Girls Night Peanut Butter Brownies

I made these last night for a girls night out, they-are-so-good! If you like the peanut butter chocolate combo this is for you!

Thank you girls for a super fun night! And I'm not just saying that cause my team won the game ;0
Peanut Butter Brownies
*recipe courtesy of Wilton
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (I used margarine)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 8×2 or 9×2 inch pan with vegetable pan spray.
In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In large bowl, beat peanut butter, butter and sugars with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, add vanilla; mix well. Add flour mixture, mix until well combined. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake 30 -35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting.

Ganache icing
8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter
1 tablespoons cognac or brandy (optional)
Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth. If desired, add the liqueur.
Makes enough ganache to cover a 9 inch (23 cm) cake or torte.

9 Months

Happy late Valentines!

We made some heart cookies for Annalyses class.

Black and White Bars for everyone else. This is the recipe from the Bakery :)

Black and white bars

this is for a 9x9 pan but if you double it it will make a 9x13

8 Tablespoons melted butter

1 1/3 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs

1 1/4 cups shredded coconut

3/4 semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 white chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups walnuts

1 can sweetened condensed milk

mix the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together. Press into pan, layer on each ingredient after that. Drizzle the condensed milk evenly over the top. Bake at 350 degrees until golden on top, about 20-25 minutes. Cool completely. Cut into squares.

Whole wheat waffles

When made with fresh ground wheat these babies come out nice and light! Not that you have to use freshly ground they will taste just fine with the stuff out of the package.

Quick shout out to Grace, thank you SO much for letting me know about the place to get wheat and everything else!

Waffles

2 eggs

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup oil

1 tablespoon sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

I just dump everything in a bowl and have the kids mix it up.

My husband is THE best!

I took a lot of Madden cause he would let me snap away and not get annoyed.

This one he is crying, I thought it was funny. It was one of his fake pick me up cries. I know, I'm a mean mom!
The new counters, I will take a shot of the whole kitchen, if it ever stays clean for 2 seconds, and do a before and after.

Another one of Madden J, he always smiles when I have the camera out! Unlike his brother!!!

And everyone needs a girl first, she is my little mommy. She will come in our room and get Madden on the weekends and take him back to her room to play, so J and I can sleep a little bit longer. Usually not to long cause someone starts crying or complaining there hungry, but she helps out a lot with the baby and I love her for that!

Just look what he surprised me with! Now I just need to learn how to use it! I took over 100 pictures practicing. I have always wanted a professional camera, he is so awesome!

AND! To top that off the week before he had bought me 3, yes 3 pairs of shoes, he knows I don't spend a lot of money on my self so he went and got me a bunch of things I have been wanting. I'm I the luckiest girl or what?! That's why I always have oatmeal cookies in the cookie jar for him!!!

What to blog

OH! I could just squeeze those thighs all day!!! The cuteness is just to much!

What to blog? Not anything interesting going on around here. The baby is getting over double ear infections, what fun that was at night! Then Justin got a sinus infection and was out for two days. My I pulled my arm out of socket last week, or was it the week before? Everything just runs together these days. How did I do it? I was laying on the bed and Madden started to crawl towards the edge and with my quick mothering actions reached to grab his leg and with that pulled my shoulder out. I didn't know it was out, just thought I pulled a muscle or something so I went to bed in pain and went the whole next day in pain and not being able to lift my arm up. Finally when Justin got home from work he was trying to feel if I had torn anything by rotating my arm, and then Click! It popped back in! And I jumped! And I didn't even swear like they do on T.V. when they set someones arm. But after that it was a huge relief and I could move my arm up and down. So yes women have a higher tolerance of pain and deal with it a whole lot better then men! Sorry honey! But when you hurt your toe you had to play on the computer all afternoon and put your foot up and watch tv at night, while me on the other hand had to take care of to cranky boys that day, and I made dinner!!! I'm not saying I'm super woman or anything(Zander does think I am Wonder women though;) Just that that's why women have the baby's! Men would never be able to handle it! The mom switch just doesn't switch off! Not even when your hurt.

Changing the subject, I have been grinding a lot of wheat and making waffles, rolls, and cinnamon rolls, all of which were yummy and the kids like. So I am really happy with that. I will post the roll recipe they were soooo good, Justin didn't even need to put butter on them, and usually he slathers on the butter to give it more flavor.

I'm trying to think of what else we have done, oh! We put in granite counters! They look fabulous! I have been wanting them ever since we moved in, and well, we finally got to it! I love them, changes the look and feel of the kitchen.

We also got a rug for the living room and the kids have been flipping around it and rolling all over it for days now. We have concrete floors so when the kids get around carpet they go a little crazy. Madden loves to crawl all over it.

I guess that about sums it up, just trying to keep everyone healthy and happy.

25

The age I wish I was! No, 25 random things about me, everyone and there mother is tagging me to do this darn thing!!!!! So ALRIGHT here it is.
1. I don't like leftovers
2. Clutter bugs me to no end!
3. I like the Jones Brothers, esp. this song
4. I always put on a little make up before leaving the house
5. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to hold my babies while they sleep
6. I like change
7. I like to plan
8. I wish I had a musical talent, I can kind of sing, Justin said I sound like an Angel, melt me!!!
9. I like to travel, even though I don't do a lot of it
10. I want to have a little farm
11. I like to be by my self, before kids I would often go to the movies by my self
12. Wow this list is hard!
13. I'm more outdoorsy(if that's a word) then Justin is, I love camping
14. I love Saturday, Justin's home to help with the kids and we usually do something fun
15. I hate being late, I try to be a little early to everything
16. I love to dance but don't look so good doing it
17. My vision is horrible, 20/400 on my left 20/350 on my right, one day soon I hope to have lasik
18. I love to make cookies but not eat them
19. I used to hate baths but now I look forward to them at the end of the day to relax
20. I can not stand watching wrestling! It is SO fake, but I do like Ultimate Fighting!
21. Isn't this list over yet? I know I'm cheating!
22. My family has an obsession with television, is 5 to many?
23. I love the smell of books to Fiona!
24. I like to be sarcastic, use to get me in trouble when I was young(sorry mom!)
25. I'm drawing a blank on this last one, its taken me an hour to get this far, I'm not that interesting or have a lot of weird quarks. Um.... I guess the last random thing I can think of is I still like to color in my kids coloring books(when they let me).

Shut up

Is what just came out of my 3 year olds mouth. And when asked where he heard it, he said Wal-Mart. Thanks Wal-Mart I am now going to shop at Target!!!
I thought he didn't even know that word but I guess I was wrong! The things you learn at Wallie World!

Kiddo Activities

Some of you moms keep asking Me for activities to do with you children so I thought I would share some of the blogs and places I get inspiration from.
http://thirtyhandmadedays.blogspot.com
http://www.makeandtakes.com/
http://www.kidscraftweekly.com/index.html
http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/
http://www.kiddio.org/
There are about a million more but this should get the wheels in your head turning! Good luck and have fun!!
P.S. a lot of those web sites have links to other craft blogs and such!! Happy searching! :)

No-Bake CF Love Cookies

Have I done this one?

Well if I did its in here twice. But I have to tell you a little story about these before I give you the recipe.

These were one of my sisters favorite cookies, she would make them often. And when my little brother Gavin was really ill right before he passed, my mom would try to get him to eat anything and was naming off some things and when she got to theses no bake cookies he said no, and she asked again if he was sure and she would make them with love, he loved them just as much as Roshelle did. So when she asked yet again if he was sure he didn't want any, he said he wanted Roshelle to make them ,because she made them with CF love. So to me these are CF love cookies, but you can just call them no bake cookies! Either way they are yummy cookies that you don't have to bake.

No-Bake Cookies

In medium saucepan combine:

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

Stir in, bring to a boil and boil one minute:

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

Stir in thoroughly:

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

1/2 cup peanut butter

Fold in:

3 cups oatmeal

Place in spoonfuls on waxed paper. Cool completely.

Molly or Martha?

Why is it that if you make homemade bread and you are a Mormon you are called a "Molly Mormon" and to your friends who are not they call you Martha Stewart? Can't I just be Cara, lover of made from scratch food? I don't want to be either, I just love to bake. It all started by watching my grandma bake, from scratch, delicious rolls and pies. Ever since I was about 10 I was always making something in the kitchen, and I think my mom was glad I liked to cook and bake because she soon gave my the job of making family dinner, so that's were I got my practice and love. And then to further fuel the love of baking I went to work at the local bakery here in town. There I learned even more, I may not love cookies any more but I still love to make bread. There is something very comforting about baking for me, that's why there were so many baking and chocolate episodes after my sister passed! I find it very relaxing. Enough with the history lesson and on to the recipe. This one is from my mom, it makes a nice soft loaf for sandwiches.

I finally got my wheat grinder, I have been wanting one for years.

Proofing

Doubled and ready to be punched!

Doubled again and ready to go into the oven.

Out of the oven, slice, slather on some butter and enjoy some comforting homemade bread!
This is all we had for dinner yesterday, along with a tall glass of milk!

Grind four cups hard red winter wheat berries. It should equal about 7 cups flour.

Place 4 cups flour in mixer bowl. Add:
1½ T. Saf Instant yeast
4 T. vital wheat gluten - kind of hard to find, I found some at the health food store
1½ T. dough enhancer -My mom is going to send me some, you could do without or order some online
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup honey
2+ t. salt (according to taste)
2½ C. warm water

Mix thoroughly. Let sponge for 15-30 minutes. Stir down. Add remaining flour, stirring until dough leaves sides of bowl. Add unbleached white flour if necessary. Knead 8 minutes. Form into ball. Place in greased bowl. Let rise until doubled. Punch down. Form into loaves. Let rise until doubled. Place in cold oven. Turn oven to 350º. Set timer for 30-35 minutes for large loaves.