Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Oooooeeey goooooeeey cinnamon rolls! The only problem with ‘em is you either have to get up at the crack of dawn to start them or pop them out of a can. I am not hating on canned cinnamon rolls, but they really don’t compare to the home made version. With these you do most of the work the night before and the morning of is stress-free and simple. 

Chick Beer? I Say Buy a Pink Koozie.

I saw this beer featured on the Today show yesterday and decided to google it and find out more. According to their website "Chick Beer is a craft-brewed light beer that doesn’t taste like a light beer.  The flavor is soft, smooth and full-bodied.  Yet Chick Beer magically has just 97 calories and 3.5 carbs." Their website goes on to point out the obvious fact that beer has historically been marketed to men even though women consume 25% of the beer sold in the US.  Chick Beer somehow thinks they are empowering beer drinking women by marketing to them with a pink beer bottle and little black dress label. I would rather women buy and drink beer based on flavor rather than a pink label. (To be fair, I have not tasted this beer and if women want to buy it because it has a cute label AND tastes good, so be it). I actually find this approach to be a bit degrading. To me it says that women don't care what their beer tastes like as long as it is dressed up pretty. What do you think? Is this company just as guilt as the big boy beer retailers they make fun of , marketing their beer to men using cheerleaders and football? Do you ever choose your drink based soley on the packaging? I say drink the beer you like and if you are worried about how it looks, just buy yourself a cute pink koozie.

The Elvis

On our way out of Savannah we stopped at Clary's Cafe for breakfast. One item on the menu that caught everyone's eye was called The Elvis. Sourdough french toast stuffed with peanut butter and banana! We all looked at it, drooled over it, but somehow out of the 7 people there nobody ended up ordering it. It has been on my mind ever since, so this morning it was copycat time. I must say, this stuff is delicious and not as hard to make as you might think. It is really filling too. I made 2 slices each for Ron and I and we both made it through maybe one and a half.  And if you are ever in Savannah you should check out Clary's. The food was great.

Frozen Key Lime Pie on a Stick (without the stick)

Key West is one of my favorite places on earth.  Whenever I am there I always get a frozen key lime pie on a stick.  If you have never frozen key lime pie on a stick, its exactly what it sounds like, except the whole thing is dipped in chocolate before its frozen. There are a few minor problems with these delicious pieces of chocolate covered goodness. First of all, I can only find them in Key West.  While I love to go there, I can’t just get up and drive 4 hours when a craving hits. Second, they are huge. It’s an entire slice of pie. I have a sweet tooth as big as anyone, but these are sugar overload. And splitting one turns into a melt-mess. So, I decided to do some experimenting and came up with my own version of this favorite treat. I miniaturized the pies and fancied up the crust by adding pecans to the mix. I also reduced the amount of chocolate by just using it as a topping rather than a coating. I think the pie/chocolate/crust ratio is much better now.  I hope you love them and that they take you in spirit to Key West.

Crock Pot Spiced Apple Butter

I adapted this recipe from the "Oven Apple Butter" recipe in Southern Living's 1001 Ways to Cook Southern. I figured if you could make apple butter in the oven you could easily make it in a crock pot and have less dishes to wash in the end. Always a bonus! And this stuff is delicious! It's up there with nutella on my "ok to eat by the spoonful when nobody is looking" list.

Mango Double IPA Update

My Mango Double IPA ended up winning 2nd place in its category at this weekend's Savannah Craft Brew Festival! In the past I have received complements from friends on the beer we make, but I always wondered if they were just being nice. It is kinda reassuring to have a professional judge try your beer and like it. I am still waiting on my score sheet and will share it as soon as it comes in.

Cheddar Dill Scones

My friend Taylor, who happens to write an awesome design blog called Perfectly Taylor'd, recently started offering her interior decorating and design services on her blog. She offers the full range from making over your entire room to answering simple questions like 'what color should I paint'? What does this have to do with scones you may ask. Well, if I ever get a house down here in South Florida I am going to have a ton of questions and Taylor said she would answer my questions in exchange for a fresh baked batch of scones! So, I figured I better start now and find some good recipes for Taylor. Ohhh, the sacrifices I make for my friends! Baking and testing scones is such a tough job ;)