Painted Star Cookies

Happy 4th of July week!  I can't believe June has come and gone already.  Why does summer go by way to fast?  I'm excited to be sharing this post and participating in Raise.com's 4th of July Celebration! (PS - Raise.com has an exchange program to buy and sell gift cards, if you haven't already checked it out, I encourage you to do so!)  But back to this delicious (and easy!) recipe!
I love celebrating the 4th of July!  Even though my husband has to work, we still make it a good day.  We always have our friends over for a badminton tournament in-between my husband's morning set up, and having to go back to work for the concert.  We love to play badminton with our friends and we always have lots of good things to eat and grill and have our own early cookout.  Of course, I have to make dessert :)  Usually I make a cake, but sometimes cookies are good for sweet treats on the go!

I found these cookies when I was searching for a recipe to use an egg yolk.  (Let me tell you, it was a long search!).  When I make sugar cookie bars, they need one egg and one egg white.  What to do with the leftover yolk?  I have been on the hunt for recipes that use just one egg  yolk.  This is one that I came across that I think I will be making a lot more in the future - super duper easy and gives the impression of frosted cookies without all the work!
What do you do with your family to celebrate the 4th of July?

Painted Star Cookies
Recipe Adapted from Gwenny Penny

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup Crisco/shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2½ cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg yolk

Directions:

To begin, cream together the shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Slowly blend in the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Chill dough for at least an hour.

Once dough has chilled, roll out on a floured surface and cut with cookie cutters.  Aim for about 1/4 inch thick.  Place cookies on ungreased baking sheet (or baking sheets covered with silicone mats - I love 'em!).

 Now for the fun part - decorating!  Do this before baking!  Mix one egg yolk with 1/4 tsp water.  Separate the mixture into small bowls and color with food coloring - I used gel food coloring for a richer color. Once you have reached your desired color, take a paintbrush and paint the egg yolk onto the unbaked cookies.  I just used paintbrushes from the kids section at the craft store that I got for a dollar. 

Once decorated, bake at 400 degrees for six minutes.  Don't over bake!  And bam!  You have decorated cookies, that you don't have to frost after baking - love simple recipes like this!

Happy 4th of July!

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#100HappyDays

I'm late to the game with #100happydays I know!  However, I saw that The Questionable Homesteader was restarting the challenge, I thought maybe I would participate too.  I don't currently have a smartphone, so participating on Facebook the way everyone else was would not work for me - but posting pictures on the blog every week or so sure would :)

So's here's my first few pictures.  Happy Day everyone!

Day 1 (6/16) - Strawberry season started today! I can't wait for my husband to get home so I can surprise him with this strawberry-y goodness.  Love fresh picked strawberries!

Day 2 - Canoeing for the first time this year, my parents came along too!

Day 3 - More rain - but I think the birds are enjoying the birdbath at the end of our drive way.  Right before I took the picture, three more were there splashing and playing.

Day 4 - Our power was out from about 4 am till noon.  I was bored... but productive and got my desk all cleaned up!

Day 5 - It finally stopped raining long enough to do some laundry!

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Cornbread

I love expanding my cooking repertoire and lately I've been looking at making some favorites from scratch, rather than from a box or a mix.  Enter cornbread.  Corn muffins were definitely a favorite in my family growing up.  My dad and brother and I would often scramble to grab as many muffins as we could when they were hot out of the oven. 

We always used a box to make our cornbread muffins and I'd never made any from scratch.  Recently, I decided I wanted to change that, when I had a craving for cornbread.  This recipe turned out really nice (though would probably work better when we have company - an 8x8 pan was definitely too much for my husband and I to share! However, the leftovers were also delicious when warmed up in the microwave for 15 seconds).

Homemade Cornbread

Adapted form Caramel Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 1/2 cups cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk (can substitute 1 TBSP lemon juice or vinegar and enough regular milk to make one cup)
• 3 eggs

Directions:

Let your butter cool for a moment so that it won't scramble your eggs!  When it has cooled, whisk the melted butter, buttermilk, and eggs together.  Add in dry ingredients and stir well, but do not over mix.  Mixture will be a little lumpy.

Heat the oven to 400 degree.  Pour the mixture into a well greased 8x8 baking pan (9x9 may also be used for a thinner bread)

Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Enjoy!

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Frosted Sour Cream Cookies

Happy last week of May!  I can't believe we're almost to the end of the school year (but I'm so ready for it!).  The last few weeks, I've brought you some quick and easy chicken dinner recipes, but today, I wanted share another awesome cookies recipe.  Because if you know me at all, you know I don't usually go more than a week or two without making cookies.  These, I think, are going to be regular requests (at least by me!  I love frosted sugar cookies!).  I ran into them one day when I was searching Pinterest and MyRecipeMagic  looking for some new cookie recipes.  I wanted to try some cookies with sour cream because I had some to use up, also, I had made some cookies previously with sour cream and it added a wonderful texture to the cookies and wanted to try some other recipes with sour cream. I hope you enjoy these and have a great week!

Sour Cream Cookies
Adapted from Kristy Shellhorn

 Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 coup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the Frosting

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 3 Tablespoons butter (softened)
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together and then mix in the egg, sour cream, and vanilla.  Add in the dry ingredients.  Chill for at least an hour.

After dough has chilled, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Then  flour your workspace and roll out cookie dough (suggested thickness is 1/8 inch), then cut out.  Place cut dough on cookie sheets lined with silicone baking mats.  Bake for 8 - 10 minutes.  

Make sure that cookies have cooled completely before frosting.  (I really love this frosting!  It's easy to make and doesn't just taste like powdered sugar!)

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Chicken Bundles

So I'm on a roll with quick and easy chicken meals :)  For several reasons - 1) Who doesn't love a quick and easy meal! 2) Sometimes it's ok to use some prepackaged ingredients rather than make all your own and 3) Chicken was on sale recently so we've got lots!

Last week I shared a chicken and biscuit casserole with you.  This week, I'm sharing another simple chicken dish - chicken bundles!  These literally take just minutes to throw together so are great for a meal after running around all day or after sports practice for kids.

I hope you enjoy them!

Chicken Bundles

Recipe Adapted from Quick and Easy Dinner

Ingredients:

• 4 oz cream cheese
• 2 chicken breasts (what I used - approx 1.5 lbs) or 1 13 oz can chicken
• 1/4 tsp parsley
• 1 can Pillsbury Crescent rolls
• 1 TBSP dried minced onion

Directions:

Combine the cream cheese, chicken, parsley, and onion and mix well.  I totally used my mixer for this and let it do the stirring :)

Open your crescent rolls, and carefully unroll them.  Do not divide into triangles, but keep every two together so you have a square/rectangle of dough. 

Using a spoon (or your hand), scoop some of the chicken/cream cheese mixture into the middle of your square of crescent dough.  Turn the corners up and around the chicken mixture, folding into the center until you make a little bundle.  Pat the edges together so they stick together.

Repeat 3 times.

Bake on a cookie sheet (greased or use a silicone baking mat) for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees until the crescent dough is lightly browned.

Serve warm and enjoy!

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Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

Then end of the school year is winding down. (It's about time!)  Things are busy here in the K household.  My husband's work schedule really picks up as the weather gets nicer.  I'm still trying to work on my cooking though, despite the hectic schedule but I don't have a ton of time to spend in the kitchen.  Especially now that it is getting nice outside - I'd much rather be doing stuff outside or going for a walk!  Enter quick and easy dinners!  Bonus is they don't take long to prepare - this dinner definitely fits the bill - double win!

Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

Adapted from Marie's Cooking Adventures

Ingredients:

• 1 Tube Pillsbury Grands
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1 cup corn
• 2 chicken breasts (shredded) 
• 1 cup milk cheddar cheese
• 3 TBSP milk

Directions:

Boil chicken in water to cook it.  Then shred it.  *Kitchen tip - use your mixer and the paddle attachment to shred chicken - works like a dream!*

Preheat oven to 375 ,degrees.  In a small saucepan, heat the soup and sour cream together (this will help the biscuits being less doughy).  Mix in the melted butter and milk.  Then, in an 8 inch square baking dish spread the chicken and corn evenly.  Pour the heated mixed soup and sour cream over the top.  Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top.  Add pepper if you wish.  

Take biscuits and flatten them slightly and place on top of the chicken/corn mixture. 

Cook for 35 minutes until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown and the mixture underneath is slightly bubbling.

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Homemade Cheesy Bread

I'm back!!!!  Thanks for being patient with me while I was absent for the last month.  Hopefully, now that we are into May, the school year will wind down and life will settle down for a bit.  But we'll see.  Life has a way of throwing curveballs, doesn't it.

Some nights, you get thrown curve balls and are in a pinch for dinner.  This cheesy bread is perfect for such nights!  It can fill in as an appetizer, a side dish, or, in a pinch, even the main meal (shhh, I won't tell anyone!).  It's that delicious and super simple to make.  You can either use prebought pizza/bread dough, or if you have more time, you can also make your own dough.  

Homemade Cheesy Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 package of store-bought pizza dough - I buy ours in the bakery at the grocery store, can also be found frozen.  Or make your own!
• 1/2 stick butter - melted
• 2 gloves garlic mashed or dried garlic flake. Either works, adjust according to taste
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups bag mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Directions:
Let dough rise according to directions or make your own.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
I used a baking stone for this bread, but you can also use a pizza pan.  If using a stone, preheat it for 20 minutes, if using a pan, spray with non-stick spray.  
Turn dough out on pan and push edges to shape into a flat pizza shape.
Mix melted butter and garlic together. Using a pastry brush, brush mixture onto dough.
Spread out mozzarella cheese over the top, spreading evenly.
Add cheddar cheese for flavor and color - sprinkle evenly over top.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and starts to brown.
Enjoy fresh out of the oven! 

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Dear Reader

Dear Readers
Thank you so much for sticking with me.  April always seems to be such a crazy month for me and too much happens in real life to blog. 
With Spring Break, prepping for my best friend's wedding, throwing a bachelorette party for her, standarized testing and traveling for work, celebrating my best friend's wedding and the passing of my grandfather, this month has really gotten to me
I'm going to take the rest of the month off of blogging, to rejuvinate and rechage (hopefully) and work on preparing some wonderful recipes and crafts for you.  I have a lot of fun things in the works!
So please come back soon
Take Care
~Danielle

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Sweet Carmalized Bananas

Today I have a guest post from Elizabeth from ReadySetEat to share with you - doesn't this look delicious (if you like bananas that is!)

Sweet Caramelized Bananas

This is a guest post by Elizabeth L. on behalf of ReadySetEat. Visit www.readyseteat.com to find easy recipes for dinner or pasta salad recipes for when the weather turns warmer.

Caramelized bananas are such a comforting dish, and they’re also really easy to make!  Even if this dish is a dessert, you are still getting all of the benefits of the fruit, too.  I remember the first time I had caramelized bananas, it was in a restaurant in Washington D.C, and I thought it was so good.  I couldn’t wait to make them at home!  With this simple recipe, you will have a dessert ready in no time, and you won’t even have to pay restaurant prices.  You could pair this with some vanilla bean ice cream or maybe some salted caramel ice cream.  Either would taste great with this!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons Parkay® Original Spread-tub
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 slightly firm bananas, peeled, halved and sliced lengthwise
• Reddi-wip® Original Dairy Whipped Topping

Directions

1. Heat sugar, Parkay and cinnamon in medium skillet over medium-high heat; when bubbly, add bananas. Cook 1 minute on each side or until bananas are warm and glaze has thickened slightly, spooning glaze over bananas.
2. Top each serving with Reddi-Wip. Serve immediately.

If you want to find some dinner ideas that are easy like this recipe, swing by ReadySetEat.com!

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Chocolate Chip Muffins

I am on a mission to try to get my husband to eat some breakfast.  Even if it's not something super healthy, I would feel better if he would eat something for breakfast.  He has a physically demanding job, has been known to put off eating if they are running behind.  I can't control what happens on his job site, but I can make sure that he at least has something to eat before leaving home so he has some energy!  However, he is not a big breakfast person, doesn't like milk or cereal or eggs, so I have to be a bit more creative.

He does have a habit of going to the cookie jar on his way out the door and grabbing a cookie (or three) but I was aiming for something a little more filling.  Enter these chocolate chip muffins.  While I am sure they are not the healthiest breakfast item out there, they are a good something to have to start your day and the added chocolate chips make them sweet and make my husband willing to eat them.  I hope you enjoy them as well!

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Recipe adapted from Creative Savings

Ingredients:

•  1 egg
• 1 cup sour cream (8 oz)
• 5 TBSP butter (melted)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup chocolate chips (or mini chips)

Directions:

In a bowl, mix the wet ingredients.  Stir in dry ingredients until just blended - no not over mix.  Finally fold in chocolate chips.  Place paper liners in muffin tin and fill 3/4 full with mix.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes - test center of larger muffin with a toothpick.  Muffins are done when toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool.
These also freeze well and can be re-heated in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.

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