Over the moon

I remember as a little girl getting these wonderful treats that you would put into the microwave and the Chocolate would melt and the marshmallow would grow.  Oh, so good just as wonderful as a s'more but not a s'more they are MOON PIES!!  I found through the blog of the novice chef (who has so many great things!!) how to make these yummy treats.  I made them as one of the four treats for my Birthday celebration. 

There are three parts in making these great treats so I thought I would split each one up in my explanations.
Part one the cookie:  Makes about 12-14 pies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter (room temperature)                                1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup light brown sugar                                          2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg                                                                          1/2 teaspoon salt
Plus extra flour for when you roll out the dough

Directions:   Oven 350 degrees  ( tip: you will need to refrigerate for a couple hours so plan for that)
1)  Cream the butter on medium speed until nice and creamy (about 3 mins).
2)  Add the brown sugar mix on medium-high another 3 mins.,  then low speed to medium and add the egg and vanilla extract, beat to combine.
3)  Lower speed to low then add flour and salt.  Mix until a soft dough is formed.
4)  Split the dough into half and roll  up in plastic wrap, place in fridge for around two hours.
5)  Prepare your cookie sheets with spray oil or parchment paper to prevent sticking.
6)  Once chilled add a little flour to your work surface, hands, and rolling pin.  Roll out 1/2 of the dough until about 1/8 inch thick.  (tip: if the dough is still really sticky then kneed with a little flour)  Cut out rounds with a cookie cutter or I used a wide mouth glass.  Place cut outs on the cookie sheets about 1/2 inch apart.
7)  Cook cookies for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Take out and let cool on a drying rack. 

Part two Marshmallow filling:

Ingredients:
2 egg whites                                            2/3 cup light corn syrup
Pinch cream of tartar                                 2  teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt                                               1 cup powder sugar

Directions:
1)  You will need a mixer with a whisk attachment.  Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until white peaks are formed.  Start the speed at medium-low and eventually increase to medium-high.   The egg whites should double in volume and form stiff peaks.
2)  While the mixer is going get out a small sauce pan and add the light corn syrup.  Boil the corn syrup on high heat without stirring.  Use a candy thermometer and wait till it registers 230 degrees. (tip:  I did not have a candy thermometer so I used my meat one.  It was hard but it worked with a little patience.  You will know it is ready with the thread ball stage, which means when you stick something in the syrup and it goes to drip but makes a ball at the end of the drip it is done.)
3)  Once the corn syrup is ready it needs to be poured slowly into the egg mixture while the beaters are on medium-low.  (tip:  You can pour it into the mixer you are using but I found it was a little hard. Therefore I would bring out the hand mixer for this part.)
4)  Now it is time to beat in the vanilla and powder sugar.  Only beat until well mixed.
5)  Spoon the marshmallow into a piping bag or as I did into a gallon freezer bag.  Then I cut the corner off and piped the goodness onto one completely cooled cookie.   Take a second cookie and press them together till the marshmallow appears at the edges.

Part three Chocolate:

1)  You will need 12 oz. of semisweet choc.  and 1/4 cup veggie oil.  Add the two into a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds.  Once done stir and stir until nice and smooth.
2)   Place the cookies on a cooling rack with a cookie sheet under to catch the droppings of choc.
3)  Begin to spoon the Choc. on top of each cookie.  You will want to start in the middle of a cookie and spread the choc. around until the choc. is dripping off the sides.  Make sure the top is completely covered but it is ok if you can still see some of the sides. 
4)  Allow them to sit for a couple hours until the choc. has harden.  You can put them in the fridge to speed up the process. 

Well, I hope you will enjoy these home made MOON PIES as much as we did!!  You can even put them in the microwave like the store bought ones and eat them warm!!!

Twinkle Twinkle little star.........

        Right now I am working on redoing my little girl's room from a baby room to a little girls room.  Her name is Olivia therefore I love Olivia the pig from Nick Jr.  I had decided that each birthday until she turned tenish I would design after an Olivia the pig book.  I wanted to do her room also as an Olivia the pig theme and I am but not as crazy as I thought about at first.  I am now just using Olivia the pig as an accent and the color hot pink, black, and blue.

 * look at these wonderful paintings I had made by a friend's sister........
 * I also have started her new curtain treatment which is made out of ribbon tied up with a neck tie knot.  It is turning out cute but takes a lot of ribbon.

        But the craft I would  love to share with you will be the lights I have made for her room!!!  They turned out so so cute, I just had to share with everyone.  Now I did find this idea on pinterest of course but the site I found it on did not have directions on how to make them.  I can (most of the time) look at a picture and figure out how it was made.  But I know most are not like that and need step by step instructions.

Items Needed:
1)   A block of pre-cut material ( I got this set at hobby lobby for around $9.99)
2)   A pack of 40count punch plastic cups
3)   A bottle of mod podge craft glue
4)   A small sponge brush
5)   A piece of card board to make a template
6)  One sting of white Christmas lights

 Getting Started:

Step 1:  Making the template, this was the tricky part.  I cut one cup in half and with the help of my sister-in-law we traced around the out line.  But we realized we needed extra material to wrap around the edge of the cup so we retraced and made the drawing wider then the actual cup.   I cut out the template and then traced around it on the back of the material.  I Then cut out that trial piece to make sure it would fit correctly.  It took me two trys to get the correct template made so do not give up.  As you see in my picture of supplies they turned out Great!!

Step 2:  Trace and cut out all the material.
Step 3:  Put the cup on your hand and cover with the glue all around the sides, do not put any on the top or inside.  Then slowly lay one piece of material around the cup. Now you want a little extra on the top and bottom of the cup, so that you can fold them over the edges later.  Rub and  smooth out the material to get out all bubbles.  Do all the cups so that they can dry before step 4.

Step 4:  Once dry it is time to add glue to the material hanging over each end.  I did the closed end of the cups first so that they could dry before going to the open end of the cup.   At the Open end of the cup you will need to make sure you apply the glue to the material and not the cup so that you do not add to much glue.  Smooth out all material around the edges so there are no bubbles.

Step 5:   Now you will need a knife of some kind.  I used a box cutter.  You will cut an X shape into the bottom or closed end of the cup so you can insert one light into the cup.   I made a pattern with the different materials and once one set was hooked onto the string of lights I skipped a few lights and then started over.  I did this to keep the string of lights from being so crowded.

Step 6:   Hang lights where ever you may and enjoy!!!

I hope you have as much fun making these light as I did.  They add so much creativeness to Olivia's new room!!

Mini Cherry Pies

My birthday is upon me once again, therefore I took the chance in making three new desserts.  I love, love, love my mom's cherry pie so I decided to make mini pies for my dessert display.  I am a simple- ton when it comes to ingredients.  I use pre-made pie crust and canned Oregon Pie Cherry's even with these none homemade things I find this pie my utmost favorite.  The reason why I really like this brand of pie cherries is that the cherries are not coated in a jelly but stored in water.  Therefore the cherries have a better flavor of real cherries and not canned.

Ingredients:  Makes ten mini pies
2 boxes Pillsbury pre-made pie crust
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 can (16oz) Oregon pie cherries, drained
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 tbs butter

Directions:         Oven 375
1.  I used a cupcake pan to set up the pies into, Make sure to spray with spray oil each cup you will be using.  Take out one of the pie crusts and flatten and even roll out just a little thinner.  I then used a cupcake wrapper as a template and pizza cutter, I cut each circle a little wider then the wrapper so I have extra to make the crust.  Next put the cut crust into the cupcake cup. Do not throw away extra pie crust.

2. Now it is time to mix the cherry filling. In a medium bowl add the sugar and flour. Stir until well combined. Add the drained cherries ( drain well, the cherries have plenty of juice inside to give moisture) and almond extract, stir gently until well mixed.
3.  Add 1/4 cup cherry mixture to each pie cup

4.  Add to the top of the filling a small sliver of butter.

5.  Now take the scrapes of crust you have left over and cut into small strips.  Make lattis work on top of each pie. (tip lattis work is when you put stripes one way and on top put stripes going the other way.)

6.  Fold over extra crust and pinch around the circle to make a nice looking crust.  Add a little sugar to the top of each finished pie.

7.  Its time to bake these wonderful creations!!  You will first start with your oven at 375 and bake for ten minutes.

8.  Turn your oven down to 350 and bake another 12  minutes,  cover and bake another 10 minutes.

9.  Remove from the oven and let sit for about twenty minutes.  Use a small knife and go around the edges to lossen the crust.  Lift out gently and serve.  I put whip cream and a little mint on top to make them look pretty!!!

Go green....for earth day

Earth day is all about going green which is why I am going to share with you how to make an apple pie with the shell of an apple.  I found this idea from the blog Chronicles of a domestic dilettante via pinterest.  My brother-in -law enjoys pie more then any other dessert and I wanted to find a fun creative way to make him one for his birthday.  His wife ended up making these for him because we ran out of time, but I did make them the next day for us.  It was so good that I will never look at apple pie the same way again.

Ingredients:  serving size  4 individual apple pies

6 granny smith apples (tip: check bottoms for flatness as they will need to stand up)

1 pre made pie crust ( you can make your own but I found pre made was easiest)

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions:        Pre- heat over at 375 degrees

1.  Carve out the middles of four apples.  First cut off the top of each apple. Then I found that using a small knife to slice through the middle will help to spoon out the middle contents.   Make sure to leave plenty of meat on the bottom and sides or your walls will fall apart when baked.  If you can salvage any of the meat you spooned out then that will be great.

2.  Peel the remaining apples and chop into small bites, put into a medium bowl.

3.  In a small bowl mix the sugar, cinnamon, and brown sugar, add little at a time to the chopped apple pieces.  (tip: I found that you really do not need to use all the sugar mixture with the apples.  Just make sure they are coated well.)

4.  Spoon sugared apple pieces into apple shells, fill them until heaping just a little bit.

5.  Roll out pie dough and cut into thin strips.  Use the lattice pattern to cover the top of the pie. (tip: if you do not know what lattice means look at the picture. You will lay one layer on the bottom and on top of that lay another layer going the other way.)

5.  Place finished apples into a shallow dish and fill the bottom of the dish with a tine layer of water.  Cover pies with tin foil. Put into pre heated over (375)

6.  Bake covered for 20 mins. and then remove cover and bake another 20 mins.  or until crust is golden brown.

7.  While your pies are baking for the last 20 mins put a sauce pan on the stove.  Add 2 tablespoons of butter and any remaining sugar mixture, on low let the butter melt.  Stir so that sugar does not burn.  cook for two minutes and remove from heat.

8. Serve warm apples with a drizzle of sugar/butter sauce over the top.  Great also with a serving of ice cream.

Now you have the tools to make a fabulous new dessert.  So get going and enjoy!!!

Strawberry Jam

Spring time is here and there is nothing better then fresh berries.  You can use berries in so many desserts but I love to make fresh Jam with them.  As I was growing up my mom would make Jam every year.  The first time she taught Aubrey (my husband) and I  how to make the jam we broke a wooden spoon in the blender and had hundreds of little wooden pieces through out the strawberry puree.  What a disaster!   But now we can make wonderful jam that is so much better then anything you will ever buy on the shelf at a store.  So here is your chance to make your own jam, its not hard so do not be scared.
           First you need to wash all the jars in steaming hot water, put a small pot on the stove half full of water bring to a  boil and then put both parts of the lids in the boiling water.  Turn off the heat and let stand until ready to use. ( tip: you cannot reuse the seal part of the lid.  Make sure they are new so you get the best seal)
           Second you will need a big stockpot and blender.
Ingredients:        makes 8 cups

7 cups of sugar
4 cups pureed fresh strawberries
1 certo packet
2 tablespoons of butter

Directions:
1.  Buy fresh strawberries (I feel that locally grown berries have a greater flavor and color)

2.  Clean your strawberries ( do not run water over your berries unless you would like runny jam.  After many trials, my mom found that if you just wipe the berries with a wet paper towel the berries will not absorb any extra water.)
3.  Cut off the tops of the berries, and then cup strawberries into pieces and throw into the blender.
4.  Do not pack your blender, puree through out so that berries are smooth.
5.  Stock pot:  place all the sugar and the puree stir well and bring to a boil.  As you are waiting for the boil add the butter (the butter will help the foam to stay low)
6.  Once the mixture has come to a roaring boil add the certo packet.

7.  Stir constantly for one minute and then remove from the heat.

   8.  Skim off the foam into an extra bowl, you will not keep this
   9.  Time to jar: make sure the inside of the jars are dry.  Use a ladle and start to fill the jars, try to get as full as you can.  Once all the jars are filled, remove the lid parts from the hot water and dry off.  Place the seal on and then twist on the other part very tightly.
   10.  Place jars upside down on the counter, this will help the seal be tight while the jam is cooling.  After the jam has sat for a few hours store or give to your friends and family.