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. 

A Little Touch of Spring

Just in case anyone was wondering, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth...yet.  I just haven't been feeling myself lately and haven't wanted to bake or create anything.  Thank you to all of you who check in to read this regularly or even just occasionally.  I appreciate it.  I will get back to baking and blogging again soon.  I hope you won't mind me sharing a few pictures I took tonight. 

 I walked into the kitchen after work tonight to put my things down on the table and happened to look up and out into our three-seasons room and I couldn't help but stop and stare.  There outside the window was this amazing bright pink cloud of flowers. 

 I ran up and grabbed my camera to try to capture this beautiful sight.   I know the pictures don't quite do it justice...but I tried.

I walked around underneath these trees taking pictures, smelling their strong scent and listening to sound of busy little bees buzzing around enjoying the flowers too.

One tree is full of blooms and one is full of buds just waiting to burst open.  I love nature and the way God pays such close attention to all  of the little details.  Painting each little leaf and petal with specks or stripes, coloring each tiny insect and bug with it's own unique pattern.  It reminded me that He's paying even closer attention to the details of our lives.  I am so thankful.

Garlic Parsley Spaghetti

I am addicted to food magazines.  Kids are tempted by all the candy, gum and toys in the check-out lanes at the store.  Me?  It's those magazines. The ones with the delicious looking desserts in particular.   My husband just rolls his eyes and asks "Didn't you just buy one of those?  Do you really need another?!"  I simply respond "Yes - I NEEDED it"

To make him realize I really do use the recipes I find, I made this pasta dish the other night.  It was very simple to make and it tasted very good.  

I am not much of a sauce lover so this was perfect. 

I added chicken because I thought it would be a nice touch.  Honestly, I think next time I'd leave it out and add a few tomatoes.  I think they would add nice texture and color!

Garlic Parsley Spaghetti

(Taste of Home, Evelyn Sparish)

1 pkg (16 oz) thin spaghetti

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 c. olive oil

1/2 c. minced fresh parsley

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in skillet, lightly brown garlic in oil over medium heat.  Drain spaghetti; add to skillet.  Sprinkle with parsley.  Toss to coat.

*I wanted to add these photos of my LKH.  He had some leftover mac and cheese with dinner and decided to make his own creation.  Yes, those are grapes and pineapple mixed in - with some fresh bread crumbled on top of his spaghetti and macaroni.  "Ben's Famous Cheesey Crust" is what he called it.  I don't mind that he mixes up his food every once in a while, but I do insist that he eats it.  He seemed to enjoy it!