Autumn Amelia

Hello everyone!
Halloween is only a couple of weeks away and I can't wait!
My family has a tradition of enjoying chili and breadsticks on Halloween.
Growing up in the "Midwest" made for some cold Trick or Treat sessions and nothing warmed you up like a hot bowl of chili and breadsticks right outta the oven. 
My mom always made the most delicious and GIGANTIC breadsticks.
And today I am going to share the recipe with you!

You will need:
24 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, Thawed but Cold
1/2 A Cup of Butter
1/2 A Cup of Parmesan Cheese
Garlic Salt, Optional

Roll each roll into a 11 inch rope.
Place butter and cheese in shallow bowls.

Dip each rope into the butter and then into the cheese.

Place breadsticks on an 11x17 inch sprayed baking sheet. 

Sprinkle with garlic salt, if desired.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double in size.

Remove wrap and bake at 350o for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy warm!

These breadsticks are DELICIOUS and are pretty easy to whip up.
I seriously dream about them all year long...
I love our twist on the original recipe, making them jumbo breadsticks.
What are some of your family's Halloween traditions?

All my love,
Autumn

Hello everyone!
The last few years I have seen this "eye cake" floating around on Pinterest.
I thought it was so cute and would be easy to replicate.
The eyes are made of Oreo's so I started to think "Why not make the whole cake cookies and cream?"
(If there's one thing I love just as much as Halloween it's cookies and cream.)
Thus this cookies and "scream" cake was born.

You will need:
1 and 1/3 Cups of  All-Purpose Flour
2/3 Cup of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, Plus More For Dusting the Pans
1 and 1/2 Teaspoons of Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
1/2 a Teaspoon of Cinnamon
1/2 a Teaspoon of Salt
1 and 1/3 Cups of Granulated Sugar
2/3 Cup of Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
4 Large Eggs
1/3 Cup of Water
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract
1 Cup of Sour Cream
1/4 a Cup of Vegetable Oil

Preheat the oven to 325o.
Grease 2 round 6"pans, then line the bottom with parchment paper.
Dust the parchment paper with a small amount of cocoa powder.
Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
Whisk in both sugars until evenly combined.
Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, and vanilla.
Whisk in the sour cream and the oil.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and add the sour cream mixture.

Stir until no dry streaks of flour remain, being careful not to overmix.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, around 35 to 40 minutes.
Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Prepare the cookies and cream buttercream frosting. 

You will need:
1 Cup of Salted Butter, Softened
4 Cups of Powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla
A Pinch of Salt
2-3 Tablespoons of Heavy Cream
12 - 14 Oreos, Finely Crushed (About 1 and 1/4 Cups of Cookie Crumbs)

In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth, creamy and light, about 4 minutes.
Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating until well combined.
Beat in the remaining powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt,
Add just enough heavy cream to get the frosting to a nice pipeable consistency.
Stir in the crushed Oreos.

Stack the cakes with a thin layer of the cookies and cream buttercream in between the layers.
Cover the cake with the cookies and cream buttercream and smooth.

Prepare your eye decorations

You will need:
Oreo's
Mini Oreo's 
Brown M&M's

Carefully twist an Oreo in half, making sure not to separate the cream filling or break the cookie.
Take the cookie with the cream filling still attached and gently place a brown M&M "M" side down into the filling, creating an eye.
Repeat to create a second eye to complete the pair. 
Continue with both sized Oreos until you have your desired amount of eyes.
I placed my M&M's in different places on the Oreo to create different looks.
Some looking up, down , to the side, etc.
Place a small dot of the cookies and cream buttercream on the back of the completed Oreo eye.
Gently place onto the cake, and add it's pair.

Continue until you have achieved your desired look.
Enjoy!

This was such a fun cake to create.
I love how a simple decoration takes it to a whole new level.
I also love the added touch of the cookies and cream buttercream.
The Oreo flavor isn't just for decoration now.
What is you favorite Halloween candy?

All my love, 

Autumn

Hello everyone!
National Dog Day is this week (the 26th) and ya know what a dog lover I am.
After having two pups of my own to love and spoil I have learned how important it is to not only stimulate your dog physically but mentally. 
Today I am going to share 3 of my favorite dog enrichment activities.
They are easy to throw together with things you most likely have on hand and, will give you some time to get things done while your pup is distracted.

Egg Carton

You will need:
An Empty Egg Carton
Newspaper
Treats

Open the egg carton.
Cut newspaper into short strips about 1 inch wide.

Roll treats into a few strips of newspaper and place into the empty indentations of the egg carton.
Roll the remaining empty stirps of newspaper into balls and place them into the other empty spaces.

Close the lid to the egg carton.
Give to your pup and let them go wild!

Muffin Tin

You Will Need:
Muffin Tin
Balls
Treats 

Place treats into a few holes of the muffin tin.

Cover each hole with a ball.

Give it to your pup and let them have at it!

Hole Ball

You will need:
Hol-ee Roller Ball 
Scrap Fabric
Treats

Cut the fabric into short strips about 1 inch wide.

Wrap treats in a few pieces of fabric.

Roll the remaining pieces of fabric into balls.
Take turns placing the treat-filled and empty pieces of fabric through the holes in the ball until full.
Give it to your pup and let them play!

All of these activities have been loved by me and my pups.
They love that they are getting a treat and I love that they are exercising their mind and letting me get some work done guilt-free.
A quick tip.
When starting these activities, use more treats to help pique their interest and to show them how they work.
Then slowly added fewer treats over time. 

We don't want to give them too many treats so they can stay fit and healthy.

Do you have a dog?

If so, what breed and what is its name?

I have to know their name!

All my love, 

Autumn