Sweets

Yesterday I shared this photo of oreo cookies on instagram and had a few people ask me for the recipe. I'm not going to type out the entire thing, but you should definitely try it out here! They were so simple to make, and a nice twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie. I omitted the chocolate chips because of my chip hater husband, but the oreo bits were more than enough to keep me happy too. I always love when I can make dessert without having to buy a million things at the store... all I needed here were some oreo's (totally got the Kroger brand) and I'm pretty sure I'll be devouring all those too haha. The other plus? I got use my new cooling rack! I can't believe I went for so long without one!

Let me know if you make these, I would love to hear how they turn out!

Easy as Cobbler

I instagrammed this the other day but for those who missed it... I made a DELIGHTFUL berry cobbler that I have nearly devoured completely. I walked into Kroger to get a few things for a smoothie and saw that blueberries, raspberries and blackberries were on sale, 2 cartons for $4. Naturally I grabbed as many as I could and looked up a quick cobbler recipe before I left the store to make sure I had everything. I suggest that you see if berries are on sale at a store near you and then make this ASAP. It took about 5 minutes to put together and baked for an hour. So far I've had it for predinner and dessert, and breakfast, prelunch, and snack about everyday this weekend (then dessert and second dessert). I made this mostly because I know Keith isn't a chocolate person, and couldn't care less about cakes and cookies... it felt good to make something that I knew he would really like and that he expresses a desire for. Granted, it will probably all be gone before he's in the mood for a dessert treat again, but it's the thought that counts right?

 

Sorry for the awkward screencap of the recipe, I just thought since it was so short it would be easy to share it that way. To check it out for yourself click here.

I give this recipe two huge thumbs up. It seems a little too easy to belive, but I suggest you give it a try :)

Dinner Diary

I just wanted to quickly share one of our new favorite dinners! It has some really long fancy recipe name, but they're raviolis with a creamy artichoke sauce and peas. It tastes CRAZY good, and I'll probably eat some leftovers for breakfast in the morning because of how much I love it. I found this recipe in an issue of Food Network Magazine and convinced Keith to make it for me a few weeks ago. He was slightly disappointed with how the sauce turned out because it was kind of runny, and he was not excited about making it again. Since he loves me a lot, he indulged me with another go at it and even he was pleased this time. I scarfed down everything on my plate with a big smile on my face :) I would highly recommend this super quick (15 min!) dinner if you're looking for some kitchen inspiration!

via foodnetwork.com

Don't be discouraged by Keith's original dislike because I loved it just as much the first time as the second, though it is a good little tip to let the sauce thicken up before serving. Check it out here! 

Baking Adventures

Recently I had really been wanting to try and bake a cake from scratch since I had never done it before and it sounded like an interesting challenge. Keith also really loves cake, and the last time I made cookies he said, "maybe you could make a cake sometime?" I went into it with no expectations, so it was actually fun instead of stressful. I learned a thing our too about beating egg whites and how to flour a pan. I spent a few hours flipping through my copy of The Joy of Cooking to find the perfect cake and icing recipes and reading all the tips on cake baking. I love love LOVE this cookbook because it's pretty much just an encyclopedia of cooking knowledge and is extremely helpful when you're doing something for the first time. I learned that shortening is the best thing to grease a pan with? I totally would have just used some Pam if I hadn't read that haha.

I'm not going to post the recipe because that could take a long time, but if you're interested I would be more than happy to pass it along! I made a yellow cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting and a peanut butter frosting filling. It was pretty much one of the greatest cakes I've ever consumed and I don't even like cake that much haha I would recommend it, even though it is a lot of work. I think if I did a cake from scratch again I could do it a lot faster... but this definitely took up a chunk of my evening.

I finally got to use my cookbook stand!

Tonight I found out just how un-level our oven is... check out those lopsided cakes haha

It didn't look the best, but that is never the most important part, right?

More important! Today is my beautiful mothers birthday, so I'll dedicate this cake to her, even though she won't get to eat it haha I miss her a whole lot and can't wait to see her again soon! Hope that your birthday was awesome mom!!!

Mmmm **UPDATE**

I know this is a little bit of an overkill on the baked goods, but my new favorite way to warm up our chilly kitchen is to turn on the oven and make something yummy. This recipe is too good not to share with the world! If you like banana bread, you must make this!

Banana Bread

Juice of one lemon

3 very ripe bananas

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 stick of butter

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Mash bananas and mix them with lemon juice until they are smooth

Cream butter and sugar together and add the banana mix, stirring well

In a separate bowl stir together the dry ingredients, add to the banana mix

The dough will be very stiff. Turn it into a greased loaf pan and bake for 30 to 45 minutes

I mixed this up in like 5 minutes this afternoon and then very impatiently drooled over the amazing smell it emitted into my home. This is the first recipe that I ever learned to bake on my own, after years of helping my mother, so it holds a very special place in my heart. I'm not sure of the source of the original recipe, if you're interested I have ask my mom to check for me. Its from an old cookbooks she's had since I've been alive and it's always easy to find the recipe in the book because its the page that's covered in various dropping of banana most likely due to her having a couple overeager young helpers back in the day :) She used to make this recipe all the time when I lived at home and it's always a fight for who gets the last piece. She will make them in mini loaf pans too, which made a great end of the year gift for teachers. I can't thank my mother enough for teaching me all the basics of baking, and a love for freshly made goodies. Thankfully I copied down the recipes for all my favorite goodies before I moved away and I definitely plan on sharing them with my future children. 

Next week I may even attempt a pie!

EDIT:

After reading this post, I got this photo in an email from my parents

The cookbook is Laurel's Kitchen, and I wasn't lying when I said that page had been broken in haha Must be the sign of a great recipe!