Back in the kitchen...

I made quite a few things today to try and get caught up from not being able to use the kitchen much the past couple of days. Since Wednesday Treat day was pushed to Friday, this morning I got some made so the co-workers will give Jeff a reprieve.

Let's start off with Key Lime Coconut Snowballs. These are a quick no-bake item that has great key lime flavor. If you can't find key limes, by all means use regular limes - I do think the small ones give a little more acidity and cut the sweetness better. I have not been thrilled with bottled key lime juice so again I would just squeeze the persian limes. *Note to self... must buy a small citrus reamer for stuff like this! The soft sweet balls, rolled in desiccated (unsweetend) coconut, are pretty balanced in flavor. I used Trader Joes thick graham crackers which I find have a better flavor than regular crackers. The texture is almost like cookie dough.

I mentioned I picked up the Martha Christmas Cookie magazine a couple weeks ago and this is the first (of many I'm sure) cookie I made. Cashew Caramel Cookies turned out to be such an awesome cookie. Making fresh cashew butter was key to impart such a rich flavor. Even after using more than half of the cashews for the butter, there is a generous amount of remaining bits in each cookie. The cookies are not crispy or soft, but they are a firm chewy cookie. Adding a soft caramel drizzle puts these over the top.

The caramel does set a little, but does not get hard so you have to store them in a single layer at room temperature. If you are going to freeze these - do them on the cookie sheet and when frozen you can stack them between wax/parchment paper. Definite repeater.


So let's head on to dinner! Tonight's dish of Penne with Brussels Sprouts and Crisp Bacon was a fun way to get some veggies in. Although it does end up using quite a lot of dishes and is a little time consuming, I think it was worth it. I did have to tweak it here and there, but overall it is pretty solid. The sauce was a little thin even after my changes but the pasta did soak up quite a lot after sitting a few minutes. The bacon adds richness while the parmesan lends a nice bite. Jeff does not usually care all that much for brussel sprouts but he gave this one a thumbs up!

Recipes
Cashew-Caramel Cookies
Key Lime Coconut Snowballs
Penne with Brussels Sprouts and Crisp Bacon