Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Cake

I have a large family... and a large extended family... and a large not really family but we see each other so much that we're practically family. This cake is for some of that family. My sister-in-law's nephew's birthday is here and he is just Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle crazy (as are his two brothers and his little sister)! And when his mom found out that the local bakery didn't do Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles she turned to me for help.

It just so happened that I had this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pan to make everything perfect! My grandmother who lives in North Carolina always shops the thrift stores and picks up any Wilton pans that she can find for me. Isn't she awesome? Thanks grandma - love you bunches!

Cody loved the cake and his little brother promptly put in his order for his November birthday. What a cutie! Now it's time to get some Easter preparations done and then it is on to a Mickey Mouse first birthday cake for another little one's big first birthday!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Breakfast is a hard thing for me to do. Eggs and hash browns and bacon and sausage are delicious... and time consuming. And staring in the face of returning to work full-time led me to devise a new plan of attack. Bulk breakfast baking on the weekends for fast grab (and healthier) breakfasts on-the-run weekdays. First bulk baking dish on the menu? These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. Made with a mix of all-purpose and wheat flour and a dose of pumpkin, their fast, delicious and packed with some good for you stuff!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

(from Pinterest via www.brighteyedbaker.com)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup pumpkin

 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Additional chocolate chips for muffin tops

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and grease or line a standard 12-cup muffin tin. (This recipe actually made 24 muffins for me. I used the large cookie scooper from Pampered Chef to fill the liners.)

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole wheat flours, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, all spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to evenly combine.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs with the brown sugar on medium speed, for about 30 seconds, until smooth. Add yogurt, oil, pumpkin, and vanilla extract and beat into the mixture until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet (a little at a time) and mix in at lowest speed just until evenly incorporated. Fold in 3/4 cup chocolate chips with a spatula.

4. Divide the muffin batter between the 12 muffin cups (I used the large cookie scooper from Pampered Chef). Top each muffin with about 5 chocolate chips, placed strategically around the top surface, pointed tip up. Place muffins into oven, reducing temperature to 350°F once inserted, and bake for about 25 minutes (I baked mine for about 20 minutes). test muffins with a toothpick, making sure it comes out free of batter. Enjoy warm. Allow muffins to cool before storing leftovers in an airtight container. Leftover muffins can be reheated in the microwave for 20-25 seconds.

Chunky Chocolate Cookies

So these cookies were not planned ahead of time. My brother and sister-in-law have gone away on their first cruise (hope you guys are having a blast!) and today was my day to look after my beautiful niece, Elise! Lana and Elise always have a blast together! Lana and I set all of her dollhouses up in the living room to make a town, I had planned a trip walking downtown to the library, dress-up trunk was loaded up for hours of fun!

My niece arrived and her and my daughter dove right into the toys. They played with the town for awhile but then they headed back to my daughter's bedroom to break out the play kitchen supplies. Before I knew what was happening I was hearing "Please, please can we make a real food?" Who am I to say no to these two adorable girls? I scrounged around in the kitchen to attempt to come up with something they could help me make. Of course I have been on a bit of a healthy kick so my fridge was filled with fresh fruits, veggies, yogurt, cheese and meats. Nothing there. My baking supplies are low... and then I found my cake mix!

I have heard a lot about cake mix cookies but the only time I attempted one I was less then thrilled with the final product. But... the girls were gunning to help me in the kitchen and this was all I had to go on. Luckily there was a cookie recipe on the side of the chocolate cake mix box for Chunky Chocolate Cookies. I had most of the ingredients but was running low on chocolate chips. So I substituted some rainbow chips and we were in business! Of course the rainbow chips made them a lot more colorful and fun for the girls as well! Here is what we whipped up:

Chunky Chocolate Cookies

(from Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix Box)

1 pkg. Duncan Hines Classic Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix

2 large eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted)

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1.Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Place cake mix, eggs, butter, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large bowl. Stir with spoon until thoroughly blended. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans (or walnuts). Drop by level measuring tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheet.

3. Bake at 350°F for 12 minutes for chewy cookies (cookies will still be puffed) or 14 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheets. Remove to cooling racks. Cool completely. Store in airtight container.

I found these cookies to be much better than the result of my first cake mix cookie experience. They are best eaten in the first few days after you make them as they do tend to dry out faster than regular cookies do. Enjoy!