Black Licorice Caramels for Halloween

Last week, my littlest and I made caramels for a Halloween treat.  At first, he wasn't so sure about the black licorice flavor, but as they set over night the flavor mellowed.  I love black licorice, it reminds me of my grandfather.  He always had a stash of black licorice in the top of one of the kitchen cupboards when I was little.  It is a very nostalgic flavor for me.

Black Licorice Caramels
Adapted from a cousin's family recipe
1 cup butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups corn syrup

2 cups sugar

1/4 t salt

1/8 ounce anise flavoring

1/2 t black food coloring paste

This takes about 30 minutes and you need to stir it the entire time.  Bring all ingredients through salt to a boil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Keep at a rolling boil until 240˚F. Remove from heat and stir in food coloring and flavoring. Pour caramel into a well-buttered 9x13 inch pan. Let cool and set overnight. Cut into pieces and wrap in wax paper or cellophane squares.

 

Makes 100-150 pieces

Our New Go-To Dessert

My husband started the year back on the "South Beach Wagon."  We had invited some friends for dinner to enjoy a new favorite of his, Blackened Chicken, and games.  Our friend offered to bring a salad and something for dessert.  I mentioned our current no-carb situation, and she said that she would look through her books and see what she could find.  She showed up with Chocolate Mousse.  Everyone in our family loved it.  And, we have made it several times since.  The boys every made it for Grandma & Papa's Sunday dinner.

{Chocolate Mousse}
South Beath diet-friendly
1 4-serving box of Suger-free Jell-O Instant Pudding, chocolate flavor
1 tub of Cool-Whip Free, defrosted
2 C cold milk

Mix  pudding and milk according to package directions.  Let set up in fridge until just before serving.  Then, gently fold in Cool Whip.  The end result is an almost guilt-free, fuluffy, creamy chocolate treat!

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

I found this recipe online and sent it to my sister as an idea for dessert on Mother's Day. She and my dad made it up for us, and it was delicious!{Salted Caramel Ice Cream}
original recipe here
3 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
3 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon flake salt

Place milk in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge of pan (do not boil). Place egg yolks in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Gradually add half of hot milk to yolks, stirring constantly. Return yolk mixture to pan.

Combine sugar, cream, and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil, stirring until sugar melts. Cook 3 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat; stir in sea salt. Gradually add caramel mixture to yolk mixture, stirring constantly. Return pan to low heat; cook until a thermometer registers 160°. Place pan in a large ice-filled bowl until completely cooled, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Drain ice water from freezer bucket; repack with salt and ice. Cover with kitchen towels, and let stand 1 hour or until firm. Scoop about 1/2 cup ice cream into each of 10 dishes; sprinkle evenly with flake salt.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pie Cookies

We made these after Valentine's day, but the were still yummy! The frosting makes for a pretty rich filling, we all had to stop after about one cookie. My preschooler did not like the filling, but the toddler gobbled it up.
{Red Velvet Whoppie Pies}
recipe from Food Network Magazine
For the Cookies:
1 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 ounce milk chocolate, chopped
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food coloring
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and seeds scraped

Make the cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the semisweet and milk chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 50 percent power until melted, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth.
Whisk the melted butter, sour cream, eggs, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring in a bowl until combined. In another bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in four equal batches, whisking each batch completely before adding the next. Stir in the melted chocolate.
Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls of batter onto the prepared baking sheets and smooth the tops with a damp finger. Bake until the cookies spring back when lightly pressed, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Beat the cream cheese and butter with a mixer until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla seeds. Sandwich a heaping tablespoonful of filling between 2 cookies; repeat with the remaining cookies and filling. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

Valentine's Day Plan

This year, with Valentine's Day being on Sunday, we will be spending a not-so-quiet evening at home with the boys. But, I still want to make Saturday night special for my husband and I, so here is what I am cooking up:

Starters: Pear and Raspberry Brie Wheel with Rosemary Raisin Pecan Crisps
Main Course: Pasta al Balsamico (from my Pasta class I attended)
Sides: Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinagrette and Lemon Butter Green Beans with Pinenuts
Dessert: Red Velvet Whoopie Pies or Frozen Hot Chocolate (which would have to be followed by a showing of Serendipity)

Our Favorite: Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are very few things in life that I can pin down an absolute favorite. But, these cookies are one of those things. In fact, in my "food pics" folder they occur on three different dates, and I decided it was time to share the recipe. {Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies}
Cream together:
1 ½ cups softened butter
1 ½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
Add and beat until fluffy:
2 large room temperature eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla
Add and beat well:
1 large package of Instant Chocolate pudding mix
Combine just till well mixed:
2 cups oats measured and then ground
2 1/3 cups flour
1 T. baking soda
2 cups white chocolate chips

Shape into perfect little balls like my sister, Kimberlee, taught me how to do. And bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. Then, enjoy your cookies!

Now, if you should end up not wanting an entire batch of cookies lying around your house, as is the time of year for weight-loss resolutions, try this little trick. Simply shape the dough into single cookies and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Pop into your freezer for about 2 hours to harden the outside of the dough balls. Remove from freezer, and bag.

Label your bags clearly. I like to include: contents, cooking instructions, and the date bagged.

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

I got this recipe from a friend of mine. I had never made a gingerbread house before so this was a fun adventure. This makes great gingerbread for cookies. I ended up drying the gingerbread house piece in the oven for a while to make them stiff enough to hold up the candy.

{Gingerbread Cookies}

1 C packed brown sugar

1/3 C Shortening

1 1/2 C dark molasses

2/3 C cold water

7 C flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp salt

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix brown sugar, shortening, molasses, and water in a large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or until firm. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Roll 1/4 of dough at a time 1/4" thick. Cut with floured cookied cutters. Place 2" apart on a baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes.

Yummy Summer Goodness

We had this pie for the first time over Memorial Day Weekend in Chelan. We were celebrating my dad's birthday and strawberry pie is standard. But, this was not the pie that my mom normally makes for his birthday.

{Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie}
from Becky Rands
3 1/2 C chopped strawberries
3 1/2 C chopped rhubarb
1 1/2 C sugar
2 T corn starch
2 T tapioca
dash of salt
2 pie crusts

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, and mix. Stir in strawberries and rhubarb. Let sit for 15 minutes. Pour into pie crust. Place remaining crust on top and slie to vent. Brush crust with milk, and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Begin checking after 20 minutes, and place pie ring when edges begin to brown.

Father's Day Menu

We had a fun filled day of spoiling the Dad at our house. I let my three-year-old plan the menu. The night before we talked about what to make Dad for breakfast in bed - popcorn, of course. When I asked what we should make for dinner he said, "I don't know." I suggested that we make something that he really likes, because I bet Daddy would like it, too. "Pizza!" he exclaimed.

And, since I am sure that everyone is wondering about how to make their own wonderfully balanced menu with these foods, the recipes are below.

{Dad's Eggs Benedict}
This one is a little different from your traditional Eggs Benedict. But, you can find my instructions here. The last time I made this, my husband said, "Whoever thought to make eggs benedict on bran muffins is a genius."

{Chocolate Frosting}
Recipe from Sheila Campbell
3 sticks of unsalted butter (room temp)
3/4 c cocoa
1 t. vanilla
4 c powdered sugar
4-5 T whipping/heavy cream

Cream the butter. Add the vanilla. Beat in the cocoa. Then add the sugar a little at a time, alternating with the whipping cream so it doesn't get too hard to work with. You might need more cream, depending on how soft your butter was when you started, etc. Anyway, I get to about 2 1/2 c of sugar and do the rest by taste. The nice thing about using cream instead of milk is it never gets too runny if you're a little heavy handed with the liquid, it'll just get more fluffy.

{Love PB&J}
This one isn't too hard, and technically you don't have to put quite as much "love" into yours. You see, the secret is in the homemade jam. (Pick the berries, wash the berries, make the jam - you get the picture, right?) Then, cut out the center with a mini heart-shaped cutter.

{Award-Winning Pizza}
Adapted from Giorgio Giove
1 pizza crust, uncooked
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 ounces mozzarella knots, shredded
6 thin slices pancetta
1 (2-inch) piece zucchini, thinly sliced
2 ounces herbed cream cheese

Place a pizza stone on the floor or the lowest rack of your oven. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
Roll out your pizza crust. Spread on the heavy cream. Place the pancetta slices on so there is pancetta on each slice of pizza. Place the zucchini slices all around. Drop chunks of cream cheese evenly over the pizza. Finally topp with mozzarella. Slide the pizza onto the stone and bake for 8 minutes.

{Tri-Colore Orzo Salad}
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis
Finally, my "secret" will be out! Here is exactly how I make this a salad.
1/4 C orzo pasta
1 bag fresh spincah (about 1/3 - 1/2 lb)
3/4 C crumbled feta cheese
1/2 C craisins
12 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
1/4 C toasted pine nuts
1/8 C extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper, plus a pinch more

Cook pasta according to package's al dente instructions. Toast pine nuts, well, until the flavor truly comes out. Place spinach in a bowl top with cooked pasta, pine nuts, feta, craisins, and basil. Mix remaining ingredients together, and shake to combine. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Mmmm!

The Weekend's Food

Saturday - grilled hotdogs and bratwurst, salad for lunch
"Dad's Birthday Enchiladas" and salad for dinner, with Strawberry Rhubbard pie for dessert
Sunday - Cedar Plank grilled Salmon, salad, corn on the cobb, Grandma's rice
Cookies and leftover pie for dessert
Monday - we waited 1 hour 15 minutes for Hamburgers and Fries outside on Lakeview Drive-in in Chelan, WA - but, hey, we did it with family!

{Chocolate, Almond, Coconut Cookies ala Lauren}
2 cups butter
2 cups white sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons almond
5 cups oatmeal
2 packages Guittard milk chocolate chips
2 cups coconut
3 cups flour

Do not put butter in the microwave to soften. Just leave it on the counter, or take it right out of the refrigerator. Put butter in the mixer and beat it for several minutes. Add sugars and eggs and beat for several minutes. Add baking powder, soda, salt, almond, and oatmeal. Mix. Add chocolate chips. Mix. Add coconut. Mix. Add flour. Mix. Bake at 350º for 8 to 9 minutes. The cookies should start turning light brown around the edges but they don’t look done in the middle. We like to keep them in the refrigerator. They are fantastic cold. (I find if I let the dough sit out about a half hour before baking the cookies turn out more puffy, if I make the cookies right away they turn out flatter, I don’t know why that is. Also, roll the dough into balls to bake, don’t make them too big, maybe about 1 ½ inches.)

Happy Sunday Morning!

It is a fine looking Sunday around our house. Yesterday, my husband and a friend painted our living room. Finally, getting rid of a dark red wall from the previous owners. And, while the men worked, the women "worked" too. We made these fabulous cookies.
{Homemade Samoas}
Shortbread cookies (I used 1 1/2 pkgs of Keebler Sandies)
12 oz good quality caramels
3 Tbsp milk
1/4 tsp salt
3 C shredded coconut
Chocolate chips, about 8 oz.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour coconut onto a cookie sheet. Cook for about 20 minutes to toast, stirring every 5 minutes. Cool on baking sheet, set aside.

Combine caramels, milk and salt in a double boiler. When melted and smooth, add in toasted coconut and stir to combine. Spread 2-3 tsp onto each shortbread cookie. Set aside to set-up.

As caramel topping sets, melt chocolate (in double boiler or microwave), stirring so that it will not scorch. Dip bottom of cookies in chocolate, and place on parchment paper. Drixxle remaining chocolate over the top of cookies. Melt more chocolate , if necessary. You could also use a bottle to make nice "stripes" over your cookies.
Allow chocolate to set up, and enjoy! Store in an air-tight container.

Our New Year's Tradition: Fondue

Cocktail Weiners
This recipes is originally from the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook circa 1970s and is for meatballs. We like the Lil' Smokies better, beause is it a lot easier.
1 lb Lil' Smokies (or other brand cocktail sausages)
12 oz bottle chili sauce
10 oz grape jelly

Heat chili sauce and jelly in a sauepan, stirring constantly, until jelly is melted. Add sausauges and stir until thoroughly coated. Simmer for 20 minutes, sausauges will plump in the mixture.

Cheddar Cheese Fondue
1/3 C flour
2 tsp dry mustard
2 C half & half
2 C (1/2 lb) shredded Sharp cheddar cheese
1 tsp worchestershire sauce
2 drops Tabasco sauce

In a fondue pot, Combine flour and mustard. Set heat control to "SIMMER" and add half & half gradually. Stir until thickened. Add cheese, 1/4 C at a time, and stir until melted. Add worchestershire and Tabasco sauces; stir. Heat 5 minutes to develop flavors.
For serving, spear rye or french bread cubes with a fondue fork or dip crackers. Makes 6-8 servings. You can also dip: broccoli, cauliflower, cooked new potatoes, cherry tomatoes, cubes of meat, apple slices or pineapple.

Milk Chocolate Fondue
2 11-1/2 oz packages milk chocolate chips
1 C heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp mint extract or 1-2 Tbsp creme de menthe (optional)

In a fondue pot, combine chocolate chips and cream. Set heat to "WARM" and stir until chocolate mealts. Add mint flavoring, if desired. Stir until blended.
Serve with: Nilla wafers, graham crackers, pound cake cubes, pretzels, marshmallows, strawberries, bananas, pineapple, apples, or mandarin oranges.

Christmas Eve & Christmas Dinners

{Christmas Eve}

Northwest Harvest Salmon

Butternut Squash Gratin with Blue Cheese and Sage

Broccoli

Christmas Salad

{Christmas Day}

Ham

Lion House Dinner Rolls

Green Beans with Carmelized Onions

Potatoes with Cheese and Seasoned Breadcrumbs

Aunt Terri's Salad

Apple Crisp ala mode

Apple Crisp

12 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

Layer in a 9x13 pan. Mix together:

1 C butter

2 C brown sugar

1 C wheat flour

3 tsp cinnamon

3 C rolled oats

2 C chopped nuts

Sprinkle over apples in pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. This recipe is not very sweet, but with lots of "granola" it is great for breakfast topped with milk.

More recipes will come as I get them or find links . . .

Teacher's Gift

It dawned on me that I should be thinking about a gift for my son's preschool teacher. Yeah, I'm on the ball like that. So, I called up my mother, the queen of teacher gifts, and she suggested this . . .

I canned Homemade Apple Pie Filling earlier in the fall. Then, it was easy to type up a recipe for French Apple Pie and get an inexpensive pie dish, some cute wrapping and I was done!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

I hope that everyone is enjoying their Thanksgiving week. We sure are enjoying our vacation time in Utah! Our Thanksgiving plan is to have a late breakfast and, then, an early dinner. I am making our traditional Banana Cream Pie and Roasted Asparagus for one of the sides.

Mom's Banana Cream Pie
¼ C corn starch
2/3 C sugar
¼ tsp salt
2 C scalded milk
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
2 Tbsp butter
½ tsp vanilla
Sliced bananas
Pie Crust
Whipped cream

Cook pie crust. Line bottom of pie shell with sliced bananas. (This can also be done while the custard cools.)

Mix cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Scald milk. Gradually add milk to corn starch mixture. Cook over moderate heat stirring constantly, until thickened and boiling. Cook 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. Add small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks, temper. Stir back in. Cook 1 more minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla. Stir. Cool slightly and pour into cooked pie shell. Press wax paper onto custard filling to prevent "skin" from forming.

Chill. Spread top with whipped cream prior to serving. Or, top each slice with a dollop of cream and a sliced banana.

Here are some ideas to keep your kiddos busy, while you're working away:
Cute Turkey Cookies
Indian Corn
Mayflower Picture
And, here are TWO great turkeys to preserve just how your little ones were this Thanksgiving.

And, I'm sure this is what we will be singing at the end of the night.
The Turkey Dinner Song (sung to Frere Jacques "Are You Sleeping?")
Turkey Dinner, Turkey Dinner, Gather Round, Gather Round
Who will get the drumstick? Yummy Yummy Yum-stick
All sit down, All sit down

Cornbread muffins, chestnut stuffin’, pudding pie ten feet high
All of us were thinner until we came to dinner
Me-o my, Me-o my!

{Applesauce Cookies}

This recipe comes from my great grandmother. We first had them this summer at a family reunion, and my toddler inhaled them.

½ c shortening
1 c sugar
1 egg
½ c applesauce
2 c flour
1 t soda
½ t cloves
½ t nutmeg
1 t cinnamon
½ t salt
Raisins or chocolate chips (opt.)

Preheat oven to 400°. Cream shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs and applesauce. Stir in dry ingredients and raisins or chocolate chips if desired. Drop by tablespoons onto greased baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Makes 2-3 dozen.

Election Day

Well, it is finally Election Day. And, I for one, will be glad to see it go. I am tired of the bad-mouthing tv ads, and ready to move on. I am hoping that the end of the election will signal a positive change for the direction of our country. (And, keeping my fingers crossed behind my back.)

So, rather than focusing on the craziness and remaining glued to my tv all night long, I am planning on making some fun food and celebrating the country that I am proud to live in - where I have the opportunity to vote and "make my voice heard".

Chocolate and Vanilla Election Cupcakes
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, preferably European-style, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
Vanilla Frosting (recipe below)
1 (24-ounce) package fondant
Red or blue paste food coloring
Silver edible glitter
Red, white, and blue nonpareils

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, add milk and vanilla extract; stir to combine and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low, add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with milk mixture; beat until just combined. Add cocoa powder and beat until just combined. Fill each muffin cup two-thirds full with batter. Transfer to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool in pans for two minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Transfer frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a large 5/8-inch round tip (such as Ateco No. 808). Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes and set aside. Meanwhile, press your thumb into the center of the fondant to make a well. Place a small amount of food coloring (red for Republican, blue for Democrat) in the well and knead fondant until color is well blended. Continue to add more food coloring to fondant until desired color is achieved. Roll out into a 1/16-inch-thick sheet.

To make Republican elephants, cut out 12 elephant shapes using 2-inch elephant cutters. Sprinkle with edible glitter. To make Democrat donkeys, cut out 12 bear shapes using a 2-inch bear cutter. Using a 2-inch daisy cutter, cut out enough daisy shapes so that you have 36 petals; sprinkle bear shaped and daisy petal fondant with edible glitter. Top each cupcake with a fondant elephant or bear, using two daisy petals to make donkey ears on each bear and one petal to make the tail. Sprinkle cupcakes with nonpareils and serve.

Vanilla Frosting
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

Place all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until well combined.

Elephants and Donkeys too much for you? Here are some other ideas:
*Top your cupcakes with an American flag design. Use shoestring licorice for the stripes of the flag and blue frosting piped stars.
*Make star-shaped sugar cookies and frost in red, white and blue. Or, frost with white frosting and sprinkle with red and blue sugar.
*Make one sheet cake and decorate as an American flag. (Think 4th of July.)

Let Them Eat Cake

Tonight, my mom and sisters had a Visiting Teaching Picnic to go to tonight. So, my assistance was requested in picking up ingredients for Key Lime Cupcakes on the way to their house. Caitlin decided to make them mini cupcakes instead. They were so cute! And delicious! I highly recommend them.

Chocolate Caramel Brownies: Recipe Review

Last week, I found this recipe and instantly had to try it. It was really yummy and I will definitely make it again - with a few changes of course!

Chocolate Caramel Brownies

original recipe here

1 box German Chocolate Cake mix

3/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 bag wrapped caramels (50 individually wrapped caramels

1/3 cup evaporated milk

Mix together the cake mix, melted butter and 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Mix until well incorporated, it will be thick. Press half of batter into a 9x13 inch greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes.

While batter is baking, melt caramels and 1/3 cup evaporated milk in a saucepan until creamy. When brownies are done, poor caramel on top of the cooked portion of brownies. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of caramel. Dot the remaining brownie mix on top of chips and caramel. Return to oven and bake for another 11 minutes. Cool in refrigerator for about 2 hours.

So . . . I think that next time I will try it with a Devil's Food cake mix. I also mixed semi-sweet and white chocolate chips, because it was what I had on hand. And, I think that I will cut down the 1/3 C evaporated milk that is added to the caramels a little. I found the caramel stayed a little too gooey for my taste.

Fourth of July

I've been busy planning a family reunion for my dad's family, and realized that I am "right up against" the Fourth of July. Yipee! Here's a few ideas for a fun and festive Fourth!

I believe is a good old-fashined BBQ on the fourth of July, but I highly recommend you try a new burger this year. Can I say YUM?!?

How about a patriotic version of my husband's favorite dessert with the All-American Trifle. Or a classice childhood favorite of mine: Flag Cake. (Pretty basic really, but the video gives you the idea.) Here is what I will be doing. I LOVE cheesecake, and it is a simple recipe, always good when you're cooking in someone else's home. Next year, when I have more time, I'm going for these. Or, if you're skipping the dessert option, here is a Fruit Flag that you could serve anytime - even breakfast!

For the kiddos, here is a t-shirt idea, and another, and another. Or, you could go with our family favorite of blue and red tye-die! And if you're not into the festive wear, you can throw a couple of these up in your front window.

Okay, there are some fun ideas to help you celebrate one of my FAVORITE holidays. (Wink, wink - I love all holidays, but the fourth of July is definitely toward the top of my list.) Enjoy a burger and the fireworks, and think of me!