Spiced Sugar Cookies

For our fun Fall Girl's Afternoon in... I was looking for a fun way to spice things up.

I decided to see what would happen if I "spiced" up my throw down bag of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookies. Outcome... a delightful success. 

Easy Spiced Up Sugar Cookies

Number 37

By: Laura Fowell

Ingredients
One bag of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
1/3 Cup Butter or Margarine, Soft
1 Tablespoon of Flour
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
Pinch of Nutmeg

Directions
Stir cookie mix, 1.3 cup softened butter, 1 tablespoon flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, egg in medium bowl until soft dough forms.

Roll out on lightly floured surface to desired thickness. Cut out with favorite cookie cutter.

Bake 350 for 7 min to 9 min.

Happy Spices!
Laura

Directions

Spiced Pumpkin Bread Cake & Whipped Cream

Another wonderful fall recipe, from a wonderful friend - you guessed it, Elizabeth.

I made this last week for my "Fall on Over" for a "Girl's Afternoon In".

We had a wonderful afternoon visiting about hubbies, kids, work and life. Thank you to all my sweet girlsfriends who made time to share the afternoon together.

In keeping with the fall theme, we had Fall food... Spiced Sugar Cookies (check back soon for the super easy recipe) and Spiced Pumpkin Bread Cake.

*This recipe makes a large loaf, muffins, several mini loafs or one bunt cake. The recipe may easily be halved.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread Cake

Number 35

By: Elizabeth Dronet's friend, Julie

Original post

Ingredients
3 cup sugar

1 cup oil

4 eggs

15 oz can pumpkin

3 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. soda

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

2/3 cup water

Directions

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and then add in to mixed liquid ingredients.

Bake at 350 in a big loaf pan or bundt for 50-60 minutes until a tester comes out clean. For muffins or small loaf pans bake a shorter amount of time.

Serve with Whipped Cream.

In preparing this post for "posting" I realized that I have never shared my favorite Whipped Cream recipe. I have tried making whipped cream many different ways and this one is super easy and, bar far, my favorite. It is an old family recipe, one I found in my Grandmother's recipe box.

Whipped Cream
By: Aba Laura Davidson
Number 36

1 Cup Whipping Cream
1 Tablespoon Confectioner's Sugar (Powder Sugar)
*optional 1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract

Beat on medium until peaks form.
Refridgerate.

Helpful Hint - place a metal mixing bowl and wisk in the freezer for several minutes prior to use.

Happy Fall!

Laura

Royal Icing and Sugar Cookies, Part Two

A few weeks ago, I posted Birthday Cookies and detailed our first time experience with Royal Icing. Since we had so much fun the first time and I am trying to master (okay, maybe not master, just survive) this technique, I wanted to try it again. 

We had the perfect opportunity on Halloween weekend because we were invited to a (now in it's second year) annual kid friendly Halloween Party.

Ghosts and Pumpkins were the items of the hour.

Here is what I tried differently this time...

The rolling of the dough: I tried a thinner cookie this time around. I think that it worked well, it just requires constant observation in the oven to ensure that your cookies do not overcook and become brittle. I like my sugar cookies to be moist and slightly chewy. You don't want to break a tooth when you bit into one!

Piping the icing: I really tried to take my time. Next time, I will make the piping icing a bit thinner, it was still a little too thick. I really want the piped line to melt away into the flooding icing. I felt that on some of the cookies you could see the piped line. I will continue to try and perfect that!

Flooding: I was pleased with our flooding process this time!

We did have one "overflow" which was due to the piped icing not fulling holding the flood!

The ghosts needed eyes and the pumpkins needed stems, so we mixed up some green icing.



All in all, the second time around was a lot less stressful and really fun! My mother helped me and we enjoyed baking together!

They did not mind taste testing either!

Happy Haunting!

Laura

Homemade Fruit Roll Ups

The twins are obsessed with gummy snacks!

I make every effort to find 100% vitamin C fruit snacks, but it is not always easy. Last weekend we attended our friend's daughter's first birthday. One of the many wonderful homemade snacks prepared -

homemade fruit roll ups. The minute we saw them, the Hubby looked at me and I was on my way to the hostess asking for the recipe.

Turns out... it's Martha!

The following week, the twins invited some friends over for a play date and I had an excuse to make them!

Apricot Fruit Roll Ups

Number 34

By: Martha Stewart

Ingredients

Makes 30

2 cups dried apricots

3 cups boiling water

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup sugar

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 160 degrees with rack in center. Place apricots in a large bowl, and cover with the water; let soak until they are completely soft, 30 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a fine sieve; drain, and reserve liquid.

2.Place apricots in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade; add honey and sugar. Process until mixture is very smooth and easily spreadable. If it is too thick, add up to 1 tablespoon soaking liquid.

3.Cover two 10-by-15-inch baking sheets with plastic wrap. Divide puree between the sheets; spread in a thin, even layer with an offset spatula. Let dry in oven until mixture is firm but slightly tacky, about 8 hours or overnight. Remove from oven; let cool.

4.Peel fruit leather from plastic wrap, and cut into 1-inch-wide strips using a pizza cutter. Roll tightly into cylinders, and serve.

***

Cook's Note: Plastic wrap does not mean Reynold's plastic wrap or any other brand of plastic wrap. Don't use it - it melts! I tried Wax paper and it worked just fine. You could also try parchment paper or use a cook spray on your pan. I found it easier to use the wax paper and then I didn't chance riping the leather rolls after removing from the pan.

Cook's Note 2: Over night does not mean 9 or 10 or 11 hours - stay closer to the 8 hours because the fruit starts to cook and the leather rolls are really tough leather! ;0)

Cook's Note 3: Instead of using a pizza cutter, I used kitchen scissors. It worked well because I had more control of the cut.  

As a side note, finding this recipe as led to another find - Martha Stewart Kids. Maybe I have just been under a rock and did not know that this existed, but I am really looking forward to trying out some of her ideas. Here is the link to her website... Martha Stewart Kids.

Happy Rolling!

Laura 

Champagne for every Season!

Champagne is a girl's best friend! And why not make it festive!

With a few drops of food coloring and a little creativity, turn a glass of heaven into a heavenly good time!

This week, I hosted our monthly Girls Game Night.

The theme for November - Fall Orange.

Here are the ladies enjoying the Fall Orange Bubbly!

Colored Bubbly

Number 33

By: Laura Fowell

Ingredients

Champagne

Champagne Glasses

Food Coloring

Garnish for the Glass

Directions

Set out the champagne glasses together. Garnish the glass.

With your color in mind, drop the food coloring into the glass, one drop at a time until you have reached your desired color.

Wait for the guests to arrive and pour!

Color Combinations

Reds, Yellows, Oranges

 Orange - 1 drop Red, 4drops Yellow

Peach - 1 drop Red, 2 drops Yellow

Salmon Pink - 3 drops Red, 2 drops Yellow

Blues, Greens

Dark Blue - 1 drop Red, 6 Drops Blue

Violet - 2 drops Red, 1 drop Blue

Orchid - 3 drops Red, 1 drop Blue

Turquoise - 4 drops Blue, 1 drop Green

Lime Green - 3 drops Yellow, 1 drop Green

Pistachio - 1 drop Yellow, 4 drops Green 

Others

Brown - 2 drops Red, 1 drop Green, 1 drop Yellow

Holiday Ideas for Champagne

Valentine's Day

Red champagne with a Strawberry as a garnish

St. Patrick's Day

Green Champagne with a spring of mint

Easter

Pastel Colored Champagne on a Silver Tray with Peeps perched on the tray

Mother's Day

Pink Champagne with edible rose petals

Father's Day

Green Champagne with decorations of Daddy's Favorite Sport (Football, Golf, Basketball)

4th of July

Red and Blue Champagne with Strawberries and Blueberries as garnish

October and November

Fall Colors of Brown and Orange Champagne

December

Red and Green alternating glasses of Champagne

Happy Bubbling!

Laura

Pumpkin Dip

Nothing says Fall like a Pumpkin candle, Pumpkin Pie or Pumpkin Dip!

My dear friend invited me over for a wonderful girls game night last week. We each brought a little munchie and a drink. The evening was a wonderful time of friends spending time together and meeting new friends.

One of the attendees brought a wonderful pumpkin dip made from a mix packet that she especially purchases for the Fall in  a tiny town in West Texas. All of the ladies sitting around chatting tried to figure out the recipe and low and behold, our hostess with the mostess had made it before and shared her recipe! The great thing is that she has two versions.

Fluffy Pumpkin Dip
Number 30

by Elizabeth Savoie Dronet

from Savoie Secrets: It's a Family Recipe

Our basic fruit dip is ready for fall! Serve along side apples, vanilla wafers or graham cracker sticks. It makes a nice addition to a Halloween or Thanksgiving buffet.

Ingredients

1 8oz pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 7oz jar marshmallow cream

1/2 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Directions

In a mixer, beat cream cheese and marshmallow cream until well blended. Add pumpkin and spices and mix well. Chill. Serve with apples, vanilla wafers or graham cracker sticks.

Pumpkin Apple Dip

Number 31

by Elizabeth Savoie Dronet

from Savoie Secrets: It's a Family Recipe

Brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin make this dip ideal for fall celebrations like Halloween and Thanksgiving. I packed it in the kid’s lunch box this morning with apple slices and graham crackers.

Ingredients

1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

sliced apples

Directions

In a mixer, beat all ingredients until smooth. Chill. Serve with apples.

Laura's Pumpkin Dip a la Elizabeth

Number 32

By: Laura Fowell

With Elizabeth's recipe in mind and my ingredients in the cupboard and refridgerator , I went to town...

Ingredients

1 8oz pkg. reduced 1/3 fat cream cheese, softened

1 jar marshmallow cream

1/2 of one 100% pure canned pumpkin

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

2 Tablespoons of brown sugar

Directions

In a mixer, beat on medium cream cheese, marshmallow cream, pumpkin and spices. Serve or Chill.

We served with apples and or graham crackers.

P.S. I am hosting a ladies Game Night this week and I am seriously considering making this - Julie's Pumpkin Bread - it looks delicious!

Happy Pumpkins!

Laura

Happy "2nd" Birthday- Trains & Tiaras

We made it another year! Two two year olds!

So, do the terrible twos come in droves of four when you have twins?

Regardless, I am choosing not to accept the terrible twos into our home. I have decided that we are going to skip the terrible twos and it seems to be working so far. I am convinced it is because we rang in the year with such success!

The theme of the "2nd" Birthday - TRAINS and TIARAS

It was a blast to plan... I took my time and started working WAY in advance.

I wanted to create as much as I could by hand.

Train Sign

I "borrowed" an idea from a favorite blog - It's the Little Things that Make a House a Home - and made it my own. I wanted a focal point of entry, an eye catcher! One afternoon I was catching up with Karla and I saw a sign that she made for a wedding. You can check out her original post here. We decided that we could adapt Karla's idea to a Railroad Crossing Sign.

The outcome was fantastic!

Take a look...

We now have the sign lovingly placed in our living room next to the twins birthday present - a train table!

The original post of how we made it can be found here.

Cupcake Toppers
Then on to the cupcake toppers...

I knew I wanted to try and make my own cupcake toppers.
Thank goodness for scrapbooking. I had a circle cutter and double sided picture tape.
So, I headed out to my local Michales (coupon in hand) and purchased some Popsicle sticks, paper and a tiara and train punch.

Viola!

Here they are in action...

Next... (For lack of a better word...)

Signage

This experience has made we want a die cutting machine. So many times, I contemplated just hitting Michael's or Hobby Lobby, throwing caution to the wind and getting one. But, I let the better part of me hold me back... and again Thank you Scrapbooking...

I made a few rudimentary signs. The idea was cute... identification and fun facts about trains and tiaras... the execution could have been better (if I had a die-cutting machine) but then again, they were child-like and this was s 2 year old's day!

Identification...

Grand "Chimney" Station was the place to play with the new train table!

Food

What's a party without food?

Her Royal Majesty

and

The Train

Choo! Choo!

Laura

No "wine"ing on your Birthday!

I am another year older, and wi"n"er, opps... I mean wiser!

For my birthday, my parent's presented me with a bottle of wine from the year I was born!

A bottle of 1978 Chateau La Grave

I did a little research and the vineyard it still around... Chateau La Grave

The website is in French and while I studied French for years, that in now more than half of my life ago and there is too much Spanish mingled into my memory to translate an entire website.

(Melissa and Danielle, I will be calling on your expertise!)

Back to the bottle of Chateau La Grave... we were worried that it would be a "Grave" mistake to open such a "classic" but with a twist of the corkscrew - we were celebrating a wonderful evening.

The experience was interesting and educational...

The wine was a white Bordeaux and it was fascinating to see it oxidize before our very eyes. Between the time that we opened the wine, decanted the wine, pour and enjoyed we witnessed an amazing change of color in the wine.

Have you ever enjoyed a "classic" wine?

Thank you Mom and Dad for the wine and for the experience!

Happy sipping!

Laura