Pineapple Upside Down Cake Martini

We had a birthday party for our dear friend, Lori, and my friends, Betsy and Rhonda and I had a group effort dinner party for her.

Rhonda was in charge of MARTINIS!!

She came with two winners... this one, and a Dreamsicle Martini.

Not only was this delicious, just look how dang pretty it is!!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Martini

8 ounces pineapple juice

2 shots UV Cake Vodka

1 shot Cherry Vodka

2 maraschino cherries
wedged pineapple slices

Place cherry in the bottom of the chilled martini glasses.

Shake drink ingredients with ice in a martini shaker.

Pour into glasses, top with pineapple slice and serve.

Makes 2.

Copy Cat - Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

My favorite part about going to Red Lobster is the biscuits!

My niece used to work there in high school and part of college, and we would go there to eat, but mostly to see her.

I don't think I have been there since, and now, with this recipe, I really don't need to!

These yummy little biscuits are not just good with seafood... heck no!

We love them with pasta...soup... you name it!

There are MANY recipes for these on the web, but the one I used I found at www.chocolatechocolateandmore.com Joan's recipes are all tried and true!

Copy Cat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits
adapted from chocolatechocolateandmore.com

2 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix

3/4 cup milk

4 Tablespoons cold butter

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 sugar

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine Bisquick with cold butter, using a pastry blender or two butter knives.  There will be bits of butter showing.

With your hands, mix in cheese, sugar, milk and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, until combined, but don't over mix.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 15-17 minutes or until tops of the biscuits are golden brown.

Combine melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and parsley and brush the tops of the warm biscuits when they come out of the oven.

Serve warm.

Recipe Amended:
** after making these a couple of times I kept thinking it was missing something.  I decided to make them again today, and added the 1/4 cup of sugar, everyone loved them even more!! **

Piña Colada Cupcakes

Pina Colada Cupcakes?

yes, please.

Make this SUPER easy cake recipe made with crushed pineapple, then

Top it with frosting made with Whipping cream, cream cheese and coconut extract.

Then of course, top it with a cherry, and make them for your good friend's big linebacker-looking, umbrella drink-drinking husband for his birthday!

whhhat...?

Yep.

David and Gigi are two of the most AWESOME friends a couple could have.

They love many of the same things we do, water, boating, concerts, football...basically just having a good time.

But I have to tell you, I never tire of going to a restaurant and David ordering a Strawberry Daiquiri and Gigi ordering a beer, and the waiter bringing them and sitting them down just the opposite, only to think she's the one with the fru-fru umbrella drink.

You see, David isn't a small dude.

It's always good for a chuckle.

David also has a big sweet tooth, and usually if he does some sort a favor for us, (he's a mechanic, so that'll happen) he says "Aw... just pay me in brownies or something."

So, when we decided to go out and celebrate David's birthday last week, I decided to combine the best of both and make these fru-fru umbrella drink cupcakes for him!

all boxed up for the birthday boy, they came with a "juice pouch style" Frozen strawberry daiquiri 

and some cocktail umbrellas

Pina Colada Cupcakes

(pineapple cake with coconut whipped cream frosting)

Cake

Pineapple Bliss Cake - Adapted from SkinnyTaste.com

1 white cake mix (or yellow)

1 - 11 ounce can crushed pineapple with juice

1 teaspoon rum extract

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl for 2 minutes and pour into cupcakes liners.

Bake according to box instructions, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool.

Top with this yummy frosting:

Coconut Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Frosting

Decorate with straws, cherries and cocktail umbrellas.

S'More Banana Bread - made with Kahlua Caramelized Bananas

Happy National Banana Bread Day!

 So, a week or so ago, we had a snow day and I felt like baking.
I had a BUNCH of bananas in my freezer, and thought about making some new kinds of banana breads.

Didn't know you could freeze bananas?
Lookie Here: How To Freeze & Use Bananas for future use.

So, over coffee that morning, I grabbed my iPad and marked a few I would like to try.
I have LOTS of breads saved to try on my pin board for Breads, here's a link if you're interested.

An Affair from the Heart: Recipes for BREAD

 So, after I pinned a few more, I scoped out my pantry to see what I had on hand for ingredients, because my plan was to stay in my PJ's all day, so I wasn't going to the market!

I had just what I needed for this S'Mores Banana Bread.

S'Mores Banana Bread with Kahlua Caramelized Bananas
recipe found at: Baker by Nature

Kahlua Caramelized Bananas
3 large ripe bananas, sliced
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup Kahlua
2 Tablespoons flour

Bread
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
1 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sour cream
1 cup semi sweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup chopped graham crackers
Kahlua caramelized bananas

Peel bananas and slice them into thin rounds.
(mine were from the freezer, so I mashed them and it worked just fine)
In a skillet over medium heat melt butter, add sugar and cook stirring until dissolved.  Add bananas and stir occasionally cooking for 6 minutes.  Remove pan from heat, whisk in Kahlua and then flour.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and grease or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
(I didn't line mine, just sprayed it, next time I will, because it will make it WAY easier to get out of the pan)

In a your mixing bowl  whisk together melted butter, sugar and vanilla, beat well.  Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl, and gradually add it to wet mixture folding in slowly until combined.
Fold in sour cream and bananas, then swirl in 3/4 cup chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers, saving the remaining 1/4 cup of each for the top.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 45 minutes.  Carefully remove the loaf from the oven and sprinkle the remaining chocolate, marshmallows and crackers on top.
(I took a large piece of foil and wrapped around the pan because my loaf was very rounded and I didn't want to lose all of my topping!!)

Bake for another 20 minutes or until cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.

Do you love Kahlua? 

Make your own, it's SO MUCH better than the store brands!

Recipe for Homemade Kahlua

How To: Freeze & Use Ripe Bananas

It seems I am always buying bananas.

I think my husband and youngest son are part monkey.

There is one thing about bananas though... 

they have a small window of time they are considered 

"perfect" in our house.

Buy them green: too hard

Green to slightly yellow: still a little to firm

Almost all yellow (but NO brown spots!): PERFECT!! Eat! Eat! EAT!!

Next day: still okay, but better eat them quick!

Brown spots appearing: they sit on the counter until I use them, or freeze them.

I used to put them in a zip top bag, now I just put them directly in the freezer!

When you want to put a banana in a smoothie, or in your bread you have a hankerin' for, they are right there, perfectly ripe, and perfectly ready.

Using in a smoothie is even easier, peel and throw it in the blender frozen.

For bread, they defrost rather quickly sitting on your counter.

You can slice it down the side with a knife, or just cut the end off and squeeze it out like soft serve ice cream!

Don't throw away those 'naners!! 

Put them to good use!!

Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread

When life gives you a snow day and 14 ripe bananas from your freezer... what do you do?

Search Pinterest and make banana bread of course!

I of course, had to make my most FAVORITE banana bread.

It always turns out perfect!

It's the very BEST BANANA BREAD!

This was the next one I made.  Isn't it pretty??

Just as delicious as it is pretty, too!!

Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread

found at: mykitchenescapades.com

bread:

4 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

streusel:

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoons cold butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

To prepare the streusel, combine the four ingredients in a small bowl, using a pastry blender or two knives. Mixture will be crumbly.  

Place in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.

In your mixer, beat bananas, sugar, butter, egg and vanilla.  Slowly add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix until thoroughly combined.  Spoon HALF of the batter into the loaf pan and top with HALF of the streusel  mix.  Spoon on the rest of the batter and top with remaining streusel mixture.

Bake for 65-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool for about 15 minutes in the pan, then the rest of the way on a cooling rack.

Cherry {Heart Shaped} Hand-Pies

Happy National Cherry Pie Day!

I love that National Cherry Pie Day lands in February.

It's the perfect pie for the month of hearts and love and red.

I actually made these the week before Valentine's Day, but I wanted to save the post until today.

I love my Nordic Heart Shaped Pocket Pie Maker!

You could totally make these without it, but it's so cute...and EASY to use.

Here's a recipe I did for Spiced Peach Pocket Pies that tells you more about this 

"HANDy" hand-pie maker!

Late afternoon, this time of year, the sun makes pretty little shadows on my kitchen counter.  

Love these shots.

I used my small heart shaped cookie cutter and my XO {kisses and hugs} cookie cutter to make little sugar crusts to decorate with, using the remaining dough.

Cherry {Heart Shaped} Hand-Pies

2 refrigerated pie crusts (or your own homemade)

1 can cherry pie filling

1 egg white, whisked

sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

I laid my crust on a piece of parchment paper, and slightly rolled it out further.

I got 6 hearts to (3 pies) to one crust.

Brush the edges with egg white to get them to seal properly.

Place two Tablespoons of cherry pie filling in the middle of each and seal edges together.

I took a small paring knife and made the small (vent) heart cut out.

There will be extra filling, save for serving.

Dust with sugar and bake for about 15 minutes.

What them closely, they bake quickly!

Serve with vanilla ice cream topped with a little extra cherry filling and sugar crusts.

Dreamsicle Martini

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Dreamsicles?

They are literally my favorite frozen treat.

What a perfect combination of vanilla ice cream an orange popsicle!

Well, here's the perfect step up for us Adults!
Dreamsicle Martinis made with Whipped Cream Vodka!!

My friend, Rhonda, knew what she was doing when she brought the goodies to make these for us last weekend!!

You just GOTTA try 'em!




Dreamsicile Martini

2 ounces whipped cream vodka

1 1/2 ounces orange juice

1 ounce cream or half & half

1 ounce triple sec

orange slice

Shake with ice and pour into a chilled martini glass.

Serve with an orange slice or two!

Philly Cheese Steak Stuffed Peppers

Most people have their favorite "bar food." Mine would be fried mushrooms and 

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches!

I LOVE stuffed peppers and make them quite often, I even have a stuffed pepper meatloaf and a stuffed pepper soup!

STUFFED PEPPERS

STUFFED PEPPER MEATLOAF

STUFFED PEPPER SOUP

So, combining the two sounded like a win-win situation!!

You could use other colors of peppers, but I decided to do my trial run with green and they were really good!

Philly Cheese Steak Stuffed Peppers

5 large bell peppers

16 ounces baby bells mushrooms, sliced

1 large sweet onion

1 pound good quality deli roast beef, I bought a medium rare one

3 Tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

Sea Salt & Cracked Black Pepper to taste

16 ounces of Provolone or Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded

Cut the tops off of your bell peppers and clean out the inside, chop the pepper on that's left around the stem, set aside.  Slice onion and mushrooms, set aside.

Slightly chop the roast beef, set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place peppers in a baking dish prepared with non-stick cooking spray.

Place a generous "pinch" of cheese in the bottom.

In a skillet over medium heat melt butter. Add garlic, mushrooms, chopped pepper and onion and cook until caramelized, about 20 minutes.

Add meat and cook for 10 minutes more.

Divide meat mixture evenly between peppers, and top with a big "mound" of remaining cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes!

Enjoy!!

Coconut Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Frosting

Say that five times real fast.

Better yet, skip the cake all together and just eat the frosting, I won't judge.

Seriously?

This frosting the cat's meOW!

The best way I can describe it is to say that it's like spreading a coconut cheesecake on your other cake.

I am hopelessly in love.

Coconut Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Frosting

1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon coconut extract extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups heavy whipping cream

In your mixer cream together cream cheese, sugar and extracts until smooth.

Switch to whisk attachment, and slowly add in whipping cream, beat until stiff peaks form.

* I like to put my mixer bowl and beaters in the freezer for a bit before I make this.  Seems to peak better if it's cold, but it's not necessary. *

If you can resist eating all of it out of the bowl, put it on this scrumptious Coconut Cream Poke Cake!

You're tummy will thank you either way!

Valentine - U Rock

When we were making my kiddos' homemade Valentines this year, my son, Hayden loved the idea of using Pop Rocks and the "U Rock" idea.

I needed to buy a lot of Pop Rocks, though, so I got on Amazon to see what they had.

(Amazon seriously has EVERYTHING!!)

When I saw these bubble gum ones, we were sold!!

I placed an order and in a couple of days, they were on my porch!

I took a picture of Hayden dressed in his red skinny jeans and sup cool hoodie, holding my oldest daughter's electric guitar.

In picmonkey, my photo editing site I use, I chose the daguerreotype frame setting to make the picture look funky-rock ish...

chose some cool fonts and sent it off to be printed at Walgreens.

An hour later, we were sticking Pop Rocks to the back of each picture with double sided tape.

Valentine's Made!! 

Here are some of the other Valentine's we have made in the past:

Homemade Valentine's Steal my Heart

Won't CHEW be my Valentine?

We LOVE Valentine's Day around here!!

Well, let's be honest, I kind of cram it down their throats, so they have succumbed to my LOVE of the day!

I love it... what's not to love?

Chocolates and flowers and MAIL!! 

I love getting "fun" mail.

The last three years, I have had fun with my two youngest making homemade Valentines.

This is Josie's Valentine she handed out to her friends.

I took a photo of her, standing in her room by a piece of her art work, palm up, blowing a bubble.

In picmonkey, a photo editing site, I turned it black and white then brought the color back in a few spaces.

I used double sided tape to stick a piece of double bubble in her hand.

Valentine's made!

Here is a link to other Valentine's we have done in the past:

Homemade Valentine's Steal my Heart

Snow Ice Cream

This winter has been BRUTAL.

Living in Nebraska, we are used to snow, but this COLD?

It's good for nothing.

One thing about this winter, though, almost all of the snow, has missed us.

It goes North ... It goes South...

it goes around us.

Our kids have had "cold days" but no "Snow Days" until yesterday.

We finally got some snow, to at least make the cold worth while!

The kid were home, I was in the kitchen baking all day and then we made 

SNOW ICE CREAM!

This isn't the first time we have made snow ice cream, but this was the first time using this recipe.

I had heard others talk of snow ice cream with Sweetened Condensed Milk and I thought it was time to give it a whirl.

Here is the recipe for my OTHER Snow Ice Cream.

This one is really good, too!!

I got it from Paula Dean!

Snow Ice Cream

Paula Dean

8 cups snow

1 - 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine in a big bowl until smooth.

Serve with your favorite toppings!

Coconut Cream Poke Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream Frosting

Now, I am here to tell you, that there aren't many things I don't eat.

I'm really not picky at all.

But coconut has never been a favorite of mine.

I love it in Pina Coladas ... and suntan lotion ... even more when these two things are put together, 

but to eat?

Not so much.

My husband LOVES coconut, and I make him this Chocolate Macaroon Cake every year for his birthday.

I usually just eat around the coconut, and give that part to him, which is just one more thing he can love about me in the end, right?

Well, I have to admit, this cake I made here, it has got me starting a love affair with coconut!

I actually ate TWO pieces!! 

(I know, right?)

I was asked to bring dessert for the Super Bowl party my brother and sister in law were hosting, and just like my husband, his whole family LOVES coconut.

I have seen various coconut cake recipes I wanted to try, but honestly, couldn't settle on one.  So I started picking components from each one I liked and this was the finished product!

I will just tell you, that this is BY FAR the BEST frosting I have ever eaten.

I switched up my whipped cream frosting just a smidgen and it was PERFECTION with this cake!

Whipped Cream Frosting

Coconut Cream Poke Cake

with

Coconut Whipped Cream Frosting

Cake:

1 box of white cake mix

1 3.4 ounce box of instant vanilla pudding 

1 1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

3 egg whites

1 teaspoon coconut extract

** I got to thinking that every cake mix isn't the same, so rule of thumb: Replace water with milk, add pudding of choice, add extract and leave the eggs and oil as per instructions on the 

box of cake mix! **

"Poke" Cream:

1-  15 ounce can coconut cream 

1- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Frosting:

1- 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon coconut extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups heavy whipping cream 

2 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour 2 - 9" cake pans.

**this cake would be super easy to make as a 9x13, so if you're not looking for the presentation of the layers, I would recommend it! **

In your mixer, combine all of the ingredients for the cake for about 30 seconds, then beat for 2 minutes.

Distribute evenly in each cake pan and bake for 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Combine ingredients for cream and set aside.

While cakes are warm poke holes all over with a large fork or skewer.

Pour cream mixture over the top of the cakes.

(I think the next time I will only use about 3/4 of the mixture, the cakes got REALLY moist, which made them a little more difficult to layer)

Place in the refrigerator for about 5 hours, or over night is even better.

To make the frosting, cream together cream cheese, sugar and extracts until smooth.

Then, with the whisk attachment, slowly add the whipping cream and and whip until stiff peaks form.

(it tastes like a coconut cheesecake!!)

To remove the cakes from their pans:

This is a little tricky. I took a thin knife and ran it around the edge, and I sat the bottom of the pan in hot water for a minute or two, to loosen it up.

I flipped it out onto a piece of waxed paper, then flipped it again onto my plate.

Top with bottom layer with a little frosting, and about 1/2 cup of coconut.

Place second layer on top, frost and top with remaining coconut.

If you are making in a 9x13 you wouldn't have to worry about removing the layers, just frost and top with coconut, and you're done!! :)