Meatless Mondays! Tofu Parmesan

Here we are at Meatless Mondays again. I love desserts but I think these are pretty fun too! Please forgive my picture taking. I always have problems taking dinner food pictures because usually it's dark outside this time of year and we have so much going on in the evenings. I just want you to know this is delicious! I've made it twice, once like this, and once without the sauce, just like lightly breaded chicken.

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Very Little Bother Bread

This bread is true to its name. The original recipe has you mixing it by hand and you could do that if you want to but I'm a pretty big fan of using the mixer to do my kneading. I like the fact that if you want to use a little more of one flour and a little less of another it still works out beautifully. It's soft but has a nice density to it and is delicious toasted with butter. It also makes two loaves so you could freeze one (like I did) and have it for later. 

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Turtle Cheesecake

I'm pretty sure everyone I know is a huge fan of cheesecake (including me). This is a lower fat version and it doesn't hurt it's made in a 6" springform pan. You could of course double it and bake it in a 9" for 40-45 minutes and it would be fine, there would just be more of it. As I've said before, I love desserts but not having entire cheesecakes lying around! I would happily eat all of it. 

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Cheddar Bay Biscuits

I used to love going to Red Lobster if for nothing else than their Cheddar Bay Biscuits (or one of their "feasts" of course). They have this lovely garlic butter and cheddar flavor and when they're warm they're pretty much addicting. I may or may not have eaten four when I made them within about 10 minutes. :). Sooo good. 

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Meatless Mondays! Spicy Tofu Bento Bowl Salad

I didn't like tofu when I first tried it because of the consistency but when I had it at restaurants I loved it. I believe it's all in the preparation of tofu. Many people don't realize it's beneficial to "press" tofu before using it to cook with. Once I learned it was necessary I do it every time. I feel like it makes a better end product. Tofu is very versatile because it takes on the flavor of the dish. 

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Choc-Oat Chip Cookie Dough in a Chocolate Cup...with Agave Nectar

Whew...that was a mouthful of a name. These cute little cups are just full of happiness, joy, and chocolatey goodness. Sometimes I like to get a little wild and try some new recipes with agave nectar. This, my friends, is one of those times. I thought I would up the not as bad for you quotient by using some oats in the dough. This recipe isn't completely mine though, although I wish it was. These are cute for a small dessert that doesn't need to be baked and overall doesn't take to long to make. 

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Muddy Buddy Popcorn

This seems like a perfect combination to me although not to often thought about. As you can tell I'm a pretty big fan of peanut butter since you can also find it here, here, and here. I also like to eat it right out of the jar (sometimes sprinkled with mini chocolate chips on the spoon too). I wasn't able to take a picture that fully exhibited the deliciousness of this treat. Just think...peanut butter, chocolate, powdered sugar, and popcorn (and butter!). 

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Baked Grapefruit & Olive Oil Doughnuts

I had this big stack of grapefruit and nothing to do with it but eat it. As awesome as that is because I love grapefruit I thought maybe I could incorporate it into a recipe. I thought about a grapefruit meringue pie (it really does exist) or maybe just some bruléed grapefruit, then I saw this recipe and I was immediately inspired. The smell of the grapefruit while it's being zested is fantastic!

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Microwave Chocolate Cake in a Mug

Mmm...chocolate. It's one of my favorite things besides cinnamon, sugar, candy, oranges, grapefruits, and anything cherry. This is a fix it really quick because I have an uncontrollable chocolate craving kind of dessert. If you give me a little more time (like 20 minutes) I can whip up a Molten Chocolate Cake that will melt your heart so that it belongs to the cake. So. Good. 

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Meatless Mondays! Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Baked macaroni and cheese is a great comfort food to have in the winter time when it's all cold and blustery outside. It's not blustery here but it has been a bit chilly lately which is still a delicious time for something warm and creamy for dinner. You all know I'm a fan of customizable dishes and this one is no exception. This is a great refrigerator cleaner because it already has onions in it and you can add broccoli, shredded carrots, or maybe even some peas to it.

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Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

Who's afraid of the big, bad yeast monster? Nope, not me! I LOVE yeast breads! If you've been thinking of experimenting with yeast, this is the bread to make. This bread is fluffy, soft, and delicious. It would make amazing french toast and it's already great toasted with butter. If you like bread pudding it might make some rocking good bread pudding also. Me? not a fan of bread pudding, I'm sorry if you were hoping to see a recipe for it. Hopefully you will find delicious treats to fill your bread pudding void though. :)

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Cinnamon-Sugar Graham Crackers

Graham crackers are so simple but can be made into so many other treats such as pie crusts, cookies, cakes, parfaits, smores anyone? Cinnamon-sugar graham crackers are my favorite although I won't turn away a chocolate graham cracker with some whipped cream in the middle that's been frozen (just like an ice cream sandwich). I received a new cookbook for Christmas which I've been trying to decide what to make from it. This is what I picked :)

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Tagalongs

Girl Scout cookie season is upon us. I hope you have placed your order or know where to find the cookies. I think I'm glad it's only once a year because I would eat like 12 boxes a year (if I'm lucky, because I love them). So what's your favorite Girl Scout cookie? Did you hear they're coming out with a new flavor this year? It's a lemon cookie called Savannah Smiles. It sounds like it could be fun. My favorite cookie is the Tagalong. I know several people that favor the Thin Mints though (I might try those next week). 

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Pretzel Bites with Spicy Mustard Sauce

We love spicy in this house and so anything we make that is spicy we are all over it. Even my two year old likes spicy. It was hilarious the first time he tried something with some heat and looked at us and said "it's spicy!". I'm pretty sure we fell over laughing. I actually had some ghost pepper caramels which are supposed to be hotter than habeneros and he got a hold of them yesterday and ate some. The response? "It's spicy!" I totally thought it would have been too hot for him...

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Rosemary Peasant Bread

I absolutely love Macaroni Grill's peasant bread that they serve at the table when you sit down. It's all crusty, warm, and coated with coarse salt on the top. I love to dip it in the oil. It's such a simple idea to dip bread in oil, but it's so delicious. I decided to try my hand at making the bread at home so I poked around online until I found a recipe I was satisfied with. Of course, I'm sure I could have come up with something on my own or adapt a recipe but this was just easier at the time.

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Meatless Mondays! Vegetable Lo Mein

Chinese style food is something we love in this house. The more often the better, especially when it is accompanied by a crispy, crunchy egg roll. It's also a dish that's great for customizing with meats or vegetables. I will sometimes make lo mein if I have extra veggies that need to be used up that are sitting in the refrigerator. This recipe is more of a throw together easy recipe that's great for a weeknight meal.

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Bourbon & Ginger Cupcakes

I've always been a pretty big fan of cupcakes. One of the reasons is because they can be any flavor and they can have surprises in the middle. I love surprises in the middle. Usually it's a candy or a cream of some kind such as a different flavor of frosting or a Reese's cup. Whenever we travel I have a tendency to look up bakeries to go visit them. We went to visit family and they came with us to a cupcake shop that they had never been to before. My sister in law still blames me for getting her hooked on their cupcakes :).

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Sopapilla Blondies

Sopapillas have always been one of my favorite desserts. I adore the cinnamon and sugar topped buttery goodness. The drizzle of honey on the top just adds to the sweet deliciousness. I rarely order them though when I'm in a restaurant that has them. I suppose I make so many desserts at home I just don't usually want to order them in a restaurant. One of my favorite tasks is to come up with recipes for desserts or breads in restaurants or even stores sometimes. 

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Mixed Fruit Oatmeal Cookies

On a random note has anyone been in Kroger lately and noticed something odd like Easter candy? Yeah, I was in there last night doing some shopping and walked past the seasonal aisle and they had a whole area front and center filled up with Cadbury eggs and Easter candy. They do know it's not even Valentine's Day right? because wow...and so we continue.

I found the other half of the egg! You know..the one that was used in the Oatmeal Cream Pies? Yup. right here, in the Mixed Fruit Oatmeal cookies.

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Oatmeal Cream Pies in the sky!

 

Oatmeal Cream Pies in the sky! or...on a plate :). I adored the Oatmeal Cream Pies in a plastic bag when I was growing up. I would eat one then sneak another because I loved the soft oatmeal cookie with the sweet vanilla cream in the middle. These are a nostalgic treat although they don't really taste like the packaged one that is full of preservatives. 

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Chik'n Paprikas for Meatless Monday!

I am not a huge "meat-free" product eater. I will buy it every once in a while and there are some I like and some I very much want absolutely nothing to do with. Some of my favorites are Trader Joe's Soy Chorizo (excellent on Huevos Rancheros) and Morningstar Prime Grillers. Another favorite company that makes meat-free products is Quorn. The first time I had Quorn I was freaked out because it tasted exactly like real chicken to me and I went back and looked at the box to make sure that it was in fact vegetarian. 

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Happy New Year

Thank you to everyone who has visited my blog this year. I'm very grateful to have so much support and to be getting to know such great people. I hope everyone has a fantastic New Year!