Hey friends…I’ve got some happy news to share. Starting today, I am going to be a daily contributor on Babble’s food blog The Family Kitchen! I’ll be sharing lots of new recipes, as well as some AK classics already seen here…plus some articles and interviews related to anything and everything food.

Sounds like a pretty good gig right? I’m definitely smiling.

So let’s get started…

I’m sharing a refreshing sorbet from The Perfect Scoop today…just in time for this weekend’s festivities! Visit my first blog post at The Family Kitchen for the recipe!

I wish I could tell you I made these beauties myself…instead I was the lucky recipient of them Friday night when my friend Heidi brought them over for dessert.  She found them on The Gourmand Mom via Foodbuzz.  They were amazing…like pumpkin pie in a cup!  I love everything pumpkin so these honestly made me a very happy girl.  Heidi thought they were a bit too much pumpkiny…so be warned if you aren’t a big pumpkin fan like myself, Larry and Sammy (who also enjoyed them!).  Thank you to The Gourmand Mom (and Heidi!) for sharing such an awesome treat!

I wanted to leave you with this little treat because I will be away for a few days…I’m heading back to Napa to hang out with my Bush’s Beans peeps!  How lucky am I?  Seriously, I just want to pinch myself…I am so grateful.  This time though, not only will I be spending time with the original group from previous trips, but I will be meeting and cooking alongside four other food bloggers and chefs!  I am seriously over the moon with excitement about this trip…I loved being in the CIA kitchens and “playing chef”…not to mention taking in the gorgeous scenery and tasting the local wines.

Wine country = total bliss…in my book. 

(Disclosure:  Bush’s Beans invited me on this trip and is covering my costs to attend.)

I’ll share with you what we cooked up when I get back…in the meantime, go make yourself some dessert.

Pumpkin Gingersnap Parfaits

Recipe Courtesy of The Gourmand Mom

1 15-ounce can Pure Pumpkin
4 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Ginger
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1 cup Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp Sugar
12 Gingersnap Cookies

Crush 8 of the gingersnap cookies. Beat together the pumpkin, cream cheese, brown sugar, and spices until evenly combined. In a separate bowl, beat together the heavy cream and sugar until thickened.

To assemble the parfaits, divide half of the pumpkin mixture into four cups. Sprinkle half of the gingersnap crumbs over the pumpkin. Spoon about half of the whipped cream over the gingersnaps in the four cups. Sprinkle with the remaining gingersnap crumbs. Spoon the remaining pumpkin over the gingersnap crumbs. Top with the remaining whipped cream. Garnish each parfait with a gingersnap cookie.

Enjoy the rest of your week!!

Hi everyone, it’s Jenny over at Picky Palate guest posting for Aggie today while she is on vacation!  I thought I’d bring over one of my favorite desserts to share with you today….my Ice Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies!  This is one of my favorite creations and I can’t wait to share it with you.  Hope you all enjoy!

Ice Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 sticks softened butter
1 Cup granulated sugar
3/4 Cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 Tablespoons pure vanilla
Heaping 1/2 Cup vanilla ice cream (frozen from container)
4 Cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 bag chocolate chips

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a stand or electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy.  Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined.  Add in ice cream until combined.

2.  Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl; mix.  Add to wet ingredients along with the chocolate chips; mix until just combined.  With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 9-11 minutes or until cookies are cooked through.  Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.  Serve with a maraschino cherry on top

3-4 dozen cookies

Thanks for having me Aggie!

Would you be mad at me for posting this short and sweet like the recipe?

I made these for the family over the weekend after a nice grilled dinner.  I got the idea while flipping through Steamy Kitchen’s cookbook…was surprised to find them in there!  What surprised me even more is that I didn’t think of them myself!  These guys were so awesome…and such a great way to end a meal…practically guilt free.

Start of by laying your banana on its side, using a pairing knife gently slice through skin and banana making sure to not cut through to the other side.  Once you’ve made your slice, tuck in your fixings.  You can stuff them with whatever suits you…chocolate candy bars, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, caramels, coconut, chopped nuts.   The sound of it all is heavenly isn’t it?  Place them on hot grill over indirect heat and cook until soft and skins are black.  You have to check on them and touch them a bit.

We used what we had on hand…chocolate chips, coconut and toasted and chopped hazelnuts.  My kids were not as excited as Larry and I were…apparently the “melted” version of chocolate chips were not the same as the solid form.  And for my daughter who for some odd reason does not like chocolate, I took a chance and tried butterscotch chips on hers.  Nah.  So, Larry and I enjoyed ours and theirs….and we were absolutely okay with that.

(Gina and her best friend Amber, Thanksgiving 2008)

Working on my Thanksgiving menu and shopping list today…thought I’d share with you some of the recipes I am trying out or improvising…in case you are still looking for ideas!

Sage Roasted Turkey

Nonna’s Stuffing

(Sammy with his great grandmother, “little” Nonna, Thanksgiving 2008)

Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Topping
(will create my own version based on this Southern Living recipe I have made before)

7  medium-size sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 7 pounds)
1  teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, cut up
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 cups chopped, toasted pecans

Bring sweet potatoes, salt, and water to cover to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Boil 15 to 20 minutes or until tender; drain.

Mash potatoes, or press though a ricer; stir in butter, and maple syrup. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Top evenly with pecans and brown sugar, and bake 8 more minutes or until golden.

Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Hazelnuts

Roasted Carrots

Apple-Orange Cranberry Sauce

Pioneer Woman’s Pear Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream

Good Ole Libby Pumpkin Pie

Last year at this time we took a family vacation to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.  It was the first time both of my kids saw snow and the first time in a long time any of us felt that cold!  It was a beautiful place to visit.  Since I have no food pictures to share this time around, here are a few photo memories from just a year ago… and in case I don’t get the chance to post again this week I want to wish everyone and their families a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving holiday!!

Are you all as big of fans of sweet and salty as I am?  I don’t have the biggest sweet tooth…but something about combining flavors that have just a little touch of sweet, spicy and salty that I just can’t resist.  It’s all about balance right?

My kiddies had their school Fall Festival last week and I was panicking at 7am that morning when I realized I didn’t make any treats for the party like I had planned.  I’ll admit, I’ve been in this situation many times before…so the panic didn’t phase me all that much.  I had to figure something out quick…or I would be stopping at the grocery store to pick up some cookies on the way to the festival.  Thank goodness for my overflowing overstocked pantry…I was able to pull this together.

Last year, after reading this post, I was convinced I had to buy a hot air popcorn maker.  I am so glad I did.  You have no idea how many afternoons that popper has made an appearance on my kitchen counter…my kids love watching the popcorn pop and of course eating big bowls of it while watching afternoon cartoons.  You can say it’s almost becoming a tradition. 

In addition to providing an afternoon snack  (as well as entertainment) for my kids…hot air popcorn is basically like a blank palate.  You can turn it into so many sweet or savory creations…depending on  your mood.  In this case, it turned itself into a last minute party snack.

Check out these other popcorn ideas found around the web:

White Chocolate Popcorn

Cinnamon Sugar Caramel Popcorn

Marshmallow Popcorn Cake

Popcorn with Parmesan and Pecorino

Popcorn with Rosemary Infused Oil

Sea Salted Caramel Corn
Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes
(printable recipe)

4-5 quarts popped popcorn, unsalted, unbuttered
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1 TB maple syrup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup butterscotch chips
1-2 cups salted peanuts
a few good pinches of sea salt

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Place popcorn in large cookie sheet (or sheets), set aside.

Combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, maple syrup and salt in a thick-bottomed, 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a full boil. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until candy thermometer reaches 250°F (I used my regular digital cooking thermometer) or small amount of mixture dropped in ice water forms a hard ball (about 12 to 14 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. The caramel will foam up a little and turn a lighter color when you add the baking soda

Carefully pour caramel mixture over popcorn. Top with cinnamon, butterscotch chips and peanuts and carefully stir with wooden spoon until all popcorn is evenly coated. Sprinkle sea salt generously over popcorn. Place in oven for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and gently stir, place back in oven for another 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately spread on wax paper. Let cool completely. Break into bite sized pieces. Store in air tight container.

Some housekeeping…

I’m still working on updating my Recipe Index.  I’ve also started going back through my recipes and adding a Printable Recipe link so that it’s easier for you print recipes without pictures and the extra stuff.  Hope this helps!

And also…

If you enjoy reading my blog please visit OrlandoSentinel.com and vote for Aggie’s Kitchen! I appreciate all of your support!   You can find me in the Foodies Category as well as the Best Overall Blogs category…here are the details :

Contest begins Monday, November 2 and ends Friday, November 20 at 5pm

You may vote once per category per day.  You may also vote once per day in the Best Overall Blog category.  You must log in to your OrlandoSentinel.com account in order to vote. (You don’t have to be a FL resident to set this up…it’s by email.)

Winners in each category and for “best overall” will be notified by e-mail before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25. The winner in each category will receive an ad campaign of 20,000 impressions on OrlandoSentinel.com and a rockin’ certificate. If a blog wins in more than one category (it can win in up to three), the runner-up will receive the ad campaign. If there are not enough nominations within a category like categories may be merged or a prize may not be issued for that category.

My good friend Betsy hosted a little get together for just the ladies last Saturday night for a Premier Designs jewelry party.  She was smart about getting us all over to buy some jewelry…she made it even more fun by serving delicious wine, cheese and desserts…how could one resist? 

Not only did I go home with a gorgeous new ring and bracelet…I got to drink some good wine and sample some of Betsy’s delicious desserts!  She made a flourless Chocolate-Espresso Torte with raspberry sauce that was to die for.  I don’t normally go gaga for chocolate desserts, but I could not separate myself from this one.  The raspberry sauce was the perfect complement to the rich chocolate.  I can not wait to make this one at home.  I can definitely see it making an appearance around the holidays!

Find the recipe for Chocolate-Espresso Torte here…

And of course I have to mention the adorable mini cheesecakes and classic chocolate covered strawberries.  I popped a couple of those in my mouth as well.

Find the recipe for Mini Cheesecakes here…

Thank you Betsy for a great party…and for some great recipes to share!  Since I’m baking challenged and don’t bake often I get excited when I have the opportunity to photograph and “steal” recipes from others!  Enjoy!

And for those that are interested … the wines on deck were:

Clayhouse Adobe Red 2006

Francis Coppola Petite Sirah

2007 Moon Mountain Vineyard Chardonnay

Schmitt Sohne Piesporter Michelsberg 2008

Another month…another gathering of the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club.  This month one of our members suggested the theme, Cooking with Wine.  Now if you know me, you know that got me excited.  I love my wine.

There were so many great Cooking Light recipes using wine to choose from!  I really wish this “club” wasn’t virtual…I would love to have each of these wonderful ladies cooking these dishes for me!

Cheese Fondue with Apples - Shelby from Grumpy’s Honeybunch

French Onion Soup – Helene from La Cuisine d’Helene

Baked Rice with Butternut Squash – Val from More than Burnt Toast

Salmon with White Wine-Mustard Sauce – Jamie from Mom’s Cooking Club

Red Wine Pear Crisp with Spiced Streusel – Aggie from Aggie’s Kitchen

I’m not a huge dessert eater (not saying I don’t like dessert…just don’t have it often) but when I do I tend to make something with fruit.  I like fruit cobblers/crisps/crumbles…whatever you want to call them.  I like them because they are easy to make, usually without too much fuss, and for the most part they are on the healthy side.  This pear crisp was just that.  I’ve never made a crisp/cobbler/crumble with pears, so I was looking forward to trying this.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find Bosc pears to make this with (as the recipe calls for), so I had to settle for Bartlett and I left the skins on (it may not look as pretty but the skin is where the nutrients are!).  And instead of the whipped topping I opted for a dollop of vanilla Greek yogurt.

I don’t have to tell you how delicious my kitchen was smelling while the pears were simmering in the wine and then baking in the oven with the spiced streusel.  It is a great fall dessert to treat yourself with.

The recipe can be found here on Cooking Light’s site.

Just wanted to wish my sister in law Jamie a very Happy Birthday today!

The family is getting together today to celebrate and meet a new addition to our growing family…baby Brady is the 2nd great grandchild and one of 16 cousins – Welcome to the family Baby Brady!!  It also happens to be Jamie’s birthday (as well as Brady’s parent’s 5th anniversary!  Big congrats!) and since I know how much she loves PB and Chocolate (something we have in common!) I wanted to surprise her with some of these cupcakes!  I’ve been eying them in Ina’s Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook for sometime now and this was the perfect occasion for them.  Unfortunately I am not making it to the family get together, but have sent the cupcakes up with the husband and kids!  And I forgot to leave one home for myself!!  I did get to taste a piece of cupcake and frosting separately and that was really really good…can’t imagine what I’m missing not having an entire cupcake to enjoy all to myself with a glass of milk!  Maybe Jamie will let us all know if they are as delicious as they look…

Here is a copy of the recipe on Food Network’s site!

Enjoy your birthday Jamie…and your cupcakes!  Big birthday hugs to you!

Also…congratulations to the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner giveaway…I drew a number using random.org and Cindy from FarmgirlCyn is the winner!  Your gift bag is on its way Cindy!  Thank you to everyone for entering!

PS…thank you all so much for the nice comments on my new design!  I am really excited about it and want to extend a BIG thank you to Hannah from Sherbert Blossom for all of her hard work in creating Aggie’s Kitchen’s new look!  It’s still a work in progress on my part, but I hope you will find it easy to navigate and resourceful!  Stay tuned for an organized recipe index…