Coffee and Cannolis

Pinterest is way too addicting.  It's everything I ever dreamed the internet could be.  Recipes, art, cleaning and organizing tips, fun crafts and DIY projects.... And of course fun internet memes as well! Definitely one of the best parts of Pinterest (besides procrastinating on real life) is the food.  Oh the food!  I admit that I've pinned a lot, and haven't really made much, but it's still fun to look at!  I'm making it a point to find reasons to make some of the stuff I'm pinning, but I pin a lot of desserts that I really have no excuse to make.  One of the perfect excuses though is work pot lucks!  I always use those as reason to make something new. Such as, these Root Beer Float Brownies.  They were a little more time consuming than I expected, so I was a little rushed making them once the baby went down for the night, but they were worth it!  I loved the brownie, and may even try making the brownie on it's own without the frosting sometime.  A

A few months ago, I turned 30.  Thirty is a time to reflect on what you've done in your life, and what you'd still like to do!  Regardless of how "old" Rob says I am, 30 is definitely still young!!  No, I can't sleep in until 11am every Saturday anymore (I wish!), and yes, I do have important things on my to-do list (such as make sure my son is fed), which makes me an "adult", but I'm not ready to wear mom jeans and house slippers just yet! As part of reflecting, I put together a list of 30 things I wanted to do while I'm 30 .  I decided to go back and check the status of my "to-do" list on a quarterly basis.  Wow, I am slacking.  Like hardcore!!  I haven't done much of what I've set out to do.  But, now that I know this, plans are in the works! So, let's check in! (Crossed off means complete - italicized is things I'm working on!) At the Table 1.) Develop a habit of preparing meals in advance, prepping for the w

With out a doubt, one of the most stressful moments of my life was making the cake for my son and niece's Baptism a few weeks ago.  It was all stress that I put on myself, of course, but stress nonetheless!  I have a list of things I want to accomplish while I'm 30, and one of which is making a tiered cake.  Because of this goal I told my mother-in-law that I was going to make the cake. I have to say, I'm very pleased with how it turned out!  Stressful as it was, I am very proud of the outcome!  I did decide to make it a little easier on myself by making each tier the same flavor of cake, but two different fillings.  I also chose a simple and classic frosting, that is a tried and true recipe in my repertoire! For the Cake I used Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake, with a few modifications, which I will post at some point.  The frosting is my Vanilla Bean Buttercream . On the bottom tier I made a Cookies & Cream filling (recipe also coming later), and the t

I've been noticing that it seems like new and unique flavor combinations are the norm now, and often times the classic flavor combinations are the new "new"!  When I was planning on making Whoopie Pies for an upcoming occasion, I fell in to the new way of thinking by looking for a unique flavor combination, ignoring all of the "basic" combinations I came across.  Until I realized that I wanted something classic.  So, I started my search again, and fell upon the classic chocolate and marshmallow whoopie pie.  When I read that it tasted reminiscent of a Swiss Cake Roll I was sold! And you know what?  These did taste a little like a Swiss Cake Roll!  Only I could pronounce everything in the ingredients list! Classic Whoopie Pies (Chocolate and Marshmallow) Ingredients: Cakes: 1/2 cup butter 1 cup brown sugar, packed 1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1

I don't make pork too often, and when I do I often wonder why I don't make it more.  Well, I do know the answer - I prefer pork tenderloin, and it's not the cheapest cut of meat!  I only buy it on sale, and my local grocery store doesn't put it on sale too often.  When they do it's often very picked over, but occasionally I'm able to snag one or three. Because I rarely have pork tenderloin in my fridge or freezer, I don't have many recipes in my arsenal to try, so when I do pick some up I have to look for new ways to make it!  Recently I decided to participate in a blog exchange on a cooking board I participate in.  The exchange was basically a secret blog exchange - a blog was selected for each participant and you could make anything from the blog for your enjoyment, posting today!  Well, ironically enough, the day our "assignments" were handed out, I was planning on looking up a pork tenderloin recipe, and Barefoot Blue Jean Life , my assigne

As "non-foodie" as this is, I love the creamy Mac & Cheese that you can really only get with Velveeta.  Love the stuff.  And, to be honest, we always have it in the pantry, and when I make it I always replace it with my next grocery trip.  I never want to be without it.  That being said, I do feel guilty that I know I can make creamy stove-top Mac & Cheese on my own, without the processed cheese (is it even really cheese - I'll have to Wikipedia that!).  I've just never had tremendous luck with a recipe that is easy and quick as well, too main criteria I have if I want to replace a box of Velveeta, since clearly that is easy and quick! Well, I've finally found it.  I've been seeing a lot of people posting about Panera Bread's Mac & Cheese lately, and I've had the recipe saved for a long time to try even though I haven't gotten around to it though.  With the plan of wanting creamy Mac & Cheese one night, I decided to finally tr