Wet Pants

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I want to share a story with you that I received in one of those forwarded emails that I don’t always read, but this one was really good.  I don’t know the origin of the story, but all credit goes to whoever they are!!

“Come with me to a third grade classroom….. There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It’s never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they’ll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

 

 
 
The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, ‘Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I’m dead meat.’

He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered. As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy’s lap..

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, ‘Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!’

Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else – Susie. She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. ‘You’ve done enough, you klutz!’

Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, ‘You did that on purpose, didn’t you?’ Susie whispers back, ‘I wet my pants once, too.’ “

 

This is one of the best illustrations that I have seen to show how so many times in our crazy lives God answers our prayers through someone else.  I hope you will think of this story the next time you are praying desperately for something, but don’t quite know where the answer is going to come from.

Images courtesy of Free Digital Photos –Photographers: David Castillo Dominici, digitalart and Microsoft Office Images.

Sprinkles Cupcake’s Strawberry Cupcakes

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I love cupcakes. I really do. When I saw this recipe for Strawberry Cupcakes from Sprinkles Cupcakes (the original Cupcake bakery!) I had to try it. I’ve never liked Strawberry cupcakes from a box. These…. well, these are divine.

Sprinkle’s Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Icing
Servings: Makes 1 dozen

Strawberry Cupcakes

Ingredients
2/3 cup fresh or frozen whole strawberries (thawed if frozen)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour , sifted
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. coarse salt
1/4 cup whole milk , room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter , room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg , room temperature
2 large egg whites , room temperature

Directions
– Preheat oven to 350°.
– Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.
– Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree. – Add a few more strawberries if necessary, or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.
– In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
– In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla and strawberry puree; set aside.
– In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.
– With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended.
– Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.
–  Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes.
– Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.

Strawberry Icing

Ingredients
1/2 cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold
Pinch of coarse salt
3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
– Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed.
– In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy.
– Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners’ sugar; beat until well combined.
– Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended.
– Do not overmix or frosting will incorporate too much air. Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice cream.

Source for cupcakes. Source for icing.

Chocolate Chip Strawberry Shortcake

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I’ll start with the disclaimer: this isn’t really shortcake. It’s a gussied-up white cake. BUT…

…It’s MOIST. It’s easy. And it will tantalize your taste buds. Oh, yes, my friends. It will.

I usually make this cake using Devil’s Food Cake mix and chocolate pudding, but today I couldn’t decide between Strawberry Shortcake or chocolate cake. So I mixed it up a little and it turned out so fabulously I thought I’d share it with you! The chocolate chips are the perfect complements to the strawberries.

You’re Welcome. 🙂

Ingredients:
1 White (not yellow) Cake Mix (I use Betty Crocker)
1 (5.1 oz) Vanilla Instant Pudding mix
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
4 eggs
1/2 C Warm Water
1.5 C Mini-Chocolate Chips (I suppose you could use regular, but in my experience the bigger chips sink to the bottom while cooking)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the cake and pudding mixes. Add the wet ingredients, one at a time, ending with the chocolate chips.

3. Pour into a well-greased 12 Cup bundt pan.

4. *Bake for 50 – 55 mins, or until the top is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in the pan, at least an hour and a half, and invert onto a plate if desired.

5. Top with whipped cream and strawberries.

*I use a 10 Cup Sunflower-shaped Cake Pan with no fluting and it fits, but just barely. I bake this in a preheated 335 degree oven for 80 mins.

You can also bake this in a 9×13″ pan, at 350 for 25 – 30 mins.

Source: My own variations on Too Much Chocolate Cake from allrecipes.com

“I Love You” Cookies

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School starts here on August 27th!  We are all excited! I have two kiddos that don’t enjoy school lunches at all,  and the other two pack a lunch when there is something yummy from home they would rather have!  I always send love notes, and special treats but,this year I wanted to do something special for the first day of school. These are soo yummy!  Peanut butter cookies and a dove heart ontop!  Easy peasy!  You can make the cookie from scratch or buy the cookie mix for an even easier time of it!

1 package of peanut butter cookie mix
1 package of Dove milk chocolate hearts
white granulated sugar

Follow the peanut butter cookie instructions. After you have formed the cookie roll it in some sugar and place on the cookie sheet or stone…whatever you have for baking.  Then bake according to directions. It will take about 8 -10 minutes. Don’t let them get to brown. 
When the cookies come out, press the chocolate hearts into the center and the cookie will spread out a bit.  Let them stay on the cookie sheet for a while cooling off. The heart will melt a bit, as you can see in the picture, but it will cool and stick to the cookie just fine.
 After they have cooled completly, remove them from the pan and place them on a rack to let the chocolate set a bit more.  It should be comepletly back to normal before you pack them up.

French Breakfast Puffs

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I remember making a version of these delicious morsels as a teenager.  Back then I think I pulled the recipe from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook.  But recently I noticed that The Pioneer Woman had a version in her first cookbook.  My daughter decided to give them a try and they were even more delicious than I remember.

Truly, they just melt in your mouth.  I dare you to eat just one.

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 cup milk
——–
Coating:
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.
2.  In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg; stir to combine and set aside.
3.  In another large bowl, cream the sugar and shortening together.  Add in the eggs and mix well to combine.
4.  To the creamed mixture add:  one-third of the flour mix, one-third of the milk.  Beat well.  Repeat until all the flour and milk have been added.
5.  Fill your muffin cups two-thirds full and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.  Remove the muffins from the pan and set them aside.
6.  Melt the 2 sticks of butter in a bowl (P-dub uses loaf pans and these work great!).  In another bowl (or loaf pan) combine the sugar and cinnamon.  Dip the warm muffins into the butter, completely coating each one.  Then roll the muffin in the cinnamon-sugar.

According to P-dub, these freeze well.

Source:  The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Moni’s Quinoa Mac and Cheese

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Let it be known to all that I have finally tried Quinoa.  Yes it is true.  I tried this recipe that I found on Pinterest and I must say it is quite tasty.



Ingredients:
2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium leek white and green parts halved and sliced (1 cup)
1/2 cup diced tomato or red/green pepper
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
pinch of salt
a few grinds of seasoning salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups water (or stock)
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese plus more for topping
Panko Bread Crumbs for topping, optional

1.  Heat oil in medium pan over medium heat.  Add leek and tomatoes; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender.  Stir in quinoa and garlic, and cook, uncovered, 3-4 minutes, or until grains start to turn opaque (they will not be fully cooked at this point).

2.  Add 3 cups chicken stock and season with the salt and Seasoning Salt.  Cover and reduce to medium-low and simmer 15-20 minutes or more,  or until most liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.

3.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Coat 13 x 9 dish with cooking spray.  Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl.  Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese (add more cheese here if you need it).  Stir well and let some of the cheese melt.  It will be a little “soupy” but that’s okay,  It will firm up.

4. Transfer to prepared baking dish and top with Panko Crumbs.  Bake 25-35 minutes, or until browned around the edges.

TIPS:  The original author of this recipe suggests using salsa, scallions, sour cream or hot sauce as toppings.

SOURCE:  A Pinterest Re-Pin from Monica Nelson



Cool Avocado Soup

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I love, love, love cold soups in the summer!

Ingredients:

2 avocados
1/2 English cucumber
4 scallions, green parts only, coarsely chopped
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
juice of 1 lime
1/3 cup packed cilantro or parsley leaves
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1/8 t. cumin
1/8 t. paprika
1/2 t. salt

Directions:

1.  Puree everything in a blender until very smooth, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides once or twice.  Cover tightly with the blender lid and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 6 hours.

2.  Puree again just before serving, adding a little cold water if necessary to thin the soup.

TIP:  Serve as shooters for a party!

Source:  My Panera

Reduce the Drag

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Photo Source: Microsoft Office Clip Art

I was listening to an audio recording recently about streamlining household chores.  The speaker’s intent was to share ways to make everyday chores flow more smoothly and she used the phrase “reduce the drag” in describing this process.  This made me thing of airplanes, aerodynamic cars, and….swimming.

The Olympics are just closing down shop in beautiful London town.  One of my very favorite summer Olympic events to watch is swimming.  I know that swimmers do whatever they can to make their bodies flow more smoothly through water.  Certain swimsuits “reduce the drag” that a swimmer’s body has in the water.

This made me think of other things in life beyond household chores and swimming.  It made me wonder what things are producing a drag in my life.  A drag on my energy, patience, charity, motivation, intellect, happiness.

In a media world filled with nonstop images that tell us we are not enough, it can be difficult and challenging to fight off feelings of inadequacy.  We may be our own worst critic in nearly any and every part of our lives.  Finding a way to avoid this false humility can reduce a lot of drag.  How heavy life and it’s many responsibilities and challenges can feel to one who never quite feels good enough! President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said:

“Some people can’t get along with themselves. They criticize and belittle themselves all day long until they begin to hate themselves. May I suggest that you reduce the rush and take a little extra time to get to know yourself better. … Learn to see yourself as Heavenly Father sees you—as His precious daughter or son with divine potential.”

Learning to see ourselves through the eyes of Heavenly Father.  That’s a tall order, but an essential one.  Prayer, pondering the messages of the scriptures, exercising faith in the Lord and in ourselves….all these things and many more can begin to give us a glimpse of our true selves.  Once we begin to see this, the drag begins to get smaller and smaller and smaller.

What are some ways that you have been successful in overcoming this particular glitch in spiritual aerodynamics?  Or perhaps this is not a challenge for you….what, then, do you feel is creating a drag in your daily swim through life?

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes

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I’ve had a great time lately trying out some new cupcake recipes. This one did not disappoint! I love Cinnamon Toast Crunch, so when I spotted this one online – I knew I had to make it.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes
(makes 2 dozen)

Ingredients 
Cinnamon Cake:
3 eggs
1/3 cup oil
¾ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (use the real stuff!)
¾ cup sour cream
1 boxed Vanilla Cake Mix (not white cake mix)
1/2 cup crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Buttercream:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch powder (Crush the cereal in a bag and then sift out 2/3 cup)

Directions 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners.
2. In a large bowl, gently combine eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla.
3. Mix in sour cream.
4. Add cake mix and cinnamon and mix until smooth.
5. Stir in lightly crushed cereal.
6. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
7. Buttercream: Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add Cinnamon Toast Crunch powder. Add vanilla and powdered sugar. Adjust the consistency using milk if it is too thick.
8. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and top with cinnamon sugar and Cinnamon Toast Crunch squares.

Chicken and Pineapple Kebabs

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I love to grill in the summer time! Who wants to bake in a kitchen when you can cook in the open air?? AND when you’re in the heat of summer, who wants a heavy meal? Not me, friend!

These hit the spot with their fresh, light mix of fruit, vegetables, and meat.

Ingredients:

20 oz can of Pineapple Chunks in juice (fresh pineapple is awesome if you can get it)
1 teaspoon ground Cumin
1 teaspoon ground Coriander
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tbsp plain yogurt*
1 Tbsp chopped fresh Cilantro
few drops of orange food coloring (opt) –I didn’t use it.

1.5 lbs skinless, boneless Chicken Breasts (or tenderloins) — about 2 cups
1 Red Bell Pepper**
1 yellow Bell Pepper
1 green Bell Pepper
1 Onion
Cherry Tomatoes
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

12 Kebab Skewers

1. Drain the canned pineapple into a large bowl and reserve the chunks, covered, in the fridge. If you use fresh, you should juice enough to get about 1 Cup and chunk the rest.

2. In pineapple juice, blend together the cumin, coriander, garlic, chili powder, salt, yogurt, and food coloring (if you use it, I really don’t know why you would, but hey. To each his own, right?) The actual recipe says that you should mix all the spices together separately and then add them to the pineapple juice, but I really hate doing dishes and mixed them all together in one bowl. It worked just fine.

3. Cut the chicken into cubes and add to the yogurt spice mixture. Marinate it in the fridge for 1.5 hours.

4. Cut your veggies into chunks.

5. Arrange the chicken, peppers, onion, tomatoes, and pineapple on your kebabs.

6. Brush the kebabs with oil and cook on a preheated, Medium heat, grill, turning every 4 minutes or so,  until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are tenderish. I like mine a little crispy and it took around 10 – 15 minutes.

Serve with rice and salad.

*I don’t cook with plain yogurt regularly and wasn’t about to go buy some for 2 Tbsp worth, so I used sour cream and they tasted fabulous! I like sour cream anyway!

**I imagine that since this is squash season, this would taste GREAT with a variety of squashes on the kebab. Mix it up and let me know how it turns out!

Source: The Ultimate Barbecue Cookbook, Barnes and Noble

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