Snowflake chocolate sugar cookies

Today was a great day for baking!!! We had a snow day here! It was projected to be pretty bad, but we didn't get much. I was supposed to try and make these on Sunday, but you know how weekend days just fly by and I never got a chance to make these.

I saw the recipe in the foodnetwork magazine, which you can find on the foodnetwork website as well. This was my first time trying this recipe so I didn't make any changes. :) And I don't feel that any changes were necessary, for once. :)

Chocolate Sugar Cookies from Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons meringue powder
Coarse sugar, for decorating (optional)

Directions

Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla; beat until creamy, about 2 more minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low; gradually add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated, about 2 more minutes.

Divide the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; form into disks. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

Roll out the dough between floured sheets of parchment paper until about 1/4 inch thick. Chill 2 more hours.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Mist 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Cut the dough into shapes; gather the scraps and reroll once to cut out more cookies. Arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until set, about 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Make the icing: Beat the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and 3 to 4 tablespoons water in a bowl with a mixer on high speed until smooth and thick. Transfer to a resealable bag and snip a small corner. Pipe onto the cookies; sprinkle with coarse sugar. Let set 30 minutes.

Crocheted Owl Hat

I know I haven't crafted in  a while, but it's getting to be that chilly time of year, which means, crocheted hats and stuff! =o)

My friend Laura's son's birthday is coming up, and she asked me to make him a hat. I made im a bear hat when he was born, (TWO years ago.. omg..), and obviously he needs a new one.  Lexi has this Owl hat that my friend Janet bought for her for her 2nd birthday, and Lexi is absolutely in love with it! Since Lexi and Brody had matching bear hats, I figured they needed matching Owl hats as well. =o)

So I went online and searched for  a pattern to follow.
This is the one I found. Repeat Crafter Me

It is pretty good because it gives you the pattern for all different sizes. The only thing it that I think my yarn was a little thinner than the one she used, so I had to use a bigger size (child size) and I added more rows. I used Lexi's Owl hat as a guideline as to how big to make it. 

DCH= Double Crochet

Sl St= Slip Stich

Also for the ears, I just made the magic circle and DCH 9, then increased it each row, totaling 4 rows. 

The eyes, I started with a magic circle and DCH 9. Sl St, Changed colors, and crocheted two DCH in each DCH. (18 total DCH). Sl St, Changed colors again and 2 DCH in the first DCH, then 1 DCH in the next, repeat until you reach 27 DCH.

That's pretty much it. =o)

Let me know if you have any questions! =o)

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Fall is well on its way and pumpkin is in the air! It is holiday season and baking cookies is what I do! =o) I know, you are all thinking, cookies???, she makes cupcakes! Well, cookies are so much easier to share and test recipes and so much easier to eat. (And I eat way too many on them..=o)). As much as I love cupcakes, cookies are my weakness. 

So I was planning this weeks dinner menu, and I stumbled upon this pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe. I was intrigued since I am always trying to find new ways to use pumpkin in my recipes. How could you go wrong with a spin off of chocolate chip cookies? =o) 

Well, I was pleasantly surprised .

The cookies were chocolatey with a hint of pumpkin pie, pure deliciousness.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe slightly adapted from Foodnetwork

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups (12-ounce bag) semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup of Dark Nestle Chocolate Morsels
Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. 

 Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets. Then stick the pan in the freezer for 2-4 minutes until the dough becomes slightly stiff. (I found that the dough was too goopy, not like a typical cookie so I pooped them in the freezer to harden a little. Also this helps to keep them softer.)

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

SERVES: 60 (PER COOKIE); Calories: 106; Total Fat 5 grams; Saturated Fat: 3 grams; Protein: 1 grams; Total carbohydrates: 14 grams; Sugar: 9 grams Fiber: 1 gram; Cholesterol: 16 milligrams; Sodium: 70 milligrams

Blue Moon cupcakes!

Blue Moon Cupcakes!

My sister, Gloria, was over for the weekend visiting and she really wanted me to make cupcakes for her birthday. She has such a crazy sweet tooth, I have no idea if any one can match it! I told her that I had been meaning to try this Blue Moon and Corona cupcake recipe that I saw a while ago. She was completely on board with it! We decided to make the Blue Moon cupcakes. Boy, did they turn out DELICIOUS!
I really enjoyed the orange flavor in these cupcakes. It didn't overpower the cupcakes, but you could still tell it was an orange flavor.
We didn't make the Corona ones, but I can't wait to make them. Maybe I will try to make a pumpkin beer cupcake instead, since it's the fall! Or maybe a Red's Apple Ale one... hmm...I guess you will just have to wait and see! =o)
In the meantime, enjoy this recipe! =o)

Recipe Adapted from Erica's Sweet Tooth

Ingredients:

for the beer cupcakes:
3/4 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-3/4 cup sugar
2-1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp orange or lime zest
1 cup Blue Moon or Corona beer, plus more for brushing on tops
1/4 cup milk (I used whole milk)
Orange/lime wedges and sanding sugar for garnish

for the citrus cream cheese frosting:
12 oz cream cheese, cold
6 tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange/lime juice
1 tsp orange/lime zest
4-6 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

for the beer cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line 24 muffin tins with cupcake liners.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggs, beating after each addition then add the vanilla and zest.
- Combine milk and beer and alternatively add this mixture and the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture with the mixer on low speed, starting and ending with the flour.
- Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 18 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.
- When cupcakes are done, poke holes in the tops of the cupcakes with toothpicks and brush some beer on each while still warm.

for the citrus cream cheese frosting:
- Cream together the cream cheese and butter in an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the citrus juice and zest and gradually add the powdered sugar until well-combined. Beat until smooth for about 2 minutes.
- Load frosting in a piping bag fit with a large star tip and pipe cupcake tops once cooled.
Recipe yields 24 cupcakes.

Veggie pizza appetizer

So my father in-law has this golf tournament for the neighborhood men every year around this time. Of course, my husband is always invited as it is a rare time they get to golf together. My in-laws always have a big shin-dig after the golfing which all the women pitch in and cook. (Surprise, surprise... LOL). My mother in-law always insists that I just relax and come hang out and just worry about Lexi. Well, if you know me, I can't NOT bring something to a party!

Here is Lexi helping put some cheese on. YUM!

Everyone expected me to bring cupcakes, but they tend to take a little bit more work and people usually don't have enough room for dessert. I wanted my food to be something people would actually get a chance to eat!
I thought for a while, then I remembered that my friend Stephanie, who blogs too, brought this DELICIOUS veggie pizza appetizer to my Labor Day party. She said it was simple to make and boy was is easy!
It's a cold appetizer and it mimics a pizza, so it's not really a pizza as you would think.
Everyone LOVED it! A neighborhood wife, who hasn't been able to really eat much, requested that I give her daughter the recipe, she loved it so much! =o) I love hearing that!
I only wish Lexi would have tried it, that would have made my day even more. But I guess I can't ask for THAT much. LOL. =o)
Anyway, without further ado, here is the recipe that I used.

Recipe adapted from Stephanie Cooks

Ingredients:
2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations™ refrigerated flaky dough sheet
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix
1/2 cup of assorted colored peppers, diced small
1/2 tbsp butter (or olive oil)
1 bag of baby spinach
1 garlic clove diced
1/4 cup Cherry tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup shredded carrot (I did not add this on)
1 small purple onion diced
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. If using crescent rolls: Unroll both cans of dough; separate dough into 4 long rectangles. In ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan, place dough; press in bottom and up sides to form crust. If using dough sheets: Unroll both cans of dough. In ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan, place dough; press in bottom and up sides to form crust.
3. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
4. Melt the butter (oil) in a saute pan. Add 1/2 the onions, saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, saute for 30 seconds. Add in the spinach and saute until wilted. (I torn the spinach up instead of chopping it). Set aside to cool.
5. In small bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, and ranch powder until smooth. Spread over crust. Top with the spinach mixture FIRST, then add the vegetables, remaining onions, and cheese. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Braids and Bun

Here is another version of the braid and bun.
Instead of starting the braid from the bottom up, I started it where my "bangs" start and curved the french braid around my head until I got to the other side of my head. I sectioned off some hair into a ponytail so that I wouldn't get it mixed into the french braid. Then finished the french braid by
braiding it and wrapping it around the bun.

Futurama shoes!!

Here is a picture of my vans shoes that I painted with characters from my favorite show!!! Futurama!!!!

Mini Peach Cobbler Ice Cream Bites

Okay, as you can see, I am a LITTLE obsessed with peaches right now! =o)

As I mentioned yesterday, it all started with the food network magazine Peach recipes and also my newfound non-allergy to them! Yay!

I love small individual portions, so again, I decided to size this recipe down to bite sized portions.

Mini Peach Cobbler Ice Cream Bites
Adapted from: Food Network

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon 

2 large peaches, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch slices. (I cut them into small quartered slivers)

1 tbsp corn starch mixed with water
1/2 sleeve graham crackers (5 whole crackers)
1/3 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
Cooking spray
1 10-to-12-ounce pound cakes

(Optional, you can just use canned whipped cream or Cool Whip if you'd like)
3/4 cups cold heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Stir 3/4 cups granulated sugar, the lemon juice and peaches in a large pot; let sit 15 minutes. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook until the peaches are tender, about 15 minutes. Add in the cornstarch/water mixture and mix until slightly gelatinous. (I added a little bit at at time so I could monitor the viscosity. You want it not to be watery, but not too thick. Something that resembles jello that has just barely started to get firm.) Transfer to a bowl and freeze until very thick, about 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight. 

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil. Coarsely crush the graham crackers and toss with the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the pecans and butter on the prepared baking sheet; spread into a thin layer. Bake 7 minutes, then stir and continue baking until golden brown, 6 to 10 more minutes. Let cool and harden, then crumble and set aside.

Assemble the cake: Let the ice cream soften at room temperature until spreadable, about 10 minutes. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Cut the pound cake into 1/2 inch slices, then use a medium sized biscuit cutter to cut circles. (Make sure the circles can fit at the bottom of each muffin well. Place cut pound cake in the muffin well. Spread a THIN layer of the softened ice cream in each well and then sprinkle with 1 tsp of the pecan mixture and press it into the ice cream. (Use more if you think you need it) Spread a layer of the softened ice cream, about 1/2 in thick then top with the peach puree. Freeze until the puree is firm, about 15 minutes.
Place the remaining ice cream back in the freezer and pull out after 10 minutes.
Let the remaining ice cream soften, 10 minutes, then spread over the peach puree.  Freeze until firm, at least 6 hours or overnight.

(Optional when serving) Beat the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla in a bowl with a mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Uncover the cake, then place onto a plate. Place a dollop of the whipped cream mixture on top of cake. Top with the leftover peaches and sprinkle with remaining pecan mixture.

Mini Peach Cobblers

We all know that summer time means PEACHES!!!! I haven't gotten this excited for peaches in a while. I used to have a severe allergy to peaches from college till now, due to seasonal allergies, but miraculously after having my daughter Lexi, the allergy seems to have gone away! YAY!!!!
So my family has been taking advantage of this and went peach picking TWICE this summer!!!
Of course, we always pick too many but this time it was on purpose. Food Network Magsazine had their August/July 2013 edition feature peach recipes. Most of them were whole cakes, pies, etc, which look delicious, but with only one and a half (I typically don't eat too much of the sweets I bake), it is very wasteful to make a whole cake.
My husband recently tried to recreate his old boyscout dutch oven peach cobbler, with sort of success (The fire he had going was WAY too hot, and most of it got burnt. =o)). I said next time, I am making it MY way. =o) So my way was making mini peach cobblers so that we could share or freeze the portions much easier. (This way is also easier on our waistlines... lol)
Okay, so down to the actual recipe.
I used the recipe I found on pintrest, but of course made a few adjustments. Fresh peaches instead of Frozen and I added a crumb topping.

Mini Peach Cobblers: Recipe adapted from: The Savvy Kitchen

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour (I used a mixture of Whole Wheat and White Whole Wheat flour)

2 tsp. baking powder

Dash of salt

3/4 cup reduced-fat milk

4 tbsp. butter, melted

2-3 fresh peaches (depending on how large they are), peeled and diced (You can use 8 oz of thawed frozen peaches)

1/4 cup Brown sugar

1 tbsp Cinnamon

1/4 cup Old fashioned Oats

Vanilla ice cream or Whipped Cream for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
LINE muffin tins. (I did not do this and I found them to be VERY difficult to get out of the pans. So I highly recommend this step)
Put 1/2 teaspoon of melted butter into each regular size muffin tin. 
With a wooden spoon stir together the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and milk. 
Put 1.5 tablespoons of batter into each muffin tin.
Add 1 tablespoon diced peaches on top of the batter. 
Mix together the left over butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and oats. Sprinkle 1-1.5 tsp of the mixture on top of each one. [If you don't like the crumb topping, you can skip this step if you'd like. I just REALLY love the crunchy topping.]
Bake for 24 minutes or until the tops are set and golden brown. (Turning once halfway through the cooking process.)
Let them cool almost completely (I put them in the fridge over night to let them set) before taking out of pan. Use a butter knife to loosen the edges then just lift them out. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Store in an airtight container.

These came out DELICIOUS. =o) 
Enjoy!

Beach braids!!!

Here is a hairstyle for the beach that just started out as me braiding my bangs that I'm trying to grow out. :) After I started braiding my bangs... I just kept going!!! So here it is, two Dutch braids starting from the center part, one on the right and one on the left. :) then braid together at the end. 

Summer Orders for Imagine Cupcakes by Mindie

Hi Everyone!

Here are some orders that Imagine Cupcakes by Mindie filled this summer. I included the links for the recipe's I followed.
I posted the pictures to my FB page, but I forgot to post them here.

Please follow me on https://www.facebook.com/ImagineCupcakesByMindie or Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/qtche2rie/imagine-cupcakes-by-mindie/

Lemon Cupcakes

 Lemon Cupcakes Recipe: Erica's Sweet Tooth. Instead of the sunflowers, I garnished the cupcakes with edible pearls, lemon wedge, and mint leaves.

Rainbow Cupcakes

 Rainbow Cupcakes: NanaBread Blog. It is basically a basic vanilla cake recipe that you divide into 5 or 6 portions, then put the food coloring in each one. I use Wilton's gel food coloring since it doesn't water down the batter.
**note** Some people use boxed white cake mix which is just fine. But you know my thoughts on boxed cake mix! =o)

Red Velvet Cupcakes

 Red Velvet Cupcakes: I use Paula Deen's Recipe.

Vanilla and Chocolate icing Vanilla Cupcakes

Vanilla Cupcakes: I use the same recipe as the tie dyed cupcakes.
Chocolate Frosting: All Recipes

**note** If I was to make chocolate cupcakes, I use the recipe for my Mint Chocolate Cupcakes.

And I think that is it! =o)

Enjoy!

Mickey Mouse cupcakes!

Here are some cupcakes I made for my friend's son's first birthday party! :) They are just a simple vanilla cupcakes recipe (you can used boxed stuff if you'd like.. But if you know me I don't use that stuff.), a vanilla buttercream frosting recipe, some crushed up Oreos (I did this in the food processor, and Oreos for the ears stuck on with toothpicks. You cover the frosting with the crushed Oreos and place the whole Oreos on them for the ears. And presto! Micky Mouse cupcakes! 

:)

Enjoy! 

Motorcycle baby boy diaper cake

Here is my latest crafting project. This is a diaper cake made to look like a motorcycle. :) 

Find the tutorial on YouTube. Follow "Thom's Crafts and Treats" :) 

Homemade decorated mugs

I found this idea on Pinterest and I thought it was super cute. As I got older, a lot of my best friends moved away from NJ. It has been really hard to keep constant contact since we are all so busy! :) And the different time zones really don't help either! I saw this and thought it would be awesome to make these for my friends in different states! :) 

I just bought white mugs from the dollar store and drew on them with sharpie. Then baked them in an oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes to set the ink. 

:) What a great and inexpensive idea to keep your best friends close. 

Have fun! :) 

Baby girl's room letters

I have made these letters for my friends older daughter as well as for Lexi. They were so expensive at the stores that I couldn't bear to pay for them. So I thought I could make them with some paint and wooden letters from AC Moore.  And of course with help from my husband to drill the holes in the tops of the letters for hooks. Even though these are/were time consuming, it's nice to be able to customize them. Plus, they are also a nice baby shower gift if you know the name of the baby! :) 

Sunflower Cupcakes

 LEMON SUNFLOWER CUPCAKES

My friend Ilisa is a bridesmaid and she is planning a bridal shower. The theme is sunflowers, yellow and purple. And she knows that I love baking and started a "business" as my hobby. So she gave me this idea of trying to make sunflower cupcakes. Of course, I head straight for the internet! =o)
Voila! I found an AWESOME explanation of how to make them. There is a little bit of a learning curve, since it involves creating the flowers using icing, but it's not too bad. You can find good tutorials on youtube to teach you how to use a pastry bag/tip.
I found that the royal icing for the sunflowers was a little too runny, if you follow the directions, so I tweaked it a little bit. You can play around with the sugar and water to get the desired consistency. You really want the icing to be able to set fast, but also not too thick where you can't make the design. The humidity, heat, and other factors in the air will really affect how you change the recipe.

Lemon Sunflower Cupcakes

Makes: 36 cupcakes

Recipe and Design Adapted from Erica's Sweet Tooth
Cupcake recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

for the lemon cupcakes:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
3 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sour cream

for the cream cheese frosting:
12 oz cream cheese, cold
6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

for the sunflower toppers:
4.5 cups powdered sugar
5 tbsp meringue powder
1/3 cup water
Few drops vanilla extract
36 mini Oreos
Yellow and green gel food coloring

Directions:

for the lemon cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 36 muffin tins with cupcake liners.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add the lemon zest and vanilla and mix well.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternatively add the dry ingredients and the sour cream to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. The batter will be thick, but don't panic!
- Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.
- Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

for the cream cheese frosting:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and beat well.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar until well combined. Continue to beat until smooth for about 2 minutes.
- Load frosting into a piping bag fit with a large closed star tip and frost cupcakes as desired.
for the sunflower toppers:
- Whisk together the powdered sugar and meringue powder in the bowl of an electric mixer.
- Add the water and vanilla and beat until smooth, about 5 minutes. If icing is too thick, add more water in 1 tsp increments. If icing is not thick enough, add 1 tbsp of powdered sugar until desired consistency is achieved. For desired consistency, you'll want a peak of icing to droop back down into the bowl completely in about 45-60 seconds.
- Put aside 1/2 cup of the icing in a small bowl, mix in a few drops of green food coloring, cover with a wet cloth or paper towel and set aside.
- For the rest of the icing, add yellow food coloring (I also added some orange for a warmer yellow) and transfer to a piping bag fit with a leaf tip or a large ziploc bag with a small "V" cut into the corner to look like this. When you're not using the icing bag, place it tip down in a glass with a damp paper towel on the bottom so the icing in the tip doesn't dry out.
- Lay down a sheet of wax or parchment paper on the counter, and space out 36 mini Oreo halves. With the "V" shapes oriented to either side, pipe 1 row of yellow petals all around the Oreo, starting with your tip on the edge of the Oreo and pulling outward. (This tutorial gives some nice pictures for how to hold your icing bag to make petals/leaves) Finish the first layers for all 36 Oreos, then go back and add another layer of petals on top once the first layer has set after about 15-20 minutes.
- Transfer the green icing to another bag with a leaf tip and add 2 green leaves to each sunflower if you desire.
- Let the flowers dry at least overnight before attempting to separate them from the wax paper. When they're set, top them on the cupcakes and enjoy!

Imagine Cupcakes by Mindie

Hi Everyone!!!

I know I haven't been on here in a while, and I am truly sorry! Life gets in the way sometimes. I've been taking some English classes to get my Middle School English Certification and studying for the Praxis II. Both have TAKEN over my LIFE!!! But I have ONE MORE WEEK left of my classes and the Praxis has been taken! Yay!!! So now back to my "normal" life. =o)

As you all know, I LOVE to cook/bake. I have been thinking of starting a SMALL side business, as a hobby, to make cupcakes/cookies. I know they are really a big hit now, and it's going to be hard, but I figured it couldn't hurt to get my name out there.

So my new cupcake business is Imagine Cupcakes by Mindie

You have all seen some of my creations, and the list is continuing to grow. I am based in Jackson, NJ and would LOVE to make some cupcakes/cookies for your next occasion!

I am currently trying to make some really cool sunflower lemon cupcakes.. I will let you know how that turns out!!! =o)

E-mail me at: imagine.cupcakes.mindie@gmail.com if you are interested!!!
Or visit my Facebook Page: Imagine Cupcakes by Mindie

This week :)

Hey everyone!!!
I know I haven't posted in a while. But it's just been a little busy around here. I am taking a little break this week to collect my thoughts and free time. It's just a little breather. My sisters bridal shower was a success and everyone loved the center pieces! Check for me! :)
So I think i deserve a little break. :)
Anyway, next week I will go back to my regular scheduled postings. :)
Thanks for reading!!!! Be back on Monday!(5/6/13)
Have a great week!

Enchiladas...oy!

 

As I have mentioned before, I am a member of "The Fresh 20". It is a family meal plan planner that you can get online. I purchased mine because Groupon had it for $20, and I thought what can I loose? Nothing! =o)
I actually don't use it all the time, but there are some good recipes on it. I pick and choose which ones I want, so I don't really follow the meals planned. =o) But they do have some appetizing things and it is nice that that make the shopping list, prep work, and any make ahead directions. 

So moving on to the delicious enchiladas. 

I have NEVER made enchiladas before, but these looked REALLY yummy. I love trying to use dark leafy greens in anything since a lot of the time, they are looked over. I thought that this was a great idea to incorporate more veggies in with usually meat heavy enchiladas. =o)

Recipe adapted from : TheFresh20

INGREDIENTS

For chicken corn & kale enchiladas

Splash of olive oil

6 cups kale leaves, about 4 handfuls roughly chopped with stems removed 1 cup frozen organic corn

¼ cup (4 oz) organic, no salt added tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 garlic clove, minced or pressed

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper 3 Tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup white whole wheat flour

2 Tablespoons mild chili powder (or ground New Mexico chili powder of your choice)

3 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth, warmed

3 cups shredded chicken * I just bought a rotisserie chicken from the super market.

1 ½ cups loosely packed,  Mexican blend shredded, ½ cup reserved for top, about 5 ounces

12 - 6” organic corn tortillas

¼ bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
4 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

For black beans

1 -14.5 ounce can organic, no salt added black beans

Pinch of dried cumin

Pinch of salt & black pepper

 

This meal can be made 2-3 days ahead and refrigerated until dinner night. Serving size is two enchiladas per person; you will have 4 enchiladas left over. Try to resist eating them!

DIRECTIONS

For chicken corn & kale enchiladas

1.        Heat a large, nonstick sauté pan over medium heat and add in oil.

Once the oil is hot add the kale and corn. Cook until kale is wilted and most of the moisture has cooked out, about 4 – 6 minutes.

2.       Remove the kale and corn from the pan and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any remaining moisture.

Meanwhile

1.       Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.       Lightly oil 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.

3.       In a small bowl, mix tomato paste, cumin, oregano, garlic and salt & pepper – stir to combine and set aside.

4.       Heat a large, nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Add in oil, flour, and chili powder; stir to combine until it becomes a thick paste. Add in tomato paste mixture and stir to combine.

5.       Slowly add in hot broth while whisking to dissolve the flour mixture.

Continue whisking while adding in all the broth.

6.       Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

7.       In a medium bowl, combine chicken, cooked kale & corn, 1 cup of cheese, and 1 cup of sauce.

8.       Stack tortillas and wrap in damp paper towels or a clean dish towel; microwave on high for 2 minutes.

9.       Spoon 1 cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

10.    Fill each tortilla with a heaping 1/4 cup of filling; roll up tightly and

arrange, seam side down, in prepared baking dish.

11.    Pour remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle

with remaining ½ cup of cheese.

12.    Cover with foil and place into the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake uncovered for 5 additional minutes to melt the cheese. Serve 2 enchiladas per person. Garnish with fresh cilantro and a dollop of  Greek yogurt.

For black beans

1.     In a small saucepot warm beans with liquid and seasoning.  Simmer for 5 minutes and serve warm.