Mini Candy Jars

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always enjoyed making little gifts for people. Nothing fancy or expensive, just simple and sweet. Mostly, I made them for my great grandmas and great aunts. My mom was always helpful and supportive when it came to me wanting to make something. Now as an adult, I have found that I still enjoy doing this....only now, with my children. Last year, we made these hot cocoa cones. They were a lot of fun and super easy to make. This year, we decided to make these little candy jars with recycled baby food jars (*Never throw out baby food jars. They can be used for so many things!). I think they turned out pretty cute. :)

You will need:

baby food jars with lids (any size)

spray paint (your color choice)

kids paint (Crayola makes a great paints)

paintbrush (fine tip works best)

ribbon/rafia

candy

First, spray paint your lids. Depending on the color, you may need another coat. While the lids are drying, get your kiddos ready to paint. We started with the snowman and used their fingertips for the body. While that was drying, we moved on to something else. My daughter chose a wreath and Christmas tree and my son chose hot cocoa with marshmallows (I like his thinking!). The only thing I really helped them with were the snowmen. When all was finished, we added little white dots for snow. When the jars were finished drying, we added the candy, put the lid on and added a little bow...voila! A cute little Christmas jar filled with your favorite holiday candy.

My daughter really enjoyed this activity. It definitely involved patience. My son started out great, but towards the end was ready to be finished. I always love seeing their paintings and drawings. There is just something about kid artwork that makes my heart happy. It is just so sweet and full of life. I love it!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Up until the other day, I had never made red velvet cupcakes. I tried one once and wasn't too crazy about it. However, when I came across this recipe for white chocolate peppermint cream cheese frosting, this was the cupcake that accompanied it...so, I decided that it was time to give red velvet cupcakes another chance. And, I'm so glad I did! They were delicious and oh, so pretty! Perfect for the holidays!! On top of that, they were very easy to make. So, grab your baking partner (my 7 year old daughter fit the job description) and get started.

Red Velvet Cupcakes (Recipe from Anne Byrn)

1 box plain German chocolate cake mix

1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix

1 cup sour cream (you can use light if you so desire)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 bottle (1 oz) red food coloring

3 large eggs
1 cup miniature chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with liners.

2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, food coloring, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend on low for 30 seconds and then increase to medium speed and mix for an additional 4-5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Fold in chocolate chips. Your batter should be a beautiful red color. Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each cup, filling it 3/4 of the way full. You will get between 22-24 cupcakes. Place the pan in oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

3. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Carefully remove cupcakes from pan and allow to cool completely before frosting.

White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, softened

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

2 to 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

Candy canes (optional)

1. Place the white chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave oven on high for one minute. Remove the bowl from the oven and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until smooth. Set the chocolate aside to cool.

2. Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined, 30 seconds. Add the melted white chocolate and blend on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Add the peppermint extract and 2 cups of the confectioners sugar and blend on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 30 seconds more. Increase mixer speed to medium and mix an additional minute or until frosting is fluffy (adding 1/2 cup more sugar if needed).

3. Frost cupcakes as desired. I decided to add chopped candy cane to the frosting before I frosted the cupcakes. It added a nice touch to the cupcakes and I liked the crunch effect when biting into the cupcake.

**If you are piping the frosting on the cupcakes I recommend doubling this recipe. I did not have enough frosting for all 24 of my cupcakes. You use more frosting when piping versus using a spatula. I also wish I would have had extra white chocolate to put chocolate shavings on the top. You really can do all sorts of fun combinations with this cupcakes. My daughter liked putting the candy canes right on top. I used Wilton tip 2A for piping these cupcakes.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

We are experiencing our first real snowfall this morning and it is quite lovely. There is something very peaceful about watching the snow fall, especially when inside, enjoying a hot cup of coffee and a warm blueberry muffin. Now that winter apppears to be here, I have been making fresh muffins in the morning. It seems to be the perfect way to start our day, especially when it's freezing cold outside. I discovered this recipe just the other day and cannot get enough of these muffins! They are packed with nutrients and incredibly good to eat...not to mention very simple to make. I hope you are warm and cozy wherever you are!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins (recipe source)

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup skim milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey

1 egg

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup frozen organic blueberries - do not thaw! (I use Cascadian Farms...they are delicious!)

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 12 regular sized muffin cups with cooking spray, or place paper baking cup in each muffin cup. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

2. In large bowl, beat milk, oil, honey and egg with a spoon. Stir in flours, baking powder, and salt just until flours are moistened (batter will be lumpy). Gently fold in blueberries.

3. Divide batter evenly into muffin cups (cups will be full). Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan.

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Cupcakes

This recipe is actually for pumpkin bread, but I decided to try it as a cupcake recipe and much to my surprise they turned out great! The cupcakes tasted exactly like the bread always does...very moist and delicious!

I got this recipe from a military friend years ago and it has become one of those recipes that I make every year. I usually make it in the fall (but in mini loaf pans). I keep a few loaves for myself and give the rest away to neighbors and friends (the mini loaves make great gifts). Because I love cupcakes like I do, it was fun to change this recipe up and get to enjoy a cupcake version of my favorite pumpkin bread. However you decide to make it (either as a mini loaf or a cupcake), you really can't go wrong. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Cupcakes
3 1/2 cups flour

3 cups sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups canned pumpkin

1 cup olive oil

2/3 cup water

4 eggs, beaten

12 oz pkg Reese's peanut butter chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cupcake pan with liners (grease mini loaf pans, if using these). Mix all ingredients together, blending well after each addition. Pour mix into prepared cupcake pan (or mini loaf pans) filling 2/3 full. Bake 25-35 minutes (or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean). Bake an additional 10 minutes if using the mini loaf pans. Makes 36 cupcakes or several mini loaves. Allow to cool completely before enjoying!

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

These cupcakes are perfect for this time of year! They are super easy to make and beyond delicious! They are so moist and flavorful. They really do taste like caramel apples, but are so much easier to eat. If you aren't a fan of caramel, simply omit the last step. These cupcakes are so yummy on their own, they don't need a topping. The nice thing about this recipe is that you probably already have everything you need (minus the caramels) in your kitchen/pantry. This recipe only makes 12 cupcakes...perfect for a snack, playgroup, entertaining, or just because you're craving something sweet. I will most certianly be making more of these.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes (recipe from Rachel Ray magazine)

1 1/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 rome apples (about 1 pound), peeled and shredded (I used whatever red apples I had on hand and I shredded them with my cheese grater)

1 1/2 cups chewy caramel candies

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1. Arrange a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with baking liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Whisk in the oil and vanilla. Stir into the flour mixture until just combined; stir in the apples. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan until almost full. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

3. In a small, microwavable bowl, combine the caramels and cream. Microwave for 1 minute at medium power, then stir; repeat in 30-second intervals until melted and smooth. Let cool. Spread the frosting generously on the cooled cupcakes. You could also use a double broiler to melt the caramels.

Dirt Cupcakes

These are probably the messiest, yummiest cupcakes I have made to date. I am not usually a big fan of chocolate cupcakes, but these were tasty! I think it was the combination of frosting, Oreos, and chocolate chips. My kids loved them too! I'm pretty sure these are their new favorite cupcake. I will warn you that these are messy to make and eat, but that's part of the fun, right? This particular cupcake is also a fun one for kids to make. There is nothing pretty or fancy about it. Nothing needs to look perfect or neat. Kids can basically decorate the entire cupcake by themselves. Okay, maybe a little help from you, but not much. And what kid doesn't like to play in dirt, especially dirt they can eat?

Dirt Cupcakes (Adapted from Cupcakes, Cookies and Cakes by Tracy Maurer)

Box of Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix (or any type of chocolate cake mix)

Bake cupcakes per directions on box (refer back to this post on baking the perfect cupcake)

While cupcakes are baking you can start working on the "dirt" and "worms."

Here's what you need:

2 cups of crushed Oreo crumbs

1 cup of mini chocolate chips

Chewy worm candy

To make crumbs, put a few Oreos in a plastic zipper freeze bag. Use a rolling pin to break the cookies into small bits. Mix cookie crumbs and chocolate chips in a small bowl. Set aside for later. For the worms, you can cut them to desired length. Set aside and prepare frosting.

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting

Recipe from the back of the Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa box...ridiculously yummy and easy!

1 stick butter

2/3 cup Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on medium speed to spreading consistency. Add more milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla.

To assemble your dirt cupcakes:

Spread frosting on the top of each cupcake. Sprinkle the cookie crumb mixutre on the frosting and pat into place. Place worms on the cupcake as desired. Eat and enjoy!

Lemonade Cupcakes

My kids had been wanting to do a lemonade stand for the past couple of weeks and finally the weather was nice enough. We made yummy raspberry lemonade and these fun summer cupcakes and set up the stand right outside our house. It was the perfect day for it! They looked so cute sitting out there! Business was actually pretty good. Not sure if it was the lemonade and cupcakes or just the cuties selling the goods, but they made about 10 euros...not too bad for their first lemonade stand!

Lemonade Cupcakes (recipe from Baby Cakes)
1 6 oz can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 box white cake mix
1 8 oz carton sour cream
1 3 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cupcake pan. Remove 2 tablespoons of lemonade concentrate from can and reserve for frosting or another use. In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining concentrate, cake mix, sour cream, cream cheese and eggs; beat at low speed until moistened. Beat on med speed for 5 -7 minutes. Spoon batter evenly into pan. Bake the cupcakes for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the pans cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing cupackes from pans to cool completely.

Pink Lemonade Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice or remaining lemonade concentrate
1 tsp grated lemon zest
4 cups powdered sugar
Additional lemon juice
Pink food coloring
Candied lemon slices or drops, optional

Cream together shortening and butter. Beat in 2 tablespoons lemon juice and zest. Add powdered sugar gradually and beat until light and fluffy, adding food coloring and additional lemon juice if needed. Frost cupcakes and garnish with candied lemon slices or drops.

got milk?

Being that this is a blog about all the things that make me happy, it seemed only appropriate for me to blog about breastfeeding. Especially since it also happens to be National Breastfeeding Awareness Month. I am a big advocate of breastfeeding and am so thankful that I was able to breastfeed all three of my children. I knew from the moment I found out that I was pregnant with my first child, that I would breastfeed. I never even considered anything else. It really is a special bonding experience...one that I will always treasure. I loved knowing that I was giving my baby the absolute perfect milk! I also loved that I could always comfort my little one immediatly. Even though breastfeeding was right for me, I do realize that breastfeeding is not for everyone. But, I do hope more women consider it and seek out help if they are experiencing difficulties and thinking about quitting. My question to you is got milk?

photo from The Inspiration Room

Visit kellymom.com for more info/questions on breastfeeding

Banana Cupcakes

One of the things I enjoy most about the blog world is reading all the incredible blogs out there. There really are some talented people. I recently started reading this food blog and I absolutely love it! She posts the most amazing recipes. Whenever I get in a recipe rut, I turn to her blog for help. Last week, she posted a cupcake recipe, so of course, I had to try it. The recipe was for Banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting...you just can't go wrong with that combination! I made them and they were delicious! It's basically like banana bread, but in a cupcake version, and topped with a very yummy peanut butter frosting. I thought the cupcake was so good by itself that I didn't frost them all. I even gave my baby girl her first cupcake (without the frosting) and she ate every last crumb.

This is a good recipe for little ones to help with. I gave my son the job of mashing the bananas (perfect job for him) and my older daughter measured and mixed all the dry ingredients. It was a fun way to get everyone involved. And the result...another divine cupcake to enjoy!
(Recipe courtesy of Bon Appetit via Framed)

Banana Cupcakes
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 very ripe large bananas, peeled
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk

Heat oven to 350 degrees and prepare cupcake pan. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. In another medium sized bowl, mash bananas with fork until smooth. Mix sour cream and vanilla into bananas.

Using an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add egg and egg yolk and beat until well blended. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with banana-sour cream mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture beating just until blended after each addition. Divide batter evenly into cupcake pan (generous 1/4 cup for each). Bake cupcakes about 20 minutes, or until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (do not use old fashioned or freshly ground)
Chopped lightly salted roasted peanuts (optional)

Sift powdered sugar into large bowl. Add cream cheese, butter, and peanut butter. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until smooth. Frost cupcakes as desired.

Coconut Lime Cupcakes

These are fabulous and my new summer cupcake love! I ran across this recipe in a Betty Crocker cooking magazine and put my own twist on it. They were so yummy and really perfect for summer! I will definitely be making more of these before the summer is over. If you are not a fan of coconut, you can simply omit it. I actually made half without coconut and half with. I just added the coconut after I baked the first dozen. Both ways turned out great! If you decide to make half and half like I did, I suggest you decrease the coconut to 1/2 cup...unless, of course, you are crazy for coconut.

Coconut Lime Cupcakes

1 box Lemon cake mix

1 small box lime-flavored jello

1 1/4 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 cup shredded coconut

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cupcake pan(s). In large bowl, beat cake mix and gelatin with mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Add remaining cupcake ingredients (except coconut) and mix on low/med for 5-7 minutes. Stir in the shredded coconut. Fill cupcake pan with batter and bake 17 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack. With toothpick, pierce tops of cupcakes in several places.

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice

In small bowl, mix 1 cup powdered sugar and enough of the 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice until glaze is smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle and spread glaze over cupcakes. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

**You can stop right now if you are not a frosting person. The cupcakes will taste wonderful with only the glaze on top. They just looked so good I had to try one! However, being that I LOVE frosting (especially cream cheese frosting) I proceeded with the next step.

Frosting

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. On low speed, beat in vanilla and 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar until mixed; beat on medium speed until fluffy. Frost cupcakes as desired. Store covered in refrigerator.

I almost always use tip 1M from Wilton when frosting my cupcakes. It's so quick and easy to use and the end result is a nicely frosted cupcake. If you have kids and bake a lot of cupcakes (like myself), but don't own any tips and/or decorating bags, I highly suggest you purchase these items. They will make your life so much easier when it comes to frosting cupcakes. Not only will your cupcakes look beautiful, but people will think you spent hours frosting them.

Two of the cupcakes are frosted with the cream cheese frosting and the other two have only the glaze.

Baby's First Cake

My baby girl just celebrated her first birthday! I absolutely love first birthdays!! They are just so much fun. Of course, I had to make my baby's first cake. I had been thinking about this for a very long time and wanted it to be perfect. I went back and forth on what kind of cake to make and finally decided on something very simple and sweet. I wanted her to enjoy her first experience with cake, but I also wanted to feel good about what she was eating. So, I compromised. I made her a white cake layered and frosted with vanilla buttercream and then piped strawberry buttercream rosettes on the top and bottom. Both were made without shortening. I just couldn't give her something made with shortening...not for her first birthday. She seemed to really enjoy the frosting part of the cake, but she never really got to the cake part. I did sample it once she was finished and it was very good! The buttercreams that I made were different than the one I usually make in that they contained no shortening, only unsalted butter. I wasn't sure how they would taste, but they were great! In fact, I will be using these recipes more often than the other one. The only problem with butter only buttercream is that it can melt. It has been ridiculously hot here in Germany, and so it was a little difficult trying to decorate with the buttercream. I had to keep putting it in the refrigerator. The cake still turned out as I hoped it would, but by the time my daughter was finished with it she was a buttery mess!

Vanilla Buttercream

2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted (I used slightly more than this to reach the consistency I wanted)

pinch of salt

Seeds of one vanilla bean

Place the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla bean seeds in a bowl and mix with electric mixer on low speed. Increase to medium speed and beat until light and fluffy. If you are not using it immediately, store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Bring it back to room temperature before use. It has a shelf life of up to 2 weeks if refrigerated.

Strawberry Buttercream

Same as the above recipe, except substitute 2 tablespoons good strawberry jam and a tiny drop of pink food coloring for the vanilla bean.

I Love Giveaways

I won my first giveaway a few weeks ago. Actually, my baby girl was the big winner. It was a cute handmade bib from Comfy Bummy and I won it through Facebook. I was so excited! I just love the idea of all these giveaways that businesses are doing now. I already loved Comfy Bummy for all of my cloth diapering needs, but now I love them even more! Thanks Comfy Bummy!

Holy Moley Guacamole

I love guacamole almost as much as I love cupcakes. I recently ran across this recipe while watching Oprah. I quickly grabbed a pen and paper to jot it down. Not sure if I wrote the recipe down exact, but it turned out great and is now my favorite guacamole recipe. It is so flavorful, with the perfect amount of heat.

Guacamole
4 avacados
1/4 cup white onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro
6 T fresh lime juice
2 t kosher salt
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
Mash avacados with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

I enjoyed the carrot cake I made the other day so much that I decided to try it with cupcakes. I had no idea how they would turn out. I had never had a carrot cake cupcake before. Much to my surprise they turned out fantastic and were every bit as good as a slice of carrot cake! I followed the recipe exactly and they were ridiculously easy to make. I will definitely be making these again very soon!

Carrot Cake Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups finely shredded carrots

8 oz can crushed pineapple (drained)

1/2 cup coconut

1 cup cooking oil

4 eggs

Grease cake pan(s). I always spray my round cake pan with Wilton's Bake Easy Nonstick Spray and then I place a piece of parchment paper (cut in the same size as the bottom of the cake pan - a circle) at the bottom of the pan. In doing this, I never have problems with my cake sticking to the inside of the pan. With cupcakes, I just use cupcake liners (this recipe yields about 32 cupcakes).

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add carrots, pineapple, coconut, oil, and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer till combined. Pour batter into prepared cake pan or cupcake pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 60-75 minutes or until center of cake is no longer jiggly. For cupcakes, bake about 20 minutes. This particular recipe always takes a long time to bake. Much longer than a box cake because it is a much heavier cake. Just use your best judgement in regards to the baking time. Once the cake is finished baking, let it cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes and then carefully remove cake from pan. Cool completely then frost as desired with Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe below).

Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat together two 3 oz packages cream cheese, softened; 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened; and 2 teaspoons vanilla till light and fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, beating well. Gradually beat in 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups additional sifted powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency. This recipe makes the perfect amount to frost cupcakes, but you will need to double it if you are frosting and layering an entire cake. Just for fun I used leftover frosting and mixed it with orange and green food coloring to create a little carrot on top. I used Wilton decorating tip 2D to ice the cupcake and Wilton tips 1 and 3 to pipe the carrot.

Simply the best!!

There is one cake that I will always make from scratch...a carrot cake. This is my absolute favorite type of cake! Although I have never actually tried a box of carrot cake mix I just can't imagine that it even comes close to one made from scratch. I have tried a few different carrot cake recipes, but this one has always been my favorite. The recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook and it is a great one to add to your collection. It is fairly simple to make, tastes unbelievablably delicious, and is a very impressive looking cake.

I just made this cake the other day and it was fabulous!. My parents are visiting from the States and I know that my mom shares the same love that I have for carrot cake, so I decided to make one. Everyone loved it (even my kids). I'm all about adding layers to a cake especially when it involves cream cheese frosting. I used this 8 inch round cake pan from Wilton and a cake leveler. I highly recommend both of these items when baking and layering any type of cake. This particular carrot cake turned out perfectly in this pan. Usually I have to trim off the top, when baking a round cake, to make it nice and even. Not this time. No trimming was necessary! We got to enjoy every last bit of the carrot cake! Due to blogging technical difficulties, I will share this super yummy recipe in a separate post (very soon, I promise).

Favorite Baby Purees

These are a few of my baby's favorite purees. She absolutely loves them! The recipes came from the book Top 100 Baby Purees by Annabel Karmel. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in making your own baby food. All of the recipes are very healthy and easy to prepare. This has been my first experience with making my own baby food and I love it! I love knowing exactly where the food is coming from and what is in it. Most of the recipes you can freeze. It is very convenient and economical because you can make numerous meals, freeze them, and take them out as you need them. It really is not that time consuming and it has made feeding time so much fun. I love trying the different recipes and introducing my baby to all different types of healthy food, not just the basic fruits and vegetables. I purchased these trays to freeze the food in, but I'm sure you can use ice cube trays as long as you cover them. I use a mini food processor, but I think any blender/hand blender/food mill/food processor will get the job done. The recipes that I listed below are for babies 7 months and up.

Potato, Leek, Carrot, and Peas
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup washed and sliced white park of a leek
2 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced
1 1/4 cups Vegetable or Chicken Stock
1/2 cup frozen peas
Melt the butter in a saucepan and saute the leek for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the potatoes and carrot and pour in the stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Add the frozen peas and continue to cook for about 6 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Puree in a food mill or blender/food processor. This recipe is suitable for freezing.



Pasta with Butternut Squash, Tomato, and Cheese
1 small butternut squash, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons tiny pasta starts (I used tiny alphabet letters)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (**see note below)
1/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons milk
Steam or boil the butternut squash for 10 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package, but without adding salt to the water. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and saute the tomatoes until mushy, then stir in the cheese until melted. Blend the cooked butternut squash and tomato and cheese mixture together with the milk using a blender/food processor, and stir in the pasta. This recipe is suitable for freezing.
**For the tomatoes: Plunge them into boiling water for 30 seconds. Transfer to cold water, then peel, seed, and chop.



Blueberry, Banana, and Apple
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 banana, sliced
1/2 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
Put all the fruit into a heavy-bottomed pan and cook, covered, over low heat for 8-10 minutes. Uncover and simmer for 5 more minutes or until most of the juices have evaporated. Mash or puree fruit together by hand or with a blender/food processor. This recipe is unsuitable for freezing.



Yummy Banana
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small banana, sliced
3 tablespoons orange juice
Melt the butter in a small frying pan or saucepan and saute the banana for 1 minute. Pour in the orange juice and cook for another minute. Mash with a fork. This recipe is unsuitable for freezing.

Now That's A Cupcake!

This has got to be the biggest cupcake I've ever seen! Have you ever noticed how a cupcake usually tastes better than a piece of cake? I was so anxious to try out this giant cupcake pan not only because it's a giant cupcake (and I love cupcakes), but also I was curious as to how the cake would taste. Turns out, this giant cupcake actually tastes just like a little cupcake. I've made two cakes now using this pan and both turned out really cute and tasted exceptionally good!

Pistachio Cake with Pistachio Whipped Cream Icing

For the cake part of this recipe, I added 1/2 packet of instant pistachio pudding mix to a box of dry white cake mix and mixed as I usually do. For the frosting, I added the remaining packet of pudding mix to 1/2 quart whipping cream and let it mix (for quite a long time) until peaks formed. Using a spatula, I frosted the top of the cupcake and then sprinkled chopped pistachios on top. I also put a layer of icing between the top/bottom half of the cupcake. This was such a fun and easy cake to make!

Calling All Nutella Fans...

This post is for you! I recently stumbled across this recipe (over at Bakin' and Eggs) for Banana and Nutella muffins. I love Nutella and I love it even more with bananas, so I knew I needed to try this recipe. I just made it yesterday, and it was delicious! There's nothing like biting into a fresh, hot muffin with Nutella oozing out of the center! The recipe said it made 12 muffins, but I had leftover batter, so I added 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips to the remaining batter and made an additional 12 mini chocolate chip banana muffins (no Nutella). Those turned out delicious as well! I pretty much ate muffins for breakfast, lunch and dinner yesterday!

Banana Nutella Muffins

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)

1/3 cup sour cream (I used light)
1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup Nutella

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with liners or coat with cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stirring with a whisk. In a separate bowl, combine bananas, sour cream and vanilla. Beat sugar and butter with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy and well blended, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana mixture and beat until blended. Add flour mixture and beat at low speed just until moist.

Fill muffin tins about 1/4 of the way full with batter. Place 1 teaspoon (or desired amount) of Nutella in the center of each muffin. Fill muffin tins with remaining batter. They should be about 3/4 full.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for a few minutes before enjoying!

If making the mini muffins, add the chocolate chips to the remaining batter and bake for about 10-12 minutes.

Happy May Day!

For the past two years the kids and I have delivered May baskets early in the morning on May 1st to our friends and neighbors. Of course we had to continue with the tradition this year. Inspired by the flower arrangements I saw at Keukenhof, we used teacups and saucers as our flower planters. I let the kids pick out the flowers they wanted to use and then let them do the planting. They fit perfectly into the teacups, so it was very easy for them to plant. They turned out really cute! We also made little paper baskets filled with candy to go with the flowers. We woke up early and delivered them this morning. The kids had so much fun ringing the doorbell and then running. There is just something about trying not to get caught!

Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week, so we are going to use this same idea to make gifts for the special teachers in our lives. The teacups are such a simple and thoughtful gift to make and very fun for kids to do. The baskets are super easy to make as well. All you need is a sealed envelope (any type will work). Cut the envelope as shown in the pic below. Use markers or crayons to decorate your basket.

I hope you enjoy your May Day!

The Cutest Bum on the Block...

Definitely belongs to my baby girl! In honor of Earth Day (April 22) I decided to do a post on cloth diapers. It is truly astonishing how many diapers a child goes through during the course of their early life. It is even more astonishing and disturbing how much trash those diapers produce. I started using cloth diapers when my first child was born. I was new to cloth diapering, but really wanted to try it. I did it off and on for about two years, alternating between disposables and cloth diapers. I did the same thing with my second child. It wasn't until my third that I found the perfect cloth diaper. And I can say that I now use them about 95% of the time.

If you have ever looked into cloth diapering it can be a little overwhelming. And if you don't choose the right diaper, then chances are your experience with cloth diapering isn't going to be a positive one. The two types of cloth diapers that I use are prefolds with a Bummis diaper cover and bumGenius All-In-Ones. Both are great cloth diapers, but there are pros and cons to each.

Prefolds
I bought these when I was new to cloth diapering. They are a little more work than the All-In-Ones (AIO), but are a very good quality cloth diaper. Here are a few pros and cons to using the prefolds:
Pros - more absorbent than the AIO and less expensive than the AIO
Cons - much bulkier than the AIO and you have to use a diaper cover (one more added step)
It is very important to buy a good diaper cover when using the prefolds. When I first started cloth diapering I bought cheap covers and it made cloth diapering very difficult! Since then I always buy Bummis diaper covers. Also, I am still using the original prefolds that I bought with my first child. I have never had to buy new ones!

All-In-Ones
I absolutely love the All-In-Ones! These are what I was talking about when I said I found the perfect cloth diaper. They are super easy to use, just like a disposable, only they're cloth. And they come in the most fabulous colors!! I have had so much fun diapering my little one's bum! Here are a few pros and cons to using the All-In-Ones:
Pros - less bulky than the prefold, EASY to use (only 1 step), and super cute
Cons - Not as absorbent as the prefolds (tend to leak a little more) and more expensive
Because I have the prefolds from my first two children, I still use them, along with the All-In-Ones, of course. I like having two different types to choose from and they both work great! I usually launder them every 2 to 3 days and I never find myself without any clean diapers. Being that I already do so much laundry, one more load every couple of days is not a big deal. Somedays I line dry them, but usually I just throw them in the dryer. And I have to say that it is really nice to be able to go to the store and pass right by the diaper section and not have to purchase any.

If you are at all interested in cloth diapering (or know someone who is) I highly recommend using http://www.comfybummy.com/ . I have always used them for all of my cloth diapering needs. They provide great customer service as well as great products. Right now they are running a special until May 31. You get one free bumGenius All-In-One Diaper (which are the ones I use on my baby - see pics below) with a $10 purchase of any bumGenius, Flip, or Econobum products. There is no coupon code. In the comments section at check-out, just write the size you need and your top two color choices for your free All-In-One. I definitely took advantage of this special offer! There is no advertisment regarding this special on their website (at least I couldn't find one). I received the special via e-mail. If you are considering cloth diapers for your little one, now might be a good time to try one of the bumGenius All-In-Ones and see how you like it. I don't think you'll be disappointed. :)

Okay, enough about the cloth diapers. Here are a few pics of the cutest bum on the block...

The $50 Cupcake

The other day I was flipping through a Williams Sonoma catalog when I stumbled across their Mini Spring Cupcakes (24 mini cupcakes for $49.95). Sure, the cupcakes look adorable and scrumptious but do they really taste that good? Of course, I am not going to order these cupcakes and find out. Instead, I decided to make my own version of these very expensive cupcakes. I call them the $50 cupcake. The WS selection of cupcakes come in vanilla, chocolate or lemon. I opted to make the lemon, since I've never made lemon cupcakes before. For the frosting, I decided to try a lemon cream. If you love lemon, this cupcake is for you. It was very lemony! My kids loved the cupcake part, but not the frosting. And my husband loved both the cupcake and the frosting. I usually make everything with buttercream so I think this was a nice change. But, like I said, it was very lemony!

For the cupcake I used Betty Crocker Lemon cake mix.

Lemon Cream Frosting
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 to 2 tablespoons milk or water (I used water so I wouldn't have to refrigerate the cupcakes)
Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice, vanilla, lemon peel and water; beat until smooth. Frost your cupcakes as desired. I used Wilton tip 12 to frost mine. You will need to double this recipe if you plan on frosting all of your cupcakes. I was only able to frost half of them. I just put the remanining cupcakes in the freezer (in a covered plastic container). After frosting my cupcakes, I then added a premade flower (which I purchased at a local grocery store) to each one. I think they look fairly similiar to the WS Mini Spring Cupcakes, but for a fraction of the price...and they taste good too!

What to do with all those eggs...

If your house is anything like mine this time of year, we have plastic eggs all over! I find them under beds, in drawers, on the floor, under the couch, pretty much everywhere I look. The kids can't get enough of them and I can't stand them. Here are a few useful and educational ways in which to put those eggs to use...after the egg hunt, of course.

Easter Egg Math
Label 6 or 12 plastic eggs with different math facts. Inside each egg place a paper slip that shows the answer. Also write each answer in one cup of a 6 or 12 cup egg carton. Store the plastic eggs in a basket. Have your child select an egg from the basket, read the fact, determine the answer, and set the egg in the corresponding cup of the egg carton. When all the eggs are sorted, he/she cracks open each one to check his work. You can modify this activity to meet your childs individual needs.

Letter and Number Matching

On one side of the plastic egg, write an uppercase letter and on the other side, write the corresponding lowercase letter. Mismatch the eggs by putting them together with different letters and place them in a basket. Have your child match the eggs correctly by taking the eggs apart and putting them back together with the uppercase and lowercase letters matching. You can also do this with number matching. On one side of the egg write a number and on the other side write the corresponding number of units. Mix them up and let your child put the eggs back together correctly. For my kids, I mixed up the number eggs and alphabet eggs altogether, to make it more challenging. Then they had to sort them and then match correctly.

Word Families

To review word families, on one side of the egg write various consonants. On the other side of the egg write a word family (i.e. op, at, et). Your child can practice reading the different words by turning the egg with the consonants on it. This is a great way for young readers to increase their fluency with all the different word families.

Stained Glass Easter Eggs

This is a fun and pretty decoration to make for Easter. Here's what you need:

Clear contact paper (can be purchased at Wal-Mart or Target)
Colored tissue paper, cut into little squares

1. Cut out two squares from your contact paper (make sure they are roughly the same size). Depending on the size you want your egg to be, the size of your sqaure will be determined by you. I made mine 4"x4".
2. On one of the squares trace or draw the shape of your egg with a pencil, on the clear side. Peel off backing and place tissue paper squares onto the sticky side, staying inside your egg outline.
3. When finished with the tissue paper, take your other contact paper square (the one that is blank) and peel off backing and place on top of your egg, sticky side down.
4. Using scissors, cut out your egg by following your pencil outline.

Now you have a lovely stained glass Easter egg! I have done this activity with my kids and my oldest one enjoyed it the most. Working with the contact paper can be a little tricky since it's so sticky, but with adult help it shouldn't be a problem. We have also done this for other holidays. We hang them in our windows and they look really pretty and festive!

Fabulous Floral Arrangements

This past weekend we took a trip to the Netherlands to visit the famous Keukenhof. The park had just opened and being that it's still early spring, many of the flowers were not in full bloom. However, there was plenty of sunshine and the park itself is spectacular. There were many indoor flower displays to admire and they were beautiful! I took a few pictures of my favorites in hopes that I may be able to create something similiar this spring/summer. I love how they used everyday household items (rainboots, teacups, and wine bottles) as planters...what a fabulous idea!!