However, Luna bars are so expensive! $5.50 for a box of six? No thanks, I’ll pass. Wanting to enjoy the deliciousness of Luna bars but still wanting to save money, I looked up how to make my own. Needless to say, I was slightly disappointed when I found only three or four recipes, and nearly all were variations of the same one sourced to Chocolate Covered Katie.  Not only that, they contained ingredients that were hard to find or I hadn’t heard of- Agave isn’t something I usually have around my house, and I had never even heard of brown rice syrup.

So I decided to create my own, with simple ingredients you probably already have sitting around your pantry, or can just run over to your basic, non- specialty grocery store for. That place down the street that’s even simpler than Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.

Honey, Rice Crispies, Oatmeal, Nut butter, and dark chocolate make up the cast of characters in my Luna Bars.  All easy to get and good for you! Yes, dark chocolate IS good for you in small amounts. My father, the doctor, says so. Anti-oxidants and all that Jazz.

These are softer and chewier than your standard Luna bar, due to the usage of all-natural peanut butter and the addition of quick oats. But as my grandmother would say, that’s just how you know they’re homemade! The best part about these bars- they’re no bake; making them the perfect summer recipe- no suffocating heat coming from your oven, and excellent running fuel.

Recipe:
Yield: 16 square bars.
Ingredients

• 2 1/4 C Rice Crispy Cereal
• 3/4 C quick oats (If you only have rolled oats, you can make quick oats by pulsing them in a food processor or blender a few times.)
• 1 C Peanut butter (or other nut butter if you prefer)
• 1 scant C honey
• 1 1/2 Tbs cocoa powder
• 1 6 0z dark chocolate baking bar (I used ghirardelli 60% cocoa baking bar)

1. Line a square 8×8 or 9×9 cake pan with wax paper and set aside
2. Mix together cereal, oats, and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the peanut butter and honey in the microwave for 30 seconds and mix together until smooth and combined. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix in, making sure all of the cereal is coated and all of the oats and cocoa are incorporated.
4. press into the prepared pan. place another piece of wax paper and press down, making sure the mixture is spread across the entire pan.
5. Chill for 5-10 minutes in the refrigerator. While chilling, melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments, stirring between each, until the chocolate is melted. Pour on the cereal mixture. Chill for 30-60 minutes in the freezer before cutting and serving.

When storing, if staking the bars, place a piece of wax paper between each layer to prevent the bars from sticking to one another. 

Midnight. The house is completely dark, save for the solitary light coming from an open refrigerator door. It illuminates my shame. I’m confused; disoriented. How did I get here? And exactly how much of  this stuff have I eaten so far? Okay, I’ll have one more spoonful and go back to bed.

It sounds melodramatic, but it’s bound to happen if you make this. You won’t know how you got there, but you will end up in front of the refrigerator in the wee hours of the morning with the evidence of your gluttony all over your face. And it will be glorious.

This is based on something my mom used to make for us, which was a simple combination of macerated strawberries and sour cream. It tasted sort of like a very fresh strawberry yogurt, and I was not ashamed to eat it by the bowlful. I wanted the same taste, but I wanted something that might hold its shape a bit better, since the original version was very runny. I also wanted it to have some sort of cakey bits in it. So I substituted half the sour cream with cream cheese to thicken it up, and layered it with graham crackers, which absorb  moisture from the strawberry mixture. So what you end up with is soft and creamy, with ribbons of crust throughout, like a strawberry version of banana pudding – in fact, if you don’t have graham crackers, you could certainly substitute in some vanilla wafers.

The resulting recipe is very simple to make, and just as addictive (I think) to eat. And the flavor still takes me back to those days when I would pester my mom like crazy to know if the strawberry “soup” was ready yet. I actually wasn’t sure what to call this, since it’s not soup, and it’s not cake. When I was a kid, we just called it strawberries and sour cream, so… Strawberry-sour cream pudding it is!

Strawberry-Sour Cream Pudding
This makes a small pan of dessert, up to 4 servings.

1lb carton of strawberries, roughly chopped into ½” pieces
⅓ cup sugar
8oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
10 to 12 sheets of graham crackers

Directions

1. Combine strawberries and sugar in a medium bowl, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, until very juicy.
2. Blend the cream cheese, sour cream, and lemon juice until completely smooth. Stir in the strawberries to combine.
3. In a 7×9 or 8×8 pan, start with a layer of graham crackers, then pour half the strawberry mixture on top. Repeat with another layer of graham crackers, and finish with the rest of the strawberries. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
4. You can serve this with whipped cream, or eat it in heaping spoonfuls while standing over the counter. Either way is good.

Red velvet is amazing. The whole red phenomenon, not worth the food coloring. But the buttermilk, slightly chocolately, buttery richness is great. Next time, I’ll save myself the money and stained t-shirts and skip the coloring. Heh, “minimalist red velvet”, I could sell it at Starbucks.

The red velvet recipe is generally the same everywhere you look. The main difference I noticed in this recipe (allrecipes.com) was that the batter was nearly twice as thick as traditional cake batter. Even after frantically searching the recipe for that one ingredient i forgot, it still turned out great.

The filling: You ready? No-bake cheesecake mix with less liquid added and an entire package of cream cheese. Yep. I cheated. Your stomach will never know the difference….

The frosting: OMG THIS STUFF IS CRACK. You know those girls that sit at home, getting fat from eating frosting from the jar and watching chick flicks whilst they complain about their love-less lives? My frosting will make you do that. Even if you’re in a relationship. Even if you hate chick flicks. Even if you don’t have a TV (think on that).

The frosting was a simple cream cheese frosting (butter, cream cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar). However, I cut the sugar in half and instead added a 1/2 cup of the cheesecake to the frosting. Needless to say, I hit the gym for 2 hours last night to attempt to kill the 1,000 calories I ate in “frosting spills”.

Making a filled cupcake. There are several ways to go about this, and I took the route that works best for thick filling. While still hot, I cut the tops of each cupcake off in a cone shape, filled the cupcake with as much cheesecake as it could handle, and jammed the cone-cupcake piece back in. ** Side note, i am using an “injector” (cake decorator pro from wilton).  Frost over the cut marks and no one knows how you did it. It’s cupcake magic.

K, well now everyone knows. Please just act amazed when I bring you cupcakes.

I highly recommend this recipe. Its not sugary, but its rich and creamy. I will be making these again… but with no food coloring. My hands are still red.

Live in the BEAUTY of taste

You need:

• 200g of chocolate (100g dark and 100g milk)
• 200g unsalted butter
• 50g demerara sugar 
• 200g crushed digestive biscuits
• mixture of dried fruit and nuts
• tablespoon of black coffee
• teaspoon of vanilla essence

Melt the chocolate, butter, sugar, coffee and vanilla essence together in a pan at a low heat. Take the pan of the heat and add the crushed biscuits,dried fruit and nuts. Mix until everything is coated then pour into a cake dish. Place in the fridge and allow to set.

I normally use a silicon dish and you can pop the cake out when it is set. Also I use packaged fruit that is recommended for lunch-boxes as it is the right size for the cake. 

Yummy and Healthy Avocado Dip

What you need:

1 medium ripe avocado
1/4 cup salsa (I use mild)
1/2 lime
Garlic and Salt

How you make it:

Take your ripe avocado and cut down the middle, all away around the circumference. Twist the two sides of the avocado apart and remove the seed with a spoon. Once you are done removing the seed, scoop the avocado into a bowl and throw away the skin. Use a potato masher or a fork to break up the avocado. Then, add the salsa and mix. Squeeze the 1/2 lime and add a pinch of garlic and salt. Combine all the ingredients and enjoy with chips!

During very hot day my friend told me that she want an ice cream cake badly. When she said about ice cream cake my mind can’t stop thinking about Zucotto..yes, Zucotto, Italian chilled dessert that shapes like a half melon. but how we found that kind of cake in this town ? this place has so little diversity in patisserie product. so we decided to make the cake by ourselves. NO, it was not zucotto, just simple no bake chocolate mousse cake. Here the recipe :

Ingredients :

Cake base:
400 gr marie biscuit (crush the biscuit)
75 gr Butter

Mousse layer:
2 pack Instant Whip Cream
50 gr Dark Cooking Chocolate (Grate the chocolate by using cheese grater)
400 ml Chocolate Milk

Ganache:
50 gr Dark Cooking Chocolate (grated)
100 ml Whip Cream

100 gr strawberry Jam

1. Prepare the cake mold. Since we have no cake tin to shape the cake we used milk carton. My friend cut the carton into 20cm x 20 cm square mold with 10 cm height. Then we use baking paper to line the mold.

2. Mix the grated marie biscuit and butter until small lumps are formed. put the mix to the mold then compact it evenly (see the picture)

3. Mixed 1 pack of Instant Whip Cream and Chocolate milk until creamy texture is formed. Add 25 gr of grated cooking chocolate. Mix well. Put this cream on the top of cake base then add the strawberry jam on the top of the mousse. put in the refrigerator until set.

4. Prepare the ganache, heat the whip cream until almost reach the boiling point. Stir the chocolate in the whip cream until grated chocolate dissolved thoroughly.

5. Do the third step, Put the mix as the second layer (see the picture above. Pour the ganache mixture on the top of the cake. Put in the refrigerator until set.

6. Garnish the cake with candy, chocolate or fruit as desired

ingredients:

• 1 cup pitted dates 
• 1 cup whole almonds
• 1/2 cup whole cashews
• 1 cup vanilla protein powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• water to blend

directions:

• Place dates, almonds and cashews in a food processor or blender. Pulse until nuts are coarsely chopped and dates have formed into a paste. You may need to add water (by the tablespoon) to create a sticky consistency. 
• Add protein powder and vanilla extract. Pulse until incorporated.
• Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with wax paper.
• Place the mixture in the pan. Moisten palms of hands with water and press down on mixture to evenly distribute in the pan.
• Put in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. Cut into bars.

The best thing about these bars is that they require no baking and take so little time to make. Plus, they keep well in the fridge for up to a week.

Last week, I thought I was having a terrible week.  Things kept going wrong, or so it seemed.  But I was wrong.

This week is far more terrible, because terrible things didn’t happen to me.  They happened to my loved ones, and that is a million times worse.

So in those moments when I feel like my life is crumbling, like a pie crust that doesn’t have enough water to help it stick together, food is important.  Those moments are when pie is essential.

Really though.

Even if you don’t eat it, because by now I know turning to food when things aren’t going well is wrong, make the pie and give it away.

Give it to a loved one who isn’t having the best day, or a friend you haven’t talked to in a long time.

Pie doesn’t heal all wounds, but it helps.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Pie in a Pretzel Crust

1 1/4 cup of pretzel crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth natural
4 oz cream cheese, softened
7 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1/2 cup + 3 tbsp strawberry jam

First make your crust by mixing together pretzel crumbs, butter and sugar.  Press into a 9” pie dish and place in the freezer until ready to use.

Next, beat together peanut butter, cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk.  Beat 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream until if holds firm peaks.  Fold whipped cream into peanut butter mixture until combined.  Set aside.

Beat remaining 1 cup of whipped cream.  Once it start to form peaks, add in 3 tbsp of strawberry jam.  If you want to avoid clump, blend your jam before adding it to the whipped cream.  Set aside.

Next assemble the pie.  Spread half of the jam on the bottom of the pie crust.  If it’s hard to spread, feel free to add a little water or blend it to make it smooth.  Next spread on half the peanut butter mixture, then another layer with remaining jam. Top with remaining peanut butter mixture.  Transfer whipped cream to piping bag and pipe strawberry whipped cream onto the pie, alternatively you can just spread it.

Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight and serve cold to someone special.

This is comfort food to the max, because sometimes we need a little comfort and a big hug.

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened.
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, well drained.
1 cup chopped pecans
3 cups flaked coconut.

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and pineapple until combined then fold in the pecans. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Take out of refrigerator and roll into 1-inch balls; then roll the balls in the coconut. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh blueberries (or 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen)
• 2 cups sliced banana
• 1/2 cup medjool dates or other soft dates
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 cup macadamia nuts, raw cashews or raw nut butter

Directions:

Yields 4 cups

I guess you know by now that I have a Thing about orange. Among the many orange-obsessions in my color-hungry psyche, and far from least, is the love of orange foods, whether naturally that way or made that color by virtue of their preparation or combined ingredients. Oranges, tangerines and kumquats, for example, have the advantage of already being that eye-catching hue, as do carrots and cantaloupes, peaches and apricots and a long list of other vegetable and fruit delights. Then there are the lovely delectables tinted with turmeric, annatto, saffron, onion skins and other strong yellow dyes combined with various companion colorings to create all of those edible paints that make cheeses and egg dishes and breads and cakes and so many other desirable comestibles burst out in alluring orange flame. It’s often a bonus attraction of particularly succulent foods that they call to us first with this beacon of color.Mirepoix, for example, is not only a magnificent contributor of flavor and texture to a vast palette of palate pleasers but brings the come-hither warmth of the carrots’ orange to add visual appeal to those dishes. It takes very little besides to make, for example, a simple omelet or frittata both delicious and pretty, and they can be further customized with many ingredients that will further both the orange coloration and the flavor with a happy boost, as in the case of the one seen here that added only a pinch of dill and a toss of finely diced summer sausage (a.k.a. beef stick), whose fat when heated usually oozes with orange glory.Many orange-colored foods are not only intensified in flavor but also in their punch of sunny hue by the concentration of the drying process. Dried apricots benefit in both ways from gentle dehydration. The brand of boxed chocolates I grew up enjoying (See’s), includes in its roster of stellar treats a juicy little bite called Apricot Delight that is so good it actually deserves a place in a box of chocolates–and you know my religious beliefs about chocolate: that’s a massive concession–so recently I bethought myself to attempt a sort of replication of its goodness. I think I did a pretty fair job, but will leave it to you to decide. I think these could be made by hand mincing, crushing and chopping, but by far are best made in a food processor or powerful blender.Apricot Slice Candies

Equal parts of plump dried apricots, toasted sweetened, shredded coconut and roasted and salted pistachio nut meats–in this instance, about a cup of each–go into the processor with about 2-3 tablespoons of butter (or, if you prefer, solid coconut oil) and a handful of candied citrus peels. Whirled together until the solids become a coarse sandy mixture, they should have enough butter in them to become a tender but malleable dough (add more butter if needed) that can be formed into a log (about 2 inches in diameter), rolled into parchment and refrigerated until serving time. To serve, simply slice the chilled dough into 1/8 inch thick coin slices. I found these addictive enough as they were, but surely there would be no harm in adding candied ginger to the peel or throwing in a pinch of cayenne, a little splash of rose- or orange-blossom water or almond extract, or some sesame seeds, to name a few possibilities. Why, even some dark chocolate mini-chips thrown in after the blending or melted to coat the coins might not be amiss and could conceivably satisfy the diehards who mightn’t be as forgiving as I’ve been about finding these beauties in the box of chocolates, but I’m content to let them shine in all of their orange cheeriness, after all.

His favorite dessert is strawberry cheesecake.

Wanting to try something fun and different, I took my mom’s original No Bake Cheesecake recipe and spruced it up a bit.

On a tight budget, I planned out the ingredients needed to make this decadent treat.

As I began to prepare the cheesecake, I noticed I did not have anything to make the crust.

Sticking to the budget, our most recent purchase of animal crackers caught my eye.

So I dug up a recipe online for an animal cracker crust  and adapted it to my liking.

Animal Cracker Crust

4 cups of animal crackers

2 tbsp of brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup of margarine melted

1/4 cup of applesauce

**Yields 14-16 mini cheesecakes or one 8 inch pie

1. If you have a food processor, combine animal crackers, salt, and brown sugar until crumby. If you do not, put the ingredients into a freezer bag and using a rolling pin or other heavy object crush the contents. Shake the bag to make sure all of the ingredients are well incorporated.

2. In the food processor add the melted butter and applesauce and pulse to thoroughly combine to look like “wet sand”. Without a food processor, just add the wet ingredients with the dry and mix until the desired consistency.

3. Using mini plastic bundt cups, I distributed the crust evenly over 14 cups.  This could also be poured into one 8 inch pie dish.

4. Place in fridge to chill while making up cheesecake filling.

No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Filling

1 8oz package of reduced fat strawberry cream cheese

1 8oz package of light sour cream

1 8oz package of light whipped topping

1/3 cup of sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2-3 tbsp of strawberry preserves

1. Beat the cream cheese until smooth in a large bowl.

2. Gradually beat in the sugar.

3.  Blend in the sour cream and vanilla.

4. Add in the strawberry preserves, mix well and add accordingly to taste.

5. Fold in the whipped topping until well blended.

6. Pour into individual or whole crust dish.

7. Place  in fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight to let set up.

Happy Birthday my love!!!

Enjoy!!

-The Foodie

Did you know that it is socially acceptable to take two bananas to go with you from the Glen and Commons?  No? Now you do! So head on over to the Glen with some friends, eat some decent food, and then grab a couple of bananas on your way out for this Banana Cream Cheesecake recipe I found this week on How Sweet It Is.  Since we all probably don’t have a bunch of mason jars or more than two mugs sitting around, I’m going to cut the recipe in half.

For this recipe you’ll need to head to Outtakes for some graham crackers, Silk soy milk, butter, cream cheese, and caramel sauce (optional).  Then head on down to your CC desk and sign out vanilla extract, a measuring cup and bowl.  Squander through your assortment of mugs that your mother probably gave you for what reason is yet to be seen and pick your two favorite.

Crush four bars of graham crackers in a bag into fine pieces.

Then measure out a third of a cup and add two tablespoons of melted butter to the graham crackers and mix until it forms a dough-like substance.

Pour the graham cracker mix into the bottom of each mug and press down so it forms a crust.

Mash one and a half bananas into a bowl (set aside the remaining half of the second banana).  Then add 4 oz. of melted cream cheese (about half of an average pack) to the bananas and mix together.

How Sweet It Is’s recipe calls for adding 1 tablespoon of coconut milk and condensed milk to the mix.  I’m not sure about you but those aren’t exactly milks I keep in my fridge for cereal. Lucky for us though, soy milk will do the trick just as well.  So add 2 tablespoons of silk milk the mix and stir.

I also added a teaspoon of caramel fudge to sweeten the milk a little bit.  Lastly, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the mix and stir it all together.

Slice the remaining half of the banana and add about three slices on top of the graham cracker crust in the mugs.

Pour the cheesecake mix on top of the graham cracker crusts in your two mugs.  Place both mugs in your refrigerator overnight.

After the cheesecake has hardened top with any remaining banana slices and graham cracker crumbs.  Drizzle a little bit of caramel sauce on top.  Then serve and enjoy this spring treat!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 4 oz. of cream cheese
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 tablespoons soy milk
• 1 teaspoon caramel fudge (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• Mix together butter and graham cracker crumbs
• Place mixture in bottom of two mugs and form a crust
• Mix 1 and 1/2 mashed bananas and cream cheese.
• Add 2 tablespoons of milk, 1 teaspoon of caramel sauce, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract into the mixture and stir thoroughly.
• Place sliced bananas on top of graham cracker crust in mugs.
• Pour banana and cream cheese mixture over the crust.
• Place mugs in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or until it is a hardened-spongy texture.
• Top with extra banana slices and graham cracker crumbs.
• Eat and enjoy!

With the coronation this Tuesday, this is my last orangy post.
I’m all set, the Queen is invited to tea with a real piece of orange carrot cake. With edible flowers in matching Dutch flag colors red, white and blue this definitely is a celebration cake.

This raw, vegan and gluten free carrot cake is a delight treat for the eyes and a true taste explosion for your taste buds.

What do you need:
Icing
- 350 g cashew nuts, preferably soaked for 2-3 hours.
- 100 ml agave syrup or maple syrup.
- 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- 1/4 zest of a lemon.
- water as needed, roughly about 45-50 ml.

water as needed, I used 45-50 ml

Batter
- 500 g of carrots super finely ground in food processor
- 200 g of carrots by hand coarsely grated
- 280 g buckwheat flour
- 200 g chopped Medjool dates
- 50 g dried pineapple
- 50 g of dried coconut grater
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup or maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice ( a mixture of ground cinnamon, allspice/piment, ginger and clove).
- springform 20 cm diameter.

How to prepare:

To make the icing blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until you have a smooth mixture, add as little water as possible.
That’s it, ready and very tasty!

For the batter  cut 500 g carrots into chunks, throw in food processor and pulse until it is super fine. Then add all remaining ingredients (except the 200 grams coarsely grated carrot) and mix in the food processor to a smooth and rather firm batter. Mix in the hand grated carrot. Ready is your batter.

Line a springform pan on the bottom with baking paper. A quick and easy way to do so is by placing a sheet of paper on the bottom, put the ring on top and close the form. This way you quickly and easily have a tight lined bottom.

Fill the springform with half the carrot mixture and press firmly. Spread 1/3 of your icing on top. Place in the freezer until the icing layer is hard. Spread the remaining carrot mixture on top and press again firmly. Then put in the freezer for 1 night. Remove the cake from the tin and  cover it completely with the remaining icing.

For a nice decoration you can use edible flowers, walnuts or and other nuts and coconut shavings.

Leftovers you store in the freezer.

The neat thing is that you can customize any way you want.  I used gluten free oats, but you could use whatever oats you have on hand.  You could omit the chocolate chips, or substitute with some of the peanut butter chips or white chocolate chips!  Or even dried nuts or fruit.

These are a yummy treat and go great with my morning coffee, or my glass of wine after work, or as a little afternoon pick-me-up.

Let me know what you think and what other combinations and mix-ins you come up with!

What you’ll need: oats, peanut butter, honey or agave syrup, coconut flakes, ground flaxseed, mini chocolate chips, vanilla and salt.  (Everything in the below picture except the sugar… I’m not sure how that snuck into the picture! )

This could not be more simple to make.  Combine all of the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix until combined.  I started with a spatula but it got a little sticky so I finished mixing with my hands.

Pop the bowl into the fridge for half an hour so the mixture can firm up.  Then roll into little balls and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

No-Bake Energy Bites

Adapted slightly from Smashed Peas and Carrots

Makes 18-20 bites

Ingredients:

This was one of the first desserts I learned how to make due to its simplicity.  There seriously is only 3 steps to making this treat suitable for all occasions. What makes it a great hit however, is that it balances out the regular richness and heaviness of cheesecake with the lightness of fresh strawberries. This is a surefire hit for any party.

Recipe

• 1 lb of washed strawberries
• 8 oz regular fat cream cheese, softened
• 3 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Cut around the tops of the strawberries and hollow out the insides (some strawberries will already have hollowed-out insides upon removal of the tops). You can also cut the bottoms of the strawberries so that it can sit on a plate more easily, though if not immediately serving, the fruit juices in the strawberries will leak out over time. In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sugars, vanilla extract, and lemon juice until it becomes creamy and a bit fluffy. Put the cream cheese mixture into a piping bag or ziploc bag (with a small piece of the corner cut off) and pipe the mixture into the hollowed out parts of the strawberries.

Want to be the next star of a dinner party? Bring these as a dessert!

…….staaaahp…..

Step one: Gather your ingredients. You will need milk, butter, sugar, salt, cocoa, oatmeal, peanut butter, and vanilla. You can use either chunky or smooth peanut butter and either regular or quick oats. I am using chunky peanut butter and quick oats because that’s the way (Uh huh, uh huh) I like it.

Step two: Throw that stick of butter into your pot and let it melt over low heat while you prep everything else. Go ahead and set your timer for two minutes. Get out a trivet or hot pads on your work surface and surround it with strips of wax paper. Two is usually enough for me. You will also go ahead and measure out your peanut butter but don’t forget to grease your measuring cup with cooking spray first and the peanut butter will be a lot easier to get out. Also, set out the oatmeal, vanilla, a wooden spoon (or any large spoon), and two regular spoons.

Step three: After the butter is melted, add in the milk, sugar, cocoa, and pinch of salt. Whisk to get rid of any lumps and turn up the heat to medium high. Now, here is an important part. You will whisk the mixture very frequently until it begins to boil then its HANDS OFF! Start your timer and let it boil for two minutes. NO TOUCHY!!

Still ok to whisk.

Still ok to whisk.

DON’T TOUCH!!

I MEAN IT!

NOOOOOOOO!

Step four: Here is where it gets fast. Quickly remove from heat (Remember the trivet?) and add in your vanilla and peanut butter. Mix well.

Step five: Throw in your oatmeal. If you haven’t already, switch to stirring with your big spoon. Sometimes you will need the full 2 1/2 cups and sometimes you will need only 2 1/4 cups. It just depends on how dry you like your cookies.

Step six: Spoon those suckers out onto the wax paper with the small spoons to cool and harden. Now you have to wait. I know, I know, it hard. Go stare at your dog then come back, wash your hands because you’ve been playing with the dogs ears and mouth, and try really hard to eat just two or three.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

1 stick of butter

1/4 cup of cocoa

2 cups of sugar

1/2 cup of milk

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup of peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups of oatmeal

Toss the butter in your pot over low heat to melt. Prep other ingredients. After butter has melted, add cocoa, milk, sugar, and salt. Turn heat up and bring mixture to a boil, whisking frequently. After it comes to a boil, HANDS OFF! I MEAN IT! RAWR! Let boil 2 minutes and remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla and mix well. Add oatmeal and mix well again. Scoop mixture out onto wax paper and let cool and harden. Enjoy!

Thank you for reading.

One last shot of cookie porn.

You’re welcome.

I’m totally loving following along the different races to create a new recipe for each race in my Sprint Cup Snacks series. I’m learning more about regional foods and trying out new things as well. Like I had never made BBQ sauce before when I made the Homemade Jack Daniel’s BBQ Sauce for the Food City 500 @ Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN. What was I waiting for? So good! And I’ve been seriously addicted to the Ham and Cheese Sliders I made for the STP Gas Booster 500 @ Martinsville Speedway in  Martinsville, VA. I think they are going to make another appearance at our house this weekend. Total noms.

So we’re back to the “Old Dominion” state with this weekend’s race in Richmond, VA. I looked into what foods Virginia is famous for and of course there were plenty of seafood options for the area along the Atlantic coast and wines in the mountains in the Western part of the state. And then I found out there are peanut farms! Oh my so in love with peanut butter right now. I found these no bake peanut butter bars and knew that I had to make them for this race.

These no bake peanut butter bars are soo super easy and soo good. In all it took me about 10 minutes to put together and then I just had to wait for it to chill and set up. That’s it! I love how simple they were to make but I love jsut how good they are even more. They taste just like a Reese’s peanut butter cup!!

So here’s the thing… the first piece that you cut out of the pan will get all ugly from you scooping it out. That is your piece to sneak while you are in the kitchen before you serve them. See you were just looking out for your guests and you couldn’t give them them an ‘ugly’ bar. Gotta take one for the team!  :-P

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Makes up to 32 squares

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter melted
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup + 4 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Process

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and 1 cup of the peanut butter until well blended.
2. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9×13 inch pan.
3. Melt the chocolate chips with the remaining 4 tablespoons of peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread the melted chocolate over the peanut butter layer.
4. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Source: My Baker Lady

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{Sprint Cup Snacks Track Facts}

Another great night race this weekend! All of the races held at Richmond International Raceway are ’held under the lights’. Richmond was built in 1946 and since then has evolved to become a state of the art facility with a Video Scoring Tower that boasts more LED square footage than any other track in the motorsports industry. There are four high definition LED screens that come together to measure 38-feet wide by 24-feet high. Are we going to see Kyle Busch on that screen in the winner’s circle again this year? The younger Busch has won the last 4 Toyota Owners 400 races at Richmond International Raceway. Can he do it again this year?!?!

Track: 3/4 miles

Shape: D-Shaped Oval

Banking: 8 degree banking in the front stretch, 2 degree in the back stretch, and 14 degrees in the turns

Surface: Asphalt

Capacity: 97,912 seats

Race: 400 laps for 300 miles

2012 winner:  Kyle Busch

Lemon & Coconut Balls

1 packet of plain biscuits (crushed)

1 tin of condensed milk

Juice of  1 lemon

1 1/2 (110g) desiccated coconut (plus extra for rolling)

Combine all ingredients . Roll mixture into small balls then roll in extra coconut. Refrigerate.

Lemon & Coconut Balls for Thermomix

1 packet of plain biscuits

1 tin of condensed milk

Juice of 1 lemon

110g desiccated coconut (plus extra for rolling)

Place biscuits into bowl and crush them on Speed 7 for 5-10 sec.

Add remaining ingredients and mix on Speed 6 for 25 sec.

Roll mixture into small balls then roll in extra coconut. Refrigerate.

Enjoy!

My original plan was to make this frozen mango pie.  My superimpressive friend Allison (HIVWarriorKef? NoLongerClevelandParkKef?) surprised me with a little visit to help me eat said pie, but we were both disappointed to find that the flavor was way more coconut than it was mango (although I was glad to find out today that after a night in the freezer the mango was more pronounced–but I digress). So I got to wondering about a strawberry flavor and–voila!– Strawberry Nice Cream was born.

I’ve given you several posts with good pictures and could not be bothered with this one. Just trust me. It’s THAT good.

Basically, I combined lime juice, almond milk, coconut cream and frozen strawberries and the result was a very thick soft-serve consistency. I used some Pyrex to test how well my little experiment would hold up to some freeze/thaw action and was thrilled to find that within about 20 minutes it thickened and took on the texture of real, live ice cream. Over the next few hours I discovered that you can put it into and take it out of the freezer as much as you want without its devolving into a sloppy mess. Then I got really cute and spooned some in between two of my paleo graham crackers for an ice cream sandwich (!). And the church said, “Amen!”

So- if all you want is some gf/sf/dairyfree ice cream, follow the below instructions and ditch the crust-just combine and freeze. Next time I make the pie I will definitely do just the strawberry cream–but if you want to try the mango flavor, follow the above link. As always, you do you.

Frozen Strawberry “Nice” Cream Pie

Ingredients

• prepared graham cracker crust (if you use the paleo grahams, prepare them the exact same way, but instead of rolling the dough out flat, press 1/2-2/3 dough into the bottom and sides of a greased pie dish. Let freeze, then use fork to poke holes all over crust and bake at same temp for same time)
• 3/4 c coconut cream*
• 1/4 c almond milk
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 bag frozen strawberries
• maple syrup/honey/agave, to taste (I used about 3 TBS)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

*Trader Joe’s sells this by the can, or you can refrigerate a can of full-fat coconut milk for at least 30 minutes, open it gently without shaking, and scrape off the solid white cream at the top. 2 cans should give you enough cream to get through this recipe.

Assembly

1. Prepare your graham cracker crust and let cool completely.

2. Pulse everything but the crust (duh) in a strong blender or food processor until mixture is very smooth and creamy.

3. Taste and add more sweetener/vanilla extract if you feel so inclined.

4. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Smooth with a flat spatula. Freeze for at least 4 hours, but overnight would be even better. When ready to serve, let pie sit out for at least 10-20 minutes to thaw–otherwise it just tastes kind of, well, frozen.

Ingredients

1/4 C raw cacao powder

6 Tbsp. raw, unsalted almond butter (my hands down favorite is Trader Joe’s crunchy)

2 Tbsp. raw coconut oil at room temperature

2 Tbsp. raw honey

3 Tbsp. – 1/4 C unsweetened almond milk*

* Make your own raw almond milk by blending 1/4 C raw almonds together with 3/4 C water. Strain out the pulp and what’s left is the milk. You can use the almond pulp in these great cookies from Mo.

Directions

Spoon the cacao, almond butter, honey and coconut oil into a bowl.

Slowly stir them together until the cacao begins to get wet and incorporated.

Use the backs of two spoons to mash the mixture into a paste. Take your time with this to be especially sure that you get all the coconut oil blended in as it tends to stay in lumps. Once you have the paste well mixed, pour in the almond milk. Stir gently so as not to splash.

The mixture, when finished, should be a thin mousse. If you like it thicker or a little more fudgey, pop it in the fridge overnight. Top with a sprinkle of cacao powder, some cacao nibs and a raw almond.

Flavor Variations

Variations abound with how you can doctor this, so don’t be afraid to explore. To zest it up (not that it needs it, but I like experimenting) try adding any of these spices to the mix:

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

or

1/8 – 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

or

1/8-1/4 tsp. large crystal sea salt

or

1/4 tsp. finely chopped lavender flowers

or

1/2 – 1 tsp. chopped honeycomb