Boat Cake

This is the cake I made for my Dad's 60th birthday.

The boat is patterned after my Dad's boat.  I used piping gel that I colored blue to put over white fondant to make the water and brown sugar around the bottom for the beach.

Cajun Crusted Tilapia and Parmesan Risotto

People always think that risotto is difficult to make because it is often under cooked and fish is a meal that they steer away from because if it isn't seasoned well, it isn't good.  I have the easiest recipe for both!  Both recipes get rave reviews from my toughest critics: my kids!  Please keep in mind that my kids are the kind of kids that don't like cheese or pasta!

Tilapia Ingredients:

4-6 tilapia fillets

1 cup soft bread crumbs

4 tbsp. butter

1 1/2 tsp. cajun seasoning

1/2 tsp. salt

dash of black pepper

Risotto Ingredients:

5 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup butter (no substitutes - sorry)

1 large onion

1-2 tbsp. chopped fresh garlic

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

3 tbsp butter

1 1/4 cup grated parmesan (can use less)

salt and pepper

Cajun Tilapia Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

I use my stoneware; however, if you don't have stoneware, grease your baking dish.  Lay fish fillets in dish and brush with 1 tbsp melted butter.

Combine the remaining butter with the bread crumbs and seasonings.  Sprinkle mixture over fillets.

Bake 15-20 minutes.  Fish is done when it easily flakes apart.

Parmesan Risotto Directions:

(*I found the original recipe for this risotto from Kittencal.)

Bring chicken broth to a boil, reduce heat to keep hot.

Melt 1/4 cup butter over med-low heat and add onion.  Saute until very tender but not brown.  Add garlic and stir for about 2 minutes.

Increase heat slightly and add rice.  Stir for 1 minute.

Next, slowly add 1 cup of broth stirring until absorbed.  Continue adding 1 cup of broth at a time waiting until it is completely absorbed before adding more.  Stir frequently.  Once you have added all of the broth (about 25-30 minutes) the rice should be creamy and tender.

Stir in 3 tbsp butter, 1 1/4 cup Parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy!

Hours of Entertainment!

Okay, so today I needed to make Sam's birthday cake.  Normally, my kids are great help in the kitchen; however, I prefer to work on my cakes alone.  I decided to dump some rice and dried split peas into a large tub = instant, indoor sandbox!  They entertained themselves for hours!  It was so fun to watch!  When they were done, we put the lid back on and vacuumed up the stragglers! 

Chicken With Dumplings

This dish has been a family favorite since I was a kid.  I took the recipe my mom always has used from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook and changed it a bit to add more flavor with moister chicken. 

Chicken with Dumplings

8 Frozen Boneless Chicken Breast Tenders

2 Carrots, sliced thin

2 Ribs Celery, sliced fine

1 Large Onion, chopped

1 teaspoon Thyme, crumbled

1/2 teaspoon Rosemary, crumbled

1/2 teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper

8-10 Chicken Bouillon cubes

Bring to a boil for 20 minutes in large soup pot.  Meanwhile get your dumpling dough ready.

Dumplings:

2 cups Flour

3 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Salt

2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley

4 Tablespoons Shortening

3/4-1cup milk

After your veggies have cooked for twenty minutes add your frozen chicken tenders, cover  and return to a boil(about 5 minutes).  Once your pot it back to a boil drop spoonfuls of dumpling dough on top of bubbling broth.  Cover for 20 minutes without lifting the lid.

DO NOT LIFT THE LID ONCE YOU HAVE DROPPED THE DOUGH INTO THE POT!!!  No matter how good it smells, no matter how much the lid starts to bounce up, no matter how anxious you are to see what it looks like-DO NOT LIFT THE LID!  Walk away and let it cook.  I can't tell you how many times I have heard people complain to my mom that their dumplings never turn out.  It is because they lifted the lid.

This is what your pot should look like after 20 minutes



 Serve in Soup bowls

Enjoy

Shake It Up!!

Today has been kinda a rough day over here at the Westra house.  Early morning dentist appointments for the kids-no cavities YAY, followed by an emotional visit to the hospital for my Isabel so she could visit her very special Great Grandpa before a very risky surgery.  After a very hard morning all the kids had what we call the punies.  Headaches, sadness, worries and stomach aches.  After laying around resting for a bit the "I'm hungry mom" started to echo through the house. As I started looking for something to cheer them up for snack  I noticed the bruised pineapple on my counter that has needed to be used asap.  Add a little of this and that and tada

Pina Colada Milk Shake

Big Smiles All Around!

Ingredients:

Fresh Pineapple

Vanilla Ice Cream

Milk

Coconut Extract to taste

Pure Vanilla Extract to taste

Magnetic Fun!

I saw this idea on Pinterest (of course,) and thought I would try it for my youngest.  I am always looking for fun, easy things to occupy him while we work on school.  Both of my kids ended up being fascinated with these bottles!
Cheap entertainment!

Materials:

1 package of pipe cleaners

1 plastic bottle - a clear bottle without writing on it and with flat sides works best

1 pretty strong magnet

Directions:

Cut pipe cleaners into 1/4" and 1/2" lengths.  Put them into the bottle, close, and enjoy!

Isn't it amazing how something so simple can entertain the way it does?!

Blackberry Cake

 Today my youngest son Finn is Two!  This year I made him a blackberry cake after his favorite toy!

Very Fun!!