My Bark is Better Than My Bite

Hello Sweets,

It's Sunday and the weekend is over :(  I hope y'all spent your weekend doing what you love, and perhaps even a little baking thrown in as well.  I was completely unproductive :(  I slept through all of my alarms (yes I has multiple), which meant I didn't get to go to church.  Then because I wasn't at church I missed spending the afternoon with my grandpa picking things up for my new apartment.  Ugh, lol well at least I'm getting a blog out to y'all right?  I can always make up for my laziness after this post, there is still a bit of packing left to do so that's a priority.

I think part of the reason I missed my alarm was because I couldn't sleep, so I spent my time looking and researching the cutest thing.  Sugar gliders!!!

How cute are they!! **Not my picture**

Aren't they just frickin' adorable?!?  Now I so want one, lol they are the most interesting creatures I've come across in some time.  They are marsupials, which means they're closely related to kangaroos and they're more commonly in the southern hemisphere.  They are nocturnal creatures, but have been known to be a little active in the day (as long as you protect their eyes from bright lights).  They eat fruits and veggies, and then need protein from things like meal worms, chicken, or hard boiled eggs.  Personally I think I would stick to the chicken and eggs, but who am I kidding I can't deny a healthy option to any pet I own lol.  The cute part is they have quite the sweet tooth, so when you create a BLM (a mix of ingredients to get specific vitamins and calcium) mixture there is definitely honey involved.  The other part I just absolutely adore about them is that bonding with your sugar bear (another name for them) is a must, and they love to be right against your body in a pouch.  I just want one so bad now lol, they are so sweet looking and they bark like dogs so it would help subside my desire to get a puppy....for now lol.

Anyways, enough about Sugar Bears, let's get back to the good stuff.  So my momma really wanted me to make this recipe she nonchalantly posted to my FaceBook, really subtle like lol **cue eye roll**.  Since I was going to be spending a night at her house and she was going to drive me to the airport, I was completely okay to make it.  The nice part about this recipe is there is not a lot of ingredients involved, and chances are you have most of them on hand already.  If you like peanut butter and chocolate together as much as my momma and I do, this recipe is completely for you.  We can thank Hershey's for this recipe, since it came from their recipe section :)

 Peanut Butter Bark via Hershey's

Ingredients

2 pk (4oz each) semi-sweet chocolate baking bars, broken into pieces

1 2/3C peanut butter chips

1Tbs shortening (I used butter instead)

1/2C roasted peanuts

 

Directions:

1)  Cover cookie sheet with wax paper.  Place chocolate in a medium microwave safe bowl on medium for 1 minute, stir if necessary.  Continue with 15 second increments, stirring after each heating until chocolate is melted and smooth.

 

  

2)  Immediately place peanut butter chips and shortening into another microwavable safe bowl.  Microwave for 1 minute, stir if necessary.  Continue with 15 second increments, stirring after each heating until chips are melted and mixture is smooth.

 

 

 3)  Stir in peanuts.

 

4)  Alternately spoon above mixtures onto prepared tray, swirl with a knife to create a marbling effect.

 

5)  Gently tap tray on counter top to even out thickness of mixture.  Refrigerate for about 1 hour, or until firm.

 

6)  Break into pieces.  Store in an air tight container in a cool dry place.

 

  

You'll end up with one pound of candy, but on the bright side you'll have no problem finding people to share it with.  It's not overly sweet, and has the perfect subtle saltiness to it thanks to the peanuts.  My momma was very happy with the end result and that makes me happy :)  There are so many different types of bark out there, you're sure to find one that suits your fancy.

 Well I really need to get off my butt and start packing some more.  Tomorrow is the start of a string of chocolaty posts, so be sure to come back because you won't want to miss out on these!  Until next time....

Stay sweet,


Jennifer xoxoxo

A Medley of Marriage

Hello Sweets,

Well the weekend is coming to an end, and unfortunately I am feeling extremely awful :(  An intense migraine coupled with being nauseated and shoulder/neck pain, is causing me to be an unhappy camper.  I think  I did too much on my own yesterday, normally I have some assistance to help me with things around the house but I was home alone (cue the "AHHHH" lol).  Even though I managed to get through what I needed to do, my conscience was telling me I'd most likely regret it in the morning and here I am.  But since I haven't done too much today I figured I would try and get y'all the last wedding cookie recipe :)

So far we've had a banana cookie, a peanut butter cookie, and a chocolate chip cookie.  The last cookie was going to be in the shape of their newly shared last name initial "Z", so I wanted to "marry" the first three flavors together as to depict the vows of my sister and (now) brother in-law.  I know, I'm a complete romantic but I just thought it would be a really unique, fun, and different way to do a wedding cookie.  A single cookie that represents; my sister, my brother in-law, and my amazing nephew and their new endeavor as a married family.  My sister originally wanted me to do just a regular (possibly sugar) cookie, but when she heard my idea she liked it very much :)  So I present to you the "Zamora"!

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1/2C + 1Tbs butter, softened

1/2Tsp cinnamon

1/4Tsp nutmeg

1/4Tsp cardamom

2/3C super fine sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2Tbs milk

1 ripe banana, mashed

1/2C milk chocolate chips

1 1/4C self rising flour

1/3C peanut butter

Directions:
1)  Preheat oven to 375F, lining two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat together until light and fluffy.

2)  Gradually add in the egg, beating well after each addition.

 

3)  Mash the banana and add it to the mixture, beating well until smooth.

 

4)  Add the peanut butter and mix thoroughly.

 

5)  Sift together the flour and spices into the mixture, folding in with a spatula.  Add the milk to give it a soft consistency, then fold in the chocolate chips.

 

 

6)  Drop tablespoons of the batter onto the baking sheets, spacing well apart.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.  Cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire rack.

 There you have it, the final cookie in what I am now dubbing "the wedding series".  This cookie is soft and not too sweet, it was a big hit.  Even though all the cookies weren't finished at the wedding, I packed them up and sent the married couple home with them.  Needless to say I got an email about a week later stating all the cookies were gone lol.  And now as promised I'll share some of the wedding photos with you :)

 

on our way!

 

my cutie nephew playing the shy guy

 

the kiss

Nathan, myself, Jose (groom), Asha (sister/bride), my mother Trish, and my step-dad Dan 

  

yea we're pretty awesome (except for my paleness :( )

 

celebrating and a special moment between mother and son <3  

 

"THE" cookies, in all their glory :)

 

tiny little table (so cute) for the kids

 

the candy bar, yum!

 

family dance :)

 

yup it's true I caught the bouquet and a special moment between my love and I during our dance

 

Finally caught him for a picture at the very end of the night

I hope you enjoyed the four recipes, if you have any questions or feedback regarding them just drop me a line :)  I also hope you enjoyed the pictures of my sisters special day that I've shared with you.  It was a day full of love, laughter, celebrations, and most importantly family.  It's a day that will forever hold a place in my heart and there were plenty of memories that were made.

Now that the matrimonial posts are all done and finish, we can get back to just creating more delicious treats in the kitchen to share with you :)  With that being said, tomorrows post will be another celebration for a very good friend of ours.  Yes it will be a birthday themed post, only because I was requested to bake his cake for him (apparently my reputation is spreading).  Until next time...................

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo

The Unconventional Peanut Butter Cookie

Hello Sweets,

I know I've been a bad blogger lately as summer is a very distracting season for me, and for that I apologize.  I know I left you all in suspense because I only ever gave you one of the four cookie recipes, so what do you think you're getting today?  Yup another cookie recipe, and to be perfectly honest I have not baked many cookies since the wedding but that doesn't mean I've avoided the kitchen as a whole ;)  As I write this I am in Texas and it's Independence Day here (well it was when I started it lol), which means I prepared a few delicious holiday treats that I will be blogging about in the coming weeks!

So I know what you're thinking, how can a peanut butter cookie be unconventional?  Trust me when I say this was not what I was expecting when researching for a new recipe to try, but it is by far the best peanut butter cookie I have ever had!  Normally I have a go to recipe that is literally three ingredients.  It is a darn good cookie itself but it doesn't hold a candle to the recipe I'm going to share with you today :)  There is one specific ingredient in this recipe that really had me perplexed, but instead of sharing it now I'll wait until the end (always keeping you in suspense).

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1/2C butter, softened

3/4C smooth peanut butter

heaping 1/2C superfine sugar

heaping 1/2C dark brown sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/3C rolled oats

1/2tsp vanilla

1/2C all-purpose flour

1/2tsp baking soda

1/2tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease 3 large baking sheets.  Place the butter and peanut butter in a bowl and beat together, then beat in sugars.

2)  Gradually beat in the egg and vanilla.  Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the mixture.

3)  Add in the oats and stir until just combined.  Place spoonfuls of the dough onto the baking sheets, spaced well apart and flatten slightly with a fork.  Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly golden.

4)  Cool on a baking sheet for 2 minutes,, then transfer to a wire rack.

So did you guess what the unusual ingredients was?  If you guessed rolled oats, then you would be correct :)  I have never in my life come across a peanut butter cookie recipe with rolled oats, but needless to say this is now my go to recipe.  It's so good my sister (Asha, the bride) has dropped subtle hints that she really enjoyed them, lol unfortunately for her I am taking a small break from cookies and delving into some uncharted territories in the kitchen.

Do you want to know something?  It feels SUPER good to be blogging again, and I am feeling motivated to get back to doing it almost daily YAY!!  I also wanted to share with all my lovely readers that I have discovered a new passion that I eventually will share pictures and my progress in this new endeavor.  My newest passion is painting, no I am not professionally trained and even in school I took other forms of art but never painting.  The way I discovered my new passion was by attending a birthday celebration, after dinner we went to something called Painting with a Twist (it's only in the USA right now, hopefully they'll cross the border soon).  Needless to say I caught the creative painting bug, but I'll write a post dedicated to the experience because a few sentences just won't do them justice ;)  Until next time..............................


Stay sweet,



Jennifer xoxoxo

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Hello Sweets,

Well we made it to the weekend, and it is already almost over :(  I hope you all had a super productive week and hopefully you are treating yourself for working so hard.  I finally got my hair cut yesterday :D, and I am even going back to Yelp (who helped me find the hairdresser) to write her a fantastic review.  My hair is now healthy, light, and manageable once again, and she even gave me some romantic soft curls which I am loving!!

I'm sorry I didn't get this post out last night but sometimes things don't always go according to plan, but I didn't want to keep this gem from you any longer (pain or not).  I have known for a long time that I'm not like most people, actually I am very unique and sometimes even weird lol Nathan can confirm all of this.  Well when I was little, one specific eating habit confirmed this every year, actually a few different times a year lol.  How many of you like chocolate?  How many of you love chocolate?  Most people do, and when you get it as a gift you're pretty excited right? lol  Well I have never been too thrilled upon opening (I know I know, it's the thought that counts).  Now my family learned very quickly that if they wanted to get me chocolate that it should be white or I wouldn't eat it, but still many times my mom would forget and I would end up with plain milk chocolate.  After years of throwing it away it dawned on me, why was I not eating this chocolate in the same sense of the chocolate bars that I buy?  So the next Christmas and Easter I received more plain chocolate, I then marched into the kitchen and grabbed the peanut butter out of cupboard and started dunking the chocolate.  Lol I know this will seem weird to some and gross to others, but for a peanut butter lover such as myself it was the perfect solution and I don't know why it took me so long to figure it out.

So it's probably fairly obvious what my favorite chocolate bar is (although it's cups not a bar), Reese's Peanut Butter cups.  I've made chocolate peanut butter squares before and they are quite delicious, but as soon as I saw this recipe (although I am not sure where I saw it :/ sorry) I had to make it because it looked to die for.  So let's not waste any more time and get a little "nutty" in the kitchen lol (see what I did there).

Brownie Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients

3/4C sugar

1/4C butter, softened

1 Tbs water

1C semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus 1/2C for garnish

1 large egg

1/2tsp vanilla

1C all-purpose flour

1/4tsp baking soda

3/4C milk chocolate chips, plus 1/3C for garnish

3/4C creamy peanut butter

only the best chocolate for my man ;)

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray or grease 12C muffin tin.  In a medium microwave safe bowl, combine the sugar, butter, and water.  Microwave on high for about 45 seconds or until the butter is melted.

2)  Stir in 3/4C of the semi-sweet chocolate chips until melted.  Stir in egg and vanilla, mix well.

3)  Add the flour and baking soda, mix well but do not over mix the batter.

4)  Allow the batter to cool to room temperature (this won't take very long, maybe a few minutes), then stir in 3/4C of the milk chocolate chips and remaining 1/4C of the semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Spoon batter evenly into the muffin cups.

5)  Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out slightly wet.  After the brownies are out of the oven wait for the centers to fall, this will happen upon calling (if not tap the center with the back of a teaspoon to make a hole for the peanut butter).

 left is from straight out of the oven, right is the brownies centers fallen

6)  Place the peanut butter in a small microwavable bowl, microwaving on high for 45 seconds then stir.  While brownies are still warm spoon about a teaspoon full of peanut butter into the center of each brownie.  Top with the remaining chocolate chips (I combined them into a single bowl and sprinkled a combination on each "cup").  Let cool completely in the pan.

There you have it, a very yummy but not too healthy lol treat that anyone will enjoy.  Nathan isn't much of a fan for the peanut butter chocolate combination, but he definitely enjoyed this little cup of goodness.  Here is some up close pictures so your eyes can convince you if the sheer description hasn't convinced you yet :)

Don't they look yummy!

So there is the sweet treat for tonight, tomorrow I'll be creating both something old (but with some new twists), and something very new (as in never tried anything like it).  One will be sweet and the other savory, so you must come back to see the surprises.  My single hint to you is; it's both the most important and best meal of the day ;)   Until next time..................................

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo