Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts

Friday, March 30, 2012

Easter Eggs- with a Surprise

Look at my pretty little eggs I dyed.  Do they seem extra special to you?


Maybe not from that angle, but now can you see? There are brownies baked inside!!


I used the directions from la receta de la felicidad (scroll down for the English version), but tweaked them to what worked best for me. Here is how I did it...

What you need

1 Brownie recipe or box mix
12 Eggs
Corkscrew bottle opener
Piping bag
Paper towel
Muffin tin with aluminum foil or mini muffin tin
Dye kit or food coloring and vinegar

Directions
  • Dye uncooked eggs. Let dry.  (This is optional: colored eggs are not necessary)
  • Carefully poke a small hole at the bottom of each egg, using a corkscrew bottle opener.
  • Once you have poked a tiny hole, peel back the edges of the hole to expand it a bit. The holes need to be large enough to fit the tip of a piping bag inside.
  • Turn the egg upside-down and dump out the contents. (I saved the innards to use/cook with)
  • Rinse the insides of the eggs out thoroughly under the faucet.
  • Immerse eggs in saltwater for thirty minutes. Eggs need to be filled with the saltwater in order to sink.
  • Rinse the egg shells in cold water and lay the eggs hole side down in the egg carton covered in paper towel.

  • Prepare the brownie batter. I used Betty Crocker's Gluten free mix but you can use another mix or your homemade version.
  • Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of oil in each egg and turn it in your hand until the inside is completely covered. Dump out any excessive oil.
  • Load the batter into a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Make sure that the tip can fit the egg hole. If it can’t, expand the hole a little bit at a time until it fits. Fill your eggs about 1/2 to 2/3 full with batter.

This part gets tricky! If you overfill, the batter comes out of the egg (see below) but if you under fill the egg will crack.  You may want to try a 'test' batch like I did.

  • Place the prepared egg shells into a mini cupcake tin or use aluminum foil in a larger tin to help them stand upright.
  • Bake the eggs at 350ยบ F for 15-20 minutes.


Learn from my mistake below! I obviously overfilled them a bit. Although it looks ugly right after baking,  just remove the excess cake and clean the shell with a damp towel. It is important to do this when the cake is still hot, because if the egg is cold it is almost impossible to get off without the shell breaking. Or you can avoid it all together by not filling up as much :)


 

After your eggs are done baking, remove them from the oven, let cool, and eat.

I placed 2 to 3 in mini bird nests on each place setting... full tablescape coming up later!

Have a great weekend!

Friday, March 9, 2012

Green Goods

St. Patricks' Day is coming up quick! Get in the spirit with these green goodies. Click on 'Source' for details and/or recipes.

Green Healthy Snack
Source


Shamrock Shake 
Source

  

St. Patrick's Day Rainbow Cupcakes 
Source
 

Shamrock Rice Krispies
Source
 

Pot of Gold

 
Source



Shamrock Toasties
Source


Green Cocktail
Source

Do you make anything special for St. Patty's Day?

Friday, March 2, 2012

Get better remedy- My Secret Potion

This time of year, everyone seems to have the sniffles. Unlucky for me, I am one of them.  I'm pretty sure my head is floating above my body like a balloon.
A giant, inflamed, ugly balloon.


Source

Growing up, whenever us kids were sick, my mom would make us a honey-lemon drink.  As we all know, staying hydrated is one of the most important things you can do for your body while your immune system is fighting to get back to normal. Not only does it taste yummy but all the ingredients have a purpose to help you fight those bugs off.

This 'magic potion' is my twist on the drink my mom used to make us.

Source


 What you need:

*All amounts are approximate. I don't measure, but toss the ingredients together. Experiment with how you prefer the flavor.*

Juice of 1  lemon or 1/4 cup lemon juice-----------Breaks up mucous; antibacterial; antiviral; immune boosting power
1/2 cup of honey (more or less to suit your tastes)-----Suppresses cough & relieves sore throat
1 Tablespoon whole cloves--------------------------Acts as a natural antiseptic
1 pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)----------------Adds some heat and clears out those sinuses!

I add the ingredients to a saucepan and heat it on the stove, put a ladle in it and fill up my mug until it's gone. Then I make another!  You can also make it by the single serving  if you don't need such a large batch.


What do you eat/drink when you aren't feeling so great?

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Hawaiian Party Food + Recipes!

As promised, here is the menu and recipes from my Hawaiian Party that I posted about earlier in the week.  I will be honest, not all of it was homemade (Schwan's anyone?) or that it is authentic Hawaiian food. Funny how you add pineapple to something and it's magically Hawaiian. But it looked cute and tasted good so we are going with it :)

Menu:
Ham/Pineapple Skewers (Recipe below)
Tempura Shrimp (from Schwan's)
Hawaiian Rice (Recipe below)
Fresh Fruit Cups ('Recipe' below)
3 Layer Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (Recipes below)

Drinks:
Mai Tai (Recipe below)
Sex on the Beach (Recipe below)




Ham and Pineapple Skewers



Fresh Fruit Cups
(no recipe here, just cut up fruit and place in individual serving cups)


Hawaiian Rice


Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting


I tried to incorporate the colors into the food and drinks. The small pops of orange in the carrots, the yellow in the pineapple, and pink garnishes in the drinks do a subtle job of tying it all together.  For an unexpected surprise, the cake even had color!



What is your favorite 'Hawaiian' food or drink?

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Last Minute (Homemade) Gift Ideas


Homemade gifts- personal, inexpensive, and practical.
Jars- one of my favorite things.
 Homemade gifts in jars- Genius.

It's down to the wire!  You may have waited to the last minute, but no one would ever know with these homemade gifts. Click on the source below for the how-to or recipe.


 
Cinnamon Vanilla Sugar Scrub
Source

 
Chicken Noodle Soup


Peppermint Stick Cocoa
Source

Good Luck Soup
Source
Dog Treat Recipe
Source

S'mores in  a Jar
Source

Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub
Source

Classic Hot Cocoa
Source

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Day 27 of 31 Spooktacular- 'Blood and Guts' Dessert

These desserts are sure to up the 'gross factor' of your Halloween party or menu. 

For the first mini desserts I layered Oreo crumbles, pudding, and cherry pie filling. 

 

The fun part is topping it off with your favorite (edible) body part!


The cherry cheesecake was prepared on top of a graham cracker crust and fancied up with (hairy) chocolate ears, eyes, fingers, and old wrinkly toes. 
 MmMmMmmmm, am I making you hungry!?





You might find me linking up to...

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Day 24 of 31 Day Spooktacular- Shrimp Brain Dip

How perfect is this for a Halloween party?!  It tastes as good as it is cute!

Find the recipe to this shrimp dip here.  (If you don't like shrimp, there are various recipes all over the Internet).  Place on a spooky plate with an arrangement of crackers and I guarantee it will be the hit of the party!




I'd love for you to follow along for the 31 Day Spooktacular! 

Catch up!

 Day 1 (Candy Corn Tablescape)
Day 2 (Costume Ideas)
Day 3 (GOURDgeous decor)
Day 4 (3 Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies)
Day 5 (FREE Halloween Printables)
Day 6 (Acorn Desserts)
Day 7 (Pumpkin Candle Holders)
Day 8 (Specimen Bottles with FREE Printables)
Day 9 (DIY Book Crafts)
Day 10 (7 Layer Dip- Halloween Style)
Day 11 (Skull Basket)
Day 12 (Fall Mantel- Guest Post)
Day 13 (Danger Sign)
Day 14 (Skeleton Centerpiece)
Day 15 (Vintage Cupcake Toppers)
Day 16 (DIY Halloween Goblets)
Day 17 (Snake Wreath)
Day 18 (Autopsy Display)
Day 19 (Spiderweb Pumpkin)
Day 20 (Mummy Wraps)
Day 21 (House Numbered Pumpkins)
Day 22 (Candy Corn Spoons)
Day 23 (Outdoor Halloween Tour)



You might find me linking up to...

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Day 22 of 31 Day Spooktacular- Candy Corn Spoons

How adorable are these candy corn appetizer spoons?


A little bit of yogurt or pudding, a mandarin orange, and a bit of drained crushed pineapple... I trust that you can figure it out for yourself :)



Don't worry, you don't need porcelain spoons. Plastic ones work just as good!


I'd love for you to follow along for the 31 Day Spooktacular! 

Catch up!

 Day 1 (Candy Corn Tablescape)
Day 2 (Costume Ideas)
Day 3 (GOURDgeous decor)
Day 4 (3 Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies)
Day 5 (FREE Halloween Printables)
Day 6 (Acorn Desserts)
Day 7 (Pumpkin Candle Holders)
Day 8 (Specimen Bottles with FREE Printables)
Day 9 (DIY Book Crafts)
Day 10 (7 Layer Dip- Halloween Style)
Day 11 (Skull Basket)
Day 12 (Fall Mantel- Guest Post)
Day 13 (Danger Sign)
Day 14 (Skeleton Centerpiece)
Day 15 (Vintage Cupcake Toppers)
Day 16 (DIY Halloween Goblets)
Day 17 (Snake Wreath)
Day 18 (Autopsy Display)
Day 19 (Spiderweb Pumpkin)
Day 20 (Mummy Wraps)
Day 21 (House Numbered Pumpkins)




You might find me linking up to...