Strawberry Cream Pie

Now this pie is amazing.  I added a whole bag of melted white chocolate chips to the original recipe and it just blew my expectations.  It was really easy and I will definitely be making it again!

Adapted from All Recipes

• 1 tenderflake pie crust (or make your own)
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 bag white chocolate chips, melted (approx 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 cup chopped almonds
• 4 cups fresh strawberries, halved

Directions

Begin by baking pie crust according to instruction or until browned and cooked.

Combine cream cheese and icing sugar in stand mixer, blend until smooth.  Add vanilla and almond extracts and fold in melted white chocolate.  Fold in whipped cream and almonds. Pour into cooled crust.

Decorate pie with strawberries and refrigerate until firm. SERVE :)

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie (and best crumb topping ever)

Recipe from Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 pound rhubarb rib, cut into 1/2-inch pieces or sliced frozen rhubarb, (about 3 cups)
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, halved
• 1 unbaked pie shell (9 inches)
•  
• TOPPING:
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

• In a large bowl, beat egg. Beat in the sugar, flour and vanilla until well blended. Gently stir in rhubarb and strawberries. Pour into pastry shell.
• For topping, in a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and oats; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit.
• Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° bake for 45 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 8 servings.

S'mores Pie

Adapted from Pastry Affair

This S'moes pie was absolutely delicious.  The chocolate layer was almost cheesecakey (minus the cheese) and the graham layer was scrumptious.  I used cocoa for the chocolate so it was very rich, I've changed the recipe to use milk chocolate because I think it would taste more like the classic s'more.

Graham Cracker Crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted

Chocolate Filling
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk (I used skim)
10 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
Pinch of salt
2 eggs, whisked
1 bag of large marshmallows

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until evenly coated. Press mixture into a 9 inch pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes, or until fragrant.
Keep oven running.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together cream and milk. Warm over medium-low heat. Add in chocolate and stir until chocolate has melted and is smooth. Slowly add whisked eggs and mix until smooth.
Pour chocolate filling into baked pie crust. Bake for 20 minutes, or until chocolate filling is set and does not move when pie is lightly shaken. Remove from oven.

Cut marshmallows in half. Place halves in concentric circles over the top of the pie until covered.
Set oven to broil. Place pie under the broiler and lightly toast the marshmallows. This can take anywhere from 2-5 minutes, so watch those marshmallows closely!
Chill pie in the refrigerator to set for 2-3 hours.
Cut the pie while cold, but enjoy the pie warm, trust me :)

Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins

Recipe adapted from Food.com
These muffins are very dense and filling,I didn't use any nut flours like I usually do but instead opted to make them more 'bready'.   They're super yummy and pretty healthy :) The recipe made 14 large muffins.  Next time I will try adding lemon zest.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup Splenda Granular
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup low fat buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/8 cup greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 packets crystallized lemon (or 2 tbsp lemon juice)
2 cups fresh blueberries


Line 14 muffin cups (or just make 12 bigger ones I guess!) and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Mix dry ingredients together and then add milk, eggs, butter, yogurt and vanilla.  Stir in the blueberries.  Divide evenly between muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Banana Bread Breakfast Smoothie

Initially dubbed 'Green Monsters' by A Full Measure of Happiness, these smoothies are not your typical yogurt-fruit concoction.  And they don't even taste like your typical yogurt-fruit concoction.. even better: think milkshake.  And there's spinach in them... I know right?
Anyways this was so good and definitely a good way to sneak in some more nutrients to your breakfast,  had all the ingredients on hand as well. I am definitely gonna play around a lot with this recipe, I'm thinking mint, cocoa, maybe strawberries, and lots of other flavours could be marvelous.
I have Starbuck's sugar-free flavour syrups (meant for lattes) in my house but I used them in the smoothie and I think that's what gave it its sugary ice cream flavour.  Yum.
 
Banana Bread Breakfast Smoothie (makes one smoothie)

• 1/2 ripe banana, frozen (peel before freezing!)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3/4 cup baby spinach
• 2 tablespoons walnuts
• 1/8 cup oats
• 1 pump Starbucks Sugar-free Cinnamon Dolce Syrup
• 1 pump Starbucks Sugar-free Vanilla Syrup
• a couple of ice cubes, as needed

Put the spinach, oats and walnuts in the blender, and then throw in the banana. Pour the milk over top of everything.  Blend until smooth.  Add syrups and continue to blend, and then add ice as desired (I added about 3 cubes).

Sugar Cookie Bars

Beware: there is absolutely nothing healthy about these bars.  They're full of sugar, butter, and more sugar.  And they're way too delicious.
SO I make a batch and ship them off to my little brother's classroom before I eat the whole pan :)  But believe me, I definitely indulged.  I mean just look.

Recipe from Dinners Dishes and Desserts


Bars
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Frosting
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream (or just milk works.. but I mean, you're already using 2 cups butter!)
Food colouring and sprinkles (optional, but not really!)


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 13 x 9 pan.

In an electric mixer cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each egg.  Stir in vanilla. In another bowl mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda.  With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour mixture, until just combined. Spread the dough into the prepared baking pan.  Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, a tester should come out clean and the edges should be just beginning to tan a bit. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting cream the butter until fluffy.  Add vanilla, cream, and 1/2 of the powdered sugar.  Continue adding powdered sugar to get to the right consistency.  You might have to adjust the milk or powdered sugar to make it spreadable.  Spread over the cooled bars. (Or you can refrigerate the icing and spread over warm bars.. your call)

Store in the fridge as the icing will melt, but they are definitely best enjoyed at room temperature!

Strawberry Shortcake Oat Muffins

Yet again, I'm experimenting to make a yummy muffin I can eat with my breakfast.  This one is sweet, moist, and very fruity - the strawberries in the muffins kind of dissolve and create a jam like texture within the muffin. To make them more of a snack-type muffin, I'd imagine adding some cocoa to the batter would taste absolutely delicious.  But these are healthy breakfast muffins!!!!

Recipe adapted from Dashing Dish 
Makes 12 muffins.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup Oats
1/2 cup Walnuts
1/2 cup Pecans
1 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt
2 Eggs
3/4 cup Splenda Granular
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 cup Strawberries diced (reserve 1/2 cup for placing on top of the muffins)
1 medium sized banana

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins with parchment liners

Place all of the ingredients (except the strawberries and banana) in a blender or food processor, and blend until oats are smooth. I used my hand blender to do this and it worked muh better than our blender... that was a pain.  Pour mixture into a medium sized bowl, and stir in 1 cup strawberries. Chop banana into small pieces - roughly the same as the strawberries - and combine with the remaining 1/2 cup strawberries.  If desired, toss them with approx. 3 tbsp splenda (I did..yum!) Divide batter among cupcake liners, and then divide the additional fruit between the muffins, pressing gently into the tops of each muffin.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until slightly browned and toothpick comes out clean. They freeze well and reheat in about 45 seconds, store in a plastic bag once fully cooled.  Enjoy!