Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Brownies

I tried to go on a "no sugar" diet for the month of November.

It didn't last very long.

I just really believe in enjoying food and tasting delicious things. And I think I should be allowed to have a brownie if I want. As long as I can stop at just one (or two? Let's be honest. Two).

So these are not the best treat to make for the kids at church when you're trying to refrain from eating more than just one... because they are incredible and it's pretty much impossible to stop tasting them. They are exactly as delicious as they look and sound. Make them, but make sure you have enough people to share them with. :)

Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Brownies

3/4 C sweetened condensed milk, divided (fat-free is fine)
1/4 C butter, melted and cooled (1/2 stick)
1/4 C non-fat milk
1 box devil’s food cake mix (18.25 oz)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
cooking spray
1 7 oz jar marshmallow creme (about 1 3/4 C)
1/2 C peanut butter morsels



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With an electric mixer, combine 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk, milk, butter, cake mix, and egg white. Mixture will be very thick. Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Use either floured hands, or spray your hands with cooking spray in order to press it down without having it stick to your fingers. The layer will be thin. Bake for 10 minutes.

Combine 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk and marshmallow creme in a bowl and combine until smooth. Stir in PB morsels. No one will tell if you stir in some extras. Spread marshmallow layer over brownie layer in pan. Carefully drop remaining brownie batter by spoonfuls over marshmallow mixture. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. (The original recipe calls for 30 minutes, but many readers have noted that 20 minutes was perfect, and I usually only bake for about 20-25). Remove from oven and cool before cutting into squares.

Recipe from Our Best Bites, originally from Cooking Light Magazine (imagine that!).

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Maple Syrup

Because it's fall. And because you're worth it.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Maple Syrup

Pancakes:
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt

Syrup:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon maple extract



In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a separate bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

Get the syrup started so you can make it while flipping pancakes. Combine sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Stir in water and mix well. Place the saucepan over med-high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes, until sugars dissolve, giving it a good stir every 30-45 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in maple extract.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Recipe slightly adapted from Allrecipes.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Hurricane Irene passed through NYC last night, and we hunkered down and spent the day indoors waiting for the storm. After several hours, an episode of Bachelor Pad, a batch of cookies, three games of solitaire and one movie, I was bouncing off the walls from boredom. I had scoured Facebook, read my Twitter page, and emptied my Google Reader in search of entertainment and had exhausted all options. Finally I turned to Pinterest as a last resort. I am new to Pinterest and haven't pinned anything myself, but I get on and flip through everyone else's pins when I get bored.

That is how I came upon this recipe. If there was no other reason for me to have joined Pinterest, this would be enough. A friend pinned this last night and I knew I had to make it immediately. So this morning after the hurricane had passed, I made Cinnamon Roll Cake for a Sunday morning breakfast to celebrate the fact that our windows didn't break and our power didn't go out during the storm.

I don't think I need to do much to convince you to make this cake. I mean, look at it. All that gooey, warm, cinnamon sugary, cinnamon roll goodness. You probably already have all the ingredients on hand. And this is a lot easier and faster than making actual cinnamon rolls. Plus, it is really pretty when it comes out of the oven (even without the icing!):

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes. While still warm, drizzle glaze over the cake.

Recipe from Cookin' Up North, via Pinterest.

Pesto Chicken Pizza

I will admit, I was real proud of this one. I needed to use up the last of this jar of pesto sauce from Costco and what do you know, I ended up making one of my favorite homemade pizzas of all time. (The winner would be a classic sausage margherita with homemade pizza sauce, fresh sliced mozzarella, fresh basil and spicy italian sausage, in case you were wondering.) This pesto pizza tasted like something from a restaurant. The oil from the pesto sauce sort of soaked into the crust during baking, making it brown up nicely and taste amazing. This smelled so divine coming out of the oven. I am a big fan of pesto and I just loved this pizza.

Pesto Chicken Pizza

1 batch perfect pizza crust
1/2-3/4 cup prepared pesto sauce (I get a great deal at Costco)
1 1/2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 small jar artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
2 chicken breast halves, grilled and sliced
1/2 sweet yellow onion, sliced


Preheat the oven to 500° F. (If you have a pizza stone, preheat it in the oven and use a pizza peel or parchment paper to transfer topped pizza to stone before baking.) Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal. Gently roll out the pizza dough into a large circle on a lightly floured counter top, leaving a thicker ring around the edge for the crust. Spread the pesto sauce in a thin layer evenly over the unbaked crust. Sprinkle with half the shredded mozzarella. Top with chicken, onion and artichoke hearts. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. Let pizza cool for a couple minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

Pizza crust from Annie's Eats.

BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza

Klane loves barbecue pulled pork, but every time I make it we have a ton of leftover meat that we have to figure out how to use. This recipe was born out of a need to use up leftover pulled pork. I've done a barbecue chicken pizza before, and this is basically a twist on that. It felt like a gamble throwing pork on a pizza, but it turned out to be a winning combination. We loved this!

BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza

1/2 recipe perfect pizza crust
leftover pulled pork
1 small green pepper, sliced
1 roma tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 red onion, sliced
1/2-3/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Rays)
1 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 500° F. (If you have a pizza stone, preheat it in the oven and use a pizza peel or parchment paper to transfer topped pizza to stone before baking.) Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal. Gently roll out the pizza dough into a large circle on a lightly floured counter top, leaving a thicker ring around the edge for the crust. Spread the BBQ sauce in a thin layer evenly over the unbaked crust. Sprinkle with half the shredded mozzarella. Top with pulled pork, tomato, onion and green peppers. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and drizzle a little more sauce on top. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. Let pizza cool for a couple minutes before slicing so the toppings don't fall off!

Seven Layer Dip

Nothing beats a good seven layer dip at a summer gathering. Everyone will gather around the dip and enjoy good conversation, interspersed with exclamations of, "I can't stop eating this dip!" and "This stuff is amazing!" This is always my experience with seven layer dip. It is definitely a crowd pleaser. Plus, it is super easy to make. Sometimes I make a simplified version (pictured above) if I don't have everything on hand, which is still delicious.

Seven Layer Dip

2 avocados - peeled, pitted and diced
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup salsa
garlic salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
4 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
2 cups shredded Mexican-style cheese blend
1 (2.25 ounce) can black olives - drained and sliced

In a medium bowl, mash the avocados. Mix in lime juice, cilantro, salsa, garlic salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, blend the sour cream and taco seasoning.
In a 9x13 inch dish or on a large serving platter, spread the refried beans. Top with sour cream mixture. Spread on guacamole. Top with tomatoes, green onions, Mexican-style cheese blend and black olives.
Devour with tortilla chips.

Evidence of good times surrounding seven layer dip: