Bacon Ranch Dip

Fabulous, I could eat the whole thing myself...really.

Bacon Ranch Dip
Source: Plain Chicken

Ingredients:

16 oz sour cream
1 packet Ranch dressing mix
3 oz bacon bits (in the bag not jar)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Mix together. Refrigerate 2-4 hours to let flavors mesh together.

Nutrition: 118 calories, in 16 servings

Brownies

My daughter LOVES brownies, she would eat them everyday if I'd let her. I've made this recipe several times, and it is always a winner with anyone who tries them! 

for the first time this week, I added Chocolate Buttercream frosting, per the HALF birthday girl's request, and they were even more fab!

Chocolate Buttercream

Check out what I've been naughtily eating by the spoonful...

Check out my chocolate Buttercream recipe.

Rainbow Cupcakes

Prior to our Rainbow Birthday Party, we did a "friend" party for just my dolly, and I tested out Rainbow Cupcakes!

These didn't turn out perfect, but the girls loved them, and they were easy.

I only did 4 colors for this one, and used the standard liquid food coloring. If you compare to my rainbow cake, you will see how these definitely were not as brightly colored!

my colors were Red, Orange, Green, Blue...although the orange kind of blended with the red!

Another box mix, separate into 4 equal bowls and color.
Use a spoon to layer into cupcake pans. I tried bags, and found that harder than spooning.
I wasn't perfect with the layers, and they came out with a fun swirl effect.

Happy belated 4th Birthday, Dolly!

Fabulous Finds

Here is what I have been drooling over this week:

Faux Rhinestones with Puffy Paint - Lil Blue Boo
Super Simple Leggings - Make it and Love it (check out the next day post to add a skirt or ruffles!)
Beautiful Maxi Skirt - Elle Apparel
Tire Teeter Totter - Ripe Green Ideas
Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches - the Girl Who Ate Everything (I feel that title could fit me!)
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough CUPCAKE - The Girl Who Ate Everything

Rainbow Birthday Party

My older two munchkins have birthdays 7 weeks apart, but to try to simplify my life, I've usually given them a birthday party in the middle, so then the family only has to travel to their birthday once! As one is a boy and one is a girl, themes are difficult or non-existent...last year they requested a flag cookie cake so we went red, white and blue, this year my daughter is in love with rainbows...so we went that direction!

 I found rainbow fabric, that was perfect to make their birthday number shirts! (I made rainbow hats for D's friend party...but forgot to use them again here!)

Details were so fun! Rainbow cake, rainbow flowers, rainbow skittles, and rainbow balloons!  Simple but packed a punch for cheap!

I found votive holders at the dollar store that were perfect for my painted daisies!

The cake was the fun "surprise"!  I had an idea in my head, and went to pinterest and found lots of examples like I was envisioning.

It was 6 layers and turned out beautiful!  Due to a shortage of time, I used box cake mix, and used two boxes to make the cake.

split the cake into 6 even bowls. I used gel food coloring to get the desired rich colors. I read online to add vanilla yogurt for a moist cake and to make the colors POP. I did this...I had one single serving of yogurt that I split amongst the two cake mixes...I really don't know if it made a difference or not :)

Mix and bake all 6 layers. I made them the day ahead of time and placed in the fridge to keep. If I'd had more time I would have leveled the layers...my cake was a bit wobbly as the middle was taller than the sides!

Perfect!

For the frosting I used a Whipped Buttercream from a recipe I found at The Idea Room - her rainbow cake looks fabulous

2 sticks of salted butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp milk
1 tub of whipped cream

Cream butter until smooth. Add Vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar. It will be thick and lumpy. Add enough milk to make it a nice smooth, thick consistency. Fold in the Whip Cream.

This was just barely enough to frost this cake, and I did very thin layers in between so it wouldn't be too much!

The frosting is delicious and light! I received many compliments on the frosting :) Do note that because it has Whip Cream, it will melt. After frosting return to fridge, and after serve immediately return to the fridge otherwise it'll begin to melt!

Delicious! And Happy Birthday to my oldest two kiddo's!

Snicker Salad

My son's FAVORITE salad is Snicker Salad, my daughter doesn't like it because she doesn't like snickers....seriously, who doesn't like snickers?!?!

Snicker Salad

1 (3 oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1 c. milk
1 (8 oz.) Cool Whip
3 regular size Snicker bars (I prefer to use bite size bars as its less cutting!) - cut into bite size pieces.
3 apples - cut into bite size pieces

Mix Pudding and Milk well, fold in whip cream. Add cut up apples and snickers. Enjoy!

Best served that day. Can serve 1-2 days later, however it does start to get a little runny.

Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

Yum, tastes like a cupcake, but called a muffin meaning you can eat it for breakfast :)

Pumpkin Muffins
Modified from Taste of Home

Ingredients:
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil

Directions

 In a large bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Beat the eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil; stir in dry ingredients just until moistened.

Pour in 24 greased or paper-lined muffin cups.

Bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpickcomes out clean. Cool 5 mintues before removing from pans to wire racks.

FROSTING:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Mix well and frost cooled muffins.

I love to freeze them, who needs 24 at one time? You can freeze them up to 2 months and they still come out as moist and as delicious as day one!

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

A while back I came across a recipe for Cinnamon Roll Pancakes that sounded delicious! I told my husband about them (he typically makes the kids pancakes on the weekend) and he was sold :)

Typically, this is what he does to spruce them up!

So, when the weekend came for Daddy's pancakes, he searched for the recipe without me and didn't find the same one I had found. His recipe called for flour, and it was pretty lumpy and difficult to put in the pancakes. We tried my recipe the next day, and there was too much butter and the mix was too runny!  This weekend we cut the butter WAY down, and here is what we got:

Perfect! (although a little messy this morning :) )

Here is our preferred recipe:
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Cream Cheese Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 ounces cream cheese 

1tsp vanilla

4 Tbsp milk

We use Bisquick pancakes, I know lots of people out there make their own batter, but the Bisquick is so easy!  We tried it with frosty, and although delicious, we prefer in our house to use syrup and whip cream

or on just plain Maple Syrup :)



Yum! Enjoy :)