Freakin' Awesome Chocolate with Peanut Butter Cupcakes!

Afternoon! It is about to snow here and it is so very cold now… So you really need to turn on the oven and heat up the house with these super yummy chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter cream cheese buttercream.  I went to dinner at my parents last night. Mom didn't know I was planning to bake, but she should no better!

 I saw this on The Talk… yes it is one of my guilty pleasures. But gals from DC Cupcakes intrigued me with 1 buttercream recipe and 10 options. It is so easy  to change a simple cream cheese buttercream and flavor it with mint, coffee, maple and lemon.  My parents and uncle David love this cupcakes. Also I dropped a few leftover cupcakes at my friend T's . They are a hit, everywhere!  

Enjoy and try a few options out! Cheers, Kate

Ice Cream, You Scream, We all Scream for this Ice Cream

Ice cream, two words that can excite most people. As you think back, what is my favorite ice cream? Is is different than what I liked as a child? Am I open minded about changing my favorite ice cream to something other than just chocolate or vanilla? 

My answer is yes. 

More than a year ago I borrowed a cookbook, Cucina Simpatica-Robust Trattoria Cooking, from our friend's R's. This is the same great cookbook that gave us on of my favorite pizza recipes. What a wonderful cookbook!

Friendly Friday: Week March 18th to 25th

Good Morning! 

I am getting ready for 2 very large surprises for all of you! First of all this is the last Friendly Friday until May 6th… sorry, but I have something a little more fun to share with you.  Check out April 1st to see what is going on…no April fools this year. But I think you will be really excited.  Cheers, Kate

Grilled Salmon with Creamy Horseradish Sauce

Happy Spring!  This is one of my favorite salmon dishes. Its perfect for both Passover or Easter dinners. The creamy sauce with the bit of horseradish is both divine. I hope you enjoy this awesome salmon dinner. I love to serve it with steamed or grilled vegetables for a super healthy and delicious dinner. Enjoy and dig in!

Healthy Dinner in Disguise!

OK guys, as promised…Super Silky Skinny Mashed Potatoes with Grilled Pork Chops and Balsamic Apples n'Onions. This makes for one super healthy but very satsifing dinner.

But don't tell anyone how healthy your dinner really  is. 

Absolutly no one will call these potatoes healthy! You can substitute 2 tablespoons of regular sour cream for 1 tablespoon butter for the same healthy but delicious effect.  I like to serve this dinner with a side of applesauce!

Enjoy and eat up, your pants will still fit good in the morning!

photo © 2008  Christopher Aloi | more info

Friendly Friday: Week March 11th to 18th

waiting for spring blooms

Dear Friends,

      This week has gone by to fast. I had somewhat of a crappy week that was topped of with a a 20 minute crying fit this morning. I was looking for my bouncy shamrock headband and I found a big fluff of Raider's fur in the back of the bedroom closet.

 Oh I miss him so much. But I am over crying for now. But I am trying to take everything one day at a time. The stress of moving, work, learning WP,  etc and now Raider's fur was too much for me to take today. 

St. Patrick's Day

Have a great green day!

(via)

The Healing Powers of Soup

As promised I am sharing the recipe of my mom's healing chicken soup It has actually helped/healed more than a few people. This was the ONLY food a friend of the family could eat after being very very sick in the hospital. Really…its true! 

Help and Home… Moving Out

There are many four-letter-words like love, want, stop, duck and a few that I won't mention but I use all the time. Today I am going to use 2 of these four-letter-words… help and home.

This is a smaller version of my new kitchen This picture was taken on a cloudy day!

Ooey Gooey Carmel

Stop what you are doing and go make this soft Carmel corn. Now… I'll wait. 

Friendly Friday: Week March 4th to 11th

The first day of spring is so close… but here in Indiana it was snowing yet again after a few gray rainy days. The good news is that I have lovely friends (you) to keep me warm and busy. 


This week has been perfect for cooking big wintery meals. I made roasted pork chops with balsamic apples and onions and skinny silky mashed potatoes. Even though it everything was comfort food…it was all low in WW points. I will be sharing my secret to making skinny and silky mashed potatoes next week. Please stay warm and curl up with a good cup of hot, sweet pepermint tea and a few magizines and cookbooks. Thats my plan for tonight! 

Raspberry Truffle Love

• I am back to work today after a week of being home sick.  I been waiting to share this recipe with you since I make it a couple times a year. What a wonderful recipe. It is almost as simple as opening up a box of brownie mix but you end up with these extraordinary brownies. I love them! The brownies are very moist dark chocolate experience but with a bright fruity raspberry burst and little bits of gooey chocolate. This is a true crowd pleaser! Be prepared that once you take these truffle brownies to an event, you will not take any home! That is why I have no pictures of these incredible brownies!

photo © 2005 Jeff Kubina | more info (via: Wylio)

Weight Watchers... Week #6

Yay today was a good day!  

 I couldn't believe after a week of feeling blah, grumpy, sleepy and yes I was crabby, (add up the dwarfs!) That I actually felt OK today. I  went to the grocery store, returned movies to red box and went to weigh in… a big day for a girl who hasn't left the house for a week, well other than to go to the doctor.  

A Cherry on Top!

Stylish Blogger Award:

I received this awesome award from Ashley plus 3. Ashley is so fantastic and I lover her blog, her yummy recipes and her stunning photography! Please check out her blog now!

This award requires 7 tidbits about me so here goes nothing...

1. I love to drive all over and get lost. Yes, on purpose! 
2. My very favorite restaurant in the world is Hali'maile Genral Store
3.  I have 67 movies on my Netflix Queue
4.  I have to sleep in a room cool enough to have blankets on with out me getting super hot! 
5.  I love cereal, there are 8 boxes of cereal in my kitchen right now.
6.  I love the Big Chill kitchen style. Love, true love! I want this kitchen!
7.   One of my favorite bands is the  The Kreellers!


I am passing this awesome award to ... 

Friendly Friday: Week Febuary 25th to March 4th

Hello everyone. First of all, I am feeling better but not back to my old self yet.  So per doctor Mom's orders I am taking one more day off work. I am also curled up with my second bowl of delicious homemade chicken soup (thanks to mom) that has a pretty amazing track record of curing what ails you. I will share this recipe soon. My parents have been such a help bringing me soup and dinner while I have been sick (my fridge is about to burst open).  Thanks for the love everyone. Sorry for the late post, I slept most of the day away. Enjoy your weekend! 

Staying at Home with Stunning Sorbet

     I have a new found respect for time, rarely do I spend hours at home without a long list of things to do.  I never have enough time for myself,  my family, Sookie or my  beautiful blog. But this week I found myself with too much time on my hands. I have been home for an extra 2 days and I will be home all day Friday too. I hope I look ok to work on Saturday. 

     I feel super crummy with a fever, sinus infection and look like I lost a fight, a bad one. So I have been locked into my  apartment with no energy and of course there was no way I was going to go out of this house looking like I do. And on both trips to see Doctor C.   I was wearing a hoodie and covering my face with my hand. Too bad I don't have a ski mask, like the ones you see on bank robbers on TV. 

It looks super yummy!

Pina Colada Sherbert

Hi guys, I am posting this quickly because I am on my way to the doctors office. I can't believe I started out with a sinus infection and now half of my face is crazy swollen. Ugh, I will let you know whats going on. Have a great day!