Homemade Baby Food

 

I made my first attempt at baby food making a couple days ago, and am thrilled with the results!  So far, I have only made carrots since it is what I had on hand.  Plus, it's a food that Declan likes and reacts well to.  Next on my list is peas, another favorite of his.

 

My questions to you all...

Have you made homemade baby food?  What are some easy foods to try to puree?  Any books you have liked on the topic?  I am wanting to expand my horizons here, so any tips would be so helpful.

 

Also, do you freeze the baby food?  What containers do you freeze in?  I read about freezing baby food in ice cube trays, but am hesitant to try something without a lid.  Suggestions, please! :)

 

Off to make some cookies now for the other boys in my household!! :)

xo! 

Meal Plan Monday: no. 1

amazing meal planning calendars found here!

 

Here at my house, we are so disorganized when it comes to planning our dinners.  Both my husband and I will run to the store for a few things in an effort to get dinner made, and we rarely go big-time grocery shopping.  That gets hard with two kids and a house to run.  Yikes!  SO, I decided to get organized and start meal planning.  Last week, I took both boys with me grocery shopping.  Two and a half hours, one bottle, one diaper change, a few freebies at Costco, and four stores later, we had everything we needed for more than a week at least.  So I wanted to start sharing my meal plans each week with you all.  Maybe we can start getting dinner ideas from each other?!  You never know!  I can always use some fresh ideas when it comes to cooking. :)  Here's what our week looks like:

 

Sunday

French Dip, Potatoes & Salad

Monday

Hot Dogs & Macaroni and Cheese

Tuesday

Spaghetti & Meatballs, Rolls, Salad

Wednesday

Black Bean Quesadillas & Corn Casserole

Thursday

Breakfast for dinner! Pancakes, Bacon & Eggs

Friday

Salsa Chicken & Refried Beans

Saturday 

Buffet Night AKA Leftovers :)

 

I do want to share my recipes for Salsa Chicken and the Black Bean Quesadillas- both of which are frequent dinners at our house.  So easy, too! :) 

 

What will you be eating this week?  What recipes would you like to share?  Quick kitchen tips to keep your family organized?! :)  I'd love to hear from you!

xo!

 

The BEST French Dip Ever! (& some shop updates!)

 

I love my crock pot.  Especially since giving birth to Declan, I have found myself short on kitchen time and the crock pot allows me to make a delicious dinner without a ton of effort.  And I have stumbled on the BEST recipe ever.  Seriously, my husband requests this as often as he can :)

 

Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches

{recipe found here}

 

Ingredients:
3-4 lb. Beef Round Steak (or any type of beef roast- I use a London Broil and it works PERFECT)
1 packet Onion Soup Mix
1 packet Au Jus Seasoning
1 (15 oz) can of Beef Broth or Stock
½ cup water
4 slices mozzarella cheese
Sub rolls

 

Directions:

Put beef roast in slow cooker. In a medium bowl, combine Beef broth, Onion soup mix, Au Jus seasoning and water and stir until combined. Pour mixture over beef, put cover on slow cooker and cook on low for about 8 hours. An hour before serving, shred meat with two forks or take it out and you can slice thinly. Place meat back in the slow cooker for another hour. {I like to shred it!}

When ready to serve, place several slices of beef on roll, add sliced mozzarella cheese and place under the broiler of your oven for a few minutes. Watch carefully, broil for just a couple of minutes until cheese is melted and roll is just slightly toasted.

Serve sandwich with a bit of Au Jus from the slow cooker, which is all ready made for you! :)

 SO DELISH!!!! :)

 

And on to some shop news...

this past week, I added a couple of fab new items to my shop that I am so excited about!

You are My Sunshine tags :)

Convo me if you need a custom listing for these!

 

Ombre Pink Gift Tags!

So darling!  Need them in another color?  Convo me through Etsy and I'd be happy to make them in a different shade!

 

Whew!  I think that's it for my week.  My hubby is out of town for the weekend, so it's just me and the boys.  We are going to plan a fun mommy-kiddo weekend! {And I'll try to forget I am missing my husband so much already!}

 

Happy Friday!

today I am linking up with High Five For Friday- love it!  Go pop over and check it out.

xo!

sugar jumbles.

The rain has hit us in Southern California once again.
What happened to the warm springtime?! :)
I do love stormy weather though,
and am making the best of it by baking!

Sugar Jumbles are the easiest little cookies to make, and they are so delish. From the old Better Crocker Picture Cookbook that was first printed in 1950, these cookies can be made a million different ways. Here's the basic recipe, which I adore.



Sugar Jumbles
{from Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook}

Preheat oven to 375F.

Mix together thoroughly:
1/2 cup soft butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Sift together and stir in:
1 1/8 cups sifted Flour
1/4 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until delicately browned (cookies should still be soft). Cool slightly then remove from baking sheet.

Simple, yummy, and perfect for a not-so-sunny day.
These are also perfect to whip up for an after-school snack for the little ones. :)
Happy Monday!
xo!

PS.
Participate in Life Made Lovely Monday!
These cookies are making my life more lovely for sure. :)
These, and a cup of coffee.
Yum.

peanut butter smooches.

I needed to figure out a way to use up the leftover Valentine's Hershey kisses I had sitting in my pantry,
so Andrew and I decided to toss them on top of some easy peanut butter cookies!
This seriously is the easiest recipe ever created. :)
You've all seen a variation of this cookie, but here's my take on it...



Peanut Butter Smooches

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 bag of Hershey's chocolate kisses

Stir together peanut butter, sugar, and the egg in a medium bowl until blended and creamy. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 to 10 minutes. When you remove the cookies from the oven, add a chocolate kiss to the center!
That's it?! Yep, it is seriously that easy.

Happy baking, and happy eating! :)
xo!

fancy coconut cake!

Birthdays are alive and well around my house at this time of year.
This past weekend we threw a birthday party for my grandma,
and today is my sweet boyfriend's birthday!
{Happy birthday, babycakes!!!}

Which in turn means that there is
a lot of birthday cake around the house as well. :)
{Hey, I am not complaining!}



I am a huge fan of baking cakes from the box, thank you Mrs. Crocker. :) But for the party this past weekend, I wanted to jazz up the white cake and frosting deal and make it a little more special.

Fancy Coconut Cake

What You'll Need:
1 Box Better Crocker White Cake Mix
2 Cans White Frosting
1 Bag of fluffy Coconut

Bake the cake as directed on the box, with one exception. I have learned from my mom to substitute olive oil for vegetable oil. It makes the cake super moist and delish! After the cake is baked and cooled, frost it completely. This does not have to be an award winning frosting job, since you will be covering the entire thing with coconut.

After it is all covered in lots of frosting, take small handfuls of the coconut and gently press it all the way around the edges of the cake, being careful to cover the whole surface, sides and all. After it is covered, go around the edges and clean it up to make it all look pretty. Easy, right? And the cake looks much more impressive than the time it took to whip it up!

Happy cake eating to you all!
I am off to bake another one for the boyfriend! :)
{Did I mention I love birthdays?!}
xo!

Homemade Halloween... A Guest Post from Real Moms Eat Food! :)

Welcome to the second day of my Homemade Halloween event! I am having so much fun with this, and am excited to share with you the next guest blogger for today, Beth from Real Moms Love To Eat. She has cooked up a spooky snack that any kid would flip over! Read on, friends! I will see you again this afternoon for another post {from yours truly!} featuring a simple Halloween decor makeover tutorial. Don't miss it! :)
xo-Holly

-----------------------------------------------

This post is by Beth Aldrich, author of the upcoming book, Real Moms Love to Eat (Penguin Books, NAL, 2011) and Certified Healthy Lifestyle-Green Living Expert and mother of three hungry boys! Visit Real Moms Love to Eat here!

Serving Up Haunted Dogs, Real Moms Style!

This real mom loves to eat healthy, delicious food. But sometimes salads and reduction sauces just don’t kick it with my three hungry sons, so I’ve come up with a few kid-friendly options over the years. Last week, my third grade co-room parent asked me to come up with some cute, nutritious ideas for our classroom Halloween party. I couldn’t resist the urge to suggest one of my own childhood favorites, protein-packed, organic Haunted Dogs!

winner, winner, veggie dinner!

OK, first for the winner.
Then the vegetarian dinner. :)
{Do you love the rhymes? I thought so!}

According to random.org,
the winner of the $10 shop credit to Mommy Holly is...
you!
Congrats!!!
{Order like usual and you can apply the $10 credit to your order in the "message to seller" area. Must be used in one order & can include shipping. If you go over the $10, I'll invoice you asap!}

Now for my favorite vegetarian dinner that I will be making for Labor Day this evening... technically, it is a vegan recipe that I adapted to make my life easier. I need some real cheese in my life, people. :)

Vegetarian Enchilada Bake

Ingredients:
12 oz. vegetarian burger crumbles (such as Yves or Smart Ground brands)
1 packet taco seasoning
2 15.5-oz. cans enchilada sauce
{I use the Trader Joe's sauce- it is to die for good}
18 corn tortillas
2 15.5-oz. cans pinto beans, drained
2 cups shredded cheese
{The mexican blend is yummy!}
1 4.5-oz. can diced green chilies
{You can opt out of these if you want to- I usually do have with them, half without for Andrew who is especially anti-spicy-foods. It is plenty spicy without these!}
2 cups Fritos corn chips, finely crushed
{Use any kind of yummy chip for the topping- Fritos, Doritos, etc. I use the Trader Joe's Nacho Cheese Chips and is is oh-so-good.}

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• In a small bowl, combine the burger crumbles and taco seasoning and set aside.
• Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch pan with oil.
• In layers, spread a generous amount of enchilada sauce, 6 corn tortillas, 2 cans of pinto beans, a third of the shredded cheese, half the can of green chilies, lots more enchilada sauce, 6 more tortillas, all the seasoned burger crumbles, another third of the cheese, the remaining green chilies, more enchilada sauce, then the final 6 tortillas, more enchilada sauce, and the rest of the cheese. Cover in foil and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil, top the entire casserole with the crushed chips, and bake for another 15 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and browned.

Serve it with some fresh berries to offset the spicy taste
and you've got a super yummy dinner.
And it was extra-easy.
PS.
If picky-eater Andrew will eat it, so will your kids. :)

Wishing a safe,
fun,
sunny
& Happy Labor Day
to you all!
xo!

lemon meringue bars.

Happy Monday, friends!
I am back this week with a fantastic recipe to share with all of you.
Like, so fantastic, I could not stop eating these. :)

I love anything lemon, especially in summer.
And if you happened to miss my mom's class a few nights ago,
this is one of the recipes I made for her.
They were easy, and if you aren't into the idea of making a lemon meringue pie,
these bars were the perfect alternative.

{And here is my caveat for you as well: Martha gets real exact with her measurements, which is probably why these turn out so well. But it is so annoying. I can't stand it. But, get over it like I did and make these. You'll love Martha again, even if her precise-ness is nauseating! :) }

Lemon Meringue Bars
{From Martha Stewart}

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
6 large eggs, plus 4 large egg whites
2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350. Make crust: Put butter, flour, confectioners sugar, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, and the salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until well blended.
2. Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Press batter evenly into baking sheet. Chill in freezer 10 minutes. Bake until golden, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
3. Make filling: Whisk together whole eggs, 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, the lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons lemon zest. Pour over crust. Bake until filling is set, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Keep oven at 350.
4. Make meringue topping: Put egg whites and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
5. Using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread meringue over filling, swirling to create soft peaks. Bake until meringue begins to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Cut into bars. Bars can be refrigerated in an airtight container, up to 1 day.

PS.
Let me know if you try these
and fall deeply in love with them like I did. :)
Enjoy your Monday, xo! :)

chocolate coconut bon-bons.

Recently, my dad was diagnosed with a mild case of diabetes. So in the interest of cutting out some of the refined sugar out of our diets, I was on the hunt for recipes that used Splenda as opposed to white sugar. While I am not a huge fan of Splenda in general, these candy-like treats turned out amazing and I would most definitely make them again.

And by the way,

Andrew couldn't stop eating them.

That's the mark of a perfect treat! :)

Chocolate Coconut Bon Bons

Ingredients:

½ cup fat-free cream cheese, softened
1½ cups Splenda
1 cup fat free sweetened condensed milk
2 cups flaked coconut
2½ cups Rice Crispy cereal

9 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate

{This is what was recommended by the recipe, but I needed much more. Maybe I am way too heavy handed with the chocolate?!}

In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, Splenda, and sweetened condensed milk. Mix in the coconut and rice cereal to form a workable dough. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. {I left them in overnight and they were fine.}

Melt chocolate over a double boiler, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat when melted. Use a toothpick or something similar to hold the bon bons with while you are dipping them. {I used a smores fork since I don't have any toothpicks at the moment. Worked perfectly haha!} Set on wax paper to dry completely and then enjoy!!
PS.

I am thinking these would be delicious if they were frozen or chilled as well!

If any of you have yummy recipes for diabetics,

please email them my way!

I would love to expand on this, and try some new things. :)

Enjoy your Thursday, xo!

chocolate pudding pie!

Let me first warn you:
this is such an addicting pie for two reasons.
Number One: It's slammin'!!!!
Number Two: It is eerily easy to make, which makes whipping up a pie such a no-brainer. :)

Oh yes,
and I hired a photographer
to document me making this pie a few days back.
He is funny,
bright,
very short,
and best of all,
he was completely FREE!
{I just had to pay him with licks of the spoon
and a big piece of pie afterward!}
Enjoy Andrew's photographs for this one and please ignore any fuzziness in the pictures.
He is already quite excited about his prospects as a photographer in his later life. :)

Chocolate Pudding Pie

Ingredients:
1 package Jello chocolate instant pudding
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 graham cracker pie crust
{I read somewhere that you can use an oreo pie crust, which is certainly what I'll be doing next time!}
One tub of Cool Whip topping, completely thawed in refrigerator
{Comes out to around 2 cups, I suppose. The more the better though, in my opinion!}

Beat pudding mix and milk with a whisk for two minutes. Stir in half of the Cool Whip with the pudding, then spoon mixture into the pie crust. Top with the remaining Cool Whip topping and refrigerate until you are ready to dive in! :)


{and now we are back to my photos again haha! he lost interest after a while. :) }

So addicting.
You have been warned, my friends. :)
xo!

PS.
For more yummy recipes,
pop over to The Goat and the Kid today.
Delish! :)

chocolate oatmeal no-bake cookies.

I adore cookies with oatmeal in them.
Makes any ordinary cookie so much more substantial!
That's why I love these simple, yet amazingly easy cookies.
And the best part?
No baking! :)



Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 cups 0ats (Quick or Old fashioned, uncooked)

In large saucepan, combine sugar, milk, margarine and cocoa. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Continue boiling 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in oats; mix well. Quickly drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper or greased cookie sheet. Let stand until set. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

That's it!
I told you they were easy, right? :)
Enjoy, xo!

chocolate chip blondies

I was in the mood for something sweet last night, but wanted to watch what I was eating as well. I have finally gotten back into the swing of exercising {even started running a bit!} and so I didn't want to ruin my week with a big plate of dessert.
Enter in a Weight Watchers recipe.
I changed it up a tiny bit, using Sucanat instead of brown sugar.
And I used regular butter instead of light butter.
I mean, seriously.. who keeps that kind of thing around?
Certainly not me. :)

Anyways, even with my adjustments,
it turned out delicious!
The perfect treat in the evening if you don't want to completely ruin your diet. :)

And
come to find out,
the perfect breakfast treat as well.
Does it make me a bad mom if I gave Andrew a little square of it after his breakfast this morning???? ;)

Chocolate Chip Blondies

{adapted from a Weight Watchers recipe}

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
{although i used sucanat in place of the brown sugar!}
6 tbsp butter
2 large egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, beat brown sugar and butter until fluffy. Add egg whites and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternating with water. Stir in chips.

Spread into a foil-lined 9- x 13-inch baking pan. Bake until golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Cut into squares and enjoy!
xo!

martha's snickerdoodles.

This week is Teacher Appreciation at Andrew's school, so we thought a batch of homemade cookies would be a nice treat for his kindergarten teacher tomorrow. Out came Martha Stewart's Cookie Book, and Andrew set off to find a recipe he wanted to make with me.

Snickerdoodles

From Martha Stewart's Cookies

{& recently blogged about over here at one of my favorite blogs!}

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1 cups (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

-

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Put butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture.
Stir together cinnamon and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into 1 3/4-inch balls; roll in cinnamon sugar. Space 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

*Martha says this recipe makes 20.

I made 36.

You be the judge on how many this recipe makes for you. :)

Happy baking, xo! :)

rocky road bites.

Andrew helped me make this fantastic recipe the other evening.

{And excuse his odd "hat" in this photo. He got "how to train your dragon" pajamas and has not wanted to remove the cape that goes with them yet haha!}

This is one of those recipes that is 100% kid-friendly, fool-proof, and you will have so much fun tossing chocolate chips onto the graham crackers together! :)

Crispy Rocky Road Bites

from Get Togethers Cookbook

Ingredients:

24 chocolate graham cracker squares

{However, I used regular graham crackers and it was amazing!}

1/2 cup butter, melted

12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup toffee chips

{I am not a fan of toffee, so I used those yummy Reese's chips instead, which I highly recommend!}

2 cups mini marshmallows

{We had extra bunny-mallows left over from Easter, so ours are pastel colored haha!}

Arrange graham crackers on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet, sides touching. Pour melted butter over crackers; sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips and white chocolate chips. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees, until butter is absorbed. Using a spatula, spread melted chips over crackers; sprinkle with toffee {or peanut butter chips} and marshmallows. Return to oven for 3 minutes, or until marshmallows begin to soften. Set aside. Place remaining chocolate chips in a small ziploc bag. Microwave on medium setting until chips melt, about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Snip a small hole in one corner of bag and drizzle chocolate over crackers. Let cool for at least 30 minutes until set.

And here is my warning to you all...

These are so hard to stop eating.

Proceed with caution. :)

xo!

almond butter chocolate chip cookies.

As I was flipping through the latest issue of Clean Eating,
I found this yummy-looking cookie recipe.
Using some new ingredients to me,
{sucanat & almond butter, anyone?}
I whipped up a batch yesterday.

Let me tell you...
super easy,
suuuuper tasty,
and no refined sugar!
They are "clean" cookies!
I say, not too shabby! :)




Andrew prepared the chocolate for me. :)





Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Clean Eating Magazine,
March/April 2010

1 cup unsalted almond butter, stirred well

3/4 cup Sucanat

1 large egg

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

3 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa or greater), broken into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl. stir together the first 5 ingredients until blended. Stir in chocolate. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 more minutes.
Makes about 24 cookies.

Super yummy, right?!
And eat these knowing that you aren't being too bad on your waistline. :)
xo!

a tasty coffee cake.

For Easter breakfast, I made the most delicious coffee cake from one of my favorite bloggers. I've wanted to try it out for the longest time, but I rarely eat anything more than a bowl of Cheerios for breakfast! :) I finally tried it out in honor of the holiday morning, and it was
oh-so-delish!

Cardamom Coffee Cake

2 c. soft butter
2 c. light brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tbsp. vanilla
2 c. sour cream
(I only had 1 cup on hand so I did 1 cup sour cream and 1 cup vanilla yogurt)
4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. powdered cardamom
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamon, and salt. Add sour cream and flour mixture alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in each addition just enough to blend. Don't beat or over mix!

NUT MIXTURE:

1/4 c. light brown sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts.

Spoon 1/3 of the batter into a well buttered tube or bundt pan, then 1/2 of the nut mixture, then 1/3 batter, then remaining nuts, then remaining batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until brown on top and dry when you insert a probe all the way down. Turn onto a plate after 10 minutes of cooling.

Then slice up some strawberries, and enjoy your delicious breakfast!
xo! :)

bake these right this minute.

Thanks to this fantastic blogger, I tried these yummy little snowball cookies.
Am I in a baking mood lately or what?!
And while I know these are more of a classically winter cookie,
{what with the name "snowballs" and all!}
I just decided that they are now my anytime cookie.
Seasons be darned! :)









Snowballs

¾ C butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbl water

1/8 tsp salt

1/3 C sugar

1 ½ C flour

1 C chopped nuts

1/2 C choc chips

{the recipe called for a cup, but I cut a few of the chips out since my dough looked quite chocolate-y already!}

Cream butter, vanilla, water, sugar and salt. Add flour and mix well. Add chips and nuts. Form into 1” balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool for a few minutes. Roll in powdered sugar while still warm. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Then pop one in your mouth and

enjoy the deliciousness that is the snowball.

xo!

And

PS...

Andrew enjoyed them, too! :)

shortbread circles.

Grab your ingredients, folks! Some tasty little treats were made over the weekend and this recipe I must share with you all. I LOVE shortbread. I LOVE cookies. These are a perfect combination of both. Plus they only have three ingredients, so the lazy part of me was happy, too! :)

Shortbread Circles

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup slightly softened butter

To Do:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine all 3 ingredients at once and mix for 8 minutes. (Use a stand mixer if possible, or a strong hand mixer and spatula will also work.)

Mixture may be dry and crumbly to start, but will become more batter-like after mixing. (The photo above is after I mixed it up - looks like thick cake batter!)
Drop by slightly heaped teaspoons onto a parchment-covered cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.

Makes about 36 tiny shortbread cookies. :)

Enjoy, xo!

number salad.

Get the kiddos cooking! Mollie Katzen has a whole set of children's cooking books with the sweetest illustrations and recipes. Andrew and I are going to make some fun and fabulous salad! This makes eating your fruits and veggies much more exciting, right? :)

Thanks to Mollie Katzen for the photos and recipe shown here!

Happy salad-mixing, friends!

xo!