cool it! 101 popsicle recipes...

I have been mia again for a few days.  I was in DC...as a chaperone.    I was imagining awful AWFUL things with 42 8th graders, and I was really anxious about leaving Jack for 2 days, but you know what??  It was sooo much better than I imagined.  The kids were amazing, and Jack survived without me for 3 days.  Having never been to DC, I was amazed with it all.  It is a place I definitely want to go back to one day as a family.  I will have picture later this week, but in the meantime I wanted to share these delicious treats now that things are starting to heat up outside. ( I can't believe it's almost June!).  

Embracing homemaking has 101 homemade popsicle ideas and they are all sure to be a hit this Summer.

Orange Julius is one I just have to try....go check it out and get ready for Summer!

slow cooker tamale pie

Usually when I think of slow cookers, I think of cold, winter days.  Well I saw this recipe over at Six Sister's Stuff and thought let's try it anyway.  So yesterday on a warm and sunny Monday I made this slow cooker tamale pie.  And you know what?  Slow cooker are also good on warm, spring nights!  My husband said this was amazing.  The cornbread topping makes it taste just like a tamale from your favorite Mexican restaurant.  It's also great for your working moms and those with little time to cook.  You can get the very tasty, very simple recipe HERE.  

Snowball Cookies

 

 

One of my favorite memories from growing up is making holiday cookies with my mom.  We made all kids of Christmas cookies, painted ones, sprinkle ones...you name it. Now I just LOVE baking. And these little balls of butter, chocolate and pecans are a no brainer at the holidays.  It is..

 

 the snowball cookie

 

For me it's not Christmas without these simple little cookies
They are pefect to share at your work, holiday party or cookie swap....or they are perfect with a cup of cold milk. While you are sitting in front of the tree. Listening to your favorite Christmas tunes. Try them, and enjoy..

 

Snowballs (recipe courtesy of inthelittleredhouse.com)**

 

3/4 c butter, room temp

1 tsp vanilla

1 TBS water

1/8tsp salt

1/3 c sugar

1 1/2 c flour

1 c chocolate chips

1 c chopped pecans or walnuts (I choose pecans)

Powdered sugar, for dusting.

 

Cream butter, vanilla, water, sugar and salt. Add flour and mix well. Stir in chocolate and nuts.

Form into 1” balls. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Cool for a few minutes. Roll in powdered sugar (or "make it snow" on top of them) while still warm.

 

**I noticed that they tuned out way better when I chilled the dough for 10 minutes before baking, otherwise I had melted snowballs.

 

 

 

 

Creamy, Cozy Mushroom Risotto

I have been on this risotto kick lately.  I have never had it let alone made it until last week.  I decided to get out my Italian Cookbook last week and made a wonderful Asparagus Parmesan Risotto.  My husband and I instantly fell in love and so this is how my Mushroom Risotto came about.   Yes it involves a lot of stirring, it is not a recipe you can just set on the stove and walk away from.  But with all that love comes a wonderful simple meal perfect for two.  Enjoy!

 
(image courtesy of google images)


Mushroom Risotto  (adapted from Favorite Italian Cookbook)

5 1/2 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
fresh sprigs of thyme (or other favorite herb)
1 3/4 cups arborio rice
2/3 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups of diced mixed mushrooms of your choice (I used cremeni and button)
freshly grated parmesan cheese


1. Bring broth to a boil and then turn down and let simmer

2. Heat olive oil and add onion, garlic and thyme and cook for 2-3 minutes

3. Add mushrooms and cook 2-3 minutes more. 

4. Add white wine and stir slowly until all the wine has been absorbed.  Next add broth to mushroom mixture 3/4 of a cup at a time.  Constantly stir until broth has been absorbed and then add next 3/4 cup.  Continue until all broth is gone and arborio is tender.*

*It is very important to keep stirring as this is the secret to a great risotto.

Plate and add salt, pepper and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

(this tastes best with your favorite glass of wine!)

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

My Christmas baking has officially started.  I decided to start the season off with one of my favs...chocolate crinkle cookies.  I posted these 2 years ago on my blog and they such cute little pillows of fudgy delight that I wanted to post them again.  

This time, however, I decided to Christmas them up just a bit more by adding the smallest hint of peppermint.  These give them such a great little twist and go perfect with a tall cold glass of milk.  I know that Santa would go crazy over a plate of these cookies when he stops by your home. 

 This recipe is super easy, and best made while listening to Christmas carol's, watching the snow fall outside,  and drinking a glass of wine.  Enjoy.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Makes about 6 dozen cookies

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (optional)

In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture.  Add peppermint extract and combine.  Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into one inch balls with lightly oiled palms. Coat each ball in confectioners’ sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets. (I also rolled some in Christmas sprinkles!)

Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.

Enjoy!

The comeback....

                                  

 

I don't like candy corn...and actually I don't know many people that do.  I think that in the past 20 years or so this once popular candy has been pushed to the side by things like Snickers, M&M's and Laffy Taffy.  But I was thinking maybe I am being a bit too hard on this little Halloween treat and that maybe I would give it another try.  So I did some searching. 

What I found are endless ways to use this sugary treat.  I even plan to try a few this week...candy corn may be making a comeback and may just win over this family.  Take a look at the following ways in which candy corn is used and see if you can bring this lost little candy back into your life.

Candy Corn Cookie Bark @ The Girl Who Ate Everything

Number 2 Pencil's Candy Corn Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fall Snack Mix at Stick a Fork in it

Candy Corn Cocktail Shooters at The Slow Roasted Italian

Homemade Butter Finger Bark!

Candy Corn Cookie Bites at Camille Styles

Candy Corn Rice Krispy Treats

http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/10/07/candy-corn-pretzel-hugs/

Enough Sugar?  My head hurts just from looking at the pictures!  Enjoy your Tuesday and enjoy these recipes.

Working Mom Meals: Cream of Mushroom Soup

I love soup.  I could eat it every single day.  In fact I think I do.  My mother in law makes the most amazing Polish mushroom soup and I have been meaning to get the recipe from her.   So when I found this recipe from The Smitten Kitchen, I was hoping my husband would not be able to tell the difference from his mother's and this.

And...he gave it 4 stars saying it was "just like my moms!".  This soup is perfect for all of you soup lovers, especially now that the weather is getting colder.   It was pretty easy to make and I doubled the recipe in order to have enough for two days.   You can check out the recipe HERE and enjoy!

My try at a pinspiration...

So I am having my sister's bachelorette party this weekend up in Lake Geneva Wisconsin.  I am sure there will be pictures on here next week showing all the fun.  For now I am stressing making sure we have enough food, drinks and fun planned.   Our decor is pink, black and white and I saw these while pinning a few days ago:

 

So cute right?!?!

So I decided to make my own:

 

Not too shabby, although I wish they were a bit more pink.    I got the recipe from Joy the Baker here.   Once the dough was made  I added about 7 or 8 drops of red food coloring, (I would add more next time) and mixed the dough well.  Also instead of rolling the dough in white sugar I used pink sugar which added to the pink color.  

The main thing is, they taste delicious, and I think they'll be a hit at the party.  

 

Lovin on a Thursday...Strawberries

I love berries.  Love them to pieces.  So around this time of year I get a little crazy with strawberries and buy them like crazy and try to make as many strawberry recipes as I can find.  Well it's your lucky day because I am going to share some of my strawberry love with you.  These are all recipes I have on my list to make this year.    I also decided to start a weekly post on Thursdays about things I love.    I would love it if you would join me and post about things you are "lovin on a Thursday", as well!  In the meantime, take a look...there is everything from drinks to breakfast on here so take a look and share your fav strawberry recipes with me! 


Enjoy!

Double Chocolate-chip waffles with Strawberry Sauce

Strawberry Quinoa and chopped Spinach Salad

Strawberry Mojitos

Savory Strawberry Pizza

Shortbread Fries with Strawberry Jam

Strawberry and Balsamic Grilled Chicken Salad

Working Mom Meals...Shrimp Tacos

So we are trying to eat healthier.  No chocolate, no carbs, no beer, no snacks......who am I kidding.

But we are trying to have healthier dinners, and those delish shrimp tacos above fit the bill.  They are easy for you working moms and the avocado-cliantro sauce goes oh so well.  I found this recipe on Favorite Family Recipes..enjoy!

Shrimp Tacos (serves 2)

• COLESLAW:
• 2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 2 Tbsp Lime Juice
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• -Toss and season with salt.
• 
  
• 
  
• CILANTRO DRESSING:
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 3 Tbsp lime juice
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• -Mix thoroughly in a blender adding a little water if needed.
• 
  
• SHRIMP:
• 1/2 pound shrimp
• pinch of sugar
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

• Peel shrimp, pat it dry, season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Heat oil over high heat and add shrimp. Cook until shrimp are curled and pink.
• Layer the sauce, shrimp, and cabbage in a warm corn tortilla. We topped it with a little cotija (or feta) cheese.

it's not 2012 yet......cinnamon brown butter breakfast puffs

Why not enjoy one more delicious donuty, muffiny, treat before you start that resolution to get in shape or lose a few pounds?    This is the perfect breakfast treat for that.  I saw this recipe pop up Wednesday night on Smitten Kitchen's blog and made these Thursday morning.  

Again, my pictures don't do these justice.  The best part of them?  They are rolled in browned butter.  Browned butter is like heaven. 


Enough of my talking.  If you make these, you won't be disappointed.  

Cinnamon Brown Butter Breakfast Puffs
(recipe from Smitten Kitchen)

If you don’t wish to use buttermilk, you can replace it with regular milk and nix the baking soda (keeping the baking powder). I like to get the toppings ready first because they take so little time to bake, you don’t want to be scrambling to have something to dip them in.

Yield: 9 to 12 standard muffin-size puffs or 30-ish miniature ones. 

Coating
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Puffs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup (5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing muffin cups
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 12 standard size or 30 miniature muffin cups, or line cups with paper liners.

Prepare coatings: In a small saucepan, melt 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat and continue to cook it, stirring frequently, until brown bits form on the bottom and it smells nutty and heavenly. Immediately remove from heat and set aside. In a small bowl, combine 2/3 cup sugar and cinnamon. Set aside as well.

Prepare puffs: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg together in a medium bowl and set aside. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Mix in 1/3 of flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of buttermilk, repeating again and finishing with the flour mixture. Mix only until combined.

Spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling only 3/4 of the way. (I filled mine higher and they ended up spilling over a bit and doming less than they are capable of.) Bake standard sized muffins for 20 to 25 minutes and miniature muffins for 12 to 14 minutes. When finished, muffins will feel springy to the touch and a tester inserted into the center will come out clean. Transfer them in their pan to a wire rack.

As soon as you feel you’re able to pick one up, take your first puff and roll the top and upper edges in the browned butter. Don’t be afraid to pick up the browned butter solids at the bottom of the saucepan; they’re the dreamiest part. Let any excess butter drip off for a second before gently rolling the butter-soaked cake top in cinnamon-sugar. I find if you roll too firmly, or have too much wet/not absorbed butter on top, the sugar can clump off, which is heartbreaking. Transfer puff to wire rack to set and repeat with remaining puffs. Eat warm.

For an even more indulgent, doughnut-like puff: Make an extra two tablespoons of the browned butter and roll the whole puff in it and the cinnamon sugar. 

Do ahead: Puffs are best within hours after they are baked. They can be made it advance and stored in a freezer bag until needed, too. Simply spread them out on a baking tray and reheat them until warm in the oven.

 

The baking begins....chocolate crinkle cookies!

What are these liitle balls you ask?  Oh just one of my favorite cookies during the holidays!  I made chocolate crinkle cookies this weekend and they are amazing!  The best part, is that they are super easy to make.  They are the perfect cookie to eat with a tall glass of milk while listening to Christmas carol's under the tree.  

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
From Bittersweet Baker
Makes about 6 dozen cookies

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into one inch balls with lightly oiled palms. Coat each ball in confectioners’ sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets. (Also, try other ingredients like cinnamon or sprinkles.)

Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.

Enjoy!

Working Mom Meals....Pumpkin Edition

I wrote a while back about my LOVE for pumpkin.  I can't get enough of it.  In the past few years I have found some really great recipes using pumpkin.  I posted my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies a few weeks back and now have a delicious entree using pumpkin.   Penne with Pumpkin and Sausage.

When I first saw this recipe, I thought, "This is going to taste awful", but I gave it a try and made it one night for dinner.  The results?  Fantastic.

The pumpkin does not take over this meal, all of the flavors blend together perfectly! 

If you love pumpkin, I suggest you give this a try, and let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

p.s. I am sorry for the lack of photos, I have not made this meal yet this year.  As soon as I do, photos will be posted!

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage (recipe from Foodnetwork.com)

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
• 4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, about 2 tablespoons
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock 
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup (3 turns around the pan) heavy cream
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
• Coarse salt and black pepper
• 1 pound penne rigate, cooked al dente 
• Romano or Parmigiano, for grating

Directions

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste.  Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute.  Top the pasta with shaved cheese and sage leaves.

Pumpkin Pumpkin Everywhere...

I love pumpkin.

I love pumpkin everything.  Pumpkin room spray, pumpkin candles, pumpkin soap...

and pumpkin beer

So when Fall arrives, get it all out and soak it all in.

Today, however, I decided to use this type of pumpkin:

I have been trying to buy pumpkin for weeks. I went to every single grocery store I passed by, and all of them were out of it.  My dreams came true today, as there was a HUGE supply of pumpkin at the store.  Of course I bought cans and cans of it.  My frist recipe to make?  Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies of course!  

These cookies might be the best cookie I have ever had.  They are like heaven, soft, and almost cake like.  My friends, family and co-workers beg me to make these every year.  So here they are.  I hope you enjoy them.  I think you will. 

And don't worry, there are more pumpkin recipes to come!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 cups (12-ounce bag) semisweet chocolate chips

Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.