SMiLes by Meg

Tag: sweet

Olive Oil Ice Cream

A realistic snapshot into my life: It’s Thursday at 10:32pm. I’m sitting on my bed, having just finished up (kind of) work for the day. I’m doing laundry because I realized too late that I didn’t have any clothes to pack for a trip to Philly. I fly out tomorrow morning at 6:45am. I can’t finish packing until my laundry is done. But at least I’ve already made ice cream! When I told my mom I was making olive oil ice cream this week, she said, “That is the most disgusting thing you have ever said to me.” My roommate, …

Mint Chocolate Pistachio Fridge Cake

The best-tasting treats are not necessarily the prettiest things I make, even if that rainbow cake was pretty delicious. No, they’re the dump-everything-into-a-bowl-and-hold-it-together-with-chocolate recipes. They’re quick to make, clean out your pantry, and give you just the right amount a sweet and crunchy. Take this Mint Chocolate Pistachio Fridge Cake. Maybe you have chili chocolate, or salted chocolate in your kitchen. That’s fine – use that instead! Or maybe pistachios aren’t your thing, but you’ve got pecans and walnuts. Perfect! And maybe you’re someone that just doesn’t like rum-soaked raisins (I can’t imagine why). Try whiskey-soaked dried cherries. This recipe …

Cinnamon Donuts

A couple weeks ago, for Easter, I made carrot cake. And it was such a cool carrot cake. Very pretty, perfectly “Easter,” the whole deal. But my dad was NOT impressed. “Carrot cake isn’t cake!” He declared. And refused to consume it. So this weekend, when I decided to go out to Duxbury for the night, I wanted to bring him something he’d like. I’ve already made half moons, whoopie pies, and icebox cake, though. And then I remembered I have a donut pan. The obvious answer? Cinnamon donuts! First, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat …

Coconut Ice Cream

Today, I made coconut ice cream! My mom’s comment: are you trying to torture me or lure me into the city? The answer was lure, but she didn’t come, so now I have a tub of fresh ice cream in my freezer. Not a bad outcome. First, toast the coconut. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, toss the coconut for about five minutes. transfer half into a small dish and set aside. To the medium saucepan, add the sugar, salt, milk, heavy cream and coconut milk. Heat over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. About 5 …

Easter Cake

I’m at the stage of Easter where I’m back in my apartment, as full of chocolate as physically possible, and still reaching for another piece because if I just make it go away now I won’t have to eat it later. We’ve all been there. It’s the mark of a truly great day. And I had such a lovely Easter! I got to see so much of my family, which is always a treat, and the weather was nice enough to end with cartwheels in the yard with the next generation of cousins. Plus, I got to spend Saturday making …

Millionaire Bars

Last week, I promised to make something with halvah. This week, I bring you: Millionaire Bars. I’m going to keep this post on the shorter side, since I’m typing it before going into the office on Friday, and I’ll be traveling to Portland for the weekend to see what the pacific northwest is all about. Though these take a little bit of work (three separate layers, each with its own instructions), they actually were easy to make during the week. One night, I made the shortbread layer, and let it cool overnight. The next morning, I quickly did the halvah …

Halvah

Here’s how deciding on this week’s recipe went: Last Wednesday, I start thinking about what I wanted to make. Laura is coming into town to visit, so I think maybe it would be fun to do something a little more hands on and bake together. I decide on macarons. Thursday, I realize Laura won’t actually be in town long enough to make macarons. But that’s OK, I’ll make them myself. They’d be a good Easter recipe, and I should probably practice once first. I start looking at Cloudy Kitchen’s posts. Saturday, Laura is supposed to arrive within an hour and …

Honeycomb and Chocolate Cookie Cake

So this weekend was a baking adventure x 100. I was out in Duxbury, hanging out with all of Team Muncey, and gave my mom the task of picking the dessert I should make for a dinner party we were hosting. She pulled out the Farmhouse Cookbook, which I like a lot, and picked the honeycomb and chocolate cookie cake, which I’ve had my eye on for awhile, so obviously I agreed immediately. My mom went out to buy ingredients, and when she came back, I started the process. And then I stopped, because she “didn’t even think we might …

White Chocolate, Toffee, and Pecan Brownies

I’m posting this from Alaska, but not on an Alaskan trip where I anticipated to have time to bake. So instead, I baked on Tuesday, and after already bringing Irish Soda Bread Scones to work on Monday, brought these brownies on Wednesday. I feel like maybe I’m bringing too many baked goods to work – but also Lent, so it’s not like I can eat them. Regardless, people don’t seem to mind. Turns out, offices are a place you can ALWAYS get rid of baked goods. Now, midweek baking means I had to pick something that wouldn’t be too time …

Honey Macadamia Coconut Caramels

Working in corporate law often feels like you’re either barely staying afloat or barely have enough to fill a day. For example, on Wednesday, I worked past midnight and still didn’t get everything done. On Thursday, I got home at 5:30 and spent the evening making these caramels. It’s definitely taking some getting used to. But a free Thursday night means you get a good recipe this week! I’m hitting “publish” on this from a weekend with my family down in Florida, so if Thursday hadn’t happened to be a light day, you may not have gotten a recipe at …