Meyer Lemon Cake Bars

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Winter is citrus season so I’m pounding down oranges and pomelos while they’re in their peak sweetness. I swear, the best citrus comes from a backyard, especially my parents’ backyard! Their honey and pink pomelos are insane. If I’m at the grocery store, I’ll rely on some sumo oranges since they’re still easy to peel, sweet, and not too acidic.

My parents only believe in growing fruit that you can *eat*, so you won’t find any limes or lemons. Lucky for me, I got my hands on some Meyer lemons from Long Beach, CA (thanks MJ!). A Meyer lemon is a hybrid between a lemon and an orange. They’re sweeter than your regular lemon, but I still would not eat one like an orange. They’re still acidic enough to use in baking, but their rind is even more fragrant than that of a traditional lemon.

Ingredients

Meyer lemons – The zest is key! You can use regular lemons too, but I would highly encourage a Meyer lemon.

zest
with sugar
juice
just mixed
bake!

Meyer Lemon Cake Bars

Print Recipe
Sweet & zingy!
Course Dessert
Keyword bars, cake, lemon, meyer lemon
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 12 bars

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 Meyer lemons zested
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder

Lemon Glaze

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp water extra as needed

Instructions

  • Zest the two Meyer lemons. There should be at least 1 tablespoon of zest from the lemons. Be sure that you only remove the yellow/orange zest and not any of the white pith.
  • Add lemon zest to sugar and stir, pressing a spatula into the sugar and zest. This will help the zest release more oils.
  • Add eggs, oil, and heavy cream. Mix until combined.
  • Add lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.
  • Add flour and baking powder. Mix until just combined.
  • Pour into 9" x 13" baking dish or two 9" x 5" loaf pans. Bake at 350F for 25-35 minutes until lightly browned and toothpick comes out clean from center of loaf.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
  • Make lemon glaze by mixing together powdered sugar, lemon juice and half of the water. Add additional water as necessary so glaze can just run off a spoon.
  • Depending on how it will be served, pour glaze all over top of cakes or cut cake into squares and then add glaze on top later!

Bake some other fruit things! Try Banana Bread or Puff Pastry Danish

Coconut Banana Chia Pudding

Posted on by Amanda Leave a comment

Everyone’s a little lazy in the morning right? It can be a lot of work to get a whole meal going early in the morning before the day starts. Everyone raves about some overnight oats, but I just can’t do it. I’ve tried to like them, but I can’t. I’ve even heard them being referred to as “prison food”. Like overnight oats, this is a super low effort breakfast, snack, or dessert, but somehow more palatable. Coconut banana chia pudding is lightly coconut-y and banana-y and naturally sweet from the blended in bananas.

You can even pair this coconut banana chia pudding with some overnight oats (if you actually like that stuff) or use it on a topping for an acai bowl! I like having this chia pudding layered with some fresh fruit or fruit preserves and/or topped with some granola and hemp seeds.

Ingredients

Coconut cream – You’ll want to use one of the high fat coconut creams. This definitely gives more flavor (fat = flavor!). Don’t use coconut water.

Bananas – Use a banana to a stage of ripeness to your preference. The banana is really where our sweetness is coming from, so I wouldn’t recommend using green bananas. If you like a sweeter chia pudding, use a banana that’s starting to spot, but I wouldn’t recommend a completely black/overripened banana, as that may cause your chia pudding to ferment.

blend up your banana + coconut cream
mix in the chia
thickened overnight!

Coconut Banana Chia Pudding

Print Recipe
Overnight chia pudding that's great for breakfast or a fiber-full dessert
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Keyword banana, chia, coconut, pudding

Equipment

  • blender or immersion blender

Ingredients

  • 1 can coconut cream around 16 ounces
  • 2 bananas ripe or extra ripe
  • 1/2 cup chia seeds
  • salt

Instructions

  • Blend together coconut cream, bananas, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
  • Add chia seeds to the coconut banana mixture and stir well, ensuring that there are no clumps of chia seeds. Clumps will prevent chia seeds from absorbing the liquid and plumping up.
  • Leave in the refrigerator overnight.
  • Enjoy the next morning on top of some yogurt, in some overnight oats, with some granola, top it with fruit, or have it on its own!

Have it for breakfast alongside some Mushroom, Spinach, & Cheddar Frittata or if you want more banana, try Banana Bread.

Garlic Butter Shrimp

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Name a better combination than garlic and butter. Would it be garlic butter shrimp? The smell of just these two items cooking together will get everyone’s head turning to the kitchen, asking what you’re making, even though it’s only two simple ingredients! These garlic butter shrimp are versatile as an appetizer or as part of your main dish with some rice, noodles, pasta or even on top of a salad. This recipe is so easy to make with simple ingredients and can only less than 20 minutes if using pre-peeled and deveined shrimp that have already thawed.

Ingredients

Shrimp – The “sizing” of the shrimp is based on how many of them are needed to make up a pound. I used 16-20 shrimp, which means that about 16-20 shrimps together make up 1 pound of shrimp. The smaller the numbers, the bigger the shrimp! The larger the shrimp, the longer the cook time, but it’s pretty marginal. pick whatever size you’d like. To make this recipe quick and easy, opt to buy peeled and deveined shrimp so that you don’t have to do that yourself.

Butter – I use unsalted so that you can better control the amount of salt that is going in the recipe.

Olive oil – Why do we need olive oil if we’re already using butter? At higher temperatures, butter can burn really quickly. The olive oil will help soften the garlic faster without having to worry about anything burning.

Garlic – Better to fend away those vampires.

olive oil first
until softened
shrimps & butter

Garlic Butter Shrimp

Print Recipe
Quick, easy, garlicky, and buttery!
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Keyword butter, garlic, shrimp

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 pound shrimp peeled, deveined
  • 1 head garlic thinly sliced
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • salt
  • pepper
  • red pepper flakes garnish
  • dill garnish

Instructions

  • In a pan that can fit all your shrimp in one layer, heat at medium heat until pan is hot.
  • Add olive oil and sliced garlic. Cook until garlic softens.
  • Add shrimp in one layer (if you can) and butter.
  • Cook on each side 2-4 minutes until shrimp is completely opaque throughout.
  • Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Garnish with red pepper flakes and dill as desired!

Eat these with 10-Minute Soy Ginger Noodles or with The Work From Home Salad

Maple Miso Glazed Carrots

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One vegetable that I love to have on hand is carrots. It’s a great vegetable that can be served raw or cooked. They’re great for snacking, thinly sliced in a salad or tossed in noodles, roasted in the oven (enter maple miso glazed carrots), put into soups… the possibilities are endless! It also keeps well for extended periods of time.

Whenever I buy a big bag of carrots, I extend their shelf life by peeling them all and then cutting them into smaller pieces that can fit into a container. I then fill the containers with water so that the carrots are all covered. I change out the water everyday. This makes my carrots last weeks, if not an entire month!

If I decide to cook my carrots, one of my favorite methods is roasting in the oven. Oven roasting brings out extra sweetness of the carrots. I love to glaze with some maple and miso for some extra sweet and savory flavor.

chopped carrots
par bake
maple + miso
mixed glaze
add glaze

Maple Miso Glazed Carrots

Print Recipe
Oven roasted sweet & savory carrots that are perfect as any side dish
Course Side Dish
Keyword carrots, maple, miso, roasted

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds carrots
  • 2 tbsp miso paste
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • salt
  • pepper
  • olive oil

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400F
  • Peel and cut carrots into long sticks, all about the same thickness.
  • Toss carrots in olive oil, salt and pepper.
  • Par bake for 20 minutes.
  • While carrots are initially baking, mix together miso and maple.
  • Once carrots have completed initial bake, remove from oven and toss with miso maple mixture.
  • Return to oven for additional 20 minutes.
  • Remove and serve!

Need more sides? Try Creamy Mashed Potatoes or Honey Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Cranberry White Chocolate Matcha Cookies

Posted on by Amanda Leave a comment

Happy holidays! Lots of travel and celebrations kept me away, but I missed being home. After eating out so much, I think you start to crave a cozy meal at home. It’s been a warmer winter, but still colder than the places I’ve been bopping around. The dark and rain make it feel colder than it is, so winter makes me happy to have the oven on.

Holidays have been full of gatherings and one of the easiest handheld to bring is a cookie! I love doubling up a recipe to freeze up some extra cookie dough. Half baked for now and half to bake for later since nothing really beats a freshly baked cookie. This matcha cookies are eye-catching with their green tinge. The matcha flavor helps balance the sweet chocolate chips and the dried cranberries add some texture and tartness.

Ingredients

Matcha – use a higher quality matcha, ceremonial or premium, as they will be more green!

Cranberries – I know some people are very much anti-cranberry, so these can be taken out, however replace them with more white chocolate chips, otherwise you will have some sparse looking cookies.

sift the matcha
mix-ins
asdf
balled to freeze
baked!

White Chocolate Cranberry Matcha Cookies

Print Recipe
Sweet white chocolate and tart dried cranberries balance out the nutty matcha.
Course Dessert
Keyword cookies, cranberry, matcha, white chocolate
Cook Time 12 minutes
Servings 24 cookies

Equipment

  • 1 Stand mixer recommended

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 tbsp matcha powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups white chocolate chips
  • 2 cups dried cranberries

Instructions

  • Cream together butter, brown sugar and white sugar until creamy and smooth. Periodically stop the mixer to scrape the butter and sugar off of the paddle.
  • Sift in matcha powder and continue mixing.
  • Add salt and eggs, one at a time, and continue mixing.
  • Add AP flour and baking soda until just combined. Don't worry if it's a little streaky, you'll continue mixing with the mix-ins.
  • Add in the mix-ins and mix just another few seconds until the mix-ins are distributed.
  • If you have time, pre-scoop your cookies and refrigerate for a few hours before baking.
  • Bake at 350F for ~12 minutes.
  • Cool and enjoy!

More cookies? Try Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies or Kitchen Sink Cookies

Classic Aioli

Posted on by Amanda Leave a comment

I know some people where once they find out the ingredients to something, it completely changes their perspective on the dish. They might like it more… they might like it less. I think aioli could be polarizing like this, since the primary ingredients are just egg and oil! Aioli can certainly be dressed up with fun spices and herbs, roasted garlic, or even caramelized onions.

When adding spices and herbs, I recommend adding 1 tsp at a time and tasting your aioli for potency. Add more as needed. If adding additional solid ingredients like garlic, onions, sun-dried tomatoes, etc, I’d start with half a cup at a time and add more as desired. Serve alongside with bread, fresh vegetables, french fries, or any other snacks!

Classic Aioli

Print Recipe
A rich, creamy sauce that can be used as a dip or spread with bread, veggies, or any other snacks.
Keyword aioli

Equipment

  • immersion blender

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar

Instructions

  • In this order, crack egg into a container and then place immersion blender in egg.
  • Turn on immersion blender and slowly drizzle oil into mixture, allowing egg and oil to emulsify.
  • After aioli has come together, mix in salt, vinegar, and sugar.
  • Add in extra herbs, spices, and any other additions as desired!

Serve alongside: Panko Crusted Tuna or Honey Miso Brussels Sprouts

Cranberry White Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Posted on by Amanda Leave a comment

Holidays are coming!! and that means cookie season is upon us! December is meant for warm cookies straight from the oven with a hot drink on the couch… hiding from the cold and rain outside. I love a cookie that has some crunch, some sweet, and some salt, so why not add some tart into the mix! Featuring the cranberry white chocolate walnut cookie! Cranberries feel so fall and so holiday, so they’re perfect in a cookie.

Like most cookies, I recommend making your dough at least a day in advance of when you plan to bake them. They just end up being tastier and if you have too much, you can just freeze them. Instead of pre-scooping and freezing on a tray, I’ve been in the habit of squishing it all in a tray, portioning into squares, pre-slicing, and then popping it all into a reusable bag in the freezer. Later I can thaw slightly, break off the squares and then bake!

Ingredients:

Cranberries – a dried cranberry is perfect

Walnuts – Use whole walnuts or walnut pieces. They kind of end up breaking up more in the stand mixer regardless.

White chocolate – I used chips, but if you’re extra fancy, go for the chunks!

cream butter/sugars
eggs + vanilla
portioning 2 dozen
bake them!
fresh from the oven

Cranberry White Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Print Recipe
Salty, sweet, tart, crunchy, soft cookies, perfect for the holidays!
Course Dessert
Keyword cookies, cranberry, walnut, white chocolate
Servings 24 cookies

Equipment

  • 1 Stand mixer recommended

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter softed
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/3 cup walnuts toasted
  • 1 1/3 cup white chocolate
  • 1 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

  • Cream together butter, brown sugar and white sugar until creamy and smooth. Periodically stop the mixer to scrape the butter and sugar off of the paddle.
  • Add vanilla extract and salt and continue mixing.
  • Add eggs to the mixer one at a time and continue mixing.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together AP flour and baking soda until just combined. Don't worry if it's a little streaky, you'll continue mixing with the mix-ins.
  • Add in the mix-ins and mix just another few seconds until the mix-ins are distributed.
  • If you have time, pre-scoop your cookies and refrigerate for a few hours before baking.
  • Bake at 350F for ~12 minutes. Cookies will look a little puffy but will deflate after removed from the oven. Allow to cool ~10 minutes before enjoying.

More cookies? Try Kitchen Sink Cookies or Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies.

Deep Fried Turkey

Posted on by Amanda Leave a comment

After a few years of deep fried Thanksgiving turkeys, I can confidently say that this is THE way to have a turkey. A double fry gives you shatteringly crispy skin with a crazy moist interior. You can brine/season/marinate your turkey however you like and it’ll come out amazing. To make it even faster, you can buy a pre-brined turkey to get you to your turkey destination faster.

We’ve always used an indoor deep fryer where the sole intention of the appliance is to just fry turkeys. No open flame ensures maximum safety where a dropped turkey won’t start in a fire. A peanut-canola oil blend makes your turkey extra savory and heats up quickly.

Deep Fried Turkey

Print Recipe
Shatteringly crispy skin and a shockingly moist interior will make you want to fry a turkey every year.
Course Main Course
Keyword deep fried, turkey

Equipment

  • 1 indoor deep fryer

Ingredients

  • 1 turkey max 20 pounds
  • 3 liters peanut oil minimum
  • 5 liters oil canola, peanut, vegetable

Instructions

  • Fill deep fryer with oil and allow time to heat up to 350F
  • While deep fryer is heating, dry turkey as best as possible. Ensure that there is nothing remaining that is stuffed inside the turkey.
  • Slowly lower the turkey into the hot oil to ensure that oil does not spill out of the fryer. The oil may not entirely cover the breast of the turkey if it is on the larger, 20 lb size.
  • Fry for 3.5-4.5 minutes per pound until the internal temperature at the deepest point in the thigh measures 160F.
  • Remove from oil and allow to rest for 10-20 minutes.
  • Fry again for another 20 minutes at 350F to ensure extra crispy skin.
  • Allow to rest 10-20 minutes before carving. Enjoy!

Need some Thanksgiving sides? Have some Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Shrimp Cocktail, Honey Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts, or Rosemary Parmesan Roasted Acorn Squash!

Need some Thanksgiving desserts? Try Apple Crumb Pie, Pumpkin Basque Burnt Cheesecake, or Bread Pudding

Dirty Chai Banana Cake

Posted on by Amanda Leave a comment

I’ve learned that I love a cooked banana, but a fresh banana…. mehh… I love a fried banana, banana bread, bananas foster, banana ice cream, and I realized… no one really makes banana cakes. I guess you could count a banana bread as a cake but it’s been marketed to be “healthy” and good for breakfast. For those that aren’t true cooked banana lovers, they won’t even tell that it’s banana. The chai mix gives the cake more of a spice cake flavor and the bitter notes from the coffee topping helps balance the sweet banana. It has those warm fall spices, reminiscent of a hot dirty chai.

Ingredients

Bananas – The browner the better! If you have bananas that are ready, but you aren’t ready, you can freeze your bananas. I do recommend peeling them before storing. If you’re starting from frozen, I do recommend that you fully thaw and drain your bananas before you start.

Chai powder – I use the one from Blue Lotus, but you can use whichever chai mix you like. This one does have powdered, instant tea in it, along with the chai spices.

Espresso – I use Vietnamese instant coffee as I find it more robust and flavorful, but it could be substituted with instant espresso too.

mixed batter
in the baking dish
make the topping

Dirty Chai Banana Cake

Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Keyword banana, cake, chai, coffee, dessert, espresso
Cook Time 35 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 10" cake pan

Ingredients

Cake

  • 3 bananas
  • 3/4 cup neutral oil
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp chai spice mix
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Topping

  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp instant espresso
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  • Mash your bananas.
  • Mix with eggs, sugars, salt, chai spice mix, and oil.
  • Add flour and baking soda.
  • Pour into a 10" cake pan and bake at 350F for 45 minutes, tenting with foil if the top starts getting very brown.
  • Check cake with the toothpick. Allow to cool completely.
  • Mix cream cheese, heavy cream, espresso, sugar, and salt together.
  • When cake is completely cooled, add on top! Cut and serve.

Want regular Banana Bread? Could also try Zucchini Bread.

Honey Miso Brussels Sprouts

Posted on by Amanda Leave a comment

Fall is here and that means it’s brussels sprout season! I love these miniature cabbages roasted. They get so tender and their little leaves crisp up in the oven, so they’re full of textures. They’re a perfect side dish for the upcoming holidays. Honey gives the bitter vegetable a little bit of sweetness and the miso adds some savory, umami flavor. Pre-baking the brussels sprouts plain lets them crisp up before they’re tossed in the honey miso glazed and finished up in the oven. This sauce combination would also be delicious on top of salmon, chicken, or other vegetables.

Ingredients

Honey – adds a little sweetness! It could probably be substituted with agave, but the flavor is definitely different.

Miso – I used white miso. There really isn’t any substitute for miso.

Brussels sprouts – Full of fiber, vitamin K and vitamin C. Eat them!

honey + miso
chopped
add sauce

Honey Miso Brussels Sprouts

Print Recipe
Sweet & savory roasted brussels sprouts that are tender and crispy.
Course Side Dish
Keyword brussels sprouts, honey, miso
Cook Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp white miso
  • 1 tbsp olive oil + extra
  • 2 pounds brussels sprouts

Instructions

  • Trim and chop brussels sprouts into halves.
  • Toss with olive oil and lay flat on a baking sheet. Bake at 400F for 35 minutes, stirring on the baking sheet throughout the cook time.
  • While baking, mix the sauce together. Add miso, honey, and oil, stirring until combined. If the sauce is difficult coming together, add a little bit of hot water to help dissolve the miso and honey.
  • After 35 minutes, pour sauce over brussels sprouts, stir, and bake for an additional 5 minutes at 400F.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Try another variation! Honey Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts