On The Menu

Don't you just love popping around the web, especially on Pinterest, and finding all sorts of yummy treats to make?  I certainly do!  And here is where I share them with you!

OK with Valentine's day coming up, and lucky me who gets to celebrate at home and at the day care with the kiddos, I found an idea or two that I can't get out of my head!

Photo found on Pinterest linked to twokidscooking.com           

 I love the idea of everything heart shaped and also a lunch where the kids could put their own meal together however each one chooses!  This certainly will not be limited to these for treats.  That's a lot of heart cutting!  And the crackers....

Photo linked to thekitchn.com                 

The crackers look simple and fun to make.... now let's talk about a dip shall we??

Photo and recipe credit: allisoneats.com        

      

I would like to confess that I am trying my very hardest to enjoy kale.  Maybe I haven't had it in the right recipe or combination yet although I've tried many.  This dip however may just do the trick for me!  It will be perfect for little ones to dip their Valentine lunch hearts into don't you think?  

And let's not forget that sweet tooth!  

Photo and recipe credit familyfreshmeals.com                   

I am a big fan of chocolate, cherries and smoothies.  Why wouldn't this be the perfect Valentine dessert go to?  It's healthy and looks delicious.  I've kind of always been partial to raspberries with my chocolate... or lemon with my dark chocolate... but this one I will definitely give a try!

I absolutely love the title of this blog post featuring a good looking, healthy smoothie.

Show Yourself Some Love With A Berry Beet Smoothie

I admit, when I used to go and have lunch with my Grandmother at her assisted living facility, she would always have beets on her plate and I wondered why.  "They can't be good", I thought and truthfully to me they're not.  Dr Yim once told me to add raw celery and beets to my diet to help cleanse my liver.  So I bought the pickled kind which have sugar added.  They're something to get used to.  I believe totally that I will brave, for my liver's sake, the beets and try this beautiful smoothie.  Love your liver... eat beets!

What about you?  Got any special Valentine recipes on your list to try?

Mint Chocolate Pudding Cake

Ah yes... another green recipe for the month of March.  This one is of the sweeter variety and is one of my very favorites!  It is a mint chocolate pudding cake and the result of this cake is definitely green and so tasty!  I used to make it to take to work with me on St. Patrick's Day and I have also made it for a wedding and the bbq place I used to bake for.  It is a very pretty cake and perfect for that lover of chocolate and mint together!  It even had peppermint paddies on top!

I know I have more pictures of this beautiful cake.  I just can't seem to locate them as quickly as I want.  So you are just going to have to make it yourself to see how pretty and delightful it truly is!  These pictures are from a few years ago.

Looks like I used a white cake mix this time.


The green batter... yum!


This is my old kitchen from my house on Haven Street.  Ah what messes I made in that kitchen!

This particular time that I made this recipe it was for a wedding cake in which she had several different kinds.  I topped it with a chocolate butter cream icing and had the mint candies in the middle of the two layers.  I prefer the 9x13 version.  This is the only completed cake picture I could find.

Find my other "green recipes" for the month of March HERE and HERE.

Need some baking tips in the kitchen?  I have a good one HERE.

And just in case you missed my Aunt Sabine's Graham Struesel Cake recipe.

Gingerbread Houses

Wow y'all... I would like to say first off that this is my 500th post! 

Dang I've had a lot to say over the last four years! 

 

Anywho... we had just the best time decorating our gingerbread houses this year!  There were fourteen houses decorated in all and I hate to say that I don't know what I was thinking that day because I did not get a picture of every one's houses.  Poo.  I was looking back through pictures and thought "wait... where's Kristen's... and Jessica's?"  Oh well.  We had so much fun and had tons of construction supplies to decorate with.  Here are some pics of the process and results.

 

AND... Chocolate Explosion results!  This house smells amazing.



Easter Basket Dreams

If the Easter Bunny were to come to my house this Sunday

and leave an Easter Basket full of goodies for me....

here's what I dream they'd be.

 

 

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Quick Cake Mix Cookies

While browsing through a lovely Christmas open house in Crossplains, TN two weekends ago, I stumbled upon the refreshments.  Being the lemon lover that I am, I immediately snatched a yellow cookie with powdered sugar on it.  To my delight it was lemon and wonderful!  So soft, so light... I could have eaten the whole plate.  But then I may not have been invited back to next year's open house :)

I thought about these cookies for more than a week.  Finally I looked up in every book I have and came up empty.  Then decided to internet search pictures of lemon cookies and at last came up with a recipe.  I have to share!  These are so very easy to make and take under an hour from start to finish. 

Cake Mix Cookies

1 cake mix, any flavor, I recommend lemon

1 tub cool whip 8 ounce

1 egg

powdered sugar - about 1/3 cup

Mix cake mix, egg and cool whip with a blender.  The batter will be sticky.  Drop one spoonful at a time into powdered sugar and drop onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  Allow to cool and try like heck not to eat them all.  Unless they are only for you... then go ahead.

Simple Yummy Syrup

Good Tuesday afternoon all! I have been such a blog ignorer! Not that I haven't been thinking about blogging for you, I've just been slammed and haven't had the time. I will tell you that my bloggy thoughts are jamming up in my head like traffic! I do hate to report that this will be a quickie but none the less a goodie!

So this past Sunday, while indulging in sweet chocolate thoughts I whipped up a batch of my Mother's famous chocolate syrup that goes so well over a bowl of vanilla ice cream and thought I would blog the yummy recipe for you! So here goes:

Mom's Chocolate Syrup

5 1/2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
4 1/2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
2 Tablespoons white Caro syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1cup sugar

In a saucepan on the stove top, melt the butter and mix in cocoa. Add milk and let boil until a little thick... about 6 or 8 minutes stirring constantly. Add sugar, syrup and vanilla and boil for one minute. Pour into a container that can be kept in the refrigerator. This makes about a cup or a little more (I've never actually measured) and can be kept in the refrigerator for several weeks. Pop it into the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds before pouring over ice cream. Maybe even ice cream on top of a brownie.

I can remember as a child when my Mother would make this recipe I would sneak into the fridge, spoon in hand, just for a taste. It's very rich and very yummy!

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Howdy doo all! Well it's Monday and after a tough weekend full of sadness at the loss of one of my beloved best friends, Sipsey Maye Alabama Brown, my 11 1/2 year old dog, I've sort of been at a loss for words today. Not wanting to cry I think I'll just post something sweet. So please enjoy this recipe.

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 cup milk
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup powdered cocoa

1/3 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups oats

In a medium saucepan, bring the first four ingredients to a rapid boil and boil for three minutes stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter, vanilla and oats. Stir until combined. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper and allow to cool.