WE LOVE ...

Hot Chocolate Pops

Hot chocolate has always been a favorite

at our house.

The other day we were at the store and saw chocolate squares on a stick.

I was inspired to go home and make them myself.

I bought three different types of chocolate ...

dark, milk and white chocolate.

First, you have to melt the chocolate as directed on the package.

After this, you pour the chocolate into ice cube trays to harden.

You have to let the chocolate thicken a little bit before you put in the sticks

and then you let it sit over night or for 8 hours.

(I found that the white chocolate did not set as well as the milk or dark chocolate.)

The idea is to heat up 6 - 8 oz. of milk,

and stir in the chocolate.

After it melts, you have an amazing cup of Hot Cocoa!

Icebox Cake...Blast From The Past Monday

It's Monday...so that means it's time for a blast from the past recipe! This is our first post like this but eventually we would like to get others to join in with their retro recipes. Until we get the word out, which may take a long time since we are not "mom bloggers", it'll probably just be our recipes. But we promise to make them good ones! First up...Icebox Cake. We first heard of this from a friend of our mom's...Ronda from Stellas Mom. She has made this for years for family birthdays. Jordie decided to try it the other night as a dessert for Super Bowl Sunday...and we LOVED it! We did our homework and learned a bit about Icebox Cake... It is called an Icebox Cake in America, a Zebra Cake in Great Britain and a Chocolate Ripple Log in Australia. The first icebox cake was from the early 1900's and became more popular in the 1930's with housewives eager to use their "iceboxes". While there are a number of variations, the basic icebox cake is a dessert consisting of whipped cream (real whipping cream is the secret), and chocolate wafers. (This is how we did it but our actual recipe is listed below in our post.) The recipe is also on the back of the box of Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers. It says the wafers are stacked to form a log with whipped cream holding them together, and then the log is laid on its side. A second log is formed and the two are set side-by-side and more whipped cream covers the exterior. The cake is then left overnight to chill in the refrigerator (or icebox:-) The wafers absorb moisture from the whipped cream and it reminded us of an oreo cake. You can really play with this cake and make it how you like. We recommend layering the whipping cream generously between the wafers. It doesn't look like a fancy cake but it tastes good:-) This dessert is usually served by cutting it into slices at a 45 degree angle, so bands of chocolate and cream are visible across each slice. We thought the wafers would be in the cookie section at the grocery store but we actually found them with the ice cream toppings. Maybe they're good crumbled on ice cream, too! If you ever need an easy and delicious dessert, give it a try. As you can see by this picture, Maui liked it. He managed to sneak a lick when we had it on the counter...he knows anything with whipped cream on it must be good! Icebox cake Prep Time: 20 minutes Ingredients: ~~1-2 pkg. plain chocolate wafers (Famous Wafers), about 60 ~~2 cups heavy cream ~~1/2 cup powdered sugar ~~1 tsp. vanilla

Preparation:

Beat together cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff. Spread a generous spoonful on each cookie and stack them on a serving plate to make a long log. When all the cookies are frosted and stacked, cover the entire log with more whipped cream to cover thoroughly. Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least four hours. Slice on a diagonal to serve. Or, you can divide the wafers into eight groups. Frost the top of each wafer and stack them vertically, making eight stacks of cookies. Then frost the top and sides of each little stack, like you would a cake. Top each with a maraschino cherry half and chill for at least four hours. Serve one stack to each diner. Serves 8 Here is another variation...this sounds good too!

“Chocolate Éclair” Icebox Cake

Makes 14 servings

16 oz. package of graham crackers

2 (3.5 oz.) packages instant vanilla pudding mix

3 cups whole milk

8 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed

16 oz. container chocolate frosting

Blend the pudding mix, whipped topping, and milk in a medium sized bowl. Stir until well blended.

Place one single layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a 9x13" baking pan. Do not crumble, but leave the crackers whole. Fill in gaps with crackers broken in half if necessary. Spoon half of the pudding mixture over the crackers and spread evenly. Repeat with another layer of crackers and remaining pudding mixture. Finish with a layer of graham crackers. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set up a bit.

Stir the frosting and spread it over the whole cake up to the edges of pan. Cover and refrigerate cake for at least 4 hours before serving.

Tollhouse Cookie Bars...So Good!

So we were watching the Florida Gators on Saturday Night... (Go Gators...GO TEBOW!!!) and our Dad asked us to make Nestles Tollhouse Cookie Bars. We make chocolate chip cookies ALL THE TIME but we couldn't remember having them in a bar. He had them like that when he was a kid so we went to the store, bought a bag of choc. chips and made them. OMG...these were amazing!!!!! We might never make regular cookies again. So if you're looking for a quick, easy, delicious dessert or snack, make a pan of these. We just followed the directions on the back, except we used a 9 x 13 cake pan instead of a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan. This made them thicker...and we think they're better!:-) Ciao!

Taylor's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Worlds Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients:

~ 1 cup all-purpose flour ~ 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder ~ 1/4 tsp. salt ~ 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature ~ 1/4 cup vegetable shortening ~ 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar ~ 1/2 cup granulated sugar ~ 1 egg ~ 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract ~ 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips ~1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir together the ingredients until well blended. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, shortening, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat the mixture until smooth, scrape down the sides. Add the egg and vanilla and continue on medium speed until well blended. Add the flour mixture. Pour in the chocolate chips. Space the cookies about 1 1/2 in. apart. Bake the cookies until golden brown, 12 to 14 min. Let cool for about 10 min. You can store the cookies in an airtight container for up to one week. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

I got this recipe from my best friend when I moved. My sister and I love making these cookies together!! Jordie loves these cookies so much that every year she wants me to make them on her birthday!! I suggest that you double this recipe because it does make a small batch. My favorite thing about these cookies is how the semisweet and milk chocolate chips complement each other!! Our motto is "We make it, You eat it!!"