Toasted Pecan, Cinnamon- Sugar Biscotti

 

Merry Christmas Everyone!! It is that time of the year when all of us food bloggers get together for our annual cookie swap- The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap!! In case you don't remember from last year, each of us bloggers makes a donation to Cookies for Kids' Cancer and then send cookies to three other bloggers around the country. I was excited this year to send cookies to Los Angeles, CA, San Francisco, CA and Washington, IA.

Packaged and ready to go!

This year Bonbons and Biscotti received cookies from three fabulous food bloggers. I am so excited to share and promote their blogs. Here is where my great Holiday cookies came from:

Baker by Nature sent me Confetti Cheesecake cookies. www.bakerbynature.com

It Is All About Me Fitness sent me Lemon Ginger Zingers and Soft Cantaloupe Jam. www.itisallaboutmefitness.com

The Haas Machine sent me Bittersweet Chocolate Peppermint Cookies. www.thehaasmachine.com

Check out their blogs!!

Cranberry Bliss Bars

So what else can we say about this recipe? So many bloggers have made this and shared their ideas, but I had to give it a try. As most people know, this is one of Starbucks' Holiday desserts that people wait all year for! There is good reason for that. Aside from being a sure sign that Christmas is coming, this recipe is just "good stuff." Be warned! It is super sweet ....so you might only want one! In that case, maybe Starbucks is  your best bet, but if you want enough to share, make your own!  It is super easy and unlike Starbucks you will not be paying $4 per bar.

Apple Pecan Autumn Cheesecake

It is getting to be that time of the year when most of the people in my circle have their B-days! What does that mean for me?? Baking! From now till January it seems that someone is celebrating every week. If there is one thing that I love, it is making birthday cakes, pies, cookies, cheesecake... you name it. I know that I have talked about this before but I will say it again. My Mom was the "birthday cake queen" in our little community (see Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake.) She made every birthday during my childhood memorable with one of her fabulous custom cakes. In our house, a cake from the grocery store was unheard of. While shopping at the local market, we would walk past those cakes encrusted in mountains of jumbo, blue-tinged roses and cringe. What poor person is going to celebrate another year of life with Happy Birthday written in an illegible smear? My Mom was determined that we never would!!

She has passed that ideal on to both my sister and I. No store bought birthdays here!! Even my little sister who would hide every time that baking was even mentioned, has morphed into a Birthday Cake artist; every year making amazing cakes for her son. She stresses out about the task for about 2 months beforehand, but she pulls them out and they are beautiful! When asked why she does it, she says that she wants her son to remember his Mom, taking the time to do something really special like our Mom did.  And he does!  He is amazingly proud every year of what his Mom has made.

Happy Birthday, Nancy! Another Year, Another Cheesecake!!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll

OK... So this is kind of what I am known for!!! (Well, one of the things.) Not bragging, but every year about this time, friends, family and even people who work at companies nearby, start to inquire about my pumpkin roll. I usually end up making 20 or so and giving them away as gifts for Thanksgiving dinner and to say thank you for friendships. For those of you that are my PA followers... Yes, this is the same roll  that my Mom makes every year. She has passed on her baking genes and she has also passed on this recipe.  The actual recipe is not a secret. It is a very popular recipe this time of the year that you can find in women's magazines or even the inside label of canned pumpkin. This recipe has become special to me because it has become a fall family tradition and I am told, it has become of my specialties. Recently, when I had my best friend who NEVER bakes over for dinner, she told me that she made a list of  items that I cook or bake that she considers "Rebecca's  Specialties." This recipe was on the top of that list. Also on the list were my Pecan Tassies, Stuffed Cabbage, Gobs and my Grandma's Calico Beans.  I thought her admission was funny yet really flattering.

Specialties I am not sure about, but I do know that it is not fall without pumpkin roll in my house. This year I have a lot of be thankful for and a lot of great people to thank. Who knows maybe this year, you will be on the receiving end of one of these great fall treats!!!

Chocolate Pots De Creme

Happy, happy, happy! What makes you smile? This dessert does it for me. I do not like to classify myself as "typical" anything but in this case, I am a "typical chocolate loving girl!"  Go ahead judge me! You can't get me down with one of these cups of chocolate crème in my hands and maybe all over my face. ;)
Anyway... on a more serious note. My life in general has been really happy lately. Fall is a great time of the year. After the heat of summer, it is time to get outside, enjoy the beautiful fall leaves, the company of friends and a great dark beer. I am hoping that you are finding some Happy in this season as well.  Stop, look around you and find something beautiful in every day!!

Happy Fall everyone!

Stay tuned.... I am working on a fall collection of recipes with those dark beers that you all know are my favorites.

Slow Cooker Chana Masala

I have become addicted to this dish and have been buying the pre-packaged, prepared version that is microwavable. It is one of my new go-to, easy foods that I look forward to making after a long day. The fact that makes this meal so convenient also makes me a little wary of eating it too often. The drawback- microwaving food in a plastic bag. It seems...hmmmm... not so natural. Right? We hear so much about carcinogens and PCBs, yet these options are still available, Why are they so alluring? Because we are all busy and need food fast!!! While microwave beans and rice are still more healthy than the "fast food" alternative, it still is not a prime food choice. So I decided that this would be a great recipe to make in bulk with fresh ingredients. No.. it is not as quick but, the truth is, one Sunday afternoon before I went out to work in my garden, I threw the ingredients in the crock pot and in about 6 hours it was finished. Not bad when you consider all the "yucky stuff" that you are eliminating.  Feel good about yourself and your food and serve up another bowl.

Tomato Basil Jam

My garden goodness is almost gone. The summer garden is done. I have two last recipes that I just finished this weekend from all of the last plants that I have harvested. For me this is always a hard time of the year. I now have to buy tomatoes from the store and those never have the same taste as a good, fresh garden tomato. The other thing that I will miss is the fresh basil that I use on a daily basis. I put it in mixed drinks, scrambled eggs and just about everything. In order to hold on to those flavors a little longer, I whipped up some more of this jam. I made it last year as well and it helped get through the tomatoless time of the year.

So long summer garden. Can't wait for your garden goodness next year.

Nutella Pizzelles

When I was in college, I bought my sister a gift that I thought that she would love! One of my sister's favorite cookies is an anise flavored pizzelle. Her other favorite is my Gram's anise Biscotti. When I was in college, due to the dorm circumstances, I was pretty challenged in my ability to cook and bake. I went to college before everyone lived in a suite (this is not your invitation to guess my age!) One weekend, I went shopping with a friend and I saw an electronic pizzelle press. I had to buy it for my sister. I had thoughts of her making pizzelles any time she wanted them, in any flavor that interested her. I spent most of the money I had on that shopping trip (and had at all) to get her that pizzelle press.

There was only one problem, I was thinking about what I would do with a pizzelle press, not my sister. At the time, she and I were in very different places when it came to kitchen conquests. Let's just say she was more interested in buying her pizzelles than making them. And I think she still feels that way. I was so excited when I gave it to her, but her face told me that the excitement was not contagious....

Overall I think that I am a good gift giver but I did mess up with the pizzelle maker. I will admit that! This Labor Day when my parents came for their annual visit, they brought that pizzelle maker and approximately 16 years after it was purchased, I pressed my first batch of crisp wafer thin cookies.

Baba Ganoush

So what do I do when I am stressed and feel like life is not going my way??? Anyone paying attention out there??? I cook!! And in this case, I knit as well. (Uh Ohh! that is not a good sign.) This weekend has been a trying one but unfortunately my life has been this way for so long that I know that "busy is best." So I planned doctor's appointments, craft parades, event with friends and lots of activities for this weekend. I have been fairly successful.... NO! I am proud of myself and I will say I have done excellently, considering. (If you are lost, you have not been reading often.... shame! Lol!)

So this morning when my wonderful, sweet pups who love me dearly, woke me up at 7am  on my only day off, I needed something to do. (Do you sense the sarcasm here?) Thankfully, one of my employees and friends brought me 6 Japanese Eggplant and boy did I have plans for them. Here is the outcome and it is fabulous! Once you eat this you will never order Baba Ganoush at a restaurant again when you can make it so easy! I promise. It is smoky, garlicky goodness!

Banana Pudding Cheesecake

This recipe is somewhat symbolic of my life right now. Let's just say that it is BANANAS!! Yes, and not in a good way. This week marks the end of my marriage of 10 years (relationship of 14 years.) It has been a horrible past 3 years and it is coming to an end. I have so many mixed emotions right now and unfortunately everyone else has an idea of how I should feel or act. Some have even suggested that I have a party. Obviously, they have not gone through this process. I am a person who does not give up and the downward spiral of the past few years has made me feel very let down in myself and all things that I believed were good and trustworthy. In my heart, I know that I have tried all that I could possibly have, I loved, I listened, I cared, and I tried so hard, even at times I knew I could never break through. So many of my friends and family have watched my struggle; that is the best word for it, a struggle. I kept hoping and trying that everything could be worked out and it couldn't.  I never considered divorce to be a choice for my life,  but as I have learned all of what I did was not enough to overcome life's obstacles or how people change over the years.  Through all the trying and pain, not only have I lost someone that was the most important person in my life at one time; I have lost myself. And that is a sad place to be. I gave and gave and gave and I lost myself.

This week I have allowed myself to finally mourn this process and yes there have been tears. In so many ways, this is a death of a huge part of my life.  Now I have to move on and find out who the new Rebecca is and unfortunately that will be very difficult. I have so many choices to make right now; personally, professionally and all of them can affect me for years to come. I am moving forward slowly, cautiously and most importantly making every decision for me, something I need to learn how to do again. Please keep me in your prayer and send love in my direction.

XOXO

Rebecca