Chocolate-peanut butter mousse cake.

Adapted from Southern Living.

Yield: 1 (8-inch) cake

Ingredients

• 1 box chocolate cake mix (I used Dr. Oetker Organics chocolate cake mix, with coconut oil instead of vegetable oil because that's what I had)
  
• 2 1/2 cups whipping cream, divided
• 1 (10-ounce) package peanut butter morsels (I used Sunspire, which uses Maranatha peanut butter)
  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate morsels (I used Ghiradelli 60% cocoa baking chips)
  

Preparation

Prepare cake mix according to package directions.

Pour into 2 lightly greased 8-inch round cake pans. Bake according to package directions. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely.

Combine 2/3 cup whipping cream and peanut butter morsels in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until morsels melt and mixture is smooth; remove saucepan from heat. Stir in vanilla extract, and cool completely.

Beat 1 1/3 cups whipping cream at high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Stir one-third whipped cream into peanut butter mixture. Fold into remaining whipped cream. Spread between cake layers; cover and chill.

Bring remaining 1/2 cup whipping cream and 1 tablespoon butter to a boil in a small saucepan. Add chocolate morsels; remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Stir until morsels melt and mixture is smooth.

Pour glaze over cake; garnish, if desired. Serve warm, or chill and serve at room temperature.

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Now, please keep in mind that I am just awful at assembling and decorating baked goods. Also - my cakes got stuck in the pans and kind of crumbled a bit. What counts is that this tastes absolutely delicious (particularly the peanut butter mousse). My daughter walked in and saw it sitting on the table while I was making the chocolate glaze. Her eyes went as wide as saucers and she said, "After I eat dinner, I eat big cookie? Please?" Who can resist that?!

Apple pie oatmeal!

This recipe is from a fabulous vegan blog called Oh She Glows. Angela concocts wonderful, healthy treats in her kitchen, and my family and I are so happy that she does! This is already a favorite breakfast of Lili's and of mine.

I did tweak it just a little bit to suit my tastes. I left out the vanilla and the extras at the end - the maple syrup, the lemon juice, the pinch of cinnamon and the walnuts.

Also - while the chia seeds might seem like an odd ingredient, they really do add something to the dish. They have a property that allows them to gel and expand slowly, which in turn makes you more full. Chia seeds are also chock full of omega-3s and are a complete protein, which means that not only will you feel full longer, you will have more energy. You can use them as a replacement for eggs, too.They really are fabulous. I purchase mine at my sweet little neighborhood co op, but you can also find them online and at Whole Foods, I believe. Check out your local health stores as well.

Any way - on to the recipe! This is my slightly modified version - the original version is available through the link below.

Apple Pie Oatmeal - Oh She Glows

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup regular oats
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger + pinch of kosher salt
• 1 + 1/4 cups Almond Milk
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces (I had a Braeburn on hand, so I used that)
  
• 1-1.5 tablespoon pure maple syrup + more for drizzling
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

Directions:

1. In a medium sized pot over medium heat, whisk together the 1/3 cup oats, peeled and chopped apple, 1 tbsp chia seeds, 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1.25 cups Almond milk, 1 tbsp pure maple syrup, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, pinch of kosher salt. Whisk well.

2. Heat over medium heat for about 8 minutes, stirring often. When the mixture thickens and the liquid is absorbed, it is ready.

3. Pour into a dish.

See ya, 2010!

A recap of the year in photos...

January

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February


Liliana's friend since birth, Eleanor, turned two and we celebrated.

March


We went up to Wisconsin to visit family and welcome a little boy named Jacob to the family!

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April





Easter 2010


We went and visited this sweet boy and his mama on Easter :)


We went to the Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells and had a blast!

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Lili also attended her first rally - for education!

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May


Liliana's friend Tallen turned two and had a party!

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June


Liliana had eye surgery on June 4 - she had a cyst removed and is doing really well.

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She went to Six Flags for the first time with her cousin Aidan.


We also went to the zoo with Nana, Auntie Laura, daddy and Aidan.

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July
Liliana turned TWO! She was clearly very excited.




Liliana and I took the train up to Grandma Kim's house for a week! She saw her cousins, Taylan and Carter, and had a blast.

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She also was able to visit with her great grandparents.


August


We had a play date with Lili's buddies and their moms!

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September

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October

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We visited the Garfield Park Conservatory with some friends.

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Lili's bud Timmy turned two and had a party!



Her friend Gator also had a birthday - he turned three!

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Liliana and I also attended a wedding for my cousin Jared and his new wife, Torri.

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Liliana also went trick or treating for Halloween and went as a witch! She had so much fun and still asks to go out again to get candy.

November

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We took another trip up to Wisconsin for my cousin Jaclyn's wedding shower/going away party, and Liliana was able to spend time with her cousin, Aaliyah, whom she adores.

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We flew to New York to visit Nana, Grandpa and Auntie Laura for Thanksgiving. We had a bit of a Thanksmas, as Lili opened her Christmas gifts from them :)

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December

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We took the train up to Wisconsin and spent the week visiting family to celebrate Christmas.

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That's about it! We had a busy year, that's for sure. This year will bring Lili's THIRD! birthday, preschool in the fall and many more adventures.

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