I Heart You

Ahhh Valentine's Day ... your hearts, your red and pink romantic decor, your endless amounts of love, your oversized teddy bears, your dozen long stemmed roses, you and all your smoochies and I love yous - for those of you in love with someone to share it with, you're such a happy day.

Truth be told, I've never been over the moon about Valentine's Day. I'm one of those "it's so overrated, such a Hallmark holiday, blah blah blah" people. But, I am also a girl ... and therefore expect SOME kind of special attention, even if I say differently (insert winky face emoji). Aside from our fourth (I think) Valentine's Day when Shane booked some super swanky preset dinner menu reservation, at some over priced restaurant downtown (which I enjoyed of course .. just thought it was worth mentioning .. ha), we've kept our Vday's pretty simple. A homemade heart shaped pizza has been our favorite one to date ... maybe we'll reenact that at some point and let our little man make his own too.  But I dunno, to me it's just more fun to make an ordinary day special .. and that's what we've always done.

This year however, I'm looking at Valentine's day in a whole new light ... as a parent!  It's making it really fun. I'm imagining my kid(s) a little older and putting together super cute Valentine packages for them to take to school. And giving them a special little Valentine gift from daddy and me. And maybe even splitting up and letting Daddy take his little princess to dinner (if we ever have a girl) and I'll get to take the boy on a dinner date. It makes me smile picturing it all.

Anyways, before I get ahead of myself, I'm also focusing on fun ways to make it special this year. And by special I simply mean making some fun treats for us to munch on next week. I made these little nuggets a couple of years ago and they were so fun!  I'm so excited to start building traditions with our wee one.  I'm going to let him help me in the kitchen this year, and plan to every year after that (until he has his own little lady to take out one day, sniff, tear, sigh).  But while I've got him all to myself that's just what we'll do. And giggle and make a might mess because, Valentine's Day and toddlers and love. Here are some of my favorite contenders for this year's Valentine treat.

How on earth will I ever decide? So many adorable sweet treats!  Maybe I'll just have to make them all ... I'm sure Bennett wouldn't mind having dessert for every meal next week. Ha!

Here are the links if you're interested in check them out yourself. Which one would ya'll pick?

• High Heels & Grills: Valentine's White Chocolate Dipped Krispy Treats
• Valentine's S'mores Cookies | Chelsea's Messy Apron
• Cookies n' Cream Strawberry Cheesecake Bars - Creme De La Crumb
• Brown Sugar Blondies | The Recipe Critic
• Sweetheart Buddies | The Recipe Critic
• Easy Valentine's Day Cookies - Family Fresh Meals

Happy love month to all. Smoochies.

Ice Cream Cone Head Candy!

A while back I posted about my sweet niece Emmie's 5th birthday party.  I was charged with handling some decor for the Ice Cream themed party and was able to come up with some cutesy decorations thanks to some Pinterest inspiration. And, today I wanted to share my take on the Ice Cream Cone Headband.  

Most of the designs used an actual ice cream cone. And, although I will say that certainly looks more authentic, the reality of a 5 year old (or any youngin' for that matter) not crushing the flimsy waffle cone is a bit far fetched. 

I knew she needed a party hat, even if its sole purpose was to wear it for 5 seconds while blowing out her candles.  And once I saw some ice cream cone headband samples I was set on finding a sturdier alternative.  Challenge accepted!

Supplies needed:

• Paper Mache cone
• Any headband
• Felt
• Hot glue / gun
• Pipe cleaners
• Ribbon
• Cotton ball or other end piece

Directions:

Get all of your goodies ready to go!  Any color scheme is accepted and this can be tweaked, embellished, or repurposed for another theme for years to come!

I chose to use 3 layers of felt, because I wanted to mimic 3 melted scoops of the goodness (and because I always want at least 3 scoops). Simply cut the felt in various sized circles and layer them so you can see all of the colors.  I hot glued all of the layers together before I attached them to the headband. To make sure I liked the placement.

Next cut a small rectangle and securely attache the rectangle underneath the headband to the bottom layer of felt.  I wanted mine at an angle, so I attached it more towards the right side.

Now it's time for the cone.  I hot glued the embellishment ribbon prior to attaching the cone to the top layer of felt. 

I left a little additional ribbon at the bottom of the cone, so once I attached the cone to the felt the additional ribbon would cover up any glue that spilled out the sides. Simply hot glue the bottom of the cone to make sure it is secure on the top layer of felt. 

And that's the basics my friends. Now, its time to embellish!  I started by simply adding a glittery cotton ball to the top :)

Next, I added some glittery pipe cleaners to give some extra pizazz.  I simple put small slits in the second layer of felt.  The allowed the folded bottom the pipe cleaner to be easily hid and tucked away, while the top side was ready for swirly fun!  I simply rolled them around a tumbler stray ... a pen/pencil will give you the same effect.

And to finish it off, I added some cute ice cream stickers and a felt #5 for the birthday girl!  

So cute, and so easy! And what kid doesn't love sporting ice cream not only smeared on their face but also on their head?!

I scream, You scream

We all scream for ice cream!

My adorable niece Emmie turned 5 last week, and it was an all ice cream throw down at her birthday party. You may remember her from this post about last year's birthday present. This year there was no crafting for her actual present, but there was crafting for her party!

Her sweet momma had lots and lots going on on the weeks before Miss Emmie Lou's party, so she asked me to help.  You already know I went straight to Pinterest to get my brain thinking in the right direction. Here was some of my inspiration:

So, I hit the craft box and tried to throw together some cutesy ice cream inspired decor while little man was sleeping. I'd say the outcome was decent considering I was limited on time and hands with the new babe :)

I know, it's a horrible picture and the quality is super shotty, but you get the idea. I'll share a tutorial on the party hat in an upcoming post and try to walk you through the ice cream cones as well.  Blogger fail, I forgot to take pictures of how to make the cones.  

But the party was a huge success, and the water slide her parents had set up in the back yard made me sad I was attending the party as an adult and not a kiddo.  I mean, watersides at birthday parties?! How awesome is that?? 

(Again, blogger fail.  I took a video but forgot to snag a picture. DANG!)  

Miss Emmie was a fabulous birthday girl! Happy Birthday lil' lady!

Recipe Monday: What kind of person are you?

It's that time of year again.  The time of year where all the cute little gals come out of the wood work and sell you the most delectable cookies you've been waiting for since last spring.  Usually these land right around the time I have decided to give up sweets for Lent and they taunt me for the next couple of weeks.  But THIS YEAR, I've given myself a "get out of Lent free" card when it comes to giving up beloved foods and beverages.  I mean, gimme a break, I've already given up caffeine (for the most part), sushi, and cold lunch meat sandwiches to name a few.  So I'm putting my efforts of giving something up to giving something more. And focusing on good deeds and thoughtfulness.

Nevertheless, back to girl scout cookies.  As far as I'm concerned there are 2 kinds of people in this world: Samoa Lovers and Thin Mint Lovers.  You can be a fan of both, but you have to pick a side.  It's a very simple choice for me, and I made my bed years ago and continue to happily lay in it...A BED OF SAMOAS.

Now, I hear on the West Coast these are called Caramel deLites, but that is totally bogus.  They are Samoas, and I don't want to hear another word about it.

So,  if one is unable to control themselves and can't wait or appropriately ration their hoarded share of Samoas from the year before; what on earth is a girl to do?!  Especially when pregnancy hormones are raging and you are 100% unable to think clearly because you do badly want a chocolately, caramely, coconut dusted shortbread cookie.

I'll tell you what a girl is to do.  She is to find an alternative solution, that's what!  And lucky for anyone out there who is in the same position as me.  I have done just that :0) -- you can thank me later.

Alternative solution #1:

Buy the Keebler Elf version of Samoas: Coconut Dreams.  There is a MAYBE minor difference, but if you're really needing a fix - they can 100% get the job done.  They can be found at almost any grocery store in the cookie aisle.  Good portion size, and as aforementioned they taste - G.O.O.D good.

Alternative Solution #2: 

Find a homemade recipe of course :-P

So here's the recipe my loves!

Ingredients:

• For the cookies:
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For the coconut topping:
• 3 cups shredded sweetened coconut
• 15 ounces store-bought soft caramels
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces dark chocolate 

Directions: 

• Make the cookies:
• Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In three increments, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter, mixing between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the milk and vanilla extract, blending until combined and the dough begins to come together in large pieces.
• Use your hands to divide the dough in half, pressing it together to compact it into two disks. Wrap the disks securely in plastic wrap and refrigerate them until firm, about 1 hour.
• Once the dough has chilled, roll each disk out onto a lightly floured surface until it is 1/8-inch thick. Cut out as many cookies as possible with a doughnut-shaped cookie cutter. (See Kelly's Notes for cookie cutter alternatives.) Place the cut-out cookies on a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet half-way through, until the cookies are pale golden brown. Transfer the cookies to a wire wrack to cool completely.

• Make the coconut topping:
• Spread the coconut flakes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the coconut for about 10 minutes in a 350ºF oven until toasted, stirring frequently to ensure even browning and so that it does not burn. (See Kelly's Notes.) Remove the toasted coconut from the oven and set it aside.
• Melt the caramels, milk and salt in a double-boiler by placing the caramels in a medium sauce pot set over a large sauce pot of simmering water. Cook, stirring, until the caramels are fully melted. Remove the sauce pot from the heat and combined 3/4 of the caramel with the toasted coconut in a large bowl.
• Carefully spread the remaining 1/4 cup of caramel atop the cooled cookies then press on a portion of the coconut mixture. Let the cookies cool for 30 minutes. If the caramel-coconut mixture thickens too much at any point while pressing it onto the cookies, return it to the double-boiler and warm it until it's spreadable again.
• Melt the dark chocolate in a double-boiler or in the microwave. Dip the bottoms of the cookies in the chocolate and place them on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Use a fork to drizzle the tops with chocolate. Let the cookies sit until the chocolate hardens fully.

Additional Notes:

• If you don't have a doughnut-shaped cookie cutter, you can use two cookies cutters (such as a circular 2-inch and a circular 1-inch) to form the ring shape. Alternately, you can use the caps to any dry spices to serve as cookie cutters.
• If the dough is too firm to roll out after being refrigerated, let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling and cutting out the cookies.
• The shortbread should be very pale golden in color. When in doubt, under bake it!
• If using dark chocolate chips, 8 ounces is equal to about 1 1/3 cups chocolate chips.
• Coconut burns very quickly, so keep an eye on it and stir often!
• Spreading the cookies with the reserved 1/4 cup of caramel gives the coconut mixture a stickier base to adhere to.

See the original recipe post with pictures here on Just a Taste. 

So there you have it!  The perfect solution for my fellow Samoa lovers out there. Happy Girl Scout Season!

Lovey Dovey - Oh So Yummy!

Happy Valentine's Day my loves!  I found this adorable little recipe and wanted to share it with you all.  It is obviously a Valentine's Day Theme, but this could EASILY be versioned to any occasion with a change out of the ole' cookie cutter.

Petit Fours sound so fancy, and they are oh so delicious.  (My sweet friend Quinn brought me some last week from Fresh Market and Hubs and I smashed the entire box in 2 days! Whew.)  And seeing as to how easy these cute little morsels are to make ... I couldn't help but squeal with excitement in knowing I can now make these perfectly sized, delectable little cakes for all future occasions. Oh the endless possibilities :0)

I have yet to try and make them myself ... but you better believe they are on our dessert menu for the sappy hallmark holiday evening! Ohhhhh baby. Mini cakes that are both tasty and adorable.  Is there anything better?

Since I love all of you and it's the day of hearts, I won't make you wait any longer. To see the original post check out the Purple Chocolat Home.  Here are some photos and brief instructions according to their site:

What You'll Need:

• 1-2 packages of Sara Lee Pound Cake (freezer section)
• Betty Crocker ready made frosting (or your own favorite frosting recipe)
• Fancy, fun and cute decorations to add some extra flare!

Directions:

• Slice pound cake into thin layers
• Frost one side with desired frosting 
• Sandwich together
• Using small cookie cutter - cut into fancy shapes
• Put cut shapes on cooling rack with wax paper underneath
• Heat icing in microwave, 15-20 seconds until soft
• Spoon icing over cut cakes covering well
• Let icing harden - VOILA - perfectly, adorable scrumptious morsels!

Enjoy your sappy love day my dears. Kisses, Smooches, and Besos galore! Muah.

RM: Wait, The SuperBowl is about Football?

Well my friends, it's Recipe Monday - and I promise in this long winded post to share some recipes - just be patient.  So, unless you are living under a rock - you probably are aware this weekend is host to the biggest annual sporting event by the National Football League in the continental US ~ SUPERBOWL SUNDAY! 

{Alright ladies, if football isn't your forte -I'll help you out with the key points}

• National Football League = NFL
• This year's game = played in New Orleans at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome
• San Francisco 49ers (red/maroon) vs  Baltimore Ravens (black, purple and gold)
• The 2 head coaches of the opposing teams are brothers - and therefore it's a big story

Super Bowl is really the one time of year all of us ladies actually get excited that the entire day revolves around football and every TV in the house is screening the highly anticipated kick-off, the big play touchdown and the ridiculous ref who actually thought that was intentional grounding and there wasn't pass interference on the play - I MEAN DOES THE ZEBRA EVEN HAVE EYES?! Because I'd be happy to buy him a pair of GLASSES (since the previous 8 million dollar commercial informed me it's BOGO time at Mr. Bizer's World! ---- Errrrr, scratch that...

Alright, time to be honest boys.  Yes, we're southern women (or northern -- just referring to the gals that will be in attendance with me), yes we love our football, and truth be told we actually DO know whether or not that was a bad call.  BUT - when it comes to Super Bowl Sunday - there are far too many other things we are interested in, to be solely focused on that game.  And the fact that we get to have a party in honor of them, and our men don't complain about going - WELL - color your ladies happy!

Aside from watching sweaty millionaire men in tight football pants prance around playing one of the manliest games alive (I say one because, have you seen those Aussie rugby players?! WHEW!) there is so much more to Super Bowl Sunday!  Let's talk about some of my faves shall we?

• Friends

• We get to spend an entire Sunday with our best friends standing around a table of delicious food while we talk and catch up on the latest news. Uhmmm is there anything better? No. No there is not. Plus - sometimes we get lucky enough and happen to be hanging at a home where there are numerous leather jackets and mullet wigs, and we get fun little keepsake photos like this :0) 

• Games

• At our annual party we always have games.  If you've followed my blog and are starting to understand some of my family dynamics you probably realize that competition is a big part of my genetic make-up therefore a party without some sort of game and/or competition does not exist to me.  We like to play the betting squares and scores game.  If you're hosting a party this year an need to spice it up - this is fun and not complicated, this includes instructions too - we just make ours on a big poster board and have everyone sign up as they arrive..

• The National Anthem

• After Whitney Houston's ground breaking performance (which I recently found out, thanks to Beyonce's pre-corded Inauguration anthem, was not live - BOOO!) and Christina Aguleira's word flub of a performance last year; this has become an enticing part of the show.  This year Alicia Key's will be singing the National Anthem and has stated she will not perform the song traditionally and instead will perform it as if it were a brand new song!  So, if this is not normally one of your favorite parts - I suggest arriving to your party on time - because I doubt it will be a performance you'll want to miss!

• Half-Time Show

• A-hem, do I need to mention the Janet Jackson/JT boob scandal "wardrobe-malfunction"?  Or can we all agree to disagree that ever since this moment, we vow to never miss another SuperBowl half-time show, regardless of who is performing?! I digress...  Not to mention this year we have Mrs. Beyonce Knowles on stage y'all!!  And collaborating in a bound to be show-stopping performance, we expect to see appearances by a reunited Destiny's Child (sayy whaaaa) and her hubby Jay-Z.  Wooot!

• Commercials

• SuperBowl commercials are the BEST.  I always love to see what the advertisers come up with.  And knowing they spent nearly 4-8 million dollars for :30-:60 spots COMPLETELY blows my mind.  I'm really digging Doritos stance on marketing and letting their customers really speak for the brand. Whatever marketing guru came up with this is brilliant.  If you're not up to speed on what I'm talking about, Doritos let's their customers create a commercial and then they send people to their Facebook page to vote for their favorite. Whichever commercial is chosen is the one that will air during the SuperBowl.  Voting for your favorite is open through January 29th - click here - I voted for the little girl and the dog - too cute. 

• Celebrating/Cheering

• Major sporting events are always a time to put on your best gear, hoot and holler like a crazy person. It's also a time to sit back and watch everyone else do this - which is just as much, if not more fun, than participating yourself.  And if your team pulls it out - I suggest stealing one of these poses to celebrate :0)

• THE FOOD - {Seeeeeee I told you I'd get to recipes :0) ...}

• Clearly, I've saved the best for last. Arguably one of THE BEST things about the SuperBowl.  The plethora of never ending, deliciously concocted, and beautifully arranged foods.  If I had it my way, every meal would be designed in tailgate/buffet style snacky fashion, but alas they are not.  So, I get extra excited for events in which it is MORE than acceptable, and often encouraged, to go after that cheese based dip for a FIFTH time. Of course there are always the staples: Buffalo Chicken Dip, Veggies (so something) and ranch, Queso, Laura's homemade White Castle Cheeseburgers and desserts, amongst the other bazillion delicious apps the gals bring. 
• But this year, since it's the first Super Bowl party in the new house, I'm thinking I need to kick up a notch and try some new recipes.  Here's some website I've been scouring to come up with my top contenders:
1. Top 20 Game Day Recipes
2. 10 Super Dips for Bowl Games
3. 25 Must See Appetizers

So, word to the wise fellas, if you're eager to watch the big game - but your lady friend isn't quite up for another Football Sunday.  I recommend finding a party to attend.  Mention these highlights and the fact that the SuperBowl is INDEED about much more than just chasing after a ball - and you're all set!  Have fun Sunday!

strawBABIES.

BABY it's cold outside!

 I'm talking bone chilling, might as well stand in a freezer, because it'd probably be warmer, kind of cold. BUT, I was overly enthused and it warmed my heart a little when I found these magnificent marvels at Kroger last night.  

Ripe strawberries, for what seems like the first time in weeks (or stawbabies as my sweet niece Emmie calls them) make me think of Summer, warmer days, and crazy new arrivals that will be here just in time for summer.  But I mean look at these fellas would you?! They were DEEEEELICIOUS too.  Which is extra special because I've been craving strawberries like they're going out of style.

Okay, are you catching on yet? 

                                       ~ BABY it's cold outside...

                                       ~ New arrival this summer...

                                       ~ Cravings...

                                       ~ straw - BABIES.... :)

Yes, yes it's true -- we're having a BABBBBBYYYYY!!!

AHHHHH! My friends were getting on me that it was time I shared the big news on the blog, but I just couldn't decide how I wanted to announce it to you guys.  And to be honest - I still can't come up with something clever.  So instead, I'm going to recap for you how I told my closest family and friends.

The Rents:

We told our parents before anyone else.  We were nervous to tell so we wanted them to know, but wait a little while longer before announcing it to everyone to make sure everything was A-Ok.  This is our first little one and the first grand baby on my side of the family, so we knew we wanted to make it special.  I of course went straight to Pinterest to scour ideas.  SO many to choose from!  But my heart landed on the little pair of empty shoes.  Hubs and I had just recently gotten back from a big trip to Europe, so packaging up a picture was an easy segway into the delivery of the picture.  We told our parents we had our favorite picture from the trip put in a frame for them and they suspected nothing while tearing into the paper ... but when they looked at the actual photo... SURPRISE!!!

All of their reactions were SO great!  So emotional and so, so fun!  Unfortunately, I only have a picture of my parents - because Hubs recorded his parents reaction on his phone and then synced the phone the next day and lost all history of both videos (but because this is a happy post that's all I'll say about it :) ... it was a tough pill to swallow however on top of my already raging hormones, when he broke the news to me...WHEW).  I love the bottom picture of my dad .. if you know him, and can imagine it - the noise he's making is a high-pitched "Ha-Ha!" ... and yes of course... Penny is crying :)

The Immediate Family:

Next we were on to telling our siblings and closest family.  We told Shane's family at one of or our big Sunday night dinners.  His brother has 3 kids, and Brody is the youngest.  Shane snuck Bro-man downstairs and put this little shirt on him while everyone was getting seated for dinner.  (We made the shirt super easy with some iron-on letters the night before).  It was so great to watch everyone's faces as he walked into the room.  You started seeing people understand what was happening one by one. 

                 

Next we were on to telling my brothers.  We had a family trip planned to NYC for Thanksgiving and we knew that would be the perfect time, because Baby Bro would be home from college and we'd have some time with just the bros, my sis in law, and my extended brother and his wife before we had to meet up with everyone else.  Bottom line however, they're my brother's and total boys, so a simple one-liner seemed more appropriate for them than some crafty announcement.  So while we were all snuggled together on our way to NYC, hubs casually asked ... "So, what's it like to spend your first Thanksgiving as uncles?"  Their faces were awesome. Followed by the "WHAT?! Are you serious"  Once we arrived in NYC we headed to the Trump Ice Skating Rink.  Everyone else enjoyed the ice - I watched and celebrated with Hot Chocolate :)

Telling the Friends:

This one was great - talk about the element of surprise. If you guys remember, back in early December I talked about the annual Cookie Party my mom and I host. Well, this year the party became the perfect backdrop for announcing the big news.  Every year we get all the gals and mama's and pose for a big group picture to commemorate the evening. However, this year we planned a little twist :)  (My extended brother's wife, Cristina, mentioned above, was in on the plan and offered to be our "photographer" for the photo).  We usually just do a self time or something, but this year we needed a better plan.  We had everyone snuggle up and gather around ... 

and Penny said "okay, everybody say.... KATIE'S PREGNANT!"

Cris knew this was coming, so we had instructed her to just keep clicking the picture no matter the reaction.  It was so great to hear the shrieks and squeals and looking at the pictures after was even better. There were SO many and everyone's faces were so great. But here are some of my faves. Have I ever mentioned how much I love my friends? Because I DO!

Hubs took a bunch of his buddies to a bar and broke the news to them. And then one of his friends broke the news via Twitter to everyone we know ... so that was cool ... NOT!  Unfortunately, there are no pictures from that evening out (which ended up being a late one). -But, I do have a perfect Facebook post I can share from one of his friends, from the night he told the guys :) Too cute!

So that's it folks! Our newest little bundle of joy is expected 

late June - Summer 2013.