Brulée + Oats

If you have been stopping by for any amount of time, you might know that I LOVE breakfast! Something about spending a little extra time on the weekends to prepare a lovely morning meal, all while savoring a few cups of freshly brewed coffee just gives me all kinds of pleasure.

So it should come as no surprise that I am absolutely delighted to bring you this recipe for Banana Pecan Oatmeal Brulée, shared by my all-time favorite food blogger.

It's very possible that I will be making this tomorrow morning! Enjoy-I know I will!

ps~I will omit the butter from the oats.

images/via

Spicing Up Thanksgiving Leftovers

If you are like many of us and have more turkey leftovers than you know what to do with, keep reading! I love leftover turkey sandwiches and soup as much as the next girl, but they can only be had for so many days before you go stir crazy! So you can imagine my glee when Nicole over at Pinch My Salt provided us all with a spin on the classic B.L.T that is sure to please my husband, and many others I am certain. I give you the B.L.A.T.-

Bacon Lettuce Avocado Turkey Sandwich with Spicy Chipotle Mayonnaise

image/Pinchmysalt

In Honor of Dad

Yesterday was my dad's birthday and in honor of him, I baked one of his favorites - carrot cake! He has a bigger sweet tooth than anyone I know and what better way to say, "I'm happy you were born" than with a good ole' fashioned sugar rush?

I made this cake a few months ago, merely to test its goodness and determine if it was worthy of a birthday cake. And after sending a few pieces home with my mom and receiving a voicemail from my dad the following day gushing over how tasty the cake was, it became clear I had picked a good one!

This delicious version comes from Pinch My Salt (shocking, I know!). It definitely delivers as a perfectly sweet treat! I love to pair a nice thin slice with a bold cup of coffee for that perfect balance.

Carrot Cake

recipe courtesy of Pinch My Salt

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrot (about 4 medium/large carrots)
1 1/2 cups canola oil
3/4 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9-inch or three 8-inch cake pans.

In a large bowl, sift together first six ingredients. Stir in oil then stir in eggs, one a time. Add carrots and stir until well blended then add nuts. Divide batter between two 9-inch or three 8-inch cake pans and bake in preheated oven, 30-35 minutes for the 8-inch pans or 35-45 minutes for the 9-inch pans. Cakes are done when a toothpick inserted the center comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans on a wire rack for ten minutes, then remove cakes from pans and let cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter (one stick), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

With an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and blend until well combined. Blend in vanilla extract. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. If refrigerated, the frosting will need to be brought to room temperature before using (after frosting is at room temp, beat with mixer til smooth).

all images courtesy of Pinch My Salt

Pinch My What?

Sometime last Spring I stumbled upon the incredible food blog, Pinch My Salt. Since then, it has been my constant go-to for recipe inspiration, especially when I am looking for a delicious dessert. Not only are the recipes she posts right up my ally, but the photos she takes of her food bring me to complete and utter salivation! I have not come across one recipe of hers that I didn't absolutely love.

As I mentioned yesterday, this weekend I made a Coconut Lime Cake. Not only did it turn out every bit as good as I had hoped, but everyone else loved it too! The description was exactly right, which I find is always the case with her recipes. Oh, I just got to thinking about the heavenly tart lime glaze that literally soaks right through the top inch of the cake, leaving you wanting 'just one more bite'...

When it comes to my ever growing list of recipes I would like to try, there are always at least two from Pinch My Salt! I encourage you to take a peek and see for yourself!

Some other recipes I've tried and loved include: Apple Cinnamon Buttermilk Cake, Egg Nog French Toast, Chocolate Stout Cupcakes, Luscious Lemon bars and Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes. And on my list of need to try soon recipes include: Blueberry and Strawberry Buttermilk Cake, Orange Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes and these Rhubarb Blueberry Turnovers!