HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY

Malibu Sunset

May 15, 2015 By Holly

Happy Friday Y’all!! Today I’m keeping it super short and sweet because I have been very under the weather this week. I finally went to the doctor ~~kicking and screaming~~ and have a prescription for antibiotics to prove it, blargh.

Though I feel like junk, I can’t deny y’all a super delicious and fun cocktail for your weekend. I will be doing nothing except catching up on my DVR’d shows this weekend so I must live vicariously through you guys.

This Malibu Sunset is probably the easiest drink recipe I’ve ever shared here, and honestly one of my favorites (I do love me some Malibu Rum after all). This is sweet but not toooo sweet, and lots of delicious coconut rum shining through, and bonus, this drink can be put together in about 5 minutes, woot! This drink will having you feel beachy in no time. Have a wonderful weekend y’all and Game of Thrones here I come…

Here is some pineapple/orange juice…

now some coconut rum…

now some cranberry juice, and voila! its cocktail time…

yummy!

Malibu Sunset

2015-05-14 11:58:12

Yields 1

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THIS IS FOR ONE DRINK

3-4 Ounces of Pineapple/Orange Juice.
3 Ounces of Malibu Coconut Rum.
1-2 Ounces of Cranberry Juice.
Pineapple slices and Maraschino cherries for Garnishing (Optional).

Instructions

In a shaker or glass add your pineapple/orange juice and your rum and stir.
Now add your cranberry juice, stir again and add your fruit for garnishing if you like.
Serve immediately and enjoy.

Notes

I used a pineapple/orange juice mix because it was easier than buying pineapple and orange juice separately.
You can use ice to chill your drink, but I am not fond of how the ice melts and waters down the drink, instead I put all ingredients into the fridge so they will be chilled.

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Southern Salsa

May 13, 2015 By Holly

Happy Wednesday everyone!! I know, Wednesdays aren’t nearly as cool as Fridays, but I have something that will make your hump day better…like way better, promise 🙂

I bring to y’all today Southern Salsa, also known as Southern Caviar which obviously makes people think of fish eggs, which doesn’t sound appetizing, which makes me call it Southern Salsa…anyways…I have to admit I was super skeptical about this recipe when my mom gave it to me.

Yes there’s some good pieces to the puzzle but I was worried about how they would all come together (vinegar, Tiger Sauce, sugar?!?!) Well, I should have known better than to doubt the recipes my mom gives me because this dip is the bee’s knees.

The sauce and corn make it quite a bit sweeter than I had expected (which is a good thing), but there is also a tangy kick too, and the softness of the black eyed peas and the crunch of the bell pepper and onion makes for one heck of an awesome dip. Just try having one bite of this stuff, this dip is full on addictive. Enjoy y’all!

Start with your black eyed peas…

Rinse and shake off…

place into your bowl, then place your drained corn into your bowl too…

now chop up your bell pepper (use as little or as much as you like)…

place into your bowl…

now chop up your onions (again, you can use as much or as little as you like)…

place into your bowl…

now for the sauce…place sugar, vinegar, and tiger sauce into your bowl…

whisk, whisk, whisk then dunzo…

pour sauce onto salsa, mix, then enjoy!!

Southern Salsa

2015-05-12 10:39:06

A wonderful dip filled with black eyed peas, corn, bell pepper and covered in a delicious sauce.

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THE SALSA

2 Cans of Black Eyed Peas, Drained and Washed.
1 Can of White Corn Kernels, Drained.
1/4-1/2 of a Vidalia Onion, Chopped.
1/2 of a Red Bell Pepper, Diced.
Salt and Pepper to Taste.

THE SALSA SAUCE

1/2 Cup of Granulated Sugar.
1/2 Cup of White Vinegar.
2 Tablespoons of Tiger Sauce.

FOR THE SALSA

Pour both cans of your black eyed peas into your strainer, thoroughly rinsing them off with water, then place into your bowl.
Drain your corn and place into your bowl with your black eyed peas.
Dice up your bell pepper and place into your bowl and mix all of these ingredients together with a spoon.
Chop your onion into small pieces (or larger if that is your preference), then place into your bowl--you may use more or less onion depending on your tastes.

FOR THE SALSA SAUCE

In a separate medium sized bowl place your sugar, vinegar and tiger sauce, then whisk these ingredients together until well combined.
Now pour your sauce onto your salsa, mixing well, then salt and pepper to taste.
Either serve immediately with chips or cover and place in fridge--the flavors get even better when they sit for an hour or more.

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Gooey Red Velvet Sandwiches

May 11, 2015 By Holly

I know, I know, something else red velvet. If you are not partial to red velvet ~~I forgive you and still love you~~ I would like to apologize because I can’t help it, and you can just blame my Southern roots on my love of all things red velvet.

I had stopped into a coffee shop recently to get my iced black coffee action on, and in their lovely little case filled with all things sugary and wonderful was a red velvet whoopie pie. First, I thought ‘yum, I want one like whoa‘ and second, I thought ‘you’re gonna have to wait for your cheat day, but what if they don’t have any!?’

Sooo, I decided that it was high time I figured out a way to make some on my own. Since I haven’t had much luck in the past with making the whoopie pie cakes, I thought maybe I could make some in a way that would be easy and know that I wouldn’t mess up.

I took the easy and oh so delicious gooey cookie recipe I use all the time but used red velvet instead as my whoopie pie ‘cakes’, then made a simple cream cheese frosting for the middle. Okay y’all, I had a feeling that these would be tasty, but I certainly didn’t figure they would be absolutely positively addictive and wonderful. Honestly there is just no way a whoopie pie has tasted as good as these, for reals…I brought these into work, and they were gone in less than a hour with people asking me if I had anymore hidden somewhere haha. These are soooo good that I am urging you to run straight to your kitchen right this second and make these 🙂

First start with your cream cheese and butter (don’t forget this is a doubled recipe)…

all mixed together, then add your eggs…

then both of your cake mixes…

all mixed up, look how pretty…

after chilling the dough for a bit roll them up into balls, roll them into powdered sugar and slightly flatten out…

bake, bake, bake…

while these cool, make your frosting, first more cream cheese…

whip together until smooth, then add your butter…

all mixed together…

now your powdered sugar…

all mixed up and ready to go onto your cookies…

soooo yummies…

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

2015-05-01 10:31:56

Yields 20

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RED VELVET COOKIES (THIS IS A DOUBLE RECIPE)

2 Red Velvet Cake Mixes.
2 (8 Ounce) Packages of Cream Cheese, Softened.
2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Softened.
2 Eggs.
Powdered Sugar for Rolling.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

2 (8 Ounce) Packages of Cream Cheese, Softened.
1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Softened.
1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract.
3 Cups of Powdered Sugar.

FOR THE RED VELVET COOKIES

With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment place your butter and cream cheese into your bowl, mixing together until smooth and well combined.
Now add your eggs and mix until incorporated.
Now add both boxes of your cake mix and mix until well incorporated, this will be very very thick and gooey.
Now cover and chill your dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours or stick in the freezer for an hour.
Once your dough is chilled and almost ready to be rolled out preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Using a small cookie/ice cream scoop, roll your dough into 1" balls then roll into your powdered sugar.
Now place your dough balls onto your sheet and gently press down with your hands to slightly flatten them.
Bake your cookies 10-12 minutes, you want them to still be gooey, make sure not to over bake.
Let your cookies cool completely.

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Place your cream cheese into your bowl and using a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment whip your cream cheese until smooth.
Now add your butter and vanilla extract and whip together with the cream cheese until combined thoroughly.
Now add your sugar 1 cup at a time until smooth and creamy (hello delicious!).
Now using a knife (or a piping bag) you can place your frosting onto a cookie, then place the top on, then voila whoopie pies.

Notes

You could definitely place your frosting into a plastic baggie, and snip a small piece of the corner off and pipe your frosting that way, I used a round open faced piping tip to make sure the frosting went on evenly.

By Holly

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Triple Berry Cake ~ Happy Mother’s Day!

May 8, 2015 By Holly

So no cocktail Friday today y’all, instead I’m sending out early wishes of Happy Mother’s Day to not only my totally awesome mom, but to all of the mothers out there..Happy Mother’s Day and thank y’all for having one of the toughest jobs in the world!

Now, to this cake…in Los Angeles there is a bakery called Sweet Lady Jane that is known for this triple berry cake that they make. I pretty much fell in looove with this cake from the first bite; moist cake with layers of light whipped frosting with fresh berries, and the whole exterior is covered with the same incredible whipped frosting, drooool. I’ve wanted to recreate this cake for forever and thought that making this cake for Mother’s Day would be the perfect time.

Weeelll, it was almost perfect. First, while attempting to remove one of my cake layers from its pan (don’t think I let it cool long enough), it came out in 2 pieces, and in my attempt at salvaging it, it crumbled into about a billion more pieces..sigh, into the trash it went. Second, I thought I was doing the right thing by placing parchment paper on my cake stand to keep it clean, but when I tried removing the paper later it started to rip the cake in half…double sigh…honestly at this point I almost scrapped the whole thing ~~and went somewhere to cry by myself~~.

Also, because I lost a cake layer, I had to cut the two layers I had left in half so I would have enough cake, which made these layers super weak under the weight of the berries and whipped frosting. Which is why I highly recommend using muuuch less fruit and whipped frosting than I did–I put the lesser amount in the recipe btw 🙂 Lastly, I had every intention of covering this whole cake with frosting like the original cake, but even after tripling the recipe I had just enough at the end to put some on top. Even though this cake was almost a complete disaster looks-wise it ended up being so freaking delicious y’all. It doesn’t quite taste like the cake I was trying to emulate, but it does taste like the most incredible trifle you’ve ever had. Even though I almost ruined this cake, don’t let that stop you from trying it 🙂

let’s make some frosting, milk and flour…

heated and mixed together for a bit…

once milk/flour has cooled place your butter (lots of it) and sugar into your mixer…

whip your butter and sugar together until it’s super light and fluffy…

then add your milk/flour mixture…

and whip the heck out of it until it’s like whipped cream…

now for the cake, place your softened butter into your bowl…

all whipped up…

add your sugar…

whip the heck out of this for a bit…

now add your eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition…

add some of your flour…

mix it, then add some milk…do this until these are all mixed in…

now, for a cute break (sorry for the bad quality, it was so dark)…

after all of the milk and flour has been added…

now add your vanilla and butter flavors, and mix, mix…

pans, sprayed and floured…

filled with the delicious batter, all ready to be baked…

when it was taken out of the pan…

then when I gently tried to move it, womp, womp…

alrighty, a layer that didn’t crumble…

nicely cut in half…

placed on the cake stand–don’t use parchment paper like me 🙂

(too many) strawberries with all of the delicious frosting…

onto the cake…

then a cake layer…

blackberries all mixed up…

onto the cake…

then another cake layer…

raspberries all mixed up…

onto the cake…

then the final cake layer…

then place your frosting on the top and garnish with berries as you like! 🙂

Triple Berry Cake

2015-05-07 08:34:56

Three layer cake with whipped frosting and fresh berries.

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THE CAKE

1 Cup (2 Sticks) of Unsalted Butter, Softened.
2 Cups of Granulated Sugar.
4 Eggs, Room Temperature.
3 Cups of Self Rising Flour.
1 Cup of Whole Milk, Room Temperature.
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract.
1/2 Teaspoon of Butter Flavoring.

THE FROSTING (THIS RECIPE HAS BEEN TRIPLED)

15 Tablespoons of All Purpose Flour.
3 Cups of Milk.
6 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Softened.
3 Cups of Sugar.
1/2 Cup of Fresh Blackberries.
1/2 Cup of Fresh Strawberries.
1/2 Cup of Fresh Raspberries.

FOR THE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
With baker's spray, spray 3 (8 inch) cake pans, then liberally sprinkle flour on your pans.
With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter until fluffy, then add the sugar and continue to cream for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add your eggs one at a time, then add the flour and milk, beginning and ending with flour.
Now add the vanilla and butter flavor, mixing until incorporated.
Evenly divide your batter into your 3 cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cake springs back to the touch--took mine out at 26.
Let your cakes cool for at least 15 minutes, then carefully remove and wrap well in plastic wrap.
Once wrapped let cool completely, then you can either assemble your cake, or place in your fridge until ready to assemble.

FOR THE FROSTING

In a saucepan on medium high heat, place your milk and flour, stir constantly and remove from heat once it has thickened to the consistency of thin mashed potatoes (this took longer than normal because the recipe was tripled).
You must let your milk/flour mixture cool completely, and you can place in your fridge to speed the process up.
Once the milk/flour mixture has cooled, in your mixing bowl, place your butter, and cream until smooth.
Now add your sugar to the butter and whip the heck out of it until it is super light and fluffy.
Now add your flour/milk mixture and whip the heck out of it again until it is the texture of whipped cream.

ASSEMBLING THE CAKE

Wash all of your fruit, cut into small pieces, dabbing dry with a paper towel to get the moisture out and set aside.
Using a bread knife or something similar, place your hand on top of one of your cakes, and as carefully and as evenly as possible cut the cake in half, do the same thing with your other cake(s) but if you had 3 cake layers that made it out of the pans in one piece (unlike me) then you could cut one in half to use as the top 2 layers.
Place your first layer on your cake stand/plate.
In a small bowl place your frosting (about 1/2 cup) and whatever berry you would like as the first layer, mix them together then smooth out onto your cake then place another cake layer on top of that, repeat these steps with the other berries until you have built your whole cake.
Now you can garnish the top with any left over frosting and berries you like.

Notes

At first I eye-balled how much frosting and fruit I wanted per layer, then realized I had put way too much which didn't help in weighing down my cake, I recommend not using more than 1 cup ,but if you wanted more than you could certainly use more, the same goes for the berries.

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Tipsy Monkey Cupcakes

May 6, 2015 By Holly

Why is it that you can buy bananas that are super green, you feel like you wait around forever for them to ripen, then what seems like overnight they’re all super brown and mushy? Annoying as this is ~~first world problems or what?~~ there is the super bright side that these icky non edible bananas can be frozen and made into delectable banana bread.

While trying to locate something in my freezer the other day I realized I had about a billion ~~ok, more like six~~ bags of frozen bananas just chillin’ out in there ~~hehe I said chillin and they’re frozen~~ and decided it was high time to use them.

As awesome as banana bread sounded, I thought I would do something fun and different and make it into cupcakes. Y’all, not only did I make banana bread cupcakes but I added rum ~~hello!~~ and topped them with the most delectable, sinful browned butter cream cheese frosting ever..drroooll.

I did the whole, eye roll, holy cow, I am going to eat all of these by myself with the first bite. If you like banana bread, you’re gonna go crazy for these I promise. Also, the cupcake liners I used, love them!

My sweet friend Linda gave them to me, and apparently are the creation of this artist named Timree, you should check out her website , I am sooo wanting some of her paintings btw 🙂 Anyway, I cannot stress enough how much y’all need to make these cupcakes. Have an awesome day!

First, your thawed out bananas…

Just mix them up a little bit…

now add your eggs…

and sugar…

now the oil…

mix, mix, mix…

now the flour, baking soda and baking powder…

all mixed up…

now for your rum…

mixed again…

into your liners…

all baked up (the smell while these bake is incredible btw)…

let’s brown some butter for our frosting…

bubbling and getting a few brown flecks…

about time to take off the heat…

place in your bowl to cool for a bit…

add your butter…

mixed together, then add cream cheese…

all mixed up…

now add your powdered sugar one cup at a time and mix, mix, mix…

now time to enjoy!

Tipsy Monkey Cupcakes

2015-04-30 09:55:49

Yields 26

Delicious rum infused banana bread cupcakes topped with browned butter cream cheese frosting.

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THE CUPCAKES

3 Cups of All-Purpose Flour.
3 Teaspoons of Baking Powder.
1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda.
2 Eggs.
2 Cups of Mashed Bananas (6-8 Bananas).
1 1/2 Cups of Granulated Sugar.
1/2 Cup of Vegetable Oil.
1/2 Cup of Dark Rum.

THE FROSTING

3 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Softened.
1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Browned.
1 (8 Ounce) Block of Cream Cheese, Softened.
5 Cups of Confectioner's Sugar.

FOR THE CUPCAKES

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. and place your cupcake liners into your cupcake tins, set aside.
Now place your bananas into your bowl, and mix for just a little bit to smoosh your bananas more.
Now add your eggs, sugar, oil and mix until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
Now add your flour, baking soda, baking powder and mix until well combined.
Now add your rum and mix.
Using a cupcake or ice cream scoop, fill your cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full and bake 12-14 minutes or until they spring back to the touch, let cool completely.

FOR THE FROSTING

To brown your butter, place one stick of butter into a pan on medium/high heat.
Stirring constantly, let your butter melt completely, then it will start to simmer and pop, when you see brown flecks start to form on the bottom of the pan remove from the heat.
Place your browned butter into your bowl for the frosting, after it has cooled a little, add your 3 sticks of butter and mix until smooth.
Now add your cream cheese and mix again until well combined.
Now add your confectioner's sugar 1 cup at a time and mix until smooth.
Now you can pipe or spoon your frosting onto your cupcakes, and enjoy!

Notes

Super ripe bananas are always best for banana bread.
All bananas I used had been ones frozen in baggies, I took them out the night before and thawed them in the fridge.
The recipe calls for 6-8 bananas for the recipe, I always tend to put 8.

By Holly

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Sweet Jalapeño Corn Muffins

May 4, 2015 By Holly

Early Happy Cinco de Mayo amigas and amigos!! I definitely think these sweet jalapeño corn muffins are the perfect way to get the festivities started (well other than margaritas of course).

I have to say I’m usually a purist when it comes to my cornbread or corn muffins, in that I want them to be full on savory…these have definitely reformed me.

These are so deliciously moist, a little bit sweet and a lot spicy. Obviously you can definitely tone down how spicy you make your muffins if you don’t like it that hot.

I used a little over half of the can of jalapeños, and they are definitely hot, which I personally just love 🙂 These are so darn easy to make, so if you’re looking for something to throw together in a hurry, these are definitely it. Enjoy y’all!!

Start with butter and sugar…

whip together…

add your eggs and honey…

mixed together…

now add your flour, cornmeal, salt, baking soda and baking powder…

all mixed up…

now for your cream style corn and jalapeños…

mix, mix, mix…

into your muffin tins…

baking…

yummies…

Sweet Jalapeño Corn Muffins

2015-05-03 17:46:19

Yields 17

Spicy, sweet and slightly savory corn muffins.

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Ingredients

1 Cup of All Purpose Flour.
1 Cup of Yellow Cornmeal.
1/2 Cup of Unsalted Butter, Softened.
1/2 Cup of Granulated White Sugar.
1/4 Cup of Honey.
2 Eggs.
1/2 Cup of Buttermilk.
1 (4 Ounce) Can of Jalapeños (I used half).
1 (14.75 Ounce) Can Cream Style Corn.
1 Teaspoon of Salt.
2 Teaspoons of Baking Powder.
1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Line 12-18 muffin cups with paper liners or spray well with baking spray.
With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment in your bowl cream together your butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Now add the honey and eggs and mix until well combined.
Now add your flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, mixing until incorporated.
Now add your cream style corn and jalapeños (you can use more or less depending on how spicy you want it) and mix until well combined.
Using an ice cream/cupcake scoop fill your cupcake tins 3/4 of the way full and bake 15-18 minutes or until they spring back to the touch.
Let cool slightly and serve immediately.

Notes

This recipe made 12 regular sized muffins plus 5 large muffins.

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Pineapple Martini

May 1, 2015 By Holly

Hey guess what?! It’s Friday again 🙂 There is just something about Fridays that is almost better than Saturdays. Yes, Friday is still a weekday and all that comes with it, but Friday nights are great because you still have the whole weekend ahead of you.

Don’t even get me started on how awesome Friday nights were as a kid because of the awesome show lineup for TGIF. Some of y’all younger than me will probably have no clue what I’m talking about, but let me tell you TGIF was the best (any other Full House fans here?).

Anyways, at least as an adult you can partake in this delightful cocktail on your Friday evening now. I’m a giant fan of all tropical fruits and the pineapple juice that I took straight from the container holding the fresh pineapple made this cocktail perfect.

Yes, it’s a strong cocktail if you know what I’m sayin’ but lovely. It only makes 1 drink, but this is easily doubled, tripled etc. Have a wonderful and hopefully relaxing weekend (especially with the help of this libation). Happy Friday Y’all!

So we’ve got our glass, ice and some fresh pineapple juice…

now the lime juice…

hello Vodka…

now the orange liqueur…

yummies!!

Pineapple Martini

2015-04-28 10:30:55

Yields 1

A deliciously sweet and slightly tart martini filled with the tropical flavors of pineapple.

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Ingredients

1 1/2 Ounces of Fresh Pineapple Juice.
1 Ounce of Vodka.
1 Ounce of Orange Liqueur.
1/2 Ounce of Lime Juice.
Sugar for the Glass Rim (Optional).
Pineapple Wedges for Garnish (Optional).
Cocktail Shaker (Optional).

Instructions

Chill your martini glass in the freezer.
Fill a glass (or cocktail shaker) with ice.
Add your pineapple juice, vodka, lime juice and orange liqueur, if using a shaker, shake vigorously, or stir until well combined.
If you would like to put sugar on the rim of your glass place sugar on a plate, wet the rim of the glass and dip into the sugar.
Now pour your drink into your glass and enjoy!

Notes

If you would like to make more than one martini, this recipe can easily be doubled, tripled etc.

Adapted from The Food Network

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Maple Bacon Disaster

April 30, 2015 By Holly

Sometimes, bad baking happens y’all. This is definitely one of those times. I’m not at all sure what I did or didn’t do for this to turn out to be such a complete disaster. I followed the directions precisely, hence why I am showing my step by step photos below, heck maybe one of y’all can shed some light on why this recipe went to fug city. Y’all I was so excited to eat this recipe too…I saw it on Pinterest ~~and heard angels sing~~ and was all ‘holy heck, croissants, maple syrup, bacon, browned sugar…perfect!’ My kitchen was filled with all of the amazing and heavenly scents while this was baking and I almost couldn’t wait for it to cool so I could break it up into pieces….. Well my first attempt at breaking it into pieces made me realize that the texture was completely off, super pliable and mushy, sigh. So then I thought I would cut it up with a spatula, nope, didn’t work either. My final and last attempt was to peel off the aluminum foil, yeah that was a big no too. It would not, and I mean would not peel off, and since I just have this weird thing about not eating aluminum foil, I had to throw the whole shebang in the trash. Oh well, such as the way it goes.

oh well, first step in this disaster…

all cooked…

croissant rolled out, pinched seams, and holes poked into it…

maple syrup, mmm…

brown sugar…

bacon…

more syrup…

more brown sugar…

baking…

Let it cool completely, then the disastrous results…

See, practically super-glued on, and so nice and pliable, blargh…

Baked Goat Cheese Dip

April 29, 2015 By Holly

Ok, I don’t know how y’all feel about goat cheese, and I am aware some people are repulsed at the mere mention of the name just because it’s from a goat, but y’all, this dip.

I seriously think that even if you are not the biggest fan of goat cheese, you’re gonna like this dip..I know, I know, very optimistic of me but this dip is the bee’s knees. Obviously, I’m a big fan ~~cheese, my BFF~~ and I have to say when I was in L.A. there was no shortage of it, they put it on everything, which of course I loved.

I think it’s such a light and smooth cheese, with a slightly earthy flavor, and not to mention I think it pairs well with so many things…sweet, salty, everything. This is not just goat cheese either, it’s got cream cheese and parmesan mixed in, and then the kicker is the tomato balsamic vinegar topping…OMG it’s good.

After you put the tomatoes on top of the dip, you stick it back in the oven which makes the tomatoes so deliciously roasted..droooool! I had to make myself stop eating this stuff, it is just that good. I highly recommend y’all run out and make this deliciousness ASAP 🙂

Alrighty, goat cheese into the food processor…

now the cream cheese…

now the parmesan…

and now the salt, pepper and olive oil…

now oil your pan…

spread your cheese into your pan…

all ready to go into the oven…

bake, bake, bake…

now time to prepare the topping, chopped tomatoes…

chop up your garlic…

into the bowl, as well as your salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar…

mix all together and place on top of your dip…

then back into the oven for a little bit and voila! Yumminess…

Baked Goat Cheese Dip

2015-04-27 11:14:20

Creamy, savory and wonderfully cheesy, this goat cheese dip is the perfect savory treat.

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Ingredients

1(10 Ounce) Log of Goat Cheese, Room Temperature.
4 Ounces of Cream Cheese, Room Temperature.
1/4 Cup of Parmesan, Grated.
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil.
15-18 Grape Tomatoes, Halved.
2 Teaspoons of Balsamic Vinegar.
1 Clove of Garlic, Finely Chopped.
Baguette Slices, For Serving.
1 Quart Baking Dish.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
In a food processor, place your goat cheese, cream cheese, parmesan, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and pepper, pureeing until smooth.
Brush your baking dish with olive oil, then spread the cheese mixture in your dish evenly.
Bake until golden and bubbly around the edges, about 15 minutes.
While your dish is baking, in a small bowl place your cut up tomatoes, garlic, remaining olive oil, a pinch of salt and your balsamic vinegar.
Thoroughly mix the ingredients together and then spoon onto the middle of your dish, then bake in the oven for 8 more minutes.
Serve while hot with your baguette slices.

Notes

You could definitely use more or less tomatoes depending on your preferences.

Adapted from The Food Network

HOLLY'S CHEAT DAY https://www.hollyscheatday.com/

Double Doozies

April 27, 2015 By Holly

I know I have mentioned my love of American Cookie Company before, and how their cookies and cookie cakes are incredible, but what I haven’t mentioned is that they have this cookie behemoth they make called a Double Doozie.

Trust me, this thing is perfectly named y’all. It’s two giant M&M cookies with their cake frosting in the middle, making a giant doozie of a cookie sandwich. I don’t know why but I got to thinking about how much I wanted one, and realized how much I didn’t feel like going to the mall to get one (ATL traffic y’all) and decided it was about time to make my own.

While thinking about how to make my homemade M&M doozies, it made me think of my friend Matt. You see, Matt and I worked on an ABC TV show together in Los Angeles for months and months, that production office had a giant container of M&M’s which Matt munched on all day (he’s still skinny too…boys). Anyway, can’t say I’ve ever seen anyone who loved M&M’s so much, so every time I see M&M’s I think of him haha.

After this random train of thought I had to say hey to my L.A. friend to see what he had been up to, and it’s totally awesome because he has started his own production company. How cool is that?! I’m so happy and proud, so I have to brag on him a bit and put a link to his site here . So after y’all check that out, for reals make these. Yes, they’re enormous and ridiculous but dang these are so freaking good! Even I couldn’t eat a whole one in one sitting, because of their enormous size, and you could totally make the cookies smaller and all that, but jeez look at them 🙂 so yummy…Also, note that I doubled the cookie and frosting recipe because I knew these things would be so large and I wanted to make more than just a few sandwiches. Have a happy Monday y’all!!

First, butter…

then brown sugar…

all mixed together…

now the eggs…

pudding mix, baking soda, salt…

all mixed up…

now the flour…

all mixed up…

now the M&Ms, so yummy…

all mixed up…

scoop these out onto your baking sheet…

smoosh them down with your hands…

bake, bake, bake…

now for the frosting…milk and flour (and we will pretend I photographed the doubled amount)…

stir constantly over medium high heat until this consistency…

while the flour/milk mix is cooling, place your butter in your bowl–yes this is the doubled amount :-)…

whip your butter…

add your sugar…

whip these until light and fluffy…

then add your flour/milk mixture…

whip, whip, whip these until light and fluffy, then place on your bottom cookie…

then add the top cookie, and voila! amazingly delicious doozies…

Double Doozies

2015-04-24 13:13:14

Yields 10

Giant moist M&M cookies with a decadent whipped frosting in the middle, making a doozie of a cookie sandwich.

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THE COOKIES (This Is Not The Doubled Recipe)

3/4 Cup (1 1/2 Sticks) of Unsalted Butter, Softened.
1 Cup of Light Brown Sugar, Packed.
1 Egg.
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla.
1 (3.4 Ounce) Box of Instant French Vanilla Pudding Mix.
2 Cups of All-Purpose Flour.
3/4 Teaspoon of Baking Soda.
1 Teaspoon of Salt.
1 Cup of Mini M&Ms.

THE WHIPPED FROSTING (Doubled the Recipe)

1 Cup of Milk.
5 Tablespoons of Flour.
1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract.
2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Softened.
1 Cup of Granulated Sugar.

FOR THE COOKIES

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
With a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment place your butter and brown sugar, beating them together until smooth.
Now add your egg, vanilla, salt, baking soda and pudding mix and mix these all together.
Now add your flour and beat until combined, now add your M&M's and mix until they are evenly distributed.
Using a large ice cream scoop, scoop your dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper pressing them flat with your fingers.
Bake for 9-11 minutes until edges are slightly golden.
Remove from the oven let cool, then place in airtight container and place in refrigerator to make sure they are slightly chilled before putting frosting in the middle.

FOR THE WHIPPED FROSTING

In a saucepan on medium high heat place your milk and flour.
Continuously stir together until the consistency of thin mashed potatoes is reached.
Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and either sit it out until it cools to room temperature or place in fridge to cool completely.
Once flour/milk mixture has cooled completely, with a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment place your butter and sugar into the bowl, and whip until light and fluffy.
Now add your flour/milk mixture and whip the heck out of it (seriously, you're gonna beat this for a while) until the texture of whipped cream is reached.
Now place your whipped frosting (as much or as little as you want) in the middle of 2 cookies, and voila you have a double doozie.
Once your

By Holly

Adapted from American Cookie Company

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