"Fly Away With Me..."

"Happy Halloween"

"Purple Love..."

"Halloween Cookies..."

"Baby Princess..."

"Tool Time..."

"Habanero Pepper Jelly"

This may not seem exactly like "A Sweet Ending" to most... However, Canning & Pickling have become one of my favorite hobbies and I wanted to share this photo of Habanero Pepper Jelly that I recently made. This jelly is sweet, spicy, and savory... It has a balanced mix of dried apricots, red onion, red pepper, and habanero peppers. The jelly has beautiful color and is delicious on crackers with cream cheese... Enjoy!

"Birthday Cupcakes..."

"Butterflies for Baby..."

"Butterfly & Dragonfly Cookies..."

"Cake Pops..."

"Pretty in Pink & Turquoise..."

Toasted Coconut Ice Cream with Chocolate Truffle & Toasted Coconut Flakes

I recently purchased one half gallon of "SO Delicious" Coconut Milk. It is in fact delicious! The milk has a smooth consistency and is not too sweet. However, it's a bit too much for one person to drink throughout the week. So... I thought I'd used some to make a Toasted Coconut Ice Cream. Once finished, I was very pleased with my creation. The ice cream is very tasty! I would recommend using this coconut milk for your own homemade creations!

"Wedding Cake..."

"Jungle Babies..."

Fluffy Cut Out Cookies...

This is a great recipe for Cut Out Cookies...  They are light, fluffy, and perfect for any occasion.  This recipe was derived from my Grandma Schwab's Cut Out Cookie recipe.  She makes Cut Out Cookies often...  and I bet if I were to go up there right now there would be a container of round cut outs with pink frosting and sprinkles in her kitchen cupboard...  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family has!

Recipe:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 eggs
1/4 whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla*
3 1/2 cups flour

*Can also use almond extract.

Method:
Cream butter, margarine, and sugar together.  Add baking powder, eggs, vanilla, and milk.  Add flour and mix until just incorporated.  Do not over mix as the cookies will be tough.  Refrigerate dough 2-4 hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Roll out onto a floured surface (about 1/4" thickness) and cut into desired shapes.  Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.  They should have no color on the top and be lightly browned on the bottom.  Remove from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.  Once cooled frost with Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting and decorate. 

Yield:
About 3 dozen

Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting:
1# powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla*
2-4 Tablespoons whole milk (use more if needed)

Mix powdered sugar and butter together.  Add vanilla and milk.  Mix on medium speed until frosting is smooth. 

*Can use almond extract.

"Mr. & Mrs. Cupcake..."

Garden Zucchini Muffins...

 








Summer is just around the corner... As a child we would have a vegetable garden during the summer months.  There would be this abundant amount of zucchini and my mother would always make zucchini bread.  We would eat the zucchini bread with butter while it was still warm... This recipe takes me back to those times.  

Recipe:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon/heaping

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg/heaping

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

1 cup light brown sugar/packed firmly

1 cup shredded fresh zucchini/unpeeled

1/3 cup oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line muffin tin with papers.  In a medium bowl combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.  In another bowl combine egg, sugar, zucchini, vanilla, and oil.  Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.  Do not over mix.  Bake for 20-24 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Place on a rack to cool.

Yield:

1 dozen muffins

Oatmeal Cookies with dried Cranberries & White Chocolate Chips...

These Oatmeal Cookies bring me back to the days of the Girl Scout Cookie known as "Snaps"... Iced Oatmeal Cookies with Raisins.  They were a favorite of mine.  This rendition is sure to be just as good!

Recipe:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/4 cup margarine
2 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon/heaping
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups dried cranberries
1-1/2 cups white chocolate chips

Method:
Beat sugars, butter, and margarine until creamy.  Add eggs, milk, and vanilla.  Mix well.  Combine oats, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.  Add to sugar and butter mixture.  Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.  Chill dough for 1 - 2 hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Drop by rounded teaspoons onto un-greased cookie sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes.  Let stand for 5 minutes before removing from cookie sheet.

Yield: 
5 dozen

"Silver on White Affair..."

"Cake... S'il vous plait..."