Jan & Feb 2013

Let me start off this post with one of my new favorite dinners I've ever made. It has just enough spice with a so much flavor. 

Jalapeno Crisp Chicken 

with Jalapeno Ranch Dipping Sauce 

Chicken: 

Chicken Breasts

Buttermilk

Kettle Brand Jalapeno flavored kettle chips

Pound chicken until tender. Dip in buttermilk and roll is crushed kettle chips. Bake 375' for 25-30 min or until chicken is cooked through and chips are lightly browned.

Dipping Sauce:

1 chopped jalapeno mixed in ranch. Omit seeds if you want less spice.

My friend had a Birthday so I decided to make her a cake. I made a chocolate cake with chocolate fudge frosting. 

Easy Fondant:

Put mini marshmallows in a bowl with a little bit of water sprinkled on top to coat. About 1 t water per large bag of marshmallows. Heat in microwave 1 min. Stir. Continue heating at 30 sec intervals until marshmallows are a soft cream. Stir in small amounts of powdered sugar until it makes a soft fondant. You can knead in food coloring until you have your desired color. If fondant is too soft, knead in more powdered sugar. If fondant is too hard, knead in more water:) roll out and cover on cakes, cupcakes, or sugar cookies. 

Kyle and I babysat our nephew and Kyle had his first diaper change. Blow-out style. Never laughed so hard. He's a champ. Haha.

Kyle and I won cupcakes from our favorite cupcake shop. So happy!

I have started to coupon and it is amazing! I bought a subscription to weekly Sunday newspapers for the majority of coupons but the website I use also has links where you can print off manufactures coupons. The website is grocerysmarts.com and I love it!  

I decided to go lighter and I love it! I may just never go back to being a brunette. It's always just fun to have a change:)

Old oatmeal container and a cheap $2 candle stick makes the cutest headband holder! Love it!

Homemade Butterfingers:

Equal parts of melted candy corns mixed with creamy peanut butter. It makes a soft dough. Press into a parchment paper-lined baking dish. Let cool. Cut in bars and dip in melted candy coating chocolate. Yum! I'm not a fan of candy corn but I swear by these chewy bars!

Happy Valentines Day!

I made this cute folder out of scrapbook paper and an old cereal box that I filled with pictures, a CD I burned, and a card for Kyle for Valentine's day:)

Kyle surprised me with a Carlos Bakery sweatshirt from Cake Boss in New Jersey! Soo fun!

So I was in charge of decorations for our stake Valentines party and it was so much fun. Did you know you can sew paper? I used my cute heart shaped cookie cutters to trace hearts on paper, cut them out, then sewed them together to make vertical banners for our photography shoot backdrop.

I also had a very limited budget for 50 centerpieces... I bought 2 6ft 4x4s from Home Depot and cut them into blocks and sanded them. I then bought dowels and cut them in 3rds. I drilled holes in the blocks and put the dowels in each cute and painted them white. Then wrapped a glittery white bow around each base. For the flowers I layered tissue paper, folded them like a paper fan back and forth, cut two little slits in the middle, also rounded the edges, tied them in the middle with string, then pulled each side of tissue paper apart until they made a flower. Very cheap and cute:)

Went to the most amazing Valentines Buffet at Elements in Logan. Some of the best food I've had!

Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New of Jan 2013

I was asked to be featured on a book cover a couple months ago. It was so much fun! Who would pass that up?

Yes I woke up at 4am Thankgiving morning to make 100 homemade rolls. Totally worth it!

Our Christmas tree may have been put up before Thanksgiving. Oops! Couldn't wait.

Kyle and I love our candy.. Ha just kidding. Just stalking up for Pickleville Playhouse's Box Office.

Are you kidding me?? Not baby hungry at all...

Made these delicious pretzels for some neighbors. One of my favorite holiday treats!

Candy trains at the Youngs!

Made it to Arizona! Diamond decided to get fat while I was gone so we took her on some doggy boot camp walks..

Mesa Temple lights!

 So in love with him..

A couple Tia Roses trips will make anyone happy. Best Mexican food ever!

Look of the day: So in love with my new mustard purse!

Gingerbread houses are always taken seriously:)

Kyle's:

Mine:

New glasses! So in love.

Had so much fun going out with these lovely girls. Miss them so much.

We also went to Frost Gelato Shoppe in Gilbert, Arizona. My new favorite place.

Homemade cinnamon rolls Christmas Eve. Yum!

My mom drove back with me to Utah and we definitely enjoyed our time up here. We watched way too many chick flicks but it was so worth it.

Ate lunch at Apple Spice Cafe yum!

I baked a delicious Banana Buttermilk Cake!

Banana Buttermilk Cake

• 1 ½ cups bananas , mashed
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• ¾ cup unsalted butter , room temperature
• 2 ¹⁄₈; cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla 
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk, room temperature

Preheat oven to 275°.  Grease and flour 3 6 inch cake pans.  You can also make this in a 9 x 13 inch pan.

1.  In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice; set aside.  In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda , nutmeg and salt; set aside.

2.  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add in 2 tsp vanilla.

3.  On low, add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.  Stir in banana mixture.

4.  Pour batter into prepared pans and bake in preheated oven for one hour and 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.   Unmold on to wire racks and cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 pound cream cheese softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 pound sifted powdered sugar

For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Beat in the vanilla.  Add icing sugar and beat on low-speed just until combined.  Don’t overbeat.  Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top of the frosting, if desired.

 Worth every dang calorie. 

Took my mom to buy some temptation cupcakes. Sooo amazing! 

Ansley I love my cake stand!

Kyle was in New York for a business trip and went out of his way to New Jersey to buy me some cupcakes from none other then Carlo's Bakery from Cake Boss! Sooo cool!

Merry Christmas 2012

 

Healthy & Homemade Egg McMuffins

Healthy Homemade Egg McMuffins:

Ok, so every morning for my husband and I usually consists of running out the door to make it to work or school on time. I usually will just grab a granola bar or yogurt but it usually does not satisfy. And honestly, yogurt is disgusting. I even bought the greek Chobani yogurt and although it was better then the other yogurts, it really is just adult baby food to me.. I found a way to satisfy my morning cravings with a healthy and delicious breakfast sandwich. 

McDonald's Egg McMuffin: 300 Cal

My Low-fat Egg McMuffin: 214 Cal

Mine has HALF the sodium, almost the same amount of protein, double the amount of fiber, and only 6 points for weight watchers. Oh.. and it's DELICIOUS! 

These sandwiches are great because you can make them ahead and freeze them. Each morning you just pull one out and microwave it for 3 minutes and it's ready to go. 

I made 12 Egg McMuffins for under $9 bucks!

First I bought 2, 6-packs of wheat english muffins. For cheese, I purchased mild cheddar ultra thin slices that are only 45 calories each. I just bought the cheapest canadian bacon from Smith's. 

If you have jumbo muffin tins, it would be easier and look prettier to bake the eggs in those tins, but I just cooked my eggs on the stove.

Wala! 

I individually wrapped each breakfast sandwich in parchment paper and sealed them in freezer bags. To reheat,  you just microwave one for 3 minutes, turning after each minute. Parchment paper is awesome because you can cook it in the microwave while it's still wrapped around the sandwich. Delicious and healthy on-the-go breakfast that also well help satisfy you through lunch:)