Bailey's Buttercream Icing

I'm not big on New Year's resolutions because no one ever keeps them.  However, for 2014, I decided that each month I'm going to challenge myself to one thing that betters my health, fitness or eating habits.  My hope is that committing to something for a full month will create new & better habits.

I started off the year with a big one. I gave up French fries for the month of January.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I, Nancy, gave up French fries.  That may not seem like a big deal to some of you, but those who know me well would tell you this is huge!  I LOVE FRENCH FRIES!  And as embarrassing as it is to admit, I was probably eating them 3+ times a week.  I went cold turkey at the beginning of the month & thus far, I haven't eaten a single French fry.  Not even when The Hubs ordered a big basket of them at lunch last week.  Not even when we went to dinner with friends and the waitress handed me a plate with fries nestled next to my sandwich even though I asked for a substitution.  Needless to say, I'm pretty proud of myself.

However...what I've saved in calories & fat grams from French fries, I've made up in this tasty, delicious Bailey's Buttercream Icing.  I've made it twice in the last 4 weeks.  I might be addicted.  It's so easy to make and goes perfectly with simple chocolate cake.

If you're in need of an easy & yummy dessert, I highly recommend this one.

BAILEY'S BUTTERCREAM ICING

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 6 Tbsp Bailey's (or other Irish Cream Liqueur)
• 2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy.   Slowly add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until combined.  Pour in the Bailey's and beat slowly until combined.  Increase the speed to high & beat for 1 minute.  Add whipping cream and beat again for 1-2 minutes until light & fluffy.  If the icing is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.  If it is too stiff, add a splash of Bailey's.

Spread icing onto a prepared chocolate cake or pipe onto cupcakes (or just eat it straight out of the bowl). 

My Tid-Bits:

* I've also made this same recipe using Kahlua.  It's delicious, as well.

* I have a confession.  When I make a plain chocolate cake, I use a box mix.  Why reinvent the wheel, right?

(I almost didn't buy this brand because it has the "M" word on the front.  Worst. Word. Ever).

* I'm not great at icing cakes.  I can never get the icing to smooth out just right.  My solution?  Cover up the imperfections with toppings (like sliced, toasted almonds) or pipe frosting along the edges. 

* If you're looking for me on February 1st, I'll be a Chick-fil-A stuffing my face with waffle fries. 

Hello Dolly Bars

Once again, it's been forever since I last shared a new recipe.  I have tons of photos sitting on my computer waiting to be uploaded & shared.  One of these days I'll get to them all.

For our tailgate, I'm officially the "dessert girl" - obviously meaning that I'm responsible for bringing some type of sweet treat to share with everyone each week.  A few weeks ago, after a crazy week at work, I needed something fast & simple to whip up.  I turned to my new addiction - Pinterest.  I found several different recipes for Hello Dolly Bars (also known as 7 layer bars).  Most of the recipes were the same - more or less.  So, I took the necessary ingredients and went to work.  The result was oh-so-tasty!!  

Next time you need a delicious, but quick dessert, give these a try.


Ingredients:

*  2 cups graham cracker crumbs
*  1 stick butter
*  1 cup chopped pecans
*  1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
*  1 cup butterscotch chips
*  1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
*  2/3 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

1.  Place graham cracker crumbs in a zip-top baggie.  Melt butter and pour over crumbs.

 Close the bag and shake/massage the bag to combine the butter & graham cracker crumbs.

2.  Press the crumb mixture into the bottom on a 11x7 baking dish.

3.  Next, sprinkle the pecans, chocolate & butterscotch chips over the crust.

4.  Spread coconut evenly over the top.

5.  Last, drizzle 2/3 of a can of sweetened condensed milk over the entire thing.

6.  Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.

 7.  Cool and cut into small squares (these babies are RICH).

29 Years 365 Days - and an amazing cake to celebrate

Yesterday, I celebrated the 1st Anniversary of my 29th Birthday. That's right. I refuse to be the Big 3-0 and I've decided to stay 29.

And because it was my birthday, my wonderfully amazing mother came to see me and made a birthday cake. I may be biased, but my mom makes the BEST birthday cakes. You may recall that last year she made me this delicious Hazelnut Raspberry cake. Well, she one-upped it this year with a Mixed-Berry Chiffon Cake with Almond Cream Cheese Frosting.


As beautiful as the cake was, it was even more delicious!

The recipe was from epicurious.com and you can find the recipe here. Mom changed a few things (like omitting the lemon zest, which would have ruined the whole thing).

Thank you to my mom for helping with dinner & making the wonderful cake. And thank you to my sweet friends for making the day extra special.

THEY'RE BACK!!

The oh-so-yummy Valentine's Cookies are back at Panera Bread!!

I've thought about these cookies occasionally since discovering them last year. Imagine my excitement when I discovered today that they're back!!

You must to get one! But you have to go early because they only make a limited amount each day and they sell out quickly.

A word of caution: Only purchase one at a time lest you be tempted to each several in a row. (Not that I'm speaking from experience).

Reindeer Food...also known as crack

Christmas just isn't Christmas until you've made some Reindeer Food - which is more commonly known amongst my friends as CRACK. They call it that for a reason: It's addictive! Consider yourself warned.

Ingredients:

* 4 cups Cheerios
* 4 cups Rice Chex
* 2 + cups of mini pretzels
* 1 bag Christmas M&M's
* 1.5 cups lightly salted peanuts
* 1 package almond bark
* red & green sugars


Directions:

1. Mix the Cheerios, Chex, pretzels, M&M's and peanuts in a LARGE bowl. (The biggest one you've got).


2. In a separate, microwave safe bowl, melt the almond bark. Start by microwaving for 1 min. and stir. Continue in 30 second increments until almond bark is melted & smooth.

3. Pour almond bark into bowl of Cheerio mixture. Mix very carefully or you'll make a huge mess! Quickly spread mixture into a thin layer on wax paper and generously sprinkle with red & green sugar.


4. Allow to dry completely while trying not to eat it all.


My Tid-Bits:

* I usually package this in cellophane bags & give it away as gifts to friends & co-workers at Christmastime.

* Feel free to adjust the dry ingredients to your liking. I add extra pretzels!


On another note...I have been such a blog slacker lately and for that I apologize. However, I have an excuse. All I've eaten for the past week is smoothies, yogurt & ice cream. Why? Wisdom teeth removal. Enough said. I promise to share more Christmas goodies next week!

Gingerbread Cookies

I have to be completely honest...I'm not sure how much more my heart can take. Every Saturday, I place my happiness in the hands of a bunch of 18 to 22-year-old boys and this year, they are letting me down week after week. Ugh! Sometimes being an Aggie is just rough.

So this year, I've chosen to focus on the fun off the field, rather than what happens on this field. It's just better that way. We have the best group of tailgating friends that we meet up with before home games. Our tailgate has grown from a group of people standing around in a campus park having a couple of beverages and snacks to tents, tables, grills, TV's & lots of food! (A big shout out to A&S for all they do to make our tailgate wonderful).

Before the season even started, I bought the cutest football themed cookies cutters in anticipation of make a tasty tailgate treat. Last week, I finally had the chance to use them. In sticking with my theme of "I-Love-All-Things-Fall", I made gingerbread cutout cookies!

A few years back I discovered Martha Stewart's Gingerbread Snowflake Cookie Recipe and it has changed my life. It is seriously easy to make. The dough is easy to work with and rolls out perfectly every time. The only problem I've found with these cookies is that I can't stop eating them.

Ingredients:

* 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
* 1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
* 4 teaspoons ground ginger
* 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
* 1 teaspoon finely ground pepper
* 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
* 2 large eggs
* 1 cup unsulfured molasses
* Royal Icing (see below)



Directions:

1. Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl. Set aside.


2. Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy.


Mix in spices and salt...


then eggs...



and molasses.



3. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture;



Mix until just combined.


Divide dough into thirds; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.


4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 1/4-inch thick.


Cut into shapes using your favorite cookie cutters.



Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.


5. Bake cookies until crisp but not dark, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.



6. Make Royal Icing (see below) and put icing in a pastry bag fitted with tip of your choice. Pipe designs on cookies; immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar. Let stand 5 minutes; tap off excess sugar. Let icing set completely at room temperature, about 1 hour. Store cookies between layers of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.


And try not to eat them all in one day.


My Tid-Bits:

* Royal Icing: Beat two egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Add 1 box (about 4 cups) of powdered sugar & 1 tsp. almond extract. Beat for another minute of so. If the icing is too thick, add more egg white. If it's too thin, add more sugar.

* This recipe makes about 70 small to medium sized cookies.

* These cookies make great (and inexpensive) holiday gifts for friends & co-workers. I've done large snowflakes, gingerbread men, fall leaves, etc. Package them up in cellophane bags tied with a cute ribbon & gift tag.

* One important thing to remember when working with cutout cookies: Be sure to use plenty of flour on your work surface when rolling out the dough. Otherwise, it will stick and it will be very difficult to get the cookies from the counter to the baking sheet without deforming them.

Favorite Fall Finds

Over the past few weeks, I've found several fall treats & I feel they are worth sharing with you all. So here we go...my Favorite Fall Finds:

TCBY Pumpkin Spice Frozen Yogurt

photo: foodbeast.com

Umm...delicious! I love TCBY and their many (low-cal) flavors. Their Pumpkin Spice yogurt has just a hint of pumpkin and is SO good! And here's a tip: Sign up for their email club & they'll send you all sorts of good coupons. Last month was $1 off. This month was buy one, get one free! The Hubs didn't want any yogurt last night, so I got a free cup & stashed it in the freezer. That one was another DELICIOUS flavor....Orange Sorbet! You remember the Dreamcicles you got in the cafeteria in elementary school? It tastes Just. Like. That!


Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Steamer

photo: starbucks.com

I don't like coffee. I really wish I did because Carmel Macchiatos & Cinnamon Dolce Lattes sound & smell delicious. But I just don't like the taste of coffee. Lucky for me, my dear friend Jennifer introduced me to the Starbucks steamers. They're basically steamed milk blended with your favorite flavor. I typically order a tall-non-fat-vanilla-hazelnut-steamer-no-whip. However, when fall rolls around & the Pumpkin Spice Latte goes back on the menu, I can order my steamer with pumpkin. You should try it!


Pinto Pony Cookies

While on our get-away to the lake house last weekend, The Hubs & I made a day trip to San Augustine. It's a tiny little Texas town with one main street, lots of history, antique shops and a cookie factory called Pinto Pony. My mom & her friends had visited Pinto Pony once before, so on their recommendation, The Hubs & I stopped in. I'm SO glad we did! (My diet on the other hand...not so glad). We visited with the owners, who were so kind & informative. We got to sample all of the flavors and walked out with 3 bags of cookies: Oatmeal Blueberry, Oatmeal Cranberry & Oatmeal Chocolate Chip. Lucky for us, you can order them online from their website: www.pintopony.com. They will box them up in beautifully decorated boxes, making them great gifts, too!

photo: pintopony.com

If you ever happen to be driving through San Augustine, you should stop in and get a homemade ice cream sandwich. For now, we'll be content making our own until our 3 bags run out.



I have fall favorites that aren't food related, too...

Bath & Body Works Candles

There's just something about the smells of pumpkin & apple that I just can't get enough of. I happened to be in Bath & Body Works one day last month when they had their fall candles on sale. I bought 2 for me and several more for friends. My favorites are Pumpkin Patch & Caramel Apple. (Their winter scents just came out and I may or may not have already purchased two of those scents, as well).

Cute Fall Decorations




The colors of fall fit right in with the colors of my home, so I'm always eager to climb up in the attic & get out my fall decor on September 1st. (Even if it is still 102 degrees outside). I have a favorite little shop in Salado called Horsefeathers where the vast majority of my holiday decor has come from, including the two cute little guys above.

I could go on & on about my favorite things of Fall. I'm sure over the next couple of months, I'll share some more. For now, please feel free to share your Favorite Fall Finds! I need to know about the fabulous fall things I don't want to miss out on.

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Pumpkin Ale Bread

I've already mentioned a time or two (or ten) how much I love Fall and all that it entails.....pumpkins, apples, football, cooler weather, cute sweaters, etc. Want to know why else I love fall?? Fall beers. It may sound a bit odd, but I love Octoberfest beers & Pumpkin Ales. My personal faves are Saint Arnolds & Sam Adams, but they're all good.

I recently read a blog post about a baker in Boston who used Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale to make a delicious pumpkin bread. I instantly knew I had to make it and OH MY HEAVENS am I glad I did!!

If you don't try any other recipes that I share, you should try this one. DELICIOUS!!

Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale Bread

Bread Ingredients:
* 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup canola oil (or vegetable oil)
* 2 large eggs
* 1 cup Harvests Pumpkin Ale puree (see below)
* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1/2 tsp baking power
* 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
* Powdered sugar (for dusting, optional)

Pumpkin Ale Puree Ingredients:
* 1-15-oz. can pumpkin puree
* 2/3 granulated sugar
* 1 bottle Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale (or any Pumpkin Ale)
* 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350°.

2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients for Pumpkin Ale Puree.

Mix well & set aside.

3. Combine the sugar and oil in a mixing bowl using an electric mixer with paddle attachment at medium speed.

Slowly add the egg.

4. Stop the mixer and add 1 cup of Pumpkin Ale puree. NOTE: Only add 1 cup of the puree, NOT all of it. Turn mixer to low-medium speed and leave it running for 4-5 minutes.

5. In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.

6. Stop the mixer and add the dry ingredients. Mix for 1 minute at low speed or until all the ingredients are mixed together.

7. Grease a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan. You can either use butter & flour or the wonderfully magic Baker's Joy spray.

8. Pour the mixture into the pan, leaving room at top of pan for bread to rise.

9. Bake for 60 minutes. Check bread by sticking the center with a knife (when knife comes out clean, remove from oven). If needed, bake for another five to eight minutes or until knife comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 - 15 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.


10. Once the bread has fully cooled, finish with light dusting of powdered sugar, if desired.

My Tid-Bits:

* I've made plenty of pumpkin bread recipes over the years, but this one was truly exceptional. The Pumpkin Ale just gives it a bit of a different flavor that is just yummy!

* I took the bread with us to the lake house this weekend. I sliced into it after dinner & 30 minutes later, it looked like this:

Everyone could not get enough. It was SO GOOD! You must try it!

* This Pumpkin Ale Bread would be great to give as a gift or serve at a brunch or Thanksgiving dinner.

* The original recipe uses Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale, but my grocery didn't have it, so I subbed in a different Pumpkin Ale. This time of year, you should be able to find at least one brand at any liquor store. World Market carries Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale, which is exceptionally good! (Just ask The Hubs. I bought a bottle specifically for this recipe & he accidentally drank it. Oops! I was able to find a different kind at Spec's).

* This recipe also calls for canola oil, but I was all out, so I used vegetable oil instead & it turned out fin.

* The recipe for the Pumpkin Ale Puree makes about 3.5 cups, but the bread recipe only calls for 1 cup of puree. I didn't know what to do with the other 2.5 cups, so I threw it away. Now I know better. Next time I'll just make more bread!

* Isn't my pumpkin loaf pan cute? My friend Jenn gave it to me as a "Thank You" gift last year. It's from Williams-Sonoma and they still have them here.

HAPPY FALL!

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