Samoa Cookie Coffee

The Girl Scout Cookies know what’s up – the coconut/caramel/chocolate is perfect. I learned there are 2 cookie manufacturers so yours might be Samoa or might be Caramel Delights. Whatever you call it, these flavors went into coffee for a decadent sweet treat.

Samoa Cookie Coffee
Ingredients: (for 1 drink)

1 cup coffee
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons caramel sauce
2 tablespoons chocolate sauce

Directions:
Add a tablespoon of the chocolate sauce into the hot coffee and stir well.
Rim the cup with caramel sauce and add a tablespoon of the caramel sauce into the cup and pour the coffee onto it.
Froth the coconut milk – either with an instant frother, frother wand, or warmed in a jar and shaken thoroughly. Pour the froth onto of the coffee.

Drizzle with remaining chocolate sauce. Enjoy!

This was delightful. The slight chocolate in the coffee with coconut milk and the caramel finish was so good – just like the addicting cookie.

I do not recall why we have so much caramel and chocolate sauce! The reduced fat coconut milk isn’t my favorite but we had it for a kids recipe from one of our picture books which didn’t happen. Put the leftovers to use to make coconut rice!

Apple Cheddar Biscuits

These delights were inspired by my last book – The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks. There was a toursity town of a former author with Star’s Hollow vibes, which centers around a bookshop who can only sell books of the era. Naturally the bookshop worker befriends the cafe worker who sells apple and cheddar biscuits. Voila! They seemed like they had to be huge and conger up the feeling of a coffee shop.

There’s such balance here – sharp white cheddar and crisp apple tip toes on the line of sweet and savory. They’re so good.

Apple & Cheddar Biscuits
Ingredients: (serves 6-8)

2 cups biscuit mix
5 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup white cheddar
1/3 apple (honey crisp or fuji apple) chopped
1 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400-degrees.
Add biscuit mix to a bowl and shred in the butter and the cheese. Chop the apple and add that in.

Stir gently with a fork, then pour in half the milk and mix. Add in the rest of the milk and stir to combine.
Drop spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone mats.
Bake for about 8 minutes until fluffy and golden.

Let cool and enjoy!

The cheese flavor lightly spreads throughout. The apple adds some nice texture.

Salmon Teriyaki Rice Bowls

Leftovers dream of becoming a rice bowl like this one. Salmon, on top of rice, with edamame, and wonton strips then drizzled with a teriyaki drizzle.

Give some roasted salmon a second life with a flavorful sauce. The veggies can swap, the crunch element can too – just go for a grain + salmon + veggies + a crunch factor.

Salmon Teriyaki Rice Bowls
Ingredients: (serves 2)

~1 cup brown rice, cooked
2 salmon fillets
1 1/2 cups edamame in the pods (or 3/4 cup shelled)
3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 cup wonton strips

Directions:
Warm the rice, salmon, and edamame. Whisk together the teriyaki sauce, honey, garlic, and ginger.
Layer the bowls with rice, salmon, edamame, and wonton strips.

Drizzle the sauce on top. Enjoy!

This hit the spot – the salmon goes well with lots of flavors and these work together so well. Broccoli would be good, or fried onions instead of wonton strips.

Nutella Dessert Cheeseball

This couldn’t be cuter for your Superbowl spread, right?! It’s sweet and easy to prep ahead of time too!

Nutella Dessert Cheeseball
Ingredients:
serves 6
1, 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup Nutella
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons chocolate sprinkles
either a tube of vanilla frosting, or slice of provolone/white cheese for laces

Directions:
Add cream cheese, nutella, powdered sugar, chocolate chips, and vanilla to a bowl.

Beat with a hand mixer until fully combined.
Spoon onto a piece of plastic wrap and ball up. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

To serve, unwrap and form into an oval and either roll in sprinkles, or spoon sprinkles over the top.
Decorate with laces – mine was a long strip of provolone with cross strips.
Serve with graham crackers or vanilla wafer cookies, or pretzels.
Enjoy!


If this dessert/sweet-treat isn’t on your menu, I’ve also made a savory cheeseball coated in crumbled bacon, with BBQ sauce, and caramelized onions which is awesome too.

The Three Bite Rule - Football Cheeseball

January 2025 Recap

January was a whirlwind – once we kicked off the new year we promptly got ready for our newly minted 10 year-old, then we went away for a wedding. We also have been skating all the time, a little dog sitting.

I made some Green Goddess Deviled Eggs for no occasion than who doesn’t need more apps.

California Burritos with BBQ Chicken were such a hit – fries inside were so fun.

Finally, this breakfast calzone got a little refresh from 2016.

Next up, February will hopefully be more routine and also school vacation and camp sign up time so we’ll see. I love the Superbowl for the snacks so that will be fun!

The Big Kid:
He’s 10! His birthday was really awesome. He had some friends to the arcade and the family came for his fav meal – Jersey Mike’s. He likes having school on his birthday and it was the winter concert then basketball practice…what could be better. He’s very into street hockey and pucking around when we go ice skating. We had a great time at the wedding – he surprised us by loving being dressed up (i.e. wearing a belt!) and was very into the passed apps & a mashed potato bar.

The Littler One:
She’s loving gymnastics and going to ice skate. We recently learned she loves breakfast sandwiches if school makes them. She was obsessed with our tiny dog visitor. The wedding was so fun – she danced hear heart out and was glad to see the fruit and cheese station.

Goals for this upcoming year:
Year of replacements/upgrades! I started with some new blue dress pants. I kept thinking my old ones needed to have their last go but I hadn’t retired them without new ones…until now!
Restaurant Recreations – not yet
Special ingredient focus – I grabbed soft pretzel bites and that led to appetizer dinner!
More fish – not yet
What I’m reading – I read Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano and loved it for interesting characters in a tough plotline. I also read The Wedding People by Alison Espach and was fascinated by the most unusual premise ever. Then I read We Have Always Been Who We Are by Sofia Romero and was drawn to the mystical fantasy elements in otherwise regular stories.