Strawberry Shortcake

My husband's all time favorite dessert is strawberry shortcake. There aren't many desserts he loves, so one day I decided to be a wonderful wife and make him his absolute favorite. This shortcake is my adaptation of another recipe I used to use. It's more of a biscuit than an actual cake and after the first bite you will immediately be reminded of your childhood, even if you never even ate strawberry shortcake as a child! I think this would be the perfect dessert for this coming Memorial Day! Maybe even add some blueberries to give it a red, white and blue patriotic feel!


Strawberry Shortcake Recipe   {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

2 pounds of strawberries (sliced)
1 - 1-1/2 cups sugar

Cake:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2/3 cup milk

Whipped topping:
8 ounces heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions:

Combine strawberries and 1 (or 1-1/2) cups of sugar. Cover and refrigerate.

In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar. Add flour and baking powder and mix. Combine egg, vanilla and milk and add to mixture. Stir until it's nice and moist.

Divide into 6 balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Press the balls down until they are slightly flat, but still thick.

Bake in a 425 degree oven for 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and bottoms are golden brown.

Combine whipping cream and powdered sugar and mix until it forms soft peaks (about 3-4 minutes).

Cut the biscuits in half and top with 1/4 cup of strawberry mixture and a big dollop of whipped cream.  Replace the top layer and top with another 1/4 cup of strawberry mixture and another big dollop of whipped cream!

**We like to pour about 1/4 cup of cream or milk over ours. The biscuit soaks it all up and makes it even better!

Linked to:

Something Swanky, Craft-O-Maniac, Alli-n-Son

BBQ {Kansas City} Pork Ribs

I wanted to put this recipe up yesterday, but this has been one of those crazy weeks! We had family coming to stay with us, so of course we spent a majority of the week cleaning and getting things ready. My daughter spent the night with her cousins last night, so my husband and I had a date night, which was definitely much-needed! But now, i'm here and I bring good news. Well, I bring good recipes. I wanted to make sure to get this up this weekend because I know that as soon as you read this you're going to run to the store and get all the ingredients and make it for your Sunday BBQ that you just decided you were going to have!

My husband is a BBQ'er. He likes to BBQ. It's what he does best. Over the years he has mastered the art of BBQ'ing and our family benefits from it... a lot! His BBQ ribs are by far the best in the entire world. They melt in your mouth, they are sticky, sweet, a little spicy and super delicious! I am here to share his secret. I had to ask his permission first, but after some convincing, he reluctantly agreed that these ribs are far too delicious to keep for ourselves. We want to spread the delicious ribby goodness to you all! So here it is, the best rib recipe in the ENTIRE WORLD!

Kansas City Pork Ribs:
{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe Kansas City Rub *see below
• 1 rack of St. Louis Style Pork Ribs
• 1 cup Sweet Baby Ray's *original* BBQ sauce

Bryce's Kansas City Rub:

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 - 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (depending on your taste!)

Instructions:

Apply rub to the ribs very liberally. Make sure it is well-coated with the rub because this is what will make them nice and sticky!

Prepare your BBQ for indirect cooking. For those of you unfamiliar with this method, essentially what you want to do is divide the charcoal in a way that heats the BBQ and cooks the meat, without the meat being placed directly above the charcoal. You can do this by either raking the hot briquettes to each side of the meat, or by stacking the charcoal to one side and placing the ribs over the other side (or "cold" side of the grill). This is very important in keeping the meat from overcooking and becoming dry and burnt. You want it to cook slowly with no heat directly below. I would recommend using more charcoal than you typically would as you will need to maintain heat for a full hour of cooking.

Once your BBQ is prepared for indirect cooking, place the slab of ribs, meaty side up, on the "cold" side of the grill. Cover. Allow it to cook for a full hour without lifting the lid.

If you have a temperature gauge try to keep it at around 325 - 350 degrees.

Once ribs have cooked for a full hour, they should be fully cooked. We like to take an extra step in making the ribs extra-yummy by throwing them on the hot part of the grill for a few minutes on each side. This gives it more of that BBQ crust.

Apply your BBQ sauce and place ribs back over the "cold" part of the grill, close lid and allow to sit for 3 more minutes.

Remove from the grill and cut into individual ribs.

Enjoy!

Cheesecake Brownies

I don't think i've ever met a dessert I didn't like. I love them all in completely different ways. But, if I were going to be stranded on an Island and I could only bring one dessert, that dessert would be brownies. I have a love for brownies that I have never felt with another food before... It's creepy, really. Okay, so I might be exaggerating a little... But, I do love them! They are very versatile, much like cupcakes. You can pretty much pair any flavor with a brownie and have success! This week I was overly consumed by couponing, so I hadn't done a whole lot of baking or cooking. We went over to my MIL's house for a visit and she presented me with the most awesome present EVER! A Perfect Brownie Pan Set set!!

I remember when I saw these on TV I thought they seemed interesting. I thought they could be one of those products that claims to be revolutionary, when in reality it doesn't work all that well. But, I decided to test it out at my MIL's that night and I made some cheesecake brownies... and let me tell you, it was awesome! Perfectly cut brownies! I've made a lot of brownies over the years and have tried every different technique to make them look perfectly even and neat. This pan does just that! It's amazing and I love it. So, you should probably get one now :)


Cheesecake Brownies Recipe:


Brownie Part:
1 Box brownie mix
Eggs (according to your box!)
Water (according to your box!)
Oil (according to your box!)


Cheesecake Part:
8 ounces cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Prepare brownie mixture according to package directions. Spread into your pan of choice.

Combine cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and use an electric mixer to beat it until it's smooth. Spoon cheesecake mixture over the brownie mixture in 9 big blobs. Use a knife to twirl and swirl the cheesecake mixture. Now, if you're using the Perfect Brownie Pan Set you would place the metal divider over the top of the brownies and push it down and it would help to distribute the cheesecake mixture even more!

Now just bake according to your box's directions! Then, you eat them!

Strawberry Lemonade

It's been awhile! I've been so caught up with other things this week and also with my new obsession... I admit it... I've become completely obsessed with couponing! Thanks to Coupon Mom's book and the show Extreme Couponing, I now eat, drink and sleep coupons! The feeling of getting to the register, handing over your coupons and watching your total go down and down and down and down is the best feeling in the world! I know I will never be as 'Extreme' as the extreme couponers on the show because, well, I just don't have a need for 300 boxes of cereal when it's just my daughter, husband and I who will occassionally have a bowl. But, that doesn't mean I don't like to cut my grocery bill in half!

Anyways, between the printing and the clipping i've done this week, I felt it was time to update with a recipe! Since those hot summer days are just around the corner, I find that a nice, refreshing glass of strawberry lemonade is just what everyone needs to cool down!

Here is the lemonade recipe I use:

8 cups water

1-3/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups lemon juice (about 6 large lemons, or 12 small lemons)

In a saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Stir to dissolve sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for a few hours.

In pitcher, stir together syrup, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water.

Strawberry Mixture:

2 pounds fresh strawberries

1-1/2 cups sugar (you can adjust this depending on your taste!)

Remove the tops of the strawberries and mash them and mash them until they are very syrupy and there are small pieces of strawberry throughout.

Strawberry Lemonade Recipe:

There are two ways you can do this!

1. Pour some of your lemonade in an 8 ounce cup and add 2-3 tablespoons of strawberry mixture and stir 2-3 times.

2. Pour desired amount of strawberry mixture into the pitcher with the lemonade and mix it all together.

Winner of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes Giveaway!

It's finally time to announce the winner of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes! I'm super excited to announce that random.org chose...

Which means the winning comment was...

Congratulations to Jacquie from The Pink Piano!! Send me an email with your address to diddlesanddumplings@hotmail.com  to claim your prize!!

I want to thank everyone for entering! You guys are the best! I will definitely be doing another giveaway soon! Have a great Mother's Day weekend!!

Cinco de Mayo Printable Cupcake Toppers

*Click here for some awesome Cinco de Mayo recipes!*

It just dawned on me that Cinco de Mayo is this Thursday! I've been seeing all the posts about it on Facebook, but for some reason I didn't realize it was coming up that quickly! I threw together some cupcake toppers for anyone who plans on making some cupcakes this Cinco de Mayo! Use a 2" punch for the round ones and use scissors to cut out the peppers. Place a toothpick or lollipop stick on the back and use them on some delicious cupcakes!

Download them here

There are some awesome recipes I keep seeing around for margarita cupcakes, like these from The Bakery Spot. Yum!  Also, there is an awesome recipe in Martha Stewart's Cupcake book for Tres Leches Cupcakes! There are just so many delicious cupcake recipes out there, you're bound to find one you like! :)


Linked with:

Tip Junkie

Tater tot Casserole

This recipe would definitely not win a prize for it's beauty, but, it would definitely win a prize for it's ooey, gooey, cheesy, comforty goodness. I love this casserole and I crave this casserole all the time. If this casserole didn't exist, i'm not sure I would be the girl I am today. It's that good! The next time you need a side dish (especially awesome with BBQ tri-tip... yum!) or something to take to a potluck, you've got this delicious recipe, ready to knock the socks off of anyone it comes in contact with!


Tater Tot Casserole Recipe:
32oz Bag of tater tots or mini tater tots (Thawed or frozen. I prefer thawed!)
1 Can cream of chicken soup
16oz container sour cream
1-1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup french fried onions


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Mix tater tots, soup, sour cream and 1/2 cup cheese in a large bowl.

Spread mixture into 9"x13" baking dish.

Top with remaining cheese (or add even MORE cheese!)

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with french fried onions.

Return to oven and remove after 10 more minutes.

This casserole is excellent for a BBQ! :)



***Don't forget to enter the Giveaway for Martha Stewart's Cupcake Book!