Mint Delight

I know that I have talked about Skinny Cow and healthier desserts before, but to be honest I wasn't exactly blown away by the cookies and cream ice cream sandwiches I bought. However, the weather has still be pretty toasty around here so sometimes a little ice cream goes a long way...(even though there have been all these recent news stories about how "diet" ice cream isn't really all that healthy and contains more unhealthiness that you think.) I would have to say that mint chocolate chip ice cream ranks as one of my top five ice cream flavors, so when I saw this at the store I get very excited. These were much, much better than the cookies and cream ones. The mint flavor tasted natural and had a nice freshness to it. Though the box said that this was a limited flavor, I really hope that's not the case. This one was definitely a winner in my book and something that I would buy again. If you have a chance to try these out, I recommend it. They made not be healthy, but at least the fact that it is an ice cream sandwich and not a pint helps with portion control.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

I don't know about you, but I love chocolate chip cookie dough... the ice cream always seems to hit the spot. However, I know that it's not exactly great for you to eat without baking, so I was really excited when I found this recipe on Pinterest for eggless chocolate chip cookie dough. If you want the full recipe, originally from Fun Foods on a Budget, you can find in on my Pinterest board. This couldn't be simpler and is super delicious. You only need seven ingredients: flour, brown sugar, chocolate chips, butter, salt, vanilla, and milk. I only had half and half on hand, so I just used that.

First, mix together the brown sugar and the butter.

Then stir in the vanilla and the milk. Finally, mix in the flour, salt, and chocolate chips and then freeze. It may look a little runny and wet at this point, but it will look more like cookie dough once it is frozen. 

Next step... enjoy! Try not to eat too much in one sitting, though. If you can handle it, you can always freeze it into balls. I however could not. This is something you don't want to pass up and I promise it tastes exactly like cookie dough! Try it out and let me know what you think!

A Little Piece of Diary Heaven

There is nothing that beats something fresh from the farm and ice cream is no exception. In fact, I don't think there is a more delicious way to enjoy it. The best part about the landscape up North is that things are tucked away, so places can pop up when you least expect them. That was how my sister found this absolutely precious creamery, Woodside Farm Creamery, that she introduced me to. This farm has cows and sheep galore frolicking in the pasture, so you know that there isn't any way it could be fresher. The huge front lawn is shaded by big trees and has lots of picnic tables to sit at. It seems like it is pulled straight out of a magazine because of how much charm it has. Unlike here, most of the year has beautiful weather, so it's usually pretty packed outside. At the back of the lawn you will see this small wooden house. Don't be fooled by its simplicity because that's where all the magic happens.

Once you walk in you will notice the wall of flavors, which has everything from vanilla to black raspberry chip to peanut butter and jelly. You can get every flavor in banana splits, scoops, cones, half pints, or pints. I chose the black raspberry chip because those are two of my favorite things. The ice cream was silky smooth, well as smooth as it could be with chocolate chips in it, and packed full of flavor. It was definitely hard to not eat the whole thing! All I can say is that it's probably best that I don't live close to the creamery because I think I would be there way too often. After having that, it's hard to eat packaged ice cream. Besides, it must be pretty legit because Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds were spotted at the creamery recently, so you never know who you might run into. Make sure the next time you are in Delaware, you stop by this little piece of ice cream heaven. No matter what you choose, you can't go wrong.

Breakfast Scones

It's always a treat when someone makes me baked goods because usually I am making them for others. One of my treats for going to visit my mom was that I got to have homemade blueberry chocolate chunk scones! They were so moist and filled with perfectly melted chocolate chunks. The chocolate had melted a bit on the outside, but still held its shape. The scone's texture wasn't so crumbly that when you bit into it, it all just fell apart which was fantastic. Eating scones that just crumble isn't very fun, but it's hard to find ones that hold their shape. It wasn't overly sweet and the burst of blueberry flavor was a perfect summer touch. The chocolate and blueberry complimented each other very well. The scone was served with a mixture of Bing and Rainer cherries, which are my absolute favorite! They not only have beautiful colors, but they are deliciously sweet. However, they are a bit on the expensive side, so I don't really buy them all that often. Though the price does seem to go down later in the summer. Bing cherries, however, are less expensive and are almost just as good. All I can say is that it was a somewhat healthy breakfast that filled me up and got me ready for the day. If only I could have homemade scones every day...

Fresh From the Oven

I just got this brand new KitchenAid mixer as a graduation present and decided to put it to good use. While trying to think of what I wanted to make, I looked at the counter and saw that I had some bananas that were ripening quickly. Not wanting to make a dessert, I thought why not make something I haven't had in forever. Chocolate chip banana nut bread. As much as I like regular banana nut bread...and know that it is much healthier, the combination of chocolate, bananas, and nuts is magical. Plus, I knew it was someone's favorite, so I decided to make it especially for them.

Almost done, just a bit longer!

Sometimes banana nut bread can be very fussy. The bread can be overcooked and dry or it can have a golden crust and be barely cooked on the inside. I took a shot and used a recipe I found via Pinterest from Tidy Mom. What I found interesting about this recipe was that it did not use buttermilk. I have not made tons of banana nut bread, but I am fairly certain that most recipes called for it. Visit my 'Foods to Die for' board on Pinterest to find the recipe or feel free to find it on her website.

Perfect Golden Brown Crust

Luckily for me, I had a kitchen helper which made it more fun and a bit more interesting. Sometimes carefully reading directions is not always easy for him, so we had a few mishaps. However, those are usually just his added touches to make everything more enjoyable. Despite a few mix ups, the batter came together and made it into the pan in one piece. The most difficult thing was mashing the bananas since I don't have a potato masher. Other than that, it was super simple. You mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately and then combine. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts and put into the pan. I have found that my oven bakes much more quickly, so I usually cut the baking time down. The recipe called for 60 minutes, but mine was done in 45 minutes.

Ready to be Devoured!

Let's just say that this recipe was a keeper and I will be using it again because it was fantastic! The outside had a golden crust and the inside was thoroughly cooked through. It was moist and the chocolate chips had melted slightly, but still held their shape. Honestly, I am not sure if it was the new mixer, my kitchen helper, the new pan, the recipe, or all of these things, but this was the most perfect loaf of chocolate chip banana nut bread I have ever made!

If you have another great recipe you would like me to try or decide to make this one, come back and let me know how it turns out. Make sure that you try out this recipe immediately. For now, the smell of freshly baked chocolate chip banana nut bread that has just been pulled out of the oven is calling my name! Bon appetit!

Have a Sweet Mother's Day!

In honor of today, I wanted to whip up something sweet. The summer is already here and the heat doesn't make me want to turn on the oven. So what to make is the question. I decided on a simple variation of the no bake cookie. They are super easy and these nuggets of deliciousness are the perfect thing to satisfy any sweet tooth. They take no time to make and best of all they can be in whatever shape you want. I choose to make mine into balls. Mine made 12 little balls, so you can adjust the proportions as necessary.

No Bake Cookies:


1/4 peanut butter
1/4 cup raisins
1/8 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 pinch of salt


Combine all ingredients, except chocolate chips in a blender. Roll into balls or cookies and press in chocolate chips. Pop in the frig to firm. Enjoy!

*Recipe notes: I don't have a food processor, so I have to sub a blender. It didn't work as well, and the dough needed to be scraped from the sides, but it got mixed all the same. The only difference would be the smoother texture that you would get from using a food processor. Also, I put my chocolate chips in before blending which probably didn't make the blender's job easier. If you prefer the whole chip, then you can mix everything together. 

This recipe can work with any mix-ins, like nuts or cranberries, so try them and let me know what you did!

To G-oatmeal

The sounds of sizzling bacon or the smell of waffles cooking is something I look forward to. I love breakfast foods, but don't have time to make a really huge spread during the week and cooking for one always leave tons of leftovers. Leftovers aren't bad, but those from breakfast don't really keep well. The one thing I love about oatmeal is how full it keeps me and how versatile it is. You can be really healthy with fruit or nut toppings or be wild and use chocolate chips or brown sugar. The individual packages you buy in the store tend to have lots of sugar or the fruit that's supposed to be there really isn't, so I usually tend to stay away from those. Since most days, I don't have time to let to oatmeal cool down, I needed something that I could grab and go. 

Oatmeal Muffins topped with chocolate chips and raisins

During one of my Pinterest sessions, I found this great recipe and decided to give it a try. It's from sugarfreemom.com, so it was healthy and I had most of the ingredients on hand. I decided to give them a try and they turned out great! The only thing I found was that they stuck to the muffin papers, so I would spray them with some cooking spray before you fill them. Also, make sure that you submerge the toppings into the batter, so that they bake into the muffin, instead of just sitting on top like mine did. But don't worry that little snafu definitely won't keep me from eating them.

If you would like the recipe, visit sugarfreemom.com. Try them out and let me know how you made them and what your favorite toppings are. Here's to having a great breakfast even when you are on the go.