Do They Like My Creation?

Sorry I’m a little MIA it’s been crazy with work and now with both boys home it’s a little nutty around here.

Ok so I have to confess when I post something on Pinterest I secretly keep checking to see how many people like it or pin it.  You post something you make and it’s like waiting to see if your picked for the cheerleading squad.  Most times I will at least get a few of each, so when I posted my Graduation Cake Pops I thought I’d be the hit of the town.  But sadly it was like trying out for the cheerleaders in High School I was left tired warn out and full of the fake smiles as they walked by me putting the black ball in the bowl.  YUP not one like or repin, so I thought I repin it a few days later to see what I would get.  Yup it was like what I felt like when I came home to say I didn’t make the cheerleading squad.  LOL

Ok I can’t be alone, right?  Ok come on fellow pinners you have to feel this right?  Oh man I feel like I hit the bad side of the lunch table again … hehe!

Sorry little guy you didn’t get the reviews I thought I would.

When it rains it pours …

Well I am talking about the weather we have been having lately, but in our personal life it seems to be the same too.  Sadly Rick is still with out a full time job, I must give the guy credit he has applied to 5 to 10 new jobs everyday but sadly nothing.  Thankfully he has been able to pick up some part time work and we’re making it work.  And it’s nice that summer has started and he is able to help with the kids. 

Well back to the rain … hehe … It’s very cold around here so my crockpot and stove top have been getting a work out.  I found another yummy soup to keep our bellies warm.  I found this Cheeseburger in Paradise Skinny Soup on the recipe kitchen site.

Cheeseburger in Paradise Skinny Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 1½ cups onion, chopped
• ¾ cup celery, diced
• ½ cup carrots, diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1½ teaspoons dried basil
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans Swanson’s reduced sodium chicken broth (4 cups)
• 1 cup reduced-fat milk (1%)
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, not drained
• 2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced

Topping

• 6 tablespoons reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• Ketchup
• Yellow mustard
• 1 dill pickle, chopped

Directions

1. In a large nonstick pot or deep pan, brown the ground beef. Stir to break up into a crumble. Remove from heat, pour into a colander to drain the fat. Set aside.

2. In the same pot, add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic and basil. Saute for about 5 minutes until vegetable are soft.  Stir in the browned beef and flour, stirring to coat the meat. Cook for 1 minute. Stir in the broth, milk, tomatoes and potatoes. Bring to boil, turn heat to simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

3. To serve: Ladle soup into individual bowls. Top each with 1 tablespoon cheese and a little ketchup, mustard and chopped pickle. These toppings really add to the cheeseburger flavor!

Makes 6 main course servings (1½ cups each)

Weight Watchers

(old points) 4
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 5

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Wait don’t throw out those bananas …

I must admit I LOVE LOVE banana bread but since I’ve been dieting (and just to finally say it I’m down a little over 21 lbs!!) I haven’t been eating a lot of my favorite foods.  BUT thank you Pinterest I have found yet another amazing recipe.  AND it’s only 1 point for you weight watcher people!  And heck the kids loved it of course with some butter but heck they need the calories!

Ingredients:

• 3 bananas, mashed
• 1 cup Splenda sugar substitute
• 1/2 cup natural applesauce
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixer, mash bananas, add Splenda and mix.

Mix in rest of indgredients.

Pour ingredients into a bread pan sprayed with non-stick spray.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes; cake tester should come out clean when done.

Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

*If using a dark coated pan, bake at 325 degrees and bake a little longer; cake tester to should come out clean when done.

I used an organic strawberry applesauce packet that the boys love (I didn’t have any other and it worked perfect).

YUMMY and you can even have 2 pieces!! Enjoy, have a wonderful Monday!

Graduation Cap Cake Pops Made

I like to make something for the class as they move to the next grade.  I found several things on Pinterest for Graduation but I’ve been dying to try out this cake pop pan my mother in law bought me.  So I came up with an idea to make a cake pop and then add a graduation cap on top to make it look like a little graduation head.  Cole’s school colors are red and black.  Here is what I came up with.  What do you think?

 

First off I made a Vanilla Cake Pop from the Baby Cakes Shops.  It was a simple recipe and I did like they said and put it in a piping bag (aka poor person ziplock bag).

Ingredients:
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• ½ cup milk
Directions:
1. Combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and creamy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.
3. Alternately blend in flour mixture and milk into butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
4. Fill each cooking reservoir with about 1/2 full. 
5. Bake 350 for 20 minutes.
6. Allow to cool and glaze or coat, as desired.

You Will need:

• Wilton Candy Melts (In your School Colors)
• Cake Pop Sticks
• Graham Crackers
• Peel Twizzlers
• Frosting (Something you can use like glue to stick the hat on top)

I made the cake pops stuck them in the freezer while I melted some red Wilton candy melts and dipped them in it.  I then put them in the fridge so they would firm up.   I then took graham cracker rectangle and broke in half to be like a square for the cap.  I dipped that in black candy melts and let them sit on some wax paper before they hardened I took some peel twizzlers  to look like tassels hanging off the hat.

Check out the step by step here, plus you see my helpers .  I only had one cake pop stand (I even sent Rick to Walmart and couldn’t find another one).  So we did some extra and did them with out a stick in a cupcake holders.

So Friday we wrap up the 2nd grade.  I hope our goodies are loved.

End of the Year Teacher Appreciation

Cole’s last day of 2nd grade is on Friday {insert sad face here, and maybe a little panic of a house full of kids}.  His school is a private school with small class rooms, his current class is 1st and 2nd grade.  So he’s had the same teacher for the last two years.  I wanted to do something a little special for her.  And of course my love of Pinterest has given me many ideas.  I have made two for her today, tonight I will be making cake pops that look like graduation heads … lol wish me luck!

First off I made this really cute personalized Water Bottle I found on Circuit your Classroom.  I used my cricket for the first time to make it.  You can always print onto construction paper if you don’t have a cricket (a personal cutting system).

You Need:

• Water Bottle
• Construction Paper (2 colors if use cricket)
• Tape
• Ribbon

You can either print out the words on the paper or use the cricket: “Have a Cool Summer Mrs/Mr. ….”.  Cut paper to fit your water bottle.  I used a large flavor water from Walmart.  I found some cute desk tape at the dollar store that had numbers to tape the top and bottom.  You can also tape and then put ribbon on top and bottom if you like.  I tied some celebration ribbon on and it’s done!

My second project was a fun Summer Tote I saw on Skip to my Lou.  I found everything at Walmart for around $30 to $35.  My bag was a little larger then the one I saw on Pinterest so I added some tissue paper on the bottom to bring everything up.

You need:

• Beach Bag
• Beach Towel
• Flip Flops
• Cup
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen Lotion
• Magazines

Open your bag (if yours is large like mine fill with tissue paper).  Arrange the items in the bag.  I also added the personal water bottle I made from above.  I added the tag she had her link didn’t work so I printed in word the words and then used my cricket again to make a yellow and then an orange sun (make one smaller and place on top so you see both colors) to make the tag.  Words “All year you worked hard to make learning fun. So now it’s your turn to relax in the sun!”  Add a cute little sun chair from clip art and your done.

So there you have it some fun thing to do for the teacher in your life!  Here are a few more pictures to show you .

Summer Time … Watermelon Cupcakes

I’ve been seeing the watermelon cupcake on Pinterest for a while and I’ve wanted to try them out.  All the links I clicked on only had a picture.  So I created my own.  I took a yellow cake recipe added some red food coloring and some chocolate chunks.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 8 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Chocolate Chunks (or mini chocolate chips)
• Red Food Coloring
• Oreo Cookie (I added one at the bottom this doesn’t have to be done)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 - 8 inch round pans. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Add in your red food coloring (I use Wilton Gel).  Once mixed well add in your chocolate chunks (chunks look like actual seeds). If you want put a Oreo at the bottom then/or pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly tapped. Cool 15 minutes before turning out onto cooling racks.

Easy Pudding Frosting

For the frosting I made one I’ve seen again on Pinterest but I couldn’t find an actual link to the recipe.  So why not create my own link!

Frosting Ingredients

• 1 package Cream Cheese (Room Temperature)
• 1 container whipped topping (Room Temperature)
• 1 package of vanilla pudding (I used pistachio)
• 1/2 to 1 cup of Vanilla (depending on how thick you want it)
• Food Coloring if needed

Directions

Cream together the cream cheese and whipped topping.  Once mixed completely add in pudding. I used pistachio for the color and the taste.  Slowly add in 1/2 cup of milk mix and if you need it to be thinner add another cup of 1/2 cup of milk.  Add food coloring if you want it to be a deeper green. Once mixed together you put in a piping bag (or a Ziploc bag with corner cut off).

Now Frost your cupcake and tada you have a Watermelon Cupcake with an Oreo bottom if you please.