Blog - Girl and Her Kitchen

Holiday Baking! Pistachio Cookies Dipped in Dark Chocolate

These cookies are a gem from my mother that everyone needs in their Christmas Cookie rotation. These delicate, nutty cookies are packed with flavor, and then dipped into rich dark chocolate to finish them off. They are small and look beautiful with their light green hue from the pistachios and the dark contrast with the chocolate. They are pretty easy, and the dough does not need to chill which is the most annoying part of mass cookie baking in my opinion. These are fancy, but without the fancy instructions or ingredients.

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Pistachio Cookies Dipped in Dark Chocolate

Author: Heather

Recipe type: Cookies

Cuisine: Dessert

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 1 hour

Serves: 24

These delicate nutty cookies are a perfect addition to your seasonal favorites.

Ingredients

2 cups shelled, roasted pistachios, about 12 oz.
1 cup of butter, softened (2 sticks)
⅓ cup powdered sugar
½ tsp salt
2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
1 tsp water
Sugar for rolling
4 oz dark chocolate
1 tsp vegetable or coconut oil

Instructions

Heat oven to 300 degrees.
(If nuts are not roasted, toast on a cookie sheet for 6-7 minutes.
If they are roasted, no need to do this step).
Grind nuts in food processor until finely ground but NOT a paste. Be careful!
In a large bowl, beat butter, powdered sugar and salt with a hand mixer on medium until light & fluffy
Lower speed, gradually add flour until just blended.
Add vanilla, almond extract and water
Gently mix in pistachios
Roll tablespoons of dough into balls.
Once all dough is rolled into balls, roll them all in sugar
Place 2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheets
Press down lightly to flatten
Bake on top and middle racks for 15 minutes
Switch sheets around on baking racks and bake for another 15 minutes.
Let cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes.
Melt chocolate and oil in microwave
Dip half of cooled cookie in chocolate and let rest on wire rack with parchment paper underneath (to catch the dripping chocolate!) for 20 minutes
Refrigerate to cool completely
Keep in a tightly lidded container for up to one week

Travel

Mother Daughter Trip to NYC! Trip Details + The Stuff You Can’t Miss! {Part Three}

Waking up on the third day of our New York Mother Daughter getaway was bittersweet. We had an amazing day ahead of us, but we were leaving later that night to head home. We couldn’t wait to see our families, but we were having the time of our lives! We got up really early that morning to shower and get ready to see the rest of New York! We checked our luggage at the hotel since check out was at noon and we wouldn’t be coming back to the hotel until after dinner. The hotel was so nice and understanding about everything. We had such a pleasant experience at the Hampton Inn Times Square.

We were heading to Central Park and the Upper East side on our third day, and we talked to the concierge again about using the subway. She told us we could walk up there, but we were worried about how much walking we would be doing and we didn’t want to tire ourselves out right away. We took the subway, but as we got off as quick as we got in, we realized we really could have easily done the walk!

We started out exploring the Plaza Hotel. I mean, you HAVE to check that hotel out if you are in New York City! It was really cool to walk around and look at it, but the lobby is off limits to anyone that is not a hotel guest. Walking around and perusing the shops was fun and gave us a real feel of the elegance of the hotel. There is a really unique food court in the lower level that is worth a look. Don’t leave before checking it out!

Afterwards we split up from our friends to do some exploring on our own. My daughter and I headed to an adorable little gem called Alice’s Tea Cup. It is a little tea shop and cafe and really worth a stop if you are traveling with your daughter. There are two locations and we went to the one closest to the other things that we were doing. It was called Chapter ii on 64th Street. It is the cutest little place and you can order a pot of tea and some scones and just sit and talk. It was one of my favorite moments with her because I had her all to myself. I know that she is growing up fast and to sit there with her, enjoying a pot of tea and talking about life, it was priceless.

The tea selection is out of this world. So many to choose from, we had trouble picking! We finally chose a fruity blend called High Noon and it was really good! We ordered two scones, a ham and cheese and a strawberry blueberry. They were served with whipped butter, fresh jam and clotted cream. They were so good and we were really hungry! Perfect combination. Little tip…check out the bathroom when you are there. It is so cute!

Afterwards we did a little shopping and walking around the neighborhood. We noticed that in New York City, every neighborhood has its own vibe, and own identity. After visiting so many different neighborhoods so quickly, we really could see the differences. We had a great morning stopping in shops and walking around in the beautiful weather we were so lucky to get.

Our next stop was Serendipity for a Frozen Hot Chocolate. It is a must stop and a longstanding cafe in Manhattan. When we arrived, we had to wait a few minutes to be seated and it was an off time…around 11:30 am. The host told us that sometimes it gets so crowded you could wait hours, so I thought that a good tip for others visiting might be to make reservations if you know when you will be stopping in…just in case.

We ordered some soup for lunch and a frozen hot chocolate to share and it was worth the wait! The soup was delicious but the Frozen Hot Chocolate was divine!

We had enough to eat and were ready to walk it off. We headed to Central Park to begin exploring all of the spots we had read about. The beautiful Gapstow Bridge was our first sighting (where Home Alone 2 was filmed!) It was so pretty and picturesque. We headed past that and followed the paths around to see several sights in Central Park. We only had about two and a half hours there, but literally could have spent all day walking around. The Alice and Wonderland statue, Conservatory Water, the baseball fields, Shakespeare Park, Strawberry Fields, the Great Lawn, Central Park Lake and Cherry Hill were all some beautiful spots that we got to see.

So many spots were so pretty, but the Mall and Literary Walk was by far my favorite. If you visit one spot in Central Park, make this one the one. It is an area in Central Park so filled with life you won’t want to leave! Musicians, performers, artists, and people just hanging out and enjoying life were everywhere. You couldn’t help but feel happy walking through there! They were even filming a movie there when we were walking through which made it even more exciting!

We reluctantly finished up at Central Park and met back up with our friends for dinner. We walked just a few blocks to Blacktap Craft Burgers, a place my daughter really wanted to go to…and not only for the burgers! Mostly, she wanted to go for the shakes! And we did enjoy those shakes! It felt good to sit down after walking all day and enjoy a really good meal. The burger selection was really good and the chicken sandwich I got was delicious! The shakes were so good. We ordered the Brooklyn Blackout and even sharing it we could not finish it! It was worth every sip.

We headed back to our hotel to grab our luggage and head to LaGuardia to go home and say goodbye to our fun getaway! Our only regret? We could have used more time to see even more than we did! We would have loved to explore the museums and just ran out of time! But life is busy and three days was what we could spare and we really packed it in and enjoyed every moment. I hope my trip itinerary helps you plan the most amazing Mother Daughter trip. This was an amazing trip that I will never forget! Every moment was special because I was with my daughter and our great friends, and we also got to see things we have never seen before. It was such a wonderful experience and I hope you all have the opportunity to use these ideas and create a perfect trip of your own!

Travel

Mother Daughter Trip to NYC! Trip Details + The Stuff You Can’t Miss! {Part Two}

If you are planning a trip to New York, specifically the Manhattan area, anytime soon, get a good pair of walking shoes! Day 2 exploring the city was so fun, and we walked most of it. Yes, of course you can UBER or take a cab, that is definitely an option. The weather was so mild and we wanted to see it all, so we chose the subway and walking route for most of our day.

We started the day bright and early with a little breakfast at our hotel. It was a complimentary, continental type breakfast, which was a nice way to start the day with some nourishment. We knew we would be eating out and about, but we grabbed a quick bite before we left. We made a stop at the concierge before going out to get a little more information on using the Subway and she was so helpful! She really took away any nervousness we had about using the subway and gave us a great map to use. We started our trip with the map below, and I highly recommend it if you are taking a trip there anytime soon. I know, I know…everything can be done on your phone these days, but I worried about service and about battery life, so I liked the comfort of having a good, old fashioned hard copy map in my purse to use.

Our first stop was the Highline. Basically this is an old historic elevated freight rail line train that the community turned into a beautiful, garden like walking path. It is not only pretty on the path, but the views of the city are amazing and cannot be missed! It was a short, easy subway ride and a short walk over to the stairs to walk up to get there. We loved walking along and seeing different views of the eclectic neighborhoods. We stepped off the Highline at the Chelsea Market to do some shopping.

Chelsea Market is a huge, indoor urban shopping experience. Beautiful, local made goods, food and flowers for sale in small shops within the walls of the warehouse. We could have spent hours there, but knew we were on limited time so tried to make the most of it. We enjoyed a crepe filled with nutella and bananas from the amazing food court (not your usual food court!) and bought a few souvenirs for family back at home. We tried some chocolate from a chocolate shop and enjoyed perusing through the various shops which included a spice shoppe, and Italian foods market, a off the rack clothing store and a fun large scale shop filled with little local shops and crafters selling their gorgeous wares. It was a great experience, and I think if I actually lived near there I would be shopping there very often!

Afterwards, we made our way on the subway to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. As we walked up to the Memorial, we found that the line to get into the museum was incredibly long and that there was a separate line to buy tickets as well. One of the employees gave us the hint to buy the tickets on our phone so we saved ourselves one wait in a line. We did just that, but that might be another thing you may want to do before you arrive is pre-buy the tickets so you are not standing in the cold trying to do it as quickly as possible on your phone. You can buy them up to six months in advance and might make your visit a little less stressful when you arrive. The museum was a sobering experience and many of the exhibits brought tears to my eyes. Living through the horrors of 9/11 made this trip even more meaningful, and I was glad that I was able to share it with my daughter to show her what an impact this tragic event had on our country.

Getting out into the fresh air after the museum was the best thing that we could have done to refresh our spirit. We started making our way to the Battery Park. We walked from the 9/11 museum and it was a long walk, but definitely doable. We had researched all the wonderful ferry tours of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and although we longed to have that experience, we just didn’t have enough time in our day to take a three hour ferry ride. We settled for a long distance glimpse of the statue of liberty and although it wasn’t as close as I yearned to get, I was glad that we were able to see it from afar.

Our next stop was Chinatown, and we decided to grab and Uber for this trek since it was a little long to walk and by this time we were getting really hungry and tired from all of the walking. The Uber driver seemed to not know where he was going (which seemed to be an odd theme in NY…no one seemed to be able to help you find anything! We wondered how they made their own way around the city!), so he dropped us off at the edge of Chinatown near Little Italy. Although we went into a few shops, I think we had passed the touristy part of Chinatown so we felt like we really didn’t get the full experience of the neighborhood.

We did, however, enter a lot of kitschy souvenir shops and haggle with the salespeople. It was fun and I think they like it as much as we do. We bought a few t-shirts and fun gifts for people. Afterwards we decided that we had to stop and eat or we would fall over. We wandered onto Mulberry Street and found a huge strip of Italian Restaurants. We had officially wandered into Little Italy. We wondered where to go, we had done some research, but were so hungry we were willing to take anything. We walked down the street and were bombarded by young men outside of the restaurant trying to talk you into eating in their restaurant. It was so funny! My daughter thought it was hilarious. Finally, one of the men swayed us with his intense effort to get us into his place, and we succumbed to his charm! Caffe Napoli did not disappoint! We were so glad that we wandered in because the food was amazing. My daughter had Pasta Carbonara and I had Cavatelli Siciliana, a delicious eggplant and mozzarella pasta. They served warm bread on the table and their house wine was perfect. The service was great and the staff were so friendly and very charming. I would highly recommend stopping in here for a bite to eat!

We were full, but couldn’t be in Little Italy in New York City without sampling more delicious food. We stopped at the famous Ferrara Bakery and sampled a cannoli and some gelato. We had barely eaten all day, and we were making up for it now!

How could one possibly choose what to get here? I mean, could I just say, “I’ll have one of everything?”

All that walking had made us ravenous… and who could pass up gelato in Little Italy? The inside of Ferrara Bakery was cute and the choices were endless. Just make sure you are at the main location and not the small little offshoot located right at the edge of Chinatown. We made that mistake and bought a few things from that location and it wasn’t really as fresh or delicious as the stuff we purchased from the large scale restaurant and bakery.

After getting all we could (eat) out of Little Italy, we headed into SoHo to enjoy the upscale shopping and people watching. The shops were way out of our price range, but that didn’t stop us from going in and checking them out. My daughter had a ton of fun walking into stores we could never shop at, picking up a pair of shoes and marveling at the fact that they cost more than our trip to New York! After SoHo we continued walking into Greenwich Village to stop at something my daughter’s friend had found online: DO: Cookie Dough Shop. It is a small shop that sells cookie dough like ice cream! They have tons of flavors and it was packed for a Thursday evening. We bought the Brookie dough to share and it was so good. We kept saying that we wished we weren’t so full so we could really savor it all. After a few bites, we decided we would save it for a later night snack! (My daughter ate it that night–I still couldn’t eat another bite!)

After eating cookie dough, we were finally ready to head home and put our feet up. Literally! We were exhausted. We somehow made it to the subway station and headed back to midtown and our hotel. It was an amazing day, and kind of my favorite on the whole trip…but then again…day one was great too…and part three of this is coming…so just wait to see what we did then!

Travel

Mother Daughter Trip to NYC! Trip Details + The Stuff You Can’t Miss! {Part One}

This fall, my teen daughter and I took a trip to NYC to take in all the sights and spend some quality time together. The result? The best time I could have asked for, and three days of mother daughter time that I will never forget!

Let’s talk about this daughter of mine for a moment. She hates the spotlight, so sometimes, I just have to shine the light on her for just a bit. She is a great traveling partner. Seriously! If you want to take a trip and need someone with you that can navigate the subway, figure out NY city streets without ever having been there before and negotiate the best price in Chinatown? You definitely need someone like her. Not only that, but she kept me laughing for the ENTIRE trip. If she didn’t hate being the center of attention so much I would think she would be in New York one day doing comedy. But tell her that and she will give you a look. If you have a teenage daughter, you know the look I am referring to. It can stop this mom in her tracks from continuing to compliment her. That being said, I will finish it off by saying that she was a pure delight! Funny, smart, engaging and so much fun to hang around with in this wonderful city. I mean look at her. I just love her so much.

Ok, enough about her, because if I say anymore, she might kill me. Let’s get to that trip!

We decided mid October would be a lovely time to visit and we were extremely lucky with the weather and crowds. We only had three days there, so we knew that we had to pack it in, and pack it in we did! We probably walked over thirty miles over those three days and saw everything that we could. We flew out of Chicago early in the morning on a Wednesday so we could get a good start in NY. We used Expedia to make our travel arrangements and we were very pleased. Everything we booked was very smooth, and very affordable. I would definitely use them again.

We arrived at our hotel by car service at about 11:45am. We looked at several hotels and locations in Manhattan, but decided on a reasonably priced hotel in the center of it all. You see, New York is easy to navigate, but there is a lot to see. We decided being in the middle of it all so we could go in either direction was our best bet. The Midtown/Times Square area is very touristy, very crowded and slightly dirty (the NY trash thing in the front of buildings was so different from Chicago and hard to understand!) but it really was the best location to be near it all. Plus, being able to walk to Times Square at night and see it lit up and filled with people was a moment I, or my daughter, will never forget!

We stayed at the Hampton Inn Times Square North. It was a moderate, reasonably priced hotel with very comfortable rooms and super friendly staff. The hotel was clean and the room was spacious. The hotel even offered a free breakfast which is a rarity. Overall, we could not have asked for a better hotel in such a great location. Since we arrived so early, our room wasn’t ready, but the concierge checked our bags and off we went to start our adventures! We were so lucky to be traveling with a great friend and her daughter who is like a sister to my daughter and we couldn’t wait to get started!

Our first stop was a NYC tourist must see! Ellen’s Stardust Diner. If you visit, you have to make time to come here. The food is diner style, but the entertainment is top notch. Super talented singers belt out Broadway tunes NON-STOP and it is awesome. They are good…and I mean, REALLY good and you just cannot stop watching and listening! We arrived there around 12:30 and the line was moderately long. We waited outside for about 30 minutes. The weather was mild, so it wasn’t bad at all, but if it was cold, we might not have been as happy. Keep that in mind when you are visiting. When we left around 1:30 or so, there was barely a line, so I am thinking going at off times might be a good idea. I had a Ceasar salad with chicken that was good and my daughter had a BLT wrap. Both meals were perfect to just get us started. And, like I said, you are not going for the food, you are going for the experience.

TIP: Ask to be seated on the main floor if possible. The view is great and the performers come up to your table often.

The next thing on our agenda was fitting in all of the touristy things we possibly could in the shortest amount of time! We had Theater tickets that evening, so we were sort of on a schedule. We headed to Rockefeller Center and to our surprise, they already had the ice rink up and running. It was pretty to watch to the Ice Skaters for awhile spin around the rink. We really wanted to go to the Top of The Rock which is supposed to give you an incredible view of the city, but to our dismay, when we got there to buy tickets, they were sold out until later that evening. Traveler mistake #1…we should have bought them ahead. If you want to do this, try logging on to their website and find some tickets so you don’t miss out.

We headed out to St. Patrick’s Cathedral which was an amazing sight to see. Entering in the church is free, but there are several spots to make a donation. It is one of the most breathtaking sights you will see. I took several pictures of both the inside and outside, but I don’t even want to ruin it for you by posting them all because it is so lovely you will want to see it for yourself. It is a great way to quiet your mind from all the hustle and bustle of the city and take a few minutes for yourself.

We headed off to see some iconic sights like Radio City Music Hall, NBC Studios, and Times Square. We visited the M&M Store which is so cheesy and touristy but I will not lie…I loved it! There is just so much to look at and see, your eyes can barely take it all in. Just walking around the city blocks around the mid-town/Times Square area is a great way to start the trip because you will see all of those things you have always only seen in the movies and on TV.

We headed back to the hotel, exhausted already, but energized by the fact that we had a fun night ahead planned. After getting ready, we met our friends down in the lobby and headed off to dinner. It was so fun for the girls to be dressed up and heading out for a night of fun in New York City, and it was fun for the moms too!

We headed out to a really good, cozy restaurant near the hotel called The Distillery. We made reservations ahead of time, knowing that we had theater tickets and not a lot of time to wait, and we were happy we did since at only 5:30, the restaurant was already buzzing. The menu was small, but looked really good and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. The staff was friendly and we were all really happy with our meals. My daughter got a Bruschetta Pasta dish that she loved, and I had this lemon chicken skillet dinner that was really amazing. I would definitely go back to visit this restaurant again, and it was really close to our hotel so it was only a quick walk.

We were excited to head over to The Gershwin Theater next for the highlight of our first day in New York. Tickets to see Wicked! We surprised the girls with this by buying tickets from home ahead of time. They had both wanted to see this play for a really long time. It did not disappoint! Not only was it a great play, but there were two actors from Disney shows that they both used to watch starring in the show, so it contributed to even more excitement! The show was amazing and we were so happy we were able to see it on Broadway!

TIP: If possible get tickets on the Balcony level in front…we had the most amazing view of the play and the tickets were much cheaper than on the main floor!

We were ready to drop into bed at this point, but we were so excited to go to Times Square at night that we had to head over. It was absolutely amazing. Seeing it all lit up in all its glory with people bustling everywhere even though it was close to 11pm on a Wednesday night was more than we could have ever dreamed. We definitely finished the night off right, and made our way back to the hotel to get some sleep before we started our next adventure in the morning.

Check out Part Two for more fun ideas for a Mother Daughter Trip to NYC!

Cookies & Bars Desserts Fall Thanksgiving

Caramel Apple Pie Bars

Do you love apple pie, but just don’t feel like going to all that trouble? These delicious bars will give you all of that buttery crust and sweet apple pie filling goodness, without all the work. We have made these several times, and every time they just get better and better. The topping is good on its own, but the salted caramel drizzled on top at the end really brings them over the top. Make a pan of these for your holiday gathering (or just to munch on after the kids go to bed) and you may never need a real apple pie again!

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Caramel Apple Pie Bars

Author: Heather

Recipe type: Bars

Cuisine: Dessert

These buttery sweet dessert bars will cure your craving for apple pie in no time!

Ingredients

BUTTERY SHORTBREAD CRUST
1 cup butter, melted
½ cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
APPLE FILLING
4 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced (I usually use granny smith, honeycrisp, or pink lady apples)
4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
STREUSEL TOPPING
1 cup oats
⅔ cups dark brown sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup flour
½ cup butter, cold and cubed
Caramel topping, store bought or homemade, optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300°F .
Prepare a 13x9 inch pan with parchment paper with some left to hang over the sides
For the crust, Gently stir the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a medium bowl.
Add the flour and stir until everything is combined.
Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan.
Bake for 15 minutes while you make the filling and the streusel topping.
To make the apple filling, toss the sliced apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl until all of the apples are evenly coated.
In a separate bowl, make the streusel by whisking the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together.
Cut in the chilled butter with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Remove the crust from the oven, and turn the oven up to 350°F.
Evenly layer the apples on top of the warm crust.
Press down gently on the crust.
Sprinkle the apple layer with streusel.
Bake for 30–35 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes
Before serving, drizzle caramel on top.
Slice into squares and serve.

Main Dishes Pasta

Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Shells

I love stuffed shells. It probably stems from when I was a young girl, and for Christmas, my mom would pull out all the stops and make the most wonderful Italian Christmas Dinner. Stuffed shells was the main event, and it was worth the wait. Delicious tender pasta shells stuffed with seasoned ricotta and draped in her homemade marinara and smothered with mozzarella cheese. They were the most delicious things!

When I began cooking for myself, I made them once on a weeknight, and I realized why my mom saved them for a special occasion. They were a lot of work! Cooking the shells, letting them cool, making the filling and the sauce…it could take all day. But they were so good, it really was worth it.

I bet you are hoping that I am about to give you a shortcut right? Hoping that I am right about to let you know how to make them into a 30 minute meal while not sacrificing any of the delicious flavor? Well…

Yeah, sorry. Not happening. I wish I knew how to make them easier! But let me tell you, this version that I have here for you makes it worth it to make for family dinner, but elegant enough for a holiday dinner with all of your family to enjoy. There are a FEW shortcuts that you can take that might cut off a little time though…buying store bought sauce, or pre-making your sauce and your filling the day before. Cooking pasta and stuffing the shells won’t seem to take that long if you already have the filling and sauce made. However you decide to make them, one thing is for sure…you will love them!

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Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Shells

Author: Heather

Recipe type: Pasta

Cuisine: Main Dish

Cook time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour

Delicately stuffed shells, topped with sauce and lots of mozzarella cheese!

Ingredients

*1 box of Jumbo Shell Pasta, cooked, drained, and cooled on parchment paper (to prevent sticking)
*4 cups of your favorite Marinara sauce (check below recipe for link to my marinara sauce)
16 oz. Ricotta Cheese part-skim
*1 lb. bulk Italian sausage, sauteed and cooked through, and drained
1 cup of frozen chopped spinach, thawed, with all the water squeezed out
2 eggs
½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese or 16 oz or fresh mozzarella, sliced (or more!)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a 13x9 inch baking pan, spread about 1 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom
In a medium sized bowl, mix together ricotta, eggs, parmesan cheese, italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper
Fold in spinach and italian sausage
Spoon about 2 tbsp ricotta mixture into each cooked, cooled shell
Place filled shell into pan
Continue filling each shell until mixture and shells are gone
Pour remaining 3 cups of marinara sauce on top
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of sauce
Cover with foil, and bake for 45 minutes
Uncover, bake for 15 minutes
Remove from oven and serve with extra sauce and extra parmesan cheese.
*NOTES: When cooking pasta, follow package directions, but undercook by 2-3 minutes to prevent mushy pasta when it bakes. As for the marinara sauce, use your own recipe, the recipe that can be found here on girl and her kitchen, or a jarred version. It honestly is a forgiving recipe and any of your favorite sauces will do! For the sausage, buying it bulk is best instead of having to pull the casing off. If you have bought the sausage with casing, and dont want to pull it off, go ahead and just slice the cooked sausage thin to mix into the ricotta. Make sure you cook the sausage thoroughly before placing in ricotta because the baking time does not allow for the sausage to be fully cooked. Enjoy!

Link for Girl and Her Kitchen Fresh Tomato Sauce HERE!

Cakes and Cupcakes Desserts Fall Halloween Thanksgiving

Cinnamon Streusel Pumpkin Coffee Cake

This coffee cake is one of the best things that came out of Fall 2018! Please note that I am saying that with still a month of fall to go. This cake is really that good. It is sort of a mash up between a favorite pumpkin bread recipe that a friend gave to me awhile back, and a classic recipe that belonged to my grandmother. I married the two together on a whim, and the result was the most moist, perfectly spiced cake with a delicious, almost crunchy sugar topping. The recipe makes a HUGE amount so it is perfect for a big party or freezing leftovers. Or, just a lot of dessert for yourself…you know, no judgements here at all. This cake is pretty tempting, so I really could not blame you if you kept it for yourself!

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Cinnamon Streusel Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Author: Heather

Recipe type: Cake

Cuisine: Dessert

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 30 mins

This delicious cake, topped with a wonderful cinnamon streusel will get you through the most stressful days of the holiday season!

Ingredients

Cake:
2½ cups sugar
1 cup coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
4 eggs, beaten
⅔ cup buttermilk
2½ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3½ cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ground cloves
1½ tsp salt
Streusel Topping:
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon cinnamon
½ tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large cookie sheet (jelly roll pan) with parchement paper.
In a large bowl, beat together sugar and oil.
Add eggs.
Beat until mixture is a thick, pale yellow.
Add buttermilk, pumpkin puree and vanilla.
Mix until combined well.
Pour cake mixture into prepared cookie sheet.
In a small bowl whisk together remaining dry ingredients for the cake.
Add slowly to wet mixture and mix until just combined-don't over mix.
Meanwhile, in small bowl, toss together the dry streusel ingredients and drizzle in melted butter.
Mix with hands until crumbly.
Gently sprinkle streusel on top of cake making sure to cover entire cake.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick tested in center comes out clean.
Let cool completely-about one hour.
Lift out of cookie sheet by using parchment overhang.
Slice into bars.
Store in a covered container for up to five days, freeze leftovers in an airtight container.

Cookies & Bars Fall Halloween Thanksgiving

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love fall. I feel like we had just a glimpse of it this year, as the trees seemed to linger with green well into the season, giving us just a few days of that gorgeous autumn glow before they were covered in a blanket of November snow.

It didn’t seem fair, to steal that away from us so quickly, but the delicious season lingers on in my house with the food that I make. Which…basically translates to pumpkin everything. I do love it. I know the pumpkin spice trend has gotten a bit out of control (pumpkin spice salsa?) but I love the organic, grassroots pumpkin spice movement. You know, like pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins and pumpkin cake? The OG’s of pumpkin spice treats. When you stray too far from those, you lose me sometimes. These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are even a daring stretch for me, but they are so good you will not be disappointed.

These cookies have a chewy, tender texture, no crunch here! The browned butter gives it a warm, nutty flavor and the pumpkin spice is just right. The bursts of chocolate throughout give it a rich finish that is perfect for your fall, or chocolate craving! These freeze well, so bake up a double batch, and put some away for the holidays!

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Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies

Author: Heather

Recipe type: Cookie

Cuisine: Dessert

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 24 cookies

This delicious chewy cookie will have you craving fall all year long! This dough does need to chill for two hours so plan accordingly!

Ingredients

10 tbsp butter
1½ cups flour
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
⅛ tsp cloves
½ cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
⅓ cup pumpkin puree
1 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks

Instructions

*In a small saucepan, start melting butter over a low heat.
Once butter is melted, let it get slightly brown, but not burnt.
You should be able to smell a delicious nutty flavor and that is when it is done.
Swirl the pan a few times and remove from heat.
Let stand to cool slightly, about two minutes.
Add the sugars to the butter and let stand another five minutes.
In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.
In a large bowl, add sugar/butter mixture, egg yolk and vanilla stirring until well combined.
Add flour mixture slowly and mix gently.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Chill dough for two hours or up to 24 hours.
Once chilled, you are ready to scoop!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Let dough sit for a few minutes if it is super hard, just so you are able to scoop and shape it.
Scoop about 1½ tbsp sized balls and roll them into a ball.
Place evenly spaced on the cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Let sit for one minute out of the oven, then transfer to a cookie sheet and let cool completely.
Enjoy!

Travel

Girl and Her Kitchen: Out West Road Trip {Part Five: Trip MUST-Haves}

Our road trip out west was something we will never forget! Exploring the Badlands, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park was an amazing experience. Read more about this trip here. But, we could not do it alone. By that, I mean all the STUFF we used to make our lives incredibly easier on this long, two week trip! I have shared some of our favorites below! Check them out, click and order them for yourself if you want to make your trip smooth and easy! Hopefully some of my ideas will help make your trip better than ever!

As far as keeping busy on the long drive? We got creative and the kids were never bored! A few things we tried:

Binders of Activities: We bought each of the kids binders and they went online and printed crossword puzzles, coloring pages, word searches and mazes. We spent the day printing, hole punching and filling the binders with fun!

Playlists: Before the trip, we instructed each child to put together a 30 minute-1 hour play list on their phones (or for the little one that doesn’t have a phone he used ours). They were to keep it a surprise and then on the trip we listened to everyone’s play lists (we made them too!). It was so fun to get a glimpse of everyone’s favorite music!

Audio Books: Before we left, we downloaded a few audio books for the whole family to enjoy. It was fun to take a break from doing our own thing and all listening to a book together. There are many to choose from and you can check your public library or audible.com. The ones that we chose:
- Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
- Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
- The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz

Movies: Of course, we stocked the car with movies. When things just need to settle down, this is the way to go. If you have a car where the kids can plug in headphones and you don’t have to listen to the movie from the front seat, even better.

Car Games: We asked each child to come up with a game to play in the car. They were asked to keep it secret until the car trip. It was fun seeing what each one came up with. We also played the license plate game as a family. I printed out a sheet with all of the license plates and they could color it in as they found them. It kept us busy until the end, and I am happy to report that we found every single license plate!

Books: I preordered a few books for each child, and the one that can’t read in the car downloaded a few audio books for her to listen to on her own.

Snacks: Well, do we even need a description for this? These are a necessity!

In the Car

This car diffuser helped us battle living in our car for eleven days driving through the country. I brought my collection of essential oils, but peppermint was our favorite to freshen the car, and battle the waves of motion sickness that some of us suffer from.

This helped when eating meals in the car or snacking. It kept mess to a minimum, and helped them to have a more enjoyable meal. Each child had one and kept it with them for easy access when mealtime rolled around.

Lodging

This is our absolute favorite travel accessory. It is so easy to blow up, comfortable to sleep on and easy to pack away.

We went through so many clothing items on this trip, but liked keeping the dirty, sweaty clothes away from the clean ones. These laundry bags were durable and perfect for lugging some laundry to do a quick load.

Eating

Packing plenty of food and snacks for our time in the car and our time on the trails was really important. We made sure to pack a large cooler filled with a lot of healthy, nourishing foods. It helped keep our energy up to have as much fun as we could! We also didn’t want to carry a cooler with ice packs around, so it helped to have food that could sit in our backpack. These snacks were delicious and filling, and perfectly easy to pack along!

Delicious Snacks

All of this food was perfect for on the go. It didn’t need refrigeration and was perfect for snacking while out hiking. It was also filling and nutritious and gave us the energy we needed to keep going and enjoying our vacation.

Food Storage

These were the best for packing up lunches and meals for the car. It packed nicely in the cooler and served as a plate while eating. We packed up lots of delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners so we weren’t stopping for fast food constantly.

Hiking

When you are in the national parks, you want to be prepared! The only options for buying something you forgot are a lot of overpriced gift shops! When you are out hiking, you want to make sure you have all of your essentials. These items helped make our hikes easier and more enjoyable!

CamelBack Backpack

We loved this for the ease of keeping hydrated. This one had extra room inside as well for snacks, some small personal belongings and a phone or camera. The kids were never dehydrated because they thought it was fun to drink out of their backpack! We saw so many people on the trails with no water or supplies and that is a terrible idea! Make sure you are prepared. Especially in the summer-it is really hot and you need water, food and some other things to make your hike a little easier!

Hiking Shoes

Someone mentioned to us before we left that they strongly advised us to get hiking shoes. Gym shoes would do, but hiking shoes would make a lot of the trails much easier, especially in the badlands. Since none of us have any hiking shoes and we all love to be outdoors, I figured that investing in some good hiking shoes would be a good idea. These shoes were the ones that we chose and we loved the style, comfort and ease of the shoes.

Bug Spray

I always hate the bug spray that you need to shower afterwards if you spray on yourselves. This kept us bite free, smelled good, and didn’t poison us with harsh chemicals! A little goes a long way, so despite the higher price tag, it is definitely worth it!

Sunscreen

We needed to protect ourselves from the harsh rays, and this really did the trick, without the stuff we didn’t need. It smells great too!

Bear Spray

Yes, I am that mom. Yes, we saw bears. No, we weren’t attacked by them, nor did I have to dispatch my bear spray. But…I did feel much better having it in my reach on the side of my backpack! So…you decide…

Rain Ponchos

We wanted to make sure that we were ready for any weather! These rain ponchos fit easily in our camelback backpacks and were ready and waiting in case of inclement weather.

Good luck packing up for your trip! It might be a lot of work prepping for this trip, but it will be worth every minute!

xoxo,

Travel

Girl and Her Kitchen Travel Series: Out West Road Trip {Part Four- Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole, Custer and the Trip Home!}

Leaving Yellowstone was tough, but we were really excited about our next destination – Jackson Hole! Before we arrived there, we had plans to travel through Grand Teton National Park, and we were excited to start that part of our journey. So many people had encouraged us to not skip the Tetons when our original plan was to head up north to Montana. As we entered Grand Teton National Park, we were sure glad we took their advice. In this installment, I will take you on a tour of this national park, as well as Jackson Hole, and the few stops we made heading back to the midwest. Have you been following along? Have you read my previous posts? In Part One, I talk about the Badlands. Part Two discusses South Dakota and Cody and in Part Three we visit Yellowstone. Check them all out to help you in creating the ultimate out west road trip!

DAY SEVEN: GRAND TETONS AND JACKSON HOLE

Driving into Grand Teton National Park will take your breath away. The beautiful trees with snowcapped mountains as their backdrop is enough, but the beautiful lakes and wildlife makes it even better. Since we were just driving through, we only had a few things on our agenda for the day in the park. There is a lot to see here, and I truly wish we would have had more time, but unfortunately we were limited to just a few things due to time constraints. I encourage you to really look into Grand Teton National Park and extend your stay a bit!

Here is what we saw while we were there:

Jenny Lake (be warned…we literally just drove by…it is PACKED on the weekends!)
Mormon Row (absolutely beautiful and picturesque)

Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center
Scenic Loop Drive
Schwabacher Landing

You will not be sorry that you took a drive through Grand Teton National Park! Your national park pass will work for admission to this park, and again, if you have kids, make sure you get your National Parks Passport book so they can get their stamp! My kids always looked so forward to this! Click below to buy yours today! It is really the best souvenir they could ask for.

We arrived around 5pm in Jackson Hole at our KOA. The kids loved our little cabin, and it was nice for us to be able to spread out a little bit. Our only regret is that we didn’t get lodging in the downtown area. We had never been there before, and we were unaware that the downtown of Jackson Hole was going to be so ADORABLE and fun! We were probably about five miles away and because there was construction on the main road leading in, it would take us quite awhile to get into town each day. Next time (I hope there is a next time!) we visit, I would definitely recommend a place in town. We paid quite a lot for the KOA cabin, and we were barely there to enjoy it!

Snake River KOA

9705 South Highway 89

Jackson, WY 83001

When we arrived, we settled into our cabin and headed out to check out the town! We were starving, so first stop…FOOD! We were all in the mood for burgers, and there were plenty of choices to choose from. Most seemed to have long waits, so we settled on Jackson Drug when we realized that we could get right in. Jackson Drug is an old drugstore/soda fountain that opened in 1919. After years of being in business, closing, being sold and resold, the property was vacant again and reopened as a refurbished Jackson Drug. It was adorable inside, and the menu and dessert selections were awesome. You could build a burger which my kids loved, and their salads were great too. We barely saved room for dessert, but we made it happen because the menu was too hard to resist. Overall, it was a great place to stop.

Look at this handsome man and his…huckleberry shake!

TIPS:We highly recommend the cookie monster sundae, the house salad, the huckleberry shake and the build your own burgers. Talk with the waitstaff, they all seem to have stories, and are super friendly!

Jackson Drug

15 E. Deloney Avenue

Jackson, WY 83001

We stopped in so many shops while we were there, but we loved a quaint little toy store that we happened to come across. The man working was one of the friendliest ever, and didn’t hesitate to tell us all about the shop, and the town. We spent a lot of time there and the kids loved it. They have a fun target shooting activity the kids can do while they are there too, and that made it worth the stop alone. Stop in if you have a chance! Even if you don’t have any kids with you!

Jackson Hole Toy Store

165 Center Street

Jackson, WY 83001

DAY EIGHT: JACKSON HOLE

The next morning we were up bright and early to head out to our White Water rafting trip. We used a great company that we highly recommend. We did the Paddle and Saddle package which included a fun white water rafting trip, lunch at a restaurant with an incredible view, and a horseback ride. Although the final tab is expensive, it was absolutely worth it when you thought about how much you are getting for the money. The company provided wetsuits for only $5 and a free breakfast. They were very friendly and we started our morning off great! If you can request a guide for your white water trip, I highly recommend you asking for Gavin. He was experienced, friendly and, for a worrier like myself, he put my mind completely at ease about everything! We had the best experience! Rafting was really fun and we were able to learn about the town too from Gavin.

Photo Courtesy of Snake River Photo

After the rafting, we headed to the town to spend a little time before our lunch at The Granary. We just love the town, and spent time walking around and enjoying the sights. We stopped for a quick snack at The Bunnery and we all shared a delicious ham and swiss croissant, a blueberry muffin and an almond stick. It was more than enough for the five of us, and very tasty!

The Bunnery

130 North Cache

Jackson, WY 83001

We headed to The Granary for lunch, and were seated at a table with the most incredible view of the Tetons. We were happy to find out that our lunch included a drink and any entree on the menu! I had a smoked salmon sandwich, while my husband enjoyed Filet. The kids had a variety of sandwiches, the caprese, a barbecued pork and a turkey club. We enjoyed everything and felt ready to embark on our horseback ride.

The stables were easy to find from the restaurant and after check in, we were immediately introduced to our horses and started on our way! It was a beautiful ride, but very vigorous. The horses climbed a mountain for most of the trip! The views were amazing and it was an experience we will never forget!

You can book all of your excursions through one company. There are many companies in Jackson Hole to choose from, but we were referred to this one by someone else who had a fantastic time, and we enjoyed it immensely as well. Do your research, but if you want the experience we had, check them out and book the Paddles and Saddles experience. You won’t regret it!

TIP: In order to ride the horses, you need pants. Make sure you bring some with you on your trip while packing and wear them for this part of the adventure. Depending on the time of year, you will be hot! Also, wear sunscreen! Depending on time of year, it will be hot and the sun will be beating down on you. We picked the one hour horseback ride and it was plenty. With the age of our kids, I am not sure they would have wanted to ride longer, so take into consideration who you are traveling with while booking.

Jackson Hole Whitewater (JHWW)

650 West Broadway

Jackson, WY 83001

We were excited to see another shoot out performance on the schedule for Jackson. We enjoyed the one in Cody, and couldn’t wait to see one again. This one is performed by a local theater group and was very interactive and entertaining. Linger around there early to get a good spot. For more information on the shoot out, check out their website here.

Afterwards, we had dinner at a really good Mexican restaurant in town. The wait for all the restaurants is pretty long in peak times, but this one was worth the wait. We shared nachos, quesadillas, guacamole and a salad and it was all delicious! Stop there if you are craving some casual Mexican food after a long day of playing, shopping and exploring.

The Merry Piglets

160 North Cache

Jackson, WY 83001

DAY NINE: JACKSON HOLE-CUSTER, SOUTH DAKOTA

We had one more stop in Jackson before heading out, and we all couldn’t wait! We were heading to Teton Village to ride the tram up 10,450 feet and enjoy waffles on top of the world! It was so exciting and the view was spectacular! The waffles at Corbett’s Cabin were very overpriced, but tasty, but the views that came along with it made it all incredibly worth it. There are some hikes you can do and the resort in general has a lot of activities too! We wished we had time to do a bike ride, but unfortunately we were in a time crunch to stick to our trip home schedule, and had to get going. Check out this website to learn more about Teton Village, buy your Aerial Tram tickets and check out Corbett’s Cabin and what kind of waffles you can enjoy!

Heading out of Jackson Hole was tough. I fell in love with that little town and I really didn’t want to leave! I hope to be back sometime soon! In the meantime, we had a few more fun things to check off of our list, so we headed out, ready to drive the eight hours to Custer, South Dakota! It was a long, but peaceful drive, but just around 8pm we arrived at possibly the cutest hotel on the planet! If you are making stop in Custer, please check out The Bavarian Inn to stop and stay the night. We fell in love with this hotel and wish we could come back! Located just minutes from the downtown area of Custer, this little hotel is small, but packs quite the impression! When we first pulled up, I didn’t know what to expect, but after my husband checked in, he said that he was super impressed. We came into our room and they had turned on the lights and had soft, relaxing music playing. It was so nice! They offer free tea, coffee and hot chocolate all day, and host a cookie happy hour (that we unfortunately missed!) every day at 3pm. In the morning they have a pancake and yogurt parfait bar. They also boast an indoor pool, outdoor pool, tennis and basketball courts (they provide the rackets, and balls!) and lots of games to play. There is even a small playground for the little ones. It was clean, cozy and perfect for the end of the trip when we just wanted to relax.

Just enjoying some free coffee. If it’s there, it’s meant to be enjoyed, right?

The Bavarian Inn

855 N. 5th Street

Custer, South Dakota 57730

DAY TEN: CUSTER, SOUTH DAKOTA-SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA

After check out (and a sad wave goodbye to this adorable hotel) we went out to explore downtown Custer. It was filled with shops and we spent some time shopping and enjoying the sites. We had very limited time here, so didn’t get a chance to really explore much, but it seemed like it was a town steeped in some rich history and of course, like every other spot, beautiful to look at.

We were hungry afterwards so stopped at a cute little restaurant called the Purple Pie Place. They had some lunch specialities that we enjoyed (chicken pot pie and chicken salad sandwiches) but of course we had some pie afterwards!

My middle daughter and I had the peach pie, and my husband tried the Bumbleberry. My other daughter tried the apple pie, and my son had ice cream. All delicious!

The Purple Pie Place

19 Mount Rushmore Road

Custer, South Dakota 57730

We were on one of our last legs of our trip, but we were not ready to be done with the fun yet! We had one last surprise for the kids! Just a quick half hour drive and we arrived at Rush Mountain! We had a cave tour planned, and a few other fun things! The kids got to ride a mountain coaster and a zipline too. We loved it! It was so fun and just the perfect end to a the most fun trip we ever had!

There is a ton to do there, including cave tours, a zipline, a mountain coaster, video games, a high ropes course, a gift shop an some food options. The cave tour is very cool and well worth it! They have some great packages to experience a few fun attractions for one price. I mean, who doesn’t want to take a ride on a mountain coaster?

Rush Mountain Adventure Park

13622 Highway 40

Keystone, South Dakota 57751

DAY ELEVEN: SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA-HOME!

And, that was our last hurrah! After Rush Mountain, we drove the five hours to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to stay the night before driving the rest of the way home! We stayed in an Americinn, which was clean and comfortable, but definitely a stay the night right off the highway hotel. It was nothing like the Americinn we stayed at in Cody. That being said, all we did was sleep and eat breakfast in the morning, so it was perfect for what we needed!

Americinn

3508 South Gateway Blvd.

Sioux Falls, SD 57106

I hope that I have helped you plan your dream trip out west, because it certainly will be a trip to remember! My next post is going to show you some of our favorite must haves for the trip! Please make sure you take the time to read all of my posts to maximize your road trip experience! Comment or reach out to me on Facebook any time with questions! I would love to help you plan your DREAM TRIP!