Have You Missed Me?

'Cause I've missed you!

You may have noticed I've been on hiatus AGAIN. This has not been a great year financially for Sugar High. For the first time in a long while Ramen and boxed mac & cheese have been my main dishes. My kitchen, while still dirty, has been much cleaner than normal. And my house is so cold this season because I have no reason to turn on the oven. What a sad, sad way for a foodie to spend her holidays.

I do try to fit in an occasional baked treat, or nice homemade dinner when money allows. I have very slowly been saving pictures and recipes here and there so I have something to share with you when the time comes. In the meantime, you can visit me on Facebook. I'll be updating Sugar High's page more often, sharing my favorite recipes and food blogs from around the internet with you, and getting more input from you on what kind of recipes you would like to see on Sugar High.

The new year is almost here, and I know it's going to be a great one! Hang in there, baby :)

-Jess

Baked Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

It's no secret that potatoes are my favorite food, and sweet potatoes are one of the best! I love the sweet flavor of them, it's like a dessert in a vegetable. I've been dying to make sweet potato fries, and I came across this recipe for a spicy version. Flavored with chili and smoked paprika, these sweet and spicy fries did not disappoint!

Best Sloppy Joes

If you've never had a homemade Sloppy Joe, you've been missing out! This sloppy joe sauce has chunks of veggies and uses mustard, worcestershire and steak sauce for flavor that is so good it goes far beyond any sauce you will get from a can. This is my go-to recipe for sloppy joes, and soon it will be yours too!

- I always top my sloppy joes with mustard (honey mustard is my favorite). It adds a great flavor I can't get enough of.

Easy Peasy Strawberry Rhubarb Jam



Would you believe me if I told you that before I made this jam I had never eaten rhubarb? It's true! Up until now, I've never tried rhubarb. Yet, I have this weird obsession with it. I have dozens of rhubarb recipes locked away, constantly searching for more while I wait impatiently for rhubarb season, only to stare at it longing to bake it into something delicious.

Rather, what I assume would be delicious seeing as how I had no idea what it tasted like.

I also have had a desire to make my own jam. I happened upon this very simple strawberry rhubarb jam that is made.... in the microwave. I thought, 'Microwaveable jam? Hey, I can do that!'. Plus, it's like killing two birds with one stone. So I finally gathered up the courage to buy rhubarb.

This was definitely worth waiting for. I can't believe how simple this jam method is! Mix up your ingredients, pop them in the microwave for several intervals mixing in between each one. There you have it, perfect jam. This is a great method for first time jam makers like myself.

And the taste is amazing! Rhubarb really complimented the sweet strawberries, I love it's tang. I used a little less sugar in my recipe, I didn't want it overly sweet - I wanted the tart rhubarb to really shine. I was so pleased with my first rhubarb experience that I was eating this stuff by the spoonful!

-Jess

Go HERE for this microwave jam recipe and lots of helpful tips!

Helpful Hints-

* Because this jam isn't preserved, you need to keep it refridgerated and consume it within a couple weeks. I had no problem doing that!

Brownie Bottom Peanut Butter Pie

From above this looks like a typical cream pie. It's topped with peanut butter and chocolate peanut butter. Yummy, but nothing too exciting...

But you decide get a better look and realize that it's a light and creamy peanut butter pie atop a layer of rich dark chocolate brownie. Now, it has your full attention!

Then, you take a slice and see there are even more surprises. The rich brownie layer is spotted with bits of peanut butter chips. This pie is also sitting on a crumbly Oreo crust. Not just any Oreo crust, though... it's a Peanut butter Oreo crust.

For a peanut butter/chocolate lover, this isn't just a slice of pie, it's a pure slice of creamy, delicious heaven!

On Top Of Spaghetti...

All FILLED with cheese.

Meatballs are good. Turkey meatballs are better. Cheese stuffed turkey meatballs are the best!

Normally we mix ground turkey in with the sauce, but this week (yes, we typically have spaghetti dinner once a week) I had a craving for meatballs. I was looking for a recipe and came upon this one on Picky Palate. Stuffing meatballs with mozzarella? Genius!

These meatballs are so delicious! I'm in love. I should mention this is the second stuffed recipe from Picky Palate that I have fallen for. Once again, Jenny is my hero.

I made 12 big meatballs, and am already out. I already plan on making these again for meatball subs next week. :)

Oreo Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies

Just when I thought a cookie couldn't get any better than the Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies, I came across these.

The Man and I are big fans of peanut butter, so when I showed him this cookie he told me I absolutely HAD to make them. Fine by me!

I was sure to use peanut butter Oreos to get the most peanut butter flavor. The cookie is so soft and delicious, it's really a great match with the Oreo's chocolate cookie. These cookies were just as sinfully delicious as the chocolate chip cookies. I dare say they are even better!

Strawberry Lemonade

There is nothing more refreshing when the weather turns warm than freshly squeezed lemonade. Lemonade is so simple to make, and doesn't take long at all! The flavor can be easily adjusted to your liking - I like my lemonade tart, so I used less sugar to make it lip-puckering. I decided to kick the flavor up a notch with strawberries, it tasted delicious! If you don't like strawberries, simply omit them from the recipe or replace them with your fruit of choice. This is the best lemonade I've had, definitely a keeper!

Snickerdoodle Muffins

When I first saw these Snickerdoodle Muffins, I thought they were named after my favorite cookie only because they are covered in cinnamon-sugar. I had to find out for myself if they really stood up to the Snickerdoodle name.

First of all these muffins, just like the cookie, are very hands-on in that you take balls of batter and roll it in cinnamon-sugar before baking. Once they are baked, they have a nice fluffy center that is much lighter than traditional muffins, and the crackled tops have a slight crunch to them that really resembles a snickerdoodle cookie. Best of all, these muffins really do taste just like a snickerdoodle! I'm not sure which one I like better now, the cookie or the muffin??

While these muffins make a yummy breakfast the next day, I think eating them fresh and warm out of the oven was the best. I found that the crunch on the top that I loved was lost after a few hours.

Carrot Cake Cheesecake

Continuing my Easter carrot cake tradition with Carrot Cake Cheesecake

This year I wanted to bake something other than the traditional carrot cake. Since carrot cake is normally paired with cream cheese, I got a great idea to incorporate the flavor of carrot cake into a cheesecake. I did an online search, which brought me to this gorgeous carrot cake cheesecake at Pennies On A Platter.

A moist and spicy carrot cake combined with creamy cheesecake.

This actually isn't what I originally had in mind, but it looked too damn good to pass up!

If you look at the original recipe, and compare it with mine, you'll notice a big difference. I'm not too sure how it happened, but during baking the cake portion was pushed to the bottom/edges/top creating a sort of soft, cakey crust. Didn't come out half cake and half cheesecake like it should have, but there was no way in hell that was going to stop me from digging in!

The cheesecake was light and creamy, and really went perfect with the moist carrot cake.

Uh, Carrot cake crust.

This was a 10-inch cake, and was completely devoured at our family's Easter dinner. Success!

Kitty Approved

I didn't notice 'til I was editing photos that a bite appears to have been taken from this slice. I swear I didn't do it! I had taken a short break in the middle of photos to change camera batteries, unintentionally leaving our cat in the room alone with the slice of cake. I'm pretty sure Sugar felt this was the perfect time to sneak in a taste. I found it appropriate to finish what she had started before going to dinner. Yum :)

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

I always loved dying eggs for Easter as a kid. I'm 22 now, and I still love it! I even manage to get the Man to join me in egg coloring every year, it gives us a chance to be creative together, gives us time to talk, and we both get some level of joy from seeing our creations. I don't think a person should ever feel 'too old' to do anything, especially dying Easter eggs.

This year I decided to try something different than standard dyes, joining in on a trend I've been seeing growing on food blogs - Natural egg dying. Meaning instead of using chemical colors, you use natural ingredients (veggies, fruits, spices) to get gorgeous eggs.

This is a little more time consuming than the artificial way, but I'm really happy with the way my eggs turned out.

Asparagus & Gruyere Tarts

Spring is finally starting to show itself. One sure sign of the season is the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. One of my favorite spring veggies is Asparagus. With Easter right around the corner, I thought this Asparagus Tart was perfect for a Spring/Easter dish.

I found this recipe on Closet Cooking, I LOVE Kevin's blog - he always makes the most delicious foods. What first caught my eye about this recipe wasn't the asparagus, it was the Gruyere cheese. Gruyere is by far my most favorite cheese, I would kill for it. Despite how expensive it is, I try to buy a small block any chance I can get. It's definitely not a cheap habit, but to me it's worth every penny.

This recipe also adds a spread of honey dijon mustard, I used honey mustard instead 'cause it was what I had on hand. I was pretty skeptical about the addition of mustard, seemed kind of odd to me, so I made a few tarts without mustard. Boy, was I wrong -I should have known better than to question Kevin's recipe. Shame on me. :/ The mustard tasted fantastic! The tarts without mustard weren't nearly as flavorful as the ones with mustard. Do NOT shy away from the mustard. Trust me :)

Chicken Salad Croissants

These cold chicken salad croissant sandwiches are the perfect snack for warm weather get-togethers and parties. The salad is healthy and creamy with a slightly sweet flavor, and goes great with bread and crackers. The best thing about this recipe is how versatile it is, you can use a variety of grapes, cranberries, or nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds..). You can also choose to use mayo instead of Miracle Whip, just be aware that the flavor will be slightly altered. Serve it with bread as a sandwich, as a topping for crackers, wrapped in lettuce, or keep it just the way it is for a side dish.

Happy First Birthday To...

Sugar High!
Yep, it's Sugar High's 1st birthday. Can you believe it? I can't! A year ago, I had hoped Sugar High would still be here today, but I have to admit I didn't think it actually would be. Even though I took a hiatus for a little while (which I'm still trying to climb out of), I'm still here and going strong! Starting this blog is one of the best things I've ever done, and I'm really looking forward to sharing another tasty year with you!

I decided to celebrate 1 year with a treat that I've had my eyes on for a long, LONG time- Raspberry Lemonade Bars. I love citrusy foods - especially lemonade, and once I saw the gorgeous pink color of these bars, I just couldn't resist!

These bars are a lot easier to whip up than I thought they would be, they take very little effort for great flavor. They're very creamy and VERY tangy, the crust and powdered sugar topping give them the perfect balance of sweetness. Once the three bars pictured were done modeling for me, I happily gobbled them up without a care.
Delicious! :)

Orange Chicken

Why order out when you can make delicious Chinese food at home? It's cheaper, and tastes WAY better than take out. It does take some effort to prepare, but it's worth it. This Orange Chicken recipe, from Annie's Eats, is slightly sweet with a great citrus kick. Even with just two people to feed in my house, this chicken was gone in no time!

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been seeing this recipe popping up all over food blogs for the past couple months. This lovely creation was first made by Jenny at Picky Palate. I fell in love with these fattening goodies as soon as I laid eyes on them. Jenny is my hero.

A very soft chocolate chip cookie surrounds an oreo that becomes soft itself with a slightly gooey cream center once baked. These cookies were awesome, they did not disappoint! That's coming from a person who doesn't really like chocolate chip cookies. I enjoyed them best right out of the oven with a tall glass of milk for dunking. YUM! :)

You can find the original recipe at Picky Palate.

Make them right away. Then watch them disappear much quicker than it took to whip them up. It is so worth it.


Helpful Hints
*I wasn't too sure on how big of a scoop to use for the cookie dough, or exactly how long to bake, so I just experimented a little. (I used a small scoop, about the same size as the oreos.)

With these cookies I used slightly mounded scoops of cookie dough, and baked for about 11 minutes. The cookie dough spread slightly more, was less browned on top, and had a slightly more gooey middle.

These cookies I used a level scoop of cookie dough, and baked for 13 minutes. The cookie held it's shape better, tops were lightly browned, the inside was still very soft, but not as gooey.

Both cookies were amazing. I didn't really have a favorite, but if I HAD to pick one over the other I'd go with the first ones.


-Jess

Brown Butter Banana Bread

I've been in love with brown butter ever since the Brown Butter Ice Cream recipe. I'm always trying to substitute it for regular butter whenever I can. The most recent recipe I've tried using brown butter is Banana Bread. I was hoping the flavor of the brown butter would be more noticable in this bread than it was, it seems the bananas are just too powerful for it to shine through. Nevertheless, this recipe makes for some amazing banana bread.

-Jess

Irish Soda Bread

Keeping it traditional with a simple Irish Soda Bread. This bread is probably the easiest bread I have made in that it doesn't require kneading, and goes from bowl to oven in less than 10 minutes. Simple! Irish Soda Bread has a nice crispy crust, and a fantastic, moist center. This is definitely my new go to recipe whenever I'm in the mood for bread. It was perfect paired with Irish Stew. :)

Irish Stew

Okay, I'm not Irish (as far as I know there's not a drop of Irish blood in me, could be wrong), and I've never been to Ireland, but there's something about St. Patrick's Day that I just love. I think it's the color green, my favorite. Maybe it's that I have an excuse to drink beer (some of which is green!). Oh, and don't think I've forgetten about the FOOD! These may not be the reasons this holiday began, but they are damn good enough for me to want to celebrate it.

I wanted to make a traditional Irish dinner in honor of the holiday, what better place to look for a recipe than Donal Skehan's blog? He is Irish, afterall! This recipe is traditional, with the exception that it uses beef instead of lamb. It's an amazing one pot stew that comes together pretty quick. It has a wonderful taste, and just the right amount of chunky veggies. Served with some Irish Soda Bread, this is the perfect St. Patty's Day dinner. :)

Buffalo Chicken Dip

One of the dishes we enjoyed at Alexis' baby shower.
I have shared this recipe before, but I love it so much that I feel it deserves to be shared again. :)

-Jess

A Baby Shower

My younger sister, Alexis, is expecting a baby girl very soon.

I wanted to make a cake for her baby shower. We got together so I could show her some photos of cakes I thought were cute, and she put together a picture of exactly what she wanted. Her idea was adorable, and I couldn't wait to bring it to life.

I am thrilled with the result of this cake! I was able to match it nearly perfectly with Alexis' drawing, and she loved it. I should mention this is only the second big cake like this that I have made.

The bottom tier is a styrofoam cake dummy, used to add height to the cake without the need of extra unneccesary cake. Second tier is Strawberry Cake with a yummy Strawberry filling. Third tier is Vanilla cake with Bavarian Cream filling. The whole cake is covered with Marshmallow Fondant, and the decorations on 1 & 2 are also MMF. 3's decorations are buttercream frosting. And the whole thing is topped off with an adorable pink baby elephant sugar cookie.

Everything in and on the cake is homemade by myself, except for the fillings which were purchased at Orson Gygi here in Salt Lake just to save myself some time.




Mommy & her cake



Cutting the cake



I used the famous White Almond Sour Cream Cake recipe for the cakes. This is a doctored cake mix recipe. I usually try to avoid recipes like this, but this cake is wonderful. It tastes amazing, it's very moist, and has a great dense texture that is perfect for stacking and carving cakes.





Strawberry Cake, Strawberry Filling

Vanilla Cake, Bavarian Cream Filling

There were a lot of other yummy foods at the shower.

Chicken salad croissant sandwiches, a spicy pasta salad, buffalo chicken dip, tortilla rollups, and sugar cookies.
I thought they were all so good that I'm going to share the recipes for everything in the following weeks. :)

I had a lot of fun celebrating the new life in my family. This will be my first niece, and I can't wait 'til the day she arrives!

I'm Still Here!

Hey!

Yep, I'm still here.

And, I've received LOTS of messages from you asking 'Where have you gone?' and 'I miss your posts!'  :) :)

The past few months my living situation became very hectic when I found myself having a hard time finding a new place to call home, all because of this guy. Guess people really don't like renting to owners of Pit Bulls. :(  We moved in with family, and I had to pack away my kitchen, forcing me to stop cooking (and blogging). We were finally able to find a suitable house, and moved in right away. Now I have my own kitchen to cook in again!

I've really been missing everything about blogging, and I'm so excited to jump right back into it!

-Jess



Kane, Now 7 months!