What I Ate Wednesday

You see these around the web all the time and I wanted to join in the fun! The eats that I chose to share were from Sunday, February 17th. Weekend days can be scary and don't usually reflect the normal eating patterns you follow but Sundays aren't really like that for me. Now if we were talking Date Night Fridays... :0)

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BREAKFAST 9:55 AM

Tone it Up Protein Pancake topped with homemade almond butter and 1/2 banana (sliced), "lemonade"

I put "lemonade" in quotations because all it really is is 1/2 lemon squeezed into 24 ounces of water with a little bit of stevia to help take the super sour edge off. And I am just not sure if there is a way to make protein pancakes look really pretty; however, they taste so delicious that it doesn't even matter. This has been my go-to breakfast for the last couple of days ever since I got a new protein powder:

I am loving this stuff and since it is not sweetened with any artificial or refined sugars it is great for me! The scoop that it came with was HUGE so I replaced it with a smaller scoop that I had from a previous protein powder. This recipe is courtesy of SarahFit. The only things that I do differently are that I just use the whole egg instead of only the egg whites and I add water if I need to to thin it out. 

I don't like wasting the egg yolk but also... here is a bit from Livestrong about Egg Yolks:

"An egg yolk provides almost 2 mg of highly absorbable lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids beneficial for eye health. The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University suggests consuming 6 mg of dietary lutein and zeaxanthin daily. An egg yolk provides 27 percent of the adequate intake, or AI, of choline for adult women and 21 percent of the AI of choline for adult men. An egg yolk also offers 17 percent of the RDA of selenium and 9 percent of the RDA of phosphorus."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/544071-calcium-and-egg-yolk/#ixzz2LCIf1ULM

Anyways... onto the eats!

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SNACK 12:35 PM

1 can low-sodium V8 Vegetable Juice, 1 rice cake with lowfat cottage cheese

This is one of my favorite snack combos. I get the low sodium Quaker rice cakes and I love the Darigold 2% fat cottage cheese that you can buy in a big tub at Costco. The V8 juice is refreshing and a wonderful way to get 2 servings of veggies during a snack.

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LUNCH 2:20 PM

1 small bowl leftover Picante Chicken and Black Bean Soup topped with lime juice and green onions, 1 small braeburn apple (sliced) with ~1 tbsp all natural peanut butter, 1 organic carrot

I almost always start lunch and dinner with a carrot. I have a big bag sitting in a very accessible place in my fridge and I munch away at it while I am prepping food. It helps me to not mindlessly munch on other less healthy things and helps to take the edge off of my hunger. I also really like the Braeburn apples because they are a bit sour instead of super sweet like the Red Delicious or Jonagold apples. 

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DINNER 5:45 PM

Kyle's Favorite Beef Stew

My lovely mother made us this wonderful stew for dinner. The recipe is from Allrecipes.com. It was DIVINE! The broth had an almost sweet taste to it and it was hearty and delicious with the beef tender. YUM!

She didn't dredge the meat in flour at all so that it would be gluten free for me. She didn't use any of the real onions (just the onion soup mix) and just added 1 tsp onion powder. She used red wine vinegar instead of the burgundy and just poured the onion soup mix on top of everything in the crock pot.

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DESSERT 6:20 PM

Chili Maple Cinnamon Popcorn

My friends who know me really well know that it wouldn't be a "What I Ate" any day without some popcorn. I LOVE popcorn. Love love love it. I air pop the popcorn and add melted coconut oil. This particular popcorn is sprinkled with pure maple syrup, cinnamon, chili powder, and sea salt. I definitely had more than just this one small bowl. 

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WATER INTAKE (Whole Day)

24 ounces "lemonade" + 84 ounces normal water = 108 ounces total

Not my best water intake but pretty good for a weekend day. It is harder to drink water away from home when I don't have my trusty orange cup with me. 

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QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Is there something that you eat regularly? A favorite meal or snack? Share your ideas with me!

Loves...Shayla

Supper-Time Sunday!

Hello all! It is time for another recipe round-up! There are lots of delicious eats around the web and here are the ones that we have tried lately!

THE CHEW'S BAKED ARTICHOKE CHICKEN

Recipe + photo courtesy of Stacey over at Stacey Snacks

From Stacey Snacks blog, "This recipe won a contest on a television show called The Chew.

Mario Batali and others judged 3 chicken recipes made by regular people, and this won first prize!"

Confession... it has been a long time coming before I thought I would ever be okay eating artichoke hearts and mushrooms - let alone this much! But, I kid you not, we loved this meal SO much that I made it twice in two weeks. Every bite is extremely flavorful and the combination of the mushrooms with the onion and artichokes is just heavenly. 

And guess what? I did this in the crockpot! I placed all of the veggies on the bottom of the crockpot, topped with the chicken, topped with the sauce and let it go to town. My crockpot believes that it is the depths of Mordor itself and I have to keep a careful eye on my dishes so that they don't get over cooked but I think that if you go by the standard of 6 hours on low that you will be alright. I did this in the crockpot both times and both times it turned out great.

I also did not use chicken with bones or skin. I used 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts and 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs. The only other changes that I made were that I used dijon mustard and chicken stock instead of the wine. We served this over Lemon Parmesan brown rice. YUMMY!

Make this one! You won't be disappointed!

Pin it!

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CROCK POT PICANTE CHICKEN AND BLACK BEAN SOUP

Recipe + Photo courtesy of Gina over at Skinnytaste.com

Was the above crock pot recipe not really to your liking? Well I have another one for you! This came together so quickly and got rave reviews from cute hubster, my girl [A] and my boy {N}. The chicken came out tender and delicious and shredded with hardly any effort whatsoever on my part. 

Unfortunately, I waited too long to make this after buying my groceries and so my avocados were no longer good. But we did use the lime juice and sliced scallions (aka green onions). I sprinkled a little bit of cheddar cheese into the family portions - not mine though. I like my food tasting more fresh!

Cute hubster added some Greek yogurt to his 2nd portion to tone down the heat a bit. It is fairly spicy but neither of my babies complained about it. If you are worried about it I would use Rotel tomatoes without the green chiles and it should be just fine. 

I didn't have ancho chile powder so I just used normal chile powder but I kept everything else the same. I know that 2 chicken breasts seems like a small amount but it really was perfect for this recipe.

Pin it!

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CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Recipe + Photo courtesy of Katie over at Chocolate-Covered Katie: the healthy dessert blog

Sometimes a girl just needs some chocolate! And chocolate mousse/ice cream is a delicious treat that I have not been able to enjoy for a long time thanks to my body rejecting refined sugars. 

Enter the always reliable Chocolate-Covered Katie! I love love love love her. I have never had trouble with any of her recipes and I have ALWAYS liked them. This dessert did not disappoint at all. And at only 4 ingredients there is NO reason to not try it out!

I didn't need to refrigerate my coconut milk overnight - it was thick enough when I opened the can. I used Stevia in the Raw + a little pure maple syrup to sweeten our desserts. I would normally be alright with just stevia but my family likes things a little bit sweeter than stevia can provide without going too bitter. 

I divvied this recipe up into 4 small cups and stuck them in the freezer while we ate dinner. When they came out they had just started freezing around the edges but the middle was decadently creamy. If you want a mousse like texture = refrigerate. Ice cream = freezer.

Pin it!

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QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: What recipes have you tried from around the web lately? Share your faves with me! 

Loves...Shayla

Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffins

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. I really did just say that this post is titled "Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffins." And I will also tell you that they are fabulous. Moist and delicious and (according to my husband) they only taste "slightly" healthy. But guess what? They are healthy!

I had a friend ask me recently what I do about dessert. How do I manage to say no to all of the deliciousness in this world? I told her that I don't cut out dessert. But when you can find things that you can eat for dessert that leave you feeling better afterwards instead of worse, when you can find things that you can eat that are good for you and don't make you feel guilty - THAT is the kind of dessert I want! And these muffins fit into that category.

I am not sure how this girl got her muffins to look so pretty. Mine were not nearly as pretty looking as hers. But they tasted delicious. I used 1/4 cup stevia and 1 Tbsp honey as my sweetener. They tasted like a pretty rich and dark chocolate. If you used agave nectar or only honey then I think that they would taste like a lighter chocolate. I love dark chocolate and so this was right up my alley.

I would ABSOLUTELY suggest that you follow her suggestions for the chocolate chips. Don't add them all at once - they sink to the bottom of the bowl really fast. Adding them to the top later gives you an excellent distribution of the chocolate chips. What this meant for mine was that there was the infusion of the semi-sweet chocolate chips with each decadently moist bite of rich dark chocolate muffin. Yum yum yum!

I will be repeating this recipe in my house for SURE! Try it and see if you like it as well!

This recipe and picture are courtesy of some girl who posted on Tumblr from the Netherlands. :-) If you would like to see her original post you can visit this link here: http://healthyisalwaysbetter.tumblr.com/post/6583755120/lessthan300kcal-triple-chocolate-chunk-muffin

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CHUNK MUFFIN 

Knock-Offs of Whole Food’s 6 Dollar per 4 Chocolate Chunk VitaTop Muffins

From Tumblr

•  1 3/4 c oats
•  3 egg whites
•  3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular plain low fat yogurt)
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1-1/2 Tbsp. vinegar) (I used the vinegar)
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 cup sugar substitute OR 1/4 cup + 2 tbs stevia (I used ¼ cup stevia and 1 Tbsp honey)
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with foil cupcake liners, or spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a blender, (or food processor), mix all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth. (I am wondering if following these directions exactly is the reason my muffins didn't "fluff" as much as hers... I think next time I will mix together all of the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately before blending them in my blender.)

Place mixture in a bowl and gently stir in 1/2 of the chocolate chips (set the rest aside). Scoop mixture into prepared muffin pans.

Place muffins tins in the oven for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, remove muffins from the oven (but don’t shut oven off), and distribute the other half of the chocolate chips on top of each muffin.

Place  the muffins back into the oven and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. *Note, you could skip this step by putting all of the chips in the batter, and baking the muffins for 12-15 min straight, but this method gives the muffins the traditional ‘VitaTop Muffin’ look with the chocolate chips on top!

Cool muffins before removing from pan. ENJOY!!!

Servings: 12 Big Muffins or 24 Smaller Muffins
Calories: 116 Calories Per Muffin or 58 Calories Per Muffin 

Cranberry-Oatmeal Bars

I was looking for a dessert recipe that wouldn't "break the calorie bank" for a Family Home Evening treat one night and I came across this one. I was on a serious orange craving kick and the combination of flavors intrigued me. They were pretty easy to make although it may have been more difficult without a grater for the orange zest and a juicer for the orange juice... but overall I still think it was pretty easy. They are pretty strong tasting but I loved them and will be making them again. This would be a great holiday dessert! And don't be taken off guard about the fact that you are supposed to cut these bars into 24 pieces... they are rich and you don't need a whole lot to feel satisfied. If you have a sweet tooth, however, the great thing about Cooking Light recipes is that you can eat 3 or 4 and still be in an okay range.

The picture and original recipe are courtesy of MyRecipes.com and can be found at this site here: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cranberry-oatmeal-bars-10000001853985/

CRANBERRY-OATMEAL BARS

Adapted from Cooking Light
Serving Size 24
Printer Friendly Version

4 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)

Click to 1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Click to see s1/4 teaspoon salt

Click to see savin1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Click to see savi1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Click to see savin6 tablespoons butter, melted

Click to see savi3 tablespoons orange juice

Click to see savinCooking spray

Click     

Filling:

1 1/3 cups dried cranberries (about 6 ounces)

Click to see savin3/4 cup sour cream (I used fat free)

Click to see s¼ cup honey

Click to see savin2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Click to see saving1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Click to see saving1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind

Click to see savin1 large egg white, lightly beaten 

Click to

1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. To prepare crust, weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle butter and juice over flour mixture, stirring until moistened (mixture will be crumbly). Reserve 1/2 cup oat mixture. Press remaining oat mixture into the bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. To prepare filling, combine cranberries, sour cream, granulated sugar, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well. Spread cranberry mixture over prepared crust; sprinkle reserved oat mixture evenly over filling. Bake at 325° for 40 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

CALORIES 135 (31% from fat); FAT 4.6g (sat 2.6g, mono 0.8g, poly 0.2g); PROTEIN 1.7g; CARB 21.5g; FIBER 1.3g; CHOL 13mg; IRON 0.7mg; SODIUM 68mg; CALC 27mg (Based on using ½ cup sugar instead of ¼ cup honey)

Cherry-Oatmeal Bars: Substitute dried cherries for the dried cranberries and lemon rind for the orange rind in filling.
Maple-Date-Oatmeal Bars: Substitute chopped pitted dates for the dried cranberries. Omit granulated sugar from filling, and add 2 tablespoons maple syrup and 2 tablespoons brown sugar.

Kathy Farrell-Kingsley, Cooking Light
NOVEMBER 2008

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Krispie Treats

I don't usually make things that are quite this... sinful. But I needed a dessert to take to a party and these are so easy to make and SO extremely delicious. The krispies are a perfect texture compliment to the gooey peanut butter and chocolate. And although these little delights are sinful they are pretty rich so I would be surprised if anyone could get down more than 1 or 2 bars. I had 1/2 of a bar and it was plenty for me although they were really good and I wish my sugar meter wasn't quite so short sometimes.

I doubled this recipe for the party and put my concotion in an 11x17" pan. They were completely gone by the time dinner was almost over. Completely. That is how delicious these are!

This lovely recipe and picture are courtesy of Jamie Cooks it Up and can be found at this site here: http://jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com/2011/09/peanut-butter-and-chocolate-krispie.html

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Krispie Treats

www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com Time: 15 minutes + 30 minutes for chocolate to set Yield: A 9x9 pan, cut as small or large as you like Printer Friendly Version 1 C sugar 1 C light corn syrup 1 C peanut butter (I used creamy) 4 1/2 C rice krispie cereal 1 t vanilla 2 C chocolate chips (I used semisweet) 1. Pour your rice krispies into a large bowl and set it aside. 2. Into a medium sized sauce pan pour the corn syrup and sugar. Mix it together and bring it to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Let the yummy concoction boil for 1 minute, then remove it from the heat. 3. Add the peanut butter to your sauce pan and mix it all in. 4. Stir in a splash of vanilla. 5. Pour the peanut buttery, sugary concoction of bliss over the top of your rice krispies. Use a wooden spoon to stir it until all of the cereal is coated nicely. 6. Spray a 9x9 pan with cooking spray and pour the coated cereal into it. Spray your hands with cooking spray and use them to press the peanut buttery goodness to the sides and corners of the pan. 7. Pour your chocolate chips into a glass bowl or measuring cup. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir it. Heat it for another 30....stir it. Heat it again for 30 seconds and stir until smooth. You don't want to get the chocolate too hot, here. It will turn pasty and chalky and all your dreams will crumble into ruins right before your eyes. Just heat it slowly and life will be swell. 8. Pour the chocolate over the top of the yummy cereal and spread it evenly. Pop the whole pan in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes, to allow the chocolate to set up. If the bars are left in the fridge for an extended period of time, they will get hard enough to break a butcher knife. Okay, maybe not that hard but I made this mistake and they were REALLY hard! But don't worry about it! Leave the pan on the counter until the bars have reached room temperature and the texture will be just perfect. 9. Once the chocolate has set, remove the pan from the fridge and cut into bars.

Fresh Strawberry and Lemon Mousse Trifle

I understand that strawberries are out of season. I understand I am probably being really cruel to post about this now that the season is over. But, in all fairness, I did make this when the season had ended anyways. Strawberries are not impossible to find quite yet so run out and get yourself some today so that you can make this dessert! Trust me, you WANT to make this dessert.

I am not a big fan of angel food cake. It just doesn't do it for me. So strawberry shortcake is a dessert that I can take or leave. But this? This dessert takes the concept of strawberry shortcake to a whole new level of awesome deliciousness that just cannot be ignored. This is one of my new favorite desserts. Seriously. The amount of lemon flavoring is just perfect and the danish dessert makes the shortcake the perfect amount of moist.

And trifles are gorgeous. This turned out so pretty that I felt like a professional chef. It broke my heart to scoop it out of the trifle dish and ruin the appearance but my woes were quickly forgotten when I took my first bite.

And in case you are wondering about my picture.... I forgot to mix the lemon zest into the mousse before putting it in the trifle dish. So instead I just sprinkled it on top.

This recipe is courtesy of Real Mom Kitchen and can be found at this site here: http://realmomkitchen.com/6475/fresh-strawberry-and-lemon-mousse-trifle/

Fresh Strawberry and Lemon Mousse Trifle

From Real Mom Kitchen

Printer Friendly Version

·         1 (4 3/4 oz) pkg. Strawberry Danish dessert (found by the gelatin)**

·         2 1/2 cup cold water

·         1 lb. fresh strawberries, sliced

·         1 1/2 cups whipping cream

·         1/2 cup milk (I used skim)

·         1 (3.4 oz) instant lemon pudding

·         zest of 1 lemon

·         1 (14 oz) angel food cake, cut into about 1 inch cubes

·         extra strawberries for garnish (optional)

1.      In a large microwave safe bowl, whisk together the danish dessert and cold water.  Cover the bowl with a piece of waxed paper and microwave for 6 minutes, stirring every two minutes.

2.      Remove from the microwave and allow danish dessert to cool for 1 hour.

3.      In a large bowl, whip the whipping cream and milk until soft peaks form.  Add the dry pudding to the cream mixture and  beat until stiff peaks form.  Then fold in the lemon zest.

4.      Once the danish dessert has cooled for the 1 hour fold in the fresh strawberry slices.  It will look like a strawberry sauce.

5.      In a trifle bowl or large glass bowl, layer 1/2 of the cake cubes followed with 1/2 of the strawberry sauce and the 1/2 of the lemon mousse.  Repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients.  You can pipe on the last layer of lemon mousse to make it decorative.  Chill for at least 3-4 hours before serving. Serves 10-12.

** Strawberry Pie Glaze may be substituted.  The danish dessert does have a more gelatin-like consistency after refrigeration, but strawberry pie glaze will work just as good.

This recipe is a Real Mom Kitchen original!

Fresh Fruit Enchiladas

Ahhhhh.... true inspiration! What better way to avoid the time consuming hassel of making crepes than to use small tortillas instead? Don't get me wrong, I love crepes, but I do not love doing ten times the amount of work for a couple of super thin and non-filling plates of dough.

These enchiladas were divine. The vanilla sauce was perfectly sweet to offset the tartness of the fruit. The tortillas get nice and soft in the oven and are easy to eat without falling apart.

And yes, they are called "fresh" fruit enchiladas. But if you don't want to spend that kind of money grab a bag of your friendly neighborhood frozen assorted fruits. They work just as well.

Breakfast? Dessert? You choose. We chose breakfast and I was a very happy girl for the rest of the day. My picky little one ate half of one of these bad boys all by herself! After trying to force her to eat ANYTHING for the rest of the week I was seriously pleased we found something she likes so much.

Take note: these weren't nearly as good as leftovers so try to consume all of them in one sitting, even if you have to share the love with a neighbor.

This excellent recipe and picture are courtesy of How Sweet It Is and can be found at this site here: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/07/fresh-fruit-enchiladas/

Fresh Fruit Enchiladas

From How Sweet It Is

Printer Friendly Version

makes 6 enchiladas

6 tortillas [we used 6-inch]

fresh fruit of your choice, chopped, to amount to about 1-2 cups, depending on tortilla size
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar (+ more/less depending on taste)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Begin by preparing the cinnamon-vanilla sauce: in a saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour to create a roux just as you would with a béchamel/cheese sauce, then add in milk, whisking continuously. Add in vanilla, cinnamon and sugar while stirring. Let the mixture come to a light boil (even just bubbles on the edges are fine) and continue to stir while mixture thickens – about 4-5 minutes. Turn down to low and stir. You want it to lightly coat the back of a spoon, but not be too thick. You can also taste test here and see if you’d like to add any additional cinnamon, sugar or flavoring.

Place about 2 tablespoons (if you’re using small tortillas) or 1/3 cup (if you’re using large tortillas) chopped fruit in the center of the tortilla and roll. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray, ladle a 1/2 cup of your vanilla sauce on the bottom of the dish, then lay your enchiladas seam-side down. When all are rolled cover with more vanilla sauce – the amount it up to you, but I suggest keeping a bit on hand to add on top when they come out of the oven. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until fruit in the middle begins to burst and soften. Serve immediately with extra sauce for the top.

Peaches and Cream Cake

This is, hands down, one of our new favorite desserts. Ever. Seriously. I made this twice in the span of two days. That is how good it is. It is so good that my brother even FACEBOOKED about how awesome it is. His status update, "Oh man this dessert is fantastic!!! Thanks Shay!!!" My dad ate what little was left of it the next day for breakfast.

Think of a cobbler, cake and a cheesecake all in one delightful dish. That is what you get in this dish. It is flavorful without being too rich and creamy without the cream cheese amount being too overwhelming. Man blogging makes me hungry!!!

And if that wasn't wonderful enough this dessert is so easy to make with mostly basic ingredients. I had to buy the peaches and the cream cheese both times but that was it.

Now I will have to make it again to test my theory but the first time I made this cake I made it with Whole milk because that was the only kind I had on hand at the time. It seemed to me like the first cake puffed up a lot more than the second one that I made with 1% milk. So my theory is that this cake is puffier with thicker milk. That is certainly true when you make rolls so it seems perfectly reasonable to me. But if you want to cut calories it is still wonderful both ways.

This amazing recipe and the picture are courtesy of Mel's Kitchen Cafe and can be found at this site here: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/05/peaches-and-cream-cake.html

Peaches and Cream Cake
from melskitchencafe.com
printable recipe
*Serves 12

Cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter, melted

 Peaches and Topping:

29-ounce can sliced peaches or 1 quart home-bottled peaches
16 ounces (2 packages) cream cheese, light or regular, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons reserved peach juice
Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium or large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cornstarch. Blend. Make a well in the center and add the vanilla, eggs, milk and melted butter. Whisk together until well combined. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

Slice the peaches into bite-sized pieces, scattering them over the top of the batter evenly. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and reserved peach juice together until light and creamy. Dollop the cream cheese mixture in tablespoon-sized spoonfuls over the top of the batter and peaches and then use a spatula to evenly spread together to form a creamy layer. It doesn't have to be perfect, just try to spread it as evenly over the top as possible (it's ok if peaches are peeking through in spots). Sprinkle the top of the cream cheese layer generously with cinnamon and sugar.

Bake for 45-60 minutes until the edges are puffed and golden and the cream cheese layer has bubbled slightly on top. This is a difficult cake to test for doneness because of the gooey cream cheese layer. If the middle is still jiggly, bake until it no longer jiggles and the cake batter layer is puffed and no longer runny. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*NOTE: I liked the cake better at room temperature and my husband liked it better warm. You just can't go wrong! :-)

Skillet Strawberry Cobbler

I love finding new dessert recipes that look very easy to put together. When I ran across this recipe I knew I had to try it! Strawberries + Cobbler = Heaven!

Well I was actually quite surprised. I am most familiar with peach or raspberry cobbler and I was not expecting the sour flavor that this cobbler had. You don't bite into a strawberry very often and think, "SOUR!" But something about this dish made it taste much more sour than I was anticipating.

Now don't get me wrong, paired with some ice cream it was still very good. My hubby really liked the sour taste and didn't even think it needed ice cream. And the next day the sour taste seemed to have died down a bit and I enjoyed it a whole lot more.

So in conclusion this may  not be a recipe that I would make very often or one that I would take to a get together because it really does have a surprising taste; however, we really enjoyed it and it is one that I would recommend (with disclaimers mentioned about) and will probably make again!

This recipe and picture are courtesy of How Sweet It Is and can be found at this site here: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/06/skillet-strawberry-cobbler/

Skillet Strawberry Cobblers

Adapted from How Sweet Eats

*This listed recipe is HALF of the original. I don't have a cast iron skillet that is large enough for the original recipe. And this was plenty for my small family.
serves 2-3

1 tablespoon butter
4 cups of strawberries
1/2 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 stick butter, softened and cut into cubes
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
vanilla ice cream for serving and fresh mint for garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Slice strawberries – I slice a few in half, a few in quarters, and leave others whole for a variety. Toss with 1/2 tablespoon white sugar.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Wait for 5 minutes until the entire skillet is hot, then add 1 tablespoon butter. Add strawberries and cook for 5-6 minutes to soften.

While strawberries are cooking, combine flour, baking soda and powder, salt and 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar in a bowl and mix. Add in cubed butter and mix with a fork or your fingers until the butter is in smaller crumbles and strewn throughout the mix. Make a well in the center and pour in buttermilk. Add vanilla extract and stir until mixture comes together.

Turn off heat under strawberries. Spoon globs of dough on top of the strawberries, scattering them all around. Melt remaining tablespoon of butter and drizzle over top of dough. Sprinkle remaining brown sugar on top. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, then turn down heat to 375 and bake for 10-15 minutes more. Serve with vanilla ice cream and fresh mint.

Blueberry Fool

If you are wondering about the strange name of this post I will explain. A fool is a traditional British dessert. It is basically just a mix of pureed fruit, cream and a little bit of sweetener. I want to put a special emphasis right now on the LITTLE BIT of sweetener. If you go into this dessert expecting it to be pretty sweet you are going to be disappointed. Most of the sweetness comes from the fruit itself. That being said, however, this was a wonderful and refreshing dessert that was perfect for these miserably hot summer days. The ones we made didn't look nearly as pretty as this picture from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, but they tasted delicious nonetheless. Even my picky toddler gobbled it up!

Just another little note... don't try substituting things with this recipe. It calls for heavy whipping cream and you should NOT try using any other kind of cream. Been there. Done that. DON'T make the same mistake!

This recipe and picture are courtesy of Mel's Kitchen Cafe and can be found at this site here: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/07/blueberry-fool.html

Blueberry Fool

From melskitchencafe.com

*Note: The blueberry mixture can be prepared and refrigerated up to a day in advance but don't prepare the cream mixture until ready to serve.
*Makes 6 servings

3 cups fresh blueberries
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 small carton (about 5-6 ounces) plain Greek yogurt, regular or nonfat
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Additional blueberries, optional

In a saucepan, combine berries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt and lemon juice. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves, berries have softened and juices have thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour. This step can be prepared up to a day in advance.

Just before serving, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer), beat the cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Add yogurt and vanilla and beat until medium peaks form and the mixture is creamy and very thick. If you have trouble getting the cream to whip up, try chilling your bowl and beaters before whipping the cream.

Using a large spatula, gently fold blueberry mixture into cream mixture until just barely combined, with streaks remaining. Divide mixture among 6 bowls, top with additional blueberries, if desired, and serve.

Giant Cinnamon Twists

I have been craving cinnamon rolls for a long time and, since I have never made them myself, I wanted to take on the challenge! There are so many different cinnamon roll recipes and I know many people will say they have "the best" one. What really caught my eye with this recipe was how beautiful the rolls look. I love presentation when it comes to my bread products and if I have something sweet and sinful I want it to look as tempting and delicious as possible!

These turned out so great. I was extremely careful abuot the amount of flour I used and I thought it was perfect in texture. My dad said that they were chewy and substantial without being too dense. Since we come from a family of bakers I always regard comments like this with great satisfaction.

This recipe will definitely be a repeat in our household. The original recipe and picture are courtesy of a new favorite blog site of mine, Simply So Good, and can be found at this site here: http://simplysogood.blogspot.com/2011/05/giant-cinnamon-twists.html

Please note that this is HALF of the original recipe. I had no occasion for 30+ rolls and I don't have a mixer that could have handled the full recipe anyways. Although now that all of the rolls that I did make are gone I am wishing I had made more... :-)

Giant Cinnamon Twists

Adapted from Simply So Good

2 eggs

1/3 cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
6 Tbsp butter
2 cups milk
1 Tbsp + 1 ½ tsp yeast
5 - 6 cups flour

Filling:

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Clear Glaze (I did NOT half this portion of the recipe):

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup

Sugar Glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk

In the large bowl of a mixer, beat eggs. While the mixer is running add in the sugar and salt. In a medium size sauce pan melt butter. Add the milk and heat until the milk is lightly warmed about 110 degrees. (If you don’t have a thermometer, just test it with your finger. The milk should feel warm but NOT hot.) Remove from the heat and pour into the egg mixture. Mix until combined. Sprinkle yeast over milk mixture and let stand for about 2 minutes to soften the yeast. Whisk into the milk mixture. Add 3 cups of flour and beat until dough is smooth. Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough is smooth and slightly sticky or until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl while mixing. Place the dough in a very large bowl that has been lightly oiled. Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise until doubled in size. About 45-60 minutes.

Punch down the dough or pull it away from the sides so that the dough deflates. Roll dough into a 24 x 13-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Spread the lower half of the dough with butter and sprinkle with the sugar cinnamon mixture. Fold down the upper half of the dough over the cinnamon sugar. Cut into 1- 1 1/2-inch strips. Twist each strip of dough then tie in a knot. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise for 45-60 minutes. (The roll should feel fluffy like a marshmallow when you touch it.) Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with clear glaze. When the rolls have cooled drizzle with sugar glaze using a fork.

To make the clear glaze: Add the sugar, water and corn syrup into a small saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat and cool.

To make the sugar glaze: In a small mixing bowl combine confectioners' sugar and milk. Beat until smooth and has no signs of lumps.

Yield: about 18 rolls

*NOTE: The rolls need to cool down so that you can put the sugar glaze on them without making a big mess, but everyone knows that cinnamon rolls are better warm. Stick a roll in the microwave for 20 seconds when you are ready to eat it. They get nice and gooey again and are SOOOO good!