Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Ingredients:

Makes 24 cookies

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Divide dough into 24 portions, about 1 heaping tablespoon each. Roll each piece between your hands to form a smooth ball. Place dough balls, 1 inch apart, on two ungreased baking sheets. Using a fork, press on dough in two directions to form a crosshatch pattern.
2. Bake cookies until puffed and lightly golden, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets. (To store, keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 days.)  

Recipe is from the Everyday Food Magazine, March 2010 issue by Emeril Lagasse

Hudson's Robot Party

Pictures by Session Nine Photography

I have posted a lot of robot party ideas in preparation for Hudson's Birthday Party. Now here are pictures from the actual party. Everything turned out great, I think all the kids had a good time. We had a lot for them to do. I made homemade play dough and put star shaped confetti and star cookie cutters on the table with it. I also had a table with foam shaped stickers, crayons, markers, and card stock for the kids to color and make robots with the shapes. I painted and cut holes in boxes to make robot bodies for the kids and adults to dress up in. Then taped polka dot wrapping paper on the wall for pictures to be taken in front of. We had a rocket tent out back for the kids, a water table, fun music, and other toys. The party bags had glow sticks, a small tin of "nuts and bolts", a wind up robot, robot tattoos, and stretchy robots.  It was a fun day!


Linking up here!

Mason Jars

Such a cute idea, especially for the summer time! 

Found this idea on TheBridalBlog.com via Brides.com

 These floating flowers look so pretty!
Found this picture on Casasugar

Simple, Affordable, and Beautiful
Found on intimateweddings.com

Here's a DIY Mason Jar project by Heather Bullard.
Click here to find out how to make one!

I recently bought 150 mason jars for my Sister-in-laws wedding. I love the look of the old fashioned mason jars, and think it is so fun to look at all of the creative ways you can now use them! For the wedding we are going to be using them as lanterns hanging in the trees, to create a lit pathway using candles, and hanging on the chairs going down the ceremony isle with fresh flowers. We found the mason jars at Costco in packs of 12. They come in two different sizes, costing about $7 to $8 per 12 jars.

DIY Water Bottle Labels

I recently took some pictures of my brother and his fiance Tara so that they could have some pictures to frame at their wedding. After taking them Tara thought it would be cute to print labels for water bottles with some of the pictures on them. So, I began searching the web for templates and came across a template with a damask patterned background on the ruffledblog.com. I changed it up a bit to have only the damask background and added pictures to the majority of the labels.

Jewelry Making Ideas

Bracelet Belt: 

Using satin or velvet ribbon you create a belt by looping it through the ends of a bracelet.

Bib Necklace:

Take an old necklace and glue it down to a piece of fabric for a newer style.

Beaded Flower Necklace:

Attach a few feathers and a flower to a chain necklace.

All of these jewelry ideas and more can be found on Marthastewart.com. Click on the links above for more detailed instructions on how to make the jewelry. 

Easter Egg Treats

I had a lot of marshmallows left over from Hudson's birthday party and thought I should put them to use. I found this cute recipe idea on the Kellogg's Rice Krispies website.

Rice Krispies Treat Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons  butter or margarine
• 1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows OR 4 cups miniature marshmallows
• 6 cups Rice Krispies®

Directions:
In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated. Then using 1/3-cup measuring cup coated with cooking spray divide warm cereal mixture into portions. Using buttered hands shape each portion into egg shape. Cool. Decorate with sprinkles, frosting and/or candies. Best if served the same day.

Tara's Bridal Shower

This past weekend we celebrated with my brother's fiance, Tara. We had a bridal shower and bachelorette party. It was a lot of fun to spend the day celebrating with her and be able to meet all of her friends and family. I made the cake for her shower, and had a lot of fun making it. It only needed to serve 25 to 30 people, but I ended up making enough cake for about 90! I just wanted to make it three tiered, so there were lots of leftovers. The color of their wedding is the purple color i used on the cake and they are having orchids in the wedding. Tara made a wonderful suggestion for the cake flavor and filling (that I believe they are having as their wedding cake). I made white cake with a lemon mousse and raspberry preserve. It was a really good combination of flavors!

At the shower they had a champagne bar, where you could make your own champagne drinks. They had champagne flutes out, with different recipes to follow. This was such a cute idea! They had all different mixers; orange juice, a peach puree, strawberry mixer, pomegranate juice, pineapple juice, and other fun things to add.

Robot Invitations

 

  

 

After much searching online for robot party invitations I decided to make my own for Hudson's birthday party. I ordered the rubber stamp that I used to make these invitations on Paper Source for $8.50. I bought the card stock, ink pad, embossing powder, and the embosser at Michaels with their coupons. It is really easy to emboss a stamp.

1. Press the rubber stamp into the ink pad and then onto the paper.
2. Sprinkle the embossing powder onto the paper, so that the powder covers all of the wet ink.
3. Pour the excess embossing powder onto a piece of paper or in a tray.
4. Turn on the embosser and hold about two inches from the stamp moving it back and forth until the powder has melted.

I used a blue ink for both stamps that I put on the invitations. However, for the robot on the invitation I used a transparent embossing powder that gives the robot a smooth shine. For the robot that I stamped onto the envelope I used a blue glittery embossing powder.

Marley Farms

Today I took Hudson to Marley Farms with some friends and all the kids had a good time. Marley Farms takes in animal rescues and helps the animals become healthy so they can become adopted. They have a petting zoo where the kids are able to brush the goats, and you also can buy a bag of feed for one dollar. They have goats, llamas, horses, donkeys, ponies, and other animals as well. The cost for the petting zoo is $3, however kids 2 years of age and under are free.  They also have a picnic table area where you can eat a packed lunch. We also found out today that they offer pony rides on Fridays. Check out there website for more information. They are located on Val Vista Drive North of Hunt Highway.

Unique Cupcakes

 

Lemon Meringue Cupcake

  

Buttermilk Cupcake in a Jar

  

Tiramisu Cupcake

 

Meringue Cupcakes with Stewed Rhubarb and Raisins

I love that all of these cupcakes are so unique and also really pretty. They are all found on Martha Stewart's website with the recipes. I love the idea of the cupcake in a jar for gifts or favors, so cute!

Pasta with Zucchini and Toasted Almonds

Ingredients:

• 2  cups  cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2  tablespoons  minced shallots
• 1  teaspoon  minced fresh thyme
• 2  teaspoons  fresh lemon juice
• 3/4  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon  sugar
• 5  teaspoons  extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1  (9-ounce) package refrigerated linguine
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  bottled minced garlic
• 3  cups  chopped zucchini (about 1 pound)
• 3/4  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 3  tablespoons  chopped fresh mint, divided
• 1/3  cup  (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese
• 3  tablespoons  sliced almonds, toasted

Directions:

1. Combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add 2 teaspoons oil, tossing to coat.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Add zucchini; sauté 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add broth; bring to a simmer. Stir in pasta and 1 1/2 tablespoons mint; toss well. Remove from heat; stir in tomato mixture. Place 1 1/2 cups pasta mixture in each of 4 bowls; top evenly with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons mint. Sprinkle each serving with 4 teaspoons cheese and 2 teaspoons almonds.
Olive tapenade breadsticks: Combine 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 15 finely chopped pitted kalamata olives in a small bowl. Spread olive mixture over 1 (11-ounce) can refrigerated breadsticks dough. Twist each breadstick; bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until browned.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 344

Fat: 12.7g (sat 3.1g,mono 6.6g,poly 2g)

Protein: 14g

Carbohydrate: 45.5g

Fiber: 5.3g

Cholesterol: 58mg

Iron: 3.4mg

Sodium: 601mg

Calcium: 163mg

 

Recipe from Cooking Light

Flounder Piccata with Spinach

I have not yet tried this recipe, but I think it sounds really good. One of my favorites is chicken piccata, and we've been eating a lot of spinach lately, so I think this recipe may be a hit. You could use any kind of white fish for this recipe if you didn't want to use flounder.  


Ingredients:

• 1  (3 1/2-ounce) bag boil-in-bag long-grain rice
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper, divided
• 4  (6-ounce) flounder fillets
• 2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 1/3  cup  dry white wine
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 1  tablespoon  drained capers, chopped
• 2  tablespoons  butter
• 4  cups  fresh baby spinach

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Place rice in a medium bowl; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
2. Sprinkle fish with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Dredge fish in flour.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.
4. Add wine, juice, and capers to pan; cook 1 minute. Add butter to pan, stirring until butter melts. Remove fish and sauce from pan; keep warm. Wipe pan clean with a paper towel. Add spinach to pan; sauté 1 minute or until wilted. Place 1/2 cup rice onto each of 4 plates. Top each serving with about 1/3 cup spinach, 1 fillet, and 1 tablespoon sauce.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 332 (28% from fat)

Fat: 10.2g (sat 4.4g,mono 3.5g,poly 1.2g)

Protein: 31.3g

Carbohydrate: 27.4g

Fiber: 1.9g

Cholesterol: 95mg

Iron: 3mg

Sodium: 713mg

Calcium: 51mg

David Bonom, Cooking Light, MARCH 2008

Creative Kid's Birthday Party Invitations

 Fill the inside with all the Birthday Party Details.

This invitation folds into a child's hat.

Find other creative Birthday Party Invitations and instructions for these at parents.com

Robot Party

Robot Stickers 12 pack for $2.50

by Paper Source

Robot Large Rubber Stamp $8.50

by Paper Source

Wind-Up Robots $9.99 per dozen

Oriental Trading

Robot Tattoos $4.99 for 72 pieces

Oriental Trading

Robot T-shirt in size 2T $14.00

On Etsy by Happy Family

Hello Robot Placemats $14.95 for pack of 8

by Hello Hanna

I officially decided to make Hudson's 2nd Birthday Party a Robot themed party. These are some items that I have ordered so far and thought I would share them, because I think they are good finds. Paper Source has some other Robot items, including stationary, invitations, and more stamps. Oriental Trading is a great place to look for party supplies, especially toys for goodie bags. I have also been finding lots of great items and ideas on Etsy. I have been trying to find robot cookie cutters, and it seems they are hard to come by or expensive when you do. I placed a custom order on Etsy with yarnNink for two robot cookie cutters. Hello Hanna has some adorable placemats for kids and other items will be for sale coming February and March.

Valentine's Day Kid's Crafts

Make some paper valentine's by tracing your child's hand, hang some hearts in the window using wax paper and crayons, or make flower valentine's using paper and lollipops. You can find more kids crafts and the details to these on Martha Stewart's site.