Busy, Busy, Busy....

     Hi there....I know, I know.  It's been awhile, a LONG while since I've done a post.  Well, we are in the middle of a move.  A very BIG move, over the ocean to GERMANY!  So, with that said we have been busy with trying to sell our house, which we did, collecting medical and dental records for all of us so they can be sent to Germany to be looked through and approved, meeting with a board for evaluation, then waiting on the hubby's official orders so we can schedule the three, yes I said THREE sets of packers to start boxing our stuff up.  The first set of packers are going to box up stuff that will stay in the states in storage.  Like the china, crystal, and holiday decorations I don't think we will use, and other stuff.  The next set of packers, will be handling our house hold goods which will be taking a boat over to us, like our furniture, toys, DVDs, bikes/scooters, kitchen stuff, etc.  The third set of packers will be take care of packing up some "unaccompanied baggage" which are the items we will need sooner then the household items.  Like clothes, sheets, towels, pots/pans, dishes, toys, etc.  All I got to say, is this is going to get crazy!  We have them scheduled the week of Easter. Thank goodness my parents are coming out to help with the move, mostly to keep the kiddos entertained while we deal with the packing.  They even offered to take the kiddos to Texas for us so we can finish up stuff here.  Then there's the deal with shipping our car.  If you think the selling of the house, the military orders, and the packing were crazy....next, the hubby and I have to drive the car to Dallas so we can ship our car, then rent a car to drive down to my parents house.  We've kind of decided to make it a mini vacation, maybe a nice dinner and stay the night before driving the rest of the way home.  Once that is all said and done, we plan on flying out around the end of April.  It is definitely going to be a BUSY month for us pretty soon.  So....if I'm not posting as much as I used to, now ya know!      Don't get me wrong we are very excited to take this journey, however all the stuff that leads up to our new adventure can be stressful.  Just can't wait to be over there and explore our new home for the next three years!  Stuttgart here we come!

Welcome Home Major Masterson

     I may have mentioned in a past post about the hubby being deployed.  Well, we finally welcomed him home after six months!  He's been home awhile now, but I'm finally getting to post the pictures my photographer friend Elise from Taylor'd Photography captured for us!  It was a very exciting and emotional day for us all!  We are so blessed to have him back home with us, our family is complete again!

Welcome home my Love!

Who Wants S'More Cupcakes??

Cupcake & Marshmallow frosting recipe from the Pastry Affair

Ganache recipe from Natasha's Kitchen

What you need:

Graham Cracker Cupcakes-

1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 cup sugar

3 eggs separated (room temperature)

1 cup cake flour (sifted)

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup milk

Chocolate Ganache Glaze-

8 oz (1/2 lb or 1 1/3 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Marshmallow Frosting-

4 egg whites (room temperature)

1 cup sugar

How to make them:

* Make sure all cupcake ingredients are room temperature, if not the cupcakes will come out dense. *

Cupcakes -

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

Line cupcake pans with liners.

In a large mixing bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until it is fluffy, about 30 seconds.

Add the sugar and beat together until light and fluffy, about 7-8 minutes.

Add in the egg yolks to the butter mixture one at a time, beating for 30 seconds between additions.

Rinse off the electric mixer paddle.

In another bowl, beat together the egg whites until they are voluminous and foamy.

In a food processor, pulverize the graham cracker crumbs until they are very small crumbs.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix with a  spatula.

Add 1/2 cup of milk.

Mix and add another 1/3 of the flour, then the rest of the milk and rest of the flour.

Add the foaming eggs whites and fold the mixture until combined.

Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake pan, filling them 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 15 - 18 minutes or until the cupcake tops bounce back with pressed or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted.

Cool completely on cooling rack.

Ganache-

In a small pot, bring heavy cream to a simmer on the stove top, stirring occasionally.

Just as soon as you see a simmer, remove from heat and poor over chocolate chips, swirling the bowl to make sure all the chips are covered.

Place a lid on bowl of the chocolate chip mixture to trap the heat and let sit undisturbed (NO mixing) for 5 minutes.

Remove the lid and swirl the chocolate chips with a whisk starting in the center and working outward until smooth. 

Once its velvety, let it sit uncovered at room temperature (70˚F) for about 15 minutes before glazing cupcakes.

Frosting-

In a double broiler, whisk together the egg whites and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved and the egg whites are warm to the touch, about 3-4 minutes.

Remove from the heat, transfer to the medium mixing bowl and beat the egg whites until they form shiny stiff peaks, about 5 - 8 minutes.

Scoop into a piping bag to decorate the cupcakes.

Assembling-

Take a graham cracker cupcake and dunk the top of the cupcake into the chocolate ganache, let excess drip back into the bowl.

Dunk all cupcakes, set aside.

Using the piping bag with the frosting, pipe the marshmallow on top of the chocolate ganache.

Continue doing the rest of the cupcakes.

Using a hand held pastry torch or the broiler in the oven, toast the marshmallow to get a nice toasty look.

Garnish with a graham cracker or just eat it as is, ENJOY!

Apple Rose Tart

Recipe from Hip Foodie Mom

What you need:

Crust-

2 1/2 cups walnut pieces

4 TBsp unsalted butter (melted)

2 TBsp granulated sugar

1 egg white (room temperature)

1/4 tsp salt

Custard-

1 1/2 cups milk

6 egg yolks (room temperature)

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup cornstarch 

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Garnish-

2 apples (I used Red Delicious, quarter, cored, and thinly sliced - keep in lemon water until ready to use)

juice of a lemon

1/4 cup apricot jam (warmed)

How to make it:

Crust-

Preheat the oven to 400˚F.

In a food processor, pulse the walnuts until they are finely chopped and pieces are about the size of breadcrumbs.

Place the copped nuts in a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients, tossing together with a fork.

Press the mixture evenly over the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Custard-

Pour the milk into a small pot and place over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs yolks with the maple syrup, cornstarch, and salt.

Slowly pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, while whisking, to warm the eggs.

Place the mixture back into the pot and place over low heat.

Cook, stirring consulate, until the mixture comes to a bubble and becomes very thick.

Stir in the vanilla and transfer to a heat safe container.

Lay a plastic wrap over the surface.

Chill for 2 hours.

Assembling-

Spread the maple custard in the walnut tart shell.

Warm the apple slices in the microwave for 30-40 seconds to make pliable.

Roll a sliced apple into a tight spiral and stand it up vertically in the custard.

Continue to arrange apple slices in a concentric patter, around the first one, building a rose pattern.

Warm the apricot jam, and then it with lemon juice.

Brush the apricot glaze over the apples, for shine and to prevent browning.

Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve or slice it up and ENJOY!

The BEST Breakfast Sandwich!

Recipe modified from the Gooseberry Patch

What you need:

24 Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

1 lb deli ham (sliced)

3 oz Swiss Cheese

3 oz Smoked Gruyere Cheese

1 tsp poppy seeds

1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted)

1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp dried minced onion

1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

How to make them:

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Cut rolls in half, set tops aside.

Place bottoms in a lightly greased 13" x 9" baking pan, they should all fit.

Layer the ham on the rolls.

Next layer the cheeses.

Sprinkle with poppy seeds, replace roll tops.

In a bowl combine the butter, mustard, poppy seeds, onion, and Worcestershire sauce.

Pour over top of the buns.

Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Let cool, cut into squares, then ENJOY!

Irresistible Italian Baked Eggs

Recipe modified from Damn Delicious

What you need:

1 cup marinara sauce

4 large eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup Gruyere cheese (shredded)

2 TBsp Parmesan cheese (grated)

1 TBsp Pesto (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup fresh basil (chiffonade)

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 425˚F.

Lightly oil two 10 ounce ramekins or coat with nonstick spray.

Divide marinara sauce evenly into ramekins.

Top with eggs, milk, Gruyere cheese, Parmesan cheese, Pesto (optional) season with salt and pepper.

Place into oven and bake until egg whites are cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.

Garnish with basil.  

Serve immediately, ENJOY!

Honey-licious Cookies

     I recently made these cookies for Liam's Avenger Birthday party.  I called them Wasp's Honey Cookies.  They taste like a soft graham cracker!  So good!  They've become one of my favorite cookies!

Recipe from Lil' Miss Cakes

Here's what you need:

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 egg (room temperature)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Turbinado sugar (for rolling)

How to make them:

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl sift the flour, baking soda, and salt, set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the oil, honey, and sugar until smooth.

Add in the egg and vanilla, mix until combined.

Add in the flour mixture, mix until combined.

If the dough is soft, refrigerate for 15-30 minutes until firm.

Shape the dough into balls and roll each ball in the Turbinado sugar making sure to coat the whole cookie.

Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 7-9 minutes until the edges are light brown.

Let cool slightly, then ENJOY!

Homemade Valentines

     Valentine's Day is coming up and Liam's class is celebrating it a few days early.  They don't have school on Friday, so their Valentine's Day party is this Thursday.  Some of classmates have food allergies and restrictions, there's even a diabetic, so I wanted to make something each student could enjoy.  I also made some valentines for his teachers, the administrators, and some of the volunteers that help out at the school.

     I had a lot of fun designing these cute Valentines on PicMonkey then had them printed at Office Max.  I can't wait for Liam to give them out.

These are for his Teachers...

These are his Classmates...

These are for the Administrators & Volunteers...

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Peachy Keen Coconut Banana Bread

          Well, I had way too many frozen bananas in the freezer to make just one loaf of Cinnamon Swirly Banana Pumpkin Bread.  So I made this one, it turned out more of cake, since I used a square baking pan.  

Recipe from Lil' Luna

Here what you need:

1 cup sugar 2 TBsp unsalted butter (melted) 1 egg (room temperature) 3/4 cup milk 3 cups flour 3 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 cup mashed bananas 1 cup peaches (diced small) 1/2 cup shredded coconut

How you make it:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Prepare a loaf pan by spraying with cooking spray. In a bowl sift the flour, baking powder, and salt, set aside. In a bowl of an electric mixer, mix sugar, butter and egg until well combined. Stir in the milk. Add in the flour mixture and mix until combined. Gently fold in the bananas, peaches, and coconut. Sprinkle a teaspoon or two of coconut on the top of the batter. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Loaves are done when slightly golden on top and when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool a bit before slicing, then ENJOY!