Now I’m not sure where the name moldy cornflakes came from but that is all I’ve ever heard them called*. They actually resemble holly and berries and are similar to rice crispy bars, except here we’re using cornflakes.

*update: Grandma Bonnie left this comment on my facebook wall about moldy cornflakes. I thought maybe you would enjoy reading it too.

“I guess I should tell the true story of moldy cornflakes. Found the recipe for Holly Candy, made them, and at first, MY children (this would be my Mom and my Uncle) refused to eat them because they were green like mold. Our rule was you had to try everything once. After they tried them they loved them and have forever after called them moldy cornflakes. Then the grandchildren and great grandchildren have continued the tradition. Way to go, Michelle and Jeff!!”

MOLDY CORNFKAKES

1/4 cup butter
1 package mini marshmallows
5 cups cornflakes
Green food coloring
Cinnamon imperials (red hots) candy

Put butter and marshmallows in a microwave proof bowl. Cook for 1 minute on high. Stir and cook another 30 seconds to 1 minute until the marshmallows are melted.

Stir in a little green food coloring at a time until the desired color is achieved.

In a large bowl measure out 5 cups of cornflakes. Pour marshmallow mixture over them. Stir to completely coat all the cornflakes.

On waxed paper or parchment scoop out small bundles of cornflakes. Place a few red hots candies on top.

Enjoy your holly and berries aka moldy cornflakes!

Summer has flown by, tomorrow is September and I didn’t go to the pool once! Maybe that was because 1) I was very very pregnant and I didn’t really have a swimsuit that properly covered everything and 2) that it was very very hot for most of the summer, which doesn’t mix very well with very very pregnant. Even though I didn’t get to make daily trips to the swimming pool this summer I did have a very busy summer.

My summer in quick review:
Summer got kick started by attending our friends’ beautiful wedding at Arbor Day Farm
We attended a party for my father-in-law who retired after working for the same company for 35+ years!
We went on a lovely family vacation back to Arbor Day Farm (because it was so beautiful) then headed to Kansas City (a first for me)
I baked tons and tons of cupcakes for my dad’s 50th birthday party!

The girls took their first swimming lessons.
The month of July I went to see the midwife every single week, anxiously waiting for the baby to arrive.
I didn’t cook enough and we went out to eat WAY too much (but I was hot, tired and super pregnant so that’s my excuse)
Finally on August 3 (10 days late) I delivered a healthy happy baby boy, Kasper!

Some more friends got married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony.
My oldest daughter Sasha started kindergarten (you can follow our cold lunch journey).
And we’ve been busy adjusting to our new life.

So there you go. There was the quick update of my summer and what has been keeping me so busy. Since Kasper has been born I’ve cooked more than I have all summer. It must have something to do with not wanting to drag an infant and two little girls to a restaurant or maybe it is I am too tired to actually go to a restaurant myself.

I didn’t plant much of a garden this summer -herbs only, basil and cilantro to be specific. I have high hopes for a larger garden next year. Not getting to enjoy a surplus of fresh garden tomatoes has been a real bummer (translation: not getting to enjoy a surplus of BLTs this summer has been a real bummer). Next year there will be tomatoes and BLTs! We’ve picked some tomatoes up at the farmers markets in town but it just isn’t the same. This weekend I bought a few “local” tomatoes at the grocery store. They were just OK tasting so I decided to jazz them up with pesto using up the basil in my “garden”.

Then the idea struck me basil + tomatoes + fresh mozzarella = delicious AND tomatoes + bacon + lettuce = delicious SOOOOO why not combine the two?! Make a basil + tomato + mozzarella + bacon sandwich. Oh. My. I would say this was the best sandwich I’ve ever had. Ever. Go make it NOW while you can still enjoy fresh tomatoes.

GRILLED CHEESE PESTO BLT or The GCPBLT Sandwich minus the L

2 slices of your favorite fresh bread, I used sourdough
2-4 slices of tomato
3 pieces of crisp cooked bacon
fresh mozzerella
fresh pesto
butter

Heat skillet over medium heat.

Lightly butter each side of bread then assemble as follows:

butter side
bread
thin layer pesto
thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
tomato
bacon
thinly sliced mozzarella
thin layer pesto
bread
butter side

Put into pan butter side down. Cook for about 3 minutes or until you received your desired toastiness. Flip sandwich over and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

This would be a perfect sandwich to cook in a panini press if you’re fancy like that!

What is the best sandwich you’ve ever eaten?

HELP! My oldest daughter starts kindergarten next week- I could write for days about how this seems impossible and that she simply can’t be ready to leave me ALL day long, but I will spare you. My call for help is because I need suggestions that go beyond cold meat/peanut butter & jelly sandwiches to pack in her lunch box.

I’m looking for main course-type options that can be eaten cold or room temperature since she will not have access to a microwave. So Moms & Dads of cold lunch eating children and cold lunch packing professionals share your wisdom with me. I hope to generate many great cold lunch options over the school year to share with you.

Leave a comment below about your favorite cold lunch meals.

Sasha celebrated her birthday at the beginning of the month and I of course got to decorate her cake. In January Sasha drew me a picture of what she wanted her cake to look like. It was so fun to get back into the kitchen and make something again. I absolutely LOVE celebrating the girls’ birthdays especially now that they have strong opinions about their cakes. It is my job to make their dream cake a reality. She wanted a dolphin cake (one of her favorite animals) with the dolphin jumping out of the water with a rainbow over it.

Here is Sasha’s drawing

My attempt at turning her dream cake into reality.

Sasha really wanted to use Funfetti cake mix for her cake. I used my Swiss Buttercream recipe for the frosting, and AmeriColor  Food Gel to dye the frosting.

I am excited to see what Penelope wants her cake to look like. We have until October and she is already talking about it!

Links to Sasha & Penelope’s other birthday cakes:
Elmo Cake
Rainbow Cake
Seahorse Cake

Penguin Cake
Ariel Cake (part 1) (part 2)

These cookies are perfect for the parent who’s life is a little hectic. I have no doubts you could whip up a fresh batch of cookies just as fast as you can make these, but I just happened to have a boxed cake mix that has been sitting in my pantry for quite some time and I remembered making cookies from a cake mix when I was a teenager. I love cookie recipes that have a baking time of only six to eight minutes. There are times when having a fresh warm cookie as quickly as possibly is just what you need er-want. What I love about these cookies is that they are quick and easy to make, and they bake up to a perfect soft vanilla-y cookie.

Funfetti cake was one of my childhood favorites. Sprinkles in the cake and in the frosting?! What child wouldn’t want that for every single birthday cake? This recipe is the result of the famous Pillsbury Bake Off contest.  I didn’t have a Funfetti cake mix so I used a white cake mix and followed the recipe for the cookies as written, just adding in a couple tablespoons of sprinkles at the end. The fun thing about these Funfetti cookies is you could make them for almost every holiday or season since Pillsbury makes different seasonal Funfetti mixes.

Have you ever submitted a recipe to the Pillsbury bake off  contest?
What is your favorite quick to make cookie recipe?

FUNFETTI COOKIES
recipe from Molly Taylor found on the Funfetti cake mix box or Pillsbury’s recipe site
Yield: 3 doz cookies

I wish I would have had some foresight and had taken pictures to document the process of getting the image from paper to cake. Unfortunately I was decorating Penelope’s take at 10 p.m. the night before her party and all I wanted to do was get it to look half way decent, so I hope you have a creative imagination and will be able to follow along with my directions (if anything is confusing please leave me a comment or email me and I will try by best to explain things more clearly).

THE PROCESS:

the technical stuff-
1. I went to Google to find an Ariel image I liked. I then clicked on the image to save it to my desktop.
2. Open the image and resize it so it will properly fit on the cake, I also flipped the image horizontally. Then saved the image.
3. Print
4. Place a piece of parchment paper over the flipped image then trace using a Sharpie.

the messy stuff-
1. Have your buttercream ready to go in the colors of your choosing.
2. Flip over the parchment paper so the Sharpie is on the back side.
3. Using a small tip begin to trace over the Sharpie. If you are starting on the tail trace over the outline of the tail in green buttercream. Begin to fill in the tail, using a toothpick to help smoothly distribute the buttercream.
4. Do this with the rest of the Ariel design.
5. Place in freezer for 30 min for the buttercream to become stiff.
6. Very carefully peel the frozen buttercream away from the parchment paper and place on top of decorate cake.
7. Add facial features and any touch ups that you need.
8. Bask in the glory of your faked artistic talent

The colors I used for Ariel:
Americolor Food Gel
Skin tone – Copper
Hair- Super Red
Tail- Leaf Green
Shells- Royal Purple

I used a little black to outline and give definition to the tail.

Do you have any cake decorating tips for me? Please share in the comments below!

How do you decorate a cake? Do you freehand your own designs or do you leave your cake plain?

Six months ago Penelope told me she wanted an Ariel (The Little Mermaid) cake. She has not wavered on that. Countless times since Spring I have heard her say that she wants an Ariel cake for her birthday. Since she obviously wanted an Ariel cake so badly I knew that I would have to make her one. This was a huge challenge since I am a complete amateur cake decorator with no drawing ability. The process of getting Ariel on the cake was time consuming but in my opinion pretty ingenious (I will share more on that in another post).

In the past I used “American” style buttercream (butter and powdered sugar based) to frost cakes. Although tasty I always found it to be entirely too sweet. Even though this cake wasn’t especially for me I still wanted to enjoy the cake as a whole instead of scraping off most of the frosting (like I usually do). For Penelope’s cake I tried Swiss buttercream instead of using and heating egg whites I used meringue powder and it turned out wonderfully. I am so happy I have found a delicious slightly sweet new “go-to” buttercream recipe.

So without further delay I will give you the details and recipe for this delicious Ariel cake. The recipe for the cake is easy, it is Pillsburry’s Funfetti boxed cake mix (Please do not take away my food blogger credentials for using a boxed cake mix I was tired and still had lots of party preparations to do!)

What is your favorite icing or frosting for cakes?

SWISS BUTTERCREAM
I used the recipe from Annie’s Eats as a guide
makes 1 batch (I double this up for a 3 layer cake and had plenty left over)

10 tsp meringue powder
10 T water
1 lb (4 sticks) unsalted butter (I know it sounds like a crazy amount)
pinch of salt
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Add the meringue powder and water to your mixing bowl. Then using your whisk attachment* for your mixer whisk the heck out of them on medium high speed for 8-10 minutes or until the egg whites form stiff peaks.

Bump the speed down to medium and start adding the butter 2 T at a time making sure each addition is incorporated before adding any more. At this point your mixture may start to look soupy and/or curdled. Don’t be alarmed just bump the speed up to medium high and keep on mixing until it smooths out (maybe 5 minutes).

Once all the butter is incorporated bump the speed down to low and slowly add in the powdered sugar. Be careful as the powdered sugar may fly up in a dust all over your kitchen. Once the sugar is stirred in increase the speed to medium high and mix everything together. Slowly add the vanilla and mix for another minute or two.

At this point you can add any food coloring to the frosting if desired. I added in a couple drops at a time of AmeriColor Food Gel in the color Royal Purple until I was almost at my desired color. Remember the color will deepen over time so be sure not to add too much coloring.

Use your frosting immediately or put into an air tight container and refrigerate (up to 3 days). When you’re ready to use it bring it to room temperature and whip it using your mixer.

* I do not have a whisk attachment for my KitchenAid mixer yet so I had to use the paddle. I just bumped the speed up to high and I was still able to get fluffy egg whites.

You could easily use this frosting recipe to fill your cakes. I opted to use a blueberry cream filling since Penelope loves blueberries. I mixed together one 8 oz container of low fat Cool Whip with 1 can of blueberry pie filling.

IF YOU WANT A CRUMB FREE FROSTING EXPERIENCE MAKE SURE TO FIRST APPLY A CRUMB COAT.

Almost two months have past and I haven’t shared pictures of Sasha’s birthday cake –oops. Both our families came to help her celebrate. It is always fun having a house full of people since I love to entertain. I made two different kinds of lasagna, Caesar salad with homemade croutons, and garlic bread.

My inspiration for the cake was her current favorite animal. We searched high and low for a seahorse piñata, and after visiting every party store in Omaha we came back empty handed. She was so sad that she wasn’t going to have a seahorse piñata at her party. I wanted to surprise her with a seahorse cake. I made a white sheet cake using a recipe from allrecipes.com. I love the use of almond extract in the cake batter it adds a little something special to a plain cake. The cake tasted good although it was a tad dry which made me sad since I haven’t baked a dry cake since high school. The frosting is vanilla buttercream and colored with AmeriColor gels*. These food gels are now my favorite way to color frosting. The colors are really bright, and I found that I had to use less gel to achieve my desired color. The best part is you don’t get that yucky food coloring aftertaste. I free-handed the seahorse on the cake first, and added everything around it after the seahorse was complete. This method worked best for me instead of frosting the entire cake then adding the design on top.

Sasha did not know what her cake was going to look like, I wanted to keep it a surprise for her. When we went to the craft store I had her pick out the gel colors that she liked. Once we had the colors she liked I had to figure out how to decorate her cake with those colors. I think the colors she picked out worked wonderfully for an under the sea cake. With each birthday cake I make, I realize that I really enjoy the cake decorating part. I wish I was more artistically inclined but if my cake brings a smile to my daughter’s face that is good enough for me.

Happy Birthday Sasha!

*I just want to say that I really liked the AmeriColor gels. I was not paid or compensated to share my opinion.

My brother-in-law (who works in a restaurant kitchen) probably loves food as much as I do. He made me this soup for lunch a couple weeks ago. It was wonderful. He boiled the potatoes in chicken stock, and once they were tender he added rest of his ingredients. Brilliant! I can’t believe I never thought about boiling cubed potatoes in chicken stock and using that starchy boiled stock in the soup. This is truly a one pot meal. You can make a lot or a little in a short amount of time. This soup is great for those “it is so cold to do anything” type of days, and this winter we have had plenty of those.

POTATO & HAM CHOWDER

4 c chicken stock
4 medium-large Russet potatoes, peeled & cubed
1 yellow onion, minced (could use leek)
2 cloves garlic, minced
bay leaf
1-2 c ham, cubed (could use bacon)
1 c whipping cream
1 can(fat free) evaporated milk
5 slices of American cheese
salt & pepper
garnish with sliced scallions

In a large pot add potatoes, onion, garlic, and bay leaf. Bring to boil and simmer until potatoes are fork tender. Add ham, cream, milk, and cheese. Stirring until cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper. ENJOY!

Two years ago Penelope was a newborn. She is 24 hours old in that photo. In the last two years she has grown and changed so much. She is a very sweet, loving, funny, opinionated, wonderful toddler. She loves penguins. For Sasha’s birthday we had a fiesta theme, and I thought it would be fun to go with a penguin theme for Penelope. Little did I know that it would be impossible to find penguin party supplies. Who would have thought? I called several large party supply stores in the area, and none of them had any penguin stuff. Happy Feet wasn’t released that long ago, and The Penguins of Madagascar is a popular cartoon so I thought I was going to have to settle for having one of those penguins featured at our party. How wrong I was. So we didn’t have any penguin plates, napkins, or balloons. Instead I made cute little penguin appetizers and a giant penguin cake. Penelope loved them both.

I took the easy way out when it came to Penelope’s cake. I used two cake mixes (devil’s food and funfetti) to make the penguin’s body and wings.

The penguin’s head was baked in a 6 inch round cake pan, and the wings were baked in a 8 inch round cake pan then cut in half. I used the funfetti cake mix to bake a 8 inch round cake for the body, two regular sized cupcakes and 12 mini cupcakes which were used for the feet and beak. I actually used 3 mini cupcake per foot and I turned one mini cupcake upside down to make the beak.

I frosted the cake using  vanilla buttercream and chocolate buttercream.

When assembling the penguin’s feet, I found it to be easier to secure the cupcakes together using toothpicks, then frost each foot as one unit.

My penguin loving Penelope had a great second birthday. Thank you to all who helped us celebrate.

We bought a 1962 ranch house, where a lot of the 60s features still remain. For example I have a lovely pink bathroom –you know the kind, with the pink sink, pink toilet, pink tub/shower, and pink tile. I also have some pretty cool lights in my kitchen, and some not so cool asbestos tiles in the basement.

Speaking of the kitchen, I took some photos to give my dear readers a mini tour.

Here is the south wall of the kitchen. You can see the original Nutone exhaust fan. The cabinets are original and have that honey-orange color. The walls are painted a buttery yellow and are that color throughout the living room, dining room and hallways. I thought I always wanted a yellow kitchen but now I can’t wait to change the color. Our oven is a GE space saver. This is my least favorite part of the kitchen. I burned my hand pulling out my 9 x 13 casserole dish, because the oven is so tiny. I have always wanted to host the Thanksgiving day meal, but now I am concerned that I won’t be able to roast a turkey in my pint-sized oven. The stove has 3 small burners and only 1 large burner. This too is a bummer since when I cook I usually use two pans that require the larger burner. I am sure I will adapt. I also have to store my Kitchen-Aid mixer on the counter since it is too tall for any of the cupboard shelves, and too tall to put under the cupboards themselves.

Here is the east wall. The window looks out to our driveway and the street. It is a nice view to have while I am washing dishes. The tear drop shaped light fixture is original to the house. I love it. We found the original hardware for the cupboards in one of the cupboards. I hope to get it cleaned up and back where it belongs.

This is the west wall. On the other side of the wall is our dining room. Alex and I have talked about whether or not we are going to keep this wall. It was suggested that we do a sort of half wall/island with cupboards underneath. I really could use the additional cupboard space. The previous homeowner left us the black and white Formica table with a matching “hutch”.

This is a view of the west and north walls. Trust me the purple has to go! So does the terracotta orange. That same purple is in the master bedroom, along with purple carpet and yellow closet doors. The purple, terracotta, and yellow are repeated throughout the house. Ick! In this photo you really can see the table and matching hutch, and the cool hanging light. The doorway on the right of the photo is our entryway and stairs to the basement.

I hope you have enjoyed a peak into my new kitchen. I can’t wait to start cranking out some delicious family meals. I do have a confession to make, our first family meal was fish sticks. Ack! Hey when your house is full of boxes, your children are hungry, and it is past bedtime you get desperate. Please don’t judge.

Last night (Tuesday night) he picked two gallons of green beans. I helped him pick at least a gallon worth of green beans on Saturday.

This was the size of the cucumbers two weeks ago. This week they were big enough for Mom to make pickles. I think she made three gallons on Sunday, and Dad said they have enough cucumbers ready to go for a few more gallons –next time I go home, I am bringing my empty gallon jar to get my share of pickles, since they are a hot commodity around there.

We have been enjoying potatoes for the last month or so. This is a favorite activity for the grandkids to help out with. Dad planted 50 pounds of seed potatoes. So far he has harvested about 180 pounds of potatoes, by my estimates he still has about 2/3 left to dig up. My grandpa (red shirt) is in the background, he is digging up the last of the beets. Dad used that “free space” in the garden to plant some more green beans and some Sugar peas. The girls helped dig the rows for the beans and peas.

One of my favorite things about visiting my parent’s garden, is that I am able to introduce my children to the freshest vegetables around. As a child I loved eating a green bean that was still warm from the sun, or biting into a tomato like an apple, or pulling up a radish or carrot, shaking the dirt off, and biting right into it while still standing in the garden. Nothing can beat enjoying food the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

If you don’t have space for a garden, check around for a Farmers Market. Buy Fresh, Buy Local, and enjoy a damn good meal!

In Omaha check out:

Village Point Farmers Market: Sat 8-1 through Oct 3
Old Market Farmers Market: Sat 8-12:30 through Oct 10

My mother-in-law just celebrated a monumental birthday on July 5, she turned 60. For her birthday I wanted to make her her favorite cake, it was no surprise that she requested a chocolate cake with a chocolate fudge frosting. I wanted this cake to be out of this world good. I stumbled across Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” chocolate cake, and I knew this would be the “one”.  After all, Hershey has been doing the chocolate thing for at least a hundred years. The cake was so easy to make, bake, and assemble.

Between the chocolaty layers of cake I used a delicious vanilla butter cream, once assembled I covered the cake with Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” chocolate frosting.

The added decorations are made from vanilla butter cream and a chocolate butter cream. This cake was out of this world good. I can’t wait until I have an excuse to make this cake again.

HERSHEY’S “PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE” CHOCOLATE CAKE
from Hershey.com

Dad is planning on eventually putting in Everbearing strawberry and raspberry plants in the beds where the radishes, broccoli, carrots, and lettuce are. I am very excited to watch this garden grow. They have a lot planted, and I hope it all produces a crop.

Some of the vegetables they have planted that haven’t made an appearance include:
Basil -1 package
Dill -1 package
Cauliflower -1 package
Cucumber -3 hills of pickling cucumbers and 1 hill slicing cucumbers
Buttercup Squash -2 hills
Zucchini -2 hills
Giant Pumpkin (25 pounds or larger) -3 hills
Watermelon -2 hills
Muskmelon -2 hills
Carrots -1 bed
Dad called to say he has planted more stuff. Which brings the total to about 30 different things should be coming from their garden. YUM!
Red Bell Pepper -1 package
Sweet Corn -2 varieties (AS AN IOWA GIRL I LOVE SWEET CORN!)
Kohlrabi -1 package
Brussels Sprouts -1 package (VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS!)

Here are some of the tomato and pepper plants. Mom and Dad planted 20 tomato plants -12 regular slicing tomatoes and 8 Roma. They also planted four jalapeno plants and four green bell pepper plants.

Red Onions – 80 plants

Red Radish -1 bed

Broccoli -1 bed This is the first time they are growing broccoli. Alex loves broccoli, and this was one of his special requests

Leaf Lettuce -1 bed

Rhubarb

The List and Photos- Part One
Potatoes -460 hills or 50 pounds of seed potatoes

Next to the potatoes are Yellow Onions -60 plants

Green Beans -1 package –it is barely poking through the ground

Red Beets -half a package –they have just broken ground too

Click here for some of the first photos from the garden.

You can follow up on the garden with part two here.

Take note fathers and children, Mother’s Day is quickly approaching. Do you want to serve your mother or wife breakfast in bed? Bless your heart! These breakfast cups take little effort to put together, and they can be personalized to your family’s flavor preferences. In the bottom of my cups I have colby-jack cheese and bacon, you could substitute any meat or cheese you would like. I left my egg whole, but you could lightly beat it and stir in some chopped veggies, which would be delicious. Using crescent rolls from the refrigerated section at your local grocery store make this breakfast a cinch. Have fun coming up with your favorite meat, cheese, veggie combos! I think these would also be cute for a bridal shower or baby shower brunch. Yum!

BREAKFAST CUPS
Serves 4

1 package crescent rolls
4 eggs
2 pieces bacon, cooked
cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 4 muffin tins. Unroll crescent rolls, pinch together two triangles and fit to muffin tin. Place a little cheese and half a slice to bacon in bottom of crescent-lined muffin tin. Carefully add egg. Cook for 10-15 minutes. You want the crescent roll to become golden brown and the egg to be set. ENJOY!

As you can see, the land my parent’s purchased is a small section of the corn field behind their house.

Here is my dad, taking a break to pose for the camera. Even though he had a machine to help him till the land, I think it still was pretty hard work. This section of tilled earth was used to plant over 450 potatoes!

My parents have a long list of other vegetables they are planting this spring. I will keep you updated.

Happy Spring!

P.S. If you live in Omaha, the Farmers Market opens May 2!

Primavera is the Italian and Spanish word for Spring. When I think of Spring I think of all things fresh and green. Here in the Midwest, Spring means we can pack up the hats, gloves, and scarves and pull out the flip-flops (then the next week pull out the hats, gloves, and scarves again). In a couple weeks the farmer’s markets will be in full force and full of delicious fruits and veggies –I can’t wait!

I found this recipe in my Parents magazine and knew I had to try it. The article was Dinner Detox, how to healthify your dinners in stages. This dish is considered (by them) to be a really healthy alternative to Mac ‘n’ Cheese. I skipped the “little better” recipe and went straight for the really healthy. My kids like veggies, and they love pasta, so I wasn’t worried that they wouldn’t like it. This is a fun recipe to personalize with your family’s favorite vegetables. I added roasted chicken to our dish to give it a little extra protein, but I think shrimp would be fabulous too.

PASTA PRIMAVERA
(from Parents May 2009 –with my choice of veggies)

1 1/2 c dry multigrain or whole-grain rotini (I used penne rigate)
1 T EVOO (Olive Oil)
1 bundle of asparagus, chopped into 2 inch pieces
1 chopped yellow pepper
1 c grape tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c low-fat evaporated milk
1/2 c low-sodium chicken broth
2 T AP Flour
1/3 c finely shredded Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

*I added 2 packages of Hormel’s Carved Chicken

Cook pasta according to package directions. Two minutes before your pasta is done, toss in asaragus. Drain pasta and return to pot. While pasta is cooking, sautee yellow pepper, garlic and tomatoes in the olive oil. Toss in chicken and heat through. Add veggie mix to pasta. Whisk milk, broth, and flour. Add to pasta, stirring until thick. Mix in cheese, add salt & pepper to taste. ENJOY!!

This is a great way to use up veggies in your crisper drawer. Some yummy selections might include broccoli, zucchini slices, fresh blanched green beans, sliced yellow squash, fresh basil, roasted cauliflower or Brussels sprouts. Be creative!

Monster cookies. What’s not to love? Oatmeal, peanut butter, chocolate chips and M&Ms baked into a ginormous thin and chewy cookie, sounds like love in cookie form to me. I made a batch for my friend Michelle’s 25th birthday. I know how much she loves these cookies, and I knew she would love receiving a package of them in the mail. The first time I made them, and the first time Michelle had them was when we were in college. Being the great best friend she is, she gave me a huge ego boost by raving nonstop about how delicious these cookies were.  She asked for the recipe, I had to tell her it was a “family secret” since I used my great grandma Nona’s recipe. She begged and I caved. I wrote down the recipe for her and she tried her hand at baking. I never saw her cookies, but heard that it was a failed attempt.  (I hope she doesn’t mind me sharing this)

This recipe isn’t difficult. I am going to blame Michelle’s failed attempt on the crappy, ancient, unmaintained stove, in the crappy high-priced rented apartment she was living in at the time. Now that she has a nice home of her own, I am sure she can whip up a batch without any problems. This recipe is for you Michelle.

Michelle and I at The Wild Hare in Wrigglyville, Chicago getting ready to see Toots & The Maytals.

MONSTER COOKIES
adapted from Great Grandma Nona’s recipe

3 eggs
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp soda
1 stick margarine or 1/2 c butter (I usually use butter)
1 1/2 c peanut butter (I used creamy)
4 c quick cooking oatmeal
1 c chocolate chips
1-2 c M&Ms (It depends on how naughty you’re feeling) :_

Mix all ingredients together. Refrigerate for 1 hr or overnight. Use 1/4 c dough per cookie. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 12-15 minutes. ENJOY!!

P.S. These cookies freeze great too, so don’t feel like you have to eat the whole batch immediately. If you do eat them all at once, I won’t judge you, promise.

MORE OF MY COOKIE RECIPES:
Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookie Bars
Giant Crunchy Choc Chip Pecan Cookies

WHAT OTHERS ARE COOKIN’ UP:
Butterscotch Marble Blondie Drops @Technicolor Kitchen
Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies @have cake, will travel
Flourless and (almost) Sugar Free Cookies with Peanut Butter and Chocolate @Kalyn’s Kitchen

Check out Cookie Madness for tons of baked goodies baked daily!

Me, my sister and my brother first day of school. Circa 1996. Obviously my brother and I were making silly faces.

When we were kids, my parents always had a bountiful garden. In that garden they grew the fullest, tallest, bushiest tomato plants I have ever seen. These tomato plants were six feet tall at least, that may be a slight exaggeration but as a kid they seemed to tower over me. Even if my parents only planted a few plants we would always have tomatoes coming out our ears. Last summer was no different. In the past my mom would can the surplus tomatoes and over the winter she would use them for chili, goulash, and Spanish rice.  For the first time she made her own tomato sauce at the end of the growing season last fall. She used an Alton Brown recipe. It was delicious. Unfortunately I did not get to take any home with me. This winter my parents purchased some land behind their house, and I was notified that it is ALL going to be turned into a garden this Spring. YEAH!!! I am glad that I only live two hours away, because I will do what it takes to take home some fresh produce grown on my old stomping ground. (I hope to document this garden as it grows. Dad said it is going to be big.)

Homemade tomato sauce is something I have never attempted before, and it is about time I gave it a try. Although in March the only “fresh” tomatoes I can find in Nebraska are the ones they sell at the grocery store. I had some Roma tomatoes sitting on the counter (I was planning to turn into more pico de gallo, but never got to it) and they were approaching over ripe really quickly. A red sauce for spaghetti was the perfect option to use all of them up in one shot.

ROASTED TOMATO SAUCE
16 Roma tomatoes, quartered
1/2 c EVOO
1/2 white onion chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning
small handful basil, torn into smaller bits
1/4 c Parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss tomatoes through Italian seasonings and put into a nonreactive 9×13 pan. Put into oven and roast 30 minutes. Stir and roast another 30 minutes.

Pour roasted tomato mixture into blender, add basil and Parmesan cheese. Pulse until desired consistency. Never buy jarred sauce again ENJOY!!!

Sasha finally arrived after almost 12 hours of labor and over 2 hours of pushing (seriously).

This past Saturday Sasha turned three. I can not believe how the time has just flown by. At times I miss baby Sasha, but watching her grown and learn has been so much fun. Everyday I am impressed with what she has learned or what she has figured out to do. I am slightly biased, but I think she is the smartest little three year old.

Last year Sasha wanted an Elmo cake, and I created an Elmo cake for her. This year she wanted a fiesta. She gave me a theme and I ran with it. We started out with various dips for appetizers. I made pico de gallo, guacamole, black bean & corn salsa, and a layered bean dip. For our main dish I made chicken tamales, Mexican rice and my own “refried” beans. Everything was so delicious (check back for recipes). To a three year old the most important parts are the cake and the presents. Awhile back I saw this AWESOME cake and I knew I had to make this for Sasha’s birthday cake. She loved it, and it was fun hearing the ooo’s and aahh’s when we sliced in to it, no one had a clue what was under that whipped cream frosting. We surprised Sasha with a piñata, something she specifically asked for. It was fun watching her trying with all her might to break it open.

RAINBOW “FIESTA” CAKE
seen on Omnomicon
2 boxes French Vanilla cake mix
2 cans diet Sprite
1 box sugar free White Chocolate pudding
2 8 oz containers Cool Whip
food coloring

I had to bake the cakes separately because Sasha wanted a heart shaped cake and I had only one heart shaped pan (luckily!).

Preheat oven according to directions on box. Mix together 1 can Sprite with one box cake mix. Divide cake mix into three different bowls. Stir in red (we had pink) in one bowl, yellow in another and orange in the last one. Place the red mix down first, then orange and finally yellow. Bake according to directions, I think mine took about 29 minutes. Mix together the other can of Sprite and cake mix. Divide batter into thirds, mix in blue in one, green in another and purple in the last one. Layer green, blue and finally purple. Bake.

Mix together 1 container Cool Whip with pudding mix (save a little if you want to write on the cake). Spread on top of the first cake, stack second cake on top. Cover both cakes with the remaining container of Cool Whip. ENJOY!

I am glad you found me. Now I know that if you wanted to know a bit about me you could check out my “about me” page. However for you dear reader I thought I would give you a little bit more information about me than you can find on that page.

I love cooking! I do not know what age I first started cooking, but I do know that my sister and I would help prepare the evening meal when we got home from school. Growing up our family would be considered  “meat and potatoes” eaters. My dad really wasn’t into eating casseroles. Honestly we would have meat, potatoes and either corn or beans with every dinner. I probably have eaten my weight in hamburgers and baked potatoes. In high school I worked in the produce department at Hy-Vee. There I was able to try a variety of fruits and vegetables I may not normally have tried. In college I worked “on the line” at one of the dining centers on campus, making omelets and pancakes for those that were up in time for breakfast. It was there where I realized how much I really liked cooking. My husband was known as a picky eater growing up, but I have changed that. Don’t get me wrong I love meat and potatoes, but I am so glad that Alex is open to my crazy kitchen experiments that I bring to the table.

I like to think of myself as a creative person, and being in the kitchen allows me to express my creativity. I love to try new things, I am constantly reading recipes and thinking about recipes. If I ever won the Powerball, I would take a culinary vacation, eating my way around the world (then hire a personal trainer). Food is important to me, we need it to survive, we have taste buds to enjoy the great flavors and usually I am enjoying it with people whom I deeply love.

I write this blog to document what my family is eating and enjoying, but I also want to share what we have enjoyed with others. I am curious dear reader what brought you here. I know my Grandma reads my blog (she and my grandpa are great in the kitchen) and I know a few of my friends read this, but I am curious as to who else is out there.

** Please leave me a comment telling me who you are, where you’re from, what brought you here, and please tell me if you would like to see any particular recipes. Like I said I like to try new flavors and cooking techniques. Also let me know if you’ve tried something I posted, I would love to hear feedback. So please don’t be shy!

Thank you for reading!

Jamie

Last week we had a cookie decorating play date. We had so much fun decorating our gingerbread people and our sugar cookies. Many cookies were “lost” during the decorating process. Our little friend M concentrated so hard on completely covering her Christmas tree cookie in yellow frosting that I don’t think she decorated that many cookies. Sasha and Penelope were more into eating the cookies than worrying about whether or not they were adequately covered in frosting.

I found my sugar cookie recipe on one of my favorite blogs (Pinch My Salt). Nicole made her recipe for Halloween cookies. She uses powdered sugar and a tiny bit of almond extract, which I believe makes these cookies the BEST COOKIES EVER! I will be using this recipe for my Christmas cookies from now on; I may even use them for my Valentine’s day cookies, St. Patrick’s day cookies, April Fool’s day cookies, and every other holiday they are THAT good. Thank-you Nicole, we now have a family favorite that I am sure is going to become a tradition. I am sure her recipe for cream cheese frosting is lovely, however I decided to use a powdered sugar frosting that would harden. You must make these cookies, at least once. ENJOY!

Check out her recipe here.

If you want to read more about our gingerbread people check it out here.

Here are some photos of our decorating.

Here is M concentrating so hard on her yellow Christmas tree.

Sasha enjoying her hard work!

Penelope ate her cookie so fast. I told you these cookies were good!

Here are some of our sugar cookies and gingerbread people.

Here is M’s cookie that she worked so hard on. More sprinkes ended up on the plate than the cookie, oh well.

This year I made real gingerbread people. Last year I made them from a dry mix I bought in a box. The real deal is no comparison, these little cookie people get better each day. The girls and I had some friends over for a cookie decorating extravaganza. I think everyone involved had lots of fun. I told the girls that we were going to “paint” the cookies with frosting, this excited Sasha (2 1/2) and our friend M (almost 2). We used popsicle sticks as our paintbrushes, which worked wonderfully for our needs. The cookies may not win any awards for beautiful design, but I think they are the best looking gingerbread cookies I’ve ever seen.

My girls kept eating the cookies. As you can see Sasha hardly has any frosting on her cookie, just enough to say she frosted it.

I got the recipe from Martha Stewart’s website, and it was delicious. This week I will be making more gingerbread people for our families. We also made cut out sugar cookies, I will post the recipe tomorrow.

Martha’s Gingerbread People

The frosting is a powdered sugar, a tiny splash of vanilla, and a splash of milk. I used Wilton’s Icing Color in red, blue, green and yellow.

At the end of October my oldest niece O celebrated her 4th birthday. O loves to paint using watercolors, and she is really good at it. I thought I would make her a little art/craft apron to protect her clothes. I did not use a pattern for this apron, and completely improvised everything. For the pocket “flower pot” I ironed on a stabilizer to the back of the yellow fabric, to give it more structure. When making the flowers I did whatever came to me. I attached them to the green fabric by using stitch witchery. I also added a decorative stitch to the flowers. I hope O enjoys her new apron and gets lots of use out of it. It was fun to make and watch it come together.

Here is a link to free patterns and tutorials for making your own apron.

These are links from blogs I currently read that offer apron tutorials:

Retro Cocktail Apron at Craft Stylish

Craft Apron at Creative Little Daisy

A Walk in the Park Apron at Craft Leftovers