Hope Everyone is Having/Had a Happy Valentine's Day!

Toasted Garlic Bread and Arugula Salad

First off, I have to say thanks to Deborah from Taste and Tell. I won her drawing for a free magazine subscription, how cool is that! I picked Cooking Light, I can't wait to fix up some of the recipes! Thanks again Deborah!

What a fun Valentine's Day it's been so far. I got to help out in my son's Kindergarten class this morning for his "big" party he's been looking forward to for weeks. It was so fun to watch all the kids have fun passing out their Valentines, eating their goodies and socializing with each other.

After I got home, I decided to treat myself to a few yummy recipes I had been wanting to try. First up was this yummy garlic bread salad I kind of created as I was going along. It is so incredibly easy and even more tasty! I love the combo of the arugula, tomatoes and basil in this salad. Really delicious!

Toasted Garlic Bread and Arugula Salad

1 garlic ciabatta roll (about 6 inches) or regular ciabatta roll pressed with garlic clove, cut in half horizontally, and toasted under broiler until crisp (click on link to see the rolls I use from Walmart)
1 roma tomato, diced
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon good balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 Cups fresh arugula
4 fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
pinch of salt, pepper

1. Cut toasted ciabatta into cubes. Whisk olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Place all ingredients into a bowl and toss to combine. Serve and enjoy!

Serves 2

Chocolate Macaroon Rice Pudding....Yummy!

Next up, was a super chocolaty rice pudding that I knew I wanted to make from the first time I laid eyes on it! If you love chocolate covered macaroons, you'll love this recipe. I thought it was perfect for the chocolate lover. A fellow cooking contester, Christine R., won with this recipe, she also just won $50,000 in the National Beef Cook-off last year...this girl knows her stuff!

Hope you all are spending time with your loved ones today. I'm looking forward to a date night with my hubby tonight! Thanks for watching the boys Reed! Happy Valentine's Day!!

Chocolate Macaroon Rice Pudding

(Recipe from Rice USA recipe contest winner Christine R.)

3 Cups cooked medium grain rice
14 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
1 Cup sweetened condensed milk
1 Cup milk
8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
2 Cups shredded coconut
toasted Coconut for garnish

1. Place rice, coconut milk, condensed milk and milk into a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook for about 20 minutes, until thick and bubbly. Stir in chocolate chips and coconut until chocolate is melted. Sprinkle each serving with toasted coconut if desired.

The Best of The Best In Sugar Cookies!

I've had a few requests for my favorite sugar cookie recipe, so I thought I'd post it before Valentines Day if you still were in the mood for rolling cookies!

Thanks to my neighbor, Nikki, she passed this recipe on to me years ago and I have yet to make another sugar cookie. I'm not kidding folks, these turn out perfect every single time you make them. Some sugar cookies are dry and tasteless, but these are soft, buttery and sweet.

I was excited to try this rolled fondant I found at Michaels and I LOVE it! It's a bit pricey, but I figured one box at $8 covers about 20 cookies. They look flawless and you can carve all kinds of fun designs in it, I just didn't have much time to play around with it today. Give it a try if you like this smooth look, it really covers the cookies beautifully!

Here's what the box looks like. All you do is roll it out to an even thinness, use the same cookie cutter you cut your cookie into, brush a light layer of corn syrup on top of the cookie then press the cut fondant over your cookie. It's that easy.

Love it!

Here's the classic vanilla frosting with sprinkles. This version is the kids favorite for sure! These are fun to decorate. I just used a canned frosting. Lazy today.

Soft Perfect Sugar Cookies

2 Cups sugar
1 Cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Cup sour cream
6 Cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. In an electric or stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter. Add eggs, vanilla and sour cream until well combined. Slowly add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined.
2. In 2 batches, place in plastic wrap in a disc shape and chill for at least 2 hours for best results.
3. Once chilled, roll and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes depending on how thick you cut your cookies. Remove and let cool. Frost and decorate as desired.

Fondant Frosting Directions:
1. Roll the fondant out into an even thinness. (I used one of those disposable cutting boards to roll the fondant, so it didn't stick)
2. Use the same cookie cutter you cut the cookie into to cut out your shape.
3. Brush a light layer of corn syrup on top of the cookie
4. Press the cut fondant over your cookie. Press around the edges to seal. It's as easy as that.

The Ultimate Reeces Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. As luck had it, both my boys were coughing, needed breathing treatments and had fevers! They still managed to have fun opening their presents though. Let the clean up and returns begin!

Since I have a few more days before I've got to start eating better, I decided this morning, to use up some of my stocking candy and what better candy to choose than Reeces Peanut Butter Cups! Yummm! I've used one of my favorite banana bread recipes and added peanut butter, chopped up peanut butter cups and a peanut butter sweet drizzle for a knock out bread. I can hardly call it bread, because it is so deliciously sweet! Enjoy!

The Ultimate Reeces Peanut Butter Banana Bread

3 Sticks softened butter
2 Cups sugar
5 eggs
½ Cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 small box vanilla pudding mix (4 serving size)
2 Cups flour
5-6 ripe bananas

20-30 recees peanut butter minis

½ Cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
2-3 Tablespoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs until smooth. Add peanut butter, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, pudding mix and flour until combined. Stir in bananas and Reeces.

2. Pour batter into 3 greased bread pans. Bake 45-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from center of each loaf. Let cool.

4. Place powdered sugar, milk and peanut butter in a bowl. Whisk until smooth and drizzling consistency.

5. Drizzle over each loaf.

My First Daring Baker's Challenge! The Yule Log...

So, I'm probably nuts for starting in December, but I've decided to challenge myself and join this fun group of bakers called the "Daring Bakers." It all started when I saw the "Daring Bakers" Logo on another blog and thought, what on earth is that all about? I checked it out, and it sounded like something I would enjoy doing. It's basically a group of committed bakers that take on a new baking challenge every month, then on an assigned day, post and write about their experience while preparing the dish.

December's challenge was quite the challenge. It was this lovely yule log, hosted by Lis from La Mia Cucina and Ivonne from Cream Puffs In Venice. I had never tasted a yule log let alone tackle making one from scratch.

All in all, it was a fun challenge. It's always exciting to make something that you've never made before. I think I had the most fun molding the mushrooms out of marzipan. It was kind of like playing with play dough! I also thought it would be much more difficult to roll the genoise, but it was quite simple.

I am excited for more adventures with the Daring Bakers! Stay tuned for next month's challenge! Check out the Daring Baker's Blogroll for other Daring Bakers, maybe you're ready for next months challenge!

Ready, Set, Go!

Found the right consistency

Love these marzipan mushrooms!

Yule Log

Plain Genoise: (I added cocoa to mine)

3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
¾ cup of sugar
½ cup cake flour - spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off (also known as cake & pastry flour)
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder if desired
¼ cup cornstarch

one (1) 10 x 15 inch jelly-roll pan that has been buttered and lined with parchment paper and then buttered again

1.Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

2.Half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat so the water is simmering.

3.Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, salt and sugar together in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Place over the pan of simmering water and whisk gently until the mixture is just lukewarm, about 100 degrees if you have a thermometer (or test with your finger - it should be warm to the touch).

4.Attach the bowl to the mixer and, with the whisk attachment, whip on medium-high speed until the egg mixture is cooled (touch the outside of the bowl to tell) and tripled in volume. The egg foam will be thick and will form a slowly dissolving ribbon falling back onto the bowl of whipped eggs when the whisk is lifted.

5.While the eggs are whipping, stir together the flour, cocoa and cornstarch.

6.Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the beaten eggs. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture, making sure to scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl on every pass through the batter to prevent the flour mixture from accumulating there and making lumps. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture and finally with the remainder.

7.Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

8.Bake the genoise for about 10 to 12 minutes. Make sure the cake doesn’t overbake and become too dry or it will not roll properly.

9.While the cake is baking, begin making the buttercream.

10.Once the cake is done (a tester will come out clean and if you press the cake lightly it will spring back), remove it from the oven and let it cool on a rack.

Coffee Buttercream: ( I used chocolate buttercream instead, see recipe below)

4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
24 tablespoons (3 sticks or 1-1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons rum or brandy

OR:

Chocolate Buttercream
4 Lg egg whites
1 Cup sugar
3 sticks softened butter
1/2 Cup melted chocolate chips

1.Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set the bowl over simmering water and whisk gently until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

2.Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip with the whisk on medium speed until cooled. Switch to the paddle and beat in the softened butter and continue beating until the buttercream is smooth. Dissolve the instant coffee in the liquor and beat into the buttercream.

Chocolate Buttercream directions:
1. same as above number 1
2. Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip with the whisk on medium speed until cooled. Switch to the paddle and beat in the softened butter and continue beating until the buttercream is smooth. Slowly stir in melted chocolate.

Marzipan Mushrooms:

8 ounces almond paste
2 cups icing sugar
3 to 5 tablespoons light corn syrup
Cocoa powder

1.To make the marzipan combine the almond paste and 1 cup of the icing sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on low speed until sugar is almost absorbed.

2.Add the remaining 1 cup of sugar and mix until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

3.Add half the corn syrup, then continue mixing until a bit of the marzipan holds together when squeezed, adding additional corn syrup a little at a time, as necessary: the marzipan in the bowl will still appear crumbly.

4.Transfer the marzipan to a work surface and knead until smooth.

5.Roll one-third of the marzipan into a 6 inches long cylinder and cut into 1-inch lengths.

6.Roll half the lengths into balls. Press the remaining cylindrical lengths (stems) into the balls (caps) to make mushrooms.

7.Smudge with cocoa powder.

Assembling the Yule Log:

1.Run a sharp knife around the edges of the genoise to loosen it from the pan.
2.Turn the genoise layer over (unmolding it from the sheet pan onto a flat surface) and peel away the paper.
3.Carefully invert your genoise onto a fresh piece of parchment paper.
4.Spread with half the coffee buttercream (or whatever filling you’re using).
5.Use the parchment paper to help you roll the cake into a tight cylinder.
6.Transfer back to the baking sheet and refrigerate for several hours.
7.Unwrap the cake. Trim the ends on the diagonal, starting the cuts about 2 inches away from each end.
8.Position the larger cut piece on each log about 2/3 across the top.
9.Cover the log with the reserved buttercream, making sure to curve around the protruding stump.
10.Streak the buttercream with a fork or decorating comb to resemble bark.
11.Transfer the log to a platter and decorate with your mushrooms and whatever other decorations you’ve chosen.

My Holiday Plates Part 1

I feel horrible, I haven't made a homemade dinner for my family in almost a week! It has been so busy and I've had so much baking to get done! My husband called this morning asking if I was making dinner, it was kind of funny.

So, these are my Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Candy Cane Dusted Frosting. They are incredibly easy, but look very fun. I even used a store bought frosting to save time, but feel free to use the cream cheese frosting that is listed in my recipe below.

One word of advice, sprinkle the candy cane on the tops just before boxing or plating up. The candy cane almost starts to melt if you wait too long.

I got these cute Martha Stewart boxes from Michaels that fit the cupcakes perfectly. They came with tags, bows and printed parchment. You could also plate them, I would recommend those disposable silver bakers you find in the baking isle of the grocery store. They are deep enough, so when you cover them, the frosting doesn't get smashed. Just add a nice Christmas bow and it looks cute too!

I'm sad there are no more leftovers! My husband and youngest little guy were fighting over the last one this morning!

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Candy Cane Dusted Frosting

1 box devils food cake mix
½ Cup water
½ Cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix (4serving size)
8 oz sour cream
12 oz bag chocolate chips

24 oz softened cream cheese
1 stick softened butter
16 oz powdered sugar

1 box of candy canes, put into food processor, pulsed until in tiny pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cake mix, water, oil, eggs, pudding mix, sour cream and chocolate chips into a stand or electric mixer. Mix on medium speed for a minute and a half or until well combined.

2. Fill 24 cupcake tins ¾ full with batter and bake 15-18 minutes until toothpick comes clean when poked in the center. Let cool.

3. Place cream cheese, butter and sugar into a large bowl. Whisk slowly until well combined and frosting consistency. Frost cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with crushed candy cane.

24 servings

"A Popcorn Ball That Would Smell So Sweet..."

I never get tired of watching my kids sing "Popcorn Popping." My youngest has just learned all of the movements from his nursery class and dances all around while trying to sing the words!

I got out my camera tonight and took a picture of these yummy popcorn balls that were dropped off tonight. (Thanks Sherri!)

I thought it would be fun to share a tasty popcorn ball recipe just in time for those holiday plates. My boys and I shared at least 3 of these tonight and what a treat they were! The recipe I am sharing is by Shannon Felix, from our church cookbook we put together a few years ago. Easy Easy Easy!

Caramel Popcorn

3/4 Cup brown sugar
1 stick butter or margarine
10 large marshmallows
1-2 bags unbuttered popped popcorn

1. Heat brown sugar, butter and marshmallows in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until melte. Pour over popcorn, form into balls then let cool.

Iced Eggnog Cookies with Fresh Nutmeg

I saw this cookie recipe on Anna's CookieMadness blog and had to try these. It is a Mrs. Fields recipe and a keeper! My boys are eggnog junkies and went nuts for these. I'm not really even a huge eggnog fan and enjoyed these festive little cookies.

Next time I make them, I will chill the dough for a few hours before baking them. Some of my cookies went flat, but the rest turned out nice and round.

The icing is really good, just a slight hint of eggnog. They are even good without the icing. Thanks Anna, for posting this recipe, my family loves em!!

Mrs. Fields Eggnog Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup SALTED butter, room temp (Mrs. Fields calls for this)
1/2 cup eggnog
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon nutmeg (optional)

Preheat oven to 300F.

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter with an electric mixer. Add eggnog, vanilla and egg yolks and beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. (Chill dough if desired, by Jenny)

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets, 1″ apart. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg or skip this step and sprinkle on the nutmeg after you ice the cookies. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until bottoms turn light brown.

Transfer to cool, flat surface immediately with spatula.

Eggnog Icing
3 C. confectioners’ sugar
1/4 C. softened butter or margarine
1/3 C. commercial eggnog (use as much as you need)

In small mixer bowl, beat confectioners’ sugar and butter or margarine until well blended. Gradually beat in eggnog until icing is smooth. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Mile High Cheesecake Layered Chocolate Cake

Feast your eyes on this as you're out shopping today, as I tend to be doing later this morning. This is by far the tallest cake I have ever made! I highly recommend trying this one, it is phenominal!

Since I only bring a dessert to our Thanksgiving Dinner, I wanted to make it a good one. I saw this idea in a Southern Living Christmas Cookbook I just received and knew this was it! What a hit this cake was. Not only does it look fantastic, but it tastes even better! It's a semi homemade cake, so it's not even bad to make. If your looking for a fun cake to bring somewhere, this is a great one! Warning....eat in moderation!

Mile High Cheesecake Layered Chocolate Cake (adapted from Christmas with Southern Living 2007 cookbook)

1 box devils food cake mix
½ Cup oil
½ Cup water
8 oz sour cream
1 box chocolate instant pudding mix (4 serving size)
4 eggs
1 bag chocolate chips

1 Sara Lee Frozen New York Style Cheesecake (30 oz)

24 oz softened cream cheese
1 stick softened butter
½ can of pre-made vanilla frosting (I used the 16 oz Pillsbury)
16 oz powdered sugar

3 Piroline (rolled wafer cookies) cut into 1 inch pieces for garnish
½ Cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer, mix cake mix, oil, water, sour cream, pudding mix, eggs and chocolate chips for 1 ½ minutes. Pour into 2 greased 9 inch cake pans. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until cooked through. Remove, cool and refrigerate for a few hours.

2. Slice cheesecake into ½ inch cubes once it’s thawed; set aside. Place cream cheese, butter and pre-made frosting into a stand or electric mixer. Beat until well combined. Slowly add powdered sugar until nice consistency. Refrigerate frosting for ½ hour to firm it up slightly.

3. Once cake has been chilled, remove from pans and slice each cake in half horizontally to make 4 layers. Spread layers with ½ Cup frosting then sprinkle with 1/3 of the cubed cheesecake pieces. Repeat this procedure until all 4 layers are on cake, leaving the top layer without cheesecake pieces. Frost top and sides of cake with the remaining frosting.

4. Arrange cookie pieces in center of cake for garnish. Place chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30-45 seconds or until melted and smooth. Place chocolate in the corner of a ziplock baggie and snip the corner edge. Drizzle melted chocolate over top of cake. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Creamy Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

With Thanksgiving approaching fast, I thought it was time I shared my potato recipe. This is my own recipe for mashed potatoes and I love it! It's creamy and tasty. If you've never roasted garlic before, there's no better time than now to try it. It is so simple and it makes these potatoes incredible! Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Creamy Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

1 bulb garlic (about 12 cloves)
2 ½ lbs russet potatoes
½ Cup whole milk
4 oz softened cream cheese
1 Cup sour cream
½ stick butter
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place bulb of garlic with skins on, wrap lightly in tin foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove from foil and let cool for 15 minutes. Remove garlic from skins, place in a bowl and mash with a fork until completely mashed. Set aside.

2. Peel and cube potatoes and boil for 15-18 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and transfer to a stand or electric mixer. Mix potatoes on low until combined. Add milk, cream cheese, sour cream, butter, salt, pepper and mashed roasted garlic. Top with a pad of butter or your favorite gravy. Enjoy!

about 8 servings

Gingerbread Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

I love anything gingerbread, so when I saw these on "Peabody's" blog, I knew I just had to make them today. It is a recipe from McCormick.com and it's a keeper. The cake is sooo soft and the cream cheese frosting is heavenly, as usual. For anyone that bought that William Somoma Vanilla Spice Butter, add 2 Tbsps to the frosting, it was so yummy! I give this recipe 2 thumbs up! Perfect for the holidays, Enjoy!

Gingerbread Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 1/4 cups flour

1 tablespoon ground Ginger

1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

1 1/4 cups sugar, divided

1 egg

1/3 cup molasses

3 tablespoons water

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 13×9-inch baking pan with foil. Spray foil with no stick cooking spray. Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; set aside.

2. Beat butter and 3/4 cup of the sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until well blended. Gradually beat in flour mixture until well mixed. Stir in molasses and water just until blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan.

3. Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Beat in remaining 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Reserve 1/2 cup of the icing; refrigerate remaining icing. Spoon dollops (about 1 teaspoon each) of the reserved icing over batter in pan. With knife or spatula, swirl icing through batter to marbleize.

4. Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Lift out of pan using foil. Cool completely on wire rack. Invert and peel off foil. Spread refrigerated icing over bars. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Yummy Fall Cupcakes

Vanilla Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

1 box spice cake mix

1 small box vanilla instant pudding mix

4 eggs

1/2 Cup oil

1/2 Cup water

1/2 Cup sour cream

4 oz softened cream cheese

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place all ingredients into stand or electric mixer and beat on medium for close to 2 minutes, batter will be thick. Scoop or spoon batter into 24 cupcake cups and bake for 18-21 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from center.

Frosting

1 tub of Pillsbury Vanilla Frosting

4 oz softened cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more to sprinkle on top

1. Mix until well combined and spread over cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle additional cinnamon lightly over frosted cupcakes.