Tag: Recipe

Tangled Disney Dinner

It’s Disney Dinner Movie Night again… Tangled is such a cute movie, we all enjoyed it. The kids helped me make the meal tonight, and I always think it is so much fun to have tons going on in the kitchen with my kids all at the same time.

Appetizer:  Braided Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cups water heated to 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit
  • 2 teaspoons Active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • Melted butter
  • Garlic salt
  • Parmesan cheese

Directions:

  1. Whisk yeast, salt, and olive oil in the warm water until yeast is dissolved.
  2. Add yeast mixture to 3 cups of flour in a stand mixer fitted with a bread hook. Add additional half cup of flour if dough is still sticky. Knead with the bread hook attachment for 8 minutes in the mixer.
  3. Coat bowl with oil and place in a warm place with a slightly damp towel covering the bowl and let rise for one hour or until doubled.
  4. Punch down dough. Knead for 3-5 minutes. Divide dough into 2 equal parts and let rest for 5 minutes. Roll dough out to three 30″ ropes.
  5. Grease a baking sheet. Braid dough into three separate braids, about 15″ each. You should have two 15″ loaves. Let rise for 45 minutes or until doubled.
  6. Melt the butter and use your pastry brush to apply to the dough.
  7. Sprinkle on the garlic salt, followed by the parmesan cheese.
  8. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Arrange the loaves together for one continuous braid.

Entrée:  Angel Hair Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Ingredients:

  • Angel Hair Pasta
  • Alfredo Sauce
  • Chicken
  • Frozen Broccoli

Directions:

  1. Season Chicken
  2. Bake Chicken 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
  3. Boil Pasta for 6 minutes
  4. Add Alfredo Sauce to pasta
  5. Shred chicken and add to pasta.
  6. Broccoli bag in microwave for 5 minutes then add to pasta.

Vegi:  Hazelnut Parsnip Soup

I found a recipe that I wanted to try at Sugar, Spice & Glitter blog for Hazelnut Parsnip Soup, but I couldn’t find all of the ingredients so I ended up making a Cesar Salad.

Fruit:  Max’s Cinnamon Apples

Ingredients:

  • 3 lb apples
  • 1/2 cup butter melted
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp apple juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

  1. Core, peel and slice apples into several slices.
  2. Preheat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat and lower the heat to medium-low.
  3. Combine apple slices, melted butter, apple juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a mixing bowl and mix until apples are evenly coated.
  4. Transfer everything from the bowl into the preheated skillet and spread it evenly.
  5. Cover and cook over low heat for about 15-20 minutes. Stir the apple occasionally.
  6. Take the lid off and raise the heat to medium. Stir and cook the apples for another 5-10 minutes.

Drink:  Sunset Raspberry Lemonade

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 cup water
  • 1 1/4 cup raspberries
  • 1 1/2 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed (about 6-8 lemons)
  • 1-2 tablespoon grenadine syrup (optional, for colour)
  • 1/2 cup raspberries
  • 2 lemons sliced

Directions:

  1. In a saucepan, combine sugar, 1 1/4 cups water and raspberries to create a raspberry simple syrup. Heat it over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes, mashing raspberries as it simmers. Remove from heat, strain and let cool to room temperature.
  2. Add the raspberry syrup to a pitcher with the lemon juice and about 5 cups of water. Stir to combine.
  3. Add ice to glasses and 3/4 full of raspberry lemonade. Then you can stir in some grenadine syrup Refrigerate.
  4. Before serving, add the fresh raspberries and lemon slices to the pitcher.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 4 Tablespoons shortening
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1-2 T molasses
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt (plus extra for sprinkling on top, optional)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1-2 Tablespoons cinnamon
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Grease your cast iron skillet with butter and set aside.
  2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Whisk together until completely combined, and then set aside.
  3. Cream together melted butter and sugars in a large bowl.
  4. Whip in the shortening.
  5. One at a time, beat in the molasses, vanilla and eggs.
  6. Add half of the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture, combine completely, and then beat in the remaining half of the flour mixture.

This was so much fun to have my family helping with dinner and to enjoy this fun movie with them.

Spy Birthday -10

My son wanted to have a secret agent spy birthday party with his classmates. It was so much fun, and the weather cooperated with us too!

Crime Scene Gifts

Secret Agent Badges

“First thing you all need to do is to create your Secret Agent Badge.  To figure out your Secret Agent name, you will draw a name from this “First Name” can, and then draw a name from the “Last Name” can.  Then you can write your Secret Agent Name on your ID card.  Next you can add your fingerprint to your ID card.  Gently press one finger into the ink pad and carefully place it on the box in your ID card.  Last choose a badge holder and place your ID card into it and clip it on your clothing.”

One girl even drew the name “Secret Agent”! I found the Badge Holders on Amazon.

Spy Gear

“Before we get started, we will need to equip ourselves with some Spy equipment.  Unfortunately, the equipment has been kept under lock and key, so you will need to work together to release the supplies.  To open the cuffs there is a key maze inside each cuff.  Insert the lock pick in the maze and the rotate the lock pick left, right, up and down to follow the maze to reach the bottom and unlock the hand cuffs.”

I placed the Spy Gear in the Top Secret Boxes that I found on Amazon, then I cuffed them together with the boys Spy Code Yulu Break Free game. In one box I had Walkie Talkies that I had gotten my son for his birthday gift. Another box had face disguises like mustaches. One box had Invisible Ink Spy Pens and Pads. And the last box had the Spy Look Behind Glasses that the kids loved.

Mission Possible

The kids followed the clues around the yard and solved the puzzles to find the laser maze at the end. We used the Spy Code games that my boys already had. There are several spy contraptions in each game that we pulled out and used in our Mission Possible scavenger hunt. They have Spy Code Operation: Escape Room, Spy Code Yulu Break Free, and he got Spy Code Safe Breaker as a gift from Grandpa.

“Things to remember, if you come to a ‘Mission Envelope’ that is not the next number, just leave it alone until you get to that number… the envelopes must be solved in number order.  Use the walkie-talkies to communicate and don’t open any of the “Mission Envelopes” until all of your agents are present.  Work together to solve the code, and decide who will work on the Spy contraption. Who ever is not working the code or contraption can use the walkie talkies to find the next clue after solving is completed.  Do not open the next ‘Mission Envelope’ until both the code and contraption have been solved for the current ‘Mission Envelope’.“

Laser Maze

Licorice TNT

Pop Secret Popcorn

Root Beer Floats

I scooped the icecream into jars ahead of time, so the kids could choose their flavor or icecream and soda. They really enjoyed these!

Party Foods

Basically I put out some of his favorite red and yellow foods to stick with my color theme. Watermelon, pineapple, salami and cheese and crackers, popcorn, and licorice, lemonade, and Koolaid!

Secret Agent Cake

I made a red, yellow, and chocolate checkered cake with my homemade white butter cream icing. Then I made marshmallow fondant to create the decorations.

Buttercream Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup Crisco
  • 4 cups powdered sugar (2 lbs)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon milk (if thick)

Directions:

  1. Cream together the butter and Crisco with a mixer.
  2. Slowly add in 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time.
  3. Add the vanilla, if it seems too thick you can add a bit of milk.

Marshmallow Fondant Recepie

Ingredients:

  • 16 oz. Mini Marshmallows
  • 3 TBSP water
  • 2 lbs Powdered Sugar (4 cups)
  • Crisco

Directions:

  1. Grease a large glass bowl with Crisco.
  2. Pour in the marshmallows and water; then microwave at 30- second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted.
  3. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar. Place the red of the powdered sugar in a large bowl of a standing mixer.
  4. Grease the paddle attachment with Crisco and pour in the melted marshmallows on top of the powdered sugar.
  5. Beat until a dough form; there will be a lot of loose bits and sugar in the bottom of the bowl.
  6. Grease a clean work surface with Crisco and dump out the fondant and all the loose bits. Grease your hands liberally with Crisco and knead the mixture together, just like kneading bread, for about 5 minutes until smooth.
  7. Grease hands again as needed. As the fondant becomes smoother, use the reserved powdered sugar to coat the surface to keep it from sticking.
  8. Once smooth, you can divide and color the fondant. While working with one piece, cover the remaining fondant with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
  9. When you have your colors finished coat the fondant in a light layer or Crisco; wrap in plastic wrap and place in a large baggie for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
  10. Store at room temperature for several months. To us it, dust the surface and rolling pin with powdered sugar and roll out to 1/8 of an inch.

Gender Reveal Cake

Since we are stuck at home for COVID-19 pandemic, no one could go with me to my ultrasound to see the baby gender. When I got home I made a gender reveal cake for the family to cut open and see the gender of baby. I also Zoom called extended family members so that they could be apart of the excitement too!

  1. I mixed up a white cake mix then add either blue or pink food coloring for the reveal.
  2. Then I greased 2 heart shaped cake pans and put half of the mix into each pan.
  3. I baked them according to the directions on the box and then let them cool.
  4. I mixed up some of my homemade buttercream to cover the cake with. 1 cup butter, 1 cup Crisco, 4 cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 tablespoon milk (if thick).
  5. Last I colored the left over food coloring blue and pink to decorate the cake with, I wrote “Brother or Sister?” on the cake.
  6. My husband cut open the cake to reveal the gender during our Zoom call with family!
Baby Sister!

Easter Pizzas

I made Fruit Pizza and Vegge Pizza for Easter this year. This is also the first year that I made a homemade Easter meal for the family. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic we had to stay home rather than going to family’s houses for Easter dinner.

Fruit Pizza

Ingredients:

  • 1 Sugar Cookie Dough
  • 1 Marshmallow Cream
  • 1 Cream Cheese
  • Fruit

Directions:

  1. First grease a cookie sheet and place roll out the sugar cookie dough in the shape of an Easter egg.
  2. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.
  3. Let it completely cool.
  4. Mix together the marshmallow cream and the cream cheese and cover the cookie egg.
  5. Cut the fruit to small pieces and decorate the Easter egg.

Vegge Pizza

Ingredients:

  • 1 Crescent Roll Dough
  • 1 Ranch Packet
  • 1 Cream Cheese
  • Broccoli
  • Carrots
  • Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

  1. First grease a cookie sheet and place crescent roll triangles on the sheet.
  2. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.
  3. Let it completely cool.
  4. Mix together the ranch packet and the cream cheese and cover the triangles.
  5. Chop the broccoli and place on the wide end of the triangles.
  6. Shred the carrot and cover the rest of the triangles.
  7. Add shredded cheddar to the carrot portion of the triangles.
  8. They should look like triangle carrots 🙂

Traditional Easter

Even though we had to stay home we tried to have all of the traditional Easter fun that we usually do (except attending church)… egg dying, egg hunting, and Easter baskets!

Chocolate Freezer Pies -14

He wanted chocolate freezer pies again this year… he just loves these.

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz. Hershey’s bar
  • 8 oz. Cream Cheese
  • 16 oz. Cool Whip
  • 2 Prepared 8 inch Graham Crust
  • 1/4 cup milk

Directions:

  1. Heat the chocolate and 2 tablespoons of the milk in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until melted.
  2. Beat the cream cheese and add the remaining milk. Add chocolate mix and beat until smooth.
  3. In a bowl, fold the chocolate mix into the cool whip and blend until smooth.
  4. Spoon the mix into the crusts. I decorated the pies with some extra cool whip and shaved chocolate bar for my son’s birthday.
  5. Freeze for 4 hours.

Independence Day Foods

Our family LOVES lighting fireworks in the backyard. Occasionally, we also have fun foods too. This year I tried some new recipes for taco dip, and fruit desserts.

Patriotic Taco Dip

Ingredients:

  • Tortilla Chips
  • Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
  • 2 cans Refried Beans
  • Black Olives
  • 1 1/2 cups Guacamole
  • 2 cups white Shredded Cheese
  • 8 oz. Cream Cheese
  • 16 oz. Sour Cream
  • Taco Seasoning Packet

Directions:

  1. Place refried beans on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
  2. Place the guacamole on the beans.
  3. Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning. Then place it in the dish.
  4. Place the shredded cheese on the top.
  5. Next place the olives in the top left corner like the blue field of the American flag.
  6. Last place the tomatoes in stripes on the cheese to look like a flag.

Berry Angel Food Cake

Ingredients:

  • 2 Angel Food cake mix
  • Blue and Red Berries
  • Cool Whip

Directions:

  1. Bake the angel food cake according to the directions for 3 baking pans and let it cool.
  2. Wash and slice the berries, we used strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries.
  3. Spread some of the cream on one of the cakes and add a few berries.
  4. Place another cake on top of the berries and spread some more cream and berries on that cake too.
  5. Then place the last cake on the top and spread some more cream.
  6. Last place the berries in randomly or in a fancy pattern if you want!

Captain America Fruit Platter

Ingredients:

  • Cherries
  • Marshmallows
  • Strawberries
  • Blueberries
  • 1 package Cream Cheese
  • 1 jar Marshmallow Cream
  • Large Round Platter
  • Small Star Dish

Directions:

  1. Mix the cream cheese and marshmallow cream and place it in the star dish.
  2. Place blueberries around the star.
  3. Place a circle of marshmallows around the blueberries.
  4. Place a circle of strawberries around the marshmallows.
  5. Place another circle of marshmallows around the strawberries.
  6. Last place a circle of cherries around the marshmallows.

Chocolate Mint Ice Cream Cake -9

For my son’s 9th birthday, we tried a new ice cream cake recipe. He loves mint, chocolate, and ice cream… and Andys Mints as well! This cake has a brownie base and ice cream and other delicious toppings!

Ingredients:

  • 1 box Brownie Mix
  • 1/2 cup Oil
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 1/2 quart Mint Chip Ice Cream
  • 1 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips
  • 1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon Pure Peppermint Extract
  • 8 oz. Cool Whip
  • 1 bag Andys Mint pieces
  • Green Food Coloring
  • Andys Mints

Directions:

  1. Make brownies according to directions on the box. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake according to the box directions.
  2. Cool completely, then place in the freezer to chill.
  3. Stir the ice cream until it is smooth enough to spread.
  4. Gently spread evenly over the brownies, then place in the freezer again.
  5. Heat the cream over medium heat until hot and bubbly.
  6. Add chocolate chips and stir until smooth, then add peppermint extract.
  7. Let cool to room temperature (so it doesn’t melt the ice cream).
  8. Drizzle an even layer over the ice cream.
  9. Sprinkle some of the Andys mint pieces over the chocolate and freeze.
  10. Add a layer of cool whip and more Andys mint.
  11. I made some of the cool whip green to write “Happy Birthday” on the ice cream cake.
  12. Freeze for a couple hours. Pull out the ice cream cake to sit out about 15 minutes before cutting to serve.

Monster Truck Birthday Cake -4

My nephew came for a visit over his 4th birthday so I made him a #4 Monster Truck cake.

Ingredients:

  • Yellow Cake Mix
  • Eggs
  • Oil
  • Chocolate Mini Donuts
  • Chocolate Frosting
  • Oreo’s
  • Green Icing
  • Monster Trucks
  • #4 Candle

Directions:

  1. Bake the yellow cake according to directions in a 9×13 baking pan.
  2. Let it cool and cut the cake in half longwise so you have 2 long pieces of cake. Then cut one of the pieces in half. Shape on your cake board in the shape of the number 4.
  3. Cover the cake with chocolate frosting.
  4. Crush up some Oreo’s to create a Monster Truck track on top of the cake.
  5. Place the donuts around the side of the cake and us the green icing to add some grass between the donuts.
  6. I also used the green icing to write “Happy Birthday”.
  7. Place the number 4 candle and the Monster Trucks on top of the cake.

Chocolate Freezer Pies -13

My son just loves his grandma’s family recipe for Chocolate Freezer Pies. He doesn’t like cake very much, so he usually prefers pies for his birthday.

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz. Hershey’s bar
  • 8 oz. Cream Cheese
  • 16 oz. Cool Whip
  • 2 Prepared 8 inch Graham Crust
  • 1/4 cup milk

Directions:

  1. Heat the chocolate and 2 tablespoons of the milk in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until melted.
  2. Beat the cream cheese and add the remaining milk. Add chocolate mix and beat until smooth.
  3. In a bowl, fold the chocolate mix into the cool whip and blend until smooth.
  4. Spoon the mix into the crusts. I decorated the pies with some extra cool whip and shaved chocolate bar for my son’s birthday.
  5. Freeze for 4 hours.

NERF BOY

He still loves all things Nerf, so he had a few friends over the play Nerf again this year!

Christmas Cakes & Crafts

I participated in a Christmas Craft & Bake sale this year at a local church. Here are some of the things that I made and sold…

Snowy Wonderland Trees

I baked a cake and some cupcakes according to the directions on the box. Then I made my own buttercream frosting; 1 cup butter, 1 cup Crisco, 4 cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 tablespoon milk (if too thick). I frosted the cake and cupcakes and added coconut to look like snow. For the trees, I got thin dowel rods, candy melts, and sprinkles. I melted the candy melts and placed in piping bags; then I placed the dowel rods on wax paper and squeezed out the melted candy back and forth across the dowel rods to look like trees. I added the sprinkles before the melts hardened.

Hot Cocoa Cupcakes

I baked Devils Food Cake box recipe into cupcakes. Once they cooled I topped them with my buttercream icing. Then I added mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and crushed candy canes. I placed a small candy cane on the side to look like a handle to a mug full of hot cocoa.

Peppermint Lollies

I placed the hard peppermint candies with a lollie stick on some wax paper on a cookie sheet. Melted them in the oven at 250 degrees, waited for them to cool and put them into bags with a cute red ribbon.

Candy Cane Forest Cake

I baked a white cake according to the box directions and placed a few drops of peppermint extract in the cake mix. I topped the cake with my buttercream icing and then added crushed peppermints, and candy canes.

Holiday Pretzels

I covered pretzels in white chocolate and milk chocolate. I used hot glue to attach buttons and a scarf to my Snowman Jar. And I attached eyes, red nose, and antlers to my Reindeer Jar.

Melted Snowman Ornament

I filled clear glass ornaments with fake white powder snow. Then I added buttons, a carrot nose, tiny twigs, and a red scarf in the ornaments. I used letter stickers to spell out, “Some People are Worth Melting For”, on the outside of the ornaments. These turned out soooo cute!

Poinsettia

I added gold stars and cute poems to these poinsettia’s and gave them as gifts to co-workers and neighbors!

Christmas Tree Cake

I made a chocolate cake with my Giant Cupcake pan. I dyed my buttercream icing green and used it to decorate the top of my Giant Cupcake. I used yellow and red candy melts to make a star and bows to decorate the Christmas Tree Cake.

Santa Hat Cupcakes

I decorated cupcakes with red buttercream icing. I added a mini marshmallow to the top and white icing around the base of the icing.

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