I just booked a few upcoming date nights for my husband and me – I’m so looking forward getting out together. We aim for at least one a month these days. It’s usually something simple like dinner somewhere local and maybe a movie, but it’s so nice to have the time to ourselves while the kids are home having fun with our sitter whom they adore.

I can count the number of date nights my husband and I had during our first two years as parents on one hand. We were still a little unsure about hiring a babysitter so we’d wait until our parents came to visit so they could watch our daughter while we went out. A friend of mine, who had a standing date night with her husband every week, relentlessly encouraged me to get a sitter already. I finally followed her advice, once our son was born, and she was so right. Even getting out together just once a month has restored a bit of balance to our lives.

When Mike and I go out to dinner we usually will pass on an appetizer except if artichoke dip is on the menu. If they’ve got artichoke dip, we order it. And we will probably finish it. For me, it’s the cheesy, baked crust on top that I can’t pass up. I make sure I get a good amount of that on my bread along with, of course, a lot of artichoke. This Hot Artichoke Dip recipe I found on a package of Alexia Waffle Fries is as tasty as any I’ve had in a restaurant. It’s makes a whole lot more than you need for just two people so invite some friends over and share!

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© Cooking On the Side, 2012. | Permalink: http://cookingontheside.com/hot-artichoke-dip/

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I first discovered that we had a fruit-bearing tree in our yard the day I pulled up to my driveway to find a woman positioned on my front lawn, bracing a ladder. A man teetered on the top rung in an effort to reach small, red, not-quite-ripe-looking plums from the upper branches. “Can I help you with something?” was the best I could come up with at the time, I was so dumbfounded by the situation. The woman just smiled and commented, “There are lots up near the top!” I parked my car and just let them continue – I sure as heck wasn’t going to climb the tree to retrieve anything myself. Eventually the man came down from the ladder (as I was mentally reviewing our insurance policy), offered me some of the plums (so kind of him, right?) and they went off on their merry way.

I remembered this odd encounter last week on a much-needed day spa trip as I noticed a maintenance worker reach up and snip a ripe orange from a tree. We’ve been eating citrus like mad in our house for the past month, but the idea of plucking one straight from the tree just seemed so…lovely.

I’m nowhere near as brazen as the folks on my front lawn so I refrained from picking the oranges at the spa, but I did buy a big bag of clementines the next time I did my grocery shopping. I parlayed several of them into this incredible Orange Mango Nut Bread, the recipe for which I found inside a Challenge butter package. Like all the butter company recipes I’ve previously shared on this blog, there’s definitely some butter involved. It’s super-moist and citrusy and the little chunks of dried mango and pecans give it a really nice texture. You really don’t need the Ginger Honey Butter, but if you decide to spread some on you’ll appreciate the sweet-spiciness the ginger brings to the mix.

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© Cooking On the Side, 2012. | Permalink: http://cookingontheside.com/orange-mango-nut-bread-with-ginger-honey-butter/

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From now on whenever I think of lemon bars I’ll be reminded of the time that I first met a group of cousins I never knew I had. We all convened at my parents’ house (it turns out they don’t live that far away) for dinner the day after Christmas, just ten days ago. Their great-great-great-grandfather was my great-great-grandfather. I did the calculation and determined that makes us 3rd cousins once removed. It’s a distant relation, but family is family.

One of my “new” cousins, about my same age, brought over lemon bars that day. I hadn’t had them in forever and hers were fantastic. I learned that both she and her sister love to cook and that her sister even has her own special occasion cake business. Even though we’re only 3rd cousins once removed I felt connected over this.

This little reunion prompted me to share a recipe for Creamy Lemon-Lime Bars today. The recipe, which I adapted from the side of a can of sweetened condensed milk, is more reminiscent of key lime pie than the traditional lemon bars my cousin made. They have a rich, creamy texture but are still very sweet, tart and refreshing. I brought limes into the mix to make things a little interesting (plus I love limes).

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© Cooking On the Side, 2012. | Permalink: http://cookingontheside.com/creamy-lemon-lime-bars/

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When you enter a holiday potluck carrying a basket studded with savory lollipops, people pause their conversations to check out what you’ve got there. At least that’s what happened when I brought these Cheese Ball Pops.

The idea of converting the cheese log recipe I posted a few years ago into bite-sized lollipops came to mind after I saw a Goat Cheese Pops with Herbs, Pecans and Bacon appetizer on Mom It Forward. While I was at the grocery store, collecting all of the ingredients to make the goat cheese pops for the potluck, I realized that way you make the pops is remarkably similar to the old familiar cheese log…except it’s on a stick.

So I went back to that cheese log recipe. Instead of rolling the cheese and honey mixture into a log I just rolled them into little balls. I made them a little on the small side (think Dum Dums rather than Blow Pops) so they could neatly be consumed in a single sweet and savory bite. People really went for these – they thought it was a fun spin on the traditional appetizer. I’m sharing the recipe and rolling technique that I used but I’ll bet you could easily adapt almost any cheese log recipe into pops. Give it a try!

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© Cooking On the Side, 2011. | Permalink: http://cookingontheside.com/cheese-ball-pops/

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As busy as the holiday season gets – and this one is proving to be one for the records – I make it a point to carve out time for the things that I enjoy most about the holidays, such as baking and exchanging cookies. This year’s Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, masterfully organized by Lindsay from Love & Olive Oil and Julie from The Little Kitchen, turned to be the mother of all cookie exchanges I’ve ever participated in, with more than 600 food bloggers sending 22,000 cookies around the world!

I took the opportunity to try out a Chocolate-Raspberry Thumbprint cookie recipe I found inside a box of Ziploc bags. What drew me most to these cookies (besides the obvious terrific combo of chocolate and raspberries) was the cream cheese in the dough. I hoped the cream cheese would give the cookies a soft, tender texture and that’s exactly what I got. I was happy to wrap them up and ship them off, a dozen at a time, to someone I’ve known since my early days of blogging, Shelby from The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch, as well as two folks I’m now “meeting” for the first time: Desiree from Gustatoria and Allison from Decadent Philistines Save the World.

And since this was exchange, that means I also received three dozen cookies in the mail as well! Read on to see the terrific cookies that arrived on my doorstep as well as the recipe for the Chocolate-Raspberry Thumbprint cookies that I sent.

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© Cooking On the Side, 2011. | Permalink: http://cookingontheside.com/chocolate-raspberry-thumbprint-cookies-the-great-food-blogger-cookie-swap/

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Because this recipe is designated as coffee cake I went ahead and served it in the morning. But let’s call this what it is – this is cake cake. What you can’t see from the photo of this Almond Brickle Coffee Cake is that another layer of toasted almonds and toffee bits runs down the middle of it. A good amount of butter – no surprise as the recipe comes from a butter package – keeps it extra moist. The one element of restraint comes with the glaze. It’s intentionally just a scant drizzle because that’s all it needs. Dessert for breakfast is what this is.

Some blogging friends and I are having a Virtual Holiday Brunch Potluck today. Each of us is sharing a dish on our blogs: mains, sides, desserts and a party favor. Here is the lineup:

The Drink
Godiva Mudslide Minitini – Kristen from Dine & Dish

Main Dishes
Gingerbread French Toast – Diane from Created by Diane
Asian Fusion Omelette/Frittata – Jeanette from Jeanette’s Healthy Living
Macaroni & Cheese – Naomi from Bakers Royale

Side Dishes
Potato Casserole – Julie from The Little Kitchen
Hazelnut Roasted Brussel Sprouts – Carolyn from All Day I Dream About Food

Dessert
Gingerbread Pumpkin Trifle with Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce – Sommer from A Spicy Perspective
Almond Brickle Coffee Cake – by yours truly
Gingerbread Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream – Cheryl from TidyMom

Party Favor/Hostess Gift
Dark Chocolate Bark with Ginger, Pumpkin Seeds and Apricots – Sylvie from Gourmande in the Kitchen

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© Cooking On the Side, 2011. | Permalink: http://cookingontheside.com/almond-brickle-coffee-cake-and-a-virtual-holiday-potluck-brunch/

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No matter how much advice I read that says you should bypass the bread basket, especially during the holidays, I just can’t. Bread and I have had a longstanding wonderful relationship – one which I’ve begun to appreciate even more as I become more comfortable baking with yeast.

The most impressive wonderland of a bread basket I’ve ever encountered was at Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas last year (you can see a photo of it here on In Erika’s Kitchen). It’s actually a cart – brimming with all kinds of baguettes, bâtards, rolls, you name it – that the servers wheel to your table. You can choose whatever you want, and rest assured Mike and I did our fair share of sampling. As an aside, they also bring around another incredible cart of sweets at dessert time!

Taking the time and effort to bake homemade rolls on special occasions is one way I like to show love to everyone at the table. I served these Classic Dinner Rolls on Thanksgiving last week. They’re simple, honest, no-frills rolls that taste best with a little butter.

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© Cooking On the Side, 2011. | Permalink: http://cookingontheside.com/classic-dinner-rolls/

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