Chocolate, Need I Say More?

Hello Sweets,

Well it has been a long weekend of moving but it's finally complete, and again I am sleepy lol.  However, Nathan was in Canadia to help me with everything, he actually went above and beyond anything you'd expect!  He not only put up every shelf, and picture, he also assembled furniture and bought me a new tv :D  Seriously I am one lucky girl, well except he is now on his way home :(  The hardest part of our relationship has to be the "see you soon" goodbyes, it never gets any easier.  He was a HUGE help in making my new apartment a home, and even though it's almost done it just isn't the same.  I now consider this apartment "our" apartment because we did so much together, he'll be back sooner than later and until then I'll complete the look and it will be a home!

Even though I had lots of help on Saturday, it still was quite difficult for me.  On the bright side, this whole ordeal is almost over.  This process has been wreaking havoc on my body :(  Since I had family and some friends helping me move, I decided to give them food as thanks :)  Nathan and I marinaded a roast Friday night to serve Saturday, and I will threw it in the oven while all the moving hoopla took place so it wouldn't be long before we could eat.  Of course there were plenty of sweet treats as well.  The pumpkin pie bars made their debut appearance, the oh so delicious pumpkin spice cupcakes (happy accident not intentional for there to be a pumpkin theme), and of course today's recipe.  No today is not a pumpkin recipe, although with the left over pumpkin from the cupcakes I could have made something.  Nathan requested I bake these though, so I thought I would make sure there was something sweet for him when he got here.

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

2C flour

1/2tsp baking soda

1/2tsp salt

3/4C butter, melted

1C brown sugar, packed

1/2C sugar

1Tbs vanilla

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2C semi sweet chocolate chips

 

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 325F.  Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

 

2)  In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until well blended.

 

3)  Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy.

 

4)  Mix in sifter ingredients until just blended.

 

5)  Sift in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon.

 

6)  Drop cookie dough 1/4C at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets.  Cookies should be about 3" apart.

 

7)  Bake for 15-17 minutes in the oven, or until edges are lightly toasted.  Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

 

  

These little bad boys are perfectly soft, not so soft it crumbles apart in your hand but that perfect way that I remember my high school cafeteria serving.  Normally this is not my first choice of cookie, but this recipe is so yummy even I can't stop from eating a couple.  The dough even reminds me of the cookies my mom used to make, and I love me some cookie dough.  It was hard to not eat all of them before Saturday lol.

Well I've got a few more things to try and tackle tonight, but to be honest I really just want to have a nap lol.  If Nathan was here he would tell me to take one, maybe I will since everything isn't going anywhere :p  Hopefully afterwards I will be more energetic and can tackle yet another good chunk organization done.  Until next time....

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo

Fall Hauls!

Hello Sweets,

The weekend is over :( for y'all anyways lol!  You know me being off work and such makes everyday a weekend, which gets old real fast.  It seems like a lovely idea to lead the life of a cat ;) but in reality it gets boring quick, unless you're a cat then it's okay lol.  Today was a very productive day for me :)  I started my day off right by going to church, it was nice to see my pastor again although he asked where I had been :/ (I know bad girl)  It was okay though, they are well aware of my health issues and were just happy to see me again :)  Then Heather and I finally caught up!!  I told you I felt good about today lol, we completely lost track of time and were chatting for 2 1/2 hours.  We did a fun little trade, I gave her baked goods and she gave me board games win win!!

When I finally did make it home I realized, "hey what about the muffins I was going to make?".  So I looked at a couple different recipes and decided I was going to make my own.  I did that because I couldn't find something close enough to what I wanted, later this week I may make my spicy pear muffins because they are super yummy!  Now that it's getting chilly outside I am all about warm spices and fall hauls :)  Anyone who lives/lived in Ontario knows what September brings, an abundance of apples and pears!!  Two of my very favorite fruits, especially to bake with ;)

Spicy Apple and Pear Muffins

Ingredients

1/2C apple, diced

1/2C pear, diced

1/3C applesauce

3/4C milk (if you use skim it make the recipe fat free!)

1/2tsp salt

1 1/2tsp baking powder

1/3C sugar

1 3/4C all-purpose flour

1/4tsp ground ginger

1/2tsp cinnamon

1/2tsp allspice

(I pre-seasoned the fruit a little before with extra)

 

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 375F, greasing a muffin tin.  Mix together in a large bowl; sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice.

 

2)  Add the flour, baking powder, salt, milk, and applesauce to the sugar mixture.  Do not over beat.

 

3)  Stir in the diced apples and pears.

 

4)  Spoon batter into the greased muffin cups.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly pressed.

 

5)  Serve after muffins have cooled a bit, about 20 minutes.

 

 

(I did a double batch, that's why there's so many)

Right now my whole house smells like delicious fall baking, the smell is very close to apple pie :)  These muffins are smaller and dense, but you definitely only need one to curb your hunger.  I like the combination of the apples and pears together, they mesh really well and each bring there own dynamic to the muffin.  The apple is a little more tart so the pear gives it a little sweetness, I personally prefer fruit muffins because I like the moistness they give.

I know this post is a little short but my shoulder is all of a sudden screaming at me :(  Guess that's all I can give y'all tonight, but hey something is better than nothing right?  Until next time....

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxoxo

You and I, Baby We Make Fireworks!

Hello Sweets,

I hope y'all are enjoying the weekend, the sun is shining here but with a cool breeze.  It actually made for a perfect day to have a barbecue with some of the family :)  I just love watching my nephew be silly outside, he is always so full of energy and smiles.  I even took a walk after I got home to get some ice cream from this cool double decker bus that's been converted to an ice cream shop.  Unfortunately I didn't bring my phone (which I think is good to do sometimes) so there is no picture to share, but I did get a black sweet cherry ice cream that was both sugar and lactose free.  And guess what?  It tasted very good, not as good as the ones Nathan makes me but good for what it was lol ;)

So I thought this would be my last "4th of July" post, but then I realized I made an adult treat also.  It's just a small, fun recipe that I'm going to save for tomorrow since it's Sunday and that is set for a recharge and relaxing day :)  As promised, today I am going to give you a glimpse through my eyes and how much fun we had on the fourth of July.  Nathan is such an amazing man to have in my life, yes I know I'm fortunate, and he did everything to make sure my first fourth of July celebration would be memorable.  He even was okay with some of the things he thought was just silly, but that's me and he loves me for it (win win).  The first thing we did was make sure I looked the part, from my head all the way to my toes (I always wear cowboy boots so that was just a happy coincident).

Yea you can laugh, we sure did!

So like most girls I love things that sparkle, but I also like things that go bang too!  The following are some videos I took when we went to shoot fireworks off.  This was like nothing I had ever experienced in Canada, Nathan told me we were going to a farmers field and there would be lots of other people shooting fireworks off at the same time.  I wasn't sure what to expect because I've either shot them off with some family and friends, or have gone to one of the parks here that do a big show.  Before we even got to the field we got stuck in Texas traffic, but luckily for us there was a show to enjoy while passing the time :)

 

watching fireworks from the highway :)

Take a look at what fireworks are like in Texas (some might have my finger in the shot lol oops sorry);

 

This was probably the best shot I got all night, it truly captures how fantastic of a show it was

The quality of the firework display is not great, but you can see how large the crowd was

the Canadian gives it a go! Disappointed because the packaging said purple but it was green lol

Nathans turn, and I think he's having a little too much fun :) love him to bits!

sparkle, sparkle baby!!

Fireworks 101: Don't stand in front of a large group of people shooting fireworks off *shakes head*

Quite the show right?  And of course there is one more sparkle to share :)  What is the one thing any girl, young or old, wants when there are fireworks involved?

  

sparklers baby!!!!

Ya I'm still very much a kid inside, but hey I had the time of my life and have a ton of memories.  I can't wait until the next celebration with fireworks in Texas, although I hear you can light them off all year round in the country.  Better watch out uncle Michael and aunt Cindy, we'll be heading your way ;)

Remember to come back tomorrow for a short, sweet, and sassy adult recipe!  Until next time................


Stay sweet,




Jennifer xoxooxo

Cola and Baking; The Forbidden Love Story

Hello Sweets,

Well with Monday under our belts it's only four more days until the weekend, but who's counting lol?!  I hope y'all had a wonderful day, mine was less then enjoyable and that is because I had a doctors appointment.  I know what you're thinking "doctors aren't that bad" and it's true, he's super nice and very personable which makes him really approachable.  My problem is the type of appointment it was, I had to get injections in my shoulders, neck, mid back, base of the skull, forehead, and temples :(  I know it sounds like a lot and it is, but it helps my quality of life while waiting for surgery.  I wouldn't wish this treatment on my worst enemy, that's because it is very very painful and I cannot wait for surgery so I never have to get them again :D  My doctor speculates that I will be one of few patients he will never see again, and as much as we like each other we're okay with that.

So yesterday I told you today's post will be a recap of a friends birthday we celebrated while I was in Texas, and as the title of the post shows there will be a very unusual ingredient involved.  I've talked about Dave before and would normally link you to his blog but he hasn't posted in eight months lol (finally someone worse than I haha jk), and he is also responsible for the cute little caricature of me specifically made for my blog.  This last trip Dave asked if I would make his birthday cake for the celebration he invited us too, and of course I said yes but I told him I had a new recipe that I think he'd enjoy and not to mention possibly the best chocolate icing I have EVER had.  I came across this recipe on Facebook (although I don't remember how) and as soon as I saw the title it had me intrigued, and now y'all ;)

Double Chocolate Cola Cake

Ingredients

1 can of cola (not diet)

1/2C oil (I used olive)

1/2C butter

3Tbs cocoa

2C all-purpose flour

2C sugar

1/2Tsp salt

2 large eggs

1/2C buttermilk

1Tsp baking soda

1Tsp vanilla

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350F.  In a sauce pan; mix cola, oil, butter, and cocoa and bring to a boil.

2)  In another bowl combine sugar, flour, and salt.

3)  Pour the boiling cola mixture over the flour mixture and beat well.

4)  Add the eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla making sure to mix well.

5)  Pour the mixture into a greased and floured 13"x9" pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from pan, cooling for about 10 minutes before frosting.

 I did a test run and made cupcakes first, needless to say they were yummy

Superman colors for the birthday boy :)

Chocolaty Frosting

Ingredients

1/2C butter

3Tbs cocoa

6Tbs cream or milk

1Tsp vanilla

3 3/4C confectioners sugar

*I must apologize for the lack of pictures, I only have the final product :(*

Directions:

1)  In a sauce pan combine the butter, cocoa, and milk.  Heat until the butter melts.

2)  Beat in the remaining ingredients and spread on the cake while it's still warm.

So as I am sure you noticed this is not your typical chocolate cake recipe, this was actually the first cake I ever boiled any ingredients for.  It's a really light and airy cake, which I think is caused by the carbonation in the cola.  It's not too sweet but it's very chocolaty (in a good way), this is definitely a keeper and will be made again most likely for Nathan's birthday (he loves chocolate cake).  The frosting is soooo good, I couldn't believe how delicious it was as I have made other chocolate icing before.  Needless to say these two recipes take the cake, see what I did there lol?

Well I am slowly getting through my back logged recipes that need to be posted, and I am really excited for the next few posts.  Why you may ask, well I am finally up to my fourth of July treats and I am really proud of one.  That one recipe forced me out of my comfort zone and to try something new, and I am proud to say it was a success but I will not be supplying clues to that one ;)  All I will say is that if you're afraid to try something new do it anyways, you'll thank yourself later.  Until next time........................

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo

Coming Together

Hello Sweets,

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend :)  Is your Christmas social calendar in full swing now?  Mine is, which is why this will be a small post today.  The stove wasn't turned on at all today because we had some other things to do and finish up.  Am I the only one who thinks that the Christmas season lasted a lot longer when we were children?  Nathan and I were talking about this and our theory is that it's because we have things to do as adults, when we were kids we just had to enjoy the season.  No shopping, baking, or planning of dinners.

Now I don't want you to think I don't enjoy the Christmas season.  Actually I didn't up until last year, but Nathan and his family changed all of that for me.  When I was growing up I always felt like the adults in my family treated the holiday get together as a chore, never really enjoying the time we all get to spend together laughing and just enjoying each others company.  But Nathan's family treats Christmas just as that, an opportunity for everyone to get together to eat, laugh, and swap stories.  Even when the men go off to play their annual video game on Christmas, the women talk, gossip, or even watch a movie and have a little girl time :)  Nathan loves the fact that he has renewed my love of Christmas, and that I actually look forward to all the celebrations.

Tonight we had dinner with one of Nathans very good friends, Dave (Check out his blog here!).  We met him at a wonderful steak house called Texas Land and Cattle, and the food was absolutely delicious!  Our dinner started of with Dave's steak soup, Nathans garden salad, and I had a Caesar salad, mmmmhmm good.  Of course all of us had the best cut of beef, the rib eye (theirs's bone in, mine not).  Dave and I both had the loaded baked potato and Nathan had the garlic mashed potato's (and they were super garlic, which we LOVED!!).  Dave made a great choice and paired the whole meal with a bottle of a 2006 Australian Shiraz, that complimented the entire meal (especially the steak), and of course, even though I was stuffed I had to try the bourbon pecan pie.  The pie was so delicious I think I may have experienced a food euphoria for just a moment lol.  I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who loves a good steak.  Oh and I don't want to forget to mention our server Stella, she was very nice and always checking on us, it was almost like have a mom serve us, she may have been sweeter than the pecan pie lol.

 Doesn't that look yummy, especially paired with the Shiraz ;)

Well Nathan and I are not only exhausted from our long day, but now we are also pretty much in a food coma lol which isn't a bad thing.  I will have a full post tomorrow with a recipe included.  I have already asked Nathan to make a stop at the grocery store to pick up a few miscellaneous ingredients :)  Until next time..........



Stay sweet,





Jennifer xoxoxo

A Treat to see Tereza Smile :)

Hello Sweets,

Happy Thanksgiving to all my USA readers!!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thursday full of turkey and family :) , mine was fairly quiet.  We had to postpone the second half of my pastizzi adventure until tomorrow, but don't worry, I will have the rest of the savory information :)  Today I was honestly going to take off a day from the kitchen and blog about "passion" and what it means to me, however my roommate had gotten some disheartening news, so I decided to make her my yummy peanut butter chocolate chip banana bread (she loves it)!

I don't know how this recipe has not made it in to a blog yet, it is really yummy and fairly easy to prepare.  I have a recipe my grandmother gave me for her banana bread.  It's so moist and delicious, but I wanted something more.  Then it was like a giant light went off in my head, why have I not incorporated my love of peanut butter?!?  So I decided to marry the flavors together, and why not throw a little chocolate in there too.  Who doesn't love chocolate and peanut butter right?  So with my grandmothers recipe, I started researching on the Internet to see if there was another recipe out there, and All Recipes has a great one, so I combined the two to make mine own :) Now that the delicious smell is wafting through our house, let's get to the jewel of this post :)

Canuckette's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (inspired by All Recipes

Ingredients

1/2C butter, softened

1C white sugar

2 eggs

3/4C peanut butter

2 bananas, mashed

2C all-purpose flour

1 Tsp baking soda

1C chocolate chips

Directions:

1)  Preheat your oven to 325F.  Lightly grease a 5"x9" loaf pan, set aside.

2)  In a large bowl, cream together the butter and eggs.

3)  Add eggs and beat until fully incorporated.

4)  Stir in bananas, peanut butter, flour, and baking soda until fully blended.

my bananas were frozen, they're not bruised lol

5)  Fold in chocolate chips, pour into greased pan.

looks like yummy cookie dough 

all set and ready to go!

6)  Bake at 325F for 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (I use a butter knife because I would loose the toothpick in the loaf lol).  Remove to a wire rack to cool, and enjoy!

Yummy!!

I'm actually really glad I made this because it's just so darn good!  This is a great bread for a snack. The flavors are subtle, but so delicious together, you could probably get away with enjoying a warm piece for breakfast.  I really enjoy a warm slice with a little butter and a hot cup of tea :)  This is also a great bread for children too, because the chocolate chips are quite enticing.  I really hope this helps Tereza to just have a moment to herself and get lost in the flavors of this yummy bread.  She's my bestie, and I only want to see that beautiful smile of hers.

Do you have a go to pick me up snack, either for you, or someone you love?  Tonight is one of the reasons I love to bake.  If I can make someone smile for even just a moment, because of what I've made, then everything is all worth while :)  Also I wanted to remind you guys to check out Dave's blog over at Impact's Views, my logo is coming along famously and I cannot wait to show you guys :)  Until next time...........

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo

A Paleo Play Date :)

Hello Sweets,

It's finally the middle of the week, which you guys are probably more excited for than I did since I'm off work, but none the less it's a good day :)  I hope all of you are having a great week, and if it has been a little stressful maybe a good sweat will help you reset your happy clock ;)

I am going to go to the gym today, normally I workout at home or in my grandparents gym, but I am meeting up with my old roommate Mikey!  I am really excited to see him again, its been about 2 years since we've seen each other, but more so because he is the reason I became a gym rat (of sorts lol), he encouraged me to workout when I had fallen down some stairs and was having a rough recovery.  Well that was four and a half years ago, before my illness knocked me on my butt, I worked out five to six days a week either on my own, in a class, or with a trainer.  I was at the gym so much that they offered me a job lol and I am not kidding either!  Working out at the gym for me was a great way to deal with stress, and ironically it made me a super happy person (I really like a good sweat), this has probably been one of the hardest parts to deal with because I cannot workout like I used to.

It is actually weird that we decided to meet up today, because today is the day I made the Paleo Blackberry Bars, and boy does my house smell delicious.  I figured I would surprise him with a post workout snack, that is not only healthy but tasty too :)  Since I got some amazing news last night, Nathan and I are going on vacation together, possibly next month, I want to try and be aware of what I am putting in my body on the chance we will be somewhere warm and sunny. Eeekkkk so exciting!!  But for now lets get down to the business of blackberries (almost seems like a half week theme doesn't it lol).

Paleo Blackberry Bars (via recipe grazer app for the iPhone)

Ingredients

1C coconut flour (shredded coconut blended into powder)

1/2C shredded coconut

1Tsp cinnamon

1Tsp baking powder

1/2Tsp baking soda

1/2Tsp salt

1/4C honey (or sugar, agave, maple syrup, or NuNaturals baking blend)

2 bananas (about 1C)

2 eggs

2Tbs coconut oil (may use olive oil)

1Tsp vanilla extract

1/2-1C almond milk

1C blackberries, fresh or frozen (can use any other berry as well)

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease an 8"x8" baking pan and set aside.

2)  In a large bowl, mix together the coconut flour, shredded coconut, cinnamon, baking powder and soda, and salt.

3)  Add in the honey or sugar sub, if using, mix again.

4)  In the same bowl, add in the bananas, eggs, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, and 1/4C almond milk.  Mix until all ingredients are incorporated, adding in more almond milk, as needed for mixing.  Amount of almond milk varies as coconut flour does soak up liquids quickly, and using more or less coconut flour or shredded coconut will change the absorption of liquids.  Add in enough almond milk so the batter is the consistency of cookie batter (but will probably be slightly drier).

5)  Fold in blackberries and spoon the batter into the greased pan.  Bake for 40 minutes or until the sides are golden.

6)  Remove from oven and cool completely.  Toothpick will come out clean, but the bars are moist because of the bananas and berries, so don't be alarmed.  Cut into about 16 squares, and of course ;) enjoy!!

It's very moist, so don't be alarmed :)

I can proudly say that we have had yet another kitchen success!!  And what really gets me excited about this recipe is that it's not only simple, but healthy too.  So in addition to my water and protein, I will be throwing a few of the bars in too :), one for me and one for my friend :)  I hope you all enjoy this recipe, and I hope it reaches people that really could use a healthier alternative for a snack (I know my roommate and I are happy to have a healthier option lol).  Do you have a favorite go to healthy snack choice?  I would love to hear any suggestions from you guys, or even what you think of my blog thus far :)  I promise that any feedback will be taken as constructive criticism.

Oh and before I go, here is my Frosty Fitness Challenge daily achievement :)  

3.24 miles = 6.88 miles for the week (11.07 km)

Remember you guys can join in too, just click the above link to get all the details :)  Until next time......

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo