First of all, how are you guys? Yah, it’s been a while.  But here I am! I had to share this recipe with you.  And maybe a couple more if I can.  We’ll start here.  And another thing, there are some link problems on my site right now that I am well aware of.  In the process of trying to get those fixed.  If you are in desperate need of a recipe, you can use the search engine on the top right corner and it will narrow your search down.  That seems to be working.  You can always email me too!

Secondly, for all of you locals, I will be on KSL, Studio 5 this Tuesday, August 10th at 11:00 a.m.   Be sure to tune in for I will be making something you won’t want to miss!  Now onto the sweets!

These strawberries are sure to please!  They are not only beautiful but delicious too!  Fresh strawberries filled with a sweet cream cheese mixture and topped with a gorgeous blueberry.  Perfect for wedding showers, baby showers or whenever you might want something yummy!

Hope you enjoy!

Stuffed Strawberries

8 ounce package Cream Cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar (maybe a bit more if you like it sweeter)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

about 30 large strawberries

Cut the stem off of the strawberries making a flat surface so they can sit firmly on the plate. Turn over to the other side and cut a criss cross being careful not to cut all the way down. You just want to be able to open them up to insert the cream.

Cream together the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until smooth. Scoop into a large ziplock freezer bag (or a piping bag) and cut a little bit off the tip of the corner of the bag. Insert the tip of the bag into the center of the strawberry and fill the strawberry until full. Place a blueberry on the very top. Refrigerate until serving time.

Enjoy!

Steph

I made these yummy little treats for a church function the other night and they were a hit. I was actually just making it up as I went hoping that they would turn out delicious. And I guess they were since I ate a half of a pan all by myself. A few extra miles around the track helped with the sugar overdose. But I have to say these were worth every calorie (in my opinion).

Along with the Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Chip Krispies I made my delicious Milk Chocolate Krispie Treats drizzled with a bit of White Chocolate. I posted these long ago and are definitely addicting as well. I think the chocolate drizzles makes these a bit fancier and quite tasty too!

Have a great weekend!

Milk Chocolate Rice Krispie Recipe here.

Peanut Butter White Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

3 cups Rice Krispies
4 tablespoons butter
30 large marshmallows
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips, melted

In a large bowl, combine the butter, marshmallows and peanut butter. Microwave for about 3 minutes, stirring every minute or so until smooth and creamy. Add the rice krispies and start mixing, than add the white chocolate chips. The best part is that some of the white chocolate will melt into the krispies, and some will stay in form. When mixed well, press into a 9X9 inch pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. I like to spray my fingers with a bit of the nonstick spray and that helps the krispies from sticking to your hands. Drizzle the melted milk chocolate over the top.

Enjoy!

Happy Wednesday! I have been baking up a storm the past couple of weeks, but have not been able to post for a while.  But I couldn’t wait on this one. I just had to share this fun recipe.

I love Apple Pie.  And if you are a faithful reader than you know that I love little individual servings. Well here is a cute little Mini Apple Pie. Warm, delicious and oozing with apple goodness.  No need to dirty a pie plate, or wrestle with making beautiful edges, which by the way, I have never done successfully.  I simply cut out circles out of the dough, fill them with the apple filling and press the edges together with a fork.  So easy.  These would be so fun for a dinner party, baby shower or just when you are craving a good ole’ fashioned apple pie but don’t want to bother with actually making one.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Have a great week!

xoxo,

Steph

Mini Apple Pies

makes about 16 or so

*You can either make your own pie dough, or buy a box of pre-made dough from the store. Take your pick. Either way, it is delicious!
If you make your own, to make around 16 mini pies, use a recipe for a double crust pie.

For the apple filling:
3 small granny smith apples, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the egg wash:
1 egg
splash of water

Sugar for dusting the tops of the pies

For the icing:
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
dash of milk

1. In a small bowl, mix the cubed apples, flour, sugar and cinnamon until each apple is evenly coated. Set aside.
2. Roll out the dough to about 1/16 in thickness. Use a 3 inch circle cookie cutter and cut out the dough circles. You will need two circles for every pie. Place the circles onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Scoop about 1/2 tablespoons of the apple filling into the center of the dough circle. Make the egg wash and using your fingertip, brush a light layer onto the very edges of the circle. (this will ensure that the top circle will stick to the bottom circle.) Place another dough circle on top, over the apple filling. Lightly press down around the edges.
3. Using the prongs of the fork, press along the edges of the pie to seal the edges.
4. Brush a light layer of the egg wash on top of the pies. Sprinkle with sugar. (I like to use turbinado sugar, you can find it in any grocery store labeled as raw sugar.)
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden.
6. To make them extra fancy, drizzle a little icing over the tops.  Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Monkey Bread.  If you have never had this ultra tasty treat before, here are a few keywords to descibe this evil addiction of mine:

addicting
sweet crunchy edges
caramel-y
cinnamon-y
lil’ bit of heaven

These are only a few of many I could probably use to describe these little heavenly buns. It’s like a cinnamon roll you can take a part piece by piece and there is nothing in this world quite like it. Just remember – you’ve been warned. I’m not going to lie that you can eat the entire thing without even blinking an eye.

I decided that because I can eat an entire recipe when I make it using a bundt pan, that I needed to make them in individual portions so that I can ‘somewhat’ control myself. So I used the jumbo muffin tins. It makes 6. Just to make it extra evil I drizzled some icing over the top. They totally don’t need it. They are amazing on their own. Trust me.

Monkey Bread Muffin Cups
makes 6 jumbo muffins

2 tubes of biscuit dough (I like pillsbury) (20 biscuits in total)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup brown sugar

Spray your muffin tin with non-stick spray. Cut each biscuit into 4ths. So in total you should have 80 little pieces of dough. In a bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Dip each piece of dough into the cinnamon-sugar mixture until totally covered. Divide evenly between the 6 cups. (about 13-14 in each cup) In a saucepan boil the butter and brown sugar. Spoon about a tablespoon of the brown sugar/butter mixture over each muffin cup. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes or until baked through. Best when hot and fresh out of the oven!

Enjoy!

I crave banana bread on occasion. This is really strange for me because until I became an adult, I never really liked bread that had even a hint of fruits or vegetables in it…banana bread, zucchini bread, carrot cake, you know what I’m talking about. But now, I crave it. My kids love it. They have no idea what is in it, but they love it. And I can totally justify them eating it because it is awesome when you can feed them something and you secretly know it has some nutritional value (minus the sugar) to it. But anyways, I made these the other day and I have to say it is some of the best banana bread (muffins) that I’ve ever had.

I’m going to let you in on a cool trick too. Maybe you already know it, but I didn’t. I had to google how to ripen bananas quick, because I was craving these so badly. Yes, I’ve heard the whole paper bag with an apple trick, but I was just not feeling that. So I threw them into the freezer overnight and took them out the following morning to thaw out. They were perfectly ripen and I didn’t have to wait around impatiently. I also like my banana bread to have a little banana chunks in it. I use a whisk to get it all smoothed out but I like to leave it just tad chunky. So much better this way in my opinion.

Add some nuts or chocolate chips to it if you like, but I personally like these as just plain ole’ banana muffins. I sprinkle a little turbinaro sugar over the top before I pop them into the oven to add a yummy sweet touch.

Have a great weekend everyone!

xoxo
Steph

Banana Muffins
makes 12

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
3 or 4 ripened bananas (about 1 cup mashed bananas)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
4 tablespoons melted butter

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside. In another mixing bowl, mash the bananas and add the sugars, egg and melted butter. Whisk together until smooth. Add to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Don’t over mix. Evenly distribute between 12 muffin cups that have been sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

So I did my Studio 5 segment today.  Wow.  It was fast.  I’ve done this quite a few times now and I usually have around 5-6 minutes.  I can’t believe how fast this 2 minutes went by.  And I was totally looking at an imaginary camera.  But its all good.  It’s always a blast to be there with all that awesome energy in the room.  All the cameras and sound guys around you.  Its a lot of fun.  Never thought this would be something in my life that I would get to do, and I feel really blessed.  So they finally posted a video, so here is the link.  There were 2 other bakers and recipes in the same segment, I am #2.  Just don’t laugh that I’m looking everywhere but the camera.  :)

And here is the recipe for the Creamy Peanut Butter Mousse and the Chocolate Cupcakes that I use with it.

Creamy Peanut Butter Mousse

3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cups creamy peanut butter
2 cups heavy cream(cold)
1 tablespoons vanilla extract

Using a mixer whip the cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Put in the fridge. Cream together the cream cheese, sugar, milk and peanut butter. Fold in the cold whipped cream. It may take a while, but it will come all together and create a creamy smooth textured mousse.
Refrigerate until very cold.

Serve Peanut Butter Mousse as an elegant dessert on its own or use it to turn ordinary chocolate cupcakes into an extra-ordinary dessert. Here’s how:

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/2 cup good quality cocoa
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
3/4 c. vegetable oil
1 c. cold water
1/2 c. sour cream
1 c. chopped peanut butter cups

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cocoa and sugar. Set aside. Cream together the eggs, vanilla, oil, water and sour cream. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Scoop evenly between 24 lined muffin cups and bake at 375 degrees for about 18-20 minutes. Cool slightly, remove from pans and set on cooling rack to cool completely. Make mousse.

To assemble:
Remove wrappers from cupcakes. Cut cupcakes in half. Pipe mousse onto the cupcake half. Place the top half of the cupcake over the mousse. Pipe more mousse on the top of the cupcake. Sprinkle with crushed peanut butter cups.

Hey all you Utah locals out there, I will be on Studio 5 (ksl) again this Monday, March 1st at 11:00 a.m.  I’m so sorry to the non-locals, they never seem to post a video on my segments.  Not sure why.  I will ask them about that tomorrow.  But this is what I am making.  The star is the Peanut Butter Mousse, and I sandwich it between a delicious chocolate cupcake.  Yum yum!! So if you want the recipe, I will put the link up tomorrow. Have a fabulous week everybody!

xoxo

Steph

And now on to something really great! Vanessa from I never grew up (amazing blog by the way) contacted me not long ago and asked if she could feature me on as one of her Monday Mavens. I felt so honored and said of course! So if you want to know more about me, check it out here! Thanks so much Vanessa!

I hope you guys have a great week and hopefully I’ll be back soon with some awesome recipes to share!

xoxo,

Steph

Just a heads up for all of you Utah locals, I will be on Studio 5 again tomorrow (Monday the 15th of February) at 11:00 a.m on KSL.  I will be making these little cuties so you don’t want to miss it! I will also be there on March 1st for Peanut Butter Lovers Day, so mark your calendars!!! I’m so excited!  I’ll see you tomorrow!!!!

I know it’s been a while since I posted.  I have missed you all.  I certainly hope that in my 3 month brake I didn’t lose all my loyal readers, but if so, I totally understand.  I really enjoyed the time off, but all of a sudden I felt the need to start baking again and re-connecting with my long lost readers.  Thanks to all who have supported me and continue to support me! It means the world! Now onto the food:

I don’t know if I’ve posted this recipe before, I can’t seem to find this particular one.  But this is definitely my go-to recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes.  I got this recipe from my Mom and it is so versatile. You can add whatever you like or leave it as it is, either way it is delicious!  It works out perfectly every time and it is the perfect combination of texture and moistness.  I love to add some mini chocolate chips to the batter and you get that extra richness that I happen to like.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!!

Chocolate Cupcakes
makes 2 dozen

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cups vegetable oil
1 cup cold water

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and cocoa. Set aside. Using a mixer, beat the eggs, vanilla, oil and water until well blended. Slowly add the dry ingredients until well incorporated. Scoop evenly between 24 lined muffin cups and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Frost with your favorite frosting. Here is my favorite:

Vanilla Frosting

2 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
4 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using a mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add 2 cups of the sugar and mix until well combined. Add the remaining sugar, milk and vanilla extract. beat until fluffy.

xoxo,

Steph

I ran out of vanilla extract. And so these cookies were born. They are amazing. I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to plain old vanilla. For sugar cookies anyways. The fresh lemon zest adds a bit of freshness to them and they are worth every calorie. I made these babies small so you can consume more and not feel guilty. And perfect for little fingers too!

Lemon-Almond Sugar Cookies

4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup shortening, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
zest of 1 lemon

Almond Frosting
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
4 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Using a mixer, cream together the butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time until well incorporated. Add the milk, almond extract and lemon zest. Mix until creamy. Slowly add the flour mixture until well blended. Chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to desired thickness (I like mine a bit thicker). Cut out into desired shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-12 minutes, less if you like them softer, more if you like them crispier.

For the Frosting:
Using a mixer, mix the cream cheese and butter until well blended and creamy. Add 2 cups of the sugar, milk, and almond extract. Blend until smooth. Slowly add the remaining sugar until smooth and creamy.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Steph

Dear Stephanie’s Kitchen,

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to sit down and feed you a new post.  I think about you ALL of the time.  But there is always a bum to change, or someone needs to eat (geez, what am I a full service diner?) or even worse, the 2 year old has taken the liberty of taking off his own diaper and wiping down the walls with it (sorry TMI).  And when I’m not doing that, I’m feeding a helpless little baby who hasn’t quite figured out how to hold the bottle all by herself.  All of this means you have been neglected once again. Please don’t give up on me little blog. One of these days I swear, I will have all of my time devoted to you and only you, but until then, just keep on breathing.  Please know that you are always on my mind and hopefully soon I will have this 3 kids under the age of 4 thing down pat and I will be able to master the art of multi-tasking.

Love,

Steph  :)

p.s here are some lovely and super delicious mini-chocolate bundt cakes with peanut butter frosting for you and only you, enjoy!

Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

6 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all purpose flour

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cups vegetable oil

1 cup cold water

Sift together the cocoa, sugar, salt, baking soda and flour. Set aside. Using a mixer, mix the eggs, vanilla, oil and cold water until creamy. Slowly add the dry ingredients until well incorporated. Scoop evenly between 18 mini bundt cakes or 24 lined muffin cups and bake at 375 degrees for about 15-18 minutes.  Top with peanut butter frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup creamy peanut butter

3 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream the butter and peanut butter together until smooth.  Add the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and slowly add the milk until the consistency is perfect for piping onto the bundt cakes.  Place the frosting in a ziploc bag and cut off just a bit of the corner of the bag.  Slowly pipe the frosting on the bundt cakes.  I topped mine with reeses peanut butter pieces.  Yummy!

]]> http://www.stephanieskitchen.com/2009/10/566/feed/ 21 http://www.stephanieskitchen.com/2009/10/mini-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-bundt-cakes-with-a-cinnamon-cream-cheese-drizzle/ http://www.stephanieskitchen.com/2009/10/mini-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-bundt-cakes-with-a-cinnamon-cream-cheese-drizzle/#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:30:39 +0000 Steph http://www.stephanieskitchen.com/?p=561

My mind is empty tonight.  Do you ever have those days when you just don’t have much to say? I’m having one of those moments right now….hmmm…what to write.

Well I could tell you how delicious these mini bundt cakes are.  So delicious! And did I mention that I don’t think that I could live without my mini bundt cake pan? I was borrowing my neighbors mini bundt cake pan for a while.  She finally had to ask for it back.  I was crushed.  I was having a hard time finding one for me.  But than my friend called me today and told me that Walmart was selling them for $18.  Good deal.  I was so incredibly excited.  Is that silly to get so excited over a pan? Well I was. I immediately wanted to use it.  And since Fall has fallen here so quickly here in Utah, I wanted to make a Fall recipe.  So I whipped up these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundts.  Oh and the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Drizzle!  So divine.  I could eat a bowl of it for breakfast. It’s that good! Don’t fret if you don’t have a mini bundt cake pan. ( Although I would highly recommend you going out and getting one this very instant.  There are so many yummy things you can make with it!) You can also use a mini cheesecake pan, and if you don’t have one of those just use a good ole’ cupcake pan.  That works too.  The recipe is really yummy.  It is moist and oh so delicious.

I guess I had something to say afterall..so sorry for the ramblings!  Hope you all have a great weekend!

Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Drizzle
recipe by Stephanie
makes 18 mini bundt cakes

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

For the drizzle:
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
dash of cinnamon

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. Set aside. In a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions. Add vanilla and pumpkin. Mix just until combined and creamy. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Gently stir in the chocolate chips. Grease the pan of your choice and fill the cups half way. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes or baked through and when cooled, transfer to a wire rack. Using a mixer, whip the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and milk. Add a dash of cinnamon. Whip until smooth. I fill a ziplock bag with the frosting and cut one of the corners off a bit and than drizzle over the bundt cakes.

Enjoy!

Hey everyone!  How has your summer been? Mine has been busy but very fun! It has been so weird not posting and hearing from ya’ll, so I am very ready to come back and try to get back into blogging again.  I’m sure it will be a little slow but I will be back full time soon enough.  I just wanted to check in with everyone and also to let you locals know about a boutique I am selling my sweets at next week in Layton (Utah).  Stephanie’s Sweet Shop will be selling the very best yummy treats and I would love it if you stopped by to check it out!  Email me at steph@stephanieskitchen.com if you want the address.  The boutique will also have some awesome crafts made by my family and it will be so much fun so you don’t want to miss it!  It is on Friday, September 25 from 9:00 am to 5:00 p.m and Saturday, September 26 from 9:00 am to 5:00 p.m.

Anyways, if you want to check this yummy recipe out, go to the Zupas blog and try these amazing cookies out!  Talk to you later guys!

It has been a crazy couple of weeks and I can’t believe how fast time has flown by!  This summer will be gone before we know it!  Sad news.  I have decided that I need a break from blogging for a little while.  Just for the rest of the summer.  I am having a lot harder time adjusting to life with 3 kids than I ever imagined I would.  I decided that they need to be my first priority and so I am going to take the pressure off of myself for the need to bake everyday and try to find time to blog about it.  I will be back in September, so I hope you won’t forget about me.  I could never abandon my blog forever.  It has allowed me to be me, not just Mommy, Wife, Maid and so forth.  It has opened my eyes to what I truly am passionate about and for that I don’t want to say goodbye forever.  I just need to breath for a while and get my world in order.  When I come back, I vow to be better than ever!  So, for now, feel free to browse through the many recipes I have here and do come back!  I will however be blogging for Cafe Zupas every Tuesday, so be sure to check it out every week.  Thanks for your support friends!

I will leave you with a scrumptious snack though!  I first saw these babies on Studio 5, here in Utah.  They originally came from this blog.  They are absolutely delicious, and super easy to make.  You might want to make a double recipe, because they seem to disappear very quickly!  See you in a couple of months!

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites
makes about 45 sandwiches

1 cup of peanut butter (creamy works best)
2 Tbsp softened butter or margarine
1/2 cup powdered sugar (you may need more)
3/4 cup brown sugar (you may need more)
Pretzels (the waffle shaped ones)
1 bag good quality chocolate (I like milk)

Using a mixer, combine peanut butter and softened butter and beat until smooth. Add the sugars and stir to combine. At this point if the filling will roll easily into balls without sticking to your hands you’re ready to go. If not, add more sugar ( a little bit of each) until you reach a consistency that is easy to roll. Use a teaspoon measure to scoop the filling. Roll each portion into a small ball and set on a cookie sheet. I like to roll all the balls and then sandwich them between two whole pretzels. When all the balls are rolled and successfully sandwiched, stick the whole tray in the freezer for about half an hour.

Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and heat at 30-second intervals, stirring occasionally until completely melted. Remove the pretzel sandwiches from the freezer and quickly dip each half-way into the melted chocolate. When all are dipped, return the tray to the freezer to set up completely. Store the sandwiches in the refrigerator until serving time.

It’s that day again!  Be sure to head on over to Cafe Zupas to check out my weekly blog!  This week it’s all about kabobs!  Happy Tuesday!!!

Be sure to check out my Cafe Zupas post this week.  3 words.  Ice Cream Pie.  Need I say more? You definitely need this recipe for your summer parties!  I promise to post (very soon) an amazing recipe that includes…peanut butter, pretzels, and chocolate.  Can you stand the wait?  It’s worth it! Have a great week friends!

Head on over to Cafe Zupas blog to check out my latest post! Pretzel Crusted Caramel Chocolate Brownie Cups. Long name, but insanely delicious!

Have a great day!

Steph

In case you were wondering…life is crazy with 3 kids!  So much more crazier than I would have ever imagined!  But everyday gets a little easier, sort of.  So hopefully, one day I can get used to it.  It will be much easier when I can get 8 straight un-interrupted hours of sleep, but that’s a ways down the road. Motherhood is also a beautiful, beautiful thing.  And I treasure every second I have with my beautiful children.  I’m so lucky.  And luckily I have an awesome husband to share it with!

I made this delicious Fresh Strawberry Pie for Father’s Day and I cleaned it up today (sorry hubby).  In about 2 minutes.  I couldn’t stop eating it!  How in the world am I ever going to get off this baby weight?  Anyways, like I said, this was soooo good.  I found some really sweet strawberries and paired it with a homemade graham cracker crust (so much better than store bought). Top it with some fresh whipped cream and you’ve got yourself a winner of a dessert.  Give it a try!  Have a great week everyone!

Fresh Strawberry Pie

1 (9 inch) graham cracker crust pie shell,
2 pints fresh strawberries
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup boiling water
3 Tablespoons strawberry flavored gelatin

In a saucepan, mix together the sugar and corn starch; make sure to blend corn starch in completely. Add boiling water, and cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Add gelatin mix, and stir until smooth. Let mixture cool to room temperature. Place strawberries in pie shell; position berries with points facing up. Pour cooled gel mixture over strawberries. Refrigerate until set. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter until well blended . Press mixture into an 8 or 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 minutes. Cool. If recipe calls for unbaked pie shell, just chill for about 1 hour.

Meet baby Maddison. 9 LONG months of baking has brought us this little angel and I wouldn’t trade her for anything. At 4 days old she let me sleep 4 hours in a row and hasn’t stopped since. She is perfect in every way and I am so glad to finally have her here. Thank you for being so patient with me and my lack of posting. Hopefully once she is letting me sleep all through the night and I can learn to juggle 3 rowdy kids, I will be able to post more often, but for now, I appreciate your loyalty!

Please head on over to Cafe Zupas to learn more about these delicious Blueberry Scones! You won’t be sorry! Have a great week everyone!

-Nate

Still here folks…sorry it’s been so long.  I feel so guilty when I don’t say hi for that long, but life has been hard.  I’m hanging in there, and hopefully in a couple of weeks we’ll have a new little baby here, but in the meantime, here is a simple dessert that will fool everyone into thinking you spent all day in the kitchen, but this recipe has a lot of cheating going on (boxed caked mix).  If you don’t like cheating, than by all means, don’t try it out!  But my life requires it right now!  And you would never know it.  It is delicious and lemony and all that good stuff that I so adore.  I could seriously eat this entire cake all by myself.  And for the next couple of weeks, no one would say a word, but once this baby comes, my life will have to turn healthy for a while.  I’m enjoying it while I can but I have lots of baby weight to work off.  But enough about that, I miss you guys and hopefully will be back to full time blogging soon!  Have a good week!

7-Up Bundt Cake

1 box lemon cake mix
1 box 3.4 ounce box instant lemon flavored pudding mix
1 1/2 cups 7-up
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until smooth. Pour into greased and floured 10 inch fluted cake pan and bake at 325 degrees for about 45 to 50 minutes or until set. Let cool and remove from pan and place on a wire rack. Drizzle with lemon icing. (confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice mixed until smooth)

I have been so lucky to have my sweet Mother here for the last week helping me out while the hubby has been out of town.  She has been an angel waiting on me hand and foot.  I feel like I’m the one who should be waiting on her since Mother’s Day is right around the corner, but she wouldn’t let me even if I tried!  Anyways, lots of baking has been happening and we’ve had cupcakes coming out of our ears.  Among the many, these were our absolute favorite.  Based on Ina Garten’s recipe, these are absolutely the best cupcakes I have ever had, hands down.  The ganache takes the cake and my genius Mother added crushed heath bars to the top and that made them irresistible.  I would highly recommend the heath bars.  It adds the perfect crunch and sweetness.  We tried them with white chocolate ganache and chocolate ganache and I think it’s an even tie.  And maybe we tried it with a little ice cream too…

Happy Mother’s Day to all you sweet Mother’s out there!  Have a great weekend!

Chocolate Ganache Cupakes

adapted from Ina Garten’s Chocolate Ganache Cupcake recipe
makes 12 regular cupcakes or 24 mini cupcakes

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 16 ounce can Hershey’s chocolate syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour

for the chocolate ganache:
melt together
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

for the white chocolate ganache:
melt together
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Mix in the chocolate syrup and vanilla. Add the flour and mix until combined. Scoop the batter into muffin cups (we used my mini cheesecake pan) and bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until set. Dip the tops of the cupcakes in the ganache and let set on a wire rack.

Oh how I’ve missed baking.  I think of something that I want and I usually go to the kitchen and bake it.  It’s been a hard struggle not to be able to do that!  So when my Mom came and stayed with me for a couple of days I took full advantage of her baking ability.  These little cuties were her idea.  There are just as delicious as they are cute.  Strawberries aren’t the only fruit you can cover in chocolate.  We attempted covering them in caramel first, but that proved to be impossible.  If anyone knows any good tricks, let me know, because they tasted fantastic, but the apples were much too moist to hold the caramel on.  It just dripped off onto the wax paper and all that was left was a soggy apple.  But the chocolate stayed on perfectly. And the flavor combination was amazing. Give them a try!  

Chocolate Covered Apple Bites

You will need:
melon baller
4 inch lollipop sticks
granny smith apples
chocolate of your choice
chopped nuts, nonpareils, sprinkles, toffee bits (optional)

1. With a melon baller, scoop little balls out of the apple. Pat the apple pieces dry. Place a lollipop stick into each apple ball and dip in melted chocolate. Roll apples in nuts, sprinkles, nonpareils or toffee bits, if desired. Place on parchment paper until set.

Enjoy!

I have a fabulous husband.  He’s been taking care of me like a true gentleman.  I’m supposed to keep my feet up and so he hasn’t had many sweet treats from yours truly.  So after dinner on Sunday, he decided it was his turn to do the baking.  What did he choose?  Well, of course Red Velvet Cupcakes.  He promptly went to my blog and found a recipe, put on the apron and started to work.  I sat and watched intently, being careful not criticize but just smiled at how adorable the sight was.  He read the directions over and over being so careful and precise.  Two hours later, we had fresh red velvet cupcakes topped with white chocolate cream cheese frosting.   You can find the recipe here, it is from the Sweet Melissa Baking Book.  He was so proud, and so was I!  I’m sure I’ll be able to share more treats from hubby soon, since at the moment he is the designated baker.  Have a great week!

Happy Baking!

 

Now that spring is in the air and strawberries are back in season, it makes me think of one thing: smoothies.  I love smoothies!  I recently was contacted by Pom and they sent me an entire case of their awesome pomegranate juice.  Have you tried it? Delicious!  They didn’t last long in my house.  I used it in my smoothies and it was the perfect tangy touch.  My newest smoothie creation is made from equal parts of strawberries, bananas, ice, strawberry yogurt and a dash of pomegranate juice.  It is sweet and so satisfying, you won’t miss the sugar!  What’s your favorite flavor combination?

And on a completely different note, it seems like it’s been forever since I was on Studio 5, but I finally got the video up and running (thanks hubby) and I had promised a lot of you that I would get it up so you could see me in action.  Just don’t look too closely at the growing belly. (It’s even bigger now! Ugg!)

*having some technical difficulties with this darn video…stay tuned….

Can you even believe that today is the last day of March? I am absolutely baffled.  This year is flying by so fast.  It seems like Christmas just barely came and went and now it’s almost Easter. Oh where oh where does the time go? I remember the good old days when I was just a little girl and the days and weeks seemed to go so slowly I thought I’d go crazy.  I remember wishing to be older and now I am turning 30 this year and it totally blows my mind.  Anyways, maybe I’m crazy but I feel like I should hold on to every second or it will get away from me again.  

So now onto more important things..like dessert.  Jenny at Picky Palate had me at hello with these little beauties and I just had to run out and get me this Mini Cheesecake Pan at Williams Sonoma.  I couldn’t wait another second.  I immediately tried the recipe for their basic mini cheesecakes they had on the back of the box and they were fantastic.  And then I had to try a recipe of my own.  I came up with these baby cakes.  I don’t know why I call them that other than the fact that they are cute and they had to sound cute too.  These moist mini pound cakes are filled with fresh lemon and lime juice and of course the zests too.  The drizzle puts them over the top.  I love the shape that the mini cheesecake pan gives them, although you can use a mini muffin tin too, or even a regular size muffin tin if you must.  Your choice.  Here’s the photo of my mini cheesecakes.  Aren’t they so cute?

And now here is the recipe for the Baby Cakes!  Have a great week friends!

Lemon Lime Baby Cakes with a Lemon Lime Drizzle
recipe by Steph
makes 18 mini pound cakes using the mini cheesecake pan
or 18 mini cakes using a mini muffin tin or 12 cakes using a regular muffin tin

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
1 teaspoon fresh lime zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup plain yogurt

For the drizzle:
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
lemon and lime juice

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions. Add lemon and lime juice and zests, vanilla and almond extract and yogurt. Mix just until combined and creamy. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.  Grease the pan of your choice and fill the cups half way. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes or baked through and when cooled, transfer to a wire rack. In a small bowl combine the confectioners’ sugar and enough lemon and lime juice to make a nice consistency for the drizzle. Drizzle over the baby cakes and enjoy!

I know the whole world is in carb-conscious mode right now and probably will be forever but every once in a while I just crave a warm fresh loaf of white bread.  There is nothing quite like it.  Fresh and hot out of the oven slathered in butter.  Mmmm.  So this is the easiest recipe in the world and in an hour and thirty minutes you have hot fresh bread.  Of course you can substitute whole wheat flour for the all purpose but this is just the way I like it.  A little white bread once in while isn’t going to hurt you, it might just make you so happy you’ll be making it every week.  

Happy Baking!

White Bread
makes 2 loafs

6-7 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 .25 ounce packets of Active Yeast
2 cups water
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter

Using a small saucepan, heat water, milk and butter until hot to the touch. Using a mixer, mix 5 cups of the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Add hot liquids and mix until well combined. Add in the remaining flour and any extra you might need to make a soft dough that does not stick to the bowl. Either knead in your mixer or knead on a floured surface for 8-10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes. Cut dough in half and shape into 2 loaves. Place in 2, greased 9X5 loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 40-50 minutes or until doubled in size. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. (For the last 5-10 minutes I cover my loaves with aluminum foil to prevent it from getting too brown) Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.

Enjoy!

Hello everyone!  Are you having a good week so far?  I am!  We have had the most amazing weather this week.  I’ve finally been able to take my kids to the park everyday and I can’t believe what a difference a bit of warm weather makes on the mood of the house.  Everyone has been so happy and cheerful and it’s been heaven!!  It’s been like night and day.  Winter weather in Utah can be such a challenging thing when you have kids who love to be outside.  They tend to get a bit grouchy and the tempers flair until it seems unbearable.  So I’m crossing my fingers that the worst is over and mostly sunshine is in the future.  

So let me tell you about these cookies.  These are so delicious.  Different than anything you’ve probably had unless you are no stranger to Lace Cookies.  They are thin as paper and so buttery, crisp and chewy and they taste amazing.  The drizzle of milk chocolate makes the perfect touch and you will find yourself eating way more than you ever anticipated.   So if you have no self control (like me) than you probably don’t want to attempt these, but if you are the person who can eat 2 and give the rest away, than go for it! You’ll be glad you did!  These are also so simple to make, you only need one bowl and you don’t even have to use your mixer. The trick is to use parchment paper (or you will never be able to scrape them off your pan) and only cook 4-6 at a time because they spread like crazy. Good luck and have a great week everyone!

Lace Cookies with Milk Chocolate Drizzle

makes 3 dozen

1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup oats, roughly chopped
5 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash of salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips, melted

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add wet ingredients and mix well. Using a measuring teaspoon, drop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (very important) 4-6 at a time (depending on the size of your baking sheet) and bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and transfer to wire racks. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookies and enjoy!!!

The smell alone of these decedent almonds could make me die a happy woman.  I wish I had a candle that smelled like roasted cinnamon almonds.  I need to work on that.  If you know of one that already exists be sure to let me know.  I would buy them in bulk.

I first fell in love with roasted cinnamon almonds walking along the streets of New York City. You can smell them at almost every corner and I bought more than enough while there many years ago. I experimented three different ways of making these, and this was by far the easiest and most tastiest way.  The only problem with making them is eating way to many of them without even realizing it.  They are so good fresh hot out of the oven.  Yum!  

Have a great weekend everyone!  I’ll be back next week with more yummy treats!

Roasted Cinnamon Almonds

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup honey
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 cups whole natural almonds

1. Spread the almonds out on a baking sheet and roast in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly roasted. Keep a close eye on them to make sure they do not burn. Stir occasionally.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring the butter and the honey to a simmer, stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes. Add the almonds and simmer for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. In a large bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon until well combined. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the almonds from the saucepan to the sugar mixture. Mix until the almonds are well coated.
4. Transfer the almonds to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put under the broiler for just a few minutes, just until sugar melts and caramelizes.
5. Let cool and break apart if necessary.

Enjoy!

Wow, I was trying to see on my blog here the last time I posted a savory recipe instead of just desserts and sweets.  It’s been a while.  Welcome back savory.  I guess since I’ve been pregnant, I’ve just been making simple dinners, which means I’ve been using the recipes I’ve already posted about.  Sweets are just what I love and I think I get carried away sometimes.  But I wanted to share this delicious soup recipe because it is to die for.  I had never tasted a Leek before I made this soup, but I’ve seen so many recipes lately I wanted to try it.  In fact I craved it.  So I just went for it.  I threw in a little bit of this, a little bit of that.  It is perfect! I’ll definitely be making this again and soon because it was good.  I was so surprised that my kids, ages 2 and 4, were licking their bowls clean.  (They never do that.)  You have to make the cheesy toast dippers to ‘dip’ into the soup, because it was the perfect touch (in my opinion).  

Have a great week and I’m sure I’ll have something sweet to share very soon!  :)

Creamy Potato Leek Soup with Cheesy Toast Dippers

6 slices bacon, sliced
3 leeks, cleaned and sliced
6 or 7 potatoes, cubed
44 ounces chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/3 cup fat free half and half (you can use heavy cream if you’re feeling daring)

In a large soup pot, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside, but keep the bacon fat in the pan. Saute the leeks in the bacon fat for about 6-8 minutes or until soft. Add potatoes, chicken broth, salt, pepper, parsley and thyme. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through and soft. Using a blender or food processor, puree half of the soup and add back into the remaining soup. Add the half and half (or cream) and mix until smooth. Use the bacon as a crispy topping.

For the cheesy toast dippers:
Slice a baguette into thin pieces and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with shredded cheese(I use cheddar) and sprinkle some dried parsley on top of the cheese. Place on a baking sheet and place under the broiler for just a few minutes or until the cheese is melted. Dip into the hot soup!

Enjoy!

Thanks to everyone who watched Studio 5 today.  I love the support I receive!  It gives me warm fuzzies!  I had a blast and I am so surprised with myself on how much I enjoy doing these cooking segments.  I’m usually not the type of person who does anything close to this, but I find it invigorating somehow. If you missed it, I will hopefully be able to get a video of it here on my blog soon.  Just keep checking back. Anyways, thanks for all the support!  Now onto the cupcakes.

Is it a cupcake or a muffin? It originally started out as a Banana Muffin.  I had some ripe bananas I needed to use up and thought it sounded especially satisfying at the moment.  But then I had the idea to add the Cinnamon-Vanilla Icing and I’m pretty sure that when you add the icing it magically turns into a Cupcake. You can sure correct me if I’m wrong, but either way these are delicious.  And you can justify eating more because they are filled with fruit, right?  I think that’s how it works. Anyways, give them a try because they are delicious! 

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.  I know I plan to!!

Banana Cupcakes With Cinnamon-Vanilla Icing
makes 18 muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 medium bananas)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Using a mixer, beat the eggs, sour cream, butter and bananas; slowly add the dry ingredients and blend just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes. Top with Cinnamon-Vanilla Icing. Top that with chopped nuts if desired.  

Cinnamon-Vanilla Icing

2 ounces softened cream cheese
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Using a mixer, mix the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until well combined. Add half of the confectioners’ sugar and mix until creamy. Add the milk, cinnamon and the remaining confectioners’ sugar and beat until creamy and smooth.

I’m finally feeling human these days.  It’s such a relief.  I swear the last 6 months have been really challenging for me, but I’m trying to be positive and keep going.  I do apologize for the lack of blogging. I’m sorry I haven’t been around to comment on your blogs either.  I can’t promise I will get better because when I have this baby in just a few months, I’m sure it will become even more challenging.  Three kids will keep me very busy, I’m sure.  But I’m not giving up my blog.  I love it and I’m proud of it and I am just going to do the very best I can.  I appreciate everyone’s support.  Food bloggers are the best!  Everyone has been so kind and supportive and it sure means a lot to me!  :)

Anyways, you have to try these cookies.  I’m sure there are dozens of recipes out there for them, but I had a mint brownie recently that was similar and I wanted to turn it into a cookie.  And that is just what I did! They are divine in every sense of the word. I devoured many in a very short period of time.  Am I ashamed? No, I just blame it on the baby.  I can do that you know.  And I’m probably going to finish them off pretty soon.  So there!  Give them a try if you have any willpower!  

For the cookies:

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the middle layer:
1 cup Guittard green mint chips, melted

For the frosting:
1/2 c. butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
4 1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
milk

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.
2. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar and mix until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture until well combined.
3. Using a 2 inch ice cream scoop, scoop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until firm. You don’t want to underbake or overbake these cookies. Let cool.
4. Spread a layer of the melted mint chips over the cookies. Put them into the fridge to let them set for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the frosting.
5. Using a mixer, cream the butter. Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa until well combined. Slowly add to the butter. Add the vanilla and a dash of milk at a time until the consistency is thick enough to spread on the cookies. Beat until smooth. Spread the frosting over the mint layer.

Enjoy!

*also seen on Cafe Zupas Blog

It’s been a while my friends!  My house has had plague after plague in the last 3 weeks and it seems to still be going strong.  It started with the kids and spread to my husband and I.  I’ve gone from a Cold to Pink eye to a Sinus infection.  It’s been fun let me tell you.  But I couldn’t stay away any longer.  It’s been way too long since I shared a recipe!  So here I am in my PJ’s and kleenex in hand typing away between coughing and sneezes.  

I just had to share this delicious salad with you.  I had it at a church function a few weeks ago and I’ve made it many times since.  I’m not usually a ‘sweet’ salad kind of girl.  I love my ranch dressing, but this salad is amazing.  Did I mention how amazing this salad is? Well, I’m not lying.  And it’s easy too.  I dressed it up a bit adding some shredded rotisserie chicken so I could eat it for lunch and feel full and satisfied. Delicious!  You have to try it, because if you’ve never had it, you have been missing out on something truly special!  Here’s what you need:

fresh spinach leaves
fresh romaine leaves
fresh strawberries, cut up
a granny smith apple, cut up
mandarin oranges
dried cranberries
toasted almonds
a bit of shredded rotisserie chicken
poppyseed dressing (I like Briannas brand)

Just mix it all together and you’ve got one fantastic salad! Hope you guys enjoy it and have a wonderful week!

You are looking at one of the 100 chocolate bowls I made (with much help from my sweet mother) last week for a church function.  It was a lot of fun and these little beauties were a big hit.  Making these aren’t as complicated as you might think.  All you need is some good quality baking chocolate, small balloons, parchment paper and cooking spray.  Here is the trick: Melt your chocolate slowly in a glass bowl, over a slightly simmering pan of water.  You don’t want the chocolate to get to hot or it will turn white and look really bad one it has set.  It will take some time to melt while you stir it constantly until it is smooth.  Once it is melted, take your blown up balloon (you want to use the smallest balloons you can find, I used 5 inch balloons) and dip it into the chocolate just about half way up the balloon.  Set the dipped balloon on parchment paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Once the balloon has set, simply pop the balloon and it will come right out of the bowl.  You now have a beautiful edible chocolate bowl that will literally blow your guests away!!! You can fill your bowls with whatever you desire, but I filled mine with rich chocolate cake cubes (I used a boxed cake mix added a box of chocolate pudding to it), drizzled the cake with a white chocolate mousse and topped it off with white chocolate and almond cream.  This is a really rich dessert, but will satisfy your sweet tooth like nothing else can.  

I hope you all have a great week and I will be back soon with some more mouthwatering recipes!  

White Chocolate Mousse Drizzle and White Chocolate and Almond Cream

3 cups chilled whipping cream
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 pound good-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1. Bring 1 cup cream and butter to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts. Remove from heat. Add white chocolate and stir until smooth. Whisk in vanilla. Pour 1 1/2 cups white chocolate mixture into a small bowl; cover and freeze until cold, about 1 hour.
Let remaining white chocolate mixture in saucepan stand at room temperature until lukewarm, about 20 minutes.
2. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 2 cups cream and almond extract in large bowl until peaks form. Working in 3 batches, fold in lukewarm white chocolate mixture. Refrigerate whipped cream just until medium peaks hold, folding occasionally, about 3 hours.

This mousse and cream is not only perfect for these little chocolate bowls, you can also use the mousse as the filling in between a chocolate cake and frost the cake with the white chocolate cream!

also seen on Cafe Zupas Blog

I know I know, it’s been a week since my last post.  And I was doing so well last week!  But here I am.  It has been one week ago today that I did my very first cooking segment on live television.  And I have to say, it was a lot of fun.  I made myself ill during the week leading up to the day, but once I got there and set everything up, I forgot how nervous I was and just tried to enjoy the moment.  And I did!  Everyone was so nice and made me feel so comfortable and right at home.  I thought I did so much better than I expected myself to (I lack in the confidence department), that is until I decided to watch the segment.  I will never do that again.  But I am proud of myself, and for that I will hold the memory forever.  I just wanted to thank all the locals who watched it for all the nice words of encouragement.  It meant a lot to me to get some positive feedback!  Anyways, enough about that. On to the recipe.  

I posted this on the Cafe Zupas blog last week and I had to post them again here on Stephanie’s Kitchen. My kids loved these healthy little snacks and I will definitely be making them again.  You don’t have to add the chocolate, but here again, this wouldn’t be Stephanie’s Kitchen without a little chocolate.  I hope you enjoy them and I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

2 cups granola
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

In a bowl, mix together the honey and peanut butter until smooth. Add the granola and mix until well coated. Pat into a 8X8 greased pan and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Place in a 350 degrees for 2-3 minutes or until chocolate is melted. Smooth out chocolate over the top of the granola. Chill until set. Cut into squares.

Enjoy!

Hey there everyone, can you believe I’m posting so soon? It’s only been 4 days!  I surprised myself too. All of a sudden, my cooking is back in full force and I’m having to pace myself or I would be in the kitchen all day everyday, and my kids wouldn’t handle that very well.  Since they still need me for almost EVERYTHING I have to put them first, but when I have time it’s all I want to do!  Yay!  

I’m actually surprised I haven’t posted this recipe before.  Yes, everyone has a snickerdoodle recipe, but these are by far the BEST recipe I have ever tried.  And I’ve tried a lot.  But I’ve been making these for my husband almost every weekend for years, only because he begs me too.  He loves them.  No, he worships them.  They are scrumptious!  Give them a try!

And just a heads up for all of you lovely Utah-ns.  Is that what we call ourselves? Anyways, I was asked by a local news talk show (Studio 5) to do a cooking segment on Thursday the 22nd at 11:00 if you want to tune in.  This is my very first EVER cooking segment and I am super nervous, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.  I’m really excited.  I will also be having a little chat with the hosts about us Foodies, who we are and why we do what we do.  If anyone more experienced than me has any advice for me, I would love it more than anything!!! So, if you live here in Utah, tune in!  Channel 5, KSL, Studio 5. Have a great week!

Snickerdoodles
makes 3 dozen

3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tarter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tarter, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add in eggs. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until well incorporated.
3. Mix together the 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Shape in to 1 1/2 inch balls and dip in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. Do not over bake or they will be too crispy. Bake just until light and golden.

Hi everyone!  Hope ya’ll had a wonderful week.  I know I did but I am so ready for the weekend! I know I haven’t posted in a while but here I am back with a delicious sweet treat, of course.  I haven’t posted anything savory in quite a while.  Since the pregnancy, I honestly have been relying on the recipes I already have that have one main ingredient – simplicity.  I’m all about simple right now.  With 2 crazy kids and constant nausea (which by the way is getting a lot better) I have been cooking for my family but only if it is easy and fast.  But I am feeling my creativity slip back into my life a little more each day so hopefully I’ll have some great recipes here very soon that don’t involve chocolate.  Of course, my blog wouldn’t be my blog without a little chocolate, but you get my point.  Thanks for all of your support, it is very much appreciated!  So onto the recipe.  

These little tarts are perfect for any gathering, party or just a simple dessert.  This recipe does use a cake mix but I say yay to that because of the above paragraph – simple.  You can fool anyone and think you slaved away all day in the kitchen!  Give them a try, I hope you like them! Have a great weekend!!

Mini Chocolate Tarts
makes 24 tarts

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup melted butter
1 3.4 oz box instant chocolate pudding
1 cup half and half
1 8 oz container cool whip

1. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, egg and butter until smooth. Scoop batter 2/3rds full into a mini muffin tin sprayed with non stick spray. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the edges are set. Immediately press down the centers of the cups using a tart shaper or a plastic lid of a soda bottle. Cool completely.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the pudding with the half and half until smooth. Fold in the cool whip. Spoon or pipe into the cups and top with a fresh strawberry or raspberry.

Enjoy!