Recipe: Pie Crust

French Pastry Pie Crust
This tutorial uses a recipe from allrecipes.com called French-Pastry-Pie-Crust.

Strawberry Jam

Making homemade jam has always been one of those things I was just afraid to try, until yesterday that is.

I did my weekly grocery shopping and was pleasantly surprised to find a 4lb box of strawberries on sale for 4.99 (at Albretson's).  That is the cheapest I have seen in a long time, so I couldn't pass it up!

I took my beloved strawberries home, set them on the counter, and stared at them for a few minuets trying to figure out what to do with them. I decided strawberry jam would come in very handy, especially since I had just made a batch of fresh whole wheat bread, and am planning on making waffles sometime this week.

I started looking up jam recipes online (I hardly ever open a cook book anymore), and was shocked to find how much sugar was needed to make a batch of jam, something like 4 cups of sugar to 2 cups of strawberries...yikes! But then I went to my new favorite cooking website savorysweetlife.com and found a delightful jam recipe that only called for 1 cup of sugar to 2 cups of fresh strawberries.  Plus, this recipe uses balsamic vinegar instead of pectin.

I decided to quadruple the recipe and ended up making 3 jars of jam (to keep or gift, haven't decided yet!)
Click below to get my personal how-to and simple idea for gifted jam!

A Little Something Sweet : Cookie Monster

Happy Friday!

Friday's are a special day in our house! There is usually lots of crazy partying going on...like a fun filled evening of something super yummy followed by a nice movie...I told you CRAZY!

Actually, we really do look forward to it. Plus, our big move to NM (a few months ago) has brought on a slight lack of both funds and friends. So our big "movie/date night"  has become a fun tradition.  I try to make something special for dessert like one of our all-time favorites or maybe something we've never tried before.

So, with that in mind I have decided to dedicate Friday's to "A Little Something Sweet," in hopes that you will also spend time with your special someone (or someone's) and enjoy a tasty treat!

This weeks "Something Sweet" is a recipe I have adapted from Craigo's Pizza in Rexburg, Idaho (where we use to live). This ice cream-cookie combo is super simple and great for a quick delicious dessert.  I made this recipe for my husband and I last week, but it is also perfect to serve when entertaining large groups. To get the recipe and how-to please click below!

St. Patrick's Green Breakfast

Growing up, I don't recall St. Patrick's Day ever being a huge event, but my Mom always did a little something to make the day special. My siblings and I (I have 3 sisters and 1 brother), would usually wake up to a "Green Breakfast" on St. Patrick's day.  The breakfast included dyed green milk, eggs, and pancakes. Sound a little unappetizing? Well, we loved it and I have decided to carry on the tradition in our household (but in a slightly more appetizing way).

So, here are a few delightful St. Patrick's breakfast ideas...green pancakes (with the works), broccoli quiche, and green milk!

The Quiche recipe is both delicious and healthy! If your interested in the recipe Click Here!

Note: To make dyed food look more appetizing,
add a few drops of yellow to make the green a warmer hue.

It's a good thing I got a couple of good shots of the quiche before this monster showed up!

Broccoli and Onion Quiche

My Husband and I Love breakfast food! We usually have it for dinner at least once a week! This delicious and healthy broccoli quiche recipe has been a perfect addition to our favorite meal!

Rocky Road Brownies

Oh my yummy! 

I stumbled upon this recipe today and my mouth wouldn't stop watering! 

I love recipes that take a simple dessert and add a fun twist to make them delectable! A perfect recipe to include with a fun weekend movie night! 

Get the recipe and helpful How-to Over Here at savorsweetlife.com (a lovely site by the way). Hope you have an awesome weekend!

(photo by savorysweetlife.com )

Rainbow Cakes

Lately I keep running into these fabulous rainbow cakes (must be for St. Patty's Day).  They seriously look awesome and who would have thought a rainbow of colors could look so appetizing? I can't believe I've never thought to make one before.  Well one or all of these cakes are going on my "to do list."  Hope you like them as much as I do!

To get the How To for these awesome cakes, you can visit these websites...

Top Photo...One Charming Party

Center Photo...Omnomicon

Bottom Photo...Save the Date for Cupcakes

Shamrock Pretzel Cookies

St. Patricks Day is coming up and its time to start thinking about some yummy treats to make to celebrate the occasion! These Shamrock Pretzel Snaks from familyfun.go.com are super tasty and fun to make! I altered the recipe slightly and have included easy step by step instructions for you to create your own!

"Too Much Chocolate Cake"

Last Summer I was able to make a wedding cake for my cousin's wedding.  We had loads of fun taste testing different chocolate cake recipes and decided that This One was the winner.  The recipe used a simple devils food boxed cake mix but added a few special ingredients like chocolate pudding, sour cream, and chocolate chips, which added a delightful twist and made the cake extra moist! The cake was layered with a homemade raspberry filling, coated with a lite cream cheese frosting, and topped with fresh raspberries...delicious.

Who Would Have Thought...

I first tasted this little treat a few years ago.  My first thought was "oh wonderful, another typical jello casserole," but when I took my first bite I was in heaven.  This was no ordinary jello dish, it was a strawberry & pineapple gooey goodness layered on top of a whipped cream cheese filling and crunchy pretzel crust. There is just something about the combination of sweet and salty with a touch of cream cheese that makes this simple dish divine.

I made this recipe for a some guests a few months ago.  The same guests came to eat last week and personally requested that I make it again.  I have seen a couple different variations of this recipe but This One by Paula Deen has been my favorite.  I usually serve this as a side dish with dinner, but I think it could be used for a dessert as well.  Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Peanut Butter & Carmel Kisses

The other day I had to throw together a casual yet delicious dinner for a few guests.  With limited time and a cranky little man both teething and recovering from the flu I knew I had to choose menu items that were manageable.  While searching through my pantry I came across my stash of pre-packaged Betty Crocker cookie mixes and knew exactly what to do for dessert... Peanut Butter Kisses!  A delicious time saving penny pinching solution and they were a hit!  I simply followed the recipe on the back of the cookie package but added a little something extra with carmel filled kisses instead of regular chocolate.  

These little cookies were quite the delite but if you feel inclined to make them even more yummy I would use a homemade peanut butter cookie recipe like This and then follow these simple extra steps...

-Roll dough into 1" balls and coat with sugar

-Place dough balls on baking sheet and bake for 6-8 min.

-After pulling cookies out of the oven immediately add Hershey Kiss to the center of each cookie and transfer to a cooling rack

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