Food, Folks, and Fun

FREE St. Patrick's Day Subway Art Printable

2012-02-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

It’s here and hot off the press! Enjoy the St. Patrick’s Day subway art I made for you. Please see below to download the file and for printing directions. J

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Here’s direction on how-to order this print from Costco:

***The Subway art is a 16x20 print.***

1. Save the Subway Art to your computer. Then when you go to the

Costco website, click on PHOTO at the top and log in.

2. Choose UPLOAD PHOTOS on the right sidebar. Choose the album

you want to upload it to or start a new album.

3. Select your photo by clicking on the arrow in the box and find

where you saved the subway art and OPEN it.

4. Under STEP 3 Select the FULL RESOLUTION UPLOAD. Then click on

START UPLOAD.

5. After that's loaded, select ORDER PRINTS on the right sidebar. Select

the one you want and ADD TO CART.

6. Under PRINT OPTIONS, I always select LUSTRE, but that's up to you

Under PRINT ORDER, select the size you want. (Make sure to delete
the 4x6 they already have selected.) Then click CONTINUE.

7. Choose your warehouse... and then on the PLACE ORDER screen,

click on the EDIT OPTIONS and select DO NOT AUTOCORRECT MY
PRINTS. Click CONTINUE.

8. Make sure your order is correct and PLACE ORDER.

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

2012-02-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

This is a great weeknight meal because it’s quick & easy and not to mention yummy, too! The flavor profile was right on—tasted just like a Philly Cheesesteak with not nearly as much work. The cheese sauce in itself was delicious, and would make a superb queso dip…maybe by adding some green chilies and diced tomatoes.

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Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil

1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 T steak sauce
1 C beef stock
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

4 dinner rolls

For the Cheese Sauce:

1 T butter
1 T flour
1 C milk
1 C provolone cheese, shredded

Directions:

Add oil to a large skillet and let it preheat over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and brown, about 5-6 minutes. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables start to get tender. Stir in the steak sauce and beef stock, season with salt and pepper, bring up to a simmer and cook about 2 minutes.

Split open rolls and remove most of the soft insides, leaving a bed to hold the meat mixture. Toast the rolls and set aside.

For the Cheese Sauce:

While the meat is cooking, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook about 1 minute. Whisk in milk, bring up to a simmer and let thicken, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir the cheese until melted.

To Serve:

Place a scoopful of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the rolls, then top with the cheese sauce and replace the top of the roll.

Source: Adapted from Chef in Training

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Z is for Zebra Cookies!

2012-02-17T18:43:00.001-07:00

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Before becoming a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) I taught for 7 years (mostly 4^th, 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade). I really miss teaching kids and seeing them come alive when they learn new things, so when my brother and sister-in-law asked me to teach their 4-year-old how to read, I jumped at the opportunity!

We started by learning the alphabet; both the letter names and their sounds. Everyday we’d learn a new letter of the alphabet by first doing some workbook pages and then came the fun part, singing! I had 2 wonderful resources for this portion:

1- I used the YouTube videos below from www.havefunteaching.com. They’re great videos that are exciting and super fun to jam to (my niece and I jammed to each one J).

2- We sang a song the Kindergarten teachers at my last school had their students sing to get them to learn the letter sounds. It’s called “Who Let the Alphabet Out” to the tune of “Who Let the Dogs Out”:

“Who let the A out!?! /a/ /a/-/a/ /a/-/a/ “

“Who let the B out!?! /b/ /b/-/b/ /b/-/b/ “

… so on and so forth (you get the idea)

So, to celebrate the end of learning the alphabet & letter sounds we made zebra cookies! I thought this was the perfect activity to celebrate out accomplishment…and we totally sang “Who Let the Alphabet Out” while making the cookies! J

Sydney enjoying her Zebra Cookie

Sydney & Mia

Cook’s Note: I get a lot of questions from readers about what kitchen equipment and specific ingredients I use in recipes. I will try to list any specific ingredients & specific/super helpful kitchen equipment before each recipe. I hope this helps! J

Here’s specific equipment and/or ingredients I used in this recipe:
Pastry Mat for patting the dough out to the instructed dimensions
Bench/Dough Scraper I like this one in particular because it’s sturdy & has a ruler on it, bonus!
Silpat Non-stick Baking Mat
Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder

Zebra Cookies

Ingredients:

For the Vanilla Dough:
2 3/4 C cake flour
1 C plus 2 T powdered sugar
1/4 t salt
1 C butter, at room temperature
1 t vanilla

For the Chocolate Dough:
2 1/4 C cake flour
1 C plus 2 T powdered sugar
1/2 C plus 1 T natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 t salt
1 C butter, at room temperature
1 t vanilla

2 C (about 15 ounces)nonpareil sprinkles for decoration (optional)

Directions:

For the Vanilla Dough:
Combine flour, sugar and salt and mix on low speed until combined.

Add the butter and mix on low until the mixture appears to be lumpy.

Add the vanilla and mix on low until combined.

Transfer dough to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

For the Chocolate Dough:
Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt and mix on low speed until combined.

Add the butter and mix on low until the mixture appears to be lumpy.

Add the vanilla and mix on low until combined.

Transfer dough to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

To form into logs:
Divide the Vanilla Dough into thirds, with each piece weighing about 7 1/2 ounces. Divide the Chocolate Dough the same way. You will work with a third of each dough at a time.

On a piece of parchment paper or a pastry mat, flatten one piece of Vanilla Dough into a 7" x 5" rectangle. Repeat this with a piece of the Chocolate Dough. Place the chocolate rectangle on top of the vanilla rectangle, then cut the stack in half crosswise to create 2 pieces, each about 3 1/2" x 5". Place a chocolate rectangle on top of a vanilla to create 4 layers. You may need a bench/dough scraper to help with this. Press or roll the stack into a 9" x 4" rectangle. Cut the stack in half lengthwise to create two 9" x 2" pieces. Place one piece on top of the other to create a long narrow stack with 8 layers.

Carefully twist each end of the dough once or twice, gently working toward the center. Use your hands to twist the pattern and shape the swirled dough into a log about 8 1/2 ” x 2”. Set aside. Repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough to form two more logs. Compress each log with your hands so it is compact, gently rolling back and forth until the log is round and uniformly shaped.

Place the sprinkles in a shallow pie dish and roll each log in the sprinkles to coat. If the dough is soft, set the coated logs on a baking sheet and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until firm enough to handle. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator for 2 hours to chill thoroughly.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Use a sharp knife to cut generous 1/4” slices and arrange 1/2" apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Bake one sheet at a time just until they are no longer shiny on top and are lightly golden on the bottom, about 10 - 12 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days.

Makes about 12 dozen cookies

Source: Adapted from Pret a Gourmet

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Chicken Pie

2012-02-13T11:39:00.001-07:00

Yum, yum, and YUM! This is some serious comfort food! I had never heard of chicken pie until an Oprah episode, so when I saw this recipe in Cook’s Country I knew I had to try it!

Mmm Hmm!

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I made this chicken pie for my hubby and he LOVED it—so much that while he was still in the process of eating it he asked “when are you making this again?” Luckily I had a hunch he’d love this pie so I made two of these pies at the same time and froze one for later! I really do suggest making two of these pies at a time and freezing one for later because this is a time consuming recipe, but when you make two at once, it only takes a few extra minutes.

Cook’s Note: If you do make two and freeze one for later, prepare the pie that is to be frozen up until it needs to go into the oven. Double wrap the pie in plastic wrap and then with foil. When you want to bake the pie, take it out of the freezer and allow it to come to room temperature before placing in the oven (I took mine out of the freezer in the morning and it was ready to be popped in the oven in time for dinner).

I get a lot of questions from readers about what kitchen equipment and specific ingredients I use in recipes. I will try to list any specific ingredients & specific/super helpful kitchen equipment before each recipe. I hope this helps! J

Here’s specific equipment and/or ingredients I used in this recipe:
9-inch Pie Plate
Adjustable Rolling Pin
Silicone Pastry Mat
Cook’s Country Magazine

My unbaked Pie

The finished product--so pretty!

Moravian Chicken Pie

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

1/2 C sour cream
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 1/2 C all purpose flour
1-1/2 t salt
12 T cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

For the Filling:

2 (10- to 12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed and halved crosswise
3 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
Salt and pepper
1 T vegetable oil
3 C low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 T unsalted butter
1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C half-and-half
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

For the Crust:

Stir together sour cream and egg in small bowl, set aside.

Process flour and salt in food processor briefly. Add butter, a few pieces at a time, and pulse until the butter is pea-sized.

Add sour cream mixture to flour mixture, half at a time, pulsing after each addition until combined. Mixture should start to form into a dough about 10 pulses after final addition.

Transfer to floured surface and knead briefly, just until dough comes together. Divide in two and form each half into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour.

After chilling, remove 1 dough disk from refrigerator and let sit 10 minutes, then roll into 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to 9-inch pie plate.

Roll second disk of dough, and transfer to parchment-lined sheet. Cover both and return to refrigerator for 30 minutes.

For the Filling:

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until browned all over, about 10 minutes; transfer to plate. Pour fat (you should have 2 tablespoons) into small bowl; reserve. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin. Add broth, chicken, and bay leaf to now-empty pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until breasts register 160 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 14 to 18 minutes. Transfer chicken to bowl. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces, discarding bones. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer into second bowl and reserve (you should have about 2¾ cups); discard bay leaf.

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450°F. Heat butter and reserved fat in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of reserved broth and half-and-half and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gravy until thickened and reduced to 1¾ cups, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine 1 cup gravy with shredded chicken; reserve remaining gravy for serving.

Transfer chicken mixture to dough-lined pie plate and spread into even layer. Top with second dough round, leaving at least 1/2-inch overhang all around. Fold dough under itself so that edge of fold is flush with outer rim of pie plate. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with tines of fork to seal. Cut four 1-inch slits in top. Brush pie with egg and bake until top is light golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake until crust is deep golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let pie cool on wire rack for at least 45 minutes.

When ready to serve, bring remaining ¾ cup reserved gravy and remaining ¾ cup reserved broth to boil in medium saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat until slightly thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve pie with gravy.

Source: Cook’s Country December 2011/January 2012 issue

I’m linking this post up at:

Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Cake Batter Cookies

2012-02-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

YUM-O is what I have to say about these cookies! They really do taste like luscious cake batter, and the exteriors are a little crispy and the centers are nice and soft. These cookies can easily change with the seasons/celebrations depending on the sprinkles you use! These would also be a great alternative to cupcakes for birthday celebrations at school!

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Here's the specific equipment and ingredients I used in this recipe:

Jello 3.4 oz package instant vanilla pudding mix

2.5 oz container “Be Mine Confetti” sprinkles from Target

3 Tablespoon (or 50mm) Scoop

Silicone Slipat Non-Stick Baking Mat

Cake Batter Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 C butter (1 ½ sticks)

3/4 C light brown sugar

1/4 C sugar

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix

3/4 C yellow cake mix

2 C flour

1/2 t salt

1 t baking soda

½ C or a 2.5 oz container of sprinkles

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F and prepare 2 cookies sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.

Using a mixer, cream butter and sugars together on high speed for about 2 minutes, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth, and then beat on high for about 1 minute.

Add in pudding mix and cake mix and beat until well thoroughly blended.

Add the flour mixture and beat on low until well incorporated.

Add the sprinkles and mix until just combined.

Using a 3 tablespoon scoop, scoop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans half-way through cooking.

Makes 24 cookies

Source: adapted from Chef in Training

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Georgetown Cupcake Red Velvet Cupcakes

2012-01-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

This is an amazing recipe for Red Velvet Cupcakes from the lovely ladies of DC Cupcakes / Georgetown Cupcake—they’re tasty and beautiful! I think cupcakes are the most frequent type of dessert I make…and what’s not to love?!? They’re compact, perfect-sized, little bundles of happiness. Try eating one of theses without smiling, I bet you can’t! J

Mia sure can't eat one without smiling! :)

Here’s the specific equipment and ingredients I used in this recipe:
Nielsen-Massey pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
Valrhona Cocoa Powder
Packaged Red Fondant
Shimmer Dust

Linzer Cutter Set (to make the fondant hearts)
4 Tablespoon Scoop - aka my favorite scoop ever!
Red Cupcake Liners
Pastry Tip Set
Adjustable Rolling Pin – this pin makes life SO much easier when you need to roll things out to a specific thickness.
The Cupcake Diaries Cookbook

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Georgetown Cupcake Red Velvet Cupcakes

For the Cupcakes

Ingredients:

3 ¼ C all-purpose flour

1 t salt
12 T unsalted butter, at room temperature (preferably European style)
1 ¾ C sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
4 T red food coloring (no-taste liquid food color, such as McCormick)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (Nielsen-Massey pure Madagascar Bourbon recommended)
2 ½ T cocoa powder, sifted (such as Valrhona)
1 ½ C whole milk, at room temperature
1 ½ t baking soda
1 ½ t apple cider vinegar

For the Vanilla Cream-Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

8 T unsalted butter, at room temperature (preferably European style)

8 C (or 2 pounds) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
½ t pure vanilla extract (Nielsen-Massey pure Madagascar Bourbon recommended)
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

For Garnish (optional):

Red Fondant
mini heart cookie cutter (I used the heart cutter from this set)
Shimmer dust

Directions:
For the Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 standard cupcake pans with baking liners.

Sift together the flour and salt, set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together at medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.

Using a whisk, whisk together the red food coloring, vanilla, and cocoa powder. Slowly add this to the mixer bowl, mixing slowly until well incorporated.

Add one third of the flour, followed by one third of the milk and mix until combined. Repeat. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the last third of the flour, followed by the last third of the milk and mix until incorporated.

In a small bowl, add the baking soda to the apple cider vinegar. You’ll see the baking soda and vinegar fizz up. Mix thoroughly and add this reaction to the batter. Mix until just incorporated.

Using a 4 tablespoon scoop, scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake pan (each cupcake well should be about 2/3 full). Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Fondant garnish:

Roll your fondant (I used pre-packaged red fondant) out to ¼ inch thickness and dust the top with shimmer dust (optional). Cut out the fondant using a mini heart cookie cutter (I actually used the heart cutter from my linzer cookie cutter set). Lay the fondant hearts out on a piece of foil or parchment and let the fondant dry out for a few minutes.

For the Vanilla Cream-Cheese Frosting:
Place the butter and cream cheese in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream for about 2 minutes on medium speed.

Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and beat until well combined. Be sure to beat on high speed at the very end for about 2 minutes to ensure that the frosting is light and fluffy.

To Assemble:
Frost the cupcakes as desired—I used my favorite pastry tip set to frost these and top with a red fondant heart.

Makes about 24-26 cupcakes.

Source: The Cupcake Diaries by the sister’s of DC Cupcake/Georgetown Cupcake, Katherine Kallinis & Sophie Kallinis LaMontague

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Thin, Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-01-26T20:07:00.001-07:00

A little over a week ago I had to have “emergency” eye surgery because of a detached retina in my left eye (if you get flashes of light or little black floaters in your vision, be sure to get them checked out ASAP by your eye doctor!). Since surgery I’ve been under doctor’s orders to “take it easy” and be on bed rest, but not today…I am going stir-crazy to say the least and I needed to get into the kitchen!

Luckily I had my daughter, Mia and niece, Sydney to keep me company in the kitchen today while I made these cookies.

My little helpers in the kitchen today: Sydney (front) & Mia (back).

Mia donning her chef's hat and the apron her grandma made her.

I call Mia my little Cookie Monster because she is frequently asking for a cookie; she says it so incredibly cute that it makes me laugh and she now asks with increasing frequency because of my amused reactions (as a matter of fact she’s asked for a cookie in her cute little way 3 times while I’ve been writing this post)!

Mia, my little Cookie Monster with her baby 'fro. :)

In any event, I didn’t want to turn to my go-to recipes for chocolate chip cookies from ATK (America’s Test Kitchen) because I wanted to turn my over-due return to the kitchen into a blog post! I’ve made 2 out 3 chocolate chip cookie recipes from ATK so I thought today would be the perfect day to try the third one.

Thin, Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

While this isn’t my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, it is definitely a keeper! Each of ATK’s recipes is so different from one another: one is thick and chewy, one is rich with a crisp exterior and chewy interior, and this one is just as the name suggests, thin and crispy.

From left to right: Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies (my personal fav), and Thin, Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cook’s Note: When wrapped well, the dough can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 1 month. Be sure to bring it to room temperature before baking.

Thin, Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)

1/4 t table salt

3/4 t baking soda

8 T unsalted butter (1 stick), melted and cooled

1/2 C granulated sugar

1/3 C packed light brown sugar

3 T light corn syrup

1 large egg yolk

2 T milk

1 T vanilla extract

3/4 C semisweet chocolate chips (about 4 1/2 ounces)

Directions:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Sift flour, salt, and baking soda onto large sheet of parchment paper; set aside.

In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and corn syrup at low speed until thoroughly blended, about 1 minute. Add yolk, milk, and vanilla; mix until fully incorporated and smooth, about 1 minute, scraping bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula as necessary. With mixer running on low speed, fold up 3 edges of parchment around dry ingredients to form a pouch (see illustrations below) and slowly shake dry ingredients into bowl; mix on low speed until just combined, about 2 minutes. Do not overbeat. Add chips and mix on low speed until distributed evenly throughout batter, about 5 seconds.

Leaving about 2 inches between each ball, scoop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets with 1 1/4-inch (1 tablespoon capacity) ice cream scoop. Bake 1 sheet at a time, until cookies are deep golden brown and flat, about 12 minutes.

Ready for the oven!

Cool cookies on baking sheet 3 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and let sit until crisped and cooled to room temperature. (Can be stored in airtight container for up to 1 week.)

Hot from the oven, yum!

Makes about 4 dozen 2-inch cookies

Source: America’s Test Kitchen

Valentine's Day Subway Art & Coordinating Print: Part 3 of 3

2012-01-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

So here’s the third and final Valentine’s Day subway art option. I decided to go for more of a “classic” look with this one. Enjoy! J

Download the prints below!

Here’s direction on how-to order this print from Costco:

***The Subway art is a 16x20 print, and the coordinating print is an 8x8 print.***

1. Save the Subway Art to your computer. Then when you go to the

Costco website, click on PHOTO at the top and log in.

2. Choose UPLOAD PHOTOS on the right sidebar. Choose the album

you want to upload it to or start a new album.

3. Select your photo by clicking on the arrow in the box and find

where you saved the subway art and OPEN it.

4. Under STEP 3 Select the FULL RESOLUTION UPLOAD. Then click on

START UPLOAD.

5. After that's loaded, select ORDER PRINTS on the right sidebar. Select

the one you want and ADD TO CART.

6. Under PRINT OPTIONS, I always select LUSTRE, but that's up to you

Under PRINT ORDER, select the size you want. (make sure to delete

the 4x6 they already have selected. Then click CONTINUE.

7. Choose your warehouse... and then on the PLACE ORDER screen,

click on the EDIT OPTIONS and select DO NOT AUTOCORRECT MY

PRINTS. Click CONTINUE.

8. Make sure your order is correct and PLACE ORDER.

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Valentine's Day Subway Art & Coordinating Print: Part 2 of 3

2012-01-14T11:28:00.001-07:00

Variety, did someone ask for variety? Because I’ve got variety! I made the subway art and then changed out the paper to bring you 4 different options. Hopefully you’ll be able to find something that fits your Valentine’s Day décor! Enjoy! J

The layout is my own, and I used this digital scrapbooking kit from Simply Sweet Designs by Kim for the “paper” and embellishments.

Here’s Option 1:

Here’s Option 2:

Here’s Option 3:

Here’s Option 4:

Here’s direction on how-to order this print from Costco:

***The Subway art is a 16x20 print, and the coordinating print is an 8x8 print.***

1. Save the Subway Art to your computer. Then when you go to the

Costco website, click on PHOTO at the top and log in.

2. Choose UPLOAD PHOTOS on the right sidebar. Choose the album

you want to upload it to or start a new album.

3. Select your photo by clicking on the arrow in the box and find

where you saved the subway art and OPEN it.

4. Under STEP 3 Select the FULL RESOLUTION UPLOAD. Then click on

START UPLOAD.

5. After that's loaded, select ORDER PRINTS on the right sidebar. Select

the one you want and ADD TO CART.

6. Under PRINT OPTIONS, I always select LUSTRE, but that's up to you.

Under PRINT ORDER, select the size you want. (make sure to delete

the 4x6 they already have selected. Then click CONTINUE.

7. Choose your warehouse... and then on the PLACE ORDER screen,

click on the EDIT OPTIONS and select DO NOT AUTOCORRECT MY

PRINTS. Click CONTINUE.

8. Make sure your order is correct and PLACE ORDER.

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Valentine's Day Subway Art & Coordinating Print: Part 1 of 3

2012-01-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

I went a little crazy this time around with subway art…I couldn’t decide on a design aesthetic so I made 3, plus a little 8x8 print to match each!

I especially love this print because the colors and fonts are very soft and sweet.

The layout is my own, and I used this free digital scrapbooking kit from Pixel Gypsy for the “paper” and embellishments.

I’ll be posting the other 2 subway arts soon, enjoy! J

Download these beautiful prints below!

Here’s direction on how-to order this print from Costco:

***The Subway art is a 16x20 print, and the coordinating print is an 8x8 print.***

1. Save the Subway Art to your computer. Then when you go to the

Costco website, click on PHOTO at the top and log in.

2. Choose UPLOAD PHOTOS on the right sidebar. Choose the album

you want to upload it to or start a new album.

3. Select your photo by clicking on the arrow in the box and find

where you saved the subway art and OPEN it.

4. Under STEP 3 Select the FULL RESOLUTION UPLOAD. Then click on

START UPLOAD.

5. After that's loaded, select ORDER PRINTS on the right sidebar. Select

the one you want and ADD TO CART.

6. Under PRINT OPTIONS, I always select LUSTRE, but that's up to you.

Under PRINT ORDER, select the size you want. (make sure to delete

the 4x6 they already have selected. Then click CONTINUE.

7. Choose your warehouse... and then on the PLACE ORDER screen,

click on the EDIT OPTIONS and select DO NOT AUTOCORRECT MY

PRINTS. Click CONTINUE.

8. Make sure your order is correct and PLACE ORDER.

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Spanish Tapas: Crispy Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates

2012-01-12T10:38:00.001-07:00

I L*O*V*E Tapas! One of my most favorite Valentine’s Day dates was when my hubby took me out for Tapas. There’s just something about Tapas restaurants that are romantic; the lighting, the sharing of dishes, the music, etc. We had a dish very similar to this and it was love at first bite!

I love bringing this recipe to parties (I brought it to both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve parties) because 1) is SO easy to make, 2) it’s uber delicious, and 3) it’s different from your typical party food.

Cook’s Note: The dates and goat cheese are usually expensive ingredients, but I got all the ingredients for this dish at Costco. The prices are much lower than at the grocery store and the quality is great.

Spanish Tapas: Crispy Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates

Ingredients:

16 large Medjool dates, pitted

16 roasted almonds

1/4 C mild goat cheese, crumbled

8 slices of bacon (about 7 ounces), halved crosswise

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°. Cut a lengthwise slit in the dates and remove the pit. Stuff each one with an almond and about ½-1 teaspoon of the goat cheese. Pinch the dates closed. Wrap each date securely in a piece of bacon and arrange the dates, seam side down, on a wire rack set on a baking sheet.

Bake the stuffed dates for about 20-25 minutes, or until the bacon is browned and crisp; turn each date after 10 minutes. Serve the stuffed dates warm or at room temperature.

Make Ahead

The stuffed dates can be prepared through Step 1 and refrigerated for 1 day.

Source: Food and Wine.com

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Quick Tomato Sauce

2012-01-07T21:37:00.002-07:00

I love this tomato sauce because it’s everything I look for in a sauce; it’s bright with fresh flavor, and easy…you can’t get much better than that! For me I much prefer this sauce over any canned variety from the store.

Cook’s Note: This full-flavored tomato sauce takes only 15 minutes to prepare. High-quality canned tomatoes will make a big difference in this sauce. The preferred brands of crushed tomatoes are Tuttorosso and Muir Glen. Grate the onion on the large holes of a box grater.

Quick Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

2 T unsalted butter

1/4 C grated onion, from 1 medium onion (see note)

1/4 t dried oregano

Table salt

2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (see note)

1/4 t sugar

2 T coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves

1 T extra virgin olive oil

Ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add onion, oregano, and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar; increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and oil; season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Makes 3 cups, enough for 1 pound of pasta

Source: from America’s Test Kitchen

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Sausage Jambalaya

2012-01-05T04:35:00.002-07:00

I don’t know about you, but the New Year seems to be just as busy as the holidays for me. I’m busy making, breaking, and re-making New Year’s resolutions. So, when I’m crunched for time I like to utilize my slow cooker for dinners. This recipe was fantastic, easy to put together, and healthy to boot!

Sausage Jambalaya

Ingredients:

12 oz cooked andouille sausage or cooked kielbasa

1 pint mini sweet peppers or 2 large yellow and/or orange bell peppers

1 15 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 C chopped celery (about 2 stalks)

Rice for serving (I like brown rice with this dish)

Some of the celery leaves, chopped for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Slice sausage into 1-inch chunks. Halve, stem, and seed the mini peppers. If using large peppers, stem, seed, and coarsely chop.

In a 3 ½ - 4 quart slow cooker combine the sausage, peppers, drained beans, undrained tomatoes, and celery. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or on LOW for 4 hours. Stir before serving.

Serve over rice and top with chopped celery leaves (optional).

Makes 4 servings

Source: from Better Homes and Gardens, December 2011

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Homemade Peppermint Patties

2012-01-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

Peppermint is one of my most favorite flavorings; it’s crisp, clean, and a classic winter flavor. When I came across this recipe for homemade peppermint patties I just knew I needed to try them, and try I did <ahem…3 batches>. J They’re awesome and SO much better than the store-bought ones!

Homemade Peppermint Patties

Ingredients:

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

5 1/2 C powdered sugar, sifted

1 T peppermint extract

2 C bittersweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)

1 C semisweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)

3 T shortening

Directions:

Prepare two cookies sheet with either wax paper or a Slipmat, and set aside.

Add condensed milk, 2 cups of powdered sugar, and peppermint extract to a large mixing bowl. Mix everything on medium speed using the paddle attachment until all ingredients are well incorporated.

Add the remaining powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough is stiff but still pliable.

Using a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the mixture and form into balls. Press each ball down slowly to make a flattened disk, and place the disks on one of the prepared cookie sheets.

Transfer peppermint disks to the freezer and freeze for 30 minutes.

While the dough is chilling, Place the chocolate chips and shortening in a microwavable bowl. Melt the chocolate in 30 second increments on half power, and stir. Repeat until chocolate is smooth.

Remove patties from the freezer. Place a patty on the tines of a fork and dip in the chocolate until completely covered. Allow excess chocolate to drip off the patty before setting each one on the second prepared cookie sheet.

Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, or until the chocolate is set.

Makes about 32-40 patties.

Source: adapted from Savory Sweet Life

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Day 8 of 12 Days of Christmas Fun: Almond Roca Brittle

2011-12-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

♪♫ On the 8^th day of Christmas Food, Folks, and Fun gave to me…♪♫

Almond Roca Brittle

Christmas Cookie Round-Up

Jingle All the Way Shadow Box Tutorial

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting & a GIVEAWAY!

Cranberry-Pecan Chicken Salad

CHRISTmas Subway Art Printable

Thick & Chewy Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Christmas To-Do List Printables

FOUR ingredients never tasted so good! I’ve made 3 batches of this brittle so far and have given most of it away as gifts. I’m thinking of making another batch today because it to SOOOOOO good! The buttery toffee is incredibly addicting; my husband’s grandmother said it’s even better than See’s Candies, Score!

Cook’s Note: This recipe relies on 2 things to help make it so incredibly yummy: toasted almonds (really make the effort to toast the almonds and not use raw ones), and a candy thermometer—you really want to make sure you heat the butter and sugar mixture to exactly 290°F…you can’t “eye-ball” this one, I tried to on my first batch and ended up burning itL.

My 9x13 pan all buttered and ready to go!

Look at all that butter, Paula Deen would be so proud! ;)

My almonds toasting.

Chopping my toasted almonds; I like to do 1/4 cup at a time to make sure I chop all the nuts.

The toffee mixture (butter, sugar, almonds) all smooth in the pan.

The chocolate atop the toffee mixture.

Spreading the chocolate with the back of a spoon.

The almonds atop the melted chocolate--all ready to be chilled!

The finished product: Almond Roca Brittle!

Almond Roca Brittle

Ingredients:

2 ½ C toasted almonds, chopped and divided

1 ½ C tightly-packed brown sugar

1 ½ C (3 sticks) salted butter

6 Hershey’s Bars

Directions:

Butter a 9 x 13 pan and set aside.

Chop the toasted almonds and place 1 ½ cups in a small bowl, and the remaining 1 cup in another small bowl, set aside.

Unwrap the chocolate bars and set aside.

In a medium or large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter stops foaming, add in the brown sugar and stir. Once the mixture begins to bubble, place in the candy/instant-read thermometer and stir constantly until the mixture reaches 290°F.

Remove the mixture from the heat and add the 1 ½ cups of toasted, chopped almonds. Pour into the buttered pan and smooth the mixture so it sits in the pan evenly.

Place the chocolate bars on top of the mixture and let it sit for about 3 minutes so the chocolate has the chance to melt so it will make spreading easier (you’ll know it’s ready to spread when it gets all nice and shiny).

Using the back of a spoon spread the chocolate in an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of toasted almonds over the chocolate and gently press it in.

Cover and chill the Almond Roca Brittle for at least 4 hours before breaking it apart (I personally like to chill it over night).

Use a knife to break the brittle apart.

***NOTE: After breaking apart the brittle you’ll be left with about ¼ cup of brittle shards. My family and I have found that these little shards are delicious on top of ice cream, YUM!

Source: mostly mine, but inspired from this recipe.

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Day 7 of 12 Days of Christmas Fun: Christmas Cookie Round-Up

2011-12-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

♪♫ On the 7^th day of Christmas Food, Folks, and Fun gave to me…♪♫

Christmas Cookie Round-Up

Jingle All the Way Shadow Box Tutorial

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting & a GIVEAWAY!

Cranberry-Pecan Chicken Salad

CHRISTmas Subway Art Printable

Thick & Chewy Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Christmas To-Do List Printables

When I think about Thanksgiving desserts I think of pies, and when I think of Christmas desserts I think of COOKIES! Here I have a compiled a few of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes. Each recipe is wonderful, so you won’t be disappointed if you try any!

Gingerbread Cookies: Classic—soft, chewy, and delicious!

Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies: I think they’re a real show-stopper, especially once someone bites into one.

Peppermint Bark Cookies: A nice variation to Peppermint Bark, and they’re pretty “low maintenance” to make!

Coconut Macaroons: These cookies are irresistible, and you only need 5 ingredients to make them!

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Day 6 of 12 Days of Christmas Fun: Jingle All the Way Shadow Box Tutorial

2011-12-15T11:44:00.001-07:00

♪♫ On the 6^th day of Christmas Food, Folks, and Fun gave to me…♪♫

Jingle All the Way Shadow Box Tutorial

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting & a GIVEAWAY!

Cranberry-Pecan Chicken Salad

CHRISTmas Subway Art Printable

Thick & Chewy Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Christmas To-Do List Printables

So, I’m s*l*o*w*l*y* getting into crafting. I aim for easy crafts that are cute and don’t take too much time…this one hit the nail right on the head!

Materials Needed:

Shadow Box Frame (I got mine at Michaels, they’re sold in 3-packs for $19.99 but be sure to use a coupon!)
Mod Podge
Foam brush
Tongue depressor or credit card (for smoothing out bubbles)
Craft Paper
Scissors
Jingle Bells (I used 20mm, 18mm, 15mm, 12mm, and 8mm bells)
Jingle all the Way vinyl from CC Vinyl
Ribbon

Jingle All the Way Shadow Box Instructions

Step 1: Take the backing off of the shadow box and peel away any pre-packaged paper (if applicable).

Step 2: Using a foam brush, spread a layer of Mod Podge over the cardboard backing.

Step 3: Trim the craft paper (if needed) and place it on top of the wet mod podge. Use a credit card or tongue depressor to smooth out any air bubbles. Allow to dry and set for 20-30 minutes.

Step 4: Spread a thin layer of mod podge over the craft paper to seal it. Allow it to dry completely for 20-30 minutes.

Step 5: Pour the jingle bells into the shadow box, and assemble to cardboard backing to the frame.

Step 6: Affix the vinyl lettering (I got mine from CC Vinyl) to the frame (feel free to re-position the words how you’d like them). I find using a credit card or tongue depressor to press the vinyl onto the glass through the layer of contact paper makes peeling the contact paper from the vinyl a lot easier.

Step 7: Tie a bow around the frame and you’re done!

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Day 5 of 12 Days of Christmas Fun: Gringerbread Cucpakes w/ Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting & a GIVEAWAY!!!

2011-12-10T00:06:00.006-07:00

♪♫ On the 5^th day of Christmas Food, Folks, and Fun gave to me…♪♫

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting & a GIVEAWAY!

Cranberry-Pecan Chicken Salad

CHRISTmas Subway Art Printable

Thick & Chewy Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Christmas To-Do List Printables

I made these again recently and changed the garnish to fondant gingerbread men, so cute!

This is another recipe I made for the crafting event I was a part of recently, and everyone seemed to love these cupcakes! What I like most about them is that the gingerbread is not wimpy by any sense of the word…it’s flavorful, spicy, and delicious!

I got this recipe from the cook book of the ladies who are the owners of Georgetown Cupcakes (they have a show on TLC called “DC Cupcakes”). The cookbook is called “The Cupcake Diaries”. This is the first recipe I made from their cookbook and I am thoroughly impressed! My only complaint is that the number of servings is a bit off. The recipe in the book says it makes 12 cupcakes, but I got 24 from the recipe. Also, the frosting recipe was just enough to cover 12 cupcakes with their “signature swirl”, so I had to whip up another batch of frosting half-way through icing (no worries, I adjusted the recipe below so you won’t run into this problem). Other than this oversight, I LOVE the cookbook so far…so much that I am giving a copy away to one lucky reader PLUS a Decorating Tip Set (see below)!!!

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes:

2 ¾ C flour

3 T ground ginger (I told you they’re nice and spicy!)

2 t baking soda

1 ½ t ground cinnamon

½ t ground cloves

½ t ground nutmeg

¼ t salt

10 T unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 C packed dark brown sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 ¼ C molasses

1 C hot water

For the Frosting:

8 T unsalted butter, at room temperature

12 ozs cream cheese, at room temperature

8 C Confectioners’ sugar, sifted

½ t pure vanilla extract

4 t ground cinnamon

Directions:

For the Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 standard cupcake tins with 24 paper baking cups.

Sift together the dry ingredients, except for the brown sugar, and set aside.

Cream together butter and dark brown sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer or in a bowl with a handheld electric mixer on high speed, about 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating slowly after each addition. Add the molasses, mixing until well incorporated.

Add one third of the dry ingredients and one third of the water and mix thoroughly. Repeat. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the last third of the dry ingredients and one third of the water, and mix thoroughly.

Scoop the batter into the cupcake pan using a 4 tablespoon scoop (I used my trusty scoop), or if you don’t have a scoop, fill to about 2/3-3/4 full.

Bake at 350°F for 16-18 minutes (start checking at 15 minutes) or until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Frosting:

Place all butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat until well combines. Add in the remaining frosting ingredients and beat until well combined.

Frost the cupcakes using a large round tip (I use Ateco’s extra wide pastry decorating tips from this kit) and a disposable piping bag. Garnish with your choice of sprinkles.

Makes 24-28 cupcakes

Source: from “The Cupcake Diaries”

***Now for the GIVEAWAY!***

One lucky winner will win a copy of “The Cupcake Diaries” and Ateco’s Extra Wide Pastry Decorating Set! Enter below via Rafflecopter’s form!

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Day 4 of 12 Days of Christmas Fun: Cranberry-Pecan Chicken Salad

2011-12-08T00:32:00.003-07:00

♪♫ On the 4^th day of Christmas Food, Folks, and Fun gave to me…♪♫

Cranberry-Pecan Chicken Salad

CHRISTmas Subway Art Printable

Thick & Chewy Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Christmas To-Do List Printables

I am a part of a fabulous group of ladies called “The Craft Addicts”. We recently put on a crafting event and I made some of the food for it. Among the things I made was this chicken salad recipe and it was a hit! A lot of people gave me compliments, and I think it’s the perfect recipe for a holiday luncheon. I served it on sliced croissants from Costco.

Cranberry-Pecan Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

4 -12.5 oz can of chicken, drained (I get mine from Costco)

2 t olive oil

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

¼ C Miracle Whip

¼ C Non-Fat, Plain Greek Yogurt (I like the FAGE brand from Costco)

½ C cream or whole milk

2 t poppy seeds

1 C celery, chopped

1 T butter

½ C chopped pecans

1 C dried Cranberries

Directions:

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Drain the chicken and cook in skillet until all the pink is gone (you may have to do this in batches depending on how big your skillet is). Place cooked chicken in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until cool, about 1 ½-2 hours.

In a small bowl, mix Miracle Whip, Greek yogurt, cream/milk, and poppy seeds until combined. Pour the mixture over the chicken and season to taste with salt and pepper again. Add in the chopped celery and mix until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

In a small pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the nuts and stir them often until they are toasted, about 4 minutes (they should be a little more than lightly browned and you’ll begin to smell them).

Add the toasted nuts and dried Cranberries just before serving, and mix until combined. Serve with split croissants.

Makes about 8-10 servings.

Source: A Food, Folks, and Fun original!

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Day 3 of 12 Days of Christmas Fun: CHRISTmas Subway Art Printable

2011-12-06T00:03:00.006-07:00

♪♫ On the 3^rd day of Christmas Food, Folks, and Fun gave to me…♪♫

CHRISTmas Subway Art Printable

Thick & Chewy Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Christmas To-Do List Printables

The Christmas season is full of traditions, and I want to share one of my own with you that inspired this subway art printable. Every year, on December 1^st, I re-read a publication put out by the leaders of my church entitled “The Living Christ”. It’s a beautiful testimony of the life of Christ and his reaching influence on the inhabitants of this earth. Reading this article at the beginning of the Christmas season helps keep my thoughts centered on the true meaning of Christmas. Here’s a sampling from the publication:

“As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice. None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth.”

I hope you enjoy the subway art, and Merry CHRISTmas! =)

Here’s direction on how-to order this print from Costco:

1. Save the Subway Art to your computer. Then when you go to the Costco website, click on PHOTO at the top and log in.

2. Choose UPLOAD PHOTOS on the right sidebar. Choose the album you want to upload it to or start a new album.

3. Select your photo by clicking on the arrow in the box and find where you saved the subway art and OPEN it.

4. Under STEP 3 Select the FULL RESOLUTION UPLOAD. Then click on START UPLOAD.

5. After that's loaded, select ORDER PRINTS on the right sidebar. Select the one you want and ADD TO CART.

6. Under PRINT OPTIONS, I always select LUSTRE, but that's up to you. Under PRINT ORDER, select the size you want. (make sure to delete the 4x6 they already have selected. Then click CONTINUE.

7. Choose your warehouse... and then on the PLACE ORDER screen, click on the EDIT OPTIONS and select DO NOT AUTOCORRECT MY PRINTS. Click CONTINUE.

8. Make sure your order is correct and PLACE ORDER.

This is a 16x20 file, but it prints off great as an 8x10, too!

Source: a Food, Folks, and Fun original!

I’m linking this post up at:

Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Day 2 of 12 Days of Christmas Fun: Thick & Chewy Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

2011-12-04T22:00:00.001-07:00

♪♫ On the 2^nd day of Christmas Food, Folks, and Fun gave to me…♪♫

Thick & Chewy Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Christmas To-Do List Printables

These cookies are now amongst my favorites and I don’t even like chocolate! They’re, chewy and fudge-brownie like, so delish! Now, what makes these cookies so good is the quality of ingredients. Please, please, please use good-quality chocolate and cocoa powder in these (Nestles, Bakes, and Hershey’s need not apply—I used Ghirardelli cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate chips for the recipe)!

Cook’s Note: To melt the chocolate in a microwave, heat at 50 percent power for 2 minutes, stir, then continue heating at 50 percent power for 1 more minute. If not completely melted, heat an additional 30 to 45 seconds at 50 percent power. Resist the urge to bake the cookies longer than indicated; they may appear underbaked at first but will firm up as they cool.

Feel free to substitute the Peppermint Baking Chips with ones of your preference. I have made this recipe with mint chips but don’t think they taste as good as the peppermint ones.

Same recipe,but I used mint chips instead of peppermint ones

Thick & Chewy Chocolate-Peppermint Cookies

Ingredients:

2 C unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 C cocoa powder

2 t baking powder

1 t table salt

16 ozs semisweet chocolate , chopped

4 large eggs

2 t vanilla extract

10 T unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks), softened but still firm

1 1/2 C light brown sugar

1/2 C granulated sugar

1 10oz bag Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips (I found them at Walmart)

Directions:

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl; set aside. Melt chocolate in medium heatproof bowl set over pan of almost-simmering water, stirring once or twice, until smooth; remove from heat. Beat eggs and vanilla lightly with fork and set aside.

In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or with hand mixer), beat butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds (15 seconds with hand mixer). Beat in sugars until combined, about 45 seconds (1 1/2 minutes with hand mixer); mixture will look granular. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds (1 1/2 minutes with hand mixer). Add chocolate in steady stream and beat until combined, about 40 seconds (1 minute with hand mixer). Scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With mixer at low speed, add flour mixture and mix until combined, about 40 seconds (1 minute with hand mixer). Do not overbeat. Stir in the peppermint chips until blended. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until consistency is scoopable and fudgelike, about 30 minutes (DON’T skip this step).

Meanwhile, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Leaving about 1 1/2-inches between each ball, scoop dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets with 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop.

Bake cookies until edges have just begun to set but centers are still very soft, about 10 minutes, turning cookie sheets from front to back and switching from top to bottom racks halfway through baking.

Cool cookies on sheets about 10 minutes, slide parchment with cookies onto wire rack and cool to room temperature; remove with wide metal spatula.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Source: Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

I’m linking this post up at:

Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Day 1 of 12 Days of Christmas Fun: Christmas To-Do List Printable

2011-11-28T22:10:00.002-07:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, I sure did! It kept me super busy and away from the blog, but I’m back now with some exciting news…

From now until Christmas I’ll be posting a series entitled the “12 Days of Christmas Fun”. I will be posting a combination of 12 recipes, craft projects, and printables, and not to mention a few GIVEAWAYS along the way! So let’s get started!

♪♫ On the 1^st day of Christmas Food, Folks, and Fun gave to me…♪♫

Christmas To-Do List Printables

I’ve been busy making these to-do list printables and for me, they’re a necessity. I like making to-do lists but even more I love crossing/checking things off my to-do list!

Snowmen Holiday To-Do List

Snowmen Top Print:

Snowmen Bottom Print:

Hootin' Holiday To-Do List

Hootin' Holiday Top Print:

Hootin' Holiday Bottom Print:

Nativity To-Do List

Nativity Top Print:

Nativity Bottom Print:

To assemble your to-do lists you’ll need:

1 12”x36” frame (I got mine from Michaels, they go on sale often. The size they have in stock is 11.75”x36” and this will work just fine.)
1 set of 12”x18” prints (make sure to print both the top and bottom).
Tape
Sharpie marker

Assembly directions:

Take off the backing to the frame, and pop the prints in (you may need to trim them slightly depending on your frame).
Tape them together at the seam.
Put the backing back on the frame.
Use a Sharpie marker to write your to-do list on the glass.
Hang and get crackin’ on your to-do list!

*Note: To remove the sharpie from the glass, use Windex or some Clorox wipes (I’d suggest removing the glass from the frame so you don’t smudge the frame with sharpie while cleaning the glass).

Direction on ordering these prints from Costco:

***Please note that these are 12”x18” files!

1. Save the Subway Art to your computer. Then when you go to the Costco website, click on PHOTO at the top and log in.

2. Choose UPLOAD PHOTOS on the right sidebar. Choose the album you want to upload it to or start a new album.

3. Select your photo by clicking on the arrow in the box and find where you saved the subway art and OPEN it.

4. Under STEP 3 Select the FULL RESOLUTION UPLOAD. Then click on START UPLOAD.

5. After that's loaded, select ORDER PRINTS on the right sidebar. Select the one you want and ADD TO CART.

7. Choose your warehouse... and then on the PLACE ORDER screen, click on the EDIT OPTIONS and select DO NOT AUTOCORRECT MY PRINTS. Click CONTINUE.

8. Make sure your order is correct and PLACE ORDER!

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Thanksgiving Dishes Round-Up

2011-11-17T10:52:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe Thanksgiving is a week away; it just finally started feeling like fall her in Arizona and now Thanksgiving is fast approaching and Christmas is right around the corner…where did this year go?!?
In any event, I’ve compiled a few of my favorite recipes from last Thanksgiving that were super yummy! Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Dishes Round-Up

Honey Yeast Rolls: What would Thanksgiving be without some yummy rolls?

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup: A great 1^st course dish.

Sweet Potato Soufflé: A classic at my family’s dinner table.

Cauliflower – Leek Purée: A great low-carb alternative to mashed potatoes.

Cranberry-Orange Sauce: SO delicious and awesome spread on bread for leftover turkey sandwiches.

Skillet Green Beans w/ Spiced Walnuts: A great dish that’s low on calories, but high in flavor.

Pumpkin-Chocolate Cheesecake Bars: A great alternative to the classic pumpkin pie.

Thanksgiving Leftovers – Turkey Noodle Soup w/ Homemade Noodles: You know you’re going to have left over turkey; this is nice, light recipe that uses up some of that leftover turkey!

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.

Cheerios "Cheer" Prize Pack GIVEAWAY

2011-11-16T09:25:00.001-07:00

Everyone can use a little pick me up now and then. But for the millions of military families manning the fort at home while their loved ones are away serving, a gesture of Cheer is especially welcome.

When our troops are called to serve, their families must rise to meet the challenges of service as well. To thank them, Cheerios® and the USO have partnered in a postcard campaign that spreads Cheer directly to these honorable military families and supports USO programs.

Here’s how it works: Now through November, 2012 at your local grocer, specially-marked boxes of Cheerios cereal will feature Cheer postcards on the front of the box. Consumers can simply cut out the postcard from the Cheerios logo, write a message of thanks on the back, add a stamp and mail the pre-addressed card to the USO. The USO will deliver the Cheer card to military families across the country.

For each postcard received through November 2012, Cheerios will make a $1 donation to the USO to help fund programs that support military families.

To kick off the campaign, Cheerios has already donated $150,000 to the USO and will donate up to an additional $100,000 based upon the number of postcards received from specially marked boxes now through November 30th, 2012.

Sending a "Cheer" postcard is a simple way to say thanks and lift the spirits of our country’s military families. So, take a moment out of your day to spread some Cheer and send a message of thanks!

The Prize Pack will contain:

1 Cheerios cereal bowl

1 Cheerios cereal spoon

1 Cereal dispenser

1 "Cheer" box of Cheerios

Use the Rafflecopter Form below to enter!

DISCLOSURE:

Cheerios cereal, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Pumpkin Custards with Gingersnap Crumble

2011-11-13T21:19:00.001-07:00

I don’t know about you, but around this time of year I get a little tired of pumpkin pie and just don’t feel like eating it on Thanksgiving. I know what you’re going to say…”What, no pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving?!?” Yes, no pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, but definitely PUMPKIN CUSTARD on Thanksgiving! I made this for dessert tonight for family dinner and everyone loved it! My oldest brother admitted that he hates pumpkin pie, but really liked this dish, score!

Pumpkin Custards with Gingersnap Crumble

Ingredients:

1/2 C pumpkin puree
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 C packed dark brown sugar
2 C evaporated milk
1 large egg plus 2 egg yolks

Gingersnaps (homemade or store-bought) for crumbling & garnish

Directions:

Bring 1 quarter water to boil for a water bath. Set eight 6-ounce custard cups in two 8-inch square pans. Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat to 325 degrees.

Heat pumpkin, ginger, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan over medium heat until puree sputters and flavors intensify, about 3 minutes. Whisk in brown sugar and evaporated milk. Bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, whisk egg and yolks in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk hot-pumpkin mixture into the eggs, and then pour into custard cups. Set pans in oven and carefully pour enough water in the pan to come halfway up the sides of the cups.

Bake until the custards are set, about 30 minutes. Remove custard cups from the baking dish and cool slightly. Lay plastic wrap directly over each custard to prevent a skin from forming. Chill until ready to serve.

The custards straight from the oven.

Just before serving, crush a few gingersnaps and sprinkle to garnish.

Makes 8 Custards

Source: Adapted from Perfect One-Dish Dinners: All You Need for Easy Get-Togethers

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog