Peppermint Brownie Cheescake

What is better than cheesecake, more festive for the holidays, and the best chocolaty treat around?  Peppermint Brownie Cheesecake Bars of course!

I first saw this recipe on Good Morning America 2 years ago.  I fell in love immediately and made some to give to friends and their family.  The response was wonderful!  Everyone loved these!

Lauren Brennan gave this recipe out on her blog before it was featured on GMA in a Christmas cooking special segment.  You can learn more about her and try some of her other yummy recipes here.

I shared just two pictures on my FB and Instagram accounts before I was texted and messaged for the recipe.  You can find it on the first link above, or you can follow with pictures here below J

Ingredients

1 tube refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 family-sized box brownie mix
2 (8oz.) packages cream cheese
2 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
2 teaspoons peppermint extract, divided
4 candy canes, crushed

Directions

Note, I made two batches in the pictures below.

Line a 13x9 pan with parchment paper and spread cookie dough along the bottom by hand to make a nice even layer..  Bake it on 350 for 12-18 minutes, or until golden. Once it starts baking a little, I pull it out and put some fork marks in it so that the middles aren’t completely undercooked.

I then put aside my cookie layer by lifting the parchment paper onto a cooling rack. 

Then, I use that same pan to bake my brownies.  The brownies are made according to the direction on the box, adding in 1 teaspoon of peppermint to the batter. 

Here are the brownies & cookie layers cooling a little on the baking rack.

 

During this time, Neal took me to the workstation in the garage where we I used a mallet to crush the candy canes.  Safety goggles of course were needed J

Once the brownies are slightly cooled, but still a little warm, I combine them with the cream cheese.  You can discard the harder cooked edges and eat them while things are baking!

 

Then, place the cookie layer on parchment paper back into the 13x9 pan so you will have solide edges while you spoon the brownie cream cheese mixture onto the baked and cooled cookie dough.

Next you need to melt white chocolate and 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract. If you have a double broiler, use it!  If you do not, like me, you can use a non-stick cooking pot and watch very carefully as you heat the chocolate on low.

Then you spread your melted chocolate over the layered cookie and brownie creation.  The chocolate doesn’t spead that easily, so I cut mine in with a knife and it's still very pretty.

Lastly, you will sprinkle the top with candy canes and let cool until the chocolate is hardened.  You can speed up this process by putting them in the fridge.

 
 Enjoy!

Christmas Decorating

Christmas Decorating.  One of my favorite things!

My cousin shared some of her amazingly cute décor she did for this holiday season, and I was inspired to use some of her printable as well as share some of my own décor touches! 

We don’t have kids yet, but when we do, I am sure the décor styles will change a little.  For now, this is perfect.

First, we have two trees.  Yes, I know we are just two people & two dogs, but I LOVE decorating.  I believe for a few years while growing up in East TN, we had 5 trees.  I kid you not, five.  A main tree was located in the downstairs family room, a skinny tree in the sun room, another tree in my parent’s study, a colorful tree in the upstairs family room (kids family room), and one in my bed room.  It’s nuts when I think about it now, yet here I am with 2 trees in a house 1/5^th the size of that which I grew up in.  Nuts. 

That tree that was in my bedroom as a yougin’ is now in my adult office.  I figure if I work from home, I have the tree, I am in the office all day, I might as well have a nice backdrop this holiday season.  The skinny tree in the sunroom I mentioned that we had growing up was my favorite.  It was COVERED in blue delft ornaments.  My mother gave all of those ornaments away as gifts one year while she worked in the front office at a local elementary school.  I was devastated.  Both my parents have been giving me blue delft ornaments ever since as Christmas presents.  Below, is my mini tree with some of the blue delft ornaments I have been given over the years.   I wrote this post on Monday, on Wednesday I received a massive box from my mother with our Christmas presents.  What was inside...?  More blue delft ornaments!!!

 

I also added a few Christmas signs onto my favorite little shutter board
Printable 1 - Elf Quote
Printable 2 - Christmas Tree Words
Printable 3 - Christmas Phrases
Christmas Cards - white w/ pop-up tree

In our living room sits our main tree.  Last year we were going to buy a tree, but we waited to late in the season.  This year, we didn’t wait.  We got a big tree, and I love it!

Christmas card have been mounted to the DIY Cork Board

 

Because we kept a red, silver & gold theme on our main tree, we weren’t able to use all the ornaments we love.  Thus, we found an alternative solution and hung them on golden strands dangling from command hooks on our ceiling!

 

I made our own stockings. These are in replica of some of our favorite things.  Neal’s is a beer mug (he’s not an alcoholic, he & a friend brew beer), mine is an ice cream cone, & Sasha’s & Walden's are, of course, dog bones.  Perhaps I should have made Walden one with leather in the shape of a couch :) (see the link for the most devastating dog eat couch destruction you may ever see).

 

I then used another sign my cousin had in her blog and hung it along side stars.  Next to them, the spray painted wine bottles have made their return and are accompanied by a cute elf topper from a wine gift we were given! 

Mary & Joseph watch over baby Jesus in the most beautiful and special Waterford nativity scene.  This was given to me after my grandmother passed.  I received it in the mail 3 year ago right before Christmas on my Grandmother’s Birthday.  It’s very special to me.  The 3 Wise Men are missing.  We haven’t yet figured out if she didn’t have them, or if they have been misplaced.

And the table has been set:

Who could forget the great outdoors?  Uh-oh…this means I have 3 trees….

 

Merry Christmas Ya’ll!

Workout Inspirations

First, I am excited to say that I have finally signed up for Twitter!  Follow me, Tamara @LivelyHappening

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What inspires your workouts?  Are you a fitness class fanatic, running queen, strength training gal, or more of the at home healthy lady?  I am personally a little bit of all of these.  I enjoy a great yoga class, I can run indoors or out, I don’t mind being in the weight section of the gym where mostly men are found, and I also totally love my DVD’s when I don’t want to leave the house.

During most of these winter months, I need more inspiration to work out than ever.  It’s dreary outside, cold & wet.  It’s the holidays & I have preoccupied my mind and time with getting gifts ready and working on my business.  But yesterday I saw a post on one of my favorite blogs and knew I just HAD to get to the gym.

Julie’s Hot Hot Hot Holiday Circuit Workout was just that…HOT.  I was toasty and my heart was pumping after doing 2 sets of each of the 3 circuits.  I did most of her moves and substituted some.  Example, instead of box jumps, I did side-to-side steps on the bosu ball and instead of jumping jacks, I did jump lunges.  Yes, my buns were hurting and I am sure will hurt even worse tomorrow, but I feel like a fool when I do jumping jacks.  I am not very coordinated J

Here’s my wrap up of my favorite places to get workout inspiration:

Tone it Up – a community where you will find women who support each other’s dreams & healthy lifestyles.  You can find lots of free workouts and tasty recipes by two inspirational trainers, Karena & Katrina

Peanut Butter Fingers – a blog where Julie will let you into her life by sharing some of her workout tips, free workouts, healthy food choices, and life as a blogger & wife.

Pinterest – I enjoy finding short workouts and fitness quotes to inspire me

BodyBuilding.Com – It’s not just for men.  I modify many of the workouts my husband finds on this site into workouts I can do by going at a lighter weight and higher reps.  They also have female plans that you can follow.  I haven’t done any yet, but am thinking this may be something I will try in 2013

Friends, Family, & Your Pets – simply ask those you know what they are doing to stay fit & healthy

 

Here’s a wrap-up of my favorite at home workouts:

Shape.com & Shape Magazine – they always have 2-3 full workouts in each monthly magazine, you can also find workouts on their website, many of which you can do easily at home with just your body weight or possibly some light weight, an exercise ball, a yoga mat, or a kettle ball

Turbo Jam – this was one of my first workout DVDs and I am in love with the trainer, Chalene, and her energy as she guides you through a kickboxing cardio style workout

P90X – You don’t have to follow Tony’s 90 fitness plan, you can just do a number of his exercises on the days you don’t want to leave the house.  You will need weights, a pull-up bar, a towel for your sweat and about an hour of your time

Where do you get your workout inspiration?

Homemade Bread Crumbs: Never Waste Bread 'Butts' Again

I would be remiss not to pause and acknowledge the tragedy that took place this past Friday in Connecticut.   My heart breaks and holds a deep sense of loss & sadness for the families & friends who are without their loved ones after this devastating shooting.  No words can change what has happened, but I believe in the power of thought and prayer.  I hope you hug your loved ones tighter, remind those close to you how much you care, and find peace within your own life.  "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit". Ps34:18

Homemade Bread Crumbs:  Never Waste Bread 'Butts' Again & Weekly Meals

(scroll to bottom of post for Breadcrumb Recipe)

Like many families this Christmas, we will be traveling to see some of our loved ones over the holiday weekend.  I simply cannot wait!  I love cooking with my family & friends.  It’s actually my favorite part of both Thanksgiving & Christmas.  Getting up, staying in my PJs, making lots of dough for pies, biscuits, and gingerbread cookies, that’s what I associate to a great holiday gathering.

It’s been a tradition when we go to dad’s house to make awesome gingerbread creations.  Perhaps I can get the recipe from Hope, my baking partner in crime J   One year; Hope created a replica of my father’s house…a massive 2 story brick beaut on the lake.  It was AMAZING, and yet somehow, we don’t have the pictures to show it off…what were we thinking!?  In years since, we have made an airplane, a dog park, and a scuba scene.  Yea, not your typical gingerbread houses, but scenes that are close to our hearts!  Here’s a sampling:

 

As I am excited to spend time with family and friends, I have to remember that this week is a ‘normal’ week, like any other work week.  It’s going to be tough to stay focused at time as I get excited to see friends & family, cook, and ‘veg out’ (eating lots of food while staying you’re your PJs and watching a movie fest, like ‘Lord of the Rings’ or Harry Potter…yes, I have done both the days surrounding Christmas & Thanksgiving).

This week, Neal & I are cooking the most simple of foods in order to give us time to pack, relax a little, & also get that last minute gift for my brother…I have been to 3 stores now and was determined to be able to wrap it and not have it mailed after Christmas...I may have to go with the latter plan.

Meal 1 – Oven Baked Fish & Broccoli

What you need: Tilapia or white fish-thawed, egg, seasoned breadcrumbs (see below), broccoli bundle

Fish: After thawing the fish, get 2 tupperware pans and fill one with seasoned breadcrumbs (start w/ ½ a cup for 4 slightly over fist size fish) & fill the other with an egg, beat the egg.  Dip your fish in the egg mixture, then into the breading mixture.  I then put my fish on one of those racks you use to cool cookies that’s been set on top of a baking dish.  If you have a slotted baking sheet, that would work well J Bake for 10-12 minutes at 450 degrees.

Broccoli: To steam the broccoli, Neal and I use a small strainer filled to the brim with broccoli that's been salted and peppered slightly, then put into a bowl that has about 1/5 cup of water in it. Then we put that in the microwave for 3 minutes or until the broccoli is tender.

Meal 2 – Chicken Fajitas 

Ingredients

1 lb Chicken cut into bite sized pieces

Green Pepper – cut in long slices

Onion – cut in long slices

Whole Wheat Tortillas

Optional toppings

Salsa

Sour Cream

Shredded Cheese  

Spices to marinate the chicken w/ for @ least 10 min:

Franks Red Hot (or other hot sauce)

Cumin

Creole

Chili powder

Optional – Liquid smoke (1 teaspoon or less) 

***Neal makes this, and has never opted to share his technique…I would say use 1 teaspoon of the cumin, Creole & chili powder with ½ - 1 Tablespoon of the hot sauce. 

Marinate your chicken. Heat a non-stick stovetop pan on medium heat and add the chicken. Stir and cook the chicken 5-8 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through & not pink the middle. Then add in your onion& green peppers slices. Cook those for a few minutes or until the onion no longer looks stiff. Serve with tortillas and your choice of optional toppings! Enjoy!

Meal 3 – Shrimp Stir Fry

Stir fry is one of the easiest meals. First, make some rice, we typically do a stove top rice that takes about 45 minutes.  Next,  take 2-3 cups frozen veggies and heat them up in a pan. Cook your shrimp, or take precooked peeled shrimp and add them to the pan once the veggies are thawed. I like to add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some stir fry sauce. I don't have a favorite yet and am still looking for a healthier sauce.

Do you have a healthy stir fry sauce?

Making Seasoned Breadcrumbs

NEVER THROW AWAY BREAD CRUSTS AGAIN!

I keep the but ends of bread in my freezer until I have a full bread loaf bag full of just the end pieces.  Once I have that, I know it’s time to make some more breadcrumbs.

This was an old batch I made with different seasoning than my ones listed below.  You can play w/ the seasonings as you like :)

This recipe isn’t hard. You can’t mess up bread crumbs.

 

 1.       Thaw your bread & break your into chunks and process in a food processor into thicker crumbs

2.       Put these on a baking sheet in the oven at 300 for 20-25 minutes, or until crisper, turning every 5 minutes.  I normally fill up two large baking sheets.  Let cool

3.       The next part will depend on the size of your food processor.  I go through the following steps 4 times, so I cut the spices in ¼ and make sure each time I process my crumbs, I am adding roughly the same amount of spices. See (parenthesis for ¼ mix)

·         2 T Basil                                (1/2 T

·         2 T Thyme                           (1/2 T)

·         1 t Onion Powder             (1/4 t)

·         1 t Garlic Powder              (1/4 t)

·         1 t Garlic Salt                     (1/4 t)

·         1/2 t Black Pepper           (1/8 t- or just grind some up on top!)

4.       Make sure your breadcrumbs are dry so they don’t mold.  Then, seal in a labeled container.

Shop for a Cause

My how the days have flown by me!

I was in training last week back at the Nashville office, and I didn’t take time to do a single post since then!  I have stayed busy working, making Christmas presents, shopping, cooking, wrapping presents, cleaning, fixing things that Walden destroys (he ate his dog bed and some beautiful throw pillows including this flower one & I still need to fix/remake them all…), & I have also stayed busy working on some beautiful creations for the Lively Happenings shop on Etsy! 

I wanted to do something special this Christmas season.  I wanted to give back in a way that allows my creativity to come through while benefiting a great cause.

For every purchase from the Lively Happenings store, I will make a one of a kind piece for Strings for Hope!

Strings for Hope is founded by a great woman who lives near Music City (NASHVILLE!)!  This woman’s daughter was at a friend’s house one afternoon, when the daughter came back, her mother asked her what they had for lunch.  Her daughter replied, “We didn’t have lunch”.  The reasoning for no lunch was no fault of the parent’s; the family simply didn’t have the funds to afford 3 full meals a day.  Being so deeply touched, this great woman knew she had to get involved one way or another to change not only this family, but hundreds of families. Being the wife of a musician, she constantly saw broken guitar strings being thrown away, and she knew there was something that could be done with them to make a profit. Her and other designers, such as myself, up-cycle used guitar strings to make jewelry sold at craft shows and music festivals. All of the proceeds go towards curing hunger!  Now how great is that!

To learn more about Strings for Hope visit their website http://stringsforhope.com/

Keep up-to date on venues and events where you can purchase these pieces by liking them on Facebook.  https://www.facebook.com/StringsForHope#!/StringsForHope

So help me to help this great organization!  Purchase from my shop, or directly from me & I will match piece by piece an item I will make from guitar strings & donate to Strings for Hope.

Here’s a few of my previous designs:

Pendant, Bracelet, Earrings

 

 Christmas Ornaments

 

 A Few More Bracelets

 

 

Do you have a great charity you are supporting this holiday season?

FYI Strings for Hope is in Memphis Today at the Shop ‘Til Ya Drop Holiday Extravaganza at the Memphis Cook Convention Center.  Click here for more info!