Blueberry Bliss Icebox Dessert

This last week my beautiful parents celebrated thirty-three years of marriage!! Truly, they are a lovely example of a Christ-centered, selfless, strong-and-sweet marriage. I was looking up the traditional and modern gifts for a thirty-third anniversary, and all I kept seeing for year 33 was amethyst.

Great! I'll just go buy an amethyst paperweight . . . not.

Just a little gardening . . .

So, as promised, here's what my garden looks like so far this summer! I can hardly believe our spinach and potatoes are finished . . . it feels like it went so fast! I guess that's what happens when spring ends and summer begins -- onto the later harvests!

Like cherry tomatoes!! Yikes! This thing is overtaking my yard! The kids can't even store their bikes back here anymore due to the huge limbs hanging off this tomato plant!

Valentine Chocolate Chip Butter Cookies

At the end of this month I will have hosted, helped with and/or attended five parties...four of which revolve directly around children.


That's a lot of partying.


And a lot of kids!


I wanted to make something fun for my daughter and her friends for one of her (two) Valentine's Day parties this week.

My original plan was to make Valentine butter spritz cookies using  my (new antique find!) cookie press.

Isn't this fun?!?

I found a good recipe base from this book:

Since I lost my 1960 Betty Crocker cookbook in our fire, this has been one of my best resources for key recipes.

Unfortunately, the butter cookie recipe from the book did not halve well, or press well, and needed a lot of love.



 My new recipe makes fabulous, pink, buttery drop cookies with tons of tiny chocolate morsels!


Enjoy with a party... (even a party of one!)


Valentine Chocolate Chip Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter or margarine
1/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
red food coloring (5-7 drops)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two large baking sheets.

Cream the butter and sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer.

Add the flour, eggs, baking powder, and milk. Mix on high again until the dough is thick and sticky.


Add however many drops of food coloring desired and mix on high again until the color is well-incorporated into the dough.

Finally, fold in the chocolate chips!

Scoop small, level drops onto the baking tray. I was able to fit about 15 per tray.

Bake for 10 minutes.


So pretty and fluffy and yummy!

I had to sample one...

Bundle already approves, so hopefully the kiddos at her party will too!

I've been waiting and waiting for a reason to fill this beautiful cookie jar my mother-in-law gave me!

Perfect. All full! Bundle helped me load it up!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

<3

Earl Grey Breakfast Biscuits with Lemon Sugar Glaze

My daughter's play group is having a tea party this week, and we get to be the hostesses!!

Isn't it every little girl's dream to have a giant tea party with all her friends? (Okay, maybe not every girl's, but definitely mine!)

Another generous mommy offered to bring the culinary fare, but in the spirit of tea time, I made these breakfast biscuits just for me and Bundle to eat tomorrow morning.

I cannot wait!



...okay...I totally already had two....shhhh.



This recipe calls for both brewed tea and tea leaves, so the flavor is great! The honey lends a sticky texture to the batter, and the lemon gives it a perfect kick.

Enjoy with tea.


Earl Grey Breakfast Biscuits with Lemon Sugar Glaze

Ingredients:

Biscuits

1 cup cooled earl grey tea
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. melted butter
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 c. flour
1 regular bag of earl grey tea leaves, dry
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Lemon Sugar Glaze

1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 T. lemon juice
1 T. milk


Instructions:

Mix the sugars, butter, salt, vanilla and brewed tea with a hand mixer or stand mixer on high for one minute.

Brewed and cooled tea

Add the egg. Mix again for one minute. Add the flour cup by cup, mixing in between each addition.

Next add the tea leaves (I just cut the bag open, and dumped it into the batter!), lemon juice and honey. Mix again on high for one minute, or until batter is thick, sticky, and all ingredients are incorporated.

Scoop batter into small (about 2 inch) heaps onto a prepared baking sheet. I treated them sort of as a drop biscuit. This recipe makes about 2 dozen, so I placed the biscuits about 1 inch apart, 12 per sheet.

Bake at 325 for ten to twelve minutes, or until golden brown.


While baking, prepare the lemon sugar glaze:

Stir lemon juice, powdered sugar and milk together until it forms a creamy, thick icing.

When biscuits come out of the oven, transfer immediately to a cooling rack or serving platter. Drizzle generously with lemon sugar glaze.


And of course, as usual... taste them immediately!

Bundle tested them out this morning. Result: "More cookie!"

The lemon and earl grey flavors pair perfectly together, and I can't wait to make them again!



Enjoy with life. And tea. <3

Inspiration Station

What kinds of things inspire you?

I want to try something new on this blog. I usually use it as a simple record to remind myself what I cook and bake on a regular basis. But the more I post, the more I notice people actually view what I post!

This blog is one of the things that really sparks my creativity and pushes me to try new things. So I want to know...if you read or have ever read this blog, even once...what inspires you?

The beginning of a new year is the perfect time for me to hear from others, to try new things, and to reflect on how these new findings inspire me further!

What sparks creativity in you? Excitement in your soul? Challenge in your mind? Growth? Encouragement? Laughter? Beauty?



I'd love for you to comment, using just two words: the object of inspiration, then what it inspires (i.e. tea, friendship -- fresh air, healthiness -- libraries, curiosity)


Here are mine. :)

1. Light, Seasons.

White Christmas lights inspire me to decorate warmly throughout all seasons.

2. Tea, Health.

My current favs (Harney & Sons Peppermint Herbal and Republic of Tea's Downton Abbey Mrs. Patmore's Pudding) inspire the renewal of my health goals -- more yoga, less sugar!

3. Store-made, Homemade.

Toys that sit for weeks without being played with inspire creativity to make a new toy or game with my daughter.

4. Aromatherapy, Cleaning.

zum mist® aromatherapy room and body spray inspires me to clean! (got this from a dear friend for Christmas, love it!!)

5. Planner, Newness.

Blank pages in my new planner inspire me to fill them up with friendships, my family, and new adventures!



Your turn! What sparks happy, brio-filled things to your day? <3

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie

**Disclaimer** I am not a foodie, nor do I pretend to be {in public}. This recipe probably has a zillion things wrong with it from a gourmet standpoint. However, it's cheap, tastes great, and is fairly simple. Hope you enjoy it for what it is...a fun experiment!



For weeks I've been aching to make a pumpkin pie. This is mostly because I baked up several of our fall pumpkins a couple months ago, pureed them, and froze them. And they've sat patiently waiting for the holiday season to be baked into something delicious!!

Unfortuately, Thanksgiving and Christmas rendered zero extra time, energy or oven space, so alas, the pumpkin puree sat. Finally yesterday evening, {New Year's!}, I had the time, energy AND oven space to tackle a pumpkin pie. I had some sweet potatoes on hand that needed using, so I combined several recipes of mine and created this.

It turned out pretty tasty, even though it's technically not pumpkin pie season anymore!

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Pie {with Crumb Topping}

Ingredients:

Pie Crust:

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. cold margarine
1/4 c. ice water

Pie Filling:

1 c. pumpkin puree (or canned pumpkin will work too! You may have to bake it longer.)
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. orange zest
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
3 eggs
3/4 c. milk

Crumb Topping:

1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. oats
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon


Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt and sugar for the pie crust. Cut in the cold margarine. When thoroughly combined, pour the ice water on the top of the mixture. Knead gently with your hands until you can lift the crust dough with your hands into a greased pie pan.

Using your hands, press the crust into the pan, leaving it about 1/2 inch thick. Press sides of crust as desired.

Next, beat the pumpkin, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, orange zest, brown sugar and salt in a large mixer. When well-combined, add the eggs. Beat again. Add milk, and beat again. The texture of the filling should seem liquidy, but creamy.

Pour the filling into the pie crust. Bake for 45-50 minutes, depending on how hot your oven runs. I baked my pie for exactly 50 minutes. If you are using canned pumpkin, it should only take about 40 minutes. I add lots of water to my pumpkin puree. ;)

Remove from oven and allow at least ten  minutes to cool. I loved this pie warm with cool whip, but I love it even more cold. Store in the fridge for up to one week.

Although if you're like our family, you won't need a whole week to get rid of it!

Enjoy with life, and happy holidays. <3

Lemon Thyme Yogurt Chicken

Happy 2015! 

I decided to make our family's New Year's Eve dinner the actual special holiday dinner rather than do something fancy for New Year's Day. This is a delicious, healthy, easy, fix-it-and-forget-it kind of meal.

Lemon Thyme Yogurt Chicken 

Ingredients:

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 large lemon, juiced and zested

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1/4 (a tiny bit goes a long way!) ground nutmeg

1 Tbsp. fresh, finely chopped thyme

Instructions:

Thaw chicken if frozen. In a large ziplock bag, combine all ingredients except lemon zest. Set aside zest for later. Gently shake or toss the bag to completely coat all chicken. Allow chicken to marinate for two to four hours in the refrigerator. 

When ready to cook, remove chicken from bag, but do not discard the marinade. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place chicken in a small 8 x 8 in. greased baking pan. Pour marinade on top of chicken, and top with the lemon zest, thyme, and extra salt and pepper if desired. 

Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. 

I served it with steamed carrots and peas, crescent rolls and apple pecan spinach salad. We also had some leftover white chocolate pudding (thanks, Mom!!), but since we never replaced our sorbet dishes and don't have any smaller bowls, I served it up in my ceramic measuring cups with a clementine garnish. :)

Adorable decorations Bundle helped us make!!

White Chocolate Tangerine Pudding :)

New Year's Eve success! I can't wait to spend the rest of this day relaxing with my family, and can't wait to see what the new year of 2015 will bring.

Enjoy with life! <3

Poor Girl's Coffeehouse Hot Chocolate

Bundle and I went trudging about in the blustery cloudiness to run some errands and (of course) ended up at our favorite local coffee shop. It has the cutest play area for kids in the back, so I figured Bundle could run off some energy with a few other kiddos. I thought seriously about ordering something warm to sip and share with my daughter -- she LOVES to eat all the whipped cream off the top of anything I usually order -- but, as aforementioned in this blog, our family is on a pretty tight budget.

After greeting all her toddler friends and making certain the colored chalk and train tracks were well-loved, we left, sans warm, whipped topping, fall drink. And there is nothing about that I regret!

I'm learning quickly that there is far more value (and joy!) in contentment than want.  From the comfort of our messy sweet, warm home, Bundle and I worked together on creating a hot chocolate masterpiece. Bundle helped measure and pour the milk, and in no time we were wrapped in blankets on the couch, watching Elmo and sipping our special mother-daughter treat together. This in itself was priceless -- a homemade gift that I am thankful to have received as well as given.

<3

Any time I crave something with Starbucks-worthy steamed milk, I use this method. It seriously couldn't be easier, and NO fancy barista equipment is required.



Enjoy -- with homemade, heart-warming love, in your own home, with your own dearly-loved.


Poor Girl's Coffeehouse Hot Chocolate

I even found the perfect little coffeeshop cup with a kid-friendly lid for Bundle!

Ingredients:

2 cups whole milk
1/4 c. chocolate syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
whipped cream and cinnamon for garnish

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, heat milk and vanilla on high setting, constantly stirring with a whisk. Once milk is steaming, add chocolate syrup and turn down to medium heat. Continue stirring until almost boiling. (You will begin to see tiny little bubbles floating to the top.)

Pour immediately into desired mugs and garnish with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon. Serves two, and just a little extra. :)

Craving something with a little more caffiene?? Try this.


<3

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Okay, I admit...I'm always looking for a reason to celebrate. And...I'm always a sucker for something sweet. Today is definitely no exception.

This town has had two-hundredths of an inch of rain in the last two months! My husband and I hadn't seen, heard, felt, smelled rain for months! :( Needless to say, our flowers and lawn have been brown for a very long time. Finally last night we experienced the first downpour since we've moved! To call it incredible would be an understatement. After dancing in it and holding out our tongues to catch it, we even posted our excitement about it on facebook. Reason to celebrate? I think yes.

I found this Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe on BettyCrocker.com... it's quick, easy, and perfect for a laid-back celebration--even if you're celebrating the first rain of the summer!

Ingredients:

2 ripe (or slightly overripe!) mashed bananas
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 egg
1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp.  baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate candy

How To:


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Whisk together bananas, oil, yogurt and egg until well combined. {The bananas will make the mixture slightly lumpy.}

Add all dry ingredients except for chocolate chips and whisk just until flour is moistened.  Fold in chocolate chips or chopped chocolate candy {I used Hershey's Kisses!}.

Using a large ice cream scoop, fill each muffin cup 3/4 full.

Bake for 17-20 minutes. Allow ten minutes to cool, then devour! {Or of course, save for your celebration!}

So what do you have to celebrate today? If anything, just celebrate the fact that you are about to eat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins!! :)