Cute Fall Foods

Sometimes you need a recipe that serves as a snack or dessert and a table decoration.  These fall foods ought to do the trick!

Acorn Oreo Cookie Balls from Where Imagination Grows

Campfire Cake from Hallmark

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Acorns from Six in the Suburbs

Fall Leaves Rice Krispie Treats from Two Sisters 

Pumpkin Patch Brownies from Mom Endeavors

Pumpkin Shaped Cheese Ball from The Country Cook

Bacon Cheddar Beer Bread Footballs from Hungry Happenings

Turkey Cheese Platter from No Biggie

Pinecone Cheese Ball from Chickabug

Popcorn Bags wrapped in Tissue Paper from an Unknown Source

11 Apple Recipes for Fall

This fall I plan to take my kids apple picking.  We have not been but I know when my sister went, they came home with more apples than they could eat. This made me decide to gather a few apple recipes so that I have something to do with my extra apples. If you also plan to go apple picking, or just love apples, you may enjoy these recipes, too!

Caramel Apple Cake from Delish










Skillet Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Apples from Country Living

Awesome Sausage, Apple and Cranberry Stuffing from All Recipes

Apple Pie Bites from The Blond Cook

Caramel Apple Float from Taste of Home

Southern Fried Apples from All Recipes

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal from Five Heart Home

Caramel Apple Cheese Ball from Delish

Easy Apple Bread from Betty Crocker

Apple Crisp from Chow Hound

Caramel Apple Pork Chops from All Recipes

7 Simple Weeknight Dinner Ideas

I do not know about you, but for me, the first weeks of school are hectic and I need my evenings to be a simple as possible.  Although I love a yummy, creative dinner, some nights, I just need simple! If you are looking for Cornish game hens served with seared Brussel sprouts or step-by step directions, this is not the post for you.  However, if you need some ideas other than cereal, maybe I can help out!






Breakfast
Who doesn't love breakfast for dinner? Keep it simple with pancakes and sausage or add omelets. Either way, you can make dinner with only your griddle to clean up and have happy, full kids!






Crock Pot Chicken Fajita Tacos
Throw some chicken breasts with taco seasoning in your crock pot before you head out the door  and by dinner you will have moist shredded chicken.  I like to add peppers and onion in the crock pot, but you do not have to. To stay with our simple theme, keep your fixin's easy. Sour cream, Cheese, shredded lettuce and salsa can be served right out of the container for easy clean up and you can add beans or rice if you have a few extra minutes.






Grilled Cheese
I know this seems like lunch, but use 2-3 types of cheese in your sandwich and add tomato soup and it can feel more hearty.  If you feel the need for additional protein, get fancy, make it a hot ham and cheese!





Chicken and Broccoli
I know this seems less than simple, but hear me out.  You can use chicken tenderloins, frozen broccoli and Kikkoman stir fry sauce to whip up homemade Chinese in no time. To reduce your efforts, Innovasian makes a great sticky rice that you can find in the frozen section of most grocery stores.

Italian Sausage and Peppers
Again, I show my love for a crock pot!  In the morning, put sausage in the crock pot with sliced peppers and onions and cover with your favorite sauce.  Remember that the pepper and onion will add to the flavor so no need for homemade if you do not have any handy.  When you get home, serve with rolls or pasta.  You can add a simple salad if you want to add some freshness.





Buffalo Chicken Wrap, Salad or served over Rice
I know...more crock pot...but 5 minutes in the morning can be so worth it. For this meal, add buffalo sauce and a package of dry ranch dressing to chicken and it will shred into moist goodness by dinner time.  You can make wraps, salad or serve over rice.



Soup


Okay, so if you make your grandmother's chicken soup, turn away now as this WILL upset you.  If you are willing to take the simple way out, grab yourself a couple of cans of your favorite canned soup and serve with biscuits or crackers.  Sometimes we just need this level of simple to make it through. :-)

Adorable Edibles for Easter and Springtime

A friend sent me the below scone idea the other day which of course spiraled out of control into a 30  minute search for cute Easter ideas. Please tell me that I am not the only one goes off on these tangents. I am guessing that since Pinterest is so popular, I must be in good company with some one, right?

Anywho, here are my favorites from my search. I hope you find something that you like.


Chick Cheese Balls from Hungry Happenings


What? You do not think these are the cutest thing ever?
Do you have a heart?

Crescent Roll Carrots also from Hungry Happenings

These are so cute and could be filled with anything sweet or
savory.  I imagine you could sprinkle with seasonings or
cinnamon sugar afterwards.

Easy Easter Lamb Cake by Kraft Foods

Easy and adorable? I am in! This looks much easier than
the traditional lamb cake.

Hatching Chick Deviled Egg by Pop Sugar


These are actual eggs that look like
chicks popping out of eggs.
need I say more?



















Easter Resurrection Rolls by a Pinch of Joy

I have made these with my kids a few times. If you are
religious they are a really cool way to discuss
Jesus in the tomb.

Easter Bunny Bread by Taste of Home

So admittedly this looks a like a Pinterest fail waiting
to happen, but I'd still love to try it.

Easter Bunny Pancakes by This Little Piggy Stayed Home

A pretty easy breakfast that my kids will
like and that cute tail...yes, please!

White Chocolate Pretzel Easter Egg Nests by Green Thumb White Apron


I just love the Springiness of these.























Easter Carrot Scones from Michael's

The recipe that started the search.  Crazy enough, I have
never made scones at home, but I may have to, now.

Soccer Cupcakes and How to Make Your Own Cupcake Picks

I did a quick run to Michael's the other day thinking I would be able to grab some soccer ball cupcake picks and be on my way.  Much to my chagrin, they do not have them in the store, leaving me stranded for the cupcakes that I needed to make for my son's end of season soccer party.  Now one would think I could just order online, but that one would also be more organized than I.

 

Thank goodness I had a creative friend with me who suggested that we look in the sticker aisle. We did, and what did we find? We found scrap booking stickers that were thick enough to put on a toothpick.  Boom, problem solved!



 

 

Because the stickers do not have a backing, I cut around them leaving the plastic backing on them. This added some time, but made it so that the icing didn't stick and allowed the boys on the team to use the stickers however they wanted.

 

After cutting the stickers out, I just stuck the pointed end of a toothpick into the foam part of the sticker. For the larger stickers, I used two toothpicks at an angle. 

Although they do not have a design on the back, from the front, they looked great after being stuck into the cupcakes. Using the stickers also added a variety of sizes and style.

 

Often, I cannot find picks that match what I am looking for without going online, but the scrap booking aisle is usually full of cute, very specific stickers.  I will definitely be doing this again in the future. 

*Note that because you have to use sharp toothpicks and the backing could be dangerous, you should take them out if you are going to give to small children.

Frozen Cake for My Niece - Back-to-Back Elsa and Anna

My Niece Turned 5 this past spring, but patiently waited for her birthday party until last week so that she could have it at the pool.  As with many 5-year-old girls, she loves Frozen and just can't Let It Go. (Sorry, I just couldn't help myself!)

 

I worked at Baskin Robbins during high school and college breaks and learned to decorate cakes there, so my sister asked me to help with the cake.  I am a little rusty, so it is far from perfect, but my niece was happy and  that made me happy.

 

I do not have a step-by-step tutorial, but I will give you the basics.

• We used a dress cake pan but had to cut a larger hole in the center with a knife to get both dolls.
• We used two full dolls. My sister found them with painted tops and removable skirts. They were perfect!
• We used icing for the whole thing, but you could certainly get a smoother surface with fondant. We prefer the taste and were okay with the imperfection.
• We used a dense cake recipe.  It held up great, but the edges got a little hard in the time it took for the center to cook. We also made cupcakes. She tasted better.
• The snowballs, dots on Elsa's dress and adjoining seams are edible pearls.
   

 

Tiramisu Ice Cream Sundae

My childhood best friend and her family were in town this weekend.  While my amazing parents had us over for dinner, I brought dessert. I had a goal of making tiramisu, but as I cleaned up the ridiculous number of toys in my house, I realized that was not going to happen. (Now that I look back, when did I start living in a world where cleaning toys overtook decadent dessert?)

Anyway, I looked up recipes for a deconstructed tiramisu thinking that I could at least save a step or two, but realized that A. only one other person thinks tiramisu should come deconstructed and B. it would take almost as long.   I needed a plan B.

That plan B became this pretty simple, semi-homemade sundae. It was rich and had all of the tastes of a tiramisu and as a bonus, the ice cream was great on a summer night.

Tiramisu Sundae
My hot fudge slipped off a little, but it was still yummy.

It is a slice of pound cake, topped with a scoop of coffee ice cream with a spoonful or two of mascaropne whipped cream on top, finished with a drizzle of mocha hot chocolate.

I will be making it again. And even when I don't, I will be making the whipped cream. And, I may be eating the whipped cream by the spoonful. Please do not judge. It's really good!


Recipe:

Ingredients:
Pound Cake (I used Enteman's for the sake of time, but you could make your own.)
Coffee Ice Cream
1 pint Heavy Whipping Cream
4 table spoons Confectioner's Sugar
8 oz Mascarpone Cheese
6 oz Hot Fudge
2 oz Strong Coffee or Espresso

Whipped Topping:
In a cold metal bowl, use a cold whisk to whip your whipped cream.
Once peaks form, add 2-4 tbl spoons of confectioner's sugar to get to your desired sweetness. I prefer all 4.
Last, add the mascarpone cheese and whip again for 1-3 minutes or until fully incorporated.
Keep Refrigerated.
For best results, keep in cold metal bowl. Although the cheese should stabilize the cream, it will help it stay cold.

Mocha Hot Fudge:
Warm hot fudge for about 15 seconds in the microwave. You are not getting is hot, just softening it a little.
Slowly add coffee or espresso to taste.  You have the coffee ice cream, so you do not need it to be strong, you just want to get a hint of it.
Once fully mixed to your taste, you can keep refrigerated and then warm when ready for use.

When ready, layer your sundae and enjoy!

Alcohol Themed Cupcake Ideas

I have been on a cupcake kick latley. Wait, that's a lie. I have only made cupcakes once in the last week or so, but I have been on a mission to gather cupcake recipes with the goal of actually making them.
 
Here are a few recipes that I gathered for alcohol themed cupcakes. As I make them, I will let you know if I made any changes and how they turned out.  If you get to any before I do, please comment about how they turned out. (I love this give-and-take thing we have going.)
 
 
Bailey's Cupcakes from Easy Baked

Recipe Here

 
Margarita Cupcakes from Created By Diane

Recipe Here

 
 
Dark Chocolate Red Wine from Honeycomb Food


Recipe Here

 













Gin and Tonic Cupcakes from I Heart Katie Cakes

Recipe Here


 

 
 


















Southern Comfort Cupcakes from My Baking Addiction


Recipe Here

 
 


















Pina Colada Cupcakes from Grin and Bake It


Recipe Here

 
 


















Sangria Cupcakes from the First Year Blog


Recipe Here

 
 

















Beer and Pretzle Cupcakes from Baker's Royale
Is this not the most beautiful cupcake? Not sure mine could look like that!

Recipe Here

 
 















Almond Amarretto Cupcakes from the Cupcake Project

Recipe Here

 
 
Appletini Cupcakes

Recipe Here