The Christmas Baking Has Begun

Well every year I say that I am going to do a wonderful baked good tin to go along with Christmas cards for my co-workers and friends, and can you believe it that every year I never follow through! I will do one batch here and there but nothing like the vision that I create in my head! I told myself I would actually do it this year and I intend to!! My plan is to do a couple different cookie for the next few days and then I can put together tins and freeze any left overs for Santa and Christmas day!

I started out with a recipe I found in Taste of Home Cookies & Bars magazine I picked up on our last Lowes trip.

Double Drizzle Pecan Cookies
1/2 cup butter softened
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups chopped toasted pecans
Carmel Drizzle
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
Chocolate Drizzle
1 ounce semi sweet chocolate
1 tablespoon butter

1. In a large bowl cream the butter and brown sugar till light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

2. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls and roll in pecans. Place on ungreased sheet for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

3. in a small saucepan bring brown sugar and cream to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in confectioners sugar. Immediately drizzle over cooled cookies

4. In a mall microwave-safe bowl melt the chocolate and butter, stir until smooth. Drizzle over cookies and let stand until set. Store in air tight container.

Here is the dough balls... rolled in pecans then pressed down slightly


Here are the naked cookies after baking and cooling...


Heating the carmel topping on the stove


The cookies with the carmel topping drizzled over them...


And the finished product... cookies with chocolate and carmel topping!




Tada... the first cookies for the tins are complete! Stay tuned, more to come!

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Jack-O-Lantern Cuppies!

As I was driving home the other day I got this great idea for a Halloween cupcake that I had never seen before. I got the idea of carving a cupcake just like you would a pumpkin! Fill the pumpkin with yellow frosting a.k.a the candle light! and then draw the face on the front. So I decided to try it out. I grabbed a box yellow cake mix and added some food coloring to get an orange color. I then cut into the top to carve out the center. I filled it with yellow icing and then put the top on. I placed a piece of pretzel in for the stem and then proceeded to draw on the jack-o-lantern face!


Now not every single one turned out like my vision I must say! So I experimented with the decorating just for fun! I also added some orange sparkles to the tops of some of the jack-o-lanterns and that gave them that extra something that they seemed to be missing!

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Hamburger Cupcakes... Yes I too made them!

Well when I came across the hamburger cupcakes on Bakerella and Flicker I just knew that I had to try them out. They are so cute and fun! So I decided to do just that! I just used cake mix and a brownie mix as it was quick and easy!

I started by making the brownies and letting them cool. While the brownies were cooling I made the cupcakes. Once the cupcakes had cooled I cut them open and started to make the hamburgers! I used green frosting for the lettuce and then red and yellow for the ketchup and mustard.




After I had the burgers made I did slightly tap a cloth with water on it on the top of the cupcake and shake on some sesame seeds



I then took Bakerella's idea and made sugar cookie french french fries to complete the dessert!!



I took the extra brownie bits and cut them into bite size pieces and served them on a plate. The extra cup cakes I frosted and put out on a plate. I planned to just use the extra frosting and make them Halloween-ish however I feel they look more like Marti graw! haha OH WELL!


Maximus begged me to let him help but he had to sit this one out! He was not thrilled about it either! LOL


Here they are just one more time!! Soooo Cute!! Thanks for the idea Bakerella!!

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OMG

OMG... I just had to change my about me from "Hi I'm 25 years old to... Hi I'm 27 years old" EEEKKKKK OK OK so I do not turn the big 2 7 till tomorrow but I thought I would just prep ahead of time.

This is just insane. I know I had taken a break from the blogging for about a year but it seriously felt as if it was 6 months! How does the time fly so fast the older we get? My Mom always said that when I was growing up but I just figured she was old and didn't know what she was talking about! (sorry mom!) But the older I get I realize that my Mom was right about... like EVERYTHING she used to preach to me that went in one ear and out the other!

Oh the things we learn as we grow! I love you Mom! Thank you for being my mom and having me! I know I have been freaking out about this birthday but I am just glad that I have you and glad that I have a birthday at all. YOU ARE THE BEST!

(Ok... sorry for the mom love shout out... but it's my birthday... so be nice :))

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I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts!

hahahaha... so we cracked open a coconut this morning and all I could think about was that song... there they are a standing in a row. Big ones small ones... some as big as your HEAD!

Ohhh it made us laugh so I thought it might make you laugh...

I got a fun idea of something to bake this weekend from Bakerella and from some Tastespotting images I saw... So be excited!!

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Stuffed Jalapenos!

Well I know this post is LONG over due! Be kind to me all... Sometimes life just gets to be soooo over whelming and finding the time to blog is hard. Not to mention having the cord to my camera being lost for about 6 months... SO I took these pics with my phone so bare with me on the quality! I know that summer is coming to an end but fall is still a great time to BBQ and this is a wonderful starter item that can easily be done on the grill or in the oven!!

Jason and I are just addicted to these starters that sometimes this what we have for the whole meal because we fill up on these babies!

Stuffed Jalepenos
Jalepenos
Cream cheese (not the whipped kind... trust me that stuff just bakes right out and disapears)
Bacon

So the first step is the most work and the worst! I do not know if it is the oil from the peppers or what but when I cut these open I gag my throat burns my skin burns and itches everywhere it is like an alergic reaction. I mean it could be... who knows... so back the my point! The first step is to cut the pepper open and gut them ( take out allt he seeds) Now I have tried this numerous ways but I think doing a half pepper works the best. So as you can see in the pic below I have gutted the pepper and filled the half pepper with cream cheese and am now preparing to wrap it in bacon!

Again as I said please forgive the quality! I do have the camera cord (it's some where around here....right?) so these pictures were taken a little while ago so yes they are grainy and bad lol

next step is to place a toothpick in the pepper to hold the bacon in place so that when the pepper cooks the bacon holds the lovely cheese filling in.



I decided to bake these. I placed a cookie sheet down then wrapped it in foil. I then placed a rack that you use to cool cookies on and put the peppers on the rack... this way while they cook the fat that drains off will go below and peppers will not sit in it. When they are done you just let the grease cool on the foil, take the foil off and throw it out! It makes clean up a breeze!



I also decided to bake because you get much more even cooking. With the grill you have to have a lot of time to watch so that the bacon does not start to burn or cook faster then pepper is cooking. If the pepper is not cooked enough it does not get soft and it can be sooo spicy that sme people can't handle eating it. Once the bacon is done and going to have a crispyness to it take them out and serve!! The hardest part is going to be waiting for these to cool long enough before you start to eat them!! Trust me it is worth the waiting cause burning your tounge is the pitts!



Ta Da!! There they are... with the big bowl of pineapple we were eating as well in the background! So I have missed you all (I mean I hope I still have readers....YIKES)

I hope everyone is doing well and with fall around the corner it is the prefect time to bake! SO be prepared for all the sweet treats to come.

Sinfully yours,

Heather

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Tastespotting...

I went to look at tastespotting this morning... as I do most morning... and this is what I saw...



I am so sad.... what is going on??? I feel so incomplete not knowing the full story... will anyone else start something in it's place??

If someone knows something please let me know!!!

:O(

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Flower Cakes

Howdy Doody--

Well Happy Father's Day!! I was at home by myself today and decided to try out making flowers out of candies like I had seen Bakerella do on her page... I had different stencils of things I wanted to try... and realized that I left them at work! So I just busted out the flower like she did to give it a whirl!

I just used a white cake mix that I had in the cupboard (trying to save money!) so here is how it went...

I started out by taping the paper down to a cookie sheet and then taping the wax paper over that!
Then started to do the first layer...

Then u fill it in with the next color... Once that set in the freezer for about 10 minutes you just peel them off...

I tried to make a pair of flip flops but they did not turn out so hot!


Then I decided to spice up the cupcake batter and try to give it a swirl of two different colors... I started with the blue...

then I put some white in the middle and a little more blue on top...

Look at how perfect the tops of these cupcakes look...

I had to bite into one hot out of oven... minus the frosting because that is my favorite way to have them...



You can see where there were some air bubble in the candy... and it was my first time so next time will be better.. but I am still rather proud of my silly little cakes... it looks a bit like a 7 year old drew them... but I'm ok with that :O)


Sinfully Yours,

Heather

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I got Tagged!!

I was tagged by Cassie @ HowToEatACupcake

The rules:Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What was I doing ten years ago?

Hmmm... I was 15... and it was summer time... I was working at Hampshire Village Properties... and prob trying to talk my mom or dad into letting me stay out later with friends... and my dad had just bought me my car 1998 red mustang that I still drive to this day... I was begging him to treach me as it is a stick so I could drive it in October when I turned 16!!

What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today?
1. Get my blog for "Chicken Spaghetti" posted
2. Vaccum when I get home and straighten the kitchen
3. Figure out what I want to bake so I can have a blog or two this weekend!
4. Take the movies back to BlockBuster
5. Take Jason dinner at work since he is there till 11pm!!

Five snacks I enjoy:
1. Atomic Fire Balls
2. Chocolate-covered pretzels- Flips-- You know where it's at Cassie!!
3. Alloutee cheese with fresh french bread
4. Reduced fat Cheese ITS- They have more crunch then the normal ones
5. Famous Amos cookies - I never buy these as I can eat the whole box I am sure-

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Open a bakery or resturant
2. Buy a new bigger house on a lot of land so I would have NO annoying neighbors! and have a guest house built for Brenda to come move in!
3. Buy a vacation home
4. Travel all over the world
5. Give a lump sum to my family and friends so they could come and visit me whenever I wanted them too... and they would have do it cause I gave them all that money!

Places I've lived:
1. Moorpark, CA
2. Newbury Park, CA
3. Chico, CA ---C -H - I - C - O-----> gotta love those college days!
4. Marietta, OK
5. Ardmore, OK

Jobs I've had:
1. Receptionist-- my first job at 13
2. Retail... Pottery Barn and GAP
3. Executive Asst
4. AP and Office work

Tag, you're it....
Flour Arrangements
M's Projects
Glass Slipper Cakery

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Chicken Spaghetti Bake

Hello Hello--

Sorry it has been so long since my last post... I got busy last weekend and with the heat it is unbearable in the kitchen!! Well today's post is not sweet but it is yummy! A co-worker of mine has talked about "Chicken Spaghetti" that is a family recipe... I finally got it from her and decided to try it out, here it goes...
Chicken Spaghetti Bake
Ingredients:

3-4 Chicken Breasts -I used 4
16oz pkg Vermicelli- I had bought a 24oz pack on accident.. I just left about 1/4 in the bag if you cannot find Vermicelli it is very similar to angel hair2 cans Rotel -I used 1 can of hot and 1 can original-see the picture below
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup- I use the 98% fat free-- it really cuts calories and tastes the same as the original, unlike "healthy request" which has a completely different (wacky gross) taste!1lb Velveeta -cut into cubes
1 Bell Pepper chopped
1 stick Butter- I opted for smart balance stick 50/50 see pic below
1 onion chopped

Directions:
1. In a large pot,boil chicken breasts until done. Shred and set aside.
2. In the same water you cooked the chicken in, cook Vermicelli until
done. Remove, rinse and set aside.


3. In a large pan melt butter and add chopped onion and bell pepper.
Saute until tender.

I tried to give this picture a heart! Because I love it... But then I cut it off somehow :o(

4. Add Rotel and Cream of Chicken Soup to onion/bell pepper mixture. Stir
until blended.

Those Habaneros do the trick if you want to spice something up!!


5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
6. Add Velveeta to your Rotel mixture stir and cook until melted.

7. Once cheesy mixture is melted add chicken and stir then add
Vermicelli. You will need a LARGE pan… this ends up being a huge
mixture.9. Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish and cook in oven for 30 min or until
bubbling- I had to use a 11x15 pan and look how full it is!! I also only cooked it for about 20 minutes and it was hot and bubbling..


OK and now for the review... IT IS GOOD!!! Spicy from the HOT Rotel... and cheesey... I know this is not the healthiest but I made healthy choices with the butter and soup! I think you could use less butter too cook the veggies in... and it would be fine! I also think I will half the recipe if I make it again as you can see how big that pan is... Both Jason and I ate it for dinner and I packed it for lunch and we have only eaten....


I think if you have a big family and you like left overs this is a great dish... It really did not take that long to make and it has a good flavor.. I also think for all you non-meat eaters... that you could sub tofu or a chicken subsitute very easily and get good results! I think it would be good with cream of mushroom soup also.... just as a couple variation ideas... It is very good though with that spicy kick!! I recomend you try it if you are up for some spicy cheesy good times!!

Sinfully Yours,

Heather

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