coming soon

Sorry there hasnt been many posts lately, things have been crazy here with a mobile sick baby! This weekend my husband took baby out, and I had the morning to myself. I chose to fold laundry while watching Food Network. As I was watching cupcake wars I was inspired to create my own cupcake from scratch. They turned out BOMB! Stay tuned for the recipe :)

Bruschetta

Ok..wrap your head around this. Bruschetta is one of my favorite foods. Yet, I have always despised tomatoes. I know, I know..it's one of those things that I constantly get the psycho look from my husband. I don't really get it either. I was always too afraid to even try bruschetta because of my tomato aversion. I mean seriously, that's like all it is. But I put on my big girl panties a couple years ago and tried it, fell in love with it, and have spent the last few years trying to perfect my recipe. And I am proud to say, I HAVE FOUND IT!! I think this is one of my most proud moments. It is amazing. And I am feeling a little generous, so here it is. But be warned: like I said about the spinach garlic bread, you'll easily eat a whole loaf of this stuff

Ashley's Bruschetta Bread:
-Butter
-Loaf of french bread, sliced
-large tomatoes, sliced
-Garlic powder
-Salt and Pepper
-Basil (either fresh or dried)
-Mozzarella cheese
*I didn't put exact amounts of anything because it depends on how much bread you will be making*

Place a generous amount of butter in a heated skillet, place desired amount of sliced french bread in the skillet. Flip after a few minutes, continue until both sides are slightly browned.
*You can butter both sides of your bread and then place it in a skillet, but it results in soggy bread (still good though)*

Place bread slices on a baking sheet
Layer with tomato slices, however many you want (I like a little, my husband likes a lot)
Sprinkle garlic powder, salt, and pepper on top of tomatoes
Add basil (I used dried)

Sprinkle mozzarella with cheese
Toast in oven 400 for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted

Pair this with some spinach lasagna rolls and you got a DELICIOUS meal!!!

Spinach Garlic Bread

Ok...confession. Tyler and I have a major obsession with this stuff. It's one of those don't knock it till you try it kind of recipes. I am not a huge fan of spinach. I can deal with it in a salad, but other than that, eh. But I saw this on the Raechel Ray show once, and she swore to me that it wouldn't taste like spinach. So I ventured out and tried it, and changed it into my own new recipe. Its now probably my favorite garlic bread recipe. It tastes just like garlic bread, but better, and you get a big serving of vegetables! I guess that's why Tyler and I consume so much of it. It's healthy-ish?

First off, I hope you have a food processor. It makes everything so much easier. If you don't, a blender* does work, but you'll also have to have some patience.

Spinach Garlic Bread

-3 cups spinach (or more), stems removed

-1 stick of softened butter

-2 cloves of garlic

-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

-1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

-salt and pepper to taste

-1 loaf french bread

Add butter, spinach, garlic, cheese, salt, and pepper into food processor (or blender)

Pulse until it makes a creamy spread..easy huh?

*If you're using a blender, I suggest that you make sure your butter is room temperature (you don't want it melted or it will turn into a soup rather than a spread), and then add a little bit of spinach, blend, add more, blend, then add the garlic and cheese in small amounts

Split the french bread in half. Slather on the spread (be generous, it's vegetables!) Broil on high for 3-5 minutes, let cool and cut into pieces. Enjoy!!

The richest brownies ever

A few weeks ago I found this picture on pinterest.

Yum right?! I have never tried making homemade brownies, and I'm not the hugest brownie fan (I have to be in the right mood), but seeing these made me want them. These brownies are from Karly over at buns in my oven. You can find the recipe here: http://bunsinmyoven.com/2009/10/15/good-ol-homemade-brownies/

WARNING: These brownies are INCREDIBLY rich!!!! So proceed with caution if you don't have a sweet tooth, or if you can only handle a little bit of sweets at a time. I think next time I wont add the two cups of chocolate chips to them, maybe only a couple for texture. But, if you dare, try them out. The recipe is easy to follow, and they look beautiful!