My First Giveaway!

I have been wanting to have a giveaway on my blog for a long time but i never knew the right thing to giveaway.  I knew I wanted to do something that pertained to the theme of my blog, which is obviously cooking and baking, and the item had to be cute!  I found these adorable flower measuring cups and instantly knew that I wanted to give them away on my blog!  Also, my birthday is coming up on August 7th and I thought the timing was perfect, it can be a sort of birthday giveaway.

Here is what you have to do:

1. Follow me on Google Connect

2. Follow me on Bloglovin

3. Comment this post with what you would make with these adorable measuring cups.

4. And finally leave me your email in the comment so I can get in contact with you if you win! 

This contest will close at 11:59PM on August 7th (my birthday!) and the winner will be chosen at random.

This giveaway is open only to those who are located in the US (sorry to those who live internationally!)

Good Luck!

XOXO

Congratulations to Grace from Haute Couture! She is the winner of my first giveaway! Thank you to everyone who participated 

Banana Walnut Bread Cookies

My boyfriend loves Banana Bread and I wanted to make him something that he would really enjoy.  As I said in this post, I really like to find ways to make things in different shapes and forms, so when I found this recipe I was really excited to give it a try.  These cookies came out great, they had the same consistency as banana bread but in the shape of a cookie.  The cookies had a light sweetness but weren't overbearing, which really allowed for the frosting to shine through in the overall flavor.  If you love banana bread then you should definitely gives these cookies a try.

You can find the recipe here!

Enjoy!

XOXO

Caprese Kabobs

I love the simple and fresh flavor of a caprese salad, the flavors work so nicely together and it is so easy to make. Sometimes I get bored of the traditional ways that dishes are made so I look for new ways to create them.  I found this method of making caprese salad to be very fun and even easier than the traditional way. And plus, they look really pretty!

All you need is...

Marinated Mozzarella Balls

Basil Leaves

Cherry Tomatoes

All you need to do is...

Stick the ingredients on a skewer in whatever pattern you desire!

I hope you enjoy these!

XOXO

Crumble Coffee Cake

One of my favorite places to go is Starbucks and I find myself going there multiple times during the week.  I am usually satisfied with my typical order, a caramel macchiato, but sometimes I have a taste for something extra.  Starbucks offers a variety of different treats to fulfill any hankering for sweets and one of my favorite things to get is the coffee cake.  I have been on the search for a coffee cake recipe that compares to the one made by Starbucks and I think I may have found one that is very similar.  The cake is very moist and fluffy and is topped with a delicious crumble topping.  This cake is definitely for those with a sweet tooth and I think you will all really enjoy it. I found the recipe here. Let me know how you like it! Enjoy!

XOXO!

 

Creamy Orange Cookies!

Like a lot of families, mine has a cookbook that has been passed on from generation to generation.  As interesting as this may sound I rarely find myself looking through its pages for something delicious to create.  Although I have lacked interest in this book, I found myself searching through the old recipes the other day when my Uncle mentioned a recipe for orange cookies that his mother used to make for him.  He described them in delectable detail and instantly sparked my interest. I found the recipe for the cookies and they came out exactly as my Uncle described.  The recipe was a little vague and I had to research a few of the ingredients that I was unfamiliar with, but the cookies seemed to come out perfectly.  They are a soft, cakey, orange flavored cookie with a sweet orange flavored icing and are better than anything that can be bought at the store.  I edited the recipe so it is a little more detailed and less old fashioned in regards to the ingredients.

Enjoy!

XOXO

Orange Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup Shortening (Crisco)

2 cups Sugar

2 Eggs

1 cup Whole Milk

1 teaspoon Vinegar

1 Orange Juiced

1 Orange Zested

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Salt

4 1/2 cups Flour

Instructions:

Set the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine shortening, sugar and eggs, set aside.  In a small bowl add the vinegar into the whole milk, stir until combined.  Add the milk mixture into the other wet ingredients, mix. Add all of the remaining ingredients into the wet mixture and stir until smooth.  Place spoonfuls of the batter onto a non greased cookie sheet, bake for 12-15 minutes. After baked, place cookies on a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely. After cooled, spread orange icing on top (recipe below).

Orange Icing

Ingredients:

1 Orange Juiced

1 Orange Zested

1 pound Powdered Sugar

2 tablespoons Melted Butter

Instructions:

Combine ingredients until smooth.

Tres Leche Cake

The other night my mom prepared a Mexican themed dinner and I thought that I would make a dessert to match! My boyfriend's mom taught me how to make tres leche cake a while back, the recipe is super easy and the result is completely satisfying. It is a vanilla cake doused with a mixture of sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk and topped with fresh cut strawberries. After soaking for hours in the refrigerator, the cake becomes drenched in the sweet milk and tastes delicious. We usually make this cake with boxed vanilla cake but this time I tried to make it with a homemade cake.  You can find the recipe for the cake here, but like i said you can use boxed vanilla cake as well. 

Tres Leche Cake Recipe

One Vanilla Cake

2 Cans of Evaporated Milk

1 Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk

Fresh Strawberries

After the vanilla cake has been baked, poke it multiple times with a fork (as shown below).  In a small sauce pan combine the evaporated milk and the sweetened condensed milk and heat on medium low until warm. Pour the milk mixture on the cake, dispersing it evenly.  Top the cake with fresh strawberries and refrigerate. 

This cake is best served completely chilled.

Enjoy

XOXO!

Sugar Shortbread Cookies!

I have not baked in a while because I was finishing up school, but now that I am on summer vacation, I have time to bake again.  This is the first recipe since my baking dry spell and these cookies turned out delicious.  They reminded me of the holidays, you know those cookies that you buy in a tin? those ones that people give you if they forget to get you a gift? yea those. But I'm not complaining, these cookies are really good.  They have a great texture, they are a crunchy cookie with a sugary buttery flavor.  They were simple to make and although I was supposed to dip them in chocolate, which probably would have made them better, they were still very good. You can find the recipe here.

Enjoy!

XOXO