Meal Ministry

I absolutely love to cook and bake, more importantly though I love to do it for others. I enjoy getting to make dinner for my husband each night. He is not a foodie but always shows much appreciation for whatever I make. I also enjoy getting the opportunity to make meals for others. I was able to do this recently for a co-worker of mine.

  I took them Pizza Baked Spaghetti, green beans, bread sticks and snicker doodle bars.

I love to take meals or any special treats to anyone who might need something. I hope one day to be able to have more time and resources to be able to provide for more people.

Valentine's Day Bundt Cake

 Valentine's Day is almost here. Do you have anything special planned? We usually keep it pretty simple around here. 

I was on the search for a special dessert to make this week so I jumped on Pinterest. The picture of this dessert definitely caught my eye. 
 For the last few weeks I have been taking a simple dessert to church on Wednesday nights for our dinner program. I took a half day today and thought since I had some extra time I would make something a little more special. This cake was pretty easy and even if I hadn't had the extra time today I still would have had time to make it after work. 

I can not wait to cut into this cake tomorrow. If you read the comments to the original link of this recipe you will see that many people left suggestions of other jello combinations you could use and other holidays you could use it for. 

Strawberries and Cream Bundt cake 
Source: Chocolate Chocolate and More
Makes 1 large bundt cake and 4-6 cupcakes

 2 boxes white cake mix (15.25 oz)
Ingredients called for on box

1 box strawberry JELL-O mix (3oz.)

1 can white frosting

Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray. Bake cake mix according to box directions. 

Pour 1/3 to 1/2 of the batter into prepared pan. 

Reserve 1 tbls. of JELL-O mix for frosting and add remaining to the rest of the cake batter. Stir well until just blended. Spoon batter into bundt pan to cover the white batter. Do not fill pan past 2/3 full. Place any remaining batter in cupcake tin.  Bake in a preheated oven for 45-55 minutes (19-22 for cupcakes). Using a toothpick test for doneness. Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes before inverting onto place to cool completely.

Frost the cupcakes first since you probably won't use the whole can of frosting. 

I melted my icing in the microwave for about 10 seconds. The original recipe says to melt it on the stove. 

Using the reserved JELL-O mix stir it into some of the frosting.

Place the frosting in a plastic bag and cut a very small hole in a corner.

Drizzle over the cake, alternating colors. 

Brown Sugar- Cinnamon Peach Pie

I am loving all the time I have had to bake this summer. Now I'm sure I won't be loving my waistline after while but I love being in the kitchen. I received the July issue of Southern Living recently and on the front cover was a beautiful peach pie. As soon as I saw it I was dying to make it. Luckily peaches were on sale recently so I didn't have to wait to make this. We had an impromptu family dinner last night so luckily I could take this and not have to eat the whole thing myself! This pie was devoured. It is so delicious and I can't wait to make it again

I think this pie came out wonderful but unfortunately I forgot to take a picture at home and had to do so with my phone.

Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Peach Pie

1 1/3 cups cold butter
4 1/4 cups AP flour, divided
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup ice-cold water
8 large fresh, firm, ripe peaches (about 4lbs.)
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

1. Cut 1 1/3 cups butter into small cubes, and chill 15 minutes. Stir together 4 cups flour and 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until mixture resembles small peas. Gradually stir in 1/2 cup ice water with a fork, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened and dough begins to form a ball and leaves sides of bowl, adding more ice water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, if necessary. Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap; press and shape dough into 2 flat disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes to 24 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 425. Place 1 dough disk on a lightly floured surface; sprinkle dough lightly with flour. Roll dough to about 1/2-inch thickness. Starting at 1 edge of dough, wrap dough around a rolling pin. Place rolling pin over a 9-inch pie plate, and unroll dough over pie plate. Press dough into pie plate.

3. Roll remaining dough disk to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.

4. Peel peaches, and cut into 1/2-inch slices; cut slices in half. Stir together brown sugar, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 1/4 cup flour in a bowl; add peaches, stirring to coat. Immediately spoon peach mixture into pie crust in pie plate and dot with 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter. (Do not make mixture ahead or it will become too juicy).

5. Carefully place remaining pie crust over filling; press edges of crusts together to seal. Cut off excess crust, and reserve. Crimp edges of pie. If desired roll excess dough to 1/4 inch thickness . Cut into 3-inch leaves using a knife. Brush top of pie with beaten egg; top with leaves. Brush leaves with egg; sprinkle with 1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar. Cut 4 to 5 slits in top of pie for steam to escape.

6. Freeze pie 15 minutes. Meanwhile heat a jelly-roll pan in oven 10 minutes. Place pie on hot jelly-roll pan.

7. Bake at 425 on lower oven rack 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375, bake 40 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning, and bake 25 more minutes or until juices are thick and bubbly. Transfer to a wire rack; cool 2 hours before serving.

Strawberry Crumb Bars

Yet again another strawberry recipe! I just can't resist their deliciousness this summer.
These little bars are absolutely wonderful. I had to pull myself away from the pan when they were ready to eat.




Strawberry Crumb Bars
Source: Smells Like home
1½ cups sugar, divided
1 tsp baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
Zest of 1 lemon
2 sticks (½ lb) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg
4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
4 tsp cornstarch
Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a 13×9 inch pan; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of the sugar, the baking powder and flour. Mix in the salt and the lemon zest, and stir together with a fork. Cut in the butter and egg with a pastry blender (or two knives if you don’t have one) until the largest chunks are about pea-sized. The mixture should be crumbly without much loose flour. Spread about half of the dough mixture in an even layer over the bottom of the prepared pan and press down firmly to form the bottom crust.

In another bowl, stir together the remaining sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the strawberries with a rubber spatula until combined. Spread the berry mixture evenly over the bottom crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the top of the berries. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is slightly golden brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.

Strawberry Pie

I love strawberries! I have a few more recipes with strawberries to add on here! My friend recently made this pie and it was just delicious. I asked for the recipe and made this for Father's day. It is really easy and the pie was really popular at our Father's day get together.



The one change I made to this pie was to not use the top pie crust and instead do a crumble topping.


Strawberry Pie
Source: My friend Liz

Make a double-crusted pie crust (or buy it)


Preheat oven to 400 degrees

8 cups fresh strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tb. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tb. of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tb. heavy cream (i just use water)

Roll dough over pie dish, cut edges and allow to chill for 30 min.

Place strawberries in a large bowl; with your hands, crush about 1/2 cup of berries (i don't do this step b/c the juice runs over). Add the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice; stir to combine. Spoon mixture into chilled pie shell, mounding berries slightly to the center. Dot with butter; place other dough on top of berries. (don't forget to poke holes through if you're doing a full crusted pie.)


In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and cream. Lightly brush rim of chilled pie shell with egg wash and the top crust layer. Freeze or refrigerate pie for 30 min. (I skip this step too, haha, and it still turns out ok).

Place pie in oven and bake until crust begins to turn golden, about 20 min. Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees, and continue backing, rotating sheet halfway through, until the crust is deep golden brown and juices are bubbling and thickened, 40-50 min. Allow to cool

Strawberries and Cream Pie

It's been awhile huh? I am so excited to finally have time to create in my kitchen. I have a whole list of recipes to try this summer. I made this pie for mother's day. It was a hit! I love how pretty it is and while it may look like it took some time to make it really took no time at all!


Chocolate-Drizzled Strawberries and Cream Pie
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 quart fresh strawberries

1 8-oz. package cream cheese at room temperature (light is fine)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 9″ graham cracker crust (store-bought or homemade)
1-2 ounces chocolate

In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. In a separate large bowl, beat the whipping cream and powdered sugar until medium peaks form. Add about 1 c. of the whipping cream mixture to the cream cheese mixture. Beat until smooth and well-combined. Add the remaining whipping cream mixture and mix until just combined. Spread in the graham cracker crust and refrigerate for a few minutes while you prepare the strawberries.

Wash the strawberries and cut off the stems. Blot dry with a paper towel and then gently press, cut side down, into the whipped cream mixture. Set aside.

If using a chocolate bar, break it into equal pieces and place in a small Ziploc bag. Microwave for 1-1 1/2 minutes, stopping the microwave every 20 seconds to mash the bag. You want the chocolate to be melted but not hot at all. When the chocolate is melted, snip a corner off the bag and drizzle it over the strawberries. Refrigerate for at least three hours before serving. Serves 8.

No-Bake Turtle Pumpkin Pie

This is a dessert that I made for Thanksgiving. I know I'm a little behind!! My mom asked me to make something sugar free for my dad to have on Thanksgiving. When I saw this recipe I knew it was exactly what I wanted to make. My dad loves turtles so i thought this would be perfect.
It was easy to put together and I think it looks delicious! I received many compliments on the look and taste of this dessert!

No-Bake Turtle Pumpkin Pie
Source: Sing For Your Supper

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar free caramel ice cream topping, divided
1 graham cracker pie crust
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons pecan pieces, divided
1 cup cold 1% milk
2 packages (4-serving size) vanilla sugar-free, fat-free instant pudding
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tub (8 ounce) light whipped topping, thawed, divided

Pour 1/4 cup caramel topping into crust; sprinkle with 1/2 cup pecans.
Beat milk, pudding mixes, pumpkin, and spices with whisk until blended. Gently fold in 1 1/2 cup whipped topping. Spread into crust.
Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Top with remaining whipped topping and 2 tablespoons pecans. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons caramel topping.

Nutritional analysis: (per one slice)
Calories – 165
Fiber – 2.7
Protein – 2
Total fat – 7
Carbohydrate – 23

Candy Cane Blossoms

I also made these cookies for Christmas treats. I think these cookies look so pretty. I enjoyed making them especially since they were so easy.



Candy cane Blossoms
Source:Hershey

48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Candy Cane Mint Candies
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
Red or green sugar crystals, granulated sugar or powdered sugar

1 Heat oven to 350°F. Remove wrappers from candies.
2 Beat butter, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with milk to butter mixture, beating until well blended.
3 Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in red sugar, granulated sugar, powdered sugar or a combination of any of the sugars. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4 Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cookie is set. Remove from oven; cool 2 to 3 minutes. Press a candy piece into center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies

Chocolate Mint Puddles

For Christmas I made a couple different treats. My husband really likes mint so I made these with him in mind. These were easy to make and this batch made a lot of cookies!!!


Chocolate Mint Puddles
Source: Sing For Your Supper
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 (4.5 ounce) packages chocolate covered thin mints (Andes mints)

In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the sugar, butter and water, stirring occasionally until melted. Remove from heat, stir in the chocolate chips until melted and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl, and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets. Roll cookie dough into walnut sized balls and place 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, be careful not to overbake. When cookies come out of the oven, Press one mint wafer into the top of each cookie and let sit for 1 minute. When the mint is softened, swirl with the back of a spoon or toothpick to make a pattern with the green filling of the mint wafer. For smaller cookies, break mints in half.

Brownie Covered Oreos

I love baking at Christmas time. I have a list of new things to try and these were one of them. I made them to take into school one day last week. They were a hit as I left with an empty plate! These were fun to make and I even got Chad to help make them!! That is an accomplishment! :)

Brownie Covered Oreos
Source: Picky Palate

1 Brownie mix (or use your own brownie recipe)

1 package Oreos, I used the Holiday ones

White chocolate, melted for drizzle, or Wilton White frosting pen works great

White nonpariels Sprinkles

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare brownie batter according to package directions. Leave in mixing bowl. Dip Oreos in brownie batter then place in bottom of cupcake tins that have been generously sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until brownies are cooked through (doesn’t take long). As soon as you remove, take a plastic knife and run along edges, (this is VERY important so you get the cookie out with brownies not stuck to pan

2. Let cool for 5 minutes, remove drizzle with melted white chocolate or the Wilton White icing pen, sprinkle with nonpariels and EAT! Enjoy

Makes entire package of Oreos

Peach Cobbler

My husband's Grandpa has been in bad health for the last few months. I have been giving him some of my jars of jam. He really enjoys it and why not give him great food to enjoy right now.

I thought I would also bring him a peach cobbler to enjoy before the end of the season. I searched on Food Network's website for a peach cobbler recipe. I pretty much already knew the best recipe would come from Paula Deen. I first found a video of her making this cobbler. The video shows just how easy this recipe is. Make sure you follow the exact directions she gives. Especially making sure you use self rising flour or add baking powder to your flour if it isn't self rising.

This was delicious and I love the crust. I will definitely use this recipe again and use different fruits as well.

The Lady and Sons Peach Cobbler

Source: Paula Deen Food Network website

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1 cup milk
1 (28-ounce) can sliced peaches in heavy syrup, un-drained (use fresh peaches if available; see note*)
Cinnamon, for sprinkling, optional
Vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream, for serving
Directions
*If they are available, by all means use fresh peaches. In a saucepan, mix 2 cups fresh peach slices with one cup sugar and one cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir often, making sure the sugar is completely dissolved. Substitute this for the canned peaches.

*Cook's Note: The most important part of this dish is not stirring the mixture.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Put butter in a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish and place in the oven to melt. Stir sugar and flour together and mix well. Slowly add milk and continue stirring to prevent the batter from lumping.

Being careful not to burn yourself, remove hot baking dish containing melted butter from oven; pour batter directly over butter in baking dish. Do not stir.

Spoon fruit on top of batter, then gently pour syrup on top. Do not stir. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of batter, if using. (The most important part of this dish is not stirring the mixture at this point in the recipe.)

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Your batter will rise above your fruit, producing the most wonderful of crusts. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

Peach Crisp

I picked up some peaches on sale today with hopes to just slice them up and enjoy with my breakfast or lunch. Well as I waiting on my husband to get home so I could start dinner, I was checking out the What's Cooking board. Of course someone had to ask for a peach cobbler recipe which got me thinking :)

I searched around allrecipes.com for something I had all the ingredients for and was super simple.

This recipe gave me all of that. I put this whole thing together and had it all cleaned up in about 15 minutes. That is my kind of dessert recipe!

Peach Crisp

Source: allrecipes.com

6 peaches- peeled,pitted and sliced

1/4 tsp almond extract (I was out so I just used vanilla)

1/2 cup AP flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbs brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease an 8 inch square baking pan.

Place the peaches in the bottom of the baking dish and sprinkle with the almondy extract.

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter until the mixture resmbles crumbs.

Sprinkle the flour mixture in an even layer over the top of the peaches and bake in the pre-heated oven for 45 minutes, until the peaches are bubbling and the top is browned.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Another baby was recently born so I took a meal to the family. For their meal I made stuffed shells, green beans, strawberry salad and these cookies.

I made enough to keep a couple for Chad. I don't care for chocolate but I thought it would be yummy treat for him. To my surprise they were!! He actually commented how much he liked these cookies! They were just as easy as any chocolate chip cookie.

The recipe came from a cookie cookbook my SIL gave me for Christmas. I have many other cookies bookmarked to try!

Chewy Chocolate Cookies
Source: 500 Cookies

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) sweet butter
1/3 cup AP flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of Salt
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups superfine sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped coarse

Preheat over to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

Melt the bittersweet chocolate and butter. Allow to cool slightly. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. In another bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract until thick and pale. Stir in the melted chocolate into the eggs and sugar, followed by the flour and semeisweet chocolate chunks.

Drop tablespoons of mixture onto baking sheets and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Slide the parchment onto wire racks.

When completely cool, store in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.

Lemonade Pie

I recently took dinner to a family who just welcomed a new baby boy! For their dessert I chose this pie. Here in Indy our temps went from cold to HOT! I thought this dessert would be perfect to help stay cool!

Lemonade Pie
Source: There's No Place Like Home

Mix 1 tub of cool whip
1 can of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
and 6 oz of frozen lemonade (or you can use limeade too)
After it is mixed together, put it in a baked pie shell( I used a frozen pie crust) and freeze it overnight.

Like suggested on There's No Place Like home. I made two pies as well so we could enjoy our own pie!

Chocolate Cheesecake

This is my second dessert I made for mother's day with my mom in mind. I will say I have never made a cheesecake!!! I will be whipping up some more from now on. I love how this recipe uses the food processer to mix everything. It made it so easy. I actually made both of my desserts simultaneously and it wasn't difficult at all.


Low & Lush Chocolate Cheesecake
Source: Joelen's Culinary Adventures
recipe adapted from Dorie Greenspan
Filling:
1 1/2 pounds (three 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
1 graham cracker pie crust - homemade or store bought


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut each bar of cream cheese into quarters and toss the pieces into a food processor, along with the sugar. Process, scraping down the bowl 2 or 3 times, for a full 2 minutes. You’ll see how dramatically the cream cheese changes; it will look like white velvet at the end of its beating. Add the eggs, vanilla and salt and give the batter 4 longish pulses, the scrape down the bowl and pulse 2 more times. Pour in the chocolate and pulse and scrape a few times to blend the batter well.

Remove the bowl from the processor and rap it hard on the counter a couple of times to de-bubble the batter. Scrape the batter into your prepared graham cracker crust.

Bake the cheesecake in the preheated 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes if you are using a large store bought graham cracker crust or a 9-inch pan or 45 to 50 minutes if you are using a standard store bought graham cracker crust or an 8 1/2-inch pan. The top should be puffed and set, but if you tap the pan gently, the center of the cake will still be a little shaky–that’s just fine. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 8 hours or for up to 3 days. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate, if desired, before serving.

Cinnamon Cupcakes

For mother's day today I made two desserts with my mom and MIL in mind. These cinnamon cupcakes were for my mother-in-law. She enjoys cinnamon treats so I thought these would be perfect.
They were extremely easy and tasted great.

I just realized I didn't get any pictures of my desserts!! Just know they looked and tasted delicious.:)

Cinnamon Cupcakes
Source: Loves to Eat

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. salt

½ cup whole milk

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 large eggs

¾ cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. grated orange zest

½ tsp. vanilla extract



For the frosting:

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

2-3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. ground cinnamon



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Stir milk and butter in a small saucepan over low heat just until butter melts; set aside.



In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs and sugar until thick enough for the batter to fall in a heavy ribbon when the beater is lifted, about 5 minutes. Beat in orange peel and vanilla. Add the flour mixture; beat just until blended. Add in milk mixture slowly. Divide batter evenly between cupcake liners. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 16-18 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.



To make the frosting, cream the butter and the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing. Add the vanilla extract and cinnamon and mix until incorporated. Slowly add the powdered sugar, and keep adding until you reach the desired consistency and sweetness. Frost cooled cupcakes.

Source: adapted from A Southern Grace

A fun oreo Easter treat.

I found this super EASY and cute Easter treat over on Picky Palate. I definitely will be using this idea for other holidays and celebrations.


White Fudge Dipped Oreo Easter Cookies
Source: Picky Palate
Bag of Oreo Cookies

Bag of Wilton White Candy Melts (I found mine at WalMart)

Food Decorating Paste or Food Coloring (red, yellow, blue and green)

White nonpareils Sprinkles

1. Take half of the Oreos out of the package and set on plate so they are ready to go. Melt candy according to package directions until smooth. Divide white chocolate into 4 separate bowls then add paste or food coloring until desired color is reached. Start with just a tiny drop so you get pastels Stir then dip tops of oreos in chocolate. Use spoon to spread evenly. Sprinkle with sprinkles then place onto foil, parchment or wax paper to dry. Continue dipping until Oreos and chocolate is used up. Serve room temperature or chilled, Enjoy!!

Easter Lunch!

We had a wonderful Easter. Chad and I had my parents and my aunt and uncle over for lunch after church. I was so excited to entertain this Easter. My grandma gave me most of her Easter decorations a few years ago and I was determined to really put them to use. I only wish she could have seen it. She was always such a great entertainer and I am sure that's where I get my love for it from!
Here is the table.





For lunch we had a delicious spinach and strawberry salad, Ham, Macaroni, Asparagus and of course Sister Schubert rolls!
The macaroni I made is from this post.
The asparagus is a recipe from one of my aunts.


For dessert we had chocolate pie and strawberry shortcake.

Marshmallow Brownies

I am finally on Spring Break!! Woohoo! At school on the last day before break we always have a cookout! It's great with tons of food to celebrate the year almost being over :) I brought these super simple delicious brownies!! I don't care for chocolate (I know shocking!!!) so I didn't eat any but these were devoured so I think they were pretty good.

Marshmallow Swirl Brownies
Source: Lauren's Kitchen
Ingredients

•Cooking Spray
•1 pkg family-sized fudge brownie mix (plus whatever ingredients are listed on the box)
•1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow creme
•1/3 cup chocolate frosting

Heat oven to 350. Prepare brownies as indicated on package with oil, water and eggs. Cool completely.

Spread a thin layer of marshmallow creme over brownies. Place frosting in microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 10-20 seconds. Stir until smooth. Drizzle frosting over marshmallow creme. Swirl with knife.

Refrigerate 15 minutes. To cut cleanly, spray a knife with non-stick cooking spray as needed. Store loosely covered in the refrigerator.

Cookies and Cream Rice Krispy Treats

So I have to admit I don't remember ever making rice krispy treats. I mean how could I not have made them before, they are so easy!
I made these for the Colts game last week. It took about 3 minutes to whip these things up!


Cookies and Cream Rice Crispy Treats
Source: Picky Palate
4 Tablespoons Butter
4 Cups mini marshmallows
8 Cups rice crispy cereal
8 oz bag mini Oreo cookies

1/2 Cup chocolate chips, melted

1. Place butter and marshmallows into a large microwavable bowl. Microwave for a few minutes until marshmallows puff up nice and large. Remove and stir in cereal and Oreos. Pour into a large 9×13 inch baking dish. With the back of a large spoon that’s sprayed with cooking spray press and smooth treats. Drizzle melted chocolate over top and let cool. Cut into squares.