Froggy Birthday Cake

We recently celebrated our youngest's 1st birthday. It was such an amazing milestone and required a great party!!  I have this thing about making my kids' birthday cakes myself. My mom always did this for us and I just love the idea of putting the thought and effort into this project for my little love bugs. I've deemed frogs as Amelia's animal of choice since she can't verbalize her favorite animal yet. So it only seemed fitting to make her a froggy cake!! 

I started with 2 cake mixes and made 2 - 9" rounds, 2 - 8x8 squares, and 4 cupcakes. I had a silicone muffin tin so I didn't need to use cupcake liners.

Once I let all of the cakes cool completely I started the assembly process. First, I leveled and stacked the 2 rounds and set them aside. Then I leveled and stacked the 2 squares. I cut the legs out of the squares something similar to this.

Once I had the legs cut out, I put the cake together. (I reused an old box and covered it in aluminum foil for my cake board.) I used toothpicks to help hold the legs in place. I also ended up cutting a little bit off the sides of the stacked rounds so the legs would sit close to the body.

At this point I started frosting the cake (It took a couple coats). I used store bought whipped frosting that I dyed with food coloring paste. Once I had the cake frosted I added the eyes. For each eye I leveled and stacked 2 cupcakes (using toothpicks again). I then afixed them to the top of the body with toothpicks.

I frosted the sides of the eyes green then used white and black to draw in the rest of the eyes and mounth (and a little pink for the tongue). Wa-la!! It turned out better than I thought it would (which is always nice). :)

It turned out great and was a fantastic addition to Lia's froggy first birthday!

Happy Birthday To My Little Lia!!!

Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Biscuit Casserole

So rarely do I ever get to watch TV during the day. My toddler normally has the TV monopolized when it is on :) However a few weeks ago I did get a chance to watch an episode of the The Chew. I happened to tune it towards the end of this recipe but it hit a sweet spot with me. Now who doesn't love breakfast for dinner? This seemed like such a Home Run for my family! After looking over the recipe a little I decided to tweek it to make it simpler and less time consuming. I also took out the chives just because I honestly didn't think it needed the extra. My family absolutely loved it (and so did my MOPS group!).  (You can find the original recipe here.)

Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Biscuit Casserole

• 1 pound bacon (cooked and chopped)
• 1 package Grands Biscuits
• 6 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (grated)

The recipe is for a 9"x13" pan. However, this time around I was just making it for my family of 4 for dinner so I halved the recipe and made it in a 8x8 pan. (The ingredients listed above are for the full recipe.)

 

First, you make the biscuits according to the directions on the package. I sprinkled some shredded cheddar cheese on top of mine because I love me some cheese!   

Once the biscuits are done you can let them cool and move on to the bacon. I make my bacon in the oven which cuts down on mess. That & no matter how hard I try I simply can NOT make bacon in a skillet. . . To make bacon in the oven line a cookie sheet with either aluminum foil or parchment paper and bake it at 400 degrees for 15-18 mins. I ended up making a full pound and am glad I did because I ended up burning 1/2 of it. (See I told you can't cook bacon. . .somethings just elude me. . .)

Once the bacon is cooled, chop it up. 

Now you're ready to start assembling your casserole!

Start by slicing your biscuits in 1/2. 

Then layer the bottom 1/2 of the biscuits in the bottom of your buttered casserole dish.

Next, sprinkle all of your chopped up bacon and shredded cheese over the biscuits.

And finish off the layer with the tops off the biscuits.

Next, you're going to whisk your eggs, milk, salt & pepper together and pour it over the entire casserole. 

Cover the dish and let it sit in the fridge for about a 1/2 hour to let the juices really soak in :)

Then cook it covered at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes are until the eggs are set. (I spaced the cooking it covered part so mine got a little crisp on top. . . But oh so yummy!!)

 Bonus - if you make it for dinner and have left overs you have breakfast the next morning! Score!

Monster Cookies

Today I am preparing for a Discovery Toys party at my house. (I'm crossing my fingers for good attendance!) As I was talking to my husband last night about making snacks for tonight he requested I make Monster Cookies. I introduced these delicacies to my husband the first Christmas we spent together and he's been hooked ever since. Typically you will find recipes for these cookies in HUGE quantities. Calling for a pound of peanut butter and a dozen eggs. Last year I FINALLY found a smaller version of the recipe so I thought I would share :) And if you plan on coming out tonight you will get to try them as well!

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup raisins, optional
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.