Cream Cheese-Biscoff Swirled Brownies

Cream Cheese-Biscoff Swirled Brownies

 
Hi everybody :)

Today's recipe starts off with a brownie mix....ssshhhhh, I won't tell anybody if you don't ;) Mixes come in handy when you're pressed for time. So this is perfect for when you need a dessert in a snap :)

Recently, I stocked up on Biscoff, because at first they didn't sell it in my area :(  When my daughter came home law school, she would bring me some. Last week, while shopping at Winn Dixie, I SPOTTED BISCOFF!! :) YEAH! (If you can't find it in your area it's sold here and here.) The price here is a little bit higher than where my daughter attends school, but that's okay. The caramel cinnamon taste had me at one spoonful :) So, this put me in my creating mode, and I  decided to add it to a brownie mix along with cream cheese.

For the Brownie:
2 bags (19 - 21 oz.) Brownies Mix (I got my mix from Sam's Club and doubled the recipe for a 13x9" pan.)
Ingredients to make mix (eggs, water, and oil)

For the Cream Cheese Layer: adapted from Kraft
1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

To Make the Cream Cheese Layer:
Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy add sugar, egg, and vanilla; mix well.

For the Biscoff Layer: adapted from Martha Steward
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup smooth Biscoff spread
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
SEE NOTE

 To Make the Biscoff Layer:

Stir together butter, powdered sugar, Biscoff, salt, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth.

Prepare brownie batter as directed on the package, spread half into a greased 13x 9'" pan.  Drop dollops of cheese filling and Biscoff filling by tablespoonfuls of  over brownie batter and spread remaining brownie batter over the top. Repeat.

Working quickly so that batter, cream cheese, and fillings don't set, drag a butter knife back and forth through the layers with the tip touching the bottom of the pan.

NOTE: I think the next time I make these, I will add a little cream or milk to the Biscoff Filling because it wasn't so creamy when I added it to the batter.

What I Think:
NOTE: Make sure to swirl more if you want the marbling to show up better. I didn't :(

BTW,  for those of you who don't know what Biscoff spread is: go here for detailed information.

Despite the fact that I did get the creamy look of the Biscoff Filling or the marbling effect I hoped for, these brownies were DELICIOUS!!! So this will be a repeat.

ENJOY! Come again.....

Linked to:
Sweet Tooth Friday @ Alli-n-Son
The Better Baker Weekend Potluck

Gardening - Potatoes In A Barrel

Gardening - Potatoes In A Barrel

Potatoes In A Barrel

Hi everybody :)

Do you love gardening? I do. The only thing I don't love about gardening is weeding. While pinning on Pinterest, I  stumbled upon a solution ...Drum-roll: container gardening! For example, did you know you can grow potatoes in a barrel? I sure didn't. When I saw this Easy Gardening System I knew I had to give it a try. 


 UPDATE NEW PICTURES:
Luckily I had an barrel, so all I have to do was clean it,  and get the PVC pipe.  To start, drill circles in your barrel about the mouth of a small drinking cup, making sure to space them out.(Unlike  hubby did in this picture, we learned the hard way)

Next, you will need a PVC pipe about a few inches taller than your barrel, make sure to get one with a circumference wide enough for a water hose.

Drill holes in your PVC pipe so water can reach your plants. Place pipe in the center of barrel. Add soil to hold the pipe in place. Do not put any soil inside the pipe.  Start adding potatoes seedlings thorough the holes as you continue to add the soil.

You now have your very own easy garden system ! No more weeding, YEAH!!!

about 3 weeks old

I decided to plant White Superior and  Russet Potatoes. I bought my potato seedlings and soil. And went to work. I was so excited to see how this would turn out. The picture above is how it looked after about a few weeks.

2 months old

As the weeks and months went by ...my potatoes grew.... and  GREW! Soon it was so big and bushy. I had to get something to help me prop them up. I was afraid some of the plant would get so big that the weight from it hanging from the barrel would cause them to break.  Some of them did : (  This is how it look after about 2 months.

potatoes in about 4 months

Freezing Potatoes

freezing potatoes

 Freezing potatoes is very simple. To keep the potatoes at it best, you would want to blanch them as soon as possible.  According to Wikipedia: Blanching is a cooking process wherein the food substance, usually a vegetable or fruit, is plunged into boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval, and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water (shocked) to halt the cooking process. After blanching, you would want to put them in freezer bags or containers. I think the bags are better because you can squeeze out the air before closing them or you can vacuum-sealed them. 

freezing potatoes

For more info about freezing potatoes go here.

ENJOY! Come again....

Chewy Quaker Oatmeal Bars Copy-cat

Chewy Quaker Oatmeal Bars Copy-Cat 

Hi everybody :)

I wanted to post this yesterday, but the weather has been really bad here :(

I always loved Quaker Oatmeal Bars. I've been wanting to make this bar since the day I pinned it from Katie. Katie has a very popular blog . Her recipes are always healthy and nutritious. So if  you're looking for the prefect copy-cat, THIS IS IT!!

I double the recipe below (except the add ins) and put it all in a 10 by 15 inch pan, because I wanted bigger bars. I also followed the no-bake option. This was unbelievably delicious. I'm definitely making this again :)

Quaker-Style Chewy Bars (with bake or no bake opt.) adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup rice crispies
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp oat flour (recipe instructions below for an easy substitution)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 tbsp coconut oil or veg oil
1/2 cup agave or honey
2-4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tbsp applesauce (banana would probably work as well, or pumpkin!)
 Add Ins:
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped craisins
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped or sliced almond
1/4 cup chopped pecans

To make oat flour:  Simply grind rolled oats in a food processor to make oat flour. Be sure to measure the correct amount of flour for the recipe after grinding, not before.

For Bake:  preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all dry ingredients and mix very well. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients. Stir wet into dry and use another sheet of parchment (or wax) paper to squish evenly-coated mixture into a parchment-lined  9×13 pan. Squish very, very hard, with a can or something heavy.  Cook 18 minutes, then squish very hard again. Cool in the fridge for at least ten minutes before cutting into bars.

For No-Bake: Combine all dry ingredients and mix very well.In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients. Stir wet into dry and use another sheet of parchment (or wax) paper to squish evenly-coated mixture into a parchment-lined  9×13 pan. Squish very, very hard, with a can or something heavy. Refrigerate until firm.
Bars are firmer if you use coconut oil. 

These bars can be stored at room temp, but if you use coconut oil; they’re best kept in the fridge. Or they can even be frozen. The bars thaw very well!

ENJOY! Come again....