Double Chocolate Angel Food Cake

I love chocolate.

I'm not the kind of girl who can sit around and eat a box of chocolate candies. That's just too sweet for me. But when it comes to chocolate cake or chocolate ice cream or chocolate chip cookies, oh, I am SO okay eating the entire container in one afternoon.

I actually love chocolate desserts and snacks so much, that any non-chocolate dessert seems like a waste to me. So, when I was home last night, craving something delicious, I was really disappointed that the only cake mix I had was angel food. Had I thought about baking earlier in the evening, I might have made something from scratch, but it was already 9:00 pm and I had to get the little one in bed.

So, I did what I always do. I turned to the internet. But each search came up with either A) a boring chocolate chip angel food cake or B) a dry looking chocolate angel food cake. I decided to combine the two and throw in a few extra goodies.

Double Chocolate Angel Food Cake

1 box angel food cake mix

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 tsp almond extract

water

Mix cocoa and cake mix.

Follow directions on cake mix box to add water and mix.

Add almond extract and chocolate chips.

Mix additional 20 seconds.

Bake according to directions on box.

Feel free to top with powdered sugar, whipped cream, or cherry pie filling, OR ALL THREE! I think that last option is my favorite.

This morning, it seemed a little dry, like angel food cake tends to do, (and yes, I totally had cake for breakfast) but I stuck it in the microwave for a few seconds and enjoyed it with a glass of almond milk. YUM.

On a side note, for some reason, I can't stop listening to these two songs, which sound ridiculously similar:

and

Blueberries Are Our Friends

Blueberry Breakfast Grilled Cheese (original Pin)

I get bored with breakfast. This is sad, because I actually really LOVE breakfast. I've never been one of those breakfast-skippers. Even if I'm running late for work, and didn't have anything good in the house, I will STILL stop at McD's for a sausage burrito and hazelnut iced coffee, and just hope that my boss doesn't get too mad when I clock in after my scheduled time. I always wake up hungry, and if my sugars are low, I become a basket-case. But I've never been a fan of cereal, and I feel like I'm the only American who doesn't love bacon, so I'm always looking for something new to try out.

And last night, as I was browsing Pinterest, I saw this recipe a friend had pinned. Blueberry Breakfast Grilled Cheese! It's basically stuffed french toast in sandwich form, amiright? Thank the Good Lord, He had blessed me with already having all of the ingredients in the house, so I hopped out of bed this morning, and knew exactly what I would be making!

Blueberry Breakfast Grilled Cheese

(From fitfromconception.com)

Cream cheese

Confectioners sugar

Whole wheat bread

Butter

Blueberries

I used neufchatel instead of regular cream cheese to cut back on the fat content.

There are no measurements in the ingredients, because it depends on how sweet you want it and how many sandwiches you're making. I started out with about 2 tablespoons of cream cheese and an overflowing tablespoon of sugar. TIP: You might want to lay out your cream cheese to let it soften beforehand. I did not do this, so I microwaved it for about 15 seconds.

Mix your cream cheese and sugar until smooth.

Butter one side of each slice of bread. 

Spread cream cheese/sugar mixture onto other side of bread.

(The original post suggested only doing this on one slice of bread. I did both.)

Sprinkle some blueberries on top of the cream cheese, and slap the other slice of bread on there.

The original blogger makes this in some fancy-pants sandwich maker, which I do not have. So, I just made it on the stove like I would a regular grilled cheese.

Grill til golden brown, flip, grill til golden brown. You know the drill.

Original Blogger compared this to a Pop-Tart, but I'm gonna step it up and say it leans more towards a Toaster Strudel. I LOVE TOASTER STRUDELS. I definitely devoured this thing and ended up making a second.

Also, have you guys tried Silk's new iced lattes? I'm not saying this stuff is AMAZING, but it's pretty tasty, and it's easier on my stomach than making my own iced coffees with real creamer. 

Today's bonus video is a special treat! Any time I'm dealing with blueberries, I'm always reminded of the Pop-Tart commercial from when I was a kid, where these cute little kids say things that their parents say about breakfast. There's this line a little boy says, that my mom and I used to say all the time, "Blueberries are our friends!" Anyway, it took me a while to track it down online, but I finally found it. As I re-watched it for the first time in 20 years, I recognized the last girl, at the very end - it's Mae Whitman! I LOVE HER! Apparently, this commercial was one of her very first gigs, before she scored a role in When a Man Loves a Woman. Of course, now we all know her as Ann on Arrested Development or Amber on Parenthood or Roxy Richter in Scott Pilgrim. She's come a long way from, "Someday, you'll thank me!"

Veggie Love

Zucchini Herb Casserole

I don't love my veggies. I love my carbs and my sugars and my ice creams and my pizzas.

Unfortunately, my body does not love the things that I love.

The more research that I do, the more I am convinced that the best thing for me to do would be to start a completely new lifestyle including a plant-based diet. I admit, when I cut out dairy and meat and fast food and packaged crap from Walmart, I feel a GAZILLION times better. I lose that belly pudge immediately. I have more energy, my emotions aren't crazy all over the place, my tummy feels happier, my skin looks healthier. You'd think that all of this would make it easy for me to change my eating habits, but NO. I'm a stress eater. And I'm pretty much always stressin'. So, I turn to the cookies/brownies/cupcakes/ice cream on the regular.

Making sure that I eat my veggies is a real CHALLENGE for me. Like, SERIOUSLY. So, when I come across a vegetable-filled recipe that I actually enjoy, I hold onto that thing - it is Pinned, printed, and slipped into a page protector in my prized recipe binder. And then, I actually make it more than once.

Technically, I didn't find this recipe on Pinterest. I was just browsing the Internets for vegetarian/vegan recipes, and I came across Happy Cow. You can find healthy recipes, follow their blog, and even search for vegetarian/vegan/natural food restaurants in your area! Anyhow, I came across this recipe for a Zucchini Herb Casserole and thought I would try it out, because zucchini is on my "okay" veggie list. I've grown to appreciate it over the years, as my family has always grown it in our summer gardens.

This recipe is fairly simple. The most difficult part is the chopping, which I despise. Knives make me nervous, I'm clumsy, and I always end up making a mess. This recipe also calls for chopped onions, which I love, but GOOD GRAVY, my eyes buuuuurn and I end up with a waterfall of tears running down my face when I have to chop them. But it's worth it.

The original recipe basically calls for zucchini, onion, garlic, rice, and herbs. This is totally fine. But I like to add more veggies to switch it up a bit and make it even healthier than it already is. So, here's my version:

Veggie Love Casserole
(based off the Zucchini Herb Casserole recipe found on happycow.net)

2 tablespoon EVOO

1 large fresh zucchini, cubed

1 medium yellow squash

2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 medium carrot, shredded

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 can garbanzo beans

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped

1-1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

Instructions

Heat oil in a large cooking pan, and stir in zucchini, squash, garlic, carrot, and onions. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften slightly. Remove from heat. Add tomatoes, garbanzo beans, rice, garlic salt, paprika, oregano, and basil. Mix, then spoon into baking dish. Bake uncovered in 350F degree oven for 30 minutes.

You can leave it just like that and have a lovely vegan dish. My family doesn't like to be that healthy, though, so I usually sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top, as soon as it comes out of the oven. Next time, I might try it with some broccoli, eggplant, or black olives. This is one of those recipes where you can kind of just throw in whatever vegetables you happen to have layin' around.

The best thing about this dish is that everyone in my family likes it, so when I make it, I'm encouraging all of them to eat their veggies, too!

I don't know about you, but I love to have a good soundtrack going when I'm working in the kitchen. While I was cooking up this tasty dish, I had an AMAZING station playing on Pandora. I started it based on Fitz & the Tantrums, and it kept playing stuff from Two Door Cinema Club to Miles Davis to John Legend to The Strokes and all sorts of other great bands! I was definitely dancing around the kitchen while I was whipping this up. So, here's a lovely track to inspire you, the next time you get cookin'.

(Almost) Vegan Pumpkin Smoothie

Fall is right around the corner! I LOVE this time of year. It's probably my favorite season. The weather is awesome, the clothes are awesome, the food is awesome. Seriously, I don't think I've ever met anyone who doesn't like fall.

But it's not quite here, yet.

We're still having some hot days. Hot enough that we're actually planning on hanging out at the pool this weekend. So, I'm not quite ready for cozy cardigans and spiced lattes. But pumpkin? I'm always up for anything pumpkin flavored! In the past, I've actually requested Great Pumpkin Cookies in lieu of a birthday cake. Weird? Maybe. But I embrace my weirdness. You'll get used to it.

So, since I wanted something pumpkin-y to pretend it's autumn, but the high today will be in the 80's, I decided to cool things down with a smoothie! As I'm sure you know, smoothies (and juices) are all the rage today, and more and more people are cutting dairy from their diet, so I wanted to try a vegan recipe. I had a few different recipes that I ended up mashing together, so here are the links to the different posts that inspired me:

PUMPKIN PIE SMOOTHIE WITH OATMEAL

PUMPKIN PIE SMOOTHIE

PUMPKIN SMOOTHIE DELICIOUSNESS.

As usual, I didn't have/like everything these recipes called for, which is why I mixed it all up. One of the recipes suggested freezing your pumpkin, which I did, but then it was a solid block of pumpkin. So, I tried thawing it in the microwave, and it was taking forever, so instead of using the thaw button, I just microwaved it on high, and all of a sudden, it was boiling around the edges.

I didn't use frozen pumpkin.

I'm sure there are people out there who would totally buy a fresh pumpkin and make their own homemade puree, but... I don't do that. So, go buy a can of pumpkin puree. I thought it would be in the canned veggie/fruit aisle, but I found it in the baking aisle. Make sure you buy the straight up pumpkin, not the pumpkin pie filling. I mean, I'm sure you could use the pie filling. It's up to you. You don't have to listen to everything I say.

(Almost) Vegan Pumpkin Smoothie

1/2 frozen banana

1 cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup almond milk

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

graham cracker crumbs (optional)

5 ice cubes

The reason I say this is (almost) vegan is because I don't think the graham crackers I have are totally vegan.

Toss everything into a blender. I used the ice crushing button for about 25 seconds.

Not gonna lie, it totally looks and smells like baby food. For real. Maybe it tastes a little bit like it, too. I wouldn't know. I never tried my kid's baby food. However, it is smooth and creamy and has a nice, rich flavor to it.

I'm actually sitting here, drinking my smoothie, as I type this. That very smoothie in the photo above. I'm also listening to The Heligoats on Spotify. If you've never heard them, I recommend that you do so. You should actually check out their NPR Tiny Desk Concert on YouTube. Here, I'll make it easy for you:

Loooove.

Enjoy your weekend.

Quicky Sticky Buns

http://www.kitchentrials.com/2012/03/11/quick-and-easy-5-minute-sticky-buns/

Early on in my Pinteresting, about a year ago, I pinned a recipe for "Quick and Easy 5 Minute Sticky Buns".  (see link above)

My immediate thought: "OMG I love sticky buns and I could have them in FIVE MINUTES."

After reading the post: "I don't have any puff pastry. And it says it has to bake for 30 minutes. But the post said 5 minutes! LIES!!! ALL LIES!!!"

But, I pinned it anyway, and I thought FOR SURE that I would be making them that weekend.

...fast forward a year or so later to today. 

A few weeks ago, I had bought some refrigerated croissant dough to make some S'more Croissants (that'll be another blog post). It was a quick and tasty treat, and I will totally be baking them again. Anyhow, I had only used one can of dough, and the other one had been chillin' in the fridge for a few weeks, all sad and lonely. So, this morning, I was pondering what I should have for breakfast, and I remembered the lovely croissant dough. At first, I thought I'd bake up some chocolatey, marshmallowy treats (I'm totally on a diet; can't you tell?), but as I opened my recipe binder, the Sticky Bun recipe caught my eye. Mmmmmm sticky buns. It had been so long since I'd tasted that sweet, gooey goodness! Growing up, my Aunt Susan had made the BEST sticky buns, EVER. She also made seriously awesome sourdough bread, and the most amazing chocolate cake, and so many other wonderfully delicious desserts. For some reason, she stopped making the sticky buns, and I guess the rest of us have just been too lazy to try it ourselves.

So, I used the croissant dough for the sticky buns.

I only had half the dough the recipe called for, so I split the recipe in half.

I couldn't find a rolling pin, and the dough ended up being really sticky, and I made a huge mess trying to flatten it into a long, skinny rectangle. Then, I couldn't find my muffin tins, so I ended up using a 9-inch round cake pan. But that's okay! Everything turned out tasty, anyway!

Quicky Sticky Buns

(improvised from the recipe found on kitchentrials.com)

Topping:

6 Tbsp softened butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

pecan pieces

Buns:

1 roll of refrigerated croissant rolls

1.5 Tbsp butter, melted

1/3 cup brown sugar

cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400, with a rack in the middle position.

Melt the butter, add the brown sugar, and stir until it makes a delicious, awesome, smooth goo. I ate some with my spoon.

Pour into 9-inch round cake pan and spread so it covers the entire bottom of the pan. Lick spoon clean. Sprinkle in some pecan pieces, if you so desire. (Yes. Yes, I do desire.)

Roll out your croissant dough into a long rectangle. Try not to make a huge mess, like I did.

Pour melted butter onto your rectangle dough, and spread it around with a spoon.

Sprinkle on your brown sugar. Even out the clumps with your spoon (to make it easier to roll the dough.) Sprinkle some cinnamon on top of the brown sugar. 

Roll your dough, and slice. I ended up with 8 buns.

Place your buns on top of the topping in your cake pan.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until brown.

Let cool for 5 minutes.

I enjoyed my buns with a nice glass of hazelnut iced coffee (yesterday's cooled coffee with some hazelnut creamer and almond milk, poured over ice). Kid Pinterest enjoyed hers with some milk. And Grampa Pinterest said they tasted even better than our favorite monkey bread! (We take the easy way out on that one... Bridgford makes an awesome frozen monkey bread that you just throw in the microwave for a few minutes. We buy it at Walmart.)

The "sticky" part gets a little hard and chewy once it really cools off, so enjoy these immediately. If you have leftovers (what?! how?!), I definitely recommend that you microwave them.

Pinterest success! This was nice and easy, and aside from my dough problems, it didn't create a huge mess - major bonus for me! The less I have to clean up, the tastier it seems.

Everyone else is doing it, so, WHY CAN'T I?

I'm starting a new blog! I'm so excited!

I'm a single mom. I spend a lot of time at home with my daughter. She is three and a half. Since I'll be known here as Mama Pinterest, we will go ahead and refer to her as Kid Pinterest. She often joins me in trying out our Pinterest projects!

So, here's the thing. I have a hard time focusing. I'm not very good at following directions. I don't do well reading something word for word and following it EXACTLY. I kinda fudge things and try to find an easier way to do it. Sometimes, I just don't have everything it tells me that I need. And I, being the stubborn woman that I am, am usually determined to make it work, anyway. So, I will do my best to follow instructions, but I have a feeling a lot of my blog entries will go something like, "Well, it said to use 1/4 cup of yogurt, but I didn't have any (because I don't really like yogurt), so instead, I used sour cream, and it actually turned out AWESOME!" Or, it might go something like, "The tutorial suggested using red rick rack to line the fabric, but I didn't have any, so I used a red Sharpie to draw the pattern on... but it ended up smearing all over the fabric and my hands, and now the entire project is completely ruined."

LET'S GET STARTED!