Monthly Archives: May 2018

Cavatappi with Eggplant and Smoked Mozzarella

A few years (decades) ago I was a receptionist at a small accounting firm that was right down the road from a tiny hole in the wall italian restaurant. I would go there from time to time for a salad or a sandwich, but one day my world changed, I was craving some pasta so I ordered up this dish that had smoked mozzarella on it. Now, I had never had anything with smoked mozzarella and honestly had no clue what I was in for. I was blown away by the flavor of this cheese. It was that stringy creaminess that we all love about mozzarella but the wonderful light smokey flavor was amazing especially with the slightly tart, bright tomato sauce. My new mission in life was recreating this dish at home. I quickly ran into a road block, I couldn’t find smoked mozzarella anywhere. Finally I found a small italian deli that carried this wonderful cheese and I was set, until they closed! I went a few years with any smoky creamy goodness, until a few years ago when supermarkets started carrying a huge variety of cheeses. I love going in now and seeing all of the different unique cheeses one can get at any regular market!! All that being said, my supermarket doesnt always carry this wonderful treat, but when they do I know what I am making for lunch! Continue reading →

Peanut Butter Frosting

If there is one quick easy way to take any chocolate cupcake and elevate it to supreme status, it has to be peanut butter frosting. This frosting is so simple and so quick that its almost a crime to make cupcakes and not use this frosting. I would say that chocolate peanut butter cupcakes are my most requested cupcakes. I like to use this recipe for cupcakes, but whatever your favorite chocolate cake recipe or mix is probably a perfect vehicle for this frosting. I have made this frosting with vanilla cupcakes that I filled with strawberry jam for a peanut butter and jelly cupcake, and while people liked them, they got non of the fanfare that chocolates ones did. This last time around I was out of piping bags so I just used a ziplock bag and cut a corner off to pipe little mounds of delicious frosting that I topped with a peanut butter cup, because the only thing better than a cupcake, is a cupcake with candy on top! Continue reading →

Creamy Avacado Dressing

May is here, spring has sprung, and the trees are starting to turn a beautiful bright green. My eating habits tend to follow the weather, if its warm and bright, then my body just craves salads. When winter comes, eating salad just becomes a chore, I run from them towards soups and stews and all those comfort type foods. While I am craving salads, I also have this weird inability to eat the same thing two days straight, so I need to create a variety. I find the easiest way to change it up throughout the week is with different salad dressings. I can make a couple different ones and just store them in the fridge for the week. I made this dressing with a good amount of lime juice because I was fearful the avacado would turn green on me without plenty of acid, and it turned out I really liked the tart lime with the creamy avacado. I was able to keep this dressing in a jar for a week and it stayed a bright green for me. Continue reading →

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