days of nuwanda

Crack Brownies

I love trying new recipes, and I save the really good ones to try when friends come over. So game night with K & A seemed like the perfect time to try these amazing caramel brownies that everyone was raving about over at FrugalGirls. Besides, if you're gonna make crazy-addictive-caramel-brownies (aka, Crack Brownies) you need some people to share them with, right?

Well, these brownies did not disappoint. They were quick and easy to whip up (just enough time to melt the caramels while the first part of the cake baked), and they were gone very quickly. There were a couple leftover for the kiddos the next day, which was nice, but I was glad they were then gone and out of my mind.

These brownies are not for the faint of heart--they pretty much require a fork b/c of the ooey-gooey deliciousness of the caramel and the melted chocolate chips. And you must go into the baking stage with a determination to share and not eat the whole pan before they even have a chance to cool. Seriously, say it outloud and coach yourself..."I will share, I will share, I will share..."

This recipe is a keeper! Go here for the full recipe. But consider yourself warned b/c they are ridiculously good, and you will want more than one. 

Crock-pot Pizza

My mother passed along this recipe from a friend of hers, and we love it. I have found that I prefer to undercook my noodles beforehand, rather than cooking them all the way, because I don't want them so soft, they are mushy. And 4 hours is definitely the max, or noodles start burning. Super good though! Great for a pitch-in meal or to feed a big group. Also pretty good heated up as leftovers. Enjoy!

Crock-Pot Pizza

 1 pkg (12 oz.) egg noodles
 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef or ground turkey
 1/4 cup chopped onion
 1 jar (28 oz.) spaghetti sauce
 1 jar (4 1/2 oz.) mushrooms, drained
 1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasonings
 1 pkg. sliced pepperoni, halved
 3 cups (12 oz.) each of cheddar and mozzarella

 

Cook noodles according to pkg (or cook about 4 minutes for firmer noodles).Drain noodles.

 Meanwhile cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce, mushrooms, and Italian seasoning.

Coat 5 qt. slow cooker with non-stick spray. Spread with 1/3 meat sauce. Cover with 1/3 noodles and pepperoni. Sprinkle with 1/3 of cheese.

Repeat layers twice.

Cook (covered) on low for 3-4 hours.

Amazing Iced Mocha

Most of my attempts at making iced coffee at home have ended in disappointment and super BLAH coffee, so I was psyched to try this recipe for an iced mocha. The result? An awesome easy-to-make drink that I have fallen in love with. I made some crazy strong coffee for the ice cubes, since I like my coffee strong. I only make half the recipe, and it makes a tall glass. My next task is to experiment with lowering the calories/fat ( i.e., cocoa instead of chocolate syrup, Splenda instead of sugar) and adding different flavors. I have some York peppermint coffee creamer just begging to be devoured. :)

Here is the recipe:

3 coffee cubes (best if extra strong)
1 cup of milk
1/4 chocolate syrup
2 Tbsp. white sugar 

Combine all ingredients in blender until smooth.  

Anniversary weekend

My Man and I got away last weekend to celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary and basically to catch up. He's been back-n-forth to North Carolina on a project since starting his new job 4 weeks ago, which means we don't connect much. So we had our friend come stay with the kids while we stayed in downtown Indy near Circle Centre Mall, enjoyed eating at the Weber Grille, shopped our hearts out (Love the downtown TJ Maxx!), and saw The Avengers movie (which was awesome! Surprisingly enough, Hulk was my fave character). The weather was so nice--great for just walking around looking for the Jeep, which we temporarily lost in a parking garage...hahaha! That's a story for another time!

On our way home through Carmel/Noblesville, we checked out UrbanSpoon, a phone app that showcases local restaurants, and came across BoomBozz, a pizza joint with rave reviews. The place was packed, so we ate in the bar and got seated right away. We had the pretzel sticks, which were amazing, and a specialty pizza--half buffalo chicken, half greek. WOW! My Man is a pizza connoisseur and tries pizza places wherever he travels, so he knows a thing or two about it. And he couldn't say enough good things about the crust, which held up under a crazy amount of toppings. It became our fave pizza EVER in a matter of seconds, and we are making plans to go back w/ our other pizza-connoisseur friends. Wow, so good! We talked to the manager/owner, and found out BoomBozz has won international awards and was featured on the Food Network. Now we know why! They are a relatively new, small chain with restaurants only in IN, KY, and AZ for now, but I'm certain they are going to explode. 

BoomBozz waiters were wearing fun tshirts, which endeared me to the place even more. 

The vanity of muffins

I'm slightly obsessed with cupcakes and muffins, always searching for new recipes and new ideas. And since I had a bunch of overly-ripe bananas (I prefer them almost green, and in this heat they ripened really fast!) I tried a new banana nut muffin recipe that I found. It calls itself "The World's Best (and easiest) Banana Nut Muffins" which seems a bit arrogant and egotistical on its part, but it got my curiosity up, so I tried it. 

Verdict? Amazing muffins. Hands down the best recipe I've tried. Super moist, amazing flavor, wow. Normally I would include the recipe here, but it's kinda long (w/ the author's detailed notes), so just follow the link. I didn't have any coffee made, so I just used milk, and I used 2 1/2 bananas instead of just 2, but otherwise I followed her exact instructions for mixing/not over-mixing. I also baked them at 325 because my oven seems to be running hot. This recipe is a definite keeper. 

PB cup pie

This pie is super easy to make and tastes amazing! There won't be any leftovers, that's for sure. 

Mr. Food's Peanut Butter Cup Pie

Preparation Time: 10 min --Chilling Time: 4 hr -- Serves: 8
Ingredients:

• 1 (4-serving) package sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free (skim) milk
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat chunky peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed and divided
• 1 (1.5-ounce) package peanut butter cups, chopped
• 1 (9-inch) reduced-fat graham cracker pie crust

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, using a wire whisk, combine pudding and milk until thickened. Whisk in peanut butter and 1 cup whipped topping. Stir in peanut butter cups.
2. Pour mixture into pie crust then spread remaining 1/2 cup whipped topping over pie. Cover and chill at least 4 hours before serving.

Snickerdoodle bread

I was never a fan of Snickerdoodle cookies growing up, but then later in life I realized my wonderful Mother always over-baked cookies (and pretty much everything) b/c that's how my Dad likes his food--really done. (I'm not critiquing my Mom, btw. She still is a great wife who cooks/bakes to please her Husband. I just so happen to have a different taste...) Anyhow, I always thought Snickerdoodles were rock-hard, and I pretty much hate hard cookies. So then I made them myself, and they were soft and delicious and I was blown away. I only make them a couple times a year b/c I don't wanna eat the whole batch myself.

So then a couple months ago I found this recipe for Snickerdoodle Bread and immediately went out and bought the cinnamon chips and got baking. The result? Superb. Honestly, it mixed up so quick and easy, baked beautifully (though a couple minutes short of the recommended 60 minutes in my oven), and made the whole house smell divine. The recipe makes 2 loaves, so it would be great to eat one and freeze one for later. I didn't get a chance to b/c the fam ate it all within one day!

If you like cinnamon, you will like this bread. If you have taste buds, you will like this bread. If you are breathing, you will like this bread. It's that good.

I used some leftover red sugar we had from Christmas, so it's very pretty, but you could use any sugar. And FYI--I've only found cinnamon chips at Meijer. Get baking and let me know what you think!

Butterfinger Cake

I found this cake online last week and made it for our small group Super Bowl party and LOVED it! My friend Sarah has requested that I make this for her birthday b/c she only got one piece. Yah, it's that good. 

Butterfinger Cake

• 1 box of yellow cake mix and the items needed to make it
• 1 can of condensed milk
• 1 jar of caramel sundae topping
• 1 tub of Cool Whip or whipped topping
• 4 regular sized Butterfingers candy bars

 1. Bake the yellow cake in a 9x13 pan as directed on the box.

 2. While it is baking, mix together caramel and condensed milk.

 3. When cake is hot out of the oven, poke holes in the cake with a fork. Pour caramel mixture over the hot cake and let it sit until completely cooled. The cake should soak up the caramel.

4. Crush up two of the Butterfingers and sprinkle them over the cake. (I put the candy bars in the freezer because they crush better. I actually crush them in the wrappers then cut the tops off and just pour them out over the cake.)

5. Ice the cake with the Cool Whip and top with last two crushed Butterfingers. Store in the fridge once iced. Enjoy!

 *Trust me, this cake will be a hit!My kids even liked the leftovers the next day--it was surprisingly not overly soggy the 2nd day. Great for pitch-in dinner at church or work. 

I wanna try this!

Bon Appetit magazine highlighted the Scotch Egg, and I want to try it. 

Another recipe--I'm in cooking mode!

Sis and I both saw this recipe online last week for Crockpot Cranberry Chicken, and it sounded odd, w/ strange flavors mixed together. But apparently odd in a way that made us want to try it, and I'm glad we did! Hubby thought it was a little too sweet, and I didn't dare tell the kids what was in it or they would've turned up their noses, but it was good. Very unique flavor, and also good reheated as leftovers. 

Crockpot Cranberry Chicken

What You’ll Need:

• 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 can Whole Berry Cranberry
• 1 pkg. Dry Onion Soup
• 8 oz. Catalina Dressing 

What You’ll Do:

Cook chicken in crock pot on high for 3 hours (covered).

After 3 hours, drain juices from crockpot.

Mix together catalina dressing, cranberry sauce and dry onion soup.

Pour cranberry mixture over chicken, and cook on high for 30 more minutes (covered).