Rainbow Sugar Cookies

A few weeks ago, we made our edible glitter and here is what we did with it. We decided to make rainbow sugar cookies. You can get the sugar cookie recipe that I used from here. I doubled the batch cause we were taking these to a family reunion. 

I then separated the dough into 5 bowls. I left 1 bowl its normal color of yellow. I then added food coloring to my dough and mixed it by hand.

I took our edible glitter and poured them into bowls, so that I could roll the dough balls in the matching color.

I then put the balls on the cookie sheet and baked them.

This is how they turned out! 

I was a little worried that the food coloring made the dough too wet, but they cooked normally without any problems. We got tons of compliments on how cute they were. We were also asked for the recipe for the sugar cookies because they were soft and moist!

-chelz

Edible Glitter

I found this idea on pinterest and decided to give it a try. It didn't make it really glittery, but my kids had a blast making it and we will definitely do it again! 

 I measured out 1/4 c of just regular white granulated sugar and put it in each container. You can also use raw sugar and that might turn out more glittery. I will have to try it that way next time.

I added about 5-7 drops of food coloring and mixed it in really good. I used the liquid kind, Im not sure how the gel would work. If you use it let me know how it works.

I took a cookie pan and placed 4 "U" shaped tin foil sheets on it and poured the sugar onto it. This keeps them separated and then it makes it easy to pour into the container once it has been cooked. I cooked these in the oven on 230 degrees for about 8-10 minutes, if you use the raw sugar then bump the oven temp up to 350. Once you pull it out let it cool for a few minutes. The sugar will be stiff so i just folded the foil down and used my hand to break it back up.

I used baby jars to store the sugar in. It was really easy to make and a fun craft to do with the kids. I will post later what we end up doing with our new sugar glitter!


-chelz

Strawberries & Cream Crescents

Strawberry shortcake is my all time favorite dessert! Our family makes Strawberry shortcake a lot in the summer! I found these crescents by chance one day when I was with my daughter. We had stopped at Day's Market, which is a local grocery store in Heber City and there is also one in Orem City. Sydney wanted a doughnut and I looked over and saw these bad boys and had to try one. These are just like having an individual Strawberry shortcake! It was so delicious and I find myself craving them all the time. I am going to try to make these myself at home one of these days and see if I can get it right. 

 So, if you are ever close to a Day's Market you should stop in and try one!

-chelz

The Bowling Alley

In Heber, they have an old bowling alley that we love to go to! It is retro inside and has a fun atmosphere. The kids love to bowl and we love the food! Every now and then I just love a good ol' greasy burger and the ones here are worth the calories. 

I always order their "English Chips" instead of regular fries. They are just so good. When I was in high school we lived in New Zealand for 18 months, Buff was born and raised in New Zealand, and I just miss the fish 'n' chips there. These English chips hit home for me! Although the food is great I think the drinks are even better. They make old school syrup homemade Cherry Coke and Vanilla Coke! It is worth going there for just the Coke alone, I think! 

If you should ever find yourself in the Heber Valley in Utah, you should stop in the bowling alley and give it a try!

-chelz

Twinkie Strawberry Shortcake For MOM

So easy, the kids can make this surprise for Mom for Mothers Day!

Just stir a tablespoon of powdered sugar into fresh sliced strawberrys.....

Using these ingredients, Twinkies, strawberry's, and canned whipping cream

How easy could it be......    ENJOY!!!!!!                     -Buff-              

          

Fruit Bouquet For Mother's Day

Make a Fruit Bouquet for MOM, using your crafty side, make butterfly's out of pineapple, hearts out of cantelope, and dip some strawberry's in chocolate..... Put styrofoam in the bottom of a planter then slide the fruit on skewers, and sit back & enjoy the beautiful bouquet..she will love it....

                                                               

Raspberry Angel Dream Dessert

My boss brought this into work for us to try....
                                    Oh my goodness this huge dessert is divine & only 90 calories....

It looked really good, but it tasted sooo much better than it looked, and each portion was 1/5 of the sugar free Angel Food cake. She said for 2 weeks they ate it every night for dessert on their diet, and they lost weight. They never got sick of it because it was so filling and yummy. Finally after 2 weeks she felt like she was finally willing to share some with us, and we were so glad she did. Everyone of us ate the whole thing...
It is such a quick and easy dessert to make. Here's her recipe and thanks a bunch Peggy..

1 9oz Sugar Free Angel Food cake (in the WalMart bakery) ask if you can't find it, it may be in their freezer.
1 Lg. tub Lite Coolwhip
4 cups Fresh or frozen Raspberries
1 Tbsp.Splenda

Combine thawed raspberries and splenda and mix thoroughly. Spoon some raspberry mix on top of 1/5 of  the Angel Food cake and top with Coolwhip and enjoy. Just looking at the photos gives me warm fuzzies..

                                                                                -Buff-

Frugal Friday- Homemade Hash Browns

At our house, we love to eat breakfast for dinner! Who doesn't? A lot of times we make our own hash browns and it ends up being a lot cheaper than buying them from the frozen section at the store.

What you will need:

- about 4 raw potatoes
- chopped up onions (as much or as little as you would like)
- 2 eggs (to hold the ingredients together)

Mix it all together in a bowl, and then spoon into the pan to cook. You could also do this on a griddle. 

This is a fast and easy way to make your own hash browns at home. Hope your family enjoys this as much as ours does!

-Buff-

Frugal Friday - Veggie Alfredo Pizza

Every Friday in our home is pizza/movie night. I'm constantly on the lookout for new pizza recipes so we have a variety of pizzas to eat each week.  One of our favorite take-out pizzas is the Veggie Gourmet at Round Table Pizza.  This is our version of it.  Much cheaper but sooooo delicious!

Ingredients:

• pizza dough - premade or homemade
• olive oil
• garlic salt
• shredded mozzarella cheese
• alfredo sauce (I cut THIS recipe in half and use half on the pizza and half as dipping sauce)
•  red onions, sliced
• green onions, sliced
• baby spinach, chopped
• zuchinni, sliced and quartered
• artichoke hearts, chopped
• sliced mushrooms (we like the baby portabella)
• tomatoes, chopped
• minced garlic

Preheat the oven to 425°.  Roll out dough onto a greased pizza pan and brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt.  Using a fork poke holes in the dough and then bake for 7 minutes.  Spread on the alfredo sauce, cheese and toppings and bake an additional 7 minutes until crust is golden and cheese is melted.  

***A great tip for any leftover toppings is to use them in omelets the next morning.  So good!***

Things We Love Thursdays- Texas Roadhouse Grill

The girls had a day to ourselves when the boys were out at a sporting event, so we went shopping and then out to lunch! We chose Texas Roadhouse Grill! I LOVE LOVE LOVE their rolls and honey butter, so I was anxious to sink my teeth into them and I was not disappointed! I have a huge weakness when it comes to bread and these rolls are my favorite.

I had the Smokehouse Burger, they have a Sweet and Zesty sauce(AMAZING) that you can add to it for free. It was so big that I could not put my mouth around the burger and had to eat it with a knife and fork. It was a great burger!

Buff had the Prime Rib and it was so juicy and delicious! She had plenty to bring home in a box. The fries were great the service was even better!

I will definitely be going back sometime soon and would recommend it to those who have not tried it! The atmosphere is great and the food is amazing!

-chelz & Buff 

Frugal Friday- Restaurant Pasta at Home

I LOVE pasta! I was in the mood for a good pasta the other night and went on a search to find a good one I could make at home. I found this one from Chaos in the Kitchen on Pinterest and gave it a try. 

I made a few changes to the recipe. I didn't have any shrimp on hand so I substituted chicken. I also did not have fresh parsley, basil, or garlic cloves. So, i used parsley and basil seasoning that I had in my spice rack. For the garlic, I had a thing of minced garlic in my fridge and used that.

This was a fast recipe to make and it was a HUGE success! Everybody loved it! Next time I definitely want to try it with shrimp.

This was a great restaurant style pasta that I could make at home with pretty much the things I already had on hand. This is a great way to go to save money instead of going out for a good pasta! This pasta cost me under $5 to make!

-chelz

Leprechaun Lamingtons

I thought it might be fun to make Lime flavored Lamingtons for St. Patrick"s Day , being that I love the raspberry ones so much,  and the taste testers agreed they were pretty yummy and delicious looking.
 They were easier to make than I thought they would be, so here's the recipe. Make them a day early, they taste great the second day!!!

1 small pkt Lime jello
1 1/4 cups boiling water
Sponge cake or white or yellow cake
2 cups dessicated coconut or dehydrated coconut
1 Can spray whipping cream
Garnish

Dissolve jelly crystals completely in hot water, and put in fridge to cool and set slightly.
Cut off any dark edges from the cake and cut into serving sizes. Put coconut in a square dish.
Dip all sides of each piece of cake in cold jelly mixture and then roll in the coconut to coat.
Cut a slice at the top and spray whipping cream down the slice and garnish with whatever green treat or jelly bean you may have.

And a BIG Irish Good Luck To Ya'                                  -Buff-