Easter Nests

Today I made these easy spring treats with the kids. Even my two-year-old could make one without making too much of a mess, and both kids loved filling their nests with eggs.

3 C. chow mein noodles
1 7 oz. container marshmallow cream
1 C. peanut butter
1 C. flaked sweetened coconut
1 tsp. vanilla extract
jelly beans, M& M's, or other Easter candies for eggs

1) In a large mixing bowl, combine the noodles, marshmallow, peanut butter, coconut, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator until easy to handle, at least 1 hour.
2) On waxed paper, form 1/4 C. mixture into a nest shape about 2" to 3" wide (we made ours a little bigger). Repeat with remaining mixture to form 15 nests (we got about 12). Allow to dry at least 20 minutes until they are the consistency of Rice Krispies treats.
3) Fill each nest with candies
4) Store nests ina plastic container with a lid. Put wax paper between layers of nests to prevent sticking.

Happy Easter!

Lemon Blossoms

Katie, sorry it took me so long. Are these what you were talking about?

Lemon Blossoms

18 1/2-ounce package yellow cake mix
3 1/2-ounce package instant lemon pudding mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
Glaze:
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray miniature muffin tins (well) with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn out onto a tea towel
To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.
With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.
**Make sure glaze is ready by the time the cakes come out of the oven. Works out best that way. :)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pancakes

We make these oatmeal pancakes every once in a while, but this morning we added chocolate chips and they were extra good! I love the chewy texture the oatmeal gives the pancakes and the chocolate chips make them taste like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Yum!

**I always one-and-a-half or double this recipe since it only makes 8 pancakes**

1 C. milk
2/3 C. oatmeal
2/3 flour
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. cooking oil
1/4 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. flaxseed (optional, I always stick it in pancakes)
Chocolate chips (optional)
mini-chocolate chips (again, optional, but they add a nice little crunch on the top!)

In a small saucepan, heat milk until hot. Remove from heat and stir in oats. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl stir together all the dry ingredients but the chocolate chips. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture for the liquid ingredients.

In a small bowl, stir together eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add egg mixture and oat mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir until combined. Add desired amount of chocolate chips, if using.

For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle. Spread a bit using a spatula and flip when bubbles appear and edges are slightly dry. Serve with maple syrup and mini chocolate chips sprinkled on top.

Cookie Dough Truffles

I made these for my Valentine last week. They were so easy and Baylie had a great time helping me roll the cookie dough into balls. If you love cookie dough, you HAVE to give these a try. They are so yummy and there are no raw eggs in the dough if you are concerned about that. After giving some to friends and, of course, to Ryan, I told Ryan to take the rest into work. Funny, they never made it that far. . .

from My Kitchen Cafe

Cookie Dough Truffles
adapted from Taste of Home

½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup packed brown sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional, I did not add them)
1 ½ pounds semisweet chocolate candy coating, chopped (I also tried milk chocolate and both were great!)
White chocolate chips (I used Wilton candy melts) for drizzling (totally optional)

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla; mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts, if using. Shape into 1-inch balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Loosely cover and freeze for 1-2 hours or until firm. (The dough softens quickly at room temperature so it works best if they are frozen, not just chilled in the refrigerator.)

In a microwave safe bowl, melt candy coating, stirring often until smooth. Dip balls in coating; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. If desired, melt remaining candy coating or white chocolate and drizzle over candies. Store in refrigerator. (I preferred keeping them in the freezer, hence their sparkley appearance in the pic) Yield: 5 ½ dozen.

White Pizza Dip

I made this easy dip for a baby shower this weekend and it was a hit. I'm not a huge fan of dips, but I couldn't get enough of this one. (I didn't take a picture, so this is a cheater shot from the cookbook.)

*1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix
1 16 oz. container sour cream (light worked fine)
1 C. ricotta cheese
1 C. shredded mozzarella cheese (I used an Italian cheese blend with good results)
1/4 C. chopped pepperoni
1 loaf Italian or French bread, sliced

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In shallow 1-quart casserole, combine soup mix, sour cream, ricotta cheese, 3/4 C. mozzarella cheese and pepperoni
2) Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 C. mozzarella cheese.
3) Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with bread. Makes 3 cups of dip.

*I couldn't find this soup mix at my grocery store. I substituted one .8 oz. packet of Italian dressing mix and added garlic powder until I liked the flavor- maybe 1/2 tsp. or so. It tasted great regardless!

Breakfast Birthday Cake

I made this for Christmas breakfast and was it ever good! I'm sure it would be even better (not to mention prettier) with in season strawberries. I love this recipe because it isn't overly sweet, yet it has strawberries, cream cheese, and whipped cream- three indulgent breakfast staples. I think the recipe was intended for a birthday breakfast, but why wait until then?

1 round (I used square) 16 oz. sourdough or whole grain bread loaf
3 eggs
2/3 C. milk
1 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. sugar divided
1 Tbsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp. vanilla divided
2 Tbsp. butter
3 C. fresh sliced strawberries
1/2 C. strawberry preserves (I skipped this and just used thawed frozen sweetened strawberries since it's winter)
1 C. whipping cream
1/2 C. whipped cream cheese (from the tub)

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove crust from bottom of one round 16-ounce sourdough or whole grain bread loaf. Slice bread horizontally in 3 equal round layers. Save top layer for another sue. Set aside remaining 2 bread portions. In a 2-quart square baking dish beat together 3 eggs, 2/3 C. milk, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and 1 Tbsp. vanilla; set aside. In a large nonstick skillet or on a griddle melt 1 Tbsp. butter over medium-high heat. Dip the bottom slice from the loaf into egg mixture; let bread soak about 1 minute on each side. Add soaked bread round to skillet. Decrease heat to medium. Cook about 5 minutes or until golden brown; carefully turn bread slice once. Place on a baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Repeat with 1 Tbsp. butter, second bread round, and egg mixture.
2) Meanwhile, slice 3 C. fresh strawberries and place in a large bowl. In a small saucepan melt 1/2 C. strawberry preserves; pour over berries and toss to coat. Set aside mixture, in a chilled mixing bowl combine 1 C. whipping cream, one-half an 8-ounce container whipped cream cheese (1/2 C.), 1 Tbsp. sugar, and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Beat until soft peaks form. Place bottom of bread loaf on a serving platter. Top with 1 to 2 C. of the strawberry mixture. Top with the second bread round. Top with some of the whipped cream mixture and remaining strawberry mixture. Cut carefully into wedges. Serve immediately. Pass remaining whipped cream mixture. Makes 10 servings.

Tin Foil Dinners

Tin Foil Dinners
serves 4

lots of tin foil (you always need more than you think)
1 lb. ground beef
3 russet potatoes
4 large carrots
1 pkg. frozen corn
1 small can cream of mushroom soup

Tear a double layer of tin foil for each packet. Peel and chop the potatoes and carrots into approx. uniform size. Boil both in water for 10 minutes or so, til starting to get tender. Divide beef evenly among packets, shape into a patty, and place down first on the foil. Salt and pepper. Top with potatoes and carrots, then a dollop of soup, and finish with a sprinkling of corn (I love the corn in this... so mine has lots). Lightly salt and pepper again. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes-1 hour, or til meat is cooked through. Don't forget the s'mores for dessert!