Heather's Recipes

Snow Ice Cream

2012-01-21T07:20:00.003-06:00

Well the forecast yesterday called for lots of snow around here, and we definitely got it! So as I ran my errands in the morning, I made sure to pick up one essential ingredient, half and half. Whenever we get the first snows of the season, my kids start asking me when we will make snow ice cream. I've been making it for years with my three kids, and I don't think we can have winter without making it once!

As the snow started falling, I put my biggest bowl outside on the table on the deck to start collecting snow. My girls had a half day of school and as soon as they got home, started monitoring the fullness of the bowl. I received frequent updates as the afternoon wore on: "There's a LOT of snow in the bowl, Mom." "Mom, the bowl is more than half full." "Mom! The snow is over the top of the bowl!!!!"

Aaaah. Now it is time to make the snow ice cream. I brought the heaping bowl of fresh snow in and placed it on the counter. My eager kids gathered around as I added the ingredients. First, some sugar. (The sugar always gets some ooohs and aaaahs from my kids.) Then some half and half. A little vanilla. Some more half and half and some more sugar. After lots of mixing and some taste testing, we declared this batch perfect!

I pulled out the pretty sundae glasses and served up the snow ice cream. The kids loved it!

Now, if only I didn't have to go back out and shovel again!

My Nephew's Baptism

2012-01-12T12:55:00.000-06:00

I attended my newest nephew's baptism this past weekend. It was quite lovely. He wore his great grandfather's christening gown that several members of his family have been baptized in, including his mother and grandmother. There were only four babies being baptized, so it wasn't too long. And two of my three kids got tapped to assist the priest by holding the oils that he anointed each baby with.

My sister-in-law and brother-in-law hosted a great party afterwards. Lots of yummy food (homemade lasagne!) and good company. Our kids and my brother-in-law's nieces and nephews get along great. Everyone had a good time.

As a Catholic, I take the sacraments that we can receive very seriously. I bought my nephew a stuffed lamb and three board books about Jesus. When I went to buy a card, the cards at the Christian bookstore were clearly not for infant baptism. So I ran to the Hallmark store the morning of the baptism and found several nice cards that mentioned baptism and were clearly for infants. I found one that had a sentiment that I liked and purchased it.

Fast forward to the party where my sister-in-law was opening the gifts. She received three of the same card (not the one I bought) and that led us to a discussion of the lack of variety in Baptism/ Christening cards. I mentioned how that is true at many stores, but not at Hallmark where there seemed to be at least five cards I liked that all mentioned baptism specifically. One of the women there said that
she doesn't like to buy cards where the wording is too "religiousy." Really? I just shook my head and smiled. The reason for a baptism is to welcome a child into God's family and the church family. Isn't that the point? How can you be too religious with a baptism? I just don't get it.

Where I Spend My Time

2011-12-28T06:32:00.001-06:00

I have recently decided that I spend way too much time on the computer. I think this blog is a good use of my time, and the other sites I visit can be useful, if I didn't get sucked in and spend 1/2 an hour (at the minimum) every time I log into one of these sites. So I thought I'd share with you where I (~~waste~~) spend the majority of my computer time.

Facebook. What a time waster. I never wanted to get sucked in. But I did. Reconnected with my fourth grade boyfriend. Reconnected with old high school and college friends. But what I love most is being connected with family. I am in touch with cousins who I know very little about. They are so much younger than me, or live many states away, that I don't know them really. Now, I know them a little bit. Aunts and uncles. I no longer see my aunts and uncles on any regular basis. Occasionally, if I am lucky, I see them once a year. More likely it is once every two or three years. On Facebook I can chat on a daily basis. Makes me feel a little more connected. Brothers, sisters and nieces and nephews. These are the people I especially love to see on FB. What a great way to stay connected when
living hundreds of miles away. (Oh, and I love when people ooh and ahh over pictures of cakes and cookies I make are posted there.)

Ravelry. I'm a new knitter. Just learned at the beginning of 2011. I love it. So, I spend lots of time on Ravelry.com, a website devoted to knitting and crochet projects. What I really love is that many of the projects are free or available for a small fee. Also, lots of people post pictures of their projects and I can get a good idea of how something should turn out. I save so many ideas there. Have probably made about 28 projects this year. Hope to make lots more (when I'm not wasting time on the computer!)

Finally, my friend Katie invited me to join Pinterest. She told me it is a way better time waster than Facebook. And I think she is right. Oh the ideas, the beautiful pictures, the links to tasty food recipes. Basically, if you have not heard of it, it is a website that creates virtual bulletin boards. Any ideas you like, you "pin" a picture on a theme board of your choosing (say like "Christmas Ideas"). Then the picture is a link to the website where you can get the information about that item, recipe, party idea. But here's the best part. You can see other people's pins, and repin them to your bulletin board. So many fantastic ideas!!!! It is brilliant.

There are other websites that suck me in, too. Blogs, Allrecipes.com, Etsy, blogs. But these three are by far the main way I spend my time on the web. Where do you (~~waste~~) find interesting things on the computer?

Birthday Cookies

2011-12-26T18:39:00.000-06:00

My two oldest nieces, Rose and Hannah, turned 16 this December, 6 days apart. I wanted to make something special for the two of them. I also had to make something that would mail safely and taste good after being in the mail for a few days. So I came up with these sweet sugar cookies and a little birthday cash.

Here are some of Rose's cookies:

Her favorite color is blue so I chose green as a complementing color and then made these sweet little cupcake cookies.

Hannah's cookies ended up being very similar, but I chose orange (her favorite color) and used pink as the complementing color.

I really love how they turned out, and I'm really happy I was able to surprise them both on their special birthday!

Candy Cane Fudge

2011-12-23T04:00:00.000-06:00

Need a last minute treat for Christmas? This is it. Simple, festive and tasty. Make it. Today.

I made this last week to take to a friend's house for after caroling in her neighborhood. Not only was it a hit, but I got several requests for the recipe. It is so easy, and so good!

Candy Cane Fudge

2 (11 oz.) packages white chocolate chips
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
1½ cups crushed candy canes, divided

Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil. Grease the foil.

Combine the vanilla chips and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until vanilla chips are almost melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until chips are completely melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in peppermint extract and 1 1/4 cups candy canes.

Spread evenly into prepared pan. Top with remaining 1/4 cup candy canes. Press lightly into fudge. Chill for two hours in the refrigerator, then cut into small squares.

Yield: 1- 8x8 inch pan of fudge

Notes: Make this a day ahead for the best pepperminty taste.

I have really enjoyed taking this recipe trip with all of you. I hope you have found a few favorites of your own that may become a tradition in your homes. Have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Only 2 more days until Christmas!

Succotash

2011-12-22T04:00:00.000-06:00

I actually have no idea what succotash is. In my mind it is some crumbled meat mixed with some potatoes and other vegetables and served over toast or something like that. I might have mixed it up with hash, but no mind. When my sister-in-law, Elizabeth, made this for Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago, I was little skeptical. I'm not a huge fan of many green vegetables, and ones that LOOK like lima beans are no exception. But, I'm the polite sort and so I tried Elizabeth's vegetable dish. I'm so glad I did. This instantly became one of my favorite vegetable side dishes of all times. I took leftovers home and ate them for the next three days. It is that good. I now make it for holiday dinners and introduced edamame (soybeans) to my Ohio family. (Ironically, my dad grew up a farmer and my mom in a small farming town, but they had not heard of edamame - I guess it is a big city thing.)

Succotash

4 slices bacon
¼ cup onion, chopped
10 ounces frozen corn
12 ounces shelled edamame

Cut the bacon into small pieces and fry in pan over medium heat. After a minute or two add the onion and saute until bacon is cooked and onion is soft and golden. Drain fat.

Add corn, edamame and enough water (1/2 - 1 cup) to pan to cook vegetables. Cook until corn and edamame are cooked through and hot.

Notes: I really don't know if this is traditional succotash, but I don't care. It is delicious. The edamame has a nutty quality and of course the bacon adds yumminess to just about anything. Add more onion if you are a fan.

Only 1 more recipe and 3 more days until Christmas!

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

2011-12-21T04:00:00.000-06:00

My family loves cinnamon rolls. I love cinnamon rolls. In fact for my birthday a few years ago I made myself homemade cinnamon rolls instead of cake. What I hate about homemade cinnamon rolls is how long they take. If you really want them for breakfast, I would have to get up VERY early, and they still probably wouldn't be ready until 10:30 in the morning. That just won't fly with my early rising kids. (And lets face it, I want my rolls, too!) I found some different recipes and took the best parts of each of them and came up with this dynamite recipe for cinnamon rolls you make the night before.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

2 (.25 oz) packages active dry yeast
2½ cups warm water, 110ºF
1 (18.25 oz.) package yellow cake mix
7 - 8½ cups all purpose flour, divided
3 eggs
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1½ teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons butter, softened, divided
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 package (8oz.) cream cheese, softened
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
3¾ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand for 3 minutes. Add cake mix, 1 cup flour, eggs, oil and salt; beat well. Stir in 6 cups flour until soft dough forms.

Put dough hook attachment on mixer and knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Add more flour, 1/4 cup at a time, while kneading if dough is too sticky. Place in greased bowl, and turn to coat top of dough. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

Punch dough down. Divide into two equal parts. Roll out each part on a lightly floured surface to a 12x16-inch rectangle. Spread 3 tablespoons softened butter onto each rectangle. In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle half of cinnamon mixture on each rectangle.

Roll up from long side of rectangle, pinching edges to seal. Cut each rectangle into 12 equal rolls with a piece of dental floss or knife. Place in two greased 13x9-inch pans (12 rolls in each pan). Spray plastic wrap with vegetable spray and tightly cover each pan. Place in refrigerator to rise overnight.

In the morning, take rolls out of refrigerator and let sit on counter for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Remove plastic wrap and bake for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes, then frost with cream cheese frosting.

To make frosting:

Place cream cheese and butter in mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer on low speed until combined. Add powdered sugar a little at a time, blending with mixer on low until sugar is incorporated. Add vanilla extract and increase mixer speed to medium and blend until frosting is fluffy, 1 minute more.

Yield: 24 rolls

Notes: This makes a lot of rolls. Often, I only make 12, then freeze the other 12. To do this, follow directions in recipe for one pan. For other 12 rolls, after cutting, place on parchment lined cookie sheet so that rolls are not touching. Place cookie sheet in freezer until rolls are hard, about 1 hour. Take rolls off of cookie sheet and place in a freezer Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Get out of freezer day before and proceed as above. Know that the rolls may not rise as much as the unfrozen rolls, but they will still taste great! Remember to cut the frosting recipe in half, too.

Only 2 more recipes and 4 more days until Christmas!

Rolo Pretzel Turtles

2011-12-20T04:00:00.000-06:00

Apparently this recipe has been around for a few years, but it was introduced to me three years ago and it has since become a family favorite. I especially love to make these when we have guests over because they are so pretty and so yummy, but so ridiculously easy! If your kids don't like nuts, press an M&M in the top instead of a pecan. It's not quite a turtle, but still a tasty candy.

Rolo Pretzel Turtles

1 package (11 oz.) Rolo candy, unwrapped
small pretzels
pecan halves or M&M candies

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Place pretzels in single layer on parchment lined cookie sheet. Place one Rolo on each pretzel.

Bake 3-5 minutes or until caramel begins to soften, but not melt. Remove cookie sheet from oven and immediately press pecan half or M&M into top of Rolo, pushing down so the Rolo fills the pretzel. Let cool completely.

Yield: about 45 candies

Notes: I love the square pretzels for this the best, but if you can't find them, the little twists work fine, too. I love buying M&M's in the season's colors, making this treat adaptable to almost any holiday. (This would be a great treat for your Valentine's Day sweetie!)

Only 3 more recipes and 5 days until Christmas!

Mint Ravioli Cookies

2011-12-19T04:00:00.000-06:00

When I saw this recipe, I knew I needed to make it. These are such fun little cookies. It is essentially two sugar cookies with a chocolate mint sandwiched between the layers. A truly fun and delicious cookie. I didn't buy enough mints for this batch of cookies, so if you look closely in the picture with the mints lined up, you will see pieces of a Hershey's milk chocolate bar. This actually worked out great for us, as my youngest daughter does not like minty foods. So, feel free to substitute chocolate squares for the mints if you prefer, it will still taste delicious.

Mint Ravioli Cookies

½ cup butter, softened
½ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 dozen Andes Creme De Menthe thin mints, unwrapped

Beat butter, shortening, sugar and egg in a large bowl with electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm.

Heat oven to 400ºF. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of dough into a rectangle 13 x 9 inches. Place mints on dough, forming 6 uniform rows of 6.

Roll remaining dough into a rectangle 13 x 9 inches on floured wax paper. Place over mint-covered dough. Cut dough between mints with a pizza wheel.

If edges of cookies are not sealed, gently press edges together with your fingers to seal. Place 2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake 7-9 minutes or until light brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Notes: If you want sprinkles on your cookies, add them before baking to give them a festive touch.

Only 4 more recipes and 6 days until Christmas!

Classic Crumb Cake

2011-12-16T04:00:00.000-06:00

When I was a kid, I loved those Hostess Crumb Cakes. You know, the little yellow cakes covered in cinnamony crumb goodness. Definitely a special treat on the rare occasions when my mom bought them. This is the adult version. Actually, it is the Martha Stewart version. And as with so many of the Martha Stewart recipes I have tried, it is a keeper.

I made this for the Bible Study ladies and their kids, as well as my own kids. It was a big hit. One of my friends begged me to send her the recipe, while my kids devoured what was left when they got home from school. Unfortunately for me, I only had one piece (a corner piece) left to take a picture with. The middle pieces were prettier, but you get the general idea of how this cake looks. It is a simple sour cream coffee cake, topped with a mountain of cinnamony crumbs. Soooooooooo good.

Classic Crumb Cake

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2½ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¼ cups sour cream

Crumb Topping:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3½ sticks (1 3/4 cups) unsalted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Generously grease a 13x9-inch baking pan; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well mixed. Mix in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and the sour cream; beat just until combined.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the batter. Bake in preheated oven until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40-50 minutes.

Before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

To make the crumb topping:
In a bowl, stir the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt until well combined. Add the butter and cut in with a pastry blender until large, moist clumps form.

Yield: 1- 13x9-inch cake

Notes: This was really delicious. My picky kids loved it because there was no "chunks" in it. My friend Lisa ate the cake out of the bottom of her piece and saved the crumbs for last. It is so tasty and so good. A real treat for a Christmas brunch or New Year's Day breakfast.

Only 5 more recipes and 9 days until Christmas!

Grandma Van's Salad Dressing

2011-12-14T04:00:00.000-06:00

My husband's maternal Grandma, affectionately known as Grandma Van to her grandkids, was known for several recipes. One was her famous gingersnaps, one was her Bohemian rye sugar cookies, and another was her salad dressing. Everyone who has ever tried this dressing loves it. No kidding. It is that good. And even though Grandma Van is no longer with us here on Earth to spend the holidays with, Thanksgiving and Christmas just wouldn't be the same without some of her salad dressing on the table.

Grandma Van's Salad Dressing

1 slice onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 cup sugar
½ cup white vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil

Put all ingredients except the vegetable oil in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add 1 cup vegetable oil and blend again until mixed evenly. Pour into salad dressing container. Store in refrigerator.

Yield: 1 pint

Notes: This is a sweeter salad dressing, but oh so yummy. It is really easy to cut the recipe in half if you don't need 2 cups of dressing.

Only 6 more recipes and 11 more days until Christmas!

Santa Cookie

2011-12-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to share a cute cookie I made this past week. It is Santa, of course! I got the idea from Cookie Craft and think it is one of the cutest cookies I have ever decorated! Hope this gets you into the Christmas spirit!

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Logs

2011-12-12T04:00:00.000-06:00

I made these for the first time just a week ago, and the recipe just had to be shared. First of all, this cookie pairs two classic flavors, peanut butter and chocolate. Second of all, this recipe makes a lot of cookies, I had more than 9 dozen! Third, they are delicious. And finally, they look beautiful and festive on a cookie platter.

I made these to send to our local homeless shelter, Hesed House, as part of a meal our church was preparing for the residents there. Lucky for both my kids (and me, too) there was enough for a few extras for us. And boy did we enjoy eating them!

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Logs

1 cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2½ cups all purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
8 ounces chocolate candy coating
8 ounces chocolate chips
Optional:
chopped peanuts, sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a large bowl, cream the peanut butter, butter, shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt to the creamed mixture and mix well.

Shape into 2 inch logs. Place 2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool for 1-2 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to wire rack to cool.

In microwave or double boiler pan, melt candy coating and chocolate chips. Stir until smooth. Dip one end of each cookie into coating; allow excess to drip off. Dip or sprinkle peanuts or sprinkles on chocolate if desired. Place on wax paper to set.

Yield: Approx. 9 dozen

Notes: These cookies are perfect for a cookie exchange because one batch makes so many! These are also great for picky eaters (like my daughter), just don't add anything to the chocolate. I found that the dough was a a little easier to work with after it had chilled slightly, so I kept the dough in the refrigerator while I was baking each pan of cookies. I also laid the wax paper on the cookie sheets as I dipped the cookies in the chocolate, then when the tray was full I put the tray in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes until the chocolate was set. You can store these cookies in a tightly covered conatainer on your counter once the chocolate has set up. One final tip: I did not melt all the chocolate at once. I melted enough to fill a coffee mug (using a mixture of the coating and the chocolate chips) in the microwave and dipped as many cookies as I could until I ran out of chocolate. As I needed more chocolate, I would add more to the mug, microwave it until melted, and continue dipping.

Only 7 more recipes and 13 days until Christmas!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

2011-12-09T04:00:00.000-06:00

Well, I know I said the Cocomac Dreams were indulgent, and they are. But this dessert, this is the most indulgent, rich, fantastic chocolate lovers dream that I've ever created. I have for many years wanted to make a flourless chocolate cake. I just never did. Then, one of the women in our Bunco group discovered she had Celiac Disease. So, instead of trying to make something separate for her to enjoy, I made something we all could enjoy. Even though this dessert is gluten free, don't think for a minute that it is only for people with wheat allergies or issues. This dessert will be sure to be a hit with all adults with taste buds. It is that GOOD!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

½ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
18 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 eggs, room temperature

Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Grease one 10-inch round springform pan. Wrap bottom and up the outside of springform pan in aluminum foil. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the water, salt and sugar. Stir until completely dissolved and set aside.

In the top of a double boiler, melt the bittersweet chocolate. Pour the chocolate into the bowl of an electric mixer.

Cut the butter into pieces and beat the butter into the chocolate, one piece at a time until all the butter is mixed in. Beat in the hot sugar-water mixture. Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Put the springform pan into a larger cake pan. Fill the larger pan with boiling water until it reaches 1/3 to 1/2 of the way up the springform pan side.

Bake the cake in the water bath for 45 minutes. The center will still look wet. Remove pan from water bath and let cool for at least 30 minutes on wire rack. Refrigerate cake overnight in pan. To unmold, open springform pan and place on serving plate.

Yield: 1 10-inch cake (about 16 servings)

Notes: I used as much Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate I could find, which was 12 ounces. Then I used 6 ounces of Nestle bittersweet bars. I would just suggest to buy the best chocolate you can. you may also want to sample the baking chocolates. I found the Ghirardelli to be a bit more bitter than the Nestle, so I think the mix was nice. Find what tastes good to you.

Be sure your butter is at room temperature so it mixes easily into the chocolate. I actually don't have my eggs at room temperature, but I do take them out of the refrigerator as soon as I start this recipe, so they have some time to warm up. Finally, make sure your foil is large enough to cover the bottom of the springform pan so no water from the water bath can seep through.

This really is a rich, decadent cake. Serve small slices with raspberry sauce and whipped cream. It is divine!

8 more recipes and 16 more days until Christmas!

Cocomac Dreams

2011-12-07T04:00:00.000-06:00

Let's face it. Christmas is a time of indulgence. A time when you buy special ingredients, a time when you make once a year treats. These cookies qualify as special. And indulgent. They are soft cookies filled with coconut, macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips. If those three ingredients together don't scream "special" to you, then I don't know what does. (Except maybe gross amounts of dark chocolate.)

So, go find the ingredients in this recipe and make these cookies. You will not be disappointed.

Cocomac Dreams

2⅓ cups all purpose flour
1 package (3.4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup vegetable shortening
⅔ cup sugar
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped roasted macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, stir together flour, pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined. Stir in coconut. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Scrape down sides of bowl. On low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating just until blended. By hand, stir in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.

Using a tablespoon, drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges of cookies are light brown.

Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheets for 2 minutes. Remove cookies to cooling rack and cool completely.

Yield: 4 1/2 dozen

Notes: Do not make the mistake I made and buy whole macadamia nuts. Only because they cost so much more than already chopped macadamia nuts. I did not have time to shop around and had to buy what the one store I went to had, 4 oz. of whole macadamia nuts. That bottle cost me $8! A few weeks later I went to another store and they had 4 oz. of chopped macadamia nuts for almost half that price.

In my opinion, these cookies actually taste better a day after they are made. The flavors have time to meld and come together when they sit a day in a tightly closed container.

Only 9 more recipes and 18 days until Christmas!

Poppy Seed Biscuit Ring

2011-12-05T04:00:00.000-06:00

When you want to have homemade rolls or biscuits, but just don't have the time, this is a great recipe to make. It is easy, convenient, but best of all fancy and delicious.

Poppy Seed Biscuit Ring

⅓ cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
½ teaspoon dried minced garlic
2 tubes (12 ounces each) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

In a shallow bowl, combine the butter, onion, poppy seeds, and garlic. Separate biscuits from each tube; dip each biscuit on both sides into butter mixture and stand up on end in a lightly greased 10-in bundt or tube pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately invert onto a serving plate and serve warm.

Yield:10-15 servings

Notes: I use the Pillsbury Grands Jr. buttermilk biscuits for this recipe. This smells and looks delicious! And, it is in a wreath shape, so festive for a Christmas dinner!

Only 10 more recipes and 20 days until Christmas!

Snickerdoodles

2011-12-03T07:40:00.001-06:00

I always love to start my 12 Recipes with a cookie recipe. Christmas cookies are such a tradition in our house. We have tins of Christmas cookies in our house from about the 2nd week in December until after Christmas. There are always lots of different kinds and we always have one or two after dinner, not to mention after school or in the middle of the afternoon for a quick treat.

I know Snickerdoodles are a fairly common cookie, but my mom never made them when we were growing up. When I was engaged to my husband, his Aunt Kathy threw me a bridal shower where family members each gave me a recipe for a recipe box. Two of his cousins gave me a snickerdoodle recipe. After I made them, I was hooked! Their cinnamony sweetness along with the crunchy cookie is a match made in heaven.

Snickerdoodles

¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1½ cups sugar
½ cup shortening
½ cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2¾ cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 400ºF. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon; set aside. Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, the shortening, butter and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Roll in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased (or parchment lined) cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until centers are almost set. Let stand on cookie sheet one minute before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 5-6 dozen

Enjoy!

Only 11 more recipes and 22 days until Christmas!

It Will Be Here Tomorrow

2011-12-01T22:37:00.001-06:00

I know I have been away from this blog for sometime. Try as I might, I just can't seem to get the regular blogging schedule down. I will, however, be blogging regularly in December for my 4th annual 12 Recipes of Christmas. Starting tomorrow I will be posting a special recipe I have made and would like to share with you. I hope to see you checking out some recipes, and maybe even trying a few!

Summer Baking

2011-07-05T21:55:00.010-05:00

June went by so quickly, but for the first time in a long time I can tell you I feel like I didn't let it pass me by. Every summer I have big plans of things to do with the kids, and every August I wonder what happened to both the summer and the plans.

But not this year. This year I have promised the kids that we will do one thing special every week. And so far I have kept that promise. The first week of vacation we went to see Kung Fu Panda 2 in the movie theater. During the second week we went to the DuPage Children's Museum. (We have a membership.) Week three I took them all bowling. It was Zoe's first time ever and she was the only one of the four of us to get a strike! (Two strikes actually!) And last week we went to Legoland Discovery Center in Schaumburg.

The other big plans I made were for the kids to make desserts this summer. So I assigned each child a week, let them pick a dessert to make, and put them to work. It has been a rousing success! My middle child, Emma, went first. She was inspired by an article in an American Girl Doll magazine she had checked out from our local library. She made chocolate chocolate chip cupcakes, and then decorated them to look like our family. They were both super cute and delicious!

My youngest daughter, Zoe, went next. She wanted to make her famous ice cream pie that she has successfully made at least two times before this. She chose an ice cream that had three flavors in one container, and then topped it with Reese's Pieces. It was described as awesome and really, really good!

My oldest, Ian, chose to make Lemonade Pie. I had made it earlier in the summer and he liked it so much he wanted to make it himself. It is a cool, creamy treat, perfect for hot summer days.

I plan on continuing to go places and having the kids make desserts. They are really enjoying being in control and sharing something they make themselves with their family. I know Emma is planning some fancy milkshakes for July, and I can't wait to try them!

Sundae Cake Pops

2011-06-16T17:45:00.006-05:00

Emma, my 3rd grade daughter, asked me if I could make a special treat for her class for the last week of school. I happened to be subbing at the school the week before and asked her teacher if that would be okay. She said it was fine, so I decided to make Bakerella's Sundae Cake Pops. AS you know, I received the book for my birthday from my sister and had up to this point only made some simple Christmas ones. But these seemed like the perfect treat for an end of the year, "Yay, summer is here!" kind of day, so I set about making them.

I used chocolate fudge cake with chocolate frosting for the cake balls. A seriously excellent combination. I decided to add a few new colors than just pink (being there are boys in the class, too), so there were some white and yellow cones, too. I set to cutting all the cones down to size with my knife and then re-packaged them carefully in their styrofoam container and then in a plastic bag to stay fresh. I made all the pops on Memorial Day thinking Emma would take them to school on Tuesday. However, Emma came down with a 24 hour flu that left her throwing up half the night and a 103ºF fever. So after all the dipping, the cake pops were put into Tupperware containers to save for a day and went to school on Wednesday to enjoy during a class movie.

The kids really loved them (and one girl absolutely had to have the "messed up one"), and Emma's teacher liked them so much she ordered two dozen for her daughter's 14th birthday party! I made them exactly the same for the girl's party except added some purple ones. Definitely a fun and tasty treat to make!

More Knitting Projects

2011-06-01T10:18:00.006-05:00

I have not only been baking these last few months (though I have been doing a lot of that!), I have also been knitting. I still am really enjoying it and I am looking for more challenging projects. For example I made a baby hat and a pair of socks. Correction: I should say I am working on those projects. Anyways, I made three dishcloths for my mother-in-law for Mother's Day as well as two hero hats for my girls in the color of their choice. I am currently working on the baby hat, socks, and another scarf, this one for my husband.

Here are some pictures:
Flying Geese Dishcloth: First one I made for my mil. I was worried I didn't like detailed patterns for knitting while I made this, but I realized later that I just don't like a fussy pattern that yields only this as the result. It is pretty, but too much "work" for such a simple looking dishcloth.

Chinese Waves Dishcloth:I really love the yarn on this one and the look and feel of this dishcloth. The pattern yields a lovely thick textured cloth that really makes me think of a dishcloth. And the self striping yarn, LOVE IT! The first picture is the "right side" of the cloth, the second picture is what the back or "wrong side" looks like.

Mock Cable Dishcloth: This is the dishcloth that proved to me I don't mind a detailed pattern as long as the results are stunning, and this one is stunning!

And finally, the girls' hats in pink and purple:

I'll get a picture up of those socks when I get them done. The worst part about socks is after completing one, you are not done! (Unless you want a sock puppet!)

Ocean Night Cupcakes

2011-05-30T19:00:00.010-05:00

Zoe, my first grade daughter, was having Ocean Night with her class, and her teacher asked if some parents would make snacks. So, I volunteered and started scouring the internet for cute ideas. I finally decided on several different cupcakes. The plan was to make 48 of them, with different ocean animals on each one.

My first cupcake was a sea turtle cupcake because Zoe's animal that she researched was a sea turtle. I made about 8 of these. I loved how sweet these little guys were. The head was a large green gumdrop with miniature chocolate chip eyes, the shell was a sandwich cookie half with piped on frosting and dipped in green sugar, and the legs were spearmint leaves cut to size. (I also loved that I used NO FONDANT on any of the cupcakes, all just cookies, candies, and other yummy goodies.)

My next set of cupcakes were colorful fish. I made 22 of these. They are simply M&M's and a flattened fruit slice cut in half. Super easy and super cute!

I made these Octopus cupcakes with orange melting disks from Wilton. I just kind of winged it (and yes, I know Octopus have eight legs, but they looked cuter with only six.) I put it on top of some pretty blue buttercream frosting, and voila - an octopus cupcake. I made the seahorse the same way - but only made one of these. (Zoe's best friend did her project on seahorses, so I had to make one!)

I made these whales and whale's tails cupcakes with Twinkies and chocolate wafer cookies. I got the idea from the "What's New Cupcake" book that I got for my birthday from my mother-in-law. I was surprised that they actually turned out almost as cute as the ones in the book. The heads were popular with the kids, but none of the tail cupcakes went!

By far, the most popular cupcake (and I only made three!) was the shark cupcake. It is also made with a Twinkie and a chocolate wafer for the fin. The mouth is red fruit roll up, the eyes mini chocolate chips. These were the first off the table, and probably into boy's hands, though I cannot guarantee that!

I spent an entire day decorating these, but it was so worth it seeing the kid's faces when they got to have one!

Easter Cookies

2011-04-22T06:48:00.005-05:00

I am going to rename myself the Lazy Baker. I didn't make the cookie dough (Pillsbury makes such good sugar cookie dough!), I used the fewest colors of icing possible, and I used mini chocolate chips for the eyes. Whenever I bake, I find myself more and more thinking, "How can I make this with only two colors?"

Anyways, I was inspired by Kate over at Grin and Bake It. For Easter this year I am making her Snickerdoodle Bars as well as some hatching chick Easter egg cookies. Her cookies are so sweet and beautiful, and full of many colors. Mine, mine are cute, but only have a few colors. The bare minimum in my opinion. I would love to make some like hers, with Easter egg colors and lovely fancy eggs without chicks, but as usual, time crunched and I needed to get my family packed up to go to Ohio. And, I'm lazy.

But, I still think my cookies turned out pretty darn cute, even for a lazy baker! (The cookies are huge - Pillsbury dough spreads pretty significantly, so the nieces and nephews are going to get quite a treat!)

My Knitting Projects

2011-04-13T14:09:00.001-05:00

So I have gotten very busy with knitting, and enjoy it very much. My only fear with knitting is that it is going to be like all my other creative passions - things I LOVED doing for awhile (even several years), but now don't do or do very infrequently (scrapbooking, cross stitching, cake decorating, stamping and making my own cards, etc., etc.) I am afraid I will amass my supplies (knitting needles and yarn) and then never use them again.

Despite these fears, though, I am knitting quite frequently and really do enjoy the creative process. I currently have a rule to have no more than two knitting projects going on at once, in order to make sure I finish them. (I started a scarf that took me two months to knit, mostly because the pattern was boring, even for a beginner like me.)

I have had some orders from my kids, and I have made some gifts already. So, I decided to share some pictures of my finished projects here, today.

My Shamrock Dishcloth - first project finished, (2nd started) - didn't turn out very pretty, but it's for me and it washes dishes just fine

Two Rubber Ducky dishcloths for my brother-in-law - second and third projects I finished, thought these looked pretty nice aside from the ugly cast on edge

Seed Stitch Dishcloth - mainly just wanted to see what seed stitch looked like, made for us, cleans dishes well.

My first Bunny Blankie Buddy - Know several pregnant people, wanted to make a practice bunny to make sure I could do it. Was really proud of this one until I made my second one - you'll see what I mean! (Gave this to my youngest daughter, she loves it.)

My second Bunny Blankie Buddy (in blue) - See what I mean? So much better all the way around. Gave this to my older daughter. She too loves hers.

Dishcloth for my mom for Mother's Day - Don't worry, she does not read my blog. Loved how this one turned out.

Second dishcloth for my mom - Her favorite color is yellow.

Third dishcloth for my mom - Wanted to have a set of three for her. (Can't wait to give them to her!)

Hat for my son - I'm making three of these, this one in black was for my son, making a purple and pink one for the two girls

The infamous two month scarf - here it is!

That's all for now, but I'll try and keep posting some of my work here as I finish items.

My First Pattern

2011-03-30T11:44:00.004-05:00

So last month I blogged about learning to knit. Since then I have made a scarf (still in progress), two bunny blankie buddies and several dishcloths. And I am loving all the knitting I'm doing, but I wanted to make something out of some of the leftover yarn and try a new stitch pattern other than garter, stockinette, and rib. So I checked a book out of the library with all kinds on stitch pattern ideas and came up with this cute poncho for my daughter's American Girl doll. It is a fast and easy knit, and something any A.G. doll owner would love (especially in a color to coordinate with one of their outfits!)

Ridged Poncho for American Girl Doll

Materials:
Size US 10 1/2 needles (6.5 mm)
Bulky Weight Yarn

Instructions:
Make two identical pieces.

CO 36 stitches

Row 1: Knit
Row 2: p1, *k2tog; repeat from * to last stitch, p1
Row 3: k1, *Kfb; repeat from * to last stitch, k1
Row 4: Purl
Repeat these 4 rows a total of 6 times (24 rows of knitting)
Row 25: Knit
BO
Weave in all ends

Finishing:
Sew short end of one piece along long edge of other piece. Use cast on edges at neck edge of poncho. Sew the short end of the second piece to the long edge of the first piece to form poncho.

For the poncho I made I used Lion Brand Jiffy yarn in Aqua. It knit up nicely and is nice and soft for my daughter to play with.

I really loved the end result and I'm happy to share the simple pattern here!

Feeling Crafty

2011-01-27T10:48:00.004-06:00

I have been feeling crafty lately. I have all kinds of craft ideas running through my head, and various amounts of supplies for scrapbooking, card making, stamping and other little fun things like that.

So what have I done? I decided to learn how to knit. Something for which I have essentially no supplies for and have to go out and buy. I'm sure my dear husband is thrilled.

This really came about because my six year old daughter received a teach kids to knit book along with some knitting needles and yarn from her Great Aunt Kathy and her Uncle Kevin. Great Aunt Kathy and Uncle Kevin are extremely talented knitters and were eager to pass on their hobby when Zoe showed an interest while spending time with them.

So, I have decided to teach her (and her eight year old sister as well), but knew for me to help them, I would need to learn myself, first.

I have now knitted two things. The first is a purple rectangle, and despite the fact that I dropped at least two stitches and some of the stitches are ridiculously loose and some are too tight, I'm very proud of that rectangle. I have also knitted the first square of a banner the girls and I are going to knit after I teach them! This second piece of knitting is remarkably better than the first, and I'm now ready to learn the purl stitch! (So far all I have done is the knit or garter stitch. After I learn the purl stitch, I should be able to do more!)

I am very excited at the prospect of making little projects with the girls, and I hope they learn to be great knitters like their Great Aunt and Uncle! And who knows, maybe I'll even make a scarf in time for next winter!

A Few Treats

2011-01-04T07:34:00.007-06:00

Well I did get a little fancy over the holidays and made a few pretty treats to serve. My husband has a department work party where the company brings in the main dishes, but the employees (and/ or their spouses) send in desserts and goodies.

I made my chocolate chocolate chip cake with peppermint buttercream filling and chocolate buttercream frosting. I wanted to fancy it up a bit, so I made white chocolate mint snowflakes to put on the cake. I finished with the words "Let It Snow" on top. I tried to make the words sparkly by applying luster dust, which didn't go too well. But I was really pleased with the results and my cake won two categories in the employee voting. I won "most appealing to the eye" and "most festive." (I actually tied with three other people in one of those categories, but I can't remember which!)

I also finally made Bakerella's Cake Pop's that she has become so famous for! I decided to make buttermilk Devil's food cake for the base. I then crumbled half of the cake and mixed it with vanilla frosting. I mixed the other half of the crumbled cake with peppermint frosting. I dipped them in a mixture of chocolate bark and Ghirardelli's bittersweet chocolate. Then I sprinkled pretty Christmas sprinkles on top and then finished them with a Merry Christmas sign or red or green bow. I love how they turned out!

Now to start dreaming up my Valentine's treats!

Happy Birthday Post

2011-01-01T21:13:00.007-06:00

Thursday, December 30th was my 38th birthday. And even though it is the new year, I want to talk about my birthday from last year.

I had a really great birthday. In the morning I made muffins to take to my husband's grandparents, who we visited in the afternoon. December 23rd happened to be Brendan's Grandma McKillip's 95th birthday. Her party, unfortunately, was the weekend we had planned on going to Ohio for my family's Christmas. I had talked it over quite frequently with my mom, and with Brendan. My mom had offered to move our Christmas, but the only available weekend would have been the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Brendan didn't want her to have to do that, and for me to miss my extended family's Christmas, so we went to Ohio and missed Grandma's party.

To try and make it up to her, we decided to take the kids and visit Great Grandma and Great Grandpa. We had a lovely time visiting and had carrot cake and ice cream that they offered us. We also had some of the candy they received for Christmas. Brendan's grandparents have to be the two nicest people in the world. I feel so blessed and lucky to have them in my life, especially since all of my grandparents are in Heaven already.

After visiting with Grandma and Grandpa, we took the kids to Vaughn Athletic Center to go swimming. They have a great indoor pool complete with water slides and a splash zone. We all had a blast riding the water slides and the kids wore themselves out swimming and running across the lily pad floats in the pool.

Considering the late hour after we were done swimming, we headed to Portillo's and got take out for dinner. Ahhh, no cooking for me on my birthday! I had a fantastic hamburger and onion rings and we had some almond chocolate chip blondies for dessert.

I was serenaded with a rousing version of Happy Birthday by my kids and Brendan. and then got to open my gift. It was a pink iPod nano!!! Complete with $15 iTunes gift card! Brendan even had it engraved on the back, "To my favorite lady." It is awesome considering my iPod mini no longer would allow new music to be uploaded to it. I can now listen to my tunes again!

I have to also mention some of my other favorite birthday gifts, too. My sister got me "Cake Pops" by Bakerella. She gave it to me at our Christmas in Ohio, so it was just in time to help me with the cake pops I made for the first time for Christmas. (Pictures to follow in a later post.) I can't wait to try some of the other ideas in that book! My sister-in-law and brother-in-law got me a Starbuck's card! Woot! Woot! Now I have two gift cards to spend at the 'Bucks! It's going to be a fun January and February! And my mother-in-law got me a black zipper hoodie in a tall size! It goes all the way past my wrists! I'm in seventh heaven! (Talk to tall girls about finding clothes that fit, not fun!)

Anyways, it really was a great birthday. (Wow, I also like exclamation points!)

Christmas Wrap Up

2010-12-29T09:23:00.006-06:00

Christmas was truly joyous this year. I spent time celebrating with both my family as well as my husband's family. I even spent time with my mom's family, seeing my aunts, uncles, and cousins, some of whom I hadn't seen in two years! It's always a great time gathering with family and spending time with one another.

I also got some fantastic gifts, and while I know it isn't just about the gifts, let's face it, they are fun! I thought I'd share some of my favorite ones here.

When I was in Ohio, at our "Christmas appetizer" (the term my son gave this party because it was before Christmas), I received a Starbuck's gift card! Yay! I love Starbuck's, but I won't indulge without a gift card or good reason, so now I have a reason!

My husband got me three cool gifts that I love! First, in my stocking I got Fannie May eggnog creams and peppermint creams. Yum! Second, he got me the perfume I wanted, Elizabeth Taylor's Passion. The bottle is so 80's excess, yet so art deco cool, that I think it looks beautiful on my bathroom counter. We thought the design might be just old enough to be considered "retro" now. And finally, the third gift from my husband that I won't stop wearing is my Ohio State winter hat. Red and white stripes, a pompom at the top, and braided side strings with and embroidered "O" in the middle, what's not to love? (And I got my favorite movie of all time, "That Thing You Do" on DVD!)

From my brother-in-law's girlfriend I got the best homemade toffee and some awesome hand and foot cream. Finally, from my mother-in-law I got two most excellent books, "Cookie Craft" and "What's New, Cupcake?". Can't wait to try some of the cool and fun techniques in these books for yummy AND cute treats!

All in all, I had a wonderful mix of family, fun, and amazing gifts!

Almond Coffee

2010-12-24T09:52:00.000-06:00

If you are looking for a warm and yummy way to start your Christmas morning, or a yummy and warm way to end your Christmas dinner, then this is the drink for you. Steaming, creamy and almondy, this coffee hits the spot for a special occasion.

Almond Coffee

2 cups strong brewed coffee, hot
2 cups milk, warmed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1½ tablespoons sugar, or to taste

Combine all ingredients and stir to mix well. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar if desired. Pour into four coffee mugs and garnish with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon if desired.

Notes: If you have some lactose issues (as I do) you can substitute almond milk for the regular milk (and it is a bit more authentic, then!). If you use the vanilla flavored almond milk, do not use the vanilla extract and you may want to reduce the sugar slightly.

Merry Christmas Eve to all of my readers! Thank you for sharing in my 12 Recipes of Christmas. I truly enjoyed sharing them with you!

Truffle Fudge Brownies

2010-12-23T05:00:00.002-06:00

Immediately when I hear "truffle" I think fancy. This is decadent and rich, and a little fancy. But most of all, it is luscious and chocolatey! How is that for a description of a dessert? I actually made this for my 15th wedding anniversary in June, but it would end a Christmas dinner very well. Dress it up with some Christmas sprinkles or leave it unadorned. Either way it will be a hit!

Truffle Fudge Brownies

for the batter:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
¼ cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
for the ganache:
4 ounces quality semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
⅔ cup heavy cream
for the garnish:
candy sprinkles (optional)

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Make batter: Put butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water; stir until melted. Let cool slightly.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

Put sugar and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add chocolate mixture, the milk, and vanilla, and mix until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix, scraping down sides of bowl, until well combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, 27-30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Make ganache: Put chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until just simmering. Pour over chocolate; let stand 5 minutes. Gently stir until smooth. Allow ganache to cool, stirring every 10 minutes, until slightly thickened, 25 to 30 minutes.

Pour ganache over cooled brownies in pan; let set, about 20 minutes. Refrigerate until cold, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Let brownies stand at room temperature at least 15 minutes before serving. Scatter sprinkles onto brownies if using. Lift out brownies; cut into wedges, wiping knife with a hot, damp cloth between each cut.

Notes: This is another Martha Stewart recipe. She has the reputation she has for a reason! These are really fantastic and will impress any chocolate lover!

Only two days and one more recipe until Christmas!

Beer Bread

2010-12-22T05:00:00.000-06:00

Tastefully Simple has made a name on their beer bread. And it is good. But mine is also really good. And when you see how absolutely simple the recipe is, and that you probably have the ingredients in your pantry right now, you will never buy the Tastefully Simple mix again. Which is great because it will leave you more money to buy all the yummy dip mixes they sell! (And no, I am not a Tastefully Simple rep!)

Beer Bread

3 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 12 oz. can or bottle of beer

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Lightly grease 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan.

Combine first four ingredients in a mixing bowl. Pour beer into bowl and stir with spoon until well combined.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.

Notes: Cube this bread and serve with your favorite dip! So good!

Only 3 more days and two more recipes until Christmas!

Bavarian Apple Tart

2010-12-20T05:00:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure what makes this tart Bavarian, but I don't really care. What I do know is that this dessert is not only delicious, but also beautiful to look at. It is a sweetened pastry crust, topped with a cheesecake like filling, and that topped with cinnamony apples. Yum!

Bavarian Apple Tart

½ cup butter, softened
⅓ cup sugar
1⅓ cups all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
¼ cup sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced (4 cups)
¼ cup sliced almonds

Beat butter and 1/3 cup sugar in a small mixing bowl at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually add flour, beating until mixture is blended. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. (mixture will be slightly crumbly.)

Press pastry into bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of a lightly greased 9-inch springform pan.

Beat cream cheese and 1/4 cup sugar at medium speed until smooth. Add egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, beating well. Spread filling evenly over pastry.

Combine 1/3 cup sugar, cinnamon, and apples, tossing lightly. Arrange apple slices over cream cheese mixture; Sprinkle with almonds.

Bake in preheated oven at 400ºF for 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Remove sides of pan. Serve warm or chilled. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Notes: I just had to add a second photo to show how pretty this dessert is on a plate! This is a lovely, fancy dessert that isn't too hard to make. I mixed the cream cheese filling in the same bowl that I made the crust in, no need to clean it first. I also had lots of apples and just layered them twice on top of one another. You will definitely impress people with this dessert!

Chocolate-Mint Cookies

2010-12-17T05:00:00.003-06:00

A few years ago my aunt gave me an entire cookbook dedicated to cookie recipes. She obviously knows me well! I read the cookbook cover to cover, keeping a half sheet of paper inside that I could jot down the title and page number of the recipes I wanted to try. While I have tried several, the list is still very long. So at the beginning of December when my church was asking for volunteers to bake cookies as a dessert for a meal at Hesed House, a homeless shelter in our city, I decided to pull out my cookbook and try one of the new recipes. This is the recipe I picked, and the results were delicious!

Chocolate-Mint Cookies

1 cup sugar
½ cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 squares (1 oz. each) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
Peppermint Frosting
2 ½ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup butter, softened
2 ½ tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
Chocolate Drizzle
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon corn syrup
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
crushed peppermint candies, if desired

Heat oven to 375ºF. Beat sugar, 1/2 cup butter, the vanilla, egg and unsweetened chocolate in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed. Stir in flour and salt.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Flatten cookies with bottom of glass dipped in sugar. Bake until set, about 8 minutes. Cool 1-2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Peppermint Frosting:
Mix all ingredients until smooth and of spreading consistency.

Spread peppermint frosting over each cookie. Melt 2 tablespoons butter, the corn syrup, and chocolate chips over low heat stirring constantly, until smooth. Drizzle mixture over each cookie; sprinkle with crushed candies.

Yield: 3 dozen

Notes: This recipe originally called for double the ingredients in the chocolate drizzle, but I had entirely too much leftover, so I cut the ingredients in half. These cookies are soft and fudgy, and the chocolate drizzle just takes them from good to over the top fantastic. I made some with the candy pieces on top and some without. Both ways were good.

Only 4 more recipes and 8 days until Christmas!

Easy Spicy Roasted Potatoes

2010-12-15T05:00:00.001-06:00

Whether you want to serve these at dinner with a pork roast, or at brunch along with Country Breakfast Casserole, you can't go wrong with these potatoes. Even my kids love them, and I have picky kids! They are really easy, but taste so good!

Easy Spicy Roasted Potatoes

6 medium red potatoes, diced with peel
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Grease 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and stir carefully until potatoes and onions are evenly coated with oil and spices. Spread mixture evenly into baking pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes in preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes. Potatoes should be fork tender and slightly crispy when done.

I hope you'll give these a try! They are delicious!

Cherry Streusel Coffee Cake

2010-12-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

Do you have overnight guests at Christmastime? Or do you like to make your family a yummy and delicious breakfast or brunch during the holidays? Then this coffee cake recipe is for you. It is beautiful to look at, smells heavenly while baking, and tastes wonderful! This is actually a Martha Stewart recipe that I've tweaked slightly. If you want to follow her recipe exactly, then click here. One of the things I really like about this coffee cake is the bounty of sweet streusel on top and the pretty red cherries inside. This coffee cake is truly welcome at any breakfast table on Christmas or New Year's morning.

Cherry Streusel Coffee Cake

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 cup frozen sour cherries, thawed and drained well
Streusel:
½ cup + 1 T. all purpose flour
3 T. packed brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp coarse salt
3 T. unsalted butter, room temperature
Milk Glaze:
½ cup powdered sugar
1 T. milk

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9-inch tube pan; set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the sour cream and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Spoon about half the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the cherries in a single layer on top of the batter; avoid placing any cherries against the pan's edge, as they may stick or burn if not fully encased in batter. Top with the remaining batter, making sure it is evenly distributed, and smooth with an offset spatula. Sprinkle streusel evenly over the top of the batter.

Bake until cake is golden brown and springs back when touched, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and let cake cool 10 to 15 minutes. Invert cake onto rack, then re-invert (so streusel side is up), and let cool completely. Spoon glaze over the cake, letting it drip down sides. Let cake sit until glaze is set, about 5 minutes, before serving.

Only 6 more recipes and 12 more days until Christmas!

Peppermint Bark

2010-12-10T07:36:00.005-06:00

I tried this recipe for the first time this year and really loved the results! I've been wanting to make this treat for several years, but never seemed to find the time. I'm glad I made time for it this year. The dark chocolate layer really cuts the sweetness of the white chocolate, and those two layers paired with the crushed peppermint create a perfect little candy!

Peppermint Bark

8 ounces high quality bitterweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
2 teaspoons solid vegetable shortening, divided
8 ounces high-quality white chocolate, chopped into small pieces
⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract
½ cup candy canes, coarsely crushed

Line a 9x9 inch pan with two pieces of waxed paper, so the paper goes up the sides of the pan on all four sides. Make sure it is smooth and wrinkle free.

Place the bittersweet chocolate and 1 teaspoon of the vegetable shortening in the top of a double boiler over warm water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching. When the chocolate is completely melted and smooth, pour into the prepared pan. Spread evenly so it covers the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the crushed candy canes evenly over the chocolate layer. Refrigerate until slightly hardened, about 20-30 minutes.

Place the white chocolate and the remaining 1 teaspoon vegetable shortening in the top of a double boiler over warm water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching. When the white chocolate is melted, stir in the 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract. Pour the white chocolate over the bittersweet chocolate layer; spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining crushed candy canes over the top of the white chocolate and gently press in. Refrigerate until completely hardened. Remove from pan; cut or break into small pieces to serve.

Notes: I actually cheated on this when I bought my candy canes already crushed. I was lucky enough to find these:

This version of peppermint bark is quite chocolatey, with a hint of mint. If you like it more minty, increase the peppermint extract in the white chocolate to 1/4 teaspoon. I used Ghirardelli baking chocolate bars for both layers (60% bitterweet and white chocolate baking bar), you can also use semisweet chocolate if you can't find bittersweet. Please look at the ingredients of the white chocolate you buy, if there is no cacao butter, it is not high quality. Hope you like this as much as we do!

Sugar Coated Pecans

2010-12-08T05:00:00.001-06:00

There are lots of fancy food gifts that are given at Christmas time. These are fancy. These are easy. These are delicious! Whenever I make these pecans, no one can keep their hands off of them. And making these yourself will save you tons of money on buying something similar to serve or give away. (And anyone who receives them will be begging you to make them more! Soon!)

Sugar Coated Pecans

1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 pound pecan halves
1 cup sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250ºF. Grease a cookie sheet that has sides.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg white and water until frothy. In a separate bowl mix together sugar, salt and cinnamon.

Add pecans to egg white mixture, stir to coat nuts evenly. Remove the nuts and toss them in the sugar mixture until coated. Spread nuts on prepared baking sheet.

Bake at 250ºF for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Country Breakfast Casserole

2010-12-06T08:02:00.005-06:00

Due to some technical difficulties, I was not able to get my recipe up last night. But here is today's recipe, just a little late!

This recipe is from one of my favorite websites, Allrecipes.com. They have so many wonderful recipes there, with lots of user reviews and often, pictures of the recipes. Country breakfast casserole is one of those yummy, homey brunch recipes that everyone seems to love. It has eggs, sausage, gravy, cheese. Really, what's not to love? It is very easy to put together and has become a favorite at our house. When you have family all gathered around for breakfast, why not try this? It is delicious.

Country Breakfast Casserole

1 16 oz. package bulk sausage
2 green onions, chopped
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup water
½ cup milk
1 2.64 oz. package country gravy mix
5-6 slices bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons butter, melted
paprika, to taste

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Grease an 11 x 7 inch baking dish.

Brown sausage in a large skillet; drain fat.

Combine sausage with green onion and spread evenly across the bottom of the baking dish. Top with shredded cheese. Whisk together eggs, water, milk and gravy mix; pour over cheese and spread evenly. Arrange bread squares evenly on top. Drizzle melted butter over the bread and sprinkle with paprika.

Bake 40 minutes or until knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Classic Dinner Rolls

2010-12-03T05:00:00.002-06:00

Last year I ended my 12 recipes of Christmas with my pretty and tasty Pumpkin Knot Rolls. This year I am adding another yeast dinner roll to the list of recipes because I just enjoy making (and eating) them so much. This is a faster and simpler roll than the pumpkin knot rolls. It is made with quick rising yeast so one of the rising periods of traditional yeast breads is replaced with a ten minute resting period. You will get lots of ooohs and aaahs for homemade rolls, and these make your kitchen smell heavenly!

Classic Dinner Rolls

2 - 2¼ cups all purpose flour
1 envelope rapid rise yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons butter

Combine 3/4 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Heat milk, water and butter until very warm (120ºF to 130ºF). Add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of an electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add 1/4 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough into 12 equal pieces; shape into balls. Place in greased 8-inch round pan. Cover; let rise in warm draft free place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Bake in preheated 375ºF oven for 20 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; brush with additional melted butter if desired. Serve warm.

Yield: 12 rolls

Notes: I make this dough in my stand mixer, which has a dough hook. I do all the kneading with the dough hook, which leaves my hands free to grease the pan and clean up the inevitable mess I've made of the flour or other ingredients on my kitchen counter. In the winter my kitchen is colder than in the summer and my rolls usually take more than 30 minutes to double in size. If I want to hurry the process along, I will sometimes turn my oven to 200ºF and place the pan on the cook top. This seems to provide just enough warmth to move the rising process along to meet my time constraints. This has become one of my favorite go to roll recipes when making homemade rolls. I hope you give it a try and enjoy them as much as my family does!

Only 10 more recipes until Christmas!

Butter Meltaways

2010-12-01T05:00:00.001-06:00

I had to start my third "The 12 Recipes of Christmas" with a cookie. Nothing says Christmas to me more than Christmas cookies. This is a fairly simple butter cookie that looks pretty on the cookie plate, but more importantly tastes great. It has a great crunchy texture and a sweet, buttery taste that children and adults alike enjoy. You can easily sprinkle this cookie with plain granulated sugar, but at Christmas time I like to mix some red and green sugar in to give it a festive appearance.

Butter Meltaways

½ cup butter, softened
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup sugar
½ cup powdered sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 ¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
additional sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, oil, and sugars. Add egg and vanilla. Mix. Combine flour, baking soda and cream of tartar; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated. Chill several hours or overnight. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on ungreased or parchment lined baking sheets. Flatten each dough ball lightly with a glass dipped in sugar. Bake in preheated oven at 350ºF for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

Yield: 5 dozen

Notes: To make the sugar stick to the bottom of the glass, flatten one dough ball first, then dip in sugar and press on cookie again. Next dip glass bottom in sugar before flattening each cookie. You an easily add colored sugar to granulated sugar, or use all colored sugar if desired. Please use a vegetable oil with little to no flavor. I use pure canola oil. Enjoy!

The Recipes Are Coming!

2010-11-30T21:30:00.003-06:00

I will be launching my third annual "The 12 Recipes of Christmas" tomorrow. There will be another round of fantastic recipes for you to try during the holidays. I make each and every one of these recipes and they have all become cherished at our house. I will have some new recipes that I just discovered this year, along with some old favorites that make our Christmas special each year. I hope you will all come along with me and discover a few favorites for your families, too!

Chocolate

2010-11-19T07:56:00.005-06:00

I have a confession to make. I have a new addiction. It's not Bejeweled Blitz or Facebook, (though some in my family may argue otherwise).

I can't stop buying chocolate chips! I currently have eight (8!) unopened bags in my pantry, and that doesn't count the four opened bags I have in there as well. (Or the two bars of bittersweet baking chocolate.)

I can't help it. I love to bake with them, and when the good quality ones go on sale, I stock up. I have nothing against the store brands, in fact I'll purchase them when nothing else is on sale or they are on sale for a great price. But when Nestle's, Hershey's and my all time favorite, Ghirardelli's go on sale, I can't seem to help myself.

In my defense, they are not all semi-sweet. Some are dark chocolate or bittersweet, some are mini's, and one is even white chocolate. And let's face it, this time of year every store puts the name brand chips on sale. And, the manufacturers have all put out coupons, making the savings even greater. So I have lots of chocolate chips at the ready for all kinds of baked goodies. Now the question is, what do I bake first?

A Few Cakes

2010-11-16T20:55:00.007-06:00

I know my blogging is erratic at best, but I'm trying to get back into it. I am planning on having my 12 Recipes of Christmas again starting in December, and need to get back in the habit of posting (semi) regularly.

I have been making a lot of desserts and cakes lately. In fact, I took a Wilton's beginner cake decorating course back in August and really enjoyed it. It was a gift from my husband who knew I would love it, but probably needed a little nudge to get into it. A lot of it I already knew, but there were some new techniques and tips that I took from the class and has helped improve my cake decorating skills.

I made this cake for my friend Lola who had a little girl in July. This was actually the "graduation" cake I made for my Wilton course. I was really happy with how it turned out. I used a technique called pattern gel transfer to "trace" the outline of the sheep onto the cake. I was really pleased with how it turned out and enjoyed giving it to Lola's family to enjoy. It was a vanilla cake with almond buttercream.

This was my son's 11th birthday cake. He is a big Cubs fan and wanted a big cake to celebrate with. He had a laser tag party with several of his friends, three of which are White Sox fan. They ate the cake, but it did take a little prodding. This is a chocolate chocolate chip cake with vanilla buttercream.

This was my daughter's 8th birthday cake this year. She had asked me several months before her party if she could have a four tiered cake! I told her sure, and she proceeded to sit down and draw a picture of how she wanted her cake. She had an arts and crafts birthday party in our basement and the girls were thrilled with the cake. Half of it is chocolate chocolate chip, the other half vanilla cake. All with vanilla a buttercream.

I made this cake for a cake walk at my kids' school. It is a 6-inch chocolate chocolate chip cake with chocolate buttercream icing. It is "wrapped" in Kit Kats and topped with M&M's. This cake was popular and went quickly!

I plan on sharing more cakes soon. I still have a few more that I am proud of and have never shared here. Hope you have enjoyed seeing them as much as I enjoyed making them.

Happy Halloween - Cookie Style

2010-10-31T22:13:00.007-05:00

I have been dying to make new cookies and test out my decorating talents. I finally did! I am the room mom for my daughter's first grade class, and as such was in charge of her Halloween party this year. Along with planning crafts and games, I came up with some cute cut out cookies to decorate and take in for the kids to eat.

I already had several Halloween cookie cutters, but while hunting for a (cheap) cape for my third grade daughter's vampire costume at Goodwill, I found a set of brand new, still in the package, Wilton Halloween cookie cutters, three of which I did not have. I bought them for 99 cents and added them to my other cookie cutters.

I decided on five different cookie shapes: a ghost, pumpkin, black cat, two different bats, and a Frankenstein. I didn't actually have a Frankenstein cookie cutter, so I used a crimped round cutter and made the face myself. The cookies are chocolate sugar cookies, and the cookie glaze is an allrecipes.com cookie icing recipe. So simple!

The results were pretty much what I was looking for, and the kids all really loved them! I had a lot of fun, too. I think my favorite are the Franks and the ghosts. Now I'm dreaming about pretty Christmas cookies!

Allrecipes Excitement!

2010-08-02T08:59:00.003-05:00

It is no secret in my house that one of my favorite websites is Allrecipes.com. So many wonderful recipes with comments and ratings by the users. And most of the recipes are from home cooks like me, so they are very doable and don't usually have exotic ingredients. They also have pictures of the recipes, most posted by users. I love seeing a picture of what I'm going to cook. I have submitted several of my own pictures and enjoy seeing them pop up next to a recipe here and there.

Each day the website has a contest with all the pictures submitted and the top four vote getters are featured the next day on the Allrecipes home page. Yesterday I was picture #3 - the cupcake cookie. That's my username - JOSEPHINE. So excited! I've tried many times to make it into the top four, but this is my first time. Hopefully it won't be my last!

Cookies!!!

2010-07-30T15:21:00.006-05:00

I have been away from the blog for awhile now, and I'm trying to get my toes wet again with a new post, hopefully to be followed by more posts.

So my new found passion is cake and cookie decorating. I can't call it new, really. I have been making my kid's birthday cakes for many years now. And I have always aspired to make pretty cookies. But my husband reignited a passion when for an anniversary gift he signed me up for a Wilton cake decorating class. I have thoroughly enjoyed it, and have started searching out cake and cookie related sites and blogs. One of my new favorites is Bakerella. She has some amazing recipes and something called cake pops that I'm dying to try my hand at. (I'll post if I ever actually do!) While searching her blog, I discovered her pretty cookies and found out that she was inspired by a book called "Cookie Craft". I checked it out of the library and was hooked!

I made my first set of fancy cookies two days ago, and decorated them yesterday. I have to admit, for a first effort I'm pretty impressed. I used the sugar cookie recipe from the book but used my own cookie icing recipe that I had tried previously. I loved the results. I used an apple cookie cutter that I've had for quite some time but had never used, and my brand new cupcake cookie cutter I bought at Crate and Barrel last month.

Because I didn't want to make too many icing colors (I am a bit lazy) I frosted the leaf of the apple with white icing and covered it with green sugar. The stem was the same brown I used for the cupcake cups, and then I used red for the perfect apple. I think anybody who loves apples would love a plate of these yummy cookies!

The cupcake cookies reminded Brendan and I more of sundaes than cupcakes, but I love them anyways. I struck to a simple white frosting for each one (see note above about laziness) and made brown cupcake cups for each one. I did try various different sprinkles and designs so that there were several different kind of cupcakes on the plate. I topped most of the cookies with the a red cherry on top (made with the apple red frosting).

All in all I'm quite satisfied with my cookies. The best part is they taste great, too.

Easter Cakes

2010-04-01T17:35:00.001-05:00

We celebrated Easter a week early with my family and this year my mom asked me to make some cake for the festivities. Now if you know my family, you will know that they are not cake people. (Not my husband and kids, but the family I grew up in, and funny enough, all the spouses of my brothers and sister, except mine of course!) They would rather eat pie, cheesecake, baklava, buckeyes, ice cream, dirt pudding, cookies, etc. over cake.

But my mom knows how much I like making cake and thought it might be a nice change for us. So, I searched for some easy and cute cake ideas for Easter. Being that I was traveling to Ohio and making everything there, I didn't want anything too elaborate. I found the bunny cake idea here, and the chick cupcake idea, here.

I made chocolate cake for the two bunnies. The white bunny was made from a round 9-inch pan, the brown bunny from a round 8-inch pan. They were supposed to look like a mommy and baby, but my mom pointed out that it looked more like a mom and teenager bunny.

I made vanilla buttercream for the bigger bunny, and chocolate buttercream for the littler bunny. The ears are just cut out from paper and of course the eyes and nose are jelly beans. The chick cupcakes were lemon cake with lemon buttercream frosting. Delicious!

I was very happy with how cute they were, and the eleven grandkids all thought they were adorable. That didn't stop them from devouring them, though!

Hope you have a great Easter!

A Month for One Birthday!

2010-03-31T09:13:00.010-05:00

Zoe turned six this month, but it seemed like we were celebrating it one way or another every week this month! I know I baked three different treats for the events, and she made her own ice cream pie to celebrate with. But, it has been fun.

The first treat I baked were cookies called half and halfs. They are a half chocolate chip cookie, and half chocolate chocolate chip cookie, stuck together! I made these extra large and sent them in for her birthday treat for school. According to Zoe, they were a hit!

Because I was making so many cakes/ treats for her birthday parties, I suggested that Zoe make one of her famous ice cream pies for the family to eat on her actual birthday. She chose chocolate ice cream and sprinkled a variety of chocolate chips and sprinkles on top.

The first cake I made was for our family party. Usually, this is the only party my kids have each year. But Zoe has been asking for a "friend" party for quite some time, so we decided that she could have a friend party, too, this year. This cake was a two tier cake. The bottom tier was chocolate chocolate chip cake with vanilla swiss meringue buttercream, the top tier was white almond sour cream cake with almond swiss meringue buttercream. I made the decorations out of marshmallow fondant. Zoe explained the colors and decorations that she wanted, and I came up with this cake.

The following weekend was her friend party. We had ten little girls running around our house having a great time for Zoe's first "friend" party. Zoe loved being the center of attention and also loved her big 6 cake that she requested I make for this party. I took two nine inch chocolate cakes, cut a hole in the middle of one and carved the other one to look like the top of a six. Then I frosted over the whole thing with vanilla buttercream frosting. Zoe requested orange frosting with polka dots, so that is what she got! I was very happy with how the cake turned out.

Overall, I think Zoe would say that her month of birthdays (and treats) was a good one!

Writing - 2nd Grade Style

2010-03-17T12:30:00.005-05:00

My daughter's 2nd grade class had a writing party for the parents today. It was meant to show us all the growth the children had made in their writing skills since the beginning of the year. The kids' journals, several stories they wrote, and their spelling sentences notebooks were all out for us to peruse and comment on. There were snacks and beverages, too.

About half an hour into the party, the parents were asked to sit at their child's desk. The kids got out a pencil for their parents and a paper was handed out to each student. At the top of the paper was a writing prompt that our kids picked out specifically for us. Some were "What is your favorite color? And Why?" or "What is your favorite animal? And Why?" or even "What is your favorite Bible story." Emma's assignment for me was "The best joke is . . . " I immediately got nervous. Couldn't think of any jokes. Not one.

Then the students were asked to walk away from their parents to give them some room to write. I thought for a few moments and then the words began to flow. This is what I came up with (and later had to read to the entire class filled with parents and students!):

In my life I have heard many jokes that make me laugh. My kids try to tell me jokes all the time, just to see if they can make me giggle. And while I love all kinds of jokes, my favorite one came from a popsicle stick.

Every summer my kids devour boxes and boxes of popsicles. And every time they eat one, they (or I) read the joke out loud. The summer of 2004 we came across a simple joke that to this day still tickles my funny bone.

Here it is:
What did the girl melon say to the boy melon when he asked her to marry him?
We're too young. We cantaloupe.

I had forgotten how much fun it can be to write from a prompt. As an adult, I rarely take the time to explore some free expression through writing (other than this blog, of course). I think I would enjoy it again.

A Good Album

2010-03-04T14:42:00.004-06:00

Are you looking for a good album that the whole family can enjoy? (Okay, I can't guarantee it for teenagers, but all other age ranges are included.)

On the way to school today with the van full of carpool kids, we listened to an old favorite of our's, "No" by They Might Be Giants. This has to be the best "kids" album out there.

It will not make the parents cringe when they hear the first strains of the first song, it will not make the big brother groan that he has to listen to little kid music, and it will not make the little sisters whine to put on different music.

It will make you want to hear as many songs as you can before you have to get out of the van and go to school, it will make your mom leave it playing, even after the kids go to school because the songs are so fun, and it will have every kid (and parent) singing along at the top of their lungs to every tune.

This is what happened this morning in our van. I was driving six kids to school, my three plus three others. About half way to our destination, Ian finds the "No" CD and puts it in. Two seconds later the whole van is singing Fibber Island. This is no small feat. My passengers are one sixth grade boy, two fifth grade boys, two second graders, a girl and a boy, and one kindergarten girl. Oh yeah, and me, the 37 year old chauffeur. By the time we were listening to John Lee Supertaster the three youngest kids were swaying and moving like backup singers and telling the older boys to, "Look at us!"

It was a great way to start the morning!

College Fun

2010-03-02T14:57:00.005-06:00

When I was several years younger, I attended John Carroll University. I am a proud graduate and alumni of many years and have lots of fond memories of the old alma mater.

One of the fixtures on the campus is what many students referred to as the "big head." It is a statue of our school's namesake, Archbishop John Carroll.

This is what it normally looks like:

However, apparently several of the students took advantage of all the snow in Cleveland right now and had some fun with the statue before leaving on Spring Break. Archbishop John Carroll currently looks like this:

I love it!

Winter Fun

2010-02-22T09:58:00.008-06:00

Since it seems we can't get away from the white fluffy stuff just yet, I thought I'd post some pictures of my family having fun in it. This is from a sledding trip a little earlier this winter.

This is my oldest walking up the hill with his sled.

This is my middle child. She was thrilled when I bought her pink snow pants last year (thank goodness they still fit!) instead of the usual black hand-me down snow pants from her brother that she usually has to wear.

This is my youngest. She got pretty tired walking up and down the hill all afternoon, but had a great time anyways!

Here's my youngest again with her dad. We only have one sled that multiple riders can go on, so Brendan and I went on a lot of rides with the kids.

Brendan caught this photo of all the kids and I trekking up the hill once again. By this time the toes in my right foot were a block of ice, and I decided that after one last run I was going back to the van for some hot chocolate!

And finally, some pictures of the parents, who probably enjoyed the day sledding as much as the kids. (Nothing like flying down a hill on a piece of molded plastic to make you feel like a kid again!)

Pig Cookies

2010-02-19T10:01:00.005-06:00

I made these little piggy cookies yesterday for my daughter's second grade class. They spent almost a month reading Charlotte's Web and yesterday took the big test over the whole book. Today they are watching the movie and I thought these would be the perfect treat to eat during the show.

They are really easy to make and don't even need any cookie cutters! Take your favorite sugar cookie dough and roll it out. Cut into circles with a drinking glass. Use a small spice jar or extract lid to cut out the small circle for the snout. (I actually used the large side of a frosting decorating tip.) Cut out a small square out of the dough scraps. Cut in half into two triangles. Place at top of circle like two ears. Cut two slits into the snout with sharp knife. Sprinkle with pink sanding sugar and use two chocolate chips for eyes. Bake as directed. Simple, cute, and yummy!

Reading

2010-01-28T07:57:00.004-06:00

Last night I was reading stories to my daughter, Zoe, before bedtime. She chose the first book, If You Give a Pig A Pancake, one of her current favorites. Weary of reading the same six books over and over again for months, I suggested that maybe I could pick the second book. she happily agreed and I came back with Mike Mulligan And His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton. While I had probably read this book at least 100 times to Zoe's older brother when he was a little guy, I had never read it to her.

I began reading and she listened intently and studied the illustrations on each page. She felt bad for the steam shovels that were left "to rust and fall apart." She excitedly waited to see if Mike and Mary Anne could dig Popperville's cellar in just one day. She wondered how Mike could get out of the cellar as they built the town hall over him and Mary Anne. She proclaimed the book "Great!"

But the best part was when I read about Henry B. Swap. If you will recall, he was one of Popperville's selectmen who thought he could get part of the cellar dug for free by taking on Mike Mulligan's challenge that if he and Mary Anne could not dig the cellar in just one day, they would not get paid. When he thought about this, "he smiled in rather a mean way." When I read that sentence Zoe sat and thought for a few moments then looked up at me and said, "I don't have an evil smile because God doesn't want me to have one." So true, and wise beyond her years!

Turning 37

2010-01-13T10:27:00.007-06:00

Back at the end of December I celebrated my 37th birthday. My morning started by taking my 10 year old son to 7:00 AM mass because he was an altar server. On the way home we stopped and got some birthday donuts to share with everyone.

We are not into grand celebrations, but Brendan took the day off from work and we spent the day together as a family. At some point Brendan made some excuse to leave and brought me back these gorgeous flowers. I let each of my three kids pick a board game and I played each one with them. I made something for dinner and we ate at home.

Lots of my friends and family asked if I made myself some fancy cake. The answer is: No. I made myself homemade cinnamon rolls. And not just any cinnamon rolls, but the most delicious and yummy cinnamon rolls I have ever made or probably eaten in my life. They were huge, soft, and gooey. I made a delicious cream cheese frosting that sent the rolls from great to FANTASTIC! And the best thing, the recipe made 17 rolls. So we had rolls the next morning and later the next day for a snack! We stuck a candle in one of the rolls and my kids and husband sang "Happy Birthday" to me.

After the rolls I opened my awesome gift. It is a heated mattress pad! If you have never had one, just imagine your cold, chilly bed preheated to a cozy warm temperature. Aaaah, I've enjoyed it everyday since!

Snow Time Again

2010-01-06T17:35:00.007-06:00

Every year I write about making and eating snow ice cream with my kids. It is one of the winter rituals my kids look forward to every year. And with the amount of snow that is being predicted for our area coming in the next few days, I thought I would again post about snow ice cream.

The pictures here are from December 27, 2009. Our Christmas eve this year was white and the kids were able to sing "White Christmas" on the way to their Grandpa's house on that evening as we had gotten a few inches of snow the week before. Christmas day, however, was a different story. It rained much of the day and all the white snow lined yards turned to a mucky green.

On December 26, the rain turned back into snow and we got close to a foot of snow. My kids urged me to "put out the bowl" to collect the snow so that we could make our first batch of snow ice cream of the season. I made my husband do it (I didn't want to go out on the cold, snowy deck to place the bowl on the grill) and it sat there until December 27. After I unsuccessfully attempted to open the screen door which was hopelessly frozen shut, I put on my boots, my hat and scarf, my gloves and winter coat and went out the front door to trudge around to the back of the deck to collect the now full bowl of snow.

I brought the bowl inside and began making the snow ice cream. It's rather simple, really. Start pouring in half and half and stir the mixture occasionally. When it begins to resemble soft serve ice cream, add 1/2 cup of sugar and a little vanilla extract. Taste and decide whether it needs more sugar or not. If you run out of half and half, milk can be used to finish the mixture until the right texture is achieved. Eat immediately!

This particular batch used a full pint of half and half. After that ran out, I used some whole milk that was leftover from a fudge recipe. Being lactose intolerant, I declined to eat any ice cream (besides the little tastes to ensure good flavor). My kids, however, ate almost the whole bowl. It is a fun (and yummy) tradition!

Pumpkin Knot Rolls

2009-12-24T08:27:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas Eve! Here is the 12th and final Christmas recipe for this year. It is a yeast roll that is both beautiful to look at and delicious to eat. And if you have any picky eaters at home, you can feel good that they are getting a little bit of vegetables in their bread! You can't taste the pumpkin in these rolls, but the color is unmistakable.

Pumpkin Knot Rolls

▪ 2 pkgs. (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
▪ 1 cup warm milk, (110º to 115º)
▪ ⅓ cup butter, softened
▪ ½ cup sugar
▪ 1 cup canned pumpkin
▪ 3 eggs
▪ 1½ tsp salt
▪ 5½ - 6 cups all purpose flour
▪ 1 Tbsp. cold water
▪ sesame or poppy seeds, optional

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the butter, sugar, pumpkin, 2 eggs, salt and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide dough in half. Shape each half into 12 balls. Roll each ball into a 10-inch rope; tie into a knot and tuck ends under. Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, beat water and remaining egg. Brush over rolls. Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds if desired. Bake at 350ºF for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Notes: In the winter time my kitchen is cold (my whole house is cold) and so it takes longer for these rolls to rise. This is also an easy recipe to cut in half if you only want to make 12 rolls.

I have enjoyed sharing some of my family's favorite recipes again with you this year. Have a very Merry Christmas!

7-Layer Mexican Dip

2009-12-23T04:00:00.001-06:00

My dip is actually only six layers because we don't like olives, but I'm going to give you the full recipe and you can decide for yourself if you want olives or not. This is a recipe that has been around for a long time. But it is such a good one, I still love making it for get togethers. I just made this Sunday for our group of Christmas carolers - we went out singing to neighbors and then came back to our house to enjoy snacks and friendly conversation. If your lucky, you'll find red and green tortilla chips for everyone to dig into this dip with like I did.

7-Layer Mexican Dip

▪ 1 package 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
▪ 1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix
▪ 1 cup prepared guacamole
▪ 1 cup salsa
▪ 1 cup shredded lettuce
▪ 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
▪ ½ cup chopped green onions
▪ 2 tablespoons sliced pitted ripe olives

Mix cream cheese and seasoning mix. Spread on bottom of 9-inch pie plate.

Layer remaining ingredients over cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate.

Garnish with cherry tomatoes, if desired. Serve with tortilla chips.

Notes: This is an easy recipe to spice up with hot guacamole or salsa. Yum!

Only 1 more recipe until Christmas!

Bohemian Rye Sugar Cookies

2009-12-22T04:00:00.002-06:00

This is another of Grandma Van's, my husband's grandmother's, recipes. Every year she would make up a great variety of cookies and then package them into boxes for each of her grandchildren at Christmas. When I was dating Brendan in college, I was introduced to the cookies before I ever met the lady behind them. These were always one of the varieties included in the box. Although they are rather plain looking, their flavor is delicious. They are a crisp cookie that has a distinctive orange taste to them. Grandma Van died a little more than a year ago, but her memory and fabulous recipes live on.

Bohemian Rye Sugar Cookies

▪ 1 cup butter, softened
▪ 1 cup sugar
▪ 2 tsp vanilla extract
▪ 1 cup light Rye flour
▪ 1 cup all purpose flour
▪ 1 tsp baking soda
▪ ½ tsp salt
▪ 1-2 T. grated orange rind
▪ sugar, for dipping

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla, blend well. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Stir into creamed mixture. Add orange peel, mix well.

Form into 3/4 inch balls - place on ungreased (or parchment lined) cookie sheets. Flatten slightly with glass dipped in sugar. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until lightly browned on edges.

Notes: If you cannot find light rye flour, dark rye may be substituted, but the following changes should be made: dark rye flour should be only 3/4 cup, and all purpose flour increased to 1 1/4 cup. Be sure to store these in a tightly covered container so they keep their crisp texture. One last tip, be sure not to get the bitter white pith just under the peel of the orange - a microplane works wonderfully and quickly on getting the orange zest.

Cinnamon Apples

2009-12-21T07:48:00.004-06:00

This is an easy but yummy way to make a meal more special. These apples are great as a side dish or on top of pancakes or waffles.

Cinnamon Apples

▪ ¼ cup butter
▪ 4 large tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
▪ 2 tsp cornstarch
▪ ½ cup cold water
▪ ½ cup brown sugar
▪ ½ tsp cinnamon

In a large skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; add apples. Cook, stirring constantly, until apples are almost tender, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Dissolve cornstarch in water; add to skillet. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and serve warm.

Notes: Even though this recipe calls for a tart apple, I usually use Golden Delicious. This makes plenty of syrup and is so good on pancakes!

Only three more recipes until Christmas!

Chocolate Peppermint Chip Cookies

2009-12-18T04:00:00.001-06:00

I love the combination of chocolate and mint. Last year during December I posted two chocolate mint recipes, one for cake and one for bread. Now I give you this delicious combination in cookie form. Be careful, they are addicting!

Chocolate Peppermint Chip Cookies

▪ 1 cup butter, softened
▪ 1 ½ cups sugar
▪ 2 eggs
▪ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
▪ 2 cups all purpose flour
▪ ⅔ cup cocoa powder
▪ ¾ teaspoon baking soda
▪ ¼ teaspoon salt
▪ 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
▪ 1 cup Andes peppermint crunch baking chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips and peppermint chips until evenly distributed. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased (or parchment lined) baking sheets.

Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or just until set. Cool for two minutes on cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Notes: The peppermint crunch chips look especially festive in these cookies because of their pretty red color. If you cannot find these (they seem to only come out at Christmas time, and even then can sometimes be hard to find) Nestle made a dark chocolate and green mint chip combination bag that I tried with good results as well. You can also make these with all chocolate chips for a really delicious chocolate chocolate chip cookie recipe good anytime of year!

Pumpkin Scones

2009-12-16T04:00:00.001-06:00

Another scone recipe? That is the question you may be asking yourself. First of all let me tell you I have become somewhat obsessed with scones. I think they get a bad rap, mainly because people are not eating good homemade scones, but dry, hard as rocks scones from the grocery store bakery. And this may not be my last scone recipe this year. I made a new recipe for one today, but haven't tried it yet. After they are baked and tasted, I'll let you know whether you might be seeing it later. But these pumpkin scones? These are yummy! I had to fool around with the original recipe a little, and the end result is a scone that is so good you'll want at least two to dip in your coffee or tea!

One more thing - if you end up loving making and eating scones as much as my family and I do, you can make a variety, freeze them before baking, then bake them all on one morning and have everyone's favorite!

Pumpkin Scones

▪ 2 cups flour
▪ ½ cup brown sugar
▪ ½ tsp ginger
▪ ¼ tsp cloves
▪ 1 tsp cinnamon
▪ 1 tsp baking powder
▪ ¼ tsp baking soda
▪ ¼ tsp salt
▪ ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen
▪ ½ cup cinnamon chips
▪ ⅓ cup buttermilk
▪ ½ cup pumpkin puree
▪ 1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix together flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Grate butter into flour mixture using the large holes of a box grater. Use your fingers to work the butter into the flour (mixture should resemble coarse meal or crumbs). Stir in cinnamon chips.

In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk, pumpkin, and vanilla. Using a fork, stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press the dough will come together.)

On a lightly floured pastry cloth (or other lightly floured surface) gently pat dough into a circle about 1 inch thick. Using a sharp knife cut into eight equal sized wedges. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with egg wash (one egg yolk mixed with 1 T. half and half or cream) and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake at 375ºF for 15 minutes and lightly browned or a toothpick comes out clean.

Notes: Cinnamon chips are very hard to find. Hershey's makes them and I think they may only come out at holiday baking time. If you can't find any, don't worry. You can make these scones without them, or substitute white chocolate chips, chocolate chips, or pecans for the cinnamon chips. As with any scones, do not overwork the dough. The dough should look somewhat ragged edged and there should be small butter clumps visible throughout.

A make ahead tip: After cutting into wedges and placing on parchment lined cookie sheet, freeze until hard, about one hour. Then transfer to a plastic bag for up to 3 weeks. When ready to bake, remove from freezer, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar and bake as directed in recipe, but check after 20 minutes. DO NOT THAW!

My Coffee Is Coming!

2009-12-15T21:37:00.008-06:00

My side of the family had a very early Christmas this year. We celebrated the first weekend in December and had tons of fun. We also exchanged gifts and my parents got me something I've been wanting for a long time, but being the practical person I am, would not get for myself until my Senseo coffee maker completely stopped working.

They got me a B30 Keurig personal coffee brewer! I have been looking at these for a few years now, and recently thought I might really want one due to the variety of coffee available for it. I especially want to get the "my K cup" so I can use any ground coffee, not just the k cups they sell. Not only will it be more economical, but I will have so many more choices than I had with my Senseo.

The Keurig came with 10 sample k-cups, all different. I have enjoyed some, some are too strong, and I still have a few yet to try.

But tomorrow, my order of k-cups from Keurig should be arriving on my doorstep, and I can't wait! I ordered two flavored coffees, two regular coffees, and a sample of five different flavored coffees. Of all the kinds I ordered, I've only tried one, the Green Mountain Nantucket Blend. The other ones are Green Mountain Spicy Eggnog Coffee, Chocolate Glazed Donut Coffee, and Tully's House Blend Coffee. Now that a definite chill has settled over Illinois, I'll be ready with lots of delicious, steaming hot coffee!

Peanut Butter Temptations

2009-12-14T04:00:00.000-06:00

I know, another peanut butter and chocolate recipe. What can I say? I love pb and chocolate together! These little gems are so yummy. And they are fun, too! I often get questions on how I make these, along with requests for the recipe. They are actually quite easy.

Peanut Butter Temptations

▪ ½ cup butter
▪ ½ cup creamy peanut butter
▪ ½ cup brown sugar
▪ ½ cup sugar
▪ 1 egg
▪ ½ teaspoon vanilla
▪ 1½ cups flour
▪ ¾ teaspoon baking soda
▪ ½ teaspoon salt
▪ 1 bag (14 oz.) Reese's miniature peanut butter cups

Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla. Mix together flour, soda, and salt and blend into creamed mixture. Shape into 1 inch balls and place in ungreased mini-muffin pans. Bake at 375ºF for 8-10 minutes until light brown. Remove from oven and immediately press one unwrapped peanut butter cup into each cookie. Cool for 10 minutes. Carefully remove from pan and let cool completely.

Notes: It is always a good idea to have the peanut butter cups unwrapped before the cookies come out of the oven. That way all you have to do is press the peanut butter cups into the cookie as soon as you remove them from the oven. Yum!

Chocolate Scones

2009-12-11T04:00:00.002-06:00

Last year I posted a scone recipe and told anyone who read the post that if they had only eaten dry, hard scones, then they needed to try the ones I made. I still stand by that comment. After the success of my almond scones, I tried some new recipes. Here is one of my favorites. Decadent, rich, chock full of chocolate flavor, these scones will melt in your mouth and make you want to reach for another one.

Chocolate Scones

▪ 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
▪ 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
▪ ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
▪ 1½ teaspoons baking powder
▪ ½ teaspoon baking soda
▪ ¼ teaspoon salt
▪ 1¼ sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
▪ 5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into 1/3-in. to 1/2-in. pieces (1 cup)
▪ 1 large whole egg, plus 1 large egg yolk
▪ ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
▪ sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Line a baking sheet with parchment; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger clumps remaining. Fold in the chocolate.

Whisk together the whole egg and 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cream. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture; using a rubber spatula, fold in, working in all directions and incorporating crumbs at the bottom of the bowl, until dough just comes together.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured pastry cloth (or other work surface). Divide dough in half and gently pat into two circles about 1 inch thick. Using a sharp knife or a pastry wheel, cut the circles into eight equal sized wedges. Place wedges about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until the dough is very firm, at least 1 hour or overnight. (At this point, you can freeze the unbaked scones in a resealable plastic bag until ready to bake, up to 3 weeks.)

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolk with the remaining tablespoon of heavy cream; brush over the tops of the scones and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar. Bake on parchment lined cookie sheet, rotating sheet halfway through, until the sugar on top of the scones is golden all over, or a cake tester inserted in the center of a scone comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. They are best eaten the day they are baked.

Notes:
It is important not to overwork scones. This is what make them tough. Handle them as little as possible. If the edges are a little ragged, that's ok!

What I love is that these are make ahead morning treats. All you have to do on the morning you need them is preheat your oven and bake as many as you want! Bake them right out of the freezer, DO NOT THAW! And if you aren't making the whole batch at once, you can even just brush cream, no egg yolk, over the top before sprinkling on the sugar. Also, check at 20 minutes - occasionally a smaller scone will bake this quickly.

Classic Candied Sweet Potatoes

2009-12-09T04:00:00.002-06:00

Here is a side dish that goes well at Thanksgiving or Christmas, or heck any time of year! These sweet potatoes are easy to make, but a bit time consuming. But the final result is better than any sweet potato you've ever had. I promise!

Classic Candied Sweet Potatoes

▪ 6 sweet potatoes
▪ ½ cup butter
▪ 1 cup brown sugar, packed
▪ ½ cup water
▪ 1 teaspoon salt

Place whole sweet potatoes in a steamer over a couple of inches of boiling water and cover. Cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and cool.

Peel and slice sweet potatoes (so they are in rounds) into 1 inch slices. Place in a 9 x 13 in. baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, brown sugar, water and salt. When the sauce is bubbly and sugar is dissolved, pour over potatoes.

Bake in preheated 350ºF oven for 1 hour, occasionally basting the sweet potatoes with the brown sugar sauce.

Notes: I usually have to steam the potatoes in two batches because my steamer is not very large. These really are fantastic. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

2009-12-07T04:00:00.002-06:00

This is my favorite coffee cake recipe. I have made many different recipes, but this is the one I come back to time and time again. It is a little more work and takes a little more time, but the results are worth it! And everyone likes this one (even the kids) because there are no chunks in it. One other great thing about this recipe, it makes two! One to eat and one to share with a friend.

Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

▪ ⅓ cup almond paste, packed
▪ ¼ cup butter, softened
▪ 1 cup 5 tablespoon sugar, divided
▪ ⅓ cup shortening
▪ 6 egg yolks
▪ ½ cup milk
▪ 2 cups cake flour
▪ 1 teaspoon baking powder
▪ 2 egg whites

▪ Streusel:
▪ ¼ cup all purpose flour
▪ ¼ cup sugar
▪ 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
▪ ¼ cup cold butter

Cream almond paste, butter, and 1 cup plus 2 T. sugar. Add Shortening; beat for 2 minutes. Add egg yolks; mix well. Gradually beat in milk. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.

In another bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. Beat in 3 T. sugar, 1 T. at a time, until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter.

Transfer to 2 greased and floured 8-in. round pans.

For streusel, combine flour, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly; sprinkle over batter.

Bake at 350ºF for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Enjoy!

Peanut Blossoms

2009-12-04T04:00:00.003-06:00

Okay, so this recipe is everywhere. But if you have never made these cookies, you are missing out. My husband even blogged about these a few years ago. Put simply, they are a delicious peanut butter cookie topped with a Hershey's Kiss. Peanut butter and chocolate. One of my favorite combinations!

Peanut Blossoms

▪ ½ cup shortening
▪ ¾ cup peanut butter
▪ ⅓ cup sugar
▪ ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
▪ 1 egg
▪ 2 Tablespoons milk
▪ 1 teaspoon vanilla
▪ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
▪ 1 teaspoon baking soda
▪ ½ teaspoon salt
▪ granulated sugar
▪ 1 9 oz. package Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses, (about 54)

Cream shortening and peanut butter in large bowl. Blend in white and brown sugars. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Add flour, baking soda, and salt gradually; blend thoroughly. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 ºF for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven. Immediately place an unwrapped Kiss on top of each cookie, pressing down so that cookie cracks around the edges. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.

Yield: approx. 4 dozen

Notes: These are really pretty and festive if you mix some green and red sugar in with the regular sugar that you are rolling the dough in.

Bacon Wrapped Smokies

2009-12-02T04:00:00.002-06:00

Everyone needs great appetizers at Christmas time. This is one great appetizer. This is one of those dishes that always disappears quickly because they are delicious and easy to eat! And even better, you can make them a few hours early and keep them hot in the crock pot, leaving your oven open for other dishes that need to be made.

Bacon Wrapped Smokies

1 lb sliced bacon, cut into thirds
1 (14 oz.) pkg. beef cocktail wieners
3/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Take one piece of bacon (a 1/3 piece) and wrap it around a cocktail wiener. Secure it with a toothpick. Continue until all wieners are wrapped in bacon. Place wieners on a large baking sheet covered in foil (or a large disposable roasting pan.) Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes until the brown sugar is bubbly. Place under broiler for a minute or two, just until bacon is slightly crisped. Transfer to a crock pot set on low to serve.

Notes: I have burned these when I walked away from my broiler for too long, so keep and eye on them! They really only need a quick broil to crisp them up.

It's Coming Tomorrow!

2009-12-01T12:42:00.004-06:00

Hello Friends. I know I have been away from the computer for a long time, but I have returned just in time to start my second annual 12 Recipes of Christmas! Starting tomorrow, I will post one recipe every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and then each day the week of Christmas, until I have shared twelve of my favorite Christmas recipes. Maybe you will find one or two that your family loves, too. And if you are interested in last years recipes, click here.

Do You Believe?

2009-10-05T13:04:00.005-05:00

My ten year old son still believes in Santa Claus. Except, he doesn't. Actually, it's a bit complicated what he believes. But he is right there on the edge of fantasy and reality. Starting to realize that the Easter bunny and Santa are a bit implausible. Especially the bunny.

He keeps asking me if Santa is real. Except he does it in front of his seven and five year old sisters. I always say I'd be happy to talk to him about it, in private. This has only stoked the fires of skepticism inside of him.

Yesterday he got a hold of my electronic organizer and was looking through it. I thought little of it until he said, "Mom, I found a list on here called 'Ian'. And on the list is everything I got in my stocking last year." So, I waited. He gave me a look like, "I'm onto you." But didn't say anything more.

About a half an hour later, he asks me how the Easter bunny got the Easter eggs in our house while we were in Ohio. (He told me a big pink bunny hopping all around the world is a bit unbelievable.) But he couldn't figure out how his mom and dad, who were in Ohio the entire weekend with him, got Easter eggs all over the house here in Illinois.

I asked him if he would like to know the truth. He giggled nervously but said he was afraid to know.

He is right there at that point where he is old enough to know, but is not sure if he wants to know or not. I think he believes Santa and the Easter bunny are not real, and that his Dad and I might be those characters, but he isn't quite ready to give up the joy and magic of Santa. And maybe the thought that with Santa, he could get almost anything he desired, but not so if it's us. I don't know for sure what it is , but I'm enjoying the ride.

Chalk Drawings

2009-09-30T19:59:00.008-05:00

What do you do on a beautiful autumn day, especially when that day is the day before October starts?

You fill your driveway with chalk drawings of spooky Halloween creatures, of course!

And that's exactly what I did this afternoon with my two daughters.

There were black cats (1st drawing - mine, 2nd drawing - Zoe (age 5):

And jack o'lanterns (1st drawing - mine, 2nd drawing - Emma (age 7), 3rd drawing - Zoe):

A couple of mummies (1st drawing - mine, 2nd drawing - Zoe):

A few adorable spiders (1st drawing - mine, 2nd drawing - Zoe):

Some scary bats (1st drawing - Emma, 2nd drawing - Zoe)

Some not-so-scary skeletons (1st drawing - mine, 2nd drawing - Zoe)

Two cackling witches, and one that reminds me of the green witch from the Looney Tunes cartoons (1st drawing - mine, 2nd drawing - Zoe, 3rd drawing - Zoe)

Ghosts (both drawings - Zoe):

And last, but not least, our blood sucking vampire boys (1st drawing - mine, 2nd drawing - Zoe's, 3rd drawing - Zoe's)

Now we're all set for Halloween decorations, as long as it doesn't rain!

Our Brush With Fame

2009-09-25T09:33:00.005-05:00

There are a lot of stories out there about stars behaving badly. Pretty much anytime you turn on your computer or walk through the checkout line at the grocery store, you can read about someone cheating on their husband/ wife, getting arrested on a DUI, having sex with underage girls.

But our experience this summer with some TV stars was completely different. It was all positive and the young stars we met and got autographs from were absolutely wonderful and great examples to kids about how to live your life.

On the Disney cruise we were lucky enough to go on this summer there were several Disney TV stars on the boat with us. They came out at different organized activities and were the epitome of well behaved. The highlight was a concert given by Corbin Bleu, of High School Musical fame and the next day a meet and greet with the stars that included a Q & A session and a chance to get autographs and pictures with the stars.

Corbin Bleu came onstage on a very hot afternoon and was super cool. He talked about his family and how much fun he was having on the cruise. Then he sang several songs that everyone rocked out to. But the best part, THE BEST PART - my niece (my goddaughter, to be exact) and one of the biggest Corbin Bleu fans in Ohio, got pulled onto stage where Corbin sang her a song!!! It was truly a magical moment. I don't think her feet ever came back down onto the deck after that!

This is the video of Corbin pulling my 13 year old niece up on stage. Really cool and sweet! (He brings her onstage at about the 2:21 mark)

At the meet and greet session the staffers on the cruise passed out numbers for your order for autographs. We got there a little late and got in the second set of 250. (I think they had 500 numbers to pass out). My nieces were in the first set of 250.

The stars on our cruise were of course Corbin Bleu, Tiffany Thornton, Doug Brochu, and Brandon Mychal Smith, all from "Sonny With Chance", and Roshon Fegan from "Camp Rock". They were all really kind and engaging, talking to the kids as they came through. I encouraged my kids to say something to each of the stars, but I think Zoe might have been the only one to go through with it.

The Disney Cruise "handlers" were basically trying to run everyone through, barking out at the parents to take the picture "while they are signing the autograph!". The Disney stars figured this out and started encouraging the kids to step back by them while they signed the books and simultaneously looking up and smiling for the camera toting moms and dads. Corbin Bleu recognized my niece and talked to her for a few minutes. He asked her name and thanked her for coming on stage. She in turn thanked him for taking her on stage. And no matter how much barking the handlers did, my sister got a picture of her daughter with Corbin Bleu!

By the time my kids got up on stage for autographs, the handlers had settled down a bit and I had an easier time of getting pictures of my kids with the stars. Brandon Mychal Smith (Nico on SWAC) noticed that all my kids were related and pulled them all in for a single photo with him. Tiffany Thornton even got Ian to paste a big smile on his face when she told him, "Get over here, cutie!"

My kids were definitely thrilled with the experience. But the thing that capped it all off was on the last night of the cruise. Most of my family was in Studio Sea on Deck 4 singing or listening to others singing karaoke. Ian wanted a drink so I told him to go up to Deck 9 where the drinks are complimentary. When he came back several minutes later his face was filled with a smile and his body was jumping up and down. He made a beeline for me and said, "I was just in the elevator with Tiffany Thornton and Brandon Smith! And Tiffany is nothing like her character!" Brandon told Ian he liked his shirt and Tiffany asked him what he was drinking. Ian couldn't believe they talked to him! It made him feel pretty special. And the more I think about it the more I am impressed with these young people. They did not have to talk to him. But they did. With a few simple words they made my son's cruise experience extra special. And in turn, mine too.

Sleeping Babies

2009-09-21T09:03:00.004-05:00

This past weekend we watched my incredibly adorable nephew, Declan. We had him for four nights and four days and I was reminded of how much work an 8 1/2 month old baby can be. And what a joy, as well.

As I soothed him to sleep the first night, I couldn't stop calling my husband in to see the sweet baby faces he made. The sleepy smile, the sucking motion of the lips, his two little fists covering his eyes. It vividly brought back those many months we spent holding any one of our three kids, waiting for them to go to sleep, hoping once they were in their crib they would stay asleep.

Declan slept pretty well the first night, not waking up until 5:30 the next morning. His naps were pretty much what his mom told me they would be. But on night two he woke up at 2:15 and the pacifier in the mouth only worked for about five minutes. I eventually picked him up out of his pack-n-play and took him downstairs where I sat with him held tight to my chest until he fell soundly back to sleep. I awoke at about 4:00AM and decided to put him back in the crib. He slept until about 6:30 and was up for the day after that. Night three was a little worse, with another nighttime rendezvous and stint on the couch. He slept for awhile after I re-deposited him into the crib, but at 5:30 when he stirred again, I nudged Brendan and told him it was his turn. I then slept until about 6:15, when I heard Declan's cries on the baby monitor again as Brendan tried to lay him back down to sleep. Night four turned magical, with the boy sleeping from 9:00PM until 7:15AM and never once needing to be gotten out of bed.

All these sleepless nights made me remember all the crazy things we would try to get our kids to sleep before they were old enough to "cry it out." (Yes we used the cry it out method on all three of our kids and they are all fantastic sleepers now!) We sometimes used the bouncy seat at night, especially with the vibrate button until the baby was sound asleep, then we'd turn it off and thank God that something worked!

One of our rituals was the walk-pat. You know, walk slowly around the room with baby's head on your shoulder while you pat his/ her bottom rhythmically. If we stopped walking we risked waking baby up. And don't even think about sitting down - HE WILL KNOW!

We attached toys to the side of the crib that played music and had little fishies swimming soothingly along the water filled fishbowl.

We begged and pleaded with our kids that if they would just sleep we would most certainly buy them a pony.

But one of my favorite methods to get them to stay asleep when transferred to the crib was to preheat the bed. Yes, preheat it! I would hold the baby, walk-patting him to sleep, and my husband would throw the heating pad in the microwave. He would then place the heating pad into the crib and place a receiving blanket over it. About a minute before I would put the baby down to bed, we'd remove the heating pad and lay the baby on the warm spot, then cover him up with the warm receiving blanket. It did seem to help.

But what we found worked the best was making the baby go to sleep on his/her own. It was excruciating and something I always hated. But after two weeks, we'd have a baby that happily laid down to bed, went to sleep on his/ her own, and usually didn't wake up in the middle of the night. It really was what worked for us.

Messy House

2009-09-14T12:40:00.003-05:00

All three of my kids are in school now. In school all day, everyday. I have been home for 10 years now with my kids, and this is a very new experience for me. I have never had five uninterrupted days to myself, week in and week, out since Ian was born.

I have fielded many questions as to what I'm going to do now, etc., etc.. No, I'm not officially working (although I will occasionally be substitute teaching at my kids' school as the need arises), and yes, I do enjoy my time at home.

One of my goals this year is to get my house clean and keep it clean. This might sound silly or crazy or stupid to many of you, but I am not a great housekeeper. And I would like to have a clean house not because I'm hosting playgroup or because my parents are coming into town for a visit, but because I keep it clean by cleaning it regularly. I want the laundry done when it needs to be, the bathrooms cleaned every week, the kitchen floor mopped on a regular basis, and the piles of paper that seem to engulf us each school year in their place and not on my kitchen counter!

And I have to say I'm doing a pretty good job so far. Not only have I kept up with the laundry and regular cleaning, I've done some jobs that haven't been done in a long time. I cleaned up the cabinet under the kitchen sink. I ripped out the old lining and put in new lining. I scrubbed the outside of all the kitchen cabinets. I organized (somewhat) the office upstairs and vacuumed the basement and basement stairs.

But I am noticing that the more I clean, the more messy things I see around the house. I vacuum the basement stairs and I see that the wood edging is dusty. I clean the kitchen cabinets and I see that the baseboards are filthy. I mop the entryway only to see that the wood railings to our stairs are in need of a good wipedown.

It is seemingly endless! I guess having a clean home is going to be a little more work that I thought. I hope I'm up to the task!

Saving A Life

2009-08-28T09:11:00.002-05:00

When I went out to mow the grass this morning (all my kids are in school now!) there was a big (and I mean BIG!) and fat (and I mean FAT) worm on the garage floor right by the door. I was immediately grossed out (not a worm person).

I wasn't sure what to do because this was right where I needed to roll out the lawn mower. Then I noticed it wiggling and trying to move. As the floor was dry, this was quite difficult for the little fella.

I was in a quandary. Either I run the fat thing over and it is then squished on my floor and I have to somehow remove it, or I move my van so I can roll the mower out without having to come near the wormie, or I move it before I get the mower out and maybe save the little thing's life. I realized that whether he lived or died, I'd still have to move him off the floor. So, I chose the third option.

I carefully slid a garden trowel underneath the wiggling part of his body and used a garden rake to pick up the back side of his body so he was entirely on the trowel. I quickly ran to a puddle in the dirt next to our garage and deposited him into it.

He didn't move. I thought maybe I drowned him. I'm not kidding. I was actually worried about the little bugger, despite the fact that I DID NOT want to pick him up. I stayed and watched a few seconds for signs of movement. After not seeing any, I decided to go mow the grass.

After finishing the front yard, I looked in the puddle again, and it still appeared that he was dead. No movement at all and still in the same blob as when I'd dropped him in. I went to mow the back yard.

When I was finished I was amazed. There was the worm's body moving and wiggling and heading out of the puddle into the dirt. I saved him. Me! I saved the worm.

The moral I took away from all this: Don't leave your garage door open while it is raining, dumb worms will crawl inside and then I'll have to remove them alive or dead. Eeeewww!

Seriously Annoying

2009-07-27T15:47:00.005-05:00

So I stopped at McDonald's this afternoon to take advantage of their free mocha Monday promotion. It is only going on for one more Monday after today and I have not yet had the opportunity to get myself one. I had to pick Ian up from a park district class and happened to be going right by a McDonald's so decided I'd try one.

Unfortunately the stupid restaurant's machine was broken. Normally this wouldn't bother me. Things happen, right? Yes they do. However, this McDonald's sports a huge tie up poster on the side of the building proclaiming free mocha Mondays. There is a drive up sign before the spot where I place an order begging me to try either an 8 oz. hot or 7 oz. iced mocha.

But the straw that broke the camel's back? When I pull up to order the gal on the other side of the machine asks me, "Would you like to try our new iced mocha?" I enthusiastically reply, "Actually, yes I do!" To which the response is, "I'm sorry. Our machine is broken right now."

What? It's broken? Then why the hell did you offer me an iced mocha before I had even uttered one word? They obviously hoped that was not what I wanted, but still offered it to me. Ridiculous!

Summer Vacation 2009 - Part One

2009-07-22T21:10:00.008-05:00

On July 10, Brendan and I woke up at 4:00AM to get ready to leave on our much anticipated summer vacation. More than a year ago, my mom and dad proposed a grand plan for celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary which was a milestone they met in May of this year. They wanted to take their whole family (myself, my sister and two brothers, our spouses and all of our kids) on a 4-night Disney Cruise. There would be 21 of us in all (10 adults and 11 children). And that early Friday morning we showered, got dressed, packed a cooler with various snacks, drinks and lunch items and woke our three kids up to get in the minivan to embark on a 20 hour drive to Port Canaveral, Florida.

We had never taken a road trip of this magnitude with our kids before. We were excited and a little nervous and giddy with the prospect of trying to make it to Macon, Georgia at a decent hour so we could get a good night's sleep and turn around and get back in the van to end up in Port Canaveral before dinnertime on Saturday.

The kids were excited as well. They have made many trips to Ohio, which is usually a 6-7 hour drive depending on the number of stops and traffic. So we knew they could handle the time in the car well. And they did. We ate cereal out of plastic bowls on the way and watched DVD's on our DVD player and played the ABC game where you try and find all the letters of the alphabet in order from license plates or signs along the way. We made our way through Indianapolis and to the Sunny Side of Louisville (southern Indiana). We stopped at the Southern Indiana welcome center to use the bathroom and stretch our legs. Ian decided to start a collection of pamphlets from each state we were going through and tried to find the 120 foot tall baseball bat that graces the entrance of the Louisville Slugger museum. We never saw it (we went through Louisville) but saw the stadium for the minor league Louisville Bats.

I packed some surprises to give the kids as we travelled to make the trip a little less monotonous. There were orange Tic Tacs, a new book, a coloring book for the girls and playing cards for Ian, and toys for each one. These seemed to make the time go by quickly and before we knew it we were through Kentucky and into Tennessee. We stopped at a beautiful wooded rest stop in Tennessee and took advantage of some hills to climb and some pretty scenery to take some pictures. Being from the midwest, we were all awed by the beautiful mountains.

We stopped at a Cracker Barrel for dinner (they have one at every exit on the highway from Illinois to Florida - that's no exaggeration!) and the kids gobbled up some pancakes and declared the CB syrup the best they'd ever tasted. (It came in a little personal syrup bottle that they kept.)

We pressed on past Atlanta and decided to call it a night somewhere near Macon, GA. We stopped at what we hoped would be a cheap hotel only to find every other traveller had the same idea. All they had left were rooms with a single king sized bed. Not going to work for us. There were two other hotels with a lot less car in the lot so we checked there. The first was too much money. the second, the Baymont Inn and Suites, was initially too much. When my husband balked at the cost, the proprietor said he'd give it to us for $69.99 and we said we'd take it. My kids have rarely stayed at a hotel, so they thought this place was THE BEST HOTEL EVER!!!!!!! There was a flat screen TV on the wall!!! and a fridge in the room!!!! and the chair was a pull out bed!!!! We got ourselves comfortably situated and spent the night well. (Did I mentioned the flat screen TV!!!!)

The next day we headed into Florida. The state welcome center was serving fresh, cold, FREE cups of orange and grapefruit juice. My kids thought this was heaven and that the juice was THE BEST EVER! (Are you getting the notion that my kids don't get out much?)

We made it to the Port Canaveral Radisson Inn where my whole family already was and checked in to an EVEN BETTER hotel. My kids changed into their bathing suits immediately and went swimming with their Michigan and Ohio cousins in a pool that had a waterfall that poured directly into the pool.

We all went to dinner at a Beef O'Brady's, where they treated us well. All the kids got a frisbee to take home after dinner. My parents sat with all 11 grandkids while the eight kids and kid-in-laws sat at the table one over. The kids all got Oreos in their kids meal, and my Dad joked that he wanted some. Zoe, my five year old, took it upon herself to tell the waitress that her Papa wanted cookies. He got them!

We spent the evening watching Wipeout with the nieces and nephews and generally just having fun with each other. The next morning, the real fun began!

Summer Blogging (AKA - laziness)

2009-07-21T14:41:00.002-05:00

My summer blogging has been pretty much nonexistent. I often think of things to write about, but with all three kiddos home, don't have much time. And after they go to bed, let's face it, I just want to veg out. However, I just returned from an amazing vacation and will be sharing some pictures and experiences very soon. I'm not sure how interesting for all of you it will be, but I want to record all my memories of this great time so I can remember those fun things my kids said, the awe we felt, and the laughter we all enjoyed. Stay tuned for details!

Fun Monday - Purse Edition

2009-06-29T06:41:00.004-05:00

This week our Fun Monday hostess is Church Lady over in PA and her assignment is to post a picture of our purse and describe the contents kept within the purse. Little did I know that our pictures would be VERY similar!

This is my purse I've been carrying for quite some time now. It was a gift from my awesome sister-in-law and I love how bright and fun it is.

The inside contents are pretty much what are always in my purse, although I usually have mints, which are absent right now from the inside. Here's a pic:

So lets see: There is a cell phone, a baggie with Tylenol, my son's prayer book, my sons spare pair of glasses, a pay stub from a parking spot at the train station,two post-it note pads, my wallet, the post card with the eye doctor's new address on it, tissues, my van insurance card, old move stubs and a movie coupon, two packs of gum for the kids, 6 pens, antibacterial hand lotion, coupons, my coupon organizer, old grocery lists, old receipts from Meijer and Menards, an expired Children's Place coupon, a reusable bag, my periodontist appointment card, a Fannie Mae gift card, my two PADS assignment tags, and crackers.

Now that that is done, I need to go and clean my purse! Go check out everyone else's purse!

Two Days, Two Teeth

2009-06-16T14:08:00.005-05:00

My six year old daughter has been nursing two loose teeth in the front of her mouth for several weeks now. Every opportunity she could find to wiggle those teeth she took advantage of. If her fingers weren't manipulating them back and forth, her tongue would do the job. My husband captured her wiggling her teeth on video and uploaded it to his blog for all to see.

Yesterday the first tooth came out shortly before we were due to leave for swim lessons (thank goodness!). Emma had managed to turn it completely sideways in her mouth and I urged her to keep wiggling it until it came out. She was very excited to tell her Dad and could not wait for a visit from the Tooth Fairy last night. (She was up by 6:00 AM looking to see if there was a dollar under her pillow.)

Tonight the Tooth Fairy will be coming again! Just about 15 minutes ago Emma came running into the laundry room with a slightly bloody mouth shouting, "My other tooth came out! My other tooth came out!" Sure enough, I looked down at her and the neighbor to the tooth she lost on Monday was nowhere in sight.

"Where is it?" I asked.

"I don't know," was her reply.

She somehow bumped her lip on the couch and it dislodged her tooth. Now she's sporting a full on hockey player's grin and the realization that she is going to miss out on the entire corn on the cob season this summer.

And that the Tooth Fairy will be making another visit tonight.

Growing Up

2009-05-20T08:16:00.004-05:00

I just sent my baby, Zoe, to a full day of preschool in the car pool with my older kids. I have been looking forward to this day for quite some time. A whole day to myself (actually, 7:55AM to 1:30PM - I'm helping with the end of the day party in preschool at 1:30) with no specific tasks to do (did the grocery shopping yesterday). And I'm still excited.

But, I wasn't prepared for the lump in my throat and stomach as I buckled her into the backseat of the minivan. She was smiling broadly, and I couldn't help but smile back at my big girl. She looked so small among the 1st and 4th graders in the van. So small, so sweet, so excited. This is her last school day before she "graduates" on Friday. All year she has only gone three afternoons a week. But today she goes for the full school day, 8:15 until 2:45, with a lunch packed into her backpack and a day filled with friends and graduation practice.

I'm sure we'll both enjoy our day. But I didn't know I'd feel like this.

2009-05-06T13:30:00.002-05:00

I just want to say to all of the men who stop at the adult bookstore on Route 30, this is NOT a good place to get your wife a Mother's Day gift!

(Seriously, it looks like the parking lot for that place is always full!)

It's Closing In On Us

2009-05-01T07:23:00.004-05:00

The junior high that is less than a mile from my house has closed, as well as the junior high where my neighbor works has closed due to suspected cases of Swine flu. We actually watched this neighbor's daughter yesterday for several hours. The family that carpools with us has two sons who go to the junior high by our house. I never really expected all this to happen so close to home. I guess it is.

More Gum News

2009-04-30T09:39:00.003-05:00

Way back in January, I talked about my trip to the periodontist to have a gum graft. Basically, the doc took a slice of tissue from the roof of my mouth and sewed it above one of my front teeth to fix a receding gum above that tooth.

Today I went in to have all that pink and healed up gum tissue laser resurfaced. I had to be numbed up and then he went to work with a very quiet laser. It was fine, though sometimes he had my upper lip pushed so far out of the way it made it difficult to breathe through my nose. Which in some ways was okay, because then I couldn't smell the burning tissue. However I could sort of "taste" it when I breathed through my mouth. I don't recommend it!

My periodontist told me it would turn red and feel like a burn before it eventually pinked up. It is then that I can brush that part of my gum again. Yay.

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

2009-04-30T09:33:00.003-05:00

I'm not one to get all crazy about big health warnings and such. I just feel like we are bombarded with warnings of all kinds, and until I see significant reason to worry, I generally don't.

That may all change here, though. A high school in our city has been closed until Monday due to a suspected case of the Swine flu. Another school in a neighboring town has been closed for the same reason. The high school, Marmion Academy, has students that are siblings of students at my children's school. (Did you follow that?) So, if it is Swine flu, this boy has been in contact with other boys (it's an all boy school) who are brothers of students at my children's school. It concerns me. If it is confirmed as Swine flu, I will be watching my kids a little more carefully.

Breakin' My Heart

2009-04-28T22:12:00.002-05:00

Even though it was announced in February, I still was shocked, though not completely surprised, by the fact that Steve Page has left the Barenaked Ladies.

I have loved BNL for many years. My big brother, Kevin, introduced me to them in the 90's and they quickly became my favorite band of all time. I know Page has had a lot of problems with drug use and poor choices in the last year or two, but I somehow hoped he would get it together. Considering he and Ed Robertson shared a considerable amount of the leads on the songs the group wrote and sang, he will be sadly missed. And since 139 of my 1300+ songs in iTunes are by BNL, I will be reminded often of his mark on the band.

I wish the remaining band members, Jim, Kevin, Ed, and Tyler the best. I will still listen to all of their new music and continue to love them. But I can't help but think I will miss Steve's musical contribution to the group. I have never attended a more fun live show than the Ladies. I hope it will still be as much fun without Steve.

Stem Cell Research

2009-04-23T08:15:00.003-05:00

I found this little gem at Third Base Politics and felt I needed to share it here. Dr. Oz, Oprah's favorite doctor, is telling everyone that adult stem cells will be the root of a cure for Parkinson's and advances in treatment for other diseases, not embryonic stem cell research. This is huge, and for it to finally be shown on mainstream TV is wonderful, in my opinion. Check it out:

Baptism Weekend

2009-04-20T21:22:00.008-05:00

My newest nephew, Declan, was baptized this Sunday. The ceremony was held in a lovely old chapel with wooden floors and beautiful stained glass windows. The remarkable part was that Declan was the only child baptized that day. All three of my kids had several other children and families baptized on the same day they did. But Declan's was relaxed and personal and the old deacon who performed the ceremony was great with children. He made sure that both my three kids and three of Declan's cousins on his father's side of his family had a good view and even let them help him after the baptism with cleaning up and turning the font off.

My husband, Brendan, was godfather. It was fun to watch him light the candle and hold Declan in the pictures afterwards. A cool little aside - the beautiful baptismal gown Declan is wearing was originally his great grandfather's. He wore it, my mother-in-law was baptized in it, as well as my husband and his brother and sister (Declan's mom), and all three of my kids.

The party at my mother-in-law's house was a lot of fun. My brother-in-law's family is lots of fun, and I always enjoy my husband's family. Zoe made friends with the Coffey cousins and spent the entire day running around with them. She has arranged a playdate for an unspecified later date.

I played my usual role, which was to make the cake. I love doing that. I spent a lot of time online looking at other people's cakes for baptisms and first communions, trying to get some inspiration. But, it was a cross that I found at a Christian Bookstore that gave me my final idea for Declan's cake. I bought it as part of Declan's gift and used it as the cake topper for the cake. It is a two-sided cross with a little baby in jammies holding a blankie. On each side is a prayer, one for the morning and one for the night. The jammies have tiny little stars on them. When I saw them, I knew Declan's cake would have to have stars. This is what I made:

It was a huge four layered 9-inch cake. It was chocolate frosted with vanilla buttercream. I made marshmallow fondant stars to encircle the top and sides of the cake. Both the cake and the frosting are made from scratch. The cake recipe is a Martha Stewart recipe - a real keeper! The buttercream is Wilton's recipe.

As I wasn't sure if this would be enough cake, I made a second, smaller cake. I made another Martha Stewart recipe, and it turned out fabulous. It was a vanilla cake that I brushed with an Amaretto simple syrup. The frosting was an Almond Swiss Buttercream. It was the first time I made a cooked frosting and I must admit it turned out great. I have long been intimidated by cooked frostings, but with my trusty Kitchenaid stand mixer and my candy thermometer, the frosting turned out really good. What amazed me most was that the frosting for just one cake took three (3!) sticks of butter. That's a lot of butter. But it was good. I decided to coat the sides with sliced almonds. The cake turned out really dense, but really good.

This is the godfather with his godson. They're both pretty cute, don't ya think?

What Is Your Best April Fool's Joke?

2009-04-01T16:36:00.003-05:00

My parents are in visiting from Ohio. As my mom sat at the breakfast table this morning, she told Zoe to, "Watch out! There's a bug right there!" and pointed at the floor by Zoe's feet. Zoe fell hook line and sinker as my mom said, "April Fool's."

The kids all giggled and Zoe started planning. About five minutes later Zoe walked up to my mom and said, "Look outside, there's a flying Grandma!" My mom, being the good grandma that she is, looked out the window and pretended to be surprised that there was no flying grandma. Zoe shouted, "April Fools" and we all had a good laugh.

My Baby Wears Combat Boots

2009-03-27T10:47:00.004-05:00

Zoe has discovered a pair of boots in her closet and has taken quite a liking to them. She wore them around the house and outside to play this morning, and wants to wear them to preschool next week.

While I think she looks pretty cute in them, I'm not sure what the attraction is.

If you look closely in this picture, you can see they are Lizzie McGuire boots. They are hand-me-downs from one of the many awesome people who give me clothes for my girls. In fact, I think everything Zoe is wearing, except for the tights, are hand-me-downs. Gotta love that!

So, are your kids as stylish as mine?

Scrapbooking Weekend

2009-03-26T08:30:00.006-05:00

Two weekends ago my sister treated me to a scrapbooking weekend in Marshall, Michigan . The two of us met at the Riverside Inn and spent the entire weekend catching up on our scrapbooking. Okay, Leanne is pretty much up to date on her scrapbooks, but she still had some stuff to complete in her books. I, on the other hand, haven't scrapbooked in years and am hopelessly behind on my albums. But, I seized the opportunity and worked my butt off.

I did six spreads for Ian, five for Emma, and four for Zoe. Ian is now almost three in his album, Emma is about 6 months, and Zoe is about 2 months in her album. I know, I'll never catch up! But, I am now organized and having gotten a jump start in Michigan, I'm ready to get a lot more done.

Here are some of the pages I did while there:

This is a page for Ian. I found the layout idea from an idea book at the inn where we stayed. this was one of my faster and simpler pages, but I still love the results.

These are two of Emma. I like the ribbon I used and I think they are both really cute! (Only using one photo makes the layout a lot easier!)

This is Zoe. I used this photo I took of her a few days after coming home in my birth announcements. I just loved both photos and wanted them both showcased.

The inn was really just a house made for scrapbooking retreats. It is set on a river and the view from the kitchen is absolutely breathtaking. Our hostess, Katrina, lived next door with her husband and two kids. She provided all of our meals, which were delicious. There were snacks and drinks that we could help ourselves to at any time. While she ordered our dinners and lunch from local restaurants, she always provided salad or fruit as a side dish and made a dessert for both Friday and Saturday. She made Saturday morning breakfast and Sunday brunch, which included a delicious sausage gravy over homemade biscuits. The basement had 12-six foot tables each with an Ott light for well illuminated workspaces. The scrapbooking room also had a Cricut with about 6 or 7 cartridges, a Sizzix die cut machine with several dies, lots of scrapbook idea books, and CD player and TV with DVD's.

Leanne and I had an awesome time talking and sharing pictures with each other. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera to take any pictures because my kids and husband were walking in the Naperville St. Patrick's Day parade the same day. But trust me, it was an excellent weekend.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-03-24T08:04:00.004-05:00

I have become so busy with my family and other obligations that I've dropped the ball on my blogging lately. And it seems that the longer I go without blogging, the harder it is to get back into it. So today I am forcing myself on here in hopes that I will become re-dedicated to my blog and sharing the fun and crazy things going on in my life.

Today I share with you two fairly new (within the last month) occurrences in my life.

#1: I have begun to listen to country music. And I like it. I find myself turning to US99.5 more and more often, and only turning back to my traditional pop/ rock channels when they run one of their extremely long commercial breaks. Much to my husband's disdain, I like the themes of the songs, the slower pace, and the often humorous messages in the songs. I have even used some of my birthday iTunes gift card to download two country songs already (Darius Rucker's "It Won't Be Like This For Long" and Rodney Atkins "Watching You")

I have always liked some country. I own lots of Garth Brooks and have Shania Twain's first album and Carrie Underwood's first album. I also love Kenny Rogers and have an album of his greatest hits. So I guess it's no surprise I am liking it more and more now.

My husband will just have to find some way to live with it.

#2: I joined Facebook. Truly addicting. And I feel guilty when I haven't responded to people who send a message to me. I have been trying to find time to sit down and write everyone back, and therefore have neglected this blog in the process.

But it is fun! And I think that after the initial finding of old friends, the time on FB should slow down. Because really, once you catch up with someone you haven't talked to in over 20 years, you probably aren't going to talk everyday.

For anyone who is reluctant to give it a try, I suggest you do it. I have found people I never imagined I could find. For example, I lived in England for five years when I was in elementary school. I have found several old friends from those years, as well as an old music teacher! And seriously, it was so fun finding my fourth grade boyfriend and reminiscing on those days.

On top of that, I've found old college and high school friends and I'm able to quickly keep up with them and see their beautiful children.

And probably one of the most rewarding is finding old students from the four years I taught. They are all in college and graduating soon. The two I've contacted are so sweet and told me how much they loved me as a teacher. If that doesn't make someone feel good, I don't know what could.

My Baby Is Five!

2009-03-11T22:20:00.007-05:00

My youngest daughter, Zoe turned five today. I let her pick dinner and my benevolent daughter passed over bacon cheeseburger roll-up, probably her favorite meal of all time, for tacos, something her brother and sister both like. (Let's just say her big brother and big sister don't particularly enjoy bacon cheeseburger roll-up and leave it at that.) After dinner we sang "Happy Birthday" to Zoe and had ice cream.

We had the family over on Sunday to celebrate and had lots of fun and good food. I made my current favorite hors d'oeuvres, bacon wrapped lil' smokies. Can you say, "the way to ruin a diet?" Anyways, let's just say that they all got eaten along with the sugar coated pecans, cheese and crackers, dill vegetable dip and M&M's.

Zoe requested a Scooby Doo cake this year, so I made her a chocolate chocolate chip cake frosted in both chocolate and vanilla buttercream. Luckily I had a Wilton cake pan from when my son wanted a Scooby Doo cake several years earlier and so this cake was fairly easy to make. Zoe really loved it, which is always what is the most important to me.

Zoe got lots of great gifts, three dresses, a Barbie Thumbelina doll, a Hannah Montana doll, a book, and her favorite gift of the day: The Imaginext BatCave. It comes with the Batcycle, a Batman, a Robin, and lots of cool little features inside the BatCave itself. All three of my kids have now played with it every single day since Zoe received it and yes, Thumbelina and Hannah have been inside, as well as Brendan's Batgirl from on his dresser.

Now I just have to get used to the fact that my baby is five. Not sure how long it is going to take for that to sink in!

The Number 11 on March 11th

2009-03-11T08:01:00.003-05:00

The number 11 isn't looking so good this morning on March 11. When I started up my computer to check my e-mail, this is what greeted me on my My Yahoo homepage:

Not the best representation of the number 11. But don't worry, I'll be posting something later that is sure to make 11 a happy number again.

Being A Parent (And A Kid) Isn't Easy

2009-03-09T16:41:00.005-05:00

I'm not sure what it's like to have a kid with academic problems. So far, my three kids don't seem to have a lot of struggles with school. My first two learned to read fine and seem to be meeting all the marks they need to when it comes to their school subjects. My youngest, who is in preschool and has a speech problem, seems to be meeting her benchmarks as well and may even be done with speech before kindergarten starts next year. And while my kids are fairly young, 4th grade, 1st grade, and of course the preschooler, they seem to all be doing fine academically.

But my oldest child, my son, is having tremendous social difficulties. I feel like I know what to do when there is a math issue, or a science problem, but social issues are a whole different ballgame. When my youngest had speech problems, we had her tested and sent her to speech class. Through her speech class, her speech problem has shrunk while her confidence is soaring. But I don't know who to go to for social unease. I have talked to his teacher, which has helped. I have talked on the phone to the school social worker, and that helped, too.

But he still has problems. It breaks my heart. I don't know how to help him. How do you help a kid who feels awkward and doesn't feel like he has any friends? He isn't being bullied or made fun of, and he is included in the recess football game. And yet he still feels lonely.

I have listened to him and tried to reassure him that he is a great kid. I have tried to coach him with some strategies in being friends with others (following the old adage "Sometimes you have to be a friend to have a friend). I have offered to have kids from school over for the afternoon. I have let him know that I love him completely and always will. But I don't know how to make this part of his life better. I know kids have to go through some hard times in their lives. I know it can help them to grow. I know life isn't always a bowl of cherries. But it sure sucks while it is going on.

Makes Me Cry Everytime

2009-03-04T08:14:00.003-06:00

I discovered this song some time ago, finally bought it from iTunes and every time I hear it I can't hold back the tears. It is Steven Curtis Chapman's "Cinderella" and if you have a daughter, I dare you to listen to it without tears.

My girls are only 5 and 6, but I can imagine all these upcoming events and I realize our time with them is truly only fleeting. I hope my husband and I are taking the time to dance with all three of our kids.

Weekend Fun

2009-03-03T13:21:00.006-06:00

How was your weekend? Ours was busy, but fun. You know, the kind of busy that is good.

On Thursday, Emma, my 6 1/2 year old, had her first friend sleepover. They got to stay up until 10:15 and slept in sleeping bags on the floor. Anna had an Ariel sleeping bag while Emma used her cheerleader Barbie sleeping bag. They watched Ice Princess and had ice cream sandwiches for a treat.

The next morning Anna's mom came with her big brother and little sister and the kids played for another couple of hours while the moms chatted. It was a great way to spend a day off from school!

Then on Saturday Emma had a birthday party in the afternoon. While she was at the party I made giant half and half chocolate chip cookies to serve as dessert at that night's Daddy Daughter dance at my kids' school. Both Emma and Zoe went with Brendan this year and had a great time. The theme was sports so most of the dads wore Bears jerseys, including Brendan. Emma wore an Ohio State cheerleading outfit and Zoe wore a generic pink and blue cheerleading outfit. The reports are that the hot dog/ bratwurst/ hamburger dinner were great. There were games, dancing, and dessert, and of course the running around with the other first grade and preschool girls.

Ian and I stayed home and made a new recipe for dinner from the kids cookbook Ian got from the library. We both agreed the spicy chicken burgers were good and then we settled in for a few games of Mario Party 8 on the Wii. After Ian soundly drubbed me on the Wii, we turned on The Pink Panther movie with Steve Martin. We made popcorn and giggled at all of the silly antics of Inspector Clouseau. The girls came in just as the movie was ending at 9:00PM and we sent everyone up to bed.

Sunday brought church and play practice. It was a good weekend.

The Mind Of A Four Year Old

2009-02-26T17:11:00.004-06:00

I don't know if this kind of thing is normal or not, but I thought it was pretty interesting. My four year old daughter, out of the blue, says the following to me at the breakfast table one recent morning:

If you were the first person created, and you were on Mars where there was no air, you would just be bleah (Zoe sticks out her tongue and closes her eyes for effect on the word bleah) dead. No one else would be created. You'd just go straight to heaven.

And that was it. She didn't add anything to her comments or give me any other hints to clue me in to her many deep thoughts that lead her to the conclusion above.

All I could say was, "Yes, I think that if the first person was created on Mars, that's exactly what would happen."