cinnamon roll cake.

first, i can't take credit for the recipe. 

i found it at rumbly in my tumbly thanks to ashley.

second, any recipe that calls for THREE sticks of butter is bound to be good.
can i get an amen, paula deen??
{i know, i know, she's got diabetes now.}

third, you will promise not to hold me responsible when...

a) you eat your first piece - covered in glaze - warm & fresh from the oven,

b) you eat your second piece minutes later, and

c) you wake up the next morning to find that the cake is gone.

 it's THAT good, y'all.

guest post: mississippi mud cookies

hey y'all. i am super duper excited to have my bloggy friend, kimmie, guest posting today. she's my baking guru & hero. seriously, have you seen her blog? go now after you read this yummy post. kimmie {along with her trusty sidekick, gabby} create all kinds of delectable goodies in the kitchen. but, kimmie's favorite thing to do? bake. and, after seeing the pictures in this post, you'll want to bake, too. promise.

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First of all, I am so excited to be hanging out with the amazing readers that call Stuttering Shell their friend today! I can't even tell you how long I've been stalking Shell's space on the web, but I do know that this was one of the very first blogs I added to my 'blog roll' back in the day. Besides, anyone who can also rock the short hair is a true winner in my book of awesome.

I have come across a cookie recipe of epic proportions. I'll let the following text conversation do the talking for how good these cookies really are and then I promise to share the recipe.

You read that correctly. These cookies had to be hidden from my best friend's husband in order for them to last more than a day. By the end of that week, Meagan had made a total of three batches of cookies and I just knew I needed the recipe stat. And because I love Shell, and you're guilty of awesome by association, I'm sharing this recipe so that someone else's thighs will suffer too out of the kindness of my heart. ❤

If you ask me, these are the perfect cookies to show someone you love them this Valentine's Day. They also make the perfect dough to drown your singles sorrows in, straight out of the unbaked bowl. And at the end of the day if you strategically place them around the house so that no one else can find them, I won't judge. We've all been there.

Mississippi Mud Cookies

adapted from Southern Living Magazine

makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (don't skimp, Ghirardelli or the likes works best)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (once again, don't skimp)

1 cup miniature marshmallows

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line baking sheets with either parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

2. Microwave semisweet chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in thirty second intervals, stirring in between until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Add vanilla and melted chocolate and mix until fully incorporated.

4. Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt to mixture and beat until a well blended, dough-like consistency is reached. Fold in the walnuts and milk chocolate chips so that they are evenly distributed.

5. Drop dough by healping teaspoon or 1/2 inch cookie scoop onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.

6. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes, push three miniature marshmallows into the top of each cookie and bake for an additional 2-4 minutes until cookies are set. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

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like what you see? then go check out kimmie's blog: full circle foodie. you can also follow kimmie on twitter or via her blog's facebook page. oh, and don't ever forget to check out her weekly feature called scrumptious sundays.

for the holiday cookie swap...

thanks to duncan hines for sponsoring my writing. there's no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite duncan hines mix and comstock or wilderness fruit fillings and bake on!  www.duncanhines.com


i'm ashamed to admit this, but i really don't do much holiday entertaining. we love having cookouts in the summer, but once the cooler weather hits and the hustle & bustle of the holidays takes over, well, we seem to be busy doing other things {read: going to parties and other holiday festivities}. but, being busy does not mean that i don't have time to satisfy everyone's sweet tooth.

it's no secret: i love to bake. i also love to share my goodies with friends & family. during the holidays, i am always in the kitchen creating something whether it's cupcakes for my children to share with their classmates, cake pops for the hard working teachers in my life or cookies for the annual cookie swap.

and, speaking of cookie swaps...

they seem to happen quite often this time of the year. never mind the fact that you're probably being inundated with goodies at work, school, or home, right?? this friday, i'm attending a cookie swap with a few of my friends and i cannot wait to sink my teeth into some freshly made sweet treats! around the holidays, i bake a lot. sometimes i bake from scratch, but i'm no stranger to taking a shortcut or two. while i prefer not to buy store-bought goodies, i often turn to my grocery store's baking aisle for some help. for the cookie swap this year, i'm very excited to try out a recipe from duncan hines...

{via}

brownie cookie macaroons
{for the recipe, please click here}

brownies plus coconut macaroons...what's not to love?? and, these luscious, rich cookies would look stunning when displayed on a fun holiday plate filled with red & green, don't you think?

in addition to sampling some amazing cookies & other sweets, cookie swaps are also a great way to build up your recipe file and add a few new things into your repertoire. toss in a holiday plate swap, good wine & great friends and you've got yourself a holiday shindig that is sure to please!

what yummy, fun things are you baking this holiday? 

remember to check out duncan hines' website www.duncanhines.com to find some great recipes for your holiday get-together! i was selected for this sponsorship by the clever girls collective.

tamale pie.

y'all know i love recipes on labels. seriously, what's a better source of inspiration than finding something to try on the label of a product that you keep stocked {or should keep stocked} in your pantry??

case in point? tamale pie. well, it's really called southern tamale supper...at least that's how you find it on the tendabake website.

i made this for dinner this week. it's super easy & super yummy. i had to tweak the recipe a bit in order to use what i had available and it still turned out great. if you'd rather print the recipe, you can click here.

ingredients:
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1-1/4 pound ground beef or turkey
1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 tsp of chili powder
2 tbsp of tendabake white self-rising corn meal mix
tendabake southern cornbread {for the recipe, which is found on the back of the bag, click here}

heat oven to 400*f. coat a 9x13x2 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. {i used a large casserole dish & i didn't spray it. whoops.}

cook pepper, onion & ground beef {or turkey...i used turkey!} over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.

drain the meat/veggie mixture & return to pan. {i just tilt the pan and spoon out the grease...do you do that, too?}

add tomatoes, chili powder & two tablespoons of corn meal mix. simmer for 15 minutes & then spread into the baking dish. {i didn't have a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes so i used a can of ro-tel mexican & a can of margaret holmes' tomatoes, corn & okra. worked just as well, in my opinion, and totally upped the veggie factor of this dish! i also added a dash of garlic powder & a generous squeeze of ketchup...the turkey needed some color!}

mix tendabake southern cornbread using the recipe on the back of the bag {or just click here}. pour batter over tamale mixture. {we drink almond milk & the unsweetened worked just fine!}

bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. top with cheese, sour cream & salsa as desired. {we had some green onions left over from the weekend so adam sprinkled some over the top of my serving. he said it needed some extra color since i was photographing it for my blog. awww.}

this is the second time i've made this recipe. it's super easy, super fast & super yummy. my kids love it & i love eating this for lunch the next day.

and, just so you know, tendabake, rotel & margaret holmes didn't ask me to write about them or this recipe. my only incentive? a full, happy tummy. i hope you make this for your family and enjoy it as much as we do!

let's get poppin'.

cake pops.

they're a hot item. i blame bakerella. {seriously, though, i want to be bakerella.}

and, i suppose we can all channel our inner bakerella. {watch out, i might say bakerella again....bakerella, bakerella, bakerella...}

where was i? oh, yeah...cake pops.

whenever i talk about cake pops {or cake balls, too, for that matter} i'm always asked, "how do you make them?" there are a gazillion & one tutorials for cake pops on the internet, but i'll share with you my version. it's not fancy. it's actually kind of easy. but, i'll warn you now, it does take some practice. i'm definitely not at the level that bakerella is, but i can certainly scoop, roll & dip pretty darn well if i do say so myself.

• first of all, decide on a flavor of cake & frosting. you could do this with scratch made everything, but let's be real here: store bought mix & frosting works well - very well - for cake pops. {it's all about the k.i.s.s. principle.}
  
• bake the cake per the directions on the box. once the cake is baked, let it cool. {you can bake the cake the night before you make the pops if that is easier.}

 {why, yes, i jacked up the top of my cake. thanks for noticing!}

• crumble the cooled cake into a bowl. you can do this by hand, but i prefer using a fork {or two}. if you do this by hand, make sure you take off any rings because your hands will get messy. oh, and be prepared to wash your hands...a lot.

• once you have the cake completely crumbled, add the frosting. how much to add is up to you. i personally think that using a whole can of frosting is way too much, so i use no more than half of a can. just eyeball it and gauge how much frosting to use by how "gooey" you want your cake mix to be. {there was a "moist balls" joke in there, but i refrained.}
  
• mix the crumbled cake & frosting mixture well.

• now comes the fun part: scooping & shaping the cake balls! i own this pastry scoop & i love it. if you don't have a scoop, no worries! just make balls about 1" to 1.5" in diameter. you could go bigger, you could go smaller. just remember, you want it to be bite size {cake pops are usually eaten in about two bites}.
  
• as i roll out the cake balls, i like to set them on a baking sheet.

• if you were making cake balls, you would begin dipping them at this point. but, since we're making cake pops, there are a couple of extra steps to take...
  
• in a small bowl, i melt a little bit of chocolate. this will help me get the lollipop stick to stay in the cake ball. simply dip the end of a lollipop stick into the melted chocolate & then insert into the cake ball.

• once i get each stick inserted into a cake ball, i place my tray of "naked" cake pops into the freezer to chill for a bit. you don't want to leave them in there for too long because bad things can happen to frozen cake pops when you dip them {the coating will crack & the cake will "ooze" out of the crack}.

 {the cake pops look dark because i used the flash...sorry!}

• as the "naked" cake pops are chilling, i like to make preparations for dipping. when i first started making cake balls & cake pops, i would only use almond bark for dipping. now, i use candy melts. it's so much easier to melt the candy in the microwave than it is to set up a double boiler and melt the almond bark on the stove. but, it's your preference.
  
• keep in mind that the candy can get funky it spends too much time in the microwave.
  
• also, i like to thin my melted candy with a little bit of veggie oil {or you could use crisco}. this also makes it glossy.

• dipping is fun, but can be very frustrating. trust me. i've effed up plenty of cake balls & cake pops in the couple of years that i've been making them. word of advice: be patient.
  
• i like to keep my dipping bowl on an angle, so i fold up the end of a pot holder. that seems to work well & allows me a nice pool of melted candy to dip the cake pops. as i dip a cake pop, i make sure that i get all the way around the cake pop {twist the pop as you dip}. you also want to make sure you get the bottom completely covered as well.
  
• another good step is to get off any excess melted candy either by lightly swirling the cake pop over the bowl or gently tapping the cake pop on the side of the bowl or on your finger.

 {..."when i dip, you dip, we dip..."}

• if you're not going to use any sprinkles to decorate your cake pop, place it immediately into a foam block to set up. i found my foam blocks {floral foam, y'all} at the dollar store.
  
• if you are going to embellish with sprinkles or other fun stuff, do it now while the candy is still wet.
  
• if you want to really go crazy, you could always melt another candy melt color & use a small squeeze bottle to make squiggles & other designs.
  
• bottom line: have that foam block ready for dipped cake pops that need drying time. 

• don't get frustrated if you see small cracks. that ish happens. besides, it's going to be eaten.
  
• once your cake pops are finished, you can display them any way you wish. although it's a pain, i prefer to use small bags over each pop tied with a coordinating ribbon. it beats the heck of out trying to display them {which i haven't mastered the art of just yet}.

so there you have it. my version of how to make cake pops. it seems long & complicated, but the more you make them, the easier they become.

oh, and just so you know, a box of cake mix typically makes about 48 cake balls or cake pops {it depends on how big or small you make them}. for this tutorial, i only made twelve cake pops. because i made a small cake for the pops, i used the rest of the batter to make cupcakes...

any questions? just ask!

and, here are a few pictures of other cake pops i've made in the past...

m-m-m, m-m-m good!

my husband can whip up a delicious meal using the most random ingredients {think: chopped}. me? not so much. i'm not very creative when it comes to preparing meals. and, because of that, i love, love, love to follow recipes.

i have a thing for cookbooks. but, i also have a thing for recipes on labels. especially if they are soup can labels.

last night's dinner - beef & mushroom lasagna - came to me while pacing the aisles of target {sorry to disappoint, ladies, but there was not one single missoni item in my shopping cart...too zig zaggy!}. i have an undying love for campbell's cream of mushroom soup. i eat it. i cook with it...a lot. i picked up a can and, voila, there was my dinner inspiration!

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beef & mushroom lasagna {the recipe - that i tweaked just a little bit - is from campbell's kitchen}:

ingredients:
1 can campbell's condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk {we only drink almond milk so i used 1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk}
1 lb. ground beef
2 cups prego fresh mushroom italian sauce {because i couldn't find this particular sauce, i used a whole jar of ragu - really, any sauce you like would work - and sauteed chopped button mushrooms with my ground beef}
9 cooked lasagna noodles {you can boil these while you cook the ground beef}
1 cup shredded italian-blend or mozzarella cheese

here's what you do:
heat your oven to 400*f. stir soup & milk in a small bowl until smooth.

cook beef in skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring often to separate meat. pour off fat. stir in sauce. {this is where i added a container of chopped button mushrooms since i couldn't find the mushroom sauce the recipe called for.}

layer half of the beef mixture, three noodles & one cup soup mixture in a two-quart shallow baking dish. top with three more noodles, remaining beef mixture, remaining three noodles & remaining soup mixture.

sprinkle with cheese & cover the baking dish. bake for 30 minutes or until hot. uncover the baking dish & place under the broiler for about two minutes or until the cheese is golden brown. {i broiled the dish on low for about three minutes or so. remember not to walk away while using your broiler!}

when finished baking & broiling, let the dish set for about ten minutes. {i didn't do that...whoops! we were hungry.}

slice, serve & enjoy!

this recipe makes six servings. nutritional information for this recipe can be found on the campbell's kitchen website.

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this recipe was a hit with my family. this is also the second time this week that i cooked with cream of mushroom soup {we had beef stroganoff on sunday night}. if you don't like mushrooms {like my friend, rachel}, i'm sorry. if you do like mushrooms, but prefer not to use ground beef, i'm sure this would be great using ground turkey or even a vegetarian-friendly substitute!

oh, by the way, campbell's did not coerce or bribe me to write this post. i just love their soup...and the recipes that are found on each can's label. seriously, y'all, stock up your pantry with a few cans of cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, cream of celery & tomato...you'll cook with them. i promise.

pillows of pumpkiny love.

or, how to undo your workout/diet in 10 easy steps.

really, y'all, if you like pumpkin, chocolate & easy-peasy baking all rolled into one, then this recipe is for you. i can't take credit for it. i owe my undying love for these pumpkin puff balls to the shabby princess. it's all her fault.

seriously, though. this is the perfect bite of comfort, especially once the weather gets a bit cooler, you need a quick snack or you're just feeling sorry for yourself & are craving something loaded with carbs & chocolate {totally my reason for baking them today}.

that's all you need. three ingredients: a box of spice cake mix, a can {15 ounces} of pumpkin - NOT the pie filling - and some chocolate chips. before you start, just preheat your oven to 350 degrees {i have a gas oven & this temperature seems to work best for me}.

combine your ingredients into a bowl. i don't measure the chocolate chips...i just dump. and, if you can't tell from the picture, i used a combination of milk chocolate morsels & semi-sweet morsels. some of the milk chocolate morsels melted so they clumped together...bonus! {for what it's worth, i prefer semi-sweet over milk chocolate any day.}

mix, mix, mix. stir, stir, stir. the pumpkin filling will work its magic with the cake mix. you don't need oil, butter, eggs, applesauce, sour cream, mayonnaise or anything thing else that you might put into a cake. really, you don't.

drop them onto ungreased baking sheets. you can use a tablespoon, but i use a cookie scoop. also, i don't flatten them. i leave them mounded. and, i apologize now for my dirty oven.

bake them at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. your oven might require you to bake these little gems a bit longer. once baked, transfer them to a cooling rack. but, don't wait for them to cool. they are so damn good enjoyed warm & fresh from the oven.

seriously, they are gooey, moist & soft. oh, and don't be surprised if they disappear quickly. you really can't just east one.

because hurricanes require carbs & chocolate.

here in southeastern virginia we are bracing for irene's arrival. and, because it is hurricane eve, i figured the kids & i deserved a fun breakfast. yes, chocolate for breakfast.


my friend, lis, posted the recipe on her blog. i've made it many times {most recently for a girls brunch}. my kids love nutella crescents & you will, too. well, unless you don't like chocolate or nuts or carbs.

four ingredients:
refrigerated crescent rolls
nutella
sugar
sliced almonds*

*nuts are optional. you also don't have to use sliced almonds. i've made this using chopped pecans & it's just as yummy!

preheat your oven to 375 degrees {per the instructions on the crescent roll package}.

open the crescent roll package, break into individual triangles and coat one side in sugar {not pictured}.

then, arrange on a baking sheet {ungreased} and coat with nutella. careful: this is a messy job!

sprinkle with sliced almonds. or, you can leave them plain.

then, roll 'em up like you would when making regular crescent rolls.

bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.

i have a gas oven and this seems to make for the perfect golden brown color without burning the bottom {remember, the outside will have a coating of sugar on it}.

transfer to a plate.

enjoy while warm.

be warned, they are scrumptious!!

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hurricane eve.

irene arrives tomorrow. some of her clouds are already here.

our home is as prepared as it will ever be. i double checked the flood maps to make sure we were okay. {we didn't flood during isabel, but you never know.}

the evacuation notices are causing panic with my mother. she keeps hearing that all of virginia beach is being evacuated. no, it's not. never mind the fact that she's also worrying about my sister who lives in boston. they're supposed to feel the effects of irene later this weekend.

we are choosing to stay. foolish? perhaps. but, we're not the only people making this decision. this is also not the first hurricane we've been through nor will it be the last, i'm sure.

i'll do my best to keep you all updated on what is going on. the plan, as of now, is to leave the computer on for as long as we have power {because i don't want to run down the charge on my cell phone if i don't have to}. i have a blog post scheduled for tomorrow, but your best bet is to catch me on the twit. 

peach enchiladas.

do you subscribe to southern living? i do. it's the best magazine ever. really,  it is. but, maybe i'm biased because i grew up reading it. my parents had a subscription for as long as i can remember.

anyways, i became a little antsy & jealous when this fabulous lady said she was baking a peach pie thanks to july's edition. i panicked. where was my magazine? was my mailman holding out on me? no, he wasn't. my mail is just slow. okay, so maybe my mailman was holding out on me. but, i digress...

peaches.

they're crazy plentiful this time of year. there was a peach festival not long ago a little bit south of me on knotts island, nc. {my friend, laura, went.} the grocery stores & farm stands in my area are overflowing with peaches. and, if you're like me, you buy peaches at the store only to find that the very next day you need to eat all two or three pounds of them because they're going bad. that can get you can get a bit flustered...and sick of peaches.

have no fear. this is where the peach enchiladas recipe steps in.

first of all, let me give credit where credit is due. this is the creation of {according to southern living} hettie wilkerson of mcbee, south carolina. this recipe won first place at the 2004 south carolina state cook-off in columbia. sounds like a winner, right? it is a winner. trust.

peach enchiladas
2 {8 oz.} cans refrigerated crescent rolls
2 lb. fresh, firm, ripe peaches, peeled & quartered {about 4 large}
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 {12 oz.} can citrus-flavored soft drink {like mountain dew}

preheat oven to 350*. unroll crescent rolls; separate into triangles. place 1 peach quarter on wide end of each triangle; roll up triangles around peaches, starting at wide end. place, point sides down, in a lightly greased 13x9 inch pan.

stir together sugar, butter & cinnamon, and drizzle over rolls; pour soft drink over rolls.

bake at 350* for 45 minutes or until golden brown & bubbly.

just so you know, i halved this recipe. easy, peasy. the first time i made it, i kept it true to the recipe. the second time i made it {we had this for dessert two nights in a row last week}, i added pecans, pitted cherries & i didn't use mountain dew at all {the version in my pictures}.

the only thing missing was vanilla ice cream.