Rich & Moist Double Chocolate Layer Cake with velvety ganache frosting. AKA the chocolate skyscraper!
For the Cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch-processed preferred
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ½ cup brewed coffee cooled
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup sour cream

For the Ganache:

• 4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions are all here : https://tessiestable.com/double-chocolate-cake/

This Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup is packed with shredded chicken, black beans, corn, and a rich broth. Bring on all the Fall dinners!!

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes 15 oz
• 1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz can sweet corn drained
• 1 onion diced
• 1 jalapeño pepper seeds removed and finely chopped (adjust to taste)
• 3 tbsp of taco seasoning or 30g packet
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup Tortilla strips

Optional Toppings

• sliced avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream

Full Recipe here: https://tessiestable.com/slow-cooker-chicken-tortilla-soup/

Like a big pizza pie (kind of)…. Made this one last night for dinner with some fresh sourdough from my local bakery. (Breadsmith in Lakewood, Ohio)
I mean this was just ridiculously delicious.

Pan Con Tomate - with extras

Fresh Sourdough
- pan fried in olive oil (make sure to rub the bread down with a clove of garlic after it’s toasted. Cannot miss this step)

Box grated cherry tomatoes - tedious but so worth it.
- use a sift to catch the tomatoe solids, with a bowl underneath to catch the water. I saw that you can make cocktails with the liquid. I just saved mine for sauce.

Mix with some olive oil and salt and that’s all.

I fried up two cloves of garlic and one Serrano that was cleaned of veins and seeds.

Topped the tomate with the fried garlic and peppers, light dusting of pecorino, a leaf of basil that I just tore up, and some pieces of burrata that I pulled a part. Then a tiny little bit of balsamic on top.

Flavor!!!!

Not the most original recipe but it was my first time making this and it turned out great. Happy cooking and baking! 🍞🥖

These Turtle Thumbprint Cookies are soft, chocolatey, and filled with caramel that melts in every bite. 
Cookies :

• ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 1 large egg separated (keep yolk and white separate)
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans

Filling & Drizzle:

• 20 –24 soft caramels unwrapped
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips for drizzle

Full recipe here:

https://tessiestable.com/turtle-thumbprint-cookies/

Okay so for context, I'm a cheese-aholic from the US who moved to the Netherlands a couple years ago. There's several foods I've missed that I can't get here in Europe, whether it's due to banned ingredients or just a difference in the local cuisine. Regardless, I've learned to make almost everything I miss from scratch at home, and cheese powder is my latest triumph after much internet surfing and collecting different ideas, techniques, etc.

The Ingredients:

- 1 or 2 solid blocks of aged cheese (I went with parmesan and aged Gouda for this attempt but you can use cheddar, Monterey jack, literally any dry and/or hard cheese)

The Equipment:

- electric dehydrator (You can try the oven on a very low setting if you don't have a dehydrator, but I've heard it doesn't work quite as well)

- paper towels

- cheese slicer

- pizza roller

- coffee grinder (Could also use a food processor or mortar-and-pestle if that's all you have)

The Process:

It's actually pretty simple, all you have to do is slice the cheese thinly enough to where it doesn't take too long to dry out, as well as preventing it from getting leathery - we want it crunchy enough to grind. What I did after slicing was shred it completely with a pizza roller. This ensured the shreds were the exact thickness I wanted (you're gonna want to go for spaghetti-noodle thinness).

The reason why I didn't go for pre-shredded was because I didn't want all that non-caking extra stuff in my powder. You can try it to save on labor if you want, just know I have no clue how it will affect the outcome.

Once you got your cheese noodles you're gonna want to spread them out over the grating of your dehydrator in a thin layer. Make sure there's space between the pieces so air can get in and properly dry everything. If you have to stack several trays, definitely opt for that.

Now when you're setting up the dehydrator make sure you leave the bottom empty and line it with heat-safe material to catch drips, because there WILL be oil dripping from the cheese as it dries. Set your dehydrator to either its fruit leather setting or about 135-140°f (57-60°c). Let the bastard run for about 24-30 hours, checking every now and then to make sure nothing is burning or amiss. You're gonna see oil collecting on the pieces and dripping down, that's normal. Just make sure it's not getting on anything electric and you should be fine.

After about 24 hours you should see the cheese hardening into an actual uncooked-spaghetti-like texture. You want it brittle and snapping easily. Once that happens you're free to move to the next step.

Remove the dried cheese from the dehydrator (or oven) and lay it out on a layer of paper towels. Put more paper towels on top and press down to soak up as much oil as possible. The cheese might snap - that's okay, it's all getting ground to nothing anyway. The goal here is to just get every last bit of moisture you can possibly get off of the cheese to prevent sticking or spoiling later on. What I even did is lined a bowl with paper towels, put down some cheese, put another paper towel, a bit more cheese, on like that until I'd used it all. Then put one last towel on top and set another bowl of the same size inside to weigh it down. Leave that overnight because it's going to soak up another unbelievable amount of oil, lol.

Once that's done, you're free to grind the cheese down however you see fit! I only had a mortar-and-pestle on hand so my method was the most labor-intensive, but I've heard others have had success with using coffee grinders, food processors, etc. Store in a bag in a cool dry place.

And voila!! Cheese powder for homemade mac-n-cheese, cheesy popcorn, cheesy crackers, cheesy potatoes, and more. Use different types of cheese for different flavors! Trust that your ingredients are pure and ethically made! The possibilities are endless!

(Note: the amount of powder pictured is not accurate to a full block of cheese, don't worry. My arm is tired and I still haven't finished grinding so that's all I've got so far, lmao)

Peach Frangipane Galette with Brown Sugar Crust

Steak is probably one of my favorite proteins EVER. It's such a treat! These Lemon and Garlic Herb Ribeye Steaks were rubbed with spices, seared in a cast iron skillet, basted with a garlic herb butter, then topped with fresh lemon zest and basil from the garden. I got these from Omaha Steaks and holy moly - they turned out SO good! Such a quick meal too.

https://thewholesomespoon.com/2026/08/17/lemon-and-garlic-herb-ribeye-steaks/

These chicken tinga tacos use our slow cooker chicken tinga recipe for a quick and easy taco night that you can enjoy any night of the week. We like them best when served with fake guac (avocado, lime, and salt), pickled peppers, and a little crumbled queso fresco. Oh, and homemade corn tortillas of course. 

Recipe: https://www.thecandidcooks.com/slow-cooker-chicken-tinga-tacos/

Once the weather starts to cool down a bit, I love these set-and-forget slow cooker dinners. This one has become a favorite because you can load everything into the slow cooker and leave it alone until dinner. 
https://tessiestable.com/slow-cooker-coconut-chicken-curry/

Here's the link to the recipe I followed. https://thefirstyearblog.com/bakery-style-banana-bread-muffins/#wprm-recipe-container-28939

Ground beef, taco seasoning, pasta, all cooked together in one pot — I am always blown away by how good it is for something this easy, and clean-up was basically nothing. Happy to share how I made it if anyone wants it.

Looking for a quick and easy fall spread? This Pumpkin Butter recipe is a Fall favorite and is made with canned pumpkin, maple syrup, and warm spices like cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. 
https://tessiestable.com/pumpkin-butter/