Nutella Muddy Buddies

Today is my first day off since Memorial Day! It feels so great to finally be on summer vacation and I have filled today with a whole lot of nothing!!!

I slept in, went for a run, attended a yoga class, and went grocery shopping.  Now, this may sound like a lot for a morning of "nothing," but these are all things that I love to do and so I consider them to be basically nothing.  Now, I am attempting to make homemade moose tracks ice cream! It is my favorite flavor and I will certainly be updating you all on how it goes!

In honor of my fun day off, I am going to share a super fun recipe! I love making puppy chow because it is 1. delicious and 2. gluten free.  I have a lot of gluten free friends and this treat is always a winner.  I saw a recipe for Nutella Muddy Buddies and I figured that could only make the traditional treat even better!!!

Nutella Muddy Buddies
(adapted from Tracy's Culinary Adventures)

Ingredients:
4 cups Chex cereal
1 1/2 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup Nutella
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp espresso powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
powdered sugar

Directions:
1. In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, butter, and Nutella.  Microwave for 30 seconds and then stir.  Repeat this process until chocolate is melted and smooth.  Stir in the espresso powder, salt, and vanilla.
2. Put Chex into a large bowl.  Pour the chocolate mixture over the Chex and toss to coat.
3. Put about 1/4 cup of powdered sugar into a plastic bag.  Scoop some of the Chex into the bag and seal the bag.  Toss to coat the Chex in the powdered sugar.  Repeat this process until all the Chex has been coated.  You may need more or less powdered sugar depending on your preference.  I usually end up using 3/4-1 cup.

Enjoy :)

Note: I think these taste the best when you freeze the batch afterwards.  They become delicious and crunchy!

Gluten Free Treats

It's time for camp again and I love bringing in treats to share with my counselors.  We end up being like a little family by the end of camp since we spend so much time together and so it is nice to share treats with them once in a while.  Two of my counselors cannot eat gluten products and so I try to incorporate a gluten free treat whenever I can.  Today I am bringing in one of my favorites: Gluten Free Nutella Brownie Bites.  These brownies look just like the mini ones you get from the store, but they are homemade, gluten free, and even better!  I love Nutella and this is one awesome dessert.

I am pretty new to this Gluten Free thing and while I am decently good at cooking gluten free, I am still searching for those great Gluten Free baking ideas.  If you have any I would love if you would share them with me! 

Here are a few of the other things I've made that are Gluten Free:

Puppy Chow

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

Gluten Free Cheesecake

Apple Crisp

Skinny Peanut Butter Brownies

What I really need is some gluten free cupcakes...I'll get right on it!

Peanut Butter Nutella Swirled Mini Cheesecakes with Oreo Crust

I was proposed to by another math teacher because of these.  She said she was willing to leave her husband if it meant getting to eat these Peanut Butter Nutella Swirled Mini Cheesecakes with Oreo Crust.  They were pretty fantastic.

But first, I can't believe that tomorrow is my Half Marathon! I have been training for over 10 weeks now and it totally snuck up on me.  I feel pretty ready, but I am still nervous! I hope that the weather is nice and I am excited to run it with my friends, Lauren and Patrick.

I am also pretty darn excited about this long weekend.  These past few weeks of school have been pretty crazy.  I started teaching Pre-Calculus in addition to my Geometry block and two Algebra 2 blocks.  Having three preps is hectic and for a while I wasn't really sure of myself.  I couldn't keep all of my plans straight! However, now that I have gotten used to it, I feel much more confident and I am glad that I took on the challenge of teaching all of my cooperating teacher's classes because it has made me feel better prepared for next year.

Speaking of next year... I am going to have my own classroom! This is slowly sinking in and I keep getting nervous and excited about everything that goes with teaching.  I am so nervous for the first day and I keep running through what I want to say.  I am also nervous about having questions or being unsure of myself and NOT having a cooperating teacher there to help.  I am sure that once this all gets going it will be okay, but right now I feel like I have a million things on my mind! Any teachers out there with any words of wisdom about the first year?

And, back to the cheesecake.  Keeping up with cooking and baking while also trying to be the best teacher ever is difficult  but it keeps me happy! This dessert was super yummy and I shared with my teacher friends in the math department.  I was inspired by Chocolate Therapy and then got creative with the rest!

Peanut Butter Nutella Swirled Cheesecakes with Oreo Crust

Ingredients:
16 oreos
16 oz light cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
3 tbsp flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup nutella

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a cupcake pan with 16 liners.
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with sugar until well combined.  Beat in the vanilla and peanut butter until smooth and creamy.  Sprinkle flour over the mixture and beat to combine.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Scrape down sides and beat to combine.
3. Place an oreo in the bottom of each cupcake well.  Fill the cupcake to the top with your cheesecake batter.  Drop 1/2 tbsp of nutella on the top of each cupcake and, using a tooth pick, swirl.

4.  Bake for 20 minutes or until cheesecakes are no longer wobbly.  Let cool.  Serve same day or place in fridge overnight.

Enjoy :)

Gluten Free Easter Nests

This Half Marathon is really creeping up on me! I am already up to 8 miles for my long run and next week is 10!  This week, I am planning on a 4 mile, 6 mile, 5 mile, and 3 mile run before my big 10 mile run.  I'm also going to look into new shoes because I've been running in mine since August and I think it's going to be time for a new pair soon.

This week at school is fine arts week and I'm excited to see some of my students perform in various shows! We are also finishing up constructions in Geometry and learning about polynomial division in Algebra 2!  I'm also looking at some of the PreCalc material because I might be teaching some of those lessons as well! Also, we had a human knot challenge in the classes and I promised the winning teams a treat.  So, I made some awesome inception cookies and I can't wait to share them with the students.  I'm having such a great time with this student teaching experience and I really hope I find a job for next year because I just love to teach!

I have been really busy so I'm sorry that today's treat is a little out dated.  I made gluten free Easter egg nests for Easter a few weeks ago and I am just getting around to sharing them now! I made my Gluten Free Nutella Brownies and then topped them off with cute Easter Egg Candies.  They were a great treat to share for the Holiday and everyone loved them!

Gluten Free Easter Nests

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Nutella
1 egg
3 tbsp gluten free flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
egg candies

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a mini muffin pan.
2. Beat nutella with egg, flour, cocoa powder, and vanilla.  Fill muffin pan almost to the top.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until an inserted tooth pick comes out clean.  Let cool.
3.  Decorate with candy eggs.

Enjoy :)

Nutella Greek Yogurt

Did everyone watch the bachelor?!?! Anyways, I totally watched the bachelor. It was awesome.  I also ate dark chocolate reese's custard.  That was even better.  At the same time, I applied to a few schools, wrote some cover letters, replied to a ton of emails, and went over the lesson for geometry.  Yay for being productive and being able to multi-task really well!

I had a fun day teaching today: the number one question in Algebra 2 has been: "How are we supposed to do this without our calculators!"  or, "How am I supposed to memorize this?"  This is all in regards to the unit circle and graphing sine or cosine graphs. So, today, I gave them a little "pop quiz" where they had to create the unit circle without any resource pages or calculators.  They were allowed to work in teams and guess what?  They were able to do it! It was awesome because they had to figure out strategies for creating the unit circle and this proved to them that they do know how to do this!  We also practiced graphing a ton and it was really great to watch them develop these skills.  Our next class is a team test and I hope that they are more confident about it now that they know that they can do things without their calculators or notes.

In other news, I discovered an awesome new snack: Nutella Greek Yogurt.  With all my running, planning, and, when I find time, sleeping, I have been on the look out for yummy little treats or healthy little snacks.  This is the perfect combination of both.  After a long day of teaching and a four mile run, I mixed a little nutella into my greek yogurt and had a dessert that was protein-packed and delicious.  It was a great way to end my day!

Nutella Greek Yogurt

Ingredients: 
1 cup non-fat, plain greek yogurt
2 tbsp nutella

Directions:
1. Mix them together! Add a little more nutella if you want it sweeter or more yogurt for a more tart flavor.

Enjoy :)

Foodie Friends Friday: Growing Up Gabel and Shared Joy

This week, Foodie Friends Friday is back with a DOUBLE party!  This week you can win prizes from Growing Up Gabel and Shared Joy.  You can win a headband or earrings from Jennifer at Shared Joh and a knitted dishtowel from Camille at Growing Up Gabel!!!   Just follow the rules and link up your recipes! Also, host favorites will be featured on Daily Dish!  This week I'm linking up some of my favorite dessert ideas for Valentine's Day: Creme Brulee for Two, Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread, and White Chocolate Raspberry Heart Cheesecake!

Last Foodie Friends Friday was sponsored by Stacy and here were the winners:

And, of course, here were your top 3 voted and clicked recipes!

Most Clicked:

1. Pecan Pie Oatmeal

2. Wild Blueberry Turnovers

3. Creamy Jalapeño Chicken Enchiladas

Voted Top 3:

1. Apple Pie Bars

2. Ravioli

3. Gnocchi

Enter below and you might be a lucky winner!!

But first, here are this week's co-hosts:

Foodie Friends Friday http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com

Tracy at Busy Vegetarian Mom http://www.busyvegetarianmom.com

Robyn's View http://www.robynsview.com

Marlys at This and That  http://marlys-thisandthat.blogspot.com/

Lois at  Walking on Sunshine http://walkingonsunshinerecipes.com

Michelle at  From Calculus to Cupcakes http://www.fromcalculustocupcakes.com

Cynthia at Feeding Big  http://www.feedingbig.com

Jodie at Binomial Baker http://www.binomialbaker.blogspot.com

R Dawn at Spatulas on Parade http://www.spatulasonparade.blogspot.com

Angie at A lil Country Sugar http://www.alilcountrysugar.blogspot.com

Kelly at http://www.adornedwell.blogspot.com/

Cindy at Cindy's Recipes and Writings: : http://www.cindysrecipesandwritings.com 

Joanne at Winelady Cooks: http://www.wineladycooks.blogspot.com

Marlene at Nosh My Way: http://www.noshmyway.com

Jutta at Hungry Little Girl: http://www.hungrylittlegirl.com/

Erika at Chef Picky Kid: http://www.chefpickykid.com/

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Today we are off for South Carolina!  My family and Bri and driving to South Carolina for a week for a little vacation.  I can't wait to get on the road and get going!  I am going to share all my adventures here.  If you have any suggestions or are familiar with the Charleston area, please let me know! I would love some good ideas :)

But, before we head out, I want to share one more recipe with you!

I had ton of ripe bananas on hand.  So, after I made the Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread, I also make this Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread.  This stuff is so good! It's got it all: chocolate chips, peanut butter, peanut butter cups, and nutella swirled on top!  WOAH!  It's fantastic.  Plus, I used whole wheat flour and greek yogurt to lighten things up a bit.   This is quite possibly the yummiest banana bread ever...you gotta try it!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread (adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction)

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
1/3 cup non-fat vanilla greek yogurt
1/2 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup chopped miniature reese's
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
nutella

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan.
2.  In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.
3.  In a large bowl, mash the bananas, beat in the peanut butter, yogurt, sugar, and brown sugar.  Beat until well combined.  Beat in the egg until well combined.  Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined.  Stir in the reese's and chocolate chips.
4.  Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan.  Drop a few spoonfuls of nutella on the top of the batter. Then, using a knife, swirl the nutella into the the top of the batter.  Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy :)

Blueberry Nutella Brownies

Saturdays in Madison mean two very important things: Farmers Market and Badger Football.  I love walking around on Saturdays and seeing everyone in their Wisconsin Red getting ready for another game.  Also, win or lose, Madison has the best spirit of any city I've ever seen.  Everyone is always happy and nice and it is just a fantastic thing to be around.  I simply love it.

My house always hosts a little cookout before the games on our porch.  It's super fun! We cook, play music, and get our spirit on!  Everyone shows up, even if they don't have tickets or aren't going to the game, because we just like hanging out on the porch.  I decided to help out with our latest cookout and make some yummy brownies to share with everyone!

On the porch!

Ages ago, I tried a recipe for Blueberry Nutella Brownies.  Since then, I've been wanting to make them again.  Plus, since finding my favorite brownie recipe, I wanted to try adapting it and try out different flavors.  Then, there's the Farmers Market, which is just down the street from me and always bursting with amazing fresh produce.  I got some blueberries and I got to work!

My Favorite Dark Chocolate Brownies

Blueberry Nutella Brownies 

Ingredients:

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tbsp coffee grounds
1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup flour

1 1/2 cups blueberries
1/2 cup Nutella

Check out that swirl! 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line the inside of a 13 by 9 inch baking pan with foil.  Let the foil hang over the ends of the pan.  Grease the foil.

2. In a large saucepan, over very low heat, melt the butter and bittersweet chocolate, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Once melted, stir in the sugar until well combined.  Next, stir in the eggs until well combined.  Then, mix in the coffee grounds, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.  Fold in the flour until just combined and then fold in the blueberries.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Drop spoonfuls of Nutella on top of the batter and using a knife, swirl it in. 

3. Bake for about 40 minutes.  The sides will be set and the center will be just a little wet still.  Let cool for 15 minutes.  Using the ends of the foil, lift the brownies out of the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy :)

Gluten Free Nutella Brownies

Last night I had a really nice evening out at Portillo's with my camp staff! I have really enjoyed this summer and all the staff has been great.  It was awesome to get together for one last big dinner to celebrate this summer and how much fun it has been.  Plus, I got to have my Portillo's chopped salad! It's one of my favorite salads and it always puts me in a great mood.

To continue the End-of-Camp Celebration, I also made some gluten free brownies to bring in as a thank you to my staff.  A couple of the counselors are gluten free and I wanted to make a yummy treat that everyone would be able to enjoy.  These brownies look just like the two-bite brownies you get at the store! They are cute, gluten free, and super delicious!

Gluten Free Nutella Brownies (adapted from Gluten Free Canteen)

Ingredients:
1 cup Nutella
2 eggs
6 tbsp gluten free flour (I used almond flour)
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line or spray a mini muffin pan.
2. Beat all the ingredients together until well combined.  Fill each muffin hole about 3/4 full and bake for about 12 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy :)

Nutella Orange Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

Last night, I got to go to Wrigley Field for a cubs game! The cubs didn't fare so well, but A.J. Burnett from the Pirates almost pitched a no-hitter! It was a very exciting game enhanced by an amazing dinner beforehand at DMK Burger Bar and a fantastic little treat during, ice cream in a souvenir pink helmet!

I have so many fun things going on this week! And, just to make things even better, I whipped up a batch of some of my favorite cookies.  One bite of these cookies and you will have a party of flavors raging in your mouth.  I'm not kidding.

Nutella Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from See You in the Morning)

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup nutella
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
zest of one orange
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 and line some baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.  Beat in the nutella until well combined.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time until well combined.  Beat in the vanilla and orange zest.  Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Drop tbsp sized balls of batter onto the prepared sheets, about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Go check out my cookies and other sweets at this awesome party over at Sweet as Sugar Cookies:

Challah French Toast-Plain/Strawberry-Nutella/Blueberry/Peanut Butter-Banana

I made a TON of challah the other day for the May Daring Bakers' Challenge.  We had some at dinner, we sent some over to our neighbors, and still I had two whole loaves lying around.  So then, I got to thinking, what can I make with this challah?  The first option, that I'm sharing here today, came to me pretty quickly: Challah French Toast.

Challah French Toast is the best kind of french toast in my opinion and I thought it would be perfect for breakfast over Memorial Day Weekend.  I made three kinds of french toast: Regular, Blueberry Stuffed French, Raspberry-Nutella Stuffed, and Peanut Butter Banana Stuffed French Toast.  Everything came out beautifully and the clear winner for being just amazing was the Raspberry-Nutella guy.

Challah French Toast

Ingredients:
4 egg whites
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
12 slices of challah (I used my Honey Whole Wheat Challah)

Directions:
1. Lightly grease a frying pan and set over medium heat.
2. In a large bowl with a flat bottom, whisk the egg whites, eggs, milk, vanilla, and salt.  Add in the cinnamon and nutmeg and other spices that you might want.
3. Cut the challah into 1- 1 1/2 inch thick slices.  For the stuffed challah: Spread and place the fillings in between two slices of bread to form a sandwich (Nutella and thinly slice strawberries, creamy peanut butter and thinly sliced bananas, and blueberry greek yogurt).
4. Place the slices of bread in the bowl with the egg batter and make sure both sides get coated.
5. Fry the bread in the pan, greasing as needed, until lightly browned on both sides.  Mine took about 3 or so minutes on each side.  Serve with additional fruit/syrup/powdered sugar.
Enjoy :)

It also works out nicely that you get Red White and Blue Challah :)

Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies

As I wind down my junior year of college I am finding myself with a lot of downtime.  For example, on Monday I gave my final presentation, but yesterday I did not have any class, and today I have to go to a class, but I'm just watching presentations.  Basically, I don't have any more work to do and so I am baking up a storm!

I was seriously craving chocolate and peanut butter this weekend and so I created these babies: Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies with Reese's Pieces and Dark Chocolate Chips.  They are obviously healthy because of the NATURAL peanut butter and the DARK chocolate ...right?

Anyways, summer is almost here and I feel like celebrating.  I'm not too concerned with how many cookies I consumed and I went for a run anyways :)

The cookies came in handy as well! I had so many that I felt compelled to share them with people.  I started the semester off as DTS President by bringing an amazing New York Cheesecake to the first meeting.  I decided it was only appropriate to end the semester on another sweet note with these awesome cookies at the last meeting.  They were a huge hit and, as usual, I was happy to share something I love with people that I love.  I think that is the greatest thing about both cooking and baking; you share your passion with others.

Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies (adapted from Buns in my Oven)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup Nutella
1 1/2 cup of Reese's Pieces/Dark Chocolate Chips (Not gonna lie, I didn't really measure this, I just used up what I had...)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a cookie sheet.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter, peanut butter, and both sugars until well combined.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together.  Slowly add this mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until just combined.
4. Swirl in the nutella using a knife or by mixing slowly. Finally, mix in the Reese's Pieces/Dark Chocolate chips.
5. Drop tbsp sized balls of batter on the cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes.
Enjoy :)

Raspberry-Nutella Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Now that practicum is over and I have my mornings back, I am truly amazed by the amount of stuff I can get done in a day! I am still used to waking up early, so today, I woke up at 6:15 am (without an alarm) to a beautiful thunderstorm.  I had breakfast, and by the time I was done, the rain had stopped so I went for a small (6 mile) jog.  I love running in this city and I try to do it whenever the weather is nice.  After my run, I showered, made cupcakes, did laundry, washed dishes, went shopping, had lunch, and then got ready to FINALLY go to class.  After class, I did Zumba, and then got ready to go to study night with my fabulous cupcakes.  They came out beautifully and I can't wait to share them with you.

I found the recipe over at Keep It Sweet Desserts.  I decided to adapt the recipe to use some of the ingredients I have in my room.  I am moving out in a week and I am trying to make foods that use up some of the ingredients I have lying around.  I hope that you enjoy...I certainly did :)

Raspberry-Nutella Filled Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
(adapted from Keep It Sweet Desserts)

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
2 2/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
4 tbsp vanilla
2/3 cup skim milk
For the filling:
1 cup nutella
1 cup raspberry jam
For the frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
8 oz low-fat cream cheese
6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla




Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 24 cupcake wells with liners (I ended up making about 32 cupcakes).
2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
3. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, for about 4 minutes.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined.  Beat in the vanilla.
4. Add half the flour, mix until just combined on a low speed, then mix in the milk, and then the rest of the flour until just combined.

5. Fill each cupcake well about 1/2 full and bake for 20-22 minutes. Let cool completely.

6. Make the filling by whisking the nutella and jam together.  Make a hole in each cupcake (should hold about 1 tsp) and fill with the filling.

What do you do with the cores of cupcakes????

Make perfect mini-cupcakes!!! YUM

7. Make the frosting: beat the butter and cream cheese together until well combined.  Beat in the cocoa powder and then slowly add in the powdered sugar.  Finally, mix in the vanilla.

8. Top each cupcake with the frosting!
Enjoy :)