Miss K has wanted to make popsicles all summer long. The other day she got her chance! She found a recipe on Pinterest that she wanted to try. It was extremely simple and ever so tasty! Mmm!
All you do is mix the following ingredients together, pour into your molds, freeze, and enjoy.
Source: A Night Owl Blog
Did you know that July is National Ice Cream Month? It makes sense. July… it’s HOT!
But I didn’t know there was a whole month devoted to the tasty, frozen treat. I first learned when I reviewed this book. After all, it was Ronald Reagan that declared July as National Ice Cream Month. What a great man! ;)
And now you know… if you didn’t already.
Did you also know that Tillamook makes just about the best ice cream out there? It’s totally true! {Yes, they sent me coupons for free ice cream but only asked for honesty. The opinions made in this post are 100% mine.} I was first introduced to Tillamook when they asked me to help them out with a Back to School Healthy Eating Campaign (see my post here). They sent me a bunch of coupons for Tillamook products. Of course I had seen them before in the store but always passed on them for the less expensive brands.
All the products were great but once I got a taste of their ice cream…… OH BOY! I had a hard time going back to the store brand (which always seems to be on sale). So I was elated when they contacted me again to do a review of the ice cream. Our absolute favorite is the Marionberry Pie Ice Cream. WOW! Chocolate Peanut Butter is a close second. The kids and my father-in-law really like the Banana Split flavor. That one just didn’t do it for me but to each his own.
And then there’s the classic…. Vanilla. Don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate that some folks prefer the old classic. Miss K, C, and B are some of them. But if I’m going to do plain ol’ plain… I prefer Vanilla Bean to regular Vanilla.
But there’s got to be something to go with it. So Sunday night we decided to pull out the dutch oven and make a cobbler.
We were all in heaven!! It’s just what we needed after a dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches because mom (that would be me) forgot to put the roast in before church. Whoops!
This is the simplest recipe you’ll ever find. Our good friend Kevin taught us the butter thing. Before that we had always used a can of Sprite. Never again, my friends.
Heat briquettes ahead of time. You’ll need 24 total.
Spray your dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray. Pour peaches into oven. We poured all the juice from the large can but drained the medium can.
Sprinkle cake mix evenly over the peaches.
Melt butter and pour slowly and evenly over cake mix trying to cover the entire thing. (It can be tricky.)
Place lid on oven. Cook outside with 10 briquettes underneath and 14 on top. That’s about the equivalent of a 350* oven. Cook for about 40 minutes.
Serve with ice cream and enjoy!
There’s a war going on in my house. And it’s all because Anthony’s taste buds are dying? dead? deranged? insane? disturbed?
I don’t know, all I know is they’re just not right! Pumpkin is one of the best flavors in the world when paired with sugar… and chocolate chips (unless it’s pie, because… EW!). But seriously, it causes me much anguish that he doesn’t love pumpkin the way I do.
Maybe I should have screened him better before entering into this lifelong commitment… I kid, of course ;)
Every time I make a pumpkin dish (besides pie because he already likes the pie) I force it down his throat and I just know that this will be it!! This will be the time that he says, “WOW! That is great! I love it, give me more.”
No such luck. He always politely eats (if you can call his unacceptance as ‘polite’… psh!) and then says something like, “I just don’t love that flavor combo.”
Who is this man?
Ugh!
Anyway, I found a recipe that I LOVE! (Original recipe found HERE) I modified it slightly because the original recipe made a gigantic batch and I like my pumpkin treats to be full of spicy flavor. And I lowered the temp of the oven as well.
These are TO DIE FOR, moist and delicious! I promise you’ll love them (unless you’re my husband, then you’re just a weirdy! ;))
Mix together the following:
Add:
In a separate bowl, combine:
Add to butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix…
Add:
Once all is combined well, stir in:
Bake at 325* for about 20-25 minutes. This made 24 muffins.
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This is how awesome I am at decorating and getting things up on my walls….
Christmas 2011 we got a Family Home Evening board from my aunt. We’ve always wanted one, finally get one, and it sat. It sat until just last month. For over a year it sat and collected dust.
Our intentions were good. We loved the gift and planned to hang it right away. The problem is, Anthony and I are 90%-ers. It’s a sad story, really. Every project we start gets done 90%. The last 10% of the project gets left out completely. And after all, actually owning the FHE board and planning to hang it up is 90% of the battle, right?
But we did it!! Be proud! Sure, it’s a year late BUT it’s hanging up and getting used. The kids love knowing who’s in charge of each part of FHE and I love not feeling like I have to plan the whole thing. Being a 90%-er is hard work!
Last week it was H’s turn to make the treat. That’s the job that all the kids want each week because I don’t let anyone help except that one person. Normally they have to take turns pouring ingredients in.
Taking turns… ICK! Nobody likes to do that. At least not around these here parts.
But I digress.
H chose a recipe that we had never tried before from one of my cookbooks. I’ve had peanut butter bars before but these were super yummy! Better than any I’ve ever tried before. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did. It makes a HUGE batch… a large cookie sheet full. Anthony couldn’t keep his hands off of them!
BARS:
Preheat oven to 325*. In large mixing bowl cream first 4 ingredients. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl and add to wet mixture. Mix well and press into the bottom of a large cookie sheet. Bake at 325* for 10 minutes then raise temperature to 375* and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
FROSTING:
Melt butter with coca in a saucepan. Remove from heat. Add sugar, vanilla and milk. Stir with whisk until smooth. Poor over COOLED bars and spread. Refrigerate to harden frosting.
Recipe Source: Worldwide Ward Cookbook: Mom’s Best Recipes
Oh Oreos…
What more is there to say? Who doesn’t love a good ol’ fashioned Oreo? Man! I could really go for some Oreos right now. Too bad we don’t have any :(
I was supposed to bring a dessert for the ward campout a couple weeks ago and in light of the Pinterest Challenge I was doing (Yes, I did it. Maybe not every day but I did what I could and made a few yummy things) I looked up a recipe from my dessert board.
I’m pretty sure it was a smash hit considering that it was the first dessert gone and trust me, there were MANY!
And it was so easy, too!! Didn’t even have to turn on the oven! {Quality of pics is poor… I only had my cell phone handy}
1 pkg of regular Oreos, crushed (divided)
1/2 c. of butter
1 lg box of instant chocolate pudding
2-8 oz Whipped topping (Cool Whip)
8 oz. of cream cheese, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
Crush a whole package of cookies in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin. Reserve 1/2 cup. Pour crushed cookies into a bowl, melt butter and pour over crumbs. Stir and press crumbs into 13x9 pan. Make chocolate pudding according to package directions. Refrigerate until set up. Blend softened cream cheese with powdered sugar and fold in 1-8 oz tub of whipped topping. Spread evenly over crushed Oreo layer in pan, then spread pudding evenly over cream cheese layer. Finally, top evenly with second tub of whipped topping. Sprinkle reserved crushed cookies over the top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Recipe Source: House 344
Last year I discovered Resurrection Rolls per the tip from a friend. We had made Easter Cookies (which are also a great way to teach about the resurrection of Jesus Christ) but had never heard of Resurrection Rolls. Guess what… they are even better than the cookies! And quicker, too.
Before making the rolls you can read John 19 in the Bible to remind everyone what Jesus went through as he was crucified. However, because most of my kids are still pretty young and unable to sit through a long chapter like that, I just tell them about it and what each ingredient represents.
You’ll need the following:
Preheat the oven to 350*. If you have strange phobias like myself, have one of your children open the tube of crescent rolls. Yes, I’m scared of them….. balloons, too. Let’s not talk about it.
Moving on, take marshmallows one at a time and roll them in the melted butter. Once coated, roll them in cinnamon/sugar mixture and place on large end of a crescent roll. Roll it up and pinch all sides closed tightly. There should be no holes or gaps if possible.
Place on cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray and bake for 12-15 minutes. – The three days.
While it’s baking, read John 20:1-18
When they are cool enough to eat (but still warm because they’re best that way) open one up and show the kids that Jesus (the marshmallow) is no longer there! He is risen!
And now eat because they’re delicious!
And on a side note… these pics did not turn out quite the way I had them envisioned in my mind. I’m going to get this photography thing down if it KILLS me! ;) I’ve decided that FOOD-tography is even tougher than people photography.
So there I was watching The Biggest Loser (so sad that Chism went home… Go Emily!); a show that should have motivated my palate to eat something healthy. You know, something like carrot sticks, egg whites, or maybe Cheerios (because apparently they are a sponsor).
This week each contestant had to go home for 18 days and lose 5% of their body weight in order to claim immunity when they came back to the ranch and weighed in. They all had their struggles but for the most part they did pretty well. And even I was doing well until Cassandra decided to make these scrumptious looking peanut butter cookies with Hershey Kisses in the middle. For the record, she only had one! Go Cassandra! Self control is tough to master.
Well, after that, I felt any ounce of self control I had left drain from me and all I could think about was a chocolate and peanut butter combo in any form. I just needed chocolate and I needed peanut butter. So the next day I was on a quest to scratch that chocolate/peanut butter itch that I had.
I decided to concoct my own version of Peanut Butter Oreos. They are WAY better than the ones you buy. My family loved them and Anthony has asked me to make them for the people at work on Monday. Hopefully they like them as much as we do!
I’ve made homemade Oreos before and they are great but I decided to try a different recipe for the cookie part and I think I liked it better!
Homemade Peanut Butter Oreos
1 chocolate cake mix (I like Devil’s Food, Dark Chocolate or Chocolate Fudge)
1 stick of butter, melted (1/2 cup)
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350*. Mix all ingredients with a wooden spoon or stand mixer. This makes a thick dough. Roll into small 1 inch balls and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 or 9 minutes. Do not overbake! If you make bigger cookies, you may need up to 10 minutes.
Recipe Source: One Good Thing
Peanut Butter Filling:
1 c. powdered sugar
1 c. creamy peanut butter
5 T. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt (omit if using salted butter)
1/3 c. whole milk
Mix all ingredients except milk together well. Add milk and mix until creamy.
Recipe slightly adapted from: Ina Garten
Once cookies have cooled, spread frosting on the bottom of half the cookies and top with the other half of the cookies.
These are really good! Betcha can’t eat just one ;)
Has pumpkin season come and gone already? Am I too late to post a pumpkin recipe? I sure hope not because you absolutely, positively want to try this recipe! I promise, it is insanely yummy.
I first tried this at my family Christmas party this past December. My cousin had brought it and I was in LOVE at first bite! Seriously, it is ridiculous. I’ve had pumpkin pies, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin bars, pumpkin cake, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, and even pumpkin cinnamon rolls… all of which I LOVE. Pumpkin is my friend. But never had I ever heard of a Pumpkin Pudding Cake. And guess what, I think it’s my favorite pumpkin treat of all time!
It took a couple months but I finally… finally!… got the recipe from her. I practically begged her for it. Thank you, Kara!
She got this recipe from a friend of hers and boy oh boy am I glad they are friends! ;)
Now, let’s make some deliciousness!
Pumpkin Pudding Cake
Preheat oven to 350*
Crust:
Mix together the cake mix (minus 1 cup which you should set aside for the topping), egg and butter. Pat into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.
Filling:
Combine all ingredients and mix with electric hand mixer. Pour over crust.
Topping:
Blend all ingredients with pastry blender or fork. Blend until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over top of filling.
Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour… THEN, turn oven OFF after one hour and leave cake in for 10 minutes longer.
Serve warm or cold (I actually prefer cold) with whipped cream or ice cream.
If you are a pumpkin fan, you will love this!
As I was perusing my overflowing bookshelf of cookbooks the other day, my Pampered Chef Celebrate! book jumped out at me and I decided to take peek inside. This particular recipe sounded so good that I just had to give it a try. It was Monday and that means we have to have dessert. Family Home Evening just isn’t complete without it.
I had all the ingredients on hand which made it even more appealing. We all loved it! We will definitely be making this one again.
Coconut Almond Brownies
Preheat oven to 350*.
Prepare brownies according to mix directions for cake-like brownies. Spread into 13x9 pan and bake for 18-22 minutes or until brownie is set but not completely done.
Sprinkle coconut on top of brownie and layer chocolate chips on top of that. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over coconut and chocolate. Sprinkle almonds on top to taste. You could omit the almonds but I recommend keeping them!
Bake 20-23 minutes or until coconut is browned around edges. Let cool before cutting.
We decided that we might try butterscotch chips next time or maybe caramel sauce instead of the sweetened condensed milk. These were delicious as is we just want to experiment!
This post is really more about the Caramel Frosting than anything else. The cookies weren’t bad either but the caramel…
WOW! The caramel… There are no words.
I’ve been wanting to try a caramel frosting recipe ever since I found one on Pinterest (it’s not the recipe I used, however). And the recipe for applesauce cookies is in a cookbook I have called Worldwide Ward Cookbook Mom’s Best Recipes. It’s a recipe that caught my eye long ago but I’ve just never made the time to make it. Yesterday I was in a cookie making mood and decided to throw caramel frosting on these applesauce cookies. Caramel apples… it’s perfect! My kids devoured them. I wasn’t sure Anthony would be fond of them. I was pleasantly surprised when he ate several and kept telling me how good they were.
Applesauce Cookies (slightly adapted)
Preheat oven to 350*.
Cream butter and sugar together on medium speed in stand mixer. Add egg and incorporate. Now add applesauce and mix on low speed until fully incorporated.
Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. Add a little at a time to wet mixture, mixing on low speed between each addition until all ingredients are combined.
Drop onto lightly greased baking sheet by small, rounded spoonfuls and bake for 9-11 minutes. (**This is a pretty wet, sticky dough. Don’t make the spoonfuls too large or they will spread and run into each other.**)
These cookies are VERY soft! Be gentle when removing them from your baking sheet.
And now for the best part…
Caramel Frosting
In a large saucepan melt the butter over medium heat and add brown sugar, stirring frequently. Bring to a boil, turn heat down slightly and let simmer for one full minute. The sauce should be dark brown and thick.
Remove from heat and add milk. Whisk in carefully. Add vanilla, whisk.
Add one cup at a time of powdered sugar and stir between each addition. Once you reach 2 cups, start adding in 1/2 cup increments until you reach desired spreading consistency. Mine was fine at 2 1/2 cups. Remember, as it cools it will thicken and get stiffer so let it be a little runnier than you plan the final product to be. If it becomes too thick, you can stir in one T. of milk at a time until it returns to the consistency you like.
Spread on cookies, cupcakes, cakes, etc. It’s absolutely delicious!!
My father-in-law had his hip replaced just over four months ago… July 5th. That meant that he had to fast after a certain time on the 4th of July. What a day to have to fast, eh?
Well, we asked him ahead of time what he would want as his ‘last meal’ before the big surgery. To be honest, I don’t even remember what we had for dinner that night. All I remember is that he asked for lemon meringue pie for dessert. I offered to make it.
Umm, hi. I had never made a lemon meringue pie before, at least not by myself. But I was brave enough to try. That’s saying something, right? And if it hadn’t worked out, I would have grabbed one at the store. Actually, I would have cried, then I would have sent Anthony to the store to pick one up. And then I would have cried some more. Luckily, the pie was a lot easier to make than I had anticipated. It helped that it was pretty much delicious, too. My father-in-law was impressed. Does that count?
Yes, the answer is yes. Grin and nod your head for me…
-------------------------------------------------
The crust I used was from The Pioneer Woman and it was so flaky and so light! We loved it. The only think I can suggest to make it the best is to use the butter flavored shortening. I made two batches just to try them both out. The one with regular shortening was a little bit bland for my liking but hey, do what suits you best! Oh, and don’t be too freaked out by the vinegar. Supposedly it helps the crust be more flakey. It certainly was and I promise it did NOT compromise the taste. This is my new ‘go to’ pie crust recipe. LOVE!!
Pie Crust
In a food processor, combine shortening and flour. Pulse several times until it starts to form coarse crumbs, about pea size. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can combine them in a large bowl with a pastry cutter. It will probably take about 3-4 minutes. It should resemble coarse crumbs.)
Add beaten egg to food processor (or bowl) followed by the water, vinegar and salt. Pulse in food processor until it pulls together. (Or stir in bowl gently until they are all incorporated.) Be sure not to over mix.
Form into 2 or 3 evenly sized balls, place each in a zip top bag and flatten slightly into a round disc. I did 2 balls because dividing it into 3 made them too small for me to work with. They can be frozen at this point for another time or put into the fridge for about 15-30 minutes to firm up and make them easier to work with.
When ready to roll out, lightly flour a flat surface and the top of the dough. Roll dough starting at the center, working your way out. Roll until it’s larger than the diameter of your pie pan. Once it’s rolled out, transferring to the pan can get a bit tricky. I like to lightly roll it up on my rolling pin and then lift it over the pan and unroll. Does that make sense? I hope so.
Now make sure to tuck it into the bottom edges of the pan. Trim around the edges with scissors so it’s still slightly hanging off the edges. Maybe 1/2 inch or so. Now beautify the edges. I wish I knew how to explain how to do this. If you don’t know how, I suppose you could Google it (Google is all-knowing ;)).
Poke several holes in the bottom of the crust and even up on the edges with a fork. This will help prevent bubbles from forming while baking. (This step is only for pies that need a prebaked shell)
Bake in a preheated 425* oven for 12-15 minutes or until just slightly golden.
The Lemon Meringue Pie comes from Alton Brown. It really was easy and so good!
Lemon Meringue Pie
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks and set aside.
Combine cornstarch, water, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Use a whisk to stir. Turn to medium heat and bring mixture to a boil. Stir frequently. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add small spoonfuls of hot mixture to yolks whisking between each spoonful to temper the eggs. Return egg mixture to saucepan, turn heat to medium low and cook, stirring constantly. Boil again for 1 more minute – this should be very thick. Remove from heat. Stir in butter, lemon juice, and zest until well combined. Pour mixture into pie shell and top with meringue while filling is still hot. Make sure meringue completely covers filling and even onto the crust. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until meringue is golden. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Cool pie completely before slicing and serving.
Place egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add sugar gradually. Continue beating until stiff peaks form, about 1 to 2 minutes.
**I used the back of a spoon to lift the meringue into peaks in some spots.**
I really hope you get a chance to make this soon! Thanksgiving is coming up next week and my father-in-law is requesting that I make this again. How could I say no? I’m looking forward to it!
Oh, and by the way… you’d never know he had anything wrong with hip, ever. He was back to riding a bike within just a couple of weeks. He amazes me!!
A young man in my ward is leaving to go on a mission this Wednesday. He is truly a remarkable kid and we’ve enjoyed watching him grow up for the past six years. Back then I was still taller than him. I think he’s a good foot taller than I am now. That is NOT an exaggeration.
His mom and dad held an open house for him at their home today for anyone that would like to come and wish him well. We were happy to do so. After all, it will be another two years before we see him again.
I offered to bring something to the open house and I decided that Homemade Oreos would be PERFECT for the occasion. Why? Well, no particular reason really. I just know that I love them and it’s been almost a year since we’ve made them. Plus, Anthony was really in the mood to frost some of the evil little treats. How do I know? When you’ve been married for 11 years, you just know… I could see it in his eyes. Because he really is the master froster. I try to frost them and make a mess all over myself and the filling ends up oozing out of the cookies. It’s just a much cleaner process if I make the chocolate cookie part and let him handle the filling. Teamwork!
This recipe comes from Christmas with Paula Deen. She calls them “Chocolate Sandwich Cookies” but I still like Oreos!
You’ll love them. Give ‘em a try!
Homemade Oreos
Two pkgs. chocolate cake mix (I’ve used Devil’s Food, Chocolate Fudge and plain Chocolate… they all work great!)
4 eggs
2/3 cup cooking oil
Preheat oven to 350*
Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer. The batter is very thick and stiff. Pinch off pieces and roll into 1-inch balls. Bake on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for 8-10 minutes. {This makes a lot of cookies – great for parties - , you could half this recipe if needed.}
**8 minutes is always perfect for my oven.**
FROSTING:
one 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. (1 stick) of butter
3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Mix cream cheese and butter together. Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Stir in vanilla.
Once all the cookies are cooled, frost half the cookies and top with the other half to form ‘sandwiches’.
Store cookies in the refrigerator in airtight container.
We usually only end up using half of the frosting. The other half goes on our cinnamon rolls that I am forced to make in an effort to not be wasteful. We wouldn’t want to have to throw that extra frosting away… Cinnamon rolls, here I come!
**Anthony’s little tidbit… He frosts the cookies in a unique way. He uses a spoon to dollop the right amount of frosting on each cookie in a heap and ‘spreads’ it by taking the other cookie, setting it on top of the frosting and twists it with gentle pressure until the frosting has come almost to the edges but not quite. This technique works well for him.**
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When it comes to rice pudding, I believe there are two types of people… the lovers and the haters. 
Start out by beating the butter for about 2 minutes on medium speed. {super soft butter… as in out of the refrigerator for 24 hours}
Next, add the brown sugar and beat for about a minute.
Now add the white sugar and beat for another whole minute, or longer.
Notice the beautiful color… don’t you just want to paint a wall that color?
Add the vanilla and mix well.
Add the egg and mix until incorporated. {this is the point that you don’t want to overmix.}
In a separate bowl, you’ll need to combine the flour, salt and baking soda.
Then you’ll add it, a little at a time, to the wet mixture. Mix each ‘little bit’ on low speed. {Unless you like wearing flour! 
}
Once it’s all incorporated, you’ll have a ball of dough that looks similar to this {after scraping the sides, of course}.
Stir in chocolate chips! {I prefer semi-sweet}
Roll into golf ball sized balls, placing them on a cookie sheet lightly coated in non-stick spray.
Mash them down about halfway. {Trust me on this, if you don’t do it they will end up looking like half spheres… we’re going for perfection here!}
And once you’ve rolled 2 dozen cookies, you have just enough dough left over for yourself. C’mon, you know you want it!
Place in a 375* oven for 9-12 minutes {11 is usually perfect for my oven}
And they’ll come out looking like this… except that they’re still on the cookie sheet, not the cooling rack. Remove from the cooling rack about 2 or 3 minutes after removing from oven.
Not too dark, not too light… PERFECT!
Do you like milk with your cookies?
