Tasty Holiday Recipes: Butter Cider Rum, Pumpkin Cheesecake, and Meatballs! December 4, 2012 by


I just celebrated my fiance's birthday yesterday. I made some tasty treats for the party. You guys should try them out!

Easy Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Recipe Inspiration

This is very easy. You essentially take a jar of chili sauce, a jar of jam or jelly of your choice, some frozen meatballs, and cook them until you get a delicious appetizer! I used strawberry and raspberry preserves instead of grape jelly. For the meatballs I grabbed some frozen Italian meatballs from the grocery store. To add a bit more color and flavor, I added some bell peppers and half of a large onion that I chopped with my Ninja blender/chopper. I cooked them on low in my slowcooker for 4-5 hours, and presto....amazing meatballs! Can also be done on the stovetop faster. Add some chili flakes and/or cayenne pepper if you want them spicy.

Butter Cider Rum

Recipe Inspiration

While the original recipe says to add water, that honestly tasted a bit bland, and 3 ounces of rum per cup would be way too much for me (I don't like to taste the alcohol). I used some apple juice for the base instead and with some spices it turned into cider. I served about 20 people with small cups. I used a 6 quart pot: I poured in 2 cups of light brown sugar, 1 container of apple cider/apple juice, added an extra 1/4 cup of butter (3/4 cup total), ground cinnamon, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, ground ginger, nutmeg, and about 1 cup of spiced rum. I also added some chili flakes to give it a kick, and put in a bit of vanilla. Then heat it all up and boil for a while.

This recipe can be made to your taste, so change something slightly, taste it, then see if it is going in the right direction. If it is too strong or sweet, add some more water/juice. I think with 1 cup of rum, you shouldn't be able to taste the alcohol, but it adds some flavor. If your guests want it stronger, let them add to their cup. Top it all off with some whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon :-) .

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Recipe Inspiration

I don't think I modified this recipe too much. I used cinnamon graham crackers for the crust. I didn't really measure the spices, I just sprinkled cinnamon and the others until I was satisfied--which means there was a TON of cinnamon in the cake, just how I like it. Because I had two regular pie dishes (the original recipe calls for a taller springform pan), I just split the batter in two and made an additional crust to bake two pies. This was a good thing because we had so many people, and now there are leftovers. Which reminds me....I haven't had my dessert yet!

I received lots of compliments yesterday; I was very pleased with how they all turned out.

Let me know what you think, and I hope you give these recipes a try.

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My boyfriend proposed to me by hacking Zelda!November 30, 2011 by

Yes! Of course I will!






The beautiful ring and heart container.





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Cheap, Fast, Easy, Healthy Recipes!July 18, 2011 by

This is a random food post. I've been trying to find good recipes because I don't enjoy cooking too much. I do like eating the results though! Here are a few of my favorites that are cheap, easy, relatively healthy, and super fast (at least to prepare).



Steel-Cut Oats

Steel-cut oats are not the same as oatmeal. They are a bit nuttier in taste and not as mushy (you can actually see each individual grain). You may think that steel-cut oats are a pain to prepare.  While they do take a while to cook, if you do it the night before it isn't too difficult. This recipe makes a TON of oatmeal (easily enough for a week), so you can put it in the fridge or freeze it and just warm it up in the microwave. It does look a bit gross once it has been in the fridge but it will still taste good.

Stovetop method:

1) Boil 6 cups of water (add a bit of salt too, less than 1 teaspoon).

2) Pour in 1.5 cups of steel-cut oats and cook for one min.

3) Turn OFF heat and cover overnight.

The oats will absorb the water and cook while you sleep :-) . Better yet, there's no mess or watching the oats!

4) In the morning, take some of the oats and put in the microwave for a few minutes. Add some milk, brown sugar or maple syrup, dried fruit, fresh fruit, nuts, whatever you want! Put the leftovers in the fridge and enjoy oats all week. When you reheat in the microwave, you may need to add a little water.

Microwave: Alternatively, you can put 1/4 cup oats in a large bowl in a microwave and 3/4 cup water. Microwave for 5 minutes. Stir. Microwave for 3 min. Stir and eat. Soaking them overnight in water would decrease the cooking time further. Beware that you need a large bowl because the oats might boil over! You could try a longer time at 50% power to reduce the chances of a messy breakfast.

If you want super nutty oats, you can try toasting them with a small amount of butter on the stove before cooking them.

Egg in a Basket

1) Take a piece of toast and put a little bit of butter on both sides.

2) Rip out a hole in the center of the toast. Put toast on pan.

3) Crack an egg and put it into the center of the toast.

4) Cook until the egg is "done", whatever that means to you :-) . Runny, well-done, it's all good.



Baked Chicken with Black Beans and Tomatoes. Your friends won't believe that you spent 5 minutes on this dish because it tastes so good. Great for potlucks.

One of the easiest and fastest recipes (to prepare) I've ever tried. Put chicken thighs, 1 can tomatoes, and 1 can black beans into an oven dish. Bake. Eat. Yeah....it's THAT quick! Here are more detailed instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2) Take out 3 thawed chicken thighs (could use other parts of chicken too, breasts would also be good but it wouldn't be quite as juicy), and place them into a baking dish.

3) Open 1 can of black beans and 1 can of diced tomatoes. Squeeze out the excess juices/oils with a spoon.

4) Pour beans and tomatoes into dish evenly.

5) Put dish in oven.

6) Bake for roughly an hour (keep checking). You can add some salt and pepper if you want a bit more flavor.

Steamed Chicken, Rice, and Veggies

If you have a combo ricecooker/steamer, this is super easy. You can also use a regular steamer and a pot.

1) Follow directions on package for rice. Put in 1 cup dry rice and appropriate amount of water (wash first if necessary).

2) Put chicken (it's OK if it is frozen as long as it isn't super thick, it will get cooked because the steam is so hot), and veggies into steamer basket. Frozen or fresh veggies work.

3) Steam until rice is done. Check chicken to make sure it is done.

You can also do other types of meat, including fish and beef.

Cream of Mushroom Soup With Tomatoes and Beans

OK....so this isn't super healthy (lots of sodium!), but the veggies make it a bit better :-) . I normally like eating this over some rice.

1) Take 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and put it in a medium-sized pot (a small pot is NOT big enough, you'll be adding lots to this).

2) Add 1 can of water or milk (or 1/2 water and 1/2 milk). Trust me, the milk tastes better!!!

3) Add 1 can of kidney beans (black beans work too), some green beans, and a can of diced tomatoes. (You might want to get rid of the extra juices first).

4) Heat and then pour over some rice if you want.


Banana Goodness

1) Cut up one banana into roughly 15 slices.

2) Add about 10 chocolate chips and 10  small marshmallows (calorie-wise, the sweets are roughly ~50 calories and ~7 grams of sugar, not bad for a dessert. You need to eat fruit anyway).

3) Heat in microwave for 30 seconds. Check if the chocolate chips are squishy and melted. If not, nuke another 20 secs.

Ta da! It's a bit messy, but oh so yummy!

Real Hot Cocoa

I like this better than that instant crap. It's also much healthier for you. The taste will be a bit subtle, but it is still chocolatey and good. Note that you will have to stir the mixture as you drink so that the cocoa doesn't all settle to the bottom.

1) Get some real pure cocoa with NO sugar added (got mine at Trader Joe's).

2) Take a small spoonfull, roughly 1 teaspoon, and add it to a mug of milk (8-10 oz). (You don't want to add much more than this otherwise it is going to be bitter!). Stir (it won't dissolve well at this point).

3) Heat in microwave for about 90 secs or until hot.

4) Stir again. You can then add a little honey, a small spoonfull of sugar, and/or a few marshmallows.

"Candied" Yams (Great for a potluck!)

There are a couple ways you can go about this: canned yams/sweet potatoes or a real sweet potato.

1) Heat oven to 325 degrees.

The general idea of this recipe is to mix  (cooked) yams/sweet potatoes, brown sugar, and butter, and then top with marshmallows. Then just heat in the oven until the marshmallows are slightly brown. You can also do this in the microwave, but of course the marshmallows will just be sticky and not browned.

Can - Normally they have instructions on the actual can. You can use them as a guideline. I tend to use less of the syrup in the can and less sugar/butter, and it still comes out tasty. Try pouring out 1/2 of the syrup.

Real Potatoes - You can either steam the yams or cook them in an oven. Halve the yams (face down if steaming, face up if using oven). Don't peel the skins off, it is much easier after they are cooked. It will probably take at least 20 min to make them soft. Once they have cooled a bit, peel off the skins (they should slide right off).

2) Put yams into oven dish. Add 2 teaspoons butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Stir. Add marshmallows on top (~1 cup).

3) Cook for 20-25 minutes until marshmallows are brown.


Let me know what you guys think!

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