Bitty Button Cookies

While looking around on Pillsbury.com, I found this recipe  and knew that I must try them.

They had me at sugar cookies and pink filling - but add miniature --- I knew I must try them immediately.

To display how miniature they were...

I made just over 11 dozen cookies, and once assembled they all fit on this plate. So. Cute. 

Oh, and they tasted really good too. 

INGREDIENTS

Cookies
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Filling
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
4 teaspoons milk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 drop red food color

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, break up cookie dough. Stir or knead in flour and almond extract until well blended.

2. Shape dough into 180 (1/2-inch) balls. Place balls 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Press bottom of glass dipped into granulated sugar on each ball until 1/4 inch thick; prick top of each with a fork.

3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes until set but not brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until smooth and creamy. Spread about 1 teaspoon filling on bottoms of half of the cookies. Top each with another cookie, bottom side down; press gently. Store in refrigerator.

I love how homemade cookies, when dressed up in clear cellophane and ribbon, make perfect "just because" gifts. How sweet would these be for Valentine's day? Or as party favors? Or at an afternoon tea (with the perfect apron and tea pot, of course)?

Petite Pies

After scanning through my files and files and files of pictures, I came across this and realized that I had never posted about the mini pies that I made earlier this year. They are baked individually in mini mason jars, and if you love crust as much as I do, you will love how they turn out - very high crust-to-filling ratio.

I've seen many variations of this concept, but I took the easy way, using pre-made pie crust and cherry pie filling (Not Martha has a great post with detailed instructions).

I still have a few in my freezer - I'm off to pop one in the oven now!

The Best Pumpkin Bread. Ever.

This bread is so moist and delicious that:

- My 5 year-old begs me to make it regularly and chooses a slice of it over a cookie. 

- After making a loaf for my sister, she told me that she woke up in the middle of the night craving it. 

- My brother hid it from his fiance when she came over to his apartment for dinner so that he wouldn't have to share. 

In addition to all of my anecdotal evidence for why you must try this recipe, you should also know that:

- The bread grows better with age - it is even more moist the 2nd and 3rd day!

- The batch is huge, so it makes great gifts for friends and neighbors; everyone can have their own loaf!  

- It has pumpkin in it, so really, it is a health food. 

INGREDIENTS

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 5 mini loaf pans (also makes great muffins). 

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Marshmallow Lollipops

Marshmallows. Covered in pink candy. With sprinkles. On a stick.

Sounds like a 3 year-old's dream treat to me.

I put these together for my daughter to bring to her preschool class in celebration of her birthday. My goal was to make a unique treat that the kids would love, but that the teachers wouldn't hate me for doling out (I am hoping they won't make too much of a mess). 

How to make a brown sugar scrub

My sister has always raved about body scrubs and how they were her favorite thing. She would even use them in place of shaving cream, saying that they made her skin so much smoother. 

So, a few years ago I decided to pick one up and try it out for myself. Except, I guess I didn't pay attention to what she was saying, because I tried shaving with a salt scrub. Shaving. With a razor. And salt. In cuts. Mmmm, that felt good. 

After realizing that she was talking about sugar scrubs, I tried a few and loved them, but hated the price tag. Luckily, I was able to find this brown sugar recipe to make my own, and wow - it not only smells delicious, but moisturizes, and makes your skin glow.

I'm sure that you have the ingredients in your pantry right now. All that it requires is:

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

With ingredients like this you will have to stop yourself from sampling it. 

 

I still had my $2.99 glass jar from my IKEA trip, reserved just for this purpose. Another great place to buy cute jars is Hobby Lobby, especially when they are half off.

All that you do is mix. Can you believe I used to pay $20 for this?

Imagine wrapping it up with a ribbon and tag: such a thoughtful (and inexpensive) gift! 

Once I'm finished with the brown sugar, I'm going to try a coffee scrub:

2 cups of coarsely ground coffee
1/2 cup raw sugar 
3 tablespoons olive oil

 

(Whether ingested or slathered on; you can't go wrong with coffee)

 

We have a winner, and the next giveaway!

I enjoyed reading all of your Independence day plans; isn't it great that it falls on a Friday this year? We are looking forward to a day filled with fun and relaxation. First, we will head out to a parade that the girls love; each year we vow not to go again because of how hot we are when we leave, but each year we go back! 

Then my sister and her husband will be coming over for dinner before we head out to watch fireworks. We will be feasting on shish kabobs (steak, red potatoes, onions, squash, and zucchini, mmmm...), grilled corn on the cob, and this yummy dessert:

Quite possibly the easiest recipe ever: grilled pound cake with a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream, and topped with strawberries (for the 4th, I will be adding blueberries so that we will have red, white, and blue). We tried it out last night, just to make sure that it would be an acceptable dessert for our guests; I am such a martyr.

Did you notice a theme with my menu? Grilled kabobs, grilled corn, even a grilled dessert... That means no cooking in the kitchen for me! My husband volunteered to take care of the meal, and I am happy to turn the task over to him. 

  

Now, onto the important stuff... 

The winner of the hot pink and green flower is...

Commenter number 50, Heidi Thompson!

Congratulations! I don't have your info, so contact me at kristin@graceviolet.com so that I can get your mailing information.

Finally, we will to move on to our next giveaway, the gingham and polk dot flower: 

 

 

To enter this drawing, I just need you to tell me your favorite summer-time dessert. I will pick a winner tomorrow evening, when we begin our third and final giveaway.  

Ooh, honey honey!

Have you ever tried something, and thought, "this tastes good," but not until you are done with it, do you realize how mouthwateringly delicious it really was? Once the food has left your mouth, you cannot stop thinking about it until you get seconds and thirds? 

No, its just me? 

Oh well, that is how I feel about these honey bars. 

It is my mom's recipe, and on a recent trip home to the Great White North, known as Minnesota, she made these, and I was reminded of how much I LOVE this treat.

Honey Bars

3/4 c. oil 2 c. flour

1/4 c. honey 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 c. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg 1 tsp. cinnamon

Icing 

1 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

A few drops of milk

Mix the oil, honey, sugar and eggs together. Set aside, and mix the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon separately. Add dry ingredients to the first mixture. Mix well (it will be thick). Spread into a greased pan (I use a half-cookie sheet), and bake at 325 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Mix icing ingredients together; the consistency shouldn't be too thick, but not too runny either. I add the milk 1/4 tsp. at a time while stirring until I get it right. Ice while warm. Cut into squares after it has cooled. Then, place in pedestal cake stand, thereby, elevating its "fanciness." Tastes great with a good cup of coffee...

Banamana Bread

I had never been a fan of banana bread, or as my daughter called it "banamana" bread (and even though she now pronounces the word correctly, I still cling to the toddler version. It's just too cute. I've never been one of those parents that makes my kids say everything the right way. I figure if she is still saying "macken-woney" for macaroni, "chicken way" for Chick-Fil-A, and "finner-tails" for finger nails when she's heading to high school, I have a problem, but my 2-year-old, nope, I actually encourage mispronunciation so that I can make them say it over and over again). 

Ok, where was I? Oh yes. Never loved banamana bread. That is until my sister-in-law, Kimberly, made some of THE MOST DELICIOUS BANANA BREAD EVER. 

It was so moist and had the best sugary top. Yummy. So, now I make banana bread all the time. The recipe is quick and easy, and I always have ripe bananas on hand, because we always forget to eat them. I usually make some to eat right away, and then freeze a couple of loaves to save for a quick treat later. 

First, I mash the bananas. Then, I ask my husband to stop taking pictures, so he can mash them for me. I am the weaker vessel after all. One tip that Kim gave me was to use slightly firmer bananas; she said that when she used bananas that were really soft, the bread wasn't as good.

Then I set aside my excellently mashed bananas, and mix my butter, sugar, and eggs.

Thanks again, Jason and Jenifer; this has been one of the best gifts ever!

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Once mixed, add the bananas.

I doubled my recipe because I am going to give a few loaves away to some very gracious friends who helped my husband with a major leak in our front yard ("anyone who digs deserves banana bread" has always been my philosophy), so I had 8 mini loaves in my batch. A normal size batch would give you 2 larger loaves or 4 mini, but I recommend using mini, because it bakes more evenly and puffs up more.

Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and sugar. 

I baked mine at 350 degrees for 27 minutes.

Mmmm. Banamana bread...