Blueberry Filled Chocolates

Valentine's Day is coming up soon, and the stores are overflowing with hearts, cupids, and candy.  We don't really buy into the big candy overhaul that goes on this time of year, but I did want to make something fun and special for my husband.

Since he loves blueberries, I decided it would be fun to make some filled chocolates by making a blueberry ganache, and use a cute heart-shaped candy mold to top it off!

These make a tasty sweet treat for your sweetheart!

Dirty Thirty...and Better than Sex Cake

Today is my 30th birthday, finally!

Many of you may be thinking to yourselves; "Finally?  Why finally?  Don't most women dread turning 30?"  And while that may be true for most people, I have actually never cared about getting older, and birthdays aren't a big deal for me.

However, I have always looked at the age of 30 as "finally being an adult", which is a little silly, since technically you become an adult at 18 (which, holy crazy young...).  And it isn't that I haven't acted like an adult for the last...many years, but I feel like at 30, even other adults tend to take you more seriously, while when you are in your 20's they still think of you as being young and naive.

So here I am, officially 30, and no longer young and naive!  Or at least I like to pretend.

One thing I don't have to pretend about, is how amazingly delicious today's recipe is.  The first time I had Better than Sex Cake was actually for my 21st birthday.  My friend Heidi threw me my first-ever big group birthday party, and since she knew I didn't like frosting (and because she's an angel), she made this cake.

This version is completely homemade, but you can substitute store bought caramel, whipped cream, and chocolate fudge sauce if you don't want to make those from scratch, however, homemade really makes a world of difference, and it doesn't take super long to make either!

Banana Muffins

I bought bananas for some chocolate fondue we did last week, but I didn't really need 6 bananas for the fondue, so I decided that some tasty muffins would be the perfect new life for the extra fruit.

They made perfect little muffins with a lovely streusel topping, and I didn't even need to wait for the bananas to age and turn brown to use them!  My bananas were just out of the green stage, so I whipped them in my KitchenAid with the whisk attachment for a few minutes until they expanded in size, which made them work just as well as browned bananas.

Whip up a batch for the week, and have tasty banana muffins for breakfast each morning!

Oatmeal Cookie Dough Truffles

Earlier this week, I was struck with inspiration to create these Oatmeal Cookie Dough Truffles.  Well, more accurately, I was struck with a craving for Oatmeal Cookies...and since I have a tendency to turn just about everything in our house into truffles, these little buddies were born!  Welcome to the World, Truffles!

If you like oatmeal cookies, you will love these truffles!  So easy to make, and so tasty!  I put mini chocolate chips in mine, but you can use chopped raisins or butterscotch chips as well, whatever you like in your usual oatmeal cookies!  You can also leave the add-ins out completely, if that is more your style.

I also topped some of the truffles with granola, dusted some with cinnamon, and left some plain.  I personally like the crunch of the granola, but my husband preferred the ones without granola.  So that bit is up to you!

White Chocolate Blueberry Muffins

Happy New Year!

The busy holidays are now behind us, and the beginning of 2016 lies ahead, full of possibilities and excitement.  Many people make resolutions for the beginning of the year, which is great, I however, haven't participated in that tradition for well over a decade.

I am just not good at making resolutions at the beginning of the year.  I do, however, make goals throughout the year on a continual basis, so I figure all hope isn't lost on me.

For example, my goal this morning was to eat breakfast (something I haven't been doing habitually since Christmas).  And while I was pondering what to do, inspiration struck as my eyes scanned over my cupboards, and fell upon dried blueberries and white chocolate chips.

The result was a recipe for White Chocolate Blueberry Muffins, which gave me, not only something to eat for breakfast, but will make my husband happy when he gets home from work, since blueberries are his favorite.

While I used dried blueberries, since they were what I had on hand, you can also use fresh or frozen berries if you have them.

The tart little berries pair wonderfully with the smooth white chocolate chips, and create a colorful dance party for your taste buds.

Andes Mint Cookie Dough Truffles

I love when the holiday Andes mints go on sale, because it means that Christmas is almost here. I bought a box of the peppermint crunch variety, and the regular mint variety back in November, and have been snacking on them for a while, but not before I whipped up some of these tasty truffles.

I love mint truffles, but you really can't go wrong with cookie dough, so I decided that a mint cookie dough truffle was certainly in order.

I love how the flecks of red and white pop through the dark, chocolatey cookie dough, don't you?

Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies

Sometimes you just need to shake things up a bit.  And apparently at Christmas, that means making chocolate variations of things that aren't typically chocolate.

Bruce wanted to give plates of cookies so some of our friends and neighbors this year, and we needed one more addition to the festive cookie plate.  I had been tinkering with this recipe for a few months, but had never quite succeeded, but thankfully, they finally came together in a way that I loved!

These cookies are soft, even if you roll out the dough thinly, and they pair wonderfully with festive frostings or glazes, like my Eggnog Frosting or Peppermint Frosting.

Hot Chocolate Rice Pudding

Again with the rice pudding, I know, I have an addiction...

My name is Lisa, and I am a rice pudding addict.

But really, it is such a simple and tasty treat, that I can't help but make it often, and tinker with it to make different variations, like this festive Hot Chocolate Rice Pudding, which is perfect for your holiday merrymaking.

Chocolate Peppermint Rolls

Sometime last year, my husband and I were sitting in church, and as is often the case (sadly), we were thinking about food.  I guess that happens when you forget to eat before heading into 3 hours of church meetings.

The topic of Cinnamon Rolls came up, and Bruce asked me if I could make a Christmas-time cinnamon roll...with chocolate dough.  Me, being the food-optimist, assured him that I could.

And this year, I delivered with these delicious Chocolate Peppermint Rolls!  The dough is soft, fragrant, and chocolatey, while bits of peppermint and chocolate (either white or semi-sweet) burst from within, and a gooey peppermint cream cheese frosting melds everything together in a way that is truly providential.

These would be a fabulous Christmas Eve treat, or accompaniment to an indulgent Christmas breakfast!

Peppermint Snowballs

The holiday season has come upon us like a whirlwind!

I apologize for my absence recently.  I just started my Master's program, and it has been consuming a good chunk of my free-time.

But, I am here today to bring you a tasty, snowy treat!

I don't know about you, but when I was growing up, I always loved the snow.  It may have had something to do with the fact that we didn't get a ton of it where I grew up, and so we would often pray for it to snow on Christmas Eve so we could have a white Christmas (it's true, we actually prayed for it).

One of my favorite parts about the snow was making snowballs, snowmen, and eating the fresh, powdery flakes that fell.

I recently found out that my husband has never eaten snow in his life (WhAt?!), and isn't in any hurry to either (he has no idea what he is missing).

So, to compensate for that tragic loss, I made him some snowball cookies.  But not just any snowball cookies...Peppermint Snowball cookies!  Don't get me wrong, I love the buttery little cookies, rolled in powdered sugar just as much as anyone, but when you dip these little beauties in a thick peppermint glaze, they are out of this world!

You can change the type of extract you use in both the cookie, and the glaze to customize it to your preference, but I chose almond extract for the cookie, and it pairs nicely with the peppermint.

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

My husband and I attended a wedding this past summer for one of my husband's cousins.  After the ceremony, a group of us went to Olive Garden for dinner.  Bruce and I split an order of their delicious Gnocchi Soup.  I loved it, and Bruce also enjoyed it, except for the spinach...

So naturally, I sought to make a husband-friendly version (sans spinach) at home, and we were quite happy with the results of this creamy and tasty soup, bursting with flavor, moist chicken, and fluffy gnocchi, this meal is filling and perfect for a cold Autumn evening.

Mini Applesauce Bundt Cakes with Apple Cider Caramel Sauce

Autumn is in full-swing here in Idaho.  Leaves are falling, the air is crisp, and blankets are piled on the bed and couches, ready to warm any chilled toes that may be in search of warmth.

With the fall-time festivities of Halloween behind us, our house prepares for new changes.  My little brother is getting married in two weeks, my husband is nearing the end of his school semester, and I just started my Master's program today (yipe!).

A good way to celebrate fall and all the changes it brings is to make these adorable and delicious mini-bundt cakes.  The hearty goodness of the applesauce cake blends beautifully with the spiced apple cider caramel for a pairing that is out of this world!

Funfetti Truffles

My best friend is having a baby in February, and we had her baby shower about a week ago.  This girly friend of mine has a thing for funfetti.  There is this shop in her state that sells "cake bites", and her favorite ones are the funfetti flavored bites.

So I figured, as part of my baby shower contribution, that I would make her some funfetti truffles!  These little bites of goodness taste just like funfetti cake batter, and are full of colorful sprinkles.  I coated them in pink for the baby shower, but you can coat them in white, chocolate, or any other color of your choice.

Versatile Dinner Rolls

I love this roll recipe.  You can customize the dough to your taste references by adding herbs, spices, cheeses, dried fruits, or leave them plain for a perfectly light and golden dinner roll that is the perfect compliment to your meal.

They come together quickly, and you will find yourself snacking on them all week.  We used ours for sandwiches the day after, and they were just as delicious the next day as they were the day they were made.

We made a big batch, and did 1/3 plain, 1/3 herb and Parmesan, and 1/3 cheddar, but the possibilities are positively endless!

Scrumptious Creamy Caramel

I realized the other day, as I was thinking up some delicious new caramel recipes, that I haven't posted a single caramel recipe since I started this blog a year ago.  Naturally, this needed to be rectified, since homemade caramel is infinitely better than store bought (in my humble opinion, anyway).

This caramel is super creamy, and perfect to top desserts with, or eat by the spoonful straight from the jar...if that is your type of thing!

Almond Chia Pudding with Oranges

I first made chia pudding shortly after moving to Idaho in 2013.  It's not something that I have really made since I got married, since I was fairly sure that my hubby would not be a fan.  This pudding is great because you can do all sorts of different flavor combinations to totally customize it.

This version uses almond extract and mandarin orange slices, but would be equally delicious with cherries, mangoes, raspberries, and you can substitute vanilla extract for the almond.

I love how light, refreshing, and filling this pudding is.  And the nutty crunch of the chia is actually quite delightful.  And, to my surprise, my hubby actually didn't mind it!  So I may have to make a chocolate version to push him over the edge!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Chocolate Chip Cookies are a classic.

Even people like me, who would not be labeled "choco-holics" by any stretch of the imagination, maintain a soft spot for these baked goodies.  We need not get into the debate over crunchy versus soft and chewy (soft and chewy wins, though...) to know that these cookies are beloved everywhere.

What may be true for many people though, is that sometimes, the cookie dough itself gets consumed before the cookies are even baked.  I often prefer eating the dough to eating a cookie, myself.

And with these truffles, you can!  They are egg-less, so you can feel safe about it too!

Although, you may find yourself eating the balls of dough still before you dip them in the chocolate...but don't worry, I won't judge.  You're in good company!

Caramel Cookie Truffles

These truffles are actually the bi-product of only doing half of the work on my Caramel Apple Truffles.  But who says that only doing half the job is a bad thing?  In this case, it was a very, very good thing.

A rich, sweet, marriage of chocolate and caramel cookie in a convenient bite-sized package!

I have had chocolate covered caramels before, and quite frankly, they aren't my favorite.  I'm not sure if it's the stickiness or the texture, but I have never been big into caramel.  But these beauties have the taste of caramel without stickiness!  It's amazing!

Turkey Sausage Fake-Out

Some people love bacon.

Others, prefer sausage with their breakfast.

As much as I love bacon now, I actually wasn't a fan when I was growing up, and I didn't develop a real love and appreciation for bacon until I was in my twenties.  So whenever we would go out for breakfast, I always got sausage with my eggs and hashbrowns.

My husband, however, is not a huge fan of sausage.  He will occasionally eat it if it is crumbled into the eggs and hasbrowns, but he won't touch it if it's in a patty or link form.

He will, however, eat this Turkey Sausage Fake-Out, and has asked me to make it more than once.  Ground Turkey is turned into "turkey sausage" with the help of just a few simple herbs and spices, and works great in a pinch.  You can even add some red pepper flakes or chili powder if you want some heat behind it.  It is totally customize-able!

Caramel Apple Truffles

Don't you just love the fall?

I know that technically it isn't quite fall yet (give it a couple more days!), but the weather has been doing a very convincing job of implying that autumn is upon us.  And, as always, autumn means apple season and family get-togethers.

Bruce and I had a family gathering in Utah this past weekend, and I decided that I was going to bring truffles.  But, not just any truffles.  I have been dying to come up with a caramel apple truffle recipe, and by jove, I think I've got it!

These bite-sized beauties are a caramel cookie base with a chopped apple center, dipped in white chocolate, and drizzled with chocolate caramel.  Yowza!  These babies are completely decadent, and make you feel like you are biting into a caramel apple, without getting it stuck in your teeth, so it's a win-win!