Chocolate Cherry Coke Cupcakes

Oh man! I could devour this cupcake SO QUICKLY! Two of my favorite things in one: chocolate and cherry coke! This recipe came from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen, and she is genius!

INGREDIENTS

Cupcakes:
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 cup Coke

Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In the bowl of a mixer, add cake mix, butter, Coke, buttermilk, and eggs. Beat on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl and increase speed to medium. Beat for 2 minutes.

Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for about 15 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.

Place cupcakes on cooling racks until cooled.

Cherry Frosting: (if piling this on real high like mine, you will probably want to double)
2 sticks salted butter, softened
10 oz jar maraschino cherries
4 cups powdered sugar


In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and four tablespoons of maraschino cherry juice from the jar until smooth. Slowly add four cups of powdered sugar and beat on low until barely mixed.


Gradually increase mixer speed and beat on medium high about a minute. Add some coarsely chopped cherries (I used half the jar--you could use more or less to suit your taste). Beat on medium high for another minute or so until frosting is light and fluffy. If frosting is too thick, add more cherry juice and beat just a bit longer.


Generously frost your cupcakes and place in the refrigerator until well chilled (about an hour) then make your glaze.


Glaze:
1/4 cup Coke
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons melted butter
Maraschino cherries/gummi Coke bottles for garnish

Melt the butter in a small pan over medium low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the cocoa powder and Coke and whisk in well. Once the mixture just begins to boil, remove from heat and whisk in the powdered sugar. Spoon the frosting over the cupcakes and top with a cherry and gummi Coke bottle before set.

Food for April Fool's Day

My friend, Emily, told me about a website full of April Fool's Day recipes! There were so many cute ideas, I thought I'd share my favorites with you.

Tricky Taco Cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup ground pecans
• 1 pint chocolate or vanilla ice cream
• 1-3/4 teaspoons water, divided
• 6 drops green food coloring
• 1-3/4 cups flaked coconut, divided
• 4 drops yellow food coloring
• 6 waffle ice cream bowls
• 6 tablespoons whipped topping
• 3 pieces black rope licorice, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 9 maraschino cherries, patted dry, halved

Directions

• Place pecans in a shallow bowl. Drop small scoops of ice cream into pecans; roll to coat. Place on a baking sheet; freeze until firm. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 1-1/2 teaspoons water and green food coloring; add 1-1/2 cups coconut. Seal bag and shake to tint. In a small resealable plastic bag, combine yellow food coloring and remaining water; add remaining coconut. Seal bag and shake to tint.
• Place coated ice cream balls in waffle bowls. Sprinkle with green coconut. Dollop with whipped topping. Sprinkle with the yellow coconut and licorice; top with the cherries. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.

Pizza Cake

Ingredients

• 1 package (18-1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix
• 1 cup vanilla frosting
• Red liquid or paste food coloring
• 3 ounces white baking chocolate, grated
• 2 strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups

Directions

• Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour the batter into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pan.
• Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
• Place each cake on a 10-in. serving platter. Combine the frosting and food coloring; spread over the top of each cake to within 1/2 in. of edges. Sprinkle with grated chocolate for cheese.
• Unroll Fruit Roll-Ups; use a 1-1/2 in. round cutter to cut into circles for pepperoni. Arrange on cakes. Yield: 2 cakes (6-8 servings each).

And my personal favorite which I plan to surprise the kids with,

Kids' Sushi

Ingredients

• 10 Fruit Roll-Ups
• 10 pieces multi-colored licorice
• 4 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 5 cups crisp rice cereal

Directions

• Unroll the Fruit Roll-Ups, leaving paper attached. Cut licorice lengthwise into thin strips; set aside. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine marshmallows and butter. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 2 minutes or until melted, stirring once a minute. Add cereal; stir to coat.
• Place about 1/2 cup cereal mixture on the edge of each roll-up; place licorice in the center of the mixture. Roll up sushi rolls to about 1-inch diameter. Discard paper. Trim edges of rolls; cut each into four pieces. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 40 pieces.

For more April Fool's Day recipes, click here

Shrine Circus

For over 40 years, the Hella Shriners have brought the Shrine Circus to the City of Dallas as a major fundraiser for the local non-profit fraternity and operations of the local Shrine Center.

We took the opportunity this year to go see it for the first time. What a treat!!! This was all three kids first circus, which made it very exciting! It was three hours long full of tigers, performing elephants, motorbike stunts, a dog show, acrobats, etc....

The Star of our Show, the Mighty Bo -- the largest performing elephant on the planet!

And last but not least, the human cannonball!

Easy Garlic Knots

I could eat several of these right now!

Easy Garlic Knots

12 frozen Rhodes rolls
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1. Thaw Rhodes rolls. Roll each dough ball into a rope-about 8 inches long. Tie in a knot. Place on greased baking sheet and let rise until double in size, about 30-45 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Gently brush each roll with melted butter. Sprinkle rolls with minced garlic and Italian seasoning.

3. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until rolls are golden brown. Serve warm.

Makes 12 garlic knots

My Favorite People

My sweet family....

Star Student

Ashlan was Star Student this past week. An assignment for one of the days was to make a poster with your name and write an adjective describing you starting with the letter in your name. She had so much fun with this! Obviously, we had to help her a bit because as a first grader coming up with some of the adjectives depending on the letter was a bit challenging. But she completed it and was very proud!!

Corned Beef Hash

You probably already have your menu made for the big Irish dinner on Thursday! Right? Are you making Shepherd's Pie, Corned Beef and Cabbage, Fish and Chips, or Irish Stew?

But what about breakfast? Are you going to wake up early and fix an Irish breakfast? If so, here is an easy recipe to make!

Corned Beef Hash

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cups finely chopped, cooked corned beef
3 cups chopped, cooked Yukon gold potatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

1. Heat the butter in a large cast iron skillet on medium heat. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, until translucent.

2. Add the corned beef and potatoes, and spread the mixture out evenly in the pan. Increase the heat to high or medium high and press down on the mixture with a metal spatula.

3. Do not stir the potatoes and corned beef mixture, but let them brown. If you hear them sizzling, this is good. Use a metal spatula to life up a corner to see if they are browning. Once nicely browned, use the spatula to flip sections over in the pan so that they brown on the other side. Press down again with the spatula. If there is too much sticking, you can add a little more butter to the pan. Continue to cook in this manner until the potatoes and the corned beef are nicely browned.

4. Remove from heat, stir in the chopped parsley. Add freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste.

ENJOY!!!

A Twist on Rice Krispie Treats

You might remember my post a few days ago about a fun twist on rice krispie treats. The girls and I made them today. So easy!

We packaged a few and added green ribbon!

And we also had to add rainbow colors too!

Then we passed them out to neighbors! And easy fun treat you must try!

Mint Fudge Brownies in a Jar

These would be a great St. Patrick's Day treat for neighbors, co-workers, teachers, etc....

Courtesy of Confessions of a Cooking Queen

Mint Fudge Brownies in a Jar You need: 2 dozen 8 oz straight sided glass jars with lids Wooden spoons and baker's twine (optional) Brownie batter (I used Duncan Hines, but you can use homemade if it floats your boat) Hot fudge sauce About 2 dozen Oreos, crushed Mint filling ingredients 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened 1/2 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk 8 oz container Cool Whip, thawed 1 teaspoon mint extract Green food coloring 1. Preheat oven to 350. Ladle a small amount of brownie batter into ungreased jars (you only want it to come up maybe 1/2 inch) and place jars on cookie sheet. Bake until skewer inserted in middle of brownies comes out clean. 2. While brownies are cooling, either make your fudge sauce or heat up your jarred stuff. When it is pourable, carefully pour or ladle a generous amount in each jar on top of the brownies. Allow this to cool. 3. Once fudge sauce has cooled, prepare your mint filling: In the bowl of a mixer, beat cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth, scraping the bowl as needed. Gently fold in Cool Whip, mint extract and green food coloring until mixture is well blended and desired shade of green is achieved. Carefully spoon mint filling into jars. 4. Top with a generous sprinkling of Oreo crumbs. Twist a lid on to the top of each jar and secure a wooden spoon with twine, if desired. *And make sure you make a few jars for yourself!*

St. Patrick's Day Fresh Herb Dip

Saint Patrick’s Day Fresh Herb Dip

Prep: 15 minutes

Yield: 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients
1 (16-ounce) container light sour cream or reduced-fat Greek yogurt
1 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Fresh vegetables, crackers

Preparation
1. Combine all ingredients in a container of a food processor; pulse until combined. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Serve with fresh vegetables or crackers.

Some Fun Facts About St. Patrick's Day

1. Saint Patrick’s Day is actually an international holiday always celebrated on March 17th. It started as a Christian holiday but has become a secular celebration of Ireland’s culture.

2. Believe it or not, the color of St. Patrick was not actually green, but blue. In the 19th century, however, green came to be used as a symbol for Ireland.

3. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest number of leaves found on a clover is 14.

4. One estimate suggests that there are 10,000 regular three-leaf clovers for every lucky four-leaf clover.

5. A fun Irish toast: “May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go.”

Courtesy of Make and Takes

Tahiti

Here is a slideshow of pictures from our trip to Tahiti! Enjoy!

Personalize a digital slideshow

St. Patrick's Day Ideas

Are you excited about St. Patrick's Day? I am! I almost never cook Irish food, but I should. I love it, and especially the husband loves it.

Wouldn't it be fun to host a St. Patrick's Day party? I would love to do that, but probably not this year. We literally just got home from a two week trip and after all the unpacking, laundry, restocking pantries and refrigerators, I'm just too tired to think about hosting a party.

But in case you are thinking about hosting a party OR are already planning a party and are looking for fun ideas, then check out the pictures and ideas below courtesy of Celebrations at Home

Serve a buffet of bite-sized foods consisting of traditional fish-n-chips, mini shepherd's pies, and mini reuben sandwiches. Wash it down with a "Pot of Gold" cocktail with flecks of real gold from Goldschlager. Set up your cocktail bar with rainbow colored streamers hanging as a backdrop, and place a sign that reads, "A 'Pot of Gold' at the end of the Rainbow." Have some glasses already filled and lined in rows. Scatter gold coins around the bar top and around the glasses.

For dessert and favors, set up a Sweets Table with candies, cupcakes, and green rice crispy treats, along with decorative take out boxes. Be sure to haveIrish Coffee available too.

Thin Mint Truffles

The perfect 'chocolate' treat for St. Patrick's Day!



INGREDIENTS


9 oz box of Thin Mints
4 oz (1/2 block) cream cheese, softened
Dark chocolate almond bark or dark chocolate candy melts
Nonpareils


Crush the Thin Mints very finely. You can do this by placing them in a large Ziploc bag and rolling them with a rolling pin, or use your food processor, which is what I did.


Once they are crushed, pour them in a large bowl and add the cream cheese. I would like to say that you can just mix it up with a wooden spoon, but if you want to do things properly you are going to have to get your hands involved. Squish them up real good until it's thoroughly combined and the cream cheese is no longer visible.

Roll into 1 inch balls, place on a wax paper lined baking sheet, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Melt almond bark or candy melts and using a toothpick, dip truffles completely and twirl to allow the excess to drip off. Place back on lined baking sheet and sprinkle with nonpareils before set. Refrigerate until firm.


*Makes about 24 truffles.

A Purple Butterfly

Ashlan has been wanting to play soccer, so this season we signed her up! And the verdict after two games - she LOVES it (and may I say, she is surprisingly good at it) Her team, the Purple Butterflies, has been playing together for over a year, so Ashlan is the new girl. But her fellow first grade classmates make up the team, so lots of familiar faces for her which has been very welcoming and comforting.

Here she is going after the ball

Go Ashlan, Go!

Moorea

Hello from Moorea!

I, personally, feel that Moorea is the most beautiful island in regards to architecture. It has several high peaks and is almost entirely garden-like.



Yet again we were blessed with sunny, clear skies. Granted it was very windy at times today, but no rain fall!

The locals of Moorea are very welcoming and gracious. They love their island and are very eager to show you it.

We then hopped a snorkeling boat and headed out to do some more shark feeding and swimming with sting rays. Again, we swam with several black tip reef sharks and some VERY aggressive, overly friendly string rays.
Lots of sharks today


Here I am trying to feed the sting rays (you can see the shark in the background)


Here is Brent



I was much more comfortable swimming with the sharks than I was the stingrays. I have never been a fan of stingrays. They are gross, in my opinion. I’m scared of the sting barb on their tails AND if they get their mouth on you, they will suck till they leave a hickey. And these stingrays today were in the mood to socialize, swim right into you, and freak you out. They have no respect for personal space!!!!

Here is Brent trying to leave the stingray after feeding it. It wouldn’t leave him alone or go away and kept following him. I was just waiting for it to get its mouth on his back and stuck sucking. Brent would have freaked out! (and that makes me laugh)



After the snorkeling and feeding, we sailed over to a private motu (small island) to snorkel the coral garden around there and to picnic. The waters off this motu were beautiful!


And we enjoyed a delicious meal of chicken (could have been dog), sausage, rice, and bread. It really was good food, though!




Tonight, we sail back to Papeete, Tahiti to disembark the ship. We are sad the sailing has come to an end. We have made some amazing new friends on the ship and will miss these couples dearly.
But on the bright side, we are not coming home yet! We will disembark the ship in Papeete, Tahiti in the morning and stay an additional 3 days in an overwater bungalow. We are really looking forward to that! Then, of course, we will be home Sunday.

Stay tuned for updates from our land stay in Tahiti!

Final Day in Bora Bora

We are nearing the end of our last day here in Bora Bora. And we had yet another beautiful day here with clear, sunny skies. We spent today relaxing. We took le truck down to the south point of the island to a beach called Matira Beach. Here is Brent getting on le truck

Once we got to the beach we simply relaxed. We walked the beach


And swam with the sting rays near the shoreline



Afterward, we headed to the famous restaurant here in Bora Bora called Bloody Mary’s.


Celebrities from all over the world visit this restaurant when they are on the island. They had photos and lists of names of each those famous who had visited.
It’s such a fun restaurant. The entire flooring is sand.
We started with a drink at the bar


Then proceeded to have a very delicious lunch.

So overall, it was a relaxing, slow day here on Bora Bora. We will miss this island, no doubt about it.

We begin sailing late tonight for Moorea and will anchor there in the morning.

Thanks for the memories, Bora Bora!