Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars

A few years ago I was hanging out with my older sister and we both had a major craving for something sweet. We contemplated what we could make to fulfill our craving while browsing through various cookbooks. There were so many options...cupcakes, pie, cookies, ice cream, a decision like this can be so mind boggling!

Then we came across a delightful cookie combination, oatmeal & peanut butter. You would think that would suffice our craving, yet, there was still something missing. So, as if there weren't enough calories already, we whipped up a chocolate frosting to top it off.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate...I can't think of a better combination.

Click below to get the recipe & tutorial!

Whole Wheat Apple Waffles

Breakfast food is definitely on my top 10 list when it comes to favorite meals. No matter what it always sounds good to me. In fact, when I had super bad morning sickness during my pregnancy, breakfast food was one of the things that always sounded good.
(that and for some strange reason goldfish with chocolate milk :)

We have breakfast food for dinner quite often and one of our favorite things to have are whole wheat apple waffles. I have been searching for a good whole wheat waffle recipe forever...it's hard to find one that actually uses 100% whole wheat and is still fluffy and moist.

Well, I believe I have found the perfect whole wheat waffle recipe. I can honestly say that they are my favorite waffles, even over other traditional recipes.

We top our waffles with THIS + a little whip cream = Yum!

Try them for yourself...check out the recipe and tutorial below!
(recipe is adapted from Whole Foods Market)

Lemon Cake with Raspberry Filling

It's here..the delectable lemon cake recipe and tutorial I promised!

I actually don't eat lemon cake very often. But, every time I do, I remember how much I love it! I tried this recipe, courtesy of Ina Garten, and it turned out great! I was a little nervous to attempt a recipe I had never done before, especially for such a special occasion but luckily I was not disappointed!

I have been seeing more and more of the Martha Stewart "Ruffle Cake" and have really been wanting to try it myself. The technique is gorgeous and surprisingly simple. So, I have also included a Ruffle Frosting tutorial if you would like to try it too!

This 3 layer cake is coated with a lemon glaze crumb-coat, followed by a lemon buttercream frosting. Although that probably would have been delicious enough, I decided to add a raspberry filling (my husbands favorite berry) and it proved to be an excellent combination!

Because this cake has a few recipes and processes, I have divided everything into categories instead of having 1 super giant post. So, click on each individual link to view the recipes and tutorials!

Part I. Click HERE to view Lemon Cake recipe and tutorial (or just click the read more link below)

Part II. Click HERE to view Lemon Buttercream recipe and Lemon Glaze recipe/tutorial

Part III. Click HERE to learn how to properly build a 3 tier round cake

Part IV. Click HERE to learn how to frost your cake using the "Ruffle Technique"

By the way...

Making a cake like this can be a little time consuming. To make things a little more stress free, I like to bake the cake the day before the event and put it in the fridge. That way the next day I just have to put it together and frost it. Less stress, and less mess!

Lemon Glaze & Buttercream Frosting

I used this lemon glaze frosting recipe for my Lemon Raspberry Cake! Click below for the recipe and tutorial!

Ruffle Icing Technique

The Martha Stewart inspired "Ruffle Cake" frosting method is a gorgeous yet simple way to decorate a cake for any special occasion! 

I used this technique to frost my Lemon Raspberry Cake, which I made when my husband and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. I think the design would be gorgeous for a wedding, or you could color the frosting for a birthday party.!

Sausage & Artichoke Pizza

Homemade pizza has been a favorite meal in my family and usually becomes a weekly event! A couple of months ago I came across an amazing artichoke pizza recipe, courtesy of Whole Foods Market.

This recipe uses low fat turkey sausage and a whole wheat crust, making it a great healthy alternative to your average pizza recipe. The best part is that its healthy yet doesn't sacrifice any flavor! It has become one of my favorite pizza recipe's, and I hope you will enjoy it to!

What is your favorite pizza recipe?

Cake Pops - Spring Flowers

The other day I decided to create my own spring inspired cake pops, seeing how Easter is only a few weeks away. If you are feeling a little confused because you have never heard the words "cake pops" before you should visit this site, (Bakeralla) because they are simply fabulous! 

*Cake Pops are basically ground up cake pieces which are mixed with lots of yummy frosting and then dipped into chocolate and formed into various fascinating designs.

To make these cake pops a little more festive for Easter, I decided to use carrot cake with cream cheese frosting instead of the suggested chocolate and they turned out great! I'll be honest, the original design I had for the flowers looked a little different then how they ended up turning out. But, I haven't had much experience with the whole cake pop thing and I definitely learned a lot!

To view my full tutorial for these spring flowers click below, I have added lots of design tips to help you along the way!

A Little Something Sweet : Avalanche Bark

I know you have all been waiting for this Friday's "Something Sweet" post right? Well, today is your lucky day because I have a awesome recipe to share with you!

My family frequently vacations to Bend, Oregon and one day while visiting the shops we decided to take a detour to "Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory." It was there that we discovered their delicious Avalanche Bark, a mix of peanut butter, marshmallows, chocolate chips, and who knows what else! It was a great find and since then every time I pass a Rocky Mt. Factory, my mouth waters for one of those tasty bars!

So, I decided to make my own Avalanche Bark but with a twist...a sort of Avalanche-Bark-Re-Mix if you will.

They turned out great! So great in fact, my husband and I finished off all of it in one weekend (we were thinking about bringing some to the neighbors but then all of the sudden it was gone...woops!)

I suggest giving these a try! Have a happy Friday and a great weekend!

This Just In...

I just visited lovefromtheoven this morning and came across the most wonderful posts...

An entire week dedicated to Peeps! I know many people think they are gross, but they just happen to be one of my favorite traditional Easter treats and I was so excited about this!

So go ahead, and take a Peep!

Anyone else as excited as I am?

Rich Italian Soup

I know spring is here and soup season is over right? Well, if you hurry you may still be able to catch a chilly day, perfect for serving this dish...trust me its worth it! I was first introduced to this delectable Italian Soup by my awesome cousins Bryce & Nadia. I can honestly say that it has become my all-time favorite and when I ask my husband what he wants for dinner, he almost always asks for this meal.

Even though it may not be soup season where your at, I hope you will give this recipe a try, you wont be sorry!

A Little Something Sweet : Apple Pie Crisp

A few Christmas' ago my awesome sister in-law gave me the 1st season of a series called "Pushing Daisey's." It ended up becoming one of my favorite shows of all time. The story is completely fun, the characters are delightful and quirky, and the artistic style of the movie is both unique and charismatic.

Sadly, the show was cancelled shortly after the 2nd season began. I was crushed when I found this out. I keep praying that the writers will give it another go, I think most people were just not ready for the shows unique style, and it is a bit hard to follow unless you start it from the beginning.

Your wondering why I am babbling on about this show right?
Well, The main character owns a charming little pie shop called "The Pie Hole," and the other day I watched an episode where Chuck (his childhood sweetheart) decides they need to start selling mini pies or "Cup Pies."

So, in honor of my love for this show, I decided to make my own "Cup Pies" (In hopes that somehow the producers will see this post, feel some remorse, and bring the series back once again)!

The recipe is something that I have adapted and collaborated from about 5 different recipes (so I think I can pretty much say its my own now right?) These Apple Pie Crisps came about because my husband and I have a bit of a hard time deciding between apple pie or apple crisp, so I decided to combine the two delectable desserts together to create the ultimate apple treat!

Click below to view my full tutorial on for these delightful treats!