A Sweet Giveaway!

I realize it's been a while since I've posted anything here. To say it's been busy would be an understatement! So, I'm working on getting back at it. For my first post back, I want to share this giveaway by Janey Pie Photography. She's done some great work for some of my family and I'd like you to check out the blog and the info about the giveaway! You can find it here.

My Favorite Girls

Last week two of the most precious children ever born came for a visit! I got to spend 5 days with my beautiful nieces, Payton and Parker. They are already almost a year old...it's hard to believe how time flies! Here are a couple of pictures from our time together. I can hardly wait for the next visit I will have with them...their first birthday!

 

Sweet Parker playing games under the coffee table.

 

Payton and I did a little grocery shopping. This might be one of my best memories with her!

 

While Payton and I were at the grocery store, Parker had some fun with the wet wipes!

 

Payton loved her time in the Jenny Jump-Up but she wore herself out!

 

 

The girls loved being with Dixie! They took every chance they had to spend "quality time" with her!

No Room for What-ifs

I never intended for my blog to become all about recipes...although recipes definitely fit in the category of my favorite things! However, there is much more to my favorite things! One of my other favorites is books. Reading has always been one of my favorite things to do. I like seeing a bookshelf full and could get lost for hours in a book store. My genre of choice is typically fiction. Recently a friend of mine has been "encouraging" me to read something different...a biography. Specifically, The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom's biography. It took me a little while to get into it but I'm so glad I read it and will now recommend it to anyone who will listen! There are two quotes that have been incredibly meaningful to me at this juncture in my life:

"There are no 'ifs' in God's world and no places safer than other places. The center of His will is our only safety...let us pray that we may always know it!" spoken to Corrie by her sister, Betsie

"There are no 'ifs' in God's kingdom. I could hear her soft voice saying it. His timing is perfect. His will is our hiding place. Lord Jesus, keep me in Your will! Don't let me go mad by poking about outside it." Corrie ten Boom

As I have been struggling through the sadness of leaving Brook Hills, I have asked many what-if questions.  What if the timing of Scott's coming had been different...would I still leave? What if things had always been good...would I still leave? What if I had pursued China harder...would I be moving there instead? What if I was going to China...would I be seen as a "better" or "more radical" Christian? These are just a few of the questions that have been floating in my head. Then one day I had a realization that I needed to reevaluate the way I was thinking. My thoughts were being driven by pride and sadness rather than faith.

I am incredibly excited about moving to Pineville Park and I am fully confident that this is where the Lord is leading at this point in my life. He has opened an amazing door to be part of his work in an amazing congregation. I am thrilled at the opportunity to do life with them and to be part of the disciple-making process there. It is going to be hard some days (all of life is) but it's going to be amazing some days, too! I am excited and humbled that God has chosen me to be part of this great congregation!

The what-if questions have led me to realize, like Corrie, that if I am going to truly trust God's sovereignty as I say I do, then there is no room for what-ifs. God has this thing rigged! He knew where he wanted me. He aligned the circumstances, the timing, and the location for his glory. It's not about me. It's about him and I'm ready to be part of his great work in Pineville and central Louisiana!

PB&J Cupcakes

My two favorite foods...peanut butter and cheese, any kind of cheese. I don't need the two together but I think one or both will make almost anything taste better! So, my friend, knowing my fondness of peanut butter and baking, told me about a cake she made and I decided to make it into cupcakes! So here's the recipe for yummy PB&J cupcakes! You could also make a layer cake instead of cupcakes. Bake 2 round cakes instead of cupcakes, use the jelly as the filling, and frost it with the peanut butter buttercream.

For the cakes, bake one box of yellow cake mix according to the box directions. When making cupcakes, I like to use an ice cream scoop like this. I find it keeps them uniform and cuts down on the mess. Once the cupcakes are done, let them cool completely on a cooling rack while you prepare the buttercream. Here's the recipe...

Peanut Butter Buttercream Icing
Recipe from Wilton

1/3 cup solid vegetable shortening (I typically use Crisco)
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 lb. pure cane confectioners sugar
4-6 tablespoons milk

Cream shortening and butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk, one tablespoon at a time, and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep icing covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored for 2 weeks. Re-whip before use.

Once the cupcakes are cool, you are ready to fill them with jelly/jam/spread. I have used both grape and strawberry. You can use any flavor you like. To fill them, there are two option. The first is to use the Bismark 230 tip (sold by Wilton) and a piping bag. Insert the tip then squeeze the jelly into the cupcake as you remove the tip (that's what I did for the ones in the picture below). The second is to use a cupcake corer and fill the hole with the jelly. Once you have them filled they should look something like this:

 

After this, frost the cupcakes with the peanut butter buttercream. I like to use a piping bag fitted with the 1M or 2D tip. As a topper, I used gummy snacks in the shape of the fruit filling. As you can see above, there were grape and strawberry. Here's what the finished product looks like:

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

These are yummy, yummy, yummy! I made them to bring to work today and they were quite a hit. Here are the recipes I used for the sugar cookie cake and the cinnamon buttercream icing.

Sugar Cookie Cupcakes
recipe by Baked Perfection

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sour cream

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla; mix well. Add the flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream (batter will be thick). Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Recipe makes approximately 30 cupcakes.

Cinnamon Buttercream

recipe by Wilton

 

1 cup solid white vegetable shortening (I use Crisco brand)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon butter flavoring

10 1/2 teaspoons water

1 lb. pure cane confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon Wilton meringue powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt (optional)

Cream shortening and water in an electric mixer. Add dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until all ingredients have been thoroughly mixed together. Add flavorings and blend an additional minute or so, until creamy. Makes 2 1/2 cups icing. I used a piping bag fitted with a 1M tip.

My Favorite Soup

My favorite soup (aside from those my mom makes) is the Queen's Soup at Atwood's Bakery in Alexandria. It is a think creamy soup with wild rice and chicken. I have found the recipe here by John Folse. Today I got an email from Bisquick with a quicker and easier version that's almost just as good! I tweaked a couple of things (some on purpose, one on accident) that you'll see in green. I thought I'd pass it along! Let me know if you try it!

Here's the recipe:

2

tablespoons butter or margarine

2

medium stalks celery, sliced (1 cup)

1

medium carrot, coarsely shredded (1 cup)

1

medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup) I used 3/4 cup

1

small green bell pepper, chopped (1/2 cup) I'm not a fan so I left them out

1/4

cup Original Bisquick® or Bisquick Heart Smart® mix

1/2

teaspoon salt

1/4

teaspoon pepper

1/4

teaspoon dried thyme leaves, if desired

1

cup water

1

can (10 1/2 oz) condensed chicken broth

1 1/2

cups canned or frozen cooked wild rice I couldn't find it in the freezer or can so I used the Far East brand white and wild rice mix and prepared it according to the directions, omitting the spice packet

1

cup half-and-half I used fat free

1/3

cup slivered almonds, toasted

1/4

cup chopped fresh parsley 

I added 4 shredded cooked chicken breast tenderloins

1. In 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add celery, carrot, onion and bell pepper; cook about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
2. Stir in Bisquick mix, salt, pepper and thyme. Stir in water, broth and wild rice. I added the chicken here. I also accidentally added the half and half here. It didn't ruin it. Heat to boiling, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in half-and-half, almonds and parsley. Heat just until hot (do not boil).

Makes 4 servings (1 1/4 cups each)

My Favorite Things Aren't Even Things

Recently I've decided to blog. While it seems to be the thing to do, I'm not doing it because "everyone else is." My parents warned me about using that reason many years ago! I decided to blog so I'd have an outlet. I wanted a place to write so here it is! The theme is simply my favorite things, things like cupcakes, blankets, and books! But my favorite things in life aren't things. They are people! I'd like you to meet some of them...

My parents are two of the greatest people I know! They are loving and kind. They are wise and generous. I want to be like them when I grow up!

My siblings are some of my favorite people to spend time with. We have a great time together and I cherish the many memories I have with them!

 

These two are my absolute favorite girls in the world! My nieces bring such joy and I can't wait to see what they become as they grow. Aren't they beautiful?

My favorite people definitely includes my family! I thank God for them every chance I get!