Pillsbury Products for...Our Sweet Life!

I was so excited to receive an email asking if we had any interest in testing out and reviewing some new Pillsbury products! I emailed right back with an all-caps-YES! I was going to be sent a package with the new Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls (a package of the mini-size, and a package of the regular size), a new Pizza Crust, and the new Crescent Creations (which I was most excited about) which are sheets of the Crescent dough with out the perforations! This was a super big deal to me because I love food and I love free stuff and this was the first time those two things had come together because of Our Sweet Life~





The boxes arrived at my office and I began plotting what I was going to make with products. It's funny because Nate and I don't like cinnamon rolls, it's one of those weird things that everyone loves, but not our fave.
Ironically we both knew what we wanted to create with the cinnamon roll.
We waited until Saturday because we wanted to come up with some fun stuff to make and didn't want to be rushed on a work-night.



So, the next few posts will be the fun we had enjoying the Pillsbury products that were sent our way! WOO HOO!! Much more on it's way soon....stay tuned!

Tuesdays With Dorie ~ Dimply Plum Cake

The past two weeks have been chock full of chocolate cookies! Which has been fun and fabulous, but it was nice to switch it up and bake a delicious breakfasty cake for this week's TUESDAYS WITH DORIE. This week's TWD selection comes to us from Michelle of BAKE-EN.




I did omit the cardamom from this recipe because I did not have any and it was really expensive at my grocery store!
Also, I figured since I took so much liberty with last weeks Chunksters, I pretty much stuck to the recipe with this one. You can find this recipe on Michelle's beautiful blog~
I will say I baked this bad-boy ten minutes longer than the recommended 40 minutes and it was still a wee bit under done in the center, but Nate was demanding PLUM CAKE!! PLUM CAKE!!! So be it. It still tasted very good!




Be sure to visit all the TUESDAYS WITH DORIE blogs that made this cake, many got into theplaying around section in the margin and made some awesome fruit and herb combos!

Tuesdays With Dorie ~ Chococlate Chunksters

OHHHHHH BOY! These cookies are FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC!!! I am head over heels for CHUNKSTERS!! This weeks installment of TUESDAYS WITH DORIE is a superb cookie brought to all of us by CLAUDIA of FOOL FOR FOOD. I have not been a super frequent visitor of Claudia's AWESOME blog, but I will be from now on!! One of the reasons I have been SO freaking busy lately is that I am finally learning a language other than English (I know I am WAY behind most of you people, but hey, always better late than never!)In my business we work with MANY different folks that speak German as their first, second or third language. Not to mention my dear brother and his wife also speak German!! My sis-in-law is from Germany, and they've recently started a food blog of their own, check it out~ Confusion in the Kitchen



Ok, so for the actual Dorie Recipe, you'll have to buy the book or visit Claudia's blog~ Here is the cookie I made because there were two HELLNAW items in this for me ( I do not do raisins OR white Chocolate, ever, period.)

I used:

1/3 c flour
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
HEAPING 1/4 tsp baking powder
6 oz semi sweet chocolate chopped
3 T butter cut into 3 pieces
1 tsp vanilla extract
6oz semi sweet chocolate chunks (store bought)
6oz Toffee bits
1 1/2 cups chopped roasted salted peanuts
1 cup moist dried tart cherries

Then I pretty much followed Dorie's instructions, EXCEPT I spaced out and was not paying attention and added the dry ingredients to the mixer BEFORE the melted chocolate mix, but no harm no foul there~

Nate and I decided this brownie-esque cookie is complex in flavor and bottom line; totally delightful. I took them to work and they were gone pretty quickly, I think I'll be working these into the Holiday Cookie Baking rotation, the cherries, toffee and loads of chocolate worked so well together!

Oh, it's AWWWNNNN...Cupcake Style~

So this weekend there's this little ole football going down over at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The NUMBER ONE USC TROJANS will be doing battle with the #5 OSU BUCKEYES.
Now, you must know by now, Nate is a USC Alum, we've had season tickets for five years and this is a FIGHT ON household. However, I am a child born of not one BUT TWO BUCKEYES!! Both my mom AND dad are cheering for the enemy this weekend, as well as most of my mom's family...First the bad news, I will not be at this game. WHAT?!?- you say. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?! Well, I have to work. Bummer, and double bummer. Now, onto the GOOD news...I've donated my ticket to the Richie-from-Dallas-misses-LA-loves-the-Trojans-and-is-flying-here-as-I-type-this Fund (you know The, RFDMLALTTAIFHASITTF.) So my ticket to this game will not be wasted.

The other good news is that I got a call from my Aunt this past weekend, who was looking to place a friendly (read: EMBARRASSING FOR THE LOOSER) wager. After some discussion and some thought, I spoke to her this evening and presented a CUPCAKE SHOWDOWN.



The LOOSER (read: my fabulous Aunt and cousin Ashley) has to make a batch of cupcakes and DECK THEM OUT in the WINNER'S (read: BETH & NATE's TROJAN'S)COLORS, and what fun is that when you are just in your kitchen?!? None. So the LOOSER will then have to take those evil enemy cupcakes into their office next week and take some instant-classic photos. You will see the results of this CUPCAKE SHOWDOWN here on OUR SWEET LIFE next week! So, stay tuned, and FIGHT ON!!!

I could not find any USC CUPCAKES pictured on the Internet, but won't have any problem with that next week, because I know Ashley and my Aunt Mary have some sweet skills in the kitchen and the batch they whip up will be picture perfect! (the above image was borrowed from www.sharicakes.com )

GO TROJANS!

Tuesdays with Dorie~ Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream

This was my first time making homemade ice cream~ I've made a SEMIFREDDO , which is similar, but this was real-deal ice cream. I always thought this would be totally impossible because I don't have an ice cream maker and I was not going to sit on my kitchen floor and roll a jar in a jar with ice and salt and god knows what else was going to be involved. (that was my speculation before actually doing any research into ice cream making.)



This recipe was the August 12, 2008TUESDAYS WITH DORIE selection. This ice cream recipe was chosen by Dolores of Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity. I was so glad, because I thought it'd be the perfect excuse to buy the ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchen Aid Mixer...even though I have no idea where I would store it when not in use, we're tight on space! Then I read that there were several alternative methods to making ice cream for those who don't have an ice cream maker.

I decided to use THIS method by DAVID LEBOVITZ, which I am thrilled with and love having a WHOLE new genre of desert to start getting creative with (with out buying a new toy that I have no room for).



Now, this is a VERY late TWD posting, as you may have noticed I am still doing catch-up from JULY :P, but I figure it's better late than never, as I'm still baking along every week and hope to be all caught up very soon! (That's another great thing about having my new laptop and it being football season!)

Tuesdays with Dorie~ Chocolate Whopper Malted Drops

I'm going to post this one ON TIME, so as not to continue getting more and more behind! This weeks selection for TUESDAYS WITH DORIE comes from Rachel of Confessions of a Tangerine Tart. When I saw the title of the recipe she chose, my jaw dropped. This sounded INCREDIBLE!

I can safely say I've never made a cookie with Whoppers in it, or using Malted Milk powder...I don't think I perfected this recipe this time around, I need to make it another time or two to figure out a few things. My cookies came out a bit flatter than I had hoped, and am not sure why...The photo in Dorie's book is stunning and they are big, thick, fat cookies. So, I'll try these again soon after I visit all the other TWD'er's blogs and get an idea of what I may have done to have big flat pancakey whopper cookies. They were DELICIOUS flat Whopper cookies, so that was good news.



Head on over to Rachel's blog to get the recipe and check out the TWD Blogroll for more awesome Malted Drops! I'll be right back with belated TWD editions (Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream and Granola Grabbers! New computer in full effect!)...

Snickers Brownie Bites

This portable, party-perfect desert was my way to share my My SnickerBrownies with a party! Tailgating season is in full swing and these are an AWESOME treat to bring along to the game! They go well with the little mini pulled pork sammies, or bring along some wings (another can't miss). My recipe for FABULOUS GINGER WINGS.



Makes about 36 brownie bites

What you'll need:
Mini Muffin tin

1 batch o' brownies
I use My Brownie Recipe
or you can totally buy a box o' brownies, it should yield the same and will save you a bit of time if you're in a rush.

1 bag mini (not fun size(which is a rectangle),but the little mini square Snickerbites.



Grease the mini muffin tin and preheat the oven to 350. Cut 18 snicker mini's in half diagonally. Mix up the brownie batter, and spoon the batter into the muffin tin filling the cups about 3/4 full, add a mini snicker half and press in lightly. Bake for about 30 mintues or until toothpick comes out clean (minus the snickery goo).
Let cool in the tin about 5-7 minutes, then remove bites and let cool completely on a wire rack or on wax paper.