Nutmeg Maple Butter Cookies

Made these instead of the traditional sugar cookie this week for my work Christmas party. They're more of a crisper shortbread as opposed to the regular sugar cookie. DELICIOUS! Big hit at the Christmas party. I would definitely made a double batch if you are entertaining a large crew. You can never go wrong with Smitten Kitchen. :-) Merry Christmas!

Nutmeg Maple Butter Cookies via Smitten Kitchen:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/12/nutmeg-maple-butter-cookies/

Momofuku's Crack Pie



This was made by special request for my Dad. I guess he read about it on the Good Food blog and was interested. To be honest, how could you not be with a name like this? I'm not sure if it quite lived up to the name, but it was good. Maybe I need to make a trip to New York so I can have a true comparison. Adding that to the list! Butter and brown sugar and cream, oh my.

Momofuku's Crack Pie via Good Food:

http://blogs.kcrw.com/goodfood/2011/07/momofukus-crack-pie/

Golden Crunch Cupcakes

Let's just start off with with a note to myself that not ALL cake recipes should be turned into cupcakes. I thought I could pull this one off, but it turned into the mess of all messes under the broiler in my beautiful muffin pan. It is currently soaking, but may be permanently ruined. Do not make my same mistake! I'm sure this would have been devine as a cake. The topping probably would have been nice and thick too. Some day I will learn. Despite my pan disaster, the taste was all there. The cake portion of this recipe is also near perfect, delightfully light and fluffy. Let me know how it goes as a cake!

Golden Crunch Cupcakes via Not Without Salt:

http://notwithoutsalt.com/2009/06/25/golden-crunch-cake/

Swordfish Kabobs with Avocado Butter

Swordfish is my all time favorite fish, has been for as long as I can remember. I'm not a big fan of cooking fish myself, but when I saw the avocado tag-teamed with the swordfish in this recipe I just could not resist. This turned out great even on my indoor Cuisinart grill. This is a perfect summer dinner recipe. Avocado butter is to die for! You can make the butter ahead, it keeps in the fridge just fine... no gross browning like guacamole.

Swordfish Kabobs with Avocado Butter via Nestle USA:
http://nestleusa.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/fishin-in-the-garden-marinated-swordfish-with-avocado-butter/

Strawberry Crumb Bars

Can I just start by saying, these are awesome! ...and so pretty too! These are actually a modification of a previous post that I did, that I really loved back then too! See previous: http://ovenphilosophy.blogspot.com/2010/11/peach-shortbread.html. I ran into this recipe on Smells Like Home and realized it was a revamped edition of the peach shortbread that I had previously made from Smitten Kitchen. I am such a sucker for shortbread. These were well received from all my recipients. :) Love being the bearer of good gifts!

Strawberry Crumb Bars via Smells Like Home:

http://smells-like-home.com/2011/05/strawberry-crumb-bars/

Brown Butter Brownies

The process of browning butter is one that can seem daunting to some... but once you do it a couple times, you will have it down pat. Don't be intimidated! Once you try it, you will be so glad you did. Brown butter adds a depth to anything that you could never imagine afterwards without it. I actually have a confession in making this recipe, (something that I still have no explanation for)... I had no vanilla in my pantry! This NEVER happens to me. My only thought is that this whole move has just really put me out of my element. So I had to make a substitution... and an unconventional one at that: almond extract. But I have to say it worked out well. I'm used to a brownie/almond combination anyway... but the extract in the brownie itself was a stretch even for me. Live & learn. 

Brown Butter Brownies via The Parsley Thief:

http://www.theparsleythief.com/2011/02/brown-butter-brownies.html

Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats

Who really doesn't like rice krispy treats?! These are even better! These are like the adult version rice krispy treats... all grown up with the ingenius addition of browned butter. If you haven't yet met my friend browned butter, introduce yourself today. Browned butter is a bit of a process, but it makes EVERYTHING better. These won't last long!

Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats via Smitten Kitchen:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/11/salted-brown-butter-crispy-treats/ 

Down South Comfort!

This has to be one of my all time favorite meals I've ever made! Lousiana Red Beans & Rice, Collard Greens, and Cornbread muffins with cinnamon honey butter! It really doesn't get much better than that! And to accompany the meal, a Laker victory! C'mon now... that's a great day! Enjoyed this meal with my Daddy. Let me tell you, he went back for seconds! This will not disappoint! I recommend Frank's Original Red Hot Sauce for a little kicker of a condiment, I like my nose to run! Take note of the excessive use of exclamation points in this post, this meal is THAT good!

*note: I substitued small red beans for kidney beans in this recipe. (I feel like if a recipe is titled "authentic," it should at least use the right bean!)

Authentic Louisiana Red Beans & Rice via All Recipes:

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/authentic-louisiana-red-beans-and-rice/Detail.aspx 

Short-Cut Collard Greens via Ellie Krieger:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/short-cut-collard-greens-recipe/index.html

Cinnamon Honey Butter via Ina Garten:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/cinnamon-honey-butter-recipe/index.html

The cornbread muffins were just from the good ole' Jiffy box... 99 cents folks! Cut your losses!