Christmas M&M Cookies in a Jar

That’s it everybody, Christmas has come and gone, wait what am I talking about the year has all but come and gone!  I know, it was hectic leading up to it, with all the shopping, the party planning, the food preparation, the present wrapping and name tagging and then the crafty creative gift giving!  Now that it is somewhat behind me (minus the tree and all the decorations that need to come down) I have time to get back into the swing of things, sorta kinda!  So here I am! 

On a side note I just wanted to say, everyone has their own idea of what style of tree they like to have in their home.  Me, I like a family tree.  You know the ones with the personal affect to it!  Our youngest has a thing about decorating the tree.  The only thing is he tends to place the ornaments all in the one area he is sitting in front of!  So every time he isn't looking there is some rearranging that goes on. Here are some final product shots!  Love that little guy!  :)

Okay, back to my story.  

Every year since we moved here during Christmas all the neighbors give each other a little somethin-somethin.  Nothing extreme just something sweet, something with a little expression to wish a Merry Christmas.  Let me share with you what they shared with me.  One of our neighbors owns a couple of chain restaurants and they brought us over a family picture they had taken on a trip and with it came a letter telling us who they are as a family, where each one is at whether it be school or career, and what they have been doing throughout the year. With that came a tag with a cute saying and a bottle of their business signature sauce that went along with it.  I thought how thoughtful is that! 

Our next door neighbor got us a Christmas gift, one year we received an ornamental ball decoration, we have also received a moose and this year a set of one reindeer and one bear dressed like elves.  I have no idea where they go to find these gifts but I love them, they just have that little special touch, it is a gift they put thought into for the season and it is just right every year. 

Now I don’t want to discredit the cookies and the pumpkin bread I made the previous year’s, because I was very happy about the whole idea and the outcome (I do not have any pictures but you’ll just have to take my word for it).  But I really wanted to think of something that I could make myself with that special somethin-somethin.   

The idea...

A Chocolate Cupcake Birthday

Moist cake like cupcakes, very filling, and very chocolaty mmm perfect!

It was a Happy 10th Birthday and with each year brings a new adventure.

The big day had come, the birthday, the BIG 10!  My small fry has now been on this earth for his very first decade.


Wow!

I love these years, I think they are some of the most exciting and memorable years for kids.  It’s a precious window of time where your imagination, that inner ability you are given to remember, create, dream, and make all kinds of changes  and transformations at any given time is possible!  Where everything seems so much larger so much more exciting and real you can even possess magical powers!  All through the eyes of a child.

But this precious window of time is limited, so I made a wish for my son to enjoy it while it lasts, because as time goes on all of life and the responsibilities with the day to day tasks and deadlines and run around will surround you before you know it!

Right now my son and his friend have decided to go down to the park near a creek that runs along it and build a fort.  They have moved out all sorts of branches and twigs and made what they call the secret fort, and only the 2 of them know where it is at. Well that is except for a third friend they just decided they would allow to know the secret coordinates of the secret fort he is stronger and can move branches that they can not even move if you can imagine that!

They noticed footprints they were not sure what animal it could possibly but they have narrowed it down to a raccoon.  So now they are on a mission to catch the animal they think may be a raccoon, yes they will dig a hole and put branches over it and trick the animal behind the footstep. (now don't worry we watch over them the whole time they are not going to encounter a raccoon!)

They check every chance they get hoping to come across something but still, nothing.  So the devise other angels and put together other ideas.  As a matter of a fact they have decided it would be a perfect idea to spend the night in their fort this summer.  We had to put a stop to that, this is life behind the eyes of a child and his imagination and endless possibilities!

Now about the birthday, the idea… celebrate. With 25 kids invited to a gym filled with tramps and foam pits with monkey bars and the whole nine yards I had to figure out how to make this party all work and bring it all together. The important thing to focus on here for me was simplicity. This was very necessary and I am so glad it turned out excellent and more important for the most part effortlessly.  Everyone had a blast and it was non-stop until the end.  The cupcakes looked time consuming but they were actually pretty quick to design I was pleasantly surprised.  I buy the cake mix in bulk, because I also like to use them to make cookies, it to is a simple way to make something great from me for my family with that little bit of somethin-somethin!

I miss those years, to me they are some of the most exciting and memorable years looking back.  It’s a precious window of time where your imagination that inner ability you are given to remember, create, dream, and make all kinds of changes and transformations at any given time is possible! Where everything seems so much larger so much more exciting and real you can even possess magical powers!

But these powers seem to have a limit, they seem to only last for a limited period of time. So I hope all my kids are and have been able to have them for as long as they can and have some of the best times!

Right now my son and his friends have decided to go down to the park near a creek and build a fort.  They noticed footprints they were not sure what animal it could possibly but they have narrowed it down to a raccoon. So now they are on a mission to catch the animal behind the footstep.

Now really quick like with my intertwining stories without further a dew (not that there is anything over the top or difficult about these at all trust me)!


I give you "The Chocolate Cupcake with Swirls"

Yum-yum

1.  What you will need is 1 package cake mix I use Betty Crocker I always have thought they have a pretty good thing going!  And for the most part you need only follow the directions on the box. 

Dirt Bike Cake Recipe

I have to tell you that when I was making this cake it was a challenge for me, a never tried before baking event, so the stress level was on!  For some reason I felt like I was at the race on the line on a dirt bike waiting for the gate to drop and see if I could make whole shot!  Wow what a rush!

 

Our boys like to ride dirt bikes if you dont know very much about it take a look at a little peak into the motocross race.  It was my son's birthday and he wanted to have a dirt bike cake.  First time for me of course, and for me this cake turned out to be a bit of a challenge make sure to give your self time. It was a tall cake when I was finished much taller than I had expected for sure. 

Nothing like testing out a cake idea on your child's birthday!

It turned out awesome and delicious, here is how I did it, I took a recipe from online and built on it from there.  See the directions to make it yourself! 

Dirt Bike Cake with Whoops

There is something to be said about a cake made at home.  This was a bit of a production I must warn you, but all well worth it!  Take a look and see what you think!

I just wanted to put this one out there.  I am not the everyday sweet baker but I wanted to make this cake.  I couldn't find a bike cake similar to this anywhere and I like the taste of home made cakes better than the store bought ones.

Click here to read about a motocross experience.

Every since I made this cake I have been making cakes instead of buying them, and I will tell you something, it will get eaten!  This cake was inspired by my son and his love for motocross and dirt bikes!  Mission accomplished!

I went a bit to tall, actuall really tall!

I made it with Oreo's whipped cream cake mix icing over snickers for the whoops and a little creative thinking on my part!  I had fun with it and they loved it!  I had people from the party place asking if they could try it they loved the way it looked so much!

Here is the recipe.

Chocolate-Chip Banana Bread

Imagine this… early morning before the sun rises you wake up to start your day, you brew up your favorite coffee, and then you slice into a moist tasty piece of golden chocolate-chip banana bread.  Now you ask yourself should you warm it up in the microwave or eat it plain.  The answer is it won’t matter it’s so smooth and tasty you can’t go wrong.  What you should be asking yourself is 1 piece or 2?

Click here to read more…

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Imagine this… early morning before the sun rises you wake up to start your day, you brew up your favorite coffee, and then you slice into a moist tasty piece of chocolate-chip banana bread.  Now you ask yourself should you warm it up in the microwave or eat it plain.  The answer is it won’t matter it’s so smooth and tasty you can’t go wrong.  What you should be asking yourself is 1 piece or 2?

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup mashed fully ripe bananas (about 3)

1 cup reduced fat sour cream

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2-1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1.    Heat oven to 350ºF. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add bananas, sour cream and eggs; mix well. Add combined dry ingredients; mix until moistened. Stir in chocolate chips.

2.    Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and dust greased pan with a sugar-cinnamon grinder or use a teaspoon of brown sugar and cinnamon blended together to dust the pan.

3.    Pour the banana mixture into the greased and dusted 9x5-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle an additional teaspoon of brown sugar on the top of the bread.

4.    Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 min.; spread light butter over the top of the bread and then serve.

 Refrigerate leftovers.

If you are not a banana bread lover hold on this bread will change the way you think about the whole idea!  It has an excellent taste and the texture is just right!  It is simple quick and tasty.  Very moist and it comes out perfect everytime. 

Here is an idea, a dirt bike cake!

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