Food Archives

October 20, 2016

Snickersnaps

A few years ago, I was a leader in my college group and had made it my personal mission to find someone to pull under my wing. I have no idea why I felt like I needed to transition into Mr. Miyagi, but I did, and there was a new crop of freshman coming in to Davis that year, and I knew my little guy was in there somewhere. I had no idea that I would indeed find a freshman to love, mentor and spend time with, but that she would be significantly taller than me, and I’d only get to keep her for a year. To this day, she is still one of my favorite people to snapchat with, and I can’t make Snickersnaps without thinking of her, because we made the very first batch together in my tiny South Davis kitchen.

I’ve since found a few recipes on Pinterest that are somewhat similar, but most of them use powdered ginger, and I can’t in good conscience, make a cookie that way. (#gratedorbust) Fresh ginger, molasses and my Aunt Charlene’s Snickerdoodle recipe make for unbelievably good cookies.

Happy fall, y’all.

Snickersnaps

Ingredients

Chewy Ginger Cookies:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp (I usually add 3, because I like things really gingery, but that's up to you) grated fresh ginger
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) room temperature butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
Aunt Charlene's Snickerdoodle Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups of flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt (none if using salted butter)

Instructions

Chewy Ginger Cookies - Beat ginger, butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, adding in molasses and egg. Combine flour, soda and salt, and add to the wet ingredients until just combined. Chill for at least 1 hour (This step is super important. The cookies won't combine as well if you don't give it enough time to chill.)
Aunt Charlene's Snickerdoodle Cookies - Mix the wet ingredients well creaming butter and sugar first. Add eggs in one at a time, and then vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients. Combine wet and dry ingredients slowly.
Once the ginger cookie dough has chilled, and you've finished with the snickerdoodle dough, get another 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon to roll the cookies. I like to use sugar in the raw, because the crystals are bigger and it looks prettier when baked, but that's totally up to you. Take between 1/2 tsp and 1 tsp of each dough, roll them together so they marble, and then roll them in the sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an un-greased sheet pan, and bake at 350 for 9-12 minutes.

https://www.thecaptivatingwoman.com/snickersnaps/

You are welcome for the new joy in your life, and I’m sorry for the addiction it creates. Also, these two recipes together make ~8 dozen cookies, so feel free to make some and freeze the rest of the dough for up to 6 months. I’d freeze them each separately, but that’s mainly because I’m really fond of the marbling that happens.

February 23, 2016

Kale Smoothie

You either clicked on this because: A) you like kale, B) you’re thinking, “How can you make kale taste good in smoothie form?”, or C) Opps! This was an accident. I dislike kale!

Honestly, I didn’t want to jump on the kale kick. I didn’t want to be like everyone else with a green smoothie in their hand. But after reading up on about kale, I found some interesting recipes that caught my attention.

Let’s talk about the nutrition in kale.

There is a TON of Vitamin A, C, & K (+ more!). There are antioxidants in it. It can lower your cholesterol. It’s also cancer fighting. It’s a good source for minerals. Really…who is taking a decent amount of minerals daily? Kale is great for your eyes! It can help you loose weight or keep it off. (Information from 10 Proven Benefits of Kale.)

Yes, this leafy green veggie contains all of this!

So you’re probably thinking, “Hmmm…I might need to get my hands on some kale.”

Kale, yeah.

To me, kale smoothies are a great way to get the source of goodness & they are the easiest for me! I use my NutriBullet and BAM – smoothie! In the smoothies that I make, I use no bananas. For some reason, I dislike them. They create a weird film in my mouth. You can always add bananas to yours, but in mine, you’ll see none.

I don’t measure either – everyones favorite person, right? You’ll see in the recipe that I use the term “handful” as a way of measurement.

My recipe consists of kale, fresh pineapple, 100% pineapple juice, raspberries, juice from oranges (not included in today’s post), chia seeds, and ice. Yep, that’s it!

This is my “pick-me-up” smoothie after work. I do believe that my face feels brighter after I drink it.

Tips: Cut the stems off of the kale. To me, this adds yucky bitterness.

Also, add orange juice! When I made my smoothie, I forget my oranges right AFTER I blended my drink and drank half of it. I knew it tasted differently. Fresh orange juice is the real deal.

So, I hope you enjoy! Any questions, comment below!

Kale Smoothie

Ingredients

Handful of kale - stems cut off.
5 raspberries.
Splash of 100% pineapple juice.
4 pieces of cut up fresh pineapple.
Juice from 2 oranges.
1/4 teaspoon of chia seeds.
1/4 or 1/3 of crushed ice (depends if you want it thick or not).

Instructions

Put all ingredients in blender and start 'er up.
Enjoy!

https://www.thecaptivatingwoman.com/kale-smoothie/

November 17, 2015

Nutella Hot Chocolate

What I love about the fall and winter season are the yummy warm drinks. I’m all about hot chocolate, but I’m definitely anti hot water with chocolate mix. It just doesn’t cut it. Who is with me?

I have one of the biggest sweet tooth’s out there, so my love for rich hot chocolate is evident. But not everyone love super sweet drinks and that’s okay (we can still be friends!).

Nutella hot chocolate has become my favorite drink to sip on when the weather gets chilly. The drink brings back nostalgia of studying in college while in rained outside. I remember having friends over and enjoyed a sweet conversation over a sweet drink. As crazy as it sounds, this drink brought community into my little college apartment.

It’s super easy to make and you can make it as rich or not as rich as you want – that’s the best thing.

Enjoy it with friends and family, neighbors, and work colleagues. Make it a tradition to drink during the colder months, like I have. It’s become something I look forward to every year.

Nutella Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

1 Cup of milk
2 tbs of Nutella (less or more for your liking)
Cinnamon
Whipped cream

Instructions

In a small pan heat milk over medium heat.
Whisk in Nutella. Make sure to not boil the milk and Nutella.
Sprinkle a little cinnamon into mixture.
Transfer into mug & add whipped cream. You can also add a little cinnamon if you like. Enjoy!

https://www.thecaptivatingwoman.com/nutella-hot-chocolate/

November 12, 2015

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

The taste of warm chocolatey muffins in the morning. The sound of leaves rustling on the sidewalk. The smell the autumn breeze carries. The feel of the cozy blanket as you watch Elf. Who doesn’t love this time of year?!

With Thanksgiving and Christmas on the way, this time of year is the perfect excuse to whip up something delicious. Something you would find in the bakery. Something extremely chocolatey. I don’t know about you, but when it comes to chocolate I could eat it all day, every day. I have fond memories of eating chocolate chip muffins in my grandmother’s home, in the Dublin airport, and honestly wherever I could get my hands on some. I especially enjoy a good muffin in the quiet of the morning. But why limit muffins to the morning? For my family and I (at least for me), muffin baking and eating can happen at any point of the day.

This is similar to our time with God. In the past, I have enjoyed my quiet time with God at the beginning of my day. I would get up at six o’clock and have a good forty-five minutes of reading His word, journaling my thoughts, and praying before I walked out my bedroom door. There was a time where it was difficult for me wake up in the morning and still have my “Me and God” time. The times I did get up to do it, I would be so tired I could not concentrate on the words I was reading. I would get frustrated with myself because I knew I needed a positive start to my day or my day would go downhill fast. I was frustrated because I was believing that I could only have time with God in the morning. But I realized something. Yes, it is good to start my day with God, but I also need and can continue my day with Him.

God is our loving Father. He is the one who brings the peace and the joy to our lives. In Psalm 30:5, it says “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” His joy is not a gift that comes only for the morning. His joy, His peace, and His presence come with the rise of the sun and last throughout your day. He will never leave you or forsake you. What is so beautiful about our God is that He whispers to you and me to be women after His own heart. He whispers to you at breakfast, at the art museum, at your job, at your school, at church, and so on. He loves you so much! He wants time with you! Small moments or big moments, our time with God doesn’t begin and end in the morning. It begins and continues when we choose to whisper back to His heart.

I hope that if you feel like making these mouth-watering, bakery style muffins, you will not think you can only make them in the morning. I hope that when you feel His tug at your heart, you will not think that you need to save your response for only the “You & God” time. You can make the muffins for a midnight snack! You can have moments of “You & God” time throughout the day! My challenge for you today, my sister in Christ, is to listen for Him, answer Him, and rest in Him. Think on that as you enjoy some chocolatey goodness!

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients

½ cup (8 tbsp.) of unsalted butter, softened (put butter in a small bowl & microwave for 10-15 seconds)
1 cup of white sugar
2 tsp of baking powder
2 tsp of vanilla extract
2/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ tsp of salt (if you have to use salted butter, omit this tsp of salt)
2 eggs
1 cup of almond milk
1/3 cup of Greek yogurt
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 ½ -2 cups of chocolate chips (be generous!)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray the cups of a stone or metal muffin pan with cooking spray.
Take a large bowl and mix the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and Greek yogurt very well until a creamy and smooth consistency is reached. Add the eggs one at a time and mix into the batter.
In a small bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, and cocoa. Add 1/3 of the dry mixture to the wet batter and stir. Then add 1/3 of the milk to the batter and stir. Continue in this pattern until all the dry mixture & milk have been mixed into the batter.
FINALLY (my favorite part) mix in plenty of chocolate chips!
Fill the muffins cups ¾ of the way and bake for 23-25 minutes. Put a fork through a muffin. If it comes out with some batter on it, put muffins in for 2 more minutes. If it comes out clean, you are good to go!
Let muffins cool for 5 minutes and enjoy the yumminess of muffins!! Oh… and maybe save some for your friends 😉

https://www.thecaptivatingwoman.com/double-chocolate-chip-muffins/

September 29, 2015

Cold Brew Coffee

Honestly, I don’t like Starbucks cold brew coffee. It has a strange sour flavor to me. Maybe they were having an off day when they made it, but it hasn’t been a drink I’ve been loving. The price for the cold brew doesn’t make sense either. It’s more expensive than their iced coffee.

I’m not that hip, but I make my own cold brew coffee. Of course I’ve wanted all the cool tools like a coffee grinder and a pretty pour over contraption, but I buy whole beans at the store and grind them there. The french press I use comes from T.J. Maxx.

Making cold brew coffee at home is easy and cheap. It takes probably 2 minutes out of your day to prepare it. I’m thankful that the process is easy. I love a tall glass of iced cold brew any day of the week and at any time of the day. That has become a problem because I’m wide awake for hours if I have cold brew after 1 p.m.

You can make your cold brew coffee in a french press, a big mason jar, or a pitcher. You don’t need anything spectacular.

I use a french press because it’s easier to put in my refrigerator. The ratio of ground coffee to water will differ if you’re not using a french press.

The key thing you need to know about making cold brew is: you must start with whole beans and then grind them. When you grind them, the setting should be on course. Honestly, I don’t know the reasoning of this. Every article I’ve read about making cold brew coffee and grinding your coffee beans shares that the coffee grounds need to be course.

I like using Peet’s Coffee. Their coffee is delicious and it’s easy to find their whole beans at the store.

I use 1/3 cup of grounded coffee in my french press. Easy, peasy.

Now this is the hard part – add filtered water. That is it! Actually the hardest part is waiting. So make it the night before and your morning will be heavenly.

I put plastic wrap over my french press when I put it in the fridge. You DON’T want to press the plunger down when you put it in the refrigerator because you want you all the water and ground coffee to mix and do it’s heavenly dance.

One of my favorite things to do with my coffee is add condensed milk. Yes, it’s super sweet but it’s incredibly delicious. Now you’re making Vietnamese coffee!

When it comes to your second day of drinking your coffee (if you’re using a french press), I would pour the coffee over a coffee filter. It catches all the sludge, which is gross and should not be enjoyed. If you’re using a pitcher or jar, I would also recommend pouring the coffee over a coffee filter. Cheers!

Happy fall, y’all.

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