Lovin' From the Oven

Cranberry Bliss Bars

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Now, for something that’s even prettier than these bars to look at.. crystallized ginger!:

just look at how the sugar sparkles..

but these don’t look too bad, either. 🙂


I have to say that as a blogger, there’s nothing more I love to do than to blog. I get to share a little snippet of my life by documenting it however I wish. All day, I think about what subject I can blog about next. What pictures can I post? How much posting is too much and how much is too little? What do my readers want to see?

So naturally, it only makes sense that I have so many side projects that I want to do. I want to have a blog for my scrapbooking, for my card making, for my photography, for my food, for my clothes, for my dog, for my silly family, for how my sister and I should have our own reality tv show, etc. Sometimes, I actually get enough motivation to start another blog (see HERE), but they’re never as successful as my main one (which is this one, of course!).

Which leads me to this… some of you may know that I had a style blog with my sister, but she never updated so I deleted it. For the past two days, I’ve been putting my efforts into a new blog, which I’m happy to introduce to you today. This is my very own personal style blog:
A Pile of Style
No more depending on anyone else to update.. just me (and my DB to take the photos)! So if you’re ever bored, feel free to venture over there. I know I won’t be able to update daily, but I hope to update just as much as I do here. Here’s to hoping!

These bars are supposed to be a knockoff of Starbuck’s Cranberry Bliss Bars, but I’ve actually never even tried theirs so I can’t compare. They were very flavorful and the frosting was light enough to not overwhelm the bar, but strong enough complement and tone down the ginger flavor. Next time I make them, I would definitely cut down the amount of ginger used. They’d be the perfect treat for Christmas, just look at how pretty they are! This recipe comes slightly adapted from the Wine Imbiber.

  • 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1–1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1–1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Dried Cranberries, minced
  • 1/4 cup plus 1/4–1/3 cup White Chocolate Chips
  • 1/4 cup Crystallized Ginger Slices, minced
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1–1/2 cups powdered sugar
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a 9×13 pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
  2. Beat together the butter and sugar. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
  3. Add the flour, ginger, and salt into the batter. Beat well. Lightly stir in the 1/4 cup cranberries, 1/4 cup chocolate chips and minced ginger.
  4. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes, depending on your oven.
  5. Make the frosting by beating the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until you reach the desired consistency.
  6. Spread the frosting onto the cooled cake.
  7. Cut the frosted cake as desired into bars or triangles. Sprinkle the remaining minced cranberries and chocolate chips on the top.

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Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars

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I can’t stop watching 500 Days of Summer. I’ve already seen this movie before and have always loved it, but for some reason this week, I REALLY love it. I do have to say that my ultimate favorite scene of this movie is when the boy gets lucky and does a whole little pitter patter to Hall & Oates “You Make My Dreams Come True.” I’ve secretly always wanted to break out in a choreographed dance in public slash wish I witnessed one. I’ve watched this movie three days in a row and have it playing in the background while I’m scrapbooking, taking photos of food, or blogging (like right now). Maybe because this movie is so real.. maybe because I can relate to it so well… maybe because Joseph Gordon Levitt is so gosh darn adorable.. maybe because I love love stories, whether they’re love stories or stories about love. Either way, I just can’t get enough of it.

It reminds me of all the cute awkwardness of when relationships start (which I kinda miss a little bit after being in a relationship for +two years) and that no matter what, life can always throw you curveballs when you least expect it.

These cheesecake bars were an example of the curveball that life threw at me when I definitely did not need or expect it. I went to the store and bought all the ingredients necessary.. or so I thought. When I got home and finished making the crust and the cheesecake, I realized that I didn’t buy a can of dulce de leche, but rather, a disguised can of condensed milk. Since it was much too late to go back to the grocery store and I had no time to, I decided I’d try to conquer this problem by making my own dulce de leche.

Keep in mind that I started baking around 9PM and started the dulce de leche around 9:30PM. I chose the stovetop method, which was a disaster because you really need like six hours to make it right (or so the DB’s grandma tells me) and I only had three. My dulce de leche turned out to really just be a thicker condensed milk and never achieved the right color or consistency. I wish I bought the right can and saved all this time! 🙁

Anyways, this recipe is from Handle the Heat. Make sure to actually buy dulce de leche or have plenty of time to make your own! They would’ve turned out amazing, otherwise. Perhaps a little on the sweet side. Another note, for the crust, use regular graham crackers instead of cinnamon ones (like I always do). They take away from the flavor!

Crust

  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • 2 1/4 cups finely ground graham crackers (from about 17 whole graham crackers)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

Filling

  • 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup purchased dulce de leche*
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Glaze

  • 2/3 cup purchased dulce de leche
  • 3 tablespoons (or more) heavy whipping cream
  • Fleur de Sel

*A thick, sweet sauce made from caramelized sugar in milk or from sweetened condensed milk; available at some supermarkets and specialty foods stores and at Latin markets.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon in medium bowl. Add melted butter; stir until coated. Transfer crumb mixture to pan. Press evenly onto bottom of pan. Bake until crust is light golden, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on rack.

2. Blend cream cheese and sugar in processor until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs 1 at a time, processing 3 to 5 seconds to blend between additions. Add dulce de leche and vanilla; process until blended, about 10 seconds. Spread batter evenly over cooled crust. Bake until just set in center and edges are puffed and slightly cracked, about 38 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely.

3. Heat dulce de leche and 3 tablespoons cream in microwave-safe bowl in 10-second intervals until melted. Stir to blend, adding more cream by teaspoonfuls if too thick to pour (amount of cream needed will depend on brand of dulce de leche). Pour glaze over cooled cheesecake; spread evenly. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour (glaze will not be firm). DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill.

4. Cut cheesecake lengthwise with a sharp knife or scraper into 4 strips, then crosswise into 6 strips, forming 24 bars. For cleaner squares, dip knife in hot water then wipe off excess water before each cut. Sprinkle bars with fleur de sel.

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S’mores Brownies

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these babies definitely weren’t pretty out of the pan, they stuck to everything! proof:I hope everyone had a good 4th of July! I spent the day working (since we’re only closed three days of the year and sadly, the 4th of July is not one of them) and then bbq’ing with my boyfriend and family. Afterwards, my parents, my bf and I went to the top of a hill and watched the fireworks picnic-style. It was really quite pleasant and I love spending time with my parents. It makes me realize how lucky I am to have them and I can only hope to have even half of the relationship that they have one day.

Because of work, I wasn’t able to bake any 4th of July themed goodies, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t bake this past weekend. I was craving summer and baked some s’mores brownies to satisfy by summer craving. These were delicious! I may have overdone it with the extra graham crackers that I threw in, but no harm done there. These pictures may not look as scrumptious, but I guarantee that they are! I had to give away half of the pan so I wouldn’t eat them myself. My boyfriend’s co-workers devoured them in two minutes. No joke.

The only difference that I would have made is to add the marshmallows on halfway through baking rather than at the beginning. They cooked for a little bit too long and became a bit burnt. The final product was also extremely sticky and nearly impossible to cut without making a mess, so let it cool completely before cutting!

I used my normal brownie base and just added some throw-ins to create this concoction. The brownie is always a winner in my books! You can also use a brownie box mix if you’re short on time; it works just as well.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 cups sugar (white)
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ½ cup cocoa
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • about 1 cup graham crackers pieces, broken by hand(I used 4 sheets of graham crackers)
  • half a bag of large marshmallows
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9 x 13 pan.
  2. Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Once melted remove from heat and add sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Blend together.
  3. In separate bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, and salt. Add dry mixture to the wet and mix well. Add broken graham crackers and mix.
  4. Pour into greased pan. Place marshmallows over the poured batter, I used about 15 large marshmallows, but you can do more or less depending on your taste. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

P.S. I have been getting a ton of emails recently and I’m sorry if I have not responded! I’m so behind on that and I just want you guys to know that I do take the time to read every single one. If I still don’t respond, please feel free to bug me until I do so! 🙂

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