I'm Alive... and Cooking!

Hi there! Sorry to miss you fabulous folks the last couple of days. You may have noticed {via instagram - follow me... username 'ktzeller'} I snuck away for a quick trip to Colorado this past weekend! I went for my best friend Lisa's baby shower. She is the most wonderful person and I just can't wait to see her as a mom... although I kinda hate her right now because she's one of those pregnant gals that looks amazing while taking on the task of creating life. Lisa, her sweet hubby Ryan and pup Lucy were the best of hosts for a relaxing weekend in the mountains!

I can definitely understand why so many people love living in the mountains... I had the most amazing scenery for my morning run where there was zero humidity, followed by an afternoon of hiking. I was more outdoorsy in one day than I've been in the past two years put together! Yikes!

While I was away, my family took a little trip to the farmers market. I was sad to miss it {I love fresh fruits and veggies... they're my only inspiration to make anything besides sweets!}, but I sent them with long list and they delivered!

Tonight, I'll be putting this Eggplant Parmesan recipe from Martha Stewart to the test:

 

Ingredients

• Olive oil, for baking sheets
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 large eggplants (2 1/2 pounds total), peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 6 cups (48 ounces) store-bought chunky tomato sauce or homemade Chunky Tomato Sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions

1. Step 1

   Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush 2 baking sheets with oil; set aside. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and 2 tablespoons water. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Parmesan, oregano, and basil; season with salt and pepper.

2. Step 2

   Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating well; place on baking sheets. Bake until golden brown on bottom, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn slices; continue baking until browned on other side, 20 to 25 minutes more. Remove from oven; raise oven heat to 400 degrees.

3. Step 3

   Spread 2 cups sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange half the eggplant in dish; cover with 2 cups sauce, then 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat with remaining eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Mia Took On the Monster

...The Monster Cookie Recipe that is!

Let me back track a moment... last weekend my Mom and I grabbed lunch at my favorite salad spot, Dean and Deluca {sidenote: every time I eat there I pretend I'm at the Soho location in NYC and just stopping for a quick bite while I'm out shopping! Ohhh that would be so glam!}. Anywho, back to the story, after we had our healthy servings of greens, we shared a monster cookie. And.it.was.fabulous! So fabulous that I decided I needed to recreate the goodness.

Fast forward to a free evening spending some quality time with Mia.

If only you could smell the yumminess through your computer screen.

I found a basic oatmeal cookie recipe and adapted it to include peanut butter, chocolate chips and M&M's... and I think it turned out pretty darn spectacular, if I do say so myself!

Mia's Monster Cookies

1 stick of butter {softened}

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 teaspoons baking soda

4 1/2 cups old fashioned oats {not quick oats :)}

3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

3/4 cup m&m's candy

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Then, beat in baking soda followed by oats. Lastly, mix in your chocolate chips and candies!

Using an ice cream scoop, drop cookies onto baking sheet. {Tip: flatten cookies with the back of the ice cream scoop so there a bit concave in the middle... it will help them bake evenly so the sides don't get crispy!}

Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown!

ENJOY!

Friday 5: I need it all!

1. How beautiful is this watercolor by Lourdes Sanchez? I think I should attempt a DIY... haha! I wish! {Painting sadly, no longer available}
2. I'm think the painting in #1 and a pair of these sconces would be cute with the rug I had my eye on last week! {sconce $151}
3. And I should wear these cute sandals while I'm out on the house hunt this weekend! {mini wedge $150}
4. Ok, these are a must have. Love the interesting shape, plus they're on sale. You know me... can't miss a sale! By the way, who's picked up there favs during the Sake f&f Sale? {Kate Spade studs $25}
5. I've been on a cookies and cream kick lately! I can't seem to get enough Oreo cookie goodness! I think I'll give Mia a mixing break this weekend and satisfy my sweet tooth with this concoction! {Oreo Muddy Buddies}

Mix It Like You Mean It

Meet Mia the Mixer:

I have recently become the proud owner of this beauty! Thanks MOM! She has been on my wishlist for quite a while {Mia, not my Mom... haha}, but just hadn't taken the plunge to purchase... boy was I missing out! 

Here are just a few recipes that I've tried {once. twice. THREE times or MORE}:

1. Cookies 'n Cream cake and frosting
2. Chocolate Peanut Butter Puppy Chow Brownies
• Sidenote: the recipe linked here calls to use the pre-made/store-bought puppy chow... I'd actually recommend making the real stuff! It's soooo much better than the bagged version!
3. Cookie Dough Brownie Bars
• I really don't know what to call this heavenly creation... it's an Oreo cookie crust with a cookie dough and brownie filling, topped with a chocolate ganache. Lots of steps, but so worth it! 

Anyone else out there holding out on purchasing one of these babies because the price tag is a bit scary? If you enjoy baking, it's so very worth it! Makes my recipes a breeze and saves my arm from feeling like it is going to fall off! I'd say one of the hardest parts of purchasing is committing to a color... that sounds crazy, but it's true! I was tempted to go with a neutral color like a slate or pewter since I don't have my real kitchen yet and don't know what color it will be, but I later realized no matter when it is that I commit to a kitchen, it will definitely be colorful, so why not start with a great color for Mia the Mixer. And yes, I named my mixer. Don't judge... I feel like she's family since we've already spent so much time together. I name my cars, too. I'm cool like that.

Christmas Morning Brunch

Merry Christmas one and all!!!

Right about now, my family and I are enjoying Christmas morning brunch! This is a new tradition that we just started last year. My parents host our family Christmas for 50+ people in the afternoon, so we decided it's best to start our day off with a BIG brunch after opening presents and before the last minute scurry of getting ready to host a large crowd! 

Here's what I made this year {I'm in charge of sweet. Molly is in charge of savory.}

Breakfast Cookies:

recipe

French Toast Bake:

recipe

Monkey Bread:

recipe

And mimosas, of course!

Yummy in my tummy! Hope you all are enjoying your favorite holiday traditions with the ones you love!

Very Merry Everything to you all!!! I'm going to take the rest of the week off from ze blog to really soak in the holiday, but don't you worry... I'll be back with some great new inspiration come Monday morning!

Make it a Mexi Day!

We are having a Thanksgiving celebration today at work, but decided not to go the traditional turkey route since we'll all be experiencing our tryptophan coma's later this week. What is everyone's favorite office pot-luck pleaser? Mexican, of course!

For my contribution I decided to go with a mexican coleslaw. 

Ingredients:

• 1 package slaw mix
• 1 can corn {drained}
• 1 can black beans {drained and rinsed}
• 1/2 cup green onions
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 diced tomato
• 1 cup spicy or jalapeno ranch dressing 

Throw it all together in a bowl and give it a good mix! I like to make it the night before and refrigerate so the flavors have time to really jive. It's great as a side or as a topping for tacos and such. 

Gobble! Gobble!

Comfort Food

It's Monday... again! How does the weekend fly by so quickly? Homecoming at KU was a blast, even though the Jayhawks lost, I was so happy to be surrounded by my best friends and fun family! Nothing could have made this weekend more fun. 

Not to say the fun we had this weekend wasn't worth it, but as much as we all tried to act like we were 21 again, we definitely don't bounce back like we did when we were 21. 

I think comfort food is in order for dinner. Here's what I'm going to whip up:

Found the recipe on my Pinterest, of course! Hope it's yummy!

Taco Soup

Every once in a while there is a pin on pinterest that I see or read that I can't wait to try. Enter 8 Can Taco Soup. 

I was intrigued by the title, as it seemed like it just had to be easy! I'm all about the easy when it comes to cooking. Since I am gone so much, I don't go to the store often and recipes that are too complicated don't appeal to me, but I still love to eat at home when I am in town since I eat out so much on the road. This Taco Soup and I were meant to be friends.

highheelsandgrills.blogspot.com

I ended up whipping up a pot of this soup for myself and friends and it was delicious! Such an easy meal that is perfect for a chilly fall evening! 

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 (15.25 oz.) can sweet corn, drained
• 1 (12.5 oz.) can white chicken breast, drained
• 1 (10.75 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 (10 oz.) can green enchilada sauce
• 1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
• 1 packet taco seasoning

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large pot.
2. Heat until warm, stirring occasionally.
3. Serve with tortilla chips.

Really! That's it... it's that easy! You've got to try it! You'll love it!

It's a Piece of Cake!

Actually it's a whole cake, but it's a piece of cake to make!

I'm jumping on the pumpkin bandwagon to share with you my favorite fall dessert recipe. The best part about it? It only has 2 ingredients! No joke.

Pumpkin Spice Cake
1 box Spice Cake {any brand}
1 15 ounce can 100% pure pumpkin puree {not pumpkin pie filling}

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl mix cake mix with pumpkin puree until smooth. Pour batter into a greased 8x8 baking dish or pyrex. Bake for 28 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting... I use cream cheese frosting from a can, so I guess you can call that ingredient #3. 

And if you're like me and have a large family, it's an easy recipe to double! 2 boxes of Spice Cake and either a large can of pumpkin puree or 2 cans. I usually use two small round cake pans and add a layer of the cream cheese frosting in the middle.

Dress it up by adding some fun toppings! My favorite is a drizzle of carmel sauce, chocolate sprinkles and chopped toffee. It adds the perfect layer of sweet and crunch.

Apologies the low res iPhone photo :(