Raspberry Coffee Cake....

We have been picking all sorts of berries.....raspberries being the choice this week :) We love them just fresh with a little sugar or without just as well but I just had to bake SOMETHING. I have been trying to cut out sweets and I'm actually rather impressed with myself as I have been doing very well but I hate making my whole give up sweets!!! I made a Raspberry Coffee Cake that was just delicious and yes I did try it but only a 1 inch square :) I made a few changes to the recipe and the next time I make it I think I may try using 3/4 cup of oats and 1 cup of flour for the crumble instead of the 1 and 3/4 cup flour!!!! I love oats though :)

Raspberry Coffee Cake
Adapted from Confessions of a Tart

Ingredients:

Butter for greasing pan

For the raspberry filling:
1/2 lb fresh or thawed raspberries (this works out to be about a cup, I actually used almost 2 cups)
1/8 to 1/4 cup of sugar, depending on the tartness of the fruit

For the crumbs:
1/3 cup dark brown sugar ( I used light)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (I didn't use this)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter
1 3/4 cups cake flour (or all purpose worked well too)

For the cake:
1/3 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup cake flour (all purpose was just fine)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons softened butter, cut into 8 pieces.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. For filling, toss the raspberries with sugar. Set aside.

2. To make crumbs, in a large bowl, whisk together sugars, spices, salt and butter until smooth. Stir in flour with a spatula. It will look like a solid dough.

3. To prepare cake, in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add butter and a spoonful of sour cream mixture and mix on medium speed until flour is moistened. Increase speed and beat for 30 seconds. Add remaining sour cream mixture in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the sides of bowl with a spatula. Scoop out about 1/2 cup batter and set aside (note: the batter will be very thick and hard to spread, and there won't be much of it - that's ok).

4. Scrape remaining batter into prepared pan. Spoon raspberries over batter. Dollop set-aside batter over raspberries; it does not have to be even.

5. Using your fingers, break topping mixture into big crumbs, about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in size. They do not have to be uniform, but make sure most are around that size. Sprinkle over cake. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean of batter (it might be moist from raspberries), 45 to 55 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Penne(or not) shrimp pasta....

I had pictures for step by step instructions but then I went back to the Pioneer Woman's website and quickly became ashamed at my poor photography so I decided to just post a few of the finished product. Neal and I both love this recipe but we LOVE fresh basil and that's what gives this pasta such wonderful flavor.I found this fun pasta at the store and I forgot to look on the box to see what it was called. It was like little rolled up lasagna noodles it held the sauce really well. Fun pasta makes me HAPPY and giggly and warm inside. Below you will find the original Pioneer Woman recipe or as it's called Penne a la Betsy!! I do make it a little different,  I always use red wine instead of the white and a different pasta almost every time. Now I'm hungry again just looking at this recipe. So incredibly delicious.

Pioneer Woman Shrimp Penne
Ingredients

• ¾ pounds Penne Pasta
• 1 pound Shrimp
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Onion (small)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• ½ cups White Wine (or To Taste)
• 1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Fresh Parsley, to taste
• Fresh Basil - To Taste
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente.
Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.
Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.
In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead (about ½ cup).
Now add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.
Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil, or if you’re feeling very proper, chiffonaded.
Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.

A PERFECT Summertime Chicken......

This grilled chicken SCREAMS summertime. Pound out the chicken so that it is nice and tender and cooks evenly on the grill. In a large bowl combine a salad dressing of your choice (Italian, sun dried tomato, etc) and a bunch of fresh basil. You need enough to cover the chicken generously. I used about a cup for 3 chicken breasts and 2 Tbs of fresh basil. Let it marinade for at least 30 minutes but the longer it sits there the better. Overnight is fine too!!!

In another bowl combine some tomato's, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella, and salt and pepper to taste!! For 3 chicken breasts I used 1 tomato 4 Tbsp fresh basil, and probably about a cup of fresh mozzarella.

Now first you want to grill the chicken. Pre-heat the grill on high when ready to grill you want to turn down the heat to Med-Low and grill the chicken for about 6 min on each side. When finished grilling place the Tomato-cheese mixture on top of each chicken and grill for 2-4 min. longer just so the cheese gets all melted.

We had our chicken with some rosemary potato's and teriyaki zucchini.

More cake....

We had a play date this morning and this makes the perfect excuse for me to bake something. Actually I wanted to make my FAVORITE cake recipe but I did not have all the ingredients on hand so I went with a boxed cake instead. I used the smallest spring form I had so I could get 3 layers in. I cut the cake in 3 and layered it with home made whipped cream and fresh strawberries and raspberries that we picked ourselves at the local farm the day before. It was yummy and looked fantastic and so incredibly simple to make. I'm not a huge fan of frosting because it's just tooooo sweet for me and this was just perfect :)

Pancakes

We have been going strawberry picking here a lot. I did make a few things with them but I really prefer them fresh so we ate fresh strawberries with everything. When I was a little girl I used to love them just crushed with a fork with just a little sugar and cream.....yummm!!! I also made banana pancakes, a favorite breakfast around here, and topped them with fresh strawberries and more cut up bananas. My older son who is not a big eater ate 3 pancakes, that's a whole lot for him!!! They really were DELISH!!! I went with my go to recipe !!!! I cut up some bananas and after I placed the batter on the griddle I just sprinkled the bananas on top then flipped as usual.

So fluffy and full of yummy goodness!!!

Madison Farmers Market....

Help please....I went to the Madison Farmers Market this weekend....ohhh what fun and such beautiful produce. When I saw this I immediately fell in love. The colors are just so pretty from yellow to pink to the vibrant green. So I of course just had to buy this Chard but I have no idea what to do with it!!! Absolutely clueless  as to how I need cook it or what to use it in since I have never even seen Chard before! So I need some help deciding PLEASE!!!

Tricking My kids.....

Monkey Bars
makes 1 dozen

Ingredients:

• Cooking Spray
• 5 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup (packed brown sugar)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sweet-potato baby food (stage 1 or 2)
• 1/4 cup carrot baby food (stage 1 or 2)
• 2 large bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking) 
• 1 cup all purpose unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips 
• NOTE: carrots and sweet potato baby food can be used interchangeably; use one or the other, or both, as long as it totals 1/2 cup. 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray the bottom of an 11x7 inch or a 9 inch square pan. 

In a sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter, sugar, and salt. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool for about 5 minutes.

Whisk in the baby food, bananas, vanilla, and egg yolks (and yes I saved the whites to make MORE French Macarons sometime in the near future). I used a potato masher to mash my bananas. Add the oats and flour, and mix just until combined. Pour the entire mixture into the prepared baking pan, and bake for 40 to 43 minute, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely before cutting. If desired, melt the white chocolatechips in the microwave (on high for 15 second intervals) then drizzle across the bars.

 The kids loved them!!! They got veggies and oats and fruit all in one.....ha got them fooled :)

 

Ohh and here is another little tip....I absolutely love these plastic baby food containers. Look HERE to see what I like to use them for!!!

I love EASY meals....

Seriously this is all you need!!! A jar of your favorite store bought pasta sauce or homemade is even better if you have extra on hand, a bag of frozen ravioli. some fresh herbs (I used fresh basil and parsley)

Mix the ravioli with the sauce and chopped herbs top with the shredded cheese and bake for about an hour @ 375 degrees or till the cheese is nice and crusty.

I love this because it takes literally 5 min to make but the addition of the fresh herbs make it taste delicious and like something that took forever to make......don't tell my husband :) Great for busy days or those days when you simply can't decide what to make!!!

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana....

 If I could I would eat this soup EVERY day. I absolutely love Olive Gardens soup and the main reason I like to go there. That and the Ravioli di Portobello which I can't wait to try and make at home. Try this it's worth the effort!!!

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana
Ingredients (SERVES 3 -4 )

1 1/2 cups spicy sausage (I used mild)
2 medium potatos, cut in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch slices
3/4 cup onion, diced
6 slices bacon
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 cups kale leaves, cut in half, then sliced
2 tablespoons chicken base (I just used 1 quart of chicken broth)
1 quart water
1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions

If sausage is in links, take out of wrapper (or slice).
Cook ground sausage, until done. Cook bacon and onion over medium heat, when bacon is crisp, take it out of the pan and leave the onion.
Add garlic to the onion, and cook 1 minute.
Add chicken base, water, and potatoes; simmer 15 minutes.
Crumble bacon.
Add crumbled bacon, sausage, kale and cream.
Simmer 4 minutes, then serve.

Cake

Just a little sneak peak of this strawberrylicious cake I made today.....I wish I was brave enough to show you the mess behind the pretty paper....sure is not as pretty back there as it is in the front!!!! Hahaha ohhhh well it was all worth it and both the my kids sure had a blast helping both making it and eating it. Now I'm gonna go have a slice of yumminess before bed. My little boy decided to go to sleep at 6:00 this afternoon so I'm sure I will be up somewhere around 3:00 this morning while the rest of the world is still sleeping. Maybe I will have another slice then with a cup of coffee....hehe!!! Recipe to come tomorrow or well early this morning :)

Strawberry EVERYTHING cake
adapted from Mangio da Sola

Cooking Spray
2¼ cups cake flour, plus more for dusting the pans
1 pkg strawberry gelatin
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup + 2 tablespoons whole milk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup strawberry purée
1 1/2 cups strawberries with stems removed (fresh or thawed)
1/4 - 1/3 granulated sugar (depends on how sweet the berries are)
Juice of 1 lemon
Prepare the purée: Place the cut strawberries in a blender or food processor. Add sugar and lemon juice. Purée the mixture until smooth.
The Cake: Set oven rack in middle position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray; line the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper rounds. Spray the paper rounds, dust the pans with flour, and invert pans and rap sharply to remove excess flour (If you use the baker's spray, you don't need to do all of those steps. Just spray and proceed to the next step).
Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into 2-cup glass measure, and mix with fork until blended.
Mix cake flour,gelatin, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining.
Add all but ½ cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using hand-held mixer) for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup of purée and beat for 30-45 seconds. Then, add remaining ½ cup of milk mixture, and beat 15 seconds more. Add another 1/2 cup of purée, and beat for 15 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed, and beat 20 seconds longer.
Divide batter evenly between two prepared cake pans (I weighed them out on a scale); using rubber spatula, spread batter to pan walls and smooth tops. Arrange pans at least 3 inches from the oven walls and 3 inches apart.  Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 22 to 24 minutes.
Let cakes rest in pans for 5 minutes. Loosen from sides of pans with a knife, if necessary, and invert onto wire racks. Re-invert onto additional wire racks. Let cool completely, about 1- 1½ hours. 

Strawberry Frosting
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 cup shortening
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 - 1/2 cup strawberry purée
Beat butter and shortening for 3 minutes. Slow down beater or mixer, and add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Once the mixture is well-integrated, add in the purée until desired consistency is reached. I had just a little frosting left over so I added a couple drops of red food coloring to decorate the top and add the little dots on the side of the cake. I also used fresh strawberries and layered them in the middle.

Basil Potato hash....

This used to be one of our favorite things to eat but I have not made it in a long long time. It's a great time for it right now with basil being in season and WE LOVE basil here! It's another Ina Garten recipe from 2006. I changed a few things up like I always do but if you would like to take a look at the original recipe you can find it HERE.

Ingredients

• 2 whole (4 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
• 16 basil leaves
• Olive Oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 2 pounds boiling potatoes, peeled and large diced
• 2 red bell peppers, large diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh leaf parsley
• 1 cup mushrooms, diced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers, leaving one side attached. Place 4 basil leaves under the skin of each chicken breast. Pull the skin over as much of the meat as possible so the chicken won't dry out. With your hands, rub each piece with olive oil and sprinkle very generously with salt and pepper. Bake the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until the skin is lightly browned and the chicken is just cooked through.

Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones. Cut the chicken in large dice pieces and set aside.

 Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large saute pan. Add the potatoes and onions, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until evenly browned and cooked through.

In a separate saute pan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the red peppers, garlic, thyme, paprika, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the edges of the peppers are seared.
Add the chicken and the pepper mixture to the potatoes and heat through. Add the scallions and parsley, toss together and place on a serving platter.

Soup....

Beef Vegetable and Barley Soup

Adapted from Kohler Created

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup of beef meat diced into little chunks
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 medium sweet yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 ground oregano
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 2 cups sliced carrots
• Two 14.5-ounce cans petite diced tomatoes, drained
• Three 14-ounce cans fat-free, low sodium beef broth
• One 15.5-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 bunch cleaned and chopped Kale leaves (about 5 ounces total)
• 1 cup barley
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1-2 tsp. of chili powder (optional if you want to spice things up!)
• Dash of basil to taste

 DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add beef to pot & sauté for a couple of minutes, until browned. Add onion oregano & garlic; sauté until softened a bit.
2. Assemble all ingredients in crock pot. Take note that canned ingredients are drained of their juices before being added. Slice greens from stem and cut into 2″ strips. I do this by rolling the large piece and slicing it down like a sushi roll.
3. If you want soup in less than five hours, set crock to high. If you have more time (preferred), set to low and simmer for 6-8 hours.
4. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle Parmesan for an extra touch.

Pasta and chicken dish.....

Simple but delicious chicken and pasta dish

1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp roasted red pepper, minced
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dry basil
1 tsp dry parsley
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 pkg dry hidden valley ranch dressing


8 oz (uncooked) radiatore pasta, cooked according to the box directions
2 grilled chicken breasts
1 avocado (Neal hates avocado so he did not have any on his, I on the other hand put avocado on everything)

While the pasta is cooking mix the first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl. Drain the pasta and toss with the olive oil mixture.  Slice the chicken into strips and dice the avocado and place on top then enjoy. So simple but so delicious.

The chicken was actually leftovers from the night before. I don't have an actual recipe for the marinade but it was quite delicious. I used a sun dried tomato dressing, a bunch of fresh cilantro and basil, garlic, salt and pepper and a little bit of honey. I beat out the chicken to tanderise it then let it marinade for a few hours.  To cook heat the grill on high, when you are ready to grill drop the temperature to Med/Low and grill for 6 minutes on each side.

Bread

I''m sorry to everyone for the lack of posts lately. Thanks everyone for checking back though I'm loving the fact that I'm still keeping some interested. Summer has hit us full force here in WI and my kids and I are taking full advantage of the sunshine. With many many trips to the beach it has left little time for computer time. Yeah I know I lead a tough life.....haha!!! I have so many yummy recipes to share  and a few tricks and ideas that I have learned along the way. I will start with this bread I made tonight to go with our supper (recipe to follow). It was a rainy COLD day all morning and I thought well it's the perfect day to make soup and bread well by the time 2:00 o'clock rolled around it was SO hot AND humid that neither the bread or soup sounded good but I had already made everything so it had to do. I'm glad I did because according to my husband this was the best bread that he has EVER had....WOW....what a compliment huh. It reminded him of a little Italian restaurant that we used to meet at for lunch. He can be sweet like that and remember little details that completely slip my mind.
I have not had much luck with bread and I was a bit worried but it tuned out fantastic and the recipe is definetly a keeper.

Italian Bread, with Herb & Olive Oil Crust:
adapted from Jane's Sweet & Baking Journal

• 1 pkg. active dry yeast (proof it first in 1 of the 3 cups of the warm water)
• 3 cups warm water
• 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
• 2 cups high quality bread flour
• 4 to 5 cups unbleached All-Purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
• Cornmeal (half a cup should be enough)

Herb Olive Oil:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 clove garlic (peeled and finely minced)
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary (chopped)

In a bowl mix 1 cup of water with the instant yeast and wait 5 min. if the mixture foams up you can add the salt and remaining water if the mixture DOS NOT foam you need to start over. It just meant that the yeast was old or the packet was opened and it's an inactive yeast. To the water mixture add 2 cups of bread flour, and 3 cups of AP flour. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed for a couple of minutes to combine.


Stop the mixer, scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula, remove the paddle, and switch to the dough hook. On low speed, add in 1 to 2 more cups of the AP flour gradually, about 1/2 a cup at a time. Keep mixing until a cohesive dough begins to form, about 4 minutes. (It will be relatively loose and still quite moist at this point, but it shouldn't be liquidy.)


On a generously floured work surface, dump out the dough. For about 4 minutes, knead the dough firmly but gently by hand. It's okay to incorporate more flour as needed to keep it from sticking to your work surface at this point, but remember that this is meant to be a pretty soft dough. Once the dough is relatively smooth, place it into a large bowl that's been sprayed with vegetable spray, lightly oiled, or greased. Turn the dough over completely in the bowl, just once, so the bottom and top of the dough are both lightly coated. 

Lightly cover the top of the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap that's also been sprayed with vegetable oil. Cover the plastic loosely with a dish towel. Place the covered bowl in a warm place that's free from drafts. Let the dough rise until it's doubled in bulk. This will probably take at least an hour. 


Gently dump the risen dough out onto a lightly floured board (don't use too much flour at this point if you can help it; just enough to prevent sticking) and knead it for 5 more minutes. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts with a bench scraper or a sharp knife and place both pieces, side by side, back into the sprayed bowl (spray again if you think it's needed). Turn the dough, as before, to make sure it's lightly coated. Cover again with sprayed plastic wrap and a dish towel, and let the dough rise again in a warm spot until doubled; this may take up to an hour. 


Gently dump the risen halves out onto a very lightly floured work surface and separate them. One at a time, using your hands, shape each dough piece into a neat oblong loaf. Gently lift and place each shaped loaf onto a cookie sheet also coated with cornmeal.Don't place them too close together (I made mine on two sepearate cookie sheets). Cover the loaves, on the cookie sheet, with the sprayed plastic wrap and the dish towel. Let them rise one last time in a warm place, until almost doubled (about 30 minutes).

Set the oven to 500 degrees and preheat it for 30 minutes, when the loaves have risen and you're finally ready to place them in the oven,  turn it down to 375 degrees. 

In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Have a pastry brush ready. 


Once the loaves have risen, carefully score/slash the tops with the edge of a sharp razor blade. Try not to score too deeply or you may deflate the loaves. Brush the loaves with the herb oil, but only use half of it because you'll need to brush them again a few minutes after they're baked. 


A couple of minutes before you're ready to put the loaves into the oven take a spritz bottle of warm water and quickly open the oven door. Squirt the mist into the oven about six times; quickly shut the door. When you finally put the bread in the oven squirt the warm water mist into the oven, above the loaves, about six times. Quickly shut the door, and immediately turn the temperature down to 375 degrees. Don't open the oven again to peek for at least 15 minutes. 


The loaves are done when they are golden brown all over mine baked about 45 minutes.
Place the hot baked loaves on a cooling rack, and after five minutes or so brush them again with the herb olive oil mixture. This coating will be absorbed into the warm crust quickly but if you'd prefer to skip this second coating you can.

Cheddar Biscuits....

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Biscuits:

2 1/2 cups Bisquick

4 Tbsp cold butter

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

3/4 cup milk

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Butter Glaze:

3 Tbsp butter

1/2 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp dried parsley flakes

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease or line one cookie sheet with parchment; set aside.

Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter (I just used 2 forks). Don't worry about mixing too thoroughly; there will be small chunks of butter in the mix about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and garlic powder. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.

Drop 1/4 cup portions of the dough onto the lightly greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 13-15 minutes in preheated oven until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

While the biscuits are baking, melt butter is a small bowl in the microwave. Stir in garlic powder and dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread the garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Sprinkle a little kosher salt on the freshly coated biscuits. Makes one dozen.

Super cute egg filled toast....

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp butter
2 slices of bread
cheese for decoration
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a medium bowl mix the eggs milk salt and pepper. Spread some butter on both sides of the bread then use a cookie cutter to cut out the desired shape.

Place both the shape and the bread with the hole/shape on a hot skillet. Fill the shape with the egg mixture and let it cook till it firms up a bit then flip and cook on the other side.

Place the cut out toasted shape on top of the eggs and decorate with cheese, tomatoes or whatever makes your kids happy.