Princess Doll Birthday Cake!

Want to make a PERFECT birthday cake for your Princess?! Here is how!

So for my daughters 4th birthday I decided to make a Princess Doll Cake. To be honest, I was pretty terrified to make it. I thought how can something SO pretty be easy to make?! Well good news everyone... its VERY easy! I got the recipe from the Betty Crocker website. If you want to watch a video of how to make the cake click HERE. Lets get started making your princess cake!

Ingredients 

-2 Boxes of Betty Crocker yellow cake mix

-Water, Vegetable Oil, Eggs (called for on cake mix boxes)

-3 containers of Betty Crocker Whipped fluffy white frosting

-Food Coloring (your desired color)

-1 regular size Barbie Doll

-Edible Pearls

-Decorating Sugar

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Grease 1 1/2-quart ovenproof bowl (8 inches across top) and three 8-inch round cake pans with shortening; coat with flour (do not use cooking spray).

2. In large bowl, make cake batter as directed on boxes. (Both boxes of cake mix can be made at one time; do not make more than 2 boxes, and do not increase beating time.) Pour 3 1/4 cups batter into 1 1/2-quart bowl, and divide remaining batter among 3 pans (slightly less than 2 cups per pan).

3. Bake cake pans 23 to 30 minutes and bowl 47 to 53 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and bowl. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Place cakes in freezer 45 minutes before cutting to reduce crumbs. Cut off rounded tops of cakes. Cut bowl cake in half horizontally. Cut 1 3/4-inch diameter hole in center of all 5 cake layers.

4. Spoon frosting into large bowl. Stir in food color until desired pink color. Place one 8-inch cake on serving plate; spread 1/3 cup frosting over top. Top with second 8-inch cake; spread with 1/3 cup frosting. Repeat with third layer; top with larger bowl cake layer, cut side up. Spread with small amount of frosting. Top with rounded bowl cake layer, cut side down. Trim side of cake if necessary to make a tapered "skirt."

5. Spread thin layer of frosting over side and top of layered cake to seal in crumbs. Freeze cake 30 to 45 minutes to set frosting. It should look something like this:

 6. Spread frosting over cake as desired. Wrap hair and lower half of doll with plastic wrap. Insert doll into center of cake. Frost body of doll. Decorate with sprinkles and candy pearls as desired. Unwrap hair. Store cake loosely covered.

**This cake took about 5 hours to make**

Worlds BEST Cinnamon Rolls!

These from-scratch Cinnamon rolls are SO delicious! No calorie counting allowed!

Mix together in a large bowl:
1 cup very warm water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
Wisk with fork until combined. Then add:
1 TBS dry yeast. Wisk again until mixed.
Let sit until bubbly/foamy (approx. 10 minutes). Then add in:
2 cups flour (I like to use bread flour, but its not nesesary)
1/3 cup warm melted margarine
1 beaten egg
Stir with fork until a smooth batter is formed and continue to add flour to form a soft dough (about 1-2 cups). Let dough raise until double in size, and then gently turn out on a lightly floured counter top and roll into a rectangle about 1/2" thick.

Spread a thin layer of softened margarine (you will need about 1/2 stick) over the surface, making sure to go all the way to the edge. Then sprinkle dump on the brown sugar. It needs to be thick so keep spreading until you cannot see through to the dough. Again, spread all the way to the edge. Follow with a heavy sprinkle of cinnamon.

Roll fairly tightly and pinch edges of dough to seal. Use dental floss to cut rolls about 1 1/2" thick. Place in a completely greased 9x13 pan (I like to use Crisco, works WAY better than cooking spray). Let raise until more than double in size*****

*****Quick-rise method
Preheat your oven to its very lowest setting (usually 150-170ish degrees). Once preheated, turn the oven OFF. Put your rolls in the oven and set your timer for 20-30 minutes and they will be nice and fluffy when they are done! Then remove from oven and pre-heat to your baking temp of 350. Bake until golden brown, about 10-12, minutes but WATCH them! Ovens vary!

FROSTING! The best part, yes?
Completely melt 1 stick of margarine. You want your butter HOTT
Add (by 1/2 cup fulls) about 2-2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, stirring, until thick. Then add:
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBS maple syrup
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Wisk together until smooth. If too thick, add milk in small quantities. If too thin, add more powdered sugar.

Drizzle over hot rolls! ENJOY!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy Fall Everyone!!! October is finally here and i am going to start the month off right by making these delicious Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!! I got this recipe from my sister-in-law for my bridal shower and i am SO glad she shared it with me!!! These are seriously the most delicious cookies ever... I just had to share this with all over you :)

 **WARNING** these are dangerously addictive! 

Ingredients

- 1 cup Shortening

- 2 cups White Sugar

- 2 Eggs

- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

- 1 (15 oz) can Pumpkin Puree

- 4 cups Flour

- 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda

- 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder

- 1 teaspoon Salt

- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

- 1 pinch Ground Nutmeg

- 1 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips

- 1 cup Chopped Walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheet.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and white sugar until smooth. Beat in Eggs one at a time. Stir in the Vanilla and Pumpkin until well blended. Combine in separate bowl Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt, Cinnamon and Nutmeg; Stir into the Pumpkin mixture. Mix until blended well. Then add the Chocolate Chips. Stir in the Walnuts if desired. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.

3. Bake for 12-15 minutes in the preheated oven, until edges begin to brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

4. Enjoy 

Tips:: I use Mini Semisweet Chocolate Chips so there is more chocolate throughout each cookie

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches

Want to make simple delicious cookies that your kids can help decorate?! Then stop your search here cause you have found it!! This is the most simple cookie ever. Just make Chocolate Chip Cookies (your favorite recipe) or buy already made cookie dough. Cook the cookies. When they are cooled flip the cookie upside down, add frosting (store bought or home made), top with another cookie and there you have it! My daughter and i decorated the tops of them to make it more fun for her!! SUPER easy and yes.. they are delicious!!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

In honor of the beginning of Fall I thought I would post a pumpkin recipe. This is SO GOOD! It has a cake-like consistency and it melts in your mouth!

Ingredients:
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup shortening
6 eggs

1 (32 oz) can pumpkin (or 2 of the 15 ouncers will work too!)
1 cup water

4 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg

12 oz milk chocolate chips

Directions:
Cream shortening, sugar and eggs (adding eggs one at a time). Blend in pumpkin and water. In a seperate bowl, sift dry ingredients together. Add to creamed mixture until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill loaf pans about 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Toothpick should come out with tiny crumbs, but no liquid, when its done. It will continue to bake to perfection in the pan as it cools. Enjoy!!

Reeces Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I am a true believer that Chocolate and Peanut Butter have an eternal relationship that can only bring happiness to those who partake of it. Biting into a Reeces puts a smile on my face.See the picture below?? Yes, that is an opened bag of reeces mini's. Don't judge me.. I opened them in the car on my way home from the store.

 Last night, I needed to make cupcakes for a church activity celebrating a birthday and thought Chocolate and Peanut Butter just might be the inspiration for these cupcakes. I ventured on these 2 years ago for my husband's birthday but something THIS good can't be made just once!

Here's how to do it!

Start out by making the frosting so it has time to chill. Mix together:

2- 8oz packages of cream cheese

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup peanut butter

2 tsp vanilla

add 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

It should look like this...

Next put it in a quart sized zip lock (this will make for easy icing later!)

Put it in the refrigerator until you're ready to ice.

Now make your cake batter according to the directions on the package. (sorry, I don't do cupcakes from scratch haha!)

Once your batter is made and put into your muffin tins drop in ONE mini reeces cup. (DON'T PUSH IT DOWN! It will sink a little on it's own) You could also bake for 5 min and THEN put them in the tin... it's up to you but honestly this worked just fine.

After baking is done. (Watch carefully to NOT over bake!) Let them cool COMPLETELY.

Now that they are cooled, remember that nifty ziplock?? Cut off a 1/2" section off the corner of the bag... now you can squeeze the frosting out withought making a MESS! I also used a few chocolate chips we had in the pantry to jazz it up a bit. Tada! Enjoy!

Indoor S'mores

(Source)

I grew up in a family that went camping all the time. Many of my fond childhood/teenage memories were born on camping trips. Good, quality, fun family time!! Sleeping in a tent, swimming in the ocean, flying kites, riding quads, staying up too late, dutch oven breakfasts, apple turnovers, night-long campfires, and of corse S'mores! S'mores are a camping necessity!

But how often do we go camping? It doesn't seem right that such a fabulously delicious dessert can only be eaten on rare occasions.. does it? Have you heard of Indoor S'mores? Maybe I am a little behind but I only became aware of these a few years ago, and for the first time today I made them! They are made in a similar way to rice-krispy treats. These certainly do the trick to solve that S'mores craving that you've been having! Enjoy!

Indoor S'mores

5 TBS butter

5 cups mini marshmallows

1 tsp vanilla

8 cups Golden Grahams cereal

1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

1 additional cup marshmallows

(The original recipe calls for corn syrup. In my opinion, its not necesary and is quite bad for you, so I left it out. I also made other minor changes. But if you would like the original recipe, see the "source" link below the picture)

Directions

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a large non-stick pan, melt your butter on medium low heat. 

Then add 5 cups marshmallows. 

Stir until about half-melted. 

Add your vanilla and stir. Then add your cereal. Stir until completely coated.

Add 1 cup chocolate chips and additional 1 cup marshmallows.Spread into prepared pan and top with remaining chocolate chips. Let cool. Cut into squares and ENJOY! 

Caramel Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I used to be a contributor to a different food blog.. long ago! I had posted this recipe there, because it was one of my favorites. That blog is long lost, so I thought I would bring this recipe back to life! Whoever discovered the incredible blend of chocolate and caramel is amazing! It also makes a bunch, which means you can share. 

Caramel Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars...... YUM!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

Ingredients:
1 bag of Caramels
8 tsp Whipping cream

1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 tsp baking soda
1 1/8 cup MELTED butter

1 (12 oz) bag chocolate chips

Unwrap Caramels and put pile into a microwave safe bowl. mix in your whipping cream. 

Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Repeat this process until it looks like this:

While you are melting your caramels: Mix flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, salt, and baking soda in large bowl. Add melted butter and mix thoroughly. 

Lay half of dough in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Do not grease pan! Pack down, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Drip caramel over top the chocolate chips. Sprinkle with remaining dough. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a couple hours. Now doesnt this look incredible??

Look at that chocolatey caramely bubbly deliciousness....

Dont you want to take a bite?

Cool Whip Fruit Salad

I know how hard it is to eat healthy, trust me! I am the biggest chocoholic there is! But because my husband and I are trying to eat healthy and have a overall healthier lifestyle i have been TRYING to be good and make healthier food! I am one of those people who loves munching on snacks while watching a movie or our favorite TV show F.R.I.E.N.D.S. or just the late night munchies! SO i decided to make a sweet but healthy snack to replace my normal ice cream or candy! Plus its hard to find healthy food a kid enjoys, at least for me. My daughter is so picky! Getting her to eat or try new things is almost impossible so when my picky eater will eat this, you know its good! I Hope you all enjoy this as much as we do! 

Cool Whip Fruit Salad

~1 pkg Strawberries, washed & sliced

~1 Apple, washed & sliced

~2 Bananas, sliced

~2 cans Mandarin Oranges, drained

~2 cups Red Grapes, washed

Place everything in a bowl

and mix in Cool Whip

Place in a bowl and ENJOY! 

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

(Source)

I have had a life-long struggle with chocolate chip cookies. The dough is too sticky or too dry. The end result is flat, crunchy, and tastes too much like flour. We have all seen it, and weve all tried the recipe on the back of the bag of chocolate chips and ended up with a "meh" result. Well, I am here to put an end to your sadness.

Holly, over at Life As A Lofthouse is absolutely amazing. This recipe is hers. These cookies are soft, chewy, and cake-like. The secret ingredient? Pudding! Yes, you heard me correctly. Dont knock it until you try it. 

1 cup (2 sticks) Butter, softened
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup White Sugar
1 small pkg Instant Vanilla Pudding mix
2 eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 pkg ( 12 oz) Milk Chocolate Chips

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat the butter, both sugars, pudding mix, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat until creamy and fluffy. Then slowly mix in flour and baking soda. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop by tablespoonfuls, onto an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for ONLY 9-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes before eating. 

One thing I LOVE about this recipe is that you dont remove the cookies from the sheet. No smooshing those beauties. Wait until they are cool and then remove them. Unlike most cookie recipies, if you leave these on the pan they dont get dried out or overcooked. Perfection every time! If you love this recipe, make sure you visit Hollys main page via the link above. Shes seriously an amazing cook!