Summer Cake

This week we had a bake sale at work and this was one of my contributions! A red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. Okay, so I used a box cake, but I added a secret ingredient (ok, I will tell you! 1 cup of sour cream in the mix!). But really, this cake is all about the gorgeous, summery decor! I totally stole this idea from Pinterest (of course), but I think it came out so lovely, don't you! 

SLO Life Magazine

My bibimbap recipe was published in SLO Life Magazine! Check it out! http://www.slolifemagazine.com/local-food-by-local-people/162/bibimbap/

Herbivores

I took these photos of the garden about two weeks ago. Now the lettuce and snap peas are just about done but the tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons are just getting started! Pretty soon we will have so many cucumbers again we will have to start pickling again. That or lots of cucumber, mint mojitos! 

Romaine lettuce - my fave

Cucumbers and cantaloupe

The peaches are coming in nicely. Just like the color of a sunset. Hope we get to them before the birds do!

A new addition to the garden this year - snap peas!

Remember when these snap peas looked like this?

The radishes are ready! (Rad-i?)

Holy Popeye! I put the camera lens on the spinach leaf so you can see how big it is. So big, I squealed every time I went out to the garden. Almost mutant looking.

We had one tiny little strawberry about the size of a marble. But, Steve had to pick it because apparently the first year of growing strawberries, you are supposed to pick off any new fruits so that the plant's energy goes into making healthier plant leaves rather than fruit. Then, next year we will have a full crop! I cannot wait because even that little marble berry was like sweet sugary heaven!

 Yesterday I found two green Early Girl tomatoes! They are definitely living up to their name because last year we didn't get one tomato until October!!!

Homemade Snickers Bars

Just for fun, I decided to try a new sweet treat that I came across on Pinterest. Homemade snickers bars.  They were incredible and tasted almost exactly like the real thing!! This recipe makes an entire tray of snickers bars so of course, I brought them into work and they were gone instantly. 

Recipe from How Sweet It Is found from Pinterest.

Makes one 9 x 13 pan

Bottom Chocolate Layer:

• 1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup peanut butter

Thoroughly grease your baking pan. Melt ingredients together in a saucepan and spread until even. Let cool and harden completely.

Nougat Layer:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff (YES!!!)
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cup salted peanuts chopped, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in sugar and milk, stirring until dissolved and bring to a boil. Let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in fluff, peanut butter and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Turn off heat and fold in peanuts, then pour over bottom layer of chocolate. Let cool completely.

 

Caramel Layer:

• 1 14 oz bag of caramels
• 1/4 cup whipping cream

Combine ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Let melt, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 10 minutes. Pour over nougat layer and let cool completely.

Top Chocolate Layer:

• 1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup peanut butter

Melt ingredients together in a saucepan, then pour over caramel and spread  until even. Let cool and harden completely.

 

Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving, then cut as desired. These can stay at room temperature, but they do get gooey. Refrigerated is best!

For best results, use one of the aluminum cake pans at the grocery store that way you can pop out the entire rectangle and cut.