Stuffed French Toast Hearts

Happy Mother's Day! I've been making these the past few years for my momma dukes on Mother's Day, they're always such a hit! You don't need to cut out the shapes, obviously, but I think it just adds a little something extra, and your patrons will appreciate the added touch.

Mix together about 1/2 cup of raspberry preserves with 1 pkg of softened cream cheese.

Take your bread, and make a sandwich with the raspberry cream cheese in the middle.

Use cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes and set aside.

Whisk together 3 eggs and a glug or two of milk, with a tsp of vanilla and cinnamon.

Dunk the heart shaped pieces into the egg mixture, coating both sides.

Put your griddle on, with some melted butter on med-high heat and cook the French Toast about 3 minutes per side, till golden brown on both sides.

Serve with maple syrup and you're done!

There will never be any leftovers with this one!

Bridal Shower Cake Pops

My dear friend Kiley is getting married in COSTA RICA next month to a wonderful guy, and this past weekend was her bridal shower! What's a better way to celebrate then to make mini wedding cakes in lieu of her pending nuptials?

There's red velvet cake inside...just mix it with 3/4 container of your favorite frosting....and shape them out! and I took some photos of them before dipped in the white chocolate so you can see the shape created.

Dipped in white chocolate...still missing some glitter and love...

voila! A glitter frosting pen and some large sprinkle hearts make these babies crowd pleasers.

I made little tags that were stamped with wedding themes and covered them in a treat bag with some ribbon for the party. They were a big hit!

yum...

Cake Pups

Here are some cake pops I made for my little sister's birthday party, I can't believe she's 20 years old!! Although, everyone at any age always loves puppies.

So here are some "CAKE PUPS" that were inspired by cute little puppies. Inside was vanilla cake with vanilla frosting, and I shaped the ears by making tear drops on the inside of plastic spoons and put them in the freezer to set.

The noses are mini m+m's, and the eyes are candy eyes I stocked up on from Halloween.

So cute!

Mint Oreo Truffles

I saw this recipe online and decided to give it a try, they came out pretty darn tasty! I used candy melts in green and white in honor of St Patty's coming up.

All you need is one package of mint oreos (with the green centers) a package of cream cheese, and some chocolate or candy melts to melt down. Put the oreos in a food processor and crumble them down, you could also put them in a zip lock baggie and run a rolling pin over them too. Once the cookies are crumbled, place them in a large bowl and add the package of softened cream cheese. Work together until combined. Form little 1 inch balls and place on a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper) for about 15 minutes to firm up. Melt your chocolate or candy melts down and decorate!

These were going to be for St. Patrick's Day although they have all been gobbled up!!

Cupcake Cake Pops *New and Improved*

So, I found these candy molds for peanut butter cups and they are PERFECT for making my cupcake pops not look like mushrooms anymore.

Just pour about 1/3 of the mold full with melted chocolate, and pop a cake ball** see other posts for instructions** (no more than 1" round) in and let it set for 5 minutes. Then pop them out of the mold, add a Popsicle stick to the bottom and dip the "cupcake" into melted candy melts. Add sprinkles and an upside down M&M for the topping. So cute!

I used up my black and white ribbon on these babies too...

DELISH!!

Cream of Mushroom Soup

I have been craving mushrooms lately, and wanted to make a soup... hence the post today for Cream of Mushroom Soup!

1 pkg Oyster Mushrooms

1 pkg Button Mushrooms (white)

1 pkg Crimini Mushrooms **you can use any type of mushroom, if you can't find one double up on another type**

2 tbs butter

GOOD extra virgin olive oil

fresh thyme

1 or 2 carrots

1 onion

1 or 2 stalks of celery

rind of Parmesan cheese (I also save the rinds from cheese parties because they add a great flavor to stocks...if you don't have one, no biggie!)

6 cups of water

2 leeks

1/3 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

dash of GOOD extra virgin olive oil

1 cup WHITE wine (whatever is in your fridge)

1 1/4 cups half and half

2 tbs cream cheese *secret ingredient*

salt and pepper to taste

crushed red pepper flakes to top it off

first wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth, and separate the stems from the mushroom meat, place in separate bowl. Roughly chop the stems and place in bottom of a heavy pot. Chop up the carrots, celery and onion as well and add them to the pot. Add in 2 tbs butter and a swirl or two of the Olive Oil and begin to saute. Let cook together and cook down for about 15 minutes so the veggies can release all their goodness, add in 2 sprigs of fresh thyme the cheese rind (if you happen to have one) and pour in the 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 45 minutes stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, chop or slice the mushrooms, however you prefer. Chop up the leeks and discard the bitter leaves, and saute in a new pot with the 1/3 cup of butter and a swirl of Olive Oil. Let the leek cook for about 10-15 minutes, then add the chopped mushrooms and 1 tbs of freshly chopped thyme leaves. Saute until mushrooms are cooked through, another 5-10 minutes. Add in the 1/4 cup of flour, and allow that to cook through a minute or two. Next add in the cup of wine and cook another five minutes, stir together.

At this time the stock should be ready and reduced to about 4.5 cups, so strain the stock to get rid of the veggies and add to the cooked mushrooms and leeks. bring to a boil, and let them get friendly for another 10 minutes. Add in the 1 1/3 cup of half and half and the 2 tbs of cream cheese, (it gives it a small tangy background flavor without overwhelming the soup) do NOT bring to a full boil. Once the soup is mixed together, add salt and pepper to taste and pour yourself a bowl. (I add red pepper flakes to mine because, I like it spicy!)

YUM...

Funny Mustaches

I bought a mustache candy mold and had some fun with it the other day. This would be great for kids to play around with, or for someone's silly 30th birthday.....thanks to my sister for posing with these for me!!

Birthday Cupcake Cake Pops!

Here's a batch of cake pops I made for Sarah's Birthday! I've also upped my game with the packaging .... pretty cute right?

((Just bake a cake, crumble it up into a bowl, add some frosting (almost a full can), mix it together with your hands, once combined form into desired shapes, stick a Popsicle stick in the bottom and freeze for about 10 minutes to firm up. Then melt your candy melts and let the decorating begin!))

Shrimp + Pasta Toss

I would love to tell you all how busy and important I am that I've been too unavailable to post on here...but unfortunately that's just not true. Oh, wait. What do you care? Yes, I am that busy and important. ha ha. Here's something I made for dinner tonight with what I had on hand.

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

1 1/2 cups sodium free chicken stock (or veggie stock would work too Kiley)

3 cloves garlic, minced

swirl of GOOD virgin olive oil

1 can of clams with clam juice

juice of 1 lemon, as well as the zest

pepper

crab meat, about 1 cup (flaked)

1 bag of frozen shrimp (thawed, peeled and deveined)

1/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

3/4 lb thin spaghetti

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add in the spaghetti. Cook till almost al dente, drain and set aside.

In a separate large pan saute the garlic with the swirl of olive oil for five minutes, add in the chicken stock and wine and let simmer and reduce to half. Once reduced, add in the shrimp, crab meat, and can of clams with the clam juice...then add in the butter. Cook, covered and stir occasionally for about 5 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through and opaque. At this time, toss in the drained pasta and frozen peas (I usually reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water to add in as well, to help the pasta absorb the flavors of the sauce). Remove from heat and top with red pepper flakes and salt/pepper to taste.

My sister loved the sauce so much that she kept dipping her dinner roll in it.

Carrot Ginger Soup

I still don't have my camera working, so for now I only have the final image. I know, I know...I'm working on it. Here is a recipe I made today for carrot soup...it is DELISH. Once again, soups prevail!

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 cup fresh ginger, grated

good virgin olive oil

2 lbs of carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

6 cups of vegetable stock or chicken stock

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

pinch of red pepper flakes

(top with a dollop of sour cream, a drizzle of olive oil, and some fresh ground pepper)

In a saucepan heat up a drizzle of olive oil, add the onions and cook until translucent--about ten minutes. Add in the minced garlic and ginger and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add in the stock and chopped carrots and the red pepper flakes. Cook, uncovered for about 30 minutes until carrots are just cooked through. Remove pot from heat and use a hand blender to puree the soup, if you don't have a hand blender you can make batches in a food processor. add the juice of the 1/2 lemon and taste, add salt as needed and it's ready to serve.

I add a dollop of the sour cream, a drizzle of the olive oil and some fresh pepper for a little additional flavor. YUM!

Mumbo Gumbo

WOW. I had no idea gumbo was so delicious! I read over about 5 or 6 gumbo recipes, and wanted to take my turn and try it. This recipe will NOT disappoint... everyone tonight had seconds! It received rave reviews from the 5 lucky enough to try it. ;) Oh, and my dog knocked over my camera the other day, so I don't have the step by step photos...although I have a backup so just be patient for the next posting...

You'll need the following:

1 1/4lb Kielbasa sausage, sliced thin (or you can use chicken apple sausage)

3 large skinless chicken breasts, each piece cut into thirds

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 cup all purpose flour

3 tbs butter

1 large onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce

fresh parsley

1 28oz can whole organic tomatoes

1/2 lb deveined, and peeled

4 cups good chicken stock

2 tbs Southwest Spices (equal parts cumin, cayenne pepper, salt,

In a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pot heat up about 3 tbs of olive oil, and add the slices of sausage and lightly brown them up. Remove them from the pan. Toss the cut chicken with two tbs of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and add them to the pan to brown on both sides. Do not worry about cooking chicken all the way through, you just want to get a good seal around the chicken. Once lightly browned, remove the chicken from the pan. Add in the diced onion, minced garlic and diced bell pepper and cook for about 10 minutes. Add in the butter and flour and stir constantly to get the the roux going, about 5 minutes. Add in the chicken stock, and mix together to combine the roux and stock. Add the chicken and sausage slices, and the can of whole tomatoes, including the juices. (I chopped the tomatoes first before adding them). Bring to a boil and let simmer for 1 hr, stirring occasionally. I added another tbs of the Southwest Spices, but that's optional. Add in the shrimp, and let simmer until shrimp are cooked through, roughly 7-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over white rice.

Yummy Zucchini Bread

I have had a craving for zucchini this and zucchini that lately, so here's my recipe for zucchini bread. And of course since it's baking, I love to add that tablespoon of brandy into it for a little background flavor that people seem to love. This was a hit at New Years Eve Brunch.

Butter and flour two loaf pans, and preheat the oven to 325.

Take 2 medium zucchinis, peel them and shred them with a grater.

It should make about 2 cups of grated zucchini. I blotted mine with a paper towel, just to remove some of the excess water from the zucchini.

In a large bowl, beat 3 eggs together until frothy.

Mix in 1 cup vegetable oil and 2 cups sugar.

Stir in your grated zucchini, 1 tbs vanilla, 1 tbs brandy.

Stir in 3 cups of flour, adding 1 cup at a time, stir then add the next cup.

So here's 1...

2...Keep mixing it together

and finally the third cup...

Once all three cups are combined, add in 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt

1/2 cup of chopped pecans. (walnuts would be great too) I also added a tiny amount of lemon zest, maybe a tsp of a lemon I had handy.

Pour half of the mixture into one loaf pan, and the other half into the other. Bake for 60-65 minutes.

Awe baby...

The best part of this recipe is that since it makes 2 loaves, you have one for yourself and one you can give. Or you can pop the extra loaf into the freezer until your other one is eaten up!

yum!

I think I'll go have my last slice now...