Cookie Dough Truffles [Menu]

I love cookie dough. I know it's usually full of eggs and other things you really shouldn't eat raw (like two sticks of butter and several cups of flour, etc.) All the same, I sometimes think that a good, firm cookie dough is better than the cookies themselves. Back when Matt and I started dating - seven years ago as of September 2nd, although I can hardly believe it -  cookie dough posed as the "gateway" food to a whole new realm of possibilities for Matt. As I know I've mentioned before, he grew up with a very picky palette, which quickly became a hinderance after engaging in a relationship with me. 

After shocking him with olives and wasabi, Matt found his own path to enlightenment. At the time, my father was keenly interested in the consumption of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, and, after being accidentally served it once or twice (and too much of a gentleman to say anything), Matt was hooked. Now Matt looks for cookie dough wherever it can be found, and nothing excited him more going through my Pinterest and Springpad boards than these cookie dough truffles.

The wonderful thing about Pinterest is the wealth of information and inspiration you can garner from the images that flip across your screen. The bad thing is the tendency towards inaccurate or broken source links and questionable recipes. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love it, and I've benefitted much more from its pages than I've suffered its downfalls. However, it was frustrating to not be able to come up with a reliable recipe. So I sort of made my own, piecing together several different ones, and then eventually using my favorite cookie recipe without eggs and by adding a little extra flour and some milk (to make up for the moisture from the eggs). If you're not a chocolate chip fan, try the same with your favorite cookie recipe! No eggs. Little extra flour. And a little liquid to make up the difference. It will work for you, and they will be delicious. And your former picky eater will be happy. <3
Recipe Ahead!

Sweet & Spicy Candied Pecans [Menu]

A quick treat update!





These pecans are easy. So easy, it's almost a crime not to share the (very simple) secret of them. All you need for them is 20 minutes, some simple ingredients (that you probably already have laying around), and some pecans.





I recently used these to garnish a broccoli salad for my husband's birthday. But, truthfully, after we dumped the whole lot into the mix.. we silently mourned. Yes, they were a delicious accoutrement to the sweet, tangy flavors of the salad. But we just weren't done munching on them. Poor decision making on our part.
Next time we'll make a double batch.

Recipe Ahead!

Fancy Broccoli Salad with Buttermilk Dressing [Menu]

As much as I like vegetables, they commonly get stiffed in my kitchen. Matt's not one to really enjoy salads. And, honestly, his severe dedication to french baguettes (or just any crisp crusted bread-like delight) always sounds so much more interesting than my attempt to throw a red pepper into the meal. And I can't be blamed for partaking - I'm just trying to make my husband happy.





I've always loved broccoli salad. The color. The taste. It's a food that is entirely based on combining contrary flavors -which, personally, I love. Some of my favorite food memories are of going to Kroger, twenty dollar bill in hand, with my best friend and buying everything we could afford from the deli (and then going home and eating it allll..). Some were less successful ventures then others, but I remember fine times in my friend's basement, playing video games, with a bite of broccoli salad on my fork.





This recipe has been somewhat inspired by a Paula Dean's broccoli slaw, at least in the sense of "this-is-where-the-idea-was-born," but then I sort of ventured out on my own. As such, it's completely to my tastes, but you should add different dried fruits or cheeses depending on your tastes. Personally, though, I love the blue cheese in this (and I usually don't like blue cheese all that much), and the pecans are perfect.





Sadly, this salad was not for my husband's (somewhat finicky) palate. However, this is one time I consider leftovers a welcome addition to our fridge.





Recipe Ahead!