Oreo Truffles/ Oreo Delights

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you all enjoyed the day, regardless of whether you celebrate Valentine's Day or not. I personally didn't do much, but I did cook dinner, make dessert, and watch WALL-E on the Disney channel, among other assorted tasks.

The dessert I made is a no-bake dessert. It's quick, easy, and delicious! Best of all, it only has 3 ingredients, woo! Are you dancing with joy yet? Drum roll, please...

Oreo Truffles/Oreo Delights (from Kraft Recipes) 

Ingredients:

• 1 package of oreo cookies
• 2- 8 oz blocks of cream cheese, at room temperature
• white chocolate coating/white chocolate chips (or any chocolate coating)

Instructions:

1. Crush the oreos in a plastic bag with your hands or a spoon. You can also use the food processor; pulse until the cookies form chunky crumbs.
2. Pour the oreos in a bowl and add the cream cheese. Mix till combined. 
3. Put the bowl in the fridge for about 10 minutes.
4. Set out your wax paper while you are waiting.
5. Start making your desired size of balls of the mixture.
6. Melt your chocolate according to the directions (or put it in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each time) and then dip the balls into the chocolate, covering as much or as little as you want to.
7. Put the chocolate covered oreo blobs on the wax paper and then put them in the fridge. 
8. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
9. Enjoy!

Time: about 15 minutes

I decided to add food coloring and sprinkles to mine because of Valentine's day. The colors and sprinkles could be varied, or you could sprinkle crushed oreos on top. This recipe allows the use of low fat cream cheese or even non-dairy cream cheese if you need to or want to. Feel free to play with this recipe and tweak it to what you enjoy!

Love it? Hate it? Want to make it? Let me know what you think with a comment below!

As always...

Bon appétit!

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Well, it is February! The month of love and cupid and such. I thought about posting a few different recipes, but this one's been on my mind because of how comforting and homey it feels. Here's a little update on life:

In January, we had to put down our 13 year old German Shepard. It was really sad, but I was glad that she wasn't suffering anymore. Here she is during Christmas:

Heidi

The whole family misses her, but it is getting easier. The other dog we are pet sitting distracts our thoughts somewhat. Superbowl junk food evening was good, but the power outage was a bit of a surprise! I liked the halftime show and there weren't any costume malfunctions, which is always good!

One thing I have been enjoying is couponing! My best savings happened today with a 48 percent savings (coupons and sales). It is somewhat of a rush to get good deals on items we will use. This recent shopping trip I used my coupon skills to buy food stuffs for the local pantry. I can't wait to drop it off! :)

Anywho, let's get back to the food! This bread recipe takes a bit of time, but it is worth it! I will definitely make it again, soon!

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread (from Big Box Detox)

Ingredients:

• 2 and 1/4 cups warm water
• 1/3 cup maple syrup (I suggest using the real maple syrup)
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 and 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 and 1/2 TBSP. active dry yeast (I think I used two packets or so...)
• 3 cups of bread flour (I used all-purpose flour and it worked)

Instructions:

1. Combine the first three ingredients in a saucepan and heat over low heat until warmed.
2. Combine the whole wheat flour, salt, and yeast in a bowl. 
3. Add the warmed ingredients to the flour mixture. Stir for about a minute. 
4. Put the dough hook on your mixer and run it on the lowest setting (or mix by hand). Slowly add in the bread flour (or all purpose) 1/2 cup at a time. You should end up with a ball of dough.
5. Turn the mixer to the second setting and knead the dough for 2 minutes (or knead by hand). 
6. Lightly grease a bowl and place the dough in it. Let it rise until it has doubled in size.
7. Once it has doubled in size, take it out of the bowl and punch it down. Divide the dough into two equal chunks and shape it to fit in bread pans.
8. Grease two bread pans and place the dough in them. 
9. Cover each pan with a tea towel, set the pans in warm, dry place and let the dough rise for a second time. The loaves are ready when the top pops out of the pan.
10. When the dough is ready, pre-heat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
11. Bake the loaves for 30 minutes. 
12. Let the pans cool for at least 20 minutes, then remove the bread and let it cool on a wire rack. 
13. Enjoy!

I hope you get the chance to try it out! Don't be afraid of the time it takes to rise. You can easily busy yourself with something else while waiting without having to worry or fuss. 

Love it? Hate it? Want to make it? Let me know what you think with a comment below!

As always...

Bon appétit!

Happy 2013!

The new year is a time when many of us look back at the past year and wonder if things would be different if we made different decisions . At least I sure do . Overall, I think my year was pretty decent . I also made resolutions for 2013. I won't share them since I have broken almost all of them. Haha. Oops.

I have been meaning to post this since, well... January 1st. Twenty four days later I am finally sitting down to type this up. It's sad really. However, last week was my birthday. Another year older and hopefully another year wiser. I still am making decisions about how I want to move forward. I know I definitely want to get my Master's degree... but the path there is a bit foggy. I will figure it all out though, eventually. Job hunting should probably start soon. Anyone have any motivational quotes that could spark my interest in resume writing?
>.< I'm behind, I know... but it is how it goes.

Since my birthday was last week, I wanted to post a recipe for the cake that I baked when we celebrated. This cake was the one I knew would be a hit with everyone and it was quick, so it was the only cake I had. My original plan was to have two cakes... one that I wanted and one that the family would eat, but there wasn't enough time, so only one was baked. I finally baked the cake I wanted to have yesterday, so that post is coming soon!

This cake has a crust on the top, a cakey middle, and is gooey on the bottom. I am not a fan of chocolate cake and I even liked it! Anywho, here is the recipe:

Molten Mocha Cake (from Chow.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour (plain flour)
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Equal Exchange cocoa powder), split into 3/4 and 1/4 cup
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (white granulated sugar), split into 1/2 and 1/4 cup
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 TBSP (half a stick) melted butter, cooled slightly 
• 1 large egg (I used a medium egg and it was fine)
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee, room temperature

Instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 350 F (180 C) and arrange a rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Butter/grease an 8 by 8 or 10 by 10  inch square pan. I used the 10 by 10 and adjusted the time a bit.
3. Combine flour, 3/4 cup of cocoa, baking powder, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring to break up any lumps.
4. Add the milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla to the flour mix. Stir until combined. Some lumps will remain. 
5. Pour the batter into your prepped square pan. Spread the batter out as evenly as possible.
6. In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup of cocoa powder, 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. Stir until mixed well, then sprinkle over the batter in your pan.
7. Pour the coffee over the batter. Do NOT stir. 
8. Put the cake pan into the oven.
9. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the cake is set at the edges and a bit loose in the middle. Time can vary depending on your oven and the pan you used. Use your best judgement and remember that the cake will set a little more in the middle once it cools. 
10. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Servings: 5 - 8 

I hope you test this delicious cake and enjoy! The family sure loved this one. It is definitely a keeper! 

Love it? Hate it? Want to make it? Let me know what you think with a comment below!

As always...

Bon appétit!

Liebster Award Acceptance

I've been writing this post for at least a couple weeks now. I am happy to finally post it!

So... I was nominated for the Liebster award! Medusa from Money is No Object kindly chose me as one of the 10 blogs she nominated. How exciting! Isn't it pretty? :) I was flattered that I was nominated! *squee*

Part of accepting this award includes answering ten questions that the nominator asked me and nominating 10 other blogs with under 300 followers to receive the award.


The 10 questions and their answers: 

1. Why did you start your blog and when?

I started my blog because I wanted a way to share my passion for cooking, baking, and food with others. My first post was on 8/12/11, wowsa! 
2. Do you have a day job? If so, what is it?

No day job as of now. I am planning on working soon and applying for Food Corps. Keep your fingers crossed! 

3. If you could have any (living) fashion designer create something for you to wear, which (living) designer would you choose?

I don't really keep up with fashion much, but I googled fashion designers and think that a Stella McCartney and Marc Jacobs collaboration would be awesome. I love both of their styles, but like Marc Jacobs' shoes more. 
4. What is your favorite holiday and why?

Christmas! Christmas time just seems so magical to me. The romance in the air, the winter weather, the snow falling, and the colors just really make me happy. 
5. What calendar (if any) have you had hanging on your wall this year?

I have been using my phone mostly, but I have a small pocket calendar and a pillsbury wall calendar that I got for free. 

6. Putting calories aside, what is your favorite food (or dessert) to eat?

Favorite Dessert: Pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream on top. Current Favorite food: Grilled Cheese. Such cheesy comfort. 

7. Putting expenses aside, if you could live in another country, which one would you choose?

The United Kingdom. I loved it there! 

8. Do you subscribe to any magazines and; if so, which ones?

My mom recently bought me a subscription to All You magazine with hopes of saving lots of money and having plenty of coupons. I used to subscribe to Seventeen magazine, but I am a little old for that now.

9. What is your favorite bird? (Not animal, but BIRD)! :)

Tanager. They are brightly colored birds and are so pretty! See?  

10. What's the #1 spot you would like to travel to next?

Europe! Anywhere in Europe or the Mediterranean. 


My 10 nominations for this award, in no particular order:

Butterfly Kisses N Tasty Dishes

Creative Party Ideas by Cheryl

Dawns Divine Delights

I like today because of...

Miller Musings

The Enchanted Cook

The Word Cage

For a Certain World

Expect the Unexpected

Artful Happiness


How Nominees Can Accept the Award: 

• You must answer the 10 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you. (see below)
• You must pass the award to 10 other deserving bloggers who have less than 300 followers. Pass on the love!
• Create 10 questions for the bloggers you tag.
• Let the lucky bloggers know that you gave them the award. 

My 10 questions for the nominees:

1. What is your current song obsession?
2. What is your favorite holiday tradition or winter tradition?
3. Do you own any stuffed animals?
4. If you had to re-do where you live, what would you change?
5. Are you planning to make any new year resolutions?
6. How do you keep yourself motivated during the blogging process?
7. What is your kryptonite? 
8. Do you enjoy shopping locally or do you choose to hit the chain stores instead? 
9. What is your favorite scent of candle or favorite scent in general?
10. If you could have extra hours in the day, what would you use them for?