Cake Pops

We love cake pops. What is not to love? Tiny little cakes, with bright colors and pretty sprinkles. What can I say? I am a child at heart :)

PRINT RECIPE HERE

Here is how I make mine:

Bake a box cake according to the package directions. 

Once the cake is cool, tear it up into pieces and put into your standing mixer:

Turn the mixer on and crumble the cake until it resembles course breadcrumbs:

Next you need some frosting:

I use half of the can:

Turn the mixer on again and beat until the mixture turns dough like:

Prepare a cookie sheet covered with freezer paper.

Take the dough and roll into small balls like so:

Line them all onto your prepared sheet:

Next, stick them into the freezer for about 10 minutes:

Next you need lollipop sticks and candy melts.

(I get mine at Walmart in the party aisles where all the cake decorating things are. The lollipop sticks are $1.75 and the cake melts are $2.49)

Take a little bit of the candy melts (about a 1/4 cup) and melt:

Swirl one end of the lollipop stick in the melted candy:

And stick in the center of the balls:

All done.

Stick back into the freezer for about 20 minutes:

After the 20 minutes is up:

Melt the rest of your candy melts

Prepare a Styrofoam

Prepare any sprinkles you will be using

Next I just swirled the cake pop in the candy melts:

And tapped off the access:

(if your candy melts get hard just stick them back into the microwave for a couple seconds)

Then I just dunked them in the sprinkles while they were still wet:

Pretty :)

Poke each stick in your styrofoam to dry standing up:

They dry really quick, then I just moved them into a vase.

I like to eat them cold, so I store them in the fridge.

Enjoy :)

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Pasta Fresca

This is my sons favorite dish, he can smell when I am making it because of the fresca sauce. Noodle Co used to make this pasta, but they stopped :( So I started making it now atleast every other week.

Click here to print the recipe. 

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups pre-cooked penne or rotini pasta
• 1/4 cup cubed roma tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon diced red onions
• 2 dashes kosher salt, and
• cracked pepper
• 1 ounce baby fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup fresh garlic
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup sweet white wine
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Prepare fresca sauce: 1/4 cup balsamic vineger, 1/4 cup of white wine, 1/2 cup of olive oil, 2 tsp salt, 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
2. In a very hot sauté pan, add: extra virgin olive oil, pre-cooked pasta, roma tomatoes, diced red onions, kosher salt & pepper.
3. Sear noodles, stirring occasionally until steaming hot.
4. Add: baby fresh spinach and fresca sauce.
5. Toss to combine, serve with freshly shaved parmesan cheese.

Sugar Cookies

My favorite cookie is the Sugar cookie, its chewy soft and so pretty with the sprinkles.

It is not only my favorite, but my kid's favorite as well, until recently I could not find a good recipe. So I just bought the pillsbury frozen cookies. Well my friend gave me the recipe, and it is everything I have been looking for: soft and chewy.

You won't be disappointed with this one :)

PRINT RECIPE HERE

Ingredients:

2 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 CUP of unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 

Mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually stir in flour mixture until well mixed. 

Drop teaspoonful on a un-greased cookie sheet and sprinkle with sprinkles and bake for 9 minutes.

Minestroni Soup

One of my favorite soups is the minestrone soup. This is the perfect recipe. It is very similar to the minestrone soup in Olive Garden, Which I love. (in fact I think mine is better ;) )

PRINT RECIPE HERE

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium minced onion
• 1 cup of chopped zucchini
• 1 cup frozen cut italian green beans
• 3 stalks of chopped celery
• 2 carrots chopped
• 4 cloves minced garlic 
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can red kidney beans, drained
• 1 can small white beans, drained
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 2 large tomatoes grated
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 cups hot water
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/2 cup small shell pasta

Directions:

1. 1 Heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.
2. 2 Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, carrots, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.
3. 3 Add vegetable broth to pot, plus tomato sauce and grated tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, and spices.
4. 4 Bring soup to a boil,  then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
5. 5 Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency. Taste your soup and adjust salt and pepper if you need to.
6. 
   

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

These chocolate cupcakes are amazing! 

Click HERE to print the recipe. 

Cupcakes:

2 cups sugar

1 ¾ cups flour

¾ cup baking cocoa

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

½ cup  vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup boiling water

1. Heat oven to 350

2. Prepare cupcake pan with liners

3. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on med speed for 2 min. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin) 

4. Fill cups 2/3 full of batter. 

5. Bake for 22 min

Chocolate frosting:

1 stick unsalted butter

2/3 cup Hersheys cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Melt butter in microwave, stir in cocoa, alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on med speed. Stir in vanilla extract. Use a pastry bag to pipe the frosting on the cooled cupcakes. 

7 layer bars

These are called 7 layer bars because you just layer the 7 ingredients needed. Very simple and so delicious, they just fly of the plate.

Click HERE to print the recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

• 1 cup butterscotch chips

• 1 cup chopped walnuts

• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

• 1 1/3 cups shredded coconut

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Place butter in 13 x 9 inch pan and melt in oven. Swirl to coat bottom and sides with butter.

Spread graham cracker crumbs evenly over bottom of pan. Layer chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and nuts over crumbs. Pour condensed milk over nuts. Sprinkle coconut over condensed milk.

Bake until edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let completely cool and then cut into even squares.