Cooking with a Toddler...

"Ooo, ooo, ooo, please give me another Candy Cane Joe-Joe*!"

"Oh, maybe if I smile while begging, I'll get another one."

"Let me think about this, does she even know that it is only 8 in the morning and she is feeding me cookies?"

"Hi Mommy!  Thank you for the cookie and for letting me cook with you!!"

Okay, I admit.  I love this child.  And I'll also admit, because I am a push-over mommy, I did in fact let him eat a Candy Cane Joe-Joe before he had eaten breakfast...Well, what really happened was I put the Joe-Joe's in the food processor and he was on his stool and kept saying "watch, watch" so I showed the bowl of the processor to him and he immediately grabbed a cookie, seriously, the kid has cat-like reflexes.  I was so impressed with his prowess, I decided to let him eat the cookie :)

We had a little office party for my co-workers, I mean Jeremy's co-workers.  If I had an office party for my job it would be me and Owen and that would complete the guest list!  So I made a variety of treats, my favorite and easiest treat were these delish Candy Cane Joe-Joe Balls!

Candy Cane Joe-Joe Balls

*Trader Joe's (better) version of the peppermint Oreo!
Makes: LOTS

Ingredients:
1 box of Candy Cane Joe-Joes, Peppermint Oreos, or just pain old Joe-Joe's or Oreos!
1 package of cream cheese
1 1/2 packages of Hersey's White Chocolate Chips
1 package Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Bits (I, of course, couldn't find them in the Little Apple, so I used the peppermint candies and crunched them up.)

Instructions:
Toss the Joe-Joe's and the softened cream cheese into your food processor.  Process.  Once all the cookies are broken up and mixed in well with the cream cheese, start making little balls.  I advise placing them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. 

After you are done making far too many balls, pop them in the freezer for about a half hour.  When you are ready, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.  Now, this is where it gets a bit messy.  Use two spoons and plop the balls (I am using such amazing vocabulary right now) in the chocolate, making sure all sides are covered, then place back on the parchment lined cookie sheet.  Before the chocolate hardens, drop a few Andes peppermint crunchies on top.  Delish!

Super easy and yummy.  I might make them for the Super Bowl and dip them in dark chocolate with some white stripes...We'll see!

Our one and only pic in front of our Christmas Tree - and we blocked it to boot!

I haven't been cooking

Instead I've been knitting for the new babies in my life!  My cousin Jamie had a little baby girl at the beginning of December and requested strawberries!  So I figured out how to make a little ruffled edge on the booties and found some little white flower buttons.  LOVE.  And for the hat, I made a little crocheted flower and stitched it onto a barrette so she could also use it on a headband at some point.  So sweet!  Can't wait to post a picture of her wearing the little berry getup!

Jeremy's brother and his wife had there first baby on Christmas (previously mentioned!).  When Mandy was still pregs she requested Robin's Egg Blue if she had a boy - and here they are!  I LOVE them and can't wait to put them on his little feet in a week!!  Again, will post when I have pictures!

I leave you with a picture of my favorite little stinker.  He doesn't have much hair, but enough to have fun at bath time!

New Year's Resolution: Bake More

Owen and Auntie Katie decorating the "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake - he loved it!

I'm not a big baker.  In general, I usually fail miserably at it.  For example, this morning I attempted to make crepes for the first time in a crepe pan my husband got me two Christmases ago.  Yes, I've had it for two years and never busted it out of the box.  Anyfood, I finally decided to try it out.  After four failed attempts with each crepe sticking to my well buttered pan, I finally gave up.  Now, I don't know if crepes count as baking, but they made me feel like a miserable failure in the kitchen. 

Now arts and crafts, yes please.  I love, love, love being crafty.  I made these little tissue paper poofers for Jeremy's cousin's wife's shower (mouthful, jeez) while we were in Detroit.  They take a little time, but how stinking cute??  I found the tutorial here if you want to make some of your own!

Here are the Stephens ladies!  Alas, Amy, the most adorable prego lady ever, is in the middle, hiding her belly!  Isn't her dress just the cutest?

 

The theme for her shower was Strawberry Shortcake (thus the hot pink, light pink, and red poofers!).  So I made strawberry cupcakes that were TOO.DIE.FOR.  Seriously, they were amazing!!  I chalk it up to the fresh strawberries and cake flour.  You MUST make these!!!

Strawberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 34 ~ adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour, (not self-rising)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 1/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 large egg white

1 cup whole milk

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups finely chopped strawberries, plus small strawberries for garnish

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.

2.  Reduce speed to low. Mix any remaining wet ingredients in a bowl if needed. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients and ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.

3.  Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks. Cupcakes will keep, covered, for up to 3 days, unless otherwise noted.

Cream Cheese Frosting 

(BTW the original recipe calls for strawberry buttercream frosting.  I do not like buttercream frosting at all - I don't know what it is.  maybe I have just been spoiled by cream cheese frosting?)

Instructions

3 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 stick of butter, salted, softened (I made it with unsalted butter once and it just wasn't as good, so if you only have unsalted, add some kosher salt to compensate)

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened.

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Blend together in your mixer and DONE.  Save extra for topping boring old graham crackers, or animal crackers that you have purchased for your toddler...also delish on nilla wafers!