Something Saturdays (4/30/16)

Ahhh things are finally back to normal here-no more food poisoning, lol. Tuesday I got to have lunch with Katie (Michael's youngest brother's girlfriend, whom I adore). Wednesday and Thursday I helped out with Macbeth rehearsals at my old high school again and also spent some time with Michael's mom. Other than that I've just cleaned a little and worked and got stuff done (and-of course-celebrated this blog's 5th birthday!) And I got the ball rolling with a loan/financial advisor for Michael and I--so we can start working on finding a house :)

Also...I can't wait for this movie to come out. I have a feeling it's going to tear my heart out of my chest </3

The Cooking Actress' 5th Blogiversary!

Um...you guys. Today marks this blog's 5TH BIRTHDAY! Can you believe it?? I can't! SO MUCH has happened in these past 5 years and I've learned so incredibly much and met some of the most amazing people (and had some of the most amazing opportunities and experiences)! I cannot thank all of you enough for taking this journey with me--whether you're a brand new reader or one who has been with me from the beginning.

THANK YOU!

And, for such a momentous anniversary, I thought I'd share a list of 5's encompassing these past 5 years. Enjoy!

5 favorite entree recipes

1. Turkey Spinach Provolone Pastry
2. Just Chicken Pot Pie
3. Homemade Cheddar Pierogi {with Caramelized Onions}
4. French Dip Sandwiches
5. Garlic Parmesan Chicken Lasagna

5 favorite cookie recipes 

1. Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
2. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls
3. Exceptional Chocolate Chip Cookies
4. Brown Butter Chocolate Stuffed Toffee Chip Cookies
5. THE Levain Chocolate Chip Cookie Copycat Recipe

5 favorite brownie recipes

1. The Baked Brownie
2. S'mores Brownies
3. Ultimate Fudge Brownies with Toasted Pecans
4. Super Chocolate Oreo Crunch Brownies
5. Ooey Gooey Heavenly Brownies

5 favorite cake recipes

1. Chocolate Decadence
2. Buckeye Cake
3. Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
4. Melting Chocolate Cakes
5. Mini Raspberry Swirl Cheesecakes

5 favorite candies

1. Salted Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
2. {Easy} Salted Praline Pecan Clusters
3. Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Pecan Truffles
4. Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles
5. Dark Chocolate Truffles

5 favorite ice cream recipes

1. Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Ice Cream
2. Peanut Butter Butterfinger Ice Cream {No Cook, Egg-free}
3. Strawberries & Cream Chocolate Chip Ice Cream {Easy, No Cook, Egg-free}
4. Coffee Chocolate Chip Ice Cream {No Cook, Egg-free}
5. No Churn, 2+ Ingredient Ice Cream

5 favorite pie/tart recipes

1. Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
2. Dark Chocolate Dreams Icebox Pie
3. Peanut Butter Cream Pie
4. Salted Caramel Pecan Pie
5. Fresh Strawberry Pie

5 favorite misc. dessert recipes

1. Cream Puffs (from scratch)
2. Cookie Dough S'mores-3 Ways
3. Caramel Corn
4. Deep Dish S'more
5. Chocolate Covered Potato Chips with Salted Caramel Drizzle

5 favorite breakfast recipes

1. Crisp and Fluffy Whole Wheat Waffles 
2. Puff Pastry Chocolate Croissants
3. Skillet Breakfast Potatoes
4. Pecan Sticky Buns
5. Over EASY Eggs

5 favorite appetizer recipes

1. Black Bean Pico de Gallo
2. Cheesy Chicken and Potato Chowder
3. Pan Fried Zucchini
4. Roasted Garlic Brown Butter Hummus
5. Lightened Up Spinach Artichoke Dip

5 favorite side dish/snack recipes

1. Crispy Baked Onion Rings
2. Baked Cheddar and Scallion Mashed Potatoes
3. Roasted Garlic Parmesan Tater Tots
4. Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt Bars {KIND Bars Copy Cat}
5. Homemade Cheddar Cheese Crackers (Cheez-Its)

5 favorite "original" recipes

1. Chocolate Peanut Butter Coconut Nutty Granola
2. Mom's Pot Roast
3. Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Cups
4. Sicilian "Enchiladas"
5. Toasted Ricotta Gnocchi with Parmesan Truffle Cream Sauce

5 recipes I'm most proud of/best basics

1. Neapolitan Pizza Crust
2. Whole Wheat Puff Pastry
3. Homemade Flour Tortillas
4. Perfect All-Butter Pie Crust
5. Multi-Nut Butter

5 favorite bread recipes

1. Easy Whole Wheat Hoagie Rolls
2. Fluffy, Buttery, Rolls (Texas Roadhouse Copy Cat)
3. Cheddar Biscuits
4. Ciabatta Bread with Morel & Leek Jack Cheese
5. Extra Flaky Biscuits

5 favorite "life" posts

1. New York, New York...a look back
2. Wedding Prep, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Portraits, & Wedding Reception
3. Finally!
4. Honeymoon Recap {at Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun in Riviera Maya}
5. What I've Learned About Wedding Planning (So Far)

5 most popular posts

1. Momofuku's Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies
2. The New York Times Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
3. Ritz Cracker Chicken Casserole
4. Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
5. Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

5 biggest life changes

1. Started a food blog (duh).
2. Michael moved to NY for me.
3. Then him and I moved back to Ohio together.
4. Got married.
5. Became a wedding planner!

5 biggest lessons learned

1. Family often comes to mean a lot more as you get older.
2. It's ok to change dreams.
3. Once you have really good food...it's hard to settle for mediocre.
4. Don't put too much pressure on yourself...but also...put some pressure on yourself.
5. Things work out the way they're supposed to--it may not be according to plan, and it might not always be good, but things have a way of working out and sometimes you find yourself loving something you never would have dreamed of (this references both the blog, wedding planning, and Michael :P)

THANK YOU FOR MAKING THESE 5 YEARS AMAZING! 

Oatmeal Almond Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Sometimes I make cookies. And sometimes I gift 95% of those cookies away. This is the fate that befell these cookies--they were like beautiful little ambassadors, endearing me to my mother-in-law and aunt-in-law and Michael's best friends and his coworkers. 

Also, I'm super sorry because I meant to share these cookies with all of you last week buuut then I got sick and didn't do anything so I'm sharing them with you today. They're totally worth the wait though! Swearsies realsies.

Now I will confess-even though oatmeal almond butter cookies SOUND kinda healthyish...I mean..there's still a lot of butter and sugar. So they're not really. BUT they are super chewy and delicious and kind of comforting and, as I've said, the perfect gift-giving cookies. They're tasty even when room temp (and you know I love warm cookies), they're sturdy enough to travel or ship (these will be included in my brother's birthday care package), this recipe makes A BUNCH, and...yeah. Tasty tastiness you guys. Give 'em a go!

Weekly Meal Plan Menu (April 25-May 1, 2016)

Gah! This week has been bonkers! Which means having a plan for this coming week is all the more necessary--and eeee this week's plan involves one of my new faves (THOSE PIEROGIES!) plus a bunch of other goodies from my fellow bloggers! You're gonna love it!

This week’s meal plan was brought you to by:

Foodtastic Mom | The Spiffy Cookie | Big Bear's Wife | The Pajama Chef | Pies and Plots | The Cooking Actress

Something Saturdays (4/23/16)

I had SO MUCH fun working my first wedding last weekend! It was an awesome learning experience and such a pretty day and I can't wait for my next one! 

Monday I had intentions to get a bunch of stuff done but...I ended up getting food poisoning. And then, before I knew that's what it was, I gave Michael the 2nd half of my sandwich aaand then I spent Tues/Wed dealing with his food poisoning.

Ugh. Things are starting to get back to normal around here, though! PLUS I got the shots back from a photo shoot I did a couple weeks ago with Jay Kossman Photography, here are a few:

{Easy} Salted Praline Pecan Clusters

Look...I'm as Yankee as it gets. No one in my family is from the South or ever has been. I've lived in Ohio and NYC. I'm Italian and Irish. I think the Civil War did in fact end 150+ years ago. I don't like sweet tea.

Buuut sometimes I say y'all. And I love comfort food. And I love pralines.

So...Southerners...can you just like let me sometimes be one of you? In the land of pralines, at least?

That said...I'm 99% sure these are not traditional pralines. I've actually had a few pralines and these have very little in common with them. But...like I said...what do I know? And regardless, this recipe is insanely easy and yields DELICIOUS little pecan caramel-y clusters!

And you know what the best part of these "pralines" is? Ok....well...the best part is the taste.

But do you know the SECOND best part?? You make this recipe by just putting some stuff together and throwing it in the microwave! And...that's mostly it. Then you spoon some of the mixture onto a silpat or wax paper or something and sprinkle it with salt and YOU'RE DONE! This is actually a pretty dangerous situation we're all in now. Because we can have these YUMMALICIOUS lovelies so quickly and so easily. It's bonkers.

And seriously....they're so rich. And salty-sweet. And crunchy. It's like...pecans covered in a hardened salted caramel or butterscotch sauce...sorta. They're good, my friends. SO GOOD. That's all you need to know.

Weekly Meal Plan Menu (April 18-24, 2016)

YUM YUM YUM YAY YAY YAY!

We're back and bringing you another week of meals! You're gonna looove digging in to these recipes!

This week’s meal plan was brought you to by:

Pies and Plots | The Cooking Actress | Foodtastic Mom | The Spiffy Cookie | Big Bear's Wife | The Pajama Chef

Something Saturdays (4/16/16)

Sooooo last Sunday was my first day on the job with Perfectly Planned Events and we worked on a super cool styled shoot--here are some of my favorite shots:

http://antlerslacestudiollc.pixieset.com/styledbridalphotoshoot/ 

Photography |  Antler's & Lace Studio
Venue | The Piggery at Anna Dean Farm
Event Planner | Perfectly Planned Weddings and Events
Hair | MJ Hair Style
Makeup | Styled by Jilaine
Bridal Shop/Stylist | Lavender Bridal
Jewelry | Chloe + Isabel
Models | Sarah + Austin, Hannah + Brandon, Teyah + Tony
Florist | Blush Bloom Floral
Rentals | Sully's Tool & Party Rental & Be Seated
Cupcakes | MO' SUGAR CUPCAKES
Catering | Old Carolina Barbecue Company

Monday I had dinner with Michael's dad and Jeanne, Tuesday I had lunch with Jeanne and Michael's aunt Kathy (which was so fun!), Wednesday I went shopping (yay new dresses for all the weddings!) and helped with Macbeth rehearsal at my old high school and then went to Michael's brother's school concert (he's in a music program in college). Other than that it's just been work and such. I'm SUPER excited for today because it's my first actual wedding with Perfectly Planned Events! Wish me luck!

Strawberry Tartlets-Joanne's Virtual Baby Shower!

You guyyyys!! IT'S A BABY SHOWER for Joanne of Eats Well With Others!!! You may remember when I participated in a virtual bridal shower for Joanne over a year ago (and also remember when she shared these ahhhmazing savory waffles with us before that?) so of course I had to be a part of the celebration for Joanne as she prepares to welcome her sweet little baby girl into this world!

Sooooo a bunch of Joanne's bestest bloggy friends are getting together for a spring themed baby shower--because Joanne is ALL about seasonal foods! I could not be more excited for her or about all the delicious spring eats that we're sharing with her and all of you today!

When I think about foods that are seasonal in spring (and...ok...summer) strawberries are always a favorite. Especially for my fella-he love love looooves any excuse to eat strawberries so I knew I needed to incorporate them into what I shared today. And, I don't know if it's too on the nose but...I love mini desserts for baby showers. Because...ya know...babies are mini. So I decided to break out my mini pie pans to make strawberry tartlets! (Admittedly...these are not that mini. But they're smaller than a full sized tart or pie sooo....they're mini? Mmkaaaay?)

For the crust I used a pâte brisée recipe--which is essentially a very firm and buttery tart dough. Michael said it was possibly his favorite part because it is sturdy and buttery and just faintly sweet (there is not sugar in the dough itself but I sprinkled some around the edges of the crust prior to baking). And then for the filling I made a cream cheese whipped cream-which has SUCH a lovely texture and is somehow both light and luscious, and has just a hint of that tangy cream cheese flavor. And then-of course-top the whole thing with beautiful red strawberries. Mmm mmmm mmmm!

Michael is obssessed. So shall you be-a must make for any baby shower, barbecue/family get-together, or just a warm spring afternoon. :)

Joanne, I hope you like these and your shower and I can't wait for you to have your little baby-nugget so I can oooh and ahhh over how cute she is!!

Be sure to check out the rest of the shower menu!

Orange Ginger Spritzer from The Lemon Bowl 

Asparagus and Pea Puff Pastry Tarts from Belly Full

Blood Orange Doughnuts from Cook Like a Champion

Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake Cups from Keep It Sweet Dessert

Meyer Lemon Soufflé from Blahnik Baker

Strawberry Tartlets from The Cooking Actress

New York-Style Rhubarb Crumb Cake from Warm Vanilla Sugar

Berry Fool Tarts from Bake or Break

Lemon Raspberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Baker Chick

Mini Pineapple Upside-Down Cakes from Baker by Nature

Zucchini & Tomato Skillet

I know. I disappear for 2 weeks and then I come back to you with vegetables. Like...who am I even?

Don't worry, I'm still me. I made this for Michael :P

BUT I tried some and actually didn't mind it. And it was a super simple thing to throw together as a healthy side dish for the boy. You're gonna agree-trust me!

Michael was a little wary at first...he said it looks like minestrone soup (of which he is not a fan). I informed him that it was literally just some garlic and chopped tomatoes and zucchini with some seasonings. He gave me a suspicious look and took a bite...

...and he was pleasantly surprised! "This is REALLY good, actually!" he said.

*huff* I can't believe he doubted me.

SO don't you all start doubting me either! This is seriously the simplest (and most adaptable) weeknight skillet idea that works as a side or it could even be an entree if that's your thing (whether you're a vegetarian or if you wanted to mix in some cooked meat with the veggies). You can also of course mix up the vegetables according to your preference but the zucchini and tomatoes really worked out nicely. The zucchini ended up perfectly tender and the tomatoes started to cook down so that they almost became a sauce--which I didn't expect (I suppose I should have but I didn't). Anyway--flavorful, quick, easy, healthy. These are words that describe this one skillet dish that I hope your family likes as much as mine does! :)

Weekly Meal Plan Menu (April 11-17, 2016)

Hello hello my friends! Back at it again with the weekly meal plan! :P This week is ANOTHER super good one, I adore the on pot pasta I shared and just look at the chicken nuggets and pizza and....mmmmm! So much yum!

This week’s meal plan was brought you to by:

Big Bear's Wife | The Pajama Chef | Pies and Plots | The Cooking Actress | Foodtastic Mom | The Spiffy Cookie

Something Saturdays (4/9/16)

This whole week has been cuhraaazy. Michael's mom bought a house! And got it inspected and everything is good so it's all official and stuff! Michael's stepmom also returned home after a 6 week vacation and got surprised by a brand new remodeled kitchen--Michael's dad surprised her with. She was SHOCKED-and she loooved it. Seriously, the kitchen is gorgeous--and she couldn't stop crying. It was so sweet! AND my brother found out where he'll be stationed after training: Hawaii!! Lucky duck lol, guess I'll just need to go visit him :P

That crazy moment when your friend becomes famous for being the 1st plus-sized male model signed to a major agency. (Watch Zach and I acting together in the web series Rock-Star Cafe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl_uf6mbhng)

Weekly Meal Plan Menu (April 4-10, 2016)

Um...it snowed yesterday. One week ago it was 70 degrees. This weather is cuhraaazy.

When life is crazy, we shouldn't need to stress over what we're going to make to eat for this week, so I HIGHLY recommend all the recipes we're sharing this week! Definitely some amazing and delicious options.

This week’s meal plan was brought you to by:

Pies and Plots | The Cooking Actress | Foodtastic Mom | The Spiffy Cookie | Big Bear's Wife | The Pajama Chef

Something Saturdays (4/2/16)

Ugh ugh ugh, you guys I know--I've had no new recipes to share with you. I'm super sorry--it's just been hard for me to keep up with everything lately. I'll probably take this coming week off too so I can have a bit more time to make some more foods for you guys! I'll be back at it soon and I really appreciate you all bearing with me!

How was your Easter? Mine was ok-just spent some time with Michael's family. His brother and sister-in-law also surprised everyone by being in town so that was some excitement. 

This week I just took care of some shopping/errands, did some cleaning, talked some more stuff out/ booked some more weddings with my new wedding planning boss, worked, and I got to see some of my favorite children-things! Michael's best friend, David, had his twin girls + 2 year old daughter for the week so I went over to see them and they're always so fun and cute. I miss them oodles (they live in Dayton now so we don't get to see them as often). Today Michael is going with his mom to look at a house that she actually might put an offer on, so that's exciting! Then, after I'm done working, we're meeting up with my mom for dinner (partly for Easter and partly to celebrate Michael's promotion).

Weekly Meal Plan Menu (March 28-April 3, 2016)

Happy Easter!! I hope you have a super fun day (full of delicious food) and if you need some inspiration for what to make for this coming week then you've come to the right place!

This week’s meal plan was brought you to by:

Big Bear's Wife | The Pajama Chef | Pies and Plots | The Cooking Actress | Foodtastic Mom | The Spiffy Cookie

Something Saturdays (3/26/16)

This week I've just been spending time with the hubby (since he is on spring break and took the week off from work too), helping out with clearing out/packing up his mom's house, and obsessing over potential future homes for us. We also got some great news: Michael got promoted! This job is going to be a lot less stressful for him + pays more! Yippee!

Today we're dyeing Easter eggs with Michael's family and tomorrow we're going to have Easter with Michael's stepmom's family and then later with his mom's family. Are you doing anything fun?

Ultimate Fudge Brownies with Toasted Pecans

This week is a little special for me: Michael's on spring break from school and he also took the week off from work. So I get to have my boy home with me all week!! Which is awesome but also means my productivity is gonna be minimal. It just always is when he's home. We get stuff done but things for him or with him, not so much the stuff I usually do when he's gone. I guess this is my way of saying that um I don't know if I'm going to have recipes for you next week? Maybe? We'll see??

Regardless...if I don't-these brownies will MORE than make up for it! They are PHENOMENAL.

Warning: these brownies are not for the faint of heart. They are very rich. The recipe uses 4 sticks of butter and 6 eggs--that equals a lot of decadence (also this recipe makes A LOT of brownies. So take that into account). I highly suggest freezing some brownies for later. And sharing with everyone so that they are in awe of you and your baking prowess.

Texture: super fudgy and decadent and perfection--with some melty chocolate chips and crunchy toasted pecans thrown in (and normally I'm not a fan of nuts mucking around in my brownies but OMG go with me on this these are an exception and you shouldn't omit them because they're awesome!)
Flavor: A LOT of browned butter means a lot of browned butter flavor, plus a lot of delish dark chocolate, toasted pecans add to the entire thing and then some sea salt on top brings everything together. Serious indulgence here, my friends. Serious brownie perfection. They even have the sought after crackly tops!

These shall go down as one of my favorite brownie recipes-EVER. You will be blown away, forreals.

Thick Italian Hot Chocolate

First of all--I'm aware it's March and spring is technically here (although, it is March-you never know. It snowed yesterday.) and I'm sharing a hot chocolate recipe with you. BUT I just want you to know that if you serve this room temperature or chilled in a small bowl or ramekin, it's essentially like a chocolate pudding or mousse or pot de creme. So it's a very versatile dessert that can be sipped warm or eaten chilled with a spoon! It's the perfect March dessert, really, you're prepared for whatever the weather decides to do!

Also...Easter is coming up. And I think if you served this "hot chocolate" chilled in pretty glasses or ramekins they'd be a pretty impressive holiday dessert. Just sayin'.

Now that we're done discussing the fact that this hot chocolate doesn't have to be hot chocolate....let's talk about it as hot chocolate. I tend to love most Italian style things--I love traditional Italian style pizzas (Neapolitan specifically), gelato, and pretty much all things I've been exposed to. So it shouldn't be a surprise that I'm 1000% on board with their way of doing hot chocolate--which is thick chocolatey indulgence style. Seriously...border-line pudding. Which I adore.

Is it the same as the Max Brenner's Italian Thick Hot Chocolate I so miss? 

No. It is actually thicker. 

Is this my favorite hot chocolate I've ever made? 

YES!

It's rich, and decadent, and thick, and pretty much insanely chocolety and perfect in every way.

In my ever so humble opinion.

Weekly Meal Plan Menu (March 21-27, 2016)

 Ummmm how is it almost Easter??? INSANITY! If you're anything like me then you always have some trouble figuring out what to make prior to the holidays. Sooo this meal plan will REALLY help out with that! Enjoy my lovelies xoxo

This week’s meal plan was brought you to by:

Foodtastic Mom | The Spiffy Cookie | Big Bear's Wife | The Pajama Chef | Pies and Plots | The Cooking Actress

Something Saturdays (3/19/16)

at Salt and Smoke with my bestie

I'm back! I had the most wonderful time in St. Louis with my best friend, Alex, and her boyfriend-Mike. I arrived Saturday and we had a delicious dinner at Pastaria (hiiighly recommend the fried risotto balls and the Canestri Cacio E Pepe). Sunday, we checked out the Delmar Loop and had my favorite meal of the trip at Salt and Smoke. Everything we had was so so delicious (I got a super amazing brisket sandwich) and we were full all day. We had some time to kill at that point so we checked out the Missouri History Museum and saw the loop, and then we went to see Beauty and the Beast (stage musical) at The Fabulous Fox Theatre (loved it!) Monday, Alex and I visited the Cahokia Mounds, St. Louis Science Center (and we discovered it's more for children), and then we grabbed lunch at The Schlafly Tap Room (the best part were the fries and truffle aioli! They also have a bunch of their own beers available, which is cool.) Then we checked out historic St. Charles, including the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center (Lewis & Clark left from St. Charles so it was like a little museum about their expedition). St. Charles had a bunch of adorable shops and things but Alex and I especially liked Kilwins (I loooved their almond toffee) and di Olivas (an olive oil and balsamic tasting emporium--Alex ended up buying a bottle each of their Tuscan Herb olive oil, Margarita Balsamic, and Strawberry Fields Balsamic). We went back to Alex's place for a little bit to see Mike off (he had to fly to Cleveland for work) and then after a little relaxation we went to PW Pizza for dinner. We split a pizza-one half was the "Wolf" for Alex and the other half was Margherita for me. It was my kind of pizza-so so good! Tuesday (my last day), we started out day with Vincent Van Doughnut--and I can say the Chocolate Salted Caramel Doughnut is def. the best, and they were absolutely some of the best doughnuts I've had. Then we spent most of the gorgeous day at the St. Louis Zoo (so fun!) and had lunch at a nearby Irish pub called Seamus McDaniel's. And the rest of the day I just binge-watched The Jinx with Alex and enjoyed my remaining time with my best friend. <3