Peanut Butter and Nutella Swirl Cookies

Adapted from Sprinkles Bakes

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup Nutella

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter until creamy.
3. Gradually add sugar to butter while mixer is running.
4. Add egg and vanilla, beat well.  Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl and mix again until incorporated.
5. With mixer on low speed, gradually add in flour mixture until just combined.
6. Remove dough from mixer and divide into two even portions.  Dough should not be sticky.
7. Return half of the dough to the mixer and add the Peanut Butter.  Mix until combined  Remove peanut butter dough dough from mixer.
8. Return the other half of dough to the mixer and add the melted Nutella.  Mix until well combined.
9. Roll out each dough separately between two sheets of wax paper - approximately 1/4" thick.  Each piece should be a 9 x14" rectangle. Chill on baking sheets in the refrigerator, at least 1 hour.
10. When dough is thoroughly chilled, top chocolate dough with coffee dough.  Gently press together the two dough pieces using a rolling pin.
11. Let dough stand at room temperature until malleable.  
12. Use a knife to even one side (down the 14" length) of the dough.  This gives you a nice even start for the spiral.
13. Roll dough tightly, jelly-roll fashion, using the wax paper to guide the dough.  The chocolate portion of dough usually tears a little when rolling. When this happens - STOP- and pinch the dough back together before you continue to roll.  Remember, this is not a race to see how fast you can roll the dough.  Do this slowly and deliberately.  
14. Cover the dough roll in wax paper, then in a length of plastic wrap.  Chill thoroughly, at least 1 hour.  Turn the dough halfway through chilling to make sure it doesn't become flat on one side.
15. Heat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
16. Remove dough from refrigerator, uncover and slice in half with a sharp knife.  Place half of dough back in the refrigerator to keep cold.
17. Cut dough into 1/4" rounds.
18. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes.  Let cool for 2-3 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.
19. Repeat with remaining dough.

What I Wore

Well, I figured I would do a what I Wore" post since it's been a while. I'm so pleased to report that I have currently lost 41 pounds and have 19 left till my goal weight. I'm excited because I can now fit into a couple pairs of jeans too!! YAY! 

Shirt: J.Crew

Skinny Jeans: BDG

Flats: Payless

Sunglasses: Lauren Conrad

If anyone would like to link up what you wore this week. I would love to see. Happy Weekend Friends!!

Double Chocolate Loaf

HOLY CHOCOLATE OVERLOAD!!!! 

If you are a chocolate lover this is the recipe for you!!!! This loaf turned out amazing. It's super rich!!!! 

Original recipe found {HERE}

For the loaf:
3/4 cup (120 g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups (180 g) flour
1 cup (120 g) dark unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (I used Green & Blacks)
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup (180 ml) buttermilk
1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 oz (225 g) good-quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and position the rack in the center of the oven. Butter a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, dust it with flour and knock out the excess flour.

Place the brown sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Press out any lumps with the back of a large spoon. Add the flour, cocoa, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk until blended, then add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla and whisk until combined.

Turn the mixer to low and slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined (don’t overmix!). Stir in the dark chocolate chunks by hand.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Banana Crumb Muffins and Linky Party

For Muffins:

1 cup flour, plus more for pan

3⁄4 tsp. baking soda

1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup sugar

1⁄2 cup canola oil

1⁄3 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

2⁄3 cup chopped pecans

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

For Crumb Topping:

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup light or dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 stick melted butter

1. Heat oven to 350°. Line 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners. set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3. Whisk together sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk in a medium bowl until smooth. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Add pecans and mashed bananas and whisk gently to combine. Pour batter into prepared muffin pans filling 2/3 of the cup.

4. In a small bowl mix all ingredients for crumb topping. This should be lumpy and clumpy. If the clumps are too big brake them up a little. Now top each muffin with about 1 heaping tablespoon of crumb batter. 5. bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes before  serving.

Please join me and link up ANYTHING handmade or homemade. I would love to see recipes, DIY projects, party planning, and craft projects of all kinds!!!

And if you didn't make anything this week, no worries, link up an old favorite!!!

There are no rules! Feel free to grab the Handmade Hog button and place it in your post or on your sidebar but it is absolutely NOT required!! EVERYONE is welcome to participate!!! This is just supposed to be a fun way to share your ideas and pick up some new ones !! 

So, please join me! LINK UP!!! I can't wait to see what you have in store!!!

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Meet Lindsay of Lee La La

Good Morning Friends!!! Today I have my lovely friend Linsday here with us. I adore her and her blog. She has a beautiful family and an amazing blog that I read everyday! So I was so excited when she agreed to do a guest post!! I hope you enjoy her as much as I do!!!

Hi Bouffe e Bambini! 

I am Lindsay of the blog Lee La La,

 where I take on life, mommy hood, and all things in between.

This is me:

My job?

A stay at home momma to this little face.
{Miss L}

Pre baby, I had a "perception" of what being a Mommy meant.

Lots of down time

Relaxation 

Laughter and Smiles

Let's just say, I was MISLEAD. 

Now, don't get me wrong, 

I wouldn't trade this job for anything in the world.

I'm just keeping it real and sharing what I've learned,
because let's face it,
 momma's are modest and don't always share how challenging this job really is.
Myself included.
So this is for all you Mom's...
Mom's to be.
Future Mom's.
Grandma's.
Aunts.
Caretakers.

Life of a Mom: Imagined vs Reality 

Sara Driscoll Photography


Imagined: 

Playing dress up in frilly dresses and bows.

Reality: 

20 outfit changes a day and a "simple" onesie will likely be your staple.
Bows? They will get pulled right off.

Imagined: 

Daily shopping trips to the MALL.

Reality:

Shopping days are far and few between. Time is no longer your own. Your child makes your schedule. Miss L refuses to sit in her fancy stroller that I HAD to have. You find yourself bribing your littles with candy. The back arching temper tantrum is bound to happen 10 mins into any shopping experience.

Imagined: 

Play dates will be a daily social gathering for the momma's.

Reality: 

Play dates involve broken conversations with a lot of "what was I saying". Playing referee and catching your kids arm mid air as she goes in for attack. At the end of the play date you feel as though you ran a half marathon.

Imagined: 

Perfect hair. Perfect outfit. Matching diaper bag and stroller. Baby in tow will be color coordinated as well. I will be THAT Mom that everyone talks about. 

Reality:

Stained Shirts, food in my hair, boogers on my face. If we make it out the door without an outfit change on either part, it's a good day. 

Imagined:

I will be ORGANIZED and CLEAN.

Reality:

Forget organization. Just when you go to put something somewhere it is removed. My purse is full of rocks and pebbles, my car has pb&j stuck in the crevices, my couch smells like sour milk, and theres a beautiful crayon mural on my dining room table. 

Imagined: 

Nap time = RELAXATION

Reality:

Nap time involves cleaning house, picking up toys for the 19th time, laundry, preparing dinner,
Lee La La business...you get my drift. With mommy hood comes pure exhaustion. I rely on coffee in these parts.


Imagined: 
I will cook a gourmet meal every night.
Reality: 
I never knew one stove could make so much smoke. Let's just say I have learned I have no future in culinary education. Pre made meals are my specialty.


Imagined:
Thinking to yourself "That screaming toddler is OUT OF CONTROL". "They must have TERRIBLE parents".
Reality:
You no longer judge other mom's. Kids are unpredictable and tantrums happen to the best of us.

............

Sara Driscoll Photography

Thank you new friends for hanging with me today.
Stop by my blog to follow our crazy journey. 

Thank you Hanna for having me!


SHOP | BLOG



Cheese Fritters

AS you all know I L*O*V*E cheese!!! I have been wanting to make some fried mozzarella sticks but I saw these and they looks even better so I gave them a go. DELICIOUS!!!!!! I adapted the recipe a bit from the recipe I saw {HERE}.

I served mine with a big arugula salad. I guess I tried to balance it out a little. They were so good! My 2 year old loved these.

Ingredient's :

1 cup ricotta

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme

pinch salt

1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper

1 cup all purpose flour

2 cups panko bread crumbs

2 eggs, beaten

4 cups canola oil for frying

1/2 cup marinara sauce for serving

Recipe:

in a medium bowl mix together 3 cheeses, thyme, salt and pepper. in 2 small separate bowls set aside flour and panko breadcrumbs. In a third small bowl beat eggs and set aside. 

Make a small ball out of the cheese mixture and roll into flour first, then into the egg and then the panko. Now set aside on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper. Repeat until you have used all your cheese mixture. Note: don't make the balls too big or they will now heat all the way through when frying. 

You may store these all day in the refrigerator if you like before using. 

Once ready to fry, heat oil on medium high for about 10 minuets. Fry 2 balls at a time turning frequently as not to let them burn. You should all ow them to become a dark golden brown. Again, we want to be sure the inside is hot and melted. The cheese might start to ooze out a little bit. This is okay! 

Once finished place them on a paper towel to drain off any excess oil.

Serve immediately with warm marinara sauce

Frozen Choclate Covered Bananas

I've been under the weather the past couple days so I haven't been a rock star in the kitchen but I did manage to make some frozen  chocolate covered bananas for my husband and son to enjoy on these hot summer days. They were a big hit and SOOO easy to make so I figured I would share the idea.

This will make a small batch (6 chocolate covered bananas)

You'll Need:

3 ripe bananas

6 skewers, Popsicle sticks or lollipop sticks

1/2 package of chocolate chips. I used semi sweet

sprinkles or Jimmy's to decorate

1. peel bananas and cut in half and place on a piece of wax paper.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips in the microwave, dip the skewer in the chocolate and then push into the banana. Once you gave finished all the bananas place them in the freezer for a few minuets to set. 

3. Melt the rest of the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals being careful it doesn't burn. Now dip the frozen bananas into the chocolate and sprinkle with sprinkles while chocolate is still warm. Place on wax paper to cool. Place all bananas in the freezer when finished decorating. 

Brioche Pepperoni Bread and Linky Party

A few weeks ago I made some homemade brioche hamburger buns. I had put half the brioche dough i the freezer. My husband and I L*O*V*E pepperoni bread and if you have never had it, PLEASE do yourself a favor and try it!!!! It's amazing! Anyway, I decided to make some pepperoni bread with my leftover brioche. 

I found the original brioche recipe {HERE}

NOTE: This recipe will make 2 LARGE loafs of pepperoni bread. If you only want to make one. Please half this recipe!! 

Homemade Brioche Dough

3/4 cups warm water
1 packets granulated yeast
1 tablespoons kosher salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cups melted butter
4 cups all purpose flour

1 package pepperoni (for one loaf)
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (for one loaf)

Directions:

To Prepare the Brioche Dough:
Dough is best prepared the day before.
Add the yeast, salt, eggs, honey, melted butter and water to a 5 quart bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the all purpose to the liquid mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine, or use a stand mixer with a dough attachment.
Cover the dough and let rest for 2 hours, at room temperature, until doubled in bulk. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill. After chilled, remove a 1 1/2 lb. portion of the dough. Store the remaining dough covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, otherwise you can freeze it in 1 lb. increments for up to 4 weeks.
To Prepare the pepperoni bread:
Roll out Brioche dough into a large rectangle shape onto a lightly floured surface.  Start at one end and line with pepperoni and shredded mozzarella cheese. Now fold the dough over onto itself covering the pepperoni and cheese. Now repeat another line of pepperoni and cheese and repeat until entire loaf is rolled up. Now close the ends with wooden toothpicks so bread doesn't come apart while baking. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with poppy and sesame seeds.
Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and allow the loaf  to rise for 20-40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Place the oven rack on the middle position.
Bake loaf at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown. Let cool before slicing  and serving.

Please join me and link up ANYTHING handmade or homemade. I would love to see recipes, DIY projects, party planning, and craft projects of all kinds!!!

And if you didn't make anything this week, no worries, link up an old favorite!!!

There are no rules! Feel free to grab the Handmade Hog button and place it in your post or on your sidebar but it is absolutely NOT required!! EVERYONE is welcome to participate!!! This is just supposed to be a fun way to share your ideas and pick up some new ones !! 

So, please join me! LINK UP!!! I can't wait to see what you have in store!!!

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10 Random Things About Me

1. I L*O*V*E cheese. any kind. All kinds. I can eat it by the pound. I love the stuff. Whenever I am in Europe I try very hard to pretty much solely eat a healthy diet of cheese and baguette.2. I used to move every 2 years. I've lived in Las Vegas, Santa Barbara, New Orleans, Albuquerque, New York,  Denver, and Santa Fe.3. My unhealthy habits include diet pepsi and eating Nutella straight out of the jar4. We are a one car family. We save A LOT of money in gas and insurance.5. I was only a few credits shy of a bachelors degree in Anthropology when I switched to Nursing hence being a full time student for 7 years.  6. I can't live without my Burt's Beeswax chap stick for more than a few hours. 7. I'm a beauty School Drop out. I went to the Aveda Institute when I was 19 years old but it went bankrupt before I could graduate. I will still cut my family or friends hair on occasion.8. I love to travel and explore new cultures. The next country on my must see list is Spain.9. I have a very unhealthy obsession with designer jeans. I have about 30 pairs in my closet right now.10. One of my life long goals is to run a marathon. I trained for one once but got a stress fracture after my 16 mile training run.

Have a wonderful day friends!!! 

Braised chicken and mushrooms in sherry demiglaze

Ingredients:

2 bone in chicken breasts

2 tablespoons butter 

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 onion, diced

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup cream

1/4 cup sherry

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 pound shitake mushrooms

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

salt and pepper

Recipe:

Melt butter in saucepan over medium high heat. Place chicken in pan and brown on both sides (about 10 min) Remove the chicken and set aside. Now add garlic, onion and mushroom and saute until fragrant Cook about 5 minuets and add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Add the chicken stock and sherry and reduce by half. Now put the browned chicken breasts back in the pan and saute until cooked through. Now remove the chicken again and set aside. Now add the cream and dill. Smother the chicken with the sauce and serve with mashed potatoes, polenta or rice.

A Little Gratitude Goes a Long Way

I just wanted to take a little time out to express my gratitude to the universe. Lately I have been realizing how extremely blessed I am and I want to make sure I recognise it. 

I think because I am getting older I have been really looking around at my friends and family and realizing that I really have it good. Sometimes I get really angry that I have to work and wish I could be the full, full, time stay at home mom that I want to be but then I look around at others close to me and realize I am so blessed to have a wonderful career where I can make a good living, get benefits for my family, pay my mortgage on the home that we will someday own and have a retirement plan for my husband and I. SO many of my close friends don't have any of those things and I want to make sure I don't take them for granted. 

I think the things are I am most grateful for are my beautiful , healthy children. 

I just wanted to send that out to the universe tonight. 

Here are the two little beings that fill me with joy everyday. Thank you Universe. I am SOOOOOOO grateful!

Homemade Donuts

I made these donuts last month.  These came out amazing. I can't wait to make them again!!! 

They are light, fluffy and pure sinful delight. I promise! I made these last Sunday morning and my husband has never been so happy. These do take a little time to make because you have to let the dough rise twice but otherwise they are not that difficult. Anyone can easily make homemade donuts and they are divine. Please give them a try! 

Ingredients

• 2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
•  
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 tablespoons hot water or as needed

Directions

1. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix for a few minutes at low speed, or stirring with a wooden spoon. Beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl, and cover. Set in a warm place to rise until double. Dough is ready if you touch it, and the indention remains.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter. Let doughnuts sit out to rise again until double. Cover loosely with a cloth.
4. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in hot water one tablespoon at a time until the icing is somewhat thin, but not watery. Set aside.
5. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large heavy skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slide doughnuts into the hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry doughnuts on each side until golden brown. Remove from hot oil, to drain on a wire rack. Dip doughnuts into the glaze while still hot, and set onto wire racks to drain off excess. Keep a cookie sheet or tray under racks for easier clean up.