Biscoff Bars With White Chocolate Biscoff Drizzle

Hello friends! Its been a while. I sort of went on a blogging hiatus. I just can't believe that summer has flown by and that we are already well into fall. I do love fall. I love all the fall colors and the slightly cooler weather. My newest favorite thing about fall is probably these bars (mostly because I made them today). These bars are very similar to peanut butter bars (one of my favorite things in life) but instead of peanut butter you get a delightful caramelly/cinnamony flavor that is oh so good! I am slightly obsessed with Biscoff spread all though I do feel that my obsession has died down a little. I hope all of you enjoy these as much as we do!

Biscoff Bars


Ingredients:

3/4 c butter

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c brown sugar (dark brown sugar if possible)

3/4 c Biscoff Spread

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 c flour

1 1/2 c oats

3/4 c Biscoff Spread

White Chocolate Biscoff Drizzle

1/2 cup white chocolate

2 tbs Biscoff Spread

Cream together the butter and sugars. Add Biscoff Spread, eggs, and vanilla and beat until smooth. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients and mix until a firm dough is made. Grease a cookie sheet (or line with foil) and spread mixture in the pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and let set for a few minutes. While bars are still warm spread on the extra 3/4 cup Biscoff Spread. The warmth of the bars helps the Biscoff spread easier. The extra 3/4 cup Biscoff spread for the top is an approximation use less or more according to you own personal Biscoff desires. Allow bars to cool completely. In a microwave safe bowl place white chocolate and Biscoff spread. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each 30 seconds until chocolate is melted. Drizzle white chocolate mixture over cooled Biscoff bars. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Texas Sheet Cake

I honestly am not the hugest fan of most cakes. Store bought cakes just don't appeal to me. If I'm going to eat a cake it better be moist, rich, and have a very fantastic frosting. This is why I love Texas Sheet Cake! This cake is moist and delicious with a fudge type frosting poured all over the top of it! I also love it because it is great for larger groups because it makes a ton!

Texas Sheet Cake

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream (if you don't have sour cream plain yogurt works well too)
2 eggs
1 cup butter
1 cup water
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

6 tablespoons milk
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10x15 inch pan.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Beat in the sour cream and eggs. Set aside. Melt the butter on low in a saucepan, add the water and 5 tablespoons cocoa. Bring mixture to a boil then remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly, then stir cocoa mixture into the egg mixture, mixing until blended.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

For the icing: In a large saucepan, combine the milk, 5 tablespoons cocoa and 1/2 cup butter. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Stir in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla, then fold in the nuts, mixing until blended. Spread frosting over warm cake.


Recipe Source: Allrecipes

Biscoff Ice Cream

I have a new obsession. I might be a little behind on the current food trends but I don't care! I am seriously in love with this stuff. I have heard and known about it for a while now, but just recently found what grocery stores in my area sell the stuff. In case you haven't figured out what I'm talking about my new love is Biscoff! I love the stuff so much that I made my husband take me to the grocery store for our date night just so I could buy some! If you haven't tried it yet I highly suggest that you do. My favorite is the Crunchy Biscoff Spread. The creamy is really good to, so if your grocery store only carries the creamy you will be ok. Just know that the crunchy is even better. For those of you that may have no idea at all what I'm talking about Biscoff spread is basically a delicious cinnamon type cookie that has been ground up into a peanut butter like spread. This way you can have little bits of cookie on everything imaginable! I will say that my favorite things to have it with are apples, crepes (I will most likely post a recipe soon for this), and of course this ice cream! Ever since I realized I could get Biscoff locally I have been wanting to make ice cream out of it. I fist tried a traditional ice cream base but decided with this one that I totally prefer a custard base. The custard totally makes the ice cream smoother and creamer. It also makes it so it doesn't get rock hard in your freezer. All in all I just hope that you are inspired to go out and get your own Biscoff spread and start your own obsession!

Biscoff Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 cups milk
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Biscoff Spread
12 Biscoff Cookies (optional)

Directions:
In a medium saucepan combine cream and milk. Warm over medium heat until milk mixture starts to be foamy on top and hot.

 In a separate bowl combine egg yolks and sugar. Whisk until well combined. Mix in Biscoff spread. This mixture may be a little thick. If it is too thick to properly stir mix in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture.

 Once Biscoff  is mixed into the egg mixture you want to temper the egg mixture. While stirring egg mixture pour 1 cup of the hot milk into the egg mixture. Mix well.

Take the egg mixture and slowly pour it back into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk. Make sure you stirring the milk while you pour. Continue stirring and cooking the mixture for several minutes until the mixture becomes thick and will coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and pour into a heat proof bowl.

 Let cool at room temperature for a few minutes. Take some plastic wrap and place it right on top of the custard. This will ensure that you don't get a "crust" on top of your custard. Place bowl in the fridge and let cool for several hours or overnight.

When ready to make ice cream pour cooled custard into a blender and blend for 30 seconds. I honestly don't know why this helps but it seems to make the ice cream smoother and creamier. Now pour the custard into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. When your ice cream is almost done crumble the 12 Biscoff cookies into the ice cream and let it process for a few more minutes. When the ice cream is done you will have little bits of cookies throughout your ice cream. Try and not eat all the ice cream by yourself. This will be tough! Enjoy!

Sprinkle Rimmed Cups

 I found this idea in one of my searches as I was planning a bridal shower. I instantly fell in love with these cute cups (and the straws to be quite honest). I loved that there was a simple way to jazz up everyday drinking glasses or plastic cups for that matter. I also loved that they were so easy! I honestly don't know which site I first saw this idea on but there are many out there with similar ideas. They are so cute and I think kids would love to drink anything out of them. I also think kids would love to help you make them! I'm a kid at heart and really want to drink a milk shake out of one of these right about now.

Sprinkle Rimmed Cups

What you need:

1/2-1 cup white chocolate
1/2 - 1 cup colored sugar crystals or sprinkles of your choice
Cups (any kind will do)
Super cute straws (optional)

Directions

Melt white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals until white chocolate is melted. Pour sprinkles in a separate bowl. Take a cup and dip the rim of the cup in the white chocolate then dip it in the sprinkles. Set aside and let chocolate and sprinkles harden. Repeat with remaining cups. I made mine a few days in advance. Once the white chocolate and sprinkles were hardened I stacked the ups carefully and placed them in a zip lock back just to make sure nothing weird happened to them. Voila! They are that easy.

Lemon Bars

Besides good old chocolate chip cookies and boxed brownies lemon bars were probably the first dessert I made on a regular basis. I think I started making them when I was in high school. I have a deep love for citrus which I often forget. Then I make some citrus dessert again and I remember. Don't tell my husband (the chocolate fanatic) but sometimes I think I might take a lemon bar over something chocolatey. I absolutely love the refreshing taste and the slight tang that goes with them. I saw a recipe a while back that called for using an entire lemon (peel and all) in the lemon bars. I already have a delicious recipe for lemon bars so I kind of disregarded it, but ever since that day I have had this desire to use an entire lemon in my lemon bars. Well this time I decided that I was going to try it! I didn't remember the site that I first saw the recipe, but I found one that also used a whole lemon. I kind of took what he did and combined it with the recipe I already had. The result was a tangy, lemony, almost perfect lemon bar. I don't think there is anything I would change. These lemon bars aren't for the mild lemon bar lover. These are real lemon bars and will knock your socks off!

Lemon Bars
One 9X13-inch pan

Crust
2 cup flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
14  tablespoons melted butter

Lemon Topping
1 lemon, organic or unsprayed
2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4  large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons (45g) melted unsalted butter

Optional: powdered sugar, for serving

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).

2. Overturn an 9X13-inch pan on the counter and wrap the outside snugly with foil, shiny side up. Remove the foil, turn the pan over, and fit the foil into the pan, pressing to nudge the foil into the corners. The smooth it as best you can.

3. In a medium bowl combine all the dry ingredients for the crust. Once combined add the melted butter and mix until combined.

4. Smooth the batter into the bottom of the pan, using your hands or a small offset spatula to get it as level as possible.

5. Bake the crust for 15- 20 minutes, or until it’s deep-golden brown.

6. While the crust is cooking, cut the lemon in half, remove the seeds, and cut the lemon into chunks.

7. Put the chunks of lemon in a food processor or blender along with the sugar and lemon juice, and let it run until the lemon is completely broken up. Add the eggs, flour, baking powder, and 3 tablespoons (45g) melted butter, and blend until smooth. (A few tiny bits of lemon pieces are fine if desired. I wanted mine nice and smooth.)

8. When the crust comes out of the oven, reduce the heat of the oven to 300ºF (150ºC). Pour the lemon filling over the hot crust and bake for 25 minutes or just until the filling stops jiggling and is barely set.

9. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Once cool, carefully lift out the bars grasping the foil. Cut the bars into squares or rectangles. Sift powdered sugar over the top just before serving, if desired.

Storage: The bars will keep in an airtight container at room temperature up to three days. You can freeze the lemon bars as well for up to one month, letting them come to room temperature before serving.

Recipe Source: Adapted from David Lebovitz

Homemade Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns

 I have been wanting to post this recipe for quite a while. I love making my own breads and such, but hadn't considered making my own buns until recently. The first time I used the recipe I made hot dog buns. I thought it would be fun. I made them a little large (it took 1 1/2 dog to fill the bun) but I still loved them. My second time making them I did hamburger buns. This time I used all white whole wheat flour. We loved these too! You could totally make a bunch and freeze them, then whenever you are having hamburgers or hot dogs just pull a few out and you are done. I might not ever go back to buying hot dog or hamburger buns again!

Homemade Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns
(using a Bread Maker)

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups milk, slightly warmed
• 1 beaten egg
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 3/4 cups flour *
• 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions
(hamburger buns, if you want hot dog buns. cut 'em to that shape)

1. Place all ingredients in pan of bread machine, according to manufacturer's directions.
2. Select dough setting.
3. When cycle is complete, turn out onto floured surface.
4. Cut dough in half and roll each half out to a 1" thick circle.
5. Cut each half into six 3 1/2" rounds with inverted glass as a cutter.
6. Place on greased baking sheet far apart and brush with melted butter.
7. Cover and let rise until doubled, about one hour.
8. Bake at 350° for 9 minutes.Note: Oven temperatures vary so check after 9 minutes to see if done. Mine took about 13 minutes until they were nice and golden brown on top.
9. I like to brush on some more melted butter when they are hot and fresh out of the oven.

*Note: I have also used all purpose flour and whole wheat flour and both work great! With the whole wheat flour use a little less. I find that it absorbs more moisture so you don't need quite as much.


Recipe Source: Craving Comfort

Crémé Brûlée

I am on a dessert kick lately. I just can't help it! Desserts are by far my favorite things to make! I fell in love with Crémé Brûlée. I had it at a local restaurant and became slightly obsessed. I went out and bought a little crémé brûlée kit that had the ramekins, and the small little kitchen torch (my favorite part). I do slightly love fire, so when I say the torch is my favorite part I'm not really joking. I would have to be honest and say that the torch comes second only to eating the finished crémé brûlée. There are many recipes that call for straight cream in this recipe but I prefer using half cream and half milk. I don't feel like it compromises the flavor at all, but isn't quite as heavy or greasy feeling.

Crémé Brûlée

Total Time: 3 hr 30 min

Prep: 15 min

Inactive: 2 hr 15 min

Cook: 1 hr 0 min

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 quart heavy cream (I prefer 2 cups heavy cream and 2 cups milk)
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 1 cup vanilla sugar, divided
• 6 large egg yolks
• 2 quarts hot water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. 

Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.


In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.


Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.  If you don't have a torch you can place them in the oven on broil but watch them very closely for they will burn very quickly.

Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from the Food Network

Reese's Pieces Rice Krispies Treats

A while ago a friend and I were talking about Rice Krispies treat. I kind of really enjoy them. She told me that she loves them with Reese's Pieces in them. Ever since that conversation I have been wanting to make them. I had never had them with Reese's Pieces in them, but I love Reese's Pieces so I figured how could I go wrong? Well after making them I really can say they might be my new favorite way to have Rice Krispies!

Reese's Pieces Rice Krispies Treats

Ingredients:

4 tbsp (56g) butter
5 cups (225g) mini-marshmallows
5 cups (152g) Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup Reese's Pieces candy

Directions:
Melt butter in a large sauce pan over low heat (don't try and speed up this process they will turn out better if you stick with the low heat). Add marshmallows to the melted butter. Continue cooking over low heat until the marshmallows are completely melted. Add Rice Krispies cereal and stir until marshmallow/butter mixture is evenly distributed. Add the the Reese's Pieces and stir gently until they are evenly distributed. Pour into a greased 9X13 inch buttered pan. With a buttered spatula or a piece of wax paper gently press mixture down into the pan until it is fill the pan and is mostly flat on top. If you desire you can sprinkle more Reese's Pieces on top and gently push down on them to get them to stick. Allow to cool approximately 10 minutes then cut into desired size pieces with a buttered spoon. Enjoy!

Mini Corn Dog Muffins

I'm still a kid at heart. I actually love most foods that children like.  Hot dogs and corn dogs are one of those foods that children often like. I have actually loved hot dogs since I was a young child. To be honest hot dogs were one of the few things that I actually ate when I was young. My poor mom would have to go to special places to find foods that I would actually eat. Well these little corn dogs are definitely something I would have and still enjoy eating. I love that they are baked. It make these a little healthier.

 

Mini Corn Dog Muffins

Ingredients:
1/4 cup melted butter (4 TBS)
1/4 cup sugar (I use 1/4 cup minus 1 tbs because I don’t like my cornbread very sweet)
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3-4 all-beef hot dogs, cut into 1″ bites

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine butter and sugar in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add egg and whisk to incorporate. Add the buttermilk and whisk to incorporate.
3. In a separate bowl, combine baking soda, cornmeal, flour, and salt, and stir to combine. Slowly whisk into the wet ingredients.
4.  Spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray, and spoon 1 Tablespoon of batter into each mini muffin cup. Place one hot dog bite into the middle of each cup.
5. Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until cornbread is golden brown. Cool in mini muffin tin for 5 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator, and re-heat for 20-30 seconds before serving.

Note: I halved the original recipe. You can easily double this if you want more :)
Makes 18-24 mini muffins (original recipe says 24 but I can only get 18 out of the batter)

Blueberry Sweet Rolls

 
There is a certain bakery near us that has the most amazing sweet rolls. People will often bring them for us at my work, or if it has been a while we will encourage our boss to get some on her way in. Everyone loves them. They have a wide variety of flavors including cinnamon, blueberry, raspberry, and orange. Yes I have tried them all, and no I can not pick a favorite. My favorite changes depending on my mood that day, but I can tell you that I always enjoy them. Well this week we found blueberries on sale at Winco. We of course had to get as many as possible. I was really in the mood for some sort of bread and decided that I could make blueberry sweet rolls just like the local bakery. I made them and was so glad that I did. I could have eaten the whole pan. Luckily (for my thighs) I refrained. But needless to say they are delicious!

Blueberry Sweet Rolls

Dough
5 1/4 c. white flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 rounded tablespoons saf-instant yeast
3 T. oil
2c. hot tap water


Filling
2 cups blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs flour
2 tsp lemon juice
3 tbs butter

Browned Butter Glaze
1/4 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan with tin foil or a silpat to help with the clean up process.

For the dough: Mix dry ingredients to bowl of stand mixer. Add oil and water. Mix for 1 minute and check consistency. If dough is too dry, add a little more water, if too wet add more flour. Dough should clean the bowl of the mixer. Mix for 5 minutes. (Do not add flour to the dough after it has finished mixing.) Let dough sit in the mixer for 10 minutes (set a timer if you are like me and most likely would forget about it). After the 10 minutes is up turn the mixer on for about 30 seconds then turn it back off again. Repeat the process of letting the dough rest/rise then turning on mixer 2 more times.  During the down time make the filling.

Filling: Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until fruit is blended down and more liquid. I like mine quite blended, but if you like more chunks feel free to only blend it a small amount or add fresh blueberries after the blending process is done. Pour blended blueberry mixture into a medium size sauce pan. Place the pan over medium heat. Heat until mixture thickens. Once thick take off heat and set aside to cool. It is ok if it is still warm, but you don't want it boiling hot when you spread it on the dough.

After the final resting and turning on the mixer process turn dough onto a well floured surface. Split the dough in half working with one half at a time. Roll out half of the dough into a rectangle. Spread filling on rolled out dough. I found that cutting the dough into long strips with a pizza cutter and then rolling it up was easier and less messy than rolling it up then cutting it, but you can do this step however you want. Place rolled up sweet rolls on prepared baking sheet. Allow about an inch in between pieces to allow for rising, but to still let them tough slightly once baking. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until dough is a light golden brown.


Browned Butter Glaze: Over medium heat heat butter until it is browned. (It starts turning a nice amber color and gives off the most delicious nutty smell) Pour browned butter into a heat proof bowl and add powdered sugar and milk. Mix with a whisk or hand mixer until combined. I like mine to be just slightly thinner than I would make it if I wanted it to be spreadable. Drizzle glaze over warm sweet rolls and enjoy!

French Breakfast Muffins

I'll be honest, I don't know if this recipe is actually french. But then again, there are many recipes that claim to be french, but really aren't. The name does make them a little more intriguing than just breakfast muffins. If I saw a recipe for breakfast muffins I might look at it (mealy because I love breakfast), but French Breakfast Muffins... I definitely am more interested. I got this recipe from a friend, and as soon as I read what was in it I knew I had to try them. Let me tell you that these muffins are delicious! My friend also likes to call them doughnut hole muffins because that is what they remind her of. I am honestly not a huge fan of doughnuts, but these muffins I am huge fan of! I may or may not have eaten them for dinner last night, and lunch today (yes I know somehow I missed breakfast). I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. I think I better go eat another one right now!

French Breakfast Muffins

I like to call these “donut hole muffins,” because they taste like cake donuts.

MUFFINS

2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 large egg

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

CINNAMON-SUGAR TOPPING

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Heat the oven to 375.

Butter the bottoms only of 12 standard size muffin cups and set the pan aside.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In separate bowl, whisk egg until frothy. Blend in milk, melted butter, and vanilla.

Add wet to dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.

Bake 15 minutes. Rotate pan and bake 5-7 more minutes. Transfer pan to cooling rack until muffins are cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes.

While muffins cool, prepare topping. Mix sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Melt butter in another small bowl.

Quickly dip tops of muffins into the melted butter and then the cinnamon sugar, rolling to cover the entire top. Serve immediately.

Makes 12 muffins

Thanks Melanie for the great recipe!

Creamy Crock Pot Spaghetti

Who would have ever thought that spaghetti could get any easier? Spaghetti for many of us is that go to recipe when we don't want to cook anything, or we just don't have time. Somehow this recipe took that concept, and made it even better. Really the only part of this recipe that takes any time at all is cooking the meet. Then you throw everything in and you can continue on your merry way, not worrying about a thing. A few hours later you have the most delicious spaghetti ever! My husband went back for not just seconds but thirds. This recipe will definitely be appearing in our house again! I threw some pureed zucchini in with the sauce. It doesn't change the taste and you get some more  veggies in your meal! This recipe also makes a ton so I have left overs which I love taking to work.

Creamy Crock Pot Spaghetti

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or salt
3 jars 26 ounce pasta sauce
2 cups pureed zucchini (optional)
1 pound spaghetti noodles
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
4-8 ounces cream cheese
1-2 cups chicken broth

1. Cook/brown beef in a medium skillet over medium heat until crumbled and browned Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Drain fat from pan if necessary.
2. Pour one jar of pasta sauce and pureed zucchini if using into bottom of crock pot on high heat. Break spaghetti noodles in half and place noodles over sauce. Pour cooked beef over noodles, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and top with cubes of cream cheese. Pour another jar of pasta over cream cheese, close lid and let cook on high for 3 hours. After 3 hours, give a good stir (will be thick) and add last jar of pasta sauce and 1-2 cups of chicken broth (more if you want a thinner sauce). Close lid and let cook another hour or until ready to serve.
Makes 10-12 servings

Recipe Source: Picky Palate

Chocolate Lava Cake

I love chocolate. I love love love this cake. I pretty much love everything that has to do with this cake. I love that each person gets their own individual cake. I love that they are rich and full of chocolate. But mostly I love that they are ooey gooey in the middle!

I know there are many recipes that call for egg yolks or egg whites. If I can find some that I can make on the same day that is wonderful, otherwise I hate it! I don't like wasting either the yolk or the white. Sometimes I will save them. Sometimes I will make scrambled eggs with whatever extras I have. And sometimes I find recipes like this that I can just use the whole egg instead!

Chocolate Lava Cake

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

6 oz. Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate (or use your favorite 70% dark chocolate bar)
6 oz. Butter (diced, room temperature)
3 Eggs
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 cup Flour
Butter for Ramekins

How to Make It:

Preheat oven to 350°F
1. Melt chocolate on low flame in a double boiler. When melted, take of flame, and…
2. Stir in diced butter, until it melts.
3. In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar, until it starts to whiten.
4. Stir in melted chocolate and then the flour.
5. Butter 4 individual ramekins well, and pour in chocolate batter.
6. Cook for about 10 minutes. (See tips below)
7. Tip ramekins upside down onto dessert plates and serve.
Voilà!

Tips:

You can definitely prepare your chocolate lave cake recipe ahead of time, and then bake 10 minutes before serving.

In terms of buttering the ramekins: butter the bottoms first, and then butter the sides, wiping from the bottom up to the top. It helps the chocolate to rise even more.

In terms of baking time… well, it depends on how runny you want it! I like it with a super-liquid-oozing center -- so do my guests! For this, you want the top to be cooked through, but the center to be liquid. You can check with a toothpick after 10 minutes of baking.
If you don't like liquid-center chocolate desserts, just cook for a little longer, and you will have an incredibly moist chocolate cake. So, either way, you can't go wrong!

Recipe Source: Famous French Desserts

Stovetop Broccoli and Cheese Chicken Pasta

I am always looking for new dinner recipes. We honestly eat very simple dinners around my house. This recipe was very tasty. I also loved it because I had all of it on hand. I love when I can make a dinner and not have to go to the grocery store to get everything that is in the dish. I mean don't get me wrong I love going to the grocery store (this actually is true) but mostly because I love food. This recipe was fairly easy, very tasty, and didn't take too long to make. It is also very kid friendly. Again lets be honest, almost everything i like, kids like...I don't think I have gotten my big girl taste buds yet. I was thinking that this recipe is actually quite healthy, but then I remembered the cube of butter that is in the sauce. I personally don't think butter is bad for you, but it definitely isn't low fat or low in cholesterol.  But again, I love butter and use it a lot of recipes!

  

 Stovetop Broccoli and Cheese Chicken Pasta

1 pound thin egg noodles
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1 pound broccoli florets, steamed
1-1 1/2 cups milk

1. Prepare egg noodles according to package directions, drain and run under cool water to stop cooking.

2. Melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper, whisking until thick and combined. Slowly whisk in chicken broth until combined. Increase heat to high and whisk until thick and bubbly. Reduce heat to low and stir in cheese until melted.

3. Transfer cooked noodles to a large dutch oven or pot over low-medium heat. Add chicken, broccoli and cheese sauce, stirring; will be thick. Stir in milk to loosen sauce to your liking. Serve immediately. This dish does best when served as soon as possible. If needed to be prepared ahead of time, add additional milk or chicken broth to loosen sauce.

Makes 6 servings

Recipe Source: Picky Palate

Simple Breakfast Syrup

I love breakfast. I always have. Do you ever have those days where you want something delicious like pancakes, waffles, french toast, or whatever it may be, but you realize that you ran out of syrup last time you ate one of those items? No? So its just me huh? Well this does happen to me sometimes. I typically love getting pure maple syrup. I feel like its just a little bit healthier, but on those days that I don't have any or just feel like having something sugary then this syrup is a life saver! It is quick and easy to make. It is very low maintenance. You can get it started, then finish making the rest of you breakfast without much worry. This recipe is one I got from my mom, and is the syrup recipe she would make whenever we wanted or needed homemade syrup.

Simple Breakfast Syrup

2 cups white sugar
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups water
1/3 cup Karo syrup
1 tbs pure maple syrup (if using mapleine use only 1/2 -1 tsp)
1 tbs vanilla

Combine both sugars, water, and Karo syrup in a medium sized heavy duty saucepan. Mix briefly to combine. Cook over medium high heat. Once mixture starts to boil continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add maple and vanilla. Serve warm or at room temperature (I prefer warm). Technically you should be able to store it at room temperature, but I store it in the fridge just to be safe, then warm it up before I use it.

Cheesy Pull-A-Part Bread

I kind of just threw this recipe together, and loved it so much that I just had to share it with you. It was easy, and we gobbled it up so fast! The 2 cups of cheese is just enough to make it cheesy but not completely covered in cheese. I am a huge cheese fan and would be just fine with even more cheese. Feel free to put as much or as little cheese  as you desire. Also the small the balls of dough are the more cheese you will have throughout the bread. Its so fun having little pockets of yummy cheese throughout the bread!

Cheesy Pull-A-Part Bread

5 1/4 c. white flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 rounded tablespoons saf-instant yeast
3 T. oil
2c. hot tap water
Adobo Seasoning *
2 cups Sharp cheddar cheese shredded


Mix dry ingredients to bowl of stand mixer. Add oil and water. Mix for 1 minute and check consistency. If dough is too dry, add a little more water. Dough should clean the bowl of the mixer. Mix for 5 minutes. (Do not add flour to the dough after it has finished mixing.) Grease a bunt pan well. Pull of small golf ball sized pieces of dough and place them in the pan. Do one layer at a time leaving a small amount of space between each ball of dough. Once you have a single layer sprinkle some adobo seasoning on dough. Next sprinkle some cheese on dough. Repeat with another layer of dough, then adobo, then cheese. Repeat this process until you have used all your dough, or your pan is 2/3 the way full. Really this dough recipe makes enough for one huge pan, 2 small pans, or 1 pan and some rolls or whatever you want to do with the extra dough. Cover pan with a dish towel. Let rise 25 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top. While still warm flip onto a serving plate. This will be the real test if you greased you pan well enough. If you haven't it can be a little tricky getting it out of the pan. Hopefully it will come out nicely for you. If you are having trouble getting it out of the pan take a butter knife, or something that won't scratch your pan and gently loosen the edges. Once the edges are loose it should come out beautifully. I prefer this when its warm, but it tastes great when it is cooled as well. You can either serve it in slices or just pull pieces off and eat them.





*If you don't have Adobo, can't find it, or don't want to buy it that is ok. Adobo is just a seasoning that combines salt, garlic, pepper, oregano, and turmeric. Feel free to use your own combination of these things to make a delicious cheesy bread!

Brown Butter-Peanut Butter Truffle Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok I have had to make these cookies 3 times just to get a picture of them. I  have made them, then somehow we eat/give away all of them before I can get a picture to put them on this site.  My husband said that these might be his new favorite cookies. I can't seem to get enough of them.  They are kind of like a peanut butter cookie and a chocolate chip cookie combined into one delicious irresistible cookie. 

Brown Butter-Peanut Butter Truffle Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter Truffles

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with foil and spray with no-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix powdered sugar and peanut butter until smooth (using your hands or some sort of food processor works best). Spread in baking dish and flatten with hands. Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes.

To brown butter, melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk frequently and heat until it's golden brown and giving off a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and pour into a heat-proof bowl; allow to cool to room temperature.  If you want to speed up this process stick your bowl in a sink full of cold water.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Remove peanut butter truffles and cut or tear into small pieces; place back in freezer for at least ten minutes. Don't worry about them looking perfect; I  didn't...

In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and browned butter. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour, baking soda, and salt until just incorporated.  (You can also do this step in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.) Fold in chocolate chips. Gently fold in chunks of peanut butter truffle. You want them to be visible, not completely blended into the dough. (Note: This makes a lot of peanut butter truffles. Use as much or as little of it as you want!)

Scoop onto a silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet, flatten slightly with hand, and bake for 8-10 minutes.  8 minutes is perfect in my oven but watch your cookies closely to see if they need to be cooked a little longer. You want your edges to just start to get golden brown. The center might still look a little doughy, don't worry they will continue to cook on the pan as they cool. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe Source: Bakergirl

7 Layer Bean Dip

I'll be honest I never thought I was a fan of 7 layer dips. I'm actually a very picky eater and don't like things that most people put in it. So when my husband suggested that we bring a 7 layer bean dip to a super bowl party I looked at it as a challenge. I looked up several recipes, took some recommendations from my husband, and voila this 7 layer bean dip was created. I didn't take a picture of it that day, mostly because I didn't know if I was going to like it. With my first bite I knew that it was love. I honestly don't know if anyone else at the party was able to eat it. My husband and I stayed by that dip and chowed down. I tried to eat other foods, but kept finding myself right back at the bean dip. I was kicking myself all night that I didn't take a picture of it before I started devouring it. I knew this dip was totally blog worthy.

Since that time I haven't really had a reason to make this dip. Today I decided that I was making a reason to make this dip. If you really need to know, we may or may not have just had chips and this dip for dinner. I'm not confessing anything, but I am saying its possible. Regardless of when, where, why, and how much of this dip we ate, the conclusion was that we still love it. The best part is most of the ingredients I have in my house most of the time. I hope you enjoy this dip as much as we do.

 Look at all these delicious layers!

 You better believe that we ate that bite!

7 Layer Bean Dip

1 (16 oz) can re-fried beans

1 (1 oz) package taco seasoning

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese

16 oz sour cream

16 oz salsa

1 large tomato chopped

1 avocado sliced thinly

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

1 can sliced olives

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, blend the taco seasoning mix and refried beans. Spread the mixture onto a large serving platter.
2. Mix the sour cream and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Spread over the refried beans.
3. Top the layers with salsa. Place a layer of tomato, avocado, and top with Cheddar cheese. Garnish with black olives. 
4. Enjoy with your favorite chips (my favorite is Fritos or other corn tortilla chip but any chip will work) 

 

Recipe Source: Adapted from Allrecipes 

My First Wedding Cake

My sister in law recently got married and she asked me to make her wedding cake. I am all about good tasting food, but making things look pretty and elegant isn't necessarily my strong suit. I first told her no about 5 times, then finally told her I would. It was actually a really good learning experience. This was my fist time using fondant in anything. Of course I had to make my own fondant. Store bought fondant just doesn't taste good. I couldn't have anything I made somehow not taste good. The fact that it would taste good was the only thing I was confident about, so I had to make sure that it really did taste good. All in all it turned out pretty good. I was pleased with it, and she said it was exactly how she wanted it! It of course wasn't perfect, and I have no plans of quitting my day job to do wedding cakes full time, but I think I was pleased with the cake.

For the cake I used my Strawberry Cake recipe. I also use Strawberry Filling, and my favorite Buttercream frosting.

Delicious Dinner Rolls

These might be my new favorite rolls. I have now made them several times and absolutely love them. Maybe its all the delicious butter that goes into them. Whatever it is these are tasty! This makes a huge batch of rolls so I will often half it.

Delicious Dinner Rolls

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of milk
3/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoons yeast
2 cups of warm water
about 9-10 cups of all purpose flour
at least 1 cup of butter

To start out: Scald 1 1/2 cups of milk, 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup of butter, in a microwave safe bowl, for about 2 minutes. Cutting the butter into pieces helps it melt faster. There will probably be some little cubes of butter still floating in the hot mixture, they will melt.

We are going to add yeast to this hot mixture, but it will be too hot to just dump the yeast straight in (it would kill it!). To cool it down stir in 1-2 cups of flour, then add 1 egg and 1 Tablespoon of salt, and leave it to cool for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, in a measuring cup dissolve 2 Tablespoons of yeast in 2 cups of warm water and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Let it sit for a couple of minutes until it is bubbly.

**Keep track of how much flour you are adding!!!

Make sure your milk mixture is just warm, not boiling and add the yeast mixture!Using a fork or wooden spoon, gradually stir in 9-10 cups of flour (counting the flour you have already added to cool it earlier). I would recommend only adding 2 cups at time and stirring in between. These rolls turn out so much better when they are mixed by hand.

At the end the dough will be dense and sticky, and may be hard to stir, you can use your hands to incorporate the rest of the flour if needed. Be sure not to add too much flour. Then smooth the dough out and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Leave it in a warm place and let it raise.

When your dough is close to raising completely, butter 2 cookie sheets and set them aside.

Let the dough raise until it has doubled in size.

Cover your working space with flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Dump your dough out and divide it into 4 balls. Eyeball the sizes, then lift them up and feel the weight of each ball. Try to make them even, but they don’t have to be perfect.

Using one ball of dough at a time: roll the dough into a circle on a floured counter. Once it is rolled out spread the top with butter from edge to edge. You will use about 2 Tablespoons per circle of dough.

Cut the dough into quarters using a pizza cutter.

Then cut each quarter into 3 pieces. You should end up with 12 triangles from each circle of dough.

Roll the dough starting with the wide end of the triangle.

Tuck the tail of the triangle under the roll and place it on the buttered cookie sheet. You will make 3 rows, with 8 rolls per row. This will give you 24 rolls per pan. Two balls of dough will fill 1 pan. You will get a total of 48 rolls!

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the pans of rolls in a warm place (on top of the oven if possible) to let them rise. Once they are touching and full in size, cook (one pan at a time) in the oven ’till they are golden brown. About 10 – 15 minutes, It may take longer depending on how hot your oven cooks. Keep a close eye on your first pan to get the right time for the second.

While they are still hot and fresh out of the oven run a stick of butter over the tops of the rolls for a delicious buttery glaze.



Recipe Source: How Does She?

The Best Buttercream Frosting

I love a good frosting. I have been making a lot of cakes lately and this is by far my favorite frosting. Classic American Buttercream frosting. This recipe uses powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and milk. This is a great recipe for decorating and piping on cupcakes and cake. The secret to this frosting's awesomeness is the almond extract. I love it! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Serves: 2.5 cups

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound), softened (but not melted!) Ideal texture should be like ice cream.
3-4 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar, SIFTED
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
up to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
Instructions

Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn’t blow everywhere) until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk 1 tablespoons at a time.

Orange"ies"

I really don't know what to call these bad boys except delicious. Really they are like brownies but instead of chocolate they are orange flavored. They are dense and delicious with a little bit of orange heaven drizzled on top. I would call them Orange Brownies, but they aren't brown at all so I think this could a little misleading. So I'm sticking with the Orange"ies". It might sound funny but that is what I'm going with!

I made these for my sister-in-law's bridal shower. The shower was so cute and so fun. The picture is one straight from the shower taken with my good little phone. There were several recipes that I promised I would post so stay tuned for more yummy desserts in the near future.

*The original recipe is for Lemonies. I am sure these are just as delicious, I just happened to have oranges on hand so feel free to make whatever you have on hand.



Orange"ies" or Orange Brownies

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons Orange zest
2 tablespoons Orange juice

Orange Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon Orange juice
2 teaspoons Orange zest

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Zest and juice one orange; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, orange zest, and orange juice until combined. Pour into the flour mixture and beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Pour into baking dish and bake for 25 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before glazing.

When brownies are cooled completely, make the glaze by whisking together all three ingredients. Spread over the brownies with a rubber spatula, cut into bars, and serve!

Recipe Source: Bakergirl

Rainbow Cake

My sister in law asked me to make this cake a while back. When she sent me the picture of it I thought it just might be the cutest cake ever! The recipe I found for it sounded good. I set out to make the cake, was loving every minute of it. I should have known better when the recipe used something other than a buttercream frosting. I put all 6 layers on the cake, started frosting the outside of the cake and then disaster struck. My beautiful fun cake slowly started sliding. The more I tried to stop it the more it slid. You know on Sleeping Beauty (I think thats the one) when the 3 fairies are are making her birthday cake and it starts falling over and they put a broomstick to hold it up? Well thats what I wanted to do, but couldn't. It was very tragic! Ever since this horrible cake experience I have been even more determined to make this cake. I have learned from my mistakes and have made a beautifully fun rainbow cake!

Here are some tips for making this cake a success for you the first time.

First: Gel food colors are awesome! You need much less food color to get the beautiful bright colors that are so awesome in this cake.

Second: Make sure you cake is cooked thoroughly, and cooled thoroughly before trying to do anything with it. If your cake is too soft it will fall apart. If it is warm at all the frosting wont be strong enough to hold everything in place. This takes me to my next type...

Third: Make sure you are using a sturdy frosting. You need your frosting to be just soft enough to spread it on the cake without ripping the cake apart, but still thick and sturdy enough that your layers are going to slide off.

Fourth: Know that you can use whatever colors you want. I thought the rainbow colors were very fun, but I have also seen it done in different shades of pink. If you want different colors then do different colors!

Fifth: If you do make this cake, and it turns out perfectly for you (which I know it will ) then you are bound to be the favorite cake maker your friends and family have ever known. Good work.

Rainbow Cake

Ingredients

Vegetable shortening
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/3 cups sugar
3 egg at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups milk, room temperature
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple gel food coloring
Your favorite Butter cream Frosting (you will want at least double what you normally use)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush six 9-inch-round cake pans (or as many 9-inch cake pans as you have, reusing them as necessary) with shortening. Line bottom of each cake pan with parchment paper; brush again and set aside. If using pans that are prone to stick you might want to flour them as well.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Slowly add eggs  and mix until well combined. Add vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Add flour mixture and milk in two alternating additions, beginning with the flour and ending with the milk. Mix until well combined.

Divide batter evenly between six medium bowls. Add enough of each color of food coloring to each bowl, whisking, until desired shade is reached. Transfer each color to an individual cake pan. Transfer to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 15 minutes (working in batches if necessary).

Remove cakes from oven and transfer to a wire rack; let cool for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto a wire rack; re-invert and let cool completely.

Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to make level. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy Susan. Place the purple layer on the cake plate. Spread a scant 1 cup buttercream frosting over the first layer with a small offset spatula so it extends just beyond edges.

Repeat process with blue, green, yellow, and orange layers.

Place the remaining red layer on top, bottom-side up. Gently sweep away any loose crumbs with a pastry brush. Using an offset spatula, cover the top and sides with frosting. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Recipe Source: Martha Steward

In case any of you wanted to see pictures of my first cake (the disastrous one) here you go.

Rainbow Cake looking beautiful and fun

And now for the Rainbow cake in its final disastrous state :(

Simple Shredded Chicken

I was having lunch with a good friend of mine the other day and she let me in on a little trick. I thought this trick to be ingenious therefore I decided I must share it with all of you! This trick is all about making your life easier when it comes to chicken.

For a while now I have been cooking chicken in my crock pot in large batches, then shredding it, then putting it in freezer bags and freezing it in 1-2 lb increments.  That way whenever a recipe calls for chicken I can just pull some out and either let it thaw on the counter, in the fridge, in the microwave, or on the stove. It all depends on how much of a hurry I am in. I have loved doing this. It saves me a ton of time when I am in a hurry to get dinner on the table.

Now for the new trick. Every time I make a big batch of chicken the part I don't enjoy (the rest is super easy) is actually shredding the chicken. I have been shredding it just with two forks one piece at a time. Well my friend told me that all you have to do is take the cooked chicken, place it in your kitchen aid mixer bowl with the flat blade attached and turn it on. The kitchen aid mixer will do all the grunt work for you. She fed me some of her chicken, and it was shredded perfectly. I obviously had to try this little tactic out. Well I'm happy to report that I tried it, and it works! My life has just been made easier.

Simple Shredded Chicken

6-8 chicken breasts
2-3 cups chicken stock or broth

Place chicken breasts in your crock pot. Pour chicken stock or chicken broth over the chicken. It doesn't have to cover the chicken completely. Cover with lid. Turn the crock pot on low. Allow to cook for 6-8 hrs or until chicken is done. My crock pot cooks hot and even on low it cooks in about 4 hours.  Once chicken is cooked remove chicken (save the leftover broth for later) from crock pot and place in kitchen aid mixer bowl with flat blade or paddle attached. Turn your mixer on low speed and watch the magic happen. Once your chicken is shredded to your liking add back in a small about of the broth that the chicken was cooked in. I have found that this helps the chicken not be dry when reheating. If you are using the chicken immediately then this step isn't necessary.

I have used my shredded chicken an all of these recipes:

White Chicken Chile

Individual Chicken or Turkey Pot Pies

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Chicken Croquettes

Southwestern Style Chimichangas

These are just a few of my favorites, but really the possibilities are endless! Happy chicken making!