Minion Surprise

We didn't do anything big for Ronnie's birthday this year.  I guess that is just part of getting older.  The other part is practical gifts.  Ronnie's birthday present was redoing the upstairs man cave (see earlier post), so we really didn't even do many presents.  I wanted to do a little something silly and special for him though.  So while my dad and sister kept Ronnie occupied at a movie, Mom helped me put together a little minion surprise party.  We came home to it after going out for dinner.  He loved it. 

Happy Birthday, Love! You are my world.  Thanks for making me smile.  xo

Minion cupcakes!

Minions

Unicorn Fluff

What is a party without bananas?

Cookie robots

El Macho's Salsa and Chips

Balloons!

My handsome man and very excited pup

Even Boomer joined in!  Cori loves him. ;)

Baked Southwest Egg Rolls

My friend Kim came over last week for a bit of pinterest yumminess.  We had been talking about making these Southwest Egg rolls for weeks now and we finally set a date to do it.  We were both SUPER impressed.  They were easy, filling, and SO DELICIOUS.  I am not even kidding.  best.dinner.ever.  Think burrito inside egg roll.  And ignore the fact that our egg rolls are pretty much the size of burritos and we apparently have no egg roll-rolling skills.  

Visit nutritious eats for the full recipe.  The only thing we did differently was add shredded chicken and served them with salsa and guacamole.  

Oh, and egg roll wrappers are in the oriental refrigerated section... which is by the produce at my grocery.... Never would have guessed that so it took me a long while to find them.  

The filling

Crispy goodness

Tortellini Pasta Salad

I couldn't wait to post this after making it tonight.  We are having a birthday pitch-in at work tomorrow and I needed an appetizer that was easy and could be refrigerated.  I decided it was the perfect opportunity to try something from Pinterest [of course].  I've been wanting to try this new rendition of pasta salad for a while now.  It has tortellini, cherry tomatoes, pepperoni, basil, and fresh mozzarella.  It turned out SO GOOD.  I'm SUPER excited to take it in tomorrow.

The original recipe can be found here by "Dream Home Cooking Girl."  I made a couple changes.  First, I was making it for a large group so instead of using all tortellini, I used a box of colored spiral noodles as well.  I figured it would make it a little less rich and add some more color.  Second, my little basil plant that has done so well all summer while I didn't need it, is now pretty sorry looking so I used dried basil to taste.  Really, I didn't do a lot of measuring; just kinda eyeballed it.  All-in-all, it was very easy and VERY yummy.  

• Cook tortellini and spiral noodles in separate pots following package directions 
• (I used a normal box of noodles and two 8 oz packages of tortellini.)
• Once done, drain and rinse with cold water
• Add in:
• about a cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3/4 cup of pepperoni cut in to small pieces
• 1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, diced
• about 3/4 cup Ceasar dressing
• basil, salt, and pepper to taste (Original recipe calls for 3/4 cup copped fresh basil)
• Gently stir and refrigerate

Pinterest snacks for little ones

Just wanted to take a quick minute to tell you about a couple of the pinterest snack my sister-in-law and I made for her beautiful daughter last week.  The baby was teething while she was here, so we tried out these teething biscuits by ImprintAlish.  They were quick, easy, healthy, and tasty.  The texture was perfect for teething biscuits as they were chewy and didnt crumble.  The baby loved them and even the boys snuck a couple.

We also tried out these homemade goldfish crackers by Tasty Kitchen Blog.  They were also really good.  They tasted a lot like cheez-its.  They took a bit more time for a lower yield but all in all a fun and delicious snack.

Ok.  now the last one I want to share is a real keeper.  We had bbq pulled pork for dinner one night and made these quick and easy buns from Taste of Home.  They were SO GOOD.  The boys managed to sneak the rest of them as a snack later with and without the meat.  Ronnie made me promise I would make them again soon for dinner rolls or buns.  Love them.  (I will mention that a friend recommended to me that we let the dough rise for 30 minutes instead of the recommended 10.)  

***pictures are all from their respective sites.  please follow links to recipes and credits.   

Nerd Party!

I was put in charge of our CLS end of the year class party.  We had a nice budget to play with and, thankfully, a class willing to play along.  I [of course] used pinterest as my inspiration:  See my board here.  I passed out ideas to willing members of the class and here is what we came up with!  It was so much fun and a great last hoorah before we all went our separate ways.  

Jello Agar Plates

Ginger Bread Techs

Red Velvet Red Blood Cells

White Blood Cell Sugar Cookies
"Love U Bunny Rodak"

Virus Treats and Red Hots

All the Urine problems

The Stool Cup Chocolate Pudding Bar

Love these Peeps.  : )

Monday Meals

Mondays are quickly becoming one of my favorite days of the week.  The sting of resuming an early morning schedule is lessened by anticipation of my weekly plans with my friend Katie.  She comes over for dinner on Friday evenings and we try out new dinner recipes.  It is a wonderful way to make sure that we each get a home cooked meal at least once a week, have yummy left overs for lunches, get time to catch up, and it of course feeds my pinterest addiction.  We have had many delicious successes over the past weeks, but I can definitively say that the "baked sweet and sour chicken" (recipe below) is our favorite thus far.  We loved it so much that we made it twice!  It takes a little more prep than some meals but is TOTALLY worth it.  Plus, it doesnt call for any "out of the ordinary" ingredients.  It has been such a blessing to just share life with my life-long friend and encourage each other in our everyday, crazy school schedules and relationships.  *So thankful*

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

from: Life as a Lofthouse

The chicken coating:
3-4 boneless chicken breasts
salt + pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

The sweet and sour sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
4 tbs ketchup
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp garlic salt

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs.  Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes.  

Scrapbooking and Yummies

Tonight was a fun girls night.  I hosted a Heritage Makers digital scrapbooking party!  It was so much fun learning about something that I am already passionate about- memory saving.  So fun.  Anyways, I also had fun making the spread of snacks for the event which were a huge hit.  So I thought I would share these pinterest treasures.

Cake Batter Fruit Dip

Great on Fruit and Cookies and tastes like Cold Stone Ice cream!  Would also make good cream for sandwiching cookies if you make it thicker with more cake mix.  PS~ This is only a small portion that was left over... forgot to take a pre-party pic of it...

Mix together

• 8oz container of light Cool Whip (thawed)
• 8oz bar of light cream cheese (softened)
• 1/3 cup (or more if desired) box cake mix (I used Yellow, but I've seen others use red velvet or funfetti.)
• A container of sprinkles [reserving a few more for the top]

See original recipe HERE. 

Brownie and Fruit Kabobs

ok, so this was a spin on a July 4th idea that excluded the grapes.  Pretty self explanatory...

• Brownies cut in squares (works best if chilled)
• Marshmallows
• Strawberries
• Grapes
• Blueberries
• And of course, Kabob sticks 

See original recipe HERE.

Ronnie's Un-Birthday

Ronnie's birthday is not until the end of the month, but since we will be apart for his birthday, I took the opportunity to throw a little surprise birthday party. My family and my uncle's family joined us at Ronnie's favorite eatery... McDonald's. Afterwards, I surprised him with a custom cake from Kim's Kakes with matching cupcakes in a variety of flavors (we can never pick just one). It was a burger filled day and I think Ronnie really liked it. Happy early birthday, love! And thanks again, Kim, for another amazing cake!!

Happy Pancakes

We had a very happy dinner tonight. These smiley little gingerbread pancakes made us smile too. :D

Fresh Blueberry Scone

with a lemon glaze

2 cups plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced

note: I will probably cut down on the butter in the future. It puddled a little on the tray leading me to believe there was a little more than needed.

2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup cold heavy cream
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt using the paddle attachment. Cut the cold butter into 1/2 inch pieces. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and mix on low until the butter is mixed in and is the size of peas. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs and whipping cream with a fork. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the cream and egg mixture. Turn off the mixer once added. Fold in blueberries .

Put some flour on the counter. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Add some flour onto the top of the dough, then pat it out into a disk - about 8-9 inches in diameter. Cut the disk into 6 pieces like a pie.

note: these scones were BIG. I will probably cut them smaller in the future.

Separate the pieces and put them on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-17 minutes.

To make the glaze, stir together lemon juice and powdered sugar.

Note: I did not need nearly that much icing and had to add a lot more powdered sugar to get it thick enough, so start with the sugar and add juice to it as needed.

This recipe was taken from this blog and tweeked slightly.

Creativity!

I've been pinning! Here is what I have been up to along with the links to the project below.

Home-made Dog Treats [in Texas shapes!]

http://www.comeonilene.com/2011/05/31/homemade-dog-treats/

Sewing Jars. I made these for a craft sale.

http://www.marthastewart.com/272417/sewing-kit-in-a-jar?backto

Box of Balloons (each with a little surprise in it)! A fun de-stressing package for finals week

http://choosecraftiness.blogspot.com/2012/01/birthday-balloons.html

[not my picture]

http://smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com/2011/08/no-bake-energy-bites-recipe.html

Okay, these are things not from pinterest but still first tries that turned out DELICIOUS.

Blueberry yogurt muffins

Donut Muffins

Blueberry scones with lemon glaze

Another good & easy

Easy Lemon Squares

So I found this in my "101 Things to Do with Cake Mix" book and since I have been on a lemon kick, I decided to give it a try. It really turned out great!

Here is what you need:
1 box lemon cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a bowl, mix together cake mix, eggs, and oil. Spread the stiff mixture evenly into a greased 13x9 inch pan.

Bake for 13-15 minutes until slightly golden on top. Cool, then sprinkle powdered sugar over the squares.

Pintentional- S'more Bars

I have loved trying new recipes the past few weeks. This one is probably one of my favorites so far.

S'more Bars

http://lickthebowlgood.blogspot.com/2010/11/smore-love.html

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 regular Hershey's milk chocolate bars or 2 king-size bars
• 1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (7 1/2 oz. jar)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.

Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough breaking the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff.

Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together like patchwork).

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Boston Cream Torte

Had so much fun making these little baby Boston Cream Tortes today in celebration of Ronnie being home! Aren't they cute! Thank you Pinterest for the idea and Mom for my favorite Boston Cream recipe.

Wedding Prep

Everyone pitching in to stuff cake pops. :)

I love this girl.

Alisha and I met back in our Costa Rica days. We hit it off right a way and became amazing friends. After language school however, our lives went different ways. Her family became missionaries in Peru while mine moved to Honduras. Then we started school in different states. Six years later we both found ourselves in Texas at the same time. When Alisha told me she was going to be in Austin, I knew right away I had to make the quick trip up there to see her for the day. We spent the day catching up, baking, and shopping at IKEA (best place in the world!!!). I have missed having Alisha close. She is always such an encouragement to me. I can say without a doubt that she is one of my biggest role models. I just love this girl.

Pinterest Week, Cont.

More Pinterest successes from this week... :)

Granola-Apple Sandwiches

Bacon-Cheddar Breakfast Rolls

And the biggest success of the week... HOOTENANNY!
(I loved how it poofed up in the oven!!)