Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you all well. :) The 4th of July is just around the corner! What's everyone's plans? 
    For anyone that has been following the personal part of the blog posts, you might have known that before my wedding (which was on May 19th) that my little brother Jeremy joined the Army. He was at basic at the time of the wedding, but he graduates in Georgia on August 1st. He has already found out that he will be stationed at a base in Germany for the next 3 years. Also, the week after the wedding, my father left for Kuwait for 6 months, which is where he is now. He is due back home just in time for Christmas! 
     So with all that being said..I just want to throw out a huge THANK YOU to not only all of our brave troops fighting and sacrificing so much of the things in their lives to serve for our country... but also to the families of our soldiers. It's not easy when a family member is gone for so long, but knowing that they have the support of their loved ones is one of the biggest and best things for them. Families sacrifice so much to support their loved ones in the service... I know that all too well. So THANK YOU! 
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So here is my special post for the 4th of July. And did anyone here that I have something special coming for my Facebook fans? You might want to check that out. :<< Here's a hint. :) Hmmm.. 

Lemon Berry Pound Cake

Cake Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup flour + 1 Tbl
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries






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Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325. 
2. In bowl combine butter, sugar, eggs and lemon. Mix well

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3. Add 1 1/2 cup flour,baking powder, and salt. Then mix in milk. 
4. In seperate bowl, mix the blueberries with 1 Tbl flour, Then fold them into the batter. 

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Filling Ingredients
2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
2 Tbl corn starch
1 Tbl sugar

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Directions
Over medium heat, place strawberries, corn starch and sugar in a saucepan. Use a fork or potato masher to smash the strawberries. (This may take a few minutes.) Bring the mix to a simmer and let cook for 1 minute. Continue to stir and smash so it doesn't burn.  When it is thick and slightly chunky take off the heat and set aside.

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Assembly
1. Spray a bunt pan with baking spray (or use the butter and flour trick). 
2. In the bottom of the pan, pour half the blueberry cake mix..

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3. Spoon your smashed strawberry mix into the middle of your cake, all the way around. But stay in the middle so it remains as a filling! (It's ok if you don't use all the filling)

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4. Pour on the remainder of your blueberry cake batter to seal in your filling. 
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and baked through. Don't forget to turn your pan halfway through the bake time!
6. Let cool, and make your glaze.

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Lemon Glaze
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
3 Tbl lemon juice

Directions: In a small bowl, use a fork to mix these ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle over your cake. Enjoy! 

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If you haven't already please go and 'like' my facebook page! It's a great way to keep with with new recipes, posts, and giveaways! You can also follow me on pinterest and pin all of my recipes to your boards to try later. 
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to comment below, or contact me through email or my facebook page! I look forward to hearing from you! 

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy 4th of July! 

 
Hello, hello everyone! I know, it has been a long while since I have posted anything. Hopefully I was missed! Let me fill you in on what's been going on. First off, if any of my faithful followers can recall my last post (Valentine's Day) you know that my darling Brent proposed! Well... after a couple days of debating on a wedding date, we found out that my dad was to be deployed overseas (He's in the national guard) at the end of May. 
So needless to say, we planned a wedding in 3 months. (NOT EASY.) I am now Mrs. Brent Caudel and I couldn't be happier. :D I have been married for 1 week... so it's time to get back to work. :) (btw... wedding pics to be posted soon!)
Ok, so I figured for my first post back... I kind of really owe you guys something good. So, I am presenting you guys with not 1... but 2 of my new recipes! ANNDD, the first recipe I have for you happens to be my very first dinner post! I'm excited and i'm sure you guys are just here for recipes... so lets just get to it, shall we? :) 

Recipe #1: Hawaiian Chicken

Ingredients:
6 thin sliced chicken breast, thawed
1- 20 can chunk pikeapple
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbl Worcestershire
2/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbl Chili Powder
1 tsp salt
3 Tbl cornstarch 
1/4 cup hot water
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Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. 
Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Lay chicken in bottom of the dish. Drain pineapple chunks but KEEP THE JUICE! Sprinkle chunks over the chicken breast, set aside.

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In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add soy sauce, Worcestershire, ketchup, brown sugar, chili powder, and salt. Stir and let come to simmer. In a separate bowl, mix corn starch with hot water with a fork until fully combined. Set aside. When sauce pan simmers, add corn starch mixture. Stir and let simmer for 2-3 more minutes until thick. 
Remove from heat. Pour over chicken. 

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Place your Hawaiian chicken in the oven. Let bake for 45-50 minutes, turning pan halfway through bake time. I served mine with rice and salad. :) Enjoy! 

Recipe #2: Pina Colada Cupcakes (about 18 cupcakes)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup cake flour
1 1/3 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening (I used Crisco)
1 cup Pina Colada drink mixer
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained

For Icing:
1- 8oz pkg cream cheese (room temp)
1 stick unsalted butter (room temp)
2 tsp vanilla
6 cups powdered sugar
shredded coconut
maraschino cherries (optional)
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Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a cupcake pan with liners and set aside. 









In mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix in shortening until it resembles fine crumbs. Mix in drink mixer, vanilla, and eggs only until combined. Fold in crushed pineapple. 

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Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes, rotating halfway through bake time. Let cool.

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For the icing, mix the butter, cream cheese and vanilla until creamy. Add powdered sugar and mix well. Top your cooled cup cakes with icing, sprinkle on some coconut and add a cherry if you choose. I put little drink straws in mine.. however little umbrellas would be super cute! Enjoy! 

If you haven't already please go and 'like' my facebook page! It's a great way to keep with with new recipes, posts, and giveaways! You can also follow me on pinterest and pin all of my recipes to your boards to try later. 
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to comment below, or contact me through email or my facebook page! I look forward to hearing from you! 
 
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Hey everyone! So it's obviously been far too long since my last post! Lots of family issues and moving. I would like to please ask everyone to keep Brent and his family in your prayers, due to his father passing away. That was the roughest part of this past month, but Brent seems to be doing alright, but its never easy losing someone you're close too. Especially so unexpectedly. 
Also.. While we're on the subject of Brent, I am sooo happy to announce to you that Brent and I and ENGAGED! It was a Happy (early) Valentine's Day present to me. Pics of the ring will be posted as soon as I get it back. It's being re-sized and I should have it back on Valentine's day. :) 

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Now... because of moving and all.. most of my baking supplies have been packed away for the last month. Now that we're starting (trying!) to get settled into the new place, I'm pulling it all back out! FINALLY! And since it's just in time for Valentine's day, I came up with something very special for you to make for that sweetie in your life! Nothing say's "I love you" more something handmade from the heart. <3 And (in my opinion) the most romantic food I can think of is chocolate covered strawberries. So.. here is the run down on this super sexy and delicious dessert. :)

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  • Soft, moist chocolate sponge cake
  • Whipped filling, made with fresh strawberries and heavy cream.
  • Super simple, milk chocolate ganache that is perfectly smooth and delicious. 


Doesn't that sound perfect? It is. I hope you guys enjoy this, and I hope your sweetie enjoys this, as much as me and my fiance did. :D 

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Heart Cake 

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Chocolate Sponge Cake
adapted from here

Ingredients:
8 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa

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Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325
2. Line 2- 8 inch square pans with wax paper. Set aside.
3. Put egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until foamy. 
4. Gradually add the sugar and beat until you have stiff peaks.
5. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. 
6. In a small bowl mix together the flour and cocoa. Add it to your egg and sugar mix and USE A SPATULA TO FOLD INTO MIX. 
7. Spread evenly into the 2 prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating halfway through bake time. (while baking you can make your filling )
8. As soon as you pull it from the oven, immediately take it out of the pans too cool.  
9. When completely cooled, use a heart shaped cookie cutter cut an even number of hearts from the cake. 

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Fresh Whipped Strawberry Filling
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
1 Tbl cornstarch
1 Tbl sugar
1 cup heavy cream
another 1 Tbl sugar
1 tsp vanilla

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Directions:
1. In a sauce pan, over medium heat, add the strawberries, cornstarch, and 1 Tbl sugar.
2. Use a fork to mash the ingredients together. 
3. Bring to a simmer and let cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside to completely cool.
4. In a mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream, 1 Tbl sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks from. 
5. Add cooked strawberries to cream and use a spatula to fold it all together. Set aside. 

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Chocolate Ganache
1 cup heavy cream
9 oz. (2/3 of a 12 oz bag) of chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

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Directions:
In a sauce pan over medium heat bring the cream to a simmer, whisking frequently to keep from scorching. When the cream simmers, add the chocolate chips and whisk together until smooth and melted. Let simmer for 1 minute, whisking frequently. Remove from heat and mix in vanilla. Let sit for 5 minutes before using. 

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ASSEMBLY
Take your delicious, chocolate hearts and make a sandwich with your strawberry filling. Top with your smooth chocolate ganache. Garnish with a chocolate covered strawberry, and enjoy a romantic evening with your sweetie. :) Or you know, if you happen to be single this Valentine's day that's ok too! Don't you think you deserve to show yourself a little love? Come on! Enjoy and indulge. <3

If you haven't already please go and 'like' my facebook page! It's a great way to keep with with new recipes, posts, and giveaways! You can also follow me on pinterest and pin all of my recipes to your boards to try later. 
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to comment below, or contact me through email or my facebook page! I look forward to hearing from you! 

 
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Happy New Year everyone! So sorry you all haven't heard from me in so long, but I'm been fighting off some really bad bugs. Comes with the time of year, I suppose. But I am doing much better now, I'm back to work and back to baking! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I was so grateful to spend time with my family (even though I feel asleep for like, 5 hours.. lol) But now.. Now it's already time to greet 2013 in! 

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How do you ring in the new year? A kiss with that special person? Fireworks? A toast? Well, why not ring it in with the tastiest way possible... CUPCAKES. These cupcakes turned out sooooo much better than I thought they would, and I can not wait to share this recipe with you! Here is the recipe that I adapted mine from. 

Red Moscato Champagne Cupcakes with Red Moscato Cream Cheese Frosting

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Cupcakes
Ingredients:
2/3 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 3/4 cup cake flour
1 Tbl. baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup Red Moscato Champagne, room temp
6 egg whites

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Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. Prepare cupcake pan with liners. 
3. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. Add flour mix to creamed mixture alternately with champagne. Mix well. Set aside.
6. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
7. Fold into batter, but don't over mix. 








8. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. 
9. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating halfway though bake time. 
10. Let cool. :) 

Frosting
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1-8oz pkg cream cheese, room temp
1 tsp vanilla
4 Tbl Red Moscato Champagne
6 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
1. In large mixing bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese together. 
2. Add vanilla and champagne. Mix well.
3. Mix in powdered sugar. 
4. Top off your cupcakes. 
5. Wait for midnight, and toast in the new year! :) 
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I wish you all the best of luck for 2013! If you haven't yet please like my facebook page to stay up to date on my blog posts and giveaways! I do love giveaways. :) Also, feel free to follow me on pinterest and pin my recipes to your boards to try later. If you have any questions or comments for me please feel free to comment below, message me on here, or get ahold of me through my facebook page! I love hearing from people. :) 
Have a wonderful New Year everyone! :D See you in 2013!

 
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Hey everyone! I'm super excited about my post today because today I am announcing the winners to my Double Giveaway! But.. before I get to the winners, my beautiful niece, Emily, was here today to help with with a new recipe! 
The other day I was shopping at a local store when I noticed that black berries were on a great sale... And they are HUGE! So I had to get em. This is what I came up with after a little research. Enjoy! :) 

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Old fashioned BlackBerry-Orange Pudding
Ingredients:
12 oz fresh Blackberries
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbl orange zest
1 egg
1/3 cup brown sugar
6 Tbl. melted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbl fresh squeesed orange juice
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

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Directions: 
1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 6-6oz ramekins with baking spray and set aside. 
2. In a mixing bowl, gently toss your black berries, white sugar, and orange zest. Divide evenly into your ramekins. 

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3. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, orange juice, and milk. Add a little of this mix to the melted butter and mix in. Then combine it all together. (You don't want your melted butter to cook bits of your egg!)

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4. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together into the egg mix. Fold in gently (little lumps are okay.)

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5. Spoon batter evenly over the blackberries. Bake for 26-28 minutes until golden and crisp on top. You don't even have to let this cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy! 

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Now... I know you are all here mainly to find out who won the giveaway. Ok, ok. I'll quit stalling. The winners for the Double Giveaway contest are...........








Morgan Jenkins and Michelle Gardner! Congrats to you both! The winners now officially have 3 days (Friday Nov 30th) to contact me and claim their prizes before I draw another random winner to replace them. Congratulations ladies! 

If you haven't already please go and 'like' my facebook page! It's a great way to keep with with new recipes, posts, and giveaways! You can also follow me on pinterest and pin all of my recipes to your boards to try later. 
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to comment below, or contact me through email or my facebook page! I look forward to hearing from you! 
 
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Why hello, hello all of my beautiful and wonderful followers! It's the time of year that makes you realize everything that you are thankful for. I'm very thankful for my friends and family that have supported me and helped me in SOOOOO many ways. And I'm extremely thankful for all of my fans! You are the reason I do this and you help me more than you know. So thank you!!

Now for anyone that is not caught up on things, let me give you the run down! A while back I was working to get to 100 fans on my facebook page. Thanks to my good friend Jennifer, In that one night not only did I reach my 100 fan goal, but more than doubled that! I now have over 250 fans and I am just ecstatic! Now I had already planned on having a giveaway as soon as I reached the 100... but considering the circumstances I figured a DOUBLE giveaway was a better idea! Don't you agree? Now I will have a chance for 2 lucky fans to win! More on the giveaway here in a bit. But first, I have a super simple recipe for you! Enjoy! 
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Buttermilk Biscuits
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cubed
3/4 cup cold buttermilk

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Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400. 
2. In a mixing bowl sift all dry ingredients. Use a pastry blender or fork to blend butter into the mix. DO NOT USE YOUR HANDS. The heat from your hands will melt the bits of butter and it won't turn out. Also try to work fast, so the butter doesn't warm up too much. 
3. After the butter is blended in enough that it looks like little crumbles, add your buttermilk. Make sure it is super cold too. It helps! 
4. Dig in. Use your hands to mix the batter, but not completely. I only folded in the batter 5 or 6 times. IT'S OKAY if your flour and everything isn't completely blended in. (This was the hardest part for me, because I'm so used to 'mixing well' lol)
5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to push the dough together, but DON'T BLEND IT. Make your dough 3/4- 1 inch thick. 

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6. Use a biscuit cutter or a fancy schmancy cup and dip it in flour and cut your biscuits. When you need to roll the dough out again just sort of smash it all together without mixing it anymore. When I got 5 biscuits cut out, I used the last of the batter and shaped the last biscuit by hand. 
7. Place biscuits on a greased pan or a baking pan lined with parchment paper. 
8. Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating halfway through bake time until golden on top. 
9. Remove from oven and let cool. Then smoother it with some Maple Pumpkin Butter. Yummmm.. Oh.. you don't know how to make that? Well let me tell you!! 

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Maple Pumpkin Butter
1- 15oz can of pureed pumpkin
2/3 cup maple syrup
2 Tbl. sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Directions
In a sauce pan add all of these ingredients, and cook over medium heat. Stir constantly for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Eat. On. Everything. 

Yes. It is that easy. :) This would be perfect for a quick Thanksgiving breakfast! 

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Now that we got that out of the way... let's get back to what I know everyone is really excited about... Double giveaway!! Okay.. here's the prizes that are up for grabs. Both packages will include a surprise package from Tupperware. I absolutely LOVE the Tupperware I use in my kitchen! And most Tupperware items have a LIFETIME WARRANTY. The prize packs will also each include a set of homemade recipe cards, plus a small surprise will be in each package. :D
How to Enter
1. 'Like' my facebook page, if you haven't already.
2. Share my facebook page onto yours. 
3. Comment on this blog post. 

Simple as that! I hope to get a TON of entries, so invite your friends to try and win too! 
The contest will be closed for submission at 10 pm (central time) on Monday November 26th. The winners will be notified on the following Tuesday and will have 3 days to contact me and claim their prize before another winner will be chosen to replace them. 
Each person is only allowed 1 entry. Anyone found trying to double enter will be disqualified. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me! 
Good luck everyone! 

 
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Hey everyone! I hope everyone is doing well! I'm so excited! Thanks to my good friend Jennifer at the Mom2moms facebook page, We not only reached my 100-like goal on my facebook page, we doubled that! I'm not sitting at a little over 260 likes! I'm beyond grateful for everyone's support and I can't wait to hear from all of you! 

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So, in honor of all my new 'likes', that are mostly from the Mom2moms fan page, I decided to do a recipe that would be easy for you to do with your kids! I however, do not have any kids (yet).. So instead, I have my beautiful 3 year old niece, Emily, here to help me! So here it goes! 

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Pumpkin Pie Bars
Preheat oven to 350. 
Crust:
Approx. 2 cups of crushed ginger snaps (about 30 or so) 
6 Tbl. melted butter

Directions: To crush ginger snaps, either put them through a food processor, or do what I did and throw them in a gallon size zip lock and let the kiddos have at it with a rolling pin. (Emily seems to have a lot of anger for a 3 year old. lol). Mix crushed cookies in a bowl with melted butter. Press into the bottom of an 8'' square pan. 

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Filling:
1 (15oz) can of pumpkin
1 (12oz) can of evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla

Directions: In a mixing bowl, mix all ingredients. (Easy enough, right? lol) Pour over your crust. Bake for 45-50 minutes, rotating halfway through bake time. Let completely cool. 

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Whipped Topping
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbl powdered sugar

Directions: Mix with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Top off your delicious pumpkin bars. :) Enjoy! 

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For anyone that hasn't yet, please go like my facebook page! It's a super easy and great way to keep up on my blog posts and giveaways! Speaking of giveaways... I believe I promised a giveaway once I reached 100 fans on my facebook page. And as I stated before.. I'm way past that now! SO... I'm thinking that I will do 2 giveaways this go around! I will post up details on that in the next couple days, so keep an eye out for it! 
Also you can follow my pinterest page, and pin all of my recipes onto your boards! 
If you have any questions or comments for me, please feel free to comment below, send me a message, or contact me through my facebook page. I look forward to hearing from you guys! 
Happy Baking! 
-Jenni

 
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Well, here I am again! Another delicious recipe for you. :) First, let me say, that today was just not my day. You know if you wake up late for work in the morning, then the whole day feels like you're trying to play catch-up? Well that's what happened today. Everything was going wrong. So.. I did NOT expect these to turn out... but they definitely did! And they are excellent! Maple is another one of those flavors you just can't pass up in the fall... at least I can't. lol Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy them! 

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Maple Walnut Blondies
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
Pinch of salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
1 egg, well beaten
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup white chocolate chips (optional of course... but sooooo good)

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Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Spray an 8'' square baking pan with baking spray (or do the old fashioned butter and flour routine. Spraying is easier. lol)
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and brown sugar together. 
4. Create a well in the middle.


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5. Put melted butter, beaten egg, and syrup in middle of well. 
6. Whisk in just until combined. 
7. Add walnuts and white chocolate chips and fold in gently. 
8. Spread into baking pan evenly. 

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9. Bake for 20-23 minutes, rotating halfway through
10. Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting, top with maple butter sauce (recipe below.:) ) and/or ice cream. Enjoy! 

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Maple Butter Sauce
Ingredients:
6 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
dash of salt 
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

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Directions:
In a saucepan, add butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly. Simmer for 1 minute. Add cream and walnuts, bring to simmer for 1 more minute and remove from heat. Top off your blondies. :) 

If you haven't yet, please go 'like' my facebook page! I'm sitting now at 93 likes.. and once I reach 100 I'll be doing another give away! Who doesn't love free stuff, right? Also feel free to follow my pinterest page.. I post all my recipes there so you can add them to you're boards to try later! 
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to message me, comment below, or get ahold of me through my facebook page! I love hearing for you guys! 
Happy Baking! 
-Jenni
 
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Hey guys! Happy Halloween!!  How is everyone doing? I have been super busy, as always. Let me catch you up on a couple things. First of all... a couple weeks ago something pretty huge happened for me! The local bakery that I work at,  Pinch of Sugar, started selling some of my homemade candies! Just peanut butter cups for now.. but I'm hoping that before Christmas I will be selling multiple kinds of candies there! I'm so excited about it. :) So if you're around town anytime soon, swing in and buy some of my handmade candies and a cupcake too! :) 
Also yesterday my roommates and I held our Halloween party! Soooo much fun! We had a some snacks.. ya know, some cupcakes, a cheese ball, spaghetti, lots of candy, and some awesome punch. Brent, the two Heather's, and I dressed as a mob family. Hopefully I'll get a pic of all of us up soon. :) 

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Anyways, enough about me and my life. Lets get to the real story here. CHEESECAKE. And not just any cheesecake. This cheese cake has a dark chocolate cookie crust, cream vanilla cheesecake with an out-of-this-world raspberry filling, and a dark chocolate drizzle on top. Yes. Yes it is as amazing as it sounds. YUMMMM... This is a 4 part recipe: crust, cheesecake, filling, drizzle. Lets get started shall we?:)  

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
Preheat oven to 350.
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Filling
12 oz fresh raspberries (leave a couple aside for garnish if you'd like)
4 tsp corn starch
1 Tbl sugar


Directions:
In a sauce pan add all 3 ingredients and turn the the heat on medium to medium high. Use a for to smash strawberries into a sauce. Bring the filling to a boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Set aside. 

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Cheesecake
2 pkg cream cheese, room temp
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients, and mix until cream. Set aside. 

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Crust
1 package dark chocolate cookies (I used the new Keebler's Dark Chocolate Fudge Striped Cookies
5 Tbl butter, melted
Directions:
Crush all of the cookies. You can use a food processor if you like, I used a gallon sized zip lock bag and a rolling pin. Pour cookie crumbs into a bowl, add the melted butter and mix. Set aside. 

Assembly
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Use wet hands to press cookies into the bottom of a 9'' spring form pan.

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Pour half of cheesecake batter over crust. Spread out evenly.

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Spread raspberry filling evenly over cheesecake batter.

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Spread remaining cheesecake batter on top. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes, rotating halfway through the bake time. When done, allow it to completely cool. 

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To make the chocolate drizzle, melt 1/2 teaspoon of butter and 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips together. Put into a small zip lock bag and snip off a small part of the corner with scissors. Drizzle your pretty designs on top of your cheesecake and garnish with a few fresh raspberries. Have fun impressing everyone with this! Don't worry, they don't have to know how easy it is. lol

Have you checked out my facebook page yet? You should! Its a great way to keep up with blog posts and giveaways! 
Also follow my pinterest page
If you have any questions or comments please get feel free to message me, leave a comment below, or contact me through my facebook page!  

Happy Baking! And Happy Halloween!! 
 
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Hello to everyone again! I hope you all have been enjoying the fall weather as much I have been. :) I cannot express how much I just love this time of year. The beautiful leaves, the heavenly smells, the addicting flavors... AHH I love it!      Anyways... I have a recipe for you! 
Nothing says fall the same way that baked apples do. And these aren't just regular baked apples... they are SUPER STUFFED with oats and cranberries and some of those amazing spices we all love this time of year. Ready? Here we go! 

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Jenni's Super Stuffed Baked Apples
Ingredients:
6 regular sized granny smith apples
4 Tbs butter, at room temp
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1/3 cup pecan pieces 
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

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Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. 
In a medium mixing bowl, add all ingredients except apples. Use a spoon to make sure it is all mixed well and butter is thoroughly mixed in. Set aside.
Core your apples, if you have an apple corer... obviously this is ideal. However I do not. So I used a paring knife. DO NOT PIERCE THE BOTTOM OF THE APPLE! You need to keep it in tact to hold all the goods. :) Sprinkle lemon juice over the apples to keep them from browning.

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Take your filling and divide it evenly between the 6 apples. For an added touch I put about a teaspoon of caramel on top of each apple. Place apples in a baking dish (I used a 9'' round baking pan). Put about a 1/2 inch of water in the bottom of the pan. Cover in foil and bake for 35 minutes. Take foil off of pan and bake for 10 more minutes to brown the tops.
Serve with ice cream drizzled with caramel and you've got a super simple dessert that everyone is going to love and be impressed with! 

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Happy Baking! :) 
-Jenni