Mini Chocolate Almond Cake

So I took a break from blogging- but now I am back! I can't promise it will be frequent, but I can promise it will be fun.

Over the break, I made a very decadent, very yummy mini chocolate cake with whipped cream and chocolate ganache filling. Oh boy was this thing good. The recipe was followed almost exactly from here. I had been looking for a way to use mini quiche pans and a cute bird mini cake stand, and this was perfect. The recipe ended up making 6 mini cake pieces, which worked out perfectly since the cake stand was only tall enough for a two-stack portion anyway. So, one four-stack cake and one two-stack cake were created. Who can complain about that?

Spring Fireplace Mantle

My fireplace mantle is not new to the blog. I have posted about it's decor possibilities for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Now that spring has figuratively sprung (despite all the snow on the ground), we needed a cheery display. A television is now mounted to the wall, which creates a new challenge for a pretty display. Here is what I came up with, sticking to a fresh white, blue, green, and gold color scheme.

The right side has the ever present birdcage to hide the DVD player, with a white porcelain bird, fresh green plant in a bright white pot, and 2 brass candlesticks.

A long twig-y candle holder sits under the TV with green and blue fake floral accents.

  

On the left side is a large blue vase with very real looking fake hydrangeas (thanks Hobby Lobby!), a large intricate brass candlestick, and a small brass candlestick and two white birds to match the right side.  To add height, I have some twisty branches and old windows behind the display. The blue vase got a huge jagged hole in the back when filling it with rocks. Super sad, but I put a piece of clear packing tape over it to keep everything in.

Yay Spring!

I have a few fun projects coming up: a homemade shower curtain, bedroom wall painting, art collage wall, and chalkboard cupboard. Pictures will be posted soon!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

My dear friend Kristina sent me this recipe for chocolate chip cookies made with bananas from Taste of Home. I was skeptical at first but they turned out really well! The texture was like half cookie, half cake. I could see them going over well at a party where they are eaten quickly, or frozen as an ice cream sandwich (maybe with peanut butter swirl ice cream), as they only stayed fresh for a day or so in a container on the counter. The cookies got oddly sticky and moist by the next day, which was pretty weird.

The recipe is below, but I made a few changes from what is listed on the Taste of Home website. I ended with close to two dozen cookies, instead of the three listed by Taste of Home, so I adjusted the calorie count to reflect.

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 medium mashed ripe banana
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, banana and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. 

Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 2 dozen.

Calories: 125 per cookie 

We ate these for snacks and breakfast. They have a banana in it so they are okay for breakfast, right? :)

Painting the Eat-in Counter

As I mentioned before, we moved into our first house in late September. It is a fairly new house (2009) so there aren't really any necessary or large home improvement projects, only work that makes our house our home, not just a place we live in. The house is full of our stuff, but sometimes I still feel like it isn't really our house because there are signs of the previous owners. One of these areas is the kitchen eat-in counter.

The color isn't my favorite and it has dings and scratches from where their baby's highchair sat.

So, I took some green paint I found in the garage, leftover from the wall behind the fireplace when the house was built, and got to work. The project took about three hours to tape and paint (two coats). The only cost was a new paint roller pad, about $3.00. 

So what do you think of the change? I don't think it matches the counters very well, and I know we need to get bar height stools, but it is now MY counter, not one belonging to the family who lived here before us.

Stuffed French Toast with Caramel Rum Sauce

A good breakfast is the best way to start a weekend! This Saturday it was decadent french toast stuffed with a cream cheese, banana, chocolate mixture, then topped with a smooth caramel rum sauce.

Start with the sauce so it has a chance to thicken while making the french toast. Stirring frequently over medium heat, mix 1/2 stick of butter (4 tablespoons) and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Continue stirring until the mixture boils. Then stir nearly constantly until the mixture has thickened. Once the mixture can easily coat the back of the spoon without completely dripping off, add 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon vanilla and 2 tablespoons rum. Stir until smooth and put back on low heat to keep warm while making the french toast, stirring occasionally.

For the french toast, take four pieces of thick bread and place on a cookie sheet. Place in the oven on 300 degrees for a minute or so, then flip over to toast the other side. Remove from the oven (but keep oven on) and let cool slightly. Put a frying pan on the stove top with a tablespoon of butter and heat on medium, allowing the butter to melt. Meanwhile, mix 2 eggs, 1/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg in a flat dish. Dip both side of the bread into the mix and cook in the frying pan until yummy looking. ***Only dip two slices at a time so the bread doesn't get soggy before cooking.*** Repeat with the other two slices and set aside.

To make the filling, mix 4 oz (half block or 1/2 cup) of cream cheese (I used neufchatel cheese), 1/2 banana cut into small chunks, small handful of chocolate chips, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon orange juice (I used orange V8), and 1/8 cup sugar. Don't mash the bananas, just mix the ingredients all up. I found it easiest to soften the cheese in the microwave first. (You can also do cream cheese with jam and sugar instead of the banana mixture.)

Then, scoop the mixture evenly between two slices of french toast. Set the other slices on top (like a sandwich) and place on the cookie sheet from earlier. Put back in the oven and cook for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle with the warm sauce. This goes great with eggs and bacon expertly made by your husband! :)