Oreo Reeses Overload

 A few weeks ago I made these things at the suggestion of a friend. I just happened to have the right ingredients and it only took 15 minutes, so I absolutely had to share this!

What you need:

Oreos

Reeses (I used white chocolate ones)

Chocolate coating (I used vanilla/white chocolate bark)

Sprinkles, chocolate chips, etc for topping (optional)

Directions:

Split oreos in half, careful to keep the cream in one piece, on one half of oreo. Take two cream halves and sandwich a peanut butter cup in between. 

Melt chocolate bark, dip the oreo sandwich in the bark. Place on wax paper to cool. Decorate with desired toppings before coating hardens. 

I had leftover white chocolate bark, so I took all of the non-cream oreo halves that I had accumulated and crumbled them into the extra excess and poured it out into cookies and cream bark.

These were a hit, and they're really not that hard to make! Maybe a good Valentine's Day treat for this upcoming week? 

Apple Cider Pancakes

I saw apple cider pancakes on Pinterest the other day and decided to make some of my own! I chose to use mainly whole wheat flour and some flaxseed and cornmeal to make them more healthy and rich in flavor and texture.

Apple Cider Pancakes

3/4 cup whole wehat
1/4 cup white
1/4 cup flax
1/4 cornmeal
1/2 cup water
1 cup apple cider
1/4 cup milk
1/4 oil
2 tsp baking powder
1 egg

Just mix together the dry ingredients, and the wet ingredients. Then mix together until fully combined. You could even add some diced apples if you wanted! I'd suggest browning them a bit in a skillet first.

Lime Avocado Chicken Enchiladas

I made these for dinner tonight and they were absolutely incredible. If you like Mexican food, you've got to try this out. They were inspired by this recipe, but I made quite a few alterations. 

Lime Avocado Chicken Enchiladas

• 6 medium flour tortillas
• Rotisserie chicken or 3 whole chicken breasts, shredded
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup salsa verde
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tomato, chopped
•  2 avocados
• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 jalapeno, seeded
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded

Shred cooked rotisserie chicken or approximately 3 chicken breasts. Cook diced onions in frying pan until lightly browned. Combine all bold ingredients in a blender until smooth. Combine onions, half of the cheese, and chicken, and add half of the blender mixture. Separate into 6 servings and roll up into tortillas inside of a prepared non-stick pan. Pour remaining blender mixture over the rolled enchiladas and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. 

I also put mango-peach salsa on top, which was an amazing addition to the flavor. This is easily one of  my new favorite dishes.

Cookie Innovation

The other week I baked for a friend's birthday...and decided to make him cookies. And then I decided to turn said cookie dough into an airplane.

I also made some oreo stuffed ones. So good...yet so bad for you.

At this rate I'm going to be diabetic soon. Need to work on some self-control. But hey, it's the holidays! That means none the calories count, right? Let's just go with that. :)

Oh, and I just used the Betty Crocker cookie mix for these, didn't have time to go for the from-scratch route!

Holiday Baked Goods

 With the holidays coming up I thought I'd show you guys what festive deliciousness has been occurring in my life:

 

I made these Christmas tree cake balls, a batch of spice cake ones and another red velvet. All you have to do is bake a cake mix, crumble it up and mix it with a container of frosting, chill it until it is manageable, shape it into cones, freeze the cones for at least 15 minutes, and coat them in vanilla coating that's been dyed green!

 Also made some melting snowman cookies...this is such a cute idea and it's super easy. Just sugar cookies frosted and decorated, with a marshmallow for the head. :) 

And some equally easy reindeer cookies! Peanut butter cookies with pretzels and M&Ms pressed in just as they come out of the oven, when the cookies are still soft. 

So if you need an easy but impressive looking baking project for something in the next few weeks, these do the trick! 

Barley Risotto

The other day I had some free time on my hands (for once in my life) and I decided to get fancy and cook some real food. I found this fantastic recipe for barley risotto and tried it out. 

Ingredients

• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Salt
• 1 1/2 cups pearl barley, rinsed
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Ground black pepper

Procedures

1. Bring the broth and water to a simmer in a medium saucepan; reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting and cover to keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, combine the onion, carrot, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium, add the barley, and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and aromatic, about 4 minutes. Stir in the wine and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the wine has been completely absorbed by the barley, about 3 minutes.
3. Stir in the thyme and 3 cups of the warm broth and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed and the bottom of the pan is dry, 20 to 22 minutes. Stir in 2 more cups of the warm broth and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed and the bottom of the pan is dry, 15 to 20 minutes longer.
4. Continue to cook the risotto, stirring frequently and adding 1/2 cup of the remaining broth at a time as needed to keep the pan bottom from becoming dry (about every 5 to 6 minutes), until the grains of barley are cooked through but still somewhat firm in the center, about 25 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan and butter, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately in warmed shallow bowls, with wedges of lemon and/or fresh parsley.
   Recipe from Serious Eats.
   
   A few substitutions: I subbed in basil for thyme and broth for white wine. Worked out just fine. :) 

My Fall Baking Obsession

Sorry for my lack of presence these past few days! As a result of hurricane weather, I've pretty much been in a sluggish pajama-wearing state of being, which isn't particularly conducive to outfit posts...

However, I did go apple picking last weekend! 

And also made a lot of seasonal desserts...gotta love pumpkin.

I used the following recipes:

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Pumpkin Oatmeal Scones--used different icing

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread--added banana, used half whole wheat flour, substituted applesauce for 1/2 c oil, and replaced sour cream with greek yogurt.

I figured with it being Halloween it'd be an appropriate day to share my excess of pumpkin goods with you all. Have a great day, eat lots of candy! :)

Cupcakes Galore

The other day I did some baking with friends and decided to do an all out experimental cupcake baking session. What this amounted to was basically a ridiculous variety of toppings, flavorings, batter fillings, and whatnot. And a really good basic batter and buttercream frosting recipe.

I used two recipes from Allrecipes.com: 

The Batter: Simple White Cake Recipe

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup milk

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs. Add vanilla, then combine dry ingredients and add in. Add the milk last, and then spoon into cupcake tins and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

The only thing I changed was adding an extra 1/4 cup of milk, because some of the reviews suggested doing so to get a moist cupcake. To make chocolate cupcakes, I added cocoa powder to the batter. 

We added things like oreos, sprinkles, peanut butter, lemon extract, rum flavoring, and chocolate chips to the batter to  mix things up.

And then for the frosting...

Simple and Delicious Buttercream Frosting

5 tablespoons salted butter

5 tablespoons shortening

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons milk

Beat butter and shortening together until fluffy. Add vanilla, then sugar, one cup at a time. Add milk by tablespoon.

This again we jazzed up with different extracts and chocolate and jams and whatnot. 

 These cupcakes are like a light pound cake texture and didn't turn out overwhelmingly sweet, which I liked.

Enjoy!

Apple Oatmeal Muffins & Bread

With it being apple season, it was about time to whip out the fall baked goods. So I tried out this recipe for apple oatmeal bread this week, and it turned out delicious! It's a pretty healthy one, and makes for a great breakfast item. 

One thing I did differently was chopping the apples instead of shredding them. Shredding may be a good idea if you want a smoother texture and a bread that cuts cleanly. With them chopped, it can crumble a bit rather than slicing evenly. 

 

  

Happy baking!

Banana Pancakes

This morning I got up and decided that I wanted pancakes. I also decided to make up the recipe. These turned out amazing, so I'm sharing it. It's also going to have a ridiculous name, because I don't know how else to accurately describe them.

Banana Oatmeal Wheat Pancakes with Flaxseed

• 1 cup wheat flour
•   1/2 cup white flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup oil
• 3/4 cup skim milk
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/2 cup dry oatmeal
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 ripe bananas

Combine flour and baking powder. Whisk egg and combine with oil and milk, add to flour mixture. Add in water and mix thoroughly. Mash bananas until slightly chunky, add into batter. Add flax, oatmeal, cinnamon, and vanilla. 

And with that the batter's ready. :) 

This made about 16 pancakes, I believe.

I would just like to point out what a pretty golden brown they turned out to be. Perfect pancakes make me happy. 

 I drizzled chocolate syrup and honey over top, and added some sliced bananas for good measure. 

They also tasted amazing with peanut butter and honey. But then again, pretty much everything tastes good with peanut butter and honey...

I think I have a new Sunday tradition.

Chocolate Heaven

 

I baked these a few weeks ago and didn't get around to posting them. They were absolutely amazing. I found it on The Heritage Cook via Pinterest, and at first glance the recipe seemed a little daunting and questionable, but it's actually pretty easy to make, and the result is fantastic. Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

From Claudia Flemming’s “The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern”

Yield: 2-1/2 to 5 dozen cookies, depending on size.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

2 large eggs

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tbsp brewed espresso (or you can use reconstituted espresso powder)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp unsalted butter

5 oz extra-bittersweet chocolate (70% or higher), chopped

2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, briefly whip the eggs to break them up. Add the sugar, espresso, and vanilla and beat on high speed for 15 minutes, until thick.

While the eggs are whipping, place the butter in the top of a double boiler, or in a small metal bowl suspended over a pot of simmering (not boiling) water, and scatter the extra-bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate on top. Heat until the butter and chocolate melt. Remove the boiler top from over the water and stir the chocolate and butter until smooth.

Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until partially combined (there should still be some streaks). Add the flour mixture to the batter and carefully fold it in. Fold in the chocolate chips. If the batter is very runny, let it rest until it thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.

Drop the batter by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets and bake until puffed and cracked, 8 to 9 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before removing from the baking sheets.

They literally melt in your mouth. It's like a gooey brownie in a more manageable size and form.  So good. 

Also I ignored the double boiling instructions and just used a microwave to melt the chocolate. So if you're lazy like me, yes, that does work. :)

Food Post: Grilled Salmon with Curried Couscous

Made this the other day, it's delicious and quick and really easy. Take my word for it, I'm a college student; those three criteria are what we live by.

[Again, I apologize for the fact that these instructions are going to be rather vague. I don't really cook with recipes or measurements. But this is super easy, and there's a slim chance of messing it up!]

The Salmon:

I marinated a filet of salmon for a few hours before cooking. All I did was brush it with some soy sauce, honey, ground ginger, honey mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Left it in the fridge covered in foil until mealtime. It only really needs to marinade for maybe 30 minutes, but this is just super convenient because you can prep it ahead of time and just leave it in the fridge until you're ready to cook it!

For cooking it, place it in the oven at 400 degrees, covered, for 15 minutes. Then unwrap the foil and bake a few more minutes, either in the oven or in the broiler depending on preference. 

Broccoli:

I had some broccoli that had been pre-steamed, so I stuck it in with the salmon to roast to tender and soak up a little bit of flavor. 

 Couscous:

The couscous was not baked with the salmon, I prepared it on the stove top.

Simply follow the instructions on the package for preparing couscous (it only takes 5 minutes), and add curry powder to taste. I also added a bit of turmeric, but that's in curry powder, I just added more because it's evidently good for you?

Approximate cooking time? About 20 minutes. And it's all so good and good for you. :) 

Also I bought a lot of things this week....I think I might need to go on a shopping ban. But they were super great deals (as in $0.26 for a pair of Tommy Hilgifer wedges great), and I just about doubled my pile of refashion projects, so I can't wait to share all those with you guys. :)

Food Post: Honey Jerk Chicken

Made these the other day...I didn't really use a recipe, so I apologize if the following lacks precision in measurements. Which it will. 

Here's what I did:

Took a package of chicken drumsticks and coated with store bought Caribbean jerk seasoning and a bit of salt and pepper. Marinated overnight in the fridge. I also cut most of the skin off--it reduces the fat significantly. 

Placed the drumsticks in a frying pan on medium heat, cooked one minute on each side to brown.

Put in a foil lined cookie sheet and placed in the oven, preheated to 400 degrees. (Foil because I'm lazy and I like an easy clean up).

Baked 15 minutes, flipped, baked another 15 minutes. 

Took them out, brushed them with a mixture of (approximately) two parts honey, one part soy sauce, and desired amount of cayenne pepper. Baked another 20 minutes.

Pretty easy. They were delicious, by the way. :)

Holy Guacamole?

{This is completely irrelevant to the topic of this post, but I got on today to find that I've surpassed 150 followers! Thank you guys for being such fantastic readers, you're the best!}

I love avocados. They were on sale this week so I figured I'd take advantage of it by making some guacamole. If you've never made it from scratch, stop buying the pre-packaged stuff from the store. The homemade stuff is amazing and super easy to put together. 

I always use the same recipe, I found it some time ago on Allrecipes.

What you need:

• 3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)

Mix together mashed avocados, lime juice, and salt, and then mix in the rest. If you stick it in the fridge for an hour the flavor will come together better, but it can be served as is. And if you're like me and you like your guac chunky, dice the avocados instead of mashing them. 

Also, a trick I learned: keep an avocado seed and stick it in the finished product if you plan on storing it for a while--it'll keep it from browning. :)