Small and Mighty Pain in the A&*!

Mattie the Basset Hound.  She is cute and adorable....when she is sleeping or loving on her daddy.  Otherwise she can not be trusted.  EVER.  She may appearing to be slow moving and lazy, but is all an act.  She has mastered the ability to use her 3 1/2 inch alligator-like arms to her advantage.  No baked good or pizza slice can be left unattended, no matter how high the counter or large the table.  Mattie has now taught herself how to balance on her back legs to hook an arm onto the oven bar steal from the stove top.  She has developed stealth like abilities to swoop in, hook her arms on chairs, drawer handles, or whatever necessary to thieve goods and get out before getting caught.  This sometimes results in an upset stomach and immediate return of the gobbled goods.  Holiday baking is fastly approaching and so is my need to get out the child safety gates!

Halloween Oreo Brownies

A fun way to enjoy Halloween Oreos with orange cream filling without the messiness of having to cut up a pan on brownies

1 brownie mix - mix with eggs, oil and water as directed on package
1 package of oreos

Spray muffin tins generously baking spray (with flour in it)
Dip each oreo in brownie batter until completely covered and place in each tin.
Bake 12 minute at 350
Let cool in pan for 5 minutes

Pumpkin Spice Buttercream Frosting

The most wonderful thing to happen to buttercream!!

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 TB canned pumpkin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups powdered sugar

Mix the butter an vegetable shortening together on medium speed until light and fluffy
Add pumpkin, vanilla, and cinnamon
Slowly add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until light and fluffy

I made this for a fundraiser and covered chocolate cupcakes with it.  Yum!

The Zucchini in my locker.....

This lonely zucchini was one of many abandoned in the Memorial Union in a box marked "Free".

This is what it became!!

Cream Cheese Frosted Zucchini Bars

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups white sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 tsp cinnaman

dash of nutmeg

2 cups grated zucchini

Frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups confect sugar

S'mookies!

S'mookies!  S'mores cookies without the work of a campfire!

Peanut Butter Cookie:
2/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking sodea
1 stick butter (softened)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla

Filling:
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 Tbs butter
1/2 marshmallow cream

1. Preheat oven 375
2.Mix butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar until smooth.  Add egg and vanilla
3. Mix in flour and baking soda
4. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and flatten with fork.
5. Bake 8-10 minutes.  Cool on pan 10 minutes.  Place in fridge for at least 20 minutes.
6. Microwave chocolate chips and butter until melted.  Let sit until slightly stiff.  About 30 minutes.
7. Spread marshallow cream on a cookie, chocolate on another, and sandwich together. 
8. Store in fridge.

Hummus (Just lie to yourself and pretend its not healthy)

I would put up a picture, however hummus is not a beautiful dish.  It falls under the category of ways my mother would trick us to eat healthy.  I would never imagine a dish that would involve the disgusting little creatures known as Chickpeas, but this healthy dish has the ability to trick you into thinking that it is just another pile of  dip out to widen your waistline.  In my quest to (somewhat) eat healthy I have come to love this snack with carrot and Kashi pita chips!

I highly recommend using a blender.  I feel like I am cheating on my mixer, but the blender is the only man for job when comes to making this dish creamy and smooth.

1 15.5 oz can chickpeas (drained)
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
sprinkle of salt
(sprinkle with paprika when serving)

Dump it all in the mixer and blend until smooth!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Procrastination

Last night I had big plans to sit down with a cup of lemon tea and finally spend some quality time with my 1L prep book (1L of a Ride) and prepare myself for the upcoming battle ahead.  Instead ended up with a living room full of 6 yr olds in sleeping bags.  Between the giggling 3 sets of feet and 8 dog paws running up and down the steps, I knew there would be no escape to quiet.  So, instead I decided it was a perfect excuse to make a favorite quick chewy cookie favorite!

1/2 cup butter (melted)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups of flour
2 cups chocolate chips

Cream butter and peanut butter with sugars until creamy. 
Add vanilla and then the eggs one at a time
SLOWLY dump the dry ingrediants in.  (Most cookbooks tell you to sift all the dry ingrediants together in a special bowl.  No need for this recipe)
Stir in chocolate chips.
Scoop in 1 inch balls onto cookie sheet.
Bake at 325 for 10-12 minutes.
Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transfering to a wire rack