Ham and Swiss Crepes

Hey all! This weekend I'm sharing my Ham and Swiss Crepes over at Chocolate and Chia by Jenna House. She has a great new blog full of good eats and other projects. And you won't regret these making these crepes. Trust me. They're crepes, people. Be sure to check them out as well as the rest of Jenna's great posts!

Happy summer.

Lemon Lime Sprite Cupcakes

When we first moved into our current house, we found seven lemon trees on the property. (Have I already told this story?) SEVEN. What does one do with that many lemon trees?! We'll never know. We took most of them out. There is, however, a remaining tree smiling cheerfully to me right outside my kitchen window. It starts to bloom in the winter, which I did not know until I lived here, and offers that cheery splash of yellow and fresh scent of lemon every time I walk by. Thank you, lemon tree. Someone suggested that I make a lot of homemade cleaners with my surplus lemons, which I admit is a great idea, but that would suggest that I would then have to clean...and...well...instead I dream of little lemon treats. This one uses lemon flavoring instead of real lemon juice, but as I sit here and think of it, it would probably be quite tasty and little zestier if it did. Stay tuned for an update. In the meantime, spring is in the air, citrus is always in style, and why not add Sprite for a little extra zing? These cupcakes are scrumptious, so dig in!

Lemon Lime Sprite Cupcakes

Note: I used store-bought frosting. Three cheers for easy. They would probably be great with any lemon or lime frosting recipe you may have, or just add a teaspoon of lemon flavoring to vanilla frosting.

Ingredients:

1 & 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup Sprite

3 eggs

2 teaspoons lemon extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

Key-Lime frosting (store-bought from Pillsbury)

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream together sugar and butter. 

3. Add Sprite, eggs, and lemon extract and mix thoroughly.

4. Mix in dry ingredients just until combined. Do not overmix.

5. Scoop into muffin tins until about 3/4 full (I use a large ice cream scoop). Bake for 18-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out dry.

6. Remove from tins and allow to cool completely.

7. Frost those babies.

Easy Andes Mint Brownies

Whenever I watch food TV shows I frequently hear chefs say that they have made an elevated version of a classic dish. I find this pretentious and wonderful at the same time. For example, to say that you can "elevate" an already perfect dish such as mac n' cheese may seems ludicrous. Who do you think you are? But when you add bacon and breading or have the audacity to deep fry it (yum) then you're absolutely right in saying it has been elevated. Perfection has been perfected.

Where does the brownie fit in in all of this? Ladies and gentelemen, the box brownie has been elevated. Actually, elevated may be taking it a bit too far. Stepped up? Mildly improved upon? Anyhow, it's been varied and it's absolutely delicious. I have never been one to look down upon a box dessert (because they're great) but this is a refreshing change and quite tasty. One of my college roommates used to do this in the BYU days and I thought she was genius. (She actually was a genius, but not just because of the brownies.)

So next time you're snatching that boxed brownie mix at the store, grab some Andes mints too. They're just the ticket to elevating an already delicious classic. 

Easy Andes Mint Brownies

Note: Although this recipe is extremely simple to make, it does take a good amount of time for the chocolate to harden on top. So don't attempt to make them last minute if you are in need of a quick dessert! They require an hour or so of refrigeration.

Ingredients:

Favorite brownie mix (and ingredients required on the box)

Andes mints - about 20-25

Recipe:

1. Make brownies according to directions on package.

2. As soon as brownies come out of the oven, immediately place mints on top of the hot brownies as shown below and let melt for about 5-10 minutes.

  3. Spread the chocolate while still soft and melty to form a nice even layer on top of the brownies. Place in fridge to cool for an hour or until set.

That's it! It's that easy! And soooo tasty.

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Funfetti Pudding Cookies

I have a lot of things in common with kids. The lives of kids involve a lot of "treats and snoozin', snoozin' and treats" as my sister likes to say. I also aspire to snoozin' and treats (and I bet you do too). We are one.

This particular treat is extremely kid friendly. Besides that it's easy to make, it tastes like something a kid (and a honest human) would love. Key ingredients are pudding and sprinkles. Need I say more?

Make them, eat them, be a kid and take a nap. Goodnight!

Recipe source: barely adapted from Crazy for Crust

Funfetti Pudding Cookies

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 small box (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix

1 & 1/2 cups flour

Sprinkles

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Beat together butter and sugar until nice and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat in.

3. Combine dry ingredients (I actually rarely do this, but I know it's a good idea :) Slowly add to wet ingredients and mix in until fully incorporated.

4. Stir in whatever sprinkles your heart desires.

5. Roll into small 1" balls or use a mini ice cream scoop and place dough on trays.

6. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheets.

7. Share with your favorite little.  

Cinnamon-Log Slices

The thing about science is - it's amazing. Three cheers for science! Remember when you used to have science lessons about nature in school and you would go outside and count the rings on trees? That was so awesome! Well, it's about time that tree with all its magnificent rings signifying it's age and wisdom was turned into a cookie. And so it's been done. Thank you, science.

These cookies are tasty and a nice variation from the usual. Although they take a good amount of time owing to frequent chilling and rolling, they are nice and chewy in the middle and crispy on the outer edges. I think my favorite taste in the these cookies was the milk, though. There was milk in the batter and you could taste that milky goodness coming through in each little bite. They have those great cinnamon and cocoa elements as well, that no one can resist. And the best part - they look like little log slices! If you have small kids, you can count the rings with them and compare them to trees and branches. If you don't have small kids, even better - more for you!

Cinnamon-Log Slices

Note: This recipe makes a nice huge batch. I made half of it and froze the other half for later.

Ingredients:

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

3/4 cup light-brown sugar

2 large eggs  plus 1 large egg white

1 teaspoon coarse salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided

2/3 cup whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup turbinado sugar

Recipe:

1. Beat together butter, white and brown sugars until creamy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time (reserve egg whites for later). Beat in salt and 1 teaspoon cinnamon until combined, then milk and vanilla until also combined. Add flour 1 cup at a time until completely incorporated.

2. Divide dough into 4 balls (they don't have to be perfect spheres at all, just rough shapes will do). Wrap 3 of the balls in parchment or saran wrap and place in fridge. Take the final ball of dough and roll into a 12" log. Wrap and refrigerate along with other balls of dough about 1 hour or until firm.

3. When dough is firm remove from fridge. Combine cocoa powder and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on surface. Roll out 1 ball of dough into a rectangle, roughly 6-by-12 inches (again, it does not have to be perfect). Flip rectangle over onto a lightly floured surface. Brush off excess cocoa. Place 12" log of dough in the center of the rectangle and wrap the rectangle around the log so that it is completely covered. Squeeze it together tightly until it is a single log of dough. Repeat with the other 2 balls of dough, each time adding to the log until you have a large log of dough. Wrap and refrigerate log until firm, or up to a day.

4. Remove log from fridge. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly beat egg white and brush it on outside of log. Next, roll the log in turbinado sugar, lightly patting it to help adhere. Refrigerate the log until the sugar is set, about 10 minutes. Slice log into 1/4" thick rounds and place on baking sheet. Bake 18-20 minutes. Immediately remove from baking sheets and cool on racks. Rings may slightly separate. Cool and enjoy!

Recipe Source: Martha Stewart Living

Edible Valentines

Love should always be sweet. And edible. Yes, definitely edible. This is why Valentine's day is one of the greatest days of the year. It is a regular love fest for all! 

It is an unwritten rule that one must decorate sugar cookies for Valentine's Day. Being law abiding folk, I dutifully made my sugar cookies and invited small people over to decorate them. The only thing I failed to foresee is that these little edible Valentines wouldn't actually make it to any recipient other than the decorators, themselves. All of the boys decorated their cookies and then promptly devoured them in about four minutes flat. So I guess they won't have anything to give their parents and teachers. But hey - when you're this cute, you can get away with just about anything.

Aren't these guys adorable?!

Oh, where are my own children, you ask? My camera battery died before I got to that side of the table. Parenting fail.

If you haven't made your Valentine's sugar cookies yet, it's never too late. It's never too late for a cookie.(I should stitch that on a pillow, or something.) 

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 tsps. almond extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1. Cream together butter and sugar. 

2. Add eggs, vanilla, and almond extract and mix well. 

3. Gradually add flour and salt until completely mixed in.

4. Cover dough and chill for about 2 hours. 

5. When ready to roll dough, remove from fridge and briefly knead to make it workable again. 

6. Roll and cut in desired shapes. If desired, press popsicle stick into the toe about 1/3 of the up from the bottom. 

7. Bake at 375 for for 10-12 minutes

Royal Icing

Ingredients:

4 Tblsp. meringue powder 

1/2 cup water

6-7 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbls. shortening

2 Tbls. corn syrup

Supplies:

Frosting Bags (Disposable always preferable)

Frosting Tips 

1. Whip meringue powder and water on high speed for several minutes until soft peaks form.

2. Gradually add the rest of ingredients until frosting is firm and falls slowly off an upside down spoon. 

3. If not frosting immediately, frosting can be stored in a sealed container for up to four weeks at room temperature.

4. Divide frosting into thirds. The first third will remain white and go into a piping bag. The second third will remain white and be thinned out for flooding the cookies. The last third is to dye red or other various colors.  I was going mostly for red, but I find that you need a whole barrel full of red food coloring to make it actually RED. I always end up with some sort of hot pink. 

5. Outline the cookies with white frosting using a 3 or 4 tip. Allow frosting to dry for at least 15 minutes.

6. Thin the white frosting left in the bowl using 1 tsp. water at a time until you reach desired consistency. The icing should be thin and able to spread easily but not too watery. Spoon it onto the outlined cookies and let the frosting fill the cookie, pushing the frosting to the edges. Allow to dry at least 15 minutes.

7. Dye the remaining frosting and place in piping bags. Pipe words or designs onto cookies.

OR

Just let the kids have at 'em. They're more creative, anyway!

Red Velvet Pancakes with Cream Cheese Glaze

If red velvet ever goes out of style, please no one tell me. I will persist in my little world where this most versatile of flavors lends itself to all manner of baked goods - cupcakes, brownies, macaroons, and pancakes, to name a few. And the great thing about it being a red velvet is that red is prominent at so many major holidays! Christmas, Valentine's and Fourth of July are all BEGGING you to make red velvet goodies. Who am I to say no? 

I first made these pancakes for a Fourth of July breakfast and they were a hit with adults and kids alike. I owe this popularity to the cream cheese glaze. As if everyone didn't already love a pancake, throw some cream cheese glaze on top and you're basically a hero. The pancakes are light and fluffy with just a touch of cocoa. I would be lying if I said I only ate one.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Red Velvet Pancakes

Cream Cheese Glaze:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract (or paste for a little extra something)

1-3 TBLS milk

Pancakes:

1&1/2 cups flour

2 TBLS white sugar

2 tsps baking powder

1 TBLS unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp white vinegar

2 tsps red food coloring

1/4 cup melted butter

1. Make glaze by beating together cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency. Set aside.

2. To make pancakes, whisk together dry ingredients. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl until smooth. Whisk in milk, buttermilk, vanilla extract, vinegar, and food coloring. Stir together with dry ingredients until moistened, but not smooth. There may be some lumps, which is okay. Drizzle in the melted butter and stir until completely incorporated.

3. Drop 1/4 cup batter onto lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat and cook until bubbles form. Flip and cook until browned on the other side. Drizzle with cream cheese glaze to serve.

Delicious Blueberry Muffins and a Completely Make-Ahead Brunch

I know everyone out there thinks about brunch from time to time. How do I know this? Because it's brunch. It's delicious. I'd probably eat it every day if my conscious would let me (but my conscious is obnoxious like that.)

Let's talk about planning a brunch. The optimal time for brunching is probably mid-morning, around 10:00am. But if one were to be completely prepared with a meal by that time they would probably have to start much earlier. Much earlier than 10:00am is too early to be slaving in the kitchen and preparing to host; hence the problem. The solution? Make a brunch completely before hand. Oh ho ho ho, yes. It can be done.

Menu: 

Delicious Blueberry Muffins

Quiche Lorraine

Yogurt Bar

Orange Juice

I made this brunch for a reception after my son's baby blessing. The blessing was at 9:00am and we ate brunch at 10:30am. I made the quiche and the muffins the day before, as well as sliced the fruit for the yogurt bar and set the table. All I basically had to do was put the yogurt in individual cups and reheat the quiche. Voila! Brunch. Make it. Invite some friends. Make 10:00am the best hour of your day.

Delicious Blueberry Muffins

Topping:

1/3 cup sugar

Zest of one lemon

Muffins:

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 1/8 cups plus 1 tsp. sugar

2 1/2 cups flour

2 1/2 tsps. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

4 TBLS butter, melted and slightly cooled

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 tsps. vanilla extract

1. Make the topping by stirring together 1/3 cup sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray standard 12-muffin tin with cooking spray. (For this recipe I prefer to spray the the tin instead of using cupcake liners because the muffins come out nice and gooey and tend to stick to the liners.)

3. Rinse one cup blueberries under cold water and spread on paper towels to dry. Bring remaining one cup berries and 1 tsp. sugar to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for several minutes, stirring frequently and mashing berries as you go with a spoon until the berries are broken down and the mixture is thickened. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside to cool.

3. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Toss the dried berries from the paper towels into the flour mixture.

4. Beat together remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs until thick. Slowly mix in the butter, oil, buttermillk and vanilla until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold egg mixture into flour mixture until just moistened. It's okay if there are a few lumpy spots or dry streaks of flour. The key to moist muffins is to not over mix.

5. Spoon or scoop muffin batter into tins until they are about 3/4 spool. Spoon about a tsp. of cooked berry mixture into the center of each muffin and gently swirl in using a toothpick or fork. Sprinkle lemon-sugar mixture evenly over muffins.

6. Bake 17-18 minutes or until the top of the muffins are just firm. Cool muffins in the tin for five minutes, then transfer to wire rack to continue cooling.

7. Everybody loves a muffin. 

Recipe source: www.melskitchencafe.com

Sherlock Holmes Deerstalker Hats

On a scale of 1-10, 1 being very excited and 10 being extremely excited, where does everybody rate their anticipation of Season 3 of Sherlock? You might say I am at a 10. My husband and I love this series. We share a lot of common interests, but none have been so good to our marriage as Benedict Cumberpatch. I mean, what's not to love? And the countless late night conversations wondering how he faked his own death...well...our questions will finally be answered. As is the question of how to pay proper homage to the premier - make these cookies. Let's be honest, I'm pretty novice in my fancy decorated cookie skills, but what I do know is a good theme. So these will go right along with your watching party (what? you're not having a party?! weird.) 

These cookies are more of a time investment than I usually make regarding treats, so plan accordingly. I like to make the dough and the frosting on one day and then bake and decorate the next, but obviously you can do it however you like. They will taste good no matter what.

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 tsps. almond extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Supplies:

Circular cookie cutter, about 4" diameter

Candy Cane cookie cutter

1. Cream together butter and sugar. 

2. Add eggs, vanilla, and almond extract and mix well. 

3. Gradually add flour and salt until completely mixed in.

4. Cover dough and chill for about 2 hours. 

5. When ready to roll dough, remove from fridge and briefly knead to make it workable again. Roll on lightly floured surface to about 1/4" thick.

6. For every cookie, cut out one circle and one candy cane. 

7. Cut the circle into almost halves; discarding the smaller half. Cut the candy cane into thirds. You will not need the top part of the cane.

8. Flip the candy cane pieces over so that the diagonal sides line up with the the bottom of the half-circle on either side. Gently press the dough together. One side should be slightly smaller than the other to represent the front of the hat.

9. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Thicker cookies may need longer baking time but don't overbake. Just look for slightly golden edges.

Royal Icing

Ingredients:

4 Tblsp. meringue powder 

1/2 cup water

6-7 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbls. shortening

2 Tbls. corn syrup

Supplies:

Frosting Bags (Disposable always preferable)

Frosting Tips 1 & 3. 2&4 will also work

Food coloring - Blue, green

Licorice strands - for the bow on top

1. Whip meringue powder and water on high speed for several minutes until soft peaks form.

2. Gradually add the rest of ingredients until frosting is firm and only slow falls off an upside down spoon. 

3. If not frosting immediately, frosting can be stored in a sealed container for up to four weeks at room temperature.

4. Place half of the frosting into a bowl to be kept white for the base.

5. Divide the rest of the frosting in half. Dye the first green and the second blue.

6. Outline the cookies with white frosting using a 3 or 4 tip. Allow frosting to dry for at least 15 minutes.

7. You have two options next - you can thin the rest of the white frosting if you are familiar with that technique or you can just fill by zig zagging inside of the cookie and then spreading with a spoon and letting set for at least 15 minutes.

8. Using the #1 or #2 tip, make green lines in a criss cross pattern.

9. Using the #3 or #4 tip, add thicker blue lines in between the green lines. Add a little licorice know on top and you're finished! Phew!

Recipe source for cookies and frosting: http://thedecoratedcookie.com/2008/11/cookie-dough-and-frosting-recipes/

And for your viewing pleasure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UcR9iKArd0

Season Premier this Sunday. Wahoo! Can't wait to hear what you think.

Swig Sugar Cookies

Happy New Year! I'd like to start 2014 off right, by posting one of the best cookies I had in 2013. (Incidentally, I'm eating one right now!) Now many of you, including myself, have probably made New Year's Resolutions to lose a little weight. Here is my theory on that. If you are going to be losing weight then you are going to be eating less sweets. But if you are going to be eating less sweets, then you should REALLY make them count, and only eat bona fide delicious things. You don't have calories to waste on not so tasty cookies. So to help you with your diet, I am giving you this gift of delicious sugar cookies. No, no, don't thank me. Thank http://www.vintagerevivals.com/2013/03/swig-sugar-cookie-recipe-literally-best.html where you can find the recipe. She asked for it not to be reposted so just follow the link and enjoy! Here's to weight loss and deliciousness! I love you, 2014.

*To my very discerning relatives (you know who you are) - as far as sugar cookies go, this is one of my favorites so far. Definitely a make again and definitely easy, with plenty of that sugary sweet taste and creamy frosting. I think you may be pleasantly surprised. :)

Peppermint Bark Cocoa Crinkles

I love a good bet.  I really don't like to gamble, but if I had to make a wager, I would bet that you will love these cookies. Last year I created the base of these cookies, a Peppermint Cocoa Crinkle, but this year they've been taken to a whole new level. Because if there's one thing better than a chocolate and peppermint cookie, it's a chocolate and peppermint cookie with peppermint bark inside. Obviously this is a delicious combination. Don't believe me? Try them! I dare you. 

1 cup shortening

1 & 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. peppermint extract

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

peppermint bark - homemade or store bought. I got mine from Trader Joe's. 

Candy canes - crushed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs, peppermint and vanilla and beat until nice and fluffy. 

3. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to wet mixture and mix in thoroughly. 

4. Chop peppermint bark into small pieces, about 1/2" by 1/2". Roll dough into 1-2" balls with a piece of peppermint bark inside.

5.  Bake on cookie sheet for 8-9 minutes. Let cool on the pan. While cookies are still hot, sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

Note: These are really good warm when the chocolate in the center is all nice and gooey, but they also can be enjoyed at room temperature. 

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies

I have a confession to make. I love prepackaged cookie dough. I more than love it - I adore it. It's amazing! And it just comes in so handy! Baked, unbaked, any way you like it, always just waiting for you in the refrigerator in case you have a cookie craving and don't have the time or energy for baking. It's just such a wonderful invention. I really can't say enough good things about it. But as a self proclaimed cookie connoisseur, I feel a little guilty about this addiction. I feel like I should be a purist, someone who only accepts the homemade goodness of a made-from-scratch goody, with a palate too sensitive for something store bought. But alas. I am not. 

My favorite prepackaged cookie dough are the Pillsbury sugar cookies that come on a little tray and have seasonal pictures on them. You know, the kind marketed to children. Both times when I was pregnant my husband would always bring these home for me on at least a weekly basis for me and pop them in the oven around bedtime. I found that the ideal consumption is precisely six cookies in one sitting, complete with milk and probably a little TV. Now I'm not promoting this habit for all seasons of life. But sometimes you just gotta.

Well, I have finally found the homemade version of those delectable, six-at-a-time Pillsbury store bought sugar cookies from http://www.aprettylifeinthesuburbs.com. They are utterly delicious. And the thing is, no - they don't offer the ease of ready made cookies, but they do offer the goodness of home cookin' and ease my mind from store bought guilt. Because even if it's not actually healthy, everything's better for you if it's made from scratch, right? At least you know what's in it. AND you can make a big as batch as you want! Win win.

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup canola or vegetable oil

1 cup white sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

4 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream together the butter, oil,  and sugars. Then add eggs and vanilla and beat well until light and fluffy.

3. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Add to the butter mixture and combine until completely incorporated and smooth.

4. Chill the dough in the fridge until easier to work with, at least 30 minutes.

5. Drop the batter by the tablespoon onto a cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes. Do not over bake!

Enjoy your homemade guilt-free-guilty-pleasure cookies!

Walnut Thumbprint Cookies

You know those days when you just feel far away from home? I grew up in Utah but have been living in California for the last seven years. California is fortunately a short two hour plane ride from Utah but sometimes I still feel far away from home. These cookies remind me of home. They are one of my mom's favorite cookies. I remember my dad making them for her. He's quite a cookie master. And these cookies are quite delicious. Most cookies use both brown and white sugars or just white sugar by itself, but these use only brown sugar. Brown sugar feels homey, don't you think? Warm and comforting. Top everything off with crunchy walnuts and fresh raspberry jam and home doesn't feel so far away.  

Walnut Thumbprint Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 egg, separated

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Walnuts, chopped

Raspberry jam

1. Cream together butter, shortening, and brown sugar.

2. Add egg yolk and vanilla; mix well.

3. Mix in flour and salt.

4. Roll into 1" balls. Dip in slightly beaten egg white and then walnuts.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove cookies and press thumb into center of each cookie (careful! they will be HOT!) Bake an additional 8 minutes.

6. When cool, fill centers with raspberry jam.

Ninjabread Men

Who says you can only enjoy gingerbread at Christmastime? I understand that little gingerbread men and women have become a symbol for the holidays and a favorite Christmas past time for many. So I can understand why people associate this particular cookies with the holidays. But it's such a delicious flavor, it really shouldn't be relegated to just one or two months. The injustice! Now - how to break out the gingerbread sooner than yuletide? NINJAbread! These delicious warriors can be enjoyed anytime! I made them in the Halloween spirit because it felt like ninjas are a great go-to costume but you can enjoy a Ninjabread man anytime. Here's just one example:

When I was little we used to have something called Family Home Evening. Every (or most) Mondays we gather together as a family and talk about Gospel topics, do activities, and have treats together. One particular Monday we were learning about doing kind deeds for others. We read a variation of the Gingerbread Man in which you can never catch him because he is doing good deeds in secret for others. My mom had made a little plush gingerbread man and she had us do nice things for each other and then leave the gingerbread man as a calling card. For example, we would make somebody's bed for them and leave the gingerbread man on their pillow. When they would find it, they would do something nice for somebody in secret, and again, leave the little plush gingerbread man. It was adorable. Well, ninjabread men are even more sneaky then gingerbread men. They can do Service Without A Trace (S.W.A.T.!) You can wrap up these little cookies in cellophane or even ziplocks and have your kids use them as calling cards for good deeds that they do for each other. I see this as a win-win situation. Think of the satisfaction of a made bed AND a cookie simultaneously. The possibilities are endless!

You can purchase the cookie cutters here: here. I just used the recipe on the back of the box for my gingerbread. It was a pretty classic and standard recipe that also holds up well in the freezer. Besides frosting, I only used licorice and sprinkles for the decorations so you might even have everything on hand. Overall they were a fun and festive cookie to make!

Ninjabread Men

1. Cream together the shortening, sugar, spices and salt. Blend in egg and molasses.

2. Sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder. Mix into molasses mixture. Stir until blended and then chill dough until firm and able to roll out.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

4. Roll dough to 1/8 or slightly thicker on lightly floured surface. Use ninjabread cookie cutters to cut out. 

5. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

6. Decorate any way you like - I outlined them with frosting or sparkle gel then filled in the middle leaving the eyes and hands open; then cut small licorice pieces and apply as shown in picture to create uniform. Use sprinkles for eyes.

Note: The Sparkle Gel was extremely easy to use and cute but I did not like the taste near as much as the straight cookie icing. It tasted very Gel-like, if you can imagine.

Recipe Source - Fred and Friends

Ginger Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches

I feel like I've seen a plethora of pumpkin recipes everywhere lately. Pumpkins on Pinterest, pumpkins on Instagram, pumpkins in snickerdoodles, pumpkins in patches...you feel like that, also? Probably because they ARE everywhere. But if pumpkins everywhere are wrong, I just don't want to be right. Pumpkin recipes are delicious! and festive! and healthy? Regardless, it has become clear that everyone loves fall and everyone loves pumpkins, the inherit mascot of fall. I am jumping on the bandwagon with my own fun pumpkin creation. What are your favorite pumpkin recipes?

Ginger Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches

Homemade Ginger Molasses Cookies - recipe found here

Pumpkin flavored ice cream (shouldn't be hard to find this time of year!)

1. Make Ginger Molasses cookies according to recipe, omitting the white chocolate for dipping. Allow cookies to cool completely.

2. Soften ice cream in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3. Place cookies face up on cookie sheet. Scoop heaping spoonful of ice cream onto center of the cookie. Your personal ice cream to cookie ratio preference may vary. Scoop as little or as much as you like.

4. Press second cookie on top of ice cream. Serve immediately.

5. If not serving immediately - after pressing second cookie on top of ice cream, quickly wrap individual sandwiches tightly in saran wrap and return to freezer. Thaw in fridge for 30 minutes before serving.

Note: if you serve these cookies immediately the cookie will be soft and chewy and the ice cream will be fairly soft as well. This is a delightful combination, but also fairly messy. Ice cream will inevitably get all over your hands, but you will enjoy every minute. If you freeze the cookies, the whole cookie will be more set (obviously) but the cookies won't be as chewy. It will be a more firm gingersnap and frozen treat. Don't worry, I tried them both ways and they are both great.

White Chocolate Twix Popcorn

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens - these are a few of Julie Andrews favorite things. I cannot deny that they are delightful but as far as edible, they are not. If you had to list a few of your favorite sweet favorite things, what would that list include? Mine would include, chocolate - check. Caramel - check. Twix - check (my favorite candy bar!). I have recently discovered that popcorn is the perfect canvas to just dump a bunch of these favorites into. You really can't go wrong. It is a forgiveable and delicious canvas! As if popcorn wasn't already delicious enough, now it is positively devilish. This version was created when a sweet friend brought me a bunch of Twix bars because she knows they are my favorite and because I am pregnant and decidedly not on a diet, only a hunger rampage. I thought it would be fun to repurpose the Twix ("Chopped", anyone?) and this is what I came up with: popcorn that is first blanketed with white chocolate (naturally) and then drizzled with milk chocolate and caramel sauce. Twix are mixed throughout to give it that little extra crunch. And there you have it! Now you can jazz up your movie and popcorn date night. Yummmmm-yum.

White Chocolate Twix Popcorn

1 bag popped popcorn

1 cup white chocolate chips

3-4 TBLS shortening

About 8 fun size Twix, roughly chopped

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup caramel sauce - you could use storebought or I used this homemade version from Ree Drummond: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/easy-caramel-sauce-recipe/index.html - it was easy and I had all the ingredients on hand

1. Microwave popcorn according to package directions. When done, let cool for a minute before scooping out with hands into large bowl. It is better to scoop out than to pour so that you don't get all those pesky kernals at the bottom of the bag.

2. Microwave white chocolate chips on 30 second intervals until melted. Stir in just enough shortening to thin it out until it is pourable. Pour over popcorn and toss with two spoons. Add Twix and mix together. Spread onto wax paper to dry.

3. Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips in microve in 20-30 second intervals until melted. Drizzle over popcorn. If you find that the chocolate is too thick to drizzle, you can use milk to thin it out. Also, you can definitely use more than 1/4 cup chocolate if you prefer - whatever ratio you favor. 

4. Drizzle with warmed caramel, either homemade or from a jar.

5. Let everything sit for at least 30 minutes or until firm, then dig in!

Raspberry Walnut Cake

There's something you need to know. My mom is an amazing cook - like, gourmet chef. I grew up eating the most delicious home cooked meals, especially on Sundays. Sunday is a special day, peeps. And don't even get me started on how her table is always set to perfection, rivaling Martha Stewart's.

Now that you are all jealous that you're not eating at my mom's house this week, let me soften the blow: this cake is her recipe. It is warm and full of fresh raspberries, the nutty hint of walnuts and a delicious buttermilk base. She used to always make it at the end of the summer when the raspberries were freshly picked and in abundance. It is the perfect ending to a big summer salad and loaf of fresh bread. In fact, it is the perfect ending to summer. Sigh. Oh so yummy sigh.

Raspberry Walnut Cake

1/2 cup shortening                                             1/2 tsp. baking soda

1-1/4 cups sugar                                                  1/2 tsp. baking powder

3 eggs                                                                        Pinch salt

3/4 cup buttermilk                                             1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 tsp. vanilla                                                           1-2 cups Fresh raspberries

2 cups flour                                                             Fresh whipped cream

1. Cream together shortening and sugar.

2. Add alternating eggs, buttermilk and vanilla, mixing between each.

3. Mix together dry ingredients. Add to wet increadients just and stir just until combined.

4. Fold in walnuts and about 1 heaping cup fresh raspberries, reserving the remaining raspberries for topping.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes until slightly browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

6. Let cool for about 30-60 minutes. Serve warm with fresh whipping cream and raspberries.

Russian Cream Parfaits

Ah, the days of summer are winding down as we speak. But while it's still summer, I don't think there's any harm in a nice chilled dessert to cool you down, no? Besides, it's still pretty hot here! What about where you live?

I've really been into parfaits lately. Like anybody, I like to incorporate a French word here or there, even if it's widely known in English vernacular. It just sounds so refined! This dessert tastes just as refined as it sounds. It is smooth and silky and reminded me a lot of panna cotta (another favorite!). It can be made ahead, which is awesome and is quite portable depending on what sort of container you use. I used little jars and was able to take them to a neighbor who just had a baby. They could also be taken on a little (fancy) picnic outing or just eaten in the cool of your back porch. Just spoon away, my friends. Spoon away.

Russian Cream Parfaits

Cream

1-1/2 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

1-1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin

1 cup sour cream

2 tsps vanilla extract

Raspberry Sauce
2 TBLS red raspberry preserves
4 TBLS lemon juice
Fresh raspberries, for garnish

1. In a small saucepan, stir together cream and sugar on medium heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool until needed.

2. Pour 1/2 cup cold water into a different saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over top. Let stand for 5 minutes to soften, then heat on medium heat until gelatin dissolves, stirring.

3. In a medium bowl, combine cream mixture, gelatin mixture, sour cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until thickens to about the consistency of yogurt, about 30-45 minutes. The mixture may be slightly lumpy, which is okay.

4. Meanwhile, make raspberry sauce by heating preserves and lemon juice in a small pan, just until it comes together and is heated through. Cool completely.

5. Remove cream mixture from fridge. Gently run a whisk through it to remove any remaining lumps. Pour into 4 serving dishes. Return to fridge to chill for at least 2 hours.

6. When raspberry sauce is completely cooled, pour onto the top of cream mixture and return to fridge to continue chilling.

7. Top with fresh raspberries, just before serving.

Bon appetit!

Recipe adapted from Good Housekeeping