a little st. patty's day yum~

sorry that i don't have a pic of this one. but it is totally worth giving it a shot! this is a delicious dish from my friend mykelle's mom judy. she also brought us this great one. make it this week to celebrate this fun Irish holiday with your family.

{judy's corned beef & cabbage}

corned beef brisket

cabbage

baby carrots

new potatoes

onion

Cover Corned beef with water. Bring to a boil and then turn to low for 1/2 hour per lb. Add baby carrots, new potatoes, and chopped onions. cook for last 1/2 hour with beef. Add cabbage chopped in blocks for the last 10 min(secure with toothpicks so cabbage doesn't fall apart). Make glaze right before serving so its nice and warm. Pour over corn beef and vegetables for a yummy meal.

Glaze:

1 cube butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup hot or spicey mustard

2 T. vinegar

Bring to boil and then turn off while stirring frequently

last minute neighbor & friend gifts... from your kitchen~

here are some recipes that i got from some of my fellow members of THE HIVE. all of them look delicious, so i though i would feature all of them & there great blogs! in no particular order...

{caramel marshmallow rice crispy treats}

these are a little labor intensive, but just look at them! you can find this recipe here @ City Home/Country Home.

next up...

{reindeer corn cookie bark}

this is so fun & different! it is also a great way to get the kids in to kitchen for some cooking fun. over at the Home Based Mom, you can grab this recipe & lots of other fun holiday bark recipes!

drum roll please...

{mindika's white chocolate & peppermint fudge}

what is Christmas without fudge??? & this is such a great mix of flavors! head on over to Mindika's Moments to find this & lots of other great recipes for the holiday!

just wait...

{confessions of a bake-aholic's chocolate mint cookies}

i love everything over at Confessions of a bake-aholic! she does such a great job!!! & this recipe is no exception. cookies are a must have during the holidays! & this is a great choice.

& last but definitely not least...

{mel's perfect almond roca}

almond roca is one of my favorite candies! & this is a great recipe for a great toffee! she does different nut toppings for different variations. of course my favorite is her almond roca, but i wouldn't turn down any of them:) head over to mel's kitchen cafe to get this and many other great recipes!

hopefully these yummy treats will make it to from your kitchen to your friends & neighbors home! i wish all of you a happy holiday season, covered in sprinkles, glitter & of course- flour:)!

mykelle's coconut Easter cupcakes...

mykelle brought these to yummy little delights to recipe club this month. i had toasted coconut & cadbury eggs, so i just used those instead. but i thought they still turned out cute. make these for your little chicks this weekend:)

{mykelle's little nest cakes}

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup oil

2 eggs

1 cup water

1 boxed white cake mix

1 tsp vanilla

1 can cream of coconut

prepared whipped cream

2 cups toasted coconut

1 bag candy eggs

in a large bowl, with an electric mixer, cream together cream cheese, oil & eggs until smooth. beat in water, cake mix & vanilla. spoon into lined cupcake pans, filling about 2/3 full.

bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes.

pour cream of coconut into a small bowl. stir until all combined.

while cupcakes are still hot, poke a few holes into the top of the cupcake with the back of a wooden spoon. spoon cream of coconut over each cupcake one tablespoon at a time, you might have to use your spoon to guide into the hole.

let cool completely before decorating. when cooled, spread whipped cream onto the cupcake. sprinkle with toasted coconut & top with candy eggs.

mary's brown bag apple pie...

just in time for Thanksgiving! kristin brought this recipe, from her mother-in-law mary, last month & it was oh, so delicious!!! i had heard of baking the pie in a paper bag but had never done it myself or tasted on that had been cooked that way. it was perfect! so if you haven't tried it & have wanted to, or not wanted to:) try it this week for Thanksgiving!

{picture courtesy of theelegantfarmer.com}

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 T cold milk

Pat all ingredients into a pie pan

Slice and put in crust:

• 4 cups sliced apples (7-8)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 T flour
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Topping:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter, softened but not melted
• 1/2 cup sugar

Sprinkle topping on and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Bake in a brown grocery bag (place on a cookie sheet to avoid spilling in oven!

brit's pumpkin spice bundt cake...

recipe club was super yummy this month! everything that was brought i would make again!!!! this is the dessert that i made. i have made it before & it doesn't hurt that it is really pretty easy:) i think i over cooked it just a tad this time, but it was still really yummy.

{pumpkin spice bundt cake}

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant butterscotch pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

In a large bowl mix together all ingredients. with a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat on low for 30 seconds. increase speed to high & beat for 4 minutes. pour into a greased & floured (or use this recipe for non stick greatness) & bake at 350 degrees for 40-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out this just a few crumbs. let sit 5 minutes & then turn out onto a cooling rack. glaze with cream cheese glaze & sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

{cream cheese glaze}

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2-4 tablespoons milk (skim or regular)

beat together all ingredients until smooth. spoon or carefully pour over cooled bundt cake.

don't forget...

to make this, this weekend!  this is one of my favorite cakes & i don't ever miss an opportunity to make it!  hope you all have a very happy holiday & partake of some really good EATS!

{Flag Cake}

2 1/4 sticks butter, at room temperature

3 cups sugar

8 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

Frosting:

4 sticks butter, at room temperature

3-8 oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1 pound confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 half-pints blueberries

4 half-pints raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 18 x 12 x 1 1/2

sheet cake pan with Pam for baker”s or Baker’s Joy.  Cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add eggs, then add sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.  Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bow. With the mixer on low speed,

add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix just until smooth.  Spread 1/2 of the icing on top of the cooled sheet cake. Outline the star section of the flag with a

toothpick. Pipe two rows of icing, then place 2 rows of raspberries, alternating, to form the stripes of the cake. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries.

Before covering cake with plastic wrap,  place toothpicks in the corners & a few in the middle of the cake to keep the plastic from touching your work of art:)