Chocolate Turtle Cheescake

I am finally back from our cross Texas holiday tour and I can not express how good it feels to be back home. Prior to our take off I sent out messages asking for requests for holiday goodies and by far the easies request I got back was from my father. His response was simply "anything chocolate!" which opened up a world of possibilities, but also let me make this little treat I have had my eye on. Making cheesecakes is something new for me because like other things in the kitchen I was intimidated by worlds like water bath, spring form pan, and almost set. Little did I know that you can make a cheese cake with out a spring form pan and without a water bath and they are pretty darn simple. This cheesecake has a silky texture and the chocolate is not overpowering. The caramel is light enough to let its presence be known and the crust is OMG good!! When making this take into consideration that there are MANY modifications that can be made. Next time I make it I am thinking about doing a chocolate crust and putting caramel on top also just to see how it turns out.


Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake:


Crust:
1 cup honey gram crackers crushed
3 tbs sugar
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 unsalted butter, melted
12 caramels
1 tbs milk


Filling:
2 pkg cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
3 1/2 oz semi-sweet chocolate


Topping
1oz semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 pecan pieces


Heat oven to 300 degrees.
In a food processor place graham crackers and pecan pieces together and pulse until a uniformed crumble mix is made. If you take the top off and you still have large pieces pulse it some more. It will be kind of a fine mixture but don't worry the butter brings it all back together. In a medium bowl add in sugar and melted butter and mix with a fork until all ingredients are moist. Pour mixture into a 9 inch pie plate pressing mixture to the sides and bottom bring it all the way up to the top of the pan.
In a microwave safe bowl place caramels and milk and microwave for 45 second intervals until completely melted and smooth, pour over crust and manipulate until it covers the whole bottom then set aside.


In a large bowl mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add sour cream and mix well. Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing at low speed until just blended . In a microwave safe bowl melt 3 1/2 oz of semi-sweet chocolate. Stir melted chocolate into cheese cake batter.  Place remaining 1/2 of chocolate into food processor and pulse until you have small chocolate chunks. The size is based on personal preference so go however big or small you like.  Pour chocolate pieces into batter and gently fold until evenly dispersed. 
Grab your crust and pour in batter. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Allow cheesecake to come to room temperature then refrigerate for 4 hours or over night.
When ready to serve sprinkle pecans and chocolate chips over top of cheesecake. Melt 1 oz of semi-sweet chocolate until smooth. Drizzle melted chocolate over the top of cheesecake. I used a fork but you can simple pour from the bowl if that is easy for you. Refrigerate any left overs, and enjoy y'all!


Recipe adapted from: Kraft Food and Family Spring '09

Merry Christmas

Well Santa stopped at our house last night and left us some great gifts. As crazy as it sounds my husband and I were up before our daughter was! It gave us time to have a cup of coffee and enjoy the silence and truly reflect on what the meaning of today was. After a few minutes I was getting a little antsy and wanted to wake up the child but what crazy mother would do that! So I simply say back and waited and it really wasn't long until the paper was flying and the " oh my goodness" was happening every few minutes.
Today has been an amazing day and regardless of the holiday that you celebrate I hope that in this festive season you have been able to gather with family and enjoy one another.
I have been busy in the kitchen and will be posting several new blogs in the up and coming days. I will also be traveling so there may be a day or two between posts. Just to give you a heads up here is what will be coming your way. I know that some of the recipes might feel seasonal, but with the cold weather they are perfect and can add a little something extra to any meal.

• Apple Pie Cheesecake ( Ridiculously good it has been made 4 times since Thanksgiving!)
• Corn Casserole
• Sugar Cookies with royal icing
• Green bean wraps
• Turtle Cheesecake
• Beef Strudel

Happy Holidays everyone!

Traditional Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have always said that cooking is a labor of love and can truly show someone how you really feel and today that motto has held true. Our 4 year old is a bundle is wild energy! She has been sick and that has kept her inside plus she is doing her own count down to Christmas and is well aware of the limited number of days before the big day. With all this being said she was a piece of work today and might have added a few grey hairs to my husbands head. So once the wild animal had been washed and calmed and put to bed three times; yes three times because she always thinks of things that she forgot to tell us. In her very cute four year old worlds " But momma this is berry important!" I decided that the husband was well deserving of his favorite cookie, chocolate chip. There is nothing fancy about these cookies and only require a few kitchen staples, but the one thing that sets these apart from the rest is that they were cooked will 100% love because he is an amazing father.


Traditional Chocolate Chip Cookies:


1 cup plus 2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temp
6 Tbsp sugar
6 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
Chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


In a small bowl mix together flour, baking soda, and salt whisk together and set aside


In another bowl cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy. Add in egg and beat well . Add in vanilla extract. Slowly add in flour mixture until well incorporated.
You will notice there is no measurement for the chocolate chips and the reason for that is you get to decide how much to put in. To be honest I always think any recipe calls for to few and add in additional. So pour away, use the whole bag if that makes you happy because I will be honest I did and they were great. Once you have in the amount of chips that you want gently fold into batter.


Drop cookies a tablespoon at a time on cookie sheet and bake between 9 and 11 minutes or just until golden brown.
I do not care for a crunchy cookie so I baked for 9 minutes and got a gooey soft cookie that stayed soft even after it was cooled.
Allow to cool on baking sheet for about 3 minutes then move to wire rack to completely cool.
Goes best with a very cold glass of milk, enjoy y'all!!

Taco Soup

If I was told that I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life I would without a doubt say tacos! There is no way you can go wrong with them and once you add in all the extras you can change it up so many times there is no way you would ever eat the same taco twice. Taco love does not only consume me in our house it also extends to my husband and daughter but there comes a time when you have to change things up so when I saw this recipe I knew it was the time. Finding this recipe could not have come at a better time because luck for us Texans we had a cool front roll through and soup was the perfect comfort to the chilly raining night that was last night.
This soup is thick and kind of reminds me of a chili, plus you can add any of your traditional taco toppings to it. It makes a pretty good pot full. All three of us had it for dinner last night and my husband and I had it for lunch today (it was even better the second time around once the spices got to set) and there is still at least two servings left.

Taco Soup:

1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium size onion chopped to your preferred size
1 can of chili beans, undrained
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can corn, undrained ( if you are looking for a little more spice the fiesta corn would be great!)
1 can tomato sauce
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups water
Toppings of your choice. We used shredded cheese, avocado slices, chopped cilantro, more onion, and tortilla chips. Sour cream would be a great topper also I'm just saving it for next time.

In a large pot brown meat and onion and drain off extra fat.

Add remained ingredients except for your toppings and bring to a boil. Once at a boil reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Just remember with a soup full of spices like this the longer you can let it cook the better it is going to be. The spices are going to have more time to develop and really spread through out the dish. Also give it a taste test prior to serving you may find that you want to add a few spices of your own or maybe hit it with some more salt and pepper.

Grab your extra large bowls serve and top with whatever strikes your fancy. Enjoy y'all!

Recipe adapted from: Kraft Food & Family '08 Holiday edition.

Peach Cobbler Cupcake with Whipped Cream Icing and Crumb Topping

There are several things in Texas we take seriously the first always being football, it is pretty much its own religion. The second being our desserts, peach cobbler and pecan pie. In the summer these two desserts are a symbol of a mild summer where we actually received rain and the trees were able to produce fruit. In the winter these two are warm comforts eaten with family either for holidays or simply just because. Pie is portable but the down fall of cobbler is that it normally involves a large pan that you want back so the idea of a portable cobbler came to mind. These cupcakes are super moist, full of big chunks of peaches and the whipped cream and crumb topping make this a perfect alternative to full size cobblers.

Peach Cobbler Cupcake:

Crumb topping:
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C flour
1/4 C butter

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix with you hands until mixture creates crumbs. 
Spread crumbs on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or baking mat and cook at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool then break into small crumbs for topping or just stand and eat them off the cookie sheet like I do :)

Peach Cobbler Cupcake:

1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup peaches roughly chopped. Fresh or canned peaches both work whatever is easiest to get.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners. In a small bowl mix together flour, baking powered, baking soda, and cinnamon. Whisk ingredients together and set aside.

In another bowl cream together butter, sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time mixing until just incorporated. Add in vanilla extract.

Place heavy whipping cream and milk together in the same measuring cup. Mix in half of flour mixture, then milk/whipping cream mixture, and finally add in remaining flour mixture.

Gently fold in peaches and fill cupcake liners about 1/2 full.  Bake for 22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool 5 minutes in pan and then transfer to cooling rack. Allow cupcakes to completely cool before icing.

Whipped cream Icing:

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2- 1 1/2 powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place heavy whipping cream into a bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Slowly add in 1/2 cup powdered sugar  mixing on low until incorporated. You will have to test this icing after each 1/2 cup addition of powder sugar because the sweetness is dependant on your personal taste. I have never used more than 1 cup powder sugar because I don't want my icing to over power all the other elements which in the cupcake. Once you have reached your desired sweetness add in the vanilla extract and mix until just incorporated.
Pipe icing on completely cooled cupcake and sprinkle with crumb topping and enjoy!!

If you are not able to serve these right away or heaven forbid you have leftovers these refrigerate very well for up to 3 days.

p.s. To all my readers I want to say I am sorry for my poor quality pictures! I am using my phone right now because I need to get my camera up and working so hopefully soon the quality will be much improved.
Recipe by: Brooke

Homemade Holiday Gifts

I absolutely love my daughters daycare. Most often I refer to it as her school because I hate the term daycare and also because she learns so much it should just be called school. This past year I have really tested my limits in the kitchen with my baked creation and who best to give these gift's to then her amazing teachers. It has come to a point where they look forward to a holiday or a new creation in the kitchen because they also get in on the action and get goodies. Being that Christmas is right around the corner it was time to create the holiday gift boxes to go to the teachers. They were distributed today and I can't wait until Bree goes back to school to find out how they liked everything.
I am all for homemade gifts because they carry a true love about them that is very much appreciated to those that receive it.
Here is a list of all the things that went into the holiday boxes today, two of the recipes have already been posted and I will be getting through to the other ones in the next couple of days so that maybe you can recreate one of these treats and give to someone that you really appreciate this holiday season.

2011 Holiday boxes:

Royal Icing sugar cookies
Maple Cinnamon Rolls
Peppermint bark
Cranberry almond shortbread
White chocolate sea salt popcorn
Peanut butter chocolate popcorn
Homemade chocolate syrup
Hot chocolate marshmallow cookies

In the next few days I am going to be taking a break from the food to focus on the one thing in my house that has been driving me BANANAS. I haven't had time to really focus on this particular room until now and it is about to get an overhaul of epic proportions!!!

Maple Cinnamon Rolls

As a child the smell of cinnamon rolls in the morning meant two things:
1- it was a weekend, and
2- Dad was not trying to turn whatever left overs were in the fridge into an omelet. Let me just say pizza and omelet should never be in the same sentence together much less the same pan.
I have tried my hand at making cinnamon rolls before only for them to turn into an epic fail and have sense then gone back to the tried and try packaged type. I will say that I have no problems with the packaged kind especially now that Cinnabon has collaborated with our favorite dough boy to create that hot sticky mess of a breakfast pastry! Being that I am not one for failure even more so when it is in an arena that I normally excel at I had to give it another go and came across a great recipe on one of my favorite blogs. I gave these in my holiday boxes that I created for my daughters teachers and the few left overs that were not packaged were go in about 30 minutes in our house. They are great and have a mild maple flavor that enhances the brown sugar pecan mixture perfectly. The recipe is made to make 8 large buns but I rolled the dough larger giving me a long "log" and thus giving me smaller buns. It really is up to you when it comes to the size because even small they pack a classic cinnamon roll taste that makes you lick your fingers and go back for another one.

Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls  

FOR THE FILLING

 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

 1/4 cup sugar

 3/4 cup chopped pecans

 2 teaspoons cinnamon

 1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon  unsalted butter, melted 

FOR THE DOUGH

 3 cups all-purpose flour

 3 tablespoons sugar

 1 teaspoons baking powder

 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

 1/2 teaspoon salt

 1 cup buttermilk

 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

 1/3 cup  maple syrup

FOR THE ICING

 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

 3 tablespoons maple syrup

 1 to 2 teaspoons milk

 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 

To make the filling: Combine all of the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork until the mixture looks like wet sand. Set aside.

To make the dough: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (220 C). Brush a 9-inch cake pan with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the buttermilk, syrup, and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, and stir until just combined. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead until smooth (it will still be very soft and a little sticky, but will be smoother and less lumpy). Place in a lightly floured bowl, cover, and chill for 20 minutes.

Once chilled, flatten the dough into a rectangle about 12 X 8 inches. Pour 2 tablespoons of the melted butter on and spread around with your fingers. Pour the filling over the dough and spread it evenly over the top, leaving about a 1/2 inch or so border around the outside edge. Press the filling down to pack it on top of the dough.

Starting on the long side of the dough, roll the side up, pressing as you go, to create a tightly rolled log (be gentle, as this will likely stick to the counter a bit). Pinch the seam closed and lay the log seam side down. Cut into 8 even pieces, and transfer each roll to the prepared cake pan. Brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Bake for 20 to 23minutes, until golden brown.

To make the icing: In a medium bowl, cream the butter and add the sugar. Mix until the sugar and butter start to come together a bit. Add the syrup and whisk well, until the mixture is smooth. If it is too thick, add a teaspoon or so of milk to loosen it up.

Even when thinned this icing is not the easiest to simply drizzle over the top. Since I was packaging mine and needed them to cool some so I could place them in there box then icing I simply heated the icing in the microwave for about 15 seconds. This gave it a more liquid consistency and I was able to simple use a spoon to drizzle icing over the top. There is no right or wrong way just simply find what works best for you.

                                                 Happy Holidays from my family to yours!

References: Darla from http://bakingdom.com

Peppermint Bark

I will go ahead and admit that I am a bit of a peppermint fanatic. The minute the peppermint mocha coffee creamer hits the stores I stock up, a skinny peppermint mocha from Starbucks melts my hear, I feel everything needs a touch of peppermint butter cream and hello peppermint bark!! In years past I will admit I have been a bit on the lazy side and went for the store bought bark not really knowing how much of a difference in taste there is between the two. Sure I have had the homemade stuff on the rare occasion that it was made for one of our family Christmases but not until I made it this year, for the first time I will admit, that I realized there is a major difference. First of all the thickness of the bark is a little to much for me when it comes to the store bought stuff. Yes I am female and love me some chocolate but I'm not that crazy about a massive hunk of chocolate. Second I feel the store stuff is too much white chocolate and the chocolate on the bottom doesn't get the recognition that it deserves. Third and finally you are bound to the size that is in the package. There are days where you just want a nibble where as others you can't help but eat the whole box and then the guilt sets in! So the remedy to all of this is to make it on your own. It really is a thoughtless process and you can have however much or little you want and can control all the variables that are associated with bark production.

Peppermint Bark

6 oz bittersweet, dark, or semi- sweet chocolate whatever you feel like
6 oz white chocolate
1/2 tsp- 1 tsp peppermint extract
1 cup crushed peppermint flavored candy canes

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place chocolate pieces in microwave safe bowel and microwave to start for 30 seconds, stop and stir. Continue to microwave for 30 second intervals until chocolate is completely melted. Transfer melted chocolate to covered cookie sheet spreading it to the desired thickness. Place cookie sheet in refrigerator for about 30 minutes. If you don't allow time for your chocolate to harden you will end up with swirl bark. Place white chocolate pieces in microwave safe bowel and melt this in the same manner as you did the chocolate. Once white chocolate is melted stir in peppermint flavoring, depending on how strong you want the peppermint flavor to be will depend on how much you add. I have made it with a 1/2 tsp and it provided a more mild flavor where as 1 tsp will provide a stronger flavor (yum :) ). Once peppermint is incorporated spread over chocolate later making sure to cover all of the chocolate. Spread crushed candy canes over the top and place back in the refrigerator and allow to set for about an hour. Once candy is hardened break into pieces. There is no right or wrong way to do this nor is there a right or wrong size. Store in air tight container and refrigerate!!

Happy Birthday Busy Bree!!

Today I welcome my new baby into the world! I am happy to announce the Busy-Bree blog has been born. I have been toying with the idea of creating a blog for the last few months, I have a lot going on, a lot of ideas, and sometimes you just need an extra outlet to express yourself. So today as I sat and finished watching The Help (amazing movie if you haven't seen it and even more amazing book if you haven't read it.) I decided why not, thus my little blog was born, so if you are reading this I want to personally say Hi, Welcome, and Thank you, for investing a little bit of your time in reading what I have to say.
Here is a little background on myself so that hopefully when you read this you feel as if you are actually interacting with a person and not just typed text on a page. I am the mother of one beautiful amazing four year old named Aubree, who this blog is affectionately named after. My husband and I call her Bree and she has to be the busiest little girl I know! I have one beef cake of a husband, Cole,  who is in the Army and is creeping up on his 10 year mark. Hopefully if you stick with this blog you will get to be part of our many travels with the military. We have lived overseas in Germany and we are really hoping to make it to Italy next. Now on to me, Brooke! I am a second year nursing student who eats, drinks, and sleeps anything and everything nursing related and food related. As of right now we live in Texas which is where my husband and I are both from so that I can finish school and then home will be where ever the Army puts us.
As for the direction of this blog, I hope it goes in whatever way the wind blows us. Some days will be food, others books and movies, and then others crafts. I want my blog to be diverse so that it is enjoyable to all and if ever there are any ideas you have PLEASE share! Well I feel this introduction might be a little winded but you have to set up a foundation before you can build right? With that being said once again thank you, welcome and happy birthday busy-bree!
This week I will be baking for my daughters teachers at school so expect post on these items and I have started reading The Hunger Games so I will share my feelings on this with out creating a spoiler!