Ramblings and Chocolate Dipped Banana Bread Balls.

Hi guys, thanks for baring with me, I know I haven't been posting anywhere near as much as I should be just lately. I have been so, so tired. I started a new job, which I love but seeing as I haven't worked in so long, it is kicking my butt! I swear I shouldn't be this tired, it's actually quite ridiculous! By the time little man's bedtime rolls around, I have been falling in to bed myself.

The doctor started me on some medication a couple of months ago too, which I am thinking has something to do with it... I might have to get it changed to something else :/ Has anyone had any experiences with Zoloft?

Tonight, I was actually going to write a post that I have been putting off for a really long time. A post about why I am in fact taking Zoloft in the first place and a post about some of the things my family have faced in the last year... Yesterdays events in Boston however, has put that on the back burner for now. I can't stop thinking about all those poor people that have been affected by the heartless bombings, especially those who awoke this morning mourning the loss of a loved one. :( I can't get over how much evil there is in this world, it makes me so sad. I really do wish that things were different. AND on top of all of that! The town that I live in had 4 bomb threats today!! Both of the court houses were evacuated for most of the day as were the middle school and the high school! Luckily, nothing was found, but seriously! What the hell is wrong with people!? I really don't want my Son to grow up thinking that all of this is normal :( Ugh!

So instead of my intended post, I am going to be posting a recipe for Chocolate Covered Banana Bread Balls that might just bring a smile to your face, it certainly did mine when I made them. I'll start with the picture:

Looks good?

I found the original recipe for these on Pinterest. The link led me back to an extremely yummy looking blog called Inquiring Chef, you need to take a dig around over there, some of her stuff made me drool on my keyboard!!

Here is how I made them:

I started off by making the Banana Bread, I have been using this recipe for a really long time and it always comes out so good!!

You will need:

2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
¼ Teaspoon Salt
½ Cup of Butter
½ Cup of White Sugar
½ Cup of Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs
3 Very Ripe Bananas!

• Pre heat oven to 350°
• Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
• In another bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars.
• Stir in the eggs and the 'crushed' banana (I usually squish the banana between my fingers)
• Combine both mixtures and stir just until you see no flour left! It is VERY important not to over mix!!
• Bake for 1 hour

When cooked, transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely!


For the Banana Bread Balls, you will need:

• 1 8oz Container of Cream Cheese (I used Mascarpone)
• Around 8 oz of Milk Chocolate Morsels and another 8 oz of Semi Sweet Chocolate Morsels, you could even use white too if you wanted!
• Shredded Coconut and Crushed Walnuts for the toppings (You can use whatever you want though!!

Now you need to grab a sharp knife and cut the  hard crust off the banana bread, you can discard this bit, or spread butter on it, which is what I did... I cannot let banana bread go to waste!

In a large bowl, crumble the insides of the banana bread with your fingers until it is in small pieces. Add the cream cheese and mix really well, until it all comes together.

Using a teaspoon, separate the mixture into roughly 40 or 50 balls. Roll the balls in your hands. The original recipe said that it made 60, but I think I must have made them a lot bigger because I only managed to get 40! Place them on a tray lined with wax paper. I didn't have any wax paper, so just put them straight on the baking tray) They should look like this:

Melt your chocolate in two separate bowls. I used the microwave. Just make sure you check it and stir it every 10 seconds until it's melted completely! And using two forks, roll each ball around in the chocolate until fully coated!

The messy bit!

Sprinkle some shredded Coconut on some of them and Crushed Walnuts on the others and leave them on the counter to set for about 10 minutes or so and then transfer them to the fridge until they harden.

My pictures are so not as good as The Inquiring Chef!

 

And there you have it. Chocolate Covered Banana Bread Balls. So good!!! My next ones will be the Brownie ones!!

Please let me know if you make these and how they turned out!

I hope everyone has a great evening. Hold your loved ones tight ♥

~ Tasha

The BEST Oatmeal Raisin Cookies in the world, guaranteed!

Whew! Busy week in our household what with family visits, Easter, the hubs' forty something Birthday and one hangover from hell! I KEEP thinking that Jagermeister is my friend and am always very, very wrong. Why is it, the older you get, the longer the hangovers are? I didn't think I was ever going to make it back here!

We celebrated Easter a little early as Cole was heading to his Grandma and Grandads house so that me and the hubs could go out on Saturday night, the Easter bunny was very kind to Cole, a little too kind. So much so, that I think that candy is now banned until his 18th birthday. Please imagine a cross between The Energizer Bunny, Tigger and a VHS tape stuck on fast forward and you may have a slight idea of my day on Friday. Seriously. BANNED. He made me out of breath just watching him.

Anyway, during all the craziness, I did get time to try out a recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. I have been searching for quite a long time to find a good one... They are never thick enough or chewy enough and whilst googling one day, I came across a recipe originally featured in Cuisine magazine that intrigued me. They were AWESOME. I do believe that I have found the best recipe ever!

I tweaked it a little bit and added a few extras and this is how they turned out:

Thick, soft, chewy and amazing. You should definitely try them out! Again, I think I'm on to a winner here!!!

Check out the recipe below and please, please let me know if you make them! I would love to know what you think!

Ingredients:

2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
½ Teaspoon of Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
½ Teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Cup of Softened Unsalted Butter
1 Cup of White Granulated Sugar
1 Cup of Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs
3 Cups of Oats (Not Instant!)
1½ Cups Raisins
½ Cup of Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips (Totally optional)
½ Cup of Chopped Walnuts (Again, totally optional!)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350°F

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt, Cinnamon and Nutmeg.

In a separate, large bowl, combine the Butter, White Sugar, Brown Sugar and Eggs with a hand mixer set on low. Once combined, increase the speed to high and mix until fluffy.

Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture and incorporate it all together gently. You only need to mix until just combined! Do not over mix!

Add the Oatmeal and the Raisins (And any optional extras!) Stir gently to combine.

Drop about 2 tablespoons worth of the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (or a cookie sheet sprayed with non stick spray will work too!) around 2 inches apart and squish slightly.

Bake for around 12 - 15 minutes until they are starting to brown on top but still look moist! They will harden up slightly as they cool, but if you overcook them they are going to dry out and get crunchy! The BEST thing about these cookies is their chewiness! If they don't look done, they probably are! Take them out! Trust me!

Once you have removed them from the oven, let them cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer them onto a wire rack to cool completely (You won't be able to wait that long though!)

Your house will smell so good too!

I hope everyone had a fabulous Easter and I really hope you enjoy these cookies as much as I did!

As always, thanks for stopping by ♥

~Tasha

Baked Rice Pudding Recipe

I adore Rice Pudding. I made some a few days ago and my house smelled absolutely amazing! My Mum used to make this all the time when I was growing up; I can't get it quite like hers though... I wish I could because I have never tasted another quite like it!

I think it's down to the cream... In England there are lot's of different thicknesses of cream available to buy. You can buy Single Cream, Double Cream, Whipping Cream (Heavy Cream) or my personal favorite, Clotted Cream (yum!). She pours double cream all over the rice pudding for the last 15 minutes of cooking and it goes so thick and gooey and creamy. (I'm salivating just thinking about it...)

The one I make is still very good! I also add cinnamon and nutmeg to mine, which my Mum doesn't do. It just gives it that added flair AND makes the house smell good!

Here is my recipe. It only makes enough for 4, but you can certainly double it up and have leftovers, it's actually even better the next day I think! I just add a little milk to it and stick it in the microwave for a couple of minutes :)

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits, Oh My!

One of my absolute favorite things to eat for breakfast since moving to America... Well actually, any time of day really! Is Sausage Gravy and Biscuits. It is SO delicious and I could eat it every day if I wasn't so worried about becoming the size of a house! I hear that it isn't known all over the States either! I can't imagine why!?

For my English followers, Sausage Gravy and Biscuits was originally eaten after the War of Independence, more specifically in the South, when food was in short supply. Plantation workers needed to come up with something that would sustain them throughout the day and wouldn't cost a lot to make. I can't really think of anything similar in England to compare it to! Biscuits are also different, they are a lot like scones but a little fluffier!
 
I have been perfecting this recipe over the past five years now and my Husband says that it's the best he has ever eaten. I have tried to make a less fattening version, but it really isn't the same. I figure, if you are going to eat this meal every once in a while, you may as well have the full fat, plus fat and a stick of butter on top version and be done with it. Ok, the stick of butter on top may be taking it a step too far, but I'm sure you catch my drift! I would NOT like to know the calorie content. Let's keep that one a secret.

This is my recipe, I would be interested to hear how you guys make it!

Serves 4

1 1lb Roll of Original Jimmy Dean Sausage
3 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter
2 Heaped Tbsp of All Purpose Flour
2 Cups of Milk (It's creamier if you use Full Fat)
1 Pinch of Kosher Salt
1 Tsp of Black Pepper (I like it really peppery)
1 Container of Pillsbury Biscuits. Yes, I cheat on these. I haven't quite perfected a recipe for those yet and I am quite fond of the ones in a can! Haha.

Cook biscuits as per instructions

Brown the sausage in a medium sized pan. When cooked through, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the 3 tbsp of butter to the pan and melt (You may not need that much butter, it all depends on how greasy the sausage is that you use. Jimmy Dean isn't all that greasy.)

Add 2 tbsp of all purpose flour, one at a time and whisk until combined. The mixture should resemble a paste.

Cook the paste (roux) over a medium high heat, until it has turned about 2 shades darker. Make sure to be patient on this step or your finished result could taste floury!

Start to add the milk. Add half a cup first and whisk quickly! Gradually add the rest of the milk and whisk out any lumps. Bring to the boil and if the mixture gets too thick, then add a little more milk.

Add the salt, pepper and the cooked sausage to the mixture and stir well. Taste and add more seasoning if needed. Add salt a little at a time, this goes from being under seasoned to over seasoned very quickly! I have done that several times and you can't take the salt out when you put too much in :(

Serve the gravy over hot biscuits and enjoy!!

What are some of your favorite things to eat?

~ Tasha

Wannabe Cake Boss's, take 2!

On Tuesday, it was my Brother in Laws 20th birthday and after seeing my previous attempt at making my Sons 1st Birthday Cake my Sister got it in her head that we should attempt to make him a fire truck cake. (He's a volunteer firefighter)

I started to Google different ideas and came across this fantastic tutorial over at Beki Cooks Cake, it was very ambitious! You should most definitely check out all of her cakes, they look absolutely delicious!!

My sister, Taryn and her friend Kelsey came over on Tuesday lunchtime and we put ourselves to work. Baring in mind that this is what the cake was supposed to look like, I don't actually think we did that bad!! Obviously ours didn't turn out quite as well!

Photo courtesy of Beki Cooks Cake

There were a few differences though, we couldn't find the right size box of fondant. Michaels only had the HUGE box that we would never have used in a million years, so we went for gum paste. It worked great, but, if I ever used it again, I would wait to make the accessories for the cake until we were actually ready to use them. It dries a lot harder than fondant and when we tried to add them to the cake later, some of them cracked and the ladder broke :( We also made the fire truck yellow, as this is the color of the fire trucks at the station he volunteers at! Oh! And I had to use a butter knife to ice it! It would have looked so much better with the proper tools!!!

This is how it went!

We chose French Vanilla and Strawberry

Taryn diligently working on the accessories!

A blurry photo of the stacked cake...

Ready for accessories!

One side finished

And the other!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANDON!!!

~ Tasha

Crockpot Chicken Fiesta!

Tonight I felt a bit like Old Mother Hubbard when I went to my cupboard!  There wasn't a whole lot in there at all so I dug the crockpot out and cooked up a masterpiece. (Well actually, I would do it a bit differently next time!  Sounds good though, huh?)

If I had my camera, I would have taken a picture...  But I will add one next time I make it.  I will definitely make it again because My Husband loved it.  Cole not so much.  He is getting a bit fussy with his food!

To make my Chicken Fiesta Masterpiece I chucked in:

4 Chicken Thighs
1 Can of Corn
1 Can of Black Beans
1 Can of Pinto Beans
1 Can of Tomato Sauce
1 Can of Tomato Paste
1 Packet of Taco Seasoning
1 Packet of Fajita Seasoning
1 Chopped Onion
1 Cup of Rice (This is the bit I would change...  Next time I would most definitely do the rice separately, it was far too mushy!)
1 Cup Water

Mix it all together and cook on high for about 5 hours and VOILA!  Delicious!  I absolutely love my Crockpot and I have no idea why I don't use it more often!!

What are some of your favorite Crockpot recipes?

~ Tasha

Homemade Craft Clay (Salt dough)

I was watching Sprout earlier with Cole and something on The Noodles and Doodles (whatever it's called) Bus show jolted my memory of something my Nan used to do!  (I have also seen it on Pinterest several thousand times over the past few months) Anyway, I got out all my ingredients and went to town creating something fun for Cole and I to do tomorrow!

You will need:

4 cups of flour
1 cup salt
2 cups water (may need more)
Food coloring

Add the 4 cups of flour and salt to a large bowl, pour in the water and stir.  When all the water is absorbed, start kneading!  If it's still too crumbly, add a little more water.  You don't want the dough to be too dry, nor do you want it to be wet and sticky...

I separated mine into 5 balls, poured some food coloring on each ball, one at a time and kneaded the dough until it was the desired color adding more food coloring if needed.

I do advise using gloves to do this part though...  I didn't think about that with all my enthusiasm and now look like this and probably will for quite some time:

After scrubbing.

After the balls of dough were the right colors, I put them into individual zip lock bags so that the dough doesn't dry out.

All ready for tomorrow!

I'll be back to post some of Cole's creations!  I'm excited, I love playing with Play-doh!

~Tasha

Oreo Love

The other night my Aunt was talking about a recipe that she loves to make when Mint Oreos are in stores.  They sounded so good that we immediately rushed to the store to buy the ingredients!  I can't actually tell you what she calls them (although you might get an idea when you look at the pictures in a minute)  so just for your viewing pleasure and to keep them rated G for everyone, I have boringly renamed them Mint Oreo Truffles.

A ball of minty, delicious, sickly goodness

They truly are delicious.  They are VERY sickly.  I never, ever say this because I have the ability to happily eat the most sickliest things on the planet when other people are sitting there going green around the gills, but I could only eat one of these.  I think if I made them again, I would make them much smaller!!

All you need is:

2 packs of Mint Oreos

2 packs of softened Cream Cheese (The rectangle packs)

1 package of White Chocolate or Vanilla Almond Bark

1 package of Milk or Dark Chocolate Almond Bark

Put the cream cheese in a large bowl and crush all the oreos, we did it by hand but it probably would have been easier using a ziplock bag and a rolling pin!  Mix it all together until it look something like this:

Any clues on what the real name is yet?

In 2 separate pans, over a very low heat, melt the almond bark until smooth.

Roll the oreo mixture into balls (I did them the size of golf balls, you may want to roll them smaller than that!) and using a spoon (because the almond bark is hot!) dip each ball into the almond bark, alternating between white a dark and place them on a wax paper lined cookie sheet.

Put them in the freezer until the chocolate hardens and you are good to go!

If you have any problems finding almond bark like I did!  Then I suggest you look in either Walmart or Michaels!  They are the only places that I have ever seen this!

Let me know how they turn out!

~ Tasha

Recipe - Coconut Macaroons

Just lately, I have had a craving for all things coconut. Last week I made a pie that my Brother in Laws Mother created called Fat Ass Pie, which features coconut and pecans. Stupid me did not take any pictures but I can guarantee (judging by the reaction of my family) that I will most definitely be making it again! When I do, I will put the recipe up! It is absolutely delicious!!! 

This week, I decided on Coconut Macaroons. A friend in England gave me a recipe a long time ago and it has been my go to macaroon recipe ever since! They are nicely sized, perfectly crispy on the outside and deliciously chewy on the inside. You won't just be able to eat just one! (Well, I couldn't anyway...) This is how they turned out! 

Here's what you need to make them!

This is to make 24 macaroons, you can cut it in half if you prefer, but you will wish you hadn't!

1 and 1/3rd of a cup of all purpose flour

11 cups sweetened, flaked coconut

2 14oz cans of sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

1 tablespoon of almond extract

1/2 a teaspoon of salt

Mix the flour salt and coconut together in a large bowl. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and then pour in the condensed milk.  Stir well so that the milk coats everything and the extracts are evenly distributed.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide the mixture into 24 balls.  Bake in the oven for around about 30 minutes at 350 degrees until the coconut is toasted!  Keep an eye on them in the last 10 minutes or so, because they tend to go from toasted to burnt quite quickly!

You can eat these warm or cold and if you wanted to jazz them up a little, you could even add chocolate chips into the mix or maybe some chopped almonds :)  Either way, they taste sooooo good!

I hope you enjoy them!! Let me know how they turn out!

~Tasha

Where did the year go?

Tuesday was my little mans 1st birthday!  I can't believe how fast this year has gone!  It seriously has flown by in a blink of an eye.  Scary really!

Needless to say, we have had a busy, busy week here what with Halloween, birthday party planning etc!  My Mother in Law flew up from Florida to celebrate with us and I'm telling you, this little boy got SPOILED! Clothes, Pajamas, books and a boat load more toys to add to the ever expanding pile that is threatening to take over our living room.  He is in hog heaven I tell ya!

For his birthday I had this crazy idea that I was going to make him a monkey cake.  I have never really dabbled in cake making before and was thinking on making him something pretty simple until I started looking on the internet.  I came across this AMAZING cake that I fell in love with...  It was much more adventurous than I originally intended and was very doubtful that I could achieve it.  After speaking with my husband and enlisting a friends help off I went and bought all the ingredients... The fondant and food coloring, banana pudding for the center and I must admit I cheated a little and took advantage of Ms Betty Crocker.  SO much easier. 

5 hours later, THIS is how it turned out.  I swear I almost broke my arm patting myself on the back. It's not perfect, but still, for my first try?  Watch out Duff is all I can say.

Chicken Pot Pie ♥

After my last post, I decided to change my tactics just a little.  I proceeded to ignore the TV climbing.  He climbed to his hearts content, I didn't say one word. I didn't even look in his general direction.  It's AMAZING how quickly he gave up.  He actually seemed to get rather pissed that I wasn't paying attention.  I guess it just wasn't as fun!  I 'thought' I had won the battle and was just about to pat myself on the back but... No.  He has now switched to squeezing through the gap to the BACK of the TV and using it as a drum.  I give up.

Kid 1 - Mum 0 <~~  I'm not liking this score one little bit.

Anyway,  a change of subject today!  People who know me know that I love to cook.  I love experimenting in the kitchen and last night I made the most amazing chicken pot pie.  I made it completely differently to how I normally would.  I usually use a store bought crust and cream of mushroom soup.  Last night I made one from scratch and thought I would share the recipe!  It was so yummy!  I am actually quite proud of myself!

For the crust:
2 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1/2 cup cold water

For the filling:
2 chicken quarters
3 carrots (sliced)
2 potatoes (diced)
1 small onion (chopped)
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup of milk (or half and half)
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp celery salt
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp parsley
2 Bay Leaves

Season the chicken quarters with salt and pepper and cook in the oven for about 40 mins (depending on the size) at 400 degrees F

Whilst the chicken is cooking, make the crust.  Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and cut the butter into small pieces.  Rub the butter and flour together with your fingertips until it has the consistency of breadcrumbs.  Add the water and mix with a fork until it all comes together.  Form into a ball, cover the bowl with a tea towel and place in the fridge for about half an hour or so.

The cheeky one watching me whilst I cooked

Add the 1/2 cup of butter to a large saute pan over a medium heat and add the potato.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the onion and carrots and cook for another 10 minutes.  Add the pepper, celery salt, rosemary and parsley.

Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and mix really well.  Cook for a couple of minutes stirring constantly.  Add the chicken stock gradually (still mixing constantly) the sauce will begin to thicken after a few minutes.  Stir in the milk.  Set aside.

When the chicken is cooked through, shred it and add to mixture.  If it has got too thick, heat gently and add more milk.

Cut the dough in half and on a lightly floured surface, roll into a thin(ish) circle and press into a pie dish (I used a 9 inch round dish)

Add the filling, roll out the other half of the dough and lay over the top, I brushed the bottom edge with water so that the top layer stuck.  Poke to holes in the top to let the steam escape whilst cooking and stick it in the oven for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees F or until the crust is golden brown.

The finished result:

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!!


~Tasha