Carrot Coconut Bread

Easter is right around the corner, which means it's pretty much carrot cake season. I'm not a huge fan of carrot cake, but I will have a piece when in the right mood. And I'll certainly entertain the idea of turning carrot cake into something else, like a cookie or in this case, a lovely loaf of quick bread. I actually made this twice in the past week--once for my friend Cindy for her birthday baking and again for us because Dave was drooling when he saw Cindy's loaf and I think was a little disappointed he couldn't try it. But I'm glad to repeat it since it's a delicious twist on a breakfast or snack bread and was super easy to make. And the glaze. Do not skip the glaze. If carrot cake is just a delivery vehicle for cream cheese frosting, then this bread was made specifically for this cream cheese glaze. So. Good. This loaf is hearty, so you could totally just make it breakfast with a cup of coffee. Or a mid morning snack. Or lunch. Or grab a slice when you're up at 2 am with the baby.

Pumpkin Twinkies

I didn't intend for this to be a week of pumpkin goodies, but it is Halloween, so sure, why not? But about these twinkies--seriously so good. It's been a while since I made twinkies, so I figured a fall inspired flavor would be good. Soft and tender cakes are filled with a cream cheese and marshmallow cream filling.  Which is perfect for the pumpkin cakes. And super easy. It all starts with a prepackaged cake mix and a can of pumpkin. Boom, twinkies about a half hour later. Dave and I might trick or treat these over to some friends tonight. Unless we eat them all first. Which is a distinct possibility.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Snickerdoodles

Where do I start with these cookies? Pumpkin, so of course they taste like fall. Cheesecake, yup a creamy filling inside each cookie. And Snickerdoodle, because, hello? Snickerdoodles! But I need to be honest--these cookies are a touch time consuming and the dough will work against you a bit. But your patience will be rewarded with an amazingly good cookie. The cookie is soft, coated in cinnamon sugar and full of pumpkin flavor. Plus a creamy center surprises you with a lovely cheesecake filling. These would be a perfect cookie for a fall festival or even your Thanksgiving dessert table (I promise you, it is not to early to start thinking about your Thanksgiving menu!).

Guinness Cheddar Dip

Do you have leftover Guinness floating around your fridge (um, why? Drink up, we don't waste!)? Need a fun appetizer? Good, because I've got one for you. This creamy and smooth cheddar dip is amped up with a bit of Guinness which leave a hint of something different without tasting like you soaked some cheese in some beer. As a dip or a spread, it's great with crackers, veggies, pita--just about anything. Ooh, I didn't try it with pretzels--do that, let me know how it is. A little bit of seasonings and herbs paired with some dark and delicious Guinness takes cream cheese and cheddar to the next level. And this dip makes a ton. You could roll into into cheese balls for a fun appetizer platter or just put out a big bowl with some dippable snacks like I did. Definitely a good way to use leftover beer.

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

How pretty are these little guys?  Of course these are dressed up for holiday cookie tins, but you can use any color sugar you like for your special occasion.  But more important than being pretty, these cookies are exactly what a Christmas sugar cookie should be--crisp and airy and perfectly sweet.  A mixture of cream cheese and butter gives these sugar cookies a consistency I haven't had from other drop sugar cookie recipes I've tried.  I'm thrilled with how these turned out and they were super easy.  Let's see: pretty, delicious and easy.  Yeah, that equals a win.

Pumpkin Roll Bars

There's just something about pumpkin and cream cheese that's delicious.  Simultaneously light and indulgent, it's a combo I really like, whether in these muffins or this cake.  So I figured these bars would be an excellent way to get my fix.  These bars are made of a soft, sweetly spiced pumpkin cake with a cream cheese topping, swirled with more pumpkin batter for a simple bar dessert full of pumpkin flavor and creamy filling.We had game night with some friends and a pumpkin roll bar was definitely the delicious dessert we needed to end the night.  They'd be a perfect dessert to put on your Thanksgiving buffet or take with you to your holiday gathering.  I'm pretty sure I'm making these again for our holiday meal, but let's be honest--my menu is usually a moving target.

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

Oh, yum.  Yes, yes.  I had no idea what a sopapilla was and even now I'm not 100% sure, just that it's a fried pastry dish native to many South American cuisines.  Then people on the internet turned it into cheesecake and all hell broke loose. These are amazing and since these bars don't include fried sopapillas, they are light and delicious.  Flaky pastry layers wrap around a cheesecake-like filling and it's all topped off with cinnamon sugar for a delicious treat.  Maybe you make it to share with friends for Cinco de Mayo like I have.  Maybe you take a pan to work or a picnic.  Maybe you just hoard them all and devour them yourself.  I wouldn't judge.  These sopapilla cheesecake bars are amazing and you need them in your life.  Plus, can you say amazingly simple?  Just a handful of ingredients come together quickly to make these amazing bars.

Funfetti Cheesecake Muffins

Of course I wanted to include a perfect party muffin in this line up, and you know how much I love funfetti and sprinkles!  Muffins that taste like cake are a perfect option for a birthday breakfast or any time you want to celebrate first thing in the morning.  Plus, these funfetti muffins have a cheesecake twist, packed full of cake batter flavored cream cheese for a creamy center inside a cake flavored, perfectly golden muffin.  And as you know, I'm a firm believer in sprinkles denoting party fun, so these muffins are sure to put a smile on our face first thing in the morning.  Delicious, sweet, creamy and unique, these funfetti cheesecake muffins are definitely a new option to birthday breakfast (right behind funfetti pancakes!)

Tuna Mac & Cheese

I'm not a fish person.  I've tried several different kinds of seafood to no avail. I just can't wrap myself around it to enjoy the taste or the texture.  I typically don't even eat tuna, not in a deli-style tuna salad or anything like that.  But, from an early age, tuna macaroni and cheese was something I always enjoyed.  A little something different in this pasta dish to turn it into a complete meal.  Cheesy pasta with tuna mixed through makes this a hearty, delicious twist on comfort food.

Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting

It's almost Valentine's Day so that can only mean one thing: a week's worth of red velvet treats coming your way.  Of course that means a week's worth of sweets, but some are for breakfast, some for dessert and some just for any time snacking.  Starting with these soft, cakey, chocolatey and lovely red brownies topped with a creamy and sweet cream cheese frosting pairing beautifully with these red bars.  The pop of bright white against red velvet is always stunning and super appropriate for this chocolate laden, heart adorned holiday.  Plus, these just taste so darn good!

Creamy Chicken Chili

Well, if I'm going to do a week of crock pot meals, you know you're going to get some chili from me.  And this chili is a little bit different, full of delicious flavor and, of course, easy to make.  The creamy sauce pairs well to cut the heat from the chiles and the chili powder, plus the chicken is a nice change from beef chili.  I made this recipe when my Dad came to visit and he liked it so much I sent him home with it so he could make a batch at home.  It's perfect for a chili evening or watching some playoff football (not that I particularly care about playoff football this year, sigh, but some people might).

Pumpkin Roll

As you may know, I don't generally do cakes.  I've make a few here and there, but I don't have the patience for decorating, so I stick to the things I love--like cookies and muffins.  But, like any good Girl Scout, before I hang up my apron in defeat, I do like to give a good try to anything.  So the idea of baking a thin cake and spiraling it up with filling to make a rolled cake was a challenge I'd be willing to accept.  While seemingly difficult, I thought it was more about engineering that actual patience with details so since decoration was not necessary, I might be able to succeed here.  And who knew I could do it?  While there are a few tweaks I'll make for my next go around, I loved this cake and this process.  Dave was in awe and could have finished the whole thing if I'd have let him.  The cake has perfect texture with a lightness to it, not dense or heavy.  The cream cheese filling is sweet but not sickly and the addition of fiori di sicilia (like I did in the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins) offers a slight citrus note the complements the pumpkin and spices, as well as the lightness of the cake.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

These are deceptive little monsters.  Oh, they look so innocent with their perfect pumpkin hue and their tasty streusel-y topping, like a lovely little fiber-filled muffin with a little sweetness.  Then you bite it and bam!--cream cheesey goodness all wrapped up inside.  These muffins are amazing.  I took them to a meeting and they went untouched for a little while.  Then someone had one.  And someone else noticed they weren't "normal" so they grabbed one.  And of course the other side of the table caught wind of the hidden treasure in these muffins and before I knew it, well, let's just say I didn't bring any leftovers home.

Zucchini-Carrot Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Well, I actually didn't make these bars for the Airstream event, but since I've already posted the recipe for the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars that I did make for Madaline and Ernie's rally, I thought I'd substitute a yummy zucchini recipe as part of zucchini week and in keeping with the bar theme for Wednesdays this month.  See how well that works out?  And these bars are delicious.  They are soft and full of flavor, sweet with a little crunch from the walnuts and the cream cheese frosting, with a light hint of lemon, is a perfect match.  Almost like a carrot cake, these bars have a nice flavor, cakey texture, and are perfect for a snack, dessert or breakfast.  In fact, I took half the pan to my aunt and uncle's house when we visited and we definitely had them with breakfast.  These were a lovely sweet alternative to other breakfast pastries on a hot summer day. 

These bars were one of my first pins and I was so happy to have an overabundance of zucchini to have an excuse to make them.  Laura over at Real Mom Kitchen posted this recipe and I really like how she included the carrot, but didn't make these into a carrot cake bar with zucchini thrown in.  The walnuts are a nice touch, too.  I was a little skeptical since a bit of ginger was the only seasoning, but it really worked with the creamy frosting, which piled super high on these bars.  I adjusted the recipe to include more zucchini than carrots because I was running low on the orange veggies and high on the green ones (I just eked out a full cup of carrot).  I also forgot to pick up a lemon to add zest to the frosting, so I used a bit of lemon juice instead, which I liked for a more prominent lemon flavor.  These would be great for a morning meeting, church social, book club, or just for a new way to enjoy a zucchini enhanced dessert.  If my zucchini plant continues on it's current path, I might be making these a few more times this summer.

Banana Bars with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Again with the bananas.  But bananas are super versatile and clearly want to be turned into delicious desserts and lovely baked goods or else they wouldn't turn overripe so quickly.  So I'm actually doing the bananas a favor.   And these bars are yet another example of how to make a delicious treat with what you have on hand.  Perfect.  Moist with a pleasant banana flavor and a hint of cinnamon, the cakey bars are a nice treat.   Topped with a bit of cinnamon cream cheese frosting and this is the perfect match for a cup of coffee at a morning meeting--or at least that's what I understand from my coworkers.  I brought a few leftovers home and then Cindy came over.  She finished the last two and didn't even realize she'd polished off the second one since they are so light and yummy. 

Another recipe from Jaclyn at Cookin' Classy, I really like how she incorporated the lower fat alternatives of sour cream and applesauce instead of just butter or oil.  These small changes still allowed for a light and fluffy cake without sacrificing any flavor.  While I didn't use Jaclyn's cream cheese frosting recipe (I had some leftover frosting in the fridge from another recipe and just added some cinnamon to it), I've included it below for your benefit.  Alternatively, you could probably skip the frosting and do a cinnamon sugar streusel with the nuts mixed it.  Either way, you're in for a lovely alternatively to banana bread.  Instead of pecans, I used walnuts, which were classically delicious with the banana flavored bars.  Also, I added a bit of cinnamon to the batter because it's such a great pairing and I don't think it overwhelmed the bars when topped with the frosting.  I did cut my bars into 24, because I thought 12 would make bars that were just too big. I like to offer small tastes that you can go back for seconds rather than just one big serving, but do what comes naturally to you, because it will still be tasty.

Funfetti Cheesecake Bars

These are positively fantastic.  A creamy cheesecake filling with a subtle hint of cake batter flavor, dotted with sprinkles, which have be well-documented to induce happiness, atop a crunchy vanilla crust.  Yum, that all amounts to delicious.  I took these to a cook-out, which happened to turn into a birthday party, so they were very appropriate.  And tasty.  My uncle was tickled and couldn't get enough of them.  I love the creaminess of the filling--honestly, I don't think you can beat cheesecake filling too much.  And Dave liked them because they tasted like cake (he's really so easy).  These are a wonderful treat for a cook-out or a party.  And a nice way to have some cheesecake during the summer because the bars are a bit smaller, so not as heavy as diving into a full piece of cheesecake.

While on Pinterest I found this recipe through a friend and immediately pinned it--I mean, it's got sprinkles and tastes like cake, so yeah I needed to make it.  When I got to the recipe, I was impressed with Erika, the young lady behind Teenage Taste who posted this recipe and had lovely photos and a nice write up to go with it. Because I wanted a larger pan of bars (9 x 13 inch), I upped the quantity of vanilla cookies for the crust and a little more butter, but I left the filling the same (well, a few more sprinkles, but minus the food coloring). I'm glad I didn't mess with the filling because these were a thick bar--I can't imagine how tall they would have been baked in a 9 x 9 inch pan!  I also didn't use a water bath, in part because I didn't have a pan big enough to fit my 9 x 13 and because the last time I made actual cheesecake, I didn't use one and had success.  I can't really complain about not using one this time. I did get a slight crack in the middle, but since I was cutting them into bars, I really didn't care.  But, I also don't make cheesecake a lot, so if you do and you have a method, by all means, do what works for you and makes you comfortable because you definitely need these bars in your life.

Inside Out Carrot Cake Muffins

I don't even know where to begin with these.  These are amazing muffins.  Full of crazy delicious flavor, pretty to look at, and a wonderful treat for brunch or a pot luck.  And I don't even like carrot cake.  Not sure why, it was just never a flavor that I could get into.  If carrot cake was an option, I'd most certainly choose anything else, and if it was the only thing, then I'd just forgo dessert.  I like veggies and I like desserts, but I guess I just preferred if they minded their own business and kept to themselves.  But these.  Oh, these are a muffin I can get behind.  I took them to work for a morning meeting where they were well received.  Then around 3 pm the meeting chair wandered into my office, asking, "Do you have anything sweet left from the meeting?"  I did, shared with him, and he said, "These are so good.  What are they?"  Is that not the best compliment?  It screams "job well done" when someone admits they have know clue what they are eating but it's so damn good I just want more.

This recipe is a recovery from a carrot cake I tried to make that FAILED.  Ug.  It was beautiful, fragrant, perfectly golden and the cream cheese frosting smeared beautifully on it.  Then I sliced into it to find it was completely undercooked despite my having tested it numerous times.  (Stupid oven...you just wait until the appliance guy shows up and gives you what for.  Or at least I hope he gives you what for and doesn't tell me I need a new oven.)  (Don't worry--I'd sliced the cake before I took it to work and was able to have enough time to whip up something else to take that day.)  The next week, discouraged by my cake catastrophe, I took to Pinterest hoping to find something I could make in a carrot cake-style.  I searched "carrot cake muffins" and this pin was practically the only picture that showed up.  I remembered that months ago I'd actually pinned this King Arthur Flour recipe myself, but forgot.  This recipe is amazing.  It was super quick to put together, even with layering the batter and filling.  It uses Fiori di Sicilia, which I realized I'd picked up last fall when I visited the King Arthur Flour store but hadn't used yet.  It's a wonderfully unique flavoring that provides a subtle citrusy flavor (don't worry if you don't have any, you can omit it and still have a lovely muffin).  I actually really liked how the filling broke through the surface of the muffins--they look very inviting and delicious, but I think next time instead of doing two scoops of batter on the bottom and one on top of the filling, I'd do the reverse.  I just didn't seem to have enough batter to cover the top of the filling in the muffin tins.  Either way, these are amazing and have definitely made me a carrot cake convert!

Creamy Taco Mac

Yum.  This is good.  A healthy version of a taco casserole that carries a bit of spice, a creamy, cheesy sauce and really satisfies.  This is a great dinner, easy to put together after work and enough to feed a family or provide some tasty leftovers for lunch.  I was surprised at the heat, but really liked the creamy sauce.  Dave couldn't get over it and ate up most of the leftovers (which were just as good as the first night) before I got a chance.  This is perfect for a crowd or a pot luck, since it's a bit different.  And with turkey, fat free cream cheese, fat free sour cream and reduced fat cheese, you can make this a healthy dish as well.

This month, the Secret Recipe Club paired me with Join Us, Pull Up a Chair, and I was excited to sort through so many of Heather's delicious recipes.  I had a hard time choosing, so I narrowed down the choices to five, including Mini Chocolate Chip Scones, Cheesy Jalapeno Beer Bread, Wagon Wheel Taco Pasta Salad, and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, along with this Creamy Taco Mac recipe.  I let Dave choose and after much hemming and hawing, he was intrigued by the Creamy Taco Mac, so we enjoyed it for dinner one night.  Delicious.  I did add a teaspoon of cumin to the recipe because I like the smoky flavor that develops the Mexican tones of this meal.  I'm so glad to have had the chance to explore Heather's blog a little bit more and can't wait to try a few more of her recipes.  Be sure to check out some of the other recipes in this week's reveal by clicking the blog hop following the recipe.

Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I love cupcakes. I love that they are portable and portion controlled. I love that you can experience a unique and wonderful flavor without being overwhelmed by the idea of an entire layer cake made out of said flavors.  In fact, Dave and I had cupcakes instead of a traditional wedding cake, made of six different flavors and absolutely wonderful.

But I've not tackled the cupcake phenomenon myself for a handful of reasons.  I have trouble with frosting--both in the making and in the decorating.  I've tasted cupcakes so delicious that if I attempted and failed I would be devastated.  And let's face it, cookies are more my schtick.  Cindy just keeps telling me I "haven't applied" myself to cupcakes yet.

Cheesecake Brownies

Oh, brownies.  They make everything better.  Unless my husband is trying to steal mine, like he did as I finished the last one of these.  I was on the phone and cleaning up the kitchen.  After dinner there were two brownies left, of which Dave promptly ate one.  I decided to have the other, so I took a bite, set it back down in the open container and enjoyed it and my conversation while cleaning.  Suddenly, Dave appears and says, "Ooh, a brownie," and picks it up to his mouth.  Like a good doobie, he correctly interpreted the death glare he was sent and immediately put down the brownie.  And promptly left the room.

These yummy, nearly brawl-inducing treats we made as a thank you to another group I work with and were incredibly well received ( I suppose in Dave's defense it's worth noting that I gave away most of the pan and only left 4 brownies at home).  Much appreciation came my way, including a comment that, "That was so nice of you to bring us those.  And homemade no less."  Clearly this individual doesn't know me as well as others.  It's the basic brownie recipe that I've used before, but this time I added a cheesecake-like topping.  I would have liked a more swirled topping, integrating the cheesecake mix into the brownie a little more, but I think my brownie batter was too thick to accommodate a swirl.  A better option would have been to layer most of the brownie batter, then the cream cheese filling, then the rest of the batter and try to swirl that together.  Nonetheless they are delicious, pretty and will potentially start riots when you only have one left.