Category: Desserts

chai cupcakes with brown butter chai frosting

happy first birthday to husbands that cook

Exactly one year ago today, on April 29, 2015—at 5:43 pm to be precise—Ryan was moments away from pressing a small white button with the word “enter” displayed in small glowing letters. And as he confidently pressed this rectangular key it made a faint click as the plastic struck the cold aluminum. Moving at the speed of light, trillions of signals were simultaneously dispersed across the planet, into computers, phones, tablets, and electronic devices all over the world. At that very split second, even before he could take his hand away from the keyboard, those electrical currents were translated into words, sentences, photos, and recipes, and Husbands That Cook was born.

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crispy banana waffles with nutella syrup

drizzling the nutella syrup

We have a treat for you today! How many of you loved the chocolate chip pancakes at IHOP when you were a kid? You know who you are so please don’t pretend that you can’t remember that radiant whipped cream smiley face with those bright cherry eyes. You would look forward to it every time, and since it was a special treat for the weekend, your parents allowed you to order it. And as you enjoyed the fluffy pancakes dotted with melted chocolate, you would tell yourself, “When I’m a grownup, I’m going to have chocolate for breakfast every day!” Well today is a beautiful morning, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and we are feeling nostalgic. We decided to celebrate this gorgeous Spring day with something sweet. Something that would make our younger selves quite proud: crispy banana waffles drizzled with hot nutella syrup.

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ube cake with vanilla marshmallow cream

ube cake with vanilla marshmallow cream

We love where we live. Eagle Rock is a thriving artistic community just twenty minutes from downtown L.A. Our quiet neighborhood is tucked away up in the hills far from the noise and traffic, surrounded by tall trees and expansive views. And though the city is nearby, it doesn’t feel that way, especially with the variety of wildlife that live in the area. Just the other evening, we had our second close encounter with a skunk!

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strawberry rhubarb hand pies

strawberry rhubarb hand pies

I will not let today be one of those days. It is not even 8am and I’ve already broken a beautiful glass mug (a wedding present engraved with our initials), locked myself out of the house (forcing Ryan who is sick with the flu to jump out of bed while feverish and shivering to let me back inside), then accidentally set off the piercingly loud house alarm while going out to the garage to finish laundry. I refuse to let the day continue like this. I need to be a compassionate doctor, take care of my sick husband, and let him rest quietly without shattering glass and setting off deafening alarms! So let us pause for a moment while we take a deep breath together, and as we slowly exhale, we let go of our worries and stresses, allow them to all disappear, and conduct the day in a calmer and quieter direction.

Ahhh, much better.

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matcha made in heaven shake

matcha made in heaven shake

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! This is going to be a short post. We wanted to share something super quick and easy that you could whip up today in no time at all. This rich and creamy shake is dreamy and delicious and takes less than five minutes to prepare. It is cool, minty, and tastes like a decadent dessert, but in fact it is made without any ice cream, and the vibrant green comes from all-natural ingredients—not a drop of food coloring to be found! Made with frozen bananas, honey, vanilla, and almond milk, all the ingredients are mixed in a blender with fresh mint leaves and a splash of mint extract for an extra lift. The beautiful green color comes from matcha and spirulina which also give this smooth drink a slight pick-me-up as well as a boost of nutrients! This refreshing treat was inspired by today’s holiday, but this minty matcha made in heaven shake will be enjoyed throughout the year. Whipped cream is optional, but highly encouraged. Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!

☘ ☘ ☘ ☘ ☘ ☘ ☘

Matcha Made in Heaven Shake
serves 2

2 bananas, sliced and frozen (about 8 ounces)
1 1/2 cups almond milk
8 large mint leaves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon matcha powder (see note)
1/2 teaspoon spirulina powder (see note)
1/8 teaspoon mint extract
1 to 2 tablespoons honey
whipped cream (optional)

Combine the frozen bananas, milk, mint leaves, vanilla, matcha, spirulina, mint extract and 1 tablespoon of honey in a blender, and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste for sweetness and add more honey as needed. Pour into glasses and top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of matcha powder, if desired. Enjoy!

notes:
— To freeze the bananas, slice them and place the slices in a resealable plastic bag in a single layer, then lay the bag flat in the freezer until frozen.
— Matcha and spirulina powders can be found in natural food stores, and both are available online.
— To make this vegan, replace the honey with agave syrup or other vegan sweetener.

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