Butterbeer

I'm kind of a Harry Potter freak.  Actually a major Harry Potter freak.  Let's face it.  I'm basically a 12 year old living an adult life. I make my husband take me to the dentist. I call him to come home from work to kill spiders for me. I still buy clothes from the children's section and I wear them. I laugh inopportunely in awkward situations and I still use my index finger & thumb to tell my right from my left.

Garlic Artichoke Dip

Lest you think all I eat is sugar...

I'm pretty sure I had this for lunch the other day.

Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate-Dipped Marshmallows on a Stick (w a S'more variation)

That's right.  It's a stuffed marshmallow on a stick.  Dipped in chocolate.  I'm still trying to figure out how it took me this long to think of these.  Is it normal to dream up recipes in your sleep?  I totally dreamed up this recipe in my sleep.

Chocolate-dipped Peanut Butter Marshmallow Oreo Pops

So I got bored the other day while I was waiting for my Chocolate-dipped S'more Pops to set and I found some Double-Stuf Oreos in the pantry.  I thought I'd try a little spin-off on Oreo pops and add marshmallow and pb.  The result is a cute pop that tastes a LOT like Peanut Butter Patties (Does anyone know what I'm talking about?  I have no idea what the pb Girl Scout cookies are called nowadays, but back when I was a Daisy and slap bracelets and pogs were cool- we called them Peanut Butter patties).  I LOVED this combinated.  These may be my favorite pop yet.

Chocolate-Dipped S'mores on a Stick

So remember in that super famous movie The Sandlot, how the kids make S'mores and the dorky kid is like "S'more what? S'more what?"  I know you do.  Well I just want you to know that on the 4th of July we had a picnic dinner about 3 feet from the Sandlot baseball diamond.  (Like, where they filmed it.)  And there were kids playing baseball on it. Is there a more patriotic way to spend America's birthday?  I think not.  You should probably be a lot jealous of me.  Anyways, this post has nothing to do with the Sandlot, or the 4th of July, but it has a lot to do with S'mores.

Mickey Mouse Oreo Pops

So I wasted basically the whole day on Tuesday planning our ride strategy for Disneyland.  

 (In case you're wondering, we're not going until October, but us OCD freaks really like to plan.  Like REALLY like to plan.  I have our entire packing list typed up, have been brainwashing our 3 year old with DisneyParks videos on Netflix for awhile now, and am appalled at how few Halloween costumes are available in July.  Really now. Come on Target.).

In case you didn't know there is a strategy that works best.  If you would like to know a fun fact about me, it is that I am pretty much a Disney expert.  Which means I am also a nerd. I know all about the "secret" bathroom, California Adventure's unofficial opening 1/2 hour before posted, and the real skulls that are stuck in the walls of Pirates of the Caribbean.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, congratulations, you probably have a life.  If you do, we should probably be BFF's.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins with Pecan Streusel

To every 10 year old child within a 40-mile radius of my house,

I know you think those rolling skatey shoes are super cool.  It's probably kind of like taking the moving sidewalk (also known as a travelator, but I'm guessing that wasn't on your 5th grade vocab list) at the airport when everyone else has to walk.  If I were you I would probably think they were "the bomb" as well.  I mean, I like to take pictures of my friends crashing into displays at Target and post them on the internet too. However, no offense, but you look kinda dumb.  Also you're not making a great case for lowering the driving age to eleven.  And plus, since I write my local governor daily urging him to pass a law outlawing these maniacal shoes, that have almost claimed my life twice, I'm pretty sure they will soon be illegal as well.  I sympathize with you.  Really I do.  But cut your losses and scrap the shoes immediately.  Maybe your mom will buy you some super awesome toning shoes instead.

Thanks.
Katie

PS- Have a muffin

Pumpkin Waffles with Apple Cider Syrup

 

Just indulge me for a few days here and embrace my abundance of Fall recipes. I have a little bit of an obsession with the season and since everyone and their chia pet is having a "Christmas in July" sale, I'm pretty sure I can have a letspretenditsfallandnot5000degreesoutside post. Am I right?  Thank you very much.

Peach Cobbler Muffins

Because everybody needs a peach cobbler muffin for breakfast now and again.

Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

I saw this recipe on Pinterest the other day.  That website seriously gets me in so much trouble.  I omitted the currants because, well, for one thing I haven't the slightest idea where one even goes to buy currants, and for another, I didn't feel like having strange pieces of random fruit in my cookies.  But do whatever you want.  Word on the street (and by street, I mean MarthaStewart.com) is that you can replace the currants with raisins.  Your call.  Martha's frosting was.... less than desireable.  I don't know if it was the lemon juice or what the heck was wrong but it was a big fail.  It tasted salty and sour and weird.  Maybe she got the recipe in jail.  I don't know.

Anyways, I replaced it with some of my own cream cheese frosting and suddenly everything was right in the world.  These are AWE. SOME.  Put them in your tummy now.  You can also make the cookies a day in advance and store them in a Ziploc.  It makes these super fast to assemble and eat. The cookies are chewier than I expected and taste a bit like a gingersnap/carrot cake cross, but they are still amazing.  If you are afraid of grating carrots, you need to invest in one of these. Seriously.  I'm pretty sure that's the best five dollars you will ever spend.

Malt Shoppe Ice Cream Pie

It makes me sad when I make something so delicious and the pictures turn our horrible.  Maybe you remember my disclaimer that I am NOT a photographer?  In case you needed proof I thought I'd post this picture.  Just take my word that this ice cream pie is so worth making and buying all the ingredients for.  (I don't know about you but I didn't have almost *any* of these ingredients in my pantry.)  Still glad I made it. There's something about malt that's just knock-your-socks-off. You're going to want to use a Springform pan for this.  (That's the kind where the sides unlatch and pop right off).  Play with your pan before you make this.  If you're a moron like me and haven't used your Springform for awhile, you might spend 10 minutes trying to figure out how it comes apart and almost dump the whole pie on the floor.  It could be bad news bears.

Blackberry and Strawberry Lemonade Pops

Remember kinda a long time ago (but really only like 2 weeks ago) when I made those Cherry Limeade pops? Well these have been floating around in my brain ever since then and I finally made them.  So easy.  So yummy. They would probably be better with fresh lemonade, but hey, I'm kind of a lazy kind of girl and nobody gives me grades or gold stars for my cooking.  When *that* program is implemented let me know.  I get pretty competitive when gold stars are involved.

Banana Cream Pie Pops

I am tired of Summer.  I don't think anyone is ever supposed to admit that, but I'm ready for it to be Fall and Halloween and the season of unreasonable eating.  If it was Fall I would just make a pie and pretend to be practicing for Thanksgiving.  Since it's Summer I have to put a frackin' stick in my pie and pretend it's a popsicle so all my "healthy friends" will eat it.  (Since summer is also the season of fruit diets and bathing suits, no one wants to be my friend in the summer). 

Thin Mint Popcorn

I know you probably think all my family ever eats is popcorn and popsicles.  Just to reinforce that idea I thought I better post my latest popcorn creation.  Cinnabon might still be my favorite, but my husband (who is a chocolate-mint hater) went crazy over this! Also there is a leafy green in my picture so the road to healthier family eating is being paved already.  Seriously, this is a big step for me guys.

Strawberry Sauce & Blackberry Sauce

These are two great basic berry sauces that can be used for topping cheesecake, ice cream, or waffles, or even mixing into lemonade.  They can be kept in the freezer as well, so you'll always have some when you need it.


Blackberry Sauce
-2 cups blackberries (or 8 ounces if you're cool and have a kitchen scale like me), frozen is fine.
-3-4 tbsp white sugar, depending on the sweetness of your berries
-1/2 tsp vanilla

or

Strawberry Sauce
recipe from Our Best Bites

1 pint strawberries, fresh is best

1/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

If you're using fresh berries, wash and hull them (cut out the gross white part in the middle/under the stem of your strawberries). If you're using frozen berries let them thaw. Combine all 3 ingredients for your recipe in a medium saucepan and simmer over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes while stirring constantly. Feel free to mash up those berries. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Then pulse in a blender until smooth. If you're doing blackberries, pour mixture through a fine strainer to remove seeds; store in the refrigerator. (Or freezer if you won't be using in the near future).

Cherry Limeade Popsicles

No need for Happy Hour at Sonic anymore!  These pops are SO yummy and so refreshing.  If summer had a taste, this would be it!