Food... Crafts... Fun!

Vegan Almond Butter Cookies

2012-10-28T21:27:00.000-05:00

While I was over at my friends house who is vegan the other day watching kiddos one of the kids asked to make cookies. I hadn't had any experience cooking vegan so I thought I'd give it a shot. I didn't take a ton of pictures since I wasn't too sure about how this would turn out but they were excellent!

Yield 12:

3tbsp wheat flour

2 tbsp brown sugar or coconut sugar (I used coconut because that's what she had in her kitchen)

2 tbsp honey

1tsp baking powder

1/2 cup almond butter

2 tbsp apple sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together. Bake for 8-10 minutes. You'll want them to cool for about 5 minutes afterwards. They are a soft cookie and so delicious!

Hope you enjoy!!

Fig Jam

2012-09-09T09:24:00.000-05:00

I went to the local farmers market today and saw all these delicious looking figs. I couldn't resist! Made it even better that I got two pounds for only $4. They were all so ripe I wanted to make sure to make something today with all of them. The lady at the farmers market suggested making a jam. Which was an amazing idea I might add. As soon as I got home I started looking around for recipes and came across this one. www.foodandwine.com/recipes/fig-jam

Seemed simple enough and just sounded delicious!

2 pounds of figs, stemmed and cut into 1/2in pieces

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice plus 2 tbsp

1/2 cup water

In a large saucepan toss the fig pieces with the sugar and let stand, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until the sugar is mostly dissolved and the figs are juicy.

Add the lemon juice and water and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Bring down to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is soft and the liquid runs off the side of a spoon in thick, heavy drops. They said about 20 minutes but it took me about 30.

Pour them into the mason jars. It filled up 1 1/2 pints. Close the lids let them get to room temp. Store in the fridge for up to 3 months.

Enjoy!!

Almond Butter Cups

2012-08-18T09:44:00.000-05:00

Since my husband is allergic to peanuts I am always looking for peanut free spreads. I've bought the cookie spreads, almond butter, hazelnuts... pretty much anything I can get my hands on. The other day I was sitting here watching a Reese's commercial and was thinking how much I love them and how horrible it has to be to not be able to ever have them! So I figured I needed to come up with a recipe and surprise him. While the kids were napping I started coming up with this recipe.

Yield 24:

16 oz chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet since he loves dark chocolate)
1/2 cup Almond butter
1/4 cup plus two tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp butter (softened)

I started by lining a mini muffin pan with wrappers. Then I melted half of the chocolate in the microwave 30 second intervals at 50% power. Spread it evenly in the bottom of the wrappers then freeze for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile I mixed the Almond butter, powdered sugar and softened butter together. I ended up just kneading it with my hands until it was all mixed together and looked like a giant ball. I broke it into 24 little balls and then placed them on top of the hardened chocolate.

Then I pressed the butter mixture down leaving space on the sides for chocolate.

Then melted the remaining chocolate and placed it on top of the butter mixture. Place that back in the freezer for 15 minutes then enjoy! I've found they are good both left in the freezer and left on the cabinet after that. They won't last long so haven't had to worry about a shelf life!

Enjoy!!

3 Ingredient S'mores Pie

2012-08-13T22:46:00.000-05:00

I was checking facebook Friday and realized that it was National S'mores day! After I saw that I couldn't think about anything else besides s'mores. I needed to come up with something quick and easy to fill my craving. I had a premade graham cracker crust some chocolate chips and some marshmallow creme so I figured that could do the trick!

Graham Cracker Crust

1 cup Chocolate Chips

1 7oz container of Marshmallow Creme

I started by putting 1 cup of chocolate chips in the pie crust and putting that in a 375 degree oven for 5 minutes. Then spread the marshmallow creme over the chocolate chips. I put it back in the oven for 5 minutes. Then flipped it over to broil for about 2 minutes to brown it make sure to watch it to get it to your liking. Let it cool as long as you can and then dig in! It was too easy to be as good as it tasted!

Enjoy!!

Mini Cherry Pies

2012-08-06T21:03:00.000-05:00

I'm all about the individual desserts then I don't have to waste time I could be spending with people cutting a cake or pie. These would be excellent for a party! I just made them for no reason at all. But then decided hey my husbands birthday is tomorrow I'll send them with him to work so I don't eat them all!

All you need for this is refrigerated pie crust and pie filling. If you want to make your own have at it. I didn't I just used the store bought stuff. It was amazing and felt even better that it took me less than a half an hour to make and have this awesome looking dessert!

Preheat the oven to 375. I unrolled the two pie crusts that come in the box got a cookie cutter that is about 3 inches in diameter and cut out 24 of them. The remaining dough I put together and rerolled out for the stars.

I used a mini muffin tin for this. It made them about 1-3 biters. Depending on how big your mouth is.

Put the circles in each hole of the tin and fill with the cherry pie filling. I'm sure it would work just as great with any other pie filling. With the cherry I put two cherries in each pie. Anymore than that would overflow it.

I topped each pie with two stars and baked for 15 minutes checking at 10 minutes. You want the crust a light brown and the filling will be bubbling when it is ready.

Such an easy dessert I hope you enjoy!!

Salted Caramel Chocolate mug cake

2012-07-25T23:18:00.000-05:00

I've tried a lot of the "cake in a mug" recipes out there. Actually I shouldn't be proud of that and probably shouldn't admit it. I love sweets of most any kind. They are truly my biggest weakness! Well all that to say I came up with my own recipe that is pretty amazing! I thought I'd share!

Chocolate Mug Cake:
1 egg
1/4 cup flour
5 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
pinch of salt
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp veg oil
a couple drops of vanilla extract

Whisk all ingredients together in the mug. Make sure they are mixed very good no lumps at all. I've found it's easiest to put wet ingredients at the bottom so the dry doesn't stick down there. Heat in the microwave for about a minute and a half to two minutes. When I've made mine I've been about a minute and a half. Next make the salted caramel topping.

Salted Caramel topping:

(you want to put this in the microwave immediately after the cake gets out so everything is still hot)

3 kraft caramel squares

1 tsp milk

kosher salt

Place both ingredients in a bowl. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds stir then heat for another 15 seconds. Mix together and pour on top of the cake. Sprinkle with kosher salt and enjoy!

Let me know what you think! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Balsamic Pork Chops with Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2012-07-20T21:59:00.002-05:00

My husband and I ended up getting a couple of Pork Chops and some Sweet Potatoes at the grocery store. We didn't really have plans for how we were going to cook them but wanted it to be amazing. We searched recipes and couldn't find anything that both of us agreed on. So Cliff ended up on the marinade for the chops. I think it would have been even better if we would have let it sit all day in it but all we had was about a half an hour. This marinade was also for two chops. So if you are cooking more adjust accordingly. I still can't get over how delicious it was!

The Marinade:
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
3 garlic cloves
2 tsp honey
Salt and Pepper to taste

So I started on the Sweet Potatoes. I had 4 good size potatoes. Boiled them in a pot. Drained them and added all the goodness to them.

Sweet Potatoes:
4 Potatoes
1 stick butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar

We mashed all this together and ta da an amazing and really cheap dinner! Especially since the Pork was on sale for less than $4 a pound!

Hope ya'll enjoy! Let me know what you think!

Dr Seuss 1st birthday party

2012-07-06T08:46:00.002-05:00

For Nathaniel's 1st birthday I decided to do a Dr Seuss themed party. It was so fun and easy to decorate for. We decorated with Cat in the Hat hats filled with tissue paper so they'd stand up. Then put Dr Seuss books all over the table.

My friend at Darling Deuce Designs made Nathaniel's adorable onesie. It was so perfect!

I made jell-o in cups then added some Swedish Fish to make them look like the fish in

the Cat in the Hat story. They looked super cute... but after they sit with that fish in there that fish is super soggy... Trust me you just do it for the looks and toss it out after!

For the cupcakes I frosted them then topped them with blue cotton candy so they looked like thing 1 and thing 2. Another pointer add the cotton candy right when people get there. It melts FAST! Really if I was to do it again I would add the cotton candy right when people started eating them.

I made him a smash cake to look like the Hat from Cat in the Hat. He demolished it! He didn't mess around at all! We eventually had to take it away because I'm pretty sure he would have eaten it all!

We had the Dr Seuss Happy Birthday to you book sitting out so everyone could sign it.

It was such a fun birthday party! We had such a blast!

Cheesecake filled Graham Cracker cookies!

2012-06-29T12:51:00.000-05:00

I started thinking today wouldn't it be amazing to have cheesecake inside of a cookie. Then was just trying to figure out what kind of cookie would be best. I had never heard of a graham cracker cookie but that was the first thing that came to mind. I felt like a genius! So Abbey, Nathaniel and I immediately went in the kitchen to concoct something. After eating these bad boys I'm so proud and have to share the recipe!

Yield: 2 dozen large cookies

The Cookie:

2 sticks softened unsalted butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 egg

2 cup AP flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

The Filling:

8oz softened cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Start by mixing all of the filling ingredients together. I covered and put in my fridge while I was making the cookie dough.

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time scraping the sides of the bowl after each egg. Add in flour, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Mix in the graham cracker crumbs (you can buy them already ground up in the baking isle at any grocery store, or just finely grind up some graham crackers) Mix until combined.

Take a ball of cookie dough (about 2tbsp) put 1tsp of the cheesecake mixture on it then add another cookie dough ball on top. Make sure to seal the edges. I rolled mine back into balls. Put them on a foil or parchment paper lined pan about 2 inches apart. ( I used foil because I was out of the parchment paper worked just as good and didn't have to spray any cooking spray) Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

I found they are good both after being in the fridge and leaving them at room temp. I think it's totally up to your preference. I hope you enjoy!!

Every time I look at this picture I want another one!

Pinkalicious 3rd Birthday!

2012-06-24T15:28:00.000-05:00

Even though her bday was in November I thought I'd go ahead and post about it. She is obsessed with the book Pinkalicious and the color pink so we had to throw a Pinkalicious party for her. It was so much fun to plan!!
It all started with her invitations. I took this picture and made an invitation on Shutterfly. I just loved how they turned out!

I started making and planning for it months in advance. I made wands for all the kids. Pink for the girls and Green for the boys. I made one a couple weeks early and let my kids play with it a bunch to make sure it wouldn't break so they would last a while!

I got some crowns for all of the kids in the dollar section at target. Which I'm pretty much obsessed with. We tried to keep everything as "Pinkatastic" as possible.

I made cupcakes to look like the ones Pinkalicious made with her mom in the book. Then made some homemade marshmallow pops to match the cupcakes

I made a bracelet for each girl with their names on it for the goodie bags. Most of them still wear them too:)

Since she was turning 3 and was more excited about her friends being there then playing a game I just decided while they were eating their cupcakes to read them the book just in case someone hadn't heard it before. It was so fun I can't wait to start planning her next party!

Sidewalk Chalk fun

2012-06-23T23:39:00.000-05:00

We LOVE playing with sidewalk chalk. Especially the Crayola it has the brightest colors. In fact it's become part of our daily routine. As soon as most of the back patio is shaded we make our way out there to start having some fun. Nathaniel is really just into breaking the chalk or throwing it in the grass for me to go find later. Abigail is the brains behind whatever I try to draw. She has some great ideas. If only I was a better artist haha!

She wanted her and N to be King and Queen:

Watch out for a rainstorm:

Dora mermaid :

She then decided I needed to draw her and N:

She wanted her pic taken with her:

He didn't really care about this but she wanted it to happen:

So much fun!

Jell-o Playdoh

2012-06-23T23:07:00.000-05:00

So simple and easy to do! I found a recipe at modernparentsmessykids.com. It makes a ton! I ended up making two batches because Abigail wanted pink and purple but definitely could have halved or even quartered the recipe.
I think I love this recipe so much because it #1 was so simple and #2 smells soo good!
All you need is:
1 cup flour
1 cup warm water
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp cream of tarter
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 3oz package of Jell-o

Mix together all ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring continuously. You will know when you are done because you won't be able to stir anymore. It will actually look like playdoh. After it's done put it on a floured silpat mat or a floured cutting board. Let it cool completely.
It took me about 30 minutes. Knead it with some additional flour until its no longer sticky. You will need to store this in the fridge in an airtight container. It will last a couple of weeks with daily use before you need to make some more.
It was so fun for us I hope it's fun for you too!

Mix in saucepan:

It will start to thicken:

This is the batch of grape Jell-o:

Both grape and fruit punch batches:

How much one batch made:

Pirate Party Cupcakes

2012-06-23T21:42:00.000-05:00

I had a friend ask me to make cupcakes for her son's 3rd birthday party. These were so much fun to make and went so cute with her decorations! I also made some homemade marshmallows in shark shapes for her to give out as favors.

Beach and waves cupcakes:

Shark Marshmallow Favors:

Beach cupcakes were so easy and fun to make! I made my own frosting spread it over the cupcake and then just dipped them in graham cracker crumbs. I made some fondant starfish to put on them just for some extra decoration. In the ocean cupcakes I added some shark fins also made from fondant. I am so excited with how they turned out!

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever!

2012-06-20T11:56:00.001-05:00

I can't even explain how much I love chocolate chip cookies. Just give me a glass of milk to drink along with it and man I am there! This recipe makes the most perfect chocolate chip cookie! I had the kids helping make them yesterday so we made some of them with caramel and some with chocolate but left most of them non filled:)
Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 stick plus 6 tbsp unsalted room temp butter
1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
8oz chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Cream butter and sugar together, cream till light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Scrape any unmixed ingredients off the side between each egg. Turn down the mixer and add the vanilla. Add the flour, salt, and baking soda and mix well until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop 12 equal amounts of cookie dough on each cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Let cookies cool before transferring to a wire rack.

Yield: about 3 1/2 dozen