Game Day Goodness!

Unbelievable that it's already been TWO WEEKS since by beloved Aggies ran out of time against our new SEC rival Alabama.  September has absolutely flown by this year!  Luckily, there are still 8 games left this season and hey - 'Bama still won a national championship last year with a loss.

WHOOP!!

Football and tailgating go hand-in-hand around here, so I thought I would share some game day goodness with you just in time for Saturday's game!

The. Best. Banana Pudding. Ever.

2 small packages instant vanilla pudding mix

1 1/2 C milk

1 can sweetened, condensed milk

8 oz. sour cram

8 oz. whipped cream (I like to use the real thing but the freezer stuff works great too)

2 tsp. vanilla

6 bananas, sliced

1/2 box Nilla Wafers (I'm a brand snob here and prefer the minis too!)

In a large bowl, dissolve pudding mix in milk.  Stir in condensed milk and vanilla until smooth.  Fold in sour cream and whipped cream, then bananas.  Cover the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan with a layer of Nilla wafers.  Spread pudding over wafers.  Top with any leftover (what?!) whipped cream and some crushed cookies.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.  Alternately, layer cookies and pudding mixture in a large trifle dish or other glass bowl.

Sheep helped me put this together and she got fancy with the cookies around the side!  This is actually a great recipe for getting in the kitchen with kids because there's no stove or oven involved!

My Aggies will be at it again this Saturday, this time in Fayetteville, Arkansas for the Southwest Classic!  So happy game day y'all and BTHO Arkansas!!

 

 Sharing this sassy sweet at some or all of these great parties: Under the Table and Dreaming, Totally Overflowing with Creativity, Three Mango Seeds, Classy Cutter, Serenity You, House of Hepworth, Skip to my Lou, LadyBug Blessings, Nap Time Creations, The Style Sisters, Polkadots on Pararde, Rae Gun Ramblings,Costal Charm, Not Just a Housewife, Domestically Speaking, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Sumos Sweet Stuff, The Gunny Sack, Gingersnap Crafts, Southern Lovely, Lil Luna, Someday Crafts, The NY Melrose Family, The DIY Dreamer, The Blackberry Vine, Homeworks, The Rustic Pig, Cornerstone Confessions, Kathe with an E, House on the Way, PJH Desgin, Glued to my Crafts, The Crafty Blog Stalker, Seven Alive, Made in a Day, Live Laugh and Love, A Creative Place, Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson, Home and Gardens, It Happens In a Blink, I Gotta Create, Domestic Super Hero, All Pretty Things, Katie's Nesting Spot, 52 Mantels, Truly Lovely, Twinkle in the Eye, Happy Hour Projects, Six Sisters Stuff, Tutus and Tea Parties, Mop It Up Monday, Saturday Show and Tell, Moonlight and Mason Jars, The Scoop, Wow Us Wednesdays, Take-A-Look Tuesday

Biscuit Beignets!

Are you ready for back-to-school?

These tasty treats are our favorite way to celebrate.

And once you try them you will be hooked!

Biscuit beignets (or donuts as we call them in our house) have been a family tradition since I was a little girl myself, so regardless of how sinful these bitty bites of heaven might be, they are really nothing more than pure comfort food!

Growing up we loved cooking biscuit beignets with mom and they really are fun to make.

Messy . . . but FUN!  So let's get started!

You will need:

1 can of 'exploding biscuits'

powdered sugar

cooking oil

1.  Grab your assistants and open your can of biscuits.  We prefer buttermilk or butter tastin' but not the flaky layers kind.  They don't seem to work as well, but will certainly do in a pinch!  My assistant is so stinking cute this morning with his little bed head - mmmwah!

2.  Cut your biscuits into thirds and poke a hole through the middle of your slices.   Kids can help with this part.

3.  Meanwhile, heat 1-2" of cooking oil (I use canola) in a pan.  Make sure it's good and hot when you place the donuts in to fry.  They should bubble and rise to the top immediately when you drop them in.  Like all recipes that include frying, don't overcrowd your oil to keep the temperature constant.  I fry mine on a medium-medium low heat, but you will soon figure out what works for you.  Often, this depends on how many helpers you have for the next steps - ha!  Since I don't use a deep fryer, you need to flip 'em to cook both sides!

4.  Remove from the oil when they are golden brown and let drain/cool on paper towels.  They look wonderful already, don't they?

5.  Drop into a bag of powdered sugar and Shake! Shake! Shake!  This is another great step for kids to help with - see?!

6.  Remove from powdered sugar and place in your serving bowl . . .

Aa-Aa-Aa!

There is always a HUGE problem with my sous chefs eating the beignets as soon as they come out of the bag - so watch out!  One can of biscuits should make 36 beignets, but that many never, ever make it to the table.  So if you're feeding a crowd at breakfast, you might want to go ahead and grab another can.

7.  And a toast to back-to-school or whatever the occasion may be!  Enjoy!!

My Melted Ice Cream Cake!

 

That's right!  It's cake AND ice cream in one yummy place!

 And nothing sounds better on a HOT August day!

I came across this quick twist on a traditional bundt cake on Pinterest (Don't 'cha just love Pinterest?!) from Cookies & Cups and knew I had to try it for myself because it sounded so simple and I already had the ingredients!

Like my favorite cupcake recipe from Recipe Girl, this recipe begins with a box mix, which makes it even simpler to whip up for guests - or just yourself for that matter!

It only has three ingredients:

1 box cake mix - ANY flavor

1 pint ice cream, room temperature - ANY flavor

3 eggs

You can't get much easier than that!  And think of all the flavor combinations {drool}  For complete instructions, please visit Shelly's blog by following the link above.  You'll be so glad you did - lots and lots of yumminess there to try!

She topped her cake with whipped cream, but I have fallen in love with the cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes, and they top all their delicious bundts with cream cheese frosting so I did too.  So tasty!

Cream cheese Frosting:

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

powdered sugar

cream to thin to consistency

 I made sure to cool my cake completely before frosting, then squeezed it through a piping bag.

Finally, I topped it with a diy crepe paper magnolia leftover from our Belles and Beaus Ball.

Check out Shelly's instructions (super simple) and give this one a try!

Happy Summering Y'all!

 

Sharing this sassy recipe at some or all of these great parties: Under the Table and Dreaming, Totally Overflowing with Creativity, Three Mango Seeds, Classy Cutter, Serenity You, House of Hepworth, Skip to my Lou, LadyBug Blessings, Nap Time Creations, The Style Sisters, Polkadots on Pararde, Rae Gun Ramblings,Costal Charm, Not Just a Housewife, Domestically Speaking, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Sumos Sweet Stuff, The Gunny Sack, Gingersnap Crafts, Southern Lovely, Lil Luna, Someday Crafts, The NY Melrose Family, The DIY Dreamer, The Blackberry Vine, Homeworks, The Rustic Pig, Cornerstone Confessions, Kathe with an E, House on the Way, PJH Desgin, Glued to my Crafts, The Crafty Blog Stalker, Seven Alive, Made in a Day, Live Laugh and Love, A Creative Place, Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson, Home and Gardens, It Happens In a Blink, I Gotta Create, Domestic Super Hero, All Pretty Things, Katie's Nesting Spot, 52 Mantels, Truly Lovely, Twinkle in the Eye, Happy Hour Projects, Six Sisters Stuff, Tutus and Tea Parties, Mop It Up Monday, Saturday Show and Tell, Moonlight and Mason Jars, The Scoop, Wow Us Wednesdays, Take-A-Look Tuesday

 

Bacon Broccoli Salad

I hope y'all have been having as much fun this month as we have!  Since the 4th of July I have had family in town all the way from Seattle and we have been busy soaking up all Texas has to offer this summer - whew!  They're on their way back today {sniff} so I thought I would sit down and share a recipe with you that I made over the holiday because it was a Texas-sized hit at our gathering this year!

I became a fan of broccoli salad several years ago when I tried a sample at a tea room in town known for its lunch fare with a Texas twist.  Sadly, our local eatery closed last year and I have been dreaming of somehow re-creating that delicious flavor combination ever since!

I decided to give it a try for our family's 4th of July celebration, and with help from a little 'insider information' from a former employee and some guidance from the gals at the cooking counter in our local grocery, I think I've come pretty close!  So, here's my ode to The Texas Tea Room (may she rest in peace) and all it's tasty goodness!

Bacon Broccoli Salad

3 broccoli crowns, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
12 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 C roasted sunflower seeds
1 1/2 C sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (14 oz) bottle bacon vinaigrette dressing
1 C mayo

Combine broccoli, bacon, onion, sunflower seeds and cheese in large mixing bowl. Mix dressing and mayo together in separate bowl. Pour dressing mix over salad and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes about 12 cups.

 

This is a Texas-sized recipe for sure, so you may want to cut it in half if you're not trying to feed a crowd.   The red onion and sharp cheddar cheese give this salad a real 'Texas' flavor, but you could substitute your favorite flavor of onion, cheese and seeds or nuts to give it your own twist!

 

This salad is dee-licious, and super simple to make.  And once you do, you'll be hooked!

 

Happy summer y'all!

 

Sharing this sassy recipe at some or all of these great parties: Under the Table and Dreaming, Totally Overflowing with Creativity, Three Mango Seeds, Classy Cutter, Serenity You, House of Hepworth, Skip to my Lou, LadyBug Blessings, Nap Time Creations, The Style Sisters, Polkadots on Parade, Rae Gun Ramblings,Costal Charm, Not Just a Housewife, Domestically Speaking, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Sumos Sweet Stuff, The Gunny Sack, Gingersnap Crafts, Southern Lovely, Lil Luna, Someday Crafts, The NY Melrose Family, The DIY Dreamer, The Blackberry Vine, Homeworks, The Rustic Pig, Cornerstone Confessions, Kathe with an E, House on the Way, PJH Desgin, Glued to my Crafts, The Crafty Blog Stalker, Seven Alive, Made in a Day, Live Laugh and Love, A Creative Place, Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson, Home and Gardens, It Happens In a Blink, I Gotta Create, Domestic Super Hero, All Pretty Things, Katie's Nesting Spot, 52 Mantels, Truly Lovely, Twinkle in the Eye, Happy Hour Projects, Six Sisters Stuff, Tutus and Tea Parties, Mop It Up Monday, Saturday Show and Tell, Moonlight and Mason Jars, The Scoop, Wow Us Wednesdays, Take-A-Look Tuesday

Patriotic Pinwheel Cookies

 

Happy 4th of July y'all!

 

We are heading over to my brother's to celebrate with family and a few close friends today!  It's a potluck affair and for some reason I have been spending way too much time considering what to bring all week.

 

 

Since I still have littles at my house (a.k.a. picky eaters), I always try to bring at least one thing that I know they will eat.  And because it's summer and a holiday today, I decided that something would be cookies!

 

These pinwheel cookies are actually a Christmas tradition around our house and were featured in my 12 Days of Christmas Cookies Series, so you can grab this recipe (and others - yum!) here.

 

To turn these 'Christmas Swirls' into 'Patriotic Pinwheels' I simply substituted blue food coloring for green in one of the layers and revved up the red while I was at it.  We also decided to roll a portion of the cookie log in red,white and blue sprinkles we had left over from the Texas Chocolate Crackles made for Girl Scout Thinking Day.  It was actually less messy than I expected and look pretty cute too!

 

Sheep wanted to add popsicle sticks to make them look like lollipops, which would have been super, duper cute by the way, but I decided it would be easier to serve (and faster to make) as is.  She's so creative though and it's got me thinking about what other colors and occasions we could bake them for . . .

 

 

Now that we've broken with tradition and pulled them out for the 4th of July, who knows how often these yummy sugar cookies will be showing up!

 

Wishing you a safe and fun-filled fourth today!

 

God Bless the U.S.A.

 

Sharing this sassy project at some or all of these great parties: Under the Table and Dreaming, Totally Overflowing with Creativity, Three Mango Seeds, Classy Cutter, Serenity You, House of Hepworth, Skip to my Lou, LadyBug Blessings, Nap Time Creations, The Style Sisters, Polkadots on Parade, Rae Gun Ramblings,Costal Charm, Not Just a Housewife, Domestically Speaking, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Sumos Sweet Stuff, The Gunny Sack, Gingersnap Crafts, Southern Lovely, Lil Luna, Someday Crafts, The NY Melrose Family, The DIY Dreamer, The Blackberry Vine, Homeworks, The Rustic Pig, Cornerstone Confessions, Kathe with an E, House on the Way, PJH Desgin, Glued to my Crafts, The Crafty Blog Stalker, Seven Alive, Made in a Day, Live Laugh and Love, A Creative Place, Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson, Home and Gardens, It Happens In a Blink, I Gotta Create, Domestic Super Hero, All Pretty Things, Katie's Nesting Spot, 52 Mantels, Truly Lovely, Twinkle in the Eye, Happy Hour Projects, Six Sisters Stuff, Tutus and Tea Parties, Mop It Up Monday, Saturday Show and Tell, Moonlight and Mason Jars, The Scoop, Wow Us Wednesdays, Take-A-Look Tuesday

Lemonade Cupcakes!

 

Are you ready for a taste of summer?

 

Well these tasty treats will certainly do the trick!

 

Friday was our last day of school {hooray!} and to celebrate we invited the whole class over for an end-of-year pool party!  It was two hours of total chaos FUN!  In addition to watermelon and lemonade, we needed something sweet, and cupcakes have been my go-to crowd-pleaser for a while.

 

The hands-down bestest cupcake recipe ever can be found at Recipegirl and I simply made a couple of changes to turn her White Wedding Cake Cupcakes into lemonade delights.  First, I omitted the vanilla.  Second, I substituted frozen lemonade concentrate for the water in the cupcake recipe and for part of the milk in the buttercream frosting.  I was able to use one 12-ounce can of Minute Maid for both.  Third, I added a few drops of yellow food coloring to both the batter and the icing just to jazz up the color a bit more.

 

 

After Frosting with a large star piping tip, we 'tarted up' our lemonade cupcakes with sprinkled yellow sanding sugar on top and a section of striped paper straw for decoration!  Incidentally, Target is now carrying these cute paper straws in their party section and I was able to cut them into thirds for the cupcakes - darling!

 

And delicious!

 

The best part about this recipe is that it makes 3 dozen cupcakes, so it really is fit for a crowd.  And everyone liked them so much that we will no doubt be making them again, all summer long!

 

 

Sharing this sassy sweet at some or all of these great parties:  Under the Table and Dreaming, Totally Overflowing with Creativity, Three Mango Seeds, Classy Cutter, Serenity You, House of Hepworth, Skip to my Lou, LadyBug Blessings, Nap Time Creations, The Style Sisters, Polkadots on Pararde, Rae Gun Ramblings,Costal Charm, Not Just a Housewife, Domestically Speaking, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Sumos Sweet Stuff, The Gunny Sack, Gingersnap Crafts, Southern Lovely, Lil Luna, Someday Crafts, The NY Melrose Family, The DIY Dreamer, The Blackberry Vine, Homeworks, The Rustic Pig, Cornerstone Confessions, Kathe with an E, House on the Way, PJH Desgin, Glued to my Crafts, The Crafty Blog Stalker, Seven Alive, Made in a Day, Live Laugh and Love, A Creative Place, Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson, Home and Gardens, It Happens In a Blink, I Gotta Create, Domestic Super Hero, All Pretty Things, Katie's Nesting Spot, 52 Mantels, Truly Lovely, Twinkle in the Eye, Happy Hour Projects, Six Sisters Stuff, Tutus and Tea Parties, Mop It Up Monday, Saturday Show and Tell, Moonlight and Mason Jars, The Scoop, Wow Us Wednesdays, Take-A-Look Tuesday

  

'Shamrocks' Thin Mint Cookie Pops!

 

What are you doing with all your Girl Scout Cookies?

 

If you're like me, you're a sucker (Ha - Sucker!) for those little entrepreneurs in uniform - especially when one of them is yours!  Needless to say, we have lots of girl scout cookies on hand about now, so Sheep and I thought it might be fun to experiment with making some recipes that use girl scout cookies as a main ingredient!

 

St. Patty's Day is literally just around the corner, so we thought we'd better give this idea a try and quick!  I am happy to report that after only a some trial and error with the candy bark, we have a winner!

 

I wanted to call them "Leprechaun Balls" but Sheep suggested Shamrocks, so we went with that instead.  She didn't seem to find my name for these tasty treats all that funny.  Eight-year-olds . . .

 

'Shamrocks' Thin Mint Cookie Pops

 

1 box Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies, crushed

5 oz. (approximately 2/3 of block) cream cheese, softened

White candy bark

Green food color

Green sugar sprinkles

 

Mix crushed cookies and cream cheese together to dough-like consistency.  Form into 1" balls.  Melt candy bark according to instructions.  Add green food coloring to melted bark and stir to achieve a uniform color.  Dip cookie balls in melted bark and place on waxed paper to harden.  Alternately, roll cookie balls in green sugar and place on waxed paper.  Insert popsicle sticks if desired.  Enjoy!

 

I don't know about you, but we really struggled with the candy bark.  Not sure why. I just know that I personally have never used the stuff very successfully, despite my continued desire and numerous attempts.  Hence the alternate instructions using only green sugar.  Sheep actually liked the ones rolled in sugar better than the dipped ones because they weren't as sweet.  And I do have a picture of those too.  Somewhere . . . .{Sigh.}

 

 

We had actually abandoned the candy bark altogether, but went back to it one last time after we had gone with the sugar, so you can see some of the sugar sparkles in the bark.  It actually looks really pretty, but certainly not a necessary step.

 

In the end, our original idea worked and has been 'leprechaun' approved too!

 

 

The weather here has been lovely this week and with any luck, we'll be out on the boat on Sunday.

 

What are your plans for St. Patrick's Day?

 

Sharing this Sassy Sweet @ Sunday Showcase, Mop It Up Mondays, Meet Me Monday, Made by You Monday, Debbie Doo's Newbie Party, What's In the Gunny Sack, Take-A-Look Tuesday, Tuesday Tutorial, Wow Us Wednesdays, {Wow Me} Wednesday @ Gingersnap Crafts, Cowgirl Up, Off the Hook, I Gotta Create, Whimsy Wednesdays, Pin It Wednesday, Show and Share, Semihomemade Mom, Overflowing with Creativity, House of Hepworth, Off the Hook, Finding the Pretty and Delicious, Creative Me, Made U Look, It's a Hodgepodge Friday, Kitchen Fun with My Three Sons, Saturday Show & Tell, Weekend Showoff Party, Pin It Party @ Debbie Doo's, Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Tatertots & Jello

 

Bake a Blue Ribbon in Honor of Pi(e) Day!

 

Well, I'm sure you've heard by now that it's National Pi(e) Day and what better way to celebrate than with something yummy!  I am on my way out the door to grab ingredients for Sheep's FAVORITE pie now, but thought I would share some pie recipes from a few of my past posts before I did!

 

Clockwise, from top left:

Berry Patriotic Pie

Easter Bunny Pie

Strawberry Icebox Pie

and a

'Partner Pie' Devotional

 

Although the last one's not a pie you can eat, the results of this recipe are even sweeter, so be sure and check it out!

 

Happy Pi(e) Day!

 

 

Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake

 As much as possible, I try to bake and create using seasonal ingredients, not only because I think it's probably healthier to eat this way, but also because it's more economical.  And right now, it's strawberry season in these parts.  YUM!  We visited our local pick-your-own farm and market on Monday to reap some of nature's bounty and I promised to follow up with a new strawberry recipe for ya, so here it is!

 

By the way, this is a Sassy Pants original, born more out of desperation than inspiration because it seemed like I was missing at least one ingredient from any of the recipes I found while combing the web for something new.  It's sort of a combination of two or three different recipes, and a few alterations my MIL and I decided to make along the way.  Never the less - voila!

 

Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake

 

1 'Shortcut Shortbread' Crust

2 packages softened cream cheese

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/2 C milk

1/2 C sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 - 3 cups crushed strawberries

4-5 sliced strawberries

whipped cream

 

For complete instructions on making your own 'Shortcut Shortbread' crust, go here!  Then press your 'Shortcut Shortbread' crust into the bottom of a springform pan and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.  Cool completely while preparing filling.

 

For filling, empty one envelope of unflavored gelatin into 1/2 C milk and heat in small saucepan on low for 2-3 minutes until gelatin is completely dissolved.  Pour over two packages softened cream cheese and blend well.  Add vanilla and sugar.  Add strawberries and mix well.  Mixture will be fairly runny.

 

Line the sides of your springform pan with cooled crust with strawberry slices approximately 1/4" thick.  Pour filling into pan.  Refrigerate overnight or until firm.  Remove sides of pan and garnish with strawberries, whipped cream, mint sprigs as desired!

 

This recipe is quite yummy and would be a perfect ending to Easter brunch.  However, it doesn't taste like cheesecake to me.  Instead, it reminds me of strawberry jello salad, which is basically what I ended up with after tasting it and rereading my ingredients.  But what a beautiful alternative to jello salad's traditional presentation!  And the 'shortcut shortbread' crust elevates this dessert to something truly heavenly!

 

 

So why not give it a try when strawberry season arrives and let me know you think!

 

Sharing this Sassy Strawberry Recipe @ Sunday Showcase, Mop It Up Mondays, Meet Me Monday, Made by You Monday, Debbie Doo's Newbie Party, What's In the Gunny Sack, Take-A-Look Tuesday, Tuesday Tutorial, Wow Us Wednesdays, {Wow Me} Wednesday @ Gingersnap Crafts, Cowgirl Up, Off the Hook, I Gotta Create, Whimsy Wednesdays, Pin It Wednesday, Show and Share, Semihomemade Mom, Overflowing with Creativity, House of Hepworth, Off the Hook, Finding the Pretty and Delicious, Creative Me, Made U Look, It's a Hodgepodge Friday, Kitchen Fun with My Three Sons, Saturday Show & Tell, Weekend Showoff Party, Pin It Party @ Debbie Doo's, Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Tatertots & Jello