Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

So we are now on day 7 of our new year!  Wow, only 7 days?!  So don't hate on me when I say this, but I don't like peanut butter plain, wait, just hear me out...I love peanut butter cookies and Reese's.  Love 'em really, I'm just not a huge fan of peanut butter sandwiches and eating peanut butter in spoonfuls, heck, I don't like it since it's not that sweet!  Now add sugar to that peanut butter and you've got me!  So anywho, I wouldn't normally have peanut butter in my house, so what was it doing in my pantry you may ask?  Well, an uncle of mine doesn't like peanut butter, at all!  Naturally, he would want to get rid of it, that's were I come into play.  I thought hmm.. 'I'm sure some of my readers would love a great recipe for peanut butter cookies'  And here I am, with this recipe.  I adapted this recipe from a post found on http://www.culinarycoutureblog.com/2013/01/four-ingredient-chewy-peanut-butter-cookies.html  And modified it to suit my taste, All I did was add a few extras,not much though.  Don't forget to search A Sweet Load on Facebook and like the fan page!  Happy eating!

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Preheat oven to 350
Makes yield 1 1/2 dozen

Ingredients
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used dark)

Preheat the oven the 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a bowl cream the peanut butter and sugar together until the mixture in light and creamy.  Beat the egg and incorporate it with the mixture.  Add the vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt.  Gently fold in the chocolate chips, chill for *10-15 minutes.  Shape into approx. 3 ounce balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet 2-3 inches apart from one another.  Bake at 350 for about 9 minutes or until they are lightly brown on the edges.  *Let the cookies cool for about 2 minutes before eating them.

Notes:
You don't need to chill the dough, but I would suggest to ensure a soft cookie
You must let these cookies cool because if you try to pick one up as soon as it comes out of the oven, it will break {trust me, I've tried!}

It's a New Year! 2014!

2014- The Year of; Anything's Possible!

So, winter break!  Oh that was a lovely one.  Sadly, it came and now it's gone  as well as 2013 :'(  But that's okay..welcome 2014!  I have this feeling that I'm still going to be writing 2013 by accident!  Don't we all though? :)  So I have a motto this year; anything is possible.  What are your new year's resolutions?  Comment below and don't forget to like A Sweet Load on Facebook!

So I have a very exciting piece of news!  We recently bought a kitchen-aide stand mixer.  Oh yeah, I've been dreaming of this baby ever since it came out.....(maybe you should leave me alone with the mixer for a minute, haha kidding!)  Anywho, I used this baby for the first time to make croissant dough!  Wow, I know right?  I looovveee croissants!  Soft, butter layers....  So much less work thanks to my new friend here!  I used my book 'Baking with Julia' like last time.  I don't know if you remember, the last I made croissants was in August, August 13, 2013 to be exact :)  I don't make them often for 2 reasons; 1 being that it's so time consuming, 2 being that I would hate to get sick of them!  I'll be posting the croissant recipe soon!  I have a boat load of fun for us in future upcoming posts.  But for now, have a safe and happy new year, and as always Happy eating!

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays from me to you!  Have a safe, happy, and fun filled holiday season!

Cookies: Tales of Baking Cookies the WHOLE Week!

I tried to make the cookie arrangement look like a tree, what do you think!

Remember my holiday cookie post, where I took a picture of all the ingredients I needed for holiday cookies for my close friends?  If you don't, you can always look back to this http://asweetload.blogspot.com/2013/12/holiday-cookie-choices.html.  So I started baking on Tuesday December 17th and started off with; wait for it....GINGERSNAPS!  Mmm... when they first came out of the oven I couldn't stop eating them!  Soft, chewy, and sweet!

  Before, when I got the oreos for the cookies and cream cookies some people cough, cough-my family started eating the oreos!  So you can imagine, I had to use them quickly before the oreos were all gone and I would need to buy new ones to make the cookies.  So on Wednesday December 18th I made the cookies and cream cookies which were also rather yummy, soft and not overly sweet.  Before I knew it, Thursday had sneaked up and I had to speed bake to have the cookie boxed and packed by night and before bed.  So as soon as I got home, I went on my Pinterest (something I've been known to do ever since I got a Pinterest, which is very addicting to me!) and then started baking the funfetti because I knew they would be quicker and easier to make.  As the funfetti cookies baked, I started to melt the butter for the chocolate chip cookies and quickly mixed up the dough.

One of the world's favorite cookies- CHOCOLATE CHIP!  Soft and chewy the way I like them!

As I put the first batch of chocolate chip cookies in the oven, I feared that the cookies would turn out as flat sheets (something that has been known to happen to me from time to time.)  I knew I couldn't afford to mess up, I had to give the cookies today (Friday December 20, 2013) after all.  I decided to be on the safe side and chill the dough, even if it was for only five or ten minutes.  All turned out well in the end, and I packed the boxes once the cookies cool.

I like to call them "Gingershnaps"  

I had a little problem though, it's a little embarrassing, I don't know if I should tell you....  Fine, confession; I couldn't stop eating the funfetti cookies.  After all the cookies and candies of the holiday and gifts from friends, everything is slightly sweet for my taste (Did I seriously say that?!  I never thought the day would come where I said something was too sweet for my taste!)  I'll just be sticking to salty things for the most part for a day or two.  You can get the cookie recipes from my 'holiday cookie choices' post, I put the link earlier in the post.  Like A Sweet Load on Facebook!

Cookies and Cream cookies, I had trouble trying to get my family to stop eating the oreo cookies before I even made them!

Soft and sweet, these cookies are irresistible to me, couldn't stop eating them until I felt sick.  And the I was struck by my self conscious feeling guilty for eating all that sweet!

Holiday Cookie Choices

So ever since Thanksgiving, I've been thinking about holiday cookie favorites.  I pondered and searched and searched.  Trying everywhere, my pinterest, google, yahoo anything I could find!  So after like 100 searches I finally came up with a list.  Here's the story, the holidays are closing in!  And though I don't personally celebrate Christmas, I wanted to give a few people holiday cookies.  The trouble was with all the people I had written down, I had to narrow down.  Yeah, that came to twelve people.  So we went on a shopping spree at the store where I got all of the ingredient I would need for my cookies.  Backtrack for just a minute, do ever notice, maybe it's just me, but when I go to the store it's like I'm always in someones way or they're in mine.  Anywho, here is my cookie 'menu.'  Don't forget to like A Sweet Load on Facebook and don't forget to subscribe!
Gingersnaps
http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2013/12/04/soft-and-chewy-gingersnap-cookies/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+browneyedbaker%2Ffeed+%28Brown+Eyed+Baker+%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail

Chocolate Chip
http://www.glorioustreats.com/2013/09/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Vanilla sugar

http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Dessert/Vanilla-Sugar-Cookies

Funfetti Cake cookies

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/10/funfetti-cake-batter-cookies-recipe.html

Cookies and cream cookies

I'm going to test my own recipe but also use one that I found on pinterest

http://domesticsuperhero.com/2013/11/27/cookies-cream-cookies/

Oatmeal Cookies
My very own recipe
http://asweetload.blogspot.com/2013/04/you-can-call-them-oatmeal-cookies.html

So I will be baking basically everyday of the week until the 20th of December.  Wish me luck, Like A Sweet Load on Facebook, subscribe to email and don't forget to try some of these recipes!  I'll tell you how they come out!

Question:  What's your favorite holiday cookie?  Comment below!

Sorry the picture is a little blurry!

That's a Wrap!

Haha, get it?  Wrapping up the week and a wrap :D  Fine, fine bad joke, but hey you've got to give it to me for creativity.  Guess who slept in today?  Me!  So I was nice and rested to make my chicken potato wrap.  This is a pretty healthy wrap.  The wrap bread itself is made of whole grain, and you have the potatoes, the carrots and chicken.  We all know how eating healthy is very important and not just to me, it should be important to you as well.  There are exceptions from time to time but that's another story ;)  

We all have a picture that comes to mind when someone says 'I got a so and so wrap' or 'what kind of wrap do you like?'  I'm curious, what picture comes to your mind?  Some of us see the lettuce and meat or tomato.  I see a golden onions with vegetables and some type of meat.  So let me run my checklist- onions? Check.  Vegetables?  Check.  Meat?  Whole wheat wrap bread?  Check.  This is an easy wrap to make and I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did/am.  I'm eating this as we speak, in case you were wondering...  Like A Sweet Load on Facebook!  Happy eating!

Cook the carrots for only 5 minutes to keep them crisp.

Don't panic, even though you're not adding water, water will come out from the chicken, just wait for it to dry up, which will take about 25 minutes.

Yum!

Makes 3-4 wraps

Prep time approximately and 1 hour

Chicken Potato Wrap

Ingredients

1 pack of whole wheat wraps

1/4 cup uncooked alphabet pasta

1/4 teaspoon olive oil

Salt as needed

Chicken

1 pound chicken breast

1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic paste

14 teaspoon ginger paste

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

Potatoes

1 potato cut in small bite sized cubes

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ketchup

Carrots

Half of a large carrot, about 1/4 cup

1/2 tsp ketchup

Dash of salt

Drop of olive oil

Cut the chicken into small bite sized cubes and wash the pieces well.  Coat a nonstick skillet with 1 tablespoon oil.  Fry the chopped onions in the skillet until they are translucent but not brown.  Add the chicken, water will come out even if you don't add any.  Mix in the garlic, ginger, turmeric, and chili powder.  The water will take about 25-30 minutes to evaporate.  Once the water dries up fully slowly pour in the hot sauce.

Coat a nonstick skillet with 1 tablespoon oil.  Peel the potato, cut it into cubes and wash them.  Fry the potatoes in oil for 10-15 minutes or until they are soft enough to chew.

Saute the carrot in a the ketchup and drop of alive oil for 5 minutes, add the salt.

Cook the pasta as you normally would.  Add the salt and olive oil to the pasta.  Mix the chicken, carrots, potatoes, and pasta together.  Assemble the wrap.

TGIF Recipe: White Chocolate Cranberry Softies (Cookies)

It's FRIDAY!  I got to test this recipe I made up yesterday and wasn't sure if the cookies were blog post worthy.....  My family (my mom really) thought so, so here they are.  I've been trying to eat healthier recently, but it has oatmeal and cranberries...  I have named these cookies based exactly on how they are, softies, especially warm out of the oven!

I creamed shortening and butter to add depth to my cookies.  I had cracked in one egg and was thinking, 'hmm..maybe one more'  So I got the egg carton out again and grabbed an egg.  I was about to close the container and then, crack!  Seriously, the egg slipped right out of my hand, that would happen to me right?!  Anywho, no sweat, clean up the egg and back to stirring.  This was what was running through my mind-Flour, not too much, not to little, just enough.  Dough, thick, not too thin, enough to drop them on.  Of course once I had finished completely mixing, I realized it would have been better to add granulated and brown sugar in these cookies, however I said to myself, next time.

I popped them into the oven saying 'Please!  Please!  Please be good!'  Being my curious self, I just had to taste them as soon as I took them out of the oven.  I burned my tongue, I've been doing that a lot recently...  I handed a warm cookie to my mom who really liked these, she practically begged me not to change the recipe, love you mom!  The goal was to not have a crazy sweet cookie.  (In deep astronaut voice) The mission has been accomplished!  The first cookie without excess sugar!  :D  Don't forget to like A Sweet Load on Facebook and subscribe to email!  Happy eating!
Bake time: 10-15 min
Yield: 1 1/2 dozen cookies
Serves: 3-5 people (depending on whether they are already eaten or not!) White Chocolate Cranberry Softies

½ cup butter

½ cup shortening

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 ¼ cup flour

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

½ cup oats

½ dried cranberries

½ cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, grease about 3 baking sheets.  Cream the butter and shortening with sugar until fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time until well combine.  Add the vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  Mix in flour until the dough starts to thicken, then add the uncooked oats.  Gently fold in the cranberries and white chocolate chips so that they are evenly distribute.   Drop 3 ounce balls 2 1/2 in apart and bake for 10-15 minutes or until slightly golden or browned on the sides.

Notes:
Don't be clumsy like me and drop the egg :P
These cookies taste best warm
The cookies are softest the day they are baked
Please note that the cookies are not too sweet so add 1/4 cup brown sugar, I haven't tried this but it should work
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Chocolate-Covered-Pretzel Rice Pudding, Cannolis, and a Beautiful Autumn Sky

I honestly can't say that my family was especially excited to hear this idea-chocolate-covered-pretzel rice pudding.  What can I say though, my imagination and creativity run wild sometimes...  Now, this picture is not the best, sorry, however, the pudding is a lot better than it looks.  I made my own chocolate pretzels-which will explain the chocolate chunks.  Anywho,  I'm don't know how this hit me, but its been on my to-try list for quite a while now along with oatmeal recipes.  First of all, I love chocolate pretzels!  Rice pudding is another favorite, so, why not combine them?  The point was, what've I got to lose, right?  Other than a few pretzels...and chocolate...and rice...milk.. :)  I made the mistake of putting the pretzels in the pudding while it was still hot, yeah...don't do that.  I've done some searches, and I will tell you, not many or any at all for that matter, chocolate-covered-pretzel rice puddings.  That is why this is so different and I hope you like them!  I adapted the rice pudding recipe from one of my favorite magazine sites-Taste of Home.  The pretzels were my idea.  Like A Sweet Load on Facebook and/or subscribe to email!  Happy eating!

Serves 2-3 people

Chocolate Pretzels (you can buy from the store)

1/2 cup pretzels

1/2 cup chopped milk or semisweet chocolate

1 tablespoon water

Rice Pudding

1 cup cooked long grain rice
1 cup milk
5-6 tablespoon sugar
a dash of salt
a drop of vanilla extract

Melt the  chocolate and mix in the water until it's well combined.  Dipped the pretzels in the chocolate mixture and let them cool.  Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan add the rice, milk, sugar, and salt.  Cook until the milk starts to evaporate and the pudding becomes thick, this should take about 15-20 minutes.  Once the mixture thickens, slowly drop in the vanilla extract, set the pudding aside to cool.

Once the pretzels and pudding cool,  mix them together.
Notes:
This pudding should be eaten the day of or the pretzels will get soggy.
Make sure both the pretzels and pudding are cooled before you mix them together
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I had the day off on Tuesday so I made cannolis with my mom.  She fried and I rolled and molded.  We filled them with the chocolate-covered-pretzel rice pudding.

I took this picture of the autumn sky today.  This was taken during/close to sunset.  What do you think?

Banana Cranberry Bread/Muffins and Party Candy Corn Cookies

I don't celebrate Halloween, however, a friend of mine had a Halloween themed birthday party so I had to make something!  I came up with this idea as I was pondering what to do?  It has to be creative, not too simple, I like a challenge.  Honestly, I'm not sure how I pulled out this idea but hey, it worked out!  What do you think about the decorated candy corn cookies?  Email me at asweetload@gmail.com, post a comment on this blog, or post a comment on the A Sweet Load fan page on Facebook.  Since the cookies were small, I couldn't make a huge design or one that was to tedious, these took me about and hr and a half to ice with glaze.  The original plan was to use white chocolate but my friend isn't a huge fan of white chocolate.  And here I am, explaining about the cookie decorations, and yet, I haven't told you what type of cookies they are!  These are called surprise cookies, you bite into the cookie and in the center there is mostly always a different flavored surprise!  I used different chocolate varieties such as Krackle, Mr. Goodbars, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and had hoped to use Twix (unfortunately not...).  We all downed the cookies with some milk, yum!

Banana Cranberry Bread/Muffins
What can I say?  I have a love for banana bread!  Especially banana cranberry, I love cranberries!  But in the U.S., cranberries only appear in the store around October, November, and if you're very lucky-December.  So when I first saw that Walmart had stocked up on their cranberries (oceanspray brand)  I had to buy a couple..... okay, maybe enough to last me a year, until next October :)  This recipe has been with my mom and myself for years, it's still written on that old crinkled-from-water-paper!  I think I've made it clear through my posts that I love banana bread with almost anything!  I must say, the sweet and sour taste of the combination is very alluring.  The scent itself makes you want to  eat the bread or muffins right out of the oven!  Like A Sweet Load on Facebook.  Happy Eating!
Sorry, the pictures aren't the best!

Ingredients
Follow recipe for banana blueberry muffins http://asweetload.blogspot.com/2013/05/banana-blueberry-muffins.html swap the blueberries for cranberries.  If you are making muffins, bake them for 40=45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  If you are making two loaves, bake the loaves for 50-60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Do the rest of the recipe as follows.

Warm Apple Crisp

Originally, I wanted to do something related to fall; pumpkin, apple, cranberries...you know the type of fruits that are common during October and November.  And I must say, I hadn't planned on making an apple crisp, but what can I say?  Opportunity showed up at my front door.  After picking out apples in the store so that they looked perfect and sweet, I took an apple for lunch.  You know that face you make when something is really sour?  Well, imagine that face up 10 levels, they were that sour!  So, I figured, why not sweeten them up?  I mean, what have I got to lose?  While watching "Captain America" (which was a very good movie, but that's a story for another time) I whipped up a quick batch of apple crisp.  Boy, did those apples sweeten up, there was a tint of sourness, however that is what made it yummy.  My sister loved this crisp, but then again, she loves baked apples.  My other sister thought that the recipe needed more oats, which I wouldn't mind.  I added more oats to the original recipe and bam!  I promise you, if you like baked apples as much as my family, then you will enjoy this fall dessert.  Don't forget to Like A Sweet Load on Facebook!  Happy Eating!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Bake for 45-55 minutes
Serves 3-4 people
Apple Crisp
Apples:
2 sour or baking apples
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
pinch of salt
pinch of cinnamon

Crisp:
3-4 tablespoon oats
2-1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1-1/2 tablespoon flour
1/2 tablespoon cold butter

In a small bowl, slice the apples.  Add the sugar, salt, and cinnamon to the bowl.  Toss the ingredients around until well incorporated.  In another small bowl, cut the butter into the flour until crummy.  Mix in the brown sugar and oats.  Grease a glass baking dish and place the apples on the bottom.  Sprinkle the crisp topping on top of the apples.  Bake for 45-55 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until slightly golden and oats are crispy.  Serve warm.  

Baking Powder Biscuits

What can I say?  The kitchen has been screaming and calling my name non-stop and I've been so busy I had to keep pushing it away!  Then suddenly, wow!  Baking in the beloved kitchen without warning.  It was a cloudy rainy day, the cold rain pelting on the sidewalk, and the perfect type of day when we all want something hot.  Warm biscuits, moist, and soft, with butter lathered onto them.  Mmmm... just the thought warms me up.  I was looking through my new "Baking with Julia" book when I decided I really wanted to make baking powder biscuits.  Julia Child is honestly one of my cooking heroes, so I had to make these!  They were so good, crispy on the outside, moist, and soft on the inside.  I always love the smell of biscuits cooking, and taking the golden crusts out of the oven.  This is recipe is from the book "Baking with Julia" by Doreen Greenspan.  Happy eating!  Don't forget to like A Sweet Load on Facebook!

Baking Powder Biscuits
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit racks in the middle
Serves 3-4 people
Bake for 12-15 minutes

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/3 cup shortening
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Mix the dry ingredients together, split the 1/3 of shortening into 5 pieces and roll them around in the flour mixture.  Rub the shortening and flour mixture together to form small crumbs, it's okay to have a few big chunks.  Add the milk and toss with a fork to moisten the mixture.  Knead on a floured surface 10 times ONLY and roll out a 9 inche circle use a round cutter to shape the biscuits.  Place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden.

Notes:
These taste amazing warm!
If the dough is too sticky to even put on the kneading surface add a small amount of flour.
Great with butter as well!
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Anyone Interested?

I was wondering if I could do a guest posting on someone's blog?  Email me if you're interested asweetload@gmail.com!
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High Fructose Corn Syrup-The Things You Didn't Bother to Check!

The Scary Truth About High Fructose Corn Syrups in Your Food!

Foodie?  Guilty.  Dessert Lover? Guilty.  Health nut, yes!  So what is high fructose corn syrup?  I suppose that you can call it a type of chemical sweetener.  Before you start reading, you might want some background, since I can't really explain it. (THIS IS NOT MY ARTICLE!)http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/6/1716S.full 
How many of you read the ingredients on the food you're buying?  Here I've been, getting whole grain bread from the store which is supposed to be healthy.  Once the bread was purchased and of course after I had opened it, I read the ingredients.  High Fructose Corn Syrup really? Anywho, I went through the pantry and looked at the ingredients for items I thought might have corn syrup and most importantly, high fructose.  Watch out and remember to read the ingredients!
Applesauce, not pointing fingers, however, most store brands seem to have it, and other brands as well.
Powdered drink mixes, those surprisingly have corn syrup.
Granola bars, you wouldn't think right?  Granola, the word screams healthy to me, apparently not.
The ice cream syrups, why does this not surprise me?
Ice Cream's as well, and I love ice cream!
Crackers!  Simple butter crackers!
Don't forget that even some breads, hamburger buns, and wraps have high fructose.
I'm pretty sure that if you looked you could most likely find a cereal with it.
It is so easy to buy something with high fructose or even regular corn syrup, it's almost everywhere   Basically, what I'm trying to say is: be careful of what you are buying, and remember to read the ingredients!
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Weekend Menu

From time to time we all struggle on figuring out what to make for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Don't worrying almost all of us have been in that position!  I have decided to help you out with a variety of menu options to make your weekend, or any other day for that matter perfect.  My latest project to perfect is a type of special cupcakes, and I assure you that I will try to come up with recipe soon.  For now though, the type of cupcakes are a surprise!  Like A Sweet Load on Facebook and don't forget to email me at asweetload@gmail.com.  Happy eating!

Snacks:
Healthy Pita Chips-http://asweetload.blogspot.com/2013/08/pita-chips-spiced.html
Homemade oven baked potato fries
Shortcut creation-buttermilk biscuits, you can buy the betty crocker mix!
Vegetable puffs-post coming soon

Breakfast:
French Toast
Whole wheat pancakes
Blueberry Jumble Muffins-http://asweetload.blogspot.com/2013/07/blueberry-jumble-muffins.html
French Bread-http://asweetload.blogspot.com/2013/06/julia-childs-french-bread-recipe.html
Croissants-I got the recipe from a book called "Baking with Julia"
Belgian Waffles
Oatmeal-post coming soon
Scones

Lunch
Baked Ziti-http://asweetload.blogspot.com/2013/06/baked-ziti.html
Brown rice with steamed broccoli
Orzo pasta with vegetable soup
Sandwich-your choice
Fried tuna
Salad with garlic bread and hard boiled eggs

Dinner
Pasta with meat sauce
Couscous with vegetables
Ketchup Fried spaghetti-http://asweetload.blogspot.com/2013/07/easy-ketchup-fried-carrot-spaghetti.html
Chicken curry

Dessert:
Mango Icy-http://asweetload.blogspot.com/2013/08/mango-icy.html
Strawberry Shortcake-http://asweetload.blogspot.com/2013/06/strawberry-shortcake-recipe.html
Key Lime Pie and Blackberry Muffins-http://asweetload.blogspot.com/2013/08/key-lime-pie-blackberry-yogurt-muffins.html
Oatmeal cookies-http://asweetload.blogspot.com/2013/04/you-can-call-them-oatmeal-cookies.html
Almond Cake-http://asweetload.blogspot.com/2013/07/solo-brand-almond-cake-recipe.html
Pie Crust-http://asweetload.blogspot.com/2013/05/truly-flaky-and-perfect-pie-crust.html
Tiramisu-http://asweetload.blogspot.com/2013/04/amazingly-amazing-tiramisu.html
Healthy Apple Muffins-http://asweetload.blogspot.com/2013/01/apple-muffins.html
Applesauce Cookies-http://asweetload.blogspot.com/2013/03/applesauce-cookies.html
Banana blueberry muffins-http://asweetload.blogspot.com/2013/05/banana-blueberry-muffins.html

Remember that the recipes for oatmeal and vegetable puffs will be coming soon!

TGIF!!!

It's Friday!!!  Boy oh boy has it been some week!  Well, I made lemon meringue pie, which tastes exactly like key lime pie.  Now here is the problem, I don't like key lime pie, therefore I don't like lemon meringue pie, that's only my opinion though.  I made chocolate chip cookie bars! Mmm... they were soooo yummy and gooey!  Another thing is that it was my birthday recently!  I love the presents I got from my amazing family!  A vera bradley bag (green) a cardigan, and we went to go bananas to get a frozen yogurt yum!  It was a really good day.  Also who else thought that fall was finally arriving in the US?  The trees in my area are already turning red/maroon, it is so beautiful.  Don't forget to like A Sweet Load On Facebook, you can also subscribe by sending your email address to asweetload@gmail.com! Smiles, K!

School Year and an Announcement!

Announcement: Subscriptions are available, its as easy as sending your email address to asweetload@gmail.com!  Like A Sweet Load on facebook!
The summer has gone so fast!   "Wake me up when september ends" kidding, kidding.  So I'm interested to know, how was your or your child"s first day of school?  Also, I'm really excited to share with you guys that, I ran 2 miles in the local park trail without stopping, yay!  I tried to do the same yesterday but it was a lot harder, for some odd reason.  I bet it was the ice cream I ate an hour before!  So I'm looking for suggestions on blog posts, I would really love to hear from you, email me at asweetload@gmail.com.  I wanted to post a recipe for apple pancakes but I wasn't sure that they were post worthy... anywho, would love to hear those suggestions and see those subscription requests emailed!  For now, smiles K.

Note: remember that roll up problem, yeah, sorry it hasn't been fixed yet.  I am really trying to get it fixed up soon though, thanks for your patience.

Mango Icy

It is summer in the United States and boy is it hot!  Thankfully the weather is cooling off a bit.  And thats good, because I can go for my 1-2 mile run at the park without being too exhausted.  We all need to cool off though, and when you're looking for a healthy diet, this icy is right there.  Ice cream's good, however, ice creams can be very high in saturated fats, almost 25%.  This icy is so simple, yummy, and healthy.  So next time you want to grab for that ice cream, whip this up instead for a great summer time treat.  If you buy a mango that is really sweet, you won't even need to add sugar.  A sweet mango is usually found in local indian stores, that is where I got mine.  Happy eating!  And don't forget to like A Sweet Load on Facebook!

Mango Icy
3 cups mango puree
1-2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons milk

Mix on the ingredients together in the blender and blend.  Pour the mixture into a carton or ziploc box and freeze for 6-8 hours.  When you are serving the icy take it out 10 minutes before (it will come out easier this way).

Pita Chips (Spiced)

It is so easy to go off and eat junk food these days that I think we all forget that we don't need to eat it!  True, junk food can be very good, and don't get me wrong, here I am blogging about cookies, cakes, pie, ice cream etc... And now I'm talking about junk food.  Anywho, I decided to switch things up with this healthy pita chip/cracker recipe.  I like mine spiced since I probably would have thought they tasted a bit plain without spices.  Olive oil is one of those healthier oils too.  I thought I might add that I dipped these chips in yogurt and they tasted pretty good, you could also probably use ketchup, salsa, and of course hummus! Happy eating! Don't forget to like A Sweet Load on Facebook!  I would also like to say that you can always contact me at asweetload@gmail.com.

Spiced Pita Chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Serves: about 3 people

Beware...Spice alert

4 Pocket pita breads

1 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Teaspoon salt

1 Teaspoon chili powder

1/4 Teaspoon cumin powder

Dash coriander powder

Black pepper-- sprinkled on top

Cut the pitas in half, then cut the halves into 4ths or 5ths.  Separate the pieces of bread from one another, for example: Since you are using pocket pitas, once you make a cut you will end up with not 1, but 2 pieces.  Put the pieces of bread in a large bowl and add half of the chili powder and salt. Toss or shake the the bread in the bowl, making sure to get most of the chili powder and salt on as many pita pieces as possible.  Add the rest of the ingredients and toss (or shake) once more.  Place the pieces on a baking sheet covered with aluminium and bake in a 400 degree F oven for 10 min or until crispy.

Croissants! + Roll-Up problem

Don't forget to like A Sweet Load on facebook!  Mmm... there's nothing like warm homemade croissants coming out of the oven.  The sweet yet salty buttery taste and heavenly smell.  And the feeling, that the 2 days it took to prepare these croissants, the constant rolling was really worth it.  Let me fill you in on how you make a croissant.  First the dough must be made and chilled for 8 hours or overnight.  Next, you must take the butter you have prepared and pound it into  the croissant dough.  Then, you will do a series of 3 turns each turn needing 2 hours to chill.  Wait, not finished just yet, now you need to shape the croissants and let them rise for 3-4 hours.  Finally they can be baked and enjoyed! These croissants will disappear before they even cool! I got this recipe for a book called "Baking with Julia" surely we are all familiar with one of the greatest bakers of all time --- Julia Child!


Roll Up Problem
You may have noticed that the color that is coming up on this blog is black and white.  Surely we all know I like colorful things!  I will fix this problem as soon as I can but as always, I thank my readers with their patience with me and for being so supportive!

Key Lime Pie, Blackberry Yogurt Muffins, and Cake!

To begin with, please don't forget to like A Sweet Load on facebook!  A few days ago I made Key lime pie.  This is when I decided I didn't really like it!  I really thought that I would think that key lime was just amazing, but it really isn't one of my favorites.  The key limes were easy to find, I got a 40 pack for $1.50 dollars, which I considered a good price.  This is not my recipe, all credits to "Joy Of Baking" so just remember that!  Anywho, maybe you'll like key lime pie more than I do so here is the link and no matter what, happy eating!http://joyofbaking.com/KeyLimePie.html

2 days ago I went to the local orchard to get blackberries.  My family filled 10 cartons of berries!  So, what would you do with berries?  It was decided that it would be a good idea to bake with them.  Yesterday was my sister's birthday, the perfect opportunity to bake something.  My dad doesn't usually bake but he decided to make an exception for her birthday!  So with me instructing him, he successfully made blackberry yogurt muffins and a mini cake to go with it!  I'm just so proud of him!  Sadly this recipe is not mine either so all credits to "Lauren's Latest" here is the link, happy eating! http://www.laurenslatest.com/blackberry-yogurt-muffins/

Easy Ketchup Fried Carrot Spaghetti

I've been making up my own recipes for sometime now.  As you know, it's usually with baking.  I decided to change that up by making a pasta.  Have you ever tried to fry carrots with ketchup?  I'm surprised that I have never done it before, it is soooo yummy!  Once you add a few kale leaves for that extra crispness, if you know what I mean.  This recipe will make an excellent and simple dinner for two, and if doubled, a whole family.  I liked my pasta extra spicy with a few tomatoes.  The tricky part is to not burn the spices.  I added a little premade chicken and it made the pasta really good!  You can also make this pasta healthy by using whole grain pasta.  I would say that this recipe only takes about 5-10 minutes, if the pasta is premade.  I won't hold you up any more, and I hope you enjoy this pasta recipe!  Happy eating!  Don't forget to like A Sweet Load on Facebook!

Easy Ketchup Fried Carrot Spaghetti
1/4 cup premade spaghetti
1/4 cup onion
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/8 cup ketchup
half of a large carrot
half of a plum tomato
5 kale leaves
oil
water
chicken(optional)

Make the spaghetti as you usually do.  Coat the bottom of the saucepan with oil and start to fry the onions.  Fry the onions until they are a golden color and mix in the chili powder and turmeric.  Make sure that the spices do not stick or burn!  Cut the carrot and plum tomato in small pieces and add them to the saucepan.  Pour in the 1/8 cup of ketchup and fry for about 2 minutes.  Add a thin layer of water, mix in the kale and then close the top for about 2 -3 minutes.  Once the water is dry, add the tablespoon of ketchup and fry for another minute.  Sprinkle the salt of the mixture and add the spaghetti.  Add chicken if you wish.