{Frozen} Raninu Pies

I always say, the best way to deal with impending doom is to develop a nice healthy state of skepticism ...otherwise known as denial*. Apparently most people agree with me, because after skimming through my blogger feed this morning, I think one person mentioned Hurricane Sandy! Helllooooo peeps!? Who's stocking up on margarine and eggs? We have to be prepared folks! Generally I laugh at these storms, but all this hype is getting me nervous. What happens if we are flooded and I have no chocolate chips? Now that's a disaster. So in keeping with the theme of denial, let's reminisce about the summer, shall we? 

Now, we've had our share of storms this summer, but the one that makes me feel all fuzzy and warm was the last one. It was on the last day of camp, after all the campers skedaddled. The camp felt so empty, there was an echo.....and then it started pouring. You know the term "sheets of rain"? That's exactly what it was like.  I think the storms in the mountains are much more intense- it's like you are that much closer to the sky. Luckily, we were all in the lunchroom, helping out with a most important job: Finishing the leftovers. Being that it was pouring out, we had nothing else to do but to eat. Not much of a chore there now, is it? Anyhoo, we had the monumental task of digging our way through a 50 gallon tub (barrel?) of ice cream, and this was when I shared one of my most closely guarded secrets with everyone. 

And I shall share it with you.

Ready?
If you split open an Oreo, and fill it with peanut butter and vanilla ice cream, you are eating a small piece of heaven. 

Seriously. Go try it.

I always wanted to convert that into some sort of recipe, and here is what I've got:

Raninu Pies

Make Ice Cream:

Non-Dairy Vanilla Ice Cream

8 ounces non-dairy whipped topping (Rich's whip)

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoon vanilla 

3 eggs

Using an electric mixer, beat whipped topping until stiff peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Pour into an airtight container and freeze overnight. 

Make Cookies:

Brownie Cookies

1 1/4 cups cocoa 
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Preheat oven to 350° F.Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk the cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Using an electric mixer, cream the margarine, granulated sugar and brown sugar together, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in two addition, beating until just combined. The batter will be very thick. Divide dough into 18 even balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Spray the bottom of a drinking glass with Pam, and press down on each cookie slightly to flatten. Bake for 11-12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are set and the tops are puffed and cracked (but still soft). Allow cookies to cool completely on the tray.

To assemble:
I found it's best to assemble immediately before serving; otherwise you have frozen cookies that are impossible to bite into. Spread the bottom of a cookie with 2-3 tablespoons peanut butter. Spread another cookie with ice cream. Cover and enjoy! Eat fast before they melt!

*All kidding aside, please treat this storm responsibly. Make sure you have enough water, flashlights and batteries. If you live in an area that has a mandatory evacuation, please evacuate.  Do not visit any beaches to check out the waves! 

Stay safe and warm guys! 

Little D. is six!

I think there is no shorter time span than the time it takes to go from year to year on my kids birthdays. Hard to explain, but it literally feels like I sat down last week to post pictures of Little D.'s long awaited Lion Cake. Maybe it has to do with the fact that birthday cake planning in our house generally starts 364 days in advance....which is how we came to have a Shark/Original Little D. Artwork Combo Cake this year.

Little D. had his heart set on having a shark cake for his sixth birthday. But when his big brother made this super cool painted cake, he wasn't all that sure anymore....

So this is what we came up with!  

Little D. insisted that the shark must be smiling.

And really- who wouldn't smile with a mouth full of those adorable teeth?!

Happy Birthday Little D.! Keep on smiling!

We love you!

Tap,tap. This thing on?

Well, hello there. Fancy seeing you here! I know most bloggers pop in around the end of August/beginning of September with a slew of pictures from their ultra cool summer vacation.  But as we already know....I'm not really like most people, so here I am! In the middle of October! With pics from the summer! Possibly uncool, but with pictures nonetheless. So no long speeches today- I'm going to let the pictures do their talking:

Click on pictures for relevant links.

We started off our summer somewhere deep in bear country...

Otherwise known as Honesdale, PA...

Home of the world famous:

Yep, that's where I was hiding! 

Ironically, I did not take a single food picture the entire summer, but here's a cool sunset picture:

And a picture of a deer:

Anyhoo...after a beautiful summer of good food, nice people,

(Tamara, that would be you!)

and a nasty case of poison oak....

We had some more good food:

Saw some more cool sunsets:

Ate some more good food:

Saw some crocs:

Laughed at some t-shirts:

And took a ride through The Everglades:

And that folks, was my summer vacation! 

Stay tuned next week for Little D's Painted Shark Birthday Cake!!