- A review of Baked Lava's Spumoni Cookies.
- A link to Nom Nom Paleo's Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs, as well as the Nom Nom Paleo Cookbook, and some mustards. (Please note that none of the recipes in this post are Paleo. However, Nom Nom Paleo is pure gold whether you're Paleo or not!)
- A Sarha-original Pineapple Upside Down Cheesecake recipe.
- Some narrative!
Wow, it's been almost a year since I posted. It's been a busy year, but don't worry, I'm still gainfully employed far, far away, still regularly going to the gym, etc. I just haven't had any time to cook or bake or post (see being gainfully employed far, far away). My dinners, if I make them, come from a freezer or a slow cooker paired with Campbell's Slow Cooker Sauces, and desserts come from the ice cream place or the bakery. (Don't judge. Cannoli doughnuts are fantastic.)
I took the day off from work on December 24 to make goodies for my family's annual "Appetizers and Desserts" Christmas Eve dinner, and especially to fulfill my husband's request for a pineapple upside down cheesecake for his Christmas Day birthday.
For "Appetizers and Desserts" I planned to make Baked Lava's Spumoni Cookies because my mom loves spumoni and I wanted to surprise her. I also planned to make deviled eggs (some spicy and some not) like I do every year.
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| You're not allowed to read cookbooks in my house. It's even more forbidden than using a laptop! |
The Spumoni Cookies required a little effort, as in chopping up cherries and breaking up pistachios (I crushed them a handful at a time between two glass cutting boards) and making sure every cookie had some of each yummy mix-in. My main issue was having to go to the grocery store a second time on Christmas Eve (at noon!) because I didn't think to check the first time that I had enough butter. Who doesn't have a stock pile of butter? Me! It took me fifteen minutes to find a parking spot and aggressive, reckless drivers were trying to take me out every two feet. Next time I will make sure I have enough butter and the cookies will be no effort at all. (I'll also buy more parchment paper because I ran out on my first baking sheet and had to line the other two with wax paper that got super greasy.)
The Spumoni Cookies were a hit. Absolutely delicious and a great mix of textures and flavors. Plus they were festive!
To satisfy the "Appetizer" portion of the night, I made two types of deviled eggs: One with Jim Beam Bacon Mustard for those who can't eat spicy stuff, and the other with Hit & Run Brown Horseradish Mustard. Both were tasty! Last year the spicy eggs were made with Jolokia (Ghost Pepper) Mustard and they were fantastic. I have my Nom Nom Paleo Cookbook bookmarked to the page on Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs for all my eggy needs. (I am not sure if these mustards are Paleo friendly, but I'm obviously not Paleo -- hence the cookies and cheesecake, oh my!)
All right, so... The moment the internet has been waiting for (judging by the great lack of pineapple upside down cheesecake recipes):
