Snickerdoodles

It's cookie baking time again! I actually enjoy baking all the time, but I tend to do it more this time of year. Who doesn't love homemade cookies? I know my family sure does and Snickerdoodles are my hubby's favorite!

{Ingredients}

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

~sugar and cinnamon to roll the cookies in (I don't really measure this. I just pour some sugar in a bowl and mix in the cinnamon until it looks good.)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cream together the butter, shortening, and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla. In another bowl combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combined. Scoop rounded teaspoons of dough and roll them into a ball. Roll the balls of dough in the cinnamon and sugar mixture and place them a few inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy!

Ranch Oyster Crackers

These classic crackers are perfect for snacking and so addictive! I.Can't.Stop.

{Ingredients}

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 (1oz.)package of Ranch dressing mix

1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper

6 cups oyster crackers

{Directions}

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F

2. Combine oil, dressing mix, dill, garlic powder, and lemon pepper. Pour over the crackers and stir to coat. Spread crackers on a baking sheet evenly.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, stirring gently after 10 minutes.

4. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Seriously, so addicting! Enjoy!

{Easy} Pull-Apart Sticky Buns

Several years ago, I started making these sticky buns for our Christmas breakfast. They quickly became a favorite! So much so, that this year I also made them for our New Year's breakfast! They are simple to make and so delicious.

{You will need}

2 loaves of frozen bread dough (thawed)

2 tbsp. milk

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 small box of vanilla pudding (the cook and serve kind, NOT instant)

{To Make}

Spray a 13x9 inch pan with cooking spray. Tear the thawed bread dough into pieces and put them in the bottom of the pan. Melt the butter in the milk. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and pudding mix.

Pour over the bread dough and then let rise for about 2 hours.

Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Remove them from the oven and invert onto a serving tray.

*My family likes their sticky buns plain, but if you prefer nuts (or raisins), you can add them to the bottom of the pan before adding the bread dough.

Enjoy!

A No Bake Birthday?!

Nineteen years ago today I gave birth to my second son, Brandon! I can't believe that I survived 19 years with him...I kid (sort of). But seriously, he keeps us laughing and I am proud to be his Mom. A few weeks ago, he asked if instead of having a cake could I make his favorite cookies for his birthday. To which I replied, "Of, course!" (Because I love them too!) So here they are!

{You will need}
2 cups sugar
4 tbs. cocoa
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 tbs. vanilla
3 cups of oatmeal

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cocoa, butter, and milk and bring to a boil. Continue boiling for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add the peanut butter and vanilla. When it is just mixed, add the oats. Drop by tablespoon (or a cookie scoop) onto waxed paper and allow them to cool. They'll harder as they cool.

 

Banana Muffins

As I have mentioned before, we have been dealing with our fair share of snow days. Those days when we are snowed in, I tend to get in a baking mood. I guess when spring finally arrives I'll have to make some extra laps around the neighborhood to burn off all those extra calories! Today's treat was a request from my son, Aaron. He's been asking for a few weeks so I finally got around to making his favorite banana muffins.

{Ingredients}

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup of mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)

2 cups flour  (all purpose or whole wheat)

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 teaspoons  baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and spray your muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat the egg and then stir in the milk, oil, and mashed bananas. Add  the remaining ingredients and stir until just moistened. (the batter should still be lumpy) Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes. Remove them from the pan immediately to cool.  This recipe makes 1 dozen regular size muffins. Enjoy!

Sand Pudding

 

Picnic season is here and I couldn't be happier! Desserts top my list as favorite picnic/party foods and this one has quickly become a favorite of the kiddos too. Served in a sand bucket it is the perfect beach themed treat!

{You will need}

1 box of vanilla wafers

2-3 chocolate sandwich cookies

2 small boxes of vanilla pudding (banana would be yummy too!)

2 3/4 cup milk

8 oz. cream cheese

1/4 cup of butter

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 small tub of whipped topping

 a sand bucket and shovel

Start by crushing the cookies (the sand) in the food processor and set them aside. Next, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar. In a separate bowl combine the pudding and milk. Whisk it until it thickens and then add it to the cream cheese/butter/powdered sugar mixture. Fold in the whipped topping. 

 

To assemble your sand pudding, layer the crushed cookies and pudding mixture in a sand bucket starting with the "sand" first. This is a great way to let the little ones help out! 

Serve with a sand shovel and enjoy!

Banana Bread Recipe

You will need: 

•  2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
•  1/2 cup butter
•  3/4 cup brown sugar
•  2 eggs
•  2 cups of mashed banana (Tip: If you don't have enough bananas, you can add applesauce to make up the difference. I had to do that today and it was still delicious!)
•  1 teaspoon vanilla
•  1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

My banana masher.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
2.  Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Stir in the eggs, mashed banana,vanilla and cinnamon until well blended. Add the flour mixture and mix, by hand, until it's just moistened. Pour batter into pan.
3.  Bake for 1 hour @350. Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before removing from pan.

 

Pepperoni Roll

I am always looking for quick and easy recipes to change things up a bit around here. This is one of those recipes. It's so easy! 

{You will need}

• a loaf of frozen bread dough

• shredded mozzarella cheese

• shredded parmesan cheese

• sliced pepperoni (from the deli is best)

• Italian seasoning

• marinara sauce

{To make this yummy creation}

1. Thaw the frozen bread dough and roll it out to approximately  an 11x11 square.
2. Cover the dough with the sliced pepperoni.
3. Layer on the cheeses. 
4. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
5. Starting at one end, roll the dough.
6. Place it on a greased baking sheet with the seem side down.
7. Brush the top with melted butter.
8. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 25-30 min. or until golden brown.
9. Allow it to cool slightly before slicing and serve with a side of marinara sauce.

Rainbow Pudding Pops

Yesterday while preparing the pudding for Stella’s edible finger paint, I made a little extra so that we could make some rainbow pudding pops. So simple and very tasty!

Just layer the rainbow pudding in some popsicle molds or small paper cups and freeze!

Funnel Cakes

During the summer we visit lots of carnivals and we almost always find ourselves indulging in a funnel cake while we are there. But why should we wait for a carnival for one of our favorite treats? Well, we don’t! Every now and then, we have them at home too.

You will need:
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1 1/3 cups sifted flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

Beat the egg and add the milk. Sift dry ingredients together, then add the egg/milk mixture. Beat until smooth. In a heavy skillet, heat 1 1/2" oil to 375 degrees. Holding your finger over the end of a funnel, fill it with the batter. Using a circular motion, pour the batter into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top and enjoy!

Lovin' From The Oven-Easy Homemade Pretzels

This is a super easy recipe for soft pretzels that I've made many times with my kids. They love making different shapes and even letters. Today, we made some Valentine's Day shaped pretzels! Hearts, X's, and O's, and even some "tied knots"! They turned out great and were tasty too!

{You will need}

1 packet of yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 beaten egg
Course salt to sprinkle on top (if desired) 

{Here's how to make pretzels}

Mix the water and yeast together in a bowl until the yeast is completely dissolved. Add salt, sugar, and flour. Mix and knead until the dough is smooth. Roll and shape the dough into any shape you desire. 

Place pretzels on a greased cookie sheet and brush them with the beaten egg. Sprinkle lightly with  course salt.

Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Homemade Marshmallows

I have been told that once I eat a homemade marshmallow, I will never buy another bag. Well, they must be really good, because as a few of my Facebook friends pointed out last night, you can buy a bag for only a dollar. But, I was intrigued by the idea of making marshmallows at home, so I searched for a recipe that looked relatively easy. My plan was to make them for our very first snow day. You know, when school actually cancels and we play until we are chilled to the bone and need hot chocolate to recover. Hot chocolate with marshmallows of course. Our plan for a snow day was a bust because we only had a 2 hour delay, but we did have hot chocolate with marshmallows for breakfast!

{Here's what you need to make these heavenly puffs of sweetness}

• 2 1/2 tablespoons of unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup of cold water
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• another 1/2 cup of water
• 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
• powdered sugar

1. Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of water in the bowl of a heavy duty stand mixer. (this is not a job for a hand mixer) Allow that to stand for about 30 minutes.

2. In a small saucepan, combine granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt, and the other 1/2 cup of water. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved.

3. Turn the heat to high and cook the mixture until it reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. (about 12 minutes)

4.Remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour this mixture into the gelatin mixture. Mixer set on low, with the whisk attachment.

5. Once you have added all the syrup mixture, increase the speed to high and continue beating until the mixture becomes thick and white. It can take about 15 minutes, but my mixer started making a strange noise about 12 minutes in, so I stopped there.

6. Add the vanilla. Mix it in.

7. Oil a 13x9 inch baking pan and dust it generously with powdered sugar. This is very important! The powdered sugar is the key to getting the sticky marshmallows out of the pan when they are set.

8.Pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan, sprinkle with more powdered sugar, and allow them to set up over night.

9. Run your knife around the outside of the pan to loosen the marshmallows and pull them out. Cut into squares and dust with more powdered sugar so they don't stick together.

 I'll admit it, they are quite tasty! I might still buy a bag or two every now and then because sometimes, I am just too lazy to make them all the time. But, I will definitely be making these again!

Cake Balls

 

I must say, these are quite tasty and super easy to make!

To make them, you will need:

1 cake mix (any flavor)
1 can of frosting (any flavor)
chocolate melting wafers
sprinkles

1. Start by baking the cake according to package directions.

2. While it is still warm, crumble the cake into a mixing bowl.

3. Add the can of frosting and refrigerate for about an hour.

4. After it chills scoop small balls of the mixture and dip into melted chocolate.

5. Place on wax paper lined trays. Add sprinkles and chill until the chocolate is hard.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Smoothies

{Ingredients}

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 4 ice cubes
• whipped cream

In a blender combine the pumpkin, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, brown sugar, and ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and add a little whipped cream to the top with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Fruit Dip

{recipe}

• 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups of marshmallow creme

Combine the cream cheese and marshmallow until smooth. Serve with your choice of fresh fruit. Delicious!

Jell-O Pops (A Summertime Favorite)

Homemade Jell-O Pops were one of my favorite summertime treats when I was a kid and they are also a big hit with my kids too. Anytime they can make something in the kitchen they are beyond thrilled! 

{recipe}
1 small package of Jell-O (any flavor)
2 cups boiling water
1/2 sugar
2 cups cold water

Dissolve the Jell-O and sugar in the boiling water and stir well. Add the cold water and give it another stir. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds and freeze. Don't have popsicle molds? You can use 3 ounce paper cups instead. Just cover them with foil and push a popsicle stick through the top before you freeze them. Enjoy!

Ice Cream In A Bag

Today, Felicia was having an ice cream party at school and Madelyn was a little sad that she was not going to be there. So, we decided to have an ice cream party at home. We made some Ice Cream In A Bag! The recipe is simple and the kids have always had a lot of fun dancing around, shaking their very own bag of ice cream!

Here's what you will need:

• 1 pint sized zip lock bag
• 1 gallon sized zip lock bag
• 1 cup of milk
• 2 Tbs. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• ice
• rock salt

1. Fill the gallon sized bag half full with ice. Add a few tablespoons of rock salt.

2. In the pint sized bag, combine the milk, sugar, and vanilla. Seal the bag.

3. Place the sealed pint sized bag in the gallon sized bag and seal tightly.

4. Now comes that fun part, Shake the bag for about 5 minutes! My kids love to dance while they shake it!

5. Enjoy!

Banana Bread

Rainy days always put me in the mood to bake and I had some overripe bananas, so Banana Bread it is!

You will need:

• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups of mashed banana
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Stir in the eggs, mashed banana,vanilla and cinnamon until well blended. Add the flour mixture and mix, by hand, until it's just moistened. Pour batter into pan.
3. Bake for 1 hour @350. Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Snow Ice Cream

After spending the morning outside playing in the snow, it was time to come in and have some lunch. As a special treat, we made some snow ice cream for dessert!

*To make this special treat, you will need:

a large bowl of clean snow
1 cup of sugar
1-2 Tbs. vanilla
2 cups of milk

Stir the sugar and vanilla into the snow and then slowly add the milk until it's the consistency you want. Enjoy!

Italian Sausage Soup

There is nothing better on a cold day than a nice, hot bowl of soup! It's a very easy meal! This recipe is super simple and delicious!

{Ingredients}

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage with the casing removed
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 (14.5 oz.) cans of beef broth
1 (14.5 oz.) can of stewed tomatoes
1/2 lb. of small pasta (I use elbow macaroni)
grated Parmesan cheese

{Time to make soup}

Brown sausage, over medium high heat. Stir to break up the meat.  Pour off the fat and add the green pepper and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add the broth and stewed tomatoes and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the pasta and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the pasta is done.

Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and enjoy!