NEW MUNCHKIN and Giveaway Preview

Just a quick post to let you know that I will be out of town for a couple of weeks to help take care of the newest munchkin (Truth be told, I think I will mostly be taking care of the three older munchkins:))...So, I don't thin k I'll be spending much time on the computer.  I don't know how you young moms do it!?!

 Adelyn Rose was born on April 15th (7 lb. 4 oz., 20 in.) and we couldn't be happier to welcome the little BEAUTY into our family! We love her already! I can't wait to give her hugs and kisses!

On my return I will be having a fun giveaway, so keep your eyes open on May 4th. Here's a sneak peek...

Until then...Have a blessed Easter!

Easter "Egg" Cookies~California Style

I made these cookies for my husband's friend who is really enthusiastic about surfing. He loves to surf every chance he gets.

On Easter day,  he is set to leave for Afghanistan for 6 months(working for the Army Corps of Engineers overseeing construction projects). To go along with his farewell gift (a book on surfing, for him to daydream with until he returns to the water),  I made him some surfboard cookies.  Of course I had to decorate them in bright and cheery spring colors. They remind me of Easter eggs:)

I was happy to hear that he loved the cookies, and wish him well!

HAPPY EASTER to all!

Linked to:
Tasty Tuesdays
Sister Saturday~Easter Edition

Funny Bunny Cookies {on a stick}

In keeping with my tradition of making cookies on a stick for special occasions,  I just had to make one for Easter.  What could be better than a Funny Bunny cookie?  I'd noticed various paper versions around the web which sparked the idea for this cute cookie.

I drew out the template on a file folder, cut it out and then used it as the pattern for the cookies. I rolled out the sugar cookie dough  fairly thick to accommodate the stick and cut out each cookie with a paring knife.

 After I placed the cookies on the stoneware I inserted the sticks. To insert them, gently put pressure on the cookie (dough) with one hand to hold it in place, and slowly insert the stick(twisting a little to help it along) with the other hand, inserting it about halfway up. After baking let the cookies cool and firm up a bit before transferring them to a cooling rack. 

 After cooling completely, ice the cookies(all white except for the pink nose), and let dry completely.

They may then be detailed with black royal icing  or an edible marker.  I made it easy on myself and used my Americolor edible black marker for the facial details. I let my cookies dry overnight before I applied the marker. 

Voila! Now you, or your munchkins, can be a Funny Bunny!  (I had a reluctant model, but did manage to hold up the cookie and get a quick shot.)   It's easy to make a whole family of Funny Bunnies:)  HAVE FUN!

Linked to:
Tasty Tuesdays

Sweets for a Saturday
Weekend Wrap Up Party
Lovin' it Fridays 
Inspiration Friday
Foodie Friday 

Carrot-Ginger Layer Cake

A friend of my husband's did us a favor by helping to deliver a king-size bed to our bedroom, a very heavy and cumbersome king-size bed. I asked him what he would like me to make for him as appreciation and he
 readily said "A carrot cake".  I thought of a Martha Stewart carrot cake recipe that I had made for Easter a couple of years ago, which was very well-received.

Besides tasting phenomenal (though I didn't try this one), I really enjoyed making the marzipan carrots. Finely ground chocolate wafer cookies provide the "dirt" and topped with actual carrot greens, the marzipan mini carrots look authentic. They fooled my husband:)

I really wanted to cut a wedge from the cake and take a photo, but didn't think that would look too nice when it was delivered. It was a 2-layer 8-inch round cake, with orange cream-cheese frosting. Yes, it's as good as it sounds.

I hope the cake was as enjoyable to eat as it was to make! If you haven't decided on a dessert for Easter yet, you really ought to consider this cake.  With the marzipan carrots arrayed on top, it has a bit of a "wow factor" when it's brought to the table, and the orange zest and fresh grated ginger add a nice flavor boost. Of course, carrot cake is a favorite choice for any time of the year.

Carrot-Ginger Layer Cake (Martha Stewart)

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter, for pans
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 1 cup (3 ounces) pecan halves
• 1 pound large carrots(with carrot greens, to use for marzipan carrots), peeled
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans. Dust pans with flour, and tap out any excess. Set pans aside. Spread pecans in a single layer on an ungreased baking pan, and toast in the oven until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven, and let stand until completely cool. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Finely chop pecans, and set aside.
   
2. Using the smallest holes (less than 1/4 inch in diameter) of a box grater, grate carrots, yielding 2 1/2 cups. Place carrots, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, sugar, vegetable oil, and ginger in a large bowl; whisk until well combined.
   
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the carrot mixture until combined. Fold in the toasted pecans.
   
4. Divide batter between the two cake pans, and bake until a cake tester inserted into the middles comes out clean, about 1 hour. Remove pans from oven, and transfer to a wire rack to cool, 15 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack; let stand until completely cool.
   Place one layer on cake stand and add some frosting.  Place second layer on top and completely frost the rest of the cake. I then dusted around the entire edge of the cake with some of the ground chocolate cookie crumbs(from marzipan carrot directions). Transfer to refrigerator and chill at least 4 hours or up to 4 days, covered with a cake dome. When ready to serve, place marzipan carrots around the edge of the cake.
   
5.  I  kept the cake at 2 layers, not 4. If you want to make 4 layers, do the following:
   Using a serrated knife, trim tops of the cakes so surfaces are level. Slice each layer in half horizontally. Place a layer on a cake stand or cardboard round, and spread 3/4 cup frosting over top. Place a second cake layer on top, and spread with another 3/4 cup frosting. Repeat with third layer and another 3/4 cup frosting. Place last cake layer on top, and spread the remaining frosting over the top and the sides of the assembled cake. Transfer to refrigerator, and chill 3 to 4 hours, or up to 4 days, covered with a cake dome.
   
   Orange Cream-Cheese Frosting
   

   Ingredients

   • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
   • 3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese room temperature
   • 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
   • 3/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
   • 1 tablespoon freshly grated, peeled ginger
   • Pinch of salt

   Directions

   1. Place butter in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese, and beat until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Add sugar, orange zest, ginger, and salt, and beat for 5 minutes.
      
      Marzipan Carrots 
      
      
      • 7 ounces marzipan (found on the baking aisle in most grocery stores)
      • orange gel-past food coloring
      • 5 chocolate wafer cookies, very finely ground
      • fresh carrot greens (reserved from carrots for cake) 
        
      
      With a toothpick, add a dash of food coloring to the marzipan and knead with fingers to combine, continue until desired shade is achieved.
      
      Shape a teaspoon  of marzipan into 12 balls, and place on a clean work surface.  using your hands, roll each piece back and forth ( I had better success rolling it between the palms of my hands) to form a 2-inch log.  Using your fingers, shape one end of each log into a tapered point to form a carrot shape.  Use the tip of a skewer or toothpick (that's what I used) to make a small hole at the top of each carrot. using a paring knife, make small grooves across (working down) the surface or each carrot.   Carrots can be kept at room temperature, in an airtight container, for up to one week.
      
      When ready to serve, roll carrots in cookie crumbs, lightly brushing of excess, and insert carrot greens into the holes.
      
      
      This cake is a labor of love and is well worth the effort!
      
      
      Linked to :
      Sweets for a Saturday
      Weekend Wrap Up Party
      Inspiration Friday
      Lovin' it Fridays 
      Foodie Friday
      Tasty Tuesdays

      Show Me What Ya Got

{Easy Peasy} Bunny Cookies

 

No mixing dough or cookie cutters needed for these bunnies. Just slice up refrigerated sugar cookies, spread on icing and decorate with supplies you may already have on hand, and voila~bunny cookies!

The bunny is made from two slices of the prepared dough: one for the head, and one sliced in half for the ears. That's it!  I picked up the frosting when I was grocery shopping, but already had everything else: pink sugar, black gel, and jelly beans.

This is an easy, tasty treat to make with the munchkins. 

Have fun!

Rabbit Cookies (From Pillsbury)

INGREDIENTS:

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies

1 cup fluffy white frosting (I used store-bought)

Decorating icing or gel

Assorted small candies or decors

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Cut cookie dough into 16 slices; cut 8 of the slices in half down the center. To make 1 rabbit cookie, place 1 whole slice on ungreased cookie sheet for head; place 2 halves on top, slightly overlapping on whole slice, for ears. Repeat to make 7 more rabbit cookies, placing 2 inches apart.
• Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• Frost cookies with frosting; decorate with icing and candies.

Linked to:
I'm Lovin' It Fridays
Inspiration Friday
Sweet Tooth Friday 
Sweets for a Saturday 

Cowboy Jim and Santa Maria Style BBQ

 Jim(my husband, center), paying close attention to how it's done

My husband's employer was the high bidder in a local charity auction.  The prize was a calf round-up and BBQ for ten people.  Jim and I were fortunate to be two out of the ten last Saturday:)

The real deal

We are both city folk,  born and raised in Los Angeles.   I have been to a cattle round-up one other time, in Wyoming decades ago, and Jim worked on a cattle ranch one summer in Utah, also decades ago.

Cowboys at work

Though the ranch was only about five miles from our home, and we've lived here twenty  one years, we've never been privy to a working cattle ranch in those twenty one years. It was an enjoyable experience.

Time for Jim to jump in

Jim was the only "civilian" that wanted to join in and try his hand at some cowboy shenanigans.  All the guys were so helpful:)

 Branding a calf

Cowboy Jim gets down to the nitty-gritty.  Yee haw!

Mission accomplished

I must say, I cringed a little bit for the calves when they were branded, and a lot when they were castrated(I had to turn my head for that).

 The "oysters" are on the right, in the BBQ "baskets".

 The severed  "parts" were referred to as "Rocky mountain oysters" on the BBQ. I didn't really care for them, but might have if they had been deep fried instead of grilled:)

Here's what we were all waiting for:)

I sure did love this top sirloin though!  Just look at those beauties.  Santa Maria Style BBQ is the BEST!  I've definitely had plenty of it since I've been here on the central coast:) YUM!  (Click on the pink link above to see the BBQ details and enjoy Santa Maria Style BBQ wherever you live!)
Jim may not be a cowboy, but he's become pretty proficient at the oak BBQ!

Thanks, Jeff, for inviting us!

Cinnamon Rolls

I have been wanting to make some of our favorite cinnamon rolls for quite awhile.  Sunday morning was a good time to do so since we had some family here to watch our semi-annual church conference (on television) together. Otherwise this batch of cinnamon rolls could have been a problem:)

We love these cinnamon rolls. Not only are they light and delicious, but they whip up in no time at all, especially for a yeast roll. It's only about 1 1/4 hours from start to finish. This cinnamon roll recipe has been around so long, and has been modified so much that I have made it my own.

Photo courtesy of Munchkin Zeke

Besides using quick-rise yeast, I also hurried the rising time along by letting the rolls rise in a 150 degree oven for 15 minutes.

 

Beautiful and golden brown right out of the oven. I like to frost them while they're still warm...

 Mmmm, just like this:)  I left a couple of rows unfrosted at my husband's request. What's up with that?!? :)

I add almond extract to the frosting which gives them an extra dose of indulgence. These cinnamon rolls would be perfect for Easter morning.  Actually, they would turn any ordinary morning into something special.

CINNAMON ROLLS

Ingredients -
1 can evaporated milk, 12-oz size (you may use nonfat) 1-1/2 cup water warm 1-1/2 tablespoon quick-rise active dry yeast 1/2 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup sugar (or honey) 1 egg (or 1 egg white) 1 teaspoon salt 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder 8 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour (you may use half whole wheat flour) 1/4-1/2 cup butter, melted 1 tablespoon cinnamon(I don't really measure. I just sprinkle to my heart's content. I do the same thing for the brown sugar:)) 4 tablespoons brown sugar 2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract (optional) milk
Preparation:
1. Warm the milk and add warm water. 2. Dissolve the yeast in the liquid mixture. 3. Mix the remaining ingredients into the liquid and add just enough flour to make a soft dough. 4. Knead the dough for 10 minutes and let it relax for 15 minutes. 5. Take the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. 6. Brush the surface with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and  brown sugar. 7. Roll up the dough like a jelly roll and cut into 1" slices with a serrated knife. 8. Put them on nonstick cooking-sprayed(or parchment lined) cookie sheets(I use my stoneware, no spraying or parchment needed) and allow them to rise until they are  double in bulk(For a faster rise, place in oven set at 150 degrees for 15 minutes, then bake). 9. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly brown. 10. Mix powdered sugar, almond extract and milk till smooth.  Frost cinnamon rolls.  (Add more or less powdered sugar and /or milk depending on how thick/thin you want the consistency of the frosting.) Makes 20 substantial cinnamon rolls:) ENJOY! Linked to: Tasty Tuesdays I'm Lovin' it Fridays