Getting the girls' first Christmas tree!!!

 My family owns a Christmas tree farm. It was so much fun to take the girls this year and pick out a tree. I have such find memories growing up of playing on the farm, "helping" my dad sell trees, and spending time with my cousins. I hope the girls love this tradition as much as I do!

 Daddy and his girls (Haylee-Alexis)

 Mama and her girls (Alexis-Haylee)

It was a gorgeous day out so we decided to have a little snack outside!

(Aleixs-Haylee)

Happy Halloween!!!

 Our first Halloween was very low key! I had grand plans, but quickly realized hanging out at home would be the best plan for everyone!

 Our little love bugs!

The girls will probably kill me for this one someday, but I just couldn't help it! Absolute cuteness!

1st trip to the Pumpkin Patch

We went to Bauman Farms in Gervais today! Cold but fun!

Attempting a family selfie...not so much!

 The girls thought the gravel was so cool!

 Haylee James

Alexis Layne

Easter 2013

We spent Easter at Tante Hella's house, with my dad's side of the family. It was a beautiful, warm day!  Although the girls did not want to get their pictures taken, as you can see, they were very well behaved and happy the whole day!

 

 And of course the Easter Bunny didn't forget to stop by our house :-)

A couple of attempts at a family picture...real life people, real life! Oh well, maybe next year!

Hoping you all had a blessed day full of family, friends, and love!

Mini Spinach Fritattas

Slightly adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups baby spinach 
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 Tbs minced, dried onion (or 1/2 fresh onion if you have it)
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 7 large eggs
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated sharp cheddar

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a 12-cup nonstick muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet. Brown the onion flakes and tomato, to remove some of the juice. Remove from the heat and stir in the baby spinach and nutmeg until the spinach is just wilted, but still bright green, 2 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, milk, and salt and pepper until well combined. Stir in the cheese. Divide the egg mixture evenly between the muffin tins, filling them about halfway. Top evenly with the spinach mixture.
5. Bake until the quiches are well risen, golden brown and set, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with greens.

***Yummy, easy, and healthy. We made these for a baby shower and for Christmas morning!***

Peanut Butter Cups

I found this recipe at Taste of Home and I'm glad I did!

Ingredients

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter, divided
• 4-1/2 teaspoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 ounces each), coarsely chopped
• Colored sprinkles, optional

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup peanut butter, butter, confectioners' sugar and salt until smooth; set aside.
• In a microwave, melt the chocolate chips, candy bars and remaining peanut butter; stir until smooth.
• Drop teaspoonfuls of chocolate mixture into paper-lined miniature muffin cups. Top each with a scant teaspoonful of peanut butter mixture; top with another teaspoonful of chocolate mixture. Decorate with sprinkles if desired. Refrigerate until set. Store in an airtight container.
  Yield: 3 dozen.

***Hubby and I made these together on Valentine's Day! Super easy, fun, and definitely delicious!***

Cinnamon Cookie Crunch Popcorn

I came across this recipe on Our Best Bites. They always have great recipes!

Slightly modified:

12 cups air-popped popcorn
16 oz white chocolate (chips are fine)
1/2 cup red hot candies
10 Oreo cookies (Glutino GF work great)
optional: 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon flavored oil (I left out)
3 tablespoons semisweet or dark chocolate chips
kosher or sea salt (I left out)

Instructions
Pulse red hots in a food processor until they are just roughly chopped.

Break cookies up into rough chunks, by smashign in a baggie. Do not crush into crumbs!

In a medium sized microwave safe bowl, melt white chocolate in 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth. Gently stir in red hots and chocolate cookies and then add cinnamon oil to taste (if desired).

Pour mixture over popcorn and stir well to coat. Pour popcorn mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and set aside. Melt chocolate chips and drizzle over popcorn mixture. Sprinkle kosher or sea salt lightly over mixture to taste (if desired). Let popcorn mixture harden. When completely dry, break into chunks and store in airtight container.

***Super yummy! Great flavor combination. It is super sweet, so I didn't find it hard to control myself, but really great to pop a few chunks here and there throughout the day! What a fun holiday treat!***

Cranberry Ecstasy Bars (just like Starbucks!)

Found this recipe in a FOODday several years ago:

Cake:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup minced dried cranberries
1 1/2 oz white chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger

Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
3 Tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup plus 3 Tbs powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup minced dried cranberries

Drizzle:
1 oz white chocolate
1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp milk

Preheat over to 350
Line a 9x13 pan with parchement paper, and lightly greased (or spray Pam) the paper

To make the cake:
Cream together butter and sugar
Add eggs and vanilla
Sift together flour, ground ginger and salt; add to butter mixture until well incorporated
Fold in dried cranberries, white chocolate, and minced ginger
Spread the batter in the prepared pan
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown
Let cool completely in the pan

To make the frosting:
Mix together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and salt until well mixed
Remove cake from pan and trim edges until cake is uniformly flat
Spread frosting onto top of cake
Sprinkle minced cranberries over top
Refrigerate for 1 hour

To make the drizzle:
Microwave white chocolate in glass bowl, in 15 second increments, stirring after each
Once fully melted, whisk in powdered sugar and milk
Scrape into a sturdy plastic bag, cut a tiny piece off the corner, and squeeze to drizzle decoratively over cake

To serve, slice the cake lengthwise down the center
Cut each rectangle into 4 equal portions, and slice each of these diagonally

Enjoy!

***LOVE these! It seems overwhelming at first, because there are so many steps, but really it's pretty easy! So much better than the Starbucks version, and I love knowing exactly what is in my treat! We cut them even smaller, because they are so rich!***

Apple Cake

A recipe from a dear sweet friend, Carol!

1 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup oil
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup OJ (or juice of 1 orange)
3 cups flour
4 eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
4 cups thinly sliced apples
Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling

Mix all ingredients except the apples and cinnamon/sugar for sprinkling.
Pour 1/4 batter each in two loaf pans. Spread 1 cup apples over each pan.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Repeat layers.

***Can add chopped walnuts when you layer the apples if you like!

Bake on 350 for 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean/crumbly.

***So yummy! Mine did not turn out as perfectly as Ms. Carol's, but she's been practicing for a very long time :-) So yummy!!! Hubs likes his with the walnuts, me-not so much!***

Merry Christmas 2011!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! Wishing you all a time of love, family, friends, and good food!

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

2/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 Tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 372
Mix butter, baking powder, sugar and salt together.
Beat in egg, milk and vanilla.
Add flour.
Do not over mix!

Chill dough for 1 hour in fridge
Roll dough out to about 1/4 inch thick
Use cookie cutters, any shape for any occasion!
Place on cookie sheet (I line mine with parchement paper)
Bake for 7-8 minutes (Just until ever-so-slightly starting to brown on the bottom edges)

Allow to cool before frosting!

***Super fun activity to do with kiddos! My nieces love to come over and decorate for different holidays!***

Artichoke Spinach Dip

1 can drained artichoke hearts
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
3oz cream cheese
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup fresh parmesan
1 tsp garlic salt

Preheat oven to 325f.

Cook spinach according to package; drain.
Drain and chop artichokes.
Mix all ingredients together.

Put in 1 quart greased baking dish.
Bake 20-30 minutes, or until slightly browned.

***We always double this, and it is still gone in minutes. We like to eat this with tortilla chips, but it is also great with pita chips or ritz crackers. This is a must at all holiday gatherings!***

Pumpkin Puree

I love a good pumpkin bread, muffin, or scone! I dislike having to buy a whole can of pumpkin when I usually need just around a cup. Insert weekly produce delivery here... I got a sugar pie pumpkin!!!

Here's how to roast and store for future use!

Wash your pumpkin, slice it in half, and get cleaning! Make sure to get all the stringy stuff out as well as the seeds-roast those!

Lay your pumpkin halves open side down on a baking sheet/dish and cover with foil.

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes, until pumpkin is fork tender.

Let it cool for 15-30 minutes.

Scoop out the flesh and place it in a blender, food processor, etc.

Now it is ready to use!

I decided to freeze mine in 1/4 cup portions, so I can just un-thaw as much as I need.


Yum!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Recipe found at Taste of Home:

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine all ingredients; transfer to an ungreased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan.
• Bake at 250° for 45-50 minutes or until lightly browned and dry, stirring occasionally. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
  

***Yum! Super easy! I love using the WHOLE pumpkin :-)***

Pear (or Apple) Crisp

I found the recipe for Apple Crisp over at:



This is my slightly tweaked version, because I was using Pears!

5 meduim-large pears (or apples)
1/4 cup sugar (less if your pears are pretty sweet, more if using tart apples)
2 T flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 C old-fashioned oatmeal
1/2 C brown sugar
1/3 C flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 T butter, melted

Peel, core and slice/dice pears. Stir pears, sugar and flour together in 9x9 pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and slightly stir again.

In a bowl, mix oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon together. Stir in melted butter.

Sprinkle over the pears.

Bake at 375 for 35 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.

Let sit for 10 minutes.

Scoop into bowls and serve! Tastes great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream too!

***Super yummy!!! Great way to use up some extra pears (or apples), and really easy for company or for the holidays! We will definitely make this over and over again!***

Peanut Butter "Cheese" Ball

I found this amazing recipe HERE! (Slightly adapted to fit what we had at home)

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (not all-natural)
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup crushed toffee
Graham cracker sticks, teddy grahams, and/or apple slices for dipping

Directions:
Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until blended.

Spoon onto a large piece of plastic wrap; bring up all four corners and twist tightly forming into a ball shape.

Freeze for about 1 hour or until firm enough to keep its shape. Place toffee and chocolate chips in flat dish. Remove plastic wrap from ball and roll ball into morsels to completely cover, pressing morsels into the ball if necessary.

Place ball on serving dish; cover and freeze for 2 hours or until you can't stand it anymore and HAVE to eat it NOW!

Serve with graham cracker sticks, teddy grahams, or apple slices for dipping or spreading.

***Super yummy snack. We ate this with apples to make it a little more healthy...and really, it isn't the worst thing you could eat anyway :-) Will definitely be making this for parties in the future!***

Olive Garden Breadsticks-Sort of...

1 1/2 cups warm water (between 110 - 120 degrees F)
1 package active dry yeast
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used GF)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water and allow to sit for 10 minutes, covered. Mixture should be frothy.

In separate bowl, combine flour and salt. Add to yeast mixture. Add melted butter. Mix with paddle attachment of stand mixer or wooden spoon until fully combined. Knead dough for a few minutes just until dough is smooth. Do not overknead!

Grease a cookie sheet. Pull off pieces of dough and roll out into strips.

Cover the dough and let sit in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and once heated, pop in the bread sticks. In microwave, combine the following:

1 stick unsalted butter (or 1/2 cup margarine)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt

After 6 or 7 minutes, brush the bread sticks with half the butter mixture. Then continue to bake another 6-8 minutes. Immediately upon removal from the oven brush the other half of the butter on the sticks.

Allow them to cool for a minute or two, and enjoy!


Found HERE!

Originally posted HERE!

***It may be my inexperience with yeast, or the fact that I used GF flour, but these did not come out fluffy and light like Olive Garden Breadsticks! That being said, they were still delicious, and I will definitely be making them again. They ended up more dense, actually tasting like soft pretzels, which I love!! Hubs even gave his approval, so they must be good!***

Hard-Boiled Eggs...the EASY way!

I found this awesome tutorial on making hard-boiled eggs! So easy and delicious!

Found Here:

1) Start off with placing your eggs in a pot in a single layer and covering them with cold water about an inch above the eggs.

2) Turn the heat up to medium high and once water starts to bubble add some salt to the pot.

3) Bring water to a rolling boil. If your heat is too high, you will get some violent boiling and end up with egg casualties-no bueno.

4) Once water comes to a rolling boil, place the lid on and turn off the heat (leaving the pot sitting on the burner).

5) Let eggs sit for 12-13 minutes making sure to not open the lid or all of the heat will escape. Make sure not to start your timer until right when you turn off the heat.

6) When the time is up remove eggs from pot and rinse in cold water or place in an ice bath to stop the eggs from continuing to cook.

7) Label your eggs so that your family knows which ones are hard boiled and which ones are not. OR you can use this trick: spin the egg really hard on a flat surface. If the egg is hard boiled it will spin standing up and if it's not hard boiled it will spin horizontally.

***Sweet! No more guessing***

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

I have had a craving for chocolate covered strawberries for a while now. And my friend Melanie started talking about them last weekend...since then, I have been obsessing about them! So, with Valentine's Day here, I thought it would be the perfect time to make some!

Basically, I melted some chocolate chips (semi-sweet) in the microwave with a few drops of canola oil (to keep it from hardening so much when cool).

Make sure to wash and DRY your strawberries. And make sure you have the chocolate in a small, deep container so you can really dip them.

Place on parchment/wax paper when done and cool in fridge. DELICIOUS!

***Happy Valentine's Day to you and your loved ones!!!***

Sausage Cheese Balls

Original Source: Tablespoon

3 cups Bisquick® mix (I used the new GF Bisquick!)

1 pound pork sausage
4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (16 ounces)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley or 1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes

Heat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease bottom and sides of jelly roll pan or use parchment paper.

Stir together all ingredients, using hands or spoon. If your mixture is too dry add a little more milk. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Place in pan.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brown. Immediately remove from pan. Enjoy!

Found HERE!

***Delicious! More biscuit-like, less sausage-like. Definitely needed extra milk. I think I will tweak it a bit and do a little less bisquick next time. But sooo good!***