5 Layer Birthday cake!!

So we have a birthday coming up!!! It's my boyfriend Matt's 35th birthday!! 

Wooopwooooop 🎉🎈

So last night me and Dylan decided to make a birthday cake ( Logan was spending the night at my Moms, so I wanted to do something special with Dylan) but when I opened the fridge I didn't have any eggs. Of course. I don't really eat eggs so I never notice when they are low. Well I guess Matt eats a lot of eggs because we were out. 

Luckily my mom lives around the corner. So we walked over and borrowed some eggs. 

Thanks Mom!

On the walk home Dylan hung out with the gingerbread man.

He was so excited because he walks past him everyday for school but he's always "sleeping". 

Then we went home to make the cake. 

It was just a normal box cake mix but I switched out milk for water. 

So I made 5 thin layers of cake. 

Then put the homemaker cream cheese frosting on each layer. 

 

Cream Cheese Frosting 

8 oz cream cheese 

4 oz butter 

5-6 cups of powered sugar 

1/4 teaspoon vanilla 

Mix room temperature cream cheese and butter together. Beat until smooth then add the vanilla. 

Slowly add the powered sugar till everything is fluffy and sweet enough to your taste. 

The picture looks awful because it was like 9 pm when I finished it. HA. 

But it's super delicious and really easy to make. 

XoxoXoxo 

Steph 

Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies

This week I have been baking my little butt off. First were the Fruity Pebble cookies now it's Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow cookies and as you may be able to tell they are exactly the same I just use different cereal. 

Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies
Makes fifteen to twenty

Ingredients
16 tbsp. (2 sticks) room-temperature butter
1¼ c. granulated sugar 
2/3 c. light brown sugar, tightly packed
1 egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract 
1½ c. flour 
½ tsp. baking powder 
½ tsp. baking soda
1½ tsp. kosher salt 
3 c. Cornflake Crunch
2/3 c. mini chocolate chips 
1¼ c. mini marshmallows

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and sugars; cream together on medium-high 2-3 minutes. With a spatula, scrape down sides of bowl, then add egg and vanilla and beat 7-8 minutes.

2. Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Mix just until dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. (Do not walk away from the machine during this step or risk overmixing.) Scrape down sides of bowl.

3. Still on low speed, paddle in cornflakes and chips until just incorporated, about 30-45 seconds. Paddle in marshmallows.

4. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a 2-oz. ice cream scoop, portion 1/3 c. dough at a time onto pan. Pat tops of dough domes flat. Wrap pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 week. (Do not bake room-temperature disks — they will not hold their shape.)

5. Heat oven to 375°. On a parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pan, arrange chilled disks a minimum of 4 inches apart. Bake 18 minutes, until cookies are browned on edges and just beginning to brown toward the center. Cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. Leave them in oven for another minute or so if they still seem pale and doughy on the surface.

6. Cool cookies completely on pan before moving them to a plate or an airtight container for storage. At room temperature, cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.

Cornflake Crunch
Yields about four cups

Ingredients
5 c. cornflakes 
½ c. milk powder 
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
9 tbsp. butter, melted

1. Heat oven to 275°.

2. In a medium bowl, with your hands, crush cornflakes to ¼ of their original size. Add milk powder, sugar, and salt; toss to mix. Add butter; toss to coat. (As you toss, the butter will act as glue, binding the dry ingredients to the cereal, creating small clusters.)

3. On a parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pan, spread clusters and bake for 20 minutes, at which point they should look toasted, smell buttery, and crunch gently when cooled slightly and chewed.

4. Cool completely before storing or using in a recipe. Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, the crunch will keep fresh for one week; in the fridge or freezer, it will keep with one month.

First make the Cornflake Crunch. Put the Cornflakes in a large bowl and  crush with your hands. Then add the milk powder, sugar and salt. Toss to mix. 

Then pour in the melted butter. 

Mix around and pour on a baking sheet. Bake at 275° for 20 mins. 

Now make the cookie dough. 

Whip together the butter and sugars 

Add in the egg and vanilla 

Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 

Then add the cornflake crunch and chocolate chips. 

Scoop out cookie dough and freeze. Then bake at 375° for 20 mins. 

These are the best cookies ever. They definitely take all day to make but they are soooo good. 

As soon as I make these cookies my friends devour them all. I think I got to eat one. Hahahaha. But having my friends enjoy my cookies makes me happy :)

XoXOXxo

Stephanie 

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Burning Down the House

Aw man, what a blllahh week. I feel like I can't do anything right this week. Ugh.

No joke. 

I tried to make 2 different types of cookies this week. Both of which I make allllll time time. Both turned out awful. Wtf?! That is the most frustrating thing ever! I took pictures of every step and everything! The cookies themselves are kind of difficult to make but that shouldn't matter, I've made them a million times. 

So I guess this just goes to show, it doesn't matter how good you are at something's, you can still f**k up. 

Here are my jacked up cookies. 

They are still delicious but look kinda awful. 

I would feel bad giving this ugly cookies to a homeless person. 

Ok, maybe I went to far there because homeless people love my cookies ;)

The other recipe didnt turn out so awful but it was super easy so it's hard to mess it up. 

And anything that is make with confetti cake, I'm a fan of. 

That includes these Gooey Butter Cookies. Thanks Paula :)

Ingredients-

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
1   (18 ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix
1   (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature
1   egg
1   stick of butter, room temperature

Directions

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner’s sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and gooey. Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

So much better :)

They are like little cake pillows. 

Delicious. 

Maybe I can't bake because I can't stop thinking about what I'm going to wear on HGTV!! I need 3 different outfits to wear on camera. This is a very important thing! 

Someone please help me!!! 

XoXOXxo 

Stephanie

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Dylan's 3rd Birthday

Wow! What a weekend! I swear 10 months out of the year nobody comes to visit but for the months of June and July, we run a bed and breakfast. Hahaha. I'm not gonna lie, I totally love it :)

I have friends to talk with and they like my cooking! So what's not to love about it!?!

So it was Dylan's 3rd birthday. Yaaay!! I can't believe it. Kids grow too darn fast. And for this little monsters birthday I made a delicious Chocolate Peanutbutter cake. The recipe for it is here and here. I didn't  take pics of the steps, sorry. But here is the end result. 

Delicious :)

We also took the kids to the new 'Monsters University' movie. 

I thought the movie was super cute and I'm pretty sure the kids liked it too. 

A bunch of our friends were staying with us so we cooked some food on the grill and had a great time. 

There was also a music festival going on Saturday and Sunday called Maplewoodstock. They had art vendors and about 25 bands with their headliner being Joan Osbourn. Oh did I mention it was free?!!? And it was only 3 minutes away from my house. You should check it out next year. 

The kids got 'hot face' after about 10 minutes but it was a fun. So another great weekend! 

Annnnnnd I got some super exciting news!!!!!! Buuut you're gonna have to wait till tomorrow. That's right, back to back blog posts! Wooohoooo!!!!

Now have a great Monday :D

XoXOXxo 

Stephanie

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Ooh, yum!

This weekend was super crazy. We did a baseball game on Thursday. It was at Montclair State University which is about 20 mins away from my house. It was also $1 beer night, perfect!! 

Dylan had a blast. 

Then Friday and Saturday was spent with family and old friends I haven't seen for awhile. It was so hot outside. I wish I had a pool or at least, more friends with pools ;)

On Sunday I gave Tyler a early birthday present. 

So while Tyler and his friends set that up I made my favorite dip, Cheddar, Bacon and Ranch dip. It's so quick and easy to make. 

Cheddar, Bacon, Ranch Dip

Ingredients-

16oz Sour Cream

1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese ( I used PepperJack cheese this time)

1 Packet dry Ranch Mix

1 3oz Bag of Real Bacon Bits

First, finely shred the cheese into a medium bowl. Then add the sour cream, ranch mix and bacon bits, into the bowl. Mix everything together. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour then serve. 

Shred the cheese in a bowl. 

Then add the rest of the ingredients. 

Mix throughly and refrigerate. 

Serve with chips or pretzels :)

This is a great dip to make and everyone loves it. I think these guys liked it a little too much ;)

Happy Monday!

XoXOxOXo

Stephanie

Mother's Day

Yesterday was Mother's Day and mine was super fantastic. Anytime I'm eatin good food with my family, I'm happy. So we started the day off with my favorite, Sausage Gravy and Biscuits. I totally cheated on the biscuits and used Pillsbury Grands. You can put the gravy on anything, I also like to put it on hash browns or French fries.

Ingredients 

Pillsbury Grands Biscuits  

1/2 package of sausage - I used Johnsonville Maple breakfast links

2 Tbs Butter- plus extra for looking the sausage

1 1/2 cups of Milk

2 Tbs Flour

2 tbs Salt

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tbs season salt

Cook biscuits according to directions on package. 

Melt 1/2 a Tbs of butter in a large skillit and cook sausage on medium high. Cool sausage for about 5-6 minutes. When sausage is cooked cut into bite-size pieces. Place sausages onto a plate and save for later. 

Then melt butter in same pan used for cooking sausage. Add flour to melted butter and whisk. Add milk and continue to whisk until there are no lumps. 

Add spices and return sausage to mixture. 

Pour gravy mixture over biscuits and devour. 

So I start by browning the sausage. When they are cooked, cut them into bite-size pieces and move them to a plate. 

Then melt the butter in the same pan. You want all those yummy brunt sausage pieces for the gravy. Add the flour and wisk constantly. 

Pour in the milk slowly and keep whisking     It may be lumpy at first just keep going. It will get smooth. 

Then add your spices and whisk till its thick. You should be able to swipe your finger on the back of a spoon and have the gravy stick. Yum :)

 Then add sausage back into gravy. 

Pour the gravy onto whatever you desire.

This recipe is super easy and I love it! You can mix it up and use it for anything. With or without sausage. You can use chicken or beef broth instead of milk. I love gravy. It fills you up and makes you happy at the same time. That's what good food is all about. 

Maybe you can make this for your loved ones and have a special day like I did with my family. 

And without question I had a great Mother's Day :)

XoXOxOXo 

Stephanie

Anniversary weekend

This weekend was very special to me. It was mine and Tyler's wedding anniversary. Yay! We have officially made it 3 years. One baby, a new job and 4 moves later we made it! It was a long hard road but we have made it so far and I think that it something to celebrate. So we went out to The Gaslight Brewery in South Orange to celebrate.
On Saturday we went to the Short Hills Mall, Anthropologie had a kids Earth Day event where they planted flowers. Logan also met his new friend, Jumanji the Gorilla. We also stopped by the zoo to see the new Sea Lion exhibit. They were so fun to watch swim around.

I also made this super delicious Chicken Spaghetti .

Ingredients
2 cups Cooked shredded Chicken
3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Finely Diced Green Pepper
1/4 cup Finely Diced Onion
1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
2 cups Chicken Broth
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Instructions
Cook some chicken breast and shred it or use leftover chicken. Cook spaghetti in pot of water with a 1/4 a cup of the chicken both. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, drain and combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.
Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

I just shredded some chicken I had.

Diced the onion

And the green pepper

Add the onion, pepper, pimentos, season salt to the mushroom soup in a large bowl.

Add the cheese and chicken.

Break the spaghetti into thirds and cook for a few minutes. It should still be hard. Add to mixture and pour into dish.

Add more cheese to the top.

Bake for 35-45 minutes.

It will be crispy on top and warm and delicious inside.

Yum.

It was so good, I was pretty much comatose after eating so much. I almost forgot to eat these little babies.

Ohmygosh it was Record Store Day too, there was just so much going on this weekend! I was in Brooklyn on Friday so I picked up this old thing :)

Now today for Earth Day I'm going to finish setting up my rain barrel.

I found this old whisky barrel on Craigslist so I snatched it up. Well actually I drove to pick it up and it wouldn't fit in my car, I have a Jetta and it's a 55 gallon oak barrel. Of course it wasn't going to fit in my car, so my good friend Wes picked it up for me. Thanks Wes!!
Now I have to get it in working order. Getting it into place was the first battle. It weighs more than I do! Some whisky water drained out and I think my dog may have gotten drunk. Hahaha
I hope you all had a fun weekend too.

XoXOxOXo
Stephanie

Getting ready for Easter

I have been getting ready for Easter all week. Shopping and cleaning the house all the good stuff. My mom, brother and in-laws will be here tomorrow. We are having a Easter egg hunt and lunch tomorrow. So today I making coconut cake!! One of my favorites. I like to make it at Easter and Christmas. It's white and fluffy and delicious. I want some now just writing about it! Haha.

This is my menu for the weekend :)
Broccoli and Cheese
Peanut Butter Eggs
Slow Cooker Ham
Macaroni and Cheese
Coconut Cake
My mom is brining deviled eggs and my mother-in-law is bringing Tyler's favorite baked beans.
I can't wait!! Woo!!
And don't forget the kids stuff. I filled the eggs and the baskets. Maybe I went a little overboard.....

I even ordered a hoodie for Tyler, which he has yet to pick up. Weirdo.

Joe Fresh

If I knew there was something new and awesome for me just sitting at a store, I would pick it up right away!!! But then again I love new clothing :)
The only thing I didn't get to do is hang my new wallpaper in the foyer. I started to strip the paint on the wood and it turned into a HUGE mess. So I will have to get back to that after the holiday. Most DIY is try and fail I think ;)

I hope everyone has a delicious, fun, loving family weekend.

XoXOxOXo
Stephanie