More Big Changes for the Messy Mommy!

Hi friends! I just thought I would post a little update on how things are going. Since I started the pre-operative diet, I've lost 55 lbs. This process hasn't been easy, but I'm doing it!

As for the big changes. I AM OFFICIALLY A COLLEGE GRADUATE!!!



I also got to spend the weekend with my youngest sister (and one of my BFF's,) Katie, as well as my mom and Katie's two littles. We even went out and got tattoos!

Some of you may not know that this blog was actually created for a class assignment. I honestly didn't know if I would be able to continue this after graduation. However, I am proud to announce that Messy Mommy Cooks is here to stay! So stay tuned for more misadventures, life lessons, and of course great recipes from The Messy Mommy!

Bethany's Brown Butter Sea Salt Cookies

Every person has that one recipe that is their specialty. When my friends, this is mine! Browned Butter Sea Salt Cookies. I actually got the idea from these cookies from the Brown Butter Cookie Company in Cayucous,CA. The girlies and I stopped there a few years ago while on vacation, however these cookies cost $13 for a dozen, so I knew I could make these for a little cheaper. 

These cookies are basically a shaped shortbread, but they are AMAZING! The vanilla and brown sugar work well together and harmonize with the butter and sea salt for a cookie that is rich, crumbly, and not too sweet.

You are going to need flour, unsalted butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and sea salt (however, I use kosher salt because it's cheaper and I like the crystal size.)

You will also need baking soda.

You will need cookie sheets, a bowl, a wooden spoon, whisk, a tablespoon, parchment paper, and a cooling rack (if you have one), and a saucepan.

Put the butter in your saucepan,  the brown sugar in your bowl, and start to melt the butter over medium heat.

Keep cooking the butter until it becomes light brown and smells nutty, You will also see little brown bits floating in it. Don't worry, these are just butter solids and are a key part of browned butter. Your butter should be this color.

Pour your butter into the brown sugar and add your vanilla. 

Mix thoroughly.

Now add your flour and baking soda and mix until well blended.

The mixture should be semi dry and crumbly, but still moldable. If your mixture is too crumbly, add a water 1 tablespoon at a time until it has the consistency of playdough or kinetic sand. Now shape your cookie dough into tablespoon sized balls. The easiest way to do this is by using an actual tablespoon.

Pour your preferred salt on a plate. And roll your cookies in it. If the salt isn't sticking, you can always use your finger to press the salt in.

                                                  

Bake in the oven at 325 for 12-15 minutes or until a light golden color.

Yummy!!!

Both the hubby and the girls love these, so much in fact, that I have to make extra and hide them so that the family doesn't eat them all!

Here's the recipe.

• 3 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• Sea salt for sprinkling (preferably coarse or flake style)

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter until it starts to caramelize and brown. It should smell nutty and you will see brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Be warned, if you burn the butter  you will have to start over. 
3. Pour browned butter into a medium bowl and stir in brown sugar and vanilla.
4. Add the flour and baking soda  to the butter mixture until combined. Let cool to room temperature. 
5. Using a tablespoon or small scoop, drop dough onto cookie sheet. 
6. Sprinkle with sea salt and lightly press into top of cookies.
7.  Bake 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Don't overcook, or cookies will be too dry, crumbly, and rock hard. 

Now some recipes recommend that you dip these in semi-sweet chocolate, and you totally can, but these cookies are pure perfection to me and don't really need the chocolate in my opinion...and that is coming from a chocoholic.

I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as we do!

Boston Creme Poke Cake

So I was in the mood for something sweet, creamy, and cakey. Thinking off all the different poke cakes floating around the internet, I decided to make my own version of Boston Cream Pie, as a poke cake. This recipe is super easy, fairly fast prepwise, and best of all, it's full of sweet, creamy goodness.

First off, you'll need a box of yellow cake mix, oil, 3 eggs, 1 can of chocolate frosting, milk, and vanilla pudding/ pie filling.



You'll also need a bowl, a whisk, a rectangular pan, and some pan spray.


Prepare the cake according to the box directions, and once the cake has cooled, use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes every two inches on the cake.





Mix your vanilla pudding and milk according to package directions, and pour the pudding over the cake. Now let it set in the fridge for 4 hours up to overnight. This lets the pudding invade every nook and cranny of the delicious cake.



Once you feel that the cake has set long enough, heat up your frosting in the microwave until nice and melted. Then pour over the cake, You can put the cake back in the fridge and let the frosting set up, but my family wanted cake now!

Well, I hope you all enjoy this cake! It as become a family favorite in our home!

Ingredients

• 1(18 ounce) box yellow cake mix
• 2(3 1/2 ounce) boxes instant  vanilla pudding mix
• 4cups milk
• 1(16 ounce) can chocolate frosting

Directions

1. Make cake according to package instructions.
2. Mix pudding mix with milk.
3. Whisk until lumps are gone, about 2 minutes. Pudding should be pourable but not thin.
4. Let cake cool, then poke holes in cake using a wooden spoon.
5. Pour pudding over cake and gently press pudding into cake.
6. Cool cake in the refrigerator.
7. Remove foil from frosting.
8. Microwave for 10-15 seconds and stir.
9. Frosting should be pourable but not bubbly.
10. Pour over cake and spread gently.

They're Watching You!

I have a confession to make today, I brush my teeth in the shower. It might seem weird, but I do it while the conditioner is in my hair, so I feel like I'm saving time and I don't have to worry about getting toothpaste on my carefully chosen outfit. Also, I watch Netflix at the same time to maximize this tiny bit of me time. :) 

This morning as I was getting ready for my shower, I found this...that is not my toothbrush. Although I do love the movie Frozen; this toothbrush belongs to my eight year old daughter, Katelyn. 

I was surprised by it, but in that moment I was struck with the realization that my daughters are watching me. Carefully. 

(This is my toothbrush.)

The reason I tell you all this, is because as a mother, I sometimes forget the impact that I have on my kids. I forget that everything they're learning about the world is going to be filtered through the values that I am teaching them.

 Another confession, I am also a hardcore liberal, and LGBTQ Ally, and someone who strives to see beyond race and gender, and I try to be kind to others as much as possible. These are values that I hope to pass on to my girls, but  that seems like a daunting task on most days. 

This toothbrush and toothpaste sitting on the side of my bathtub was a strong reminder that maybe, just maybe that task isn't this enormous feat that I imagine it to be. Maybe it's something as simple as just being myself and letting my kids see these values in action. Until then, I will still keep brushing my teeth in the shower, I'll just hope that they don't inherit my messiness. :)

Big Changes and Peanut Butter Cup Cake

Hi Everybody, so first off, a little bit of exciting news. If you haven't been able to tell by my main picture, I am a pretty heavy girl. I weighed 315 pounds when that picture was taken. Back in September, I made the decision to have a sleeve gastrectomy and after 6 months of visits with a nutritionist and surgeon, 2 weeks of extreme dieting and many, many protein shakes, I am proud to say that I am down to 285 pounds and will be having surgery early tomorrow morning. So what does that mean to you? Not a whole lot. I still plan on posting my yummy recipes fairly regularly, but I won't be eating as much of them as I used you. You can also expect to see the occasional healthy recipe on  here. 

So onto the deliciousness. The Hubby recently celebrated his 50th birthday, and one thing about my husband is that he LOVES his peanut butter cups. This is why when it came to birthday cake time, the girlies INSISTED that we make him a chocolate peanut butter cake decorated with peanut butter cups. 

To start off, I used one box of Betty Crocker Devils Food cake mix and made it according to the box directions. I split the cake mix into three foil pans (Only $.88 at Walmart, score!) and baked them for about 20 minutes. Normally I would show this process, but the best part of any cake is the frosting and toppings, so I thought I would focus on that instead.

So you will need, powdered sugar, creamy and smooth peanut butter, margarine, fat free half and half,  magic shell and peanut butter cups of differing sizes. For this cake I used Reeses Big Cups, Reeses Origninal, Reeses Fun Size, and Reeses Minis. You will also need a bowl, a mixer (or really strong arms) a spatula or frosting knife, and a big flat plate, I got a pizza pan at Walmart for $.88 and used that. It worked perfectly!

First things first, mix the margarine and peanut butter together until light and fluffy.

Add your powdered sugar and mix. Then add your half & half one tablespoon at a time until the frosting reaches the desired consistency.

 

Now for the fun part, frosting your cake. First place a dollop of frosting in the middle of your plate. This will stabilize the cake as you are frosting it. 

Place your first layer on the plate and frost it.

Repeat with the next two layers. 

 Frost up the sides and make sure you get good coverage.

 

 Once the cake is frosted, grab your Magic Shell and drizzle over the cake.

 For the peanut butter cup cake, I just stacked the different candies and glued them together with extra frosting. 

 Decorate with extra peanut butter cups (and birthday candles!)

Needless to say, the birthday boy had a great day! 

Here is the recipe

1 box Betty Crocker Devil's Food Cake Mix prepared according to package directions, split in between 3 cake pans.

1 c Margarine

1 c Creamy Peanut Butter

1 c Chunky Peanut Butter

6 tbsp fat free half & half (as needed)

4 c powdered sugar

Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups of various sizes

1. Beat margarine and peanut butter together until light and fluffy.

2. Mix in powdered sugar.

3. Add half & half one tablespoon at a time until frosting is desired consistency. 

4. Stack and frost cake as desired.

5. Decorate cake with peanut butter cups, sprinkles, and candles as desired!