Friday Favorites

Last time I did a Friday Favorites post we were in the midst of some pretty awful winter weather. But I’m happy to report that it’s starting to feel like spring around these parts. We’ve had some days in the 50’s and 60’s, we set the clocks ahead so there’s more daylight, and it’s officially spring! So without further ado, here’s what I’m currently crushing on.

Love & Toast Clementine Body Lotion

This winter has wrecked havoc on my skin, as I’m sure it has for almost everyone. My skin was always dry and itchy during swimming season, which I learned to accept as part of the territory. But this past winter my skin was the driest it’s been in years and I couldn’t seem to find relief. So after trying a bunch of different lotions, I saw Love & Toast at Marshall’s and grabbed a bottle. I figured that at the discounted price of $3 it wouldn’t be such a loss if it didn’t work.

Well let me tell you – it was the best $3 I’ve spent in awhile! The lotion smells like you’ve just bathed in fresh orange juice, and it actually left my skin soft and flake-free. It’s parabens, phthalates, petrolatum, mineral oil, propylene glycol, retinol, sulfates, and synthetic color free, never animal tested, and has no animal ingredients. What’s better than that?! I’ve since bought their body wash, and it is equally impressive.

Cookie Dough Oreo’s

I don’t remember where I first saw these or heard about them, but once I did, I knew I had to have them. When Oreo had their limited edition birthday cake filled cookies I bought them, and was pleasantly surprised. I was a little weary of the cookie dough “flavor” that the cookie boasted, though. I mean, could it really taste like cookie dough in between those delicious chocolate wafers? I’m so ashamed for ever doubting Oreo, because they are seriously amazing.

I bought them when I was at the grocery store two weeks ago, and they were gone within a matter of days. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find them again at the store, but I’ve been looking every week! If you haven’t tried this yet, you really need to. I’m yet to talk to anyone that has tried them and hasn’t fallen in love! Now I just need them to make a speculoos version…

Single Serve Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie

I love baking, but skip out on it a lot because it makes too many servings. I’m all for having leftovers and like to think I have enough self control to enjoy a cake throughout the week, but a lot of homemade desserts just don’t taste the same as the week goes on… so I don’t make anything. I’ve seen recipes for single serve desserts before, but by the time I am ready for dessert and want something it’s usually around 9pm, and I’m too lazy to get up and put something together. But when I found a recipe for a single serve deep dish chocolate chip cookie, I had to make it.

Deep dish chocolate chip cookie w. cookies & cream ice cream. Yup.

This is basically a warm and gooey chocolate chip cookie… which is one of my absolute favorites. Oreos are actually the only type of “hard” cookie I like, as I generally prefer soft cookies. Putting all the ingredients together is really easy; the hardest part about the whole process is waiting for it to bake in the oven! But it is totally worth the wait. I’m definitely going to be making this a lot more.

Motown / 60’s Music

I grew up listening to Motown (and the like) music on Saturday mornings. My dad always had the same radio station on, the Rhythm Review with Felix Hernandez, while he would clean around the house. I have fond memories of dancing around with my sister (she had special pink rain boots that she’d dance in; when she was really little, they oftentimes were on the wrong foot), and loving every single song that came on. So when my mom, sister, and I went to see Motown the Musical a few weeks ago, I was reminded just how much fun that era of music was. The Chiffons, The Marvelettes, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, The Miracles, The Four Tops, The Temptations… you get my drift.

I’ve been listening to it non-stop since last Wednesday, and can’t help but dance in my seat or smile when some of my favorite songs come on. I also love recognizing a song and knowing the words when no one else around me has any idea what it is. If you’re ever in a bad mood or need a pick me up, or just feel like a departure from current music trends, I highly recommend finding yourself a Motown or 60’s music station on Pandora, iTunes Radio, or Spotify. Your mood will instantly improve.

Fancy Oatmeal

While I’m sure there are “fancier” variations of oatmeal out there, I’ve been really enjoying oatmeal for breakfast recently. It’s perfect to eat before a mid-day run; it keeps me full so I don’t feel like I’m starting my run hungry, but I also don’t feel like I’m going to throw it up while I’m running. And, the possibilities are endless when it comes to combinations! I’ve been enjoying it on the sweet side recently (chocolate chips, shredded coconut, peanut butter, and a dash of cinnamon), but I’ve also had quite a few savory versions, my favorite being with eggs, tomato, onion, and curry powder.

So tell me…
What are you currently loving?

Accepting Fall & A Giveaway Winner

First up, the winner of my Oloves Giveaway thanks to Random.org is commenter #2: Lauren G.! Send me an e-mail with your shipping information and the olives will be on their way!

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My favorite season is summer, and I have no problem admitting that each year as fall creeps up, I get a little sad. Sure, fall means apple picking, cider, cooler (but not cold) weather, pretty foliage, etc., but it means we’re that much closer to winter, which I dread. It probably doesn’t help that I’m not into the whole pumpkin obsession either (except for pumpkin beers) since I don’t really love the flavor. Despite my love affair with summer, I don’t loathe fall – I appreciate all the things that come with it, especially when it comes to food and fashion.

Even though peach season is almost over, it’s perfect weather for apples here in New Jersey. So my fresh box the last few weeks has included peaches and apples, resulting in an overflowing crisper drawer full of the two fruits. My sister is a baking fiend, and any time she’s home, she’s in the kitchen just throwing together desserts on a whim. While she was still home during the summer she made a phenomenal peach and blueberry crumble, so I decided to try an recreate it with peaches and apples.

I love cooking, but baking still intimidates me. Some people (like my sister) just have a knack for baking and can throw things together easily; that definitely isn’t how I roll. I’m extremely comfortable in the kitchen cooking savory dishes, but for whatever reason, baking requires a different level of confidence I just don’t have, so I rely heavily on recipes when it comes to baking. But this past Sunday, I went a bit out of my comfort zone and threw together this simple peach and apple crumble, that is perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert!

Peach & Apple Crumble
– serves 4 –

Ingredients:
2 apples, seeds removed and sliced (I used Gala, but you can use your favorite type)
2 peaches, pitted and sliced (I used white peaches, but same applies here – any kind will work)
2 Tbsp butter, cut into little pats (8 squares)
2 tsp flour
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
For Crumble:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp butter, cut into little pats

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the apple and peach slices, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and pats of butter.
3. Spray a a cake pan with cooking spray, and add in the fruit mixture.
4. In the same bowl you had the fruit, add the remaining flour, sugar, butter, and oats. Use a fork to mix everything together, slightly mashing the butter in the process. Sprinkle the crumble on top of the fruit.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown.

Tropical No-Bake Bites

With the temperatures heating up (or should I say, staying hot), putting on the oven and baking when you could be outside enjoying the beautiful weather or cooling off in some air conditioning isn’t always high on a summer to-do list. So when Visalus contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in trying their nutritional shake and creating a recipe with it, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to create a no-bake treat.

I’ve made plenty of no-bake desserts before, but always gravitated towards some type of chocolate flavor. But since the ViSalus nutritional shake was sweet cream flavor, I figured I would embrace that flavor and work with it as-is. I decided the best course of action would be to sample the shake with some coconut almond milk to get the full effect of it’s flavor profile, and then decide on my no-bake flavors from there. The first thing I noticed when I opened the container was the smell of the powder… it smelled just like cake batter! I was shocked. I mean, most nutritional shakes and protein powders have a smell to them, but this truly smelled like cake mix. Keeping my fingers crossed I had the shake, and I’m happy to report the smell wasn’t misleading. It really did taste like a vanilla cake milkshake of sorts… with some impressive nutritional stats!

Since it’s summertime I thought it would be only appropriate to springboard off of the sweet cream flavor and go with a “tropical” no-bake bite. Conveniently I had all of the ingredients laying around that I figured would go well together, so this came together in a matter of minutes. I think these could easily be turned into cookies as well, but considering it was already 80 degrees when I made these at about 8:30am, I wasn’t about to turn on my oven and give it a try. I’ve been snacking on these little bites left and right, and they’re going to be gone before I know it!

Tropical No-Bake Bites
– makes 16 bites –

Ingredients:
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used chunky, of course)
1/4 cup ViSalus sweet cream flavored nutritional shake mix
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup pineapple juice

Directions:
1. Combine the peanut butter, protein, and coconut flakes in a medium bowl with a spoon. Add in the oats a juice, making sure everything is fully incorporated.
2. Shape into tablespoon sized balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for thirty minutes to an hour before serving.

Disclaimer: ViSalus provided me product and compensation in return for creating a recipe. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sweet Success

I’ve tried my hand at cake balls and cake pops a few times before, and I’ve never been completely satisfied with the result. For whatever reason, no matter what I do (aka follow the recipe exactly), I can’t seem to get the cake balls to stay intact long enough to coat them in melted chocolate or candy melts. After giving up on the cake ball phenomenon, I decided to give truffles a try. I started with the basic chocolate truffle, and graduated to the (barely more complicated) Oreo truffle. After feeling confident enough in those attempts, I decided to try something new.

The biggest problem I’ve had with the cake mix and frosting mixture, as I’ve said, is that it just doesn’t stick together. The frosting is sticky, but it just isn’t sticky enough. I’ve only had success when ingredients like cream cheese or peanut butter are involved. So, after thinking long and hard about what I could use as a bonding agent, I realized there was a simple solution: sweetened condensed milk! Not only would it add an extra sweetness, but it’s sticky enough to hold everything together without being over the top sticky, like some syrups. Enter the cake truffle!

On Wednesday at work, my (new) department decided to celebrate Festivus. This meant a White Elephant, an ordered lunch, and of course, treats! Since I’m known as the resident baker and food provider in the office, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to try my truffle idea. You only need four ingredients, and everything comes together quickly. Sure, you have to spend some time waiting for the cake to harden so it can be shaped into balls and coated in chocolate, but I don’t mind the down time… it lets you do other things!

These are a perfect last minute dessert to take to a Holiday party, or something just to enjoy for yourself! These were such a success, I’m thinking I may have to make a few more batches to share before the year is up.

Vanilla Cake Truffles
– makes 30-40 truffles, depending on the size –

Ingredients:
2 cups of vanilla cake mix (I used French Vanilla)
½ cup + 1 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
8 oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Combine the cake mix, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract in a medium-sized bowl. Make sure everything is well combined; the mixture should easily stick together.
2. Refrigerate the mixture for 15 minutes.
3. Using the chilled dough, shape them into balls, placing them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. My truffles measured out to be about 1.5 teaspoons each. Of course you can make them smaller or bigger – it’s up to you!
4. Freeze the dough balls for another 15 minutes.
5. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in a glass bowl. Your time may vary (I like to do 1 minute, stir, and then do another minute).
6. Using two spoons, drop each dough ball into the melted chocolate, being sure to coat every side, scraping it along the edge as you finish. Lay them back on the baking sheet with parchment paper. Freeze for at least 15 minutes, and then refrigerate to keep intact until you’re ready to eat them!

Pinning Away

For those of you that follow me on Pinterest, you know I pin a lot of recipes. So many, in fact, that the majority of the meals I’ve been making over the past few weeks have come from what I’ve found on the site.

My husband’s birthday was last Sunday, so I had to make some sweet treats for the little get together we had. First up was a batch of peanut butter and chocolate protein cookies from The Frugal Girls that were filling and good for you! I found the recipe Saturday morning, and just knew I wanted to make them.

Next up was a batch of brownie batter dip. Oh yes. I’ve seen plenty of recipes for cookie dough dip, but this was one of the first brownie batter dips I’ve seen, and I’m so glad I made it. It’s from Crumbs and Chaos and is super easy to make, and you can’t go wrong when it’s paired with some animal crackers. Everyone was impressed with the treat, and I had enough leftover to take a little spoonful here and there throughout the week.

Aside from desserts (which are the majority of pins I see), I’ve made some really delicious dinners as well. Since it was so hot the past few weeks, I wasn’t feeling anything too heavy or that required serious oven time, so I made this chipotle chopped salad from Nutmeg Notebook one night, which was SO good. I subbed the sour cream for plain Chobani, and served it alongside some “chicken” fingers to bulk it up a bit. I would absolutely eat this salad again, for either lunch or dinner.

choppedsalad — Just like a Chipotle salad!

We also had some buffalo chicken chili since it got cooler as last week progressed, and I subbed out the shredded chicken for tempeh. It was really good, and I could definitely see it as a crowd pleaser during football season. You should really check out Closet Cooking’s blog – I want to make pretty much every single recipe.

After spending some time perusing Pinterest, I think I have some inspiration and ideas for some of my own recipes that I’d like to try. Hopefully I can make at least one a week, and share them with you!

Two Weeks

Every once in awhile, I get the urge to make something on a week night, and realize there is no way it should stay in our house. It’s usually a combination of fear that the treats will disappear quicker than they were made, and also the realization that there is a strong possibility they’ll be forgotten about in the fridge. So, that’s when I bring my treats to work. I know that everyone in the office appreciates those surprise treats, as I’ve won multiple contests in the office. It’s certainly a nice pat on the back!

At the end of the month, though, my office treats will be no more. Rather, I’ll be trading them in for classroom treats! For those of you that have followed the blog for the past year and a half, you may have noticed my alluding to homework, and being back in school. I never wanted to mention exactly what I was in school for, just in case things didn’t work out. However, after three semesters of online courses, it’s finally time for me to student teach. I graduated from The University of Scranton with an English degree, and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it. After getting into the working world, I realized my initial thoughts about teaching were what I truly want to do. So, I took the steps necessary to get the ball rolling, and am finally in the last stages. In order to become a certified teacher, I have to student teach for a semester. Basically, I get to work full time, for free!

I of course am going to miss everyone I work with, and the company will always hold a special place in my heart. But, I need to follow my heart, and believe it or not, my heart is working with the teenagers of America, trying to make reading and writing seem cool. Or, at the very least, not torture.

To soften the blow of leaving, I’ve been bringing in treats more frequently. I may also still be a contributor to their documentation and online knowledge base. So these last two weeks are going to be filled with desserts in the break room. What a better way to get in the Holiday spirit! First on my list was pumpkin chocolate pie.

Unfortunately I thought I had a can of pumpkin left in the pantry, but I was wrong. So, I decided to make a chocolate silk pie instead! My co-workers were fans, so it worked out in the end. Hopefully my future students and fellow teachers will be fans of my baking as well!

Easy Chocolate Silk Pie

Ingredients:
1 pie shell (graham cracker, short bread, regular – whatever you like!)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 12 oz. can condensed milk
2 egg yolks

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. If using a regular pie shell, blind bake for 10 minutes
3. Meanwhile, whisk together condensed milk and egg yolks in a sauce pan over medium-high heat until thick, being sure not to have the mixture boil
2. Stir in chocolate morsels until completely mixed
3. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pie crust, and bake for an additional 5 minutes
4. Cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving (the longer the better!)
*I drizzled some fleur de sel caramel sauce over a slice which was absolutely delicious!

Funfetti Cheesecake Bites

The past few weeks have been super busy with family events, work and work events, and this whole training for a marathon thing (which is on SUNDAY!). So, my time in the kitchen has been rather sparse – I think my husband has spent more time cooking for himself while I’ve been gone!

So this past Sunday after a successful last “long” run of 8 miles and a trip to get race day supplies, I spent the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen. I started with slow-cooker lasagna, going off of a recipe I saw posted on YumSugar. Growing up I remember my mom always bemoaning lasagna and how labor intensive it was (as you can guess we didn’t have it very often). So after seeing a recipe were I didn’t have to precook the noodles, I was all over it.

While dinner was cooking away, I got to work on my next project – Funfetti cheesecake bites. After the success of the Funfetti fudge I made for Halloween, I figured I could work Funfetti into more things. I had made Mini Oreo Cheesecakes before and they were awesome, so I took the same base recipe but instead used Golden Oreos, some Funfetti cake mix, and sprinkles. Not only was the recipe straight forward, but they are pretty darn tasty. The combination of cheesecake and Funfetti may sound weird, but it works – I promise.

This got me thinking – cheesecake is one of those vehicles that can really take on a whole bunch of different flavors. It might be time to branch out in the cheesecake world and try some different combinations. Or I can just stick to what I know and love – Oreos and Funfetti. Either way, these would be a perfect bite-sized treat to bring to a Holiday party… and you know that’s where you will be spending most of your weekends between now and the new year.

Funfetti Cheesecake Bites
– Makes 20 –

Ingredients:
20 golden Oreo’s
1 lb cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp Funfetti cake mix
2 Tbsp sprinkles

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 275°F. Line your cupcake/muffin tin with paper liners and place one Oreo into the bottom of each lined cup.
2. With a stand or hand mixer on medium-high, beat cream cheese until creamy and smooth, then gradually beat in sugar until combined. Beat in vanilla.
3. Drizzle in the eggs a little bit at a time until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and Funfetti mix. Add sprinkles at the very end (or the colors start to run).
4. Divide the batter evenly among the cookie-filled cups, filling each one almost to the top. Bake until the cakes are set (about 22 minutes), rotating the pans halfway through.
5. Remove from oven and place pans on wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, chill the cakes in the pans for at least four hours (or up to overnight).

Buffalo Tofu Tacos and a Bake-off

I really enjoy tofu. I know that many people are turned off by its texture and lack of flavor, but those are two qualities I appreciate. I’m not one of those people that is easily persuaded by texture, as I know a lot of people are (though I do have my limits with super-slimy). And as for flavor, that’s easily fixable – tofu is so incredibly versatile and it’s like a sponge; almost any flavor can seep into its pores.

That being said, when I had a craving for buffalo chicken, I figured I would give buffalo tofu a shot. I didn’t want to simply marinate some tofu in Frank’s Red Hot and call it a day – it needed some frying action first. That reminds me of the other reason I like tofu – it’s so easy to prepare. All you need is a deep skillet with canola oil, slices of extra firm tofu that’s been pressed to get rid of excess water, and buffalo sauce. Heat the oil, add the tofu (try not to touch it except to flip) and cook it on either side about 2-3 minutes. It’s that easy! I served my tacos with red onion, shredded lettuce, avocado, diced tomatoes, and some shredded cheese. YUM.

On Tuesday night my kitchen was put to the test. Aside from making the above dinner, I also had to prepare my entry for our company bake-off. I decided to make How Sweet Eat’s Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles, and RecipeGirl’s Oreo Cheesecake Bars. I didn’t have time to snap a picture of the truffles, but look at these Oreo bars. I knew I had a pretty good chance at placing.

After all was said and done, I wound up taking first AND second place! I scored a gift card and a dessert cookbook – two things I can’t wait to put to good use.

All the Single Ladies

This past Saturday was my bachelorette party. While I’ll spare you all the juicy details, I do want to share all the delicious food that was enjoyed! Everyone came to my house, and we hung out eating and drinking, until our limo arrived. We’d hired it from this Home Page. When it did, we were off to the city to enjoy dinner and a show at Lucky Cheng’s. If you’ve never heard of it, just take a gander at the website. That’s all you need to know. My sister did my hair and makeup, which was pretty awesome!

Of course, in trying to be the hostest with the mostest (a phrase used frequently in my house growing up), I had to make some goodies. I also tried to be smart, thinking the more food we had available, the better because no one likes a hangover. This was extremely import for myself, as I had completed my longest run EVER to date earlier that morning (14 miles!). I made this amazing Queso Fundido, which was awesome! And of course, I had to make cupcakes.

As part of the favors for my bridal shower, my future mother-in-law got little bottles of wine for everyone. So, we had quite a few bottles left over, so I figured my bachelorette party would be an excellent time to use some. Everyone loves a little boozy baking! I used just regular ‘ole brownie boxed mix and baked them as cupcakes. For the frosting, I made a merlot buttercream, and it was awesome. It was also the first time I got to use my KitchenAid stand mixer! I’m never using a hand mixer again.

We’re only 30 days away from the big day. There’s going to be a lot of wedding (and marathon training) activities in the coming weeks!

merlotcupcake — Check out the sweet cupcake toppers!

Brownie Cupcakes with Merlot Frosting
– makes 12 cupcakes –

Ingredients:
1 box brownie mix (I used chocolate fudge)
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup water
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 cup merlot
1 cup butter (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare brownie mix according to package, separate brownie mix into a lined cupcake pan (about 2 tbsp worth). Bake about 25-30 minutes
3. In a stand or hand mixer, cream butter, adding in vanilla followed by the wine. Slowly incorporate the sugar until the consistency is thick and everything is well combined.
4. Allow cupcakes to cool before frosting!

Baby Overload

I know some people reading this might see the word “baby” in the title and automatically assume it has to do with me – but alas, it does not! No babies for me over here. However, I’ve been spending a lot of time with babies, particularly my cousin’s adorable 4-month old, who you can oggle at below…

…And also in helping to plan a co-worker’s surprise baby shower. Both have been daunting tasks since I have little to no baby experience, but I think I’ve done well!

At any rate, after work on Wednesday I got right down to business as I had plans to make some hummus, cake balls, and the most amazing and delicious looking chocolate chip cookie, Oreo cookie, and brownie combo-dealy. Oh yes, you read that correctly. I had grand plans to celebrate National Running Day, but with all the work ahead of me, plus the tornado watches that were in effect, I figured I didn’t want to risk being taken away Dorothy & Toto style.

Last time I attempted cake balls they tasted fine, but they were far from pretty. A combination of not having enough chocolate to coat them and not really knowing what I was doing were the major factors. After doing some research for proper ball-coating techniques (insert giggles here), I decided to give it another shot. While these came out much better than my last attempt, they are still far from perfect. I’m thinking next time I’ll try candy melts instead of chocolate, actually buy lollipop sticks, and take a little more care when mixing the cake with the frosting.

I also made Kevin & Amanda’s Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie ‘n Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar… try and say that three times fast! There really aren’t any words to describe this aside from unbelievably awesome. Seriously, how could something that combines chocolate chip cookies, Oreos, and fudgey brownies all in one not be amazing? I figured it would be a ton of work to combine all of that together, but it really wasn’t. It also helped that everything I was making (cake balls and dinner) needed to be cooked at the same temperature. Perfect multitasking! Just look at the layers of deliciousness – you need to go and make these…

I also made some homemade hummus and paired it with some pita just to try and prevent a complete sugar overload. Another co-worker brought in a cheese & olive plate, which was also a huge hit. At the end of the day I think (and hope!) my manager was pleasantly surprised not only by the shower, but also with the gifts and yummy goodies we gave her. She’s due in July, and I can’t wait to meet her baby! Plus, everyone else in the office was impressed with my treats, and it’s always nice to hear positive feedback!