Pinterest-tested recipes...

Y'all...how is it already October?  I feel like this year is just absolutely FLYING by.  My little peanut just turned TEN months old, which makes me want to both cheer and weep at the same time.

I promise I will be back to regular blogging this week, but I wanted to share with you a few Pinterest recipes that I have tested and LOVED!

If your family eats chicken as often as ours does, you MUST try this Butter Chicken recipe by Maple Leaves & Sycamore Trees! I have made it twice in the last 2 weeks and everyone has loved it.



I made these cheesy potatoes to go along with the Butter Chicken one night...they are delish!



Feeling like baking for fall? This Starbucks Pumpkin Pound Cake recipe is good! I made it in mini-loaf form (I bought a 9-count mini loaf pan at Joann's and LOVE it!) and they were seriously good.



Have you tried any great Pinterest recipes lately? Leave me a comment with the pins!

Diptacular 2012: Cheese Ball from Heaven

College football season has started which means it's time for BooMama's annual Diptacular!

I recently had this dip at a birthday party and could have eaten the entire bowl...seriously, it's that good!  My friend Lisa that made it and gave me the recipe simply called it "Cheese Ball"....but I didn't think that name did this dip justice.  It really is a cheese ball from heaven!

Cheese Ball from Heaven

1 8oz package of cream cheese
3/4 stick of butter
Garlic powder (to taste)
1 package of Buddig dried ham (chopped)
Green onion, chopped
2 cups of finely shredded cheddar cheese

Cream together the cream cheese, butter, and garlic powder.  Then add the ham, onion, and cheddar cheese.  Chill the dip before serving.

Lisa added that she normally doubles the recipe (double everything but the cheddar cheese) and I can see why, you never want to run out of this Cheese Ball! :)  Also, if I remember correctly, Lisa served this with Wheat Thin crackers.  So delicious!  I'll be running to Wal-mart now to make up a batch of my own.

pinterest test kitchen: pecan pie bars

 A few months ago, I posted about a series called "Pinterest Test Kitchen"...and then I slept for 15 weeks.  Not really, but I would have liked to!  This pregnancy wore me out for the first trimester and part of the second!

Anyway, I'm back with another recipe from Pinterest that I tried out in my own kitchen to see if it was a success or a big, old fail.  The recipe up for testing this time was Pecan Pie Bars.

Source: justataste.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

We were headed to a birthday dinner and I needed to bring a dessert...preferably something with pecans as they are a favorite in that household.  It was too hot (for me) to bake a pecan pie, so I went in search of something similar.  These pecan pie bars did not disappoint!  The recipe is pretty simple and straight-forward using mostly ingredients that you'll have in your pantry and is done in less than an hour!

The Pecan Pie Bar recipe bakes an entire sheet pan of bars and the photo above shows what was left - only a few bars!  They were delicious, and rich...I should have cut them into smaller bars.  But, it gets 5 stars in my recipe book!

Do you have any recipes that you've put through your own Pinterest Test Kitchen?

**On a side note, my beloved camera was stolen out of my husband's office at church a few weeks ago during a break in.  Enter sobbing, crying face here.  So, you'll be overloaded with lovely iPhone pictures while we work out all of the details of getting my sweet camera replaced.**

Delicious "no-bake" dessert with COOL WHIP Whipped Topping...

Are you looking for a great summer dessert?  Do you have these ingredients in your pantry or refrigerator/freezer? 

You're well on your way to enjoying one of my favorite creamy, delicious summer desserts.   Hop over to my review blog for this delicious recipe including COOL WHIP whipped topping...

make your own sherbet freezes…

One of my favorite things about living in Texas (and now Missouri) is visiting Braum’s Ice Cream. Yum! One popular item on their menu is a Freeze, a sherbet and 7-Up (or Sprite) mix that is delicious.  A friend of mine shared this “recipe” to make my own Freezes and I thought I’d share it with ya’ll. 

We’ve had unseasonably warm weather in Missouri and these Freezes have been a perfect quick treat for Grayson after an afternoon of playing outside.  They are super quick to make and MUCH cheaper to make at home.  You’ll need 2 ingredients: Sprite (or the Wal-mart generic version) and any flavor of sherbet.



I make my Freezes in a blender to make them come together faster.



You might also want a cute little helper!

The steps are easy:

1. Add several scoops of sherbet to your blender.  We used 4 scoops for 2 1/2 Freezes.
2. Add enough Sprite to cover your sherbet.  Blend and add more Sprite until it reaches the consistency you like.
3. Pour it in a “fancy” glass, add a straw, and enjoy.

Have you ever been to Braum’s?  What’s your favorite warm weather treat?

pinterest test kitchen: chubby hubby truffles

Do you pin recipes?  I have a confession to make…I have 185 pins on my Recipe board on Pinterest.  Some of these have made it into our dinner rotation and others have been just okay.  I haven’t had any Pinterest recipe “fails” yet but several of my friends (and a few bloggers) have.  I thought it would be fun to start a series called Pinterest Test Kitchen…actual recipes from Pinterest that I try out in my own kitchen to see if they are a success or a big, old fail.

The first recipe was this:

Source: sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

 

We had a little Bachelor Finale Party last night so I thought these would be the perfect snack to bring…and let me tell you, they were DELICIOUS!  One of the college girls described them as Take 5 Truffles.  Have you ever had a Take 5 bar?  They are deliciously similar!

My sweet little kitchen helper crushed up the pretzels for me and helped mix the “filling” ingredients in the Kitchen Aid mixer.  The recipe suggests you mix the ingredients in a bowl, but use your mixer…so much easier!



Anytime I make a recipe using peanut butter this is what I see…our dog LOVES peanut butter and has supersonic hearing.  When the peanut butter jar opens, Raleigh comes running!  Does this happen in your house??


A few more suggestions:

• The original recipe makes 18 truffles…I doubled it for our party (and to have some extra for a dinner we’re hosting tonight) and the recipe doubled beautifully.
• I used a cookie scoop to form the truffles rather than rolling them into balls.  This gave them a flat bottom to sit on and went a lot faster than rolling!
• Instead of melting chocolate chips (and mixing them with shortening), I happened to have some chocolate almond bark in my pantry.  This worked great to dip the truffles in and dried fast!
• To drizzle the peanut butter over the tops of the finished truffles, I melted 3 tablespoons of peanut butter in a Wilton squeeze bottle.  It made it EASY to drizzle!   

This recipe gets 5 stars in my Pinterest Test Kitchen…it’s easy, delicious, and great for a group!

Pin It

 
Have you had any Pinterest recipe fails?  Do you have a tried-and-true Pinterest recipe that I should try?

the best sugar cookie recipe ever…

Pin It  

After trying several sugar cookie recipes, I am convinced that I have found the best sugar cookie recipe ever!  They’re not too sweet, roll out PERFECTLY (because of a little trick), keep their shape very well, and aren’t too chewy or too crisp.  Sounds good, right?  They do have a very interesting ingredient for sugar cookies, a half cup of sour cream.  I don’t know what it does to the cookies but it works!

I also always use a glaze icing for these cookies.  It’s a super easy recipe that pipes and floods well.  I think it’s tastier than royal icing and dries with a nice shine, as opposed to the matte finish of royal icing.
Here are the recipes for you:

Vanilla Butter Sugar Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup sour cream

*Use regular sour cream, not reduced fat!

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions: 

Cut butter into cubes and cream together with sugar until light in color.  Add egg and mix well. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix well.  Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.  Add half of the flour mixture and mix well.  Add the remaining flour mixture and mix well.

Divide the dough into fourths and scoop onto wax paper.  Make 4 individual packets of dough and wrap up.  Place in fridge for 30 minutes to chill.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Open 1 packet of dough and place another piece of waxed paper on top.  Roll out dough between the waxed paper.  This makes it SO much easier to roll and prevents having to flour your surface and rolling pin.  Way less mess to clean up! I usually roll these cookies to about 1/4 of an inch thick.  Be sure to keep your packets of dough in the fridge until you’re ready to roll them out. 

Cut out cookies and place in freezer for 10 minutes.  This step is important because it prevents the cookies from spreading in the oven – it helps them hold their shape well.

Remove cookies from freezer and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets.

Bake for 7-10 minutes until the edges of the cookies look very slightly brown.  Cool completely on counter or wire rack.

*The dough (in an air-tight container) will keep for 2 days in the fridge or in the freezer for a few weeks.

Glaze Icing

2 lbs. powdered sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 light corn syrup

1 Tablespoon clear vanilla

*I use regular vanilla, but use clear if you’re wanting a white icing

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together on low speed  for 3 – 4 minutes using a paddle attachment.  Depending on how thick or thin you’d like your icing, you might need to add water.  Just add it A LITTLE at a time!  Once your icing is mixed, separate into bowls and add the desired coloring. 

I usually ice these the day before I want to package them up and leave them out on the counter to set up. 

Do you have a favorite sugar cookie recipe?  Try these and let me know how it compares!

ETA:  I wrapped these up in cute little cupcake boxes (found at good, ol' Walmart!!) for Grayson's preschool teachers.  Here is my instagram picture of how they turned out...I LOVE that sweet 4-year-old signature. :)

P.S. I love to answer your questions in the comments but can't reply if you're a no-reply blogger!  Cassie over at Hi Sugarplum! has a great tutorial on how to fix this bloggy problem!

Linking up to:

Dear Lillie's Valentine Linky Party 
Wednesday's Wowsers at Oopsey Daisy 
Once Upon a Weekend 
Made by You Monday

fun, friends, and duncan hines

Thanks to Duncan Hines for sponsoring my writing. There's no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite Duncan Hines mix and Comstock or Wilderness fruit fillings and Bake On! www.duncanhines.com.



No one wants to talk about the fact that Christmas is only 17 days away (YIKES!!), so let’s talk about one of my favorite topics…holiday desserts!  When asked to bring something for a Christmas party or holiday get-together, I almost always sign up for a dessert.  I love to bake and have accumulated some great recipes.  But, sometimes there isn’t time to spend making a dessert from scratch…so I always keep a box of Duncan Hines cake mix and frosting in my pantry!

In fact, we just celebrated Grayson’s fourth birthday last week and had Duncan Hines cupcakes for his “friend” birthday party.  I was going to make homemade butter cream frosting, but what child really cares about frosting?  I used a Duncan Hines yellow cake mix, piped canned chocolate frosting on, and stuck in a cupcake topper that I designed.  The cupcakes looked great and tasted great!

While checking out the Duncan Hines website, I came across LOTS of yummy sounding recipes.  In fact, I’m going to try this one this weekend to bring to a playdate with Grayson’s friends on Monday.  I’m thinking of having the kiddos decorate their own Gingerbread Men!

************************************************

Duncan Hines Recipe Gingerbread Men


 

• 1 pkg Duncan Hines® Moist Deluxe® Spice Cake Mix
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup dark molasses
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• non-pareils

1. Preheat oven to 375 ºF.
2. Combine cake mix, flour, eggs, oil, molasses and ginger in large bowl (mixture will be soft). Refrigerate 2 hours.
3. Place dough on lightly floured surface, cover with waxed paper. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with gingerbread man cookie cutter. Place 3 inches apart on non-pareils ungreased cookie sheet. Decorate with non pareils.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges start to brown. Remove immediately to cooling rack.
5. Makes 12 to 14 six-inch gingerbread men.

************************************************

Don’t those sound delicious?  I’ll let you know next week after I test them!

What are your favorite desserts to make for the holidays?  Does your family have any “traditional” desserts that are always made around this time of year?

Remember to check out Duncan Hines' website www.duncanhines.com to find some great recipes for your holiday get-together! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.

cookie exchange wrapping & recipe…

We had our annual cookie exchange at my MOPS group this morning and I knew just what cookie I was going to bake…my double chocolate peanut butter cookies!

I whipped up a batch last night but realized that I didn’t have any paper plates (or disposable trays) to wrap my cookies up.  I racked my brain and remembered a “good thing” from Martha Stewart Living years ago…wrap the cookies in a wax paper tube and tie some ribbon (or tulle) on the ends!

We were also encouraged to bring the recipe along, so I designed a cute “Christmassy” recipe card in Photoshop, typed out my recipe, printed it on cardstock, and attached it to the tulle.

Need a good cookie exchange recipe?  Here’s a copy of my recipe card.  Just save it on your computer and print it out!

Want to make your own recipe card for a cookie exchange?  Here’s a blank one you can print out and write your recipe on!  These would also make cute note cards to use during the Christmas season.

Do you have a favorite “go to” cookie recipe?  Or are you more of a “slice and baker”?

31 days of warming up to the holidays: {day 25} a menu planner and a recipe

Thanks to Tervis for sponsoring my writing. Visit their website http://www.tervis.com to learn more about the world’s first smart cup.




Today’s post has been brought to you by Tervis and is about lifestyle tips.  My biggest lifestyle tip for you when it comes to planning for the holidays is to actually PLAN!  If your calendar is anything like mine, every weekend in late November and all of December is already filled to the brim.  It’s such a fun time of year but it’s often the most busy time of year.

I’ve designed a free menu planner printable to help you plan for those holiday parties that you’ll be hosting.  Whether it’s a pot luck or a Christmas feast for 50, it’ll go much smoother if you start your planning early.  Figure out your menu – what you’ll be serving or what other’s will be bringing – and post it somewhere in your kitchen.  You can then use that menu plan to make out your shopping list to avoid those last-minute runs to the grocery store for cranberry sauce, only to find out that they’re sold out!

This menu plan will also help on the day of your event – or the days before.  Follow your plan to see what you can fix ahead.  Many dishes can be made several days ahead and put in the freezer…what a great way to save time on the day of the event!

To print your own menu planner, right-click on the photo and save it to your computer.  You can then print as many as you want from your own printer!

To help you fill in that menu planner, I’m going to leave you with one of my favorite salad recipes.  It tastes and looks like a gourmet salad, but it’s really easy to put together!

Pear Pecan Salad

Ingredients for the salad:

     1 bag of lettuce (any that you prefer)

     1 bag of fresh spinach
     2 pears, sliced
     1/2 cup of pecans, chopped
     2 tablespoons of sugar (to coat the pecans in before you toast them)
     1 cup feta cheese

Ingredients for the dressing:

     1 cup oil
     1/2 cup white vinegar
     1/2 cup sugar
     1 tablespoon salt
     1 tablespoon dry mustard
     1 teaspoon paprika
     A handful of chopped green onion
     1 teaspoon celery seed

Toast pecans that have been coated in sugar. Mix ingredients for salad and top with feta cheese.

Blend the ingredients for the dressing together in a blender or food processor.  Chill.

Pour well-chilled dressing over mixed salad just before serving.

 
Instead of toasting my own pecans, I use these salad toppers that I found in our local grocery store:

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. To learn more about Tervis, visit their website http://www.tervis.com.

31 days of warming up to the holidays: {day 18}: Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

I am going to share one of my FAVORITE cookie recipes with you.  It's a great recipe to take to cookie exchanges or holiday parties. Just be sure you have a copy of the recipe handy because people will ask for it!

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes 3 dozen

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Beat butter until creamy.  Gradually add sugars, beating well. Add egg and beat until just blended.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients (cocoa, baking soda, salt).  Gradually add to butter mixture, beating at a low speed until blended. Add peanut butter and vanilla extract, beating until blended.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls (I use a cookie scoop - it makes this step SO much easier), 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375 degrees for 7 minutes - do not overbake!  They will still look soft but take them out at 7 minutes, I promise.  Remove to wire racks and let cool for 15 minutes.

31 days of warming up to the holidays: {day 11} brownies for a crowd

I am going to post a recipe each Tuesday of this series that would be great to make during the holidays.  Last week I started with my favorite Crème Brulee French toast casserole.  Have you tried it??

This week I’m going to share a recipe that I stumbled upon this summer: Brownies for a  Crowd.  This really does serve a crowd – I cut mine a little on the small size and got 40 brownies out of the recipe!  YUM!

Do you know the trick to cutting brownies cleanly? Use a plastic knife!  It works EVERY time!

This recipe comes from the blog, Your Homebased Mom.  She got it from a friend’s cook book.   Add it to your recipe box…these brownies are delicious, easy to make, and bake in only 25 minutes!

Brownies for a Crowd
8 eggs
4 C sugar
2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. vanilla
2 C butter, melted
3 C flour
1 1/2 C cocoa
Frosting:
4 C powdered sugar
1/2 C butter, softened
1/2 C cocoa
milk

To make brownies:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs in mixer until blended. Add in sugar, salt and vanilla and beat for 1 minute.

Add in melted butter and blend together well. In another bowl mix flour and cocoa and whisk until well blended. Add flour/cocoa mixture to wet mixture and mix until well combined.

Spread into a greased 12 x 17 jelly roll pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes and then frost.

To make frosting:
Mix together powdered sugar, butter, and cocoa along with enough milk to make the frosting a good consistency to spread.

Spread over brownies after they have cooled for 15 minutes.
The frosting will melt, making it nice and even with the brownies. Allow to cool.
 
I didn’t make the frosting as these were used as the base for brownie sundaes…they were delicious without the frosting, but I’m sure they’d be even more decadent with it!

31 days of warming up to the holidays: {day 4} crème brulée french toast

Christmas for me growing up involved waking up very early to open presents at our house, getting dressed, and driving a few miles to my grandparents’ house for breakfast and more present opening! My grandma always had a fabulous spread of food, including a breakfast casserole or two. 
This Crème Brulée French Toast casserole would be a perfect Christmas morning breakfast.  I love the idea of putting breakfast together the night before, while Santa’s elves (or Daddy) are busy putting the last of the toys together,  refrigerate it, and bake it on Christmas morning. 
Here are the ingredients you'll need:

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp. corn syrup
• 1 loaf French bread, sliced (I get the fresh French loaves at Wal-Mart)
• 5 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt

The night before you want to serve your casserole:

1. Spray your casserole dish with a nonstick cooking spray.
2. Melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup together until blended. Pour in the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish, making sure the bottom is covered.
3. Arrange the bread slices in the pan over the syrup. Depending on the size of your slices/loaf, you might have to squish the pieces together. Mine don't usually end up in a single layer, but more overlapping each other a little. I like it this way, because then the bottom of the bread is gooey and the top is a little more crunchy.
4. Whisk together the eggs, half and half, vanilla, and salt. Pour over the top.
5. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down to make sure the bread soaks up all the cream mixture. Refrigerate for 8-24 hours.

In the morning:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bring casserole to room temperature. Bake for 40 minutes.
2. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of each piece as it is being served!

Try it...I promise that it'll be a hit and your house will smell wonderful on Christmas morning!

Did you miss Days 1-4 of our 31 Days?  Click on the button above to be taken to the "landing page" to visit the links!