A Long Lost Blogger is Back! ;)

So here I am. I've been telling myself that I'll sit down and get a post written for a few weeks now, but it just hasn't happened- obviously. But, here I am! Since I've been gone a while this post will just be a mixture of random stuff. ;)


The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan. These are some great books! I finished the latest one a couple of days ago and now have to wait a month until the last one comes out. Waiting can be so hard! But, it's not like it left on a cliff hanger. The last book is going back in the series, and the tenth one ended with a good, final ending. Still, I really wish I didn't have to wait for this one. Have you read the books?

Captain America. We went to see it a few weeks ago, and it was good! I really liked it. It far surpassed the other superhero movies I've seen in theaters this year (Thor and  Green Lantern). Can't wait until it comes out on dvd. :)

Baking is fun. People, let's face it, I'd bake something everyday if I could. A few weeks ago I made a Blackberry Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake. Judging by the way it was gone in a few days I think everyone liked it. The other day I made brownies. Homemade brownies are so much better than the mixes you get at the store. And, yes, the brownies are going fast, too. ;)


The Eagle. We got the movie from Netflix about a week ago and I really want to watch it! I might watch it later. If I do Josh will probably watch it with me. I hope he does because watching movies by yourself isn't any fun. Have you seen it?

I'll be the first to admit, this isn't the most interesting post. But it's a post, and right now I just need to get one up. I will leave you with a few of the pictures I've taken lately. Have a good week!

Which is your favorite?

~Haley

Yes, So Far It's Been A Very Busy Summer

Well, I am very sorry for abandoning my blog like I've done the past few months. I don't have an excuse, but a good reason for letting it go like I have. That reason being: blogging takes time and I usually don't have time for it. I have more important things to do. But, I do miss it. :) So here's an update on what's been keeping me so busy. :)

I started taking guitar lessons. I am very excited about that and am enjoying it a lot. So far it's proven to be very fun and I am looking forward to being able to play some cool songs. ;) Right now I can only play the first 3 strings, but, hey, you gotta start somewhere! I got a new one (I was using my Mom's old one that was like 30 years old and was too small for me) last Friday and am absolutely loving it! Maybe I'll post a picture of it soon.

School. Enough said. I am all but done with 10th grade and then will go directly into 11th. We take our long break during the holidays, so we're working through the summer. I actually think doing school in the summer and taking a break during the holidays is pretty nice. It's SO hot during the summer, so you're usually stuck inside and bored, but around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years your always busy anyway, because that's probably the busiest time of the year. And without school to worry about, it makes that time of year much more relaxed. Just my opinion. ;) Plus, I'd rather go out in the snow than  100 degree weather. And, no, I'm not just saying that because it's summer. ;)

My brother has been taking swim lessons for a while. That's every morning Monday- Thursday. Sometimes my sister and I go swim laps while he's taking his lesson. Swimming is fun and such good exercise! When we were little (like Lindsay 8 and me 6) we were on a swim team. Lindsay was really good! :) Yes, I'm bragging about my sis. ;) Lindsay loves to swim, but I like to. It's fun, but certainly not my favorite thing to do. Well, I'm more of a goof off in the pool, so swimming laps isn't as fun to me as just playing in the pool is. ;)

Reading. Okay, so y'all probably already know how I love to read- it's like my absolute favorite thing to do. So, yeah, I've been pretty busy reading. I thought it would be cool to keep track of all the books I read this year, so whenever I finish a book I write it on a list, write the author's name, and the date I finished it. Yes, I'm cool like that. :) Just kidding. But, yeah, it's been fun to see the list grow and grow. Plus it keeps me reading every day. I mean, I want to write as many books on that list as I can before the end of the year. Yesterday afternoon I got a book I'd been waiting for in the mail. I started it at about 6:00 p.m and read the first four chapters. Then I took a break and came back at 9:00, got in bed, and read the last 24 chapters. Yeah, I turned my light off at 1:45 a.m. It was just so good. I couldn't put it down until there was nothing left to read in it. ;) I'm sure y'all know what I mean. ;)

My family and I took a day trip to a nearby lake last Saturday, which was a lot of fun. We took a picnic, hiked, and drove around. I love doing that kind of stuff. I'm not a super outdoorsy kind of girl, like I don't think I would like camping  (which I've never done), but I love hiking and having picnics and stuff. And I love the scenery where we went. It was beautiful! I'll post some pictures soon. Promise.

"I promise.

And when I promise something, I never ever break that promise.

EVER!"

- Rapunzel from Tangled

Sorry, couldn't help but put that in. For some reason it just popped into my head when I promised y'all I'd post some pictures. ;)

Just a sneak peek of what's to come. ;) One of the pictures I took last Saturday.

Soooooooo, that's a little of what's been keeping me busy. I have to go now, though, so see ya sometime soon! Hopefully soon. Yes, I will post again soon, don't worry. ;) And, no, I don't blame you if you don't believe me. ;)

~Haley

Whoopie Pie Recipe

Yesterday I made some whoopie pies. They take a while to make, but are so worth it! I got the recipe from the wonderful Miss Jen. I'd made them once before, but decided to make them again after watching an episode of  Throwdown With Bobby Flay on Whoopie Pies. ;)

Pictures taken by Lindsay. Thanks!!

Whoopie Pies

Cakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch-processed

cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1 cup packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter

(1 stick), softened but still cool

1 large egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

Filling

12 tablespoons unsalted butter

(1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon table salt

2 1/2 cups Marshmallow Fluff

For the cakes:

Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. With electric mixer on medium speed, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in egg until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and beat in one-third of flour mixture, then half of buttermilk. Repeat with half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining buttermilk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Using rubber spatula, give batter final stir. Using 1/3-cup measure, scoop 6 mounds of batter onto each baking sheet, spacing mounds about 3 inches apart. Bake until cakes spring back when pressed, 12 to 16 minutes, switching and rotating pans halfway through baking. Cool completely on baking sheets, at least 1 hour.

For the filling:

With electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla and salt. Beat in Fluff until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate filling until slightly firm, about 30 minutes. (Bowl can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 2 days.) Dollop 1/3 cup filling on center of flat side of 6 cakes. Top with flat side of remaining 6 cakes and gently press until filling spreads to edge of cake. Serve. (Whoopie pies can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 3 days.)

~Haley

Oreo Balls Recipe

Josh and I made these for the first time yesterday and they turned out delicious! They were fun, easy, and pretty when finished. :)

Oreo Balls-

1 package regular size Oreo cookies, crushed
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 package white almond bark
1 package chocolate almond bark

What to do-

Using a blender or hand held mixer, mix Oreos and cream cheese together. Roll into walnut size balls. Chill for an hour. Melt approximately 3/4 package white almond bark. Stick a toothpick in an Oreo ball and dip it in melted white almond bark. Allow to harden on wax paper, which takes about 15 minutes. While waiting, melt about 1/4 package of chocolate almond bark. When Oreo balls are no longer sticky to the touch, decorate with drizzles of chocolate almond bark. Enjoy! :)

~Haley

Cookies...

Last week I baked a few different kinds of cookies. There's just something about cookies and Christmas that click, don't you think? I love baking Christmas treats! Put on my favorite music and an apron, and I could stay in the kitchen all day! ;)

Have a blessed Christmas week!

~Haley

Sugar Cookies

The other day Josh and I made some sugar cookies. This is the second year we've made them, and I think it's kind of becoming a tradition. :) He likes to ice them, then I go and decorate. We have a lot of fun together! :)

                                     

Which is your favorite?

~Haley

Cold Days...

The past couple of days have been pretty cold. Yesterday morning it was 26 degrees and felt like 20 degrees. Yikes!

 The leaves have fallen

 Leaving the trees bare...

 It's the perfect time for one of my cold-weather drinks... :)

 And chocolate chip pumpkin muffins...

And gloves, sweaters, etc... :)

But, I guess you get the point. ;)

~Haley

Peanut Butter Cup Brownie S'mores and a Baseball Game

I made these brownies the other day and everybody loved them!  I got the recipe from Paula Deen's show and knew, after I saw the finished product and her eating it, that I had to make some. They're really good and a lot of fun to make! :)

Peanut Butter Cup Brownie S'mores

1 cup butter, softened, plus more for baking dish

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup marshmallow creme

8 chocolate covered peanut butter cups

What to do-

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 13 by 9, 2-inch baking dish. Using an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla and mix well.

In separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Spoon it into the baking dish and bake for 35 minutes. Let cool completely, then cut into 16 squares. Heat a grill or pan to medium heat.

Spread the marshmallow creme evenly over eight brownies, and top with chocolate covered peanut butter cups. Top with remaining brownies. Wrap each brownie sandwich in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Grill for 4 minutes, turning once. Unwrap and serve immediately. Enjoy! :)

And, on a random note, did any of y'all see the Phillies vs. Giants game last night? I did, and was really excited because I got to see Oswalt pitch. He even hit a single, starting a big inning for them, and ended up sliding home! I am SO glad he's finally off the Astros. I know the Phillies fans love him. ;)

So, considering I want the Phillies to win the World Series (I want the Phillies and Rangers to be in it), I thought it was a really fun game to watch. :) Who do you want to win the World Series?

~Haley

Cappuccino Muffins

Last night my siblings asked me to make some of these muffins (they shouldn't be called muffins at all, they should be called cupcakes ;). They had the taste for some, and so did I, so I made some this morning and decided to share the recipe. :)

Cappuccino Muffins

2 c. flour

3/4 c. sugar

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. baking cocoa

1 c. milk

2 Tbsp. instant coffee granules

1 egg, beaten

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 c. mini chocolate chips

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside. Mix together milk, coffee, and egg; stir into flour mixture. Stir in butter and vanilla; mix well. Stir in choc. chips. Spoon batter into paper lined or greased muffin cups, filling 2/3 way full. Bake at 375 degrees for 17-20 minutes; until a toothipck tests clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack and finish cooling. Makes one dozen. Enjoy! :)

And yes, those are Christmas muffin liners. Hey, we didn't have any others! ;)

Have a great week!

~Haley

Yesterday Morning I...

Made some of these Golden Doughnut Holes. It was a lot of fun and they turned out pretty good. :)


Golden Doughnut Holes

oil plus 1/4 c. oil
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar, divided
3 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 t. nutmeg
1/4 c. plus 1 t. cinnamon, divided
3/4 c. milk
1 egg

Add enough oil to a deep fryer to measure 3-4 inches, then set at 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, sift together flour 1/4 c. sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and one teaspoon cinnamon. In a separate bowl, blend remaining 1/4 cup oil, milk, and egg together;add to dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Drop 4-5 teaspoonfuls of batter into hot oil and cook 3 minutes or until golden. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate while you repeat with the remaining batter. Blend together remaining cinnamon and sugr and while doughnut holes are still warm, roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Makes 2-3 dozen doughnut holes.

As you can see I rolled them in powdered sugar instead of cinnamon-sugar. :)

~Haley

Happy Christmas Eve!

Yesterday, since me and my brother were the only ones home, I decided that we'd do something fun. We decided we'd like to try out our new cookie cutters and make some sugar cookies. One reason we wanted to make them is so we could try our hand at decorating them! :) We had a lot of fun together! Here are some pictures of them:

~

Here is a recipe for peppermint punch I'm going to make tonight. We've never made it before, but it sure sounds good!

Peppermint Punch

1 qt. pepprmint ice cream, softened
1 c. milk
2 -ltr. bottle gingerale, chilled
Garnish: peppermint sticks, finely crushed or whole

Directions:
In large punch bowl, blend together ice cream and milk; stir gently. Slowly add gingerale; stir until combined. Moisten rims of glasses with water and dip into finely crushed candy. Serve with peppermint stick stirrers, if desired. Serves 8-10.

Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Christmas Eve and Christmas!

- Haley

Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes :)

Hello everyone!
Yesterday I made some of these cupcakes and I thought I'd share the recipe. So, here it is! :)

Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup powdered cocoa

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg

1/4 cup corn oil (I use vegetable oil)

2/3 cup milk

1 tsp. mint extract

1 cup miniature chocolate chips

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 dgrees. In large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in cocoa, sugar, and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg. Stir in the corn oil , milk, and mint extract. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir in the chocoalte chips. Stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Fill greased muffin tins. Bake for 18 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Makes one dozen cupcakes.

~

On a side note, earlier this week I made some pumpkin mufins and I forgot to put the sugar in the mixture! When they came out and someone commented on how they tasted, well, sugarlees, I was like, "Oopsies!" So whenever somebody got a muffin they sprinkled sugar on the top. Man, they were gross without the sugar! Oh well, I don't think I'll do that again for a long time! :)

Pretzel Fun

Yesterday me and my sister decided to make pretzels! Since it was cold and rainy, it seemed like the perfect day for it.

Almost done!

We shaped our brother's name. He was pleasantly surprised because he didn't even know that we were making them. :)

This was definitely our favorite ingredient! :)

Done and cooling! Mmm...

Here's the recipe we used:

Ingredients:
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1-1/2 cups warm water (110° to 115°)
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup cold water
Coarse salt

Directions:
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add flour and salt; stir to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead 4-5 times. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes. Punch dough down and divide into 20 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a 15-in. long strip; twist into a pretzel shape. Combine baking soda and cold water; brush over pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 450° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 20 (small) pretzels.

Cinnamon Apple Bread

2 sticks melted butter
1/4 cup milk
3 eggs
1 and 1/4 cup sugar
1tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 1/2 cups peeled and diced apples

Topping:
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup chopped nuts

Mix well the butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, then mix in the milk and vanilla. Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir into the butter mixture. Fold in apples and pecans. Bake in two well greased loaf pans at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Do not remove from oven but sprinkle the combined topping on both loaves. Bake for another 25-35 minutes. Makes two loaves.

~
We have an apple tree in our new backyard and it's loaded down with apples, so I thought I'd use a few of them for some apple bread. After looking around awhile I found this recipe. It sounded really good and decided to try it. Well, it was a big hit with everyone and is definitely a keeper! I thought it tasted like apple pie! Yeah, kind of weird for bread, but hey, I didn't mind! :)

Just thought I'd share the recipe with y'all! Hope everyone's having a wonderful and blessed week!

For Him,

A Really Easy Cake

This is one of my favorite cake recipes. It's really easy to make and is quite delicious!

Panic Cake

2 cans of pie filling

1 box of yellow cake mix

2 sticks of melted butter

1/2 cup of chopped pecans ( optional* )


Grease 9x13 pyrex. Spread pie filling in pan. Pour dry cake mix over filling. Pour melted butter and nuts over cake mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Enjoy! :) *We don't put nuts in.

I hope that you like it!