Italian Sodas

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I threw a baby shower for my sister and decided to serve these beauts.  So easy, so classy, so fun, and so unique.  They were a major hit, and we will definitely be doing them again soon.

{What you need}

club soda

fruity syrup of choice, often found in the coffee isle

(I had strawberry, raspberry, and peach)

pellet ice

(we get ours from Sonic Drive In)

half and half

whipped cream and cherries for topping, if desired

skinny hot chocolate straws

9 oz (or so) glasses

Pour desired amount of fruit syrup in the bottom of the glass.  Too little will be bland, too much will be bitter.  I fill the bottom of the glass and a little extra.  Fill the glass half way with pellet ice.  Fill glass a little more than half way with club soda.  Top with half and half, leaving about a 1/2 inch from the top.  Stir very well with straw, so that all the fruity syrup is mixed in.  Top with whipped cream and a cherry if you like.

You'll get the hang of it once you start, and you'll figure out your own proportions that suit your taste best.  These are basically just guidelines to start with.  Enjoy!

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

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• We love Sunday Morning breakfast at our home.  These pancakes are a delicious variation of lemon poppy seed muffins and have become a favorite Sunday Morning addition, when we're not running late to church...
• yields 8 pancakes (I doubled it)
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• {What you need}
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
• cooking spray
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• Stir the milk, vinegar, lemon extract, and lemon juice together in a bowl; let stand 10 minutes to curdle. Whisk in egg, butter, and vanilla extract.
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• In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds  until well combined. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and whisk a few times until the batter is mostly free of lumps.
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• Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cup of batter per pancake into the skillet and cook until bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes over with a spatula and brown the other side, about 2 more minutes.

Serve with powdered sugar and lemon juice or a fruity syrup.  You could even make a glaze to go with it instead of syrup. Or maple syrup would be great, too.

(Inspired by this recipe)

Stupid Cookies

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Isn't that name hillarious?  My darling friend Crystal posted this recipe on her blog a while ago and I was very intrigued.  Then some patients at my workplace brought some in for the office staff around Christmas time and I about passed out, they were so good.  And, oh, so easy!!  I think I'll make a batch and send it one-day-delivery to my darling brother at the Missionary Training Center.  Or for my nephews to bribe them to love me....

{What you need}

1 package butterscotch chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 bag chowman noodles or about 3 cups fritos, or 3 cups of corn flakes

Combine butterscotch and peanut butter in a large bowl.  Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and repeat two more times.  Add the noodles or fritos or corn flakes and toss until coated.  Spoon into little clusters on a sheet of wax paper or a cookie sheet.  Allow to set.  Stuff your face.

(Compliments of Crystal Evans)

Lion House Twice Baked Potatoes

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I have had some very specific cravings with this pregnancy and right now it is baked potatoes.  I can't get enough of them.  We're going to a mexican restaurant tonight with my brother and his wife and I am planning on bringing my own baked potato.  Sweet nector. 

This recipe is a long-time fav of John's and now is an all-time fav of mine.  John's mom makes these every once in a while and we just drool over them.  They come from the ever-delicious Lion House Cookbook.

{What you need}

6 large baking potatoes

3 slices bacon

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

4 chopped tgreen onions

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar

oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Wash potatoes and rub skins with oil.  Bake for 1 hour or til potatoes are done.  While the potatoes are baking, cook bacon until crisp.  Drain and crumble/chop; set aside.  When potatoes are done, reduce oven to 350.  Cut a slice from the tope of each potato and scoop out the pulp, leaving a little along the lining of the skin so it isn't flimsy.  Mash pulp with sour cream, milk, salt, pepper, and green oinions.  Fill potato shells with mixture and sprinkle with cheese and bacon.  Bake at 350 for ten minutes.

I'm thinking about making these for a baby shower I'm throwing in the next few weeks.  You can easily multiply this recipe to serve as many as you need, and they keep great in the fridge so you can make them the day before.

Joelle's Stuffed Mushrooms

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My wonderful co-worker and friend Joelle made these phenomenal mushrooms for our work Christmas party a few weeks ago.  You can imagine how much I loved them, with my obsession with all things mushroom.  Then I found out there were only three ingredients and I about passed out.  She shared the love, so here I am sharing the love:

{What you need}

1 lb. ground sausage

1 8 oz. package creem cheese

2 packages whole mushrooms

Wash and de-stem the mushrooms. Fry up the sausage and drain the grease.  Combine cream cheese and sausage.  Place the mushrooms bottom up on a cookie sheet and fill each mushroom with the sausage mixture.  Broil on high for about 4-6 minutes.  Keep your eye on them so they don't overcook.

Brie en Croute

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I first had this beautiful appetizer this past Thanksgiving at my hub's aunt and uncle's house.  It was absolutely incredible!  As a brie lover, this did not dissappoint.  You can imagine my delight when I stumbled across this recipe the other day on my favorite foodie blog, The Sister's Cafe.  You can imagine my delight even more when I realized how flippin easy it is!  I just had to share the love with you:

{What you need} 

1 wheel of Brie, I used a 13 oz from Harmons ($11.99) (you can use up to a 19 oz)

2 puff pastries, found in the frozen dessert section by the pies (2 come together in one package)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup crasins

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 egg + 1 Tb water for an egg wash

Allow the puff pastries to defrost to room temp.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry.  In the center of the pastry put the brown sugar, crasins, and pecans.  Take the wheel of brie and scrape off as much rind as you would like.  It is edible, but makes it a little harder to cut into if there is too much on.  I shave off a lot of the rind but not enough to cut into the cheese.  Place the shaved wheel of brie on top of the pile of goods in the center of the pastry.  Fold the dough up and around the cheese, taking care to seal completely and securely.  Turn the wheel over onto a lightly greased cookie sheet so that the folds and seems are underneath.  Egg wash the entire surface.  With the other puff pastry you can roll it out and cut out shapes and press it onto the top of the wheel to add decorations.  I copied The Sisters Cafe and cut out some holly leaves and berries to make it festive for a Christmas party we went to.  Then egg wash the entire surface again. 

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, then let the oven cool to 325 and bake for 20-25 minutes longer.  Serve with crackers and fruit.

Let me know if you try this super classy yet easy appetizer for your holliday presentation!

Poached Eggs and Asparagus

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This may be my new favorite mini meal!  It is so easy, delicious, and looks gorgeous, too.  Poaching eggs the old fashioned way may intimidate people, but I did it on my first try by following these steps exactly.

{What you need}

Water for boiling

1 bunch asparagus, washed and tough ends cut off

4 eggs

grated parmasean cheese

cooking spray

sea salt

pepper

Bring a pot of water to a boil.

On a tin foil-coverd cookie sheet, spray cooking spray and arrange the asparagus so that they are in a single layer.  Spray the asparagus with cooking spray and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste.  Broil on high for 5 minutes and 20 seconds.

While they are cooking, poach the eggs, according to the steps listed in the link above.  When the asparagus is done,  divide onto four plates and sprinkle with grated parmesean cheese,  letting the heat melt it a little.  Place the poached egg on the asparagus and serve with garlic bread and grapes, or anything else you want!

Compliments of Gina at Skinnytastes