S'more Cups

I was on the Pampered Chef website the other day,

and came across a recipe for these little guys~

S'more cups!
Isn't it a cute little thing?

 And soooooo gooooood!
I took some to a family bar-b-que and everyone loved them! Kids, adults, everyone!

Here's the recipe from from their website.

I only did 2 things different.

Instead of using large marshmallows, I used the little star shaped ones you can buy during the summer time.

I also just spooned the melted chocolate on top instead of dipping the cups in the chocolate.

 

S'more Cups ~http://www.pamperedchef.com/

The campfire is optional--these little treats can be enjoyed anywhere.

Ingredients:

7	whole graham crackers (1 cup/250 mL finely crushed)
1/4	cup (50 mL) powdered sugar
6	tbsp (90 mL) butter, melted
4	bars (1.55 oz or 43 g each) milk chocolate candy, divided
12	large marshmallows

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Place graham crackers into a large resealable plastic bag. Finely crush into crumbs using Baker's Roller®;. Combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and butter in Small Batter Bowl. Using Small Scoop, place scant scoop of crumb mixture in each cup of Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pan. Press crumbs to form shallow cups with Mini-Tart Shaper. Bake 4-5 minutes or until edges are bubbling. Meanwhile, break two of the candy bars into rectangles. Remove pan from oven; place one rectangle into each cup.
   
   
2. Cut marshmallows in half crosswise using Professional Shears dipped in cold water. Place one marshmallow half, cut-side down, into each cup. Return to oven 1-2 minutes or until marshmallows are just slightly softened. Remove from oven to Stackable Cooling Rack; cool 15 minutes. Carefully remove cups from pan. Cool completely.
   
   
3. Break remaining candy bars and place in (1-cup/250 mL) Prep Bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute-1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring every 20 seconds. Dip the top of each marshmallow in melted chocolate. Turn top-side up and let stand 40 minutes-1 hour or until set.
   
   

Yield: 24 cups
Nutrients per serving: (1 cup) Calories 100, Total Fat 6 g, Saturated Fat 3.5 g, Cholesterol 10 mg, Carbohydrate 11 g, Protein 1 g, Sodium 60 mg, Fiber 0 g
Cook's Tips: Dipping the Professional Shears in cold water before cutting the marshmallows helps minimize sticking.

The time it takes the chocolate to set varies depending on weather conditions and room temperature. You can refrigerate the cups briefly until the chocolate is set; store them at room temperature.

Store the cups in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Freezing is not recommended.

For a richer chocolate flavor, substitute dark chocolate candy bars for the milk chocolate.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

mmmm....Chocolate and Peanut Butter....sooo good!

1 pkg, Hershey's Kisses

sift together:
3 1/2 cups flour                1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda

cream together:
1 cup butter                     1 cup peanut butter
gradually add:
1 cup sugar                      1 cup brown sugar
Cream well.
add:
2 eggs                             2 tsp. vanilla

Beat well. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Shape dough into ball using a rounded teaspoon for each. These are smaller than I normally make my other cookies. But you don't want these too big! Roll balls in a bowl of white sugar and place on baking sheet. Bake at 375* for 10 minutes. remove from oven. Press a chocolate candy kiss in the center of each cookie.
Return to oven for about 2 minutes{ Don't allow candy to melt to much!}.

Turkey Cookies

Today it was my daughters turn to bring a snack and show-n-tell to pre-school. You will remember I made turkey cookies last year for her to take. They were okay, but not as cute as I thought they would be. So we tried a different type of turkey cookie this year...

Cute little booger, ain't he?

Cake Mix Cookies

These are some of the yummiest and easiest cookies to make!

I have a friend who calls them the BEST Chocolate Chip Coookies ever! Make them and decide for yourself!
What's great about this recipe is there are countless different cookies you can make. Play around with different combinations until you find your favorite! My hubbies favorite is Yellow cake mix with semi-sweet chips, or Chocolate Fudge cake mix with white baking chips.My favorite combo is a Chocolate cake mix with either Caramel baking pieces or Peanut Butter baking pieces! This also makes a very easy 'Cookies in a Jar' mix. Just layer the dry ingredients in a glass jar and attach the directions to complete them and, there you go!

~Cake Mix Cookies~

1 cake mix {any kind}Just the cake mix!
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup coconut{I leave this out because I'm not a coconut fan!}
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips

Stir together {if you've added coconut this can be a dry mixture, mix with a fork}.
Bake at 350* for about 9-11 minutes, depends on how fast your oven bakes them.Be careful not to over bake. You want them to firm up a little when pressed in the center, but they will still look and feel a little underdone. I'm not sure how to explain it to you. I just know when they are done by the look and feel of them. Just trial and error I guess!
Play around with different cake mixes and baking chips and make the recipe your own!!

Zuchinni Soup

I'm sharing this absolutely delicious recipe with you that I got from my sister-in-law. We still have zuke coming out of our garden, and the weather has been cooler. So I've been in the mood to make soup!
This recipe is great if you have picky eaters because it is all puree'd up. No chunks of anything in it! Your kids{and hubbie} won't even know there is Zucchini in it! You've got to try it out!

Zucchini Soup

1 1/2 pounds zucchini, unpeeled and sliced thin{or shredded} chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1/4 cup Butter
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/8 tsp. Pepper*
1/2 tsp. Salt*
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 can Chicken Broth
1/2 cup Light Cream or Evaporated Milk

Saute onion and zucchini in butter until limp. Add chicken broth and simmer covered, for 15 minutes. Puree in blender and add cream of chicken soup, nutmeg,salt, pepper and cream. Blend. Heat and serve!
*I add more because I like more seasoning. Just add what tastes good to you!

Little Pink Chicken {Sweet and Sour Chicken}

I've never been a fan of sweet and sour chicken. Until I found a yummy recipe for it! I found the recipe here. She found the recipe in the "The WorldWide Ward" cookbook. {She also gives the story behind why it's called Little pink chicken} You really should give it a try! This is now a family favorite at our house!

Little Pink Chicken {Sweet and Sour Chicken}

2 large chicken breasts
1/2 tsp garlic salt
cornstarch
1 egg beaten w/ 1 T water
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tsp salt
2 T soy sauce

Cut chicken in pieces and sprinkle with garlic salt. Let sit 1 hr. Dip in cornstarch, then in beaten egg. Fry in hot oil until brown. Place in casserole dish. Combine sugar, vinegar, ketchup, chicken broth, salt and soy sauce. Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring mixture halfway thru. Pour over chicken and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Makes 6-8 servings.
I also made some fried rice to serve with this. Tasty!

St. Patty's Day popcorn balls

So today was my little pre-schoolers turn to bring snakc and show-n-tell to school. Since next week is St. Patty's day she and I sat down at the computer to browse around and find a green snack! We found a recipe for colored popcorn here . We made them into popcorn balls. When I picked V. up from pre-school, she said her class loved them!

Give them a try!

Krispy Treat Valentines!

Here is a cute Valentine's Day treat~
Make a batch up Kripsy Treats. Press the mixture into a cookie sheet/ bar pan. Butter your hands so the mixture doesn't stick to your hands. Then sprinkle some pink or red sprinkles on the top.

After they have cooled, take a heart shaped cookie cutter and press into the krispies in the pan.

Now you have some little Kripsy Treat hearts!

I wrapped them individually in cling wrap for each child.

Here's my goofy Valentine getting ready to take these to her friends and cousins!

Buttermilk Sheet Cake

Alright, here's the other recipe I tried today. It turned out really good! My pre-schooler even ate the cake part, and she usually just eats the frosting! I got this out of a ward cookbook from my home ward. This recipe was submitted by my parents neighbor, Lynette.

Buttermilk Sheet Cake

2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/2 shortening
1/2 cup butter or margarine

3 tablespoons cocoa
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda

Set together in large bowl the sugar, flour, and salt. Mix water, shortening, butter, and cocoa in saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over dry ingredients and mix. Add eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and baking soda. Mix well. Pour into greased 11x15 inch cookie sheet. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Frosting~
1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons milk

1 lb powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nut { optional}

Bring butter, cocoa, and milk to a boil. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Add nuts, if desired. Spread over cake while warm.
*I thought something tasted just a little off with the frosting. It was still very good, but I think I'll look for a different recipe for the frosting to try next time.

Whole- Wheat Quick Bread

This is another new recipe I tried today. It was....okay. I liked it, but I don't think it'll be a favorite. But that's just me and my family! Give this a try and see how your family likes it! One thing I did like was how easy this was to make. I make homemade wheat bread all the time that takes ALL afternoon to make. So I did like the quickness of this! And like I said, it wasn't bad. Just not really something I would make alot. I will make it once in awhile though. I got this recipe out of "The Essential Mormon Celebrations" cookbook.

Whole-Wheat Quick Bread

1 egg, beaten
2 cups Buttermilk
3 tablespoons molasses or honey {I used the honey}
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

In a bowl, combine egg, buttermilk, molasses or honey, and butter. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and baking power. Stir well; add to first mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 400 degrees for about 45-50 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool slightly, then turn out of pan onto a wire rack. Slice while warm. Makes 1 loaf.
*I think the baking time was too long, I baked mine for about 42 minutes and it came out almost too dark on top. So next time I'll definitely shorten the baking time. Also, I had a slice of this while warm with Honey Butter. Soooooo good! You should try that! Here's a recipe for the butter out of the same cookbook~

Beehive Honey Butter

1 cup Honey
1 cup Butter, softened
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Combine honey, softened butter and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed for about 3 minutes until thickened. Put into jars and refrigerate. Keeps up to 4 weeks in refrigerator.
*I loved this Honey Butter! I want to make corn bread now, and scones, and fry bread and just smear it all with this butter. Very good!

Stuffed Peppers

Okay, I realized that I hadn't shared any recipes for awhile. And one of my New Year's resolutions was to try out more new recipes. So, I've got a couple to share with you! This recipe I made last week. My sister-in-law made these last fall during one of her visits to good ole' Idaho. When I asked for the recipe, she couldn't find it. But she found one similar. So I used that as a basis and changed a few things. So, I don't have a very exact recipe for you to follow. I just kinda did things, but it turned out so good I wanted to share with you anyway! So just use this as a guideline and be creative when you make your own!

Stuffed Peppers

4 Red Bell Peppers,{ you can use green, but the red ones are a little sweeter}
1/2 lb. cooked ground beef
1 cup chopped onions
3 cups cooked rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
mushrooms
an 8 oz. bag of Montery Jack cheese

Cook peppers in boiling water for 3 minutes.
Oh, before you do this, wash and slice the top of your peppers. Scoop out the seeds. You can either leave as a whole pepper, or slice in half length wise, which is what I did. You can get more filling piled on them this way!
When peppers are done cooking, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

If using fresh mushrooms, cook in a pan in a leetle amount of oil. I have no idea how many mushrooms I used. I just used what I had left in my fridge.
Combine ground beef, rice, mushrooms, onions, salt and about 4-5 oz.of the cheese. Just however much you want!
Spoon into peppers and place peppers in a greased baking dish. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for about 30 min. Top with some more cheese and put back in oven until cheese melts. Enjoy! If you have picky eaters who don't want to try the peppers, the rice mixture is very good by itself!

Thanksgiving Turkeys for Pre-Schoolers

This last week, my daughter had a turn to bring a snack to pre-school. At first, I thought about making Navajo Fry Bread, because they had been learning about the Indians and pilgrims. And my husband is half Navajo, so I have his mom's recipe for fry bread. But then I saw these cute turkeys on a blog somewhere, and I thought I had to make them! Aren't they cute! Okay, some look a little deranged, but it was my first time making something like this!

I made them using oreo cookies, candy corn, Reese's Peanut butter cups, Whoppers and of course, frosting to hold them all together!

I asked my husband if they looked okay. If he thought the kids would like them. He said," They're pre-schoolers, all they're gonna see is sugar." He's right! They aren't going to care what they look like. It's all yummy goodies!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Frosting

I found this recipe on here, She found the recipe on Good Things Utah. I knew I had to try these!
I was going to take a picture to tempt you to make some of your own, but.... My hubbie had the camera, once again, and he was off hunting.
Honestly, I think it's time we each got our own cameras!
But trust me, these rolls are sooooo yummy! You have to try them!
The only thing I did different was make 1 1/2 times the frosting recipe. Because I LOVE frosting on my cinnamon rolls!



Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Frosting!



Ingredients:



2 T. yeast

1/2c. warm milk

1/2 c. canned pumpkin

2/3 c. sugar

½ t. salt

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. melted, butter

1/4 t. ground cloves

1 t. cinnamon

4-5 c. bread flour

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed (On top of rolled out dough)

2 T. cinnamon (On top of rolled out dough)

2 T. melted butter(On top of rolled out dough)





Method: Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Wait 5 minutes. Add pumpkin, egg, sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon and cloves and mix well. Slowly add flour one cup at a time. Scrape down sides of bowl after each addition of flour. Turn into lightly greased bowl, cover and set in warm place until double in bulk. Punch down dough and let rest for 5 more minutes. Roll dough out into a rectangle.Brush dough with melted butter. Sprinkle the dough with sugar and cinnamon mixture. Starting with long side of dough, roll up jellyroll style. Pinch seams to seal. With sharp serrated knife cut roll into 12 1 in. pieces.{ I actually use some floss or thread to cut thru the dough. Much easier!} Place rolls, cut side up in greased 9x13 pan. Cover and let rise until double, 30 to 45 minutes.Bake rolls at 350 degrees about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle with caramel frosting as soon as they come out of the oven. Let cool until warm, add the rest of the frosting. Enjoy!



Caramel Frosting



¼ c. butter

½ c. brown sugar, packed

2 T. milk

¼ t. vanilla

Pinch of salt

½ c. to ¾ c. sifted powder sugar



In a small saucepan, heat butter until melted. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Cook over med. Low heat 1 minute. Transfer to small bowl and cool mixture. Stir in vanilla, salt, and powder sugar. Beat with Electric mixer until well blended. If necessary, add more sugar for desired consistency.

Pumpkin Cookies

This is another easy peasy recipe! Here are your ingredients....

Once again, use ONLY the Spice cake mix. NONE of the ingredients on the back of the box!
And for cookies you use a 29 oz. can of pumpkin.

Mix well. At this point you can either leave it as is, or add nuts or chocolate chips. I prefer to use chocolate chunks in my baking!

mmmm.....

Then drop by tablespoonful, {I have a handy dandy cookie scoop that I use},onto a greased cookie sheet.Bake in oven at 400 for about 15 minutes. Cool slightly on cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rake. This recipe makes about 3 1/2 doz. cookies.

Don't they look yummy!

They look even better when you put some on a Halloween plate to take to the neighbors!

Don't you wish you were my neighbor?

Easiest Pumpkin Spice Muffins ever!

So I am going to share with you the easiest recipe EVER, {unless you buy them premade at the bakery} for making Pumpkin Spice Muffins.
You ready for a picture of the ingredients?
Here it is...
That's right! Two ingredients! One box of Spice cake mix. One 15 oz. can of pumpkin. That's it! Nothing else!

Dump it all into a mixing bowl and mix well.

Do not add any of the ingredients on the back of the cake box! Just the mix, and the pumpkin. Nothing else!

At this point, you can either leave it as is, or add chocolate chips or chopped nuts. I left it as is!

Fill your muffin cups, this doesn't rise, so you can fill them pretty full with out it spilling over during baking.

This recipe makes an even dozen!

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in one muffin comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Don't they look good?

um....yeah. I had to have a bite. So good! Try them!

Dinosaur Birthday Cake

We had my daughter's fourth birthday party yesterday. She said she wanted a green dinosaur cake. I found directions on how to make one at http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/rex-the-dinosaur--cake. It was much easier than I thought it would be. What do you think?

I cut the shape out of two 9" pans.{one cake mix}. The website shows you how to do that.
Then I made a homemade Buttercream frosting and tinted it green, then I frosted the cake. When ever you are frosting a cake, always do a thin layer of frosting first. This is called the crumb layer because it collects all the crumbs. Chill the cake for about 30 minutes, then frost it again. You won't have any crumbs showing because of the first layer you did.
Then I used white Buttercream frosting for the mouth and dots on the eyes.
For the eyes, toes, and small dots I used chocolate chips. I pushed them into the cake with the tips facing down. The bigger dots are Hershey Kisses that I did the same thing to. Pushed them in, tip side down. I also used Hershey Kisses as the spikes along the tail, back and up the head of the dinosaur.
My daughter loved it! And it was so fun to make!

Birthday Monkey cupcakes

My daughters' birthday is this weekend. So she gets to bring cupcakes to pre-school today. This is what I made.
They are supposed to be monkey cupcakes. I made chocolate zuchinni cupcakes{ you can find the recipe for them in my 'recipe' section}, and then got the idea for the monkeys off of http://servingpinklemonade.blogspot.com/. But hers look much better. Go check them out!
My daughter loved helping me bake these, a.k.a. licking the cake batter bowl, and she was so excited to share them with her class. I guess when I go to pick her up we'll see how the kids liked them!

Pumpkin Bread

I made this over the weekend and was going to take a picture to get your mouth watering. But I couldn't find the camera. My hubbie had taken it hunting! I think it might be time for me to get my own... Anyway, my three nieces and nephew were over, so by the time I DID have the camera, there was no bread left to take a picture of.
But let me tell you, this is really yummy bread. I loved it and the kids loved it! You need to try it out!
I got the recipe out of 'The Essential Mormon Cookbook'. Again. But honestly, everything I try in this book is yummy! And I have to share it! Plus, it will make your home smell yummy!
{This would also be a good treat to take around to your visiting Teaching sisters, or your husbands home teaching families}


Pumpkin Bread

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs. Add pumpkin and mix; set aside. In another bowl sift dry ingredients. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamy mixture. Beat until blended. Add chocolate chips and pecans, if desired. Grease one loaf pan or four mini loaves. Pour batter into pans. For one loaf, bake at 350 F. for about 1 hour or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. For mini loaves, bake at 350 F. for about 35-40 minutes. Makes one loaf or four mini loaves.

Zuchinni Chocolate Cake/Bread

I made cupcakes with this recipe the other day and They. Were. Delicious! All three of us couldn't stop eating them! You can't even taste the zucchini! I got the recipe out of 'The Essential Mormon Cookbook', which I originally bought from http://www.deseretbook.com/, But I couldn't find it there anymore...

Anyway, my friend Jamie asked for the recipe and when I gave it to her she said she uses the exact same recipe to make bread. The only thing different was the chocolate that you use. So I tried the bread, and it was just as yummy!

Here's the original recipe~

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup milk

*3 {1-ounce} squares unsweetened baking chocolate

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 cups grated Zucchini

In a large bowl combine oil, sugar, and eggs. In a separate bowl sift dry ingredients; add to first mixture. Add milk and mix well. Melt baking chocolate in the microwave for 20-second intervals, until just melted. Blend chocolate and vanilla into batter. Stir in Zucchini. Bake in a greased 9x13 baking dish at 350 for about 25 minutes. Cool and frost with either a homemade or store bought chocolate frosting.

* If making bread, use 1/2 cup cocoa instead. Add chocolate chips if you like! This makes two loafs. It took a little longer to bake all the way thru, just bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Chicken Stuffing Casserole

I don't have a picture of this, sorry! But I thought I would share this with you anyway! It's a fast and easy dinner. And a great way to get your kids{or husband} to eat their veggies!


4 boneless, cooked, diced chicken or 2 cans Swanson chicken

1 box Chicken Stove Top Stuffing

1 can Cream of Chicken

1/3 cup sour cream

1 can corn,drained

1 can green beans,drained


Stir stuffing crumbs, contents of seasoning packet, 1 1/2 cup HOT water, and 1/4 cup butter. Stir until just moistened, set aside.
Place chicken in 12x8 inch pan. Dump veggies on top. Mix soup and sour cream, pour over the veggies. Top with stuffing.
Bake @ 375 until heated through.
Instead of veggies, you could add apples or nuts for extra flavor!