Friday's Treat ~ Cheesecake Cupcakes

I have been wanting to try a Red Velvet Cheesecake for sometime now and just hadn't gotten around to it so I thought what better time than the week of Christmas for the office treats. I knew I would need to turn it into cupcakes which turned out to be quite a process. My sister Rhiannon and her family were staying with me for Christmas so with 4 little ones running around and multiple things happening at the same time I didn't get pictures of every step.......:( Here is the finished product...I didn't actually eat one but my husband said they were amazing ( he ate at least 4 while at work and then 2 more that evening!! )

I know they don't look very red. I usually have food coloring on hand but apparently I used up all but a few drops of the red so the color contrast was not as dramatic as I was hoping for. You can see what I mean if you go here. If you looked at the link you can see what I was going for....

There is a chocolate cookie crust, gnache, cheesecake, gnache, cake and then another drizzle of gnache!!! Yes, all that in 1 little cupcake:)

The recipe for everything is here. Just make sure you have plenty of RED food coloring on hand before you begin:)

Enjoy

Mary Elizabeth

Merry Christmas

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas from Alaska!

 

The rest of our day will be spent baking a couple of pies, cookies, and wrapping a few presents. But most importantly today and tomorrow will be spent remembering the real reason for the season, Christ's birth. I hope you make Christ the center of your celebrations and your life as we do.

 

Friday's Treat ~ Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are definitely a Christmas favorite at our house. They are one of those cookies that I feel I can't make any other time of year....I don't know why that is actually...

I found the best recipe for them on the Williams-Sonoma website and you can find the recipe here.

The dough is very thick but very "fudge-y" as well....

form into balls, roll in powdered sugar.....

and 10 minutes later this is what you get. A perfect chocolate crinkle cookie!

Don't they look good?! Well, trust me. They are;)

What is your favorite holiday cookie?

Mary Elizabeth

A Country Christmas

I think you could definitely say that I have a very "country-rustic" style to my house. I love finding things that are unique at antique shops and festivals....I also make a lot of my own decor. I like the personal touch that it gives my home:)

Most of my Christmas decor fits right in with my country-rustic theme and this year is no different. I think I bought all the burlap and twine Hobby Lobby had to offer:) .....just kidding!

Here are a few photos of what my home looks like this Christmas season....

a few of the christmas cards we have received

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 I can't ever keep my stockings up when they are on the mantle so this year they are on the stairs...

I love my mantle this year:)

my favorite new tree ornaments

burlap:)

I also love my dining table centerpiece!

I first told you about these trees here.

my version of a burlap wreath....can you tell I love burlap? I will post a tutorial on this soon...

the view from upstairs

You can't tell but it is actually snowing outside right now! It is making me fell very warm and cozy with my Christmas lights on....Just in time for Christmas too!!

Mary Elizabeth

Christmas At Our House

Well, I finally got the picture issue fixed. So, I thought I would show you are Christmas decorations this year. The decorations are pretty much the same as last year with a few exceptions. We got a smaller tree to put in the front window and the mantel is a little different. I got a 20 foot fresh evergreen garland at Lowe's for $7 and took it apart. Used some of it on the mantel, the piano and the rest on the dining room light. Also, I finally bought stockings this year from Pottery Barn.

One of my favorite decorations. I have two of these birds.

My youngest sister made this decoration for me when she was
in 4th grade.

 

Mac's first Christmas ornament.

Rhiannon's first Christmas ornament.



Luke's first Christmas ornament.

 

 

Now that all the decorating is completed, we have been filling our spare time making Christmas cookies and candy. Needless to say the kids have been on a sugar rush the last two weeks.

 

Merry Christmas,

Christine

Friday's Treat ~ Brownie Rice Krispie Treats

I know this post is a little bit late but I am getting behind on all the things I have made and wanted to share this with you even though there won't be any pictures....Sorry about that by the way. We are working on things:)

These bars are absolutely the best!! After having these you won't want to go back to regular Rice Krispie Treats. These are so easy to make too.....

The first layer is your favorite brownie recipe. I use the one I wrote about here because it really is the best. Bake as directed and then pull out of the oven and cover with the second layer.....marshmallows!! Give a generous layer:) Place back in the oven for just a minute until the marshmallows are melted.

The third  ( and best ) layer...The Rice Krispie Treat layer:) Melt together 1 1/3 cup chocolate chips, 3 tbls butter and 1 cup peanut butter. Mix well and then stir in 2 cups Rice Krispies. Mix together and then pour over top of the marshmallows. 

Cool completely and then cut into bars. These are soo good.....I promise!! I'm sure you will love them also!

Have a great weekend and look back soon for more post...I have several Christmas things to show ya'll:)

Mary Elizabeth