Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

Oh yeah... I know I said probably no post 'til we moved... well, then I made this cake...

Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Sheet Cake!!!! I apologize, I obviously didn't melt my butter quite all the way... hence the white specs in the frosting. But don't let that deter you away... it's delicious!!! And it took my mood from crabby and mean (ask Aaron) to happy and content. :) Haha. 

PB Sheet Cake
By: The Girl Who Ate Everything 
Mix in pan and bring to a boil:
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter

Sift the following and add to the above mixture:
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda

Mix and add to the above mixture:
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

Stir well and pour into greased or parchment lined cookie sheet pan (jellyroll pan). Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Frosting
Mix in pan and bring to a boil:
3/4 cup butter
6 Tbsp buttermilk
1/2 cup peanut butter
 
Take off stove and add:
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp vanilla. Pour over warm cake. 

Yes, the answer is yes... you definitely want to run and make this! 

Oh, did you want to see what we're up to these days? 

Yep... boxes and sh** everywhere! :) Nice, huh?! Well, we are almost ready to go! Only 1 week to go!! YAY!


I did make a cold pasta salad this week too, I should share that with you! It was a scorcher this week with heat indexes in the 110's!! We had to stay and eat cool. 

Mediterranean Pasta Salad


1 lb tri-color rotini
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
3/4 cup black olives, sliced
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
4 oz crumbled feta cheese
Sprinkle of basil & oregano
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper to taste


Cook pasta, drain and rinse with cold water. Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, basil, oregano, salt & pepper. Pour over pasta, add rest of ingredients and stir. 

Long Time... Catch Up Blog!

Hi there! As you can tell... it's been nearly 2 weeks since I last posted! My plate is full with my garden... and packing! And the space in between I try to keep myself and my house halfway clean & decent. :) Haha. It's hard when there's boxes everywhere and dirt tracked in from the garden. But it is wonderful as well. Only 2 short weeks and 2 days until we get the keys to our new home! And the garden is wonderful... we have peas and beans coming out of our ears! We've already frozen some for during the winter! Check 'em out!

Yum-O! I like to boil them, but I also tried roasting them... which is AMAZING! Have you ever? You must! They get almost caramelized and a little chewy! They are my new favorite! Simply toss your cleaned beans with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, depending on how many you got. Be sure and stir them 1-2 times during cooking. 

Let's see... I've also not posted about 4th of July. We didn't do a darn thing, but since we're all about emptying our pantry and freezer (Mac & Cheese, Tuna Helper, etc) I thought I would cook a good- real meal for once! Ha! 

We had chili dogs on the grill, Buffalo Chicken Dip and fresh green beans. Oh, Buffalo Chicken Dip... another favorite! 

1 1/2 cups shredded, chopped chicken, fully cooked (you could use a couple cans of chicken as well if you want really easy)

1/2 cup ranch dressing

2 cups colby jack cheese

1 cup Frank’s hot sauce

8oz cream cheese

Directions:

Mix ingredients together, pour into a non-stick sprayed casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Serve with tortilla chips.

Oh yum! I wish we could go back to July 4th... I could eat this again! 

Alright, I also helped host a wedding shower for Aaron's nephew's fiance... Laura! We had a great time eating, dressing up, and wishing her well! I was in charge of ... can you guess? Food! Duh. We had quite the spread.

We had Chocolate Coca-Cola Cupcakes, White Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Glaze, Turtle Cheesecake Truffles, Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cupcakes, Cheese balls, and Spinach dip! 

Let's recap, shall we?

Cupcakes.... 

Cheese balls...

I made individual sized cheese balls, and thought they were cute and neater than everyone digging in one large cheese ball, you know? I simply mixed 2 blocks cream cheese, 3 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 pkg Ranch dip seasoning. I rolled them into golf ball sized balls and then rolled and pressed them in pecans. Finally, I stuck a toothpick in so they are easy to grab. Serve with crackers.

And we have Spinach dip...

Here's the recipe-

16 oz cream cheese

1 cup mayo (or Miracle Whip)

10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped finely

1/2 cup crumbled bacon (store bought=so easy!)

1 green onion, chopped

2 tsp dill weed

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Combine everything and chill overnight for best flavor. Serve with crackers.

Well, as I said before... 2 weeks & 2 days until we get our new house! Probably not another post before then... sorry! :)

Blueberry Macadamia Nut Muffins

We have produce! We have peas and almost green beans from the garden!! YAY! My favorite time... picking the goods!

I cannot tell you how disappointing it is that we're moving in the middle of the summer & garden harvesting! Mom will have stop by the house every few days... & we'll have to drive back at least weekly to help pick our produce! :) About that time the tomatoes will probably be turning, and I won't be here! Waaahhh!!!! Haha, ok that's enough crying... I am excited to be moving too!! 

We bought the paint and picked out new furniture for our living room (since we'll use our couches now for the family room). We also picked out carpet for the living room and bedrooms. Unfortunately the carpet in the house now is pink, blue, and stained. :)


Ok, my pictures and recipe is from awhile ago. Mom helped host a bridal shower for Elise, who is marrying my cousin Tyler. So we got together for brunch, and here was our spread!

We had a variety of egg dishes, fruit, and muffins/pastries. The bottom tier was a Kringle brought by my aunt Kathy. It's a popular pastry around WI (I think she said it was Scandanavian or Swedish, I forget). But they come in lots of flavors... fruit flavors, or we had Turtle flavor! I brought French Puffs and tried out these Blueberry Macadamia Nut Muffins! Enjoy!!

• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon chopped macadamia nuts
• 2 tablespoons canola oil , divided
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar 
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons butter , melted
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut or vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• 3 tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts 

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Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine coconut, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 tablespoons macadamia nuts in a small bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil; stir to combine. Set aside.
3. Whisk the remaining 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, egg, egg white, buttermilk, butter and coconut (or vanilla) extract in a medium bowl until well combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients; stir until just combined. Add blueberries and the remaining 3 tablespoons nuts; stir just to combine. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with the reserved coconut topping and gently press into the batter.
4. Bake the muffins until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack at least 5 minutes more before serving.