Gluten Free Tuesday-Tostadas

Well I am a sucker for all food Mexican. I can not get enough of that stuff. So I have been really playing around with making some of my favorite foods gluten free. For the most part Mexican food lends itself very well to the gluten free diet. I hope my niece grows to love it :). Today I am sharing a recipe for tostadas.

I utilize my crock pot to make this recipe pretty easy. No slaving in the kitchen all afternoon. I got this recipe from Pam , and have just adapted it to suit my culinary/mommy needs.

Shredded Beef (For Tostadas or Tacos or Burritos or WHATEVER)

1 1/2 lbs of round roast (chuck roast is flavorful but isn't as lean)
1 7 oz can of whole green chilies reserve the juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp dried oregano
2-3 cloves of chopped garlic
1-2 cups of beef broth

Make a spice rub with your olive oil, chili powder, salt, peeper, garlic powder, cumin, and oregano. Rub it all over your roast. Throw your roast along with the chilies and garlic in the crock pot. Cook on low for 3 hours and then add your beef broth. (if you are not gonna be around just add your beef broth at the beginning) When your roast is done, (at 6-7 hours on low) shred.

Now it is time to assemble your tostada.

Beef Tostada

6 corn tortilla
rough chopped avocado
black olives
salsa
black beans

tomato
cojita cheese
shredded beef
red onion slice (sauteed)
sour cream

chopped cilantro

taco sauce
canola oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush the tortilla(s) lightly with canola oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt. Place on cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown, then turn, and bake for 3-6 minutes longer until the tortillas are crisp and light brown.While tortillas are baking, saute red onion rings in a tsp of EVOO. Layer your corn tortilla, beef, cojita cheese (btw this is such a yummy yummy cheese), onion, olive, avocado, black beans, tomato, taco sauce, and sourc cream. Garnish with Cilantro and enjoy.

Gluten Free Tuesdays-Marinades

Hi everyone. I hope this day finds you blessed. I wanted to share some marinades I have been using for my family lately. I know one of the hardest things my sil encounters when grocery shopping is convience food. It is just not friendly to someone with a gluten intolerance or gluten "allergy". Before I started my cullinary adventure I would always buy those store bought marinades. I didn't know how delicious and easy it was to make my own. Another thing about making my own marinade is I can make big batches and freeze then for later. Marinades are a busy moms friend...

Garlic Herb Marinade-adapted from Smoky Mountain Cafe
1 head of roasted garlic (cut the top off your garlic of your garlic. drizzle with evoo. wrap in foil. bake @ 400 for like 20-30 minutes.)
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tbls fresh parsley
2 tbls fresh basil
1 tbls honey
1 tspn kosher salt
1/4 tspn red pepper flakes

Combine in food processor.

Stream in 3/4c. olive oil.

Marinate your chicken overnight or at least 4 hours in the mixture. Grill or pan fry.



Beef Fajita Marinade
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup GLUTEN FREE soy sauce (I am excited to report that GREAT VALUE brand soy sauce is GF)
1/4 cup veggie oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 tsp minced garlic
Marinate flank steak overnight, or freeze and use another day

Mother's Day Photos and GF Tuesday

Sunday was not only mothers day but our 6 year wedding anniversary. It was an extremely busy and full day and I can honestly admit I wish we had been able to slow down and enjoy the day a bit more. Jeremy and I are going out this weekend to celebrate our anniversary. Jeremy and Kennedy gifted me with my coveted Cuisinart food processor. I was so pleased to have that. (I have gotten to use it a few times already and it is fantastic) Kennedy also made me a very beautiful and colorful card.

We have been blessed with some very lovely weather the past few days (that is about to end) so K and I took the afternoon on Monday and headed to the park. I was gonna walk/run with her while she rode her bike but they were repaving the paths. So we headed over to the play area and found that her friend Maggie was there. They were happy to see each other and had some fun play time. So I ended up fooling with my camera. Here are some fun shots I liked....



Now on to Gluten Free Tuesday (Hosted @ http://www.vickitate.blogspot.com/)

I made this fritatta yesterday and I just have to say...get this on your menu plan. It is sooooo sooo good. Even the leftovers are yummy. Everyone enjoyed it, its full of good protein and veggies and it is pretty easy to make, I served it with a yummy Greek salad (i finally found the perfect recipe for the dressing) Anyway here is the recipe.


Zucchini-Potato Frittata
(original recipe found at Good Life-Eats)

1 medium zucchini, sliced
Salt
4-5 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed
1 1/2 lbs. waxy potatoes, thinly sliced ( i used one large russet potato cause that's what we had in the pantry)
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 lb. smoked Canadian bacon or ham, diced (I used center cut bacon)
8 eggs
Freshly ground black pepper
1 c grated Cheddar

Combine the zucchini and 1 teaspoon salt in a colander and toss well. Set aside to drain for 30 minutes.
Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat in a large, well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or ovenproof nonstick skillet. Add the potatoes and onion, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, flipping and stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.Increase the heat to medium-high and continue cooking, tossing occasionally, until the potatoes are are brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon but keep the skillet on the burner.
Transfer the zucchini to a clean kitchen towel and pat dry. Add the zucchini and bacon to the skillet and sauté over medium-high heat, until the zucchini is just tender, about 4 minutes. Remove the zucchini and Canadian bacon with a slotted spoon.
Keep the skillet over the heat. Beat the eggs and pepper to taste in a medium bowl until well blended. Fold in the potatoes, zucchini and Canadian bacon, and cheese. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil to the skillet as needed to lightly coat the bottom. Pour in the egg mixture, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook without stirring until the bottom is set, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the top is set, 5 to 15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes. Place a serving plate on top of the skillet and carefully invert. The frittata should fall out of the pan. Cut into wedges and serve.

Greek Salad
From the homesteading housewife
(I did make changes)

'It's All Greek to Me' Greek SaladDressing
3/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried oregano (or 4 teaspoons fresh)
4teaspoons fresh minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil (or 2 teaspoons fresh)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
Blend all ingredients together in a blender.
Refrigerate for at least one hour to let the flavors bloom.Salad.

Salad:
2 heads Romain Lettuce, cut or torn into bite-sized pieces.
1 large cucumber (I prefer the English Cucumbers) seeded and sliced.
3 tomatoes sliced 1 green Bell pepper, seeded & sliced
1 red onion thinly sliced.
1/2 pound of Feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup Kalamata Olives.
4-6 pepperochini peppers
Toss all ingredients together with the dressing.

Okay until i blog again...

GLUTEN FREE TUESDAY

Good day everyone! Today is gluten free tuesday, I am really excited to post the recipe I made this week. I worked on it last week. I had a discussion with my sil, when my neice was diagnosed with ciliac, about rissotto. I had never made it but was always very interested in it. Turns out it is really a friendly and yummy dish for the gf diet. I am also happy to report that I actually made and ate fish last week. I am an avid fish hater but am determined to get this healthy in lean meat in our family diet. So I tried samoln. It wasn't half bad. I admit I will have to grow a taste for fish, cause I just do not care for it. But I am if nothing else very determined. Another cool thing about this meal is all of it(save for the brown instant rice) came from a local discount grocer (Aldi). I am continually impressed with the quality of food I get from there. Anyway on to the recipes, shall we?


<--Here is the meal all plated and looking good. I served this with a fresh greens salad with a homemade vinagarette.

Salmon with a Sweet & Spicey Rub recpie found here.
Salmon with Sweet and Spicy RubRecipe from Ellie Krieger, The Food You Crave or Food Network


Ingredients

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skin and any pin bones removed (i used 4 vacume packed and pre frozen fillets)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions
Coat your grill or a grill pan with cooking spray and preheat over medium heat.
While the grill is heating, combine the brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Brush each salmon fillet with 1/2 teaspoon of the oil, then rub each fillet with about 1/2 tablespoon of the spice mixture. Grill the salmon, flesh side down, until charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the salmon and cook another 5 to 6 minutes for medium doneness. For well done fish, cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to a platter and serve immediately.


Mock Rissotto (found on Foodnetwork.com)

<---Look at the yummy veggies in this!!! Ingredietns
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups instant brown rice
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 cups vegetable or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (I used frozen thawed asparagus)
1 red bell pepper, finely diced (i had orange..so I used that)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)
1/2 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese, plus more for passing, if desired
1/4 cup minced chives or scallion greens

Directions
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and salt and cook, stirring often, until soft and just beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add rice and garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add broth and bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Remove cover and spread asparagus and bell pepper on top of the simmering rice—do not stir into the rice mixture. Replace cover and continue simmering, adjusting the heat if necessary, until the liquid is almost absorbed and the asparagus is bright green but still crisp, about 5 minutes.
Add peas and cream cheese; stir until the mixture is creamy and the cheese is incorporated. Return to a simmer and continue cooking until the liquid has evaporated and the asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes more. Stir in 1/2 cup Asiago (or Parmesan). Serve topped with chives (or scallions) and additional grated cheese

***This made great leftovers and was very very yummy.
Now if you will please head over to http://www.vickitate.blogspot.com/ and post a gluten free recipe too. It helps her feed my niece, in a yummy and safe way!

Gluten Free Tuesday

Hey Blogger people!!!

As many of you know my beautiful and vibrant niece was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease is a serious life long illness. For Grace to live in health she need a gluten (wheat, rye, barley) free diet. You would be amazed at how many products in our daily lives actually contain "hidden" gluten. My sister in law, has started "Gluten Free Tuesday" on her blog. I encourage you to stop by and post your own gluten free recipe there and encourage her. If you have never cooked gluten free, it has a lot of health benefits. I have read a gluten free diet can help with arthritis, acid reflux, and many other aliments. Look into it!! Plus eating gluten free can be very very healthy. Anyway I hope you post a recipe or at least visit Vicki's blog and encourage her and pray for her and her family as they make these changes that will make Grace's life better.

Here are my GF recipes for this week.
Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad



1 cup Grilled Chicken-cubed
3 to 5 cups Salad Greens
1/2 cup black beans (soak your own or use canned)
1/2 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
1/2 sliced red pepper
1/2 avocado
1/2 cup grape tomatoes halved
1/2 sliced red cabbage
1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend (I left this out for calorie reasons)
1/2 red onion
***To be gluten free you need to be in control of what you put in your dressing or buy dressing from Whole Foods-it will be clearly marked GLUTEN FREE.

Here is a recipe to make your own GF Ranch dressing
Ranch Dressing
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons powdered cultured buttermilk blend* (Check ingredients to see if your brand is gluten-free. It usually is!)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried dillweed
*Available alongside the canned and powdered milk in most supermarkets.


Whisk first 3 ingredients in large bowl. Mix in remaining ingredients. Cover and chill at least 1 hour to blend flavors. (Dressing can be prepared 5 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)Makes 1 1/2 cups.
***NOTE depending on your tolerance for spice you can add a bit of lime juice (half a lime) and some chipoltle pepper powder to taste.
Mix all ingredients together and serve immediately.

I love love love this salad. I think it is sooooo yummy. My daughter was not into it so I gave her cubed chicken along with cheese chunks and carrots to dip her ranch.


I have another one I made tonight. Since Grace has been diagnosed I have really tried to become much more aware of what we are eating and what is in it. (and I thought I was pretty aware before) Anyway...
Chicken Bacon Kabobs-236 cal. per serving


INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup soy sauce (you MUST be mindful MANY soy sauces contain gluten. Whole foods is the best place to purchase GLUTEN FREE TAMARI-aged soy sauce)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
10 large mushrooms, cut in half
2 green onions, minced
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks
1/2 pound sliced thick cut bacon, cut in half
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
skewers

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, mix the soy sauce, cider vinegar, honey, canola oil, and green onions. Place the mushrooms and chicken into the mixture, and stir to coat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.
Preheat grill for high heat.
Wrap the chicken chunks with bacon, and thread onto skewers so that the bacon is secured. Alternate with mushroom halves and pineapple chunks.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Arrange skewers on the prepared grill. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, brushing occasionally with remaining soy sauce mixture, until bacon is crisp and chicken juices run clear.


I just made sweet potatoes and sauteed veggies to go with it. We all really like this. It was savory and sweet.

I hope you enjoy the gluten free recipes! and remember even if you are not on a GF diet you can still do a GF day each week. It's GOOD for you!!!

Chicken Fajita Soup and Beer Bread

Well Yesterday I knew I was in for a very busy and complicated day. So I started my soup @ 8:00. I used this recipe as a starting point, and made my own adaptations to taste.

What I came up with was spicy and slightly sweet. JT loved it, and I thought it was rather good myself.

my Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used about 8 tenderloins)
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

(i coated the chicken with this spice mix)

2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup chunky salsa (I used half habenero and half black bean and corn)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 can black beans rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon salt

Toppings
8 ounces corn tortilla chips
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)

Avocado Slices

DIRECTIONS
Coat Chicken in Spices and in a large pot over medium heat, saute the chicken in the oil for 5 minutes.

While chicken in cooking add the broth, corn, onion, chili powder, diced tomatoes, black beans, garlic, brown sugar, salt and salsa to your slow cooker. Add your cooked chicken to slow cooker and go on with your day. Cook on High for 6-8 hours. Top with the Monterey Jack cheese, tortilla chips and avocado. Enjoy.

I made beer bread to accompany this dish. I am not a drinker at all, and infact I have never even tasted a beer it isn't drinkable form. But I do cook with it, and I think this is one of the yummiest breads. My hubby loves it too. I got the recipe here.

Beer Bread

3 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 (12 ounce) beer
1/4 cup butter (don't use margirane for this it doesn't taste right)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients and beer.
Pour into a greased loaf pan.
Pour melted butter over mixture.
Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes.

This is so simple and yummy.

A Very Springy and Yummy Salad Recipe

Last summer while in Florida, I enjoyed the most wonderful salad. I had to come home and recreate it! This is the recipe I have adapted to mimic the flavors and I have to say I enjoy my version even more.

Orange Gorgonzola Salad
( I like to add pecan crusted chicken strips to this if I have them leftover)

This salad is full of complex flavor, while being very easy to pull together. It is elegant enough for dinner guest but so easy and tasty it will become an everyday salad.

¾ cup pecans halves
10 ounces mixed fancy salad greens with arugula
1 can mandrin oranges drained juice reseverd
½ cup sliced red onion
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup vegetable oil
⅔ cup orange juice (use reserved juice from can)
¼ cup white sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Place the walnuts in a skillet over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly browned. In a large bowl, toss the toasted walnuts, salad greens, oranges, and red onion. In a large jar with a lid, mix the olive oil, vegetable oil, orange juice, sugar, vinegar, mustard, oregano, and pepper. Seal jar, and shake to mix. Divide the salad greens mixture into individual servings. To serve, sprinkle with Gorgonzola cheese, and drizzle with the dressing mixture.
Yields: 6 servings

Foodie Friday

I have been wanting to post this recipe I came up with. My family just loves it. I love it cause it is healthy and it has many normally on hand ingredients. Another plus is that as far as I know it is gluten free.

Apple Banana Salad

1 red apple cut into cubes

1 green apple cut into cubes

1 banana sliced

1/4 to 1/2 cup dried cherries

1/8 cup toasted walnuts

1/4 cup plain yogurt

up to 1/8 cup honey(i just kinda drizzle all over and stop when it looks good)

a sprinkle of cinnamon

Chop up your apples , throw them, along with your cherries in a med sized bowl.

Next add bananas, honey, walnut and cinnamon. I do this all by eye.

add your plain yogurt

mix and serve. This is best served right away.

My Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

Well this week I spent some time restocking my freezer. I don't set aside a day currently to make a whole months worth of food. I simply plan to make extra of a meal I am currently making and put them up in the freezer. There are some meals I do plan to make in advance, but for the most part I just do it on a small scale. (cooking one day for a whole month is very overwhelming to me...and I am fickle so chances are I wouldn't want to eat all the stuff I put in the freezer)...anyway here is my spaghetti sauce recipe. I always get compliments on it and it is very very easy.

Spaghetti Meat Sauce

3 cups chopped onion
20 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup olive oil
8 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon white sugar
4 bay leaf
4 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons ground black pepper


Directions

Chop onions and garlic.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent.


Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf.




(*note- I use a mixture of chopped tomatoes and crushed because I like the texture more)


Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 90 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste, basil, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and ground beef (cooked and broken up)- and simmer 30 minutes more. Serve.

*let cool and then store in freezer bags for future meals



I really like having small amounts of this sauce frozen in snack size bags (then put in a bigger freezer safe bag). With the small bags I can make *spaghetti O'* with out all the preservatives. I will buy the the fun shaped pasta and cook it up...everyone is happy!!!

I hope you enjoy.

Thankful Thursday and BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe

I have so much to be grateful for daily ...

This week I am grateful for....

1. That God has heard and answered my feeble prayers. I have really been conscious about lifting up every worry to Him and every burden to Him. He has heard and answered each prayer. I can not say how grateful I am for the health he has granted us.

2. I am grateful that we are getting some answers about my niece and her belly problems. Though they are answers I am not necessarily ready for, I am grateful for finding the problems, I am grateful for how God has blessed and blessed even in this time of stress. I am grateful she has parents who are dedicated to making her life amazing no matter what aliment she has...and I am just grateful for her.

3. I am grateful for my new camera that I was able to buy. This is one of the first things I have really saved for and actually achieved getting. I hated the saving and waiting but I love the result of my being diligent in saving.

4. I am grateful for my extremely sweet daughter. She is just the fullness of my heart. I am grateful for the time I get to hold her on the couch and just snuggle. I am grateful for the time we have everyday to read together. I am grateful for our chats.

5. I am grateful for the opportunity to search God through our youth group at church. We have such cool kids. It is truly a blessing for me.

What do you have that God has blessed you with?


So I have been doing a different approach to our grocery shopping. In years past I would go once and we would eat all month. I at the time thought this was a very economical way to shop, but have since changed my mind. Now I am going once a week and trying to plan our menu around things we have in the freezer and left from the days and weeks before. This is going very well for us and is causing me to channel my kitchen creativity in new ways.

Last night I made Barbecue Chicken Pizza. I tried my best to copy others that I had tasted and recipes I had seen all over the Internet. Here is what I came up with.

I made the dough myself by adapting this recipe from Chaos in the Kitchen

Basic Pizza Dough
makes 1 recipe pizza dough, prep 10 min, rise time 1 hour
1 pkg active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp loose yeast)
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 3/4 cup flour
Combine yeast and warm water, stir to dissolve.
Add oil, salt, and flour. Stir to combine.
Once dough starts to come together, turn out onto a floured counter and knead to thoroughly combine-until dough is smooth and elastic. If it is uncooperative let it rest for a few minutes and come back to it.
Place dough ball in a greased bowl and cover loosely. Allow dough to rise until doubled, approximately an hour.

**i used half whole wheat flour and added two tablespoons of honey.

So I started that in the morning and then when dinner time came I spread it out on a greased pizza pan.

Next I gathered all my ingredients from the pantry and fridge.

1. Mozzarella Cheese (a lot of recipes call for Gouda, but we don't have any!)
2. BBQ Sauce
3. Pizza Sauce
4. Leftover BBQ Chicken
5. 1/2 a red onion
6. Bacon (not pictured)


Preheat your oven to 350.

Mix your pizza sauce (about 1/2 a cup..I have to admit I eyeballed it) and BBQ sauce and mix to combine.


Spread the sauce all over your pizza evenly.

Add cheese.

Add pre cooked bacon (you can slightly under cook if you are cooking it at home, cause it will be going in the oven.)

Chop your red onion and then sprinkle over the pizza

Chop the left over chicken and the then sprinkle on top.

Through that bad boy in the over for about 20 minutes....

and enjoy!!!!

I was really happy with how this turned out. I was even happier with how very few items it took that I didn't have on hand...actually there was none. My husband raved about how good it was...Kennedy however would not eat it because it was not peperoni...but when she did finally try it she said it was pretty good...Kids!!!

Cookie Dough Cupcakes and Fun Photos of Daily Stuff

So I have been wanting to make these cupcakes for at least six months...but I just never got around to it till the other day. We were invited to Alan and Tina's for dinner (Thanks Guys!) and I offered to bring dessert. I made them on a very hectic Saturday afternoon and it really did not take that long at all! I even made the icing. These were delicious!!!! (those were Kennedy's exact words) I am bummed cause the left-over ones got eaten some how when I was not around to claim mine...anyway I am gonna share the recipe here, cause quite frankly it is just easier than posting on the separate blog I have for recipes. Enjoy!!!

Chip Lovers Cupcakes
(Taste of Home Mag-2008)
1 Package white cake mix
1/4 cup butter softened
1/4cup packed brown sugar
2 tbs sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup mini choc. chips (plus more for sprinkling on top)

Butter cream Frosting
1/2 cup butter softened
1/2 cup shortening
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
4 tbs milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
(now on this frosting if it is to runny for your taste {as it sometimes is for mine} just add more powder sugar until it is the thickness you want)

Prepare cake batter according to directions, set aside. For the filling, in a small bowl cream butter and sugars. Beat in flour and powdered sugar until blended (this will not look like cookie dough) Fold in choc. chips.

Fill paper lined muffin cups half full with cake batter. Drop in filling (it helps if you pack it in to a tbsp sized spoon) cover with more batter. Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes then move to a wire rack (I put mine in the freezer to move the process along. I am so impatient-and almost always in a total rush!)

For frosting, in a large mixing bowl, cream butter and shortening together, add powdered sugar. Beat in 3 tablespoons of milk and vanilla until creamy. start blending in your sugar until you acheive your desired thickness.

Decorate your cupcakes as desired! They are really really really yummmmmmy!



It has been so cold again this week. We have been staying in doing little projects, playing games and reading. Here is a picture of Kennedy searching her magazines for winter animals and making a collage. She did so well and really had fun.

Kennedy has made some really cool projects during preschool this year and I always intend on taking pictures and posting...well for once I followed through with it. They made this adorable ground hog..seriously it is just so cute! She is really proud of it too.

All I really have going on worth posting about is my memory verse. I got on Beth Moore's blog (link in my sidebar) in Jan and joined up to do 24 verses in 12 months. I committed to memorizing 1 piece of scripture every two weeks. I convinced my sister in law to do this with me and It has so far been the biggest blessing! So I am gonna try to share my scriptures with you as I go (I have already done 2 so this is my third one)

Isiah 40:31

Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint.

Please be in prayer for me as I do this. Pray that God will work and I will not only be able to remember it but that I will apply His word and hold on to it.

Okay so that is it for today. See you tomorrow for thankful Thursday.