So today is my first day back at school after an amazing two week vacation. Going back to reality is always hard, but especially harder when you spent your vacation in Hawaii and California and returned to VERY cold winter weather. As a result, all I want to eat are warm hearty meals, like pasta and pizza. But since I spent my time off eating way too much amazing food, today’s post attempts to achieve my goal of warm and hearty, while also staying somewhat healthy. And this dish is very versatile because you can serve it in a tortilla, on a salad, on rice, or on its own with some veggies on the side.
Author Archives: thepetitecroissant
Honey and Chocolate Chunk Cookies
In the last year or so, I’ve started using honey a lot more in my day to day baking and cooking. I throw it in salad dressings, oatmeal, smoothies, and pies. But up to this point, I hadn’t tried it in a chocolate chip cookie. These cookies were perfect for a dessert where I was serving a bunch of different kinds of cookies because they’re small, almost bite size, and simple. They’re also incredibly easy to make!
My Favorite Meal of the Week – Spicy Lentil Chickpea Soup
So I wanted to start the New Year off with a nice and healthy recipe for all of those people out there who have put getting healthy on their New Year’s Resolution List (or for those of us just needing to make up for all the eating done in the last 10 days). This soup has just the perfect amount of kick to keep you interested, but is full of healthy nutrients to keep you on track!
Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread
When Dave and I first started dating, I would leave a couple of food items in his fridge and freezer so that I could still eat the kinds of food I liked when I was over there (eventually he figured out how to shop at Trader Joe’s so I stopped doing this). But one of the things I loved to leave in his freezer was the Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread from Trader Joe’s. The only problem was, Dave realized how awesome this bread was and tended to eat some (or all of it) when I wasn’t around. I did eventually put a stop to that, but then at some point I forgot about this bread and stopped buying it. That is, until I decided to make my own, and I have to say, it was just as good!
My Favorite Meal of the Week- Strata (Egg Casserole Dish)
First of all, MERRY CHRISTMAS! In honor of today’s holiday, I am posting the perfect holiday breakfast item. This has become our go to brunch dish. You get to make it the night before and simply need to cook it the morning of, which is great when hosting a morning meal. It also compliments all the baked goods I tend to have very well. You could also do different flavors, and swap out the bacon and green onions for another meat or veggie.
Cinnamon Roll Cake
I wanted to make sure to get this post up before the holidays because this is exactly the kind of thing you want to be eating on Christmas morning, with a hot beverage in your hand, in front of the fire, and possibly while opening some presents. It’s decadent, but still tastes like breakfast and not dessert. It’s also very easy to make and serve if you are having a bunch of people over for the holidays.
And I’m back…
So after a two week hiatus to take my first set of law school exams, I am back to blogging. Even though I haven’t had much time to write posts lately, I have done a lot of cooking and baking. I’m very excited to share a bunch of new recipes with you guys in the new year! Today I don’t have a recipe to post, but I did want to share some pictures with you from last night’s holiday cocktail party that Dave and I threw.
I finished finals on Monday and decided to throw a Tuesday night party before everyone leaves town for the holidays. Since everyone would be coming straight from work, we had lots of hearty appetizers (think mini pot pies, and amazing crockpot mac and cheese), plenty of drinks (especially for those of us who just became real people again after finishing our exams on Monday), and as always, lots of desserts (you’ll see mini peppermint brownies, salted caramel bars, and mini eggnog cheesecakes on the blog soon).
And to help everyone capture the holiday spirit, I set up my own photo booth and made props from some craft supplies I picked up last week. I also had as many holiday decorations as I could possibly fit in our small apartment.
Ok, on to the good stuff – the photos. Credit goes to Thomas Brunet who took most of these photos since I was still busy setting up…
The food:
The desserts:
The drinks:
(more the aftermath than the original set up)
The decorations and photo booth:
Pumpkin Muffins
It’s well established that I love muffins. But sometimes, I want to be healthy and just can’t eat a big hearty muffin every morning. So I found a compromise – a muffin that’s filled with lots of healthy stuff and isn’t quite so sinful. See below.
Also, just a note, the blog will be quiet for the next two weeks because I will be attempting to survive my first set of law school finals. But I promise to be back on Wednesday, December 18, after all this craziness is over. Wish me luck!
My Favorite Meal of the Week – Kale Salad with Beets and Avocado Dressing
Yes, I admit it. I’m one of those people who loves kale. I put it in smoothies, I make kale chips, I throw it in soups, and salads. And this is my most recent kale obsession – a kale salad with beets and a tasty avocado dressing.
Baked Apples
So this post goes really well with my post from earlier this week – the roast chicken. Both these dishes are so easy and are perfect for late fall/early winter. They’re warm and make your kitchen smell delicious. We also used to have these all the time as kids so they remind me of fun filled childhood days spent playing games in front of a fire (not sure how often that happened, but I seem to remember it).
the petite croissant 