Archive for the ‘Food & Recipes’ Category

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Red Velvet Cake Batter Ice Cream With DIY Conversation Heart Toppers

Monday, January 21st, 2013

If there is anything better than a beautiful homemade red velvet cake, than it is that same red velvet cake flavor turned red velvet cake ice cream. Red velvet cake batter ice cream is an easy treat to whip up and is a fun one to enjoy for Valentine’s Day.

If you haven’t tried my cake batter ice cream before, this is a recipe worthy of a repeat with all new flavorings. This ice cream recipe is, by far, my favorite recipe for ice cream. There is no cooking of ingredients required, I usually have all of the ingredients on hand in my refrigerator, and the cake mix can be your own favorite variety or a cake mix that you need to use up in your cupboard. It is so rich and creamy and tastes just like your favorite ice cream shop, without the hefty price tag!

To make this ice cream more festive, we topped it with the new Brach’s Create Your Own Conversation Hearts. If you haven’t seen these, they are absolutely adorable and a fun way for kids to practice their writing. Have you children write their favorite messages on their hearts with a food-safe pen or draw tiny Valentine’s Day pictures to decorate them. They would make a fun addition, not only to a fun ice cream treat, but would be a sweet personalized addition to your valentines for your child’s classmates. These little hearts are sold exclusively at Walmart!

Since I couldn’t partake in the red velvet cake batter ice cream goodness this year, I spent some time browsing the grocery aisles to see if I could find any dairy-free options for a birthday treat at the store. Lucky for me, Walmart does offer several varieties of Häagen Dazs sorbets (I tried the raspberry & melon) as well as So Delicious Dairy-Free Creamy Vanilla. They were all so delicious! With sweet treats like this, I didn’t even miss the ice cream this year for my birthday. I’m looking forward to making sorbets and dairy-free ice cream alternatives in my kitchen this year!

In the meantime, enjoy this easy and delicious Red Velvet Cake Batter Ice Cream for a sweet treat with your favorite little valentines!

Red Velvet Cake Batter Ice Cream With DIY Conversation Heart Toppers
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Amy Allen Clark
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 5
A rich and decadent ice cream treat perfect to share with your favorite little valentines!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup skim milk, well chilled
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup red velvet cake mix
Instructions
  1. Place freezer bowl of ice cream maker into the freezer. Chill the freezer bowl for a minimum of 24 hours.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
  3. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla.
  4. Whisk in cake mix, making sure there are no lumps.
  5. Pour mixture into the freezer bowl and let mix until it has thickened (about 25-30 minutes). Remove ice cream from freezer bowl and place into a separate freezer-safe container.
  6. Place freezer bowl and the ice cream into the freezer to further harden (at least three hours).
  7. Serve with your favorite sundae toppings.

I am a part of the Walmart Moms program, and Walmart has provided me with compensation for these posts  My participation is voluntary and opinions are always my own.

 

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Posted in Desserts | 5 Comments »

Dairy-Free Crustless Quiche

Monday, January 7th, 2013

One of the hardest things I did this year was to start eating a dairy-free diet. This dairy-free crustless quiche recipe got me through many cheesy-filled get holiday togethers and was created just for myself for Christmas morning this year. You won’t believe how decadent this dairy-free crustless quiche tastes and, I highly doubt, you will even miss the milk or cheese.

Dairy-free doesn’t mean egg-free for me, but it did mean giving up the cheese and milk in my life. I made an easy transition into drinking almond milk (remember those infamous milk allergy mugs), but other transitions were a little more challenging. Our weekly pizza night now has a special alternative-cheese section for me, tacos and enchiladas also have an alternative-cheese section, creamy & decadent main dishes have been abandoned for now,  and I have had to learn some new ways of snacking. Although it has been challenging, the rewards have been so worth it for my stomach.

Although a round of allergy testing proved, I am not allergic to milk, my body’s response to it is to attack itself for three days straight if I have any dairy. As I get older, I want to deal with that less and less. Who has time to be sick for three days?  Luckily for me, there are many great dairy-free options at the supermarket and natural food stores to keep me full and happy.

What I love about this quiche is that it offers the perfect balance of layers of delicious veggies with an egg mixture mixed with a little spice and the mild flavor of rice milk.

Although many times you need to go to natural food stores to stock up on dairy-free alternatives, this dish can be created with supplies bought at your local Walmart stores. The rice milk is available with a couple of other milk alternative options over by the coffee/tea section of our store. I am becoming a fan of rice milk for cooking and I think you will too!

Don’t feel limited to the vegetable options I am sharing though, the beauty of a quiche is that it can be created from whatever you might need to use up in your vegetable drawer of your refrigerator!

Dairy-Free Crustless Quiche
Recipe Type: Main
Author: Amy Allen Clark
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Total time: 55 mins
Serves: 6
A dairy-free crustless quiche that is healthy, packed with veggies, and loaded with flavor.
Ingredients
  • Dairy-Free Crustless Quiche
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 3 handfuls fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped if desired
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cups fresh mushrooms
  • 1 pint cherry mushrooms, sliced in half
  • 6 eggs
  • 3/4 cup plain rice milk
  • 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
  • 1/8 tsp. black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and heat for one minute.
  3. Toss in chopped bell peppers and mushrooms and cook for five minutes.
  4. Remove from the heat.
  5. In a separate large bowl, whisk together eggs, flour, baking powder, rice or almond milk, salt, paprika, and black pepper.
  6. Stir in the sauteed vegetables and fresh spinach, and stir until well combined.
  7. Pour mixture into a greased pie pan.
  8. Place the sliced cherry tomatoes on top, cut side down.
  9. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  10. Remove from the oven and allow the quiche to set up for at least five minutes.
  11. Cut and then serve immediately.

What healthy eating plans do you have for the New Year? Any advice for someone who is trying to go dairy-free with their diet? I would love to hear your ideas!

I am a part of the Walmart Moms program, and Walmart has provided me with compensation for these posts  My participation is voluntary and opinions are always my own.

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Posted in Breakfast, Main Dishes | 4 Comments »

Dressing Up Store-Bought Pies: Cranberry Crunch Pie Topping

Tuesday, November 20th, 2012

Pumpkin pie rarely needs an adornment more than a little whipped cream on top…that is, until I decided a crunchy cranberry pie topper would be a fun way to ad a little sparkle to a piece of pie. This cranberry crunch topper is the perfect way to add a little sweetness of crushed cookies, adds that tart bite from the cranberries to the top of your pies, and rounds out the crunchy flavor with freshly toasted walnuts.

A quick whirl through your food processor is all these ingredients need to pull together for a quick homemade topper for those store-bought pies. Set out a few of these fun toppings with your favorite store-bought pie or homemade pumpkin pies this year.

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends! I will be offline preparing to host my own family for the Thanksgiving holiday. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with your own families!

Cranberry Crunch Pie Topping
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Adapted from Tyler Florence
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Serves: 8
A simple pie topping created with toasted almonds, tart cranberries, and your favorite cookie
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup pecans
  • 4 ounces frozen cranberries
  • 1 (2.3-ounce) package amaretto cookies (about 12) or (if your store doesn’t carry those, like mine) Vanilla Wafers (about 12)
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Put the pecans on a baking sheet and bake them for 10 minutes to toast them.
  2. Remove them from the oven and let them cool.
  3. Thaw the cranberries in a strainer set over a bowl to catch the liquid.
  4. Put the cookies, pecans, and cranberries into a food processor and pulse them a few times until they are coarsely chopped.
  5. Sprinkle the topping evenly over your pie and serve immediately.
  6. Refrigerate leftovers.

Source: Food Network

 

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Posted in Desserts | 4 Comments »

Dressing Up Store-Bought Pies: Spiced Whipped Cream Recipe

Monday, November 19th, 2012

I remember when I thought that making whipped cream was a labor-intensive process. Ah, I have had so much to learn in the kitchen. Whipped cream is simply one of these easiest pie toppings to make and spicing up your whipped cream is an easy way to add a personal touch to a store-bought pie.

This spiced whipped cream recipe will bring an extra layer of spice to your pies that your guests will absolutely love. The best part is that this easy spiced whipped cream topping can be created in under 5 minutes and with a couple of items you probably already have lurking in your pantry.

In a perfect world we would all be making handmade pumpkin pies made with homemade crusts. I thoroughly love baking, but I also know that it isn’t for everyone. For those of my friends who prefer to put their love in other elements of the holiday, I am going to show some easy ways to spice up those store-bought pies that will take those pies to another level.

Before I became acquainted with the kitchen, I really thought whipped cream was just Cool Whip and homemade whipped cream was a powder that you added water to that made whipped cream.

I really did.

Yes.

I.

Did.

Of course, I know a few more things than I did 10 years ago, but it still makes me giggle to know how detached I was from the culinary world. Whipped cream is actually just heavy whipping cream, whipped until it forms peaks and you can add your own spin on sweeteners, spices, and extracts to create your own unique combination of sweet and spicy. It’s perhaps the simplest and most satisfying of pie toppings.

This Spiced Whipped Cream gets its hint of spices from ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and a little sugar. It is the perfect accompaniment to your pumpkin or pecan pies for the holidays.

Tomorrow I will share with you one other fun topping to try on your pies along with some fun ideas for entertaining the kids! 

Spiced Whipped Cream
Author: Epicurious.com
Prep time: 5 mins
Total time: 5 mins
Serves: 4
Spice up your store-bought pies with this easy Spiced Whipped Cream topping!
Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup chilled whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
Instructions
  1. Beat whipping cream, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon ginger in bowl until peaks form. Spoon on top of slices of pie.


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Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Tuesday, November 13th, 2012

If there is one thing that simply screams Thanksgiving to me, it is the humble pumpkin pie. Today I wanted to share with you my recipe for the best homemade pumpkin pie that can round out your Thanksgiving feasting for the holidays. Not only will I be sharing my recipe for this pie, but I also wanted to share with you some fun tools to add to your baking arsenal.

The first pie I ever made was a Pumpkin Pie. With the ease of canned pumpkin and a few other simple ingredients in my pantry and fridge, it was one of the easiest pies to create and gave me confidence in the kitchen. The crust may have been store-bought and the filling was simple and straightforward, but I truly felt like a rock star in my very own kitchen.

Everyone has their own unique spin on this simple recipe, and today I wanted to share with you a filling that is rich on flavor that is unlike any pumpkin pie I have ever eaten. The richness comes from the well-blended cooked filling,the dark brown sugar, and the delicious combination of spices.


Good tools for pie making certainly make the job more fun and just as I shared with you the fun Thanksgiving centerpiece and table I was able to create through my partnership with Pure Charity, today I am making a beautiful dessert for the holidays using tools purchased through the Pure Charity.

If you have been a longtime reader to our site, you know how important giving back to other is to me. Whether it is the giving done in small ways like “found items,” around our home, to the giving of your talents to those in need, to the bigger projects where you gather your community and really feel like you make a difference.

Shopping through Pure Charity is one of those smaller things you can do that is as effortless as those donations of found items around your home. Holiday shopping will be happening for us over the next couple of months, why not make it shopping AND giving to those who need your support in the process? That sounds like  a win-win!

What is Pure Charity?

Pure Charity is a simple, but awesome concept for giving back to those causes you care most about. Basically, you install a simple toolbar into your web browser and then it alerts you with a small banner at the top when a store you are shopping with has a partnership with Pure Charity. Click on that little button and you are making a percentage deposit into your Giving Fund. Your Giving Fund can then be applied to the charities that are important to you and that you have a desire to support.

Pure Charity asked me to show everyone what could be done via their partners and gave me a small budget to get started. Last week I shared ideas for setting the perfect Thanksgiving table, today I am sharing my delicious Pumpkin Pie recipe, and next week I will showcase some fun ideas for keeping the kids entertained. All supplies were ordered through their partner sites and I have created a Giving Fund for the charities that are most important to our family.
I can honestly say that I have never made a pie from scratch so this was not only a challenge for me, but reminded me that I still have so much to learn in the kitchen. This week I have several fun recipes as we enter the holiday entertaining season and I can’t wait to share them with you!

I found gorgeous pie cutters, brushes, pastry wheels, cookie sheets, and an elegant pie server from Williams Sonoma. My pie dishes are already receiving rave reviews and were just a mere $13 from the Paula Deen collection from Walmart.

What is dessert without a little wine? I have a desire to look fancy, but don’t always have the fund to really pay for the fancy in my life. One trick that I love to do when entertaining is to disguise boxed wine or less expensive bottles of wine in an elegant wine carafe. These stemless wine glasses (both red and white) plus my wine carafe makes entertaining look elegant while not spending a lot of money. I found these over at Walmart through Pure Charity.

Did you know you can even order a turkey or ham for your holiday entertaining through their partnership with Omaha Steaks? If that doesn’t scream stress-free entertaining than I don’t know what does? I may have ordered one for myself this year..Hey, it’s for charity! 

With all of the items I bought to prepare my beautiful pie and serve my wine elegantly, the true bonus was that I was able to put an additional $7.69 towards my Giving Fund! 

Head on over and create your own account with Pure Charity and find a cause that is important to you to give back to when doing your holiday shopping this year!

Today I am sharing my new favorite Pumpkin Pie recipe with you! Once you try this pumpkin pie, you will quickly discover why it is my new favorite pie recipe. Be sure to visit this week’s All Butter Pie Crust tutorial that can be prepared in your handy food processor! Happy baking, everyone!

Homemade Pumpkin Pie
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: America’s Test Kitchen Baking Cookbook
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 40 mins
Serves: 8
Processing the canned pumpkin yields a smooth and creamy pie texture and cooking the canned pumpkin in the spices & sugar helps take away from the canned pumpkin taste without hassling with fresh pumpkin.
Ingredients
  • 1 recipe for a single-crust pie dough (Be sure to check the link for the All Butter Pie Crust)
  • 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup (7 ounces) dark brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 2/3 cup whole milk
  • 4 large eggs
Instructions
  1. Follow the steps given for the All Butter Pie Crust. Line your chilled crust with a double layer of foil and fill with pie weights (or dried beans). Bake until the pie dough looks dry and is light in color 25-30 minutes.
  2. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
  3. For filling (while the crust is baking since you want the crust to still be warm when you add the filling), process the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves together in a food processor until combined, about 1 minute.
  4. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until thick and shiny, about 5 minutes.
  5. Whisk in the cream and milk, return to a simmer briefly, then remove from the heat.
  6. Process the eggs in a food processor until uniform, about five seconds. With the machine running, add about half the hot pumpkin mixture in the feed tube. Stop the machine, add the remaining pumpkin and continue processing until smooth (about 30 seconds)
  7. Immediately pour the warm filling in the warm crust. Bake the pie until the filling is puffed and lightly cracked around the edges and the center jiggles slightly when shaken, about 25 minutes.
  8. Let the pie cool on a wire rack until the filling has set, about two hours. Serve warm or a at room temperature.
  9. To make Pumpkin Pie Ahead- Make your pie dough ahead of time. Once baked and cooled, the pie can be covered loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to one day. Let the pie come to room temperature before serving or, to serve warm, reheat the pie in a 300 degree oven for about 15 minutes.


 

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All-Butter Pie Crust Recipe With Picture Tutorial

Monday, November 12th, 2012

There is nothing like a homemade all-butter pie crust for your pies. Today I wanted to share with you an easy recipe for preparing an all butter pie crust that you can use creating your food processor. I am providing an, “easy as pie,” picture tutorial for pie crust creating and tomorrow I will share my recipe for an absolutely perfect pumpkin pie for your Thanksgiving feasting.

This recipe will yield a double crust which is perfect for those delicious apple pies or you can use your second crust, as shown below, to create cute decorative edges with little pie cutters. I like to call these decorative edges “concealer for the imperfect.”  Let’s be honest, baking isn’t my strongest skill so a girl has to become a whiz at hiding those imperfections. I might do this in a few other areas of my life too…*ahem*.

When it comes to baking, I heavily rely upon my America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book. The recipes are reliable and provide consistently great baked goods for our family. I only checked the book out 24 times before I got it for a holiday gift. It really is that good.

Why Sour Cream?

According to the cookbook, the tiny amount of sour cream you add to this dough makes the dough a little easier to work with, more flavorful, and tender. The acid in the sour cream helps to slow down the gluten development which makes for a more tender and flaky crust. Since they probably tested a hundred pie dough recipes to come to these dramatic conclusions, I will take them at face value.

The crust is everything a crust should be- flaky, buttery, crisp, and light. Best of all, it’s easy to roll and comes together in your handy food processor. It really is the perfect crust and I hope these pictures and the recipe will help you with your own pie crust making for the holidays.

How Do You Blind Bake a Pie Crust?

There is nothing worse than a mushy crust on a pie. There is really no sense in going to all of the trouble of making a great crust, if it isn’t cooked correctly.  To blind bake the crust, simply line the crust with a double layer of tin foil and fill it with pie weights. You can buy pie weights, use pennies, or use a bag of dried beans (as I have shown above).   If you use the beans, place them in a zippered bag and label your bag that these are pie weights so you don’t accidentally use them in your recipes.

Bake until the pie dough looks dry and is light in color, 25-30 minutes. Transfer the pie plate to a wire rack and remove the weights and foil.

All-Butter Pie Crust Recipe
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 45 mins
Serves: 8
“Easy as pie,” pie crust made using all butter and a little secret help from a few tablespoons of sour cream. This dough is a dream to work with and yields a wonderfully flavored and tender crust.
Ingredients
  • 1/3 cup ice water, plus extra as needed
  • 3 tablespoons sour cream
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces and frozen for ten to fifteen minutes
Instructions
  1. Mix 1/3 cup of the ice water and sour cream together in a small bowl until combined.
  2. Process the flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor until combined.
  3. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and pulse the mixture until the butter is the size of large peas (about ten pulses).
  4. Pour half the sour cream mixture over the flour mixture and pulse until incorporated, about three pulses. Repeat with the remaining sour cream mixture. Pinch the dough with your fingers; if the dough feels dry and doesn’t hold together, sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons more ice water over the mixture and pulse just until the dough forms large clumps and no dry flour remains (3-5 pulses).
  5. Divide the dough into 2 even pieces. Turn each piece of dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten each into a disk. Wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before rolling the dough out, let it sit on the counter to soften slightly, about ten minutes.
  6. When you are ready to bake it, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line the crust with a double layer of tin foil and fill it with pie weights. Bake until the pie dough looks dry and is light in color, 25-30 minutes. Transfer the pie plate to a wire rack and remove the weights and foil.



 See you tomorrow with a delicious recipe for Pumpkin Pie that you won’t want to miss! Of course, you can follow all of my shenanigans in the kitchen on Instagram (follow me here). I am quite addicted and love new friends! Be sure to also check out my 7 easy Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Appetizer Recipes and Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes (even those mashed potatoes!) Stay tuned for more posts on my pumpkin pie and some fun ways to fancy up those store-bought pies!

Disclosure: The cooking supplies  are an affiliate link and are provided so you can locate what you need quickly and easily!

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White Chicken Chili

Tuesday, November 6th, 2012

There is nothing more satisfying on a chilly day than a big bowl of chili. I happen to love chili and my favorite type of chili just happens to be the white chicken variety. This white chicken chili is so easy to pull together and happens to be a fast recipe thanks to the convenience of a rotisserie chicken, canned beans, and a box of chicken broth.

The magic with this recipe is in the mix of spices to achieve your own balance of spiciness and smokiness. Garlic and chopped chilies add flavor and help round out the spice and flavor in this easy chili.

It is certainly not the prettiest bowl to photograph, but it doesn’t take away from the delicious flavors you will experience once you take a bite of this. Chili haters in your house? This just might convert them over to the chili-lover crowd. My husband hates chili, but gobbled this satisfying chili up, much to his (and my) surprise.

To create a thicker chili, I used my immersion blender and blended one can of beans into the broth. As I have commented before, my immersion blender gets a daily workout in my house, whipping up my favorite lattes and blending soups. For less than $20, it has served me well over the years and earned its keep in my kitchen.

The trick with my quick soups and chili is the rotisserie chicken. It costs relatively the same as an uncooked bird and saves loads of time. If you like this recipe using the rotisserie chicken, be sure to check out my Quick Weeknight Chicken Noodle and my Greek Lemon Chicken Soup for a couple more ideas on how to put those chickens to work in your kitchen!

White Chicken Chili
Recipe Type: Main
Author: Amy Allen Clark
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 4
An easy white chicken chili is the perfect way to warm up on a chilly day! This recipe is sure to convert any chili-hater into a chili-lover!
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped (I do omit this and add 1 teaspoon onion powder instead)
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile
  • peppers
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 small pinch of cayenne pepper (or adjust to your own personal taste)
  • 3-4 cups chicken broth (depending on how thick you like your chili)
  • 1 rotisserie chicken
  • 3 (15 ounce) cans Great Northern white beans, drained
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (for topping, optional)
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender.
  2. Mix in the garlic, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne.
  3. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender (a few minutes).
  4. Chop or shred the meat from your rotisserie chicken for your soup.
  5. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken, and two cans of white beans.
  6. Reserve the third can of beans as a thickener to your chilly. Mash these beans or blend with an immersion blender. Add this can of beans to your chlii broth. Stir well.
  7. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  8. Remove the mixture from heat.
  9. Ladle into individual bowls and top with cheese, sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips.

Have a favorite chili recipe? Feel free to share it here or link back to your own favorite bowl of delicious chili!

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Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Monday, October 29th, 2012

Sometimes old recipes bear a little repeating on MomAdvice. These Snickerdoodle Cupcakes are the type of recipe that deserves its honor on our site over and over again. These Snickerdoodle cupcakes taste just like a fresh baked snickerdoodle cookie and are made from a simple cake mix. If the taste of the snickerdoodle cake isn’t enough for you, these Snickerdoodle Cupcakes are topped with a delicious cinnamon buttercream frosting to round out the cinnamon flavor!

If you haven’t tried this recipe for Snickerdoodle Cupcakes, you must try them because they are the most delicious cupcakes ever. It earns its top spot in my most requested cake category in our family and happens to be my own personal favorite too.  These easy cupcakes are made from a cake mix (you can use white or yellow cake mix) with the addition of a few pantry ingredients that takes the cake to another level.

Struggling with frosting decorating? The best arsenal I have in my cake decorating tools is the Wilton 2D tip. It only costs a few dollars and can make your cakes look professional with just one swirl with this tip.  Start at the edge and swirl towards the center for cupcakes that look like the ones above or swirl from the center to the outside for a simple rose effect. I like to  leave the cinnamon cake edges peeking out of the sides so people can see the brown cinnamon color on these. This sweet and simple swirl is all you need to make these cupcakes look professional and still offer the beauty of a homemade treat.

I hope you can give this recipe a spin! Snickerdoodle Cupcakes are the perfect way to celebrate the big or small things in life! Serve them up plain or add an adorable handmade cupcake topper for any of your holiday occasions!

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Adapted from The Cake Mix Doctor Cookbook
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 22 mins
Total time: 27 mins
Serves: 16
Snickerdoodle cupcakes are an easy semi-homemade treat you can make for all of life’s occasions. The best part is they taste just like a fresh baked snickerdoodle cookie.
Ingredients
  • 1 package plain white cake mix or yellow cake mix
  • 1 cup whole milk (I used skim milk and it still tasted delicious)
  • 1 stick of butter, melted
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • Frosting:
  • 1 stick butter
  • 3 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
  • 3-4 Tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and flour & grease or line your cupcake tin.
  2. Place cake mix, milk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Blend for three minutes (stop to scrape once).
  3. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop batter into your cupcake tin and then bake for 22-25 minutes.
  4. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely.
  5. For the frosting, beat butter until fluffy.
  6. Add all other ingredients.

Recipe adapted from The Cake Mix Doctor Cookbook.

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Homemade Playdough Recipe

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012

As the weather turns cooler, I start thinking of indoor activities that our kids can enjoy together and making homemade playdough is always top on our list of activities to do. Homemade playdough lasts forever and can be created in whatever vibrant shades your heart desires. This homemade playdough recipe is an easy one to create from items you already have in your pantry and homemade playdough with a big stack of cookie cutters? Well, that just equals hours of fun in our house.

When my kids were younger and funds were low in our house, I was always whipping up something out of our pantry for them to do. We created everything from Kool-Aid playdough to pudding finger paints to hauling in the snow to a big bin of unpopped popcorn kernels for a sand table. Seriously, when your kids are small, is there anything that you won’t do for a just a few moments of peace?  Even though my kids are older now, many of these items can still keep them pretty busy and one hour of peace is incredibly priceless…no matter what age they are.

This homemade playdough recipe is a surefire winner in our house and I keep our cookie cutters on hand in my lunchbox station just for these moments. The only problem they usually have is keeping me out of them playdough myself since no matter how old I get, there is still something therapeutic about rolling playdough between my hands.

I hope you love this recipe as much as we do and be sure to explore those links below for other fun ways to keep your kids entertained during the cooler months.

Homemade Playdough Recipe
Recipe Type: Kid Craft
Author: The Ultimate Book of Kid Concoctions by John E. Thomas
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 3 mins
Total time: 8 mins
Serves: 2
An easy homemade playdough recipe that you can create from items in your pantry. It is a rainy day, snowy day, too cold to play outside, too lazy to take the kids out in the yard….or whatever your dilemma, surefire recipe winner.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup salt
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
  • Food coloring (of your choice)
Instructions
  1. In saucepan mix flour, salt and cream of tartar. Add water, oil and food coloring. Cook about 3 minutes or until mixture draws away from pan. Cool until you are able to handle it. Knead until smooth and place in an airtight container.


 

 

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Giveaway Closed: Ninja Cooking System : Review & Giveaway (With an All-in-1 Chicken Piccatta with Quinoa Recipe)

Monday, October 15th, 2012

Sorry! This giveaway is now closed! We would like to congratulate Amybee (Comment #10) on winning this cooker! We are so happy for your family, Amy! Thank you all for your entries- I wish I had one to give away to each of you!

I am so excited to share with you today’s review and giveaway of the Ninja Cooking System. If there is one thing I love, it is a smart kitchen gadget that can save you time & money in the kitchen. This review of the Ninja Cooking System is going to blow your mind with it’s awesomeness and the best part is that I get to give a Ninja Cooking System away to one of our readers.

I love my slow cooker, but there have always been some things about it that have created more work and dishes for me because of the traditional three temperature cooking knob. The Ninja Cooking System seems to solve many of my issues that I have had with the slow cooker due to its 3-in-1 cooking system that will leave you wondering, “Now why didn’t I think of that?”

Here are just four things that really set the Ninja Cooking System apart from your traditional slow cooker. 

The Stovetop Setting

Let me set the scenario for you that I would have to do with my slow cooker. First, I would go to my stove and brown my meat and make a huge mess around my stove with splatters and then I would try to pour my meat into my slow cooker once it was brown, creating dishes and a drippy mess along the way.

With the Ninja Cooker, you simply switch your dial to Stovetop and place your oil or butter right into the bottom of the pan to sear or brown your meats to the desired consistency. The depth of the cooker helps to keep splatters away and you don’t have to dirty a pan in the process.

The One Pot Ease

Pictured here  the meal that we enjoyed the first night we used the Ninja Cooking System. In this single pot is six cooked chicken breasts, one pound of asparagus, and four servings of quinoa… all in one pot!

The pot comes with a small rack and roasting pan that you can use to create layers in your dishes or can be used to bake items. The pot is definitely not roomy, but it can get the job done for a family of four or can provide a great roasting rack for a smaller whole chicken or turkey.

The Oven Setting

No need to heat up the kitchen in the summer months, you can set the oven setting on the Ninja Cooker to the desired oven temperature and roast or bake right in the cooker, simply by switching the dial. Even items like desserts can be baked right in the cooker, allowing you to free up your oven especially during the busy holiday season.

Can’t you just imagine how awesome this would be in scenarios like camping or in a hotel room when you want to save money and still eat well? I can’t wait to transport this with us!

It’s Cleans Up Like a Dream (I’m Not Kidding)

It is no exaggeration when I say that I put the insert of the Ninja Cooking System in my oven and the food fell away when I sprayed it with water. I cleaned it in five minutes flat and that was with a big batch of quinoa in the bottom. What would normally require a good soaking or a lot of elbow grease, was tidy in just a couple of swishes with dishcoth.

It does a lot more than that though, but those were the highlights for me! I am sharing a recipe from the booklet that I created in our kitchen and I want to give you the opportunity to win one of these for your family! Read the contest guidelines after the recipe and good luck to each of you! 

Chicken Piccata with Quinoa (in the Ninja Cooking System)
Recipe Type: Main
Author: Ninja Cooking System Recipe
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 4
Here is one example of an easy one pot dish you can create in your Ninja Cooking System!
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 1/4 pounds boneless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup uncoooked quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Instructions
  1. Stir flour, salt , and black pepper on plate. Coat chicken with flour mixture.
  2. Add oil and butter to pot. Set to STOVETOP HIGH and heat until butter is melted. Add chicken to pot. Cook uncovered ten minutes or until chicken is lightly browned on both sides. Remove chicken from pot.
  3. Add broth, wine, lemon juice, and capers to pot. Stir in quinoa and heat to a boil. Place roasting rack into pot and place chicken on rack. Place rack into pot and place asparagus on chicken. Set OVEN to 300 degrees for fifteen minutes. Cover until chicken is cooked through, asparagus is tender, and quinoa breaks apart.
  4. Remove asparagus and chicken from pot. Stir quinoa mixture. Turn off pot. Let quinoa mixture stand.

To enter to win a Ninja Cooking System of your own (retail value $159):

• First Entry: Leave a comment and let us know what you love about the new Ninja Cooking System!

• Additional Entry: Let us know you are a fan of MomAdvice and join the MomAdvice Facebook Community.

• Additional Entry: Follow me on Twitter and get an early scoop on what I am up to and future giveaway opportunities with MomAdvice.

One winner, chosen at random, will receive a Ninja Cooking System (retail value of $159). Please submit your entries by Tuesday (10/23) at 8PM EST. Our winner will be drawn at random. Good luck, everyone!

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Posted in Giveaways, Main Dishes | 312 Comments »

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