a few hits and a miss

i'm sure it will come as no surprise when i say that cooking dinner when it's as hot as the ninth circle of hell is not my idea of a good time.  i mean, i do love to cook, don't get me wrong.  but when i'm sweating enough to make soup (gross visual, huh), the notion of slaving over a hot stove is not appealing in the least.

last week's heat wave damn near did me in.  like, i was so completely miserable for days at a time.  and?  i dread opening the electric bill when it hits the mailbox.  well, we're paperless, so i guess what i really mean is that i'm not looking forward to the email from edison this month.  you get it.

so i did some meal planning at the beginning of the week and mapped out a lovely plan that consisted of dumping shit into the crock pot in the morning so that dinner would be magically ready in the evenings.  first on the list:  a recipe for slow-cooked lasagna.  i'm not usually a huge fan of lasagna because ricotta cheese kinda grosses me out, but i knew everybody else would like it and i'm almost always willing to take one for the team.  plus, i didn't have to put this in until just before it was time to pick up the bean, so the procrastinator in me was extra pleased.

i have to say, i was very pleasantly surprised at the outcome.  i did make the sauce myself, but didn't bother to simmer it as i normally would.  instead, i just stirred all of the ingredients together and then went on with the business of layering the meat, cheese, and noodles into the pot.  three hours later, voila:

it was a hit with the whole house, and so i'll definitely be revisiting this one in the future.

i poked around that particular site a little more and decided to give the bacon ranch chicken a try.  after all, bacon?  good.  ranch?  yum.  chicken?  sure.  and these are all ingredients that are picky bean-approved.  while it looks like slop on a plate, it was really tasty and will also likely be added to the rotation.

another night, i threw in a beef roast and some other ingredients for the "nana's pot roast with THE BEST gravy ever!"  because with a title like that...well, duh.  unfortunately, it didn't live up to its name.  neither the bean nor i really liked it, and it never even made it into the hub's and the teen's bellies.  it wasn't even worthy of a photo.  so sad.

however, this delicious concoction of biscoff spread, marshmallows and chocolate chips definitely was.  it is SO good, although i cut the recipe in half because CALORIES.  anyway, give it a shot next time you've got a raging sweet tooth that needs attention.  i personally thought it was even better the second day, but i'm also the weirdo who doesn't like chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven.  i like to let the chocolate harden again before i eat them.  anyway...

with the hub out for the evening during a break from the scorching heat, i decided to try a recipe for oven-baked chicken fingers.  and since i had the thing all fired up anyway, i threw in a tray of tater tots to bake alongside them.  i'm a little leery of recipes like this because while they're supposed to come out crunchy and delicious as if i'd picked them up from a drive-thru somewhere, i find that oven-baked chicken tends to be more on the soggy side.  happily, this was not the case.

served with some chick-fil-a sauce i've been hoarding in the fridge, it made for a really yummy meal that was bean- and teen-approved.  definitely a keeper.

got any fun recipes for me to try?  sharing is caring.

this is how i roll

i managed to think of another way to use my beloved biscoff spread.

well, actually, a quick search on google told me that my idea was definitely not a new one.  in fact, it's been done a few times over.  boo.  but whatever - this is MY creation, and so of course in my eyes it's the best version on the planet. so there.

during a trip to the mall last week with the teen, i found myself craving a cinnabon like whoa.  and because i'm not typically one to ignore when my body is crying out for some sweet, warm, gooey deliciousness, i bought one.  did you know they sell something called "center of the roll" now?  neither did i, and now i'm not sure if i'm glad i have this knowledge or not.

anyway, the next morning, i decided that i wanted to make some quickie cinnamon rolls - only these, as i'm sure you've already guessed, would feature some of that delicious spread in the middle.  i headed into the kitchen and pulled out the usual suspects:

and yup, these are all things that i always have in the house.  heh.  no wonder the scale isn't budging regardless of my constant shredding/ripping/running/yoga/etc.  oh, well.

i mixed some of that cream cheese with a bit of the biscoff spread and added a sprinkle of cinnamon.

the crescent dough came out and got pinched and crimped into a nice sheet that would form the base for my rolls.

then i spread that biscoff mixture (which smelled fantastic, by the way) all over the top.

rollin'.  rollin'.  rollin' on the counter.

i swear i'm not getting paid to say this at all, but this stuff is magical.  parchment on one side, foil on the other.  it makes lining pans ridiculously easy, and then all i have to do is pull it right out and put the pan back in the cupboard.  i love anything that enables my laziness.

i used a serrated knife to cut the roll in half, then again and again until i had eight pieces.

i laid them out into the pan, and then just for good measure, i sprinkled a little cinnamon sugar on top.

my laziness comes into play again here with the glaze i used on top.  i had this left over from a pizza and cinnamon breadsticks order a few weeks ago, and because i hate throwing this kind of stuff away, i saved myself a step.

i scraped it out into the bowl that still had a little bit of the biscoff/cream cheese mixture, and stirred it all  up into a lovely little concoction.  when the rolls were done, i scraped it into a baggie, snipped off the corner, and drizzled it right on top.

pretty tasty, yo.  want to make your own?  here's what i did:

quickie biscoff cinnamon rolls, makes 8:

4 oz. or half of a brick of cream cheese (i used the lower-fat neufchatel, thinking it would help)
about 1/4 cup biscoff spread
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
a can of crescent roll dough
cinnamon sugar

preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  mix the first 3 ingredients together until combined.  spray your counter with a little nonstick spray (trust me on this) and unroll the dough, pinching all of the perforations shut.  spread the biscoff mixture all over the top.  starting at one of the short ends, roll it up.    slice it into 8 pieces and arrange into parchment-lined 9" round pan.  sprinkle tops with cinnamon sugar and bake for about 20 minutes or until the tops are golden.

if you want to make a glaze, you can use about 2 oz. of cream cheese mixed with about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, and then whisk in about a tablespoon of biscoff spread.  if it's too thick, add a little milk until you like the consistency.  scrape it into a baggie, snip off the corner, and drizzle it on top of the rolls.

mmmmm.  i may have to make these again, and soon.  because my ass isn't wide enough as it is.

everything's better with biscoff

remember my post a few months ago (okay, it was july. how time flies!) about making a sopapilla cheesecake for breakfast?

i did it again. 

except this time, i switched it up a little.  see the difference?

oh, yes.  i threw a little biscoff spread into the mix.  because, as we're learning, biscoff spread goes with everything.  i may have had a little extra cream cheese filling left over from a previous sopapilla breakfast...uh, a few days prior.  so i scooped some spread into a bowl and mixed it all together.

it came out of the oven perfectly golden and smelling pretty darn fantastic.

seriously, i think i'm just going to start adding biscoff spread to everything i make.  beats eating it out of the jar with a spoon, anyway.

two great tastes that taste great together

my friend tater sent me a link to a recipe for some delicious looking cookies a few weeks ago that blended two of my favorite things in the whole world - biscoff spread and snickerdoodles.  and since i love to plan ahead, i told her that i'd make a batch of them in her honor to serve at the GTG we were planning.

of course, i was totally distracted the day before the party and forgot all about them until i woke up before the butt crack of dawn.  oops.  but i'd read through the recipe and knew that it was a pretty easy process, so i decided to make them as soon as i got out of bed.  the bean, hearing my plans, immediately volunteered to come with me.  she's such a good little helper.

the cookie part was a really basic snickerdoodle recipe.  simple sugar cookie dough, formed into balls and rolled in some cinnamon sugar.

but then i busted out the secret ingredient and the magic began.

turns out i had just enough for the filling.  wanna see one of the saddest sights in the whole wide world?

blend it with a little butter, some powdered sugar, a bit of cinnamon, and a smidge of milk, and you've got yourself one heavenly smelling bowl of yum.

slather it on the cooled cookies.

sandwich them together.

and bask in the glory of all the compliments showered upon you by all who partake.

more biscoffin'

this episode of "wan wings it in the kitchen" is one that's been brewing in my head for a couple of weeks.  i don't really know why i waited so long to try it out, but i am super stoked that i finally did because it was one of the most delicious experiments i've ever done.

now, you know i've become a ridiculously ginormous fan of biscoff spread.  the stuff is magical, people.  i was so excited to find that my local fresh & easy carries it now, too, and i really hope that the trader joe's version isn't just a seasonal item for the holidays.  anyway, i decided that the fantastic flavor needed to be incorporated into a pancake.

that's right.  I MADE BISCOFF SPREAD PANCAKES, FOOLS.

like my red velvet pancakes, i didn't use any precise measurements.  like, at all.  and i was shooting for a very small batch as the bean was already chowing on some scrambled eggs and we were the only ones home at the time.  so it was seriously a scoop of pancake mix (yes, i totally cheat and use the add-water kind instead of making it from scratch), a splash of vanilla extract, a dollop of the precious spread, and enough water to make the batter gooey to my liking.  i personally prefer thinner, chewy pancakes vs. the thick fluffy kind.

as she bounced back and forth between bits of egg and watching me cook, the bean demanded to have her picture taken.  you don't have to ask me twice.

so anyway, i didn't want to use regular ol' maple syrup on these.  i wanted to enhance the biscoff flavor that i knew would be fairly subtle in the pancakes.  and so i decided to throw together a glaze - again, a dollop of spread, a little powdered sugar, and a dash of cream.  i stirred it together in a small saucepan and cooked it over a low flame until the spread was melted and the whole concoction thickened nicely.

i poured a bit of the batter into my hot pan, and watched for the bubbles.  i really love cooking pancakes - so easy, and the flipping part is my favorite.

amazingly, i'd managed to make just the right amount of batter.  i always make too much or not enough, but today the pancake gods were smiling down on me.  or maybe it was the biscoff gods.  perhaps the kitchen experimentation gods?  whoever it was, thank you.  because look, pretty!

my first bite damn near made me clench my butt cheeks together in happiness.  but i'd just sweated through a workout, so i was too sore for that.

what the hell, i think i can give fairly accurate measurements.  if you've made pancakes before, you'll know what the batter should look like.  it's not exactly rocket science.  here goes:

biscoff pancakes with glaze for one:

2/3 cup instant pancake mix
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
scant 1/4 cup biscoff spread
water

glaze:

1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup biscoff spread
1/4 cup heavy cream (yes, the good stuff.  don't skimp on this, why bother?)

make the glaze first.  stir everything together in a small saucepan over low heat until the spread melts and everything is nice and happy-looking.  don't allow it to boil.  i don't know what would happen if you did, but it's probably not a good idea.  keep stirring as it cooks until it gets to the consistency you want.  mine was kind of the same thickness as shampoo.  but it doesn't taste like shampoo.  it tastes like liquid heaven. 

so anyway, uh...mix the pancake ingredients together with a whisk.  a small one, if you have it.  start out with 1/4-1/2 cup of water and see how it turns out - if it ends up too thin, toss in a little more pancake mix.  if it's too thick, add a little more water till you like how it looks.  heat a nonstick pan or griddle over medium heat and melt a little butter in it if you like that sort of thing (i do, because butter is good).  you can check if the pan is ready by sprinkling a few drops of water in it.  if it sizzles, you're good to go.  pour some batter in and watch for the edges to dry and bubbles to appear.  flip.  fun, right?  if you're feeling generous, you can make small pancakes and share them.  but i wouldn't blame you if you hid in the closet and hoarded them all for your own bad self.  not one bit.

now pour the glaze on and get ready for the awesomeness that is biscoff pancakes. 

oh, and making these results in the kitchen (and if you're lucky, the whole damn house) smelling absolutely divine.  you can thank me later.

making cookies out of...cookies

my friend weezermonkey has introduced me to all sorts of great stuff - julius the monkey, pork belly (and other scrumptious piggy parts), countless joints for delicious grub in the city, even the bean's very first playdate.  and i'm totally crediting her with my latest obsession - a super delicious spread made from yummy biscoff cookies.

you'll recognize these if you've ever flown on delta.  those crunchy, slightly spicy, uber tasty cookies they give you that come two to a little plastic pack?  yeah, that be them.  and out of these nuggets of happiness they've created a spread that tastes exactly like them - mostly because it's about 60% ground cookies.

anyway, from what i remember, the monkey posted on twitter that she and mr. mo had received a gift basket that contained a jar of this fantastic stuff.  the moment i read "biscoff," my mouth started watering like crazy.  i've actually found these cookies at target and local grocery stores, but a quick search turned up zero access to biscoff spread.  bummer.  i considered ordering it from the website, but i got distracted - probably by something shiny - and forgot all about it.

then a few weeks ago, twitter was again my source of valuable information as someone posted a link to a recipe for cupcakes using the spread, and mentioned finding it at cost plus world market.  well, hell, there's one of those practically around the corner from the house of wan!  and so the very next day, when i dropped the bean off at school, i zoomed right over and started perusing the shelves of random international foodstuffs.  i was ridiculously excited to find the jars tucked in next to nutella and specialty peanut butters, and raced home to taste a spoonful right away.

or two.  maybe twelve.  in any case, this has become my go-to spread for bagels, toast, hawaiian rolls, waffles - you name it, i'm spreadin' it.  that sounded dirrrrty.

on friday, one of my favorite cookie bloggers tweeted a link to her newest creation - soft cutout cookies using the precious biscoff spread.  now, i realize that on the surface, this sounds kind of wacky.  they're cookies, incorporating a spread made with...cookies.  i know.  i thought the same thing at first.  but then i got to thinking that a soft, chewy cookie with that distinctive flavor would be pretty stinking awesome.  the only thing that gave me pause - briefly - was the idea of using up damn near a whole jar.

obviously, i didn't let that stop me.

i rolled and cut out the dough into cute little scalloped round cookies, popped the sheets in the oven, and 9 minutes later:

although the recipe told me to let them cool completely, this was one time i was gonna be a rebel.  i grabbed a knife, picked up a still-warm cookie, and slathered it with some spread.

oh. em. gee.  these are seriously so delicious.  and i only baked up half the batch!  i've still got a whole disk of dough kickin' it in the fridge, ready for the moment these disappear completely (which won't be long, from the looks of it).  and to save time later, i decided to go ahead and sandwich them all together.  aren't they cute?

by the time i was done, this was all i had left of that jar.

but no worries.  i've already gone and out and replenished my supply.  heh.

and as i updated my facebook status with the joy of these cookies, one of my friends replied with "speculoos?" a-wha?  the google clued me in, though, and i learned quite a bit about those treats we know here in the U.S. as biscoff cookies.  they've apparently been around a loooong time, and the spread was a result of an inventions contest in belgium.  and there are/were several companies fighting over the right to patent the stuff.  the cookies are also a christmastime treat in the netherlands, and they also put them between slices of buttered bread, letting them soften into a paste much like the spread i'm currently hoarding like crazy.

yes, i totally researched these cookies quite thoroughly.  oh, and i found something else i desperately want to try - something called ovomaltine crunchy cream spread.   have you ever had ovaltine?  it's a malted chocolate powder that you mix in with milk.  i used to drink it all the time when i was younger, as it's apparently a big thing in the homeland.  relatives coming for visits used to bring me packets of ovalteenies too - hard little round crunchy candy things that were super delicious.  i should see if i can get my hands on some of those.  they've got vitamins and stuff in 'em, you know.

anyway, this spread sounds like chocolatey, crunchy, malted heaven.  i. want. it.  except that the few places online that'll ship to the U.S. are all abroad, meaning exorbitant shipping rates.

anybody wanna hook me up?  anyone?  bueller?

see what a buck can do

i am one hell of a bargain shopper when i want to be.  and in planning the bean's birthday bash, i've discovered that there are lots of treasures to be found at the $.99 store.  she asked for a rainbow party this year, so it's a pretty easy theme to work with.

actually, i've expressed my love for this place before.  it's been a while, so when i rediscovered the wonders to be found within those walls, i was one happy camper.  like, these colorful plastic tablecovers would cost 3 times as much at party city - where i would normally have looked first.  and matching streamers in all 6 colors, too!

because i thought it would be fun to expand the theme a little, the party's going to be a rainbow carnival.  and it ain't a carnival without this:

i also managed to pick up a few non-party related items for the bean.  not very exciting, but she was happy.

these guys are everywhere, it seems.  and it's always hard for me to pass up scooping up a little something for the teen.  but here, it's only $.99.  so i didn't.

i laughed my ass off when i strolled past an entire rack of these, but then i realized that it was the bean's birth year and picked one up for her to peruse when she gets older.

in the snack aisle, i managed to find a little something for myself.

in keeping with the rainbow theme, i wanted to find some chocolate coins wrapped in foil.  you know, for the pot o'gold?  i thought it would be fun to have a bowl of them on the dessert table (come on, you know i'm having a table just for the sugar), and so i headed over to cost plus world market.

i struck out on the coins (they had a few different kinds, but none of them were up to my standards and were pretty stinking pricey to boot), but i totally scored in the clearance aisle.  a buck apiece!  i actually don't really need an ice cream "starter" - it's vanilla, sugar and a dash of salt - but for a dollar, hey.

this item cost me a little more than $1, but i was so excited to stumble upon it.  if you've ever tasted biscoff cookies - maybe on an airplane or something, like before they got too cheap to give you snacks - you'll understand.  this spread is made FROM THOSE COOKIES.

i can't wait to try it on a lightly toasted bagel thin.  yummy.

my next stop is going to sound a little...bizarre.  i know it.  i'm okay with it.  i discovered lorann baking emulsions via a blog or tweet somewhere awhile ago, and it's supposed to be even better than using pure extracts.  i don't remember why.  alcohol-free, or some shit like that.  anyway, they aren't found in grocery stores or even at my beloved cake and candy supply store - but i came across a big ol' selection of them at...ross.

i typically despise stores like ross and tj maxx where i have to paw through rows and rows of haphazardly organized merchandise to find anything decent.  but they often have some pretty good deals on housewares that are much easier to dig through than their clothing.  and on a shelf near their kitchen goods, i found the emulsions in quite a few different varieties for about half of the regular price.  i've been using them a lot, and ran out of the butter vanilla flavor that i put in my cookie glaze.  so i hit up ross, and when i sadly ended up empty-handed in the kitchen aisle with time to kill before picking up the bean, i decided to stroll through the store and see what there was to see.

remember my incredibly sad discovery that i've been wearing the wrong bra size all this time?  well, not that i particularly want to revisit that horrific revelation, but this is too much of a yay!/boo. not to share.

ready?

i found bras for $2.99 and $3.99 - and some of them were a two-pack!  yay!

they were in the GIRLS' section.  boo.

but i couldn't pass them up.  i paid $17 for five bras, yo.  yay!  except that my color selection wasn't exactly varied - two are plain white, and the other three are in disgustingly cutesy prints:

one last thing - look at this super cute reusable shopping bag i found at forever 21 for a dollar:

the hub is going to be SO proud of how much money i saved.  right??