Friday, December 30, 2011

6 Banana Pudding Pie

How about those Baylor Bears??? We watched a pretty amazing game last night that only solidified that RGIII was the correct pick for the Heisman trophy this year!
I have another pie to share with you today!
Family and friends loved this Banana Pudding Pie and the presentation looks almost as good as it tastes!
I hope you have a fabulous New Years Eve!
Banana Pudding Pie
  • Vanilla Wafer Crust (recipe below)
  • Vanilla Pudding (recipe below)
  • Whipped Cream (recipe below)
  • 3-4 medium bananas, cut into slices
  • 20 vanilla wafers plus more for decoration (I used mini vanilla wafers)
Vanilla Wafer Crust:
  • 2 1/2 cups (about 30) crushed vanilla wafers (I used two boxes of vanilla wafers for the whole pie)
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
Vanilla Pudding:
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Whipped Cream:
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
For the crust:
In a medium bowl, stir together crushed vanilla wafers and butter until blended. Firmly press on bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool 30 minutes or until completely cool.
For the pudding: Whisk together sugar, flour, eggs, yolks and milk in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, 10-12 minutes or until it reaches the thickness of chilled pudding. (Mixture will just begin to bubble and will be thick enough to hold soft peaks when whisk is lifted. It must be thick and slightly bubbly to set up properly!) Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.
Transfer to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap, making sure to press the plastic directly on top of the custard so it doesn't get a "skin" on it. Refrigerate til completely cool. (Can be made up to a day in advance.)
Whipped Cream: In a medium bowl, whip cream on medium high speed til soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat til thick and stiff. Don't overbeat or you'll have butter!
Assembly: Arrange half of the banana slices evenly over bottom of cooled crust. Spread 1/3 of cooled pudding over bananas, then layer with 20 vanilla wafers. Spread 1/3 more pudding over vanilla wafers, then add the remainder of the banana slices and cover them with the last of the pudding. Spread the whipped cream over the entire pie and decorate with more vanilla wafers if desired.
The layers from the bottom up should be: vanilla wafer crust, bananas, pudding, vanilla wafers, pudding, bananas, pudding, whipped cream
Refrigerate at least for 4 hours. Overnight is best. Consume within 2 days.
NOTE: It's best to prepare the pudding in advance to allow it to chill properly.
Lick the Bowl Clean
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Thursday, December 29, 2011

3 Turtle Pumpkin Pie

Christmas at our house was wonderful! :-) 
From the candle light service at church to having our family all together (including the (almost) newest member, Rebecca and my 90 year old Gigi), I would say the theme of my Christmas was thankfulness. HE has truly blessed us this year!  
Our menu included:
Sugared Pecans
Assortment of cheese and crackers
*
Candied Walnut Salad with spinach, romaine, craisins, apples, and blue cheese
*
Potato Gratin with Rosemary Crust
Grandpa's dressing
Cranberry Sauce
Houston's Junior League Green Bean Casserole
*
Turtle Pumpkin Pie,
Banana Pudding Pie

Today, I am going to share the Turtle Pumpkin Pie with you!
Turtle Pumpkin Pie
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. caramel ice cream topping, divided
1   HONEY MAID Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.)
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. chopped PLANTERS Pecans, divided
2 pkg.  (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup cold milk
1 cup  canned pumpkin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp.  ground nutmeg
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
POUR 1/4 cup caramel topping into crust; sprinkle with 1/2 cup nuts.
BEAT next 5 ingredients in large bowl with whisk until well blended. Stir in 1-1/2 cups COOL WHIP; spoon into crust.
REFRIGERATE 1 hour. Top with remaining COOL WHIP, caramel topping and nuts just before serving. 

Kraft
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Thursday, December 22, 2011

5 Tomato Basil Short Ribs

While shopping yesterday afternoon, I ran into La Madeline thinking I would just grab some soup for dinner and move on. . .and then I found this recipe, so of course, I went straight to the grocery store, and consequently, my meat and potatoes man was in heaven last night when he walked in the door! :-)
Tomato Basil Short Ribs
Servings: 4
1 jar (16 oz) reduced-fat tomato basil soup
6 beef short ribs, trimmed of fat
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups onion, diced
4 cups celery, largely diced
2 carrots, peeled and largely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bottle dry red wine (750 ml)
2 springs fresh rosemary
4 cups beef broth
1 leek, cleaned and largely diced, white part only
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place short ribs on a pan; sprinkle all sides with sea salt and pepper
Bake ribs in oven for 10-15 minutes to sear, ribs should be browned on all sides
Remove ribs from the oven and reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees
Over medium heat, heat olive oil in a LARGE (seriously, the biggest pot you have. . .think Le Crueset dutch oven) covered pot, once the oil is hot add the leeks, onions, celery and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally
Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes
Add wine, bring to a boil and cook over medium-high heat until the wine is reduced by half
Add rosemary to the pot, place the seared ribs on top of the vegetables and add beef stock and reduced fat tomato basil soup, bring liquid to a simmer.
Place in oven and bake for 2 hours or until the meat is very tender
Discard the herbs, skim the fat from the top of the sauce and heat ribs over medium heat for 10 minutes or until hot enough to serve (I skipped this step)
La Madeline
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Friday, December 16, 2011

5 Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

I literally made this Blueberry Breakfast Cake three times last week! 
 And men, women, and children all raved about! :-) 
My kitchen has been busy! From holiday parties and cookie exchanges to dessert 'bake off's' and gifts for friends, it the time of year when I need 4 ovens and 3 dishwashers! :-) 
I hope you have a very merry weekend before Christmas! :-) 

Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake
Serves 6-8
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon
7/8 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup buttermilk
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
3. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour in a second bowl.
4. Whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt in third bowl. 
3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.
4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
Alexandra's Kitchen
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Sunday, December 11, 2011

5 Ranger Cookies

Nate's favorite cookies are Ranger cookies.
So a couple weeks ago, he came home from work to "just out of the oven," warm Ranger cookies.
I love making him smile! :-)
Ranger Cookies
1 c. shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup coconut
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together shortening, sugars, and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time and blend until smooth.
In another bowl, whisk together flour, soda, baking powder, and salt the add to creamed mixture.
Stir in rolled oats, Rice Krispies, and  coconut until well blended. Dough will be crumbly.
Shape into walnut sized balls or use a cookie scoop and bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 350 degrees
Real Mom Kitchen
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Sunday, December 4, 2011

3 Family

A couple weekends ago, spontaneously, my dad, Gus, and I went fishing near Galveston 
(which really means my dad went fishing and Gus and I played and took pictures)
Memories like these last a lifetime
Thanksgiving was special. My Gigi is 90 so I don't know how many more holidays we have with her (she is so spunky, we could have 15 more) but I am cherishing each one that we spend together.
We lounged 
I baked 
and, of course, there was football and hunting involved! 
This time of year can be stressful, crazy, and busy. . . but to me, it is perfect. 
My parents live a couple blocks from us, Clark and Rebecca are moving in next door, and Parker and Emily live a short 5 minute drive away.
And what is so incredible, is that I think Nate loves being so close to my family more than I do! 
He is such a blessing to me!
Today, I am just marveling how God has chosen such perfect spouses for each of us.
 HE is good, all the time! :-)
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Saturday, December 3, 2011

2 Pumpkin Pecan Pie

In case you missed my guest post at Just lovely Things
I wanted to share a pie that you probably haven't had before! 
This Pumpkin Pecan Pie combines two amazing desserts into one delicious piece! :-) 
Not only is this pie wonderful, this is an easy dessert that you can make 
the day before Christmas and serve cold! Enjoy!
Pumpkin Pecan Pie
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 15 ounce can pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark-colored corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 unbaked 9-inch piecrust
1 cup chopped pecans 
Whipped cream (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
In a medium mixing bowl combine the eggs, pumpkin, sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon; mix well. Pour into the piecrust. Sprinkle with the pecans. 
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a knife inserted off center comes out clean. 
Cool on wire rack. Refrigerate within 2 hours; cover for longer storage. 
If desired, serve with whipped cream. Makes 8 servings
 Better Home and Gardens  
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Sunday, November 27, 2011

5 Libby's Pumpkin Roll

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving! 
Here is a beautiful dessert for any fall table!
Libby's Pumpkin Roll
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)

PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle towel with powdered sugar.
COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.
BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.
BEAT cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.
Libby's
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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

0 Guest Blogging: Pumpkin Pecan PIE! :-)

I'm guest blogging today over at Just Love.ly Things! :-) Go check out a perfect dessert for tomorrow! :-) 
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  
(I am thankful for each of you!)

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Thursday, November 17, 2011

12 Guest Post: Ten Things I’ve Learned in the First Year of Marriage

My sweet sister in law, Emily, is guest blogging today and sharing reflections of her first year of marriage (and is sharing a pretty amazing dessert!) I picked some of my favorite pictures to include with her post! Enjoy! 

Ten Things I’ve Learned in the First Year of Marriage
            One year ago, my husband Parker (Elizabeth’s brother) and I were walking down the aisle into the world of marriage.  He was my dream come true, my knight in shining armor, more special than I could ever have imagined my husband to be. Our pre-marriage counselor warned us against picturing marriage as a fairytale romance where everything goes smoothly.  As wonderful as the first year has been, we have both needed lots of grace along this journey.  Many of you reading this post may be in different stages of life- single, divorced, married many years, or engaged.  I hope this is insightful for whatever phase of life you are in. Here goes!
1.      1. Marriage is like a mirror. There is no greater reflection of your good, bad, and ugly sides than marriage. My husband sees me at my best… and at my worst. God gently shows us areas that need refinement through our marriage. 
2.      2. We must spend time together for our relationship to grow. One of the best pieces of advice came from my sister Lauren who challenged us during our first year of marriage not to commit to a million different activities. As my husband and I both are recovering over-committers, this was difficult. But it truly paid off. If nothing else, we have committed to one date night per week. This can be as simple as taking a long walk together. 
3.      3. Men have selective hearing… especially when ESPN is within sight.
4.      4. There is an art to arguing. My husband could have made a great lawyer. He gets energized from discussing different facets of a case. I, on the other hand, shut down when conflict arises. We have learned to meet each other’s needs in this part of marriage. Over time, he has learned to be a better listener, and I a better communicator.
5.    5. My husband and I have very different shopping strategies. He likes to “hunt” for clothes. He has a specific want, sees it, targets it, goes for the kill, and runs away with his prize. I, on the contrary, am a “gatherer.” I look online at many different options, then go to the store and browse prices and styles. I will try on 10 different items, buy 3 and take back 2 after taking them home and deciding they either don’t look that good or aren’t cost-effective.
6.      6. Men love to be respected. This may look different for each man. For my man, this means verbal affirmation. I cannot tell him enough how much I think of him and how much he means to me.
7.      7. God is faithful. With all of our uncertainties of how our first year would go, he has been faithful in softening us in conflict and reflecting who he is. He sustains our marriage even when we don’t. 
8.      8. Men like things simple. Period.
9.     9. My obedience to God in being a good wife to Parker cannot depend on his actions. This is a hard concept to grasp as we often want to react to our spouse’s actions, good or bad. Christ’s love for us is unconditional and he gave us grace when we did not deserve it; therefore, I have the freedom to do the same.
10 10. The way to a man’s heart really is through his stomach… which leads me to one of my hubby’s favorite desserts. I made this two Thanksgivings ago and it has become a family favorite. 
Double-Apple Pie with Cornmeal Crust and Brandy-Caramel Sauce
From Southern Living Recipes
Cornmeal Crust Dough
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plain yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup chilled shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
8 to 10 Tbsp. chilled apple cider
1. Stir together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Cut butter and shortening into flour mixture with a pastry blender until mixture resembles small peas. Mound mixture on 1 side of bowl.
2. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. apple cider along edge of mixture in bowl. Using a fork, gently toss a small amount of flour mixture into cider just until dry ingredients are moistened; move mixture to other side of bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining cider and flour mixture.
3. Gently gather dough into two flat disks. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill 1 to 24 hours.
Double Apple Pie
2 1/4 pounds Granny Smith apples
2 1/4 pounds Braeburn apples
1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
2 tablespoons apple jelly
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup sugar
Wax paper
3 tablespoons sugar 
1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces 
1 teaspoon sugar 
1. Preheat oven to 425°. Peel and core apples; cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Place apples in a large bowl. Stir in next 7 ingredients. Let stand 30 minutes, gently stirring occasionally.
2. Place 1 Cornmeal Crust Dough disk on a lightly floured piece of wax paper; sprinkle dough lightly with flour. Top with another sheet of wax paper. Roll dough to about 1/8-inch thickness (about 11 inches wide).
3. Remove and discard top sheet of wax paper. Starting at 1 edge of dough, wrap dough around rolling pin, separating dough from bottom sheet of wax paper as you roll. Discard bottom sheet of wax paper. Place rolling pin over a 9-inch glass pie plate, and unroll dough over pie plate. Gently press dough into pie plate.
4. Stir apple mixture; reserve 1 Tbsp. juices. Spoon apples into crust, packing tightly and mounding in center. Pour remaining juices in bowl over apples. Sprinkle apples with 3 Tbsp. sugar; dot with butter.
5. Roll remaining Cornmeal Crust Dough disk as directed in Step 2, rolling dough to about 1/8-inch thickness (13 inches wide). Remove and discard wax paper, and place dough over filling; fold edges under, sealing to bottom crust, and crimp. Brush top of pie, excluding fluted edges, lightly with reserved 1 Tbsp. juices from apples; sprinkle with 1 tsp. sugar. Place pie on a jelly-roll pan. Cut 4 to 5 slits in top of pie for steam to escape.
6. Bake at 425° on lower oven rack 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°; transfer pie to middle oven rack, and bake 35 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning, and bake 30 more minutes or until juices are thick and bubbly, crust is golden brown, and apples are tender when pierced with a long wooden pick through slits in crust. Remove to a wire rack. Cool 1 1/2 to 2 hours before serving. Serve with Brandy-Caramel Sauce.
Brandy Caramel Sauce
1 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar 
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons brandy*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
Bring whipping cream to a light boil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add sugar, and cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in butter, brandy, and vanilla. Let cool 10 minutes.
*Apple cider may be substituted.
Note: To make ahead, prepare recipe as directed. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 week. To reheat, let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Place mixture in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave at HIGH 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds.
Southern Living
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Sunday, November 6, 2011

7 Heath Bar Cake and a giveaway!

I saw this Heath Bar Cake on Harvest Home a while ago and this weekend provided the perfect opportunity to try out a new dessert!! Everyone loved it, and I loved how easy it was since I was pressed for time! ;-)
(I am giving away an Emile Henry Pie Dish on Facebook! The giveaway ends Thursday at midnight!)
(if you missed sweet Nate's guest post, read it here)
Heath Bar Cake 
1 pkg. German Chocolate cake mix
1 can Eagle Brand Milk
1 jar Hot Fudge Sundae Sauce, heated
6 Heath Bars, crushed
1 8 oz. Cool Whip
Prepare cake mix according to package.  Bake in a 9x13 pan.  Let cool 10 minutes. Poke holes over entire cake.  Pour condensed milk into all holes and then top with heated fudge sauce.  Make sure fudge gets into all the holes. Cool completely. Spread Cool Whip on top and then sprinkle Heath Bars over the entire cake.  
Harvest Home 
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Saturday, November 5, 2011

8 Guest Post from NATE!

My sweet wife has asked me to write a post on her blog for a while now. 
I reluctantly agreed to do so, not wanting to mess her blog up, so forgive me if this stinks. (Stay with me here and try to stay awake)  
Obviously, my sweet wife loves to cook. I love to eat, so it works! Every road trip I go on whether it's a hunting trip, business, etc I can count on a box of homemade, from SCRATCH goodies she has made for me. My friends or colleagues have grown accustom to this tradition and have even started to make requests! 
Now, I will tell you that when we first met, Elizabeth wasn't quite so comfortable in the kitchen. She really liked to cook and strived to perfect the art. I helped a little along the way, only playing the roll of tester and an honest opinion giver. I don't have to tell you those are treturous waters to be in. These days, it's not so tough. She legally has to stick around so I'm not AS scared to offer up my honest assessment. Little to none of that is necessary anymore, thank you Jesus. She does like to try new cook new stuff, stuff that I've never had before.
99% of the time it's awesome. Though, I'm kind of a traditional guy. You know, meat, potatoes, and chocolate chip cookies. What is better than coming home from work to the aroma of chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven, and find your cute wife slinging flour and sugar around in the kitchen? Coming home to her is enough, but homemade cookies too, eat your heart out fellas. 
Now, let me say this, anything with cream cheese icing is HARD to beat. 
Cake, cookies, pumpkin bread, I could go on a while on that topic. Cream cheese icing makes all these good things great! 
Now, she's asked me to include a recipe on here. For that, I have something simple and sweet in mind.
A bag of teddy grahams, a jar of cream cheese icing and a gallon of milk is hard to beat. 
Thanks for putting up with my errant ramblings everyone. Happy cooking. 
Love ya, Honey.
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Sunday, October 30, 2011

3 The Highlight of my Weekend. . .

This weekend involved lots of Starbucks runs, jewelry, a sweet late night conversation with my precious sister-in-law, an early morning volleyball tournament with a friend I'm so thankful to work with, catching up with a dear one on a long walk in the beautiful weather, a surprise birthday party that was incredible, more Starbucks, hugs from kindred spirits, rejoicing in the Lord, cuddling with three puppies, holding twin girls, a Halloween party, playing baseball, and being thankful for Nate!
 (I was a MHS senior girl! Northface jacket, Nike shorts, and tall Uggs!)
But the highlight of my weekend. . . was hanging out with this guy. . .
we are kind of in love. . . (or at least I am absolutely in love with him)
Now imagine that this little one, just 2 months ago, was in an orphanage in Bulgaria; without a mommy and a daddy. . . 
To say that he has thrived these past two months in his 'forever' home would be an absolute understatement. 
Is God tugging on your heart to adopt and change a child's life forever?? If so, email me. . . I have numerous people I could put you in contact with. . .
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Thursday, October 27, 2011

3 Smiling!

Remember my Stella and Dot giveaway?
Well look what the winner, Heather from Pirates and Princesses, wore while she was hosting ciLiving in Central Illinois! Watch her clip here
THEN, today, she blessed me with THIS!!!! The Pumpkin Fluff Dip is FAMOUS! ;-) 
Don't forget to check out Casey's Followers Fest! I've already found a million great recipes and holiday ideas! :-) 

Photobucket

I hope you have a lovely weekend!
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Monday, October 24, 2011

8 Incredibly Moist Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This weekend, Nate went hunting and I spent amazing time with sweet girlfriends! Whenever Nate goes hunting, I send him with some goodies. . . and this weekend was no exception! I decided to send the cake I made for him in a 13x9 tin
because I didn't think this beautifulness would make it up the bumpy gravel road! :-)
I hope you had a lovely weekend! 

Incredibly Moist Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
1 box (1 lb 2.25 oz) Betty Crocker Super Moist spice cake mix
2/3 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sour cream
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
5 cups powdered sugar
Heat oven to 350 degrees (325 for dark or nonstick pans). Spray bottoms only of three 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray with flour. In large bowl, beat cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until moistened, then on high speed 2 minutes. Divide batter equally among pans. Bake 24 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until smooth. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until frosting reaches desired spreading consistency. Place 1 cake layer, rounded side down, on serving plate; spread about 3/4 cup frosting over top to within about 1/4 inch of edge. Top with second cake layer, rounded side up; spread with 3/4 cup frosting. Top with third layer, rounded side up. Spread thin layer of frosting on side of cake. Spread remaining frosting on side and top of cake. Store covered in refrigerator
Betty Crocker
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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

2 Berry Puff Pancake

I made this Berry Puff Pancake months ago when I first saw it on Val So Cal and I cannot believe I have not shared it with you yet! Simple, piles of fruit, and oh, so, delicious, it is a perfect item to add to any brunch menu! 
Berry Puff Pancake
      1 tablespoon butter
      3 eggs
      3/4 cup milk
      3/4 cup all-purpose flour
      1/2 teaspoon salt
      I cup fresh blackberries or raspberries
      1 cup fresh blueberries
      1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
      1/3 cup orange marmalade
      2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
      1) Place the butter in a 9-inch pie plate,  place in a 400 degree oven for 4-5 minutes
      or until melted. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the eggs and milk. In another
      small bowl, combine the flour and salt, whisk in egg mixture until smooth.
      2) Pour into prepared pie plate. bake for 15-20 minutes or until sides are crisp and
      golden brown.
      3) In a large bowl, gently combine the berries and the marmalade. Fill berries in
      the pancake and sprinkle with confectioners sugar, Serve immediately.
Val So Cal
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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

9 Egg in a Hole

It is no secret how much Nate and I love breakfast for dinner. So when I saw the Pioneer Woman make "Eggs in a Hole" on her show a couple weeks ago, I knew that they would be a new staple in our house!
Egg in a Hole
1 slice of your favorite kind of bread 
1 tablespoon butter
1 egg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
With a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass, press a hole in the center of the slice of bread. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat and melt in the butter. When the butter is all spread out, place the piece of bread in the skillet and crack the egg straight into the center of the hole. Cook until the egg sets a bit on the bottom, 30 to 45 seconds. Sprinkle the egg with salt and pepper. After about a minute, flip it over with a spatula and salt and pepper the other side. Move the whole piece of toast around the skillet, soaking up all of the butter. Let it cook until the yolk feels soft.
Pioneer Woman 
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Monday, October 17, 2011

4 Very Hungry Caterpillar Cake

When I catered a birthday brunch for a friend, this cake was one of the first things requested!!
I think it is one of the most perfect cake for a child's birthday party! Each child could take a cupcake and the head could be the "smash cake!"  :-)
Very Hungry Caterpillar Cake
2 boxes of white cake and the ingredients on the box
2 large containers of white icing
Green and red food coloring
Black Gel Icing 
I made the head in a 6"x 2"cheesecake pan (I found at Sur La Table)
Make the cupcakes and head of the caterpillar. Using the food coloring dye the icing red and green. Ice cupcakes and the head of the caterpillar. Draw eyes and a mouth and assemble! :-)
Idea from Pinterest and Coco Cupcakes
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Friday, October 14, 2011

4 Guest Blogging and A Winner!

I am Guest Blogging on Faith Blogs today!



And the winner of the Barn Owl Primitives Giveaway is. . .Katie from The Dotson Adventure!
Happy Friday! Have a lovely weekend! 
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