2 Ocak 2013 Çarşamba

St. Patty's Day Straw Flags Done 3 Ways!

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Holidays (small or large) get more exciting each year as the kids get older.  I'm excited to pull out all of the leprechaun pranks and green foods.  I know I've already shown you these St. Patty's Day printables, but I thought it might be helpful if I show them in use multiple ways.The straw flags/tags could be used as just that, straw flags......or as a shirt tag exclaiming "kiss me"......or as a little banner hung next to the leprechaun's treats left in the kiddo's shoes.  Can't wait to stuff their shoes with fun green treats (ideas-- mike & ikes, sprite, limeade drink, green spearmint gum, green canister of pringles...etc. you get the jist of it).This was a quick shamrock banner made by those sparkly foam cut outs that can be found at any craft store.  I got mine at Michaels 50% off and three packages cost me all of $3.  Love deals like that! As I was hanging banners and taking pictures, this little fella snuggled in on the couch to watch me.  Too bad his name isn't "Lucky", that would be so fitting for this post.  Thus, his name is "Gus" and we love him whether he's an Irish dog or not.

{free printables} Happy Father's Day to All Those No.1 Dads!

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Jillian over at Catch My Party asked if I could create some Father's Day printables and these are what I came up with.  Head on over to see Jillian's post or download them below.Pictures above courteous of Jillian at Catch My Party.
Included in the printable set:
-2 inch cupcake toppers/party circles
-Father's Day Sign/Quote
-Cupcake wrappers
-Straw Flags/Tags
-Bottle Lables
-Folding Food Labels
-5x7 inch Folding Card
-No.1 Daddy BannerThe above picture is obviously from me-- not so professional looking, but we're ready to celebrate our No.1 daddy on this special day!

{real party} Pilot Graham's 2nd Birthday Airplane Party

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Climb aboard Fuller Airlines for one sky high party!  Our little Graham turned two (sob) and when planning his party I gave him a few choices.  I asked him if he wanted a 'balls and bubbles' party or an 'airplane' party (both themes are absolute LOVES of our little one) and as you can see he chose "pairplanes" as he calls them.  Party guests were greeted by this fun balloon wreath and sign.  The kiddos got to take home some baggage with their very own personalized luggage tags. In their baggage party favors we included, a fun scratch off coloring page, airplane kits, bubbles, pixie sticks, candy airplane, in-flight snacks (popcorn), star suckers, and blow-outs.The decor was minimal due to the fact we hosted the party after church on Sunday.All party printables were created by me and can be purchased at Embellish's Etsy shop.The lollipop suckers were custom made by Gary's Tempting Little Bites on Etsy and then I added the cut-out propellers, punched the holes and slipped them onto the sucker sticks.
don't mind the incorrect spelling on "propeller"
Guests drank "Jet Fuel" (water & Capri Suns)...... and ate their in-flight meals.  Adults had chicken croissant sandwiches, chips, potato salad, and fruit.  Kids ate PB & J, chips, pudding cups, and string cheese.  I purchased these fun plastic clam shell boxes from my local grocery store's bakery/deli.  The manager only charged me $.05 a piece. STEAL!The party was originally going to be outside, but at the last minute we pulled it inside due to the overcast weather.  Everyone had fun, nonetheless.The birthday boy had a blast throwing his "pairplanes" around our house and I loved watching every minute of him enjoying his time with friends and family.This is the best family picture we could muster.Fun was had all around and the many planes are still flying all over my house a week later.

Gluten Free Apple Crisp in the Slow Cooker

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I think the last time I posted I mentioned this recipe be up within the week. Yeah right!!! And that last post was Thanksgiving. It is almost the end of December and just a few days till Christmas. I hope everyone been enjoying their holiday. Spending as much time with family and being around your favorite friends. In Las Vegas, November and December are pretty slow months when your job revolves around travel (IE. I work for a rental car company). Let me tell you, December has been so busy preparing for what is coming in 2013. I can’t wait for 2013 to get here because it is going to be a good year for Las Vegas! I can see it now.

In the meantime, I made the following apple crisp twice. I’ll probably make it again for Christmas. It makes your entire house smell like cinnamon apples and it is so delicious cold with plain Greek yogurt on top. The best thing about making your apple crisp in the slow cooker, no messes and you just dump everything in all at once and cook on high for 3-4 hours. I’d recommend cutting your apples into thick slices, that way they soften up and don’t fall apart easily. The first time around I went with thinly sliced apples and it was more like a chunky applesauce. If you need to make a larger batch, just double this recipe.

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Gluten Free Slow Cooker Apple Crisp
By Fallon

Ingredients
3 large apples (granny, fiji, pink lady, honeycrisp etc)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon corn starch
1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 tablespoons stevia
2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons blanched almond flour
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1/4 cup gluten free rolled oats
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
Dash of salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

Directions
Peel and slice apples into thick slices, then place into the slow cooker. If you’d prefer a more chunky applesauce texture, slice thinner.

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Combine lemon juice,corn starch, pumpkin spice and stevia and mix into apples. In a small bowl combine walnuts, almond/coconut flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and cubed butter. With hands or fork, mush everything together until you get a course sandy texture. Place crisp on top of apples in the slow cooker. If you’d like, add some more walnuts to the top.

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Place lid on top of slow cooker, set on high and cook 3-4 hours. It may cook faster so I’d recommend checking it out after 2 hours. Serve up with vanilla bean ice cream and call it a night!

I will try to check back in around Christmas, if not.. maybe before 2013.

Happy Holiday’s from Fallon’s Cucina!
Fallon

1 Ocak 2013 Salı

Easy Apple Tart

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I know a lot of people like simple recipes.  I’m weird… when I look at a recipe with just a few ingredients I usually assume it’s not going to be very good.

I’ve seen simple apple or pear tart recipes for years… they look pretty, but I’ve always thought “it’s just crust and fruit… how good could it be?”  Well my friends, they answer is REALLY good!  In fact, I feel like I’ve been missing out by not trying this kind of recipe before!

This apple tart is so easy to make, smells amazing while it bakes, and tastes delicious too!

The recipe starts with Pepperidge Farm’s Puff Pastry.  This is a great item to keep on hand, because you can just store it in the freezer, and then make this delicious recipe whenever you want!

Be sure to plan time to defrost the puff pastry according to the package directions (about 45 minutes at room temperature), but once the dough is thawed, this recipe comes together in no time!

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Easy Apple Tart

Only a few simple ingredients are needed to create this delicious apple tart.

Yield: About 10 slices

Ingredients:

1 sheet (1/2 package) Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry

2/3 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon corn starch

2 large apples
Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)

Directions:

Thaw puff pastry at room temperature about 45 minutes (according to package directions).

Preheat oven to 400*F.

On a lighly floured work surface, unfold one sheet of pastry. Cut the pastry in half, creating two rectangles. Place the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, or a baking sheet sprayed lightly with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and corn starch.

Prepare apples by peeling and removing the core,then slice thinly.
Put apple slices to a large bowl, and squeeze the juice from 1/2 of a lemon onto apples. Stir to coat.

Then, add the contents of small cinnamon/sugar bowl to the apples. Stir to coat.

Arrange apple slices on puff pastry dough (like shingles), leaving about 1/4 inch of dough exposed on all sides.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Cool slighly, and move to a serving plate.

Sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar, as desired.

Enjoy warm, or at room temperature. Serve with fresh whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.

Recipe Source- Glorious Treats

Notes- Puff pastry is sold in the freezer section, near pie crusts. Plan your time to properly thaw the puff pastry before use (about 45 minutes).

I used one granny smith apple, and one fugi apple for this recipe, and it was a nice combo.

I’ve included images below to show some of the step-by-step directions, but read the entire recipe above for the full instructions.

Once thawed, unfold the puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface.

Peel, core and thinly slice apples and put in a large bowl.   Squeeze lemon juice on apples, and toss to coat.

Add cinnamon sugar mixture (according to recipe above), and stir to coat.

Arrange apple slices on pastry dough.  I experimented with two different ways to arrange the apples.  On the left, I slightly scored the pastry about 1/2 inch from the edges, so the pastry would bake up and create a defined edge around the apples.  Then, I layered the apples in a single layer.  On the right, I staggered the apples to more fully fill the pastry, leaving just about 1/4 inch of exposed pastry edge.  You’ll notice in the photo below, both tarts baked up beautifully, and either way works great.  In the future, I think I’ll go with the style that holds more apples, and has a smaller crust around the edge.  Note, the pastries are on opposite sides of the photo, between the image above and below.

Another note- In the image above, the apples are arranged on the dough before being placed on the baking sheet… don’t do it this way!  Put your dough on the baking sheet, then add the apples.

Once baked, cool slightly, then sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.  Move to a serving platter, and enjoy.  Eat the tart while still warm, or at room temperature.

 

Enjoy this simple tart as is, or top with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Be sure to visit the Puffection TM tab on the Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Facebook page and share your own holiday Puff Pastry recipes, and www.puffpastry.com for more recipes, tips and how-to videos.

Disclosure-  Pepperidge Farm has provided me with supplies and/or compensation for time invested in the Pepperidge Farm® Puffection TM Holiday Entertaining challenge.  All text, photos and opinions are my own.

Christmas Marshmallow Pops

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As we quickly approach Christmas, you may still be looking for a few quick treat ideas.  These simple marshmallow pops are easy to make and are perfect little treats, especially for kids.

You can serve the pops as a cute addition to a dessert table (as I did this year for our Gingerbread House Decorating Party), or wrap them up as little favors or gifts.

All you need…

One bag of large marshmallows

Chocolate

Sprinkles

Lollipop sticks

Small cellophane bags (if you want to wrap them up)

~ Directions ~

1.  Push a lollipop stick into each marshmallow.

2.  Melt some chocolate (I usually use Ghirardelli chocolate, or Merckens chocolate candy melts).  You will probably need 8-12 oz. of chocolate, depending on how many marshmallows you dip.

3.  Dip one marshmallow at a time into the chocolate.

4.  Allow excess chocolate to drip off, then sprinkle your choice of sprinkles onto the chocolate (hold marshmallow over a plate or bowl, to catch the excess sprinkles).

5.  Set the marshmallow pop (stick down) in a mug to allow the chocolate to set (you can put the mug of pops in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes)

6.  Once the chocolate is set, wrap each pop in a small cellophane bag, if desired.

A few notes on melting chocolate…

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler, or in the microwave at 50% power.  If heating in the microwave, be sure to heat it for short intervals (about 30 seconds) at a time, stirring between intervals.  When the chocolate appears about 1/2 melted, remove from the microwave, and stir until fully melted.  Do not over heat the chocolate, it will burn and will not be usable.

If you plan to ship the marshmallows, or they will not be eaten for a few days, you may want to use a chocolate candy melt product, such as Merckens brand (available from several shops on-line, including Shop Bakers Nook).  Pure chocolate will begin ”bloom” (develop white spots) after 3-4 days (if the chocolate has not been tempered), the chocolate candy melts usually do not have this problem.

I used red striped lollipop/cake pop sticks I found this year at Cost Plus World Market.  As an alternative, you could use striped paper straws, or simply use white lollipop sticks, commonly available at any craft store.

To wrap up the marshmallow pops I used small (3″x4″) treat bags (available from most craft stores, such as Michael’s and Hobby Lobby), and tied the bags with red bakers twine (from The Twinery).

I was happy to discover that 6 wrapped marshmallow pops fit perfectly in the small (7″x 4.5″) cookie boxes from BRP Box Shop.

I packed up a couple boxes for friends, and finished them with some pretty labels (from Littlebeane Boutique).

Happy treat making!