I’ve been sitting on this cookbook for a couple of months now. Not because I don’t like it. Quite the contrary. The Savory Sweet Life Cookbook is a gorgeous book, full of wonderful stories accompanied by family-friendly, unique recipes….

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Paula Deen and I appear to have something in common. We both believe that if you are going to make dessert, you might as well just go all out. Bring out the butter, pour on the sugar… none of this Splenda and light this and that business. Everyday cooking, you need to lighten up, but dessert? If you can’t making something indulgent, why make anything at all?

Now, listen carefully because there is a significant sequence of events that have led me to have to say goodbye to Paula for awhile. Even though I love Ms Paula, a few words “from the mouths of babes” have encouraged me to re-think things a bit. Maybe there is a reason those of you who post about light desserts are skinny. Maybe, just maybe, you are on to something.

Written here, is the sequence of events that have certainly changed my immediate future as I know it.

• On a whim, I saw Paula Deen’s Best Desserts on the magazine stand and I picked up a copy
• As soon as I got home, I thumbed through the magazine and dog eared page, after page, after page of delicious dessert recipes
• Fast forward a few days and I am in the shower. In to the bathroom walks my 3 year old. She glances at me and says “Mama, why are your boobies laying down on your tummy?” To add insult to injury, I thought for sure I had misunderstood what she said, so I  had her repeat it. Nope… word for word, spot on. No denying what she said.
• Just a mere two days later, my 6 year old walks into my bathroom, again, while I am in the shower. She looks at me and her face turned to the most excited expression and she shouts “Mom? We’re having another baby??!!!!” Yeah… thanks a lot. She was immediately cut from the will.
• I quickly decide that #1 – I need to get a door on the master bath so my insulting kids can’t come in and verbally assault me anymore while I am helpless in the shower and #2 – I need to buy an elliptical.
• Elliptical purchased, kids banned from my bathroom, and my dear, Paula Dean Best Desserts magazine sits staring at me, day after day…taunting me to make something – anything.
  
• Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. Paula Deen and I meet again. I had an occasion to make a dessert. Is it a sin to make something of Paula’s light? I think so. I’m pretty sure it would have been #11 in the Ten Commandments had they had room on their stone tablet for one more.
• Made Cookies & Cream cupcakes and <gasp> did cut down on the powdered sugar by a couple of cups, but otherwise kept all of the butter, sugar, cream, in tact.

These Cookies & Cream cupcakes from Paula Deen’s Best Dessert Special Collector’s Issue (which should be banned from butter lover’s anonymous because there is a lot of butter in this book. Paula must have something special going on with the National Dairy Council.) They may have a lot of calories, but they are worth every last little bit. And if your kid starts to comment on the size of your behind, just stuff a cupcake in their mouth. That should take care of it.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes from Paula Deen Best Dessert Special Collector’s Issue

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbs baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 14 coarsely crushed cream-filled chocolate wafer cookies (Oreos)
• Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
• Garnish: miniature cream filled chocolate wafer cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 28 muffin cups with foil liners.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed with a mixer until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture, alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Stir in crushed cookies. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread or pipe Cream Cheese Frosting evenly over cupcakes. Garnish with cookies, if desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting (Makes 6 cups… I only needed half of this recipe for the cupcakes)

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 9 cups confectioners’ sugar (I only used 6 cups and the frosting was great)

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with a mixer until creamy. Beat in cream until combined. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth.

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For the past 2 months, every time Ella will go on the potty, whoever is home will rush into the room and start saying “Yay!!!” and clapping. Everyone, even without telling them to, has been making a big deal out of her success and telling her how proud we are of her. Finally, on Saturday, she went on the potty and the whole family went in and clapped and caused a big commotion. With an annoyed look on her face, Ella held both of her hands up and said “Stop with the clappin’…stop with the clappin!” It was hilarious, like she was finally done with the over abundant amount of excitement and attention for doing something that she now knows how to do!

You know, I believe some things deserve a standing ovation, and in my opinion, being done with diapers is one of them! Another thing that deserves a standing ovation is blogiversary’s. Nicole, who is one of my favorite bloggers, is the talent behind Art and Ailoi as well as Miss ‘N Nick Designs. I absolutely love it when people who have an amazing creative talent take that talent and build a successful business out of it. Nicole, on top of being a loving wife and wonderful mother, has done just that. She creates beautiful stationary.  Somehow Nicole also finds time to cook and maintain a wonderful food blog, which has just celebrated its 1st year. Congratulations, Nicole!

Nicole asked people to bring an appetizer or beverage for her blogiversary, but I decided to be different and make a cake. This Chocolate Covered Oreo Cookie Cake is so simple to make, so rich and delicious, and worthy of a standing ovation itself. If you want to use your Instant Pot for an Oreo dessert, give this Instant Pot Oreo Cheesecake a try!

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Chocolate Covered Oreo Cookie Cake

This dessert is so simple to make, so rich and delicious, it's almost guaranteed to be your new favorite recipe!

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Author Dine & Dish

Ingredients

• 1 18 ounce package devil's food cake mix
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• 4 baker's semi-sweet chocolate baking squares
• 1/4 cup butter cut up
• 1 8 ounce package Philadelphia Cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups thawed Cool Whip Topping
• 12 Oreo cookies coarsely crushed

Instructions

• PREHEAT oven to 350°F Prepare and bake cake mix in two (9-inch) round cake pans as directed on package. Cool in pans 5 minute Invert onto wire racks; remove pans. Cool layers completely.
• PLACE chocolate and butter in small microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 2 minute or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool 5 minute
• BEAT cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add the whipped topping and cookie crumbs; mix lightly. Place 1 of the cake layers, top-side down, on serving plate; spread with the cream cheese mixture. Cover with the remaining cake layer, top-side up. Spoon glaze over top of cake. Let stand until set. Store in refrigerator.

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Living in the proximity of two small towns away from each other, it didn’t take long for the two of us to find out about each other. Travis first called me up to ask me out a short while after we met. We chatted for a long while on the phone the first time he called and he ended the call with “I was wondering if you would like to go get a Coke sometime.” Random, but of course I would! Next call to ask me out… “Would you like to go get a Coke?” Even if our date was dinner out, a movie, going over to his parents house to hang out, he would always ask me if I wanted to go get a Coke. Eventually, after we had been dating for awhile, I called him on it. “Why do you always ask me if I want to go get a Coke? Even if we aren’t going some place for a Coke, you ask me if I want to get a Coke?” He explained that it is just what guys say if they want to hang out with you. Ummmm, okay. Travis and I continued to get Cokes for 4 years after that.

Fast forward to life as I know it now. I’m an almost 35 year old mom of 3, living in the burbs, and surrounded by other women living very similar lives. A few years ago, I noticed a shift in things that took me back to my “Wanna get a Coke?” years. I would get calls on a regular basis from other moms asking me if I wanted to go get a coffee. I didn’t really like coffee back then, but the thought of hanging out with other adults during the witching hours with the kids really appealed to me. We would go out, kids in hand, and get “coffee”. Eventually, I realized that getting coffee was similar to getting a coke. It was just a way of one person asking another person if they wanted to get out of the house and get to know each other. Getting coffee, in the life of a suburban mom, is something I now look forward to on a regular basis. A chance to hang out with other women to share frustrations, joys, woes, ideas, etc. More sophisticated than “wanna get a coke”, going for coffee is the same thing, only all grown up.

Speaking of “all grown up”, were you an Oreo cookie fan? I still find myself craving those things dunked in a big glass of cold milk. I now tend to be a closet dunker as it doesn’t seem very acceptable for someone of my age to have a Oreo cookie mustache. If you want to enjoy a kiddo treat but in a grown up acceptable format, give this Cookies ‘n Cream Cake a try. Like your Oreos and milk, only all grown up.

Cookies ‘n Cream Cake from Pampered Chef Delightful Desserts

CAKE
12 crème-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, coarsely chopped
1 package white cake mix
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sour cream
3 egg whites
2 Tbs vegetable oil

ICING
6 crème-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
3 Tbs butter, softened

1 Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray fluted cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. For cake, coarsely chop cookies, set aside. Combine cake mix, water, sour cream, egg whites and oil; mix according to package directions.
2.  Pour half of the batter into pan. Sprinkle chopped cookies evenly over top of batter but not touching sides of pan. Spoon remaining batter over cookies.
3. Bake 50-55 minutes or until center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Loosen cake from sides and center tube of pan. Invert onto cooling rack; remove pan. Cool completely.
4. For icing, coarsely chop cookies; sest aside. Combine powdered sugar, sour cream and butter; beat until smooth. Ice top of cake allowing some to flow down the sides. Sprinkle top with cookies. Let stand until icing is set. Cut into slices. Store leftover cake, covered in refrigerator
Yields 16 servings.

Come out of the closet and get your Oreo fix. Here is what other food bloggers are doing with these yummy cookies!

• Oreo Cupcakes from Baking Bites
• Oreo Cheesecake from Happy Home Baking
• Oreo Truffles from The Savory Notebook
• Homemade Oreos from Love and Olive Oil

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• Have you had the chance to check out my Mom’s blog yet? She is amazing me each and every day with her stories! I am so proud of her!
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