Almost Too Sweet }{ Almond Crunch Bars recipe

In my never ending quest to find new yummy snacks (and meals) to introduce to N. I ran across a recipe on the back of these gluten-free graham style crackers that we had all the ingredients for. I did modify the recipe slightly by adding some oats as well.

It's not the healthiest food (too much sugar and butter), but oh my goodness, it's sooooo yummy.

Ingredients:

• 1/5 package of gluten-free Smoreables Graham Style crackers (from Kinnikinnick foods)
• 6 tablespoons of butter
• 6 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of toasted slices almond
• 1/2 cup of rolled oats

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper, place crackers about 1/2 in apart on sheet, and set aside
3. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and whisk in the brown sugar until combined but not boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the almonds and oats. Spread over each of the crackers.
4. Bake for 7-10 minutes (in my oven it only took about 7 minutes until the topping was bubbling). Let it cool and trim the excess topping from the bars. Store in an airtight container.

Again, I thought these were incredible, but as a warning, N. wasn't a fan. She said they were too sweet.  So I'm labeling them as "almost" too sweet. You may want to try it with less butter and less sugar for a not so rich taste. If you do try it, I'd love to hear how it goes.

Lemony sweet treats

What colors remind you of spring?

For me yellows, pastel pinks, turquoise, light blues and greens. So every spring I feel this need to bring some of these colors in the house - flowers, vases, bowls, art, anything that I can easily place in view.

Food as well - fruits, veggies, juice... And these stick around through the summer. Lemons become a staple around here, from spring valleys to the high peaks of summer heat. Ahhh, lemon, how I love thee...

Yes, yes, back to the post.

I found this amazing lemon oat bars recipe over at simple daily recipes and boy, oh boy. She's right when she says you can't stop at one. They're delicious.

A sweet way to celebrate spring

Hot Chocolate and Cake Pops

Sweet November, welcome to my life.

I think I mentioned before that once it starts getting colder, I tend to gravitate towards the kitchen. This weekend was just like that, and full of sweetness too. All three of us kept orbiting around our kitchen table, and even science experiments happened over there (baking soda, food coloring, vinegar, and a baster - N. loved watching it fizzle).

I tried my first cake pops based on Bakerella's tips and recipes, and found out they are much harder then they look, and also that N. is not quite ready to help.

We also found this amazing recipe for hot chocolate. Yum! I don't think I will ever drink any other kind! Of course, I've got to share it:

• 2 2/3 cups of milk
• 6 tbs of Nutella
• pinch of cinnamon (2x)
• whipped cream

First you add 2/3 cups of milk in a saucepan and warm it up on medium. Add the Nutella and whisk it until it's well mixed. Add the rest of the milk and a pinch of cinnamon, and keep whisking until it's warm and frothy. Pour it in cups, add some whipped cream on top and another pinch of cinnamon. Enjoy! (notice the nearly empty cup on top... N. couldn't wait until I took the pictures)

What's your favorite room of the house around this time of year? Do you like to snuggle up under the blankets on a sofa, hang out in the kitchen, or somewhere else entirely?

Coconut and cheese cake plus changes to the blog

"We want cake! Where's our cake?" (from one of N.'s favorite songs: "7" by They Might Be Giants)


Well, before we get to that.

You may have noticed that I have changed the background and banner. Again. Like, for the umpteenth time.

Is that a blogging faux-pas?

I'm trying to find something that I can be happy with for extended periods of time, but haven't found it yet. So every time I get tired of a look or background, it's "off with their heads" and a new one gets done.

Maybe I should just make a seasonal schedule for changing the background. In any case, for now it's blue and green. And the header needed to be minimalist, it just needed to be.

Ok, so now for the cake.

When my mom and sister were visiting over Christmas, my mom made this awesome cake that I used to devour when I was a kid. I always thought it was a fairly common cake, but I haven't met any other Brazilians here who have even heard of it! So I've decided to share the recipe for my letter C day.

How could I not? It's Coconut and Cheese Cake. That's a whole lot of C. My mom calls it "filipeto."

(warning: don't judge a book by its cover, or a cake by its frumpiness! This cake is delicious)

(warning #2: it is also very, very sweet, feel free to take out some of the sugar in the recipe)

Recipe:


1 cup of flour
1 cup of milk
1 cup of coconut milk
1 cup of grated cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
2 cups of sugar (feel free to use 1 instead)
4 eggs
2 tablespoons of butter (don't fill it to the brim)

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix everything together in a blender, pour the mix in a buttered tube pan and bake it for 45 minutes. At that point, lower the temperature to around 200F and leave it for another 15 minutes or until the cake is golden brown. Let it cool and enjoy. Oh, and the cake should only look sticky and gooey. But it should be firm and thick, not truly gooey.


Se outros brasileiros estiverem lendo este blog, alguem ja ouviu falar desse bolo? (trans. if other Brazilians are reading this blog, have you heard of this cake?)

Does your family have a recipe or craft that you've never found anywhere else?