{Precious Cargo}

BuildASign.com Business Cards From BlogHer '12!

2012-08-07T19:50:00.001-07:00

While in NYC for BlogHer '12, I was very fortunate to receive business cards from BuildASign.com, who specialize in banners and signs. The site is very easy to navigate, and I was even able to choose refrigerator magnets as my business cards! Here is a picture of my design:

Aren't they awesome!? Everyone at the conference loved them and was so impressed that it was a magnet! I will definitely be ordering from them again soon! BuildASign.com not only specializes in banners and signs, but they also have a sister site where you can order beautiful canvas prints of your favorite pictures! Let me know if you order from them, I would love to see what you get and hear about your experience!

Love,

Kailee

All opinions are my own. I was not paid by BuildASign.com. I received 100 business cards with an option of mentioning them on my site.

Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Mini Loaves

2012-07-11T16:21:00.001-07:00

Want to know how one of these-

Can turn into this?!

Well, I'll tell ya! ;)

My friend Mia and I have baby boys that are about 4 months apart, hers being older. This is good for me because I get everything that her son grows out of! I noticed on visits to her place that Sawyer really loved this jumper that she had. I dropped plenty of hints, but no dice. Finally I broke down and went to Target and dropped $90 on a jumper that IMO is not nearly as cool.

Not two days later I get a text from her:

'You want this? You bake me the bread.'

Attached was a picture of the jumper.

I knew what bread she was talking about. Her favorite, Banana Chocolate Chip. So after a few weeks of having this fantastic jumper, I finally came through on my part of the deal!

This recipe is straight out of The Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. The only things I did differently was double the recipe, and I used a 1/2 cup of Ghiradelli Milk Chocolate Chips and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. It made eight mini loaves.

Now before you go accosting me on the lack of chocolate, let me explain! I think less is more when it comes to chocolate chips in things, especially milk chocolate. There is so much going on with this bread that a little chocolate is a perfect compliment to the walnuts, bananas, and streusel topping.

So without further adieu-

Banana Nut Bread (from BH&G cookbook)

Prep: 25 minutes Bake: 55 minutes

Oven: 350 Makes: 1 loaf (16 servings)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 beaten eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 5 medium) HINT: make sure they are VERY RIPE! You can get a great deal on ripe bananas at the grocery store, they usually sell them in paper bags or ask the produce clerk if there are any ripe ones in the back.

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup cooking oil or melted butter or margarine

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 recipe streusel topping (optional)

Streusel Topping- In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 3 tablespoons all purpose flour. Using a pastry blender (or if you're like me, a fork.), cut in 2 tablespoons butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/3 cup chopped nuts.

1. Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of one 9x5x3-inch or two 7 1/2x3 1/2x2-inch loaf pans; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, bananas, sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in nuts (and chocolate chips, if you're doing that!) Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). If desired, sprinkle Streusel Topping over batter.

3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 55 to 60 minutes for 9x5x3-inch pan, or 40-45 minutes for 71/2x31/2x2-inch pans (I think it was around 25-30 min for my mini loaf pans, I never use a timer so I'm not sure, OOPS!) or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean (if necessary, cover loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning). Cool in pan on a wire rack for ten minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing. (OOPS to this too, I may or may not have broken a loaf open ten seconds after pulling it out of the oven.)

Enjoy!!!

Kailee

BlogHer '12 - What Have I Gotten Myself Into????

2012-07-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

In less than a month I will be traveling to the mean streets of New York. A far cry from the small farm town of Gervais, Oregon. I am so utterly excited I can't even contain myself. My agenda is filling up fast, but I am also terrified. Why???

Because I have FOMO.

That's right, I said it. I have FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). There is so much cool stuff that will be going on that I don't even know where to begin. Here I was worried about even having time to get around the entire Expo hall during the conference, and now I'm finding out that I need to make time (assuming I get invites) to all these cool private parties that are happening. Oh and don't forget to have proper etiquette on Twitter, you know, not blatantly asking for invites but flirting with the sponsors in hopes of snagging one.

And I've gotta bring an extra bag for swag.

Can't forget my business cards!!!

What am I going to wear???

Not only that...somewhere in there I need to squeeze in time for actual conference sessions - yea, you know, the actual POINT of the whole thing???

One thing I will NOT be missing out on is Martha Stewart being a Key Note Speaker. She's my girl! Tell me, where else can you find someone like her- super talented, smart- AND she's got street cred? Psh, sign me up!

I'm sure that whatever happens, I will have a fabulous time. It's New York!!!

If you're going to BlogHer12, connect with me on Twitter! @PreciousCargo15

Now I need to think of what to pack....

Kailee

Crown Royal Cake

2012-07-05T10:23:00.001-07:00

Who doesn't like whiskey??? My friend Ashlee used to drink Southern Comfort, and when we turned her onto Crown, she was a changed woman ;)

Ashlee turned 25 in April, and this is the cake I made her:

I have to say I was pretty proud of myself as I don't usually 'decorate'- I just make delicious cakes :) The only mishap was the writing on the board got all janky when the buttercream dried, but we lived!

For this cake I used homemade marshmallow fondant, for which I did a post on HERE.

I just used my favorite chocolate cake recipe in a 1/2 sheet pan, leveled and filled it with buttercream, crumb coated it, then covered it in fondant. I brushed it with skin colored Wilton gel coloring then sprayed with Duff's Gold food coloring spray. I used a fan brush to get the color I wanted, then decorate the rest with buttercream. It was easy peasy! <3 #TheCrownLife

Love,

Kailee

Wordless Wednesday!

2012-07-04T09:10:00.002-07:00

Happy 4th Of July!!!

Please tell me, what better way to celebrate our independence than eating bacon?

French Toast cupcake with maple flavored buttercream, topped with bacon. You're welcome.

Wordless Wednesday...

2012-02-29T15:15:00.002-08:00

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Baked Lemon Garlic Salmon

1 chopped clove of garlic

olive oil

lemon juice

salt/pepper

sliced lemons

Baste and bake in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 min, depending on thickness

Love,

Kailee

Chocolate Raspberry Cabernet & Chambord Ganache Cupcakes

2012-02-25T16:57:00.003-08:00

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WOW.

I've hit the motherload.

Wine. Chocolate. Cupcakes. Raspberries. Is there any better combination? I think not.

I was once again called upon by Mark to make cupcakes for the wine tasting he was holding after his work meeting today. I couldn't think of a better time to try out a cabernet cupcake recipe.

If you aren't aware of what Chambord is, it's a raspberry flavored liquer. It is also the most expensive of the raspberry liquers. I didn't have around $40 to spend on Chambord, so I got this bad boy for $11. Not a bad deal considering I can make many raspberry kamikazis with the excess. ;) You should also be able to buy little tiny bottles of Chambord, but the liquor store I went to stopped selling them, so I would see if yours does first unless you want the whole fifth.

Macerating the berries is an important part. You want the berries to soak up all the wine so all of those wonderful flavors are combined.

This is after about two hours of maceration. I used frozen raspberries so I skipped putting them in the refrigerator. Berries are expensive this time of the year!

Ganache in progress. This was the easiest frosting of all time! So rich and delicious, too!

What's that old saying?

Oh yea, 'Don't hate. Congratulate.'

As always, I hope you enjoy making these as much as I did! Like me on Facebook and let me know how they came out, or what else you would like to see me make!

Macerated Berry Mixture

1 1/2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen)

1/4 cup of cabernet

1 tablespoon of sugar (if using fresh berries)

Chocolate Raspberry Cabernet Cupcakes

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup plus two tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup plus two tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and warm

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup of berry mixture

Chambord Ganache

16 oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

4 tablespoons Chambord

Instructions:

Macerated Berry Mixture

- Place all ingredients in a bowl and gently stir to combine.

- Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

- Remove mixture from refrigerator and place in a blender or food processor and process for 1-2 minutes to puree.

Cupcakes (preheat oven to 350)

Add flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a blow and mix thoroughly to combine. Add the butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for one minute. Add the butter and egg mixture and beat for 20 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the blackberry mixture. Beat for 20-30 seconds until the batter is smooth. Divide it evenly among the lined cups. Bake 18-22 minutes just until a toothpick inserted into a few of the cupcakes comes out clean. Set the pan on a rack to cool. Frost the cupcakes when they are completely cool. Makes 12 cupcakes or 24 mini cupcakes.

Chambord Ganache

-Place chocolate in a large heat safe bowl and set aside.

-In a medium saucepan, heat cream over medium heat until it just begins to boil.

-Immediately pour hot cream over chocolate and let it sit for about 4-5 minutes.

-Whisk together until incorporated and let sit so the ganache can set up (about an hour)

Love,

Kailee

Italian Sausage & Mushroom Lasagna!

2012-02-20T19:03:00.001-08:00

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Hey All!!!

I hope everyone had a good weekend, I know I did! Mark's brother came over to meet his nephew for the first time, and we had some friends over for a visit as well. It's always nice to be able to spend some time with good friends and family after a hectic week.

One of my favorite meals to make for my family is lasagna, and since I've been craving it for awhile I decided to make a big pan. It's great for leftovers! The only complaint I ever get about my lasagna is that I don't use ricotta cheese. Sorry, but it is not my cup of tea! I'm all about the extra mozzarella! :D

First, I brown italian sausage (3lbs) in a skillet and drain.

Grate 1lb of mozzarella cheese, I used my food processor (it's so fast!)

Rough chop 2lbs of your favorite mushrooms and saute in leftover sausage grease.

For my lasagna I buy two of the large cans (about 26oz) of crushed tomatoes. Spread a little in the bottom of a 9x13 pan with a little bit of olive oil.

Lay down first layer of noodles, uncooked. Anyone who tells you that you need to cook lasagna noodles before baking is from Crazy Town. ;)

Continue to add layers of all your ingredients in whatever order you choose. I also chopped fresh basil for the layers and sprinkled some on top as well. Just remember to always use some of the crushed tomatoes on each layer or else the noodles won't cook. Cover with foil and bake for an hour at 375. At about ten minutes till the hour, take off the foil so the cheese will brown.

Perfect!

Enjoy the deliciousness in all it's glory!

Love,

Kailee

Oreo Cake

2012-02-18T21:09:00.001-08:00

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I just wanted to share this yummy cake with you! this by far is my most requested cake for gatherings. This pictures are from Superbowl this year.

I think someone took a slice out of the back before taking this picture. :)

If you want to make a similar cake, just make your favorite chocolate cake and buttercream recipes, fill with buttercream that has been mixed with chopped oreos, and decorate as desired. I was really excited when Mark brought home these little football Oreos to use!!!

Love,

Kailee

I'm going to BlogHer!

2012-02-18T17:34:00.001-08:00

Hey guys!

I have some exciting news!
I will be attending BlogHer 2012 in New York City! BlogHer is a blogging conference targeted at women bloggers to help bring them together to network, learn, and have fun! I'm also excited to announce I will be rooming with fellow blogger Jenn from Also Known As...The Wife !

Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Friend Connect, as I will be keeping everyone updated on what's going on throughout the event!

If you are a brand interested in being promoted to thousands of bloggers, e-mail me at PreciousCargoBakery@yahoo.com to discuss sponsorship.

Have a great weekend!

Love,

Kailee

Not Everything Is Cupcakes And Drop Cookies

2012-02-09T20:42:00.001-08:00

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Do you believe that if you eat something healthy it totally cancels out all the delicious sugary treats you have previously eaten?

Awesome, me too!

Here's how I justify sampling my baked goods....

I have THIS for lunch!

Chard, carrots, parsley, spinach, blueberries, pineapple, strawberries, mango, banana, annnnnd some water.

The above turns into THIS! I promise you, it is much more delicious than it looks!

And after it's in my belly. Yup, I drink the whole thing, straight out the blender! If I don't have one of these babies at least once a day, I feel like crud.

Here's to green smoothies AND sugary treats! ;)

Love,

Kailee

Putting Pinterest to WORK! Oatmeal Cream Pie Edition

2012-02-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

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Do you want your mind blown?

Get ready.

Who doesn't love Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies? As a kid these were one of my absolute favorite treats. I would undo them like an Oreo and eat the side with the most cream on it last like it was something real special. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw these little dreams on Pinterest. I've been wanting to start a new thing like 'Pinterest Mondays' or something like that where I actually make the recipes I find on Pinterest instead of just salivating over them, and I decided on this title. Do you like it? I feel like it's less of a commitment than a once a week thing, because let's be real, I can't lose any baby weight making all the delicious things from Pinterest!

Okay, back to business.

Amazing.

I took these to my monthly play date with my girlfriends and little Sophia said they were the best cookies she's ever had in her life! So I suggest you run, not walk, to your kitchen and make these NOW!!!

Enjoy ;)

Oatmeal Cream Pies

adapted from Food.com Via The Craving Chronicles

Dessert | Yield: 1 1/2 – 2 dozen
Prep time: 20 min | Cook time: 12 min | Total time: 40 min

Ingredients

1 cup butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups quick oats

Cream Filling

2 tsp. very hot water
1/8 tsp. salt
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow cream
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Process

Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a bowl.
In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add in eggs, beating after each. Finally beat in molasses and vanilla.
Add to the flour mixture to creamed mixture and beat until just blended; mix in the oats with a wooden spoon.
Drop dough by tablespoons (seriously, don’t go bigger than this, they spread out) on parchment lined sheets, with plenty of space in between. (I fit three across on my commercial sized baking sheet, two for a regular sized baking sheet.) Bake at 350 degrees (F) for 10-12 minutes, or until just starting to brown around the edges. They will look moist; don’t overcook (10 minutes was perfect for me). Let sit on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
While the cookies bake prepare the filling. In small bowl, dissolve the salt in the hot water. Set aside and allow this to cool.
Combine marshmallow cream, shortening, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a bowl; mix on high until fluffy (it never really rises like an egg-white based frosting, but you can tell it’s fluffier after 3-4 minutes).
Add the cooled salt water and mix well
Spread filling on flat side of one cookie, press 2nd cookie on top.

Love,

Kailee

Black Bean Blender Brownies!!! (GF)

2012-02-02T19:56:00.000-08:00

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Say THAT five times fast! haha

Last night I was cooking up a pot of black beans, and as I was stirring them I was thinking of something sweet I could make with the little ingredients I had on hand. I have always wanted to try and make black bean brownies, so it just made sense! I am very proud of this recipe as it is 100% my own. *pats self on back* ;)
I made these using my Vitamix blender. If your blender isn't very powerful, you can use a food processor to puree the beans and then use a kitchenaid to mix the rest of your ingredients, making sure to mix until it becomes a mousse like texture.

I was a little nervous while mixing up the batter, since I've never tried anything like this before. I was really excited to see how fluffy it was, though. It looked like chocolate mousse! I wish I would have taken a picture from the blender, but I was a little too excited and didn't think too until I popped them in the oven.

Here's a shot after they are finished baking. Gorgeous! I couldn't wait to cut into them. They cut beautifully, even when they were piping hot!

Finished product!!! These brownies are awesome!!! So moist and delicious, you'd never know they're gluten free, let alone made with black beans!!! The only thing I would change about these is I think they definitely need an icing. Of course, I am one of those people who always wants the rose off a cake, but I really do think icing would seal the deal for these. I would have made some but I was so pumped to eat them I didn't even think about it until after the fact, lol!

Black Bean Blender Brownies

1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
2 eggs and 1 egg white
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 ounces unsweetened Baker's chocolate
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In small sauce pan, on LOW, melt chocolate with vegetable oil, set aside to cool. In blender, blend black beans, eggs, and egg white on HIGH until well blended. Add everything else. blend on HIGH until well blended. Pour into and 8x8 dish that has been greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes. *Vitamix users: turn blender on, then increase variable to ten and switch to HIGH for both pureeing the beans and mixing in the other ingredients.

Please comment and let me know what you think! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PreciousCargo15 and on Pinterest www.pinterest.com/preciouscargo.

As always, ENJOY!!!!

Love,

Kailee

Cupboard Cookies

2012-01-31T20:35:00.000-08:00

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So it's the end of the month, the cupboards are nearly bare. You're looking for something sweet to eat and you think to yourself 'I have all this random crap, but nothing good to eat!!!'

Put it in a cookie.

That's right. All that random stuff in your cupboard that's been hanging out since the holidays or from your last fancy recipe idea, throw it in! You know what? I didn't even have enough butter for this recipe, so I threw in some peanut butter! Psh. Handled it.

I had dried cranberries and pistachios. I knew I had some golden raisins, but of course I couldn't find them until after I made the cookies. What I really wish I had were some chocolate chips. ;)

Kids love them.

Voila! Or as my daughter would say 'LAAAAA!!!' These cookies are awesome for a quick treat. I like to make a batch and freeze them so I have something yummy to grab when I want something sweet, plus I don't feel too guilty since they have oats, nuts and fruit.

Don't be fooled by this angelic face! Not long after this picture was taken, she was caught rubbing an entire can of formula all over our recliner. It's okay, though, she was cheering me on as I cleaned up her mess. 'Good job, mommy!!!'

Cupboard Cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup each of any random ingredients you have (dried fruit, nuts, chocolate, etc.)

Preheat oven to 375

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and, if desired, cinnamon and nutmeg. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl when needed. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. beat in flour, then stir in rolled oats and random ingredients.

Drop dough by rounded spoonfuls two inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are golden. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool

Makes approximately 27 cookies

Enjoy!!!

Love,

Kailee

PB&J Cupcakes!!!

2012-01-29T17:59:00.000-08:00

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I have been itching to make PB&J cupcakes FOREVER. Finally the other night I just got up and did it. Boy, am I glad I did! These were impossibly delicious!!! I sent them with Mark to his meeting the next morning, and according to him, they were a big hit!

Now of course, since it was a new recipe, it did not exactly go off without a hitch. My first problem was the fact that one of my cupcake pans has handles and when vertically put into the oven next to the other pan, the door would not shut all the way. This contributed to some wonky cupcakes that had to be discarded.

Secondly, I wish I had put more jam in the center. The picture looks like there's plenty, but I was really left wanting more. And third, I think if I make these again I will omit the milk. There is so much fat and liquid in the recipe, that I wished they were fluffier, as they were a little dense and SUPER moist.

With all that being said, these were pretty incredible!!! If you try this out, please let me know how they turn out for you!

PB&J Cupcakes (adapted from Peanutty Peanut Butter Cake recipe on Jif.com)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup water
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I used Adams Creamy)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all purpose flour
2 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda

FILLING
1/4 cup jam (any flavor, I used strawberry)

FROSTING
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used Adams chunky)
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional) I used pecans

CUPCAKES
HEAT oven to 350ºF. Line two 12 tin muffin pans with liners.
COMBINE butter, water, peanut butter and oil in large saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool. Add remaining cake ingredients. Mix until well blended; pour onto prepared tins. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool.

FILL
To fill cupcakes, use a small spoon (I used a baby spoon) or whatever works best for you, and dig out a small crater in the center of the cooled cupcake. Make sure not to go too deep, as the jam will seep out. Fill crater with jam so that it's flush with the top of the cupcake.

FROSTING
Blend all ingredients together, adding or using less to desired consistency. Drizzle top of cupcakes and sprinkle with chopped nuts

Enjoy!!! If you like this post, don't forget to +1, Pin, Stumble, etc! ;)

Love,

Kailee

The Bun's Outta The Oven!!!

2011-12-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

I slowly type this post with one hand as my other is cradling my ten day old baby! Sawyer Louis Jacklich was born on 12-6-11 at 12:10 pm weighing in at 8lbs 10oz and measuring 21 inches long.
Tuesday morning (my due date!) I woke up really early and for some reason decided to go lay on the couch. I kept having minor cramps but wasn't paying too much attention to them until I couldn't sleep any longer. It was around 7am, and not wanting to wake Mark yet I decided to take a hot shower to see if the contractions would stop. Well, they didn't! They were getting increasingly intense and at this point were about five minutes apart. I got him up and told him to get ready. I wanted to be presentable so I decided I'd do my hair and makeup (HA). About five seconds into blow drying my hair that idea was out the window and we were out the door.

We dropped Ruby off at my parent's house and rushed to the hospital. When we checked in I was dilated to four and once we moved into my room I had jumped to seven. Sawyer was a little posterior and I began having back labor. With Ruby my epidural hadn't worked and let me tell you, the difference in pain was incredible. I had always scoffed at women on t.v. who were any more vocal than some groaning during contractions, yet here I was dropping F bombs like there's no tomorrow and was halfway to screaming. By this time I'm at 8 and the anesthetist had come in to work on my epidural. I had told him that it hadn't worked the last time and he seemed determined to make it work. well, it wasn't working and it was go time. I'm pretty sure I saw him pump three syringes full of medicine into my thing to no avail. My doc was on his way when all the sudden I could not feel a thing from the waist down! No pressure, NOTHING! Sweet relief was mine. I give big kudos to anyone who has had back labor and was not able or chose not to have relief, I was trying to think about how I could even wrap my head around pushing while dealing with that pain. When my doc arrived he said he'd just let me labor down so pushing would be easier. Awhile later he came back and four pushes later I had my little crumb bum!!!

I am so incredibly happy and blessed to have two perfect babies. This is my last baby so I'm trying to savor every second of him being this little. Ruby looks like a giant compared to him. She's taking to him pretty well, and by that I mean it doesn't seem like she cares either way. I know she's going to be the best big sister ever, though. I'd also like to mention how incredible Mark was during the delivery. Somehow between giving me sips of water, rubbing my back, and holding my leg, he managed to video the whole thing, including himself cutting the cord! I love that guy.

Here's to speedy deliveries and the littlest Christmas miracles

Love,

Kailee

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

2011-10-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

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I am obsessed with anything pumpkin spice. From my lattes to my Scentsy, as soon as the first leaves fall you can bet my place is smelling like a pumpkin pie! I first made these little cookies last year and they are so delicious and SO EASY!!! They have a soft cake like texture and freeze surprisingly well so you can *try to* avoid eating the whole batch at once.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing

2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

Sorry for the horrible light, it was night and my apartment doesn't yield the best lighting ;)

I just dipped my cookies straight into the icing, but you can feel free to get creative and drizzle some fancy design or even do without the icing! I must say they are delicious either way. This recipe makes about three dozen cookies. Enjoy!!!

Love,

Kailee

Pizza Puffs!

2011-10-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

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Happy Fall! I have not so patiently been waiting for the weather to turn, and now that it has, I can finally turn on the oven without having a heat stroke! I'm excited because I've baked a few things this past week and I will be sharing them with you in the upcoming days, but tonight I have a little savory treat for you-Pizza Puffs!
When I make pizza, I usually make my own dough, but Safeway just started selling fresh pizza dough and it's been on sale for .99, so why not? We've tried out a couple different kinds, and the dough is really good and tastes homemade! Mark brought home a garlic herb one the other day, and I knew I should use it since it probably wouldn't stay good much longer, but I only had a tiny bit of mozzarella and a tiny bit of parmesan, so I've been contemplating all day what I could do with it.

With ingredients I already had on hand, here's what I made!

I used a pastry cutter to cut pieces of dough, then stretched them out and set them in muffin tins. Next, I added a spoonful of canned crushed tomatoes (mixed with italian seasoning) and then put in fresh mushroom pieces, diced salami, mozzarella/parmesan mixture, chopped fresh basil and sundried tomato. Then, I folded over the excess dough on top and baked them in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. I was easily able to just pull them out of the tins and put them on the cooling rack, no corn meal or spray needed when you back them!

For a beta version, these turned out delicious!!! I made 10, but 12 could easily be made with the amount of dough because I was a little more generous with the dough when I began. I would also suggest tacking on a couple more minutes if you don't like a chewy pizza crust, which I do! :) I ate mine with a little extra sauce on the side for dipping.

If you try this out, let me know what you put in yours, I love feedback!

Love,

Kailee

Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake

2011-08-25T10:48:00.000-07:00

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Baking a lot of different things within a week or two can lead to some excess, and not just in calories! Having made quite a few things recently, there are some random ingredients that needed to be used up. Not one to waste, the brainstorming began on what I could do with all this buttermilk, berries, and pecans.

Coffee Cake!!!

* This recipe was adapted from The Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup butter (1 and 2/3 sticks)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 beaten eggs

1 1/3 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup chopped nuts

2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan, set aside. In a medium bowl combine flour, brown sugar, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside 1/2 cup. Stir baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg into remaining crumb mixture.

Not having the proper tool to 'cut' the butter in, I used the big whisk from my KitchenAid, it worked great!

In another bowl combine eggs and buttermilk. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture and mix until combined. Stir in blueberries. Combine reserved crumb mixture and nuts, sprinkle over batter.

Gorgeous, plump blueberries from the Saturday Market!

I used my leftover pecans!

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Perfect!

The buttermilk makes it so moist and delicious!!!

YUM! This coffee cake is so amazingly moist, and the crumb topping is unbelievable! I had a big piece with my coffee this morning. You can make it without berries, with different berries, no nuts, different nuts, whatever you want! If you try this recipe out, let me know how you like it! If you liked this post, click the +1 button below! :)

Love,

Kailee

Wordless Wednesday...

2011-08-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

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Roasted Fingerling Potatoes. Cut in half, toss with olive oil, minced garlic, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. bake in a 400 degree oven for around 40 minutes.

Red Velvet Cupcakes - Revisted

2011-08-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

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My friend contacted me to make some red velvet cupcakes for a family birthday party she is having tonight. The last recipe I used was pretty okay, but a little dry. I really am not okay with dry, so I went on a hunt for a new recipe, which is also a little scary because it's taking a gamble since I hadn't even tested it out. After looking over a few, I came upon one from Smitten Kitchen .
The picture looked so moist, I had to try it. I have to say I LOVE this recipe. My only issue was streaking, which I forgot about the possibility of that happening since it has been so long since I've made red velvet. This can (usually) be fixed by mixing the cocoa and red food coloring to make a paste, and mixing it in as one of the last things instead of sifting the cocoa with the flour.

All lined up ready to be boxed!

I sprinkled the tops with red velvet crumbs. I took one of the little wonky ones, broke it in half and used a fork to scrape out crumbs into a little bowl.

I got these Reynold's foil liners at Safeway. Word on the street is you don't need a muffin pan to use them!

For the frosting, I used one package of cream cheese, one stick of butter, a little vanilla, a little milk, annnnd probably around 5-6 cups of powdered sugar. I usually just keep adding sugar with splashes of milk until it's fluffy enough to look pretty on top of the cupcake. I was pretty disappointed I wasn't able to find my pastry tip to make the nice 'round' frosting tops I like, just like in my other red velvet post. Oh well, I think they still turned out nice.

This is one of the little wonky ones I was referring to. Super little. :)

This is the streaking. I was worried the red color wouldn't be strong enough, because the recipe called for 3oz of food color and I only had two. I thought that each little bottle of red food coloring had two ounces, but they were only one.

Overall I'm really pleased with how these turned out. The real test is to see if Nicole and her family liked them too! I hope you enjoy them, Nicole!!!

As for the rest of you, head over to Smitten Kitchen for the recipe and makes these tonight!!!! :)

Hope everyone had a great Monday!!!

Love,

Kailee

Fresh Fruit Pizza

2011-08-20T23:46:00.000-07:00

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Every Summer through the Fall we have the Salem Saturday Market bestowed upon us. Handmade goods, fresh squeezed lemonade, delicious baked treats, and gorgeous produce all line the rows of the market. My favorite part of the market is the fresh, local berries.
If you're not in Oregon during berry season, you are truly missing out. I came up with this recipe after having something very similar at a baby shower. I could not get enough! It is such a delicious and fresh tasting treat on a hot day.

See how delicious those look??? YUM

We like to use extra berries to make berry lemonade...

Make your favorite sugar cookie dough (1/2 batch makes 1 pizza)

Roll out on pizza sheet and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes

When cool, top with a mixture of 1 package of cream cheese that has been blended well with 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 tsp vanilla.

Arrange fresh berries/other fruit any way you like!

Cut yourself a slice and have atter!!!

This could be made even easier by using a packaged sugar cookie mix or ready made dough! Just like any pizza, the possibilities are really endless on what you can do. Use this as a base idea and let your creativity flow! Enjoy!!!

Love,

Kailee

Pecan Shortbread Cookies

2011-08-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

I had some leftover pecans in the freezer from who knows what, and I wanted to use them up. I've also been craving shortbread cookies, so why not?

So I head to Google for recipes and end up at The Food Network site with a recipe from Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa. I threw rationality out the window and decided this would be the recipe I used, the first one I saw.

So I go and set up my KitchenAid and look for my camera.

Where's my camera?

It's in the car.

Mark has the car, and is at work till 1:30a.m.

grumble grumble grumble.....

I grabbed a very large spoonful of peppermint ice cream, sat down and ruminated over what to do. I have no other camera...maybe I could just make them, then take a picture of them later? Nooo, I like to take pictures as I go. Maybe I can use some old pictures I have or get pictures of what I need from Google and do that? Noo, that would be stupid.

I look over and see my phone.

Let's do this.

Now, this is no ordinary phone, my friends. No, This is a Sony Ericsson flip phone I got for 50 bucks that has 3G. Oh yeah. This would have been top of the line in like, 2001.

So of course half of them were unusable but hopefully you get the idea... :)

Cream together 1 cup of sugar and 3 sticks of room temperature butter. Then add 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 tsp. almond extract (I only used vanilla because I don't have any almond)

Add in 3 1/2 cups flour that has been sifted with 1/4 tsp salt

Pecans! I chopped them up and toasted them in a 350 degree oven for a couple minutes..you'll need 1 1/2 cups chopped (small) pecans.

Throw them in with the dough and mix!

Chill in the fridge for at least a half hour, and then the recipe calls to roll them out and cut. I made logs assuming I would just cut slices but that didn't work out so well, so I rolled out balls and made little discs.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Mine were done at around 15 minutes.

Who needs an iPhone and a $1.99 Hipstamatic App when your flip phone can take pictures like THIS?!

Overall I really liked the flavor of these cookies, but I think I'd do some things differently next time. A LOT of people were saying in the reviews how crumbly the dough was and they couldn't roll and cut the cookies. I wanted to try the recipe as is to see if I'd get a different result, but, no dice. If making this recipe I suggest adding 1 more stick of butter and 2T more sugar. I'm sure if Ina read this she'd say I wasn't using good enough ingredients. She didn't get that house in the Hamptons just using regular vanilla and store brand pecans, you know! For the recipe in it's entirety, and to read other reviews, click here.

Tomorrow I'm heading to the Saturday Market for some fresh berries, come back then to see what I make with them!!! :D

Love,

Kailee

Why I'm Just a Baker and Not a Decorator

2011-08-17T15:01:00.000-07:00

I made this cake back in April for my friend Bill. His daughter Sam was turning ten and a friend of his was also having a birthday. Bill wanted it to be decorated on both sides with each of their names. He definitely wanted an Irish theme for his friend because he is apparently a really proud Irishman. For Sam's side he said just do a princess theme, which she then balked at that idea because you know, she is NOT a little girl anymore! ;) So I said I'd figure something out...

Bill was taking Sam to Hawaii for her birthday so I thought it would be a great theme to be able to incorporate both sides together with the rainbow. I already had a project going with some fondant so I made a postcard out of that and decorated it with a little buttercream, graham cracker crumbs and disco dust (read more about disco dust).

Apparently I was REALLY proud of this postcard because I didn't get any close up shots of anything else, lol.

The cake was carrot, requested by the birthday girl, and it was iced in cream cheese frosting and buttercream. I think I did pretty okay on this but for the amount of time it took me I think it was great for me to realize that decorating really is not my gig. I always thought if I had someone else to work with it might be more fun and less stressful but for now I'm going to shy away from decorating, especially since it's not really a strength of mine. The great news is that the cake was a great success and Nate and Sam really enjoyed it!

Also on a side note I wanted to let everyone know I added a StumbleUpon button to the bottom of each post. If you don't know what StumbleUpon is, it's an awesome website where you plug in your interests and 'stumble' onto random websites pertaining to your interest. Click on my Stumble button and 'like' my post! :D

Have a great Wednesday everyone!!!

Love,

Kailee

Easy Breezy Key Lime Pie (sort of)

2011-08-14T01:12:00.000-07:00

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I wanted to post something that would be easy. Kind of a no fuss yet delicious dessert you can whip up in minutes and still impress everyone. This recipe IS that. Okay, more like this recipe CAN be that, granted you do things slightly different than I did.

I present to you...Key Lime Pie!

This is all you will need to make a scrumptious key lime pie. My first mistake here is the pre-made crust. I thought, okay I'm trying to make this quick and easy, go with the pre-made crust. I don't think I have ever bought a pre-made crust before. I got home and realized it was super little! To anyone out there who has purchased these before, are they all the same size or do they come in different sizes? I didn't notice any larger ones, maybe I missed them. Anyway, I got Nilla wafer, but graham cracker would obviously be just as good!

About 45 minutes and a few F-Bombs later....

Mistake #2: Key limes are LITTLE! My plan was to just buy the key lime juice in the bottle (which I seem to see every other time I go to the store) but I didn't see it anywhere, and just grabbed the bag of key limes since it was Saturday at Winco (and it was under 2 bucks). I get home and realize I don't have a proper juicing tool. That white thing you see is the only thing I had and I think it's half of an old juicing contraption that Mark had. So I was working with that, a Disney Princess spoon, and my fingers. You don't realize how many little cuts you have in your hand until you start cutting and juicing citrus. I starting having flashbacks to my bar tending days and quickly put on some latex gloves. All this for 3/4 cup of juice.

This is where things got easier. Mix 3 cups of sweetened condensed milk, 3/4 cup sour scream, and the lime juice.

Pour into a 9 inch pie crust. I think this little guy was 8 inches...I made some graham cracker crust and made mini pies in little custard dishes with my leftover filling.

Bake in a 350 degree pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. Cool completely in the fridge before serving.

This, my friends, is what made it alllll worth it. OMG this is such an awesome pie!!! Ridiculously easy and beyond delicious!!!

But wait, there's one more thing....

Wait for it.......

WTF?!?!?

My boyfriend gets home tonight after a day with friends and I tell him my traumatic story of the lime squeezing process, and his face drops and he says 'Oh, no.'

um, what?

He had this little friend in his wine bag (he's a wine steward) ALL DAY. He got it from work as a promo item and he just forgot about it.

how convenient.

Don't worry, I still love him. ;)

Well, on the positive side I suppose I earned those two pieces that I ate tonight! ;) I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do, I promise if you are a key lime pie fan you will LOVE IT!

Love,

Kailee