In His Grip

Panda Cake Pops

I have been seeing cakes pops all over the internet and have never given them a try.  For Christmas Lindsey received a cookbook all about cake pops with some great creative ideas.  So for Valentines day she and I decided to make some cake pops for our valentines.  They look kind of difficult but with the right ingredients and the help of the Cake Pop Cookbook it was a lot of fun.

 
Because some of the cake pops were going to Anna we picked a Funfetti cake mix, her favorite.

 
The process is a bit messing.  But really all you do is bake the cake as directed on the box and let it cool.  Once the cake has cooled you just crumble it up and mix in 3/4 of a can of ready  made frosting.  Believe me when I say not to add too much frosting as the cake pops will be too soft.  Then all you have to do is form the mixture into balls and place in the fridge to cool.

 
Once the cake pops have cooled for about an hour they are ready to dip into candy melt coating or almond bark.  This is where you need to have all of your decorating ingredients ready to go as you want to work while the coating is still wet.  One more tip from our little experience is that with cake pops, bigger is not better.  They will be too heavy for the sticks and as the coating starts to set up, it will crack.  We think this happen also because we used a little too much frosting in the cake mixture too.

 
We used pink candy melts to make hearts for Anna as well as pressed the cooled cake pops into a heart shaped cookie cutter.

 
Lindsey made hers into cute little pandas for her valentine and used one of the heart shaped cakes pops for her message.  You can see that a couple of them have cracks but that did not affect the taste or the message.

I am participating in the following link ups: The DIY Showoff, Dittle Dattle, Boggieboard Cottage, The Girl Creative, Between Naps on the Porch, Keeping It Smple, Skip to My Lou, Pinkapotamus, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Miss Crafty Pants, Making the World Cuter, Marvelously Messy, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Today's Creative Blog, Blue Cricket Design, All Things Heart & Home, Nikki's Nifty Knacks, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Its a Hodgepodge Life, It's Fun to Craft, Tidy Mom, The Shabby Nest, Simply Sweet Home

Easy Valentine Ideas

Here it is the day before Valentines day and what if you have not done anything for the one that you love?  Well, it is not too late and here are some great, fast, and easy ideas to make your Valentine smile.  I cannot take the credit for these adorable paint chip valentines.  My niece, Judianne, made these for her classmates.  What a creative idea for some unique valentine cards.  You just go by your local Wal-Mart or Home Depot and pick up some pink and red paint chips, use some stamps and glitter pens and there you have it some super cute valentines.  But wait, you need to have a sweet treat to go along with you card.

 
This is so easy to make and I love the way it looks.  This treat just screams happy Valentines day.  All you do is spread some pretzels on a foil covered cookie sheet.  Melt some white chocolate almond bark and drizzle it over the pretzels. Using your choice of Valentine candies and sprinkles, you just sprinkle them over the almond bark.  Let the bark harden and break it up and put in cello bags and attach you paint chip cards.  I got this idea from My Computer is My Canvas. 

 
This is so easy even a two year old can do it.  I had the privelge of having a play date with my little friends Payton and her brother Colton last week and we enjoyed making some of this Valentine bark for our families.

I am participating in the following link ups: Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, The DIY Showoff, Keeping It Simle

 

Frigid Weather Casualty

Are you freaking serious?  Who killed my herbs?  I have been growing these inside my back door since the first freeze and they have been doing so good.  I have basil, thyme, and sage growing in this pot and I use them all the time.  They are in a perfect spot where they get nice sun, I have fed them and have treated them, oh so, nice.  But yesterday afternoon I walked in the kitchen and this is what I found.  Really?  How did this happen?  It took me a while to figure it out.  But remember my Three Word Thrusday picture yesterday?  I took that cute heart picture right out side my back door, WITH THE DOOR OPEN.  Needless to say the tempature yesterday morning was 2 degrees with the wind chill well below zero.  I had no idea the damage that would do to my percious indoor herb garden.  The hybiscus tree that they sit under suffered no damage, so I am going to try to bring these guys back to life, but I will not be using fresh herbs in my cooking for awhile.  Dang, dang, dang, double dog dang.

 
 

Easy Peasy Christmas Treats

A couple of weeks ago I found this great recipe to make these fun, Christmasy treats.  I made a batch at Thanksgiving and have made a 2nd batch and sent to Anna and all her K-State Pi Phi sisters.  I found the how-to's over at My Computer is My Canvas .  I had never seen the peppermint kisses before, but found them at Target and have since seen them at Price Chopper as well.  Actually, the hardest part of the entire process is taking the candy kisses out of their little foil wraps. 

 

Colette at My Computer is My Canvas not only gives you a how-to but a free download of a great Christmas poem using the "M" on the M&M's.  She is a great graphic artist and has some wonderful Christmas downloads for sale at her etsy shop.  You really need to try these, the little salty with the little pepperminty sweet is like Christmas in your mouth.

My New Favorite Mug

I would like to introduce you to my new favorite coffee mug.  Isn't she pretty?  There are things that I just seem to have a weakness for and a great looking covered beverage container is one of them.  As I work in my studio, I made a rule 20 years ago that no uncovered drinks were allowed.  Needless to say, I always have an eye out for a great covered drink container and it seems to me that Starbucks is hands down the leader in not only functionality but they are totally the leader in the cute factor.  Because I use my cups everyday all day long they do eventually begin to look shabby and get that gross coffee stain look.  So when I saw this new ceramic design, I think the stain problem will be eliminated.  I feel so uptown with ceramic rather than plastic.  It doesn't take much for this midwest gal to feel a bit more sophisticated. 

Halloween Treat Pizza

I have always sent care packages to our kids when they are away at college.  As Anna is the our third college student she does get the short end of the stick and care packages just don't seem to make it her way as frequently as with the other kids.  As I had not sent one to her yet this school year, (I know bad very bad) I had to come up with something extra special to maintain my favorite Mom status.  As I was browsing blogs last week, I came upon Singing with the Birds.  This is a great blog with all kinds of fun things to eat as well as creative ideas.  When I read her Special Delivery post on how to make this great Halloween pizza I knew that I had found the perfect thing for Anna's Halloween care package.  Not only could she enjoy this tasty treat, but she could share it with all of her Pi Phi sisters.  From all reports the gals at Pi Phi cheered when Anna brought it out to share.  Happy Halloween!

Cheesy Acorn Squash

This morning at my regular coffee gathering on Saturdays we got to talking about a recipe for butternut squash.  I thought that I had a butternut squash at home in the fridge and wanted to do something different with it.  After getting home and realizing that the squash I had was an acorn squash, I had to go back and do a google search for an acorn squash recipe that would go with the steak that I already had out thawing for dinner.  I, or should I say Jeff, found this great reciep over at AllRecipes.com for a Cheesy Acorn Squash.  AllRecipes.com is a great recipe website that I have used many times.  We both loved it and will definitely be making this again, however, half a squash for each of us was way too much, next time we will only make half and share. 

Farmer's Market Field Trip

Our Saturday morning my Panera coffee group took a field trip today to the Overland Park Farmer's Market.  Who doesn't love to look at all of the beautiful vegetables that we just don't see in the grocery store?  Here is where I am inspired to do some cooking with fresh vegetable, the problem is that I never know what to make.  So I have decided to do some Farmer's Market recipe research before my next field trip.  I am just sure that I could do something so pretty and tasty with these colorful bell pepper.  I did not even know that they came in purple and white.

 
The best part of a Saturday morning field trip is doing it with friends.  My Saturday morning coffee group are my "go to" friends.  I know that they will be there in the good times and the hard times not only for the support of a good girl friend but that extra little nudge into a better direction when that is what I need too.  Let me tell you, you cannot get away with too much craziness in this group. I want to thank each and every one of you for being a part of my life.  Thanks, I wouldn't want to try to do this life without you. 

 
 
 

Impromptu Blackberry Picking

Today I was out at Lindsey's house helping her finish up the finial details of moving into her own place.  I remembered that a couple of weeks ago we had gone out to the blackberry bushes that are behind her house and they were not quite ripe yet.  Today this is what I found. BIG ripe blackberries everywhere.  The bushes are huge, over 10 feet tall in some places.  I started picking only to be reminded of my friend Sheri telling me about the HUGE bugs that come out of the bushes when you start picking.  Sure enough, out comes one of the HUGE bugs right at me.  I was totally freaked out, but it did not take me long to be tempted by the berries once agian.The bugs move so fast I could not get a good look at what they are but I agree with Sheri they are HUGE!

The bummer thing about blackberry bushes is that there are so many berries just out of reach.  Because these bushes are so tall some are too high and some are just too far inside the throny branches to be reached.  

I was able to surprise Jeff with enough berries for a special treat with ice cream as well as more for tomorrow.  Not only will we have berries tomorrow, but the bushes are covered with berries that are not quite ripe.  We wouldn't want all those fresh berries to go to waste, dang, I guess we will just have to keep picking, yummy!
 

An Easy Pesto Recipe

I love the flavor and the smell of fresh basil.  I have planted sweet basil in my garden for the last several years and have enjoyed finding new ways to use it. I have put it on pizza, pasta dishes, salads, etc. The wet, hot summer has been perfect this season for my basil and it is going crazy.  I have eought basill to supply my neighbors. Tonight I decided to use a bunch of it by making this great, easy Pesto recipe that I got from my friend Debra.  To be really honest with you I did not even know what Pesto was until I attended one of Debra's cooking classes last summer.  Pesto has eaisly become one of my favorite things.  The flavor is awesome not only to mention the amount of garlic it requires.  I love garlic!  Jeff is not as big a fan of garlic as me and has to remind me often to go easy on the garlic.

 Pesto

4 cups bail leaves (not tightly packed, but "somewhat" packed)

1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil

1 cup parmesan cheesse

4 - 5 cloves garlic (I alwasy use 5 cloves! Yes!)

1/4 cup walunts (or pine nuts)

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process until you reach the desired texture you like. 

See very easy and so tasty.  Try Pesto on a pizza crust topped with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella.  It is soooooo good.

Grilled Chicken Pizza

For the first time, I tried  gilled pizza.  My friend Sheri, has been grilling pizza for a while and our family has had the pleasure of experiencing it.  Sheri is a grill expert so trying this grilled pizza thing was a little out of my league, but this recipe is so easy that I thought I could make it work. I figured the recipe called for a prebaked pizza crust how hard could this be.  Here is the recipe, but I think next time I will try making my own crust.  I love homemade pizza crust.  It turned out super great!

Grilled Chicken Pizza

2 tablespoons butter

3 cups thinly sliced sweet onions

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

2 oz cream cheese

1 package 12 inch prebaked pizza crust

1/3 cup Alfredo pasta sauce

1 cup shredded cook chicken breast

2 roma tomatoes, sliced

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

1.  In a 10 inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Cook onions and sugar in butter 20 to 25 minutes, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown and caramelized; stir in thyme.

2.  Heat gas or charcoal grill.  Spread cream cheese evenly over pizza crust.  Top with Alfredo sauce, shredded chicken, onions, basil leaves, and tomatoes.  Place on grill over medium-low heat.  Cover grill; cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Starbucks Insulated Cup!

I have been scoping out this insulated cup at Starbucks for the last several weeks.  Oh, how I wanted it.  Because I have to have my drinks covered in my Stitches By Sturman studio, (people don't take kindly to coffee and tea stains on their window treatments) I am always on the look out for a nice covered beverage holder.  In the Summer, I really need to have the cup insulated or the thing sweats all over the place and then I make water rings everywhere.  When I spied this at Starbucks I knew it would be my new favorite cup this Summer.  Oh yeah, I purchased my this morning.  So now you can picture me in my studio with a venti, iced passion tea, no sweetener in my new Starbucks insulated cup.  If we run into each other this Summer I will probably have it with  me.  My cups tend to go everywhere I go. 

Easter Cupcakes in Heaven?

With the big cupcake craze going on right now what else would we make for Easter dinner?  A couple of weeks ago I was shopping at Crate & Barrel and found these super fun giant sprinkles.  It went without saying that I would use them on our Easter dessert.  In keeping with the sprinkle theme, I used a Fun Fettie cake mix.  I always use an extra tablespoon of oil to make my cake just a little bit more moist.  On my way to church this morning I heard the song, Come to Jesus, by Chris Rice, and it made me think of my Dad and what this first Easter morning must be like for him in heaven.  Was he celebrating the day with all the rest of the heavenly hosts? Does he get to hear all of the wonderful Easter messages being shared throughout the world and cheer every time a new believer finds their way back to God?  One thing I do know, my Dad would have loved my Easter cupcakes along with a great big bowl of ice cream!  I just wonder if there are cupcakes and ice cream in heaven?  Happy Easter!

Roast Chicken~Sage Bisque

This has got to be one of our family's all time favorite soup recipes.  I have made it a ton and every time there never seems to be enough.  Today I even made biscuits shaped like hearts just for Valentines Day.  I go ahead and make some changes to recipe just to make it that much better.  When it calls for 4 slices of bacon, you and I both know that the entire pound of bacon is really what they mean.  Here is the recipe, if you make this without your family around they will never know that there is cauliflower in it.  I was able to fake out my family for along time, until they were actually paying attention once when I made it, and it still continues to be a favorite around our house.  Another tid-bit, it is low-carb if you are into that sort of thing.

Roast Chicken~Sage Bisque

4 slices of bacon

1 cup leeks, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

2 cups heavy cream

1 sprig sage

1 16 oz. bag frozen cauliflower

2 cups diced roasted chicken

Ground pepper to taste

Slice bacon crosswise into 1/4 inch strips. Place in a stock pot and cook over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towel lined plate to drain, saving the drippings.

Add leeks to the bacon drippings and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, add chicken broth, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour in heavy cream, add sprig of sage and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. (The longer it simmers, the stronger the sage flavor will be.)

Discard sage sprig and bay leaf. Stir in cauliflower and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Using a blender or food processor, coarsely puree the soup (leaving some texture) in batches. Return to medium heat. Add chicken, bacon and pepper. Heat until chicken is warm about 5 minutes.

I Got A Pioneer Woman Cooks Book!!! Yeah!

The other day I was pleasantly surprised when a friend of mine gave me The Pioneer Woman Cooks,cookbook.  I have been following the Pioneer Woman blog for over two years.  I love her quirky posts about her life on a ranch in Oklahoma.  Since I read her everyday, I feel like I know her.  She has invited her readers into her family and home.  I feel like I have helped her make design decisions on the lodge that she recently renovated, helped her brother, Mike, stay on the wagon, and shared her great anxiety as she appeared on the Bonnie Hunt show.  Now, I am pretty sure she has no idea who Judy @ In His Grip is, but I know that if I saw her in person I might just embarrass myself by running up to her and huggng like she was one of my Panera tribe gals.  Okay, that is weird.  This is the best step-by-step cookbook I have ever seen.  To be honest I don't like cookbooks that do not have a picture of every recipe.  I want to see what I am making.  Not only does she have pictures of the finished product, she has pictures of how things look as you follow the recipe.  You have gotta love that!

Our Small Group Can Cook, What Can Your Small Group Do?

Tonight our ladies small group from  Indian Creek, Gardner had a super time of  cooking fun.  Instead of doing our normal Bible study, we got together and had a cooking demonstration.  My friend Debra came and showed us how to make some delicious hors doeuvres just in time for our holiday party planning. We made a  Chili-Lime Pecans (these are the best!!!!), Savory Cheese Cake, and Spanikopita. I will definitely be making these for the holidays.  Its amazing how well our small group has gotten to know each other in such a short time and how much each of our lives have been changed by being a part of this group.  Just last Spring we did not even know one another's names.  I love these gals and look forward to continuing on our journeys together in the future.

Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies

Funfetti Cookies are just the best.  We made these this past weekend not only are they easy peasy, they are absolutely delicious.  Lindsey made these for a meeting that she was having, where nobody showed up, but that is another story.   So being my daughter, she "had" to eat the cookies herself.  But because they were soooo good she was willing to make the sacrifice.  Funfetti Cake mixes are out all year long and there are different ones for each holiday.  Here is the recipe:

1	(18.9-oz.) pkg. Pillsbury® Moist Supreme® Funfetti® Cake Mix
1/3	cup oil
2	eggs
1/2	(15.6-oz.) can Pillsbury® Creamy Supreme® Funfetti® Vanilla Frosting

Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs; stir with spoon until thoroughly moistened. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. With bottom of glass dipped in flour, flatten to 1/4-inch thickness. Bake at 375°F. for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets. Spread frosting over warm cookies. Immediately sprinkle each with candy bits from frosting. Let frosting set before storing. Store in tightly covered container.

Chocolate Chex® Caramel Crunch Recipe

This is a recipe that has come highly recommended by a couple of my friends.  Last week during the Pumpkin Run Sheri was telling me about this Chocolate Chex carmel stuff that she had made the day before and could not stop eating it.  She had tried it when our friend Cathie had brought it to a party that they had attended a couple weeks before.  She said it was easy and yes, she was right, easy peasy, and super good.  ~WARNING~I am not responsible for how much you eat of this recipe.  If you tend to be like me,  you won't stop eating until you are sick. 

 

8	cups Chocolate Chex® cereal
3/4	cup packed brown sugar
6	tablespoons butter or margarine
3	tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4	teaspoon baking soda
1/4	cup white vanilla baking chips

Into large microwavable bowl, measure cereal; set aside. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper.

In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave brown sugar, butter and corn syrup uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until melted and smooth. Stir in baking soda until dissolved. Pour over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Microwave on High 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Spread on cookie sheet. Cool 10 minutes. Break into bite-size pieces.

 
In small microwavable bowl, microwave vanilla baking chips uncovered on High about 1 minute 30 seconds or until chips can be stirred smooth (bowl will be hot). Drizzle over snack. Refrigerate until set. Store in tightly covered container.

Easy Apple Crisp

I would not call myself a "good" cook but I do like to make "good" food.  Some people like to cook gourmet, things that take a lot of skill.  My specialty happens to be good food made easy.  In fact, one of my favorite web sites is called Dinner Made Easy by Betty Crocker.  In light of the Autumn season and the abundance of good apples around, we made this Easy Apple Crisp for dinner Sunday night.  I found this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen website another of my favorites.  Can you tell that I really like that swirlly brush on my PhotoShop?

Jo's Old Fashioned Apple Crisp 

8 cups Apples, Half Cortland, Half McIntosh

½ cups Butter (no Substitute)

½ cups Sugar

½ cups Flour

2 Tablespoons Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Use a pie dish. 10″ deep dish works best for one this size. Peel and core apples, layering them alternately, Cortland- McIntosh, until all apples are in the dish. Soften butter slightly and mix with the sugar and flour until crumbly. Sprinkle cinnamon, more or less than specified amount according to your taste, over the layered apples. Pour the crumbly butter-sugar-flour mix over that. Put in the hot oven for 30 to 45 minutes, checking with a knife. It should easily go into the deepest part and come out clean. Cool, or eat while still warm. Serve plain, with real whipped cream, or ice cream.

Apples are a Great Part of Fall!

There are just things about Fall that I love.  One of them happens to be apples.  I really like the colors and shape of them, but most of all the crisp sound when you bite into a fresh apple has to be the best.  I happen to be partial to the green variety, Granny Smith being my favs.  A crisp Granny Smith with that little bit of sour and then sprinkled with a smidgen of salt.  Wow, what a healthy snack.  In the Fall, you can always find a container of apples in our home as a centerpiece.  But, this is a decoration that anyone is welcome to take one and enjoy.  This long narrow wood box happens to be one the treasures that I picked up at Nell Hills a couple of weeks ago.  They came in several different colors and sizes.  Maybe, I should go back and get a square red one, hmmm?  I love how it looks filled with the harvest of Autumn.