My New Scentsy Warmer

Isn't it SO cute? :) My sweet mommy sent it to me and it makes my office smell like freshly baked birthday cake! I've had lots of visitors wondering what I'm baking at my desk- ha! I don't know if I can turn it on everyday, because today it made me want some cake really badly...

P.S. My Auntie Brenda sells Scentsy, so if you want to buy one, go here.

Brownie Cookie Bars

Have you ever wondered if two things you really love separately would go well together? Sometimes it doesn't work out so well- i.e. pickles & ice cream. Sometimes it works out very well, like in this example. I love cookies. I love brownies. Now I love Brownie Cookie Bars too. Isn't that just great?

I got this idea from these cookie dough brownies that were traveling around blogland, but I wanted to cook them. Since I was cooking it, I figured I could use my regular cookie recipe with eggs. I used the recommended brownie recipe from All Recipes and added some brown sugar instead of half of the white sugar to give it a more caramel flavor. I used a half batch of the cookie recipe I use for my cookie cakes. Now, I think there is a little tweaking to be done in the execution area of this recipe, but I think I know what you should do if you make this. Cook the brownie batter half way first before adding the cookie dough. Mine tasted marvelous, but a lot of both batters blended together. Next time I want two more disticnt cookie brownie layers.

This takes a little while to cook, so if your cookies are looking brown on top but the brownies are not cooked through, cover with foil to prevent burning. If you go with the method I suggested above, you may not need this step.

Gavin Lately

Doing 2 of his favorite things- sleeping and cuddling with his whale.

Brown Sugar Crack Pie

 The original name of this recipe is "Crack Pie." It is very intriguing. It MUST be good if that's what its called, but I had to Google it 10 times before I could figure out what kind of pie it was. I think this name fits it better and tells you what's in it. Yummy goodness, that's what. Its almost too hard to describe. Brown sugary. Caramely. Salty. Sweet. Gooey. Custardy. Almost like a pecan pie without the pecans and with an oatmeal cookie crust. Its perfect after a long day. Who am I kidding? Its perfect after a short day too.  I forgot what blog I originally saw this featured on, but the recipe is from Epicurious. Apparently its crafted after a famous pie at Milk Bar in NYC? Never been, but I don't think I need to now!

Note, this includes a lot of chilling time. Don't skimp on that or it won't set up properly! I made mine the night before and it was perfect.

Oops, No blog Posts last week

Its not that I don't love you. I was just busy. And tired. You know how tired you feel AFTER you get back from your vacation? I'm sorry. There's really no excuses.

I had enough foresight to write blog posts ahead of time for while I was gone, but I should have done the following week as well! Lesson learned...

A few yummy recipes are coming up this week. In the meantime, here's a few scrumptious treats I've had my eye on.

• Smores Cupcakes @ Brown Eyed Baker
• Uncle Bob's Banana Pudding @ She Wears Many Hats
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Toasted Marshmallow Cupcakes @ Joy The Baker

If you make any of these, PLEASE let me know! :)

French Bread French Toast

I LOVE french toast. Its sweet and very carb-ilicious. What's not to love? I usually only get it on occasion when I'm brunching, BUT I had a day old baguette and a ton of eggs. It was a no-brainer! I just found this simple recipe on All Recipes. It claimed to be fab and fluffy because of the added flour. I could not disagree. If you have any ground nutmeg, toss that in as well. Very tasty topped with cinnamon sugar and strawberries. Oh yeah- warm maple syrup will do you in. If you add mini chocolate chips, forget about your after lunch plans. You will need a nap for sure!

French Bread French Toast for Two
Adapted From All Recipes

• 1/2 day old french baguette (leave out overnight to get more stale- it will absorb better)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup cream
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 TBSP white sugar
• 1/8 cup all purpose flour
• cinnamon sugar, strawberries, chocolate chips, maple syrup for topping

 Place flour in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk in milk and cream. Add remaining ingredients, whisking until smooth. 

Slice bread diagonally into slices about 1 inch thick.

Heat lightly oiled griddle/pan over medium heat. Soak bread slices in egg mixture for about 30 seconds on each side- just long enough to make sure its coated, but not soggy. 

Use a fork to drain excess mixture from bread and place in pan until golden brown- about 3-4 minutes on each side. Top with your favorite things and enjoy!

Enjoy your weekend! 

P.S. Yep, I'm still soaking in the rays in sunny California! :) I will be back in Texas tomorrow and back to the million degree heat and humidity....

Award Winning Lemon Bars

I love when there is a work party. Sign up sheet for food items? Yes please! I usually always volunteer to bring dessert, if possible. I have to hurry so all the slots are not filled up. Its OK, usually the first to go are plates, napkins and utensils. :) I don't mind. These are the perfect opportunities for trying a new recipe. This particular event was a DESSERT PARTY. Um, hello, welcome to my calling! All the chocolatey items were already called for, so I decided to make these delicious lemon bars. They are the perfect amount of tart and sweet and buttery crusty. I know that did not make sense. Also, yes, you caught me. I have made these before.... it was a long time ago though. So really its fine. It seemed really fine with everyone else too. I received several compliements on these being not too tart and not too sweet. The biggest tell-all? The pan was empty! :) I love when I don't have to take home any leftovers.

These are pretty perfect for a summer BBQ, just make sure you allow enough time for them to cool before cutting and serving. I've done that before and it just does not work out.

Last little note, this recipe is actually from About.com. I have to admit that that is not the first place I would go to look for a recipe these days, but I had this from a while ago and I knew it was fab! :)

Homemade Bread & BLT

So I made this bread. I was going to share the recipe with you because it was going to be so wonderful. Fluffy and yeasty and delicious- oh and also healthy since I was going to use whole wheat white flour and honey instead of sugar. I had visions of having a lovely BLT sandwhich on my fluffy bread (obviously I envisioned the bread from the Czech Stop Bakery).....

Well, this is how it turned out. Obviously something went wrong.... If I knew what it was I would tell you.

I thought I followed the directions and have never had such a poor result from using yeast. I think the problem was that these should have been 1 loaf and not divided as the instructions said? No idea.

Anyway, I'm not giving you this recipe, but what I do have to share with you is a picture of an actually very yummy BLT sandwhich. I ended up using the bread like a French Baguette since it was so long and thin instead of slicing like a normal loaf! haha It tasted fine, but it was pretty dense. Nothing was coming between my BLT and me.

Happy Monday!

P.S. I am still in California! Today I am probably laying out at the beach, eating some ice cream and doing a little shopping. You know, nothing too fun. :)