Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie So it seems as though the hottest weather of the summer has past us in the northeast, but we still don’t feel like turning on the oven. With all the windows open and fans turning at full blast, having the oven on at all just makes us feel closed in and like we’re pushing away summer and ushering in winter. Excuse our language but hell no. That is why this week we wanted to share with you our long promised recipe for no bake chocolate peanut butter pie. This easy to make crowd pleaser will surely go off with a big bang whether it is at a late summer cookout or a decadent desert served over the dining table on Sunday.Ingredients: 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar 1 cup chocolate peanut butter (we prefer ours fresh pressed at Whole Foods, but you can get this in any peanut butter isle) 1 cup milk (whole preferably, but anything other than skim will do, we used 1%) 1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed (or use our recipe for home made whipped topping) 2 (9 inch) prepared chocolate graham cracker crusts 4 Oreos, crushed For home made whipped topping: 1 cup heavy whipping cream 2 Tablespoons confectioners sugar 1 Tablespoon Almond Extract Directions: Beat together cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in 1/2 of whipped topping. Spoon into two 9 inch chocolate graham cracker pie shells, cover and freeze. Before serving add remainder of whipped topping to the top of the pie; sprinkle with crushed oreos. For Whipped Topping:The best method for making your own whipped topping is having everything cold. Freeze the bowl you are going to use, chill your whisk, and (this should be a given) use COLD cream. Whisk cream vigorously until peaks begin to form, add confectioners sugar and almond extract and continue to whisk until peaks have formed fully. Be sure not to over whip your cream, otherwise you will get a more buttery consistency. Did you like this recipe? Did it work for you? What did you change? Let us know and ask us questions!
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

So it seems as though the hottest weather of the summer has past us in the northeast, but we still don’t feel like turning on the oven. With all the windows open and fans turning at full blast, having the oven on at all just makes us feel closed in and like we’re pushing away summer and ushering in winter. Excuse our language but hell no. That is why this week we wanted to share with you our long promised recipe for no bake chocolate peanut butter pie. This easy to make crowd pleaser will surely go off with a big bang whether it is at a late summer cookout or a decadent desert served over the dining table on Sunday.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 cup chocolate peanut butter (we prefer ours fresh pressed at Whole Foods, but you can get this in any peanut butter isle)
  • 1 cup milk (whole preferably, but anything other than skim will do, we used 1%)
  • 1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed (or use our recipe for home made whipped topping)
  • 2 (9 inch) prepared chocolate graham cracker crusts
  • 4 Oreos, crushed


For home made whipped topping:

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 Tablespoons confectioners sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Almond Extract


Directions:

  1. Beat together cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth.
  2. Fold in 1/2 of whipped topping.
  3. Spoon into two 9 inch chocolate graham cracker pie shells, cover and freeze.
  4. Before serving add remainder of whipped topping to the top of the pie; sprinkle with crushed oreos.


For Whipped Topping:
The best method for making your own whipped topping is having everything cold. Freeze the bowl you are going to use, chill your whisk, and (this should be a given) use COLD cream.

  1. Whisk cream vigorously until peaks begin to form, add confectioners sugar and almond extract and continue to whisk until peaks have formed fully. Be sure not to over whip your cream, otherwise you will get a more buttery consistency.


Did you like this recipe? Did it work for you? What did you change? Let us know and ask us questions!

We’re back! Spencer and I have been spending a ton of time enjoying all sorts of goodies not made by us. We’ve been eating out, spending time with family, and trying to stay cool in the hot summer sun. We made this delicious no-bake chocolate peanut butter pie last week for Tim’s sister’s birthday, and let me tell you, it was amazing. It was so good that we didn’t even get a picture of the finished product because it was eaten before we could get the camera back out to take pictures of it! Don’t worry though, there have been many requests from the family that we make it again, so stay tuned!

Today we thought we would bring you some idea of where the food we use comes from. Tim, Spencer, and Tim’s mom maintain a small organic garden. It’s nothing special, but we have produced some excellent cucumbers, zucchini, and a variety of herbs like basil, oregano, mint, and rosemary. Tim loves growing herbs, because there is nothing that will boost a meal more than some fresh seasoning.

The garden is very easy to maintain. Watering every day is essential, and weeding can be a chore if you don’t stay on top of it. But Tim likes working on it, and the end result makes such a difference in the quality of our foods that it is worth every effort.

Of course, not all of our food comes from our backyard. When it comes to meat, we are fairly dedicated to the great guys at Whole Foods Market. Our local store is in Hingham, MA, and the guys there are knowledgeable, friendly, and are always willing to lend you some cooking advice. Any produce we don’t grow also mostly comes from Whole Foods, with the exception of native corn, which we get at Farmer’s markets. We love supporting local farms and families, and Whole Foods makes that easy by pointing out local foods with, ‘I’m a Local’ signage. Their meat is also brought in fresh daily from farms in Massachusetts, Maine, New York and Vermont. Put shortly, there is rarely an instance when we question the quality of Whole Foods.

I’m sure some of you are saying to yourselves, ‘but these are two young dudes, how can they POSSIBLY afford to shop at swanky places like Whole Foods?’ Well their are a few answers to that. The primary answer is that we don’t pay for the food, Tim’s parents do. In exchange for a bed, heat, A/C, and other necessities of life that we need, we do some basic chores around the house. The biggest of these is doing the food shopping. That doesn’t mean we are handed a blank check and told to go to town. We stick mostly to Whole Foods 365 Brand whenever possible, and for anything other than meats, produce, and random other items, we do the bulk of our shopping at Stop and Shop. While we don’t see a problem in paying more for quality meat, we don’t see the sense in paying double for the same toilet bowl cleaner.

So there you have it. Freshness begets freshness wherever you go, so don’t skimp when you want to make something truly delicious. Take your time in selecting your foods at the market, and try to have fun in selecting everything you want to cook.

Do you have a garden? A favorite market? Let us know! We are always looking for fresh ideas!

It’s Tim’s Birthday!

Well today is Tim’s birthday, and we have no idea what we are going to cook. He’s thinking some sort of seafood trio, but we have yet to decide. any ideas?

Q:WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE INANIMATE OBJECT?

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Objects are irrelevant, people are my favorites. And I would never treat one as an object.

-Tim

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread Ingredients3 cups all-purpose flour2 cups sugar1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon ground nutmeg1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/4 teaspoon baking powder3 eggs1/2 cup of vegetable oil1 tablespoon grated orange peel2 teaspoons almond extract2 cups shredded zucchini1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another large bowl, beat eggs, apple sauce, orange peel, vegetable oil, and almond extract. Stir the dry mixture into the liquid measure until moistened. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips. Divide the batter between two greased 9” X 5” X 3” loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. We had a very large zucchini come out of our garden this morning. These types are usually too large to cook with, but they can make an excellent bread. We added almond extract instead of vanilla, partially out of taste preference but mostly because we were out of vanilla extract. We also like a lot of chocolate chips, so we went with an extra half a cup. If the mixture is much to firm, don’t be afraid to add just a little extra oil. Enjoy this recipe from our kitchen!
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Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Ingredients

  1. In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients.
  2. In another large bowl, beat eggs, apple sauce, orange peel, vegetable oil, and almond extract.
  3. Stir the dry mixture into the liquid measure until moistened. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips.
  4. Divide the batter between two greased 9” X 5” X 3” loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

BatterCooling

We had a very large zucchini come out of our garden this morning. These types are usually too large to cook with, but they can make an excellent bread. We added almond extract instead of vanilla, partially out of taste preference but mostly because we were out of vanilla extract. We also like a lot of chocolate chips, so we went with an extra half a cup.

If the mixture is much to firm, don’t be afraid to add just a little extra oil. Enjoy this recipe from our kitchen!

Strawberries with Nutella So this afternoon we found ourselves starving for something sweet. Tim’s parents have been putting in a new in ground pool, so we thought we would play with some ideas for sweet treats that could be enjoyed on a nice summer day. This couldn’t be any simpler. Nutella is great on just about anything, but sweet in season local strawberries have a soft spot in our hearts. Submerge the lovelies about half way in a tub of nutella, remove, and enjoy. For a cooler snack, refrigerate for about 30 minutes too an hour. Warning: As are most delectable edibles, this sweet treat will come back and kick you in the thighs. Try to take it easy on them if you can, but we won’t blame you if you can’t :-P
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Strawberries with Nutella

So this afternoon we found ourselves starving for something sweet. Tim’s parents have been putting in a new in ground pool, so we thought we would play with some ideas for sweet treats that could be enjoyed on a nice summer day. This couldn’t be any simpler.

Nutella is great on just about anything, but sweet in season local strawberries have a soft spot in our hearts. Submerge the lovelies about half way in a tub of nutella, remove, and enjoy. For a cooler snack, refrigerate for about 30 minutes too an hour.

Warning: As are most delectable edibles, this sweet treat will come back and kick you in the thighs. Try to take it easy on them if you can, but we won’t blame you if you can’t :-P

Wicked Good Burgers Ingredients1 1/2 lbs. ground beef1/2 onion, chopped3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese1 teaspoon soy sauce1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce1 egg1 clove garlic, minced1 teaspoon garlic powder1 teaspoon dried parsley1 teaspoon dried basil1 teaspoon dried oregano1/2 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary Preheat a grill for high heat. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, onion, cheese, and the rest of the ingredients. Grill patties for 5 minutes on each side for well done, a little less time if you like it rarer. It was a rainy day today, but we were determined to grill. Tim’s sister Jes was coming for dinner, and we had taken beef patties out of the freezer earlier. We are never the type of people to refreeze beef (in fact, Tim prefers his fresh bought, but we take what we can get when we’re not paying for the food) and now, since Jes doesn’t like beef, we were also going to have to cook with Turkey. Spencer spent the afternoon searching for a good, simple recipe, and finally stumbled across this one on all recipes. The only thing we didn’t add in was an onion soup packet, but we made up for that in a little extra garlic and fresh onion. Overall, this burger has a great flavor to it. The rich aroma came off the grill the moment we placed them on, and it really made up for the fact that Tim had to stand in the rain to cook them. Next time we are going to use fresh rosemary and basil from our organic garden. Top with fresh lettuce and tomato and this burger will be a perfect dinner for any summer night.
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Wicked Good Burgers

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary

  1. Preheat a grill for high heat.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, onion, cheese, and the rest of the ingredients.
  3. Grill patties for 5 minutes on each side for well done, a little less time if you like it rarer.

It was a rainy day today, but we were determined to grill. Tim’s sister Jes was coming for dinner, and we had taken beef patties out of the freezer earlier. We are never the type of people to refreeze beef (in fact, Tim prefers his fresh bought, but we take what we can get when we’re not paying for the food) and now, since Jes doesn’t like beef, we were also going to have to cook with Turkey.

Spencer spent the afternoon searching for a good, simple recipe, and finally stumbled across this one on all recipes. The only thing we didn’t add in was an onion soup packet, but we made up for that in a little extra garlic and fresh onion.

Overall, this burger has a great flavor to it. The rich aroma came off the grill the moment we placed them on, and it really made up for the fact that Tim had to stand in the rain to cook them.

Next time we are going to use fresh rosemary and basil from our organic garden.

Top with fresh lettuce and tomato and this burger will be a perfect dinner for any summer night.