Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Yes, you read that title correctly. Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies... there is such a thing and let me tell you, my life is better just by knowing in exists.

By combing creamy cheesecake with the dense, chocolate laced red velvet cake, we have a match made in heaven in these brownies. Be warned, I can't guarantee you won't want to eat the entire pan yourself so make sure you decide to make these when you have some sort of soiree to attend. Party guests will thank you for bringing them and your jeans will thank you for not eating the whole pan.

Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
(adapted from: Baking Bites)



1 cup butter
4-oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 tsp red food coloring
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

16-oz cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 13x9 square baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease.
In a small, heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate together. Stir with a fork until very smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and red food coloring. Add in the chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Add flour and salt into the bowl and stir until everything is just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain.
Pour into prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
Prepare cheesecake mixture. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Drop in dollops onto prepared brownie batter. Gently swirl two batters with a butter knife.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until brownies and cheesecake are set. A knife inserted into the cheesecake mixture should come out clean and the edges will be lightly browned.
Cool in the pan completely before slicing and serving, either at room temperature or chilled.
Brownies can be refrigerated, covered, for several days.

Fall In Love

If you know me, you know I love fall. I'm border line obsessed with it. The decor, the attire, the food, the crisp weather... all of it. I wish it were fall all. year. long.

So when I spotted this link up on Big City Bell's blog, I knew I had to play... my attention today is going to be on Fall Decor since with our new house on the horizon, it's all I can seem to think about!

I love these preppy monogram pumpkins... I think two on our front steps, one for moi and one for Mr. TL would be sweet!


These metallic pumpkins have stolen my heart too! They would transition nicely into late November too!


Lord knows I love a nice hurricane vase filled with some sort of pebble and topped with a candle... so why not use yummy candy corn for a festive October look?


And although it doesn't seem to overtly be decor related, I love B&BW soaps and their fall scents are pure perfection!


Don't forget to go link up and share your fall lovelies on Big City Belle's blog!

I'm more than just a one trick pony!

Helloooo followers!

Let me apologize for my lack o bloggin' in the recent weeks. I promise there is more to me than just a yummy recipe here and there! Things this time of year are cray-cray with our photography business (yay) but on top of that... we're BUYING A HOUSE. Gah! It's so very surreal... I probably won't believe it until closing day and we have keys in our hands! Here she is...



Be prepared to be inundated with tons and tons of DIY home projects as Mr. TL & I have grand plans to transform our new house into a new HOME.

If you want a sneak peek at the plans, visit my Pinterest site for all things home related: Pinterest is Love.

Get excited, people!! :)

Tequila Marinated London Broil

Mr. TL is a lover of all things red meat. I, on the other hand, could survive easily without ever eating red meat again. But, since I'm an awesome wife, I throw my hubby a bone here and there and make him a juicy steak. This past week I whipped up a quick marinade with yummy ingredients I had in the house that I thought would work well together... tequila, garlic, soy, fresh jalapeno, brown sugar? Yes please! The result was a tangy and sneaky spicy piece of steak that hit the spot for Mr. TL and didn't have me running for the white meat hills.

Enjoy!

Tequila Marinated London Broil


1 jalapeno pepper, seeded
2 cloves garlic
1 cup tequila
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds London broil

In a food processor, combine all ingredients except London broil. Process until smooth. Place London broil in a non-reactive container and pour marinade over top, turning it to coat. Refrigerate for at least 4 to 6 hours before cooking. (Note: I let mine marinate overnight and the result was a super juicy steak!).

Preheat grill to high and cook 5 minutes per side for a med-rare piece.

Let steak rest for at least 10 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain of the meat.

Creamy Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken

Here is yet another Pintrest recipe find that turned out so very good - Creamy Crock Pot Mexican Chicken. The last 6 weeks I've been taking a summer course that went until 8:30 pm, meaning I wasn't home till just about 9 pm four nights a week. For a girl who loves (seriously LOVES) to cook dinner each night, it was unsettling to expect to come home at 9 pm and whip up a full meal so I turned to my trusty slow cooker. My slow cooker and I are BFF's. From full meals to warm winter beverages, my slow cooker is a god send. It's that one item from my wedding registry that I use more than anything else!

Ok... onto the the recipe. Let's be honest for a second... any recipe that has only 5 ingredients and includes no real measuring is a okay in my book for a quicky meal and this one did not disappoint. Although it may not look appealing ("soupy, shredded chicken goup" is what Mr. TL called it), I promise it tastes delicious. And bonus feature of this recipe - the leftovers are seriously amazing!

Enjoy :)

Creamy Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken
(adapted from: The Larson Lingo)



4 frozen chicken breasts
8 oz block of cream cheese
1 can of Black Beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 bag of frozen corn
1 can of chopped tomatoes with chilies
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 teaspoon Lawry's seasoned salt

Put frozen chicken in the slow cooker and pile cream cheese, black beans, corn, and tomatoes on top of that. Cover with lid and set for 8-10 hours on low.
Once the chicken is cooked, you can shred it in the pot. For me, this happened around hour 6 and at this point, I sprinkled on the taco seasoning and seasoned salt.
Allow to simmer all together until hour 8 to 10. Serve over white or brown rice.

Chick Pea, Avocado, Cucumber and Tomato Salad

I went scouring the Internet for a simple, fresh, and light side dish to serve alongside my Grilled Garlic Balsamic Pork Loin and came across a website on one of my favorite site's - Gina's Skinny Recipes. Every recipe is made with your waist line in mind without compromising any flavor and I dig that.

I perused her site and found a recipe for a cucumber salad that incorporated everything I love about summer - tomatoes, avocado, lime juice, and cukes! She included black beans in her salad to punch up the fiber but I only had chick peas on hand so I opted to go with that. The result - a cool, refreshing salad that was the perfect compliment to my pork. Recipes like this are so basic in nature that you really can switch in and out the ingredients that best fit your family's needs. Enjoy!

Chick Pea, Avocado, Cucumber and Tomato Salad
(adapted from: Gina's Skinny Recipes)



1 seedless cucumber, peeled and diced
2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
2 hass avocados, diced
15.5 oz can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 shallot, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
salt and fresh pepper

Combine all the ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Grilled Garlic Balsamic Pork Loin

Pintrest has become my new obsession. I waste hours of my life on that site doing nothing more than pinning recipes, decor ideas, sayings, and other random bits of stuff that strikes my fancy. Sometimes it's entirely useless while other times, it's perfectly wonderful. The latter is what I'd lump this recipe in with.

Grilled Garlic Balsamic Pork Loin is seriously love. It's moist, delicious, tasty, and overall an nice spin on a pork loin which, let's face it, can be sort of boring. Make this pork loin today and I promise you'll look at pork in a whole new light!

Grilled Garlic Balsamic Pork Loin
(adapted from: Kitchen Confidante)



6 garlic cloves, finely minced or crushed
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin

Stir together garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a small bowl. Allow to marinate overnight.
Sear the tenderloins on all sides, then grill for about 20-30 minutes, rotating every 10 minutes, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees. Try to let it rest before slicing.