Happy Easter!!

I am currently chilling with the parents and doing the Sunrise Service/Easter Service duties of a minister’s daughter.  It stinks getting up early, but the potluck breakfasts are to die for!!

Speaking of food, holidays are always made better by the seasonal candy that is available.  Since the thought of eating a Peep makes me die a little inside, Cadbury Creme Eggs are all I’m interested in from February till April.  I am especially interested the day after Easter when you can buy them for dirt cheap on sale.  It is actually very difficult to time it perfectly so they are at their cheapest, but there are still some available.

Thinking about Cadbury Eggs reminds me of a video from long ago, when B.J. Novak (that’s right, B.J. Novak who plays lowly temp Ryan on The Office….I know he’s not the temp anymore, but I only care about seasons 1-3) exposed the great Cadbury size cover-up.  Watch the video to see him out the company as big fat liars on national television.  The video is really poor quality, but you can hear everything and see the egg, which is most important.

Shocking isn’t it!  I am actually okay with them getting smaller, because then I can eat more of them without feeling guilty.

I hope all of you get to eat lots of good food today, whether it is candy from the Easter Bunny or dinner with family, enjoy!

I will leave you with the Cadbury bunny because it is the cutest thing ever.  And, I totally didn’t get the funny part that bunnies don’t lay eggs until I was in  college.

Jen

P.S.  I also just discovered that there is a Cadbury car!!!

The Five Best Things That Go With Chocolate

I will start this by saying that I am a huge fan of chocolate.  That is actually an understatement.  I live and breathe my love for chocolate.  I have been on a diet for the past year and a half and I still can’t stop myself from eating chocolate every day.  Mmmmmmmm….chocolate 🙂  Just thinking about it makes me want to go get a girl scout cookie from the kitchen.

I love chocolate all by itself, but really, it is much better when eaten in combination with other wonderful flavors.  I think this post is really the result of many conversations I have had with my sister (actually they are more like arguments) because she does not like peanut butter and chocolate together.  I cannot fathom why anyone would disagree with such a combination because I think it is the greatest invention known to man.

So, for all of you chocoholics out there, here are my five favorite chocolate/flavor combinations.  It was very tricky to narrow this list down to just five, but here it goes.

1.) Chocolate and Peanut Butter~~Of course this has to be first on the list.  I literally can’t think of anything yummier than peanut butter and chocolate together.  Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Peanut Butter Panic Ice Cream, Oreos dipped in peanut butter (my freshman roommate and I had a special peanut butter jar just for the Oreos) and Chocolate Peanut Butter Milk Shakes…..the list goes on and on.  Just tonight I had a slice of toast with peanut butter and chocolate chips warmed up in the microwave so it was all melty and delicious.  It was heavenly!!

2.) Chocolate and Mint~~This is the only flavor that comes even close to matching peanut butter, but it is still a distant second.  But there seem to be a lot more ways to enjoy chocolate minty goodness.  Thin Mints, Mint Chip Ice Cream, York Peppermint Patties, and Andes Mints (*drools*).  Does anyone else remember the Hershey’s Mint bars they used to have?  They had the consistency of Nestle’s Crunch bars, but it was just a Hershey bar with mint.  Those were the best things ever!!!  If I would have known they weren’t gonna be around forever, I would have bought 3 warehouses full of them.

3.) Chocolate and Strawberry~~Chocolate covered strawberries…need I say more?  Also, chocolate-strawberry side by side milkshakes at Steak and Shake are becoming my downfall.

4.) Chocolate and Caramel~~I love going home to my parent’s house because they always have chocolate AND caramel syrup for ice cream sundaes.  And they also always have ice cream.  Caramellos are another fine example of how well these flavors mesh.  They are also really fun to eat because the caramel always dribbles down my chin.

5.)  Chocolate and Potato Chips~~This last one may seem really weird, but trust me, if you’ve never had a chocolate covered potato chip, you are missing out on life.  The first ones I had were purchased at an old fashioned chocolate shop in Long Grove, Illinois and they were so wonderful!!  There is just something so perfect about the sweetness of the chocolate and the saltiness of the potato chip.  But I would advise always buying these in a real chocolate shop.  I bought some in Borders a few months ago and they were very good, but not nearly as good as the ones you find in small shops.

This was a hard list to make….several flavors almost made the cut.  I love chocolate and raspberry, but most of those flavor combos end up being dark chocolate, and I am not a fan of that (probably because it is healthy for me).  I also enjoy chocolate covered cherries, but I don’t usually like other cherry flavorings with chocolate.

So, what are your favorite chocolate flavor combinations?  Are any of you crazy like my sister and hate chocolate and peanut butter??

Jen

People Puppy Chow

At my teen cooking class this month, we did TWO things.  One was Lindsay’s Cake in a Cup recipe.  They totally loved it!  And they took most of the leftover cake mix home with them to make later.  One girl was taking it for a sleepover this weekend.  🙂

The other snack we made was People Puppy Chow.  Now my mom used to make this when I was little and she just called it Puppy Chow, but a few coworkers reminded me about it and they call it People Puppy Chow, which I loved.  When my mom made it when I was little, I don’t remember really eating it.  Why?  Because apparently there was something wrong with me!

Puppy Chow is AWESOME!  Seriously.  Peanut butter, chocolate, powdered sugar?  It’s like heaven in your hand.  I may have to make some for myself ASAP.  Do you like puppy chow?  The teens at my class hadn’t heard of it.

Here’s my mom’s recipe if you want to try it for yourself:

1 box Crispex cereal
1 bag choc. chips
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 stick margarine
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
microwave
large resealable plastic bag
wax paper

Place cereal in large bowl, set aside.
In 1 qt. microwave safe bowl, combine choc. pieces, p. butter and margarine.
Microwave on high for 1 to 1 1/2 min. or until smooth, stirring after 1 min.
Stir in vanilla.
Pour over cereal, stirring until all pieces are evenly coated.
Place mixture and powdered sugar into a large resealable bag and shake until all pieces are well coated.
Spread on wax paper to cool.
Store in airtight container or resealable plastic bag.

– Jill

Tastebook

If you’re looking for a good gift, I can help you out.  Tastebook.com.  It’s a website that stores recipes.  You can search the recipes people have entered, or create an account and add your own.  Then you can order a cookbook of your recipes.

It’s a really nice, spiral-bound, hardcover cookbook filled with your recipes.  A few years ago my sisters and I made a cookbook for my mom filled with 25 of her own recipes.  We got to add pictures and choose the cover.  It turned out really nice and was the kind of gift I love to give – it made her cry.  🙂  And then my younger sister started to cry because she thought my mom was crying because she didn’t like it.  It was a pretty hilarious Christmas morning.

I made another cookbook when my cousin got engaged.  Family members on all sides of her family sent recipes and we ordered a nice book for her first bridal shower.  It was a bigger book that time and it took me a long time to enter the recipes, but it turned out nicely and she seemed to like it.

At some point I may order a cookbook of my mom’s recipes for myself, but for now I just use the tastebook app when I’m cooking.  🙂  If you’re looking for a good cookbook website or a good gift, I recommend tastebook.  Check it out!

(This post is not sponsored by tastebook.com, though that would be nice.)  🙂

– Jill

Jen has inspired me…

to do a food post.

In all honesty, part of my reason for this post is because it will be quick and I don’t have much time for a post today.

Or I’m just lazy.

Hmm, laziness should probably just be the theme for this post.  What’s my food?  Chocolate chip cookies!  CLEARLY one of the best desserts/snacks.  (Possibly second only to ice cream.)

Now, because I am lazy, I don’t bake chocolate chip cookies from scratch.  In fact, I cannot honestly remember the last time I did that.  Occasionally, I’ll make gooey butter cake cookies from scratch, but that’s about it.

Chocolate chip cookies from scratch?  No, that’s what Nestle Tollhouse’s tub of cookie dough is for!

Just as good, MUCH faster, and no cleanup!

It’s the lazy girl’s ideal snack.  Yum.

– Jill

Jen’s Recipe Corner~~Perfect Scrambled Eggs

I don’t usually do a lot of cooking/baking.  Dinner for me usually involves making a sandwich or grabbing a pizza from the freezer, so even making scrambled eggs is a pretty big deal to me.  Most everybody already knows how to make scrambled eggs and they usually have a special way of making the dish their own.

Here is my (not so) secret recipe for making amazing scrambled eggs.  I ate all of this recipe by myself, so if you are cooking for more people, you might want to make a bigger batch.

Ingredients–

3 medium eggs (I can never tell how to “size” eggs, so I will just say medium)

1 wedge of Light Swiss Laughing Cow Cheese

A splash of milk

Various shredded cheeses

Butter

First, combine eggs and cheeses in a bowl.  Always remember to crack your eggs in a different bowl before adding them to the mixture (I say this because ALL cookbooks and cooking shows mention it, even though I never do it myself).

I threw in probably 1/4 cup shredded cheese.  I used a pre-shredded cheddar combo and some hand shredded mild cheddar.  The type of cheese doesn’t really matter, just pick your favorite.  Try to break up the Laughing Cow wedge so that it mixes well.  I didn’t do a great job of mixing mine in, which resulted in bites filled with large chunks of Laughing Cow goodness.  I happen to think this is awesome, but you might not be a fan.

Then add a splash of milk (probably around 1 1/2 tablespoons) and stir together.

Put butter in a pan and melt it down.  I never bother with silly cooking spray….it’s always real butter for me (and lots of it!).

Pour the mixture in while on medium heat.

Scramble it up nice until……well, until it looks like scrambled eggs.

Add some salt and pepper and serve with some toast with blackberry jam for a delicious breakfast/lunch/dinner!!

Jen

This New Ice Cream Flavor is To Die For!!!

So the other night I was talking on the phone with my friend Jessi.  We were going through the usual “what’re you up to tonight” chat and she says to me, “I’m eating red velvet ice cream.”  WHAT???  How could I be living in a world where this exists and not be eating it right now???

Red Carpet Red Velvet Cake is a new flavor from Blue Bunny that was created by Duff Goldman from Ace of Cakes.  Even though the show is over now, I loved Ace of Cakes (Marry me Geoff!!).  I am so happy that even though I can’t go all the way to Baltimore to eat one of their cakes (or pay to have it delivered) I can pretend I am eating one whenever I have this ice cream.

And oh man, this ice cream is goooooooooooood.  I just bought it tonight and was only going to try one bite (because I accidentally had a Shamrock Shake on the way home) but one bite turned into like 12.  It is sooooooo delicious!!!  The red velvet cake-i-ness is pitch perfect.  And don’t be scared when you open it and the ice cream is red and looks nothing like the picture on the carton……it will still taste awesome.  It could also be that mine turned red because it had 45 minutes to melt in the car.  Whoops.

So, for the love of everything that is good and pure in this world, go out and get this ice cream right now!  What are you waiting for???  You should find it anywhere they sell Blue Bunny.

Jen

P.S.  There are four other flavors too, but they aren’t nearly as exciting to me.  You can read about them here.

P.P.S.  I am not getting paid to endorse this product, but I would not be opposed to receiving free ice cream for life 🙂

I Am a Domestic Goddess

Yesterday I read like four books, so today I decided that instead of reading, I would spend the day in the kitchen.  I’m not sure why exactly, but I have been craving banana bread for a while now.

First, I had to go to the store (in my pjs of course) and ran into some girl scouts selling cookies.  Yippee!!!  I secured two boxes of delicious cookies (I still have 3 boxes on the way) to give me something to munch on while cooking.

I started with deviled eggs.  Why you ask?  My boss recently gave me a whole bunch of eggs and I had no idea what to do with them.  I found a recipe for deviled eggs and problem solved!  They look completely disgusting….almost like something that came out of one of my cats, but they taste so great!

Then I made banana bread.  Now, banana bread to me is probably completely different than what it is to you.  Banana bread for me has always included chocolate chips and maraschino cherries.  My mom has the ability to turn any dish into a dessert 🙂

I have already eaten 1/4 of the loaf and I’m sure that I am not finished yet for the evening.

I think I am pretty set for the rest of the week with my homemade bread, girl scout cookies, and leftover eggs.  I wonder how long deviled eggs can be refridgerated?

After doing all the dishes from this afternoon, I probably won’t be doing any cooking/baking for a long time.

Jen

My Super Bowl Sunday

I am actually a big football fan myself, but this year I did not watch one minute of the Super Bowl.  I have a deep, burning hatred of the Pittsburgh Steelers, so I was pretty sure that watching the game would be too painful.  Apparently I missed a really great game (GO PACKERS!), Xtina messing up the anthem, and a sub par halftime show.  But I don’t care that I missed it because I was having a wonderful girls’ day with my mom.

First, we went to see The King’s Speech, which is very, very good.  Colin Firth is unbelievably awesome as Bertie (or King George VI) and Helena Bonham Carter is phenomenal as his wife Elizabeth.  We both enjoyed the movie and shed a few tears at the end.

Then we went to Steak and Shake and I had a very yummy grilled cheese sandwich, fries, and a Butterfinger shake.  I’m pretty sure that would be my last meal request if I was ever on death row (I know I can’t be the only one who has ever thought about that).

But the best part of the whole day happened while we were watching the BBC Sally Hawkins version of Persuasion.  During the movie, we made Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookie Sandwiches.  That’s right, you read that correctly.  It is basically an oreo inside a chocolate chip cookie.  Here is a picture that is totally drool-worthy.

 

*drool drool drool*

I found the recipe on the blog The Picky Palate, which has an overabundance of fun cookie recipes to try.  Needless to say, the cookies turned out amazing and they are HUGE!  They are like little mountains of chocolate-y Oreo goodness.  They are perfect after being warmed in the microwave for about 20 seconds and served with 2 glasses of milk (you will literally need two).

The only downfall of the recipe is that it only makes about 24 cookies.  With my mom taking home half of them to share with my dad and sis, that did not leave a whole lot for me.  I am currently rationing them so I only eat one cookie a day.  Hopefully that will allow me to hold out until I go home in two weeks and we can make them again.  I think next time we will try to use mint Oreos and mint chocolate chips.  Or maybe peanut butter Oreos and peanut butter chips.  The possibilities are endless!

To get the recipe for these awesome cookies, go to The Picky Palate.  Happy baking!

Jen

Lou Hoover is my Dairy Queen

Yuuuummmm so Steve and I went to Dairy Queen tonight, and I was feeling a little saucy so I actually ordered a blizzard other than cookie dough. So what was this seductive temptress/seasonal flavor? It was none other than than that cheerful Girl Scout staple Tagalong cookie! (I was such a frazzled state as I frantically tried to make the decision–it wasn’t until the very last second that I blurted out “TAGALONG” to the cashier)

SO GOOOOOOD! Peanut-buttery, chocolaty, ice-creamy cookiely perfection! I would like to thank three important women for this heavenly treat: 2. Lou Hoover, for making Girl Scout cookies the best thing ever (for more on the Hoovers, see Jill) 2. Jen, for introducing me to Girl Scout cookie + ice cream, and thus, allowed me to believe in its possibilities. and 3. Eleanor Roosevelt, for telling me to scare myself.