What a wonderful day!

What a wonderful day to be alive!

I hope you are doing well, friend.

I have been absent and neglecting my little dessert blog for quite a while. Isn't it amazing how life comes in the way, even with the best of intentions?

I have been making cheesecakes for a few friends lately, and I'm sad to say that's the extent of my bakery cakery skills right now. I'm just so busy with work or trying to find time to sleep and spend time with my family.

I will write when I can! Have a wonderful day!

Peanut Butter Layer Brownies

Here's the thing: I love Peanut Butter. I love Brownies. I figured...why not layer the two together? This recipe comes from a beloved restaurant of mine. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Whew, they're rich!

Peanut Butter Layer Brownies

1 box brownie mix

Prepare brownie mix as directed on box. Let cool.

2 cups pb

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 cups heavy cream

Mix these three ingredients together to form a whipped peanut butter cream. It should be creamy and light. If you want it to be more fluffy and not as peanut buttery, reduce pb and add more heavy cream.

When creamy and whipped, spread in an even layer over brownies.

2-3 cups heavy cream

1/2cup - 1 cup powdered sugar

Whip cream and sugar until fluffy and light. Add enough sugar to make it sweet to your taste. The more cream you whip, the bigger the cream layer will be on the brownies! When whipped, spread evenly over the peanut butter layer.

Lastly, drizzle chocolate syrup over the top and sprinkle chopped peanuts or reeses cups if you wish. Enjoy!

Sorry for lack of pictures... I made these a few days ago and they were gone before I knew it. They are a big hit but VERY rich!!

Vanilla Ice Cream (Icecream Machine)

Forgive my absence.

Life got in the way! :)

I had a wonderful visit from my family a while ago and my parents bought me an icecream maker! If you're in the mood for some great homemade ice cream, this recipe is a surefire winner!

1 pint heavy cream

1/2 gallon half and half

1 3/4 cups sugar

vanilla extract

Pour all into ice cream canister.

Use ice and icecream salt to fill the outer edges around the icecream maker. Start and let churn until it becomes hard to churn.

Now is the time to add extras! Chop up candy bars, drizzle peanut butter or chocolate sauce, add fresh fruit like strawberries or blueberries!

I took this to a friend's house for a dinner and all the guests raved about it! Sometimes with homemade ice cream you get that thick heavy cream film on the roof of your mouth. With this recipe, there is no filmy cream! It leaves your mouth refreshed and tastes creamy, not thick!

I've finally gotten used to my schedule at work---nights. It's a bummer I don't get to see many people anymore. I enjoy talking to the guests and giving them a smile.

Sam's little league game is tomorrow! First one of the season! I'm very excited for them. They've been practicing hard and long and I know that they'll do well.

It's a lovely cold and foggy day this morning. I drive the long highway to home from work around 8am. The fog races me down the pavement and sometimes cuts me off, leaving me in a cloud of white uncertainty. Soon the blur dissipates and I am able to make up lost time. The horizon fades into the sky from the mountains. It's a lovely sight. If only I had a cup of coffee and a blanket, I'd sit on the porch to enjoy the morning. Wait--- I do.... *smiles*

Have a lovely day, friend!

Quick Cheese Dip

Quick and delicious cheese dip doesn't have to be a mess or hard to make.

1 full block of velveeta, cut into chunks

2 cans of diced petite tomatoes, drained. (like rotel. I use offbrand and it is great!)

2 tbsp garlic powder

6 small slices jalapeno pepper

mix all together in a saucepan until fully melted.

Yup. Easy as that.

If you'd like, add a bit of cooked ground beef to make it a bit more tasty!

Things are busy around here! Sam and I are working opposing shifts so it makes it a bit hard to spend time together. We'll make do!

I went to an art show tonight for a local photographer. I bought a shot of a firebreather. It was really neat!

Enjoy your cheese dip! Grab some chips, a movie, and have a great night!

A heavier Thought

This post isn't about food but something a bit more weighty.



My heart is broken tonight.



An acquaintance notified me she got an abortion just 4 days ago.

I only heard her talk about how she couldn't afford another baby (she already has 2).

The only alternative to abortion that I know of is adoption- to have the baby and then give it up for adoption. I don't know much about that process. Is it costly or too difficult to go through the adoption process when you want to give up your baby?

My thought is that there MUST be some sort of program in action that is accessible to women and families of all financial backgrounds as well as religious and circumstantial.

I was thinking to myself about how 'radical' Christians protest abortion clinics and how Christians are notorious for being anti-abortion. Are those Christians then pro-preventive abortion? We must have the tools and know the right contacts when a situation like this arises.



What kind of love is it when Christians and "believers" protest abortion clinics and shun women who make the decision to abort? I believe all life should be cherished. I also believe it is our job as an obedient follower of Christ to take care of women and families in struggling situations, especially ones considering abortion.

I found a pregnancy service center here in the Springs for which I'm currently filling out a volunteer application. The way I see it, a program such as a pregnancy service center (which is also a Christian ministry. When are they not?) would obviously have many options and avenues available for expectant mothers who might be scared, nervous, or considering abortion. I would like to be a part of something like that. I would like to learn the inner workings of 'the system' and more specifically if the positive options alternate to abortion are accessible and a simple process (a process that a person can easily grasp and attain rather than being piled with paperwork and legalities).

I've never been close to anyone who has had an abortion. I'm not even close to the friend that told me of her recent news. All the same my heart clenched and mourned the baby who was lost. To save a life, would you or someone you know consider adoption? I don't know how it would have been possible for sam and I to pay for the pregnancy and adoption fees of the baby, just so the baby could live. Of course I understand this is not my burden to bear, but to what ends would you travel to save a baby?

As I said before this is a bit weighty for a food blog. I hope you don't mind. A baker needs to get her hands out of the dough somedays just like we need a daily dose of reality to stir us to action and love.

Have a grand week, dear friend.

Sometimes I wonder!

Sometimes I wonder about people...

This week at work has been a wreck. It's been frustrating. I've gotten to check in mean people, get yelled at on the phone, and get chewed out by people who, by their own mistake, didn't have a pet friendly room reserved and needed one.

Working at a hotel can be fun. You meet so many different types of people and can have the chance to be so nice to them for just five minutes and lift up their day. Working at a hotel can also mean that you are the cause of the guest's problems, no matter what it is, and you will bear the brunt of the anger and wrath of the disgruntled guest.

I wonder how people get to the point where they can treat someone so cruelly, so harshly, and without any tact or care. Is the world really becoming that cold of a place? I feel sometimes as if I lose patience with these types of people but know that I must maintain composure and be kind.

The only thing I've baked lately is a chocolate cake with a peanut butter frosting. I used my original chocolate cake recipe and made up a peanut butter frosting with heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, butter, and some peanut butter. It turned out quite well. People at work who tasted it (who claim they dont like cake) ate two big slices!

Family is coming this weekend! Pretty tootin' excited about that!!

P.F. Chang's Orange Peel Chicken

Whew. Been busy.

Took time out this weekend to go to the Royal Gorge Bridge and to invite friends over for dinner! For dinner I made Orange Chicken---SO YUMMY! After I had prepared it I told Sam dinner was ready. I suggested we eat outside since it was such a lovely evening. Little did I know he would take that to the extreme! Within minutes, we were carrying our table and chairs, plates and silverware into the open field in our back yard. Yes. We had a picnic!

Picnic in the field.

This is the only picture I have of the orange chicken--- It was so delicious!

Sam enjoying the picnic.

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Orange Peel Chicken

Adapted from Todd Wilbur, Top Secret Restaurant Recipes

1 tbsp veggie oil

2 tbsp garlic

4 green onions

1 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp chili garlic sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

peel from 1/4 orange, julienned (into 1/8 inch strips)

a squeeze or two from said orange.

1 pkg pancit kanton noodles (sub spaghetti noodles if you must!)

1/2 cup veggie oil

4 chicken breast fillets cut into bite size pieces

1/2 cup cornstarch

Heat oil. Add garlic and onions (sliced). Add sauce and other ingredients. Stir to boiling. Once boiling turn heat to low and simmer for 7-10 minutes to thicken.

Boil a large saucepan full of water. Add pancit kanton noodles. They are done when the noodles are soft. Drain and set aside.

Coat chicken chunks in cornstarch ( I mixed them in a tupperware bowl ). Heat oil. Add chicken to oil. Stir chicken in oil to turn so it evenly cooks. Cook til all pink is gone and drain chicken on a few paper towels.

Add sauce and chicken to noodles. Stir well.

Enjoy!

Tips:

--I found the chili garlic sauce and noodles in the oriental section of my grocery.

--Don't skimp on ingredients! I added baby corn and water chestnuts as well as red peppers to the mix and those ingredients did nothing but add to the flavor.

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We had so much fun at the picnic. It was so lovely out there and such a great change from the usual "dining room table" scene. I'd recommend a picnic or even enjoying supper outside with loved ones and friends! Try something new. Go crazy!

Royal Gorge Bridge!

Our friends Jenna and Spencer and Sam and I.

Love, Love, Love

Life happens.

The Air Force Life Song Competition is officially over. Now I wait for the results. I have no clue how long it will take to get the results. I'm so excited! Winner will be notified by email.

I've never done anything like this---it was quite invigorating. It gave me a bit of confidence. It helped me realize I can do what I set my mind to, that I can achieve my goals, and that I might have a winning chance at this.

I've realized recently how many excuses I make. "I don't have time to work out," or "It will take too long to bake a cake." A friend told me "Stop making excuses for what you're not willing to do" and "If you want it, you'll make time and effort for it." Food for thought. What have you been procrastinating on? What things do you avoid doing because you are covered with excuses? Live life and live it to the full, dear friend.

Chin up.