Felt Food Giveaway!

Melissa at Polka Dot Chair has a giveaway going on for a Felt Food Set. It would go perfectly with the DIY Play Kitchens! It's any set from Kristen's Etsy shop Lu Bird Baby.

Head on over to enter!

Pie-In-A-Jar

I found these the other day and I can't wait to try them out.....

The best part is that these adorable little pies were taken from freezer and put directly in the oven. How easy. And how yummy!

Here is the link for instructions: Single Serving Pie-In-A-Jar

Happy Holidays!

Accessories for the Play Kitchens!

I have heard of a few people getting play kitchens for their daughters. Or even embracing their creative sides and making one! So I thought I'd share two different sites with wonderful tutorials for making food for your kitchens!

This first tutorial can be found at So You Think You're Crafty!

Many other tutorials are available in this round-up over at One Pretty Thing.

For those that don't sew - some of these I'm sure could be modified slightly and glued instead!

Enjoy!

Sweater to Sweater Dress

I don't have a daughter (yet) but things like this make me wish I did. Check out this adorable Sweater Dress and find the tutorial on how to make it by Ashley on Make it and Love it.

Great Craft for Boys: Car Cozie

I was given the Chalk Mat (similar to this) at my shower for my little boy (the older one). He of course loves it. He spends more time begging us to draw something in order to wipe it of and see us pretend to be upset. It's so cute. He also loves it when his Dad draws a race track for his cars. So when I saw this cute idea I knew instantly I'll be making one. I'm thinking Stocking Stuffer? Complete with new cars! Sharla over at My Little Gems provides an excellent tutorial on how to make this adorable Car Cozie.

Incredible Bread Pudding

My sister had this bread pudding at a hoity toity restaurant. It was so incredible that she begged for the recipe. And lucky for you I will share it with you as well. It truly is so so yummy!

Amazing Bread Pudding

1 1/2 loaves fresh french bread (if you are feeling ambitious...make your own!)

1 cup sugar

8 eggs

1 quart milk

1 quart half and half

2 tsp. vanilla

Cube the bread. Beat all other ingredients. Pour egg mixture over the cubes of bread and gently mix. Put in a 9x13 (or save yourself a bowl and just mix the bread and egg mixture in the 9x13 pan) dish. Cover with foil.

Bake at 325 for 2 hours. Or until the knife comes out clean

Serve warm with Vanilla Sauce and half and half poured over.

Vanilla Sauce

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup un-whipped whipping cream

1/2 cup butter

vanilla to taste

Add all ingredients and cook over stove top until nice and bubbly.

ENJOY!

Betty Boo Sock Doll Pattern

I haven't posted in a while, but I saw this and just had to share. The pattern for this adorable little sock doll is available free over at Heather Bailey's site. There's just enough time to make one in time for Halloween!

Pumpkin Pie Dip

As promised, here is the Pumpkin Pie Dip I made for the Halloween Party play group. The picture shows it being served with gingersnaps, but I served mine with sliced apples and pears.

Ingredients

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Gingersnap cookies

Directions

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in the pumpkin, sour cream, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and ginger until blended. Serve with gingersnaps. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 4 cups.

Creamy Pumpkin Rice Pudding

(Sorry for the small pic - I borrowed it from the Internet)


For anyone that is a fan of rice pudding, this is a perfect Fall version of the dish!

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup water
1/3 cup uncooked long grain rice
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
2/3 cup Pumpkin Puree, or canned pumpkin
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 medium red apple and/or green pear, cored and thinly sliced (1 cup)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
2 Tbsp. honey

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In small saucepan combine water and rice. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, stirring once.

2. In medium bowl combine eggs, milk, Pumpkin Puree, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt. Stir in rice and 1/2 cup of the cranberries. Pour mixture into 1-1/2-quart straight-sided deep baking dish. Place dish in baking pan on oven rack. Pour boiling water into baking pan until water comes halfway up sides of baking dish.

3. Bake 30 minutes; stir. Bake 35 minutes more or until outside edge appears set. Remove dish from oven. Cool slightly on wire rack.

4. Meanwhile, in bowl combine remaining 1/4 cup cranberries and boiling water to cover. Let stand 15 minutes; drain. Just before serving, toss together apple, walnuts, honey, and cranberries. Spoon over pudding. Serve warm. Makes 6 servings.

5. To store, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Strawberry Dessert Soup

At the beginning of the summer, Craig and I went to Rodizio Grill in Salt Lake for a wedding rehearsal dinner. The mere mention of the restaurant makes my mouth water! But anyway, they had this delicious strawberry soup that was to die for. As I was going through some old cooking magazines the other day, I happened upon this recipe and decided to try it out. It was a little different than the soup we had at Rodizio's, but its still super yummy. So, here's the recipe if you'd like to give it a try!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup water, divided
1 cup apple juice
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled
2 cups strawberry yogurt
2-3 drops red food coloring (optional)
1/4 cup sour cream (optional)
2 tbs milk (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a large saucepan, combine 3/4 cup water, apple juice, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
2. Place strawberries and remaining water in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Pour into apple juice mixture. Stir in yogurt and food coloring. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until well chilled.
3. Ladle soup into bowls.
4. Optional: Combine sour cream and milk; spoon about 2 1/2 tsp into the center of each bowl. Using a toothpick, pull mixture out, forming a flower or design of your choice.