Wordless Wednesday - Art Cars, Houston Symphony and Shipley

I've finally decided to take part in the Wordless-Wednesday fun! Here are a few pictures from my past week! Enjoy!

Houston Art Car Parade!

That car is decorated with marshmallow peeps!

Peacock Car!

Houston Sympathy: First date night as Husband and wife!

On the way back from Grand-Puppy-Moma's for Mother's Day!

I think Shipley saw a squirel!

1. What was the favorite thing you did this week?
2. Does your city host any fun events that you love to go to?

DIY Wedding Ring Holder

 When I was at the craft store the other day with my husband I stumbled across a small double frame. I thought it was adorable and would look awfully cute with some rings hanging in it. So I made my husband buy me the frame, and immediately went home to start working on the project.

I had some eyelet hooks at the house but no hooks. I took my handy needle nose pliers and made my own! With a quick snip I had the hooks I needed.

I then cut out some scrap book paper to fit in the openings. I choose orange and blue as those were our wedding colors, and why not have a small reminder! I taped the paper to the back of the frame.

Next was the easy part! I marked on the paper where I wanted the hooks and then started rotating the hooks until they were in "deep" enough. Once the hooks were in their spots. I put the back into the frame and that was it!

Super easy right? We have the ring holder on our shelf in the kitchen so anytime we are cooking or washing dishes I can hang my ring with out worrying about loosing it! There is also a spot for my husband's ring so he has no excuses to help with the dishes!

1. Do you ever take your wedding ring off?

2. Where do you like to keep your rings? 

Meet Shipley

Meet Shipley!! Shipley is our 2 yr old pup who we adopted from Citizens for Animal Protection on 10/17/12. She is 37 lbs and a mix of some sorts. It has been a new experience for the two of us, both bad and good. She has escaped out of our yard multiple times, tore up one of our doors in our house, escaped out of her kennel and has gotten sick multiple times. But, even with all that she has quickly gained a place in out hearts.

Her is a little bit about the dog that we love so much:

Shipley loves taking naps on her pillow.

She loves going on car rides

She had a fun time with the new pillow she got for Christmas.

Her first Christmas with her new Mommy and Daddy.

She was really excited for Santa to visit this year.

She also likes to sit on Daddy's lap while he is trying to work.

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French Toast Maple Cupcakes (Guest Recipe)

 

My friend Emily sent me this recipe and I told her I would share it on my blog. The cupcakes look delicious and I wish I could have tasted them.

I hope yall enjoy.l 

French Toast and Maple Bacon Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from Life With Cake

Makes 12 cupcakes

 

INGREDIENTS

For cupcakes
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature
1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup half-and-hal
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 large eggs, at room temperature, separated

For maple syrup buttercream
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons heavy cream, at room temperature

2 Tbsp maple syrup

cooked thick cut bacon, broken into pieces

extra maple syrup, garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

To make cupcakes–
Preheat to 375 degrees F. Line the cupcake pan with liners

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and vanilla and set aside.

In a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or hand mixer), combine the butter and sugar and mix on low speed until well incorporated. Add the egg yolks to the creamed butter one at time, waiting for each one to be fully combined before adding the next.

Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Alternately, add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions, ending with the flour mixture. Continue mixing until batter is smooth. Set aside.

In a different bowl, whip the egg whites on high speed, using the whisk attachment, until stiff peaks are formed. Working in 3 batches, using a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the cupcake batter, until just combined.

Fill cupcake liners about 1/2 full. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Remove the cupcakes from the oven and cool completely before frosting.

To make buttercream–
In a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), mix the butter and sugar on low speed until combined. Continuing mixing until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the heavy cream and maple extract. Raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Using a Wilton 1M piping tip (or your favorite star tip) pipe frosting on cupcake. 

Garnish with crumpled bacon and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Eeek! Mice! - Chocolate Cherry Mice

Eeek! Mice! That is usually what is said when mice are around! But, not with these chocolate cherry mice. Usually its more like: "Awww they are soo cute" or "How did you make those."

My sister and I have been making these chocolate candy mice since I was in high school. I am not really sure where she got the idea, but we have been making them every Christmas since them. Even though we make them as Christmas mice, they would work well at any party or even Halloween

I still can't get over how cute these chocolate candy mice are.  They are really easy to make, and they always get rave reviews. They are fun to eat and taste oh so delicious.

The ingredients are simple; maraschino cherries with stems (body and tail), chocolate bark (body and glue), Hershey kisses (head), shaved almonds (ears) and white icing (eyes).

The first thing you have to do is rinse your cherries with water, and dry with a paper towel. Your chocolate will become lumpy and hard if it gets water in it. 

 
Next, I find it easiest to make an assembly line to create the mice. I unwrap all the Hershey kisses, and make stacks of shaved almonds. That way your chocolate won't harden why you are trying to put the mice together.

Finally, melt your chocolate and start assembling the mice. Dip the cherries in chocolate and place on parchment/wax paper. Attach a Hershey kiss as the head, attach two shaved almonds as ears, and pipe two eyes on with icing. Let dry.

Now grab a mouse by the tail, hang it over your mouth, and take a big bite!

 Chocolate Candy Mice

Ingredients
Chocolate Bark
Maraschino Cherries with Stems
Hershey Kisses
Shaved Almonds
White icing

Directions

1. Rinse cherries and pat dry with paper towels
2. Dip cherries in chocolate and set down on parchment or wax paper
3. Attach an unwrapped Hershey Kiss to the cherry opposite to the stem, as the head.
4. Attach two shaved almond as ears.
5. Pipe eyes onto the Hershey Kiss
6. Let harden and enjoy

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

 
Have you ever made something that instantly became one of your go-to recipes? Well ! have and these baked creamy chicken taquitos are one of them! I stumbled across them a few months back from Pennies on a Platter and I instantly fell in love. They have the perfect combination of  crunchy, creamy and spice. Don't worry they don't have too much spice so you could easily serve them to little kids, or even add more kick for those crazy people out there who like to have their mouths on fire.

They are super easy to make and the best part? They are baked! So they are a little healthier than the restaurant version.I hope you enjoy these as much as I have!

First you mix your spices, cream cheese and salsa together.

Then add your herbs, chicken and cheese.

 

Next add the filling to the tortillas and roll up tightly.

  

Then bake!

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Adapted from Pennies on a Platter

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup green salsa
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 Tbsp sliced green onions
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese
10 small flour tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. 

Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.

Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.

Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone. Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other. 

Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.

Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

“Me want cookie!” - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

 The other day I got an e-mail from a co-work with the subject line "HELP!!". Very intrigued I opened the email and it was a request to make cupcakes for one of her friend's birthday's. I felt honored that she would reach out to me, but I also felt pressured that I had to make birthday cupcakes for someone I had never met. I knew that I had to make something creative, tasty, and birthday worthy.

I know that for my birthday I always like cookie cakes. There is just something about a giant cookie that will put a smile on anybody face. So I went on a quest to find cookie cupcakes, and i stumbled across Beantown Baker's cookie dough cupcakes.   I read her post and I knew this was what i wanted to make.A cupcake with cookie dough inside, who wouldn't want that for their birthday?!?

So I went to the store, gathered all the ingredients and went to work. The process was easy. Make the cookie dough, roll into balls and freeze for an hour.

 Then when the cookie dough was soild, mix the ingredients for the batter, put into cupcake liners, and top with cookie dough. It was that easy.

Once they were done, I mixed up the icing, decorated them and top with the left over chocolate chips! They looked perfect.

The recipe made 24 cupcakes, and since the box I got to carry the cupcakes only held 20 cupcakes, I had a few left over to share!

These cookie dough cupcakes would make any cookie enthusiast very happy, even the cookie monster.

Chocolate Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Adapted from: Beantown Baker

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

For the eggless cookie dough:
2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips

For the cupcakes:
3 sticks softened butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

For the brown sugar buttercream frosting:
3 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

To make the cookie dough:

Combine the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Beat in milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Beat in the flour and salt until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Using a cookie scoop, shape the dough into 1 in balls. Freeze on a parchment lined baking sheet for at least one hour

To make the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350° F and line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a large bowl combine the butter and brown sugar.  Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  Wisk together to blend.  Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated.  Blend in the vanilla.

Fill the prepared cupcake liners 2/3 full with the cupcake batter. Place a frozen cookie dough ball on the top center of each cupcake, do not press down (cookie dough will fall to the bottom during baking)

Bake at 350 for 16-18 minutes.

To make the frosting:

Combine the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. 

Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth.  Beat in the salt, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips!