Santa Cupcakes

I always like to try my hand at new things.  I'm not even average at decorating cakes or cupcakes with frosting but I do love to eat them so I keep trying.  Rylee wanted to bring Santa cupcakes to school so I did a quick pinterest search.  Found a picture of a santa cupcake with a dead recipe link and used that as inspiration.  I think these turned out really cute and anyone can do them!  Each one will be different and have it's own little personality.  I am happy to report they were a huge hit with preschoolers and teachers alike.

Ingredients

2 dozen cooled cupcakes

8 oz block cream cheese softened

2 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp lemon juice

dash of salt

5 1/2 cups powdered sugar

red sugar crystals

red cinnamon gems

confetti tiny sugar candies (or something eye colored and round)

rainbow sprinkles (or something mouth shaped)

Instructions

1. Bake your favorite cupcakes.  I used a vanilla cupcake, but any kind will work.  Let these cool completely before decoration.  You will have enough frosting to decorate two dozen cupcakes.
2. Mix cream cheese, vanilla, lemon juice and salt until creamy and completely incorporated.
3. Mix in the powdered sugar on low a little at a time, until it's all added.  Then mix on medium for a few minutes until the frosting get a bit fluffy.  You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowls a few times.
4. Each cupcake needs a thin layer of skin colored frosting.  Put 1/2 - 3/4 cup in a bowl.  Then to the frosting in the small bowl, add 4 drops of yellow, 3 drops red and 1 drop green food coloring.  Mix completely so there are no streaks.  The frosting will be a peachy skin tone.  Top each cupcake with a thin layer of the peachy frosting,
5. Now put your red sugar crystals in a bowl and dip each cupcake in the crystals in a crescent moon shape.  Pretty thin, this will be his hat.  You can try to make it a bit longer on one side to add the ball at the end of his hat,
6. Place your white frosting in a bag with a small star tip or in a ziploc bag with a small snip in the corner.  Make small dots along the edge of the red crystals and a bigger one where you want his hat to have a ball.  Then continue the dots all the way around the cupcake.  Make another layer at the bottom for his beard.  Add two dots where his mustache and mouth will be.  Look at the picture as a guide.
7. Place a cinnamon gem for his red little nose.  Two eye colored confetti's for his eyes.  And a pink or red rainbow sprinkle for his mouth,
8. You're done!  You can immediately sample as my children did.  And I did pop them in the fridge for a few hours before transporting to school.  Some say this may dry them out but it does save the frosting if they tip over in transport, which mine almost always do!

Pinterest Inspiration Photo

This link was dead when I clicked, or maybe because I'm in USA and don't have proper fonts.

http://thebestcupcakerecipes.com/christmas-santa-cupcakes/

Three Bean Turkey Chili in Slow Cooker

What did you hear early this morning?  I heard three little girl voices exclaiming:  Snow!!!  Snow!!!  First I thought, brrr and then chili of course, but I had errands and school pickups today.  I know people leave pots simmering but I can't do that if I'm not at home.  I don't even like the coffee pot to be in on mode even though it has an automatic shut off!  Slow cooker to the rescue again.  This chili is simple, healthy and has a nice smokey flavor thanks to the chipotle chili powder.  And as all chili lovers know this will taste even better the next day so be happy to have those left overs.

Ingredients

1/2 cup diced onion
1 lb ground turkey
2 cans of tomato sauce (15 ounce)
2 cans diced tomatos (15 ounce)
1 - 2 cups of chicken broth
1 can kidney beans (15 ounce) drained
1 can black beans (15 ounce) drained
1 can northern beans (15 ounce) drained
1 jalapeño minced (add two if you like it spicier)
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder, sprinkle for meat
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Recipe

1. Cook onion in pan over medium heat until slightly browned.  Add ground turkey.  Sprinkle chili powder over meat to season.  Cook until meat is done and no longer pink, stirring to crumble
2. Add meat mixture and all other ingredients to slow cooker.  Add more spice and jalapeño for spicier chili.  Add 1 cup broth for thicker chili and 2 cups for a more soupy chili.  You can always add after it cooks awhile too.  
3. Cook for 6-8 hours on low.  Or you can cook an hour and high and 1-2 hours on low.  The longer you cook the better the taste.  Serve chili with cheese to garnish if you wish

Super Easy Slow Cooker Cheddar Broccoli Soup

School is in full swing now, busy in-and-out schedules keep us moving all day.  We still manage a family dinner each day and I am now understanding my mother's love of the slow cooker.  Start dinner, run and grab the kids take them to after school activities and come home to a done or nearly done meal.  It's magic!

This recipe was my first attempt at cheddar broccoli soup.  I wanted something that is creamy and hearty but a little healthier than the traditional soup.  I also didn't want to dirty a bunch of pans and needed it to cook while I was running the kids around, hence the slow cooker.  As an added bonus my four year old loved helping me add the ingredients to the slow cooker.  I used my immersion blender but didn't quite blend enough so I tried out my normal blender and it was perfect.  The soup was just shy of being deep enough and my immersion blender was splashing a bit.  It's hard to believe there is no cream or whole milk in this recipe!

Ingredients

4 cups of chicken stock
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
6 cups fresh roughly chopped broccoli
1 cup peeled and washed shredded carrots
3 cups cheddar cheese (we love tilamook sharp cheddar)
garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste

Recipe

1. Pour the chicken stock and flour into the crockpot.  Using a whisk combine until the flour is completely incorporated.
2. Add broccoli and carrots.  Cook on low for 3 hours or until broccoli is cooked.  
3. Remove 2-3 cups of the broccoli, don't worry if you get carrots too.  Chop these and set aside.
4. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper now.  I just add a sprinkle of each.
5. Add the cheese a cup at a time and let melt.  Stir it up before each addition.
6. Blend until smooth with immersion blender then add reserved chopped cooked broccoli.  If you don't have an immersion blender you can use a normal blender but be careful the soup is hot! Allow to heat a few minutes if the soup has cooled.
7. Serve with a sprinkle of cheese.

Healthy Banana Pumpkin Ice Cream

I had eight very ripe, with tons of those little brown spots, bananas sitting on my counter.  It was only a matter of time before the pesky fruit flies appeared.  I hate those things, they seem to hide and one always pops up days later.  I wasn't in the mood for baked goods but had been craving pumpkin ice cream.  So we experimented and loved the result.  A healthy ice cream that the girls could have for breakfast if they wanted to!  I've seen many variations (nutella, peanut butter, maple walnut) of banana ice cream, and plan on trying some others next time I have an overripe bunch.

Ingredients

4-8 bananas, whatever you have that is nice and very ripe
1/2 - 1 1/4 cup of pureed pumpkin
cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to taste

Recipe

1. Slice your very ripe bananas into coins, lay out on a cookie sheet lined with waxed or parchment paper and freeze them for 1-2 hours.  Some people squeeze fresh lemon on them before freezing to preserve the color.  
2. If you froze for longer than 2 hours you will want to allow the slices to warm up for 15 minutes.   Put 1/2 cup of pumpkin in blender then add half of your bananas.  Blend.  You will will have to stop and stir and mash a bit until the mixture gets moving.  Add more bananas as mixture gets going.  Do you not add liquid if you plan to freeze later, it will cause ice crystals.  Blend until smooth once all the bananas are added.
3. Taste the ice-cream.  Do you want more pumpkin flavor?  Add more pumpkin.  Add your spices a little at a time now too.  Keep tasting until you get the flavor your family prefers.  The bananas will taste different depending on how ripe they are so you will likely make a different recipe each time.  Tasting is fun anyways!
4. You can serve the ice cream soft serve now, we love it this way!  Or put into a freezer container with a lid and freeze for 2 or more hours.  Then you can pull out and scoop.  It scoops best if you let it warm up for 10-20 minutes first.

Easy Slow Cooker Apple Sauce

If I am not moving in a whirlwind of activity during the daytime, I think I'd actually lose my balance. Since breakfast needed to cook 20 minutes with no help from me I had to occupy myself.  Surplus or orchard apples and a slow cooker, criss cross applesauce!  It's so simple and makes a great healthy snack or addition to a packed lunch.  The scent is amazing.  I've noticed in the past few weeks our neighborhood has had new homes go up for sale.  If I had an open house this time of year, forget baked cookie smell, I'd cook up some applesauce in my slow cooker and leave a big bowl of local apples to sample.  No applesauce to share though, that's all for the owners who have to work at a spotless house!

Ingredients

8-10 apples
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp honey
1/2 cup water
brown sugar or maple syrup to taste (optional)

Directions

1. Peel apples.  I usually cut them in four around the core then half those pieces.
2. Combine all ingredients, expect optional sugar, in slow cooker and mix together.
3. Cook on low for 6 hours.
4. Mash apples with potato masher for a homey chunky sauce or use immersion blender or mixer for smoother sauce.  
5. Taste the sauce.  If you want it sweeter add a tablespoon of brown sugar or maple syrup at a time until it suits your taste.  If you want more cinnamon add it now.
6. Sauce keeps for 3 weeks in the fridge.  You can also jar in for longer storage.  Serve warm or chill for later, yummy both ways.  Enjoy!

Sun Dried Tomato and Spinach Frittata

We are having a sudden heat wave here in Ohio.  You know the kind that prompts you to desperately run out looking for a kids swimming pool big enough for you to fit in!  Michael is not overly fond of breakfast for dinner but I found an exception, frittata.  You can make so many variations of frittatas and they come out amazing.  We had fresh spinach, sun dried tomato sausage, parmesan cheese and eggs, the makings of an tasty frittata that had my girls asking for seconds and thirds.  These are also great ways to sneak in veggies or meat for a picky eater.  They are easy to make, clean up and won't heat up your house on a hot day.  Perfect for a September heat wave or anytime!

Ingredients

1 cup pasteurized egg product (like real eggs from Costco)
4 eggs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded and some more to sprinkle on top
pepper (to taste)
1 tsp olive oil
2-3 links pre-cooked sun dried tomato sausage chopped (we like aidells or another nitrate free brand)
2 cups baby spinach (packed)

Recipe

1. In a large bowl combine egg product, eggs, cheese and pepper.  Whisk until yolks are completely incorporated.  If you use a 10 or 12 inch pan to cook you can add 2-4 more eggs.
2. Chop sausage.  Chop spinach.  You can removed the large stems you see, some people don't like the texture with the stems.
3. Heat oil in pan over medium.  Add sausage and cook for a few minutes.  Add spinach and cook until just wilted.  Change heat to low.
4. On low heat add the egg mixture.  Stir everything together and make sure meat and spinach is evenly distributed in the pan.
5. If using double frittata pan.  Cover with second pan and cook on low for 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese then cover again with the second pan.  Using oven mits flip the pans.  Cook on low for another 10 minutes.  
6. Using oven mits flip back over and slip frittata onto a plate.  Slice and serve, enjoy!
7. If using oven-proof pan.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cook on low until the eggs on the bottom and edges are set for about 10-15 minutes.  Place in oven and cook 7-8 minutes or until eggs are cooked.
8. Using oven mits removed pan and slide onto a plate.  Slice and serve, enjoy!  
9. If using non oven-proof pan.  Cover and cook on low until the eggs are set for about 15-20 minutes.  Using oven mits slide onto a place.  Slice and serve, enjoy!

Feels Like Fall Flourless Apple Crisp

Tonight our family will be enjoying the sunshine and pool.  They kept it open an extra weekend after labor day, hip hip hooray!  But this morning was chilly and our local orchard has beautiful fresh apples out, so fall is on my mind.  What better bridge from summer to fall than apple crisp with sweet vanilla bean ice cream.  If you are like me you've made this many times.  Most of the recipes I see online have so many ingredients and way more sugar and topping than my fresh apples need.  So it was time to get cooking on my own.  The result was so good, I just might have to make it again next week.

This school year I am going to try to create a new recipe each week.  Looking to balance taste and health.  I'll spare anyone out there reading my recipe failures, but will share the ones we like.  And at the end of the school year I'll have some nice additions to my online recipe holder.  Enjoy the summer to fall bridge weeks!

Ingredients

6-8 medium apples sliced (use the ones marked good for pie or baking)

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter chilled cut into small pieces

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat Oven to 375 degrees F.  Lightly butter or oil an 8 inch baking dish or large pie dish.
2. In a large bowl combine sliced apples, maple syrup and cinnamon.  Pour mixture into baking dish.  You will want enough apple sliced to fill the dish but not overflowing, you still need to add crumb topping.
3. In a medium bowl combine the remaining ingredients (except nuts) using a pastry blender or two knifes until crumbly.  Keep blending until crumbly or you'll have loose ingredients that won't bake as well.
4. Sprinkle crumble on top of baking dish.  Depending on the dish you may have more than you need.  In that case feel free to eat it!
5. Bake for 45 minutes and serve warm.  Vanilla ice cream is a wonderful accompaniment.  Enjoy!

Banana Oat Whole Wheat Waffles

 

Labor Day weekend has come and gone.  When I was in school this marked the end of summer, the time to catch those last bits of sunshine before the school year began.  Now living in Ohio our children are already in school two weeks before Labor Day.  But it's still feels like the last bit of summer before school starts.  Our neighborhood pool closes on Labor Day so there is always a crowd of swimmers, the last jumps off the diving board, last ice creams at the pool, last lazy dinner while the kids splash around.  And for us it also means we just spent an amazing weekend in northern Michigan at my in-laws cottage.

Now back to food.  What does this have to do with waffles?   Oops I left a bunch of bananas out and they got very ripe while we were away.  So I created this recipe using my favorite combo of whole wheat/ground oatmeal/flour.  I like to top waffles with cinnamon, sugar, more bananas and toasted pecans.

 

Ingredients

Dry
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
Wet
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp. melted butter
2 eggs or 1/2 cup pasteurized egg product
2 large ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk

Recipe

1. Blend oatmeal in a blender for a minute or two.  I actually shake mine around to get it all blended.
2. Put blended oatmeal and all dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Whisk ingredients until combined.
3. Place wet ingredients in blender.  Blend until combined.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients.  Mix just until combined, batter will have some lumps.  Try not to over mix.
5. Cook according to your waffle makers instructions.  Enjoy! 

Almond Flour Banana Muffins

 

Looking for some tasty snacks that don't pack a huge sugar rush?  My good friend recommended that we try almond meal. These muffins were yummy, just sweet enough with a little salt taste and filling.  The girls could eat them in the evening and we didn't have to worry about a huge running frenzy afterward!  They also made a great breakfast along with some fruit.  You can taste the butter used in the batter so there is no need to add any.  I may even try to half or omit the butter next time.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
3 cups blanched almond flour or almond meal
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
3  eggs or pasteurized egg product
2 large or 3 medium very ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup, use less if the bananas are very ripe and sweet
1/4 c up melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c up or so chopped pecans

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line a cupcake pan with wrappers.
2. In large bowl whisk almond flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder and cinnamon together
3. In medium bowl mix eggs, bananas, honey, butter and vanilla together until combined.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just until combined.  Do not overmix.
5. Fill muffin cups and top with chopped nuts.  Bake 20 minutes for muffins and 12-15 minutes for mini muffins.  Or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Cool for one minute in the pan then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.

Recipe inspired by 

This recipe inspired by justapinch.com

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This recipe inspired by nuts.com

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