Twin Mommas

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T22:31:00.000-05:00

I hope you've all had a lovely Valentine's Day!

We started the day with some of The Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls, which I shaped into hearts. They were delicious, and I now have a few pans waiting in the freezer for a quick scrumptious future breakfast.

I also made some Cinnamon Caramels which were so good! I seriously can't stop eating them. I was a little skeptical because I've never made candy like this before and started to get impatient when the mixture seemed to take forever to reach 240°. It was definitely worth the wait as I love the flavor and the deep red color. I wrapped several up in wax paper and gave them to a few of Luke's friends (along with a Valentine and candy coated popcorn).

Yesterday I also made a Valentine treat: Red Hot Oreo Fudge. I was very intrigued with the Red Hot fudge layer and was excited about the addition of Oreos to the bottom layer. It was a nice change and definitely pretty!

To add a little festive touch to our decor, I also made a photo heart banner to hang on the fireplace. I love the heart shadows it puts on the fireplace and I really love seeing my little guy's big smile!

Luke didn't nap today, so he crashed super early. As I'm sitting here with a nice glass of red wine (happy Valentine's Day to me!) catching up on my DVR'd shows, I'm not complaining. Now I'm going to attempt to make macarons for the first time. Wish me luck! :)

Luke's Valentine's Day shirt

2012-02-12T20:49:00.000-05:00

I teach a college computer course. The second week of classes, we discuss digital technology. You know, all about bits and bytes and binary and such? We actually spend quite a bit of the class session converting text to binary and vice versa, so I obviously thought that this idea was brilliant! I saw it last year, but had already made Luke's Valentine shirt, so I filed the idea away to make this year. Here's my version!

I used this link to convert "i like smart girls" to "011010010010000001101100011010010110101101100101001000000111001101101101011000010111001001110100001000000110011101101001011100100110110001110011". I then designed the heart in Word, traced it with Sure Cuts a lot, and cut it out of heat transfer vinyl with my Cricut. Luke loves his Valentine shirt. I also made and sent Nick this shirt so hopefully he likes it too!

Next year, when Luke's outgrown this shirt, I'll use it as a visual aid during class. Perfect! :)

Red Velvet Cheese Ball - Valentine's Dessert!

2012-02-12T10:02:00.001-05:00

Here's another Red Velvet dessert to add to the dessert and list Jen posted yesterday. In fact, I hijacked this dessert from Jen's "Dessert...my fav!" Pinterest board and made it before she could get a chance. I made this Red Velvet Cheese Ball for a SuperBowl party, but it would make the perfect Valentine's Day dessert as well.

It's so good! My friend, Jenn, a lover of cake pops, said it reminded her of the cake pop filling. And you know what, it does! It's a smooth, rich, red velvet concoction that goes perfectly with Nilla Wafers. It is extremely easy to make too, just throw everything into the bowl and mix it up. The hardest part is waiting the two hours for it to firmen up in the refrigerator. You should make this this week - I think your Valentine will love it!

Red Velvet Cheese Ball

Source: Taste and Tell

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups red velvet cake mix, dry
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Assorted cookies and crackers
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add in the red velvet cake mix, the brown sugar and the powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and combined.

Turn the mixture out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Wrap up into a ball and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Put the chocolate chips on a plate or in a shallow dish. Remove the cheese ball from the refrigerator and unwrap. Roll in the chocolate chips. Place on a serving plate and serve with cookies or graham crackers.

Cute Valentine for Girls!

2012-02-11T12:48:00.001-05:00

You've already seen the Valentine's we sent Nick, but we couldn't forget about Mamie! As soon as I saw these Valentine Gumball Necklaces, I knew Mamie would love them! Not only is it the perfect little accessory for a little princess, but it's edible. I found the gumballs at Party City (they have so many color options), used a wooden skewer to poke holes in the gumballs, and strung them on pink ribbon.

On Thursday, when Jen and I were talking, she asked me if I made Mamie a Valentine shirt this year. I guess since I had pinned a few girl Valentine shirts on Pinterest, she thought I might be making one for Mamie. I did pin them with Mamie in mind, but unfortunately, never got around to making one. That is, until after I talked to Jen and started feeling guilty about it. So I raided my extra clothes pile and, as luck would have it, had shirts in both Nick and Mamie's sizes. I took that as a sign that I needed to make them Valentine's Day shirts like last year.

So long story short, I ended up (very quickly since they needed to be mailed out on Friday to get to them in Indiana by Monday) making a Ruffled Heart Valentine shirt for Mamie. Now Jen, I will not be offended if she does not wear it out in public. Every time I sew something, I realize how lacking I am in the sewing skills department. Things look fine from far away, but don't look up close! Hopefully Mamie will overlook this though and like the shirt anyway :)

I hope you like your Valentine's, Mamie! We love and miss you! :)

Cute Valentine's for Boys!

2012-02-11T12:21:00.007-05:00

Last month, Jen asked me if I wanted to send a Valentine to Nick at his school. Once a card was received, his teacher would pin the location of the sender on a map, and put the Valentine in the student's decorated Valentine mailbox. Such a cute idea! The hope was that, by Valentine's Day, they'd have cards from all over the U.S. that the kids will get to open during their Valentine's party. So of course Luke and I wanted to send Nick some Valentines, all the way from Georgia!

I found so many cute Valentine's ideas, and decided to make and send Nick these three:

Since Luke is currently obsessed with anything Toy Story, I knew this Woody Be My Valentine? would be perfect! Instead of using acryllic paint, I used Sharpies. It was much easier, and less of a mess. I found the wooden pegs at Hobby Lobby and based my design off of a Woody Bubble Bath Luke has since it was the same shape. Luke loved the little Woody (I had to make him one too) so I hope Nick does as well!

My friend, Nicole, who watches Luke a couple days a week while I'm at work, found this Caped Cute-sader and asked if I could cut the cape and mask out with my Cricut. Turns out, it was much simpler and less time consuming than cutting them all out with scissors. I used Sure Cuts a Lot to trace the sample image, resized it, and sent it to my Cricut. Took maybe 20 minutes, tops. While I was cutting Cooper's Valentine's, I took the liberty of cutting one for Nick as well. I think they're so cute assembled!

And finally, I saw this adorable idea a couple years ago (which tons of people have since recreated). I have been waiting until Luke was old enough to cooperate enough to pose with his hand outstretched. On a sunny day last week, we went outside and he was more than happy to hold his hand out for me (although I wish he would've brought it forward a bit more). Then I simply uploaded the picture to Picnik, added the text and hearts, printed it at home, cut holes above and below his hand, and slid in a Tootsie Roll Pop. So easy!

Happy Valentine's Day, Nick! We love and miss you! :)

Red Velvet Popcorn

2012-02-11T12:00:00.002-05:00

It's no secret on here that we love red velvet cake desserts (see the links at the bottom of this post). And When I saw this version on Cookies & Cups, I knew I wanted to try it. I've always loved white chocolate covered pretzels because of the sweet and salty combination, and this white chocolate covered popcorn brings the same thing. And of course adding the red velvet cake crumbs makes it even better! I packaged some popcorn up into bags to deliver to some friends as an early Valentine's treat...hope they enjoy it too! :)

And since red velvet is such a perfect Valentine's Day treat, here are some links to some more recipes!
Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake
Red Velvet Brownies
Red Velvet Cake Pops
Red Velvet Strawberry Shortcake
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Red Velvet Cheesecake

Red Velvet Popcorn (Source: Cookies and Cups)
Ingredients
7 cups popped popcorn (I used 2 bags of Natural white popcorn)
2 cups red velvet cake crumbs
18 oz white chocolate or white melting candy I used almond bark)

Directions
1.Pop the popcorn and put it in a large bowl.
2.Melt your white chocolate according to package directions.
3.Pour the melted chocolate over the popcorn and stir to coat completely.
4.Pour the popcorn onto a waxed paper lined counter and sprinkle with your red velvet crumbs.
5.Let it dry completely before eating. It will store for a few days in an airtight container.

Chicken Spinach Lasagna

2012-02-08T21:50:00.000-05:00

I've made this Chicken Spinach lasagna twice now and have been sitting on the recipe for a couple months. Sorry about that! It's not because it's not delicious...it's because I wasn't happy (and still am not happy) with the picture. But I'm throwing that aside now so that you too can make this wonderful dish!

Growing up, good ole lasagna was my favorite meal. Back then, however, I was a really picky eater (poor mom - she had to cook for 3 very picky eaters). I especially hated mushroomos (which I can't get enough of now) and probably would not have even tried this recipe. While the traditional lasagna I grew up eating is still a favorite, I'm really happy that my palate has matured and I can now switch it up a bit with this chicken lasagna. Both times I made this, we had company over and everyone really seemed to like it. I think this will be on our dinner menu again soon and I suggest you make it sometime soon too!

Chicken and Spinach Lasagna

Source: Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast
salt and pepper
1-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 (24-oz.) jar pasta sauce
8 oz. ricotta cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
9-12 lasagna noodles, uncooked (depending on size of dish)
2 cups spinach, chopped
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Place the chicken breast in a large non-stick skillet and season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium-high heat until cooked through. Cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Add 1-2 tbsp. of olive oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic to the pan and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté until onion is tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the pasta sauce and the chicken to the skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 5 minutes while making the ricotta layer.

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, egg and Italian seasoning. Stir until well combined.

In a baking dish, spoon a thin layer of the pasta sauce mixture so that it just coats the bottom of the dish. Top with one layer of lasagna noodles so that they cover the sauce completely. Spread one half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles and sprinkle with one cup of chopped spinach. Layer with one third of the pasta sauce mixture. Repeat the layers again with noodles, ricotta mixture with spinach, and pasta sauce. The last layer will be noodles, the remaining pasta sauce and shredded mozzarella.

Cover with foil and bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Loaded Baked Potato Dip

2012-02-05T01:14:00.003-05:00

So are you looking for a last minute Super Bowl appetizer? If so, I found this one on Pinterest today. My husband and I were looking for something that the kids may like as well, and we thought this would be perfect! Don't all kids like waffle fries with cheese?! It also would have been our mom's 58th birthday today. We really miss you Mom, but know you are still here with us and I think you would have loved this recipe! Loaded Baked Potato Dip....please try this recipe...it's so good and easy to make!

We also decided to make some Bang Bang Wings. Just like the Bang Bang Shrimp we made not too long ago. My husband used the same sauce recipe from the shrimp but put them on the wings, and they were so good!

I hope Indy has gotten a good reputation this week. Everything we have heard has been awesome. We were able to visit downtown Indianapolis twice this week to see the festivities! We saw live concerts, many happy people, some celebrities, and so much more. :)

Blurry pictures, I know. We had so much fun, and wish I could have done the Zip Line. But oh well...it was a great experience living here and seeing so many people here. Maybe we'll be able to host it again!

Loaded Baked Potato Dip (Source: myrecipes.com)

1 (2.1-oz.) bacon slices, cooked
1 (16-oz.) container sour cream
2 cups (8 oz.) freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup sliced fresh chives
2 teaspoons hot sauce
Garnishes: cooked, crumbled bacon; sliced fresh chives; freshly cracked pepper
Serve with: waffle fries

Cook bacon until crisp; drain on paper towels. Cool 10 minutes; crumble. Stir together bacon and next 4 ingredients. Cover and chill 1 hour before serving. Garnish, if desired. Serve with crispy, warm waffle fries. Store leftovers in refrigerator up to 7 days.

No-bake Energy Bites

2012-02-02T22:47:00.000-05:00

These are a new favorite snack in the Hedrick household! They are the perfect little two-bite snack that not only taste delicious, but are pretty healthy. On top of all that, they are so easy to make. Simply throw all of the ingredients (oatmeal, peanut butter, honey, coconut flakes, flaxseed, mini chocolate chips and vanilla) into a bowl, stir, chill, and roll into balls. If that last step is a bit too much for you, then skip it altogether and just dig in with a spoon. Either way...instant yum! Andy and I actually think they taste like Girl Scout Samoa cookies (my favorite!).

No-Bake Energy Bites
Source: Smashed Peas and Carrots (found via Pinterest, although I've been following this blog for awhile)
(makes 18-20 bites)

1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy! Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Peach Blueberry Pie

2012-01-28T21:06:00.000-05:00

Remember when I said all my husband wanted for his birthday was a pie? Well, I've never actually made a homemade pie before. I know, I love to bake, but pies have never been that appealing to me. But in the middle of snowy January, my husband requested a peach blueberry pie. Weird request for the timing, right? Well, that's okay, it was a challenge I was up to. I googled it and found Joy the Baker's recipe. It ended up being perfect! My husband even told his mom that it was the best pie he'd ever been made! I'll take that as a big compliment!

Peach and Blueberry Pie (Source: Joy the Baker)
For the Crust:
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
5 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ice cold water
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

For the Filling:

about 3 pounds ripe peaches
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 to 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
scant 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for topping crust before baking

To make the crust, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Add cold, cubed butter and, using your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture. Quickly break the butter down into the flour mixture, some butter pieces will be the size of oat flakes, some will be the size of peas. Stir together the ice cold water and vinegar. Create a well in the butter and flour mixture and pour in the water and vinegar mixture. Use a fork to bring to dough together. Try to moisten all of the flour bits. On a lightly floured work surface, dump out the dough mixture. It will be moist and shaggy. That’s perfect. Divide the dough in two and gently knead into two disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
To make the filling, wash and slice peaches. In a medium bowl, combine peach slices and blueberries. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, spices, flour, and cornstarch. Pour the sugar mixture over the fruit, and gently toss together with a wooden spoon. Stir in the lemon juice. Place bowl of fruit in the fridge to rest while you roll the crust out.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a rack in the center of the oven, and place a baking sheet on the lower rack, just below where you’re going to place the pie. This will catch any pie drippings without making a mess of your oven.
Remove one of the pie dough disks from the fridge. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into about a 13-inch round. Roll the dough a few strokes, then use your fingers to move the emerging circle around the floured surface. This ensures that the dough isn’t sticking to the work surface. The circle won’t be perfect, that’s ok. Try not to get any tears in the rolled out dough, but if you do, they can be patched together with extra dough. When you roll the dough and you can see it start springing back, that means that the butter is warming and the crust shouldn’t be rolled out anymore. Gently lift the 13-inch round from the floured surface and center in the 9-inch baking dish. Place in the fridge while you roll out the top crust.
Roll out the top crust just as you did the bottom crust, moving the dough across the floured surface every once in a while, and creating a roughly 13-inch circle. Remove the bottom crust and fruit filling from the fridge. Gently pour the fruit filling into the pie dish. Carefully remove the top crust from the work surface and drape over the fruit in the pie dish. With a small knife, trim the crust, leaving about 3/4-inch overhang. With your fingers press the top and bottom crusts together and fold under. Use a fork or your fingers to crimp the edges of the dough. Cut five small slits in the top of the crust so the juices and steam can vent. Brush lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.
Place pie in the oven and bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 375 and bake for 45 to 55 more minutes. Remove from the oven when crust is browned and golden, and the juices are bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 hours before serving.

Goodnight, sleep tight...

2012-01-28T14:54:00.002-05:00

I've always loved spending the night at my grandma's house. When we were kids, she would always make our favorite meals for dinner, have games and crafts ready, and make our favorite breakfast in the morning (french toast for Jen and pancakes for me). Basically, she spoiled us rotten (and still does to this day)!

Whenever we spend the night at our grandma's house, from the time we were little girls to present day, we always end our days with the same bedtime rhyme:

"Goodnight, sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite. And if they do, take your shoe, and hit them til they're black and blue."

Now my little guy says it at night!

He was a bit distracted (by Andy hiding under the covers), but still so cute!

Chandelier Help, Please!

2012-01-28T13:41:00.002-05:00

When we moved into our house, this chandelier was hanging in the kitchen. Eight years later, this chandelier is still hanging above our kitchen table. I've never liked it, but didn't really give it that much thought. That is, until a couple weeks ago when we got new flooring and appliances in the kitchen. Now I think replacing or refinishing this chandelier is a must!

The plan is to try to refashion this chandelier first, knowing that if we royally screw it up, we can easily replace it. We definitely need to get rid of the gold (or brass?) first, so we're going to try spray painting it (probably black). Seems easy enough!

The big question is, what do we do with the glass plates? Do we paint them too (maybe frosted spray paint)? Or is there something else we can hang from the chandelier?

Here's what it looks like without the glass plates...

I've been looking around to find inspiration and am still not sure what to do. Anyone have any suggestions??

White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies

2012-01-27T08:42:00.000-05:00

Along with the cupcakes, I knew I needed to make a dessert for the kids coming to my husband's birthday dinner. When I saw this recipe featuring my childhood favorite Snickerdoodles coupled with white chocolate chips, I knew I wanted to try these. They lived up to my expectations as well! Growing up, Ali and I were always the designated cookie makers and we always made chocolate chip cookies and snickerdoodles. Why didn't we ever thing about adding white chocolate chips to our snickerdoodles??? I don't know, but I'm glad I tried these now!

White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies (Source: Love Veggies & Yoga)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 c white chocolate chips
Plus: 1 tbsp cinnamon & 1/4 c white sugar, mixed in a small bowl for dipping/rolling the dough
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Cream together softened butter and sugars until very smooth and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Stir in the cinnamon, baking soda, and flour and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
Stir in the white chocolate chips and place the whole mixing bowl into the freezer for about 10 minutes so that it chills a bit. While the dough is chilling, prepare the cinnamon sugar mixture for rolling.
After approximately 10 minutes, remove the chilled dough from the freezer and form 1 inch balls.
Roll the balls through the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on sprayed cookie sheets.
Bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes or until just barely set. Remove cookies from the oven (even if they look a bit underdone as they will firm up). Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets before attempting to remove them.

Peanut Butter Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

2012-01-26T20:27:00.000-05:00

My husband's birthday was last week. His one request was a pie. I'm not a pie baker, but more on that later.

I decided that since he loves peanut butter, I should make him some peanut butter cupcakes. Then I saw this recipe via Pinterest. I knew I needed to make it. You should also make these ASAP. The peanut butter icing was SOOO good. I wanted to eat it by the spoonful. Actually, I did eat it by the spoonful (just don't tell anyone...I'm in a weight loss competition at work)! These cupcakes really are good. The peanut butter/dulce de leche filling puts them over the top!

Peanut Butter Dulce de Leche Cupcakes (Source: Tracey's Culinary Adventures)

Devil's Food Cupcakes (Makes about 28 cupcakes)
from Martha Stewart (via Smells Like Home via Tracey's Culinary Adventures)

3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 cup hot water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
3 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
Whisk the cocoa powder and water together in a small bowl then set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and kosher salt together.
Add the butter and sugar to a medium saucepan. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted. Pour the buter/sugar mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-low speed for 4-5 minutes, or until the mixture is cooled. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed and beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla, then the cocoa mixture and beat to incorporate. With the mixer on low, alternately add the dry ingredients (in 2 additions) with the sour cream (in 1), beating until just combined.
Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3-3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pans to wire racks and let the cupcakes cool for about 5 minutes before removing them to the racks to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Dulce de Leche Filling
from Smells Like Home, who adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

1 cup dulce de leche
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 - 1/3 cup heavy cream (depending on how thick you want your filling)

Combine the dulce de leche, peanut butter and 1/4 cup heavy cream in a small saucepan. Set over medium-low heat and warm, whisking frequently, until the ingredients are combined and the filling is smooth. If the filling is too thick, add additional cream to the pan and whisk to incorporate. The filling will thicken as it cools.
Using a cupcake corer, create a hole in the center of each cupcake. Fill the hole with the peanut butter dulce de leche, then replace the top portion of the cone (you'll need to slice off the top part of the core).

Peanut Butter Icing
from Ina Garten (via FoodNetwork.com)

2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 cups creamy peanut butter
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup heavy cream

Add the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-low speed until creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the heavy cream and beat the icing on high speed until it is light and fluffy.
Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a tip. Pipe frosting into a swirl on each cupcake.

Super Bowl 2012 Countdown

2012-01-26T19:30:00.000-05:00

Are you excited for the Super Bowl? I know we are here in Indianapolis! Last weekend my husband wanted to drive downtown (about a 20 minute drive) to see some of the things they have done to get ready for the big game. They were in the process of tranforming Georgia Street. Not much had been done yet, but we could tell how awesome it's going to be! We're planning on going next week to check out some of the live free concerts. I also plan to go zip lining!

Check out those heaters on the street!

Do you plan on watching the game? If so, do you watch more for the commercials (like I do) or for the football? Have any Super Bowl favorite food recipes?

Butch Walker music video (with Matthew McConaughey)!

2012-01-25T22:50:00.000-05:00

Are you a fan of the movie "Dazed and Confused"? Jen and I were back in the day, that's for sure. We even owned it on VHS! :)

It's so funny to watch the movie now and see how far some of the actors have come. I mean, the movie is packed with well-known actors, including a few A-listers like Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, and Milla Jovovich.

It's been twenty years since the movie was released and now you can see Matthew McConaughey reprise his role as Wooderson in Butch Walker's new video for Synthesizers! How cool! I mean, how can you go wrong, it's a combination of one of my favorite movies with my very favorite musician!

My only gripe is that Butch Walker himself isn't in the video more. Check it out if you like!

Sledding!

2012-01-25T19:48:00.001-05:00

We got a few inches of snow last weekend, and one of the kids favorite activities right now is sledding. We had a free Saturday so we took them to Holliday Park because we knew there were plenty of hills there (I know b/c I ran them last year!). It was a great sledding location...so pretty with perfect sledding hills! The kids loved it and already want to go again!

Is it Spring yet? :)

Black-Eyed Pea Dip

2012-01-25T18:56:00.004-05:00

Now I must say, I was weary about this recipe. I made it anyway because I wanted to make something with black-eyed peas for good luck to start off the new year. I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman's blog and decided if she loved it, I probably would too. I was right! I couldn't stop eating it. It's a great dip and I think it would be good for any party, not just for New Year's. Maybe I'll be making this again for the Super Bowl as well! Do you have any great dips that we should try???

Black-Eyed Pea Dip (Source: Pioneer Woman)

1 can (14-ounce) Black-eyed Peas

1/4 whole Onion, Chopped Fine
1/4 cup Sour Cream
8 slices Jarred Jalapenos
1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
3 Tablespoons Salsa
Hot Sauce, to taste
Salt And Black Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain black-eyed peas and partially mash, leaving some whole.
Add all other ingredients, stirring to combine.
Spread into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.
Serve with tortilla chips and try not to eat it all in one sitting!

Bang Bang Shrimp

2012-01-25T18:49:00.001-05:00

Have you ever been to Bonefish Grill to eat? My husband got a Bonefish Grill gift certificate for his birthday last year and we loved it. My favorite dish there was the Bang Bang Shrimp. So...when I saw this copycat recipe on Fake Ginger, I knew I had to make it as well. I think I'm going to have to make these again soon as a Super Bowl appetizer. I was intimidated by some of the ingredients on the list, but am so glad I bought them as the flavors are amazing (sorry the picture doesn't do it justice!). Enjoy! :)

Bang Bang Shrimp (Fake Ginger)

Ingredients
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

For the sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4-5 teaspoons chili garlic sauce, such as Sriracha sauce
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon rice vinegar

For the egg mixture:
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk

For the breading mixture:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried basil

For frying:
8 to 12 cups vegetable oil

Instructions

Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl; cover and set aside.
Combine beaten egg with milk in shallow bowl; set aside.
Combine flour, panko, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and basil in another shallow bowl; set aside.
Bread the shrimp by first coating each with the breading mixture. Dip breaded shrimp into the egg and milk mixture, and then back into the breading. Arrange the coated shrimp on a plate and pop them into the fridge for at least 20 minutes. This step will help the breading to stick on the shrimp when they are frying.
Heat oil in deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Use amount of oil required by your fryer.
When oil is hot, fry shrimp 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on rack or paper towels.
When all shrimp has been fried, drop the shrimp into a large bowl. Spoon about 1/4 cup of sauce over shrimp and stir gently to coat.

Take 5 Cupcakes

2012-01-22T21:21:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had a Take 5 candy bar? Most people I come across never have, but it's one of my favorite candy bars. How can you go wrong with a combination of chocolate, peanut butter, caramel, peanuts, and pretzels?!?

I made these for Wednesday night a couple weeks ago. This recipe makes 24 cupcakes, so instead of keeping the leftovers at our house (where I would eat them all), I took a dozen to work as well. I'll just say that the cupcakes were gone very quickly and I got an email from a colleague who said:

OMG!!!! These are the best cupcakes ever!!! Thanks so much for bringing them.

Do you think you could share your recipe with me? Pretty Please :) I think my family would just love these -- they love peanut butter cups and these are so much better than those!

Thanks again!! Everyone is drooling over here :)

That made my day! And she's right...these cupcakes are excellent. The chocolate cupcake is perfectly moist, the peanut butter frosting is rich and creamy, and the chocolate ganache is the perfect finishing touch.

Each cupcake also had half of a Take 5 candy bar in or on it. The recipe I followed says to bake half a Take 5 candy bar in the chocolate cupcake. I only decided to do this on half of the cupcakes, and placed the candy bar on top of the others. I actually preferred the latter method, probably because there was more chocolatey cupcake goodness to enjoy.

Take 5 Cupcakes
Source: My Baking Addiction
Yield: 24 Cupcakes

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes
1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food cake mix (I use Betty Crocker Super Moist)
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup warm water
24 Fun Size Take 5 Candy Bars; cut in half

For the Peanut Butter Butter Cream
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted
6-8 tablespoons heavy cream (if using milk, amount will be less)

For the Chocolate Glaze
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into very small pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:

For the Cupcakes
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla and water. Beat for about two minutes on medium speed until well combined.

3. Using a large cookie scoop, distribute the batter between 24 muffin wells; about 3 tablespoons of batter per well. Press 1/2 Fun Size Take 5 candy bar into the center of each cupcake. Use a small spoon to spread the batter over the candy bar.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 20-24 minutes or until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched. There may be a small sink hole in the top of the cupcakes from the candy bars, that’s okay - you’ll cover that with frosting. Allow cupcakes to cool inside muffin tins for about 10 minutes.

5. Remove cupcakes from muffin tins and allow to fully cool on a wire rack. Once cupcakes are cool, prepare your frosting.

For the Peanut Butter Buttercream
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, cream butter and peanut butter on medium speed until fluffy. Turn your mixer down to low speed and slowly add in the confectioner’s sugar, and continue mixing until well blended.

2. Add vanilla and 4 tablespoons of heavy cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 1 to 4 tablespoons of heavy cream until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy

3. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Prepare Chocolate Glaze.

For the Chocolate Glaze
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream until very hot, but not boiling.

2. Place chocolate pieces in a heat safe bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes. Whisk the cream and chocolate until smooth and thoroughly combined. Whisk in the honey, corn syrup, and vanilla. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Do not let the glaze sit for too long or it will harden up before you spoon it over the frosting.

3. Spoon the glaze on the tops of the frosted cupcakes, allowing it to drip down the sides a little bit. Don’t add too much glaze or it will drip all over your liners.

4. If desired, finish each cupcake with a piece of a Take 5 candy bar.

White Chicken Enchiladas

2012-01-22T21:19:00.000-05:00

In Andy's words, we had a "Tex Mex Extravaganza" for dinner last night. We had White Chicken Enchiladas, Cheesy Chicken Bacon & Avocado Quesadillas, Guacamole, and Spanish Rice.

This isn't the most appetizing picture of the enchiladas (recipe below), but it truly is a great, easy, yummy recipe. Andy had several complimentary words to say during dinner, but all I can get out of him now is that it was "excellent". I really should start taking notes of other people's comments while trying new recipes! Regardless, I think you should give these a try if you're looking for a new chicken recipe.

I pretty much devour anything with avocados these days, so when I saw these quesadillas on Pinterest, I knew I'd be making them. They were super easy to make and a welcome change in this household!

Guacamole is one of my favorite foods now. It's hard to believe that just a few short years ago, Andy would make it, and I wouldn't touch it. I think I was hesitant because of its green color. Regardless, I can't get enough now.

Hope you all have a great week!

White Chicken Enchiladas
Source: Joyful Momma's Kitchen

10 soft taco shells
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan
2. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese. Roll chicken and cheese mixture up in tortillas and place in pan.
3. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
4. Stir in sour cream and chilies. Do not bring to boil, you don't want curdled sour cream.
5. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
6. Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

Kitchen Makeover

2012-01-21T19:44:00.000-05:00

After a couple accidents in the kitchen - like when a hot piece of glass burnt a spot (during my kitchen disaster) and when my rotary cutter sliced a section (when I was cutting fabric and ran off my cutting mat) - the linoleum was looking pretty rough. We were ready for a change! I love the tile look, but Andy didn't want to mess with everything that that involved, so we compromised and got Laminate Flooring.

The day after we ordered the new flooring, our washing machine broke. The replacement part cost almost as much as a new machine, so we went ahead and bought a new one. While we were at it (and since Andy's sister, Kayla, hooked us up with an awesome Whirlpool discount!), wea decided to go ahead and replace our dishwasher and oven as well. This is something I've been wanting to do for quite some time now, so I was really happy. Not only do the new stainless steel appliance look SO much better, but they have many more, fun features!

Here's our before picture (with the new dishwasher - we forgot to take a true before picture):

Here's our work-in-progress:

Luke was quite the helper :)

Here's our after picture:

Side by side comparison:

It really has made a huge difference and I love it! That's especially important since I spend so much time in the kitchen!

Next up:

Paint along the other wall, below the chair rail (the blue has got to go!).
Get a new chandelier (or refashion ours).

Yay for home improvement!

2012 Mantel

2012-01-18T17:44:00.003-05:00

After taking down all of our Christmas decorations, I decided it was time for a mantel makeover for 2012! Here it is - nice, simple, and clean.

Awhile back, I saw these Organic Bloom pictures frames and fell in love. There were two problems though - you can only buy them from professional photographer vendors and they are super expensive. So I began researching other alternatives and came across Cut It Out. They sell unique, unfinished wood frames, letters and words at a VERY reasonable price. I bought an 8x10 and 20x30 and simply had to spray paint them black. I love them!

I had the 20x30 picture printed at Paper Coterie back in November. It turned out beautifully and the best part is that I had a coupon and only had to pay shipping!

I also bought this framed mirror at a garage sale for $1! We spray painted it yellow, then black, and used sand paper to distress it a bit (so the yellow would come through).

It's still a work in progress, but I'm happy with how it's coming along!

Caramel Brownies

2012-01-18T17:20:00.001-05:00

I made these brownies a couple weeks ago for Wednesday night, but we ended up not going at the last minute. I have to say, I did not mind at all because that meant I could keep these brownies all for myself. They were that good! Before I tried this recipe, I hadn't found a homemade brownie recipe that was as good (in my opinion) as a boxed brownie mix. But these are perfect - gooey and rich - especially when you add a layer of caramel in the middle and mini chocolate chips on the top. Delicous! This may just be my new favorite dessert, so you should make them soon!

Caramel Brownies
Source: Annie's Eats
Ingredients:
For the brownies:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1½ cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the caramel filling:
14 oz. caramel candies, unwrapped
1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil and grease the foil well with butter or cooking spray. Combine the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat. Whisk in the sugar, eggs and vanilla until incorporated. Stir in the flour and salt just until combined. Spread about half of the brownie batter in the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, maintaining the oven temperature, and let cool for 20 minutes.

To make the caramel filling, combine the caramel candies and cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Immediately spread the caramel mixture over the bottom brownie layer. Pour the remaining brownie batter over the caramel layer, taking care to pour and spread it evenly otherwise it will be difficult to spread evenly over the caramel layer. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the final brownie layer. Bake for 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving. (To speed cooling, chill in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.)

Lift the brownies from the pan using the edges of the foil. Remove the foil and cut the brownies into individual squares. Store in an airtight container.

Bloomin' Pizza Bread

2012-01-10T21:41:00.002-05:00

On New Year's Eve the last few years we have always stayed home, watched football, and when it gets closer to the New Year, we watch all of the countdown shows on TV. Instead of a big meal, we like to have a bunch of appetizers. I saw this recipe a few months ago (now it's popped up all over Pinterest!) and knew I wanted to make it. My husband was skeptical when he saw what I was making, but after I pulled it out of the oven, he was intrigued and couldn't stop eating it. This is so good! And it made a bunch so we had leftovers for the next day. Enjoy! :)

Bloomin' Pizza Bread
Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

1 unsliced round loaf sourdough bread
12-16 ounces mozzarella or Provolone cheese, thinly sliced
1 (3.5 ounce) package pepperoni, halved
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasonings
2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese
pizza sauce for dipping

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise without cutting through the bottom crust. This can be a little tricky going the second way but the bread is very forgiving.

Place bread on a foil-lined baking sheet and insert cheese slices and pepperoni between cuts. Combine butter, garlic powder, and Italian seasonings. Drizzle over bread with a pastry brush. Sprinkle bread with Parmesan cheese.

Wrap bread completely in foil and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted and pepperoni is a little crispy.

These boots were made for...

2012-01-09T10:24:00.000-05:00

This is mostly for you, Jen...

Remember, back in November, when I mentioned how I love the current fall trend of scarves and boots, but wasn't sure I could pull it off? Well, I've been wearing scarves for the last few months, but still wasn't quite sure about the boots. After trying on my brother-in-law's girlfriend's boots on Christmas, I finally decided to step out of my comfort zone and just buy some for myself!

Check them out!

I think I need some skinny jeans to go with them, but I have to admit, they are super comfy. I actually wore them to the store today and didn't feel like everyone was staring at my big feet :)

Here's to stepping out of my comfort zone in 2012!!

Christmas Decorations

2012-01-09T10:20:00.003-05:00

Now that we are over 2 weeks past Christmas, I think it's only appropriate to show off our Christmas decorations. Obviously kidding, but even though they were pretty simple, I liked them.

I love nutcrackers (even though Luke isn't so gentle with them)!

Our Christmas mantel!

I sure have used this "happy" banner a lot this year!

I made the Santa hanging on the door in Girl Scouts probably 20 years ago...wow!

My Christmas ribbon wreath

Simple outdoor decor

Luke doing what he does best...jumping (he has no fear)!

Snowman wreath (inspired by one on Pinterest of course)

Tomato cage wrapped in lights (another Pinterest find!)

Love my new camera lens and playing with Christmas light bokeh!

As you can see, we kept it pretty simple this year. We're usually in Indiana for over a week at Christmas, so I don't go overboard; however, I plan on doing more Christmas decorating around the house next year!

Teacher Gifts

2012-01-09T10:17:00.000-05:00

Luke started going to a Montessorie school the day after he turned two. In just the three short months he was enrolled there, he really seemed to grow, mature, and learn a lot. Since I taught evening classes one night a week last semester, Luke also spent a few hours with a babysitter. He really loved going to her house and playing with her. This new year and semester is bringing some changes (Luke's school closed and my teaching schedule changed), so he's going to miss seeing all of these wonderful women. Before we said goodbye to them; however, I wanted to give each one of them a small token of my appreciation. Here are the Christmas gifts I gave them...

-Sugar cookies - One of my favorites! I think they turned out so cute all decorated. Each got a Santa, snowman, snowflake, and Christmas tree sugar cookie.

-Peppermint bark - I just love how easy and cute these are (thanks to silicone molds).

-Snowman cake pops - You all know how much I love these!

-Hand sanitizer - Personalized with their initials. So simple and can be used for so many things! I saw this idea here.

-Gift card to Target or Starbucks - Can't go wrong with gift cards! I packaged everything up in a cute little clear bucket/bin from Walmart.

What do you think? Would you be happy with these gifts? I know I would be! :)

Christmas Crafts

2012-01-09T10:14:00.000-05:00

When I went to pick Luke up on his last day of school, he came walking out with this hand print Christmas tree. It almost brought tears to my eyes, I loved it so much!

Then I saw these reindeer footprints on Pinterest, and knew I wanted to make them as another keepsake of Luke's 3rd Christmas.

Since they were so easy to make (and I had all of the supplies on hand), I decided to also make them with Nick and Mamie when I babysat them a few days before Christmas. I think they enjoyed the craft and were proud to show off their finished reindeer (or whatever Nick's ended up being!). They even wanted to wrap them and give them to their mom and dad on Christmas morning.

Speaking of crafts, Jen and I also made some coasters (with Mod Podge and tiles) for our Grandma. I'm not sure if Grandma will actually use them, but I don't think she ever gets sick of looking at her great grandkids. I want to make some for myself now too!

Christmas (Ali)

2012-01-09T10:09:00.001-05:00

Since I can't imagine spending the week of Christmas away from family in Indiana, we are always 500 miles from our house in Georgia. This means that Luke doesn't get to experience the magic that most children do on Christmas morning - waking up, wondering if Santa came, and then catching that first glimpse of the Christmas tree filled with all of Santa's presents. He's still too young to understand it right now, but hopefully he won't be too disappointed in the upcoming years. [Don't worry though, Santa didn't forget our house...when we got back home, it was obvious that he had been there as all of the presents were wrapped and under the tree! Santa may even have left a disgruntled letter in regards to the missing cookies and millk...oops!]

Instead, Luke gets the next best thing on Christmas morning...presents under grandma and grandpa's tree! Every Christmas morning, we wake up early, drive an hour from my dad's house to Andy's parents house, and spend the entire day surrounded by family. We eat a wonderful breakfast and then open presents!

Somebody got really good at opening presents this year!

Andy actually claimed this one (sorry Luke!) and it will soon reside in his work office.

Great grandma Zetta with the kiddos.

After the excitement of the presents, we usually wind down with a movie, while some of us sneak in a little nap (me!). Luke loves cuddling up with Grandpa!

Then we headed to Andy's brother's house for a big lunch. Thanks Matt and Vena! It was delicious!

Oh, I also made Luke's "Lil' Drummer Boy" shirt (as seen here).

After lunch, Luke napped, and it was time to put together one of Reed's toys, a knex super cyclone coaster. Look at all those pieces! It took Andy, Matt, and Vena close to two hours to put together, but it was pretty cool!

We were all very spoiled this Christmas and continue to feel extremely blessed. Hope you all had a very merry Christmas and are enjoying the new year!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-09T08:28:00.001-05:00

Our family always celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve at the home of our grandma (our mom's mom). The celebration begins around 4pm with appetizers (shrimp cocktail, cheeseball, party mix, apple wassail), followed by the opening of presents and stockings, and ending with a delicous dinner (prime rib, gourmet potatoes, green beans, salad, seafood casserole, homemade rolls, baked Alaska dessert).

I said it last year, but this is probably my favorite day of the year. We'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

We can't forget the green couch pictures!

Grandma definitely wins the award for best gift. She booked a trip to Napa Valley for us! That's right, in April, Jen, Ali, Matt and GG will be flying to San Francisco and enjoying 4 days in wine country! Cannot wait!

Christmas Eve Eve

2012-01-08T22:16:00.001-05:00

This year we started a new family tradition - celebrating Christmas Eve Eve together. We had a great time! Dad had us all over to spend the evening eating, drinking, and having fun! It was strange to see 3 cars in the driveway with license plates from Georgia, Florida, and Indiana and it's rare that we're all together, so we really enjoyed it. Dad made the food but of course we wanted to contribute, so we came up with some drinks and dessert.

What are we drinking, you may ask? :) It's Skittles Vodka! Ali saw it all over Pinterest and we knew we had to make it. How can you go wrong when mixing a favorite childhood candy with a favorite adult beverage?

We had a couple hours kid free (thank you Andy's parents and Curt!), so while we were out finishing Christmas shopping, we stopped by the Container Store to buy these flasks. Making the vodka was really easy, it just required time and a lot of straining. All of the flavors were good!

For dessert, we decided to make Red Velvet (Cheesecake) Cake. Most everyone was too full from dad's baked potato soup, barbecue chicken, and salad to eat it, but of course we had to sample it. It was very good...combining 2 of our favorites, Red Velvet and Cheesecake.

Buttercream frosting, red velvet cake, and cheesecake...yum!

I think Mamie liked it! :)

Uncle Matt had fun entertaining the kids. Or at least the kids had fun beating up on Uncle Matt!

Then it was time for our group shots (sorry for the poor lighting)...

Such a fun night! I think that as the three of us kids get older, we appreciate one another and really enjoy our time together even more!

Snowman Oreo Cake Pops - Tutorial!

2011-12-18T15:42:00.009-05:00

How cute are these Snowman Oreo Cake Pops?!? I originally saw a picture of these in a Fancy Flours catalog I received in the mail.

Photo source: Fancy Flours (page 11)

I thought they were so cute, but was unable to find instructions for making them anywhere. So I made my own version...here they are!

Want to make these? Here's how!

Supplies needed:

Cake Balls
Almond Bark (Vanilla Flavored)
Oreos
Mini Oreos
Lollipop sticks
Orange and black food decorating pens (or icing)

1. Start with cake balls. I made chocolate cake balls, but you can use any cake flavor you'd like.

2. Melt your Almond Bark (as directed on the package).

3. Take 1 Oreo and spoon some melted Almond Bark on top.

4. Place 1 cake ball on top of Oreo.

5. Dip a lollipop stick into the melted Almond Bark and stick it through the cake ball

6. Let the Almond Bark harden (I put them in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or so). At this point, the Oreo and cake ball are pretty solidly connected, as is the lollipop stick. Next, dip the entire pop into the Almond Bark. If your bowl isn't deep enough, use your spoon to cover it entirely.

7. Tap the lollipop stick on the side of the bowl to let all excess Almond Bark drip off.

8. Let the Almond Bark harden again (by placing in the refrigerator). Once it's hard, it's time to add the Snowman's hat. Split an Oreo in half (and remove the center). Spoon some melted Almond Bark onto the Oreo half and place in on the top of your (soon to be snowman) pop.

9. Now spoon some melted Almond Bark onto a Mini Oreo and place it on top of the half Oreo.

10. Now you're ready to draw the face! I used Gourmet Writer Food Decorating Pens, but you could also use icing (I wouldn't recommend gel icing as it ran easily). Use black for the eyes and mouth and orange for the nose. Get creative if you want!

There you have it! Cute little snowmen that are as delicious as they are cute!

Not only did we have these at our Christmas Cookie Exchange party, but I also gave them to Luke's teachers. They said they were (almost) too cute to eat!

I'm linking to:

Red Velvet Brownies

2011-12-15T11:53:00.001-05:00

Red velvet cake is probably my favorite cake. I'm not so sure it's because of it's taste as much as it is a reminder of my childhood. Our mom made red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting for special occasions such as our birthdays when we were younger. So now every time i make it, I'm flooded with wonderful memories of a wonderful childhood (thanks to our amazing mom and dad!).

Anyway, I was looking for desserts to make for our Christmas Cookie Exchange party and came across these Red Velvet Brownies on Pinterest. They looked delicious! While I ran out of time to make them for the party, I made them for our Wednesday night get together. By the looks of this picture, I think you can tell they were a hit! I didn't get a picture before we headed to our friends' house, and this is what I was left with at home - just the outside pieces since I only plated the inside pieces from the 8x8 pan. Most weeks I bring some dessert back home with me, but not this week! The plate was empty by the time the night was over.

If I were to make these again, I'd probably go with traditional cream cheese frosting as the white chocolate buttercream was a bit too sweet for me. Regardless, not only are they striking with their bright red color (which make them a perfect Christmas dessert!), but they have the perfect red velvet cake taste (with a slight hint of cocoa). Yum!

Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Buttercream

Source: smells like Home

Brownies:

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 oz red food coloring (or a scant 2 tbsp)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract, divided
1/2 cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

White chocolate buttercream frosting:
1/2 cup (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 oz good-quality white chocolate (not chips), melted – I recommend Callebaut
1 – 2 tbsp heavy cream

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8″x8″ baking pan.

In a small bowl, slowly stir together the cocoa powder, food coloring, and 1 tsp vanilla into a thick paste until no lumps of cocoa remain. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in the remaining 1 tsp of vanilla. With the mixer off, add in the cocoa mixture, then turn the mixer to medium and beat the two mixtures together until they are one uniform color. Slowly add in the flour and salt and mix on medium-low speed, just until combined. Do not overmix.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir up the batter with a rubber spatula once or twice just to ensure all of the flour has incorporated from the sides of the bowl and there isn’t anything stuck on the bottom of the bowl. You’ll want one uniformly colored (red) batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the brownies. Allow brownies to completely cool in the pan on a baking rack, about 45-60 minutes. Frost brownies in the pan, cut into 12 bars, and serve, or remove the entire batch from the pan to a cutting board, cut into 12 bars, frost, and serve.

To make the frosting:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until soft and fluffy then beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time; allow the sugar to mix in before adding the next 1/2 cup. Once all of the sugar has been added, beat on medium speed for 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the melted white chocolate and beat on medium speed until incorporated. With the mixer on low, add in heavy cream 1 tbsp at a time and beat at medium speed until the frosting has reached your desired consistency.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls

2011-12-15T11:23:00.001-05:00

These are just good. Buckeyes have long been a favorite of mine, and when I saw this recipe with pretzels added, it was one of those times I thought, "why didn't I think of that?!?".

It's hard to make these look pretty as they end up lumpy from the pretzels, but that doesn't matter! I had a hard time keeping out of them myself. It's just too easy to open the refrigerator and pop one (or two or three) in your mouth. In fact, Andy doesn't even know I made these since he was out of town. That right there tells you how quickly these disappear! I think these would make an excellent holiday snack!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls

Source: make happy (found via Pinterest)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C pretzels

1/2 C creamy peanut butter
1 Tbsp butter, softened
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
3 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

Crush pretzels into small bits. In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, butter, brown sugar and salt. Stir until all ingredients are completely blended and smooth. Add pretzel bits to peanut butter mixture and mix thoroughly. Add powdered sugar and, again, mix thoroughly.Take about a teaspoon of the peanut butter pretzel mixture into your fingers and gently pat it into a ball with your fingertips. Place the peanut butter balls onto a plate (covered with wax paper) . When you have rolled all the balls, place the entire plate into the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.

After the peanut butter balls have chilled, prepare your chocolate. Pour the chocolate chips into a small microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir. If needed, microwave for another 10 seconds and stir again. Continue until the chips are completely melted, which means they stir easily into smooth, fluid chocolate with no lumps. Place one peanut butter ball into the melted chocolate and gently roll it around with a fork until completely coated. Remove from the bowl with the fork and place back on the waxed paper plate. Repeat for all other balls. Once all the peanut butter balls are coated in chocolate, return the plate to the refrigerator and chill another 30 minutes.

Braided Scarf

2011-12-11T21:57:00.000-05:00

Okay...I need your opinion! What do you think of this scarf?

I saw this one on Pinterest and immediately knew I would be making it. I loved it and couldn't wait to get started. The instructions were so easy to follow (seriously, I had the fabric cut to size at JoAnne's and only had to sew 4 lines!). I was actually able to finish it (with time to spare) during one of Luke's naps. I love the fabric (so soft and comfy) and the colors, I'm just not sure I like it on me! I actually wore this scarf on Saturday but felt awkward pretty much the entire time. Actually whenever I wear scarves, I feel like I'm trying to look "cool" but not succeeding at all. I'm not sure why, I just do!

I'm not sure wearing it with a purple shirt was the best idea. Andy kept saying I looked like I was on my way to an LSU game. I hadn't even thought about that. Anyway, be honest...what do you think?

Christmas Cookie Exchange Party!

2011-12-08T12:46:00.001-05:00

My friend, Rebecca, and I hosted a cookie exchange party last Friday!

It all started with these cute invitations. What do you think? I totally stole the idea from here (found via Pinterest of course). Although the spatula invitations are so cool, I thought it would be even more fun to add a cookie to the invitations (after all, they were for a cookie party!). Unfortunately only the invitations that were hand-delivered got the cookies - sorry to those of you who were mailed invitations (I didn't think they'd hold up too well in the mail)!

Since the party was at 7:00pm, we figured everyone would be hungry and need some real food to offset the sugary cookies. For appetizers, we had Tortellini Skewers, Veggie Pizza, Pizza Bites, Chips and Salsa, Cheese and Crackers, Snowmen Cake Pops, Peppermint Bark, and Santa Party Mix. Along with Coke, Sprite, and Sweet Tea, we also served Champagne Punch.

Doesn't it all look delicious?!?

After we all filled up on appetizers, it was time to judge (and taste) some cookies. Just look at all those cookies!

A few ladies brought more than one type of cookie, so we ended up with 18 different kinds! We threaded ribbon through plain white plates to give them a more festive feel (an idea we also found here - yes, a lot of this party's success can be attributed to Pinterest!). Isn't the variety of cookies amazing?

Look how serious the girls are trying to pick their favorites!

After the ballots were tallied, we gave out prizes for the Best Looking, Most Unique, Most Creative, and Best Tasting cookies. I have to say, I'm a bit jealous of the prizes these ladies got: a Shutterfly coupon for 15 free holiday cards and a free calendar, a cookie mix in a mason jar, and an adorable embroidered towel (made by Rebecca).

Even though only 4 talented ladies went home with the big prizes, no one went home empty handed. For favors, we gave out cookie cutters with these cute little tags.

Overall, I think the party was a great success! I had so much fun and I think everyone else did too. Can't wait to do it again next year! :)

Countdown to Christmas

2011-12-06T16:22:00.000-05:00

Are you counting down the days to Christmas? We are and here's one of the ways how!

A couple years ago I heard of a book Advent. Basically, you collect and wrap 25 Christmas-themed books. Then, starting December 1st, your kid(s) unwrap a book each night to read together as a family. Fun, right?

I've been trying to build our book collection (usually buying discounted books after Christmas), and will continue building it. Actually, we only have 21 books right now, so I wrapped them, along with 2 Christmas DVDs (Thomas and Caillou...Luke's favorites) and a Christmas Mr. Potato Head.

We're loving this new tradition. Luke's been so excited the last few nights to take a bath because he knows that once it's over, he gets to pick a "present" out to open.

Are you doing anything special to countdown the days until Christmas?

Toffee Crunch Cupcakes

2011-12-05T13:45:00.001-05:00

Aren't these cupcakes pretty? I took them to my work department meeting last week and they were a hit. Come to think of it, I'm not sure anyone complimented me on how they tasted, just on how beautiful they were. I'll still take that compliment! Hopefully they enjoyed eating them as well as looking at them!

Andy and I most certainly thought they tasted great! There are 3 parts to this cupcake - a chocolate cupcake base with toffee bits mixed in, chocolate ganache covered with more toffee bits, and caramel Swiss meringue buttercream frosting. I love toffee and while I could do with or without the toffee bits in the cupcake, I loved the crunch and extra flavor dimension they gave to the top of the cupcake. Swiss meringue buttercream frostings have quickly become my favorite kind of frosting - not only do I love watching it magically come together but I love its smooth texture. I'm also loving the frosting tips I bought recently from Bake It Pretty. The Best Ever Cupcake Icing Kit makes it so easy to make pretty looking cupcakes!

Also, instead of making caramel from scratch or buying it from the store, I finally got to try something I've been wanting to for awhile - making caramel from a can of sweetened condensed milk. This is so cool! You simply remove the paper label off a can of sweetened condensed milk, line your crockpot with foil, place your unopened can in the crockpot, fill the crockpot with water till just above the top of the can, put crockpot lid on, and cook on low for 6 hours (or overnight). The next morning, when the can is cool enough to touch, open it up and you're left with this! Isn't that amazing! And it tastes great too! It was perfect for the caramel frosting for these cupcakes! Even if you don't try the cupcakes, you should give this a shot!

Toffee Crunch Cupcakes
Source: Annie's Eats
Yield: about 30 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp. espresso powder (I omitted)
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup brewed coffee
1 cup toffee bits

For the ganache and toffee layer:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½-2 cups toffee bits

For the frosting:
5 large egg whites
1½ cups sugar
4 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ tsp. coarse salt
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup caramel sauce

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar and butter and beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the coffee, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix each addition just until incorporated. Fold in the toffee bits with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Add the cream to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and pour the hot cream over the chocolate; let stand 1-2 minutes. Whisk together until a smooth ganache forms. Whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until completely incorporated. Transfer the bowl to the fridge or freezer to chill the ganache to a pipeable consistency, whisking every 5-10 minutes to ensure even cooling. When slightly thickened, transfer to a pastry bag fitted with your tip of choice. Pipe a ring of ganache around the top of each cupcake, leaving a hole in the center. Add the toffee bits to a bowl and dip the ganache portion of each cupcake into the toffee bits, pressing very gently to adhere. Let the ganache set.

To make the frosting, combine the egg whites and the sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes. (The bowl should be cool to the touch.)

Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (or longer - don’t worry, it will come together!) Blend in the salt, vanilla, and caramel until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip with the frosting and pipe a frilly pile of frosting on top of each cupcake, filling the hole in the center of the ganache. Top with additional toffee pieces, if desired.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-05T12:16:00.000-05:00

While I slaved away in the kitchen making our big Thanksgiving Day feast, Andy ran the Second
Annual Woodberry Place Mayflower Mini Marathon (M3). He didn't run it alone this year though. Our friend and neighbor, Rusty (an Ironman), ran it with him. That means that he doubled his registration from last year. They ran at a pretty fast pace and when they got home, Rebecca, the kids, and I were waiting with a crepe paper finish line, water, and technical race shirts (that I made).

Then it was time for our big ole feast! We had turkey, oyster stuffing, gourmet potatoes, homemade rolls, brocolli casserole, and apple pie. Yum! Everything turned out delicious! We relaxed the rest of the day. Luke and I even fell asleep on the couch together - one of my favorite things. Hope ya'll had a happy Thanksgiving too!

Instead of fighting the crowds of people shopping on Black Friday, we decided to go hiking at Cloundland Canyon State Park. We visited here two years ago when Luke was just a tiny tiny little baby. He slept most of the hike that day, and ended up falling asleep pretty early into this hike too, cutting it a little short. It was a beautiful day though. Luke loved seeing the waterfalls and we had a great time. My camera battery died, so these pictures were taken with my iPhone...not the best, but at least we were able to capture some memories.

Our little family of 3 had a wonderful Thanksgiving, but missed our family up in Indiana. Can't wait to spend over a week with them at Christmas!

Chubby Hubby Bars

2011-12-05T00:29:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby ice cream? I know it's a crazy name, but it's seriously my favorite ice cream. It consists of vanilla malt ice cream swirled with fudge and peanut butter, and contains pretzel nuggets covered in fudge and filled with peanut butter. Yum! My biggest problem is that most of the grocery stores I visit do not seem to stock this flavor. Such a shame, so when I saw these, I knew I needed to make them.

These bars start with a cookie dough base, to which you add Reese's peanut butter cup minis and pretzels, and top with caramel and chocolate. How can you go wrong with this sweet and salty combination? I don't think you can, which is why I devoured way too many of these bars. I've since seen a cupcake version which I will surely be making in the near future.

Chubby Hubby Bars
Source: Cookies & Cups

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temp
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pretzels
1 (8oz) bag of Reese’s Mini cups (or 2 cups coarsely chopped full sized Reese’s)
1 (14 oz) bag of caramels, unwrapped
1 Tbsp water
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips, melted

Instructions
1.Preheat oven to 350
2.Spray a 9×13 pan lightly with cooking spray.
3.Beat together your butter and sugars until light and fluffy, approx 1 min.
4.Add eggs and vanilla, mix until incorporated.
5.On low speed add in your salt, baking soda and flour, mixing until just combined.
6.Slowly add in your Reeses and Pretzels, mixing until evenly distributed.
7.Spread in your prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes.
8.Let cool completely. Approx 30 minutes to an hour.
9.When cooled, melt your caramels and 1 Tbsp water in a microwave safe bowl stirring every minute until melted.
10.Pour over your bars.
11.Chill in fridge for 15 minutes to set caramel.
12.Melt your chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave and spread over caramel.
13.Put back in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or until chocolate is set.
14.Cut into squares when ready to serve.

Santa & Tellus Museum

2011-12-05T00:12:00.001-05:00

The weekend before Thanksgiving, Santa Claus came to Cartersville in a firetruck! We knew Luke would love this, not only because we've been talking about Santa a lot lately, but because he loves firetrucks (and wants to be a firefighter when he grows up). Here Luke's waiting with anticipation...

There's Santa!

Since we knew Santa would be there for 2 hours, instead of waiting in line in the cold, we headed to a delicious lunch at Swheat Market and went into a few stores downtown. When it was finally time to get in line, Luke suddenly wasn't excited about the prospect of sitting on Santa's lap. He reverted to being really shy and putting his head on my shoulder. Poor kid! But we weren't giving up.

When it was Luke's turn, he was still reluctant to go to Santa. He finally went (when he saw the candy cane), but made sure we knew he wasn't happy about it. Just look at his pitiful face...at least he didn't cry this year! He did whisper what he wanted for Christmas ("new trains, new tracks, new legos"), although I'm sure Santa could not understand him at all.

Santa even said I should sit on his lap too since that usually helped make the kids feel better. Not the case with Luke. I don't think he could've stuck his bottom lip out any further!

Even though Luke wasn't all smiley smiley, it was free and definitely beat waiting in line for the mall Santa and paying $20 plus bucks for a picture!

The next day we headed to the Tellus Museum. This museum is less than 5 minutes from our house, yet we'd never been. Luke was a little scared of the dinosaurs and did not want to be an astronaut, but loved the One World, One Sky - Sesame Street Planetarium show, the Collins Family My Big Backyard, the Fossil Dig and Gem Panning. I think next year, once he's a little older, we'll get a membership to the museum.

It was a great weekend leading up to Thanksgiving!

Enjoying Fall!

2011-12-04T23:27:00.000-05:00

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love when the air turns crisp and cool. I love going for hikes when the leaves are changing colors and you can see all shades of yellow, green, orange, and red in the sky. It seems that Luke is turning into quite the nature lover as well. He loves to go hiking and explore all that the great outdoors have to offer.

One weekday, while Andy was at work, Luke and I went on an outing to Red Top Mountain State Park. It's only a 15 minute drive from our house, so we frequent it often. Not only does it have some hiking trails, but it has a playground and is right on Lake Allatoona. This was a particularly beautiful day and we pretty much had the park to ourselves. Awesome!

Another trail that we frequent often is =Pine Mountain Recreation Area (West Loop). It's a pretty steep 1.5 mile climb up the mountain to a stunning view of Allatoona Lake, the Etowah River Valley, Cartersville and beyond. On this trip, I carried Luke up (in the backpack) and Andy carried Luke down. Luke now weighs over 30 pounds, so there were times I wanted to stop, but I was determined not to give up. It was all worth it when we reached the top - it was so peaceful and beautiful up there.

I'm not ready for winter to be here soon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In case you haven't noticed, I'm playing catch up here! I have started several posts, but been slacking on actually finishing them up. I think this post is especially obvious seeing as though the leaves are still in the trees, pretty and colorful, and not on the ground, crunchy and dead! Luke's long(er) hair is also a good giveaway! :)

Luke's School Thanksgiving Lunch

2011-12-04T23:04:00.000-05:00

Luke's now going to a Montessorie school 2 days a week. It's been great. It allows me to go to campus to get some work done (without being distracted which is nearly impossible at home) and hold office/lab hours. On top of that, Luke's learning so much and loves playing with his friends. I might even say he's tamed down a bit and is learning some structure....two very good things!

The week before Thanksgiving, the school held a Thanksgiving Feast. All parents and family members were invited and the children acted as hosts and hostesses, seating and serving us. The kids even made the vegetable soup and cornbread muffins. I can honestly say I was full after eating the meal; the food was surprisingly good!

Luke is the next to youngest kid at the school, so he didn't do much serving or hosting. He did; however, get to eat lunch with his momma!

After we finished eating, the kids sat on the staircase and sang a couple songs to the parents/family members. Do you notice somebody missing from this picture?

(Side note: Luke just looked at this picture with me and named every kid in the picture...how cute is that?!?)

Yep, Luke would not leave my side. He was very clingy the entire time, almost like he thought I would sneak out if given the opportunity. I couldn't understand why, especially since he's so excited to walk into school every morning by himself, but it was naptime, so I know he was just tired (he fell asleep within 10 minutes of getting in the car to go home). Just look at that grumpy face and tight grip on my arm!

Even though Luke didn't participate very much (he did sing me part of the songs on our way home), it was still a treat getting to attend his Thanksgiving Festival and see him interact with his friends. It was a great way to kick off the 2011 Thanksgiving festivities!

Baby Gifts

2011-12-04T22:47:00.001-05:00

I love making customized onesies and shirts for friends and their new babies. I think they appreciate the thought and effort put into the gifts as well. Check out the baby gifts I made for friends (and friends of friends) just last month!

One of Andy's co-workers-turned-friend is a fellow Purdue graduate, so I obviously had to make some Purdue gear for the newest little Boilermaker, Karoline Rose. Can't wait to meet the precious baby girl!

A college friend asked me if I could make a t-shirt for her friend's little boy who was turning 1 on 11-1-11 (what a cool 1st birthday date!). She said that her friend likes preppy baby clothes, especially those that are personalized, and dresses her son in a lot of blues and browns. I found this plaid heat transfer vinyl and thought it would be perfect. I have to give Andy credit on this one...he came up with the idea of making the tie with the boy's name. I love how it turned out and will soon be making one for Luke.

Finally, one of my friends is having a baby boy very soon (her due date is 1/8/12)! Here are the onesies/shirt I made for her baby shower!

Of course, my standby for boys - a tuxedo onesie. Kristin said if he's born before the new year, this will make a perfect New Year's Eve outfit!

I saw this idea on Pinterest and loved it so much that I made one for Kristin. Hopefully she doesn't have him early in December though, or this onesie won't make any sense! I included a red fabric marker so that she can circle the baby's birthdate and maybe even use it as a birth announcement.

The name tie again! Don't you just love the name, Gabel!

Isn't this owl so cute (he's made out of flocked vinyl)?

Kristin's husband is in a band and sings/plays guitar, so I thought a "My Dad Rocks" onesie was appropriate. Not very creative, but will still be cute on little Gabel.

Sure hope all 3 mommas loved the new personalized onesies for their littles ones!

Shutterfly Cards

2011-12-02T14:58:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it's December already??!! I sure can't. But, that does mean that it's time to get your Christmas cards ready! We're each sending out family Christmas cards, but also wanted to create a card for our immediate family with the 3 grandkids. Thanks to the awesome Lindsey McDowell for getting a great picture of the wild kids! It made a good picture for this simple card. Go to Shutterfly and make your Christmas cards! :)

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

We're doing a 25 Random Acts of Kindness Challenge for the month of December...anyone want to join us? We're trying to do at least one random act of kindness per day throughout the month. We got the idea here and loved it. What better way to celebrate the holiday season? Have a great weekend!! :)

Brownie Cookie Dough Sandwiches

2011-11-21T09:41:00.000-05:00

I made these brownie cookie dough sandwiches a few weeks ago. They made some huge, rich cookies that in looks alone, remind me of ice cream sandwiches. Andy said they tasted like Oreos, but better! I think that's a pretty good compliment and my Wednesday night friends seemed to agree. The soft brownie cookies are rich and chocolatey while the sweet filling is perfect eggless chocolate chip cookie dough (made with marshmallow creme). I'm sure I'll find an excuse to make these again sometime soon!

Of course my helper, Luke, decided to "help" by making my stack a little shorter and sturdier :)

I think he liked the cookies!

Enjoy!

Brownie Cookie Dough Sandwiches

Source: Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Brownie Cookies
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cookie Dough Filling
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 13 oz container marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in two addition, beating until just combined. The batter will be very thick.

Portion the dough into 1 -1 1/2 tablespoon balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. With damp fingers, slightly flatten the balls of dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are set and the tops are puffed and cracked (but still soft). Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before removing them to the rack to cool completely.

To make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the brown sugar and beat until well combined. Mix in the flour until incorporated (the filling will be almost crumbly). Add the remaining ingredients and beat until the mixture is smooth and thick.

To assemble the sandwiches: Match the cookies in pairs by size. Scoop about 2-3 tablespoons of the filling onto the flat side of one of the cookies in each pair. Put the other cookie on top and press to push the filling to the edges.

Makes about 20 sandwich cookies

Ruffle Scarf

2011-11-21T09:22:00.000-05:00

I have to admit, I really don't have much of a style. As soon as we were old enough to buy our own clothes (with the money we made working in the concession stand at the local pool), Jen and I would spend all of our money buying anything and everything from Abercrombie & Fitch. That phase lasted all through college, when we decided we were too old for Abercrombie and turned our sights on Express. Then I got married to someone that could be described as "cheap" and I've found that in the last 8 years, he's rubbed off on me. I would say that today the majority of my clothes come from Target. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that...Target is my absolute favorite store and I could spend all day wandering around the aisles of a Super Target. Anyway, I'm rambling, back to the point...my style now is mostly comfy and casual. I live in tank tops, bermuda shorts and flip flops in the summer and cardigans, jeans and flats in the winter.

I do love the current trend of scarves and boots right now, yet have never really worn either. I'm not sure I can pull off the boots look (even though I really want to try!), but I'm pretty sure anyone can pull of the scarf look. There are DIY scarves all of Pinterest (my newest obsession!), so I decided to make some for myself.

First I made the simplest, easiest scarf ever - a ruffle scarf. The trick? I used ruffled fabric (that I got from Hobby Lobby). Basically, all I had to do was cut 4 strips of the fabric, sew 2 short ends together to make 2 long pieces, then place the 2 pieces right sides together, sew around 3 sides, turn it right side out, and sew the short end closed. Took me all of 10 minutes, but I love how it looks. I even got some compliments when I wore it the other day!

(Somehow we didn't realize that the bottom half of the scarf is in the shade, but you get the idea. This was a pretty humorous "photoshoot". I make an awful "model"!)

Pumpkin Lust Cake & No-Bake Butterfinger and Pretzel Cheesecake

2011-11-18T11:22:00.000-05:00

Do you have a Pinterest account yet? I put it off for awhile knowing that I couldn't hold out forever, but it would also become a huge time suck. It is addicting and I find myself spending more time on it than I should, but I do love it! It's a great place to find inspiration! I follow a lot of blogs and now instead of starring them in Google Reader (where they end up in one huge list), I can quickly pin them (using the handy "Pin It" button on my toolbar) and categorize them. So easy and so brilliant!

For the Wednesday night Thanksgiving dinner this week, I made 2 desserts that I found on Pinterest - Pumpkin Lust Cake and No-bake Butterfinger and Pretzel Cheesecake. Both were delicious and easy to throw together!

When I saw this Pumpkin Lust Cake, I knew I wanted to make it for Thanksgiving. We always make apple pie for Thanksgiving Day (my favorite pie) so Wednesday night was the perfect time to make it. I don't like nuts in my desserts, so I subsituted the pecan crust with pretzels instead. Worked out great! Also, if you want to make this, I found the Jello Instant Pumpkin Spice Pudding at Walmart (Super Target didn't have it). This four layer dish was a hit with all the girls - between 7 of us, we ate almost half of the 9 x 13 dish. I think this would make a great addition to any Thanksgiving meal!

I also decided to make No-Bake Butterfinger and Pretzel Cheesecake. Butterfingers are one of Andy's favorite desserts, so I knew he would love this one. We ate almost half of it Wednesday night, so he'll get to enjoy it this weekend. I loved the Butterfinger/pretzel crust and the smooth texture of the cheesecake. If you're a Butterfinger fan (and especially if you have some leftover from Halloween), be sure to make this!

Have a lovely weekend!

Haircut #5

2011-11-16T09:33:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, Luke walked into Floyd's Barber Shop looking like this:

And walked out looking like this!

What a difference!

Pumpkin Brown Butter Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting

2011-11-08T22:52:00.001-05:00

In an effort to have an excuse to make new desserts without the responsibility of eating them all myself, I've volunteered to bring treats to the monthly department meetings at work. Since I'm new to the department, I hope this will help me get to know my coworkers a little better as well. Everyone likes sweet treats, right?

I'm obviously on a pumpkin kick this fall, so for my first month, I decided to make Pumpkin Brown Butter Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting. They were delicious with an almost caramelly flavor. I've never made a dessert with brown butter before, but love it in this recipe and will be on a mission to find more. I've also recently realized the wonderful effect sour cream has on cupcakes. When I see a cupcake recipe with sour cream, I immediately bookmark it. The flavor of the cupcake alone is wonderful, but add the cinnamon frosting to the top, and you have a truly amazing cupcake.

Aren't the brown scalloped baking cups from Bake it Pretty so pretty too?!?

Also, since it was the week before Halloween, I made some festive chocolate Cake Pops. All the treats were gone when I checked at the end of the day with little notes saying "Wow!" and "Wonderful". I think my colleagues were appreciative and happy!

Pumpkin Brown Butter Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting

Source: Sprinkle Bakes

Yield: About 25 cupcakes

Cake:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with papers.
2.Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally until the butter turns golden brown. Pour the browned butter into a small bowl and let stand until cool but not solidified.
3.In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt and allspice. Set aside.
4.In a large bowl, whisk 1 ½ cups of pumpkin puree with the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and sour cream until well combined. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Whisk in the browned butter until well blended.
5.Divide batter between cupcake liners. Fill them about half full.
6.Bake cupcakes for 20-25 minutes, or until they spring back when pressed in the middle.

Cinnamon Frosting:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon

1.In a medium saucepan, whisk the sugar and flour together. Add the milk and heavy cream and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, about 20 minutes.

2.Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter; beat until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and cinnamon and continue mixing until combined. If the frosting is too soft, transfer the bowl to the refrigerator to chill slightly, and then beat again until it is the proper consistency. If the frosting is too firm, place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and beat with a wooden spoon until it is the proper consistency.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

2011-11-08T22:24:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I needed a quick, easy recipe to make for Wednesday night. When I realized I had all of the ingredients for these pumpkin chocolate chip bars (meaning I wouldn't have to make the dreaded trip to the grocery store for 3 items with a 2 year old who wants to do everything but sit in the shopping cart), I was sold!

Given the kitchen staple ingredients, the simplicity of bars, the wonderful chocolate/pumpkin combination, and the soft moist end result, this recipe is a keeper!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
Source: Two Peas and Their Pod

Yield: 24 bars
Cook Time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (I used Crisco Shortening Sticks - Butter Flavor)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (I used mini semisweet chocolate chips)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. With a stand or electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Add pumpkin puree and mix well. The mixture will look somewhat curdled. Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake bars for 35-40 minutes or until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.

4. Cool bars completely in pan. Cut into squares and serve.

Decoupaging Pumpkins

2011-11-04T12:44:00.000-04:00

I'm fortunate that I'm not the only one in my group of friends who likes doing craft projects. I actually wouldn't even consider myself one of the craftiest girls in the group, a fact which I love. A few weeks ago, some of the girls decided to try decoupaging pumpkins. I was obviously in and excited to give it a try!

Have you ever tried this? It's really pretty easy! All you need is a pumpkin (real or fake - we all used fake so we can use them again and again), Modge Podge (a must-have for crafters), and paper (scrapbook paper - mine is from Walmart, doiles, napkins, wrapping paper, etc).

Here's my finished product! So simple, yet eye catching.

Here's what it looked like before the Modge Podge dried.

And here are the others (from Jennie, Kristin, Lindsey, and Katie)...I think they all turned out great!

I think I will be making a couple more of these before fall is over! Sarah kindly offered to be the babysitter during crafting time. Aren't Luke & Lucy so cute together?!? In fact, the other day he called her "Lucy Hedrick". I think he has his sights set on her :)

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T21:18:00.000-04:00

Have you recovered from a night of sugar, sugar and more sugar? I know Luke definitely ate more than his fair share of candy yesterday, but still went to bed by 8:30. I guess all the running around wore him out!

Luke wanted to be a train for Halloween (no surprise there!) and I had good intentions on making this super cute train costume, but ran out of motivation toward the end. Maybe next year! Instead, we went the easy train conductor route. He already had the conductor hat, bandana and train whistle from his birthday party, so all we had to get were some stripey overalls (from Target).

He loved pushing our lone pumpkin down the porch steps. He kept saying "pumpkin heavy!".

He also loved all the spooky decorations at our friend's house across the street. Those dismembered body parts didn't scare him one bit!

Surprisingly, Luke wasn't excited to go trick or treating. We thought he'd love it, but instead he got really shy and made us carry him and whispered "trick or treat". I think it stemmed from the spooky music at the first house we visited. After going down one cul-de-sac in our neighborhood, we decided to cut it short and go back to the house to hand out candy - he seemed to enjoy watching all the othe kids more anyway.

Hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween! :)

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-11-01T21:17:00.001-04:00

We finally made it to the pumpkin patch last weekend! I've been wanting to go all month, but it seems like other things kept coming up on our short weekends.

We went to Pumpkin Patch Farm in Adairsville, Georgia, and Luke had so much fun! I'll let the pictures do most of the talking...

Our attempt at a family photo on the hayride

What a beautiful, fun-filled, fall day! I have to say though...October flew by way too fast!

Party, Party, Party!

2011-11-01T21:16:00.000-04:00

October was one busy month! It started with Luke's birthday party on October 8th and I think we went to kid's parties every other weekend in October! Here are some pictures from the shindigs...

Our friends Erik (also a Purdue graduate) and Linda threw a Halloween birthday party for their daughter, Kathryn's 5th birthday. It was perfect for the kids with two huge bouncey houses, hot dogs, hamburgers, other great food, an ice cream truck (loved this idea!), and cake. I don't think Luke sat still more than 5 minutes throughout the whole 3 hour party! Erik & Linda also welcomed anothe baby girl today! Yay - can't wait to meet Baby Karoline!

Luke's buddies Cooper and Fisher turned 4 and 3, respectively, and had a birthday party at Calhoun Park. I love watching Luke interact with his little friends...they're so cute together! With pizza, cupcakes, and a huge playground, the kids had so much fun!

Luke really liked this train duplo Lego kit - maybe a Christmas idea!

Last Sunday Luke's school had a Halloween Festival. It was a pitch-in and two year olds were supposed to bring drinks, so we made a couple different sherbert punches. The kids dressed up in their Halloween costumes and played games like upside/down apple bobbing, musical pumpkins (which Luke didn't quite understand), a maze, and a wishing well (which Luke quickly figured out and ended up with several suckers). It was fun and nice meeting all of the parents of his classmates!

Happy November!

Train Track Photos!

2011-11-01T11:43:00.000-04:00

Last Friday afternoon we dressed the kids up in their "rocker gear" and headed to the train depot where Luke had his birthday party. Nick was sad that he missed Luke's birthday party so we promised him we'd go check it out. They seemed to enjoy running around!

Even though Luke ended up loving the trains at his birthday party, he wasn't too excited when he saw them this time. Just look at that face!

He finally warmed up to them though!

And all 3 kids enjoyed watching the long, loud train go by!

Then we went across Main Street to the Young Brothers Pharmacy where the first outdoor painted-wall advertisement for Coca-Cola resides.

And where the kids could run along the railroad (until another train came by which scared them).

After a relaxing afternoon, we met our cousin and his expecting wife at Ippolito's Italian Restaurant. We didn't take any pictures but we enjoyed a great dinner! After a busy few days, we were all exhausted and went to bed early Friday night. Unfortunately, Jen, Nick, Mamie, and GG had to leave early Saturday morning for the long drive back home. Luke and I were so sad to see them go!

Cousin Fun

2011-11-01T11:40:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, while Ali had to go into work for a couple hours, Jen took the kids to BounceU. I think they all had a great time bouncing and running around!

After the kids were all worn out, we went to lunch at Taco Mac (where we turned in 118 letters for the Bert Show's Big Thank You). We then headed home where Luke opened up some birthday presents from GG and Aunt Jen. Although you wouldn't know it from this picture, he loves his Thomas outfit, Thomas train, and LeapFrog book! It was a beautiful day, so we then went outside to play.

The rest of the evening was spent baking (it's what we like to do!), laughing, drinking a few cocktails, watching Scream 4, and just hanging out until the early hours of the morning!

So much fun...I miss nights like this!

Happy Halloween Dessert Table!

2011-10-30T18:58:00.000-04:00

To celebrate Halloween, as well as the kid's birthdays (since they are born in September, October, and November), we decided to put together a Halloween dessert table!

We had Chocolate Cake Pops, Halloween Oreos, Candy Corn Cupcakes, Pumpkin Brown Butter Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting, Goose Crunch, Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Vanilla Sheet Cake, Cheez-its, and Mission Halloween Tortilla Chips.

We also used the felt black and orange banner from last year and made a photo banner with pictures of all 3 kids. Love the photo banner! So easy and cute!

And Jen's future blogger, Mamie photographing the dessert table! :)

And here's our attempt at a group photo in front of the dessert table - not very successful!

Happy Halloween!

Pictures and Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Vanilla Sheet Cake

2011-10-30T14:31:00.002-04:00

My kids were on Fall Break this week. Instead of sitting around the house all day, we wanted to do something fun. I was able to get a few days off of work so we decided to drive to Georgia to visit Ali and Luke! Grandma, Nick, Mamie, and I left Wednesday morning and got to Ali's house around 4:30pm. Since it's rare that we are all together, Ali had asked one of her friends, photographer Lindsey McDowell, if she could take some pictures for us. We dropped our Grandma off at her hotel, then we headed to the beautiful Berry College for the pictures. The kids were crazy and did not want to cooperate and sit still for photos, so it's a good thing Lindsey's a great candid photographer! Thank you so much for the awesome pictures, Lindsey!

After the pictures, we went to another of Ali's friend's house for their Wednesday night get together. This is a standing Wednesday night get together which I think is so neat! I think we need to start this in Indy too. :)

Ali can't show up without a dessert so she made this Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Vanilla Sheet Cake (recipe below). It was really good and a hit with her friends.

After getting back to Ali's house, the kids ran around some more and Ali and I enjoyed our time together!

Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Vanilla Sheet Cake
Source: Picky Palate

1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk
3.4 ounce box Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix
1/2 cup sour cream
15 ounce can pumpkin
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream (start w 1/4 cup and add a little more cream if needed)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a jelly roll pan with non stick cooking spray.

2. Place cake mix, eggs, oil, milk, pudding, sour cream and pumpkin into a stand or electric mixer, beating until well combined, about 1 1/2 minutes. Pour into prepared pan, spreading evenly.

3. Place butter into a microwave safe bowl and melt, about 30-40 seconds. Add brown sugar and cinnamon to bowl, mixing until combined. Drizzle mixture evenly over cake then take a knife and run it through to swirl.

4. Bake cake for 30-35 minutes, until cooked through and remove. Place powdered sugar and cream into a large bowl and mix until creamy and smooth. Drizzle over warm cake then let cool for 20 minutes before cutting into squares. Refrigerate if not serving same day. Enjoy with milk!

Makes 16 to 20 squares

Luke's 2nd Birthday Party!

2011-10-13T16:58:00.003-04:00

My little man, Luke, turned 2 last week! He is really into trains these days, so we decided to have a train birthday party for him last weekend. Lucky for us, our town has a former train depot, so we held the party outside the Cartersville Depot!

Unlike Luke's Dukes of Hazzard 1st birthday party, which I spent a few months planning, I only spent a few weeks planning this budget-friendly party. In fact, after Luke's first birthday, Andy made me promise that we wouldn't have a big 2nd birthday party for Luke. Unfortunately for Andy, during this time I caught the party planning bug and skipping Luke's party was not a possibility. Once I found out that you can rent the Cartersville Depot (amphitheatre/stage area), it was full steam ahead.

I immediately began my search for the perfect invitation to set the tone for the event. A quick search for train parties in my Google Reader led me to this vintage train party, which led me to these amazing vintage train printables from Spaceships and Laser Beams! I ordered the invitations, blank labels, cupcake wrappers, and water bottle labels. Stephanie was a dream to work with and so sweet. In fact, a week after I ordered these items, Spaceships and Laser Beams celebrated their first birthday and had a facebook giveaway, which I obviously entered. I didn't win, BUT as a "little not so random act of kindness", they still offered me any other items from their vintage train collection that I wanted. How cool is that?!? I felt like I was taking advantage of their kindness when I asked for the All Aboard banner, 6 inch party sign, thank you cards, 2 inch party decals, and favor tags. All of their printables are so cute - I highly recommend Spaceships and Laser Beams for any of your boy party planning needs!

Next it was time to plan the dessert/food table (always my favorite part!).

Before I even thought about what food we were going to have, I determined the layout. Since the party was outside, I didn't want to use a fabric backdrop like normal. Instead, I decided to hang up a "happy birthday" banner. The "happy" is actually the Pennant Banner I bought awhile back (I changed out the ribbon and tied it to fishing wire). To make the "birthday" banner, I cut squares from Jute Webbing, put foam letter stickers on them, and sewed the squares onto double fold extra wide bias tape. Simple, yet cute (and I had all of the supplies on hand)! Next I had to determine what to hang the banners from. Since the table wouldn't be against a wall and I needed something free standing, I put my husband to work. He recently cut down a bunch of branches from a big tree in our yard, so he grabbed a couple and attached them to 2x4 bases. I love the natural feel to it and can use them again!

I used blue/white striped fabric as the tablecloth (to somewhat resemble conductor hats). The picture banner may just be my favorite touch of the entire table. I printed sepia pictures of Luke (one from each month of his life as a 1 year old), attached them to red cardstock, and hung them on twine with mini clothespins. To add to the decor, I also placed a train track around the cupcakes, as well as an antique brass train, LUKE train (on a railroad I made with small square dowels), and a vintage ticket holder on the table.

Finally it was time to think about the food. We decided to have the party from 1-3pm, and made the following snacks and desserts:

Drinks: Sweet tea and lemonade. Also a variety of juice and pop in a cooler.
Desserts: Red velvet cake pops, mini donuts, chocolate cupcakes, sprinkle cupcakes, chocolate rolled cookies, and sugar cookies.
Food: Hawaiian sweet bread ham/turkey sandwiches, cheese slices (cut into mini trains and 2 with cookie cutters), fruit kabobs, pigs in a blanket, ham tortilla rollups, and sausage balls.

Favors are always fun to plan too! We brought Luke's cube organizer to hold the favors. They included conductor hats, train whistles, personalized bandanas, train crayons, and water bottles. The kids seemed to really enjoy all of them! I also made a big 2 out of foam board and a lot of twine.

Activities were kept at a minimum since we knew the venue provided enough fun for the kids (watching trains pass by, as well as running around the stage and amphitheatre steps). We did take a bunch of Luke's train toys and laid them out on a blanket for everyone to play with. Luke started out being afraid of the trains but quickly got over it and loved watching them go by with his little friends!

My husband built a cardboard box train (idea found here) which I covered in kraft paper. We then filled a box with markers, colored pencils, train shaped crayons, and stickers (which I made with my Xyron create-a-sticker) that the kids could use to decorate it. As you can tell, they had fun with the train!

I had planned on decorating train sugar cookies to include in the kids' favor bags; however, got lazy when it came to decorating them. That's when it hit me...why not set up a table with edible markers and let the kids decorate their trains themselves! They could then bag them up and put them in their favor bags. I think this is a fun activity that could be incorporated into any party!

Finally, we utilized an old mail cart on the side of the train depot as a sort of photo booth. The plan was to get a picture of each kid with Luke, which I could later send to the parents along with their thank you card.

As far as other decorations, we had two 36" red balloons, which both flew away before the party was over. I made Luke's birthday shirt. We also put a burlap banner (which I made) around the stage.

Thank you for checking out Luke's party! :)

Vendors

Printables - Spaceships and Laser Beams

Cake stands - HomeGoods, Pier 1, a few layers of the cupcake stand that my hubby built

Glass beverage canisters - Target (that I got 50% off in early summer)

Glass milk bottles - Polka Dot Market

Rectangle dishes (to resemble train) - TJ Maxx

Stripey straws and 36" balloons - Shop Sweet Lulu

Chicken Pot Pie

2011-10-13T12:50:00.001-04:00

Truthfully, I've always thought that I didn't like chicken pot pie. I'm not sure where this sentiment came from, but it probably stems from the fact that my mom never made it (that I remember). Instead, I always picture frozen meals that just never looked appetizing to me. That was until a friend of mine made chicken pot pie one night and was kind enough to bring some over to me. I think I was pregnant at the time and she assumed (correctly) that while Andy was out of town, I wasn't feeding myself very nutritious meals. Regardless, it completely changed my opinion of chicken pot pie!

This makes a nice hearty meal, perfect for fall! I love that you can bake them in individual servings - I used 8 ramekins and froze half of them. As a bread lover, I assumed that the crust would be my favorite part, but I actually loved the creamy filling the best. Andy loved them as well, so I'm sure I will be making them again. In fact, I think one is calling my name from the freezer for dinner tonight!

Chicken Pot Pie

Source: Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
For the filling:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large russett potato, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 purchased rotisserie chicken
1-2 cups frozen peas and carrots

For the sauce:
8 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
2½ cups chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream (optional)
Dash of hot sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the crust:
16 tbsp. cold unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
10 oz. cream cheese, chilled
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 large egg

Directions:
To make the filling, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and potato to the pan, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Mix in the garlic, bell pepper and mushrooms, and cook for about 15 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender. While the vegetables are cooking, remove the skin from the chicken, pull the meat off the bones and shred or chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Once the vegetables are finished cooking, turn off the heat and mix in the chicken and the frozen peas and carrots. Stir in the red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the chicken broth and cook over medium heat until it thickens to the consistency of a cream soup. Mix in the cream (if using), the hot sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the cream sauce over the chicken and veggie mixture and stir to combine well. Spoon the mixture into 6-8 individual oven-safe dishes (such as ramekins).

Preheat the oven to 375° F. To make the crust, cut the butter into 16 pieces. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the butter and flour until crumbly. Add the cream cheese, salt and pepper. Continue pulsing just until the dough forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut out dough rounds to be about 1½ inches larger than the diameter of your pot pie dishes. Lay the dough rounds on top of the individual dishes. Beat the egg with a whisk, and brush the tops of the dough rounds lightly with the beaten egg.

Place the pot pie dishes on a baking sheet for easy transfer in and out of the oven. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

2011-10-13T12:05:00.000-04:00

Our friends never ask me to bring a dessert with me to gatherings. It's just a self imposed rule of mine; I hate showing up places empty-handed, especially when the hosts are treating us to a wonderful meal. Because of this, I have such a long list of recipes that I want to try, that I have a hard time narrowing them down and making a final decision. Every once in awhile; however, I see a post come in on my Google Reader and a dessert moves to the top of the list. That's what happened with these cookies! Annie posted these cookies on September 23, and I made them on October 1.

I have always loved Snickerdoodles, although I rarely make them. I don't know why because they always bring back pleasant memories of Jen and me baking in our mom's kitchen. Along with chocolate chip cookies, these were the go-to cookies in our house growing up. Now that it's fall and all I want to do is bake with pumpkin, this was an obvious choice. The result is a thick (almost cake-like), soft cookie that was a hit amongst our friends. I even found myself going back to the bar a few times to sneak another cookie!

I also made some Pumpkin Butterscotch Cookies to go along with them. I hope my friends don't get sick of pumpkin, because I'm just getting started baking with it this season!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Source: Annie's Eats

Yield: about 3-4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
For the cookies:
3¾ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the coating:
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
Dash of allspice

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk to blend and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Blend in the pumpkin puree. Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Combine the sugar and spices for the coating in a bowl and mix to blend. Scoop the dough (about 2½ tablespoons) and roll into a ball. Coat the dough ball in the sugar-spice mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough to fill the sheets, spacing the dough balls 2-3 inches apart. Dip the bottom of a flat, heavy-bottomed drinking glass in water, then in the sugar-spice mixture, and use the bottom to flatten the dough balls slightly. Recoat the bottom of the glass in the sugar-spice mixture as needed.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until just set and baked through. Let cool on the baking sheets about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Store in an airtight container.

Fun

2011-10-12T22:47:00.002-04:00

We had a lot of fun during the month of September! Here's a recap of some of the fun we had...

Luke loves flying kites with his daddy!

One of Luke's favorite activities is going to the park. Lots of fun can be had there!

We went to the Tennessee Aquarium Labor Day weekend. Luke loved it, especially the penguins!

I went to Wicked at the Fox Theatre with the girls! Such an amazing show and a much needed girls day out!

Then the day after Luke turned 2, he started school! He's now going to a Montessorie school 2 days a week and seems to love it. I think he's learning a lot too. How cute does he look with his little Thomas lunch box on his first day of school?!?

Hopefully we can squeeze in twice as much fun this month - it will be 2012 before we know it!

Grinding Flour

2011-10-12T17:54:00.001-04:00

Did you know you can grind your own flour? I guess this is something I should have known, but never thought beyond buying it from the grocery store. Andy actually bought a hand grain mill awhile back and we finally decided to use it.

We started with this hard white wheat (Luke likes to help!)...

And ended up with this fine wheat flour!

We then used the flour to make some Homemade Bread. I have to say, this was all Andy's doing. He ground the flour, mixed up the ingredients, watched it rise, kneaded the dough, watched it rise again, and baked it. All I had to do was enjoy the final product, and I sure did. It was delicious!

Later that week, I decided to give it a try and ground up enough flour to make this Whole Wheat Pizza Dough. I have to admit, it wasn't my favorite. Many times, the crust is my favorite part of pizza. That wasn't the case with this crust as I found myself eating the topping instead. I think I'll try a different recipe next time!

I'm sure we'll be finding more excuses to grind up our own flour. Not only is it gratifying to do it yourself, but you end up getting a good bicep workout! :)

Butch Walker, Luke's Birthday Party, More Butch Walker!

2011-10-10T11:26:00.001-04:00

We had an amazing weekend! Not only was the weather beautiful and perfect, but it was jam-packed with fun!

Friday night, Rebecca and I went to the Butch Walker show at Variety Playhouse! We've been to more of his shows than we can count, but as always, he put on a great show! He began his set with "Cigarette Lighter Love Song", one of my absolute favorite songs. After a few slow songs on his piano, he brought out his band and began to party! I actually didn't take any pictures during the show - I've found that instead of being distracted by trying to get a good shot, I prefer sitting back and taking it all in. Besides, a quick google search always brings up images that other people took, which are a lot better than mine! Here we are before the show though!

We had Luke's 2nd birthday party on Saturday at the (former) train depot in Cartersville. Unlike Luke's first birthday party which I planned in 5 months or so, I put this one together in 2-3 weeks. It was a lot of work, but so worth it! Be on the lookout for a full post soon, but here are a few teaser pictures!

And here's the food/dessert table!

Then Sunday, Rebecca and I headed back to Little Five Points for a Butch Walker in-store appearance at Criminal Records! Again, no pictures of his performance (you can see a few here), but they had a photobooth where you could get your picture taken with Butch Walker! So cool! This was my second time "meeting" him and he seems like such a genuine, nice guy. Seriously, I've said this before, but if you haven't heard his music, please check him out. His new album, The Spade, is awesome! He also has a book coming out at the end of the month.

This was the start of a VERY busy month of October. I'm looking forward to a lot more fall fun!

Mamie's 4th Birthday Party

2011-10-01T16:50:00.000-04:00

Mamie turned 4 on September 14th, and we had her birthday party last weekend. She had so much fun! We rented a bounce house from Big Bounce. It was great...they delivered and set up the bounce house then came and took it down after the party. The party was at 2pm so we decided to do appetizers and a dessert table.

Ali made this banner for Mamie's birthday party last year. It's so cute that I wanted to use it again this year.

For the dessert table, I made:

Chocolate cupcakes with buttercream icing
Lemon cupcakes with lemon supreme icing
Strawberry cupcakes with strawberry icing
Chocolate covered Oreos using Wilton cookie molds
Oreo pops
Strawberry cake pops
Lofthouse style frosted sugar cookies - this was the first time I've made these and they were just like the store bought ones! I'll be making these again.
Chocolate chip cookies

I think everyone liked the dessert table! I definitely made too much and had a ton of leftovers. Luckily the football coaches were happy to eat it the next day. :) For appetizers, we had ham tortilla rollups, roast beef rollups, cheese cubes, grapes, meatballs (homemade by my mother in law), and taco snack mix.

Along with the bounce house, for entertainment, I bought Magic Scratch crafts. Have you seen these? They come in a kit including sticks to scratch off the black surface. Under the black, there are colors so you can scratch designs and such into them. They are awesome and the kids loved them! We got princess crowns, lanterns (because of the lanterns in Tangled), and book marks. I ordered them from Oriental Trading Company and have a feeling I'll be ordering more for Nick's November party.

We had the party at Dad's house...in the garage. Isn't this the cleanest, nicest garage you've ever seen?! He hosted Thanksgiving in it last year and bought the rugs to "spruce" it up. It was the perfect location for the party! Thanks Dad!!