whoopie pies!

  SO I found this recipe on epicurious.com, I have seen these all over different websites but they all make them with shortening and cake box cake mix.... no bueno! so finally found one that was from scratch and seem fairly easy!

For cakes

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg

For filling

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
• 2 cups marshmallow cream such as Marshmallow Fluff
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

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Preparation

Make cakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl until combined. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl.

Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a handheld, then add egg, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and alternately mix in flour mixture and buttermilk in batches, beginning and ending with flour, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, and mixing until smooth.

Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of batter about 2 inches apart onto 2 buttered large baking sheets. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched, 11 to 13 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool completely.

Make filling:
Beat together butter, confectioners sugar, marshmallow, and vanilla in a bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Assemble pies:
Spread a rounded tablespoon filling on flat sides of half of cakes and top with remaining cakes.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Whoopie-Pies-107615#ixzz1TbGeCaHa

MY GREAT FIND!!!!

I'm in love!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE! with my new bag! sacroots is the maker of my fine new bag, I found it @ ROSS for $30.... the retail price... wait for it, wait for it..... $90!!!  I was sooo happy and giddy!!! LOL I know but I haven't found a bag I like in FOOOOORRRREVER!!!! :D just wanted to share!!! :D Its been 2 weeks and Still makes me HAPPY every time I look at it!

Summer Salads!

OK so being on Blogger has hooked me up to some awesome BLOGS. I then found them on Facebook and added them to my feed! YAY! instant inspiration and new recipes every day... SCORE!!! I'm in love and every day when my hunnie gets home from work he says I get all giddy talking about all the new ideas that I have, things I'm telling asking him to make for me, and new recipes I want to try out! So here are some of the recipes I want to try out and I'm posting them here before trying them because right now I don't feel like hand writing them into my recipe book that I'm putting together for Roxy! (talk about LAZY!) But I'm SURE they are wonderful and I will also post the links so you can take a look at the photos and or possibly get inspired by them like I have!!!

From Picky Palaet:

Feta Mandarin Asian Quinoa Salad

1 Cup uncooked quinoa
1/4 Cup “Feast from the East” Sesame Dressing from Costco (this is such a great dressing)
1/4 Cup green onions, chopped (the green parts)
1/2 Cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 Cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 Cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves
1. Prepare quinoa according to package directions. Transfer to a large bowl. Mix in dressing, onions, feta, peppers and cilantro. Cover and chill until serving.
8-10 servings

Chicken Peanut Thai Noodles

1 lb whole wheat thin spaghetti noodles
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 (1 inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled
1/2 Cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 Cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 Cup hot water
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Cup finely chopped white onion
1/2 Cup finely chopped red or orange bell pepper
1 Cup cooked, shredded chicken breast
1/4 Cup finely chopped cilantro leaves (missing in picture, it’s much better with cilantro)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 Cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped (optional)
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)  1. Cook noodles according to package. Drain, rinse with cold water, place in large pasta bowl and toss with sesame oil. Set aside.
2. Place garlic and ginger in food processor until well chopped. Add peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and red pepper flakes. Pulse until well combined and slowly add hot water. Set aside.
3. Place olive oil in hot skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and bell pepper for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in chicken breast, cilantro and salt. Stir until heated through.
4. Add sauce and chicken mixture to noodles. Toss to coat and garnish with peanuts and sesame seeds if desired.
6 servings

Lemon Dressing Drizzled Chickpea and Sweet Pepper Arugula Salad

2 15 0z cans garbanzo beans, drained
1 Cup chopped roasted red pepper, drained
1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 fresh lemon squeezed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 bag of fresh arugula
1. Place garbanzo beans and peppers into a mixing bowl. Place olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper into a bowl and whisk to combine. Toss over garbanzo beans and toss to coat. Spoon over a bed of fresh arugula leaves and toss. Serve room temperature or chilled.
4 servings

BBQ Chicken Salad with Cilantro Ranch Dressing

3 Cups thinly sliced Green Leaf Lettuce
1/4 Cup corn
1/4 Cup black beans
8 grape tomatoes, halved
1 cooked grilled chicken breast
1/4 Cup favorite BBQ Sauce
1/4 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 Cup prepared ranch dressing
1 heaping Tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro leaves
1. Place lettuce into a salad bowl. Layer with corn, black beans and tomatoes. Dice cooked chicken breast and mix with BBQ sauce. Top over salad and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
2. Place ranch dressing and cilantro leaves into a small bowl to combine. Drizzle over salad and serve.
**This recipe is for 1 large serving, double accordingly**

Mediterranean Couscous Salad

1 box Near East couscous, cooked according to package
3/4 Cup red bell pepper, diced
1/2 Cup yellow bell pepper, diced
4 oz container crumbled Feta Cheese
3/4 Cup Kalamata Olives, sliced
1 Tablespoon fresh minced garlic
1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Pinch of salt and fresh black pepper
1/2 Cup fresh parsley, chopped
1. Place cooked couscous into a large bowl. Let cool (put in the fridge to speed up the process). Add the bell peppers, feta cheese, olives and garlic to the couscous. Mix to combine.
2. In a separate bowl whisk the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper until well combined. Pour over couscous and mix to combine. Stir in fresh parsley and serve! Refrigerate leftovers.
4 servings

OMG!!! this is making me want to make them... RIGHT NOW! LOL

As promised here is the page, where you can find the pictures of these salads! and subscribe to her feed! DO IT! sooo many yummy treats I gotta try out!!! 

http://picky-palate.com/2011/07/07/summer-salad-round-up

some very well put words...

There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad, and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living 

"Just be happy!" As of lately, that's what  have been trying to do. Its much harder than it sounds.  Of course every time I think of this little mantra, I cant help but hear it like if Roxy were saying it to me, because she does NOT like to see people unhappy! She makes it easier to be happy, just having her and getting to stay home to raise her makes me wake up every morning and thank my lucky stars that I'm doing what I'm doing! It can be hard though. But that's when I have to remind myself that from all the mistakes you make, for all those rough patches that you hit along the way, those all get out numbered by the greatness that is in life! I have had a very difficult year, more that I think I let on or tell any one about... but in this very trying time I have come to figure out, who my true friends are, who I can count on, and how to appreciate what I have.  Getting back up after you've had a horrible stumble is embarrassing and hard, but has made success that much sweeter! I guess its true; From failure you learn, from success not so much.... eh!

best darn strawberry agua fresca!

Well at least in my book and just FYI you can substitute almost any fruit for the strawberries. I've made watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, grape, and orange, lemon & lime. The last three are a little different but not to much harder. The kids love this stuff and now that summers here nothing could be better! So here we go...

You need a large Pitcher  (I don't know how much this holds but its a normal kitchen size one)
a strainer, the finer the mesh the better you don't want seeds
I used one pint of strawberries hulled and halved  
a Blender
Water
2/3 cup sweetener your choice

Ok so I put all the strawberries in the blender with about 1/4 of a cup of water and I add 1/3 of the sweetener at this point too. Blend the strawberries until there are no more lumps, strain it into the pitcher. I use a spoon to make sure that all the juice is going threw. Add 1/2 a cup of water into the strainer you'll see it goes threw much faster even with all the pulp and seeds that are at the bottom of the strainer. Start adding water half a cup at a time to get it to the consistency you want it. I almost filled the whole pitcher up after adding the water. Then I add sweetener to taste, sometimes the fruit is so good and sweet you don't need to much while other times like with lemon and lime you may need WAY more! :D I add a little (half of a table spoon) of the pulp and seeds back into the pitcher because I like the seeds and feel but I don't want that many in my juice... Yummy! ENJOY!

*ps if you are making a citrus one you need to squeeze the juice from fruit, you need about 1 cup - 1 1/2 cups citrus juice and then everything else is the same. :D

Sugar cookies and royal icing!

ok so I'm always looking for COOKIE recipes... Christmas cookie recipes are a huge + and I have been looking for a royal icing recipe and have gotten this blogs recipe over and over, so I think I may have to take a crack at it! but probably not any time soon as I dont have anything special coming up for a while so I figured I would share the link and if you try them before me let me know!!! :D
 
 http://beeinourbonnet.blogspot.com/2011/03/basics-of-sugar-cookies-and-royal-icing.html

savory scones... yum!

 Roasted Tomato Feta Scones

Makes 8 scones
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon garlic salt
4 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg slightly beaten
1 – 4 oz package feta cheese
½ cup roasted red tomatoes, chopped (can be found in bulk in the olive bar at your grocery store) 2 green onions, finely sliced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place the flour, baking powder, garlic salt and butter in a food processor. Pulsate everything in 3-second intervals until the mixture resembles coarse meal. If doing this by hand, use 2 knives, a pastry blender or your fingers.
Transfer everything to a large bowl. Stir in heavy cream and egg, mixing the dough by hand until it comes together. Add feta cheese, roasted tomatoes, and green onions. Gently mix the ingredients by hand until the savory ingredients are evenly distributed. On a floured surface, form a big dough ball. Flatten the dough into a 1 inch disk and cut it in 8 equal pieces. Bake for 15 minutes on a baking stone or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Remove scones from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.