Williams and Sonoma Brooksters ***Fail***

I recently purchased a box of Brooksters from a retail Williams and Sonoma store. They are not available online. I decided to purchase these because I figured they would be easier than making them from scratch, which I have done before. It was $16 for a box that contains packages for two separate batches of 9 Brooksters, giving you a total of 18 Brooksters.

The directions state all you have to add is butter and eggs. I opened my box and followed the first part of the directions to make the cookie dough. I wrapped it and put it in the fridge. Next, I went to make the brownie part of the recipe. It was at that moment I had to re-read the ingredient list and directions over and over to make sure I was reading it correctly before I called Williams and Sonoma to complain of missing ingredients. That's when I snapped this photo.That's right, my box of Brooksters did not come with all the ingredients. It was missing two packets of chocolate chips that are melted and used in the brownie mix.

I called Williams and Sonoma Retail Customer Service at 866-224-4598. She was unable to help me but connected me to my store's manager even though it was only 9 am, an hour before my store opened. While the woman at the main customer service was very nice, I have to say that Amy, the store manager, was not. She seemed very inconvenienced to have to help me. Her first suggestion was that I bring it back and exchange it. I declined because I was literally in my apron making the darn things! I also noted that her store is a good 35 minutes from my house. I asked her if she could open a box and check the ingredients. She said no, and asked me to further explain the problem. When I did she said it was a misprint on the box. I again explained that it was not a misprint in the instructions, it had to do with the ingredients provided. She agreed to open a box and informed me that, yes, I was missing two packets of chocolate chips. I told her I had some mini chocolate chips. Could she measure the chips for me so I could use what I had? Clearly she was annoyed and put me hold to come back with a weight measurement of three ounces. I asked if she could instead measure them in a cup because I didn't have a scale. Even more annoyed she came back and said it was 1/3 of a cup. I told her thank you and she said you're welcome and hung up. I am extremely disappointed with her poor customer service.

I used my chocolate chips and finished the recipe. I baked as directed. Unfortunately, there is difficulty with getting the brownie completely cooked without compromising the cookie. My brownies were undercooked slightly and upon removing them, they just completely separated from the cookie. Also my batch only made 7 Brooksters despite adding exactly 2 tbls. of brownie batter to each muffin cup as directed, which is why I'm confused that mine turned out a lot thicker than the ones shown on the box. The flavors of these Brooksters were lacking. I will NEVER make or purchase these again and next time I'm at my mall, I will return the box and insist on a full refund.

Brookies or Brooksters do seem like they could be really delicious, and they can be, but I would suggest making them from scratch. I've used this Matt Lewis recipe with decent results. The flavor of these Brookies featured on the Martha Stewart show are absolutely perfect, but they are a lot of work and results of the finished product vary. There is even a video. Good luck!

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

In my Teacher Appreciation Week post I mentioned that I was going to make these caramel apple cupcakes I found on Tidy Mom's blog. Have you been to her blog? You'll love it I'm sure. Well, I made them and they were more than amazing. Her Cinnamon Buttercream is the best buttercream I've ever had. And I'm not a fan of buttercream at all. I dropped some off at Nash's school in the morning and by noon the secretary was calling. I immediately got worried something was wrong with Nash, but she said she wanted to place a cupcake order for an upcoming baby shower. She is the best kind of customer. You know, the kind that says, do what ever you want, be creative. Honestly, I really do love those customers. Then if you screw something up they'll never know that's not what you had planned!

On to the recipe. You start with a box of Duncan Hines Decadent Caramel Apple Cake mix.

Simply follow the instructions for cupcakes on the back of the box.

*Note: The instructions call for mixing the caramel and spooning it on top of the cupcake batter and then swirling it with a knife. I had trouble with this step. Next time, I think I will add the caramel mixture to a piping bag and use a small tip to pipe it in little swirls. It was difficult to spread it with the knife because it's so thick and it ended up being kind of clumpy.

Next, click here for Tidy Mom's Cinammon Buttercream recipe. It's basically regular buttercream with the addition of cinamonn and some vanilla bean paste, which I found at a gourmet market and I loved. I have never used it before, but I will use it often. She also uses cream instead of milk. She adds corn syrup to the frosting, but I inadvertently left it out and it was fine. I'm not sure why she added it, but maybe it was to make the frosting more manageable. I bet you could use piping gel for the same purpose.

I purchased these adorable glasses from Starbucks the same day I made these cupcakes, so I thought I would use them as props!

I love taking pictures of cupcakes.

The sit still, they don't make funny faces, and they have an endless amount of patience.

Thanks for a great recipe Tidy Mom, it's a keeper!

Workout DVD Reviews

Photos from Amazon.com

1. 8 Minute Abs-This is a DVD I've had for a couple years. My cousin swore by it, so it came to me highly recommended. It's workouts not only include abs, but also buns, arms, thighs, and stretching. All are only 8 minutes each. I usually just do the ab workout, which I love. It provides noticeable core strength improvement if done regularly.

This last Thursday, I did abs, buns, arms, and stretched. My quads are still sore. Four days later! It must have been from the buns workout, because while my buns and abs were also feeling the burn, it was nothing like my quads.  I would say my quads are the weakest part of my body, so they needed it. I 100% recommend this video. If you don't have time to change into workout gear or 30 minutes or an hour to workout, surely you have 8 minutes!

2. I recently rewarded myself with Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown DVD. I loved Bob's Weight Loss Yoga DVD and I was really eager to see what Jillian had to offer. I'm pretty new to yoga and have really enjoyed it. While I just tried Jillian's video for the first time today, and I only did the first workout, I can say, it's definitely a keeper. While Jillian doesn't explain how each body part should be positioned quite as well as Bob does, she does really focus on breathing. She is fun to listen to and made me laugh quite a few times during the workout with her witty comments. It's a very different workout from Bob's, Jillian's is more like aerobic yoga. She introduced me to some new more challenging poses that I loved, like camel. I can't wait to work up to the second workout.

I'm happy to say that I am still honoring my New Year's Resolution of my commitment to working out. However, I also resolved to cut back on my sugar intake and unfortunately that is not going so well. I have a weakness for Almond Hershey Kisses and a love of baking! What's a girl to do? While my weight loss goal is only to shed 10 pounds, I haven't lost one! BUT, I haven't gained one. I've been consistently working out and pretty much eating whatever I want. Granted, I mostly eat pretty good most days. If I get motivated I know I can lose the pounds by bikini season, but right now I'd rather bake :)

Fun With PicNik Photo Editing

Chloe and I sporadically took some photos the other day. We took advantage of a spectacular cloud formation and bright blue sky. She's 8 and she's been taking pictures for a couple years now. (You can see her New York photos here.) She has her own camera, and it cracks me up to see of the things she takes pictures of. I'll download it to find tons of pictures of her dolls, herself making funny faces, and butts. She's always capturing photos of my butt which makes me particularly irritated. Glad they're so easy to delete :)

Anyway, here are some of the photos we took, you know I never post personal photos of myself or my kids, so you get these...no faces photos. I played with them a bit, just for fun. I love Picnik for editing photos. It is the easiest thing I have ever used! EVER. And so much fun. They have so many cool features in their free portfolio. However, after trying it out for several months, I upgraded to a premium membership for even more fun tools. Free tools include awesome fun fonts, editing, effects, touch up tools, frames, and stickers. All the photos I post on this blog, are edited in Picnik, that is if they are edited at all. Oh! They even have some collage and scrapbook tools!

Shown below is a simple two framed collage box. But you can put many pictures into a collage, as I did in my CAKES and How To Bake A Professional Looking Layer Cake posts.

Here's an example of some different editing tools and effects. This first picture of the heart is the original. I only cropped her face out, but other than that I didn't make any changes.

The second photo is edited in Picnik.



I know you girls could get so much more creative than I did. This is just another thing I love, and wanted to share with you all. I hope you get a chance to try it out. And remember, this is not a sponsored post, mine never are :)

What's your favorite editing program?

What's your favorite effect or editing tool?

Coming this week:

How to make a wine bottle lamp tutorial, and how I organize my recipes and plan meals.
This post is linked to:

Oatmeal! Have You Had Yours Today?

Good Morning!

I have found a new love for oatmeal over the past year or so. It all started back when Starbucks started serving it. I could grab a healthy bowl with fruit and nuts, be on my way, and not feel guilty about my "fast food" breakfast.

Chloe loves oatmeal. Always has. We eat plain Quaker Oats. Suits us just fine.

Nash hates oatmeal. Always has. I couldn't even get him to eat those highly sweetened fruit and cream oatmeal packets.

Come in, Better Oats.

On sale today. 5 boxes for 5 bucks! 5 packets in each box. I bought 5 different kinds.

We taste tested all but one and here is our review:

1. Oat Fit-Cinnamon Roll- At 100 calories per serving and no sugar this is a great option. However, I found it to be too sweet tasting. It had a kind of artificial sweetener taste to me. However, Nash loved this! So it's a keeper!

2. Oat Heads-Berry Blast- This was very aromatic when we cooked it. It had floral aromas of violets and a sweet strawberry scent. I thought it was good, I liked it better than the Cinnamon Roll and Chloe had two bowls for an afternoon snack! Keeper!

3. Raw-Spiced Chai- This is the one we didn't get to. When I bought it I thought Raw implied it was plain, however, Raw means it's made with organic ingredients. 

4. Muffins-Blueberry- Heaven. Not too sweet for me. I really dug it and I will buy it again, definitely a keeper and my favorite of the three I tried. It was hearty and nutty-like. Much larger oat's compared with the Cinnamon Bun. See photo below.

5. Lavish-Dark Chocolate- I thought for sure this would be the big winner. Chloe said it was bland and Nash ate half a bowl...only. He said it was "good." He didn't rave about it and simply said it tasted like oatmeal with dark chocolate. Gee, thanks. Unless I taste this and go crazy for it, I won't buy this flavor again.

All in all, so far, 3 out 5 isn't bad! It smells great when your making it, it's full of whole grains, fiber, potassium, and flaxseeds. It comes in convenient measuring packets (you'll see when you buy it), and it's easy enough for my eight year old to make! It's perfect for breakfast or an after school or after game snack. I wonder if I can get them to trade in their dessert for it???

I know there are so many choices for Oatmeal out there. Instant, Steelcut, Starbucks, Jamba Juice ($1 Oatmeal Wednesdays), and even McDonalds. But I would recommend this for sure. Especially if you're trying to turn a non-oatmealer into an oats lover!

Top Ramen: Do You Or Don't You? Review

I want to begin by sharing my Ramen story with you. Seriously, though. Of course, I'm sure I had Ramen when I was a kid. Although it's not really something I remember having in our pantry. My Mom was a fabulous cook, I suppose Top Ramen would have been an insult to her talent and her upper class social status.

One day, my Dad left on an eternal business trip and shortly thereafter my mom also disappeared. There was no more money, no parents around, and certainly no food in our pantry. I remember going to the pantry and the fridge repeatedly hoping I could figure out something to make from nothing. I was only in 6th grade, and only knew how to cook a few things. My point is, I would loved Top Ramen back then.

When I had my own children, I never bought it. I suppose it never occurred to me. Perhaps I found it full of unnecessary empty calories and shunned it aside as junk food I wouldn't buy. But then, my kids got older. They went to school. They made friends. They went to friends houses. That was it. One day they went to my girlfriends house to play. When I picked them up, she practically scolded me. "I can't believe your kids have never had Top Ramen!" she said. After that it was over. It's a staple in our house now. A go to snack, perfect for warming a tummy in a pinch, especially when we're sick. For me particularly. No mom wants to cook her own chicken soup when she's sick! But, whipping up Ramen can be done in an INSTANT!

I wanted to share this flavor. I ventured from our norm and dished out a whole 25 cents to try it. Let me tell you, it's AWESOME! Sweet and spicy chili flavor, perfect for clearing the sinuses and encouraging hydration. I went back to the store to stock up on them. Next time your too sick to cook and hubby is out of town and can't bring you chicken soup on his way home, reach for this!

What's your favorite Ramen flavor, recipe, or story?

Kitchen Aid Blender Review, its made in the USA!

*This is not a sponsored post! I just really love this and want to tell you all about it~

It's official, we are in smoothie heaven! Recently my blender broke. The ingredient cap was shattered, and all the parts no longer fit together properly. So you can imagine the annoyance it was causing me. It was dripping out the bottom just enough to leak into the base. The last and final time I used it, I had all the ingredients in the blender, then I poured in some milk. It poured right out the bottom! I screamed some obscenities and knew I could no longer attempt to save the life of my Oster blender.

So when my MIL asked what I wanted for Hanukkah, I quickly sent her this link. I had already been looking for the new blender and I had my heart set on this chrome colored Kitchen Aid Contour 5-speed Blender. I received it last week and let me tell you I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! It is beautiful, am I allowed to say that about a blender? Mine has a one piece Polycarbonate Pitcher. Different models come with that pitcher or a glass or stainless steel pitcher. My poly pitcher is shatter, stain, and scratch resistant. Hello? It's also great because it can withstand a variety of temperatures. You can make frozen drinks or boiling soups and sauces. But the best part is its simple ONE PIECE design. This makes it SO EASY TO CLEAN! No taking the blender apart to wash it! And it's dishwasher safe if you want to go that route. I just add warm water and a drop of liquid soap and give it a few pulses. It does so many things and there are so many more great features. I'm in blender heaven.

If I had to report anything bad about it, I think it would be the weight of the base. It's considerably heavier than my Oster, but I think this is because of it's rocket powered motor! I will happily burn a few extra calories lifting it from it's home in the shelf because I know it will crush my ice to a fine little crystal in all of about 5 seconds. Don't get me wrong this baby deserves a space on your counter, right next to your Kitchen Aid Mixer, perhaps. I personally just don't keep my appliances on the counter.

This is a thoughtfully crafted and engineered piece of machinery that will make any amount of time spent in the kitchen seem fun and easy. So if you're in the market for a new blender, or someone you know is, or you have an upcoming wedding stop by Target.com and pick up one of these. If you order now I think it qualifies for free shipping. They do have them at Amazon as well, but they have different colors listed in different prices. So go, go on and check this baby out. If you decide to buy and have any questions before your purchase, feel free to send me an email. Happy Blending!

Millionaire's Spinach Salad

Menu Monday: 
Monday: Crock Veggie Beef Soup (leftovers are great for lunch throughout the week)
Tuesday: Chicken Ciabatta Sandwiches
Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner (a kid favorite!)
Thursday-Sunday: Veteran's Day Holiday Getaway! No cooking!

Here's an easy Millionaire's Spinach Salad recipe we love:

1/2-3/4 of a bag of baby spinach or 1/2 spinach & 1/2 arugala

1 avocado, sliced
1/2 can of hearts of palm*, chopped (I omit the pieces that are not tender)
1/4 cup Gruyere, shredded (or chunks of mozzerella)
1 Tbls. grated Parmesan
1-2 Tbls. olive oil
Place spinach in large shallow bowl, top with avocado, cheese, & hearts of palm. Add a bit of salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Lightly drizzle salad with olive oil.
*Hearts of Palm is a vegetable harvested from the inner core and growing bud of certain palm trees. It can be found in the canned vegetable aisle of most grocery stores.

*This post is linked to Tasty Tuesdays @ 33 Shades of Green.*

Product Review:

Ghirardelli Chocolate Bundt Cake Mix

HAVE YOU SEEN ME?

By now you know my love of cakes and for 'good things simple'. Well this is the epitome of good and simple. I always keep Ghirardelli brownies on hand for last minute entertaining. I pick up a large box from Costco that has about 6 mixes in it. Last time I was at Costco, I saw that they carried these instead. I grabbed it to try even though there are only 2 mixes. I whipped one up on Saturday night and let me tell you....AMAZING!!!!!! I made the bundt cake shown on the front, but you can also make it into cupcakes, or a layer cake. It even comes with powdered sugar for dusting. If you made these as cupcakes, I'm sure you would get some type of Mom Of The Year award. Here's the problem...I searched for these all over the Internet and they are virtually non-existent. Couldn't find any trace of them. So I called Ghirardelli and they said this is a new product that is seasonal. Here's the bad news. It's only sold at certain warehouse stores in certain states. California, Arizona, Illinois, and Utah are the lucky ones. I am going to head to my Costco this week and see if they still have it. If so, I will make it a giveaway. If you would like more information you can call 1-866-645-8080. Oh and last thing, it's MILK-FREE. It does however have its little disclaimer about how it is manufactured on equipment that also produces products containing milk. All of the lactose free people I know are not affected by this.