Jam Streusel Bars

What you will need:

Shortbread Crust
½ cup oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar

pinch of salt

Jam Layer
Fruit flavored preserves of choice

Streusel Topping
½ cup oil

1 cup brown sugar

pinch of salt

1 cup rolled oats

⅔ cup all-purpose flour

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F, with the rack in the middle. Grease a 9 by 9” square pan and line it with greased parchment.

Crust
In a medium bowl, mix the oil, flour, confectioners’ sugar and salt, until it comes together in a uniform dough. Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Press it down with your hands to pack it tightly into the pan. Place in the oven to par bake for 15 minutes.

Gooey Filling

Spread a layer of your fruit preserves over your warm crust. Spread as much or as little as you want. I like a thin layer. 

Topping
Mix together the oil, brown sugar, salt, oats and flour with your fingers, so the mixture forms small clumps. Scatter evenly over the jam. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is caramel-brown and the fruit is bubbling.

Cool completely before removing from the pan and cutting. It’s easier to cut when chilled. 

Enjoy! 

Cranberry Pumpkin Loaf

I love everything pumpkin and any excuse to use pumpkin! And my new favorite combination is pumpkin and cranberry. The earthy, deep flavor of pumpkin combined with the fresh, tart pop of the cranberries in this pumpkin loaf is so unexpected. Festive enough for New Years dessert! 

What you will need:

½ cup canola oil (or 1 stick unsalted butter)

1 cup pumpkin puree (recipe for homemade here)

1 cup loosely packed light brown sugar

¼ cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract)

2 large eggs

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

¾ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp baking soda

½ cup frozen cranberries

2 tbsp turbinado sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and grease, or grease a loaf pan and dust with flour.

Combine the oil, pumpkin, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth.

Whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl. When I don’t have whole wheat flour on hand, I use all-purpose flour and it works well too.

Add the dry to the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth (but don't overmix).

Scrape into the loaf pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Press cranberries into the top and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, until the top is browned and crusty, and a toothpick inserted in comes out clean. Let cool.

Enjoy!

Gelt Together Cookies

Chanukah is one of my favorite holidays! I usually make some ugly Chanukah sweater iced sugar cookies, but this year I’m all about easy recipes! 

I purchased a bunch of bags of gelt from Trader Joe’s, and figured I can ‘decorate’ thick sugar cookies rolled in blue sugar with a gelt. I’ve seen similar ideas with Hershey kisses or nuts, so why not gelt? The combo works perfectly together. Make them for your Chanukah gelt together and they will be a showstopper! {see what I did there with geLt?!}

What you will need:

Sugar cookie dough (my easy recipe here)

I swapped butter for oil 1:1 here and worked perfectly

Sanding sugar or sprinkles

Gelt

Directions:

Follow directions here through chilling the dough. 

Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350°. 

Form 1” balls of dough using a small cookie scoop or eyeballing. The dough should yield approximately 24 cookies. 

Flatten the balls slightly to form a disc.

Roll the edges in blue sanding sugar, or sprinkles, or whatever your heart desires!

Bake for 10 minutes. While the cookies are baking, unwrap your gelt. 

When the 10 minutes are up, quickly press a gelt in the center of each cookie before it sets. Then return to the oven for another 2 minutes. 

My son helped me with this stage, just had to remind him the tray was hot and left the oven mitt on it so he didn’t get burned. 

Allow the cookies and chocolate to cool completely before handling. 

Enjoy!

Coconut Custard

This dairy free coconut custard is a creamy, dreamy dessert that transports me to a tropical beach on a faraway island! It’s full of sweet coconut flavor and this custard can be eaten by itself or be used in place of regular pastry cream. I will be using it later this week as a filling inside of one of my stuffed challahs. 

What you will need
1 13.5 oz can full-fat coconut cream
5 egg yolks
⅓ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Optional: toasted coconut for topping

Directions
Add the coconut cream to a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat.

While the milk is heating, add the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch to a glass bowl. Whisk together to combine (mixture will be a little clumpy) and set aside.

Whisk the milk occasionally until it starts to steam, but do not boil. Remove the milk from the heat and while whisking, pour a little milk (about ½ cup) into the egg mixture, do not stop whisking.
Continue to simultaneously whisk and slowly pour the remaining milk into the egg mixture. 

When all the milk has been poured into the bowl, give the mixture a good stir and then pour it back into the saucepan. 

Heat the milk mixture over medium heat, whisking almost constantly, until it starts to get thick like pudding and bubble. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. 

Place a strainer over a clean bowl and pour the custard into the strainer. Stir and push the custard through the strainer, leaving any clumps behind.

Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the custard and cool to room temperature. When cool, refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
Note- When placing the plastic wrap on the custard, make sure it is actually touching the custard (like you're putting a band-aid on it). That will prevent a thick skin layer from forming on top of the custard.

Enjoy!

Brownies

I love chocolate! Have I said that before? These brownies come together so quickly and easily, you’ll be saying ‘why have I ever even bothered with boxed brownie mix?’   

These brownies are fudgey and ever so chocolatey! The {optional} coffee in them are the perfect match and help enhance the rich chocolate flavor I love!

What you will need
Brownies:
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup canola oil (or 1 stick softened butter)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Optional: 2 tsp instant espresso powder 

¼ cup dark chocolate chips

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp canola oil (or unsalted butter, melted)
1 tbsp hot water (optional-¼ tsp espresso powder added to the water)
1 tbsp honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sprinkles, for topping

Directions
For the brownies:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grease an 8” square pan with cooking spray.

Whisk together the granulated sugar, flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the oil, vanilla and eggs in a medium bowl. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes before glazing.

For the glaze:
Whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, oil, coffee, honey, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.

Pour the glaze on the cooled brownie, spread it around and top with sprinkles. Let dry, then cut into squares.

Enjoy!

Lemon-Dill Compound Butter

I love cooking with fresh herbs, but I can never find enough uses for them in a week before the bunch I purchased starts to look sad. Making a compound butter with them is a good way to extend their shelf life. The one I made I made uses just a few ingredients, and is very versatile with whatever herbs you have left on hand. 

The herbed butter can last days in the fridge, but I personally keep it in the freezer and slice off as needed. Perfect to top a piece of cod or any other fish!

What you will need:

1 stick softened unsalted butter (can use salted too)

Grated zest of 1 lemon

4 tbsp chopped fresh dill or herbs of choice

Directions:

In a bowl, add the butter, lemon zest, and herbs and mash up with a fork. 

Transfer to plastic wrap and shape into a log. Wrap up tightly and twist the ends. Place in the fridge or freezer until ready to use. 

Enjoy!

Oven Baked Fries with Mayo Sauce

We love fries in our house! And, these fries are so crunchy on the outside with a soft interior, you almost cannot believe they are baked and not deep fried! The secret is soaking them in a salted ice bath first to release excess starch, while also seasoning the inside before baking. The dill mayo sauce is cool and refreshing and a great contrast to the hot crunchy fries!

What you will need: 

FRIES:

3 tbsp kosher salt 

2 pounds russet potatoes, cut into wedges 

3 tbsp canola oil 

1 tbsp paprika 

½ tsp garlic powder 

½ tsp onion powder 

Ground black pepper 

MAYO: 

½ cup mayonnaise

4 tsp Dijon or whole grain mustard 

3 tbsp dried dill 

Salt and ground black pepper 

Directions: 

FRIES: 

Stir salt into a large bowl of cold water until dissolved, then add 1 cup ice cubes. Submerge the potato wedges and soak for 20 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Drain the potatoes and pat them dry. 

Toss the potatoes in oil in a bowl; then sprinkle with the salt, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder and toss again. 

Bake, tossing halfway through, until browned, about 1 hour. 

MAYO: 

Combine the mayonnaise, mustard and dill in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the fries. 

 Enjoy!

Miso Maple Glazed Delicata Squash

I love butternut squash, but I just can’t deal with the work of prepping it for a regular weeknight meal when I need to get food on the table fast. Those guys are big and can be a pain to peel, chop and seed. That’s why, if you haven’t yet, you should this lovely and thin-skinned Delicata. Their skin is edible, and quite yummy and slightly crunchy like a fry when roasted. 

Like butternuts, they have a deep, creamy flavor that is delicious when roasted. They are nice and sweet, almost like a sweet potato. 

This dish is so easy to make and is sweet, salty, and you may just eat the whole tray before the table is set!

What you will need:

2 Delicata squashes, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into ½-inch inch thick pieces 

2 tsp sesame oil 

1 tbsp white miso 

1 tbsp maple syrup (or honey) 

1 tbsp unsalted oil 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425ºF 

Add the sliced squash to a bowl, toss with sesame oil to coat. 

Spread the squash in a single layer on a well-greased baking sheet and roast for 30-35 minutes, turning over once halfway through, until lightly golden on both sides. 

In a small bowl; mix together the miso, maple syrup and oil. 

After the squash has roasted for 30-35 minutes; brush one side of the roasted squash with the miso-oil mixture and roast for another 10 minutes until squash is glazed and brown. 

Remove to a platter and enjoy! Can also sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions for garnish.

Marinated Grilled Flank Steak

This recipe is so easy to make, which is why I love it so much! Once you mix the marinade together and set it in the fridge, it does all of the work for you.

What you will need: 

1-2 lb flank steak (have also done with London broil) 

1/2 cup coconut aminos or soy sauce 

1/4 cup toasted sesame oil 

 2 tsp garlic powder 

1 tbsp honey 

1 tsp umami seasoning blend 

Salt & pepper to season 

Directions: 

Whisk together soy sauce, toasted sesame seed oil, garlic powder, honey, umami seasoning, salt, and pepper. 

Marinade overnight (or at least 4-6 hours) in a ziploc bag. 

Preheat grill pan in high heat. 

Pat down the meat to make sure there’s no excess marinade and grill about 5 minutes per side.

Allow the meat to rest 10 minutes before slicing. 

Transfer reserved marinade to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and cook over medium heat until reduced. 

Once the meat has rested, cut thin slices against the grain, plate and drizzle with marinade.  

 Enjoy!