Happy Birthday, Steven!

I love --LOVE-- birthdays! 

And today Steven turns 27. 

He isn't a big fan of his birthday (which I will never understand), so we just celebrated last night with a simple and delicious strawberry cake (quite the downgrade from last year's cake!) and opened a few gifts. Tonight we plan on heading out for pizza with a few close friends.

Steven is all about no birthday fuss. (Now for my birthday.. we make a fuss.)

But this birthday was especially sweet because of our little man. I almost teared up taking pictures of him sitting on his daddy knee. Goodness those two... I love them so much.

(recipe)

So happy birthday to the most loving, generous, hardworking man I know. Thank you for being such an amazing husband to me on my good days and bad. And thank you for being the best father imaginable to our little Jack. I know this next year is going to be full of many great memories of our little family. So here's to your 27th! May it be the best yet. 

I love you!

Love, your beautiful wife 

who expects lots of gifts on her birthday and a much larger cake.

2 Minute Peppermint Fudge

Holiday baking is one of my favorite traditions at Christmastime. But being pregnant this Christmas, I haven't found slaving away in the kitchen as relaxing as in years past. That's why I was so excited to find this quick and easy peppermint fudge recipe. 

It literally takes 2 minutes and you don't even have to turn on your stove! Here's what you'll need:
 - 2 (14 oz) packages of semi-sweet chocolate chips
 - 1 1/2 cans condensed milk (21 oz)
 - 1 tsp peppermint extract
 - 3 candy canes

Directions
 - crush candy canes inside a plastic bag
 - place chocolate chips, condensed milk, and peppermint extract in a large bowl
 - stir
 - microwave for 1 minute and then stir
 - microwave for an additional minute and then stir until smooth
 - pour mixture into a greased 8x8 pan
 - top with crushed candy canes
 - refrigerate for 1 hour

These turned out delicious! I ended up cutting them into 2x2 pieces and handing them out to our neighbors. I plan on making another batch soon for our milkman and mailman! And then maybe a third batch simply for myself...what?! I'm pregnant. I do what I want :)

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

I couldn't think of a better way to usher in the beginning of my October posts than by sharing this amazing pumpkin chocolate chip bread recipe with you! I love the Fall, and I absolutely love everything pumpkin, so I've made my fair share of pumpkin baked goods over the years, and this recipe has definitely made it to the top of my all time favorites list! So good!

The original recipe can be found at Two Peas & Their Pod.

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups granulated sugar
1 (15 ounce) can 100% pure pumpkin
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs

1 bag semisweet chocolate chips (the original directions call for 1 cup. of course I used the entire bag)

1. *Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 9x5 inch loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, canola oil, water, vanilla, and eggs. Mix until smooth.

4. Slowly blend in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Evenly divide batter between the three loaf pans.

5. Bake for 60 minutes, or until browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove loaves from oven and cool in pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. With a knife, go around the bread and loosen the loaves. Remove from pan and cool completely before slicing.

*I only had two 9x5 inch loaf pans, so I used both of those and then 3 miniature loaf pans (I believe they are 2x3) to share tiny loaves with friends and family. This recipe makes a whole lot of bread!!

I think the main thing that makes this recipe so delicious is all the spice! One entire tablespoon of cinnamon and nutmeg? The spice to pumpkin ratio blends perfectly leaving you with the most amazing Fall infused treat. 

Enjoy! And happy October!

mini Chocolate Cheesecakes

Remember when I told you I made 36 mini cheesecakes because I'm clinically insane? Well, they turned out really, really good. They are a little time consuming to make, but worth it if you love cheesecake! Here's what you'll need.

- 9 Oreo Cookies
- 2 packages (8 ounces each) and 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 eggs
- whipped cread for topping

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 medium muffin cups with paper baking liners. Split Oreos in half. Place one cookie half, middle side up, in each cup.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in granulated sugar and the cocoa until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Evenly divide among cups (cups will be almost full).

Bake cheesecakes 25-30 minutes or until centers are firm. Cool for 15 minutes and then refrigerate for one hour.

Smaller than a post-it note :)

Chewy Chocolate Coconut Cookies

I know I've mentioned my sweet tooth issues before, which ultimately leads to recipes like this one and this one. The problem is, Steven isn't much of a sweets guy. So every time I find a sweet treat to bake I'm left with the task of eating every. single. bite. all by myself! I know, I know, the HORROR.

Okay, so I definitely don't mind that...but I'm thinking my waistline might in a few years. So while I'm pinning away I try to find healthier dessert options (preferably loaded with massive quantities of chocolate), and ladies, find one I did! If you're a fan of chocolate and/or coconut this recipe is a must try! It is a completely dairy-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free snack! There is even an egg-free and vegan recipe option.

And it's soooo simple! See this little cookie? It only requires 5 ingredients and packs a lot of flavor!

 Here's what you''ll need. (Makes about 18 cookies)

- 4 cups finely shredded coconut

- 1 cup cocoa powder

- 1 cup unpasteurized honey

- 4 eggs

- 4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine all the ingredients in one large bowl and mix together until well combined. Scoop about 1/4 cup of the mixture and flattening it out on the baking sheet like a mud pie. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

I honestly think these cookies are my new favorites! They have a no bake, moist texture and a rich chocolate flavor with a delicious coconut kick! Perfection, I tell ya, perfection. 

Click here to view the original recipe and get the egg free and vegan version of these cookies! 

Hope you enjoy!

Recipe: Peanut Butter Cinnamon Cookies

A few days ago me and Steven were talking about important things --like peanut butter cookies. He told me peanut butter cookies used to be his favorite, but now that he's not 7, he doesn't like them so much. Of course, this conversation sent me on a mission to find a delicious peanut butter cookie recipe on Pinterest. Mission complete, I can now introduce you to my NEW FAVORITE COOKIE. Seriously, they are that good.

Peanut Butter Cinnamon Cookies: 
1 1/4 cups flour 
1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided 
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix flour, 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat butter, 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, egg and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm. (Ok, I only refrigerated it for 30 minutes because I kept eating the dough and I knew if I didn't start putting these babies in the over --they'd all be gone soon.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in small bowl. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat. Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Gently flatten with fork, pressing a crisscross pattern onto tops of cookies. 

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Then devour.

But you can't eat just one.