Fancy Chocolate peanut butter pie! oh my!

so the last time i posted was in January...oops. you are wondering where i have been? probably not, since no one REALLY reads this blog besides my husband and my mother. anyway, just in case you didn't know..we moved in February to be closer to civilization. oh yeah, and i am pregnant! hooray! 6 months along now, and happily carrying a baby boy! i guess this post in influenced by this little guy, he makes me eat peanut butter ALL THE TIME! i had this wicked craving for peanut butter pie the other night and searched all over the internet for the PERFECT recipe...lots of which included cream cheese, which to be honest, didn't sound appealing to me. i didn't want it to taste like cheesecake. i was looking for a light and fluffy peanut butter mousse, so i ended up creating my own version. it is still setting in the fridge, but i know its good because i licked the bowl i prepared it in..don't judge me. it was amazing. i will be eating this pie for lunch and dinner today. happy baking!

a few notes: you could totally buy a prepared graham cracker pie crust and skip making your own..i would have done this but the market i went to didn't have prepared crusts. also if you have a food processor feel free to combine all the crust ingredients in it and pulse it that way. for the chocolate sauce..this made a lot, so you can make half the recipe or just save what you have and add it to ice cream or dip some strawberries in it! 
Fancy Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
ingredients:
for crust..
7 graham crackers, crushed to make crumbs
2 TBSP organic sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

for chocolate..
1 1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2/3 heavy cream (whipping cream) 
1 tsp good quality vanilla extract
1 TBSP light corn syrup or honey

for pie filling..
1 3/4 cup heavy cream (whipping cream) 
2 TBSP organic sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter(NOT all natural)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

preheat oven to 350. spray 9inch pie dish with non stick spray. crush graham crackers in a ziplock bag using a rolling pin to make crumbs. add to medium bowl and mix in sugar and slowly add butter. combine until mixture clumps together slightly. press crumb mixture over bottom and sides of pie dish. bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. 
meanwhile, combine chocolate chips, heavy cream, honey or corn syrup, and vanilla in microwave-safe bowl. microwave until chocolate softens, depending on you microwave this can take anywhere from 1 and a half minutes to 3 minutes, mine was good after 1min 30sec. whisk until melted and smooth. once pie crust is done, remove from oven and let cook slightly, then spread chocolate mixture over bottom of crust. save some to drizzle over top. freeze pie crust for 15 minutes. 
whip heavy cream and 2 TBSP granulated sugar until soft peeks form. in bowl of stand mixer using whip attachment, whip peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until combined and smooth, add half whipped cream mixture and beat on medium until combined, add the rest and mix until just combined. spoon mousse over chocolate layer in pie crust. drizzle with chocolate and garnish with peanuts. chill at least one hour or up to 1 day. serve cold!  

Fancy Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate chip cookies

ok, before i share this recipe with you i have to address this 365 challenge..i failed...i know, i suck, but really its not my fault! our internet was down for awhile and i wasnt able to upload pictures or even log on to blogger...stupid internet! so you see...totally not my fault.  

anyway, now moving on to the cookies...i pinned this recipe awhile ago and yesterday while i was wishing i had the energy to get up and make something delicious i revisited my Food boad on pinterest and hoped these yummy cookies would pop off the screen and into my tummy..this didnt happen...so, i told myself i must make it, and i tried so hard to talk myself into getting up off the couch but i really just wanted to sit a stare at riley making block houses. then my awesome husband called and said we should make cookies as a family after dinner! i was all for that..so thats what we did...we did modify the recipe a bit, we used all natural peanut butter and added 1/4 cup more flour and i used dark chocolate chips! i love dark chocolate and i think it goes perfectly with sea salt. you must try these cookies...they are awesome! happy baking!-Jess

Fancy Peanut Butter & dark chocolate cookies with sea salt 

(modified recipe..original recipe from monique of ambitiouskitchen.com)

ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. sea salt, plus more for sprinkling

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp

1/2 cup all natual peanut butter (the kind you have to stir, if you dont have all natural thats ok, just use 1/4 cup less flour) 

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup organic granulated sugar

1/2 TBSP honey

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 TBSP sour cream

1 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips 

in medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt. set aside. in bowl of stand mixer combine butter and peanut butter, beat with paddle attachment until combined and creamy. add both sugars and cream together until smooth. beat in eggs, honey vanilla and sour cream until combined. add flour mixture and stir until combined, stir in chocolate chips. cover and let chill in freezer for 20 minutes, or place in fridge for up to an hour. preheat oven to 350F. using a small ice cream scoop place balls of dough onto cookie sheet. if you dont have a small ice cream scoop, use hands and roll dough into about 1 inch balls. sprinkle with sea salt and bake for about 12 minutes until lightly golden brown..cookie will still be soft in center but DO NOT over bake (over baking will result in very hard cookie) remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack. let cool and enjoy with some nice cold milk, or ice cream? whatever you like :)   

fancy spinach and artichoke dip: day nine

Riley is serious about this dip!

once upon a time i lived off of kraft food recipes. they were always easy and cheap. and i was single and poor. ha! those days are long gone but there is one recipe that has always stuck with me.. this awesome cheesy spinach and artichoke dip. til this day, i still make it, and often get requests to make it. its not the healthiest of dips, but it sure does beat the store bought stuff. i decided to venture out and revamp this recipe to a "healthier" version. i hope you enjoy it! happy baking! -Jess

Fancy Spinach Artichoke dip
ingredients:
1 (14oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
2 cups fresh spinach, finely chopped
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded 
3 cloves garlic, minced 
1/2 tsp. salt 

heat oven to 350F. combine all ingredients and mix until combined. spoon into 9 inch pie plate or similar dish. bake for 20-25 minutes until very lightly brown. serve with tortilla chips, crackers, veggies...whatever you fancy! *note: you could also assemble this ahead of time, cover with foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. when ready, uncover and bake for an extra 5-10 minutes. enjoy!  

oh and this is my picture of the day... isn't he cute? :) 

365 photo challenge: day seven and eight

yes, i know...i missed a day..but its ok, because really..no one reads this thing anyway! ha!

one: 7/365..new boots. two, three and four: 8/365..riley chases geese, splashing in pond and smiles with mommy (too much sun!) -Jess

Finished project and Fancy Chai : day six

one : new project and chai latte(recipe below). two and three : i finished this hat for riley yesterday and today she tried it out..silly girl.


Chai concentrate
ingredients
4 1/2 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
6 bags of chai tea  (or 1/3 cup mulling spice)
3 bags of black tea
1 tsp. orange zest
2/3 cups brown sugar
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract 

boil water, turn off heat and all ingredients, let steep for 20 minutes. strain. add half cup concentrate to half cup warm milk, stir and enjoy! you can store in fridge for up to two weeks(but it probably wont last that long) you could also add ice and combine with cold milk for a "iced chai latte"  happy chai making! -Jess

hot chocolate and thank you cards: day five

365 photo challenge: day four

4/365: today kenneth stopped by for a visit..i have not seen him in almost 8 years! so nice to see an old familiar face.

365 photo challenge:day three

this consumed my entire day...new hobby?...i think so. (thanks bev) :)

-Jess

365 photo challenge:day one and two

i decided to try and do a 365 photo challenge..it seems easy enough since i take pictures almost every day. but i think the hardest part will be actually posting them..already i have failed :P

1 and 2: into town for a new years day movie date with my husband! (django unchanged was pretty entertaining, i would recommend it..that is if you dont mind seeming Jamie Foxx in his birthday suit) 
3: winding down on new years day with hot chocolate topped with homemade candycane whipped cream!
4: (todays photo) snack time with Riley

fancy chocolate peppermint bunt cake!

cousin justin approves this cake

Its no secret that i have an obsession with pinterest. i spend WAY too much time pinning and obsessing over things i "need" . dont even get me started on the "food boards" ... i make myself hungry just looking at all the tasty treats! This recipe was one i came across on pinterest and just had to add to my Christmas baking list! we decided to make it in honor of cousin justin's birthday (which was on Wednesday) and i must say it was a pretty big success! Peppermint and Chocolate are my two favorite things during the holidays! the only thing i changed about the original recipe is that i did not add corn syrup to the ganache.

merry Christmas everyone! happy baking xoxo-Jess

Fancy Christmas sugar cookies

 Its that time of year again! man, the year just kinda flew by! i have been baking like a mad woman trying to get all the cookies and treats i had planned to make this season done!

Riley ready to work! 

 i pretty much gave up trying to make my cookies look perfect. i use to spend hours on them, but its so much more fun letting Riley take over and use her own creativity in decorating!

 this is the same recipe we used for our fancy halloween cookies. so get yourself some fancy xmas cookie cutters and get to baking!!!

Riley said this snow flake needed a nose :)

i did sneak a few cookies and decorate them myself :) i love the snowflakes!

Merry Christmas friends! i will try to be back with a few more treats before xmas, Happy baking! xoxo-Jess

fancy buttermilk biscuits

Riley's reindeer feet

Riley Claus! 

Rain days are for making Christmas projects and baking just because!

Today I decided to make some biscuits using the container of buttermilk i had sitting in the fridge since thanksgiving.. the buttermilk was meant for biscuits that were to be had with thanksgiving dinner but i got lazy and ended up using.. (gasp).. store bought biscuits :O i know right? who am i? anyway, i didnt want it to go bad and its not like biscuits are very hard to make, they are actually really simple, i have no excuse, really. so here you go..my fancy recipe, i actually made two versions, one using a teaspoon of cinnamon, but honestly i could have used 1/2 tea'spoon and they would have been much better, the full teaspoon was a bit over kill. but hey, you live you learn :) Happy Baking!-Jess

regular buttermilk biscuits on left, cinnamon biscuits on right

Fancy Buttermilk Biscuits
ingredients:
2 cups All purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon(optional)
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, very cold, cut into cubes 
3/4 cup buttermilk, very cold..more if needed

Preheat oven to 450F. combine dry ingredients in medium bowl. cut butter into flour using pastry blender or by hand by squeezing butter and flour together until resembles a course meal. add buttermilk and mix just until combined. if dough appears on the dry side add a bit more buttermilk, but you do not want the dough to be very sticky. turn dough out onto a floured board and gently pat (do not roll with pin) dough out until its about 1/2" thick. use round cutter to cut, i used a medium size one and was able to get about 8-9 biscuits per patch. feel free to use any size, but you may need to adjust baking time. place biscuits on cookie sheet about 1"apart if you like them to be "crusty" if you rather they be soft, place them touching each other. bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden brown. i like to eat my biscuits fresh out of the oven and smothered with strawberry jam! enjoy! 

The PumCake

Giving thanks...something i think should be practiced more then once a year..

Making pumpkin pancakes (a.k.a. PumCakes) is one of my favorite things to do this time of year.

Riley usually likes to help, but on this particular morning she decided she would rather watch Tinker Bell with daddy.

They really dont take anymore effort then regular pancakes, so add some spice to your breakfast! Give them a try! Happy Cooking!-Jess

Delicious topped with a nice spoonful of homemade whipped cream! (1 cup of whipping cream and a Tablespoon of sugar whipped together until stiff peaks form) 

PumCakes makes about 20 pancakes
Ingredients 
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup organic pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 Tbsp. veggie oil
2 Tbsp. organic apple cider vinegar 
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour (or one of each)
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder 
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. all spice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
combine milk, puree, egg, oil, vinegar and vanilla in a large bowl. whisk and set aside. in a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. whisk together and add to milk mixture. mix until combined. heat lightly oiled griddle over med-high heat. pour 1/4 cup batter onto griddle. cook until bubbles form, flip, pancakes should be golden brown on both sides. enjoy!