{My Life, Scrumptious, and Soirees} A Little Bit Of Everything

Hey everybody!  I had a great weekend, and I hope you all did too.  Jason has been gone, so it was great to be busy and distracted.  It started with me finishing up this semester in school.  Yay!  Then on Saturday I had a great night with a couple of friends (Amber and Alli) getting ready for our friend Michelle's long awaited baby shower.  We went and got pedicures, grabbed dinner, and then came back to my house to get everything ready for the shower.  

As I had mentioned before, we had been planning on having the shower in April, but postponed it when Michelle had Baby Ethan early.  It turned out to be the perfect day.  Here are some of the details.     

We started the shower by having a sit down lunch.  We kept it very simple and just went with mini sandwiches, salads, and fruit.  We served various kinds of tea, and the teacups were part of the take home favors.  

In the kitchen we had a beverage bar and dessert table set up.  On the beverage bar we had sparkling water, french sparkling lemonade, and a raspberry sorbet punch.  We served the lemonade and punch in mason jars with paper straws.  The dessert buffet had jelly beans, reese cups, suckers, mini cupcakes (more on those to follow), and the adorable diaper cake Amber made.  

Instead of doing a traditional guest book, we opted to get a story book instead, and had everyone sign various pages throughout the book.  

We played several games, where the girls could win fabulous prizes, most of which were Aveda products provided by Alli.  My favorite game was the "Dirty Diaper Game."  One of my co-hosts melted various candy bars into diapers, and everyone had to guess which candy bar they were.  It made for some pretty funny pictures.  

Ethan is such a good baby!  He stayed up for most of the shower, and didn't really cry at all.  He just grunted, made cute noises, and looked around.  Such a cutie!  

After all the games, I snapped some pictures of Michelle with all of the guests, and then one with her and the hosts (us).  By the time the shower was coming to an end, Ethan was pretty tuckered out.  It was such a fun day.  Thank you to everyone who came!  

Okay, now back to the cupcakes.  I made Key Lime Mini Cupcakes, and they were a huge hit.  The best part was the frosting.  I used my usual Cream Cheese Frosting recipe and added graham cracker crumbs to resemble a crust, and it turned out amazing.  I will definitely be using this again and again.  Since everyone liked them so much I'm including the recipe.  I hope you all have a great week, and enjoy the recipe!    

Key Lime Pie Cupcakes with Graham Cracker Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcake Ingredients:

- 1 box lemon cake mix

- 1 small box lime jello

- 3/4 cup water

- 1/3 cup key lime juice

- 1/3 cup vegetable oil

- 3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total).  In a stand mixer on low combine cake mix with jello.  Add all other cupcake ingredients, and mix on medium speed until the batter is smooth.  Divide batter evenly between cupcake liners.  Bake for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  

Glaze Ingredients:

- 1 cup powdered sugar

- 2 1/2 tablespoons key lime juice

While cupcakes are baking whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth.  When the cupcakes are done, pierce the tops with a fork, and then brush the glaze over the tops.  Let cool completely and frost with Graham Cracker Cream Cheese Frosting.  

Frosting Ingredients:

- 8 oz block of cream cheese, softened

- 2 cups powdered sugar

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened  

- 1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers 

(I used my food processor to crush)

Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Slowly add the powdered sugar and blend until light and fluffy.  Then add crushed graham crackers, mixing only until combined.    

{Scrumptious} Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies

I made these cookies for the first time a few weeks ago, from a recipe I altered quite a bit to suite my own taste.  Then this weekend I mixed it up a little bit, and made little whoopie pies out of them.  I made the cookies half the size, and then put my cream cheese frosting in the middle.  You can find the recipe for the frosting here.    

I hope you all enjoy!  

Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

- 2 cups all purpose flour

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

- 1/4 teaspoon ginger

- 2 sticks unsalted butter

- 1 cup brown sugar, packed

- 1/2 cup white sugar

- 6 teaspoons vanilla

- 2 large eggs

- 2 1/2 cups quick oatmeal (not instant)

- 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots

- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, and set the mixture aside.  

In a different bowl beat the butter and both sugars until the mixture is creamy.  Then mix in the eggs and the vanilla.  By hand, mix in the flour mixture until well combined.  Then one by one stir in the oatmeal, carrots, and the walnuts.  (I actually used my KitchenAid mixer for this whole part, using the flat beater.  On the "hand" mixing part, I just turned the speed to the slowest one.  If you don't have a stand mixer, definitely do it by hand.) 

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper, and roll balls that equal about 1/4 of a cup.  I use an ice cream scoop to do this part.  Do not over crowd the cookies.  You should only be able to put about 6 cookies on each cookie sheet (8 for a pretty large cookie sheet).  

Bake for 17-18 minutes on the center rack of the oven, one sheet at a time.  This batch should make about 24 cookies.  

{Scrumptious} Ciao Bella

Hey everybody!  As promised, I'm using today's Tasty Tuesday to bring you a restaurant recommendation.  I want to start by saying I am in no way, shape, or form a food critic.  When I give you a recommendation, keep in mind, I'm no expert.  

We went to Ciao Bella in Bloomington (MN, for all you out of staters) for my birthday last week, and I personally thought it was fantastic.  We had our own private area, where my only complaint was that the lighting was way too low.  It was otherwise nice to have a little privacy, since we had a rather large group.  My husband and I had the Braised Meatballs for an appetizer and they were delicious.  They were veal sausage meatballs stuffed with mozzarella and covered in a very tasty bolognese sauce.  For my entree I had the Herb Grilled Salmon.  It was cooked perfectly and seasoned amazingly well.  The roasted fingerling potatoes were also cooked and seasoned very well.  My only complaint, keeping in mind that I fully plan to get this again, was that the carrots and artichokes were a little too crunchy.  Everyone else seemed to enjoy their food too.  A few notables were the Filet Mignon Sandwich, the Chicken Parmesan, and the Spaghetti with Meatballs.

This wasn't my first visit to Ciao Bella.  I honestly kind of forgot about it because it's in a kind of weird location.  I will definitely be going back again in the near future, probably the next time I'm craving salmon.

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your evening!     

{Scrumptious} Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

This ice cream cake is super yummy, and very quick and easy to make.  There are a lot of variations out there for this cake, but this is my variation.  There aren't really any concrete measurements for this recipe, but I will tell you what I used to make this one.  The great thing about this cake is that you can use any candy or cookie variation that you want.  Besides Oreos, I have used Butterfingers, Whoppers, and Heath, and they all were delicious.  I made this one on a platter, but you could also make it in a cake pan.   

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake 

Ingredients:

- 12 mini ice cream sandwiches

- 12 oz of Cool Whip 

- 15 mint Oreo cookies, crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)

- Hershey's chocolate syrup 

Place 12 ice cream sandwiches on a platter, butting them up next to each other.  Next layer on top of the ice cream sandwiches the following ingredients in the order I list them:  4 oz of Cool Whip, Hershey's chocolate syrup (just enough to cover Cool Whip), crushed Oreo cookies (setting aside a little bit to garnish the top), and finally the rest of the Cool Whip using the remainder crushed cookies to decorate the top.  

Enjoy!

{Scrumptious} Spinach Lasagna

Photo Credit: All Recipes

I made this recently for an annual ski trip I go on with my friends.  It was very tasty!  I found the recipe on All Recipes, but I altered it a bit.  I hope you all like it.  

Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients:

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach (thawed and strained)

- 1/2 onion, chopped

- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

- 2 cloves garlic, crushed 

- 1 (32 ounce ) jar of spaghetti sauce 

- 1 1/2 cups water

- 1 (16 ounce) container ricotta cheese

- 1 (8 ounce) package of mozzarella cheese, shredded 

- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

- 1 egg

- 1 box of no cook lasagna noodles

Additional Ingredients: 

- 1 (8 oz) jar of spaghetti sauce

- 1-2 cups of mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large pot over medium heat saute spinach, onion, oregano, basil, and garlic in the olive oil.  Pour in 32 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce and water.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  In a large bowl mix ricotta cheese, 8 ounces of mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and the egg.  Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a lasagna pan.  Place one layer of lasagna noodles on top of sauce, and top with another layer of sauce.  Add another layer of noodles, and half of the remaining sauce.  Then top with half of the cheese mixture.  Do another layer of noodles, remaining sauce, and remaining cheese.  Then top with noodles.  Use the extra jar of spaghetti sauce to top the noodles, and finish with 1-2 cups of mozzarella cheese.  

Enjoy!

{Scrumptious} Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Cupcakes are one of my favorite things to bake.  It's not because I love eating cupcakes either; it's because I love to decorate them.  This recipe doesn't leave a lot of creative room for decorating, but they are a crowd favorite.  

Oreo Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Ingredients:

- 30 Oreo cookies

- 1 package white cake mix

- 1 cup sour cream

- 1/2 cup vegetable oil

- 3 large eggs

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Count out 12 Oreo cookies and separate the tops and bottoms, making sure each side has some icing on it.  Place one 1/2 cookie in the bottom of each cupcake liner, icing side up.  Crush 18 Oreos in a ziplock bag and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla.  Blend on low for 30 seconds.  Increase speed to medium for and additional 1 1/2 minutes.  Add 1 1/2 cups crushed Oreos and fold into cake batter.  Fill the cupcake liners three quarters of the way full.  Bake cupcakes for 18-20 minutes on the middle rack.  They should be golden brown on top, and a toothpick should come out clean.  After cooled, top with cream cheese frosting (recipe below), and garnish with remaining crushed Oreos.  

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

- 16 oz cream cheese, softened

- 4 cups powdered sugar

- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix cream cheese with butter until smooth.  Add vanilla extract.  Slowly add sugar and continue mixing until light and fluffy.  

Makes enough frosting to frost 24-48 cupcakes.  

I use this frosting recipe a lot.  It's extremely easy, and there are many ways to alter it for the cupcakes you're making.  For example, you could use lemon extract instead of the vanilla to top angel food cupcakes, and almond extract instead of vanilla is great on top of chocolate cupcakes.

Enjoy!

 

{Scrumptious} Semi-Homemade Chicken Tikka Masala

I am fairly new to the indian food scene, but I've loved everything I've had so far.  A good friend of mine (you know who you are) loves trying new indian recipes.  For some reason I've been a little weary thus far to try to make it on my own.  On Sunday, I was at Williams Sonoma and they were sampling a Tikka Masala Simmering Sauce.  It was delicious, and since chicken tikka masala is one of Jason's favorites I bought some for dinner.  I was both happy and sad to hear that it was one of the best meals I've ever made (sad of course because it wasn't made from scratch).  I paired it with some cilantro basmati rice and garlic naan with coriander chutney dipping sauce.  The label on the simmering sauce said to saute 2 pounds of chicken, but I broiled it instead.  I followed the rest of the instructions exactly.  For the rice I just followed the cooking instructions on the package.  I bought a box of rice which had 6 servings in it.  I then added about 5 heaping tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro, the juice from one lime, and 1 finely chopped serrano peppers.  I just got store bought garlic naan, and the coriander chutney can be found in the ethnic food isle.  The chutney I bought actually tasted identical to the stuff our favorite indian restaurant has.  All in all, I'm sure that made from scratch tikka masala would probably be better, but if you want a quick easy meal I would give it a try.  It was very good.

I hope you're all enjoying your Tuesday!

{Scrumptious} Garden Harvest Bread

Photo Credits: CookingLight

This is a recipe I found last fall in Cooking Light Magazine.  I know it's not the best "seasonal" recipe, but it's one of my favorite things to make, very delicious.  It's a great breakfast food because it's enough to fill you up, and it's easy to eat on the go.  When I make it I usually make 4-5 loafs and then freeze the extras.  To thaw them you can either leave them out or put them in the fridge for a day. 

I hope you all enjoy!  

Garden Harvest Bread 

Ingredients:

- 1 cup flour

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 2 teaspoons cinnamon

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 1/2 cup shredded Granny Smith apples

- 1/2 cup shredded carrots

- 1/2 cup shredded zucchini

- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

- 1/4 cup canola oil 

- 1/4 cup buttermilk

- 2 large eggs

- Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Stir in apples, carrots, zucchini, and walnuts.  Make a well in the center of the mixture, set aside.  In a small bowl, canola oil, buttermilk, and eggs, stirring with a whisk.  Add egg mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until combined.  Spoon batter into a 8x4 loaf pan coated with cooking spray.  Bake for 50 minutes.  (9 servings at 223 calories per serving)