Homemade Kit Kat Bars

Lately I haven't been indulging the sweet, confectionate (did I just make up that word?) side of Consumed, so here's one to write home about.

You know what I say to regular old store-bought Kit Kat bars? Give me a break!

Who needs to buy manufactured and precisely perforated candy that is full of preservatives when you can simply create the deliciousness in the comforts of your own kitchen? And they're no-bake to boot!

I made these for the first time for my twin cousins Andie and Lauren's 17th birthday party. (It's still hard for me to understand how it is that these girls are 17. That makes me...old. But I digress.)

Sesame Orange Shrimp

This technique is a must try if you like shrimp. It is a pretty healthful dish, speedy quick to make, and most importantly so tasty! It's even worth me suffering through one of my least favorite cooking chores — peeling and deveining shrimp.

Usually I grill shrimp or add them to a stir fry, but I was in the mood for something new. After some thoughtful Googling, I came across a few recipes (one from Martha, another from Eating Well) that used similar ingredients and techniques. And it's surprisingly light for how fried the shrimp taste!

Serve this shrimp over brown or white rice with a nice side of something green to get a little veg in. Brad and I both loved this dish — B said that it tasted like really high-quality Chinese food (i.e., from a good restaurant). And you don't have to worry about consuming any excess oil a la deep-fry, breading the shrimp, or any of that mess. Eat up, people! 

Pasta Bake Time

My Italian side came out a little this weekend, so I decided that our Sunday dinner would be a nice baked pasta. Ever notice how the Italians (as an Italian, I can say this!) love to describe food as "nice"?

"I got a nice steak at the butcher."

"I made a nice salad with dinner."

"That's-a nice-a meat-a ball-a!"

But I digress. Back to the pasta bake.

The beauty of making such a dish is that it's very flexible and can be modified according to your preferences. By adding a lot of veggies and using reduced fat cheese, it's also pretty healthful! You could even sub in half whole wheat pasta if you wanted to up your fiber ante.

Get Your Popcorn Ready

Like T.O. infamously said, "Get your popcorn ready."

Homemade popcorn is like homemade marshmallows — you had no clue that making it fresh would be so much more delicious from the store-bought version. Make that popcorn kettle corn, and be prepared to eat the whole bowl. "What popcorn? No, I didn't make any popcorn..."

One of my favorite recent purchases is the West Bend Stir Crazy popcorn maker — we got ours for $20 at Target around Christmas even though we had registered for it. We didn't want to wait any longer!