Care Package Ideas

        I have found the neatest blog! Ashley from over at Love From Home has written a fun blog sharing tips, package ideas, and fantastic resources for anyone preparing to send a loved one on a deployment. She is one of the most creative resources I've seen yet for all things "care package". She's covers it all! Care package essentials, supplies, and a ton of neat themes (she's even got a Big Bang Theory box!). I remember Hubby's last deployment. I wanted to keep his spirits up boxes full of things to make him smile...packages filled with goodies and sweet reminders of home and family, BUT... after the first few boxes I started running out of even enough ideas to fill a medium size flat rate box. So, as we gear up for round #2, I will definitely be headed over to her site for plenty of fresh ideas to keep the boxes movin' on out.
If this is your first deployment experience this is also a great resource for what kind of things ship well! Hope this helps you guys. Deployments SUCK! There's really no getting around that. But with the right attitude, your best girlfriends, and some fun tricks and traditions, your time will be up and before you know it you'll be waiting with your "Welcome Home Soldier" signs.

  Love From Home

Homemade Flour Tortillas

                Up until about six months ago we had always gone with store bought flour tortillas to accompany our Mexican fare. It was quick and easy and I didn't know better. I was so naive. (swelling dramatic music..) Then my sweet friend invited us over for dinner, served us tortillas hot off the pan, and changed my life! ...ok, maybe that's a bit dramatic (not that SHE hasn't changed my life!). All this time, I had been spending the day slow cooking meat in the crock pot, making quacamole and fresh salsa, beans and rice... then gathering the family and layering all of this goodness on a... FLAT, STALE, HARD, FLAVORLESS torti... I don't know what I was eating before! But it was NOT a tortilla. THIS was a tortilla!
You know what?? Maybe my life WAS changed.

These are fun to make, CHEAP!, and ten times more delicious than any purchased at the store. I LOVE it when I can  make something that is better for my family, less expensive, and tastes much better too. Win,win, WIN!
I have tried a few different recipes since falling in love a few months ago and I've found that this recipe is my favorite. The dough rolls out beautifully! If the right amount of water is added they turn out strong AND unbelievably soft. They're even awesome the next day! Put leftovers in a ziplock bag and store on the counter. Pop them in the microwave for a few seconds and DING! Deliciousness reheated! Hubby LOVES to have breakfast burritos on them the next morning... just sayin'.
Here's the link for your culinary pleasure...

Homemade Tortillas
     ~from Tasty Kitchen.com

Enjoy!

Perfect Chocolate Chip Muffins

Happy Friday!
It's rainy out this morning and we were blessed with a bit of a late start. Hubby's PT test was postponed due to weather which meant sleeping in... till 7! He took #1 to preschool and then came back for breakfast. Mornings like these call for something a bit special to start the day ( we're a bit burnt out on pancakes due to over exposure.... ). Muffins!
Hubby is kind of hard to WOW when it comes to muffins. He always eats them but I've rarely seen him IN LOVE with a muffin, with the exception of these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins over at Annie's Eats. Well, it just may be time for a new favorite in C&CS House!!

 I was curious about this recipe because it was different, using some ingredients and techniques that I hadn't seen yet in a muffin. I used my giant muffin tin and filled each to the top as directed. I sceptically (the recipe called for 2 Tbs of apple cider vinegar!) slid them into the oven and waited very impatiently for magic to happen. And it did! 

Totally Scrumptious Chocolate Chip Muffins

       adapted from Rock Recipes

Makes 12 large or 6 giant size muffins

*Sift together and set aside:
2 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder

*In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment in place, whisk together on high speed until foamy and slightly stiffened.
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

*Mix together in a measuring cup with a spout:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup canola oil

*Slowly add the oil and butter mixture to the egg mixture in a slow stream as the mixer continues to whisk.

In a separate bowl:
1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

*Add slowly to the mixing bowl continuing to mix but at a reduced speed.

*Fold in the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula being careful not to over mix. Don't worry about lumps in the batter, they are fine. 

*When the dry ingredients are almost incorporated, gently fold in

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used minis and lightly coated them with flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom)

*Spoon batter into well greased muffin tins, filling them to the top. I topped each muffin with some coarse decorating sugar and extra chocolate chips, which gives almost a bakery feel. 

*Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

 Optional Cream Cheese Filling
8 oz. cream cheese
1 C. powdered sugar
* blend together and spoon in to half filled muffin tin. Cover with remaining batter and bake as usual.

With love, from my kitchen to yours, on this cozy rainy morning....

Cookies N' Cream Cupcakes

 Happy Monday, all!
For those in love with Oreos and all things Cookies N' Cream, you are welcome in advance! :) Have I got a yum yum to share with you! These are probably one of the Hubs favorite cupcakes, he's a lover of the Oreo cookie. I started making these a few years ago and our family had been a fan ever since. If you're looking for something fun to bring to a game night or a BBQ this summer, this might just be the treat. This is a buttercream filled chocolate cupcake topped with a cookies n' cream buttercream and a little teeny tiny baby Oreo. Nommm Nommm! Ok, let's go.
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First, crush about 12 Oreos in the food processor... actually I doubled that because Hubs like the crushed cookies on his ice cream. You're gonna want a nice fine crumb, almost as if you we're making a cracker crust.

 Next you'll need some chocolate cupcakes. I was short on time... and energy... so I used a Chocolate Fudge Super Moist Cake Mix by Betty Crocker and added a box of Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix to the batter. This is a little trick to make a box mix have a better texture AND not fall apart while decorating. It makes an nice moist cake. This is an especially good tip if you're using a box cake mix and planning to decorate it with frosting or fondant. It will help your cake not be a totally crumbled mess. It gives a taste and texture somewhere between box and homemade... a good place to be if your a busy lady or new to baking.

 Ok, now for the buttercream. We're going to be honest with one another for a moment. Brace yourself. Buttercream contains butter. It's just going to happen. SO, now that we're all up front and honest...

 I don't usually use a recipe when I make frosting. My mum (cake baking goddess) taught me that the best way to cook/bake most things was by trial and error, taste and intuition. But I'm going to do my best to put this into measurements for you. Put 1.5 CUP of room temp unsalted butter and 3/4 CUP shortening into the stand mixer. Whip it smooth with the whisk attachment.

 I then added about a 1/2 tsp of salt and 2 cups of powdered sugar. Start the mixer out SLOW or you'll have a kitchen COVERED with sugar! :) After the sugar is incorporated continue to add sugar and whip at medium to high speed to get a light and fluffy frosting. I usually stop in the middle of this and add some type of flavoring/extract into my buttercream. For this recipe use 2 tsp of good quality PURE vanilla extract. Also add a tiny bit of milk to the frosting as you add the sugar to keep the texture light and smooth. I used close to 3/4 of a 3 lb. bag of sugar, you may find you use less. Once your buttercream is at the desired flavor and consistancy, stop the mixer and fill a decorating bag with a 2A decorator's tip and about 1/3 of the frosting. When you're ready to go, poke the tip of your bag about 1/2 inch into each cupcake and squeeze the bag. you'll feel the cupcake fill a bit and then the top of the cupcake will puff up. Feel free to cut open a sample cupcake to check if you like the amount... and taste ;).  

Once you have filled each cupcake, squeeze whatever is left in your bag back into the mixing bowl. Add your Oreo crumbs into your buttercream a 1/2 cup at a time while mixing at medium speed. Add to taste.

Then switch out the tip on your bag to a 1M (an awesome cupcake tip!) and fill your bag with the cookies n' cream buttercream. Frost each cupcake in a swirling motion beginning from the outside of the cupcake to the center. Don't forget, practice makes perfect... you may have to make a lot of cupcakes to master this little technique (*wink wink*). As a final touch, I like to place a mini Oreo or a broken piece of Oreo cookie on each cupcake (you could also dust left over crumbs on top).

And now...eat them all up! 

... you may even have some left over frosting.

Enjoy!

Two Perfect Loaves...

I love bread.
I love to bake it, smell it, eat it, and SHARE it!

This is Julia Child's White Sandwich Bread. I found the recipe over at Dinner with Julie and have made it several times since. The texture is soft and still holds together well for slicing. It's also made in the stand mixer... You're gonna LOVE it. I follow the measurements and directions exactly ( not usually my style, but in this case it was perfect!) and it comes out just right every time.

Julia Child's White Sandwich Bread

Make sure that you wait till your bread is cooled before slicing into it if maintaining it's shape is important to you. I know it's hard to wait, thank goodness this makes two because we usually polish off the first loaf right out of the oven with some local honey!  If you wrap these loaves up nice and tight it stays nice and soft and fresh tasting for days... not that it will last that long. :)

Roasted Vegetables and Turkey Kielbasa

I'm pleased to introduce you to one of the easiest and tastiest dinners you can make. This meal is super easy to personalize to your family's liked and dislikes.

Ok, pick out some kielbasa. Turkey, pork, cheese... go on, go crazy! We love the Hillshire Farms Turkey Kielbasa because the flavor is amazing and it's quite a bit healthier for you. I promise, you won't even notice it's turkey and neither will your family.
Now is your chance to get creative. Pick out your veggies. Have fun experimenting with different combinations and flavors. Let me tell you right now, most vegetables taste their very best roasted in the oven.

Here are some of our favorite veggies to use...
 •Peppers
•Potatoes
•Onions
•Sweet Potatoes
•Broccoli
•Zucchini
•Carrots
•Parsnips

The list goes on and on, these are just some of our favorites.
Now cut up your vegetables and sausage about the same size and place on a cookie sheet. I usually line the cookie sheet with tin foil for easy clean up (who the heck wants to spend the night scrubbing the pan?).
Drizzle veggies and kielbasa with EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, crack sea salt and pepper, and sprinkle garlic powder, red pepper flakes, or oregano to taste. Place in a 375 degree oven until veggies are tender, stirring every 15 minutes to cook evenly.

That's about it! Eat it hot! My husband loves this with some BBQ sauce, and of course little man LOVES his with ketchup. :)