dessert

Pecan Pie Rice Krispie Treats (Vegan)

November 29, 2013 by Erica

Pecan Pie Rice Krispie Treats (Vegan)

Happy day after Thanksgiving! I made you pie… kind of. Rice Krispie treat pie?

I’m sharing this recipe with you today not so much because I think you have a Rice Krispie treat craving (you probably don’t), but because if you made pecan pie for yesterday, you probably have most of these ingredients already. And if you try to shove that half bottle of corn syrup back in your overcrowded cabinet, something else – probably something stinky, sticky and dark colored, and in a glass bottle, because that’s how these things work – is going to come shooting out and explode all over your counter. Not to mention that next time you go to make a pecan pie, you will definitely have forgotten that you already have the corn syrup, and you’ll buy another bottle, use half of that one, and then try to wedge it into your cabinet as well. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything… and please don’t count the half bottles of corn syrup in my cabinet.

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Swedish Apple Pie

November 18, 2013 by Erica

Swedish Apple Pie

Let me just say that family traditions crack me up. Every family has their own thing. It’s especially funny how traditions develop and then become set in stone, especially around the holidays. In my family, at least, they become quite rigid, especially where food is concerned. Making any changes is out of the question!

Example: Our Thanksgiving pie tradition. Now I realize we’re not unique in this, but humor me. My mom makes three types of pie every Thanksgiving – pumpkin, pecan and apple, and usually two of each. No additions, subtractions, or substitutions! She’s tried in the past to go down to two types, or maybe try something new for a change, but someone always complains. Hey, pumpkin’s my favorite! Can’t we make it? My mom is one of the most generous people I know, and certainly not one to let anyone go hungry. So before you know it, we’re back at pumpkin, pecan and apple.

Swedish Apple Pie

She’s reconciled herself over the years to the fact that Christmas is a time to try out new and exciting dishes. At Thanksgiving, new and exciting is met only with “hey, where’s the [insert traditional favorite here]?”

That sounds bratty, and maybe it is, especially because three types of pie is A LOT. My sisters and I have started helping out in the past few years… now that we’re kinda sorta adults. And even then, we have to start days ahead of time. Operation Three Types of Pie should be getting ramped up around here in about T-8 days. Bring on the rolling pins!

Nate’s family does pie, too, but their tradition is different. It features this Swedish apple pie, a recipe I was lucky enough to get a copy of from Nate’s mom a few years ago.

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Chocolate Cranberry-Walnut Clusters

November 15, 2013 by Erica

Chocolate Cranberry-Walnut Clusters

I’d say it’s only right that we finish the week off with some chocolate – what do you think?

I hope we’re all in agreement. Say hello to these chewy, chocolaty clusters of cranberry-walnut goodness.

Chocolate Cranberry-Walnut Clusters

Here is the deal with these chocolate clusters: They are the cranberry-walnut version of the no-bake quinoa cookies I posted a few weeks ago. Basically, I liked those quinoa cookies wayyyy too much not to make a few more versions of them. And you guys seemed to like them, too! I knew I wanted a chewy, nutty version of those cookies, and after a bit of experimentation, I declared this simple combination of dried cranberries and toasted walnuts the clear winner.

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Vanilla Cardamom Quinoa Pudding

November 4, 2013 by Erica

Good morning and happy Monday!

I hope you had a fun and relaxing weekend! We started the weekend off by going to see Gravity in 3D on Friday night. Actually, I lied. We started the weekend off by testing multiple versions of this pudding, and then posting about it on Instagram so you all can be entirely sure that I lead the least exciting life possible.

But then we did actually leave the house and saw Gravity. Not that I ever hoped to be an astronaut, but I’m going to go ahead and say that now I never want to go into space. That movie stressed me out so much. I was so tense that I actually had a backache by the end. What do you think – am I a good candidate for space if I can barely handle the stress of staring at a screen for 90 minutes? Staying cool under pressure is deeeefinitely what I’m good at.

Not.

I think I should stick to pudding.

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No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Quinoa Cookies

October 21, 2013 by Erica

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Quinoa Cookies

Well, we’re back from Moab! And all four of us survived the half marathon. I’ll have a race recap for you in the next few days, but for now, let’s just say it went better than last year! And that at the moment, I’d rather talk about cookies.

I don’t know about you all, but I absolutely love classic no-bake cookies. I ate them for the first time in our college dining hall, and I didn’t stop for four years straight. Those things are so good; they were seriously my downfall. They had them for dessert maybe once a week or every two weeks, and I had to get several every time. I would enter the dining hall planning to eat no dessert that night, but as soon as I saw those no-bake cookies, my sugar-free intentions fell by the wayside. That was the problem with dining hall desserts. There were some I had no interest in, and some I loved. God forbid they put out two of my favorites on the same night… because I had to have one of each. Never mind the fact that you knew it would be there again in a few weeks. At that moment it always seemed like you would be missing your last chance on earth for a no-bake cookie if you didn’t get one right that instant. That, my friends, is what we call the freshman 15.

My freshman 15 was made up almost exclusively of no-bake cookies, Twisted Smirnoffs, and discovering I loved cream in my coffee instead of milk. But let’s stick to the no-bakes for now.

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