Ferrero Rocher Cake

{please don't droll on your screen...}
I went on this Ferrero Rocher kick, and then it just hit me. I should make it into a cake. I searched and searched for something comparable, just so I could see how other people made this cake. I don't mean to brag, but as far as my search went, I found zero Ferrero Rocher cake... just cupcakes. So... yeah

This cake was super easy, and more importantly, delicious. I only got one piece, and my dear husband got NONE! It went THAT fast! I was really proud of myself after making this cake. I love to see myself succeed, and I feel like I'm really making progress in the whole baking field. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 recipe for Chocolate Cake (here is a great one I can't wait to try from Our Best Bites)
1/2 small tub of Nutella
About 20 Hazelnuts, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to your recipe specifications. Prepare cake batter, as per directions. Pour batter into a sprayed 8 inch round spring form pan, or whatever round pans you may have in the kitchen. Bake as per directions. Let cool.
While you are waiting, go ahead and make your frosting. Here is my absolute favorite chocolate frosting recipe. Mmm, it's so good... but I don't mean to brag.
Once your cake has cooled, cut the cake in half to create two layers, or if you are using two pans, you can just ignore that part. Very carefully spread the Nutella on top of the bottom top half of the cake. Take the top part of the cake and place it on top of the Nutella frosted part of the cake. Frost the cake with your chocolate frosting, make sure you don't use up all the frosting if you are planning on decorating more.
I'm not an expert on cake decorating, but this is the best way I can tell you how to get the nuts on the side of the cake. Take a small handful of nuts, and spread them from you finger tips to the center of your palm. Quickly lay your hand up against the side of the cake, trying to get as much of the nuts to stick as possible. It'll be messy, but it works.

Repeat until you have the desired amount of nuts on your cake. You can take the remaining chocolate frosting and pipe a fun design on the top of the cake. The world is your oyster. Slice it up and eat it all!

Don't forget to leave me a comment! Oh man I'm craving Ferrero Rocher now.

Raspberry Shortbread Dreams & Mother's Day Tribute

{a taste of raspberry heaven}
The one thing I hate about a casual work place, is that I check my email, and in my email I get about 5-10 recipe updates a day. I of course, have to open the emails and read them. All my will power then goes out the window and I can't help but browse the entire site. Without that lack of will power however, I wouldn't have found these little dreams of cookies. They are pretty dang easy, and super tasty. Feel free sit yourself down on the couch and eat the entire batch. No judgments here! 

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (vanilla would taste divine as well)
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 to 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam (or any kind of jam you fancy)

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 to 3 tablespoons water or milk

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in almond extract. Gradually add in flour and mix until a dough forms. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Shape dough into 1 inch balls, and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Take the end of a wooden spoon or your thumb, and make an indent in the center of each cookie. Fill with jam.
Bake for 14-18 minutes. Let cool.

Make your glaze, should be drizzling consistency. Drizzle over cookies and devour!

And because it's Mother's Day on Sunday, I'm giving my awesome mom a huge shout out! 

In September of 2010, my mom was diagnosed with Lung Cancer. She underwent chemotherapy along side a heavy dose of radiation treatment. In January of this year, we learned that it had spread and therefore, became terminal. This Mother's Day is especially hard for me to be away from home, because it may just be my mom's last Mother's Day.

Without my mom, I don't know that I would know how to cook. She taught me everything I know by example. She got me my first cookbook. She is truly an inspiration to me and I dedicate all my cooking endeavors to her. Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Thanks for reading!

Farmers Market Finds

The last time I went to a farmers market, it was more like a flea market... the type of flea market where you go home with actual blood sucking fleas. Do fleas suck blood? I should have looked that up...
Anyways, today we went to a new farmers market... erm, I mean, a farmers market that has been completely renovated.
It. Was. Amazing.
There were so many awesome things that you can't find anywhere else, and it was all so unique! A few of my favorite's were "Taste of Quebec" (by the way, the correct pronunciation for Quebec is 'key-beck' in French and in English it's more like 'ka-beck'). They had tons of authentic maple syrup products. Pure maple syrup is like nothing else you've ever had in your life. They also had real poutine (pronounced 'pooh-teen' in English and 'pooh-tin' in French) with the real sauce and the real cheese curds. "Nom nom nom..." so good!
Another one of my favorite things... the cutest mittens on earth made from alpaca! I no longer want a puppy... going straight for the alpaca.
The last thing I'm going to talk about today... the FOOD! I cannot find words to describe my happiness from all the food there. I get jealous when I read other foodie blogs and see all their pictures from the Upper East Side and all these chic bake shops because I've never had the privilege of experiencing anything like that, so when I saw all these super cute cupcakes, apples the size of my head, home made pasta sauces, organic cleaners... I felt like royalty. I really wish I would have brought my camera, but considering I was anticipating a horrible experience (again), it didn't even cross my mind. Boo to me.
Here is some of the loot I came home with...

   
Macaroons...

Humongous apples...

Savory pies... Taco Pie and Chicken Shepherd's Pie (holy cow they were amazing!)

Last but not least... flavored honey straws! Do you remember these from your elementary days? Boy, I do!

We got lime, mango, sour raspberry and watermelon. These brought back so many memories for me!
So that was my day at the farmers market. I basically fell in love with it and am begging to go back again next weekend. Take care, my friends!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

{love me some pineapple}
You know how sometimes you just have weird cravings? Some things just sound really good. That's what lead me to making this super yummy cake. I was dying for pineapple upside down cake, and I was so happy when it turned out perfectly! I'm constantly cooking and baking things, however not everything makes it on to the blog. Mmm but this cake is truly amazing. I am so proud of myself! And it totally hit the spot!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 (8 oz) can pineapple rings, cut into fourths
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla


Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Place 1/4 cup butter in a 9x1 1/2 inch round cake pan. Place pan in oven until butter melts. Stir in brown sugar. Arrange pineapple in brown sugar. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and ginger. Add milk 1/4 cup softened butter, the egg, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Beat on medium for 1 minute. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes. Loosen sides of cake, invert onto plate. Cool for 30 minutes, serve warm.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 15th Edition (Better Homes & Gardens Plaid) 

Cowboy Quesadillas

{darn tootin'}
I seriously am in awe over these. I wanted something more on the healthy side for dinner, and when I came across these, I knew they had a permanent place on my menu. The original recipe called for green onions, but I am not a big of fan of green onions. So I tweaked it a bit and used a 1/4 of a white onion. You can easily alter these to your tastes, whatever floats your boat! All you need to know is that these are amazing and you need to try them, asap. Oh, and don't forget the dipping sauce. It's amazing.

Ingredients:
8 large flour tortillas
2 chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 cup white rice, cooked
1/4 of a large white onion, chopped
1/2 cup black beans
1/3 cup corn (frozen or canned works great)
2/3 cup diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cup grated Pepper Jack cheese
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/3 cup barbecue sauce


For dipping sauce just measure out equal parts of ranch dressing and barbecue sauce, and mix together.

Directions: In a medium skillet, saute onions until just barely translucent. Add chopped chicken and cook thoroughly. Set aside. In a large bowl, add rice, corn, beans, tomatoes, chicken and onions and mix together. Then add cheeses and barbecue sauce and mix until evenly coated.
Spoon mixture into each tortilla and grill them up on the skillet... and dip away! For a vegetarian variation you can leave out of the chicken.

Check out those golden crispy delicious tortillas...

Held together by warm, ooey gooey melted cheeses... droll... 

Source: Our Best Bites

Soft Garlic Knots

{if only bread didn't make you fat, i'd eat these for every meal}
I'm not always one for making bread. Then I remember how good it makes your home smell and my attitude changes and I end up making double batches. Such was so for this recipe. They just sounded so good I couldn't resist. These were gone by the end of the night.

Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup milk
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water

For the glaze:
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions:
In a large bowl (whether attached to a stand mixer or not, it doesn't matter) combine dry ingredients. Add the oil, milk, and water. Mix until ingredients have formed a dough. Switch attachment to dough hook and knead on low until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. You can also knead by hand, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer to bowl coated with cooking spray. Turn once to coat, cover with plastic wrap and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 10 inch long rope, and tie into a knot. Tuck the end pieces above and under respectively, into the center. 

 Transfer rolls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a clean towel and let rise again for 30 minutes. 

Preheat your oven to 350F, and mix the ingredients for the glaze and brush over the top of each roll. Bake until set and lightly browned about 15-18 minutes. Let cool slightly before enjoying!
Source: Annie's Eats 

Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

{i'm on a coconut kick}
I saw these and died. I have been on a coconut kick lately, and paired with chocolate...even better! I can't really talk these up anymore, but the original recipe was actually featured on Tasty Kitchen. So, basically they are amazing.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, and stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, and add to butter mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and coconut. Drop by rounded spoonfuls on to cookie sheets.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden. And enjoy!

Source: Vittles and Bits

Apple Cinnamon Bran Muffins

{i didn't know bran tasted so good}
I was always kind of against all bran infused foods because I thought that's only what heath nuts ate. Again, my palate is expanding. I now am in love with bran muffins. They were really healthy but they didn't taste like it. They kept me full so I wasn't craving potato chips 30 minutes later. Plus, I put huge chunks of fruit in them which just makes everything better. You should give them a try if you haven't already, and if you have.. well, good for you! Give this recipe a whirl when you are in need of a health snack!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cup whole bran cereal (not flakes)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
14 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 whole apples, skinned, cored, and chopped into chunks

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F. Grease 12 muffin cups with cooking spray or butter. In a medium bowl, pour boiling water over cereal. Stir to moisten; set aside.
In another medium bowl, combine all dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, add eggs, yogurt, sour cream, and oil. Stir cereal and flour mixture into wet ingredients just until moistened, fold in apples.
Spoon batter into prepared pan, filling 3/4 full. Bake about 15-20 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Serve warm and enjoy!