Pick your poison - chocolate/peanut butter or chocolate/mint

Christmas is just around the corner and I have been making treats like crazy this year. There are so many parties and social events to bring things to, it is the perfect excuse to try new recipes. I made two pretty amazing things this week - chocolate peanut butter pie and chocolate peppermint cookies. I love chocolate and peanut butter and I love chocolate and mint so I have a hard time telling you which one is better, solution - make both!

It was my friend, Jason's, birthday this week and he asked for something chocolatey and peanut buttery, I found this recipe (NOT on Pinterest, believe it or not) and I was a little skeptical at first. Based on the ingredients, it looks like it would be way too heavy and rich, but it isn't. It is rather perfect, it got rave reviews and I definitely plan on making it again! Here is the recipe:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup butter, melted

4 Tbs. sugar

Chocolate Filling:

1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup whipping cream

2 Tbs. light corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

Peanut Butter Filling:

1 cup peanut butter chips

2 Tbs. creamy peanut butter

1 3/4 cups whipping cream

2 Tbs. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:

1 cup whipping cream

¼ cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 of chocolate filling mixture

4 Reese’s peanut butter cups

Crust:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until well blended. Press mixture into a 9” pie plate. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Refrigerate until cool.

Chocolate Filling:
Combine chocolate chips, whipping cream, corn syrup, and vanilla in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium heat until chocolate softens, about 3 minutes. Whisk until melted and smooth. Spread two thirds of the chocolate mixture over bottom of crust. Freeze 10 minutes.

Peanut Butter Filling:

Microwave peanut butter chips and 3/4 cup cream in large microwave-safe bowl on medium heat at 15-second intervals just until chips soften, stirring often. Whisk in peanut butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cool to barely lukewarm. Beat remaining 1 cup cream and sugar in medium bowl until very thick but not yet holding peaks; fold into peanut butter mixture in 3 additions. Spoon mousse over chocolate layer.

Topping:

In a large bowl, whip cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Top chilled pie with whipped cream. Drizzle remaining third of chocolate mixture on top of the pie and sprinkle pie with coarsely chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Before it was mutilated:

After it was mutilated:

Another annual Christmas tradition is "Christmas Under the Stars". My church hosts it every year and it is a ton of fun. We go to a park and decorate it all up with Christmas lights, we sing Christmas Carols and read the Christmas story then we pretty much gorge ourselves on cookies and hot chocolate. I usually make my mom's sugar cookies at Christmas because it is nostalgic but decorating them is a bit time consuming so I decided to try something quicker. I found this recipe for cookies stuffed with York Peppermint Patties on Pinterest accompanied by this picture:

My mouth started watering right then and there. And I have to say, they taste as amazing as they look. This one is a winner! If you have any cookie exchanges to go to this Christmas season, bring these,  I promise they will impress. 

Chocolate Peppermint Patty Cookies

Ingredients:

3 sticks butter, slightly softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs

3 cups flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

24 miniature peppermint patties, frozen

6 oz. white chocolate

Directions:

Beat together butter and sugars until soft and creamy. Add eggs one at a time. In a large bowl sift together all of the dry ingredients. Add to butter/sugar mixture in increments.

Turn out the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Working with approximately 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, use your fingers to evenly encase each of 24 miniature peppermint patties (unwrapped and frozen) with the dough.

Place on the prepared pans and smooth the dough with your fingers, if needed.

Bake until just firm to the touch, about 12 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and let cool slightly. Transfer the cookies on the parchment to a rack to cool completely.

In a small bowl, microwave 6 ounces of white chocolate chips on high in 30-second bursts until it is creamy and completely smooth when stirred. Using a piping bag, drizzle the white chocolate over the cookies. Let cool completely before serving or storing.

As you can see, I make a lot of cookies for Christmas Under the Stars! I am also bring some to a work Christmas party. 

Dumb and Cute

So, tonight confirmed for me a well known truth that I have tried ignore for years... girls acting dumb and cute will win points with men. It's a sad truth, but it worked in my favor this evening, acting like a complete ditz got me out of a ticket! A few girlfriends and I went to see the new Twilight move - Breaking Dawn 2. Before I continue on, let me just say that I read the Twilight series when it first came out and loved the books! I still stand by that. It is an entertaining series, but the movies with bad acting, shirtless werewolves, sparkly vampires and ridiculous, screaming teenage fans have made it kind of a joke and now it is just embarrassing to admit to liking it.

So anyway... we were driving to the movie when I suddenly saw red and blue lights spring up behind me. I was getting pulled over and had no idea why. I started to panic, tickets in California are expensive! I pulled over and the cop walked up to my car. He informed me that my tail light was broken and that white light was shining out the side and that it needed to be fixed ASAP. As he examined my licence and registration he asked where we were headed to. I told him we were going to see a movie. "What movie?" he asked. Oh how I wanted to say anything but the truth in this moment. "Um... Twilight." I mumbled in shame as the rest of my passengers were giggling in embarrassment.  "We're all over 30." Darla exclaimed from the back seat. The cop was clearly enjoying my discomfort. He prodded, "How many movies have they made so far?", "Have you seen all of them?" Then Darla chimed in once again, "and she's read all of the books!" Thanks a lot, Darla. My face was bright red at that point and we were all giggling like stupid girls. Just give me my ticket and let me leave already. But, he did not give me a ticket. No, after small talk about Twilight he suggested that I go to Walmart and buy some transparent red tape to put over my tail light so I don't get stopped again and let me go on my way. In fact, he was really nice and kind of flirty. He was charmed by our giggles and excitement to go watch sparkly vampires on the big screen. Part of me wanted to call out, "I know you think this is cute, but I am smart... really." Oh well, I suppose we made his night more entertaining even if it was at the expense of our dignity.

Speaking of Twilight, I will say that Breaking Dawn 2 was the best movie in the series. I thought it was great! I mean, let's be real, it is not going to get nominated for any Oscars or anything, it is still Twilight. But the acting was a hundred times better than the first couple of films and the cinematography was beautiful. Breaking Dawn is kind of twisted (Stephenie Meyer could have finished with Eclipse and I would have been happy) but the movie took the source material and did a great job with it. It could have seemed very creepy but didn't at all. Hats off to Bill Condon. The series is officially over and I can go back to being a normal sane adult that doesn't swoon over teenage vampires. (unless that is your thing, because apparently some guys like that)

I should rename my blog...

... "The things I make from Pinterest". Because seriously, I feel like every post is a recipe or a crafty thing that I have tried. This post is no exception. I have done a few Pinteresty things lately. My friends, Brooke and Charley had a baby last week, a beautiful girl named Emily. I went over this weekend to see her and bring presents and food. Presents and food = Pinterest! Brooke loves cats so I crocheted a kitten hat and 3 little amigurmi kitten toys. I think they turned out pretty cute.

And since I am slightly obsessed with Fall food, I made homemade chicken noodle soup, homemade bread, and caramel apple cider cookies. 

The bread was awesome! It is the easiest thing to make, you don't have to knead it or anything. Just stir the ingredients together, let sit overnight, dump in a pot, and bake. It was crusty on the outside and light on the inside. Perfect! I found a winner of a recipe. Thanks Pinterest!

Crusty Bread

3 cups flour
1 3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. yeast
1 1/2 cups water

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.  Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours.  Overnight works great.  Heat oven to 450 degrees.  When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a pot with an oven safe lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating.  Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough.  Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool. DONE!

I also found another recipe that looked good for the season - Caramel Apple Cider Cookies. They are very good but the caramel center is very caramely so the texture is pretty chewey. 

Carmel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla 
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups flour
1 14 oz. bag Caramels 

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. With your mixer (or an energetic spoon) cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder, until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well. Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined.

Unwrap your caramels. Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut. Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart.

Bake for 12 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down (either on the parchment or on a rack.) If you forget about them and they cool too much and stick to your parchment, put them into the freezer for a few minutes and they’ll pop right off.

Christmas is coming up and I am inspired to make gifts for my nieces. I think I am going to buy a sewing machine this week (it's about time) and go to town. Yay for Christmas time! 

Auntie Tamara strikes again!

One of the perks of not being tied down with my own family is that I get to be the "cool aunt" who showers her nieces with presents and flies in for special occasions. This weekend was Isla's first birthday and I am so excited I got to come out to Lubbock to celebrate with the family. She is at such a great age! She is smiling and giggling and so cute. She looks like a little Timmy, I love it! She was all dolled up for her party with a huge bow and pink tu-tu. My little one-year-old princess:

The first 15 minutes of her party were hilarious. It was like Isla was the model and we were all at a photo shoot. Everyone was just standing around taking pictures of her. But honestly... can you blame them?

Malee has a "rainbow" board on Pinterest so I got my inspiration from there to make Isla's birthday presents. I made a rainbow caterpillar toy and a rainbow hat. I love the hat! It reminds me of Dr. Seuss. She is my little who-baby.

I am not sure how much she likes it though. Although she looks adorable, Tim pretty much has her arms pinned down so she can't take the hat off. Oh well, maybe in a few months when winter is in full swing, she will be more accommodating.

Cookie Mashup!

Pinterest is awesome! I have said that before, but I get such great ideas from it. This week I found  this blog which talks about cookie mashups. I never thought about combining two different kinds of cookie dough and mashing it together to make one super cookie. What a brilliant idea! I jumped on board and made gingerdoodles (aka snickersnaps) I can't decide which name I like better. They are delicious! The perfect fall type of cookie, and they look so pretty.

Gingerdoodles (aka Snickersnaps)

Snickerdoodle Dough:

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 Tbs. vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cream of tartar

Cinnamon/sugar mixture for rolling cookies in

Gingersnap Dough:

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. ginger

Directions

Snickerdoodle Dough:

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and mix well, until creamy. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar and mix until combined.

Gingersnap Dough:

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add molasses and egg and continue beating. Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease baking sheets with no-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Take a tablespoon of each dough and place both doughs together. Gently roll into a ball. Roll the cookie dough ball in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and slightly flatten onto a baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before moving to cooling racks.

I also made another batch of soup. That makes two batches in one week. Fall food is so fun! I made chicken noodle soup. I normally make it every year on the day after Thanksgiving. It is the perfect way to use a giant turkey carcass. I feel much less wasteful when I can make a great broth out of it. Making the noodles takes a bit of time (cutting them actually) but it is worth it. Big, chunky noodles make the soup! Delish!!!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

Egg Noodles:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 pinch of salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 Tbs. butter

Stock:

1 chicken carcass

Water

1st set of ingredients:

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup celery leaves, chopped

3 cloves minced garlic

1 Tbs. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper, ground

2 bay leaves

2nd set of ingredients:

3 cups chopped chicken

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup corn

1 cup peas

Directions:

Egg Noodles:

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the beaten egg, milk, and butter. Knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Let rest in a covered bowl for 10 minutes. On a floured surface, roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desired lengths and allow to air dry before cooking.

Stock:

Place chicken carcass in a pot and fill with water. Heat until boiling and let boil for 15-20 minutes. Let water cool and take out turkey carcass. Pull off any remaining meat from bones and add to rest of the leftover turkey. Strain the liquid through a cheese cloth. Refrigerate overnight. When cool, the fat will float to the top and solidify, once it does, spoon off all the fat and discard.

Soup:

Add 1st set of ingredients to the stock. Heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Remove bay leaves.

Add in 2nd set of ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add noodles, bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve.

Pumpkiny Stuff

It is October, my favorite month of the year. I am sure I have rambled on countless times before about how much I love the Fall so I won't bore you with the current ramblings that are going on in my head. I will, however, give you a good "Fall" recipe. Pumpkin Spice Cake with Brown Sugar frosting. Oh yes... you heard that right - uh-maze-ing!  Pinterest is exploding with Fall recipes and I found this one there. It is a winner for sure!

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Cake:

2 sticks of butter
2 cup flour
2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1 ½ cup 100% natural solid pack pumpkin
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Grease and flour two 8” round cake pans. Sift together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Set aside.
Place pumpkin and buttermilk in a small bowl and combine thoroughly. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugars. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase speed to high and beat an additional 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl. Add the eggs and beat on medium for 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and beat on high for 30 seconds. With mixer on low alternate adding the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl. Mix until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the batter, until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Immediately pour the cake into the prepared pans, spreading evenly. Bake on the center rack of a preheated 325 F oven. Bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and cool in the pan for 15 minutes at room temperature. Invert cake onto a plate or cake circle. Turn the cake upright and refrigerate until needed.

Frosting:
3 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 sticks of butter, each stick cut into 4-5 pieces
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Heat brown sugar, heavy cream, 4-5 pieces of butter, cream of tartar in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently while bringing the mixture to a boil. Allow the mixture to continue boiling while stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Allow mixture to stand at room temperature for 1 hour before proceeding. Place the cooled mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on low for 30 seconds. Then beat on medium for 2 minutes, while adding the remaining 6 pieces of butter, one at a time, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to high and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on high for an additional 1 minute until light and fully. 

I also made some homemade vanilla ice cream this week so I will share that recipe as well. I LOVE my new Kitchen Aid ice cream maker, it is the easiest thing ever and it makes delicious, creamy ice cream. Tonight I have having a few girlfriends over to watch "P.S. I love you". That is one of my favorite movies. It is a tear jerker for sure, but on the upside it features both Gerard Butler and Jeffrey Dean Morgan with Irish accents. Swoon! Perfect for a girly night in. Plus, since I love Fall, I am making it a Fall night (I am ignoring the 90 degree weather we are having) I made my famous Hobbit Soup and Bushman Bread for dinner and a warm peach blackberry crisp for dessert. Homemade vanilla ice cream would go perfectly with the fruit crisp and since it is just as easy as buying ice cream I decided why not? And here you have it...

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup fine sugar, sifted

4 egg yolks, pasteurized (preferred for food safety)

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1 scraped vanilla bean

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and egg yolks together. Beat the mixture until it is a thick yellow paste and set it aside.

Bring the half-and-half to a simmer in a heavy, medium-size saucepan. Slowly beat the hot half-and-half and milk mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. This mixture should be hot, but not boiling. If it gets too hot or you add the egg and sugar too fast you will have scrambled eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan and simmer for a few minutes as you constantly stir to make a custard-like consistency. Strain the mixture into a large bowl to chill overnight in a refrigerator.

The next day, stir in heavy cream and vanilla before adding it to your ice cream machine. Follow the ice cream machine’s directions to freeze ice cream.

 Now, if only the weather would turn... it is October, darn it!