Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Fudge Bars

Oh, it is the week that every student and instructor dreads- it is Final's Week! Here I sit watching students stress about the testing that determines if they are successful in this class. While they contemplate the filtration of the kidney and the action of muscle contraction, I sit here and blog about fudge bars and sweets. For me, it is all fun and games until they turn in those tests, and then the burden is on me. The grading! Oh, the grading.... and the emailing to students who are begging for extra credit. And the emails that rarely appear that say thank you for all your help and effort. It kind of feels like I am in suspense of this great culmination of work but I have to wait and watch and sit. And then there will be a big rush to the finish!

For now, I am just going to sit back and dream about fudge bars and chocolate cupcakes and gingersnap ice cream and enjoy the calm before the grading storm.

Chocolate Pots De Creme

Happy, happy, happy! What makes you smile? This dessert does it for me. I do not like to classify myself as "typical" anything but in this case, I am a "typical chocolate loving girl!"  Go ahead judge me! You can't get me down with one of these cups of chocolate crème in my hands and maybe all over my face. ;)
Anyway... on a more serious note. My life in general has been really happy lately. Fall is a great time of the year. After the heat of summer, it is time to get outside, enjoy the beautiful fall leaves, the company of friends and a great dark beer. I am hoping that you are finding some Happy in this season as well.  Stop, look around you and find something beautiful in every day!!

Happy Fall everyone!

Stay tuned.... I am working on a fall collection of recipes with those dark beers that you all know are my favorites.

Chocolate Chip Cherry Blondies

 

 

Hi Ho Cherry O! These blondies are delish! As we have already established, cherries are my favorite fruit and always make me think of my Grandma Clarke.  When I saw this recipe and the combo of cherries and chocolate, I knew this recipe was for me. And the best thing about it: "It is EASY." I had all the basic ingredients in my cabinet, had just been to the store and was the victim of good product placement; there were huge bags of Bing cherries displayed as soon as I walked in the door. Sucker!! So, one night after work I made these and I have to admit, I ate 3. I know, I know... I have to go to the beach in 1 week... But don't worry, I quickly  had 2 ideas! I wrapped the rest of this batch up and hid them (from myself) to take to work the next day. They were raved over and did not make it past lunch time. And then, the next night I made a fresh batch to freeze for the beach. Evil?? How?? Muhahaha!!!

 

Whoppers Malted Milk Ball Ice Cream Cake

 

Happy Birthday to Bonbons and Biscotti....

And what better why to celebrate a birthday than with CAKE!!! Not just any cake but ice cream cake- just in time for spring!! There is nothing better than sitting on the back porch in the sun eating ice cream cake- YUM!

OK, there is a reason that I chose this recipe; actually a few. First I love malted milk balls and we have already established my love for dessert, but the need to make this recipe is more about having something that I never got to have for my personal birthdays. Yes, as I mentioned in my previous post, I always had a great birthday with a awesome cake made by my Mom, Toni "the master baker." However,  every year when my little sister's birthday rolled around in sunny June she had a cook out and a Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake!  I wanted an ice cream cake sooooo bad but as in most small towns in rural Pennsylvania, the Dairy Queen was only open in the summer months. This made a lot of sense for my region. Really, who wants to sit outside on a picnic table and eat ice cream in 2 feet of snow? Since I was born on a blustery day in late January, an ice cream cake (or a cookout!!!) was never a possibility for me.  My birthdays were always rushed events that people came to, ate and left before the roads got to snowy to travel.  In their own way, my birthdays were festive and memorable but to this day... still no ice cream cake. Well, by making this cake I have solved that dilemma. Now I can have decadent chocolate cake on my birthday in January and mile high ice cream cake for my blog's birthday.  I am a happy girl!

I want to personally say thank you to all of you that followed my blog and watched me grow in this past year. As I have noted, I have had some hard days these past 2 years and every time I get a note of encouragement or hear that someone else has read my blog or tried one of my recipes, it warms my heart. I hope that I have inspired some of you as well. Remember Love Begins In The Kitchen... show someone that you love them.

XOXO

Rebecca



White Chocolate, Cranberry, Pecan Bites

I just wanted to share this quick little recipe. I have been getting some questions from followers about what they can take to their Christmas party. This is a great recipe because it is super simple and you only need to know how to use a microwave.  I don't know anyone who can not "nuke" something. Give it a try! Your friends and family will be impressed. I guarantee!

Chewy Caramel Bars

 


Chewy Caramel Bars

While I was home visiting my family in PA, aside from visiting my sister, parents, grandparents and all other family, I had the opportunity to go through some things that had belonged to my Grandma Ethel. One of the prized things that I spent a lot of time sorting through, was her recipe file. Some of the recipes were old original copies that where written in my Grandma's perfect hand writing; some were stained from being present when she was baking. Others, were just clippings from a magazine that I assume she had saved for a later day.  I sat in the living room of my parent's house and went through each recipe one by one. It was a rainy day and as I was sorting my Dad was sitting there in his chair.  As I came across something I thought was interesting, I would share it with him.  He laughed at some of the recipes stating that my grandma would never have made that or that he never remembers eating some of the concoctions. Other recipes he definitely remembered and some he even seemed sentimental about. It was a nice afternoon spent with him. My dad is a man of few words but sometimes just the time spent together says everything; no words needed....

Everything Caramel is Good!

I made a batch of these to see how they turned out and to try my newly fixed oven. They were melt in your mouth amazing. I took them to work and they were gone fast!  I can not wait to make another batch to share with my family at OBX 2012.

Molten Chocolate Nutella Mug Cake

Molten Chocolate Nutella Mug Cake

So as most of you know, I am going through a transition in my life. One that originally, I was having a hard time with. Among other things that are going on, I recently just sold my house ( the house that I loved) and moved into a place of my own; the first place of my own that I have had in 13 years and it has been a big step for me. I thought that this move would be a horrible emotional  thing, and it was while I was packing up memories and stuff, but as soon as I got out of my old house, I feel as though I have been set free. Since I have gotten in my new place, I have been busy organizing, decorating and planting.  This weekend with the help of a great new neighbor, who spent 3 hours tilling up a large patch of lawn into a garden, I planted an entire vegetable garden.  Other than the tilling, I have done it all by myself and am especially proud! I also planted lots of  flowers to add great color to my porch and front yard.  The  neighborhood chipmunks have different reasons to love them I am finding out, but that is OK. I seem to even be O.K. with  that...

My new oasis...

In my move to my new residence, I have of course experienced a few snafus. One night, the neighbors' who are on vacation, car alarm went off all night long and the following day, I am perpetually forgetting where I put things and since it is an older house I am constantly searching for an available outlet. Oh, and did I mention the chipmunks....
But the strangest thing that happened?  I decided before I baked anything  important that I should test out the oven to make sure that the temp was accurate and that the timing was on. So I bought a premade pizza from the frozen food section. This is totally against my definition of pizza but I thought, how can you mess this up. Even if it takes a little longer, I will have a good idea about the oven settings and I will have a cheap (albeit unhealthy) meal. I preheated the oven and put the pizza in on my pizza stone. I then went back in the guest bedroom and continued to unpack boxes. About ten minutes after I put the pizza in the oven, the oven was screeching and the display blinking F2, which Google later told me the sensor and heating element have gone and that the oven temperature had exceeded 720 degrees. Glad I did not go outside to talk to the neighbors! What I ended up with that night was a pizza that was almost total charcoal and for dinner I had a can of soup. So five days later, I am still waiting on the part to fix my oven.




F2 must be the equivalent to FIRE!


Until this coming Friday, I have to come up with recipes that do not require baking in any way. That is hard for a girl like me that relies on her oven for all things inventive and spectacular. And just like most things in life, when you can not have something, you want it even more. I have been dreaming of lasagna and chocolate gob cake, roasted beets and all things made in the oven. But tonight, I pulled out a recipe that I had found a while ago, that can be made in the microwave. It is a simple combine/stir/ microwave recipe then Voila! you have a fabulous one serving Molten Chocolate Nutella Mug cake.  I believe this will become one of my favorite single girl recipes that I will rely on. Wonder if there is a single girl microwave lasagna recipe? Hmmmmm.......

Chocolate Chip Pecan Banana Muffins




Chocolate Chip Pecan Banana Muffins

 With this recipe I have made in mini muffins, jumbo Texas-style muffins or mini loafs to give as Christmas gifts. It is very versitile and very easy since most times I have all the ingredients on hand. I tend to buy a bunch of bananas and then after eating about three,  I get tired of them and the rest quickly ripen so I throw them in the freezer. Every time I think that I can not fit one more ripened banana in my freezer, I make a batch of this recipe. It is a "comfort dessert" at its best.





Ready to get mixing!

  
When I make this bread, I like to add whole wheat flour. I like the Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Flour. I think that it adds a nice nutty crunch to the top of the muffin. If you like your muffins more moist or traditional, you can skip the whole wheat flour and use the same amount of regular flour. Also if you don't like nuts or chocolate omit them as well. Like I said this recipe is versitle and after much experimentation, the recipe that I am presenting here is what gives me the YUM! factor.