A Girl's Gotta Eat!

Today's treat is in honor of Shayla's birthday. I was in the mood to try something new, and I knew she loved coconut. Hence, this Almond Joy Cake. I did everything exactly as directed by the recipe, but I will share one word of warning: The cake pan gets very full. As in, when I was adding the chocolate topping, chocolate started oozing off the sides of the pan and all over my table. You should probably set it on a cookie sheet first unless you have a super-deep cake pan (in which case, I'd like to know where you found it.) Oh! I also used dark chocolate chips instead of semisweet because I was just certain Almond Joy candy bars were made with dark chocolate. I was later informed I was incorrect, but I thought the cake was delicious nonetheless. I would say to go with your personal preference. Almond Joy Cake 1 (2-layer) package devil’s food cake mix 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk 1½ cups sugar 25 large marshmallows 1 (14-ounce) package flaked coconut 1 cup sugar ½...

Truth be told, muffins are up there as one of my favorite things both to make and to eat. There's something about a warm muffin fresh from the oven, split open and enjoyed with a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of coffee that just can't be beat. Several months ago I spotted a recipe for Chocolate Hazelnut Muffins that I knew I had to try. Since we had a cooler day today, and because Mike was busy studying, I decided it was well past time to whip up some of these bad boys. The recipe may sound difficult and decadent, but in truth falls only in the latter category. There's not even a need to bust out your mixer, because everything is stirred together by hand. And because you melt the butter, you don't even have to plan ahead and set butter out to soften. This was my kind of recipe. Now, my plan is to take them to the office tomorrow, so one batch would simply not be enough. I made up a second batch and made some regular-size muffins and some mini muffins. Other that a lit...

Last night was our Christmas celebration with Mike's family. His mom and brother make two pots of chili (one spicy, one not so spicy), and we have snacks and something sweet to round out the celebration. This year I made Tiramisu Layer Cake. I first made it for his mom's birthday a year or so ago, and it was a HUGE hit. It's not terribly hard to make, but it does take a little extra time and isn't something I'm whipping up every weekend. In the spirit of giving and the holidays, I went for it. I especially like this recipe because it starts with a cake mix, but transforms into something much more decadent. Instead of retyping the recipe, here's a link: Tiramisu Layer Cake . Enjoy! I didn't even out the layers before stacking, but you can so it will sit straighter. There's always more than enough whipped cream to frost the whole thing. I usually pile up the extra on top.  Yumm...