last week was super busy for me- my nephews were on spring break, so i got to watch them for a few days. we spent the days going out on playdates and trips to the playground. on april fools we celebrated mr. b’s FIFTH birthday!! i can hardly believe he’s five!! he got his very own adult sized milk shake from Red Robin- he was in heaven!!

i also got together with some girlfriends over the weekend, and had promised them some cupcakes! i decided to make chocolate fudge cupcakes with peanut butter frosting! YUMMM-O!!

you can find the recipe for the cake mix here. (or you can use any chocolate cake recipe you want, or keep it simple and just use a box mix!)

for the peanut butter frosting you just need:

• 1 stick butter (softened
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2-3 tbsp milk
• 2-2.5 cups confectioner sugar
• put butter and PB in a bowl and mix with electric mixer. stir in milk and confectioners sugar until it reaches the consistency you like!

i also topped the cupcakes with little mini chocolate chips…i was also thinking, next time i make these, i might add peanut butter chips to the batter!

since i had so many leftover cupcakes, we ended up having the rest  for dessert on Easter! i also made the kiddies some Oreo cookie pops. the directions i used can be found here and they’re supposed to look like ducks, but i could not for the life of me find those icing eyes (used the edible markers instead) and i also had a hard time trying to swirl the chocolate so it’d look like feathers on the top of the head! ah well, the kids didn’t know any better, and they LOVED them!! i definitely want to try these cookie pops again in other themes!

i used two different recipes, and both seemed to turn out great! the first recipe has oatmeal in it, and the second recipe was taking from Paula Deen’s website.

Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Dog Biscuits

ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 1/4 cup hot water

• preheat oven to 350 degrees
• mix peanut butter into hot water
• stir in flour and oats
• knead well, and roll into small balls onto a non-stick baking sheet. flatten slightly. bake for 40 minutes. allow to cool completely.

Bodeen’s Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

ingredients:

• 3/4 cup nonfat milk
• 1 egg
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1tbsp baking powder
• 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cup wheat flour

• preheat oven to 325 degrees
• combine egg, milk, and peanut butter
• add baking powder and wheat flour (i used 2 1/4 cups flour, but next time i’m going to use 2 1/2 cups. still seemed a bit moist, and i think the dough needed to be slightly dryer to give it a better crunch when it cooled!)
• mix well and roll into small balls onto a non stick baking sheet, pressing slightly. bake for 20 min then flip and bake for another 15 min. (i’m sure you can probably just bake on one side like the first recipe for a total of 35 minutes if you don’t feel like or forget to flip!) allow to cool completely!

both recipes said you can roll the dough and use cookie cutters to make cute shapes, but  i didn’t really feel like going through that much trouble, so i just made patties! i also rolled some out and made them into swirly twists, and some pretzel shapes (which my husband said looked like turds, so i guess i need some practice- or just stick to patties!) i left them out to cool overnight, and i think that really helped them crisp up!

this was definitely a fun project away from the normal cooking/baking i do. it wasn’t anything extraordinary, nor did it take up a lot of time, so i’ll definitely be looking into some more healthier dog treats that i can make!

we finally got around to taking down all the christmas decorations over the weekend, and it already feels like 2010 is flying by! since i spent the last several weeks kind of taking it easy from the sewing, there’s not much to share project wise on my part, so i’ll leave you with a super quick and easy snack-pretzel buttons!  i recently saw them on tastespotting and remembered how much i enjoyed them, so thought i’d pass along the fun!

all you have to do is get grab some pretzels (squares or rings, either will do), some hershey kisses (possiblities are endless…you can even use rolos or  dove chocolates), and some m&ms to top with (i actually made a few topped with mini marshmallows and one of my nephews loved these more than the m&m ones! and of course, no pics of those, they went pretty quick!)

top a pretzel with some chocolate, pop it into the oven at 200 degrees for about 5 min (don’t put for much longer, you just want the chocolate to be soft, not completely melted!!) and once it’s done, top with an m&m (or whichever topping you prefer!) tastes great when they are fresh from the oven and ooey gooey, but if you’re giving them away, you can always wait for the chocolate to set, or pop in the fridge for the chocolate to harden back up again. either way you eat them, they’re addictive!!

i’ve been buying a ton of fresh fruit (this isn’t unusual, but usually i only get one or two kinds to last the week rather than a whole variety!) – the fridge is stocked with pineapple, melon, strawberries…and LONGANS! normally when i’m craving them i just get the canned longans or lychees -longans being my favorite of the two, even though some people can’t tell the difference, but to each his own right? personally longans may be smaller, but i think they are firmer than lychees, and sweeter. (i like my fruit more crisp and crunchy!)

anyways, just thought i’d make a random post! please excuse the cat- we don’t normally make it a habit of letting him on the table! he decided he wanted to be in the picture and for some reason lately, he’s been acting more like a dog and ANYTIME food is opened he’s right there by our side! is it normal for a cat to beg for food?!!

i don’t know where i had been, but i had only learned of this treat last year! (i think i had been watching an old episode of Jon & Kate plus 8 when i saw Kate making them and thought how yummy it looked! my husband then told me that his sister used to make it all the time and that it was really good!) so,  i’m constantly making it now, and have gotten my four year old nephew hooked on them too!!

Muddy Buddies

• 6 oz chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 6 cups Chex or Crispix cereal
• 1 cup powdered sugar

• melt chocolate and peanut butter over low heat in a large saucepan
• remove from heat and stir in cereal
• pour into a large Ziploc bag and toss in the powdered sugar and shake until cereal is fully covered

for the shortbread base you’ll need:

• 3/4 cup butter (softened)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups flour

preheat oven to 350 degrees. combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix on low speed. lightly grease a 9×13 inch pan and pour dough into pan and press. bake for 25 minutes until golden. cool completely.

for the topping:

• 3 cups shredded coconut
• 12 ounces of caramel (i used the Kraft caramel squares)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp milk
• 10 ounces of chocolate (i used chocolate chips)

preheat oven to 300 degrees. spread coconut onto a baking pan and bake for 20 minutes (stirring halfway through). set aside until caramel is melted.

unwrap the caramel squares in a microwavable bowl. add salt and milk. microwave for approximately 2 minutes (stir halfway through. the original recipe says microwave for 3-4 minutes but mine was melted in two…) when caramel is smooth, fold in coconut and spread on top of cookie base. let the topping set until it is cool.

the original recipe calls for cutting the cookie bars up and dipping it in chocolate, but i decided only to drizzle the top with chocolate and cut as i go! so whatever you decide to do, just melt the chocolate and either dip or drizzle, or both! i put the melted chocolate into a pastry bag, cut a small tip, and drizzled.

personally, i think i’ll stick to actual cookies. i never seem to rememer that i don’t like bars that much!! (just too doughy!!) i think with this recipe the cookie part was just too thick and i prefer crispier type cookies! i’m actually glad i didn’t dip the bar into the chocolate because that probably would have been way too sweet for me to handle! (since i only drizzled, i had more than enough melted chocolate left over for me to dip strawberries in…which sadly, i think i enjoyed that more than the cookie bar itself!)

with it being Lent and all, i was trying to figure out what to make on Friday night, and decided on trying a hand at  Bang Bang Shrimp. super easy and if you don’t feel like frying up shrimp i’m sure the frozen popcorn type butterfly shrimp would work too!

BANG BANG SHRIMP:

• 1lb shrimp (peeled and deveined)

• 1/2 cup mayonaise or miracle whip (you could probably make do with 1/3 cup if you didn’t want it to be too saucy)

• 3 tbsp  sweet Thai chili sauce

• 3 tsp hot chili sauce (i used Sriracha)

• corn starch (about 3/4 cup)

• coat the shrimp in corn starch and deep fry, allow to dry on a paper towel

• mix the mayonaise with the chili sauces (if you wanted you could add crushed red pepper in as well, but i think with the Thai chili sauce, it adds more than enough spice!)

• coat the shrimp with the sauce mixture. you can garnish the shrimp with some chopped scallions if you wanted too. i served mine with some steamed rice and snap peas, but if you just wanted to eat it alone, you can also serve it on some lettuce for a prettier presentation!

]]> http://www.craftynatalie.com/2009/04/07/bang-bang-shrimp/feed 0 http://www.craftynatalie.com/2009/02/23/bobby-flay-and-thai-basil http://www.craftynatalie.com/2009/02/23/bobby-flay-and-thai-basil#comments Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:24:10 +0000 natalie http://www.craftynatalie.com/?p=660 just thought i’d pass along the news for anyone who is as much of a Bobby Flay fan as my husband and i are- his upcoming Throwdown With Bobby Flay show that is airing on April 4 was actually against the owner of Thai Basil (here in Chantilly, VA)! they had a pad thai throwdown- and if you’ve ever eaten at Thai Basil- YES IT IS YUMMY!!!

you can catch it on April 4, on the Food Network Channel at 9pm.

then my niece went in for her one year old check up and a few days later developed a stomach bug. turns out when my sister called into the doctors, they said that apparently a nasty virus was going around, so unfortunately for her, it looks like she caught whatever was in the doctors office (funny how that works…go in healthy, come back sick!) this morning my sister called me up and said she and her husband were sick as dogs, so i ended up taking my niece for the day to help them out. in the time it took me to pick up my niece (which i seriously wasn’t gone for more than twenty minutes!!) i came home to my husband, looking white as a ghost because he too caught the nasty stomach bug!! BLECH!

needless to say, i haven’t had any company except for that of a one year old, who is still feeling a bit under the weather but still in good spirits! my husband keeps grunting about how he only held my niece for a little bit and is wondering how on earth he caught it so fast from her when i was showing no signs at all…rock hard immune system, i tell ya! after 10 years in childcare, i got thrown up on more than you can count, and (not to jinx myself) never caught anything from my kiddies!

unfortunately me and hubby’s  valentine dinner at our FAVORITE sushi restaurant has been put on hold

i ended up eating leftovers, and to make myself feel better made a whole bunch of these little smore’s bites. (i’ve been dying to try a homemade marshmallow recipe out, but just haven’t had a chance…hopefully soon!)

they aren’t anything fancy. but they’re easy and satisfy a craving! i just took a package of jumbo marshmallows (about 20 pieces), melted a cup of chocolate chips, and took some graham crackers and crushed them. i dipped the marshmallows into the melted chocolate, then the graham crackers, and voila!

hope you all are having a much more fun valentine’s day than i am!!

they were really yummy, but i think i might double the glaze recipe next time or use the glaze from my cinnamon quick bread recipe (i like my rolls ooey gooey!)

Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

for the dough:

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 3 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

for the streusel filling:

• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp butter

for the glaze:

• 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 tbsp warm water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

directions:

• mix 1/4 cup warm water with yeast packet and let sit for approximately 5 minutes
• add 3 cups of flour with remaining dough ingredients and mix (you can either mix by hand or use a hand mixer. i ended up doing everything by hand)
• add remaining 3/4 cup flour and knead on a floured surface
• put the dough in a large bowl sprayed with nonstick spray, cover, and let sit for about 1 hour in a dark place. the dough should rise a bit, and you should be able to poke it and notice a difference
• while the dough is rising you can prepare the streusel topping. combine streusel ingredients and cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a fork. this will create a crumbly mixture.
• once the dough has risen, prepare a working area that is floured and roll the dough out till it is  about 1/2 an inch thick, and a rectungular shape. sprinkle with streusel topping, and starting at one end, roll the dough into a log shape. try and keep it tight  while rolling. you should be able to cut between 10-12 slices, and place each slice into a 9×9 baking dish that has been coated with non-stick spray. let the rolls rise for approximately 25 more minutes.
• preheat oven to 375 degrees,and once dough has risen for the last time, bake between 20-25 minutes.
• once the buns have finished you can prepare the glaze by combining 3/4 cup confectioners sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 tbsp hot water. depending on how you like your glaze consistency feel free to add another tablespoon of water or so. drizzle the glaze onto the rolls while they are still warm, and enjoy!