Top 5 Delicious Recipes from 2013

2013 was a great year of many many changes for our family! We've been crazily busy with two new babies and our first baby turning one. I started this blog in May so it wasn't around the entire year, but here are the top 5 recipes I've posted that you all have loved the most:

1. Parmesan Roasted Green Beans

2. The Best Pumpkin Bread Ever

3. Snickerdoodle Bars

4. M&M Cookie Bars

5. Tater Tot Taco Bake

So if you haven't seen these yet, check them out! You might want to try them, they are all very yummy and your family will love them! I can't wait to keep trying new recipes in this new year!

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Crock Pot Cheeseburger Soup

It's soo cold here this weekend. I haven't even left the house since we got back home from visiting my family on Wednesday! My husband's work was cancelled today because of extreme cold. Right now it's -22 degrees with a wind chill of -46 degrees. It hasn't been this cold in a long time!

After being gone for a couple of months during the holidays, I am now back to working on the blog again. I'll have to make an update post on my boys, they are all getting so big and growing up too fast. 

With these cold temperatures it's the perfect time to make soup in the crock pot! So that's what I did yesterday. It was something new I'd never tried before: Cheeseburger Soup. It was really good! We had salad with it and it was the perfect meal. My little boy loved it as well. I'll definitely be making this again soon!

Crock Pot Cheeseburger Soup (adapted from The Recipe Critic)

• 1 Pound Ground Beef
• 3/4 Cup Carrots, diced
• 3/4 Cup Celery, diced
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Minced Onion
• Pepper and Salt to taste
• 1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 3 Cups Chicken Broth
• 4-5 Potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/4 Cup Flour
• 16 Ounces Velveeta Cheese, cubed 
• 1 1/2 Cups Milk
• 1/4 Cup Sour Cream

1. Brown ground beef and drain. 

2. Saute carrots, celery, minced onion and seasonings in 1 Tablespoon of butter.

3. Combine the chicken broth, ground beef, vegetables and potatoes in the crock pot. Cook on low for about 6 hours. Mash the potatoes to your desired consistency. 

4. Melt the remaining 3 Tablespoons of butter and add flour to it. Stir for 3-5 minutes and then add to the crock pot. 

5. Add in the cheese and milk. Cook for another 30 minutes.

6. Before serving, stir in the sour cream.

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Parmesan Roasted Green Beans

Today I have been married for two years! So much has changed since then, it's crazy. Tomorrow we are going out to dinner and having grandparents watch the babies for the first time since they were born. I'm a little nervous because they tend to act up when we try to change things. Like this last weekend we tried to go to a birthday party for my niece and ended up having to leave early because little Connor would not stop screaming his head off! I'm sure everything will be fine though...

We have a ton of apples that I've been working on getting ready to freeze. I also made my first ever apple pie completely from scratch last Friday! It was delicious and I learned a couple of things for next time to make it even better. Today I'm making apple crisp in the slow cooker and I'm guessing it will make the house smell awesome! Perfect for this cold fall day. 

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Today I am sharing this yummy recipe for Parmesan-Roasted Green Beans. They are so good, whenever I make them it's hard to stop eating them! They are also a bit spicy with the seasoning that I use, so if you don't like spicy things, you might want to just use regular salt and pepper. They are super easy to make as well, which is always a good thing. Recipe adapted from Budget Savvy Diva.

Parmesan-Roasted Green Beans

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces Green Beans
• Olive Oil
• Garlic Salt
• "Hot Shot" Black & Red Pepper Blend
• Parmesan Cheese, grated
• Parmesan Cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Trim off the ends of the green beans. In a medium bowl, mix the green beans with just enough olive oil to coat them lightly. Lay the beans out on a cookie sheet in a single layer.

3. Sprinkle garlic salt, pepper blend and grated Parmesan cheese over the green beans. Sprinkle a little bit of the shredded Parmesan cheese on top.

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

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Slow Cooker Corn Chowder

Today has not been a great day. It's gloomy and rainy and the children won't stop crying. My little man has suddenly developed a fear of any loud noises, even motorcycles driving by or airplanes and this is just in the last two days. He will cry and cry about it and I'm not sure what to do to help him. It probably doesn't help that he decided to get up at 5am this morning either.

Hopefully this evening will get better. Probably after they all go to bed! But until then, I will have to try to figure out how to get him to stop crying. Last week I promised a recipe for the delicious corn chowder I was making and so here it is! (It's rather hard to get a great picture of soup...) We are actually having the leftovers from last week tonight. Rainy days are perfect weather for soup, don't you think?

Slow-Cooker Corn Chowder (adapted from The Crockin' Girls)

Ingredients

• 6-8 potatoes
• 1 can Creamed Corn
• 1 can Whole Kernel Corn
• 2 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 pound Sausage
• 1/4 cup Butter
• 2 cups Half and Half

Directions

1. Peel and dice the potatoes. Brown the sausage and drain the grease.

2. Add potatoes, both cans of corn, chicken broth and sausage into the slow-cooker.

3. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

4. Mash the mixture into your desired consistency and add the butter and half and half. 

5. Cook for an additional 30 minutes on high.

It's very easy to make and tastes so yummy! I just have to make sure I get it started early enough in the morning. Oh, and the leftovers taste just as good later on. Hope you like it!

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Apple Cheesecake Crumble Bars

How does the weekend go so fast? Or the entire week for that matter! It feels like I can never keep up with everything. I've been slacking on posting lately, but today I have this super delicious dessert. (Again with the desserts!) In case you can't tell, we have an awful lot of desserts around our house all the time. I love baking and trying new things and figuring out what works and what doesn't! 

Today I've been making a yummy corn chowder in the crock pot all day. It's going to be fantastic when we have it for dinner tonight. I'll post the recipe next week, because I know you all will want to try it! Okay, here's the recipe for my Apple Cheesecake Crumble Bars.

Apple Cheesecake Crumble Bars
(adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything)

Crust:

• 2 cups of Flour
• 1/2 cup packed Brown Sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) Butter, softened

Cheesecake Filling:

• 2 packages Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Apples:

• 3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons of Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

Crumble Topping:

• 1 cup packed Brown Sugar
• 1 cup Flour
• 1/2 cup Quick Cook Oats
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter, softened

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

3. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir to combine and pour over the warm crust.

4. In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, 2 Tablespoons of sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture.

5. For the crumble topping: In a small bowl combine all ingredients and sprinkle over apples.

6. Bake 40-45 minutes or until filling is set. Let cool before serving. Serve cold. 

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Green Bean Tatertot Casserole

I hope everyone had a good weekend! They go by so fast it doesn't even feel like a weekend to me anymore. The weekend for us is when we do all our errands and grocery shopping. It's interesting walking through the stores and pretty much everyone has to stop and look into our double stroller as we walk by. Most people don't say anything, they just stare, it's a little strange. 

Today I have a nice, family-friendly meal idea. I've been posting desserts for a long time now, it's time to switch it up a bit! This tatertot casserole is super easy to make and it's also delicious. Your kids will love it! Actually, everyone will love it! It's the perfect easy meal when you have to make a quick dinner.

Green Bean Tatertot Casserole

• 1 pound Ground Beef
• 2 cans French Cut Green Beans
• 2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 pound bag Tatertots
• 8 ounces Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Brown the ground beef and season with spices to taste.

3. Add green beans and cream of mushroom soup to the meat, mix well and heat until bubbling.

4. Transfer the mixture to a 9x13 inch baking pan and smooth out.

5. Cover with tatertots.

6. Cover with cheddar cheese.

7. Cook in the oven until the cheese is melted and the mixture is bubbling on the edges.

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Mint Chocolate Brownies

Today I have another dessert to share with you. These Mint Chocolate Brownies are one of my favorite bars that I've made. I love mint chocolate anything! It's actually very similar to the Marble Cheesecake Brownies, except it's even easier to make because it uses a box brownie mix. 

It has been kind of a long night waking up with all three boys. I need to start some coffee! I have promised myself that I would be better about posting this week, since last week was kind of a lazy week as far as that goes. So here's to a more productive week! 

Mint Chocolate Brownies (adapted from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen)

• 1 box Family Size Chewy Brownie Mix
• Eggs, Oil and Water needed to prepare the mix
• 8 ounces Cream Cheese, room temperature
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Tablespoon Peppermint Extract
• 1/3 Cup Sugar
• Green Food Coloring

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.

2. In a large bowl, prepare the brownie mix according to the package and spread about 3/4 of the mixture into the bottom of the pan.

3. Mix the cream cheese, eggs, sugar and peppermint extract together in another bowl until smooth. Add some green food coloring.

4. Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the brownies. Spoon the remaining brownie mix on top of the cream cheese mixture randomly. With a knife, swirl the cream cheese and the brownie mix until marbled. 

5. Bake for about 40 minutes. Cool completely and then refrigerate until chilled. Cut the brownies and enjoy their delicious yumminess!

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Marble Cheesecake Brownies

You know anything with cheesecake AND brownies together is going to be delicious and these bars are no exception! They were so good and my husband ate about half the pan in one sitting. Good thing he's around to eat most of what I bake, I don't like having temptations sitting around all the time!

You definitely won't be disappointed if you make these yummy marble cheesecake brownies! The recipe makes an 8x8 inch pan of brownies, but you could double it and make a 9x13 pan as well. 

Marble Cheesecake Brownies (adapted from Just a Taste)

For the brownies:

• 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) Butter, melted
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/8 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon White Vinegar
• 2 Eggs
• 3/4 Cup Flour

For the cheesecake:

• 8 ounce package Cream Cheese, softened
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 Egg

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 8x8 inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt. Then add in the vinegar. 

3. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and then add to the brownie batter.

4. Fold in the flour until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan leaving out 1/4 cup of batter for the topping.

5. Blend together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and egg. 

6. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter in the pan and then top that with dollops of the remaining brownie batter. Use a sharp knife to swirl the cream cheese together with the brownie dollops. 

7. Bake for 25-30 minutes and let cool completely before cutting and serving.

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Best Pumpkin Bread Ever

I have been on a baking kick these last couple of weeks. I've decided it's my new favorite thing to do. Last week I wrote about my Chocolate Butterscotch Banana Bread, which was awesome by the way. This week I'm posting the most delicious pumpkin bread I've ever had and it's really super easy to make. I must admit that I haven't had very many pumpkin breads before, but even if I had, I'm guessing this would still be the best. 

You might remember some of my posts where I admitted to being a big nerd/geek such as my Geek edition of things I love or my little man's birth story where I wrote about playing World of Warcraft when my water broke. Well, I haven't really had any inclination (or time) to play this year, but here's my confession: I activated my account again this past weekend. I know, I know, it's probably a bad idea and I really don't have that much time to play games, but I'm sure I can find some somewhere...

This past weekend I also got a food processor! It was pretty exciting, I was finally able to grate up my zucchini. I had tried to do it in my blender, but apparently that doesn't work all that well...I learned something new for the day. Now I can try some new zucchini recipes! Now back to the real reason for this post: the recipe for the best pumpkin bread ever (adapted from That Skinny Chick Can Bake).

Best Pumpkin Bread Ever

• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 1/2 cup of oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of pumpkin
• 1 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon of cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon of allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon 
• 1/3 cup of water

1. Combine the sugar and oil and then add the rest of the ingredients in order. 

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. 

See what I mean, super easy to make and even better to eat!

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Chocolate Butterscotch Banana Bread

I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday weekend! My family was able to come visit and see the boys for a couple of days, so that was a lot of fun. We even got to have a bonfire last night, although the babies weren't cooperating so I didn't get to go outside, but that's ok. They also insisted on waking up at 5am this morning - silly boys.

This week I have a recipe for some delicious banana bread. It was my first time ever making banana bread and it turned out great. My husband even said it was the best he's ever tasted! I have decided that I really love baking stuff, the only problem with that is we are the only two around to eat everything once I make it. I'm going to have to start finding people to give half of it to I think...

Chocolate Butterscotch Banana Bread (adapted from Unconventional Mommy Tails)

• 2 to 3 over-ripe bananas
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup butter-melted
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a bread pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Mix together dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt and sugar) in a large bowl.

3. Mash up your bananas in a medium bowl.

4. Mix in eggs, vanilla and melted butter with your mashed bananas.

5. Add the banana mixture to your dry ingredients and combine.

6. Fold in your chocolate and butterscotch chips.

7. Pour into your bread pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

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Slow-Cooker Taco Soup

So remember my post about staying motivated last week? Well I think I need to read it again, today I have not been motivated to do anything at all! It probably has something to do with the grey, dreary weather outside because that never helps. I did finally get some stuff done but it took me alllll day before I started. The good thing is we finally got some raid that we desperately needed.

This delicious soup is a perfect meal to have on days when you don't feel like doing much. It cooks in the slow cooker all day long and you don't have to do anything else once you start it! It's also very good (and fairly spicy). It made a lot of soup, for us it was about three meals worth. We had corn bread with it one time, you can pour the soup over the bread and it's really good. Another meal we had rice with it and I put that into my soup which was also very yummy.

Taco Soup (adapted from examiner.com)

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1 Tablespoon minced onion
• 1 (16 ounce) can of chili beans, with liquid
• 1 (15 ounce) can of kidney beans, with liquid
• 1 (15 ounce) can of whole kernel corn, with liquid
• 1 (8 ounce) can of tomato sauce
• 2 cups water
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 package of taco seasoning mix

1. In a skillet, brown the ground beef and drain the grease.

2. Combine everything in your slow cooker, mix to combine and cook on low for 8 - 10 hours. 

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Cheesy Dorito Casserole

Good morning everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. It was pretty hot here for once. Lately it's been a bit cooler than normal but it actually felt like August the last couple of days. I think it is supposed to be nice and warm all week long. Our weekend went by really fast, as usual. We tried to get a few projects done and do our errands. 

Little man is getting his first molars in and has been rather crabby all week. We tried to skip his morning nap on Saturday and I guess he just isn't ready for that yet. He was very tired all day long. He turned 14 months on Friday and we've been trying to get him to practice taking steps with us but he just doesn't want to do it yet. I'm sure he will soon, for now he is happy crawling. 

This week I have another easy chicken recipe that your whole family is sure to love. When I made it I wasn't sure how it would end up tasting because it looked a little weird. It ended up being really good though! I will definitely be making it again. The recipe is adapted from one on keyingredient.

Cheesy Dorito Casserole

• 3 cups cooked chicken, chopped
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 1/2 cups salsa
• 1 can of whole kernel corn, drained
• 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 bag nacho cheese Doritos 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

2. Crush the entire bag of Doritos and cover the bottom of the pan. 

3. Mix the remaining ingredients, except one cup of cheese, together in a large bowl.

4. Pour mixture over the Doritos and bake for 20 minutes. 

5. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and bake an additional 5 minutes. 

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Easy Sloppy Joe Squares

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you are having a great day so far! Last night we decided to try putting the babies into their own separate cribs to see if that would help them sleep better. As they get older they are starting to disturb each other more often. I think it worked good for one of them, he only got up once during the night! Of course it took me an hour and a half to get him back to sleep after eating, but at least he slept until morning after that. 

The other little guy decided to be difficult the whole night. But here we are, it's morning and it's going to be an awesome day! I'm making coffee right now and trying to remember what I had on my menu plan for the week...I accidentally threw it away yesterday after we did the grocery shopping. This meal that I'm posting today is one that I really like to make because it's so easy and quick. It's very kid-friendly so if you have children you should definitely try it out!

Easy Sloppy Joe Squares (adapted from Life as a Lofthouse)

• 1 pound Ground Beef
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Onion
• 1 cup Ketchup
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 2 cans Pillsbury Big & Buttery Crescent Rolls
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef in a large skillet adding in the minced onion. Drain the grease. 

2. Add in ketchup, water, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir until combined and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. In a 9x13 pan, roll out one can of crescent rolls to cover the bottom of the pan. Pour the sloppy joe mix over the bottom crust and spread evenly. 

4. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the sloppy joe mixture and cover the top with the second can of crescent rolls. 

5. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. 

Keep an eye on the top crust while baking, if it looks too brown before the 30 minutes is up, you can cover it with a piece of foil. This is what I should have done, but I was distracted and didn't pay attention to it. Yours should turn out slightly lighter in color than mine did because of this.

I hope you like it!

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Delicious Taco Pasta

Taco pasta sounds a little strange, doesn't it? I like both tacos and pasta separately, so I thought this dish would probably be good, and it was! I've made it twice so far and it is delicious.  It's very easy to make which is always a plus for our busy evenings. You can add lettuce, sour cream, tortilla chips or more salsa on top to make it even more yummy. Recipe was adapted from So, How's It Taste?

Delicious Taco Pasta

• 5 Ounces Dried Spaghetti, broken in half
• 1 Pound Ground Beef
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Onion
• 3/4 Cup Water
• 1 Package Taco Seasoning Mix
• 1 Can Whole Kernel Corn, drained
• 1 Can Black Beans
• 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Salsa
• 4 Ounces Diced Green Chilies

1. Cook pasta according to directions on package. Drain. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Brown the ground beef with minced onion. Drain. Add taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. 

3. Add the cooked pasta, corn, black beans, salsa, green chilies and half the cheese to the meat mixture. 

4. Place the mixture into a greased 2 quart round casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake until the cheese is melted.

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15 Amazingly Delicious Dessert Bars

As you might remember, I'm doing the 21 Day No Junk Food Challenge, so I can't even eat any of these delicious looking bars right now! So I think you all should make some and eat an extra one for me. Don't they all look so yummy!? I don't even know which one I would make first...

 Gooey Lemon Cake Bars @ Shugury Sweets

 Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Brownie @ A Taste of Madness

 Snickerdoodle Bars @ She Turned Her Dreams Into Plans

Blueberry Pie Bars @ Life's Simple Measures

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars @ The Girl Who Ate Everything

 Twix Cheesecake Bars @ Annie's Noms

 Delicious M&M Cookie Bars @ She Turned Her Dreams Into Plans

 Dulce de Leche Cookie Bars @ Pizzazzerie

 Smores Bars @ Sugar Cooking

 Triple Chocolate M&M Brownies @ Cozy Country Living

 Mint Chocolate Freezer Brownies @ Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies @ Just a Taste

Reese's Butterfinger Cheesecake Bars @ Tastes of Lizzy T

 No Bake Reese's Fudge Bars @ Six Sister's Stuff

White Chocolate Blueberry Bars @ This Gal Cooks

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Green Chili Enchiladas

My favorite type of food is Mexican food! I think my love of spicy food has been passed on to my little man. So far he loves to eat everything that I like. Of course, I don't give him the really spicy stuff like hot sauce or anything, but knowing him, he would probably like it. We all love enchiladas, especially the kind with white sauce and these ones are certainly delicious. The recipe is adapted from the Once a Month Cooking cookbook. 

Green Chili Enchiladas

• 1 Pound Ground Beef
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Onion
• 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 3 Cups Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
• 1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 1/2 Cups Sour Cream
• 4 Ounces Diced, Green Chilies
• 8-12 Flour Tortillas

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

2. Brown the ground beef and drain. Combine with chili powder, minced onion, salt and pepper.

3. Set aside one cup of cheese. Spoon enough meat mixture and cheese onto each tortilla to cover 1/3 of it. Roll tortilla beginning at the filled edge. Place seam down in the baking dish. 

4. Combine soup, sour cream and green chilies to make a sauce. Pour over the tortillas. 

5. Bake 20-25 minutes. The last 10 minutes sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

6. Enjoy your delicious and easy dinner!

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Summertime Pinwheel Icebox Cookies

I love cookies! I made these delicious cookies last week and they didn't last long around here. I always seem to have problems when I try to make icebox cookies that you roll up and slice. I can never get them as perfect as I want them to be! These turned out okay, I thought they were going to be much worse. At least they still tasted great! 

I was trying to pick two summery colors and decided on orange and purple. You, of course, can pick any two colors you would like. These would be perfect for any holiday, just use holiday colors for them! I love the peppermint taste they have, but if you don't care for that you can also leave the peppermint out.

Summertime Pinwheel Icebox Cookies (adapted from Just a Taste)

• 3 Cups Flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/ 2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Cup Unsalted Butter
• 1 1/3 Cups Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1 Teaspoon Peppermint Extract
• Food Coloring 

1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add in the eggs plus the vanilla and peppermint extracts.

3. Add in the flour mixture and mix well.

4. Separate the dough into three equal pieces. Add food coloring to two of them to get your desired color. 

5. Shape each piece into a 4x4 inch square, wrap it in plastic wrap and place them in the fridge for 30 minutes.

6. Remove the dough from the fridge and cut each square in half to form two rectangles. Place one half of each color back in the fridge for now. Place one color of dough in between two pieces of wax paper and roll out into a rectangle about 1/8 thick. Do the same with the other two colors.

7. Peel off one side of wax paper and place the three layers of color on top of each other. Roll lightly.

8. Starting at the short end, roll the dough as tightly as possible into a log. Repeat the rolling and stacking process with the other half of the dough you have in the fridge. Wrap both logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

9. Remove the logs and roll them on the counter so they don't develop a flat side. Refrigerate for 4 more hours. 

10. When you are ready to bake them, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice each log into 1/4 inch slices and bake 9 to 11 minutes. The cookies will expand slightly when baking, so place them about 2 inches apart. 

Hopefully yours turned out better than mine! Enjoy your summertime cookies!

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What I LOVE This Week: Pineapple Recipes!

 

One of my favorite fruits is pineapple! I could eat it every day. This week I found a bunch of delicious looking recipes that use pineapple. Perfect for these hot summer days!

Cucumber Pineapple Salad @ Cooks Joy

Heavenly Pineapple Cake @ This Heavenly Life

Pineapple Zucchini Bread @ Bless This Mess

 

 Pineapple Float with Pineapple Orange Ice Cream @ One Ordinary Day

Pineapple Sunset Layer Cake @ Tastes of Lizzy T

Pineapple Cupcakes @ Sensual Appeal

Pineapple Cobbler @ Pint Sized Baker

Mango Pineapple Popsicles @ Grandbaby Cakes

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