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3 Ingredient Oreo Truffles

November 26, 2014

There are always certain foods that I associate with different times of the year. As soon as the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays come along I think of all things dipped in chocolate. I have several favorites, and they are all very simple to make and taste delicious (more about the others in a later post :)). Sometimes I like to get the kids involved other times I like to turn on some Christmas music, unwind, and dip ALL. THE. THINGS. in CHOCOLATE! Oreo’s have always been one of my favorite cookies and these truffles are like biting into a little piece of heaven! All you need is 3 ingredients and about 30 minutes and you have the perfect holiday treat for parties, school, or to devour yourself.

And if you are like us you might want to make a double batch because these little things disappear quickly! Between the 4 of us these don’t last long… which makes me think why do I always wait to this time of the year to make them!?

Brussels Sprouts With Cranberry Brown Butter

November 19, 2014

Thanksgiving may be one of the few times a year when you can take your vegetables, smother them with a buttery sauce, and still feel good about it. That’s exactly what we did with our twist on brussels. Nothings screams Thanksgiving quite like cranberries, so we thought, why not spruce up a veggie with some cranberries???

Brussels have definitely grown on me. I wouldn’t touch it as a kid, but I now mostly like it as an adult. It’s still something that I think it’s too bitter to eat straight-up, so I like to add some other strong flavors to help it along. See our bacon & molasses brussels recipe for evidence.

Brown butter is a tasty deliciousness on its own, but the addition of cranberries turns it into a great holiday sauce. The brown butter definitely does not overpower the brussels in this recipe, it gives it just the right balance of sweetness and nuttiness to the dish.

We’re doing Thanksgiving recipes all week this week. Yesterday we posted our favorite dressing recipe, and there’s still much more to come. Hope you’re enjoying following along!

Thanksgiving Week + Decadent Mac & Cheese

November 17, 2014

Let’s be real. Real time with Aunt Jen (it could be a weekly talk radio call-in show). I love Thanksgiving. Everyone I know loves Thanksgiving, no denying that. Everyone makes a big deal out of how thankful they are for everything they have and their family and friends and yada yada yada. I get that, and I’m really thankful too… but people REALLLLLLLY love Thanksgiving because of the awesome eats. If we didn’t have such great traditional foods associated with Thanksgiving then it wouldn’t be nearly as significant a date on the calendar.

When you think about Thanksgiving what immediately comes to mind is lots and lots of delicious turkey, dressing (stuffing for you non-southerners), cranberry sauce (it’s not Thanksgiving without it) and awesome sides dishes. This week on Saved by the Kale we’re going to go full-Thanksgiving with a different dish daily. First up is this totally decadent and delicious version of macaroni and cheese that Jim cooked up over the weekend at our little pre-Thanksgiving dinner.

This is definitely cheese-overload, so it’s perfect for a splurge-occasion like Thanksgiving. It’s got 3 kinds of cheese, including a smoked gouda that adds a terrific smokiness. We also learned a little trick from Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion and added a little basil to the crust on top to put it over the top.

What are your favorite Thanksgiving dishes? What do you immediately think of when someone mentions Thanksgiving?

Honey Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

November 5, 2014

We love carving a couple of pumpkins each year for Halloween and now that our girls are getting a little older they are enjoying it too. Well actually they both think it is disgusting reaching in to the pumpkin to pull out the seeds and the flesh. They are a little grossed out by it. Luckily Jim and I don’t mind. He scoops out the flesh and I work on separating the seeds so I can roast them up to have as delicious healthy snack!

Really the most tedious part of the process is separating the seeds from the flesh, once you’ve done that it’s a piece of cake. You will want to rinse the seeds off, and then place them on a paper towel and blot them dry. What I do is leave mine on the paper towel on the counter overnight so they can dry out.

The next day they are ready for roasting! I decided to do something a little different with mine this year. In the past I have made sweet ones using cinnamon and sugar. I’ve also made savory ones using different seasonings, and I have also made spicy ones. This year I decided on making Honey Roasted Pumpkin Seeds! I couldn’t wait for these to come out of the oven so I could taste test… they had the entire house smelling so good!

They tasted even better than they smelled, I had to stop myself from eating them so I would have some left to photograph! These are sweet and savory at the same time. The best of both worlds. They are naturally sweetened with honey, so no refined sugars here!

Why eat pumpkin seeds? Pumpkin seeds are incredibly good for you. They are packed with magnesium, zinc, and omega 3’s. They are rich in healthy fats, antioxidants, and fiber and they taste delicious! They are definitely the perfect fall snack.