Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

One day (like many days) I was browsing random food websites and I started coming across homemade cinnamon roasted almond recipes. I instantly thought of my dad. He loves them! Conveniently, Christmas was coming up and it would be a perfect gift for him. Especially because this year I got my parents cutting boards and oven mitts (both of which were on their list), and I feel both were a little on the girly side. Don't get me wrong though, my dad cooks, and he cooks really well! I'll have to blog his bread pork tenderloin sometime in the future.

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds
adapted from Instructables

Ingredients
1 lb raw almonds (about 3 1/2 cups)
1 egg white
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. butter

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees
2. Separate egg white from yoke and put in bowl. Melt butter and add to the same bowl. Add vanilla extract to the bowl as well
3. Whisk mixture with fork
4. Add the almonds. Toss until all the almonds are coated.

5. In a small bowl, add the brown sugar, white sugar, salt, and cinnamon and mix until well blended.

6. Pour the cinnamon/sugar mixture over the almonds. Stir well until the almonds are fully and evenly coated.

7. Lightly grease a cookie with oil, butter, or Pam. Spread the almonds evenly and shake gently to create one layer. 

8. Place the cookie sheet in the oven for a total of 1 hour. 

9. Stir the almonds every 20 minutes (you'll do this twice) with a large spatula. Do not worry if the coating looks melty or is coming off the almonds. The coating will harden and the stirring will help re-coat them.

10. Let cool on stovetop. Store in an airtight container.

11. Enjoy!

Chicken Fajita Pasta

Earlier this week I was trying to decide something to cook for dinner, and I came across this recipe that I had saved a couple of months ago to make at some point.  It's a pretty healthy meal to make which is great since I'm trying to eat healthier.  It ended up being pretty easy and quick to make once all of the vegetables were cut up and tasted delicious as well!

Ingredients

• 6 oz whole wheat penne noodles
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• Half of a large white onion cut into strips
• 1 green pepper cut into strips
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large chicken breast, cut into strips
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons corn starch
• 1 tomato seeded and chopped
• Reduced fat Mexican cheese

Directions

1. Start cooking pasta according to package directions.
2. In a large pan over medium heat, warm oil.
3. Add onion and pepper and sauté.
4. Once onion and pepper are softened, add minced garlic and chicken.
5. Sprinkle spices onto chicken and vegetables once chicken is almost fully cooked.
6. Whisk together chicken broth and cornstarch in a bowl and pour over chicken and vegetables.
7. Once sauce has thickened, chicken is fully cooked, and noodles are done, toss contents of the sauté pan with the noodles and tomato.
8. Top with cheese as desired.  Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Mama Grubbs Grub

Fettuccine Alfredo

This was a staple in my house when I was growing up. It was always expected at my swim team pasta parties. My friends would come over and we would make it together. Everyone would fight over getting to grate the Parmesan cheese, which I will never understand. I still make it with friends; a true comfort food for me.

This is an incredibly fast and simple pasta. It can be a one pot meal, mixing it in the same pot you cooked the noodles. The longest part of making it is cooking the noodles. Be sure you split the cream up. I almost always forget to do it, but it is not the end of the world if you forget.

Naturally, I had a friend over when I made this. We decided to increase the amount of cheese from the amount traditionally used. Excellent decision because we always end up dousing it with more anyways. I didn't feel the need to do it though, with the increase in cheese. Make sure you use freshly grated Parmesan, not the fake kind. If you don't use Parmesan regularly, it is still a good investment because it takes forever to go bad.

Ingredients:
1 pound fettuccine noodles
1 cup heavy cream, separated into 2/3 and 1/3
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg or scant 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package.
2. Combine 2/3 cream and butter in a microwavable measuring cup. Microwave on high for 1 minute, making sure it does not boil over. 
3. Drain pasta and return to same pot, pouring the cream and butter mixture over the noodles, mixing to coat the noodles. Add the remaining 1/3 cup cream, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Mix to combine and serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

Avery's Birthday Brownies

A couple of days ago was my big sister Avery's 23rd birthday!  Growing up, our mom always let us choose between homemade brownies or white cake for our birthday.  I secretly was hoping Ave would want cake so that I could use my new cake pans that I got for Christmas, but she picked brownies so I happily obliged.  I topped them off with the same very easy homemade frosting that our mom always makes in Avery's choice of pink.

Brownies Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup shortening
• 3 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt shortening and chocolate together in a small bowl in the microwave.
3. Beat together sugar, vanilla and eggs in a large mixing bowl.
4. Blend in chocolate mixture.
5. Mix in dry ingredients.
6. Spread in greased 9x13 inch pan. (Use a smaller pan if you prefer your brownies thicker.)
7. Bake for 25 minutes.

Frosting Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup softened butter or crisco
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
• About 2 tablespoons milk (may need more)
• Food coloring

Directions

1. Combine powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and milk in a medium mixing bowl and beat together.
2. Add food coloring as desired.

Recipe courtesy of Karen Spencer

Happy 23rd Birthday Big Sister!

Baked Cake Doughnuts

For Christmas I got a doughnut pans from my parents and Ladders, my roommate. They both clearly know me and my love to doughnuts too well! Because it is a new year, these almost qualify as healthy too. There is no frying involved, which makes them fairly quick and less messy.

I made these before going to a birthday dinner for my fellow blogger's, Kelsey, sister. She gave them a thumbs up on taste, eating both for breakfast! I thought they were a tad dry, but good. Overall they are delicious, but no replacement for a fried doughnut. As a doughnut connoisseur I may be being over critical. 

I put the batter into a plastic baggie and snipped the end to pipe it into the pan. It worked wonderfully. I didn't have any problems with them overflowing or being too misshapen. Most importantly, if in doubt, under bake them. They will continue to cook a bit outside the oven.  I struggled with how to get cinnamon sugar to stick without dipping them in butter first. I made a vanilla glaze after getting frustrated with the sugar.

Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, less if using freshly grated
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
3 eggs
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 cup melted butter
Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. In a large bowl combine, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and flour in a bowl.
2. In a medium bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, maple syrup and butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. 
3. Put the mixture into a plastic baggie and snip off the end, pipping it into the doughnut pans. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes. Remove doughnuts from pan and let cool.
4. For cinnamon sugar: brush doughnuts with melted butter and then dip in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. 
5. For vanilla glaze: combine 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla, dipping the doughnuts into the glaze to coat.