Friday, June 1, 2012

Watermelon Apple Cupcakes

So I decided to make Watermelon cupcakes because they looked FANTABULOUS!!!!! (Original recipe here)

I had to alter it because i didn't order enough watermelon oil (hence the watermelon apple cupcake name)

Watermelon & Apple Flavor oil I purchased from Jubilee Sweet Arts
Black Sugar Pearls i purchased from Michaels

FOR THE CUPCAKES
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened2 cups sugar3 eggs1 dram (1 teaspoon) watermelon flavoring oil3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt1 – 16 ounce container (about 2 cups) sour cream
Black Sugar PearlsRed Food coloring (optional)

FOR THE FROSTING
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 dram (1 teaspoon) Apple flavoring oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons milk
5 to 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
Red Food coloring (optional)
To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line to muffin pans with cupcake liners.
Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in s small bowl; set aside.
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition and scraping the bowl as needed. Stir in the watermelon flavoring. Add about a third of the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just mixed. Add half of the sour cream, beating until just mixed. Repeat this process with the remaining flour mixture and sour cream. Add color as desired. 
NOTE: I poured the sugar pearls and mixed in the mixer DO NOT do that. the sugar balls will crush and you will loose the pink coloring as I did. I would put some in and then with a spatula fold it in so you don't loose the pink color.
Place two tablespoons batter into each cup of lined muffin pans and bake at for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with one or two crumbs clinging to it.
Allow to cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting:  In a large bowl, cream together the butter and about a third of the confectioners’ sugar. Stir in the milk and mix thoroughly before beating in another third of the confectioners’ sugar. Next stir in the lemon juice and the remaining sugar, beating until well mixed and light and fluffy. Add all of the watermelon flavoring. If the frosting is too soft, add more sugar, as needed. Add coloring as desired.

This is what I got!


Thursday, May 24, 2012

Fringed Tank Top

so i started to make this for myself.. but since i am still a total "fat bast" after it was done i turned it into a play shirt for C.

original link

how mine came out



Thursday, May 10, 2012

Cupcakes & Buttercream Frosting

So i have been trying to find a good recipe for vanilla cake and a nice butter cream frosting...


i need to tweak this but for the most part it was very yummy (when i tweak i will update and note the tweak)


CAKE

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
  • 2 cups of sugar
  • 4 eggs (room temperature)
  • 1 1/2 cups self rising flour (if your like me you probably do NOT have self rising flour in the house, so i used this very simple recipe)
  • 1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
  • 1 cup of milk (divide in 4)
  • 1 tsp of vanilla (divide in 4)
pre-heat oven to 350°
in a large bowl on medium speed cream the butter until smooth
add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy
add one egg at a time, beating well after each addition
combine the flours in another bowl and divide it into 4s
add one part flour, milk and vanilla and beat well, continue until all 4s are added

line 2 12 pack cupcake pans
use a spoon and spoon mixture (1/2-3/4) full
bake 20-23 minutes
insert toothpick to make sure cupcake is cooked.

*you can add food coloring for fun.

**if your making a cake, you need 3 9" greased round pans, and you bake for 20-25 min

FROSTING

I will be tweaking this as i go as well...

  • 1 cup of unsalted butter (very soft)
  • 8 cups of confectioners sugar (i used 6 1/2)
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
Cream butter
add in 4 cups of the confectioners sugar
add milk and vanilla and beat well
slowly add in more C sugar until the desired consistency is formed.

*i used 6 1/2 cups, i should have used a little more.
** you can add food coloring to the frosting for fun colors

This is what i got














Monday, May 7, 2012

Artichoke Crusted Chicken


the original recipe can be found here

really simple..

2 thick chicken cutlet breast slice in half

1/2 cup of mayo
1 can of artichokes
2/3 cup of cheddar cheese shredded
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

pre-heat oven 350
pour oil in pan
season chicken with salt and pepper
put in pan and brown both sides
then put in a pyrex dish

chop artichokes
mix mayo
mix cheese

take mixture and pour over chicken in the pyrex
put in oven for about 20 min or until cooked

then broil for 3 min (to get a crunchy top)

this is what you get



Avocado Fries - OMG YUMMMMM

The original recipe can be found here.. i didnt alter it much....




2 Avocados
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
Panko
Canola Oil
Parm cheese (optional)

slice avocados to desired size
heat oil in pan (deep fry deep)
1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 tsp of salt in one bowl and mix
beat 2 eggs in another bowl
pour panko in a 3rd bowl
take avocado and sprinkle the other 1/2 tsp of salt and dip in flour, shake off, dip in egg, cover in panko and drop in oil
sprinkle with cheese if you want after

thats it... see items on right of plate (no cheese on them though, actually kind of forgot about it)


the item to the right is Artichoke Crusted Chicken and that recipe can be found here...





Sunday, May 6, 2012

Honey Banana Bread

I've been on a banana bread obsession lately...

Here is the original recipe

Here is what did

pre-heat oven at 350

4 bananas
2 cups of white flour
3/4 cup of honey
1/2 up of un-sweetend apple sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs

put all dry ingredients together and mix
in another bowl mix all the wet ingredients together then mash bananas

slowly mix in wet with dry.

I use a hand mixer and really get it good.

bake for about 1 hour 15 min or longer.  because of the extra banana, its usually more moist.  next time i am going to reduce the honey amount...

this is what i got


Thursday, May 3, 2012

"Red Lobster" crab cakes

So i decided to make these "Red Lobster" crab cakes, considering i never ate a RLcc, i have NOTHING to compare it with.. here is the original recipe


now onto mine (i tend to change things as i go) and i am so bad at measuring




Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic chopped
i slice of onion chopped
1 celery stalk diced
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 whole egg
dash or so of salt
dash or so of black pepper
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 pound lump crab meat


Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven at 375 
2. Combine all ingredients except crab meat and bread crumbs.
3. Mix in crab meat, then add bread crumbs.
3. Spread a layer of plain bread crumbs on your work surface.
4. Form crab mixture into equal balls
5. Roll balls on bread crumbs Form cakes about one-half inch thick and three inches round. Refrigerate.
6. Cook for about 15 min on each side and....


The YUMMINESS is:



If you want to know what the yummy tarter sauce is, well, the yumminess will depend on your taste buds.

Tarter Sauce:

1. Mayo
2. Dill Relish
3. Lemon Juice
4. Dried Minced Onion

measure to taste.


Monday, April 30, 2012

Chicken Asparagus Roll (Sundried Tomato)

So i tried this tonight and it was yummy!!!!!


Pre-Heat Oven 375

i used 2 thick chicken cutlet breasts sliced in half
Asparagus
Sundried Tomato Tapenade (I made it from here)
Olive Oil
Garlic
Parmesan Cheese

I heated up Oil and Garlic and fried ONE side of the chicken ONLY.
I then wrapped up the asparagus and some tapenade, sprinkled it with cheese and rolled it together with toothpicks.

cook for 15-20 minutes

  

Crayon Thing

Easy to do and cheap, but i was not thrilled with the star shape...

120 crayons - $6.97 (Walmart)
Star shape bowl - $1.00 (Dollar Tree)
Hot glue gun - $1.00 (Dollar Tree)
Bag of glue sticks - $1.00 (Dollar Tree)

Each star i used 60 crayons and maybe 2-3 glue sticks

i put in the center a $1.00 sunflower (Dollar Tree) that moves with sunlight


I am going to look for something round, so i will update!

Mini Chicken Pot Pies Cupcakes

very simple and easy to do:

Pre-heat oven to 400

A cup or so of cooked chicken cubed
Chedder Cheese
Cream of Chicken soup
Pillsbury Grand Biscuits
Mixed Frozen Vegis



Dump in bowl and mix


i missed a picture or two, so i will use the one the original recipe has:

take each biscuit and smash into cupcake pan


Fill it up with the mixture


Bake for 15-20 min and this is what i got


Sunday, April 8, 2012

Magic Jelly Beans

So this is a really cute idea that i saw posted and knew i had to do it with my kids...

So i went out and bought lollipops & jelly beans

my husband filled a pot with soil (next year i am using potting soil, no bugs, instead of dirt)



I gave my kids the Jelly Beans wrapped up



Told them to plant them



They watered them, I then put the pot outside and told them that the beans will magically grow into something but we won't know until tomorrow morning...

this morning i opened the front door to find....



Saturday, April 7, 2012

Sunflower Peeps Easter Cake


So this is my attempt at making a cake from scratch and then decorating it to look like a sunflower.

Marshmallow Peeps (yellow)
Chocolate Chips

Yellow Cake Recipe:
  • ·      2 cups *cake flour*
  • ·      2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ·      ½ teaspoon salt
  • ·      ½ cup butter, softened
  • ·      1 cup of sugar
  • ·      3 large eggs, room temperature
  • ·      2 teaspoons of vanilla
  • ·      ¾ cups of milk



Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 9-inch cake pans. (i didn't have round pans so i made them square and then cut the cake, which is why i added the green peeps)

In bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt with a wire whisk.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs, one at a time.
Add vanilla and mix until completely combines.
Slowly add flour alternately with milk.
At end of addition batter should be smooth.
Divide between 2 pans.

Bake Yellow Cake Recipe for 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool 5 minutes in pan, then invert onto a rack and cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Frosting Recipe:
  • ·      ½ cup shortening
  • ·      ½ cup butter, softened
  • ·      1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ·      4 cups confectioner sugar
  • ·      1 cup cocoa powder
  • ·      3-4 tablespoons of milk (I added more until i felt the consistency was right)



*Cake Flour* Recipe:
If you’re like me you probably do not have cake flour on hand, so I used this simple recipe.
  • ·      2 tablespoons of corn starch
  • ·      Less than a cup of all-purpose flour

Take 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and place it in a 1 cup measuring cup and fill the rest to with all-purpose flour to equal a cup of cake flour

TA-DA



Sunday, April 1, 2012

Sundried Tomato Tapenade

I had a whole bunch of Sundried tomatoes that i didn't know what to do with so i searched on line, and found this recipe:

ORIGINAL RECIPE

My version of it, and what excites me the most is i used the Magic Bullet (its been stored away since 2003)

handful of sun dried tomatoes
capers to taste
italian seasoning (a sprinkle or two)
olive oil
red wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves

put everything in the bullet and this is what it looks like and tastes SOOOOO YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!

tee-shirt basket

so this was supposed to be a rug.. but all i had eft were site tee shirts and i am not happy with how the center came out.  i do plan on redoing this project with colorful shirts.. and hopefully it will be a rug this time..





the ORIGINAL BLOG can be found here..

Saturday, March 31, 2012

DYI Headband Tutu

As some of you may know, since have the Girl Child, i made her various of tutu's, headband, and other misc girly stuff.

i don't know why it took Pinterest to simplify them.

Dollar store headband
Tulle (i used left overs so my tutu looks shitty, but its all i had left)




Thursday, March 29, 2012

Banana Muffins w/ Frosted Flakes

You can find the recipe that i used here -> EVERYDAYSISTERS






Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
TOPPING:
1 cup crushed Frosted Flakes cereal

Preparation:

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Combine bananas, egg and butter; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Crush Frosted Flakes and sprinkle over muffins. Bake at 375 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Monday, March 5, 2012

CHICKEN BROCCOLI SUPREME

So another recipe i found while browsing on Pinterest was this super simple chicken & broccoli dish.


here is the link to the original recipe and here is mine... i modify because i either don't have all the ingredients or i don't particularly like some of them.


for the most part its the same...


(i dont measure to exact)


2 medium fresh broccoli crowns, break into pieces and steam (i forgot about the 2 min so my broccoli was very mushy, yummmm)
i used a n 8 oz bag of shredded cheddar (about 2 cups) i should have used more, but its all i had
4 single serving size packets of ritz crackers (more than enough)
1 stick of butter (forgot to melt)
(i didn't have any poppy seeds so i didn't use them)


Sauce
1 stick of butter
1/3 cup of water
1/2 tub of knorrs chicken stock
1/4 c corn starch dissolved in 1/2 c COLD water
Salt & Pepper 
1 c Skim milk
1 c Whole milk



In greased 13×9 pan, layer the broccoli and chicken, then set aside. 
In saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, cornstarch dissolved in water, chicken broth, seasonings, and milk. 
Stir well, and continue stirring until sauce has thickened. 
Pour over the chicken and broccoli. Top cheddar cheese.
 Crush Ritz crackers with hands as prinkle crumbs over the top of the cheddar cheese, and place 6 pats of butter.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until hot & bubbly and this is what you get

how to prevent water from boiling over...

so i have read a lot on pinterest on how to keep a pot of boiling water from spilling over... i have heard it doesn't work, it does work blah blah blah.. well i tried it for my self last night.


my pot of water never boiled over.  it WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!!
just place a wooden spoon over the top

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Red Velvet Soda Marshmallow Cupcakes

simple and easy

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

4 ingredients
large marshmallows
small marshmallows
box of cake mix (any kind)
12 oz of diet cream soda (or any kind of diet soda)



Combine cake mix and soda. thats it. NOTHING else.

pour batter into cupcake pan with liner
add small marshmallows and then add some more batter



put in oven for 16 minutes
do NOT cook completely

take out of oven and add a large marshmallow onto each on


out back into oven for another 5 minutes
take out and with a spoon flatten marshmallow lightly
put back in for another 2 min and this is what you get


Once they are cooled off i will cut one open and show you what it looks like.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Sausage & Potato Casserole

OK, so i saw a recipe online and it looked good, but i had to modify it because i did not have all the right ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pork sausage
  • 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of Asparagus soup, undiluted
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • Bag of Potato O'Brien
  • 6-12 slices of Swiss cheese
Pre-heat oven to 350


In a 2.2 qt pyrex i sprayed with "Pam" and put a layer of the potatoes down

cut the sausage links into pieces and cooked them in a frying pan

in the same pan i put the milk and the soup and mixed it together with the salt and pepper

i layered some sausage

 layered some cheese
Put half the soup on


and repeated the steps except the cheese, so it was potatoes, sausage and soup

covered with foil and cooked for 60 min
removed cover and put the remaining cheese over and put it back in the oven for another 10-15 min or until the cheese was creamy and melted.

and this is what i got:

 its not bad at all... 



here is the link to the original recipe