Awesome Rice Pudding

Years ago, I used to get rice pudding from this little Lebanese restaurant in town called N&J's. I loved it so much that I would buy several containers and keep them in the refrigerator at home for easy snacks. When I moved back here, the restaurant was still there but they sadly no longer sold their rice pudding.

Ever since, I have been trying to find a way to make a delicious, super creamy, mildly sweet rice pudding recipe at home. I have lots of leftover rice, and I want to make something really great with it. Everything I have tried in the past comes out a bit dried out or has a strange flavor, or something is wrong with it. Well, I am beyond happy to report that I have found a delicious rice pudding recipe and I am going to share it with you all. This does not taste like the Lebanese version I used to get as it is not a Lebanese rice pudding, but I think I will use it as a starting point for a Lebanese version.

Lemony Sour Cream Sourdough Crepes

This is a fabulous dessert or a decadent breakfast. I use a Parisian sourdough starter from Cultures for Health and it's worked out really great for me. It has a mild flavor and is very easy to maintain. I am incredibly happy with it. It is easy to keep a sourdough starter (I promise)! - please check out my Quick Start Guide for more information.

Banana Bread - More Awesome Version!

I have been making banana bread the same way for the past couple of years and I really like it, but my husband is not a huge fan. He says he likes banana bread, and then I make it, and I'm the only one that eats it. It's totally annoying. So, last week I tried a new recipe and it is AMAZING!! I liked the old recipe a lot, but we really loved the new recipe. And, I'm not the only one that eats it. In fact, I was lucky to get a slice! The new recipe is from the following link and I only modified it a little bit.

Blackberry Cobbler

About four years ago, when I married my husband, we planted a single blackberry plant in our backyard hoping for blackberries each year. The first few years, we were thrilled to pick anywhere from 5 to 20 blackberries in late June and July. However, this year, we were so excited to have lots and lots of blackberries. Besides eating them right off the plant we made blackberry pancakes, blackberry waffles, used them in smoothies, and this cobbler.

Amaretto Pears

I was so lucky to receive a gift of Amaretto Pears from a friend of mine last fall. I think she gave me five or six jars and I went through them really quickly, they were so good! In this recipe, I've tried to re-create the flavors of that delicious gift from my friend.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Treats

If you are looking for a quick and easy snack, look no further. These little treats are super fast to make and will satisfy any "snack" craving.

Pumpkin Cornbread (with GF variation)

It seems like we all have pumpkin fever around this time of year and are looking for places to include pumpkin in our recipes. I came across this recipe by The Comfort of Cooking, which is a perfect combination. Man, is this stuff good! I modified it slightly from the original version, which you can find at the link above, and also include a Gluten-Free variation that is equally good for those who are interested.

Personal Pumpkin Pies (Crustless)

It's about this time of year that I'm trying to figure out what will be on my table for Thanksgiving. Desserts are always up in the air, as I spend most of my time on the main course. Honestly, we used to order our pies out, which was super easy, but those pies didn't have that home cooked taste, and even worse, you really don't know what's in them. The following recipe is a fairly quick and easy pumpkin pie recipe with adaptations and you'll wind up with about six little personal desserts.

Applesauce Bars with Raisins and Frosting

Ahhh.... you saw that title and thought I lost my mind, didn't you? Frosting? I mean seriously, how the heck can I post a recipe with frosting?? Hm...... Well, you'll just have to read on to see.......

I adapted this recipe from Semi Homemade Mom's Raisin Applesauce Bars and Caramel Frosting. I hope you'll go check out her blog - lots of great recipes!

 

Iced Honey Cream

We have serious ice cream cravings in our house. They creep in after dinner, and continue to harrass us all night long. Sometimes, we succumb and wind up buying a container of Ben & Jerry's (ok, THREE containers, I can't lie). And then I have remorse for a week afterward (I have remorse, the boys have no remorse whatsoever). Sigh.... and so it goes.

 

Test Kitchen: Sesame Honey Candy

I think that one of my husband's greatest difficulties on a real food diet is that he feels like he cannot satisfy his sweet tooth. He is often looking for a sweet snack and this treat satisfies that craving in a wonderful, nutritious way!

Apple Cinnamon Stuffed Crepes

In order to make this recipe, you'll need to simply combine Sweet Crepes and Cinnamon Apples. I've separated the recipes in an attempt to be organized. I'm not sure if it's worked. Anyway, both recipes are fairly easy-- you could make the crepes in advance (store in freezer for months or refrigerator for a couple of days) and simply warm, and the cinnamon apples are quick to do on their own.

Now, you could make both components at the same time and, if you do that, simply start your crepes and, as they are cooking, make your cinnamon apples (chopping the apples a bit here and there between crepes, then simmering all ingredients together on low until crepes are done). Then when the crepes are done, stuff or drizzle with Cinnamon Apples, as indicated below. That is what I have done and it's not too difficult, and only about 20-30 minutes total cook time (keep in mind that the crepes are made one at a time, which lengthens that overall process).

Warm Cinnamon Apples

We used this filling for Apple Cinnamon Stuffed Crepes, made with Sweet Crepes, but it could easily be a sweet treat on its own or part of another dessert.

Crepes (Sweet)

This is a simple recipe for Sweet Crepes that you can use in dessert recipes, etc. We used ours in a sweet breakfast - Apple Cinnamon Crepes. They were delicious! In fact, I think I enjoyed the sweet version more than the savory crepes. 

 

Easy Cinnamon Cookies

"A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand." --popular diet joke 

 

Test Kitchen: Lemony Creme

I saw this recipe for Italian Lemon Creme on Dimes2Vines and immediately thought I had to give it a try as a filling for my sweet crepes, a follow-up to savory crepes. If you have not checked out this website, I encourage you to do so as there are some really great posts. The following recipe is based on the recipe referenced above, with slight modifications.

Crepes (Savory)

Impress your family with these beautiful but easy crepes.

Fruit Pizza

I had a craving for fruit pizza and decided to try to make one that would be nutritious and still taste good. This worked out really well - it is a fun and delicious treat.

 

 

Test Kitchen: Blueberry Muffins

And, more from my never-ending quest to find nutritious snacks....

 



Zucchini Bread

Don't let all the ingredients below fool you - this is an easy and really delicious zucchini bread recipe you won't want to miss!