Fudgy Smores Bars

I set out to make butterscotch bars, and I failed miserably.  I decided to tweak the recipe I was using, and it didn’t turn out…at all.  After this failure, I was more determined than ever to create a delicious sweet treat.  However, I was out of butterscotch chips.  That’s how my Fugdy Smores Bars were born.

These bars are Fudgy and have the flavors of graham crackers and marshmallows.  They are seriously super good.  They don’t look super appetizing.  In fact, the mini marshmallows kind of scare me, but these are so delicious!

Fudgy Smores Bars

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter
• 2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 1/2 cup uncooked instant oatmeal
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

1.  Butter a 9″ X 13″ baking pan.
2.  Combine eggs, sugars, and butter in a large, heavy saucepan.
3.  Bring to a boil and cook over low for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4.  Remove from heat and add the Graham crumbs, marshmallows, coconut, and oatmeal.
5.  Spread mixture on bottom of prepared pan.
6. Chill for at least 6 hours before cutting into squares.

XOXO,

Jamie

Leftovers for lunch: veggie burrito

Hey everyone!  It’s a beautiful Saturday! Perfect weather for restoring an old Schwinn Hollywood bike which is exactly what I’ll be doing today! I’m super excited about this bike, and I’ll be sure to post pictures once it’s finished.  I’ve been so busy lately, but I did take some time to make a really yummy, super quick, microwave lunch yesterday!  I had a bunch of diced red, yellow, and orange bell peppers left over from when I made my portabella pizzas for my family.  I threw these into a burrito shell with some leftover diced onion, quesadilla cheese, and nuked it for about 1.5 minutes.  Out came my delicious veggie burrito.   I dipped it in mild sauce from taco bell.  My sisters and I always take extra packets from taco bell to keep at home- a wise trick our mother taught us

 

XOXO,

Jamie

Avena Shake

Have you all ever heard of Avena shakes?  It’s a thick morning drink popular in Latin America.  I had the pleasure of making my very first Avena Shake this morning, and it was super yummy!  As an added bonus to the yumminess factor (yes, I just said yumminess) this shake is super healthy too!  It’s high in fiber and boasts the cholesterol reducing properties of both oatmeal and cinnamon.  Now, more about cinnamon.  I love cinnamon, and lucky for me, it does lots of great things for the bod (yes, I just said bod).

10 Health Benefits of Cinnamon

courtesy of http://www.healthdiaries.com

Studies have shown that just 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower LDL cholesterol.

Several studies suggest that cinnamon may have a regulatory effect on blood sugar, making it especially beneficial for people with Type 2 diabetes.

In some studies, cinnamon has shown an amazing ability to stop medication-resistant yeast infections.

In a study published by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Maryland, cinnamon reduced the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells.

It has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.

In a study at Copenhagen University, patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.

When added to food, it inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage, making it a natural food preservative.

One study found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.

Researchers at Kansas State University found that cinnamon fights the E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices.

It is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.

Now onto pictures and recipe…

Avena Shake

via http://www.skinnytaste.com

• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup fat free milk (I used almond milk)
• 1 cup ice
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinammon

Cook oats and water in a small pot for about a minute or two, stirring often until it becomes thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and let it cool a few minutes.

In a blender add milk, sugar, cinammon. Add oats and ice. Blend on high until very smooth. Chill in refrigerator or pour in a glass over ice. Enjoy!! Makes 4 cups.

XOXO,

Jamie

Strawberry Upside Down Cake for my Best Friend’s 21st Birthday

Hi everyone!

I hope you all are having a wonderful 4th of July.  I know my friend Megan is because her 21st birthday is tomorrow!  She is having a big bash tonight, and of course, I was happy to make her a cake.  Her favorite cake is strawberry.  I wanted to do something a little unique, so I made a strawberry upside down cake.  I love pineapple upside down cake, but I’ve never had strawberry upside down cake. I was super excited to make this cake.

Unfortunately, my cake didn’t turn out as beautiful as the one on the website where I found the recipe.  You can look at how this cake should turn out at http://pieceofcakeblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/strawberry-buttermilk-upside-down-cake.html

I can only think of 2 things that possibly went wrong.  Either I didn’t boil the caramel for long enough or I didn’t whip my egg whites long enough.  I think the cake is still edible though, and it’s not too ugly, right?  Anyways, I hope Megan appreciates this cake even if it’s not completely perfect because it’s a pretty involved recipe and it was baked with lots of love!

Strawberry Buttermilk Upside-Down Cake
via http://www.pieceofcake.blogspot.com

Although this cake will keep nicely in a cake dome for a few days at room temperature, it’s best eaten the day it’s made. Serve with some unsweetened whipped cream and die of summer happiness.

Serves 8

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided

2/3 cup light brown sugar

2 pints strawberries, patted dry, hulled and halved

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs, separated

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat it to 350°F. Have ready a 9-inch nonstick cake pan. If your pan is not nonstick, spray it generously with cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, combine 4 tablespoons of the butter, the brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir over high heat until the sugar has dissolved. Boil for 2 minutes. Pour the caramel into the bottom of the cake pan and spread into an even layer. Arrange the strawberry halves over the caramel in a circular pattern, leaving little to no space between the berries.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter with the granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and the egg yolks. Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternately add the flour mixture with the buttermilk in three batches. When just a few streaks of flour remain, fold the batter by hand until smooth.

In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites and the cream of tartar to firm peaks. Stir about a quarter of the beaten whites into the batter to lighten it, then gently fold in the rest of the whites until the batter is smooth and well-blended. Pour the batter over the fruit and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting it onto a serving platter. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with unsweetened whipped cream.

XOXO,

Jamie

Banana Pancakes with PB banana butter

Darren is the most typical college guy ever.  His apartment is always a mess, and he never has any food.  I mean, I know it’s too much to ask for the healthy (and expensive-shoutout to mom for putting up with my expensive dietary staples like almond milk, organic apples, and pounds of butter to support my baking habit) foods I eat on a daily basis.  But, is it really too much to ask for any food at all?  I think not.  I starve at Darren’s apartment.  I have to prepare for a long period of famine before I come over to his apartment.  That’s where my banana pancake breakfast comes in.

I’m seriously obsessed with banana pancakes!  They are so good! Normally I top them with straight up peanut butter.  Today though, I made a fancy two ingredient peanut butter banana butter.  I bet you can’t guess what the two ingredients are.  Now onto photos and recipes…

Banana Pancakes

adapted from chocolatecoveredkatie.com

serves 2

• 2/3 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 3/4 cup milk (I used almond milk, but you can use dairy)
• dash of salt

Mix the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mash the banana and then add the other liquid ingredients. Stir the dry into the wet.  Cook pancakes in pan or on griddle.

PB banana butter

via chocolatecoveredkatie.com

• 1 medium banana
• 2 to 4 tablespoons peanut butter, depending on how pb-y you like it (or almond, cashew, walnut butter, etc.)

Procedure: Whir the two ingredients in your food processor or blender until smooth.  Leftovers can be stored in the fridge.  (If possible, it’s best to let the mixture sit for a few hours before enjoying, as the taste becomes more robust with time.)

XOXO,

Jamie

Happy Birthday to my baby sister Allie!

My little sister turned 16 today! She is such a beautiful young woman now!  Not to mention she is smart and completely hilarious.  I love my little sister!

From this…the buried one..

To this…almost licensed and ready to drive…

I’m on the left and Allie’s on the right.  She is my little mini me.  We look a lot of like!  I’m pretty happy we look alike, though, because I think Allie is so gorgeous!

To celebrate her 16th birthday, Allie requested I make her a special cake.  I made a spice cake with spice frosting and decorated it with sliced almonds, blueberries, and raspberries.  Gotta get your antioxidants in with your cake right? And as an added bonus, red and blue are 4th of July colors.  This cake would work perfectly for any 4th of July celebration.  Anyways, I’m super happy with how this cake turned out.  I hope Allie loves it as much as I do.  I wish her many more wonderful birthdays to come!

Spice Cake

via allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup milk
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened until easily spreadable
• 2 cups dark brown sugar

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a metal or disposable foil 9-by-13-inch pan. Whisk dry ingredients and spices in a large bowl. Mix milk, eggs and vanilla extract in a 2-cup measuring cup.
2. Beat softened butter into dry ingredients, first on low, then medium, until mixture forms pebble-sized pieces. Add about 1/3 of the milk mixture and beat on low until smooth. Add remaining milk mixture in two stages; beat on medium speed until batter is just smooth. Add the sugar; beat until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Pour batter into cake pan.
3. Bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the cake’s center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Set pan on a wire rack; let cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the pan perimeter and turn cake onto rack. Let cool.

Spice Frosting

via http://www.whatmegansmaking.com

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 to 1 Tablespoon whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blend butter, sugar and spices. Stir in cream and vanilla. Beat until frosting is smooth, light and fluffy. Add additional sugar and/or cream until icing has the desired taste and texture.

XOXO,

Jamie