Post It Note Tuesday: Peanut Butter & Chocolate!

Today is a very special edition of Post-It Note Tuesday. 

Why?

Because today...

I'm in the mood for dessert.

Specifically...

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Dessert!

(Enjoy!) 

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It's no secret that I love sweets (it's also no secret that I have to hit the gym several times per week or I would die from eating so much sweet stuff.)  With fall nipping at our heels, it's time for everything rich- spices, dark chocolate, peanut butter, pumpkin, and lots of cream cheese! 

It's all my mom and I talk about when we're on the phone!

I blame Bob Evans for getting me started on the fall desserts this soon. As I was eating my Blueberry crepe on Sunday morning, i couldn't stop looking at the new fall dessert lineup flipcards - Supreme Pumpkin Pie, Fall Harvest Pumpkin Pie, Blackberry Cobbler, and Peanut Butter Brownie Sunday. Thanks alot for a huge waistline in advance, Bob! (No, seriously... thanks!)

Head on over to Supahmommy's corner of the couch and join in the Post-it Note fun!

 

Sweets for the Sweet

Welcome to

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This week, we're sharing our favorite fruity-inspired dessert!

I'm going with something I've never tried before, but have full intentions to before the summer is over.  I'm always a sucker for chocolate, but i love citrus flavored desserts, too. This particular one caught my eye, from Betty Crocker's website. I think I would probably skip the almonds in this one, but if you're a nut fan, definitely go for 'em!

Creamy Frozen Orange Squares:


2/3 cup coarsely chopped blanched almonds 

5 tablespoons butter
60 vanilla wafer cookies, finely crushed (2 cups)
5 cups vanilla ice cream (from 1/2 gallon), softened
5 cups orange sherbet (from 3 pints), softened
1/2 pint (1 cup) whipping cream, whipped
Orange peel curls, if desired


1. In medium skillet, toast almonds over medium heat 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown. Immediately remove from heat; reserve 2 tablespoons for topping.
2. Add butter to remaining almonds in skillet; stir until butter is melted. Add cookie crumbs; mix well. Press mixture in bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan. Cool completely, about 10 minutes.
3. In large bowl, stir ice cream and sherbet until partially blended. Spoon over cooled crust; smooth top. Cover; freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
4. To serve, cut dessert into squares; place on individual dessert plates. Garnish each with whipped cream, reserved toasted almonds and orange curl.


Now, it's your turn: Grab my Sweets for the Sweets button above, stick it on your sugary post somewhere, and share your favorite fruity treat - then link it up below!  Make sure to check back and read some others' posts - you may find a recipe or treat you would like to make or go out and buy! :) 

Christmas In July and Friday Fives!

Big things are poppin' today -I'm linking up at several Friday Blog Hops, it's a Christmas in July Link Party over @ The Answer is Chocolate, and it's also Friday Fives w/Beth @ Just Me and My Life! I'm attempting to combine everything today, so here goes:

Friday Fives Christmas Edition:
Five things you do to relax, de-stress, maintain your composure, or just enjoy doing for yourself (During the Holiday Season!):
1. Listen to Holiday music on my iPod, earbuds in, while I paint or sketch and nosh on candycanes.
2. Take a hot shower using Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel Shower Gel
3. Curl up on the couch and enjoy a big fat cup of Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa in my  favorite Marshall Mug, or a nice TALLE Starbucks Hot Chocolate if I'm out and about shopping.
4. Ditch work a little early, pick up some Applebees Boneless Buffalo Wings to go, hide out at home and watch a cheesy Christmas movie (I did this a couple times during the past holiday season, and it was AWESOME.)
5. Watch basketball and wrap presents with my husband after a long, crazy day of Christmas shopping (the wrapping is a de-stresser... the shopping, however, IS NOT!)



And now, for those stopping by from the Christmas in July Open House Link Party: my favorite, quickest and easiest, richest, prettiest, chocolatey-est treat to make during the Holidays - OREO TRUFFLES. 
Thousands of girls make them.  Thousands of girls eat them.  I do both.

Oreo Truffles

1 pack Oreos (use all but 8 or 9 cookies)
2 boxes (8 squares ea.) Baker's Semi-sweet melting chocolate
1 pkg (8 oz) Phili Cream Cheese

Toss Oreos in the blender and crush until fine; mix crushed Oreos with cream cheese in a large mixing bowl (this takes a while to stir, but don't give up! Mix until everything is a nice big ball of mush. Don't use a blender - It messes up the texture.)
Melt chocolate in the Microwave - only melt around 8 squares each time. I like to use a small to medium sized ceramic bowl (like Fiestaware), it heats evenly. Take chocolate out a few times, and stir several times to promote melting. Do not cook the chocolate!
Roll Oreo/cream cheese mixture into 1" balls (or use one of those nifty cookie-dough scoops, like this one from Crate&Barrel: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=744&f=10578 )
Dip into melted chocolate, and coat entirely. Place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper, sprinkle on some pretty decorative sugars and other fun thingies, then place in the fridge until the chocolate coating sets - the colder they are, the better they are! They literally melt in your mouth but are extremely rich, so eat with caution. Makes a ridiculous amount (typically around 45 truffles.)
I like to play with the recipe a little - sometimes, I'll substitute chocolate oreos with Golden (vanilla) oreos, and use White (vanilla) chips instead of melting chocolate for those who aren't addicted to chocolate. Or, use different flavors of melting chocolate for the outer coating. Let your creative foodie side go crazy!
*These look great arranged inside mini cupcake liners and placed in a cute tin - delicious gift idea!

Be sure to check out both links below for some Friday Fun!

Christmas in July Open House

Friday Fives @ Just me and my life

And finally, I would like to Welcome all of those stopping in from the Friday Blog Hops!  I hope you check out some of my posts and decide to stay a little while! 

Happy FRIDAY!

Sweets for the sweet

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This week, it's all about cool, summertime treats - tell us about your aunt's key lime pie, a chilled beverage recipe from Betty Crocker's website that you would like to try, or something as simple as an ice cream cone from your favorite local custard stand!

The summertime treat i always turn to for a cool down (and a sugar rush) is an 

ICED MOCHA.  

I love both the Starbucks Cafe Mocha and the McDonald's Iced Mocha.  (How can she like BOTH, you ask?) Starbucks is way smoother, and made with that lovely cocoa powder of theirs, but Starbucks is kind of out of my way in Athens - it's attached to the local Krogers, and who the heck wants to battle the Kroger's crowd for a coffee as often as I need one?  So, I rely on McDonalds, which is conveniently located a couple of minutes away from my apartment and will use extra chocolate syrup if you ask :)  McDonalds is way bitter, but both brands give me that chocolately, coffee infused buzz that I love - and need - when I get sloth-like but still have crap-tons to do.  I especially love drinking iced mochas when i'm being artsy!  It keeps the creative part of my brain rollin'.


I found this super yummy recipe on Rachel Ray's website - give it a whirl!  It's super easy and super RICH.  The recipe does not call for whipped cream on top, but you should definitely add it on before the chocolate shavings.  Drizzle some chocolate syrup on there, too - you know, for good measure:

Iced Cafe Mocha (From Rachel Ray Magazine)
1/2 Cup ground coffee
2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
1/4 Cup sweetened condensed milk
Ice (for serving)
Chocolate Shavings (and whipped cream, and chocolate syrup if you NEED it - like me)

• In a small bowl, combine ground coffee and cocoa. Using a coffee maker, brew with 4 cups of water.  
• Stir condensed milk into coffee, then refrigerate until cool.
• Serve with Ice and chocolate shavings (and whipped cream and chocolate syrup on top, if you NEED it. haha)
• Drink and feel like you're on crack for a while! YAY!

Now, it's your turn: Grab my Sweets for the Sweets button, stick it on your sugary post somewhere, and share your favorite summer treat - then link it up below!  Make sure to check back and read some others' posts - you may find a recipe or treat you would like to make or go out and buy! :)

Pound Cake and Welcome Wednesday!

Dear sweet sugary heavenly goodness, have any of you tried a slice of the Starbucks Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake? If you haven't, DO IT NOW.  It's beautiful looking and beautiful tasting, and you will not be disappointed! I've gotta find an imitation recipe for this because it's seasonal (and time is running out - FAST!)


Thanks to all of the awesome blog hop hosts, I'm gathering awesome new followers, and finding more and more great blogs to follow myself! I'm already brainstorming for my first blog "Celebration"... will it be a giveaway? For the 100th post?... or 100 followers?  What will be in the giveaway, if there is one?  Will it be one of my hand painted wooden signs? Maybe a mixed bunch of goodies? I really haven't a solid clue, but I do have ideas.  I'm a brainstorming fanatic - in fact, that's what I do all day, about everything.   


Just a little side note: I'm currently painting some West Virginia-theme signs to sell to folks back at home and in the Addison Visitor's Center in Webster Springs. The most popular design seems to be this: 

"16" wide x 7.5" tall, with a little sanding around the edges and corners to create that country aged look.  I like adding a bit of wire and ribbon for a little extra something special.  I'm sticking to colors like sage green, creamy blues, antique white, and mauvy pinks which fit in with most country decor perfectly.  My WV Gals are loving this design; however, I'm aware that country boys and small town girls fall in love in places other than the state of West Virginia, so if you're interested in something like this for another location, let me know! I truly love creating this piece - I've done it a few times over, and i enjoy it more each time.  It's just... so... cute and romantic!


To wrap up Hump Day, it's time for the blog hop...

It's Welcome Wednesday over @Take it from Me, so head on over and link up! 

Thanks for reading/following, and Happy HUMP Day!

Welcome to Sweets for the Sweet - Link Up!

~Welcome to~

A special page dedicated to one of our very favorite things:

sugary, satisfying, sometimes even downright sexy - SWEETS!

A weekly opportunity to share your favorite sugary treats, from chain restaurant desserts and store-bought candy, to quick and easy or made-from-scratch recipes - if you need a sugar fix, you've found the right place!

Each weekend I will choose a Sweets for the Sweet theme, along with my own post corresponding with that theme. All you have to do is create your own yummy post, grab the button below, and add it to the top of your post.  Make sure to come back here and share your link (and make sure it's directly to your sweet post!) Talk about a great way to swap delicious recipes and other sugary ideas with fellow bloggers... it's sure to satisfy your sweet tooth! 

<a href="http://snyder1418.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Stephanie S Button" src="http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/snyder1418/sweetsforthesweet.jpg" /></a>

Since it's the first week of Sweets for the Sweet, go ahead and blog about any of your favorite desserts that you think others should try (this should be an easy one - we all have that favorite go-to, don't we?)

I'm kicking things off with a recipe that my mother shared with me this past Christmas.  "Fancy Jelly-Filled Cookies" are melt-in-your-mouth perfect, but are very light - you can't help but to keep eating and eating them!  They're also super cute and look great placed in a seasonal cookie tin as a gift. 

Fancy Jelly-Filled Cookies

3/4 Cup Sugar

3/4 Cup softened butter

2 tsp grated orange peel

1 3 oz. package of cream cheese (the little square Philadelphia ones)

1 egg

2 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 Cup seedless preserves (any flavor will do - red & black raspberry are my faves!)

Glaze:  1/2 Cup Tollhouse white chips (melted)

Preheat oven to 350*F

• Beat cheese, sugar, and butter together; add egg and orange peel, blend well.  Add dry ingredients (flour, baking powder.)
• Cool dough in fridge for half an hour or so
• Shape into 1" balls and place 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheet
• Using the end of a wooden spoon, form a hole in the center of each ball - go as far to the bottom as you can without poking through to the sheet.
• Fill holes with 1/4 tsp preserves
• Bake 11-13 minutes or until firm.
• Move to cooling rack
• Drizzle glaze over cookies

Tip:  pick up a couple of plastic condiment-sized squeeze bottles and fill with preserves/melted white chip glaze - a quicker, neater way to fill cookies with preserves and drizzle glaze!

Makes a 2-3 dozen.

Ok, now it's your turn!!!  Share your yummy dessert post by linking up below!

Friday Free-Write (No.7)

Happy Friday! I can't believe it's already July - the summer is totally flying by.   There are a few things swirling around i my little mind today:

One more month until the beach! My husband and I haven't been to the beach in five years.  In fact, the last time we went to the beach, we weren't married yet. (And while swimming in the ocean, a gigantic wave washed me ashore like a dead fish - and my bikini top was hanging off, my bottoms halfway down my legs. Niiice.) The Snyder fam is headed to Myrtle Beach the first week of August, and I can't wait!  Lots of relaxing and reading - just what I need. 

The Cincinnati Reds are awesome this year! I keep most sports-related thoughts to myself during the summertime, because 1) I'm mostly into football, which i WILL blog about from time to time during the fall, 2)I know most people don't want to hear my sports-related opinions - it's a good way to make enemies and I certainly don't want that, and 3) Summertime is kinda like a "break" from sports for me - they're going on, but it's nice to have a breather after NCAA fball & bball, NFL, and NBA have ended. I'm tightly wound during those seasons!  Anyway, I just wanted to point out that the Reds are doing really well this season - I've claimed the Reds since moving to Athens, and while I wish i could attend more games, I'm happy that I saw them on opening day - and i'm very happy that they're actually winning this year! Adding to that...

Football season is right around the corner! Just another month... then college practice and NFL preseason start!  GO PATRIOTS! GO HERD! GO BOBCATS!

And finally...

I've taken my love for dessert and... decided to start my own meme!  I've found that when I blog about chocolate and other sugary substances, my readers are super interested.  I thought it would be nice to tack this on to my weekend blogging - I'm not specifying a day of the week, because hey - we all like dessert on any given day, right?  A time to share all things dessert related - whether it's an ode to your favorite store-bought candy, a recommendation for a dessert at a restaurant chain that we should all try, or recipes that you would like to share - this will be the time and place.  And of course, Mr. Linky will be around - so get ready! This is the button:

and I'll be kicking things off with my favorite cookie recipe (and surprisingly, it's not chocolate! WOW!)
I can't wait to see how this goes - although I'm sure I'll be wrecking my beach bound body because of it. HAHAHA (like I even had one anyway - no amount of diet or exercise will ever take away my Chocolate pouch!) 


Speaking of dessert... I had a delicious piece of cheesecake with fudge sauce at the Outback last night. Mmmmmm....


So start thinking about your favorite sweet treats - the fun begins tomorrow!  


Have a super Friday!

Tuesday's Feature: Dessert!

Thanks to my friend Aimee, who's hosting a Link-up party over @ Thanks for that Info, I have a wonderful Tuesday blog topic... "DESSERT" (or DIZZERRRT, for all the Kanye West Fans out there - wherever you are!)

Those who know me fully expect this to be about something chocolate - and, well, it is - but not dark or milk chocolate. I'm talking about White Chocolate... I'm talking about
White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake from none other than the Cheesecake Factory. It was love at first taste on June 8th, 2006, when I ate at the Cheesecake Factory for the very first time in my life in Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas. The number of Cheesecake choices were overwhelming, so I went with my first "that sounds good" gut feeling and chose the White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle. It was absolutely heavenly cheesecake goodness, super rich but with just the right amount of tart raspberry swirl to balance out the sugary white chocolate center and dark chocolate crust.
Currently, I limit myself to the White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake Factory experience around twice per year - which keeps it *special* and very exciting. Thank goodness I am reasonably close to Columbus - where my cheesecake heaven is located at the Easton Town Center.
I've tried lots of copycats, but nothing has quite compared to the CF version. If anyone out there has a great White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake recipe they would like to share, please - let me know! And then, if it's successful, i'll blog about my weight gain.

So, what's your fave dessert? Blog about it, and link up at Aimee's Blog!