Hi everyone!

Sorry I haven't posted anything in.. a year.... /: ooops. I'm not as into baking as I used to be because I'm healthy and I don't have an eating disorder anymore but I'm still pretty fasinated by food and all these complicated recipes that I have not yet tried! Like you know at Byerly's they have all these amazing looking desserts? I want to try making those! Anyway, enjoy all the things on this site I may post something soon if it gets to be a rainy day but enjoy the nice weather while it's still here!

-Danielle

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars

I've wanted to make these for the longest time. The recipe pictures made them look so good! And really easy too.

The were actually pretty easy, but I just made a few changes to the recipe. The crust is the hardest part, it kept sticking to my fingers! But I just floured a spatula and pressed the crust into the pan no problem. These would be great to make for Thanksgiving because you can make them in advance. And the recipe can easily be modified and changed.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars

recipe adapted from Splenda

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup Splenda brown sugar blend

1/2 Splenda sugar blend

1 cup old-fashioned oats

3/4 cup light margarine

8 oz fat free cream cheese

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 CUP canned pumpkin

1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup Splenda sugar blend

1 cup chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13x9 pan with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine flour, Splenda brown sugar blend, the Splenda sugar blend, and oats. Cut in the margarine with a fork until mixture is crumbly.

Press the crust mixture into the bottom of prepared pan.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool.

Beat cream cheese and pumpkin together. Add eggs, one at a time and beat until combined. Add the vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and the 1/2 cup Splenda sugar blend and beat until blended.

Pour the cream cheese mixture over the pre-baked crust and sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until set. Lift from pan to cool. Cut into 24 bars.

Halloween Dog Treats

Patiently waiting for her treats to be done.

I've always wanted to make my dog treats. I did make her treats a few months ago, but it was kind of a fail. I didn't have many ingredients and I didn't have cute cookie cutter like I do now. I haven't made a Halloween recipe yet, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity!

These treats are super easy to make and my dog Baily loved them. I kept trying to take a picture with the treat in front of her but as soon as I put it in front of her, she ran away with it! She ended up eating three of them, but they're small so I'm sure it isn't that bad for her.

The funniest part about me making them for her was she knew I was making them for her! She hovered around the kitchen the whole time, patiently waiting for her treats to be done. This is very messy so if you make them, don't wear white! You can put any ingredients you want in them but if you make them, make sure to use a lot of peanut butter.

Halloween Dog Treats
from the Dog Treat Kitchen

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk (fat free/skim is preferred)
1 cup peanut butter (use all natural or sugar free)
1 tablespoon black strap molasses

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.

Whisk the flour, oats, and baking powder together in medium bowl.

Gradually stir in the milk, peanut butter, and molasses. (I mixed this part with my hands, it blends better that way!)

Turn onto a floured surface and knead until soft dough forms.

Roll out to 1/2" thickness and cut with cookie cutter. Brush with egg paint icing and top with sprinkles (see below for egg icing)

Bake for 12-20 minutes.

Let cool completely on wire rack. Treats can be stored for up to 2 weeks in container, 3 weeks in fridge, and 6 months in freezer.

Egg paint icing

Ingredients
One egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
food coloring

Directions
Pour the egg yolk in a small bowl. Add the water and whisk together until thoroughly combined. Add desired amount of food coloring. Remember to put the egg paint icing on BEFORE you put the dog treats in the oven.

Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cake

Ok, i know this probably seems like a weird cake, but it's good! It really is. And it's super easy to make too. I decided to make this cake because i had a ton of avocados that i bought that were going to spoil if i didn't use them soon. And you can really change up the recipe any way you want! Just don't change it up too much or else you'll wind up with a gross cake.

I used canola oil instead of vegetable oil and whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour. I also used less avocado because i didn't want the avocado to be the main part of the cake. But if you are going to make this, make sure you use fresh avocados! The cake didn't taste the way i thought it was but that's probably because the avocado's were a bit old. If you're a daring baker and like to try new things, then you should try this. Because it really is good.

Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cake

from joythebaker

3 cups all purpose flour

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup avocado, mashed, about 1 medium avocado

2 cups water

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Grease and flour 2 8-inch round cake pans. Set aside

Sift together all dry ingredients except sugar. Set aside.

Mix all the wet ingredients together in medium bowl, including the mashed avocado. Add sugar to wet ingredients and stir.

Mix the wet ingredients with the dry all at once and beat with a whisk until smooth. Pour batter into greased cake pans. Bake for 30- 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cakes cool in pans about 15 minutes then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely before frosting with avocado butter cream.

Avocado Butter cream Frosting

8 ounces avocado meat, about 2 small to medium avocados

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 pound powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Peel and pit the avocados. If the avocados have brown spots in the meat, avoid those spots when you scoop them into the bowl.

Place the avocados meat into a medium bowl with a mixer attached. Add lemon juice and whisk the avocado on medium speed, until slightly lightened in color and smooth, about 2 minutes.

Add powdered sugar a little at a time and beat. Add vanilla extract until combined. If not using right away, store in the refrigerator. Don't worry, it won't turn brown!

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

Boston Cream Pie is probably one of my favorite things to make. Everyone always loves them and can't stop eating them. The last time I made these, I used store bought everything. Frosting, cake mix, and a boxed filling. But these ones taste a lot better! And they're actually fun to make too. The custard filling is really creamy and delicious. The best part was I had a ton of filling left over so it worked as a little snack or you could put more filling in the cupcakes if you wanted. The only thing I would do differently is change the filling to french vanilla pudding instead of custard. But the custard works great too.

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes
from cookinglight
For the cake:
2 teaspoons cake flour
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
3/4 cups fat free milk
2 large egg whites
3 tablespoons sugar
For the filling:
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup and 2 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup egg substitute
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the glaze:
2 oz dark chocolate
2 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.

To prepare cake, coat bottom of 9 inch round cake pan or cupcake pan with cooking spray. Dust with 2 tablespoons cake flour.

Combine flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in small bowl, whisking. Place 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup butter in large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and egg, beating until blended. Add flour mixture and 3/4 cup milk alternating to sugar mixture beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Place egg whites in medium bowl, beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Gradually add 3 tablespoons sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg white mixture into batter and pour into prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, run knife along outside edge, remove and cool on rack.

To prepare filling, combine 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in medium saucepan. Gradually add 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk and egg substitute to pan stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until thick. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon butter and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Place pan in large ice filled bowl until custard cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

To prepare glaze, place chocolate and 2 tablespoons milk in bowl and melt over stove top. After it's melted, remove from stove top and add powdered sugar and stir with a whisk until smooth.

Insert filling into cupcakes by poking a hole in the bottom and filling it with the filling. Evenly spread glaze over top, and enjoy!

Zucchini Muffins

I love anything that's healthy so i really wanted to try these. And it's getting colder out so i want to go to the farmers market as much as i can. These muffins are incredibly easy to make. The only hard part was grating all the zucchini. They were all done and out of the oven within an hour! I chose to leave out the walnuts, cranberries, and nutmeg in the recipe but I'll definitely add it next time. It would make the muffins even more moist and delicious.

Zucchini Muffins

from Simply Recipes

Ingredients

3 cups grated fresh zucchini

2/3 cup melted unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons baking soda

pinch salt

3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup walnuts (optional)

1 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl combine the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the grated zucchini and then the melted butter. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the zucchini mixture and mix in. in a separate bowl, mix together the flour, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir these dry ingredients into the zucchini mixture. Stir in the walnuts, raisins or cranberries if using.

Coat each muffin cup in your muffin pan with a little butter or vegetable oil spray. Use a spoon to distribute the muffin dough equally among the cups, filling the cups up completely. Bake on the middle rack until muffins are golden brown and the top of the muffins bounce back when you press on them, about 25 to 30 minutes. Test with a long toothpick or thin bamboo skewer to make sure the center of the muffins are done. Set on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin let cool another 20 minutes.

Loaded Alfredo with chicken and vegetables

I don't really cook much. I'm more of a baker. But when i do cook, i make sure that it's super easy.And really healthy. Like this Alfredo dish.

This dish is really unique because the sauce is only made with four ingredients: flour, milk, butter, and parmesan. The sauce is really creamy and it tastes amazing. The reason why i decided to make this was because my mom recently had an Aalfredo dish from pizza hut and she said it tasted disgusting. Plus it was really unhealthy! So if you love alfredo and you want something healthier, then you should really try this.

Loaded Alfredo with chicken and vegetables
from Cook this, Not that
Ingredients:
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp flour
3 cups fat free milk
2 cloves garlic, chopped
salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups bite size broccoli florets
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
8 oz cooked chicken breast, thinly sliced
12 oz whole wheat fettuccine

Directions:
To make the sauce, melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk to prevent any lumps from forming. Add the garlic and simmer, whisking often, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until nicely thickened. Stir in the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables have lightly caramelized. Stir in the chicken. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot, add the sauce and the chicken mixture, and toss to coat, If the sauce is too thick, add some of the pasta water to thin it. Serve immediately.

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

I was really excited about making these. Not only are they healthy, but they taste great too! I saw this recipe in a recent Cooking Light magazine and knew i had to make them. Because of the name, many people think that they're gross because they have oatmeal in them or something. Well they're wrong! The texture is soft and moist and they taste like you wouldn't believe.

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups fat free buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
2 large eggs
2 cups frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
cooking spray
2 tablespoons granulated sugar.
Directions:
-Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place oats in food processor or blender and pulse 5 to 6 times or until oats resemble coarse meal. Place in large bowl.
-Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. Add flours and next five ingredients (through salt) to oats in bowl. Still well with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.
-Combine buttermilk, oil, rind, and eggs in small bowl. stir well with a whisk. Add to flour mixture and stir just until moist.
-Toss blueberries with 2 tablespoons flour and gently fold them into the mixture.
-Spoon batter into 16 muffin cups coated with cooking spray and sprinkle batter with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when gently touched. Remove from pan, cool or wire racks, and enjoy!