Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

We went over to my mom and dad's for a BBQ and to celebrate my mom's birthday this weekend.  I figured I would make a pie because we needed a dessert and I've been wanting to bake!  So, I decided to go for a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.  I have never made one before! Can you believe that?  Every summer, I see all these strawberry rhubarb recipes come out and I'm always like, "I'm gonna make a pie..." and then I never get around to it.  So, I finally did.  And, everyone LOVED it.  It was a delicious, freakin pie. The crust was flaky, the fruit amazing, and it looked gorgeous!  I was inspired by a recipe I saw on America's Test Kitchen and then I adapted from there.  I love how you make a strawberry rhubarb syrup of sorts to keep the fruit juicy, but also keep the crust from getting soggy.  It was really delicious!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
12 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 4-6 pieces
cold water
2 lbs rhubarb, chopped
1 lb strawberries, hulled and halved
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tbsp tapioca powder

Directions:
1. Make the crust: Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Then, add in the butter cubes and pieces of shortening and pulse until you have a sandy mixture.  Add in water as needed until dough comes together.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in fridge to chill.
2. Place rhubarb in a microwave safe bowl with the sugar.  Microwave for a minute and a half, stir, and then microwave for another minute.  Stir in 1 cup of strawberries and let the mixture sit for 30 minutes.
3. After 30 minutes, drain the rhubarb mixture into a small saucepan.  Add the rest of the strawberries to the rhubarb juice and cook over medium-high until you can mash the strawberries.  Mash the strawberries, add in the tapioca powder and continue to cook until sauce thickens.  Add the sauce to the rhubarb mixture.
4. Take the dough out of the fridge, cut into two pieces.  Roll one piece out on a well floured surface and then place in pie dish.  Pour the fruit into the pie dish and place in the fridge.
5. Take the other piece of dough and roll it out.  When you are ready take the pie out of the fridge and lay the rolled out dough over the top. Press the dough together around the sides.  Then, brush the top of the crust with water, cut a few slits into the top, and sprinkle sugar over the top.
6. Bake at 425 for 25 minutes.  Then, lower the temperature to 375 and bake for another 35-40 minutes.  Let cool.

Enjoy :)

Cookie Dough Stuffed Cupcakes

Today is a very special day! It is on of my best friend and bridesmaid's birthday!  I celebrated with Tamara this weekend up in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin where we went out to a fabulous dinner and then had a good old-fashioned sleepover back at her place.  Tamara and I share a deep appreciation for cupcakes and so for her birthday I baked this outrageous Cookie Dough Stuffed Cupcakes.  Everything is homemade!  I made yellow cake, homemade egg-less cookie dough, and dark chocolate frosting.  Check it out:

Cookie Dough Stuffed Cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup powdered milk
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
For the cookie dough filling:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp skim milk
1 cup mini chocolate chips
For the frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 oz low-fat cream cheese
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup skim milk
3-3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. To make the cupcakes, whisk dry ingredients together.  Beat in wet ingredients.  Pour into prepared cupcake pan with liners.  Bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.
2. To make the cookie dough filling,  beat the butter with the brown sugar.  Then, ad in the vanilla.  Then, add in the flour and salt until just combined.  Beat in the milk until you have a desired consistency one tablespoon at a time.  Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.  Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Then, core the cupcakes using a knife or cupcake corer and put the cookie dough inside.
3. To make the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy.  Beat in the powdered sugar and then slowly add the milk and vanilla.  Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl on high, stirring after 30 seconds, until melted.  Beat in the chocolate.  Frost cooled cupcakes!

Enjoy :)

Today is Brian's Mom's Birthday!  Happy Birthday!  Brian's mom is awesome and I am so excited to celebrate with her later!  I also can't wait to become part of her family later this summer! #LegallyPflaumed (yes that is our wedding hashtag and yes it is super amazing).

To celebrate, we are going to get some delicious pizza at Lou Malnati's for dinner.  I was also asked to make my chocolate chip banana bread.  I was really excited to bake this because I haven't in ages and it is so good! I seriously have the best banana bread recipe ever.  Of course there are chocolate chips in it and for this birthday celebration I went with some milk chocolate chips.  This recipe holds nothing back.  It has white flour, sugar, and chocolate chips.  There are also TONS of bananas in it.  This is actually the only way I will eat bananas.  If you want, you can substitute the flour for whole wheat or add in other mix-ins like fruits or nuts, but if you want something just plain yummy, I would stick with the original.  We are celebrating a birthday so you need to get a little crazy!

You can find the recipe HERE.

Enjoy :)

My Dallas Adventure

This past weekend I was in Dallas hanging with some of Bri's Wash U besties.  Bri was roommates with Stephen and Amy and they are now engaged! We had a fabulous time exploring their neighborhood and eating tons of food.  It was a great weekend and here are some highlights:

We took a tour of the Dallas Cowboys Stadium.  This was super cool because you even get to go onto the field! I even did a cartwheel on the football field because...why not?

We had a couple amazing breakfasts as you can see below:  

We got breakfast tacos at Tacodeli.  This place was super great and even had a salsa bar where you could sample all of their salsas! They also do lunch and dinner. 

I did my usual Saturday morning run and then we went to Cafe Brazil.  I ordered the Vegetarian Migas and it was one of the greatest post-run breakfasts I have ever enjoyed.  They also have this amazing selection of coffee at their coffee bar and you are allowed to get as many cups as you want!  

Our final morning was spent at The Meddlesome Moth eating one of the best brunches I have ever had.  We had coffee from individual french presses, mimosas, and I ordered the omelet.  

We also went to some great places for Lunch/Dinner/Beer: 

This Bahn Mi Sandwich came from this amazing food truck that was parked alongside a bunch of food trucks in a park in downtown Dallas.  This was awesome and the park was adorable! 

This amazing BBQ came from the Lockhart Smokehouse.  When in Dallas, one must eat some BBQ! Get the brisket...do it.

Like Chipotle for Pizza lovers, Pizza Snob was a must try as Bri is a HUGE pizza fan! I got the Buffalo Chicken Pizza and it was so good I took a bite before remembering to take a photo! 

Go to Emporium Pies.  Eat all the pies....

The Highland Park Soda Fountain is a cute little dive that has amazing milkshakes and just plain good grilled cheese.  I got chocolate, but Bri got cherry and Stephen ended up with Strawberry.  We were all very happy. 

We went to a great bar called Luck and sampled a ton of good Texas beer.  Then, we walked over to the brewery next door, Four Corners, and tried some of their stuff as well! 

I swear we did more than eat!  We shopped, walked around cute areas, and spent a good amount of time at the Fort Worth Stockyards: 

Engaged Cowgirls :) 

It was a truly amazing trip!

Clean Out Your Pantry Cookie Bars

I'm moving in THREE days!  I can't believe it!  We are buying our own condo and I couldn't be more excited.  This past week we have been packing up boxes, cleaning, and getting things in order.  I decided that I was going to cook/bake things that I had all the ingredients for already so that I could clean out the pantry/fridge.  This was the inspiration behind these cookie bars and I've gotta say, it was a great plan.

I only had white whole wheat flour left in the pantry so I used that.  I had more brown sugar than regular sugar, so I used more brown sugar.  And, I already had open bags of peanut butter chips and dark chocolate chips.  I figured that with that combo, I really couldn't go wrong.  Then, just for kicks, I threw in some old-fashioned oats as well.  Why not, right?  These cookie bars are super yummy!!!! I may have to host my own edition of chopped: clean-out-your-pantry-style.   It could be the next big reality show!  I would go to different houses of people who are moving and you would have to cook with whatever they had.  The Goal: make something amazing that uses as many ingredients as possible so that the pantry is clean when you are done.  I feel like I am onto something big here.  Feel free to contact my agent...

Anyways, I have been really busy getting ready for the move and I am grateful that I decided to take off half of Thursday and all of Friday so that I can just focus on moving and getting all settled in our new home.  I have an amazing kitchen waiting for me and I can't wait to beak it in!

Clean Out Your Pantry Cookie Bars
(Whole Wheat Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars)

Ingredients:
3 cups white whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cornstarch
1 cup old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
1 egg
1 egg white
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup dark chocolate chips
sea salt

Directions:
1. Lightly grease a 13 by 9 inch pan and preheat the oven to 350.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cornstarch, and oats.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, oil, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg until well combined.  Beat in the egg white until well combined.  Beat in the vanilla.
4. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined.  Stir in the peanut butter chips and dark chocolate chips.
5. Spread the batter out in your prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.  The cookie bars should be slightly browned around the edge of the pan.  Let cool for 20 minutes.  Cut into bars!

Enjoy :)

Happy Pi Day!

I am such a nerd and this day is the best!

I made mys "famous" inception cookies for all of my students today.  I know this isn't pie, but hear me out.  Pi is the distance around 1/2 of the unit circle:

So, I made the inception cookies because you end up cutting them in half and therefore you have a Pi's worth of the circle. Isn't that cool??? I know, I'm a dork.

My students are raving about the cookies and it makes me so happy to share them with them.  I love to bake and it's so great when I get to share that part of me with my kiddos.

In class today, we watched Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi and then the students ate their cookies while working on Circle Challenges.  It is a nice change of pace and it is a great way to celebrate pi!

Tonight, Bri and I are planning on cooking dinner and, of course, making some sort of pie for dessert!

Cheesecake Brownie Cupcakes

Now there is a blog title to get excited about!  These brownies are crazy yummy and they were sort of an accident.

So, on Wednesday my students took a practice ACT during school.  This meant that I just proctored all day and I was able to go home early!  What a win!  Plus, the students did really well!  They started with an average of about 18 on the math section and now their average is above 20!  That is great growth!  I was super proud of them and I had extra time so I decided to bake something for my advisory.  I was also asked to bake for an upcoming Oscar party this weekend.  I figured I would just bake a double batch of something and have enough desserts for both events!

My students told me that they would like brownies or cheesecake.  I decided to just combine the two!  I started baking, but then I realized that I didn't have enough sugar!!! I was feeling super lazy and so instead of going out to buy more sugar, I decided to take a risk and use brown sugar instead.  My laziness ended up being a good thing since these brownies were super tasty and a huge hit!

Now, I am sitting in school and my students just had the brownies.  They loved them and there is only one left!  (Well, actually there is 13 left...I just kept 12 at home for that Oscar party I mentioned earlier).  These brownies are yummy and you should make them!

Cheesecake Brownie Cupcakes

Ingredients:16 tbsp unsalted butter
8 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
1 plus 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp espresso powder
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
8 oz light cream cheese
1 cup nonfat, plain greek yogurt
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp flour

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 and line your cupcake pan with liners.
2. In a small saucepan, place the butter and chopped chocolate.  Heat over medium-low, stirring constantly, until melted and combined.  Remove from heat.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and espresso powder.
4. In a large bowl, beat the sugars with the eggs and vanilla.
5. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese with the greek yogurt, sugar and flour until well combined.
6. Beat the chocolate mixture into the sugar/egg mixture until well combined.  Mix in the flour mixture until just combined.
7.  Place about 2 tbsp of brownie mixture into each cupcake well.  Place about 1 tbsp of cream cheese mixture on top.  Then place about 1 tsp of brownie mixture on top of the cream cheese.  Using a toothpick, swirl the cream cheese and brownie batter.
8.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Cool.

Enjoy :)

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

Guys, I am such a grown up.  Bri and I had a meeting last night with our REAL ESTATE AGENT.  We are officially starting our new home search and we couldn't be more pumped about becoming first time homeowners!!! No more of this renting silliness.  We are using words like invest and mortgage.  It's super crazy and I feel old.  

I am also a little fascinated by the fact that I am super excited to have an in unit washer and dryer.  I think this may actually be the determining factor on if you are an adult or not.  Do you get excited about having an in unit washer or dryer? If yes, then congrats, you are an adult.  Seriously, I couldn't be more pumped up about it.  I keep saying things like "I've made it!" and "I can't wait to leave things in the dryer and just grab them as needed."  I feel that this is both adorable and sad, but I am okay with it.

So, to celebrate the beginning of this house hunting journey and my path towards laundry-ease, I am sharing a recipe for Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake.  YUM! Plus, this cake has NO flour.  Just three layers of chocolatey goodness with a dense flourless dark chocolate cake-like base, chocolate mousse center, and white chocolate mousse top.  

This cake was a huge hit.  I brought it in for a staff potluck, and people told me that it was so good I should get paid to make it.  I should start charging people for the delicious things I make.  But, then I would think of it like a job instead of fun, so I am going to stick to making people happy with free treats.  

Today is also my half birthday and while I know that is not actually a thing, it is another small reason to celebrate so here you go:

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

Follow the link for the recipe at Tastebook since I barely changed anything.  Here are the few suggestions/things that I did to make this cake a success:

1. Find good quality chocolate.  It makes a difference.

2. CHILL.  Let things chill for a LONG time.  Then, putting the cake together works so much better.  

3. I found that my white chocolate layer didn't firm up like it should so in the future I would add a pinch more gelatin and let it cool even longer. 

4., Whenever the recipe said to whip something until soft peaks formed, I whipped until stiff-er peaks formed.  This makes the mousse more airy and light which I love.  

Pumpkin Mousse

Is it still pumpkin season? I'm gonna say yes since it's so weirdly warm this winter that it still sorta feels like fall.  I mean, I just went for a run and got way to sweaty for this time of year.  Also, I got really cute cold weather running gear for Hanukkah and I can't even wear it since it's too warm!  I know I shouldn't complain.  I love that there is no snow and that I can still make pumpkin things.  What more could a girl ask for?  

I was playing around with the idea of a pumpkin-like pie but without the pie crust.  I found a recipe for a pumpkin mousse and I just loved that idea!  So, that is what I am sharing with you today!  

Today is also a pretty exciting day for me (besides the pumpkin mousse).  I have a lunch date with Bri's Aunt to talk about a wedding shower and then I have a dinner date with Bri's whole family to celebrate his and his twin's birthdays!  I get to go to Cheesecake Factory and Portillo's...all in one day!  This is why I went for a 5.75 mile run this morning.  Gotta prepare myself for all the delicious eating!  

Pumpkin Mousse

(adapted from Pastry Chef Online)

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

2 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided

1 15 oz can pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of cloves

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, heat the water and sugar until boiling.  Continue to boil until the sugar has deeply caramelized.  Once this happens, immediately remove it from the stove and pour in 1 cup of the heavy cream and stir to combine.  Pour this mixture into a metal bowl.
2. Add in the pumpkin, honey, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and vanilla.  Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour.
3. Pour the rest of the heavy cream (1 1/2 cups) into a metal bowl and beat until stiff peaks form.  Pour 1/3 of this mixture into your cold pumpkin mixture and beat to combine.  Then pour the the rest and use a spatula to fold in the cream until no white streaks remain.
4. Place back into the fridge to keep cold, or serve!  I served mine with a little whipped cream on top!

Enjoy :)

Caramel Apple Cake

Today is my last day of school this week!!! Plus, it's a test day!  I know...I'm a little evil.  I'm a math teacher and I'm excited about giving a test.  Actually, I'm really excited about this test because my students are going to do amazing on it and that is pretty awesome.

I'm also pumped because after school I am leaving for NYC with my family!  We are DRIVING there.  So, if we don't kill each other, by Wednesday night, we will be in NYC to meet up with my little brother and the University of Illinois Marching Band.  My brother is a proud member of this band and they are performing in the Macy's Day Parade on Thanksgiving!! How cool is that?

I'm excited to go to New York, see my New York family and see the Macy's Day Parade in person for the first time.  It is going to be so fun.

To celebrate, I'm sharing a cake!  This Caramel Apple Cake was inspired by the Brown Eyed Baker.  I made it for the ladies of my book club and they thought it was one of the best cakes they had ever had.  I made my cake with two layers of apple spice cake and then spread some "to die for" cinnamon, caramel cream cheese frosting over the whole thing.  Finally, I topped it off with some fresh slices of a granny smith apple.  YUM!  This dessert is super tasty and it is a great option for a Thanksgiving dessert that celebrates fall flavors.

Caramel Apple Cake

Ingredients:
4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cloves
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
4 cups unsweetened, plain applesauce
Frosting:
12 oz light cream cheese
1 cup unsalted butter
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp caramel sauce
1-2 tsp heavy cream (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line two 9 inch circular cake pans with parchment paper.  Grease generously.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sugar for a few minutes.  Beat until it is light and fluffy.  Beat in both eggs until well combined.
4. Alternate adding the flour mixture with the applesauce mixture to the butter and sugar.  Start and end with the flour. Divide the batter into the two prepared pans. Bake for 55-60 minutes.  Let cool completely.
5. To make the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese together until well combined.  Add in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until you have a desired taste and consistency.  Add in the cinnamon and caramel sauce and beat well.  Add in the cream if needed.
6. Once your cake is totally cooled, you can spread a layer of frosting over the top of one layer and the place the other layer on top.  Frosting completely and top with some apple slices.

Enjoy :)

Mini Dark Chocolate M&M Skillet Brownies

I know that this is exactly what we don't need right after Halloween, but look at how amazing these brownie skillets look!!!! Plus, you can throw in any candy pieces that you have lying around from trick-or-treating.  My mom gave me and Bri a "Halloween Goody Bag."  So, now I have Justin's Peanut Butter Cups, Pumpkin Spice Latte M&Ms, Halloween Oreos, Halloween Gummies, and more.  It's a little crazy.  I'm trying to eat healthy and here I have a giant bag full of deliciousness.  I just need to make sure not to eat it all at once...

Halloween was super fun.  I was Lois Lane and Bri was Clark Kent.  It was pretty adorable.  We went to a couple halloween parties hosted by friends and overall had a super nice weekend.  

Now, it is back to school time!  

Mini Dark Chocolate M&M Skillet Brownies

(makes two mini skillets)

Ingredients:

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 cup dark chocolate M&Ms

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease your mini skillets.

1. In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat and stir in chopped bittersweet chocolate until smooth and combined.  Turn off heat and stir in the sugar until well combined.  Next, stir in the eggs until well combined.  Add in the vanilla and salt.  

2. Sprinkle the flour and cocoa powder over your brownie mixture and then stir until just combined.  Stir in the M&Ms.

3.  Divide the batter into your two mini skillets.  Bake for about 25 minutes.  

Enjoy :)

Brown Sugar Butterscotch Oatmeal Bars

I go through some weird phases.  The most recent one has been a butterscotch phase.  Bri's dad is big fan of butterscotch and it was just his birthday!  So, I made some butterscotch bars.  And now, I am really into butterscotch!

Butterscotch is super weird.  I mean, what is it?  So, my friend and I looked it up and found out that it is a delightful combination of brown sugar and butter! No wonder it is so delicious!

These butterscotch bars are super easy and I adapted them for a previous time by swapping the sugar for light brown sugar.  Brown sugar, butter, and butterscotch all combined in a great oatmeal bar!  You have to make these!

Brown Sugar Butterscotch Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups old-fashioned oats
12 oz butterscotch chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a 13 by 9 inch pan
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter with the brown sugar until well combined.  Add in the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.  Add in the flour mixture and slowly mix until just combined.  Add in the oats and chips and stir to combine evenly throughout the mixture.
4. Spread the batter into your prepared pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes.  The edges should be slightly browned.  Let cool completely and then cut into bars.

Enjoy :)

Red Velvet Cookie Dough and Brownie Parfait

It's my birthday! I decided to share this treat today because it is one of my favorite treats that I have made! But first, let me tell you all about the fun birthday events I have been up to!

First, on Saturday, my family and Bri went to dinner at Due Lire.  I had the Tortelli and it was quite delicious.  Then, on Sunday, I ran the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon and afterwards, went to lunch at D4.  Yesterday, Bri and I went for a little picnic for dinner in the park and now today is the big day!  Today, my family is coming downtown and we have reservations at RPM Italian.  I have never been, but I have heard phenomenal things.  I am pretty excited.  I also baked some of my famous Inception Cookies to bring to my staff at camp today.  I sorta feel like I'm in elementary school again; I'm bringing treats for my class :)

So this dessert basically combines all of my favorite things.  It has brownies, red velvet cookie dough dip, and homemade whipped cream.  I LOVE whipping cream.  I think it is just so cool,  Plus the brownies were the beer brownies that Bri and I made with spent grain from brewing.  This dessert was just outrageously delicious.  

Red Velvet Cookie Dough and Brownie Parfait

Ingredients:

(this fills one large mason jar)

2-3 brownies (I used my Beer Brownies)

Red Velvet Cookie Dough Dip:

8 oz low-fat cream cheese

1 cup non-fat, greek yogurt

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp cocoa powder

2-3 tsp red food coloring

Whipped Cream:

4 oz low-fat cream cheese

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Bake the brownies or use your favorite store bought brand.

2. Make the red velvet cookie dough dip: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with the greek yogurt.  Beat in both sugars until well combined and then add in the cocoa powder and red food color.  Mix until well combined.

3. Make the whipped cream: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with the powdered sugar.  Add in the cream and beat on high until peaks begin to form.  Continue to beat until you have stiff peaks.  

4. Use a mason jar or other container to layer your dessert.  Start with some crumbled brownies, then red velvet dip, and then whipped cream and repeat. 

Enjoy :)

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Happy Saturday everyone! Today is one of my besties birthdays so I gotta give her a shout-out: Happy Birthday Tamara! Tamara, is also one amazing chef and we became really good friends after discovering our mutual love and appreciation for cupcakes :).  She is pretty awesome and she is one of my bridesmaids!  I hope you have a great day, Tamara!

Today is also pretty exciting in that I am picking up my race day swag for the Rock and Roll Half Marathon.  I am going to be running that tomorrow and I am keeping my fingers crossed for a cool morning and no thunderstorms...Even though the weather is pretty awful right now, I am still very excited!  

Today, Bri and I are also going to see the new movie, Trainwreck.  After that is when we are gonna head over to the half marathon expo, and then we have to scurry back to get ready for dinner at Due Lire with my parents.  My birthday is coming up, so we are starting the celebration tonight with dinner.  I have never been to this restaurant, but I have heard amazing things and I will for sure report back.  

I figured that today was a great day to share this Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake.  I made this a while back, but I was in a coffee cake mood this morning.  I mean, it's Saturday, I'm running 13.1 miles tomorrow, and my birthday is this week.  Is there a better way to celebrate than with a good, ol' coffee cake? 

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

(adapted from Barbara Bakes)

Note: Please go check out her blog for some amazing photos and the recipe.  I changed a few things, so I will tell you about that, but she did a really lovely job with the dough and has some amazing photos of it! 

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 package of yeast (I used regular as opposed to quick rise)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
2 eggs
Apple Filling
4 large apples (I used Granny Smith)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tbsp unsalted butter
Streusel Topping
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp skim milk

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, beat 1 cup flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and cinnamon.
2. Place butter and milk into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute.  Add warm milk to the flour mixture and mix until combined.
3. Lightly flour a clean surface and remove dough from the bowl to knead.  Knead for about 8-10 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy.  Place into a lightly greased bowl and place bowl in a warm location.  I turn on my oven to 100 degrees and then leave the bowl in there with the door open.  Let the dough rise until doubled in size.  This took a little over 1 hour.
4. While the dough is rising, peel and chop apples.  Place apples, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice in a bowl and toss to combine.  Pour mixture into a pan and add the butter.  Saute the mixture for about 10 minutes so that the apples start to soften.  Let cool.
5. To make the streusel topping, combine the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.  Add the melted butter and combine until your mixture forms small clumps.  Set aside.
6. Prepare two 9 inch cake pans.  Place parchment paper in the bottoms of the pans and generously spray with non-stick spray.
7. Once the dough is ready, divide in half.  Take one half and divide that into two pieces.  One piece should be about 2/3 of the dough and the other should be about 1/3 of the dough.  Take the large piece and roll it out so that it fits into the bottom of a cake pan.  With the small piece, roll it out so that it looks like a long rope.  Use this to wrap around the edge of the pan.  You are basically creating a wall to go around the bottom of the pan.  Repeat this with the other half of the dough for the second pan.
8.  Divide the apple filling into each of the pans and then sprinkle the streusel over the tops.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.  This took about 1 hour.
9.  Preheat the oven to 350 and once the cakes are ready, bake for about 20 minutes.
10.  When you are ready to serve, mix the powdered sugar with the milk to create your icing and drizzle over the tops of the cakes.

Enjoy :)

Great Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

These sugar cookies came out great!  I used them to ask my bridesmaids/bridesman to be in our wedding.  Besides looking amazing, they also taste amazing.  So, here is how these came to be:

When I was in college, I met this girl in one of my dance groups who also had a food blog.  At the time, her specialty was making amazing looking cookies.  Now, she also blogs about clean eating and being gluten free.  Please go check her out at: A Dash Of Megnut.  

Of course, I looked to her when I decided that I wanted to bake these cookies.  I adapted her sugar cookie recipe a bit and then I used a different recipe for the royal icing based on the ingredients that I had at home.  Everything turned out amazing!  I mean, look how pretty those dresses are :)

Bridesmaid/Bridesman Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

Cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp almond extract

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp salt

1 egg

2 1/2 cups flour

Royal Icing:

2 egg whites

2 tsp lemon juice

3 cups powdered sugar

food coloring and sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter with the powdered sugar until well combined.  Beat in the almond, vanilla, egg, and salt until well combined.  Mix in the flour gradually until just combined.  Place bowl in the fridge for about 20 minutes to chill.

2. Once chilled, preheat oven to 375 and grease or parchment paper a cookie sheet.  

3. Take the dough out of the fridge and on a clean workspace, sprinkle some powdered sugar.  Place the dough on the powdered space and using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is about 1/4 inch in thickness.  Use more powdered sugar as needed so that the dough doesn't stick.  Cut cookies out using cookie cutters and place on prepared baking pan.  

4. Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the cookies just start to turn light brown on the edges.  Remove from oven and cool.  

5.  For the icing, beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until they are light in color and then bean in the powdered sugar until well combined and the mixture looks smooth.  Divide the icing into however many bowls you need based on how many colors you are using to decorate.  I just did purple, black, and white.  Then frost and decorate as you want!

Enjoy :)

Happy Pride Parade Day! Celebrate with Rainbow Cake

With all the great news regarding marriage equality and with the Chicago Pride Parade today, I felt like I just had to make this cake.  I am so excited that this country finally decided to make this happen because everyone should have the right to marry someone they love.

This rainbow cake was so much fun to make and I have give a shout out to my bestie, Katie, for helping me put it together.  The first few layers didn't come out of the pan so well, but we trouble-shooted and the rest were great.  The frosted was phenomenal as well!  This cake is delicious and a great way to celebrate pride!

Rainbow Cake
(adapted from Divas Can Cook)

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
food coloring: red, yellow, green, blue, and purple (I found these colored gels at the grocery store, but you can also mix colors to create your colors)
Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
16 oz light cream cheese
4-5 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
2 tbsp heavy whipping cream

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Then, add in the eggs and cream until well combined and mixture lightens in color.  Add in the vanilla, cream, and buttermilk and mix until just combined.
2. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of flour, the baking powder, and the salt over the mixture and mix until just combined.  Then, sprinkle another 1 1/2 cups of flour over the mixture and mix until just combined.
3. Preheat oven to 325 and prepare 6, 9 inch cake pans.  For the cake pans, grease them and cut a circular piece of parchment paper to line the bottom.

4. Divide the cake batter into 6 bowls.  Start with about 1 cup per bowl and then divide the rest up as evenly as you can.  Use your food coloring to dye each bowl of batter for the colors of the rainbow.

5. Spread each bowl into a prepared cake pan.  I only had 2 so I had to do 3 batches.  Bake for about 12 minutes so that the center of the cake sets.  Let cool in the fridge.  Continue this with all the layers.
6.  While baking, make the frosting:  Beat the butter with the cream cheese until well combined.  Beat in the whipping cream and vanilla.  Add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until you have a desired taste and consistency.
7.  Place your first layer on a plate and spread a thin layer of frosting on top.  Place the second layer on top and repeat with the remaining layers and frosting.  Cover the whole cake with a thin layer of frosting and serve!

Enjoy :)

Southwest Salad

Camp training is off to a great start.  We got to move into the schools yesterday and start decorating.  I'm really excited to see what this summer has in store!  

In general, this week has been really great.  Bri and I were in the Wicker Park area a few days ago and we decided to check out Mindy's Hot Chocolate for a special dessert.  Now, I know I'm trying to avoid desserts, but we had a special occasion to celebrate so I figured it didn't really count...that works right?  This place is super cute.  The atmosphere is great and although we didn't eat dinner there, the food that came out of that kitchen looked fantastic.  And then the desserts, wow.  I mean, we split a Chocolate Chip Cookie Tart and a Chai Hot Chocolate and both were just fantastic.  They even have these amazing homemade marshmallows!  If you are ever in the area, you gotta stop by.  

Chai Hot Chocolate 

I'm pretty excited to eat this for lunch today.  I have this goal of eating healthier this summer by watching my portions and avoiding desserts.  This salad was the springboard for the whole plan.  This salad is super delicious, full of nutrients, and it fills me up.  I found some Chili Spiced Chicken Breast at the grocery store which really inspired me to make a southwest style salad.  So here you go! 

Southwest Salad with Skinny Buttermilk Avocado Dressing

Southwest Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups baby spinach

1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup whole kernel corn

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1 Chili Chicken Breast, chopped

2 tbsp Skinny Buttermilk Avocado Dressing

Directions:

Toss all ingredients together and then toss with the dressing.  You can use any kind of chicken that you want and any kind of dressing, but this combination is really great! 

Cinnamon Bars with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup!!!!! Oh my gosh, last night was so exciting! My buddy, Lauren, is also a huge hawks fan so she came over to watch the game with us.  We debated going out somewhere to be part of the festivities, but the weather was super horrible (like tornado warning, horrible) so we ended up staying in.  I think this was a good choice because we were able to see the game better and I got to wear comfy clothes :).  

After some sleep, I am ready to start CAMP TRAINING! Woo! Summer job officially starts today and I am pretty pumped.  

To celebrate, I have a yummy recipe for delicious cinnamon bars.  Plus, these cinnamon bars are topped with an amazing cream cheese frosting.  I adore a good cream cheese frosting, and this one has extra cinnamon in it to complement those bars.  Yum! 

Cinnamon Bars with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

(adapted from Something Swanky)

Cinnamon Bars

Ingredients:
Bars:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
Frosting:
16 oz light cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a 13 by 9 inch baking pan with foil.  Grease the foil.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together until well combined.  Beat in the egg and the molasses until well combined.  Beat in the flour mixture until just combined.
4. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and back for about 18 minutes.  Let cool for about 15 and then use the foil to remove the bars from the pan.  Let cool completely.
5. To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese with the powdered sugar and cinnamon until well combined.  Spread over the cooled bars.

Enjoy :)

New and Improved Cookie Dough Frosted Brownies

Happy Friday! Today I have a really fun recipe to share!  I made Cookie Dough Frosted Brownies a while back, but I changed up the recipe a bit this time and they came out even better than before! Last time, I had way too much cookie dough.  Now, I know that typically doesn't sound like a problem, but it actually overpowered the brownies and I love my brownies.  So this time, I cut the recipe in half and cut out a few other things and it was awesome.  I still had plenty cookie dough frosting to cover those brownies, but you got a good balance of brownie and cookie dough in every bite.  

In other news, I have also been having one great food week.  Last night, I went with my family and Bri to the Little Goat Diner.  This place is so good! If you are ever in Chicago and looking for a casual meal that is also incredibly delicious, this is a great place to go.  My mom and I split their Springy Veggie Quesidillas and the Chinese Chicken Sandwich.  Both items were great and it was one amazing meal.  Today, (after a much needed workout and zumba class) I am going to Budacki's Drive-In where I actually LOVE the veggie dogs.  Plus, if you really want to splurge, get cheese fries, do it.  And then, I am headed to Lizzie McNeill's for some drinks with a few of my teaching buddies.  School hasn't even been out for a week and I already miss them like crazy.  It should be a great day! 

Cookie Dough Frosted Brownies

Cookie Dough Frosted Brownies

Ingredients:

1 batch of Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownies

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup powdered sugar

6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

3 tbsp light cream cheese

2 tsp vanilla

skim milk, as needed

pinch of salt

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Make the brownies according to directions and let cool.

2. Make the frosting by beating the melted butter, brown sugar, and powdered sugar together in a bowl.  Beat in the cream cheese and vanilla.  Add in 1 tbsp of milk if the mixture is too thick.  Mix in the salt and the chocolate chips.

3. Frost the cooled brownies with the cookie dough mixture.  Let set in the fridge.  When ready, cut into pieces and serve. 

Enjoy :)

Healthy Brownie Batter Dip

It's finals time again! I can't believe we are at this point in the year.  I have been so busy the past few weeks finishing everything up with school and helping my students prepare for finals.  And now, I just have to grade their tests and summer is here!  Currently, I am sitting in a study hall with my buddy, Ms. Keenan, and we are just waiting for the period to end so that our finals can finally start.

I am pretty pumped about summer and I am already getting ready by meeting with site directors, organizing camp groups, and writing parent letters.  Last night I "had" to go to Portillo's to have a camp dinner/meeting.  The food was delish and it was so fun to get to know the site directors better and hear about their ideas for the summer.  It made me feel so excited!  

I have also been cooking and baking more because of my super-positive attitude.  For example, I made this:

Brownie Batter

This is "healthy" brownie batter.  I have heard that black beans can be a substitute in brownies or other desserts and I must admit, I was pretty skeptical about if it would actually taste good.  I am here to attest that black beans totally work and this brownie batter was just amazing.  I was inspired by Sweet As Sugar Cookie's recipe and I adapted it a little based on what I wanted/had on hand.  This is a great treat to spread on fruit, eat with pretzels, or just dig into with a spoon!

Healthy Brownie Batter Dip

Ingredients:
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2-3 tsp vanilla
5 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until mixture becomes completely smooth.  Add in toppings if you want.

Enjoy :)