St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Monday this year…which means you’ve got one week left to plan out your cooking/drinking/cooking with drinks agenda.
From Irish soda bread to Jameson Jell-o shots and 100 ways to cook with Guinness, we’ve got you covered. Check it all out in:
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?!
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.
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?
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:
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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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The Super Bowl is almost upon us. People will gather around TVs, big and small, to complete the holiday feasting in one last hurrah. Snacks will be enjoyed on the couch while watching commercials and loyal fans will get up for refills when the game comes back for a few quick minutes before more commercials.
But I digress. What really matters during this year’s superbowl is the food. Of course, there are wings, chips, dips, and other salty snacks. But what else can we add to the spread this year? How about some chili to go on the hot dogs? Or pulled pork? Maybe some hearty soup. Get out your slow cooker and impress your guests with something more than 3D Doritos (don’t pretend that you don’t remember). Enough of the jibber jabber—here are ten ways to use that slow cooker to its full potential!
Regular cocktail weenies are for…well…weenies. While in the midst of winter, something a bit tropical may turn your mood around. If it were me, I would sandwhich a weenie between two pineapples. Or weenie, pineapple, weenie? I guess it depends on which way you swing? Weenie or chicken sausage – I think both would work.
RECIPE: Misty Yoon
My friend got me an awesome encyclopedia of craft beer recipes. Chili is great and beer is great. Soo…why not combine great beer and chili? 21st Amendment brings us a delicious twist on chili in John Holl’s The American Craft Beer Cookbook.
Recipe: John Holl
Ribs do not have to be laborious day-long projects of putting them in foil after lathering them in bbq sauce several times, then moving them from the oven to the grill. You get the point. You can take that approach, OR you can through them into a slow cooker with a sauce made with cola. They’ll fall apart, while giving you a unique sweetness unlike your standard bbq sauce.
Recipe: Cardamom Addict
7. S’mores Dip
Unfortunately, too often I find that my sweet tooth is not satisfied at a Super Bowl party. Well, now you can put the slow cooker to good use for us healthy folk that enjoy chocolate…and anything else with sugar in it.
Recipe: Little Indiana
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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.
