Happy V day!

I slaved away for days and days to make you something. I made some awesome FREE Valentines day cards for you! The first sheet is fairly plain and cute, sheet number two is cheesy but still very cute! 

Just print, cut and fold. I even kept the shape simple for cutting ease. I have trouble cutting in a straight line, circles are a big pain, wobbly lines are surprisingly easy. 

You can even write a cheesy lovely message inside and seal with a pretty sticker. 

See the little grey line about the hearts? 

It was uneven but I fixed that, don't worry about it. 

Why did I even bring it up? I don't know. 

It's cause I am old now. 

V Day cards 1 


V Day cards 2


Like the christmas tags, just click the above links, they will open in Google Docs and you can download the PDF or just print from there. Enjoy! 

Happy birthday, Kay!

One of our very own, Kay, is celebrating a birthday today! 

She's such a creative baker with a wonderful soul. 

She is absolutely hilarious and one of the best friends you could ask for. 

Please join us in wishing a very happy birthday to Kay!

We love you, Kay! Happy birthday!

xo Katie & Nicole

Via

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

So I couldn't get pictured because everyone ate my cake before I could get a camera near it. Oh well saves you from an over photoshopped bad pic from me!

link

This cake is super simple and very easy and very moist. You'll love it.
This is my favorite comfort food. I love pineapple upside down cake, it reminds me of my dad and grandma. We always bake ours in a caste iron skillet so got buy one! Or not it's ok but your life will be so much better if you get one. We usually double this recipe and bake it in a 13 1/2 inch monster skillet but bake in any pan you wish.

What you need:

1 20oz can Crushed Pineapple, very well drained-reserve the juice!

1 20oz can Pineapple Chunks or Rings, drained-juice reserved

1 Box Yellow Cake mix, yea it's a box mix so sue me. For the love of cake, do NOT get pineapple flavored cake. 

1/3 cups of Vegetable Oil
3 Eggs
1 1/4 cup reserved Pineapple juice
2/3 cup of Brown Sugar
about 7 tablespoons of butter

Preheat oven to 350º.

In a large bowl add the cake mix, oil, pineapple juice, and eggs and beat well. Mix about 2 minutes. Once it's all nice and combined, add the drained crushed pineapple.

Grease you pan very well. Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar. Evenly place the pineapple rings or chunks on top of the brown sugar. Slice the butter thinly and place it, once again, evenly over the brown sugar and pineapple. You want a lot of butter so when you flip the pan the cake doesn't stick to the top. If you don't think you have enough, add more. Any extra butter will just soak into the cake. Hey! Don't give me that look! It's cake, it's supposed to be fattening.

Carefully pour the batter into the pan. Bake at 350º for 40 minutes. Depending on the pan you use you might need to decrease or increase the baking time. Just test with a toothpick!

Let cool for about 30 minutes and run a knife around the edge of the pan, and carefully place a cake plate or whatever you are planning on serving the cake on and flip! Sometimes there are remnants of pineapple or sugar left in the pan, if you used enough butter there shouldn't be much, But just run a spoon around the pan and scoop all the goodness and eat it or put back on the cake.

Kay

Bento love

Maybe it's because I like cute things or because I'll always be a kid at heart, but I love bento lunches. Seriously, how awesome is this?

Via

Bentos originated in Japan as a packaged, single-serving meal. Since then, they have evolved into some pretty sweet looking meals of art. I mean, hello? Rice pandas for lunch? I'm so in.

Via

Cute almost always wins for me. Domo equals a double win.

Via

Now, who wants to make me a bento lunch?

Champagne cupcakes

Dear Betty Crocker,

Thank you for combining a delicious cupcake and champagne and sharing it with the rest of us. I shall be happy to gain 86 lbs eating these.

What you need:

For batter:

1 box white cake mix or if you are Susie Homemaker, your own homemade white cake mix. I just can't tell  you how or what to substitute you're on your own Susie. 

1 1/4 cup Champagne or sparkling wine

1/3 cup Vegetable oil

3 egg whites. 

For strawberry Butter Cream frosting:

1 cup (two sticks) Butter

2 cups powdered sugar

4 tbsp Strawberry jam

1 tsp vanilla

Optional:

Strawberries

Preheat oven to 400º

Combine dry cake mix with champagne then add in the oil and egg whites. Beat for two minutes. Then fill muffin cups 2/3 of the way full. Put in oven for 10 minutes at 400º, then lower the temp to 350º and finish baking for an additional 10 minutes. 

While the cupcakes are cooling, beat the butter until fluffy then add in the powdered sugar. Once it starts to come together add in the vanilla and strawberry jam. 

If you want to get all fancy you can slice strawberries and place them on top of the cupcake instead of sprinkles.

*Cake batter adapted from Betty Crocker

Merry Christmas!

Hope you are enjoying a nice day with family and friends!

Remember, Sleep in tomorrow! And eats lots of left overs!

Katie, Kay & Nicole

Decorating cookies

I decorated cookies with the little bros over the weekend. I'm a little cookied out so I just used one of those cookie mixes that you just add butter and an egg. They were good, probably even better because I didn't really have to do much except mix.

I busted out my holiday sprinkles, a few tubs of frosting, some food coloring and the cookies I had made the night before and we were ready to decorate.

Any one up for some caroling around the christmas tree? I did have Gingerbread men to go with the Gingerbread ladies but someone ate all the men so the women are lonely now. Poor ladies, better get out the milk. 

When I was getting ready to make the cookies I was looking through my cookie cutters and found all my little tiny cookie cutters. I almost forgot I had them. A friend of mine gave them to me freshman year in high school way before I ever thought baking was fun. Mia? How the heck did you know my future would lead to much baking and I would find these necessary to my life someday? 

Look how cute

Oh how adorable these little candy canes look next to the giant one. Is it weird that I think a cookie is adorable? They are also delicious if that makes a difference. Delicious and adorable. 

 

This little Cyclops isn't as cute but I like him. 

Betcha never had a Colonel Sanders cookie. Be jealous. Why is Colonel pronounced Kernel? I never understood that and doubt I ever will. It should be pronounced Colon-ell....wait... I think I just answered my own question. Who wants to be called a digestive system. Sorry this cookie post took an unexpected turn. Disregard everything after "jealous".

This is what happens when little brother number 2 gets bored. He stacks 4 cookies with frosting and calls it a day. 

And this is what happens when I tell he needs to help finish decorating the enormous pile cookies I baked. He piles on the frosting and calls it a day. 

Little brother number 2 also "accidentally" messed up a bunch of cookies he was decorating and had to eat them. He couldn't figure out why he didn't feel good 7 cookies later.

Have you finished you holiday baking yet?

Not feeling up to holiday baking? You could always buy one of those pre-made Pilsbury holiday cookie logs. You know the ones that have the holiday image on them and you just slice the cookies. Actually, I think you don'y even have to cut them anymore, they come in a sheet and you just have to bake them. Just get some of those, a tub of frosting and some sprinkles and your done! Easy peasy.

(via)

Kay