Chocolate Zucchini Muffins or Loaf

I love every year about this time when even though I didn't plant a garden, I end up with tons of zucchini because everyone else is overwhelmed by how much is growing in their gardens and they just give it away!  

It's perfect timing too.  The kids are just getting back to school and they love having a muffin for breakfast before heading out the door.  I quadrupled the recipe so I could freeze a bunch of these to last a few months. But you can just do one batch if you like.  

If you make extra and freeze them, individually wrap each muffin in plastic wrap and place into a zip top freezer bag and throw in the freezer.  In the morning just pop one in the microwave for 15-30 seconds and there you have it.  Just don't use the aluminum muffin cups if you are going to freeze and microwave these... use paper!

Follow along and I'll show you how to make these...

Angry Birds Birthday Cake

For my son's 5th birthday he decided he wanted an angry birds cake!  I was a little stressed, yet a little excited about this cake.  I searched for cake ideas online and this is what I came up with.  

I made two 9x13 cakes, one is the bottom layer, and the other was shaped for the top piece.  All of the birds and pigs were made out of marshmallow fondant, and I used wafer cookies and chocolate covered cookies for the bases.  

This cake was tons of fun to make, although the sling shot didn't quite hold up like I wanted.  Hope you enjoy this cake!  Good luck with your cake making adventures. 

Spinach, Strawberry and Feta Salad with Poppyseed Dressing!

Is there anything quite as wonderful as a fresh, healthy lunch that requires no cooking and is ready in a matter of seconds?  I think not! 

There is a restaurant near my house that has amazing lunch salads and that's where I got the inspiration for this one that I started making myself for a fraction of the cost.  It's love at first bite!  Try it and you'll love it!

Spinach, Strawberry and Feta Salad

Fresh baby spinach

Fresh strawberries (or any fruit available, like blueberries)

Feta cheese crumbles

Roasted cashews

Light poppy seed dressing

Just layer everything on and enjoy!  Add your own twist with different berries and nuts.  I prefer it with the poppy seed dressing!

Easy Fried Rice

I absolutely love fried rice, and this recipe goes perfectly as a side with Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken.  It takes only a few minutes to make, just have some white rice prepared in advance!  This fabulous recipe comes from HERE.

Follow along as I show you how to make this easy fried rice...

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ok, so I realized that I have been a little MIA lately when it comes to the blog world.  I don't know what happened.  I have to be honest, I miss it!  A friend of mine texted me today and told me I need to update my blog... so ok!  Here it is Erika!  You will love this one :) 

This chicken is amazing!  I never imagined I could make sweet and sour chicken that tasted this good at home.  I discovered the recipe on pinterest (of course)! And here is the blog where it originated.  Follow along and I'll show you how to make it!

Boy's First Birthday Cake plus Smash Cake

When a friend asked me to make this cake for their little boy's first birthday, I thought the idea was so cute! With the colors, and basic stars and circles, this cake just screams "little boy!"  The cake consisted of marbled fudge and vanilla cake layers with buttercream frosting, and is covered in homemade marshmallow fondant.  For tips on how to frost, stack and cover cakes in fondant go HERE!

And for the first time, I made a matching smash cake that the birthday boy could have all to himself.  It's a nice idea so that the birthday kid can smash around in their own cake while not contaminating everyone else's cake.  The smash cake was frosted with lots of buttercream.  Fondant would be hard for those little hands to dig through.

Pink Zebra Cake

 This past week was my daughter's 8th birthday.  She thought long and hard about what type of cake and party she wanted and she eventually settled on a zebra themed party!

We loved the look of zebra plus pink so this is the cake we came up with!

Each cake tier was filled with three layers: one vanilla cake, chocolate cake and strawberry cake layer. Then the cake was frosted with chocolate buttercream. Then the cake was covered with my homemade Marshmallow Fondant.  I colored the fondant in pink, and black, and left a bunch white.  

I cut the zebra strips randomly with a pizza cutter and rolled the white and black balls around the bottom tier.  The stitch diamond pattern on the top tier is done with a wilton decorating tool kit and white nonpareils are placed into the corners of each diamond. The bow was made by shaping fondant pieces and allowing to set (harden) and then they were placed on the cake. 

That's all there was to it!  Makes it sound so easy huh? Sorry I didn't take more pictures of the process... it was a long night!

Here is a look at the inside of the cake.  Be sure not to do what I did, which is placing the top tier without a separator.  This caused the fondant underneath to get too moist and break apart while cutting the cake. 

Beagley Dutch Oven Potatoes!

Wow, I feel like it's been ages since I've posted on here... maybe because it HAS been! I've been so busy with school lately, but now it's SUMMER BREAK!!! Yay!  I'm so excited for a break and a chance to do some more blogging.  I've missed it a bit.  

So last night we went out camping and I love using the dutch oven to cook outside.  This is a side dish I've done many times in the dutch oven and it turns out great every time.  It's a must try if you are a dutch oven cooker! The name comes from the family who taught me this recipe, who happen to be the dutch oven cooking kings!

Here's What you'll need...

Deviled Eggs

Yum!  Who doesn't love a deviled egg?  I love to make these anytime we host a get together or go to a family gathering.  These make a great appetizer/h'orderves.  

These are very simple to make, so I wanted to share my simple, no fuss or frills, traditional deviled egg recipe.  Follow along to learn how to make em:

Cinnamon Rolls

I am cinnamon roll obsessed! I only allow myself to make these when I plan on having company or can take some to a friend or neighbor, otherwise I will eat half the batch all by myself.  They are that good!  I've seen this recipe in other places referred to as "Clone of a Cinnabon", and it's been a while since I've had an official Cinnabon... but these must be close.

This recipe uses a bread machine, although you could knead the dough with a stand mixer and do the first rise in a large bowl if you do not have a bread machine.

Follow along and I'll show you how to make these AMAZING cinnamon rolls:

Tex-Mex Turkey Wraps

So, I realized today that it's been a while since I've posted a new recipe.  I love updating my blog regularly and I have gotten behind with school work:(  But since I have a little extra time right now (since my school's website is down and I can't look up my assignment), I decided to sit down and make a post!  Yay!  

I have been waiting to post this one for a while now.  I have made this several times and I love the flavor plus the low fat from using lean cuts of turkey!  And of course, it's done in the crock pot, which I love, so it's super easy to make!

Follow along to see what you need for these tasty wraps:

Hot Cross Buns

Okay, so I have become completely OBSESSED with these!  I absolutely love them.  The recipe comes from my sister-in-law who is an amazing cook and baker.  She keeps some of her favorite recipes posted to her blog HERE.  

I have grown accustomed to having these tasty little rolls at Christmas, Easter and even Thanksgiving.  They are a great holiday roll and you do most of the work early in the day and just bake them right before dinner.  

These do require a bit of work, but trust me, they are SO worth it! 

Follow along and I'll show you how to make these tasty guys:

Pot Roast (Crock Pot)

I've been making this pot roast for several years now and I love it every time.  This is so incredibly easy to make.  Anyone can do it.  Seriously, anyone. Even my husband could manage this one.  Plus, there are only 5 ingredients and the crock pot does all the work.  

If you've kept up with past posts, you know how much I love my crock pot and any meal that cooks itself while I'm away, and the family is well fed at the end of the day!  Bonus!

Follow along and I'll show how to make this super easy and delicious crock pot-pot roast:

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

There's nothing quite like the smell of fresh, homemade bread to make your house smell like a home.  Plus the kids like to eat this almost as fast as I do.  Therefore, freshly baked bread does not last long in my house.  But that's ok, it's still worth the effort!  

For those of you who don't have a bread machine, this recipe is for you.  No bread machine required.  This one is done the old-fashioned way... you know, in bread pans in the oven.  I have to admit, I have become addicted to using my bread machine.  But sometimes I like the way a bread comes out when it's all done by hand.  

Follow along and I'll show you how to make this awesome bread that my husband said looks like I bought at Great Harvest or somewhere similar.  I'll take that as a compliment, thank-you!

White Chili Soup

So, since I am currently working on my nursing degree and taking care of a home, two children, a dog AND of course the husband... I find myself falling more in love with my crock pot than ever before.  I love being able to throw everything in the crock pot in the morning, and when I get home from school dinner is ready!  It's awesome.  My family can live off of more than Ramen noodles!  They appreciate it too.  

So if you are looking for something you can do easily in the crock pot that tastes great, give this one a shot.  Follow along and I'll show you how to make it: