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Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Cookie Dough Egg Truffles

Even though winter just served up another pile of snow for the East Coast, spring is right around the corner! I can't wait! You know who else can't wait for spring? My poor tulips that are now buried under a foot of snow. #PrayfortheFlowers


With spring comes Easter and so much candy! It's my favorite time of year to break out the chocolate and candy thermometer. I also have been eyeing up these egg truffles on Pinterest for a while and decided it was time to make them for myself! These truffles came together really quickly...


...and I ate them all. Seriously. I ate every single one of them.


You should totally make these, but maybe share with your friends. You don't want to be like me.

Though, now that they're gone, I find myself wanting to make another batch. Maybe with a different type of cookie dough...  Someone save me from myself!

One Year Ago: Salted Toffee with Toasted Almonds
Two Years Ago: Raspberry & Cheesecake Mousse Entremet
Three Years Ago: Portuguese Bread
Four Years Ago: Chicken Florentine Pasta
Five Years Ago: Peach Macarons
Six Years Ago: Chocolate Buttercream Truffles

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Homemade Easter Candy

Looking for something to do this weekend? Try your hand at some of these fun and adorable Easter treats from around the internets!

Dress up some peeps...

Tuxedo Bunny Peeps - such a cute and easy way to make Peeps a little fancier! | from candy.about.com
Tuxedo Bunnies

Treat the nutella lover in your life...  (aka, me. Please make these for me!)

These fun Nutella cream eggs are dipped in white chocolate and decorated with sprinkles.  They make an adorable treat for Easter baskets.
Nutella Cream Eggs

Find the perfect use for sugar googly eyes...

Homemade Marshmallow Chicks
Marshmallow Chicks
Keep it simple and use up a whole bunch of that extra Easter candy...

Easter Candy Bunny Tail Mix
Bunny Tail Mix
Feeling extra ambitious? How about a fancy cake...

Easter Polka Dot Cake | SugarHero.com
Easter Polka Dot Cake

I'll be making these little cookie dough treats with my boyfriend tomorrow!
Easter Sunday Craft and Bunny
<<via>>

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Wilde Cookies


I put together a pinterest board with all of the cookies that have come out of the Wilde Kitchen! Still need some ideas for holiday cookies? Take a look! Can you believe that I have 76 cookie recipe at WITK?  So much sugar.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Thanksgiving 2014 - Perry's Ice Cream Pie

Thanksgiving week is upon us! I thought that instead of bombarding you with dozens of pumpkin/stuffing/turkey recipes this year, I would give you a single, delicious one. Inspired by my favorite hometown ice cream brand - Perry's Ice Cream!


I'm sure you've all been seeing images of the snowstorm that hit Buffalo, New York last week. Houses buried under five feet of snow, snow drifts up and over cars, highways closed, grocery stores cleared out, people building beer fridges out of the snow, etc, etc, etc. I'm proud to hail from that part of the world and I'm all too familiar with that type of weather. Don't worry about Buffalo. They generally dig out in a day and carry on with their business.

Even with all that snow, Perry's Ice Cream continued churning and making tasty flavors for their local fans. (I'm loving the looks of this chocolate cookies and cream they just created!) Each fall, Perry's comes out with a few limited edition flavors. This year I was lucky enough to receive two containers of their new Maple Cheesecake ice cream!


I promptly ate one of the containers. If you are in the WNY region, be sure to pick up a container of this stuff. The cheesecake flavor is really mild and disappears behind the maple. It's not just maple, there's ribbons of maple crunch running through the ice cream.

The second container was set aside for my "Friendsgiving" this past weekend. I decided that in addition to the traditional pumpkin pie, I would make an ice cream pie. It's an incredibly easy pie to make. Just put together your favorite cookie crust, I made the Momofuku Milk oatmeal cookie crust, and top it with the ice cream! Freeze until solid and serve with some whipped cream.


When given the two options of pumpkin pie and Maple cheesecake ice cream pie, what do you think my friends chose? I'll let the entire pumpkin pie in my fridge answer that question.

Not in a Perry's region? This ice cream pie would also be amazing with butter pecan or toffee-flavored ice creams. Just keep it simple and you'll have a tasty Thanksgiving dessert in no time!


Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by Perry's Ice Cream. I am a member of their Inside Scoopers program and via this relationship they occasionally send me their new flavors. I receive no financial compensation for these posts and all opinions are my own. That being said, I've been eating Perry's Ice Cream since I was a little girl. It is awesome.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Merry Christmas!

Hope your day is merry and bright!!!




I've noticed I have quite a few food themed Christmas ornaments...

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Bright Lights, Pretty City

There are three times to visit New York City.  1. Springtime, when everything is new and green.  2. Fall, as the leaves are changing and the crisp air invites you to take a long walk. 3. Christmastime. It's like the entire city wraps itself up in bows and lights.



Continue Reading...

Monday, December 16, 2013

Christmas Fudge

We're in the home stretch of the holiday season and it's time to bombard you with a few more festive recipes!  I think we're just about two weeks away from not wanting to see anything peppermint, pumpkin or cranberry related for another year. Until that time comes I'm going to revel in those flavors! Get ready for a holiday countdown of flavor!


Up first is some pretty amazing and easy peppermint and chocolate Christmas fudge.  It's not the holiday season to me until I order my first peppermint hot chocolate from Starbucks.  This fudge is like a condensed, one inch square version of that drink.


I've made a few different varieties of fudge and I think I prefer this method to the classic boiled sugar method. No candy thermometer, no pot and no careful crystallization required. Just microwave, stir and pour. It's incredibly creamy and smooth. I made this batch of fudge for the boyfriends holiday office party and apparently it was gone in no time! I know I had a few pieces for myself.

One Year AgoEggnog Mallomars
Two Years AgoCoconut Brownies
Three Years AgoDark Chocolate Hearts

Easy Christmas Fudge
A Wilde Original

1 (14-oz) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 cup vanilla chips
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/4 cup candy canes, crushed

Line an 8-inch pan with wax paper.

Combine 9 tablespoons (7 ounces) sweetened condensed milk with chocolate chips and cocoa powder.  Microwave on high for 1 minute.  Stir until the chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is smooth.  Pour into the prepared pan and smooth out.  Place in the fridge while you prepare the peppermint  layer.

Combine remaining sweetened condensed milk with vanilla chips.  Microwave for 1 minute, stir until mostly melted.  Add powdered sugar and peppermint extract and stir until smooth.  Pour over chocolate layer and smooth out.  Sprinkle with crushed candy canes and gently press in.  Place in the fridge for 2 hours to harden.

Cut slab of fudge into 25 squares.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Holiday Gift Guide - For the Baker

The gift guides continue! Do you have a baker on your Christmas giving list this year? Being an avid baker person myself, I always love getting new tools and cookbooks for baking. A few years ago my parents surprised me with a Kitchenaid stand mixer of my own, the color I listed is the one that sits in my kitchen.

If you're not quite sure what your favorite baker already owns, you can't go wrong with filling a box with all those things that bakers run through like water.  I'm talking about cupcake liners, reusable piping bags, vanilla extract, sprinkles, chocolate chips. It would be not only a practical gift, but a pretty one!




1. Snowflake Cookie Cutters
2. Adorable Cupcake Liners
3. Kitchenaid Stand Mixer
4. Ateco Piping tip set
5. Donut Pan
6. Tartine Cookbook
7. The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book
8. Mug Cakes Cookbook
9. Nesting Bowls
10. Holiday Mini Loaf Pans

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Cookie Week - Gingerbread Mallomen

Happy Holidays! It's time once again for the Great Food Blogger Cookie swap! The cookie swap is organized by Lindsay, of Love & Olive Oil, and Julie, of The Little Kitchen and gives food bloggers a chance to swap cookies, share stories and help out. I'm so lucky to be a part of this little food blogging community of ours. 


Thursday, December 5, 2013

Holiday Gift Guide - For the Cook

Today's gift guide is for the cook on your list! Some of these things are my tried and true items, including the pot rack which I received for Christmas two years ago and absolutely love. I've also gotten a ton of use out of my soda siphon whipping up all kinds of homemade soda. I'm currently coveting that thermometer and pizza peel and who doesn't want some TARDIS ice cubes?



1. Hanging Pot Rack
2. The Gramercy Tavern Cookbook
3. Giada's Feel Good Food
4. Smart Thermometer
5. Callie's Biscuits & Southern Cooking
6. Pizza Peel
7. OXO Food Scale
8. Doctor Who Silicon mold
9. Soda Siphon
10. Microplane Rasp Grater

Friday, November 29, 2013

Holiday Gift Guide - Shop Local on Etsy!

Happy Black Friday! Are you still full from your Thanksgiving feast yesterday? I don't think I will need to eat until tomorrow!

Have you been out shopping the sales since before the sun came up this morning? Or are you like me and you slept in? While you're being bombarded by e-mails, sales flyers and TV commercials from the big guys, I thought I would share with you a few gift ideas from the craftspeople and artisans at Etsy! Think about shopping handmade and local this year!

...


1. PotsWithPersonality - Salt Pig
2. dellcovespices - Popcorn Seasoning
3. InspiredTradingCo - Pepper mill
4. InAGlaze - Owl Mugs
5. gracegrafitti - Menu chalk board
6. michellesmarshmallows - Organic Marshmallows
7. PegasusParchments - Cutting Boards
8. NikkisTreats - Doctor Who Chocolates
9. JanFairhurstPottery - Set of 2 bowls
10. CreativeChics - Cute Kitsch Retro Apron

Monday, November 25, 2013

Cranberry-Orange Mallomars

Happy Thanksgiving week! I'm so ready for the holiday season. During my unemployed hours I've been preparing lots and lots of recipes for you! I'm most excited to share this first cookie recipe of the season with you. This cranberry-orange mallomar is sweet and tart and tastes just like christmas!


Thursday, November 21, 2013

French Silk Pie

It's apparently Pie Week around the internets. It's this week that everyone in finalizing their thanksgiving menus and dessert is the most important part. At least it's most important in my opinion! It's how you finish off the night and what puts that final nail in the coffin of your food coma.


 Personally I love making pies at thanksgiving because it reminds me of my gram. When I was little, we always went over to grams house for thanksgiving dinner.  We would walk in the door and the entire house would smell amazing. She had a turkey baking in the kitchen and lamb baking in the basement. Yes, she had a second oven in the basement. I'm not sure exactly how safe the whole situation was, but everyone got something they wanted for dinner.


As gram got older, we moved thanksgiving dinner to my aunts house. The aunts and uncles took over the majority of cooking but my gram still made all the desserts. Cherry pie, pumpkin pie and apple pie all made appearances after dinner. Gram was the dessert queen and made a fierce pie crust. Years later I discovered grams secret. Canned pie filling! My dad was so disillusioned. Gram was a definite housewife of the 1950's, she didn't meet a canned good she didn't like. But seriously, her pies were still awesome.


I did not inherit her pie dough making gene. I'm a huge fan of the cookie crust. Or the those rolled up pie crusts from the grocery store. Don't judge, they're yummy. For our early thanksgiving dinner this week, I prepared a chocolate chocolate chocolate French silk pie. It's rich. It's creamy. It's got to get out of my house before I eat the entire thing!


If you're looking for a little something different at your dessert table this year, whip up this pie. It's sure easy.

Two Years Ago: Sausage & Gorgonzola Mac'n'Cheese
Three Years Ago: Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

French Silk Pie
A Wilde Original

Chocolate Crust
From Momofuku Milk

For the Crumb

2/3 all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 300 ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat. Combine solid ingredients with a whisk. Add butter and stir until everything is moistened and you form small crumbs.

Spread mixture on baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, stir around. Bake for another 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool completely before making cookie crust.

For the crust

3/4 crumb recipe (260 g, 1 3/4 cup)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Pulse chocolate crumbs in the food processor until finely ground, sandy. Transfer to a bowl and add remaining ingredients. Knead with your hands until everything can be put together into a ball.

Press dough into a pie pan, using your fingers and palms to flatten the pie crust and push up onto the sides of the pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to harden.

French Silk Pie
Adapted from The Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook

1 cup whipping cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 beaten egg yolks
3 tablespoons whipping cream

Combine whipping cream, chocolate chips, butter and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until chocolate is melted. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks lightly. Slowly pour half of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks, beating the entire time.  Pour egg mixture back into the saucepan and stir. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture begins to bubble and thickens slightly.

Add remaining 3 tablespoons whipping cream and stir to combine. Place saucepan in a bowl of ice water. Let cool for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Transfer chocolate mixture to a large bowl and whip on high speed for for 4-5 minutes, or until lightened in color and slightly fluffy.  Pour into prepared chocolate crust and place in the fridge to chill.

Stabilized Whipped Cream
from several sources

1/2 teaspoon powdered gelatin
1 tablespoon water
1 cup cold whipping cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Pour water over gelatin and allow to bloom for 2 minutes.  Microwave, 5 seconds at a time, until gelatin is liquefied.

Beat whipping cream on high speed until frothy. Add granulated sugar and continue beating on high for another minute. Add gelatin and whip on high until you achieve stiff peaks.  Transfer to a piping bag with a large star tip, pipe big loopy designs on your pie.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Gingerbread Truffles for Halloween!

I posed a question a few weeks ago, asking what candy reminds everyone most of Halloween.  The overwhelming response was candy corn, candy corn, candy corn! There seems to be two camps when it comes to the stuff.  Love it or hate it.  Personally, I'm not a fan.  The reason? I don't know what it's supposed to taste like.


I don't like things that don't have a distinct flavor. This is the reason that I don't like Coke or Pepsi, what are they trying to taste like?  Don't answer cola.  That's not a sufficient answer for me.  Oddly enough I really like Dr Pepper, which is basically cherry coke.  I know, I'm strange.


So, candy corn. Right. I went to the grocery store and even bought myself a bag of the classic treat.  I had a few pieces and put the bag away.  The only flavor detectable in a piece of candy corn is sugar.  And a little wax.  I wanted to make some candy Halloween, but I didn't want to make something with no flavor just for the sake of cuteness.  I wanted something with flavor and holiday cheer.


Enter these truffles.  They make look simple and unassuming, but they are packed with flavor.  They taste like Halloween in a bite.  The chocolate center is rich and smooth, with a hint of pumpkin spice and the outside is crunchy and oh so festive.  You won't need more than one of these truffles to satisfy your chocolate and Halloween cravings.


One Year AgoHomemade Almond Milk
Two Years AgoChicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Three Years AgoAcorn Squash Ravioli with Cranberry-Walnut Sauce

Gingerbread Truffles
Adapted from Making Artisan Chocolates

I used my scale and measured the chocolate in grams.  It was much more specific than relying on the markings on the chocolate bars.  You can do it either way, a few fractions of an ounce more of one chocolate or another won't change the flavor too much!

The fridge will be your best friend during this recipe.  If you find that your chocolates are getting too soft at any point, just pop them in the fridge for 5 minutes.

2 ounces (56g) 64% bittersweet chocolate
2 ounces (56g) 84% dark chocolate
3/4 ounce (21g)  milk chocolate
7 1/2 tablespoons (105g)  heavy cream
2 teaspoons (14g) light corn syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons (7g) butter, cubed, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup puffed rice cereal
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pound white chocolate

Chop all chocolates and place in a large bowl.  Combine heavy cream and corn syrup in a small pot.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Once the cream comes to a rolling boil, pour over chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes.  Stir with a silicone spatula until smooth.  Using a candy thermometer, let chocolate sit until cooled to 95 ºF.  Add butter and spices and stir until butter is all melted.  Let ganache cool for about 40 minutes and transfer to a piping bag.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Pipe small blobs of chocolate ganache onto the parchment paper.  If the ganache is too loose and won't form balls, place the piping bag in the fridge for 2 minutes. Roll the blobs of chocolate in your hands until round.

Preheat oven to 350 ºF.  Place puffed rice cereal and remaining spices in a 9x9-inch baking pan.  Toast cereal for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and pulse 5-6 times, or until cereal is mostly broken up.  You don't want it all to be dust.  Return to the baking pan.

Melt white chocolate in a double boiler (Or bowl set over a simmering pot of water).  Dip truffles one at a time.  Tap off excess chocolate and drop in the cereal crumbles.  Sprinkle top with more cereal and roll around truffle to coat completely.  Let truffles sit in the baking pan until the chocolate is completely set.

Store truffles in the fridge, but bring to room temperature before enjoying!

Linking up at Tasty Tuesdays

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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Eggnog Mallomars

Happy Holidays everyone!  Can you believe that we are less than a week until Christmas and two weeks until we bid adieu to 2012?  This year has gone by so quickly, I'm not quite ready for 2013 just yet.  I haven't really had a chance to enjoy the holidays and the end of this year!

Over the past four weeks I have been struggling with the cold that would not leave.  This past weekend I headed to the doctor who told me I had bronchitis!  I was hooked up with some medicine and have been crashing at home for the past few days.  I'm hoping to kick this out of my system before I head home to Buffalo this weekend.


The exact same thing happened last year, I got sick just before the holidays.  I was laid up for weeks and missed out on so much fun while I was napping.  I think that BF and I went to sleep around 10:30 on New Years Eve. 

After three days on my medication, I'm feeling much better.  Hopefully I'm on the mend for real this time.  I was feeling healthier this Saturday and made some holiday mallomars!  Last year was peppermint, this year I made you some eggnog flavored sweets.  Though I am concerned about feeding them to anyone, what with my bronchitis diagnosis a day after I made them!  I can tell you that these guys were tasty and I was the only one to have any.  Maybe being sick while making cookies is a good thing?  All for me!


Hope you are all enjoying these last few weeks of the year.  With my recent illness, the last few weeks of my 2012 challenge have fallen to the wayside.  I've pushed the final challenges into the new year, to be sure that I complete them all!  And don't worry.  A new 2013 challenge will be announced soon!  Stay warm and bright everyone!

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Thanksgiving Casserole

I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday weekend (or regular weekend!) and that you are now ready for the holiday season.  Did you fill yourself to the brim with turkey and stuffing on Thursday?  Or were you like me and had some Buffalo chicken at the local bar?  Did you head out Friday morning and fight the crowds?  Or were you like me and you stayed far far away from any store that sold anything on Friday? 



While I may have missed out on the food festivities this year, my thanksgiving was not without celebration.  I just enjoyed my thanksgiving holiday in the morning and spent the afternoon travelling!  Boyfriend and I spent the early morning hours under the sunny skies of New York City, watching the Macy's thanksgiving day parade. 




Having done the New York City new years eve thing once, we were concerned about the sheer numbers of people that would be at the parade.  We were told to expect 3.5 million people to line the streets of Manhattan and watch the parade with us.  The one thing that we neglected to account for was the length of the parade route.  Starting at 77th street and Central park west, travelling south to 34th street and 7th avenue, the parade winds its way over two miles of New York City pavement. 




We decided to go uptown to watch the parade, getting off the subway at 66th street and walking to the park.  By the time we got there, the sidewalks were pretty full and the police had closed off the street.  We stood three or four people back from the barracades, but boyfriend and I have a serious parade watching advantage, we're both pretty tall.  There was also another bonus, we came to see the balloons and balloons float.  The massive characters were flying high above our heads, everyone could enjoy them even without a good place to stand.



With the sunny skies and the warmer than usual temperatures, we thoroughly enjoyed the parade.  Having watched them inflate the balloons the day before, it was fun to finally see them all floating above us.  We each had our favorites and waited the whole parade to wave to Kermit the Frog.  Once Kermit flew past, we darted out of there and flew away ourselves.


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