The new staple

I have never been one to have a staple when it came to much anything. I believe in trying everything once, which always little time to  try something twice. 


I may have found my match though. 


This is the third time i have made these little devils for dessert. They are amazing! Explode in your mouth with the mellow taste of the cheese cake, followed by the tangy sweetness of the strawberry, completed with the crunchy bitterness of chocolate. I cant get enough. NO I cant, lucky I can contain myself to one or two, but I cant say the same for my boyfriend who easy will make 4 disappear ( yeah we are going to get his sugar checked soon )


Not only are they AMAZING! They are quick, easy, and cheap; so they work great for a large crowd. 




I present to you:


Chocolate Covered Strawberries with Cheesecake filing


Ingredients:
Strawberries ( usually do about 20 because that will use all the chocolate)
Chocolate bars ( the barkers kind and do the semi-sweet)
Cheesecake filling ( there is only one size that is WAY to much, so plan a cheesecake along with these ;) ) 


Directions:
Put the chocolate on a double boiler and melt. While doing this, cut off the tops of the strawberries and a good amount of the middle. Once the chocolate is melted ( i sometimes add milk to give me just a little more chocolate if I think I may be low) I take a plate covered in wax paper and set it next to the stove. I then use a fork to grab the strawberries and twist them around in the chocolate making sure all sides are covered. I place them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or till the shell is hard. Then take a bagging and cut a little corner off ( or a frosting bag) and fill with the cheesecake and squirt it into the hole of the strawberry bring it out a bit for show. Chill after and serve. 

Double the Trouble

I was inspired by the first dish from a local pub called HopCat. Brian and I stumbled there during Marti Gras downtown Grand Rapids. Right Brain Brewery had a tap take over ( our favorite brewery from Traverse City ) and of course we had to attend. I personal have tasted a large amount of snacks their but never decied that the 'Loaded Fries' were the pick. This night they made an appearance on our plate.

After we tasted a piece of heaven, I thought that I must try this! Tonight I made an attempt at the  ' Loaded Crack Fries ' - Pars great with a good beer

Here is the recipe: ( I don't think it turned out that great but I have some suggestions for change)

-1 packages of french fries ( I would buy plain ones and add a lot of seasoning such as Lowery Salt, pepper and a lot of salt )
-Alfrado Sauce ( I used a basic Meijer Sauce that did not have a lot of flavor so I would make sure it has a lot of cheese flavor. Almost tempted to make my our sauce)
-Diced purple onions ( about a table spoon per plate)
-Bacon | A LOT |
- Pickled Jalopens ( don't get the super hot ones, well unless you can handle it)

After this meal, I had to have something sweet. I gave up cake and cookies for 40 days. So as I watched my boyfriend attack a carrot cake, I knew I have to be creative. My parents gave me a loaf of their banana chocolate chip bread. But if you know me, I cant just have a simple slice of bread. So I found some cream cheese filling and coco power and created THIS ---->

So in conclusion, Fries were okay, bread was AMAZING!

Carrot Cake cupcakes with Maple cream cheese frosting.

In our house, we typical have a light Sunday dinner. It usually consists of veggies, pita chips and hummus with some kind of dessert. This Sundays treat was one inspired on Pintrest | most are | its Carrot Cake with cream cheese maple frosting. The recipe gave directions to make the cake and frosting from scratch. But I was busy and did not have the time to do all that. So I made my changes, and I think it came out pretty good!

/ Carrot Cake cupcakes with Maple Cream cheese frosting /

1. box of Duncan Hines Deluxe Carrot Cake

1. Container of Cream Cheese frosting | vanilla |

1/4 c. Pure Maple syrup | If you use organic, you have a stronger flavor. If you use non-organic, you will need to add more then 1/4c. |

Bake box of cake. Take out and let stand. Combine the cream cheese and maple syrup. I took a plastic bag and cut the ends to create a frosting bag. This allowed me to add a little *dazzle* to them. 

How it all started and where it is going *hopefully*

On a cold Sunday morning while my boyfriend lays in bed, I do my usually Sunday morning routine. I start with a pot of boiling water for my french press coffee, sit on the sofa and read a book or play on the computer. This Sunday, I picked up a book my mother recently gave to me for V-Day | Shout-out to my Mom for always making me feel loved |, the new Barefoot Contessa recipe book. While I was reading the many recipes (yes, I may be the only one that actually READS a recipe book like a book) a little light bulb came on that said 'Hey, you can do this!'. I fought for a second reminding myself all the other adventures in my life right now ( a full time job, a freelance job, boyfriend, family, volunteering, and friends), trying to convince myself that I would not have the time to do this. But then I remembered that I am Wonder Woman, so OF COURSE I can do this. 


The point of this bog is to one day turn into a cook book. If that cook books becomes a huge hit and sells millions of copies, that will be okay, but I truly just want a place/book to store my adventures in the kitchen. 


My goal for the blog is to update it with ALL the achievements ( and fails ) in the kitchen. I am surrounded by many people who are truly amazing cooks, so I will also honor their own adventures by having "celebrity appearances". 


My first 'real' post is to come - its only Sunday morning