Oatmeal Fudge Bars

I christened my new Test Kitchen Cookbook (Thanks, big brother!) with this recipe for New Year's Eve. It was a good choice for sure!  Ingredients: 1 1/2 c. quick cooking oats 1 c. all-purpose flour 1 1/2 c. light brown sugar, packed 3/4 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled Filling: 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 1/2 c. light brown sugar, packed 4 tsp. instant coffee powder 1...

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Cinnamon Roll Cake

Yes, I found this on Pinterest. And yes, I will repin this on Pinterest. I love Pinterest. I love this cake even more! My brother loves cinnamon rolls, and as often as he'd love for me to make them, I just don't have the time.  So, this year for his birthday, I decided to try out this Pinterest recipe that combined Cinnamon Roll and Cake.  He (and all his co-workers) LOVED it.  He said, "How did you do this?! It's a cinnamon roll,...

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Baked Apples

Need a quick, healthy dessert?  Here's your answer! Ingredients (per 1 serving): 1 apple 1/2-1 T butter 2 T. brown sugar Cinnamon Directions: Hollow out the apple (I just used a knife to get out the core, then a spoon to make the hole a little bigger).  Peel a thin strip off the apple so that it can breathe in the oven.  In a small dish, mix together the butter and brown sugar, then put the mixture inside the apple....

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Christmas Tree

So, technically, this isn't a recipe post... ... sorry... it's sort of related to food. Sort of. Tomato cages is "sort of related to food", right? Okay, it's a stretch. Anyways... I just really wanted to share this cute and frugal decorating idea, as we get in the Christmas spirit! Tomato Cage Christmas Tree!  Ha. Not sure if I love it or not, but it's cute. ...

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Pumpkin Scones

As you all are well aware, I'm on a pumpkin kick.... Pumpkin Scones - Delicious! Ingredients: 1 c. all-purpose flour 1 c. whole wheat flour 2 tsp. baking powder 3/14 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. ginger 1/4 tsp. allspice 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/8 tsp. ground cloves 1/2 tsp. salt 1 c. sugar (brown will give a richer flavor) 1/2 c. butter, cubed and chilled 1 egg 1/2 cup pumpkin puree 1 1/2 T. white sugar mixed with 1 tsp. cinnamon Directions: Preheat...

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Pumpkin Cake

Happy Birthday, Beth!  I didn't get around to taking a picture of this, which is a little sad, consider how much I know you all love the food photos, but it was just gobbled up too quickly! Instead you can look at this really cool superhero cake that Krissa's friend made for her baby shower:  (it's relevant, right? cake?) ... (pretty cool, huh?) (if you think THIS is cool, you should see baby Aiden's nursery!) (you can catch...

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Apple-Stuffed Pork Chops

I forgot to take a picture of this simple and delicious dinner, but this is kinda what it looked like: We served this with asparagus and mashed potatoes: quick and hearty! Thanks to Matt for the recipe! Ingredients: 4-6 thick-cut pork chops, sliced in half (I didn't cut through so that I would have a pocket) 1 small onion, diced 1 medium apple, peel and diced 2 cloves of garlic Salt and Pepper Directions: Preheat oven to 400...

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Test Kitchen Pumpkin Bread

In my personal, unprofessional opinion, this bread had the best texture... so moist and dense! The crust was perfect, though this loaf may have had more dough than most people like (I credit that to my finicky oven).  I made two loaves, one plain and one with chocolate chips for the hubby. Ingredients: 2 c. flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1/2 tsp. ginger 1 (15-oz) can...

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Obsession

I have an obsession with cinnamon rolls. Sweet dough, slightly undercooked. Brown sugar and cinnamon. Butter. Lots of butter. Cream cheese frosting. Who wouldn't be obsessed? Granted, I think I can blame the obsession on my husband who's answer to "What do you want for breakfast" is always... you guessed it, "Cinnamon Rolls".  Every holiday, birthday, special day is celebrated with cinnamon roll indulgence. If you don't believe that I'm...

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Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls

All I can say is mmmmmm...! Pioneer Woman has done it - these are amazing.  Best cinnamon rolls I've ever made.. The rolls aren't too sweet, which pairs perfectly with the maple frosting.  Just overlook how much butter is in this recipe, and remind yourself that its enough cinnamon rolls to feed a village.   Head on over to Pioneer Woman for the recipe... I can't compete with her step-by-step photo tutorial or her humor....

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Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are SO yummy! Perfect texture, perfect taste. Yum. Thanks, Justin Shinn, for the recipe base! Ingredients: 4 oz. low-fat cream cheese, softened 3/4 c. butter, melted and cooled 1 c. light brown sugar 1/2 c. white sugar 2 tsp. vanilla extract 2 c. plus 3 T. all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips 1/2 c. white chocolate chips * Yes, it is CORRECT that there are no eggs in this recipe. It makes...

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Surprise Success!

What a spread. Last weekend, we hosted a surprise 30th anniversary party for my parents.  It was a HUGE success.  Over 30 people came and honored the happy couple, and to top it off, Mom and Dad had no idea that we had this planned! I served brunch theme food, including Bacon Quiche Tarts and Quiche Lorraine Muffins.  I know it looks like a lot of work, but there are two tricks: 1. Bake almost everything on a free day and...

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Bacon Quiche Tartlets

It was brunch week at our house. Also, muffin week.  Brunch because bacon is delicious; muffin because my new pampered chef tins are my current obsession.  Make these. Eat them. Don't judge me for using store bought crescent rolls. Ingredients: 6 oz. cream cheese, softened 5 tsp. milk 2 eggs 1/2 c. shredded Colby cheese 2 T. chopped green pepper 1 T. finely chopped onion 1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls 5 bacon strips,...

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Tollhouse Pie

Picture from verybestbaking.com The four-year journey of graduate school has begun, and I find myself completely powerless to make Mac's life any easier.  I can't create more time in his day, help him study biochemistry or pharmaceutics, keep his clothes dry on the rainy bike ride, convince him that his six hours of work are just too much, or accomplish anything else remotely helpful.  What I can do, though, is bake.  And bake...

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Quiche Lorraine Muffins

I have a new pampered chef muffin tin that has been begging me to make something delicious in it.  I'm feeling a little sugar-overloaded, so I went for a savory muffin.  These were fairly simple to make and have quite a few variations - I made them with mushrooms rather than bacon (only because I made another quiche dish with lots of bacon).  Enjoy! Ingredients: 1/4 c. canola/vegetable oil 6 strips bacon, roughly chopped (I substituted...

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And there it goes...

... summer. How did it escape me? Somehow those hot, sunny days came and went without even a blink of an eye.  Oh, that's right.... I live in Oregon; we had cold, rainy days. Nevertheless, my favorite season is upon us; a time for harvesting, preserving, and feasting!  I have every intention of updating this blog more regularly with delicious, mouth-watering recipes, but I've said that before. To close out the summer days, I thought...

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Jam-time!

When you pick 25 pounds of fresh, organic strawberries it's time for some jam! This is only about 1/8 of the berries we picked.  I only used this much on a double batch of jam! The rest went in the freezer to use throughout the year...  First, you need to hull the strawberries.  The easiest way to do this is using a straw, as seen here: After you hull, you mash. (Next time, I might puree... I think I like smooth jam best). Then,...

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Homemade Nutella

I've been too busy lately to update posts, but I promise to have new recipes up sometime next week! For now, jump on over to Brynna Begins, and check out her awesome homemade nutella recipe!...

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Lemon-Yogurt Mousse with Blueberry Sauce

Nothing goes together better than good dessert and good friends! God has blessed me with three irreplaceable "kindred spirits" (yes, I'm an Anne Junkie)!  We all live in different cities now, so any chance the four of us get to be together, we take advantage of it.  This year, there happened to be ONE night that all four of us close to Corvallis, so we made it happen.  In addition to enjoying fantastic fellowship and laughter, we also...

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