WEIGHT WATCHER'S FRUIT SALAD

Today we had a Spring Easter Brunch with our Ward at the Church and I volunteered to bring fruit.  I have always loved this salad, it's tasty and low fat...

WEIGHT WATCHER'S FRUIT SALAD:
14 oz. pineapple - drain but save the juice
10 oz. mandarine oranges - drained
2 apples- diced
2 kiwi - cut up
2 bananas - sliced
1 c. grapes - halved
1 pkg. strawberry-kiwi jello
Mix all ingredients and sprinkle about 1/4 of the pkg of jello over top and stir, if too dry add some of the saved pineapple juice.  Chill till ready to serve. 
I like to add the bananas and kiwi right before serving because those seem to go mushy fast.  You can add as much jello as you like but it turns it pink:)

Another WW recipe I came across while googling this one (my mom couldn't find her recipe for awhile;) calls for about the same ingredients but uses pudding so I thought I would add it here too.  ENJOY!!

WEIGHT WATCHER'S SALAD:
1 c. sugar free fruit cocktail
1 c. pineapple tidbits
1 banana, sliced
1 apple, sliced or diced
1 box sugar free vanilla pudding, dry
Mix all ingredients together using juices of fruit cocktail and pineapple for liquifying pudding.

♣GREEN Velvet Cake Balls♣

I have been baking up a storm this past week:)

But I had to try the famous Red Velvet Cake Balls in GREEN!!

I used my homemade recipe that you can find HERE and used 1 bottle of GREEN food coloring instead of 2 red.  I cooled the cake, added about 1/2-3/4 of the homemade frosting and mixed it well with a spoon.

Rolled them into cute little balls...turning my hands a pretty shade of GREEN!!  Placed them  on a cookie sheet with wax paper and put them in the freezer for 1/2 hour.

Then it's time to dip!!  I mentioned telling you all about my new easy dipping method last fall and got horrible morning sickness and never got a chance to make them.  So here is my tutorial...

First - melt your chocolate according to package.

Then stick a ball on a toothpick (I stick toothpick into the flat end of the ball) and dip about 3/4 of ball in chocolate.

Second - place on a foam block to dry.

Third - take half dipped ball off the toothpick and redip just the bottom of the cake ball into the chocolate.

Fourth - place on clean wax paper to dry again.  Next I would drizzle with more chocolate or white almond bark, but I accidentally put holes in my bottles warming them up in the microwave:(  And you can't find baking stuff around here!!

The next thing of course would be to DEVOUR this scrumptious little treats...

But beware they may turn your mouth GREEN!♣

I definitely prefer the homemade recipe over the box mix any day!!!!

Of course I had little helpers that were dying to try some dipping of their own.  So I gave them toothpicks, let them dip away and we sprinkled them with yummy lemon, lime sprinkles:)

BROCCOLI SOUP

I also enjoy making fun festive GREEN meals for my family on St. Patrick's Day! 

So this year my husband requested Broccoli Soup in bread bowls:)

I remember seeing this recipe over on Cooking On Clover Lane and thougth I would give it a shot!  I never made broccoli soup before because I thought it would be hard, but believe me this was very easy!!:)

BROCCOLI SOUP:

1 box vegetable broth

1 c. water

1 sm. container half & half

4 oz. cheddar cheese (we added more cause we love cheese)

1/2 c. flour (I ended up adding about 1/4 more because it wasn't thickening up)

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. black pepper (or as my husband said "Honey grab the black powder" - Hahaha - sorry had to share)

4 c. fresh broccoli chopped

Bring to boil all ingredients except broccoli, reduce heat to low, add broccoli and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until broccoli is tender.  We served ours in bread bowls and sprinkled cheese over top:)

ENJOY!!

(Somewhere Over the RaInBoW)

To help celebrate St. Patrick's Day we made festive RAINBOW cupcakes!

YUMMY!!

I have been seeing them around on other blogs and have been dying to try them out myself.  Even though they are a very LoOoOoNg process I LOVED the way they turned out!  I found a wonderful recipe to make your cake box mix taste good too.  We topped them with a delicious marshmallow frosting which gave it a fun cloudy look:)  And they tasted DE•LI•CIOUS!!!!!!!!!!

RAINBOW CUPCAKES:

1 white cake mix

1 sm. pkg instant pudding - vanilla

     (Tip -- you can use same recipe for any cake mix, just use chocolate pudding for chocolate cake)

8 oz. sour cream

4 eggs

1/2 c. water

1/2 c. oil

First mix together cake mix with pudding, then add remaining ingredients and beat well. 

Seperate batter evenly into 6 different bowls and add food coloring to get desired colors.  I just mixed till I got it bold enough....

Today I found this guideline or someone even suggested using gel dyes and it creates more vibrant colors ....

RAINBOW COLOR DROPS OF FOOD COLORING --
Purple 9 red and 6 blue drops
Blue 12 drops
Green 12 drops
Yellow 12 drops
Orange 12 yellow and 4 red drops
Red 18 drops

Than place about 1 tsp of each color batter into cupcake liners to fill 1/2 - 3/4 full.  I even saw someone do layers, which was just as cute:)  Bake 350* for 15 minutes.  Frost when cooled.

MARSHMALLOW FROSTING:
1 lb. butter - softened
2 jars marshmallow creme
1 lb. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
Beat all ingredients till fluffy!  I then put the frosting in a ziploc baggy, cut the tip and swirled frosting onto the cupcakes.  I would have used my frosting bag but I don't have a tip big enough, but the baggie worked just as good!

Here is another frosting recipe if you don't prefer marshmallow:)

COOL WHIP FROSTING:
2 sticks butter (1 cup) - softened
3/4 bag powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix together and slowly add milk to get desired thickness.  She adds about TBL at a time.  Than fold in a tub of Cool Whip.  I haven't tried this one so let me know if you do and I need to tweak the recipe!

♣HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY♣

Another fun festive RAINBOW treat is fresh fruit served with YUMMY fruit dip --

My kids and husband devoured this creative snack and really thought it was fun.  Here is my fruit dip:

MARSHMALLOW FRUIT DIP:

1 8 oz. cream cheese - softened

1 jar marshmallow fluff

2 tsp. vanilla

Beat till creamy and fluffy.  Chill.  Serve with favorite fruit!

I came across this idea on another blog and she included fruit ideas and another version of fruit dip --

Red - Strawberries, apples, cherries, watermelon

Orange - Mandarin oranges, navel oranges, canteloupe

Yellow - Pineapple, banana, apples, pears, lemons

Green - Apples, pears, grapes, limes

Blue - Blueberries

Violet (Purple) - Plums, grapes, pears
Pot of Gold - Bananas
Clouds - Sm. Marshmallows

(I cut the apples and bananas over two hours before I served it and they weren't brown. How? Using a basting brush, spread lemon juice over the cut sides. EASY!!!)

FRUIT DIP:
8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened works best)

8 oz. Sour Cream

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 oz. package of instant vanilla pudding

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix it all together. Chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve. And DEVOUR!!

~ReD VeLvEt CaKe~

I recently commented about my red velvet cake and frosting recipe on Bakerella's blog and realized I didn't have it written out very clear.  I copied it directly from a recipe card of my mom's that she has used since I was little.  So she probably wrote it out the way she would understand it:)  Well I decided to post it again since I got so many emails about it!!  I LOVE using this recipe for my cake pops, especially since it's so hard to find red velvet cake mix in a box around here.  I am thrilled to be making them next week for St. Patty's day and I am going to experiment making the batter green instead of red.  I will post after I am done!  Maybe I will attempt some shamrocks...we will see;)  Hope this recipe helps and PLEASE let me know if you have any more questions!!

Red Velvet Cake and Frosting Recipe:
1/2 c. Butter or 1 Stick
1 c. Granulated Sugar
Beat together till fluffy.
2 Eggs - add one at a time and beat well.
Make a paste of 2 TB. Cocoa and 2 oz. Red Food Coloring (2 bottles). Add to above mixture.
Add:
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 c. Buttermilk
2 3/4 c. Flour (sifted)
Alternate the milk and flour.
Last add 1 TB. Vinegar and 1 1/2 tsp. Soda
Mix really well - Bake 300* for 25-30 minutes.

Frosting:
Cook together -
1 c. Milk
5 TB. Flour
Cook till thick, stirring constantly to avoid burning and then add 1 tsp. Vanilla.
Cool well before adding to butter/sugar mixture or it will melt butter and be runny.
Cream 1 cup of Butter or 2 sticks and 1 c. Granulated Sugar.
Mix together and beat with hand mixer till smooth and creamy - this takes quite a long time to fluff up.  The mixture will turn from a yellowish color to more of a white color.  Then frost the cake and...
Enjoy!!

^High Altitude Baking^

Since we recently moved I have been having a hard time with getting my favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies to turn out:(  They are flat and hard!  My mom suggested it is from my change in altitude.  So I was excited when I came across a tip from Bakerella to check out this website....

HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING

I am around 5600 ft so I am definitely going to try adjusting this recipe and see if it helps.  Like she says, try out the original recipe first cause it may just work and if not then make adjustments.  My mom is at about 7000 ft so this will help her cookies as well...shhh don't tell her but her cookies are always flat!;)  Hope this helps some of you and a recipe that never turns out quite right!!

*Cake Mix Tips*

I LOVE using cake mixes from a box...especially for my cake pops!  But I am not a fan of how sometimes they just don't taste moist or as good as homemade.  So I got excited when I found this tip on a blog (sorry don't remember where I found it).

'I make wedding and other celebration cakes that people rave about and they all come from a box. My best secret is 1/4 - 1/2 cup of sour cream mixed in at the end of chocolate, yellow or other dense cake mixes for the moistest treat ever.
You can also throw in a small tub of any flavored yogurt with your white cakes, yellow cakes, butter cakes.
For filling or frosting try the same flavor of yogurt with cool whip or fresh whipped cream and a stabalizer. Add a layer of fresh fruit, another layer of pie filling or glaze = yummo.
Also if you think of ANY candy bar you love, you can't go wrong. Throw them in, layer them in or dissect the little guy to figure out its bits and peices and turn your cupcake into its little clone. Caramel, truffle or peanut butter centers, crispy chocolate, gnachey outsides. The world is yours!!!
I have personally been on a year long fast from sugar. Can you tell? I still bake it all for others and love to encourage them to enjoy so I can live vicariously:)'

•Scrumptious Soft Pretzel's•

I have been doing a little preschool with my kids each week and since our letter for the day was "P" we decided to make pretzels.  I found an easy kid friendly recipe and gave it a try...

Soft Pretzels
1 1/2 C warm water
1 pkg yeast (or 1 T)
1 T sugar
1 tsp salt
4 C flour
Add sugar to warm water then sprinkle yeast on top. let it float for a min. then stir to dissolve the yeast. Let sit for 10 min. as yeast activates and starts to foam. Add salt and flour and knead 5-10 min; adding more flour as needed to reduce stickiness. Divide dough into 12 pieces and roll into snakes. Twist into pretzel shape and place on nonstick baking sheet.  Make an egg wash with one egg and 1T water, lightly beaten together. Brush pretzels with egg wash then sprinkle liberally with kosher salt. Bake @ 425 for 15 min. or until lightly browned.  Serve with nacho cheese or brush with butter and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on them!:)
*For left over pretzels, brush with butter and sprinkle with parmesan and broil one minute. It makes a yummy treat.

I let the kids roll, shape and brush on the egg wash so our pretzels looked very "pretty!"  They didn't turn out as golden brown as I had hoped...I think it was from not enough egg wash, but they sure did taste good:)

♥YUMmy Valentines Day Treats♥

So I have been slacking on my treat making and dipping this year.  I really wanted to make cake pops but time and exhaustion from this pregnancy has taken over. But the kids and I did spend an afternoon dipping a few tasty treats for our family and friends.  I turned our left overs into a festive Valentine center piece for a family party that we had:)

We dipped and sprinkled--

Marshmallows

Oreo's - chocolate and vanilla ones

Rice Krispie treats that we cut into hearts

and since my husband is a HUGE fan of chocolate covered cinnamon bears I made him some of those (cinn. lips too)!:)  They took awhile and didn't turn out as pretty as I had hoped but they sure are YUMMY!!

Ingredients we used--

*Kroger Chocolate Almond bark

*Kroger Vanilla Almond bark colored pink (use paste not liquid food coloring)

*Valentine Sprinkles

*Sucker Sticks

*Wilton bottles for drizzling

*Anything you would like to dip:)

 My next task is to dip strawberries in our left over chocolate...all the stores were sold out but I eventually bought some and they are my favorite!!!!!  Next month I have some very yummy new treats I wanna try for St. Patty's Day....So stay tuned!

◘TORTELLINI SOUP◘

You are going to find that a lot of my recipes are going to be coming from the blog Our Family Treat...because she posts some really yummy ones, they are easy and my family is enjoying them:)  Especially this one!  It was so so easy (my kind of recipe) and a huge hit at our dinner table last night!!  Since the weather just isn't cooperating and we keep getting more snow it's great to serve warm, filling soup for dinner.  So try this one out, you won't be dissappointed;)

Tortellini Soup --
3 cans chicken broth
3 cans Progresso Tomato Soup
2 8 oz packages cream cheese
1 family size package of tortellini
1 tablespoon dried basil

Boil chicken broth. Then add tomato soup. Reduce heat. In a separate bowl, microwave the cream cheese until soft-for about 30 seconds. Remove and add about a cup of the soup. Whisk together to get the cream cheese all melted. Add cream cheese and tortellini to soup and let simmer for about 10 minutes-or until tortellini is cooked. Serve immediately!

~Cream Cheese Vegetable Soup~

This soup is REALLY GOOD...a new favorite at our house:)  I found the recipe once again over at Our Family Treat!!  I just LOVE their blog and check it regularly for fun new recipes...check it out!

Cream Cheese Veggie Soup --
2 chicken breasts (shredded-I actually used some frozen chicken that I had cooked up in the crockpot with Italian dressing and it was so good!)
4 potatoes-peeled and diced
1 cup of carrots-diced
1/2 cup of celery-chopped
1/2 of an onion-chopped
1/2 cup milk
4 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons flour
1 8 oz block of cream cheese-softened
salt and pepper
Shred cooked chicken and set aside. Saute onion in a little olive oil. Then add carrots and celery. Saute for about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth chicken, and potatoes. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low for about 30 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. In a bowl mix together flour and milk and then add to the soup. Then add cream cheese and salt and pepper. Let simmer for about 10 more minutes, or until cream cheese is all the way incorporated. Enjoy!

Tip: When it comes to chicken-I like to once or twice a month take a day and cook about 8 pieces in the crockpot in italian dressing. Cook it on low for 4-6 hours, then shred and freeze for when you need it.  (I have started doing this with my chicken too and LOVE it...I used it for enchiladas, chicken spaghetti, haystacks, etc. and it's delicious!!)

○POP UP Pancakes○

P.S. THESE ARE YUMMY!!  Huge, huge hit at our house:)  So easy!  My husband keeps ranting and raving about them!!  They remind us of crepes.  Try them...you won't regret it;)
I found these over at Make and Take and I think we need to have them for dinner next week:) MMMMMM

Pop Up Pancake Recipe – makes 24 muffins or fills a 9×13 baking pan
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
6 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
dash salt
Preheat oven at 400*
I like to blend all the ingredients in my blender. I have tried to whisk it or even use the electic mixer, but it seems to get the most smooth with a blender. Then grease your muffin tins or baking pan. My mom likes to bake these in a jelly roll pan.
Bake them for 15 minutes, or until puffy and golden on top. Use a knife to pry them out, hopefully they were greased well enough and should pop right out.
Now they are ready for toppings. I love syrup, powdered sugar, and fruit. You could even use fresh Strawberry Jam. We usually load it all on and dive in. What do you use to top your pancakes with? Maybe peanut butter or honey?

○○Chocolate Chip Vanilla Pudding Cookies○○

I LoOoVe finding fun, new chocolate chip cookie recipes and I definitely found one that is YUMMY!!

My husband's cousin BP has a recipe blog I just discovered and I visit it regularly for new recipes...
OUR FAMILY TREAT
His wife Lindsay found this recipe from Allrecipes.com and it is really GoOoD!:)

Chocolate Chip Vanilla Pudding Cookies --
1 C. Softened Unsalted Butter
3/4 C. Brown Sugar
1/4 C. Sugar

Cream together and add...
1 3.4 oz. box of Vanilla Pudding
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla

Mix well and add...
1 tsp. Baking Soda
2 1/4 C. Flour
Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips (I added LOTS...a little more than a whole pkg...we love choco chips;)

Preheat oven to 375* and bake for 11-12 mins. (I like mine not so dark so I under cook them by leaving them in for 10 min.)

A little tidbit of info...
My husband bought me new cookie sheets for Christmas -- isn't he sweet;)  Well he bought some cheap brand from Walmart (3 for like 12 bucks).  I seriously can not remember the brand but they came in a three pack, are not completely flat, and the biggest one is a nice size (longer then a jelly roll pan).  If I come across them I will repost the brand.  But my point is I LOOOOVE them.  NOTHING sticks to them...I bake pizza on them and now these cookies and I didn't have one piece of food stick that I had to scrap off.  I just rinsed them with soapy water when I was done.  My kinda pan!!;)  They are pretty flimsy so I don't know how long they will last but for now they are my favorite pans.  Oh and they cool off quickly.  Usually my pan is so hot in between sticking a new batch of cookies on them that they start to melt and I have to use my hot pad to stick back in the oven....nope I could grab it with my hand within a few minutes. NICE!!

~Potato Lasagna~

We have discovered a new favorite at our house...
I have wanted to try this for awhile now and regret not doing so sooner!
Everyone, including the kids kept saying how Yummy our house smelled while this was cooking:)
Potato Lasagna --1 jar Alfredo sauce or 2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
3 large potatoes, sliced lengthwise about 1/8 inch thick
5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Salt (I prefer garlic salt)
Pepper
1-1/2 cups diced ham
1 (10 ounce) package chopped frozen broccoli, thawed
2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the Alfredo sauce and milk. Spread 1/4 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Then layer 1/3 of the potatoes over the sauce in the dish. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
In a separate medium bowl, combine the ham, broccoli and 1 1/2 cups of the Swiss cheese. Mix well and spread 1/3 of this mixture over the potatoes in the baking dish. Then top with another layer of potatoes, followed by the ham mixture, finally topping all with the remaining Swiss cheese and Parmesan cheese. Pour the remaining Alfredo sauce over all.
Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake at 350 degrees for additional 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
OPTIONAL: She used two medium zucchini’s (diced) in place of broccoli and she said it was just as good!
THIS DISH IS AWESOME. You must try it!!! You won’t regret it.
Sorry can't remember where I found the recipe:(

◄EASY FRIED ICE CREAM►

For our Church Ward party we celebrated Feliz Navidad and ate Fried Ice Cream for dessert...YUMMY!!
It was so easy to make so I wanted to share the recipe with you ----

EASY FRIED ICE CREAM
1/2 c. Melted Butter
1 c. Coconut
3/4 c. Sugar
4 c. Crushed Cornflakes
1 ctn. French Vanilla Ice Cream

Melt butter and mix with coconut, sugar and cornflakes. Spread a little more than half on the bottom of a 9x13-in. pan. Cut the carton of ice cream into slices and lay over the mixture.
TIP: Before you start to spread ice cream let it sit out a bit and soften enough to spread evenly. Squish down while spreading to get mixture to stick better:)
Another suggestion is to sprinkle some cinnamon over top to give it a more authentic fried flavor.
Than sprinkle remaining corn flake mixture over top and freeze until ready to serve.
Serve with caramel sauce and chocolate sauce (homemade is best) or BOTH and whip cream!! You can top with favorite fruit such as strawberries as well.
ENJOY!!

♥Sweet Potato Pie♥

I know I have been slacking...
Life has been crazy! But I promise I will get some yummy recipes up over the next little while:)
For now here is a very delicious recipe for sweet potato's -- I will admit I am not a fan of them. Until I tasted these...MMMMM. Great for your Thanksgiving dinner!!

SWEET POTATO PIE
1 lg can Yams
1/2 c. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 lg Eggs
1/2 c. Milk
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
4 TB. Melted Butter

Topping:
1/2 c. Brown Sugar
1/2 c. Flour
4 TB. Melted Butter
1/2 c. Chopped Pecans

Preheat oven 350*
Drain Yams, mash, add sugar and salt. Mix well. Whisk remaining ingredients and add to Yams.
Pour into round pie dish. Mix together topping ingredients and sprinkle over Yams.
Bake 35-40 minutes till bubbly and brown. ENJOY!!

○RoAsTeD aPpLeS n' CrEaM cArMeL tOpPeD bRoWnIeS○

I recently discovered a new website PICKY-PALATE.com and I fell in LOVE with these brownies:) Who could go wrong with brownies, carmel and creamed apples? So I gave them a try yesterday and WOW they are YUMMY!! I didn't make them as thick as she did but they still turned out wonderful...
Give them a try this fall and enjoy!!☺ Than check out her great site for more fun recipes!
Roasted Apples N’ Cream Caramel Topped Brownies

1 Box Pillsbury Brownie Mix, Family size, 9×13
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/4 Cup granulated sugar
4 Tablespoons butter
4 small-medium baking apples, peeled and thinly sliced
4 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 Cup chopped walnuts (or other nut of choice)
Prepared Caramel sauce, warmed in microwave (I use the caramel apple dip or ice cream topping)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Pour into a 11×7 inch (makes thicker brownies) baking dish that’s been lined and sprayed with tin foil (easier to remove and cut brownies). Place softened cream cheese and sugar into a mixing bowl, mix until smooth. Place dollops of cheese over brownie batter. Use a butter knife to carefully swirl without dragging against the bottom of dish.

2. Place butter into a large skillet over medium heat to melt. Add apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped walnuts. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour evenly over brownies. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until center of brownies are cooked through. Remove and let cool completely before cutting into squares. Just before serving, drizzle with caramel sauce.
8 large brownie squares

Good Ole Family Fun...

This weekend I got together with my wonderful cousins and we mixed, rolled, froze, dipped and drizzled till our hearts were content:) We tried some old and some new recipes for making cake pops/balls and I wanted to share them...
Here is the links to my other Cake Pop adventures--

Basic Cake Pops
Cheesecake Balls
Bakerella's Blog for further instructions and ideas - gotta give credit where credit is deserved:)

Over the past few months I have worked out a lot of my kinks and perfected my dipping methods. So here is a few tricks I have had up my sleeve that will make this process a little easier:
-Really pay attention to the type of chocolate you use. I have found that Kroger is the best and Western Family brand would be my second choice. DO NOT use gourmet chocolates...tastes the best but doesn't set up.
-Double check the boxed brownies you purchase...the more oil it calls for the greasier they will be and harder to keep shape. I actually prefer the WF brand as well. Plus start out with 1/4-1/2 of the 8oz. of cream cheese.
-Now my dipping technique...I will explain and than post pics next time I do this (sorry I keep forgetting to take them). If you are not putting them on sticks like in my basic instructions than put the balls in freezer till firm, almost frozen. My freezer will set them up in about 30 minutes. Than insert a toothpick into the flat part of the ball and dip in chocolate a little more than 3/4 of the ball up to the toothpick (do not cover whole ball). Tap excess off and twirl and tap to smooth. Place in foam block to set up. The faster you dip the less chance they will thaw out. If they start to fall off toothpicks place back in freezer to set up.
After they have hardened on foam block remove from toothpick and dip bottom of the ball into more chocolate and place on wax paper to set up. Then drizzle with more chocolate. Of course you can indulge yourself with a taste or wrap in bags, tie a pretty bow and share. Enjoy!!
I apologize if it's confusing I will get some photos up!!:)
-Another trick I learned was BUY some bottles at your local craft store that have a tip on them for drizzling. I usually would just use a baggie with the end cut off till I discovered using these this weekend. They were $2 for 2 of them (found in the baking section at my Micheal's) and I use one for chocolate and one for vanilla. They are a great investment.
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask:)
Here is a new recipe we tried and some I plan on doing...

Cookie Dough Truffles --
3/4 c. Brown Sugar
1 Stick Butter
2 c. Flour
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 c. Mini Chocolate Chips
Cream together the sugar and butter. Then add flour, vanilla, milk, and choco chips. Place in fridge for 1/2 hour. Roll into balls, place on wax paper and firm up for another 1/2 hour. Than dip into melted chocolate. Enjoy:) The kids all LOVED these!!

These two I plan to try...

Blonde Brownies --
2/3 c. Melted Butter
2 c. Brown Sugar
2 lg Eggs
1 1/2 Tb Water
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Salt
2 3/4 Flour
2 c. Chocolate Chips
Mix first 7 ingredients, then add flour. Blend together. Add chocolate chips and stir. Spread in 9x13 pan. Bake 340* for 2-24 minutes. Or until edges start to brown. Cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Blondies --
1 cup margarine
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chunky peanut butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla and peanut butter until smooth. Combine the flour and baking powder, then stir into the peanut butter mixture. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips. Spread the dough out flat on the prepared pan.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the tops of the bars look dry. Cool completely in pan.

To make the balls I would mix with chocolate frosting. And roll as instructed. I will play with these recipes and let you know how they turn out:)

BuTtErMiLk SyRuP -mmm sounds good huh??

For the twins 5th Birthday Party at the beginning of August we served waffles - it was a Lego Party for the boys. I made our family's famous BUTTERMILK SYRUP - mmm it's so yummy!! So I promised I would post the recipe for everyone. Sorry it's a little late...

BUTTERMILK SYRUP--

• 1/2 c. butter
• 1-1/2 c. Sugar
• 3/4 c. Buttermilk
• 2 Tbs Corn Syrup
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 2 tsp Vanilla

Combine everything except vanilla and soda in a saucepan and bring to boil. Remove and stir in vanilla and soda...be careful it may foam up and over your pan. Serve warm over pancakes or waffles. ENJOY!!

DIPPING QUEEN!!

As you all know I love to dip EVERYTHING...
Brownies
Oreo's
Cakepops
Marshmallows
Cinnamon Bears
Fruit
...You name it I might have just DIPPED it!!
Well this last week I have been working on a Cakepop/ball Fundraiser for my mom to raise money for the Relay for Life my family is participating in. So I having become dipping CRAZY!! LOL!☺
I will post more about the fundraiser later but I wanted to show you my most recent recipe and a little Thank You I helped my mom whip up for her WONDERFUL nurses at the hospital --

These are Strawberry Cake Pops (hence PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness;)!!) arranged very pretty in a pot to say a huge Thank You to all those that have helped my mom along in her treatment! I sure hope they enjoy them!!:)

This is my newest dipping excursion...
I took Philadelphia Ready to Eat Cheesecake Filling (you could use a homemade recipe if you prefer). Than I scooped balls out with my Pampered Chef Scoop and rolled them in Graham cracker crumbs.

Place the cheesecake balls on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Place them in the freezer to firm up - about 15 minutes. When ready to dip warm chocolate according to package. Dip and drizzle. Package or EAT!!:) For other tips and recipes check out my other posts for CAKE POPS!

OOOHH Don't they look YUMMY!?☺

Now my husband has been such a great help...he's quite the Dipper! LOL So I had to give into his promptings to dip a Strawberry Twinkies in chocolate! It actually looks really GOOD!! But too sweet for me:) He said it was YUMMY...and that's all that matters!

Happy Dipping!!

♫♪Fruit Pizza - Yummy Yummy♪♫

I have a wonderful SIL Jesica who sent me this recipe for Fruit Pizza and I just had to try it!☺ It was very easy and Ohhh so TASTY!! Take the refrigerator Sugar Cookie dough and bake at 350° for 12 minutes - Let cool completely!
Than take 1 1/2 c. Powdered Sugar, 1 c. Cool Whip and 1-8oz. pkg Cream Cheese - blend together till smooth. Spread over top of cooled cookie.
Add your favorite FRUIT!!
VOILA!! A tasty dessert...
Oh than you can't forget to add a dash of one sweet taste tester!!
Doesn't it look good enough to EAT...well grab your fork and dive right in!!

Thanks Jesica for a very YUMMY new dessert we will be having A LOT at our house!!☺

CAR BAKED COOKIES☺

Even though when I first found this I thought baking in your car was just a joke...I actually think it would be fun and I agree it won't heat up your house!! So if you would like to try making cookies and baking them on the dashboard of your car check out this link --
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Oatmeal Choco Chip Cookies
Tips for Baking in the Car!!
They sound really yummy and when I get a chance I think we need to whip up a batch!!☺

♥MY NEW TOY!♥

I have this wonderful SIL who gave me this fun little dipping pot for my birthday...
I am in LOVE-it's AWESOME!!
Works great for melting, dipping and keeping the chocolate warm throughout the process.
It helped me make these YUMMY chocolate covered strawberries this weekend☺
Highly recommend it to those that are addicted to dipping like I am!!

---Cookin' Up A 4th of July Celebration---

Nothing is more fun than having a great BBQ on the 4th of July with good friends!!
This year I wanted to make a festive cake to go along with our Celebration.
So I baked a Red Velvet Cake and topped it with blueberries and raspberries (another alternative is strawberries☺) to make a beautiful flag!:)

Red Velvet Cake and Frosting Recipe:
1 cube Butter
1 c. Sugar
Beat together till fluffy.
2 Eggs - add one at a time and beat well.
Make a paste of 2 TB. Cocoa and 2 oz. Red Food Coloring (2 bottles). Add to above mixture.
Add:1 tsp. Vanilla
1 c. Buttermilk
2 3/4 c. Flour (sifted)
Alternate the milk and flour.
Last add 1 TB. Vinegar and 1 1/2 tsp. Soda
Mix really well - Bake 300* for 25-30 minutes.
Frosting:
Cook together -
1 c. Milk
5 TB. Flour
Cream 2 cubes Butter and 1 c. Sugar.
Add 1 tsp. Vanilla to cooked mixture, cool and than add to sugar mixture. Beat till smooth and creamy - this takes quite a long time to fluff up. Frost and add fruit on top.
Enjoy!!

Adding to the theme of the fun cake we served refreshing drinks...
Red Tampico Tropical Punch
White Pina Colada's
Blue Berry Kool-Aid

Another fun recipe I like to make in the summer and take to BBQ's --
Italian Spaghetti Salad:
1 pkg. Cooked Spaghetti Noodles
1 jar Creamy Italian Dressing
1 can Olives - drain and slice
2 cans Diced Tomato's rinsed and drained
1 pkg. bite size Pepperoni
Optional veggies that you might like - carrots, celery, green onions.
Cool spaghetti and add about 3/4 of the bottle of dressing or till well coated (too much dressing may cause it to go runny). Than add other ingredients. Mix well.
Chill before serving. I like to make the night before-tastes better the longer it sits.
Enjoy!!

Warm Gooey Home Made Brownies - MMMM!

My mom used to make home made brownies when I was growing up...I don't even think I saw her use a box mix. I loved them!! All warm, gooey, chocolatey - melt in your mouth goodness:) So I was excited to come across this yummy looking recipe and can't wait to try them...

Brownies from Amy’s Bread
Recipe from The Sweeter Side of Amy’s Bread.
3 & 1/3 cups (20 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 & 3/4 cups chopped nuts, toasted (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9″x 13″ baking pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper.
Melt butter, half of the chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler (or microwave). Let mixture cool to warm.
Whisk sugar, eggs, and vanilla just until mixed. Over-mixing will cause crumbly brownies. Fold in warm chocolate mixture.
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold dry ingredients into chocolate mixture until just combined. Stir in remaining chocolate chips and nuts (if using), mixing just until combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread to an even thickness. Bake 32-36 minutes. The edges will be slightly firm and the center will be soft when they are fully baked. Do not over bake. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
Makes 12 large or 24 small brownies. These brownies may cut better if they are chilled first.

I AM AN ADDICT!!

Hi my name is Shannon, and I am an addict. They say the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. My addiction is CHOCOLATE!!
Not just any chocolate or some fancy, expensive, imported stuff - NOPE just good old WF, inexpensive, store bought, delightfully delicious CHOCOLATE!! They call it Almond Bark but I call it HEAVEN♥
When I love to dip - anything - I reach for this...Well I needed to make chocolate covered Oreo's for a friend and of course when you have to make them for someone else it never fails you have a catastrophe!!
I used good old Oreo's and they just crumbled when I put Popsicle sticks in them, so I sent my wonderful hubby to the local grocer. He is an amazing man you know!! He solved my problem by buying DOUBLE STUFFED OREO'S - they worked like a charm. They were the WF brand that had a fun flower design on them and I loved how they looked after being dipped.
So if you have a sweet tooth try these out...
After sticking sticks in them place the Oreo's on a wax paper covered cookie sheet and let them harden in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
Melt your chocolate squares in the microwave at 30 second intervals so it doesn't burn and stir till smooth. Dip them and tap off excess chocolate...
Line them up on a foam block to harden...

And than devour their CHOCOLATELY goodness!☺ I am not an Oreo fan but OMG these are so so good!!
Other wonderful things to dip:
Marshmallows
Strawberries
Cinnamon Bears
Graham Crackers
Cake Balls
Cheese Cake Balls
Brownie Balls
I think in a perfectly chocolately world you could dip anything!!
Well maybe not veggies☺

!Go NS BRAVES!

Last week I was given the opportunity to make brownie bites for a friend's daughters MS graduation. I had the worst experience with them and it took me days to figure out!! I had bought a Betty Crocker brownie mix that called for 2/3 cup oil and I under cooked them to avoid the crunchy edges I have had in other batches. So they turned out a gooey mess. I ended up at the last minute making another batch with the same mix (that's all I had) but I over cooked them and added less cream cheese. They turned out OK, but I suggest using another brand that contains less oil when using them for balls to be dipped.
But on a more exciting note, I purchased this really cool new tool at Micheal's. It worked so well dipping and making neat swirls on top of the chocolates. Like I said I had a tough time so it worked only when they were really cold. I made the best of my situation and double dipped the ones that ended up too gooey to dip and turned the rest into brownie cups with a mold I got (I will post more on that after I finish making up those☺). Their colors are purple and gold so I had fun experimenting with this fun gold dust that a friend of mine gave me. I had purchased golden yellow that turned out looking orange...the kids told me it looked like fry sauce - LOL!! So the dust was a great alternative. I thought they turned out amazing and for the first time was rewarded graciously for my hard work.

SuPeR eAsY SoFt PrEtZeLs

Super Easy Soft Pretzels as seen on Kara's Kitchen Creations:1/2 cup warm water2 Tbsp yeast (I use SAF)
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
4 cups flour
Add yeast to warm water. Add milk, salt, and sugar. Stir in flour to make a stiff dough. (Unlike most bread recipes, you want plenty of flour. That makes the pretzels chewier.) Knead on floured counter a few times. Let dough sit for about 5 minutes. Form into pretzels following the instructions below. Bake at 400 for about 15-18 minutes. Yum! -Makes about 10-12 pretzels
Pinch off a small ball of dough.
Roll it into a rope about 14" long.
Cross the ends over.
Now bring the ends down to the bottom of the pretzel.
Place the pretzel on a greased cookie sheet and tuck the ends under.
Keep forming pretzels till you run out of dough. Then brush all of them with milk.
If you want, you can sprinkle toppings on the pretzels.
We have tried poppy seeds, sesame seeds, garlic salt and Parmesan, and cinnamon/sugar. Or you can sprinkle them with salt. Most of the time I just leave them plain-and they are still heavenly!
Notes:
-Sometimes I replace some of the white flour with freshly ground whole wheat flour and it works wonderfully and is more healthy.

Are Those Eggs Still Good To Use?

I found this on Tip Junkie today and thought I would share. I am always wondering if my out dated eggs are still good to eat or cook with.

Ever have an egg in your fridge and you were not sure if it was still good or not? There is an EASY way to find out. As eggs go bad, gases are produced inside the egg. As those gases are produced, the egg becomes more and more buoyant.
Here’s what you do!
Fill a glass with water, place your egg inside.
If the egg sinks to the bottom, it is still good and will be for some time.
If the egg floats to the middle of the glass, it is still good but needs to be used soon.
If the egg floats all the way to the top, you need to throw it away.
I swear knowing this is going to really impress someone at some point in your life.

{Hats off to the Graduates of 2009}

My mom needed a treat for her graduates next week and thanks to Bakerella I found a really fun idea...

Graduation Cap Pops!!

I found Ghirardelli chocolates in squares, miniature PB cups, chocolate almond bark, mini M&M's, Twizzlers pull-n-peels, and sucker sticks.
Place the PB cups in the freezer for 15 minutes to harden, this makes the wrappers peel off better and the chocolate won't stick. This makes them look better around the edges. Than allow the pb cups to come back to room temp while you heat the chocolate according to package instructions. Dip your sucker stick in the melted chocolate and carefully insert into the pb cup about halfway. If they are still frozen they will break. Allow the sticks to set up.
Unwrap your squares, with a toothpick dab a small amount of chocolate on top, and place mini M&M over the chocolate. Than draw a line with your toothpick and place the licorice on top.
I wrapped the licorice around and under so it would take shape and hang better. Let set up well.
Last dip the end of your pb cup on the stick into some chocolate and place the chocolate square on top. Stick them into a foam block to dry. Mom my is going to bundle three of them in a sack and tie them up with ribbon and a tag. These are going to be so fun and tasty for her students. I thought they turned out so adorable and look yummy!!