Superbowl Sunday

What I learned today...

is that I shouldn't try to decorate things when I'm not in the mood/haven't had much sleep.  We were heading to our friend, Jeff's yesterday for the Superbowl, and I had wanted to make cute football themed desserts.  I found a recipe for peanut butter balls and thought I could turn them into footballs.  Good idea, in theory, at least.  They were not turning out quite football shaped and I couldn't get the white chocolate to pipe on correctly.  I gave up. 

The good news was that the boys at the party loved them, no matter what they looked like.  I think Andy and Jerry were personally responsible for housing most of them!

I also wanted to make another bite size snack that wasn't too fussy but would be delicious none the less.  I found a recipe over at The Pioneer Woman for Graham Cracker Cookie Bars.  I happen to have all of the ingredients necessary and although they were a little sloppy to make, they were my favorite of the night. 

Despite my lack of decorating skills yesterday, and my  lack of sleep the night before, I had a great time at Jeff's and am glad for such good friends!

Yet another snow day...

Insane amounts of snow...

I don't think anyone expected that we would get 16 inches of snow last night.  Craziness.  After shoveling out all morning, Matt FINALLY got to work around noon.  I, however, have the day off again!  I decided to flip through my Magnolia Bakery cookbook to find a good cookie recipe.  I never got to making Oatmeal Raisin cookies at Christmas since I was sick and didn't want to contaminate anyone.  So, when I found a recipe for Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chip Cookies, I couldn't resist.  I love this cookbook because all of the recipes are simple and so fresh tasting.  The peanut butter chips add an unexpected twist to the traditional oatmeal cookies. 

The batch made just enough for me to keep some and take some over to my neighbors who helped us shovel out this morning.

The recipe called for 1 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract.  I used 1 tsp and added 1/2 tsp of vanilla bean paste instead.  If you look close, you can see the little bits of vanilla bean. 

I also decided to finally try out a Vanilla Extract making kit that I bought at HomeGoods a little while ago.   The kit basically came with a bottle and some vanilla beans in it....I could have probably just found a bottle I already had and bought some vanilla beans, but this was only $5 so I figured it was worth it.  I'm thinking that if this works out, I might make a few bottles at the end of the year for Christmas gifts. 

All you have to do is slice the beans in half, put them in the bottle and fill the bottel with Vodka.  They say to store it in a dark, cool place and shake daily for up to two months.  I've put mine in my hall pantry and will try to remember to shake it each day...somehow  I think I will forget a lot. 

Hope all of you on the East Coast are safe and warm today.   Enjoy your snow day!

Another Snow Day!

Have I mentioned that I'm like a little kid on a snow day?

I'm lucky enough to work at a place that closes if it snows bad enough.  I wake up extra early waiting for a phone call saying that our agency is closed.  Usually, the phone call comes before 6 am.  This morning, at 6:25 am, I thought that we were going to have to go into work.  However, at 6:26, the phone rang!  I couldn't be more excited.  Its probably the only time before 8am when I sound alert and awake on the phone!  I promptly went back to sleep for another two hours, then woke up to start my day.  I made a list of everything  I wanted to accomplish today, and as of right now, I accomplished all but one of them.  After I write this blog, I may go finish that up, just so I can cross everything off of my list.  Why is it that crossing things off lists is so cathartic?   I feel super productive!

A few of the things on my list had to do with baking, of course!  As I mentioned previously, I normally bake cookies on snow days, but I need a little more time before I'm back in the mood for cookies after Christmas.  For dinner, I decided to make chicken noodle soup in the crockpot, and make grilled cheese sandwhiches.  That is one of my favorite cold night, comfort combinations.  I thought I'd try to fancy up the grilled cheese sandwhiches by making my own loaf of bread.  (Have I mentioned how much I love my new bread machine??)  After flipping though the recipe booklet, I finally found a recipe for which I had all of the ingredients I needed.  No way was I running out in the snow and ice to get more ingredients!  I decided on Parmesan Peppercorn French Bread.  Its sort of a joke in my family how much I love Parmesan.  Everyone makes sure at dinner to get to the parm first so that I don't hog it all!  Again, the bread machine makes it so easy to have a fresh loaf of bread in a few simple steps. 

 

I should probably stop taking pictures of the whole loaf of bread...from the outside, they all look the same!  However, if you look close, you can see the little bits of peppercorn.

The inside of the bread looks like a simple loaf of french bread, but when you bite into it, you can immediately taste the delicious blend of parmesan and peppercorn. 

I sliced up some cheddar cheese and made the grilled cheese extra crispy.  Grilling the bread really brought out more of the cheese flavor in the bread, and I thought it was the perfect combination!  Here's a picture of my soup that I made as well.  So simple to do in the crockpot.  Just add some leftover chicken, chicken broth, carrots, celery, onion and seasonings (which ever kind you like...I used Italian seasoning) to the crockpot and let sit for six to eight hours on low.  About 20 minutes before you are ready to eat, add any type of noodle you'd like to the pot.  I used egg noodles.  Voila!  The perfect snowy night meal.

For dessert, I wanted to make something simple but different.  I stared at my stash of cookbooks and decided to use my 101 Things to do with a Cake Mix cookbook. 

I had a box of white cake mix that was dangerously close to its expiration date, so I flipped through until I found a recipe that called for white cake mix.  I knew I found the perfect one when I saw "Peanut Butter Brownies."  And better yet, the ingredient list was small and I had all of them! 

All you need is:

1 box of white or yellow cake mix

1/3 cup of vegetable oil

2 eggs

2/3 cup of chunky peanut butter ( I didn't have chunky, only smooth, so I used that and then chopped up some peanuts to add to the mixture.)

1 1/2 tablespoons of milk (I thought the glaze was a little thick so I added a splash more of milk)

1 cup of powdered sugar

Add the first four ingredients to a mixing bowl, mix, and bake in a 9x12 baking dish at 350 degrees for about 16-18 minutes.  As soon as you pull the dish out of the oven, mix your powdered sugar and milk and drizzle over the "brownies" until even. 

I was nervous that this wasn't going to taste so great, but it definitely did.  It sort of tasted like peanut butter cookie dough.   I thought that I wouldn't like the glaze on top and wish that I had put some chocolate sauce over it, but the glaze complements it perfectly. 

Alright, well, back to being productive and checking things off my list! 

Late night snack

Rice Krispie Treats with Peanut Butter & Chocolate

Matt and I had a "date" night last night.  I made vegetarian Sloppy Joe's, and we watched "Friday Night Lights."  Big night out for us, right?  After dinner, we were both looking for something sweet, so I started looking through the most recent issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food.  On the very last page, she had this recipe, and I just happened to have all the ingredients!  I've googled this recipe and couldn't find it for you all, so I thought I'd share with you here.  It comes together very quickly...if you can make Rice Krispie Treats, you can make these. 

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish

4 cups miniature marshmallows (I only had regular marshmallows  on hand and it seemed to work fine)

1/3 cup creamy peaut butter, preferably natural

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Non-stick cooking spray or vegetable oil, for pressing

1 package (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips, melted

1/4 cup chopped, roasted & salted peanuts

Directions:

Butter an 8-inch square baking dish.  In a large pot, combine marshmallows, peanut butter, butter, and salt.  Cook over medium, stirring, until melted, about 4 minutes.  Add ceral and stir to combine.  With a wooden spoon (I used a rubber spatula...no difference) greased with cooking spray or oil, press half the cereal mixture into dish.  Spread half the melted chocolate on top.  Repeat with remaining cereal mixture and chocolate; sprinkle with peanuts.  Cut into small squares and enjoy! 

I stuck the dish in the freezer for a few minutes to set up so we could eat them right away! 

Since we were impatient and wanted them asap, these were SUPER gooey and messy.  Seriously.  I looked like a  toddler eating birthday cake. 

Martha's Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Drive-by posting...

I had just gotten in from a long day of shopping with my cousins, sister-in-law, and aunt when Matt called and said his cousin, Doug, was stopping by on his drive home.  We hadn't seen him in a few months, so it was a great surprise.  I wanted to make something quick for us to enjoy for dessert, so I flipped through my Martha Stewart Cookie Cookbook and saw Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies.  Jackpot!  I hadn't made this recipe yet, so I was excited to try it.  It was very simple to throw together at the last minute and was delicious! 

My swirling technique leaves a little to be desired, but you get the idea.

If you are interested in the recipe, check it out here on Martha's website.

Happy Fourth of July Weekend!

Peanut Butter Cherry Blossom Cake

Happy Birthday, Mother-in-Law!

My mother-in-law's birthday is on Tuesday, but we are celebrating this weekend.   She is a big chocolate & peanut butter fan, and I ususally make her a chocolate cake with chocolate peanut butter icing, but this year, I thought I'd try to mix it up.  I decided to make a peanut butter cake with chocolate icing.  After googling lots of recipes, I decided to go with Paula Deen's...you can't go wrong with her recipes.  I'm not sure how the cake turned out yet, but if the batter is any indication, it should be scrumptious!   I didn't use her icing recipe, as I have one that I find delicious already.  I wasn't sure how to decorate the cake, but I decided that after a long winter, I wanted something spring-like.  What represents spring more than Cherry Blossoms?

Sorry about the poor quality of the pictures.  Some day, I will learn to take beautiful ones that show off the cakes better.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

101 Things to do with Cake Mix

My sister-in-law scored a bunch of boxes of cupcake mix for $.29 each!  Since I don't usually use cake mix for my cupcakes, I thought it would be the perfect time to pull out my 101 Things to do with Cake Mix cookbook.  We are heading to my friend, Jeff's, for the evening, and will bring these delish things along.  They sort of remind me of TastyKake Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes. 

I started with the Yellow Cupcake Mix, inserted peanut butter cups inside before baking, then melted peanut butter chips and spread on top.  Finally, I topped it all with homemade chocolate peanutbutter icing. 

I had to cut into the cake to show you the delicious middle...and so Matt and I could have a taste!

ETA:  Last night, Jeff gave me an unprompted, and uncomfortably long & silent hug. I was confused as to what he was doing, until I smelled the peanut butter on his breath.   He was a happy man.

Thanksgiving Pies

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a great day!  I spent the day baking Thanksgiving pies and getting ready for Girls' Night with my cousins, aunts, mom and sister-in-law.  The pies ended up turning out pretty good, and we had a fabulous time tonight catching up.  I have a wonderful family, and all of the lovely women I spent time with tonight reminded me of that fact.  This thanksgiving, I am thankful for all of the women in my life who helped me become the woman I am today, and all of the young women in my life who constantly awe me in their beauty, poise, elegance and love.   Thanks for a great night, Hilary, Rachel, Laura, Aunt Ruth, Aunt Maria, Mom and Carol!  I love you all. 

Peanut Butter Pie from the Newlywed Cookbook. 

Apple Cranberry Pie with Almond Crumb Crust

Good Old Pumpkin Pie

Traditional Apple Pie.  I tried to be cute with the crust and cut leaves out, but it didn't turn out as cute as I had hoped.  Hopefully, it tastes good!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!