strawberry amore cocktail

Cocktail O’ Clock: Strawberry Amore

Strawberry Amore

Pink is the color of Valentine’s Day. Pink Champagne, pink hearts, pink (okay, kinda red) strawberries… I love strawberries and Champagne on this holiday so I’m pretty into this recipe from Three Olives, using their Marilyn Monroe strawberry vodka. It reminds me of another classic film star—or rather, the drink named after her—Shirley Temple! (RIP, my sweet friend). This recipe uses lemon lime soda to add bubbles, but I think it would be great with a float of your favorite sparkling wine as well.

I took some creative liberties and garnished with a “chocolate-covered strawberry” flavor Peep... because hey, why not?!

Strawberry Amore Cocktail

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Strawberry Ice Cream Funfetti Cake

Super Sweet Valentine’s: Strawberry Funfetti Melted Ice Cream Cake

Happy V-Day! Whether single, attached, or somewhere in the middle, there’s one unifying reason for everyone to celebrate the holiday of love: SUGAR. Valentine’s Day is a no-holds-barred marathon of sweets. Chocolates, strawberries, truffles, cupcakes, whipped cream…the sugary possibilities are endless. Personally, I’m a “red wine and dark chocolate” type of dessert lover, but I do have a couple vices when it comes to sweets, and here’s my most guilty one: funfetti. I’m powerless before funfetti. You know what I’m talking about, that boxed rainbow cake you see at birthday parties? I love it.

Strawberry Ice Cream Funfetti Cake

Anyway, this is a recipe that was sent to me by our friends at Arctic Zero, so it’s festive and sweet but definitely lower in cals/fat than your average dessert made with cream, butter, etc. Meaning you can still feel H-O-T in whatever seductive outfit you want to flaunt after sharing this dessert with your love (significant other, friend, family member, TV screen?) of choice.

The cake itself is cute and pink and rainbow-y, and super moist thanks to using Arctic Zero versus oil or something in the cake batter. It tastes like a homemade birthday cake with a scoop of melted ice cream mixed together. What could be better than that?

Strawberry Funfetti Melted Ice Cream Cake

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Valentines Peeps Products

Two of Hearts: Ultimate Valentine’s S’mores

The best thing about Easter — PEEPS! — is now the best thing about Valentine’s Day! A few weeks ago, a box of glory appeared on my doorstep. A box full of VALENTINE’S PEEPS. Oh, yes. It was ON. (And by “it,” I mean “intense sugar highs and almost immediate sugar crashes.”)

Take a glimpse of the offerings:

Valentines Peeps Products

Chocolate Mousse teddybears, Strawberry Creme hearts, Vanilla Creme hearts, regular marshmallow hearts, sugar-free hearts, and Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry chicks! My favorites are the Vanilla Creme and Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry.

So, what to do with all these marshmallows? There’s an obvious answer here: s’mores.

Recently, one of my (GENIUS) coworkers mentioned an awesome trick: instead of using a regular ol’ Hershey bar in your s’more, use a Reese’s Cup to add some peanut buttery goodness. What?! Mind. Blown. Lucky for me (and you!) Reese’s makes heart-shaped candies for Vday. This is some heart-on-heart action.

Peeps S'mores

Peeps S'more Reeses

I mean… I don’t even know what to tell y’all about this. It’s so simple. The answer was there all along. REESE’S CUPS. I made mine with a Vanilla Creme Peep (because I love me some vanilla + PB) and it was heavenly. (By the way, no shame in using a microwave on this guilty little pleasure… it’s way too cold to be messing with a backyard bonfire this winter.)

Bacon Spinach Onion Dip

Bacon, Spinach, Swiss & Caramelized Onion Dip

I know the Super Bowl is over (GO HAWKS OMG!) but I see no reason why I can’t share my latest dip recipe with you. I mean, DIP! Who doesn’t love it? It’s not like you can’t eat dip just because football season is over (*sob*). After all, we still have basketball, Oscars, random Saturday nights when you feel like staying on the couch with a box of wine, Costco-size bag of chips, and bucket of dip all night, etc… So here we go.

Bacon Spinach Onion Dip

This isn’t anything revolutionary, but it’s all of the best snacking kind of flavors combined into one. Salty bacon? Yep. Sweet caramelized onion? You know it. Refreshing spinach? Heck yes, you’re getting your iron, son!  Savory, cheesy…cheese? YES! I tried to keep it kiiiinda light by incorporating some lowfat ingredients in my Creamy Dip Trinity (cream cheese, mayo, sour cream) but let’s be real. You’re eating bacon pulverized into a dairy base, so “light” is pretty relative in this case. But it’s worth it.

Bacon, Spinach, Swiss, & Caramelized Onion Dip

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Duke's Clam Chowder

Top 5 Super Bowl Recipes for Seahawks Fans

OKAY. This Sunday is the Super Bowl to end all Super Bowls. Seahawks vs. Broncos. If we had a Denver writer on our staff, things might have turned out differently here on Endless Simmer today. But we don’t, we have ME, a ride-or-die West Coaster for 25/27 years of her life, most of those in Washington. This means we’re going to talk about Seattle-themed Superbowl recipes today, and you’re going to read it and you’re going to cook it and most importantly, you’re going to LIKE IT. Even if you aren’t a Seattle person, unless you’re a die-hard Broncos fan, your NFL team of choice is already out of the running so you might as well take this opportunity to embrace the glory of the Seahawks and just enjoy the ride.

Besides, Seattle has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to signature regional delicacies: salmon, shellfish, cherries, apples, craft beers, fine wines… need I go on?

For your Super Bowl XLVIII party, represent the great state of Washington with one (or all!) of these crowd-pleasing recipes, each showcasing one of the state’s beloved flavors. Even if you and your friends aren’t Seahawks fans, you’ll be fans of these snacks.

5. Duke’s Clam Chowder from Smashed Garlic (& originally from Duke’s, of course)

Duke's Clam Chowder

I know lots of people think that the East Coast runs the show when it comes to chowder, but I guarantee you the Pacific Northwest can give it a run for its money. Washington clam chowder is thick, creamy, and chock full of fresh clams. The two most well-known and beloved recipes are from Ivar’s and Duke’s chowderhouses. If you’re an Ivar’s fan, you can find their recipe online, too.

Anyway, most of the country is still cold and miserable, so a bowl of piping hot clam chowder (maybe even in a bread bowl?!) is sure to keep your party guests warm and happy.

4. Washington Apple Martinis from Santa Barbara Chic

Washington Apple Cocktail

Do people in other parts of the country know about the Washington Apple? When I moved to Austin, I was shocked to learn that most of my Texan friends had never heard of it. This was a staple of my college years—of course, back in those days, we drank it as a shot, not a cute little cocktail like this one. (I completely condone imbibing in either fashion!) While this boozy beverage isn’t exactly the same as a fresh, organic Honeycrisp apple plucked from a Washington orchard, it gets you much more drunk. And that’s important when watching sports.

3. Chipotle Cherry Chicken Wings from The Foodie Couple

Chipotle Cherry Chicken Wings

Why this recipe? The reasons are threefold: 1. Wings are a quintessential sports-watchin’ food. Everyone can agree on a good wing. 2. Cherries are one of Washington’s top crops – have you ever had a Rainier cherry? Delicious. 3. There are lots of cherry BBQ wings recipes out there, but this one is from a blogging couple in Tacoma, and you KNOW these people are rooting for the Hawks on Sunday. Credit where credit is due.

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Kitchenista Strawberry Pancakes

Extreme Food Porn Alert: Pancake Orgy

I’m serious. EXTREME FOOD PORN. I was browsing Instagram today (what, you don’t follow like thirty food photography Instas?) and one of my favorites, thekitchenista, posted a picture of her pancakes. Well, it wasn’t a picture, more like a heart-stopping revelation:

Kitchenista Strawberry Pancakes

Whaaaaat. I don’t even consider myself a “sweet breakfast foods” type of person, I’m more of a savory, but I think this photo could convince me to switch teams. Angela, Miss Kitchenista herself, describes this as “Strawberry shortcake pancakes! Crispy buttermilk pancakes, homemade maple strawberry syrup & fresh maple whipped cream.” I WANT.

Anyway, if you’re in the mood to make yourself perma-hungry, check out her blog, The Kitchenista Diaries, as well. (This is a totally unsolicited plug and we are not affiliated, I just like to spread the fellow food blogger/photog love and her stuff is great!)

http://www.bakersroyale.com/pies-and-tarts/blackberry-lime-pie/

Top 10 Awesome Pies to Make for National Pie Day

Happy (almost) National Pie Day! What, you didn’t know that January 23rd is officially National Pie Day? Well, you now have one last day to plan how you’re going to celebrate. There’s no limit of crazy pie (and pie-like) recipes out there on the Internet, including in our very own Endless Simmer archives.

Get inspired with five of our tried-and-true beloved ES recipes, then read on for five tasty treats from other pie-loving food blogs.

Endless Simmer:

10. Bacon Lattice Pulled Pork Potato Pie

bacon lattice pie cooked

9. Twinkie Key Lime Pie

twinkie key lime pie

8. Sweet Cherry Pie

Sweet Cherry Pie

7. Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes

Banana-Cream-Pie-Cupcake

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