On to the 2nd Trimester!

Today marks the first day of the 2nd trimester! And I am elated! This has been so wonderful & precious & everyday that goes by is more & more special. We will find out the sex in 7 weeks & then I can start setting up our little one's nursery.

This week, baby is the size of a peach!

And mama's belly is starting to take shape!

We're having a baby!

Long time, no blog. Tired, don't want to bake anything. But happy as a clam! Can't wait to meet our wee one. Due August 17th & can't wait!

Saw our first picture of baby at 7 weeks:

Now baby is this size at 12 weeks!

Strawberry-Banana Nutella Crepes

This week's special treat was Strawberry-Banana Nutella Crepes! And they were fabulous! I was really happy with the way they turned out for never having made crepes before. I wound up making the actual crepes the night before Bible study & then put them back in the skillet in the morning to put them all together. Been wanting to make this recipe for about a year & I finally found a reason to make them - a Bible study Christmas Brunch!

Crepe Batter:

2 C milk

2 C flour

1/3 C sugar

4 eggs

5 Tbsp melted butter

1 Tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Filling:

1 1/2 jars of Nutella

3 Bananas

10 or 15 Strawberries

I used a regular 7 inch skillet to make my crepes. Turn your burner on between Low & Medium. Leave the skillet on the stove top for about 5 minutes to get the right temperature. Once it's ready, spray well with Pam & add 3 Tbsps of batter, making sure to spread the batter to cover the entire skillet bottom. Crepe should set quickly, and after about 30 seconds, flip the crepe over with a spatula. Make sure the crepe is a little browned.

Very quickly, spread your Nutella over entire crepe which will take about 30 seconds, add in your strawberries & bananas, fold crepe over & press at the top to make it lay flat.

Once batter is gone, sprinkle a little powered sugar over the top of each. Serve warm!

Peppermint Hershey Kiss-Centered Brownies

Another amazing find from Picky Palate! They were very tasty, festive, & a hit! Really easy recipe & very tasty. Give it a whirl!

1 brownie mix 9×13 inch size (I used apple sauce as a substitute for the oil)

18 Candy Cane Hershey Kisses

1/2 Cup chocolate chips

2 Tablespoons heavy cream

3 original candy canes, crushed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and scoop into a mini cheesecake pan or mini muffin tin pan that has been generously sprayed with cooking spray, about 3/4 way full. Press kisses into center of brownie batter, do not push all the way to bottom, some of the tip should stick out the top. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until brownies are cooked through. Let cool completely.

2. Melt chocolate chips in microwave, 30 second intervals until smooth and melted. Stir in cream until silky smooth. You can place back in microwave for 10 seconds to smooth more if needed. Dip tops of brownies into melted chocolate, then sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Serve with a tall glass of milk. Enjoy!!

Spinach-Artichoke Dip

This is literally baking in the oven right now & it is delicious! A group of friends are getting together tonight, so I thought I would bring something to share since I have become the resident baker & I am loving it! Asked a girlfriend about this dip recipe & this is it. Super easy & tastes amazing!!

Ingredients

13 oz. can artichoke hearts, chopped

10 oz. pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 C. mayonnaise

1 C. grated Parmesan

2 1/4 C. grated Monteray Jack, divided

2 Tbsps sour cream

1 Tsp Garlic Salt

Directions

Stir artichoke hearts, spinach, mayo, Parmesan, and 1 3/4 cups Monteray Jack together until well blended. Spoon into a 2 qt. baking dish (I spray with Pam first); top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

No pictures - it was gobbled up quick! =)

Caramel Apple Pie

I was very very excited to try this pie for Thanksgiving! It sounded so good, & I don't usually even like apple pies. So, I gave this one a whirl & it was a hit! Maybe you can try it for this Christmas season. This recipe came from one of my favorite blogs called Bakerella.

Caramel Apple Pie

Double Crust Pie Dough
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
10-12 tablespoons ice water

5 large granny smith apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
30 caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

To make the crust, in a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Work the butter in, using a pastry blender or your fingers, until pea-sized lumps form. Sprinkle in the water, 1 tbsp. at a time, stirring gently with a fork after each addition and adding only enough of the water to form a rough mass.

Using floured hands, pat the dough into two smooth, flattened discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before rolling out.

Preheat oven broiler. Place apples on a large sheet pan. Broil 5-6 minutes, stirring once, until apples start turning golden brown; remove apples from oven and place in a large mixing bowl.

Melt the caramels and milk together in the microwave and stir well; stir in vanilla, cinnamon and ginger until combined. Stir caramel mixture into apples until combined.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Roll one dough disc out thinly on a floured surface, using a rolling pin, and fit into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate, and place on a cookie sheet; fill pie shell with caramel apples. Roll out additional dough disc and top apples; trim and flute edges. Slice some cuts in the center of pie. Brush a little milk whisked together with an egg evenly over pie dough and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake an additional 40 minutes (covering with foil in the last fifteen minutes) or until deep golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Serve with caramel sauce, toasted pecans, and vanilla ice cream.

Makes 8 servings

White Chocolate Butterfinger Blondies

These blondies were a Bible study group favorite! They were so tasty & delectable, & they were devoured quickly. They were very easy to make & came out perfectly. This recipe is courtesy of Picky Palate. This blog has become one of my favorites that I follow, & I have decided to bake my way through it as I learn more & more how to be a better baker. Try this recipe - it's awesome!! (P.S. Forgot to take a picture of the blondies once they were all done - sorry!!)

Ingredients

¼ Cup butter

¾ Cup white chocolate chips

½ Cup sugar

¼ Cup brown sugar

1 Cup flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ Cup white chocolate chips

6 Fun Size Butterfingers, crushed up

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons sour cream (Didn't have sour cream, so I used cream cheese & it was perfect)

2 Fun Size Butterfingers, crushed up

2 Tablespoons sanding sugar (I used Confectioner's sugar & it looked great)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter in microwave safe bowl. Stir in ¾ Cup white chips until melted and smooth. In a large bowl add the sugar, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, ½ Cup white chips and crushed Butterfingers. In a small bowl whisk the eggs and sour cream. Pour into the dry ingredient bowl along with the melted white chip mixture. Mix until just combined.

2. Pour into an 8×8 inch baking dish lined with foil that’s been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick comes clean from center. The last 15 minutes, mix the chopped Butterfingers and sanding sugar in a small bowl until combined then sprinkle over top of blondies. Finish baking then let cool completely before digging in!

9 blondies