I love me some breakfast.

You guys probably figured that out, what with all of my breakfast recipes, like cherry danish and chai pancakes.

But, I never actually made the proclamation. So, here it is:

I love me some breakfast!

It truly is ideal,

If I had it my way,

I’d have breakfast for every meal!

(This is what a bachelor’s degree in English will get you. Totally worth it.)

Anyway, the best time to have breakfast, in my little, ‘ol humble opinion? After dark! There is something about scarfing down bacon and pancakes for dinner that makes the evening seem more special. Maybe because it’s a little naughty? Like the breakfast police might bust down your door at any moment, screaming, “Put down that delicious fried meat candy and put your hands up!” Preferably in a British accent.

So, when I had the chance to be a part of the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Breakfast After Dark campaign, I was on board immediately! Even before I knew that Lisa Vanderpump, of The Real Housewaives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules fame, was a part of the campaign. There are some super cute webisodes online with Lisa – keep your eye out for Giggy the pom!

These crepes are made with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! buttery spread instead of regular butter, which gives you all of that yummy richness with less saturated fat! You’re not losing out on any flavor, trust me – these are the bomb diggity. What, it’s not the 90′s anymore?

Try them today!

Nutella Pomegranate Crepes

 

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Author: Jennifer

Recipe type: Breakfast

Serves: 8-10 crepes

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup milk
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! butter spread, melted and cooled slightly
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup flour
• 1-2 tablespoons of Nutella per crepe
• 1-2 teaspoons pomegranate seeds per crepe

Instructions

1. Throw all ingredients except for the Nutella and pomegranate seeds into a blender. Blend for 15 seconds, or until mixture is smooth and well incorporated. Put batter in a pourable container (like a large measuring cup) and refrigerate for 1 hour. You can also make the batter the night before!
2. Heat a small, non stick pan over medium-low to medium heat (use I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! butter spread or a non-stick spray to coat the pan). Pour approximately 2 ounces of batter into the pan. Swirl the batter to coat the entire pan. Cook for about 1 minute. Carefully flip and continue cooking for about 30 seconds. To keep crepes warm while you finish cooking the number you need, put them on a paper towel lined baking sheet in the oven at 200 degrees.
3. Fill each crepe with Nutella and pomegranate seeds. Enjoy!

Notes

Adapted from Alton Brown

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Have you ever been the victim of a Ben & Jerry’s flavor assassination?

I have.

The great and deep pain of this tragic event had subsided. Until one of my favorite bloggers, Miss Hayley at The Domestic Rebel, decided to have a Ben & Jerry’s themed week.

Cue the wound re-opening.

I totally forgive Hayley because she is hilarious and makes fabulous treats, but I had to do something to heal my achy-breaky heart. So, I decided to recreate my long lost love.

I give you – Cool Britannia, the best ice cream flavor EVER.

Photo from Serious Eats

So, I used my crazy easy ice cream recipe base (no machine required!) and added a swirl of sweet strawberries and bite-sized pieces of chocolate covered shortbread. It is beyond delicious!

Cool Britannia Copycat Ice Cream

 

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Author: Jennifer

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup of strawberries, chopped
• 4 shortbread finger cookies (i.e. Walkers)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave according to package directions. Dip shortbread fingers into chocolate until completely covered. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Wait until chocolate is firm before moving on to next step (you may place the sheet in the fridge to quicken hardening).
2. Chop cookies into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
3. Place chopped strawberries in a shallow bowl. Sprinkle with a little granulated sugar. Mash with a fork until it has the consistency of a chunky, liquidy jam. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, mix together the sweetened condensed milk and cookie pieces Fold in the whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Add the strawberries and fold in gently (only fold in a couple times for more of a swirl effect, fold in several times if you want a red-tinged ice cream).
6. Place in a covered container and freeze overnight (or at least 6 hours).

Notes

Adapted from my pumpkin pie ice cream, originally adapted from Kevin & Amanda

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Well, now I’ve gone and done something I said I would never do on the blog.

I went to the dark side.

The savory side.

In my defense, cheese courses straddle the line between sweet and savory and I’ve totally seen them on dessert menus. But, I always think, who chooses cheese over chocolate, cakes, or ice cream!? Not I.

But then, I met a lady who changed all of that.

For the non-Game of Thrones watchers, this is Olenna Tyrell. Not only is she strong-willed, she is feisty to boot. I can’t resist a feisty, little old lady.

There is only one thing you need to know about her.

She wants her cheese. NOW. (Cheese scene at about 3:38)

Now, I have no idea what weird, crazy cheese they were actually served. It was probably dragon milk cheese or something. I used brie instead which is totally the same thing, I bet.

Serve this easy and delicious cheese with my lemon cakes. You could serve the cheese after the lemon cakes, but I wouldn’t recommend it. You don’t want the House of Tyrell coming down on your head, do you?

5.0 from 1 reviews

Olenna Tyrell’s Caramel Pecan Brie

 

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Author: Jennifer

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 1 wheel of Trader Joe’s goat cheese brie
• 1½ tablespoons of dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cold butter, chopped into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon chopped pecans
• Apples and toasted bread for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut cheese wheel in half horizontally, so you have two circles of cheese. Place one circle in the bottom of of ramekin (my white ramekins from Target were a perfect fit!).
3. Sprinkle ½ tablespoon of brown sugar onto top of cheese. Top with the second layer of cheese. Sprinkle remaining brown sugar, chopped butter, and pecans onto the top of the cheese.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and yummy. Serve with apples and small pieces of toasted bread.

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I’m blogging for autism today over at The Cookie Puzzle! I was so honored that Kim asked me to participate in such a wonderful project.

Go HERE to check out my post! I’m warning ya, I got a little emotional writing it. I’m a crybaby like that!

I suck at math. I have a story to demonstrate.

A couple years ago, I took my mom to Las Vegas as her Christmas present. We ate lots of great food, saw a show, but we were there to do one thing: gamble our little hearts out. 

When my mom and I gamble together, we actually play together, rather than splitting up and losing our money twice as fast. We play mostly slots, with some roulette in there too!

So, mom was playing a Deal or No Deal penny slot machine and got the fun bonus, where you actually pick cases and the machine offers you a certain number of credits to stop, like the banker on the show.

Well, we were done with a turn of picking cases and the machine offered us like 7000 credits. I’m all like, “Mom, that’s only $7 might as well keep going.”

Yes, I said that. And, she kept going. I’d like to think it was the excitement of the moment, but then I would probably be lying to myself.

Imagine my horror when I realize my fatal math error. “Mom, you have to stop – it’s $70, NOT $7!” Luckily, the banker offered us slightly more the next time and we cashed out super fast.

Amazingly, with our super awesome combined math skillz, we ended up leaving Vegas totally even.

In conclusion, 7000 pennies is $70. If the banker offers it to you on a penny machine, take it!

On to meringues…

Have you seen those new frosting starter packets from Duncan Hines?

I found them super intriguing and picked one up. Without the frosting. What was I going to do with it? I had no clue.

Until the sweet Miss Lora from Diary of a Mad Hausfrau used them in meringues – what genius! I had to try it myself. I adapted my meringue recipe (used to make my candy cane meringues) and added a cherry vanilla flavor packet. Not only does it flavor the meringue, it also colored the meringues a very pretty pink!

With all of the flavor packets available, from pink lemonade to cotton candy, the possibilities are endless!

Thanks again Lora for the awesome idea!

Cherry Vanilla Meringues

 

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Author: Jennifer

Ingredients

• 3 egg whites
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 packet of Duncan Hines Frosting Creations flavoring (Cherry Vanilla, or whatever flavor you prefer!)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees.
2. Combine egg whites and granulated sugar in a heat proof bowl. If you have a stand mixer, the stainless steel bowl works great and is easily transferable for the next step! Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water, stirring gently until the mixture feels warm and the sugar is completely dissolved. This step will prevent your meringues from getting gritty! Remove from heat.
3. Add the cream of tartar and flavor packet. Beat the mixture with a whisk attachment or a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
4. Spoon the meringue into a pastry bag and pipe onto parchment lined baking sheets.
5. Bake meringues for 1 hour, 40 minutes. Turn off oven and leave oven door ajar to allow for slow cooling. Store in an airtight container as soon as they have cooled to keep them crispy.

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There is really no method to my madness in the kitchen.

Sometimes I’m quite meticulous about planning a dessert I have in mind. Sometimes I’m throwing things together to see what works.

This one, my friends, was definitely the latter.

I was working within the confines of an almost bare pantry. I love me some stuffed cookies (like this or this), but I didn’t have anything other than peanut butter. It sounded kind of weird. But, could it work?

YES. Oh yes it can. I almost debated posting this since, because of the cookie mix, it isn’t much of a “recipe.” But, with such a unique flavor combination, I wanted to share it with you guys. These were quite the husband pleaser!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Peanut Butter Stuffed Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

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Author: Jennifer

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• 1 box of Pillsbury Orangesicle Cookie Mix
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 24 teaspoons peanut butter

Instructions

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop teaspoon size balls of peanut butter onto cookie sheet. Freeze for about 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Mix the cookie mix, butter, and egg until the dough comes together. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Take a walnut sized ball of dough and place a frozen peanut butter ball into the center. Roll the dough ball in your hands until it is smooth and no peanut butter is exposed. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are lightly brown. Do not overbake.

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My Favorite Things is a series of blog posts highlighting things that I’m in love with right now. I hope you like them too!

1. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. I’ve been reading a lot lately, which I’m seriously loving. I’ve read some really wonderful books, but A Monster Calls may be one of the most profound and amazing books I’ve read in recent memory. It is young adult, and even has striking illustrations, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It is such an incredibly honest portrayal of grief and human emotion and I cried like a baby by the end (and re-read the last couple pages several times). I was honestly blown away. This is in the running with The Fault in Our Stars for the best book I’ve read this year.

2. Polka Dot Cupcake Liners from Bakers’ Stock. Spring is (finally!) on its way, and I’m definitely digging these hot pink polka dot cupcake liners by Bakers’ Stock! Not just cupcakes – wouldn’t they be super cute party cups filled with candy at a party?

3. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones movie. I already mentioned how much I enjoyed these books and I’m dying to see the movie! They just released the second trailer and I’ve watched it more times than I care to admit…

4. Macaron Trays by BRP Box Shop. BRP Box Shop is all about making your baked goods look fabulous and I love their macaron trays! They fit perfectly into their macaron boxes (available in several colors, from a lovely pale blue to a fun hot pink).

5. El Camino by The Black Keys. One of the few albums that I own where I love EVERY song. So awesome!

6. Ni No Kuni: The Wrath of the White Witch. Ok, I’m kind of a nerd. You already knew that, right? I’m not a huge gamer, but I probably play 2-3  RPG’s (role playing games) a year. I just finished Ni No Kuni and it was one of the best! It helps that the animation was done by Studio Ghibli and I adore their films (most people have heard of Spirited Away, but they also did Princess Mononoke and Howl’s Moving Castle – wonderful movies!). It was a blast to play.

So, I don’t really like Megan Draper.

It’s not that I dislike her, but she pales in comparison to the other female characters on the show that I find much more interesting (Peggy, Joan, even evil Betty). She’s kind of boring, despite some redeeming moments like her sexy/uncomfortable “Zou Bisou Bisou” routine.

But, enter good, ‘ol Howard Johnson and we get a new, spunkier Megan.

Don insists that Megan try the famous HoJo orange sherbet. She’s like, “Yucko, no thanks.” To which he replies:

“If you don’t eat your orange sherbet, I will whip you with my creepily realistic back scratcher.”

Ok, that didn’t happen. But, wouldn’t it have been great?

Anyway, she tries the sherbet, doesn’t like it, and asks for something else. Don thinks this an unforgivable sin and gets grumpy. So she starts downing the sherbet like it’s her job.

Don doesn’t like that either. Seriously, Don, WHAT DO YOU WANT!?

Even though Megan doesn’t like orange sherbet, it is actually a pretty tasty treat when it’s not the color of a traffic cone. Plus, no ice cream machine required! It’s not really as smooth as ice cream this way, but it is quite yummy! Be sure to add some “Just Taste It” Cool Whip!

Megan Draper’s Orange Sherbet

 

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Author: Jennifer

Recipe type: Ice Cream

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 cups orange juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ⅔ cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• ⅔ cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon orange zest, finely grated
• ½ cup orange segments, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Put orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, and salt into a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, reduced heat, and continue simmering for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Stir in cream, orange zest, and orange segments. Pour mixture into a 9×13 pan (or a roasting pan) and cover. Put in freezer until frozen.
3. Break up the pieces and puree in a blender or food processor. Refreeze.

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So far, 30 isn’t that bad.

I gambled a bunch (we only lost $9 during the entire day), got a lot of sweet messages from fans and other bloggers, and had cake (tasty and hilariously lopsided). I mean, I definitely can’t complain. It was even sunny and cold – my favorite kind of day!

As an official 30-something, I figured I needed to step up my breakfast game. I mean, 30 means gourmet breakfasts every day, right?

My husband wishes. But, these babies may look gourmet, but they are totally easy and delicious! Crescent round dough makes it super simple, and you can substitute any pie filling for the cherry. Show your 30′s (or 40′s, 50′s, 60′s, 70′s and beyond!) whose boss by winning at breakfast!

Easy Cherry Danish

 

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Author: Jennifer

Recipe type: Breakfast Sweets

Serves: 16

Ingredients

• Danish
• 2 tubes of Pillsbury Crescent Rounds
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ⅔ cup cherry pie filling (including whole cherries and filling)
• Glaze
• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, vanilla, and lemon juice. Set aside.
3. Separate crescent rounds and place on cookie sheet. Using your thumb or a spoon, create an indentation in the center of each round. Spoon some of the cream cheese mixture into the center, enough to fill the indentation. Then, spoon one cherry and a small amount of filling on top of the cream cheese. Don’t add too much, or it may overflow in the oven!
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool completely before adding glaze.
5. Glaze – Place 1 tablespoon of cream into a bowl. Gradually whisk in confectioner’s sugar until desired consistency is reached. Add more cream if necessary.

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I’m turning 30 tomorrow. While I have some mixed feelings about it, I’m always down for a reason to celebrate! And since I love giving as much as receiving, I decided to have a birthday Sweetstakes! I’ll be going to a casino with my mom for my birthday, so why don’t you try you luck and enter to win, using the Rafflecopter widget below! You probably have better chances than I do!

a Rafflecopter giveaway