Month: September 2015

It’s that time of year … birthday’s galore!

~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

1264684_10101235834868869_552775041_oWe have a lot of family birthdays from September to February. My little family has birthdays in September, October, December and February. The girls always like to pick out what they want for a cake … do you blame them?? That’s half of the birthday FUN! Their dad doesn’t care what he gets, as long as it contains SUGAR. The girls love coming up for ideas when it comes to his cake. If it’s homemade then they usually get their hands dirty making and or decorating it.

The girls always challenge me with their fun and creative ideas for their birthday cakes. One year Kailee wanted strawberry shortcake (such a good idea!) and everyone loved it! Paula Deen has an excellent shortcake recipe.

225882_889340826749_315394_nKeianna wanted a chocolate and pickle cake – yes pickle! I thought outside of the box and made candy melt “pickle” chips … no pickles were hurt in the making of her cake. Although I did find a yodeling pick at Bullmoose Music to place on top.

1504540_10102077259122919_4348964921899950437_nThen one year Kailee wanted to get an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen, but she wanted it to be an ice skating rink – like the one under Grama’s Christmas tree each year. So I found ice skating penguins and some neat clear illuminated candles for the top. Cute, fun and just what she wanted!

860999_10100889439383199_1803405043_oKeianna’s next birthday, it was requested to have a doughnut cake. Only she didn’t want doughnuts in the cake – it could only look like one!

There have been many times where their requests don’t quite come out as planned. Like when Kailee wanted a rainbow layered cake and once assembled and frosted it ended up falling in every direction and onto the floor hours before her party. They don’t tell you in all those fun rainbow cake posts that the food gel needed to color the layers so vibrantly in a 1/2 box of mix makes the layer very, very, very unstable. Lesson learned. Kailee ended up with rainbow cupcakes instead. Just a tasty and very cute.

My kids know I love to bake and they love eating what I make, however, it I don’t go “baking snob” on them if they want something store bought or made by someone else. It’s their birthday and they get to call the shots. Cake decorating is a talent I haven’t mastered by any means, but cooking with love I have down and can do with my eyes closed.

Life is sticky, just like caramel.

~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

You can hear the crumble. Bit by bit, piece by piece. The sound echoing within the empty walls … the hollow finally showing it’s depth. During the day it is drowned out by the background noise of daily life. At night, alone in the dark, with nothing but your muffling sobs to drowned it out, the familiar shattering ensues.
It is one thing in life to know something. It is quite another to say it out loud. What makes it truly unbearable and downright full of shame and embarrassment is someone else saying it out loud. This is not the validation you want. This is not what you want to be recognized for or have attention drawn to. Yes, you know it. How can you not? You can “not” by ignoring it and acting as though it doesn’t exist. You have perfected the toddler mentality of if you can’t see it then neither can they. You know this isn’t true, but you still let yourself believe it. You have to in order to make it through. You tell yourself it isn’t that bad. That you can change it if you want to. It will be different this time. This is what has and always will define you, because you let it. Is it comfortable? No. Is it healthy? Hell no, and on so many levels. You know all of this … So does that make it worse? Does it make it worse to be an adult, know you have an issue and with a sound mind refuse to acknowledge it? Or is that the definition of scared? Maybe it is a fine line we walk between scared shitless and ignorance is bliss.
They say knowledge is power, so why after someone else tells you what you have known deep down in that hollow space, that you feel powerless and at your must vulnerable and/or shameful. How did you let it get this far. How did it domino so fast? Maybe you have to be so low you are forced to work up. Maybe you need to be scared so shitless that there really is only one choice … to move forward and to stare into the face of what ails you and tell it to sit down and shut up. The choice is yours and yours alone.

Salted Caramel and Chocolate Ganache Brownies.

Brownies:
Grab your favorite box or recipe (I love Betty Crocker’s brownie recipe https://havesweetswillshare.com/2015/09/03/look-for-the-signs/). Make per the instructions and let cool.

IMG_0988Salted Caramel:
In a large sauce pan combined 1 can sweetened condenced milk and 3 bags of Werther’s Soft Caramels. Stir until all caramels are melted and it is smooth and bubbly. Add 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt and stir until it is distributed. Resisit licking the spoon … the caramel is scalding hot! Pour this mixture on top of your brownies and set in the fridge sans cover to firm up.

 

IMG_0958Chocolate Ganache:
Keep in mind chocolate ganache (recipe in previous post here) needs to set at room temp. for about 12 hours to become solid and non-melting at room temp. If you make the ganache and pour it immediately over the brownies it will set up in the fridge but become very soft at room temp. I suggest letting the brownie and caramel set in the fridge while the ganache sets at room temp. After 10-12 hours you can beat the ganache with an electric mixer, just to make it spreadable and then slather it on.

Everyone has 10 minutes!

~ Laura ~ Leave a comment

 imageTrifle. A retro hodge-podge of goodness. Think of it as an “everything but the kitchen sink” kind of dessert. You can go elaborate or simple, all homemade, all store bought or a little of each. The mostly store bought or “left over” option can be done in less than 10 minutes!

imageThe trifle I made is layered with homemade whipped cream, Smucker’s Decadent Hot Fudge, Smucker’s Sea-salted Caramel, broken up brownies and Special K fudge covered pretzels.

You can use angel food cake, pound cake, devils food cake or any sturdy cake that can be cubed or broken without being all crumbles OR use your favorite Jell-O flavor made with the Jiggler recipe. Add some fruit or candy pieces or even pudding!! Drizzle on your favorite sauce toppings, add in some homemade whipped cream or Cool Whip and you have a stunning looking, mouth watering, crowd pleasing dessert.

The possibilities are endless and time is precious. Don’t fret when you forget you said you’d bring a dish to a potluck event or your kids class for a party. This dish will look like you slaved over it – even though you didn’t!! The crowd will love it and you didn’t have to break the bank or a sweat to make it; a win-win in my book. ENJOY!

Am I the only one?

~ Laura ~ 1 Comment

IMG_0963Peanut butter + Chocolate = LOVE for most people, but I am not one of them. I would much rather drag my celery sticks through thick and gooey creamy peanut butter or slather on some chunky peanut butter and raspberry jam onto toast for a great throw back sandwich.  Whenever I think of peanut butter cups I think of my brother, who is a peanut butter and chocolate lover, and “50 First Dates” with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. “Want me to put some peanut butter cups in your eggs?” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4quLuThn_Sc I had intended to make these awhile back for a friend and his tattoo shop. They were doing a great donation night for Project Semicolon. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to go and support this great endeavor due to previous obligations with my children, but I was there in spirit (and still owe Sam some goodies!).

(null)Since I was going to be making quite a few of these in not a lot of time, I had bought pre-made chocolate shell cups. I do have a candy mold to make these by hand, but this was way simpler for the time I was going to have to make them. I bought three packages (about $4 each at Walmart) of ChocoMaker dessert cups. These cups come in two trays of six and unwrapped. There is no need to peel anything off these delicious Dark Belgian Chocolate cups. To make these from scratch you would  need a mold and tempered chocolate. These cups are so versatile. You can fill them with any type of ganache or cream, the possibilities are ENDLESS!

IMG_0957I made up a triple batch of chocolate ganache (ensuring I would have some leftover to make some goodies that I do like!). Ganache is so easy to make. It is my go-to filling for cupcakes and cakes. If you leave it out at room temp. it will set and can be used for a rich and decadent frosting. For a single batch of ganache you will need 1/2 cup heavy cream and 8 oz. of good chocolate chips – I used dark, and a pinch of salt and a tsp. of instant coffee granules.

 

IMG_0958Keep in mind, dark chocolate is easiest to make into a ganache and white chocolate is the hardest. I put all my ingredients into a pan and and stirred constantly until it was smooth, creamy and combined. Don’t let this mixture stand or it will burn; you need to keep stirring it. You can do this in a microwave by combining all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and heating in 30 sec. intervals and stirring throughly between each heating session.

IMG_0960After ganache was made, I set it aside off the stove to set slightly before using as my peanut butter cup topping. For the centers I used double batch of filling. For a single batch you will need 1 c. creamy peanut butter, ¼ c.unsalted butter, ¼ c. light brown sugar and 1¼ c. powdered sugar. In a medium saucepan over med. heat, combine peanut butter, butter and brown sugar. Heat until completely melted, stirring constantly. Pour mixture into a mixing bowl and add powdered sugar a little at a time. Mix on low until it is complete incorporated. Set aside and let cool slightly. I put this mixture into a disposable piping bag, which makes the process much cleaner and easier. Once the mixture is cooled, pipe into shells. You will need to flatten the top slightly and push it into any open gaps. IMG_0961IMG_0962

Then spoon on the ganache and smooth it out for a delicious and indulgent treat! P.S. – You might want a glass of milk – just sayin’! ENJOY!IMG_0963

 

Truth, Stigma and Healing

~ Laura ~ 1 Comment
IMG_0904
Photo: Valerie McKeehan

This blog is part of my path to health. I am a hot mess – aren’t we all?  I finally realized at 33 that I am not capable of changing how I handle and/or manage my stress. I have always been hard on myself … ALWAYS. Let’s be real, it needs to stop or I will end up teaching my daughters this bad habit.

I am use to dealing with a million things at once; I am a mom of two, best friend to their dad, who owns his own business, and my job requires me to multi-task in several departments. I have stress on a daily basis. We all have our laundry list of daily responsibilities. I always thought I was good at dealing with stress – I honestly thought this with all of my being.

Then it happened. I had a “melt down.” I was sitting at my desk at work tearing up over something I knew wasn’t my fault. I had been snapped at by someone else (who was obviously stressed out also). I was absolutely dumb-founded. I kept replaying the scene over and over and over in my head. What could I have differently? How did I not know ahead of time this would happen? I shouldn’t have said anything. I am so stupid. And around and around it went. I felt like I was vibrating in my own skin. My ears were pounding and I shaking, I felt like the room was closing in on me and I couldn’t breathe. I know now I was the proud owner of my first panic attack.

I called my doctor’s office and they fit me in the next morning. I was nervous at first. I remember thinking geesh, another ailment. Lets add to the list. I wasn’t ashamed to talk to my doctor about my feelings – he is an amazing doctor. He goes out of his way to help me when it comes to thinking outside of the box in regards to not being able to take any kind of pain medicine. The first thing his medical assistant said to me is “Just breathe, it gets better from here.” Wow! So simple and yet so powerful for me.

I have a hard time releasing control. I am in the school of thought that if you want something done right, do it yourself. Sitting in that room, then and there, many memories flooded back to me of times where I chastised myself over and over for something that went wrong – where I felt I had disappointed someone. I knew in that moment I need to let go and let someone else (my doctor) be in charge.

Fast forward to today. People are noticing a difference. My daughters notice a difference. I notice a difference. There is no shame in needing help, regardless of what it is for, and asking for help is truly the first step – AND IT IS A HUGE ONE! Knowing there is a light at the end of a dark tunnel, happiness and smiling is possible, this is relief that you don’t understand until you have been the opposite. I took what my doctor told me to heart and really listened to what he had to say. “There are three types of people with anxiety and depression that receive medicine to help them. One is someone who takes medicine for a time and gets to a point they don’t need it anymore, kind of like a reset. Two is someone who takes medicine for a time, then goes off of it for a time, then back on for a time, and so on. Three is someone who takes medicine for the rest of their life. Is there a right or wrong way to do this? No. Everyone is different and that means their needs are different. Should you try to define yourself as one of the three? No. Just know that whichever third you happen to be, there are others, and that you are trying your best to help yourself into the light.” So I have chosen to breathe, take time each week for myself and not feel guilty, and do what I do best and love … bake.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. AP flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. canned pumpkin puree
1 lg. egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 bag semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt; set aside. In a med. bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Add in chips and stir gently to combined. Drop onto parchment lined cookie sheet (I use a 2 tbsp. cookie scoop). Bake for 15 to 20 mins. in preheated oven.

Turn these into whoopie pies! You can make a simple cream cheese or buttercream frosting, or your favorite whoopie pie filling, and you have a double duty recipe!

Look for the signs!

~ Laura ~ 1 Comment

I am a firm believer of everything happens for a reason and there is no such thing as a coincidence. There are little signs everywhere (each and every day) that sometimes we see and most of the times we don’t. Then out of left field (at least that’s how most of us feel … right?) this huge sign drops out of nowhere and hits us like a ton of bricks. What’s the saying? Hindsight is 20/20? Looking back we can somehow connect all the little signs that lead up to these huge events, but we often aren’t seeing them in the moment.

IMG_0878
My loves on their first day of school! 2nd and 6th grade.

I had every intention last night to race through the evening to get everything done so that when my girls came home from karate and soccer I could hear all about their first day of school with all my attention just on them. Daddy was picking them up and I was cooking dinner, I had it all mapped out in my head. I had decided that while the chicken was cooking I would make a box of brownies and doctor them up with an amazing topping – quick and easy, and a blog post entry. Only as I was reaching for the measuring cup to add my water to the bowl that already contained the eggs, oil and bag of mix … it fell into the sink full of soapy water. GAH! There is no coming back from that. You can’t discretely fix that mistake! So, I cleaned up my mess and thought, well it just wasn’t in the cards to make this box of brownies tonight. I finished making supper and had great stories to listen to while we ate dinner as a family after their first day of school, and I was thankful.

IMG_0884Later on that evening, I decided that I needed to unwind and clear my head. For me baking is my zen, I get in a mindless groove and create scrumptious goodies for others. Bringing a smile to someones face and knowing that even if for only a few moments they get to forget about what ails them, then my job is done. I took out my trusty Betty Crocker’s Cookbook from the 70s (?) and dug out her brownie recipe. I figured if I had all the ingredients to make brownies from scratch then that is why my bowl of mix dumped. That was my sign. As I have said before, if you have quality pre-made items, USE THEM! Don’t feel like you HAVE to do everything homemade … just make sure it’s made with LOVE.

IMG_0887
Betty Crocker’s Recipe

Brownie Ingredients:
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/2 c. shortening
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. almond extract
1 1/4 c. AP flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 13 x 9 pan. Melt chocolate and shortening in a small pan on the stove over low heat. Stir constantly. Remove pan and pour mixture into a large bowl. Add in sugar, eggs and almond extract. Blend together until eggs and sugar are combined. Add in remaining ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake about 30 mins. or until batter has just left the sides of the pan and the top is dull looking. Do not over bake.

IMG_0885Digging through the cupboards I found I only had two cubes of unsweetened chocolate, but never fear, good ol’ Betty has the answer to everything! I just used the additional quantity in unsweetened cocoa powder and shortening – voila, problem solved.  So I whipped up a batch of Betty’s brownies with a small tweek. I used almond extract instead of pure vanilla as I was making an Almond Joy topping for my brownies! Once the brownies were cooked and cooling I started on the yummy topping!

IMG_0888

IMG_0889In a medium bowl I mixed 2 cups of shredded sweetened coconut, 1 cup of almonds, 1 cup of mini chocolate chips and 1 can of sweetened condensed milk. Can we just take a moment to relish in how amazing sweetened condensed milk is? There are two things that come from cans that I can lick the spoon after … sweetened condensed milk and tomato paste (weird … I know). Once it is all mixed, try not eat it all before you spread this gooey deliciousness onto the brownies!IMG_0890

IMG_0891You can cheat and not wait for the brownies to cool before spreading this on top, but be sure to remember that the mixture is thick and spreads rough. Then just stick them in the fridge (so the chips don’t melt) to cool. These are sinfully rich. I was able to cut mine into 32 squares easily. ENJOY!