Homemade Nut Butter

Confession - I'm completely addicted to nut butters. Ask me if you could only eat one thing for the rest of my life and I would tell you peanut butter. Peanut butter will always be my favorite nut butter but almond butter comes in a close second. There are so many delicious varieties out there but they tend to get a bit pricey so I figured why not try making my own. Yes, the nuts themselves still aren't cheap but overall, making your own nut butters is a more affordable option. Plus you can try out different flavors and combinations without shelling out almost 10 dollars for a full jar.

The steps really couldn't be easier either. Place chosen nuts in food processor and blend until smooth stirring down the sides throughout. Depending on your food processor, this should take less than 10 minutes. Of course, feel free to blend less or more to reach your desired consistency.

I'd recommend either roasting your nuts beforehand or buying already roasted nuts. Unsalted are also best so you can adjust the saltiness to your liking. Only have salted nuts on hand? That's fine and actually what I used for this particular batch. In this batch, I also added in a bit of honey (about 1T for 1 1/2 cups of nuts) for a little sweetness.

After the first few minutes of processing, a paste will start to form. Just keep on processing! A few more minutes and you'll start to get at the nut butter consistency you're used to. Almost there! 

When you've reached a smooth and drippy consistency, you can add in your sweeteners, salt and any other flavorings. Cinnamon, vanilla extract and unsweetened coconut is one variation I've loved with peanut butter. For almond butter, some maple syrup and salt is perfection. But really, the combinations and flavors are endless. That's another great thing about making your own nut butter. You can mix and match and find some great combinations.


Just a note, one you add in honey or maple syrup, the butter will return to a thicker, more paste like consistency. Just process for a few more minutes for it to smooth out again. And here you have it. Simple and delicious!

Mom's Turkey Stew

In addition to the requisite turkey sandwiches, my Mom always cooked up a pot of turkey stew to use up all the Thanksgiving leftovers. Filled with tender pieces of turkey and vegetables, the stew is the perfect meal to keep you warm on a cold November night. So when my Mom offered me the rest of the wings and drumsticks from our family's recent Canadian Thanksgiving celebration, I immediately ask her for the stew recipe. Of course she laughed at me saying there was no real recipe but that she just used what was leftover from the dinner and what she had on hand. And this is what I believe makes a truly good cook. No recipe required just years of practice and experience. Not having learned this skill yet, I asked my Mom for the basics and a few tips. Here's what she gave me. Only two steps!

Step One: Create your broth. 

Leftover thighs, drumsticks, wings and the turkey carcass are the base for your broth. Simmered in water, the bones impart a surprising amount of flavor that doesn't require much additional seasoning. Carrots, onions and celery (aka a mirepoix) or any other vegetables you have leftover from your holiday meal add even more flavor and help to fill up your stew. I covered all of these in water, brought to a boil and then simmered uncovered for an hour. I let the whole pot simmer another 2 hours covered before I was satisfied with the taste. I was lucky enough to snag the leftovers from my Dad's grilled turkey which lent an amazing smoky element to the broth. 

Step Two: Add your fillings

Simple enough. Take the bones out of the broth and remove any meat. Having simmered the bones for 3 hours, the meat easily fell off. The meat plus some extra slices of turkey went back into the pot along with some thyme, rosemary, and oregano. I left this to simmer another half hour before adding in some farro and parsley. I cooked it only long enough to soften the farro and then seasoned with salt and pepper. And that was it! Making homemade broth and stew initially seemed intimidating to me but it really couldn't have been easier. 

Serve with some crusty bread and you have a hearty and comforting meal. Hope you enjoy it! 

Halloween Treats

Happy Halloween!!!!

Although I may not be dressing up this Halloween, I still plan to fully part take in all the holiday's yummy treats. Pinterest is loaded with inspiration for unique and fun desserts and that's where I found this recipe for Mini Triple-Treat Cupcakes from Martha Stewart. If you've seen any of the Halloween editions of Martha Stewart's Living Magazine than you know she is the queen of all things Halloween. To make this recipe even easier I cheated with a boxed cake mix (shh don't tell Martha!) and made them full size rather than mini because a) I didn't have mini cupcake liners or muffin pans and b) I didn't feel like making 48 of these treats. It's all about improvising! 

Simply make cupcakes according to directions on the box and then add about 1/2 cup of peanut butter. I used some homemade honey peanut butter (post coming soon!) but feel free to use whatever you have on hand. Fill up the liners and then pop a mini Reese's in the middle in the middle of each so the batter aligns with the top of the candy. Then bake for about 19 minutes. 

Once they're out of the oven, immediately place a candy corn on each Reese's so that they'll stick into the melted chocolate. That's all. Halloween treats complete. I can't wait to share these with my nieces! 

And because nothing says Happy Halloween more than forcing your nieces to pose with a Captain Jack Sparrow impersonator. 

End of Summer Smoothies

What better way to celebrate the end of summer than with a refreshing smoothie. Smoothies are a quick and easy option for breakfast or a snack during the day. I love eating mine from a bowl topped with granola for a filling and delicious breakfast that tastes more like dessert. Here are some of my favorites:

Mocha Power Smoothie
1/2 frozen banana
1 scoop vanilla or chocolate protein powder (I love Perfect Fit from the Tone It Up Girls and Sun Warrior)
1 T of cocoa powder (omit if using chocolate protein powder)
4-6 coffee ice cubes
1 1/2 T plain greek yogurt
1 T chia seeds
1/4 t cinnamon
3/4-1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or whatever kind of milk you prefer)

Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Add more or less milk depending on how thick of a consistency you want. I like mine thick enough to eat with a spoon so I will only add enough milk to get all the ingredients moving in the blender. Also, if you don't have protein powder, feel free to use 1 or 2 more tablespoons of greek yogurt plus some kind of sweetener like honey, agave or stevia. Pour into glass and top with cocoa nibs.

Cherry Berry Smoothie
1/2 frozen banana
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup of frozen cherries and mixed berries
1 T chia seeds
1/4 t cinnamon
1 T plain greek yogurt
3/4-1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Cocoa powder would also be a great addition to this recipe for a riff on chocolate covered cherries. Pour into bowl and top with granola.






Green Monkey Smoothie
1 frozen banana
2 T plain greek yogurt
1/2 - 3/4 cup fresh or frozen kale
1 1/2 T peanut butter
1 T hemp seeds
1/4 t cinnamon
3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Sweeten to taste with stevia, honey or agave. Pour into glass and enjoy.

Note: Smoothies are a perfect vehicle for sneaking in some nutrient dense greens. The frozen fruit will mask any taste of the greens so go ahead and add some spinach or kale to any of the above recipes.

Smoothie making is not at all an exact science. The above measurements are only suggestions so feel free to adjust to your liking. The below tips are a great base to add onto for any number of flavor combinations. Feel free to mix and match to create your perfect smoothie.

Base: To create thickness and creaminess start with either 1/2 of a frozen banana or 1/2 avocado.
Flavor: Here's where you add any type of fruit you want. I prefer frozen to give the smoothie more thickness and keep it cooler.
Sweetener: Banana by itself lends a lot of sweetness but dates also work great. Agave, honey, stevia also work well.
Protein: Greek yogurt, protein powders, hemp seeds, chia seeds and nut butters all add some filling protein.
Liquid: For a creamy smoothie add almond, coconut, soy or regular milk. You need just enough to get all the ingredients moving in your blender. Coconut water, coffee, or plain water are also great options depending on the flavor your going for.
Toppings: Toppings are a fun way to add a nice contrast in texture and make your smoothie feel like a meal. I like coconut, granola, cereal, seeds, and cocoa nibs.

So go and break out the blender and see what yummy combinations you can come up with!

Indian Sloppy Joes

I was first introduced to Indian food by mother whose simple chicken curry ignited a love of spice in me. From there, my love of the cuisine grew as I experienced new dishes at Indian restaurants in both the U.S. and abroad. There was even one memorial curry dish I had on a Virgin Airlines flight from Boston to London. I've since acquired my fair share of Indian cookbooks as I've begun to experiment cooking the cuisine on my own. Although many Indian dishes are complex and require ample time and supply of exotic spices, there are still ways to incorporate the pungent and diverse flavors into your every day meals. This sloppy joe recipe from The Food Network's Aarti Sequeria is a perfect way to introduce these flavors to a more approachable and familiar dish.

We chose to pair our joes with a carrots and wilted spinach in a peanut-coconut sauce from the bible of Indian cooking aka Raghavan Iyer's 660 Curries. If you're looking for a comprehensive book on Indian cooking, this is it. Or if you're new to Indian cooking, feel free to pair the joes with something a bit more familiar say sweet potato fries with a simple curry yogurt dipping sauce. Whatever you choose, I'm sure you'll enjoy this meal!

Margarita Season is Upon us!

Weather is really starting to improve in New England. Last weekend we were up into the 90s! With all this warm weather, a margarita or two is much needed. Here are my two favorite recipes. Cheers!

Blood Orange Margarita (serves 1)

1 1/2 oz Espolon Blanco (or your favorite tequila)

1 oz Patron Citronge (or triple sec)

Juice of ½ Lime

Juice of ½ Lemon

Juice of ½ Blood Orange

Dash of Agave or more if you want sweeter

1 cup ice

Mix everything together and serve over ice in glass with salted rim. 

Frozen Raspberry Margarita (serves 1)

1 1/2 oz Espolon Blanco (or your favorite tequila)

1 oz Patron Citronge (or triple sec)

Juice of ½ lime

1/2 cup raspberries

1 cup ice

Pop all ingredients in a  blender  and mix until smooth, then pour in glass and enjoy. 

Welcome to a Taste of Family! We're two sisters who love to cook, drink and most of all, spend time with family. This little space on the interwebs is our place to document this love. So come join us for a taste of our family. 

Ameliaranne's Birthday Dinner

A few weeks ago our family came together to celebrate our older sister, Ameliaranne's birthday. Her dinner request was pretty simple, she wanted salmon as the main and then crème brûlée for dessert. We immediately thought of Gwenyth Paltrow's Salmon with Sriracha Sauce and Lime from her new cookbook It's All Good because you really can't go wrong with Gwenyth, right? 

Because the dessert was pretty decadent we decided we should try to keep the rest of the meal plan as healthy and light as possible. We whipped up The Londoner's Kali Spera Feta Dip  and our own White Bean dip, recipe below. Side note, if you have never read The Londoner blog, you are really missing out - check it out, but only after you are done reading ours. :) To accompany the salmon we decide on beat, avocado and arugula salad and roasted asparagus, recipe below. 

When we arrived at our Parent's house to start prepping for the evening, our mother was pulling the crème brûlée from the over and getting it into the fridge to cool. Mom had used Ina Garten’s recipe because “it’s perfection”. She was then starting on making some meringue with all the left over egg whites for our nieces. She used a basic meringue recipe from The Meringue Cookbook by Margaret N.Shakespeare. So we started on the two dips and cracked open a bottle of Rose. Queue Lisa Vanderpump’s ROBH opening line “Life isn't all diamonds and rose... but it should be". Ah so true!

We served dinner with some Sauvignon Blanc and Ameliaranne’s favorite, a Sangiovese. We enjoyed the crème brûlée with some espresso and a batch of 44 Liqueur Mom had just made. If you have never heard of 44, you basically take one orange and insert 44 coffee beans into the skin, and then you drop it into vodka and sugar mixture and let us sit for 44 days. The result is pretty tasty. We first tried the 44 over ice but we all decided it was best at room temp. Over all the birthday was a hit and everyone enjoyed celebrating together. 

White Bean Dip (makes about 1.5 cups)

1 Can Cannellini Beans (drained and rinsed)

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

8 Garlic Cloves, roasteåd

Juice of 1/4 Lemon and 1/4 Teaspoon of Lemon Zest

1 Teaspoon Crush Red Pepper Flakes

Salt and Pepper to taste

Place beans, garlic, lemon, zest, pepper flakes, salt and pepper in blender or food processor. Once everything starts to come together, slowly add in the olive oil and blend until smooth. Occasionally when we have made this, we've had to add some additional olive oil to get it perfectly smooth, add one additional tablespoon until you get it to the consistency you prefer. You can serve immediately at room temperature. Dip will keep in the fridge for a few days.

Roasted Asparagus (serves 8)

2 Bunches of Fresh Asparagus, rinsed and trimmed

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Parmesan Cheese

Salt & Pepper (do you think we should give measurements)

Preheat oven to 375 Degree Fahrenheit (or is it more). Toss asparagus in olive oil and then season with salt and pepper. Arrange the asparagus on a baking sheet (we used two sheet for this amount, you do not want too many on one sheet, otherwise they will steam instead of roast). Grate some parmesan cheese over the asparagus and then place in oven for 25 min (more or less time?). Serve immediately.