13 Sickness, Sunday, and Sweets

If we were meeting for coffee, I would tell you how getting up to go to bible study this morning was so hard. . . but that an event that happened on Sunday made me finally get up and go. . . I would tell you how I spent the night in bed fighting off waves of nauseousness since I pushed myself too hard at Crossfit when it was almost 100 degrees outside . . . but other than that, I would tell you how much I love Crossfit and the wonderful people I have met. 

 We would probably talk about how much women are "supposed" to do in our generation. I would tell you about how I volunteered at a luncheon at the Junior League and overheard women talking about all the committees and boards they were on and how they had families too . . . they discussed all of their commitments with such pride. . . but my immediate thought was which comes first, family or volunteering? I would tell you that I have such a problem with over committing and how hard it is for me to say no. . . .We would talk about how for years I have had problems with nauseousness (which is the Lord's way of FORCING me to slow down) . . . sweet Nate always just takes care of me with water, making me lay down, turning the lights out, and having Gus get on the bed to cuddle with me. . . It is in those quiet times, when physically I cannot do ANYTHING (even though I have nine million things in my head that I NEED to do) that the Lord says, slow down. . . i am in control. . . whatever you are racing to can wait.. . and after laying down for a while, I can complete what I need to do. . . my hair might be in a bun instead of straightened, but oh well. . . 

You would probably ask what happened on Sunday. . . and I would not be able to quit smiling. . . I would tell you with such excitement that my little brother proposed to my sweet friend, Rebecca!

And how proud I am of the way he pursued her . . . and how thankful I am that Rebecca is going to be a permanent part of our family (even though I have considered her a sister since the first month they began dating)

We would talk wedding details and and my heart would overflow with joy. . . I would describe the icing mess I made making petit fours. . .

and how my 5 Layer Carrot Cake almost didn't make it to my parents house
 due to its precarious height. . .

But that the night was perfect in every way and that I am blessed. . . just incredibly blessed.

And as our coffee date was ending and I was hugging you goodbye, I would slip you this recipe (and tell you how my dad warns that the smell attracts the neighbors:-) . . . just because I love you!

Dump Cake 

1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple (drained) 

1 (20 oz) can cherry pie filling

1 box yellow cake mix (dry) 

1 c. pecans, chopped

2 sticks butter, melted 

In a 9x13 inch ungreased Pyrex dish, dump the ingredients in the order above. (drizzle the butter over the entire dish) Do not mix. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

4 Corn Dip

Happy Monday!
I hope you had a wonderful weekend!
I know we did! :-) 
This morning I wanted to share another appetizer I served at the cookbook exchange that I hosted. . .
a easy and amazing Corn Dip!
Enjoy!

Corn Dip

3 cans of Green Giant Mexican Corn (11 oz drained)

1 can of green chilies (4 oz)

1 bag of Mexican cheese (7 oz or 1 ¾ c)

1 bundle of green onions

1 cup of sour cream

1 cup of mayo

¼ of a cup of jalapenos (or less if its too spicy!)   

(I have another friend who adds 1 can of chopped olives, garlic powder, and salt which is also incredible!)
Hailey Burdick/ Heidi Simon

7 I ADORE. . . Pinterest!

I am officially and one hundred percent obsessed with Pinterest! 

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Until delving into this "online file cabinet," I had a word document with all the online recipes that I wanted to make. . . but now, I have a wonderfully organized page (with beautiful pictures) of all the recipes that I want to remember! 

Obsessed. . .seriously, obsessed! 

Check out my page! http://pinterest.com/elizabethannsrb/ 

13 A Birthday, a Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake, and a Winner!

Happy Birthday to my brothers!!!!! Love y'all and cannot wait to celebrate!! :-)

We had some friends stay with us a couple weekends ago and I served this Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake! Kids and adults LOVED it and it is amazing hot or cold! Val So Cal is my cooking hero and I have never made anything from her blog that I haven't FALLEN IN LOVE with.  . . this coffee cake is no exception!

Lay the cinnamon rolls in the pan

add cream cheese mixture. . .

and topping. . .

bake it  . . .

Drizzle the icing over the coffee cake. . .

Pure bliss!

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake

1 tube (17-1/2 oz.) Large refrigerated cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing

2 ( 8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

3/4 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup quick cooking oats

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

Whipped cream and additional cinnamon for topping

1) Unroll the tube of cinnamon rolls into one long rectangle.

Press onto the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish. Seal

perforations. Set aside icing packet from cinnamon rolls.

2) In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla

until smooth. Pour over crust. In a small bowl, combine the nuts

flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir in butter. Sprinkle

over cream cheese layer.

3) Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Drizzle with the

icing packet. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Serve with

fresh whipped cream and cinnamon. (I didn't serve with whipped cream and cinnamon and it was still amazing!) 

Val So Cal

And the WINNER of the Cookbook Giveaway IS. . .  Joanna! :-)

0 Roasted Garlic and Three Cheese Dip

My friend, Rachel, brought this amazing dip to school a couple months ago and I have been waiting for the PERFECT occasion to make it. I served it at the Cookbook Exchange that I hosted and it was a HIT! (speaking of, the cookbook giveaway ends TONIGHT!) So much of a hit that most of us were crowded around this dip the entire night! :-)

I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday night and I'll announce the giveaway winner tomorrow morning! :-)

Roasted Garlic and Three-Cheese Dip

2-3 tablespoons of garlic
¼ teaspoon of white pepper

1 pound cream cheese, room temperature

4 ounces goat cheese

½ cup (2oz) grated Parmesan cheese

½-3/4 cup milk

Place cream cheese and goat cheese in slow cooker; cover and cook until cheese is melted about 30 minutes. Mix in Parmesan cheese, roasted garlic, white pepper, and ½ cup milk; cover and cook until hot, 1 to 1 ½ hours.  Stir in remaining ¼ cup milk, if desired for consistency. (OR dump everything in at once like I did and it will be ready in an hour or less!)

Rachel Caulkins 

6 Oreo No Bake Cheesecake

There is nothing like a cool dessert on a hot summer day! :-) This Oreo Cheesecake is not only really easy to make, it is amazing! :-) I brought the left overs to my dad to take to his office and he was debating if he could eat the whole pan by himself. . . (needless to say, it is going to the office today!) Hope y'all are having a wonderful summer and DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!! IT ENDS TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!

Oreos are probably my MOST favorite "store bought" cookie! :-)

 Crush them!

 Mix with butter. . .

add cream cheese filling. . .

after it has hardened. . . pull the cheesecake out of the pan. . . 

cut and enjoy!

Oreo No Bake Cheesecake
1 package (1lb 2 oz) Oreo Chocolate Sandwich cookies
1/4 (1/2 stick) butter, melted
4 packages (8 oz each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tub (8 oz) Cool Whip Whipped Topping, thawed
Line 13x9 inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Coarsely chop 15 of the cookies, set aside. Finely crush remianing cookies; mix with butter. Press firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping and chopped cookies. Spoon over crust. Cover. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator. Makes 24 servings.

5 Red, White and Blue Strawberries!

This past week I have been a little discouraged about the fate of our country. . . but ladies and gentlemen. . . GOD and LOVE of our GREAT nation IS ALIVE AND WELL in small town USA! :-) 

This weekend, we visited sweet friends  . . 

went to the Belton Rodeo . . .

ate amazing barbecue. . .

Had dinner overlooking the lake

went to the oldest 4th of July parade in Texas 

Hung out with some of the cutest kids EVER 

AND made Red White and Blue Strawberries! 

These are SO easy, yummy, and PRECIOUS! 

Just take white chocolate and melt it in the microwave

Dip the strawberries in the white chocolate and then in the blue sprinkles 

Refrigerate them and ENJOY! 

We are resting for a second before heading to a friends house to watch fireworks (yes, I guess our concrete jungle is good for something. . . we can have fireworks even though there are burn bans ALL over Texas) 

Hope you are having a MAGNIFICENT 4th of July and DON"T FORGET TO ENTER THE COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!