Pumpkin Pancakes

It's the fall season and that means baking season has also officially begun!! Here is a recipe for some delicious, fluffy pumpkin (chocolate chip) pancakes that you're just going to love!

Ingredients line up:

2 cups wheat flour
1 T baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 - 1/2 cup white sugar (depending on what your taste buds want)
2 eggs
1 1/2 evaporated milk (1 - 12 oz can) ((or can use milk))
1 T olive oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup pure canned pumpkin purée
Optional chocolate chips
Cooking spray, or butter to keep the cakes from sticking



Directions:

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large/medium bowl.

Then in a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs first, followed by the remaining wet ingredients.

Combine wet and dry into one bowl. Add in desired amount of chocolate chips. Add more cinnamon/whatever spiced you'd like, if needed.

Scoop batter in onto skillet that's been heated up to MEDIUM HEAT. Wait until you see a few bubbles, then flip.

Enjoy!

ONE banner.

So, I have been busy getting ready for my baby boy's first birthday party... doing a little bit at a time (it's the beginning of June) I made this super easy "ONE" banner - I am not sure where I am going to put it yet. Thinking of maybe on a wagon on the way into the party, or on his highchair...what do you think??

It really is the easiest thing - make a quick template of what shape you want the banner flags to be. I always seem to do triangles so I tried to mix it up a little bit. I just used cardstock to cut the shape I wanted and then cut out 3 flags. Then just simply use stamps or stencils to write one letter on each banner - and wahla! Add any color ribbon you desire and you are done! SERIOUSLY, 5 minutes! If you haven't noticed that's about the only kind of projects I take on, EASY EASY ones :) Can't wait until the little Mister's Birthday Party!

What I Am Eating For Breakfast...

For the past couple of months my breakfast routine has been basically the same: quick oats with 1% milk, honey, cinnamon, and flax seeds.

A few weeks ago, I moved out of my parent's home and into a house in Gilbert with roommates. Needless to say, I don't have as many baking materials as I would like anymore! I am steadily rebuilding my supply so I can keep up on the blog, and doing what I love! Slowly but surely, I will have a hefty stash like parent's established pantry... But for now, I will work with what I have.

So back to breakfast...

On my last Walmart trip, I decided to add some spice to my usual breakfast regime. In my life, food really does make me happy. That is a simple statement, but it is SO TRUE! I get excited for food, I plan and look forward to everything I get to prepare and eat, and I love sharing my foodly joy :) Adding some new breakfast variety to my days would only parallel me moving out of my house - new house, new breakfast! It only makes sense.. Obviously..

It makes me happy.

Here's the facts about my most recent breakfast. I'll tell you exactly how I have it. I love it this breakfast! A new fave and "go-to" breakfast for me for sure.




Cereal:
Nature's Path Organic Flax Plus Mulitbran Flakes. $3 a box at Walmart.110 calories per 3/4 cup. Tasty and filling but doesn't weigh heavy in your stomach after eating it.

Flaxseeds:
Can be bought at Walmart or any health foods store. I bought mine at Sprouts. Approximately 3/4 tsp. They are rich in soluble and insoluble fiber, vitamin B and other minerals, as well as omega-3 fatty acids. Very good for you! Eat up. The cereal already has flaxseed in it, but I wanted more in my diet. Really, flax is fantastic.

Almond Milk:
I purchased one at Walmart for around $3 and had only 60 calories per cup. Almond milk is lactose and cholesterol free, and has more calcium than regular milk.

Honey:
60 calories per tablespoon. I put about 1/3 T with my cereal. Agave would also be great.

Vanilla:
Since I bought the NON vanilla almond milk because it was more expensive, I decided to invest in quality vanilla. I will use it in the future anyways. I added one drop to my bowl of cereal and it was PERFECT! There is nothing like the essence vanilla brings to a dish.

Cinnamon:
I added a few quick shakes from my bottle of ground cinnamon. The health benefits of cinnamon are also great - it has an anti clogging effect on blood and can help lower LDL levels.

Strawberries:
On sale at Walmart for $1.94 :) Yum. Packed with nutrients and antioxidants like vitamin C.

Peanut Butter Sheetcake

I come across a lot of recipes on Pinterest, and this one I just HAD to try. And let me tell you.... I'm glad I did.

This recipe comes from www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com. It's an awesome site, and obviously I need to try more of these recipes if they're going to turn out anywhere near as satisfying as this PB sheetcake! On the website, it's lxisted under "How peanut butter can help you get pregnant... Peanut Butter Sheet Cake". She talks about how here sister and her husband have a difficult time getting pregnant so her doctor told her that she needed to consume A LOT of calories. Wish my doctor had a good reason to tell me that! Ha.

But seriously. If you love peanut butter, or even like it just a little bit, make this sheet cake!! I am willing to bet my bottom dollar that this is the most tasty peanut butter cake I have ever had. By far.


Recipe (copied from her website):

Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

by Nina Jones

Mix in pan and bring to a boil:
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter

Mix together the following and add to the above mixture:
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda

Mix and add to the above mixture:
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

Stir well and pour into greased or parchment lined cookie sheet pan (jellyroll pan). Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Frosting
Mix in pan and bring to a boil:
3/4 cup butter
6 Tbsp buttermilk
1/2 cup peanut butter
Take off stove and add:
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp vanilla. Pour over warm cake.

St Patricks Banner

Since GREEN is my favorite color and we are (some part) Irish...

I do love St Patrick's Day!

This banner took 5 minutes - which is my kind of crafting these days. I used bits of scrapbook paper left overs, small doileys, tulle, and sticker letters :) Super fancy, I know.

The finished product!

P.S. My husband Justin made this bench

(from an old headboard) for his mom for Christmas this year - he did awesome!!

one of his many "First St Patricks Day" Pictures

Oatey White Chocolate and Carob Chip Cookies

First off, I would just like to apologize for the lateness of this recipe I am about to post. I had meant to get it up this past Saturday, and spent over an hour typing up everything so nicely on my phone, only to have it all be DELETED :( It was sad.. So, I am going to put up just the recipe minus everything that I wanted to say about it, ha. I brought these cookies to a party at a friend's house, and they were the only food item that got completely eaten up.. just saying..

Here it is ---

Ingredients:

1 c. Brown Sugar

1 c. White Sugar

1 c. Butter

2 Eggs

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 c. Oats, or Quick Oats (put them in a separate bowl and grind them up between your fingers so they still have some of their shape, but more flour-y)

2 c. Flour

3/4 c. White Chocolate Chips

3/4 c. Carob Chips (I got mine at Sprout's)

Oven @ 400 degrees for 8-10

Directions:

Cream butter, sugar, eggs. Add the rest of the ingredients in order. Stir in the chips. Shape into golfball sized balls and bake until lightly brown on top and still a little doughy.

Cold Peanut Butter Pie!

Have you ever been a victim of the Sweet Tooth?
Have you ever wished that you could have an easy pie to make that would satisfy that devil Sweet Tooth of yours sooo good?
Have you ever had the stream of thoughts that say, "I need something creamy, peanut buttery, chocolately, smooooth, graham cracker crust-y.... Want in my mouth..... Immediately...."?


Are you a woman with sweet tasting needs?


Then this recipe is for YOU! And it has fulfilled ALL of my sweet needs and I KNOW it can fill yours, too!p






List of Ingredients

3 1/2 c. Whole Nilla Wafers
2 sleeves Honey Graham Crackers
1 c. Melted Butter
1/4 c. Sugar
----
2 c. Chocolate chips, melted (one 11.5 oz. bag)
1/2 c. Heavy Whipping Cream (a 16 oz bottle will fulfill the needs of this recipe)
----
2 c. Creamy Peanut Butter
6 oz. Softened Cream Cheese
1 c. Powdered Sugar
1 - 14 oz. Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 c. Milk
1 T. Vanilla


1) Mash up or food process the graham crackers, nilla wafers, sugar, and melted butter all together. Press down nice and good in a 9x13 inch pan. Bake @ 350• for 12-15 minutes.

2) Melt the chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl in the microwave. Whisk in the 1/2 cup of whipping cream and pour mixture over the warm crust and smooth it over. Place pan in the freezer (or fridge) for a faster cool down

3) Mix with a kitchen-aid or hand held mixer the peanut butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, sweetened condensed milk, milk and vanilla. It's "ready" when it is smooth and has an almost fluffy texture.

4) Whip the remaining bottle of whipping cream. Fold in about 3/4 of it into the peanut butter mixture, and then pour that whole PB mix into the pan over the cooled chocolate layer. Spread the remaining 1/4 part of the whipped cream on top of the PB layer.

5) If desired, throw some crushed Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, graham crackers, Nilla Wafers, or chocolate chips over the top of the whole thing for added texture and fun. But trust me, the pie is gonna be rich and creamy enough as it is if you don't want to add any extra fluff. I personally added this layer of crushed stuff on top of the PB layer, and THEN spread the remaining whipped cream on top. This pie is pretty impossible to mess up, so just enjoy it however you want it!


*Store this pie in the freezer. It comes out of the pan without sticking, and is the perfect texture - still so creamy and not rock hard frozen solid. Seriously. I made this recipe just how I wanted and was thrilled with the way it turned out since it was my first time making my own recipe for THIS type of pie.

Jumbo Blueberry Muffins

Sometimes I get so caught up in trying to brainstorm what new kinds of recipes I can put up on the blog, I forget the simple and delicious ones that we all enjoy - like blueberry muffins.

After being given a JUMBO muffin pan with liners to fill them with this past week, I couldn't wait to use it!! So I called up my cousin Alicia who is a blueberry muffin connoisseur and asked her for some of her favorite recipes. They turned out just fantastic. They were moist, contained only basic ingredients, and looked and tasted great. Thanks Alicia!

Also, thank you 10,000 fold to the individual who gave me the pan and liners.. You know who you are, and it meant so much to me :)



Recipe:
1 1/2 c. Wheat Flour
2 c. Flour
5 tsp. Baking Powder
2 Eggs (beaten before incorporated)
1 c. Milk
2/3 c. Oil (Veg, Canola, Olive, OR use applesauce)
1 c. Honey
2 c. Blueberries


Mix wet & dry ingredients separately and then combine.
Oven @ 375 for 25-30 minutes

*Muffins are ready when they start to appear golden on the top and around the edges.


Also, don't forget that this recipe is meant for muffins that are baked in JUMBO pans!
If you are baking regular sized or mini muffins, increase heat to 400• and decrease bake times.

Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats

Sometimes, I feel like eating an entire pan of rice krispie treats.

Other times, I feel like eating just straight up cake batter.

But more often than not, I feel like eating them both at the same time because I can. And because I am a chubbs. And because we live in America, and it is our RIGHT.

They are gooood..




Recipe:
1 Stick of Butter
1 - 16 oz. Bag of Marshmallows
1 c. Cake Mix (I used Funfetti)
Sprinkles (Preferably ones where the colors won't 'run' when added)
8 c. Rice Krispies

Directions:
Melt butter over medium/low heat in a large pot. Add marshmallows. When mixture is smooth, add cake mix. Turn off stove and remove pot from heat. Add sprinkles and rice krispies. Spread onto a large cookie sheet. Top with additional sprinkles if desired for looks.

Eat uppp.

Chair Makeover

This cute chair has been "in the works" for the past 2 years. Yes, I am embarassed to say that it has taken me TWO whole years to finally finish it! I painted it this pretty green probably a year and a half a ago and it has sat in our home in a closet ever since. I purchased this chair at Goodwill for 4$ - score. ...with a little help from this cutie......it is finally finished!

Bran Muffins

If you're anything like me, you're always trying to find some way to implement "healthy" into your diet. My great friend Jacquie got me hooked on bran muffins in junior high and I've been craving them for a while - probably since I ate my health away during Christmas! These muffins do have some sugar and a little bit of butter but are also very good for you and taste amazing. The bran is loaded with fiber. Say hello to a healthier year and make these today!




Recipe:

In a small medium sized bowl combine..

2 1/2 c. All-Bran Cereal (original)
1 c. Buttermilk

*Warm up buttermilk for 30 seconds in the microwave and then pour over cereal. Let sit for 10 minutes
------
Combine, in order, in a large separate bowl the following ingredients..

2 c. (White or Wheat) Flour
1/2 c. White Sugar
1/2 c. Brown Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Soda
5 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Ginger
1 tsp. Molasses
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 eggs
1 c. Milk
1/4 c. Melted Butter

*Combine the bran/buttermilk mixture into the second mixture. Stir until just combined so you don't come out with tough muffins.

Oven 375• for 17 minutes or until muffin tops bounce when lightly pressed

Yummy served with butter and/or honey or jam!

Winners!

Well...we had a (not so) great number of entries for our first giveaway...but none the less, we have 2 winners! We used www.randomnumbergenerator.com to determine the winners.
#2 and #7 -
which means the winner for the mini cupcake maker is CAMILLE and the winner of the Christmas baking mitts is MALLORY. We will be sending you an e-mail to find out when we can deliver them to you! Thanks for playing friends and HAPPY NEW YEAR!