~Chocolate Mint Brownies~

These are the best brownies ever!!! Oh these are my favorite brownies, and one my most favorite chocolate desserts. This is a true Hoover recipe (I have no idea where my mom got it to be honest). I have made these many, many times, but the other day I made these for my office and they were inhaled by morning. I had to hide the rest of the pan to save some for Jeremy. When my mom made these when all the kids lived at home, we would fight over the pan for the leftover scraps of chocolate and frosting. (Remember that guys?)

So you start with the brownie base, made from scratch. This recipe is way easy; it just takes some time because there are three layers.

After the brownie base has cooled, spread the homemade frosting on top, and let it cool. I was in a rush making this because I wanted to go to bed, so I threw the pan in the freezer so it would cool faster.

Once the frosting is more firm, spread the chocolate frosting on top, and refrigerate. Refrigerating the brownies once they are done will make the chocolate topping harder--which is better.

You want to be careful when spreading the chocolate topping--you don't want to mix the green layer and the chocolate layer. Wait for the chocolate layer to cool a little bit.

You'll Need:

Brownie:

1 c. margarine

2 squares semisweet Baker's chocolate

2 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

3/4 c. walnuts, chopped (optional)

Green Frosting:

2 c. powdered sugar

2-4 Tbs. evaporated milk

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

4 Tbs. butter

green food coloring

Icing:

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

4 Tbs. melted butter

Get Busy:

Melt the margarine in medium-sized bowl. Add the chocolate squares and melt in the microwave. Do NOT microwave more than 30 seconds at a time or else the chocolate will burn. Cool slightly. Add sugar, eggs and remaining ingredients. Bake in a 9x13 pan for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool completely.

Combine ingredients for frosting and spread over brownies.

Icing: Melt the two together until completed melted (either in microwave or on stove) and spread over the frosting layer. Put the brownies in the refrigerator to cool completely. Done!

~Caramel Cinnamon Rolls~

Oh. My. Gosh!!!!! These are so uh-MAZING! Caramel cinnamon rolls are a different take than normal cinnamon rolls--there is no cream cheese involved. Cream cheese got ousted by a phenomenal homemade caramel sauce. I dated a guy in high school whose dad makes these bad boys. I wanted the recipe in high school, but he said I had to marry into the family to get them. My mom however, finally snagged the recipe from him. Yesssss. This recipe made about 30 good-sized rolls. I took them to work and they were gone in a flash (and not everyone got one). So I'll be taking another pan to work tomorrow (also so I don't eat them all...) Oh these were soooo sooo good.

I will say, it is a wise idea to make these on a weekend when you don't have a ton going on...Total time, these take almost 4 hours to make from start to finish...and honestly, it is worth every minute of the time.

Ohhh look at the caramel goodness...nom nom nom.

I honestly can't say enough of these. Much thanks to the Coelhos for letting my family have this recipe! I personally have never loved cinnamon rolls, but these in my opinion are much better than original cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting.

Makes about 30 rolls

You'll Need:

2 packets of quick-rise yeast

10 c. all-purpose flour

2 c. milk

3/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. oil

1 egg

1 Tbs. salt

Caramel Sauce:

2 sticks of butter

1 c. packed brown sugar

1 Tbs. Karo syrup

Other Ingredients Needed:

1 stick of butter

Sugar/cinnamon mixture (a lot)

Get Busy:

Dough: Place 1 tsp. sugar and two packets of yeast in 1 c. lukewarm water. Let stand 10 minutes. Heat 2 c. milk but not to boiling. In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar, oil, egg and salt. Add the warm milk; then add the yeast. Add 8 c. flour and knead in the last 2 cups. The dough should be sticky. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, until the dough is elastic-like. Place in a buttered bowl and let rise for 2 hours, covered, until it is doubled in size. Punch down; let rest for 10 minutes.

Sauce: Melt 2 sticks of butter in a small saucepan. Add the brown sugar and Karo syrup. Cook on low but DO NOT boil--maybe 10 minutes; set aside. Lightly flour the counter. Roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Spread one stick of room-temperature butter across the dough. Cover with a cinnamon/sugar mixture (heavy on the cinnamon)--and seriously, put a lot. Roll; cut about 1 inch thick with a fishing line or floss. Place in a buttered pan. Coat the rolls with half of the caramel. Let rise for 45 minutes to an hour. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Start checking them at 15 minutes. Once done, cover them with foil and flip them upside down (I didn't do this part because I was taking them to work the next day and wanted to keep them in the pan). Coat with remaining caramel. For extra saucy/caramely rolls, double the sauce. I promise you won't regret making these!

~Hoover Lemon Bars~

In my most humble opinion, these are the best lemon bars ever!!!!! I have tasted many lemons bars in my day, and most of the time I don't even like them in comparison to these. They are delicious, very easy to make and practically impossible to mess up. I have been making these lemon bars since I was about 9 or 10, and everyone I have ever made them for has liked them (except that one time I burnt them...whoops).

First, make the crust--with butter/margarine, flour, and powdered sugar. Press into a 9x13 pan an bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

After the crust is in the oven, prepare the top: eggs, baking powder, flour, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice.

The color should look very yellow. Make sure to mix it once more right before pouring it over the crust.

Pour on the hot crust and bake for another 25 minutes. Once done, the lemon bars will look bubbled on top--perfectly normal.

Once the bars have cooled, sprinkle powdered sugar over the top, cut and serve. Or...grab a fork and just dig in to the pan. That's what I usually do!

You'll need:

Crust:

2 c. flour

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 c. butter or margarine

Top:

4 eggs

2 c. sugar

1/2 c. lemon juice (roughly two large lemons)*

1+ Tbs. lemon zest

1/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

Get busy:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the crust ingredients together, mixing in all of the flour. Press into a 9x13 pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Mix the top ingredients together with a whisk or hand mixer. Pour the mixture onto the hot crust and put right back into the oven for 25 more minutes. IMPORTANT: Do NOT use store bought lemon juice--it is nasty, and will make your lemon bars taste like crap-ola! The secret to really good lemon bars is fresh lemon juice. I firmly believe anyone who likes lemon bars will love this recipe.

*The lemon in this recipe can also be swapped out with lime and lime zest. Try it both ways--it's amazing.

~Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake~

{Courtesy of alexandracooks.com}

Uh-MAZING!!! I couldn't believe how delicious this cake was!  The office where I work threw a Christmas party and we all brought some food to share. Most people brought store-bought items, and some people made food as well.  I was so excited to try this recipe on my co-workers because I'm still pretty new there and I really wanted to impress everyone!  I found this recipe on Pinterest (of course) and luckily my sister-in-law had just made it and said it was to die for.  It really is to die for!  My pictures of this didn't do the cake justice, so I've posted some pictures from the website I found this recipe.  I modified the cake to make it healthier, and it was still amazing.  Don't be afraid to try healthier options of unhealthy food!  It's still scrumptious! And it's not as bad for you as it would have been with the original recipe.

serves 6-8

you'll need:

1/2 c. butter, room temperature

2 tsp. lemon or orange zest

1 c. sugar, plus 1 Tbs. sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour (will taste great, I promise!)*

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 c. fresh blueberries

1/2 c. buttermilk**

get busy:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter with the zest and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until combined.  Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk.  Gently fold in the blueberries.  

If you like thicker cake, use a 9 inch square pan; if you like thinner cake and need to feed more people, use a 9x13 size pan.  Grease your pan, and spread the batter into the pan evenly {the batter should be way thick).  Sprinkle the remaining Tbs. of sugar onto the batter, and bake for 35-40 minutes.  Insert a toothpick to check if it's done--the toothpick should come out clean.  Let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

*If you use regular enriched white flour, use 2 cups. 

**Supermom taught me a wonderful trick to buttermilk.  You do not have to buy buttermilk at the store!  Make it yourself:  If a recipe calls for 1 c. buttermilk, take a 1 cup measurement, add 1 Tbs. of vinegar.  Fill the rest of the measurement up with milk.  Let it sit for maybe 20-30 minutes.  There you go.  Never buy buttermilk again.

~Key Lime Pie~

I can't remember what website I got this recipe from, but I do remember it had over 1,000 five star reviews!! You know it has to be good! I hadn't ever had key lime pie before, but due to my recent obsession with limes and a purchase of 21 limes for 97 cents at a grocery sale (yeah that's right), I decided to make one. To clarify, this is not a true key lime pie, but rather lime pie. Key limes com from the Florida Keys and are somewhat difficult to find in southern California this time of year. However, this pie still tasted extraordinary and is the easiest thing to make. In fact, my family gobbled it up for Thanksgiving (pun intended) so quickly that I only got a couple bites! I have already had numerous requests to make it again for our upcoming Christmas party.

This is post-baked. Do NOT brown the pie when baking it. It's only cooked for a few minutes, then chilled in the refrigerator.

I think next to French silk chocolate pie, this is my favorite pie!

you'll need:

1 9 in. graham cracker crust (I made mine)

1/2 c. sour cream

3/4 c. fresh lime juice (MUST be fresh!)*

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

1 Tbs. grated lime zest

whipped cream (optional)

get busy:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Pour into gram cracker crust. Bake for 5-8 minutes. DO NOT BROWN! Chill pie in the fridge until cold and serve cold. Garnish with whipped cream if you want. We had homemade whipped cream on top, which I would highly recommend. This pie will literally be a huge hit at any party, gathering or dessert; I promise!

*When squeezing the lime juice, it took me about 10 good-sized limes to get 3/4 c. If you use key limes, you will need about 20. They are much smaller.

~Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies~

Finally! A chocolate chip cookie that I love and can bake at the same time! My sister and brother make delicious cookies but for some reason, whenever I try to bake them, they don't turn out. Here is a chocolate chip cookie recipe that turned out amazing (and yes, passed the hubby test). Some people prefer their chocolate chip cookies to be hard, but I like mine soft and chewy--almost undercooked. A pet peeve of mine is when cookies are made with margarine. NOOOOO! They must be made with butter!! They taste differently, I promise. Butter is the way to go, and there is just no replacement. I made these tonight with mostly whole wheat flour and a little white flour (heehee the husband didn't know!) and you could not tell a difference. I am making the slow switch to all whole wheat in my home for everything I cook/bake because it is healthier. We'll see how long I can make it before Jeremy notices/complains.

I made half a recipe, and used an ice cream scooper to ensure all cookies are the same size. I like my cookies bigger. So a half recipe with bigger cookies made 9--perfect, so I won't eat too many!

Bake anywhere from 8-13 minutes. It really depends on your oven. Because I make my cookies a little bigger, they take a little longer to bake.

Golden on the outsides, soft n' gooey on the inside.

I am a firm believer in bittersweet or at least 60% cacao. That's the good stuff. I grew out of milk chocolate a while ago. Besides, bittersweet chocolate is actually a little healthier for you, too!

you'll need:

3/4 c. salted butter

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. granulated sugar, or agave

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract (I use my homemade vanilla)

2 c. whole wheat flour

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips

get busy:

Preheat the oven to 350. In a bowl, cream the butter with the sugars. Add egg and vanilla; mix. Add the rest of the ingredients. Plop whatever size cookies you want on to an ungreased cookie sheet. I highly recommend air-bake cookie sheets. It is nearly impossible to burn the bottom of your cookies with these amazing cookie sheets. I also recommend using an ice cream or cookie dough scooper to all the cookies come out the same size*. Bake for 8-13 minutes, depending on how big the cookies are; let cook for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

*Christmas gift idea: make these cookies. Take a Pringles can and cover it with cute wrapping paper or scrapbook paper. Put your homemade cookies inside and it's a cutely wrapped gift for someone and a container to keep the cookies fresh!

~Pumpkin Bread~

Well, this is my absolute FAVORITE pumpkin bread recipe ever! I have tried so many differeny pumpkin breads from lots of different ladies, and I still stick the same recipe I have from Supermom. In my opinion, nothing beats this recipe. I made it as one huge loaf, but I would recommend making this recipe in 5 small loaf pans and giving them away to neighbors or friends. They will love it!

Pumpkin bread without chocolate chips is like cookies without eggs or flour. They are a must! This bread is especially good warm, so the chocolate is melted and oozy. MMMMM.

Combine and mix all of the ingredients in a mixer well, so there are no chunks of pumpkin or shortening.

My bread split a little at the top because I kept taking it out every 5 minutes to check if it was done. Ha, learn from this: if you cook this entire recipe in one pan as I did, cook it for a good hour! Maybe more! When you bake them in 5 small loaves, they cook in about 30 minutes.

you'll need:

2/3 c. shortening (white)

2 2/3 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 can Libby's pumpkin

2/3 c. water

2 1/3 c. flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. cloves

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

get busy:

Preheat oven to 350. In a mixer, cream shortening and sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Pour mixture into well-greased bread loaf pans. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. If you are making this in one big bread pan, cook for at least an hour, or until toothpick comes out clean. That's it! Easy, right??

~The Best Darn Homemade Bread~

Really, though. I have been trying recipe after recipe, and I can honestly say that this is truly my own. I made it up as I went and, well, my hubby and I scarfed down two whole loaves this past week. Winner! Jeremy used to complain that my past bread recipes weren't good sandwich bread because it didn't stay together well after cutting it. This bread will stay together just fine and tastes delicious for sandwiches. So I hope you enjoy. In my humble opinion, homemade bread is a thousand times better than storebought bread. I don't like storebought bread anymore. And I like knowing there are very few ingredients in my food. Here you go!

you'll need:

1 1/4 c. warm water

2 Tbs. honey

1 Tbs. yeast

1/2 Tbs. salt

1/2 Tbs. dough enhancer

1/2 Tbs. oil

about 3 cups flour (half red wheat, half white wheat)

get busy:

1. Proof the yeast: Combine 1/2 c. warm water (too hot will ruin yeast) yeast, and a sprinkle of sugar in a bowl. The sugar helps the yeast rise. Let rise for about 10 minutes. Now I make my own flour by taking whole wheat kernels and putting it in my Blendtec. If you don't have this option, you can buy it already processed. It's just healthier to grind it yourself. Click here to learn why!

2. While the yeast is rising, in your mixer, combine the rest of the water, honey, dough enhancer and oil. Add the yeast. Then add a cup or two of flour. Next add the salt. You want to avoid adding the salt right on top of the yeast because it could kill the yeast, and then you'll end up with lead bread (no fun and no good). Add the rest of the flour, and knead for 10 minutes. Helpful tip: You want to add enough flour that when the mixer is going, the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and the side looks almost clean. But, if you add too much flour, your bread will be dry.

3. On a clean surface, pour some vegetable oil and spread around with your hand (take off your wedding ring!). Take your dough and place on the oiled surface and spread it out in a big square shape. The dough is kind of pull back together which means it was kneaded well. Fold the dough in thirds and push down on it to squeeze out any air bubbles. Tightly roll up your dough and place in a oiled grease pan.

4. Let the dough rise, covered for about 30 minutes, or until the dough reaches the top of the bread pan. Remove cover, and cook in the oven at 350 for about 35 minutes or until golden brown. Once it's done, I like to rub some butter on the top which makes it shiny and yummier, but this is totally optional. Take the bread out of the pan after a few minutes. Wait until the bread cools to put in a bag. All done. This recipe makes 1 loaf.

It looks like a lot of work, but I promise it hardly takes any time at all. Helpful tip: Don't have a bunch of time every week to make your own bread? Double or triple the recipe and make 2 or 3 loaves and freeze the others. When you take them out of the freezer, they taste just as fresh. If you're going to take the time to make your own bread, make a few at a time. It takes maybe 5 extra minutes to make the other loaf. So worth it! I made 3 loaves at my padres' last week. :-) Enjoy.

~Pumpkin Cream Cheese Rolls~

I seriously love trying new recipes. I tried 3 new recipes today (and even though I overcooked one and half-botched another, they all still turned out amazing). Lately, nothing makes me happier than a dish turning out well. This afternoon I made pumpkin spiced cream cheese rolls. They could serve as a dessert or for breakfast, but since I had already had a snack and a smoothie, I decided I couldn't wait till dessert to inhale these pumpkin-tasting goodies. They are really easy to make; I think it took less than 15 minutes to get them in the oven. If you want an easy roll recipe, here it is.

(Picture courtesy of picky-palate.com) I didn't get a good picture of my rolls.

Roll out both crescent rolls to form 4 long lines/rectangles. Pinch together the seams.

Add cream cheese, pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon and brown sugar and mix together.

Spread the mixture onto the crescent rolls.

Leave a half inch on the edges so you can roll them up. Roll them the long way.

I used floss to cut the 1 inch pieces, and even though it was mint-flavored, you couldn't taste it on the rolls at all.

I left a hole in the middle so in case I wanted to put something cute or fruit in the middle, I could.

Tada!

you'll need:

rolls:

2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls (8 count each)

4 oz. fat free cream cheese

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. canned pumpkin (I use Libby's)

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg (if you have it, I didn't and it was still yummy)

icing:

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbs. canned pumpkin

get busy:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Unroll the crescent rolls into 4 long rectangles. Pinch the seams together, and make sure to do a good job, otherwise it will affect the rolling later. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, brown sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spread the mixture over the crescents leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges. Roll up the crescent rectangles starting at the long end. Use floss to cut 1 inch pieces. You should finish with 16 rolls. Place rolls in 2 separate 8 inch greased pans. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Don't let them overcook like I did!

Remove rolls and let them cool a little, then spread the icing over them.

Icing: In a small bowl, mix together all 4 ingredients until smooth; spread over rolls.

These were really fun to make and tasted oh so good. Not to mention, our home smelled phenomenal.

~fabulous pumpkin bars~

This time of year I find myself working out more and more so I can eat fabulous fall treats and not get fat. I have been dying to make these since I saw the first fall leaf turn orange. I snagged the majority of this recipe from allrecipes.com. They don't take very long to make at all, and they are soooo good! Every time I walk by them I slip a bite (or two) in. Lately all I want to do is cook and bake, cook and bake. Such a fun time of year! Now, if it would only get a little colder so I can wear boots and a scarf...

you'll need:

4 eggs

1 2/3 c. sugar

1 c. vegetable oil

1 can (15 oz.) packed pumpkin

2 c. flour (whole wheat is healthier)

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

icing:

1 package (8 oz.) reduced fat cream cheese, softened

2 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 to 2 Tbs. milk

get busy:

Preheat oven to 350. Beat eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin together in a bowl. Next, add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix well. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13 (or 10x15 pan if you have it) and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Icing: Beat cream cheese, sugar, butter, vanilla and milk in a small bowl until smooth. Spread over the bars only when they are cool.

Serves 24, or a hubby and wifey for a week...or less :-) enjoy!

~Honey Whole Wheat Bread~

I kind of really dislike store-bought bread now, so I have been tampering with some whole wheat homemade recipes. This one is really good, and only has 7 ingredients. I am trying to eat more whole foods (as a result I stay thin and get sick less, yay!). My mama helped me make this today, and it turned out great! Thanks, mom :-)

you'll need:

4 1/4 c. whole wheat flour (I grind my own)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. warm water (too hot will kill the yeast)

1/4 c. honey

2 Tbs. oil

1 packet or 2 1/4 tsp. yeast

1 tsp. dough enhancer

get busy:

Proof the yeast in a small bowl. In a separate mixer bowl, add all of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients (including yeast after it has risen) and knead for about 10 minutes.

Cover the bowl and let rise for 45 minutes. Remove from bowl and flatten the dough in a thin, rectangular shape. Fold in thirds towards the center and flatten to get any bubbles out. Roll up the dough, and place in a greased bread pan. To grease, I use oil or butter. Bake for 30 minutes at 350. Makes one yummy loaf. This is optional, but when I take out my bread, I butter the top. Enjoy!

~yummy sugar cookies~

i thought i would share my sugar cookie recipe, since we inhaled the batch i made the other day. i have quite a few fall cookie cutters, so i had a lot of fun cutting out halloween and fall shapes. this recipe is very easy to make, and doesn't take long!

here's what you need! (ashley edwards' recipe)

you'll need:

cookies:

1 1/4 c. shortening

2 1/4 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1 t. almond

1 t. lemon

5 c. flour

2 t. salt

2 t. baking powder

frosting:

3 Tbs butter or margarine (i always prefer butter)

2 c. powdered sugar

2 Tbs milk

get busy:

cream shortening and sugar. beat in wet ingredients. beat in dry ingredients. chill for 3o minutes. roll out and cut whatever fun shapes you want! bake for 6 minutes at 400 degrees. cool on racks. mix together ingredients for frosting. if it's a little runny, just add more powdered sugar. i like to put a little food coloring in mine to make them more festive. i added some red and yellow to get a good halloweenie orange :-) enjoy!