Football Menu

As if it even needs to be said, we spent last Saturday at home watching football!

There were 7 of us here for all the night games and I thought I'd share our menu to make your decision easier this upcoming weekend with all the options out there!

This menu was perfect for this amount of people and even had leftovers of the chicken which I have been using for tacos and salads for leftovers this week. Gotta love that.

We started out with chips and Skinny Taco Dip from Skinnytaste...
(although the hub doesn't like olives and I forgot to buy shredded lettuce so it was slightly different yet still delicious!)



Then I cooked a 3 lb. bag of chicken tenderloins at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, flipped them for about 10 minutes more.  I had coated them in a mixture of oil, water and buffalo chicken seasoning from the grocery store. (You could use any marinade or Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce would be good, too!) And- voila!- boneless buffalo chicken tenders!

...all served with a side of Oven Fried Pickles from The Culinary Couple that were super yummy and so easy! I will definitely be making these again.

 

And we finished the night off with Pumpkin Spice Kisses, of course!

 

 

I loved that I didn't spend all day/night in the kitchen prepping food and actually got to enjoy football and our company! I made the cookies before Saturday and made the dip and prepped the chicken in the morning.

 

Also, it was great that I didn't do my typical overboard spread and had the perfect amount of food. Hope this makes your Saturday menu planning a little easier.

 

Now to decide what to make this weekend...

Laura



Pumpkin Spice Kisses

I am all over Fall, y'all. It officially starts tomorrow and I think these Pumpkin Spice Kisses are the perfect way to celebrate!

 



Don't believe me? Let me convince you.

1. They are simple. Like so simple that after I baked them, I was pretty sure I forgot something because it was so simple.

2. They have pumpkin in them! And we are all about pumpkin this season!

3. They even look like Autumn! Perfect colors.

4. 4 ingredients- that's it!

That's all I got.

I hope it's enough.



Pumpkin Spice Kisses- see here for the original recipe!

Side note: The dough is extremely sticky and I substituted the sanding sugar for cute Autumn colored sprinkles from the Target $1 section (love that place!). It's also super important to throw them in the freezer or refrigerator to keep the kisses from melting. Nobody likes melted kisses.

I love that Fall and y'all rhyme.
Laura


Blog Highlight: papery and cakery

Papery and Cakery is a super cute stationary and sweets online company.

I mean, I guess that is pretty self explanatory by their name.

But their blog is so much more than that!

Monday-Thursday the blog is filled with cute fashion and beauty ideas,

lots of glitter DIY projects...

 



and lots of non-glitter DIY inspiration...

 

 

party planning ideas and home decor tips!

 

And every Friday, a delicious new recipe from the cakery side!

 

Such as Apple and Honey Challah,

 

 

Nutella Cupcakes,



 

 

Lemon Butter Cookies,

 

and Hot Chocolate Cookies.



 

An adorable trio of sisters runs this business and addictive blog!

 

Check it out here: papery and cakery blog.

 

Great inspiration here!

Laura



An Ode to Bacon

...I mean, my brother.

Today is my brother's birthday and in honor of his bacon-loving self, here is a round up of some scrumptious looking recipes, all using bacon as the centerpiece!

Bacon Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Bacon and Beer Cookies

Bacon Bread

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam

Happy Birthday to a loving, protective and bacon-loving older brother!

What if you put bacon jam on bacon bread? Hmmm...

Laura



4th of July Treats

Yesterday, we saw all the fun decor ideas for one of my favorite holidays, the 4th of July! Today, my favorite part of my favorite holiday- the desserts!

I love how simple and doable these treats are so you aren't slaving away in a hot kitchen when you should be out enjoying friends, family and freedom!



Ice Cream Sandwiches



Patriotic Pancakes

Twizzler Favors

Firework Cookies

(my mom made these last year and they turned out so cute!)

Red, White and Blue Strawberries

(I made these last year and they were SO simple and turned out perfect!)

Cake Ball Flag

I'm going with the strawberries again this year!

Laura

Fruit Pizza

Hellooooo Monday!

This past week I made this for our home group and- oh my goodness- it was SO good!



So many times I think I want to make something so fancy and that seems so impressive, but there is really not much that beats a soft sugar cookie, covered with a white chocolate and cream cheese frosting and topped with beautiful fresh fruit!

I was serving it that night so I did not make the pineapple/lemon juice topping but if you are planning to save (or even have...) leftovers I would recommend that or adding lemon juice into the frosting to help preserve the fruit!

Such a great recipe to keep in your file as the farmer's market slowly starts having gorgeous and inexpensive berries!

You can find the original recipe here!

Enjoy!
Laura

Baking Wish List

It's no secret that I love sweets and spend most of my free time baking...I know, I'm so domestic.

Here are things on my baking radar...

Ooey Gooey Cookies



Fruit Pizza with White Chocolate and Sugar Cookie Crust

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cheesecake Squares

Pretzel Bottomed Reese's PB Cup Cookie Pie

Where to begin?

Laura



Nut Organization

...what? I couldn't think of a better title so there you go.

In oatmeal, cookies, bread or even a mid-afternoon snack, I love to have fresh cashews, walnuts or other nuts on hand.

That can add up!

Nuts aren't cheap, let me tell ya. I like to buy them in bulk from the dispensers at the grocery store but, fun fact, nuts can go rancid (in other words- nasty and bad) pretty quickly. In fact, nuts only last one month at room temperature.

I can't remember where I read this tip but I've been using it ever since. I keep my nuts in a bag in the freezer (they can last up to a year there!) and within that bag are smaller bags separated by nut variety.

This is super handy, the nuts last longer and there is no need to thaw! Throw them right into batters, oatmeal or on a salad! How easy is that?

Rancid things are scary things,

Laura



I really love my...{silpat}

(click here for all previous posts in the I really love my...series!) 

I really love my Silpat baking mat! I recently purchased a Silpat after being intrigued by them for years and I haven't regretted my purchase once. Only that it took me so long to get one! 

According to the Silpat website, they are: 

"...a must-have for all bakers. SILPAT® is the original non-stick baking mat. Since 1965, Demarle has been committed to improving your baking experience by introducing top quality products. SILPAT® products never need greasing and replace parchment paper. Using SILPAT® products saves time, money and reduces waste in our environment. SILPAT® products are great for working with sticky materials such as gooey batter, taffy, caramel, doughs and anything your imagination allows. Nothing sticks to SILPAT®."

I couldn't agree more. I was a little nervous about ruining a batch of cookies on here because I was doubtful in the nonstick ability but, boy, was I wrong! Cookies, chocolate, scones, etc. have all come off the Silpat seamlessly and without being burned. 

They are easy to clean and don't take up a lot of space when stored. It's official- the Silpat is a hit in my house! 

I bought mine at Williams-Sonoma but you can also get them from Amazon or Bed Bath and Beyond.

No more parchment paper here, 

Laura

Brown Eyed Baker Blog

Do y'all know Brown Eyed Baker? This is one, if not my number one, favorite baking blog that I read. Everything I have tried of hers has been a hit! Not to mention simple to make and so delicious!

Here are some of my favorites...

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

My go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe!



Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Incredible. Simply incredible.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Seriously.

Blueberry Muffins

Hubby approved.

Peanut Butter Cup Crunch Brownie Bars

Now, I want these...now.

This is just a very small sampling of all the yummy treats she bakes! Check her out here and let me know what you think!

Now I want to bake something,

Laura



Cookie Dough Dip

The taste of raw cookie dough without the fear factor of uncooked eggs? Genius. 

I saw this idea for Cookie Dough Dip floating around Pinterest and, after drooling over the different recipes, took a little from each to create this version!

I've made it twice now and it has been a HIT! Not to mention, how much my co-workers love the leftovers the next day!

Cookie Dough Dip

Yield: A lot...not sure of the actual amount.

Prep Time: 5 min. Total Time: 5 min.



Ingredients:

8 oz. fat free cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

1 c. powdered sugar

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. mini chocolate chips (regular works, too!)

1. Cream together the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

2. Add in the powdered sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract and stir to combine.

3. Stir in the chocolate chips.

This can be made and chilled for a few hours for easy party prep! I like it best with cinnamon graham crackers and thinly sliced apples...or even just a large spoon would work!

We had already started digging into it when I took this picture- it's irresistible!

Enjoy!

Laura