Smokey Vanilla Bourbon Pretzels

I was in a making and baking mood this weekend, adding to the obnoxious amount of treats in my garage (aka outdoor refrigerator in Wisconsin winter). This recipe from How Sweet Eats was one of those I made. They're simple, easy and tasty. I don't find them quite as addictive as the creator of them, but they're nice enough  and easy enough to add to gift bags for people.

Smokey Vanilla Bourbon Pretzels
16 oz. mini pretzels

1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup bourbon
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, bourbon, sugar, vanilla paste, paprika, garlic and pepper flakes. Add the pretzels, and toss to coat well. 

Spread the pretzels evenly on the prepared baking sheets. Bake 15 minutes. Toss, and bake 10 more minutes. Remove, and let cool completely. Makes 16 + oz. of seasoned pretzels.

Mint Chocolate Chip Marshmallows

These marshmallows are fluffy, squishy pillows of mint with a chocolate crunch. Now, mind you, cocoa nibs do not taste like chocolate if you eat them alone. But when surrounded by the overly sweetness of mint marshmallow, they are the perfect taste of chocolate with a nice textural contrast.

If you intend to make these marshmallows from A Cozy Kitchen for cocoa, I'd strongly suggest leaving out the cocoa nibs. I found that when the marshmallows melted deliciously into the cocoa, that the cocoa nibs became their bitter selves and even attempted to choke me by heading to the back of my throat with every sip of cocoa.

It would take a bit more work to prepare two pans, but you could easily do two smaller pans, one with nibs and one without. One for munching and one for cocoa. And if you think I'm crazy to much a marshmallow, then you've never had a homemade marshmallow.

Mint Chocolate Chip Marshmallows
3 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 cup cold water, divided
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup 
1/2 tsp. salt
Green food coloring
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa nibs, chopped

Sift together the powdered sugar and cornstarch onto a large plate. Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish or baking dish. Add a teaspoon of the powdered sugar mixture to the casserole dish, and shake it around until the bottom and edges are dusted. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, add 1/2 cup cold water. Sprinkle the gelatin on top. Let stand 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt and remaining 1/4 cup of water. Heat the mixture over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat up to moderately high heat, and bring the mixture to a hard boil and cook until the the mixture reaches 240° F.

Turn the mixer on low, using the whisk attachment to mix. Carefully add the boiling liquid to the gelatin mixture. Turn the mixer to high, and beat for 5 minutes, until the mixture has grown in volume. Stop the mixer and add 15 to 20 drops of food coloring.

Beat again for an additional 3 minutes, until doubled in volume and until it holds stiff peaks. Add the peppermint extract and vanilla extract. Beat for an additional minute or so until the both of them are incorporated. Fold in the cocoa nibs, reserving a few as garnish.

Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish or baking pan, smoothing out the top until it's evenly disbursed. Sprinkle the remaining cocoa nibs on top. Lightly dust with the powdered sugar mixture, and cover lightly with plastic wrap.

Allow it to firm up on the kitchen counter for close to 8 hours. Gently loosen the marshmallow from the edges, and invert the marshmallow sheet onto a large cutting board. You may need to use your fingers to loosen the marshmallow sheet from the casserole dish and gently glide it onto the cutting board.

Using a sharp knife or scissors, cut the marshmallows into 2- or 3-inch squares. (It works best if you coat the cutting utensil with cooking spray before use and when it gets sticky. Store the marshmallows in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Makes a whole bunch of marshmallows.

Egg Roll in a Bowl

I adapted this recipe from Peace, Love & Low-Carb with ingredients we had on hand. So I subbed some cooked pork roast for the ground pork and gochujang sauce for the siracha. It was good as is, although my husband didn't like it because of all the cabbage. My favorite was to eat it scrambled with a few eggs. I think it would be good, even without any meat, scrambled with eggs for a hearty breakfast or quick lunch. Here's how I'd make this again in the future, and this recipe is adaptable to make it paleo pretty easily.

Egg Roll in a Bowl
2 Tbsp. sesame oil 
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup onion, diced
5 green onions, sliced 
1 lb. ground pork
1/2 tsp. ground ginger 
sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 Tbsp. gochujang sauce
14 oz. bag coleslaw
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds 

Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic, onion and white portion of the green onions. Sauté until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Add the ground pork, ginger, sea salt, black pepper and gochujang. Sauté until the pork is cooked through.

Add the coleslaw mix, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Sauté until the coleslaw is tender.

Top with green onions and sesame seeds before serving. Serves 4.

Sweet Potato Fries

These fries from Run Fast, Eat Slow are delicious. The recipe calls to leave the skins on for additional nutrients, but you might want to peel them for pickier eaters. These are a perfect lunch when I'm home alone, although I cut the recipe in half since it serves 4 to 5 people as a side.

Sweet Potato Fries
2 or 3 large sweet potatoes
1 egg white, whisked
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. curry powder
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cut the potatoes into sticks 1/4- or 1/2-inch wide, keeping them as close to the same size as possible. Place the fries in a large mixing bowl, and toss with the egg white and oil. Sprinkle with the remaining seasonings, and toss until combined.

Spread fries into a single layer, not touching each other, on the sheets. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip fries over, and bake another 10 minutes or until fries are browned on the outside and soft on the inside. Serves 4 to 5.

Mighty Marinade

This marinade from Run Fast, Eat Slow works well for any type of meat or vegetables. We used it for steaks the other night, and it gave them really great flavor.

Mighty Marinade
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2-inch knob fresh ginger, grated, or 1 tsp. ground
2 Tbsp. honey

In a gallon-size bag, combine all ingredients. Add meat or vegetables, seal the bag and shake to combine. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight for meat, 30 minutes for fish or several hours for vegetables. Grill to desired doneness. This recipe makes enough marinade for 2 lbs. of meat or vegetables.

Pepita Cherry Chocolate Bark

I'm attempting (and mostly succeeding) at eating a mostly paleo diet modeled after Whole 30 with a few exceptions and a handful of days where I eat whatever I want (and then feel miserable). This recipe from Runners' World is nearly identical to my previous post about Chocolate-Dipped Bananas. This feels much more like a treat but still has lots of things that are good for you.

Pepita Cherry Chocolate Bark

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup pepitas
1/2 cup dried tart cherries

Line an 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper coming slightly up the sides. Melt coconut oil in the microwave, and stir in cocoa powder and maple syrup. Pour into the baking dish, and tap to evenly spread the mixture. Sprinkle with pepitas and cherries. Freeze until solid, and store in freezer because it melts at room temperature. You can break into pieces or snack from the sheet in the freezer.

Note: This is supposed to be made with unsweetened cherries. I only had sweetened ones on hand, but the original recipe would be healthier and truly paleo.

Dark Chocolate-Dipped Bananas

I've always like frozen bananas, long before they were popular or people made them into fake ice cream. I would peel them, wrap them in wax paper to keep them from getting weird and freeze them. And then eat them like a popsicle.

So this recipe from Run Fast, Eat Slow was one that I promptly made. Seriously, chocolate without chocolate? This chocolate doesn't harden to a crunch, it's almost the slightest bit chewy. But it tastes like chocolate and is sweetened with only maple syrup.

Then I promptly ate 2 entire bananas dipped in chocolate in one afternoon. Whoops.

Dark Chocolate-Dipped Bananas
3 ripe bananas, peeled and cut in half widthwise
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
6 Tbsp. cocoa powder

Skewer each banana half with a popsicle stick or skewer. Freeze at least 4 hours or overnight for easier dipping. Or, if you're impatient like me, go ahead and dip with the risk of the bananas falling off the sticks.

Microwave the coconut oil until melted, and stir in the maple syrup and cocoa powder until smooth. Dip each banana half to completely cover it. Sprinkle with additional toppings like nuts or coconut if you want. Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper, and repeat the process.

Freeze until chocolate sets, and then transfer to a storage bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Makes 6 banana pops.

Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Since I had the bottle of Bailey's Pumpkin Spice Liquor, I discovered a recipe for Chai Tea Lattes on the back of the bottle. That immediately became the morning beverage for our annual cookie baking day. This was quite delicious and worth repeating.

As my friend said, if Starbucks served this, perhaps she'd visit there more often. I think the maple whipped cream I used really added to the latte, so I'd recommend whipping some heavy cream with a splash of maple syrup to sweeten it if you have the opportunity.

This is delicious. Especially with copious amounts of whipped cream.

Pumpkin Spiced Latte
4 oz. milk
1 chai tea bag
2 oz. Bailey's Pumpkin Spice Liquor
Whipped cream

Heat milk to near boiling. Steep tea bag in milk for 5 minutes. Froth milk in the blender if desired. (I used my Blendtec, and it really worked swell to froth the milk. Wow. I just said swell.) Pour milk into mug with liquor, and top with whipped cream. Makes 1 delicious latte.