Food

Conversation Heart Cookies

~ Paris

I have never been a huge fan of conversation hearts – the colorful candies with sweet sayings that are in abundance in February – but the wording on them always makes me smile. So naturally when I saw this recipe, I knew I was going to have to try my hand at making my own conversation heart cookies. It felt like such a creative way to take the part of these candies I liked {the writing} and add them to something I loved {frosted sugar cookies}. I’ve made them for years now to serve as a sweet reminder of my favorite holiday. Paired with pink champagne, it always feels like such a grown up way to enjoy the candy from my childhood.

Recipe:
Sugar cookie mix
Icing
Royal Icing –
Powdered sugar
Full fat milk
Food coloring {I used red, blue, green, and yellow}
How to Make it:
1. Bake heart-shaped sugar cookies.
2. To make the royal icing, I used three heaping tablespoons of powdered sugar {approximately, five tablespoons}, along with one and a half tablespoons of full fat milk. Stir it until it is thick, but not solidified.
3. Separate the icing into various bowls and add just a drop of food coloring. A little bit will go a long way. Stir until the color blends in.
4. Spread the color over the cookies.
5. Write sweet sayings on the cookies.
6. Enjoy!
x Paris

Vegetable Pot Pie

~ Paris

I remember as a kid when we’d walk down the frozen food aisle at the grocery store I would always be intrigued by the perfectly packaged pot pies. The frozen dishes were made in individual portion sizes and the idea of mixing a buttery pie crust with fresh vegetables and a creamy white sauce intrigued me. Obviously, frozen food isn’t quite as indulgent as my young imagination believed, but once I began making the dish at home when I hit my teenage years, I was able to actually understand and appreciate the flavors in every bite. I made the classic recipe again the other night for a quick and easy dinner. And by adding in a plethora of vegetables, I was able to pretend it was just a little healthier than it may actually be.

Ingredients:
Potatoes
Sun Dried Tomatoes
Spinach
Garlic
Milk
Flour
Pie Crust
Gruyere Cheese
Salt, to taste

Recipe:
1. Chop up the potatoes and layer the base of your pie crust with it. Tip: To make the potatoes softer, you can half boil them first.
2. On top of the potatoes, add in sun dried tomatoes, followed by spinach, chopped garlic, and finally a top layer with more potato.
3. To make the white sauce, first warm some milk. Next, mix the flour with water until it is thickened. Add the thickened flour into the milk and stir it in until that becomes thickened. Add salt to taste.
4. Add the white sauce onto the veggies. Make sure to be generous so that it can fill in the spaces between the veggies.
5. Crumble gruyere cheese on top.
6. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, or until cooked.
7. Enjoy!

x Paris