I Like Mine Extra Crispy

Cheryl here. Do you know what I love about our blog here at Highlowaha? We're not constrained by any one idea. We can discuss parties and party decorations one day, baking treats another. We can talk about friendships, parenting and community and so much more. We can zig and we can zag and go wherever the day takes us. Isn't it wonderful? Guess where I'm going to take you today? Bacon!

Bacon, bacon, bacon~ it's a wonderful thing! Pancetta, Canadian and Slab! Bacon is our friend. I'm mean really. It is so completely versatile.

You can put it on your breakfast sandwich or club sandwich, your burger and your classic BLT.

You can crumble bacon and put it on just about anything. Salads, baked potatoes, pizza and soup. Go ahead and add some flavor. Flavor your beans and your broths and even your Vodka- all with bacon. (Okay purchase the Vodka from the store but I hear they make it!)

Eggs and bacon. They were made for each other.

You can wrap it around shrimp, scallops, jalapenos, and steaks. Even asparagus.

Somebody stop me because I'm about to break out into a Bubba Gump Bacon Montage!

Bacon goes with everything!

I have to try these bacon cups! You can try them, too. Just check out the instructions over at Not Martha. They look pretty easy. You throw salad in them, of course!

Bacon is loved by so many people there are whole websites dedicated to bacon. There is the Royal Bacon Society, I Heart Bacon and Bacon Unwrapped.

I thought I was going to be so clever and be the very first to make Pancake and Bacon Cupcakes but you guessed it. I am not so clever because lots of someones have already made them! There are actually so many out there that there are too many to share... just google it and make me a batch.

Just this week, Margaret sent me a link to a new dessert that she knew we would both love. I love cotton candy. She loves bacon. Put them together and what do you get? Bacon Cotton Candy! It was from some where in South Carolina.

I could go on and on about bacon but I'd rather hear from you. Do you love bacon? What do you love it on or around or in? Calling all Bacon Lovers! Give me your favorite recipe!

Signing off until tomorrow...

It's a Cupcake, It's a Brownie, It's a Cookie... NO!

It's a Cupbrowookie!!! What's wrong with that name, Ray? And they are so delicious and yummy my stomach is growling just at the thought of them. They are the best brownie-cookie-cupcake I have ever tasted. I don't care what you call them as long as you agree with me that they are DELICIOUS!!!

Here is what you need:

(Preheat your oven to 350 degrees)

Betty Crocker Original Supreme Brownie Mix

Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

Aren't my helpers cute?
Mix them according to Betty's instructions
Now, here's where it can vary. I wanted mine to look pretty and when I made them in the 13 x 9 pan the first time I had trouble getting them out of the pan and still look appealing so I went with the cupcake method this time around. It's more work to do it in the cupcake pan but they look oh, so cute when put in basket.... just wait....

But, on with what I did here: put a spoonful of brownie mix in each cup followed by a spoonful of cookie dough mix. I wanted to make more and not have them over the top of the paper so the frosting would just sit down in the cup and not drip over the side.
Throw them in the oven and bake about 12-15 minutes.

They'll look like these below:

Yummmy!!!

• 
  From here you can use a pre-made frosting or the frosting that comes with the brownie but my favorite is to make a chocolate ganache. Let the cupbrowookies cool completely. When they're cool make the ganache. Here's the recipe:
  
  Chocolate Ganache
• 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate morsels (I don't follow directions very well. I think I used milk chocolate morsels. Still delicious.)
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 6 Tbsp butter

• Heat cream and butter until just before boiling in a small sauce pan. Pour the heated mixture over the chocolate morsels in a separate bowl. Stir until smooth.
  

Go ahead and whip that up (and just forget about the fat and calories. I did. They're worth it. I promise.) and spoon it over the top of all the cupbrowookies. If you're just using the large pan it's super easy just to pour it on top.

Add some cute sprinkles.
These make the perfect serving size!! I wrapped all of mine individually in Saran Wrap with some cute brown and pink curling ribbon. I added cute little chick cupcake toppers on some of them. Arranged them in cute basket from Target. Wrapped that in cellophane with a homemade recipe card and voila! Cute, inexpensive Easter baskets for our friends to enjoy!

So, you see, Ray... they are a cupcake, a brownie and a cookie. Say it with me.... Cup-brow-ookie. Cupbrowookie! They sound like something that you would enjoy while at Summer Camp. Ooh, what if we deleted the cookie and added marshmallows and gramah crackers? Then what would they be? And, one last question while I have you... do you like your brownies more fudge like or more cake like? Don't forget- leave a comment and Ray will have a drawing to give away the brownie pan.

Nerds Unite!

Signing off until tomorrow...

What Did the Jelly Say To the Peanut Butter?

Answer: Stick with me and we'll go places!

Cookie Cutter Challenge announcement at the end...

Good morning, Highlowaha! It's Katie here ready to celebrate National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day with you! As someone who loves peanut butter- I have to say they certainly have gone places together and I am excited to share in this holiday with each of you. I also love that yesterday with Claudia we talked cookies and cookie cutters, and today we are talking PB &J! That's my kind of week if you ask me!

Before we begin our celebration of this national day, I feel it is important to understand the history of how PB & J sandwiches gained their fame in this country. For this history, I did a bit of quick google researching and this is what I found...

"Historians didn’t make reference to the sandwich until the 1940s. In fact, the first mention of the sandwich came during World War II, when peanut butter and jelly sandwiches became part of the US military rations.While soldiers enjoyed them abroad, word got out here at home about the concoction and with limited supplies of meats and milks Americans adopted the sandwich as a low-cost meal."

With that in mind, I would like to say that while I am not glad they had limited supplies for food during the war, I am glad that this amazing concoction was created! In the spirit of the day, I decided to also look around on the web to find a new recipe with PB & J that is a variation to the traditional sandwich. I found some PB & J bars that I think I may try to make today. I will share the recipe with you in hopes that you will find the time to make them and celebrate today, too!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter or margarine
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup grape jelly
1 2/3 cups peanut butter chips

1. Heat oven to 375F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan; set aside.
2. Stir together flour, sugar and baking powder; cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in beaten egg until blended.
3. Reserve half of the mixture; press remaining mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Stir jelly slightly; spread evenly over crust. Sprinkle 1 cup peanut butter chips over jelly. Stir remaining 2/3 cup of the peanut butter chips into reserved crumb mixture; sprinkle over top.
4. Bake in heated 375F oven 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Looking for other ways to celebrate this great holiday? How about posting in the comment section and sharing with us your favorite way to eat a PB & J sandwich? For me, it is extra crunchy peanut butter, strawberry jelly, wheat bread toasted, and cut into fours. I can remember being a kid and asking my mom to cut it into fours for me, and I still do it to this day as a 22 year old who brings her lunch to work with her! I'll never be too old for a PB & J sandwich!

Are you allergic to peanuts and you can't join us in the stories of PB & J sandwiches? How about just playing the song below, singing along, and letting the kids dance along to it! It's a hit with the 20-somethings, so I'm sure your kids will love it!

Cookie Cutter Challenge: The winning cookie cutter from yesterday's post is the porcupine. However, as a small disclaimer: if Fancy Flours does not have 2 of the porcupine cookie cutters in stock, then we will default to the 2nd chosen cookie cutter which is the tow truck. In the off chance that they don't have two of those in stock either, we will go with choice number 3 which is the stegosaurus cookie cutter.

Signing off until tomorrow...