Fresh Berry Cobbler

Made this again! Always a winner :)

Touch of Lemon Sugar Cookies

More lemon cookies!

Although I really liked the flavor of the first lemon cookies I tried, I prefer a less cake-y texture cookie.

These totally hit the spot!

Touch of Lemon Sugar Cookies

Easter Goodies

 Peanut Butter Blossoms - Easter Style (Reese's Pieces Eggs and Easter Egg Whoppers)

Eggs for Devil-ing and Creamy Potato Salad

Fruit Trifle

Happy Memorial Day! We remember all those who have unselfishly served our country. THANK YOU!!

Fruit Trifle

The goal this summer...

...is to grow enough strawberries to make a Strawberry Jello Pie.

Our New Fave

We can't help but eat it right out of the carton - all FOUR of us!

Pecan Pie Muffins

Holy PECAN! They weren't kidding. Make these. Make these now :P

Pecan Pie Muffins

And when you make them...

Please forget about eating healthy for just a little bit.

Please don't get confused when the recipe calls for softened butter. Just use melted like the blog shows you.

Please do not fill the cups more than 2/3 full. I'd probably even do half full, especially if doing them mini style like me.

Please remove them from the cups while still warm. They will get stuck. At least they did for me.

Please dot them with a little butter. Like I said, they weren't kidding.

Strawberry Jell-O Pie

Berries Take 2!!

I just couldn't resist the the sale at the supermarket...$1 strawberries...and sweet, too!!

So now what do I do with six boxes of strawberries??

My answer...Strawberry Jell-O Pie (from Arlene Kliewer :) )

2 T. cornstarch

1 c. sugar

1 c. water

1/4 c. strawberry flavored Jell-O

~2 c. strawberries, hulled and halved

1 pie shell (graham or regular), if regular, then baked

In a small pot, mix cornstarch and sugar, add water and mix to dissolve. Bring sugar mixture to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and stir in Jell-O mix until dissolved. Set aside and let cool.

Once cooled, pour gelatin mixture over strawberries in a large bowl and toss to coat. Fill pie shell with strawberry mixture and refrigerate until set.

Enjoy!

Notes:

- Arlene suggested I use a regular pie shell, rather than graham, b/c the graham ends up making too sweet of a pie. Plus, the buttery flavor of the regular shell tastes yummie with the sweetness of the filling.

- I also never have a pre-baked pie shell, so once I get the sugar mixture going on the stove, I let the pie thaw for 10 minutes, then poke it with holes, and bake per the package instructions.

- While the gelatin mixture cools down, I prepare the strawberries (wash, hull, halve).

- Make sure the strawberries have been completely drained, free of any excess liquid. The pie filling may not set if there is extra liquide.

Easy as pie!

Fresh Berry Cobbler

This is the only picture I have of this berry cobbler.

Sorry. We just couldn't wait.

Wow!! Let me say it again...WOW!!!

I'm not even a black berry fan, but this is good...REALLY good. And pretty easy considering I made this on Day 1 of flying solo with two kids. Sure, when I was done making this, I had a baby nursing to his heart's content in the Baby Bjorn, Annie had and accident (not a pretty one at that), and I found Cheez-Its in the DVD player, but this cobbler was SOOOOOOOO worth it!

Fruit:
~ 3 c. black berries, rinsed
~ 1 qt. strawberries (~1 lb.) (halve the large ones)
1 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla

Topping:
1 c. flour
1/4 c. plus 2 t. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/3 c. buttermilk (or substitute a little less than 1/3 c. milk plus ~1/2 T. vinegar...let stand ~5 minutes to thicken up)
4 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/3 t. cinnamon

Mix all the fruit ingredients together and place in a baking dish. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-303 minutes until the fruit begins to release liquid.

Meanwhile, whisk flour, 1/4 c. sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, butter, and vanilla. In a small bowl, mix remaining sugar and cinnamon.

Gently stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until dough is just combined and no dry pockets remain.

Remove fruit from the oven and drop dough by spoonfuls on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon topping. Bake for 15-20 minutes until biscuits are golden brown and cooked through. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

From The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Sweet Potato Crisp

I went to a potluck the other night and thought about what to bring. With my recent craving for sweet potatoes I happened to have about half a dozen sweet potatoes sitting in the fridge. Perfect! What a great way to get rid of them...but how? Pioneer Woman had the answer....Sweet Potatoes!! After making this I realized she had poorly named the recipe. Sweet Potatoes just wasn't enough. I'm adding Crisp to the end because that's pretty much what it is. And just an FYI: This is a very sweet sweet potato recipe. I think next time I may add less sugar.

Sweet Potato Crisp

4 whole Medium Sweet Potatoes
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Milk
2 whole Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Pecans
½ cups Flour
¾ sticks Butter

Wash 4 medium sweet potatoes and bake them in a 375-degree oven until fork tender, about 30-35 minutes. When they are finished cooking slice them open and scrape out the flesh into a large bowl.

Add 1 cup of (regular grandulated) sugar, 1 cup of milk, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of salt. With a potato masher, mash them up just enough—you don’t want to be perfectly smooth.

Now, in a separate bowl, add 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup pecans, chopped (that means measure a cup of pecans, then chop them), ½ cup flour, and ¾ stick of butter. With a pastry cutter or fork, mash together until thoroughly combined.

Spread the sweet potato mixture into a regular baking dish and sprinkle the crumb mixture all over the top.

Bake in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Monkey Bread

I LOVE Monkey Bread!! Who could resist the ooey-gooey goodness of it?! This is the first time I've made it on my own and it was fantastic!! And the best part was that Annie helped me make it.

I'm sure most Monkey Bread recipes are all alike. I got this one from Pioneer Woman - love her blog!!

3 cans of Buttermilk Biscuits (the non-flaky ones)
1 c. sugar
2-3 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 sticks of butter (1 c.)

Preheat that oven to 350.

Open each can of biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters.

In a gallon-sized seal-able bag, mix 1 c. sugar with cinnamon. Toss biscuit bites into the bag, seal, and shake until all bites are coated with sugar mixture. Place coated biscuit bites into 12-cup bundt pan and set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add the 1/2 c. brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat and pour over biscuit bites.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until top has a nice dark brown color to it. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15-30 minutes. Place a serving plate on top of the bundt cake pan and invert to remove the monkey bread from the pan. Enjoy!!

Potato Chip Clusters

Just made these today and they're just another addition to my sweet and salty collection. It's a recipe from my Taste of Home: Fun Food Magazine.

9 squares (1 oz. each) white baking chocolate

2 c. crushed potato chips

1/2 c. chopped pecans

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt white chocolate. Sitr in potato chips and pecans. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until set. Makes about 3 dozen.

Pecan Pie Coffee Cake

Another cell phone picture....arghhh!

A co-worker of mine brought this to work and shared the recipe. We've made it a ton of times. And this time, I've made it for our neighbors who just has a baby (to go with some lasagna). So we won't enjoy it tonight, but it's sooooo easy I'll probably just make another one later.

Pecan Pie Coffee Cake

3/4 c. sugar

3 T. butter, softened

2 oz. low-fat cream cheese, room temperature (I just use regular cream cheese)

1 egg

1 egg white

1 t. vanilla

1 1/4 c. flour

1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

3/4 c. non-fat buttermilk (I just use low-fat b/c that the only kind I can find at the grocery store)

Cooking Spray

Topping:

1/3 c. corn syrup

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

2 T. butter

1/3 c. pecans, finely chopped (I use way more than this, more like 1 1/3 c. because it adds a nice layer on top. 1/3 c. doesn't cover it...literally)

1 egg, beaten

In a large bowl, cream together sugar, 3 T. butter and cream cheese. Add egg and egg white one at a time until well mixed. Stir in vanilla. In medium mixing bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture. Pour batter into a 9 inch spring form pan coated with cooking spray. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare topping by combining syrup, brown sugar and 2 T. butter in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Whisk in pecans and beaten egg. Poke holes in top of the warm cake and pour topping on top of cake. Bake an additional 10 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool cake on wire rack. Before attempting to remove from the pan, loosen sides with a knife. Enjoy!

By the way, this recipe is from Cooking Light

Cake Pops Never Fail

You gotta love these cake pops from Bakerella. I made these for Annie's first birthday and again for my friend's baby shower. The first time I made them I followed Bakerella's directions down to each detail. This time around I made them about half the size with less frosting for easier handling. Can you say YUM!!

Laura Bush Cowboy Cookies

Forgive me for the picture. This is the best I can do with my cell phone.

Everything yummy that can go into a cookie is in this one. It's got pecans, chocolate chips, oatmeal, and (my fave) coconut flakes. I like to make these cookies when Alex is around because he can mix in the pecans, chocolate chips, oatmeal and coconut flakes a lot more easily than I could (these are pretty beefy cookies when it comes to the throw-ins).

3 c. all purpose flour (if at high altitude and 1/2 cup more flour)
1 T. baking powder
1 T. baking soda
1 T. ground cinnamon
1 t. salt
1 1/2 c. (3 sticks), butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 T. vanilla extract
3 c. chocolate chips
3 c. old fashioned rolled oats
2 c. sweetened coconut flakes
2 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.

In an 8-qt. bowl, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1 minute. Gradually beat in sugars; beat to combine, 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla extract.

Sir in flour mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips, oats, coconut and pecans.

For each cookie, drop 1/4 c. dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing them 3 inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes until edges are lightly browned; rotate sheets halfway through cooking time. Remove cookies to rack to cool.

Spring Fling Cake

To commence sweets eating, I thought I'd begin with a Spring Fling Cake. I got the idea from my officemate whose wife made it. He showed me pictures of what it looked like and I thought it looked soooooo beautiful - the perfect welcome-back-I've-missed-you-come-and-get-it dessert. The recipe is on the internet and is supposed to be the recipe for the Spring Fling Cake served at The Market Coffee Shop in Larimer Square in Downtown Denver.

A few notes:

- I'd keep the middle layer of fruit to a minimum. I think I went overboard and the filling had a hard time saying in the middle. After a little car ride I found that part of the filling has slipped out.

- At the recommendation of my officemate, I doubled the frosting. I actually forgot to double the amount of powdered sugar, but it turned out perfect - not too sweet. The recipe only directs you to frost the in between and top of the cake, but I just did the whole thing.

- I sliced the kiwi and strawberries with an egg slicer. This made for even slices.

- Next time I'll arrange the fruit on the top better, such that the slices overlap more.

- The cake texture, once baked, is more like a muffin texture (not as firm as bread, but not as firm as cake). I bet they'd be just as yummie as cupcakes.

Spring Fling Cake

For the cake:

2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
5 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (for frosting)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt

For frosting:
3/4 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream

Fruit for cake:
1 pint strawberries, cleaned, stemmed and sliced
4 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
2 mangoes, peeled and sliced
1 pint blueberries
Apricot glaze, or apricot jelly thinned out with a bit of warm water, optional

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch cake.

• To prepare the cake: Shred the zucchini in a food processor. In a large mixing bowl combine shredded zucchini, eggs, sugar, oil, sour cream and ½ tablespoon vanilla.

• When thoroughly mixed, combine all dry ingredients and add to bowl; mix well. Batter should be fairly wet and easy to pour.

• Pour in the batter and bake for 50 to 70 minutes, testing with a toothpick in center.

• Cool finished cake on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and allow it to cool completely. (You can make the cake a day ahead and refrigerate.)

• To prepare frosting, whip room temperature cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing until well combined.

• In a separate bowl, whip the cream until stiff, and then fold it and the ½ teaspoon vanilla into the frosting. Do not overmix.

• To assemble cake: Cut the cooled cake in half lengthwise, making two layers. (The Market cuts the cake into three layers, which you may do if desired.)

• Spread an even layer of frosting over the first layer, and then add a layer of the various fruit pieces (repeat if three layers).

• Put on the top layer of cake and evenly frost. The sides of the cake are not frosted; use extra to fill in, as needed.

• Arrange the fruit in circles all over the top of cake, slightly overlapping fruit pieces.

• To finish: Spread the apricot glaze over fruit on top of the cake with a pastry brush.

Bakerella is my Hero

Oh my goodness! This looks soooooooooo goooooooood!

http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2009/03/dining-out-dessert.html

But in the spirit of Lent I will refrain. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I will need all the help I can get.

Bakerella

Thanks to my sister-in-law Michelle, I am now addicted to this blog. Once you see the site, you will see why. Yum!

http://www.bakerella.com/

I have made her cake pops before. Once for Annie's first birthday party and they seemed to be a big hit with the kids and adults.