Now that’s one of those jingles that just gets stuck in your brain and won’t go away – “because, sometimes you feel like and nut, sometimes you don’t!!!”  Almond Joy candy bars are my absolute favorite, OK well, those and Kit Kat bars (“gimme a break, gimme a break, break me off…”  Alright, enough already!).

So with Halloween a few days behind us, why am I still craving an Almond Joy, even though I did have a couple of the minis? I need to bake a batch of cookies for a charity donation, and since I can’t stop thinking about Almond Joy, I’ve come up with this recipe to recreate that wonderful taste blend of chocolate, coconut, and almonds. It honestly turned out to be more the consistency of cake than a cookie, but still a tasty treat.

The filling layer includes cream of coconut, which is a thick and sweet concoction made from coconut milk and sugar and is found in liquor stores or in the liquor section of the grocery store. Although it is sometimes used in baking it is most commonly used in mixed drinks such as Pina Coladas, so look for it near the mixers and such.
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My friend and neighbor, Amy Kilpatrick, makes this yummy and oh-so-satisfying soup every Halloween night and shares it with all who come by and are looking for a bite to eat.  The soup can be doubled, tripled, or increased by any amount you need to feed a crowd.  Delicious served with a side of cornbread. It is the epitome of the “Easy-Breezy” category and is guaranteed to be an adult and kid-pleaser!  For whatever reason, I never seem to have the taco seasoning mix packages around or forget to buy them when I’m at the store, in that case, I just make my own with the spices I always have on hand. An added bonus to making your own…. tons less sodium than the pre-made stuff… you will be shocked if you look at the sodium content on one of those mixes! That recipe is at the bottom of the page.

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Mostarda and Lamb’s main ingredients

Mostarda di Frutta is an Italian condiment made of candied fruit in a mustard-flavored syrup. It is served with boiled, roasted, or grilled meats, and is a fabulous accompaniment to cheeses.

The rack of lamb is “Frenched” which means the meat, fat, and membranes that connect the individual rib bones are scraped or trimmed away from the end of the bone down to about two inches above the rib-eye area. This is generally done on lamb chops, veal rib chops, or a crown pork roast. Frenched racks and chops can be purchased already done or you can “French” them on your own at home. Click this link for a great video demonstration from Fine Cooking on how to French a rack of lamb. If you do decide to French the lamb yourself, discard the fat and membrane, but be sure to save all meat scraps and use them as stew meat or grind to make into lamb burgers.

Wild rice is not true rice or a grain, but grass native to the Great Lakes region of North America. It is gluten-free and is a good source of potassium, phosphorus, thiamine, and riboflavin.  Wild rice needs much more water and cooking time than white or brown rice; the water ratio is about 4 to 1.  It takes about an hour to cook and not all the water is absorbed, the excess is drained away.  Because of the long cooking time, I generally make a double batch and use half of it for another meal. Another common way to serve wild rice is to mix it with brown rice; this half-and-half combination makes it tasty and budget-friendly since wild rice is more expensive than other types of rice.

garlic, herbs, and salt before – and after mincing into a paste

There is a garlic-herb paste rubbed on the lamb and topping the tomatoes.  A little bit of kosher salt is used in the mix, its purpose is to help break down the garlic, it makes a big difference in the texture of this paste and is always a great technique to use the next time you make aioli too.
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For me, once November hits, it is cider time. Even though it’s still not quite fall temperatures during the day (today’s high is predicted to be 87 degrees!), the evenings are nice and cool, so I’m ready for a hot beverage!  Here’s one of my favorites – spicy and just a little sweet. [Read more →]

One of my favorite things about Halloween is toasting and eating the pumpkin seeds once the family is done carving their Jack-O-Lanterns. Each year, I try a different seasoning, this year it’s southwest.  I used the Mexican Lime Olive Oil from our wonderful Queen Creek Olive Mill, but regular extra virgin olive oil is fine too.  And instead of the chili powder, you find at the grocery store, I love the Ground Ancho Chili Pepper from Penzey’s Spices, but again regular will work as well. One of the important steps is to be sure the seeds are well dried after they are rinsed and cleaned. If they are not dry, the oil will not coat them as well and they will not crisp up. I find it easiest to just toast them in a dry skillet for a couple of minutes before seasoning and placing them in the oven.

Hope you saved your seeds!  P.S. Happy Halloween Marissa and Connor, miss and love you both!
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Have you been so busy worrying about, shopping for, or (gasp!) making your Halloween costume that you don’t think you have time to make hor d’oeuvres to bring to the Halloween Party?  I have just the thing for you, Ghost Toast Bites.  These could not be easier: a few slices of bread, a cookie cutter, the broiler, raisins, Boursin cheese spread, and about 15 minutes and you’re ready to go!

Ghost Toast Bites

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Peggy and I went to lunch today at our amazing mall, Scottsdale Fashion Square. We ate at the new Fox Restaurant Concepts place called Modern Steak. Lunch was perfectly delish but what really stayed with me was a cocktail Peggy ordered called “Retail Therapy” (that name is just too cute!)  Once I tasted it, I wished I had ordered it too!  So, I came home, worked on it for a while, and believe I have come close to duplicating it. I’m calling my version, “Summer in a Glass” for obvious reasons. It calls for simple syrup and for muddling, just as my Cucumber Martini did, so click here to go to that previous post if you need help with either the muddling technique or the simple syrup recipe.

Thank you dear Peggy for lunch and my beautiful gift, but most of all, thank you for the gift of your friendship! xoxo
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I had a lovely birthday, thank you for all your sweet birthday wishes.  My wonderful friends, Ronnie, Amy, and Lori took me to the Queen Creek Olive Mill for lunch; it was a gorgeous afternoon that we spend under the olive trees enjoying wine, antipasto, and sandwiches. Afterward, we headed off to the Pork Shop, and unfortunately, we discovered that they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so no amazing bacon, sausages, or chorizo for us to take home…next time we’ll remember that!

For my birthday dinner, Dave took me to Prado at the InterContinental Montelucia Resort and Spa where we shared a bottle of wine and Paella with mussels, clams, and scallops. It was tasty, but I have to say my paella is really much better; I include sausage, chicken, and shrimp plus peas.  I’ll have to make it next time the kids come home and post the recipe.  Until then, we have Halloween to contend with, so here is a fun Spider-Web cake that is fun for kids but has an adult taste, with the addition of Espresso in the frosting.

You will find the Medaglia D’Oro instant espresso powder at any Italian Deli or locally at A.J.’s or on the web at this link. (I’ve even seen it recently at Target) I use it often in baking and once you try it you will too, so invest in a jar now and I promise I’ll be posting more recipes using it in the future.  I am working tonight, and certainly don’t need to have a whole cake around the house, so I’ll be dropping it off at our monthly neighborhood Bunko night for the ladies to enjoy.

For the 7-minute frosting, or anytime you are beating egg whites, be sure the bowl and the beaters are completely clean and free of any grease.  The egg whites will not beat up and increase in volume with even a trace amount of fat, such as from the egg yolk, present.  Also, eggs separate much easier when they are cold, straight from the refrigerator, but they whip up best when they are at room temperature, so separate them a little bit ahead of time. Finally, ever wonder what my kitchen looks like after I’m done cooking and taking all these pictures and ready to put up a new post? You’ll see at the bottom of this recipe – scary indeed!
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old Cuisinart, KitchenAid mixer, Brand New Big, and Shiny Cuisinart!

Today is my birthday, I won’t be posting a recipe since I will not be cooking all day. Lunch with friends at the Queen Creek Olive Mill and then out to dinner with Dave at ???  I don’t know where yet because we have a tradition of surprising each other on our birthdays, always going to a place we haven’t tried before.

Happily, I did already open my gifts! I received some very yummy peppermint hot chocolate mix from Connor, a set of eight Riedel wine glasses, and the super-duper new Cuisinart food processor!

When Dave asked me what I wanted, I really couldn’t think of anything, because honestly, if I need something, I buy it. But the one thing I couldn’t bring myself to purchase was this new wonder I’d been craving.  It’s the new Elite Cuisinart.  I’ve seen it in the last few Williams-Sonoma catalogs. I could barely resist, so I would toss the catalogs the second after perusing them, just to keep the temptation away!  I mean, I already own 3 Cuisinarts (for the cooking school, you know!) So to spend all this money on another one did not make sense, but as a gift… that’s OK, right?
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Continuing on the panini theme, how about a couple of dessert panini? Since I have leftover panettone, brie, and pears – it sounds like a plan to me! Raisin bread, sourdough, challah, or brioche are other great bread choices.

Nutella on top, brie on the bottom.