Chocolate Covered Oreo Balls

I made these for Roberto and some of his teammates (and a few for me, of course) last month, and they were a huge hit! This recipe only has 3 ingredients, which makes it so easy. These would be especially perfect to serve at a party. A great bite-sized dessert and a total crowd pleaser. I promise you that I had way more than I intended to, they were just too good!

 

Ingredients

1 package of oreos (36 cookies)

8 oz cold cream cheese

8 oz bakers semi-sweet chocolate 

 

Directions

Crush oreos and mix with cream cheese (save a bit of crushed oreos to sprinkle on top). Form one inch balls and place on cookie sheet that is covered with wax paper or foil. Melt chocolate in microwave then drizzle over the balls. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours and ENJOY!

 

*I found that these tasted best when left in the fridge longer than at room temp. So leave in the fridge up until you are ready to serve.

*Also, how good would these be with white chocolate drizzle?! Next time I think I will test that out.

 

Have a great Wednesday, friends! 

Delicious Blueberry Muffins

I have been baking quite a bit lately and am continuing to learn it is something I really enjoy. It is my happy place if you will! I have quite a few delicious recipes to share with you and today I am going to start with the classic blueberry muffin. I made these on Easter and Robert and I thoroughly enjoyed them for our Easter brunch. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable or coconut oil

1 egg

1/3 cup of milk

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Topping

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons softened butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line muffin tin with muffin cups. Mix all dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well. Gently fold blueberries into mix and spoon into muffin cups. Makes about 10-12 regular sized muffins. Mix topping ingredients together until crumbly and sprinkle over top of batter. Bake about 25 minutes (my oven gets very hot so for the last 5 minutes I placed foil on top to keep tops from getting too golden). 

Serve with a glass of milk, maybe a little butter and enjoy!!

This recipes was adapted from Diana at Eating Richly.

Linking up with Kate, Mary, Susan and Kristen.

Christmas Candy + A Polish Christmas

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

I am dropping in to share a delicious Christmas candy recipe. Then I will be taking the next few days off from my computer to soak in this wonderful time of year!

I have so many sweet Christmas memories from growing up. One of which involves Christmas candy. My granny makes the most delicious candy each year...think lots of chocolate and lots of yumminess. I have plenty of memories of eating this great stuff, but also of baking and making in the kitchen during Christmas with my mama...following in my Granny's footsteps. This is a tradition that I love (I mean who wouldn't?!) and one I will happily continue.

Being away from home, I will not be able to enjoy my Granny or my mama's candy this year. So I got to work in the kitchen and made one of my favorites (thanks to my aunt Julie's recipe!)...Peanut Butter Balls.

And now it officially feels like Christmas!
 

*This recipe makes a ton. I was only making enough for Roberto and I and some friends, so I halved this (and it was still a lot!). But if you are wanting to make enough to pass out or take to an event make the whole recipe!*

Ingredients

1 lb. powder sugar

18 oz peanut butter

1/4 lb. butter

3 lbs. Chocolate Almond Bark

Directions

Mix peanut butter, powder sugar and butter together. Roll peanut butter mixture into 1-inch balls. If the balls do not feel firm enough place on baking sheet in fridge for 20 minutes to firm up, which makes dipping in chocolate easier. Either with a toothpick or spoon dip the balls into chocolate and place on wax paper or foil to dry. You can either dry at room temperature, which takes a bit longer, or in the fridge {I prefer fridge}. Once dry- ENJOY!

And now moving on! A little life update- Christmas style!

Last night we went to the team's Christmas dinner and had the best time. I at some point wanted to get the traditional Polish Christmas experience- and last night I got it! Here in Poland, they officially celebrate Christmas on the 24th. They do so by waiting for the appearance of the first star. Once it appears, well wishes are said and a meatless meal is served. {I know there are plenty more little details/traditions but this is the main gist I got from a friend last night!}

For last night's dinner, we received a traditional Polish Christmas meal of beet soup with dumplings, lots of fish "appetizers" {which are actually enjoyed after dinner} and a delicious fish entree.

We are so grateful for experiences like this. We definitely have to put ourselves out there and get out of our comfort zones at times- but it is such a lovely experince! And we are so appreciative to learn about and be welcomed into a new culture.

Merry Christmas, friends! I hope your days are filled with overflowing love, abounding joy and too many laughs. I am so grateful our Savior came into this world as a little baby, giving us the greatest gift we have ever known and showing us a love like no other. There is so much to be thankful for and so much to celebrate!

Have a beautiful Christmas!! And enjoy some Peanut Butter Balls!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love a simple chocolate chip cookie, and throw some oatmeal in there?? Yes, please.

This recipe was passed down to me from a friend and it is plain delicious. Perfect to wrap up to take to a neighbor or friend and perfect for your after dinner dessert.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. soda

2 cup oatmeal

1 1/2 packages (12 oz. bags) of chocolate chips (whatever type/size you would like)

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

Mix butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla together. In a separate bowl mix flour, salt and soda, then add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Fold in oatmeal and chocolate chips. Refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight. Bake at 365 degrees for 10 minutes.

I made these with my little siblings back in the states and then stuffed them in these Target dollar section bags closed with a sticker. Add in a mix of adult and kindergarten gold sharpie writing...and you've got the perfect little Thank You gift!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

This weekend I finally was able to make a pumpkin dessert and one of my favorites...Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins! A family I babysat for made these when I was over one time and that is when I decided Pumpkin desserts are just the best in the world.

These muffins are soft, moist and provide the perfect balance of chocolate and pumpkin. Basically? They are so good.{also read more for some life updates at the end!}

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs 

1 can Pumpkin Puree

2 cups sugar

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

12 oz chocolate chips

Mix oil, eggs and puree. In separate ball mix together sugar, flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to wet ingredients and mix. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased muffin tin about 2/3 full.  Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes. Makes 3 dozen.

Enjoy!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now some life updates!

Today I am leaving Texas, well America, and headed to see my hunky husband! Tomorrow I will arrive in Poland and get to hug my loves neck and I cannot wait. Although, I am so sad to leave my family and friends here. I truly will miss them so much. It makes me want to cry right now typing that out. But then I think of my hubby and this journey God had placed before us and...so much JOY comes over me! Bittersweet for sure. But such comfort in knowing I will be in my hubby's arms soon {ahhh!!!}and grateful for this opportunity. 

So Poland and Roberto....here I come! 

Prayers for safe travels and not so sad goodbyes would be so greatly appreciated!!

Also, make sure to link up with these lovely ladies for this holiday fun!

The Delicious Oreo Layer Dessert

Y'all. This dessert is delicious. I took it over to my dad's for dessert one night and it was a hit! Kids, adults...everyone loved it. When you take home an empty pan, you know it was a good one.

Thanks to Nap Time Creations for the fabulous recipe. 

Ingredients
 1 package of Oreos

6 Tbsp. butter, melted

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. milk

2 pckg. instant chocolate pudding + Milk to prepare pudding

12 oz. container Cool Whip

Directions

1. Crush Oreos. Set aside 1/4 cup to garnish top. Mix the rest of the oreos with butter. Press into a 9x13 pan. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

2. Combine cream cheese, sugar, milk and 1 1/4 cup of the cool whip. Spread mixture over crushed oreo layer.

3. Prepare chocolate puddings as directed on package. Spread over layer two. 

4. Spread the rest of the cool whip on top for the final layer. Garnish with the leftover oreos. 

Eat and Enjoy!!

Linking up with Sweet Sharing Monday and B Loved Boston.

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A little about me and a Leibster Award

Caitlin over at With Pearls and a Stethoscope and Chelsea at Southern Charm have nominated me for the "Leibster Award" and I could not be more excited!!

This award is given to "new" bloggers by other bloggers. It is a fun way to get to know one another and get to tell a little bit about yourself! Here's how it works: 

1. List 11 facts about yourself

2. Answer the questions of the person who nominated you

3. Create 11 new questions

4. Nominate 11 new bloggers that have less than 200 followers

So let's get started!

Questions for me 

(I did a mix of Caitlin's and Chelsea's questions)

1. Why did you start your blog? Robert, my husband, and I moved to Germany back in August. I wanted a fun way to keep family and friends updated with our every day life, so Lew Party of Two was formed! I have really enjoyed blogging, it has become such a fun hobby! You can read a little more about us and the start of the blog here!

2. What is your favorite dessert? Brownies or Cinnamon Rolls!  Oh! And one more...in the Czech Republic they have this amazing warm pastry called Trdelnik...delicious. If you can't tell I'm a little obsessed with desserts.  

 That stuff behind me and in my hands...Trdelnik. See how happy I am??

3. How many brothers or sisters do you have? Holt (19), Kinley (10) and Brock (5)! I also have 6 stepbrothers/sisters! Big family and I just love it.  

 Part of the siblings at my mom and Steven's wedding this past summer!

4. Do you envision a big family, or just one kid or two? We think we want 4 kids! We know God has a perfect plan...but when we pick a number, we hope and pray for 4! 

5. Did you play any sports when you were younger? I played basketball, volleyball and ran track all the way through junior high. Then once I got to high school I just did Volleyball and played Club as well!  

6. What is your most favorite book you've read in the last year? One Thousand Gifts. I cannot say enough amazing things about this book. Everyone needs to read it...it is a life changer, for sure!

7. Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your 13-​​year-​​old self? Don't worry about what everyone else thinks. Just be yourself and share God's love and kindness with all those around you. Enjoy being you and a daughter of Christ! 

8. Morning person or night person? I used to be a morning person but as of now, night person for sure!

 

9. What is your go to drink on a night out? Mojito! 

10. Where is your favorite place you've traveled? Prague, Czech Republic...man I love it there. Or the Bahamas, our honeymoon destination! We try to take advantage of living in Europe and travel as much as we can! You can check out where we have been here! Stay tuned as we add to that list!

 A little glimpse of beautiful Prague from my last trip over Christmas

11. What is one skill you want to master? Cooking and Baking! I have a dream one day to own a little cafe/bakery...like the one in Something's Gotta Give. Yep, I am a dreamer:)

11 facts about me

1. I dyed my hair brown this past summer and cannot wait to be a blonde again. 

2. I graduated from Nursing School last May and worked in Palliative Care until we moved to Germany. I hope when we move back one day to eventually work in Labor and Delivery!

3. I would really love to adopt one day.

4. I really enjoy reality TV (yes, the really silly and crazy ones)....Real Housewives, The Bachelor and too many more.

5. Robert and I knew after 3 months (probably less) we wanted to get married, it was love at first sight...almost:) And then 3 years later we became husband and wife!

6. I have never liked coffee, jelly or honey. Not for me. 

7.  The one food I have missed while being in Europe...Mexican Food! It is so different over here. Rosas and Chipotle will be our first meals out when we are back in the states, for sure. 

8. Robert and I love to play card games, especially Nertz. He usually wins and I am a really sore loser. 

9. Robert and I watched Lost...start to finish during college. It is the best.

10. I love, love, love spending time with family. It always brings so much joy to my heart. 

11. I had 10 bridesmaids, yes 10. And it was the best, couldn't imagine not one of them up there by my side! 

Now, My Nominations... 

Jenni at Frankly My Dear

Luci at We Got Us

Hope at Hope in a Blog 

Courtney at Keystroke Journaling 

Taylor Rae at Taylored and Turquiose 

Courtney at Sweet Turtle Soup 

Kelli at Team Gilbert

Emily at Dixie on my Mind 

Kristal at The Strong Family 

Chrissy at Simple Joys 

Paige at Reasons to Come Home 

And My Questions for you... 

1. What is your favorite TV series?

2. Where did you go on your honeymoon? If not married, where is your dream honeymoon destination?

3. What is your favorite blog post you have written?

4. What food could you not live without?

5. Fill in the blank: I am most happy when....

6. What is your perfect date night?

7. What is a beauty product you cannot live without?

8. What is your favorite memory from growing up?

9. What is one blog you check daily?

10. Beach or the Mountains?

11. What movie did you last see? Your thoughts?

And there ya have it! A little about me and I can't wait to hear from the rest of you! Let me know when you post your answers...can't wait to hear them all! 

Also! Be sure to check back tomorrow as I start posting our Wedding pictures!

   
Find me on:
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Christmas Eve and Christmas Candy

Merry Christmas Eve! This is definitely one of my favorite days of the whole year! We have had a wonderful week here...we went to friends house to cookie decorate, had friends over to cookie decorate (I loveee cookie decorating, it is a tradition my mom started years ago with our family and it is so fun), Rob had a game with a win (wahoo!), and we have slept on the blow up mattress every night this week so we could be by the Christmas tree, there is just nothing better! AND I made these babies yesterday...

 

So when I say Christmas candy I use that very lightly...because these things, well there is nothing easier!

Pretzel Rollo Candy

Ingredients

4-5 bags of pretzels

Large Bag of M&M's

360 rollos (yeah...)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

2. Lay pretzels on baking sheet lines with foil

3. Place one rollo on top of each pretzel

4. Pop in the oven for 2 minutes, just to soften the rollo

5. Grab an M&M, place on top of softened rollo and press down

Now let dry and voila! 

Easiest. Candy. Ever.

So you by no means have to make as many as I did...obviously with 360 rollos I made 360 of this deliciousness.And made 30 of these...

We grabbed 30 cellophane bags, a lot of ribbon and stuffed 11-12 pretzel rollo candies in each! Then we took them to the basketball game yesterday and passed out to all the team, coaches, and staff! Such an easy but homemade little Christmas gift! So if you are looking for a last minute little gift or a delicious "Christmas Candy" these suckers will not disappoint! 

And there ya go a little recap of our week and some delicious sweets for your Christmas! Now we are about to hop in the car and make the 7 hour drive to...Paris!! I can hardly contain my excitement and can hardly believe I am typing those words out! We are so grateful for this opportunity and plan to enjoy this trip to the fullest. So be ready for lots of pictures in the near future...lots from friends visiting and lots from Christmas in Paris! 

Robert and I wish each of you a very Merry and Blessed Christmas. We are so thankful for our Savior who came down to this earth and shows love and grace that is unfathomable. Merry Christmas friends and family, we love you all!

Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is what I made with my homemade pumpkin puree and these were good! I took them to a friend's house a couple weeks ago and they were a hit! But be careful since they are mini...it's very easy to lose track of how many you eat (whoops). I used this recipe as a guide!

Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients: 

1 2/3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice (I did not have this so I did 2 tbsp. of brown sugar)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

1. Whisk together flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice (or brown sugar), baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 

2. In separate bowl combine eggs, pumpkin and butter (either use mixer with paddle or attachment or mix by hand). 

3. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until well combined. 

4. Fold in chocolate chips. 

5. Bake for 15-20 min. 

6. Let cool for about 5 min. in pan, then move to wire wrack. 

-Makes about 48 mini muffins- 

(my pan was very mini so it made 72 muffins and were in the oven for 12 min)

Enjoy!

Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Pumpkin

As I have said before one of my favorite fall desserts is pumpkin chocolate chip muffins...mmmmm! But I had a problem... they do not have pumpkin puree at the grocery stores here. I thought all hope was lost. But then! I came across this recipe from the Pioneer Woman. You can make your own pumpkin puree! Who knew?

 

Pumpkin Puree

 

Ingredients:

2 small pumpkins

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Cut pumpkin tops off. Then cut pumpkins in half.

2. Remove seeds from each pumpkin and as much of the stringy stuff as you can.

3. Cut each half into thirds and place pieces on a baking sheet.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 min.

5. Once pieces are cooked, remove the skin. It should peel off easily.

6. Place pieces a couple at a time either in food processor or blender and puree!

Pumpkin Puree looks kinda nasty, I know. But used as a key ingredient in desserts...delicious!

Pioneer woman suggest freezing what you do not use. So I did! With the pumpkins I had, it made about 2 cups of puree. So I used 1 cup for pumpkin chocolate chip muffins (I'll share that recipe next) and froze the other cup for later in a Ziploc bag!

Popcorn Crunch

The other night we went to some friend's house for a board game night...well a Settlers game night. It is probably our favorite board game ever. Once you get the hang of it, it is so fun!

Anyways I got to bring snacks! I brought popcorn crunch...it is a recipe I got from a wonderful lady back home...Thanks Lana (& Logan)! She makes her mixture a little differently and it is much prettier:) But I used what we had at the grocery store and it sure is delicious!

Popcorn Crunch

Ingredients

Big bag of M&M's

4-5 bags of popcorn (about 18 cups)

about 1/3 bag of pretzel sticks

20 oz of white chocolate

Directions

1. Dump M&M's, cooked popcorn and pretzel sticks into a large bowl.

2. Melt white chocolate according to packet instructions. I melted mine on low heat on the stove, stirring continuously.

3. Pour white chocolate over popcorn mixture. And gently stir, coating evenly.

4. Pour mixture evenly onto wax paper and let harden. Allow around 2 hours (sometimes more depending on the chocolate) to dry.

-This recipe filled 2- gallon sized Ziploc bags-

Easy, delicious and a huge hit!

Enjoy!



Cinnamon Sugar Banana Bread

We are home relaxing after a fun day downtown and I thought I would share this delicious recipe real quick! Perfect for a Sunday night dessert AND Monday morning breakfast:)

 I am a huge fan of banana bread...and cinnamon! So I spruced the normal banana bread up with a little kick and it was great! Next time I'll probably even add a little more cinnamon to the mix! I adapted this recipe from Eat Yourself Skinny. A great blog...I  have made a couple recipes from there now! Very yummy. Not as healthy as that recipe but I tried!

Cinnamon Sugar Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) light butter

 1 cup of sugar 

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. low fat milk

1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 bananas)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

Topping:

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Mix together softened butter and sugar (if you have a mixer use it, I do not have one here in Germany and mixing by hand worked fine).

3. Now add in eggs and mix well.

4. Next mix in vanilla, milk and bananas.

5. Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together in a seperate bowl.

6. Add flour mixture, a little bit at a time, to batter. Mix slowly and until completley combined.

7. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray (or rub with butter) and then flour the pan lightly.

8. Bake about 45 min-1 hour. Until inserted toothpick comes out clean from the center of the loaf.

9. Let bread sit for a couple of minutes, then spread top with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. As much as your heart desires!

Slice yourself and your patiently awaiting taste testers each a piece (or two). Spread with butter, sprinkle with a little more cinnamon sugar and serve with a nice glass of cold milk!

Enjoy!