Createlive: kahlua

Showing posts with label kahlua. Show all posts

5.16.2013

Go Big or Go Home

More than a few times this week, I've made the decision to Go Big. On Saturday, at CostCo, I spotted my favorite white roses. It's not the biggest splurge of my life by any means, but it's still not something I do every week. But, into my cart they went. Now I'm enjoying them in three rooms in my house. Well done, Carly.

Example two... Pizza and wine. On our way home one afternoon this week, we walked past our favorite neighborhood pizza place and saw that they had half priced wine. Delicious coal-fired pizza and discounted vino? Not a hard decision. Done and done.

White pizza with lots of cheese, basil, and extra parm. Winning combination. So worth it.

Part three... the next day, my fiance got a text inviting us to watch the Cubs game that night from the skybox at Wrigley. Yet another easy decision... free seats, free food, free drinks, and great company? Done.

And then there's the dessert cart. I had a peanut butter cookie (peanut butter with peanut butter cups in it, omg) with a scoop of ice cream on top and a side shot of kahlua in a chocolate shot glass. Yes, I ate the whole thing. Yes, I enjoyed every bite. #GoodDecisions

Do you go big every once in a while?

What are your big "splurge" items?

2.23.2012

Recipe | Kahlua Cupcakes

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My College Mock Trial Team (Shout out?) was always obsessed with the movie The Big Lebowski, in which the main character's drink of choice was a White Russian.

Sidenote: Any Big Lebowski fans out there? What's your favorite quote?

I recently re-discovered White Russians over the holidays. Guess what? They're delicious. Delicious, actually. Delicious with a capital D.

And I do believe that said deliciousness comes from the most delicious ingredient (of course!): Kahlua.

And so, because my life seems to revolve around finding weird things to put in cupcakes, I decided to use Kahlua.

'Twas a good choice. As was the decision to use Peanut Butter Frosting.

Want the recipe? Thought you might :)

12.05.2011

Baked Brie Pastry

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

I know, I’ve done something like this before. And I’ll admit they taste like they’re related (Okay, now I feel like I’m on TrueBlood and I’m a vampire, which reminds me… Breaking Dawn was horrible. Don’t see it. It somehow managed to not only be horrible and boring but also fairly creepy.).

Wow. That’s what you call a tangent. As in tangential point. As in I took one semi-related fact and just went running with it. Running far, far away.

And we’re back! So yes, this is similar to another Baked Brie recipe… but it’s a total improvement.

First, it’s much prettier. Wrapping the brie in pastry helps it keep its shape.

Second, it’s cranberries instead of raspberry jam, we’ve got raspberry and basil cranberry.

Third, the technique is slightly different. It’s actually easier. Instead of creating a sauce using Kahlua and Brown sugar, we simply pour the Kahlua over the brie as it’s baking and sprinkle on some Brown Sugar.

Ingredients:Preheat oven to 350.

1 wheel of Brie Cheese
1/2 tablespoon Basil
1 tablespoon Honey
1 cup of whole cranberries
1 cup of water
1/2 cup organic sugar
1 sheet of pastry dough (Pepperidge Farms)
1 cup Kahlua
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Walnuts

Cooking Directions:

Set pastry sheet out to thaw.
In a small or medium saucepan, boil water and add cranberries. You can substitute ½ can of whole cranberry sauce, if desired.
Add basil and honey and stir frequently for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Use a roller to smooth out pastry sheet. Push and roll toward the edges to thin the pastry dough while also making it larger.
Cut brie in half sideways, so that you end up with two thinner, yet still circular, wheels. Place the bottom layer in the middle of the pastry dough.
Cover this layer with cranberries. If they drip down the sides, that’s fine. You’re wrapping it up later, anyways!
Place the second half of cheese on top. Add another layer of cranberry.
Fold up pastry dough. Beginning on one side, pick up a corner and fold up, covering the side of the dough, then use your fingers to crinkle the dough, making flaps that can be overlapped. Continue moving around the dough until you reach where you started. See picture below for a visual.
Place in a circular (if possible) casserole dish that is a bit larger than the pastry dough itself (so that there is a bit of a margin around the food). Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and use a knife to poke holes down through the top of the brie. If you’d like, you can also purposely break the pastry dough a bit around the tops, allowing the cheese to melt down a little bit more.
Pour 1 cup of Kahlua over the top of the brie. It will drip down the sides and take residence in the margin around the pastry.
Sprinkle brown sugar and nuts around the brie, dropping them into the Kahlua.
Bake for another 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve with crackers (I used Wheat Thins).

Check out this year's Winter '11 series of Healthy Holiday Recipes! Includes healthy recipes for stuffing, baked brie, cherry pomegranate pie, kahlua and walnut sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce...

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

11.23.2011

Kahlua & Walnut Sweet Potatoes

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

Something inside me has decided that no family holiday gathering would be complete without at least one sweet potato dish. Unfortunately, as a vegetable so rich in vitamins, we too often sacrifice the nutrition for the sake of flavor. Dumping loads of brown sugar and marshmallows, while obviously satisfying to your tastebuds, is less than satisfying to your diet and nutrition.

But come on, let's be honest. You're still going to be making sweet potatoes. So let's try pairing it with alcohol (duh) and nuts. Boom.

After yesterday's whipped sweet potato recipe, today brings a new twist on the same dish. This recipe combines milk (preferably skim) with mashed sweet potatoes, then covers it with none other than a Kahlua and Brown sugar mixture with crunchy walnuts. There's something awesome about using alcohol in your cooking... and, for this dish, the Kahlua does wonders. You can taste it -- in a good way. Make sense?

Speaking of alcohol at family gatherings (I mean, hello, it's Thanksgiving), try out this Whiskey Apple Cider recipe. So delicious! :)

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Yield: 1 casserole dish
Ingredients:

3 Sweet Potatoes
1/2 cup Kahlua
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Walnuts
1/4 cup Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Cooking Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Peel sweet potatoes and cut into cubes.
Place in a large pot with enough water to cover them and boil for 10-15 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft.
Mash sweet potatoes in a large bowl.
Combine mashed sweet potatoes with vanilla extract and milk. Stir well and transfer to a casserole dish.
Combine Kahlua and Brown Sugar and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
After Kahlua and Brown Sugar have boiled for 2-3 minutes, add Walnuts and continue to stir for another 2-3 minutes.
Spoon walnuts and some of Kahlua/Brown Sugar sauce over Sweet Potato mixture.
Bake for 20 minutes.

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

11.15.2011

Baked Raspberry & Walnut Brie

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

I love cheese. Like truly. Madly. Deeply.

BUT -- oh, there are many buts -- holiday cheese dips are usually slimy messes. And they're often baked in a 360 degree layer of batter or dough.

NOT ANYMORE. This brie is combined with seedless, all natural, high fiber raspberry jam and real raspberries, as well as walnuts that are sweetened in a Kahlua and light brown sugar sauce without dumping the entire pot of sauce into the dish.

Oh, not to mention that it got devoured in about 15 minutes at my house. Might want to double the recipe... ;-)

Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20-30 min
Total time: 25-35 min
Ingredients:

1/2 wheel Brie Cheese (any size)
2 tablespoons Raspberry Jam (Polaner seedless with fiber)
5 Raspberries
1/4 cup Walnuts
1/2 cup Kahlua
1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar
1 sheet Pastry Dough

Cooking Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Cut brie in half as though you're making a sandwich.
Cut pastry dough so that it is the same size as the brie slices.
Place bottom layer of brie in a casserole dish that is slightly larger than the cheese. Next, add pastry dough layer.
In a small bowl, combine raspberry jam and raspberries. Mash with a spoon so that raspberries are muddled. Spread half of the mixture on top of the pastry dough.
Place next layer of brie.
Add remaining raspberry mixture.
Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, checking occasionally, until cheese is melted and browning begins.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine Kahlua and brown sugar over medium heat.
Once the mixture has reached a syrupy consistency, add walnuts and stir for 4 minutes.
Remove from heat and add walnuts to brie dish. Add only about a tablespoon of the Kahlua and Brown Sugar sauce.
Serve with crackers (wheat thins rock).

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]