New Baked Good: June #2

I wanted to make something fruity and maybe cheesecake-y for June because it's summer and, especially in Michigan, it's been HOT! However... my mom asked me to make those Lucky Charms cupcakes for my brother's graduation party so I was a little shorter on time this week. I went to again to Just Call Me Maria's site for something quick and easy. I settled on her recipe for Peanutty Buckeye Bars.

Ingredients:
1 19 1/2 ounce package brownie mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chopped peanuts
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup peanut butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl stir together brownie mix, eggs, and oil until combined. Then stir in chopped peanuts.
2. Press half of the batter evenly into the bottom of a lightly greased 13x9 pan, set the other half aside.
3. In a medium bowl mix sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter until smooth. Spread evenly over the brownie mixture in the pan. Take the remaining brownie mixture and separate into pieces, flatten them with your fingers into disks and evenly place on top of the peanut butter mixture in the pan.
4. Bake for 28-33 minutes or until the top is set and the edges are lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Super yummy and easy. My sister sent me a few recipes she found on Pinterest, so July should hopefully contain a fruity, cheesecake-y dessert. :)

Two birds, one stone

Saturday, I knocked two things off of my list of things I wanted to do this year- attend a beer-tasting event and attend an outdoor concert.

Founders Fest in Grand Rapids

A whole day of delicious beer, good food and a wide variety of musical selections. Including this guy:

He goes by "That One Guy"- very cool, creative music. Fun to listen to!

So there you have it. Two birds, one stone.

Thanks, Founders Fest.

Run for los niños - 5K!

One more thing to check off my list of things I want to do this year of my life- run a 5K.

Our church does one big fundraising event every year for the organization we work with in Mexico. Since running a 5K was on my list of things to do this year and I have a heart for orphans in Mexico, I figured this would be a great way to knock this one out. I don't personally have any pictures of me running the race, but the link below will show me crossing the finish line:

http://photos.brettmaxwellphoto.com/riv-5k/e2f0e4742#h1e4e79c3

 It only took me 34 minutes- not bad considering in all of my training I was running 12-minute miles.

More info on what my church is doing in Mexico here: http://rivchurch.com/go/rivmexico/

New Baked Good: June #1

 

Well, this may be cheating but I missed baking something new in May and thought I would give this pie-in-a-box a try. It's a kit, just add melted butter and water. A few minutes blending, a few hours in the fridge and- voila!

 

Graham cracker crust- check!

 

I forgot to snap the lime filling, but you can see it in the background. Whipped topping- check!

 

Looks wonderful, but it did not come out as easy as it looks. I may have packed the crust into the dish too firmly because the slices did not come out as they should have. It was more like a crumbled mess. A delicious mess, but a mess nonetheless. Oh well- it was definitely worth a shot. There was an option on the box to fix the dessert in 8 individual cups instead of a pie form. If I ever do this again, I will try the cups instead. 

One more to come before June is over... :)

Graduation season!

 Well, it's official. I'm old. My little brother is a high-school graduate!

 

Look at him! I can't believe it.

It was a little strange, as it's been eight years since I graduated high school. Thinking about what that night was like for me. Remembering the person I was then and seeing how far I've come. If I could give him- or any graduating senior, for that matter- one piece of advice it would be to get out and experience the world outside of your hometown/state/country. It's much bigger than you and only being humbled by God's creation can you begin to impact the world around you for good. This may be an ending... but it's really just the beginning.