My workplace has had a baby boom lately (and everyone has stopped drinking the water!) A few weeks ago we welcomed three little ones to the world. But before doing so we had to have a little party! The ladies of the Interactive Services department put our heads together for this a spring themed baby shower.

Initially we were going for pink and blue but a few of the baked goods wanted to be green (something about the chemistry of the foods and coloring. I’m sure I’d know more if I had actually paid attention in chem and color theory!) so we went with it. It all ended up matching pretty well with the table cloth and other decorations.

Here’s a look a the full table spread. Being interactive geeks we had to include the <h1> tags. And oops, it’s been a long time since I actually programmed anything and forgot to add the closing slash.

It was a lot of fun to put together. Everything except for the Peeps and fruit were made by us. I made the cake balls/pops and diaper cakes. It was the first time making them into pops and plan on making more in the future. The chocolate covers so much smoother and doesn’t leave the small puddle of chocolate at the bottom.

The diaper cakes were inspired by Pinterest. I love the swirl look and it was an easy last minute diy project. You can learn to make your own at Creative Diaper Cake Ideas!

I used these cupcake toppers to decorate the cakes:

- Baby shower printables by chickabug (via U-Create)

- Baby girl cupcake toppers

- Baby boy toppers were made by me. I hope to post the pdf soon.

It was a big hit and I had a lot of fun with the planning, baking and decorations.

Special thanks to one of my co-workers for taking the photos!

Every year growing up our neighbor across the street would bring us a big box of homemade goodies. It was something we looked forward to and always remember when Christmas rolls around. My favorites were the gingerbread cookies.

While I never asked I always pictured her with her kids and grand kids baking away all day in the kitchen. Kids running around on a sugar high from eating too much frosting and sprinkles and flour strewn about. A tradition she’s been doing for at least 20 years. (That’s how long my parents have been in their home).

It’s those kind of memories that I want my kids (and the neighbor kids!) to have. So this morning we’ve been baking and just finished these little guys, Peanut Butter Reindeer!

Recipe from Bakergirl. They are delish and the only thing I had trouble with is the cracking in the tops of the cookies.

Up next are some Red Velvet Cake Balls and chocolate dipped candy canes. Hope to post more photos as we finish!

These little red velvet cake balls are oh so yummy. If you haven’t heard of Bakerella then you’re missing out! She makes the most darling little cake pops for all occasions.

Since making my little Bakerella discovery I’ve been wanting to make the cake balls but never found the time- until last weekend. All the Christmas crafts were finished and I was feeling restless!

We actually dug into the cake after it finished baking because it looked so yummy. I used a Duncan Hines red velvet cake mix. We loved the texture and how un-sweet and moist it was.

A friend who had made them before gave me a great tip about throwing the balls in the freezer (instead of fridge) so that they would hold up to the chocolate dipping. It worked great and I had no problems.

I do wonder though how Bakerella gets her chocolate so smooth… mine had a lot of bumps and valleys as you can see in the picture but my husband said it gives them a homemade feel (don’t want some random store getting credit for my hard work!). I wrapped them up in little plastic baggies with twist ties to give to the grandma’s and got to thinking that these would make some lovely hostess and holiday gifts… that is if I can keep the hubby away from them!

Up next will be some cake pops or little cupcake pops. They look so darling!

What are you baking?!

Last weekend we (mine and Mary’s families) got together for a long overdue dinner at my house. We had been working on the bathroom for months and the house was in no condition for guests, especially little newborn-ish guests. We have always tried to make new recipes from our collection of cookbooks. This time was no exception.

My husband took care of the BBQ ribs while I scoured my cookbooks for a summery salad that had a lot of vegetables for our veggie loving kids. (I know you’re thinking how did they get so lucky to have veggie loving kids? We have no idea, but are so thankful for it!) I hit the jackpot in Giada De Laurentiis’ Everyday Italian book when I found the Anytime Vegetable Salad recipe: edemame soy beans, green beans and tomatoes in a light vinegar EVOO dressing. Luckily for you the recipe is online as well so you can make it too!

It was such a hit that. the kids dug in before I finished putting it together. My daughter gobbling up some edemame’s while Mary’s son munched on the green beans. I was concerned they may not like it with the dressing but in the end it wasn’t an issue for either kids. (Whew!) I’m planning on making this again on Memorial Day for a family BBQ. My nephew who doesn’t eat anything green seems to love edemame’s so I think it’s the perfect salad for the family.

Some tips:

• If you have an Asian store nearby, pick up the edemame’s, thyme and basil leaves there. It will cost almost half as much!
• The recipe’s time says 15 minutes but factor in some time for peeling the edemame’s or recruit someone to help.

I love this time of year - everyone’s into the holiday spirit, and even with how busy things can get, it’s fun to be part of the hustle and bustle. But what I enjoy the most is a reason to eat whatever I want without feeling super guilty about it…it is after all the holidays, right?

Food makes the holidays more festive, and I’d like to share some of my favorites (recipes courtesy of some Food Network hosts and other well known folks you may know!). This would be my ultimate holiday feast:

Spinach artichoke dip – this is a super quick and easy dip to start any holiday party. Who can say no to a recipe that takes only 5 minutes?!

Spiced pita chips – I’m actually making this on Saturday for a little get together at the house. Will go great with the dip.

Bay and lemon brined turkey – I made this for Thanksgiving for the past four years and have not been disappointed yet! The only thing I changed this year was adding apple cider to the brine. I really do think it made it even more flavorful!

Green bean casserole – I introduced this to my husband’s family a couple of years ago and it’s one dish that they’ve requested year after year! You can’t have turkey without your green bean casserole

Pumpkin cheesecake – Although I’ve never actually made this incredibly delicious cheesecake, my sister has (she even made it for me on the day my son was born!). This has got to be #1 on my list of holiday desserts. Maybe I’ll attempt to make it next year…

Balsamic chocolate truffles – I made these as gifts last year to give to friends and neighbors…they were a big hit!

Tried & true recipes!

Before Cathy and I had kids, we had dinner and movie nights pretty frequently. The husbands really enjoyed it too because it was our opportunity to try something new and be creative with our dishes, whether the recipe came from one of our trusted cookbooks or from an episode of “Everyday Italian” or “Barefoot Contessa” that we watched earlier in the week.

Of course, Cathy and I did all the planning, first figuring out who would host that week. The host would prepare the meal and the other couple would bring wine or dessert which usually fit the theme for the night (i.e. Asian, American, Italian, Mexican, etc.). We even had movie themes…comedy, Johnny Depp, horror, action, and so on. We had our share of bad movie picks, but the evening was fun, nonetheless, sharing a good meal with good company.

Our dinner get-togethers (pre-baby!)

We haven’t had a dinner/movie night in a while, but with the kids being a little older and sleeping better at night, I think it would be fun to start them up again…my cookbooks will be happy to see me, and it has been a while since I’ve had a date with Johnny Depp!

That’s what I scribbled at the top of this super moist melt in your mouth scone recepie – YUM! Before our little one came along we weren’t ones to have breakfast but we did enjoy a good scone every now and then whenever we made a stop at Caribou Coffee or Starbucks.

One day I was surfing the Food Network’s website and came across a quick and easy recipie for scones called Dried Fruit Cream Scones and thought I’d give them a go. They fit my criteria for baking- fast to make and they use very few ingredients. The only thing I had to add to the shopping list was the heavy cream as I had everything else in the pantry.

As with most things I make there were a few modifications. Instead of apricots I used chocolate chips since they’re my husbands favorite kind. I’ve also tried them with raisons and cinnemon. Both turned out great! I also added little morsels of butter to each piece before placing it on the baking pan. This requires some work to cut the butter and stuff inside but I think it adds to the moistness of it!

Here’s my version of the recipie:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine-
2 cups flour
1 table spoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar

Stir with fork and mix well.

Add chocolate chips.

Stir in and mix 1 small carton of heavy cream (aprox. 1 1/4 cups). Dough will be sticky.

Flour a cutting board and hands and kneed dough 8-9 times.

Cut about 1 tablespoon of butter (I use salted) into 1/8th squares.

Flour hands and pull off about 1 tablespoon of dough (about the size of a dounut hole). Press in 2-3 pieces of butter into the middle. Place onto baking pan and flatten a little with fingers.

For the glaze- melt about 2 tablespoons of butter and brush liberally onto scones. Sprinkle, also liberally, sugar on top.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

I do have to add that with the sheer amount of butter I use in and on the scones Paula Dean should adopt me.