6 apples (any kind you want)
6 wooden popsicle sticks

Homemade Caramel:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
chopped nuts (optional)

First things first, wash and dry your apples of choice and put the wooden popsicle sticks in them! Thats the easy part… just kidding! Don’t be afraid of making homemade caramel!!! I promise it is not as hard as it looks. I’m not going to lie… you might burn the first batch. But hey, sugar is cheap so it’s not a big deal!! What you want to do is put your sugar in a medium sized pot over medium heat and stir constantly until the sugar is all dissolved and turning a light golden color. This will take about 6-9 minutes depending on your cooktop. If you have a candy thermometer you will know the sugar is ready when it reaches about 235*F. Once it gets to the right color and temperature turn off the heat and pour in your heavy cream. Be extra careful it is VERY hot!!! It will boil up a little bit but thats ok, it won’t run over. Let it do its thing! Once the bubbles have gone down stir it all together to combine the heavy cream and sugar. Add the tablespoon of vanilla to the caramel. Let cook on medium low until for another 5 minutes while still stirring. Turn off the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. Once the caramel is cool enough to touch dip, or spoon, each apple and cover with the delicious caramel sauce. I like to do a nice double dip to get everything nice and coated. If you would like to add any chopped nuts, sprinkles, or candies this would be the time to do it! After you are done place them on a VERY greased up sheet pan with aluminum foil on it. You don’t want your delicious apples getting stuck. And thats it! How easy is this?! Trust me… this is WAY better than those pre-packaged nasty “caramels” that you can buy. Nothing says love and fall like a delicious caramel apple. Oh, and did I mention this caramel sauce is phenomenal on just ice cream… just saying! Enjoy!

4 eggs
1 cup Ricotta cheese
zest of half a lemon
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
pinch salt
pinch pepper
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 – 1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons butter

Not many people have heard of Spaetzle. In fact, I’ve never heard of it before I went to school and we made it there. I LOVED it! Its so delicate, delicious, and the flavor combinations are endless. I’m a huge fan of browned butter… it has this amazing nutty rich flavor that really compliments the lightness of the lemon thyme Spaetzle. First thing you want to do is heat up a pot of water over high heat until its boiling. In a bowl make the batter. Mix together the eggs, Ricotta cheese, lemon zest, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper until smooth. To the wet ingredients add the flour and stir until combined. Add 1/3 cup water and mix. You want the batter to be thin like pancake batter. If it doesn’t look thin enough add the rest of the water and combine. If you have a spaetzle maker use that but if not use a colander! Every kitchen has one so you have no excuse to not make this. Put the colander over the boiling water.. making sure not to let the bottom of the colander touch the water. Ladle a scoop of the batter and put in the bottom of the colander. With a spatula work it through the holes. Once most of the batter has been pushed through take away the colander to expose the beautiful little spaetzles! If they’re floating.. that means they’re cooked and ready to go. They will take about 1 minute to cook which makes this an amazing side dish. Take a slotted ladle and transfer them to a bowl. Continue doing this until all the batter is cooked. While they are cooking put the 3 tablespoons of butter in a large pan over medium high heat. Let the butter cook and start to get brown. You want to make sure that you don’t burn the butter! This will happen very fast and as soon as you see the butter start to brown turn off the heat. Once the butter is ready add the spaetzle and toss everything together to make sure that they are all coated with that buttery, nutty deliciousness. Add a little salt and pepper and you’re ready to go! How easy is that??

1 pound Brussel Sprouts , ends cut off and outer layer peeled, cut in half
Olive Oil
salt
pepper
3 slabs Maple bacon, sliced
1 shallot, chopped fine
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Ok, I know that in many households saying the word “brussel sprout” is equivalent to saying a curse word. Many people when they were younger were force-fed over cooked, mushy, no-flavored brussel sprouts as some sort of cruel and unusual punishment. Well, not anymore people!!!! This is such an amazing recipe that even the people that hate brussel sprouts will love this. Caramelizing them in the oven gives them the most delicious flavor, then mixing them with maple bacon and shallots, are you kidding me?! Preheat your oven to 400*F. Ok so the first thing you want to do is clean up these brussel sprouts a bit. Cut off the end and peel the top layer of the leaves off. Cut the brussel sprouts in half and put in a bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle in some salt and pepper and toss to coat. Put the sprouts on a lined baking sheet and pop into the oven and let cook for 20 minutes, or until you see them getting caramelized and golden brown. You might think they look burnt but I promise they’re not! While those are cooking slice up 3 slaps of bacon (I like to put in the freezer 30 minutes before I cut to make for easier cutting!) and 1 shallot. In a pan over medium high heat put in the bacon and let render down and get nice and golden brown. A lot of fat will come out of the bacon so what I like to do is take a clean paper towl and sop up half of the fat. To the bacon with half the fat add the shallots and let cook for another minute or so. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes and the cooked brussel sprouts. Toss all together and you have the most delicious brussel sprouts you’ve ever put in your mouth… I promise. Enjoy!

2 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 pound pork tenderloin
salt
pepper
3 small onions, sliced
2 large Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced
1 bottle Hard Apple Cider
8 sprigs Thyme

Fall is one of my absolute favorite times of the year. I love when after a long hot Summer it starts to cool down and you feel a crispness in the air. Picking pumpkins, kicking off the holiday season,and finally dusting off those adorable boots you’ve been dying to wear… all of these things make me love it so much. Well I decided to kick off the “official start” of Fall by making an amazing fall-ish meal. I can’t think of anything more fall than apples and a nice hearty roast. Well, this combines both of those! Plus nothing goes better with pork than apples in my opinion. This recipe is so unbelievably easy and it just screams fall! First things first, you want to preheat your oven to 375*F. Heat up your dutch oven, or any other heavy bottomed pan, to high heat. Put the 2 tablespoons of butter in and let melt (but don’t let it burn!). While you’re waiting on the butter to heat up season your pork roast on all sides with a lot of salt and pepper. You might think it’s too much but I promise you it isn’t! Put the roast in the pan and sear on all sides until nice and golden brown. Once the roast is nice and browned on all sides take out and turn your heat down to medium high. Add your chopped apples and onions along with another pinch of salt and pepper. Let cook for about 5 minutes, or until they are cooked down and are starting to carmelize. Add the bottle of Hard Apple Cider to deglaze the pan. Make sure you scrape the bottom thats where most of the flavor is! After you’ve added the cider put in the sprigs of Thyme. Don’t worry about picking them off of the stem because they will fall off anyways and after the roast is done all you have to do is pull out the stem! Add the pork roast back in the pack and put the lid on. Pop it into the oven and let cook for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145*F. Once it is cooked take out of the pan and let rest, covered, for about 3-5 minutes to make sure you keep all those juices in there. Slice while still hot and serve with the cooked apples and onions! This is SO delicious and juicy and you’re going to be ready for fall after eating this delicious meal. Enjoy!

Hey everyone!!
Is anyone else out there freaking out because it’s September already? Where did the summer go?! I want it back I hope everyone had an amazing summer… I know mine was the best ever! Last week for Labor Day it was my best friend Neil’s birthday so I decided to do something a little more special then just buy him any old birthday present. Our favorite thing to do is: go out to eat. Our favorite thing to talk about is: food. Our favorite thing to dream about: food in other countries we’re dying to eat. Sooo, since we live down in sunny Florida I thought a nice beach picnic with all of our friends sounded amazing! It went off without a hitch and since there’s still a little summer left I decided to be nice and share with you the secrets to the perfect beach picnic. When thinking of food to bring to the beach you want to be careful and not do anything too exotic and crazy ( as much as I wish I could!). The keys is to do things that people can just pick up and eat while they’re they walking around or swimming. For my picnic I made up the most amazing Pressed Layer Sandwich ever. It’s great because you can make them that morning and slice the loaf into the portions you desire, wrap them up and stick them in your cooler. When someone wants them they can take out their own delicious sandwich! You can find the recipe here: http://www.cookingforbimbos.com/2011/09/pressed-layer-sandwich/ Also, I bought some gorgeous pears, apples, and grapes. Sliced them up along with some Gouda cheese, White Cheddar cheese, Boursin cheese, and some delicious Goat cheese. I put it all on a cute cutting board and let everyone just get them as they pleased. I set out some delicious buttery crackers and it was a hit! They didn’t last very long with my friends but if you think people might be a little slow eating it, I’d cut the fruit in advanced and let them sit in some water with a big squeeze of lemon in it to prevent them from oxidizing and turning that horrible brown color that certainly isn’t appetizing! Another thing I bring which is classic for a beach picnic is some cut up watermelon. You can’t go wrong with that! Now, When its scorching hot out you HAVE to have a delicious cocktail to wash all the yummy food down with! My reccomendation is: Watermelon Gin and Tonic, or my amazing Bimbo Cilantro Margarita. I bring my cocktail of choice in a plastic pitcher that has a lid on it (so it doesn’t spill all in the cooler). Bring some cute plastic cups ( Target has great ones!) along with a cooler full of ice, water, and beer of course. Here’s the drink recipes: http://www.cookingforbimbos.com/2011/06/watermelondrea-n-tonic/ http://www.cookingforbimbos.com/2011/06/bimbo-cilantro-margarita/
Most people only bring a towel to lay on but the secret to a great picnic is bringing a huge old blanket that everyone can sit on!! Also, its always a good idea to bring some portable speakers so you can listen to your favorite beach playlist on your ipod. I’m also that weirdo that is constantly playing games or swimming on the beach. I can’t just sit there and lay for too long. I get too hot! So I always like to bring a football so everyone can be entertained and have fun. And of course you have to have some rafts to lay on while frolicking in the waves and some sunscreen so you don’t look like a lobster! Other things to bring that you wouldn’t think of : trash bags and paper towels! They’ll come in handy. Make sure to take advantage of those last warm summer days by going to the beach Happy September!!… and happy birthday Neil

1 loaf Ciabatta bread
1 large red bell pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
2 oz goat cheese
3 oz salami, sliced thin
3 oz prosciutto, sliced thin
5 oz marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
1 1/2 cups spinach

First things first for this amazing sandwich… roasting the red bell pepper. Its so much easier than people think and so much better than buying them from your grocery store out of the bottle. If you have a gas cooktop then use that but if not you can use your oven too. If using the oven preheat on broil and put the pepper in there, turning when you see it charring. If you are using a gas cooktop then set it on there and let the flame char it. Do this until all sides are black. Take off the flame and put in a bowl, covering it with foil. Take your ciabatta loaf and cut it in half horizontally and remove most of the inside. In a small bowl mix together balsamic vinegar with a pinch of salt and pepper. While whisking slowly drizzle the olive oil in. Brush or pour the vinaigrette on the bread. Now for the red pepper! Take out and cut the sides off, leaving only the seeds and stem. With your knife scrape off the charred black skin leaving only the delicious roasted pepper. Cut the pepper in strips and put on the bottom crust. On top of that crumble the goat cheese evenly over the red pepper. On top of that put the sliced salami in an even layer and on top of that the sliced prosciutto. To that add the marinated artichoke hearts and then sprinkle the delicious parmesan cheese on top of that. Add the minced fresh oregano (or any other fresh herb that tickles your fancy!) and top off with the spinach leaves. Put the top back on the sandwich and wrap up with foil. Put in a skillet ( no heat on!) and top with another heavy pan. Press it down and leave it for about 20 minutes. To serve just unwrap and slice into delicious strips! This sandwich is amazing and my friends went nuts over it… I know you’ll love it too!!

5 ears of sweet yellow or bi-color corn, in husk
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 jalapeno, seeds out of half, finely diced
2 scallions, sliced thin
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime
1 cup good quality grated Parmesan
salt
pepper

Tired of boring old corn on the cob? Craving something new and delicious? This is the best corn recipe…ever. A must try! This is so easy and just packed with flavor. The first thing you want to do is preheat your oven to 450*F. Put the unhusked corn on a baking sheet and put in the oven to let roast for 15 minutes. Take out of the oven and let cool. Shuck the corn and cut the kernels from the cob. ( For a great tip on how to cut the kernels watch the video!) Heat the oil and butter up on high heat. Add the kernels with salt and red pepper flakes and saute until heated through. Put the corn into a serving bowl and sprinkle the top with the jalapeno, scallions, lime zest, lime juice, and parmesan cheese. Toss right before serving! Everyone will go crazy over this! Enjoy

6 peaches
2 scallions
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno,
1/4 cup minced cilantro
juice of 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon brown sugar
salt

My favorite time of the year is summer and one of my favorite foods of summer is peach! One of my favorite things to make is salsa… so why not put them together?! I love making this and putting it on blacked fish or grilled pork. SO good. First thing you want to do is start a pot of boiling water. With a knife cut an “x” on the bottom of the peach and put in the boiling water. Keep in the water for about 1 minute. You don’t want to cook the peach, you just want to loosen up the skin so it will make it easier to peel. After about 1 minute quickly put the peaches in a bowl filled with ice and water (called an ice bath) to stop the cooking. Once the peaches are cool to touch you can peel them. Cut the peach around the pit, getting as much peach as possible… you don’t want to waste any of that deliciousness. Cut the peaches chunky and add to the mixing bowl. Cut scallions thin and add that to the bowl. Grate on a microplane fresh ginger and 1 clove of garlic. Dice up a half of a jalapeno and put in the bowl along with minced garlic, juice of half a lime, brown sugar, and a little salt. Mix together and voila! Delicious fresh summer peach salsa that is delicious on chips or meats. You’re welcome.

1 pound tomatillos, husk removed and cleaned
1 jalapeno
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
4 cloves garlic
1/2 Vidalia onion
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Ok this is such an amazing dip and its so easy to make… don’t be scared I promise you can do it! Ok the first thing you want to do is preheat your oven to 375*F. Cut the cleaned tomatillos and cut them in half. Place them on a baking pan skin side up. Cut the jalapeno in half and take the seeds out of half the side. Put the jalapeno skin side up on the baking pan too and sprinkle the top with salt. Put them in the oven and let cook for 15 minutes until you see them start to bubble. After 15 minutes turn the oven to broil and let cook for 1-2 minutes until you see the skin start to char. Take them out of the oven and put into a blender. To the blender add the cilantro, garlic, half onion, juice of 1 lime, sugar, and salt. Blend together until there are no chunks and put in a cute bowl and serve with chips! Your friends will be so impressed!! Que delicioso!

2 oz blueberry and mint infused vodka
1 tablespoon simple syrup
Club Soda
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

This drink is so delicious and refreshing you won’t even believe it!!! Perfect for a warm Summer day. To make the vodka all you need is a pint of blueberries and a handful of mint! Let it sit in the vodka for 2-5 days. The longer the better. After 5 days strain it so the blueberries won’t rot and ruin your delicious concoction. To make the drink fill your glass with ice. Add the infused vodka, simple syrup, squeeze of lemon juice, and fill to the top with club soda. Stir to combine it all and add a sprig of mint, lemon wheel, and some fresh blueberries for garnish! Mmmmm so refreshing!