Birthday Cupcakes

1 box yellow or chocolate cake mix
1 4 serving box vanilla or chocolate instant pudding
4 eggs
1 c sour cream
1/2 c water
1/2 c oil
Mix all together.  Bake 350 for 17-22 minutes.  Frost and Enjoy.

I did steal this recipe from another cooking blog...but didn't write down where I got it from.  I can't give credit where credit is due!  I am sorry about that. Hope it is ok to post this great recipe:)

Fruity Puff Pancake Dessert Cake

This puff pancake family favorite recipe comes from my mother in law. She is an excellent cook and this dessert can be enhanced any number of ways. It is a family tradition to eat this dessert during family get togethers. It's a perfect summer time dessert. Keep in mind, the recipe is temperamental based upon altitude and humidity, so some experimentation may be needed. If you prefer something baking and hassle free, try my graham cracker with fruit and icing treat.

(click on picture to zoom for recipe)

You bake your dessert base, which is a mix between a pan cake and a custard. The sides will brown, expand and curl over the pan edge and the cake will rise all puffy like while baking. When you pull it out of the oven, the cake will fall, so serve immediately while still warm. Cut the cake into slices and place on individual plates.

This is the part where each person experiments. Top the cake with a dollop of sour cream, then any freshly washed, cut up fruit you like. Here, we used strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and bananas. Then, sprinkle the fruit with brown sugar. If you like whipped cream or chopped fresh mint, those are good as well. Kiwi, blackberries, peaches and even chopped apple are good too. It seems the one fruit we always use is strawberries though, then whatever else we have, we chop up and add it on top.

Graham Cracker, Chocolate Icing and Strawberry Summer Dessert

This is a simple treat that requires no baking. I simply break the graham crackers along the perforated lines, smear on some chocolate icing (store bought or you can make your own), top with chopped strawberries and a shot of whip cream. If you have fresh mint, that is yummy on top, but my mint plant didn't move with us when we moved.

Easy, fast, no baking involved, simple ingredients and you make the amount you need in one sitting. Oh, and kids love it. Sometimes, I like to spread just a bit of frosting on the graham cracker and eat it without anything else.

February Cookie of the Month

Homemade Oreos: ~ with a Valentine Twist~

1 Box of Red Velvet Cake Mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add oil and eggs to cake mix. Roll dough into balls. (a little larger than a quarter) Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. I baked mine for eight. Remove from oven and let cool until warm. Place on cooling rack.

Cream Cheese Filling:

1/2 cup butter

1 8oz block of sour cream

3 to 4 cups of powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream butter and add cream cheese and mix well. Add powdered sugar slowly until you reach your desired consistency.

To assemble, add about a tablespoon of the filling into the center of one cookie. Place a cookie of similar size on top. Lightly press to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookies.

Icebox Dessert

We call it fried ice cream. It is full of sugar and so GOOD. I promise you won't be disappointed.
3 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup coconut
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 cube melted butter
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream (I use the box)

Mix together all ingredients (except ice cream), spread on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
Crush 1/2 of this and put on bottom of 9x13 pan. Press ice cream on top. Then sprinkle rest of sugar heaven on top.

If you need, yet more sugar and calories, drizzle top with strawberry, chocolate or caramel topping.

Snow Day ~ Snow Cream

In honor of this crazy snow day we made Snow Cream. I don't know about you but this just brings back childhood memories. Every time we had a "second" snowfall my mom would send us outside with her largest Tupperware bowls to scoop up some snow. For some reason unbeknown to me, you aren't aloud to use snow from the "first" snowfall of the year. It's tradition so we didn't mess with it. We would spend part of our snow days sitting in the warmth of the house filling ourselves with yummy snow cream, watching movies and playing games.

So, many years later here we are sitting with a huge second or third snowfall, eating snow cream and watching movies in our warm house. We used sweet condensed milk in our recipe growing up but since I didn't have any I found a different recipe that tasted just the same.

*Snow* Cream:

1 Gallon of Snow

2 Cups of Milk

1 Cup of Sugar

1 T of Vanilla

Send the kids outside to get some good, clean snow. In a medium sized bowl mix: milk, sugar and vanilla. In a large bowl combine the mixture with the snow. Mix it up and serve it like ice cream. Enjoy!

Easy Crock Pot Peanut Cluster

This is an easy treat that Dee Toomey shared with my mom, it makes a lot so it it perfect for sharing!

16oz Salted Dry Roasted peanuts
16oz Unsalted Dry Roasted peanuts
1 package semi sweet choc chips
1 4oz bar German Chocolate
1 package Almond Bark

Put all ingredients in a large crock pot and cook 3 hours on low. Do not remove the lid to peek! Turn off and let cool for about 15 minutes. Mix well and drop by tsp full on wax paper! Let cool and enjoy!
Michelle Kirchner

Novemeber Cookie of the Month ~ Soft Gingersnaps

2 c sugar
1 1/2 c shortening
2 eggs
1/2 c molasses
4 c flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Mix first four ingredients well, then add the remaining ingredients. Roll into balls and roll in sugar. Crystal or raw sugar is the prettiest. Bake at 350 degrees for 11 to 13 minutes.

Fall Kisses

We made this for Todd's teacher, Miss Moretti, for the October Cookie of the Month. This is so easy to make. Miss Moretti requested the recipe! You can only find these particular kisses around fall time and I found them at Target.

Get someone to peel all the kisses from their wrappers. You may have to buy an extra bag because these kisses are hard to resist.

1 Spice Cake Mix
14 oz can pumpkin
1/2 cup sanding sugar (I didn't have any so I used regular)
1 bag Hershey's Pumpkin Spice Kisses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixer beat the cake mix and pumkin until well combined, about 45 seconds. With a cookie scoop, scroop dough and roll top half in sanding sugar (dough is sticky) then place onto baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until cooked through. Quickly transfer to a cooling rack and immediately press kisses into the center of each cookie. I immediately place cooling rack into the fridge for 15 minutes so the kisses don't melt.

Makes 36 cookies.

Pumpkin Spiced Cream Cheese Breakfast Rolls

by Picky Palate
www.picky-palate.com

I could eat these in a boat. I could eat these with a goat. I could eat these here or there. I could eat these anywhere!

2 packages/can Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c canned pumpkin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll crescent rolls to form 4 rectangles placed side by side. pinch seams together to form one long rectangle. Place cream cheese, brown sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg into a mixer; beat until well combined. Spread mixture over crescents leaving a 1/2 inch border around edges. Starting at long end, roll up then cut into 1 inch pieces. Place around 2 - 9 inch cake pans that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until rolls are golden brown. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes. Frost warm rolls with cream cheese frosting recipe below.

Frosting:
4 oz. softened cream cheese
1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 T canned pumpkin

Mix well all ingredients into a large bowl until smooth. Spread over warm rolls.