Cinnamon Rolls

On Christmas morning, its tradition in our household to have the boys wake up to something freshly baked, toasty, and super sweet. Usually, it has been my mom's sticky bun recipe. Given that Alex is now eating everything we eat, I figured the rich, sticky caramel may have been a little too much for him to handle, so I browsed FoodNetwork.com until I found a suitable substitute! I found it- and by a woman after my own heart- Sandra Lee. I love the fact she is a semi-homemade type of gal, because I'm the same way. I'm not above using some store bough ingredients for the ease of putting meals on the table, especially on a morning like Christmas where my time could be better spent doing family things, instead of in the kitchen :)

And in case you're wondering... I did spend my morning preppin' Santa toys and stockings instead of completely slaving away- and watching Alex run towards his presents for the first time was well worth the sacrifice of fresh dough !!!

Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe by Sandra Lee

Ingredients:
* 1 loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed in fridge
* flour for dusting surface
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
* 2/3 stick butter, softened
* 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 1/3 cup cream cheese
* 1 teasp. vanilla extract

To Make:
* Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to form a 15x7in rectangle.
* In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon
* Spread 2/3 cup softened butter over dough and evenly spread cinnamon-sugar mixture
* Roll up dough like a jelly roll
* Cut roll into 16 slices and set aside in a warm place to allow dough to rise (until doubled in size- about an hour)
* Divide rolls among 2 lightly battered round baking pans. Bake for 15 mins until golden brown.
* Combine  1 stick butter, powered sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla extract together for form icing.
* Frost the warm rolls with the icing before serving.

This recipe has been Alexander approved!

White Chocolate Cookies 'n Cream Fudge

Where I'm from (the North) it gets awfully chilly in the winter time. So chilly in fact, we eat eat eat eat eat eat eat and put on lots of 'insulation' to help get us through each freezing day. Oh... that's not why we eat eat eat eat eat eat eat? We eat eat eat eat eat eat eat because we are stuck inside our homes with bad road conditions, get bored, and gorge ourselves until we are near death? Oh, that works too!

As if everyone doesn't feel guilty enough this holiday season eating cookies, candy canes, drinking rich cocoa... I've found something that puts all of that to shame.

Witness: the most decadent, rich, overwhelmingly delicious treat known to mankid- White chocolate oreo fudge. You also all know that decadent, rich, and delicious are all code words for SO NOT GOOD FOR YOU. But its ok... its worth it. I promise. You can feel the sugar overtake your body the second you look at it, and you can feel your butt tripling in size the second you pick a piece up... but when you take your first bite, you forget all of that (until you step on the scale the next day). Still... make it...

White Chocolate Cookies 'n Cream Fudge
Recipe courtesy of the Southern Living Christmas Cookbook

Ingredients:
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 (5oz) can evaporated milk
* 2 (12oz) packages white chocolate morsels
* 1 (7oz) jar marshmellow cream
* 3 cups coarsely chopped Oreo cookies, divided
* Pinch of salt

To Do:
* Line a greased 9'' square pan with aluminum foil, set aside
* Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil; cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
* Add white chocolate morsels, marshmellow cream, 2 cups crushed cookies, and salt. Stir until morsels are melted.
* Pour fudge into prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of cookies over fudge, gently pressing cookies into the fudge. Cover and chill until firm (about 1 to 2 hours)
* Lift uncut fudge in aluminum foil from pan, remove foil, cut fudge into squares, and indulge.

For Dutchie: Peach Cobbler

So, back home in the good ole' MT, I have a friend. We'll call him Dutchie. Dutchie is my tech-hubby, as in we only communicate via MSN messenger or text, and he is a tech geek- but not a loser tech geek like Wallowitz or Sheldon, but a super awesome tech geek- like Chuck!

Anywho, Dutchie loves himself a Southern Belle. When I lived in Mississippi, I kept my eyes open all the time, trying to find him the perfect young spritely lass (preferably in a huge hoop skirt and a big day-at-the-horseraces hat), but sadly, all the locals reminded me more of hookers or whitetrash bumpkins instead of a plantation princess! Because I have failed horribly on the 'find your friend a good girl' part of our friendship pact, I have resorted to making tasty southern dishes and rubbing his face in it. Oh... thats not nice either? Dang it. Sorry Dutch.

Whenever Dutchie finds out I'm making anything peachie... or cobblerie.... he sends me a text asking how it is, asking for the recipe, asking for pictures, etc. So, my dear friend... here you go... a southern treat thats just as good as a belle.... if not better... because it won't cause you grief or spend your money :)

Eat your heart out, Dutchie

Peach Cobbler
From the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook

Ingredients:

* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 cup butter
* 5 cups fresh or frozen peaches
* 2/3 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup water
* 2 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1 egg
* 1/4 cup milk
* Vanilla ice cream to top!

To Make:

* Preheat oven to 400.
* For topping: stir together flour, 2 tablespoon sugar, baking powder, salt, and if desired, cinnamon. Cut butter into mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
* For filling: in a large sauce pan combine 2/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, and 1 tablespoon corn starch. Cook until sugar starts to dissolve, then add peaches. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly
* In a small bowl, mix egg and milk. Add this to the flour mixture, stirring until just moistened.
* Transfer hot fruit filling into 2-qt baking dish. Using a spoon, immediately drop topping into six mounds on top of filling
* Baking for 20-25 minutes, or until topping it golden brown. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for about an hour. To serve, heat and top with cold vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy Dutchie!

Streusel Coffee Cake

It was the morning of my son's first birthday, so I had to make something special for breakfast.

Ok, that's sort of a lie... it WAS his birthday, but it wasn't the true reason I made this tasty breakfast.

It was mostly just because I really wanted sweets for breakfast, didn't want to drive to Wallieworld for donuts, and knew my mother and other houseguests would judge me for driving to Wallieworld for donuts.

Oh yeah, and my little boy deserves a special breakfast on his first birthday... that too!

Yes, its not a very creative picture. I'm so glad I took a picture of it hot from the oven because when I tried to flip it over, it crumbled to pieces. Dang.

Streusel Coffee Cake
Found on the Southern Food section of About.com

Ingredients for streusel topping:

* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Ingredients for cake:

* 1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
* 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 egg, beaten
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1/3 cup melted butter
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla

To Make Delicious Coffee Cake:

* In a small bowl, mix the ingredients for the topping. Mix it with a fork until its nice and crumbly
* Combine flour, baking powder, and salt for cake in a medium bowl.
* In another bowl, mix beaten egg and sugar. Slowly add the melted butter. Add milk and vanilla.
* Stir egg mixture into flour mixture.
* Pour batter into a greased 9 inch layer pan. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the batter.
* Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes
* Partially cool on a wire rack before serving. (I did not bother with this step as we were all starving- hence the whole 'not flipping over and just crumbling out' part. Who cares... worth it!)

Guest Blogger: Genia Castro

Hello Kelsey Cooker Readers!

I'm so glad I can share a recipe with you all. Kelsey and I met a few years back while we were both students at Montana State and serving at the local Famous Dave's. There are plenty more memories I could share but for both our sakes I'm going to just leave it at that. Like Kelsey, I recently started a cooking blog (quick shameless plug here) called Sharon Moore Recipes, when you have a few extra minutes take a look! Thanks! (Editor's Sidenote: Genia's blog in INCREDIBLE- I'm a die-hard follower- she has amazing recipes- please go check it out and show her some love !)

Okay now back to the reason I'm here... Banana Bread Scones with Brown Sugar Glaze. While the recipe name may sound complicated, it really couldn't be easier. In fact you most likely have most, if not all, of the ingredients in your kitchen already. I made these last Sunday so my fiance and I could have quick ready made breakfasts during the week. Refrain from pouring the glaze over all the scones, as the glaze will soak into the scones. So each morning, all I did was microwave each scone for 15 seconds, the glaze for 5 seconds, and then drizzle the glaze over the scone and enjoy!

Banana Bread Scones with Brown Sugar Glaze
(Original Recipe from The Kitchn)

2 very ripe bananas, mashed (1 cup)
2-4 Tbsp. milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 Tbsp. butter

For the glaze:
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. milk
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/2-1/4 cups confectioner's sugar

Directions for the scones:
Mash bananas. If your mashed bananas don't make 1 cup, add enough milk to make one cup total (if your bananas do make a cup the milk won't be necessary). Stir in the yogurt and set aside.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Cut butter into a few pieces; using your finger tips (or pastry cutter), work the butter into the dry ingredients until there are no pieces of butter larger than a pea.

Pour the banana-yogurt mixture into the bowl and stir just until incorporate and moistened.

Line a dinner plate with a piece of wax or parchment paper and turn dough out of bowl on top. Put dough down to form a disk about 1 inch thick. Cover with another piece of paper. Freeze dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel of paper and invert dough dish onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Peel off second layer of paper. Slice dough into 8 wedges and pull apart slightly to allow for expanding while baking. Bake until the scones are firm to the tough and golden-brown, or 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack.

Directions for glaze:
Melt butter and milk in microwave for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and vanilla, and stir until sugar has melted (heat for another 30 seconds, if necessary). Whisk in confectioner's sugar, starting with 1/4 cup. Add more if you want a thicker glaze.

Just before serving, drizzle glaze over scones.

Pumpkin Cookies

Summer is officially over. If you live in Montana, you are preparing for crisp breezes, that 'fall-is-here' chill in the air, leaves falling off the trees, and you're already planning on how to stuff eight layers underneath your child's Halloween costume. If I were still in Montana, I'd be watching all the back-to-schoolers buy their textbooks, be sipping a hot chai latte, and maybe even watching the snow start to cover the mountain peaks.

The other day, the air here felt cool, there were clouds in the sky, and you almost (almost) needed to wear jeans or a light jacket. I felt like I was back home, I felt like it should be fall. Much to my dismay, I was not back at home, nor is fall anywhere close to appearing here in Florida (maybe around January?) My overly-anxious anticipation for fall drove me to run to the store, get all the ingredients for a Thanksgivingy snack, and to bake and indulge in them immediately: Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Some of you may remember these cookies. They have already made two appearances at CAFB! The recipe can be found in the CAFB Spouses Thanksgiving cookbook that was presented at the fall cookout we did! While this was a show-stopper to say the least, their debut came in the form of a challenge with Mama Sue: who can make the better pumpkin cookies. She was the 'seasoned pro' and I was the 'newb', and although we had many offers from those who wanted to judge the competition, we both just claimed to be the winners. For the record- mine won, sorry mom.

Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients:
* 1 cup shortening
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 15 oz can pumpkin
* 2 eggs
* 4 cups flour
* 2 teasp. baking soda
* 2 teasp. baking powder
* 2 teasp. vanilla
* 1 teasp. salt
* 2 teasp. cinnamon
* 1/2 teasp. cloves
* 1 teasp. nutmeg

Directions

* Combine wet ingredients first (shortening, pumpkin, eggs) in mixer. Add sugars (white and brown). Add spices. Add flour last.
* Drop cookies (I use a tblspn to keep them consistent in size), Bake them for 12 minutes at 350.
* Let cookies cool on baking racks

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
* 4 oz cream cheese
* 1/2 cup unsalted butter
* 2 teasp. vanilla
* 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
* 1/2 teasp. lemon juice (and yes, you need this- it MAKES the frosting!)

Frost cooled cookies. Throw them in the fridge- they are just as amazing (if not more) chilled :) Mmm!

Red Velvet Cheesecake

Dear Pregnancy Cravings,
   Thank you for not being weird. I do not crave pickle and peanut butter sandwiches. I do not crave a grilled cheese with m&ms in it. I do not crave eating dirt and chalk. Thank you for keeping my cravings in a delicious and decadent food category: sweets! While my ass will surely hate you by the end of this, my stomach thanks you until the end of eternity!

What do you do when you crave cheesecake, and chocolate cake at the same time? You look up the recipe for Cheesecake Factorys Red Velvet Cheesecake- thats what you do!

What do you do when you look at the recipe and see they suggest you take two days to make it and you want it like NOW?    Panic! And then look for a suitable substitute!

I found a beyond suitable sub for the no-words-can-describe-how-good-this-is cheesecake. It is a spin off of a marble cheesecake I found on Bettycrocker.com. In this recipe, you use boxed chocolate cake mix, add cheesecake, and swirl it into a pretty design for your guests. Or... you can do what I did... and just slop it all on there (who cares about pretty right now- you want cheesecake!)

Oh yes, it really does turn out that red!

Red Velvet Cheesecake

adapted from BettyCrocker.com

Ingredients:

* 1 box chocolate cake mix

* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

* 3 eggs

* 1/3 cup sugar

* 8 oz cream cheese, softened

* 3/4 teaspoon vanilla

* 8 oz sour cream

* 3/4 cup whipping cream

To Make:

* Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9 dish.

* Reserve 1 cup dry cake mix- set aside. In large bowl, beat remaining cake mix with butter and 1 egg until dough forms. Press into greased pan. Do not bake crust yet! (Um, cake batter as cheesecake crust- Betty you have my heart!)

* Now, it says in same bowl to mix the following- but clean the bowl first if you do want to make it pretty and swirly. I forgot and there was still some bright red crust mix in the bowl, so instead of turning out pure white cheesecake, it turned out pink. Dur. Ok, so in a new clean bowl, beat sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the remaining two eggs, sour cream, and 1/4 cup whipping cream. Reserve 1 cup of this mixture, pour the rest over the crust.

* Combine the 1 cup reserved cake mix and 1 cup reserved cheesecake mixture together with remaining 1/2 cup of whipping cream until smooth

* Spoon the chocolate cheesecake mixture over the plain mixture in the pan. Swirl with a knife to make a pretty design- or just spread it all out if you don't much care about the look of it.

* Bake 32-40 minutes until a knife comes out clean from about 1-inch away from the edge of the pan. The middle will still be gooey and will continue to cook after pulled from the oven.

* Put on a cooling rack for 30 minutes, then play in fridge for about 4 hours. Yes, this is a long time to have to wait for this yummy dessert, but it will be worth it, I promise!

* Serve on a platter with some homemade whipped cream if you desire, or just eat it straight from the pan with a fork like I do! The choice is yours- make it a good one :) Also, have a tooth brush handy- it may stain your tongue with a tangy red tint! This is only further proof that you've treated your much-deserving-self to some indulgence that day :) Wear it proudly!

*The* Perfect Strawberry Cupcake

Summertime is strawberry time. I think strawberry jello popsickles, cool strawberry pie with whipped cream, and of course, strawberry cupcakes. When I think cupcakes, I think Mindy's Martha Stewart's Cupcakes cookbook and all the gloriousness that is inside. Seriously, the goodies inside are so picture-perfect, so scrumptious looking, it may as well be considered cupcake baker's porn.

Joygasm!

Strawberry Cupcakes, recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

* 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup cake flour (not self rising) this is worth purchasing if you don't already have it
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 8 oz unsalted butter, softened
* 2 1/4 cup sugar
* 3 large eggs
* 1 large egg white
* 1 cup whole milk
* 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups finely chopped strawberries

To Do:

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with liners.
* Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, cake flour, baking powder, salt
* Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Be sure to add each egg one at a time and beat well after each addition
* Mix the milk and vanilla together.
* Add the dry ingredients and the milk mixture, alternating, to the creamed butter and sugar mixture.
* Once batter is combined, hand stir in strawberries
* Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full.
* Bake for about 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting, recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

* 4 large egg whites, room temperature
* 1 1/4 cups sugar
* 3/4 lb unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
* 1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, pureed

To Do:

* Place whites and sugar into heatproof mixer bowl set over pot of simmering water. (yay for making a double boiler!) Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer. Mindy and I just whisked it until dissolved, but it took both of us whisking like crazy- our arms were sore the next day, haha!
* Remove from heat, attach bowl to mixer. Whisk on medium speed for 5 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form- about 6 more minutes. Reduce speed and add butter, one piece at a time, whisking well after each addition.
* Switch to paddle attachment, and with mixer on low speed, add the strawberry puree and beat until smooth. Use immediately or refrigerate (note: if you refrigerate, you may need to give it a quick mix again before you frost cupcakes!!!!!!)

Most moist cupcake ever
Look at all those real strawberries in there!

Boston Cream Cupcakes

There were a lot of things I experienced for the first time when we moved down south to Mississippi. One thing I wish I could experience more, is Dunkin Donuts. In Montana, I never lived in a town with a Dunkin Donuts. They have thick delicious chai, and the best Boston Cream donut in the world. Talk about a perfect breakfast. I hate the fact that it takes me 15 minutes to get there, so I don't go there as often as I want.

After today, an emergency trip was almost needed. Alex fussed all day, refused to nap, and hated my general being today. He wanted nothing more than to stand and scream at me, sit at scream at me, screamed at me in my arms, and even managed to scream at me with mouthfuls of oatmeal and peaches..For that, he earned himself a couldn't-come-too-soon- 7 o'clock bedtime, and mama earned herself a tasty treat.

Better than a Donut

I did a quick search online to figure out what I wanted to make myself, since running to the store today (or Dunkin Donuts for that matter) was obviously out of the question with a screaming baby hyena in my midst. I was suprised to discover I had all the ingredients to make these ooey-gooey delights in my pantry and fridge. Chances are, you will too. This means there is no excuse. Although, if you live in my area, please come get some from my house- I cannot have 11 more of these in my presence... my sanity and wasteline are begging you!!!!! Please, come get one...

I have broken this cupcake down into three parts (three different recipes).

Vanilla Cupcake ( you can use a boxed mix if you want, but I went from scratch )

Ingredients:
* 2/3 cups butter, softened
* 3/4 cups sugar
* 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
* 3 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To Do:
* Cream together butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, until light and fluffy
* Mix in eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla, then add the flour. (Add in small amounts- I managed to make it snow in my kitchen in the middle of July... one POOF was all it took to cover myself, my son, and my entire kitchen in a soft blanket of flour!)
* Place in cupcake pan (either with liners or grease and flour) and bake until tops spring back slightly- about 18 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool.

Vanilla Pudding Filling

Ingredients:
* 1 package Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding
* 2 cups cold milk
* 1 tablespoon vanilla

To Do:
* Follow directions on pudding box.  (Mix milk with vanilla pudding powder). Add in extra vanilla extract if you want more of a vanilla punch!
* Let sit in fridge for 5-10 minutes, or until thick.
* To fill cooled cupcake: Stir pudding, and add it to a plastic bag. Cut hole into cupcakes and pipe the filling into the cupcake.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup butter
* 2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
* 1/3 cup half and half (you can use whipping cream too if you'd like)
* 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
* 1/2 cup cocoa powder

To Do:
* Cream the butter in mixing bowl until its smooth
* Add the cocoa powder, powdered sugar to the butter, alternating with the half and half and vanilla
* If you want a darker chocolate, add more cocoa powder- but keep in mind you may need to add a little more half and half in order to keep it a creamy consistency!
* To Forst Cupcake: After they are filled with vanilla pudding mixture, frost with chocolate frosting. Place frosting in a plastic bag, and snip the end of the bag for fancier piping!

Enjoy these perfect-donut-substitutes! But beware, the sugar crash is inevitable- and its rough!

Scotcharoos

There are so many things I could say about the person these remind me of most, my uncle Morrie. He had a big belly laugh that reminded me of Goofy. In fact, he was quite goofy in personality. He was the life of the party. He loved the Beatles and a big cold glass of milk. He always got the biggest coffee cup, the last roll/ slice of ham/ piece of pie at dinner. He was the father that everyone deserved, and he was loved beyond words by his family and friends. I think of him often, sometimes I get sad, sometimes I smile. I think about him most when I'm eating a Scotcharoo. They were, afterall, his favorite treat.

Kicks the pants off regular rice crispy treats

Ingredients:

* 1 cup Karo light corn syrup
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup peanut butter
* 6 cups rice crispies
* 1 cup chocolate chips
* 1 cup butterscotch chips

To Do:

* Combine corn syrup and sugar on medium heat on stove top. Do not overcook this, it will make the scotachroos hard instead of gooey- pull it from the heat as soon as it starts to boil and the sugar is dissolved.
* Quickly stir the peanut butter with the corn syrup mixture in a large bowl.
* Add rice crispies and stir until well coated.
* Spreak crispies mixture into casserole dish or other baking dish
* For topping, add chocolate and butterscotch chips in glass microwavable bowl, heat for 30 seconds at a time, and stir, until melted together
* Pour chocolate mixture on top of crispies mixture
* Cover well and let cool in fridge for 10-20 minutes. This will help the chocolate topping cool faster.
* Pull from fridge before crispies get too crunchy- you want these treats to be nice and gooey like regular rice crispy treats!

* Don't forget your glass of milk

Brownie Cookies

I do not have a cool story about these. The fact that they are chocolate chip brownie cookies should speak for itself. They are 'cakey' like regular brownies, but they don't fall apart and leave you with a bunch of crumbies (crumbies-  F.R.I.E.N.D.S. reference. Anyone? Seriously? Ok...) Just make them. They are amazing.

Ingredients:

* 2/3 cup crisco
* 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon water
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups flour
* 1/3 cup cocoa powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 cups chocolate chips

To Do:

* Mix ingredients together in a giant bowl. I'm sure you'd benefit from doing the time-old-tradition of mixing all wet ingredients together, then all the dry ingredients together, then adding them together- but why bother- they are all ending up in the same place: your stomach!
* I do 'drop cookies' with these- make each cookie about 1 tablespoon in size. Place them on a cookie sheet.
* Bake each batch for 7-9 minutes at 375 F.
* Be careful to not overbake these- they are supposed to be ooey-gooey!

Bonus tip: Having a bad day, or feeling like you need to put on a few extra pounds? Heat one (or two or three) up in the microwave for 30 seconds, top with a scoop (or one or two or three) of vanilla ice cream and some caramel syrup (or chocolate syrup or nuts or all of it) for a brownie sundae! No, mother, I haven't done this lately... ok... I have. Worth it.

Chocolate-Banana Ice Cream Pie

Its National Ice Cream Day!!!!!

In my book, that deserves a big 'ole 'WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!' I did my part today to contribute to this ever-so-important-all-American holiday: with great honor, I took my spoon to a pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey, and savored every minute of it. Did I eat the whole pint? Thats for me to know, and for you to assume that I did. If a pint won't satisfy your need to honor this day properly- make this:

Seriously.

I found this recipe in my Food Network magazine, and made it the other week for a dinner party at our house (the night I made those Cake Pops), and it made everyone go bananas. (ha). I wanted to wait until I had the most perfect reason to post this, and what better a day then this one! The assembly is easy- its a semi-homemade ice creamy miracle! Give yourself the better part of the afternoon to make it though, each layer has to set a few hours in the freezer before you can move on.

Ingredients:

* 60 vanilla wafers (about 2/3 of a box) The other 1/3 is for you to eat while you are waiting for all those layers to set!
* 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
* 2 medium bananas
* 1 pint vanilla ice cream (I used Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey for more banana flavor and the walnuts gave it a nice crunch.)
* 1 pint chocolate ice cream ( I used a Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie because, well, why not)
* 2 cups heavy cream
* 2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar (I used regular granulated sugar)

To Do:

* Pulse the cookies and butter in a food processor. (I smashed mine in a bag- I have anger issues.)
* Press into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9 in. springform pan. (I just used a pie plate. I think my previously mentioned anger issues stem from not having a springform pan.)
* Slice the bananas and arrange them in a layer over the crust. Freeze until the crust sets, about 20 mins. Meanwhile, let the vanilla ice cream soften at room temperature.
* Spread the vanilla ice cream evenly over the banana layer. Freeze until firm, about 2 hours.
* Let the chocolate ice cream soften at room temperature. Spread over vanilla layer evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, another 2 hours.
* Remove the pie from the freezer 20 minutes before serving.
* Beat the cream and sugar together for a delicious homemade whipped cream. Spread over the pie before serving. (I added my whipped cream and threw it back into the freezer for a bit to harden it up and it still tasted great!)

The recipe also calls for toasted coconut in the crust and for topping, but I omitted it since we are not huge coconut eaters. The recipe suggests 1 cup for the crust (pulse it together with cookies and butter), and 1/4 cup extra for topping the finished product.

Cake Pops

Ah, cake fads. I remember when I was younger, everyone on the block had a Barbie Cake. You know, the upside down bowl shaped cake decorated like a dress with a half-naked Barbie stuck in the top of it? Yup, I had those. Back then, it seemed like nothing would top the absolute awesomeness of the Barbie cake, and in my mind, nothing did, until a few years ago. A few years ago, cupcakes made a comeback. Not that they ever left the scene I guess, they just got all 'Hollywood' on us. It was like they made the transformation from ugly ducking Julia Roberts in the beginning of Pretty Woman, to a beautiful swan  Julia Roberts at the end of Pretty Woman. Every bakery had them, specialized in them, and every cooking channel on TV had an hour dedicated to them every Sunday. This year, the new fad is Cake Pops. They seem to be all the rage, but its a wonder it took so long for someone to say, 'hey, lets put cake on a stick.' 

Red Velvet Cake Balls made with cream cheese frosting and milk chocolate shell
Cake balls, not pops. I didn't have the sticks.

I have recieved praise from almost every dessert I have ever made for a get-together. The most came from the mini cherry cheesecakes I mentioned last week. Last night, I made these bite-sized beauties for a dinner party, and the amount of positive feedback I recieved kicked my mini cheesecakes mini butts! It brought the ladies to their knees, and it even got an obscene amount of compliments from the men (and you know men, they usually just grunt in approval of decent food- never actual exclamations of joy!) On top of it all- they are super easy to make, despite their posh reputation.

Ingredients:

* 1 box of cake mix (any flavor you want, the possibilities are endless)
* 1 tub frosting (yup, you really don't make anything in this recipe)
* Chocolate for melting (again, pick your flavor- I used the baker's melting chocolate because it said it will harden well)
* Sprinkles, nuts, frosting, whatever for decorating
* Lillipop sticks (if you want the pop form, not the ball form)
* Candy melt (to help cake stick to lollipop sticks)

To Do:

* Bake cake as directed on box. Let cake cool.
* Crumble baked cake into large bowl. Mix in tub of frosting until nice and thick
* Roll into balls. (I used a tablespoon to measure out how much cake to use for each) If you are doing the cake pops, insert the stick into the candy melt and then into the cake ball.
* Melt chocolate until nice and runny. Thicker chocolate may be more difficult to work with
* Dip cake into chocolate. Decorate before chocolate hardens.Place on foiled baking sheet for cake balls, and stick the cake pops in a piece of styrofoam if making the pops.
* The recipe I used said to cool them in the refridgerator, but I threw mine in the freezer until it was time to eat them. They were amazing cold!

Beignets

Bonjour,
  Soyez bienvenus à tout mon poste français. Pourquoi français ? J'ai pensé qu'il ferait le fait que ce plat suivant ajoutera 10 livres à votre fin de fond toujours vous les mangez, juste un peu plus fantastique et agréable. Attendez, vous ne vous souciez pas qu'ils ajoutent 10 livres à votre fin de fond toujours vous les mangez ? Bonbon. Vissez cette conversation française sophistiquée alors! Laisse la conversation donuts!

What? You don't speak French? Or at least, Google-translated-English-to-French-so-who-knows-if-its-actually-correct? Dang. Ok, lucky for you, I can provide subtitles!

Translation:

Hello,
  Welcome to my french post. Why French? I figured it would make the fact that this next dish will add 10 pounds to your bottom end everytime you eat them, just a little more whimsical and enjoyable. Wait, you don't care that they add 10 pounds to your bottom end everytime you eat them? Sweet. Screw this fancy French talk then! Lets talk donuts!



oui !

The first time I discovered beignets was at the recommendation of my dear friend Jaren Rabe. Chris and I had taken a celebratory trip to New Orleans last month and she basically told me she'd stop being my friend if we didn't hit up Cafe du Monde. For the sake of our friendship, I thought it best to go. Long story short, I left New Orleans with 9 boxes of the donut mix to distribute to friends and family. Did I remember to grab myself a box? Of course...... not. Luckily, I did find a great recipe to make them from scratch! Beware, this recipe makes 24-36 donuts... that comes out to about 240-360 lbs on your tushie... hit up the gym after to get rid of some of that guilt (if you even have guilt that is!)

Ingredients:

* 1 envelope active drive yeast
* 1 1/2 cups warm water
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 tsp salt
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1 cup evaporated milk
* 6 1/2-7 cups flour
* 1/4 cup shortening, softened
* oil for frying
* powdered sugar

To Do:

* In large bowl, sprinkle yeast over the warm water. Stir to dissolve and let stand 5-10 minutes.
* Add the sugar, salt, eggs, and milk. Mix well.
* Add 4 cups flour and beat until smooth
* Add shortening and blend in remaining flour
* Cover and chill 4 hours or overnight (yes, they are GREAT for breakfast)
* Roll out on floured surface to 1/4 to 1/2 in. thickness
* Cut into three inch squares.
* Heat oil to 350F
* Deep fry a few at a time until lightly browned on both sides. Drain on paper towel.
* Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately (best when nice and toasty)

Mama Sue's Variation: Cover freshly fried donuts in cinnamon and sugar!!!!

Sidenote: If you don't feel like attempting them from scratch, you can buy the mix from their website online and have it shipped to you! Just add water and fry! Also, if you live in Columbus, MS- they sell the boxes at Walmart.

Guest Blogger: Molly Cooper

Molly's Worry Free Cooking

(because I've done all the worrying for you!)

When Kelsey asked if I would write a guest post for her food blog, I of course was honored but also thought it was hilarious— me! Asked to be featured on a food blog! As recently as last year, I never thought my culinary skills would improve to such a point. I grew up surrounded by proficient cooks, but I chose to develop other talents, specifically art and design, and disregard anything that involved copious amounts of time spent laboring away in the kitchen.

It wasn't until recently, as Kelsey mentioned, that I've developed a strong interest in cooking and baking. I finally understood what inspires a passion for food and keeps people returning to the kitchen: it is fun watching food come together under your influence! I was surprised at my ability to pull off seemingly complicated recipes. 

The only catch is, thanks to my incessant self-doubting nature, I am constantly worrying as I cook. A million questions run through my head ("they said not to overmix the muffin batter, how can I tell??") and I sometimes feel like I'm stumbling blindly as I struggle to follow a recipe. That being said, I love simple recipes that yield elaborate results, and will share them with my little "worry" notes alongside! This way, the worrying has already been done for you, if you're in any way like me :)

The following recipe for Mini Oreo Cheesecakes is from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes, which I found featured on Amy's food blog Playing House. Amy made it sound very approachable, and I deemed it perfect for my first attempt at cheesecake. I brought them to a barbeque last Sunday, and they were well loved by all!

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes 

(Adapted from Playing House, with my additional notes)

Makes 30

42 Oreos (1 package), 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds cream cheese (four 8 oz packages), room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt

(*Before any of the following: bring cream cheese and eggs to room temperature. If you wake up early, put them on the counter and make your coffee and go about your morning routine until they're ready. It takes quite a while, so plan accordingly! Or do the microwave thing.)

1. Preheat oven to 275˚ Fahrenheit. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners or grease well with non-stick baking spray. (*I used foil liners plus a light spray of Pam.) Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each cup.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

3. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand. (*Chopping Oreos with a large, sharp chef's knife worked like a dream.)

4. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. (*I filled mine to the very top— don't be shy! Though the amount of batter I ended up with concerned me at first, this recipe yields the perfect amount for 30 cheesecakes.) Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to overnight. (*I wish mine had hung out in the fridge a little longer than 5 hours, try to plan for as much chill time as possible.) 

These were such a huge hit and were delightfully simple to make, I highly recommend trying them out! Thank you Kelsey for allowing me to share this recipe :)

Sticky Buns

Some people say their childhood memories are triggered by familiar scents. Some say its their grandmothers chocolate chip cookies, their dads cologne, the smell of the flowers outside their home. The intoxicating aroma I associate with my childhood came on special occassions, or lazy Saturdays. Mine is the smell of sticky buns! I never understood why we never had this tasty breakfast treat more often, until I had a family of my own to make them for. Its not that they are hard to make, it is just that I'm an impatient person and I hate waiting for dough to raise! The outcome is worth the waiting though!

Commence drooling in 5...4...3...2...1...

Ingredients:

* 2 packages vanilla pudding (cook and serve type)
* 1/2 cup butter, melted
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 1 package Rhodes rolls

To Do:

* Mix pudding, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and milk together to form thick caramel sauce.
* Spray 9x13in pan with Pam cooking spray
* Rub rolls in caramel mixture, and place into pan
* Pour extra mixture inbetween rolls in pan
* Let dough raise in fridge 2.5 hours
* Bake rolls in oven at 370F for 30 minutes
* Let rolls cool after baking slightly, then flip them over onto foil so caramel side faces upwards
* Enjoy the mess !

The 'Coveted' Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

Today, I received an email from my husband's cousin. She told me her husband was in love with the mini cherry cheesecakes I had made for them while they were here over Chris' graduation. She said she understood if it was a coveted family recipe and I couldn't share it, but her husband loved them so much, she just had to ask me if I could share it. This made me laugh so hard I thought I may die.

Coveted family recipe? Oh goodness, no!

Betty Crocker Recipe? Oh goodness, yes!

These are also a favorite dessert of Mindy, and I've been asked for the recipe numerous times, so I might as well share it on here :)



Mini Cherry Cheesecakes
Betty Crocker


Ingredients:

* 24 vanilla wafer cookies
* 2  8-oz packages of cream cheese, softened
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract (I use vanilla)
* 1 can cherry pie filling
* 1/2 cup toasted, sliced almonds (I omit these)

To do:

* Heat over to 375F. Line muffin tin with paper liners. Place one vanilla wafer in the bottom of each cup. (How amazing is this recipe? You don't even have to make the crust!)
* Beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and extract until mixture is light and fluffy. Spoon into muffin tins (fill them fairly full, the cheesecake will puff when baking initially, but will then sink once cooled)
* Bake for 20-25 minutes (I've found up to 20 minutes works, the bottom of the vanilla wafers do burn easily so be careful!)
* Once cooked, remove from tin onto cooling rack until completely cooled. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
* When ready to serve, top with cherry pie filling and almonds (or blueberry pie filling or chocolate sauce or sliced strawberries or kiwis- the possibilities are endless!)