Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

Recipe Source:Pinterest
Made: August 3, 2014

Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon water
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, plus about 1/3 cup more for garnishing
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips, plus about 1/3 cup more for garnishing
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease 12 muffin cups.

In a medium sized microwave-safe bowl combine sugar, softened butter, and water. Microwave on high for about 45 seconds or until butter is melted. Stir in 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips until melted. Stir in egg and vanilla extract, mix well. Add flour and baking soda, stir until combined. Allow the batter to cool to room temperature (doesn’t take very long). Then, stir in 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips and remaining 1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top is set and a toothpick inserted into center comes out slightly wet. After brownies are out of the oven, wait for centers to fall. This will happen upon cooling. If not (they did not for me) then tap the centers with the back of a teaspoon to make a hole for the peanut butter.

Place peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 45 seconds then stir. While brownies are still war spoon about a tablespoon full of peanut butter into the center of each brownie. Top with remaining 1/3 cup of milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Cool completely in pan.

Thoughts:  AMAZING!  So good.  Definitely keeping the recipe and doing again.

Go on a Family Vacation

Badlands National Park

Mount Rushmore

Crazy Horse

Devils Tower

Yellowstone

Glacier National Park

Missoula, MT

Grand Teton

Bran Muffins

Recipe Source:all-bran.com
Made: July 14, 2014

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cup Kellogg's All-Bran Original cereal
1 1/4 cup fat-free milk
1 egg
1/4 cup vegtable oil

Directions:
Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In large bowl, combine cereal and milk.  Let stand about 2 minutes or
until cereal softens.  Add egg and oil.  Beat well.  Add flour mixture,
stirring only until combined.  Portions evenly into muffic pan cups
coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 400 degrees F about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Thoughts:  I don't like bran muffins.  I made these for D's co-workers.
But D and mom tried them and said they weren't bad for bran muffins.
So that's good.  Guess I'll use this recipe if I ever need to make bran
muffins again.

(Sadly, I forgot to take photo of muffins...fail.)

Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

Recipe Source: Pinterest
Made: July 13, 2014

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup milk + 2 tbsp.
• 1½ tsp. white vinegar
• ¾ cup flour
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tbsp. butter, melted
• For the cinnamon sugar topping:
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp. melted butter
• 
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease your donut pan and set aside.
2. In a large measuring cup, combine the milk and vinegar and set aside.
3. In a medium sized bow, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
4. Stir in the egg and melted butter into the milk and vinegar mixture. Then pour the milk mixture over the flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
5. Transfer batter to donut pan. You can use a spoon to spoon the dough into the individual cavities or put it in a ziploc bag, cut the corner of it, and pipe it into the cavities.
6. Bake for 7 minutes. Let cool in pan for 1-2 minutes when done and remove from pan and set on wire rack to cool completely.
7. In the meantime, in a small microwave safe bowl, melt 2 tbsp. of butter.
8. In another small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon and mix together.
9. When donuts are done cooling, brush one half of the donut with the melted butter and dip that side into the cinnamon sugar. Place back on wire rack. Repeat until all donuts have been covered with cinnamon sugar.
10. These donuts taste best the day of but you can still eat them the day after. I wouldn't keep them longer than two days.

Thoughts:  Not good.  The dough was awful.  I liked the concept of donuts, but we will definitely be trying new recipes.

Have a Garage Sale

We had a garage sale and did alright.  Mom sold a lot of plants.  Some people even asked to have them out of our garden!  I wasn't sure how well my clothes would sell, but I made close to $40 off of them.  Not too shabby, considering I wasn't expected that much.  I still have a lot more to sell though....

So glad someone was able to find treasures that we out grew...(.both physically and metaphorically).

Done: June 6, 2014

Lemonade Cake

Recipe Source: Pinterest
Made : April 19, 2014

Ingredients:

• Cake:
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 3 tablespoons thawed lemonade concentrate $
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs $
• 2 large egg whites $
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk
• Cooking spray
• Frosting:
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 2 teaspoons thawed lemonade concentrate $
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare cake, place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat well after each addition.
3. Pour batter into 2 (9-inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.
4. To prepare frosting, place 2 tablespoons butter and the next 4 ingredients (2 tablespoons butter through cream cheese) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, and beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat). Chill 1 hour.
5. Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.

Thoughts:  It was good.  The frosting was amazing, but the cake needed more lemon flavor.

Verdict:  Make again?  Probably.

Visit 5 Museums

1. Albrect Kemper Museum of Art | September 2012

2.  Atchison | May 2013

3.  Mob Museum | March 2014

4.  Neon Sign Museum | March 2014

5.  World War I | April 2014