Cookie Day

So, today we (my bestie and my baby girl) made cookies. We had a great time. I just want to say that I have finally found the BEST royal icing recipe EVER! I'll give you the recipe, and insert a few cute pictures for the heck of it.

Royal Icing

1 cup of Confectioner's Sugar

1 teaspoon of milk

1/4 teaspoon of almond extract

1 teaspoon of kayro syurp

Add your food coloring after this and then mix it well. You may have to add some milk to get it to the consistency that you like (I always do)... but this recipe is fantastic! The almond extract makes the taste unbelievable, and the kayro syrup makes the icing shiny. Have fun!

 playing with the dough. 

 cookies after we iced them with the Royal icing. Ready to decorate!

So much fun! 

Finished products! 

 mmm... taste tested, kid approved!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ok, this one you will find me personally and thank me for. It is so rich and creamy... mmmm....

Ingredients:
1 medium onion thinly sliced
1 stick of butter
1 quart of Half n Half
1 family sized can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 lb Vleveeta Cheese (cut into small cubes)
2 pounds of  broccoli (steamed)
Salt n Pepper

Saute the onion in the stick of butter until they are cooked and almost clear. Add half n half, soup, cheese, broccoli, salt and pepper. Cook on Medium heat for 20-30 mins, stirring frequently so the cheese melts completely.. Careful not to cook it too fast, or it will burn.

Serve and enjoy.

Try it and let me know what you think!

Cake Ballin'

Alright.. This is my first adventure through the lovely world of Cake Balls. These little gems are amazing!! So, without any further delay....I introduce to you: 

CAKE BALLS! 

First, choose your poison. Whatever cake mix and icing you choose. For this recipe, I used a white cake mix with Whipped Vanilla frosting. 

Step 1: Bake your cake and let it cool for about 20 minutes. 

Step 2: Crumble that sucker up into a fine mess! 

Step 3: Add about 3/4 of your chosen icing into the cake and mix it up really good. The best way to do this is with your hands. Yes! Get alllll gooey. It should have the consistency of play-dough when you're done.

Then, stick it in the freezer for a minimum of 30 mins or so. 

Step 4: Melt some candy pieces. Whatever color/flavor you want. Here, I used pure white/vanilla flavor. I also used some pink colored. 

Step 5: Take a tablespoon and dip out a nice amount of cake, then roll it into a ball and place it on a wax lined plate or pan. 

Dip your lollipop stick into the melted candy and then poke it into the cake balls (about halfway through). 

Put them in the freezer for a couple of hours, or overnight if you need to. 

When you're ready, just dip the cake balls into some melted candy and let the excess drip off. Then, quickly add your choice of sprinkles...and taaa-daaa! Cake Balls!

Just a few tips: 

*Be careful with the sticks, you don't want to be too rough with them, they may come out of the cake ball if you aren't careful. 

*You are going to have to act quickly to add the sprinkles/decorations once you coat them. Since they've been in the freezer, the candy coating is going to dry fairly quickly.

*While you're rolling the balls out, if the mixture becomes too sticky, put it back into the freezer for a few minutes. 

and, have FUN! 

This is a great time to get your kids in the kitchen. 

You can't go wrong here. 

Enjoy! :)

White Chocolate Cran-Blueberry Cookies

Well. Let me just tell you. I can come up with the craziest combinations..but this one is so rich, you'll be livin' like a Rockstar!

This batter recipe is amazing! You could add whatever you want into the batter..I just wanted something a little different. Plus, my child thought she would like these Craisins (Blueberry flavored) when she saw them in the store. hahahahaa.. yeah. 

She hasn't touched them! So, here we are.. let's get this going. 

Ingredients:

1 cup of softened butter

1 cup of white sugar

1 cup of packed brown sugar

2 Eggs

2 teaspoons of Vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of baking soda

2 teaspoons of hot water

1/2 teaspoon of salt

3 cups of all-purpose flour

2 cups white chocolate chips

1 cup Blueberry flavored Craisins

Directions:

Soften butter and cream with white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time then Vanilla extract. Now, take the hot water and baking soda..and dissolve the soda in the water. Add that mixture into the batter along with the salt. Mix it all up really good. Add the flour and mix. Stir in white chocolate chips and Craisins (or whatever you want to substitute here..I highly suggest you try this recipe first..you won't believe the flavors).

Drop by spoon fulls onto a cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes on 350. 

Of course, once the batter is made, you have to have some of this:

and a little of this:

and don't forget a whole lot of this:

Enjoy! :) 

I almost forgot the secret ingredient: lots of laughs and love! 

Banana Muffins

Ok. I did this on a whim. It was soooo worth it! Just make sure you have milk available! You're gonna want to eat these warm and with a big glass of cold milk!

Ingredients:

2-3 Ripe Bananas

1/3 Cup of Melted Butter

1 cup Sugar

1 Egg (beaten)

1 tsp Vanilla Flavoring

1 tsp Baking Soda

Pinch of Salt

1 1/2 Cups of All-Purpose Flour

No mixer is needed. Get out your favorite wooden spoon and preheat your oven to 350.

Mush up bananas and melted butter

Add vanilla, egg and sugar. Mix again. 

Once that's mixed, add baking soda and a pinch of salt. 

Once alllll of that is mixed, add your flour. 

At this point, you could add half a cup of your favorite chopped nuts. 

I just like mine without them (and, I didn't have any in the pantry). 

Butter a muffin pan (or spray with Baker's Joy) and fill cups half way

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes..and waaaaa laaaaaa!

Ok, so they aren't pretty.. but DANG THEY'RE GOOD! 

Insert drool here. 

Garlic Lemon Chicken Kabobs

 *I made these the other night.. and they were awesome!! I did buy a can of pineapple chunks and I alternated chicken and pineapple. AMAZING! 

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch pieces

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.

Prepare a medium fire in a grill. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 20 minutes before use.

Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers and discard the excess marinade. Lightly oil the grill grates. Place the kabobs on the grill, cover, and cook until the chicken is opaque throughout, about 8-12 minutes, turning once or twice during cooking. Transfer to a warmed platter and serve immediately.

Taco Soup

Ok. I know everyone has their own Taco Soup recipe, and I have tried several! But this one takes the gold medal for me. I made it for my Halloween party this past year and I should have made a double batch of it. People LOVED it!

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef

1 package taco seasoning mix

1 1/2 cups water

1 can mild chili beans

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 (10oz) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers (Rotel)

1 (4oz) can chopped green chilies

1 package ranch salad dressing mix

Directions
In a large pot, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add taco seasoning and mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

You can serve tortilla chips on the side with shredded cheese and sour cream, maybe some black olives.. Or.. just eat it with crackers like we do! It's awesome!