Gift Guide for the Hostess

November 17, 2015
Baking
We all have at least one friend who loves to host parties... including myself.  This roundup is for you.  Grab a few friends, pour a few drinks and serve some savory and sweet treats and you have the perfect gathering!  Any of these gifts would be the perfect compliment to show that special person how much you enjoy her parties. 





Copper Mule Mugs  /  Eat Dessert First Platter  /  Cheese Markers set  /  Gold Dot Shaker   /  Bottle Opener  /           /  Whiskey Rocks   / Toasting Flutes  /  Apron  /  Tickle and kiss Glass set   /   Linen Coasters  /  Cheese Serving Set   


Perfect Cut out Cookies

March 31, 2015
Baking

baking-cutout-cookies


If you know me then you know I have a weakness for sugar cookies.  My favorite being a soft with frosting.  Now most sugar cookie recipes are pretty standard.  Nothing fancy to them really.  But what I like about my cookies is the touch of pure almond extract I add to them. Not the artificial flavoring either.  During the Christmas season I always make a few batches of spritz cookies... you know, the cookies you use a press with.  It is a simple almond dough but designed to be used in a press.  My family loves them. So it only made sense to add just a hint to my sugar cookies!


bunny-egg-cut-out-cookies

I know what you're thinking about now.... "sounds great but rolling dough is a mess". Right?  Well I agree.  My Mother, being a fabulous woman in the kitchen taught me years ago that any dough you chill will do so faster if it's flattened.  This is what makes all the difference in your cookies.  After your dough is prepared and ready to be chilled, lay out parchment paper on your counter and place your dough on it.  Then cover the dough with another sheet of parchment paper and begin rolling it out. If you don't have parchment paper wax paper should work just fine.  Now I like thicker cookies so I try to keep my dough around 1/3 to 1/2 inches thick.  The other great benefit to rolling out on parchment paper is no additional flour has been added to your dough.  This step cuts your chill time from an hour down to approximately 30 minutes.  Just enough time to clean your mess and prepare to cut out your cookies.

So are you ready to make the best cut-out cookies ever?  Here we go!

Serves: Depends on the size of your cut-outs but you should get at least 3 dozen good size cookies.  

What you need:
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1¼ cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 3 cups of flour
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Decorations or frosting ( I prefer the frosting)
  • Royal Icing (recipe below)
So lets get to mixing:
  • In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  I do not pre-sift my flour, however my Mom says it actually makes a slight difference in the measurement. Do whatever you're comfortable with.  Set this mixture aside until you're ready to add it to the wet mixture.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, The time varies depending on your mixer. Add in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix until combined.  Now I know your asking about if you add the extra extract will you need to decrease the vanilla?  Nope!  What's a good sugar cookie without Vanilla?  Then it would only be an almond cookie!
  • Add the dry mixture slowly to the butter mixture.  Mix until it is completely combined.




  • This step is what really makes the difference in your preparation.  Roll out your dough between two sheets of parchment paper.  Wax paper will work too, just be careful not to tear it.  Lay your rolled out dough onto a baking sheet and place it in your fridge.  This not only makes it easier to use, it also shortens your chill time to approximately 30 minutes.





  • Remove from the fridge and only remove the top sheet of parchment paper.  Cut your shapes out directly on the dough still with one sheet of paper underneath.  Carefully remove the waste (the dough left between cutouts) and your first sheet of cookies is ready to bake.  If you are only adding colored sugar to your cookies now is when you sprinkle it on.  I bake them for 8-11 minutes however, this time will vary depending on your oven.  You want to keep an eye on them baking to regulate your baking time.  You want to remove them just shy of brown edges.  Allow them cool on your baking sheet for 3 minutes then remove to a cooling rack.  They continue to bake on the sheet so transfer them as soon as you are able to move them without breaking the cookies.  Don't be alarmed that they are not done when you remove them.  They firm up after they cool.





  • Frost your cookies once they are completely cool so your frosting does not slip off.  Royal icing isn't a frosting with a sweet taste, or for that matter not really a taste at all so the cookie is the real show stopper here.   If you are a wiz at royal icing (I am jealous) I bet you can go to town decorating yours. I stress over the whole keep your frosting covered from air with saran wrap.  I did better this time than in the past.  The key really is keeping the saran wrap pressed directly on top of the frosting rather than just over the bowl.  Practice really does make perfect when your working with royal icing!  See my bowls below with the wrap touch the icing. 

    For your Royal Icing Click here for the recipe I use.  It is the best I have found and she has a whole section of FAQ.  



diy-cutout-cookies




baking-recipe-cutout-cookies

Enjoy! 







Sweet Heart Pies

January 29, 2015
Baking



Cherry Pie is always a favorite in my home so I decided to make up a few special pies for my guys.  After all we are in the season of love!
 They’re very easy to make and bake up in about 15 minutes. You can use pre-made dough if you wish.
~Sweet Heart Pies~

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Roll out pie crust dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut out pastry hearts with a heart shaped cookie cutter. 


In the center of each heart, place a dollop of your favorite pie filling (of course cherry here). Place another pastry heart on top. 




Using a fork, gently seal edges of hearts together. 



Prick each heart with a fork to allow heat to escape the sweet heart pies as they bake. 
To get a shiny glaze on your pies brush them with egg whites before baking them.  Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.


What have you baked lately? 

Traditions

December 09, 2014
Baking



What I love most about the holidays is the traditions.  I remember every year growing up some of the traditions my mom carried out and I have continued with a few traditions for my boys.  We made divinity, fudge, haystacks, and spritz cookies.  I loved helping her in the kitchen if for nothing else other than a sneaky little taste without the others knowing.  One of my favorite cookies to make at the holidays is the Spritz.  A light delicate almond flavored cookie.  When my grandmother passed away several years ago I requested her cookie press.  I know they make new one and they have a handy trigger that "presses out the correct amount" but I never could get it to work better than my old fashion press.  So the new one sits in the box, and with the right amount of twist of the wrist I use my Grandmother's every year.  



I am all about traditions.  I try to instill in all my boys the same.  There is something to be said for have certain expectations.  For example, every year I make home made cinnamon rolls Christmas eve for the morning festivities.  My boys have come to know this and expect them.  My oldest wanted to start the same tradition with his family and asked me to share my recipe with my daughter in law.  That's what I love about the holidays.  The warm memories traditions bring.  Another tradition is cut out cookies for santa.  Every year the boys and I would gather around the table and cut, frost and decorate cookies for santa.  He always had three on his plate, one from each boy!  One year their dad actually informed me "santa really would like to try the fudge dipped oreos"... I told him that was not tradition... and Santa never received dipped oreos!  Haha!  

I enjoy baking a lot this time of the year.  Chocolate, frosting, sprinkling, dipping, and stirring is in full force in my kitchen.   So what do I do with so many sweets coming from my kitchen?  I purchase Christmas plates and fill them up with an assortment of goodies and give them as gifts.  Home made treats make the perfect hostess gift for home parties.  When the plate is empty the hostess has a holiday plate to use again and again.  


With the holidays creeping up on us wouldn't you love to have a little extra spending cash?  I know I would! Weather you have your shopping done, or are just starting,   Coupons.com/TGS  has the good stuff! 


 If you are a budget friendly shopper, (I know I am) there are gifts for everyone.  If you're not into baking away for a hostess gift (like me), Coupons.com/TGS  has hostess gifts galore.  Do you have a hard to buy for on your list?  Yeah, everyone has at least one of those, well there are gifts for the enthusiasts too! 
 The Good Stuff 2014 Holiday Sweepstakes will be for one $100 winner per week and one $500 grand prize winner now thru December 25th.  Just click on the photo above and it will take you straight to Coupons.com!   Now that's something to be merry about! 
*This post was brought to you by Coupons.com but all the traditions are mine and I wouldn't change a one... not even for fudge dipped oreos!! 



Baked Zucchini bites

August 18, 2014
Baking
Today I am sharing a snack I made over the weekend.  It was easy and yummy.  I am a vegetarian so when we go out to eat for Italian... I generally order eggplant parmesan.  I have mastered the art of breading and baking my own eggplant at home and I make a delicious layered baked eggplant that my family loves!  So I used the same technique I use for eggplant and tried it with zucchini.  I am so glad I tried it! I hope you love them too! 

Ingredients 

  • 2 zucchinis 
  • 3 eggs 
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups bread crumbs ( I used Italian seasoned crumbs)
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Parchment paper

Slice your zucchini.  I used my corrugated slicer but a good old knife will work too.  Next lay them out on a paper towel and lightly salt both sides of the slices.  arrange them on the paper towel in rows and cover with another paper towel.  The salt works to draw the moisture out of the slices so they are able to absorb the breading mixture better. Let the slices sit while you prepare the breading and dredging! 



Turn your oven on to 400 to preheat.
I used plates to coat and bread my slices, but a bowl will work too.  Measure out your ingredients and add the parmesan cheese to the bread crumb mixture.   You should add a little salt and pepper to your flour as well. Beat the eggs in a small bowl.   You are now ready to dredge!  




If you have never breaded anything before don't worry... it's easy, messy... but easy! I suggest you use one hand for dry mixture and the other hand for wet mixture.  That way you don't end up breading your fingers too!  Take the slices one at a time and coat them in the flour tapping off excess.  Now drop it in the egg and use your designated wet hand to pick it up and place it in the bread mix.  With your dry hand cover and pat the bread crumb mixture on the slices then place them in rows on your baking sheet. 



Bake them for 25 minutes turning them over half way thru.  Serve them up warm with a blue cheese or ranch dip!  Enjoy!

Zoku Slush Maker

July 10, 2014
Cocktails
With the temperatures finally warming up cool refreshing treats are a must.   I like a frozen treat or drink but not always chunky icy treats.  Enter the Zoku Slush Maker.  I received my Zoku Slush and Shake maker a few weeks back from Zoku to try out and make a few fun treats with it.   With several colors to choose from I selected the blue. My son was all excited about it and was the first to want a shake. 
It is so simple and perfect for a quick frozen treat without a lot of fuss or dragging out a blender.  In a matter of less than 15 minutes you have a perfect treat.  I want to get one for each of my boys for gifts so when they want a sweet treat all they need to do is just add their favorite cold beverage and stir. 

First up is our raspberry limeade.  Fill the insert that you froze over night with your cold beverage.
Blue Zoku Slush Maker

Zoku Slushie

 Stir after a few minutes and continue stirring and scrapping the walls until you have this....
Zoku Limeade

Limeade in Zoku

Zoku Cherry Limeade


Pure sweet slush!


The next thing we made in our Zoku was a chocolate shake.  Want to know how simple it was?  We poured chocolate milk in up to the line and stirred and scraped the walls as it froze.  Less than 15 minutes we had a delish treat!

Chocolate Zoku Slush

Chocolate Slushie in Zoku


Zoku Slusk Maker with Chocolate milk


This little guy couldn't get enough! 
Zoku has a wide assortment of fabulous products for cooling you down for the hot summer and enjoying a sweet treat or two! 
 Shop some of their other great products below. 













The Peanut

June 30, 2014
Celebration
Happy Monday!  Can you believe it is the last day of June??  Where in the world is this year going!!  The good news is this is a four day work week and that means celebrating Independence day Friday!   What are your plans for the holiday weekend? Maybe a cookout, or a picnic... of better yet order up some good food and let someone else take care of it all for you!!! 
 
My middle son is a wings fan, and when I say wings fan... I mean there is no wing the boy won't try to find the best!  When he found out The Peanut, local here in Kansas City was sending us some wings to sample he was right on board with this!!!  HA!  The Peanut is Kansas City’s oldest bar and grill.  Serving the Kansas City community with the most delicious array of bar and grill food in the Metro area, The Peanut is a genuine neighborhood destination with four locations.  





Now I am not a wing connoisseur, however rumor has it... and my sons fully agrees The Peanut is THE wing standard in Kansas City. These are no ordinary size wings,  finishing a half-order, let alone a full order, can be a challenge because you’re eating both the wing and drumstick. They’re spicy and peppery and the right amount of messy.  Just take a look at that huge wing, and the messy fingers!!





Here is the best news too.... Order your Peanut wings by tomorrow morning and you will receive your wings by Friday!  There is your main course item already delivered straight to your door.  Want even more great news?  Enter the discount code 1266 and receive 20% off your order!  So what are you waiting for.... get your independence day party started and with a sweet discount!  Happy Monday peeps!
 
Disclaimer: I received a half order of wings to review and can honestly say my son loved every last bite of them.  He honestly shared his opinion for me to post about the finger lickin good wings. I would never post anything I could not or would not believe in and I trust his taste buds completely !
 

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