Happy Birthday ... and a cake that will knock your socks off!

So yesterday was my birthday. I turned 27 on the 27th...that really only happens once in your life...unless (as a co-worker pointed out to me) I live to be 127! YIKES, that kinda scares me!

I didn't really want to do anything special this year. I have been so busy and tired lately that I was looking forward to just spending a nice relaxing weekend with my husband...too bad it didn't quite turn out like that! My friends at work (who are truly wonderful people, I am so blessed to have such great friends) surprised me on Friday, but I will tell you about that in a minute...first a little about my actual birthday festivities...

So ... the day started out with potential ... it just didn't quite end so well! I woke up to the smell of breakfast (which sometimes scares me lol). Turns out my husband surprised me with french toast and bacon for my birthday breakfast! It was so sweet and I loved that he put a candle in my french toast! He is a keeper!

Now a little about my husband...
HE NEVER USED TO COOK AT ALL! In fact it really has only been lately that he has gotten more involved. It took him a while to master the french toast...it used to be that when he would make it he would just leave the bread in the egg mixture until he was ready to cook it (WAY TOO LONG) and he always ended up with soggy french toast and didn't know why...so we had a lesson and he has now mastered it; very well I might add! BUT on my birthday I discovered that my lovely husband is trying new tricks! AND THIS IS A GOOD ONE :o) I mentioned something to him about the bacon ... it didn't really appear as though it had been fried (and the house didn't have the aroma of 'fried bacon' I know y'all know what I am talking about!) - so I asked him "honey, did you fry this bacon?" and his response was "uh, no, I cooked it in the microwave on a paper towel!" :o) I love you honey, really I do!!! The bacon was actually tasty and crispy, but I couldn't get over the fact that he had cooked raw bacon in the microwave on a paper towel!! God bless my husband for always making my so life interesting!!

Now not to drag on and on, but I do have to tell you that yesterday did start out well, but didn't end so hot...ok maybe it did end "hot". I know that was really lame, but we have been having serious issues with our AC unit and it finally bit the dust yesterday (ON MY FREAKING BIRTHDAY NO LESS AND THE HOTTEST TN DAY SO FAR) go figure! Bad news is...they are discontinuing the freon units starting 2010 (just and FYI to all you freon users be prepared) and if your AC unit goes bad after January 2010 then you are basically SOL! NO MORE PARTS ... NOTHING! So we need to buy a new one...and it sounds like it is going to be expensive. Not what we need right now, but I hear a $1500 tax credit will be awarded, so at least that is something...right!?!?

I know where is the recipe ... it is coming promise!! So back to Friday now, and no more bad news (I hope)...
One of my friends at work went out of her way to decorate my room. (my favorite color is purple by the way!)
She placed those little construction cones around my room (and in it) and displayed "CAUTION BIRTHDAY ZONE" signs around my room! It was cute and it made me laugh...I am telling you I really do have some great friends!
My festivities didn't end there. One of my friends actually made me a cake! It was so delicious and I asked her if I could share the recipe with all of you because it is so easy you won't believe it! So easy, and SO GOOD that it seriously will knock your socks off!!!

Coconut Pecan Cake

1 Box of Butter Pecan Cake Mix

1 Tub of Coconut (or Pecan Coconut) Icing

4 eggs

3/4 cup of whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Blend together all ingredients. Pour into greased bundt pan. Bake for about 50 minutes. Serve with ice cream!!
Yes it is that easy! The cake was so incredibly moist! The coconut pecan cake was so delicious, and I actually think the possibilities are endless for different flavors with this type of cake, I may have to pull this recipe out soon and test it out!

One last note...I actually managed to bake myself my own birthday cake yesterday (in my incredibly HOT house). You want to see this cake, it was SO AMAZING!!! I hope to post it soon so stay tuned! Until then, I am going to go sit in front of a fan LOL!

Cookie Dough Pie

THIS PIE IS SO GOOD!

One day I was reading my google reader, just going about my business, and came across this recipe from Big Red Kitchen's blog. (My pictures really don't do this justice...I kinda forgot to take pictures until we had already eaten some of it!!) Seriously though, I lost it when I saw this recipe and knew I would have to make this sometime this summer! Conveniently enough, when some friends invited us over for a pool party, I remembered this pie and thought it would fit a pool party perfectly! This pie is so easy a monkey could make it (seriously) and it is SO DELICIOUS!! I probably could have eaten the entire pie myself (which is why I decided to leave the leftovers with our friends!! Sorry guys! :o) LOL) So if you are looking for a recipe to through together in a pinch, that doesn't cost a lot of money, but tastes great...here it is!

Cookie Dough Pie

(from Big Red Kitchen)

15.25 ounce package Original Chips Ahoy Cookies

12 ounces Cool Whip

2 cups milk

Chocolate Syrup (optional)

Quickly dip cookies in milk, shake off excess liquid, and layer in 9 inch pie plate, breaking cookies to fill any gaps. Once the first layer is complete, top with a thin layer of Cool Whip. Repeat twice more making last layer of Cool Whip a bit thicker. Garnish with chocolate syrup if desired. I had two cookies leftover so I crumbled them up and sprinkled them on top. Place in freezer 2-3 hours before serving.

Peanut Butter Fingers

I know I just got done blogging about my love of S'mores, but I must admit that my love of peanut butter is nearly just as big! When I came across this recipe in my Google Reader I immediately got excited! Not only does it combine two of the world's best ingredients (peanut butter and chocolate - if anyone was wondering!) but it is a super simple, ready in a pinch dessert!

This past weekend, my husband and I got invited to a little pool party/grilling get together with some friends and we were told we had to bring dessert! I couldn't really complain because that seems to be my favorite thing to do these days! So I got to thinking about what I wanted to bring...I didn't want to do anything to crazy and complicated because I had just spent my whole weekend tending to a massive Garage Sale! (which completely wore me out!) So I turned to my Google Reader hoping that I marked some "must makes" that were easy and didn't require a lot of prep! Sure enough these Peanut Butter Finger Bars were staring me in the face, literally BEGGING me to make them!! :o) (actually these bars must have buddied up with another recipe, because I ended up making two...and I can't wait to post the other one!!! It is SOOOO good and SOOO easy you won't believe it!)

I even had all the ingredients on hand...an added bonus! Good thing I keep a stocked pantry! I am sure you all do as well. You must head to your kitchen now and check, because these bars have your name ALL over them! They are so moist ... the perfect combination of peanut butter and chocolate. They are rich, but nothing a cold glass of milk couldn't help! These bars actually reminded me of a peanut butter no bake cookie with chocolate and peanut butter on top! Oh how I want to bust through the screen and take another bite!

Peanut Butter Fingers

(from Katie Blair's Designs - with a few slight changes)

For the Bars:

3/4 c. butter

3/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar, packed

1 egg

2/3 c. peanut butter

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. oatmeal

1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the Topping:

1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
About 5 or so Tablespoons skim milk

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix butter, sugar, brown sugar, egg, peanut butter, baking soda, salt, vanilla, flour and oatmeal in mixing bowl. Spread in a 9 x 13-inch greased baking dish. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of hot crust. Wait 10 minutes and spread the melted chocolate evenly over the top. Cool bars before adding topping.

For the topping:

Blend together topping ingredients and spread over cooled bars. Cut into squares.

**I made the topping more like a frosting. I LOVE peanut butter frosting...but if you wanted it to be more like the original recipe (she made a thinner frosting that she said could be drizzled over the bars) be sure to follow her recipe for the topping.**

I need to stop making all these desserts and get back to being healthy!! haha But don't expect that in the next post...I have another GREAT dessert coming, and trust me you don't want to miss it!!

S'mores Cupcakes

Yes, here it is another ode to my S'mores addiction!

These cupcakes were so unbelievably good! I can't being to put into words just how tasty these little cuties were. I had so much fun making them too! I was actually surprised at how easy these were to make. I really thought I was going to be in over my head and up all night...but quite the opposite! I even had time to start making other things while these were in the oven!



The S'more Cupcakes were such a HUGE hit! I had done quite a bit of research in looking for a S'mores Cupcake recipe. There are SO MANY out there, and so many of those seem very complicated. I knew there had to be recipes out there that had the "S'mores" effect, but not so intense. About a month ago, I remembered bookmarking this recipe in my google reader. I actually forgot about it until I started researching and it popped up again! I was so happy because it was exactly what I was looking for in a recipe! I found it on A Homemaker's Habitat, and was pleased to see that it was a take on a Martha Stewart recipe!! Miss Martha has yet to disappoint me!! And it looks like the S'mores Cupcakes are another Martha success!!

S'mores Cupcakes

(from A Homemaker's Habitat, originally from Martha Stewart)

1 "Family Size" box Pillsbury Fudge Brownies

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

20 graham crackers (I think I may have used more)

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1 bag unsweetened mini chocolate chips

2 containers Marshmallow Fluff (gosh I love this stuff!)

2 Hershey Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pans with cupcake liners. (recipe makes 24 cupcakes) Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for "cake-like" brownies (using 3 eggs instead of 2). Set aside batter.

Combine graham crackers and sugar in food processor, pulse until crackers are crushed into small even crumbs. Slowly add melted butter a little at a time, pulsing after each addition until you get a mixture that still crumbly but firm when pressed. (I didn't end up using the whole stick of melted butter, this is why I recommend adding a little butter at a time until you get the right consistency.)

Drop 1 Tablespoon of graham cracker mixture into each cupcake liner. You can use a small glass to press down the graham cracker mixture evenly, I used my handy dandy Pampered Chef Mini-Tart Shaper! Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of mini chocolate chips over the graham cracker mixture. Place cupcake pans in the oven for about 5 minutes to firm the graham cracker crust and begin melting the chocolate chips.

Remove pans from the oven and fill each cupcake liner with brownie batter until they are about 3/4 full. Sprinkle each cupcake with another teaspoon of chocolate chips and a Tablespoon of the graham cracker mixture. Place cupcake pans back in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Place cupcake pans on a rack until cooled. Meanwhile, fill a quart-size zip-lock bag with marshmallow fluff, cut a small tip in the corner. When cupcakes have cooled, pipe a small amount of marshmallow fluff onto each cupcake. DO NOT over frost, as the marshmallow fluff will ooze over the cupcake as it settles.

Turn oven to broil setting. Place cupcake pans, one at a time, about 1 inch from the broiler. Watch cupcake closely to make sure the marshmallow puffs and browns, but does not burn. This doesn't take long so be sure to watch them closely. You may need to shift the pan to make sure the cupcakes brown evenly. Repeat with second tin.

Once cupcakes have cooled completely top with a piece of Hershey bar!

***One tip I noticed...

The marshmallow fluff was great right out of the broiler...nice and crispy. However, this step might be best left until right before you are going to serve them. The marshmallow fluff kept its shape and color, but not the crispiness. They were still fantastic, but I think the marshmallow fluff would have been even better if I would have waited to do it until the next day when I was serving them. Also, I didn't cover my cupcakes. I knew that by covering them that the moisture would have an effect on the marshmallow fluff. So you may want to leave yours uncovered as well.***

Side view of the cupcakes! They were so moist and delicious!
The graham cracker crust was so tasty and the melted chocolate
chips were a nice surprise! ENJOY!

S'mores Truffles

Anyone who knows me knows that S'mores are my all time favorite treat! I love sitting by the fire, roasting a marshmallow (which means catching it on fire for me!), and squishing that warm gooey marshmallow on top of generous piece of Hershey's Chocolate (or Reese cup...those are even more AMAZING!). Sometimes I even break down and have to resort to making one in the microwave just to fulfill my craving :o) but trust me those are not anywhere near as good as the campfire kind! I am always looking for recipe's that involve those three lovely s'more ingredients...remember those S'more Bars I made...ohhhh my those were so good!!!

I remember, quite a while ago actually, stumbling across these S'more Truffles on Sugar Plum's blog. (which by the way, if you haven't checked out her blog you really should...I find myself always wanting to bust through the screen and taste her creations!) I knew I ABSOLUTELY HAD to make these truffles, I just needed a good occasion. Ok maybe not a good occasion, because really making a s'more doesn't require anything!

Gosh look at those...I wish I could sink my teeth into one right now! Oh right...back to the truffles :o)

So a co-worker invited to a house warming party recently and I knew upon getting the invite that I wanted to make something really fun! I had booked marked this Truffle recipe, along with another s'more delight (stay tuned for that!), and finally decided to give it a whirl. It didn't require a lot of ingredients and it didn't seem like it was too complicated...although it sure takes a llot will power to not eat the whole batch!! I promise you these Truffles will NOT disappoint! They were a huge hit, so easy to make, and I can't wait to make them again!

S'mores Truffles

(recipe from Sugar Plum)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cups milk chocolate chips (12 oz.)

24 mini-marshmallows

1 cup finely crushed graham crackers

Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat; whisk in cream and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Chill saucepan in refrigerator for 1 hour, or until chocolate is solid and rollable; roll into 24 balls, stuffing a mini marshmallow into the center of each. Chill truffles a few minutes before rolling in graham cracker crumbs; chill for a few minutes again so they solidify a little more.

Makes 24 truffles.

My one word of advice...double this recipe! While 24 truffles sounds like a lot IT ISN'T!!! And I really wished I would have made more!

Broccoli Sausage Pasta

A friend of mine (the one who has taken great pictures of food for me in previous posts) went out of town this week. She had some produce that was going to go bad and so she asked me if I wanted to take it off her hands. Which OF COURSE I did!!! So a head of broccoli was one of the items she handed me and I thought it would be a tasty treat to make it for dinner in some kind of pasta dish. So I searched for recipes and came across this from Running With Tweezers! It sounded tasty and quick to throw together so I thought I would give it a whirl. My husband and I actually have company staying with us for a couple weeks, and she liked the dish a lot! My husband and I will have to for sure make this one again, it was so tasty and so easy!

Broccoli Sausage Pasta

(recipe from Running With Tweezers)

1 lb. ground Italian sausage
1 16 oz. Piccolini (mini Farfalle)
12 oz. fresh broccoli - rinsed, dried and cut into florets
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon to use for zest
1 tsp. dried red chili flakes
fresh ground salt and pepper, to taste
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Fill large pasta pot with water and heat until water is at rolling boil. Add pasta to water and cook according to product directions. About 3 minutes before pasta is done, add the broccoli florets. They will blanch quickly in the pasta water. When pasta is cooked, drain and set aside.

While pasta is cooking, crumble sausage in a large skillet into large chunks and begin to brown. Let them brown and caramelize in the pan. When thoroughly browned and cooked through, DO NOT DRAIN THE FAT. This is your sauce.

Pour cooked and drained pasta & broccoli back into the pasta pot and add the sausage, including the oil and such at the bottom of the skillet. Drizzle the mixture with the teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and mix thoroughly. If the pasta is too dry for your liking, add olive oil as desired. Sprinkle red chili flakes on pasta. Zest lemon over pasta and add salt and pepper to taste then mix all the ingredients together one last time. Grate Parmesan over the pasta before serving. Serve immediately.

Roasted Garlic Hummus

Dear Hummus,
Oh how I love thee...let me count the ways!!

I only recently (recently being since I moved out on my own) have fallen in love with hummus. It is amazing stuff! I love it plain, on crackers - carrots - celery, on sandwiches (try it in place of mayo!), and it even makes a mean (and healthier) chicken salad! I have been wanting to try making homemade hummus for a long time, but just really never got around to it. Since I was on a detox recently, for what seemed like an eternity, I had leftover chick peas. I finally told myself last weekend that the time was long overdue and I was making a date with my chick peas and food processor!! Oh my was this stuff good! I probably made way too much of it, but don't worry...it's almost gone!! haha This hummus was so creamy, and it had just the right amount of garlic for us, but we are garlic lovers so you may want to lesson the amount if you don't like as much garlic.

I researched a lot of recipes to get ideas, and while I have not one single source to credit, I want to take an opportunity to thank all the websites I looked at for giving me tips on coming up with a hummus recipe that will now be a staple in my household! I knew I had a certain amount of ingredients I wanted to use, so I just built something that worked for us. And I really am a little of this and a little of that kinda girl, so I just played around with the recipe a bit until I got it to my liking.

Roasted Garlic Hummus

(recipe inspired by many others, but perfected by Liesl)

8 cloves of garlic

2 15 oz cans chick peas (drained and rinsed)

2/3 cup Tahini

Juice from 3 lemons

1 cup of water (maybe a little less)

1/4 cup olive oil

sea salt and fresh cracked pepper

parsley to garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a small piece of aluminium foil with olive oil cooking spray (non stick would work too). Place cloves of garlic on foil and fold edges together, creating a foil pouch. Place in oven and roast garlic for about 15-20 minutes or until garlic is fork tender.

In a food processor (I think you could probably get away with using a blender too), combine the roasted garlic cloves, chick peas, tahini and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Pulse until smooth...mixture will be thick. Slowly add olive oil and continue processing. Once the olive oil is combined, slowly add the water...I started by slowly pouring in about 1/4 cup at a time until I got the consistency I wanted...which I am pretty sure was about 1 cup. But you may need less than that, just process until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in your favorite dish. Top with parsley if desired. This will keep well, covered, in the fridge for about 1 week. I wouldn't push it to much longer than that.

Classic Spritz Cookies

I really love cookies. They are the one treat that always seems to satisfy my sweet tooth in one bite...but that doesn't mean I only eat just one!! I love that cookies are small, easy to transport, most of the time quick to make, and it's something that you can easily make because 99% you have most of the ingredients already on hand. Oh and I can't forget the dough factor...who doesn't love a spoonful of good cookie dough!! :o)



Growing up, my mom always made Spritz cookies. I never really appreciated the cookies flavor as a kid. I remember always complaining to my mom, "Mom, did you make them with butter this time? I hate butter, why can't you use margarine!" For some reason, as a kid I HATED the taste of butter! I should have known by that, that as an adult I was going to be some kind of foodie! Every now again though, my mom would break down and thrown in the margarine for me...and naturally the plate of cookies would be gone within minutes!!!



That being said, these were always one of my favorite cookies growing up. Butter or Margarine...I loved watching my mom fill up her old cookie press with dough and then proceed to squeeze out intricate little shapes. It fascinated me! The cookies were so delicate, and the shapes so unique. Truly an art form all in the press of a hand. My favorite shapes were the Christmas Tree and Christmas Wreath...my mom always put food coloring in the dough too and it amazed me! Just like food coloring in milk...something about it makes kids want to drink it!


I actually tried to do some research on these cookies, but have had a hard time. I think I remember hearing stories from my mom about these cookies being a German tradition. I have a very German background, and my mom actually taught and lived there for several years. I am going to continue my searches and try to find out more information about these cookies, because
I am really fascinated (yes lol still as an adult!) about these beauties!


Ok enough already...I know on to the cookies! Well it's been raining a lot in Tennessee here lately, and being stuck inside seems to "force" you into your kitchen more! So I got to thinking about these cookies and all the shapes and thought to myself..."I should make umbrellas and butterflies in lieu of all this weather". A couple of months ago I hosted a Pampered Chef Party. The only thing I was set on getting that day was my cookie press!! I have always wanted one and the Pampered Chef version looked like a good one!

So I bought it and anxiously awaited the perfect time to make my first attempt at Spritz Cookies! And I am pleased to report...it WILL NOT be my last! They cookies turned out fantastic, and I can't wait to make them again...and yes I used butter! ;o)

Classic Spritz Cookies

(from Pampered Chef)

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Colored sugar or sprinkles (optional, but HIGHLY recommended!)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In Classic Batter Bowl (aka-a mixing bowl), beat butter on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add sugar, egg and vanilla; beat well. Add flour, 1 cup at a time; mix well. Dough will be soft; do not refrigerate.

Fill Cookie Press, fitted with disk of your choice. Press dough onto ungreased cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Decorate cookies with colored sugar or sprinkles, if desired.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until firm but not brown. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet; remove to cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dough.

I really hope you guys get the chance to try these cookies out. They are so soft and so delicious!

I gave my friend Kristen cookies to take home and she generously came back with these lovely pictures!! She is too good to me! I do have a birthday coming up so maybe I will get a new camera then!! In the meantime, thanks Kritsen, you are a great photographer!

Mexican Black Bean Lettuce Wraps

My husband and I are really trying to drop a few pounds. We kinda went off our healthy eating/working out routine without meaning too. So we just wanted to do something to jump kick our butts back into gear! Awhile back I tried the detox from The Fat Smash Diet with a friend of mine. The detox is the first phase of the diet and it lasts for 9 days. You can't really eat much outside of beans and brown rice (which forces you to become creative!), but my favorite part of this detox is that you can eat all the fruits and veggies you want! Anyhow, I felt so good the last time I did it and I dropped a good amount of weight too! So here I am trying it again!

I needed something last week to boost my energy level back up. We had been working out so hard and I think my body was craving some hard core protein. So I decided to try out something new. It is hard to come up with new ideas to use beans...but this one turned out pretty good! The flavor was great...something I would actually eat when I wasn't dieting! I actually think that if you didn't want to use mustard that you could try even using white wine vinegar for flavor too! Maybe I will try that next time!

Mexican Black Bean Lettuce Wraps

(recipe from the kitchen of Liesl)

For sauce:

juice of one lime

juice of one lemon

splash of spicy mustard

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

dash of pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

For salad:

2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can of corn (no salt added), drained and rinsed

2 small tomatoes, seeded and diced

fresh cilantro, chopped finely

1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

Romaine leaves, washed and cut from stem

In a small container that has a lid, combine all ingredients for your sauce. Put lid on container and shake to combine all ingredients. In another bowl combine all ingredients for the salad. Stir together. Pour sauce over salad mixture and stir to combine with salad. Refrigerate for 1 hour for flavors to combine.

To assemble:

Take a Romaine leaf and carefully place a generous amount of the salad in the middle. Roll the sides of the lettuce leaf up over the middle.

ENJOY!

Help Name My Sauce?

I wanted to share the dipping sauce I made to go along with my fried pickles. However, I can't seem to come up with a name for this sauce...maybe you can help?

This dip is so easy you won't believe it. It is so good though...you would think only two ingredients wouldn't taste this good, but they do!

Dipping Sauce?

(recipe from the kitchen of Liesl)

1 small container of lite sour cream

1/2 cup of your favorite salsa

In a shallow dish, fill with sour cream. Top with salsa. Slightly stir the salsa in the middle to mix just barely with the sour cream. Dip away! This would be good not only on fried pickles, but poppers, mozzarella sticks, french fries...really anything fried!! :o)