In the Kitchen

Apr

Creamy Strawberry Cupcakes

Last week I whipped up a dessert inspired by all the fresh strawberries you see in the store right now. I love seasonal recipes! We tested the recipe out on a night when I was hosting friends for dinner. Let’s just say all the cupcakes were gone by the end of the night!

The frosting is light and creamy, but won’t keep overnight. So, I only frosted about half the cupcakes. Some people were eating the cupcakes without frosting and the verdict was they were just as good without the frosting!

The full recipe is over on Modern Parents Messy Kids. Go check it out!

spring dessert creamy strawberry cupcakes

Jan

Valentine Oreo Pops

Have you ever tried to make cake pops? I have and the result was #pinterestfail. I’m going to leave cake pops to the bakers! But, I love the way they look and it’s fun to have a cute little treat on hand for Valentine’s Day.

Instead of spending hours trying to perfect my cake pop game, I figured out a cake pop hack. This isn’t exactly a cake pop, but it’s covered in white chocolate, decorated and sits on a little stick. And best of all, the recipe takes about 15 minutes. If that’s not winning, I don’t know what is.

Valentine Oreo Pops

Valentine Oreo Pops Recipe

All you need is a package of oreos, white chocolate chips, some red and pink sprinkles and lollipop sticks. (I found the sticks at Michael’s Craft store in the baking aisle.)

Pour out half the bag of white chocolate chips into a microwave-proof bowl. Cook for 30 seconds at time (stirring in between) until completely melted.
Gently wiggle the stick in between each oreo. I say gently because it’s easy to break the cookie. I found the key was twisting the stick, using a double stuff oreo and not puttting it in too far.
Spoon the melted chocolate on the top of each oreo. It’ll come down the sides and make it look completely coated. Place the oreo on a piece of parchment paper.
Be ready with your sprinkles because the chocolate will start to harden. We played around with different varieties of sprinkles. I cut a heart out of a piece of paper to use as a template and that worked well too.

This would be such a fun project to do with kids. Or it’s an easy treat to give away as gifts. I won’t tell if you just want to make them to eat yourself!

And if you’re looking for another easy recipe for Valentine’s Day, check out my 2 ingredient mini cherry pies.

Mar

Easy Easter Dessert- Bunny Chow

easy easter dessert

I’m over on Modern Parents Messy Kids right now talking about this super easy Easter Dessert called Bunny Chow…a spin on the classic Puppy Chow. 🙂 It was so fun to make…go check it out!

Dec

My Christmas Baking and Holiday Ideas around the web

I’ve been blogging more on other blogs than on my own! Recently, I blogged a DIY Balloon Drop on Modern Parents Messy Kids.

I also made a few holiday treats…the Peppermint Patty Ice Cream Cake on Little Skye Kids Blog and the Candy Cane Whoopie Pies on Modern Parents Messy Kids.

Aug

My 3 Favorite Veggie Dips // In the Kitchen

Today I’m sharing my 3 favorite dips for vegetables on Modern Parents Messy Kids. If your kids are like mine, raw veggies are a hard sell. Having some fun dips makes ’em go down a little easier!

Jul

Grilled Corn with Lime Crema // In the Kitchen

By the time July hits, I’m just about done with the kitchen. No one feels like cooking in 90 degree heat! So, to the grill we go. Most days of the week, we are eating some type of grilled meat with an easy salad or fresh fruit. Today I want to share one of my go-to summer side dishes. Most of the work is done on the grill and the rest is finished in about 2 minutes.

Start with 6 ears of corn. Soak them in cold water for about 10 minutes in the sink. Put them straight on the grill with your meat and barbeque for 10 minutes. They’ll be piping hot when you take them off, so be careful.

After they are cool enough to handle, you can easily slide off the husks. Brush them with a little olive oil and put them back on the grill for a minute or two on each side to get them toasted and increase the depth of flavor.

While you are grilling the corn, you can whip up the crema sauce.

1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 tsp finely grated lime zest
2 tsp lime juice

Whisk the ingredients thoroughly and drizzle over the hot corn. Top with more lime zest and a sprinkle of chili powder.

Jul

Homemade Mayo + Clean Ranch Dressing // In the Kitchen

Have you seen the whole food eating trend? If you look at social media it’s everrrrrywhere. For months I kind of peeked around, thinking certain dishes looked good. I dipped my toes in by trying a few meals with no bread or dairy and the next thing I knew I had jumped in head first and you couldn’t find a carb in my whole house! The benefits of eating real (whole) foods are endless, but I gotta say, I do miss a cupcake from time to time. So, while we eat clean at home, we do like to indulge in treats from time to time too. I love this balance and also the new recipes I’ve found through this experience.

Homemade mayonnaise is something I had never tried before. In fact, I didn’t even really like mayo all that much. But, like so many food items, the difference between homemade and store-bought is significant. The best thing is that it’s made in 2 minutes and has only 5 ingredients.

You’ll need one egg, one cup light olive oil, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon salt and the juice of a half a lemon.

A note about the olive oil. The first time I made this, I only had extra-virgin olive oil on hand. While, this heart-healthy oil is fantastic, it is just too strong to be used in mayo. Try looking for ‘light’ olive oil, or if you live by a Trader Joe’s, this brand is very light in taste.

If you have a wide mouth mason jar, you can dump everything in and blend it. High five for less dishes!
Use an immersion blender for about one minute to combine the ingredients in the jar. You’ll notice it go from liquids to a fluffy solid.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a hand mixer or a kitchen aid. Make sure you use a room temp egg if that’s the case. And add all the ingredients besides the oil. You’ll slowly stream that in as you blend.

What do I do with homemade mayo!? Well, I hardly even eat it straight on a sandwich. I’ll use it as a base for ranch dressing or dip. I’ll also use it as aioli by adding in sundried tomatoes, wasabi or different herbs and spices.

Taking mayonnaise to ranch dressing is much easier than you think. This recipe is for ‘clean ranch,’ which means it doesn’t have any unhealthy oils or MSG. You keep that creamy blend of herbs without all the bad stuff.

Start with one cup of mayo, half cup of coconut milk, one teaspoon each of garlic powder and fresh dill, half teaspoon each of onion powder and salt. I also added a teaspoon of fresh chives after I took the photo.

Carefully whisk together and chill for one hour. The coconut milk sounds like a very odd thing to put in ranch, but none of the coconut flavor comes through. It’s all tangy and crisp as ranch dressing should be. Give it a try!

(recipe credit: http://instagram.com/amazon_ashley)

Feb

Classic Date Bars // In the Kitchen

My new favorite after-school snack for the kids! We love these so much, they’re gone in about 2 days. The topping is reminiscent of an apple crisp. Head over to Little Skye Kids where I share the recipe…

Feb

Valentine Mini-Sessions // Orange County and Los Angeles Child Photography

A few weekends ago, I held photo sessions in Los Angeles and Orange County. It was open to babies, kids and families. Some chose to go all out with for Valentine’s Day..other kept it simple and just updated their child’s photos for home. Either way, the weather was beautiful, I got to try out a new location and everyone that came was in a fabulous mood. That’s the perfect equation!

Oct

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Pie // In the Kitchen

Hey you. I see how you’re working on enjoying the last bits of this weekend. Do yourself a solid and make this pie tonight. You might even have all the ingredients. I’m not kidding, this is my favorite dessert ever. Please enjoy it. If not tonight, then sometime soon before an ice cream based pie is out of season. Oh, wait. It’ll never be out of season

Here’s your list…

1/2 cup karo syrup

2T. brown sugar

3T. butter

Melt these 3 items either over the stove top in a small pan or in the microwave.

Add 2 1/2 cups rice krispies. Spread this mixture in a buttered pie tin and freeze it for 10-15 minutes.

While it’s freezing, make the fudge sauce:

1/2 lb. butter

4 squares unsweetened chocolate

Melt these 2 things in a double broiler so the chocolate doesn’t burn. Add 1/2 c. cocoa and 3 cups sugar. Thoroughly stir together.

Cook for 10 minutes. Add 1 pint heavy whipping cream and cook on low until smooth. Take off the heat and add 1T. vanilla.

This is going to make a LOT of fudge sauce. You’ll only need about 1/2 cup for the pie, so you can eat the rest for breakfast tomorrow. (if you know what’s good for you)

Back to the pie…

Mix 1/4 cup fudge sauce with 1/4 cup natural peanut butter. Spread this mixture over the rice krispy pie crust. Freeze for 10-15 minutes.

Pack in 1 quart of high-quality vanilla ice cream. Drizzle with fudge sauce.

**Here’s a little bit of history on this recipe. My in-laws used to own the Naples Rib Joint in the Long Beach. My mother-in-law created this recipe in the 80’s it was called Girdle Buster Pie. Those were the days! (When a name like that wouldn’t deter every female customer from ordering it!) They wanted a dessert that would melt and quickly turn tables. Now, it’s just a birthday favorite among the family.

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Valentine Oreo Pops Recipe

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