One Of The Two Best Things I've Ever Made

My little sweet pea, Chase Alan, was born December 2, 2009 at 1:41 a.m. He weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces and is 21.25 inches long. I ended up being induced at 6 days past my due date. He sure kept his Mama waiting!


We are adjusting to life with two little boys and things are going really well so far. Chase is a great sleeper and has been sparing me the bags under the eyes that usually come hand in hand with newborns. We'll see how things go when his Daddy goes back to work next week!

Peanutty Buckeye Bars

Let me just tell it to you straight. I'm 40 weeks and 2 days pregnant. Two days past my due date. My back aches, my feet hurt, I'm tired of trying to keep my house clean for when the baby (and therefore company) comes, and I'm frazzled. I thought I'd either be in the hospital right now or home with my new baby. But instead I'm sitting around the house trying to keep my mind occupied with something other than this baby not coming!

This is where the Peanutty Buckeye Bars come into play. I had the urge to bake. Just to get my mind off things. But I wanted something easy that wouldn't require me to be on my feet too long. And seeing as how I love chocolate and peanut butter together, these Buckeye Bars were just the thing I needed. Now I can calm my frazzled nerves with chocolate. And don't forget the scoop of ice cream on top. These are GOOD - chewy and fudgy and peanut butter-y!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to praying that I go into labor rightthisminute so the misery stops!


Peanutty Buckeye Bars
(adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)

19.5-ounce package brownie mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup peanut butter

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a large bowl, combine brownie mix, eggs, and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined (batter will be dry - you can add a Tbsp. or two of water if it's too dry). Stir in peanuts. Spread half of the brownie mixture evenly into prepared pan. Set the other half of mixture aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter until smooth. Spread evenly over brownie mixture in pan. Separate the remaining brownie mixture into pieces, flatten them with your fingers, and place them on top of the brownie mixture in pan.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until top is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 32 bars.

To Store: Layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars

I'm now in my 38th week of pregnancy - which means I'm in the home stretch. It's that very exciting last couple of weeks where all you can think is, "when will I go into labor and have this baby?!?" But it's also the most uncomfortable time period - it's hard to be on your feet for long, your back hurts, and you just can't put much effort into anything. Which is why my baking and posting has been very few and far between. And I fear that it won't get much better once I have a newborn to handle and a 2-year-old running around the house.

BUT, the good news is that I always seem to get that itch for baking after it's been a while. So I'm sure the mood will continue to strike me after the baby's born (though my baking may be a bit on the healthy side, as I will surely have some weight to lose!).


Lately I've been dying for something homemade that would celebrate the season. I bookmarked this apple streusel cheesecake bar recipe quite a while back, and it was calling to me. It's really delicious, and was completely worth the time on my feet in the kitchen.

The bars start with a cookie mix and also use an apple pie filling, though no one would ever guess it was only semi-homemade. They came together easily and tasted great. I particularly enjoyed eating these with vanilla ice cream, though they were completely addictive all by themselves too!


Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars
(adapted from Betty Crocker)

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® oatmeal cookie mix (I used oatmeal chocolate chip - the chocolate chips were a nice addition!)
½ cup firm butter or margarine
2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 can (21 oz) apple pie filling
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray.

2. Place cookie mix in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly and coarse. Reserve 1 ½ cups crumb mixture; press remaining crumbs in bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.

4. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over partially baked crust. In medium bowl, mix pie filling and cinnamon. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle reserved crumbs over top.

5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes longer or until light golden brown. Cool about 30 minutes. Refrigerate to chill, about 2 hours. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Makes about 24 bars.

BLT Pasta

I came across a great dinner recipe over at Alwayz Bakin' - this BLT Pasta. It's everything you love about a BLT sandwich, but with pasta instead of the bread. What a genius idea! We loved it!

The recipe made a ton - enough for dinner, and then heaping servings for lunch the next day for my hubby and I. It was easy to make and on the table in a jiffy. And my son even enjoyed it also. It's a really fantastic meal!


BLT Pasta
(adapted from Alwayz Bakin')

1 package (1 lb.) spiral pasta
1 package (1 lb.) bacon, cooked, drained and chopped
4 ripe plum tomatoes
3 cups sliced romaine lettuce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse, drain, and transfer to a large bowl. Add bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Toss mayonnaise mixture with pasta and serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

Train Birthday Cake

Last week we held my son's second birthday party. He's completely fascinated with trains, so I went in search of some ideas for a train-themed cake. I came across instructions for one that was so incredibly creative. I was a little hesitant about taking on that much work for his party, but it was just too darn cute to pass up.


The instructions for this cake are unbelievably straightforward - anyone can do it. However, the cake is very time consuming to decorate and takes a lot of patience. My son absolutely loved it, though, so I was glad I took on the challenge.

If you're planning a little boy's birthday party and are looking for theme ideas, try the train theme and the train cake. It's just so cute!


Train Birthday Cake
(from Parenting.com)

Ingredients:
•1 family-size frozen pound cake (16 oz), thawed
•2 cans (16 oz each) vanilla frosting
•Blue food coloring
•Yellow food coloring
•Red food coloring
•2 Fruit Loops Cereal Straws (I used Twizzlers)
•1 Kids mini–ice cream cone (I used a regular sized cone)
•2 tsp light corn syrup
•2 Tbsp yellow decorating sugar
•2 Tootsie Rolls
•4 Ring Dings
•1 cup dark-chocolate frosting
•12 mini-Oreos
•4 Oreos
•11 large chocolate nonpareils
•12 Sno-caps
•1 blue M&M
•2 Tbsp mini-marshmallows
•2 green Fruit Loops Cereal Straws (I used Twizzlers)
•1/3 cup Hershey's Kissables (I used Gummi Bears)
•5 Hershey's Sticks or Kit Kats for the track (optional)

What you'll need:
•A bread knife
•A serving platter
•A resealable sandwich-size plastic bag (Ziploc)

Trimming the cake:
1.Using a bread knife, trim a ¾-inch piece off both short ends of the pound cake to make the cake about 9 by 4 ½ inches.
2.Cut the pound cake as indicated on the diagram to make two 2 ½ by 4 ½-inch cars, one 4 by 3 ½-inch car, and one 1 by 4-inch slice. Reserve the 1 by 4-inch piece and set aside.


For the colored frosting:
1.Spoon the contents of 1 can of vanilla frosting into a bowl. Add a few drops of blue food coloring to tint it a light blue.
2.Divide the remaining can of vanilla frosting in half and spoon into separate bowls. Add yellow food coloring to one bowl of frosting to tint it yellow; add red food coloring to the other bowl of frosting to tint it red.

For the engine decorations:
1.Cut the red Froot Loops Cereal Straws in half.
2.Brush the outside of the Kids Cone with the corn syrup and sprinkle with the yellow decorating sugar.
3.Heat the Tootsie Rolls in the microwave for 2 to 3 seconds. Roll out each Tootsie Roll on wax paper and cut into two 1 by ½-inch rectangles for the train windows.

Frosting the cake:
1.Lay the trimmed 1 by 4-inch slice flat on a serving platter. Spread the top with some blue frosting.
2.Stack the 4 Ring Dings, spreading frosting in between each cake, and lay the stack on its side to make the cylindrical front engine.
3.Place the 4 by 3 ½-inch piece upright behind the stack of Ring Dings.
4.Spread the entire engine with blue frosting to cover and make smooth.

Assembling the engine:
1.Spoon the chocolate frosting into a resealable plastic bag. Snip a small corner from the bag and pipe a 1-inch-high layer of chocolate frosting at the base of the cake.
2.Add 2 mini- and 2 regular-size Oreos to either side for the engine's wheels. Pipe small dots of chocolate frosting on the cookies and add the large chocolate nonpareils to the Oreos and press the Sno-caps onto the mini-Oreos.
3.Press the Tootsie Roll windows into the sides of the upright cake.
4.Press a single large chocolate nonpareil into the nose of the engine. Pipe a small dot of chocolate frosting on the center of the nonpareil and add a blue M&M.
5.Gently press the Kids Cone and Froot Loops Cereal Straws into the top of the engine. Fill the cone with mini-marshmallows for the engine's steam.


Decorating the middle car:
1.Set one of the 2 ½ by 4 ½-inch pieces of pound cake behind the engine. Frost with the yellow frosting.
2.Trim the green Froot Loops Cereal Straws with a serrated knife to fit the length and width of the top edges of the cake.
3.Fill the top of the cake with the Hershey's Kissables.
4.Pipe a half-inch-wide band of chocolate frosting along the base of the cake. Attach the mini-Oreos. Pipe a dot of chocolate frosting onto each mini-Oreo and add the Sno-caps.


Decorating the caboose:
1.Set the remaining cake piece behind the middle car and cover completely with the red frosting.
2.Set the 2 remaining red Froot Loops Cereal Straw halves on top of the back of the cake.
3.Pipe a half-inch-wide band of chocolate frosting around the base of the cake. Press the remaining Oreo cookies in as wheels on either side of the caboose. Pipe a dot of chocolate frosting onto each mini-Oreo and press the Sno-caps on.


For the optional train tracks:
1.Cut 3 of the chocolate sticks in half.
2.Place the pairs of halved chocolate sticks in front and in back of the middle car and caboose. To complete, place the 2 long chocolate sticks in front of the engine cake.

Serves 8 to 10. For diagrams and more pictures, go to Parenting.com.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

Sometimes I feel like I'm in an appetizer rut. I have a few that I really like and I just keep making them over and over again for every party and get-together that I have. So I was trying to come up with ideas for something kid friendly for my son's birthday party and saw this recipe on another blog. I knew immediately that I had to try it, and I'm so glad that I did.

This cheese ball was fantastic! It was so easy to make and everyone loved it - kids AND adults. Everyone kept asking me what was in it and how to make it. And my sister took the recipe and made it for a gathering at her house the next weekend.

Make this - you won't be sorry!


Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball
(from Mommy's Kitchen)

1 8oz. package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1/4 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
For coating: 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans, crushed graham crackers, or 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
For dipping: Graham crackers, chocolate graham crackers, vanilla wafers, pretzel sticks, Teddy Grahams or animal crackers.

1. Beat softened cream cheese, butter, & vanilla until creamy. Slowly add sugars until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Place mixture in a Tupperware or plastic container. Refrigerate for 1 -2 hours.

2. Form into a ball and roll ball in pecans, graham cracker crumbs, or mini chocolate chips. Serve with graham crackers, vanilla wafers, Teddy Grahams, pretzels, or animal crackers.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

These cupcakes are wonderful! I made them for my son's birthday party. We were decorating with red and blue, so I knew red velvet cupcakes would be perfect.

The recipe makes 12 cupcakes. I needed more, so I made a double batch and it doubled really easily. The cinnamon cream cheese frosting was one of the best parts. So easy to make and super delicious! The cinnamon adds a little extra flavor and I love the fun speckles throughout it.

The batter can also be made into cake, which I plan to try someday. But cupcakes are way more fun for a kid's birthday party! And eat them with some ice cream - totally to die for!



Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
(from Joy the Baker and Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook)

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 and 1/2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. red food coloring
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Turn mixer to high and add the egg. Scrape down the bowl and beat until well incorporated.

2. In a separate bowl mix together cocoa, vanilla and red food coloring to make a thick paste. Add to the batter, mixing thoroughly until completely combined. You may need to stop the mixer to scrape the bottom of the bowl, making sure that all the batter gets color.

3. Turn mixer to low and slowly add half of the buttermilk. Add half of the flour and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and repeat the process with the remaining milk and flour. Beat on high until smooth.

4. Turn mixer to low and add salt, baking soda and white vinegar. Turn to high and beat a few more minutes.

5. Spoon batter into a paper lined cupcake baking pan and bake at 325ºF for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center cupcake comes out clean.

6. Let rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then place them on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.


Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

2 and 1/3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, cold
scant 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Beat the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-slow speed until it comes together and is well mixed.

2. Add the cream cheese all at once and beat on medium to medium-high until incorporated. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat for 5 minutes, or until the frosting becomes light and fluffy. Do not over-beat as the frosting can quickly become runny.


Makes one dozen cupcakes, double recipe to make two 9-inch layer cakes. Double frosting recipe to frost a two layer 9-inch cake.

Squash and Black Bean Chili

Here's a great, easy dish to make you happy that fall is here! Once the weather starts getting cooler, I always end up making a lot of chili at my house, especially fun variations on the classic. I really like cooking with butternut squash and this is a perfect use for it.

This chili is super easy to make. If your grocery store sells pre-chopped butternut squash, it will save you the time and the muscle power that goes into chopping and peeling one yourself. I had this on the table in about 30 minutes, and served it with a simple cornbread mix as a side dish. My sister-in-law gave me a great cornbread tip - spread honey on the bottom of the pan before you pour in the cornbread batter. Bake it up as directed on the package, and you have a fabulous tasting cornbread. It's super simple and delicious (thanks Kristin!).


Squash and Black Bean Chili

1 Tbsp. olive oil or canola oil
1 medium bell pepper (I used a small green and a small red pepper)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium stalk celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cans (15 to 19 oz. each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 and 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
14.5 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
14 oz. can vegetable broth

1. In 5-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pepper, onion, and celery, and cook 5 to 8 minutes or just until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic and chili powder and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant, stirring.

2. Meanwhile, in small bowl, coarsely mash 1/2 cup beans. Stir all beans, squash, tomatoes, salt and broth into mixture in Dutch oven; cover and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, 15 minutes or until squash is tender. Serve chili with shredded cheese, sour cream and lime wedges if desired.

Makes about 4 servings.

And here's my other favorite chili, which I've already made this fall because I love it so much. White Bean and Turkey Chili

TWD: Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart

Carla of Chocolate Moosey chose the Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie. It's gorgeous... and so delicious.


I wish someone had told me sooner how easy it was to make Dorie's tart dough! I believe I skipped a tart recipe a little while back because I didn't feel like messing with dough. But boy, it was easier and quicker than expected.


I baked this a few weeks ago for company and it turned out perfectly. Making the caramel ended up being fairly easy. And the layer of chocolate ganache set up beautifully. I couldn't get over how picture perfect it looked. This will definitely be a go-to recipe for company and special occasions.

Another Dorie success! Great choice, Carla!

Paula's Corn Chive Pudding

The group My Girl, Paula baked Corn Chive Pudding this week. It's not exactly photogenic.


But at least it tasted good! I learned something valuable this week: read the recipe before you start. Baking this was one big snafu that consisted of "oh no, the bag of frozen corn needs to be thawed!" "Oh no, the butter needs to be melted and cooled!" "Oh no, I thought I had chives!" I was so close to throwing in the towel and calling it quits, but I sure hadn't gone through all that trouble to have nothing to show for it.

The corn pudding was really tasty, even though the term "corn pudding" really doesn't sound all that appetizing. I decided to try it because it sounded more like a corn casserole, which I love. I have another corn casserole recipe that I make a lot and can eat in large quantities. It's really quite scary. Unfortunately, though this corn pudding was good, I prefer my tried and true recipe to this one. But I'm glad I gave it a go!


Corn Chive Pudding
(by Paula Deen)

Two 10-ounce packages frozen corn, thawed
1/4 cup sugar
1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled (1/2 stick)
1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch of grated nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter a 1 and 1/2-quart baking dish.

2. In a food processor, pulse 1 of the packages of corn until coarsely chopped, then transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the remaining package of corn and sprinkle with the sugar and salt; stir to combine.

3. Whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, chives, flour, and vanilla and combine with the corn. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake in the center of the oven until the center of the pudding is just set, about 45 minutes.

TWD: Chocolate Soufflé

I'm a little late with posting this, so I guess we'll just call today Friday with Dorie. The pick this week was the chocolate soufflé, and I've really been wanting to try my hand at a soufflé, so I just had to give it a try.

It was much easier than I anticipated. I was frightened the whole way through, and was so sure I was going to ruin it. But it turned out beautifully. I halved Dorie's recipe and it was the perfect fit for my three small ramekins. I knew that soufflés fell quickly after you took them out of the oven, and boy is that right. I had maybe a minute to snap a couple pics before the tops fell down into the ramekins and they were no longer as pretty.



They tasted so good. They were chocolatey and delicious. I was really glad they tasted as great as they looked. I enjoyed them warm from the oven and oh man, that was good!

If you'd like to try your hand at this chocolate soufflé, you can find the recipe on Susan's blog, She's Becoming DoughMesstic.

Milky Way Cake

Last week the group My Girl, Paula baked up this delicious Milky Way Cake. It looked fabulous and I had been dying to try it. But I decided I needed to wait until we had someone to share the cake with before I made it. The thought of having an entire cake in my house for me and my husband to eat alone didn't sound like the greatest idea.

So fortunately, I had the opportunity this weekend to make it and share it. The cake was really easy to make and included melted Milky Way bars in the batter - yum. The frosting was a bit more challenging, as it had to reach a specific temperature on the stovetop. It took boiling for a good 10 minutes or so before I got it there. I was a little impatient. And then it got a little hard to frost towards the end as the icing began to cool and harden.


But the finished cake was very moist and oh so rich. It's the type of cake that you'll need to slice very thin, as you'll love the first several bites, but the richness just kind of gives you a stomachache after eating an entire piece!

Everyone commented how great it tasted and how much it really tasted like a Milky Way bar. So if you're a fan of Milky Ways, you'll definitely want to give this a try. And be sure to go to the blogroll at My Girl, Paula to see what the other group members did with their cakes (I've seen delicious looking Milky Way cupcakes and bundt cakes!).



Milky Way Cake
(from Paula Deen)

For Cake:
confectioners' sugar, for dusting pans
8 (1 3/4 ounce) Milky Way bars
1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, well beaten
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Icing:
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup marshmallow cream
1/2 cup butter
6 ounces chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Grease three 9-inch cake pans and dust them with confectioner's sugar. To make the cake, melt the Milky Way bars with 1 stick of butter. Remove from heat and let cool.

2. Cream the remaining 2 sticks of butter with the granulated sugar. Add the beaten eggs and the cooled chocolate mixture. Sift the flour and the baking soda together. Alternately add the flour and buttermilk to the batter, blending well. Add the nuts and vanilla.

3. Divide the batter among the prepared pans and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the cake is firm to the touch. Cool for 5 minutes, remove from the pans and place on cooling racks.

4. While the cake cools prepare the icing. Combine the sugar and milk in a heavy saucepan. Cook to the soft-ball stage (234 degrees on a candy thermometer). Remove the pan from the heat and add the marshmallow cream, butter and chocolate chips, stirring until melted. Add the pecans. When the cake has cooled completely, frost each layer, sides and top of the Milky Way Cake.

16 - 20 servings.


One Year Ago I Was Baking: Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake