Pineapple Upside Down CUPCAKES!

Our ward at church had a luau recently and I signed up to bring a dessert. While searching for the perfect dessert to take to a luau, I found Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes!

They were a hit and were completely devoured. My husband loved how they were perfectly caramelized and I loved the tangy flavor with a bit of Cool Whip on top.They were super simple to serve since they were already in individual portions too.

Thank you Cooking Classy for the fabulous recipe!

Zucchini Pizza

When I saw the idea to make zucchini pizza bites I thought, well, it can't be that bad. I was pleasantly surprised when I made it for dinner and enjoyed them. My husband complained that he wasn't getting enough! My boys, however, weren't huge fans, but they did eat their little pizzas without gagging or complaining, so it can't have been too bad, right?!

Head over to Color Me Meg to see the recipe & instructions. This would be a great appetizer at a party, but we loved it as our main dish. I did chop up the pepperoni because our zucchini were too skinny.

Stained Glass Deviled Eggs

If you’re hosting Easter dinner this weekend, or taking deviled eggs to dinner at someone else’s house, liven them up a bit with a beautiful stained glass effect…
To learn how to make your own stained glass deviled eggs, visit my tutorial.
I’m linking up to Someday Crafts, Making it with Allie, Get Your Brag On, Get Your Craft On, Crafty Soiree, Thrilling Thursday, and Show off Your Stuff. 

Valentine Sugar Cookies

If you’re taking treats to your kids’ Valentine’s parties at school, consider taking these adorable heart shaped sugar cookies:

These are super easy to make, and my 3 year old loved helping me make them. All you need is a set of heart shaped cookie cutters…I bought a set of 6 at Walmart for less than $1.50.

Hotdog Octopus

How seriously cute is this?!

I’m no food connoisseur, but after picking my son up from school I was looking for a quick snack and my son said NO to hotdogs…until I made one of these for his brother. Then he had to have his own hotdog octopus and they both devoured their octopuses. :)

After you heat up the hot dog, cut the hot dog in half lengthwise, stopping just before the end to make a head. Rotate the hot dog and cut in half again (so now you have 4 legs). Then carefully cut each quarter in half again to make 8 legs.

I honestly don’t know where I found this but am so glad my boys enjoyed it so much!

My Favorite Spaghetti Sauce

It’s funny how even when people try to leave your life, they are still very much a part of it sometimes. An old family friend no longer speaks to anyone in my family but I still find myself making her spaghetti sauce regularly because I always have, and likely always will love this sauce…and it’s so easy to make! Seriously, it’s that good.

I think my favorite part about this sauce is that you make it in the crock pot and your home smells amazing all day long. All you need is:

American Flag Sugar Cookies

It’s been a while since we’ve made sugar cookies and yesterday I couldn’t resist any longer…I started wondering how on earth I could make American flag sugar cookies and this is what we ended up with:

The process seems long and complicated, but these turned out so cute and I can’t wait to take them to my husband’s work party! If it’s confusing, please leave a comment or e-mail me and I will explain it better.

Perfectly Shaped Eggs

My husband is a genius…I mean the guy was potty trained at 9 months so how could he not be :) (we just acquired his baby book!). With that genius, he comes up with the most random hacks to make his life better, and cooking eggs to the same size as his English biscuits is no exception!

How did he do it? After looking around the kitchen, he found his solution in the lid to a canning jar.

Some tips we’ve learned after doing this a few times:

Teaching Kids to Eat Veggies

There are very few parents in this world who have never had to struggle to get their kids to eat their veggies. I am not one of them.

Now that K is old enough to hold a conversation and understand more, I have found that he is much more willing to eat his veggies and other foods if he understands the part that those foods play in his body. As soon as I explain that beans have protein and will make his muscles strong, he gobbles them up!

All my husband and I have to do is look up the nutritional value of whatever we are eating and dinner goes so much smoother for us.

I have even found that when I understand the role a food has in my health, I am more willing to eat it, and make sure to incorporate it into my diet. I always knew that peas were good for you, but had no idea that they were high in vitamin A, vitamin C, B vitamins and lutein (thanks Wikipedia).

Eating healthy…convincing my kids to eat healthy…that works for me.

Chopping Onions

Way back last February, I complained of how torturous chopping onions can be for me. While friends on Facebook had great suggestions on avoiding chopping onions, I still use onions on at least a weekly basis. I came across Mom’s Tool Box recently and in her comment section there were several suggestions on how to cut an onion without crying that I had to share.

Some of those suggestions were:

• Put water in your mouth and keep it in there while you chop. This was Mom’s Toolbox’s idea and I tried it that night. It really does work until you have to spit out the water to explain to your husband who is looking quite concerned what on earth you are doing.
• Chew gum.
• Put the onion in the freezer for 20-30 minutes prior to chopping it
• Whistle while you chop.
• Chew on a toothpick.

Mom’s French Apple Pie

When I started high school, I was literally 5 feet tall and weighed 80 pounds, but I had a mean metabolism and could often out-eat my three teenage brothers!

Thanksgiving and Christmas were no exception especially where Mom’s apple pies were concerned. It got to the point that Mom had to make an extra pie just for my dad and me to split…ya, her apple pie is that good! I think most of the magic is in the crumbly topping, but it’s all so delicious it’s hard to know for sure…
I’m so sorry my little point and shoot camera can’t do this pie justice!

This pie has three parts: the crust, the filling and the topping.

Almond Butter

One of the earlier memories I have of my father-in-law is hearing him talk about the almond butter in his fridge. I had never even heard of almond butter, but it is a well loved commodity in my husband's family. My very health conscious father-in-law is justified in loving almonds! They provide wonderful nutrients such as protein, fiber, calcium, vitamin E and B6, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc (thanks Wikipedia!). In Utah it was fairly easy to find it, but I don't think I've seen almond butter anywhere out where we are now. 

Never fear, if you want to try almond butter, all you need is almonds. Those are much easier to find!

Start by spreading your almonds in a cookie sheet with an edge all around it. Roast in the oven at 300 degrees for at least 10 minutes or until the almonds are a bit darker. Allow to cool until you are comfortable handling the almonds.
Pour your almonds into a food processor
and process those almonds until they are butter. As you slice/chop/whatever your almonds, you are causing the oils to be released which over time helps create almond butter.

You'll have a flour type mixture for a while, just keep going (it takes quite a while to get to the butter point). If necessary, scrape the sides when your processor is off. In the above picture you can see the oils starting to spread. And finally, I present you with almond butter. My husband loves it on celery or apple slices, or wherever he would normally put peanut butter...even in our chocolate banana shakes! Pour into a tupperware type container and if it's still warm, allow to cool before you put your almond butter into the fridge, where it should be kept until it's all gone.

Zero preservatives or sugar added! Enjoy!

I'm linking up to Family Food Friday @ Get Healthy Cheap, Homemaking Monday @ 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven,

Chocolate Banana Shake

Since I first saw Money Saving Mom's post on her shakes, my husband and I have had one of our own chocolate banana shakes almost every night...it's like a ritual for us now and these shakes are so good! I will take these over ice cream any night and it's so much healthier.
A lot of the shake depends on personal preferences, but for our shakes we have:

• 2 bananas fresh or frozen*
• 1 cup(ish) of milk
• chocolate syrup to taste
• a huge glob of peanut or almond butter
• honey to taste
• if your bananas are fresh, you'll want some vanilla or chocolate ice cream. If you use chocolate, you can forgo the syrup. Add more for a thicker shake.

Throw all this in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into cups and savor the wonderful flavor of banana, chocolate and peanut butter mixed together. Delicious!

I usually throw in some of my sneaky veggie cubes if my husband isn't looking and his most recent complaint was that there was too much peanut butter...I couldn't even taste them.

*To freeze bananas, peel and lay on a cookie sheet. Flash freeze for an hour and put into freezer bags until ready to be used. If you freeze your bananas, you will not need any ice cream making this even healthier!

I'm linking up to WFMW @ We Are That Family,  Real Food Wednesdays @ Kelly The Kitchen Kop,

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

When I made these cookies, all my husband would say is that I'm obsessed. Who can blame me? These turned out pretty darn cute if I do say so myself!

It is really easy to make these and they are such a fun variation of traditional sugar cookies. They're so cute you don't have to ice them...or you could in a continued candy corn theme.

Mix up a batch of sugar cookies. Separate your dough into 3 bowls. One bowl with about half of your dough. With the other half, take about a third and put that into another bowl, and the rest into your last bowl.

Using food coloring, make your largest bowl of dough yellow, the second largest orange, and leave the smallest bowl white. Mix, mush and smash until you have a uniform color.

Divide each of your colors in half. Take one half of your yellow dough and roll it into a snake. Flatten the top and bottom of it and lay it on wax paper.

Roll half of your orange into a snake the same length as your yellow, flatten the top and bottom a bit and lay that on top of your yellow snake.

Do the same with half of your white dough, but shape into a triangle and lay on top of your orange.

I had a request to explain the white layer better...hopefully this makes more sense... The above picture is just to show the general shape of your candy corn log (the log is lying on it's side, already chilled). Roll half of your white dough into a log the same length as your orange/yellow log and flatten the sides into a triangle. Put that on top of the orange layer.

Wrap up your tricolored snake with the wax paper and run your hands along the sides to flatten/smooth it out until your snake is more of a long triangle.

Do the same with your other half and allow to chill in the fridge for 2 hours.

Unwrap your logs and either using floss by wrapping it around the log and pulling it across each other, or a knife, cut your dough into 1/4 inch wide slices.
Lay on your cookie sheet and cook for 8-12 minutes.
 
Wish like crazy you had a window in your oven...pull out and allow to cool on the sheet for 1 minute.

Remove to a cooling rack and devour as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Enjoy!
I absolutely love C's new cheese smile :)

I'm linking up to Made By You Monday @ Skip to My Lou, Making the World Cuter Monday @ Making the World Cuter, Creative Share Blog Hop @ Trendy Treehouse, Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple,  Mad Skills Monday @ Super Stinky Boys, It's So Very Creative Monday @ It's So Very Creative, and the DIY Project Parade @ The DIY Showoff, Tasty Tuesday @ Beauty and Bedlam, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed with Grace.

Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes

Until I was 13, we lived in my grandpa's basement. Every Sunday after church, my brother and I would go upstairs and cook pancakes for the whole family. My grandpa would come in and tell us tales of how his father could flip pancakes without a spatula and to a little girl, that sounded absolutely amazing...it still is (I can't do it even today). My grandpa taught me to wait until bubbles form before flipping it, and to only flip once if at all possible to avoid losing the fluffiness of the pancakes...I miss that man!

I found this pumpkin pancake recipe from The Mother Load and am reposting it because it is amazing! They are so moist and fluffy I can't get enough of them. We tripled the recipe and froze most of it for later use and I'm so glad we did! These are perfect for fall!

So without further delay:


Light & Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch clove
1 1/4 cup low-fat milk
1/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg


Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together milk, pumpkin, melted butter, and egg. Fold mixture into dry ingredients. Spray or grease a skillet and heat over medium heat: pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side. This recipe makes six 6-inch pancakes.

Side Note- This can easily be doubled and frozen or stored in the refrigerator for a great breakfast later in the week.
I'm linking up to Family Food Fridays @ Get Healthy Cheap,  All Things Pumpkin @ Henthome Handmade,  Tasty Tuesday@ Beauty and Bedlam,  Tempt My Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed with Grace, and ...

Sneaky Vegetables

You all know how to make your own baby food right? You steam the fruit or veggie until it's soft, then stick it in the blender and puree it. Then you pour it into ice cube trays and freeze it until you need it. Super simple right? Stash them in a freezer bag so you can grab them easily.
Guess what? This doesn't just have to be for babies! Frozen pureed veggies are perfect for throwing into a smoothie (you'll hardly even notice if you use the right amount) or for using as fun colored ice cubes for kids' soup that's too hot. Sneak them into pancakes or lasagna, or whatever. Yes, it may be a small amount, and you'll still have to have veggies through other means, but every little bit helps right? And it most certainly doesn't hurt.

I personally throw several cubes of zucchini into my smoothie every day. Most of the time my husband doesn't know until he sees me throw some cubes into whatever I'm making. My kids most definitely don't have a clue! Try it...squash, zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, the list goes on and on.

I'm linking up to Works For Me Wednesday @ We Are That Family, and Tot Tuesday @ Delicious Ambiguity.

Tie Dye Cupcakes

After making Tie Dye Cookies with K a while ago, I've been wanting to make Tie Dye Cupcakes (also known as Rainbow Cupcakes) since we had so much fun with the cookies.

There's nothing like eating strangely colored food to make you feel like a kid again :) Don't worry, my kids enjoyed them too... Mix up some white cake batter whether from a box or from scratch. Preheat your oven, and line your cupcake pan.
Divide the batter into however many bowls you want for various colors. Add food coloring and stir.
Spoon globs of batter into each cupcake liner, putting different colors in randomly. Bake for the appropriate amount of time...probably between 20-30 minutes and cry because your favorite timer is dying :(

Entertain the kids while they bake...they're still adjusting to their new kitchen limitations because I just couldn't take C dumping out my lower cupboards several times a day anymore. Pull out your cupcakes and let them cool. Frost them if you want, but I love cupcakes plain, and it's so much fun to see all the colors. These would be great for parties or just a fun activity with the kids.

Thank you Jamie @ Trendy Treehouse for the inspiration!

For even more fun, make Tie Dye Cupcakes in a Cone!
I'm linking up to  Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts, and  Sugar & Spice and Everything Nice @ Seven Thirty Three.

Cupcakes in a Cone

As soon as I bought the box of cones, K kept exclaiming that we were going to have ice cream...I don't think he's ever eaten it out of a cone, but he just didn't understand when I tried to tell him we were putting cupcakes in a cone...even while he was eating it, he kept trying to grasp the logic. Sometimes, it just doesn't have to make sense!

These are so darn cute! They'd be even cuter if you take the time to ice them, but I don't like icing, and K wouldn't have lasted another minute if I had made him wait to ice them.

And without further adieu...

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

To make your cones less likely to fall over, wrap a sheet of foil over a muffin pan. Inside each circle, lightly press the bottom of an ice cream cone to make a circle on the foil. With a sharp knife, cut out the circles and gently insert the cones.

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Mix up some cake batter, whether from a box, or from scratch, like this delicious white cake recipe. Spoon into the cones until they are about 1/2 to 2/3 full.
Pour some chocolate syrup over to make it more ice creamy...and pout later when you can't even tell. Sometimes the hard work I put into something is utterly pointless... Bake for 20-28 minutes...ours took longer, but it should take about the same time as normal cupcakes. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and let cool completely. If desired, ice these super cute to look more like ice cream, and devour!

Thank you House of Hepworths for the inspiration!

White Cake

This cake is so delicious and really doesn't require much more work than a cake from a box! I'm totally pro cake in a box, but I could seriously taste a difference with this cake...I really think it was the fact there were no preservatives, and will probably be making this cake again in the future.

All you need is:

• 2 1/4 C all purpose or 2 1/2 C cake flour
• 1 2/3 C sugar
• 2/3 C shortening
• 1 1/4 C milk
• 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
• 5 large egg whites
• Frosting if desired

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of rectangular pans, 13 x 9 x 2 inches; 2 round pans, 9 x 1 1/2 inches; or 3 round pans, 8 x 1 1/2 inches, with shortening; lightly flour. Or put liners in 24 cupcake spots. 

2. Beat all ingredients except egg whites and frosting in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl and beat on high speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally.

3. Beat in egg whites on high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan(s) or liners.

4. Bake rectangle 40-45 minutes, 9 inch rounds 30-35 minutes, 8 inch rounds 23-28 minutes, and cupcakes 20-23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

5. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes and remove from pan to cool completely, about 1 hour.

6. Frost if desired.

This recipe is from the Big Red Betty Crocker's Cookbook, ISBN 0-7645-6079-4.

Ice Cream in a Bag

I've been wanting to make ice cream in a can with K for quite a while but haven't found any cans that will work, when suddenly I found a post at My Computer is my Canvas solving my problems for me! Instead of using cans, it works just as well to use ziploc bags!

To start, gather all of your ingredients:

• 1 C milk
• 2 T sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 C ice
• 3 T Rock Salt
• Chocolate Syrup to taste (optional)

In a sandwich size ziploc baggie, combine your milk, sugar, vanilla and syrup. I only had gallon sized baggies which worked fine for us. Squeeze out air and seal.

Put this baggie in a gallon sized ziploc baggie with ice and rock salt. Seal.


Shake, shake shake (!) for 10-20 minutes until your ice cream has formed. You should be able to feel through the baggies to tell if it's to the consistency you want it. The ice cream probably won't get much thicker than soft serve.

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Notes to self:

• Don't use generic baggies, or double bag all baggies for fear of leaks/holes/etc.
• Don't make this ice cream in your kitchen just hours after sweeping and mopping...especially if you're using generic baggies!
• Don't let your child grab the bowl he wants until you're done serving the ice cream for fear he'll grab the fullest bowl and will like it so much he won't share with you...even if you only got half of what he got ;)

Seriously though, this was fun to make and fun to eat! Make sure to devour asap because it melts quicker than it took to make it! And most importantly, enjoy! If you have a larger crew of kids, they can each make their own...because this recipe only makes enough for 1 or 2 people, and have each kid customize their ice cream.

I am linking up to Friday Fun Finds @ Kojo Designs, Home and Family Friday @ Home is Where My Story Begins, Fabulous Finds Friday @ 6 Inches of Ribbon, Weekend Wrap Up Party @ Tatertots & Jello, and Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge.