Put the Lime in the Coconut (or in the Martini, Fish, and Cake)

I thought we deserved a little slice of summer in this dreary part of Winter.  All these dishes are light and limey.  Perfect for transporting you from cold, snowy weather to the warm sunshine of Key West!
Drink...

Key Lime Pie Martini
I recently discovered a new favorite drink - a lemon meringue pie martini.  This is basically the same drink, except instead of lemon, I used key lime juice.  It turned out delicious and tasting very close to a slice of pie.  Mine was a little sour for my taste, so you might want to add a little less lime juice.
Ingredients:

• 2 oz cake flavored vodka (I think vanilla vodka would also be good if you don't have cake vodka)
• 1 oz key lime juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• splash of cream
• lime for garnish

Directions:

1. Pour all the ingredients except the lime into a shaker full of ice.
2. Shake and strain.
3. Pour into a chilled martini class and serve with a lime wedge, or a floating lime wheel.

Dinner...

Honey Lime Tilapia
*recipe from: One Lovely Life
I am gradually getting myself to enjoy eating fish and with a recipe like this, it makes it much easier.  This was delicious and easy.  Tilapia is such a non-fishy fish, which I love.  All you do it marinade it and saute it!
Ingredients:
(serves 4)
For the fish and marinade:

• 4 (4-5oz) tilapia fillets (thawed if frozen)
• Juice and zest of 1 lime
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1½ Tbsp honey
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp garlic powder

For dredging and cooking:

• ½c flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1-2 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Assemble marinade by combining lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, honey, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a gallon-sized zip-top bag or shallow container with a lid. Add fish and marinate in the refrigerator anywhere from 1 hour up to 24 hours*.
2. When ready to cook, combine flour with salt and pepper on a plate. Remove each fish fillet from the marinade and dredge lightly with the flour on both sides (just a light, light coating).
3. Heat 1-2 Tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook fillets 2 at a time for 3-4 minutes per side or until opaque and browned (this works best if you don’t disturb the fish much while letting it cook).
4. Serve with lime wedges.

Dessert...

Key Lime Pound Cake
*recipe from: MyRecipes.com
I've never made pound cake before, but it turns out it's pretty simple.  This makes a lot of cake!  I didn't have a tube pan like the recipe suggests using (I'm actually not even sure what a tube pan is), so I used a bundt cake pan.  In fact, this recipe made so much batter that I used two bundt cake pans...one cake for work, one cake for home :)  
Even though pound cake can be heavy, this cake tastes light and refreshing.  The glaze on mine was a bit sour, which I liked.  But, if you don't like things sour, I would add less lime juice or more sugar.
Ingredients:
For the cake:

• 1 cup butter, softened 
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3 cups sugar 
• 6 large eggs 
• 3 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup milk 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lime zest 
• 1/4 cup fresh Key lime juice

For the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh Key lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
2. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch (12-cup) tube pan.
3. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.
4. Prepare Key Lime Glaze, and immediately brush over top and sides of cake. Cool completely (about 1 hour).

For the glaze:

1. Whisk together powdered sugar, fresh Key lime juice, and vanilla until smooth. Use immediately.

Steakhouse Supper

When cooking for this post I was thinking about a classic steakhouse dinner.  In my head I picture a handsome gentleman and classy lady in the 60s.  Not the hippie 60s, but before that.  Like Don Draper and Joan Harris sitting in a dark restaurant, smoking, eating red meat, and drinking. This is that kind of steakhouse dinner.

Drink...

Dirty Martini
In my mind, they're drinking martinis at the steakhouse.  And since I prefer an extra dirty martini, that's what they're having.  
I have to admit...martinis (real martinis - not the fruity, girly ones) are something that I really want to like, but I'm not sure I'm quite there yet.  If there extra dirty they're pretty good and I could imagine that stuffing the olives with blue cheese would make it even better.  There's just something about drinking a martini that makes you feel cool.  And there's always the olive as an end-of-drink treat!
Ingredients:
(serves 1)

• 2 oz vodka
• 4-5 tsp olive brine
• splash of dry vermouth
• green olives for garnish

Directions:

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Add vodka, vermouth, and olive brine.  Shake.
3. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with an olive (or 2 :) 

Dinner...

Filet of Beef and Twice Baked Potatoes
For Christmas my godmother gave us an amazing assortment of foods from Omaha Steaks and this was all part of it.  I was a little scared of cooking the beef because I have never really made "fancy" steak before.  But I followed the recipe and it turned out good!

Filet of Beef with Chimichurri Sauce
*recipe from The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook

In the steakhouse, red meat is a must.  And when you're having a steak, you might as well splurge and get the best.  So, filet mignon it is! 
P.S. Did you know that  filet mignon means "cute filet?"  That makes me like it even more :)
Ingredients:
(serves 2)
For the Steak:

• 2 (7-8 oz) filet mignons, 1 1/2 inches thick, dried thoroughly with a paper towel
• 2 tsp olive oil
• salt and pepper  

 For the sauce:

• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 3 medium garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tbs water
• 1/2 small red onion
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:
For the sauce:

1. Pulse the parsley and garlic in a food processor until chopped fine, about 20 pulses.  Transfer to a medium bowl.
2. Whisk in the oil, vinegar, water, onion, salt, and red pepper flakes until thoroughly blended.
3. Spoon over the steaks and serve.

 For the steaks:

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Heat a large skillet on the stovetop over high heat until very hot.
3. Rub each side of the steaks with oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
4. Place the steaks in the hot skillet and cook without moving the steaks until well browned and a nice crust has formed, about 3 minutes.
5. Flip the steaks and cook the other side in the same way, about 3 minutes.
6. Transfer the steaks to a baking sheet and place in the oven. 
1. rare= about 4-5 minutes
2. medium rare = 6-8 minutes
3. medium = 8-10 minutes
4. After baking, tent the steaks loosely and let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Twice Baked Potatoes

*recipe from The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook

This is the conversation that takes place while ordering in my steakhouse: 
"Would you like rice, vegetables, or potatoes?"
"potatoes"
"mashed, fries, or twice baked?"
"twice baked"
...of course!  Is there even a question?  It is obviously the best of the choices. It's like a super delicious version of a mashed potato!
Ingredients:
(serves 4)

• 2 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed, dried, and rubbed lightly with vegetable oil
• 2 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 scallions
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• ground black pepper

 Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Bake the potatoes on a baking sheet until the skin is crisp and dark brown, about 1 hour.  Cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
3. Cut each potato in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the flesh into a medium bowl, leaving about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness of flesh in each shell.
4. Arrange the shells on a baking sheet and bake until dry and slightly crisp, about 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, mash the potato flesh with a fork until smooth.  Stir in the remaining ingredients until well combined.
6. Remove the shells from the oven and increase the oven setting to broil.
7. Spoon the mixture into the crisped shells, mounding it slightly in the center.  Sprinkle with a little more cheddar cheese and return them to the oven for 10-15 minutes.        

Dessert...

Best Ever Almond Cheesecake
*recipe from Terry L.
I thought for a while about what dessert would be served in my steakhouse.  Originally, I wanted to do cherries jubilee or bananas foster, but they required buying too many different kinds of alcohol.  So, I decided to go with a simple, classic cheesecake.  I made mine an almond cheesecake because I just love almond flavor, but you could just as easily substitute vanilla or lemon for the almond.  I also added some strawberries on top, but cherries, chocolate, or raspberries would be great too!
Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups vanilla wafer cookies, about 45
• 2 tbs + 1 cup sugar
• 3 tbs butter, melted
• 4 pkgs (8 oz each) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 6 eggs
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tbs almond extract

Directions:

1. Place a roasting pan filled halfway with water on the lower rack in the oven.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
3. Grease a 9x3" springform pan.
4. In a food processor, pulse cookies and 2 tbs sugar until ground.  Stir in butter.
5. Press the cookie mixture into the pan.
6. On medium-high speed beat the cream cheese and remaining sugar until fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
7. Beat in eggs one at a time, then cream, flour, and almond extract.
8. Pour into the pan and bake on the center rack for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until center jiggles slightly.
9. Turn off the oven and let it stand in the oven with the door closed for 1 hour.
10. Run a knife along the edge of the pan and cool.
11. Chill overnight and remove the sides of the pan.        

 

              
 
 

Chrismas is Coming...

One of the best parts of the holidays is all the delicious food.  With Christmas quickly approaching, I decided to make a post inspired by the flavors of the holidays.
Drink...

Eggnog Martini
*recipe from Single Minded Women
In theory, this drink should be good.  However, it was not the best.  After drinking it, Doug said, "I think I need to drink something else to get that taste out of my mouth."  That's never a good thing.  However, I would try making this drink again, because I think many of the things that made it bad were my fault.  
For one, the vodka was too strong (and I didn't have vanilla vodka so I used regular.  I think vanilla would be better), so I would put in much less, or maybe even none at all.  Secondly, in the midst of my recent health kick, I decided to buy light eggnog.  I do not recommend buying light eggnog.  It's one of those things that you just get regular, or don't get any at all.  If you change those couple things, I think it could be a good drink.
Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 oz eggnog
• 1 oz vanilla vodka
• 3/4 oz amaretto
• ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients except nutmeg in a shaker over ice.
2. Shake, strain, and pour into a martini glass.
3. Sprinkle a little nutmeg on top.

Dinner...

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce
*recipe from: AidaMollenkamp
Sage is an herb whose flavor always reminds me of holidays.  It has such a warm, delicious taste which goes perfectly with the soft pillows of sweet potato gnocchi.  I cheated and bought frozen gnocchi, but I'll give the recipe for homemade just in case you're feeling ambitious.  
Ingredients: 

For the gnocchi:

• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (yams), halved lengthwise
• 1/2 pound Russet potatoes, halved lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups all purpose or white whole wheat flour

For the sauce:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 12 to 15 fresh sage leaves
• 2 shallots, quartered and thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Freshly shaved parmesan, for garnish
• Freshly ground black pepper, for garnish

Directions: 

For the gnocchi:

*Tip - Gnocchi can be made through this step up to 1 month ahead. To store, place on a flat surface and freeze until frozen through. Transfer to an airtight container and keep frozen up to 1 month before using.   

1.  Heat an oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Drizzle potatoes with olive oil, season with a few good pinches of salt and a few cranks of pepper, place on a rimmed baking sheet, cut-side down, and roast until fork tender, about 30 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle. 

2.  Scoop flesh out of skins then pass flesh through a potato ricer (or mash with back of a fork) and stir in cheese, egg, honey, and sat. Mix in flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until soft dough forms. Taste and add additional salt, as needed. You’ve added flour when you touch the back of the dough and it is damp but not sticking to you hand. 

3.  Turn dough out onto floured surface and shape into a square. Divide into 16 equal pieces. Rolling between palms and floured work surface, form each piece into a rope (about 1/2 inch in diameter), sprinkling with flour as needed if sticky. However, don’t add too much additional flour as too much will make for heavy gnocchi. Cut each rope into 1/2 -inch pieces. Stop here or, as desired, use your thumb, roll each piece down over tines of a fork to indent. 

4.  Bring large pot of heavily salted water to a slow boil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, simmer gnocchi until tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer gnocchi to clean rimmed baking sheet. Reserve 1/2 cups of pasta cooking water and drain the rest.

* Tip - The gnocchi can be made 4 hours ahead — let stand at room temperature then dip in simmering water until heated through.

For the sauce:

This is enough sauce for half of the gnocchi. If you want to cook off all the gnocchi, go ahead and double the recipe.

1. In a large frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once it foams, add sage and cook until crisp and fragrant. Remove sage to a plate and return frying pan to stove. Add shallot and, watching it carefully and stirring often, allow the milk solids begin to brown and the butter becomes fragrant and nutty. Scrape along the bottom to prevent the solids from sticking and burning.
2. When the butter is brown, immediately remove from heat, and carefully stir in the vinegar (it may sting your eyes). Stir in pasta and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water, return to heat, and cook until just coated in the sauce. Add a lot of freshly ground black pepper, taste for seasoning and finish with additional pasta water, salt, black pepper, the crisp sage, and freshly shaved parmesan.

Dessert...

Pistachio Cranberry Cookies
*recipe from: The Girl Who Ate Everything
I love pistachios.  Pistachio nuts, pistachio ice cream, pistachio pudding, and now pistachio cookies can be added to my list of favorites.  As a bonus, these cookies use a mix as a base, so they are super easy to make.  The combination of the light green color cookie dough (they look greener in real life than they do in my photo) and the red cranberries make them look extra Chistmasy.  
Ingredients:

• 1 (1 lb 1.5 ounce) pouch Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
• 1 box (4 serving size) pistachio instant pudding and pie filling mix
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup dry roasted salted pistachio nuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl stir cookie mix, pudding, and flour. Add melted butter and eggs and stir until incorporated.
3. Add pistachios and cranberries and mix well.
4. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and slightly flatten with fingertips.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes. The only way you can ruin these cookies is to overbake them! If you bake them too long you will lose the soft texture and they won’t be as green. They will not look done but take them out and let them sit on the pan for about 2 minutes. Trust me.
6. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

 

Hurricane Sandy Supper

Since the hurricane has been all everyone is talking about lately, and we have been stuck inside our apartment for the last couple days, I decided to do a hurricane blog post.  We couldn't go out to the grocery store for ingredients, so we created a drink, dinner, and dessert using only the random ingredients we had in our apartment.  For a last minute, "Chopped"-style dinner, it turned our quite nicely!
Drink...

Lemon Meringue Pie Martini
*recipe from Pinnacle Vodka
I think Hurricane Sandy may have introduced me to a new favorite drink! We still have cake vodka from my birthday in April (vodka doesn't expire, right?) and I never quite know what to do with it.  I found a bunch of recipes on the Pinnacle website for and happened to have all the ingredients for this one.  It is delicious - it's like drinking dessert!
Ingredients:

• 2 oz of cake flavored vodka
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• splash of cream

Directions:

1. Pour all the ingredients into a shaker with ice.  
2. Shake and strain into a martini glass.

Dinner...

Sausagey Storm Supper
Doug created this dinner out of random things we had leftover in our fridge and it was excellent.  I would definitely have it again.  He used Trader Joe's sweet apple chicken sausage (left over from my stuffed squash blog post), but he says you can use any kind of chicken or pork sausage.  
Ingredients:
(serves 2)

a good way to use up random leftovers 

• A few strips of bacon
• 3 chicken sausages (we used Trader Joe’s apple-maple syrup chicken sausage)
• Butter
• 1 tsp flour
• 1/3 lb. haricot verts (green beans)
• ½ white onion, diced
• 3–4 oz. white wine
• Dash of maple syrup (the real stuff)
• Salt 

Directions: 

1. Cook the haricot verts, put aside.
2. Heat a pan on medium heat, add bacon, remove when crispy. Reserve bacon; when you have a free minute, chop the bacon.
3. Cut the sausages in half lengthwise, place in same pan, cook over medium heat until heated through (or cooked if using raw sausage).
4. Remove sausage from pan. Make a roux by adding a couple pads of butter (approx. 2–3 tablespoons) to the hot pan, and whisking in 1 tsp. of flour. 
5. Let the sauce bubble, and when you’re happy with the consistency, add the wine to the pan, scraping up any bits of bacon fat or sausage from the bottom of the pan. Let the sauce simmer for a couple minutes.
6. Add maple syrup, stir.
7. Add the onion, let cook for 3–4 minutes, being careful that sauce does not reduce too much. Add salt to taste.
8. Having chopped up the cooked sausage into bite-size pieces, add it back to the pan, along with the haricot verts.
9. Stir to thoroughly combine all the ingredients in the pan. Simmer for 3–5 minutes to meld the flavors. Add salt if needed.
10. Place mixture in bowl or on a plate, and sprinkle with chopped bacon. Bon appétit! 

Dessert...

Maple Creme Brulee
I have made creme brulee many, many times before and have never had any trouble with it.  Sadly though, this recipe was a failure.  My creme brulee never set properly and therefore was liquid in the center.  We were very disappointed we couldn't eat it.  I'm not quite sure what went wrong.  Since I have never had this problem before, I'm going to blame it on hurricane Sandy and say it was because of the change in atmospheric pressure or something (although, I have never made it with maple syrup, so it could be that too).  So, if you're making creme brulee, don't do it during a hurricane!  
Ingredients:

• 6 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 tsp maple syrup
• 6 tsp granulated sugar (for the caramelized tops)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the sugar it dissolved and the yolk mixture is thick and light in color.
3. Add cream and syrup and whisk until blended.
4. Fill a creme brulee pan halfway with water.  Put the filled ramekins into the water bath.
5. Bake until the edges are set and the center is still slightly loose, 50-55 minutes.    
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
7. Put ramekins in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
8. Sprinkle sugar on top and use a torch (or a broiler) to caramelize the sugar.
9. Enjoy! Hopefully you won't find a liquid center in yours like we did!

Easter Lunch

I didn't feel like making a regular ham, which is what most people have for Easter dinner.  So, I decided to try something different and make an Easter lunch.  After seeing the meal all together, I realized that this would not only be great for lunch, but would also be great for Easter leftovers, or a kid's Easter meal.  It turned out to be such a fun, cute meal.  I loved making it and eating it!

Drink...

Caramel Cadbury Egg Martini

*recipe from She Knows Food & Recipes
Easter candy is the best candy.  One of the things I wait for all year is a Cadbury Egg.  I have always loved them and always will.  When I saw this drink I was pretty excited to try my beloved candy in a drink.  This drink was SUPER delicious, but not an original Cadbury Egg flavor.  Maybe one of the Caramel Cadbury Eggs, but I have never had one of those, so I don't really know.  I am a purist when it comes to my chocolate eggs and only eat the original :)  Anyway, it was really good and I kind of detected a Cadbury Egg taste in the aftertaste.  I give it my official seal of approval!
Ingredients:
(makes 1 drink)

• 1-1/2 ounces Baileys Irish Cream with Caramel (I used Carolan's Irish Cream because it tastes just as good and it's cheaper—no caramel flavor though)
• 1/2 ounce crème de cacao
• 1 ounce caramel syrup
• 1 ounce cream
• 1/2 tablespoon Hershey’s chocolate syrup, plus extra for rim

Directions:

1. Drizzle chocolate syrup around inside rim of glass.
2. Place all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice.
3. Shake until chocolate syrup is completely incorporated.
4. Strain into glass.

Dinner (Lunch)...

Carrot Sandwiches and Chick Deviled Eggs

Everybody makes Easter dinner or Easter brunch . . . why not try an Easter lunch! 

Cute Chick Deviled Eggs

*egg recipe from AllRecipes.com

I saw these on Pintrest (my new favorite recipe source!) and there was no link to a recipe, just a picture.  You could use any deviled egg recipe you like and make these for a little Easter twist on a classic deviled egg.  The recipe I used was supposedly from a well-known 1970s restaurant in Indiana called the Durbin Inn.  They were a little sweet, but good.
Ingredients: 
(makes 6 eggs)

• 6 hard-cooked eggs
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon sugar (maybe less?)
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard (I like mine mustardy, so I added more)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Paprika (since the chicks have the white tops on them, I didn't use the paprika)
• Walnut pieces
• Carrot pieces

Directions:

1. Hard boil the eggs.
2. Slice off the very top of the egg; remove yolks and set whites and tops aside. 
3. In a small bowl, mash yolks with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, mustard and salt. Mix well. 
4.  Stuff or pipe into egg whites. 
5. Top with the egg white tops.
6. I used walnut pieces for the eyes and carrot pieces for the beak.
7. Refrigerate until serving.

Easter Bunny's Carrot Sandwiches

*recipe from Hungry Happenings

These are soooo cute looking and soooo easy to make!  Plus, the great thing about them is that you can fill them with just about anything!  I did ham and cheese, but really I wanted to fill them with egg or ham salad.  Unfortunately, Doug doesn't like either of those, but ham and cheese was still really good.  Perfect for that leftover ham or eggs!  
The recipe says to use a cream horn to make the shape, but I didn't have one of those, so I used foil and it worked great.  Another wonderful thing about these is that you can basically make them any size.  I made 2 really big sandwiches, but you could make a bunch of small ones for kids or appetizers.  
Ingredients:
(makes 2 giant carrot sandwiches or lots of small sandwiches)

• 1 tube Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Crescent Seamless Dough Sheet (I don't know where you get this, so I just bought regular crescent rolls, pushed the seams together, and cut them into strips)
• 1 egg (whisked with 1 teaspoon of water to make an egg wash)
• yellow and red liquid food coloring (I happened to have orange food coloring, so that worked even better!)
• 1 1/2 cups of your favorite egg or ham salad (or chopped ham and fontina cheese like I used)
• 1 bunch of fresh dill or parsley

Directions: 
(The link to the website has great step by step pictures!)

dough slices

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Unroll the crescent rolls onto a cutting board.  
3. Use a pizza cutter or a knife to cut the dough lengthwise into 6 equal strips. Brush one strip with egg wash.
4. Roll the strip into a 17"- 18" long log. I rolled the strip of dough up into a tube and pinched the seam shut. Then I rolled out the dough into a thinner, longer log by pushing and rolling  the log with both hands.
5. Repeat, brushing egg wash onto each dough strip before rolling each into logs.Create 6 logs.(I made more—oops)
6. Since I used foil, I sprayed it with olive oil first to make sure the dough didn't stick.  
7. Wrap one dough log around each cream horn mold (or foil mold), trying to keep the seam side against the metal mold. Repeat. Be sure your dough does not hang over the open end of the cream horn mold, as it will make it difficult to remove once baked. 
8. Line a baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil or parchment paper (I sprayed the foil and the foil with olive oil).  Squeeze about 30 drops of yellow food coloring into a small bowl.  Add one or two drops of red.  Stir to create orange.  Brush the orange food coloring all over each carrot shaped dough.  Set carrots on lined baking sheet.
9. If you don't want to paint your dough with food coloring, you can simply brush them with egg wash.  The carrot will bake up golden brown. 
10. Bake for 6-8 minutes until golden brown.  I suggest rotating the pan half way through the baking cycle for even browning.  Allow carrot crescents to cool for about 5 minutes.  Carefully remove the cream horn form by holding the carrot in one hand and using the other hand to twist the mold and gently pull it out. 

11. 

    My foil cones

    

    After wrapping dough around cones

    Fill each Carrot Crescent with egg salad or ham salad.  Press a few sprigs of dill or parsley into the egg salad for a decorative effect.  Your carrots will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days, but are best served the day they are baked.  Fill your carrots just before serving.  (I baked mine for a little less time to start with, took out the foil, and then filled mine with ham and cheese and baked them for a few more minutes to melt the cheese.)

    

    After adding food coloring

    

    After stuffing with ham & cheese

  

Dessert...

Oreo Truffle Eggs

Oreo truffles are such a great dessert and so easy to make.  Whenever I bring them to a party, people comment on how incredibly good they are.  They are shocked when I tell them how simple they are!
I intended for these to be pastel colors, but they turned out more neon.  Hey, bright colors are in this season, so my eggs are stylish!
Ingredients:  
(makes 20-25 depending on size)

• 1 pkg of oreos
• 1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
• white chocolate
• food coloring

Directions:

1. Crush Oreos into crumbs.  (I do this by putting them in a Ziplock bag and pounding them with kitchen utensils, but it would be WAY easier if you had a food processor)
2. Mix in the cream cheese until it is kind of a mushy paste.
3. Form the Oreo/cream cheese mixture into an egg shape.
4. Dip the mixture into the white chocolate, shake off the extra, and place on wax paper to dry.
5. Mix food coloring in some of the white chocolate and use a piping bag to decorate.  (If you don't have a piping bag you can use a Ziplock bag with a tiny corner cut off the bottom, or you can just drizzle the colors over the eggs by dipping a fork in the melted chocolate and drizzling.)
6. Put in the refrigerator for the chocolate to harden.