Something Saturdays (12/31/16)

Well well well...it is New Year's Eve. Can you believe it??! What are you doing tonight?

But let's go back to the last holiday-how was your Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa? Ours was ok, honestly we've had better holidays. BUT we enjoyed our time with each other, which is important. Then Michael had Monday off so we spent a much needed day of rest AND THEN went and shopped an after-Christmas sale and bought a new pre-lit beautiful Christmas tree. I love it and I love thinking of our future kids running down the stairs to see that tree. We then celebrated our tree purchase with burgers at Menches Brothers (they claim to have invented to the hamburger). Wednesday I had a new separate stand-up freezer delivered (which was much needed!) and then I spent some time with my cousins Emily and Audrey (and their brother Ryne) and their mom and dad Chris and Rob. Emily lives in NY, Audrey is doing the traveling nurse thing, so it was so fun to spend some time with them while they're in town. We're actually going over there for their New Year's Eve party tonight. Thursday my brother and his girlfriend got into town (they're in the airforce and stationed in Hawaii and they just spent the last week in Nebraska with her family so now they're here for just shy of a week!) I'm SO happy they're here! Yesterday my mom held an open house party for anyone who wanted to see them to come over and hang so after I was done with work Michael and I went over there too-it was cuhrrrrazy and fun. Today I'm working, then we have about 3 parties to hit (which is so weird-I'm used to doing nothing on NYE). Tomorrow we're celebrating a belated Christmas with my mom, Josh (brother), and Jillian (brother's gf). It should be fun fun fun!

My Favorite 16 Recipes of 2016

My Favorite 16 Recipes of 2016

2016 is drawing to a close (and I think we can all agree that it is FINALLY almost over) and 2017 approaches. Which means it's time for me to share my favorite recipes of this past year. But first, if you're interested, here are my round ups from previous years:

• Top 11 of 2011
• Top Recipes of 2012
• Top 13 Recipes of 2013
• Top 14 Recipes of 2014
• My Favorite 15 Recipes of 2015

Now without further ado, in no particular order...

Something Saturdays (12/24/16)

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE! (For all who celebrates Christmas, and Happy Holidays to everyone!)

What are ya doing? What are your traditions? I always love hearing about different people's holiday traditions!

Last weekend we started the festivities-Saturday was with Michael's mom and siblings (it was ok, his youngest brother and sister had to leave after like an hour to go to their dad's. Presents were fun though! We got some awesome stuff and I think everyone liked what we gave them!). Sunday we had Christmas with Michael's dad's extended family, we didn't get to stay nearly long enough but it was fun! Then we went to my mom's extended family's Christmas and that was fun too :) Yesterday was Michael's sister's birthday, so we hung out with her and his mom a bit. Today we're going to lunch with my dad's family (unfortunately we're going to this random, okayish, restaurant that they're all obsessed with. This is extra sad because my grandma's cooking is the best part of any holiday with that family and we don't get any this year *sigh*, darnit.) and then we're going to Michael's dad's tonight to hang with them and his stepmom's fam. Tomorrow we're going to try to relax and enjoy the morning, I plan on making a big breakfast (I'm thinking waffles, bacon, skillet potatoes...maybe eggs too?) Then we'll go over to Michael's stepmom's family and then to his mom's side of the family later on. My brother and his girlfriend are in Nebraska with her family this week but next week they'll be here and we're gonna celebrate with them and my mom then :D

SO MUCH CHRISTMAS!

Happy Holidays 2016

Happy Holidays my loves! I hope it is full of love, food, family, friends, and just happiness <3

Glazed Lemon Blueberry Scones

When we made our move, Michael's mom brought some lemon blueberry scones to snack on. Nobody ate them sooo we had leftovers and Michael had them for breakfast on weekday mornings. After they were gone, he requested I make him a homemade version. And it had been SO LONG since I'd last made scones-so of course I agreed!

One thing that was a must was that these scones MUST not be super dry. Michael likes a moist (ew I knew everyone hates that word) scone. And this recipe definitely fit that bill! They have a beautiful crumble but aren't all dry and...well...crumbly. The glaze also helps add extra insurance against over-dryness.

So yeah...pretty petty scones with a zesty sweet lemon glaze. The perfect thing to serve for brunch or breakfast or to gift to people you like! Or love...like your hubby. As was my situation...and it was less of a gift and more of a fulfilled request...but...you get the idea.

And guys...IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS. And I hear that Santa thinks these scones hit the spot after a night of delivering presents. So...yeah. Maybe be cool like Santa and eat scones Christmas morning.

Something Saturdays (12/17/16)

ONE WEEK TO CHRISTMAS! AHHHHH!

Rewinding, though--last weekend Michael and I bought a snow shovel (thank goodness, since it then snowed immediately after) and then had dinner at one of our fave restaurants Burntwood Tavern (they just opened a location in Canton, where we live now, which is perfect since we loved the one in Cuyahoga Falls so much!) and it was deeeelicious! Sunday we also had dinner with Michael's co-worker, her partner, and their sweet little one year old foster daughter. It was super duper fun :) Then Michael had his final classes of the semester and we celebrated by doing nothing and me making him homemade ramen (I may share it on the blog next time I make it :P) Other than that I just worked and cleaned, blah blah.

Last night we kicked off the season by watching Muppet Family Christmas (our fave) by the fire and drinking hot chocolate. It was pretty lovely.

We're actually starting Christmas early this weekend: today we're celebrating with Michael's mom and siblings (his brother and sister-in-law currently live in North Carolina and are in town). Tomorrow we have Christmas with Michael's dad's extended family and then my mom's extended family. BUSY BUSY BUSY!

And finally, I will leave you with these pictures of Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively and their daughters because I'm obsessed with their adorable little family <3 

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

I made chicken noodle soup! And it wasn't so bland that it was borderline inedible! IT'S A MIRACLE!

...er...I know...you're probably all, "Kayle whaaaat are you talking about??" Well...I had a few unfortunate attempts at chicken noodle soup, a few years back, and they sort of scarred me for life and terrified me from making soup. Then I made some ridiculously yummy soups. So then it was just the basic CNS (chicken noodle soup, get on my level) that I was afraid of. Buuut...then I saw a recipe for homemade CNS in the slow cooker and I was like, "OK. It's time. Let's break this curse."

I'm going to warn you all RIGHT NOW-this recipe makes like...a lot of soup. Much more than just Michael and I can really handle, BUUUUT you can freeze it. Like...so I poured it in a freezer bag (made sure it was upright and not going to leak) and let it cool COMPLETELY. Then I sealed it and flattened it and put it in the freezer. I now have a nice, flat, bag of CNS just waiting for when I need it. Which I sort of love. You never know when a random cold is going to hit! Or just a craving for some soup. And sometimes you're too busy (or, God forbid, sick) to make something and having that extra stash of soup in the freezer makes me feel safe.

This week we got our first substantial bit of snow. And it happened literally the day after we finally bought a snow shovel. You see....we've been meaning to buy one for a while. But Michael was being super picky about it and didn't like any of the ones we'd seen. However...time passed....winter came...and I started to get nervous that we'd be stuck with a bunch of snow and no way to shovel it out of our new driveway. So we finally agreed to just go and buy one. And so we did. And then we woke up the next morning aaaand snow. So our new little shovel got christened quickly.

And you know what's fun to do? Sit in your new kitchen, looking out at the snow, but knowing you're snug and warm inside, and eating from an even warmer bowl of comforting and classic chicken noodle soup.*

*With lots of crackers. Because that's who I am, as a person. I eat soup with lots of crackers. (Not as many as my brother, who usually just consumes moist crackers since there are so many that they've fully sucked up the soup...that's a bit too far for me.)

Holiday Gift Guides Round Up

Hihihiiii.

It's the holiday season. And one of my fave parts of the holidays is giving gifts. I just LOVE it. And, over the years, I've shared a few different gift guides around about this time. SO...I figured...I'm going to share them all in one place with you...sound good? GREAT! :)

Homemade Holiday Gift Ideas (Part 1)

Homemade Holiday Gift Ideas (Part 2)

OXO Holiday Gift Guide for the Cook/Baker

My Favorite Cookies {for the Holidays!}

And now, go, enjoy yourselves! HAPPY HOLIDAYS :)

Weekly Meal Plan Menu (Week 42)-CHRISTMAS EDITION

CHRISTMAS IS COMING! CHRISTMAS IS COMING! And...we still need to eat. So we have you totally covered for the holidays!

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

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

Something Saturdays (12/10/16)

GUYS-Christmas is only 2 weeks away-whaaat?! That's crazy. Luckily, my Christmas shopping is all done. So that's taken care of! How are you coming along?

If you were curious, our housewarming party last week went really well! It was primarily family and it was so fun to have so many people we love in one place (although, admittedly, it gave me a bit of anxiety to try to divide my attention between all the various groups of people). Everyone seemed to really like our new home and there was a CRAZY amount of food, and a lot of people gave us super sweet gifts and cards, which was so unnecessary but so nice!

I then sort of relaxed for a good portion of the week, because prepping for that party last week wore me out. I also might have bought a new upright freezer (My freezer that is a part of my fridge is stuffed full ALWAYS so I definitely need it) and a new faucet (my current one DOESN'T HAVE A SPRAYER--and is pretty dated). So that was sort of exciting, lol.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies {Levain Copycat}

I've spent a lot of time singing the praises of Levain Bakery back in NYC. They pretty much the most fantabulous, GIANT, cookies ever. They're sturdy on the outside and somewhat underbaked and gooey in the centers. They're pretty much a phenomenon and I miss them like crazy. They have 4 different kinds of cookies- chocolate chip walnut, dark chocolate chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and dark chocolate peanut butter chip. I've tried all of them except the oatmeal raisin (because...I mean...it seems like the real wrong choice of the 4 if you ask me). My favorite is the chocolate chip walnut--which I've already posted a copycat for. And today I'm posting a copycat recipe for my 2nd fave: dark chocolate peanut butter chip....MMMMmmmmmm!

The cookies are big. Like...beyond big. Like full-on GIANT. Because that's part of what makes Levain style cookies so amazing-they're huge and almost biscuit like on the outside, but gooey and slightly underbaked inside. And these ones are SO SO SO RICH. Super chocolatey, with lots and lots of gooey peanut butter chips. If you're the kind of person who drinks milk...you're gonna want a big glass. I, personally, just bask in the decadence. These are a show stopper my friends, not for the faint of heart!

Weekly Meal Plan Menu (Week 41)

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

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

Something Saturdays (12/3/16)

Today we're hosting a housewarming party!! I've spent pretty much all week prepping and aghhhh I hope everything goes well! I made brownies, puppy chow, cookie dough balls, and sangria and a lot of our family are bringing food too. So no one will starve, at least. Eeeee Wish me luck!

Salisbury Steak Meatballs

It's official. It took awhile, but it happened. Winter struck. So now it's chilly and there is sometimes snow and there are really only 2 things to be happy about with this wintry turn of events: Christmas and comfort food. Rich...warm....satisfying comfort food. And I've already decorated for Christmas so...until the 25th....it's comfort food time. And these meatballs are TOTAL comforting deliciousness.

I'm not like a person who's into salisbury steak-it always seems like a gross cafeteria food that is shown on TV. BUT when I found this recipe for salisbury steak meatballs...they sounded pretty darn fantastic. With the exception of the fact that there were mushrooms in it and Michael and I don't dig the 'shrooms. So I changed up the recipe a smidgen by removing the mushrooms BUT to keep some of that flavor I used truffle oil. Which is one of my favoritest favorite things.

But forreals this recipe is pretty darn simple to make (there's even a slow cooker option, although I'm never patient enough for that), and it's quickly become a favorite of mine and Michael's. And considering how darned repetitive and boring my dinner options tend to get (picky eater alerrrrt), it's always nice to add something new to the lineup!

So essentially what we end up with are really rich and flavorful meatballs in a gravy-like sauce situation and I like to serve them over mashed potatoes/mashed sweet potatoes but you can also spoon them over some noodles or some such. You do you boo.

Weekly Meal Plan Menu (Week 40)

You probably have tons of Thanksgiving leftovers and likely don't need much meal planning this week, but just in case we are here with lots of one pan meals that are full of comfort to get your through the cold lull between Thanksgiving and Christmas!!

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

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

Something Saturdays (11/26/16)

Happy Thanksgiving week!!! How was your turkey day?

I started the festivities with a dinner at Michael's mom's on Wednesday with all his siblings + his brother Christopher's girlfriend, Katie. Then, on actual Thanksgiving, we had lunch with Michael's stepmom's family (SO YUMMY) and then dinner with his mom's side of the family. Lots of fun was had, lots of food was eaten.  (Speaking of yummy food--on Sunday, at Table 6 for my belated birthday dinner with my mom, I tried the chicken and waffles and it was a TRANSCENDENT FOOD EXPERIENCE. ahhhh)

Yesterday I binge-watched Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (more on that at the end of the post), and worked. I also did some Christmas decorating this week-yayyy!

Today I'm kind of chilling and then my best friend (who lives in St. Louis) is coming over to see me and the new house! Extra Yay!

World Vision Gift Catalog-Giving the Gift of Giving Back!

Rosemary's family were given 5 goats through World Vision Gift Catalog, and that changed their lives

Thanksgiving is this week. And it's the time we think about all the things we have to be thankful for. But-we should also think about all of those who aren't as fortunate. That is why, today, I'm going to chat with you guys about World Vision and the amazing work they do--and how you can help families in need merely by ordering from a selection of beautiful, handcrafted, gifts via the World Vision Gift Catalog! You can pick from over 250 poverty-fighting gifts, ranging in price from $16 to $39,000, and as a result you're improving the quality of life for struggling children and families in the U.S. and around the world. The money raised from the purchase of these handcrafted gifts goes to the Where Most Needed fund, which supports a variety of World Vision’s programs around the world. (Of course there are also TONS options to just straight up donate or sponsor as well!) Last year alone, more than 650,000 people were helped through funds generated by the catalog-now THAT is the holiday spirit! <3

This video helps give you the run-down on the gift catalog and how it works! (Plus...it's a cute video)

Something Saturdays (11/19/16)

GUYYYYS-Thanksgiving is next week! EEEE!

But I'm getting ahead of myself. How was this past week for you? It's been pretty great for me! Sunday was my birthday and it was a great day-we had lunch at Table 6--which is now my new favorite restaurant. It's like modern with trends done in a classy way, if that makes sense? And the food is PHENOMENAL. I had a cheeseburger and truffle fries that were to die for and Michael had an amazing Monte Cristo sandwich with raspberry chutney and bourbon maple syrup. Then we shared their PB Insanity dessert: also SO.DANGED.GOOD! We actually liked it so much that we're going there again tomorrow with my mom for a belated birthday dinner with her. I think I might try their chicken and waffles this time! Anyway, back to my birthday-then we also put together a new cabinet to house my cookbooks that I got from Target and set up our office/loft area! I also got to FaceTime with my brother and his girlfriend on Sunday AND Monday so it was a pretty great week :) Monday-Wednesday I just got stuff done around the house (I also had a pasta sauce fail that made me so gosh darned frustrated I can't even talk about it....let's just say 3 batches got thrown out because they were all inedible. GAH!) Thursday and Friday I worked, and Friday web ordered a sectional!! It's sort of custom-ordered so it won't come in for another like 7 weeks but I'm so excited!!! 

Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Crack Pie

I CAN'T EVEN WITH THIS PIE.

IT IS LIT. IT IS ON FLEEK. IT IS FIRE. IT IS COOL BEANS AND GROOVY AND FAR OUT, DUDE! All the things kids have said in recent and not so recent times to describe something that is just next level fantastic.

Ok, now that I've fully expressed the extent of my excitement, let me just give you a little info about crack pies. Crack Pie is a dessert that originated at Momofuku Milk Bar and it's essentially a gooey sugar custard filling in an oatmeal cookie crust. And it's addicting sooo I'm guessing that's where the name came from. And it's tasty, forreals, no doubt about it. BUT...well...it pales in comparison to this version.

I'm so happy that I decided a salted caramel crack pie should exist. And that it would probably be too sweet and one note so I should add some dark chocolate to balance it, and add whole new levels of decadence. Sometimes...sometimes I have pretty good ideas. Gotta say.

So there's a crunchy ridiculously amazing brown sugar oatmeal cookie crust (which I baked with a little caramel sauce on it because why not), and then a layer of dark chocolate, and then gooey salted caramel crack pie filling. And salt on top. It's rich and sweet and salty and I love it so much and am so stoked that there's a whole other pie of this sitting in the freezer, waiting to be adored.

And look....I'm not saying you have to make it for Thanksgiving. But...I'm not not saying it, either.

Weekly Meal Plan Menu (Week 38)--THANKSGIVING EDITION

SO-Thanksgiving is almost upon us!! Thusly, we though for this week's meal plan we'd share tried and true recipes for you to make and serve for Thanksgiving! Seriously...this is good stuff.

(PS-today is also my BIRTHDAYYY! Yayyyy! Happy birthday to MEEE!

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

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