Valentine's Raspberry Marshmallows

I’ve only made them a handful of times, but to me there’s something special about a homemade marshmallow. They remind me of a friend of mine who used to come up with the yummiest flavors and they always turned out so perfectly!

My girls love regular marshmallows and they’re often the most-requested treat around here. I haven’t attempted making many of our favorite store bought snacks from scratch because my gut always tells me it will be a waste of time with my picky eaters... But I’m hoping to change that with a few new recipes I’ve discovered, starting with these sweet, fluffy, gooey marshmallows.

I got my original recipe, after a few Pinterest searches, here. And this is how I tweaked it a bit to work for me: 

I didn’t want to add any unnecessary artificial food coloring but pink Valentine’s marshmallows are NECESSARY so I used half a cup of water and a pint of raspberries and boiled them to break down the berry and get all the great juices out. I strained the juice and pulp through a sieve lined with a coffee filter to keep the tiny seeds out. After cooled, I simply substituted this raspberry juice for the ½ cup of water that the recipe calls for.

Perfectly pale pink and the added antioxidants don’t hurt, either!

P.S. My girls LOVE them!

Enjoy! 

Jessica

Homemade Pop Tarts

A few years ago, I challenged myself to not buy anything in a box at the grocery store.

A tough challenge when, at the time, I was packing 4 lunches a day for our kids.

When I realized we weren't starving, I was actually saving money, and saw the health benefits of making as much as I could homemade, I decided to stick with it.

I scoured the internet to learn how to make my own pancake mix, crackers, and even cereal.

One day while shopping in William Sonoma, I spied the most brilliant gadget!

A "Pop Tart" press! The heavens opened up and angels sang! 

Photo above from William Sonoma

I secretly really really really like lohuv cherry "Pop Tarts".... toasted.... until they are barely burnt.

It had never occurred to me to make pop tarts! Well, I grabbed the gadget, went home and made them the next day. Amazing.

Give them a try. I realize this is a lot of work to make a silly "Pop Tart", but after tasting the homemade version, it's really not so silly.

Instructions:
Whip up your favorite pie crust recipe, or open store bought pie crust. (No judgments here.)

Roll out into the best rectangle you can. With a pizza cutter, make pop tart like shapes out of the dough.

They do not have to be perfect. Do your best to match them up size wise.

Here's the hardest part. Deciding on what filling.... so many options... 

Strawberry ~ strawberry preserves, 

S'mores ~ chocolate chips and miniature marshmallows

Blueberry~ blueberry jelly

I could keep going here, but you get the idea....

Today I'm making Brown Sugar and Cinnamon.... I'm not even kidding....

In a bowl add 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 T. flour. Mix until blended.

Put 1 Tablespoon of mixture to the center of half of the pastries. Spread them out with your fingers, leaving at least a half inch of space on the edges. 

(This is where pictures would be very helpful, but I hit delete instead of save in my photo editing program, so let's use our imaginations.)

Make an egg wash:

Break an egg in a bowl and add 1 Tablespoon of water. Mix well. With a pastry brush, paint the edges

of the other rectangle with the egg wash. Put the pastry egg side down, and seal the edges with a fork.

Brush the tops of the tarts with remaining egg wash.

Poke holes in the tops of the tarts with a skewer..

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

To make icing:

Add 3/4 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. vanilla, and milk 1 T. at a time until smooth. 

Frost the cooled pastries with the back of a spoon.

Servings will vary depending on your pie crust, and how large or small you make your tarts:)

Note: 

I have only used the "press" once, and realized how unnecessary it is. And... when linking up to William Sonoma's website, I realized they are not carrying it anymore... Not a big deal, but I wanted to give them credit since, they were the inspiration for this recipe.

- Ann

Pinterest for the Win - Sticky Buns

So, let's be honest, before Pinterest came around, I didn't cook much. Like honestly, it was fast food, spaghetti, tacos, or grilled cheese. Sad, but true. I just had trouble trusting a cook book. How do you know the recipes are good? Minimal pictures or no pictures, zero repins, no FB likes, I just can't trust it. Pinterest enters, and it's so easy and most recipes have been a total hit with our family. 

So, I thought I'd start a little series called "Pinterest for the Win," where I share recipes that we actually use and really like.

Enter Sticky Buns...

I made these New Year's day before I got into the throws of my healthy eating. 

Anything made with biscuits from a can is going to be a success. Are you with me? So easy and so delightfully yummy! Kids liked them, but Jaxon got weird once he realized there was syrup on them. What? How can he be my kid?

Head on over here for the recipe.

Later Ladies!

Christmas Style in the Master Bedroom and a Sweet Treat

This is my first go at decorating my bedroom for Christmas. The only reason I tackled it this year is because I hosted a craft show in our home. But, I've thoroughly enjoyed the added Christmas spirit throughout every room in our home.

My hopes are to order a canvas print of my husband and I for this frame, but I didn't get around to it, so I just threw a wreath in there, and voila!

This is the most simple decorating folks, but it makes enough of a punch to feel festive.

This might be a good time to introduce you to the newest member of our family, Darla. She apparently was ready to meet the world.

I stuck with green, gold, and silver for the tree scheme. I placed it in wooden box and threw a sheer curtain from our first home around the base.

And, in case you're needing a last minute snack to take to one of your ten family get-togethers. Let me please introduce you to this. I don't know what it's even called, but it's super addicting. So, "fruit loop crack" would probably be my first thought.

You will eat this until your stomach hurts...so I've been told. My dear friend introduced me to this, so I'm totally blaming her for my weight gain.

This is so simple, I'm kindof ashamed to even post it or call it a recipe. Buy yourself some almond bark and a box of Fruit Loops or Fruit Rounds, if you're an Aldi shopper like I am. Melt, mix, and eat your heart out!

You're very welcome!