her baking & his cooking

her: same same, but different

pumpkin spice cookies. fancy kine. 

top pic: add a little bit of crunch to your cookies with trader joe’s sugar chocolate coffee bean grinder… it’s magic. 

bottom pic: mini cookie drops & dress up the glaze with half a vanilla bean… sophisticated and cute cookies. 

recipe source: adapted from allrecipes.com 

ps. these cookies are a staple in our kitchen.  they are love, home, warmth, fall, and comfort. in a cookie.  

<3

His: Rustic Poulet a l’orange

I’ve been making a lot of gastriques as of late because they’re tasty and simple…sort of. It’s good for teaching patience and timing. This is a dish I made that reminded me of a dish I used to eat at a tasty little restaurant in Virginia Beach called Napoleon’s. Except it was duck…and I couldn’t find duck. So I went with chicken. 

Chicken:

Chicken quarter (but any part will do)

Salt & Pepper

Tarragon

Bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes

Gastrique:

equal parts sugar and apple cider vinegar

flesh of a ripe orange

Melt sugar at medium heat (be careful not to burn it). Once melted pour in the vinegar. It will do weird things but don’t be alarmed. It will melt again after about 10-15 minutes. Once melted you can toss in the orange, swirl it around and let it hang out for about 5 minutes and voila! 

Roasted Veggies:

Brussel Sprouts halved

Carrots

Shallots

Pork Belly

Mix all together in a roasting pan and coat with olive oil and salt and pepper and bake at 425 degrees until tender about 25 minutes.

*I baked both things together 

Pretty delicious I must say.

Easy peasy.

‘Til the next dish!

her: caramel apple minis

mmmmm caramel apple minis!  this is the first time that we tried to make our own caramel.  it’s stressful.  all the bubbling and stirring and uncertainty.  at the end of our homemade caramel endeavor,  we had a half a pot full of glorious, creamy, caramel goodness.  the bottom of the pot?  rock soooolid.  no big. i still jarred the good stuff we’ll try and try again.  

thank goodness for the boy.  he keeps me in check when we’re making new “stuff” in the kitchen.  i was stressssssing out.  he kept the situation calm. 

caramel apple cupcakes 

• 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
• 1/4 cup of natural (no sugar added) applesauce 
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 1/2 cups flour 
• 1 tablespoon baking powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon apple pie spice 
• 1/2 cup milk 
• apple mixture 

apple mixture

• 1 cup apples cut into small cubes (2 granny smith, 1 gala) 
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 vanilla bean (seeds) 
• 2 tablespoons milk 
• 1 teaspoon corn starch (add more if needed) 

it’s a rainy, regular, fall day here in the PNW.  we’re going to have some brunch. drink coffee all day and watch some movies.  hope your day is just as awesome. 

recipe sources:

• homemade caramel - simply recipes
• caramel apple cupcakes - adapted from javacupcake

her: cocoa velvet minis

so. basically… these are red velvet minis, minus the red food coloring.  i love red velvet cake, i’ve posted red velvet minis before, but. red food coloring seems so unnecessary and i figured the cupcakes would taste delicious even without the red.  i was right… they taste like they should. a tangy, moist, cocoa buttermilk cake.  i loved them.  and paired with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting? the beesknees.  

i’m sure there is some red velvet purist out there who is going to tell me that these are no good and/or a crime.  but, i’m not going to budge.  cocoa velvet is here to stay.

recipe source: adapted from martha stewart’s cupcakes  

<3

her: mini pumpkin pancakes

what’s the best thing about brinner? pancakes & bacon, of course! obviously, i’m obsessed with anything mini and well, let’s not even talk about my obsession with pumpkin right now.  

these were so good! they’re not exactly light and fluffy, they’re a little more cakey than you would normally expect from a pancake, but they were filling and the spiced batter was so amazing.  

if you’re going to have pancakes, they should be stacked super tall, dusted with powdered sugar, and topped with fresh whipped cream… right? 

mini pumpkin pancakes 

• 1 1/4 all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup of milk (or more as needed)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree 
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 egg

her: pumpkin cake cookies

PUMPKINALLDAYERRDAYFALLFORTHEEWIN! 

i hope you’re not expecting to see anything except pumpkin around here for a few weeks (at least).  otherwise, you’re going to be really disappointed.  pumpkin has officially taken oven my life.  pumpkin cookies, pumpkin creamer, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pie lattes, pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin. that ish is my jam.  fall is my fav season… can you tell? 

schmanyways. these are technically pumpkin snickerdoodles.  you can sorta tell, with the rolled cinnamon sugar mix (with a lil hint of nutmeg). but in my humble opinion, they’re more like a pumpkin cake cookie… the boy described them as muffin tops.  you know, a little dense, chewy, soft, and scrumptious.  

enough words.

pumpkin cake cookies aka pumpkin snickerdoodles

• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup  sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup pure unsweetened pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix) 
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

recipe source: recipe girl 

ps. the recipe calls for ground ginger & all spice in the rolling sugar mixture, but i didn’t have any on hand, hence the nutmeg.  still delish in my book.  also, if you add cream of tarter to your batch (bc it’s typically included in snickerdoodle recipes) let me know you think. 

<3

her: treats for tini

treats for tini! even the pup is enjoying fall flavors.  these were so super easy to make and hazel loved them.  i have a big batch in a jar for her to enjoy for the next few months. 

peanut butter & pumpkin dog treats 

• 3 cups whole wheat flour 
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons natural peanut butter 
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1. preheat oven to 350F
2. combine all of the ingredients in a standing bowl mixer with the paddle attachment
3. roll the dough out on a floured surface until 1/2” thick
4. use a small cookie cutter to cut out dog biscuits 
5. bake for 30 mins for soft biscuits, bake for up to 40 mins for crispy biscuits 

hope your pup enjoys these as much as our little tini. 

recipe source: modified from allrecipes.com 

<3

her: hawaiian carrot cake

sometimes… the best cakes aren’t always the prettiest.  i had high hopes for this cake to be rustic & beautiful.  it sort of turned out to be a hot mess, because one of the layers buckled and the whole thing was on the verge of falling apart.  never no mind all of that, because it’s probably one of my favorite cakes, ever.  the nutmeg and cinnamon made me think of fall and the pineapple & toasted coconut combo made me think of hawaii. fall & hawaii?! ummm 2 favorite things in the whole wide world in one delicious cake?! done. and. done. 

a couple of things to note from my baking experience:

1. the batter looked like it was curdled after mixing together all of the ingredients, but it baked totally fine 
2. it may seem like a lot of carrots, but they’re not overpowering and carrot cake is the bomb.com, so don’t fret
3. i use 2, 8” pans and baked each cake for about 40 mins
4. i let the cakes rest in my cake carrier overnight at room temperature
5. when i cut the cakes, both of the top layers totally started to fall apart 
6. the middle layer was about to completely fall off the cake, but then we ate it, so it didn’t matter anymore
7. TOAST your coconut 
8. don’t be like and over beat the cream cheese frosting, then it becomes thin and you want to cry bc the layers have already started falling apart 

hopefully, you don’t have a hot mess in your kitchen, but even if you do. i promise you won’t care, because you’ll be stuffing your face with an amazing hawaiian carrot cake. totes worth it. 

recipe source: sweetapolita 

<3

our: life, lately

1. taffy from a day trip to the ocean 
2. anthem
3. thrifted globe 
4. read this. 
5. mini banana pancakes
6. i spy a little dog
7. hello, portlandia
8. get this in your belly/the eleven eleven
9. tacoma boys
10. yellow solo cup

happy september. 

<3

His: Salmon dinner

Crispy skin salmon.

Creamy sage cabbage.

Honey roasted fig gastrique.

This one is definitely a tasty meal! AND…easy of course.

Season the salmon with salt & pepper. Simple.

Here’s the trick to cooking salmon (or most fish really)  in a pan is that you have to get the pan nice and hot first. Don’t put the fish in while your pan is still heating because then it’ll throw your timing off and you won’t get a good crisp. Wait until the pan reaches temp and then place the fish SKIN DOWN. Not only does this get the skin crispy, it helps lock in the flavor and prevent the fish from drying out. TRICK #2: Once the fish is on the pan, DON’T TOUCH IT! I know folks get antsy and think that you always have to be doing something in order to make great food but in reality…patience…makes the best food. 

Patience. Really really.

Keep an eye on it though and determine the “doneness” of the fish by looking at the side of the fillet. Once you see that 2/3 of the fish isn’t pink anymore, then you can flip in over and finish cooking it. All you need is one flip. Done.

Creamy Cabbage.

Cut the whole cabbage in half. Then take one of the halves and cut it into thin strips.

Heat a medium pot to medium high heat, toss in some olive oil and then throw in the cabbage. We want to wilt the cabbage so that it’s not stiff. Add more oil little by little if you need to. Season it and then throw in a few chopped leaves of sage. Continue to cook it down. If you pick up a piece of cabbage and it doesn’t hold it’s form then you’re good. Throw in about a 1/3 cup of heavy cream and mix it in. Bring it to a boil for about 5 minutes and then let it simmer for another 12-15 making sure to stir it and keep all the cabbage coated.

Fig Gastrique.

Here’s the trickiest portion of ‘em all. Gastrique. It’s simple in theory but really tests your patience and eye. A Gastrique is basically an acidic fruit syrup. You can turn just about any fruit into a gastrique.

*Tip: A gastrique is equal parts sugar and apple cider vinegar. You decide on how much to use ie 1cup sugar to 1cup vinegar

Place your sugar in the pan first and then slowly melt it. Turn the heat to medium low to  medium and wait for the sugar to melt. Once you see that about 2/3 of it is melting then start to move it around and get all the sugar melted. 

*Don’t use a spoon as the sugar will harden immediately when removed from the heat.

Once all the sugar is melted, keep the heat on medium low and wait for the caramalization to start. You want it to have a nice and rich brown color but be careful not too burn it. 

Once you reach that point. Throw in your vinegar. Bring the heat back up to medium.

THE SUGAR WILL HARDEN UP! JUST LEAVE IT ALONE AND LET THE HEAT BRING EVERYTHING THING BACK TO A SYRUP.

This will take about 15ish minutes. Keep moving the pan and swashing it around. TRUST ME. It will become a syrup. Once it is then you can go ahead and toss in your fruits. The amount of fruit is up to you.

I roasted the figs at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. I seasoned them with s&p and backyard honey.

Easy.

‘Til the next dish!