How To: Make a PEEP Centerpiece

PEEP centerpieces

I made these for Easter last year.  

Link to Last Year's Post

I shared them and have gotten so many questions I figured I would type up a quick step by step so you could have one on your table this year!

I use a 6" square vase, and put a pint sized canning jar in the middle.

The canning jar works great for the size vase I have, and because you can put the lid on top and the jelly beans don't fall inside. If you don't use a jar, plan to fish them out!!

Pour the jelly beans around the vase, taking care to keep them evenly dispersed.

Once you start getting it full, check to see where the PEEP bunnies ear tips land.  You want them to land toward the top of the vase to conceal the stems and the jar.

My 6" square vase houses 16 bunnies perfectly.  Notice how I stagger them to fit in the corners?

Here is a top view of how they line up.

I didn't use the black jelly beans because they are "ugly." 

I didn't use them so we could EAT THEM!!

Yummy!!

Take the remaining beans and fill the void area to stabilize your jar.

Side view.

It's a little early to go buy blooms for in the vase, but my sweet son, Spencer, had cut me some fresh lilacs this morning, so I stuck them in there to show you the flowers inside.

You will most likely need to use a funnel to fill the jar with water.

If you get the beans wet, it makes a big 'ol mess!

Here's what you will need:

6" Square Vase

1 pint size canning jar

2 packages of PEEP bunnies

3 - 16 oz packages of jelly beans

mixed flowers of your choice

I have been contacted by Robyn from Mix Mingle Glow.  She informed me that this was her original idea. Upon researching ALL of the like centerpieces on the internet, I have found so many links that it's hard to tell where it came from first.  But I will give her credit if she made it first!

Sorry for any confusion. But in the day and age of Pinterest, it's just so darn hard to tell.

ORIGINAL IDEA from http://www.mixmingleglow.com

I hope you and your guests enjoy this FUN Easter centerpiece!!

Bunny Napkin Folding

cute lil bunnies

Need a little "somethin' somethin' " to give your Easter table a little something special this year?

Well, if you have linen napkins and some satin ribbon, you can have this little Army of Easter Rabbits marching across your table, too!!

hut-2-3-4.....

Love how they looked all lined up on my kitchen table this morning, ready to conquer the drips and drops of Easter dinner!!

it's almost a shame to wipe your mouth on!!

Make sure you iron your napkins before, and it helps if they have a light starch on them.

Here's the video from Better Homes and Gardens on how to fold them!

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups Cookies

I haven't done a bake along in a while, life has just been BUSY!!

But I knew I needed to make these when I saw them.

Love me some peanut butter cups!!

So, thanks to Danielle from Hugs & Cookies XOXO for sharing her recipe!!

If you don't follow her...you simply must.  

She has some wonderfully sweet creations!!

When I posted the recipe I doubled her recipe on her site, because she said that it didn't make many.

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

from Hugs & Cookies XOXO

2 Sticks butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 t. salt

2 t. vanilla

2/3 c unsweetened cocoa (I used Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa)

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 t. baking soda

1 bag (12 ounce) peanut butter chips

1 bag mini Reeses Cups, slightly chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a mixer, combine butter, sugar, salt and vanilla.  Slowly add cocoa, eggs, flour and soda, stirring to combine.  Fold in your peanut butter chips.

Scoop large scoops of dough onto cookie sheets.  

Bake for 12-14 minutes.

I cooled for just a couple minutes on the cookie sheet, then pressed chopped peanut butter cups into the top of each cookie.

Remove to rack and cool completely.

Pour yourself a big 'ol glass of milk and ENJOY one (or 3!!)

Made 3 dozen cookies.

Bailey's Irish Martini

Bailey's Irish Martini

Last Friday when I baked my Irish Cream Cheesecake, I decided to make Italian for dinner.

that sounded weird didn't it? 

"I made an Irish Cheesecake and made Italian for dinner."

Something about cheesecake in general makes me want pasta.... 

maybe because the calorie count is already out the window?

perhaps....

Aaaaaanywhooooo....

It's Friday during Lent, and that usually means fish in our house, but I was craving pasta.

I made a big Cesar's salad, and made some Parmesan Garlic fresh asparagus.

When I can't throw it on the grill, sauteing asparagus in a skillet with a little olive oil, butter and 

garlic always works great!

 I dusted it with a some fresh Parmesan before serving.

For the main dish we had Pasta Pomodoro.

When the hubby came home for dinner, I said, how about a martini?

I already had the Irish Cream on the counter, so we opted for Irish Martini's!!

A Blessing from St. Patrick

"May the road rise up to meet you, 

May the wind always be at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face, 

May the rains fall soft upon your fields,

And, Until we meet again,

May God hold you in the hollow of his hand."

Bailey's Irish Martini

recipe from yummly.com

3 1/2 Tablespoons of Bailey's Irish Cream

1 1/2 Tablespoon Whiskey

1 Tablespoon strong (cold) coffee

Put in a martini shaker with ice cubes and shake until chilled. 

Pour into martini glass.

Makes one martini.

shake.pour.repeat.

Neapolitan Cupcakes

Neapolitan cupcakes

The twins love to cook and bake with me.  

We had thought of these cupcakes a while back and decided to save them for 

when they were on Spring Break.

good shot of all three flavors of cake

We didn't make the cake from scratch, but we did the frosting that way.

prettiness

I will tell you, this makes A LOT of cupcakes.

It made 60 to be exact.

how pretty these would be for a wedding shower??

I will be bringing these to church tomorrow night for the weekly Lenten Fish Fry!!

who wants one??

Neapolitan Cupcakes

1 box strawberry cake mix, made according to box instructions

1 box chocolate cake mix, made according to box instructions

1 box white cake mix, mad according to box (egg white only) instructions + add 2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line cupcake pan with liners.

Spoon batter into liners randomly.

Basically you are using a 1/3 of each batter in each liner.

I alternated which colors ended up on top.

Bake for 17-18 minutes.

Cool before frosting.

To Frost: I made 3 different buttercream frostings.

For the white: 1 stick butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, about 1/4 cup milk.

For the strawberry:  1 stick butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup Hershey's strawberry ice cream syrup.

For the chocolate:  1 stick butter,  1/2 cup cocoa, 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, dash of salt, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/4 cup milk.

No secret to the buttercream, make it like any frosting.  Creaming  the butter first in the mixer.  Then adding sugar and wet ingredients alternately.

Frost and decorate with jimmies, pearls or sprinkles.

Enjoy!!

Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner in the Crock Pot

Corned Beef, Cabbage, Irish Potatoes and Rye Bread

My kids get super excited when I make this meal.  I think I make it once or twice a year.  

I don't know why? It's not like it's hard?

But when March rolls around, I see the Corned Beef front and center in the super market, 

and I know it's time!

There is no mistaking the scent of this cooking in your house!!

Best part...put it in the crock pot and walk away!!

Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Crock Pot

5.5-6 pounds of Corned Beef

1 1/2  cups water

1 head of green cabbage, quartered

3 cans of Irish Potatoes

Loaf of Rye Bread

Place corned beef, juices and all in crock pot, fat side up.

I always buy the corned beef that has the seasoning packets right in it, place those in the crockpot over meat.

Pour water over the top.

Cook on high for about 6 hours.

Reduce to low.

Pour potatoes in.

Place cabbage on top and recover.

Continue to cook for about 2 hours.

Serve with rye bread.

Irish Cream Cheesecake

Irish Cream Cheesecake

I have to tell you how excited I was to be invited to Joan from

  Chocolate, Chocolate and More Chocolate's 

first ever Blog Hop!

When Joan told me that she was having a St. Patrick's Day Blog Hop, I knew I had to join in!

So, I started looking at recipes and I settled on this recipe from Meals.com.

a little slice of Irish heaven

When I started to get the ingredients out to bake, my kids saw that bag of mini-chocolate chips and flocked to see what I was making! 

When they saw the crushed Graham crackers and cream cheese, their eyes lit up when I said 

"cheesecake."

Isn't it pretty adorned with that shamrock lei?

I told them that this wasn't just a chocolate chip cheese cake, but one with Irish Cream.

Of course, they are kids and don't really get the yumminess of Bailey's!!

I told them to just trust me!

if their mouths weren't watering yet, they sure did when the can of whipped cream came out!

Irish Cream Cheesecake

from meals.com

CRUST:

1 3/4 cups crushed chocolate Graham crackers (I couldn't find these, I used chocolate Teddy Grahams)

6 teaspoons of melted butter

FILLING:

3 - 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened

1 cup of sugar

4 eggs

1/2 cup Irish Cream liquor

3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

1 Tablespoon of flour

Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9" spring form pan.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in a mixer until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating into mixture well.

Add Irish cream, stir in well. 

Combine 1/2 cup of chips with flour and gently stir into filing.

Pour into prepared pan, and sprinkle remaining chips on top.

Bake 45 minutes.  Edges will be set but middle will jiggle a bit.

Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove and cool in fridge for 3+ hours.

Top with whipped cream, and sprinkles if you like, before serving!

To see all of the other recipes in this blog hop:

Joan, from Chocolate, Chocolate and More Chocolate made Groovy Grasshopper Pie

Debi, from Recipes for my Boys made Colcannon and Irish Stew

Melissa, from Chindeep made Apple & Bramble Cake with Bushmill's Custard

Lesa, from Edesia's Notebook made Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup

Carrie from Carrie's Experimental Kitchen made an Irish Feast

Kimiko from The Beachside Baker made a Shamrock Shake

Please go take a look at these wonderful recipes and food bloggers pages, you will be glad that you did!