Carrot Soup with Animal Croutons

My husband doesn't really enjoy soup, especially in the summer. I think soup is delicious anytime of year, but I try to stay away from it in the hot summer months. When school starts, for some reason I feel like it should start to cool down outside. But, here in Georgia, it doesn't really work out that way. It is still in the 90's during the day. It's wierd. For me, summer and school don't go together.

Besides all that- I saw this cute soup in a magazine I have had for years and decided it would be a fun one to try on a night when my husband wasn't home for dinner. Nothing too complicated at all going on here. My kids helped me make the croutons and were nibbling on them before we sat down to eat. They tasted really good in the soup. This was a yummy tasting soup with lots of flavor. My kids and I loved it. My husband didn't realize that he ate the leftovers because I turned them into pasta sauce. Nothing compares to making 2 dinners out of 1!

Carrot Soup with Animal Croutons adapted from Good Things for Kids from the editors of Martha Stewart Living Magazine

1 Tbls unsalted butter
1 medium leek (white and pale green parts), rinsed well and finely chopped
12 medium carrots (about 2 pounds) peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
6 cups homemade or reduced-sodium chicken broth
ground nutmeg
1/2 loaf rustic bread, cut into 1/2-inch slices (about 5)
2 Tbls olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 cup greek yogurt

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leek; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add carrots, broth, and a pinch of nutmeg; bring to a boil over medium high. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover, and simmer until carrots are tender, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly.

2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut out bread using small animal shaped cookie cutters; transfer to a baking sheet. Brush both sides of bread with oil. Bake, turning croutons, halfway through, until golden brown, about 9 minutes.

3. Working in batches, transfer carrot-broth mixture to a blender or food processor; puree until very smooth. Return to saucepan; season soup with salt and pepper. Serve in shallow bowls. Spoon greek yogurt over top; swirl into soup. Top with animal croutons.

Tuna Melts with Avocado

We used grape tomatoes from our garden on these delicious tuna melts!! And that was very exciting. I didn't follow the instructions exactly, but these were a really great dinner after a long day of swimming. Filling and delicious. I really like the combination of tuna and avocado and so did my family.

Here is the recipe for Tuna Melts with Avocado from Cooking Light
* I used a whole wheat baguette instead of french bread
* I didn't read the instructions all the way through, so I put the tuna mixture on the bread, then sprinkled the cheese and then broiled them

"Cooking School"- French Toast, 2 ways

Either one of these versions would make a great breakfast on a holiday morning like today.

Let me explain the "Cooking School" in the title.

It all started when we made these Bunny Buns ( the recipe is at the bottom of that post- it's really just a fancy way of twisting orange rolls). My daughter decided that she wanted to have a weekly "Cooking School" where she picked something and we made it together. Please forgive the formality of the title, but that is just what she said. I am by no means qualified in any way to call it that or teach, but it is what we are going with. :D

I decided that since summer was upon us, that this would be a great way to spend some time together in the kitchen.

Her first request- French Toast.

French Toast is not something that I make often. I guess because I usually feel like it doesn't come out quite right.
Well folks- "Cooking School" has cured the problem. I decided that we would make French Toast 2 ways- the traditional way and the baked way.

I searched for a basic French Toast recipe and found one by Alton Brown that fit the bill. It had a few extra steps that I have never seen before, but I have watched an episode or two of Good Eats, so I knew that if anyone had perfected a technique, scientifically, it was him. He uses half & half in the custard mixture and has you let the bread drip over a wire rack before you cook it, but I think what gives his French Toast the perfect texture and taste is the last step. He has you warm the oven and the french toast goes into the hot oven for 5 minutes, which puffs it up and makes it turn out restaurant style. We topped our french toast with a homemade strawberry sauce and strawberry whipped cream.

Baked french toast is just a slightly healthier version of bread pudding, in my opinion. I have made it a few times in the past. This recipe is basic and very good. We loved it.

Of course we didn't make these 2 recipes in the same day, but it was a lot of fun.

My daughter decided that the next series in our "Cooking School" should be salad, because these were a little on the rich side!


Here is the recipe for French Toast from Alton Brown
* We used real maple syrup instead of honey
* We used challah and topped it with a homemade strawberry sauce & strawberry whipped cream
* We only used 2 Tablespoons of butter to cook the french toast in our electric skillet in 2 batches

Here is the recipe for Baked French Toast with Blueberries from Giada de Laurentiis
* We used sourdough bread

Homemade Veggie Burgers on Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

I have been wanting to make these Veggie Burgers for a very long time. I saw the recipe and saved it for later. Somehow it just didn't feel right to make these bright Veggie Burgers during the colder months, so now that the weather is beautiful and sunny and people are starting to cook out and use the grill more, I decided to try them. I think one of the other reasons I kept putting them off is because it seemed like there was a really long list of ingredients, but once I got down to it, I realized it wasn't really that lengthy or complicated. I decided to throw them together on a day when I was busy chopping and dicing things for a couple other recipes and then I formed the patties and let them sit in the fridge for a couple of hours.

I also decided to make my own buns, just for fun. A whole wheat bun seemed to be the perfect partner for a veggie burger.

These burgers were really good. I loved the texture and they had great flavor. These are a great way to enjoy a meatless option whenever you want a burger.
I also have to add that I really love being able to go to my garden and cut fresh lettuce whenever I want. The red leaf lettuce I used on this burger is really yummy.

Here is the recipe for Homemade Veggie Burgers
from Ezra Pound Cake

Here is the recipe for Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns from Baking Bites

Open-Faced Blackened Catfish Sandwiches

My 4 year old daughter was sitting on my lap when I was editing this picture and she said "Oh, that dinner was scrumptious! Do you know what scrumptious means?" That just about made my day. And the other thing that made my day, in fact made my week, is that School's Out!!

Our Summer Break has officially started! I'm so excited I can barely stand it. The kids can stay up late and sleep in and we can do whatever we want to! (After we do our daily chores and reading/writing journal practice, of course!) We will be spending a lot of time in the pool and there are a few other activities that we are really looking forward to.

Now, back to the food.
I found this recipe in the latest issue of Cooking Light and I already had a bag of tri-color coleslaw mix in the fridge. Not because I use it to make coleslaw, but because it is a good filler for lots of different sorts of dishes. Soups and stir-fries, or those nights when I just make a hodge-podge mixture of veggies. My family loves fish and I love blackened fish, so I grabbed the few ingredients that we needed, including some fresh catfish. Can I just say that fresh catfish that has never been frozen is soo good. This was the best catfish I have ever had.

I didn't put the full amount of the blackening seasoning on the kids fish because I thought it might make it a tad too hot. My husband and I got the full seasoning and it was good.
I don't usually have sourdough bread on hand, so I bought a fresh loaf of that too, and discovered another thing that my children like. I don't really like traditional coleslaw because it either contains mayo (yucky) or too much vinegar for me to handle. I like that this coleslaw-type topping used plain yogurt with a little lime juice, honey, and cilantro to give it some flavor.
It was perfect.



Here is the recipe for Open Faced Blackened Catfish Sandwiches from Cooking Light

Brown Soda Bread

Last night I all of the sudden got excited about making some St. Patrick's day food. One of the things that I really love is Soda Bread. I have made it before, but never with a recipe that calls for currants and mostly white flour. I love Brown Soda bread that is full of yummy grains and oats and is not sweet. It is hearty and delicious. Plus, it is so easy to make-kind of like biscuits, but you don't have to cut out shapes. All you do is mix the dry ingredients together, cut in a small amount of butter and then stir in the buttermilk until the dough forms. I decided to make a round loaf out of my dough, because it looks more exciting than a plain loaf of bread.

My daughter and I sliced a piece of this bread as soon as it came out of the oven and it is absolutely perfect. I love the color, flavor and delicious health-y taste of this yummy bread.


Here is the recipe for Brown Soda Bread from epicurious
* I used reduced fat buttermilk
* I didn't have wheat bran, so I used a mixture of flaxseed meal, wheat germ and old fashioned oats to make up that part of the dough
* I wanted a rustic looking loaf, so I formed the dough into a round, topped it with some oats, and baked it on a baking sheet

Avocado Toasties with Kiwi Salsa and Pancetta

Happy New Year! I am really excited for all the good things that I hope 2011 will bring.
I hope you are excited too.

I saw the picture for this recipe in Bon Appetit and thought it looked too interesting to pass up. It combines kiwi, avocadoes and bacon. Sounds like a strange mixture, but I knew it probably would end up tasting really delicious.

I found some cubed pancetta at Trader Joes and decided to use that instead of bacon, because it was already cut into pieces and I like the flavor better.
I am not a big fan of bacon, but I knew in this recipe it would add the perfect amount of crisp, salty crunch. Well, the pancetta would.
I also just used some Italian sandwich bread instead of ciabatta.

This was one of those dishes that really exceeded my expectations.
The mashed avocado on the toast, topped with the kiwi salsa and crisp pancetta was the perfect combination of flavors and textures. It really surprised me how yummy this was.
This tasty little snack would make a great breakfast, lunch or snack. Perfect for anytime of the day. It looks kinda pretty too. I can't wait to make it again.





Original Recipe for Avocado Toasties with Kiwi Salsa and Bacon from Epicurious
* I used cubed pancetta instead of bacon, cooking it until crisp and then sprinkled it on top
* I used sliced Italian sandwich bread instead of ciabatta, and just toasted it

Breakfast Recipes & Ideas

My kids started school today, so I thought it was a great time to post some breakfast recipes and ideas. Over the summer I have gotten my children to stop eating cold cereal- mostly because I don't think it is healthy enough or hearty enough for a good start to their day. Here are some of the things we have been eating instead.

Muesli- (pictured above with rainier cherries & walnuts)- This is something my mom always made for us with whatever fresh fruit we had.
You just put raw oats in a bowl, add milk, fresh fruit, and nuts. Then eat it. You can let it soak for a couple of minutes to soften the oats, but we like to eat it right away.
Some of my favorite combinations- fresh peaches, pecans and a little bit of brown sugar
shredded apple with cinnamon & almonds
Recipe for Strawberry Pancakes
* I used low-fat buttermilk instead of milk and 1 Tbls olive oil instead of melted butter

Banana-Peanut Butter Breakfast Pizza- mash a ripe banana with a couple Tbls of peanut butter. Spread it on a tortilla. Sprinkle with fresh fruit. Cut into slices
Hot cereal with different grains- Oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, amaranth (amaranth pictured above with fresh sweet cherries & cashews)
Whole Wheat Toast, Egg & Veggie Scramble- Saute some veggies (I used bell peppers & spinach). Scramble eggs (I added fresh thyme). Make whole wheat toast. Cut the toast and add the veggies/eggs. Eat


Smoothies- I keep frozen banana slices in the freezer and then add blueberries, strawberries, peaches or whatever fruit we have & a little milk. You can also add flaxseed meal, nut butter, or a handful of spinach to up the nutrition level.

Whole grain/wheat toast/english muffin/tortilla with nut butter and fresh fruit or whole fruit spread- I really like Crofter's Superfruit Spread and Simply Fruit

hard boiled egg

breakfast sandwich or wrap- with english muffin, toast, or tortilla, eggs and sometimes turkey sausage & veggies

apple with almond/ peanut butter

Breakfast Banana Split

egg in the microwave- it only takes about 38 seconds to cook an egg just right

fresh fruit, granola & yogurt

muffins (make a double batch and freeze some- they microwave great)

top your waffles and/or pancakes with natural applesauce & nut butter/fruit

For other breakfast ideas check out the Breakfast recipes I have posted in the past.

This morning I made Quick Cinnamon Biscuits for the first day of school as a special treat, using about 1 cup of half & half instead of the heavy cream.

I'm thinking of making a schedule for school days, so I know exactly what I am making for breakfast each day. For example- Monday- hot cereal w/ fruit & nuts, Tuesday-egg based breakfast, Wednesday-smoothie or yogurt/fruit, egg or toast on the side, Thursday- muffins, pancakes or waffles, Friday- hot cereal.

What is your favorite go-to breakfast? What other breakfast ideas do you have?


Today is the last day to enter my giveaway, so head over& comment to get some free stuff!

Beet Carpaccio

I absolutely love going to the Farmer's Market.
A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to get one of the participants' last bunch of chioggia beets. I was so excited, I could hardly stand it.
It was the day before father's day, so I knew that I would be working these beets into the menu somehow.

I love beets cold or warm, raw or cooked, so I was looking for a interesting, new way to serve them.
I don't remember exactly how I found this recipe for Beet Carpaccio, but it looked delicious and I knew it would be a fun way to enjoy our beautiful beets.
This dish has you boil the beets until slightly tender, then the beets are thinly sliced and layered on toasted baguette slices. Cheese, herbs and olive oil are sprinkled/drizzled on top to finish them off.

I used feta cheese instead of blue cheese since that is what I had in my fridge and I knew that beets taste really good with feta.
I also used fresh thyme as the herb for seasoning.

This turned out to be a beautiful and very yummy appetizer. A perfect choice.

(Carpaccio refers to the slicing the beets thinly in this dish. Traditionally carpaccio is a dish of raw meat or fish, thinly sliced, but it is sometimes seen now to mean thinly sliced, and can be used to describe fruits, vegetables, etc.)



Recipe for Beet Carpaccio
* I used fresh thyme to top my beets
* I used feta cheese instead of blue cheese

Fruit Bruschetta

So, are you tired of hearing about the food we enjoyed on my brother's birthday?
I hope not, because this is a really yummy one.

I decided to make my brother a special birthday breakfast and had seen a couple of great ideas that I wanted to try.
My brother loves bread, cereal, muffins, and oats. He could live on those items. He eats a lot of bread. and cereal. and oats. And not just at breakfast time. When we lived in Utah, he would often come home from school and eat a bowl of cereal with a couple pieces of bread.

Anyway, he also loves yogurt.
So, when I saw this idea of fruit bruschetta- a toasted baguette with a little butter and cinnamon sugar, topped with delicious mixed fruit and drizzled with yogurt- I knew this was the breakfast I was going to make him.

I saw a couple of different version's and decided to use the one I saw on Annie's Eats. She used a combination of pineapple, kiwi, strawberries, and bananas. I added some lemon zest to the fruit mixture just to up the flavor a little bit.
I also used a whole wheat baguette. Usually I don't ever put butter on toast, but I figured a little bit for this special breakfast would be okay. I melted the butter before hand and then used a pastry brush to just get a dab on the toasted bread slices.

This was a delicious twist on bruschetta and breakfast. A little time consuming, but completely worth it. It would be great for brunch or Mother's Day or even a mid-day snack. Yummy, yummy, yummy.

The birthday boy was very happy.
I added lemon zest to the fruit
Recipe for Fruit Bruschetta on Annie's Eats

Recipe for Fruit Bruschetta on The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Egg in a Basket with Turkey and Asparagus

We eat a lot of asparagus. It is one of the veggies that my kids always ask me to buy, which I think is a little strange because I can remember hating it when I was a kid. Of course I have never told them that, I just buy it, cook it and we all eat it.

When I saw the picture for these Egg in a Basket's' in Ellie Krieger's new cookbook, So Easy, I couldn't wait to make them. They were in the breakfast section of her book, but we had them for dinner.
My mom always used to make the egg in a basket part when I was growing up, so I thought they would be even more delicious with the addition of turkey and asparagus.
They were so good. We all loved them.
I cooked my eggs longer than the recipe said to, because I don't like runny yolks. I made sure my yolks were completely cooked. That is just my personal preference. Feel free to cook your eggs however you want. I know there must be someone out there who likes having the yellow runny stuff all over their plate. They just don't live here.

The best part is the little round cutout of bread that gets all crispy and delicious. We are going to be having this meal again for sure.

oh, and Happy St. Patrick's Day a couple of hours early. We are going to have our traditional green eggs and ham, but this year we are going to have them on homemade biscuits. Not to mention a lovely spinach/arugula salad.
And we are making homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with fresh mint. I can't wait.
I hope you are wearing green and that you eat at least one green food tomorrow (later today)!
Egg in a Basket with Turkey and Asparagus adapted from So Easy by Ellie Krieger
1 lb asparagus stalks, woody bottoms removed
4 pieces whole-wheat sandwich bread
4 teaspoons butter, melted
6 oz sliced deli turkey, sliced into thin ribbons
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Steam or blanch the asparagus for a few minutes, until crisp tender.
Slice asparagus into pieces.
Using a 2 or 3-inch cookie cutter, cut a hole in the center of each slice of bread; reserve the cut-outs.
Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. Cook the turkey slices until they are browned around the edges, about 3 minutes.
Add the asparagus and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes, then season with the pepper.
Transfer the mixture to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
Place 2 of the bread slices and cutouts in the same skillet and crack on egg into the hole of each slice.
Cook until the egg whites are set and the bread is toasted on the underside, about 3 minutes. Flip the bread slices and cutouts over and cook an additional minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Repeat with other bread slices, cutouts, and eggs.
Top each bread slice with 1/4 of the turkey/aspargus mixture and a cutout.

Cubano Sandwiches

So what did I do with all the leftover Spice-rubbed Pork Loin? I know everyone out there has been dying to know. We could have just eaten it plain because it was so delicious, but in the November 2009 issue of Everyday Food, there was a recipe that called for the pork leftovers- Cubano Sandwiches.
I have never eaten a cubano sandwich or made one, but it looked like the type of meal my husband would love. Meat, more meat and cheese. Not to mention pickles and white bread.
I decided to give them a try, with a few healthy tweaks, of course.
I completely omitted the butter from the recipe. Unless, I am baking or the butter actually plays an essential part in a recipe, I try to leave it out whenever possible.
I also reduced the amounts of meat, more meat and cheese that were on each sandwich. Usually when you see a picture of a cubano sandwich, the meat and cheese are piled high. I reduced it to just a slice or two of ham, one slice of cheese-cut in half, and two thin slices of pork.
Also, I was unable to find Portuguese rolls. I thought about making some, but decided to just use small hoagie rolls instead. I cut them in half, but not all the way through and then layered the sandwich fillings inside.
I also made these in my griddle/grill/panini press thing. Not sure what I mean? It is like this one, but a different brand. I basically just treated this sandwich like a panini and it was ready in minutes.

This was a hit with the entire family. Hubs loved it. Kids loved it. I even loved it. I would make the spice-rubbed pork again, just to make these sandwiches.

Cubano Sandwiches from Everyday Food November 2009
3 Tablespoons butter, room temperature (I omitted this)
4 Portuguese rolls, split (I used small hoagie rolls)
yellow mustard
1/2 pound thinly sliced deli ham (I used black forest ham)
1 pound Spice-rubbed Pork Loin, thinly sliced
1/2 pound Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
sliced dill pickles, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Butter inside of each roll (I skipped this step); spread with mustard. Divide ham, pork, and cheese among bottom halves of rolls. Top with pickles, more mustard to taste, and top halves of rolls.

2. Heat a grill pan and another heavy pan over medium. With a paper towel, lightly coat grill pan with butter. (I didn't do this) In batches, place sandwiches on grill pan and weight with second pan. Cook until bread is crisp on the outside, about 3 minutes per side; transfer grill pan to oven and bake sandwiches until cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. To serve, cut the sandwiches in half.
(I just used my 3-in-1: grill/griddle/panini press to make these. It is kind of like THIS Cusinart Griddler, but not that brand. I only had to put my sandwiches in my indoor grill/panini press and cook them until the cheese was melted. This eliminated some of the other steps)

Cranberry-Pecan Bread

I have really tried not to buy every Holiday Baking Magazine that I see. I have been successful! There have been a couple that I couldn't resist, but at least I am making some of the recipes out of them, so it hasn't been a waste of money.
I saw this Cranberry-Pecan Bread (the recipe originally used walnuts, but I think pecans are better, so I subbed them in) and thought it would be a fun recipe to try.
A basic quick bread with a hint of orange, cranberries and toasted pecans. Perfect for the holidays.
Of course, everything is easier to share when you make it into minis.
I halved the recipe and it made 5 mini loaves.
The recipe says to top the bread with a chopped cranberry/sugar topping, but I was a bit skeptical as to how it would stay on top of the bread, so topped half of the mini loaves with decorating sugar and half with the cranberry/sugar topping before I baked them.
I also reduced the sugar by about 1/4 cup and have been doing that lately in most recipes I bake, because it seems like it doesn't really affect the taste that much to leave out some of the sugar.

When I took out the loaves, I realized that the cranberry topping made the tops of some of the loaves sink a bit, so that is probably why the topping was supposed to be put on after baking. Oh well, I guess that is how you learn, right?
The ones with only the sugar topping was done at 20 minutes. The others took a couple minutes more.

My kids really loved this bread. I also gave a couple of these away, so this would be a good food gift for this time of year.
Cranberry-Pecan Bread from Cuisine at Home Holiday Baking
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cloves
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, divided
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 cup buttermilk (I used low-fat)
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
2 tsp grated orange zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans (the recipe originally called for walnuts)
3 Tbls coarse or turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F; coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
Whisk together flour and next 5 ingredients in a bowl; make a well in the center. Set dry ingredients aside.
Toss 1 1/4 cups cranberries with 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl; set sugared cranberries aside.
Whisk together buttermilk, the remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar, eggs, oil, zest, and vanilla in a separate bowl until fully combined. Pour buttermilk mixture into well of dry ingredients; stir only until dry ingredients are moistened.
Stir the sugared cranberries and pecans into the batter. Pour batter in the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and bread is golden on top, about an hour. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes.
Pulse the remaining 1/4 cup cranberries in a mini food processor (or mince them by hand); toss with coarse sugar for the topping.
Turn bread out onto cooling rack; sprinkle top of loaf with the cranberry-sugar topping. Let bread cool completely before serving.

2 Thanksgiving Stuffings/Dressings- Butternut Squash & Cheese Panade and Savory Butternut Squash Dressing

When I was narrowing down all the recipes I wanted to try out before Thanksgiving, I saw these two different takes on stuffing/dressing that both contain butternut squash. I love butternut squash. I think it has the perfect texture and flavor and could turn a squash-hater into a squash lover.
The first recipe is called Butternut Squash and Cheese Panade. (What is panade? Check out this link or this one for more info) I used a multigrain sourdough bread to make my bread crumbs and made enough for the other recipe that I was going to make later. I also roasted a lot of butternut squash and onions with the herbs, so I would have enough for the other stuffing.
This panade is super simple. You layer your bread cubes, butternut squash/onion/herb mixture and cheese. (I used swiss.) Then you pour in the chicken broth, which is soaked up by the bread and bake it until it is golden and the bread is puffed.
I thought this was really good. Very tasty combination of flavors.
The second stuffing/dressing was Savory Butternut Squash Dressing. I found this recipe in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.
I changed a lot of things about this recipe, mainly because I already had my butternut squash roasted. I also had cooked quinoa in my fridge so I decided to use that instead of the wild rice called for. I also left out the dried cranberries.
I sauteed my onion, celery and fresh cranberries in a little bit of oil and then mixed up the egg mixture. I threw in some cooked quinoa and my toasted bread cubes and then put it in the oven to bake. I liked this recipe better, but I think it is because it had more of the traditional "stuffing" texture that I am used to. I really didn't follow the recipe that closely though. I kind of did my own thing.

I really like how both of these recipes incorporate butternut squash into the stuffings/dressings. I am all about having more nutrition and vegetables at Thanksgiving, so however I can get them in, I will try it. Do you have a favorite stuffing/dressing?

Recipe for Savory Butternut Squash Dressing

Recipe for Butternut Squash and Cheese Panade

B-day stuff: Chocolate Cake with Whipped Frosting and brunch from The Pink Princess Book

Here is my little Ry-Bear. She turned 5 on October 25th. She loves the carousel, animals and dinosaurs, but sometimes has a thing for pink and princesses, too.
When we discussed her b-day cake, her first choice involved pink and princess, but she quickly changed her mind to dinosaurs and green frosting. I asked her multiple times and the dinosaur/green frosting combo was the winner.
She wanted to decorate it, so I let her put the little plastic dinos on top and then all the kids help throw the dinosaur eggs (candy-coated chocolate covered sunflower seeds) on top. Kind of relaxing to let the kids do all the work.
I had no problem getting rid of the extra frosting. The recipe for cake and frosting are below. Nothing too spectacular, but good enough for a birthday.
For her birthday brunch, the birthday girl flipped through the pages of Pink Princess Cookbook and chose a menu. The kids helped me prepare all of the food for our brunch.

I was not planning on taking pictures of this brunch, but my mom and husband both protested when I told them I was just going to have a relaxing time with no pics. They insisted. So, I grabbed the camera when everything was on the table (not the usual place for taking pics of food in my house) and I tried to get a decent shot of the brunch. Bear with me on these :-)
Ry chose Mini-Marshmallow Smoothies to start us off. I adapted the recipe from the book and placed 1 sliced banana, 1 cup sliced strawberries, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1 cup vanilla yogurt, and 1 1/2 cups skim milk in the blender. I blended it well, then poured it into glasses and added the colored mini-marshmallows. (The adults enjoyed smoothies w/out marshmallows).
Next up
Blackberry Biscuits
1 can large-size refrigerator biscuits
1 cup canned blackberry pie filling
1 tsp ground cinnamon mixed w/ 1/4 cup sugar

Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Slice or divide each biscuit in half. Press one half in the bottom of 8 of the muffin cups, covering bottom completely. Leave 4 of the muffin cups empty.
Spoon 1 Tbls pie filling on top of each biscuit half.
Cover pie filling w/ remaining biscuits halves.
Sprinkle tops w/ cinnamon-sugar mixture. I used decorating sugar too
Bake for 15 minutes.
Serve warm.
Fairy Tale Fondue
3/4 cup heavy cream
12 oz white chocolate, chopped
1 tsp vanilla

Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot, about 2-3 minutes.
When hot, add the chocolate and stir until it is just melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla.
Serve with your choice or fresh strawberries, banana slices, pound cake, pretzels, grapes, etc. for dipping
This was Ry's fave thing to help make for the brunch.

Little Ladybugs
12 seedless red grapes
12 toothpicks
12 whole strawberries w/ stems
1 package mini chocolate chips

Place a grape on a toothpick, sliding it all the way to the end of the stick. This is the ladybugs head.
Place a strawberry on the toothpick, stem end first, and slide it down to touch the grape. This is the body.
Lay the ladybug down and carefully push the pointed ends of several chocolate chips into the strawberry to make the spots.
Raspberry Tea Sandwiches
8 slices white bread
1/2 cup soft spread cream cheese
1 Tbls raspberry preserves
1 pint fresh raspberries

Cut bread into desired shapes with a cookie cutter. In a bowl combine cream cheese and raspberry preserves. Spread a thin layer of the mixture on each bread cut-out and place raspberries on top.

Classic Cucumber Sandwiches
1 English cucumber, sliced
8 slices whole wheat bread
2 Tbls softened butter
salt and pepper
cherry tomatoes for garnish

Cut crust off bread and cut into shapes with cookie cutter.
Spread butter on each cut-out. Lay cucumber slices on top.
Season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with cherry tomatoes


The whole brunch was really fun to prepare and even more fun to share. It was a great birthday!

Recipe for Chocolate Cake

Recipe for Whipped Frosting