Key Lime Pie by Josi S. Kilpack

Here's the description from Amazon.com:
"When Sadie Hoffmiller s new friend, Eric Burton, receives word that his missing daughter s body may have been found in Florida, he immediately packs his bags. Sadie is determined to stay home and prove to everyone that she is not a busybody. But when she senses Eric is hiding something, Sadie is compelled to take action. Before she knows it, she s in the heart of Miami, trying to piece together a trail that might just give Eric the answers he s so desperately searching for. In the process, Sadie finds herself in the company of some colorful characters and some good ol southern cooking. But despite the drama and intrigue, all Sadie really wants is to go home . . . as soon as she does just one more thing. Includes eight new mouthwatering recipes, tested and approved by the official bakers of Sadie s Test Kitchen Josi s culinary mysteries have become favorites with members of Goodreads and other book networking sites Reader s guide available online."

MY REVIEW: I love Kilpack's writing style. She gets to the end of the chapter and then makes me not want to stop there. That and the fact she has recipes in her books. Haven't tried any yet but they all look delicious. That being said, this one wasn't my favorite in the series. Maybe because you don't start off with a dead body like in her other books. Not that I'm a gory person but if I have a dead body I feel like I can maybe work out some of the details, pick up on clues, and possibly solve it myself. I couldn't do that in this one so I didn't enjoy it as much, but the series on whole has been great.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

 I recently came across the site Mel's Kitchen Cafe and was amazed! She has so many wonderful recipes on there. But the moment I knew she was a REAL cook was when I read she used a BOSCH mixer. I grew up a on Bosch and they are the best.


Anyways, that was besides the point. She has her recipe on her site for Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars that are divine. Like, so divine that it's the only chocolate chip cookie bar I will ever make from now on! Pretty simple too, my husband timed me and I got them in the oven within 12 minutes.


BIG SIDE NOTE: DO NOT make these for people who like their cookies right out of the oven and won't have them any other way. Took these to some family members who couldn't stand to wait and let them rest (like they are REQUIRED to do in order for them to be perfect) and kept baking them until they were completely done in the oven. They need to rest and they will be absolutely perfect I assure you!

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Printable version From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

*Makes a 9X13-inch pan of bars
2 1/8 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
1 cup (7 ounces) light brown sugar
1/2 (3 1/2 ounces) cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips (use your preference of semisweet, bittersweet, milk, white, peanut butter…the options are endless!)
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position. Line a 9X13-inch baking pan with foil, letting the excess hang over the edges of the pan by about 1 inch so you can grab those edges and pull the brownies from the pan after they have baked. Spray the foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula.
Bake until the top of the bars is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from sides of pan, 24-28 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Remove the bars from the pan by lifting the foil overhang and transfer them to a cutting board. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Cook’s Illustrated

I cut mine out into Valentine's Day shapes when they were cooled off.
Here are my results:

Gathered Heart Pillow

So.... I'm not crafty. Phew, there, I said it. However,there have been a few thing recently that have piqued my interest. I've been browsing www.u-createcrafts.com and there is a whole treasure-trove of fun/creative/crafty things. The gathered heart pillow was so adorable, I had to do it. Here is a link to the tutorial.

My sister and I just went through her extra craft things so we just used what we had on hand. We paid around $2.40 for the stuffing and had everything else. I think it turned out cute; just in time for Valentine's Day!

What do you think?

New Pics from recipes I've made from the Saving Dinner cookbook Part 2

OK, some more pics:

Double Potato Soup
Saving Dinner Winter Week 7

Tortilla Pizzas
From Saving Dinner the Vegetarian Way Summer Week 3

Hummus
From Saving Dinner the Vegetarian Way Cookbook Page 259

 Cheeseburger Casserole
Saving Dinner Fall Week 6

 Rosemary Chicken Breast Halves
Saving Dinner Winter Week 8

 Basic Black Bean Soup
Saving Dinner Winter Week 3

 

Orange Honey Mustard Fish
Saving Dinner Winter Week 8

Crock-Pot Taco Chicken
Saving Dinner Winter Week 8

Country Fried Steaks
Saving Dinner Winter Week 8

Mediterranean Fish

Saving Dinner Spring Week 1

OK, that was a lot and they were all delicious!

Cross-Stitched Baby Bib

I've always liked to cross-stitch. I find it relaxing and fun. Most people probably wouldn't agree but hey, it's something I'm good at. I've been working on this bib forever and finally got some time to finish it. Here's the finished product:

Here's my baby testing out the product:

(I think he likes it!)