Category: Baking

O my good gosh. You know when you are reading a blog and just know you have to share it with the world. Well I was pursuing a favorite site blog. Modcloth.com Its my favorite place to go look and then feel guilty about looking at. They have the most amazing stuff there! Such cute retro styles and just fun stuff. I got these amazing converse sneaker socks for me and my little sister for Christmas. And a unique pocket watch scarf months ago. And most recently some really cute dresses during their big yearly sale.

Well not only do they have amazing stuff to look at they also have a cute blog to follow! Todays post, all about making your own oreo peanut butter! If anyone tried my oreo peanut butter bark recipe back in December, they will know why I am already dying to try this. Im not sure why I didnt already think of it. And it couldn’t be any easier!

10 whole Oreo cookies (I usually add double the amount of oreo’s to every recipe like this.)
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup white chocolate chips
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 mason jar, or, reuse peanut butter jar!

1. Crush the oreo’s and add to the peanut butter.

2. Melt the white chocolate and add to the gooey goodness concoction.

3. Stir it all together and store in a mason jar, and enjoy the amazingness!

So now you need to do three things, watch modcloth for all their new arrivals and returning favorites. Check out their blog for more fun stuff. And go make this right now to enjoy it with anything you want to pair it with or straight from the jar!

So Im pretty excited. I just hit order online. At midnight? Why am I still up? O because I had to watch Jersey Shore when I got home. Guilty as charged. I just cant help watching and loving that train wreck. Anyways I had seen this on another blog I watch the other day. And fell in love instantly. How can you not?

This is “My little cupcake”

A mold for cake balls. So you to can make the same beautiful treats the amazing Bakerella shines at. You can even make them with her non bake recipe with oreo’s and cream cheese. So easy she has her super cute kids do the tutorial for it. (I think thats what sold me, they are so cute!)

You pop them in and out of the mold and dip them in chocolate. Could I have just described heaven? All the reviews say its easy peasy and they clean up great. So I ordered two, I cant wait to play with them! I can see these becoming an addiction of mine. Of course when I get mine I’ll be sure to be sharing every yummy detail with you! Until then.

If you know me you know I grew up on kraft dinner. (Mac and cheese to my american friends!) In fact its still a staple in my pantry. Well I love to alter it sometimes. Hot dogs, ketchup, salt and pepper and veggies. Its always fun to mix it up. Well I came across this recipe and just had to try it. Lasagna mac and cheese! Yum! And best part its super easy and tasty.

1 box of Kraft Mac and cheese prepared according to box

1/2 pound of Ground beef (I used a full pound because I love Ground beef)

1 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce. (again I used a little more to taste)

1 cup shredded mozzarella

Parmesan to top.

Preheat oven to 350.

Brown meat in large skillet, and drain. Spoon half of pasta into lightly greased 8 inch casserole dish. Layer with beef, sauce, and cheese. Repeat with left over half of each layer. Top with Parmesan cheese. And bake 20 minutes.

If you have kids who are picky like I was (still am) this is a great meal to throw together!

As promised today is cupcake day! O don’t you wish you lived in my spare bedroom? So tonight we went to my sister in laws “in laws” house. (Was that confusing?) They always have big Sunday family dinners. Which I think is adorable with such a big family. And I’m addicted to her rolls. They are to die for, and then you feel like your dying after you regret eating that second not needed one. Anyways there was a cupcake request.

I split the flavors down the middle. Most requested, “Death by Chocolate” a cupcake truly for its own name. Chocolate cake with nutella buttercream with chocolate sprinkles and drizzled in milk chocolate. To die for. Then I thought I would experiment with the other half. ehhhhh not so good.

Apparently the Skor bar did not like being baked. Instead it decided to explode everywhere. But I do not give up. They may not have looked so pretty but they still tasted dang good! So I went ahead with my “Skor a piece of Heaven” cupcakes. Because they were heavenly. And if your going to die from chocolate with the others you might as well get to heaven with these babies. Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream, crushed Skor bar, drizzled in caramel first and then lightly with milk chocolate. They also had skor baked into them but you couldn’t tell as they just melted and sunk to the bottom and make the tops warp in a not attractive way. But its not about the look its about the taste!

And just when I thought my mayhem of the day was over. My mixer decided it had had enough of frosting making. In fast it tore itself in two. And would not for the life of me go back together. But lucky me because I have a hubby who can figure out anything! We got that pin back in and the mixer in one piece again! O and then the lock didn’t work. Seriously it was not my best day. I now know of my pins and screws and hidden parts of that machine than I thought possible. But have no fear Brandon was here! And did not give up till that thing was brand new again! He saved the cupcake day!

So once we had that up and running again we were back on track. A little crushing of the S bar’s, some melting chocolate and lots of piped tops and there was some beautiful temptations in my little kitchen. I’m not a chocolate fan but those “Death by Chocolates” are one of my favorites. And the “Skor a piece of Heaven” were a close second today. MMM they were an ooey gooey goodness mess. Plus everyone thoroughly enjoyed each bite of either cupcake. And that’s all I care about!

Sweet dreams! (If your dreaming of these!)

So Im writing this knowing I wont have time to share a craft with you today. I had a cupcake order this morning. Which was filled at 5am because my neighbor seems to think the louder his truck is the more the people around him will like him. Not such the case so as a warning if you value your life don’t honk your horn again at 5 am!

Rant done, let me show you the cute mini cakes that went out to a middle school teachers meeting today! Vanilla mini cupcakes with school colors red, blue, and white buttercream. Super cute! I am learning to love mini’s above regular cupcakes because they are just two bites of delicious-ness! Vs. me eating ten big ones…

MMM Yum! Aren’t those cute little cupcakes irresistible ! Those 5 left overs are having a stare down with me. I think Im going to win. Or is it lose if I devour them all?

Tonight I am sharing some of my favorite sweet treats to make for your big Valentines celebration. I am not a fan of the going out and having dinner at a crowded restaurant, with every other couple in the world on V-day. So instead we celebrate ours at home with a special meal in. Here are so really cute idea’s you can use to make your night in better than any out.

Lets start with Breakfast. My go to celebration breakfast is my danish crepes or aebleskiver (danish pancake balls) But on Feb 14 you have to go all out! Why not surprise you sweetie with Breakfast in bed. With a simple but cute heart recipe. Martha Stewart perfected this one.  Take a thick piece of toast and cut the center out with a heart shaped cookie cutter. Melt a tablespoon and a half of butter in a small skillet. Cook the Bread on Medium until the underside is lightly browned. Add another tablespoon and a half and flip the bread to brown the other side. Then spray your metal cookie cutter with cooking spray and place inside the hole, and crack the egg inside the cookie cutter. Cover the skillet and cook about 2-3 minutes. Use tongs to remove the cookie cutter. Serve with the heart cutout to dip in the egg. Some OJ, fruit and this makes the perfect lazy Valentines Day morning.

So you’ve had your yummy breakfast and you finally drag yourself out of bed. You realize its still February! Its cold outside. So you want to make you and your sweetie a cute and warm pick me up! Martha also claims this one. Can you tell I am constantly on her site finding great recipes!) Grab your favorite hot chocolate mix, and giant marshmallows. This one is even easier! Grab a mini heart cookie cutter. (I found a set of mini to large ones at the dollar store the other day) and push it through the center of each marshmallow. MMM and Enjoy!

As you can guess we’re trying to keep these recipes as low key as possible. Because its all about spending time together, not about spending time with your kitchen. So for dinner were gonna do most of the work for you. Grab your favorite pasta sauce and swing over to your nearest cost plus/world market and pick up these awesome pre-made heart shaped pasta’s. Make as directed and add your preferred sauce, maybe some chicken or beef to spice it up. And Tada dinner for 2! (or as many as you want to feed)

And for dessert! So of course Im going to be eating a million cupcakes, but for those of you who dont live next door to me who I will be sharing with, you can make this sweet treat! This one came from my second favorite recipe site. Kraft sends me a new bunch to my inbox every week. And each new one I try I love more than the previous! Anyways the key to my hubby’s heart is with chocolate pudding! If I add peanut butter he thinks he’s died and gone to heaven! So make some instant chocolate pudding as directed. Divide into 4 microwaveable dishes and top with a spoon full of peanut butter. Microwave for 30 second or until peanut butter starts to melt and pudding is heated through. Top with cool whip and dive in!

So enjoy your night in! Cuddle up, turn on a romantic movie or pull out those board games that have been collecting dust. Valentines Day is about celebrating your love for each other, so spend it together, not with the other million people waiting for a table at your favorite restaurant.

Welcome to Heaven. Where we serve Nutella Buttercream Chocolate cupcakes. These things are to die for! Plus I got to play with my new cupcake stand I got for Christmas. Its for one of my favorite little boys second birthday. He can inhale Nutella sandwiches so when I suggested doing Nutella cupcakes his mom loved it! I love when I can excite people over flavors and design! Hope it doesn’t make your mouth water too much!

Im in love with this beautiful stand! I love how the cupcakes just float on the glass tiers. Its so unique!

Mmm I always try just one. Any more and I’ll weigh 300 pounds. But I try one just to make sure what I am delivering isn’t some accidentally poisoned mess. And these babies are sure heaven to me. I gave Brandon a bite and instead he inhaled half the cupcake. So must be a favorite!

And my favorite part of the floating glass, that you can see the super cute cupcake liner messages! Simply delicious, couldn’t have said it any better myself!

This is my go to recipe when I have people over and I want to make something impressive looking but dont really want to put that much effort into it. Because having company should not mean a day of stressing out. So last night when my In Laws were coming over for dinner I knew just what to make! I found this recipe in a magazine awhile back. Its actually from glee star Lea Michele. A favorite meal from her mom. So if your a gleek or just want a good recipe here it is!

Lasagna Roll Ups

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large bunch broccoli stems removed and finely chopped

1 16 oz bag of carrots chopped or shredded

1 16 oz box of lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

32 oz container of ricotta cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1/4 cup parmesan

2 cups shredded mozzarella

2 jars tomato sauce

Preheat to 350

In a large skillet heat olive oil and saute Broccoli and carrots until tender (about 7 minutes) Place in fridge until cool. Cook noodles, drain and rinse in cold water to prevent sticking.

Lay out flat. Mix ricotta, oregano, basil and garlic. Salt to taste. Add parmesan and mozzarella, mix well. Add broccoli and carrots to cheese mixture. Use back of spoon to spread mixture onto noodles. Leaving an inch at one end so you can roll up without overflowing. Roll up each noodle.

Place in casserole dish with half sauce of sauce, seam side down. Cook 45 min, remove and top with remaining sauce and finish cooking for 15 minutes.

I like to also add some ground beef to the sauce to make the meal more flavorful and filling. I also throw some more parm on top . Serve this up with a cesar salad and some dinner rolls and voila perfect for any dinner party.

So enjoy the recipe! We all did. And it must have smelled good because these two sat nicely right beside me the whole meal! Happy Monday everyone!