fruit pizza

I absolutely love this recipe because you get the thrill of eating dessert but can feel great about eating fruits in the process!  Feel free to change up the fruits, next time I will add kiwi for more color.

fruit pizza

1 frozen sugar cookie roll
1 can of icing
various fruits (i used grapes, peaches and raspberries)

Roll out the sugar cookie dough on a pizza pan in any shape desired.  Reduce baking time by 1 minute to ensure it is not crispy.  Once baked and cooled for at least 1 hour, spread an even layer of the icing.  Add the fruits immediately prior to serving.

new york city

Over the weekend, A and I jetted off to NYC to enjoy some great food and great company.  This city is truly magical and we were happy to enjoy the city during the holiday time.  We landed late Thursday night, so Friday we ended up walking around Herald Square and Times Square area armed with a Dunkin Donuts coffee + munchkins.  We did some of our Christmas shopping for family (and myself!).

Later than evening, we met up with some of A's classmates at a holiday party which continued at Yama Sushi.  Our group of 10 indulged in 2 sushi boats plus 2 platters of sashimi!

On Saturday, I met up with my bff Megz and her bf Sumeet at Petite Albeile in Union Square for brunch.  Afterwards we walked around the Greenmarket and enjoyed some fresh hot apple cider.  We walked towards Soho for some boutique shopping and then ended the afternoon at Harney & Sons for some hot chai tea.

Our friends K&K mentioned trying out Tamarind for excellent indian food, so our friends Megz and Sumeet joined us for a late dinner.  To start, we had a tomato onion biscuit with cilantro chutney and the Raj-Kachori.  For entrees, we ordered a variety of dishes including: Daal Makhani, Vegetable Jalfrezi.  For the carnivores, we ordered the Sea Bass Curry and Murgh Kohlapuri.  On the side we were served basmati rice, cucumber raita and garlic naan.  This meal was fantastic!  I would definitely recommend it and hope to visit again!

After dinner we headed to the Standard Hotel -Biergarten to meet some college friends as well as A's current classmates.  This place felt like we were in a large tent in Germany during Oktoberfest!

On Sunday morning we headed to Brooklyn to meet A's cousins for brunch at Melt.  I had a great black bean breakfast burrito.  It tasted similar to my favorite burritos in Texas too!  After full tummys we headed back to the city to walk around Bryant Park and Rockerfellar Plaza.  Our last stop was Crumb's to indulge in a Red Velvet Cupcake and Pecan Pie Cupcake.  So.Freaking.Delicious.

checking fball scores!

Very fun weekend in NYC during Christmas time.  I already of a list of things I want to see or do during our next trip!

thanksgiving weekend

This past weekend our great friends, K&K were in town from Seattle.  We had a great mix of food, fun and football!  Check out K's blog in a few days for more pictures! 

On Sunday, we had brunch at our home with K&K and other close friends and family.  We prepared scrambled eggs, bagels, croissants, pancakes and fresh baked pear crisp with a healthy dose of bottomless mimosas :)  I forgot to take a picture of the pear crisp but it turned out great!  My only substitution was using asian pears instead of D'anjou pears.

The fabulous weekend ended with A and I decking our halls for our 1st Christmas in our home!

Housewarming Party!

Last week, A and I had our family over to celebrate our new home!  We moved in February but we took some time to decorate and travel over the summer before we had a chance to have a party.  Special thanks to both of our mom's for preparing most of the food.  Menu and recipes to follow pictures. 

the food spread

both mom's!

party punch!

Menu:

Bhel puri
Dahi puri

Greek 7 layer dip with Pita Chips

Party Punch

Oatmeal White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Chocolate Chip & Walnut Cupcakes
Gajar Halwo (Carrot Pudding) - mom's secret recipe

Coconut Macaroons

I love coconuts.  One of my favorite chocolates are Almond Joys.  This recipe is delicious and I hope you try it out sometime.  Go on over to Baking Bites for a complete recipe.  My only change was reducing the sugar to 1/4 cup.  I tried to dip it in chocolate but that didn't work out so well :)

Coconut Macaroons --- recipe from Baking Bites.

Hill Country Peach Cobbler

Hill Country Peach Cobbler

adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride.

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour (accidently used 1cup, foodiebride suggests 1/2cup)
1 tbs baking powder
pinch salt
3/4 cup milk 
3 cups sliced fresh peaches
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
10 amaretti cookies crumbled over pie
1 fabulous pie pan

Preheat the oven to 350.

Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat until it begins to bubble and turns a nutty-brown color.  Be sure to watch it from burning.

Pour the butter into pie dish.  Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and milk.  Pour the mixture over the butter, but do not stir.

Arrange the peaches evenly on top of the batter, and sprinkle with cinnamon, brown sugar and crumbled amaretti cookies.

Bake the cobbler for 40-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.  A and I ate this for 3 nights after dinner!