Summer Evening Barbeque

These are some seriously fantastic burgers with wood fire grill flavors and melted smokey cheddar cheese. Baste your bland burgers with your favorite BBQ sauce to add flavor to this summertime favorite.

Cast iron- wood fired cheesy broccoli potatoes are a great addition to burgers, this is a great dish if you are looking to get away from  french fries and cold pasta salad.  I love these potatoes because you can cook everything right on the grill and not dirty up the kitchen!

No dinner is complete without something sweet these cookies are my favorite recipe that comes out perfect every time! They are great for picnics on a hot days you don't have to worry about keeping them cold and they can be made in advance so you can spend more time with your family and friends.

The perfect summer time meal great for two or twenty!

This is my recipe for  Cast Iron Cheesy Broccoli Potatoes:Serves 4

5 large diced white potatoes
1 whole head of broccoli chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes in a pot of salted water, drain.
Put salt, pepper, butter, olive oil and garlic into the cast iron pan.
Add the potatoes and broccoli cover with foil and place onto the grill.
Check and stir occasionally so it doesn't burn to the bottom.
Once the broccoli is cooked add potatoes are browned add cheese.
Serve with any summer time meal.

Hillbilly Cookin' Simple & Easy

Woodfired Barbeque Chiken and Corn Fritters is an easy weeknight dinner on the hill. The wood smoke on the chicken really turns up the flavor of a store bought barbeque sauce. I was amazed how easy the corn fritters were to make, the batter is only a few simple ingredients and they cook in just a few short minutes. We didn't follow a recipe for the fritters, we just started throwing things together and it worked out great! Once I figure out ecxactly what we did I will post my recipe. Until then so i don't leave you hanging check out this recipe for corn fritters!

Corn Fritter Recipe

Apple Blossoms in Spring

Baby Blanket Cake- Baby Shower Gift

When I found out I had to go to a baby shower I wanted to make a unique gift so i searched for ideas and I was inspired by the baby diaper cakes. I tried to think of a way to do a spin off of it and I ended up using 5 baby blankets with baby sock flowers as a topper and a decorative sign to finish the ensamble. I used embroidered blankets to personalize the gift but you certainly can use blank or printed ones.
I found a video on youtube that had step by step instructions on how to make the sock flowers. They were suprisingly easy although they were the most expensive part of the gift!
After a few trial and error tests I found it was the easiest way to get all 5 blankets to stay together.  This was super simple to put together and needed no wrapping! The bundle looked great by its self and the expecting mommy loved this gift!

Happiest Birthday Cakes

This is the birthday cake that I made for my firend Julie's birthday this year, it was a vanilla bean cake with white chocolate buttercream frosting and strawberry filling.  I have found as we are getting old my friends really appreaciate a simply delicous cake instead of the formal the usual grocery store get up! I think they prefer not to see their age written out in bright colorful icing for the whole world to see or it could be that sometimes the simplest way is the best way. 
I adapeted this recipe from a recipe i found on food.com.

Ingredients:

2 C flour plus 2 tablespoons cake flour1 cup milk, room temperature 6 large egg whites, room temperature2 teaspoons vanilla 1  scraped vanilla bean1 3/4 cups sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool 4 tablespoons oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° Grease and flour two 9in cake pans.

In a small bowl combine milk, egg whites, vanilla, scraped insides of vanilla bean and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder and combine at low speed.

On low, add butter pieces one at a time and then oil; mix until resembles moist crumbs.

Add milk mixture and beat at medium speed for two minutes until light and fluffy.

Stop mixture, scrape down sides of bowl and beat again for about 30 more seconds.

Divide batter evenly between pans and place in the oven to bake until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean (start testing at approximately 30 minutes).

Remove from oven and let cool in pans for 5 minutes.

Turn out onto wire racks and cool completely, about an hour.

White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter, softened (no subs) 2 cups confectioners' sugar

6 ounces white chocolate or 6 ounces white baking bar, melted and cooled

3 -5 tablespoons whipping cream or 3-5 tablespoons half-and-half

Directions:

In a small sauce pan combine cream butter and chocolate and melt on low to medium heat stiring gently until combined.
Remove from heat into to a bowl filled with ice allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
Use an electric hand mixer to beat in confectioners sugar one cup at a time.

Apply to the cake immediatley.

Garnish with fruit.