peanut butter frosting

Who doesn't love peanut butter cups? Well this is the next best thing. Peanut butter frosting. It is light and fluffy and good on brownies, cupcakes and my favorite a spoon. This frosting is simple and delicious. So lets get started!

You will need:

1 cup butter softened

1 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

whipping cream (or milk)

2 lbs of powder sugar (give or take)

Mix butter and peanut butter until smooth. Add vanilla and 1/3 of the powder sugar. Once it is mix well add a little cream and then a little sugar. Do this until you have used all the powder sugar and reached the constancy you desire. The longer and you beat it the fluffier it becomes especially when using cream. Turn your mixer down when adding powder sugar to keep it from flying everywhere.

So there you have it one of my favorite recipes using peanut butter. you can even add cocoa to the frosting to give it a chocolaty goodness. Have fun and spoil your family today with a yummy surprise.

fourth of july desserts

Every 4th of July I look forward to creating AND eating a Red, White and Blue dessert...they are so Patriotic! I always choose a simple, fun and yummy recipe that I can successfully create. I made these the other day for my family to try...they loved them and they were super-easy.



Red, White and Blue Parfaits

INGREDIENTS:
1 8-ounce carton vanilla low-fat yogurt
1/4 teaspoon almond extract or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 of an 8-ounce container frozen light whipped dessert topping, thawed
3 cups fresh raspberries and/or cut-up fresh strawberries
3 cups fresh blueberries

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, stir together yogurt and almond extract or vanilla. Fold in whipped topping.
2. To serve, in six 12-ounce glasses or dessert dishes, alternate layers of the berries with layers of the yogurt mixture. Makes 6 servings.
Make-Ahead Directions: Prepare parfaits as directed through Step 2. Cover and chill for up to 1 hour.

Today I discovered some perfect 4th of July recipes that are simple and that anyone can create...the possibilities are endless! Now to decide which one I will make for our 4th of July Celebration.

If you need to serve a really big crowd, a Cupcake Flag (pictured below) is a great option. You can make it as big as you need to, whether you’re going to serve 36 cupcakes or 136.



Dip strawberries or oreos into melted white chocolate and roll in blue-colored sugar and decorate with sprinkles. Definitely Patriotic!




Star Pound Cake

Pound cake gets the star treatment. Use star-shape cookie cutters, one 3-inch, the other 1-inch, to cut slices of homemade or store-bought pound cake and strawberries for serving. For berries, cut off the green tops, slice in half top to bottom, and use the 1-inch cookie cutter to form stars. Drizzle with a sugar glaze and serve.



Dipped Ice Cream Sandwiches require very few ingredients and they only take 20 minutes to prepare.



INGREDIENTS:
4 ice cream sandwiches
1 tablespoon shortening
6 squares (1 ounce) semi-sweet chocolate
Red, white and blue sprinkles

DIRECTIONS:
Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
Melt the chocolate and shortening in a microwave or heavy pan and mix it until it becomes very smooth and soft.
Quickly dip ice cream sandwiches in melted chocolate with sprinkles.
Place on prepared baking sheet then keep it frozen.

If you want more ideas for Red, White and Blue Desserts...go and check out these websites...
Martha Stewart
Family Fun
Better Homes and Gardens

grilled pizza

I am always looking for different ways to spice up the same old dinners that we eat regularly. This was a winner at our house. I am sure that this will be a regular request this summer. Thanks to Tidy Mom for this fun new summer idea. Head on over to get all the step by step instructions.

Tips I found when I made them:
Flip the tortillas just when they have grill marks and watch them closely.
After putting the toppings on, it will only take a few minutes before they are done. 

Happy Grilling!

these mini cakes...

look impressive and are a clever way to honor the "King of the Grill" on Father's Day. Dad's are sure to feel like royalty when they sink their teeth into these brownies. I will admit that baking is not my specialty but when these cakes were featured in FamilyFun this month...I decided to give it a whirl! They turned out perfect! They are also easy enough that little ones can help. These cakes are sure to sweeten your Sunday. HAPPY BAKING!

To make a batch of 12, place liners in a muffin pan, oil them, and fill them two thirds full of your favorite brownie batter, then bake according to the recipe directions. Let the brownies cool.

In a small bowl, mix one or two drops of black food coloring with 1/4 cup white frosting. Transfer the frosting to a ziplock bag and snip a small section from the corner. Pipe grate lines onto each brownie and let them set for 20 minutes. Add embers with a sprinkle of orange sugar.

Prepare the grill food as instructed below and press it in place atop each brownie.

Kebabs = A caramel cream and red, yellow, and green candy fruit slices, cut into small pieces + toothpick skewers

Pork chop = two thirds of a caramel cream, molded with fingers + black food coloring, applied with a toothpick

Hot dogs = Hot Tamales candies + black food coloring, applied with a toothpick

brownie mix and brownies

Today was the day! I have this little obsession of getting a pretty good recipe and then adjusting it (taking out as much sugar, fat, etc. as possible and then making it as simple as possible) until it is perfect. I have been working on this one for a year or two and it may still have plenty of the make it taste great stuff but it is simple, easy and today, finally perfect.

It starts by making a mix. This simplifies the whole process by making half of a few batches of brownies all at once.

Brownie Mix

6 cups flour

8 cups sugar

2- 2 1/2 cups cocoa

2 tsp. salt

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk. Store in an airtight container. A Zip-lock bag works great but remember to label it or it may turn into a bag of brown mystery powder in the pantry. And, yes I may be talking from experience.

Brownies

Preheat oven to 350.

4 cups brownie mix

1/2 cup butter

4 eggs

1/4 cup water

1 tsp. vanilla

Melt the butter and then cool to room temperature. Mix the four eggs, water and vanilla into the butter. Add this liquid to the brownie mix and stir. It will be fairly thick. Spread into a lightly greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake for 30 to 33 minutes and, as with anything chocolate, ENJOY!