Peppermint Marshmallows

There was the cupcake fad, then the homemade marshmallow hit the big scene. I wanted to try my hand at it and here is what happened.

I used this Alton Brown recipe for marshmallows because his way is always well thought out and scientifically based. Foolproof, right?

Clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and cook water, sugar, corn syrup and salt until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Easter Treat: Monkey Bread Muffins

My favorite little sous chef helped me make some Easter breakfast treats last week. Yes she is wearing headphones plugged into an iPad. She just got the headphones as a gift and wants to wear them all the time. Sometimes the cord just drags behind her as she plays in the house. I saw a funny meme on facebook with a toddler doing something silly and it read, "Motherhood, when you stop asking questions." So true!

Cookies for Santa: Basil Infused Chocolate Chip

I gave Santa the shock of a lifetime when he bit into these amazing and delicious cookies. On the outside they look like a chocolate chunk cookie, but they taste so much better than the classic.

The secret lies in step one, infusing the butter with fresh basil. This important step may sound odd, but the result is a hint of "something" that taste great but remains your little secret. St. Nick will definitely know these are special without being able to put his finger on what makes them so good.

I may never make another boring chocolate chip cookie again!

Harper's First Halloween

Harper was a Shrimp Sushi Roll for her first Halloween. I made the costume using a white onsie and several pieces of felt. Everything was attached using heat seal and bond. It came together pretty quickly.

Reeses Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

This pregnancy has me craving things I would not normally want to eat. Rice Krispie treats have never been big on my list, and I definitely do not gravitate towards the chocolate peanut butter combo that my husband loves. That's his thing, and I'm happy to make that for him...but it's never been my thing.

I was making dinner for our small group last week and wanted something easy that I could pull together quickly. A simple text to my foodie girlfriends erupted in lots of ideas. When one suggested Rice Krispie Treats, another quickly added that she had recently tried a Reese's version that was to die for. Bingo! I had my dessert for the night. A soft and ooey-gooey marshmallow treat with chocolate and peanut butter sounded so good, my mind was made up.

The grocery list is short and simple:  A box of Cocoa Krispies, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Butter, Karo and Mini Marshmallows. I added a Peanut Butter and Nutella drizzle to the top of my dessert in the end.

Start by chopping up some peanut butter cups. I found bags of 6 on sale for a dollar a piece, so I bought three packages and used 18 total peanut butter cups. I cut them two times horizontally and two times vertically to get 9 pieces from each peanut butter cup.

Black Forest Cake

If you think you don't have time to make a dessert for the holidays, think again! This Black Forest Cake is so decadent, and extremely simple to pull together. Baking is a thoughtful and delicious way to show others how much they mean to you. They don't have to know this warm and gooey cake was this easy...the best part? I made this in my crock pot, which frees up my oven for other things.

Simple ingredients: Chocolate Cake Mix, Cherry Pie Filling, Butter and if you like nuts you can add that too.

Lucky Leaf provided me with an assortment of their Premium Fruit fillings to sample for myself. I was able to make whatever I wanted with their products, and this entire post is my own opinion - I received no compensation for my written review. The beautiful 43 page Recipe Book they sent along with the products is filled with inspirational photos and easy to follow recipes. Next on my list is the Cherry-Chocolate Macaroon Pie. OMG, it's a recipe that only takes 30 minutes to prep, 22 minutes to bake and serves 8. Can you tell I have a thing for cherry's and chocolate? Read on to find out how you can receive some Lucky Leaf this holiday season.

Chocolate Brownies and a Giveaway

Chocolate for miles! These fudgy brownies with walnuts were tall, dense and delicious. They were only made better by a clever swap that reduced the calories from sugar and added a boost of fiber! 

I think you would agree that living a healthier lifestyle starts with making small, good-for-you choices every day. My biggest healthy living tip is to try and eat breakfast at home instead of buying something on your way to work. I like to keep hard boiled eggs, fresh cut up fruit and greek yogurt in my fridge. Prepping these items at the beginning of the week makes it super easy for me to grab something healthy during a busy morning.

A University of Massachusetts study discovered that people who eat out instead of at home are more than twice as likely to be obese. The reason? Restaurant portions tend to be larger than those you cook at home, and you're more likely to make an unhealthy decision at a drive-thru or convenience store.

On those days when you must have something to satisfy your sweet tooth, here is a decadent brownie recipe to try. Everything in moderation, right?

Here is what you need:
1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener
1 cup Sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped walnuts

Click to read more!

Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee

Even though I've heard over and over again how EASY creme brulee is, I never attempted it because I am not confident when it comes to baking anything. Hand me a bag full of groceries and I bet I could whip up a spectacular dinner - but ask me to bake cookies, brownies, pudding, cupcakes...uh, I will look back at you with a blank stare. I hate how the measurements on baked goods have to be exact, maybe it's the fact that in my kitchen I don't follow the rules. My cooking is exactly that...mine. I like to use recipes simply as a guide...but a recipe for a baked good isn't a guide, it's a road map that must be followed exactly or else you run off the road and down a cliff. Next thing you know, you are crying in front of the stove as your cupcakes fall into a concave shape in the muffin tins.             Oh, that's just me?

Now that you know my angst surrounding baking you are probably wondering how in the world I talked myself into Creme Brulee. Last weekend I had seen yet another cooking show where the chef whips up creme brulee and exclaims to the audience how utterly easy it is to do. Well, I've about heard enough! That was it! I am going to the store to buy my own butane blow torch (it was the ONE kitchen gadget I have yet to own) It was the blow torch that really sent me in a tizzy. Blowing fire and burning things never looked so fun! I settled on a recipe, made my grocery list and hit up my HEB...only to leave with everything I needed except for the blow torch. I wasn't going to let that stop me. After all, I should find out if I am even capable of making a creme brulee before I purchase another kitchen gadget.

For my Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee, I stuck to a pretty traditional recipe. If you search online, you will find so many variations for the "basic" creme brulee. I found recipes calling anywhere from 3-10 eggs for one batch. Some say use vanilla bean, some say use vanilla extract. Some use whipping creme, some use whole milk, some half and half. Really, the recipes I found online ran the gamut. I pulled the best out of all I read to make my own - and I used both vanilla extract and a bean (for the black specks). My sweet Mother-in-Law brought me back the vanilla extract from her recent vacation to Mexico. Thanks Deb! And Jim thanks you too!

Making Whoopie

We are making Whoopie Pies! Not quite a sandwich cookie, not quite a cake, whoopie pies are known by two characteristics: their soft, rounded shape and a generous amount of sweet creamy filling.  For Christmas my mother in law bought me a whoopie pie pan and a wonderful cookbook, "Whoopie Pies" by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell.

The cookbook is adorable, with pages full of useful tidbits and helpful tips for making your own whoopie pies. I'm going to share what I learned, including the fact that you don't need fancy equipment to make whoopie pies. Here are some items I found really useful:

• My KitchenAid Mixer: I used this for the cake batter and to whip the filling. Of course you could also do the mixing by hand and work those bicep muscles!
• Whoopie Pie baking Sheets: I liked using this because it ensured my whoopie pies were uniform in size. You could also use baking sheets, just be consistent with your scoop size.
• If you are using baking sheets, line with parchment paper or a silpat sheet liner.

For my first batch of whoopie pies, I let Jim choose from the recipes in our cookbook. His choice was Red Velvet Whoopie.

For Red Velvet Whoopie Pies you will need the following:
2 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 C cocoa powder (you could use as little at 1/4 C depending on your preferences)
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 C unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
1/2 C vegetable shortening
1/2 (packed) brown sugar
1 C granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 t vanilla extract
1/2 ounce (one small bottle) red food coloring
1 C buttermilk

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. (I didn't sift these ingredients first, and nothing bad happened to me.)

In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (oh, how I love this kitchen gadget), beat together the butter, shortening, and both sugars on low speed until just combined.  Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy and smooth, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the vanilla and red food coloring and beat just until blended.

Add half of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk to the batter and beat on low until just incorporated.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining flour mixture and 1/2 cup buttermilk and beat until completely combined.

Using a spoon, drop about 1 T of batter onto a prepared baking sheet (or your whoopie pie baking pan) spacing them at least 2 inches apart.  Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes each, or until the cakes spring back when pressed gently.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cakes cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

To make Classic Buttercream frosting I used:
3 C confectioners' sugar
1/2 C unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 to 4 T heavy whipping cream
1 t vanilla extract
Pinch of salt.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the confectioners' sugar with the butter, starting on low and increasing to medium speed, until the mixture is crumbly, about 1 minute. Add the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt and beat on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.

To assemble the Whoopie Pies, spread filling onto the flat side of one cake using a knife or spoon.

Alternatively, you can use a pastry bag with a round tip to pipe the filling onto the cakes, which will give you a smoother, neater presentation.

I personally like the wonky handmade look. But that's me.

Did you know a Whoopie Pie by any other name would taste as sweet? They have also been called Scooter Pies, Chocolate Drops, Round Dogs, Cream Cakes, Gobs, Moon Pies, and Black Moons.

Top it with another cake, flat-side down. Repeat with the rest of the cakes and filling.

If your treat is flat or thinly filled, sorry.... that is not a proper whoopie pie.

The cake part of the whoopie pies can be baked in advance and frozen. Bake as instructed by the recipe, cool them completely, then transfer to a cookie sheet and flash freeze in freezer for one hour. They will then be frozen enough to store in a resealable freezer bag without sticking to one another. These can be stored in the freezer for a month.

Most fillings (buttercream, ganache, cream cheese) can be made ahead and stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week. The "classic" fillings (Marshmallow and Whipped Chocolate Ganache) do not store well and are best used the same day.

When you are ready to assemble the whoopie pies, remove the cakes from the freezer and defrost at room temperature for at least 2 hours before filling. Remove the creamy fillings from the fridge and bring to room temperature about one hour before using.

A Fun Fact: Five-hundred people attended the first annual Whoopie Pie Festival in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. One of the judges at the event is now working to make whoopie pies the state's official dessert.

Another fun fact: Instead of a wedding cake, Jim and I decided to order Whoopie Pies from our favorite little bakery in downtown Napa. Sweetie Pies in Napa, California produces some of the best cookies and sweet treats we have ever had. It's a must stop for us whenever we are in Wine Country.

This could quite possibly be the worst picture of Jim and I at our wedding. It's not going to make it into the wedding album but I will post it here for everyone to poke fun at.

Once you go whoopie, you'll never go back.

Chocolate Biscotti

I took so many pictures in Italy that it’s become a labor of love to sift through the photos and write about our adventures each day of the trip. Lately Jim and I have been consumed with projects around the house and traveling around Texas that I haven’t had that much extra time to continue the posts about our honeymoon in Italy or post about the dinners I’ve been cooking. Rest assured we are well fed, more post about week night dinners to come soon.

One of the treasures we found in Italy was a distinctive after dinner wine beverage called Vin Santo. While in Florence we had a superb traditional Italian meal that ended with an espresso (of course) and then a complimentary glass of Vin Santo served with house made biscotti. This “holy wine” is a style of Italian dessert wine traditional in Tuscany, made from white grape varieties. They vary in sweetness, but the one served to Jim and I resembled a dry Sherry. The traditional food and wine pairing for Vin Santo is with biscotti cookies that may be dunked into the wine.

I am absolutely THRILLED that my guest blogger today is demonstrating homemade biscotti – what an indulgent treat with my morning cappuccino or paired with an evening digestif as it is served in Italy. I’d like to introduce you to Janet, who has a wonderfully charming blog called From Captains Daughter to Army Mom and has cheerfully agreed to share her baking skills with me. I now turn it over to Janet!

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Hello! My name is Janet and I author the blog, From Captain's Daughter to Army Mom.

I have been married to the love of my life for twenty-five years, (this December) and we have two sons. I was first a Captain's daughter, and now a United States Army Ranger calls me, Mom. My wedding story is quite different from Mandy and Jim's story... You see, mine pretty much qualifies me for entry into Ripley's Believe-it-or-Not, considering I was only nineteen when I met my husband, knew him only 48-hours before he proposed and married him three months later while we both lived on opposites coasts. Now that we are parents of sons old enough to run off and do the same, (while we wish them the same happiness in marriage we've found) we sure hope they don't!

I've been following Mandy's wonderful blog for a little over a year now. It's funny how you know right away whether or not a new blog discovery will hold your attention... And, my connection to Mandy's blog was instant. HWM's been on my list of favorites since the very first day. Why? Well, first of all, Mandy's day-job just happens to be my dream job. Every time I visit, I secretly hope that she'll have some tidbit to share about one of the fabulous events she's planning. Secondly, Mandy became engaged last April, during a camping trip turned very romantic, and on Good Friday, no less! So of course, I had to stick around for the wedding and honeymoon! But most of all, Mandy is a terrific cook who reminds me a lot of myself as a newlywed who worked hard to make her way deeper into her man's heart, one delicious dish at a time.

When Mandy asked me to guest host her blog I was very flattered, and sort of perplexed. I mean, Mandy seems to have this blogging and cooking thing down. I had to wonder what she imagined I might add to her already amazing and inspiring blog. So I asked her. Turns out that although Mandy enjoys cooking, she doesn't bake so she wants me to share a desert recipe. I can so identify with being a bit intimidated by baking. Speaking just for myself, unless it was a complete recipe I could dump out of a box, I avoided baking for far longer than I should have. Mostly because the wonderful women in my life that taught me how to bake as a little girl, my mother and Oma, instructed me using German recipes, which I, (a) hardly remembered, and (b) didn't convert very well to American-standard units of measure. Most of what I did attempt flopped. Badly. You see, unlike cooking, where a dash more or a little less of this and a dash more or a little less of that might improve a dish, baking is science. Science which requires exact proportions and careful attention that must be paid to following all steps in their proper order.

Nevertheless, after I married and committed to tackling the art that is baking, I found it to be well worth the effort required. I derive great pleasure and satisfaction from tackling both sweet and savory baking recipes, and I enjoy the challenge of perfecting techniques I never imagined were within my ability. And truth be told, I'm always delighted when my finished recipes turn out the way they're supposed to, or better!

So for Mandy... Because I know she aspires to bake sweet deserts and savory breads for her sweetheart, and because she and Jim spent their honeymoon in Italy, I want to share my very first attempt at chocolate biscotti.

Now, biscotti has never been on my radar because it usually contains almonds, to which I am allergic. Additionally, since I don't drink coffee, I have very little use for a cookie that requires dunking in order not to chip a tooth. Fortunately, I am not allergic to chocolate, quite the opposite! And, the recipe I've chosen proves that homemade biscotti doesn't have to be as hard, (dried out) as commercially baked biscotti.

Biscotti, more correctly known as Biscotti di Prato is a twice-baked cake originating in the Italian city of Prato. This particular biscotti recipe was shared with me by, Farmgirl Susan and it is so easy and so adaptable to your own add-in desires and decorating whims that you'll want to make it again and again!

I sent Mandy and Jim some of this biscotti, which I hope they are enjoying right now! So let's make some Biscotti, shall we?

Melt 4 ounces of chocolate, (I prefer Guittard bittersweet disks) and 1 stick of butter together.

Beat two eggs and one cup granulated sugar until it is a light color. Then add your melted butter/chocolate.

Mix chocolate/butter mixture with blended egg and sugar and add one teaspoon vanilla.

Add two cups of all-purpose flour, 1 and a half teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa and mix until just combined. Your dough will be soft, but not sticky.

I dropped my dough out onto plastic wrap and used it to form a ball. After I cut the dough into two pieces, I added dried cranberries to one of the loaves. You might like to add nuts or other fruit, such as dried cherries, raisins or oranges.

Form dough halves into two loaves measuring 3 inches wide by nine inches long. Brush the tops with beaten egg white.

Bake in a preheated, 350 degree oven for twenty-five minutes or until tops are set.

Like this!    

The rich, heavenly scent of chocolate will fill your home, I promise!

Transfer loaves to a rack to cool. The longer you can allow your biscotti cakes to cool, the easier they will be to slice.

After the biscotti has cooled, slice it into 1/2 inch pieces across the width, and place them back onto your baking sheet. Lower the temperature on your oven, (or preheat if you turned it off like I did) to 275 degrees.

Bake your Biscotti cookies for 20 minutes, turning half-way through. After it is baked, allow your cookies to cool again.

At this point, you could just enjoy your homemade biscotti or store it in an airtight container or even freeze it. However, I love to embellish my baked treats so I melted a bit more chocolate and spread it onto one side of my cookies. Then I added pearl sprinkles. Just because...

I would have preferred to use white chocolate and sprinkled Heath toffee chips over it. But for today, for my first attempt, this will do!

How will you decorate your Biscotti? 

I wish to thank Mandy for inviting me to join her and for introducing me to all of her readers too.

{Chocolate Biscotti}

Happy Halloween and Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Halloween is up there along with my top three favorite holidays. In fact, it is this season that I love the most. It starts with a chilly October, when it finally feels like fall in Texas. I love to carve pumpkins, and decorate the house with fall-ish decor. This year however I was on the road so much with work that Halloween snuck up on me. There are no carved pumpkins on my doorstep, no toasted pumpkin seeds in my kitchen.

I got two things for Halloween this year. A sinus infection that I'm trying hard to keep from turning into strep throat, and these lovely flowers from my Jim. Thank you hunny!!

I have never seen a mum this color before. They are beautiful, and spooky, and the perfect gift to cheer me up while I lay on the couch with hot tea and lots of kleenex.

I probably will not go out tonight dressed up, but if I WERE to go out, I was planning on being a Japanese Geisha.

I found a wig that looked just like this gal's hair, with chopsticks criss-crossing in the back. I just love her makeup, and was hoping to do something similar with my MAC makeup.

Here is a pic of my dad vacationing in Japan.

Isn't she beautiful? I wanted to pretend to be her tonight, but instead I'm watching movies with my porch light off. (The universal sign to trick or treaters, "stay away.")

Many of you will dress up your kids and walk around your neighborhood or attend a Fall Carnival. Until we have kids of our own, Jim and I will torture our two dogs. Here is Cole, dressed as a chicken!

He really didn't mind the costume that much at all.

We found these dog costumes at Target, and originally planned to make Cole the shark, and Madeline the Chicken, but when we pulled them out of the shopping bag, Cole immediately lunged for the chicken costume...so we put it on him.

We tried to switch it up a little, Madeline did NOT like the headpiece, I had to hold her still in order for Jim to snap a quick picture - and their eyes look super spooky in this shot.

I think the chicken suite looks better on Cole.

Madeline was NOT having that head piece.

My baby boy! This is just the cutest costume!

Jim trying to get the headpiece on Madeline.

Oh my gosh, we laughed so hard at these two.

On to my Halloween treats! I found a great Pumpkin Spice Cupcake recipe on RealSimple.com and what I loved most since this is a busy month for me, is that you start with yellow cake mix.

Here is what you need for quick and easy pumpkin spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting:

Makes 24 cupcakes

Hands-On Time: 15m

Total Time: 40m

Ingredients
1 18.5-ounce box yellow cake mix (plus the ingredients called for in the package directions)
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
2 8-ounce bars cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
24 pieces candy corn

Preheat oven to 350. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.

Prepare the cake mix as directed but with the following change: Add the pumpkin pie spice and substitute the can of pumpkin puree for the water called for in the package directions.

Pumpkin pie spice.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tins and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes.

Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, I beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. It's important for the cream cheese to be at room temperature for this to work.

My lovelies! Be sure to let these cool completely before icing.

Top each with a candy corn, orange sprinkles, or some other Fall decoration.

So easy, and VERY moist and delicious. I hope everyone has a Happy and Safe Halloween!!