Kitchen Renovation

We are well underway with the kitchen renovation. In some ways it seems as though we've been "renovating" this kitchen since July, considering all of the planning required, but in reality the actual work has only been going on for 7 days. In that 7 days though, we have gotten rid of the world's worst fridge, smallest stove, and shallowest sink. We have also gained all new electric and plumbing work and beautiful cabinetry.

It has been very rewarding to watch as this project grew and gained momentum. From a genuine need to make the kitchen utile, to a dream to make it something special. From progress measured at a snail's pace (e.g. we picked the contractor this month) to hourly gains (e.g. base cabinetry built out that wasn't there when I left for class in the morning). Like most things, home ownership seems to be more about the journey than the destination. But we are incredibly excited to see the finished project and to share it will all of you. So until our true "before and after" pics are available, here is a little "before and now."

Owl S'Mores

This isn't so much a "recipe" as it is instructions for an edible craft. I saw these last week and just had to make them. They provided the perfect complement to a Halloween Day session of my Jurisprudence class. And in addition to being the cutest s'mores I've ever seen, they are incredibly tasty!

Owl S'Mores from livinglocurto.com
makes 20 owls

20 graham cracker halves
20 regular sized marshmallows
40 pieces of yellow candy melt (available at craft/fabric stores)
1/4 bag of chocolate chips
20 pieces of candy corn

1. Assemble your ingredients. Snap the graham crackers into halves and collect nice looking candy corn and candy melts that aren't stuck together.

2. Using a nice sharp pair of scissors, cut marshmallows in half. Place 2 half-marshmallows on a graham cracker where the eyes should be. Microwave for 20 seconds in 5 second increments. Remove and immediately place 1 piece of candy melt in the center of each marshmallow. Place 1 piece of candy corn between the marshmallows.

3. Once you have assembled all 20 owls, melt the chocolate chips and place a small drop on each piece of candy melt for the "pupil."

Old-fashioned Meat Pie

There's something about the brisk days of Fall that make certain cozy things irresistibly attractive. Scarves, riding boots, flannel. And, for me, carbs. A savory pie is a great way to capture all of that desired coziness in a single dinner in a no-fuss way (especially if you use store-bought pastry ... just this once ... it will be our secret, I promise).

This is one of those recipes to which you could really make endless variations. Use different meats, ratchet up the spices, add lots of veggies. But for this particular take I went the classic french route: meat and potatoes in a pie crust. What could possibly be wrong with that?


Another bonus is that a meat pie is one of those coveted meals that actually gets better the longer it sits in your fridge (to a point of course). Though I am willing to bet that leftovers of this won't stick around for too long. Happy Autumn!

Old-fashioned Meat Pie adapted from All Recipes

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 cup mashed potatoes
salt and pepper

pie crust pastry for top and bottom
1 egg, beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

2. Heat oil in pan over medium heat; add onions and cook until they turn translucent. Add beef and pork. Liberally salt and pepper and cook until brown (about 7-10 minutes). Stir as necessary.

3. Combine onion/meat mixture and mashed potatoes in a large bowl. Salt and pepper again.

4. Line the bottom of your pie plate with one of your pie crusts. Trim around the edge with a knife. Fill with the meat mixture.

5. Cover with the other pie crust. Trim the edges again and crimp with a fork or your fingers. Brush the top crust with your egg and make 4 slits for steam to escape.

6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

If you're feeling up to it, use a fun cookie-cutter to make shapes out of the extra dough and place on top of your pie. You can also use ramekins to make smaller meat pies (cook for about 25-30 minutes).

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pumpkins

If I had to pick my single favorite candy, it would be impossible. But, if I could pick a top 3 without distinguishing among them it would be (in no particular order) peanut m&ms; crunchie bars; and Reese's peanut butter cups. I can't image making the first two at home (though I suppose it would be possible ...), so when I saw this post, I knew I had to give homemade Reese's cups a try. Yum!


I decided to make pumpkins and owls (could they be any cuter?), but you could do any fun shape you have. They are no-bake, so the hardest part is melting the chocolate and dipping the shapes inside. Next time I won't roll the dough out as thin because, even though I froze them, the pumpkins went a little limp when dunked in the melted chocolate and it was admittedly a little frustrating.


Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pumpkins (adapted, barely, from miss make)

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/2 bag semi-sweet chocolate
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp milk or half & half

1. Mix together peanut butter, butter, and confectioner's sugar until fully combined.

2. Roll the dough to between 1/4 - 1/2 inch thickness. Cut shapes and re-roll dough as needed.

3. Place shapes in the freezer. In a double-boiler, melt the chocolate and stir in butter and milk. Using a fork, dip the peanut butter shapes until coated and place on parchment paper to harden.

Chicken Casserole

There are times when life is really tough. But usually, at some point, it begins to return to normal - to the life you think of yourself as having. And even though you are scared and part of you feels it's only a matter of time until the other shoe drops, you know it isn't great to walk around afraid all the time. So you let your guard down and allow yourself to start feeling normal again. But sometimes, life becomes tough all over again and being taken off guard can make it seem even harder than the first go-round.

Most of you know that my husband has been dealing with some pretty serious health issues over the last year and while he is doing much better, this last week was difficult. Even though we knew with our heads that it was a minor step back, it felt in our hearts like we were back at square one. Which is a really scary place to be.

During these times, we tend to crave things that are familiar. Things that have never let us down. We hug each other, rely on our families, and eat comfort food.


And this recipe is one of those foods for us. It is not terribly healthy or fussy, and is one of Tom's grandmother's recipes. It is best enjoyed surrounded by the ones you love most.

Chicken Casserole
1 full chicken (about 2 cups)
1 lb frozen broccoli
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup cornflake crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cook the chicken (or you can purchase a rotisserie chicken and make this step a *snap*). Pull apart into bite-sized chunks.

2. Put broccoli into the bottom of casserole dish. Cover broccoli with chicken pieces.

3. In a small bowl mix soup, mayo, lemon juice, curry powder and cheese, until fully combined. Spoon over the chicken. Sprinkle with cornflake crumbs.

4. Cover and bake for 1 hr. 20 minutes. The casserole should be bubbly.

Homemade Granola

Every weekday morning I eat yogurt with almonds sprinkled on top. But after almost 2 years (yes, years), I decided to switch it up a little bit. Instead of going to the store and getting granola, I embarked on an online recipe search to see what making my own granola would entail.

Turns out almost all granola recipes are pretty much the same. Take some rolled oats, and your favorite seeds, nuts, things like that and then some honey and brown sugar. It's so easy to make (2 steps!) and you avoid the struggle of trying to find one at the store that has all of your favorite things (i.e. sunflower seeds) and none of the things you don't particularly care for (i.e. dried cherries). The recipe below is based off of this recipe from The Kitchen Sink, it's super simple and makes your house smell heavenly!

Homemade Granola adapted from The Kitchen Sink
3 1/2 cups rolled oats
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon flax seeds
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon real maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Spread the mixture onto a cookie sheet.

2. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to keep the granola from burning. Cool completely and then remove from the pan. Store in an airtight container.

Brown Butter Shortbread

You may have noticed that I haven't posted a baked good in a while, which is pretty unlike me. I could blame the last vestiges of summer, the long summer associate interview process, that hurricane, or the start of the semester, but really the reason is the kitchen in our new apartment. But I took the words of a facebook friend ("gas is gas, temp is temp") to heart and bit the bullet.


The result? Deliciously yummy shortbread that will pair perfectly with my tea this evening and my yogurt tomorrow morning. So while my current stove is nothing like the stainless steel beauty PC Richards is waiting to deliver, it apparently works well enough to make cookies with. Which is pretty fabulous news!


Brown Butter Shortbread (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
I never miss an opportunity to brown butter in baked goods, but reading in the comments where the recipe was originally posted it was noted that browning the butter here leads to a "sandy" texture. I think that's true, but if you are diligent about cooling your dough and then the cookies once baked, it is not a cookie-killer and taste is certainly more complex and delicious. It's your call.

1 1/2 sticks of butter, melted and browned (see note above)
6 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour

Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

1. Melt and brown your butter. In a medium bowl, mix butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla until combined. Add flour and stir until just combined.

2. Cover a small baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the mixture until even (your fingers are the perfect tool for this).

3. Let sit for 1 hour on the counter and then transfer for a 2nd hour in the fridge. Before you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 300 F. Bake for 45 minutes.

4. Remove from oven, leaving your oven on. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Let cool for 10 minutes.

5. Carefully cut the shortbread into long "fingers" and then bake for another 15 minutes.

6. Remove from the oven and cool completely before eating. Let them spend some time in the fridge for extra firmness.