Peanut Butter Cup Hot Cocoa

Hi! Just thought I'd pop in and tell you about something so incredibly yummy I can't believe I haven't made it before! I'm taking credit for it even though I just know people must have tried this before. It's so good!

Tablespoon of peanut butter - I just leave it on my metal spoon so I can stir it in
Hot cocoa

Scoop the peanut butter onto your metal spoon. Stir it into your hot cocoa. YUM!

If you have a Keurig or other one cup coffee maker you can just put the peanut butter spoon in the mug and use a hot cocoa k-cup. Let it brew over the spoon and the peanut butter will already be melted when it is done.

Now go try it before it gets too hot out!

Dino's Latest Recipe

While we were making french toast this morning Dino created his own recipe that I think is pretty brilliant!

Here are the ingredients:

1 slice white bread

crunchy peanut butter

5 chocolate chips

Take a bite of the corner of the bread. Spread peanut butter on 1/2 white bread. Smoosh chocolate chips into the peanut butter. Fold the plain side of the bread onto the peanut butter chocolate chip side and VOILA!

Lulu Cookies

I think we made these up so I don't want to forget the recipe. I obviously liked them because I ate three of them! Argh!


I didn't bake all weekend and I think it started to confuse everyone! So Dino and I whipped these up super fast before the Super Bowl. We don't have a name for them so we're calling them Lulu cookies in honor of the pink rhino on Ni Hao Kai Lan because that is what we were watching when the idea hit us.


They're really easy and take no time at all. Use parchment paper and there's pretty much zero cleanup!

1 bag Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookie Mix
1/4 cup butter (soft not melted)
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 tablespoons water
4 teaspoons Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa
1/2 bag semi sweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 375. Line two pans with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips until all is blended. Add chocolate chips. Shape into balls - about 1 tablespoon each (made 21 cookies for me). Press down a little bit but leave them chunky. Bake for 12 minutes and remove to cooling rack 2 minutes after they come out of the oven.

Straight up Brownies

Another Brownie Recipe! Can you tell what we like? Mmmmmmmm!



Last night we had a weather advisory so we didn't plan a thing for the weekend. That lack of planning left me intensely stir crazy! So today was play, bake, shop, laundry, bake, eat, clean day. I made some pretty epic brownies today so I think I'll share those. What made them so cool was adding peanut butter cups right before baking but I'll share the Betty Crocker recipe as well. I wish I would have remembered Andrea's recipe on this site because I had all of the ingredients and would not have had to venture out to the store today. But I forgot and so I had to go out and get baking chocolate. I bought Ghirardelli 70% Cacao Extra Bittersweet Baking Chocolate instead of using Unsweetened and then added two tablespoons Ghirardelli cocoa powder to make it super chocolatey!

Here's the recipe: Betty Crocker Ultimate Brownie Recipe

Here's what else: I didn't put nuts in it - we don't eat them in anything at our house so I pretty much always omit them. Instead I chopped up a bunch of (6-7) mini peanut butter cups and sprinkled those on top before I baked. I think marshmallows, m&ms, chopped up caramels, chocolate chips, oreos, coconut or any mixture of them would be awesome too!

Word to the wise - don't count on your non-stick pans for these (I had to throw away a whole pan of mini brownies because of lazy greasing).

mommy's loosing her mind-chocolate brownies

this week has been *a* week...and by *a* I do not mean "good" like an A+....no...not at all... It involved man-sick..which if you have experienced "man-sick" you know how rough this is... on everyone besides the man involved... a son spurting blood like a fountain, a husband passing out literally on me.. ER visits, stitches, kids being home from school for two days (after a full week of being home for winter break) a car that isn't necessarily drive-able...


Today, day 2 of kids being home...at about 1pm I was about to loose the very last little shred of what I consider to be my "mind"...so I figured..."lets make BROWNIES!!!"  bc really...when do brownies not make everything better?  

So here is my go-to recipe for chocolate brownies...they are really really really good...good enough to (almost) make the blood, and dry-heaving, and passing out husbands and not so nice polish ER drs, and being trapped in my house w/ no car and a mind that is slowly fading smaller and smaller.... go away.

Ingredients 

1/2 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
2.	In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
3.	Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook					.

Let me stress the last three lines of this recipe...they are probably the most important three words out of ALL the words in the entire recipe...I bake for about 20min...I like them nice and gooey....YUM! The recipe my version is based on also calls for frosting..which I think is over-kill and have never made.   However, by all means add the frosting if it's a "frosting on brownies" kind of day.  I promise you- these brownies alone do not need it.  A scoop if ice cream on top? sure...the frosting, eh not so much. source- Best Brownies- Allrecipes.com Enjoy! xoxo andrea

fashionably late is how I roll - NYE recap

so I figure why not extend this lifestyle choice to our little blog??  that way it's perfectly acceptable to post recipes from New Years Eve...a week later, right?  So lets get started.

This NYE we were invited to our friends Michelle and Fedele's home for a "momtourage NYE PJ Party"  You might be asking what on earth is "momtourage??" well - that' s just a super cool name for a group of super cool women with whom I am honored to know.  Between us there are six women/husbands and 15 kids.  We, the momtourage, adore one another, the husbands get get along famously and the kids...well they haven't complained yet :)   It was probably one of our best New Years Eves we have had in a long time...the kids ran around like lunatics , put on shows, made up routines,  played with new Christmas toys while the adults, ate, drank, chatted, laughed...some managed to bust out a little Michael Jackson Wii singing/dancing...by about 9pm most of the adults were ready to pass out while kids continued to run around like lunatics.  As the adults got more tired the kids got more energy?  Why does it always work out that way??? 

I did mention that it was a PJ party...what I didn't mention is that I don't own proper pajmas and I was not about to inflict my sleep wardrobe on my dear friends...or their children that surely would have needed therapy upon viewing this spectacle.   I wore, what I thought could possibly resemble a silk bathrobe (a silk black dress w/ lacey inserts  and a silky black belt...) others did not agree and yes, I did get some alot of flack...over and over and over through the night.  Now at least I know what to put on my Christmas list for next year.

I should add...not only do I not own proper pajamas...I also do not own a digital camera.  I tossed ours into our wash machine along with a basket full of dirty clothes this past spring...if there is one common theme I can promise you will see running through my posts is that I am almost always trying to do about five things at once, I loose things, ruin things, forget things...and on this lovely mothers day weekend it was our camera who suffered it's untimely death.  So...for the time being I use my cell phone to take pictures...therefore you will not see any beautiful, artsy, well lit photos of my food...I will add a camera right next to pajamas on my wish list.

Anyways, on to the part that I  should be talking about here...what I brought to the 2010 Momtourage + Families PJ New Years Eve Party-

Hot Artichoke and Feta Dip

This recipe was shared with me by one of Kenyson's and my co-workers.    She served this hot dish of heaven during our department's Christmas Party which she hosted at her home three years ago.   I have made this dish numerous times...it has become my most requested dishes by others...it is no short of a-maz-ing. 

Ingredients
2 cans artichoke hearts, drained, chopped (I squeeze to make sure they are really drained)
8 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1 cup mayonnaise (I use light bc that is what I usually have on hand)
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 jar (4 oz.) diced pimentos, drained
3-4 clove garlic, minced

vessels for scooping

Directions
MIX all ingredients.
SPOON into 9-inch pie plate or 3-cup shallow baking dish.
BAKE at 350 F for 30 to 45 minutes or until lightly browned, lovely and bubbly.   Garnish with chopped tomato and sliced green onion, if desired- (I typically do not add anything extra...for some reason I just think the cold onions/tomato would ruin the warm deliciousness that is this dip, but that's just me.)   Serve with sliced baguette, pita chips, chopped veggies, etc etc.... Seriously...this is so good it would probably make chicken livers taste heavenly...so serve with whatever your little heart desires.

Source- Co-worker who will be named once she give me the OK.

Jalapeño Popper Dip 

What can I say, I love dip.  And this one makes loving dips very very easy.  

Ingredients:

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise (I use light bc that is what I usually have on hand)
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 (4 oz.) can diced jalapeño peppers, drained
½ cup shredded Mexican style cheese
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
sliced bagguettes, pita chips, bread sticks, veggies, or other scooping device

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.  In a medium bowl,combine the softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, green chiles, jalapeños, and shredded cheeses.  Mix thoroughly with a spoon or spatula, or if you are like I usually am, running around like maniac trying to get everything done, an electric mixer, until smooth and evenly combined.  Spread this deliciousness into a 9 x 9 baking dish, pie plate or the like.

In a second bowl, combine the Panko and Parmesan and stir with a fork/whisk/your hands, whatever...until combined.   Sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture.    Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and the topping is golden and bubbling with love.  Serve warm with baguette slices, pita chips, tortilla chips, etc etc. 

Source: Annie's Eats

Buckeyes 

These little balls of nirvana were my dessert contribution to the party.  I have grown up with my mother making these by the hundred every Christmas.  Therefore I thought every one's mother made these by the hundred each Christmas and am always surprised every time I make these and people nearly drop dead with pure delight after tasting them for the first time.  They are so easy to make....and eat.  Due to how easy it is to pop just one in your mouth every.single.time you walk past the fridge I typically make/roll the balls and stick them in the freezer.  I dip/coat in chocolate as I need them.  The very last thing I need in my house is a fridge/freezer full of buckeyes calling my name, so if you do not want to have to pry your hands off the freezer handle every single time you walk by it I suggest you do the same.

Please note this recipe makes TWO.HUNDRED so please halve/half?? or quarter as needed.  Also note, I do not have a written recipe/method for these...I'm pretty sure my mother doesn't either... so bear with my descriptions.

Ingredients:

2lbs creamy (the un-natural kind) peanut butter

1lb  butter

2- 3lbs powdered sugar

2lbs chocolate chips - both milk and semi-sweet are equally as delicious

Directions:

Add butter and peanut butter to a large bowl, I typically soften in the microwave to make the two ingredients more combine-able(is that a word?)  Using an electric or stand mixer beat the P.B. and butter until somewhat combined.  Add powdered sugar 1lb at a time.   I typically add 2lbs then add bit by bit until it looks like just one more bit will take the mixture from creamy to crumbly.  If it does become too dry add either more P.B. or butter to soften it up.

Roll small handfuls of the mixture into bite sized balls then place on a cookie sheet lined with either parchment or waxed paper.  Place cookie sheets in freezer.  Once the balls are hard enough to handle I put them all in tupperware containers, separating the rows of balls with the wax/parchment.

When you are ready to unleash these puppies it's time to melt the chocolate chips.  I use a double boiler (aka a pyrex bowl over a pot of simmering water)  I find using this method as opposed to melting the chocolate in the microwave, keeps the chocolate evenly melted for as long as I need to dip.  Using a toothpick dip the balls into the melted chocolate and roll/swirel to cover.  Place dipped balls on cookie sheets lined with wax/parchment paper.  Place cookie sheets in fridge (or freezer...if you are like I usually am....running around like a lunatic bc you were supposed to be wherever you are going 15min ago and need these to harden as fast as possible.)  

Once the chocolate is hardened they are ready to go.  Place on serving dish and be prepared to be loved.

Source: my mom, Lizbeth Zinze (she doesn't have a blog...but I still wanted to give her formal credit)

I think I just gained 10lbs just typing these recipes out.   They are not in any way, shape or form, healthful...but they are good.   Lucky for me I had a drink in my hand most of the night which left only one hand to eat-haha!

Enjoy!

xoxo

andrea