Mini More - Almond Joy Cupcakes

27 years.

I've been alive for 27 YEARS - and this Halloween was the first time that I experienced the wonder that is an Almond Joy.

Chocolate. Coconut. Almond.

Best combination EVER.

My baking routine has been thrown for a loop lately - I'm currently homeless.  In preparation for a big move (which I'll post about later), I sold my house and have been camping out at my parents' home while they reside at an undisclosed location (hint: somewhere in South Carolina).

While there are many drawbacks to not having a place of your own, my mom's house comes with at least one benefit: her stockpile of food.  My mom is a coupon queen.  She has no greater joy than getting things for practically free.  Therefore her pantry could feed a family of four for several months.

Or as my friend Krista calls it: diabetes in a closet.

She's not wrong.  But hey - we love to bake.  As I was foraging through her multitudes of baking supplies, I came across a package of Almond Joy instant pudding mix.

I immediately had two questions:

1. How did I not know that this existed?
2. How can I incorporate this into a cupcake?

I used my Mini Banana Pudding Cupcakes as a recipe base, and twisted it to become these Mini Almond Joy Cupcakes.

And trust me - they are fabulous.

PREP/DECO TIME: 45 minutes

BAKE TIME: 15 minutes

MAKES: roughly 75 mini cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

• Chocolate fudge cake mix (plus ingredients listed on box)
• FILLING
• Small box instant Almond Joy pudding*
• 1 3/4 cup cold milk
• FROSTING
• 1 cup cold milk
• Small box coconut cream pudding
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 4 oz. whipped cream cheese
• 8 oz. whipped topping (thawed)
• Almonds (optional)
• Chocolate shavings for garnish (optional)

WHIP IT UP

1. First prepare the frosting (it takes an hour to firm in the fridge).  In a large bowl, whisk together milk, coconut cream pudding mix and powdered sugar until thick and smooth.
2. Whisk in whipped cream cheese until blended.
3. Fold in whipped topping and place in the refrigerator for an hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line your mini cupcake pans with paper liners.
5. Prepare cupcake batter as called for on box and fill each mini liner 2/3 of the way full.
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. While cupcakes are baking, prepare the filling.  In a medium bowl, whisk together milk and Almond Joy (or your own version) pudding mix until thick.
8. Place pudding in refrigerator to set.
9. Once cupcakes are fully cooled, cut a small circle in the center of each cupcake and fill with Almond Joy pudding. (Tip: use an apple corer to "core" each cupcake.)
10. Once frosting has firmed, pipe onto the top of each cupcake.
11. Garnish the top of each cupcake with chocolate shavings and an almond.
12. Store any uneaten cupcakes in the refrigerator.

*If you can't find the Almond Joy pudding mix, you can always create your own.  It is essentially chocolate pudding with coconut and almond mixed in. So just place some coconut and slivered almonds in a food processor, chop down to a fine mix, and add to your chocolate pudding mix before allowing to set.  This might actually work better if you are finicky about coconut/nuts - you can omit anything you don't like, or add extra coconut if you are that kind of person (I definitely am).

Enjoy!

Jordan

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Sticky Floors

Another lesson in buying your first home: you will never catch everything that is wrong during an inspection.

Case in point - my kitchen floor.  As you can see, it's just sheet vinyl. Nothing particularly fancy.  It wasn't horribly ugly, but I wasn't in love with it either.

And even though I spent several hours (along with my parents and my inspector) in my house before I bought it, it was only when I was loading up the fridge on move in day that I noticed a large crack in the floor.

There is an island, so when they laid down the sheet of flooring, there obviously had to be a seam where the flooring was cut.  However, it could have been installed properly (how that is done, I have no idea).  Since I wasn't particularly fond of the flooring anyway, I never fixed the seam because I planned on replacing it at some point in the future.

So three years later, after mopping over it and general traffic, the seam looked like this:

Ick.

I was prepping my house to list it for sale, and I knew the flooring needed to be replaced.  I didn't want to spend a ton of money, and my dad mentioned something that he had seen on HGTV (he watches daily, he has no shame).

Peel-and-stick flooring.

Yes, you probably just had the same reaction that I did.  NO FREAKIN' WAY.

We had the peel-and-stick tiles in our laundry room when I was growing up. They were hunter green with diamond centers and to this day I still have nightmares about how ugly they were.

That was not going in my house.

Still, I humored my dad and let him take me to Lowe's to take a look at said peel-and-stick flooring.

There were options that looked like wood planks and tile that was actually grout-able.  I was absolutely blown away by the appearance, but the online reviews still had me skeptical.  Would the adhesive really work?  And if so, for how long?

Only one way to find out.

Lowe's was running a special where you received $10 off an order of $50 if you ordered online and picked up your items in the store, so my entire kitchen floor (around 180 square feet) cost me $156.00.

Definitely worth giving it a try.

I chose the wood plank option because grouting seemed like a hassle, and a wood-like surface was what I was really aiming for anyway.  Many of the reviewers stated that the adhesive didn't work and the planks buckled immediately.  I was so apprehensive that I kept the boxes and paper backing just in case the flooring didn't work so I could return it.

Three months in - it still looks fabulous.

I laid the planks directly on top of my existing kitchen flooring.  I vacuumed the surface once, mopped it with a water/vinegar solution, vacuumed once more, and mopped it with water/vinegar a final time.

The directions tell you how to initially lay out the planks, and we opened several boxes at a time and pulled planks randomly from each box to mix up the pattern.  Just peel back half of the paper, apply it to the floor, and pull back the rest of the paper as you lay down the plank.  The planks are extremely pliable, and although the directions tell you to score the plank with a box cutter, most of the time we were able to just snap the plank where we needed it (straight edges weren't a big deal for my kitchen).

Yes, that's my lovely mother slaving away.  Hi, mom!

The glue is atrocious.  I mean, really.  It was on the sides of the planks and it was a nightmare once it got stuck to your hands.  But a little canola oil removed it, and we had to take several breaks to get the goo off of our hands during the 8 hours (yes, it took us 8 hours) of installation.

I have to say this - my mom has some patience.  I would have quit on me a few hours in.

I've only found one setback - it scratches easily.  I noticed immediately that my dogs' nails were leaving marks on the floor.  You can only see it when the light shines on the flooring a certain way, but I'm extremely OCD and I know the scratches are there.  The real question is - can you see them?

So if you have pets, I might be a little apprehensive about putting this flooring down.  No critters running about? No issue.  It looks amazing, was a fraction of the cost of laminate or actual wood flooring, and it's water resistant to boot.

And just in case you were wondering - Lexi approves.

So, much like my recent wallpaper discovery, peel-and-stick floors are back. And until I told my Realtor that the floors were really peel-and-stick, she had no idea.  Mission accomplished.

Jordan

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Reese's White Chocolate Popcorn

Happy Halloween!

For the past several years, I've had this obsession with making white chocolate popcorn.  It is delicious, super easy and there are tons of variations.

This Halloween we are going with white chocolate popcorn drizzled in dark chocolate with Reese's Pieces sprinkled throughout.

Super healthy, I know.

The hardest part of making this snack - dodging my dogs as they were dancing around the kitchen and hoping that I would drop something.  They are huge fans of popcorn.  They are NOT huge fans of Halloween costumes, just in case you were wondering.

Yep - I'm that pet parent.  Their shame is well worth my entertainment.

If you have twenty minutes to spare this holiday season, you can put together this delicious snack with three or four ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.  And there really isn't any "cooking" involved.  Unless you count melting chocolate chips in the microwave as cooking.

You will need:

• 1 bag of popcorn
• 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup Reese's Pieces

To start, pop a bag of popcorn (or you can be fancy and make it the old-fashioned way, but I don't have the patience for that mess).  Make sure that you get all of the unpopped kernels out of the bowl.

Next, melt the white chocolate chips by placing them in a microwave safe bowl and heating for 15-second intervals until fully melted.

Pour the melted chocolate over your bowl of popcorn, and mix together with a large plastic spoon.  You may need to coat the spoon in non-stick spray, as this does tend to get rice-krispy-treat messy.  Throw in as many Reese's Pieces as you feel necessary (roughly a cup did it for me), and spread out onto a cookie sheet covered in wax paper.

If you want to add a little more pizzazz (and I always do), melt dark chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in 15-second intervals until melted.  Take a fork and drizzle the melted chocolate over the popcorn.  Your finished product should look something like this:

Now it just needs to set.  You can leave it out for around 15 minutes, or place it in the fridge if you want it to harden a bit faster.  Just break it into pieces, place in a bowl and munch away!

I warn you - this stuff is addictive.  And you may also hate regular popcorn after having eaten it covered in this sugary goodness.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Jordan

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Patio Love

I purchased my first home at the beginning of 2011, and I've learned a lot. Both about home ownership in general and about myself.

This past summer, my dad came over to help me dig some particularly stubborn weeds from the base of a tree in my front yard.  Which is how all 26-year-old women want to spend their Saturday afternoons.

When we were finished weeding, my dad was standing in the driveway watching as I attempted to drag my giant trash can filled with weeds from the grass onto the driveway, got stuck several times and almost fell over. Once I made it up to where he was standing, he stared at me and said: you're a condo person.

He's totally right.

Buying my first house has taught me that I. Hate. Yard. Work.

Mowing, weeding, planting things.  I kill just about everything (succulents and cacti aside - because, really, who can kill those?).  If anyone gives me plant life or flowers of any sort, I immediately give them to my mom. Because they are doomed to die a slow and painful death if they reside anywhere near my house.

So lately I've been dreaming of patios.

My house has a large deck and a small lawn, and I've sat out there maybe 10 times in three years.  It's uncovered, and there are bugs.  Like tons of bugs.  As in I've tried every type of candle/spray to get rid of the mosquitoes, spiders, bees and wasps that are constantly hovering around my deck, and nothing seems to work.

Lesson learned: I am not a lawn person.

I am, however, a patio person.  My next move is probably going to be purchasing a condo, where I dream of having a small patio like one of these:

I have two dogs, so I realize that I need some sort of outdoor space.  But look at that puppy up above laying on his color-coordinated pillow on that patio that contains very minimal plant life.

That's the dream.  Now let's see where my life actually takes me.

Jordan

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Not that I had a whole lot of say in the matter, but I love that I was born in October.  Fall is my favorite season, and getting to celebrate my birth with a pumpkin themed extravaganza every year is a special treat in and of itself.

If you live anywhere within driving distance of southern Indiana, I highly recommend that you visit Huber's Orchard, Winery & Vineyards.  Yes, there's probably an orchard somewhere much closer.  Trust me - this place is well worth the drive.

As you can see, my friends were super excited to be there!

It is located in Starlight, Indiana, and my family has been going there for years.  They have tons of produce that you can pick yourself or (for the less adventurous types) they also have a market where you can just buy it by the bag (you party poopers, you).  The market is stocked with freshly made breads, pies, soup mixes, every jam and preserve imaginable, candy and an assortment of fruits and veggies.

Also - they bake fresh apple cider and pumpkin donuts.  The smell alone when you walk up is enough to make you gain ten pounds.

In a good way - if that makes sense.

There's also an ice cream shop, grill where you can get burgers and corn on the cob, and a winery.  Many an afternoon has been spent sitting outside next to a cart full of pumpkins, sharing a pitcher of sangria and listening to live music as the leaves fall around you.

Yes, we each got our own pitcher.  Judge all you want.

It really is a magical place.

Now that I'm done sharing my top secret orchard tips with you - pumpkins.  Like many Americans, as soon as the weather dips below 70 degrees, I become obsessed with all things pumpkin.  Candles, cookies, soups, etc.

My favorite? These pumpkin cheesecake muffins.  A sweet pumpkin muffin topped with brown sugar and pecans, with a cheesecake surprise in the center.  Any time I can somehow work cheesecake into my breakfast, I'm a happy camper.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

PREP TIME: 30 minutes
BAKE TIME: 15 minutes
MAKES: 2 dozen muffins

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 large eggs
• 1 can (15 oz.) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 1/2 cups canola oil
• Filling
• 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• Topping
• 2/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar

WHIP IT UP

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin and oil.  Stir into wet mixture just until moistened.
4. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups one-third full.
5. For filling, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and flour until smooth.  Drop by tablespoonfuls into the center of each muffin.
6. Top with remaining batter.
7. For topping, combine pecans and brown sugar; sprinkle over batter.
8. Bake for 15-18 minutes.
9. After removing from oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing the muffins from the pan to a wire rack.
10. Refrigerate leftovers.

I've actually started making these as a Thanksgiving breakfast treat.  We usually try to skip lunch in preparation for the turkey festivities in the evening, so starting off with a pumpkin cheesecake muffin in the morning will hold you over until dinner.  And there's just something wonderful about the smell of baking pumpkin wafting through my house as I watch the parade.

Enjoy!

Jordan

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