Another Birthday...

 I am going to pretend it has not been almost two years since I have posted a blog!  Wow! 
Thankfully it has not been because of any major events happening in my life.  It has just been life.  I haven't stopped cooking or baking, I've even photographed some of my food along the way.  But somehow between the kitchen and the computer I have managed to drop the ball. 
I am really excited to get back into the world of blogging again! 
Before I upload my new photos and recipes I want to share a few older ones. 
My favorite little kitchen helper will turn 7 in just 7 days!  I can hardly believe that!  He still has an incredible sweet tooth like his momma.  He enjoys looking at pictures of desserts on-line and in cookbooks.  And he is always dreaming up some kind of concoction of his own. 
So to honor my soon to be 7 year old I thought I would share the birthday cakes  I have made for him the past 6 years.  It is fun to look back and see the different characters he has been "into" over the years.  We are still working on ideas for this years cake.

Happy Birthday Ben!!!

Candy Bar Cookie Bars and a Creative Idea from My Kitchen Helper

I can hardly believe it is nearing the end of May already!  I barely remember April.  Where does the time go?  I am loving the warmer weather but I don't want to take these days for granted.

Today, after a trip to the store, Ben said he was hungry so I fixed him a plate with some fresh strawberries and blueberries.  Thankfully, he has always been a good fruit and (for the most part) veggie eater.  I had my back turned when I heard him say "Mom, look at my fruit cup!"

I looked a little closer.  Funny little guy - he bit the end off of a strawberry and stuck a blueberry inside.  He is always cracking me up with his ideas :)

Candy Bar Cookie Bars

Sometimes it's nice to bake or create something totally or even partially from scratch.  I always feel like I have really accomplished something big with those kinds of recipes. 

Then there are days when you are running later than you had hoped but you still need to whip up a treat for the meeting you are helping host in just a few hours - and you haven't stocked your pantry with baking ingredients recently.

That was my story this morning.  I came across this recipe in my Cake Mix Doctor cookbook.  5 ingredients.  Bake time of 45 minutes.  It was just what I was looking for.  It turned out great and everyone enjoyed it.  Yay!

1 box yellow cake mix

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 stick butter, melted

2 eggs

1/2-1 c. candy bar pieces

(I used toffee and mini chocolate chips - I think Reeses would be an awesome addition)

Mix together first four ingredients with mixer for 2 minutes, scraping batter down sides as needed.  Fold in candy pieces and mix well.  Place batter in ungreased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes (Mine were done in 35)

*The batter was very sticky so I used the hint Ingrid of 3 B's has mentioned before - I dampened my hands first and patted the batter down very smoothly.  Worked like a charm - thanks Ingrid!

Vanilla Blackberry Trifle

Hi!  I hope all of you moms out there had a great Mother's Day!  Mine was very nice.  My little guy started and ended my day with the sweetest words and best snuggles.  And in between we were able to spend time with my family.  It was a beautiful day and we had fun watching the kids run and play all afternoon.

And of course the meal was great.  Dad grilled, we had lots of yummy snacks, salads and of course dessert.  I surprisingly enough, had not put much thought into making a dessert and at the last minute decided to go with a trifle.

Do any of you make trifles very often?  I got this bowl a year or so ago and I love it.  You can throw all sorts of things together in it and it somehow manages to look pretty no matter what's inside.

I made a French Vanilla cake (with egg whites - trying to stay on the healthier side)

After the cake cooled slightly I spread a black raspberry jam over it like frosting and then I grated white chocolate over the whole thing.  After it was completely cool i cut the cake up into very small squares.

I layered the cake with a vanilla pudding mixture...

And topped it off with more pudding, grated white chocolate and fresh blackberries.

Vanilla Blackberry Trifle

1 box French Vanilla Cake mix

(substituting 4 egg whites instead of 3 eggs)

Black Raspberry Jam

1 large box of  sugar free vanilla pudding

8 oz light cool whip

White Chocolate

Blackberries

Prepare cake as directed and pour into sheet cake pan.  Bake 20 minutes.  Let cake cool slightly.  Spread with jam.  Sprinkle white chocolate evenly over cake.  When completely cooled, cut into 2 inch squares.

In a medium bowl, mix pudding as directed and fold in Cool Whip. 

Layer cake square and pudding mixture - ending with the pudding on top.  Cover with white chocolate shavings.  Decorate with berries.

(*This tastes even better the next day!)

Outrageous Brownies (And I'm Not Kidding!)

The title pretty well sums up these brownies.  Some of you may think as I used to - brownies are delicious, but outrageous? - is that possible?  I now believe that yes, it is possible.  

As you scroll down, you might start to understand how it all works.  One pound of butter, 6 eggs (yes - 6) and loads of chocolate.  Are your pants feeling tight yet?  Holy Moly. 

In one pot you create this wonderful chocolate mixture, later mixing it with the eggs (yes 6), coffee and sugar.  Stir in more chocolate and nuts - or toffee...

And hello.  You have this mondo pan of brownies that not only look and smell amazing, but they actually taste even better.  After they cooled off I had to quickly cut them up and ship them off to friends and family so I wouldn't eat them all!

For a team building night a few weeks ago, my fun-loving boss and friend, treated our team to a cooking class at a local shop/cafe.  It was so much fun and I learned a bunch of little cooking tips throughout the whole night.  The woman who taught our class used recipes from her own personal collection.  She told us a friend of hers had shared this brownie recipe with her a few years ago.  What a friend!!! 

Outrageous Brownies

(Recipe shared by Sandy Knapp)

1 lb unsalted butter

1 lb, plus 2 c. semisweet chocolate chips, divided

6 oz. unsweetened chocolate

6 extra-large eggs

3 T. instant coffee powder

2 T. real vanilla extract

2 c. plus 1/4 c. flour, divided

1 T. baking powder

1 tsp. salt (Sandy recommended sea salt)

3 c. walnuts (I used toffee chips)

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour 13x18x1 1/2 inch sheet pan. 

Melt the butter, 1 lb chocolate chips and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler.  Cool slightly.  In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, coffee, sugar and vanilla.  Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and let cool slightly.

In a smaller bowl, combine 1 c. flour, baking powder and salt.  Add to cooled chocolate mixture.  Toss the walnuts and remaining chips with 1/4 c. flour.  Stir into batter.

Bake 30 minutes.  Halfway through baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between pan and dough.  Do not over bake.  Cool thoroughly.  Refrigerate well and cut into squares.

The brownies got a thumbs up from my Little Kitchen Helper and his cousin.  They waited so patiently to be served as I took pictures.  Sweet kiddos!

Gooey Butter Cake

Have you ever heard of Gooey Butter Cake?  I hadn't until a month or so ago.  It was my turn to bring dessert for our small group and I wanted to try a new recipe.  I had seen this in my Cake Mix Doctor cookbook and thought it sounded good.  I mentioned it to a few people and they had all heard of it before and said it was delicious.  Was Paula Deen the one who made it popular?  I don't know.  The recipe I followed was not hers - but I got on-line to compare them and they are extremely similar.  

I'm thinking this may be my perfect dessert - especially when eaten warm.  It is custardy kind of like a pie, but with a thick crust.  I couldn't keep my fork out of the pan!  It does thicken in the fridge but it gets gooey again if you warm it up in the microwave.  (Definitely worth the wait)  There are different variations of this cake - I intend to try them all eventually.  Maybe I should do a taste test with my family or co-workers.  Hmmm.....I think I'm gonna try the mocha recipe first.

Gooey Butter Cake

(Anne Byrn - The Cake Mix Doctor)

1 pkg yellow cake mix

8 T. butter, melted

1 egg

Mix together in a large bowl with electric mixer for two minutes.  Pat batter evenly into lightly greased 9x13 pan.  Set aside while mixing the filling.

1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

8 T. butter, melted

3 3/4 c. powdered sugar, sifted

Place cream cheese in large bowl, blend on low 30 seconds.  Add eggs, vanilla, and melted butter.  Beat on medium speed 1 more minute.  Add the powdered sugar and beat on medium until sugar is well incorporated.  Pour onto crust.  Bake 45-48 minutes.