Sweet Sunday: Oreo Stuffed Brownies

For those of you who know me well....I have a crazy sweet tooth. I could live off of sweets. I used to never be this way, but when I got pregnant with little E all of that changed. I crave cookies and dream of donuts. Oh its pretty awful :)...well maybe only for my waistline.
I cannot believe it is almost August. This means that the birthday festivities are about to begin! Some of my most favorite people have August birthdays...including myself. So Happy Birthday to all my friends, family, and everyone else who are awesome August babies. If you have time treat your favorite person to these delicious brownies....even if it isn't their birthday they will feel special after eating these.

 Oreo Stuffed Brownies 
1 box dark chocolate brownie mix
1 package Oreos (you will probably only use about 10-12)
Sprinkles (if desired)


Prepare brownies according to package. Pour half of the mix into your brownie pan. Layer Oreos on top of batter. Top with the rest of the batter. Bake and Enjoy! 

 Delicious!

I think next time I will use double stuffed Oreos.

Strawberry Peach Jalapeno BBQ Sauce

One thing that I am not very good at is gauging how much food I need to buy to make a meal or dish. I have never been really great at following recipes and I like to improvise, this causes me to buy enough food to feed 8 rather than 4. When I was buying ingredients for my Mini Fruit Pizzas, I totally over shot the amount of fruit I needed. I also went nuts and bought a ton of locally grown jalapenos for a different recipe. The result? Too much unused strawberries, peaches, and jalapenos. All of them together sound pretty awesome. I thought maybe a strawberry peach pico de gallo, or maybe a peach version of a Chupacabra. (I am obsessed with this cocktail!)
Well since I have made a different fruited BBQ sauces in the past I thought i might try my hand at it again. I cooked down the strawberries, peaches and jalapenos with a little apple cider vinegar, sugar and a tiny bit of water. I then added all the other sauce ingredients, simmered and used my hand blender to smooth it all out. I chose to serve it on chicken but I think it would be delicious served on ribs or even grilled shrimp. Overall I thought it was a success! Enjoy!

Strawberry Peach Jalapeno BBQ Sauce

1 quart strawberries, stemmed and halved
3 peaches, peeled pitted and halved
2 jalapenos, halved and seeded
1 cup ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a large sauce pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 2 hours. When sauce has reduced, pulse in food processor or use hand blender and strain through a sieve. Salt and Pepper to taste Use immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.

 The fruity spicy awesomeness that was the beginning of my sauce!

 I ended up putting the sauce on chicken but I am pretty sure I would be happy licking it off my fingers!

So yeah...I accidentally cut my chicken before plating.

Mini Fruit Pizzas

As I have stated before, the Hubby and I do not do too much on the weekends. We work pretty hard throughout the week and our weekends are all about rest and relaxation. But that doesn't mean we don't like to spend some time with friends at BBQ's! The best part about going to a barbecue or a picnic is getting to try all the good food people make. I tend to hover around the dessert table since I have a horrible sweet tooth.Yeah, I am totally that creepy person.
When J told me his workplace was having a picnic I was more than excited to take advantage of all the fresh fruit I had just bought. I am a huge fan of fruit pizza but I really wanted to make it easier to eat and sometimes the sugar cookie crust it hard to roll in a square. The solution? Mini Fruit Pizzas! They were really tasty and pretty easy to make. I don't use the typical frosting you find in most fruit pizza recipes. I use and adaptation of a really good fruit dip I have been making and eating for years. These little guys are perfect for showers and picnics. I highly recommend taking advantage of all the great fruit available right now and making these. Enjoy!

Marshmallow Frosting Topping

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme

Using an electric mixer, blend cream cheese and marshmallow creme until mixed thoroughly.  (Its that easy!!) Will frost 12 cookies.

 The delicious fruit I scored for the mini pizzas!

 Finished Product

Ready for a picnic!

Recipe adapted from Pilsbury

My New Toy....That I Am Afraid Of

So my new toy came in the mail....like a week ago. I have yet to remove it from the box. To be completely honest I have no idea where to start with this thing. What is this thing, you ask? Well it is a Silhouette Cameo Electric Cutter. I bought it to help out with the details of Little E's first birthday party. Bring on the Mustache Bash! I am so excited!!! I am so scared!!!

Sunday Brunch Casserole

I am not a breakfast for breakfast person. I like breakfast for lunch and I am all for breakfast for dinner...but the thought of actually eating breakfast for breakfast sorta makes me queasy. I will choose a slice of cold pizza over eggs and bacon anyday! Well luckily my husband is as much of a morning person as I am a breakfast person so our weekends are usually all about some brunch. It usually consists of some biscuits, gravy, sausage, and eggs. Occasionally we will throw some pancakes in the mix or even some omelets. Since we were both feeling like we were in a brunch rut, the hubby suggested that I make a breakfast casserole. I am not a casserole lady either....hmmm I suppose I am realizing a lot about my self lately. Well I found a decent recipe for a breakfast casserole and decided to have a go at it. Well 45 minuted longer than the listed cooking time, a few tears and a hungry tummy grumbles later I came out with a pretty decent casserole.

And of course no casserole is complete without a little extra extra bacon...and of course homemade sausage gravy. mmmmmm! Enjoy!

Adapted from Bob Evans

Quick Dinners Day 2: Pork Medallions with Cranberry Apple Stuffing

Well today is day 2 of my quick dinner journey. After surviving the day running on coffee, diet coke and Peanut M&M's I pretty much just wanted to stuff my face with whatever was in arms reach, not cook a meal. Why do I eat so little throughout the day you may ask. The answer to that question is because my daily lunch breaks consist of me driving to my sons daycare (baby school as I like to call it) and feeding him. Then I run any errands I have on my list or grocery shopping. I am generally left with about 15 minutes to eat. Usually it is trail mix, nuts, or in starving desperate times a cheeseburger. Today Little E was being too cute and I had trouble leaving....so I hung out in his classroom for my entire lunch. So I snuck candy at my desk. It was the best tasting candy I ever had! By the time I got home I was so geeked out on all the sugar that I was like a tornado running through my house. I was hapy that this recipe seemed more simple than yesterday because I was impatient and famished. I was pretty pleased with the outcome!

Day 2: Pork Medallions with Cranberry Apple Stuffing

2 pork tenderloins (1-1/2 lb.)
1/4 cup KRAFT Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing
1 Tbsp. GREY POUPON Dijon Mustard
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 apple (I used Macintosh) cored peeled and chopped


Cut each tenderloin crosswise into 6 slices; pound to 1/2-inch thickness. Cook in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 3 min. on each side or until browned on both sides. Mix dressing and mustard; pour over meat. Cook on low heat 3 min. on each side or until meat is done and sauce is thickened. Meanwhile, prepare stuffing as directed on package, but reducing spread to 1 Tbsp. and adding cranberries and chopped apple to water along with stuffing mix. Spoon stuffing onto serving plates. Add meat; top with sauce.

The Verdict: Not too shabby! I was unsure about the mustard based sauce for the pork mixed with the sweetness of the stuffing but I was surprised with how well they went together. I served it along some steamed asparagus and liked that pairing. I think my husband would have liked some bread (hello...stuffing?) but he did comment that this recipe was a keeper. I give this recipe a B+/A-.

I'm back! 4 Quick Dinners by Kraft Day 1: Steak StirFry

Wow...has it really been almost nine months since I have last posted? Sadly it has and boy did I miss my kitchen. If you read my blog previously you would know that I was expecting a little bundle of joy and my posts became all but non-existent. My only excuse is that my feet looked like swollen sausages and standing was hardly an option.Well I am back and ready to attempt to blog again. Since you last heard from me, I have given birth to that little bundle and he is already three months old!! I have also gone back to work full time and take on a 45 minute trek to take Little E (the bundle) to his Grannys a couple times a week. With that being said my days of having hours to prepare a meal are pretty much over. I have approximately one hour to fix dinner for my husband before he leaves for work. This week is dedicated to those fast meals...I found this weeks recipes on Kraft.com. Why only 4 recipes you may ask? Well this Mama likes to take a break now and then and lets Pizza Hut do all the work every once in a while. If that laziness offends you take it up with this ferocious bear.

Day 1: Beef Stir Fry

2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked
1 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen stir-fry vegetables, thawed, drained
1/4 cup KRAFT Light Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
1/4 cup lite soy sauce

Cook rice as directed on package. Meanwhile, heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add meat and garlic; stir-fry 2 min. Add vegetables, dressing and soy sauce; stir-fry 3 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender and meat is done. Spoon rice onto platter; top with meat mixture.

The Verdict: This was VERY easy to make. My family usually doesnt lean towards brown rice but my husband didnt even notice. The sauce was pretty tasty but I felt it needed a little extra salt. Overall I would probably make this again and I might even try it with chicken or shrimp next time. I give it a solid B.