Christmas Cake Pops

Every year, I make a "signature item" for the Christmas season. Usually it's a baked good- last year it was my peppermint chocolate cookies, the year before gingerbread men. But basically I make a ton of whatever item I pick and then pass them out to co-workers, take some to neighbors and bring them to just about every holiday party that I'm invited to. Makes life easy!

And this year's signature item? Christmas cake pops, baby.

Here's what you need to make yourself some Christmas cake pops:

INGREDIENTS:

 -cake mix (and whatever you need to prepare according to box)

-can of icing

-candy melts

-lollipop sticks

-sprinkles

DIRECTIONS:

Let me just say that for those of you who haven't noticed, I'm sort of a fly by the seat of my pants kind of chef. I spend my time in the kitchen with "a dash of this" and a "hint of that" and measuring things to taste. Needless to say, I'm not a perfectionist when it comes to baking, which you can see in my crooked sloppy silly completely unprofessional hot mess cake pops. They certainly don't look like the fancy ones at Starbucks! But trust me, they are goooood. 

1. Bake cake according to directions.

2. Once cooled, spoon the cake into a bowl. Add about 3/4 cup canned icing and mix.

Just a thought... I actually put a whole can of icing in at this point. I think it's easiest to use whipped icing so that it was easier to mix. But next time I plan to use about 3/4 of a can of icing- I think that will give the perfect icing + cake mix.

3. Roll your cake + icing mix into little balls.

This is where I had trouble. My balls are not exactly even. (TWSS) I was kind of thinking that the candy shell would cover up my glitches in the ball-making department, but um... it doesn't. But I'm sure all of you won't have a problem and are better ball-makers than I. (Humor me again... TWSS)

4. Melt a small amount of your candy melt. Coat the top of each lollipop stick with candy melt and then stick into each ball. Refrigerate.

The hardened candy melt helps the lollipop stick adhere to the cake mix.

5. Once the candy melt and mix have been refrigerated for at least a couple of hours, melt the rest of the candy melts in a bowl. I used chocolate and peppermint candy melts for these. Simply swirl each cake ball in the candy melt and sprinkle with fun holiday sprinkles. 

I let the cake pops dry in the cake pop carrier that I made. I simply wrapped a foam block with wrapping paper and stuck each stick in the foam. Voila! A festive cake pop holder.

So there you have it, my holiday cake pop recipe.  My mix made about 40 cake pops.

And yes, friends and family... get excited because I will be bringing these to all of our holiday functions this year! Speaking of... who wants to help me make 200 cake pops for this weekend?

Now it's time to link up your holiday recipe over on Natasha's blog, Schue Love!

 

I'm also sharing with Lisa over at Shine Your Light, Stephanie at Under the Table and Dreaming,  Katie at Bower Power and Kate at Centsational Girl.

S'More Cupcakes

Oh, I said it. 

Didn't hear me the first time?

S'more. Cup. Cakes. 

Sounds fabulous, doesn't it? With fall upon us, my brain starts thinking about all things fall food. Pumpkin everything, apple pies, tailgating food... and fireside s'mores. A few weeks ago on my mountain birthday trip, I brought the goods to make s'mores. Sadly, the cabin had all gas fireplaces and no fire ring to build a bonfire outside. Wop wop. But instead of letting my marshmellows and Hershey bars go to waste (yeah right, like that would ever happen!), my little brain mixed up a s'more alternative.

INGREDIENTS

-box of yellow cake batter 

(plus eggs, oil, water if required to make batter)

- bag of large marshmellows

-3 to 4 full sized Hershey bars

-box of graham crackers 

-butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix the cake batter according to the directions on the box. 

(my receipe is genius so far, right?)

2. Crumble up a sleeve of graham crackers into a bowl, then mix with 2 tblsp. butter.

3. After spraying a cupcake tin with nonstick cooking spray, pack the graham cracker mix into the bottom of each muffin tin. Then pour the batter into each tin- be sure to only fill the batter about 3/4 of the way up to each tin so that it doesn't overflow!

4. Plop a marshmellow in the middle of each tin, straight into the batter. Yes, I said plop.

5. Bake the cupcakes according to the directions. I believe mine were at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. Don't be scared when your marshmellows puff up! They'll go down and be all the crispier and yummier for it.

7. Then add a few chunks of Hershey bars, to your liking. I may or may not have added some chocolate syrup too... but I'm crazy like that : ) Vanilla icecream would be good as well. Just sayin.

 

Of course, I wasn't playing good blogger at this point and failed to snap any fabulous pictures of the finished project, all prettied up. Instead, I was cramming eight some of these in my mouth. So. Good.

Here's the finished product (albeit cooled off thirty minutes out of the oven!).

What are you cooking up for fall?

***

 Don't forget tomorrow is the second week of the 30 Day Photo Challenge! Even if you missed the first week, come link up if you've taken any pictures for days 8- 14 of the challenge. I'm excited to share my week two pictures! And don't forget, I'll be featuring my favorite photos later this week! Learn more about the photos for week two here.

On the Burner: Gourmet Hamburgers & Zucchini Fries

As the dog days of summer are drawing near, we're all scurrying around trying to soak it all up. Only a few more afternoons by the pool, picnics by the lake or romps through the sprinklers.

One last thing to hold on to? Summer food. There's nothing like it- the perfect summer meal is simply firing up the grill and adding fresh vegetables from your garden. David and I recently made an amazing summer meal straight from the pages of Barefoot Contessa's How Easy Is That?

The recipe is actually for sliders, but we decided to do full-sized burgers instead. We were hungry. Increasing the size made the patties slightly crumbly, but it certainly didn't bother us. It was gooood.

INA'S HAMBURGER SLIDERS

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds premium ground beef (80 percent lean and 20 percent fat)
• 1 tablespoon good Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil, plus extra for brushing the grill
• 1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
• 3 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 ounces grated Gruyere
• 12 small Brioche buns (I used whole wheat onion buns)
• 4 ounces baby arugula
• 3 medium tomatoes, sliced in 1/8-inch-thick rounds
• 2 small red onions, sliced in 1/8-inch-thick rounds
• Ketchup, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Build a charcoal fire or heat a gas grill.

2. Place the ground beef in a large bowl and add the mustard, olive oil, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix gently with a fork to combine, taking care not to compress the ingredients. 

 3. Shape the meat into 12 (2-inch) patties of equal size and thickness.

4. When the grill is medium-hot, brush the grill grate with oil to keep the sliders from sticking. Place the sliders on the grill and cook for 4 minutes. Turn the sliders over with a spatula and cook for another 4 to 6 minutes, until medium-rare, or cook longer if you prefer the sliders more well done.

5. For the last 2 minutes of cooking time, place 1/2-ounce Gruyere on the top of each burger and close the grill lid. Remove the sliders to a platter and cover with foil.

 6. Slice the buns in half crosswise and toast the halves cut side down on the grill.

Divide the baby arugula among the 12 bottom buns, top each with a slider, and finish with a slice of tomato and red onion. Cover with the top of the bun and serve hot with ketchup. 

You can find this recipe here.

As a side dish, I made amazing zucchini fries that I found here over on Natasha's blog, Schue Love.

AMAZEBALLS ZUCCHINI FRIES

INGREDIENTS 

• 3 zucchini
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup of seasoned Italian breadcrumbs (I used Japanese Panko crumbs- fabulous texture!)

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Spray two cookie sheets with cooking spary.  

 

2. Slice up the zucchini into little french fry slices.  

 

3. Mix the milk and the egg white in a bowl.  Mix the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese in a separate bowl. Dip each zucchini slice first into the milk/egg mixture then coat in the Parmesan/breadcrumb mixture.  

 

4. Bake at 420 degrees for 20 minutes.

Yum, right?

David and I were happy campers at the end of this meal!

Are you cooking up anything fun to celebrate the end of the summer?

On the Burner: Scallop Pasta & Shrimp Salad

Thank you all so much for your sweet words on yesterday's bathroom vanity makeover post! I am still hoping that this week will be the big final reveal of the entire bathroom... I'll keep you posted! : )

Last weekend, I decided it was high time that I utilized the Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That? book that the hubs got me for Christmas. So I pulled a recipe that looked amazing- Lobster and Shells (which you can actually find here). David was craving scallops, so I substituted those for the lobster and I think it worked out well. Here is my take on Ina's recipe!

Scallops & Shells

 INGREDIENTS

-salt and pepper

-olive oil

-1 lb. wheat pasta shells

-6 cups of corn

-3 to 4 sliced scallions

- 2 chopped yellow, red or orange bell peppers

- 2 pints sliced cherry tomatoes

-I threw in a few tomatillos because they were in our fridge

-2 lbs. of bay scallops

- 1 1/2 cups mayonaise

-1 cup sour cream

-1/2 cup of lemon juice

-fresh dill (to my chagrin, I left out b/c D hates dill!)

 *was using basil for another project, oops!

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt and some olive oil. 

2. Add the pasta and cook it for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Add the corn to the pasta and cook it for another 2 minutes, until the corn is tender. 

3. Drain the pasta and corn together in a colander and pour them into a large mixing bowl.

4. Add the scallions, diced pepper, tomatoes, and scallops, tossing gently to combine.
Allow to cool slightly.

 5. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, 4 teaspoons salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper until smooth. Pour over the pasta and mix well to bind the ingredients. Stir in the dill. 

6. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for up to 6 hours to allow the flavors to develop. Check the seasonings and serve chilled or at room temperature. 

Yes, it tasted as good as it looks!

I also added one more dish to the mix- I guess we are always were hungry that night! 

It's just a really basic shrimp salad that I kind of made up as I went.

Lemon Shrimp Salad

 INGREDIENTS

-1 lb. bay shrimp (deveined, no shells)

-one lemon

-olive oil

-salt and pepper

-basil leaves

-2 garden tomatoes

-arugula

DIRECTIONS

1. In a mixing bowl, zest about 3/4 of the lemon and then squeeze the remainder of the juice into the bowl. Add 3 tblsp. of olive oil and some salt and pepper.

2. Mix the shrimp with the lemon marinade so that it is completely coated.

3. Cook shrimp on the grill or saute in a pan, until pink throughout.

4. Toss the shrimp with arugala, tomatoes and basil leaves. 

 

I told you it was simple! But gooood. 

Add a bottle of white (plus one of my favorite dessert's- Cassie's strawberry cake) and we had the perfect little summer seafood meal. Have you cooked anything delish lately?

Stuffed.

I honestly didn't think it would actually happen, but guess what? My veggie garden is growing! While the sugar snap peas are definitely taking the lead, our tomatoes and bell peppers are also starting to pop up. I am one happy camper. Or gardener, I guess I should say!

One of my favorite summer recipes is stuffed bell peppers. I found a stuffed pepper recipe in Real Simple a few years ago and have tweaked it to make it my own. Now it's a favorite around my house! While I usually make this with store bought peppers, I am pretty sure it will only get better with my very own straight-from-the-garden peppers! 

via

Michelle's Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

-4 bell peppers (I prefer the sweet red ones!)

-box of couscous (I love the Near Eat whole wheat roasted garlic)

-feta cheese

-green scallions

-1/2 lb. ground turkey

-fresh garlic

I'm not big on measurements (a dash of this, a hint of that... you get the picture!), so you'll have to bear with me on getting this recipe on paper.

Directions:

-Brown the ground turkey. When the turkey is almost completely cooked, I throw in a clove (or two) of fresh garlic, to brown. Just for a little extra flava.

-Cook the box of couscous according to the package. Easy enough.

-Hollow out and chop the tops off of the bell peppers. Make sure you pick short, squatty peppers- much easier to use than tall, skinny ones.

-After draining the turkey (and garlic), mix with the cooked couscous, feta cheese (I probably use somewhere around a cup) and freshly chopped scallions.

-Pack the mix into each bell pepper... the more full, the better!

-Top each pepper with another tiny dash of feta cheese and a few scallions.

-Bake the stuffed peppers at about 400 degrees for 45-50 or so minutes. If you like the peppers a bit crunchy, take them out at about 35 minutes. Another heads up- I usually bake the peppers in a Corningware dish instead of a cookie sheet, that way they can be "saved" if they happen to fall over in the oven. Yes, I learned that the hard way.

And that's it!! Stuffed peppers a la Michelle. Fresh, fabulous and fun- the perfect summer dish!

I'm sharing at Rhoda's summer recipe party.

Cinco de Mayo

via

Oh, I went there.

Happy fifth of May, friends! Anyone got any big plans tonight? 

Besides margaritas, my favorite part of the Mexican culture is the food. So in typical Michelle fashion, I'll be celebrating Cinco de Mayo by eating. I love all dishes in the Mexican cuisine- nachos, burritos, tacos, chimichangas, chiles rellenos... the list goes on and on. But I also love American interpretations of Mexican food. Like the amazeballs-ness of Mexican pizza. Whoever thought of this idea rocks. YUM.

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I thought I'd share a recipe for the deliciousness known as Mexican pizza. Bon apetit! Or should I say... OLE! : )

Mexican Pizza 
Makes 2 10-inch pizzas

Ingredients

1 can no-fat refried black beans (makes enough for around 4 pizzas) 

1/2 teaspoon cumin 

1/4 teaspoon paprika 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne 

1 small red onion 

1 tomato 

1 jalapeño pepper (or more to taste) 

2 handfuls fresh cilantro 

2 handfuls frozen corn 

Mexican cheese blend (or a mix of Monterrey jack and cheddar) 

Kosher salt

Directions

1. Place your pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the refried black beans with a bit of water to thin the consistency so that it is easily spreadable. Mix with 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne.

3. Seed and dice the tomato.  Finely chop the red onion. (If you’re worried about it being too strong, soak it in some cold water for a bit to soften the flavor.)  Chop the cilantro. Seed and dice the jalapeño (taking the necessary precautions – stay away from the eyes!).

4. When the toppings and oven are ready, shape the dough into a 10-inch round. Place the dough on a floured pizza peel if you have one, or pull the pizza stone out of the oven and carefully place the dough on it.

5. Quickly assemble the pizza. Spread the bean mixture in a thin layer over the dough, sprinkle on as much cheese as you like, and add the red onion, tomato, jalapeño, corn, and cilantro. Sprinkle with kosher salt (very important – this really brings out the flavors!). If desired, brush a little olive oil on the crust to help it brown.

6. Transfer the pizza to the oven, and bake until the cheese and crust are nicely browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Repeat Steps 4 through 6 for the second pizza (if your stone isn’t big enough for two!).

***recipe via

Linking up with http://www.cornflakedreams.com/2011/05/blog-crawl-cinco-de-mayo-fiesta.html

2 crusts pizza dough 

Honey Oatmeal Cookies

I made these cookies over the weekend and just had to share the recipe.

Healthy and yum? Right up my alley.

Honey Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

Ingredients

•Cooking spray

•2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

•1/4 cup canola oil

•1/2 cup honey

•1 large egg

•1/4 cup smooth unsalted almond butter

•1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

•1/4 cup nonfat dry milk

•1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (or 1/2 cup each all-purpose and whole-wheat flour)

•1/2 teaspoon baking soda

•1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

•1/4 teaspoon salt

•1 3/4 cups rolled oats

•1/2 cup raisins (or chocolate chips!)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mist 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Beat the butter, canola oil, honey, egg, almond butter and vanilla extract in a large bowl with a mixer until combined.

2. In another bowl, whisk the dry milk, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the oats and raisins.

3. Scoop tablespoonfuls of batter about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in a loosely covered container for up to 3 days.

Per cookie: Calories 100; Fat 5 g (Saturated 1 g); Cholesterol 10 mg; Sodium 45 mg; Carbohydrate 13 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 2 g

PS. I made them with chocolate chips instead of raisins, because I'm that kind of girl. SO good!

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Shine Your Light

Snow Day & Chili Baskets

I have felt like a little kid all day. And it's not just the ridiculous amounts of hot chocolate that I've been drinking or the zebra print Snuggie that hasn't come off all day. It's how excited I am over a SNOW DAY!

As if you didn't know already, it doesn't snow much here in the peach state. It actually snowed in Georgia on Christmas day, but David and I were at my parent's house and didn't get to experience the snow at our house. We finally got our first big snow at the house last night, this morning and all day! We spent the day snowed in (and likely will be again tomorrow, too!). Gotta love snow days.

(now you can see why I didn't attempt the drive to work! that's our street)

Anyone up for a swim?!

This is my sweet little guy, Tucker. He thinks snow is for eating.

And my girl, Maggie, doesn't like cold paws. So she runs non-stop when she's in the snow!

And what's a snow day without an ah-maz-ing bowl of chili in a chili basket?!

I stole this idea from Paula Deen a few years ago. Simply slap a couple of pre-made biscuits 

on the underside of a muffin pan and cook, like so.

Once you pop them off the baking sheet, you're left with a little bowl, perfect for holding chili.

How cute are those?! And incredibly good, trust me!

Did any of you have a snow day today?!

PS. I finally got a button for Ten June! So for those of you who have been asking if I had one (okay okay so maybe only one person asked- hi Mom! ha), here she is:



<br /> <a href="http://www.tenjuneblog.com/"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XW3pr6eoLhc/TStF5LL0LfI/AAAAAAAAAAM/lEiQUYIAvWA/s320/tenjunebutton2.png"/><br /> </a>



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