A (Mostly) Successful Day

Hello there!  I had a pretty successful day off today - I say pretty successful, because dinner was an epic fail, but I had a few successes :)  I put out my fall decorations today and my little nest is looking so good!  Then I decided to try a twist on brownies that I had seen on facebook - I substituted fat-free Greek yogurt for the oil called for on the box.  They came out more like cake than brownies, but still good (I ate 3), so they are a pretty good treat if you are trying to be healthier!

I also got some sewing in!  I made up this wristlet using a pattern from Jennalou Designs.  Simple and fabulous!  The fabric is Hope Valley by Denyse Schmidt.  I need to get more of this before it's too late!  I found these great swivel hooks on etsy (shop here) - they are a gunmetal color which I just love!  I need some silver ones too, but I'm loving the dark metal look right now :)

I don't have any pictures to show from dinner as it was a fail!  I found the recipe on a crock pot site on facebook - it was Bacon Ranch Chicken served over egg noodles (sounds good, doesn't it???)  I lightened it up and it just was not that good.  My boyfriend ate it and said he liked it, but I had 3 bites and moved onto the brownies :) 

Yum!

Even though it's August, it still feels like fall is in the air - it's been cooler here, the back to school stuff is in stores and I have been in the mood to bake!  I saw this recipe for Banana Bread on Anita's blog and I had to make it.  It's super simple and I bet you have all the ingredients on hand (I did!).  And, it's delicious!!!  As usual, everything tastes better in Pyrex, so if you have a loaf pan, put it to good use :)

Grasshopper Brownies

One of my plans for this little blog is to share more recipes. It's one of my resolutions for 2011 to cook and bake a bit more and I'm going to post the recipe here. There may be more cooking than baking since I'm planning on starting Weight Watchers again, but healthy and delicious recipes need to be shared, too!

But, first - here is another delicious recipe I tried out recently. I found this Grasshopper Brownie recipe in an issue of Women's World and it just sounded so good!

1 pkg of brownie mix -- I use Ghiaradelli Double Chocolate
1 pkg of Andes chocolate-mint candies, chopped
10 crushed sandwich cookies, such as Oreo -- I used Trader Joe's Joe-Joe's, they have a chocolate filling...yum :)

• Preheat oven as per brownie mix package directions.
• Line a brownie pan with foil and coat well with cooking spray.
• Prepare brownies as per package directions. Stir half of the candy into the brownie mix.
• Pour into brownie pan and top with the remaining candy and crushed cookies.
• Bake as per package directions, until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting.

FYI - everything tastes better when baked in vintage Pyrex while wearing a handmade apron...just saying :) Enjoy!!

Butterscotch Coconut Cookies

I've been doing some Christmas baking. On Sunday I made these along with some Red Velvet Cookies and some Peanut Butter Blossoms. These are soooo good! I got the recipe from a girl I work with and I have been dying to try it out - easy and delicious! My kitchen doesn't have any natural lighting, so the picture came out a little funny, but trust me - you have to try these!!

1 1/3 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 7 oz. bag sweetened shredded coconut

1 bag of butterscotch chips

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream butter til fluffy and pale yellow. Add the sugars and continue beating until the mixture is no longer gritty. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until blended.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix til blended.
• Add coconut and butterscotch, mix.
• Bake 13-15 minutes. Enjoy!

This Week

I meant to blog about this earlier, but I forgot to post it! Last weekend I put some of my Pyrex to good use and made up some Amish Friendship Bread. You receive a bag of batter from someone and for the next 10 days you squeeze up the bag and add some milk, sugar and flour to it. On the 10th day, you add more milk, sugar and flour and divide the batter between 4 new bags. Then you take the remainder and add a whole bunch of things and bake it up. I've made it before and it's really good :) Instead of using 2 regular size loaf pans, I decided to make some smaller loaves so that I can freeze them easier. I gave one to my parents and they said it was great! I'm giving the other 2 away as gifts. I'll save a loaf for myself next time! :)