Chocolate Chip Pancakes

It has been almost a week since my last post and there are a couple of reasons for this. The first being that I have been so busy that I have been too tired to do anything. The second reason I haven't posted anything is because I had no camera. Some how the camera ended up inside the recliner and when my boyfriend Tomas went to sit down he heard a crack and saw that the cameras screen was now busted. So without a camera I had no motivation to make anything because if I wanted to take a picture I had to ask his sister Monika if I could use her camera. Well the camera will no longer be an issue because Tomas bought us a new camera which I absolutely love. So I guess it was a good thing my first camera broke because this camera is so much better.

Well anyways enough of my story and more about Chocolate Chip Pancakes. I know this is nothing special and everyone probably knows how to make this, but I thought I would share this with everyone because it happens to be one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast. I think the reason I like it so much is because it is like eating a giant soft chocolate chip cookie. It may not be the most nutritious breakfast, but it sure is yummy. Now when I make them I use pancake mix because it is usually just me that eats them, but you can also make them from scratch if you prefer. So I hope you enjoy eating my favorite breakfast. :)

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Pancake mix

Chocolate chips

Follow the directions on the package of pancake mix. Heat a large skillet to a medium heat. When the skillet is warm enough, pour a little of the pancake batter into the skillet. Sprinkle the top of the pancakes with a desired amount of chocolate chips (I use a lot because I love chocolate). Flip the pancakes after a couple of minutes or when they start turning a golden brown on the bottom. Cook a couple of more minutes or until that side is a golden brown and then transfer to a plate. Dust with powder sugar and enjoy. :)

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Carmel-Pecan Chocolate Brownies

Yesterday marked the 4 year anniversary of me and my boyfriend being together, and they have been a wonderful four years. To celebrate I wanted to make him something special. First, I made him his favorite meal, which is tacos. He loves when I make tacos, so he was very happy when I made them for him. For dessert I wanted to make something chocolaty so I tried a new brownie recipe. I found this one on Bettycrocker.com and it came out really yummy. I did make one mistake while making it, I forgot to add chocolate chips to the brownie batter, but that is nothing the good thing is they still came out good and my boyfriend loved them.

Caramel-Pecan Chocolate Brownies

1 package brownie mix (and ingredients listed on box)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream
20 caramels (from 14-oz bag), unwrapped
1egg, beaten
1 cup broken pecans


Heat oven to 350°F (if using dark or nonstick pan, heat oven to 325°). Grease bottom and side of 10-inch springform pan with shortening or cooking spray. In medium bowl, prepare brownies according to package. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread in pan.
Bake according to package directions or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, heat 1/2 cup whipping cream and the caramels over medium heat, stirring frequently, until caramels are melted. Stir small amount of the hot mixture into beaten egg, then stir egg back into mixture in saucepan. Cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in pecans. Spread over brownie. Refrigerate uncovered at least 3 hours until chilled.
Run metal spatula around side of pan to loosen dessert; remove side of pan. Transfer dessert on pan base to serving plate. Enjoy.

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Escalade and Air Jordan Cakes

These are the two cakes that I just recently made for two little boys 1st Birthday parties. I was asked to make cakes with an Escalade on one and an Air Jordan on the other and use the colors black, white, and blue, which were the color theme they had going for the party. The one with the car is my attempt of making an Escalade and the one with the shoe is supposed the be an Air Jordan Sneaker. I had the hardest time with the car because all I could find were actual photos of an actual Escalade. So with the help of my boyfriend we were able to create an image that I could use on the cake. The shoe didn't really cause any troubles since it is a simple shape. I did however had to find out what Air Jordans looked like because I had no clue. Along with these cakes I also made 3 dozen cupcakes. Half of the cupcakes were chocolate with white frosting and the other half was white cake with Black frosting. Hopefully the little kids like their cake and I hope they had a great 1st birthday. :)

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Sweet and Salty Party Mix

A few weeks ago my mom hosted a Pampered Chef party, and when she throws parties she always serves great food. I was sad because I had to work that day and didn't think I would make it. Since I got off some what early, I realized I would make it to Atwater just in time to go to her party. I actually made it early enough that I was able to help her prepare. As I was helping her I noticed this delicious looking snack mix, so I snuck over to the table and sampled a little bit. It was so good that I kept going back for more until my mom yelled, "Save some for the Guest." When the party started I was able to eat some more. I kept thinking about the snack mix for a couple of weeks until I made some for myself. And of course it didn't last long. So let me warn you; if you like carmely, salty, crunchy snacks then you are going to love this party mix. Enjoy :)

Sweet and Salty Party Mix

1 package mini-size (3-3.5 oz) microwave popcorn (about 5 cups)

3 cups miniature pretzel twists

2 cups dry-roasted salted peanuts

2 cups oven-toasted rice cereal squares

1 cup butter (2sticks)

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup corn syrup

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 300⁰F. Prepare popcorn according to package directions. In large mixing bowl, combine popcorn, pretzels, peanuts and cereal; set aside. Combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup in a medium size saucepan. Cook and stir with spoon over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Continue to cook without stirring for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; carefully stir in baking soda.Pour caramel sauce over popcorn mixture; stir until evenly coated. Spoon onto large baking pan; bake 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven.Transfer popcorn mixture to a large piece of parchment paper. Cool completely, breaking mixture into clusters as it cools. Store mix in an airtight container for up to three days.Yield: 12 cups

Pecans, walnuts or macadamia nuts can be substituted for the peanuts, if desired.

You can also view this recipe on my Mom's blog Stefanie's Cooking Spot.

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Black Guitar Cake

This would be guitar cake number two for me. I had another friend of mine request that I make a guitar cake for her father.I had her send me a picture of her dads guitar, that way it would be a little more personal. The great thing was she said I didn't have to make it look exactly alike, but I still did my best to make it look like his guitar. This time I also decided to decorate the cake board with music notes for a little extra touch. I think the cake turned out great and I hope her dad was surprised to receive this cake for his birthday. :)

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Truffles

These delicious goodies would be the other batch of cake truffles that I made just recently. These are perfect for the peanut butter lovers. Its like a peanut butter cup but backwards. I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, so I am guilty for these disappearing really fast. Everyone else loved them to because that plate was emptied in no time. Well I hope you enjoy these delicious goodies. :)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Truffles

1 chocolate cake mix (and ingredients according to package)

1 can chocolate frosting

2 packages peanut butter melting chips (I found mine at Michaels)

Dark melting chocolate or sprinkles for decoration, optional

Bake the cake as directed on the box. When the cake is done let it cool until it is cool enough to handle. Crumple up the cake completely. Add in the entire can of frosting and mix thoroughly. Roll the cake mixture into small balls, about 1 inch each (If it is to sticky to handle, then refrigerate for 5-10 minutes or until easier to handle). After making all the balls, melt the mint chocolate melting chips according to package. Dip the cake balls into the chocolate one at a time. Shake off excess chocolate and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. While the chocolate is still melted sprinkle the tops with sprinkles or drizzle with green melting chocolate. Let the chocolate harden and then enjoy. :)

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Mint Chocolate Cake Truffles

I made three new cake truffles lately, with this being one of them. The first one I am going to share are my Mint Chocolate Cake Truffles. They are so delicious. I brought them to work and they were the first to go. Even my boyfriend loved them. When he woke up in the morning he was bummed to find out that I took them to work because he wanted more. What makes them minty is the chocolate I dipped them in . I found mint dipping chocolates at the store and thought they would perfect if I dipped the chocolate cake truffles into them. As a nice decorative touch I drizzled green chocolate on the tops. The green chocolate is just a vanilla flavor, but a lot of people thought that was where the mint flavor was coming from. Well I hope you enjoy these as much as everyone else did.

Mint Chocolate Cake Truffles

1 chocolate cake mix (and ingredients according to package)
1 can chocolate frosting
2 packages mint chocolate melting chips (I found mine at Michaels)
Green melting chocolate or sprinkles for decoration, optional

Bake the cake as directed on the box. When the cake is done let it cool until it is cool enough to handle. Crumple up the cake completely. Add in the entire can of frosting and mix thoroughly. Roll the cake mixture into small balls, about 1 inch each (If it is to sticky to handle, then refrigerate for 5-10 minutes or until easier to handle). After making all the balls, melt the mint chocolate melting chips according to package. Dip the cake balls into the chocolate one at a time. Shake off excess chocolate and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. While the chocolate is still melted sprinkle the tops with sprinkles or drizzle with green melting chocolate. Let the chocolate harden and then enjoy. :)

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Cherry Crumb Pie

I had the day off the other day and thought it would be great if I baked something. So I searched my cabinets to see what I had and I came across some cherry pie filling. Then I saw that I had 1 pie crust left in the frezzer. Therefore I decided that the best thing to do was make a cherry pie with crumb topping. It must have been a good decision because the pie was gone by the end of the day. Now I am going to have to make another one for the sweet tooths at my house. :)

Cherry Crumb Pie

1 refrigerated pie crust

2 cans cherry pie filling

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks) softened

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar.

cinnamon (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line 1 pie crust in a glass pie dish. Fold excess dough on edges and pinch to create ripples. Pour the two cans of cherry pie filling into the shell. In a separate bowl blend the butter, sugar and flour creating a crumb topping. Pour crumb topping on top of pie. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top if you like. To bake place pie in center rack of oven and place a baking sheet on bottom rack to catch any over flow. If you don't have a bottom rack, then place the pie on the baking sheet and place in oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the crust and topping is a nice golden brown. Let cool on baking rack and enjoy. :)

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French Bread

I am so proud of myself because I made homemade bread. I was bored and though it would be fun if I made fresh bread. So I pulled out my Better Home and Garden Cookbook and found a recipe for French bread and got started. It was a long process but the end result turned out great. I will definitely make fresh bread again, when I have the time. So if you have the time then I would recommend making your own bread because it is a great accomplishment. :)

French Bread
5 1/2 – 6 cups all-purpose flour
2 packages of active dry yeast
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 cups warm water
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon water

1. In a large mixing bowl stir together 2 cups of the flour, the yeast and the salt. Add the 2 cups warm water to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes) Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl turning once to grease dough surface. Cover; let rise in a warm placeuntil double in size (about 1 hour).

3. Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease a baking sheet.

4. Roll each dough half into a 15x10 inch rectangle. Tightly roll up, starting from a long side; seal well. If desired, pinch and slightly pull ends to taper them. Place shaped dough, seam sides down, on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl stir egg white and the 1 tablespoon water. Brush some of the egg white mixture over loaf tops. Let rise until nearly double in size (35-45 minutes).

5. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Using a sharp knife, make three or four diagonal cuts about ¼ inch deep across each loaf top. Bake for 20 minutes. Brush again with some of the egg white mixture. Continue baking for 15-20 minutes more or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove loaves from baking sheet. Cool on wire rack. Enjoy

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Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies

The other day I saw that my mom made oatmeal cookies and posted it on her blog. After seeing her post I really wanted some oatmeal cookies as well. I usually make the ones that she made, but I followed a different recipe this time. I followed the recipe on the back of the bag of Hershey's cinnamon chips. These cinnamon chips are so delicious, but they are also hard to come by. The only place we found them were at Winco, but they stopped carrying them. So I recommend that if you ever see these in the store you should by a few bags because they are so good. They also go good in other baked goods as well. If you can't find the cinnamon chips you can use chocolate chips instead for this cookie recipe or you can just leave them out entirely. Well I hope you enjoy these no matter how you decide to make them. :)






Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2½ cups quick-cooking oats
1 package cinnamon chips (or chocolate chips)
¾ cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour and baking soda; add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in oats, cinnamon chips (or chocolate chips) and raisins. Drop by heaping teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool. Transfer to a wire rack. Enjoy :)

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