Pretty Pink Princess Castle Cake

THIS VIDEO was so cute and I LOVE the pink castle cake. Do check it out! :)

Strawberry Thingy

Ingredients:
CRUST ~ 2 cups crushed pretzels (about 8 ounces)
¾ cup butter, melted
3 Tablespoons sugar
FILLING ~ 2 cups whipped topping (cool whip)
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
TOPPING ~ 1 package (6 ounces) strawberry jell-o
2 cups boiling water
2 packages (16 ounces ea.) frozen sliced strawberries with syrup.

In a bowl, combine the pretzels, butter, and sugar. Press into bottom of an ungreased 13x9x2 pan.
For filling, in a mixing bowl (using mixer) beat the whipped topping, cream cheese, and sugar until smooth. Spread over crust. Refrigerate until chilled.
For topping, dissolve the jell-o into the 2 C. boiling water. Stir in the strawberries with syrup, refrigerate until partially set. Carefully spoon over filling. Refrigerate 4-6 hours or until firm. Cut into squares and serve.

Enjoy!

Credits for this delicious dessert go to Miss Joanna! :) A very dear friend of mine. :)

Broth is Beautiful and Healthy

A Guest Post from : My Mom!

I like to make homemade soups. All kinds of soup. I usually take the bones from a baked turkey and throw them in a pot with lots of water, cook it for a long time and then use the meat and broth for soup. I had no idea how good and healthy that really is.

I found the link to this article, Broth is Beautiful by Sally Fallon on my friend's blog, She Looketh Well. The article explains some of the awesome nutrients in broth made from bones and meat. And I quote, "Stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons--stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain. " That makes me want to eat some soup almost every day! The article goes on the explain other good factors about broth.

So now I know that it is truly worth the extra effort it takes to make soup from scratch. Which reminds me, I think my broth is done so I'd better go tend to it!

Happy Eating,

Gloria

A Big Thank You to Mama for sharing this wisdom with us! :D Be sure to check out her blog, Gloria In Excelsis Deo, for more good stuff! :)

Checkerboard Cake!

I'm the cake baker at our house. :) Whenever someone has a birthday I make them a cake. My lovely mother had a birthday on monday and I made her something new... a checkerboard cake!

I used a special divider to pour batter into three round cake pans. This is what the layers looked like before they were stacked...

I put the odd layer in the middle and this is what the cake looked like when cut...

I just thought that was so cool! :)

Madison's Chocolate Chip Cookies

A Guest Post from Madison


First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Second, get out your electric mixer.
In the bowl, put in 1 stick of softened butter, 1/2 a cup of brown sugar, 1/4 a cup of sugar (I used sucanat), 1 egg, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.

The butter mixture being mixed up...

What it should look like approximately when finished.

Usually it looks a bit smoother though, and not as liquid. But looking like that is fine as well.
Next, in a separate bowl, mix together 2 cups of flour (I use wheat flour), 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

*be sure to do this in a separate bowl. If you mix it in with the butter mixture, the cookies don't turn out as well.
*Stir this the mixture together.Next, measure out 1/4 of a cup of the flour mixture and put it in the butter mixture. Turn your electric mixer on.
Continue putting in 1/4 of a cup at a time.
*again, be sure to do it 1/4 of a cup at a time. The cookies don't turn out as nice if you don't*
After mixing all of the flour mixture together, the mixture should look like this:
Again, usually it looks a bit smoother, but this is how it turned out.

Next add 1/2 - 2/3 cup of chocolate chips. The reason I don't say 1 cup is because 1/2 a cup goes a very long way. But depending on how much you want, you can add 2/3 if you want.

Roll the cookies into balls about this big:
A bit bigger if you want to. Then, put your cookies in the oven:

Now all of your cookies are finished! Dig in, and be sure to drink a huge glass of milk with it. :)

Yum!This is my version of a recipe I found in a book called: The Mix-It-Up Cookbook. But I changed the amount of some of the ingredients. But mostly this is that recipe.Well, I hope you enjoyed the recipe and pictures! Trust me, these cookies are delicious!

In Christ,

~Madison

A Big Thank You to Madison for letting me share this recipe!! Be sure to visit Madison over at Her amazing blog. :)

Homemade Salsa

A Guest Post from Mia, with notes from Me, Chef Julia. :)

(Julia) Mia posted this recipe on her blog, Aspiring Homemaker, in late summer last year, just when all her tomatoes from her garden were ripe. This is a great way to use them! My mom and I made this salsa and it was the BEST salsa I have ever had! I highly reccomend this recipe!

(Mia's Post)
We've had an abundance of Tomatoes (better boy, cherry, and beefsteak)So now is the perfect time for salsa! This was an all-day process, at a steady pace it took me a little under 3 hours :)

1. Bring pot of water to a rolling boil !
2. Here are all our Tomatoes; Out of these I picked out a total of 21 tomatoes to Blanch. They must be ripe & firm, or they'll end up mushy!

3. I dropped them in [the boiling water] 5 at a time, then after 30 seconds I removed them, then put in a new batch.

4. Place the hot tomatoes into a "cool bath" which is a bowl of ice water--this helps remove the skins.

5. Start Multitasking! Blanch, Cool, then Peel!

6. This is what the tomatoes should look like after peeling them--it took a while, about 30 minutes.

Chop...

Dice...

I did large chunks for "chunky salsa". You can dice small, but prepare for it to be a smoother, restaurant style salsa :)

(Julia)Mia drained hers, I didn't.

7. Chop 2.5 cups of Onion (about 2 Large yellow/sweet onions)tip: To cut down on tears, try wearing sunglasses! Make sure they fit securely, and it will cut down on the "running outside blinking" episodes~! lol plus, you'll look quite fashionable in the kitchen! :)

8. Add Onion to the diced Tomatoes!

Let's add some green to the mixture...

9. Chop 1 cup of Green Pepper (I used 3 small peppers) and 1 Jalapeno!

(Julia)- NOTE> DO NOT TOUCH the jalapeno seeds with your hands! My mom's fingers stung and burned after chopping the jalapeno because she didn't realize the seeds could hurt you... If this happens to you, one way to relieve pain is to soak your fingers in a bowl of milk. Weird, but it works. :)



10. Mince 6 cloves of Garlic, then add it to the mixture !

11. Mix all ingredients together --
12. Add 2 tsp of Cumin, 2 tsp Black Pepper, 2 Tbsp Sugar and 1/4 tsp Salt

13. Mix 2 (6 oz.) cans (Julia - or one 12.oz can) of tomato paste with 1 cup water {a little bit at a time} Then add to Salsa!


14. Last but not least, add in 1/3 cup vinegar, and (optional) 1/3 cup ketchup (Julia- I didn't use the ketcup)

15. Enjoy!
It makes a HUGE batch, around 10 cups or maybe a little more. The cumin adds the "mexican" flavor, and that Jalapeno puts in a little zing! It isn't too spicy though! :) I put 3/4 of the Salsa into bags and into the freezer for later! Yum, I'll have to make this again!!

Julia- I also added some corn and black beans for extra fun! :)

A GREAT BIG Thank You to Mia for allowing me to use this recipe! :)

Snickerdoodle Pie

A Guest Post by Emily

Recipe for Snickerdoodle Pie!!!
Hmm, what should I say about this recipe? Yum! Or how about, YUM!!!

It's pretty easy to make and the finished product is, well, Delicious!

Preheat oven to 350.

1 pie crust, unbaked and brushed with 2 tsp melted butter.

1 T sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp cinnamon (sprinkle 1 tsp on crust).

Combine in saucepan: 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, 3 T water, and 2 T light corn syrup. Boil gently for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 tsp vanilla. Set aside.

In mixing bowl beat 1/4 cup softened butter for 30 seconds. Beat in 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tap cream of tartar until well combined.

Add 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla. Slowly add1/2 cup milk and 1 1/4 cup flour.

Pour mixture into pie crust. Top with syrup mixture and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar.

Cover crust with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake 20 more minutes or until center tests done with toothpick.

Cool 20 minutes before serving.

Yum! Enjoy!

Emily

A Big Thank You to Emily for sharing this recipe! Check out her new cooking blog, Sugar 'n' Spice, for more fun stuff!