Pecan Nut Cups

If you have never tired these, they are ridiculously delicious. I keep getting asked for the recipe over and over again. Highly recommend you make for just about any occasion, beware as they are very addictive! They are a lot simpler to make then you may think and are sure to impress as a gift or dessert.

 

For the Dough:

1 stick butter (softened)

3oz cream cheese (softened)

1 cup flour

Filling:

3/4 cup chopped nuts

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp butter

1 egg

1/4 tsp  vanilla

Instructions:

Combine dough ingredients and mix with hands or the dough hook on your mixer until combined and a ball forms. No need to let it rest. Use a mini cupcake pan and divide the dough into 24 sections. Lightly spray the pan with butter spray although if you do not have any on hand, they turn out fine without the spray. You still will need to use a toothpick to get them out either way. Press the dough into each section of the mini cupcake pan to form a little cup.

Combine all filling ingredients and use a spoon to fill each cup. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350. Keep an eye on them, they are done when you see the crust is brown. Use a toothpick to gently get each nut cup out of your pan.

Optional: Roll each pecan nut cup in powdered sugar, as you can see this is my daughter's favorite step. Enjoy!

Tips for Perfect Cake Pops

Cake Pops have certainly gained lots of popularity over the last year or two. I often find that people are very intimidated to make them, but they are a lot simpler to make than you think.

Here are some tips for Perfect Cake Pops:

1) Cake Pops are simply your favorite cake crumbled up and mixed with your favorite frosting that is then dipped into melted chocolate. Tip one is to check how moist your cake is! Don't follow a standard recipe that tells you to ad x amount of cake and x amount of frosting. If you have a moist cake (ex. you used one of those cake mixes with pudding mix in it) you will barely need any frosting at all!

2) The most tedious and messy part of making cake pops is crumbling the cake and then mixing in the frosting. Guess what....you can use your mixer or even a food processor to save you time! I take the cake and dump it right into my Kitchenaid mixer and let it do all the work. Then I add in frosting a little at a time until the texture is just moist enough to hold a ball shape, that's it!

3) Cake pops look a lot more professional when they are all the same size. A mini cookie scoop looks great, but if you don't have one play around with your measuring spoons. You might just find that one tablespoon + one teaspoon makes you your perfect size cake pop or perhaps you want to go a little bigger or smaller. Either way works, but the measuring spoons help make sure you have a consistent size for each cake pop!

4) Allowing yourself enough time is huge. You can't roll out balls, put a stick in them and then dip them in chocolate. You have to roll out your balls and let them chill. While they are chilling melt your chocolate, dip part of the stick in and then put the stick into the cake pop. Then let them chill again! This will ensure they don't fall off the stick because your chocolate is adhering to your cake pop.

5) Temperature is key when it comes to your chocolate. Overheat it and you will have a clumpy mess! You can get fancy and use a double broiler, but the simplest thing I find to use is your microwave. I like to use a glass for cake pops or you can even use a coffee mug. You don't want your pool of chocolate to be too shallow when you dip so I find using a glass or mug works best, especially when you want more than one color. Simply put your chocolate or candy melting wafers into your glass or mug and heat in the microwave. Stir about every 15-30 seconds and then keep heating until smooth.

Tinkerbell Cupcakes

Doing theme cupcakes can be a challenge sometimes, but keep it simple! There are plenty of free templates for cupcake toppers if you don't have a Cricut machine, or you can also try buying some on Etsy.com or at the party store. Here is an example of some Tinkerbell cupcakes we did for a friend for her daughter's birthday party. We did Vanilla cake topped with green frosting, pearls and Tinkerbell themed cupcake toppers. Came out pretty cute!

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes!

The Midwest is freezing right now, luckily these delicious ice cream cone cupcakes can be enjoyed all year round! My girls were extremely excited to make this little slice of summer on a cold snowy day. We made these over the summer for my daughter's ice cream themed birthday and they were an absolute hit! Guests thought it was so clever to make cupcakes baked inside of ice cream cones and I was oh so happy that these "impressive" treats were so easy to make!

The hardest part about these beauties is figuring out how you are going to make them stand up in your oven. You could just stand up ice cream cones on a flat baking tray and hope that your arm is steady enough to have only one or two casualties. Since I knew we were going with the ice cream cone theme in advance, I purchased some special ice cream cone baking racks on Amazon which make baking, frosting, transporting and displaying these treats a breeze!

There are no special steps you need to take when actually baking these, you just treat the ice cream cones as you would any cupcake liner! Make your favorite cake batter, pour it into the cones about 3/4 of the way and bake as you normally would.

When cool, simply frost your favorite frosting on top and decorate with sprinkles! I added a little cinnamon candy on top to act as a cherry, although you could probably do a real cherry on top as well if you like! These are so simple to make and you can customize them for any occasion or holiday by switching out the sprinkles and color of frosting. We plan on making red frosted ice cream cone cupcakes with heart sprinkles for Valentines Day! I may even get pink cones as well.

New Year's Eve Countdown Tree for Kids!

While it's nice to go out with your significant other on New Years Eve, sometimes it's nice to stay home with the kids. Afterall, they are only little for a short amount of time. This year we decided to do just that...stay home for New Years and I have to admit...I am giddy with excitement! I wanted to do something special for the kids but did not have time to run out to the party store for silver and gold decorations. The solution? Leftover pink balloons and streamers from the girls' birthday parties combined with some horns and party hats I picked up at Walgreens on my lunch break.

I wanted to make it look festive so naturally the Christmas Tree came to mind. Within a few minutes our Christmas Tree was transformed into a New Years Tree and I have to admit...I am totally in love with the results! This may be the start of a new tradition for our family as the kids woke up so excited to see the tree.

They were even more excited when I told them that they get to POP the balloons at each designated time to see what activity we are going to do! You can make as many balloons as you like, one for each hour or just a handful. I figured a handful of balloons would be enough for us this year, I want to also relax and enjoy each others company. Here is what our schedule looks like. I have 3 little girls so obviously customize the activities to go along with what your kids are interested in.

11am- They find out they are going to our local ice skating rink for a fun NYE ice skating event. That will take up the majority of our afternoon, then I accounted for time for lunch, errands and naps.
3pm- Baking New Years Eve cupcakes!
5pm- Movie time, their choice.
6pm- Order pizza
7pm- Make Cotton Candy
9pm- Sparklers
10pm- Sparkly Bracelet Craft
11pm- Get ready to bring in the New Year!

S'mores Bites

This has become a serious family favorite, requested a many family gatherings. The great thing? It's only a handful of ingredients! It also looks a lot more impressive than it actually is which is always a huge plus.

Ingredients
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
12 Marshmallows
4-5 Hershey bars
Mini cupcake pan (24 count total)

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease pan with non-stick spray
2) In a medium size bowl mix graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and butter with a spoon
3) Evenly distribute mixture to the 24 mini cupcake cups. You can press along the sides and bottom to make a “cup”.....but the easier thing to do is to take a long thin shot glass if you have one and use that. It does the work for you, amazing little hack I learned to do after making these dozens of times.
4) Pop the graham cracker crust in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Do not over bake, time yourself!
5) While your crusts are baking,  cut 12 large marshmallows in half.
6) Remove the pan from the oven and place two sections of a Hershey bar in the graham cracker cup and cover with 1/2 of marshmallow (cut side facing down)
7) Pop these babies back in the oven for a minute or two, depents on how brown you want the marshmallow. Don't multitask, stay by the oven as you don't want these to burn!
8) Optional: Take any leftover chocolate that you and your kids have not eaten and put in a glass. Pop it in the microwave for a few seconds and then drizzle over your smores bites! Sprinkles are a fun touch too if you have them on hand. Everything tastes better with sprinkles for kids doesn't it?
9) Let cool for one hour and then use a toothpick to pop these beauties right out!

Life has been crazy the last few months. With 3 little girls and a full time job, there has not been much time to blog. However, that doesn't mean that we haven't been coming up with new recipes and cooking! Looking forward to getting back into blogging and sharing a lot of the recipes we have added to our rotation!

Simple Zesty Three-Bean Salad

A perfect side dish for all the picnics and BBQs you will have coming up!

Ingredients
2 cups frozen soybeans aka edamame
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed
1 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt


Directions
1) Cook soybeans according to package. Drain and rinse wiht cold water
2) In a large bowl combine beans, onion and cilantro.
3) Wisk oil, lime juice and salt together in small bowl.
4) Pour oil mixture over beans and toss to coat. Cover bown and refrigerate. Stir well before serving.

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients
10 ounces pasta
1/2 cup butter
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 egg yolk
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 pound chicken cooked

Directions
1)Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fettucine pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain.
2)In a large skillet melt the butter and add the chopped garlic. Cook on low for about 5 minutes and stir often to make sure the garlic does not burn.
3)Pour about a 1/4 cup of the heavy cream into a small bowl. Add the egg yolk, beat together and put aside. Pour the remaining cream into the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. As the cream starts to boil, mix rapidly using a whisk. Slowly add the cream/egg mixture so the egg does not curdle. Continue whisking until well blended.
4)Add 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese and continue to mix the cream. Pour in the remaining Parmesan and the parsley, mix until smooth. Add in chicken and stir. Immediately remove from stove and serve over cooked pasta. Bon appetite!

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) package egg noodles
1 pound ground beef
1 (10.75 ounce) can fat free condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1)Prepare the egg noodles according to package directions and set aside.
2)In large skillet over medium heat, saute the ground beef over for 5 to 10 minutes until browned. Drain the fat. Add the soup and garlic powder and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3)Remove from heat and combine the mixture with the egg noodles. Add the sour cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir well and serve.

Italian Pasta Salad

Ingredients
1 small package tri-colored Rotini
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 cup diced salami
1 can olives, sliced
1 cucumber peeled, seeded and diced
1 package fresh mozzarella in water
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic
6 tablespoon Basil diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1) Bring large pot of water to a rolling boil. Boil rotini until just cooked, approximately 10 minutes. Drain and wash with cold water.
2) In a small bowl, prepare dressing. Combine olive oil, pressed garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
3) Add drained rotini into a large bowl. Add in all the all other ingredients and toss everything with dressing.

Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients
5 eggs
1 package Pillsbury crescent rolls
1/4 cup milk
1 cup hash browns, precooked
1 cup breakfast sausage, precooked
1 cup shredded cheese

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Beat eggs and milk together, set aside.
3) Press one package of Pillsbury crescent rolls into a pie dish. Top with hash-browns, crumbled breakfast sausage and shredded cheese. You can also add in chopped onion, diced bell pepper, diced tomato, fresh herbs, salt, black pepper and/or anything else you would like on your breakfast pizza.
4). Pour egg mixture evenly over pizza. Bake in oven about 30 minutes or until done. Check often to avoid burning.
5) Serve immediately. Tastes great on its own or topped with sour cream, salsa or fresh herbs.

Yummy BLT Dip

Ingredients
1 package bacon
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 ripe tomato, diced
Bread or chips

Directions
1) Fry the bacon until crisp. Drain well on paper towels. Crumble the bacon after it has cooled.
2) Combine the bacon with tomato, sour cream and mayonnaise in serving bowl.
3) Serve on with toast (cut each slice into 4 pieces) or chips.

Fajita Style Quesadillas

Ingredients
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cooked and diced
1 packet fajita seasoning
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the green bell peppers, red bell peppers, onion, chicken and fajita seasoning (read fajita seasoning packet to see if you need to add in some water). Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened.
3) Layer half of each tortilla with the chicken and vegetable mixture, then sprinkle with the cheese. Fold the tortillas in half and Place onto a baking sheet.
4) Bake quesadillas in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheeses have melted.

Easy Kolaczki

I grew up eating kolaczki. Although these aren't quite like my grandmothers...they are pretty darn good and a LOT easier to make.

Ingredients
1 pint vanilla ice cream
2 cups butter
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fruit preserves, any flavor

Directions
1) Add flour to butter or margarine and crumble in pastry blender. Add ice cream to crumbled mixture and, using dough hooks, work into dough. (If you don't have dough hooks, you can use your hands. Rubber gloves are recommended because the mixture is extremely cold.)
2) When dough is smooth, shape into ball and refrigerate overnight.
3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4) Roll dough to about 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface. Using the rim of a glass dipped in flour, cut out circles. Place on a cookie sheet and make a thumbprint in center of each. Fill thumbprints with 1/2 teaspoon fruit filling.
5) Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar when cool.