the soft pink cookie

this cookie has been my favorite thing since i was a little kid! there's something about waiting in the grocery line and spying that giant, soft, sprinkled, pink frosted goodness.

i tried to find a recipe that captured that excitement and possibility of sweetness and a rush of sugar that is the giant, soft, pink sugar cookie!

i have slightly adapted this recipe from annie's eats. 

you can make them as large or as small as you want, and in any shape. for valentine's day, i am definitely whippin' out my heart shaped cookie cutter and buying some more red food coloring and sprinkles!

for this specific incident, i used blue food coloring, and the kids loved them!

The Soft Pink Cookie

• [for the cookies]:
• 4½ cups all-purpose flour
• 4½ tsp. baking powder
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 1½ cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature (save wrappers for greasing cookie sheets)
• 1½ cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 4 tsp. vanilla extract

• [for the frosting]:
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar), sifted
• 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 7-8 tbsp. milk (plus more, as needed)
• food coloring
• sprinkles

preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease two cookie sheets with butter wrappers. 

sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium sized bowl. set aside.

in a large bowl (or in the bowl of your kitchenaid mixer) beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy (2-4 minutes) 

add vanilla and eggs one at a time, scraping down bowl with a spatula after each addition.

turn your electric mixer down to low speed, and slowly add the dry ingredients that you set aside, into the large bowl of wet ingredients. 

blend just until incorporated.

cover your ball of dough in plastic wrap, and chill in fridge for one hour, or up until the next day. 

once your dough is chilled,  take a tablespoon and scoop out dough to the size of cookies you want. roll into a ball and use your other hand to flatten it into a perfectly round cookie shape!

repeat with the rest of the dough.

line the flattened dough balls onto your buttered cookie sheets, and spread 3 inches apart, just to be safe.

bake for around 8-10 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE! this will ruin the whole point of recreating my your childhood dreams!

to make the frosting, put the powdered sugar in a medium sized bowl, and add the vanilla, melted butter, food coloring, and milk. beat until semi-stiff peaks are revealed. if you need to add more milk, do so a tablespoon at a time.

when they are cool, frost those lovelies, and sprinkle them! store them in an airtight tupperware of sorts. enjoy!!

babies.

 how cute are my kids?!

i know, so cute.

asparagus and ham frittata

one of the most easy and economical/cost effective ways to use up every single leftover in your fridge (besides making a weirdy/nasty casserole that no one will eat) is to make a frittata!
easier and much healthier than a quiche (no buttery crust) and ready in like...20 minutes tops. amazing!

the best part about a frittata, is that you  can keep using the same base of eggs and milk and cheese, and sub in whatever veggies and meats you want. forever! and always. ok, i got no sleep last night, guys! getting up at3 am is a huge change for me. i am ok with being delirious and crazy-ish for a while, until i adjust.
wow, anyway!
here's what you need:

10 eggs
3 tbsp  butter
salt and pepper to taste
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups diced ham
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 potatoes (of any variety), cubed
1/3 cup milk
1 heaping tsp mustard powder
1 tsp sea salt
6-7 asparagus spears, cut into strips --->     like so    ---->



place asparagus spears into an oven-safe skillet, cover with water, and bring to a boil, and cook about 3 minutes. drain, douse with cold water to stop it from cooking
more, and drain again. set aside.

using same oven-safe skillet, melt butter, add red onion and ham, cooking for about 5 minutes. then add potatoes and asparagus, and cook for two minutes more.

next, whisk up your eggs, milk, and spices. turn the skillet to medium, and let the eggs set without stirring or touching the pan at all, for about 8 minutes. then, put the oven on broil, and depending on oven times, it could be in there for anywhere from 4-8 minutes. mine was 8.

pull her outta there! (WITH A HOT PAD)

ENJOY!

classic blueberry pancakes

some things are so simple, yet bring so much joy. one of these things is hot pancakes with lots of butter and syrup on a weekend morning!
my kids looove fruit, and i'm always dishing it out to them like crazy, so i thought why not add some to my classic pancake recipe! you can add any fruit: apples, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, pears, bananas - what ever!
here's what you need:

1 egg

1 cup flour

2 tbsp melted butter

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (or any fruit)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp raw sugar

1 cup milk

place tablespoon - sized globs of dough in your greased, heated pan (put the burner on medium)

cook until golden brown on each side!

easter ham & thyme baked macaroni

easter was at our house this year, for the first time. since i had been doing dishes for nine hours on the previous day, when easter morning rolled around, i wasn't exactly feeling "inspired", shall we say. my ham was from target, and my rolls from fred meyer. i did make my own chinese cabbage salad, which is always fantastic, and two carrot cakes, which i'll be sharing later, but anywayyyy...
i am left with an abundance of juicy ham, (thanks, target!) and being someone who rarely cooks with pork, i was overwhelmed with the lack of  possibilities!
first off, we have this amazing (trust me, i'm eating it right now) creation from yours truly:

easter ham&thyme baked macaroni

here's what you need:
1/8 c. fresh thyme, chopped
1 lb large elbow macaroni pasta
2 cups ham, chopped
2 1/3 cup whole milk
8 oz mozzarella cheese
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese
3 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup butter (i used smart balance)
salt and pepper to taste

first off, cook your macaroni in a large pot, and according to the directions on the package. go ahead and leave the noodles sitting in the sieve until you're ready for them.

in the large pot used for the pasta, add your butter and melt. add flour and thyme, and whisk for five minutes. (do not shorten this
time!)

slowly add milk, mustard, salt, and pepper, whisk for a few more minutes. should be very thick. add the ham and both cheeses, reserving a small amount for the top as you bake it.
once your mixture is all combined and melted, add the pasta to it. stir, place in greased 9x13 baking dish (or whatever will hold it!) and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
enjoy!

caesar chicken crisps

hey y'all!
so guess what?! yours truly is an employed citizen. that's right, i gots a job. it's at baker & spice, in sw portland. so far, it's amazing! everyone there is incredibly genuine and supportive of me in my inexperienced state.
i have still been cooking though, and will continue to do so!
the other day i made these amazing caesar chicken crisps, and they are fairly quick if you cook the chicken ahead of time and move quickly! also, they're crazy addicting, but the calorie content is low, especially if you use a lower calorie dressing. cannot wait for you to try these! i am seriously considering making a batch for lunch...
here's what you need:

2 chicken breasts

cooking spray

lemon- pepper 

3-4 burrito-sized flour tortillas (look for pillowy, hefty ones!)

Caesar dressing

2 cups jalapeno jack cheese

2 tomatoes, chopped (i used cherry tomatoes, so good, very flavorful)

4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped into bite-sized pieces

preheat oven to 400.

cook the chicken with the lemon pepper until done. what we did is add water to the pan after it was about 3/4 cooked, and we shredded it up, then lidded the pan. this made the chicken moist and tender. and, you can do this ahead of time.

cut your tortillas into 8 slices. spray a large cooking sheet with spray, and place them on it.

bake until golden (a little brown is ok) and firm enough to hold your delicious toppings! 

add about a teaspoon of caesar dressing to each tortilla piece, and add some shredded chicken on top. place cheese on top of chicken. bake again until cheese is just melted.

then add the romaine and tomatoes and voila! a light, amazingly flavorful treat for dinner! perfect for spring! enjoy!

chili lime turkey burgers

here's what you need: (to serve 4) 

1lb ground turkey

3 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 lime, cut in half (use one half in the meat, the other for the guacamole topping)

4 slices pepper jack cheese

4 whole wheat buns, toasted

to make the guacamole:

1 avocado

the juice from the other half of that lime!

sea salt & coarse pepper

(adapted from iowa girl eats) 

mix the meat with all the spices, cilantro, onions, peppers, and cilantro. form the meat mixture into patties, spray your pan with cooking oil, and grill (or skillet, like i did, which turns out exceptional!) for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until done. melt the cheese on top, and toast the buns in a toaster.

for toppings, i cut up some red onions thinly, cheery tomatoes, and romaine lettuce. we also used some mayo in addition to the homemade guacamole. amazing, right?!