Oh yeah we tried it!

I am an avid fan of Joy the Baker's blog.  I've baked her cakes for birthdays and the crowd goes wild.  :)  Oh and her mocha coffee cake is to DIE for!!  Anyways, she did not disappoint with this pretzel dog recipe.  Soft pretzels are delicious and so are hot dogs.....although I used Trader Joe's Organic Turkey Dogs for this one-needless to say, they came out amazing!  I Thank you Joy.  My husband really thanks you Joy.  BUT Laura thanks you the most!  Imagine smiling like that over a hot dog!

Recipe:  c/o Joy The Baker

Homemade Cocoa on a Rainy Day!

While I am recuperating at home, I have been blessed to have my mom here to play with the kids.  There has been no end to the fun.  :) Laura has an in-home customer who can "purchase" items from her kitchen and play doh shop whenever she wants.  It has been great.  I love having my mom here but I admit, I haven't had to cook or do anything of that nature in about a week.  Between my husband, mother-in-law, and my own mom, I have been taking care of very well.  I figured that today was the day to get back into fighting shape.

I started with cocoa.  I made it for breakfast and again after lunch.  This recipe is not for the faint of heart. It is dangerously good if I may say so myself.  :) But it isn't healthy by any stretch of the imagine.  However, it is good to fill little bellies with on gloomy afternoons like this one.  Below are some pictures of what this cocoa can do to you when consumed in large portions.

Killer Cocoa


1/2 cup of dark cocoa powder
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp of mini semi-sweets

1.  Warm cocoa and sugar over medium heat and slowly add water to make a chocolate paste.
2.  Once the mixture is bubbling, add milk and stir for about a minute.
3.  Add chips and stir.
4.  Add cream and whisk till frothy.

 My girls like their cocoa straight up with two ice cubes in a sippy cup--Caroline prefers her marshmallow on the side.

 You're not getting this marshmallow Nonnie!

Cocoa makes Laura lose her clothes and attack anyone who stand in her way!

Amaretto and Peach Cobbler = YUMMMMM

Amaretto is yummy.  Peaches are yummy.  Sugar is yummy.  Whipped Creamy is yummy.  SUPER YUM!

Tonight I am headed to a moms' night out for my MOPS group in Vienna.  I am bringing a delectable dessert made with the peaches we bought at the market yesterday.  The best part is that the peaches were picked on Tuesday so they are very fresh and tasty!  The cobbler isn't shown with the whipped cream, but I used heavy whipping cream and spiked it with a little extra amaretto.  Super easy and very sweet!  You can get the recipe here at Evolving Tastes.

The models are the sweetest part hehe :)

We're Back--and we're cooking!!

 Oh we have been away for so long!  I have really missed the pig and I knew that I needed to pick it back up because my little beauties are growing, growing everyday!

We went to the farmers' market today at Kidwell Farm.  There were Andean guitarists, a magician, brownies, and these huge red-velvet colored roman tomatoes.......

My sister LOVED tomatoes.  She would eat them whole just like an apple.  I, on the other hand was never much of a fan--probably just out of protest and wanting to be different.  When I saw these speckled oblong tomatoes I was intrigued.  When the vendor cut one up for me--I was hooked.  Katie, this dish is for you!


Grown Up Farmer's Market Dinner Salad  (I call it grown up because Laura says that the cheese went "bad." obviously not something that 3 year olds like I guess haha)

1 small handful of crumbled Gorgonzola
2 ears of corned-steamed and taken off the ear
1 pint of tiny new potatoes- cooked
a bag of Spring Mix
half a red onion sliced
2 teaspoons of freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon of ground sea salt
Drizzle of olive oil
1 gorgeous roman tomato

Add everything to a big bowl and let it sit in the fridge for a short bit so the taters cool.
 (Everything was purchased at the market, except the cheese--that I got at Trader Joe's)

I am planning on enjoying this later with a glass of Pinot Grigio that I got from the Ramona Singer wine signing yesterday!  Ahh the life of a stay at home mom--eating gourmet food, meeting celebrities--did I mention that my aunt is now best friends with Carson Kressly??  Yes it is a glamorous life!

So glad to be back in blogosphere!!

Now we're playing!

Playdoh is fun dough!  You can mold it, shape it, and if you are Laura you like to paint it (a very messy way of playing with the dough).  Try this quick and easy recipe of home made playdoh for hours (ok minutes) of fun (moms that means you get to check your email, grab a cup of coffee, even a shower--if you are really brave).

Materials:

2 cups of flour

2 cups of water

1 cups of salt

2 tablespoons of cream of tartar (this makes it stretchy)

food coloring (warning--this stains.......I know.....)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and break apart any lumps.  Transfer to a pot and heat over medium heat until smooth, turning frequently so that it doesn't stick to the pot.  Once smooth allow it to cool and then play!

Did someone say Peanut Butter Cream Pie??

I'm not sure who it was that first combined peanut butter and chocolate, but I would like to shake their hand!  The combination is nothing less than fabulous really.  We made this pie for a party, however when the party got cancelled we got to keep the pie!  Lucky Duckies!

The pie was so good that even the hubby is making an appearance in this posting!  Peanut Butter makes us happy.  In fact, it makes us want to dance and play!

Too bad PB is not for Ba-bies....she is happy for us though :)

  We adapted our recipe from Joy's recipe over at Joy The Baker.

Peanut Butter Cream Pie.
For the crust:
1 box of double stuffed oreos
6 tbsp of butter melted
dash of salt

For the Filling:
1 Cup of Natural PB (regular PB would work, but the natural oils make the PB easier to mix)
1/2 a package of cream cheese softened
1/2 Cup of Sweetened Condensed Milk (YUM!!!)


1.  Crush the oreos with a rolling pin or food processor (or have you toddler jump on the bag haha).
2.  In a big mixing bowl add the butter to the crushed oreos and then pour into a pie dish, molding around the edges.
3.  Place dish in freezer while you work on the filling.
4.  Combine all three ingredients in a large bowl and blend evenly.
5.  Take the pie dish out of the freezer and pour filling onto crust.
6.  Finally chill in the fridge for at least two hours.

Joy topped hers with fresh whipped cream which would be ultra yummy (we just didn't have any heavy cream on hand).

It is just the pie to get you through the mid-week hump!

Exploding Cranberry Coffee Cake!

What is a creamy cup of coffee without a delicious slice of yummy cranberry coffee cake? 

 Exploding coffee cake is best!

 Too big for the pan, really!

 Mommy I am hungry!  Hook me up!

Sweet it is finally done!!

So this past weekend we baked some coffee cake for Grumpa.  He and Nonnie were visiting from the Eastern Shore and the girls knew that their Grumpa wouldn't want to turn down one of their delicious creations so we scoured our favorite baking blogs for a worthy recipe.

We finally landed on Joy (don't we always??!?).  Joy the Baker has AMAZING recipes and this one was no exception!  The only swaps that we made were fresh cranberries for dried cranberries and blueberries (like I had fresh cranberries hanging around the house).

The recipe is definitely worth a shot, especially if you have a brunch or something like that to attend.   The sour  cream makes the cake so moist and delicious.

Taco Pizza Party!

We made delicious low fat taco pizza for dinner last night.  It was fun and easy!

All it took was one ready made pizza shell, taco sauce, fat free shredded cheeses, extra lean beef, and black beans.  Oh and of course an interview with the chefs!

Good luck with your pizza and happy weekend!!

Homemade Waffles!!

 We welcomed the day with homemade waffles!

 Laura beat the egg whites...

and posed for the camera!    

When Caroline smelled the waffles baking, she came running, well crawling to her highchair!Uh do you mind Mom, I'm trying to eat! 

This is what Daddy had to look forward to when he woke up!

Homemade Crispy Waffles
2 Cups Flour
1 TBSP Baking Powder
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Cups Milk
2 Eggs Separated

1.  Mix all of the above ingredients except the eggs, together using a hand mixer until smooth.
2.  Separate the eggs and add the yolks to the batter mixture and beat on medium until blended.
3.  In a small bowl, beat the egg whites until peaks are stiff and then fold into batter.
4.  Pour into a pre-heated waffle iron and wa-la!

Hope you enjoy the tasty waffles like we did!  Laura likes hers swimming in syrup!

Chocolate Chip Almond Yummies!

No she isn't sneezing or about to dive face first into the batter. I said give me the most surprised face you have, and this is what I got. :) Cute little thing....hehe She is wearing the jersey to hopefully bring some luck to her daddy's team! Anyways, on to the post---

If there are three things I love it is butter, brown sugar, and babies (there was another one, but she was attached to my leg therefore not show on camera). We made these cookies from a variation of my grandmother's chocolate cookie recipe. These key is to take them out a little early so that they are nice and mushy and gooey in the middle. Pete prefers them crispy so we mix it up every now and then, but if you ask me, gooey is the way to go! Laura agrees!

Gram's Chocolate Cookie Recipe (with added Mommy and Laura pizazz)

1 bag of semi-sweets

1 1/2 sticks of sweet cream butter

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup plain sugar

1 cup slivered almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 350, then cream the butter and both sugars together until completely combined (this is the part that Laura and I can't stand because it is too tempting to not taste).

2. Add eggs and vanilla and almond extracts and continue to beat on medium until completely combined.

3. In a separate bowl add your dry ingredients EXCLUDING the chips and almonds-they go in last.

4. Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry, blending with a beater on low (so it doesn't make a mess, but if you have a fancy kitchenaid then blend away! :))

5. Lastly, add your chips and almonds and stir by hand until fully mixed. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake for about 8-10 minutes (11 minutes make them crispy).

ENJOY!!