Nutella Banana Cream Pie and My Secret Shame

My husband’s schedule changed this week and it seems to work out that I can bake ALL Sunday afternoon!  Not that I can’t when he is home but he is usually sleeping during the day and our room is right above the kitchen and our room can get unbearably hot if I have the oven on all day.  So even during the summer when it gets unbearably hot in the entire house, I can send the kids outside and bake till I am blue in the face.  That is what happened this past Sunday, however, all I had the ENTIRE afternoon were baking fails.  I couldn’t get this one recipe I was adapting to work and I made it twice and then something else failed later on.  Ugh, first Sunday baking day wasted.  However, an epiphany struck just before I fell asleep but after the husband came home.  I actually got to spend a bit of time with him before bed without little voices yelling at us or each other.

I hate folding, laundry or otherwise. I don't have the patience. In this case, though, totally worth it.

Anyways, I had written my epiphany down and got straight to it on Monday morning.  It was actually pretty simple.  I only had to bake the pie crust (and if you want to buy a ready made crust instead, I won’t tell) plus I was looking for a graham cracker one that wouldn’t just break apart once I cut it and now I’ve got one.  I just adapted a peanut butter cream pie recipe using Nutella and added a very special ingredient…my FAVORITE thing to go with Nutella (as evidenced by my Nutella Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Banana Bread) …bananas!  Then I topped it with more Nutella, whipped cream, hazelnuts and more bananas.  Other than layering the Nutella cream and bananas a second time or maybe adding some hazelnuts inside, (I REALLY liked the hazelnuts on top, it really made that flavor pop.  I wasn’t sure about adding them.) I wouldn’t change a thing.

Before pouring on the filling...

So on to my Secret Shame which will lead to my GeekyLinks.  It is not your sterotypically “geeky” thing but something that I really Geek Out about!  Something that some of my family knows about me (O my poor kids!) but I have only shared with a few outsiders.  I LOVE and by love I mean LOVE!!! Disco music.  There I said it.  I felt it was safe to admit it now partially after the Saturday Night Fever episode of Glee but as one who really enjoys disco, I would have to say that I was SOOOO BUMMED that the episode only focused on music from that movie.  There is so much more!  My favorite compilation is The Last Days Of Disco: Music From The Motion Picture which is what I was listening to while in labor with my first child almost 9 years ago.  My nurse said to me, “Aren’t you a little young to be listening to that?”  after asking what I was listening to.  I was 25 at the time.

Pie in your face.

So are the younger generations not allowed to listen to the classics anymore?  Yes, classics.  Dance music nowadays is OK (not that I go dancing much) but if I am home and baking (my Disco Pandora station is what I was listening/dancing to while making this pie) or want to have an impromptu dance party with the kiddos…Disco it is (or really most music from the 70s).  Give me Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King, The Jacksons, KC and the Sunshine Band, Sly & The Family Stone, or Chic any day!  It just makes you feel good!  I will now and again listen to music from the late 80s and early 90s but the music I want my kids to know and dig (yes, I used the word dig) is music from my mother’s Motown era, that she sacredly passed on to me, or music from the 70s that I discovered a love for all on my own.  Ok, my mom did have siblings younger than her that may have exposed me to it and maybe one was obsessed with Abba, however, my uncle that is only 10 years older than me certainly exposed me to metal but I am NOT fan of that.  

So pick up an album or buy some songs, get your groove on, and make some pie!

I am also entering this pie into this month’s AlphaBakes Challenge, hosted by Caroline Makes….. and The More Than Occasional Baker.  The letter for April was “b”.  Check out the recipe roundup for April on The More Than Occasional Baker‘s site on May 1st!  And thank you to her for letting me get it in just under the wire!

Nutty Bar Cookies and Old (in our 30s) Friends

Finally, here is the cookie I have been working on for about a month now and I really like it.  Aside from oatmeal (which I think helps keep the crispy cereals stay crispy) I also have cornflakes and rice krispies in it.  I LOVE both of them in here but if you only want to go with one of those, go with the rice krispies.

So yep, these were the cookies that were for someone so I guess you are wondering who, right?  They are for my oldes friend, my best man, my oldest daughter’s godfather, my friend Guillermo.  Unfortunately for him, he won’t get any because he lives too far away and with the chocolate drizzled on top, it makes them precarious to send.  So he will need to come visit us to get some.  (hint, hint)

All baked!

He was in the Peace Corps some years ago and I either gave him some Nutty Bars once or twice before he left or I sent him some once he was gone (who remembers? jeez we are getting old).  I really never knew he was a big fan of the whole chocolate/peanut butter combo till after we graduated high school and we had met when we were freshman.  About a month or so after school had started, he walked right into our (my friend Kim and I) third period religion class.  We all still keep in touch. Some years more than others but still…

I know I have given him some Reeses over the years too, but the Nutty Bars have stuck with me because I actually never had them until he introduced me to them.  They are from Little Debbie and we had always been more of a Hostess family.

Melted and ready to drizzle!

I really just kinda wanted to see if I could pull it off or not and even though it took me multiple tries, I am really pleased with the results.  Plus, I know Guillermo will come and get them at some point.  We live pretty close to his family, so whenever he is in town he makes sure to come visit his goddaughter.  He is always here around Christmas, at the very least, and I am usually making Christmas goodies or something for my son’s birthday when he stops by and we have a good catch up over buttercream and wine.  Can you beat that?  I doubt it.

My GeekyLink for this week is Fashion It So.  It goes through all the episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generations and goes through the fashions of each episode.  It is certainly hilarious but also a bit enlightening.  Also, I just finished Season 5 of The Guild and I don’t know how Felicia Day could have topped the first four seasons but she did.  TONS of nerd cameos and yet you still stay tethered to the story of the main six guild members.  Please watch this show!  Only 6 or so hours of your life will put you up to date with this wonderful series.  Streaming on Netflix or on the YouTube Channel geekandsundry (new episode every Tuesday).

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting and Easter

The Hunt Begins!

Totally aware of the fact that I didn’t get a recipe out before the big Easter recap, and I am sorry.  Do you want to know why?  I didn’t bake anything else last week that wasn’t for Easter!  So there is that.  However, even though this is a recap, I actually do have a recipe for you and it is one that I have teased since December.  It is for those of you, like me, that have ever made a strawberry frosting that got too runny to be happy with (or yes, even to use).  It is because of the secret ingredient…freeze dried strawberries!  Pulverize them and throw them into your whipped butter and cream cheese and they will soak up moisture like gangbusters.

Although a more wet frosting might not actually be too big deal on cupcakes, it can ruin a layer cake (sorry Aunt Sylvia, Trader Joe’s was out of the strawberries that week).  So if you have ever had a top layer of a cake slide away because of a loose fruit frosting, give this a try.  I unfortunately did not come up with this idea on my own but I am running with it.  I have a bag of freeze dried bananas that I want to work with next!

Now onto Easter…

I started by baking two different kind of cupcakes on Friday night.  I had to do them that night because I was bringing half to an Easter egg hunt on Saturday that we do with my in-laws and their friends (technically friends, but actually family) every year.  I made chocolate cupcakes using this Black Magic Cake recipe from My Baking Addiction and my adaptation of Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting from Joanne Choi at Week of Menus.  Then I made Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Buttercream from Joy the Baker.  O man, that was an adventure.  I tried to make my own Dulce de Leche and it mostly worked but then I let it sit out too long before I started the frosting and it got too hard to use.  I had tried to find prepared Dulce de Leche at three different stores and couldn’t find it.  I needed more powdered sugar anyway if I was going to give this recipe another go because even though it was too hard, I had tried to use my Dulce de Leche anyway.  So I finally went to the store closest to my home, and of course, THAT is where the prepared Dulce de Leche was hiding.  Whew!  Problem solved.  Don’t ask me what I would have done if I hadn’t found it because I have no clue.  I was making the frostings Saturday morning and once I found my elusive ingredient it was already 11 am and we had to be at the park at 1 pm and the kids still needed to shower.  Luckily we ended up being only a half hour late and we had a GREAT afternoon.

Once we came home, I made these Easter Thumbprint Cookies from A Bowl Of Mush.  A double batch!

They went over very well. This container was full to the brim when I brought them. I think their smaller size make them very snackable.

When those were finished, that was when I realized that I had just made something extra for Easter and I hadn’t yet made what I was supposed to bring (an Ambrosia salad), plus the Easter Bunny STILL had to work his magic and I was till considering making something else for brunch but it was already closing in on 11 pm.  Well, I whipped up the Ambrosia in a flash (my family just calls it what it is, Marshmallow Salad), began the dough for these and then the Easter Bunny had time to get things going and done around the time my husband got home.  Once he went off to bed, I finished up the rolls, let them rise for a bit and put them in the fridge to bake in the morning.  The rolls were awesome especially considering it was my first time using that recipe.  I will definitely use it again.

They didn't really go at brunch (we eat brunch and lunner) but they were all gone before we left!

Easter was awesome!  It has been my favorite holiday for most of my life (the best candy, Mimosas, my sister’s cheesy potatoes, I ADORE the way we do our hunts plus the adults get their own separate hunt-it is just the BEST) and I love watching my kids enjoy it too!

Not the best posed picture, and boy were the little ones frustrating me when I took it, but thank goodness because this is my FAVORITE!

My GeekyLink this week is something I just saw this evening and I thought it was so wonderful, I moved it to the top of my GeekyLink list.  It is from geek with curves (great blog name by the way) and it is a Nerd Shoe Craftacular.  I want to do some of this and I want some of those shoes.  None of the heels, though.  I wear them begrudgingly.  I would certainly not wear them as part of my Nerd gear but that is just me.  I am not all that arty but I can work with fabric glue and glitter and all that and any drawing can be done by my niece, especially if she wants me to buy her a pair to nerd out on herself.  Also one of the people mentioned in this blog post is justJENN recipes, check out her blog because I am totally jealous of her and she doesn’t just talk the nerd talk, she bakes the nerd food.

My 5 Favorite Things (Right Now), Homework from Joy and Tracy

If you don’t listen to podcasts, I just don’t know what to tell you.  I am now addicted and my gateway drug was the Joy the Baker Podcast.

It is my absolute favorite and it is the first thing I listen to every Thursday morning.  It is just two really good friends Joy and Tracy talking about “totally important unimportant things”.  It is completely hilarious and the dynamic is really good.  They are very alike and yet very different.  Joy likes mishmash styles and colors and Tracy likes clean lines and black & white as a color theme.  They both love food and have awesome blogs that have the best pictures ever.

They have made a homework assignment for those that want to do it and I believe I got mine in just under the wire even though Joy said not to be a procrastinator.  Sorry.  The assignment was to take pictures of your five current favorite things.

So here it goes…

Number One

Well, it is not just a picture but a video.  I am sure once you hear it, though, you will know why I had to include it.  My number one is the way my son says “I love you too” right now.  He gives it freely, it just requires an “I love you” from you first and it sounds like “I buv oo too”.  I know it won’t last the way it didn’t last when Angela stopped calling horses “yee haws” or her milk mixed with a Danimal “leche juice”.

Sarah never really had pet names for things, she just turned 5 but talks like a 30 year old.  Ask anyone, weird but cool at the same time.

Number Two

This is so embarrassing. What no, not the couches, but that my husband was right about them! And yes, the love seat has one almost as bad, too.

Number two is our new couches that we are getting this week.  I didn’t want to buy them but I will fully admit I was wrong and my husband was right.  It is time.  We were living with holes in our couches big enough for our kitty to hide in (however, she did need it, our kids always wanted to mess with her when we first got her).  They weren’t made by her but by our oldest cat who doesn’t scratch anymore.  I don’t have pictures of the new couches yet (hopefully getting them today) but here is a picture of the holes that we are getting rid of.

Number Three

Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Apple Jack, Rarity, Princess Luna (Nightmare Moon) and isn't that good enough? Not sure about the last one, OK?

My Little Pony.  Yes, My Little Pony.  All my kids watch the new incarnation on the Hub and really enjoy it.  The one that enjoys it the most is my 5 year old.  She can go on and on about Princess Celestia, Canterlot, Cutie Marks, Apple Jack, Rainbow Dash, and so on and so forth and she will if you sit there and let her.  Plus since her birthday and Easter she has gotten an influx of toys and she just loves being able to show you something new.  Sometimes it is annoying but when I really take the time and let her tell me all she knows and loves, it always brings a smile to my face mostly because it just makes her SO happy.  Also, there is Doctor Whooves so why wouldn’t I like it?

Number Four

This awesome notepad that isn’t mine (yet) but that my daughter got from a friend that made it.  Her friend gave it to her because she meant to make one but she accidentally made six or so and she knows Angela likes Doctor Who.  The best thing?  My daughter already asked her if she could have another one to give to me.  I love that kid!

Number Five

iPod Touch and Sally, the couch hider.

Last but not least is my iPod touch.  My Aunt Rosie bought it for my birthday last year.  I can use the wifi almost anywhere and this is what I use in my kitchen to look at recipes (saving paper!) and listen to podcasts (Nerdist, The Fringe Podcast , Justified podcast, a handful from the SModcast network, and probably about a handful of others including the Joy the Baker Podcast).  I just bought some new headphones that I love, that really drown out the kids if I am in the middle of something.  I used to have the volume all the way up and now I am at about 1/3 volume so I know they are working.  It is also great to have at a restaurant if Robert gets unruly because although I do have plenty of my own apps on it, it is mostly full of preschool games.

That is all.  I must go, I have to get this in.  No GeekyLink today especially with all the Podcast, Doctor Who, and My Little Pony talk going on already.  I have a neat one coming up especially for the creatively inclined Geeky Ladies in my next post which is done and coming first thing Thursday!

What have I been doing lately? Baking, I mean it! (Part II)

Vacation

Ok, so I did go on vacation first.  But just like what happened with my son’s birthday, we went on vacation and three days later had a party.  His was a big one.  If you remember, I only got two hours of sleep the night before my son’s party and I wasn’t feeling up to doing that again only four months later.  However, I couldn’t let my little girl NOT have a party and I may have promised her a My Little Pony one, in fact.  Awhile back, my aunt and uncle offered their house for a party, especially one for one of my girls because they have two little boys.  So about three weeks before the date we took them up on it and began the process of planning a fun, cheap, quick, and relatively small party.  Did I also mention that my husband’s birthday was the day before my daughter’s?  She was what he got for his 30th birthday.  Anyway, my uncle also has a pretty spiffy man-cave with a big screen, pool table, and a kegerator so I figured this would be a good place for them both to have their party.

Can you see some of the colors underneath? Only red to go...

So since I didn’t have to clean or worry about getting my house decorated or food (we were picking it up) I got to concentrate on baking some treats for them.  For those not familiar with My Little Pony, there is a character named Rainbow Dash.  I went with that, for me it was better than the overall pink and purple aspect of the logo and such.  Although, if I had more time I might have picked one thing for a few of the characters.  I mean I am sure I could have come up with something for Applejack.  Maybe my Apple Fritter Cake?

Hubby's Cake

So first thing I saw that I wanted to do was Unicorn Poop but I was still having questions about the method.  This site for Unicorn Poop Cookies helped me with the how to.  I did six colors instead of five and my cookies spread out more than I would have liked and the first few I made were WAY too big but overall, everybody liked the taste of the cookie which surprised me considering all of the food coloring in it.  I didn’t add any sparkles or anything because I wasn’t 100% happy with them.  Besides, from the beginning Sarah was not thrilled with this idea.  First off, Rainbow Dash is not a unicorn she is a pegasus and apparently, according to Sarah, she doesn’t poop.  Every time I mentioned this idea she just turned up her nose but I just thought it was so funny I couldn’t resist.

Rainbow Dash Poop

The first thing I actually did was make my husband’s cake.  He wanted a yellow cake with chocolate frosting.  That is pretty much what he always wants.  I tried to make it from scratch this year but it didn’t work.  I should have gone with the Moist Yellow Cake from Bakerella but I didn’t and I didn’t have the time buy the ingredients I would need to try it.  So I Cake Mix Doctored it instead.  It is pretty much a no brainer and tasted great.  Of course I always use The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting by Joy the Baker.  It is featured in her cookbook and it was so nice having it in front of me than trying to read it off my iPod touch.  This time it came out a bit lighter but that was my fault because I opened a new can of cocoa powder and I was just being tentative because I didn’t want to spill it everywhere.  Still good though.  My ABSOLUTE favorite!

Rainbow Cupcakes

Sarah got the absolute best birthday cake, though.  Well, cupcakes.  I had seen this years ago in my FamilyFun Magazine.  I thought, wow that is too much work.  So a few years later, I decided to give it a try.  Rainbow Cupcakes, although time consuming, actually turned out to be pretty simple.  It was way easier to color the cake batter than cookie dough and it is really just a spoonful of each color spread out to the edge of each cup as best as you can.  I only made 15 even though the recipe says it should make 18 and I did come up short on all of the colors for three of them.  So I ended up with twelve and that was good for me because we would have my husband’s cake too.  I had made a marshmallow buttercream on top and I would have posted that recipe because I totally winged it but some little boy about 10 minutes before we were supposed to leave for my uncle’s house decided to toss around my cupcake taker.  O yes, while simultaneously crying, trying not to lose it on my son, and while my husband cleaned up for me, I had to whip up a basic buttercream.  I had bought White Icing Color the day before and didn’t need much for the marshmallow buttercream but had to use more of it this time.  I think it is kind of weird stuff, but whatever, I got cloud looking icing again!  I also made some rainbow fruit kabobs that went over very well at the party.

Daddy and Daughter

I hope to get up at least one new recipe before Easter and then everything should get back on track and I should be able to have one or two new ones a week, till at least May/early June when things get crazy for a bit again.  My GeekyLink this week is this My Little Pony Doctor Whooves T-Shirt .  It was brought to my attention by my niece who is a big My Little Pony fan and she knows that I am a Doctor Who fan.  A nice little merging of worlds.