Red Velvet Oreo Truffle Brownies

Hey friends & foodies! I feel like I have been MIA from my sweet little corner of the world lately and I’m missing it! So what better way to attempt to get back to the blogosphere (yet again) than with a yummy recipe!

A couple weeks ago I was in the mood to try a crazy and fun new recipe. Maybe something slightly over the top. And where else do you go but the # 1 source for crazy over the top recipes but Pinterest, right? I stumbled upon this lovely recipe for Red Velvet Oreo Truffle Brownies and thought they were perfect! And they really were… totally fun, totally over the top, and pretty freakin’ delish!

In all honesty, I’ve never been a huge fan of red velvet cake. That may be very anti-southern of me but it’s just never been my cup of tea… err slice of cake, so to speak. But red velvet in brownie form with chocolate and Oreos? Now you're speaking my language!

Red Velvet Oreo Truffle Brownies -

(Recipe from http://pizzazzerie.com)

Moist red velvet brownie with a layer of crushed Oreos mixed with chocolate, topped with a layer of melted chocolate and a generous sprinkle of chocolate chips. Yes, make no mistake, this is one decadent dessert but it was truly love at first bite. All the layers compliment each other perfectly. It’s the first time I’ve ever had red velvet with anything other than cream cheese or buttercream icing…but this dessert breaks all the rules of red velvet cake. And I must admit, I like this crazy rebel of a brownie better!

I don’t know if you’ve ever made those Oreo truffles before but if you have, picture eating one of those with a slice of red velvet cake, and you have these brownies!

I had a little trouble getting the brownie done, but an extra 5 to 8 minutes in the oven seemed to do the trick! I also didn’t take the brownies out of the pan like the recipe says to do, I just didn’t really see any need for it. And being all out of mini chips, I used the regular sized semi-sweet chips along with some white chocolate chips as well.

Give this recipe a try when your in the mood for a decadent fun treat! :)

Ingredients:
1 Duncan Hines box Red Velvet cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 package Jell-O instant white chocolate pudding (3.3 ounces)
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 package Oreos
8 ounce package cream cheese
1/2 package (1/2lb) chocolate bark (CandiQuick) (or about 1-1/2 cups chocolate chips)
mini chocolate chips for garnish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Combine cake mix, melted butter, eggs, pudding mix, vegetable oil and mix well until thoroughly combined (2-3 minutes on medium of electric mixer).

Spray a 9x13 with nonstick cooking spray. I like the baking variety that has flour in it. Then spread the red velvet brownie layer into the pan. It will be VERY thick, use the back of a spoon (or clean hands) to help spread it into all edges of the pan.

Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean (ovens vary so watch closely). Let cool completely before flipping out.

Crush package of Oreos in a food processor (or in a large plastic bag and rolling pin). Melt cream cheese for 15 seconds in a microwave to soften. Stir together crushed Oreos and cream cheese until blended smooth. Carefully spread out Oreo truffle mixture on top of baked red velvet brownies. Use your hands to help press it down instead of spreading to avoid tearing the brownies.

Melt chocolate candy bark (or chocolate chips) and pour over top Oreo truffle layer. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips while still warm. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

May Foodie Penpals Reveal!

Hey fellow foodies! I know, I’m 2 days late with this reveal… but in my defense I was visiting my cousin & her new beautiful baby boy for a couple days. So that’s a pretty good excuse in my book. ;)

My May Foodie Penpal, Anna, hails all the way over from the island of Guam! Which is definitely the farthest a FPP box has ever traveled to me! I honestly didn’t know much about Guam but it was so fun to get learn about it from Anna and to get to sample some of the local goods in the lovely box she sent me!

Is that not the prettiest postcard ever?!

Anna made sure to send little notes attached to each treat!

This was one of the most fun boxes I’ve received as it included some new foods I’d never even heard of but was really excited to taste!

The box included:

Coconut Oil – I was so happy to see this in the box! I started using coconut oil about a month or so ago and I’m just about out. I’ve been using it for cooking, baking, and for my skin. You can use it for so many different purposes and it’s so healthy for you! Love this stuff!

Boonie Bee Honey made with local Mangos – So delish! Love the flavor of the mango in this honey!

Asparagus Biscuits – Okay, I can’t lie, I was so skeptical about these lol! I had never heard of Asparagus Biscuits before… I didn’t even know there was such a thing. But I decided to be brave and give it a taste…and it wasn’t bad. I honestly didn’t think they had much of a taste… I can’t describe the taste but they were just a little bland to me. I dipped one into the honey and it was actually pretty good like that. I don’t know if I would actually eat them on their own but they’re perfect for dipping!

Tita’s Guguria – This reminded me of cereal; a little sweet, crunchy. Makes a really good snack!

Spicy Momso Jam – This is so delish… and spicy! Like I needed water after just one bite lol. Love the kick this jam has!

Lindt Chili Dark Chocolate - You just cannot go wrong with Lindt! I had actually never tasted the Chili Dark Chocolate bar before but needless to say, I loved it! This was gone so fast!

I want to thank Anna for this awesome box! It was so fun to sample a taste of the island! And also a thank you to Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean for organizing all of the foodie fun! :)

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And now it's time for some details about Foodie Penpals. In case you’re a new reader, here’s a reminder of what the program is all about:

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian & European residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa.

If you’re from the US or Canada and are in participating for June, please CLICK HERE (www.theleangreenbean.com/foodie-penpals/) to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by June 4th as pairings will be emailed on June 5th!
*If you're from Europe, please CLICK HERE (www.thisisrocksalt.com/foodie-penpals/) to signup.
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From This Valley – An Art Journal Page

“Oh the caged bird dreams of a strong wind that will flow ‘neath her wings. Like a voice longs for a melody, oh Jesus carry me.”

So I think I’ve been on a kick lately of creating art journal pages around the lyrics of some of my favorite songs. This is a page I made a couple weeks ago inspired by one of my all time favorite songs, “From This Valley” by The Civil Wars. Oh this song… I just can’t even. It honestly makes my heart feel like it’s just about to explode with happiness! And part of it may be in the way they perform it with the most overwhelming sense joy, it’s contagious. You can’t help but smile… this is my happy song.

“From This Valley” is actually an unreleased song that became a live show staple for the duo. All of the lyrics to this song have my heart but the lyrics in the bridge stand out to me the most. The expressive words just paint the most beautiful picture. So those were the ones I chose to use as inspiration for this page.

I used pretty scrapbook paper, lace, ribbon, doilies, sheet music, washi tape, stamps, as well as other embellishments. This was a really fun page to make, the song was just going through my head the entire time. I love the way it represents this very beautiful lyric and I’m really happy with how it turned out!

Oh and since we’re talking about The Civil Wars, if you’re a fan you know that they had been on an indefinite hiatus since November of last year, claiming irreconcilable differences & internal discord. Well now they have just recently announced a brand new self titled album to be released this summer! They still have been very hush hush on whether this is an actual reunion (the album was written & recorded before the split), I’m a bit skeptical but here’s hopin’!

Some new art journaling supplies I used for this page. Pretty Washi tape and some fun embellishments. -

My growing washi tape collection. You can never have to much… yeah, I’m obsessed. -

Iced Lemon Pound Cake & a Spring Playlist

Hey foodies! Everytime spring and summer roll around I all of the sudden crave all things lemon… I don’t know why. Especially me as the self professed chocoholic that I am, now that the season has changed and the flowers are in bloom again, want to bake all things lemon. My tastes in food and music seem to change with the seasons. So in honor of spring and the soon to come summer, I have a lovely lemony pound cake recipe for you guys today as well as a spring playlist!

This is a copycat recipe of Starbucks’ ever so popular Iced Lemon Pound Cake. Honestly I usually opt for the brownie myself when I venture to Sbucks but my parents have always been a fan of the lemon pound cake. But in my humble opinion, this one’s better.

So push play on the happy spring tunes below the recipe and get to baking! :)

Iced Lemon Pound Cake -

(Recipe found @ http://picky-palate.com)

The first thing you notice about this cake is that not ten minutes after putting it in the oven your house starts to fill up with the most delish scent! It’s like aromatherapy in cake form.

This cake is super moist with the perfect tangy lemon flavor. And the lemony glaze running down the sides of the cake makes it even better!

This recipe makes enough batter for either one bundt cake or two loaves (below). It turns out lovely either way. This is the second time I’ve made this cake and it’s safe to say that it’s become a staple. Plus, it’s a really simple one bowl recipe, gotta love that! I hope you give it a try! :)

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix

4.3 ounce instant or cook and serve Lemon pudding mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

8 ounces sour cream

6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Icing:

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3-4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray 2 loaf pans generously with cooking spray.

Place all cake ingredients in no particular order into stand or electric mixer, beating until well combined, about 1 1/2 minutes. Divide cake batter between two prepared loaf pans spreading evenly. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove and let cool for 15 minutes before removing loaves from pans.

To prepare icing, place powdered sugar into a large bowl. Drizzle in lemon juice stirring until smooth and thick. Should be a good drizzling consistency. Drizzle icing over cakes and let set for 20 minutes for a firm icing. Otherwise slice while still wet if desired.

Makes about 24 slices.

Spring Playlist -

A List of Things To Do When You Have a Case of the "Blahs"

Hey lovelies! Do you ever have those days or weeks where you just feel so uninspired, bored, or just plain blah? I know we all go through that from time to time. Well that’s exactly how I was feeling a couple weeks ago. Just a really bad case of the “blahs” & just couldn’t shake it for some reason. So I made a list of things that might help me break out of it and find some inspiration… and it actually worked!

So below is a list of things that seem to help me navigate the “blahs”. Hope this helps you too when you find yourself falling into a blah day. :)

*Dance like a manic to "Cray Button" by Family Force 5! Really any song you can rock out to will do but I recommend this one… FF5’s music was kinda made for dancing like a manic to. This is my “jam”, if you will. ;)

*Write a short encouraging scripture, quote, or lyric on your hand or arm to be a sweet reminder through out your day.

*Be a DIY diva and make something pretty! I just made this coffee filter wreath that I saw on Pinterest. It was so fun to make and I love how it turned out!

*Get your behind in the kitchen, put on your cutest apron, turn the music up way louder than necessary, and bake cupcakes! With lots of swirly frosting and colorful sprinkles! Hand them out to family and friends!

*Workout! I know this totally contradicts the one above lol, but sometimes working up a good sweat and getting those endorphins going is totally the cure. I’ve been doing this workout (as well as others) by Tiffany Rothe lately and I’m loving them! They are so awesome! Granted you might feel a little goofy doing some of the moves lol but it totally works!

*Take a walk. I live in a small town and we may not have much (we don’t even have a Wal-Mart, you guys) but we do have a really lovely bay front that’s perfect for evening walks. Being out there in the cool evening breeze, watching the sun set is a sure fire cure for the “blahs”.

*Write out ten things you're thankful for in your journal! I think it helps to see every reason you have to smile all written down in black & white.

*Art journaling! It can be so therapeutic to get out my art journal and supplies and make a huge mess for an hour or two. Being creative is always a "blah buster" for me.

*Get away from the computer. Nothing makes me feel more sluggish than spending too much time on the computer… and I’m so guilty of this! I’m trying to be better about it though. So I vote we take some time away from the computer/cell phone/etc.  and do… anything. Pet your cat, read a book, call a friend, go get coffee, learn French, dust off the old piano and get to relearning it (which is a goal of mine), make earrings out of bobby pins (my sister & I actually did this & they were so cute! lol)…anything.

*Write encouraging letters to strangers and leave them in fun spots all over your town. This is what the organization The World Needs More Love Letters is all about. It’s also very much about forgetting yourself and your problems to focus on the needs of another. Which is something we all need to do more of; nothing can make you feel better faster. Think about partnering with them to spread some words of love and hope with people who really need it.

*Plant some flowers or herbs and watch ‘em grow! I just planted a some indoor herbs last week and they are already starting to grow!

*Make some delish homemade iced coffee for a mid-day pick me up… like this recipe from The Pioneer Woman.

*Make a playlist of happy songs and go for a drive with the windows down.

What are some of your cures for the blahs or your “blah busters” as we’ll call them?

Brightly Wound – An Art Journal Page

“I shall never grow up/Make believe is much too fun/Can we go far away to the humming meadow” 

That’s the chorus to my favorite Eisley song called, “Brightly Wound”. It’s also the song that inspired this art journal page I worked on last night! This song is actually from their very first album entitled, “Room Noises”. I’ve been a huge Eisley fan since I saw them in concert in 2005 and even years later, this is still my favorite song by them. It’s so whimsical and magical! It never fails to make me feel happy and warm whenever I hear it.

I’ve been listening to it a lot more lately than usual and always find myself humming it throughout the day. The lyrics just evoke such a child like innocence. It’s the type of song I will probably sing as a lullaby to my future kids someday. So last night, as I was listening to this song, I got inspired to create an art journal page with this lyric in mind. I’m really happy with how it turned out! In fact, I think it’s the best one I’ve done so far.

I think my favorite elements are the floral fabric I used for the background and the letter stamps I used to add the lyrics onto the page. It was a really fun page to create! It was fun to go crazy and make it just as whimsical as the song. :)

P.S Eisley has a new album coming out on May 28th entitled, “Currents”. You can listen to a song from the new album here: “Drink The Water”.

Spring Crafts & Easter Photos!

Hey friends! Hope y’all had a lovely Easter! Can’t believe it’s already been over a week ago now! It’s always the holiday that feels like the official start of spring to me.

My Easter Sunday was spent with my family. My dad preached a really good Easter message at our church & after service we had an egg hunt for the kiddos. My mom & I cooked Easter lunch and my aunt and cousin joined us for the feast. And feast we did! We made what has become one of our favorite meals ever, Stuffed Chicken Marsala! Along with mashed potatoes, green beans, and French bread. I meant to take a picture but everyone was pretty starved and I didn’t have time lol. But I did however get a a couple photos of our desserts.

Banoffee Pie and Maple Nut Chocolate Eggs! Neither of which I think turned out especially pretty lol (The pie was supposed to look like this. Yeah, not so much.)…but both were so delish! And that’s what counts, right? :)

Okay, if you’ve never tried Banoffee Pie…do it. Do it now! It was my first time making it and now my family and I are hooked! Graham cracker crust, bananas, thick and rich toffee, whipped cream, & chocolate shavings (was supposed to be chocolate curls but whatever…I apparently can’t curl chocolate). What’s not to love?

The filling for these eggs is unbelievable! I bought a small bottle of maple flavoring from a cupcake place called Bliss while I was visiting my sister in GA and the taste that it gave these eggs was just out of this world. A creamy maple center with chopped walnuts covered in chocolate. Really sweet but amazing.

 

Colored eggs to use for decoration! I tried to be all fancy and give a couple the “ombre”effect… again, not so much. But I did have a little too much fun with a gold paint pen and while they’re not all fancy and “ombre”… I dig ‘em.

The “sun design” on the purple egg just kinda happened on its own after I used the paint pen. Yay for happy accidents!

Maybe it’s the spring air but I’ve been in an especially crafty mood lately. And have been enjoying days of crafting and listening to music. Not to mention pinning new crafts like cray (Yes, I just said “cray”… too much Family Force 5 & only ff5 fans will get that. Ok, anyways.) These are the projects I’ve been working on lately:

French Script Easter Eggs -

I found the tutorial for these French Script Easter Eggs on Pinterest. They were so easy to make! My mom and I made them with some wooden eggs she had in her closet. After we did a few of the French Script ones we got the idea to cover some in sheet music. I printed out free sheet music of Amazing Grace (that I also found on Pinterest) and covered the rest in that. I love they way they all turned out but I think sheet music eggs are my favorite!

Spring Napkin Rings -

These spring napkin rings actually happened on accident as they originated from a totally different idea. I had seen a tutorial for Burlap Easter Bunny Napkin Rings on Pinterest and thought they were so cute! I had gotten a good amount of burlap from my sister who has tons of it left over from decorating her wedding, so this seemed like a fun way to use some of it.

I set out to make the bunny napkin rings but half way through was just not really feeling it. So my mom had the idea to use some left over fabric we had lying around to make some spring inspired napkins rings instead!

I think they turned out really cute! They were made out of paper towel rolls, hot glue, fabric, ribbon, and fake flowers. Below is a picture of them on our table as well as the one lone bunny napkin ring we made lol. 

Spring Bunting -

Using up more of the fabric and burlap, I made this Spring Bunting! It was super simple to make and didn’t require any sewing. I hung it up in my bedroom over my closet and I think it totally brightened up the room! Really loving it!

I think spring inspired crafts are the perfect way to start the season! Like I said, I’ve been in a crafty mood lately so I have a couple more DIY's on the list for this week! Happy spring, lovelies! :)