Red White & Blue Mini Vanilla Cheesecakes

Strawberries have always been one of my favorite things about summer.

Much like my obsession with pumpkin in the fall, we always have plenty of strawberries on hand during the summer.  I look for any excuse to eat them or use them in recipes!

Now it seems our Mini has inherited this love as well, except she refers to them as "strawbees."

Not long ago she went strawbee picking with some of her cousins, and apparently took her job very seriously.

I was also told that she did not eat one single, solitary strawberry while they were at the orchard!

She made up for it at home of course, but I was still able to snag a few to adorn these mini cheesecakes.

I am loving this recipe because you get to enjoy the creamy richness of a cheesecake without having to deal with the fickleness of baking one that's full-sized.

And... you get to cover them with blueberries and "strawbees" (or any other fruit of your choice.)  But of course, I love the red, white & blue theme for the 4th of July!

Red, White, & Blue Mini Vanilla Cheesecakes

• 1 1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs
• 5 T. melted butter
• 3 T. sugar
• Pinch salt
• 2 (8-oz. packages) cream cheese*, room temperature
• 2/3 C. sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 t. pure vanilla extract
• Sliced strawberries & blueberries, for decoration

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line one 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.**

Mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, 3 T. sugar, and salt. Place 2 tablespoons of the graham cracker mixture into bottom of paper liners. Using the bottom of a small juice glass or your hands, press mixture down firmly into each cup.

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, 2/3 C. sugar, and vanilla bean scrapings until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and beat well.

Divide batter evenly amongst cups (each should be about 3/4 full). Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, or until the centers are just set. Cool in pan on wire rack, then transfer to plate and chill for 4 hours or overnight in an airtight container.

Before serving, top with sliced strawberries & whole blueberries.  Makes 12 cupcakes.  Cupcakes are good for 3-5 days when refrigerated.

Notes:
*You can substitute Neufchâtel for some or all of the cream cheese, that is what I used for a slightly lower fat version.
**I really like the Reynolds StayBrite® baking cups (available in most grocery stores) for these, because they are thick and peel away from the cheesecakes easily.

Recipe Adapted Slightly from Bree at goboldwithbutter.com

Perfectly Pipable Cream Cheese Frosting

So no longer can we call Mini Smalls a baby ... she is officially a toddler now! (And in an attempt to live up to her new title, she just started toddling around this week... yowza.)

Any occasion this momentous should be marked by something delicious.  Like a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting.

But I must confess that I am a bad mommy and food blogger - on her actual birthday, I bought her a cupcake from a local bakery!  I know, I know... don't judge.  Her birthday was on a Friday and I worked late the night before, so my intention of making her a chocolate zucchini cake was just never realized.

Not that she seemed to mind.

(BTW, do not give a toddler any food dyed bright red, unless you're prepared to throw out their clothes afterward.  Just sayin'.)

But wait, it gets worse.  For her birthday "party" this past weekend, I cheated and make red velvet cupcakes from a box.

Ack!

However... I was not going to put that fake-tasting canned frosting on top, to boot.  So I did at least go to the trouble of making this cream cheese icing, which was perfect for piping.

I must admit, I was not able to eat any of these bad boys until days later - I caught some sort of evil bug that had me down and out not only for the party, but also the whole next day.  Mr. Vittles, my mother-in-law, and my brother-in-law's girlfriend all fell victim to it as well.

So, we may never be able to entice anyone back to our house for a party... but at least they got to enjoy some yummy cupcakes before their involuntary "cleanse."

And more importantly, somehow Mini avoided the Sickness of Death.  Might have been the best birthday gift of all... though it was tough to top some of the awesome presents she received, including a rockin' Elmo, a ball-spitting elephant, and a new wagon (in which she insisted on opening the remainder of her presents).

All in all it was a fabulous celebration.  Thank you to our friends and family for their generosity.  Happy Birthday, Mini Smalls!

Perfectly Pipable Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 8-oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch salt

In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until creamy.  Mix in vanilla and salt, then gradually add the powdered sugar until frosting ingredients are completely combined. (Check the consistency at this point - if the icing seems too soft, add a little more powdered sugar.  If it seems too thick, mix in a teaspoon or so of milk.) Use immediately, and refrigerate cupcakes after frosting.  Frosts about 18 cupcakes (if you pipe it tall, like in my photos.)

Note: Click here for a great tip using plastic wrap for no-mess piping, at Our Best Bites blog.

Recipe slightly adapted from Recipe Girl

Carrot Cake Cookies

I wanted to make something festive for Easter, and now (almost 2 weeks later!) I am finally getting around to posting it.  Luckily it's not something in the shape of bunnies - these are good anytime.

Mr. Vittles thought these should have some cream cheese frosting to make them more like carrot cake - actually, the original recipe was for a frosted cookie, but I was looking for a plain one.  If you agree with him, you can always whip some frosting after they cool.   I happen to think they are tasty un-frosted, but that's just me!

We had a nice holiday at my in-laws' house, although of course the Mini decided she was not going to nap and was a bit of a disaster.  But she did have some good moments, particularly toward the end of the day, where she just hung out on her Aunt Melissa's lap or with my father-in-law.  She also looked incredibly adorable in her polka dot dress!

In other news, Miss Mini is intent on bringing me back to the Vampire World of last fall.  She has been waking up multiple times in the night since she caught a cold a month ago.  In the midst of all this, we stopped feeding her before our bedtime (around 10:30 PM) however I do not think the cause is hunger.  While the cold itself is gone, the congestion is not - so I suspect that is what's waking her up.  We just give her a pacifier and go back to sleep, but that still requires getting out of bed.

And can be anywhere from 3-7 times per night.

This is a very mean April Fools joke to play on your tired parents, Mini Smalls!  Months ago you showed us you had the ability to sleep all night without making a peep... and now you've yanked the proverbial rug out from under us.  Not nice.

Which basically sums up the majority of her behavior, actually.  Mr. Vittles told her, "You have to start being nicer to people."  Of course she doesn't know what that means... or that she's not being "nice" in the first place.  But it's the truth!  He and I have seen her smiling, laughing, & happy more than most, just because of the sheer amount of time we spend with her.  But people like my dad & stepmom, who only get to see her for an hour or so per week, have seen mostly grumpiness and crying.

Thankfully, now that it's getting warmer, we're figuring out that she really likes the outdoors.  It doesn't always work, but her demeanor seems to be better when we're either outside or "on-the-go."  I guess there's more to look at and keep her busy little brain occupied.

<Sigh.>  Someday I'll be able to just bribe ol' Grumpelstilskin with carrot cake cookies.  That is, assuming she ever decides to eat solid foods.  So far we've tried oatmeal and sweet potatoes, and both have essentially been a bust.

Oatmeal was a complete failure.  Her immediate reaction was wailing, 3 days in a row.

Our journey into the land of the sweet potato seemed much more promising...

...but still ended in despair.

My dad suggested we try carrots next, he said those were my favorite when I was her age.  (Apparently... some things never change!)

Carrot Cake Cookies

• 1/2 C. (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/3 C. white sugar
• 1/2 C. brown sugar
• 2 T. cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 C. flour
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1 1/4 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 t. salt
• 1/3 C. sweetened, shredded coconut
• 1/3 C. old fashioned oatmeal (not quick-cook)
• 3/4 C. finely grated carrots

Line baking sheets with parchment, or grease with non-stick spray, and set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until evenly distributed.  Set aside.

In large bowl of stand mixer, cream butter & sugars until light & fluffy (about 2 minutes).  Beat in cream cheese, egg, and vanilla until well-combined.

Add flour mixture and stir until no streaks of flour remain.  Add coconut, oatmeal, and carrots.  Stir to combine.

Drop by rounded tablespoonful onto prepared cookie sheets.  Bake 11-14 minutes in preheated oven until edges are lightly browned.  Cool 2 minutes on sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  Makes about 20 cookies.

Recipe Adapted from Land O'Lakes

Red Velvet Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

Sometimes... things just don't work out the way you want them to in the kitchen.

Especially when you're 26 weeks pregnant, and preggo brain is in full effect.

So this past Friday morning, my stepdad Chris married his beautiful girlfriend of 2 years, Janice.  (This may sound strange to anyone reading for the first time- so just to explain, a) my mom passed away a few years ago and b) I lived with my stepdad since I was about 5, he and I are very close).

Chris & Janice had a really nice, quaint ceremony with some close family & friends on the beach early in the morning, and then invited everyone back to their house for breakfast.

Naturally, I wanted to bring some type of food to share, and I settled on muffins.

I know that one of Janice's favorites is red velvet, so my first thought was red velvet muffins.

However, after a quick search online, I didn't find many recipe choices.  I toyed with the idea of making my own, but I was concerned that creating something totally new had too much potential to backfire on me.

So I eventually decided I better stick with a more traditional recipe, and settled on lemon poppy seed muffins.  Easy peasy, right?

Right.

That is.... until your muffins are busy baking and you realize, OMG I have no recollection of cracking or mixing eggs, and there were definitely supposed to be two in the recipe.

Yep.  Completely forgot the eggs.

The muffins were still edible, and honestly they weren't even that bad without eggs.  But still, I felt like this mistake could not be my only contribution to their celebratory breakfast.

I might have just made another batch of the same thing... if I hadn't used all my poppy seeds in the eggless muffins.

Ahh!

So to sum things up... I picked a tried & true recipe as the "safe bet," only to end up screwing it up and making the red velvet ones anyway.

I was definitely a little nervous putting the red velvet batch in the oven, because the batter is a little more moist than a traditional muffin batter.  I had also envisioned the cream cheese filling staying closer to the top, but I guess since it was heavier than the batter, it sunk to the middle.

But despite my concerns, all in all I would call these a success.  I did have to sacrifice one for Mr. Vittles and me to taste test, just to make sure I wasn't poisoning anyone.  But we enjoyed them, and the guests who tried them seemed to as well.

They're nowhere near as fun (or as sweet) as a cupcake, so don't get your hopes up - this is still breakfast, people!  But if you're looking for something different, these could fit the bill.

Also, don't worry if cream cheese isn't your thing - you can just omit the filling.  I made a few plain ones to see how they'd come out, and to me they tasted just as good.

More importantly... congratulations to Janice and Chris :)  Mr. V and I were so happy to be a part of their special day, and wish them many years of love and laughter together!

Red Velvet Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

Muffins:

• 1 3/4 C. + 2 T. all-purpose flour
• 3/4 C. sugar
• 2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 C. canola oil
• 1 C. buttermilk
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• 1 T. red food coloring

Filling:

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 C. sugar
• 1/4 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners, or coat with non-stick spray; set aside.

Make filling: In medium bowl, add cream cheese, yolk, sugar, and vanilla.  On low speed, mix filling ingredients until well-combined and no lumps remain.  Set bowl aside.

Make muffins: In large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to combine. In separate medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk eggs, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and food coloring until combined.

Make a well in the center of dry ingredients, and pour in liquid mixture. Fold ingredients in with rubber spatula until just combined - do not overmix.

Divide batter evently amongst prepared muffin cups. Place a rounded tablespoon of cream cheese filling in the middle of each cup.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until tops look lightly browned & no longer 'wet.'  Let sit in pans briefly until cool enough to handle, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  Makes 12 muffins.

Original Recipe

Frozen Peanut Butter Cup Pie

It's in the low 70's outside right now, and the weather forecast for tomorrow tells me it's going to be 85 degrees.

So I think it's safe to say, summer is on it's way!

(So is global warming perhaps, because I don't know that I've ever seen such a warm winter in New Jersey?)

I love summer but the older I get, the more I hate being hot.

I hate being cold too - but at least you can put on sweatshirts and blankets.  There's no escaping oppressive heat.

Mr. Vittles and I have not lived in a house with good air conditioning probably since we both lived at our parents' house.  My first apartment after college (which was really more of a shed?) had one only window unit that I could barely afford to run anyway.  So my house was consistently in the upper 50s in winter and the 80s in summer.  Fun times.

Then our last apartment had central air... but little to no insulation.  So it really never got below the mid-70's at best.

In our place now, we have window units, but it's a large house and we were too cheap to buy a bunch of them - so we only had one for each floor of the house.

Sweat city.

Our new house that we're buying also does not have central air.  I think we're going to look into installing it, but we're not sure yet if that's going to be possible.

I sometimes wonder though how people lived before air conditioning.  Especially in warm climates.  I mean, even in the northeast we still get heat waves where the temperatures reach the upper 90s and lower 100s.

I guess you just get used to it?

Not me though.  Mr. Vittles always teases me that I have a very small window of comfortable temperatures. I think it's between 70 and 73, actually.  If our house is 65 degrees (which it usually is in the winter) then I'm freezing.  If it's 76 degrees in summer, I'm sweating.

Ridiculous, I know.

But there's nothing worse than having to turn on your oven when it's hot out.

So... with the prospect of summer brings the need for no-bake treats!

I saw a recipe on Confessions of A Cookbook Queen for Frozen Peanut Butter Butterfinger Pie and knew I had to save it for summer.

And... also make it immediately.

Just to, ummm, make sure it's good and all.

(Are you buying that excuse?)

In any event, I also knew that Mr. Vittles is not much of a fan of Butterfinger bars, so I figured peanut butter cups were a safer bet.  I also figured I'd throw some hot fudge in the mix for good measure.

This pie may give you cavities, but it will also make you (and your hot kitchen) very happy.  I promise.

Frozen Peanut Butter Cup Pie

• One chocolate or Oreo Pre-made Pie Crust (6 oz.)
• 8 oz block cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 reduced fat from Philly)
• 3/4 C. sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 8 oz tub Cool Whip, thawed (I used a light version)
• 7 “snack size” Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, chopped
• 1/2 C. hot fudge topping (I used Hershey's Extra Dark)
• Chocolate syrup, for decorative drizzling (optional)

In the bowl of a mixer, combine cream cheese, condensed milk, peanut butter, and powdered sugar.  Beat on medium speed until smooth and completely combined.

Using a rubber spatula, fold in the Cool Whip until combined.  Add chopped candy.

Pour hot fudge topping into bottom of crust (heat the fudge in microwave first if cold or too stiff).  Spread fudge evenly to cover bottom.

Pour peanut butter mixture into pie crust.  Drizzle top with chocolate syrup, if desired.  Cover and freeze until firm.

Adapted from Confessions of A Cookbook Queen

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

Today is my 29th birthday.

Tomorrow, the New York Giants play the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.

I seriously don't know which I'm more excited about?

Probably the Giants, actually, because let's face it - once you hit the age of 21, birthdays kind of go downhill from there.

A couple weeks ago I texted my friend Natalie  - you know, the mom of two in Law School, with the awesome granola who likes those stupid breadsticks & bagel chips in Chex Mix?  Anyway it was her 29th birthday also, and I asked her if she was doing 'anything fun.'

She responded "Absolutely not. Kindergarten tour, homework, sitting through a two hour training right now, then class tonight.  Being old sucks."

Boy I couldn't have said it better myself.

And to top things off, I've been sick with a cold!

Oh well.  It could definitely be worse.  While I'm not 100% I do feel the best I have so far this week, and at least I don't have to tour kindergartens today or do homework.

Nope, today I can devote all my time to celebrating (whatever that entails at 29?) and making Giants-themed sugar cookie bars.

But I talked to my mother-in-law and she pointed out that when people get to her age, the running joke is "How old are you today, 29?"

Which is an excellent point.

So this is it for me, folks.  I'm never getting any older.

Yay!

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

Bars

• 1 stick (1/2 C) butter, room temperature
• 1 C. sugar
• 2 eggs + 1 yolk
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 2 T. cornstarch
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. baking powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease 8x8 baking pan & set aside.

In bowl of mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy.  Add eggs & yolk, one at a time, mixing after each.  Add vanilla & mix well.  In a separate bowl combine flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and stir with a whisk to combine.  Add to wet mixture and mix just until combined. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake for 14-18 min, until light golden brown and no longer shiny. Cool completely and frost.

Frosting

• 1/4 C. butter, room temperature
• 2 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 C. powdered sugar
• 1 T. milk 
• food coloring (if desired)
• sprinkles/decorations (if desired)

For frosting, combine butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments until combined, then add milk (and food coloring, if using) & mix until smooth.  Add up to 1 t. more milk if needed to achieve spreadable consistency.  Spread over cooled cookie.

Makes 9 bars.

Recipe Adapted from Anissa's Kitchen

Red, White & Blue Berry Trifle

Happy 4th of July, everybody!

Despite the rain we had all day, Mr. Vittles and I went to a cookout at my dad & stepmom's house tonight.

The weather didn't get us down one bit.  We ate a veritable feast of grilled steaks, sweet corn on the cob, grilled zucchini & carmelized onion, and mozzarella di bufala with basil, tomato, and balsamic glaze.

Woooo wee.  I had to practically roll myself outta there.

As Mr. V put it, my dad doesn't know how to cook for less than 50 people.

But... that didn't stop me from eating it all.

Plus this trifle.

I was feeling in the holiday spirit, so I wanted to make a red white & blue dessert.  I found this recipe on Martha Stewart's website, and thought it was such a fun, festive dish.

But knowing that we'd be eating a ton for dinner, I wanted to use something a tad lighter than your typical store-bought pound cake.

I decided on this yogurt cake, which is really more of a quick bread - definitely not as sweet or as rich as a pound cake.  But waaaay better for you.

The lemon-lime syrup and whipped cream cheese icing probably negate that, but that's ok :)

There's also berries and those are healthy.

Right?

If you're feeling less guilty than I, feel free to use your favorite recipe or store-bought pound cake - but I included the yogurt cake recipe in case you want to give it a try.

In any event, I am pretty excited for the holiday this year.  There's a lot of good stuff on the docket for tomorrow.

For starters, my dad, stepmom & their friends all go to the same beach and it's our 2nd annual 'Rum Day' where everyone brings a rum drink to try.

Last year I made the Choco-Almond Chai Tai, which turned out to be a hit.  And this year I have something equally weird but fun up my sleeve.

Heh heh.  More to come on that soon.

I am also excited for the fireworks in Asbury Park tomorrow night - which I must admit is unusual for me.  I know it sounds awful, but growing up in a town where they put on a weekly fireworks show in the summer really desensitized me to them.

But it's been years since I was able to just go down the street to watch fireworks, until now.  This year I can see them without having to drive and deal with traffic, parking, and all the general craziness that usually comes with 4th of July at the Jersey Shore.

We live so close to the beach/boardwalk that we can just walk to see the fireworks.  And we have some friends coming over tomorrow night to do just that.

How lucky are we?

Anyway, hope you all have a safe & happy holiday! Enjoy, and Happy Birthday, America!


Red, White & Blue Berry Trifle

• 1/4 C. plus 1/3 C. sugar
• 2 T. fresh lemon juice
• 2 T. fresh lime juice
• 1 homemade (see suggested recipe below) or store-bought pound cake loaf, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices
• 8 oz. Neufchatel or reduced-fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 C. heavy cream
• 1/2 t. pure vanilla extract
• 3 C. fresh blueberries (three 1/2-pint containers), rinsed and dried
• 3 C. fresh strawberries, rinsed & dried then hulled & sliced

Make lemon syrup: In a small saucepan, bring 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Let cool completely, then brush over both sides of cake slices. Quarter each slice.

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese with remaining 1/3 cup sugar on high speed until lightened. With mixer on medium speed, gradually add heavy cream in a steady stream; continue beating until mixture is light and airy (mixture will be like a very soft whipped cream - should take a few minutes of mixing).

Arrange half the cake pieces in the bottom of a 2-quart serving dish. Spoon half the cream-cheese mixture over cake in dollops; spread to sides of dish. Scatter half the blueberries and strawberries on top. Repeat layering with remaining cake, cream-cheese mixture, and berries, piling berries in the center.

Cover, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.  Serves 6.

Trifle recipe adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Whole Wheat Yogurt Cake

• 1/2 C. butter (1 stick), softened
• 1/2 C. coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 5 T. agave nectar
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 C. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 C. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 C plain, nonfat Greek yogurt

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, coconut palm sugar, agave, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until smooth. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon in small bowl; stir into the batter alternating with the yogurt.

Spread batter into prepared pan, and bake for 45-50 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on wire rack.

Cake recipe adapted from Chobani Yogurt

Feta, Almond, & Roasted Red Pepper Stuffed Chicken

My kitchen is barely out of boxes from moving to our new place, and I feel like it's been soooo long since I've made anything!  Sadly, we've eaten mostly take-out the past couple weeks.

I wanted to post something for you though, so I took a look at some of my old photos. 

This was the recipe from the V&B annals that won out. 

I have a sick obsession with feta.  Almost as sick as my obsession with coconut and popcorn (not necessarily together, but then again maybe that would be a good idea?) however Mr. Vittles does not share my feelings.  I make us separate salads so I can put feta on mine, and he calls it "toe jam."

Ok, sorry to put that image in your head.  But he does!

In any case, he actually enjoyed this recipe so that says a lot. 

Ahh, remembering back to this dish makes me so hungry for a home-cooked meal!

And... tonight we had grilled cheese. 

Oh well.  Baby steps!

Feta, Almond, & Roasted Red Pepper Stuffed Chicken

• 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 oz. softened cream cheese
• 1/4 C. feta cheese
• 3 T. crushed almonds, divided
• 2 T. minced roasted red peppers
• 1/2 t. (1 clove) minced garlic
• 1/2 t. oregano (divided)
• salt & freshly-grated pepper, to taste
• 2 T. fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 C. chicken broth
• 1 T. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Chop or crush almonds.  In small bowl, mash cream cheese, feta, garlic, red peppers, 2 T. almonds, 1/4 t. oregano, salt & pepper until well-combined.

Using a small knife, cut a pocket in the side of each breast and stuff with mixture (1/4 of mixture per breast).  Gently press to flatten.

Heat olive oil in large ovenproof skillet until shimmering over medium heat.  Season breasts with salt & pepper and cook in skillet, turning once, til browned (about 6 minutes).

Transfer skillet with breasts to oven and cook until heated through, about 7-10 minutes or until thermometer inserted into meat registers 170 degrees.  Transfer breasts to platter & keep warm.

Add lemon juice and broth along with remaining 1 T. almonds and 1/4 t. oregano to skillet.  Cook over medium high, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer 3 minutes.  Pour over breasts & serve.

Recipe Heavily Adapted from Food & Wine

Boursin-Style Cheese Spread

For me, one of the best parts of the holiday season is getting together with friends & family I don't see that often. 

Yesterday I went to Brooklyn for an annual holiday get-together with my friends Hayley, Whitney & Janine Vittles and we had a fabulous time.

The four of us met at my first "real" job out of college, working in client services for a company that does pre-employment background checks in New York City.  I started there in April 2005, then Janine, then Whitney, and then Hayley- all within a few months.

Somehow it worked out that the 4 of us had cubicles next to each other, and we had sooo much fun.

In fact, without those girls, you may not be reading my blog right now... because I probably would have jumped off the roof of our office building out of stress and sheer frustration.  But they always kept me laughing and they were one of the reasons I stayed at that job as long as I did.

 Me at work in 2006

Now over five years later, we are no longer "cubby buddies" but we are still great friends...even though Janine still (jokingly?) insists that we are her co-workers, not friends.

And while it's hard to coordinate schedules with four busy ladies- Whitney has her hands full with work, Janine is in her second year of law school, and Hayley and her husband welcomed their first baby this August - we manage stay in touch through joint emails and try to get together as often as we can.

But even if it means we have to meet up after Christmas, we have not missed a holiday gift exchange yet.  We always look forward to catching up, eating good food, and seeing Janine's homemade cards made from construction paper she's saved since elementary school.

Me, Janine, Hayley, and Whitney

This year we decided to meet at Hayley's house first so we could spend some time with her baby.  Reed is absolutely adorable and looks so much like his mommy!

And I think the hit gift of the evening was the matching Snuggies Janine gave us with our nicknames written on them.  Apparently, iron-on letters do not stick well to polyester fleece, but that didn't stop Janine from trying.

Hayley also made a beautiful spread of appetizers for us to snack on before we went out for wood-fired pizza in her neighborhood. 

So in the spirit of holiday merriment, I decided to share with you all one of my favorite party appetizers.  My mom used to make it for company, and it is great paired with raw vegetables or crackers.

Boursin-Style Cheese Spread

• 2 sticks butter (16 tablespoons)
• 2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese
• 1/4 t. onion powder
• 1 t. garlic powder
• 1 1/2 t. oregano
• 3/4 t. salt
• 3/4 t. dill
• 1/4 t. celery seed
• 1 T. minced fresh chives
• 2 T. grated carrot (I used a microplane grater)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix with electric mixer until smooth.  Let sit in refrigerator least an hour before serving (I think it's best made a day in advance).  Makes about 3 cups, keep refrigerated.

Recipe Origin Unknown

Double-Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

There is nothing about this pie that is healthy or good for you in any way.

Let's just evaluate some of the ingredients, shall we?

Semi-sweet chocolate.  Chocolate cookies.  Peanut butter.  Cream cheese.  Heavy cream.

More chocolate and heavy cream.

Yikes.

The (only) good news is - it's totally worth it.  When I took a bite of this pie, I thought I had died and gone to Chocolate Peanut Butter Heaven.

(As if there is any other kind of heaven?)

Now especially with the holidays coming up, this is a great pie for a special occasion.

Really I'm just giving you an excuse in case you need one.  I definitely did not require a special occasion to check this recipe out.  You guys know I have no shame when it comes to chocolate.

Throw some peanut butter in the mix and all bets are off.

Even Mr. V got giddy when he saw that I threw some Mini-Reese's Pieces into the pie instead of using peanuts.  I believe his exact words were "Are those Reese's Pieces?? YES!"

But if you're more scrupulous then us, then the holidays are the perfect justification to make it and eat the whole thing treat yourself to a slice!

Double-Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

 Chocolate Crust

• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
• 8 ounces chocolate wafer cookies (from a 9-ounce package), finely ground (2 cups)

Peanut Butter Filling:

• 8 ounces (1 cup_ cream cheese, softened (I used neufchatel cheese)
• 1 cup peanut butter (I used creamy, they suggest chunky)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup well-chilled heavy cream
• 3/4 cup salted roasted peanuts, chopped (I used mini Reese's Pieces instead)
• Kosher salt

Chocolate Topping:

• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Make the chocolate crust: Preheat the oven to 375°. In a medium glass bowl, combine the chocolate and butter and microwave at high power in 20-second intervals until the chocolate is melted. Stir well, then stir in the cookie crumbs. Press the cookie crumbs over the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan and 1 1/2 inches up the side. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, or until set; the crust will continue to firm up as it cools.

Meanwhile, make peanut butter filling: In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the peanut butter, sugar and vanilla extract until blended. In another large bowl, using the same beaters, whip the chilled cream until firm. Fold one-third of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture to loosen it, then fold in the remaining whipped cream and 1/2 cup of the chopped peanuts (or mini Reese's Pieces). Spoon the filling into the crust, smoothing the surface. Sprinkle lightly with salt and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.


Make the chocolate topping: in a medium glass bowl, combine the chocolate with the heavy cream and microwave at high power in 20-second intervals until the chocolate is melted and the cream is hot. Stir the chocolate topping until blended, then let cool to barely warm, stirring occasionally.

Spread the chocolate topping over the peanut butter filling and refrigerate until just firm, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of chopped peanuts (or mini Reese's Pieces) around the edge of the pie. Carefully run a thin knife around the pie crust to loosen it, then remove the springform ring. Using a sharp knife, cut the pie into wedges. Run the knife under hot water and dry it between each cut.

Recipe from Food and Wine, by Vitaly Paley

Pumpkin Pancake Muffins with Maple Cream Cheese Swirl

I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but I feel like Autumn and its holidays have been getting edged out more and more by Christmas with each passing year - and I don't like it one bit.

Don't get me wrong - I enjoy "the holiday season" as much as anyone else.  Christmas is fun times.  But can we agree to get through Thanksgiving first before we're subjected to Christmas carols in stores that have their halls decked with boughs of holly?

Worst of all, I walked into Dunkin' Donuts this week and noticed that their seasonal flavor Pumpkin has already been replaced by GINGERBREAD!

Well let me tell you something. Vittles and Bits is not done with pumpkin yet, so if you're looking for Christmas cookies in mid-November, I suggest you look elsewhere! 

...

Alright, good, you're still here.  Well now that we've gotten that out of the way, I must say I keep on hearing about Pancake Muffins and have been very intrigued.  I wasn't able to find any recipes that looked overly inspiring, though, so I decided to come up with my own.

Much like my guest-blogger Natalie Vittles (and her Homemade Granola), I don't like breakfast items that are overly sweet.  Treats like Coffeecake Muffins are nice for a special occasion, but as much as I enjoy my desserts, I don't need to eat them at 7AM.

So I'll warn you that these are pretty low-key when it comes to the sugar (much like real pancakes are - usually it's only when you drown them in gallons of maple syrup that they become so sweet).

If you do like sweets, though, you can feel free to treat this like a real pancake.  Pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds and pour some maple syrup over the top!  Instant pancake before work without all the effort :)

Pumpkin Pancake Muffins with Maple Cream Cheese Swirl

• 1 3/4 C. flour (can use a combo of whole wheat & all purpose if you'd like)
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/4 t. cloves
• 1/8 t. nutmeg
• 1/2 C. sugar
• 2 T. pure maple syrup (sorry Aunt Jemima, you're not welcome in this recipe!)
• 1/4 C. plain nonfat yogurt
• 1/4 C. canola oil
• 1 egg + 1 yolk
• 3/4 C. pumpkin
• 1/2 C. buttermilk

Filling:

• 2 oz. cream cheese (I used neufchatel), softened
• 2 T. pure maple syrup
• 2 T. powdered sugar

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Prepare muffin tin with 12 liners or nonstick spray.

In a small bowl, combine 3 filling ingredients until well blended. Set aside.

Make muffin batter: mix dry ingredients, flour through nutmeg, in large bowl.  In separate bowl, whisk sugar with remaining wet ingredients (maple syrup through buttermilk) until combined.  Make a well in flour mixture and pour in wet ingredients.  Mix only until dry ingredients become moistened - do not overmix.

Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of batter into each muffin cup, then using 2 hands on either side of the tin, bang bottom of pan on counter to spread batter evenly.  Place about 1/2 t. of cream cheese filling in each cup, and top with remaining muffin batter (about 1 heaping tablespoon more into each cup).

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool on rack.

Original Recipe

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Molasses Cream Cheese Filling

I had all intentions of posting something fun for you tonight.

However, its already after 10PM and I just helped Mr. Vittles write a (glowing) cover letter for a job application.

My creative juices are all tapped out.

:(

Luckily, my creativity was flowing the night I made these whoopie pies - so I guess we'll just have to live vicariously through that memory.

I got the recipe for the cookie part from Joy of Baking, and the filling is just an original recipe that I made to  complement the pumpkin.

Mr. V said the whoopie pies tasted like pumpkin bread (one of his absolute most favorite things) with whipped cream icing.

Or in other words-heaven.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Molasses Cream Cheese Filling

Cookies:

• 2 C. all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 t. baking powder
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/4 t. ground ginger
• 1/8 t. ground cloves
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/4 C. light brown sugar
• 1/2 C. canola oil
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1 C. canned pumpkin

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients (flour through salt) and set aside.

In separate bowl of electric mixer, beat eggs & sugar til light & smooth, about 2 minutes.  Beat in oil, vanilla, and pumpkin.  Add flour mixture & beat until just incorporated.

Using a small ice cream scoop (if you want large pies) or a small cookie scoop (for bite-sized pies), place mounds of batter onto prepared sheets 2" apart.  Using a metal or rubber spatula, slightly flatten the mounds and spread into a circle shape.  (The cookies pretty much hold their shape in the oven so you want them to be as uniform as possible going in!)

Bake 15-18 minutes (for large size, or 10-12 minutes for small) or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.  Remove from oven & cool a couple minutes on sheet, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

When cookies are cool, prepare Molasses Cream Cheese Filling:

• 6 T. butter
• 6 oz. cream cheese
• 1 1/2 C. confectioners sugar
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/4 t. cinnamon
• 1 T. molasses
• 1 T. milk

Cream all ingredients together until light & fluffy.

Spread a layer of filling to desired thickness onto the flat side of one cookie.  Lightly place a matching cookie flat side down on top of the icing, and twist gently to evenly distribute filling.

Makes about 9 large pies, or 18 bite-sized ones.

Cookie recipe from JoyofBaking.com, filling recipe original

Spinach & Feta Rigatoni

I don't know if I was having a craving for vitamins or what, but one random day at the grocery store I was drawn to a bag of spinach leaves.

Sadly, this was probably the first bag of spinach I had purchased in my entire life.

I told you, we're not big on too many veggies in the Vittles household, particularly those of the cooked variety. 

But Mr. V actually has a worse vegetable aversion than me.  And wouldn't you know, when I pulled that spinach out, the look on his face said it all. 

Perhaps in an attempt to downplay this look of panic, he pointed out that while he is "ok" with spinach in things, strictly spinach is a no-go.

Popeye he is not.

Nonetheless, I forged on with my intended meal - which is loosely based on one of Giada's recipes I saw on Food Network for Penne with Spinach Sauce.

Now I even left out the parmesan cheese (also a no-go for the V Man) in favor of adding BACON (always a go) in hopes it might make up for the spinach.

But on first bite, he only gave it a "tolerable" rating. 

I, on the other hand, enjoyed it... while it lasted, anyway, because I figured I would not be making it again.  It would go off into the black hole of my recipe box, somewhere between my grandma's famous Potato Salad and Cavatelli & Broccoli (one of my faves, which Mr. V finds un-tolerable without picking around the broccoli.) 

Then - when we were almost done - he said to me, "This is growing on me.  You can make this again, it's actually pretty good."

Well whaddya know.  Maybe he's got a little Popeye in him after all.

Spinach & Feta Rigatoni

• 8 oz. rigatoni
• 1 C. packed fresh spinach leaves
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 t. minced garlic
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1 oz. cream cheese (I used Neufchâtel cheese, which is like cream cheese but a little lower in fat)
• 2 T. crumbled Feta cheese
• 2-3 strips bacon, chopped
• 2-3 T. reserved cooking liquid from rigatoni

Cook rigatoni al dente per package directions.  Reserve 1/4 C. of cooking liquid, and drain pasta.

Meanwhile, in a medium frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic & cook about 30 seconds until fragrant.  Add spinach and saute briefly until wilted.

Add contents of pan to food processor, along with pepper, cream cheese, and Feta cheese.  Pulse until smooth.  Place mixture into a bowl and add cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture is sauce-like.  Stir to combine.

Add bacon and drained rigatoni, and toss to coat.  Season with salt & more pepper as needed, or parmesan cheese.

*Note: For you vegetarians out there, leaving out the bacon is perfectly fine.  If you are NOT Mr. Vittles and actually enjoy parmesan like most people, you can even add a tablespoon or two of cheese in its place.

Recipe Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis on the Food Network