I love overnight oats. It’s a quick meal that you can throw together the day before and have something delicious and hearty to wake up to in the morning with no work. This recipe uses peanut butter, which gives it an extra dose of protein to help keep you full until lunchtime. Feel free to use whatever kind of nut butter you like.

Here’s what you’ll need: 

• 1 Tablespoon peanut butter (or other nut butter)
• 1 ½ teaspoons honey (or sweetener of choice)
• ⅛ teaspoon salt (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla (also optional)
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 Tablespoons quick oats
• 3 Tablespoons old fashioned oats or other rolled cereal
• ⅓ - ⅔ cups milk (any kind of milk will work) 

You might have noticed there seems to be a theme to this recipe. Basically, it’s really flexible. I’m going to show you what I used, but feel free to adjust it to your liking. First up, put the peanut butter, cinnamon, salt, and honey into a container with a lid. As I said before, feel free to use any kind of nut butter you like. I used crunchy peanut butter to add a little bit of well… crunch. You can also use agave or stevia for the sweetener, if you prefer it. I just love peanut butter and honey together, though.

Last goes the vanilla. I’ve said it’s optional, but I highly recommend it.

Stir that all together. I always use natural peanut butter which is much runnier than conventional. If you’re using one that’s thicker, you might need to microwave it for a few seconds to make it easier to stir everything together.

For the cereal, I like to use a combination of quick oats and this 5 grain rolled hot cereal. For me, it creates the perfect texture.

Whatever kind of rolled cereal you choose to use, add a total of 6 Tablespoons of it.

Stir until it’s nicely coated with the peanut butter mixture.  

Next up is the milk. I’m lactose intolerant, so my favorites are either Organic Valley, lactose free skim milk, or rice milk. If you like one of the other countless milks, any of them will work just fine. As for the amount, if you like your cereal drier go with the lesser amount and if you like it wetter, go with more. I like mine on the wet side so I added a little over ½ cup. Whatever you choose, pour it over the cereal mixture.

Stir that together.

To give you a frame of reference, I had about ½ inch of milk over the top of the oats. Put the lid on and place the container in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, it will still be in layers a bit. Don’t panic.

Just give it a quick stir, and it will be fabulous! Seriously, you’ll be surprised how delicious something that simple can be. And if you don’t typically like hot cereal or oatmeal, you should give this a try. It’s a whole different experience.

What’s your favorite weekday breakfast?

You know how Mexican restaurants always serve chips and salsa while you’re waiting for your food to come out? Well, awhile back, I went to a place that served a delicious green dip along with the salsa. It was tangy and creamy and I loved it. I swore I was going to figure out how to make my own. Well, I have finally gotten around to it.

Here’s what you’ll need: 

• 1 medium avocado
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup green taco sauce
• 1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Handful of cilantro leaves 

This recipe is so quick and simple, you are going to love it. First up, the avocado. Cut it in half around the pit. Then to remove that, tap it firmly with your knife to embed the edge of the blade.

Then just twist gently and it should come right out.

The pit is super slippery, so to get it off of the knife, wrap it in a paper towel and it should pull off pretty easily.

It isn’t strictly necessary, but I like to cut the avocado into little cubes before it goes into the blender so you don’t end up with a big chunk of it hiding under the blade. Using your knife, carefully slice it right inside its shell.

Scoop or squeeze the cubes into your blender.

Next up, the lime juice. Mine was really juicy, so I actually only ended up just using half. You’re shooting for about 1 Tablespoon of juice.

After that, add the salt.

I like La Victoria’s green taco sauce. I’m sure any kind of green salsa will work just fine if you’d prefer.

My sour cream was a bit of a heaping measure. As I’m sure you’ve guessed, this is not rocket science.

Last is the cilantro. I know there are some serious cilantro haters out there, so if you’re one of them, go ahead and leave it out. Personally, I love the stuff. It’s strong though, so a little goes a long way. Shoot for something like this.

Throw that into the blender.

Now, just add 2 Tablespoons of water, and that’s it!

Start the blender at a low speed and slowly increase it.

In probably 30 seconds, you’ll have a dip that is amazingly delicious!

And the cool thing is, unlike guacamole, which turns brown in almost not time, this dip stays a nice, bright green for days in the fridge. It’s fantastic!

What is your favorite thing to do with avocados?

Well, I bought another pineapple, and as promised, I’m going to show you how to prep it. I’ll be honest, I used to be pretty intimidated by whole pineapples. So much so, that I refused to buy pineapple that wasn’t already processed for me. I know they make tools that are supposed to make it “super simple”, but I just don’t have room for something like that. A few months back, I had some incredible pineapple on a buffet. Then, I came across some pineapples at the store that smelled amazing, so I just decided it was time to get over my fear and dive it. Turns out, it couldn’t be easier!

To pick a good pineapple, try to find one that has a fair bit of yellow on it, but even more importantly, smell the bottom of it. If it’s ripe, it will have a wonderful pineapple aroma. Lay your pineapple on its side and cut off the top.

Turn it around and cut off the bottom.

Now you have a flat surface for it to stand on.

You should be able to see a line of eyes around the edge. Place your knife behind one of those and slice all the way down.

If there are still eyes or seeds, make another thin cut in the exact same place until it looks like this.

Now place the knife behind the next row of eyes and slice all the way down again.

Repeat until you’ve gone all the way around the pineapple.

Now, cut vertically, straight through the middle of the core.

Two perfect halves.

Now take each piece and cut it in half.

Nothing too difficult yet, huh?

Place your knife just above the core and cut at a 45° angle to the board.

Don’t throw the core away though. Pineapple Sweet Tea is to die for!

I like to just cut each quarter in half lengthwise and then slice pieces that are something like ½ inch thick.

I have discovered that fresh pineapple is fabulous with vanilla yogurt. Seriously, if you haven’t tried it, do. The yogurt really mellows the acidity and the whole things just becomes sweet, fruity, creamy deliciousness. For yogurt, I prefer smaller pieces, so I cut each piece into the quarters and then slice.

So there you have it. It literally takes about 5 minutes and you have pineapple for snacking, for yogurt, and a core for making pineapple water, or even better, Pineapple Sweet Tea. As a bonus, I’ve been finding pineapples consistently for around $3, which makes it way cheaper than the already processed stuff.

What kind of produce are you intimidated by?

I’m pretending like it’s summer! It’s still pretty cold and rainy here in Salt Lake, but I’m moving onto warmer weather, with or without Mother Nature. The truth is, Whole Foods had pineapples on sale the other day so I bought one. I’ve used the cores to make pineapple water in the past, but somehow, this time, I had the brilliant idea to try putting it in sweet tea. It did not disappoint!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• The core of a fresh pineapple 
• 3 quart size tea bags (sometimes called family size)
• 3 cups water
• 3 cups ice
• ⅓ cup sugar

This recipe ended up being all 3s which makes it really easy to remember. First, bring your water just to a boil. I just do it in the microwave, but you could do it in a kettle or on the stovetop. Add your teabags and allow them to steep for 3 minutes. (see what I mean about the 3s?)

While that’s doing its thing, put 3 cups of ice in a pitcher. After 3 minutes, the tea should be nice and dark. I should probably say, I like my tea quite strong. Not bitter, (that’s actually caused by steeping too long) just lots of tea flavor. If you like yours a bit less strong, go ahead and just use 2 teabags.

To squeeze the water out of the teabags, I like to just place them on a spoon and then wrap the string around and squeeze. I usually do this twice on each one.

Now, go ahead and pour in the sugar.

Stir until it’s completely dissolved, then pour that hot tea over the waiting ice.

Stir briskly until all of the ice has melted.

Now for the pineapple. I like to use pineapple cores for stuff like this. That way they get some use before going in the trash. I’m sure fresh pineapple or even frozen would work just fine if you don’t want to process a whole pineapple. Although, it’s actually quite simple to do. I’ll show how to do it the next time I buy one.

Whatever you decide to use, go ahead and just drop it into the tea. Into the fridge for 24 hours. Yeah, unfortunately this is not an immediate gratification kind of recipe, but you’ll be so happy it’s there tomorrow anyway.

Remove the pineapple and now it can go in the trash.

Pour the finished tea over a nice tall glass of ice.

My usual go to for sweet tea is fresh squeezed lime, but I gotta be honest, I may never go back. This pineapple version is nothing short of amazing!

In the winter, I like my tea hot and black with vanilla sugar, and sometimes cinnamon and milk, but in the summer, it’s cold, fruity and sweet. How do you like your tea?

Print this Recipe

Growing up we had bars similar to these but they were made with Rice Krispies and they were called Scotcheroos. Well, a local bakery sells Special K bars, which, as the name implies, are made with Special K Cereal. Apparently, in some parts of the country, that’s how they’re always made. Who knew? Both varieties are basically a chewy, crispy, peanut butter bar, topped with chocolate, butterscotch topping. For me, that’s where they have always come up a bit short. Butterscotch chips have a very strong, artificial flavor and smell about them. So much so, that Hubby hates it when I buy one from the bakery because my whole kitchen will smell like them. Well, I have discovered a delicious alternative, and as usual, the homemade version beats out any I’ve had before.

Here’s what you’ll need: 

• 6 cups Special K Cereal
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ½ cups milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup Ghirardelli Caramel chips 

I realize the ingredient “syrup” sounds a bit vague. The thing is, I don’t use corn syrup. Ordinarily, I use brown rice syrup, but when I was at Target picking up ingredients, they didn’t have that, but did have Sugar in the Raw Cane Syrup. I’ve never seen that before, so I thought I’d give it a try. It worked wonderfully and tastes way better than corn syrup. That being said, if the only thing you can find is corn syrup, it will work.

First up, measure your cereal into a really big bowl and set it aside. (keep in mind, you’ll need plenty of room for stirring)

Next, put the sugar, syrup, and butter into a pan over medium low heat.

Here’s the secret to bars that are deliciously soft and chewy... don’t overcook the syrup. When I was researching recipes, the most common question I came across was, “Why are my bars always hard?” I’ve seen some recipes that say to boil the mixture for 3-5 minutes… nope. That’s just asking for bars you’ll break your teeth on. Basically, you want the sugar to be dissolved, and it’s ok if it just barely starts to bubble. If you're having trouble getting all of the sugar to dissolve without it boiling, add 1-2 tablespoons of water. That way you can cook it longer and/or bring it to a boil without overcooking it. 

Turn off the heat and add the peanut butter. Mine was a new bottle that hadn’t yet been refrigerated so it was of pouring consistency, which made for easy measuring, but not a very pretty picture.

Add the vanilla and stir until everything is incorporated.

Pour that over your waiting cereal.

Stir to coat all of the cereal. Keeping it all in the bowl, rather than all over the bar and floor, will be the hardest part. Just be patient and eventually it will all cooperate.

Glop it into a parchment lined 9x13 pan. Yes, glop is the appropriate term for that.

Press it into the pan, slowly working it toward the edges. If it’s cool enough, you can use your hands. Otherwise, a spatula will work fine, it will just take a little longer.

Now, onto the topping. Remember how I said I don’t care for butterscotch chips? Well, it turns out, Ghirardelli has started making caramel flavored chips, and they are delicious!

Place 1 cup of those and 1 ½ cups of milk chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl.

Nuke 30 seconds, stir, 30 seconds, stir, 30 seconds, stir… until it’s all melted and smooth.

Pour that over the bars. (Is it just me, or is there something seriously delectable about flowing chocolate?)

Spread that over the top, getting all the way to the corners. Then, another hard part, walk away and leave it to cool and set up. It will probably need a good 3 hours. You can speed it up by putting it in the fridge, but they’re better served at room temperature.

When they’re ready, go ahead and cut them into whatever size bars you want. I recommend small because I guarantee you’ll be coming back for a second, regardless of the size. As you can see, cutting is not my strong suit. Having two different sizes was done purposely because I needed some big ones for pictures, but not having one straight line in the bunch, well, that’s just how my brain works. I guess I’ll have to blame it on cooking while intoxicated again.

Regardless, they taste amazing! They are perfectly chewy, peanut buttery, and sweet, with a subtle underlying caramel flavor. And best of all, no artificial, butterscotch weirdness.

What’s your favorite childhood treat?

Print this Recipe

Recently, Costco started selling this amazing stuff they call Dark Chocolate Raspberry Chia Thins. Basically, it’s thin pieces of dark chocolate freeze dried raspberries and chia seeds. It is incredibly delicious.

The only problem is the chia seeds. You see, when chia seeds spend a little time in a wet environment, like your mouth, they become slimy. So although they add a delightful crunch while you’re eating the treat, an hour later, you’re picking little bits of snot out of your teeth.

This has a way of ruining the whole experience. I had been thinking about making my own with just the raspberries, but I really do like the crunch. I had thought about using chopped almonds, but that’s a different kind of crunch. Then, one morning I was sharing a poppy seed muffin with my mom and I finally had the answer. Poppy seeds could provide the crunchy texture without the subsequent slime problem.

Here’s what you’ll need: 

• Dark Chocolate (just over a pound)
• 1.2 ounces freeze dried raspberries
• 1 – 2 teaspoons poppy seeds 

For the chocolate, I absolutely love Trader Joe’s pound plus bars. I used the whole thing minus about 2 Tablespoons of shaved chocolate that wasn’t needed during tempering. And speaking of, the first thing you need to do is temper your chocolate. I have a whole post about how to do that here. Once you’ve done that, you should have something that looks like this.

I only used 1 teaspoon of poppy seeds, but if you want more crunch, it can certainly support 2.

Stir those in, and then it’s time for the raspberries. Once again, Trader Joes was where I got mine. They are a really good source for stuff like that.

Crush any of the whole berries inside the bag and remove the moisture thingy.

Then pour the raspberries into the chocolate.

Stir until everything is completely coated and evenly distributed.

Pour it only a parchment lined sheet pan (13x18 ish), scraping out every last drop, because trust me, you are not going to waste any of this.

Spread it until it’s about ¼ inch thick. It will probably just about fill the pan.

Now, as long as your house is not too warm, just walk away. If you’ve successfully tempered your chocolate, it will soon set and turn back into the consistency it was when you bought it.

Give it a few hours to let all those cocoa butter crystals finish doing their thing, and then just break it apart. I got my hands nice and cold under the tap and then dried them thoroughly and snapped the chocolate into small pieces.

I just love the bright pops of red! Isn't it beautiful? Prepare to be blown away by how incredibly delicious it is, as well! Costco’s got nothin’ on me!

It’s possible I’ve started something dangerously addictive. I’ve thought of all sorts of things you could do this with. I might try a white chocolate and mixed berry one next. You could use any variety of chocoate, add chopped coconut chips, any kind of nut… I’m afraid the possibilities are endless! What kinds of things do you think would be yummy?

Toffee Popcorn

This is the probably the recipe I have made more of than anything else. It is also the one people rave about and beg for. This year I made countless batches and gave it as gifts for the holidays. It is fantastic for that!

Braised Pork and Creamy Polenta

This is my go to dish when I’m shooting to impress guests. It’s a super easy, long cooking meal, and yet it’s incredibly delicious! As a bonus, you can almost guarantee it’s something they haven’t had before.

Chocolate Fudge Oatmeal Cake

When I want a fabulous, rich, chocolate cake, this is what I make. I have yet to find a chocolate cake, including at my favorite bakeries, that is even in the same realm as this cake. Its simplicity belies its amazing, rich chocolate flavor and perfect crumb and texture, all topped off with a fudgy frosting that is to die for!

Lasagna Rolls

I’m not sure what it is about making individual rolls of lasagna rather than just laying it out flat in a pan, but it completely changes it… for the better! It’s less sloppy and holds together so much better. It definitely takes a bit more time, but it’s totally worth it. This is another great dish to make if you’re having company. I mean, who doesn’t love lasagna?

Dinner Rolls

It sounds like such a boring and basic thing, but the truth is, there’s not much better than really good, homemade rolls. They can even make a regular ol’ sandwich amazing! If you’ve never made them, definitely give them a try. In fact, give them several tries. Bread is one of those things that you just get better and better at with practice. At this point, I know exactly what the dough should feel like for perfect rolls.

Zucchini Bread with a Twist

This is one of those recipes that just sort of came together by accident. I love zucchini bread, but I wanted something different. Well, this time, I hit a homerun! Everyone who tastes this recipe is stunned by how good it is. Somehow, the tang of the lime glaze and cranberries, along with the sweetness of the white chocolate and the crunchy nuttiness of the pecans, come together to form an incredible whirlwind for your taste buds.

Sloppy Joses

These aren’t your run of the mill sloppy joes. Salsa gives them a wonderful Mexican flare! I would gladly eat these any night of the week, and often do.

Because I had such a hard time narrowing it down to just 7, here are a few of the runners up.

Basic Buttercream

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Broccoli Soup

Cinnamon Pecans

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

What are your favorite go to recipes you find yourself going back to over and over again?

Sadly, he passed away on November 1^st last year. This isn’t a sad post, though. Our hearts have had time to do a bit of healing, and we recently added a new beagle to our family. Meet Abba!

We adopted her from the Humane Society on March 29^th. She’s about 7 years old, and the cutest, sweetest, most loving dog you could ever meet. She has had some adventures. We took her up to Idaho for the solar eclipse.

And once or twice a week she goes to daycare where she hangs out with lots of other dogs.

Or sometimes, just with her buddy and twin.

When she gets up in the mornings, there’s nothing she likes more than sitting in the sun, looking out my office window.

Although, more often than not, it turns into sleeping in the window.

You see, sleeping is actually her favorite pastime.

So much so, that I hardly have any pictures of her awake, and the ones I do have, well…

Anyway, I thought it was time to introduce my girlie. I’m sure she’ll be making the occasional appearance in future posts.

I’ve often roasted nuts to put in salads, hot cereal, or whatever I’m baking, but for some reason I’ve never roasted my own nuts for snacking. Well, I have been missing out. If you aren’t roasting your own nuts, you need to start. The difference in the flavor from the ones you buy is simply incredible. Freshly toasted pecans is now one of my favorite snacks.

Here’s what you’ll need: 

• Raw Pecans 

Yep, that’s it. My favorites are the ones from Costco. Although, my maid has said she’s going to bring me some from her family’s pecan farm. I can’t wait to try those!

Preheat your oven to 350°. Then just spread the pecans on a sheet pan in a single layer.

Into the oven for 8 minutes. Yes, I said 8 minutes. Trust me on this one. Pull them out and give them a stir, then spread them back into a single layer.

Back into the oven for another 8 minutes. They won’t look much different when you take them out, but they will smell divine. In fact, your whole kitchen will probably be filled with the aroma of your nuts.

Now, allow them to cool completely… of course some of them will find their way into your mouth during that time. Pour the ones that are left into an airtight container. I always have a mason jar of them sitting on my kitchen counter now. You just never know when you might get a craving to munch on some nuts. 

A couple of quick notes:

You can really do this with any variety of nut. Pistachios are another favorite of mine. You may need to adjust the cook time a little, but just use your nose as a guide. 

I like them just the way they are, but if you really like salty nuts, just sprinkle a little over the top right before you stir them. 

Store the raw nuts in your freezer and roast them in fairly small batches. That way, your nuts will always be fresh!

That’s right, Authors Kitchen is 6 years old today! And no, that’s not a picture of a cake. I know cakes are traditional fare for birthdays, but you know how I feel about traditions. Besides, my own birthday is on the 12^th, so I’m sure I’ll be making something cake like between now and then. Also, as an added bonus, these pretzel bites are the perfect snack for your Super Bowl party this weekend.

Here’s what you’ll need: 

• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 packet instant yeast (1 scant Tablespoon)
• 1 cup warm water 

 For Later:

• 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup hot water
• Pretzel salt (or other coarse salt)
• Melted butter 

Into a mixing bowl go the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.

Stir those together and then pour in the water. You want the water to be bath water warm.

I like to stir those together with a spoon just until it comes together into a shaggy mess.

Then the stand mixer will take care of the rest. Give it a good 5 minutes with the dough hook. I like to use the third speed setting on my KitchenAid for that. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can always knead by hand. Just dump it onto the counter and go to town for probably 10 minutes, or until your arms give out. Whichever comes first. When it’s ready, the dough should be soft and smooth, but not really sticky anymore.

Butter a medium sized bowl.

Place your dough ball upside down in the bowl and turn it to coat the top side with butter.

Then flip it over and turn it again so that the whole ball has a light coating of butter. This will keep it from drying out while it’s rising.

Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set it aside to do its thing.

While that’s rising, you can make the alkaline mixture. This is the secret ingredient. It’s what makes pretzels chewy on the outside. Measure about ½ cup hot water, then add 1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda. Stir until the baking soda is completely dissolved. If it won’t completely dissolve, just add a little more hot water.

After about thirty minutes or so, the dough has probably risen enough for what we’re making. Go ahead and preheat the oven to 400°

Punch the dough down and pat it out on an unfloured surface. Yes, I know there is flour in my picture, but it wasn’t necessary, and I ended up having to scrape it out of the way for the next step.

Cut the dough into four pieces and roll each one into a rope. My favorite place for these is Wetzel’s Pretzels, so I was trying to copy theirs for size. Mine were probably about an inch in diameter, which was good.  

Cut each rope into segments. Mine were probably about 1 ½ inches. Can you use this same recipe to make whole pretzels? Sure! Just roll the ropes thinner and shape them into a pretzel shape and then continue with the rest just the same.

Dip each segment into the soda water solution and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. I dipped mine into the salt, which made for overly salty pretzels. I recommend sprinkling it over the top, instead. If you want to make sweet ones or if you just don’t like salt, you can also leave them bare at this point. Just make sure they all get a dip in the soda water.

Into the 400° oven for about 10 minutes. When they’re done, they’ll be nicely browned.

Melt a couple tablespoons of butter and brush it over each one. (If you do want to make sweet ones, you would just dip each one in butter and then roll them in a cinnamon and sugar mixture.)

And that’s it! Did you know it was so easy to make your own pretzels? And aren’t they beautiful? You can serve them with whatever you like for dipping. Personally, I like good ol’ French’s yellow mustard.  

What are you going to be eating during the Super Bowl this year? 

Print this recipe