Valentine's Week

We had a week full of Valentine's fun and food. I let Benjamin pick the Valentine's he wanted to give to his preschool class and teacher. I tried to convince him to do something else, but he's a determined boy.

For his class, we made superhero lolly pops. I got to help out with the craft for his Valentine's Day party and helped pass out all the treats and cards. The superheros were a hit with all the kids. Benjamin knew what would make his classmates happy.

His teacher got a bouquet of cake pops. I've never made cake pops and after reading a few pins on Pintrest I figured I could manage my way through a batch. They are fairly time consuming, but not as complex as I thought they would be. I have dipped chocolates before, so that was helpful.

Benjamin did help by eating the sprinkles that didn't stick to the chocolate. He also helped bag the cake pops and eat a few of them.

The finished product was very festive.

 Our next project was to make some sugar cookies. We made a big one for Mike.

Ben helped draw the heart and spell his name.

We enjoyed several treats. Mike got me strawberries and a cupcake from Cravings. Yum!

We then enjoyed our traditional heart shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's. Throughout dinner Benjamin came around giving Mike, Levi and me hugs and kisses. I'm so happy that I have my family and hope they enjoy these memories we create together.

Christmas Gingerbread Town Square

It's not Martha Stewart's, but it looked great for my skill level and tasted yum! I made the cake for the Stuy Family Christmas party. I really liked the gingerbread cookie recipes I used. There were two different recipes I made to achieve the dark molasses colored houses and the honey colored houses. I halved the recipe of both because it makes a lot of dough. I cut shape of the homes based off of dutch row houses I looked up on the web. The molasses houses had honey windows and vise-versa to give it a bit of a 3D effect. I made royal icing to make the detail on the house. I made Ben some gingerbread men that he got to help decorate after the houses were all made.

Since the cookies were so time consuming, I used a spiced cake mix. The frosting I used was made with whipped cream and cream cheese. The combination is light and fluffy and keeps the frosting from melting if it's going to be a while before it gets served. I sprinkled edible glitter on the top to give is a shimmering snow effect.

Below is detail of all the houses I decorated.

Simple Apple Cake

Here is a simple apple cake recipe when you want to throw something together quick.

Apple Cake

3 apples, pealed and sliced
3 eggs
1 c sugar
1 c flour
cinnamon and sugar mixture (1/4 c sugar plus 1 tsp cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 350° and grease and flour round pan. Beat eggs until fluffy, add sugar and then flour. Pour into pan. Then layer apple slices on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake 35-40 minutes and check to see if it is done. Serve warm or chilled with whipped cream.

Breakfast

 Benjamin had his first yerba mate this morning. There's a little bit of Argentine in this boy. Yeah!!!

His waffle ended up with butter, syrup, biscoff and red plum jam. I remember we used to eat our waffles with our hands when we were little. Sticky fun mess this morning!

Fruity de Ruijter

Benjamin's first taste of fruity de Ruijter sprinkles. He didn't know what to think until his first bite. What kid doesn't like colorful sprinkles?! Yummy!

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

 

I bought some fresh cranberries and thought I'd try something new with my pie pumpkin. This combination of pumpkin and cranberries is tastey.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

2 1/4 c flour
1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp baking power
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 c sugar
1 pie pumpkin, baked and pureed
1/2 c canola oil
1 overflowing cup fresh cranberries, chopped
1 c walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 2-9x5 loaf pans. Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking power and salt in large bowl, set aside. In small bowl combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil until well mixed. Add to flour mixture using wooden spoon. Gently fold in cranberries and nuts. Spoon into loaf pans and bake 50-60 minutes until done. Cool before slicing.



Make sure to chop up the cranberries. I learned that if you microwave the cranberries first, then they will be easier to chop. I microwaved mine for two 30-second intervals. If you leave the cranberries whole, they will expand and pop when baking, leaving holes. Also, I added a bit of flour to the cranberries so they wouldn't stick together. It is important to gently fold them into the batter as they may turn the batter red/pink.

Nutella!

Back in July, Benjamin's Uncle Andy gave him his first taste of Nutella. Today, Benjamin requires his own spoon!

Oatmeal Date Cookie Bars

I love cooking with oats and here's a recipe I found on allrecipes.com for some cookie bars. There are a couple of changes/additions I made. I like to think they're healthy since I'm using whole grain oats.

Oatmeal Date Cookie Bars

Filling:

2 1/2 c chopped dates

2 T lemon juice 

3/4 c white sugar 

2/3 c water 

corn starch, as needed

Pastry:

1 1/2 c sifted all-purpose flour 

1 c packed brown sugar 

1/2 tsp salt 

1 1/2 c quick cooking oats 

3/4 c shortening 

chocolate chips, optional

Preheat oven to 400°F and grease a 9x13 inch pan. To make Filling: In a saucepan over low heat, combine dates, water, white sugar, and lemon juice. Heat for about 8 minutes, or until thick. You may want to add a little corn starch to make sure it thickens up. Set aside to let cool. To make Pastry: In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, oats and salt. Mix until well blended. Add in shortening with pastry cutter until mixture forms into coarse crumbs. Press half of pastry mix into pan. Cover with date mixture and spread remaining pastry mix over the top. If desired, sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool on wire rack before cutting.

As you can see below, I put chocolate chips over half of the cookie bars. I like the bars both ways, with and without the chocolate chips. It depends on your preference. I would like to try making this with apricots or even raspberries next time. Enjoy!

Fuego Pizza Boy

This past weekend we went to Park City. Mike had a photo gig up there, so we decided to stay the night over. We visited the outlet stores and, of course, bought some fun stuff for Benjamin. Then while Mike was doing his thing, I took Benjamin swimming at the hotel. Finally, we went out to eat at Fuego Bistro & Pizzaria. We were very happy with our BBQ pizza and Benjamin got a little cheese pizza for himself. Unfortunately, I left my camara at home for the trip, but the pictures here are of him enjoying his leftover pizza at home. I normally cut up his pizza into little pieces, but decided to let him enjoy a full slice. He took it very serious and gobbled it all up.

The Spoon

The spoon...a fun concept for this little guy. It's a stick with a round little bowl on the end that will scoop up food.

Here we are trying to learn how feed ourselves (really it's just Benjamin learning to feed himself). Sometimes the food makes it into his mouth and lots of times it dribbles down his chin.

Oreo Pretzel Truffles

My brother-in-law gave this recipe to me to try out and I finally got around to doing it. I halved the recipe since it makes a lot. They're very easy to make and I think would be fun activity for kids to get involved. I like the combination of sweet and salty. They're small and bite sized.

Oreo Pretzel Truffles

2/3 package of Oreos
4 oz cream cheese, softened
package of square pretzels (or other shape to sandwich it in)
8-10 oz chocolate chips, melted
nonpareils (optional)

Crush the Oreos and mix into the cream cheese. Shape into 1-inch balls. Sandwich the mixture in between two pretzels. Dip top in melted chocolate chips and sprinkle with the nonpareils.

Everyone has there way of melting chocolate. I have a small dipping crock-pot (it's miniature crock-pot) that I like to use. It's an easy alternative to messing with a double boiler (which I don't have), or using a pot on the stove (which may burn the chocolate and I have done), or microwaving (which cools and then you have to keep reheating). So, my little crock-pot keeps the chocolate melted and at a consistent heat. If I wanted to step it up a notch, I would probably buy the specialty chocolate that is made for melting because I think it has a better consistency. Also, another trick I have from a different recipe, is to add a bit of paraffin wax. Somehow, this allows the chocolate to get hotter, without burning (at least it never burned for me), a smooth consistency and gives the chocolate a nice gloss. The ratio is 1/3 stick paraffin wax to 1-12 oz package of chocolate chips. Let me know what your trick is for dipping chocolate.

Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

What do you do with leftover lemon filling? Make lemon cookies. So, after the cupcakes I made these cookies last week. Lemon lovers like a lot!

Lemon Thumbprints

2 sticks butter, softened 
1/2 c sugar 
2 large egg yolks 
1 Tbs grated lemon zest 
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice 
1/2 tsp salt 
2 1/2 c flour 
1 cup lemon curd or filling

Heat oven to 350°. Beat butter and sugar with mixer until well blended. Beat in yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. With mixer on low, beat in flour just until moist clumps form. Gather dough together in bowl to bind. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls on prepared sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart. Using a floured finger, make a deep indentation in center of each ball. Bake cookies until firm and lightly golden on bottom, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and immediately fill indentations with curd. Return to oven and bake 2 minutes longer to set curd. Bake remaining cookies. Lightly dust edges with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Blueberry Frosted Lemon Filled Cupcakes

My friend pinned the recipe to these cupcakes the other day and as soon as I saw them I had to try them. Here is the recipe. I'm still learning to use my cupcake froster thingy. I need a lot of practice frosting cupcakes because they don't look as pretty as the one from the Inside BruCrew Life's blog. They sure did taste amazing, though!

Blueberry Muffin Options

I make these blueberry muffins all the time and posted this recipe back in 2008. Since I've been trying to bake a little healthier I made two optional changes to the recipe that worked very well. I switched out the sour cream for some light sour cream. Then I replaced 1/2 cup of flour for whole wheat flour. Also, I used the 1/2 cup sugar instead of the 3/4 cup like I usually do. The only difference in the taste is that you can tell there is whole wheat flour. The other difference is that it doesn't rise as high, but I thought that the consistency of it was the same. It didn't feel or taste heavy. Mike liked them and couldn't tell the differenct. Let me know what you think if you give it a try and enjoy!

Chicken Burrito with Fresh Pico de Gallo

Here's a yummy chicken burrito. It doesn't appear as anything out of the ordinary, but I did a couple things to make it extra tasty. I made my own salsa (or in this case it's really pico de gallo since it wasn't cooked in any way) and I marinated the chicken in it before grilling.

Chicken Burrito

Tortillas, white or wheat
Refried beans
Green or red leaf lettuce
Grilled chicken, marinated in Pico de Gallo
Pico de Gallo (see recipe below)
Cheese, shredded
Sour cream (optional)
Guacamole (optional)

I marinated the chicken with one cup of salsa for a few hours before grilling it. Depending on the amount of people you are serving, you can increase or decrease the amount of salsa. Layer as desired and enjoy. I would have added sour cream and guacamole, but i didn't have any on hand.

Pico de Gallo

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
5 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 onion, chopped
Cilantro, approximately 3 T after chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Coarsely chop all the ingredients above and blend on a pulse setting till you get your desired consistency.

The Pico de Gallo works great for the marinade, but I will add a bit of lime to the next batch I make. The fresh ingredients are always the best way to make a dish taste and look great.

A Healthier Pizza

Who doesn't love pizza?! Well, once upon a time I remember I didn't, but I've amended my ways. I'm a classic pepperoni lover and rarely care to try different toppings. However, I have made an effort to eat a bit healthier.

Pizza Baguette

French baguette, cut in half lengthwise
Pizza or marinara sauce
Italian pork sausage, crumbled
Turkey pepperoni
Onion, diced
Green bell pepper, diced
Mushrooms, sliced thin
Mozzarella cheese, shredded (can be reduced or low fat cheese)

Assemble pizza baguette layering with sauce, cheese and toppings. Bake at 400° for 6-8 minutes. This may vary depending on your oven.

I used my own marinara sauce that already had Italian pork sausage. It saves time when you have it on hand. I was really surprised how well the turkey pepperoni tasted. Don't be afraid and give it a try. Enjoy!

Banana Cream Pie

I wasn't planning on making dessert for dinner tonight, but my sweet-tooth got the better of me. I threw together this pie in 5 minutes (okay maybe it took a few extra minutes). All you need is:

graham cracker crust
1 banana, thinly sliced
chocolate syrup
vanilla pudding
whipped cream
toasted coconut
mini-chocolate chips

I layered the graham cracker crust with a drizzle of chocolate syrup (to satisfy the chocolate craving part of my sweet-tooth) and then arranged the banana slices on the bottom. Next I prepared the pudding according to the package for pies and poured that in. Top it off with the whipped cream, toasted coconut and mini-chocolate chips. Supper easy!

You may notice that only half of the pie has coconut, so it is optional to leave it off to appeal to those who are not fans of the coconut.

Little Boy Ben - The Big One

Benjamin's first birthday was fun for his mom and dad. We had some close relatives come over to witness the smash cake. I even Skyped my parents to see. I used this recipe for his cake (I divided it by 4 since I only wanted a small cake). It looked like Benjamin had fun destroying his cake. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the nights festivities.

Fun Day With Abuelo

Abuelo (Dad) was here for Donna's wedding and spent the day with us today. We took a day trip to Eureka and visited the museum up there. There's a good piece of Utah history in that town. Mike and I knew Dad would enjoy the trip out there because of all the mining and rocks. The first time Mike and I were there Lyman was our tour guide, but he was sick today, so June and Collette were our guides. The people in Eureka are very nice.

For dinner, we met up with Andy's family (some weren't able to come). We ate at El Azteca and had fun visiting.

Benjamin learned a new trick of blowing bubbles from his mouth. He entertained us all.

 

We also had an early celebration for Dad's birthday, which is later this month. I made truffle stuffed cupcakes. I got the recipe from Sweet as Sugar Cookies. The recipe Lisa uses calls for the Lindt truffles. However, I bought my truffles as See's Candy. Dad loves the penuche (butterscotch squares) from See's. I also used marzipan, dark chocolate truffles, and mint patties; all from See's. Instead of making the orange cream frosting from the recipe, I made a chocolate ganache and dipped them twice in the frosting. I used different sprinkles to identify which truffles I used in the cupcakes.

I didn't bake the mint patties into the cupcakes. I thought that the mint might over power the other cupcakes and end up seeping into the other cupcakes during baking. So, I inserted them after baking and frosting the cupcakes, shown at the bottom.

The chocolate is very rich, so you may want to have a glass of cold milk near by to wash it down. It also would be nice to share with someone. I love this recipe and will use it again.

Baby's First Easter

This Easter, when I made my pan de pasqua, I split the dough in half and made two braided rings. I love this bread and tradition.

Benjamin experienced his first Easter. We didn't make a huge deal with Easter eggs, but he did get some blueberry puffs as a treat. He had a fun time shaking the chicken and frog eggs with the puffs inside.

We also started our other tradition of reading scriptures about the Savior and the resurrection. I have a dozen plastic eggs with scriptures and trinkets that follow the events of Christ's resurrection. I think it's a great way to focus on the importance of Easter.