Newspaper Interview & Christmas Tree Cupcakes

 

Well, it's official.

We are on our way to fame and fortune.

Sue and I were honored to be interviewed by Wendy Fraser for the local newspaper, The Bridge River Lillooet News. It was sooooo much fun. They did a two page spread in the Christmas edition of their paper. Click HERE for the link to the article!

Sue and I decided to get all fancy and make some Christmas related cupcakes and treats for Wendy to take back to newspaper office with her. We made some Lemon Meringue Pie Fudge, some Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes, some Eggnog Cupcakes, Chocolate Christmas Tree Cupcakes, and some Browned Butter Pecan Shortbread.

For today's blog we thought we would share these simple, yet really fancy schmancy Christmas trees that we made for the newspaper staff.

 

 

Chocolate Christmas Tree Cupcakes

 

Ingredients

1 recipe Vanderwolf's Family Secret Chocolate Cake

1 recipe Buttercream Icing tinted green

decorations/sprinkles

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with cupcake liners. Set aside. Place 12 medium sized, oven safe coffee mugs on a cookie sheet. Place a cone shaped paper cup into each coffee cup. Set aside.

Prepare chocolate cake as per recipe. Pour into prepared muffin tins and into the prepared cone shaped paper cups on the cookie sheet. Only fill the cone shaped cups about halfway as they will rise. Don't worry if they overflow a little, you can trim it off.

Bake cake according to recipe.

(FYI - You can use a chocolate cake mix and store bought canned icing if you don't want to prepare a from-scratch cake.)

When cake is done, remove from oven and let completely cool on wire racks. When the cone shaped cakes are cooled simply peel off the paper cup and trim off the top of the cake (flat end, not pointy end) so it will sit flat.

Top each cupcake with a little buttercream and place a cone shaped cake on top.

 

 

Decorate with buttercream tinted green. Sue used a piping back and made stars but you can also frost with a knife and then use a fork to make it "fluffy".

 

 

Place your sprinkles and decorations on as you please.

 

 

The tree in the above photo was made by Kenzie. She iced it flat and fluffed it with a fork - no piping bag required - and it looks great.

These look so cute on a serving platter with cupcakes decorated with candy presents. (All you need for the presents is some hard, colored candies such as Starbursts, etc... and a bit of icing piped on.)

 

 

Here is a pic of Wendy interviewing Sue and I at our mom's kitchen table. We had Kenzie take a picture for us. I told Wendy - "of course, we'll need a photo for the blog".

 

 

Yes, Sue and I are wearing matching shirts.

We're just cool like that.

Anyway, we just wanted to say thank you to Wendy and the Bridge River Lillooet News for showcasing our blog in the paper.

Sue and I look forward to sharing more recipes and fun ideas with our followers.

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And....

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Sugar Cookie Toblerone Brownie Bars

 

I'm going to let you in on a little secret:

Sometimes I cheat to make treats.

Wait...wait...wait....

Don't judge me...

Sometimes you need something really yummy and cool looking and you only have like 2 seconds notice to make it.

That is when it is acceptable to cheat. And by cheat, I mean use a mix.

*siiiiiigh*

If you can't live with the guilt of cheating with a mix then you CAN use your own recipes. I totally would have if I'd had enough time. (Click HERE for our own sugar cookie and brownie recipes)

Honest.

 

 

Sugar Cookie Toblerone Brownie Bars

 

Ingredients

1 pkg sugar cookie mix (I used Betty Crocker)

*and ingredients to make cookie mix as per package directions

2 cups chopped chocolate bars (I used Toblerone)

1 box fudge brownie mix (I used Betty Crocker)

*and ingredients to make brownie mix as per package directions

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9 X 13 pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Prepare sugar cookie mix as per package instructions. Press into preapred 9 X 13 pan.

 

 

Sprinkle with chopped chocolate bar.

 

 

Prepare brownie mix as per package directions. Pour evenly over chocolate bar layer.

 

 

Bake approx 30 minutes, until brownie and cookie are done. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and let cool in pan, on wire rack.

 

 

Run a knife around the edge to loosen sides of brownie/cookie. Use the parchment paper "handles" to remove it from the pan. Cut into squares.

 

 

See...looks pretty...and no one needs to know you cheated. If you want to fancy it up even more you could frost it with some lovely chocolate frosting.

You can't beat the combo of soft, fudgy brownie and soft, chewy sugar cookies!

I would normally use our homemade Sugar Cookie Recipe and our homemade Fudgy Brownie Recipe but, as I said, sometimes you just have to cheat.

Now...let's just keep this our little secret.

Ground Beef Sandwich Casserole

 

Sue here!

Jo has been blog hogging again with all of her Christmas recipes. I thought I would hijack the blog and post this amazing sandwich casserole.

I saw this for the first time over at Grandma Loy's Kitchen and knew I had to make it. The original recipe was called Italian Sandwich Casserole but I didn't have some of the ingredients so renamed it to match my ingredients.

It is sooooo good...and easy to put together. My husband and a buddy he had over for dinner loved it. They pretty much ate the whole pan - Kenzie and I got a slice each!

P.S. - Kenzie loved it too. Teenager approved and husband approved AND mom approved. Gotta love that!

 

 

Ground Beef Sandwich Casserole

(Slightly adapted from Grandma Loy's Kitchen)

 

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp oregano

10 slices of bread cut in half

1 carton Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cooking Creme, Herb and Garlic

3 cups shredded cheese, mozza or whatever is on hand

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9 X 13 pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a sauce pan, cook and stir the ground beef, onion & garlic powder, and oregano until beef is cooked. Remove from heat and set aside.

Toast all of the bread in a 350 oven till dry but not burnt - a cookie sheet works well for this.

Place 5 of the halved bread slices (10 halves total) on the bottom of the prepared 9 X 13 pan and cover with all of the cooking creme.

Then top as follows: cooked ground beef, 1/3 of the cheese, all the spaghetti sauce a 1/3 more cheese then top with remaining 5 of the halved bread slices (10 halves total).

 

 

Bake uncovered at 350 for 15 minutes....then sprinkle with the rest of the mozza and the Parmesan.

Bake again for 15 to 20 minutes or till nice and brown.

Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting.

 

 

This is very rich and very filling. If you aren't feeding big, hungry, hard working people you could probably get 10 servings out of this, especially if you served it with a salad or veggies on the side.

I brought a piece up to Jo the next day and it held up really well. She also loved it.

I thought that this would be much soggier than it turned out to be. After it cooled a little I could almost pick this up in my hands and eat it like a regular sandwich. I didn't, I used a knife and fork, BUT I could of...

Think of this as a cross between a sloppy joe and a lasagna.

I definitely will be adding this to the dinner rotation.

Who doesn't love tasty, hearty,  and easy to prepare meals?

 

Pasta and Bean Casserole (single serving)

 

Yay for single servings!

Yay for cheesey pasta dishes!

Yay for delicious food!

I am so happy that I can make these tasty, homemade pasta dishes in under 40 minutes and they make just enough for me.

Of course, you can double or triple the recipe if you like but I developed it as a single serving.

According to Fitday: 500 calories, 13.7 fat, 68 carbs, and 25.5 protein.

Yes, it is a little high...BUT... this will fill you up and you will not have to add anything to your meal. Plus, as pasta dishes go, it is full of healthy, good stuff like beans, cheese, and vegetables!

 

 

Pasta and Bean Casserole (single servings)

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup mini shells pasta (uncooked)

1 tsp olive oil

1 Tbsp onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup spinach, chopped

1/2 cup white kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 Tbsp tomato sauce

1 round Canadian bacon, cooked, diced

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded, divided

1 tsp dried parsley

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 2 cup, oven safe casserole dish with cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan, cook pasta in water according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In the same saucepan, heat olive oil. Add onion, garlic, and spinach. Cook and stir until vegetables are soft. Stir in beans, tomato sauce, and Canadian bacon.

Remove from heat and stir in pasta. Stir in 3 Tbsp of the Parmesan cheese.

Spread evenly in prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese and parsley.

 

 

Bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted. Serve hot.

 

 

It was too hot to eat out of the casserole dish so I used my new bowl. Cute, right?

 

This makes a lot. It is a single serving but, if you made a salad to go along side, you could easily stretch this into 2 servings.

The nutritional values were figured using the recipe as written above. You could easily add more cheese, more tomato sauce, more veggies, etc.. but that would change the nutritional values.

I happen to like my pasta on the not-so-spicy side but feel free to add your favorite spices or hot sauce to fancy it up.

I didn't have any tomato sauce at home so I used my Magic Bullet and pureed a quarter of a tomato with a clove of garlic and a pinch of Italian spice blend and it worked just as well!

Meals for one don't have to be boring.

 

Be sure to stop by Carole's Chatter for more great links!

Strawberry Sigh Layered Dessert

 

I love layered desserts. They always look so pretty. This one is perfect for Christmas time with its bright red strawberry layer.

It is kind-of similar to another of my favorites, our Pineapple Dream Dessert, but different enough that it warrants its' own blog.

I named it "Strawberry Sigh" because you can't help but let out a dreamy *siiiiiiiiiiiiigh* after you taste it. I ate soooooo much of this the other day I thought I was going to explode. It's probably best you don't make this unless you have some guests to share it with. Just warning you.

 

 

Strawberry Sigh

 

Ingredients

Crust

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

1 cup flour

1/2 cup butter, melted

 

First Layer

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 cup icing sugar

2 cups Cool Whip, thawed

 

Second Layer

1 pkg (6 oz) Strawberry Jello mix

1 1/2 cups boiling water

2 cups frozen strawberries (chopped)

 

Topping

2 cups whipping cream

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 9 x 13 pan lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.

Crust - Combine pecans, flour, and melted butter in a medium bowl until well mixed. Press firmly into prepared 9 X 13 pan. (If you have trouble with the crust sticking to your hands as you press it down - keep dipping your fingers in a bowl of water and that should help.)

 

 

Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

1st Layer - In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese and icing sugar. Stir in the 2 cups of Cool Whip. Carefully spread over cooled crust. (It helps to drop it by the spoonful over the crust and then gently spread it together.)

 

 

2nd Layer - Whisk together strawberry Jello and boiling water until Jello has dissolved. Stir in frozen, chopped strawberries. Let Jello thicken slightly in fridge and then pour over cream cheese layer.

 

 

Topping - Whip cream, sugar, and vanilla with electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Spread over Jello layer.

 

 

Cover and chill for at least 4 hours. (I covered mine and chilled it over overnight as our dinner party wasn't until the next day.)

 

 

You can try and just eat a small piece but.....good luck with that.

This is a nice, light dessert to follow a heavy meal.

Or...you know....for breakfast....

What?

It has strawberries...strawberries are fruit....

You are supposed to eat fruit for breakfast...

 

Be sure to stop by The Rustic Pig and Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons for some great links.

Fruitcake Cookies

What other time of the year do you eat fruitcake besides Christmas?

If you are from our family the answer would be...never.

Fruitcake makes an appearance at our house at Christmas and Christmas only.

It's not really our favorite.

That being said...I wanted to try something that was fruitcake-like but without all the hassle of making fruitcake.

Enter these easy fruitcake cookies that I found over at Suite 101.

I enjoyed these as a substitute for actual fruitcake. They are much lighter and (of course) simpler to make.

I'm calling them the lazy man's (woman's?) fruitcake.

Fruitcake Cookies

(adapted from Suite 101)

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 cup dates, chopped

1/2 cup candied red cherries, chopped

1/2 cup candied green cherries, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 325. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

Cream the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until well mixed. Beat in egg, vanilla & almond extract.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder & soda, and spices.

Alternately beat in the flour mixture and the buttermilk into the creamed butter mixture, mix well.

Fold in pecans, dates, red & green cherries.

Drop by spoonfuls onto prepared cooking tray.

Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Remove from oven, let cool on cookie sheet 5 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

This easily can be doubled, in case you have someone who really, really loves fruitcake.

Not really an issue at our house.

If you need a very Christmas-y cookie to bring to a cookie swap or other Christmas event - this is a good one.

Be sure to visit Ms. enPlace, The Velvet Moon Baker, and Carole's Chatter for some great links!