Red Velvet Black and White Cookies

Christmas time makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I just put up a fun-sized (read: appropriate size for a 1 bedroom apartment in the greater Boston area) Christmas Tree and our family stocking last night. The Christmas cheer is palpable!

I love going around looking at houses all decked out with lights, and spiral trees, and giant Santa balloons.

I am addicted to eating and drinking all things peppermint and candy cane and chocolate.

My best friend Lisa and I can quote the entire Jim Carrey version of the Grinch. It's so worth it.

Who can forget about the whole presents part of Christmas? There is no better feeling than giving someone a perfect and thoughtful gift that they adore, or receiving a gift that had the same care and thought put into it. People love each other year round, but we really know how to show it in December, don't we?

Then, there's the cookies.

Christmas and cookies. Peanut butter and jelly. Skinny jeans and booties. These are matches made in heaven.

I made these Red Velvet Black and White cookies from Joy the Baker this past weekend. These could not have been baked at a better time. It was like, I was all depressed because it started snowing and life is sometimes so boring and I couldn't get into the Christmas spirit and then BAM! Red Velvet + Chocolate Glaze + Cream Cheese Frosting came to remind me that things are never all that bad.

They reminded me, in fact, that things are usually pretty darn good.

I will absolutely be making these a second time for Christmas with the family in New York. I encourage you to do the same, no matter where your holiday celebrations take you. They are soft and decadent, rich from cocoa powder and chocolate glaze, but also sweet and tangy from the cream cheese frosting. Go forth and bake these, friends! You know you want to!

Parmesan and Herb Butternut Squash Sauce

I know what you're thinking...

2 posts about pasta in a row?! (That IS what you were thinking, isn't it?)

Look, let's just set the record straight. Pasta dishes are just delicious. If it weren't for the abundance of empty carbs and the obesity that would ensue, we would eat pasta all day, every day.

Oh...you wouldn't? Liar. J/K I still love you though.

The one thing that isn't always rainbows and butterflies when it comes to pasta dishes is that they can often seem redundant. Pasta. Sauce. Maybe a veggie tossed in. And some variation of protein. Yadda yadda yadda.

Nowadays, people are looking to answer one big question: how can I lighten up some of my favorite pasta dishes? Whole wheat pasta is a great place to start. I really enjoy the texture of whole wheat pasta. It's a little grainy and stays firm even if you cook it a little more than al dente.

I have also seen a lot of foodies out there branching out beyond traditional sauces like marinara, alfredo, and marsala. One trend that has intrigued me most this season is the use of pureed butternut squash as a substitute for sauce. I've never cooked with butternut squash before, but I am really happy that I tried it!

I used whole wheat rotini pasta (the rotini is one of my favorites because the saucey goodness tends to get trapped in the center of the curls) and mixed it up with sweet chicken sausage and baby broccoli. Add a heaping palm-ful of parmesan cheese to pureed butternut squash along with your favorite fresh herbs, and the result is a sophisticated and out-of-the-box pasta dish.

This whole meal comes together in about 30 minutes (extra bonus!) and the flavors are just bursting in each bite! Even my self-proclaimed pasta fanatic boyfriend went back for seconds and thirds, so I know something went right. Next time you want a comforting meal without the expense of a day's worth of carbs, pick up a butternut squash and give this recipe a try!

Aunt Roe's Bolognese Sauce

Our family said goodbye to an amazing woman a couple of weeks ago. My Great Aunt Roe passed away on November 11th.

Saying goodbye is always hard, though the time we spent with the family allowed everyone to reflect on all the good times -- the laughs, the stories, the visits, the food.

When my sister and I were in middle school, we would spend a lot of time during our summer vacations at "Camp Rosemary." This was a very exclusive summer camp that involved days with Aunt Roe doing puzzles, making crafts from Michael's, watching the Game Show Network and playing around with her Italian Greyhound, Stella.

Aunt Roe loved entertaining and being around others and welcoming friends and family into her home. She always thought to put others before herself--what a gracious woman!

Whenever we visited Aunt Roe, we knew there was going to be some delicious food involved. First, there were her infamous Chicken Cutlets. She would pound out the chicken so thin, and they would be cooked to fried crispy perfection. I will NEVER be able to make chicken cutlets like her--they were addicting! She also made the BEST peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I don't know what her secret was...perfectly toasted bread, an even distribution of peanut butter and jelly, some extra love sprinkled in.

As I started cooking more, she bestowed upon me one of her best recipes...Bolognese Sauce. This sauce is just delicious. A creamy tomato sauce with ground pork and beef, simmered on low until it reaches perfection. I cannot begin to count how many bowls of pasta I have enjoyed that were topped with this sauce and a healthy amount of parmesan cheese.

Cory and I wanted to honor Aunt Roe by cooking up a batch of her bolognese sauce this week. It is warm and loving, just like Aunt Roe. Enjoy it with family and friends, share laughs and good stories, just enjoy each other! Next time you need a pick me up, this is your solution.

Now, before you make this, there are some things we need to set straight.

First, it needs to be topped with a generous helping of FRESHLY GRATED parmesan cheese. None of that powdery bottled stuff. It elevates everything to a level of cheesey Italian euphoria.

Second, none of that whole wheat pasta. Fresh pasta would be best, but otherwise try it with a short cut roni of some kind. Rotini and cavatappi are some of our favorites.

Third, don't try and go all lean here. What I'm saying is, this dish does not want to be made with ground turkey or chicken (it told me so!). Pork and beef. The only options. Got it? Good.

Fourth, warm and toasty bread should be served on the side with a smear of butter. I know what you're thinking...pasta AND bread? SO MANY CARBS. That's OK. We are just going to pause our diet for one night and eat this meal the way it was supposed to be eaten.

The recipe below is enough sauce for 2 pounds (2 boxes) of pasta. That will serve about 6 people very hearty portions. If you are cooking for a smaller crowd, still make the full batch and freeze the second half. These measurements are impossibly annoying to cut in half, and besides, this freezes VERY well. Just defrost all day in the refrigerator when you are ready to use it again.

From my family, to yours. Here it is: Aunt Roe's Bolognese Sauce

Here's what you need:

1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
6 tablespoons of butter (not a typo...6, no more no less)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove chopped garlic
1 medium onion, diced
1 14.5 ounce can tomato sauce
1 14.5 ounce can beef broth
1 10.5 ounce can tomato paste
1/3 cup or more half and half

Here's what you do:

In a large, deep skillet, add the olive oil and sautee the garlic for no more than 1 minute. Melt in the butter over medium heat.

Add in the onions and cook until slightly browned and softened.
Add in the meat. Crumble and cook until browned.
 In a bowl, mix the paste and most of the beef broth.
Reduce heat to low and stir in the beef broth mixture. Add in the tomato sauce gradually, using the remaining beef broth to clean out as much of the sauce and paste from the cans as possible (personal tip from Aunt Roe that she wanted written explicitly in the recipe!).

Cook on low for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the sauce cooks and all the flavors marry together, cook pasta to al dente in a generously salted pot of water.

Just before serving, stir in the half and half. Start with 1/3 of a cup and add more depending on your creaminess desires. I usually don't even measure it. Just pour and stir, pour and stir, in small batches until desired thickness.

For serving, as I always enjoyed it at Aunt Roe's, I like to add this sauce individually to each plate rather than combining all the pasta and sauce together in one pot or mixing bowl. Serve 3 to 4 serving-spoonfuls of pasta and top with 2 to 3 generous spoonfuls of bolognese sauce. Allow everyone to add their own parmesan cheese (but encourage them to go overboard. Just this once).

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Cranberry Baked Brie Bites

Well, Thanksgiving came and Thanksgiving went.

We all ate a little too much turkey, a little too much gravy, way too many slices of pie, and more scoops of mashed potatoes than we care to count.

Despite all of this overeating, one thing is always certain...

No matter how fast Thanksgiving comes and goes, the leftovers are here to stay.

Most leftovers are pretty easy to tackle. Turkey can be made into yummy soups and stews and sandwiches. Mashed potatoes and vegetables make a great base for lunch.

But what about that pesky cranberry sauce?? Is it an easy part of the meal to throw away? Sure. But I say, waste not!

Let's put that cranberry sauce to new use. Let's grab a couple of sheets of frozen puff pastry. Let's put brie and cranberry sauce/chutney/preserves inside. Let's call it---Baked Brie Bites.

I was originally inspired by this Joy the Baker recipe. I'm pretty sure my mouth started watering as I read through the description. I don't tend to have too much jelly/jam/marmalade on hand, but thanks to Thanksgiving (how punny!)--I did have plenty of Cranberry Apple Chutney leftover!

I absolutely recommend serving these hot out of the oven--they make a great appetizer. I have also been enjoying a few of them for breakfast each morning alongside scrambled eggs (it's like an adult bite-sized Pop Tart! Rejoice!).

Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes for Kitty!

 One year ago today, I fell in love.

One year ago today, I think I became a cat lady. I was NOT a cat lady ever before. I was more of a dog lover (sidenote: I still love dogs).

One year ago today, the boyfriend and I took a little trip to the MSPCA Angell animal shelter around the corner. We just wanted to "check out the place," see what the shelter had to offer, see what the process was to adopt. We were foolish.

One year ago today, this darling face stared up at me, cradled in my arms in the cat room. His eyes said "please take me home with you."

One year ago today, we signed some papers and we took him home.

I think pets are such an important part of our lives. They offer a kind of love that's different from human love but just as endearing. They don't care what you wear or what you say or where you live. They just want to be near you.

Our cat, Dot, is funny, handsome, mischievous, and just a bundle of joy. He's ALWAYS hungry (like mother, like feline).

Sometimes he makes me really mad. Like the 3 times he has ripped holes in our new windowshades because there was a moth taunting him. Or that one time when I was sound asleep and he dumped an entire glass of water on my head. Or the way he knocks over any decoration or cup or vase simply because it's there. Or all the holes he has made in the screens when he tries to get at the birds flitting around outside. For shame, kitty cat.

But when he isn't making me mad, he makes me laugh. Like when he yawns these big giant yawns (because staying home sleeping all day and then resting afterwards is hard work), or when he literally watches what's playing on the tv, or when he begs for chicken even though I'm cutting up carrots, or when he chases around his own furballs because he thinks it's a mouse, or when he jumps in the dryer.

So one year ago today we welcomed this handsome boy into our home and we couldn't be happier. And I thought the occassion called for something special. Cupcakes are always special. And since it's Thanksgiving (tomorrow!!) pumpkin cupcakes seemed like a logical choice.

Special pumpkin cupcakes for Dot's one year adopt-iversary and 2nd birthday!

You can mock me, but just this once.

Crispy Sweet Potato Ravioli

Thanksgiving is pretty much here.

Let that sink in for a second.

This past weekend, we decided to host a “Friendsgiving” at our place. The holidays can be really crazy, so it was great to have everyone together!

Either because I am crazy or because I just love food that much, I thought it would be seriously adorable to do Thanksgiving dinner-themed appetizers. So, this wasn’t your typical dinner party. But it paid homage to turkey day. That’s all that matters.

What was on the menu you ask!? Well, obviously there was the bird. AKA, Turkey sliders topped with brie cheese and my Cranberry Apple Chutney. I added whole wheat breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, an egg, and chopped rosemary along with salt and pepper to the ground turkey and formed them into small burgers. So tart and savory and bite-sized cuteness!

Then there was the starch. And on Thanksgiving, that starch had better be sweet potatoes (in my humble opinion). I made crispy sweet potato ravioli. These were a HIT. The recipe is a secret below for your holiday appetizer pleasures!

We also had a veggie. And it was green beans. In particular, it was the traditional Cambell’s soup/French’s crunchy onion green bean casserole. Everyone knows it. Everyone loves it.

Our friends were also generous enough to provide other apps and desserts and they are all amazing! We love them!

Oh, and how could I forget. The holiday cocktail! Spiked hot apple cider. That is, one gallon of apple cider, 2 cups of dark rum, 1 orange (sliced in half) and 3 cinnamon sticks simmering away all day in the crock pot. A total winner! You can simmer it on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 or so, then leave it on the “warm” setting while serving! Cinnamon and sugar rims are a totally necessary addition that everyone will be bubbling about.

I think I’m finally getting into the holiday spirit. Christmas shopping, and eating sweet potatoes until I can’t get off the couch, and drinking hot cider or peppermint mocha lattes. We can’t fight it, let’s just accept it! If the holiday spirit still eludes you, try a batch of these Crispy Sweet Potato Raviolis—Fall has never tasted so good!

Cranberry Apple Chutney

There is something about the combination of savory and sweet that makes me want to do a little food dance. The dance would serve two purposes: it would first express, where words fail, how much I LOVE sweet and savory; and second, it would burn a few calories that I most likely consumed while enjoying something sweet and savory.

I think it is this combination that makes Thanksgiving turkey bearable for me. What I mean is, I don't want super dry turkey unless I have some kind of cranberry sauce to dip it in. Turkey, savory. Cranberry, sweet and tart.

I have to say, I am not completely appalled by cranberry sauce in a can. First of all, it's HILARIOUS to me to see a mold in the unbecoming shape of a can just sitting amongst all the other delicious Thanksgiving dinner dishes like it belongs there. Seriously, the sight makes me want to laugh out loud.

I saw cranberries in the grocery store recently and realized that it would be wrong of me to let the Thanksgiving season come and go without trying out my hand with those pretty little berries. And I wanted to make a Thanksgiving Turkey slider for a party I'm hosting this weekend. And so I thought...turkey slider, topped with homemade cranberry chutney. Thanksgiving in one bite!

This chutney would be great in a variety of ways. First, of course, it would be most delicious on a turkey burger or a leftover turkey sandwich. Shake it up with some olive oil and make a sweet salad dressing out of it. Serve it with some crackers and brie for a very sophisticated cheese plate! The opportunities are endless for this tart and flavorful chutney!