I am not a huge fan of Valentines but the one thing I adore about Valentine’s day is that there are so many fun and creative ways to make sweet treats and gifts for those you love. I have created a quick collage of some of my favorite finds this year out in blog land. LOTS of talent out there and I can not wait to try a few of these sweet ideas. I most likely wont create them all (unless I want to give my hubby a major sugar rush for v-day!!) but I am sure I will find some fun ways to incorporate these ideas for Easter treats!

All of the links to the amazing creators are below, so have fun checking out there blogs! And Happy Valentine’s Day!

• Valentine Suckers from Pleasant Home
• Strawberry Sandwiches from Parents.com
• Rock Candy Valentine from Martha Stewart
• Pretzel Treats from No Fuss Fabulous
• Heartbreaker Treats from Dana
• Mini Cupcake Pops from Mandy

Happy Thursday everyone!

Wow, this week went by super fast and I LOVE IT! One of my friends recently asked me to make her some Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins (well, I ran out of paper cups for muffins, so I did loaves instead) so tonight, I broke out the Pumpkin, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cloves for the best recipe of the season! (For the recipe, scroll down…)

While everything was in the oven, I ran across Dawn McVey’s Color Challenge and I couldn’t resist. I decided to make a cute little ‘wrap’ for my friend’s loaf! Now, I know that the colors aren’t necessarily harvest, fall or even pumpkin colors, but I still think it goes nicely together and I love the color combo!

I simply took some Kraft Cardstock and made one 11 x3″ strip and one 9×3″ strip, designed the longer strip, scored it all to fit and then adhered the strips together after slipping it onto the loaf. Easy enough? haha. I think she will like it…

Supplies Used:

Now for the recipe…  it is SUPER EASY! You can have your house smelling delicious and fally in no time!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins/Bread

Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees and Lightly grease your loaf pans or prep your muffin pans with paper/foil cups.

Mix together the following:

1 Package of Yellow Cake Mix
1 15 oz. Can of Pumpkin
1 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1/4 Tsp. Ground Cloves

Fold in 1 Cup of Chocolate Chips (more or less… to your liking!)

Fill loaf pans or muffin cups. For loaves, bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. For muffins, bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. **I always sprinkle some extra Chocolate Chips on top of the loaves and muffins before baking to make them look pretty!

Yields: Two Loaves or 24 Standard Muffins

Thanks for coming by! P.S. IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL FALL RECIPES YOU LOVE, PLEASE DO SHARE! I LOVE RECIPES!

The July Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

I am so excited to announce my very first month with the Daring Bakers! I came across this amazingly talented group in June and couldn’t help myself, I had to join! In brief, it is a group of bakers (they also have a cooking division) that are challenged each month to create something special… the recipe is given and you must follow it exactly and then post your result on the 27th of the month. This month we were challenged to bake up some Mallows and Milanos (you could choose 1). I chose the Mallows because I have never made my own marshmallow before and couldn’t wait to try it out!

The Process:

Let me start by warning you that you will need to make sure you that you allow for plenty of time to do these special cookies. I wasn’t too smart about it and started at about 10 in the evening! BIG MISTAKE… I was up until about 2:30am! Now, dont let that scare you away… the reasons for it being such a long process were no big deal. A) you have to let the dough refrigerate for at least an hour before baking B) I didn’t have a small (1″ to 1 1/2″) round cookie cutter, so I had to cut circles out with a knife! And C) you have to let the Marshmallows sit at least 2 hours before you can dip them.

That being said, everything else was pretty much an exciting experience! My first tip would be to make sure you have a Candy Thermometer handy — my first batch of marshmallows didnt work out because I didnt use mine, so I had to start over. When beating the Marshmallows, it took awhile to figure out if it was ready to pipe onto the cookies (I couldnt really find any help on exactly how long you should beat it for and unfortunately I didnt time myself so I cant help you there… it was quite some time though). The fun and crazy part was piping the Marshmallow onto the cookies (photo below). I dont know if you know this or not, but Marshmallow is STICKY!!! haha and you have to go fast to be sure that you can get it on all of the many little cookies before it solidifies in your bag. It was truly fun and challenging though and I WILL do it again sometime.

Before I started the recipe, I looked up recipes on how to dress up the cookies and found some wonderfully talented chefs (especially Audax) that had created some lovely and extra tastey Mallows — everywhere from coffee flavored to caramel filled to sprinkled! I was going to attempt some of these fun recipes but since it was my first time making Marshmallow, I decided to keep it simple. Here are a few tips for dressing up your Mallows:

• Sprinkle with toppings, such as toffee chips, nuts, sprinkles, shredded coconut, crushed peppermint, etc.
• Substitute the water with coffee for coffee flavored Marshmallows
• Place a dab of fruit jam or caramel on the cookie before piping on the Marshmallow
• Add a few drips of food coloring for colorful Marshmallows

Next month I will do my best to take more and better photos :)

Mallows – The Recipe

(Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies)

Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website

Prep Time: 10 min
Inactive Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Serves: about 2 dozen cookies ** I personally got over 100 cookies using 2/3 of the dough for 1″ cookies

• 3 cups (375grams/13.23oz) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (112.5grams/3.97oz) white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter
• 3 eggs, whisked together
• Homemade marshmallows, recipe follows
• Chocolate glaze, recipe follows

1. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients.
2. On low speed, add the butter and mix until sandy.
3. Add the eggs and mix until combine.
4. Form the dough into a disk, wrap with clingfilm or parchment and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
5. When ready to bake, grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Use a 1 to 1 1/2 inches cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough.
8. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.
9. Pipe a “kiss” of marshmallow onto each cookie. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.
10. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicon mat.
11. One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the hot chocolate glaze.
12. Lift out with a fork and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.
13. Place on the prepared pan and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

Note: if you don’t want to make your own marshmallows, you can cut a large marshmallow in half and place on the cookie base. Heat in a preheated 350-degree oven to slump the marshmallow slightly, it will expand and brown a little. Let cool, then proceed with the chocolate dipping.

Homemade marshmallows:

**See TIPS from others that helped me get through the process below**

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup (168.76 grams/5.95oz) sugar
• 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 egg whites , room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar, bring to a boil until “soft-ball” stage, or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve.
3. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix.
4. Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites.
5. Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff.
6. Transfer to a pastry bag.

Chocolate glaze:
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 2 ounces cocoa butter or vegetable oil

1. Melt the 2 ingredients together in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water.

TIPS and Help for Homemade Marshmallows:

1. Testing the Marshmallow for Hardball stage
2. Cold Water Candy Test
3. Audax Artifex: Step by Step photos/ Inspirational photos

Thanks, Nicole, for this fun challenge this month! I really enjoyed it (and so did my family and friends!). I hope that you all find this information helpful when creating your own Marshmallows/Mallows… maybe you could join me in creating next month’s challenge! If you are interested in joining Daring Bakers or Daring Kitchen, go here!

Have a wonderful week, all!

I made this for a girls night and it was amazing! Gare and I will definitely be using this recipe again :) Maybe you will be lucky enough to join us when we do! Do try it though and let us know what you think!

1 750 ml. Bottle White Whine of Choice
2 1/2 cups Apple Juice
1 cup Triple Sec
2 Tbs Granulated Sugar
1 Medium Orange, thinly sliced
1/2 Medium Lemon, thinly sliced
1 Medium Lime, thinly sliced
1 cup Raspberries, fresh or frozen

1. Combine wine, apple juice, Triple Sec, sugar, fruit slices and raspberries in a large pitcher and press the fruit against the side and bottom of the pitcher to release the juices.

2. Chill, covered, until serving time. 8 Hours or Overnight — The flavor of the sangria is enhanced the longer the wine is allowed to chill.

3. Add ice just before serving. For large parties or groups, double the fruit and use in an ice ring to float in a punch bowl.

ENJOY! :)

Now, normally, you wouldn’t call this soup weather here in Southern California today… but it has been significantly “cooler” in the evenings this week, so I thought I could push it and try for our favorite soup just one last time before we retire to salads for the summer.
Last fall, I decided that I wanted to make Chicken Tortilla soup but didn’t have a recipe, so I looked up recipes online… However, none fit all of the categories of what I wanted in this meal. First, I needed it to be a crock pot meal. Second, it really needed to be delicious! And third, I didnt want to have to use several dishes (pans, etc.) to create the whole meal. So I just picked at each of the recipes that sounded good and took what I liked from each… Here is the result for those of you that asked — I just love how easy it is and for the most part you will usually have most of the Ingredients on hand/in the pantry!

Please let me know if you try it out and how you like it!

INGREDIENTS:

3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (uncooked)
4- 6 Cups Chicken Broth*
1/2 Tsp Salt & Pepper (each)
1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin (Heaping for added spice, add 1/2 Tsp if doing 6 C Broth)
1 Can Black Beans (drained) (I add one more if doing 6 cups broth)
1 Can (or 14 oz. Frozen) Corn
1 Can 1 Small Can chopped Green Chili Peppers
1 Can Diced Tomatoes (undrained)
1 Small Onion Diced (set aside for after soup cooked)
**Any other veggies you want to add… I usually add green beans as well)
Shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese
Salsa for added Spice
Crushed Tortilla Chips
Cilantro to top it off!

———————————–

1. Spray bottom of your Crock Pot with Pam/Cooking Spray and lay all 3 Chicken Breasts flat in the Pot.

2. Drain Black Beans and spread over the top of the Chicken (this is important to keep the heat in the Chicken)

3. Layer Black Beans with all other veggies in order they are listed, leaving the Diced Onions for after the soup is done cooking.

4. Pour in Chicken Broth and add Salt, Pepper and Ground Cumin.

5. Set Crock Pot on Low (for 6-8 hours) or High (for 3-4 hours)

6. After it is done cooking, use two forks to shred the chicken (you can take it out of the Pot if need be).

7. Dice Onions and stir into the soup.

8. Serve with Shredded Cheese, Crushed Tortilla Chips, Cilantro and Salsa if you like.

* I add two cups of Chicken Broth and another can or two of veggies if I am cooking for 6 people versus 4.