somedays, life just gets away from you. you wake up in the morning with a plan, and at the end of the day, everything you wanted to accomplish is in shambles. 

that pretty much sums up the day of my birthday party. i had all these pretty and delicious cakes planned, but life was not cooperating and time got away from me and i of course ended up an emotional mess.

no surprise, all my friends and family are amazing and they all came and made the day extra special. but i learned a valuable lesson. when in doubt, go with a staple. 

you know what i mean. that tried, true go to. and my dessert staple is cheesecake. these bites are great because they are easy to make, easy on the eyes, and easy to make disappear. the best part is you can make them seasonal with any of your favorite fruits and you can enhance colors with just a drop or two of food color. 

marbled mango cheesecake bites
serves: 1-2 dozen depending on your size preference
prep time: 5 minutes
bake time:30 minutes
cool time: 2 hours to over night
total time: 2 hours 35 minutes
ingredients: 1 cup finely chopped pecans (i pulse mine in the food processor). 1 cup flour. 1 stick butter, melted. .25 cup brown sugar. pinch of salt. 1 lb softened cream cheese. 1 cup sugar. 3 eggs. 1 tsp vanilla extract. .25 cup mango purée. 9 x 13 baking dish. parchment paper. tooth pick. 

start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. in a medium bowl, combine the flour, pecans, brown sugar and melted butter. 

use your hands to lightly combine the mixture till it is in pebble size crumbs. 

pour the crust dough into a parchment lined 9 x 13 dish. use your palms to press the dough till it reaches the edges of the dish. 

bake until the crust starts to turn golden. about 10-12 minutes. while the crust is baking, prepare the filling. 

in the bowl of a stand mixer with your whisk attachment or with a hand blender, cream together the cream cheese and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. about 3-5 minutes. 

reduce the speed of your mixer to add in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. 

once your crust is out pour all but .5 cup of the filling over the crust. use a spatula or butter knife to spread the filling evenly over the crust. 

combine your mango puree with the remaining .5 cup filling. mix until completely combined. 

using a spoon, drizzle your mango cheese cake mixture over the cheese cake filling. 

then, using your toothpick, swirl the mango cheesecake filling to create a marbled effect. 

bake the cheesecake in the oven until set, 20-25 minutes. 

when the cheesecake is set, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely. pop it in the freezer for a half hour or so till it gets really solid. 

then slice off the rough edges, and cut into squares of your size choice. serve or store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. 

xo, a

marbled mango cheesecake bites
serves: 1-2 dozen depending on your size preference
prep time: 5 minutes
bake time: 30 minutes
cool time: 2 hours to over night
total time: 2 hours 35 minutes
ingredients: 1 cup finely chopped pecans (i pulse mine in the food processor). 1 cup flour. 1 stick butter, melted. .25 cup brown sugar. pinch of salt. 1 lb softened cream cheese. 1 cup sugar. 3 eggs. 1 tsp vanilla extract. .25 cup mango purée. 9 x 13 baking dish. parchment paper. tooth pick.
start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. in a medium bowl, combine the flour, pecans, brown sugar and melted butter. use your hands to lightly combine the mixture till it is in pebble size crumbs. pour the crust dough into a parchment lined 9 x 13 dish. use your palms to press the dough till it reaches the edges of the dish. bake until the crust starts to turn golden. about 10-12 minutes. while the crust is baking, prepare the filling. in the bowl of a stand mixer with your whisk attachment or with a hand blender, cream together the cream cheese and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. about 3-5 minutes. reduce the speed of your mixer to add in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. once your crust is out. pour all but .5 cup of the filling over the crust. use a spatula or butter knife to spread the filling evenly over the crust. combine your mango puree with the remaining .5 cup filling. mix until completely combined. using a spoon, drizzle your mango cheese cake mixture over the cheese cake filling. then, using your toothpick, swirl the mango cheesecake filling to create a marbled effect. bake the cheesecake in the oven until set, 20-25 minutes. when the cheesecake is set, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely. pop it in the freezer for a half hour or so till it gets really solid. then slice off the rough edges, and cut into squares of your size choice. serve or store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. 

there are many reasons i wanted to go into business for myself, but one of the biggest reasons was my schedule. i detest living on someone else's schedule. while i'm a hard worker and work most of my waking hours, i want to work on what i want to work on, when i want to work on it. if that happens to be at eleven at night on a tuesday, so be it. it's on me. 

of course there are downsides. there is never anyone to cover for me, there is no "vacation" time and i work most holidays. but i do have control over my days off. so this sunday i scheduled myself off so i could actually ATTEND a party. 

naturally, i'm bringing some food (it is my bestie's house, i can't not contribute). and when she suggested i make chili, i knew exactly where to go searching for the perfect recipe... 

last year when i stopped working and was finalizing all my wedding planning, i went DEEP into chili recipes. i tried at least a dozen recipes and used wes and my mother as test subjects to hone in on the BEST chili. i was looking for a classic, go to chili you count on for events just like the super bowl. 

after flipping through pages of scribble recipe notes covered in oil droplets and sauce stains, i found just what i was looking for. the page with a large note at the bottom. "WES REALLY LIKES THIS ONE." winner, winner. 

super bowl chili
serves: 5-6
prep time: 20 minutes
active time: 40 minutes
inactive time: 2 hours
total time: 3 hours
ingredients: 1 lb ground beef. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 brown onion, diced. 1 bell pepper (your choice of color), diced. 1 jalapeno pepper, all but about 10 seeds removed, and small diced. 5 garlic cloves, minced. 1 chipotle pepper, seeds removed and small chopped. 1 tbs fresh chopped oregano. 1 tbs cumin. 1 tbs brown sugar. 1 bottle of beer (i used new castle but use what you like to drink). 1 14oz can diced tomatoes. 1 14 oz can kidney beans, rinsed. 1 14 oz can pinto beans, rinsed. 4 cups chicken stock. 1 tbs salt. .25 tbs ground pepper. 1 cup mexican blend cheese. handful of cilantro for garnish. lime wedges for garnish. 

in a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot. add in the onion, jalapeno and bell pepper. 

season with one fourth of the salt and pepper and cook until the onions are translucent. about 7-10 minutes. 

press the veggie mixture to the sides of the pot. pat the ground beef dry and season the meat with half the remaining salt and pepper. turn up the heat to medium high. 

add the beef to the center of the pot and allow the meat to sear on one side before flipping it. about 5 minutes. 

allow the other side of the meat to sear before breaking it up with a wooden spoon. 

when you have broken up the meat, add in the garlic, oregano, brown sugar, cumin, chipotle and stir well tog combine. 

continue to cook the mixture, stirring every minute or so until the garlic is fragrant. about 2-3 minutes.

pour in the tomatoes. 

and the beer. 

bring the mixture to a simmer. allow it to cook down for about 5 minutes. 

add in the last of the salt and pepper, chicken stock and beans. 

stir well to combine and bring the chili to a boil. once boiling, reduce the heat till the liquid is gently simmering. simmer on low for 1-2 hours for the liquid to reduce a bit and the flavors to meld. 

serve hot, topped with cheese, lime and a couple of cilantro sprigs. 

xo, a

super bowl chili
serves: 5-6
prep time: 20 minutes
active time: 40 minutes
inactive time: 2 hours
total time: 3 hours
ingredients: 1 lb ground beef. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 brown onion, diced. 1 bell pepper (your choice of color), diced. 1 jalapeno pepper, all but about 10 seeds removed, and small diced. 5 garlic cloves, minced. 1 chipotle pepper, seeds removed and small chopped. 1 tbs fresh chopped oregano. 1 tbs cumin. 1 tbs brown sugar. 1 bottle of beer (i used new castle but use what you like to drink). 1 14oz can diced tomatoes. 1 14 oz can kidney beans, rinsed. 1 14 oz can pinto beans, rinsed. 4 cups chicken stock. 1 tbs salt. .25 tbs ground pepper. 1 cup mexican blend cheese. handful of cilantro for garnish. lime wedges for garnish.
in a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot. add in the onion, jalapeno and bell pepper. season with one fourth of the salt and pepper and cook until the onions are translucent. about 7-10 minutes.
press the veggie mixture to the sides of the pot. pat the ground beef dry and season the meat with half the remaining salt and pepper. turn up the heat to medium high.
add the beef to the center of the pot and allow the meat to sear on one side before flipping it. about 5 minutes. allow the other side of the meat to sear before breaking it up with a wooden spoon.
when you have broken up the meat, add in the garlic, oregano, brown sugar, cumin, chipotle and stir well tog combine.
continue to cook the mixture, stirring every minute or so until the garlic is fragrant. about 2-3 minutes.
pour in the tomatoes.
and the beer.
bring the mixture to a simmer. allow it to cook down for about 5 minutes.
add in the last of the salt and pepper, chicken stock and beans.
stir well to combine and bring the chili to a boil. once boiling, reduce the heat till the liquid is gently simmering. simmer on low for 1-2 hours for the liquid to reduce a bit and the flavors to meld.
serve hot, topped with cheese, lime and a couple of cilantro sprigs.