Today we have a guest post from the super-fabulous Casi at Cupcake Mag.

Casi and I have been friends for about a year now and I have to tell you she rocks my world. She is sweet and smart and ridiculously stylish. She also interviews your favorite celebs like Tori Spelling and Rob Kardashian.  Not to mention the fact she does all this while being an amazing Mom of 4 sweet girls. I am in awe of her multitasking abilities. You have to check out Cupcake Mag. Right now. Well, finish reading this post and then go.

When Casi said she would guest post for me I was thrilled!

When she said she was making Nutella Raspberry Squares I was like “You had me at Nutella”!

Here’s Casi’s post:

As as mother of 4 girls under 8 and running a full-time biz, I am no Betty Crocker when it comes to the kitchen. However, I am a pro at whipping up meals quickly and I am big fan of things that don’t take a lot of prep work with my busy schedule. One of my favorite little recipes (it’s really nothing special) takes hardly any time and well, it’s pretty delish if I do say so myself!

Nutella Raspberry Squares 

Buy some plain cookie dough (which I let soften a bit) and roll it out on a cookie sheet. Bake it on 350 for about 20 to 25 minutes.

{Note: I usually use the Pillsbury Log of Sugar Cookie Dough. It usually will fill up about half a cookie sheet. Make sure you spray the bottom!}

Once it’s out of the oven, spread raspberry jam followed by Nutella and sprinkle nuts on top. I use almonds!

See, how easy is that? Sorry for the Blackberry picture but my Littles ate them to quickly for me to snap “real” pictures. Enjoy! And please, tweet me, facebook me or send me an email to let me know if you try the recipe!

Thanks Casi – I can’t wait to try these!

Sometimes I really love having a food blog. It gives me a reason to bake.

Take these delicious little cheesecakes for example.

I have been wanting to make them for a while, but we don’t entertain company (over the age of 5) very often, and Christmas isn’t for another 2 months.  So when I saw that Halloween Oreos were 2 for $5 I decided to make them early and share the recipe with all of you.

You’re Welcome.

Halloween Oreo Cheesecakes

(Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cookies & Cream Cheesecakes recipe. Makes approx 32 cheesecakes)

42 Halloween Oreo Cookies (30 whole cookies and 12, or more coarsely chopped. Plus more for eating and topping, if desired)

4 – 8oz packages of cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 large eggs at room temperature

1 cup of plain, nonfat yogurt

* Preheat oven to 275. Line muffin tins with paper liners and place one whole Oreo on the bottom of each lined cup

* Beat cream cheese, with an electric mixer on med-high, until smooth. Scrape down sides. Gradually add sugar and beat until combined. Add vanilla.

* Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl after each addition. Beat in yogurt.

* Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

* Divide batter evenly among cookie filled cups, filling until mostly to the top (I use an Ice Cream scoop).

* Bake for abut 22 minutes, rotating half way through, or until filling is set.

* Cool on wire racks and then refrigerated (in tins) for at least 4 hours, preferably over night.

Enjoy!

What Spook-tacular treats are you making for Halloween?

It’s Cold.

It’s raining.

It’s time for Fall comfort food.

For those of you who follow me on Facebook, you know that I sent out a desperate (and hungry) plea for a Beef Stew recipe, and so many of you emailed me your favorite recipes. I am beyond grateful. And since I have a feeling this winter will be a long one, I will do my best to try each one and report back to you. (BTW – I will gladly take other stew/soup recipes too if you want to share).

This Beef Stew comes from Tammi:

Beef Stew

1.5 lbs cubed stew beef (tossed in a ziplock bag with flour, salt & pepper)

1/2 onion sliced

1 full box of beef stock

4 carrots cut up

3 potatoes (I love Yukon Gold) cut up

4 celery stalks cut up

I also add “Better than bouillon”  It’s a beef stew paste.. If you cant find it use Gravy Master  (2 tblspns)

Salt, Pepper to taste

After you coat the meat… fry in vegetable oil to brown well.  once you remove meat add 1 sliced onion to that oil and it will pick up all the bits on bottom of pan.

add Meat, onions, and remaining ingredients to crock pot.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours… the longer the better, check on the liquid after a few hours, If needed add more stock.

I add frozen peas the last half hour before I am ready to serve.

I also cook minute rice on the side…  or orzo pasta!  And a nice loaf of italian bread for dipping!

Enjoy!

Tammi

* Thank you Tammi – it was delicious!

Let me share a secret with you – I have bad baking days. I know you all thought I was perfect (and usually I am) but some days just do not turn out as planned.  Today was one of those days.

I was going to make Maple Oat Scones but in seeing the open, half full, can of Libby’s Pumpkin in the fridge I decided to make the pumpkin scones instead. I make this recipe every year and they turn out wonderfully. Which is to say I have never cared how they looked before because I wasn’t writing a blog post about them. Today the first pan was left in the oven too long because my husband forgot to tell me that the timer went off (in the 5 minutes it took me to go upstairs and brush my daughter’s hair).  The second pan were flat, because I apparently rolled them out a little too much. And let’s not talk about the icing that hardened too quickly, and even though I gently warmed it; it would not return to it’s original spreadable constancy. Oh how I wish I had a better camera, and maybe some mad photo-editing skillz (yeah, skillz with a Z because that’s how you know they’re awesome).

*Sigh*

At least they tasted good.

Maybe I’ll have better luck with the Maple Oat Scones?

Pumpkin Scones

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup pumpkin (puree, not pie mix)

1/2 cup milk

* preheat oven to 450 degrees.

*Combine flour, brown sugar, pie spice, baking powder, salt in a large bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

* Combine milk and pumpkin in a small bowl. Add to flour mixture, just until combined.

* Knead dough gently on a lightly floured surface (about 10-12 times). Pat HALF of the dough into a 7-inch circle. Cut into 6-8 wedges. Repeat with remaining dough.

* place wedges 2 inches apart on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until light golden color. Cool completely and then frost.

Maple Icing

3 tbsp butter

4 tbsp milk (more if icing becomes too thick)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

* Combine butter, milk, brown sugar in a saucepan over medium low heat. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes.

*Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and vanilla, mixing until smooth.

Good luck, and enjoy!

And feel free to share any of your bad baking days, we’re all friends here!

I like TV.

I especially like TV after 9pm when my kids are in bed sleeping and I get to pick “grown up” shows to watch. You know, something without singing animals, but instead has “adult themes” and “strong language”.

My second favorite show of all time, after Castle of course, is Psych. It airs on the USA Network on Wednesdays and it’s HILARIOUS.

Quick overview: Shawn Spencer has acute observation skills and together with his best friend Gus has convinced the Santa Barbara Police Dept that he is a psychic. It’s kind of like the Mentalist but funnier and, in my opinion, better looking. In the pilot episode of the show, Shawn grabs a pineapple from a shelf and suggests to Gus that they should slice it up for the road trip. The pineapple has since become as much a part of the show as the crime solving cast. In fact, USA Network often has a “spot the pineapple in tonight’s episode” contest where viewers can go online and win psych paraphernalia.

The Psych season premier airs tonight and in honor of that I have made Pineapple Upside-down Cake.

These delicious little cakes, much like Shawn Spencer, aren’t exactly what they seem to be.

They’re fake.

Okay, not completely fake, but the cake is from a box. *Gasp* I know, it’s so unlike me! But what a time saver.  And how cute is the pineapple shape? I found the Nordic ware pan at TJMaxx but have also seen it online at Amazon or BedBathandBeyond.

Make these cakes and watch the season premier of Psych, tonight 10/9c, on usa network. Trust me – you won’t be disappointed on either account!

Pineapple Upside-Down Cakes

Do you ever have one of those days/weeks where you just crave something so fierce you HAVE TO HAVE IT or you can’t function?

Okay, you could probably function, but all your thoughts go back to that craving rendering you completely distracted?

That was me this week.

I wanted Butterfingers!

I love Butterfingers. Halloween is the only time of year I buy them, swearing each year that when I buy the extra large bag, I will actually hand them out instead of eating the entire bag myself. Crap, too late. Maybe if I buy another bag I will have some left to hand out?

Maybe if I make more of these cupcakes and hand them out to neighbors it will justify the first bag I ate by myself?

Black Magic Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Frosting, topped with Butterfingers.

I found the cupcake recipe on Gingerbread Bagels. Lindsey is the baking guru behind Gingerbread Bagels and she is as adorable as she is funny. And her recipes are amazing! So when she says that these “Black Magic Cupcakes” are her favorite go to chocolate cupcakes, I trust that they will be ridiculously delicious. And they are.  We’re talking super-rich and incredibly moist chocolate cupcakes. Seriously, once you make them, they will be your go to chocolate cupcake recipe too!

I topped these decedent cupcakes with Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip frosting and finished them off with crushed Butterfingers.

Whoa.

My husband said they were delicious but rich, so he only ate half. Light weight. Clearly he has not mastered over-indulgence they way that I have. Craving resolved.

Black Magic Cupcakes (thank you Gingerbread Bagels)

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature and shaken

1/2 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup freshly brewed strong coffee, make sure it’s hot!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin/cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt into a large mixing bowl. Mix together with the paddle attachment.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, canola oil, and  vanilla extract.

Prepare the coffee maker and start brewing 1 cup of STRONG HOT coffee. It’s important that the coffee is very hot when you add it to the batter because if it isn’t, your batter will have a lot of lumps and the cupcakes will sink in the middle.

Turn the mixer of low and slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until somewhat combined. Slowly pour in the 1 cup of strong hot brewed coffee. Mix until barely combined.

There may be some lumps in the batter but there shouldn’t be too many. Use a spatula and give the batter a stir to incorporate it a bit more. The batter will be VERY thin, like liquid.

Pour the batter into a measuring cup. Carefully pour the batter halfway into each cupcake liner. I use a paper towel to wipe off the dripping batter after pouring each one. It can get messy.

Bake at 350 degrees for 14-15 minutes. Don’t open the oven up until they’re done, you don’t want them to sink in the middle.

Cool the cupcakes in the muffin/cupcake pan for about 10 minutes. Then remove from the pan and let them cool completely on a cooling rack before filling and frosting.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Beat butter and peanut butter until creamy. Add vanilla, cream and 1 cup of powdered sugar, beat until smooth.

Gradually add remaining powdered sugar, beat until smooth.

Stir in chocolate chips

*If topping with crushed butterfingers, I used about 12 snack size bars.

Enjoy!

~ Sandy