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

print a shopping list for this recipe

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.

I WANT!

 I WANT, I WANT, I WANT!!!! this and my kitchen aid mixer.... just sayin! :D

http://www.revolveclothing.com/DisplayProduct.jsp?product=MIA-WZ54

stay at home mamas or just crafty mamas... heres some ideas!

I've been looking for more things to keep me occupied and less stressed, yep less stressed... you know you stop thinking about the problem and it really lets you think about that problem with a clearer head and tends to stop making you look like a lunatic! haha :D Also homemade gifts are always AWESOME! so I found this website and there are all these different projects that you can make! sooo I wanted to share maybe you'll find something that you can make! ENJOY!


http://www.tipjunkie.com/homemade-projects-add-yours-4/

make your own wool dryer balls!

ok so I came across this site and it shows you step-by-step instructions on how to make the wool dryer balls! You'll save a ton on not having to buy dryer sheets, it's natural, and we create less waste! so try it out and ENJOY! :D

http://goodmama.typepad.com/goodmama/2008/05/make-your-own-wool-dryer-balls.html

Ps all in all a really good site if you have kids! even if you dont!

Home made Laundry Detergent!

So Ive been trying to save money and be a little greener in anyway possible. Making our own laundry detergent, seems like a great way! Sooo here's the "recipe" for that and I'll also post up how you can make felt balls for your dryer instead of dryer sheets!


Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!



Powdered Laundry Detergent - Top load machine

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!



TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: You can also use Fels-Naptha bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. Washing Soda and Borax can often be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2 per batch.



Inexpensive Fabric Softener Recipes

Recipe #1
1 Cup White Vinegar
Add vinegar to rinse cycle. Works great. Removes residue and odors. Also helps to keep washing machine and hoses fresh and clean too.

Recipe #2

1 Container of Name Brand Fabric Softener
4 Inexpensive sponges, cut in half

Pour entire container of softener into a 5 gallon bucket. Fill empty softener container with water twice. (2 parts water to 1 part softener) Add sponges to softener/water mixture. When ready to use wring out extra mixture from one sponge and add to the dryer as you would a dryer sheet.

Cantalope and Strawberry Summer Salad!

OMG! this is a favorite and sooo perfect for that hot summer day or just because!

 1 Large Cantaloupe - cubed
 1 pint Strawberries - hulled and halved
 3/4 cup marshmallow cream
 2 tbsp. fresh squeezed orange juice
 a pinch of salt
fresh grated orange zest of 1 whole orange (about 2 tsp)

 In a large bowl mix cantaloupe and strawberries. In a smaller bowl mix marshmallow cream, orange juice, zest, and salt. Mix until smooth and pour over fruit. Toss until well coated. Serve immediately or keep in refrigerator up to 6 hours. * My personal opinion is it doesn't do well in the refrigerator, it taste better the fresher it is! :) Its Yummy!!!  Roxy and Jovie ... Gobbled it up!

portabello mushroom pizzas!

this is a family favorite! we came across this recipe about a year ago....


what you'll need:

portabello mushrooms - cleaned and destemed
1 can of tomato sauce
1/2 a bell pepper - chopped in small pieces
1/2 squash green or yellow - chopped in small pieces
1/2 carrot - chopped in small pieces
a hand full of mushrooms - cleaned and chopped into small pieces
scallions or onion - chopped in small pieces
Garlic powder, salt, & black pepper to taste / Olive Oil
 shredded cheese - whatever you choose or like! :)

In a large saute pan start off with onions and olive oil, once onions are transparent add the carrots. Add 1 cup tomato sauce, if you think it needs a little more just add more. Add in your squash and mushrooms, let simmer. simmer until all veggies are soft. Season to taste. Lay the mushrooms top side down on a cookie sheet or any cooking pan, top with tomato sauce and then with your cheese. Bake @ 350 for 15 min. or until cheese is bubbly and browned. Enjoy! :D

Quinoa & Teriyaki Potatoes and Kale = YUMMY!

SOOOO Yummy and easy! a nice simple lunch or quick dinner! try adding carrots, bell peppers or any other veggies!  <3 Enjoy!


Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

    Teriyaki Sauce:
    1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons water, divided
    1/4 cup soy sauce
    2 tablespoons brown sugar
    2 cloves garlic, chopped
    sriacha or red pepper flakes, to taste
    1 tablespoon cornstarch

    olive oil, for frying
    2 red potatoes, diced
    2 big handfuls chopped kale
    black pepper

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.

2. Teriyaki Sauce: In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine 1/2 cup water, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and sriacha. In a small dish, whisk together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water, then add to saucepan. Heat until boiling, stirring occasionally, until thick. Remove from heat.

3. To a large pan over medium-high heat, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add potatoes; saute until tender and browned. Add kale; stir it around until wilted, then add black pepper. Turn off heat.

4. Mix in the teriyaki sauce.

5. Grab a plate. Scoop some quinoa on that bad boy and then the potato mixture on top of that. Enjoy.

Yummy Yummy Blueberry Coconut Pankcakes!

 the coconut milk helps make these pancakes nice and fluffy! they melt in your mouth!!! :D

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    2 cups all-purpose flour
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
    1/4 cup coconut oil
    1 cup blueberries, rinsed
    oil for the pan

Directions:

1. In a medium-size bow, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add coconut milk and oil, mixing until combined. Carefully fold in blueberries.

2. Spray a small frying pan with oil and preheat over medium-low heat. Pour approximately 1/4 cup batter into the pan and spread into a 5″ circle. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the bottom is lightly browned. Flip over and cook an additional 1 minute or so on the other side. Once the pancake is golden brown, remove from pan and place on a plate. Repeat with remainder of batter until all has been used.


Half & Half Pancakes: prepare as above except use 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 cup whole wheat flour.

saucy tempeh curry

mmmmm! this looks soooo yummy, I havent made it yet but the pictures look AH-MAZ-ING!!!! :D


Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    Sauce:
    1 shallot
    2 cloves garlic
    2 medium tomatoes
    1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
    1/4 teaspoon turmeric
    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
    1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    1/4 teaspoon curry powder
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    Freshly ground black pepper
    1 tablespoon olive oil

    1/2 block tempeh
    Olive oil for frying tempeh

Directions:

1. Sauce: In a blender, combine all sauce ingredients; blend until thoroughly mixed. (You can use an immersion blender, or in this case, a magic bullet. Just get it blended!)

2. Cut tempeh into strips and then in half to form bite-size pieces.

3. In a pan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Add tempeh pieces; fry until golden brown. Set aside on a plate.

4. Drizzle pan with more olive oil, pour "raw" sauce into the hot pan, cook until sauce is reduced and has thickened. Season as necessary. Add tempeh to sauce and simmer for a few minutes. Serve curry on top of rice!

Cinco De Mayo desert!

Tres Leches Cake:
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 cup unsalted butter
* 1 cup white sugar
* 5 eggs
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
*
* 2 cups whole milk
* 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
* 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
* 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside.
3. Cream butter or margarine and the 1 cup sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; beat well.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture 2 tablespoons at a time; mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Pierce cake several times with a fork.
6. Combine the whole milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk together. Pour over the top of the cooled cake.
7. Whip whipping cream, the remaining 1 cup of the sugar, and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla together until thick. Spread over the top of cake. Sprinkle with cinnamon... Be sure and keep cake refrigerated, enjoy!

*in the liquid mixture try adding some cinnamon  about 1/4 tsp.*

for Cinco De Mayo ~ Easy Taco Casserole!

Easy Taco Casserole:
1 lb. ground meat (beef, turkey, tofu, whatever you'd like)
2 cups shredded cheddar
2 cups mild/med. salsa
1 cup corn kernels
1 can pinto beans
1 bag corn tortilla chips (8 oz.)
black olive slices (optional)

Brown the meat, make sure you season it well, and drain. Mix in corn, beans, and salsa.

Layer 1/2 of the chips on the bottom of a 9x13 or 8x8 pan
(I liked the 8x8, it made it thicker & I didn't use as many chips)
Top with half of the meat mixture and half of the cheese
Repeat layer, cover with sliced olives and cover with cheese.
Cover with foil and bake @ 350 for 30 min. until casserole is bubbly & cheese is melted. I slice green onions and fresh avocado over it and serve with sour cream! its AWESOME! :D Easy cheap and yummy!!

Gluten Free Pie Crust

3/4 cup of pecans
3/4 cup of almonds
2 teaspoons coconut oil - melted
2 teaspoons raw honey - melted
pinch of kosher salt

soak almonds, for 24 hours, in water. Drain and dehydrate at 110 for 24 hours.

chop almonds and pecans in a food processor equipped with an "s" blade until you have a coarse flour.

Transfer to a bowl and pour in melted oil and honey. mix until you have a sticky dough like ball of deliciousness.

I like to use gloves for this part: Roll dough into a ball and put in a 9 inch pie pan. flatten dough out until it evenly covers the bottom and the sides of the pan. to set, refrigerate overnight.

Tomorrow is the filling!!!! :-D

The Recipe Club

I found this AWESOME book at out library the other day at the "leave one, pick one" section (free books) The Recipe Club, awesome book about two friends from a young age writing each other and sending recipes to one another.... I think everyone needs recipes like this just to have on file! :D I'm going to be posting these as well as my own found recipes!!! YAY!

 Chocolate Icebox Cake:
 2 cups heavy cream
 3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
 1 teaspoon vanilla
 35 chocolate wafer cookies
 3 tablespoons semisweet chocolate bits

1. In a large bowl, beat heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla at medium speed until stiff peaks form.

2. On one side of 6 chocolate wafers, spread about 2 heaping teaspoons whipped cream. place them on top of each other to make a stack. Top the stack with a plain wafer.Continue to make stacks like this until all the wafers are used. Turn each stack on its side. Place stacks side by side to make a big log on a plate. Frost log with remaining whipped cream. Sprinkle with the chocolate bits. Cover and refrigerate at least 5 hours or overnight.

CAKE POPS!!!

OK so these little bites of cake are covered in chocolate and stuck on sticks! So I've seen them every where and have never had one, so I took advantage of being at starbucks before jumping on the train this weekend. Let me just say"hmmmm" I don't think they are the best but, I'm sure there are better ones out there!!! Well I decided to give them a try, I found a short video by Bakerella on youtube. She shows you every thing you need and how to make them in about 5 min. You get the basic idea...

What you will need: a 9x13 sheet of cake ( any cake you desire)
*You can use browines as well just omit the frosting, brownies have the consistency you are looking for with out adding frosting.
1/2 cup frosting (any flavor you desire to go with the cake)
Lolipop sticks
Melting chocolates
sprinkles for decorating or a second color of melting chocolates
*double boiler or chocolate melter
*Styrofoam block or something you can stand the pops up in 

Ok so once the cake has completely cools, cut it into 4 pieces. Take one of the chunks and break it in half, over a large bowl, you can rub the cake together against each other to create cake crumbs.
Once you have done this to the whole cake mix in frosting, you may need more or less than this depending on the dryness of the cake. I used 1/4 cup to slowly mix in frosting, if you put too much it can feel too mushy in the center.

You can put this mixture in the fridge for about 15 min or you can just roll the balls by hand at this point. You will want to put the balls in the fridge for another 15 min. or in the freezer for no more than 10 min., you don't want them to freeze!

While the balls are chilling, get your chocolate ready! If you have a chocolate melter, let it do its thing! If you have a double boiler you want to melt your chocolate and if you don't have one and don't want to spend extra money, all you need is a pot with boiling water and a bowl you can sit over the boiling water, make sure you mix your chocolate well, you don't want to bottom to get burnt! 
 Take you balls out of your icebox... get your lollipop sticks ready and have a  bowl with your sprinkles, if using a second color of chocolate make sure you have it melted and ready inside of a candy piping bag.

 So what you want to do is take a lollipop stick dip an end into some of the chocolate (Not to much) you then take the end with the chocolate on it and stick it into the cake ball, I found letting them sit at this point, to let the chocolate dry a bit helped A LOT!!! Take the cake pop and stick it straight into the melted chocolate, make sure you don't swirl the cake pop or move it around too much in the chocolate, you want to put it straight in and if you need to get the tops you can tilt it slowly to get it all covered. Take the pop out of chocolate and gently tap against the side of your hand to get excess off. While its still wet add your sprinkles and or decorate!!! Stand them up to dry and let stand for about 5 to 10 min. until shell is completely hardened. TA-DAAAAH!!! CAKE POPS <3

Zucchini with "pesto"

This is something I modified from the website www.rawfoodrecipes.com.

Zucchini with "pesto"

Pesto:

1/2 cup cashews (chopped)
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup garlic infused olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 lemon, freshly squeezed
freshly ground pepper, to taste

Pasta:
Kelp or zucchini noodles (I used a spiral slicer to cut the zucchini)

combine all pesto ingredients in a blender or a food processor with a "s" blade. process until smooth.

combine 1 cup of the noodles and 1/4 cup of pesto in a bowl. cover and shake.

serve and enjoy!!!

yay blog!!! :-)

yay blog!!!

Thanks sooooo much for putting all of this together, liz!!! I really appreciate it! I have some yummy recipes to put online but I have yet to take pictures of my creations! I will post something as soon as I get home!!

3 bean salad!

this one has been stolen from banthebland.net! I love you Yari!!! this is a house favorite, super simple and  DELICIOUS!!!!

1 can organic pinto beans (drained)
1 can organic black beans (drained)
1 can organic garbanzo beans (drained)
1 tbls. Olive Oil
Cilantro- chopped
1/2 cup chopped white onion
lime juice- of 2 or 3 limes
Sea Salt
  

Mix all ingredients together, toss add salt to taste 

boo-boo bags

I haven't made one yet but as soon as I do I'll add a picture. I found these pouches 6"x6" filled with FLAX seeds!!! you can put them in the freezer, which seems much better than an ice pack  or you can warm them up in the microwave for 30 seconds if your baby has a tummy ache!! They need to stay in the freezer for about 2 hours and they are ready to go! So I found them on a website and she was selling them for $14 which I thought was a little much... and she also uses them for another reason, one that I'm not 100% sold on, but you can also use them to wake a sleeping baby who needs to nurse by tapping the pouch on the bottoms of the feet... I think if your baby is hungry they can wake up and let you know, the feed every 2 hours even if you have to wake them up is, in my opinion "dumb"....

Rapsberry vinaigrette

since its SPRING and SUMMER will be here before we know it... and nothing is better then home made...

 3/4 cup Olive Oil
 1/2 cup raspberry vinegar
 1/4 cup chopped shallots
 2 crushed garlic cloves
 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
 2 tbls. minced fresh Taragon
 salt and pepper to season

In a bowl whisk together the vinegar, shallots, garlic, mustard,taragon, salt and pepper to taste.
 Slowly whisk in the oil until it is well blended. Use immediately or store in the frig and shake well before serving.                               Makes about 1 1/2 cups of dressing


 

WOOO lets get this started.... RED VELVET CUPCAKES!!

Yep!! Desert, its the best and I love this recipe! I think I like the frosting more but all in all great!


Cake:
 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
 1 1/2 cups sugar
 1 tsp. baking soda    1 tsp. salt    1 tsp. cocoa powder

1 1/2  cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk (room temp)
1 tsp. white distilled vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbls. Red food color

Frosting:
1lb. cream cheese (softened)
2 sticks of butter (softened)
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups sifted confectioners sugar

 Pre-heat oven to 350 deg.          makes 24 cupcakes!

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, slat, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk,eggs, vinegar, vanilla and food color with a hand held electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
 Fill 2/3 of the way in each tin and bake 20-22 min. Turn the pans once, half way through. Tet the cupcakes with a toothpick. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting, well in the mean time make the frosting!
 
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until light and fluffy!

Garnish: chopped pecans
              fresh raspberries or strawberries

              sprinkles or just get creative!!! :D   

My Procrastination....

Has let this little project on the back burner. I wanted to start a place where we could share ideas, ask questions, get some help, talk and all the other stuff that comes along in the crafting world. I would like for us to be place where we could all spark new ideas and interest in each other!