Sunday Lunch {Part II}

so now, onto our delightful dessert - Crêpes!

It's my absolute absolute favorite dessert ever! The best part is, you can choose different toppings and create a custom dessert perfect for you! This time we used fresh strawberries, cheesecake filling, whipped cream, nutella, bananas, and chocolate syrup. We mixed and matched the toppings to make our perfect crêpes.

Crêpe recipe:

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla (omit when making savory crêpes)

Pour the flour and salt in a bowl and break the eggs in the middle. Mix into a thick batter. Add the melted butter, and while whisking, pour the milk gradually, little at a time. Mix until you get the perfect texture: neither too thick nor too liquid. It must be thinner than pancake batter with no lumps**. Leave the batter to sit in the fridge for a while if you can, or else start making the crêpes.

To make the crêpes, heat a little butter on a medium size, flat, NON-STICK pan and pour on a thin layer of the batter. The trick here is to lift the pan off of the heat, ladle the batter onto the pan and swirl it around until it forms a thin, even layer, then put it back on the heat. When the one side is lightly browned, flip it to the other side.
**{helpful HINT: the consistency of the batter should be thin enough to easily spread smooth across the pan, but thick enough that it doesn't break when you flip it over.}
Repeat until all the batter is gone, then top with your favorite toppings [strawberries, bananas, blueberries, peaches, whipped cream...etc...or the classic combo - lemon juice and powdered sugar, YUM!] and Enjoy!!

PS. By omitting the vanilla extract, this recipe can be used for savory crepes as well! Just add some shredded chicken with white sauce and melt some cheese on it, or add spinach and mushrooms for a healthy twist. The possibilities really are endless.

Clone of a Cinnabon. Check.

Christal and I made these last week on her day off.

Another item checked off my To-Bake list.

These were heavenly. Period.

No bread machine? No bread flour? No problem!!

We altered the recipe just a tad and they still came out perfect.

Clone of a Cinnabon  

{recipe, minus bread machine/bread flour}

For original recipe and instructions, go HERE

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, softened

3 ounces of cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm milk. Mix in the sugar, melted butter, salt, and eggs. Add flour and mix well.
2. Knead the dough into a ball, but don't over work it! Put in a bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
3. Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. {we put plastic wrap on the counter to prevent the dough from sticking in the humidity. and it worked like a charm!} 
5. Spread softened butter over dough and sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly. 
6. Roll up dough and cut into 12 equal pieces. About 1.5-2 inches wide.
7. Place rolls in lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish, about 1-2 inches apart. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled in size. Preheat oven to 400 F.
8. Combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt in a small bowl. Mix well.
9. BAKE rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Spread with frosting.
   And ENJOY!

They were seriously the best cinnamon rolls I have had in a LONG time!

You have got to try this recipe!!

Weekend + choc cookie sandwich recipe!

On Saturday I had an engagement shoot with this cute couple...

I seriously had a blast! Stay tuned for more from this fun shoot!

And today, we had dinner with some friends. It was so much fun!

I was in charge of making dessert....and this is what I made:

Oreo cookie sandwiches (at least that's what I'm calling it...)

They were a hit!! :D

And its super easy!!

here's how you can make your own:

Oreo Cookie Sandwich

Cookies:

1 box of chocolate cake mix

2 eggs

1 stick of butter (room temp)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

• Cream butter, eggs and vanilla together in a bowl. Add oil and cake mix, and mix until smooth. Add chocolate chips if desired.
• Spoon about a 1-1.5 inch ball of cookie dough onto baking sheet 2 inches apart. (it helps if you have a small, 1.5 inch, ice cream scoop for this to make the dough even size and shape)
• Bake in preheated 350F oven for 8-10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet before removing.

Frosting:

1 (8 oz) box of cream cheese (softened)

1 stick of butter (softened)

1 tsp vanilla

1 lb powdered sugar

[I ran out of powdered sugar, so I only used about 1/2-3/4 lb, and it was still super sweet and yummy!]

• Cream butter and cream cheese together in a med size bowl. Add the vanilla, then slowly stir in powdered sugar.
• Spoon a small amount of the frosting mixture onto one cookie, 1-2 Tbsp, then squish it down with another cookie until frosting is flush with the edge of cookies.

And of course, ENJOY!

♥ Happy Valentine's Day ♥

This morning I woke up to this.....

My sneaky boys woke up extra early to make sure that this was a complete surprise!

...and it totally was :D

A handmade card....made with love and filled with sweet messages....

and the best gift of all...

sweet kisses from my little boy ♥

 In return, Chad came home to this yummy goodness....

OK, ready for this??....They are White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Magic Bars from Baking Bites!

YUM-O

Hubby's favorite treats include anything with white chocolate, condensed milk, and/or coconut....so this was THE PERFECT dessert! - really, it's so good!

Here is the recipe:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup roasted, salted macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

 Preheat oven to 350F.

• Mix together graham cracker crumbs, oatmeal, and melted butter; Press into even layer in a lightly greased 8x8 baking pan.
• Layer evenly in the following order: first the white chocolate chips, then macadamia nuts, followed by coconut, and topped off with condensed milk (pour evenly over everything).
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until coconut is golden brown.
• Cool completely before cutting.
  
  *Makes 16-20 bars*

 

 

I hope that everyone had a fabulous Valentine's Day!!!

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥