Bryn’s Raspberry Cheesecake Squares

Hi, I'm Adrielle Pyper. My mother, Laurel and I love sharing "How To" craft and recipe ideas with you. We created this site with our friend Rachelle Christensen to bring a little crafting goodness to your home from Mashed Potatoes and Crafts.
Our mission is to encourage crafting happiness and a love of homegrown cooking!
Let's celebrate with something simple! It's raspberry season and my 3 year old  niece Bryn helped invent this sweet treat. It's featured in Chapter 13. Enjoy!
Bryn’s Raspberry Cheesecake Squares

Spread cream cheese on one graham cracker. Top with raspberries and chocolate chips. Break in half and share with a smile.

So easy, so delicious!

Learn more about Diamond Rings Are Deadly Things and all of the chapter tutorials here

Chapter 13: Bryn’s Raspberry Cheesecake Squares

Spread cream cheese on one graham cracker. Top with raspberries

and chocolate chips.

Courtesy of www.mashedpotatoesandcrafts.com

Berry-licious Cupcakes with Magic Glitter

 Berry-licious Cupcakes with Magic Glitter

Chapter 9 Tutuorial
Mix cupcake batter as directed on a box of white cake mix and fill cupcake wrappers with batter. Push one large blackberry or raspberry into the center of each cupcake, making sure that the batter covers the berry, then follow box instructions for baking. When cupcakes have cooled, use a frosting bag to fill centers with whipped cream and then pipe additional whipped cream on the top of each cupcake. Sprinkle with edible glitter.

Here's what you'll need to get started.

Plus this fun item and a little sugar and vanilla to sweeten and flavor the whipped cream.

These scoops are helpful but not necessary. The scoop on the left is for regular size muffins--you won't need it for this recipe. The middle scoop is for mini muffins. You will be using it and the scoop on the right (used for cookies).

Use the middle scoop to put some batter in a cupcake wrapper.

Then push in a raspberry or blackberry.

Use the smallest scoop to add a dollop of batter. Finish filling the pan and bake as directed on the box for cupcakes.

When the cupcakes have cooled a bit, whip the cream.

Fill a pastry bag with whipped cream. Use a fairly large tip. The shape doesn't matter.

Insert the tip into the center of the cupcake. Pipe in a small amount of whipped cream.

Change to a large tip or no tip at all.

Pipe whipped cream onto the top of each cupcake.

Sprinkle with edible glitter. Serve and enjoy!

Thank you to Kate for the fabulous tutorial!

Learn more about Diamond Rings Are Deadly Things and all of the chapter tutorials here

Courtesy of www.mashedpotatoesandcrafts.com.

 

Parmesan Crusted Chicken in Cream Sauce

I tried a new recipe for dinner last night and it was a hit. My mom sent me the recipe, but as usual I tweaked it a bit. I may have been busy cooking for a certain dinner date and I'll tell you that he was very impressed!

 Parmesan Crusted Chicken in Cream Sauce

2 c. brown rice

1 can (14 oz.) chicken broth, divided--I use water and chicken bouillon, much more economical
6 Ritz crackers, finely crushed or Panko bread crumbs. I used a combination of both.
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/3 c. cream cheese

Cook rice. I use a rice cooker--love it!--using 1 1/4 c. of the broth and 1/2 c. water. Meanwhile, mix cracker crumbs and Parmesan cheese on a plate. Rinse chicken with cold water, shake off excess water. Dip chicken in cracker mixture, turning to coat.

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook 8 to 10 minutes on each side or until chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Place chicken on serving plate. Set aside; keep warm. 
Add remaining 1/2 c. broth and cream cheese to same skillet.Cook on medium heat until mixture just comes to a boil, stirring constantly. Simmer 3 minutes or until sauce thickens. Spoon sauce over chicken. Serve over rice. 

While the chicken is cooking, steam broccoli, cauliflower, and baby carrots. Toss in melted butter and salt to taste. The veggies make a great addition to this meal.

One-Minute Chocolate Frosting Recipe

I found this recipe on CDKitchen.com and it was so incredibly easy to make and delicious too! I needed a quick chocolate icing to frost my one-year-old's football cake and this worked great. 

 

I think I'll use it to ice brownies next. Yum!

1 Minute Chocolate Frosting Recipe

Makes 1 1/2 Cups

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

PREPARATION:

Mix together. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Add vanilla. Cool partially, then beat with a mixer for 3 minutes or until spreadable consistency.

Pancake on a Stick

A little Farm Girl Food from Adri

Growing up in Idaho, I learned that a hearty breakfast is essential to keep you going on the farm. Last time I visited my Rupert roots, my mom had a new breakfast idea to share. This one is for the kids, but can I just say how yummy it is--and I'm a grownup!

Here's simple directions to create your own pancake on a stick.

Start with some delicious sausages, browning in the frying pan, filling the house with that unmistakable country breakfast smell.
 Then mix up your pancakes and pour out a big rectangle shape of batter.

 Skewer the sausage--we used chopsticks, but you could also use bamboo skewers.

Wrap the rectangle pancake around the sausage and put one or two toothpicks through to keep in place.

Enjoy!

St. Patrick's Day Breakfast Ideas with Green Breakfast Burritos

St. Patrick's Day is coming up and we want to help you celebrate!
  
Young children love to look forward to each holiday big or small. Here's an easy breakfast idea you can do to put the green into this Irish day.

Green Breakfast Burritos

Crack 4 eggs into a bowl (or more depending on your crowd). Add 3 drops of green food coloring and beat eggs lightly, until blended.
Cook scrambled eggs as usual over medium heat in your saute pan.
Warm up flour tortillas, sprinkle a little cheese, then add green eggs.  My kids like a dab of mayonnaise in their burritos.

You can wrap up the egg burrito before the kids see and let them take a surprising bite or show them the green beforehand.
Serve with kiwis, green grapes, green apples, or your choice of green appetizer.
I purchased some Green Machine Naked Juice on the fly for this celebration, but I'm pretty adept at making my own green smoothies so don't be afraid to add a little spinach to your smoothie and make it your own personal shade of green.

Serve and enjoy! Looks like some of these kids might get a pinch if they don't put on some green!

Banana Squash Hide and Seek and Squash Recipes

Do you see that sneaky squash hiding in my garden? No?

Now do you see it?

My husband had to help me get it out of the garden and I decided to get my old bathroom scale and see how much this baby weighed!

It weighed about 27 pounds! A monster banana squash!

It's a good thing that we love squash and that there are tons of yummy recipes for this tasty fall vegetable. *Remember that squash will store will for several months in a cool, dry, dark place--kind of how you store potatoes. I keep mine out in the garage with an old rug wrapped around them.

Here's part of our bountiful harvest. Now how about some recipes?

I'll be posting the very simplest way to eat banana squash next. For now, here's a link to one of my favorite soups. http://www.mashedpotatoesandcrafts.com/2012/10/sweet-meat-squash.html The nice thing with squashes is that many of them are interchangeable. Most of the large meaty squashes can be used in different recipes without affecting the taste much. I like to use banana squash if I don't have a butternut squash handy.

Considering the size of this giant, I'll be making quite a few lovely squash recipes. Can't wait to share them with you!  

Happy Fall!

Roasted Spaghetti Sauce with Roasted Garlic, Most Deliciously Easy Recipe Ever

I love autumn time because it means I can make lots of fabulous recipes from my garden, like this gem here. My walking buddy, Michelle shared her recipe with me last year and it was the first time I'd ever roasted garlic--my family loved it!

Roasted Spaghetti Sauce with Roasted Garlic
Courtesy of Mashed Potatoes and Crafts.com

2 lbs of Tomatoes, quartered
1 medium onion, chopped
One head of garlic
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp fresh oregano
1 Tbsp fresh basil
1 tsp salt
Optional (add in your own favorite herbs like oregano, garnish with parsley, etc.)

Combine tomatoes, onion, and herbs in a 9X13 pan. Chop the end off the head of garlic, then center the head of garlic in the pan, drizzle entire pan with the 3 Tbsp Olive oil, making sure to get a good amount on garlic. Cook for one hour in a 375 degree oven.

How do you roast garlic?

Easy peasy! Follow the above directions, just slice off the end of the garlic (tops of cloves) and roast the entire head with skin on for an hour.

I used a hot pad to pick up the garlic head and gently squeeze the bottom.

The garlic cloves pop right out of their skins.

The flavor of the roasted garlic will knock your socks off and have your family begging for more!

This last step is optional, it depends how chunky you like your sauce. I put the entire mixture in my Blendtec and pulsed it a few times. I do this because I have little kids who are leery of big chunks of tomatoes and onions. You could opt to blend half the mixture and mix in for a spaghetti sauce with great consistency. Add in ground beef or sausage, noodles, and your meal is ready!

Enjoy the fall harvest!

Healthy Snack or Donut?

Here's a trick question for you? Do you think this treat is something you should feed your kids today for a snack before lunch?

Guess what? I do!
It looks like a donut, but look closer . . . it's an apple slice!
My kids were so excited about making this and we found the recipe from our new cookbook, Young Chefs by Christina Dymock. She did a great guest post last week, see it here http://www.mashedpotatoesandcrafts.com/2013/06/guest-post-on-teaching-young-chefs-by.html

How do you make them?
Core your apple, slice it in about 1/4 inch rings. Next spread with Hazelnut chocolate spread (Nuttella) and add a few sprinkles. My kids loved their donuts and I let them each have two! I figured even with two they didn't get a full serving of Nuttella (which still has plenty of sugar, so go easy!)

What other ideas do you have that substitute treats loaded with refined sugars and carbs? I'd love to hear them!

Best Ever Cream of Broccoli Soup

I love cream of broccoli soup and have tried for years to find one that had just the right creamy texture. This is the recipe I've been using for the past two years and it's a keeper!

Best Ever Cream of Broccoli Soup
2-3 Broccoli Heads, washed and broken into smaller pieces
9 cups water
5 Tbsp Chicken Bouillon granules
For Roux:
1 cube butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup flour
2 cups whipping cream (but I have made this with milk when I didn't have cream and it still works, just maybe not as thick).

Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded cheese

In a large pot over medium heat, bring water to boil and bouillon granules and broccoli, reduce heat and simmer broccoli for about 10 minutes. In a separate saucepan over medium heat prepare the roux. Melt the butter, add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the flour to the onions and stir well, forming a thick paste.

Gradually add the cream and stir until thick, using whisk for smooth texture.
Now take your broccoli mixture and blend it, pulsing a few times. I have a Blendtec so it doesn't take much and I like there still to be a few chunks of broccoli. Blend to your desired consistency or don't blend, it's up to you. Now add the broccoli mixture and the roux together and stir well. Add salt and pepper. Next add the cheese, stirring until melted. *Best tip for cheesy soups: do NOT let it boil! This will break down the cheese and it will become grainy. Just keep it on a low heat until the cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy!
This soup is great paired with my Flaky Baking Powder Biscuits.

Apple Popover Pancakes

I love German Pancakes and this recipe is a twist on an old favorite. The presentation is beautiful and it tastes as good as it looks!

Apple Popover Pancakes
4 Eggs
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter
2 apples thinly sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

 

Slice your apples very thin so there is enough to completely line the pan. You can use a pie plate or we've also tried an 8X8 Baker.

Heat oven to 400 degrees, put pans in oven to heat up. We like to double the recipe, (but you must use two pans) so there is enough to feed our family of six (barely enough!) and it distributes the apples evenly.

Beat eggs, flour, salt, milk together for one minute. Remove pan from oven and put butter in pan.

Line your pan with sliced apples--where's the pic for this step? Ah, that would be missing because Hubs and I were talking too much and mixed up the steps. You'll see it still turned out fine!

Pour the batter over the apple slices and sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar.

Bake in 400 degree oven. Bake until golden, puffed, about 20-25 minutes.


 

Serve and watch it disappear quick!