Hey there, So did the mention of Weight Watchers turn you off or on to this recipe? If you’re not sure, let me tell you, these bites are all kinds of “wow” including the whispery, gaspy type of “wow” and the loud, pleasantly surprised one. Now, I did not entirely go slim on you but after…
Category: Snack food
Fancy-pants Soppressata and Gruyere in Puff Pastry
I say “fancy-pants” because there’s just nothing more posh to me than puff pastry or good heavens, Gruyère cheese! Although, in reality, it’s just a classy salami and cheese sandwich. I actually went a slight bit rustic by leaving it whole and serving it on a thick wooden cutting board and people cut their own…
Vanilla-Sage Cornbread
Hello there, It’s Oct 7th so Happy Birthday to me! This recipe was a delicious gift to myself and now also for you! Hope you try it. I began a love-affair with cornbread years back when my husband and I tried it for the first time at our favorite Southern-American restaurant called Savannah in downtown…
Mediterranean Spinach and Tenerumi pie with Dill and Feta
Education break! Ok… What are Tenerumi? They are the mild and tender leafy greens from the cucuzza plant. A cucuzza plant produces pumpkin or squash. The leaves or tender greens of the plant are very popular in Sicilian cuisine – a staple if you will. Finding them can be challenging unless you go to Jean-Talon Market…
Zucchini Blossoms – Stuffed with Mozzarella and Anchovy
Originally posted on vanillabeanonline.blogspot.com on Sunday, July 31st, 2011 Hello again I made the most awesome fried, stuffed zucchini flowers this weekend! They are edible zucchini blossoms. See the Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zucchini They are most commonly prepared dipped in batter, deep fried and with a sprinkle of salt. That’s how my Grandmother, Nonna Rosina made…
Banana Bread with Pecans and Chocolate Chips
Hello there, This recipe is a favorite of mine and I make it whenever the occasion presents itself. Meaning: whenever I have bananas that are in a brown, sad state of affairs which is quite often. My husband is reluctant when it comes to fruit in general but I’d occasionally try to have him eat…
High Altitude Ghirardelli Oreo Brownies
These will make your taste buds smile. I am more a fan of Oreos than of brownies to tell the truth but put them together and you’ve got an irresistible combination. They’re not made from scratch, no, but they are soooo sinfully delicious. When I am not making my black bean brownies, I am makin’…
Baked Pretzel Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard dip
You will love these! Pretzles are so flavourful that no additional seasoning is required and with the honey-mustard dip, it just satisfies all cravings – salty, sweet, crunchy with the juicy warm chicken on the inside. This recipe is family and figure-friendly and when you can whip these up in minutes, what’s not to love? 🙂 Best…
Mind-blowing Black Bean Brownies
Say whaaaat!? Yup, if you’re still here after reading black bean brownies, I thank you. I do have a flare for the dramatic when it comes to food but I guarantee , they ARE mind-blowing because they are super delicious and taste like they’re terrible for you. Isn’t that what we are all looking for, the…
Jalapeno n’ Cheddar Shortbread Crackers
Happy Mother’s day to all the wonderful, selfless & dedicated moms out there 🙂 Also to those moms who prompt the phrase, “Its good but nothing beats my mom’s, (insert food here). For me its her meatballs – haven’t tasted better. My mom, who is all of those great things just mentioned, inspired me to cook when…
Watermelon “Cake”
Hello there! I hope everybody had a great Easter or Passover 😀 This year, my contribution to the Easter festivities was a Watermelon “cake”. It’s not really a cake…although it looks like just like one. Its a solid piece of watermelon on the inside, deceptively decorated. I found this recipe on Pinterest a…
30-Minute BBQ Chicken Pizza
Hey there, If you were wondering what to make tonight, here’s a good idea! This recipe caught my attention instantly because I love Southwestern flavors + its quick to prepare + its pizza but more than that, there are so many undeniably good things coming together here! The tangy n’ sweet BBQ sauce, roasted chicken, the red…
Best Pizza Dough Ever!
Hello there Vanilla-beaners, If you’re here, reading this, you are a Vanilla-beaner, like it or not. I have made my own pizza dough countless times in the past with sadly, just “ok” results. “Not worth the effort”, I used to say and often opted to buy from the bakery which was fine, until now. Since…
Party Snacks!! Hot Chocolate Almonds & Spicy Baked Chickpeas (Easy)
Throw-back! Originally posted on Saturday, March 5th 2011 on vanillabeanonline.blogspot.com Party Snacks!! Hot Chocolate Almonds & Spicy Baked Chickpeas Good morning all! I wanted to share two new exciting recipes that can be put together in no-time! I’m pairing them because they are very similar prep-wise and both would be great for your next…
Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies
Photo taken from Justataste.com Hello world, I am always trying to improve my blog so in my down-time, I scour the internet for blogging tips and ideas. I’ll admit that I check out other food blogs. You know, to see what’s out there in the “blogger-verse”. There are so many great ones, lots of talented…
“Valen-tiny” Chocolate-dipped Espresso-Shortbread Cookies
Inspired by the holiday dedicated to love, love, love. Nothing says Valentine’s Day like hearts and chocolate. So, I made these cookies over the weekend for a party I was going to. These were, I thought, perfectly Valen-tiny. These are quite small but packed with a deliciously satisfying chocolatey-coffee flavor – highly addictive! I find that adding coffee in one form…
Think Sicily-Mini-Brioche Buns stuffed with homemade Espresso Ice Cream
Hey there! Welcome to 2014!!! Wishing you all the best, health, love, prosperity and delicious food – always. This recipe is so easy to make, but nobody will believe it. I served these babies on New Year’s day and my family loved them! I was inspired by a very popular treat native to Sicily,…
Monkey Bread – Easy entertaining
Instead of passing the breadbasket for Christmas dinner, serve this fun pull-apart loaf! I fell in love with this idea after seeing it in the November 2013 issue of Food Network magazine. I had never heard of Monkey-bread before but it was love at first sight. I loved the idea of this pretty, multi-coloured and…
Apple Pie Pops
Holiday pot luck, cocktail party, kids’ party, Christmas Eve, Christmas day, bridal shower coming-out party and even a pitty-party…any party is an excuse to make these. People love things that are mini and do you know what they love even more? Mini desserts on sticks. People get giddy, its hillarious. Not only are these pies…
St-Jean Baptiste – Cocktail-sized Jamaican Patties
Last week was “la fête nationale du Québec” – St-Jean-Baptise Day (Quebec’s national holiday), celebrated on June 24th. It’s the day when all Quebec-ers, especially those of French Canadian origin, let their hair down and party!! You can read about its origins here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Holiday_(Quebec) My husband is French Canadian so we celebrated at our home with…
