If everything goes according to plan, then by the time you are reading this post, I’ll be in sunny Florida, living vicariously through my kids as they take in all the magic of Disney!
In preparation for this family vacation, my kitchen and I worked some serious overtime! I wanted to be sure to bring you this recipe today, because Mother’s Day is one of my favorite holidays (naturally ), and y’all know how much I love to give a home-baked gift.
This one’s gonna be short and sweet, 1) because I have made macarons so many times before on this blog (scroll down and you’ll see), and 2) because I’m trying to pack up a family of four for a week in Florida, people!
The idea is simple: when I think of Mothers Day, I think of mimosas! I’m not sure how it came to be, but in my family, it’s tradition to head out for brunch. I don’t make a habit of imbibing before lunch on any other day of the year, but for some reason on Mothers Day I feel like I have a free pass to get looped on o.j. and champagne….!
My older son is turning 6(!). I can hardly believe it! I can remember so clearly what it was like to be 6, and I really hope that he enjoys this year of his childhood as much as I did mine.
My boys are 23 months apart, so in the YinMom YangMom Allie household, the Spring is all about birthday baking!
Chooch’s number one favorite ice cream flavor is Mint Chocolate Cookie, so we decided to bake him up a cupcake version to share with his kindergarten classmates.
Hi, all! I was really hoping to get this post up a bit sooner, but with my kids being on Spring break things have been a little crazy around the YinMom YangMom Allie house! Like, three play dates in three days crazy! Makes it a little tough to get any work done, lol!
Well, hopefully it’s not too late for you to knock out this project before the Easter Bunny makes her appearance… Could be a great boredom buster this afternoon!
BTW, Easter Bunny: Him or Her? I always thought the Easter Bunny was a “her,” but I know a lot of people call her a “him”…???? What’s the verdict? Do I have it all wrong?
There is so much history and theology surrounding Passover, from plagues and persecution to sacrificial lambs and hopes for the return of a long-lost prophet. Truthfully, I’m nothing but a lowly shikse, who has had the pleasure of a bird’s eye view into her in-laws’ longstanding traditions, so I am not even going to attempt to give a true explanation, for fear that it would be woefully inadequate.
From what I have seen over the last ten years of being a part of a wonderfully close-knit and loving family (that means the world to me), is that this holiday/week-long observance of faith, history, and devotion to God seems to be one of the most important events on the Jewish calendar. And, from a food-nerd’s perspective, it mainly seems to be focused around NOT eating any leavened bread, and in particular, eating LOTS of matzo.
When I first started participating in my husband’s family’s Seder dinners, I didn’t quite get the second part of that. I was all, “How come you don’t just have an omelette for breakfast, instead of subbing matzo for a bagel? Why not just eat a salad for lunch, instead of pb&j on matzo? Can’t you just eat potatoes with your dinner, instead of replacing noodles with matzo kugel?” And, I’m sorry if this offends, but a cake made with matzo meal is just not the same…
I don’t know if anyone out there will disagree, but to me and my hubs, matzo just doesn’t hold a candle to actual bread products. And I think that right there, is the main thing about Passover. Giving up those deliciously satisfying bagels and cakes and cookies for an entire week, and subsisting on dry, flavorless crackers, is an act of devotion to God, and of respect to one’s ancestors. In a way, it’s kind of like Lent. I have a lot of respect for that. I cannot, however, show up at a family dinner bearing a dish that is not delicious. I’m sorry, I’m just not wired like that.
Like I had said, matzoh is extremely dry and has very little flavor. Imagine a saltine without the salt. It takes a lot to make it palatable enough that you’d want to eat a big ol’ hunk of it in casserole form.
I like to rely on copious amounts of veg and dairy products.
I don’t know anyone that doesn’t drool over hot spinach and artichoke dip, so this kugel is made in it’s image…
If you are bringing it to your Bubbe-in-law’s Seder, it can be made ahead! Just ask if you can warm it in her oven when you get to her house.
10 ounces thawed frozen chopped spinach, drained and squeezed of excess liquid
10 ounces thawed frozen artichoke hearts
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ cup freshly grated parmesan
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
Soak the matzo in half and half for about an hour, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the matzos have softened.
In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, cheese, and egg.
Fold in the spinach and artichokes, and season with salt, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper.
Add in the softened matzo, discarding any excess liquid, and stir to combine.
Pour into a well-greased, 9×13″ oven-safe baking dish, and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden around the edges and nearly set in the middle.
Top with freshly grated parmesan.
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You will only need a little square of this side dish, because it is sooo super satisfying and filling…
…and so creamy-cheesy-delish you will forget that you are giving anything up!
Last time we hung out, I showed you the chocolate birthday cake I made for my little one’s fourth (!) birthday.
It was awesome! We had one happy little guy…
…and big brother, Mommy, Dada, Grammie, and Pop all loved it too.
The only down side to that recipe is, Schmoodle’s preschool doesn’t allow chocolate.
whomp, whomp…
I’ve mentioned in prior posts that there’s just something in my chemical makeup that won’t allow me to send my kids in to school with plain old vanilla cupcakes with vanilla icing. So I had a little talk with the birthday boy, and asked him what was his favorite fruit? I wasn’t too surprised when he answered “Strawberries.” (Mama ain’t raisin’ no fool.)
I can’t even believe those words! I guess he will just always be a baby to me…
While his big brother seems forever tortured by want for the latest toy (Disney cars, Toy Story toys, Transformers, Star Wars, and now, Skylanders; there’s always some new or rare figure that he’s dying for), my little one finds happiness with simple pleasures.
Friends. Running fast. His favorite tv show. Making a fort. Riding bikes. Building blocks. Chocolate.
You may remember My Labor of Love, from right around this time last year. Well, this year I’m doing my best to avoid a week-and-a-half-long cake project. I think I have a pretty good shot at that, at least with the little guy.
This recipe is not my own, and while the cake and frosting are my eternal favorite (the chocolatiest, moistest, simplest to prepare, most candy-bar delicious), this post is really more about just taking your own simple favorite, and elevating it with some special tricks to make it drop-dead beautiful.
I guess it was just a matter of time until they came around…
I mean, what’s not to like???
I made these cookies with Bake at 350′s recipe. They are Biscoff cut-outs! Do you know about Biscoff? It’s cookie butter. Like, as in, cookies, not peanuts, crushed up into cookie butter, not peanut butter. I mean… what evil genius came up with that idea? Can you even???
So, the cookies have a creamy kind of texture, like a peanut butter cookie, but the flavor is more caramelly, cinnamony, brown sugary. They are insane! I luuuurrrrrrvvvvve them…!
I’ve made a few minor tweaks to the recipe, as per my scientific findings (see also: How to Bake Cookies that Don’t Spread). You have to try these! Make them ASAP, they will not disappoint!
Yesterday was one of the best days of my life. I’ve been working on my Etsy store for 2 and a half weeks, and yesterday I finished, and launched it! I felt so amazing after I launched it, and then it got better, I made 11 sales.
I’m telling you, the feeling that comes over you when you get an unexpected email saying you’ve got MONEY, is purely a joyful one. I love it. Love it, love it, love it.
Then, it got better. I had a night out, getting mani/pedi’s with a bunch of amazing working mamas, some of whom purchased some of my products on the spot. Cash is nice.
I want to tell you a little bit about this group. A few months ago, a fellow entrepreneurial mama-friend and I set it up, and named it the As-Yet Unnamed Self Starting Moms Networking Group, because we didn’t feel like arguing over a name.
We did this because we have businesses to promote, networking is critical, but were tired of going to stuffy networking meetings, filled with lawyers and insurance salespeople (not that there’s anything wrong with those jobs, they’re just different than what we’re into, and those were the types who were dominating the meetings, so it just wasn’t a perfect fit) who sit around and drink wine and hope something good will come of it. We wanted to do something a little different, and limited it to self-starting mothers. My husband jokes that it’s a little sexist, and he would probably be right, but I wanted it to be a place where women could come together and talk about our deepest fears and dreams, and sometimes it can be intimidating to do that around the opposite sex. We will have specific events that men are invited to, because we really do value their perspective and input, but mainly it’s just us girls.
The reason I’m telling you about all of this is two-fold. I wanted to tell you that it’s completely do-able to chase a business venture without spending a ton of money, Etsy’s just one of the ways, there’s probably a million other great ways to do it, but this one’s good for me right now. It’s making me feel very happy and fulfilled, and I highly recommend checking it out. Also, I want to encourage you to join our networking group on Facebook, because it’s a safe place to connect with other working women and promote your business.
Lastly, I want to leave you with this little piece of graphical wisdom, because it’s something that has been a little difficult for me to grasp over the last year, because I’ve (we’ve) been conditioned to think that money=success and that’s that, but once I practiced, I did grasp it, and it’s been making me very happy, and making me feel very successful ever since.
Chase those dreams, they’re more attainable than you may realize (I’m aware that I sound like a cheeseball, and I don’t care).
I already know what you’re thinking, so let’s get it out of the way right up front:
1) Yes, you can taste the Guinness, and
2) That’s definitely not a bad thing.
When I first saw this recipe on Bitchin’ Camero, I had a feeling it was gonna be bonkers. I mean, dark, rich, malty Guinness, with it’s slight molasses-y sweetness and hint of coffee bitterness, paired with a dense, fudgy brownie?!? Well, DUH!
But, you know, when it comes to holiday baking, I just can’t resist a little lily-gilding…
Sitting here, in my happy place, puttering away, with the sunshine streaming through my kitchen windows, it almost seems like a perfect spring day…
Almost.
Truth is, sunny as it may be, it’s still only February, and the wind chills today are in the teens. Brrr!
Here at the YinMom YangMom Allie household, we are counting down the days until Spring. And, to put a finer point on it, ’til March! Besides being the birth month of my littlest, I’ve always thought that March really is kind of a magical month. When it starts out, it’s just so bitterly cold and raw, you almost can’t imagine that there’s any light at the end of that icy tunnel. But, lo and behold, March always does seem to go out like a lamb! I just love that you can always count on seeing the ground thaw, and those little shoots and buds beginning to peek their little heads out after a long, wintry slumber…
Not to mention that one of my most favoritest of holidays happens to fall in March…
There’s so much fun to be had with food and drink around St. Patrick’s Day! I have lots of yummy St. Patty’s Day treats planned for you guys over the next few weeks. Today I wanted to share my Nutty Irishman Macarons.
), and y’all know how much I love to give a home-baked gift.
