Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix Added Into Brownies.

Good Tuesday! I am glad to say we are all finally getting over colds we've had for 2 weeks. But now my sister has Larengidus....these past few months have been tough with us all getting colds often and the 24 hour flu thrown in the bunch. I hope this is the last of it for a while! Not until I am sick do I realize how great it is to be healthy.

I currently have an addiction of making brownie mixes and adding different twists to them. I know this isn't helping those of us who are trying to loose some of that weight for summer! This will be the last one for a little while!

I saw the Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix (Betty Crocker) on the shelf and thought why not add the cookie mix with cream cheese and sugar and then swirl it in the brownie batter....and top it off with frosting? Mmm, it is good. This chocolate frosting is one of my all time favorites...I love to eat the leftovers! I also love to eat Brownie batter....almost better than cookie dough batter.

Swirled Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

Ingredients:

Batter:

1 brownie mix

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 (17.5 oz) Chocolate Chip Cookie mix

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare brownie mix according to box directions. Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Beat cream cheese for 1 minute. Add eggs and sugar. Beat well. Dump cookie mix in and mix until blended. Drop spoonfuls of the cookie batter on brownie batter. Swirl lightly with knife. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until ready. Cool. Frost with below frosting recipe.

FROSTING:

1/4 cup baking cocoa

1 stick salted butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup buttermilk

3 3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Combine cocoa, butter, and buttermilk in a pan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and vanilla. Pour over brownies and spread. Let sit until hardened. Cut into squares and serve.

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This brother is one of the three I have to thank. For doing something very significant in my life. Thank you Steven. Thank you for making me a girl who others would say...."is your sister coming to the airsoft games? She looks like a strong one". Or..."I saw your sister signed up for the softball team and wait, she is a sports fan...so is she a tomboy?"

Growing up with 3 brothers I will admit it is a bit of a hard task to remain completely girly. I did also grow up with 2 sisters but for some reason outdoor activites and the boys games have always looked so much more exciting to me than playing dolls inside or having a tea party. And to 3 boys...Andrew, Steven, and Joe, guys....from the bottom of my heart I have to thank you. For making me who I am today.

Hope you all enjoy a Tuesday afternoon! Not sure if you guys are familiar with a restaurant called Noodles...we love that place. I will see you next with a dish I created from that place that I get every time I go there! I'll also see you with some new family pictures we had taken, getting the boys to take pictures is a big accomplishement!

2 Ingredient Cupcakes, Easy Peasy Ones.

Good Saturday evening everyone! I feel like a chicken with my head cut off running all over the place this week. Easter preparations and activites have kept me so busy these past days, but I have been enjoying it.

Today I had my first ever photo session with my friend. It could not have gone better, the lighting was perfect and the day was simply gorgeous. It sure helps when you are photographing a beautiful girl. I'll be sharing some pictures from the shoot in a post in the upcoming week. I adore taking photos of people, I feel better being behind the camera.

These cupcakes were some of the best I have had in a long time. I whipped this recipe up and couldn't believe I hadn't tried this sooner. The brownie mix swirled in the cake mix batter
makes these so tasty. It is hard to believe this recipe only has 2 ingredients, I love simple things.

Double Boxed Cupcakes
Ingredients:

1 yellow cake mix (or any kind would work)

1 brownie mix, with chunks

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake mix according to directions. In a another bowl prepare brownie mix according to directions. Grease 2 muffins pans. Fill pans 3/4 full with yellow cake mix batter. Drop a heaping tablespoonful of brownie mix on top of the cake batter in each muffin tin. Swirl with knife. Bake for 20 minutes or until middle is done. Do not overbake.

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Lewis Lewis Lewis. Some days he drives me so mad and other days I feel so happy that he is mine. I have always adored Labs. Lew is my first purebred Lab. And I will have to say I do not adore them as much as I did. Labs are stubborn. Strong willed. Mouthy. Rolly polly. Has a mind of their own. Chews things up endlessly. Gets in the trash. And they make it impossible to catch them. I love Labs but look at them with a realstic view now.

Happy Easter everyone! I hope it is filled with lots of fun and good food. I am hoping for a beautiful sunny day!

Brownies With Peanut Butter, Vanilla Pudding, & Cool Whip.

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Winner of the 2 mugs picked by random.org is:

BrittWilk who said: this week I'm going to start getting us organized for moving logistics!

Congrats Britt! Please contact me at priscilla91@iowatelecom.net.

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Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you all are enjoying some beautiful spring weather this weekend. House cleaning was in full swing this morning and afternoon. While I'm not the biggest fan of cleaning, I love being in a clean house. Friday we hopped to the theater and saw Knowing. I really liked that movie, it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. My Dad was telling my little 14 year old brother he had a shocked and frozen look on his face during the movie. My other little brother walked out of the theater hating it. Today he says it wasn't too bad after all. I personally liked it. It had lots and lots of action. I like action movies. Another movie with not many language issues at all. My favorite character is the little boy Caleb, John's (Nicholas Cage) son.

If you are a big peanut butter fan, I know you will love these brownies. The peanut butter is mixed with vanilla pudding and spread inbetween the brownie and the cool whip chocolate topping. The cool whip topping is light and fluffy but yummy on top of the peanut butter mixture and brownie. They taste best when the brownie are still chewy, so it is important not to overbake them.

Triple-Layer Peanut Butter Brownies
Ingredients:
1 pkg. (19 to 20 oz) brownie mix, prepared in 13x9 inch pan
1 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups Cool Whip Topping, thawed
6 squares Semi-sweet baking chocolate
DIRECTIONS:
Prepare brownies according to box directions. Whisk milk and pudding mix 2 min. while brownies are cooling. Add peanut butter and sugar, mix well. Cover and refrigerate pudding mixture until brownies are completely cooled. Spread pudding mixture over brownies. Melt chocolate squares and combine with cool whip. Spread over pudding. Refrigerate 1 hour.

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My friend sent me a link to this youtube video, I wanted to share it you guys. I was laughing so hard at this, what a funny movie.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll see you with a dinner recipe next!

Classic Crunchy Choc. Chip Cookie W/Brownie Mix.

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A big conrats to the winner of the purse picked by random.org:

A who said: I'm wearing a green shirt--no pinching for me!!!

Congrats A! Please contact me at priscilla91@iowatelecom.net so I can get your prize out to you!

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Good Wednesday everyone! This week is flying by, I can't believe we are already halfway thru March! It seems like yesterday was March 1st. I recently learned how to play "Apples to Apples" (lame that I only learned recently) and I absolutely love that game! I like it when you get cards like when the red card is "frightening" and someone throws in a green card that says "Brad Pitt". I also love playing when you play only with the green cards, where you describe everyone with the adjectives. I've got some pretty mean cards that way. Lets say I'm glad it is all in fun! But why do brothers find great pleasure in giving their sisters cards that say things like insane, painful, or frightening? I am still trying to figure that out.

I took this recipe from the King Arthur Flour, Cookie Companion book and tweaked it. Yum, the addition of a brownie mix adds great flavor and a bit of a brownie like cookie. This recipe is one of my favorite ways to make Chocolate Chip cookies with the addition of vinegar and shortening. I also enjoy all the chocolate chips in this cookie, a whole 3 cups. I personally think the more chips the better.

Classic Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookie With Brownie Mix

Ingredients:

1/2 cup salted butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tsp. vanila extract

3/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp. white vinegar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 - 1/4 cup brownie mix, dry (staright from the box)

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, sugars, vanilla, salt, and vinegar. Beat in the eggs, then the baking soda and flour. Stir in the brownie mix and chips. Drop the dough by a small tablespoonful onto baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.

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Little brothers. I've got 2 of them. They definitely keep my life exciting. They are opposites of each other but keep each other in tact. They are full of energy when it comes to sports. And yes, they are way better than me at the whole sports thing. Although that doesn't keep me from still trying to be okay in their books at it.

Have a fabulous rest of your week and I'll see you next with a tasty recipe!