Tasty Tuesday: Oreo Truffles

Happy Tuesday!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! :)

I just wanted to share a very easy and delicious recipe with you guys -- Oreo Truffles! :D

What you need and what to do:

- A package of Oreos

Put Oreos in food processor and set some aside.

If you don't have a food processor, no worries - put the Oreos in a big Ziploc bag and crush them with a pan or something of that sort. ;P

- 1 softened cream cheese

Mix the Oreo crumbs with the cream cheese.

I know that probably doesn't look too appetizing, but I promise it's going to be delicious! ;)

Form the Oreo-cream cheese mixture into balls.

- Chocolate (or white chocolate)

Melt it - either by double boiler or microwave.

Dip the Oreo-cream cheese balls into the chocolate.

The chocolate chips I used were actually a bit too sticky, but it worked out okay. Next time, I'm probably gonna use a chocolate bar instead.

After dipping them in chocolate, sprinkle your saved Oreo crumbs on top - make sure you do that right away, while the chocolate is still melted and sticky.

Refrigerate for an hour or two... and taaaaaa-daaaaa:

Delicious and pretty Oreo truffles!

These are perfect to just munch at home, serve as dessert when you have friends over, or even as a gift! I'm actually thinking of making a bunch to give my friends for Christmas -- I know it's a long time from now, but it's never too early to start planning your Christmas gifts, haha. ;)

Isn't this recipe very easy to follow? And the truffles are just delicious! :)

Do you have a different truffle recipe? Is this a recipe you might want to try?

P.S. My Perricone giveaway is open until July 23rd! Click the link to enter for a chance to win any Perricone product of your choice. :D

Tasty Tuesday: Lemon Bars

Happy Tuesday!

It's finally beginning to feel like Summer. No more June gloom... at least I think so. ;) It's actually a good balance - not too cold, but not sweltering hot either. :)

I don’t know if you guys remember, but I mentioned in one of my older posts that next on my baking list is lemon bars. Guess what? I finally tried making lemon bars a few months ago! :D

I wasn’t able to take pictures of the whole process, but I did take a picture of the lemon bars I made. :)

Here's the recipe:

For the crust, you are going to need

1 cup flour

¼ cup confectioner's sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

½ cup cold butter, cut into small pieces

For the filling, you are going to need

3 tablespoons flour

½ cup fresh lemon juice

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

A pinch of salt

You will also need confectioner's sugar for dusting.

All you have to do:

- sift flour, confectioner's sugar, and salt – transfer to food processor

- add lemon zest and pulse – add butter a few pieces at a time, process until crumbly – transfer to a square pan (foiled and greased), and press evenly into bottom and sides

- bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit

- whisk together flour and lemon juice – add eggs, sugar, lemon zest, and salt – whisk until smooth

- pour filling into baked crust

- reduce heat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for about 30 minutes

- cool – lift cookie from pan and place on cutting board

- dust with confectioner's sugar and cut into bars

And taaaaadaaaahhh, you will end up with yummy lemon bars!

Mine weren’t perfect, but they came out pretty well. And they were goooood. :D

Here are some other delicious lemon bars:

***images from Google***

Do you have your own recipe for lemon bars? Any tips for us?

If you end up trying out this recipe, let me know how it turns out for you! :)

And another reminder, my giveaway is open until June 18th! :D

Win $100 to spend on Shopbop!

CSN: Cuisinart 7-Speed Hand Mixer

Happy Thursday!

I hope you guys liked seeing photos of the Royal Wedding courtesy of People magazine! :D

If you haven't seen them, you can click this link:

Wedding: Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Anyway, how is your week going? I hope you are all having a good week. :)

A few months ago, CSN Stores gave me another opportunity to review an item from one of their many stores. They generously gave me $55 to order whatever I would like to review. My first instinct was to look at the shoes, of course. But, when I really thought about it, I came to the conclusion that I don’t really need a new pair of boots or sandals! Yeah, my Mom would be so proud to learn that I am now thinking practically, haha. ;)

So then, what did I order? I got myself a Cuisinart 7-Speed Hand Mixer! One of the best decisions I made because 1) I love to bake, and having this hand mixer really makes it easier and more fun to whip up some baked goodies, and 2) I was finally able to give my sister her mixer back. :D

It's original price is $90, but when I ordered this, it was on sale for about $49 (if I remember correctly) – such a bargain! I was hoping to get an actual stand mixer, but those are way beyond my $55 budget, so finding this Cuisinart Hand Mixer was a blessing! One day I will buy myself a stand mixer, but for now I am a happy girl with my hand mixer. :)

So, moving on… here are some details about the Cuisinart Hand Mixer:

Simple Operation – One touch provides easy speed control. Press the beater release lever for quick cleanups.

Automatic Power Boost – 220 watt motor with automatic feedback adds more power to mix the heaviest ingredients when needed. More Mixing Options – 7 speeds, including 3 extra-low settings, let you mix small to large batches of ultra-light to heavy ingredients.

Clean Counters - SmoothStart® feature starts extra slowly to eliminate splatters. A Cuisinart exclusive.

Comfortable Handling – A balanced handle and rotating swivel cord make mixing comfortable for right- or left- handed users. A Cuisinart exclusive.

It has a limited 3-year warranty. The LED display makes it easy to see how fast your mixer is going.

The mixer comes with extra-long self cleaning beaters with no central post, a stainless steel professional chef’s whisk, and a spatula.

Besides instructions and a user guide, its manual also has some mixing tips and recipes ranging from cinnamon muffins to cappuccino cheesecake to gorgonzola soufflé!

I’ve been using my hand mixer for a few months now, and I’ve had no problems with it (besides the normal heating up of the machine, of course). It starts out slow, so no messy splatters for me. And I love its extra-long beaters because it doesn’t matter if my mixing bowl is filled to the brim with batter. The beaters are dishwasher safe, but I prefer to wash and dry it by hand. ;) The spatula is also a really good kind – very sturdy!

I really think this hand mixer is a great buy! Especially if you’re just starting out with baking, or if like me, you love to bake but don’t get to do so as often as you’d like. I find that starting out with a simple hand mixer is better than going for a full-on stand mixer right away. :)

Do you use a hand mixer? What brand and kind do you use?

If you are using a stand mixer, what brand and model would you recommend?

I also just wanted to share with you guys something I discovered… since the hand mixer only cost about $49, I had more or less $6 left over, and I didn't want that to go to waste.

I didn’t know that you can order rug samples! Did you know that? I found some for about $3.50, and it’s free shipping!

Right now, I don’t really know what to do with it, but I’m sure one day it’ll come in handy. ;)

Any ideas on what I can use it for?

Have a fantastic rest of the week, guys! Hang in there, the weekend is almost here. :D

And, don't forget to enter my giveaway for a chance to win a $100 Shopbop gift card!

Thanks to all those who entered and good luck! :D