red velvet cheesecake cupcakes!

I've been meaning to post these for ages now, as I made them a month ago for Steve's birthday. Red velvet cheesecake cupcakes! They were amazing!

I posted the recipe to Scarlet Threads blog yesterday, so go have a look!

three ingredient Nutella cookies!

Recently, I saw a recipe on pinterest for three-ingredient Nutella cookies, and I was intrigued. I knew I had to make them. It must have been fate, because when I was grocery shopping, Nutella was on sale! It's never on sale! 

Yes, I take photos at the grocery store...is this weird?! Probably. 

Anyway, back to the cookies.

It's a very simple recipe; flour, Nutella and an egg. I pulled out my mixer and mixed away. You'll need one cup each of the flour and the Nutella, and then an egg. Blend them together. The dough was very crumbly, and wouldn't hold together well at all, so I added a few dashes of vanilla, to juice them up a bit. 

I guess they're now four ingredient Nutella cookies? 

The recipe I followed (linked here) says to bake them for 7-8 minutes, but I found that they needed closer to 10 or even 12 minutes. That could be due to my adding the vanilla...

Also, the recipe just made about a dozen cookies...interestingly enough, one cup of Nutella is just about one jar....so, if you have many people to share with, I'd double, or even triple the recipe, to be sure you have enough! Or, make them smaller? Mine aren't that large though, I don't think! 

Here is the finished result:

They were very dense, but delicious! I'd suggest eating them with a tall glass of milk! 

Baking anything new this week? 

Also, I've posted this recipe to Scarlet Threads blog today too, Check them out for lots of great recipes for all sorts of things! 

Tasty Tuesday! Strawberry and Creme Cupcakes!

Here's a recipe from my sister Bethany! I have it cross-posted to Scarlet Threads blog today too, so feel free to peek there if you wish! Also, we have some darling new aprons in the apron shop...have you seen them yet?? I'm loving the ruffles on Priscilla so much. Remember, if you purchase anything from Scarlet Threads, use the code lex25 at checkout for a 25% discount! We're trying to get to all 50 states this year, so please share with your friends! Any friends in Alaska? That's my goal...send an apron to Alaska  :)


Anyway! Cupcakes! My sister loves to bake, and they always look delicious, and these cupcakes were too good not to share! Of course, I just wish I lived close enough to try one...DC and MA are just too far apart! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Normally I like to bake from scratch, but I always keep a few boxes of brownie and cake mix in the cupboard for those "emergency moments." My husband and brother in law spent the day ripping up the carpet on the stairs in our new house and putting in new hardwood stairs- yay, they look so pretty!  I was in the mood to bake, which isn't anything new, and felt the boys deserved a treat after their hard work.

Luckily, I had all the ingredients necessary for a cupcake recipe I'd been wanting to try!

I didn't have as much time as I hoped, as I had plans for the evening and it was already 4pm, so I pulled out a box of chocolate cake mix, heavy whipping cream, and fresh strawberries.

Make the cake mix as directed on the box, and fill cute cupcake tins about three quarters full.  For maximum moistness, bake for a few minutes less than directed on the box.

While cupcakes are cooking, wash and dry strawberries.  Cut into thin slices and set aside.

Wile cupcakes are cooling, whip heavy cream with hand mixer until fluffy.

Carefully cut off tops of cupcakes.

Spread a layer of whipped cream onto each cupcake, cover with a strawberry or two, and replace cupcake top.  I also put a dollop of whipped cream on the top so it would stick to the strawberries!  Add another dollop of whipped cream to the cupcake top and cover with one more strawberry.

Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve and store extras in fridge as well.

This is a delicious, easy summery recipe that got thumbs up from all!

What's baking in your kitchen this week??


Eeeek! Just realized this was my 700th post!!! Should I do something to celebrate? A fun giveaway? What do you think??? A Scarlet Threads apron?   :)

hey! that's pin-tastic! garlic pull-apart bread.

As you know, I am very often posting about things I've seen on pinterest, and today I decided to link up with AP's Hey! That's Pin-tastic! I thought this might be fun! I love reading AP's blog, though I don't seem to comment there as often as I should!  If you don't read her blog, you should - her boys are just the cutest. For real. 

One night last week (New Years Eve, in fact), Steve and I roasted a chicken for dinner- one of my favorite meals. He had to work during the day, but I was off, and spent some time on pinterest, natch. I found this recipe for garlic pull-apart bread, and it sounded like the perfect thing to go along with the chicken! 

It wasn't a terribly difficult recipe, though I'd make a few tweaks, I think. Here's the original:

Ingredients:

1 can of refrigerated Grands biscuits (not the flaky layers)
1/2 stick of butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian Seasoning 

Instructions:

1-  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Throw the cold stick of butter in a bundt pan and let it melt in the preheating oven.

2- While the butter melts, cut the Grands biscuits into quarters. In a bowl, toss the biscuit pieces, garlic, Italian Seasoning, and Parmesan cheese together.

3- Once the butter is melted, add the biscuit mixture, sprinkling with any cheese and garlic that gets let behind in the bowl.

4- Bake at 350 degrees for 20- 22 minutes until golden brown. Turn out on a dish and enjoy!

My notes:

I might use less than a full stick of butter next time. It was a lot. 

I didn't use the Italian seasoning either. Steve isn't hugely wild about it. 

Since I had a chicken in the oven, I couldn't melt the butter in the pan while preheating, so I melted it in the microwave. After the butter was melted, I used pre-minced garlic, as I realized I didn't have any full cloves in the house. For shame! Also, I was quite low on parmesan cheese....clearly I did not think this through carefully before I decided to make it! 

So I added the minced garlic and the parmesan cheese to the small bowl of melted butter and as I cut up the biscuits (and I DID use the flaky kind, despite the recipe saying not to!), and I'd "marinate" them in the mix for a few seconds before putting them into the pan. 

Most of the butter mix was soaked up to an extent, but the little bit that I had leftover, I poured over it afterwards. What I didn't realize, was that while baking, it would sink! So, when they came out, the bottom layer was somewhat sopping in butter, while the top layer was just about perfect! So, less butter would be ideal for the next time, I think. 

Before baking photo:

After baking photo: 

Overall, this was a great recipe, and so easy. You could also try other spices too, to switch things up. Maybe rosemary and thyme? I do love rosemary! Another cheese would be fun too. Maybe add some olives and feta, for a Greek take on this? 

How might you change this up?

new recipe, taco pasta bake

 

 

So! The other day, I posted about menu planning for the week, and so far, I am ahead of my game! I made the taco pasta bake, and it came out really well! I'm even posting it in the same week that I made it!

 

 

Steve really enjoyed it, and we had some leftovers for the next night, which was really nice. I will admit, I'm not always very good about eating leftovers...but, this time, we did!

 

 

I found the Taco Pasta Bake from a foodie blog called Iowa Girl Eats. She has some great recipes- this wasn't the first I tried, but the first I am sharing, I think. Kristin's photos are much nicer than mine are, and far more colorful, but mine still tastes quite good!

As always, I didn't follow the directions to the letter- I rarely do that when it comes to recipes. I like to mix them up a bit, to make them my own. Of course, there are sometimes items in some recipes that I don't like (example, mushrooms. blech!), so I omit things like that. Steve is also pretty picky, so I will remove things that I know that he won't like either, such as peppers. He's a bit weird  ;)

I didn't take step by step photos this time, but this is the finished dish.

Taco Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup water

1 recipe homemade taco seasoning + 1/2 teaspoon salt

14.5oz can tomato sauce

14.5oz can petite diced tomatoes

few dashes hot sauce

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 1/2 cups corn kernels (frozen, fresh, or canned)

4oz can chopped green chilies

8oz macaroni shells, cooked and drained

2 cups crushed tortilla chips

Toppings: chopped tomatoes, salsa, sliced olives, green onions, sour cream

Directions:

1. Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain, then return to the skillet. Add water, homemade taco seasoning, salt, tomato sauce, petite diced tomatoes, and hot sauce then stir to combine. Turn heat down to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile cook macaroni shells in salted, boiling water until just under al dente, then drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 350*

2. Turn stove off then add 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese to the tomato mixture and stir until smooth. Add corn, chilies, and cooked shells, then stir to combine. Pour mixture into a non-stick sprayed 8×8 baking dish and bake for 10 minutes. Top with crushed tortilla chips and remaining cheese then bake for 10 more minutes. Serve with toppings, if desired.

My notes/edits:

I did not use an onion. Another thing I dislike!

I used whole stewed tomatos in Mexican spices.

I didn't make my own taco seasoning, but used a package of pre-made. Someday, I will try making my own- I keep hearing how much better for you it is!

I didn't use the green chilies.

I baked in a 9x13 pan.

I forgot to buy sour cream, so didn't have that as a topping. So sad. I did buy salsa, but forgot to use it. Ooops. Next time, I'll try with both, along with black olives. YUM!

I did top with tortilla chips and cheese for the final ten minutes of baking. So good!

It tastes better than it looks, I promise!



We loved it! Such a great dinner.

What are you cooking up this week?  Anything amazing that I should try?

can this!

Last Friday, I ordered this book. To my surprise, it arrived with Monday's mail! I've been wanting to try canning, and this book seems terrific. I opened it, and the first recipe I saw was for strawberry and lavender jam. LOVE. I love lavender. I love strawberry. LOVE.

My mother used to make jam and applesauce, and I think this will be a really fun project. I've also found some great looking recipes on pinterest.

I'll report back on what I make, and of course, I'll be sporting a Scarlet Threads apron :)

Have you tried canning? What are your favorite recipes?

Tasty Tuesday! Mexican stuffed shells.

I saw this recipe on pinterest a few weeks ago and knew that Steve would love it. Mexican stuffed shells! Anything with cheese, and he's a happy man.

I would have made it sooner, but discovered that jumbo pasta shells are not too common at grocery stores in DC! I looked at half a dozen, I think, and never saw them, until this past weekend. Oddly enough, I was at a store that I rarely go to, because I find it so disorganized, yet they had the jumbo shells I needed! So, win!

Here is the original recipe, found at a blog called The Way to His Heart. Cute name, eh?

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 package low-sodium taco seasoning (or better yet use this Taco Seasoning!)

4 oz. cream cheese

14-16 jumbo pasta shells

1.5 cup salsa

1 cup taco sauce (This is a smooth, tomato based sauce found in the Mexican section)

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 cup monterey jack cheese

3 green onions

Sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a frying pan cook ground beef; add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions. Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and cool completely. While ground beef is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to directions; drain. Set shells out individually on cutting board/baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.

Pour salsa on bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place shells in 9×13 pan open side up. Cover shells with taco sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes, with the foil removed. Top with any condiments you’d like (green onions, black olives, etc.) Serve with sour cream and/or more salsa.

My edits:

First, I used ground turkey instead of beef.

I used the entire block of cream cheese, so 8 oz, instead of half of it. It made it super creamy!

I forgot to buy the green onions.

The shells get slippery and are hard to fill. I used a ladle to help keep their shape while filling them!

You can see from my photo that I baked them in a round dish, I think it's nine inches. It's Boleslawiec, a Polish pottery that I collect. It has handles!

I also didn't pour the taco sauce over them before baking- I just used salsa in the dish, and placed the stuffed shells over the salsa. I baked them for about 20 min, then took the foil off, and sprinkled the cheese over them, baking for another five or eight minutes.

They were delicious, Steve was a big fan!

Hmmm, it doesn't look as pretty in the pictures, but I feel like most pasta/cheesey dishes don't photograph well! I guess I should work on my food photography skills, eh?

I posted this at Scarlet Threads blog today too.

What are you cooking this week? Do you have a recipe that you want to share with Scarlet Threads readers?

We love finding new recipes to post!

Also, speaking of Scarlet Threads, have you seen their new line of jewelry? It's a new partnership with a Ugandan organization that works with women and children, and we're so thrilled to be working with them. Keep an eye out, I think there may be a giveaway coming up ;)

pimp your lemonade!

I saw this on pinterest and I love it!

Maybe I should print it out and put it in a cute white frame in the kitchen? Might be fun!

I do love me some lemonade, all year long!

I love raspberries in it, or strawberry slices too.

pinned here and here is the source

Do you drink lemonade? Do you add anything to it?

red velvet cheeseball!

This past weekend, I attended a baby shower for a good friend. She's expecting her first baby, a boy, in April. Her mother is over the moon about becoming a grandmother for the first time, and is doubly excited, because not only is my friend having a baby in April, her younger sister recently announced that she's expecting a baby too, in August! So exciting.

As always when going to an event, I asked if I could bring anything and when told yes, I found this recipe (pinterest...natch!) for a red velvet cheeseball and it seemed to be just perfect. Who doesn't like red velvet? Not this girl!

This is an easy thing to whip up and trust me, your friends will be beyond impressed. I loosely followed this recipe.

Red velvet cheeseball

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups red velvet cake mix, dry
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add in the red velvet cake mix, the brown sugar and the powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and combined.

Turn the mixture out onto a piece of plastic wrap.

Wrap up into a ball and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Put the chocolate chips on a plate or in a shallow dish. Remove the cheese ball from the refrigerator and unwrap. Roll in the chocolate chips. (This might get messy!)

Place on a serving plate and serve with cookies or graham crackers.

My notes-

Believe it or not, but I don't own a stand mixer, so I used a hand mixer. Also, I didn't read the directions well apparently, because I added the entire package of red velvet cake mix before realizing I was only supposed to use about half of it! It was VERY dry, and I managed to break my hand mixer. Yes, you read that correctly. Something in the moter snapped. Whooops.

I added a bit of vanilla in order to make it easier to blend! I do love vanilla anyway, and was rather generous there, adding several tablespoons! Also, I left in in the fridge overnight, and it was rock solid when I took it out the next morning, but an hour or so on the counter softened it up for the rolling in the chocolate chips.

I served it with vanilla wafers and graham crackers and it was well loved by everyone there! This is definitely something that I will make again and again!

I've also posted this to Scarlet Threads blog!

What is your go-to dish to bring to a shower?

wordless wednesday: nutella edition

via Pinterest

tasty tuesday, dippin' style

I recently found a recipe for a dip that I thought sounded good, so I sent it to my mother and we decided to make it on Christmas Day! I can't find the link to the blog I found it on- I apologize now and will look, and then edit it when I do!

This dip was SO good, and yes, it makes a TON! We actually halved it and still had a ton, and had twelve people there eating!

We served it with blue corn chips, but of course, you can do whatever you'd like! I was thinking after that it might be a fun topping for something Mexican, like burritos or nachos!

*Feta Black Bean Dip*

Serves 30 {and that’s not a typo, it makes a TON!}

1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 {15 oz} cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
3 {15 oz} cans of Shoepeg corn, drained and rinsed
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 {8 oz} block feta cheese, crumbled

Whisk sugar, vinegar and oil in a large bowl.
Add the black beans, corn, scallions, cilantro, and feta and mix well.
Chill until serving time.
Serve with tortilla chips or corn chips.

(not the best photo, as it was taken with my iphone!)

The cute reindeer in the photo is pulling a sleigh :)

another tasty tuesday!

Sunday night, I made a most delicious chicken pot pie! I'd been wanting to make one for weeks, but things have been so crazy that I just hadn't. I went out to do a bit of Christmas shopping and decided that a pot pie would be an amazing dinner on a gloomy, rainy evening! I had most of the ingredients already, so just had to pick up the pie crust and some chicken broth. Pie crusts? Buy one, get one free! Awesome.

As you can see from the photos, the pie came out well and was so delicious!

Please also note my adorable Penelope Scarlet Threads apron (they make excellent Christmas gifts!)

chicken pot pie, a la lexi



2-3 tbls butter
1 lb boneless chicken, cut into small pieces (I used three large breasts)
salt and pepper, to taste
8 oz veggies (I used a can of peas/carrots and a can of mixed veggies, including corn and lima beans...shhh, don't tell Steve about the lima beans!)
3-4 tbls flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup half & half
1 tsp spices (I used romemary, thyme, sage and oregano)
pastry crust, one pie crust

preheat oven to 425*

melt butter in large skillet over med-high heat. add chicken, cook/stir 3 min, until no longer pink in center. sprinkle with salt and papper. add veggies, cook 3 min

sprinkle flour evenly over chicken and veggies, stir and cook 1 min. stir in broth and half and half and spices. bring to boil over high heat, reduce to low and simmer until mixture is very thick.

transfer to pie plate and top with pie crust. cut slits to let steam out.

bake 20 min until crust is golden brown.

Enjoy :)

What is on your cooking rotation this week?

got my eye on pie!

If anyone wanted to get me this pie maker from Williams Sonoma for Christmas, I'd be more than happy to give you my new address (and send you mini pies once a month!)

What is your favorite kind of pie?

fall in a glass!

Doesn't this sound delightful???

(source- Capitol Hill Style)

The Normandy

From Xavier Herit at Daniel

Ingredients-

9 fresh cranberries2 thin slices green apple1 teaspoon packed dark brown sugar1 tablespoon lemon juice1 tablespoon simple syrup1⁄4 cup good-quality CalvadosIce cubes

Directions-
In a cocktail shaker, muddle 6 cranberries, 1 apple slice, the brown sugar and lemon juice.
Add the simple syrup, Calvados and a few ice cubes.

Cover, shake well and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.
Top with the remaining apple slice and 3 cranberries.
Serves 1.

would you try this???

I know it sounds strange, but it is good! I found it at one of my favorite DC bars last night, the Brickskeller, which has hundreds of beers on their menu! Lots of imported beers, including this one, from England, I believe.

What do you think? Would you try it?

the most amazing thing ever

Have you ever tried the Ciao Bella brand of sorbets? I'd seen them in stores, but never bought them. I don't buy much ice cream, believe it or not!

In April, I was at a B&B in Walla Walla, WA and this was served with breakfast---

It is amazingly delicious, I can't even tell you how much I adore it.

As soon as you are done reading this post, rush to the gorcery store and buy some.

You won't regret it.

Trust me.

strawberry sangria Saturdays

(oh hey, alliteration!)

Recently, Maris posted a recipe for strawberry sangria, and as soon as I saw it, I knew that I needed to try it. I love sangria and I LOVE strawberries, so this seemed like the perfect combination of amazingness.

I mean really, how is sangria not the perfect summer drink?

Recipe, again, posted via Maris-

White Strawberry Sangria

1 750 mL bottle of dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
1/2 cup of strawberry schnapps
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups fresh, sliced strawberries

Mix everything in two quart pitcher and add sliced strawberries. Cover and chill for 1-4 hours. Serve in glasses over ice and garnish with whole strawberries, if you wish.

Enjoy, obvs!

Here is my result----

1. I didn't serve over ice or garnish with whole strawberries, as you can see.

2. I didn't chill for 1-4 hours, because, honestly? We didn't want to wait that long! I think it chilled for approximately four seconds before I poured it into the glasses! I did add ice to the pitcher before I added the ingredients though!

We made three batches. The first was with a pinot, the second was with a moscato and the third, with an apple wine. Our favorite was the moscato, it was just a bit sweeter than the other two, but not too sweet. Perfect, really.

Steve and I always have plenty of wine in the house, so I have a feeling that this is something we'll make often. It's so easy, and so delish!

What is your favorite summer drink?

a winner of a dinner

The other day, Katie posted a recipe that sounded too good not to try. It sounded easy and delicious, and I knew Steve would like it!

Chicken Crescent Squares!

Here is her recipe, with my modifications-

• 3oz of cream cheese (softened) (I used the entire package...which was too much :) The 3oz didn't seem like it was enough, but I think I had more than enough chicken, so I had to even things out. I'd say more than 3oz, but not the entire 8oz in the package...maybe 6oz would be perfect)
• 1 Tablespoon of butter (softened) I used a bit more than one tbls...
• 2 cups of cooked chicken (I chopped up a package of chicken breasts (the thin ones) into pieces and that worked fine)
• 1 Tablespoon of chopped spring onion (I don't like onions themselves, but I like the flavor, so I sprinkled in a few shakes of onion flavor!)
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon of dill (I didn't use dill, but used garlic instead!)
• 1 Tablespoon of rosemary (I used basil instead of rosemary)
• 1 8oz can of refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 Tablespoon of butter (melted)
• 4 Tablespoons of crushed croutons or panko bread crumbs (I didn't do this)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*.

2. Beat the cream cheese and softened butter until smooth.

3. Toss in chicken, rosemary, dill, onion & salt & pepper.

4.Unroll crescent rolls from can. Separate into 4 rectangles. Firmly press perforated edges into one another to seal. Spoon 1/2 cup of chicken mixture into center of square.

5. Pull 4 corners into center to make a sort of purse (or dumpling looking) shape. Pinch edges to seal.

6.Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Brush tops of squares with the melted butter, sprinkle tops with crushed croutons or bread crumbs. If you chose to do this step.
7. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

This is how mine looked---

They were super easy, and really good! Steve made suggestions for how we could try making them next time. Of course, he wants to add cheese...! He also thought about using shredded beef. I don't think that would work with the cream cheese, so I'd have to figure that out.

Have you made any good recipes lately?

would you eat these?

A few days ago, Steve and I were at the grocery store. As always, we went up and down every isle (yes, that's how I shop...) In the chip isle, I saw these---


conversation---

Lexi- "cheeseburger doritos! we have to try them!"
Steve- "you're disgusting."

Ha. He loves me, I swear.

He always makes fun of me, because I always feel the need to try the gross flavors of chips. We didn't buy them, as I didn't want a huge bag if they were indeed gross. Yesterday morning, my co-worker and I ran to the vending machine and I saw a snack-sized bag! Perfection!

They taste exactly like Burger King.

So friends, would you try them???

Amana love

While we were in Iowa last week, we took a trip to the nearby Amana Colonies, which is one of my favorite places in Iowa. It is a collection of seven villages that were begun by German settlers in the 1860's or so. It was begun as a way of communal living and stayed that way until the 1930's. Today, the villages are part of the National Register of Historic Places and is a tourist destination, as the area is filled with shops and restaurants and is really just so adorable.

I'm pretty much in love with it, and insist on going every time we are in Iowa! It's a bit over an hour from Steve's parents house, so it isn't a bad drive at all. I took some pictures, and will post them later, but here is one of a few of my purchases, from the German bakery!





Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

If the words are too small to read, it is a loaf of old-fashioned Dutch dill bread, dill mustard and a jar of Amana seasoning, whatever that means! You know how much I love my spices, I wasn't going to leave that behind!

They have bakeries, meat shops, a basket shop, a quilt shop (of course I went in there!), chocolate shops, wineries, a woolen mill, and so much more! If you are nearby Iowa, or ever go, make sure to go to the Amanas!