Cauliflower Tortillas

Yes, there is such a thing! I think cauliflower has been one of those veggies that gets a bad wrap. I hear them described as tasteless and pungent smelling when cooked - and all is true if you just steam it. I always roast cauliflower with a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper; roasting brings out that nuttiness and it's so yummy.

I have seen renditions on other ways to use cauliflower. I think the most popular right now is cauliflower pizza crust. But here is another one that should not be overlooked:

Cauliflower Tortillas

These are not hard to make at all. A little time consuming with prepping the cauliflower but by no means difficult. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Break down a head of cauliflower. 

You just want the florets and not the thick stem.

Dump it into a food processor and pulse away.

Stop when it resembles couscous.

Transfer 2 cups to microwave safe bowl and heat for 2 minutes. Stir and then heat for another 2 minutes. Now for the not so fun part...take the cooked cauliflower and strain out all the moisture. You will need cheese cloth and SOME GLOVES CAUSE IT IS HOT!

Whisk a couple of eggs and throw in chopped cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper.

Stir in the strained cauliflower. Mix well.

Take the mixture and form 6 small tortillas. The mixture will be wet.

Tip: Form the tortillas on top of the line baking sheet. You can easily pat them

into a thin layer this way.

Bake for 10 minutes then flip and bake for another 5-7 minutes. Let them cool on a wire rack. After slightly cooled, heat up a pan and brown each side for about 2 minutes. You can press down slightly while they brown.

Serve warm and with any condiments you like!

PS I made mine a little on the thicker side since I knew I wasn't going to add any fillings. But next time I will make them thinner for soft tacos!

Thank you Recipe Girl for the inspiration!

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie I've Ever Made

Happy Monday!

Oh don't you just roll your eyes when you see something titled, "The best..."? I totally do! I have been in the slumps with my chocolate chip cookie baking. Something hasn't been working with the recipes I have. Even my favorite Doubletree Cookies have fallen short. What was once nice puffy, yet crispy and chewy cookies have turned to crispy, chewy, but FLAT. Same recipe, same oven, same ingredients. What the?! And I tried all those tips on making cookies chewy or cakey or crispy or flat. No matter what...flat has been the outcome. Until today!

Hello layers. I've missed you.

You must try Alice Currah's recipe for THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE EVER. She has a fabulous blog called Savory Sweet Life. So overjoyed to have found this recipe.

Like super happy.

Follow the recipe EXACTLY! Yes, beat the batter for 3 minutes. Yes, beat again for another 2 minutes after adding eggs and vanilla. Yes, you need to open that second bag of chocolate chips if you are using a 12 oz. bag. JUST DO IT.

And no, it's not a typo...preheat oven to 360 F.

No baking rack needed. Let cool on the parchment paper.

No, the cookies will not have soggy bottoms.

And to make sure this was the real deal recipe, I made all different sizes. And each cookie size I tried came out perfect. To me, a good recipe will accommodate any size with the same ingredients and temperature. 

Did I tell you how much I love the layers?

Chewy, crispy, and puffy!

Heaven.

PS This post was inspired by my youngest, for this is what she answered on her Mother's Day card to me...

 And just for a good laugh...

Teacher Appreciation Week & A Salty Sweet Delight

Teacher Appreciation Week starts today! I love this week because it is a great way to honor the wonderful teachers in Sophia & Kalista's lives.

We have been having fun prepping for this week. 

The girls have special treats for their mentors and can't wait to deliver them:

These were so easy to assemble! The amaz'on one is my fave. Here is the tutorial.

Candles make a great gift too! These simple printables make them even more special.

Today Sophia's school is having a dessert bar for all the teachers. I decided to make a sweet and salty treat and found this recipe for Salted Caramel Pretzel Crust Brownies:

These were easy to make and very yummy, I might add.

 If you are looking for that combination of sweet & salty,

well look no further!

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!
Thank you for everything you do.

Bacon & Scallion Corn Muffins

There really is nothing better than...bacon. And pair it with scallions in a corn muffin? 

The best of sweet and savory is born!

These delicious bites are courtesy of Giada. They are super easy to make.
And they are heavenly. 

I am serving these beauties tonight along side homemade tomato soup. 

That is, if I can stop eating them!

Minestrone Soup

Although the weather does not agree, it's been in the high 70's in Santa Barbara, the calendar says it's fall.  I love fall. But since I can't get the fall weather, 

I can still have the fall foods. Luckily the evenings do feel fall-ish.

What comes to mind? SOUP!

There is nothing like pjs and soup.

 I would say this has been kid tested and mother approved!

 Make this ASAP!

Recipe taken directly from Mama Miss. For more yummy soup recipes come visit my Pinterest board!

Blueberry Banana Bread

I had a little pity party yesterday. My second Father's Day without my wonderful dad. And to make it more anticlimactic, David has been in Alaska so there really wasn't any celebratory festivities. The girls and I had a very low key day. Which was actually kind of nice.

When the girls were playing nicely, for the moment, some overripe bananas caught my eye as well as a bowl of blueberries that were surprisingly not all gobbled up from our blueberry picking. That's when I decided to turn the frown upside-down. My dad loved baked goods.

Dad, this one is for you!

Blueberry Banana Bread 

printable recipe

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1 cup blueberries and few to press on top

Preheat oven to 350. Grease loaf pan.

Combine bananas and sugar and whip with wire whisk until fluffy. Add melted butter, egg, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. In a small bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until combined. Fold in blueberries. Pour into prepared loaf pan and press down a few blueberries on top. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies - Revised

I decided to play around with a recipe for an oldie but goodie cookie I posted about a year ago. These cookies never last very long in our house. And I am hoping the 200+  Pinners have enjoyed these blueberry delights as much as we have!

Because the original recipe uses all brown sugar and rolled oats, they are super moist especially with the added moisture from the blueberries. I found these cookies would become softer throughout the day and definitely over night (if there were any left over). So I decided to tweak things a bit to see if they would hold up when time lapsed.

Ingredients:
One stick unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups quick cooking steel cut oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Beat butter, oil, and both sugars until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

In another bowl, combine flour, both oats, baking soda, and salt. Pour dry mixture into the wet ingredients a little at a time and mix until fully combined. Finally, add the blueberries and gently fold in. Place rounded spoonfuls on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes, until golden brown around the edges but still soft in the middle.

This makes about 3 dozen cookies.
printable recipe

Hope you love this new version as much as she did!

When Life Gives You Lemons . . .

Well more like, when a friend gives you lemons, make lemon loaves! My friend, Ronda, was so sweet to give us a bag of lemons from her overproducing tree. Lots of friends scored lemons since she advertised her willing to share on Facebook. So happy I got in on the action!

This is one of my all time fave recipes. Barefoot Contessa never disappoints!

Cake Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature2 1/2 cups granulated sugar4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)3 cups all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon kosher salt3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Glaze Ingredients:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pans.
2. Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, and the lemon zest.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

It's so hard not to open the oven door to take a peek. Love the smell too!

4. Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves and makes a syrup. When the cakes are done, let them cool for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a rack set over a tray. Turn the cakes right-side up and spoon the lemon syrup generously over the mounded tops, allowing the syrup to dribble down the sides. Let the cakes sit to cool completely.

For the glaze:Combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. 

Get your drizzle on and pour over the top of the cakes. Allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

Don't be shy either! Get all those nooks and crannies! 

Are you loving these pics? This was a fun morning because not only did I get to bake

something YUMMY but I got the chance to play with my new toy. Win - win!

Sweet Treats - Homemade Payday Bars and Oatmeal Biscoff Cookies

Teacher Appreciation Week has kicked off at Sophia's school and what better way to start a Monday back to school than with a dessert bar! I signed up to make some sweetness for our wonderful teachers. So glad I found this recipe at Cookies & Cups.

Hello Payday Bars!

These were a total hit (at school and at home). Way too dangerous to have within my reach!

16 oz salted dry roasted peanuts
2 cups peanut butter chips
3 Tbsp butter
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (10.5 oz) bag mini marshmallows
1-2 tbsp flaked sea salt

Spray 9x13 pan with baking spray or grease with butter. Sprinkle 1/2 peanuts in the bottom of the pan, reserving the other half for later.
In a large microwave safe bowl, heat peanut butter chips and butter in 30 second increments on 50% power. Stirring after each until melted.
Pour in sweetened condensed milk and microwave on high power for 1 more minute. Stir until smooth and combined.
Fold in marshmallows to peanut butter mixture until evenly coated and then pour over your peanuts in the pan.
Press the remaining nuts into the marshmallow mixture. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt and chill for about an hour.
Cut into squares.

*Next time, I plan on changing things up a bit. I found the whole bag of marshmallows to be a bit a much. So I might add 1/2 to 3/4 or maybe even substitute marshmallow creme (hubby's idea). And I think adding some chocolate would be a fun choice too; perhaps to the bottom layer of nuts? Yes, I realize it wouldn't be a Payday bar anymore - oh well. I can call it a Baby Ruth. :)

Now onto dessert #2!

Oatmeal Biscoff Cookies

For those who have flown Delta, well you know what I am talking about when I say, "Biscoff cookies are totally awesome." And let me say, they are even better as an oatmeal cookie. And let me also tell you, the Biscoff spread is HEAVEN! It can be hard to find, but check this out:

This is some serious danger!
And crunchy too? It's great with apple slices.
Or just on a spoon. 

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick butter, room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 sugar

1/2 cup Cookie Butter (non-crunchy)

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Mix rolled oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in bowl and set aside. Beat butter, sugars, and cookie butter until smooth and creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth and creamy again. Add in dry ingredients and beat until blended. Chill for 30 minutes.

Scoop rounded tablespoon onto lined cookie sheet. Leave a couple of inches between each dough ball. Bake for 8 minutes or until golden and slightly firm on the edge. Cool for 5 minutes and transfer to wire rack.