Tag Archives: family

Cookie Friday Fail + My Chocolate Cake Redemption

Posted on January 27, 2012 | 14 Comments

Today’s workout: 4.25 mile run + 2.10 on the elliptical. I know, it’s weird. I ellipticized. But I have this blister and after a mile of running, I didn’t think I was going to be able to hack it. So I got on the elliptical. Two miles on that thing seemed to numb the pain (and my brain), and I was able to run again!! The elliptical is not my friend, but I guess it helped me out today!

Let me be clear. I did not fail to MAKE cookies — it’s just that, the cookies were a failure.

You see, I really am firm in my belief that “too much of a good thing is a good thing”, and I put way too much marshmallow fluff. I’m sure this is a perfectly good recipe for Hot Cocoa Cookies – if you follow it correctly.

As you can see, that didn’t stop Kevin from scraping them off and eating a few! I decided to give myself a little grace since I was out of flour last night, and I was not in the mood for another flop!

And since I have to do everything I can to prove that I’m good enough for the baby of the family ;) , I decided to think up a super chocolatey recipe for my father-in-law.

And then I remembered Deidre’s famous chocolate cake. She even made it for our wedding! We were emailing it up (like always!), and she sent me the link.

I was really nervous about the bundt cake flipping, but I decided to go for it!

Too Much Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food cake mix
  • 1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well-greased 12 cup bundt pan.
  3. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar + I added SPRINKLES!

YUMMY!! Kevin looks so dreamy! :)

Like father like son! ;)

For some reason we felt the need to eat dinner before dessert – lasagna magherit! I made it ahead of time this afternoon (while I was unfortunately not at an interview), and just popped it in the oven when it was time for dinner.  Just the pasta, the ricotta, basil, sauce, and cheese! So simple & delish.

After dinner was game time!

Aren’t they cute in their matching vests?

My husband has quite the game face. Man, I just love him so much!

And now, before bedtime, I have some very important questions for you.

Chocolate or vanilla? I’d probably choose vanilla. Vanilla fro-yo is definitely better than chocolate fro-yo. And everything goes back to fro-yo, right?

Cake or cookies? Cake. It’s more likely to have frosting!

Board games or movie night? Board games!! Unless I want to blog. Than movie night because I can rarely just watch a movie or tv. I have to multi-task!

P.S. That chocolate cake is the BEST! And it was super easy to whip up. You should definitely try it. Word on the street is that there’s also a lower cal version that uses fat free sour cream + sugar-free pudding. I should’ve read the reviews first…

→ 14 Comments

Posted in Family, Fitness, Food

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Married: Month 4

Posted on October 27, 2011 | 4 Comments

This is installment four of the Marriage Diaries.

Dear Month 4,

When I reflect on this month, there are two things that immediately come to mind. The first is family. You, me, & Boyd are our own little baby family, but what I’m thinking of us is our bigger family. We were so excited for our big roadtrip to Minnesota! I think all my friends can attest to the fact that if I can make it through 28 hours in the car with you, you really MUST be a keeper. (I’m notorious for being impatient in the car). But then I knew that already. You broke me in gently by stopping at Yogurtini before we left town and letting me watch Millionaire Matchmaker on my iPhone while you drove. We so enjoyed spending time with family and tricking them into cooking all our favorite foods (your mom’s appetizers & chili, the homemade salsa, my mom’s bread pudding, my brother’s orange chicken), and it was fun sharing a Cookie Friday with them! We had such a wild time with our nieces & nephews. Riley and Keagan were so sweet making Caramel Apple Pie with me, and we had fun playing little pranks and “scaring” the Kreisel side. It almost made us want to have our own kids… just kidding! Not quite. I am so happy that we have bonded so well with both families. We are so blessed.

The second obvious thing that comes to mind is that we starting working for the same office!!! I didn’t see THAT one coming, but the Lord works in mysterious ways! I know someday I’ll look back and laugh at the struggle it’s been becoming dependent on you and your income. The way I don’t want to spend extra money on things like Smartwater sometimes because I feel like I’m no contributing. Now that I have a job again, it feels silly that it was so important to me. And I think we are both realizing that it’s not our dream for both of us to work full-time outside the home. I swear that we’re going to start a business and be able to work together from home someday. We just love spending time together too-too much. But for now it’s fun being able to swap stories and discuss company politics.

Favorite thing to do with you this month: Sit by the fireplace. I love it more every day.

Looking forward to: Next week, we’re finally moving to some more permanent housing. Can’t wait to nest with you, honey. I’m also looking forward to celebrating our first entire holiday season together! Bring it on! And we can’t wait to get our Fiestaware back!

Coolest place we ran: Kruger Park! Those hills were KILLER!

Your favorite fall dessert: Caramel Apple Squares

Totally making again this month: Black Bean Sliders

Most addicting thing I made:  Peanut Butter Caramel Corn Couldn’t. Stop. Eating. It.

Fave new restaurant we tried:Firebowl Cafe

Biggest pain: Boyd is back! Lol.

October’s Cookie Fridays: White Chocolate Mocha Cookies, Butterfinger Cookies, Reese’s Pieces Cookies, & Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies

Baby, I love you like Healthy Living Bloggers love posting pumpkin recipes! Hehe.

Love,

Corrie Anne

 

 

→ 4 Comments

Posted in Marriage

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Cookie Friday: White Chocolate Mocha Cookies & A Caramel Apple Pie Bonus

Posted on October 21, 2011 | 4 Comments

Yes! I even made Cookie Friday while I am traveling around in Minnesota! On time even!

White Chocolate Mocha Cookies (via How Sweet Eats)

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 tablespoons instant coffee powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Add flour, cocoa powder, coffee powder, baking soda and salt and mix until combined.

Fold in chocolate chips. Roll into balls and set on baking sheet.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Hooray for helpers! I had some cookie elves to help this week. So fun!

You’re so lucky this week! You also get a new cookie model! Isn’t he sweet? My nephews really know how to CHEESE! I loved the subtle coffee flavor! Super delicious!

Nothing I love more than sitting in the backseat between my super sweet nephews in their booster seats!

I think we have a future blogger on our hands. This guy rolled out the entire pie crust by himself. I’m serious! Isn’t that crazy? What a guy!

And this young man peeled apples like a champ! We were a baking dream team! He even gave the ultimate sacrifice of a bloody finger!! That sounds a lot like his aunt’s poor toes!

Caramel apple pie (based loosely on this version from AllRecipes)! I knew this pie would be a hit with Kevin James because he loves apple crisp so much! Perfect fall treat! I’m not a crust fan, but the crust was barely noticeable in this masterpiece. I used a recipe Lisa had lying around which used canola oil instead of the traditional shortening method. It was much simpler, and the result was fantastic!

What a week! Last week I was making Reese’s Pieces Cookies and getting ready for my interview! I start Monday morning @ 8AM. *Yawn* That’s a thankful yawn. Lol.

 

 

 

→ 4 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Pumpkin Friday: Low-Fat Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns with Cream Cheese Icing

Posted on September 30, 2011 | 5 Comments

GOOD MORNING!!!?!?!!!! I bet you didn’t know this was going to be such a special Friday. Now that I have pumpkin in my little pantry, I’m going to share the love.

Here’s a throwback photo from 2009 to celebrate Pumpkin Friday!

Aren’t my baby sisters so tiny?!?!? And I miss that rocking tan. So. Much. It hurts sometimes.

One more because I miss their nerdy little face.

(Kevin looks really cute with pumpkins too!)

Low-Fat Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns (via Healthy. Delicious.)

  • 1 cup fat-free milk
  • 2.5 tsp yeast (2 envelopes)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup pureed pumpkin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 4-1/4 cups flour
  • 3/4 stick butter, divided
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 4 oz low-fat cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 drop of vanilla extract

Heat milk in a microwave for 30 seconds, or until luke-warm. Add the yeast and a pinch of sugar. Stir and allow the yeast to proof for 5 minutes – the yeast should grow and become foamy. If it doesn’t, discard and start over with new yeast.

In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree with the remaining granulated sugar and the salt. Beat in the eggs until incorporated. Add 2 cups of flour and beat until combined. Beat in the milk mixture, being sure the include any yeast that settled to the bottom. Slowly add the remaining four.

Cover and let rest in a warm place until doubled in size – about 1 hour.

Divide dough into four pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about the size of a cookie sheet. Transfer to a cookie sheet and stick it in the freezer. Repeat with remaining four pieces of dough.

In a small bowl, blend 1/2 stick butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Divide the cinnamon mixture between the four sheets of dough, spreading it in a very thin layers. Roll the dough up, starting with the long edge. Cut each dough log into 12 slices (each will be about 1-inch thick). Transfer to a large roasting pan (I recommend lining the pan with a silpat or some parchment paper for easy clean-up), leaving a little bit of room between each roll. Cover and let rise for one hour.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Combine the cream cheese, 1/4 stick of butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. If desired, you can thin this mixture out with a splash of milk.

Remove buns from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before frosting.

Yields 4 dozen buns.
Each bun contains Approx: 85 calories, 2 grams fat, 0.5 grams fiber, 2 grams protein

I absolutely loved these! I didn’t appreciate being left home alone with them because I wanted to eat them all!

Honestly, the flavor isn’t really pumpkin-y. I’ve been pondering ways to make that flavor stand out a bit more. I think the recipe inventor was mainly using pumpkin to replace butter, oil, etc. But you know, I’m no kitchen scientist!

Happy, happy Friday! Stay tuned for some more pumpkin delights!!!

 

→ 5 Comments

Posted in Healthy recipes

Tagged , , , , , , ,

the birthday boy

Posted on September 19, 2011 | 7 Comments

September 20 is a birthday date that I will never forget. I’ve always remembered that it falls 10 days after my birthday. What can I say? Children are self-centered!

My very first best friend in the whole wide world.

My hero & the person I always wanted to be just like!


My playmate! Swimming in the summer and ice skating in the winter. Sledding too! Remember that time you let me almost die of frostbite when we were sliding over by Bettman’s?

My built-in ally.

Who later became my classmate!! Go home schoolers!!!

My partner in crime (crimes of fashion apprently).

Today you are still someone I can look up to, admire, respect, and a brother I would choose to spend time with. You’re always there for me. Especially clear in my mind is when you showed up just when I needed you the day before our wedding – when I was in a state of sheer panic. You were just like,”Okay. What do you need me to do?” And just started taking care of things. Just like you have always done.

You even wore a bow tie for me. :)

You’re the man who introduced me to some of the important things in life like Die Hard, the art of shooting rubberbands, MxPx, some serious espresso drinks, and don’t even get me started on my sister-in-law and nephews!

Happy Birthday to my big brother, Kelly! Love ya!

What do you think our best outfits were in ths 80′s pics! I’m partial to the pink jumpsuit/turquoise slacks combo! :)




→ 7 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , ,

Gold Or Bust!

Posted on September 4, 2011 | 5 Comments

Kevin’s Aunt Julie was in Denver this weekend visiting her sons & grandchildren. She invited us to go on an adventurous day trip to Idaho Springs. Kevin and I haven’t left the city at all yet so we were excited for a chance at a little mountaint air. The biggest debate of the morning was what shoes I would wear. We weren’t really sure what the gold mine tour entailed. I had a choice of flip-flops, high heels, running shoes, or Toms. I ended up choosing the Toms with Kevin promising that he would buy me new ones if they got too dirty (they’re ivory).


You know you are in for it when you start the day with Doritos Flamas! I had never tried them before so I was super curious. Kevin and I shared them on the drive over to the cousins’ house. We all climbed into a mini van and carpooled out of town. The traffic was the most ridiculous I have ever seen. There was a mass exodus leaving Denver for the holiday weekend!

The gas station in Idaho Springs cracked me up because it had shelves upon shelves of dried fruits, nuts, and trail mixes. A real hiker’s paradise!

I was expecting much more of a tourist trap! There wasn’t even a gift shop!

There was a small group of about ten of us who toured together, and the guide was a real piece of work. He really made the tour with his jokes about mining safety!

Of course, the highlight for me was wearing a pink helmet! I look like a little bubblegum head!


It was f-reezing once we got inside.

The guide told us that this was the “million dollar pillar.” They can’t take it out, however, or the mine would collapse.

I actually got decent cellphone service in the mine. Just in case you were curious! :)

I hugged the lucky bucket! The guide told us all about its magical powers. I just wished to find a job. And for my Vizsla!

I think Kevin was hoping I would get thorough the ride home without saying,”Are we there yet?”

Ahh! The light at the end of the tunnel!

The chimpmunk population was out of control! They were so fearless with humas that they almost scared me!

After the tour, we headed into town to have lunch at a brewery named Tommyknockers. Somehow I resisted the beer. But I’m totally tattling on Kevin. He drank a pumpkin beer. I told him to because a lot of my favorite bloggers like it. I just hate the smell so much! My burger was good, but there was no way I could get all those fries down. Maybe my stomach is finally adjusting to healthy eating? Kevin also got part of my burger. It made me look like I was good at sharing in front of his family.

After lunch we spent some time strolling around town and peeking into the touristy shops. And yeah, that’s Kevin sporting the North Face. I can’t believe what an international inside jokes that’s become. I hadn’t even met Kevin’s cousin before, and he was the first to mention it! :) We were all completely exhausted and napped on the way back to Denver.

We had a great time with Julie & Larry and Kevin’s cousins. Oops! I didn’t get a group shot! I guess I was too shy to trick everyone into it.  But Aunt Julie surprised me with an early birthday gift – a Butter Boy! Woohoo! I can’t wait for some corn-on-the-cob! Later, Kevin and I squeezed in a quick workout and spent a quiet night at home. I’m so excited we still have two more whole days in this weekend!

 

 

→ 5 Comments

Posted in Denver

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,