Chocolate Covered 'Strawberries'

One common Valentine's Day dessert is chocolate covered strawberries.  This year, I wanted to acknowledge this delicious dessert and at the same time put a twist on it.

Fade into the Chocolate Covered 'Strawberries'-

These wafer cookies are a perfect substitute for strawberries.  Whenever I eat a wafer cookie, it reminds me of my grandma's house because she always had a Tupperware container full of them, so it is a sweet reminder of her love.  

Make your own Chocolate Covered 'Strawberries'-

Strawberry Wafers

Almond Bark (Vanilla and Chocolate Flavored)

Valentine Sprinkles (I got this one at Target for $4.99)

Melt the chocolate and let stand for 1 minute to firm a little.  Dip the wafers into the chocolate and lay on parchment paper.  Immediately add sprinkles to the top of the chocolate.  Let cool and firm before storing.

And there you have it, Chocolate Covered 'Strawberries' perfect for kids and adults alike!

Slow Cooker Chili

Chili was made to warm you on a cold winter day.  I love this simple recipe that makes a hearty chili that is perfect on a Sunday afternoon.  A slow cooker and a few pantry ingredients is all you need.  

Chili Recipe Link

Ground Beef

Onion

Red Kidney Beans

Canned Tomatoes (I like to use Chili Ready Tomatoes, it makes it the chili have an extra spicy kick)

Green Bell Pepper

Garlic

Chili Powder

Cumin

Black Pepper

Salt

Brown the 2 lbs of meat and 1 cup chopped onion.

Place meat and onion in crock pot.

Chop the green bell pepper.

Roughly chop and crush 2 cloves of garlic.

Put the pepper and garlic in crock.

Drain the tomatoes and place into the crock.

Add the red kidney beans and mix together.

Add in chili powder, ground cumin, black pepper, and salt.

Stir well so all ingredients are mixed.

Put cover on the crock and cook on low for 9-11 hours.

 Then enjoy a big bowl of chili. 

Chili Recipe Card Link

Thanksgiving Acorn Treats

A sweet treat that is the perfect size...Thanksgiving Acorns!  These simple scrumptious bites are easy to make and eat.

What you will need:

Nutter Butter Minis

Hershey Kisses

Mini Chocolate Morsels

Baking Chocolate

Technically speaking the first step is to unwrap all those Hershey Kisses.  This is actually the longest part of this process! After you unwrap, melt the chocolate in a heat safe bowl over boiling water.

When chocolate is melted, dip the Hershey Kiss flat side down in the chocolate.  Then place the Kiss on top of a mini Nutter Butter.  Let the Kisses cool completely before moving on (it makes it easier and keeps the acorn pieces together).

Dip the mini chocolate morsel into the chocolate, then place on top of the Nutter Butter and...

...you have made a delicious acorn treat!  Easy and Oh So Cute!

Enjoy, but be careful not to eat the entire batch (I ate several during the making process)!

Spooky Ghost Cookies

I have been making these Halloween treats since I was in elementary school.  They are so simple and sweet that it is a must for every year.  This is a great cookie to make with kids too!  Here is how you make these 'boo'rific tasty treats:

The stars of the show:

Vanilla Baking Chocolate

Nutter Butters

Mini Chocolate Chips

Melt the Vanilla Chocolate.  Dip the Nutter Butters into the melted chocolate. 

Place on a piece of tin foil.

Add two mini chocolate chips for their eyes.

I ran out of vanilla chocolate, so one of my ghost was indecently exposed!

These treats are so hauntingly delicious that you better watch out after you eat them!

Banana Bread. Take 1 & 2.

A classic and favorite baked good in my house is banana bread.  I have played with many recipes and have come to the conclusion that I love three different recipes (including my grandmother's).  One of my top recipes is 'Flour's Famous Banana Bread'.  I have made this recipe a several times in the past, and all of them have turned out beautifully; however, for the first time in my new place my banana bread failed!

Upon opening my oven door and looking upon a gorgeous brown crust and smelling the banana'ie' aroma, I tested to see if the top springs back.  I lightly touched the top, and to my surprise, it was not ready.  That is okay, I will just let it bake for longer. This continued until my top of bread was looking a little too dark.  I let out a sigh and took it out.  It has baked for an hour and a half, way longer than my previous times baking this same recipe.  I walked away to do some other things, and came back to a sunken bread! 

I was crushed, bummed, and just plain ANGRY! What happened?  I did everything perfectly...or did I? 

Later, my boyfriend's uncle came by to visit and suggested that my oven may not be set at the correct temp.  So I ventured to get an oven thermometer, and attempted the recipe again.  Using the oven thermometer to set the oven at 350, I found that I needed it to be set at 385!  I have been cooking and baking 35 degrees off.  No wonder why it took so long to make a frozen pizza! 

Anyways, sorry for the small rant! This is the banana bread recipe that I love and use regularly

The stars of the show!

Mix together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Whisk eggs and sugar until light and fluffy, then drizzle in oil.

Add bananas, vanilla, and sour cream.  Fold in dry ingredients.

 Line bread pan with parchment paper and bake at 350 (oven thermometer 350!) for 45 minutes to an hour.

Wonderful Banana Bread...Mmm!

Flour’s Famous Banana Bread   1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour                      2 eggs 1 tsp baking soda                                         ½ cup oil ¼ tsp ground cinnamon                              3 -3 ½ bananas, very ripe, mashed ½ tsp salt                                                       2 Tbl crème fraîche or sour cream 1 cup plus 2 Tbl sugar                                1 tsp vanilla extract   Preheat oven to 350.  Line loaf pan with parchment paper.   Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.  Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.  Drizzle in oil.  Add mashed bananas, creme fraiche, and vanilla.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Pour into a lined loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.   Let stand in pan to cool before removing.  Serve with butter, peanut butter, or honey.   The moral of this story: Bake with an Oven Thermometer!

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Pumpkin desserts are one of my favorite treats to cozy up to on a cool fall day.  Of course, pumpkin pie is one of the most popular American picks, but this Pumpkin Spice Cake is the perfect mix of pumpkin and complementary spices: cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.  Making it a two layer cake gives the extra cream cheese frosting a kick in the middle.  Do not be fooled by the frosting because it is not just your regular cream cheese.  A sweet maple syrup surprise gives it a richer and more consistent taste and texture. 

To make this beautiful fall treat we first must gather all our ingredients...

unsalted butter

light brown sugar

eggs

canned pure pumpkin

vanilla extract

cake flour

baking powder

baking soda

salt

cinnamon

ginger

cloves

buttermilk

Beat the butter and light brown sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).



Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.





 Add the pumpkin and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and other spices.  Add the flour mixture and buttermilk in alternating additions.  Begin and end with the flour mixture. 

Divide the batter in half and pour the batter into the prepared pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25-30 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then invert and remove the cakes from their pans. 

While cakes are cooking and cooling, make this delicious cream cheese frosting...

Here are the stars of the show: Cream Cheese and Butter!

You will also need powder sugar and the secret ingredient...maple syrup.

Place the cream cheese and butter in a bowl and mix until smooth.  Add the maple syrup and sugar and mix to combine.  Adjust syrup or sugar for consistency, or use buttermilk to thin the frosting.



Set aside about a cup of frosting, then place the bottom layer upside down and frost the top.  Place the top layer on top right side up.  Frost the entire cake.  Then let's make it fancy... 



Mix a small amount of reserved frosting with 6 drops of yellow and 1 drop of red food coloring.  Create an orange to your liking.  Grab a 1 gallon plastic bag and turn it inside out.  Pour the orange frosting into one of the corners of the bag, and then flip the bag back to normal.  Cut a small slit on the corner and you have a easy decorating tool!



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