oreo truffles, so easy a five year old can make them

and he did with some help from mom. i had big plans for these goodies, but they were dashed with the crappy wilton food markers i bought. they would not write on the white chocolate,  no matter, travis had fun anyway.

oreo truffles

1 8oz cream cheese, room temp
one entire package of oreos killed in the food processor

mix the two, roll into balls, chill and then dip into white almond bark. buy quality food markers and have at it or not. enjoy.

mini pumpkin muffin bites

i am not sure where i got this recipe, but it must be off the net. i have it jotted down on a piece of paper and stuck among a pile of recipe print outs and rip outs stuffed into my kitchen cabinet. you know, open the door and a downpour of paper showers on your head or open the door with one hand, as the other holds the papers, stacked cook books back! got one of those yourself?

anyway, i guess you could call these pumpkin muffin bites or something like it. i was calling them doughnuts, but they are not, really. i baked them in my mini muffin tin, not my doughnut pan. oh wait,  i don't have a doughnut pan like this one. it is on my wish list, a girl can dream can't she? oh, dreams do come true. i got the microplane and a whirly pop to prove it. anyway....

these little babies turned out great. they are quick, easy and taste yummy. my entire family liked them, but caroline loved them. they are that good. i do think next time i might up the spices a tad. i would like a bit more of a bite myself. here is the recipe that i used and feel free to call them whatever you like, pumpkin holes, pumpkin balls, pumpkin rug balls, pumpkin porch balls, etc....

mini pumpkin muffin bites

preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray two mini muffin tins

sift together the following:


1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
heavy pinch of cloves
heavy pinch of ginger

in another bowl whisk the following:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned or cooked pumpkin
1/2 cup buttermilk

Mix the dry into the wet ingredients. fill you tins just to the top. bake for about 10 minutes or so. you can check with a cake tester, toothpick or your finger. let cool a few minutes.

now melt a three or four tablespoons of butter in a bowl.  in another bowl mix sugar and cinnamon together to your taste. i go heavy on the cinnamon myself. dip the tops of the bites into the butter, then into the sugar mixture. you are done. easy. enjoy.
 
ps-these were fab-u-lous with a hot cup of coffee. oh yum.

EDIT-i just thought i would take a second to explain the suggested names of pumpkin rug balls and pumpkin porch balls to you, so you would not think that i was too nuts. years ago my sister in law's late mother made a batch of meatballs for her large family. it was a holiday gathering, so lots of folks. she dropped the entire pan on the carpeted floor, picked them up, washed them and fed the crowd. every year after, her kids requested her famous "rugballs". she is my hero.

the porch balls, well actually, it was basically the same thing, but on my front porch and different sister in law. they were dang tasty.  enjoy.
 
Week 5 Twelve Weeks of Christmas: 

meet cora and rosie

our new easter egger pullets....

these gals are a birthday gift to myself. easter eggers lay tinted eggs, different shades of blue, green and pink. i am just so happy to get this little ladies. this is rosie.....

just look at those fluffy little cheeks. she laid me a beautiful green egg this morning. and this is cora....

she appears to younger, but laid the palest baby blue egg. both are so timid and scared. i am guessing it is because they are getting the ever living crap pecked out of them right now!! holy cow, the other ladies are reestablishing the pecking order and i do mean pecking order. these two have been afraid to come out of the coop for most of the day. i had to go referee earlier. i know things will calm down soon and peace and harmony will prevail. oh, wait, i forgot caroline and travis live here, scratch that. anyway,  

those two lovelies laid these....

no, not the brown one, that is from lucy. also, who does this chicken think she's fooling?

i guess with the two new additions, minnie must have thought her days were numbered, so she decide to act like a big girl. yea right, it was all show, no egg. oh well.

enjoy.

nutella brownie bites

it is week four of the 12 weeks of christmas cookies and i made the simplest little treat for which i can take absolutely no credit. i made these....

i call them nutella brownie bites. i saw the recipe over at tracey's culinary adventures, one of my favorite places to visit. she is always up to something good over there. i have been eyeballing her flat roasted chicken, but that is another post. anyway, she calls them simply nutella fudge brownies and they are all of three ingredients! they are so easy to make, bakes in a flash, moist, flavorful and would be a delicious addition to any christmas cookie tray. i know they were a great addition to today's cup of coffee. you can find the recipe here. thanks tracey for sharing with us this nutella infused gem. now if you want to get technical....

four ingredients, if you count the whole hazelnut i stuck in half of my bites. yum. enjoy.

ps-off on a decade overdue trip to ikea today. check back in later. go make these, now!

Week 4 Twelve Weeks of Christmas:

chocolate cake mix cookies

i know, i know, terrible picture, but truth be told,  i was just not in the baking mood this week, so it depicts my mood....crappy.
i did manage to whip up my required baked good for the 12 weeks of christmas cookies and you know what? they are not only easy, but dang tasty. the recipe calls for one cup of chocolate chips, but i subbed white chocolate chips because caroline loves the unchocolate flavor. they taste like a little chewy, moist brownie. i would definitely make them again. i found the recipe here.

okay, off to see if i can get happier. enjoy.

Week 3 Twelve Weeks of Christmas:

wordless wednesday

cake pops, i need to practice

because i suck at them! oh my gosh, i though it would be easy, but nooooo! i made my cake balls too big, the sticks feel out, the chocolate was too thick and not enough. ugh. i need to try again.

i hate the flat tops or bottoms, however you want to see it. i need a piece of styrofoam to stick the pops in as they cool. they taste good, but just plain ugly. you can find a recipe for them anywhere on the net.

this looks likes "the monster" going through puberty, a flat, square head with pimples. yikes!

i might try again, soon. enjoy.

ginger scones

for the second week of the 12 weeks of christmas cookies i opted to make epicurious' ginger scones and i am glad i did. these ginger scones, unlike last week's cookie flop, are good. they were a little frustrating at times and i know i over handled the dough a bit, but overall they turned out pretty dang tasty. the scones were not exactly the prettiest ones i have ever made or seen. i was getting so irritated with the dough that i haphazardly cut them out with my biscuit cutter. when i began, the dough was too dry, then sticky, then soft and generally ticking me off! i was loosing my patience, so i just plopped them all onto my silpat and threw'em in the oven. well, i let them get too brown, oops, no harm done.

can you can see the candied ginger? i purchased a bag from trader joe's and boy howdy, does it have a bite. i diced it on the tennie weenie side. there is not only a great ginger kick, but a tart lemon punch, too. well, more like a lemon tickle from lemon zest. what a great flavor combination those two are, wow. you know, i would make these ginger scones again. truthfully, there were pretty simple and....

i like'em. enjoy.

Week 2 Twelve Weeks of Christmas:

wordless wednesday

apple spice cake with buttermilk syrup

we went riding around in gloucester on sunday, in the rain. we were prowling around on six hundred acres of the most beautiful farmland adjacent to the york river. it kills my soul everytime we visit because it is not mine! we ran into the caretaker, a friend and co-worker of jamie's. he told us to go visit the red apple tree over by the old plantation house for a treat. gosh, i wish i had my camera, so you could see it all. anywho, in the pouring rain,caroline and i filled the only thing we had, our shirts and an old baseball cap, as jamie and travis watched from the dry pickup. .i have no idea of the type of apple, but it was just fun watching caroline jumping for highest ones possible. now, what to make?

i scoured the web and found a recipe for an apple spice cake and buttermilk syrup. i have never visited this lady's blog before, but both recipes just sounded delcious and easy. i was right. the cake, it's moist and flavorful, not overly spicy and no nuts. jamie loved it. the syrup, oh my gosh, pure carmel-y goodness. it would be fantastic on anything from waffles to ice cream. let me tell you what though, it was heaven on the apple cake, but most divine on my spoon.



lookie, lookie, doesn't that look goooooood? you can find the cake recipe by clicking here and the syrup recipe by clicking here. go make this, now. i'm serious. enjoy.

the chickens

just a few updated pics of my ladies....

poor ol'minnie, i don't know why that chicken has not matured. she has no comb or wattle and is not laying. late bloomer i suppose. i guess i need to pull up a chair and read her the ugly ducking.

my abby chicken who has turned into a sweet gal. she is the head hen and keeps the other three in line.

top and clockwise, daisy, abby, and minnie....

butt(s) where is my lucy chicken?

oh pardon me ma'am....