Happy Halloween everyone! Please be safe and have lots of fun tonight! Also, we have a winner for the giveaway! Chosen randomly, the winner is Kelly with her comment of “My mother always made cornbread from blue cornmeal growing up so now I have a natural inclination to make it that way!” Yay Kelly!
Happy Halloween guys! Most of you know already we have a book out called Tiny Food Party! (we’re actually hosting a giveaway right now!…check it out!) In that book we have lots of recipes of delicious things made mini. Today we thought we would share some Halloween inspired mini sweets. We have yummy mini pumpkin pies; little pumpkin glazed orange spice cakes, and tiny pumpkin pie milkshakes. These recipes are all super easy and are obviously perfect for Halloween, but because they are so fall friendly feel free to make them throughout the entire holiday season. We hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween!!
Teri + Jenny
Teensy Pumpkin Pies
Makes 24
Ingredients:
cream cheese crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (for savory recipes, use 1 1/2 times the salt)
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup (6 ounces) cold cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 1/2 tablespoons ice water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
filling:
2 cups pumpkin puree
6 ounces (about 3/4 cup) sweetened, condensed milk
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground all-spice
garnish:
whipped cream
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. For crust: Place flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder into a food processor and pulse together. Add cream cheese and butter and pulse until a fine mealy texture has been formed. Add the water and vinegar and pulse until a dough forms. Form dough into a disc and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour. Roll dough onto a lightly floured surface until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut 24, 2 inch squares from the dough and form into 1 inch tart molds, trimming the edges of excess dough as needed. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
3. For the filling: Place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir together until fully combined. Pour mixture into prepared shells and completely fill.
4. Bake mini pies for 10 minutes. Lower temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until the pies have set in the center and the crusts are golden brown. Allow to cool for about an hour before topping each with a dollop of whipped cream and serving.
Tiny Pumpkin Glazed Orange-Spice Cakes
Makes 24
Ingredients:
orange-spice cakes:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon all-spice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup Greek yogurt
2 oranges, zested and juiced
pumpkin glaze:
3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
1 1/2 -2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
garnish:
pistachios, toasted and minced
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two mini muffin tins and set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, all-spice, and salt. Set aside.
3. In another mixing bowl combine oil and sugars and whisk together. Add eggs and vanilla and continue to whisk together.
4. In a small bowl, stir together yogurt, orange zest and juice.
5. Alternately add dry mixture and yogurt mixture to sugar mixture, in thirds until fully incorporated. Fill each muffin tin 2/3 way and bake for 20 to 25 minute or until a toothpick come out clean when inserted into the center of the cakes. Allow cakes to cool before removing cakes from tin and flip each over some they’re standing top down.
6. For the glaze: In a small bowl stir together the pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add powdered sugar and stir until fully incorporated (using a fork over a whisk is recommended to avoid air bubbles).
7. To assemble: Pour about 1 teaspoon of the pumpkin glaze over each orange-spice cake and finish with a sprinkle of pistachios. Allow glaze to set before serving.
Itty-Bitty Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes
Makes approx.. 15
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 cup broken up pumpkin pie
1/2-3/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
garnishes:
whipped cream
crumbled pie crust
1. Place ice cream, pie, milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Pour milkshakes into 2 ounce glasses and top with a dollop of whipped cream (can use piping bag if preferred). Finish with a sprinkle of crumbled pie crust and serve immediately.
Hi guys. A quick shout out to everyone who has instagrammed or blogged about our book. We really appreciate it, and its so fun to see our book on your kitchen counters, or with an alligator magnifying glass, or surrounded with freshly baked Tiny Food Party! stuff. We love it. So so very much! So thank you all who have bought our book, and made some awesome stuff. YAY! Also, please check back as the holiday starts to get crazy because we have lots of fun stuff (and more giveaways!) to come!
Teri + Jenny
UPDATE! The winner chosen randomly is Kelly and her comment: My mother always made cornbread from blue cornmeal growing up so now I have a natural inclination to make it that way!” Yay Kelly!
Hi Guys! Lets talk “his and her meals” for just a second. Does anyone else partake in this ritual with their partner? It’s funny because my boyfriend and I eat very much alike, yet at the same time so differently. Does this make sense? For example: the fatty goodness part of pork belly? He hates it, I can’t get enough. Baked potato chips? He loves…I’ll pass and go for the kettle cooked ones. Fresh tomatoes of any kind? Yes, please!!…for him, not so much. Avocados?….Um, YUM ALWAYS!!… he likes them, but not in sandwiches. Our sushi choices? He’ll have anything unagi related while I prefer the uni and raw scallops. I could probably go on and on, but you guys get it, right?
An example of a “his and her meal” is weekend breakfast. I’m not the biggest morning eater, but my boyfriend loves a nice big breakfast so I’ll usually make him eggs of some sort, turkey bacon and toast. I myself will have some Greek yogurt and a slice of turkey bacon. Or if we’re grilling steaks, I’ll usually have mine sliced over a dinner salad while he’ll eat his with a side of baked sweet potato fries, some garlic bread and his salad will be a small one on the side. Does anyone else do this…or are we just freaks?? It’s pretty much a sauceless pasta with the exception of the egg yolk/pasta water mixture which adds that slightly creamy texture to the overall dish. The egg yolk and pasta water combo really make a diluted cream sauce, so it’s kind of like carbonara, but much much lighter and there’s just enough to stick to the pasta itself. I use pecorino romano in this dish because I like that it’s has a sharper taste than parmigiano reggiano. A lot of people think that pecorino romano is just a cheaper substitute for parmesan, but it’s not. Pecorino is made of sheeps milk, giving it that stronger, more pungent flavor while parmesan is made of cows milk, more mild and nutty. Just a quick and fun food fact.
Ingredients:
1 lb orecchiette pasta
3 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 ounces pancetta, diced
1 shallot, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk, peeled and diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2/3 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced
8 to 10 threads saffron
1 tablespoon minced thyme
2 teaspoons thinly sliced chives
2 egg yolks
1 cup pasta water
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for garnish
salt and pepper to taste
1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Once the water has been brought to a boil, add pasta and stir. Cook pasta until al dente, drain (reserving 3/4 cup pasta water), toss with 1/2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and set aside.
2. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil into a large sauté pan and place over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and sauté for 3 minutes. Drain pancetta onto paper towels and set aside.
3. Pour remaining oil to pan and sauté shallots for 1 minute. Add carrots, celery and garlic and continue to sauté for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the squash and continue to sauté for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, stir in the saffron threads and cook until the liquid has almost disappeared or until the squash has softened.
6. Return pancetta to the pan, with the vegetable mixture and stir in the orecchiette until well combined.
7. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently fold in the herbs.
8. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and pasta water. Pour the mixture over the pasta and stir together. Sprinkle cheese over pasta and stir until just combined. Adjust seasonings and serve with extra pecorino sprinkled on top.
ERMAHGERD! Yes. I have fallen into the internets dark endless hole of memes. This particular type of meme, the ermahgerd meme has earned itself a new Teri voice. A voice I didn’t even know I had in me. Let me explain, to those of you that have animals you probably have an ‘talk to you animal voice.’ I totally have one, its pretty good, and really annoying. Jenny has one, her voice is so high and quite though, humans can definitely not hear it as well as her dog. My friend Adrianna’s animals voice is louder than mine, and she gives animals attitudes. My voice is like a 5 year old boy talking. My new ermahgerd meme voice is like me talking with braces when I had my bands on. If you don’t know what bands are, you’re lucky. They are rubber bands you attach to the metal of your teeth, and it makes it hard to open your mouth. People often think you have gum stuck in your teeth. Anyway, I’m really excited about my new meme voice. Sometimes, it’s so fun to be really annoying.
In honor of my new voice, I am going to ermahgerd you with a new fall soup recipe for your repertoire. This is a silky and smooth perfectly fall soup right down to the color. See those little balls in there? Those are rice balls. Basically this soup already comes with a far superior version of saltines. I love more than anything to put saltines in my soup, but the fact this soup has rice balls in it, makes it the one and only soup that doesn’t need that salty addition. Its ermahgerd! good.
♥ Teri
Korean Kabocha Squash Porridge
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
rice cake balls:
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
3 tablespoons warm water
porridge:
1.5 lbs. kabocha squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet rice flour
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. For the rice cake balls: Place flour into a mixing bowl and stir in water. Stir until no lumps remain. Form 2 teaspoon sized balls with the dough and transfer onto a plate until all dough has been used. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until ready to use.
2. For porridge: Place squash in a steamer or steam basket (in a large pot) and steam for 45 minutes to an hour.
3. Once squash is fork tender, transfer to a blender, add hot water and puree until smooth. Transfer mixture into a medium pot and stir over medium-low heat.
4. In a small bowl using a fork, whisk together the 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet rice flour and 2 tablespoons warm water and stir into the kabocha puree. Stir in sugars, salt and add rice cake balls. Simmer until porridge thickens and rice cake balls have cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve hot.
Hey Guys! Yayayaya! It’s finally a little chilly out in LA (again!)…just let me do a quick Giuliana Rancic *happy dance*…yay! I love chilly weather! I know I’ve said this before, but I really do. To get myself even more into this amazing season I like to bake things that remind me of fall when I was a little girl….enter Apple Thyme Cake with a caramel sauce. It’s my fun little play on the caramel apple! Last week I made a pumpkin mac and cheese with hints of thyme; now this week thyme is back, but in a dessert! I love thyme, it’s such a versatile little herb packed with tons of flavor. It’s an herb that truly compliments so many different ingredients. The thyme is really subtle in this recipe, but adds a very lovely aromatic touch to the cake.
The cake is great by itself, but the caramel sauce just sort of pushes it over the edge. If you fancy a salted caramel, like most of us do, feel free to add 2-3 teaspoons of sea salt to the sauce, before adding the cream. I thought a salted caramel sauce might be a little much for this cake, but to each their own! Oh and before I forget, use whatever apples you like to bake with; I chose to use golden delicious apples because they’re one of my absolute favorites, plus their sweet and tart combo is really great for this cake! Oh and did I mention how easy this cake is? It’s one of those all wet ingredients in one bowl and all dry ingredients in another, combine, mix and pour. I adore simple, but delicious baking recipes and this is definitely one of them! I hope eveyone has a great weekend….possibly making apple, thyme cake! xx, Jenny
Apple Thyme Cake Drizzled with Caramel Sauce
Makes 1 10” cake
Ingredients:
apple-thyme cake:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 medium golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and diced
2 tablespoons minced thyme
quick caramel sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 10” round cake pan with parchment paper and lightly grease. Set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, all spice, and salt.
3. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the sugars, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla.
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until completely mixed.
5. Fold in the apples and thyme until even distributed throughout the batter.
6. Pour mixture into the prepared cake pan and bake for 20 to 25 minute or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.
7. Allow cake to cool, about 30 minutes to an hour.
8. While the cake cools, make the caramel sauce: Pour butter, sugars, water, and salt into a medium saucepan and stir together over medium heat. Allow mixture to boil for about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently. (the longer you boil this, the thicker your caramel sauce will be)
9. Remove from heat and stir in the heavy cream and vanilla (mixture may bubble up, so be careful).
10. Drizzle over apple-thyme cake and serve.
I’ve watched the entire first season of Homeland now. I can’t really tell if I like the show, or if I just like seeing Claire Danes’ cry face. I have always loved Claire Danes, since the days of My So Called Life, but man, does she have one of the ugliest/amazing cry faces ever. She is so good at her cry face it makes me depressed, because I become sad with her. So, being obsessed with cry faces, obviously I googled “Claire Danes cry face.” What would come up but a wonderful tumblr FULL of cry faces. It’s amazing. It’s weird. It’s everything you would want it to be. There are some real gems in there, especially some of Kim Kardashian. Amazing. Do you guys have a favorite cry face? Please share, I would love to see.
Ok, moving on from cry faces and onto muffins. Most of the time, I am not really a huge muffin fan. I can attribute this to my parents’ obsession with Costco and the flats of muffins they would buy for the house. These muffins were the size of my face, and a flat consisted of chocolate chip, blueberry, and poppy seed. If I wanted a snack, it was “Eat a muffin.” I became over muffins. Quickly. It wasn’t until my late twenties that I explored the muffin world again. Still though, I am only really interested in muffins that don’t cross over the flavor types of muffins in my past. Therefore, I love these muffins. Perfect bits of fall in every bite. Perfect, cozy, pretty, drink coffee and read a book muffins. Dig in.
♥ Teri
Streuseled Acorn Squash Muffins
Makes 24
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil (can sub with vegetable oil)
1 1/4 cup peeled and finely grated acorn squash
1 small overripe banana, mashed
2-3 1/2 tablespoons milk (depending on batter consistency)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
streusel topping:
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with liners and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
3. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, sugars and oil. Stir in the squash, banana, milk, and vanilla extract until fully incorporated. Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and stir until just combined.
4. Pour the batter into the liners and fill each about 2/3 full.
5. For the streusel: Combine the butter, sugar and flour in a small mixing bowl and cut together, using a pastry knife or he back of a fork. (the end result should have a very fine, grainy texture)
6. Sprinkle a generous amount of streusel over the top of each muffin, about 2 tablespoons.
7. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the muffins.
8. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes before serving.
Hey Guys! Thank you so much for all of your awesome support in making our book release such a fun and successful time for us! Thank you, thank you!! The winners of our Tiny Food Giveaway are: Kate with her awesome/unique answer of “Mini Crabbies” and our randomly chosen winner Madelana. Congrats you two!! We’ll be emailing you each shortly! Now to food!
So in honor of pumpkins, their awesomeness and the nice chilly weather we’re finally getting here in LA, we have pumpkin mac and cheese infused with thyme for you to whip up this weekend! I really enjoy using pumpkin in my baked goods (more of that later this month!), but I LOVE using it in savory dishes. Last year we had our Pumpkin Risotto with Seared Scallops…so good! This mac and cheese combo may seem a little odd, but the pumpkin is subtle enough with the creaminess of the sauce/cheeses and the thyme sort of brings everything together. This dish is perfect for this time of year and I urge you all to make it this weekend, cozy up with someone special and enjoy! xx, Jenny
Pumpkin, Thyme Mac and Cheese
Serves 4 to 5
Ingredients:
2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
pinch ground cloves
1 lb dry fusilli pasta (can substitute elbow macaroni)
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons minced thyme
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 ounces smoked gouda, shredded
1 ounce white extra sharp cheddar
salt and pepper to taste
garnish:
lightly toasted/buttered panko breadcrumbs
1. Place milk, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a medium saucepan and stir together. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil add a generous amount of salt (2½ – 3 tablespoons) and then the pasta.
3. Boil pasta for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and set aside.
4. Melt butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Sprinkle flour over melted butter and whisk together. Allow mixture to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in thyme.
5. Whisk pumpkin-milk mixture into flour mixture and continue to whisk until fully incorporated. Allow mixture to simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Place shredded cheese into a mixing bowl and toss together with lemon juice.
7. Stir cheese into the béchamel sauce and stir until cheese just melts. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and gently stir pasta into the sauce, ½ cup at a time until all of the pasta has been added and is fully coasted in sauce. Adjust seasonings and serve immediately.
Hey Guyyysssss!!!! We are REALLY REALLY excited because today is the day our book Tiny Food Party! officially releases! WOOO!! In celebration we have a lot of stuff going on over here. The first thing we have are these cute little lobster rolls. Little mini rolls filled with lobster meat goodness. The perfect little sandwich to pair with a crispy beer with friends before the weather starts to turn cold. Yum. Second. We have a book giveaway!! YAY!
We want to thank you all who pre ordered our first book. We are so very excited and can’t wait for more of you to get your hands on our book. We will have more giveaways and fun stuff coming up in the next couple of months so stay tuned!!!!
Itty Bitty Lobster Rolls
Makes 18
Ingredients:
easy mini baguettes:
all purpose flour for dusting
6 frozen Parker House rolls, thawed and each divided into thirds
12 ounces poached lobster meat, diced
3 1/2 tablespoons diced hothouse cucumber
2 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 lemon zested and juiced
2 teaspoons thinly sliced chives, plus more for garnish
2 1/2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
salt and pepper to taste
1. For mini baguettes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll each piece of dough into a small, 2”x 1/2” loaf and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake mini loaves for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and fluffy. Set aside and allow baguettes to cool before slicing in half and assembling. (Tip: The baguettes can be made up to three days ahead of time and kept in an airtight container. They can be warmed in the oven at 200°F for about 10 minutes before using.)
2. For the filling: In a mixing bowl toss together the lobster meat and cucumber. Add the mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice and chives to the lobster mixture and season with salt and pepper . Gently mix together until well combined.
3. To assemble: Split each baguette open and fill with about 2 teaspoons of the lobster mixture. Brush the tops of each roll with melted butter and sprinkle with sliced chives. Serve.
***UPDATE! This giveaway is closed. We picked two winner. One randomly, and one because of their answer. The winners are Kate for her answer of Mini Crabbies, and randomly Madelana. Thank you for everyone that entered!
Sometimes you have a bad day. Sometimes you have lots of bad days in a row. Then you have a good day, and its exciting and fun. That is what has just happened to me. I was starting to feel like there was a bit of a dark cloud following me around (only there wasn’t because its been 90 degrees L ) the last few weeks. I just have not been super excited about stuff. Then, BAM, the things I were overthinking and having anxiety about figured themselves out, and I got the air conditioner to stop making that funny and super annoying noise. ALSO! Jenny and I are both really excited about our book coming out next Tuesday. You can see some recipes and pictures here. YAY! WE ARE REALLY EXCITED OMG! Ok. Anyway, White Cheddar and Black Pepper Scones. Sometimes to get through the dark times, you need to shake things up and make savory scones. Sometimes you need to drink tea in the morning instead of coffee, sometimes you need to go workout until your butt is sore, and then eat 3 White Cheddar and Black Pepper scones with butter. Sometimes you have to do it. Get to it!
♥ Teri
White Cheddar, Black Pepper Scones
Makes 16
Ingredients:
2 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
2/3 cup sharp white cheddar
2-3 teaspoons cracked black pepper
1/2 cup buttermilk
¼ cup heavy cream
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Cut cold cubes of butter into the flour mixture until the butter is completely incorporated and the mixture has obtained a fine, mealy texture.
4. Add the cheese and black pepper and mix together until well combined.
5. Fold in the buttermilk and mix together until just combined and the mixture has formed into a dough.
6. Form the dough into 2 discs and place in fridge for about 30 minutes.
7. Once chilled, flatten the disc to about ½ inch thick and cut each into 8 wedges.
8. Brush tops of each scone with a small amount of cream and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the scones puff up and the tops just start to brown.
9. Serve warm with a side of honey.
All content including images © 2013 Teri Lyn Fisher & Jenny Park. Stealing is bad karma. 
