[This is Part 2 in our Catering series. To view previous posts, click here.]

(Photo courtesy of The Wedding Format)

Even though dessert was the last course we served for the night, we wanted it to be the first recipe that we shared with you. It was a definite crowd pleaser at the party! We had so many people asking us for the recipe! At first we were a little embarrassed to admit that we used a box mix for the brownies. But the more we thought about it, the more comfortable we became with it. The reason we picked a Ghirardelli mix was because we checked the ingredient list and it was everything we would use if we made brownies from scratch. And when we knew were making 18 pies, we figured we’d take all the help we could get!

Obviously, no one could tell they were from a box! They were super rich and decadent with a little warmth from the cinnamon. The real whipped cream took it over the top! We heard that at one table each person took their first bite as they got to the table and exclaimed to themselves, “Whoa!..” We’ll take that as a complement!

It was hard to break this recipe down much more than this. Sorry that it still makes 3 pies, serving 18 people. The good thing about these pies is that they are frozen so you can just keep a couple on hand to pull out later for a last minute dessert.

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When I (Sarah) was growing up, Jello No Bake Cheesecake was a popular dessert at our house. In 4th grade we had to write a list of our favorite things. Lets just say cheesecake appeared on there about …oh four times. Shame!

The thing is, I don’t think I had real cheesecake until I was in high school. This means I was listing Jello No Bake Cheesecake 4 times with various toppings! I loved the stuff! I remember one time in particular that we are camping and my cousin brought a no bake cheesecake in a 9 x 13 topped with blueberry pie filling. It obviously left an impression on me, since I remember that to this day! Let’s bring this back around to last week when I was on Pinterest and was completely delighted by a stunning picture of a square piece of cheesecake topped with fresh blueberries!! I was reminded of my childhood love and knew I needed to recreate this beloved dessert of mine ASAP!

I love this dessert because you don’t have to bake the filling. I admit that I am no good at making traditional cheesecake. It never turns out the way I see it in my dreams. It’s usually cracked and dry and disappointing. But, I have no shame in saying that I could knock your socks off with this cheesecake! The filling is fluffy and tangy with the perfect amount of lemon to brighten it up. I love the blackberries on top for a change. (Especially since blueberries cost twice as much. Yikes!) Give it a try soon. It’s the perfect spring dessert!

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Last weekend, we were getting together with our friends and we were in charge of dessert. We wanted something with fresh fruit that would be quick and easy to make. That’s when we remembered an old favorite of ours, Fruit Pizza.

We used to make this all the time during a first few years of marriage, but we had kind of forgotten about it. That won’t happen again! We remembered how much we love it and our kids love it too, especially Marley. Seriously, who could resist all this?!

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Our mission is simple. We are here today to change your opinion about Peanut Brittle.

Peanut Brittle is usually the one item left on the cookie tray at the end of a Christmas party, and rightfully so. Most Peanut Brittle either breaks or gets stuck in your teeth. It can be annoying to eat, and can sometimes be kind of flavorless. Our recipe, passed down from my (Dave) mom, will change your opinion on Peanut Brittle. GUARANTEED.

When we experienced our first Christmas season as a married couple, it was my mom’s goal to teach the ins and outs of the brittle making process…and it is a process. I have memories of my mom literally sitting in a chair in front of the stove, stirring away. When my mom taught Sarah how to make the recipe, she pulled a chair up and told Sarah to have a seat. Sitting in a chair while cooking is optional for the recipe.

Years back, my mom realized that you can really make brittle out of any type of nut. She experimented with pecans and cashews. Cashew Brittle became the overwhelming family favorite. It will blow your mind.

We have made both peanut and cashew brittle every year since we have been married, and it is always a huge hit. One of Sarah’s Aunts takes cashew brittle to bed with her at night! Another Aunt always takes a small baggie with her for her drive home on Christmas Eve night. It is difficult to explain why this brittle is so much better than other recipes we have had, but the best way that we can explain it is that it is smooth and creamy. That sounds like a weird description for hard candy, but it’s accurate. It doesn’t stick in your teeth and it doesn’t break into 47 pieces when you try to eat it. It’s just buttery, nutty goodness.
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We’ve shared our recipes for chocolate chip cookies and Grandma Ryan’s peanut butter cookies. The third cookie we made for Jovie’s 1st birthday party was molasses cookies. These were incredible!! We used Dave’s mom’s recipe for cracked ginger cookies, but made a few adjustments based upon what we had in our cupboards. Her recipe calls for shortening and dark Karo syrup. We substituted butter and molasses. To be honest, we didn’t think this would affect the cookie much, but they were completely different! The cracked ginger cookies are like a ginger snap, crisp and crunchy. We love this type of cookie, especially this time of year. But making just those two adjustments to the recipe made the cookies soft and chewy. They reminded us of Dave’s cousin (and fellow food blogger!) Abbie’s molasses cookies. She brings them to Christmas every year and they disappear in a snap. They’re so delicious…but we’ve yet to receive the recipe from her. Secret, secret. The molasses cookies we made for the party will serve as a good fake out for her famous cookies!

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Yesterday we shared pictures from Jovie’s 1st birthday party. Today we’ll share one of the cookie recipes, as promised! At the “Milk and Cookies” themed party we served three kinds of classic cookies. We had chocolate chip cookies…the same ones that Dave baked to win my heart almost 9 years ago! We also had molasses cookies which we’ll post tomorrow with the recipe.

Today let’s talk about Grandma Ryan’s peanut butter cookies. Originally we’d planned on making our 4 ingredient peanut butter cookies since they are always such a big hit. But, then I had a conversation with my Grandma Ryan. In this conversation she said she wanted me to come over to her house so she could give me a couple things. I love gifts, and these were kitchen related gifts. So, I was extra excited! The first thing she gave me was a white oval platter with dainty green and blue flowers on it. The platter belonged to her mother, my great grandma. She said that she remembers her mama serving meals on this platter all the time, so she wanted me to take it and use it just as much. It’s so cool to think about all the meals that were shared around that dish. What an honor! I’m sure you’ll be seeing some pictures in the near future!

The next thing she gave me was her peanut butter cookie recipe which is written out in her hand writing. It’s worn and splattered from years of use. I think that is such a special thing to have. On a side note, this recipe was in the most organized recipe box I have ever seen. All the cards were broken down by category and alphabetized!! Yeah, mine look just like that too…  ;)

So basically she told me that she wanted some peanut butter cookies, she wanted them to be made from her recipe and she wanted me to make them for her. Ha! I love that! We read through the recipe together to make sure I understood it. She gave me instructions to use chunky peanut butter, not creamy. Which is brilliant…it added so much to the texture of the cookies!

After this we knew we had to go with these cookies for Jovie’s party. And they were perfect! Soft and chewy with a little crunch from the bits of peanuts. They were so addicting!

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Happy (Belated) Halloween!!!

Holy monkeys…we have been on the go, non-stop since last Friday! This may be the first time this has happened in the last 5 years, but we did not make a single meal between Friday night and Tuesday night. Not a single one!!! We made lots of desserts and sides for different events we were going to, but not one meal was made in our home. That is crazy for us!

Last night we took our kids out for trick or treating. Look at these cuties!

Marley is a strawberry, Gavin is a monster, and Jovie is a little cupcake. I guess it’s appropriate that two of our three kids are dressed as food.

Before we headed out to get some good loot, we met up with our friends for some Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza and Chocolate Caramel Apples!

These aren’t just your average, everyday Caramel Apples. That is just not how Giada or 1 cup Awesome rolls. Heck no…these bad boys have orange juice mixed into the caramel to give the apples a little tangy bite, and then are drizzled with melted dark chocolate and topped with crunchy sprinkles.

As soon as we saw Giada make these, we knew we had to make them for Halloween. Here is her recipe:

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We’ve talked a lot about how we love our subscription to Everyday with Rachael Ray. Every issue is packed with so many great recipes, tips and ideas. The October issue in particular really struck a chord with us. We counted awhile back and we had made around ten dishes that we found in there! And two of those recipes we have made twice already…twice! And there are still a handful of things that we would love to try very soon. We’ll keep you posted.

Until then let’s talk about this OMG dessert that definitely caught our eye when we were flipping through the pages.

Apple Cider Floats. Yes, that is HOT apple cider and COLD, creamy vanilla ice cream!! Divine. Really, why should root beer get all the glory?!

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[This post is part of the Wedding Reception Open House series.]

The final component of our wedding reception open house meal was dessert. We wanted something that would be easy to eat with either your hands, or a fork if you were feeling prim and proper.  We’ve made bars for parties in the past and knew that they would be perfect for the open house. Now to just decide on what type of bar to make…

We didn’t want it to overpower the appetizers. But we didn’t want just any bar…it had to make an impression on the guests! To us the solution was clear…Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping. Trust us, they are every bit as intense as their name! This is one of those desserts that is saved for the special-est of occasions. You make them and then rip up the recipe so you can forget what’s in them and how not-so-good they are for you!

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