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I have a newfound appreciation for oranges. Citrus fruit is at its peak here in the wintertime, but in the past I’ve always shunned oranges in favor of my beloved lemons.

Recently I’ve been buying a lot more fruit, and as I’ve been looking around grocery stores for the best-looking produce, I’ve given oranges another try. I’m happily realizing that there’s such a huge variety of types (shapes, sizes, and colors) to play with. I’m sure my little orange friends will keep me entertained until spring rolls around.

I made these muffins with one of my new favorites, cara cara oranges. They’re delicate, thin-skinned, and resemble pink grapefruit on the inside. I also used the blueberries we picked last summer, which is always a special treat. These muffins are incredibly light; the texture was among the best of any muffin I’ve made. Also, like many of Dorie Greenspan’s recipes, they’re really versatile, so feel free to play with your fruit.

Orange Blueberry Muffins
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan
Makes 12 muffins
Printable Recipe

Grated zest and juice of one orange
About 3/4 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons honey
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking power
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (not thawed)
Turbinado sugar, for topping (optional)

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 400F. Grease a regular 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick baking spray or line with paper liners. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

2. Pour the orange juice into a large glass measuring cup or a bowl and pour in enough buttermilk to make 1 cup. Whisk in the eggs, honey, and melted butter.

3. In a large bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of orange is strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don’t worry about being thorough. The batter will be lumpy and bubbly. Stir in the blueberries, and divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes. If you want to top the muffins with turbinado sugar, sprinkle on after the muffins have baked for 10 minutes. When fully baked, the muffins will be golden and springy to the touch and a tester inserted into the center will come out clean. Allow to cool on a rack for 5 minutes before removing the muffins from the pan.

Some people like their food dry, but I’m all about complementing the flavor and texture with dips and sauces. I especially like trying and making new ones, and muhammara is my new favorite.

I’ve been wanting to make this tangy blend of red peppers and walnuts for a long time, and was so excited to have the opportunity during the February Daring Cooks challenge. Use pomegranate molasses unless you absolutely can’t find it; that’s the key to authenticity here. This dip was definitely the hit of the party, and couldn’t be easier to make. You literally throw all of the ingredients in the food processor, give it a whirl, and you’re done.

What’s your favorite dip or sauce?

Muhammara
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Printable Recipe

1 12-ounce jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
1 cup walnuts
1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses or fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pita chips, warm pita bread, or veggies for serving

1. Blend all ingredients except pita chips in processor until coarse puree forms. Season with salt.

2. Transfer to bowl; serve with chips, pita, or veggies.

This was the first recipe that caught my eye when I bought Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes. I’m a sucker for anything Oreo, anything mini, and lately, anything cheesecake.

If you’re a sucker for these things too, or you want to win the heart of someone who is, these are your new best friend. The recipe is just a simple cheesecake batter poured over a whole Oreo cookie sitting in the well of a cupcake tin. I made these for a party with friends, and they were a huge hit. What’s not to love?

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes
Printable Recipe
Makes 30

42 Oreos (~1 package), 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners or grease well with non-stick baking spray. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each cup.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

3. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

4. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

I was perusing my recipe index the other day and decided that the cupcake section was too chocolate-heavy. Not that there’s anything wrong with chocolate, but I’m an equal-opportunity cupcake lover. So off I went to find a non-chocolate, non-fruity cupcake flavor.

Dulce de leche has been on my radar for a long time (plus it’s all the rage right now), but I’ve always been hesitant to go through the high-risk process of making it at home. It involves boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk, bad news for accident-prone little me.

So I decided to spend the extra dollar and buy a can at my local Latino grocery store (I later spotted it in the ethnic foods section at Safeway if you’re not lucky enough to live near a Latino grocer). That dollar was completely worth it. Rich, moist brown-sugary cake, topped with a rich dulce de leche buttercream and drizzled with a bit of straight-up melted dulce de leche. These are equally worthy of a special occasion or a work lunch on a random Tuesday. ¡Buen provecho!

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So I know I’m not the only one out there with a lifelong aversion to exercise… right?

I’m often asked how I manage to stay healthy with all of the baking and cooking I do. To be honest, I haven’t managed very well at all. Like many, weight has always been a big source of insecurity for me, and coupled with the fact that I have never been able to find a way to exercise that I enjoyed, I’ve been feeling pretty down about my health. For years now.

Before I go on, to fully appreciate the rest of this post, you should know that I’m secretly a 7-year-old girl and love all things silly, whimsical, and childish. I mean, come on, my personal blog is called Playing House.

So when I heard recently that there are athletic events and running races at Disney World, I got really excited. Maybe I had finally found something that I was so excited about that it could actually get me up and moving?! I went to their website in search of a 5k race (3.1 miles, a seemingly manageable first race distance), and while I was poking around, came across this: the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon. A half marathon? No way. But it’s the inaugural race on their brand new half marathon course, it’s at night, and the finish line is at the annual Epcot Food & Wine Festival. It’s not until October, so it’s just far enough away that maybe, just maybe, it could be possible.

Next thing I knew, my husband and I were training for a half marathon! A half marathon with Disney entertainment at every mile, and a festival celebrating my favorite things to look forward to at the end.

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Because I’ve never been an athlete, I’m starting with really small baby steps. The Couch to 5k is an interval training program designed for people who have never run before to train for a 5k race, and I’m loving it so far. We have plans to run a 2 mile race in February, a 5k in May, and a 10k in July. I use the iPhone app by Felt Tip Inc., which lets you play your own music and tells you when to walk and when to run.

I can’t believe how much better and more empowered I feel, mentally and physically, in the short time since I started training. If you’d like to read more about my baby steps, I’m writing about my adventures at my new running blog, The Happiest Race on Earth.

What gets you motivated to exercise??

I obviously love to bake. I’m pretty steadily mastering the art of making delicious-tasting desserts, but have been incredibly slow on the uptake with paying proper attention to delicious-looking food as well.

On a whim, I signed up for the Wilton Cake Decorating Class last month. The Wilton curriculum is a series of 4 4-week courses, and I just completed the first, called Discover Cake Decorating. It’s held at my local Michael’s craft store, and I leave there every Monday night covered in frosting, hand aching, and smiling ear-to-ear.

These classes are held throughout the U.S. and internationally, so I thought I’d give a little rundown of my thoughts in case you’re interested in signing up. Overall, I loved the class, and have actually already started Course 2, Flowers and Borders. Our instructor has been fabulous, and she’s especially great at not making me feel lame when I’m doing something ridiculous (couplers and I don’t really get along), which seems to happen quite often.

My only real issue with the class is the frosting they have us practice with. The main ingredient is vegetable shortening, which makes the frosting incredibly messy and greasy, and I strongly prefer not to eat it. There’s a saving grace there, because I don’t like it at all, I don’t snack while I’m practicing, which my body thanks me for. I also find it difficult to work with, though, even at the different consistencies they teach us how to make. I’m a chronic rule-follower, so I continued to make it and bring it to class instead of trying a different recipe, knowing that I’d have freedom outside of class to practice with more delicious frosting.

Other than that, I loved everything about the class, and it’s been making my Mondays a lot more bearable. I still have a lot to learn, but that’s what makes it fun.

Now, on to the fun stuff… pictures!

Week 1, Lecture: No hands-on, just a demonstration and lots of fun shopping! I bought the biggest kit they sell because I know I’ll use it forever, but you’re free to pick and choose which supplies you buy.

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Ed Note: EADL is signing off for the holidays! We will see you on January 4th; until then indulge yourself with Amy I’s Red Velvet White Chocolate Cheesecake! xoxo

Allow me to introduce you to the richest, most decadent, and most delicious thing I have ever baked. This Red Velvet White Chocolate Cheesecake is actually an entire white chocolate cheesecake, sandwiched between 2 fat layers of red velvet cake, all held together with cream cheese frosting. Ridiculous, right?

I made this for my birthday party last week (I’m one of those baking nerds that insists on making her own cake), but it’s perfect for any holiday special occasion.

Sending big, frosting-coated holiday hugs to all of you! See you next year!

Red Velvet White Chocolate Cheesecake
Adapted from Judy In Her Natural Habitat: The Kitchen
Printable Recipe

Make this the night before you plan to serve it, an overnight rest in the refrigerator does a world of good. Also, if you’re new to cake-baking, I recommend reading up on the merits of applying a crumb coat. You’ll definitely want to do that with this bright red baby.

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Have you heard of the “Baked” Brownie? The chocolatey treat that’s taking America by storm? Baked is a bakery in Brooklyn, New York. The owners of the bakery authored of one of my favorite cookbooks, Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, and in this book, share their infamously superior brownie recipe with the world.

I’d made and loved other recipes from the book (Lemon Lemon Lemon Loaf, Root Beer Bundt Cake, Pumpkin Whoopie Pies), but this is the one that they’re truly famous for, so I had to see for myself. These brownies are so good that they’ve been endorsed by America’s Test Kitchen, the Today Show, and are one of Oprah’s Favorite Things.

Brownies typically aren’t my baked good of choice unless there’s something interesting about them, like cream cheese, oreos, or peanut butter (or all of the above? mmmm….) swirled in. When I first tasted one, I knew they were excellent, but the best brownies in America? I’d had better. After they rested overnight, though, my opinion changed. Best brownies EVER. Most definitely.

The best thing about these brownies is that they’ll please a crowd. They’re just the right balance of cakey and gooey to appeal to everyone on the brownie-texture spectrum. I dusted mine with a bit of powdered sugar, since that’s what my mom always does (hi mom!), but feel free to leave them naked.

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Other than my short stint as a resident of New York City, I’ve never lived in a city with a “signature” food. I’m talking about claim-to-fame level: cheese steaks from Philadelphia, coffee from Seattle, Hatch chiles from New Mexico. These Nanaimo Bars are the ultimate signature food, from beautiful Nanaimo, British Columbia on Vancouver Island in Canada.

Nanaimo bars are a rich, decadent, 3-layer, no-bake treat. The bottom crust layer is chocolate, graham cracker crumbs, almonds, and coconut. I’m not sure if this is heresy (Canadian friends? Thoughts?), but I added 1/2 cup of Heath toffee bits to the bottom layer too. Next time I’d add even more, I’m crazy about the stuff. The middle layer is a creamy vanilla custard, and the top is a thin layer of solid chocolate.

These bars are ubiquitous in Canada. It’s unfathomable that anyone might not have heard of them. Here in the U.S., it’s a completely different story. I had to sheepishly ask how to pronounce the name (Nah-Nye-Moh), and of the dozens of people I served these to, almost none had heard of them either. I’m puzzled by this disparity, and it’s now my official mission to let every American I know in on one of Canada’s best-kept secrets!

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Today I’m interrupting your regularly scheduled foodie programming to tell you a story. A story about how a girl who hated dogs with all her might met a dog who hated people with all his might… and now they love each other more than either thought was possible.

All photos in this post are by me unless otherwise noted.

I was born into a family of women who are a bit… shall we say… prissy? about animals. Spanning at least 3 generations. Naturally, I adopted this worldview too at an early age, and as a child was especially terrified of dogs. As I transitioned to adulthood, my serious phobia lessened and became more of a discomfort than a fear. I just couldn’t wrap my head around why anyone would want a shedding, barking, jumping thing in their home.

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