Sugarly Ever After

Slutty Brownies

2013-05-27T14:18:00.003-07:00

Two months since my last post, pathetic isn't it? Every single time I swear that I will stick to this blog thing, I go strong for a few weeks and then stop again. I wish there was more time in a day. I also wish that the foods I really enjoy making weren't so high in calories. Sweets and carbs don't do much for the ol' wedding dress figure or my weak diet attempts. In a perfect world, I could skip working and spend my days working out, cooking up something for a blog post, eating what I make, working out again, and having dinner on the table by the time Ry got home. Maybe someday, right? A girl can dream! On a super positive note, I am about to be out of school for the summer, which means more time for blog postings...and my never ending list of wedding errands, planning, and purchasing.

We are almost down to four months now! I can't even believe how fast our big day is approaching. It seems no matter how much I get done, I still have five billion more things to do. Come to think of it, I will have a lot more time for blog postings once this wedding is over. It takes up a huge chunk of my time. I have to say though, I really do love it. Regardless of the stress it causes, or the large amount of money it costs - this whole planning process has truly been fun for me.

I spent my Memorial Day weekend doing some really fun stuff. Saturday was the "Color Me Rad" run in Tampa. Some of my fellow Kindergarten teacher friends and I participated. I had a blast, aside from my raging inner-cluts coming out and busting my face in front of a huge crowd of people (yes, this really happened and I have numerous bruises to prove it). Check out these rad pictures from the day!

Yesterday Ryan and I spent our day hanging out and BBQing with one of my best friends, her wonderful husband and little girl. I wanted to bake something quick and delicious, so I went with one of the greatest brownie creations of all time - The slutty brownie. Expect your backside to grow with this one friends....

There really are no words for how sinfully amazing these things are. I would literally eat them until I was sick if I thought I'd fit in anything but "fat pants" afterwards. These things cause me major eaters remorse. You know, that sinking feeling of guilt after annihilating something seriously bad for you. Regardless of all that, you want to make these. No, really you do. If you have a party or event to attend, take the twenty minutes to whip these up. If you do, count on being a hit and making lots of new friends.

Slutty Brownies

Adapted from Kevin and Amanda

2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 package Double Stuffed Oreos
1 Family Size (9×13) Brownie mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and sugars in large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture slowly until all is incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread cookie dough in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish that has been lined with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Top with a layer of Oreos. Mix together brownie mix. Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough and Oreos. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an 15-25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting.

Chocolate Junk Cookies

2013-03-24T15:22:00.002-07:00

Do you ever just have the urge to throw a bunch of random ingredients into a cookie and see what happens? Well, that was me yesterday. I wanted something chocolatey and I wanted a cookie. But, I also wanted peanut butter, Oreos, sprinkles, and potato chips. From these cravings came a cookie that I am pretty much addicted too. I call it the Chocolate Junk Cookie. Allow me to introduce you...

I've already eaten close to 12 in the past 2 days. Good thing I'm giving these things away tomorrow, huh? I know that calling something you bake junk may not be the best title possible, but I felt it appropriate in this case. I literally rounded up a bunch of "junk", threw it into my mixing bowl and created this cookie.

I realize in the cookie war, there are "crunchy" people and "chewy" people. I tend to hang out more on the chewy side, as I really enjoy soft cookies. These definitely are more for the chewy lover. Inside is super soft and almost cake-like, while the outside is firm but not crunchy. Dunk em in milk, and say mmm!

Chocolate Junk Cookie

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cocoa
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup white chocolate chips

½ cup peanut butter chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped Oreos

1/3 cup crushed potato chips (I used Ruffles)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium sized bowl, sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. With a standard or hand held mixer, cream butter and sugars together until creamy and smooth. Add in eggs, one at a time. Add in vanilla extract.

Add flour mixture to mixer a 1/2 cup at a time and mix until flour disappears. Stir in white chocolate and semi sweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, potato chips, and Oreos. Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheet, about 2-3 inches apart.

Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes. Allow cookies to sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes after removing from the oven. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Dipping Chocolate

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate (I used chocolate chips)

1-3 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Rainbow sprinkles

Melt chocolate in microwave with 1 tablespoon shortening in 30 second increments. Add shortening as needed to reach desired texture. Chocolate should be smooth and shiny. Allow chocolate to cool for 10 minutes before using.

Dip cookie in chocolate, transfer to parchment or wax paper and cover chocolate coating with rainbow sprinkles. Allow chocolate to cool and set before transferring to air tight container (I put parchment paper between each cookie layer).

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

2013-03-20T18:22:00.002-07:00

The week after spring break...and I am drained. Why we had our spring break a week before the first actual day of spring is beyond me, but that is another conversation entirely. Having a week off is like 3 years in kindergartner time. They come back well rested, but in the span of a week they forget every classroom rule ever preached to them. Quiet time does not register well to 5 and 6 year old children, to say the least. I feel like I should just invest in a parrot that can speak "be quiet, stop talking, level 0" and save my voice the trouble throughout 60% of my school day.

Don't get me wrong, my students are adorable and I love each of them dearly. However, I have never in my life hated my last name so much. I took a tally one day, just to see how many times a day I hear my name. The grand total? 356 times in an 8 hour period. That averages out to 44.5 times an hour that I heard "Miss Poehl". Which ultimately means I heard my name almost every 2 minutes for 8 hours straight. I guess it is a good thing my last name changes in less than 7 months - at least until next years class repeats Mrs. Onweller 15 million times. Do me a favor, imagine 20 little ones saying your name that many times in a hour. And people think we just play with kids all day? Not so much. Kindergarten ain't what it used to be, trust that. I was making Marconi necklaces and finger painting back in my day. In today's world, kindergartners are expected to be reading and writing legit sentences, as well as adding and subtracting. That is just the beginning.

Okay, teacher rant over! On to the potatoes. I love potatoes. I love them even more when they are drowning in a sea of sweet cream butter, sour cream, scallions, cheese, and BACON. I can't even put into words the amount of love I have for bacon. Fried bacon, chocolate dipped bacon, bacon burgers, BLTs, bacon wrapped shrimp, bacon wrapped jalapenos, bacon wrapped chicken, bacon cupcakes. I could go on, but then I would have to put this blog post in chapter book format. Get the point yet? I love bacon.

Wright's bacon is the only one I will purchase now. If you haven't yet had the chance to experience it - go out, buy it, eat it, love it. I am obsessed.

I reccomend the Applewood or the Peppered bacon. GO BUY IT!

Introducing....Loaded baked potato salad! It is like a loaded baked potato, but mushed up into the best potato salad I have tasted in 26 years of life.

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

Adapted from Dishing with Leslie

4 large potatoes (I used Russet)

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup chopped chives (more for garnish)

5-8 strips of bacon cooked and crumbled

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper

1/4 tsp salt to taste (or more if you prefer)

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and sour cream. Add chives, cheese, and pepper, and salt. Chill mixture in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime, peel and cube your potatoes and add to a large stock pot. Cover with water and boil for 15-20 minutes (or until potatoes are fork tender). About 20 minutes. Be sure not to over boil!

Drain potatoes and allow 10-15 minutes of cooling time (more if you are going to serve potato salad chilled, I did). Put potatoes in a large bowl and combine with the sour cream mixture. Fold in crumbled bacon, or sprinkle over the top of salad. Garnish with remaining chives.

Samoa Brownie Truffles

2013-03-03T14:03:00.001-08:00

Let me just start by saying that this weekend has been a baking nightmare. Have you ever set your heart on making something but no matter what you do, or how many different ways you try to do it, nothing seems to go your way? Well, that was me all weekend long! Let me explain...

I had a box of Samoa girl scout cookies (my favorite!), and I thought it would be smart to bake something with them for the sake of getting them out of my kitchen. I have a small obsession, and when there are Samoa cookies within a 3 mile radius, I will find them and eat them all. I randomly got the craving for slutty brownies. You know, the chocolate chip cookie, Oreo, brownie layered bars from heaven (or hell, depending on the number of sizes your pants increase after eating them.) I decided to put two of my favorite things together and try to make slutty Samoa brownies, using Samoa cookies instead of Oreos in the middle. Seems like a great idea, right?

Wrong. My first mistake was buying ultimate fudge Godiva brownies. My second mistake was not thinking about what the caramel on the Samoa cookie would do when baked in the oven under a layer of those fudge brownies. This terrible combination prevented the brownies from hardening into a cake like texture. I cooked them for 30 minutes more than directed and still had firm but mold-able fudge instead of brownies. I even cooked them an extra 15 minutes, no change. To avoid burning the chocolate chip cookie layer, I had no choice but to take them out. The good news is that the corners of the pan, some of the edge pieces, and areas without large pieces of the Samoa cookies did actually hold a cake-like substance. This is how those turned out:

Even though I only ended up with a few pieces that baked correctly, I must say that they were really good. It makes me sad that the whole pan did not turn out the same way :(

Had things gone my way, I probably would have filled the blog full of pictures like this one.

No such luck. But, I refused to throw away the rest of the tasty, yet over fudge-like pieces that remained. Hence came the creation of my "Samoa Brownie Truffles". I pretty much rolled pieces into little balls, dipped them in chocolate, and sprinkled them with toasted coconut.

For those of you brave enough to try the Samoa slutty brownies, here you go:

Samoa Slutty Brownies

Adapted from Kevin and Amanda

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounces) milk chocolate chips
1 pkg Double Samoa cookies
1 Family Size (9×13) Brownie mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and both sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well to thoroughly combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt, then slowly incorporate into the mixer until the flour is just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish that’s been lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Top with a layer of Samoas.

Mix together brownie mix. Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough and Samoas. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15-25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting.

Chocolate Ganache

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1 cup heavy cream

Toasted coconut

Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth.

After allowing 15 minutes for ganache to chill, dunk truffles until coated and transfer to wax paper to set. Sprinkle toasted coconut on top if desired. Store in refrigerator.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

2013-02-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

As promised, I am keeping up with this blog of mine! We have 17 days until our engagement picture shoot. I am a borderline starting to panic because 1.) I have not dropped the weight I wanted too, 2.) I still have no idea what I am wearing for it, and 3.) we are doing a stylized picnic scene for the first half of the shoot, and I can't seem to decide what I want it to look like. Allow me to explain:

I have lost 5lbs, which I am not complaining about. However, I want to drop 10 more before our pictures, and it isn't looking like that is going to happen. For the life of me I couldn't find the motivation to workout after work - until a recent trip to the mall. I am tired of seeing cute sleeveless dresses and never buying them because I hate my arms. I call my arms turkey legs. You know, the things you buy at the fair? My arms look like the round ends of those. So, I have finally found the motivation I needed! I am going to cut out processed foods and begin working out at least 4 days a week. I may not get the results I want for out engagement pictures, but you better believe I will get them by the time our wedding gets here!

I have ordered 4 different dresses online and have sent them all back. I keep searching for the perfect engagement session outfit and hating everything once I receive it. I think at this point I have discovered two things - I don't look good in ivory/white, and I really need to start a water and air diet. On a happy note, I went to the mall on Friday, and I think (fingers crossed) that I finally found something I like! '

A stylized shoot is where you have props set up for your pictures. I have several things to use for a picnic style set up, but keep stressing myself out trying to figure out what I want to use and how I want it set up. Leave it to me to complicate even the simplest things!

I am the queen of planning ahead, so winging anything is nearly impossible for me to handle. The same can be said for our engagement shoot. I have planned so much that I am going crazy. I just want to get beautiful pictures that we love for the rest of our lives. Being a perfectionist is really a horrible way to be more often than not.

I realize I am a week late here, but I felt like baking something Valentine's Day-ish. What could be better than a chocolate covered strawberry cupcake?! These are rich and really taste like an actual chocolate covered strawberry. I've outdone myself folks!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

I chose to use my own personal chocolate cupcake recipe (sorry kids, not sharing that today). Go ahead and use your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe or feel free to use this recipe from My Baking Addiction.

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup warm water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

In the bowl of a standard mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla and water. Beat for about two minutes on medium speed until well combined.

Using a large cookie scoop, distribute the batter between 24 muffin wells; about 3 tablespoons of batter per well.

Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick entered into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool inside muffin tins for about 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin tins and allow to fully cool on a wire rack. Once cupcakes are cool, prepare your frosting.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup pureed strawberries

In the bowl of a standard mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed. Gradually add in the powdered sugar until completely incorporated. Add in vanilla and strawberry puree, mix until incorporated. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.

Friends, feel free to frost your cupcakes and stop at this point. The next step in my cupcakes is where the process gets sticky...literally. But, if you really want the chocolate covered strawberry taste and feel, this step is necessary. It is a pain, and it is messy - fair warning.

Chocolate Coating

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 tbsp canola oil

Melt the chocolate and oil together in a microwave safe bowl for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval. Pour chocolate into a wide and short cup. The cup should be wide enough so that you can dip the cupcake inside without touching the sides. Allow the chocolate to cool for 15 minutes after heating.

Take a cupcake, turn it up-side-down, and steadily dip it down into the chocolate up to the point with the frosting meets the cupcake. Pull it straight out of the chocolate, allowing the extra chocolate to drip off into the cup. Turn the cupcake right-side-up and place it on the wire rack. The frosting should be completely covered with chocolate but if any shows, use a knife to drizzle some chocolate into the spots where the frosting shows. Repeat with remaining cupcakes. Allow the chocolate coating to set-up – this can be done at room temperature or in the fridge for 15 minutes (My frosting did not keep its piping shape, which was quite sad for me. You may want to allow more cooling time than this).

* I chose to keep mine in the refrigerator, as I prefer the taste more this way!

Brown Butter Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

2013-02-17T14:20:00.004-08:00

So far, so good - I am posting again after only a week! No applause necessary friends. It feels good to be back into the blog world. I was telling a friend today how time consuming blogging can be. Although it is tough to make time to post, it is worth it! Time for hobbies is hard living life as a teacher. There are so many things I want to do, but I have no idea when to do it! I'm sure many of you are thinking "Yeah right, teachers get weekends off and tons of breaks!" True to some degree, but at least a few hours of every weekend is spent lesson planning or preparing something for my classroom. Usually, any extra time I have on the weekends is spent trying to have fun outside of the house or relaxing as much as possible to rejuvenate for the upcoming work week. My weekends seem to fly by faster and faster. Where does the time go?

I have found myself missing having a true hobby. Seems lately all I can manage to do is work and wedding plan. When I first started this blog, I was cooking and baking so often that Ryan and I were putting on weight as a result. However, my new plan is to make things and bring leftovers to work. That way, my hobby can live on without my jeans losing the ability to buckle! Speaking of jeans buckling, we went to the Florida State Fair yesterday and ate our weight in food. Here is what we enjoyed in no particular order:

Honey Bunches of Oats fried chicken on a stick
Bacon wrapped tator tots
Steak tips with mushrooms, peppers, and onions
Buttermilk corn dog
Fried PB n' J on a stick
Fried Oreos
Chocolate dipped bacon
Krispy Kreme doughnut burger
Mac n' cheese burger
Peach sweet tea

P.S - The sweet tea at the fair is my all time favorite. I wait a year for this stuff! You can see in the below picture that I'm not playing. We do it by the jug, and refilled many times throughout the day.

Thank the lord 3 of us split everything while at the fair and we did not eat all of this on our own. I managed to not gain weight yesterday. However, I'd be willing to bet that my cholesterol is at max-capacity. You would think I'd be in the gym right now after that bad of a binge, right? Wrong. Here I sit, melting into my couch with a glass of sweet tea. I have managed to lose 5lbs simply from dieting and eating small portions in the past 2 weeks, but I am pretty far off from my wedding dress goal. In a perfect world, I want to lose about 20lbs total. It would help if I could motivate myself to work out regularly...or once a week even. The problem is that I drive too far for work to wake up and workout in the morning (I'd be getting up at 4am, no thanks.) By the time I get home from work, I'm so exhausted that I just want to relax. First world problems, I know. I really need to get it together, we are paying too much for wedding pictures for me to feel gross in them! Ryan and I have made a promise to workout together 5 days a week starting tomorrow, so hopefully that helps. Our engagement session is 3 weeks away - we are getting close!

Valentine's day was a success even with my classroom reaching an all time sugar high. I came home to a doorway full of Valentine's day decor, a sweet card, and my favorite flowers followed with a sushi dinner. We decided to keep it low-key this year because we are saving for the wedding. As of the 18th, our wedding is 8 months away. It will be here before we know it. Our 2 year anniversary is on the 19th, I can't believe how fast the time has flown by in our relationship!

The past weekend was a stressful one. During my lunch break at work on Friday while scanning through Facebook, I found out my step dad was in ICU and undergoing emergency surgery. I was truly panicked, so I left and headed to the hospital to find out what was going on. He suffered 2 blood clots in his leg and a few small embolisms in his lungs. Thank God he caught it early enough and went to the hospital. It was a very scary time, and it was hard to see him hooked up to machines. I am just so blessed and thankful that prayers were answered and everything turned out to be okay. The surgery successfully removed the clots and the doctors believe he will be just fine.

Although things have been somewhat crazed lately, I still managed to make some sinfully delicious chocolate chip cookies. As if the chocolate chip part wasn't enough, they are stuffed with Nutella. Yes, for real.

Brown Butter Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt

Recipe adapted from Thebitesizedbaker

2¼ cup all-purpose flour

1¼ teaspoons baking soda

¼ teaspoon of salt

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter

1¼ cup packed dark brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup milk chocolate chips

1 jar of Nutella, chilled in refrigerator

Course sea salt for sprinkling

In a large bowl mix flour, baking soda, and salt until combined. In a saucepan over medium heat, brown butter and set aside to cool. (How to brown butter)

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in egg, yolk, vanilla, and yogurt until incorporated. Gradually add the dry ingredients until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Place cookie dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours to let the flavors meld together.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roll 1½ tablespoons of dough and flatten the dough to make a flat circle. Place 1 teaspoon of chilled Nutella in the middle then place another flat circle of cookie dough on top. Crimp edges to seal.

Place dough balls on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart and bake 9-11 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Sprinkle with sea salt and let cool on wire racks.

Cookie Crumb Cupcakes

2013-02-08T20:31:00.000-08:00

"Aries motto is "Ready, fire, aim!" It may be backwards for others, but you'd rather figure out what to do while you are doing it. Impulsive actions, however, can bring you your share of trouble. While others are gathering information to make informed decisions, you are already on your way. As such, you could suffer from false starts. In fact, you Aries are so good at starting things that you can be off onto your next project before completing the previous one."

So, those who know me know that I am very into zodiac signs and astrology. To say that I am a textbook definition of an Aries female would be an understatement. For years I have always read how Aries are the first to start something, but never finish or keep up with it. Naturally being stubborn, I refused to believe it. However, when I looked at this blog for the first time in months and realized my last post was in September, I got a rude awakening of how true that is! I guess it has been awhile, huh? Hello again blog world! The start, stop, start Aries is back in action!

The past few months have been action packed. I started a new job teaching kindergarten almost immediately after leaving my previous teaching position. I love the school staff, and have made some really great friends. However, I have an hour commute to and from work. An 8 hour day is ultimately a 10 hour day. By the time I get home, I am exhausted and cooking/baking is the last thing on my mind. So sad, right? :(

Aside from teacher life consuming my time, wedding planning had also been a major factor in my non-blogging behavior. I am thankful to be saving the money, but I definitely see why many brides hire wedding planners. There are so many endless details in planning a wedding, it is truly enough to drive someone insane. I am constantly on Pinterest, Weddinggawker, and Weddingwire. I seriously do not know what I am going to do with my time when our wedding is over. I have to say though, the time and effort is paying off. I know we are going to have an amazing wedding day. I recently found my wedding dress, and it is absolutely stunning! And on a super exciting note, we received a free (yes free) 3-day honeymoon trip to Disney World! We have 2 free 2-day park hoppers and a 3 night stay in a royal guest princess room! With Disney, dreams really do come true! Disney has my heart, always!

I have lost almost 10lbs with diet alone. I still cannot motivate myself to workout after work though. We have our engagement photo session coming up in March, so I have to get it together! Sweets should help...or not! Here is a cupcake recipe I threw together on a whim. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! On a side note, I was in a hurry and gave one of those cake mix/from scratch ingredient recipes a try. It was tasty, but I will be sticking to my all from scratch vanilla cupcakes. Feel free to use your favorite vanilla recipe or this one:

Cookie Crumb Cupcakes

Cake adapted from Recipe Girl

1 (18.25 ounce) box white cake mix

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups water
2 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
4 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 325°F. Place cupcake liners in cupcake pans.

In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix, flour, sugar and salt. Add remaining ingredients and beat with hand mixer for 2 minutes, or until well blended.

Use ice cream scoop to fill prepared cupcake tins- fill about 3/4 full. Bake about 18 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Chocolate Ganache

9oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup heavy cream

Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, watching carefully to avoid overflow. When the cream comes to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth.

Allow ganache to cool for at least 10 minutes before spreading on cupcakes (you can dip cupcakes in as well). Allow ganache to set (I give it an hour or more) before adding frosting.

Cookie Crumb Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz package cream cheese

½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4-5 cups powdered sugar (or more depending on desired thickness)

2 cups cookie crumbs (I used crushed Oreos, both regular and golden)

Beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy with the paddle attachment of a standard mixer. Beat in vanilla extract and gradually add powdered sugar. Beat in 1 cup cookie crumbs - add more depending on your preference.

Spread or pipe frosting onto ganache covered cupcakes. Add cookie crumbs for garnish.

Dark Chocolate Chewies

2012-09-22T18:48:00.000-07:00

Almost a month since I last posted - I should probably work on this. In my defense, the past month has been one of the hardest to date. I would get into detail, but there is just too much to explain. All you need to know is that I had to leave my previous job and I am currently trying to find a new teaching position. Sometimes in life you have to accept when something is all wrong for you and fight for what you deserve. I have not had an easy time since joining the teaching profession, to say the least. It has continually been one bad thing after another. At times I really have asked myself if God was trying to send me a message. I felt like perhaps teaching wasn't the field I was meant to be in, even though I have longed to be a teacher since I was a child. However, in my heart I know that is not the case. I am a good teacher. It just happens I am a good teacher that has ended up in very negative situations. At this point in my life, it is make it or break it time. I do not want to leave a field I am passionate about simply because I can't seem to get a break. So, I have decided to begin a new journey - finding a school and a teaching position that is right for me. A place where I am supported, happy, and truly becoming the best teacher I can be.

At times it is hard not to feel a tiny bit bitter. I see many people placed into teaching positions they love directly out of school and it is hard not to be jealous. For some, a great teaching career occurs from the start, which makes it that much harder to understand why I have experienced such struggles. I find myself wishing that things had been different for me. But, fact is that they weren't - and I am a firm believer in everything happening for a reason. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and I am a very strong person because of these past experiences. From here on out, I am keeping a positive mindset. Friday I had a second interview for my dream teaching position. The school is well known for being one of the best in Sarasota county, and has received 10 consecutive A grades. Even if I am not offered this position, it was simply an honor to have even been considered, especially for a second interview. I am praying and hoping, but if this isn't where I am meant to be, I am positive I will find my way.

Naturally I am a little bummed, but what always makes me feel better? Chocolate! A super cool chick (who just happens to be our wedding photographer) suggested that I bake something to feel better. I took her advice! These cookies are one of my favorites, and super easy to make. Non-chocolate lovers need not apply.

Dark Chocolate Chewies

Adapted from divniebaking

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces), divided
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided (I used 2 cups)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray baking sheets with nonstick spray. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, stirring twice, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly. Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1 (I halved the sugar here) cup sugar. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow creme.

Whisk 1 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into meringue. Add lukewarm chocolate and 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dough will become very stiff). Place 1/2 cup powdered sugar in bowl. Roll 1 rounded tablespoon dough into ball; roll in sugar, coating thickly. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart.

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

2012-08-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

It has been so long since I last posted that I think I may have forgotten how to do this! What a crazy couple of weeks. The end of summer for a teacher is never boring, to say the least.

Teacher life has kept me out of the kitchen for over 2 weeks (gasp), but I am here now to provide you with a sweet treat that combines two of my favorite things - chocolate and peanut butter!

Introducing Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies!

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

Adapted from Southern Living

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups biscuit mix
1/3 cup sugar
1 (9-ounce) package milk chocolate kisses, unwrapped
Combine milk add peanut butter, stirring until smooth; stir in vanilla. Add biscuit mix, stirring well. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll balls in sugar, and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Make an indentation in center of each ball of dough with thumb or spoon handle.

Bake at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove cookies from oven, and press a chocolate kiss in center of each cookie. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Southwest Pasta Salad

2012-07-17T11:02:00.001-07:00

Dear Blog,

I am sorry that I have neglected you for the past 12 days. I realize that you must have missed me terribly and that our time apart was as hard for you as it was for me. I wish that I could tell you a witty reason for my absence, but all I can say is ~~shit~~ life happens. However, in attempts to right my wrong, here is a delicious, colorful and flavor-packed pasta salad.

Love,

Sabrina

Hi friends! Did you miss me? Better yet, do you like pasta salad? I sure do. Pasta salad is a staple for summer in my world. There is just something about chilled pasta mixed with creamy sauce and endless colorful, crisp veggies! When I found a recipe for this Southwest Pasta Salad, I couldn't resist. I tweaked it a bit, just to give it a touch of Sabrina-ness. Trust me when I say that this stuff was well liked. I think Ryan ate over 20 bowls of it. Not so much by choice, I doubled the recipe and ended up with enough pasta salad to feed the Chinese army. But hey, who's complainin' here?

Southwest Chicken Pasta Salad

Adapted from You Made That?

3 cups uncooked shell pasta
1/2 cup of frozen corn rinses and thawed
1/2 can drained and rinsed black beans
1/2 bell pepper chopped
1 large tomato chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
green onions or red onions chopped (I used both)

2 jalapenos diced
8 slices of cooked bacon chopped
2 chicken breasts grilled and chopped bite size (I used rotisserie chicken)
1/4 BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Chipolte BBQ Sauce)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 Ranch Dressing (I used Marie's)

Wash and prepare all the vegetables. Cook and chop bacon, chop grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken. Measure out 3 cups of dry uncooked medium shell pasta. Fill a large stock pot with water about 8 cups, add some salt and boil water. When water is boiling add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking mix the sauce together by combining the mayonnaise, BBQ sauce and ranch dressing in a small bowl. In a medium size bowl mix all the veggies together.

In a medium large bowl put cooked and cooled pasta, chicken and bacon in, then add the veggies and sauce. Stir the salad salad well and regrigerate for a few hours.

Star Spangled Sugar Cookies and Firework Pretzel Sticks

2012-07-05T19:10:00.002-07:00

I hope that everyone had a great 4th of July holiday! I celebrated the birth of America with great friends, food, and lots of sunshine. I spent the day on Ft. Desoto beach and somehow only managed to come home a slightly darker color than off-white. I was at the beach for over 7 hours and didn't even get a tan! How does that happen!? I did however manage not to get a sunburn, which is rare for me. I guess next time I won't apply sunscreen every 30 minutes. It is a shame for a Floridian to be as white as I am. I could seriously give Casper a run for his money. I used to tan constantly, but I finally gave up in attempts to not resemble a strap of leather when I am 40. Oh, I almost forgot! My feet were attacked by an army of ants.

Despite the lack of tan and hundred ant bites, I had a really fun day! I don't know if I have said it before, but Ryan and I are a really goofy couple. We are two of a kind in every sense of the word, and our weirdness together is what makes us great (in my opinion). We went to Walmart a few days ago and really prepared for the 4th of July holiday. Below is a picture of Ryan in all his glory. And yes, he really wore this to the beach:

Look at that shirt - I have the best fiance ever, seriously! Any man who will wear that shirt out in public to see me smile is a keeper. I complimented Ryan's outfit by wearing a picnic table cloth patterned bathing suit, a giant t-shirt featuring a dog in a U.S Marines uniform with an American flag, and ridiculously tacky red, white, blue star earrings. Sexy would be an understatement.

When it comes to holidays I am a bit of a dork, I think it is the teacher in me. I love to make holidays fun and festive. So, when we were invited to a beach picnic for the 4th I knew I had to make some 4th of July worthy treats! First on the list? These star spangled red, white, and blue iced sugar cookies. Have you ever had a Loft House sugar cookie? (I always see them at Walmart). These cookies taste pretty much just like those. I am in love.

Sugar Cookies

Adapted from The Galley Gourmet

5 1/2 to 6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (16 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
3 extra large eggs at room temperature
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sour cream

In a large bowl whisk 5 1/2 cups of the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and eggs; scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix in the sour cream until well blended. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture until a sticky dough forms. Add up to an additional 1/2 cup of flour to achieve a soft, but still slightly sticky dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half and shape into rectangles about 1 1/2 inches thick. Wrap each rectangle in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425º F. Lightly flour a sheet of parchment or silicone pastry mat. Working with one rectangle of dough at a time, roll each out to 1/4 inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and transfer them to a parchment lined baking sheet. Re-roll scraps and cut out.

Bake for 7 minutes until pale golden. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Cookie Icing

1 cup (16 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
5 cups confectioners' sugar
4-6 Tablespoons milk
Food coloring
Sprinkles/decorations

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar one cup at a time until smooth. Add the milk one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency. Add food coloring of your choice.

When the cookies are cool, frost the tops with the frosting and decorate with sprinkles. Allow the cookies to set out until the frosting has set. Store in an airtight container between sheets of parchment for several hours or overnight to allow the flavors to develop.

Pour yourself a glass of milk and enjoy!

My second treat is a staple in my house come any holiday. I love making candy coated pretzel sticks because they are easy, fun, and versatile for every holiday! When I make these, they do not last long. I find it funny that one of the easiest things to make is what everyone seems to fight over! I promise if you make these, you will become very popular at any party or event!

Pretzel Sticks

Bag of pretzel rods

Candy melts, any flavor

Sprinkles, coconut, M&M's and any other toppings

Melt candy according to package directions. Using a knife, cover 3/4 of pretzel rod with candy coating and immediately cover with chosen toppings. Transfer decorated pretzel sticks to parchment paper until candy has hardened.

The toppings are limitless, which makes these little things so fun! I thought the colors resembled fireworks. What do you think?

Awards!

2012-07-05T11:07:00.001-07:00

I have been nominated for two blog awards this week, how awesome is that? I have to say that these awards are super exciting for me, as I only started Sugarly Ever After 2 months ago! I am so happy to know that readers are enjoying my blog and getting something out of it! It makes the entire experience so worthwhile and rewarding!

I've been awarded the Liebster Blog Award by the amazingly talented Emma of Food, Fork & Good. Not only does she post delicious recipes, but she is truly an inspiration with the weight loss achievements she has made. Having lost nearly 70lbs myself back in the day, I love reading her recipes because she truly makes healthy tasty! Go check out her blog, you will love it!

The rules of this award are:
1. Thank your nominator (and link back!)
2. Nominate 5 other blogs, with less than 200 followers and post a comment on each blog letting them know they have been given the award.
3. Copy and paste the award onto your blog.

I'd love to nominate:
1.) Laurie's Cravings
2.) It's the Cookie Monster
3.) Red Shallot Kitchen
4.) Little Lady of Mine
5.) Persnickety Plates

Congratulations!

I've also been awarded the Awesome Blogger Award by the lovely Laurie of Laurie's Cravings. She is another inspiring woman and I love following her blog! Thanks for the award, I am thrilled!

These are the lovely ladies I would love to nominate:

1.) Food, Fork & Good

2.) Sally's Baking Addiction

3.) This Italian Family

4.) Bells Bakery

5.) Crazy for Crust

6.) Teacher by Day - Chef by Night
7.) The Daily Smash
8.) Awkward Kitchenette

These ladies always leave me sweet and motivating comments! They are on my must-read list, and I get so many wonderful ideas from all of them!

Jalapeno Bacon Twice Baked Potatoes

2012-07-01T11:18:00.001-07:00

I woke up today (at 11am) and didn't even know if it was Sunday or Monday. What is happening to me? This whole having the summer off thing is great, but it really is turning me lazy! I guess the go, go, go from the past school year really wore me out because I find no greater pleasure these days than sitting on my couch searching Pinterest (yes, I am addicted). You know what the problem is with Pinterest? It makes me hungry. I spend hours looking through delicious recipes and instead of working out or getting off of my butt, I sit and dream about all the yummy things I want to get in my belly. Which, usually leads to my making all of these things, eating them, and regretting it afterwards.

In all honesty, Ryan eats the majority of everything I make and then says it is my fault he is getting "fat". He claims I guilt him into eating more of what I make because I joke around about him not liking it. Men, they really are something else sometimes! However, I will start taking all leftover baked goods to our apartment office, so they do not linger in our kitchen. Living away from friends and family makes the whole cooking/baking hobby difficult - we have no one to give the food to, and we feel inclined to eat it ourselves so it doesn't go to waste. No bueno when you are trying to get slim for a wedding!

Oh yeah, Pinterest makes me hate my closet, my home, and my hair too! Okay, my rant is over. Time for twice-baked potato goodness!

Jalapeno-Bacon Twice Baked Potatoes

8 baking potatoes

2 sticks butter

1 cup crumbled bacon or bacon bits (I prefer Wrights Applewood bacon, it is the best)

1 cup sour cream

1 jalapeno, cored and chopped

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese + 1 cup for topping

Green onions (as many or as little as you want)

1 teaspoon seasoning salt (soul seasoning, or regular salt will work too)

1 teaspoon black pepper

Dash red pepper (only if you want a bit of a kick)

2 or more tablespoons milk (may need for mashing potatoes)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Wash 8 baking potatoes and place on oven rack. Bake for an hour and 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.

Slice butter into square sections and place them into a large mixing bowl. Add bacon, sour cream, jalapeno, 1 cup cheddar cheese, seasoning salt, black pepper, and red pepper.

Once done baking, use a dish towel to hold hot potatoes while cutting them in half lengthwise using a serrated knife. Scrape insides of potatoes out with a spoon into the mixing bowl. Set shells of potatoes onto a cookie sheet.

Using a mixer, or potato masher (I used my mixer with the paddle attachment), mix ingredients together, adding milk depending on the texture desired. Fill potato shells with mixture and top with shredded cheese. Bake potatoes for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Oreo Funfetti Birthday Cake

2012-06-26T14:01:00.001-07:00

Job update - I am so happy to share that today I was hired as a Pre-k teacher for Orange Ridge Elementary school in Bradenton! I went in this morning for an interview and about an hour later received a call informing me that I got the job! I am so thankful to no longer have the stress of job hunting. Not to mention, my administration seems wonderful! It will be such a pleasant change to work at a place with structure and professionalism. I get to see my classroom tomorrow - so exciting! :)

Although this position is not back home in Tampa, it is 5 minutes from our apartment in Bradenton. Which means, no moving costs for us, and more money to put towards our wedding. I truly think God has a plan for me, and right now my being in Bradenton is in that plan. Here we are half way between my parents and Ryan's parents, so it seems the most fair place to be for now.

Given my new pay raise, we will be upgrading to a 2 bedroom apartment. (I will be making almost double what I was making, wahoo!) Needless to say, a bigger kitchen space is MUCH needed! I can't wait to finally have enough storage space for all of my baking stuff. No really, my cabinets are maxed out. I have to dig like a seven dwarf to find anything, not exactly fun! Although, if I sang the diggin' song, it would probably be more enjoyable, I'll have to try that sometime. (Make sure you check out the link, it is a catchy tune). If you haven't seen Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and have no idea what I am talking about, shame on you.

Who's ready for birthday cake? Rich, sweet, colorful birthday cake stuffed with Oreo's and sprinkles?

Ryan's birthday was June 22nd, he turned 27. I recently turned 26, so I get to call him old on the regular. I quite enjoy the fact that for the rest of our lives he will be older than me. He has heard it all this past week: Old man, grandpa, grandpappy...the list goes on and on. It is all out of love, really! If you can't make fun of your other half, what is the point? I'm marrying Ryan for 3 reasons. 1, he treats me amazingly well. 2, he is easy on the eyes. 3, he is fun to make fun of - Sue me.

You may think I am mean, but I promise I make up for it. How you ask? By spending hours baking an ultra moist chocolate cake, layered with "Cream Cheese Funfetti" frosting and topped off with my newest, sweetest creation - "Chocolate Birthday Cake Oreo Cream Cheese" frosting. Have you had one of these bad boys? Dear God, they are amazing.

I literally put an entire package of these into my frosting (with the exception of the 2 I shoved down my throat). But, we will get to that later.

Chocolate Cake

Adapted from Nine and Sixteen

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk (I used whole)
1/2 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons good quality vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour cake pans or line muffin pan for cupcakes. Combine sugar through salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well and add remaining ingredients, except the boiling water. Mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Stir in one cup boiling water. Batter will be smooth and very runny. Pour into prepared pans. Cook for 30-35 minutes. Transfer cake layers to cooling rack.

Once cooled, level cake layers with a serrated knife. Place first layer of cake onto a plate/cake stand for frosting. Frost first layer with the "Funfetti Cream Cheese" frosting. Once icing is even, add second layer of cake on top. Frost the entire cake with the "Birthday Cake Oreo Cream Cheese" frosting. Decorate as desired.

Funfetti Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz package cream cheese

1 stick unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Rainbow sprinkles

Confectioners Sugar

Mix cream cheese and butter on low-medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract, mix until combined. Add confectioners sugar one cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. Finally, add sprinkles (I put a lot, feel free to use as much or as little as you want). Give frosting one final mix.

Birthday Cake Oreo Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz package cream cheese

1 stick unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 bag of "Golden Oreo Cream Birthday Cake" cookies (feel free to eat 2 or 3)

1 large bag confectioners sugar

Mix cream cheese and butter on low-medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract, mix until combined. Crush cookies (I pound mine up in a Zip Lock bag with a meat tenderizer - Hey, it is good for built up frustration. A food processor will work too). Add cookies to cream cheese/butter mixture and mix on medium-high speed for a minute. Add confectioners sugar one cup at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

2012-06-20T18:17:00.001-07:00

This week has been a stressful one. In Sabrina's life stress = chocolate and sugar. I mean, stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Cowinkydink? I think not my friends!

I tried out the whole "suit" thing yesterday at an interview. Ready for the irony? There were 3 other women in the office waiting to interview...and none of them were wearing a suit. I went from the only girl without a suit to the only girl with one. Seriously? I have to admit though, there is something strangely powerful in wearing a suit. People look at you like you are important; CEO of a company kind of important. So, I guess I get the whole "wear a suit for a teacher interview" thing.

My interview yesterday went well! I have to say, much better than my previous interview did. I am not going to get my hopes up, but this experience at least gave me my confidence back. 4 interviews so far - one was pretty much a job offer (2 hours away), one was similar to speed dating of the interview sort, one went terrible, and one went very well. Still, no job in Tampa, which is where I really want to be. I have to admit, every letter I receive with a "sorry you were not chosen for an interview" or "although you have great qualities, we have chosen to hire another candidate" makes it harder and harder to stay positive. I pray that I will not only find a job, but the right job. I keep trying to tell myself that I will get a job this summer. A positive mindset makes for positive things...or so they say.

I was talking to my dad today and he offered me a "salesmen" story to get my spirits up. Basically, two salesmen are going door to door trying my make sales. One salesman is positive, while the other is not. The negative salesman asks the positive sales man why he is so happy when he keeps getting told no. The positive salesman responds "Every no I hear is getting me one step closer to a yes." My daddy is the best. He always seems to make sense of things :)

I am trying to keep the faith that my "yes" is coming, even with as hard as it can be sometimes. I am by nature a high-stress person, so the combination of job searching + paying for a wedding is starting to wear on me. I really could use a job making MUCH more a year. I don't just want a new job, I need one.

On top of it all, Monday was a circus. I took my car to Midas to get an oil change, after calling to make sure I could bring my car in. When I arrive, the guy behind the counter (rude would be an understatement) tells me that they are only accepting appointments. I tell him that I called and was told to bring it in. After he mouthed off a bit, he agreed to take the car. 30 minutes later, the guy comes inside to tell me that my tires are missing 5 lug-nuts. This news surprised me, as the last place I had my car was this place and I was pretty certain that the lug-nuts hadn't just fallen off. The guy tells me there is a parts store up the road and that I should probably go get the lug-nuts and have them put on. Then, the person working on my car tells me they will put the lug-nuts on for me for free if I bring the car back. I call around, find lug-nuts for a Toyota Celica and go purchase them. When I get back to Midas, Mr. Jerkbag grabs the lug-nuts, goes out to my car for literally 2 seconds and says that they aren't the right kind. I go back to the parts store, return the lug-nuts and decide to drive over to the Toyota dealership. When I get to Toyota, the parts manager finds 5 lug-nuts (the SAME lug-nuts that Mr. Jerkbag at Midas told me were not right) and has them put on for me. He comes inside and tells me that only 3 lug-nuts were missing. Yes people, 3! So, I went back and checked my receipt from Midas, which clearly stated 5 missing lug-nuts. Something doesn't add up here, correct? My theory is this: Mr. Jerkbag was ticked off about having to squeeze my car in without an appointment, so to "sock it to me," he has the person working on my car "find lug-nuts missing." However, they obviously didn't collaborate well on the number of lug-nuts that were going to be missing. So, after 5 hours of running around, my tires were secure and well. From now on, I go to Toyota for car service...period.

After all of that mess I was ready for chocolate, and sugar, and more chocolate. Hence, these amazing little balls of beauty. Go ahead and wipe the drool off of your face.

I recently bought this amazing cookbook by the lovely Lindsay of Love and Olive Oil. A whole book dedicated to cookie dough? Genius, pure genius! You know I couldn't resist. I recommend you get a copy asap. Your belly, heart and soul will thank you.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles are one of her most popular creations, so I had to make them!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Coating

8 ounces dark chocolate candy coating

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in milk and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt and mix on low speed until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and chill dough for 30 minutes or until firm enough to handle.

For dough into 1-inch balls and arrange them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Place sheets in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, melt chocolate candy coating in microwave according to package directions (I used chocolate chips and just melted them in 30 second increments), be careful not to overheat. Using a fork or dipping tool, dip truffles one at a time in candy coating to cover. Tap fork on edge of bowl to shake off excess coating, and return truffles to baking sheets to set. If you have any left over coating, transfer to a piping bag or squeeze bottle fitted with a small round tip and pipe decorative lines over top of truffles - or simple drizzle coating with a fork for an abstract finish.

Refrigerate in an airtight container. Truffles will keep for up to one week.

And if you are feeling spicy, like I was - you can make some Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pops!

These won't last for a week, trust me. Eat your feelings, friends! Watch that stress turn to delicious chocolate goodness in a jiffy!

Banana Nut Bread and Coconut Cupcakes

2012-06-16T12:39:00.003-07:00

Hey ya'll! Don't these cupcakes look tasty? They were...trust me. It has been awhile, friends. I feel like I have been MIA from the blog world for so long! I apologize for my disappearing act, things have just been pretty crazy lately. Work ended, job searching, entertaining guests, etc.

Let me just give a quick "hallelujah!" that my first school year is over and I am currently enjoying my long over due summer break. I won't lie, I miss my students a whole lot, but the break was much needed. I am sad to see them go, but proud to know they are moving on to Kindergarten. I am ready to move on and start a new path within my career. Which brings me to another topic, the fun task of finding a job back in my hometown (Tampa).

I seem to have the worst luck with teacher interviews and job prospects. Every interview I get hours away from where I want to live goes great, while every job prospect in the Tampa area seems to end before it even begins. I had a great interview two days ago - was basically given a job making significantly more money (helps when planning a wedding.) The problem? Oh, it is only 2 hours from home - even further than I am now. Not to mention, it is extremely far from Ryan's family. But, I can't really afford to be picky at this point. Ryan and I are paying for our wedding ourselves, so the extra cash would help immensely. Needless to say, I may end up having to move even further from home for a better paying job, as much as I don't want too. There is one positive element to this, the location is VERY close to Disney World! And that is the only positive thing I can seem to drudge up at the moment.

I've had 2 interviews in the Tampa area. Allow me to elaborate on how those went:

Interview One - I arrive to the interview and find out it will be conducted as a "speed date," only the interview version. Over an hour drive + a 3 hour wait for a 15 minute interview in which the minute I mentioned only having a year of teaching experience was dismissed. I'm pretty sure my resume presented this information. Was the gas, mileage and time wasted really necessary? Nevertheless, I put on my big girl pants and took it as interview practice. Keeping the faith, what else can you do?

Interview Two - Beautiful school, in the perfect area. I was feeling positive...that is, until I walked into the office and saw 5 girls (dressed in full suits for a first grade teaching position interview) Mind you, I was wearing a polka dot dress, black leggings, a black mini-jacket thing, and heels. Oh, and this was at 2:30 pm, the last round of interviews. If there were 6 girls interviewing at the end of the day, imagine how many people were interviewed for that one position. Maybe I am wrong here, but is a suit really necessary for a primary aged teaching position interview? I get the whole looking professional thing, but I really feel that a suit is not who I am - especially me as a teacher. Ryan told me he thinks my personality should shine through in all aspects, clothing included. However, I am now wondering if a ~~straight jacket~~ suit would better my odds of finding a job. Anyway, this interview went pretty well. I think I was liked, but not seen as being the right person for the job. She ended our interview with "good luck with your future endeavors". Otherwise known as - sorry lady, no job for you.

I have another job interview on Tuesday, minutes from my daddy's house. I am praying, hoping and wishing this comes through for me. I have a few other schools that may possibly interview me. Not to mention, the Florida teacher interview day. Tons of county's are present and interview candidates all day. I am doing my best to stay positive, although it gets tough after while.

On a happy note, I am the best fiance ever! No, really. I gave Ryan the best early birthday surprise ever. I flew his best friend Ray here from Michigan and we surprised Ryan at the airport! Ryan hadn't seen Ray in almost 3 years, so I thought it was the one gift I could give him that would be better than anything else possibly could be. Besides, I was really wanting to meet the best man of our wedding! Ryan thought we were going to the airport to pick my brother up (I really nailed this whole keeping a surprise thing, by the way.) Little did he know, his best friend was getting off a plane with his lovely girlfriend to spend a few days with us! After only minutes with them together, I saw why these two crazy boys got along so well. Literally, like twins personality wise. Aren't they cute bffs? lol

I loved seeing Ryan having such a great time, and Ray's girlfriend Jinsy and I were like two peas in a pod, so it worked out well for me too! Loved them, loved playing hostess and loved seeing the smile on Ryan's face. I can't wait to get them back here in December and to go visit sometime up in Michigan.

On that note...cupcakes anyone?!

I decided to put a twist on my Banana Nut Bread cupcake and throw in some coconut. I LOVE coconut...it breaks almost even with chocolate on the love scale. Put the two together and I can't control myself, for reals. I also decided to top the cupcake with a brown sugar streusel topping, which will be permanent addition - yum!

I'm sad to say that I won't be giving out this recipe. Sorry friends, feel free to hate me hard for this one. In my defense, I am wanting to open a cupcake bakery in the near future. If I give all of my cupcake recipes away, I don't think I will have much intrigue left for my product. Besides, this recipe was adapted from my great, great grandmother and I have relatives that would kill me if I gave it away via the internet. Email me, and we may be able to work something out ;)

I will tell you this - find a banana bread or cupcake recipe that uses mayo in it. Trust me, when it is mixed with banana you have a cake that will stay moist for days. Really, you can use your favorite banana cupcake or banana nut bread recipe for these and create the same concept. Also, toast your coconut and pecans for better taste before you put them in your batter (Yes, I put both in mine.) Coconut cream cheese frosting is relatively easy. I do some serious tweaking to mine, but if you find a basic cream cheese frosting recipe and add some coconut extract I'm sure yours will taste delicious!

I adore this picture. It looks like the cupcakes are beaming in heaven or something - which is where I feel I am at when I eat them!

PB n' J Puppy Chow

2012-06-03T15:36:00.001-07:00

Since I am limpy status at the moment with a bummed ankle, I didn't get around to making the time consuming chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake that I wanted too. So, I settled for this delicious Puppy Chow. I love this stuff, in a seriously border line obsessive way. As I sit here, stuffing my face with it as I watch The Notebook (one of my favorites), I keep asking myself why I ever decided to do this to myself. Puppy Chow is like the crack of all sweets. It is so easy to make, and so simple to eat. I just keep reaching for the bag and eating it by the handful. I can feel my backside expanding as I type this...looks like fat pants tomorrow.

I took the Puppy Chow recipe from Picky Palate and tweaked it a little. I am not big on white chocolate, so I used the good semi-sweet stuff instead. Peanut butter and jelly is one of life's greatest gifts - mixing it in with Puppy Chow only makes it that much better. Enjoy :)

Peanut Butter n' Jelly Puppy Chow

Adapted from Picky Palate

9 Cups Honey Nut Chex (or any chex variety you like)

3/4 Cup chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips

1/2 Cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 Cup strawberry jam

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Cups powdered sugar

Place chex cereal in a large mixing bowl. Place chocolate, peanut butter, jam and butter into a microwavable safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute or until melted. Stir then pour into bowl of cereal. Mix well then divide mixture into 2 large ziplock bags. Pour in 1 Cup powdered sugar into each ziplock. Close bags and shake until cereal is coated. Pour into a large bowl and serve.

This recipe makes a lot. You can always freeze a bag if you'd like!

Paula Deen's Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf and Mama's Green Beans

2012-06-02T15:30:00.002-07:00

Yesterday I only had 11 students come to school - it was a happy day. However, that happy day was short lived thanks to a swollen, sore ankle. By the end of last night, I could barely even walk. So, I decided to do what I do anytime something is wrong with me....and Google.

Let me just tell you that Google and WebMD are the internet devil when it comes to being sick and/or injured. You can take the common cold and convince yourself that you are dying from a foreign flu pandemic within a matter of 3 minutes. Thanks to Google and WebMd I was convinced I had a "Deep Vein Thrombosis" and was going to be dead by the end of the night. Of course, Ryan tried to tell me to get off the computer and stop diagnosing myself. Did I listen? Naturally not. I had myself in tears before all was said and done. And God knows I couldn't end the discussion with Ryan that peacefully. I had to throw in a "Well, when I die you can have it on your conscience!" I'm a brat, it is just how it is. I don't deny it, I embrace it. Some call it bratty, some call it a particular 5 letter word that starts with a B and rhymes with itchy. I prefer to refer to myself as sassy. It suits me.

I woke up this morning thrilled to have made it through the night with such a life threatening illness. I was in the doctors office before I even got my morning coffee in, and if you know me...you know how serious that is. I don't function without coffee, but possible death is an exception. Ryan went into the doctors room with me, bless his heart. He was feeling the guilt after the "my death can be on your conscience" comment. He even drove me - winning! The doctor came in, I informed her I was near death with a blood clot. Her response? A smile, and a 30 minute biology seminar explaining how I have arthritis/tendinitis and why it isn't possible for a blood clot to be located in the spot of my swelling. Not to mention, the 15 minutes worth of personal life stories she decided to share with us.

Arthritis, tendinitis, not dying?...Great! However, my joy of surviving was suddenly ruined as I looked over to see the SMUG smirk growing on Ryan's face. He loves being right, and making me wrong. Lord knows he told me over and over again that I was not suffering from a blood clot and I was overreacting. He certainly hasn't hesitated to remind me of that fact about a hundred times today. If looks could have killed, he would have been 6 feet under in that office. I would rather be safe than sorry, thank you very much.

Now I get to wear a rockin' ankle brace (looking all kinds of sexy) and take an anti-inflammatory medicine for awhile. 26 and my body is falling apart, seriously? I thought this crap happened at ages 50 and up? I now have had tendinitis in my thumb, hips, and ankle. Just call me grandma, because I'm about two years away from an electric scooter. I have to admit, those commercials make those things look pretty sweet. Moral of the story? Just don't Google when something is wrong. Avoid the search engine at all costs.

There is a point to all this rambling, I swear. The plan was to make a very time consuming cheesecake this weekend. However, given my current ankle situation, I wasn't exactly feeling the idea of limping around the kitchen on my feet all day today. I am happy to say that I will be making that cheesecake next weekend.

You know I couldn't completely stay out of the kitchen, so I decided to make Paula Deen's Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf and my mama's quick green beans. Allow me to take a moment to express my love for Paula Deen. She is my celebrity crush - don't judge me. In my heaven, Paula will greet me with a plate full of her Gooey Butter Cakes, from which I won't gain an ounce. She will then go on to be my personal chef for all eternity. I imagine it will go something like that. Hey, a girl can dream.

So here it is, possibly the greatest meatloaf you will ever in your life consume.

Paula Deen's Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

1 pound ground chuck
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 (8-ounce) package sharp Cheddar, grated
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 (3-ounce) can French fried onions (I used the French's cheddar kind)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck and next 8 ingredients, mixing well.

In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and mustard. Stir 1/4 cup ketchup mixture into meat mixture, reserving remaining ketchup mixture.

Press meat mixture into a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan, or shape into a loaf and place on a rack in a broiler pan. Spread remaining ketchup mixture over loaf. Bake 40 minutes. Top with French fried onions; bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink. Garnish with special sauce (recipe to follow).

Special Sauce

½ cup Mayo

1/3 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons mustard

Splash of BBQ sauce or A1 sauce

Mix ingredients in small bowl.

Mama’s Quick Green Beans

2 cans grean beans (you can use fresh, but I wasn't in the mood)

Half an onion

3 pieces of bacon (uncooked)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Dice onion, add garlic powder and saute in a small pan until onion is clear. Open green bean cans and add onion, allowing it to soak for at least 15 minutes. In the meantime, cook bacon in a sauce pan. Once bacon is cooked, add green bean cans and cook on low-medium heat for 10 minutes.

7up Pound Cake

2012-05-28T11:51:00.005-07:00

Happy Memorial Day friends! I hate to go on a rant here, but it really ticks me off when people act as if Memorial Day is national "hang out with your friends and bbq" day. I sent Ryan to the store to pick up a few things for this pound cake, and when he came back he was all flustered because he waited 20 minutes in line due to the "idiotic" cashier he encountered. And yes, idiotic is a direct quote. Basically, this cashier was a young girl whining to every customer in line about how she didn't get Memorial weekend off and how she can't hang out with her friends at the beach. Oh, I'm sorry, I guess we all forgot the part when you fought for your country. Or, all the time you spent dedicated in the service. Here is an idea...shut your mouth and scan the groceries :)

It is really sad how many people could care less about the true meaning of this holiday. I come from a family composed of many veterans - some who have fought in wars, and some who have not. Regardless, they all are extremely proud of the fact that they have served their country and lost many friends in the process of doing so. My father lost over a hundred of his 101st Airborne division friends in a plane crash, back in the 80's. One of these friends was his best friend from childhood, and to this day, he still gets sad when talking about it. My father was supposed to be on that plane, but was granted permission to stay home because my mother's due date to have me was so close to their departure. He is blessed to be on this earth today, and he never hesitates to thank those that have sacrificed for this great nation.

I think this is a large reason why my father has raised me to have such respect for veterans. It doesn't matter where we are, or how much time we have - if my father sees a veteran, he will stop, shake their hand and thank them for their service. This is something I have always admired about my father, and because of that, I now do the same. Many of these veterans, especially the older ones never received the appreciation they so rightfully deserved. I really feel that thanking them is the least we can do as a nation. Freedom isn't free, and we are blessed to live our lives the way we desire thanks to those brave enough to serve this country. Make every day Memorial Day. Do your part to let our veterans know they are appreciated and respected.

So...who likes pound cake?!

Let me start by saying that I am shocked that I decided to make something without chocolate. It has been a very long time since I went chocolate-less in anything I've baked. I am a choco-holic and proud! If you don't like chocolate, let me suggest that you re-evaluate your life.

My students drove me to the point of insanity this week, so the fact that I didn't eat my weight in chocolate is a miracle in itself. If I heard "Miss Poehl....(insert tattle-tale comment here)" one more time this week, my head would have exploded. Due to my misfortune, my school's secretary was sweet enough to share this recipe with me. It has a syrup that soaks into the cake and keeps it amazingly moist. I really haven't had a pound cake this moist, ever. And the glaze on the top is a must! You know me, the sweeter I can get something, the better.

I opted to make mini pound cakes using a muffin pan (big mistake). It worked just fine, but I increased my work load by about a hundred in doing so. You can make this cake in a loaf or bundt pan just as easily. Mine aren't the prettiest looking little things, but they are ridiculous tasty. Pound cake is self explanatory - prepare to gain pounds while eating this. However, also prepare for the "Hallelujah" song to play within seconds of the first bite. Yes, it is that good. Just wait, you will hear it.

7up Pound Cake

2 sticks butter

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening

3 cups sugar

5 eggs

1 teaspoon lemon extract

3 cups all purpose flour

1 large bottle 7up

Pre heat oven to 300 degrees.

Grease and flour loaf or bundt cake pan. Cream butter and shortening with sugar. Add eggs, one at a time - beating well after each addition. Add lemon extract. Add flour and 7up alternately, beating after each addition.

Bake cake for 1 hour and 15 minutes (25 minutes for muffin pan).

Let cake cool for 10 minutes, poke holes throughout the top of cake with baking sticks or rods (you can also use straws for this). Drizzle syrup over cake, allowing it to absorb into cake. Syrup recipe is as follows:

7up Syrup

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup 7up

Heat ingredients in sauce pan over medium heat. Stir until mixture thickens (about 10 minutes). Spoon syrup over cake, once holes have been poked using baking sticks or rods.

After cake cools, drizzle glaze over the top. Glaze recipe is as follows:

7up Glaze

2 cups confectioners sugar

2 tablespoons 7up (more or less depending on texture desired)

Add 7up to confectioners sugar and whisk. (I added 7up little by little, until I reached my desired glaze consistency). I like my glaze more on the thick side.

S'mores Bars, Two Ways

2012-05-21T16:35:00.008-07:00

Let me start off by saying that this past weekend was one of the most mentally exhausting ever. Family drama would be an understatement. We are talking like an episode of "Cops" drama. If I wouldn't have had these Smore's Bars to enjoy, it is likely that I would have committed murder at some point. Not really, but you can get the idea. Who likes chocolate? I love chocolate, it really does put me in a better mood.

I saw this today and it made me giggle:

That whole "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" saying kills me. Obviously the person that created that statement has never eaten fried chicken, pizza, french fries, butter or these ridiculously good Smore's Bars. Sure, I want to be skinny. Sure, I want to fit into size 3 jeans. But, I want cake more - just sayin.

I used to have will-power made of steel. You don't go from 200lbs to 130lbs by slacking up. And yes people, I have put on some pounds since my 130's, so you can stop rolling your eyes now. I worked out 7 days a week, rain or shine, sick or tired. Nothing stood in my way, not even cake. Granted, I didn't have a career or a fiance that constantly tells me how "perfect" I am at my current weight. Why do men do that? Great, you love me the way I am - I don't. So, how about you lie and call me a fatty or something? I tell Ryan he is my biggest will-power distraction. After 8 hours with 20 wild children, the last thing I want to do is go to the gym. Hello, couch please! However, if I thought my fiance was disgusted by my jiggle, I might feel a little more inclined to pass on the couch session. Thanks for thinking I'm beautiful Ryan, jerk.

I have a year and 5 months until the wedding, so I am not yet in the "holy crap, I don't want to look like Miss Piggy in my wedding dress" stage. I swear in 14 days when I am off for summer I will get my ~~fat~~ butt back in the gym. Until then, I will keep making calorie filled goodness. Okay, lets be honest, I will make calorie filled goodness once I'm back in the gym, I will just have to give it away immediately. Any takers? I thought so.

Okay, enough life story rambling for one day. Graham cracker crust, Chocolate, marshmallow fluff...need I say more? Get ready for glory of the mouth. I watched a grown man lick the platter clean after eating one of these, and no I am not joking. And believe it or not, it was not Ryan - he is growing up so fast. I am so proud of him when he uses his manners like a good boy.

Peanut Butter Cup S'mores Bars

Recipe courtesy of The Sweet Life

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

16 peanut butter cups, regular size

1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 baking dishing with parchment paper; coat lightly with cooking spray.

In a large bowl of the bowl of stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Scrape down the sides. With the mixer on low, stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, and graham cracker crumbs until mixed.

Spread 2/3 of the dough on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Lightly press the peanut butter cups into the dough, then spread marshmallow fluff on top. Press the remaining dough on a non-stick surface into the shape of an 8×8 square. Place the square on top of the fluff and press down lightly.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. Allow to cool for at least two hours to give the bars a chance to set, then remove from the pan and cut into squares with a large, sharp knife.

Some people (with questionable brains) don't like peanut butter cups. So, I made these Smore's bars with regular Hershey's Bars as well. I have to admit, I prefer them this way. There is just something about an eewy, gooey, chewy, s'mores bar.

S'mores Bars

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 extra large Hershey's Bars (milk chocolate)

1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 baking dishing with parchment paper; coat lightly with cooking spray.

Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies

2012-05-13T14:15:00.006-07:00

Whoopie pies, round two! This time I decided to use chocolate chip cookies. I took one of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes and combined it with the frosting recipe from my "Mix-Matched Sprinkle Whoopie Pies". I'm not going to lie, I did good. Whoopie pies make me happy. Try to eat one and not feel like a kid again. I keep finding myself eating these, followed by an overwhelming feeling of guilt for doing so. I really need to stop, or get them out of this house. Real world problems going on here, don't you agree? Looks like meals consisting of water and air for this girl tomorrow.

Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy and light in color. Add egg and vanilla and blend in. Mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chunks.

Using a standard-sized cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop dough onto a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges. (The tops will not brown, but do NOT cook longer than ten minutes.)

Let cool, on the sheet, on a wire rack for five minutes. Remove from baking sheet and let cool completely. Frost cookies (recipe as follows).

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
2 sticks cold butter, chopped into small cubes
2 tablespoons sprinkles (I used the long, brown ones)

Beat the cream and vanilla until slightly thickened. Beat in the powdered sugar until thick and smooth. Beat in about one fourth of the cold butter cubes at a time on high speed. Beat for about 10 minutes on high speed in your stand mixer until smooth. Don't be afraid if it looks weird at first. Just keep beating! Fold in the sprinkles. Use to fill cooled cookies.

Recipes courtesy of Apple a Day and Yammie's Noshery.

Four Layer Cookie Bars

2012-05-10T17:49:00.005-07:00

Let me start by saying that Ryan refers to these as "The Diabetes Bars". That named was reaffirmed by both my best friend and her significant other. These things are SWEET - the type of sweet that leaves you reaching for your toothbrush in fear of instant cavities. They are rich, and I mean really, really, really rich. The four layers consist of a sugar cookie, a double chocolate chip cookie, a peanut butter cookie, and a chocolate chip cookie. I know most sweets lovers will think that this is the most glorious creation possibly ever, but even I could only eat a few bites before feeling the need to stop myself. This cookie bar is delicious, but if you don't enjoy rich sweets, you will not like these. I would highly suggest a tall glass of milk to accompany this monster, followed by a long trip to the gym.

Four Layer Cookie Bar

Layer 1: Sugar Cookie

1 Roll of Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Press sugar cookie dough into bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish that’s been lined foil and sprayed with cooking spray.

Layer 2: Double Chocolate Chip Cookie

(the recipe below makes double what you’ll need for the bars, use extra for cookies)

1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder)
2 tsps. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Slowly add eggs and vanilla until well combined.

In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients then stir in chips. Layer 1/2 the recipe over sugar cookie layer, pressing gently.

Layer 3: Peanut Butter Cookie

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix until combined. Press over chocolate cookie dough.

Layer 4: Chocolate Chip Cookie

(the recipe below makes double what you’ll need for the bars, use extra for cookies)

2 sticks softened butter

3/4 Cup granulated sugar

3/4 Cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla

2 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 bag chocolate chips

Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix until combined. Press over chocolate cookie dough.

Make sure oven is preheated to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer cream the butter and sugars until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.

Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bolw; mix to combine. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips. Spoon 1/2 of the dough evenly over peanut butter cookie dough but don’t press, just leave uneven. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until center of dough is cooked mostly through. Edges will be brown.

Let cookies cool completely. Lift out of pan with edges of foil. Drizzle top with 1/2 Cup melted chocolate chips if desired.

Recipe courtesy of Picky Palate.

Double Cookie n' Cream Bars

2012-05-08T18:08:00.005-07:00

I was in the mood to bake up something sweet. I was also trying to make up for being a grumpy witch. I have learned the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Same applies to Ryan. So, Sabrina the grumpy witch makes Ryan super sweet, tasty Double Cookie n' Cream Bars and all is forgotten!

Warning: These bars are dangerous, especially served warmed. Pair it with ice cream and hot fudge and you may literally lick the plate clean. I messed up my first attempt at these. I put the pretty, finished pan in the oven, and ten minutes later I realized I had forgotten the baking soda. For those of you that don't know, leaving out baking soda will prevent cookies from rising. In order to avoid a completely flattened, ruined pan of Double Cookie n' Cream bars, I ditched them and completely started over. Major FAIL! However, once I took a bite, the 3 hours of work was well worth it!

Double Cookie n' Cream Bars

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup mini chocolate chips

12 Oreo, crushed

Bag of fun-sized Hershey Cookies n' Cream bars

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8 inch baking dish with foil, and spray with non stick spray.

In an electric mixer bowl, combine butter, sugar and brown sugar. Beat for at least 2 minutes, until it is light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine. Fold in chocolate chips, and Oreo pieces.

Press 1/3 of the dough into the prepared baking dish. Place 5 rows of Hershey’s Kisses onto of the dough. Gently press the remaining cookie dough over the top of the Kisses. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. (If you like your cookies soft, I highly suggest under-baking them). Allow to cool completely before serving.

Recipe courtesy of Picky Palate.

Creamiest Alfredo Sauce and Red Lobster Biscuits

2012-05-07T18:33:00.004-07:00

Let me just say that I love Alfredo sauce and the creamier, the better. I have tried making about a hundred different Alfredo recipes. I figured the hardest and most difficult recipe had to be the best, right? Wrong! This recipe is so simple and quick, but you wouldn't know it based on taste. I will probably never eat Alfredo out of a jar again. This stuff is rich, creamy, and cheap to make. In fact, I actually found this recipe trying to find something to make with the few ingredients I had in my refrigerator. The best part is that this recipe is limitless. You can add different ingredients to change it up any way you'd like. I have added jalapenos and Sriracha sauce to kick it up a bit! And let's be honest here - Red Lobster biscuits are impossible not to love. If you don't enjoy Red Lobster biscuits, you don't have a soul. Yes, I said it.

Ladies, with the men you can't go wrong here. I am giving you a simple, quick and cheap dinner option that males assume took all day to perfect. Their bellies will approve and your brownie points will increase. If you are wanting a home cooked meal on a limited time frame, this is the meal for you. I promise people will lick their fingers clean after tasting these biscuits (I have seen it). Ryan can't get enough of them.

Creamy Alfredo Sauce

8 ounces dry pasta

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (can use shredded cheese as well)

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pinch ground nutmeg

Flavored sausage (optional, I used an italian sausage for added flavor)

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
In a medium saucepan, combine cream cheese, Parmesan, butter, milk, garlic powder and stir over low heat until smooth and creamy, 10 to 15 minutes. Toss sauce with pasta and sprinkle with nutmeg. Serve.

Now for my favorite part....

If you don't eat Alfredo sauce, at least make these biscuits. Seriously, do your mouth a favor and make them! I could sit and eat an entire batch by myself, no lie. Granted my back-side would grow about 3 sizes, but you get my point. They take maybe 10 minutes to make, and they are best served right out of the oven.

Red Lobster Biscuits

2 cups buttermilk biscuit mix (Bisquick)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I use more)

2/3 cup milk

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together biscuit mix, cheese and garlic powder. Add in milk, and stir until well mixed. (Heads up – the dough will get very sticky!)

With a spoon or with your fingers, shape the dough into biscuit-sized clumps, and drop onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until biscuits begin to brown slightly around the edges.

While the biscuits bake, prepare the warm butter mixture by mixing together the melted butter, oregano and garlic salt in a small bowl. As soon as the biscuits are removed from the oven, brush the biscuits (while they are still on the baking sheet) with the mixture until they are well-coated. Serve warm.

Recipes courtesy of Allrecipes.com.

Snicker Chippers

2012-05-05T11:17:00.011-07:00

I was in the mood for something sweet, gooey and delicious. These are exactly that. These cookies make you work, but the results are well worth it! You have to definitely be a Snickers fan to enjoy them, but if you are you won't be able to put them down. Calories can't be considered here, trust me. You might as well put the bikini away if you are baking these. Honestly, I think I gained weight just looking at them. Who am I kidding, I'll stuff one of these in my mouth and ten minutes later whine about the size my of thighs. Maybe I should have named these cookies "Thigh Killers". Hell, I gave up on small thighs a long time ago - they just weren't meant for me. On that note, I think I'll have another cookie. Who likes skinny jeans anyway?

Chewy Chocolate Chip Snicker Cookie

2 cups all purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

16 tablespoons unsalted butter

¾ cup brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 ½ cup sliced Snickers, (approximately 4 king size candy bars or one bag of mini size Snickers)

1 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line bake sheet with parchment paper.

Place flour and baking soda together in a bowl and whisk to combine; set aside.

Place 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking and using the handle of pan to swirl the butter around in the skillet. Swirl butter constantly until it becomes a dark golden brown in color and gives off a nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 6 tablespoons of butter into hot butter until completely melted.

Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to brown butter mixture and whisk until fully incorporated. Add eggs and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Rest mixture for 3 minutes, then whisk for another 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using sturdy rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

Using a #24 cookie scoop (basically a small ice cream scoop) or using a spoon scoop out approximately two heaping tablespoons of dough and flatten it into a round disc and place a Snickers slice on top. Fold edges over Snickers to seal it in. (Optional: For added richness press in chopped Snickers on top). Place cookies 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets.

Bake cookies 1 sheet at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, about 10 to 14 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool cookies.

Recipe courtesy of Bakers Royal.