Wilmington Island Marsh Mud Cake

recipe from Pauladeen.com

This is my first recipe ever from Paula Deen. I love Paula! I have her baking/cooking products and have no idea why it took me this long to try one of her recipes. 

This cake is delish!!! Rich and decadent and definitely party worthy.

Cake:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

4 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 half cups all purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Frosting:

Ingredients:

1, 16 oz box light brown sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1, 10.5 oz package miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350

Grease 9 x 13 x 2 inch pan

Stir cocoa in mixing bowl with butter. Add eggs, flour, sugar, salt and vanilla.  Beat well with mixer. Fold in nuts. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes.

While cake is baking, prepare frosting.

Scald the milk. 

How to scald milk:

1. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, add milk and heat on medium-low.

2. Stir frequently to ensure milk doesn't thicken and burn on bottom of pan.

3. Keep heating the milk until it starts to steam and small bubbles start to form around the edges of the pan.

 *It's important not to boil the milk!

Beat the brown sugar and butter together. Add cocoa, milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. 

Remove cake from oven when done and pour marshmallows over the hot cake.

Pour frosting over marshmallows on top.

Do you wonder why the cake looks like someone took a bite out of it? Well, someone did. His name is John and he is lucky he is cute!

NOTE: Both the cake and the frosting are "gritty". Great texture and it should be, after all it's a mud cake...

Also I will make one change the next time I make this. We didn't care for the massive amount of marshmallows used for the topping. Instead of using a full 10.5 oz bag, I will just cover the top completely with one layer. 

Wordless Wednesday ~ Golden Rod

Linked up with: Wordless Wednesday

Oven Fried Pork Chops

I could eat pork chops on a weekly basis. John and Spencer aren't as fond of them so I am always trying to find a way to make them more appealing to them. This breading is light and adds so much flavor. Big hit with all of us. Quick, easy and delicious.


Ingredients:


4 pork chops, trimmed (any kind will do; I using buy what's on sale)
2 Tbls. salted butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 cup plain bread crumbs 
1 Tbls. Lawry's seasoning salt


Preheat oven to 425. Pour butter into 9 x 13 inch oven safe pan.


Beat eggs and add pepper, stir. In separate bowl, mix bread crumbs and Lawry's. Dip chops in egg mixture and then in bread crumb mixture, evenly coating them. Place in pan.


Bake for 10 minutes. Turn chops and bake another ten minutes or until coating is lightly browned. Enjoy!

Macro Monday ~ Magic Carpet Spirea

Can you tell I am having some fun with Lightroom 3?

I linked up with Lisa's Chaos.

Camera Critters ~ Ladybug

John surprised me this weekend with Lightroom 3! This is a photographer's (amateur or otherwise) dream editing software. He even found me some online tutorials. Isn't he just the BEST!?

After I stopped drooling, I edited these photos first in Photoshop, then in Lightroom.  I am in love...

Also, hello to all my new followers! Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope to find some time today to return the favor. Can't wait to get to know you all!

I linked up with Camera Critters.

Cookbooks & Gluesticks Blog Hop ~ A Spooky Fun Time!

WELCOME TO OUR NEW MONTHLY FEATURECOOKBOOKS & GLUE STICKS
MARIA @ FLAIR BY MARIA SNELL ANDNICOLE @ THE DAILY DISHARE PROUD TO SPONSOR THIS THEMED MONTHLY BLOG HOP!
What is COOKBOOKS & GLUE STICKS?Every month we will sponsor a MONTH-LONGblog hop where you will be able to link up yourthemed posts (recipes, decor, DIY posts).
THIS MONTH THE THEME IS:HALLOWEEN!!!!
Our co-hosts this month are:SHERI @ ME AND MY TADPOLEMICHELLE @ HEARTFELT BALANCE HANDMADE LIFEBRENDA @ MEAL PLANNING MAGIC
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO?* Follow the 2 hosts and 3 co-hosts on GFC* Link to your Halloween blog post * Hop, tweet, link up and have fun!* You can also post our button on your blog





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(Thank you MICHA @ COOKIN' MIMIfor the beautiful button!!!!)
You can also post this blog hop on your blog by clicking on Get the Code… Please link up ONLY family appropriate blogs, any blogs that are not family appropriate will be deleted!
Also, Please Link DIRECTLY to your HALLOWEEN THEMED blog post...all other links will alsobe deleted (no giveaways, sponsored posts,other blog hops or non-Halloween themedblog posts)

Hootin' Halloween Cupcakes

recipe idea from 6bittersweets.com

Boy, did I have fun making these cupcakes! They are part baking and part craft and would be so neat to share at a Halloween party. The kids would also have a blast helping and making some great owl faces. 


You could go the easier route and buy a packaged cupcake mix and frosting. However, if you can, you have to make these cupcakes as they were so good! I had a very hard time not eating them in mass quantities. Luckily I made them for Spencer's birthday party last week and sent some home with friends. 


Cookies and Cream Cupcakes


Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 & 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped Oreo cookies (about 10 cookies)


Preheat oven to 350 and line 2 muffin pans with baking liners.


Whisk together milk and vinegar in a large bowl and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Then add sugar and vanilla and beat until foamy with a hand mixer. 


In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add, in two batches, to the wet ingredients. Beat until no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are ok). Gently fold in chopped Oreos.


Fill liners 3/4 full with batter. Bake 18 - 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to cool rack and cool completely before frosting.


Chocolate Ganache Frosting:


Ingredients:
1/2 cup heavy cream
5 oz. semi sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 & 1/2 Tbls. light corn syrup


Combine the chocolate and cream in medium microwave safe bowl. Try to submerge the chocolate as much as possible. Microwave on medium for 1 minute. Stir and heat again in 15 second increments, stirring thoroughly each time until melted. Stir in corn syrup. Let cool and thicken (in fridge if needed) before using.


Making owl faces:


Ingredients:


1 package Oreo cookies, original
1 box Junior Mints
1 small bag of M&M or Reese's Pieces


Split Oreos crosswise, keeping the cream side whole. Microwaving 5 cookies at a time for 5 seconds helps keep the cream side solid. Use the dull side of a pairing knife to remove crumbs and to smooth the cream.


Sides without cream will be used for ears. Make 2 parallel cuts with a serrated knife 1/2 inch from rounded side, discarding the center strip left over.


Pair up the cream sides similar in amounts of cream. Gently push Junior Mints into the cream for the eyes. Be creative and put them in different directions or even cross eyed!.


Use a small spoon to smooth the Ganache frosting onto the top of the cooled cupcakes. Place decorated cream side cookies cream side up halves on the middle of the cupcakes. Gently push into frosting.


To make the ears, attach the cut cream-less Oreo cookie parts above the eyes, textured side facing up and rounded edges inward. These should hang over the edge of the cupcakes but be sure to press them into the frosting where possible.


Lastly press the M&Ms/Reese's Pieces (standing on their sides), between and slightly below the eyes, as beaks. 


Now show them off  to everyone!!

A girl owl! I used a scrapbooking bow I had for this. I put a small amount of chocolate frosting on the tip of the ear and pressed the bow into it. Too cute!