Bennett's Second Easter

Well folks, Easter has come and gone. Bennett had a fun day at home with Mom and Dad. We ate candy, hunted eggs, played basketball with the eggs (thanks to Daddy), and watched Disney movies. I decided to post the Easter pictures I took on our blog, instead of Facebook, because I took a lot of pictures of our backyard egg hunt, and figured this would just be easier.

We were really missing home this Easter, seeing all the pictures of everyone dressed so nice, and having big family dinners. Will worked and slept most of Easter Sunday, but we still managed to squeeze some fun in there!

His eggs had money and candy in them, mostly quarters and pennies. He didn't care for any of the candy, except the sourpatch kids jelly beans I bought for Will. He loved the change, and LOVES putting his 'monies' in his minion piggy bank from his Tia Claudia. He is so cute. I would apologize for taking so many pictures of this stud, but let's be serious........... I'm not sorry, at all. He's the best.

Easter Treat: Crunchy Marshmallow Birds Nests

I know this post is SUPER late, considering tomorrow is Easter Sunday, and it's already 7:30 pm here in Hawaii.... so it's Easter back home in Indiana. *SORRY* But, I figured, even if yall didn't have all the ingredients to make these tomorrow, you could make some after Easter, with all those peeps you'll have left over!!

I don't know about yall, but my husband and I HATE peeps. Our son, on the other hand, loves them. But it's rare that we have them in the house, so he's maybe had them twice. I did find, however, that melting the peeps down, and pouring it over some plain corn flakes, makes me LOVE them. So gooey and marshmallowy, and crispy with the corn flakes. YUM YUM YUM. love it.

Well, my husband is working Easter, so he will only be home for a little while tomorrow. I thought I'd make a decent sized batch of these, so he could take some to work for himself, and whoever else has to work Easter.

----Crunchy Marshmallow Birds Nests----

2 large packages of peeps (the ones with 15 peeps/4.5 oz) whatever color you'd like
2 tbsp butter
5-7 cups plain corn flakes (more or less, depends on how marshmallowy you want them)
1 small bag chocolate eggs, or any other toppings you choose

In a small pot, add your butter, and turn burner on med-low. Once your butter is melted add in your peeps.

I added half, let them melt, while stirring often, then added the other half. Make sure not to walk away, you don't want to burn the marshmallows or let them boil over. Once the second half of the package is added, turn the burner to low.

Stir the melted peeps until they are completely smooth and turn the burner off.

Put your cornflakes in a large bowl, and pour your melted peeps over the top. WORK FAST, the marshmallows will begin to set pretty quickly. So stir, stir, stir! Get all your cornflakes coated in melted peeps.

Take spoonfuls, or in my case, handfuls of the cornflake/peep mixture, and put it on some parchment paper. Shape it so it's somewhat round, and add 2-3 chocolate eggs to the top, so it looks like a small nest. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.

That's all there is to it! Super simple and super cute!

Hope you put all those yucky peeps to good use ;) I can't wait to see what Bennett thinks of these tomorrow!

Happy Easter to all!

Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake

Guys.....

YOU GUYS!

You don't understand how much I LOVE this cake. This has been my go to recipe for the last 3.5 years. I bake this cake for every occassion. It is so moist and tender, and the chocolate ganache is so so soooo good.

I'm not a frosting person, unless it's homemade, and even then, sometimes I'm not a fan. This chocolate ganache is just enough. It's creamy and sweet, and most important of all, chocolatey! I really do encourage any and every one of you to try this recipe, you will NOT be disappointed.

I made this cake a few months ago for my husband to take to work, and everyone loved it. One of his supervisors took a bite and couldn't believe it was a homemade cake. He said, "I just don't understand how she did this" HAHAHA, too funny, but SERIOUSLY. GUYS. It's REALLY REALLY that good!

Let's not put it off any longer, here's the recipe.... it would make a great easter dessert ;)

----Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake----

for the cake:
1 box Devil's food cake
1 small box chocolate pudding mix
2 cups of sour cream (16 oz)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup veg. oil

for the ganache:
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips (half a bag)
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup milk

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Using a paper towel, rub a small amount of room temperature butter inside your bundt pan. Just a very light coat is perfect. Then, you can use either flour, cocoa powder, or a tbsp of your choc cake mix to dust the inside of the bundt cake. Again, a very light coat. Tap out any excess. I turned my pan upside down and tapped it on the sink, even after this picture below.

*I used cocoa powder. If you do decide to use flour, be sure to shake and spread it around very lightly, and tap as much excess out as you can. The white flour, will stand out against the brown cake, and it will be a bit more noticeable when it's done baking. Still tastes perfectly fine!*

Then, in a large mixing bowl, add cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, oil, and milk. Mix on low until well incorporated, and lumps are gone. I mixed mine with my Kitchen Aid on speed 2, for 2 minutes. Then pour into your greased & dusted pan, and bake for 50-55 minutes.

Once the cake is done baking, and a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs (not wet) leave it cooling in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn it out on a cooling rack to cool for an additional 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, start a double boiler. Keep the heat on low, and make sure your water isn't touching the bottom of your bowl. Add the chocolate chips, and a minute or two later, the milk and butter, and stir.

Stir every minute or so, just to be sure the chocolate is slowly melting. Once the chocolate is smooth and shiny, it is ready to be poured over the cake.

You can pour the ganache over the cake however you'd like, I like to pour it, and spread it evenly with a small spatula. (That way you get some creamy chocolate in every bite!! :) )

VOILA! So simple, and so tasty! I hope y'all enjoy!!

I'll have some Easter treats coming soon! ;)