Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

I saw this on my friend, Amy's, family blog! And, as she stated, "totally trying these on for size!" I haven't had a chance to try them, but I didn't want to loose the recipe! ENJOY!

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup milk, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line regular and miniature cupcake trays with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium for about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time and mix until combined. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Add flour mixture to creamed butter and sugar in three additions. Alternate with milk in two additions.

Fill baking cups about 3/4 full. Bake for about 15-20 minutes.

Remove cupcakes from trays and let cool. To decorate, pipe on frosting (your favorite buttercream recipe), and adorn with snickerdoodle cookies (again, your favorite recipe) - place one cookie on top and then pipe another dollop of frosting on top. Sprinkle with leftover cinnamon and sugar.

Green Bean Bake

I really haven't been able to eat enough Green Beans since the holidays. I love a classic Green Bean Bake. So, here is the one that I make. We'll be enjoying them tonight with a yummy a Pork Roast!

Oh, P.S. I prefer using fresh green beans, but you can use canned too.

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 cup milk
1 ts soy sauce
Dash of pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 can (2.8 oz) french-fried onions, divided

In a 1 1/2 qt casserole dish, combine the soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper, green beans and 2/3 cup onions. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until hot. Stir. Sprinkle with the remaining onions. Bake 5 minutes longer or until the onions are golden brown.

Simple Tomato Sauce

There is a new show on the Cooking Channel called Kelsey's Basics! She is a young girl from Utah and I am super excited about it. She made this today on Studio 5 and it looked fabulous and super super easy!

SIMPLE TOMATO SAUCE

Yield: 4 cups

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped -or- 1 tablespoon dried basil
2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

In a large saucepan or skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and golden brown. Add basil and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with juices and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until sauce has thickened. With a potato masher, break up the tomatoes to achieve a sauce like consistency.

Season with salt and fresh ground pepper and serve.

Tomato sauce will last 1 week in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer.

VARIATIONS

Seasonal Vegetable Tomato Sauce: After cooking onion and garlic until soft, add ¾ cup seasonal vegetables to saucepan or skillet. Finish sauce as directed.

Creamy Tomato Sauce: Add ½ cup heavy cream to finish sauce.

Tomato Sauce with Italian Sausage: Before beginning sauce, brown ½ lb. sweet Italian sausage in heavy bottomed skillet. Remove, from skillet and set aside on a plate lined with paper towel. After finishing sauce, stir in cooked Italian sausage and continue warming for 2 minutes before serving.

Kids Gak (Gooey Slime)

Get slimey with Homemade Kids' Gooey-gak made from glue and borax.

What you'll need:

• Wire whisk
• 1 cup all purpose white glue (recommended: Elmer's Regular)
• 3/4 cup water
• Food coloring or 1 tablespoon tempera paint, your choice of color
• Borax detergent

How to make it:

1. Mix together with wire whisk the all purpose glue, water, and food coloring/tempera paint. I used the powdered tempera, but the liquid works just as well -- just don't mix the powdered too thin.
2. Mix separately 1/3 c. water and 1/2 tsp. Borax. Slowly pour Borax mix into glue mix.
3. Let stand a few minutes, then knead. Pour off any remaining liquid. Store in plastic bags.
4. Repeat for different colors.

Tips:

• As in all recipes, results can vary depending on humidity, conditions, etc. Please try any recipe out before attempting in a group setting with kids.
• Avoid contact with hair or clothing, especially with small children. If the Gooey Gak happens to get caught in either substance, try using vegetable oil to break down the Gak. In case of an emergency, please contact your family physician.

Sour Cream Banana Bread

I got this recipe from my friend, Tomi Durham! Thanks Tomi! It's my new favorite Banana Bread!

Dusting Mixture:
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Main Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
3 cups white sugar
3 eggs
6 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream (2 cups)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Mix well. Then add the four 1 cup at a time. Mix well. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans. Bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Asparagus Rolls

4-6 Tortilla Wraps (depending on the size of the tortilla)
18 asparagus
Chicken (You could do fresh, but I use 1 can of the Chicken Salad from Costco)
1/2 c. nuts (optional)
1/2 c. Craisens
4 oz. regular cream cheese
1/2-1/3 of container of Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese (judge this to taste)
1/4 c. Mayo
Garlic Powder

Mix the Chicken on down all in bowl. Judge to your liking in taste. I usually use closer to 1/3 container of the Garden Vegetable Cream cheese, but I like it with a stronger taste.

Spread the mixture on a tortilla. Roll the already cooked asparagus into the tortilla. I usually use about 4 or 5 per tortilla. Cover the roller tortilla in Press N' Seal and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours or overnight. Then cut into little bite size pieces and ENJOY!

Pasta with Hashed Brussels Sprouts and Pine Nuts

Pasta with Hashed Brussels Sprouts and Pine Nuts
Adapted from Gourmet, November 2007

¾ lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed
3 Tbsp. pine nuts
½ lb. dried pasta, preferably fettuccine or another long noodle
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. heavy cream
Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

In a food processor fitted with the slicing disk, slice the Brussels sprouts into a fine hash. Set aside.

Place a large pot of salted water over high heat.

While the water is heating, prepare the pine nuts. Place a large heavy skillet over medium heat. When the pan is warm, add the pine nuts and, shaking the pan frequently, toast until golden and fragrant. (Careful: they burn easily.) Transfer to a bowl or small plate, and set aside. Set the pan aside as well, but do not wash it: you’ll use it again in a minute.

When the water boils, add the pasta and cook until al dente.

While the pasta cooks, prepare the Brussels sprouts. Return the skillet to the stove, and place over medium-high heat. You want it to get quite hot. Add the olive oil and butter. When the butter has melted – it’s okay if it browns a little; mine did – add the Brussels sprouts and salt. Sauté, stirring frequently, until bright green and just tender, about 4 minutes.

If the pasta is ready at this point, drain it, reserving ¼ cup cooking water, and add it to the skillet with the cooked Brussels sprouts. Alternatively, if the pasta is not yet ready, transfer the sprouts to a large bowl. (You don’t want them to sit in the hot pan too long.) Either way, when the pasta is ready, toss it with the sprouts. Add the pine nuts and cream, and toss again. If the pasta seems a bit dry, add a splash or two of the cooking water.

Serve immediately, with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and additional salt at the table.

Yield: 4 servings