Whole Wheat Brownies

These babies are scrumptious! I wasn't so sure about whole wheat brownies, but after tasting these I have changed my mind. My family loved them, and I'm sure they will become a staple in my household. They are nice and dark, and are more fudgelike than cakelike. The perfect match for a tall glass of cold milk. I picked up a copy of this recipe at work, and I have no idea who the author is, but I'd like to give her many thanks because these are awesome!

Whole Wheat Brownies

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder (Special Dark is best)

7/8 cup oil

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup unbleached flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 to 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Eggs should be at room temperature. Beat until yellow and fluffy. Cream in sugar. Add oil, vanilla, and cocoa powder. Mix dry ingredients and add to egg mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 350º (325º if it's a glass dish) for 28 minutes. IMPORTANT: Grease only the bottom of the pan and take out at exactly 28 minutes!

Hope everyone enjoys! Unfortunately, my mixer has broken. My kitchen aid broke at Christmas (1 month out of warranty!) and my hand mixer broke last week. So looks like I won't be making any more goodies until I get a new one. Hopefully that is soon! Looks like I can spend a little more time with my sewing machine :)

-Stephanie

Mini Cheesecakes with Heath bar topping

So I have been searching for a mini cheesecake pan for 6 months, and I am so happy to say the search is over! I was wandering around the mall when I decided to go walk through Sur La Table, a cookware store. When I started looking through the bakeware I thought about that mini cheesecake pan I've been wanting, and I instantly knew what I walked in their for. Sure enough, they had one! I was so excited to get home and put that baby to use. So I made these little babies...

They were so delicious! My husband and daughter ate them all before I even got home from work. I decided to place chopped up heath bars on top, but pretty much anything could be placed on them. Here's the recipe:

Mini Cheesecakes (Makes 1 Dozen)

1 8oz package of cream cheese

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup melted butter

3 tbs. sugar

Your choice of topping (You can use fruit, carmel, chocolate, candy bars, ect. I used chopped up heath bars.)

Preheat oven to 375º. Lightly grease pan. Mix cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, and 1/4 cup sugar. In another bowl mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and 3 tbs. sugar. Divide graham cracker mixture evenly. Press crumbs down to create a crust. Evenly distribute the cream cheese mixture. If using some type of candy bar or chocolate chip distribute evenly between cups. Bake for about 12 minutes. Allow to cool for 20 minutes, then remove the cheesecakes by pushing the handle of a spoon through the hole at the bottom of each cup. Disks should easily slide off bottom of cheesecakes, if not use a knife to cut them off. If placing a fruit filling, carmel or chocolate sauce, then now is the time to add them. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

They were so easy to make, and I will definitely be making them again soon! Today is a snow day for my family, so looks like I can finally get some things done around the house. Hopefully I'll be able to get some sewing done too...what can I say I've got high hopes :)
-Stephanie

Giving this a go

So I have been toying with the idea of starting a blog. I mean, I love doing these things, and I love sharing them with people, so why not online? Not to mention most of my family lives out of state, so it's nice to still show them what I'm up to. I just haven't been so sure that I can keep up with this, after all I'm in school and chasing around a soon-to-be 2 year-old. So I've decided that this my new goal: Keep this going, and have fun doing it.
So I guess I am going to give this a go. I mean, why not? I will try to post at least once a week, and I hope to make many friends in the process. Also, I hope I can share my crafting ideas, and I can gain some in return. I'm really excited and can't wait to get my first project up.
-Stephanie