Banana Oatmeal Crumb Cake

This recipe for Banana Oatmeal Crumb Cake comes courtesy of Carol at AllRecipes.com. Many of my recipes start by having a bunch of ingredients I want/need to use before they go bad or if because they're all I have left in the house. My only change to the original recipe is I left out the walnuts. I'm not a big fan, nor did I have any around. I had some bananas that were over-ripe, and was craving a coffee cake-like recipe. This cake is delicious, and can be made with stuff you'll already have around the house. However, my topping wasn't very crumb-y like a crumb cake. I'm not sure what to do there, suggestions appreciated. I enjoyed with a nice hot cup of black coffee (how's that for a pairing).

Easy Apple Cobbler

Using short cuts such as boxed baking mix and a short list of ingredients makes this recipe quick and easy, and not to mention delicious. Apples can be macintosh, gala, honeycrisp; whatever you have on hand. Pair this recipe with a a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a hot cup of coffee!

Sweet & Simple: Strawberry Ice Cream Cakes

Dessert is as simple as scooping out some vanilla ice cream and convincing your guests they're eating gourmet food. Strawberries, vanilla ice cream, and dessert shells make for an affordable, delicious, and light tasting dessert. This recipe would work well with almost any berry or a mix of berries.

The sponge cake dessert shells used in this recipe are usually found in your grocery store's produce section (check near the berries). Six dessert shells ran me about 2.29 (or about 38 cents a shell). If you make this recipe in the springtime, strawberries are usually on sale - I bought them for buy one get one free and ended up paying $4 for 2 lbs of strawberries (you only need 1 lb). Finally, vanilla ice cream will cost you roughly $4-$5 and you'll have plenty leftover for late night snacks. Overall, you're looking at $1.48 for each yummy serving.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I'm not even sure if this recipe needs a foreword. Let's just say, these cookies will not last long around the house, at work, or with whatever group of people you decide to grace with their deliciousness. Just make sure there's enough milk in the fridge.

(I'm in love, and you will be too.)

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Source: Recipe from Betty Crocker)
These cookies are a show stopper.  My favorite icecream flavor translated into a delicious cookie, and made simple with Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix. This recipe will make about 36 cookies, but trust me when I say they will not last long in any social circle. I was not able to find creme de menthe chips so I used 1 package of Andes Mints, coarsley chopped, and they worked perfectly. Enjoy!

 

Big congrats to local bakery Vegan Treats

Vegan Treats is a local vegan bakery in the Lehigh Valley, and its popularity has sky-rocketed over the past few years, not only due to the increasing awareness of the vegan lifestyle and its health benefits but also because their sweet treats are outright DELICIOUS! I was excited to read this article in the Easton Express-Times this morning that this bake shop and owner Danielle Konya are going to be featured in a reality series on Animal Planet this summer (I imagine, due to the animal-friendly nature of the business). I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for this one!



Photo by P. Petty for Easton Express-Times

 


Photo by P. Petty for Easton Express-Times



Chocolate Oreo Truffles

This has become my new Valentine's Day tradition. Cream cheese and oreos covered in 2 kinds of chocolate, what more could a girl want? Make this easy dessert to share with your girlfriends as you hate on Valentine's day and being single, or make them to win over the man in your life (they say the stomach is the way to a man's heart). A friend recommends making them with white chocolate instead of dark for a winter party so they look like little snowballs. Either way, enjoy this recipe adapted from Kraft's Easy Oreo Truffles.

nom nom nom