Lightened-Up Broccoli Cheese Soup

This veggie-loaded broccoli cheese soup recipe is perfectly velvety and creamy without using heavy cream. Instant Pot, Crock-Pot and stovetop options all included. It’s officially -2°F outside right now and we’re on what feels like our zillionth snow day here in Kansas City and I am…over it, lol. Missing those mild Barcelona winters something fierce […]

This veggie-loaded broccoli cheese soup recipe is perfectly velvety and creamy without using heavy cream. Instant Pot, Crock-Pot and stovetop options all included.

It’s officially -2°F outside right now and we’re on what feels like our zillionth snow day here in Kansas City and I am…over it, lol. Missing those mild Barcelona winters something fierce right about now. But we’ve been doing our best to get back into the Midwestern groove by keeping our new fireplace running, stocking up on cozy blankets and new hot teas, and making soups, soups, soups galore.

One of our recent favorites? This creamy veggie-loaded broccoli cheese soup. ♡

I have to admit the recipe came about purely as an effort to get more veggies into our toddler, who is pretty hit and miss on anything green lately. But once pureed into a velvety, creamy, vibrant green soup and loaded up with crunchy croutons on top, this broccoli cheese soup turned out to be a total win! I added in a generous amount of veggies and took a tip from my friend, Kathryne, to blend a starchy potato into the soup to make it thick and creamy (instead of using extra heavy cream). And the end result was full of fresh broccoli flavor, deliciously creamy and cheesy, and the perfect way to warm up on a far-below-freezing day.

I’ve included options for how to make this recipe in either the Instant Pot, Crock-Pot or on the stovetop. And as I’ve noted below, there are all sorts of fun ways that you can customize this soup with extra veggies or different seasonings if you’d like. I’m just going to insist that you buy a good block of sharp cheddar to shred and blend in here, as its flavor can really make all the different in a good broccoli cheese soup.

For all of you who are also braving the arctic blasts out there, stay warm this week. And let’s make some delicious soup together!

(more…)

Winter Farro Salad

This winter farro salad recipe is made with the most delicious blend of seasonal fruit, greens, nuts, crumbled cheese and tossed with a vibrant orange ginger vinaigrette. Ideal winter salad situation right here. ♡♡♡ I could seriously live on this one for easy breakfasts, lunches or dinners this time of year. It’s loaded up with […]

This winter farro salad recipe is made with the most delicious blend of seasonal fruit, greens, nuts, crumbled cheese and tossed with a vibrant orange ginger vinaigrette.

Ideal winter salad situation right here. ♡♡♡

I could seriously live on this one for easy breakfasts, lunches or dinners this time of year. It’s loaded up with sweet and juicy pears (or apples, clementines, grapes…whatever fruit is most ripe that week), lots of chewy nutty farro, peppery chopped arugula, tangy crumbled goat cheese or feta, sweet chopped dates, crunchy toasted pecans and paper-thin sliced shallots. Then everything is tossed together in a vibrant orange ginger vinaigrette. So fresh, so filling, and seriously SO so delicious.

It’s a great salad to prep ahead of time for office lunches or easy weeknight dinners. And while we find this salad to be plenty hearty and flavorful served as a vegetarian entrée, it would also be delicious served with grilled chicken, steak, salmon, or just about any other protein of your choice. I’ve included lots of options below for how to play around with the recipe and customize various components to your liking. So please feel free to have fun with this one and make it your own. I know you’re going to love it!

(more…)

White Wine Sautéed Mushrooms

This lovely white wine sautéed mushrooms recipe is quick and easy to make, full of rich savory flavors, and can pair well as a side dish with many different entrées. Looking for a super-simple yet elegant side dish to serve for dinner? These white wine sautéed mushrooms are always a great idea. This recipe has […]

This lovely white wine sautéed mushrooms recipe is quick and easy to make, full of rich savory flavors, and can pair well as a side dish with many different entrées.

Looking for a super-simple yet elegant side dish to serve for dinner? These white wine sautéed mushrooms are always a great idea.

This recipe has been one of my back-pocket favorites for years to pair with various meat or seafood entrées, pastas, risottos, salads, grain bowls, quiches and more. Simply sauté a big batch of mushrooms in butter and olive oil until they are perfectly browned and caramelized, toss with garlic and your favorite seasonings, deglaze and simmer in white wine, then finish with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan. I mean, there’s really no way to go wrong here, right?

That said, this recipe is clearly very flexible and open to customization. So if you’d like to experiment with different seasonings, add in a drizzle of pesto or balsamic glaze, sauté with shallots or pancetta, sprinkle on some nuts, or toss with cream…please feel free. It’s one of those dishes that can be easily dressed up for a formal dinner, but simple enough to also whip up on a busy weeknight. And after years of making various versions of it, I can vouch that mushroom-lovers around the table always make the entire pan disappear. ♡

Let’s sauté some mushrooms!

(more…)

Swedish Meatballs

This traditional Swedish meatballs recipe is bursting with rich, savory flavors and topped with a creamy gravy. Always so comforting served over mashed potatoes or noodles! Who’s ready for a big bowl of Swedish meatballs served over buttery mashed potatoes with a generous ladle of creamy gravy on top? ♡ I don’t know about you, […]

This traditional Swedish meatballs recipe is bursting with rich, savory flavors and topped with a creamy gravy. Always so comforting served over mashed potatoes or noodles!

Who’s ready for a big bowl of Swedish meatballs served over buttery mashed potatoes with a generous ladle of creamy gravy on top? ♡

I don’t know about you, but this classic is always one of my favorite comfort foods this time of year. I actually had the good fortune of being able to visit Stockholm a few times while we were living in Europe, and always loved sampling the various takes on traditional meatballs and gravy around town (in between eating a million kanelbular). My favorite meatballs were always those that were more generously-seasoned with spices such as nutmeg and ginger and allspice, those that were browned until caramelized and slightly crispy on the outsides, and of course, those served up with creamy potatoes and gravy and a spoonful of lingonberry sauce on the side. The Swedes definitely have this classic combo dialed in — those savory, creamy, sweet flavors are just impossible to beat!

Now that we’re back in the States, I’ve been working on fine-tuning my own favorite Swedish meatball recipe to make here at home. I’ve aimed for it to be as traditional as possible (although from what I’ve read, there are a number of different ways that this classic is actually prepared in Sweden, so please take my interpretation with a grain of salt). The meatball recipe is a riff on my tried-and-true classic meatball recipe, but browned on the stovetop with some different seasonings mixed in and then topped with a classic creamy gravy. I highly recommend whipping up a batch of my favorite mashed potatoes to serve here, or you can opt for wide egg noodles instead. And if lingonberry sauce isn’t available where you are (we admittedly pick up ours from IKEA or Amazon), a dollop of cranberry sauce on each plate is always a delicious substitute too.

Let’s make some Swedish meatballs!

(more…)

Irish Coffee

This classic Irish coffee recipe is easy to make with 4 ingredients in just a few minutes. Always so warm and cozy! Let’s warm up with a hot mug of Irish coffee! ♡ This classic 4-ingredient cocktail is always such a fun and cozy drink to serve during the wintertime — especially if you’re making […]

This classic Irish coffee recipe is easy to make with 4 ingredients in just a few minutes. Always so warm and cozy!

Let’s warm up with a hot mug of Irish coffee! ♡

This classic 4-ingredient cocktail is always such a fun and cozy drink to serve during the wintertime — especially if you’re making a big round of drinks for a group — and it’s very simple and straightforward to make as well. Simply brew up your favorite coffee, mix it with a shot of Irish whiskey, add in your desired amount of sweetener, and top with a generous dollop of whipped cream. (I also highly recommend adding some chocolate or nutmeg shavings on top too!)

If you happen to be sensitive to caffeine in the evenings like I am, you’re more than welcome to brew a pot of decaf to make these cocktails caffeine-free. And if you’re looking for a fun twist on the classic, it can also be fun to swap whipped cream for a scoop of melty vanilla ice cream and serve these as floats instead.

Let’s make some Irish coffee! (more…)

Snickerdoodle Blondies

This snickerdoodle blondies recipe is irresistibly rich, buttery, tangy, and sprinkled with a crunchy cinnamon-sugar topping. Yes, they’re just as good as you would imagine. ♡♡♡ Turns out that everyone’s favorite cinnamon-sugar cookie (with its signature slight hint of tanginess) is a dessert mashup match made in heaven with rich, buttery, caramelized blondies. I simply […]

This snickerdoodle blondies recipe is irresistibly rich, buttery, tangy, and sprinkled with a crunchy cinnamon-sugar topping.

Yes, they’re just as good as you would imagine. ♡♡♡

Turns out that everyone’s favorite cinnamon-sugar cookie (with its signature slight hint of tanginess) is a dessert mashup match made in heaven with rich, buttery, caramelized blondies. I simply added some extra cinnamon and cream of tartar to my favorite blondies recipe, tossed the batter with white chocolate chips, sprinkled the tops with a thin layer of crunchy cinnamon sugar and popped them in the oven until they were just ever-so-slightly underbaked (the key with blondies!). And oh my goodness, they were so much better than I even expected.

We absolutely loved these snickerdoodle blondies, as did everyone who happened to be passing through out house during the weeks that our first batch…the second batch…then third batch were available for the sampling. Highly recommend adding them to your baking bucket list this holiday season!

(more…)

Creamy Garlic Mushroom Orzo

This creamy garlic mushroom orzo pasta recipe is easy to make and always so comforting and delicious. Say hello to one of my favorite back-pocket recipes that’s elegant enough to dress up for a dinner party or date night…yet also totally easy enough to whip up for a busy weeknight dinner in. ♡ This comforting […]

This creamy garlic mushroom orzo pasta recipe is easy to make and always so comforting and delicious.

Say hello to one of my favorite back-pocket recipes that’s elegant enough to dress up for a dinner party or date night…yet also totally easy enough to whip up for a busy weeknight dinner in. ♡

This comforting creamy garlic mushroom orzo works for just about any occasion. And here in our house, it is always such a winner. It’s made with a full pound of mushrooms, which we’ll sauté in butter with garlic and shallots until browned and extra-flavorful. To those, we’ll layer in a creamy basil sauce made with lots of umami-rich Parmesan, plus some (optional) lemon juice and zest if you’d like. And just before serving, everything is mixed together with al dente orzo and fresh spinach to create a well-balanced, comforting, and beautiful pasta dish that everyone is certain to love.

We generally serve this dish vegetarian in our house, but feel free to add in an extra protein (Italian sausage, chicken, shrimp, etc) or some meatballs if you would like. You’re also totally welcome to add in some extra veggies or sun-dried tomatoes, or change the seasonings here completely (ideas below). The dish itself is quite flexible and versatile, so it’s a great one to bookmark and customize with whatever ingredients you happen to be craving and have on hand.

Let’s make some orzo!

(more…)

Homemade Dog Treats (3 Ingredients!)

This 3-ingredient homemade dog treats recipe is quick and easy to make and cut into whatever shapes you love. This holiday cookie season, we can’t forget about our furry friends! I don’t know about your dogs, but our sweet elderly pup, Fiona, has been sniffing eagerly around the kitchen all season long as we’ve been […]

This 3-ingredient homemade dog treats recipe is quick and easy to make and cut into whatever shapes you love.

This holiday cookie season, we can’t forget about our furry friends!

I don’t know about your dogs, but our sweet elderly pup, Fiona, has been sniffing eagerly around the kitchen all season long as we’ve been baking up a storm. So I decided to whip up a simple batch of pet-safe dog treats to keep on hand for her so that she wouldn’t be left out of the sweet cookie fun.

After a bit of research, I decided to play it as safe as possible and limit the ingredient list to three basic AKC-approved ingredients for dogs — natural peanut butter, oat flour and bananas. Simply mix all three together until you have a dough that is firm enough to roll out. Cut out your desired shapes, like these cute little dog bones. Bake until crispy, and drizzle with a little extra peanut butter if you’d like. Then get ready to make your pup’s day. ♡♡♡

Lol, Fiona was convinced she won the lottery with these peanut butter cookies and jumps and twirls and wags her tail a million miles per hour each time we bring another one out for her to enjoy. So hopefully your pup is a big fan too! Enjoy!

(more…)

Kimchi Beef Noodle Soup

This kimchi beef noodle soup recipe is made with your choice of noodles, veggies, and a richly seasoned sesame kimchi broth. Stovetop, Instant Pot and Crock-Pot options included! When we were living in Barcelona, our flat happened to be a block away from my absolute favorite Korean restaurant in the city. And on cold winter […]

This kimchi beef noodle soup recipe is made with your choice of noodles, veggies, and a richly seasoned sesame kimchi broth. Stovetop, Instant Pot and Crock-Pot options included!

When we were living in Barcelona, our flat happened to be a block away from my absolute favorite Korean restaurant in the city. And on cold winter days when I returned home chilled to the bone after walking all around town running errands, their kimchi soups were always some of my favorite ways to warm up. I tended to alternate between soondubu jjigae or yukgaejang or their various Korean ramens — basically anything that came with their richly-flavored kimchi broths. And to say those soups sparked joy would be an understatement. I absolutely loved them.

Well, fast forward to our first winter now living back in the States, and I have to admit I’ve been missing Barcelona and these particular kimchi soups lately something fierce. So I’ve been experimenting with making my own kimchi broths here at home and have recently landed on this one as a favorite. I want to note that it’s just loosely inspired by some of the soups I have tried, so if you’re looking for an authentic recipe for a traditional Korean dish, please turn instead to any of the talented Korean food bloggers out there. But if you’re looking for an incredibly cozy and flavorful soup to try this winter, this broth is loaded up with lots of fresh kimchi, spices, garlic, ginger and sesame. And when slow-cooked with beef until it’s fall-apart-tender, lots of mushrooms (plus the veggies from the kimchi), and your choice of noodles, this soup has quickly become one of my new favorite comfort foods. It’s so cozy and flavorful!

I’ve included options below for how to make this soup using either the Instant Pot, Crock-Pot or a simple pot on the stovetop — all great options. Feel free too to add whatever other types of veggies and noodles (or rice!) that you love best here. And if you feel like adding an egg on top, that’s never a bad idea either.

Let’s simmer up a big pot of soup together, friends!

(more…)

Hot Buttered Rum

Hot buttered rum is the perfect cozy cocktail to warm you up on a winter’s night and perfect for easy entertaining. Another warm cocktail recipe that needs to be in your winter rotation — hot buttered rum! ♡ I have to admit I was late to the party when it came to this classic rum […]

Hot buttered rum is the perfect cozy cocktail to warm you up on a winter’s night and perfect for easy entertaining.

Another warm cocktail recipe that needs to be in your winter rotation — hot buttered rum! ♡

I have to admit I was late to the party when it came to this classic rum cocktail, having spent years usually turning to mulled wine or a hot toddy once the weather grew cold. But while living in Europe, we were (re)introduced to various versions of this creamy spiced cocktail and were quickly reminded why it’s been such a favorite now for centuries. It’s absolutely delightful! And, as it turns out, a super convenient cocktail for large groups if you happen to be entertaining around the holidays.

This colonial-era cocktail is said to have originally been made by floating a pat of butter atop a mug filled with hot water and rum. But most modern versions usually kick things up a notch by adding a spiced butter batter to the cocktail, made with warming spices, sugar, a pinch of salt, and — the surprise starring ingredient — a few scoops of vanilla ice cream. It only takes a few minutes to mix up a batch of the butter batter, then you can pop it in the freezer to have on hand all season long to mix with rum and hot water for an impromptu single cocktail or a big batch for a dinner party with friends. We’ve found it to be such a fun drink to serve at winter gatherings and everyone always loves the creamy, frothing topping served with a cute cinnamon stick for garnish.

So if you’re looking for a cozy cocktail to warm up with this season, grab a bottle of rum and let’s make a batch!

Hot Buttered Rum Ingredients

Here are a few quite notes about the hot buttered rum ingredients you will need to make this recipe:

  • Dark rum: I really recommend using dark rum in this recipe, which has a more complex and intense caramel flavor than light rum. That said, light rum will also totally work here, or you can use a spiced rum which will add to the spices in the butter batter.
  • Spiced butter batter: Our spiced butter batter butter is quick and easy to make with creamy vanilla ice cream, white and brown sugars, a mixture of warming spices (ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves) and a pinch of sea salt. We’ll freeze the mixture, and then you’re welcome to just dip in for a scoop whenever you’d like to make a cocktail!
  • Boiling water: We’ll add boiling water to the rum and frozen butter batter mixture to ensure that the drink is nice and warm.
  • Garnish (optional): Finally, you’re welcome to garnish your drink with a cinnamon stick or star anise if you’d like, or you’re also welcome to add a swirl of whipped cream on top.

Hot Buttered Rum Tips

Full instructions for how to make hot buttered are included in the full recipe below, but here are a few additional tips to keep in mind:

  • Use a good-quality rum: The flavor of your rum will really shine through in this cocktail, so I recommend a mid- to higher-priced dark rum whose flavor you love.
  • Adjust ingredient ratios to taste: Feel free to give the cocktail a taste and add more rum, butter batter or water to taste.
  • Sweeten to taste: I find this cocktail to be plenty sweet as written, but you’re welcome to stir in some extra sugar or maple syrup (or your desired sweetener) if needed.
  • Serve in pre-warmed mugs: To keep the cocktail nice and hot, I recommend warming your mugs beforehand.

Hot Buttered Rum Variations

Here are a few optional variations that you are welcome to try when making this hot buttered rum recipe:

  • Add ginger: Stir a thin slice of fresh ginger into your cocktail for an extra kick of ginger spice.
  • Add citrus: Add an orange slice to the cocktail or add some orange zest to the spiced butter batter for extra citrus.
  • Use a different liquor: Use your favorite whiskey, brandy or cognac in place of the rum.
  • Use tea: Use your favorite tea (I would recommend a black tea) in place of the water.
  • Make it dairy-free: Use your favorite dairy-free vanilla ice cream and butter in the spiced butter batter.

More Warm Winter Drinks To Try

Looking for more cozy warm drinks and cocktails to try this winter? Here are a few of our favorites:

Print

Hot Buttered Rum

  • Author: Ali
  • Prep Time: 1 mins
  • Cook Time: 2 mins
  • Total Time: 3 mins
  • Yield: 1 serving

Description

Hot buttered rum is the perfect cozy cocktail to warm you up on a winter’s night and perfect for easy entertaining.


Ingredients

Individual Cocktail Ingredients (Single Serving):

  • 2 ounces (1/4 cup) dark rum
  • 2 tablespoons spiced butter batter
  • 6 to 8 ounces boiling water
  • optional: cinnamon stick or star anise, for garnish

Spiced Butter Batter Ingredients (32 servings):

  • 2 cups vanilla ice cream, lightly softened
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened to room temperature
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

  1. Make the spiced rum batter. Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir (or use an electric beater to mix) until evenly combined and smooth. Freeze the batter in an airtight container until ready to use.
  2. Mix the cocktail. Briefly stir together the rum and 2 tablespoons of the spiced rum batter in a heat-safe mug. Add your desired amount of boiling water and stir until the batter is melted and evenly combined.
  3. Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes

Prep time: Prep time listed above is for a single cocktail, with the spiced butter batter previously mixed. The butter batter takes about 10 minutes to prep on its own.