Double Chocolate Oreo Skillet Brownies

We are almost done with the first month of the year, which means that you have in all likelihood earned yourself a cheat day. A whole month of sticking to your New Year's Resolution calls for a celebration of sorts.

A brownie celebration to be exact. When I want to celebrate, I always do so with brownies. So basically I am saying that you should probably too.

Since I am recommending a cheat day, I would suggest you do it with these Double Chocolate Oreo Skillet Brownies.

This is the kind of dessert that is SO easy to make you can basically just throw it together. Bake it. Slap some ice cream on top, and eat. Heck you can even forgo the plates and just dig in family style to the skillet's itself.

Plate. Skillet. Either way, it is delicious. In fact, Oldest informed me, "If Heaven had a taste, it would taste like these."

Can't argue with that son. Can't argue with that.

Frosted Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

I woke up this morning at 5 am and was reminded again, that while I can and do bake, I don't really love it a whole lot. I am not sure what it is. Upon reflection, there might be a couple of reason. Like boy does it make a mess. I also find if I bake, then I eat it. No bueno! I am also not naturally very exact in the kitchen. Which if fine for cooking, but not so much for baking.

This was all made very clear this morning when I was making donuts from scratch for Mr. Middle's birthday. Since our favorite donut shop is closed on Monday, I figured I would make him some donuts in the wee hours of the morning. They were super yummy. They really were. Now I am just a little tired, my kitchen is less than immaculate, and I have way too many donuts just laying around begging to be eaten.

Oh baking. 

So why am I lamenting about baking during a baking post? 

This is the way I figure it--if I do bake it and I do love it and I would bake it again, then I must share it. Also, that is assurance to you that this recipe is worth your time.

While I don't bake a lot, I absolutely jump on board for baking anything with banana. We love banana bake goods. LOVE them. We very rarely have bananas left over, but when we do we bake with them. Our absolute favorite are Frosted Chocolate Chip Banana Bars. So it stands to reason that we would in turn love something like that in cookie form.

Man these Frosted Banana and Chocolate Chip Cookies are delightful. They are not dense like like a bar, but they are soft and fluffy (IT'S SO FLUFFY!!!). The frosting is light and perfectly cream cheesy. Who doesn't love a good creams cheese frosting?

These cookies were easy to make, and just as important they were easy to share. Sharing is good because it insures I don't eat a dozen cookies all by myself.

If you find yourself with very ripe bananas, then I think it would be delightful idea to make these cookies. You won't regret. Either will your neighbors. Wink. Wink.

Enjoy!

Printable Recipe HERE

Vanilla Cake Apple Crisp

Before I introduce this very lovely Vanilla Cake Apple Crisp, let's just chat about Fall.

I love Fall. I love pretty much everything about it. Seriously. I am really trying to think about what I don't like about the Fall.  I am drawing a blank.

One of the activities I enjoy the most in the Fall is apple picking. When we lived in Ohio, every September we would drive out to our favorite fruit farm to pick our favorite apples. Which, of course, were Honeycrisp apples.

We went out with friends. We took pictures. We loaded up the trunk of our car. We blissfully ate apples while we picked. I miss our Ohio apple picking days. I find it funny that it was only after we left those glorious orchards that I found the delights of making applesauce.

We may not have our Ohio fruit farm, but we still have access to some yummy apples. Oh, and we are four years into our very own apple trees so there is that. We even had about 7 apples this year. One of them was ginormous.

I just can't wait for the next 5-10 years when we have ourselves our own little orchard. We even threw in a pear tree just for kicks and giggles. Until our orchard is all mature, we have been very lucky to have people offer to let us pick the apples from their trees.

We pick like maniacs. No on is exempt from tree climbing and picking.

Once we have canned all the applesauce I can handle, we always have some apples left over. Most the time we just eat them. Sometimes I just full on embrace Fall and bake something with them.

This year I made this little lovely. This Vanilla Apple Crisp was SO, SO very yummy.

There is an added little flavor bonus found in the crumb topping. P.S. Isn't the crumb topping just the very best. It is definitely my favorite. My secret yum factor weapon was a box of vanilla cake mix. The flavor it added was insane. It was the perfect compliment to the apple mixture. The most perfect apple crisp was born.

If you love Fall, then you should probably do yourself a favor and make this little bit of Fall in a bowl. AKA apple crisp.

Print Recipe HERE

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Carrot Cake Cookies

Whenever a cookie and a cake marry and make a cake cookie, well I am all on board with that. Yes I a sure am. When it involves carrot cake, then I am HECK YEAH on board. I have always loved carrot cake. When I was younger, I used to take seconds and thirds. And fourths. Okay so not really, but I may or may not have had a really decent sized first piece and then a regular sized second. Especially if it was my best friend's mom's cake. Goosh that was good cake AND really good cream cheese frosting.

Enough already with my love of carrot cake.

So how did these cookies come about? Well aside from the a fore mentioned love of carrot cake, it all comes down to the fact that I found these insanely adorable gummy carrots. I knew I had to get them and I knew they needed to top some kind of carroty cake goodness. I got these gummy carrots at Winco Foods. If you don't live by a Winco, then you can find some similiar HERE

Welcome in these Carrot Cake Cookies.

I made them to give to some new neighbors that just moved in. I also made sure I made some for us to eat, because if I didn't I am not sure I would have had any to give to the neighbors. These cookies are so dang good.

I think you should make yourself some. You and the arrival of Spring deserve it.

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German Chocolate Brownies

Took the train to Brownietown and I enjoyed some German Chocolate Brownies. When I say I enjoyed them, I mean I licked the batter off the spoon before they were baked, I licked the knife after testing if the brownies were done, and then I had quite a few brownies once they were baked.

I came across this recipe in an old magazine. Upon reading "brownie" I started drooling and craving them immediately. I knew I needed to come up with a reason to make them, and consequently eat them. Good news, it took me .5 seconds to remember that I just happened to have company coming into town. I also realized that one of them just happened to love German chocolate anything and he just happened to have had a birthday recently.

German Chocolate Brownies = Happy Birthday. German Chocolate Brownies = happy me.

These brownies are my favorite kind of brownie. They are rich, dense, and fudgy. Just how I like them. Another delightful component of these brownies is the toasted pecans and the toasted coconut.

Do you see that goodness?!?

So yeah, these brownies are GREAT. Not only did the birthday boy enjoy them, but so did every single person in the housed. Every. Single. One. 

Brownies are so delightful. These German Chocolate Brownies are heaven I tell you. HEAVEN. Give them a try. You won't be disappointed.

German Chocolate Brownies

3/4 cups unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened coconut, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Take off heat and whisk in sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whisk for about 1 minute until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, whisking each time. Add the cocoa powder and flour. Stir until blended together. Fold in the toasted pecans.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake the brownies for 40-45 minutes, until tester comes out clean. Cool brownies in the pan.

While the brownies cool, make the chocolate sauce. In a saucepan, melt the chocolate in the cream over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the chocolate melts into the cream and the sauce is smooth. Pour the chocolate sauce over the cooled brownies.

Top with toasted coconut. Lightly press the coconut into the chocolate frosting.

Once the chocolate has cooled and set, lift the brownies from the pan by lifting out the parchment paper. Cut the brownies into squares.

adapted from: Rachael Ray

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My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie

Nothing beats a really good chocolate chip cookie...and in turn nothing beats really good chocolate chip cookie dough. Just saying people. Anyway, before I hear too much about how I shouldn't eat the dough I will move back to the chocolate chip cookies themselves.

I am not a huge dessert person. There are very few desserts I have a hard time passing up. Brownies come in first. Then comes chocolate chip cookies. However, not just any chocolate chip cookies.

These chocolate chip cookies are my favorite and unbelievably hard for me to pass up. I have been making this recipe for years and years. You know, the make-it-by-heart-in-my-sleep years and years.

Which is why I try not to make them all the time, and I always try to deliver at least half to a cookie-loving neighbor.

These are my favorite chocolate chip cookie because they are rich, dense, and taste like cookie dough in baked cookie form. They are glorious people. Simply and divinely glorious.

My Little Men think I am a baking guru all due to these cookies. Heaven knows I don't bake enough to make me an actual guru. One bite of these cookies though and it doesn't matter that I don't bake much. The taste of this cookie is all they focus on.

Their feelings, and I quote, "You make good cookies mom!" Preach it boys.

Give these cookies a try. I am fairly certain you won't be hatin' life if you do.

ENJOY!

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
Our Best Bites

3/4 cup (12 Tablespoons) of unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Mix the melted butter and the sugars until fully incorporated.

Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

Mix in the dry ingredients. Add in the chocolate chips.

Scoop onto a parchment lined cookie tray. Bake 10-12 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Enjoy with a cold glass of milk.

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Honey Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

A few years ago here on the blog I had a FROYO week. A whole week devoted to delightful frozen yogurt recipes. Yum that was heavenly. I went a little froyo crazy that year, and the whole family was pretty grateful I made that much frozen yogurt.

Fast forward to last year. I don't think I made any frozen yogurt. I didn't make one single batch of frozen yogurt. Well I just couldn't repeat that this year.

I christened our 2014 Frozen Yogurt Extravaganza with this unbelievable Honey Vanilla Frozen Yogurt.

The base for this frozen yogurt is one of our favorite Greek Yogurts--The Greek Gods Honey Vanilla. Seriously, guys, it is the best. With just a few more added ingredients it makes the best dang frozen yogurt ever.

I love making frozen yogurt because it requires just a few basic ingredients, you add in some extra pizazz, run it through an ice cream maker, let it set up just a bit more in the freezer and then you are ready to dig in.

I don't mind if I do. 

Happy FROYO eating!

Honey Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

1 24 oz Honey Vanilla yogurt
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 vanilla bean
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons honey

Cut the vanilla bean open and scrape out the seeds. In a bowl, add in the yogurt, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla bean seeds, vanilla extract, and honey. Mix well.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker. Once the mixture is set up, pour it into a container. I drizzled a little bit more honey over the top. Then freeze for at least 2 hours until firm.

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Glazed Lime Cookies

If these cookies were people, these Glazed Lime Cookies would be the classiest bunch of them all. Well maybe not as classy and ladylike as macarons, but these could be her almost as lovely friend from grade school.

These Glazed Lime Cookies are light and just crispy enough. They are refreshingly sweet and perfectly enhanced by the lime. They are summer in cookie form people. I know I often categorize my food by seasons, but I just can't seem to help getting immersed in the food of the season.

We use lime a lot in this house. Funny story, once we had some friends over for dinner...that isn't the funny part. We did our customary meal planning. We gathered up a few of our favorite recipes that we felt all coordinated together. It was only after making the dinner and moments before they arrived that we realized that FOUR of the things we made all had the name LIME in it. Hehehe. I guess we really do like lime. The whole night was lime-tastice. You won't hear me complaining.

So yes, we like limes. I had been wanting to try this recipe for awhile. I have had this recipe for years (like we are talking 10) and I just kept putting it off. Story of my life. Finally decided to add the ingredients to my grocery list, because that is like writing it in stone don't you know.

Then I made them. Then I ate them. Then I ate some more. I really rather liked them.

I will say this, they are a little more grown up of a cookie. My Little Men only like them so-so. Also, if you make cookies for the cookie dough, well this isn't really the recipe for you. This is definitely a needs to be in baked and glazed cookie form to be enjoyed at its best.

With all that being said, I also don't want to scare you off from these delightful cookies. They really are something special and are not your typical cookie. Like I said, they are way more sophisticated than your average chocolate chip. Good news though is that they don't require tons of work like a fore mentioned macarons.

Give these lovely cookies a try. Oh, and when you read that there is 1 cup of corn meal in them, yes that is correct. It seems weird I know, but trust me these cookies are not weird they are uniquely surprising and marvelous.

See.

Glazed Lime Cookies

cookie:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
4 teaspoons lime zest
2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup corn meal

glaze:
3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
8 Tablespoons lime juice
2 1/2 teaspoon lime zest

Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add in egg and beat until incorporated. Then add in the lime zest, lime juice, orange zest, and almond extract. Mix until blended. Add in the flour and the corn meal. Mix well. Chill the dough for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheets with cooking spray and sprinkle lightly with corn meal. Shape dough into 1" balls. Place on cookie sheet about 3" a part. Dip the bottom of a glass in corn meal. Using the glass, flatten the cookies to 1/4" thickness. Bake 14-16 minutes or until the cookies are light brown around the edges. Remove the cookies to a cooling rack. Let cool completely.

To make the glaze combine the powdered sugar, lime juice, and lime zest. Stir until smooth. Place the cooking rack with the cookies on it over a sheet of wax paper. Pour the lime glaze evenly over the cookies. Let the glaze set.

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Strawberry Lemonade Cookies

Oh guys, we are pretty much in the season of lemons. Eek. I am so excited. I have shared my 2014 lemon excitement already when I shared a recipe for Lemon Cheesecake Pie a few weeks ago.

Now with the sun shinning, the freshly mowed grass smell, later days, and school almost out for the Summer bring on the lemons. Bring it.

Just after my love of all things lemon, is my love of all thing Strawberry Lemonade. How can a person not love something that combines strawberries and lemons?!
 
So I kind of had to make up a cookie recipe for Strawberry Lemonade Cookies. Then I kind of had to eat half a dozen cookies.

They were that yummy.

Pretty and yummy.
 

These cookies make me happy. They are perfectly chewy with the right hints of strawberry and lemon. They are Summer in cookie form.

In fact, when I baked these up the Little Men were playing outside in the sunshine. Birds were chirping. Lawn mowers were running. My yard was full of bicycles, balls, and shoes. There was laughter and shouting.

The sounds of summer.

When the boys were done playing, the cookies were waiting for them.  They happily devoured these Strawberry Lemonade Cookies. They were a hit.

Give a try.

Strawberry Lemonade Cookies
makes about 2 dozen
 
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 3.4oz strawberry Jello pudding mix, dry
zest of one lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the butter and the sugar until fluffy. Add in the eggs and the vanilla. Then mix in the lemon juice.

In another smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and strawberry pudding mix. Add in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until well incorporated. Then add in the lemon zest.

Using a cookie scoop, drop scoops about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a cookie rack.

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Raspberry Coconut Bars

We lived in Ohio for 5 1/2 years. We have been gone for 2 1/2. CRAZY.

I had an awesome group of friends in the great OH. There were lots of girls nights out and girls nights in. There was frequent dinner trips to PF Changs. There were Just Dance dance parties. There was hanging out "just cause we need a break". Our kids played together. Oldest is still betrothed to one of my favorite friend's oldest lovely lady.

We will make that happen.

Why all the nostalgia? Hey I am prone to be all reflective and sappy. Actually, it happens quite frequently. I think it is due to my increasing in years. Haha!

These lovely Raspberry Coconut Bars make me think of Ohio. I first had it at a recipe exchange I had in Ohio. In fact, I think it might have been my very first social thing I ever did in Ohio. These recipe exchanges happened for about a year. We would come and bring a yummy dish and have the recipe available to hand out. Sometimes we had themes. Some of my favorite recipes have come from these recipe exchanges.

My friend brought this dessert. I remember really liking it. I grabbed a copy of her recipe and I tucked it away with all my other recipes.

I never made it. Until now that is.

I do that ALL the time. This recipe made it through my twice a year weeding out process. I just kept skipping over it. I partly blame Pinterest. Since the recipe was on paper and not online, I never saw it.

Finally I am done passing it over. The Raspberry Coconut Bars have been made. The Raspberry Coconut Bars have been eaten. The Raspberry Coconut Bars have been enjoyed!!

Yes, they have.

                     

Raspberry Coconut Bars

2 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
2 2/3 cups flaked coconut
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup raspberry jam
1/2 cup milk chocolate chip
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the graham cracker crumb, sugar, and melted butter for the crust. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper. Spread the crust mixture evenly into the parchment-lined pan. Press the crumbs into the pan until it is compact.

Sprinkle the coconut over the crust. Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the coconut.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Cool slightly. Spread the jam over the bars. Chill for 3-4 hours.

Melt the chocolate in small Ziploc bags. This will take just over a minute. Cut a hole in the tip of each bag. Drizzle the chocolate over the top of the chilled bars. Drizzle milk chocolate first in one direction and then white chocolate second in the other direction.

Let the chocolate set up a bit. Remove the bars from the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into bars.

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Cherry Chocolate Chip No Bake Cheesecakes

So it isn't a secret that I LOVE mason jars. I make an excuse to use them for everything. One of the best things to do with mason jars? That would of course be putting dessert in the jar.

Mini jars...aka jelly jars...are the best because the whole serving is just for you.

A whole dessert just for me? Yes, please.

A few weeks ago for Valentine's Day I made these itty bitty no-bake cheesecakes for the boys' teachers. They were so easy to put together AND they were really yummy.

That is a win-win in my book.

I honestly can't decided what my favorite part of this dessert was. Well, of course, besides the jar. I can't eat the jar, so that doesn't count. I love cherry pie filling. I love cheesecake. I love chocolate chips. I love graham cracker crusts.

You can see where my dilemma lies.

Basically it was all my favorite part. The Hubs especially liked the mini chocolate chips with the cherry pie filling. I may or may not have also gotten a request for this recipe from Oldest's teacher. That is how you know it is yummy right?

Well Mrs. Youknowwhoyouare (that may not be her name...just sayin'), here is the recipe for Cherry Chocolate Chip No Bake Cheesecakes just for you and for all my closest bloggy, Pinterest, Facebook friends.

Cherry Chocolate Chip No Bake Cheesecakes
makes 8-10 mini jelly jar pies

Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

Cheesecake:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar
8 oz  container of cool whip, thawed
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

cherry pie filling

Make the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar until completely mixed. Press 2-3 TBS worth into the bottom of each mason jar. Press down firmly in each jar.

To make the filling, whip the cream cheese and sugar together with a hand mixer. Beat until smooth. Next, mix in the cool whip. Fold in the mini chocolate chips with a spatula.

Spoon about 1/4 cup of the mixture over the crusts in each jar. You want to make sure to leave enough room in the top of the jar to still hold the cherry filling.

Top each cheesecake with a heaping spoonful of cherry pie filling.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Serve from the refrigerator.

Enjoy, friends!!

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Slow Cooker Chocolate Pudding Cake {Slow Cooker Saturday}

 

"Dad is great. Makes us chocolate cake!"

I love Bill Cosby. By the way, the above little jingle was from a Bill Cosby skit. Just in case you didn't know that and were perplexed over my sudden declaration of love for Bill Cosby.

I watched The Cosby Show pretty regularly as a kid. Remember when nighttime TV was kid friendly? That was good TV. I really miss it. I think it would be rather grand to watch a TV show with my kids. A little Full House or maybe some Family Matters. 

Sigh. Good times. I know there are still some shows that are kid friendly, you know like Phinneas and Ferb. Still they are really hard to come by.

I digress.

This all started with some chocolate cake, a little jingle and some love for Bill Cosby. So basically what you really need to know is that this all started with chocolate cake.

A Slow Cooker Chocolate Pudding Cake to be exact.

A gooey, chocolatey, rich, and velvety chocolate cake to be more exacter (totally made up my own word). Which is all the more delightful because it cooks itself up in the slow cooker. Glory be.

The ingredient list isn't too long. You probably have everything in your pantry, except maybe the Dutch processed cocoa powder. Trust me friends, you will want to use Dutch processed cocoa powder--don't use the regular stuff. I do happen to know from experience. The taste is drastically different. By different I mean it goes from inedible and trash worthy to glorious and dish me up the biggest serving possible please.

I have said before that I am not a huge fan of chocolate cake. The Chocolate Sheet Cake  I made a while back until now had been the only chocolate cake I liked. This of course is not including brownies, which I love dearly. Yes I just said I dearly love brownies, like they were my grandma.

Now I can add this Slow Cooker Chocolate Pudding Cake to the Chocolate Sheet Cake. Both of them are good for completely different reasons. I will be honest, both of them remind me of different aspects of a brownie...which is probably why I love these cakes so much.

Serve it warm. Serve it room temperature. Serve it cool from the fridge (that is The Hubs' fav). Basically just serve it up. You won't be sorry.

Slow Cooker Chocolate Pudding Cake
adapted from America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution

Print Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
4 Tablespoons butter, melted cooled
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup boiling water

whipping cream (optional)

Line the back side of the slow cooker with an aluminum foil collar. Make the collar by layering two sheets of aluminum foil that measure about 16" long. Fold over each other in thirds, so that you end up with a 6 layered foil rectangle measuring about 4" by 16". Press the foil collar to the the backside of the slow cooker. Make sure that the foil collar does not reach the top of the slow cooker. Spray with cooking spray.

Whisk the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together milk, melted butter, egg yolk, and vanilla. This mixture might clump up a bit. That is okay. Add this mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. The batter will be sticky and stiff.

Scrape the batter into the slow cooker and spread the batter to the edges.

Mix the rest of the 1/2 sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa powder. Sprinkle the mixture over the batter in the slow cooker.Slowly pour the boiling water over the top. Do not stir. Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2-2 hours. Cake is done when the top looks a little cracked and the sauce is bubbling.

Remove foil collar and let the cake sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Top with a dollop of whipped cream if desired.

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Orange Dream Jello Dessert

When I was first married, I got asked to teach a class at church on salads. The cute girl who asked me to teach gave me a couple of salad recipes as a starting off point. One of the salad recipes she gave me was for this Orange Dream Jello Dessert.

If you are a little perplexed, thinking to yourself, "Hey you just said it was a salad demonstration! Why are you talking about this dessert?"

Let me clarify, she called it a Jello Salad. However, over the years we have chosen to have this lovely little orange ditty for dessert. Hence, why we call it Orange Dream Jello Dessert. This recipe is Orangey, made of Jello, and altogether super dreamy. Not like Ryan Reynolds super dreamy (I care a great deal for the Ryans Squared), but pretty close. This dessert is super creamy, but still Jello. The orange flavor is divine and completely enhanced by the lemon Jello. Seriously love this Jello treat.

Again, hence the name Orange Dream Jello Dessert.

This is a really easy dessert, or side dish if you want, to make. The hardest part is being patient while the Jello sets up. You know what I am talking about. Oh the waiting! Oh the telling the children every 5 minutes they still have to wait. Oh the sacrifice we make for Jello. I know, I know, I am being a tad over dramatic.

So basically if you can get past the waiting, this dessert is simple and dreamy. Two of my favorite things.

Enjoy Peeps!

Orange Dream Jello Dessert

Printable Recipe

1 box of lemon cook and serve Jello pudding
1 (6oz) box of orange Jello
7 cups water, divided
1 1/2 cups sugar
whipped topping
1 can mandarin oranges

Combine the lemon Jello, sugar, and 4 cups water in a large saucepan. Being to warm the mixture on medium high heat.

At the same time, begin to warm the remaining 3 cups of water in another sauce pan. Eventually you will need this water to be at a boil.

Stir the lemon Jello constantly until it starts to boil and thicken to meringue consistency. Remove from heat.

When the other water boils, remove from heat and add in the orange Jello. Stir until the Jello dissolves.

Next add in the orange Jello to the lemon Jello mixture. Whisk everything together. Pour the Jello into a 9x13 baking dish. Refrigerate until set. At least 4 hours. I let mine set overnight.

Once ready to serve, cut and dollop a bit of whipped topping over each serving. Garnish with individual slices of mandarin oranges.

Thanks for reading!

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Slow Cooker Chocolate Fondue (Slow Cooker Saturday)

Today is the second Saturday of January, and don't die of shock or anything, but I have the second Slow Cooker Saturday post of 2014 ready for you. 

Don't worry, I am not going to document every Slow Cooker Saturday in this fashion. Could you just imagine...

"Guys, it is the 22nd Saturday in 2014, good old May 31st and I have the 22nd Slow Cooker Saturday post of 2014 for you..."

Goosh. I can't imagine you would still be my friend if I did that. AND P.S., yes I did have to look up what date the 22nd Saturday of 2014 would fall on. I am a geek. You know it!

Today's recipe doesn't fall under the Sunday Dinner worthy category.

However, it does fall under the Yum and Yes, Please categories. This recipe also falls under the romantic Valentine's Day dessert category.

Who doesn't love themselves some chocolate fondue?

 No one I know, and I know like 30 people. Okay, maybe 50. Hehehehe.

Anyway, I like chocolate fondue. This Slow Cooker Chocolate Fondue is ridiculously easy. Ridiculous, I tell you. There are only 4 ingredients. The ingredients melt and morph together in less than two hours and then the chocolate fondue is ready to devour. I also found that it can set in the slow cooker on warm for several hours.

The fondue was so good that we demolished quite handily a package of strawberries in less than 10 minutes. Dipping them in smooth, rich chocolate will do that. The Hubs even found it quite delightful to use the angel food cake and the strawberry in one giant dipping and scarf down the two together. He was quite proud of himself for concocting that culinary creation.

Middle, upon finishing all his "dip-ables", decided the left over chocolate should not be wasted, and he tipped back the his bowl like a giant cup and drank his fondue. Awesome. I have four boys and they have boy manners.

Needless to say it was enjoyed by all.

This Chocolate Fondue is for sure a quick and easy recipe. Plus it is a yummy and fun dessert.

Slow Cooker Chocolate Fondue
adapted from America's Test Kitchen

Printable Recipe
 
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
pinch of salt

Combine the chocolate, cream, corn syrup, and salt in a 3 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 1 1/2 hours or until the chocolate melts.

Whisk the melted chocolate together until smooth. Serve with fresh fruit or angel food pieces. Can continue to warm in the slow cooker, but make sure to whisk often to keep smooth.

ENJOY!!

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Vanilla Bean Glazed Vanilla Cake Bars

A few weeks ago while on a trip to visit family in Utah, I made a pretty spectacular and magical purchase.

No, this particular purchase was not at IKEA. Although to be frank, I went there too and there were many purchases made in the store-where-dreams-come-true. While fabulous, they weren't spectacular nor magical.

My SIL, who knows I like to cook/bake/eat/eat some more let me know about this family owned business that sold Mexican vanilla. But not just any Mexican vanilla...CLEAR Mexican vanilla.

Say what?!?

I don't know about you, but I didn't even know such a thing existed.

Being that I like Vanilla anything a whole lotta bunches (that was totally proper English), I agreed with her that we needed to hop in the car and both go purchase ourselves a giant thing of Mexican vanilla.

AND I mean a giant thing of vanilla...FOUR LITERS.

I think I am set for awhile...give or take 25 years...hehehe...

The crazy thing is, once I got home I found myself being very particular about what I used my precious clear Mexican vanilla for. I actually didn't bake with it for awhile. I wanted to use it for the most perfectly perfect recipe.

Well hello there Perfectly Perfect. And what might your name be??

 Oh Vanilla Bean Glazed Vanilla Cake Bars, well it is nice to eat...er uh, I mean meet you.

When I first came across this recipe, it was actually called a Vanilla Brownie. Alas, they just weren't the consistency of a brownie, so I didn't feel grand about calling them such...you know since I have a love affair with brownies several times a month.

I also thought that they needed much more vanilla than called for. I mean, hello, more vanilla equals love. Oh, and plus I had more than enough vanilla to use a little more.

While I opted to call these cake bars, they are denser than regular cake. They are almost pound cake consistency. Dense, soft, vanilla infused bars, that is what they are.

Basically all you really need to know is they are vanilla bars topped with vanilla bean glaze AND they are fantastic.

 I mean FAN.TAS.TIC.

These bars are dreamy. This vanilla is dreamy. Dreamy, dreamy, dreamy.

Now obviously these bars will be just as good with regular pure vanilla, so don't go all,

"Well whatever shall I do, I don't have clear Mexican vanilla AND now all I want is to make some of those bars. My day is pretty much ruined. Ruined I tell you!"

If you find yourself some clear Mexican vanilla, SUPER. If not, your hopes and aspirations of baking these scrumptious bars are not dashed. Bake them anyway.

They will still rock your world.

Enjoy!!

Vanilla Bean Glazed Vanilla Cake Bars
adapted from Oh Bite It.

Printable Recipe

Cake:
1 box vanilla cake mix
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Glaze:
1 vanilla bean scrapped
2 cups powdered sugar
Milk or Cream (amount will depend on desired thickness of glaze)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the cake ingredients in a bowl until combined.

Pour into a greased 9x9 baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the bars are set.

While the bars or baking, make the glaze.

Scrape the vanilla bean and put all the glorious scrapings in a bowl. Add in the powdered sugar, and start adding in the cream/milk 1 Tablespoon at a time. Stirring in between Tablespoons. Stop when it is a thick glaze, but thin enough to drizzle.

Drizzle the glaze over the done bars.

Thanks for reading!

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