Blueberry Orange Cheesecake Bars

I love the wonderful fruits of summer! Too bad I have a picky husband who doesn't enjoy snacking on fresh fruits. :) Since the fruit in our home tends to go bad before I can finish it myself, I decided to prepare a fruity dessert we both can enjoy.

And because my fruit was so pretty...they deserve their own spotlight photos ;)






Blueberry Orange Cheesecake Bars
By Ashleigh
(Inspired by Tyler Florence Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12 graham crackers)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 ( 8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 orange juiced plus the zest of 1/2 orange
1 container blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Mix melted butter and graham cracker crumbs in a bowl and press firmly into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan to create an even layer. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

In a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium high until creamy, about 1 minute.

Add sugar, eggs, vanilla, and orange juice with zest. Mix until creamy and well blended.

Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the graham cracker crust.
Sprinkle blueberries over the cream cheese mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes, until set and slightly puffed.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before covering with plastic wrap and placing in the refrigerator to chill completely.

Cut into bars.



Warm from the oven...before cooling and cutting.


The finished product!

Cheesecake Filled Strawberries

I’ve been making this treat for years; however, I have become more “refined” in my assembly. In college, I use to make a bowl of the “filling” and throw some sliced strawberries on top! :) Delicious! It wasn’t until I was at a book store reading a cook book by Mary Berry (the name of the book escapes me) when I saw her recipe for filled strawberries. I thought “What a great idea to put the cream cheese inside!”
This is such an easy, yet delicious summer treat. Since I prepared these for Chris and I to eat at home, I left out the step of covering them with chocolate (trying to look out for our health you know :) ). Besides enjoying these at home on a lazy Sunday, these could be served to guests at a picnic or elegant dinner party.
They are best straight from the refrigerator (chocolate or no). You can play around with the amount of sugar to suit your taste. I prefer to use fresh lemon juice instead of vanilla if I have it on hand because it gives it a more cheesecake-like taste. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 container whole strawberries
4 oz. cream cheese, softened (half of a brick)
1 tsp. good vanilla or 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup confectioners sugar (aka powdered sugar)
Good Quality Chocolate (optional) *recommended Ghirardelli chocolate chips

Directions:
Combine cream cheese, vanilla or lemon (which ever one you are using), and sugar. Mix to combine and refrigerate until ready to use.
Carefully wash strawberries and pat dry with paper towels. Remove the stems from the berries.
(*Follow directions for chocolate here if using)
Using a small paring knife, core the center of each berry being careful to leave the bottom intact. Fill a plastic baggie with the cream cheese filling. Fill each berry with
Line a small baking sheet with wax paper

*For chocolate coating:
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt dipping chocolate at 30-second intervals until chocolate is smooth and creamy. Dip each strawberry into chocolate, covering 3/4 of the berry. Lay on baking sheet. Fill a second plastic baggie with chocolate and drizzle over the berries in a pretty design. Chill.

Store in a sealed plastic container in the refrigerator.

Blondies: I'm ready for a Throwdown? ;)

I just finished saying to my husband “Why doesn’t the Food Network ever travel to OUR city or state for that matter! I have seen several episodes of shows like: Rachel Rays’ Tasty Travels, Road Tasted with the Neelys, Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, etc. none of which are shot in Ohio. So I was super excited this week when I saw Bobby take on the founders of Sugardaddy's Sumptuous Sweeties in Columbus, Ohio. This Throwdown inspired my decision to bake a delicious pan of Blondies. I adapted Bobby’s recipe to fit what I had in my pantry at home. The result was DELICIOUS. The next time I am in Columbus I plan to visit Sugardaddy’s Sweeties.

Blondie
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks butter (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter melted
1 1/2 c light brown sugar
2 large eggs lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
11 ounces (one bag) semi-sweet (or milk chocolate) chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish (decrease bake time for metal).
Combine flour, baking powder, salt in bowl, whisk with fork and set aside
Mix melted butter and brown sugar until combined. Crack open eggs in a small bowl and whisk. Add eggs and vanilla to butter and brown sugar mixture and mix well. Fold in dry ingredients using a fork (use spatula on sides of bowl) until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips and pour into prepared pan , smoothing top with spatula.
Bake 25-30 minutes. DO NOT over-bake. Mine took 26 minutes. Top will be golden brown and edges slightly darker.
Cool to room temperature before cutting.

Peanut Butter Pie for one please!

The weekend is here! I enjoy a productive Saturday morning when nothing is scheduled and I can catch up on cleaning, laundry, and of course BAKING! I have been craving peanut butter lately and decided mid week I would make a peanut butter pie this weekend.
After cleaning my kitchen floors this morning, the thought of crumbly pie crust flakes that result from cutting slices in a pie really made me cringe. (Slightly OCD...I know.) But seriously...does this bother anyone else? That is my biggest complaint with pies, lasagna, or casseroles. I HATE how they look once you start cutting into them! They fall apart, blend together, and just look down right MESSY.

Anyway, this is why I am a big fan of "individual serving sizes". I had the great idea of making "individual pies" rather then one large pie to cut down on the crumbly crust mess. :) These little treats turned out great. I plan to make them again the next time we entertain to keep my food more visually appealing. :)

The crust recipe comes from my grandma's recipe index (I copied it down and several others while staying with her a few weekends ago). The filling is simply "trial and error"- combining one block of cream cheese with enough peanut butter and sugar to make it yummy. :)

Individual Pie Crusts:
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter, chilled
4 tablespoon shortening (Crisco), chilled
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling dough
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 cup ice water (or less- will not use full amount of water)

Directions for crusts:

Place butter and shortening (Crisco) in freezer for 15 minutes. When ready to use, remove and cut both into small pieces.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt by pulsing 3 to 4 times. Add butter and pulse 5 to 6 times until texture looks mealy. Add shortening(Crisco) and pulse another 3 to 4 times. Remove lid of food processor and add 2 tablespoon of water. Replace lid and pulse 5 times. Add 2 tablespoon more water and pulse again, repeating until mixture holds together when squeezed (I used 6 tablespoons total but amount may vary). Place mixture in large zip-top bag, squeeze together until it forms a ball, and then press into a rounded disk and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place one 12-cup muffin tin, well greased in the refrigerator to chill.
Remove dough from refrigerator. Unwrap and sprinkle both sides of dough with flour. Cover again with plastic and roll out with a rolling pin to a 11 to 12-inch circle. Open plastic again and sprinkle top of dough with flour. Using a 3 inch round cookie cutter, create 12 circles.
***I was able to get 8 rounds out of the first roll before gathering up scraps and rolling dough again into a circle.
Gently mold one dough circle into each of the 12 greased muffin cups. Poke holes in the dough with a fork and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Bake until golden in color, approximately 10 to 15 minutes (mine took 11 minutes). Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. Let cool completely before filling.


Filling Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup peanut butter + 2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3-4 teaspoons milk
3 Reese Cups, crushed for topping (optional)

Directions for filling pies:
Whip cream with 1/4 cup sugar and set aside. Mix all other ingredients until smooth. Spoon mixture into individuals crusts (about 2 tablespoons per crust). Top with whipped cream. Microwave 2 tablespoons peanut butter for 1 minute (until melted). Drizzle melted peanut butter over individual pies and top each with crushed Reese Cups. Chill for several hours before serving. Makes 12 individual pies.

“A Taste of the Islands” Pound Cake

Chris and I just returned from another AMAZING Caribbean get-a-way! The 2009 Buckeye Cruise for Cancer Proceeds from the Buckeye Cruise benefit the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research at Ohio State's James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Join us on the 2009 Buckeye Cruise to help fight breast cancer! Check it out!

While on the ship, Chris discovered his love for pound cake. He claimed he has never tasted it before this trip. When I informed him I could easily make this at home he was very excited. This recipe for Pound Cake was adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Dessert, by Abigail Johnson Dodge (Simon & Schuster, 2002 ).
I decided to bring a little of the Caribbean into our home to remind us of an amazing time had last week. The mix of flavors is wonderfully fruity, yet subtle. I baked mine in a dark pan and it turned out just fine (the recipe suggests glass).

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter,
at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon rum flavored extract
1/2 teaspoon butter flavored extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs, at room temperature
8 ounces sour cream, at room temperature
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 325°F. Lightly grease an 8 1⁄2-by-4 1⁄2-inch loaf pan, preferably glass, and dust with flour.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt until blended. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and all extracts on medium to medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until just blended. Sprinkle half of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and stir until both are just incorporated. Stir in the sour cream, then sprinkle with the remaining flour mixture and stir until evenly distributed.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap gently on the counter to even out and settle the ingredients. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 70 minutes, or longer if using a metal pan. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes.

Run a thin knife around the inside of the pan, invert the cake onto the rack and lift off the pan. Place the cake on one of its sides and continue cooling. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cheating....It tastes so good! A Cinamon Roll Cake

I'm not talking about the "cheating" on a diet type cheating (I don't diet). As a self-proclaimed choc-a-holic, it felt like "cheating" when I told Chris that this chocolate-less cake may just be "the best cake I have ever made!" It's true. This is absolutely delicious!

Inspired by my FAVORITE cinnamon roll, Cindy's Cinnamon Rolls, this cake is moist and surprisingly light with nice buttery edges. It has a deliciously cinnamon swirl throughout and the icing is... well....for lack of a better word "the icing on the cake". If you like cinnamon rolls you will LOVE this cake.

These basic, buttery yellow cake and sugar frosting recipes are both ones my grandma gave me years ago. I added the cinnamon sugar layering effect to the cake and cinnamon to the frosting to create a cake that tastes like a Cindy's Cinnamon Roll. :) I like to microwave my piece for 20 seconds before eating. Mmmm...Enjoy!

CINNAMON ROLL CAKE

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 13x9 inch pan or 9 inch Bundt pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Mix together the cinnamon and brown sugar.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream; beat until well blended. Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan.
Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture over the batter in the pan, leaving only a small amount in bottom of bowl. Spread the rest of the batter into the pan and sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over the top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes for 13x9 inch pan (check at 50 minutes- mine took 55 minutes) or 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. For Bundt pan, allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

CINNAMON FROSTING:
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk (Add 1/2 tablespoon at a time)
DIRECTIONS
Cream sugar, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla. Add a small amount of milk (1 to 2 tablespoons). Beat until fluffy. If frosting is too sweet add a little more milk.

Christmas Goodies to All!

It's Christmas Eve day and I decided to surprise co-workers, neighbors, and our faithful mail man with a little treat. :) This bark is festive and simple to make. It also tastes great! The mix of sweet and tart dried cranberries, sea salt and roasted nuts, and smooth white chocolate is a wonderful flavor combination. Enjoy!

Recipe Inspired by: Ina Garten on The Food Network


Ingredients
1 pound finely chopped white chocolate
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 cup dried cranberries
1 1/4 cups mixed nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, and walnuts), toasted

Directions

Line a baking sheet with waxed or parchment paper and set aside.

Pour a couple inches of water into the bottom half of the double boiler and heat over medium-low to just below a simmer. Put the chopped chocolate in the top half of the double boiler and set over the hot water. Slowly melt the chocolate, stirring with a heat-resistant rubber spatula. (An alternative method would be to melt chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each heating.)

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350. Spread nuts evenly on a baking sheet. Roast for 7-8 minutes or until nuts become fragrant. (Check after 5 minutes)

Quickly stir the fruit, salt, and nuts into the chocolate. Spread chocolate mixture out on the prepared baking sheet so it's about 1/2-inch thick and the fruit and nuts are coated. Sprinkle some dried cranberries on top for visual appeal. Set bark aside at room temperature to harden or refrigerate for 35-50 minutes. Break into angled pieces. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

My Mom's Triple Layer Brownies

It's Christmas time! That means time for Mom's Triple Layer Brownies. :) These are my most favorite brownies in the world. Not only are they rich and delicious, I associate these with special Christmas memories...

1. Following Christmas Eve church service, driving around the neighborhoods near our home and looking at Christmas lights while Christmas music played on the radio.

2. Stockings came first on Christmas morning-- but not before Mom turned on the Christmas music (signaling it was safe to emerge from our bedrooms).

3. Protesting while my Mom "made" us watch Miracle on 34th Street each Christmas (my sister and I agree we gave her a hard time every year, but secretly cherish this time)

What are some of your family's Christmas traditions and memories? I'd love to see them posted!


TRACY'S TRIPLE TRUFFLE BROWNIES



Pre-heat Oven 350 degrees

FIRST LAYER: 4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate

1/2 lb of butter (must use butter)

2 cups of sugar

3 eggs

1 cup of flour

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. almond extract

Melt chocolate, butter together over low heat. Cool slightly; add eggs, sugar and extracts. Blend well. Stir in flour until blended. Turn into greased & floured 9x 13 metal pan.


Bake in pre-heated ovens for 25 mins. Or until toothpick comes out clean.

SECOND LAYER: 6 tbls. Butter

3 1/2 cups of powder sugar (sifted)

5 tbls. Milk

1 tsp. Vanilla

Melt butter until brown, golden nutty color. Immediately stir in remaining ingredients. Spread over cooled brownie layer.

Chill until set & firm

THIRD LAYER: 1 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

6 tbls. Butter

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

Melt chips & butter together. Stir in sugar. Pour over cooled 2nd layer & spread.

Finish with drizzling powered sugar or sugar glaze over top.


The beautiful creator of these treats:

The Best Sugar Cookies Ever!

These sugar cookies will live up to this claim every time....I promise.
During our four day stay with my husband's family over Thanksgiving, I made these with my mother-in-law to welcome the start of the Christmas season. The secret to this recipe is the sour cream. My grandma has been making this soft sugar cookie for years, but I recently discovered it on the back of the Land O Lakes butter box. I omit the orange peel (not included in my grandma's recipe), but I bet including it would make this recipe equally or even more delicious.

The cookie below was my husband's giant snowman cookie. I thought he was very cute. :) (The snowman and my husband)




Soft Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
Decorator sugars or favorite frosting


Combine sugar and butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; continue beating until well mixed.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Reduce speed to low. Beat, adding flour mixture alternately with sour cream and scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Divide dough into four separate sections; wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate until firm (at least 2 hours).

Heat oven to 400°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface, one portion at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 3-inch cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle cookies with decorator sugars or bake plain and frost once completely cooled.

Bake for 6 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned.

O-H....I-O! Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars

It's game day! The Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Michigan game might as well be considered another holiday in our house because our family rarely misses the occassion for a game time party. This year was pretty low key as my parents went to the game and Chris and I watched from home. Now..what is a day home with some great football without some really great game time snacks??

I decided to make these yummy sweet treats for dessert. It is safe to say these are the best, easiest bar cookies that I've made yet. Inspired by the recipe on the side of my Carnation Sweetened Condensed Milk can and these Passion Bars from Allrecipe.com, I changed the recipe to accommodate Chris' dislike for nuts and available ingredients in the pantry.
They were almost as SWEET as our victory over Michigan! :) O-H...I-O!


Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars

1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 pinch of salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup peanut butter, heated to a consistency that is easy to stir (I used the microwave for 30 seconds)
2 cup semisweet chocolate chips ( 12 ounce bag)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter to form a crumbly mixture. Reserve 3/4 cups of the crumbs, and pat the rest evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter. Spread evenly over the oatmeal layer. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the peanut butter layer, then crumble the reserved crust over the top.
Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

To Grandma's house we go...with cookie sandwiches!

A visit to grandma's is LONG overdue. Chris and I have missed weekly Sunday dinners due to work schedules most of the summer and fall. At last we get to spend time with family this week! I have offered to bring a dessert. Since my mom has the chocolate chip cookie baking perfected (none better then her cookies in my opinion)....I needed to give my cookies a little something extra.
Based on the contents of my pantry (specifically the four jars of peanut butter-- an amazing grocery store deal) I came up with these mini-chocolate chip peanut butter sandwich cookies. The photo doesn't make them appear too "mini", but trust me they are. :)
Chris has been my "taste tester" this morning and he gives his stamp of approval. I can't wait to visit with my family tomorrow! (And eat these mini-cookies.)


Original Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg) chocolate chips

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.
COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded 1/2 teaspoon full onto ungreased baking sheets (I usually get 30 “full size” cookies from this recipe, but today I made 60 mini-cookies).
BAKE for 7-8 minutes (larger cookies back 9-11 minutes) or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.




Peanut Butter Frosting

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2-3 tablespoons cream or milk
In a large bowl, beat butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in 1/2 of the confectioner's sugar. Mix in 2 tablespoon of cream. Beat in the remaining confectioners' sugar. If necessary, add a little more cream or milk until the frosting reaches a good spreading consistency.

Simply spread peanut butter frosting on one cookie and top with a second cookie. Make sure cookies are completely cooled.

*Also, it works best to leave one cookie flat on your work service so it doesn't break with the force of the knife while you spread the frosting. Push second cookie on top gently. Enjoy!

Cake from Scratch

Today was Chris' 24 hours off this week and since it was dark and rainy outside we spent a cozy day inside. I decided to brighten our day with cake. This was the best from-scratch cake I've made. I found the recipe on a foodnetwork.com search just before making it.

Please disregard Chris' fork marks in the photo :) He was literally standing over me begging me to give him his piece of cake back.

Colettes’ White Cake Recipe
From Foodnetwork.com

1 cup all-purpose (original recipe calls for 9 ounces)
1 cup cake flour (original recipe calls for 9 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups sugar (21 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 cups milk, room temperature

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 2 (9)-inch round pans. Sift together the flours and baking powder.

Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixer bowl until fluffy. Add the salt and vanilla and mix well. Add the eggs, scraping the sides of the bowl, and mix until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches alternating with the milk, mixing after each addition and ending with the flour. Mix just until combined. Do not overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 15 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the racks and remove the pans. Let the cakes cool completely. Wrap and refrigerate before decorating.




Butter Cream Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 tablespoons milk, or as needed
3 cups confectioners' sugar (1 box)

Place butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer, gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.

A Housewarming Gift....All the way from Alaska! And the "Homemade Boxed Cake Mix"

My wondeful friend, Deb, sent me a cake all the way from Alaska! Well...actually she sent me a beautiful, hand-painted mixing bowl by Pamela's Cottage. The bowl contained a cake mix, container of frosting, and a wooden spoon. This was such a cute gift! (Thanks, Deb!)

I decided to use this gift as an opportunity to share a "secret" I have been using for about a year to doctor up store-bought cake mix and frosting to make them taste more homemade. Once you try it you will never follow the directions on the back of the box again!

The More Homemade Tasting Boxed Cake Mix

Ingredients:
1 box cake mix
2 eggs
1 stick butter
1 1/4 cup buttermilk (*or I substitute 1 1/4 cup milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice)

Combine butter, eggs, and milk in bowl and mix well 1-2 minutes. Add cake mix and mix to combine. Pre-heat and bake cake as directed on box.



The More Homemade Tasting Store-Bought Frosting
1 container favorite frosting
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Mix frosting and sugar using a hand or stand mixer until frosting doubles in size.

Hershey's Best Brownies: An oldie....always a goodie. :)

I recently made Hershey's Best Brownies for a co-worker's birthday. I did not make the frosting, but added 2 cups of Hershey's chocolate chips for some extra chocolaty goodness :)She loved them...so much she took the photo for me (photography is a hobby of hers--great job, Jen!)


Best Brownies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350. Grease 9-inch square baking pan.

2. Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Stir in chocolate chips (I gently stir, keeping most of chips near the top of the batter to prevent them from falling to the bottom or coat with flour)

3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares. About 16 brownies.

Peanut Butter Bars!

I once told Chris "You and I go together like Peanut butter and chocolate! :) He kind of looked at me funny; however, to me....the two were MADE for each other (kind of like Chris and I)! I made these Peanut Butter Bars from the Allrecipes website for a movie night with our good friends. I changed a few things and the result was OUTSTANDING!

Recipe after modifications:

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut butter
*1 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons peanut butter


DIRECTIONS
Combine butter and 1 cup peanut butter in a medium saucepan. Heat over low heat until mixture is smooth and blended. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter and peanut butter mixture, graham cracker crumbs, and confectioners' sugar until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips with the 2 tablespoons peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth (I microwaved chips 1 minute at a time and it took just 2 minutes and 30 seconds). Spread over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Notes: I refrigerated for about 3 hours. Keep refrigerated until 20 minutes before serving and slicing. These are perfect after 20 minutes at room temperature!

SCRUPTIOUS STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE!

My favorite dessert as a child was my grandma’s Strawberry Shortcake. Before Chris and I were married he thought “Strawberry Shortcake” was filling that disgusting, pre-packaged sponge cake cups with strawberries. Yuck. The first time grandma made her recipe for Chris, she told him “this is how we make it right”.
I found this dessert courtesy of Paula Dean and made a few changes to incorporate my grandma’s delicious recipe. The result….one SCRUPTIOUS STRAWBERY SHORTCAKE!





For the cake:
Grandma’s “Southern” Fashion Shortcake (recipe below)
**I choose to cut each individual shortcake into 6 “cubes” to create the trifle layer with bite-size pieces. You may also slice shortcake in half using a serrated knife, horizontally and then create layers.


For the custard:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

For the glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
1 container fresh strawberries, cut into quarters
Whole fresh strawberries and mint leaves, for garnish


For the custard:
Mix together cream cheese, condensed milk, and whipped topping in a bowl; refrigerate.

For the glaze:
Place sliced strawberries in a bowl/container with lid and sprinkle with sugar. Refrigerate for several hours to allow strawberries and sugar to create their own sweet juicy glaze.

For assembly:
Place 1 layer of cake in a large clear bowl. Top with a layer of glaze, followed by a layer of custard mixture. Repeat layering in this order for remaining cake, glaze and custard. Top cake with 3 whole fresh strawberries and fresh mint leaves.


Grandma’s “Southern” Fashion Shortcake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup butter
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 egg, beaten

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and cream of tartar. Cut in butter. Stir in cream and egg. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 2 minutes. Press into a half-inch thick sheet. Cut into squares. Place on baking sheets.
Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes, or until golden.

Easter in Holmes County

After a wonderful visit the weekend before, Chris and I headed back to his parents' house in Winesburg. Sadly, this trip was a result of Chris' grandmother's passing away on March 19, 2008. She had been sick from cancer these past few months. Chris' mother is an amazing woman and is very strong in her faith. She is relying on the Lord to help her through her grief and finding comfort in the thought of her mother pain-free in Heaven.
It was wonderful to be with Chris' family for Easter. I decided to contribute to the "Easter Carry-in" by making some adorable cupcakes. These cupcakes were adapted from my grandmother's "Loaded Chocolate Cake". The "Easter Egg Nest" decorating idea came from Betty Crocker; however, rather then use coconut (which I am allergic to) I used chow mein noodles covered in melted chocolate and peanut butter. Yum!

I included some "short cuts" for this recipe. It is great either way. Enjoy!






Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Cupcakes

Ingredients:
24 paper cupcake liners
1 Box Devil’s Food Cake Mix (I use Duncan Hines)
1 (12-ounce) package peanut butter chocolate (recipe below) or 24 miniature peanut butter cups


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 regular muffin cups with paper cupcake liners.

Prepare the cake mix according to package directions. Fill the cups half full with cake batter. Place about 1 tablespoon peanut butter chocolate mixture in the center of the batter, or press 1 peanut butter cup into the batter in each muffin cup until the batter meets the top edge of the peanut butter cup.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the cupcakes are set. When they can be handled safely, remove them from the muffin tins and let cool completely on wire racks. Decorate with frosting (recipe below).
**While cupcakes bake, I prepare the “birds nests” and frosting.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Filling:
Ingredients:
12 ounces (1 bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions:
Melt chocolate chips in double boiler or microwave safe bowl. Stir in peanut butter until well blended. Spoon filling in to cupcake liners (about 1 tablespoon).


Fudgy Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
3 tablespoons milk, or as needed

Directions:
Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl and pour melted chocolate chips over. Gradually mix in milk one tablespoon at a time until frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.



**Fudgy Peanut Butter Frosting (Short cut)
Ingredients:
1 container Chocolate Fudge Frosting
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions:
Melt peanut butter until smooth (easily stirred) in a microwave safe bowl. Stir in container of frosting. Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter “Bird Nests”:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
6 ounces chow mien noodles (half of a standard size bag)
Wax paper
Favorite brand jelly beans (about 50 beans)

Directions:
Melt chocolate chips in double boiler or microwave safe bowl. Stir in peanut butter until well blended. Stir in chow mien noodles. Using a regular table spoon, spoon mixture into piles or “nests” on to wax paper. Let cool and set for 1-2 hours at room temperature or refrigerator. Use to top frosted cupcakes. Place 3 jelly beans or “eggs” in nests once nests are on top of cupcakes.


***Tip: I like to make a “bucket” or indentation using my finger in the center of the nests so the jelly beans don’t roll away.

Chocolate Cheesecake Layer Brownies

It's the weekend! Even better...OSU plays today and Chris will be home to watch the game with me! I decided to make us a yummy dessert to go with our "football snacking food". (Since we are eating horribly already I figured why not go all the way, right?!) I kind of invented this recipe by merging two recipes together from Gourmet Magazine! The result..."TOUCH DOWN!" I call them...

Chocolate Cheesecake Layer Brownies

For brownie batter:
4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour


For cheesecake topping:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Chocolate topping:
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted



Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and butter and flour a 13x9-inch baking pan. Make brownie batter: In a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water melt chocolate with butter stirring, and cool. Whisk in sugar and eggs, 1 at a time, and whisk in vanilla. Whisk in flour until just combined and spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Make cheesecake topping: In a bowl with an electric mixer cream together cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy and beat in lemon juice, egg, vanilla, and salt. Beat in flour and spread mixture in an even layer over batter. Bake brownies in middle of oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until top is puffed and pale golden and a tester comes out with crumbs adhering to it. Remove from oven and pour melted chocolate chips over brownies. Cool brownies completely in pan on a rack and chill, covered, at least 2-3 hours. Cut brownies into bars and enjoy! Refrigerate leftovers.

*These took 41 minutes to bake and came out a perfect, fudgy yet creamy texture!
**UPDATE: 4 hours later, after brownies have been in the refrigerator, they are even better!

A quick use of overripe bananas...

Not So Homemade Banana Cake


This was such an amazing cake...and since the box of cake mix was on sale for $1.00 it was inexpensive too!! I was inspired to make this cake because I recently learned you can substitute bananas for eggs when making a cake.


Recipe:
1 Box of Betty Crocker Supreme Banana Cake Mix
1/4 cup oil
3 overripe bananas, mashed
1 1/4 cup water

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350. Grease a 13x9 inch cake pan. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour in to prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in to the center of cake comes out clean). Cake will darken slightly-but remains a light, golden brown color.


Notes:
This was even better the second day! Very moist and full of flavor.
To serve: top with whipped cream or nothing at all.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Chris is on-call this weekend and I am finding ways to keep busy. I decided to take a break from my reading and "girly movies" and bake something for my friend who is stopping by on her drive to a wedding. I made several changes to allrecipe.com Peanut Butter Cup Cupcake recipe and made them Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes! I also added a peanut butter frosting and chocolate drizzle topping. The result is AMAZING! These are so rich...be sure to have your milk ready! Yum!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes
(Original recipe: Allrecipes Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes)

Cupcake:
1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar (I added this)
1/4 cup baking cocoa (I added this)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
16 miniature peanut butter cups

Pre-heat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening, peanut butter, sugar, cocoa, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.
Fill paper-lined muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter. Press a peanut butter cup into the center of each until top edge is even with batter. Bake at 350 for 22-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted on an angle toward the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.


Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting (allrecipes.com):

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons milk, or as needed
2 cups confectioners' sugar
Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.

Chocolate Drizzle:

1 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate chips
Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave 1 minute. Stir between each heating. Repeat until all chocolate is smooth and melted throughout. (It took about 3 minutes).

To assemble: Top cooled cup cakes with Peanut Butter Frosting and drizzle with melted chocolate.