Now on to the FUN STUFF! The fourth of July brings a lot of room for fun creativity. You can make plenty of fun and colorful dishes and desserts or even decorate your backyard to enjoy the special occasion. I didn’t have much time to do anything super creative — actually the only themed items are food! Pretzel Salad (recipe below) and chocolate dipped pretzel sticks with red and blue sprinkles. The photos and links below are just some inspirational posts from some awesome bloggers and sites out there. Hope you find the links below helpful for your 4th celebration this year or next….

• Simply Creative Insanity: Awesome 4th of July Table Design
• Twig & Thistle: DIY 4th of July
• Paper & Cake: Red White and Blue Decor
• Two Hearts Together: Flag Treats
• Taste of Home: Red White and Blue Torte
• Eventagious: Party Ideas

Pretzel Salad

Layer 1: Pretzel Crust
2 C. Crushed Pretzels
3/4 C. Melted Butter
3 Tbs. Sugar

Layer 2: Cream
8 Oz. Cream Cheese
8 Oz. Whipped Cream
1 C. Sugar

Layer 3: Jello
6 Oz. Strawberry Jello
2 C. Water
20 Oz. Sweetened Frozen Strawberries (or other Frozen Berries)

1. Mix the crushed pretzels, melted butter and sugar; Spread into a greased 9×13″ pan. Bake at 400 Degrees for 8 minutes and cool completely.
2. Beat cream cheese until smooth; add sugar and fold in the whipped cream. Spread over the cooled pretzel crust and set aside.
3. Bring the water to a boil and dissolve the jello. Cool slightly (until barely steaming — I usually pour the jello into a bowl to let cool). Stir in the frozen strawberries and let thicken a little. Pour over the cream mixture.
4. Cover the salad and place in the refrigerator to set.
5. ENJOY!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

I adore cupcakes, which is why I am happy see them EVERYWHERE! I have been busy baking a lot of fun cupcakes for birthdays, gatherings, summer and just because! There are just so many fun things that can be done with cupcakes for themed birthdays, baby showers, bridal showers and other occasions that can use a cute boost! Let’s just face it — a cupcake can do a world of wonders to make any party or gathering more memorable.

The above photo is of my most recent cupcake “adventure.” Champagne cupcakes with fresh Raspberry Buttercream Frosting. I have made buttercream before but never with a fruit in the mix. Not only was it easy and exciting, the result was delicious! (even my husband says it is his favorite cupcake frosting I have made to date!) So there you have it, ladies and gentleman, it is a winner! After making this frosting, I did a little research on buttercream (and probably still need to do a bit more) and how to work with it; but first, the recipe:

I followed my original recipe for buttercream that I received at my Wilton cake decorating class a couple years ago and threw some fresh raspberries in the mix.

1/2 c. Butter (softened)
1/2 c. Fresh Raspberries (washed and dried well)
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
1 (16 oz.) bag of Powdered Sugar

Mix the first four ingredients until softened:

Gradually add the powdered sugar, scraping the bowl after every few additions, until smooth:

A few things that I didn’t know about buttercream:

• If made with butter (as in this recipe) instead of shortening — it is going to harden when refrigerated, so take it out about 30 minutes before you want to frost your cake or cupcakes (or if you have the cake/cupcakes refrigerated, take out 30 minutes before serving)
• You DO need to refrigerate buttercream and any dessert that uses it due to the fat-sugar ratio
• If you need softer buttercream, use shortening (but note it will not be as tasty, in my opinion)
• If it is going to be warm/ hot when serving it, keep it refrigerated in order for the frosting to keep it’s shape & not melt! Especially if using a lovely tip to frost your cupcakes :)

Wow, there were a lot of things I didn’t know about buttercream, and still don’t know. The next time I make it — hopefully soon — I will put some more time into researching it. Hope that this helps you for the time being! Below is my finished product at it’s finest…

Isn’t that one of the most basic recipes ever? Well, you can believe it… because I haven’t – UNTIL NOW!

I was wandering around my kitchen and came across 4 bananas that were pretty spotty and brown. My first thought was, “dang it, what a waste!” Oh, quite the contrary my friend! The light bulb finally turned on… BANANA BREAD! I had to look up a recipe online (since it was late and didn’t want to wake my parents to get theirs). There were of course, many to choose from; but most were very similar to one another.

I decided to follow Laura’s recipe – deciding factor? Hmm, well I love how creative she is when creating cards, so why not her recipes?! I threw in some chopped walnuts and coconut (and omitted the pecans). IT WAS DELICIOUS! Next time I will keep the coconut out since it added more texture (and calories) than flavor, but will still sprinkle some over the top before baking because it was pretty and it added a nice little crunch.

This last minute venture was definitely a success and I for sure see many more banana breads in my future! I still love the recipe that my parents have used all of my life, so that will be the next one that I try out – moister, I think; maybe they add more bananas? Hmmm… Until then, enjoy this recipe and a quick photo of my very first banana bread.

Thanks for visiting!

As I said earlier, I have been doing much more baking than I have scrapping this last month… and it has been a delicious journey for everyone involved. Thanks to those of you who helped me decide which recipes to try and for helping taste test (though there were no arms to twist! :)

This one was both delicious and fun! I decided to make them for my nephew, Owen’s, 5th birthday in May. I thought it would be a good addition to the dessert for the kiddos — but saw a few adults enjoying them as well! I highly recommend this recipe to those of you who like oreos, have children or just like sprinkles! I got the original recipe here. Thanks to many of my favorite foodies, I have grown accustomed to step by step photo instructions along with my new recipes and while it is not necessary, it is so fun! So since the original poster didnt do so, I felt the need :) Enjoy!

Chocolate Cake Cookie Sandwiches
(Source: The Crepes of Wrath, as seen on Annie’s Eats)

Ingredients:
For the cookies:
1 package chocolate cake mix (or other flavor of your choice)
1 egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

For the frosting:
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp. milk

For decorating:
multi-colored non-pareils, or other sprinkles or candy of your choice

Directions:
1. To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cake mix, egg and butter. Beat on low speed until just combined and all dry ingredients have been incorporated.

3. Roll the dough into 1- to 1 1/2-inch balls, place on the prepared baking sheets and press down to slightly flatten.

4. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the cookie sheets.

5. To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the powdered sugar, and beat until incorporated. Add vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until fully incorporated. Add 2 tablespoons of milk and beat on medium-high speed until smooth. If the frosting too thick, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of milk and beat until incorporated.

6. To assemble, pair the cookies based on size on a work surface. Frost the flat side of one cookie from each pair. Place the other cookie of each pair on top of the frosting, flat side down. Lightly press down so that the frosting reaches the edges of the cookies.

7. To decorate, place sprinkles in a small bowl. Dip the sides of each cookie in the sprinkles, pressing down gently and rotating to cover the sides completely.

And here is the birthday boy enjoying one himself :)

I made a delicious pot of Beef Stew and had NO BREAD to go with it. That is definitely an emergency if I’ve ever heard of one :)

So here is what I did (and I have a feeling this little trick is going to save me again sometime in the near future!). I broke out the wheat bread that we use for sandwiches, buttered them up, sliced them into some (cute) triangles, sprinkled each with Lawry’s Garlic Salt and some Cheddar Cheese. Then I popped it into the broiler for about 6 minutes (until the cheese was nice and melted onto the bread). MmmmmMmmm…. this was good bread! Hubby approved!

Many times you could find me standing around the grocery store debating with myself whether or not I want to buy a whole loaf of french or sourdough bread for just the two of us. We never finish it before it goes bad and honestly, as much as I would LOVE to eat bread with every single meal — that just aint so healthy for you! So you say ‘freeze it,’ huh? It has been done and successfully several times… however I tend to forget it is in there and end up buying a new loaf anyway. So I try not to do that. This new recipe (if you can even call it that) is going to save me a lot of trouble…

Blackberry Crumb Bars

UGH, I am a sucker for new recipes and even spent an entire evening drooling over several foodie blogs and bookmarking the recipes that I deemed “doable.” Don’t worry, I will share a list of those blogs below ;)

So here is the first of the many new recipes to try out. Found on Bake or Break, where you can find many awesome recipes that are tried and true and delicious! Many seem fairly easy too. Here is my review on this recipe:

It wasn’t what I wanted it to be. In the past I have had trouble trying new bar recipes that end up tasting too floury and the list of ingredients for these bars fooled me into thinking it would be different; and it wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I am enjoying them, but as I said before, they aren’t the sweet treat I wanted them to be. The Blackberries that I used were not quite sweet enough and I know that I didn’t squeeze in as many Blackberries as were called for — so I would say, next time I would do it when Blackberries are super in season and use lots of them! I think I will try this recipe again because I know it can be better. I will probably also use less flour for the crumbly topping.

Here is how I spaced out my Blackberries — see? I could have SO put more blackberries!

Here is the final product — pretty huh? You should see the original recipe maker’s photos!!

Here are a few of the foodie blogs that I was drooling over this last week:

• Picky Palate
• Bakerella
• Bake or Break
• The Pioneer Woman
• Smitten Kitchen

Crockpot Beef Stew

One last recipe for today (I promise!)

It was a cool day so perfect for soup! But I wanted to try something other than my favorite Chicken Tortilla Soup. I went to Betty Crocker to check out their Crockpot soup recipes and ran across this recipe. It looked warm and delicious — and that it was! There were a few things I changed, here is my review:

This recipe was calling my name due to the caramelized onions… both yummy and NEW to me! I had never caramelized onions before so I was ready to check it out. Instead of parsnips, I used some baby white potatoes and added some celery as well. When I added the broth (mixed with gravy mix) it didn’t seem very soupy, so I doubled it. It was the perfect amount of broth for the amount of beef and veggies in there. That is about it! This recipe is hubby approved and will be saved away in my recipe box :)

Yay for another great recipe — sorry, no photos of my personal stew, but I am including the photo from Betty. Trust me it was yummy! Have a great day!

I am not a huge fan of Valentines but the one thing I adore about Valentine’s day is that there are so many fun and creative ways to make sweet treats and gifts for those you love. I have created a quick collage of some of my favorite finds this year out in blog land. LOTS of talent out there and I can not wait to try a few of these sweet ideas. I most likely wont create them all (unless I want to give my hubby a major sugar rush for v-day!!) but I am sure I will find some fun ways to incorporate these ideas for Easter treats!

All of the links to the amazing creators are below, so have fun checking out there blogs! And Happy Valentine’s Day!

• Valentine Suckers from Pleasant Home
• Strawberry Sandwiches from Parents.com
• Rock Candy Valentine from Martha Stewart
• Pretzel Treats from No Fuss Fabulous
• Heartbreaker Treats from Dana
• Mini Cupcake Pops from Mandy

Wow, this week went by super fast and I LOVE IT! One of my friends recently asked me to make her some Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins (well, I ran out of paper cups for muffins, so I did loaves instead) so tonight, I broke out the Pumpkin, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cloves for the best recipe of the season! (For the recipe, scroll down…)

While everything was in the oven, I ran across Dawn McVey’s Color Challenge and I couldn’t resist. I decided to make a cute little ‘wrap’ for my friend’s loaf! Now, I know that the colors aren’t necessarily harvest, fall or even pumpkin colors, but I still think it goes nicely together and I love the color combo!

I simply took some Kraft Cardstock and made one 11 x3″ strip and one 9×3″ strip, designed the longer strip, scored it all to fit and then adhered the strips together after slipping it onto the loaf. Easy enough? haha. I think she will like it…

Supplies Used:

Now for the recipe…  it is SUPER EASY! You can have your house smelling delicious and fally in no time!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins/Bread

Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees and Lightly grease your loaf pans or prep your muffin pans with paper/foil cups.

Mix together the following:

1 Package of Yellow Cake Mix
1 15 oz. Can of Pumpkin
1 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1/4 Tsp. Ground Cloves

Fold in 1 Cup of Chocolate Chips (more or less… to your liking!)

Fill loaf pans or muffin cups. For loaves, bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. For muffins, bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. **I always sprinkle some extra Chocolate Chips on top of the loaves and muffins before baking to make them look pretty!

Yields: Two Loaves or 24 Standard Muffins

Thanks for coming by! P.S. IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL FALL RECIPES YOU LOVE, PLEASE DO SHARE! I LOVE RECIPES!

I am so excited to announce my very first month with the Daring Bakers! I came across this amazingly talented group in June and couldn’t help myself, I had to join! In brief, it is a group of bakers (they also have a cooking division) that are challenged each month to create something special… the recipe is given and you must follow it exactly and then post your result on the 27th of the month. This month we were challenged to bake up some Mallows and Milanos (you could choose 1). I chose the Mallows because I have never made my own marshmallow before and couldn’t wait to try it out!

The Process:

Let me start by warning you that you will need to make sure you that you allow for plenty of time to do these special cookies. I wasn’t too smart about it and started at about 10 in the evening! BIG MISTAKE… I was up until about 2:30am! Now, dont let that scare you away… the reasons for it being such a long process were no big deal. A) you have to let the dough refrigerate for at least an hour before baking B) I didn’t have a small (1″ to 1 1/2″) round cookie cutter, so I had to cut circles out with a knife! And C) you have to let the Marshmallows sit at least 2 hours before you can dip them.

That being said, everything else was pretty much an exciting experience! My first tip would be to make sure you have a Candy Thermometer handy — my first batch of marshmallows didnt work out because I didnt use mine, so I had to start over. When beating the Marshmallows, it took awhile to figure out if it was ready to pipe onto the cookies (I couldnt really find any help on exactly how long you should beat it for and unfortunately I didnt time myself so I cant help you there… it was quite some time though). The fun and crazy part was piping the Marshmallow onto the cookies (photo below). I dont know if you know this or not, but Marshmallow is STICKY!!! haha and you have to go fast to be sure that you can get it on all of the many little cookies before it solidifies in your bag. It was truly fun and challenging though and I WILL do it again sometime.

Before I started the recipe, I looked up recipes on how to dress up the cookies and found some wonderfully talented chefs (especially Audax) that had created some lovely and extra tastey Mallows — everywhere from coffee flavored to caramel filled to sprinkled! I was going to attempt some of these fun recipes but since it was my first time making Marshmallow, I decided to keep it simple. Here are a few tips for dressing up your Mallows:

• Sprinkle with toppings, such as toffee chips, nuts, sprinkles, shredded coconut, crushed peppermint, etc.
• Substitute the water with coffee for coffee flavored Marshmallows
• Place a dab of fruit jam or caramel on the cookie before piping on the Marshmallow
• Add a few drips of food coloring for colorful Marshmallows

Next month I will do my best to take more and better photos :)

Mallows – The Recipe

(Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies)

Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website

Prep Time: 10 min
Inactive Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Serves: about 2 dozen cookies ** I personally got over 100 cookies using 2/3 of the dough for 1″ cookies

• 3 cups (375grams/13.23oz) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (112.5grams/3.97oz) white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter
• 3 eggs, whisked together
• Homemade marshmallows, recipe follows
• Chocolate glaze, recipe follows

1. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients.
2. On low speed, add the butter and mix until sandy.
3. Add the eggs and mix until combine.
4. Form the dough into a disk, wrap with clingfilm or parchment and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
5. When ready to bake, grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Use a 1 to 1 1/2 inches cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough.
8. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.
9. Pipe a “kiss” of marshmallow onto each cookie. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.
10. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicon mat.
11. One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the hot chocolate glaze.
12. Lift out with a fork and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.
13. Place on the prepared pan and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

Note: if you don’t want to make your own marshmallows, you can cut a large marshmallow in half and place on the cookie base. Heat in a preheated 350-degree oven to slump the marshmallow slightly, it will expand and brown a little. Let cool, then proceed with the chocolate dipping.

Homemade marshmallows:

**See TIPS from others that helped me get through the process below**

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup (168.76 grams/5.95oz) sugar
• 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 egg whites , room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar, bring to a boil until “soft-ball” stage, or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve.
3. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix.
4. Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites.
5. Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff.
6. Transfer to a pastry bag.

Chocolate glaze:
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 2 ounces cocoa butter or vegetable oil

1. Melt the 2 ingredients together in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water.

TIPS and Help for Homemade Marshmallows:

1. Testing the Marshmallow for Hardball stage
2. Cold Water Candy Test
3. Audax Artifex: Step by Step photos/ Inspirational photos

Thanks, Nicole, for this fun challenge this month! I really enjoyed it (and so did my family and friends!). I hope that you all find this information helpful when creating your own Marshmallows/Mallows… maybe you could join me in creating next month’s challenge! If you are interested in joining Daring Bakers or Daring Kitchen, go here!

Have a wonderful week, all!

I made this for a girls night and it was amazing! Gare and I will definitely be using this recipe again :) Maybe you will be lucky enough to join us when we do! Do try it though and let us know what you think!

1 750 ml. Bottle White Whine of Choice
2 1/2 cups Apple Juice
1 cup Triple Sec
2 Tbs Granulated Sugar
1 Medium Orange, thinly sliced
1/2 Medium Lemon, thinly sliced
1 Medium Lime, thinly sliced
1 cup Raspberries, fresh or frozen

1. Combine wine, apple juice, Triple Sec, sugar, fruit slices and raspberries in a large pitcher and press the fruit against the side and bottom of the pitcher to release the juices.

2. Chill, covered, until serving time. 8 Hours or Overnight — The flavor of the sangria is enhanced the longer the wine is allowed to chill.

3. Add ice just before serving. For large parties or groups, double the fruit and use in an ice ring to float in a punch bowl.

ENJOY! :)

Now, normally, you wouldn’t call this soup weather here in Southern California today… but it has been significantly “cooler” in the evenings this week, so I thought I could push it and try for our favorite soup just one last time before we retire to salads for the summer.
Last fall, I decided that I wanted to make Chicken Tortilla soup but didn’t have a recipe, so I looked up recipes online… However, none fit all of the categories of what I wanted in this meal. First, I needed it to be a crock pot meal. Second, it really needed to be delicious! And third, I didnt want to have to use several dishes (pans, etc.) to create the whole meal. So I just picked at each of the recipes that sounded good and took what I liked from each… Here is the result for those of you that asked — I just love how easy it is and for the most part you will usually have most of the Ingredients on hand/in the pantry!

Please let me know if you try it out and how you like it!

INGREDIENTS:

3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (uncooked)
4- 6 Cups Chicken Broth*
1/2 Tsp Salt & Pepper (each)
1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin (Heaping for added spice, add 1/2 Tsp if doing 6 C Broth)
1 Can Black Beans (drained) (I add one more if doing 6 cups broth)
1 Can (or 14 oz. Frozen) Corn
1 Can 1 Small Can chopped Green Chili Peppers
1 Can Diced Tomatoes (undrained)
1 Small Onion Diced (set aside for after soup cooked)
**Any other veggies you want to add… I usually add green beans as well)
Shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese
Salsa for added Spice
Crushed Tortilla Chips
Cilantro to top it off!

———————————–

1. Spray bottom of your Crock Pot with Pam/Cooking Spray and lay all 3 Chicken Breasts flat in the Pot.

2. Drain Black Beans and spread over the top of the Chicken (this is important to keep the heat in the Chicken)

3. Layer Black Beans with all other veggies in order they are listed, leaving the Diced Onions for after the soup is done cooking.

4. Pour in Chicken Broth and add Salt, Pepper and Ground Cumin.

5. Set Crock Pot on Low (for 6-8 hours) or High (for 3-4 hours)

6. After it is done cooking, use two forks to shred the chicken (you can take it out of the Pot if need be).

7. Dice Onions and stir into the soup.

8. Serve with Shredded Cheese, Crushed Tortilla Chips, Cilantro and Salsa if you like.

* I add two cups of Chicken Broth and another can or two of veggies if I am cooking for 6 people versus 4.