Grilled Cobb Salad and Crack

So, the other night my husband comes home from work with something cradled under his arm.  I couldn't quite see it because his jacket was draped over the mystery container.  He removed his jacket and there it was...CRACK!!  I said to him, "Are you kidding me!!!  Why did you bring crack into this house??!!"

It's been a couple of years since I walked into a Trader Joe's...for a very good reason.  I cannot resist their Crispy Crunch (Crack) Chocolate Chip Cookies or any of their other naughty delicacies.  I have no doubt that I could put away every single one of those cookies in one sitting, sprawled out on the couch with my favorite throw blanket, while watching Eat Pray Love, my latest movie addiction..and I'm not exaggerating here!  I told my husband he better hide them from me, or it's going to be ugly!

I'll just leave it at that....

This salad is the perfect meal if you have also been guilty in overindulging.  This is your go-to salad when you are needing to use up some "here and there" items in the refrigerator.  The traditional Cobb Salad is made with blue cheese salad dressing, but I really like a creamy Italian dressing, which (my "fancy" version) is no more than equal parts prepared Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian salad dressing and Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing, whisked together...fancy, right?!

Grilled Cobb Salad
Makes 4 Dinner Size Servings

1 head romaine lettuce, washed, and chopped
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and diced
6 slices Applewood smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese crumbles
1/2 cup prepared Italian salad dressing
1/2 cup prepared ranch salad dressing
Asiago croutons

Combine the first seven salad ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss with the two salad dressings.  Plate the dressed salad on four dinner plates and finish with the Asiago croutons.

If you are still hungry after this amazing salad, you can have Chocolate Chip Crack for dessert too. Enjoy!

One Year Ago: Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Two Years Ago: Pork Wellington

Sweet Samoas Cake for a Sweet Victory

We ended our club volleyball season with a sweet 1st Place victory at the last tournament!  Proud mama moment as I have never seen my girls play so incredible in their entire career...(that would be because I couldn't get any of it on video that day)...so of course they played like professionals when I can't get it recorded for recruiters...oh, well at least we have the fun memories of the day!!

The team came home with their 2nd pin (for 1st place in a tournament) for the season this year. These pins have more value to them than anyone could possibly understand!

...and speaking of pins.  Back in the day when my girls were Girl Scouts, they had to participate in the annual cookie sales each year (to earn a pin or patch) which was also priceless!  One year I had the insane idea to volunteer and be "The Cookie Mom".  We had cookies in every room of the house, from wall-to-wall and floor to ceiling.

The downside of being the cookie mom was that you had to look and smell at all the wonderful cookie flavors every day!!  

Today, we still support our local Girl Scout troops and buy cookies from them every year.  Oddly enough though, we ended up with a box of Samoas that never got touched.  I think we just burned out on them from so many years of cookies sales and inventory in our house.

I had heard about cookbooks using Girl Scout cookies as an ingredient.  I searched out and found this cake that is so over the top and I'm embarrassed to say that I couldn't stay out of it!  I have just recently lost about 20 pounds and I think gained half of it back from this cake (well maybe not that much)...so worth it though!!!

Samoas Mascarpone Filled Layer Cake

Adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

1 recipe butter cake (original recipe features directions from scratch)

1 recipe Samoas Mascarpone filling (recipe follows)

1 recipe coconut buttercream (recipe follows)

1 recipe ganache (recipe follows)

1 cup caramel sauce (store bought or homemade)

1 cup toasted, sweetened coconut (optional)

For the butter cake:
1 box of Butter Cake flavored mix (or you can make your own from scratch)

For the Mascarpone Samoas Filling:

1 ½ cups chilled heavy whipping cream

½ cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

1 box Samaos (20 cookies), smashed into pieces

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup powdered sugar

Coconut Buttercream:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 

pinch of salt

2 tsp. coconut extract (found in baking aisle)

¼ cup heavy cream

3 cups powdered sugar

Chocolate Ganache:

½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup corn syrup

For the Cake:

Spray two 8 or 9 inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray and line the bottom of the pans with parchment circles. Don’t skip the parchment as your cake will most likely stick to the bottom without out it…cakes are mean like that.

Prepare your cake mix according to package directions.

For 8 and 9-inch pans bake for about 25 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched in center and a wooden skewer comes out clean. 

Let cakes cool for 10 minutes and then remove from pans.  Let cool completely once out of pans.

Wrap in plastic and chill for several hours or overnight. This helps the cake stay together when making the layer cake.

For the Samoas Mascarpone Filling:

Using a cold mixer bowl with the whisk attachment beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form.

Add the mascarpone, vanilla, and powdered sugar and beat until it forms stiff peaks.

Fold in the Samoas cookie pieces.

Put in a separate bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to assemble cake.

Buttercream:

Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment beat together the butter and powdered sugar.

**Add one cup of the powdered sugar on low at first (to avoid it flying everywhere).

Add the heavy cream and beat until combined.

Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat until fully combined.

If it’s too thin add a little more powdered sugar. If too thick thin with more heavy cream.

Ganache:

Place the chocolate chips and corn syrup in medium bowl.

In a small saucepan bring the cream to a boil.

Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and corn syrup.

Let sit for 5 minutes.

Whisk the cream into the chocolate, it should combine easily. Whisk until smooth and glossy.

Cake Assembly:

If you used 8 or 9-inch cake sizes, then split the cakes in half horizontally. 

Spread the Samoas mascarpone filling between the layers. If making the 8 or 9-in cakes you will have thinner layers.

Place the cake in the fridge for an hour.

Frost with the coconut buttercream. You can do a crumb coat if you like. But you don’t want super thick layers of frosting as this is being covered in caramel and chocolate.

Spoon the caramel on top to the edges so it drips down the sides.

Spoon the ganache on top of the caramel again to the edges so that it drips down the sides.

Add toasted coconut and an extra cookie (if you have any left) for garnish (optional).

One Year Ago: "Un-Fried" Fried Ice Cream
Two Years Ago: White Pizza

Mastering The Art of Desserts and The Masters

It's Masters Week here at our house.  No more news channel in the mornings...it's The Golf Channel all the way until Sunday, live from Augusta, Georgia.  Looks like there will be a lot of the traditional egg salad and pimento cheese creations I get to come up with this weekend...yummy!!

Tonight is also the traditional Champions Dinner which will be hosted by last year's champion, Jordan Spieth.  Since Jordan is from Texas I'm sure BBQ will be served tonight along with some other Lone Star surprises.  I always have fun trying to re-create the Champions Dinner the same weekend as The Masters...looks like BBQ brisket will be on Sunday dinner's menu for us.

As much as I love watching golf with my husband on Sundays I can usually only take so much. During my off time I'm usually in the kitchen playing with recipes and catching bits and pieces of the tournament from the Family Room television.

I have never been much of an adventurous baker, but every now and then I try to conquer my fears.  I saw this cheesecake on Pinterest a few weeks ago.  The photo was breathtaking so I clicked on it to get the recipe.  The entire site was in a foreign language...not good.  I tried doing the translation button and that didn't work...definitely not good.  Well I had no idea how to make this, so I decided to just try the "semi-homemade" version and wing it myself.

In the photo I saw some kind of chocolate cake type base but didn't know if the cheesecake was baked or not.  I turned to my best friend "Jell-O"!!  This masterpiece definitely took some time and strategy to try and figure out.

I wish I could give an exact recipe, but I'm sure anyone can create this.  Once I got into it, the dessert really started to come together nicely.  The taste of it was out of this world!!  Now if I could just figure out what part of the world their Pinterest page and recipe came from and learn the language!!

The Masters Cheesecake
My Semi-Homemade Version

Start with a box of your favorite brownie mix.  Assemble according to box directions but this time, bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Baking time will decrease due to a thinner brownie than usual.  Let brownie cool after baking.

Take a spring form pan and put on top of the cooled brownie.  Trace and cut the shape/size onto brownie.  Line the bottom of spring form pan with parchment paper and place the circle of brownie into the bottom of pan...this is now your base of dessert.

Cut 1/2 pound of strawberries into vertical slices and line the circle inside of pan with the cut strawberries right on top of the brownie...this is the perimeter of dessert.

Next, prepare 2 boxes of Jello-O "No Bake" cheesecake mix, according to directions.  Do not prepare the graham cracker crust from the mix...save it for another golf tournament creation.  Pour the prepared cheesecake mix into the pan in the center.  Spread evenly to get all around pan as it will now completely cover the strawberries.  Put in refrigerator and chill for at least 4-6 hours.

For the topping, prepare your favorite chocolate ganache recipe (I think there are about 257 of them published now).  Spread the prepared ganache all over the chilled cheesecake.  Let cool in refrigerator for at least one hour.  Top with more cut strawberries.

Now, congratulate yourself on mastering this dessert...it's well worth it!!

One Year Ago:  Spicy Sausage Skillet
Two Years Ago:  Mushroom Soup

Bunny Bark and Blizzards

So there are snow days...and then there are SNOW DAYS!  Yesterday was sunny and 70 degrees and a beautiful sunset evening.  Mother Nature came in full force overnight and we woke up to over a foot of snow and blizzard wind conditions.  Looks like my patio and fire pit time is going to have to wait awhile.

Needless to say the girls were overjoyed when they found out school was cancelled.  My husband and I looked at the driveway, the road in front of our house and then at each other...looks like work is cancelled today too.  There was no way we were getting out today.

Well, driving to work that is.  Bless his heart, he was working with shovels, brooms and snow blowers trying to tackle the what was then 2 feet of snow compiled.

My job was to deal with two restless Labradors and two bored teenagers, while catching up on laundry and Blue Bloods...oh and listening to my husband upset that golf season won't start until June now...oh, please no!!  Please do not make me listen to that until June!!!

My poor new "Spring" wreath has seen better days.  It got pelted with wind and snow today...just can't get a break here!  I have also seen better days...no shower for this girl today (don't judge).  It is very rare that I get to have a "sea day"...or snow day as the case may be.  My family is lucky that I even got out of my pajamas today...at 2pm!!

Since I had the afternoon to get caught up on new recipes and baking, I played with a spring version of my Holly Jolly Bark that I made at Christmas.

The bark matched a precious tiered dessert platter my mom gave me perfectly.

Scrumptious little snack portions for those long snowy days.

Bunny Bark

7 full size graham crackers, broke in pieces (or 14 vanilla Oreo cookies)
1-1/2 cups pretzel sticks, broke in pieces
1 cup Easter/Spring pastel colored M&M's candies
1 pound vanilla flavored quick melting chocolate
pastel colored sprinkles

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Lay out the broken graham crackers, pretzels and M&M's.

Melt the white chocolate bark according to package directions.  Pour melted chocolate over crackers, pretzels and candies.  Use an offset spatula to spread chocolate evenly and add the pastel sprinkles over chocolate.

Let set in refrigerator for one hour, so chocolate can set.  Cut into bite size pieces and package in Easter baskets.  (Use any leftover scraps from the sides as topping for ice cream -Yummy!!)

This is what transpires with bored teens at home...bunny bombed!!

One Year Ago: Pear Salad
Two Years Ago: Honey Ham Biscuit Sliders

Holly Jolly Buckets and Bark

Every year I try to put together either Thanksgiving/Fall or Christmas/Holiday home baked goodies for our nearby neighbors.  Last year I had my act together a little earlier and made everyone my Pumpkin Bread.  This year...not so much.  I really struggled for what seemed like eternity with what, how and when to fit it all in before the holiday gets away from me.

Finally figured out some easy recipes that looked festive, along with the help of my daughters.  I proceeded with my Holly Jolly Bark and Holiday Cake Cookies.

As luck would have it, my daughters had some extra "Treat Sleighs" that they made for their Leadership Group.  So, away we went with a plan, ingredients and fun gifts for our neighbors.
I found perfect size chalkboard/galvanized buckets and labeled them in fun holiday chalkboard markers.

The boys even joined in, but between their "spa day",

 holiday baking, wrapping gifts and fitting in all the other weekend 

household duties, they couldn't stay awake another minute.

Looks like they "just settled down for a long winters nap".

Holly Jolly Bark

16 whole "Christmas edition" Oreo cookies with red filling, broken up
1-1/2 cup pretzels (long, skinny ones), broken up
1 cup red and green Christmas M&M's
1 lb. white chocolate bark
Christmas colored sprinkles

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Lay out the broken cookies, pretzels and M&M's

Melt the white chocolate bark according to package directions.

Pour melted chocolate over cookies, pretzels and candies.

Use an offset spatula to spread chocolate evenly and

add the holiday sprinkles over chocolate.

Let set for at least 6 hours, so chocolate can set.

Cut into bite size pieces and package in holiday bags.
(Use any leftover scraps from the sides as
topping for ice cream -Yummy!!)

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

One Year Ago: GGMa's Lemon Shrimp

Two Year's Ago: Thumbprint Cookies

Shortbread S'mores Cups and The Stanley Hotel

Today is Halloween once again.  The Tamale Casserole is in the crockpot and has been brewing since 6:00 this morning, when we saw the girls off to their volleyball tournament.  After a full day of sports, I'm afraid I have become my worst nightmare...this year I decided to boycott Halloween and handing out candy.  This year, I announced "we're going dark"...no candy handouts.  Since the girls won't be home, it's just not the same this year.  They were sweet enough to carve masterpiece pumpkins for me, and decorate our front porch, but that's the extent of it this year...and that's perfectly okay.

We did however, get a dose of spook while visiting the famous Stanley Hotel in Estes, Colorado, just 45 minutes from our house.  "The Stanley" is quite a historical landmark, both outside (and inside).  Just walking around either on the grounds or in their haunting halls, can give you the chills.  We treated my brother-in-law and his friend to a first class tour there.

They recently made some incredibly beautiful improvements to the grounds, including a new reflective pond and maze (just like in the movie, "The Shining").

Our self-guided tour was glorious.  The sun was perfectly shining on the porch and we sat and enjoyed their garden sofas and a glass of wine with all the other tourists.  Afterwards, we treated ourselves to a picnic on one of their breathtaking lawn areas...the perfect way to spend an afternoon.

If you're also doing away with the Halloween candy this year but are looking for a treat and no tricks, this little one is awesome.  I took my Grandma's Layered Pudding and morphed it with my daughters' favorite S'mores.  These were great for just wanting a little taste of sweet without having a full pan of calories haunting me every night!!

Shortbread S'mores Cups

1 cup flour

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup (plus 1 cup) powdered sugar, divided

1 (8 ounce) block of cream cheese, room temperature

1 9 ounce container of Cool Whip

1 small package instant chocolate fudge pudding

1 small package instant white chocolate pudding

3 cups cold milk, divided

large marshmallows

Mix flour, butter, salt and 1/4 cup powdered sugar well and pat out in a 9" x 13" pan.  Bake in 325 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.

While shortbread is baking, mix cream cheese, Cool Whip and 1 cup powdered sugar.  Whisk/beat until well blended.  Set in refrigerator for one hour.  

In a separate bowl, mix chocolate fudge pudding and 1-1/2 cup milk. Whip well with electric mixer and set in refrigerator for one hour.  Do same process in separate bowl with the white chocolate pudding, and also set in refrigerator for one hour.

When ready to serve, remove cooled shortbread from pan and crumble.  Add a layer of the shortbread crumbles in a short triffle cup.  Add a spoonful of the cream cheese/Cool Whip mixture.  Then, add a small layer of chocolate fudge pudding and a layer of white chocolate pudding.

Toast your marshmallows in fire or on a gas cooktop flame (carefully).  Add toasted marshmallows to top of pudding....and enjoy some ooey, gooey sweetness!!

One Year Ago: TyKu
Two Years Ago: Tamale Casserole

Chocolate Raspberry Silk Pie and Rocky Mountain Park Picnic

Other than the Alaska mountain ranges, I have never seen anything more beautiful than Rocky Mountain National Park in the fall.  The colors and wildlife just take your breath away.

A couple weeks ago my husband's sister and her husband came to visit us for the first time.  We did all the local Colorado stops including Rocky Mountain National Park.  The elk were making their annual appearances in full force and were a sight to see!

We made a day of it, packed up a wonderful wine picnic lunch and enjoyed the most incredibly memorable afternoon by the creek with our delights.

Never a dull moment when my husband is around!!

A feast for the forest!

Cheers and a toast by all!

Before all our company arrived, our neighbor gave us a huge bowl of beautiful fresh raspberries from her garden...so many that I didn't know if we could use them all.  I remembered a decadent dessert my friend Toni made for us once, her famous Chocolate Silk Torte.  Given I was trying to make this thank you dessert for our neighbor during the middle of the week, I needed to do some short cuts.

I figured out a semi-homemade fudge bottom, chocolate silk pie with fresh raspberries and cream. Wow!!!  Went together really easy and quick.  Our neighbor was so overjoyed with our gift, she was speechless.  Oh, don't worry...there were so many raspberries, I made a pie for us too.  This recipe will make many future appearances...I think my friend Toni would be proud of me!

Chocolate Raspberry Silk Pie

For Friends and Neighbors

2 packages (3.9 ounce) Jell-O Chocolate Fudge Flavor Instant Pudding

2 cups cold milk

4 ounce Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided 

1 Oreo pre-made pie crust

1 tub (8 ounce) Cool Whip Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

2 cups fresh raspberries, washed and dried

powdered sugar

fresh mint leaves

Beat pudding mixes and milk in large bowl with electric mixer and whisk on high for 2 minutes.

Microwave (3 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate on high 1 minutes, or until almost melted.  Stir until completely melted.  Stir in 1 cup of the pudding and pour into crust.

Add half the Cool Whip to the remaining pudding.  Fold and mix carefully until fully combined.  Spread over the pudding/chocolate layer in crust.

Add 2 rows of raspberries around perimeter of pie.  Top with a couple spoonfuls of Cool Whip and garnish with a few more raspberries and sprig of mint.

Dust powdered sugar over the raspberries.  Grate/shave the remaining chocolate over the pudding areas and center.

Chill for at least one hour (the longer it chills, the better) before serving.

Ready for special delivery.

Pairs really well with a red wine, warm fire pit and beautiful night.

One Year Ago:  Chocolate Chip Shortbreads
Two Years Ago:  Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie and the Lodge Room

Ever since we returned back from our Oregon trip to Sunriver, I had been itching to re-do our guest room.  I was so influenced by the breathtaking lodges there, the textures and vibrant, yet soothing colors, I really wanted to bring a little of that back to Colorado.

My starting inspirations!

I took everything that was previously in our Guest Room and revamped our Master Bedroom...this ended up turning into a double bedroom makeover.

The new lodge Guest Room has ended up being more of "Country Americana" feel, with a few barn, lodge and sunflower accents.  The jean comforter was made for us in Minnesota.  We originally found them at a darling country fair there, made by a husband and wife team.  The crochet blanket was made by my Grandma and the bedspread and shams are from the Lady Antebellum collection.

I was able to keep our accent throw pillows and just recovered them with new overlay zip pillow covers from Hobby Lobby, on sale of course.  I also had our American Flag pillow from 4th of July and scored the red and blue paisley pillows on clearance at Target.  

We found these wonderful signs at our new store At Home.  Thank goodness it is a 45 minute drive for me to get there, because that place is very dangerous for any home accent shopping addiction.

I finished off our lodge room for our guests with a "Made In Colorado" basket.  Everything for our guests to enjoy during their stay comes from Colorado.

Of course, nothing says American like Chocolate Chip Cookies and this take on a pie is unbelievable. I could not stay out of it...brought back sweet memories of dunking cookies in milk for an after school treat.  Delicious!!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

1 (13 ounce) package Chips Ahoy Original Chocolate Chip Cookies) - the crunchy ones

1 (9 ounce) ready made graham cracker pie crust

1 cup milk

1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip

Place milk in a measuring cup.  Dunk 8 cookies, one at a time in the milk.

Dunk each cookie quickly before it gets too soft and starts to crumble.

Place in a single layer in the bottom of the graham cracker crust.

Spread 1/3 of the Cool Whip evenly over the cookies.

Dip 10 to 11 cookies, one at a time, in the mile and place in a single layer

over the Cool Whip layer.  Spread Cool Whip evenly over the cookies.

Repeat to create one more layer of cookies and one more layer of the Cool Whip.

Cover and chill for at least 8 hours before serving.

Enjoy and Sweet Dreams!!

One Year Ago:  German Chocolate Bundt Cake
Two Years Ago: Chicken Tortilla Soup