New Year's Eve - January No Sugar Challenge

I don't do resolutions. I try to follow something I read a long time ago along the lines of "if you have something that needs to be changed, don't wait for the New Year to change it. Do it now"...something like that. You get the gist.

But what I decided I am going to do this year is monthly challenges - every month will be a different thing. Doesn't have to always be a negative/give-it-up thing, it can be things I'd like to add (more fruit, more veggies) or saying "yes" to more things (I'm good at saying no!), etc.  I've talked my sister and nieces into doing these challenges with me and we are going to rotate who gets to decide what the monthly challenge is - we are all worried about Mickey's month, it's bound to be a hard workout/exercise based challenge...we are giving her the shortest month hahah! - starting with me for January's challenge.

I've picked 'no sweets or added sugar' - meaning cakes, cookies, candy, ice cream, jam, honey, syrup...it's too hard to give up all sugar, it's in everything! So we can still eat things that contain sugar (like ketchup, bbq sauce, etc) as long as it isn't an actual sweet food - it's all on the honor system since there is no way to actual know if everyone is following the challenge. We are just challenging ourselves individually - I'll let you know at the first of each month what the different challenge is if you want to join us!! It's only 30 days - we can do this ;)



Happy New Year's Eve
(here's to being safe, smart, sparkly, sassy...and maybe sober!)

Elf Place Cards

We had friends over for Christmas dinner (lasagna and salad, so easy!) and even tho it was just 5 of us I wanted to make place cards for the dinner table - I don't usually do this for 5 people but because I made little gift bags for each of us I wanted everyone to sit in the right spot where their bag was.

I decided to use this Happy Holidays elf stamp from Stampin' Up since he's so dang cute and also he was still out from when Janis and I made tags the other day (click here for that post) 'cuz I'm lazy and haven't put all that away yet (!) - but I thought it'd be cute to put our names on the sign the elf is holding instead of the "happy holidays" that is part of the stamp.

To get rid of the "happy holidays" message but still be able to stamp the elf, I simply cut a piece of paper that fit exactly over the message, holding it in place with double sided tape - an even simpler method is to use a post-it note but they were all the way up in my office and (once again) I was lazy and didn't want to leave the craft room. A piece of paper and double-stick tape worked just fine to mask off the words on the stamp. After covering the words up, press the stamp into an ink pad making sure all the areas you want stamped have ink on them. Then carefully remove the piece of paper (it is now covered with ink) and the tape, and stamp the image onto paper.

Then I trimmed the paper so I could fold it in half and have it stand up, colored it in with markers, then wrote everyone's names on the sign.

the black square in the middle is the piece of paper taped in place
 after inking the stamp. the inky square is covering up the "happy
 holidays"message on the stamp

after removing the inked paper, just the elf
outline has ink on it

before and after

This is a fun and basic stamping technique for any stamps that you only want to use a portion of - just cover up the parts you don't want!

Kitchen Sink Chocolate Bark

I'm calling this "kitchen sink" bark because I literally put everything I had on hand on top of melted chocolate to make this! There's mini Reese's peanut butter cups, pretzel sticks, candy cane kisses, sprinkles, chopped up chocolate santa, m&m's...and it turned out so good! I took some to work and Mark said "bet you couldn't re-create this if you tried" hahahah!

Very easy - melt dark and white chocolate in the microwave separately according to package directions (or melt chocolate chips with a little bit of shortening) - 50% power for 30 seconds, stir, then repeat until the chocolate is smooth. I mixed white and dark chocolate together by pouring the melted chocolate out onto a big piece of parchment (or waxed) paper next to each other, then take a knife and run thru both to swirl together. Working very quickly, sprinkle all your toppings on top - the chocolate starts setting up fast and the toppings won't stick once that happens.

To give as gifts I broke the bark up into large pieces and put inside these cute ziplock bags I found at the dollar store.

two years ago: projects using old Christmas cards - I forgot about these, fun ideas!

How to Steam Crab Legs

Crab legs are my all time favorite meal. Just crab legs...I don't even care what the sides are. I guess if we're talking last meal ever it would be crab legs and a salty baked potato - but for now it's all about the crab legs. They are very easy to make - put some water in a  big pot fitted with a vegetable steamer basket (you can use a metal colander if you don't have a steamer basket), you want the water to be under the basket or colander so the crab isn't going to be standing in water. Stand the legs up in the pot, if they are really long you can break apart but I just fold the legs down and then stand in the pot (the legs will most likely be above the rim of your pot - unless you have a super deep pot). Now you need to seal up the pot either with a tight fitting lid (if the legs are below the rim) or put aluminum foil over the top of the legs and pot, sealing the edges shut - you want the steam to stay inside the foil cover, make sure there aren't any openings. Boil for about 10 minutes until the crab is heated thru. That's it! Obviously use caution when removing the lid or foil - there will be hot steam underneath...

For a very simple but delicious "special" meal (we usually only splurge at the holidays!), we have these with melted butter and cocktail sauce, big pieces of sourdough bread, and cole slaw. I tend to keep it super simple because I just want to focus on the crab legs - too many side dishes will fill me up and I won't be able to eat as much of the crab!!









two years ago: how I store Christmas lights

Chocolate Caramel Tart

I made this along with a coconut cake (one of the cakes that I filled with my new favorite thing - stabilized whipped cream, click here for that post) to take to our "Friendsmas" party (Hm, is "Friendsmas" a thing? Like Thanksmas or Palentine's Day? If it isn't, I'm taking credit for this new word LOL!).

This might look like a lot of steps, but don't let that stop you from making it - none of the steps are hard and the result is an ooey, gooey, chocolatey delicious dessert! You don't need a candy thermometer, it's an 'eyeball it until it's the right color' kind of caramel - at room temperature it's quite soft but sets up firm when chilled. Don't leave it sitting out too long tho, it'll get really soft again - still tastes really good but isn't easy to serve in wedges that way!

I got this at melskitchencafe.com. She has lot of pictures if you want to see the steps.

Ingredients:

crust:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

caramel:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

ganache:

• 3 ounces (1/2 cp) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (or use good-quality chocolate chips)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• coarse or flaky salt for sprinkling (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350'.
2. FOR THE CRUST: in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl using a handheld mixer), combine the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, egg yolk, vanilla and flour. Mix until combined (it may be crumbly but will hold together when pressed).
3. Crumble the mixture over the bottom of a 9 or 10" tart pan (or a pie plate). Press evenly up the sides first all the way around the edges, and then press the remaining crust mixture evenly over the bottom. (MY NOTE: I did not grease the pan and it was difficult to cleanly remove slices of  the tart - next time I will grease the pan before putting in the crust!).
4. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
5. FOR THE CARAMEL: In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup (try not to splash the mixture up on the sides of the pan). Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 10-12 minutes, until the mixture is a medium-dark amber color, tilting the pan just slightly every couple of minutes to swirl the mixture - don't swirl or tilt the pan to quickly or get the caramel mixture up high on the sides of the pan. The exact cooking time will depend on how high/low the heat is on the stove.
6. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the butter, cream, and vanilla. The hot mixture will bubble vigorously. Stir to combine (don't scrape the sides of the pan too much or the granules that are on the sides will get into the smooth caramel). 
7. Pour the caramel over the baked crust. Refrigerate until the caramel is set and no longer warm, 1-2 hours.
8. FOR THE GANACHE: Place the chocolate in a small bowl. Heat the cream in the microwave until simmering. Pour cream over the chocolate. Let the mixture sit for a minute or 2; stir to combine until the chocolate is glossy and smooth. Spread the ganache evenly over the caramel. Chill until the chocolate is set and no longer melty/soft. Sprinkle with a bit of coarse or flaky salt if desired (MY NOTE: her recipe calls for "fleur de sel" but I don't have that. Coarse or flaky works the same!). 
9. Keep refrigerated until serving. For neat even slices, run a long chef's knife under hot water, wipe dry and slice (repeating as needed to get clean slices). 
   
   
   
   

one year ago: peppermint sugar scrub
two years ago: bread and butter bread pudding with salted caramel whiskey sauce!

Chex Mix

Mary sent Dave and I bags of this fantastic snack mix - mine has peanuts and his doesn't...the beauty of that is that I have my OWN bag and Dave can't scarf it hahahaha - mine all mine. This stuff is good!


Ingredients:

• 2 cups wheat chex
• 2 cups rice chex
• 2 cups cheerios
• 1 cup salted peanuts
• 2 cup pretzel sticks

Directions:

1. mix all together in a large baking dish.
2. melt 1/2 pound butter and mix together with 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
3. pour over cereal mixture and bake at 200' for 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes
4. store in airtight container
5. package up and mail to Jill (ok, ok, I added step number 5 - this is so addictive, salty and crunchy that I really want more!!). 

1 year ago: melting snowman cookies

2 years ago: Janis's crunchy fruity granola

12.25.2017

Merry Christmas! I hope you are having a joyful, peaceful, blessed day!!

PS: if you need an easy last minute appetizer today - I'm making this easy cheese and grape tray shaped like a Christmas tree (credit to my sissy for sending me this photo - I'm going to make mine just like this!)

Anytime Roasted Turkey Breast and Stuffing

Dave's fave meal is turkey and stuffing. (Just turkey and stuffing - he doesn't care about the potatoes or gravy or green bean casserole which is the parts that I like!). I only make a turkey on Thanksgiving, and sometimes Christmas if he gets his way...it isn't hard to make but there's just so much turkey if you make a whole one! I've suggested a turkey breast in the past but that idea was always shot down - he was under the opinion that it would be dry, and he likes the texture of stuffing that's cooked inside the turkey. Anyway - short story made long - the point of this post is that I bought a half turkey breast (which is still huge by the way) and roasted it on top of a pan of stuffing and it was delicious! If I can find half-breasts in the future he can definitely have roast turkey more often :)

I treated the breast like I would a whole turkey - mix herbs and poultry seasoning with softened butter and spread it on the meat under the skin (make a pocket between the skin and meat by gently putting your hand or a spoon or spatula under the skin, leaving as much of the skin attached as you can). Then I rub a little olive oil all over the skin, season with a little poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.

For the stuffing I just went old school using a pre-packaged stuffing mix following their directions. I added a little more broth so it wouldn't be too dry (since he likes how moist it is when cooked inside the bird), spooned it into a buttered 13x9 pan, and placed the turkey on top. Bake at 400' until the turkey is done (165') about an hour. Check to make sure it isn't over-browning; if it is, just tent a piece of foil over the turkey to keep it from browning even more.

The downside of doing it this way is that you don't have any pan drippings to make gravy (boo). I bought some already made at the store which isn't my favorite, but hey - it's gravy. Any gravy is good gravy ;).

Candy Cane Danish

My sister made this candy cane danish and sent pics, but no recipe...so I googled and found what looks exactly like hers at pillsbury.com. This looks so pretty and festive, quite impressive (especially from my not-quite-susie-homemaker sister!) and I had to share. What a fun idea! Way to go Sissy!

Ingredients:

• 1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons raspberry preserves
• 1 Tablespoon butter, melted

glaze:

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon milk

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375'. Line large cookie sheet with parchment paper; spray generously with cooking spray. Unroll dough; separate into 8 triangles. Cut each triangle in half lengthwise. On cookie sheet, place crescent triangles lengthwise in long row, point in the same direction, with edges overlapping slightly on the cookie sheet. Press overlapping edges together to help seal, but leave triangle points free.

1. Beat cream cheese and 2 Tablespoons of sugar with a spoon until well blended. Spread cream cheese mixture in 2 1/2" wide strip lengthwise on widest part of dough, leaving 1/2" edge. Place the preserves on top of cream cheese layer.

1. Fold over tips of dough to enclose filling; pinch ends of the dough on the edge to attach. Gently picking up top end of dough, curve one end of strip to form the top of the cane. Brush dough with melted butter; sprinkle remaining 1 teaspoon sugar over the top.

1. Bake 16-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Use spatula to carefully help slide the Danish from cookie sheet to a serving platter, loosening the edges first with a spatula if needed. In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of milk until well blended. If too thick to drizzle add a few drops of milk to get the right consistency. Drizzle with a fork over the top. Serve warm. 

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Coconut Thumbprint Cookies

As promised, here's another of Natalie's favorite Christmas cookies - and they look amazing! I cannot wait to make them, Dave loves coconut and is going to flip out :). Just like with the pecan pie and sugar cookies, she was nice enough to write the whole post for me and demonstrate with photos - love that! Thanks again Nat (and PLEASE keep these yummy recipes coming!). 

Coconut Thumbprint Cookies with Salted Caramel

 -from Martha Stewart Living

• 3 sticks softened UNsalted butter
• 1 c. Sugar
• 1.5 tsp. Good vanilla extract
• 3.5 c. Flour
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 2 large eggs-beaten with 1 T. Water
• 12 oz. sweetened flaked coconut 
• 1 11 oz. bag Kraft caramels
• 6 T. Half and half or heavy cream
• Flaky sea salt—like Maldon 

Oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and sugar until very fluffy, add vanilla and beat until incorporated. Whisk flour and salt together in separate bowl. Add flour mixture on stir gradually. 

Put dough into a ball, I use a small ice cream scoop to evenly make 1.25 inch balls. Dip each ball in the egg mixture, then roll in coconut and place at least an inch apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Make an indent with your thumb in the center of each ball.

At this point I melt the caramels after unwrapping them, with the half and half over low heat—stirring frequently.

Put cookies in to bake for 10 minutes, Pull the sheet out and re-indent. Bake for 10 more minutes until coconut is browned well. Reindent. Let rest 2 minutes then cool on wire racks. 

Spoon melted caramel into each thumbprint, and quickly sprinkle a bit of flake salt to finish.

one year ago: santa ornament
two years ago: hot chocolate spoons

Nat's Christmas Sugar Cookies

Natalie just sent me a couple of her favorite Christmas cookie recipes - lucky for us she's on a baking streak right now and willing to share!  This is for roll and cut-out cookies you can frost and decorate, tomorrow I'll post her other favorite (hint: coconut and caramel!).

She's tweaked this recipe over the years to make them her own 'cause she was searching for a snickerdoodley tasting one - snickerdoodles are my favorite cookie, I can't wait to make these! Here's the recipe, along with photos and instructions, in her words - thanks again for sharing Nat!!


Nat’s Christmas Sugar Cookie
(70 cookies this year...)

5 c. Flour
1 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
4 sticks-1 POUND of softened UNsalted butter ( cause like Ina says butter makes everything better)
1.5 c. Sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. Good vanilla extract

Whisk flour, tartar, soda and salt together in a bowl. Cream butter and sugar in mixer, til fluffy and almost white, add eggs, mix thoroughly then stir in vanilla. 

Add dry ingredients slowly to incorporate.

Drop dough on Saran Wrap, I split it into four equal portions, and shape each into a disk to chill for one hour.

After chilling for 1 hour to a full day, remove from fridge and let warm -up for 15 minutes before rolling out each disc individually to 1/8-1/4 inch on a well floured board. 

Cut out and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets-bake in preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 6-9 minutes—watch them so the instant you see any brown you take them out-you want set and white cookies!

Rest 2 minutes then cool on wire racks. Frost when cool.



one year ago: focaccia bread

two years ago: frame your Wifi password for guests

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

Last Sunday was a busy day in the kitchen - I made a cheeseball, a coconut cream cake, and a chocolate caramel tart... and then decided that what the heck,  I should also make some cookies! (totally beside the point - I also did a 7.5 mile hike that morning!!! I was a zombie the rest of the day!!) The cake and tart were great (I'll post those recipes soon), but they're good for all year 'round - the crinkle cookies seem so Christmasy tho that I want to post them first. If you need any last minute neighbor/office/co-worker/teacher/etc. gifts, these are easy, pretty, and delish. The recipe says it makes 24 but I got way more - she used a #40 size scoop which I have no idea how big is,  I used my small cookie scoop and made 38 (and they seemed like normal sized cookies to me!). My only note is that the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon peppermint extract, which doesn't sound like much - but they are really minty...maybe a little too minty...I'll use less next time. I might even leave out the peppermint all together, the chocolate crinkle cookie recipe would be good without mint at all - especially with the candy cane kisses, you'll get a little mint from them and then the chocolate cookie will balance it out.


one year ago: tiger fudge
two years ago: mini corn muffins

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons, 4 ounces) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (3.75 ounces) packed light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup (5 ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 2/3 cups (8.25 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (3 ounces) mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, for rolling
• 24 Hershey Kisses, unwrapped (highly recommend the Candy Cane variety)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two, large baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease with nonstick cooking spray. 
2. In a large bowl with an electric handheld mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. 
3. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Mix until the batter has lightened in color, 2-3 minutes. 
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Toss in the mini chocolate chips. 
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. 
6. Place the powdered sugar in a bowl or shallow dish. 
7. Scoop the dough into heaping tablespoon-sized balls (I use my #40 cookie scoop) and roll into a smooth ball shape (if the dough is too sticky, let it rest for 10-15 minutes or refrigerate for just a few minutes…I usually just scoop and roll right away because I’m too impatient). 
8. Roll each ball in the powdered sugar, shaking off the excess, and place several inches apart on the baking sheets. 
9. Bake for 9 minutes, until puffed and crackled (don’t overbake!). Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Immediately press an unwrapped Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each cookie. Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

All images and text ©Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Recipe Permalink: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/chocolate-peppermint-crinkle-blossom-cookies/

Holiday Newsletter & Printing Labels

I am VERY behind in getting our Christmas cards out - but there's still time (maybe I should call them "New Year's Cards" and be late on purpose?) if I get my act together quickly! Here's a couple shortcuts that will help me out...

This weekend I spent a little time making a simple "newsletter" in Word - the most time consuming part is figuring out what to say! I went with a "year in review" theme starting in January and came up with something we did every month thru the end of the year; once I got the words figured out I placed them in a Christmas tree shape starting at the top. Then inserted a star shape on the top of the "tree" and a banner at the bottom - both are under "shapes" in my Word program.  I don't have any background paper to print these out on, and there's a lot of empty white space around the tree - so I searched for free backgrounds online, found this pretty gray snowflake one, scaled it to fit on my paper and inserted it behind the text.

The other thing that helps is to print out my labels from my contact list that's on my computer. I've done this for awhile now so have the Christmas List Group already in my contacts - here is a handy instruction guide I found online to explain how to create the group and print the labels (if you don't already know how to do this!). It's not too late to get your cards out if you hurry (like I'm going to do right now - gotta go!!). 

PRINT HOLIDAY CARD LABELS USING APPLE'S CONTACTS APP If mailing your holiday cards feels like a more daunting task by having to write addresses on envelopes, you can skip the handwriting step this year by using mailing labels. Although many people don’t realize this, it’s fairly easy to print mailing labels on standard label stock using the Contacts app on the Mac (and your printer). You can even add a personal touch by including a graphic and using a custom color and font choice. Here’s what you need to do: In Contacts, choose File > New Group to create an empty group that you will collect your card recipients names in. Name the group something like Holiday (or Christmas) Cards Click All Contacts to see your full list of contacts, and then drag your recipients from the list to the Holiday Cards group that you just created. Note that you have to click and hold briefly before Contacts lets you start dragging a contact; if you drag too soon, Contacts assumes you want to select more contacts. You can drag contacts one at a time or select several at once and drag the entire selection. This does not move contacts out of All Contacts—you’re simply adding them to the Holiday Cards group.  Once the Holiday Cards group is populated with the people you would like, click its name in the sidebar, and then choose File > Print to open the Print dialog. To set up your cards, you need to see details in the Print dialog, so at the bottom of the Print dialog, click the Show Details button (if it’s already called Hide Details, you’re in the right place). You also need to see the special controls for Contacts, so make sure Contacts is chosen from the pop-up menu underneath the page range fields. Then from the Style pop-up menu, choose Mailing Labels.  Beneath the Style pop-up menu, make sure Layout is selected, and then in the Layout view, from the Page pop-up menus, choose the manufacturer of your labels and the number associated with the labels. (Avery 5160 is the most common label type and is readily available at office supply stores like Staples, and online.) Click Label to switch to the Label view. From the Addresses pop-up menu, choose the type of address you’re using. Home is likely the most appropriate; if you choose All, Contacts will print both Home and Work addresses if available. You can also choose to print company and country here, and if you print country, you can exclude your own country, which makes it easy to include overseas friends and relatives without having to print the country for most people.  Although the defaults are fine, if you want, you can change the color of the label text, or select a small image to print next to each contact, and change the font you are using. Now it’s time to print, but not on your label stock just yet! Click the Print button to print a draft of your labels on plain paper. You’ll want to do this for two reasons—checking the addresses for accuracy and verifying that the labels will print properly on the label stock you have chosen. To check if the labels will print correctly, stack a page from the draft on top of a sheet of blank labels, and then hold them up to a bright light or sunlit window. You should be able to see whether they are positioned correctly—it should be in most cases. If not, make sure you’ve chosen the right label in the Print dialog, and if all else fails, create a custom label with your own margins and gutters to make it work. Once you’ve fixed addresses for everyone who has moved recently and verified your positioning, you can print for real on your label stock. That’s it! Most of the work comes in selecting people, making sure their addresses are right, and updating those that have changed—actually printing labels takes only a few minutes. As you stick your labels on envelopes, you can revel in the knowledge that it will go even faster in the future!

one year ago: how to make a paper shadowbox frame
two years ago: melting snowman cocktail

Stabilized Whipped Cream

I love whipped cream. But I'm occasionally afraid of making it, especially if I'm using it to fill a cake - if it collapses then the cake is a disaster (been there). I just found an amazing tip that totally works - I made 2 cakes this weekend and filled them both with stabilized whipped cream and they held up perfectly! YAY!! I can't tell you how happy this makes me! Cake filled with whipped cream layers is lighter, airier, fluffier...I still frost with buttercream but having the whipped cream inside the cake really makes a difference.

Put 4 teaspoons water in a small bowl, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of unflavored powdered gelatin on top. Let it stand for about 5 minutes until it has set up (looks like clear jello when it's ready), then microwave for 5-10 seconds for it to get runny. Meanwhile - put 1 cup of whipping cream in a big bowl along with some powdered sugar (I don't like overly-sweet whipped cream so I only use a Tablespoon or so, you can add more if you prefer) and a teaspoon of vanilla. Once the gelatin has been microwaved, start whipping the cream for a minute or so, then slowly stream in the runny gelatin, continue whipping until the cream is the consistency you want - takes a couple more minutes to get it to a firm thickness. Then frost layers (or eat by the spoonful out of the bowl, no judging) and be amazed how well this holds up! Mmmmmmm....

PS: I didn't take photos - it looks like whipped cream :)

Cream of Mushroom Soup (From Scratch!)

So I inadvertently stumbled on an amazing cream of mushroom soup recipe - remember when I said I was making green bean casserole for Thanksgiving from scratch (click here for that post)? I've always made it the good ol' standard way with canned mushroom soup but this time I made the base from cream, fresh mushrooms, thyme, chicken stock... and guess what? This base before adding the green beans makes the. best. mushroom. soup. ever! I'm slightly obsessed knowing this - I love canned mushroom soup for adding to casseroles, but not for eating as plain old soup; now I can easily make it from scratch! Sweet. If you like mushroom soup you gotta try this!

To make the soup you'll need:

3 Tablespoons butter
1 pound chopped mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cups heavy cream
3/4 cups milk (1%, 2%, or whole)

Directions:

In a 12" skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are tender, about 5-7 minutes.

Stir in the flour and cook for another minute or two, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the broth until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Add the heavy cream and milk, whisk until well combined. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.


click here for the green bean casserole recipe.



one year ago: chocolate-dipped pretzel rods
two years ago: homemade dog cookies

Reindeer Cupcakes

I just came across these old pictures from one of our "kid Christmas baking days", I forgot how cute (and easy!) these reindeer cupcakes are - I'm totally going to make these again now that I see these pictures!

look at the completed cupcakes on the table
to see what they'll look like with only 2 eyes!

Frost regular size cupcakes with chocolate frosting. Add 2 mini pretzels for the antlers, a nilla wafer for the muzzle topped with an m&m nose (stick it to the muzzle with a dab of frosting), add 2 (or 3 if you want an alien reindeer like Brooke did hahaha) candy eyes. And you're done. See - easy and cute!

one year ago: candy cane mice

two years ago: sea salt body scrub

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homemade milkshake! by Brooke

hello, everyone! so today I made a homemade milkshake/ice cream! it was so easy, and so delicious! first I took one ziplock baggy and put salt and ice init.  then in the second bag I put 1 cup of milk, 1 tsp of vanilla, and 1 tbsp of sugar. then I put the two bags in a shopping bag then put a hair tie to tie it off and make it tight. then after the pony I cut off the rest of the bag. then I wrapped a towel around it and shook it! you can shake it for 10 minutes for ice cream, or 5 minutes for a milkshake! I did 5 minutes and put the substance into a cup and added one scoop of peanut butter ice cram to add a peanut butter flavor then added a straw! it was soooo good! I loved it! it tasted so delicious! hope this makes sense! and if it doesn't I hope the pictures do!








one year ago: sugar and spice mixed nuts








two years ago: see the possibly lame travel jewelry pouch I made from a potholder