If I could sum up everything I love about food in one dish….it might be this.
I have always loved peppermint + chocolate together. I know some people don’t like that combo, and I’ve decided I don’t really like those people. Just kidding!….unless you also don’t like cilantro. Because then we really wouldn’t have much in common.
Peppermint patties. Andes mints. Junior mints. Mint m&ms. Peppermint bark. Anything mint + chocolate is probably something I love. (Also, this may explain all the cavities I had when I was a kid.)
In fact, years ago, Hershey’s made a Cookies’n’Mint chocolate bar that was my ABSOLUTE favorite thing in the whole world. Nick even got me an entire case of them in college when he found some in a little store here in town. That is real love, right there.
Two years ago, I was part of the blogger ambassador team with the California Raisins and worked to create some fun new recipes and share them with you guys. I am still so thankful for that trip and group of bloggers – we had the chance to stand between the vines, talk to the farmers, and find out everything there is to know about the goodness of raisins.
At the time, I knew raisins were good for you, but I didn’t realize just how good!
Zero fat, no cholesterol, and no added sugar. I mean….you can’t really get better than that on a nutritional label. Plus, raisins offer 9% of your daily fiber and potassium, and 6% of your daily iron (per quarter cup serving).
California Raisins are a great choice for healthy, on-the-go snacking or for adding an extra punch of nutrition into your holiday dishes. And bonus – they’re super affordable! According to the USDA, raisins are the most economical dried fruit option.
What goes better with the holidays than a wine + cheese break in the afternoon?
Well, no wine for me, BUT we did some damage to this plate of cheese and snacks last week, and I can’t wait to make another.
Wine and cheese hour is something that is still new in our family, but I’m all for embracing the tradition! I love that while having wine and cheese feels fancy, it doesn’t need to take a lot of time OR be complicated.
So when Le Creuset offered up some of their new Wine and Cheese collection to try out, I knew it would be perfect for the holiday season with family and friends.
The round platter with the cutting board is my new favorite piece! I actually have it sitting in the center of dining room table as I type this, just waiting to be filled up again with cheese and snacks. It’s a great set up – cheese in the center, everything else around it, all in one place. Plus, the cutting board is super smooth and easy to clean.
I guess it should be no surprise at this point since that’s how I really got into cooking. Between cookbooks and the Food Network (before all the weird reality shows and cooking competitions), that’s how I learned. Reading cookbooks, cover to cover. It still took me a while to make things from some cookbooks because I was intimidated about certain recipes – and still am! But that’s why I love America’s Test Kitchen cookbooks.
I had the chance to review their Cooking School Cookbook last year, and it’s still one of my favorites! So I was really excited to review this new book – the New Family Cookbook.
And it just happened to show up at the perfect time. Nick had been talking about making some fettuccine alfredo, so I decided to test out the recipe in the new cookbook and it did not disappoint!
