Time to Get Back into Cooking!

The crazy summer season is over and it’s starting to feel like Fall here in the Northeast.  I know it is officially still summer (and I know my California sisters are probably still in their shorts and sun dresses) but I’m excited about sweaters, boots and getting back into cooking! Here are the recipes on my “Must Try List”:

Grilled Summer Squash & Peach Salad:  I’ve got to try this one soon because summer produce isn’t going to last forever!  I love the idea of adding fruit to the dinner plate.  It’s so fancy but not complicated.
backtocooking1Roasted Beet, Goat Cheese & Honey Drizzle Tart: How colorful, pretty and different!  And beets are just so delicious!  Sides are sometimes so uninspiring and this is a good way to change it up!! backtocooking2Flank Steak: Mrs. Lilien writes one of my most favorite blogs – her graphics are fab.  Doesn’t she make this recipe look so easy!  Asian inspired dishes are not really a go to for me – mostly because I feel like you have to buy so many ingredients.  But this looks worth a try! backtocooking3 Honey Chipotle Chicken Bowls:  Looks like a good combination of sweet, spicy, fresh & healthy to me!!   backtocooking4 Spicy Thai Curry Noodle Soup: Like I said, I’m trying to incorporate more Asian inspired dishes into my rotation.  This one will be delicious to try on a chilly Fall night! backtocooking5Skillet Lasagna: There is always a pasta on my “Must Try List”.  This is a “one skillet” recipe which means less clean up for Steve!!  And it says it takes less than an hour to make!  I’ve gotta try this to believe it!
backtocooking6 Raspberry Friands:  When we lived in Australia, the after school ritual was to go have afternoon tea!  All dressed in our school uniforms, Patty would pick us up and we would go to one of the many cute cafes in town.  Our little snack of choice was usually a friand!  They are like a little muffins but they are made with almond meal which makes it a little denser.  I don’t ever see them here in the US  so these will be fun to try! backtocooking7Nutella Stuffed Brown Butter Sea Salt Cookie:  Just the name speaks for itself! backtocooking8

Is anyone else hungry??  I’ll keep you posted on how they all turn out!!

#OttEuropeanInvasion Food Inspiration – Cornflake Clusters

While we were in Zermatt, Switzerland we were told to visit the beautiful chocolate shop, Laderach. We were also told to try the Cornflake Clusters because they would change our lives.  Life changing chocolate? Um.. yes please. So we followed these wise words of wisdom and we were not disappointed.  As I devoured this tasty treat, barely coming up for air, I said to my sisters… “Sisters, these are probably pretty easy to make!”  Here is the next entry into the #OttEuropeanInvasion Food Inspiration series.  (The first entry was a Mojito from Barcelona.)

So, I set out on a little experiment… Think of it as a chocolate alternative to the Rice Krispy Treat.  It turns out, it is so simple! And all you need is cornflakes and chocolate. Yep. Told you it was simple.  (I tried other batches by adding butter or golden syrup and the consistency wasn’t right.  Why mess with something so easy?!)

cornflakeclusters

Ingredients:
1/2 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 bag of milk chocolate chips
3 cups of cornflakes

cornflakeclusters2Heat up a double boiler and melt the chocolate.cornflakes3coenflakes4Combine the cornflakes and chocolate until the cornflakes are coated. cornflakes5Spray a mini cupcake pan with a little Pam and spoon the cornflakes into the tin to shape the clusters. (You can also just spoon the clusters onto parchment paper.) cornflakes6Let them set. (Or put them in the fridge to speed things up!)cornflakes7Use a butter knife to help pop them out of the tray.
cornflakes8Now… Enjoy!

Making Swiss Chocolate

The day after we got back from our trip to Istanbul, a bunch of us headed down to a little chocolate shop in town called Durig. And they taught us how to make chocolate truffles and chocolate molds! We each made our own chocolate animals by painting the details of the mold in white chocolate and then filling the mold with dark or milk chocolate. I chose a scrunny – a mix between a squirrel and a bunny! It was pretty cute. And incredibly delicious.  I’ll never ever get sick of Swiss chocolate. I really don’t know how they do it. It’s amazing. And I don’t know how I will live without it when I go back to America in a month!

*The song is Without You by David Guetta and Usher because…who can live without chocolate!