Warm Toasted Marshmallow S'mores Bars

Total. S'MORGASM!!

Since it has only been forever and a day since I last posted anything, I'd like to explain. I'm pregnant! Pregnancy works well for the eating portion of this blog however it does not work well for the writing and cooking portion. Pregnancy has made me exhausted and by the time dinner comes around the only thing I feel like making is a bowl of cereal. Now that I'm 25 weeks along I have more energy to cook however I'm usually not very hungry with the nasty heartburn I have (doesn't pregnancy sound like so much fun?!).

Reece's Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes



Don't you want to lick the screen?!

For how much I love cupcakes you'd think I'd post more pictures of them, right?! Unfotunately, I love them SO much I usually eat them before I can get a good picture. I'm pretty boring when it comes to making cupcakes. I'll make a chocolate cake (from a box) with my basic vanilla buttercream frosting. Last fall I wanted to treat some very special ladies I work with and thank them with cupcakes for all the hard work they do for me and my colleagues. I ventured out of my comfort zone and made Reece's Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes. WOWZA! These.were.awesome!!!!

Apple Crisp

Sorry that it's not a great picture, we dug in before I could snap a good shot!

There are SO many things that I love about fall. The leaves turn beautiful colors, it's jeans and t-shirt weather, my birthday is in the fall, and APPLES GALORE!! As much as I love apples, I've never made an apple crisp before. I was having my brothers over for a casual dinner and wanted a yummy dessert to leave them with. As you know, I'm all for simple so I thought I'd try an apple crisp for the first time.

Berry Cheesecake Parfaits

I had been eyeing this recipe on Kraftfoods.com for quite some time. All the reviews were positive and it looked pretty easy to make. I think I was waiting for the berries to be in season so I didn't have to pay an arm and a leg for them. For the record, I like my food quick, easy, delicious, and CHEAP! I figured that since today is our nation's Independence Day and everything is red, white, and blue, this would be a perfect day to dive in. Not to mention the blueberries and strawberries were on sale!

This is an excellent summer dessert! It is light, creamy, fruity, and refreshing on a hot summer's day. I didn't have Cool Whip so I didn't add that but the dessert was still amazing. I think the Cool Whip just makes it a more fluffy and less dense pudding. This dessert would be a great addition to any potluck or dinner party if you put it in a trifle dish to serve a crowd. After making it I was thinking about all kinds of variations of it as well. You could do chocolate pudding with brownies, you could subsitute pound cake for Nilla wafers, you could use lemon pudding instead of vanilla for a more citrusy taste....the possibilities are endless! 

Berry Cheesecake Parfaits

Source: Kraftfoods.com

Ingredients:

1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups cold milk

1 package (3.4oz) Jell-O vanilla flavor instant pudding

1 1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip whipped topping, divided

24 Nilla Wafers, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups mixed blueberries and sliced fresh strawberries

 
Directions:
1. Beat cream cheese in medium bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk.
2. Add dry pudding mix and mix well, about 2 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup Cool Whip.
3. Layer half of each of the wafers, berries and pudding mixture in parfait glasses. Repeat layers.
4. Top with a dollop of Cool Whip and garnish with berries.

Layered Mocha Cheesecake



Honestly, after reading the title of this post do you really need to know why I wanted to make this cheesecake?! Well, since you are already here I might as well give you the story. For Easter this year, my in-laws got a huge suite at a hotel/water park in the Wisconsin Dells for the entire family to stay at. We were all in charge of bringing an appetizer. Well, there were going to be 4-5 appetizers so I decided I'd bring dessert. I had been eyeing a Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake from Kraftfoods.com but when I mentioned it to Kurt he said that he wanted a mocha cheesecake. I thought long and hard about what kind of cheesecake to make. In the end....I chose both!!! I am personally not a huge fan of mocha, or anything coffee flavored for that matter, but I am a sucker for my husband and love making him happy with my food. I searched a lot of websites for a good looking mocha cheesecake and, after what felt like forever, found this little gem! There was definitely more prep work involved with this cheesecake but man-alive it was totally worth it! The coffee flavor is not overpowering (which I was afraid of) and the chocolate crust with a chocolate cheesecake layer and chocolate on top.....divine! I think that next time I'd make the very top chocolate layer a ganache so it's a little creamier. Other than that, this was a perfect cheesecake!

Layered Mocha Cheesecake

Source: Food.com

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 1/2 cups crumbled cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (better yet, use Oreo crumbs)

1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling:

2 tbsp instant coffee granules & 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules 

1 tbsp boiling water

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

4-8oz packages cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup flour

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled

Glaze:

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 tbsp butter

chocolate covered coffee beans (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine cookie crumbs and butter; press onto the bottom of a greased 9 inch springform pan.

2. In a small bowl, combine the coffee granules, water and cinnamon; set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and flour until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in vanilla. Divide batter in half.

4. Stir melted chocolate into one portion; pour over crust. Stir coffee mixture into the remaining batter; spoon over chocolate layer.

5. Place pan on a double thickness of heavy duty foil. Securely wrap foil around pan. Place in a large baking pan; add 1 inch of hot water to larger pan.

6. Bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator and refrigerate overnight (this awesome trip prevents cracking!).

5. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter; stir until smooth. Spread over cheesecake. Remove sides of pan. Garnish with coffee beans if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

This is what my kitchen looked like as the cheesecake went in the oven...total disaster zone!!

CUBcakes!!

In case you didn't notice, we are huge Cub fans (helloooo, we named our daughter Riglee!)! Every other year the Cubs play the Brewers at Miller Park very early in the season. It is always a good rivalry and always a lot of fun. And every other year, three families get together to tailgate and go to the game. The families are the Reulands, the Schmidts, and the Dickens...or as we now call ourselves, the Reuschmidtkens! We all sign up to bring a dish to share for tailgating and we all bring our own beverages [cough cough - cold beer].

This year I signed up to bring a corn/black bean salsa and some cupcakes. I had this great idea to make Cub themed cupcakes....or Cubcakes!!! My vision was a cupcake that the actual cake was a swirl of blue and red batter and then the top would be covered with buttercream and a fondant Cubs logo. In my mind, my cupcake would look like this:

Well, since I know nothing about fondant and didn't want to spend an arm and a leg figuring out how to make it, I decided I'd just make a buttercream logo. And lets be honest, there is no way I am a good enough artist to make the above cupcake...yet ;). So I decided that I would just make a regular cupcake with a homemade buttercream using this recipe from Wilton. I may be biased but they were pretty darn tasty! Let's just say that these Cubcakes were so good that even Brewer fans at work liked them!!

Buttercream Icing

Source: Wilton

Ingredients

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
2 tablespoons milk

Directions
(Medium Consistency)
1. In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla.
2. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often.
3. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.


Makes about 3 cups of buttercream icing.

Dump Cake

While the name is not all that appealing, this cake is soooo delicious! I'm sure you've had it before, it has 5 ingredients and you basically just dump them all in a pan and bake away! Easy peasy and oh so yummy. Yesterday, while nursing a hangover, Kurt turned to me and asked me to make Dump Cake. Since my husband is not really a dessert guy, and even less of a cake guy, I was stunned and very excited....I had an excuse to make cake! So we took a family trip to the grocery store, picked up the ingredients for the cake and for dinner and hurried home. I was not only excited to make this cake because I love cake, I was also excited because I knew it would make my house smell divine! Well, we ended up going to a friend's house for a cookout (first one of the year...let the grilling begin!) and didn't get home until 9pm so we couldn't make the cake. So first thing this morning I assembed and started baking it. My house smells warm and wonderful and the cake tastes even better!

Dump Cake
Source: Mother-In-Law (not sure where she got it)

Ingredients
1 can crushed pineapple in 100% pineapple juice
1 can cherry pie filling
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
2 sticks of butter
(I said it was delicious, not healthy)

Directions
1) In a 9x13 pan, layer and spread out the crushed pineapple and the cherry pie filling.
2) Sprinkle the yellow cake mix on top of the fruit then sprinkle the nuts on top of the cake mix.
3) Slice the butter and lay it out on top of the nuts.
4) bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Serve and enjoy!

~~It tastes best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
~~If you have made this cake and have a different name for it I'd love to know what you call it, Dump Cake is not very appetizing. ;)

Clearly this was a winner!

"Thick" and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I told you I was on a cookie kick. Seriously, for delicious baked goods I always go to Brown Eyed Baker's blog because she never seems to let me down. Not to mention she has a recipe for just about anything I'm craving at the moment! After those delicious monster cookies I was in the mood for a classic chocolate chip cookie. My problem is that I never seem to bake them properly so they turn out too hard and not chewy. I am a BIG fan of a chewy cookie, maybe a little crunch on the outside is okay but I need it soft!

So I went in search of a perfect cookie and what do you know, I found it on Brown Eyed Baker's blog! The recipe had great reviews and I was ready to get cookin'! The cookie was great right out of the oven, however, a day later, not so much. I baked these cookies a minute or two too long so they turned out a bit flatter and crunchier than I thought they would (hence the "thick" due to baker error). I guess I thought it needed another couple minutes because it didn't look golden brown like I expected it too, even though I was warned not to bake these too long in the directions. So, here is my warning to you: DO NOT BAKE THESE TOO LONG! Anywho, they were still delicious and satisfied my craving.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: Brown Eyed Baker, originally from Baking Illustrated, page 434)

Makes about 18 large cookies.

These oversized cookies are chewy and thick, like many of the chocolate chip cookies sold in gourmet shops and cookie stores. They rely on melted butter and an extra egg yolk to keep their texture soft. These cookies are best served warm from the oven but will retain their texture even when cooled. To ensure the proper texture, cool the cookies on the baking sheet. Oversized baking sheets allow you to get all the dough into the oven at one time. If you’re using smaller baking sheets, put fewer cookies on each sheet and bake them in batches.

Ingredients
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.

4. Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.

5. Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a side metal spatula.

The BEST Monster Cookie

Now, if you know me, you know I love me some cupcakes. But lately all I have been wanting to eat are cookies, specifically chocolate chip cookies and monster cookies. And no, I am not pregnant again, I just have the worst sweet tooth. 

I am an avid food blog reader and I have been searching for the best sounding monster cookie recipe for quite some time. The cookie needed to be big (duh, it's got monster in the name), fluffy, chewy, and have the right cookie to add-in ratio (yes, I'm a nerd but those are my qualities). I found the winner on one of my favorite blogs, Brown Eyed Baker. She always has delicious looking food and it generally doesn't seem to daunting to make.

Now, you don't have to say this is the best monster cookie you've ever had, but it will be. I promise this cookie will not let you down. I even had my husband, Kurt, who grew up eating one of the best monster cookies I've ever had tell me that this was the best monster cookie ever. And as he finished his second cookie he spit out a crumbly "yep, definitely the best."

Monster Cookies
Source: Brown Eyed Baker
Makes 26 cookies

3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp corn syrup
2 tsps baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup (4oz or 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups chunky peanut butter
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup Reese's Pieces (I used peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips would also be tasty)
3/4 cup M&M's

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (if you don't have 3 baking sheets, just be sure to cool the ones coming out of the oven before placing more cookie dough on them, you can always run them under cold water to cool them down).

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the eggs, both sugars, vanilla extract, corn syrup, baking soda, and salt. Then stir in the melted butter and peanut butter, followed by the oats and flour. Lastly, stir in the chocolate chips, Reece's Pieces (or peanut butter chips), and the M&M's. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes (you'll need the break after stirring all of that!).

3. Drop the dough by the 1/4 cupfuls onto baking sheets. Use your fingers to flatten the dough slightly. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are a light golden brown. Cool on a rack and then store in an airtight container at room temperature. Best enjoyed with an icy cold glass of milk!

(You can thank me for passing on this recipe later!)

New Year, New Blog!

Life is short...enjoy every bite! I really feel this way about the food I eat. Whether it is a gourmet dinner, a stop at a fast food restaurant, or eating dessert, every bite should be worth putting in your mouth!

I didn't realize that a "food blog" existed until this past year. As I thought more and more about it I decided that I was going to create a blog for myself, mainly as a way to keep track of all the delicious recipes I have and have tried. Believe me, this is a much more organized way of keeping track of my recipes than the 4x6 plastic photo album they've been tucked into since I left for college!

Foods I like (and basically live for) are pasta and cupcakes! But I also like to cook foods that are quick and easy and hopefully semi-healthy. Cooking and baking is a stress relief and a way to decompress after a long day. One of my favorite things to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon is bake cupcakes! There is something about the smell of cupcakes that symbolizes happiness to me. You would be hard pressed to find me sad around a cupcake!

So, to start this off on a "sweet" note...here is a recipe for a tasty trifle!

Triple Chocolate Brownie Trifle
2 packages brownie mix
8-10 pudding snack packs (in milk chocolate and dark chocolate)
1 large container whipped cream
1 bag Heath pieces

Cook brownies according to package directions in a 9x13 pan, cool. Tear brownie into pieces. Place one layer of brownies on the bottom of a trifle dish and press down slightly. Open 2-3  snack packs and spread over brownies. Layer whipped cream over chocolate pudding then sprinkle some Heath pieces over whipped cream. Make sure to spread brownies, pudding, and whipped cream to the edges so you can see all layers through trifle dish. Repeat layering so that there are 3-4 layers to the trifle. Serve immediately or chill then serve.

*This is also very easy to assemble if you are bringing a dish to pass at a party or potluck.*