Mini Fruit Pizzas

 

I use to ask for a large fruit pizza every year for my birthday dinner. My favorite cookie is sugar cookies and I love fruit so it was right up my alley! But recently I have been making them mini for my cousins wedding and my sister-in-laws baby shower. They were a hit and very delicious! You can put you favorite fruits on them but my favorites are strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, fresh pineapple, blueberries, and kiwi!

Sugar Cookie and Fruit Pizza Recipes:

Sugar Cookie
(This recipe is a great sugar cookie recipe that can be used for just making cookies or making them into fruit pizzas!)

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Crisco
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter

Mix all ingredients and chill. Roll out nice and thick. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes (or until the shine is off of the cookies)

These freeze really well. I made these the day before and then frosted and decorated them while they were defrosting so they were easy to handle without being worried that they would break.

Frosting:
10 ounce pkg vanilla milk chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
8 ounce cream cheese

Melt chips into cream. Beat in cream cheese. Ready to spread on cookies.

Glaze:
2 cups pineapple juice
2 Tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup sugar (taste it to see if it sweet enough for you and add more sugar if you want to)

In saucepan add all ingredients. Stir over geat until it comes to a boil and starts to thicken. cool. Pour or drizzle over fruit.

Frosted Banana Bars

I occasionally bring different treats into my husband's work. I bring a variety of carmel chocolate pretzels and apples, cookies, popcorn mixes, cinnamon rolls, and many other things. But for some reason these banana bars seem to be their favorite! My husband always texts me within 30 minutes and says that they whole pan is already gone. They ae different from other banana bars I have tried. The sour cream in them makes them moist and perfect! I love them, but I think they love them even more then I do! They are my go-to bar recipe when I am trying to feed a crowd a easy dessert! Try them at your next bridal or baby shower or BBQ! They will be a HIT for sure!

Frosted Banana Bars
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 medium ripe bananas

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients in seperate bowl and gradually add in to creamed mixture. Spread evenly in a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes (or until lightly brown and when you stick a knife in only a little is left on it)

Frost when cool. Store in fridge.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup butter softened
3 3/4- 4 cups powdered sugar

Beat in cream cheese, vanilla, and butter until mixed well. Gradually add powdered sugar.

Teriyaki Bacon Wrapped Chicken and Pineapple Kabobs

On Memorial Day we spent the day swimming, picking peaches from a neighboring peach orchard, and then had a BBQ. Just our little family. It was great! The boys were busy playing in the playroom and my husband and I were able to enjoy almost the whole meal just us two. Talking about whatever we wanted without being interupted. It was great and relaxing!

I made these kabobs and my husband grilled them while I made the mini peach pies with the peaches we picked earlier in the day! I absolutely love my mini pie maker that I got from Williams Sonoma todays price is actually the cheapest I have seen it! I have used mine on countless occassions and I LOVE it! And I think my husband and friends love it even more because they are the ones enjoying the pies!

Try these kabobs out! They are easy and definatly a step up from your normal kabob without all the hardwork! Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Teriyaki Bacon Wrapped Chicken and Pineapple Kabobs

4 large chicken breasts

1 lb. Applewood smoked bacon (regular is better then thick)

1 large can of pineapple chunks, or fresh pineapples would be even better!

Kikkoman Teriyaki Baste and Glaze

Skewers

Cut bacon in half (up and down) stretch bacon out a little while still all together (lengthwise)

Trim off all the chicken fat and Cut it into cubes

Wrap piece of bacon around chicken, stick on skewer (with the bacon loose end first to secure the bacon), place two pieces of pineapple or 1 piece of fresh pineapple, repeat until all chicken is used up!

I had a few pieces of bacon left and a few pieces of pineapple. But depending on how big your chicken breasts are you could use up everything!

Place in a 9x13 pan. Poor glaze over whole kabobs. Make sure to get every single one! I did mine in layers. I did first row of kabobs, pour glaze, second row of kabobs, glaze.

Cover and refridgerate for as long as u can! The longer the better!

Then place on the grill and cook until the chicken is cooked all the way through. (My husband first had them on tin foil and they werent cooking fast enough {for him} so he took them off and just placed them directly on the grill)

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Strawberry-Coconut Cupcakes

Man-O-Man these cupcakes are good! So moist and delicious! Definatly one of my favorites for sure. My mom and I made these for my son's 1st birthday bash, sisters 16th birthday, and recently for my sister-in-laws baby shower! I am definatly not a pro cupcake maker and defiantly not a pro cupcake decorater. But we all have our strengths right!? Its a work in progress for me to perfect cupcakes so its a good thing that I made 4 different kinds of cupcakes this week! Practice makes perfect right!?





Fabulous Strawberry Cupcakes

recipe from: Elizabeth Banks

1 box Duncan Heinz White Cake Mix

1 cup coconut, shredded

1 small box strawberry jell-o (reserve 1/2 teaspoon for frosting)

4 eggs

1 cup oil

1 cup strawberries, blended up (fresh or frozen works fine!)

1/2 cup milk

Mix all ingredients together, be sure to blend the strawberries in a blender before mixing them in.

Bake at 350 degrees. Check with a toothpick after 15 minutes.

Frosting:

1 pound powdered sugar

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon strawberry Jell-O

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup coconut, shredded

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the butter, cream cheese,vanilla, and powdered sugar. Add the coconut and Jell-O.

Frost when cupcakes are cooled and enjoy!