You see, I was raised to never, EVER show up to someone's home empty handed. It's something that has been instilled in me from a young age. It doesn't matter if you come bearing a box of chocolates or a shaving kit, you better have something for the hosts who graciously opened their home to you. 

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to run to the store for flowers and I would prefer to make something rather than buy something, but that still didn't help me, because I still didn't have time to run out.  

After a few deep breaths, I powdered my nose, reapplied my lipstick, threw on my apron and hit the recipe box to see what I could find with the ingredients I did have on hand. 

And found this. It's easy, light, refreshing, and also quite pretty upon completion. 

MANDARIN ORANGE DESSERT SQUARES

18 graham crackers 

1 box vanilla pudding

1 cup cold whole milk

2 cups Cool Whip, thawed

2 (10 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained

⅓ cup peach jam

2 Tablespoons orange juice 

Line an 8-inch square baking dish with half the graham crackers. Break them apart if need be to fit into dish; set aside. 

In a bowl, mix vanilla pudding and milk together for a few minutes until pudding starts to get thick. Fold in Cool Whip until fully incorporated. 

Pour half the pudding mixture over graham crackers. Repeat the layering process by placing another layer of graham crackers over top and top with remaining pudding mixture. Using an offset spatula will help to ensure an even layer.

Top with mandarin oranges.

In a small bowl, microwave jam and orange juice on high for about a minute until melted and smooth. Drizzle glaze over top of mandarin oranges.

Yesterday, I had five little girls and one adorable little boy under the same roof. All under the age of six. 

Mind you, two of them are mine, but as any parent knows, sometimes your own children can be the work of 5 extra kids. You do the math. Then times that number by giggles, grilled cheese sandwiches, and stocks with high dividends and you'll get the average diaper changes plus cups of tea needed. Don't forget to sprinkle generously with APR financing, of course. Did you understand that? 

All it means is that some people would have a full blown panic attack if they were in my shoes.

It was non-stop super fun from 8am until 7pm. (Feel free to throw a little sarcasm in that sentence). I am convinced now more than ever that if I could just find a way to harness the energy kids possess, I'd be one very rich Mama. Cha. Ching. In the million billions my friends.

For some *ahem* 'quiet' time, I found this recipe via Pinterest. These are so colorful, fun, and yumm-mmy. I can't believe it's 2012 and these aren't a staple in my home for craft time. We all had oodles of fun playing, creating, and baking. 

That is until someone went and poked their eye out. And got some dough stuck up their nose. And spilled chocolate milk all over the floor.

Yeah, it's always fun and games until someone goes and does that. And it's usually my children that are perfect for the job. 

But I wouldn't have them any other way.

Recipe adapted and slightly modified from I {heart} Nap Time

3½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1½ cups salted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 packages flavored gelatin, like Jello - I used strawberry, orange, berry blue, and lime, but feel free to use any flavor

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a cookie sheet with silicone mats or parchment paper. 

In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in egg and vanilla. Mix flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture.

Divide dough into 4 sections. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of gelatin into each section. Knead into dough until incorporated. You may want to add a few drops of food coloring to make the dough more vibrant.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Pour extra jello from the packets into small bowls and roll around to cover. We also used plain sugar. The girls thought the plain sugar looked more like pixie dust. And isn't it always about the pixie dust?

My UK gauge is almost on E. I need to plan a trip there very soon before I start crying like a school girl. I really miss that place.

It's that time of year again. 

The time of year I hate to do anything. It gets too warm to bake and and all I want to do is bask in the sun with a good book and a cold glass of something, well, cold.

And I usually want something sweet to go with it. I'm almost as bad as that mouse in those children's story books, "If you give a Mouse a....".

Yesterday, my hubs surprised me with a package of Peanut Butter Oreos. One can NEVER go wrong with buying me Oreos. Or peanut butter. Or an all expense paid trip to Paris or Bora Bora. But, hey, whatever. I'm easy. 

Needless to say, the Oreos and I got into a deep discussion. Before I knew it, their crowd dwindled down to about 6 and the party diverted over to my hips where it got very crowded, very quickly, and in such a confined space.

Then I remembered one of my favorite bloggers, Shelly of Cookies & Cups, posted a MUST TRY treat involving Oreos several months back. Actually it was probably more than several months ago, but the point is, I was suddenly inspired and needed to have them at THAT particular moment.

Marrying my two most favorite treats? This was one of those slap my head senseless moments for waiting this long to try them out. 

Now my head really hurts. Serves me right I suppose. 

Moral of the story: Learn from my mistakes people. LEARN. FROM. MY. MISTAKES.

And yes, I'm yelling at you. 

Deal with it.

REESE'S & CARAMEL STUFFED OREOS

Recipe adapted and slightly modified from Cookies & Cups

1 package each Double Stuffed Oreo or Double Stuffed Golden Oreo Cookies

16 regular sized Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

1 jar Dulce de Leche

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate or white chocolate, melted - I used Baker's chocolate.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone mats; set aside. On the stove top, using a double broiler method with a glass bowl, melt chocolate until smooth. Keep warm.

Twist Oreos and line a (separate) tray with the cream-filled side of the cookie. Set the other portion of the cookie aside to pulverize for the garnish. 

Apply a small amount of melted chocolate to the cream or the underside of the peanut butter cup to help glue it together.

Spread a generous amount of dulce de leche over the peanut butter cup and top with another topless cream-filled cookie. 

Freeze cookies for about 15 minutes. This will help the icing in the cookie to firm up a bit so it doesn't 'melt' when being dipped. This is a good time to grind the cookies that were set aside to use as a garnish into fine crumbs.

Remove from freezer several cookies at a time and and begin dipping. I used 2 forks and a rubber spatula.

Set onto prepared cookie sheet and sprinkle with cookie crumbs. You can also melt chocolate and drizzle over top. 

Freeze cookies until chocolate is set. 

Yields: 16 heavenly cookies.  

I am so embarrassed to say this, but I'm actually going to my first ever MLS soccer game tonight. 

If you know a certain member of my immediate family, you'll know why I'm glowing red from this admission. I guess it is something you take for granted when you can probably go whenever you'd like. It's kind of like living by the Golden Gate Bridge for example. You know it's there and what the fuss is all about, but you've never walked up to or across it in the 100 years you lived 10 minutes from it.  

Regardless, I'm super excited. We'll also be seeing a very dear friend of ours at the game. His family live just over 3,300 miles from us, so our visits are far and few, but when they do happen, it's like time stood still and we pick up where we left off.

I absolutely ADORE their kids, but they won't be there. It's too bad really, because I love to spoil them with treats. I made these magic bars quite a while back and they went mad for them. Naturally, I'm making them again. Why fix something if it ain't broken? Am I right or am I fabulously right?

After all, what better way to tell someone you care about them than with sugar. And lots of it. Isn't that what are honorary Aunties are for? To love them, sugar them up, and laugh while the parents deal with them?

I'm sure their Mom & Dad will just love me in the morning.

PIMPED OUT MAGIC COOKIE BARS 

Recipe adapted and modified from Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

1¾ cups shortbread cookies, finely crushed

¾ cups butter, melted

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup plain M&Ms 

½ cup chopped candy bars - I used Butterfingers as I like the toffee effect it yields once melted, but you can use any candy bar of your choice

1 cup chopped walnuts, optional

1 cup toasted coconut, finely ground 

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with foil or parchment paper. 

To toast coconut:

Spread sweetened shredded or flaked coconut on a baking sheet and bake, stirring once or twice, until golden, about 5 to 10 minutes. If toasting sweetened coconut, check and stir more frequently because the added sugar causes irregular browning. Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter and mix until incorporated. Press into prepared baking dish.

Pour sweetened condensed milk over top of cookie base, ensuring you cover entire bottom.

Begin layering components. I stated with the walnuts and ended with the M&Ms. Using a fork or the palm of your hand (which I did), apply pressure to smush the ingredients and allow sweetened condensed milk to ooze through all the nooks and crannies.

Bake for 25 minutes. When there is 10 minutes left on the timer, add toasted coconut to top. This will prevent coconut from baking any longer and will give bars a nice nutty flavor with added crunch.  

Remove dish from oven and allow to cool completely before cutting. 

Yields: 24 servings

To all the ladies who are lucky enough to be called Mommy, Mom, Mum, Mummy, Mama, Grandma, Grammy, Granny, Nanny, or Nana, I wish you a beautiful and blessed Mother's Day!

You are so loved. 

Even more than cupcakes.   


 

I was recently out for dinner with some lovely friends of mine. Whenever we get together, food is always the main topic of our conversations. If it doesn't start out with it, it will certainly end with it.

This particular conversation, however, the girls were going on and on and on and ON about Nutella being the best combination since peanut butter and chocolate collided.

Um, you're kidding, right? No, seriously, you are kidding? You dare to compare peanut butter and chocolate to hazelnuts and chocolate? You kiss your mother with that mouth?

Then I chimed in with, "Oh for heaven's sake, what is all the fuss about Nutella?"

Well, you would have thought I just shot Brad Pitt. It was like deer in headlight glares. Needles zipping off records. Forks being dropped onto plates. Cries from two tables over. Servers passing out. Then...silence.

As the ambianic music turned back on and everything returned to as it was before, I was like, "Calm down. Seriously though, what is the deal?"

Five women immediately began rambling at once, as if trying to explain to their husbands why there was a hefty $575 charge from Macy's on the credit card bill, singing the praises of this chocolate hazelnut spread.

Because I am who I am, I like to give everything the benefit of the doubt. I gave Nutella another try, but this time, in dessert empanadas. I went with strawberries in this as well, but chose them over bananas due to my strong aversion of the banana and chocolate combination. Gag. I know, and I call myself a foodie.

Suddenly I understood the craze. The mister and I couldn't stop eating them. There was a nibble taken out of one every time we passed the plate.

I admit defeat and stand corrected. However, chocolate and peanut butter will forever remain the original and favored classic - and like I've said before, some classics should never be messed with or one upped.

Yeah, I'm still talking to you Johnny Depp.

Willy Wonka?

Seriously bro, WHATEVER.

1 block (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2½ cups all purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 jar Nutella

6 large fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, and chopped 

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone mats. 

In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and sugar together; set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and butter until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl. Add flour and salt to butter mixture and mix well until dough forms a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead for about 1 minute. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20-30 minutes.

Divide dough into quarters. Roll out each section to ¼ inch thick.


Using a glass or circular cookie cutter, cut desired rounds. I used a martini glass as I wanted larger empanadas. 

Place a tablespoon of Nutella and about a teaspoon strawberries on one side of dough. Be sure the strawberries have as much of the juice taken out of them as possible. Fold dough over and seal or crimp tightly with fingers or fork.

 

Arrange empanadas on baking sheet and brush tops with egg wash. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture. 

Bake for 14-16 minutes or until tops are a golden brown. 

Remove from oven and allow to rest on tray for several minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Yield: 12 empanadas.

So I've been umming and ahhing whether or not to make these cookies for the past few weeks now.

My curiosity finally got the best of me.

You see, my dilemma is in the combination of the two. The thought of ice cream being plopped into my soda and slowly melting has never appealed to me. It actually kind of grosses me out. I mean, I love root beer and I love vanilla ice cream, just not necessarily together as a couple. Mind you, I love root beer ice cream. Yeah, I really don't know what to say about that one. Just chalk it up to a wonder of the weird world.

Once I convinced myself that these are not and will not be like the actual drink, my inquiring mind took off like a fly ball right over center field and into the screaming crowd. After all, a cookie's a cookie and I certainly won't discriminate now.

Unfortunately, my husband doesn't like root beer, full stop. Psshha. I've been trying to bring him over to the frothy dark side for quite sometime, but it's like kicking a boulder 2 feet. Hoping to change his mind, I found these little gems. Seriously, what can you NOT make in the kitchen these days?

We were impressed how good they were. The root beer flavor isn't overpowering at all and the cookies themselves are soft, light and oh, so yummy.

I know that root beer isn't for everyone, but these cookies are.

Welcome to the delicious dark side. Join us.

ROOT BEER FLOAT COOKIES

Recipe adapted and slightly modified from Makes and Takes

3 cups flour

1 cup salted butter, at room temperature

2 cups packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

¼ cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 teaspoons root beer concentrate

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone mats.

In a large bowl, mix flour and baking powder together; set aside. In another large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and beat until fluffy. Add vanilla and root beer concentrate and blend until incorporated.

Add in flour mixture, along with the buttermilk. Beat until blended.

Using an medium ice cream scoop with a retractable mechanism (this will help yield a more uniform cookie), drop onto cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.


Bake for 8-10 minutes. Mine took 9 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a couple minutes. Transfer to wire rack and allow to cool completely.

To make frosting:

Beat ingredients together until creamy and smooth. Pipe or spread over cookie tops. Drizzle melted white chocolate and top with a cherry if desired.

Yield: About 3 dozen. 

I love Bath and Body Works.

I have been a super fan of theirs since the early 90s, when I was still in high school and wet behind the ears. My sister and I would make the 25 minute trek every few weeks to our "local" and spend most of our paltry paychecks there. Anything to smell like a goddess. 

  

A lot has changed since then, but my visits to the shop have not.

I was in Bath and Body Works this past week, checking out their new spring line. The scents are way intoxicating and will definitely shake away some of the cobwebs leftover from Old Man Winter. In fact, when I walk into their stores, I like to take a moment to enjoy the fragrances around me with some deep cleansing breaths, letting the world go by for a couple minutes. It is so therapeutic and way cheaper than a therapist. I once had an employee come up to me and ask if I was okay. She thought I was having a anxiety attack. For real.

Although common sense stops me from drinking the product right from the bottle, can I tell you how hard it is not to stick a finger in and have a taste, just to see if it tastes like it smells? Then, the proverbial light bulb turned on. What if I were to incorporate these flavors into a cupcake? 

I chose Caribbean Escape scent as my muse. I literally washed my hands raw the other day because I didn't want to leave my little bathroom oasis. The room smelled A-MAZING.

I think these cupcakes would do the scent proud. They certainly helped curb my need to dip a finger into the bottle.

Now if I can only find a gorgeous cabana boy to serve these up to me on the beach with a few Mai-Tai's, we'd be all set. 

CARIBBEAN ESCAPE CUPCAKES

Cupcakes:

Cupcake recipe adapted and modified from Martha Stewart  

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup packed sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1¼ cups unsweetened coconut milk
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Please see my Boston Cream Cupcakes for instructions on how to make custard

1½ cups heavy cream
3 large egg yolks
⅓ cup sugar
a pinch of salt
4 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold & cut into 2 pieces
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup lychee fruit, pureed - you can use fresh or from a can. Just be sure to drain all the juice from the can and pat fruit down before pureeing.

Mango Buttercream Frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3½ cups powdered sugar  

4 tablespoons coconut milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup mango puree - you can use fresh or from a can. Just be sure to drain all the juice from can and pat fruit down before pureeing. 

Orange and yellow food coloring

To make cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 2-12 cup muffin tins with paper liners. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.

To make frosting:

Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add coconut milk, vanilla, and mango puree and beat until incorporated. Slowly add in powdered sugar. Mix until frosting is fluffy. 

Pipe or spread on cupcakes. Embellish with pineapple, cherries, or any tropical fruit of your choice.

Yield: 24 Cupcakes

Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way from Bath and Body Works to write this post and all views, opinions, and weight gain are all my own.