to get the ideal ratio of brie to pastry to sweet topping can be tough to wrangle.
And then you put it all on a cracker. That part always baffled me a little. As I sat there putting pastry on a cracker, I found myself thinking…why? Why am I putting pastry filled with cheese and sweet goodness on a cracker? It’s like putting bread on more bread and putting stuff on top of your double bread.
So, being the plucky problem solver that I am (not that bread on bread is a problem…if you’re into that) I devised a solution. Continue reading
Want to know why people love carrot cake?
Cream cheese frosting.
Let’s be honest with ourselves now. Carrot cake is a great idea. A cake that gets its moist texture from vegetables? Genius! But would you eat it without cream cheese frosting?
Would you really? Continue reading
Gotta love a dish that does double duty. This gratin works well as a side dish (Thanksgiving anyone?) or as a main, paired with some green veggies.
With the abundance of fresh fall produce, and the dark and chilly nights, what’s sounds better than a pan of cheesy, meaty, veggies and fruit? This is comfort food at it’s best. Filling, but not heavy, and loaded with vitamins to beat the winter blues. Continue reading
I don’t know about you, but I was always a fan of cranberry sauce from a can. Maybe it was the shape. Maybe it was the texture. Maybe it was the fact it was sort of (in my younger brain) like apple sauce, and therefore better than the vegetables, but for whatever reason, I have always loved cranberry sauce.
I was first introduced to fresh cranberry sauce while visiting friends in Oxford. Their mom made an amazing traditional roast, and had fresh cranberry sauce as one of the sides. Continue reading
I am a huge fan of unexpected delights when it comes to food. A new twist on a traditional dish brings out the nerd in me, and gets me thinking about new flavor combinations to try.
So when I came across this recipe for apple upside down cake, I had to try it. I adore pineapple upside down cake, with it’s gooey, sweet pineapple top, what’s not to love, right?
Well, before you whip out your old standby upside down cake recipe, seriously consider switching it up.
Because this cake is fantastic. Continue reading
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