A Candy Land Affair!

Today was the birthday of the daughter of a good friend of mine. She chose the Candy Land theme and asked me to make her cake and cupcakes...Of course I will!

The bottom tier is chocolate, the top strawberry.  The road is made from chewy jolly ranchers that I rolled out and cut into squares.  I then lined it with strings of pull apart Twizzlers.  The gingerbread men are homemade and dipped in jimmies, or sprinkles as they are known around here. No one ever knows what I am taking about when I say jimmies!  And then various candy all over! I got the inspiration from Parents Magazine a while ago and was so excited for the chance to finally make it!

And of course we needed cupcakes!  But, for a Candy land birthday, no ordinary cupcakes would do!  These were made with different flavors of cake. You just fill the flat bottom cones just above the line of the widest part. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so and voila! You have cupcake cones!  I iced them in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry and sprinkled some jimmies (sprinkles) on top and that it!  Ice cream cones that don't melt! Well, they started to in the 95 degree, 105 heat index weather we had today!

A Scooby Cake fit for a 5 year old!

It is so hard to believe my son is 5! So exciting yet a little sad to me!  He wanted a Scooby-Doo party,so a Scooby-Doo party is what he got!

I made up some really cute invites.

Then I planned a big scavenger hunt!  When all the kids arrived, we took the presents and hid them in the back of the van. Then we did things a little different and decided to open presents first! Zoinks! The presents were gone and all that was left was a clue! We had 6 total clues that led us throughout the yard with various games and treats at each "station".  We eventually ended up at the van with my husband in an old lady mask trying to steal the presents! And he would have gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling kids!

The kids had a blast and got a kick out of all the clues that were left behind!  It was then cake time! And boy did they all love it!

The cake took me 3 hours to make! I took 2 bread pans for the cake. And then piped and spread all the icing on there. luckily, we already had all the figurines to put on the cake!

After all was said and done, I think Dylan had a party he will remember for a long time! Sure it was hot and muggy and I was exhausted but it was all worth it! I would do anything to make a happy, special memory for my children!

Distractions!

I know it has been some time now.  I joined Curves, have been working out and surprisingly losing weight and inches!  I have been experimenting with some healthier meals. And starting next week I will be able to post some of them!  I have been busy between birthdays, cake orders, vacation and life itself!  Keep checking on me! I promise I will start to be more regular again!

Root Beer Pulled Pork

My hubby loved pulled pork.  He prefers anything smoked, me...not so much!  So, thankfully this recipe and my crock pot make a wonderful compromise!

This is really a very simple recipe, if you can even call it that!

I start out cutting up 2 medium sized onions and placing them int he bottom of a large crock pot.  Then place the whole pork butt right on top.  I usually use a 9-10 pounder...this ensures that I have lots of leftovers!

Next, pour 1/2 of a 2 liter right in the crock pot.  Now turn it to high and let it do it's thing! You want to cook it for 6-8 hours on high or until the meat just falls off the bone and is easily pulled apart with a fork.  When done, remove meat from crock pot.  Drain all juices and return meat (minus bone) to the crock pot.  With 2 forks, pull meat apart.  Now give it a good douse of your favorite BBQ sauce and cook until heated or you could serve sans sauce and let people put what they want on it!

We like ours with lots of sauce on onion rolls with pickles and onions!

1 crock pot
1 pork butt
1/2 2 liter of root beer
2 med onions
Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce (or your favorite)
Onion rolls, bulky rolls or bread

Raspberry Cornmeal Muffins

We went on a day trip over the 4th of July holiday weekend.  A place about 2 hours from home.  Spring Mill State Park.  We love this place! This was actually the first time we have taken the kids.  Hubby and I have been several times pre-kiddos so we thought it would be a nice field trip!  If you live in Indiana and have never been, you should!  They have wonderful hiking trails, an awesome pioneer village with the grist mill and the Gus Grissom Memorial.

The Pioneer Village, founded in 1814, contains 20 historic buildings to explore.  Heritage interpreters portray the year 1863 and demonstrate period crafts, which the kids loved participating in. The centerpiece is a 3-story limestone gristmill, built in 1817, that still grinds cornmeal today.  The mill is the whole reason for today's post!  After we watched the mill at work, we promptly bought a few bags of the fresh ground cornmeal!

Here are a couple photos of our trip.  Below is the recipe!  Enjoy!

Berry Cornmeal Muffins

3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 cup sugar
8 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (you can use any berries you would like)
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1/2 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbs sugar (for sprinkling on top)

Preheat to 400 degrees.  Spray 2 muffin pans with non stick spray or use liners.

In large bowl combine all dry ingredients.  In separate small bowl, combine 4 tbs of the dry mixture with the berries.  In separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.

Fold wet ingredients into dry and mix only until ingredients are combines. Gently stir in the berries.  Do not over mix or your muffins won't be light and fluffy.

Evenly fill 24 muffin cups.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tops are golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.

I need to remember to take the date stamp off! Sorry!

Eat warm with some butter! Enjoy!

Beef and Peppers

Okay, so this was kind of a disaster for me! it's been a while since I have one of those...a disaster int he kitchen! While this tasted good, I didn't have the proper ingredients so I used what i had...I know if I had the right stuff, it would have been wonderful!  Use regular Sherry to reduce the sodium and make sure you use rice NOODLES.....I apparently picked up rice sticks. Wrong thing to do! They were the width of hair and just made a jumbled mess! By the time I realized I had the wrong thing it was too late! And use LOW sodium soy sauce! This was WAY to salty for me! But, I dumped in regular before I realized what i was doing...I told you....EPIC FAIL!  Oh, and it would have helped if I took a picture of the finished product! I guess once I realized I didn't have the right ingredients I stopped taking photos!  The below photo is before I put the soy sauce and noodles in!

Beef and Peppers

1-1/2 pound Flank Steak, Sliced Very Thin Against The Grain

1/2 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce

I seriously need a new camera!

3 Tablespoons Sherry

2 Tablespoons Packed Brown Sugar

2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Ginger

2 cloves Garlic, Minced

1 teaspoon Red Chile Paste (or A Few Dashes Red Chile Oil)

2 Tablespoons Canola Oil

1 whole Medium Yellow Onion Sliced

2 whole Red Bell Peppers, Cored And Sliced Into Rings

1 Tablespoon Diced Fresh Jalapeno (or 1 Teaspoon Dice Hot Pepper)

Red Pepper Flakes, For Sprinkling

Cilantro Leaves

Mix together soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, and chili paste (or chili oil.) Place sliced beef in the mixture and toss to coat. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high to high heat. When it is very hot, throw in the onions and cook for less than a minute. Remove to a separate plate. Return skillet to flame, allow to reheat, and add bell peppers (and hot pepper/jalapeno if using.) Cook for a minute, tossing, until peppers have brown/black bits but are still firm. Remove to a plate.

Return skillet to heat and allow to get hot. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add 1/3 of the meat mixture, evenly distributing over the surface of the skillet. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 seconds, then turn with tongs. Cook for another 30 seconds, then remove to a separate plate. Repeat with remaining meat until all brown.

Reduce heat to low. Add all meat, onions, and peppers to the skillet and toss to combine. Pour in remaining sauce (the sauce the meat marinated in*) and stir. Allow to simmer on low for a few minutes. Sauce will slowly thicken. Turn off heat.

*Update/Note: you can also whip up an extra batch of liquid if you do not want to use the same liquid you use for the meat.

Turn off boiling water, then throw in noodles. Stir, then allow noodles to sit in hot water for 8 minutes or so (check package directions to be sure.) Drain, then add 1/2 the noodles to stir fry. Toss together, then add more noodles to taste. Add very hot water if needed to thin.

Top with cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.

Sausage and Peppers Mac and Cheese

It's no lie that I LOVE pasta... especially mac and cheese!  I made this the other day, it is yummy!  I wouldn't classify it as mac and cheese however.  Maybe like cheesy macaroni with sausage and peppers.  I know, what's the difference....trust me....there is a difference!  I don't like people messing with my momma's mac and cheese!  Anywho...this is a very tasty meal with a salad and piece of garlic bread.


Italian Sausage and Pepper Macaroni & Cheese

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 pound Italian sausage, casing removed
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 pound penne
8 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
6 cups whole milk
4 cups (16 ounces) cheese, grated (I used a combo of Parmesan and mozzarella)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
A few shakes of salt and black pepper
1/4 cup sliced fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh sliced flat-leaf parsley


Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.


In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm olive oil. Add onion and saute 3 minutes or until softened. Add sausage and cook for 8-10 minutes or until browned all over and no longer pink. Add red bell pepper and cook 2 minutes until softened.


Cook pasta in salted water, about 2 minutes short of being fully cooked; it will finish cooking in the oven. Drain the cooked pasta, but do not rinse.


4. Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour. Gradually add milk, whisking continuously until it reaches a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until thick and bubbly.


5. Add cooked sausage and pepper mixture, cheese, cream sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, basil and parsley. Stir well. Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the cheese sauce is bubbling around the edges.

Cars 2

So, we took the kids to the much anticipated showing of Cars 2 at our local theater this afternoon.  We all have been waiting for this movie for a very long time!  The kids counted down the days for the last week until we went.  You could say the kids, Dylan in particular, are obsessed with Cars!

While the movie was great, it was not what I expected.  If I had to choose, my vote would go to the original Cars movie.  I'm not sure what I was expecting but the movie fell short of whatever it was.  I don't want to ruin anything for those who have not seen it so I won't go into any details about the movie.  Just that is was good, not awesome, just good.

Don't get me wrong, I will be buying the DVD as soon as it hits the shelves and I'm sure we will watch it at least 5 million times when I do.  I am just hoping it grows on me as much as the first movie did!

http://disney.go.com/cars

Oriental Slaw

A few years ago Hubby's grandmother made this as a side for one of our Sunday dinners.  We fell in love with it and eat it quite a bit during the grilling months. It goes perfect with burgers and dogs and, well, just about anything! 

Oriental Slaw

2 packages of ramen noodles, chicken flavor

1 package of slaw mix

3-4 green onions, diced

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1 cup oil

2/3 cup vinegar

2 tbs sugar

both packets of flavoring from the noodles

1/2 tsp pepper

In a large bowl combine slaw mix, onions, sunflower seeds and almonds.  You can add more or less onions, seeds and nuts, whatever your preference!  Crush up the noodles until they are no longer clumped together. Add to slaw mix.  In a large cup mix oil, vinegar, sugar, flavor packets and pepper. Stir well to dissolve.  Poor over the slaw mix. Either stir up real good or put the cover on the bowl and shake it up!  Best served cold.  Enjoy!

Blueberry Coffee Cake

It is blueberry season around here! The kids and the hubby love blueberries, I do not. Well, I love stuff with blueberries in them, I just cannot seem to eat them as they are!  I was getting ready to make some blueberry muffins and decided to make a coffee cake instead. I'll make the muffins another day!


Blueberry Coffee Cake

10 tbs  (1 stick & 2 tbs) Butter
1 1/2 cups Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla 
4 cups Flour
4 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 1/2 cups Milk
3 cups Fresh Blueberries

TOPPING:
1 1/2 sticks (12 tbs) Butter

1 cup Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 cup Flour
1/2 tsp Salt

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. 

In a mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla until mixed.  Add flour and milk until combined.

Grease 2 - 9 x 13 inch baking pans. Pour in batter.

In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients and cut together using a pastry cutter or knives. Sprinkle over the top of the cakes.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees, or until golden brown. 

Cinnamon Dessert Pizza

The kids LOVE dessert pizza! They love any pizza but if they had to vote, dessert pizza would obviously be their favorite!   When we order in pizza from a certain pizza place with the initials PJ....they know they are getting a yummy treat!

Well, I hate ordering in pizza, to me, homemade is the BEST!  So, I make my own dessert pizza!  And the kids love it just the same!

I make mine in a cookie sheet and cut them into sticks

Cinnamon Dessert Pizza

Pizza Crust (you can find one here)

1 cup flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tbs cinnamon

8 tbs (1 stick) butter

Filling:

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tbs of milk or water

Mix flour, sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.  With your hands or a pastry cutter, combine the cold butter with the flour mixture.  You want to crumble them leaving fairly large crumbles. Spread on the pizza dough.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the crust is light brown and cooked through.

Stir together the powdered sugar and water and drizzle over the cooked pie.

The Beginning...

So, Groupon had a deal the other day for Curves. $40 for 2 months and no enrollment fee.  I thought about it...and thought about it.  Heck, its only 2 months right. If I don't like it, I don't have to continue. If I do, well great! I have saved myself some money!  All sorts of self doubt went through my head. Do I really want to go and look like the fat fool on all these machines?  I just know what is going to be going through everyone's head!  She is WAY to big to be doing this! Well, I knew all that was just my head talking, and if people were really going to think that, screw them!  I'm doing this for myself and no one else!  I bought the Groupon.  And instead of waiting the 2 months I had to redeem it, I went that night, last night.  Signed myself up, got weighed in and measured...which was a super morale booster let me tell ya! The coach walked me thru the circuit and that was that.

Well, I went back tonight. I had every intention of doing my 30 minute, 2 round circuit of all the machines and be done with it.  They offer a Zumba class twice a week at the Curves I joined.  I was going to stay a little longer and check out from afar the Zumba class.  Because there was NO WAY my giant behind was going to be able to make it through another 30 minutes of dancing around like a fool! (Mind you, I have NEVER seen a bit of Zumba so I had no idea!)

Anyway, I did my 30 minutes, on a few machines and towards the end my left leg felt a little shaky.  That knee is horrible and the whole leg is just screwed up thank to being pregnant.  But, I made it! I was so proud of myself! I didn't need to sit and take a break, my heart rate was around 154 ish. I could tell I was getting a good workout. When I was done, the Zumba instructor had arrived and I decided to watch. She encouraged me to join and do what I could do. Hmmm....

Okay! 5 of us got in a circle, the music started and away we went. OH MY WORD! First of all, I am not coordinated AT ALL! My arms, hands and feet do not work well together.  But that's okay! I eventually got the hang of it. Sure, I was not as "bouncy" as the instructor, well, quite frankly because bouncing all this weight on my knees is virtually impossible!  But I did have some pep in my step and a sway in my hips and boy did I dance my rear off for 30 minutes!  it got my heart pumping and I was sweating like crazy but I was still able to kinda chat while dancing so I knew I wasn't in danger of having a heart attack!  And before I knew it, it was done.

I would just like to say how proud of myself I am! I never thought I could do it! And I did it! I cannot wait to go back tomorrow and I really cannot wait to do the Zumba class again on Thursday! (I know I say that now, let's see how I feel tomorrow!)

Sausage Breakfast Burritos (Freezer Cooking)

The hubby goes to work early and never has enough time to eat breakfast before he goes.  I like to have these stocked in the freezer so he can just grab one and and heat it when he gets to work.  Saves us money so he doesn't go to a drive-thru and it is so much better for him than pop tarts!  Plus, they are always around when the kids want one.

Sausage Breakfast Burritos


2 lbs ground sausage
2 1/2 dozen eggs
2 cups shredded cheese of your choice
1 oz. jar of salsa
20 large flour tortillas

Cook the sausage and drain off grease.  Scramble the eggs.  In a large bowl, mix sausage, eggs, cheese and salsa.

Spread about 1/2 cup of the egg mixture in the middle of a tortilla.  

Fold the sides in and roll up from the bottom, forming a burrito. 

 Roll the burrito in a piece of tinfoil and place in a freezer bag and freeze!

When ready to eat, either heat up in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or removes from tinfoil and heat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.

Spaghetti Pie

I am addicted to pasta!  I could eat some sort of pasta every day of the week.  NOT a good thing considering I'm a diabetic and shouldn't be eating so many carbs!

If you like spaghetti or lasagna, you will LOVE spaghetti pie! I know my family did.

Spaghetti Pie (this makes 2 pies)


1 pound spaghetti
1.5 pounds ground beef
2 small onions, diced
1 green pepper, diced
4 tbs minced garlic
2 cans of tomato sauce
2 tbs of Italian seasoning
4 tbs of butter
2 cups Parmesan cheese
2 cups mozzarella
4 eggs, beaten
3 cups ricotta cheese


Cook spaghetti according to the package.  In a saucepan cook ground beef. Once cooked, add in onion, pepper and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Drain grease and add in Italian seasoning and tomato sauce.  Simmer for about 15 minutes.  In a large bowl, combine spaghetti, melted butter, 1 cup Parmesan and eggs.  Divide mixture into 2 greased pie plates.  Push spaghetti up the sides of both dishes and the bottoms making a crust. Spread ricotta over spaghetti and sprinkle on  1/2 cup mozzarella.  Spoon meat mixture over the ricotta and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella and some Italian seasoning.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until the cheese on top slightly browns.  Serve with some garlic bread or a side salad and enjoy!

Turkey and Spinach Pasta Rolls

It's no secret that I love pasta! And lasagna tops the list of my favorite meals of all time!  My husband was a little leery about this dish.  He doesn't like it when I switch up the food he knows and loves so well.  But, I think this went over very well with both him and the kids! It will definitely be on my list of must haves!

Turkey and Spinach Pasta Rolls

1 package of lasagna noodles (regular or whole wheat)
15 oz of ricotta cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 pound of lean ground turkey
3 cups of fresh spinach, chopped
4 tbs of minced garlic
2 tsp of Italian seasoning
2 cups of spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce

Cook noodles according to the package.

Brown the turkey with the garlic, set aside.

In a large bowl, mix ricotta, chopped spinach, Italian seasoning, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and turkey.

Put 1 cup of the sauce int he bottom of a casserole dish.

Spoon the mixture onto a lasagna noodle and spread the whole length of the noodle. Roll the noodle up and place int he casserole dish. Do this until you have no more mixture.

Spread the remaining 1 cup of sauce over the top of the pasta rolls. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese over the sauce. Sprinkle some Italian seasoning on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

It's Blueberry Time!!

I love this time of year! All the gardens and earth's wonderful fruits and veggies are coming in. Perfect if you ask me!

Today I took the kids blueberry picking at Wrights Berry Farm in Newburgh, Indiana. They had a blast!  it was their first time and they were like old pros! Only picking the ripe berries, with very few green ones in the bunch.

We picked 10 pounds of blueberries!  Now momma just has to wash them, freeze some for later use and come up with all sorts of yummy goodness int he next couple days!!

I cannot wait to post what I come up with!

                                       

Prosciutto and Caramelized Onion Pizza

This has got to be my favorite pizza of all time! when I first saw it on The Pioneer Woman's website, I wasn't too sure about it. But, as most things, I made it on a whim. And boy is my family glad I did! They all love it! My son asks for onion pizza all the time!  you first need a good pizza crust, which you can find here... Bread Machine Pizza Dough

Prosciutto and Caramelized Onion Pizza

(Sorry for the horrible photo, I promise it is awesome!)

1 whole pizza crust (1/2 of above)

olive oil

1 large red onion

1/4 c. brown sugar

Grated Parmesan cheese

10 oz. fresh mozzarella

8 + slices of prosciutto

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in pan, half and thinly slice onions. Put in the hot oil with the brown sugar. Cook until browned. Set aside.

Roll/Stretch/Push your dough into/onto your pizza stone or baking sheet. Drizzle a little olive oil and sprinkle a a little Parmesan cheese over the crust.

Slice mozzarella thin and lay evenly on top of crust (it will all melt together)  Evenly arrange caramelized onions and prosciutto on top of the mozzarella

Bake 15-17 minutes.