Could it be true?

I went to Kohl's last night with my cousin and randomly came across this...

Babycakes Cake Pop Maker.

I  honestly felt like a little kid on Christmas morning.  I can't wait to try it out!  The thought of the  perfection of the round ball already being made is very exciting. Since Halloween is approaching, my plans for my friends, family, and first graders have been stirring in my mind. Stay tuned for a review on this machine and lots of Halloween treats to come!!!!

When in doubt, choose both.

My 2nd post (1st post found below) on our eating tour in California is about our last final meal of the trip. For dinner, we ate at a small gourmet pizzeria in San Francisco. After sharing 5 appetizers, 2 entrees, and 3 pizza pies, we found ourselves, yet again,  talking about our next meal, dessert of course.

Betsy and Joe decided they wanted to take us to get ice cream. Betsy right away suggested Humphry Slocombe while Joe insisted on Mitchells.  John, Matt, Raquel, and I sat there stuffed as could be,  not thinking we could  fit another thing in our stomach. But as this conversation went on, our eyes lit up and we were immediately excited for what was to come. We went from a - 5 on the hungry scale to about a solid 9 while listening to the description of both places.

So the big question over dinner became...which place to go to? They went on for 25 minutes explaining the amazing crazy funky flavors at Humphry Slocombe and the deliciousness of Mitchells.  They said HS was trendy while Mitchells was old fashion.   Betsy said HS was like a new pair of expensive pumps that looked amazing but hurt while wearing them. She said Mitchells was like a really nice pair of sweatpants that you never want to come out of, which I thought had me sold, until Joe said, HS is every bakers dream. The more they explained, the harder it became to decide.  They both sounded amazing.  After going back and forth, they finally turned to us to ask what we wanted.  After listening to that conversation, it was too hard to choose.

We finished our meal, paid the bill, and dreaded the decision we had to make until....Joe said he finally had an idea. He decided we would go to both!!!

Yes, we went to both....don't judge.

Both places were exactly how they explained.  HS was amazing but very trendy and had the funkiest flavors.

Mitchell's had more of an old fashion approach, but had combinations of flavors that you can't even imagine. I had a scoop of Grasshopper pie. It combined my favorite ingredients of Oreos, Fudge, and Mint ice cream. I also had a scoop of Claire's pie which was coffee, almonds, and some other deliciousness.


Lesson Learned:  Never stress about choosing between two amazing ice cream places...GO TO BOTH! 

Overall, our trip will go down in history as being one of the best vacations we've ever been on.

Now you see it...Now you don't...

California was so amazing it deserves two posts!  John and I went to San Francisco, California along with our travel buddies (my cousin Matt and his girlfriend Raquel).  We went to visit my cousin Joe and his fiance, Betsy.  Let me give you some background on them... Joe has many degrees but my most favorite is his degree from the Culinary Institute of America.  He now has created many products, including The Best Rice In the World (click for amazingness). Betsy also went to culinary school for baking and is officially a baking goddess after I tasted her blueberry cobbler. To make a long story short, our time in San Francisco (and a mini - vaca while there to Napa) was nothing short of an amazing time. To sum up our weekend we ate and ate and ate and drank some wine and ate and ate some more. They both knew exactly where to take us to have the most amazing meals,  and while we were eating we were planning the next meal.

My first post will be about a dessert that we had while we were dining in Napa.  Betsy and Joe picked a place called, Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen. The food was phenomenal, but little did we know the dessert would be even better.  They made this dessert called Campfire Pies.  It is hands down a huge piece of heaven. It had an oreo cookie crust, fudgy chocolate, a little almond, and toasted marshmallow fluff.

 S'mores have a little history with John, Matt, Raquel and I because we seem to make it every place we go (even wedding after parties). Knowing this, Joe and Betsy planned this dinner solely around this dessert.

We ended up ordering 2...

best reaction ever!

and it was probably gone under 5 minutes....

Move Over Cake Pops.....

Cupcake + Ice Cream Cone + Vanilla Frosting + Sprinkles?  YES PLEASE!

Yesterday, I was asked to bake for a co-workers birthday. I obviously agreed and immediately went to the store after work. Being that I've only worked there for 1 month, I decided I would play it safe, and make a plain vanilla cake with vanilla frosting and sprinkles.  As I started mixing the ingredients, I knew I couldn't be that simple. My first thought?  Cake pops.  But then I remembered my long day of teaching 6 year olds and a brutal crossfit workout. I didn't have the energy to mash cake,  roll into perfect balls,  and dip into chocolate. So I looked through my cabinets for ideas and saw a box of cones.  I also remembered an article in  Rachel Ray's mag where she had made these (although my boyfriend swears he came up with idea)   So I decided to try it out.  It turned out to be a success!

You can use any cake recipe (or a box cake if you prefer). Place each cone in the cups of a cupcake pan. Then fill about 3/4 of the cones with the batter.  Cook as directed and eat with lots of frosting!

Up next....Brownies in a cone? hmmmm

Easy As Apple Pie...In A Skillet?

This weekend I decided to make an apple pie...but in a skillet!  I normally use a skillet for searing steak, pork chops, etc. Not this time! It was so easy too!  I used a 10 inch skillet and cooked some butter and brown sugar...

Then, I peeled and cored 4lbs of apples (Granny Smith and Braeburn). Mixed them with sugar and a little cinnamon (I tend to over due it with the cinnamon)...

Then, I made a simple pie dough recipe.. placed half of the dough over the cinnamon butter mixture, added the apples and put the remaining dough over the apples...Finally, I took the skillet and placed it in the oven...

1 hour later.....

Best Served w/ Vanilla Ice Cream!

Crisp, Juicy Apple PIE!!!!!

This recipe was actually taken from Southern Living Magazine..

Easy Apple Pie Skillet