2012 HOLIDAY MENU/ ORDER INFO

Here are the options available from SWEET LIFE KITCHEN For your holiday happenings & super sweet gifting needs.

Please email all order inquiries to orders@sweetlifekitchen.com

All orders must be submitted & confirmed at least 7-days in advance, we only take a limited number of orders to ensure the highest possible quality.

Cake Pops
Amazing, moist cake center coated in our special blend of chocolate coating, or fun colored candy melt coating- covered in sprinkles, or other fun decorations (check out our FB page for more examples of how we do)

Signature Cake Flavors
$25/dozen
Chocolate, Vanilla, Lemon, Candy Cane

Sublime Cake Flavors
$30/dozen
Red Velvet, Gingerbread, Pumpkin, Cookies n' Cream, Candy Bar


*other options available upon request- let us know any type of pop you'd like and we'll help it become a reality!

Pie Pops

$40/dozen
Cherry, Pumpkin, Pecan, Cranberry, Apple

Cookies

$24/dozen

M & M Cookies (can be holiday colors or other specific color for $2 per dozen)
Chocolate Cherry Chunk Cookies
Peant butter Blossoms
Red & White Sugar Cookie Pinwheels
Gingerbread

Sweet Potato, Mushroom & Onion Pizza

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(sorry about the photo- this was the only one I got!! Ahhhhh!!!)

Still got half of that giant sweet potato left that I used to make the veggie burgers, so thought a pizza would be a fun way to use it up!

Logan LOVES pizza, like really, really, really loves it- I know he's gonna clean his plate when I make pizza-so I save myself some time and pack as many veggies into the pizzas I make so he gets a good dinner or lunch, slice by slice.

This recipe is easy, and was really delicious- you could totally chop some ham, or add some cooked sausage to this to take it to the next level if you want. That's the awesome thing about pizza- just take what ya got, pile it on, and dinner is served.

Here's what you'll need:

1 whole wheat pizza crust dough- I get it at Trader Joe's (surprise, surprise)

1/4 of a yellow onion, cut into thin slivers

1/2 a sweet potato- peeled and grated (I ended up using about 1/4 of a GIANT sweet potato- so 1/2 a normal sized one should do)

3-4 chopped brown mushrooms

Pizza Sauce* (recipe below, I had this in the freezer from the last time I made it- they've also got it at TJ's )

Mozzarella cheese

Pre heat oven to 450

If you have a pizza stone, spread cornmeal ALL OVER IT so the dough doesn't stick.

Or use a baking sheet lined with foil, coated in non-stick spray.

Let dough rest on floured surface for 20 minutes.

Stretch rested dough by hand and form something like a sorta-square, mushed oval, mangled circle or if you are some crazy pro- toss it around and make a good-looking circle, I have yet to achieve this.

Spread a layer of sauce on the dough, top with sweet potato, cheese, onion and mushrooms.

Bake 15-20 minutes until crust is golden and cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.

Let cool 10 minutes, slice & enjoy!

Pizza/Pasta sauce-

I make a batch of this every other week, freeze half and use it for pizza, pasta, and pretty much anything, anytime!

1 15oz can diced tomatoes in liquid

1 8oz can tomato paste

1 15oz can tomato sauce

4 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped

Oregano

Basil

Garlic powder

Salt

Pepper

Parmesan cheese

Olive oil

Pour about 1 T of Olive oil into a medium sauce pan over medium heat- add garlic and sautee till frangrant but not singed- about 5 minutes.

Add can of tomatoes, stir

Add can of paste, stir well

Add sauce, stir

Add a generous amount of garlic powder, basil and oregano- I do a thin layer of each over the top of the sauce mix- one at a time, stirring after each addition.

Add a small handful of grated Parmesan, stir

Add a touch of salt & pepper

Lower heat to LOW, let simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes

Sweet Potato, Quinoa & Black Bean Veggie Burgers

The weather is deliciously "Fall" this week in L.A., finally!! Also, with Logan at nearly 15 month, I'm realizing I better embrace and enjoy the "two-nap" schedule while it lasts. I generally make dinner that will last at least 2 nights during his morning nap- if it's not a crock-pot day ;)
I still had some SLOW COOKER BLACK BEANS in my freezer and a MASSSSSIVE sweet potato (that I totally should have taken a photo of, it was 'uge), and quiona is like rice, pasta, flour and sugar over here- we always have it.
A few months ago I made THIS RECIPE with zero alterations and Nate and I both really liked it. I remembered the ingredients being similar and winged this version of my own and we LOVED it!! Logan was still deciding- he had about 2 bites of his burger for dinner last night, I'm going to serve it to him again today at lunch and will update your. He wasn't too hot on the TURKEY MEATLOAF CUPCAKES the night-of but loved em cold the next day. Kiddos, haha!

Cook up a batch of quinoa, you will need about 1- 1 1/2 cups cooked cool quinoa to make these burgers.

What you will need

About 1 1/2 cup cooked, drained black beans
(1 can of beans, drained & rinsed will work fine too)
1 1/2 cup cooked, cooled quinoa
Half a massive sweet potato, peeled and diced- (or 1 whole ave size)
1/4 red onion roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
1 egg
1.5 cup bread crumbs
salt, lemon (garlic powder, cayene, cumin, and/or pepper are also excellent additions, just kept it really freakin simple this go- get wild with it!)


Place the sweet potato in the food processor and pulse 3-5 times, add the beans, quinoa, onion and garlic. Pulse until all ingredients are WELL combined- you want a thick texture, like ground meat (sorry if I totally just grossed anyone out).

Empty the mix into a large bowl, add a pinch of salt to taste, and squeeze the juice of one small lemon wedge in, add the egg and mix with a large wooden spoon, or your hands.
Add bread crumbs, mix well.
Form burger patties with the mixture, this should make 8 medium sized patties or 6 large.
Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet and cook the patties about 8 minutes per side, add cheese and serve on buns with some yellow mustard and fresh baby spinach....we also added a little of this to the buns-

 YUM, it's soooooo GOOD!

Enjoy!

Nate's Pumpkin French Toast

Ok, so GOOD NEWS- my knees are all better!!! YAY!!!! So that means the timing is PERFECT for my back to go out- right?!?
Dangit.
I was pretty much immobile on Friday and to my horror, Logan had to spend a few hours tearing around Nate's office (THANK YOU JESSICA & FRIENDS!) while I went to PT. By Sunday I could move again, but not "make-awesome-Sunday-breakfast" kind of move. I had seen this on Pinterest a while back and was hoping to try it before the "pumpkin season" of 2012 passed, but since I was useless in the kitchen this weekend, I was thrilled when Nate said he'd try it! YAY NATE!!!!

Here's what you will need...
1/4 can of pumpkin (don't worry, we used the other 3/4 of a can to make a dozen muffins and a pumpkin loaf- I'll post that recipe next so you don't have 3/4 of a can of pumpkin sitting around all day!)
3 eggs
about 2/3 - 3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/8 (scant) tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg (a pinch)

6 pieces of samich sliced bread (we used organic whole wheat)

Mix everything in a medium bowl and add a slice of bread- cover completely and let soak about 3 minutes. Meanwhile heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add soaked toast to skillet and cook about 2 minutes per side (until golden) flip once if you can help it- let the next piece up soak during the cooking....and so on, till you are out of bread!

Serve with butter and honey.
...and coffee, lots and lots of coffee, especially if you still have a small child who doesn't grasp how the time change works.

Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

This was the "frosting" for my turkey meatloaf cupcakes  it'd be a great side dish on it's own though too- especially with Thanksgiving coming up, I think this would be divine with gravy!!

Here's what you'll need

12 small youkon gold potatoes boiled
1 T butter
1 big handful shredded cheddar
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup milk
salt & peppa

Wash the potatoes.
Bring a large pot of water (like 10-12 cups) on medium-high heat. Add whole, unpeeled potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes, untill potatoes are totally soft- poke em with a fork to test.
Drain water, put hot potatoes in a large bowl, add butter, milk and yogurt. Mash well, by hand with a potato masher (you can also do this in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment- I wanted em lumpy though).
Let cool about 5 minutes.
Mix in the cheese- add salt & pepper to taste.

Turkey & Veggie Meatloaf "Cupcakes"

I adore meatloaf, and as you can tell from the last few posts had mushrooms and spinach on hand, so thought a veggie-packed meatloaf would be a perfect dinner on a (finally cool) Fall night.

What you'll need for the meatloaf "cupcakes" (the cheddar mashed potato frosting is a separate post HERE)
1 lb lean ground turkey
large handful or two small handfuls of spinach- chop fine
1/3 red onion chopped
2 baby 'bellas chopped
2-3 shiitakes chopped
dash of sale & soy sauce
oregano
basil
1 egg
bread crumbs
salt & pepper

For the "glaze"
4 T katsup
1 T Worcestershire
1 tsp soy (low sod, organic)
1 tsp brown sugar

Pre heat oven to 350.

In a large bowl mix all meatloaf ingredients well- form little 2" meatballs and press into lightly oiled muffin tin.

In a small bowl mix all "glaze" ingredients and add a thin layer of the glaze to each "cupcake"

Cook at 350 25-30 minutes- let cool in tin for about 5 minutes then move onto a large platter to "frost" with cheddar mashed potatoes!

Enjoy!

Mushroom Fall Cous Cous

We ate lunch at this great place recently called Mendicno Farms- their kids meal is off the chain and Logan loved his giant samich. We also got a side of Israeli cous cous that Logan really enjoyed-and when I saw it at Trader Joe's I decided to make it as a side dish for the crock pot chicken!
Since I had leftover mushrooms & chicken broth I got to use those too- sweet.

Sorry for the HORRIBLE photo- I was in a hurry to EAT!! We had this with the "Greek" Crockpot Chicken last week.

1 package Israeli cous cous from Trader Joes
2 baby portabella mushrooms, chopped
4 shiitake mushrooms, chopped
2 handfulls of spinach, chopped
about 6 kalamata olives sliced into 1/4th
a dash of Oilve oil
a drizzle of TJ's Balsamic Glaze (pictured above, it's good on EVERYTHING)
Leeeetle bit of salt- we added more salt & pepper after serving because I really don't put salt in anything I make for Logan these days.

Prepare the cous cous according to package directions- while still hot, transfer to a large bowl and add both kinds of mushrooms, spinach, olives, olive oil, balsamic and stir until all are combined. Add salt to taste & serve warm or cold. (PS If I had Feta cheese here that would have been in there too- so if you've got it, use it!)

"Greek" Crockpot Whole Chicken

This is yet another example of using what I had on hand to make dinner FAST. The chicken was on sale, so I bought it, and then had no idea what I was going to do with it!! I also had a TON of lemons because I've been making lemon, ginger, honey infusions to keep in the fridge to make throat "tea" to help us through the cold season that is so crazy once again this year- I will do a quick post on the "tea" soon, but you can find the link and info on the SLK Facebook page too if you need it sooner.

This took me less than 30 minutes to get in the crock pot, which is my kind of dinner prep time- done and done during am nap- YAY and HOORAY.

Here's what you'll need:


1 whole roasting chicken (save this recipe for when they go on sale- the one I bought was $3 and 4lbs)
2-3 lemons- sliced in wheels
8 cloves garlic, smashed, crushed, or cut in half
1/2 a red onion, sliced
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
Oregano, Basil, paprika, salt. olive oil

lightly coat the bottom of the crock pot with olive oil (I use my Misto for this, but you could just pour in a little bit and roll it around or use a paper towel for even coverage)
Add the sliced lemons (lay them flat all over the bottom of the pot)
Toss in the garlic & onion
In a small bowl mix 1-2 T olive oil and the herbs/seasoning- I eyeballed it, but it's about 2 T basil, 4 T oregano and 1-2 tsp paprika, then a fat pinch of salt, 1/2-1 tsp. Mix this into an herb paste/rub.
Rinse the chicken and pat dry.
Place on a cutting board breast side up and LOOSEN but don't remove the skin. Spread the herb mix on the chicken UNDER the skin- then if you have some left rub the top of the skin too. Leaving it on does mean a bit more calories/fat in the recipe but the chicken is so much more moist and I just remove it after cooking for that reason.
Place the chicken BREAST SIDE DOWN in the crockpot- ribs up- again, this will prevent dryness.
Pour chicken broth into crock pot, lop the yogurt on top of the chicken. Put the lid on the pot & cook on LOW for 7-8 hours....or less... (my crock pot runs HOT, I checked it at 6 hours and it was perfect, but 99% of the whole chicken recipes I see say 7-8 hours, so there must be a reason- make sure it is cooked through completely, at 6 hours mine was falling a part perfection and not dry at all).

BONUS TIP! If you have leftover chicken broth and don't think you'll "use within 7-10 days", FREEZE IT! I used my Baby Bullet baby food freezer storage trays, but you can use any freezer safe container- then just thaw & use when you need to.

Mushroom, spinach, cheese & herb roll-ups

My friend Zarah makes the most kick ass mushroom & herb tart- the filling is earthy, herby, cheesy and amazing all packed in a gorgeous, flaky, delicious puff pastry. Once you taste it, you'll CRAVE it. I plan on making it soon- because it a go-to at this time of year, especially since it's an excellent freezer-meal that you can easily make 2 or 4 of and freeze the ones you don't have for dinner that night....this post, is not that post, yet. Sorry. I know, I got you drooling, and said "puff pastry" and that's just not what I'm about to break down for you. BUT, this post is awesome, and easy, and delicious and my 1 year old LOVED it. (promise, the shifty look is deep enjoyment, he's thrilled, trust me.)

The filling is inspired by Zarah's goodness, with a few additions to use up things I had and make it a one-stop-dinner- so full of veggies, no side dishes were needed. I'm busy, ok.

What you need:
6-8 baby Bella caps
3-4 shiitake mushrooms
8oz cream cheese
3-4 cloves garlic minced
2 handfuls fresh spinach chopped
Butter, olive oil
Fresh thyme & rosemary
Lasagna pasta sheets, dry
Either Greek yogurt or kale yogurt dip (see photo below)
Parmesan cheese
Salt & peppa

Start a large pot of water boiling on the stove, I think I used about 6-8 cups water.
Add 1 T butter &1T olive oil to skillet remove leaves from 6 stems of thyme then trow about 6-8 whole intact stems in- add 3 sprigs rosemary one w leaves removed from stem- let simmer on low for 5 minutes. Add garlic, simmer another 5 minutes on low.
Add mushrooms turn heat to medium, stir, cook about 6-8 minutes.
Turn heat back to low, remove intact sprigs of herbs, add spinach then cheese, stir until melted & all well mixed. Add salt and pepper to taste.
When water boils add sheets a few at a time- tend to them so they dot stick to each other- I used plastic tongs to get sheets out & onto wax paper one at a time to cool- boil until tender but aldente about 6 minutes.
When the pasta is cool enough to touch and the filling is finished, spread a thin layer of the filling into each pasta sheet, roll, place in baking dish.

Top with dip or plain yogurt- sprinkle w Parm. Bake 400 for 30min.

I made one with the plain yogurt option in the toaster oven and Logan and I taste-tested it- totally delicious, just so ya know I'm keeping it real with you ;)

I rolled em all up, put them in the pan- then they stayed in the fridge till after the dogs were walked, and all kinds of other business was attended to- then topped with dip, parm and baked for dinner! This would be a good freezer meal too-I'd definitely going to double batch and freeze a pan the next time I make this.

This recipe was DEEEEELICIOUS, huge thanks to Zarah for being an inspiration (in so many ways!)