Thanksgiving Sandwiches

I'm alive! Very much so.

I did not go AWOL exactly. I got a full-time job working in a High School as an aide for a mental health program. It is awesome but I am doing that on top of being a sign language interpreter and a captionist.

Needless to say, I have a lot on my plate. We all know I like to fill my plate up ;)

I don't have as much time to blog and cook like I used to but I hope to keep it up somewhat.

Yesterday was one of my most favorite days of the year...the first day of fall! I'm so ready for cozy sweaters, crock-pot meals and pumpkin spice lattes!

If anyone else is excited already for Thanksgiving, and just cannot wait, you oughtta try out a Thanksgiving sandwich. I actually made this months ago because I was spontaneously hit and overcome with a craving for a Thanksgiving dinner. That is not so easy to come by in the middle of May so I made this gem.

It tastes like the holidays. Trust me.

Thanksgiving Sandwiches
Dame Good

Ingredients:
Serves 6-8

Turkey:
1.5 lbs of turkey breast
1/3 cup apple cider
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/2 tablespoon thyme
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

1 box reduced-sodium stuffing
1 can cranberry sauce
light mayonnaise
Wheat hamburger buns

Directions:

Combine all of the turkey ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 5-7 hours. Shred with two forks.

Cook stuffing according to box instructions.

Assemble sandwiches by putting desired amount of cranberry sauce on bottom bun, top with shredded turkey. Scoop stuffing on top of the turkey. Put desired amount of mayonnaise on top bun and enjoy!

Birthday Oreo Pudding "Cake"

Woe is me.

I meant to post this recipe way back when I was freaking out about the introduction of Birthday Cake Oreos...Perhaps the excitement caused me to go temporarily insane.

If there are still boxes of those Birthday Cake Oreos to be found, or you still have a box waiting in your pantry (btw you must be crazy) then pay attention!

I love Oreo desserts. Love them. When those Oreos came out I knew I had to come up with something. Since they taste kind of like cake batter I went that route...naturally.

Anyway, who doesn't love Oreo/dirt pudding?

Exactly. Well this version has cream cheese, cake batter and sprinkles.

You're welcome.

No, seriously. When I made this I could not get it in my mouth fast enough. I'm typically a slow eater but this little dessert made me abandon all reason and manners. I grabbed the biggest spoon I could find and went to town with a "pudding-eating-grin" on my face.

I really want some now. Why did I have to eat all my oreos?!

(BTW you can obviously still make this with regular Oreos, the bday ones just bump it up a notch)

Birthday Oreo Pudding "Cake"

Dame Good

Ingredients:

1 (10.5 ounce) package birthday cake oreos (or regular if you cant find them)
1/4 cup  light butter
1 (16 ounce) container fat-free frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 (8 ounce) packages neaufchatel cream cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 cups skim milk
1 (3.5 ounce) package fat-free sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
1/4 cup yellow cake mix (dry)
1/2 cup sprinkles

Directions:

Crush cookies into bite size pieces. Reserve 3/4 cup for top. Melt butter and mix with rest of cookies. Press into 8x8 (or 9x9) pan. Put in freezer for 5 minutes.

Blend 1/2 of the whipped topping, all of the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Spread over crust and place cake back in freezer.

Prepare instant pudding with the milk according to package directions. Add cake mix and 1/4 cup sprinkles to the pudding. Spread the pudding over top of cake. Spread the remaining whipped topping on top of the pudding then sprinkle with the remaining cookie and sprinkles. Keep cake refrigerated.

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

In high school I worked at Tim Horton's.

In high school I also had an insanely fast metabolism. I would eat donuts like it was my job...not sure it was an official part of my job but I sure acted like it.

I could pop donut hols in my mouth fresh out of the oven one after the other without the worry of being in danger of suffering severe punishment to my hips.

Now, not so much.

I don't buy donuts now. Why? Because it would be ugly. But I crave them.

I usually slow down a touch when I pass them at the grocery store...let myself drool a little bit then whine to myself about how I miss the days of being able to scarf down a meal from taco bell, followed by a coke and finished off with some chocolate cake without suffering any repercussions whatsoever.

Getting old is dumb.

I have stumbled across many options and recipes that soften the metabolism blow a bit. Sure, I can't have a deliciously greasy and sugary donut now without it immediately following an intense pang of guilt and a tear or two or two hundred. But...BUT, I can opt to make these muffins that are as close as I can get to feeling content about it.

These muffins remind me of those sugared donut holes. (donut, doughnut? I'll never know). Are they the perfect recreation or substitute? Well, no (these are baked, not fried like those crack-laced baked breakfast treats we all know and love)...but they're good for those days when you know you don't deserve a treat because you have skipped the gym for 3 weeks days straight but you WANT a treat.

Have at it.

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins
Adapted from Sweetpeaskitchen.com

Ingredients:

1 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup skim milk

For the Coating:
1/2 cup melted light butter or spread
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with muffin liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
In small bowl whisk together oil, sugar, egg and milk.

Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Bake until muffin tops are a pale golden and springy to the touch, 22 to 24 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time.

While the muffins are baking, combine sugar and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl. Place melted butter in a small bowl. Once baked, shake muffins out immediately and while hot, dip in melted butter, then roll in sugar and cinnamon

Carrot Cake Oatmeal

I wish I could claim this as my idea.

Carrot cake oatmeal is kinda genius no?

My boss actually gave me the idea. She told me how she came across a recipe for carrot cake oatmeal online somewhere and I decided to come up with my own.

Because I'm stubborn dangerous like that.

I actually never liked the idea of carrot cake until I tried one of the carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting at the bakery...um...yum! As a kid, I thought the idea was gross. Carrots in a cake? No thank you!

Now, I take that back. Please put carrots in my cake. Anyone?

Carrot Cake Oatmeal
Dame Good

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup skim milk
1-2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup carrots, shredded
2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt
1 packet of splenda (optional, if you would like more sweetness)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 1/2-2 minutes or until thickened. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Roll Bars

I have an intense itch to go shopping...

Unfortunately, I don't have the appropriate funds to scratch this itch.

Maybe it's the warm breeze outside right now or the sunshine that is giving me the urge to buy a bunch of spring-friendly clothes that are pastel/neon-colored and flowy.

My wardrobe is suddenly boring to me.

My only resort is to "fake shop"...which is essentially torture but I do it anyway. I obsessively add articles of clothing and various accessories to my virtual wishlist's as if I may magically inherit a large sum of money that I could apply to my urge to shop.

Here's hoping.

Pumpkin Roll Bars
From Sixsistersstuff.com

Ingredients:

Cake
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
1/4 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Filling
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth. Beat in 2 eggs, pumpkin, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and water until well blended. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin/butter mixture and combine until well blended. Spread about 2/3 of the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, 1 egg, 1/4 cup sugar, and ½ teaspoon of vanilla until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over the pumpkin batter. Dollop the remaining pumpkin batter over the cream cheese batter and spread out as evenly as possible. Use a table knife to swirl together the cream cheese and top layer of pumpkin batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the center of the pumpkin batter springs back when touched. Cool completely in pan, then cut into bars.

Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

These pictures are atrocious.

This dip looks awful.

But I beg of you...please don't judge a recipe by a bloggers poor photography and "making food look pretty" skills.

I have this great ability to make delicious food look ugly.

Call me gifted.

But really...this dip tastes like a bacon cheeseburger. It's actually kind of weird. A good kind of weird though. I made this along with the pizza dip for the super bowl.

Yeah, I can't make decisions when it comes to what to make so it tends to be "all the above". An indecisive overachiever does not make for a great mix.

Bacon Cheeseburger Dip
Adapted from Closetcooking.com

Ingredients:

1/2 pound lean ground beef
6 strips reduced-sodium bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 ounces neaufchatel cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup reduced-fat mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the ground beef in a pan over medium heat, set it aside and drain the grease from the pan.
Cook the bacon in the pan until crispy, about 6-10 minutes, set aside and drain all but a tablespoon of the grease.

Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.

Mix the ground beef, bacon, onions and garlic, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, mozzarella, cheddar, worcestershire sauce, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper and pour it into a baking dish.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the top starts turning a light golden brown and then sides are bubbling, about 20-30 minutes.

Pizza Dip

I saw the midnight showing of "The Hunger Games" last night.

Not surprisingly, the book was better. Always is.

BUT! The movie did a decent job of following the book with a few minor discrepancies. You'll have that.

I recommend the movie...but definitely the book first.

Have I mentioned I love dip? Yeah, I'm sure I have...but seriously I could (and do) often eat dip as a meal. Really nutritious I know but I frickin love the stuff. All kind of dip. Bring it on.

I made this pizza dip for the Super Bowl this year. It caught my eye on Pinterest and I thought it would be perfect for a football game. It's quite tasty but it wasn't until after I made it that I even realized there was no pizza sauce incorporated in the recipe. I find that odd...though it still tasted like pizza. I think I may try to create a recipe myself that includes pizza sauce. So standby ;)

(Also I feel the need to apologize for the photos. My pictures are never really that great but I had about 2 minutes to get any kind of picture before running out the door so there you have it!)

Pizza Dip
Adapted from Afarmgirlsdabbles.com

Ingredients:

2 c. shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
2 c. shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/4 c. grated reduced-fat parmesan cheese
1 c. light mayonnaise
1 c. roughly chopped turkey pepperoni
1/2 c. small diced onion
1/2 c. small diced green pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can (6.5 oz.) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
3/4 c. roughly chopped black olives
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus a bit more cracked across the finished dip

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, mixing well to incorporate. Spread into a baking dish - either a large rectangle up to a 9" x 13" size, or a large pie plate. Crack a bit more black pepper over the surface and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the edges are bubbly and the top is golden brown. Sometimes I also place it under the broiler for a minute or two to get the top extra golden pretty. Serve with sturdy crackers or sliced & toasted baguettes.

Lightened Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

I am no longer living in the "technological stone ages"!

Well, in terms of cell phones that is...my laptop is still ancient and my digital camera is a joke and my iPod is from 2005 but my phone...my phone is shiny and new.

I finally conformed and got an iPhone.

Yeah, I love it.

I can't stop playing with it.

Now I want a spankin' new lap top, a iPad, a iPod touch, a nice Panasonic Lumix zs7 digital camera (great for food photography I hear), and a Kindle Fire.

But that ain't happening.

This chick is poor. And spends all her money on food.

And shoes.

Mmm food and shoes :)

I think it is now required of me that I immediately go to Panera Bread and plop myself next to the fireplace and act all technologically savvy.

Not sure I could pull that off but speaking of Panera...please tell me I am not the only one obsessed with their broccoli and cheddar soup in a bread bowl...

Didn't think so. I love it. LOVE it. But have a hard time putting out of my mind the fact that it is cheese and cream and carb overload (not a hard enough time not to eat it (psh!) but enough to push me extra hard at the gym).

I decided to find a copycat recipe and lighten it some.

Is it identical? No. Is it a quick fix for a Panera craving? Yeah, I think so. Worth a shot!

Lightened Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
Adapted from CDkitchen.com


Ingredients:

1 tablespoon light butter spread (I use I Can't Believe it's Not Butter Light), melted
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup melted light butter spread (I use I Can't Believe it's Not Butter Light)
1/4 cup flour
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup skim milk
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock or bouillon
1/2 pound fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots, julienned
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Saute onion in butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half and skim milk(this is called making a roux). Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree. Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended. Stir in the nutmeg and serve.

Serve with wheat bread roll.

Autumn Penne

You know those mornings you wake up after being in such a deep sleep that you are convinced that the totally unrealistic and virtually impossible events that floated around your head during the night really happened?

This is a common occurrence for me...to wake up arguing with myself about whether or not I really did become a real live Candy Land character, or met Michael Jackson in space so he could teach me the "authentic" moonwalk.

Yesterday morning was no different. Except the focus on the argument was more about why in the heck, of all things, I chose to talk about the "importance of sour gummy worms" with George Clooney.

I've never met George Clooney but my brain failed to register that for at least the first 8 minutes of my morning. And by failed to register I mean more like refuses to accept.

A girl can dream.

Then spend the beginning of her morning in a perplexed and confused state until the disappointment sets in. No, you didn't magically invent some pill that kills calories...so no you can't eat that cupcake for breakfast.

Bummer.

Something else rather disappointing to me...the fact that fall is so far away. Though we could hardly call this thing we've had here in Ohio "winter" I still want it to be over.

I figure...just because it isn't October doesn't mean I can't enjoy a little fall.

This dish does remind me of fall. I know I know, the Brussels sprouts can throw you off but I promise you you barely notice them because they are chopped up. This is a dish that makes me actually LIKE Brussels sprouts. If I had one complaint about this dish it would be that the ragu sauce is a little on the light side. Next time, I would add more crushed tomatoes.

Autumn Penne
Adapted From skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

1 sweet or hot chicken and pork sausage link, casing removed, crumbled
3/4 lb 93% lean ground turkey
4 tsp olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
10 oz brussels sprouts, weight after outer leaves and stems removed
1 small onion, diced small
1 carrot, peeled and diced small
1 celery stalk, diced small
28 oz crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
pinch crushed red pepper
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 lb high fiber, low carb or whole wheat pasta

Directions:

In a large, wide skillet, add sausage and turkey over medium-high heat, breaking up the sausage and turkey as it cooks into small pieces. When completely cooked through; set aside in a bowl.

With a sharp knife, cut the brussels sprouts into thin shreds.

To the skillet, add 2 tsp of oil over medium heat. When hot, add the garlic and cook until golden (do not burn). Add shredded brussels sprouts, salt and pepper and sauté until tender crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes; set aside in another bowl.


To the same skillet, add remaining 2 tsp of oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery, stirring well to coat with oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables turn golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Add crushed tomatoes, sausage and turkey, bay leaf, crushed red pepper, salt and fresh pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer about 30 - 40 minutes, or until sauce thickens.

Meanwhile, while sauce is simmering, put a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Add the pasta to the water 10 minutes before the sauce is done and cook pasta al dente.

Drain and add the pasta to the skillet and toss with the sauce.

Add cooked brussel sprouts, toss and place in a large pasta bowl.

Lightened Brown Rice Jambalaya

It is Fat Tuesday.

My kinda day.

I have never personally experienced Mardi Gras nor do I tend to participate in lent but an excuse to be fat? Sign me up!

Is it sad that I just learned why they call it "Fat Tuesday"? Yeah, sometimes I am rather clueless.

But for those of you who are like me and never thought about why they labeled this day "Fat Tuesday" but simply accepted it as a legitimate reason to stuff your face...well...it is because tomorrow is "Ash Wednesday" and people tend to give up something (oftentimes it is food that is so darn good to your mouth but not so much your health)so therefore people shovel food into their face like their is no tomorrow...

Might as well not be if you can't enjoy chocolate, margaritas, jalapeno poppers and cheesecake...

Just my take on things.

If you ask me "Fat Tuesday" sounds like my standard Sunday...aka my "cheat" day.

Sometimes...just sometimes...I take it a little overboard.

Meh.

In honor of Mardi Gras, I decided to make me some jambalaya. And since I have been craving it, I knew I wouldn't be able to resist indulging in a large bowl (especially considering that the day is named "fat" and all)...so I decided to go a lighter route.

You can't even frickin' tell.

I like mine extra spicy so feel free to play around with the spices and hot sauce. I also prefer my jambalaya with just sausage and sometimes chicken so I left out the shrimp. Its easy to add it though...just toss some in about 10 minutes before the cooking time is up and you're all done when the shrimp is pink :)

Lightened Brown Rice Jambalaya
Adapted from Lowcaloriecooking.about.com

Ingredients:

8 oz. smoked turkey sausage, sliced into 1/2 inch coins
8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups brown rice
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

In a large dutch oven, cook the sausage and chicken over medium-high heat until browned. Remove and set aside.

Add the canola oil to the pan, and cook the celery, onion, green pepper, and garlic for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Add the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, thyme and rice, and cook 3 more minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes, salt, black pepper, and ground red pepper.

Cover, and cook 20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Add the shrimp, and cook 3-5 minutes longer, until the shrimp is bright pink.

Serves 8

Homemade Kettle Corn

I hope everyone had a fabulous Valentine's Day...

I did :)

In fact, I am inclined to label it as the best Valentine's Day I ever had.

It was already a long day. After a draining day of interning and having class, I dragged my feet up to my door barely able to keep my eyes open and calling on the last of my strength just to hold up the bag on my shoulder for the minute walk to my door.

When I opened the door I was instantly revived by shock and surprise. The table was set with flowers, candles, tablecloth and heart confetti. I gasped when I took it all in and then noticed the balloon and that my plate was filled with chocolate.

I wasn't expecting anything like this whatsoever.

We were just planning to make a nice dinner together...which we did...and it was perfect.

After dinner we exchanged gifts (which is something we don't tend to do for Valentine's Day...but thought "what the hell...why not?" this year.)

I got us both a couples massage (cant.fricken.wait) and he pulled a box with a red bow out of thin air and handed it over to me with the cheesiest of cheesy grins.

I think this is where I smacked him because I thought the thoughtful dinner setup and candy was my gift.

Upon opening the little box he was met yet again with one my gasp/squeel/shriek reactions. It was an opal necklace.

Opal is my favorite of all favorites. Not only because it is my birthstone but it is simply beautiful and has sentimental value in my family.

Yeah, I'm pretty darn lucky.

Does anybody else nearly faint at the smell of fresh kettle corn when you go to a carnival or fair?

I do. I have been kicking myself for not getting one of those 4 foot tall bags of the sweet and saltiness that comes straight out of a huge black kettle. I'm fairly certain that the only reason I refrained was because I was fighting with trying to keep down the strawberry donuts, texas tenderloin sandwich, soggy fries drenched in vinegar and salt, and strawberry shortcake.

This is just speculation because I cannot possibly come up with another excuse.

Well guess what? You can make something similar...that tastes almost like fresh kettle corn from the fair...at least enough to hold you over until the next time you decide to make a sport out of getting fat off of fried...well...everything.

Fried kool-aid? That is just silly.

Homemade Kettle Corn
From Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels

Directions:

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, stir in the sugar and popcorn. Cover, and shake the pot constantly to keep the sugar from burning. Once the popping has slowed to once every 2 to 3 seconds, remove the pot from the heat and continue to shake for a few minutes until the popping has stopped. Pour into a large bowl, and allow to cool, stirring occasionally to break up large clumps.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day.

Duh.

As much as I want to say it is only a Hallmark holiday and as much as I truly believe one shouldn't need a holiday to show someone you care...I do appreciate the excuse to get into "cheese" mode and do something cute.

I firmly believe that being thoughtful and showing someone how you feel about them should happen frequently...on Holidays or on your average plain ol' day. BUT...yes, there is a BUT...I will accept the Hallmark holiday as an excuse to have a nice dinner and eat a lot little chocolate.

That man of mine and I are making dinner together tomorrow. We did it last year when we made that lovely salmon meal and I kind of like the idea of making it a tradition to make a nice dinner together.

It is usually me doing the cooking so it should be nice to work on a meal together...and I think stuffed shells is just perfect for that.

In other news...I have a confession.

I know this is going to set me apart from all that is normal but I am not the biggest fan of red velvet.

Ok. Ok. Hear me out. It is really just a mild chocolate cake with some vanilla that tastes like food coloring. Yes, the frosting (if it is cream cheese) is da-fricking-bomb but the cake for me has always been "eh".

Yeah, I know. I have heard that I am crazy once or twice.

That man of mine happens to love red velvet...as do the other inhabitants of his man cave so I decided to suck it up and make him/them some of these brownies...

That I can't stop eating.

What the?

It must be the use of dark chocolate rather than cocoa and my lack of control when it comes to cream cheese.

Yeah, that must be it.

Long story short? These brownies are the exception to my "red velvet rule"...and The Cheesecake Factory's red velvet cheesecake (again...the cream cheese is totally to blame there).

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
Adapted from SweetPeasKitchen.com

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
2-oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp red food coloring
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
8-oz neaufchatel cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 8 inch metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment.

In a small, heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate together. Stir until combined and very smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and red food coloring. Add chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Add flour and salt and stir until just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain.

Pour into prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
To prepare cheesecake mixture, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until smooth. Distribute the cheesecake mixture in 8 dollops over batter in the pan. Swirl in with a knife or spatula.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until brownies and cheesecake are set. A knife inserted into the cheesecake mixture should come out clean and the edges will be lightly browned.
Let cool completely in pan on a cooling rack before lifting out the parchment paper to remove the brownies.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

I'm alive!!

Well, kinda. If you consider being the most busy you have ever been in your life "alive" then yes, I qualify.

It has been a long time since I have posted. Too long I'm afraid. Along with my usual class and work schedule I have recently started an "internship"-type gig where I do real-life signing with real-life people!

I know, crazy right?! You spend all this time learning sign language and practicing these mock situations with your fellow peers who pretend to be deaf for so long that you kind of forget that the whole reason you are even in the program is to interpret for living and breathing deaf people!

It has been something else. Let me tell yah. I have been tirelessly adjusting to the new craziness that is my life that my lovely little hobby that is Dame Good Eats has been neglected.

I must say, I have missed the excuse to be creepy and take pictures of everything I eat and make...I also miss the excuse to try to come up with the most outlandish kind of dishes in the hopes that maybe, just maybe they will be successful.

I kinda miss you all :(

I have set a goal for myself this quarter to allow myself more "me" time and more time to enjoy the things I like to do with my "free" time. Well, I no longer have this "free" time (I think it's a myth) but I decided I need to make some...even if just a teensy bit...I miss reading novels, cooking and blogging about my obsession with food.

We shall see how this transpires eh?

I have like 10 billion recipes from months ago just patiently waiting for me to post them. So stay tuned!

Ps...did anyone eat themselves into a 2-day food coma on Super Bowl Sunday because there were too many different types of dip and dip is one thing that forces you to throw all other cares out the window? No?...yeah me neither :/

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
From Beantownbaker.com

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (18 ounces) creamy peanut butter
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) strawberry jam or other jam
2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.

Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; it will spread in the oven. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.