Oreo Birthday Cake

This past year for Summer's birthday she decided she wanted to pick her cake from Pinterest. An who I am to tell the girl no when I get to try something new?!? So after scouring for an Oreo cake, she found this one and that is how we ended up with an Oreo Birthday Cake.

This birthday cake was amazing! And really fun to make. But first, I want to share where I found it.  QUEENSLEE APPETIT is the blog I got it from! And I think it is safe to say Summer loved it! (And her birthday was in September, so I am super behind on sharing this!)

It really was a process and I made the cakes on the day before and assembled them the day of her birthday.

This was actually the only picture of the inside of the cake! Darn It! It was already dark in my house by the time we ate cake and by the next day it was falling over because it was so heavy! So this is all you've got! But I promise it tasted good!

I'm not really a chocolate cake fan, but since this one had coffee in it, it worked for me! (Yes, I let my 7 year old have coffee cake!)

There is literally no way for me to share this recipe without copying it word for word because I followed her recipe step by step.  So instead, just go to her blog, QueensleeAppetit for the recipe.

Summer thought this cake was amazing, and she's not wrong! She was so proud that I was able to mostly duplicate it! 

This cake was insanely rich and I'll be honest, after the small pieces we ate on her birthday, we only ate a few small bites here and there. And afterwards, I ended up throwing the rest of the cake away because there is just no way we could eat another bite of it because it was just so sweet! Tasted amazing though!

Zero Point Cheesecake

Cheesecake is one of those amazing desserts that I love to love. I have made many versions of cheesecake over the years that were amazingly delicious, and I won't say that this is better than peanut butter or toffee filled cheesecake but this Zero Point Cheesecake is the best zero-point cheesecake I've ever had!

This cheesecake from Pound Dropper was actually super easy to make! It really needs to refrigerate at least overnight. Really, the longer the better.

And mix using a spatula rather than an electric mixer.

It was pretty thin, but the original recipe did say to use up to 5 cups of yogurt if you want it to be thicker and since it was the first time I was making it I just kept to the basics.

Once it chilled in the fridge overnight I finally got to give it a try. I decided to smash up a few blackberries to add on top with a little fat-free whip cream and it was perfect.

• 3 large eggs
• 3 cups nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1  (1 oz.) small box instant Sugar-Free and Fat-free Cheesecake pudding
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp sugar substitute (I used Swerve)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


2. Using a mixing bowl add eggs, sugar substitute and vanilla and using a wire whisk, mix well.


3. Add yogurt then dry pudding, mix well.


4. Lightly grease Springform Pan and pour the mixture into the pan.


5. Bake for 30 minutes. (It will like it isn't done, but it is! And will set as it chills!)


6. Cool for 20 minutes before covering it with plastic wrap


7. Put in refrigerator and chill overnight.

I also tried her Mocha Chocolate Cheesecake and it was soo good! (It wasn't very pretty so maybe when I make it again I will share!)

This is zero points based on WW freestyle program. For other info on this zero-point cheesecake check out Pound Dropper - She has amazing recipes on her site!

Homemade Cherry Pie

Who doesn't love a delicious Homemade Cherry Pie? I know that we love it, but I hardly ever make them. So this year for Thanksgiving I decided to make one. I remember the last time I made cherry pie it didn't turn out so well. I didn't make a pretty crust and my filling boiled over the top and spilled all over the inside of my oven, burning.  What a mess, right?

This year I wanted to try a lattice top and I am not going to lie, I was so proud of myself. I thought it turned out beautifully.

I don't know if you remember that time that my dad and kids and I went cherry picking and I shared about canning cherries, but these are the last of them! We had an insane amount of cherries and I have made so many desserts from them, like pies, Cherry Turnovers and Cherry Ice cream.

My filling was simple to make, and it is the best filling

• 5 (ish) cups cherries
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp almond extract

1. Combine cherries, water, lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch in a medium pan on medium heat.
2. Bring mixture to a boil then turn heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add in almond extract.
4. Pour into pie crust, adding a top crust over filling and pinch edges together.
5. Brush an egg wash over the top of crust and sprinkle a small amount of sugar over crust.
6. Bake on 350° for about 40 minutes.

If you are using a sweeter cherry, I would definitely cut back the sugar to at least 2/3 cup, otherwise, it is going to be extremely sweet. Since I used pie cherries, they're a bit more tart and need a little extra sugar. And I'd just use your favorite pie crust recipe. I feel like I have tried so many recipes over the years trying to find the perfect one for me.

When I took my pie out I was giddy with excitement! I thought my Cherry Pie was so pretty and I couldn't wait to eat it!

After Thanksgiving dinner, I couldn't wait to dig into my pie. Summer and I both wanted a piece right away and a sliced into it, then took a big bite!

You can imagine my disappointment when I bit into a cherry pit! I was so embarrassed! I then had to tell my entire family to beware if they had a piece of homemade cherry pie that they don't break a tooth!

And I couldn't believe that of all the cherries I have used over the last couple of years, of all the treats I have made with them, this pie was full of cherry pits! Everyone that had a piece ended up with a pit! So don't do what I did and let your kids help with the pitting! (Kidding, stuff happens!)

Despite the mishap, I still thought my Homemade Cherry Pie was pretty and it tasted delicious! What is your favorite way to eat cherries? Pie is becoming a fast favorite for me!

And make sure to check my Instagram for other recipe favorites!

Cherry Ice Cream

One of our favorite things to do in the summer is to make our own homemade ice cream. Use an ice cream machine? No way! Who has time for that?? This Cherry Ice Cream is from scratch in less than 24 hours, with no machine!

Several years ago I found a recipe where the blogger promised ice cream with no machine. And I was all about that! I made my own version of a coffee ice cream with peanut butter, chocolate syrup and coffee and it was heavenly.

So naturally, I had to try other flavors, yes? Like Moscato Ice Cream. I promise this tastes as amazing as it sounds. I have made this one many times along with other flavors because there are just so many options!

Here we go ---->
I blended my heavy whipping cream, added cherries



Then added some pureed cherries and the condensed milk



Then I folded it all together until it was blended perfectly.



Once it was blended I added it to a freezer-proof plastic container that has a tight lid fit on it. I say to freeze it for 24 hours, but depending on your freezer it might be less than that or it could be longer.



2 cups of Heavy Whipping Cream, cold
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 c of fresh, pitted cherries
1/2 c of fresh, pitted cherries, blended

1.  Start with mixing your heavy whipping cream, blending until you have stiff peaks.


2. Add in your condensed milk and cherries along with the blended cherries and mix until they are well blended.


3. Pour into a freezer-safe container with a lid.


4. Freeze for approx 24 hours. (It could be less depending on how cold your freezer is)


5. Enjoy!

You could easily add some other ingredients to this as well. Chocolate syrup? Pistachios? Brownie? What would you add to your homemade cherry ice cream?

Circus Animal Cheesecake

Last summer for my sister in laws birthday we had invited her over for dinner and I asked what kind of cake she wanted. She sent me a pinterest picture for this Circus Animal Cheesecake and I was immediately excited to make it! I probably never would have made it for my kids so this was a fun chance to make it. And this way I could send half of it home with her!



Even though there are several steps to get this Circus Animal Cheesecake made, it is completely worth it! Though it is extremely rich! Again.... totally worth it!



I felt like it was so pretty that I kept taking pictures of it and didn't really want to cut into it!



Recipe from Life, Love and Sugar

CRUST

2 1/4 cups frosted animal cookie crumbs
2 tbsp salted butter, melted

FILLING

24 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs at room temperature
2 cups chopped frosted animal cookies, divided

WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE

6 oz white chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Pink gel icing color
Sprinkles

WHIPPED CREAM

1/2 cup cold heavy whipping cream
4 tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

CRUST

1. Preheat oven to 325°F


2. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper in the bottom and grease the sides.


3. Combine the crust ingredients in a small bowl.


4. Press the mixture into the bottom of the springform pan.


5. Bake the crust for 10 minutes and set aside to cool.


6. Cover the outsides of the pan with aluminum foil so that water from the water bath cannot get in.


7. Set prepared pan aside.

CHEESECAKE FILLING

1. Reduce oven to 300°F


2. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar and flour until well combined (Use low speed to keep less air from getting into the batter, which can cause cracks). Scrape down the sides of the bowl.


3. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract, mixing on low speed until well combined.


4. Add the eggs one at a time, beat slowly and scrape the sides of the bowl after each egg.


5. Stir in 1 1/4 cups of chopped animal cookies just until mixed, so the colors from the sprinkles don’t mix into the batter too much.


6. Pour a small amount of batter into the bottom of the crust in an even layer, then add the remaining 3/4 cup of chopped animal cookies.


7. Pour the remaining cheesecake filling into crust, over the cookies, and spread into an even layer.


8. Place springform pan inside another larger pan. Fill the larger pan with enough warm water to go about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. The water should not go above the top edge of the aluminum foil on the springform pan.


9. Bake for 1 hour and 25 minutes.


10. Turn off heat and leave cheesecake in oven with door closed for 30 minutes.


11. Crack oven door and leave the cheesecake in the oven for about 30 minutes.


12. Remove cheesecake from oven and chill until firm, 5-6 hours or overnight.

TO FINISH OFF THE CHEESECAKE

1. When the cheesecake is cool and firm, remove from the springform pan and set on a serving plate.


2. To make the white chocolate ganache start with putting the white chocolate chips in a bowl.


3. Microwave the heavy whipping cream until it just begins to boil, then pour it over the chocolate chips. Allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. If it doesn’t melt completely, microwave for 10-20 seconds, then whisk until smooth.


4. Color the ganache with a little pink gel coloring.


5. Pour the ganache onto the cheesecake and spread into an even layer.


6. To make the whipped cream, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl. Mix on high speed until stiff peaks form.


7. Add dollops of the whipped cream on top of the white chocolate ganache.


8. Top the cheesecake with frosted animal cookies and some sprinkles. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The only thing I was bummed about it not getting a well lit picture of it sliced! It was already getting late by the time we cut into it, but it is still pretty and I was pretty darn proud of how it turned out!

If this Circus Animal Cheesecake sounds amazing or if you love cheesecake as much as I do, check out The Perfect Cheesecake, Caramel Toffee Crunch Cheesecake, Caramel Apple Cheesecake, and Mini Snickers Cheesecakes.

Dinosaur Birthday Party

My little guy isn't so little any more. Yesterday Tyler turned 7 years old. I know that he really is still "little" but such a big kid too!
He is loving first grade and I love to watch him grow. His reading and writing is so great and I love having him read stories to me. And he asked for notes cards and envelopes for his birthday so he can write notes. He is so my child.

For his birthday he asked for a Dinosaur birthday party and as soon as Summer's Mermaid Party was over I got to work on a few things.



I really wanted to keep food more simpler than I have before. We did food for Carivores: Chicken nuggets and pigs in a blanket. Herbivores: veggies and ranch. And Sweetivores: Dino footprint cookies.

We also had Dino eggs which were grapes. Dino bones that were pretzels and Dino teeth that were Bugles. We also had green Din-o-mite punch!



These plates I use are awesome and I use them for every party I have! I just get a can of spray paint and give them a fresh color for whatever our theme is! check out how I made them in this post from Summer's Tea Party.



We had several games that we played. The first was just "Pin the head on the skeleton" and I picked that up from Party City for just a couple of dol1ars. It came with 12 skeleton head stickers, a blindfold and the sheet to put up on that wall. The kids could see out of the bottom of the blindfold if you weren't paying attention. The we had a couple of non cheaters! (Ha!)



We also played another game where we tied a string to a balloon and tied the other end around the kids waist. Then once they were all ready we let them loose and they had to stomp the other kids balloons to pop them without getting their own popped. The last balloon standing wins. I think we only had three kids that cried..... The others seemed to enjoy it!



The last game we played was called Feed the dinosaur. Zachary drew this Dino for me and cut out the mouth then we just put a bucket behind it. We had a bag of plastic golf balls from a game we played over the summer that worked perfectly and the kids seemed to love it. They each took multiple turns!



Then it was time for presents and cupcakes. Tyler got tons of legos, which he loves so he was super excited and couldn't wait to get building!



And next was chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting and I used candy corn to make spikes on the back of our Dino!



To make the leaves I just cut them out with my cricut. Such a time saver!



I also made shirts for my family. Getting a 15 year old boy to wear a shirt that says "brothersaurus" isn't easy, but he wanted to stay the night at his friend's so I told him only if he wore the shirt for the party. #noshameinmygame So here we are: mamasaurus, daddysaurus, brothersaurus, sistersaurus and Tylersaurus.



Tyler had such a fun party and I think all the kids had a fun time too! You can see the "binoculars" we made using toilet paper rolls, tape and string. Makes for a pretty inexpensive party and the kids enjoyed the time!

Summer's Mermaid Birthday Party

Last weekend my little girl turned FIVE years old!

We went back and forth a little on what type of party she wanted, but ultimately settled on a "Mermaid  Birthday Party".

Thankfully Pinterest is always my friend and guides me to the best of the best crafters with awesome ideas to create a great party.  Here are some shots from the day. And by "some" shots, I mean, I am sorry for an extremely picture heavy post.



Welcome Mermaid sign for the front door.



Summer helped me "design" her very own birthday shirt. She did a pretty good job.



One of my favorite things in our house has always been our chalkboard wall. The kids play on it all the time and it always gets used for birthdays and holidays.



Our party was mid day so we just did some finger sandwiches, and snacks.





I was going to make my own rock candy, but for real, after reading how to do it and that it can take a couple of weeks for the crystals to grow I decided to bag it and just buy them!



How fun are these marshmallow pops? They are super cute and the were really delicious!



The clam shells were also a big hit. It is just frosting in between two nilla wafers and a sugar bead for the "pearl"



Love my sweet birthday girl!





Everyone loves mermaids-- What is your mermaid name? Mine is Mara Aqua Rain



I got these hula hoops on clearance a while back so I grabbed them for "party gifts" for the girls!



Last minutes I decided I didn't want to make cupcakes myself. I was swamped with other things and was just running out of time. Walmart to the rescue and the colors were exactly what I wanted. I made these adorable little cake toppers to go with them.



A pinata was really the only "game" I planned and the kids all left with bags of candy!



Look at all these sweet girls (and one boy!)! I am so grateful for all of our amazing friends that gathered around my girl to celebrate!





After presents and some cake and lots of playing with friends it was time to wrap up our day of fun!



This little Mermaid was as happy as a clam! Happy Birthday sweet girl!