Nutella Fudge Pops

K insisted we do a photo with a bite out of it.  He's so darn cute...

These Nutella fudge pops are sooooo good.  I have seen this recipe cycling through pinterest for a while now and put it on my list to make, because 1) it looked delicious and 2) much lower in calories/fat than ice cream.  I tracked down a good recipe on Chocolate Covered Katie.  There are a few versions with cream in them, which I am sure adds to the deliciousness, but as I was going for the lower fat version I had to find one without the sugar and cream. 

The 'ice cream' turns out very creamy, almost like soft serve.  It was too tempting not to eat right out of the food processor, but we also froze it, and made our own little fudge pops.  I will for sure make these again.  They totally satiated my ravenous 8 PM craving for dessert.

And...check out how easy this recipe is...

NUTELLA FUDGE POPS

3 frozen bananas

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/2c choc-hazelnut butter (Nutella)

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

tiny pinch salt

Blend all ingredients until super-smooth. (We used a food processor, and we thawed the bananas a tiny bit so they’d blend.) Eat as ice cream, or scoop into popsicle molds (or paper cups) and freeze for fudgsicles.

Deliciousness!!

Portland Coffee Cake

I have a confession.  I am an addict.  I am totally, and utterly, addicted to Starbuck's Portland coffee cake.  I love it so much, I would eat it every morning if I could.  I even dream about it.  Recently a co-worker made a copycat recipe that turned out ah-mazing, so amazing that I decided I needed to do a little recon to find the recipe for myself.   I found a Starbucks Portland Coffee cake recipe here and decided to give it a go. 

Cake batter

Batter with topping, pre-baked

Just like Starbucks :)

Topping

1 c flour

1 c light brown sugar packed

1/2 c butter softened

1tsp cinnamon

Cake
1 cup butter softened

3/4 c light brown sugar packed

1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 c milk

preheat oven 325°

Make topping by combining flour w/brown sugar, stick of butter and cinnamon in medium bowl. Mixture should have consistency of moist sand.

In large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, sugar w/mixer til smooth and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and mix well

In a Separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt. Add dry mixture to moist ingredients, a little at a time. Add milk and mix well. Spoon batter into 9 x 13 pan, buttered and dusted with light coating of flour.

Sprinkle crumb topping over batter, be sure topping completely covers batter. Bake cake for 50 mins or until edges begin to turn light brown. 

My tips for this recipe after making it:

This recipe could be easily halved.  Also, you could use an 8 x 10, make the same amount of cake mixture and just us half the topping to cut out some calories.  Adjust baking time accordingly.

 I always stick a small oven proof bowl of water in the oven anytime I bake to be sure to keep my baked goods moist. 

Not sure after watching 2 whole sticks of butter go into this recipe that I can realistically excuse myself to have this more than once a week, or maybe even only as a treat.  Now I know why it is so good, and addicting.  TWO STICKS of butter.  Sigh.

S'More Bars!!!

via

I made these S'Mores Cookie Bars this week and they were ah-mazing!!  The recipe is super easy, a good portion of the ingredients most of us have on hand, and they were so good.  When these babies come right out of the oven and they are all gooey, they are super gluttonous.  They are also equally amazing cooled with a glass of milk.  Prep time for the cookie bars is 10 minutes or less, depending on your baking skills. 



Smore's Cookie  Bars

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (approximately 7 full graham crackers)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king sized Milk Chocolate Bars (Or if you are feeling extra chocolatey 2 FAMILY size bars ;)

1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. Two 5 oz. Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread marshmallow fluff evenly over the chocolate layer.

Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff. This is most easily done by putting the second half of the dough in a gallon size freezer bag. Use your palms to flatten it out, and then use scissors to cut down both long sides of the bag, so it will open up book-style. Open it up carefully, and the dough will stick on one side of the bag. Then place the bag, dough side down, on the other three layers. From there peel the bag up ad spread the dough where it is uneven.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars

Makes 16 cookie bars.



Merry Christmas! Let's Eat!

Candied Coconut Sweet Potatoes

Cranberry Orange Sauce

Oreo Truffles

Butterscotch Pudding Monkey Bread

 I love to try new recipes, especially around the holidays.  There is nothing like a new dish to break up the usual holiday fare.  Lucky for me I work with some fantastic ladies who have some great recipes and provided me with some inspiration for my Christmas Eve meal for K's family. 

I can credit Jillian (from the Holiday Dresses a go-go post) for the sweet potato and monkey bread recipes.  This was the first time I made the sweet potatoes and they turned out awesome! Creamy, sweet potatoes smothered in sugary coconut -- borderline dessert fare here.  The kiddos especially loved them. 

The monkey bread I have made in the past, and K keeps asking me to make it again.  After discussing that I needed to create my own holiday traditions at home, Jillian recommended I give these a go.  This is Jillian's recipe again (minus nuts) from the link under the photo.  I have decided these yummy rolls will be a new Christmas morning tradition.  They are the perfect warm, comforting, and delicious breakfast to devour before opening presents!  And super easy to make, too.

My friend Audra brought the cranberry sauce to a recent holiday potluck at work and it was a major hit.  I decided I would make it for Christmas Eve dinner and it was super easy.  There is a BIG difference between canned and homemade cranberries.  The orange adds a sweetness, the cranberries are still tart, with a cinnamon hint.  So good!

And the Oreo truffles...we have a love hate relationship.  Love to make these, everyone always raves about them, and they couldn't be easier or turn out cuter.  The problem!?  I can't stop eating them.  I will eat myself silly on these...and then push it beyond silly into food coma.  But oh so delicious!

Christmas dinner this year will be at home, small, and very simple.   It is going to be just the two of us. K and I will have honey baked ham, mashed potatoes & gravy, candied sweet potatoes, broccoli, rolls, and apple blossoms for dessert.  And for breakfast - Monkey Bread, hot cocoa, fresh fruit, and Oreo truffles (if there are any left) :)  In between the eating we will exchange gifts, open stockings, and relax in our Christmas jammies.

I hope that this Christmas brings you many blessings, laughs, hugs, tears of joy, and a few spoilings from loved ones.  Don't forget to slow down and enjoy every moment.  Remember to laugh with  your family (or at them sometimes) and always tell them you love them.  Celebrate the little things.  Let's enjoy our Christmas holiday and hopefully time away from work!!!

Feliz Navidad!



Quick and Easy Pre-Holiday Dinner

Even though I don't view myself as someone who has a totally packed holiday schedule, or who has a million and one things to do, I still find myself feeling like the days are rushing by me this month.  Time is just passing me by and I feel like I can't get anything accomplished.  I have noticed lately that K has been aimlessly wandering around the kitchen a lot more, and grumblings of "I'm hungry" can be heard.  I can chalk this up to the fact that I am cooking far less and spending more time shopping at the mall than at the grocery store.  He is totally fine to fend for himself but it makes me feel good to cook him a warm, homemade meal. 

So tonight I whipped up this quick dinner in approximately 35 minutes with about 5 minutes of prep time.  I bought 2 boneless pork chops, put them into foil packets (just take aluminum foil and make little pouches) with a small pat of butter, some Worcestershire, and covered the chops in Nature's Seasoning.   Put the packets on a pan and put into the oven on 375 degrees for 35 mins.  Then I chopped up 4 medium/large red potatoes and about 1/4 lb Brussel sprouts.  Coated them in olive oil and then sprinkled a packet of Onion Soup over them.  Then I put them on a pan and into the oven with the chops for the remaining 25 mins.  I can thank my friend Jillian for the onion soup idea.  This is the first time I have used onion soup for roasting vegetables but it turned out great!  Simple, easy, and deliciouso!

Pre-roasted sprouts and potatoes, coated in onion soup mix.

We enjoyed some hard apple cider with dinner.  I love these little glasses from Sur la Table.  Ottimista and Pessimista - the optimist and the pessimist.

Simple Dinner. 
My camera just doesn't take good photos of food.  The meat always looks pale and gross.  Sorry.  The food tasted WAY better than it looks in this photo.

Dessert - Peppermint ice cream with mint Oreos crushed on top.  A little at home Cold Stone going on!

Zuppa Toscana

I followed a recipe for the copycat version of Olive Gardens 'Zuppa Toscana' tonight and it turned out exactly like the real thing.  Here is the recipe (I made a half batch which resulted in about 5 full bowls).  Serve with crusty bread!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground Italian sausage
• 1½ tsp crushed red peppers
• 1 large diced white onion
• 4 Tbsp bacon pieces
• 2 tsp garlic puree
• 10 cups water
• 5 cubes of chicken bouillon
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
• ¼ of a bunch of kale

1. Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
2. In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.
3. Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.
4. Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.
5. Add the heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through and serve. Delicious!