Muffin Tin Monday...favorite foods and SUPER BOWL!!!

I've been peeking around the web this week and saw MTM and a couple other blogs with Super Bowl themed muffin tin meals and bentos, what a cute idea for these picks!!! I had been toying with the idea, but sometimes things come to life when I see them on someone else's site first. This week's theme is favorite foods, but with the Super Bowl right around the corner, I thought we would add to our theme this week. I found the cutest star picks (local cake supply store) and footballs (Party City) this weekend. Adrian has most of his favorite foods here...pepperoni and colby cheese star skewers, marshmallows and m&ms, hummus, crackers...we ran out of pita chips, strawberries, and turkey rolls. ((He would have loved to have Chick-fil-A nuggets and fries, but that's for when Mommy's not taking pictures!)) We are representing our favorite team, though they are not in the Super Bowl, we still love our Dallas Cowboys---we have to, Mommy was named after one of them in the 70s!!!

 

He LOVED the football picks!! He asked for extra strawberries for his bedtime snack...with a football pick please!!! I love how glittery the stars are...can't wait to use them for 4th of July, Christmas (at least the red and silver), New Years...lots of possibilities!!!

mmm...cheese and pepperoni!!!

I'm linking up with Muffin Tin Mom, go check out some really fun lunch ideas here!

Foodie Fridays!!! Pumpkin Banana Bread

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

The original recipe is from allrecipes.com I just add bananas (3-4 brown frozen and thawed bananas instead of water). It's so good and it makes two huge loaves or 48 mini muffins and 2 smaller loaves. I usually freeze one of the loaves so we have some for later because my boys will eat the entire loaf in two days! I made muffins this time to put in Adrian's lunch. He loved them!

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

I'm linking up with 
Designs by Gollum

Fun Giveaway at my place to yours!!!

I love dishes...not just Christmas like I've blogged about. I came across a couple blogs about tablescaping and wow...can I tell you these people have so much talent...finding things from Big Lots, Home Goods, antique stores, to their own wedding china and putting it all together to make a beautiful table. What a fun hobby! The other day I 'borrowed' some plates from my mom. They are Thomas of Bavaria dessert plates...beautiful and today I won an auction on ebay of some coordinating dinner plates...not the same pattern, but I think they will work together! I hope! I can't wait to get them and start playing around with tablescaping!

Enough about that...head over to My place to yours and check out her giveaway!

bento at home!

 When I asked Adrian if he wanted me to make lunch, he said, "Yes, and...Have to take picture, Mommy!" He knows me so well:)

 On a dinosaur plate (Target last year), he is eating Banana Pumpkin muffins (I'll post the recipe Friday!) and marshmallows, strawberries in a hippo cup (Dollar Tree-2 cups +1 spoon...hippos, bears, monkeys, doggies) guarded by our trusty lion mini fork (Ebay Japan), Ritz cracker pesto jack stars (fondant cutter set Michael's) with pepperoni, and a red square skewer (Hobby Lobby Christmas) turkey roll up.

 

 Sweet boy got a haircut this morning...he was looking awful shaggy, so I buzzed it...in the bathtub...he screamed, there's hair everywhere, but he quickly forgot, told me he loved me :) and now it ready to eat lunch!

I'm linking up with bentolunch.net! Click on the button to see some fabulous lunch ideas!

Muffin Tin Monday...big and little, short and tall!!!

For our big and little, short and tall lunch, we have itty bitty mozzarella bears on top of pepperoni and Ritz crackers in a BIG truck cup, itty bitty bear picks with strawberries, TALL giraffe fork with itty bitty Cars fruit snacks in a BIG truck cup, itty bitty blue sword pick and a BIG turkey roll, itty bitty elephant in an itty bitty truck cup holding up a BIG TALL strawberry, itty bitty mozzarella bears with a BIG truck pick! (the paper cups were half off at Michael's, the bears, elephant and giraffe picks are from ebay (Japan), the sword and the red silicone cups are from World Market, and the truck is from a local cake supply store.

itty bitty bear in a BIG truck paper cup

BIG truck cup with itty bitty bears!

itty bitty elephant in an itty bitty truck cup holding a BIG TALL strawberry!

If you want to link up with Muffin Tin Mom and see some wonderful lunch ideas, click on the button!

 

Foodie Fridays!!! Corn & Black Bean Salad and a cute fun find!!!

This week, I made a meal for a family from our church who just had baby #2! I made my Pork Chili Verde and added this salad, tortillas, sour cream and cheese and chocolate chip cookies to round out the meal. This is a summer salad to me, but it just works really well to put in a container and gets more flavorful in the refrigerator (unlike a green salad that would wilt)...so the recipe

1 bag frozen corn (in the summer, I  buy whole corn and scrape it off the cob)

1 can black beans rinsed well and drained

3 green onions chopped

3-4 homegrown or farmer's market tomatoes chopped

1 small jar pimentos

parsley

salt

pepper

garlic &onion powder

*in the summer, I use fresh chopped tomatoes, but I don't like the taste of store bought tomatoes in the winter, so I omitted them.

Mix everything well and check for seasoning. Serve cold.

If you have a Michael's nearby, go now! These cute muffin tin papers  were all 50% off! I'm a boy mom, so I bought trucks, circus animals, and blue & green stripes, but they also had some princess cups, pink stripes and a couple more that would work great for little girls too!

I can't wait to use these with my cute trucks and trains picks and all my Japanese animal picks!

picks

picks

I would love to hear about your recipes this week! If you would like to link up and share a recipe, click on the linky below!

RUF menu planning

I'm a planner. I'm the first to admit it. And I love hosting dinners...

it was a LOT easier before I had my boys, but they just make life more interesting.

We are hosting the RUF (Reformed University Fellowship) students at our house for lunch after church...I have a month still to plan, but I'm working out my menu in my head to see what I can buy now on sale and freeze for the date!

I'm thinking of slow cooker barbecue chicken sandwiches, sausage, a dill potato salad I've made...scrumptious, some sort of salad or slaw, chips, some appetizer, and desserts...

Muffin Tin Monday...no theme today!!!

 This week there is no theme, but I love Valentines, so I got out my heart cutters, sprinkles, heart shaped pasta, new heart boxes and picks and made a couple lunches for my little boy!

In the top he has apple slices, pb&j sandwich with pesto jack hearts, key lime yogurt with heart sprinkles, small heart box of m&ms, pita chips and hummus.

In the bottom, he has a small heart box of m&ms, homemade chicken nuggets, heart shaped pasta with peas, goldfish, colby jack cheese and turkey.

In case you're wondering...where did you get that???

the heart boxes are from Michael's, the heart picks are from Dollar Tree, the heart cutters are Wilton (an old set, but I think it's the same one you can find right now at Michael's or other craft stores), the heart pasta is from World Market, the heart sprinkles are from last year, but I'm sure you can find them at Target right now...check their Dollar Spot for some cute Valentine sprinkles and silicone muffin tins on the cheap!

If you want to participate in Muffin Tin Monday or just look at some very cute lunches, click on the button below! Muffin Tin Mom has some great ideas for meals and crafts for your children!

 

Foodie Fridays!!! A Remake--Valentine's Day Cake

Chocolate Mousse Crunch Cake

This is one very amazing cake that would make a great dessert for Valentine's Day!

It's from Our Best Bites a fabulous website of recipes!

1 package Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake

1 recipe (give or take a little) Chocolate Ganache

Crushed Heath bars or a bag of chocolate-covered Heath bits

1 tsp. unflavored gelatin

1 Tbsp. cold water

2 Tbsp. boiling water (just heat it in a small bowl in your microwave)

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 c. whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla

Bake cake according to cake mix instructions in 2 8" round pans. Allow to cool and set aside. This can be done several days in advance; just freeze the cakes when you're done.

In a small bowl, combine gelatin and cold water and allow to stand for about 1 minute. While gelatin is softening, bring 2 Tbsp. water to a boil in the microwave. Whisk into the softened gelatin and allow to cool slightly.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, whipping cream, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until medium-stiff peaks form. Mix in gelatin mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Prepare ganache (if you haven't already) according to directions.

With a serrated knife, carefully slice the dome-iest part of each cake layer off so the layers are level. Place one layer on the serving plate and spread about 1/2 of the chocolate mousse over the cake. Sprinkle with Heath bits.

Place second layer on top of Heath bits.
Spoon ganache over the top layer, allowing it to drip down the sides.  Sprinkle with additional Heath bits and refrigerate until ready to serve.

If you have a recipe to share, please link up!

Fun Finds--Valentines for bentos!!!

I went to 3 stores today (in the same shopping center...in hopes to wear my boys out so they would nap!) Seriously, sometimes that is just how it works. Big A was not asleep yet, so I said, do you want to go to the store with Mommy? Yeah, Mommy...toys! We hit Dollar Tree, Micheal's and Target...and for about $3, I got everything in the picture...including one other big heart. The big heart containers were in the Dollar Spot at Target (labeled craft storage or something)....2 hearts that will work great in his lunches for the next month! The little hearts were from Micheal's and came in a pack of 10! (I used a 40% off coupon) He didn't get any toys, but he did come away with Dollar Tree Valentines to give his class...a pack with Nemo, Cars and Toy Story! Score for Mommy!

 and the heart picks were from Dollar Tree (100 picks for $1!!!)

 I'm still waiting for Party City to put their "Valentine party picks" on the shelf...there was a price for them, but no picks...so I'll let you know if they're cute! They also have bunnies (not on shelf yet either) for Easter, Shamrocks and Football picks...Go find some cuteness and tell me what you get!

After his 2 hour+ nap!!! making a Valentine for Ludee!

muffins that taste like donuts...pictures!!!

 I posted this recipe last Friday here, but failed to have pictures to prove how amazing these little pretties are...and with the Muffin Tin Monday theme of papers and cups, I thought I'd make muffins again! 

Do not skip this step!!! Melted butter and cinnamon sugar...YUM!!!

a cute little muffin bottom of love!

 my muffin helper...he's strapped in...so Mommy can open the oven door!

 

 Since Adrian's school starts again tomorrow, I froze most of these...great addition to his lunch and it will thaw by eating time! 

Seriously, make these for your sweetheart...for Valentine's Breakfast!

Muffin tin Monday...papers cups...silicone cups...deep in the heart of Texas!

Today is Muffin Tin Monday! Papers and cups!!!

I don't get to use pretty paper cups very often, but have a stash and some my sweet mom gave me (along with the Texas cookie cutter!). I think I first learned to turn the cups inside out to show off the pretty from Muffin Tin Mom herself! thank you for that wonderful tip!

It seems like the whole world got snow yesterday, except for those of us who are 'Deep in the heart of Texas' so that is my theme...sort of...

We have apple sauce, cheddar and monterrey jack hearts, banana pop (another great idea I found on the web...stick a Popsicle stick into the banana...no mess!), marshmallows and chocolate chips, a Texas sized peanut butter and loganberry sandwich and rainbow goldfish.

Happy Monday!! If you want to participate or just browse through some muffin tin goodness, check it out here~

 

Fun Finds--after Christmas sales!!!

I love shopping after Christmas, especially when I get amazing deals!  I don't have fine china, soI have shopped for Christmas dishes or 'fancy' dinner dishes for years. I have a set of red glass plates that I had collected from Target (they don't carry it anymore, but you can find it on ebay for a heftier price than I paid). I paid as much as 50% off and as little as 90% off...and I have a few serving pieces that I have found along the way.

I've already told you about my crazy love for Christmas platters and plates, so this should be no surprise! 

After Christmas, Hobby Lobby finally put their stuff on 80% off. It was 50% off the day before Christmas, so 50% wasn't good enough for me:) I found the cutest snowman platter and four small plates to match for next year. I used a Visa giftcard my brother gave me, so really it was free!

But it gets better...more often than not, I have found Christmas items left on regular shelves that sit there til the very end...no one snatching them up because, well, they're not in the raided Christmas merchandise aisle...so as a good shopper...I wait and wait...as patiently as I can...

and then I go!!!

cloth napkins (set of 2) 39cents! (I picked up 2 patterns, 4 sets each)

porcelain serving platter $1.29!

red ceramic bowl (great for mixing pancakes and omelets!)

pewter beaded chip and dip tray

I also found two Thomas the Train engines 99cents!

2 Cars movie toy cars

2 red tablecloths

place mats

the cutest 3 foot snowman (outdoor w/lights)

If I ever make a pumpkin roll or yule log cake...it will sit beautifully on this rectangle platter! I'll serve it on my 75-80% off Christmas dessert plates alongside my 90% off napkins!
And to top it all off, for my bento fix I found handful of super cute cupcake liners and picks for next year!

I hope you got some great deals this season too! 

I already have some teacher gifts, Samaritan's purse Christmas box presents and stocking stuffers tucked away in my craft closet. Yippee!!!!

Foodie Fridays!!! Muffins that taste like donuts

These were amazing. I made these a couple months ago and then again for Christmas gifts, along with other sweets. They really do taste like those old school cake donuts rolled in cinnamon and sugar. It makes a pretty bundt cake, but I didn't think it was nearly as good as when I made muffins. This recipe makes 24 mini muffins or 12 regular. The original is here a Tasty Kitchen recipe on Pioneer Woman's blog.

here's the recipe!

• 1-¾ cup Flour
• 1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ½ teaspoons Nutmeg
• ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
• ⅓ cups Oil
• ¾ cups White Sugar
• 1 whole Egg
• ¾ cups Milk
• _____
• FOR THE TOPPING:
• ¼ cups Butter
• ⅓ cups White Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

Preparation Instructions

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Combine oil, sugar, egg and milk. Add dry ingredients and stir only to combine.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a bowl. Combine the white sugar with the cinnamon in another bowl.

Shake muffins out while still hot. Dip muffins in butter, then into the sugar/cinnamon mix. Let cool.

Muffin Tin Monday...skewers and picks!!!

Happy New Year...in a muffin tin! 
I used stars and snowflakes for January and the New Year celebration and a couple hearts to bring in the next holiday!

I love today's theme...skewers and picks!!!

In the back, he has colby jack stars and mini pepperoni skewers and star sandwiches on little red squares (Hobby Lobby).

In the middle is a row of cheddar snowflakes. 

In the front he has blueberries and apples on heart picks (a friend gave me these...a box of 100 from Dollar Tree...check on their back wall by all the kitchen tools!)

and marshmallows on a couple white Christmas leaf picks (Target)

Happy and Healthy eating in the new year!

If you want to join in or just check out some fabulous ideas, click here

Happy New Year!!

Last night I was exactly where I was supposed to be...at home...taking care of a little boy with a very high fever, nursing a baby back to sleep and watching a movie with my husband. 
Happy New Year. 
I'm thankful for 2010 and all it brought us...good and bad...and hopeful for 2011, just like when I saw that my little boy's fever was gone this morning...
this will be a good year too...eventful, memorable, but hopefully joy-filled.

May God bless you and your family with health and happiness this year!