Livin' the Dream in Lima

Yesterday was an adventurous day in the kitchen.  I put to use one of my new Christmas presents! I received Bakerella 's Cake Pops book from my mom. Yay!! You'd think I never want to see another sweet again, after the 25 (err... 23) days of Christmas Cookies, but that is definitely not the case. I'm a sweets girl all the way. Give me a choice between a DQ Blizzard and a $25 steak, and I will choose the ice cream every time.  Now, if you haven't heard of cake pops yet, let me explain. They're little balls of cake-frosting dipped in candy coating or melted chocolate, on a stick. Because everything is better on a stick, right? They're basically little balls of sugary goodness. You can do different flavor-combinations, but I went pretty basic for my first time. I chose to do vanilla and chocolate. You first start off by baking a cake. Cake mix will do just fine, since you will be crumbling it all up anyway. Once it cools, you crumble it up into teeny tiny pi...

Goodness... the last few days have been a whirlwind of activity! My apologies for not getting any recipes for Day 24 & Day 25! I had high hopes, but life got in the way. Let's rewind a bit... The day before Christmas Eve (Christmas Eve Eve?) my Business Man and I exchanged stockings with each other. We decided to just do stockings because they are the most fun! And then we could put some extra money in our "House Fund." I had to blur out my Business Man's on his stocking! Can't let out the secret! Haha... On Christmas Eve, my Business Man and I traveled home to go to my Grandma's for Christmas Eve dinner. Unfortunately, we hit a pretty bad snow storm about 100 miles to go, so the drive was extended an hour or two. But, we made it safely and enjoyed some ham & cheesy potatoes with my fam. And got to watch my little cousin Ayden open his packages. He was adopted from Guatemala a few years ago, and is a very special member of the family! He...

Can you believe that the challenge is almost over? Christmas is almost here, and I've still got 7 or 8 cookie recipes on my list! I guess some will have to wait until next year's Christmas. I know today's recipe is not a cookie, but it is the ultimate Christmas Eve or Christmas dinner dessert. Cookies are a perfectly fine dessert (especially with ice cream!), but it's also nice to have something a little fancier. My Mom has made this cake on Christmas for dessert as long as I can remember. I'm not sure it would be Christmas at her house without it! This cake is light, fluffy, and moist with a slight taste of mint. With a layer of thick hot fudge down the middle, it's absolutely scrumptious. And it's frosted with a minty-flavored Cool Whip. What could be better? The perfect ending to an indulgent meal. And the best thing? Simple and easy to make. Here's what you need for success. Creme de Menthe syrup, white cake mix (Betty Crocker...

Today was such a wonderful day... my first 'relaxed' day of the break. I slept in, and had a lazy morning with my coffee and Regis & Kelly. I got to play around in the kitchen, and go for a longer run. (Outside again!) Then, I got a haircut, ran a few fun errands around town, and spent the afternoon wrapping gifts and eating biscotti.  Yup, biscotti! That is today's cookie of the day. It is an old Italian treat, that comes from the word biscotto , which is broken into two words: "bis" (twice) and "coctum" (baked). So, biscotti is twice-baked. And yes, literally, you do bake it twice. These biscotti's are light in flavor, and have a good crunch to them. Flavored with cranberries and orange, they are a perfect wintery flavor. The white chocolate drizzle adds an extra bit of sweetness that make them slightly indulgent. These would be beautiful wrapped up in a cute little bag, and given to someone as a gift along with a pound of their f...