The New Jello

People keep asking me at the cake shop how to do this jello. So i decided to come home and google it. It seems these people make clear jello and then inject the beautiful flowers into them. And it is all done with a syringe. Wow just wow.

The 60th Anniversary Party

I cant believe how much work this is. Its like planning a wedding all over again. So much to think about and i decided to go back to work which really makes it harder. And then there is the family fighting. Extended family i mean. Its seems that even thou i only sent invites out but didnt make the list i am still the bad guy for not including certain people on the invites. I just cant win. I dont understand how this happy occasion and quite little back yard get together can turn into people being mad. Ok vent over. I guess next time that will teach me to not raise my hand.

Scrapbook crop

I am so excited. Great snacks and great family and friends. I cant wait.

San Juan Capristrano

Yeah so excited. It is time to spend a week at the beach. It will be nice to finally get away and spend sometime soaking up some sun. I always look forward to a week away with my wonderful husband. He is the best husband ever and we so enjoy our time by ourselves. The girls are going to come up on Wed and spend one night and hang out at the beach with us. That will be so nice. We are going to BBQ that day and just hang out.

Chicken in Lettuce Cups

3 Tbs reduced soy sauce
2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp honey
2 tsp asian sesame oil
1 1/2 lbs of chicken cut into small chunks
1 cup of frozen shelled edamame
2 med. stalks celery chopped
12 lg. boston lettuce leaves

30 min
Makes 4 servings

in cup combine soy sauce, ginger and honey. Set aside
In a 12 inch nonstick skillet, heat sesame oil on med 1 min.
Add chicken chunks and cook 3 min. stirring occasionally.
Add edamame to chicken in skillet and cook 2 min stirring occasionally.
Stir in celery cook 2 min longer. Add soy sauce mixture cook 1 to 2 min or until chicken is cooked. Make sure the chicken is cooked through.
Arrange lettuce leaves on 4 dinner plastes. Divide chicken mixture in to each lettuce cup.

Each Serving
About 260 Calories
40 g proten
9 g carbohydrates
7 g total fat
3 g fiber

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Bars aka Reeses Bars

adapted from The Sweet Spot

Makes 8 Servings

Peanut Chocolate Base

1 T. plus 1 t. canola oil, plus more for greasing the pan

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 c. peanuts, toasted and chopped

1/4 t. salt

Peanut Butter Chocolate Filling

3 1/2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 c. plus 2 T. heavy whipping cream

3 T. cream cheese, at room temperature

3 T. creamy peanut butter, plus 1/2 c. for garnish

1/4 t. vanilla

1/4 t. fleur de sel

More Cookies

New Cookies

These cookies look like they would be fun to make.

Wonderful Day

Yesturday was Sat and we were invited to have dinner with Molly & Paul. What a beautiful home they have. The meal was fantastic. We so enjoyed visitig with them. Paul BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs, while molly made the fixins. She made baked beans potato salad and also a fruit salad. I brought dessert and everyone liked it. I was little bummed the crust was a litle thick and i forgot the nuts. But everyone seem to like it. Molly & Paul made us feel very at home and it was so nice sitting and enjoying nice converstation. I hope i didn't talk to much. I tend to do that. I hope that I didn't scare paul with too much talking. Hopefully we can do it again sometime. Once again Thank you so much to our wonderful hosts.

Quick & Easy Chicken, Broccoli and Brown Rice

1 tbsp. Vegetable oil
4 Skinnless chicken breast halves
1 can 10 3/4 oz Campbell Condensed Cream of Chicken(98%) Fat Free
1 1/2 cups of water
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant brown rice
2 cups of fresh or frozen broccoli floweretts

Heat oil in skillet over medium high high heat. Add chicken cook until well browned on both sides. Remove chicken from pan.
Stir soup, water,paprika and black pepper in skillet. Heat to boil
Stir in rice and broccoli in skillet. Reduce heat to low. Return chicken to skillet. Sprinkle additional paprika and black pepper over chicken. Cover and cook 5 min until chicken is cooked all the way through and the rice is done.


Cooking times vay. To ensure best results, use instant whole grain brown rice.

Cookie Party

Yeah its cookie time. I can't wait. I will post pictures later.

Cards

Nice way to spend the weekend. Doing what i love.

New Cards

New cards i made this weekend.

CupCake Class

Here is the picture of the cupcake class.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
The best of all possible worlds -- creamy cheesecake filling on a chocolaty crust made easy with Pillsbury® cookie dough.
Prep Time: 10 Min
Total Time: 3 Hr 20 Min
Makes: 16 bars

User Rating:


INGREDIENTS:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup coconut, if desired
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated chocolate chip cookies

DIRECTIONS:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and egg until smooth. Stir in coconut.
2. In ungreased, 9- or 8-inch square pan, break up half of cookie dough. With floured fingers, press dough evenly in bottom of pan to form crust. Spread cream cheese mixture over dough. Crumble and sprinkle remaining half of dough over cream cheese mixture.
3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until chilled. For bars, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Store in refrigerator.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.

Mollys Beautiful Cupcakes.

She does such beautiful work. I really enjoyed making these cupcakes with you. I hope that you had a good time. If there is something you would like to learn i am also avaliable for private free lessons. Any time you want.

Cinnamon Chocolate Pudding

4 slices whole-wheat bread or white bread, torn into small pieces
2 large eggs
1 12-ounce can evaporated skim milk
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread bread in the dish in an even layer.
Whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Add evaporated skim milk, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and cinnamon; whisk the mixture until the sugar and cocoa dissolve. Pour the cocoa mixture over the bread. Mix in any unsoaked bread pieces. Sprinkle chocolate over the top and let stand for 10 minutes.
Bake until puffed and set in the center, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm. The pudding is also good cold.

I added like 2 more slices of bread or it would have been really chocolatey and I grounded up my own cinnamon sticks in the coffee grinder, it really makes a difference.

Sounds really yummy. I have not tried it but i think i am gonna.

Finished Book

Ok i added some outter ribbon. I think it looks more finished off.

Well i decided to try and use my new toy. Lots of learn when it come to decorating a little book in stead of a 12 x 12 scrapbook. But it was fun. There are so many things you can do. I just love the possibilities.

Wall Hanger

I made this wall hanger and i just love it. I have not decided what pictures to add yet but i love it. It was done at a make and take craft show. It was done on canvas. I love scrappin.

New Family Picture

Oh my i just hit pay dirt on the McClure and the Fearr side of the family. Dont ask how but after years of road blocks i meet some people that just really open some doors. Today i got an email with this picture attached. Wooohoo it is a picture of Grandpa Chets mother as a young girl with her mother and father and her grandparents and her brothers and sister. I was like this is amazing. So much info out there. To find a picture. WOW

Albondigas Soup

2 Tbls of Olive Oil
1 Large Yellow Onion
1 Large Garlic Clove
1/2 Cup Tomato sauce
3 Quarts of Chicken Stock
2 Zuccini
3 Potatoes
1 Pound of Ground Beef
1/3 Cup of Rice
1 Raw Egg
1/2 Cup of chopped fresh Mint Leaves
1 1/2 teaspoon of Salt
1/4 teaspoon of Black Pepper
1 1/2 Cups of shredded Cabbage
1 teaspoon of Oregano
1/2 Cup of chopped fresh Cilantro


Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and minced garlic and saute until tender, about 5 min. Add tomato sauce and broth mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer. Add carrots and potatoes.

Prepare meatballs. Mix rice into meat, adding chopped mint. salt and pepper. Add raw egg. Form into balls about 1 inch.

Return soup to gentle simmer. Add mieatballs to soup one at a time. cover and let simmer for 1/2 hour. Add all other ingredents. Let cook for a couple of min until cabbage is cooked.

I hope you enjoy. This is very good right now that it is cold outside.

Bind it All

A couple of weeks ago i purchased a bind it all. It is so i can make my own little albums. Of couse another way to scrapbook. I am spending this weekend in my room just scrappin away. It has been so relaxing. I love it. Now i can make my own albums.

Blogging Ins & Outs

Ok molly honey i need a lesson on how this blogging works. I have not really played around much and i know i could go through and read and figure it out. But i want a quick version of it. I know that people have blogs so they can post about anything they want. So how does this work with Keeping it private so that only the people you want to see can? Also if you decided to look at other blogs is there a search place here and how does that work? Any help you give i would appreciate. I will also try looking around this weekend too.

Love Ya

Geneology

Well today i decided its time to get my geneology bug going. I have pulled all my old stuff out and i am getting excited again. I found some new information in just an hour of looking. I get so excited when i find new stuff. Its like peeking back into history. Well i am off to find out more of the past.

Congrats

Taylors baby was born 8lbs Feb 20th. Just thought i would share.

CrockPot Minestrone

Minestrone Soup with Pasta, Beans and Vegetables

Prep Time: 15 min Inactive Prep Time: hr min Cook Time: 4 hr 0 min Level:
Easy Serves: 4 Servings

Ingredients
3 cups reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can white (cannellini or navy) beans, drained
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
2 bay leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
2 cups cooked ditalini pasta
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen spinach, defrosted
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Basil sprigs, garnish, optional
Directions
In a slow cooker, combine broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, sage, bay leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.

Thirty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add ditalini, zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Remove bay leaves and season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle parmesan cheese over top. Garnish with basil, if desired.

Eggplant Gratin

Ingredients

Good olive oil, for frying
3/4 pound eggplant, unpeeled, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 extra-large egg
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good bottled marinara sauce
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat about 1/8-inch of olive oil in a very large frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is almost smoking, add several slices of eggplant and cook, turning once, until they are evenly browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Be careful, it splatters! Transfer the cooked eggplant slices to paper towels to drain. Add more oil, heat, and add more eggplant until all the slices are cooked.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, egg, half-and-half, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

In each of 2 individual gratin dishes, place a layer of eggplant slices, then sprinkle with Parmesan, salt and pepper and spoon 1/2 of the marinara sauce. Next, add a second layer of eggplant, more salt and pepper, half the ricotta mixture, and finally 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan on top.

Place the gratins on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the custard sets and the top is browned. Serve warm.

Pauls & Molly's Engagment

This is the engagment picture. I am still working on title.

Molly's Wedding

I just started scrappin your wedding pictures. I thought i would show you some of them. This one is still not finished.

Valentines Cake Balls

I saw these on a website that i love. I thought i would share with you because you love making them. They are so cute this way. On a stick. Who would have thought.

Classes

These cupcakes where made by someone on a website i visit and i am gonna try and make them. I thought they were very cute.
I am thinking since i am not working now for a while since the shop has gotten so slow. I think i might start teaching some basic classes. Like cookies,cupcakes,and basic cake decorating all the way up to fondant and flower making. Its just a thought. During christmas my niece christine asked me to teach her and a few of her friends to make carmel apples. Well now they are asking for more classes. So i think i am gonna teach next how to do some basic cupcake classes. I think i can do it. I have never taught before so this will be weird but who knows this way my hands wont hurt and i can still do what i love.

Found this new cake

I think this would be such a great cake to try and make.

Stress

Why does life always seem to throw so much stress's out. I know there is a bigger plan but sometimes the stress is just over whelming.

***Golf Cake***

I saw this cake and i thouht this would be a great cake for paul's birthday. Hey can you send me pauls Birthday and year and place of birth. I lost some of my files on my computer and i am trying to update my geneology stuff. Thanks

Scrapbooking

Well yesturday i spent the day with an old friend. She wanted to come over because she is wanting to get started making scrapbooks. I was so excited she was only gonna come over for a bit and stayed about 3 hours. We had a blast. I got so excited that i printed all my pictures that i had not printed. Of course i was amazed to find that i had 843 pictures that i had not printed yet. Wow i have really let me hobby get behind. But now i am so excited to get back to scrappin when i get some time. Scrappin just relaxes me. I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. I will post some after i get some pages or cards done.

Laurens Cake

Not quite as good as the picture of the other cake. But ok for an unprofessional. I actually had a great time making this cake. No piping work so my hands did not hurt to bad.

Lauren's Birthday

Well is my babies 24 birthday on Sunday. Wow i remember the day she was born like it was yesturday. That pink little girl with so much hair that i thought she was part monkey. LOL I remember thinking how can you love something that you just meet this much. I mean you love them while you caring them but it is an over whelming love the minute you see them.

Tomorrow i am gonna start working on a cake for her. She dosen't know it yet but i am gonna make her a cake shaped like a shoe box and then i am gonna make her a shoe out of sugar. I can wait. I am gonna make her a Jimmy Choo shoe. I think this is the cake i am gonna attempt. I will post a picture when i finish.