candied citrus-infused cranberry sauce

personally i think cranberry sauce is one of the most important thanksgiving dishes, second to the turkey of course.  i really love the flavors of fresh cranberries candied in a sugary sauce with hints of orange...it's a must-have!  please do me a huge favor and don't buy some store-bought can of cranberry sauce (ew!)...just make some with this super easy and amazing recipe!

ingredients:

- 12 ounces fresh cranberry

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1/2 cup white sugar

- 1 cup freshly squeezed oj

- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest

directions:

- heat a saucepan over medium heat

- dissove white and brown sugar in oj in saucepan

- add cranberries and cook until they all pop, about 10 minutes

- add orange zest, mix

- remove saucepan from heat and let sauce reach room temperature, then serve!

xoxo,

kara

real strawberry cupcakes (sprinkles style!)

for rob's birthday, i decided to make some strawberry cupcakes, since it's his favorite :)  inspired by martha's recipe, here is my strawberry cupcake recipe for you to try at home...your cupcakes will be as tasty, if not better than sprinkles!  enjoy!

cupcake ingredients:

- 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

- 1/2 cup cake flour

- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 1/2 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed

- 1/4 cup whole milk

- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1/2 cup light brown sugar

- 1 large egg

- 2 large egg whites

strawberry frosting ingredients:

- 1/4 cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed

- 1 cup unsalted butter, slightly cold

- pinch of coarse salt

- 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

cupcake directions:

- preheat oven to 350 degrees

- line a 12-cup muffin tin or use foiled cupcake liners on a cookie sheet

- in a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt

- puree thawed frozen strawberries with a food processor or a hand-held blender

- in a separate bowl, mix 1/3 cup of strawberry puree, milk and vanilla together

- using the paddle attachment on an electric mixer, cream butter on med-high speed until light and fluffy

- add sugar and mix until light and fluffy

- reduce speed and add egg and egg whites one at a time

- at the lowest speed, add half the flour mixture, followed by the strawberry mixture, then the rest of the flour mixture, making sure the mixture is just blended between each step

- pour the batter into cupcake liners

- bake for about 15 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean; cool completely on a wire rack before icing!

strawberry frosting directions:

- puree thawed frozen strawberries with a food processor or a hand-held blender

- using the paddle attachment on an electric mixer, cream butter and salt together on medium speed until light and fluffy

- lower speed to low and add sugar; mix until well combined

- add vanilla and 3 tablespoons of strawberry puree and mix until blended

- make sure the frosting is creamy and thick and not over-blended. decorate your cupcakes and enjoy!

xoxo,

kara

moroccan style curried couscous salad with dried cranberries and apricots

growing up my dad would make a big batch of couscous salad every sunday night for me and arthur to snack on during the week.  i always thought the salad was super difficult to make until recently, when i asked my dad for the recipe.  not only is this recipe easy to follow, there is literally no cooking involved!  so if the only thing you know how to do in the kitchen is boil water (or chicken broth), this is the recipe for you!

ingredients:

- 1 17-ounce box of instant couscous (trader joe's whole wheat couscous)

- 2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

- 1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

- 3 tablespoon curry powder

- 3 teaspoon salt

- 3 teaspoon sugar

- 3 cup low sodium chicken broth

- 2 oranges, juiced

- 8 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

- 4 green onion, thinly sliced

- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

- 1 lemon, juiced

- 2 1/4 cup dry roasted almond slivers

- pepper

directions:

- in a very large heatproof bowl, stir couscous, cranberries, apricots, curry powder, salt and sugar

- bring chicken broth to a boil then pour over couscous mixture then add orange juice

- stir quickly then tightly cover bowl with plastic wrap

- let it stand for about 5 minutes until the broth is absorbed

- using a fork, fluff up the couscous

- add olive oil, green onion slices, parsley, lemon juice and almonds

- mix ingredients and season with salt and peper if needed...enjoy!

xoxo,

kara

strawberry focaccia

not sure if you guys remember, or even know what i'm talking about, but back in the mid to late 90s, starbucks used to sell pastries from la brea bakery...and one of my faves was this amazingly delicious strawberry focaccia.  i used to eat it almost every day...until out of no where starbucks stopped a) carrying the strawberry focaccias and b) stopped selling la brea bakery pastries.  anyway, i have literally searched all cookbooks and random cooking sites for the recipe...i even asked nancy silverton herself a couple times about the strawberry focaccias she used to make! well, after thinking about it long a hard, i realized...hey, it's soooo easy! just use tj's pizza dough and some fresh strawberries!  so here it is..enjoy!

ingredients:

- 1 package of trader joe's pizza dough

- small handful of flour

- 1 carton of organic strawberries, destemmed and sliced

- 4+ tablespoons sugar

directions:

- preheat the oven to 450 degrees

- carefully remove the dough from bag and lay it on a floured cutting board; let it rest for 20+ minutes

- mix the strawberry slices and 4 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl; set aside

- stretch the pizza dough out

- cut dough into 10-12 pieces then place each piece onto a baking sheet

- spoon the strawberries (without the extra liquid in the bowl) onto each piece of dough

- sprinkle some sugar on each pastry, especially the outer crust area

- bake for 9 minutes; let it cool on a baking sheet...then enjoy!!

xoxo,

kara

amazing red sangria

i love sangria :)  and during the spring & summer, i try to make this sangria recipe as often as possible when i have guests over...because people just LOVE it.  it's delicious, fruity but not too sweet with hints of cinnamon.  amazing :)

ingredients:

- 1 bottle of red wine

- 1/4 cup of triple sec

- 2 shots of vodka

- 2 cups of sparkling apple cider

- 1 green apple, cored then sliced

- 2 oranges, 1 cut into wedges, 1 sliced

- 2 lemons, 1 cut into wedges, 1 sliced

- handful of strawberries, sliced

- 2-3 cinnamon sticks

- sugar to taste

directions:

- in a large pitcher, stir wine, triple sec, vodka and apple cider together

- squeeze the juice of the orange and lemon wedges into the pitcher

- add apple slices, orange slices, lemon slices, strawberry slices and cinnamon sticks

- i personally like my sangria not too sweet, but please as much sugar as you want :)

- chill in the fridge for at least a couple hours; add ice right before serving

- please enjoy responsibly haha :)

xoxo,

kara

berry amazing french toast

rob (mr. sweet tooth) and i love making french toast on sunday mornings.  here is my super custardy, french toast recipe with a fresh strawberry compote...it's super easy, berry amazing, and you're going to love it :)

ingredients:
- 4 (3/4 inch) slices of brioche
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2/3 cup half & half
- 4 eggs
- pinch cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons butter
- vegetable oil
- handful of raspberries
- handful of blueberries
- handful of strawberries, sliced

for fresh strawberry compote:
- 6-8 strawberries, halved
- 1 tablespoon sugar

directions:
- in a large glass baking dish, whisk together the milk, half & half, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and honey
- place brioche slices into the baking dish, soaking both sides for at least 5-7 minutes each (make sure the slices are completely soaked...the worst is when your french toast is dry!)
- meanwhile, in a large bowl, scrunch up the strawberry halves and sugar until it's a juicy mixture with chunks; set aside
- melt 1 tablespoon of butter and a couple dashes of oil in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat
- add 2 slices of brioche at a time to griddle and cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side
- remove slices; clean the pan with a dry paper towel
- melt the other tablespoon of butter and a couple dashes of oil in the griddle
- add 2 slices of brioche and cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side
- place french toast on a plate; add blueberries, strawberry slices, raspberries and fresh strawberry compote
- serve immediately with some maple syrup and enjoy!

xoxo,
kara