Sweet Joyous for my sweet baby!!

I've been wanting to watch my nephew in a play for years now!  Well, with Alexis' birthday being on Easter this year and his play the same weekend, we were able to make it for a triple celebration!!  

My sister owns Sweet Joyous and she makes the best cupcakes ever!  My husband is not a cake/cupcake eater.  He doesn't care for it, but he eats hers, and eats and eats them any chance he gets!  Any flavor, any recipe, any test, he's ready to try it out for her!  She called me up to see about making Alexis some cupcakes.  I asked Alexis what she wanted and she said, "chocolate or caramel or root beer!"  I told my sister and let her creative mind work!  The result was amazing and delicious!!!!  

Chocolate cupcakes filled with soft gooey, caramelly deliciousness, topped with her chocolate icing with crunchy caramel candies~everything homemade and everything delicious on it's own, but complimented each other perfectly!!!!  

My favorite candy was this: a dancer for my little dancer!  

And my sister made this one especially for the birthday girl...

 These cupcakes were truly amazing and my little (not baby) baby loved them and was so excited for her cupcakes from Auntie Joy!  

 Thank you!!!!

 Please go check her out.  Her blog is Sweet Joyous and she has a facebook page where she puts all her holiday menus and you can see lots of mouth-watering pictures!!! Putting all bias aside, she makes delicious cupcakes and she is amazing and the best, happiest person to work with!!  

Have a happy day~Kasey

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FROZEN

For the past few years we've been having something we call, "Movie Night Extravaganza!"  I pick a movie and do treats and/or dinner, and sometimes decorations, that go along with the movie.  We've done a few, but this was our first this year!  We had taken the kids to see Frozen and they loved it. We all did!  They kept asking when it was coming out.  I actually told them the wrong date on purpose so I could pick it up and completely surprise them with this Movie Night Extravaganza!  They were surprised and SO excited when it came on!!!  

 Here's the fun treats I made!

A delicious drink, yummy cupcakes, and marshmallows dipped in blue chocolate!  YUMM!! 

 The night before I made these cups.  It's just a clear plastic cup.  I used white puff paint to draw the mountains and the swirls then added silver glitter to make it sparkle.  They dried overnight and were ready for use for the Extravaganza.  The cups themselves were a hit!  

 The drink is about half blue Hawaiian punch and half 7 Up.  I added a big dollop of vanilla ice cream to make it look like it was snow covered.  Some of the kids ended up not liking the 7 Up in it, so you could totally use straight Hawaiian punch! :D  

Here's my cupcake idea!  I had white cupcakes which I dyed blue.  I put white icing on, then topped it of with blue cotton candy!  (I did leave one without the cotton candy because Haylee doesn't eat it..if you notice the very first picture of the plate...) The others loved it.  I even ate one.  It was different, but I liked it, quite a bit actually.  I love cotton candy so it was a nice way to eat a little of it! :D  

The treats were yummy, the movie was great, and the company was fantastic!!!  

Have a happy day~Kasey

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I love April Fools!!!

I love April Fools!!  I've gotten so many people on this day...even feeling guilty a few times about tricks I've played! (I'm sorry Aunt Jean)!!!!  But..my kids are finally old enough I can do things!!  Unfortunately I hadn't thought much about it until the night before.

In the morning, I had to go to the store.  We were on our way..and our car started shaking...then died!  I was on the side of the road and couldn't get it started.  Oh boy!  The kids were super worried about it and how long we would have to sit there.  Then..it started!!!!!  I told them April Fools and explained it to them.  They laughed..Gage did this...

 While we were at the store, we had planned on getting a For Sale sign to put in the yard to tease Cory...but..I knew he wouldn't believe it because when that time comes, we know exactly who would sell our house...and it wouldn't be us in charge of it! :D  We planned something else for him though...

Mother Nature joined in on the April Fools jokes..April 1st..and Spring Break...thank you for this weather!! (with the following week being in the 70's all week).  The kids didn't let that stop them and they made the most of it..making Olafs! :D 

 Time to get Daddy!!!  We called him and told him our power was out and we'd be at a friends warming up because it was getting cold in our house...when I peeked him pulling in we hid in the closet..

 And scared the crude out of Daddy!!!!  He jumped and screamed!  I got a great video...but he refuses to allow it...and I am obliging this time because he was in his garments, unbeknownst to me! :D  I still watch it and laugh hysterically though!!

For dinner we had dessert first!! Cake..yuummmm! (Meatloaf with mashed potato "icing")

 Then dinner second!!  Grilled cheese sandwiches! (Angel food cake with orange tinted icing "cheese")

The kids played along the whole time at dinner! They are awesome!!! Can't wait to really get them next year!!!

 

Have a happy day~Kasey

 

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Fruit Rainbow

Welcome to our favorite St. Patrick's Day treat~ever!!!  The Fruit Rainbow is the best and every single piece gets eaten!!!  

Super simple..just takes time to peel and slice the fruit.  We use~

Red~strawberries

Orange~oranges

Yellow~pinapple

Green~green grapes

Blue~blueberries

Purple~purple grapes

The cloud is mini marshmallows and the gold at the other end is Rolos!  

 We tend to rotate our holiday treats..but this one we have every year and the kids eat it all up!!!  Yumm!!!

Have a happy day~Kasey

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Lucky Charm treats

Mmmmm..Rice Krispie treats are such an American staple it seems!  I can withstand most sweets..but I'm totally a sucker for them!  Last year on St. Patrick's Day I decided to try a little twist on this amazingly chewy deliciousness!  

Simply replace the Rice Krispie cereal with Lucky Charms!  So good!!!  The kids enjoyed them but honestly, Cory and I were in love with this treat!!

*Lucky Charm treats*

Ingredients 

~3 Tablespoons butter

~4 heaping (seriously..overflowing) cups of mini marshmallows

~6 cups of Lucky Charm cereal

Directions

~Put the marshmallows and the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl.  Cook for 1 minute.  Stir. Then microwave for 30 second intervals, always stirring in between.  (Marshmallows and chocolate chips will often begin to melt but look "normal" until the motion helps agitate them and the melting happens).

~Stir in the cereal until very well combined.

~Place the mixture into a 9x13 pan lined with wax paper.  Use a rubber spatula to evenly spread it.  

~Let cool, cut, enjoy!!!

Have a happy day~Kasey

 

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Rainbow cupcakes

These were some of the most fun treats to make and the kids loved them!!!  These are easy, but a little time consuming because of the dying of the cake and the layering of the colors.  

All I did was buy my favorite white cake mix.  I made the mix as directed on the box (always using egg whites so the yellow eggs don't tint the white cake even slightly~not that I know it does..I've just never risked it!!!!).  Then I split it into six different small bowls, as evenly as I could.  Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple (yep..a rainbow..ROY G. BIV ;)  ) Then I put just a drop or two into each to color it. You really do NOT need a lot at all!!!!  Remember..too much changes the taste and it's nasty!!!!  You, of course, will need to do color blending for ones like purple and orange..but always start with the smallest amount of dye to color it!!  When you've done that, drop a spoonful, or a half, into the cupcake tins.  I always alternated which colors I did in what order so they weren't all the same rainbow.  Bake them as directed on the box for cupcakes!  Super easy!!!!!

I had white icing which I colored green then added mini marshmallows on top.  It was like the grass and clouds type of thing for the rainbow!  We had so many so we took some to friends of ours.  We're told their little girls loved them!!!  Yeah!!!!  

Seriously~make these for your kids!  They will love them and the surprise rainbow inside!!!!   

Have a happy day~Kasey

 

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Chocolate chip cookie pie!

Get ready for this post of deliciousness!!!  I'm going to teach you how to make a GIANT chocolate chip cookie~that is purely mouthwatering!!!  

Ingredients:

~2 cups flour (we use wheat flour)

~1tsp baking soda

~3/4 tsp salt

~3/4 cup softened butter

~1/2 cup sugar

~3/4 cup packed brown sugar

~1 large egg

~2 1/2 tsp vanilla 

~1 1/2-2 cups chocolate chips

First thing's first~grab your oven-safe skillet or cast iron.  I use my 12 inch and the cookie is always still super thick, but you can use any 9-12 inch.  Any well seasoned skillet or cast iron doesn't need any greasing.  I've never greased mine and always had it come out perfectly!  But if you are worried you can always grease it ever-so-slightly! :D  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Set that skillet aside, you don't need it yet! 

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.  Mix and set aside.

(My little helper wanted a picture of her with the chocolate chips)!! 

Grab that softened butter, the sugar, and the brown sugar and place it in a medium-sized bowl or mixer stand.  Mix them together until it's light and fluffy. 

 Then scrape those sides down so you get all the yumminess mixed in!! 

 Add the egg and vanilla and mix until the egg and juices are fully incorporated into the batter.  Oh my~look at that..I could just eat it up just like that when it's all smooth and creamy like that!!!  

 Grab that bowl of the flour mixture and poor it all in at once!  Now~pay attention to this little piece of awesomeness!  You'll want to remember it anytime you are whipping up a batch of cookies.  Mix the bowl of wet and dry ingredients JUST UNTIL the flour disappears.  Once you can no longer see the flour mixture~STOP mixing!! :D  And it really doesn't take long to get it all mixed in!  The more you mix the batter the tougher it gets..and we want nice, soft, fluffy, gooey cookies!!  I periodically stop the mixer (and as you see I am using my awesome $5 hand mixer and it works great) and scrape down the sides so all the flour can get mixed in.

 Finally you can pour in those chocolate chips.  Mix those in by hand~because remember, we don't want to mix the dough any longer than necessary!!!  

 Scrape that dough into your skillet and smooth it as evenly as possible!

 Pop that skillet into the oven (on a center rack) for 30-40 minutes.  Remember to always start small, check, and add more time if needed!  And don't forget that cookies continue to cook while cooling so don't wait until that perfect-looking cookie is done in the oven..then it will be overdone after it cools.  Cool that baby for 20 minutes on a wire rack.

 Once it's ready, cut that up like a pie and enjoy!  I always slice ours pretty thin because the cookie itself is thick and a thin slice is the perfect amount of sweetness for me!  You can always add some vanilla ice cream and caramel and/or chocolate sauce if you'd like!  

 If you have leftovers~they are still great for the next couple days.  Just pop a slice of cookie pie into the microwave for 20 seconds..back to that out-of-the-oven warmness!!  

I've made this for friends before, my own family, and just last night for the missionaries!  It's always been a hit!  I've been asked for the recipe so many times and the Elders wanted some to take home!  Try it~you will love it!!!

Have a happy day~Kasey

This recipe has been adapted from this one on Oh! Nuts.

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St. Patrick's Day Pudding Surprise

I love holidays!!!  St. Patrick's Day isn't one that a lot of people go crazy for. But I do!  I love this holiday and my little, "favorite color is green" child thinks it's the coolest day!  One of my favorite desserts to make them is the Pudding Surprise!  

Looks pretty great right?!  It is!  It's a hit every time we make it!  Aaaaand..here's the surprise!!  

St. Patrick's Day Pudding Surprise:

Ingredients: 

Vanilla pudding

Green food coloring

Whip Cream or Cool Whip

Oreos

Rolos 

Green sprinkles

Clear plastic cups

First~make pudding as directed on the box, adding a drop or two to make it green (each drop makes it darker so how many drops you put in is up to you and how dark/light you want it)!  Put a Rolo in the bottom of each cup then instead of letting the pudding set in the bowl, spoon it evenly into each cup.  

Then~once it's set, you can pull it out, add a dollop (or two) of the Whip cream (or Cool Whip).  Throw on some green sprinkles, put in an Oreo, and you're all set!

The kids always enjoy this one, whether it's their first time or fifth!  Enjoy!!

Have a happy day~Kasey

 

 

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Dinner for the missionaries...

We were having our church missionaries over for dinner.  I read our menu items for the next two weeks to my husband and he said, "enchiladas!"  So..that's what I made..for my first time ever..for other people!!  What was I thinking?!?!?  ;)  I opened up our Essential Mormon Cookbook that was given to us as a gift, and followed their recipe...a little bit!  I won't post their exact recipe since they don't have it published online, (and because, really, I changed a lot of it..) but I will give you my changed version of it..plus, I doubled it...some of it... :D

Ingredients: 

Chicken breasts
an 8 oz. container of sour cream
2 (7 oz.) cans of chopped green chilies
2 cups of chopped onions
2 tablespoons of butter
salt
2 (8 oz.) bags of shredded cheddar jack cheese
flour tortillas (normally we use wheat tortillas, but since I couldn't find the larger size, I got the regular, white ones)
28 oz. can of mild enchilada sauce ( of course you can use medium or hot if you want it warmer)

Directions:

~ I had two huge chicken breasts.  I sliced them up into kinda thick strips then grilled them on my grilling pan..about 4-6 minutes on each side.  Shred it.

~Combined shredded chicken, sour cream, and green chilies.  Mix well.

~Saute onions and butter until golden brown and translucent.  

~Add onion, 1 cup of cheese (or about half of one bag), and sprinkle salt to your desire, to the chicken mixture.  

~Spoon mixture into tortillas.

~Roll and place, sides touching, in a greased 9x13 pan (or pans).

~Pour enchilada sauce on, and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

~Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  

The original recipe was half of most of my stuff..and said it made 10 tortillas.  I got 17 total enchiladas out of the above recipe.  

I have to say~I was pleasantly pleasantly surprised!  We LOVED them!!!  My son didn't care for them much..but that's not surprising since he doesn't care for a lot of things.  The rest of us loved them though!!  Seriously~I couldn't take a picture because they were gone so quickly!  Yes..we actually did have leftovers, but my husband put them away before I got a picture.  

For dessert..another first!!!  I made a Moist Chocolate Cake AND icing from scratch..both my first time ever!!!!!  

Moist Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 cup water
3 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened baking chocolate
2 cups flour (I use wheat flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk (we have 1%)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

~In saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil.  Remove from heat.  (butter will not be completely melted yet)

~Place baking chocolate in a microwaveable bowl for one minute, then 30 second increments, stirring well between cooking times.  Add to butter/water mixture.  Butter will finish melting as you stir.

~In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and sat. Add chocolate mixture and beat well.

~In separate bowl, add sugar and eggs. Cream.

~Stir in vanilla and milk. Beat well.  Pour mixture into chocolate mixture. Beat well.  

~Pour into greased 9x13 inch pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  (I checked mine..and ended up cooking it 30 minutes)  

~TIP~when you are checking it...I always used a butter knife..don't.  Use a toothpick if you have one!! The knife makes a slightly larger hole/slice..and the homemade icing is wet until it settles and will seep down into the cake quite a bit if you have the larger holes! :D  

Chocolate Butter Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
2 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened baking chocolate
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

~In medium saucepan, bring butter and milk to a boil.  Remove from heat.  (again..butter won't be completely melted)

~Melt chocolate in the microwave, 1 minute, then 30 second increments as needed, stirring well between times.

~Pour chocolate into saucepan with butter and milk.  Mix.

~Pour mixture into a bowl.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat well.

The icing looks really wet and watery..but it sets perfectly once it's poured onto the cake!

It was delicious!!!!  My kids loved it..I enjoyed it.  The missionaries had seconds..my husband loved it..and he hates cake!!!  My firsts were sure not lasts this time!!! :D  

Have a happy day~Kasey

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