Malibu Sunrise

Malibu Sunrise

Well today is going to be record high temperatures for Minnesota. The temperature is suppose to get to 97 and we have a heat warning out for the afternoon. Sounds like it is going to be a day/night for air conditioning or lounging in the pool or lake.

It also is a perfect time to enjoy a beverage or two outside, under an umbrella of course, and I have the perfect drink for such occasion. The Malibu Sunrise. It is a very refreshing drink and you can adjust the amount of alcohol you would like in it to suit your tastes.

The ingredients are simple. You need orange juice, ice, Malibu rum, and grenadine. I could sip on these all day long. Malibu rum is coconut flavored and it really makes this drink. So go pick up these couple of ingredients and make yourself one tonight and enjoy.

Malibu Sunrise
Orange Juice
Malibu Rum
Grenadine syrup
Ice

Put some ice in a tall glass. Add a shot or two of Malibu Rum. Add orange juice. Drizzle grenadine syrup on top for color. Mix with a swizzle stick and enjoy!

Lemon Bundt Cake

So this week I was craving lemon cake. I didn't want to just grab a lemon cake mix and whip it up I wanted something different. I wanted a bundt cake. O.K. go ahead and make the bundt cake jokes like from My Big Fat Greek Wedding like my son and I did.(I love that movie. I never get tired of it.) Anyways, so I started to look for a recipe that was quick and easy, but that I could still make my bundt cake.

I finally found one on cooks.com. It was easy and I had all the necessary ingredients. I did, however adjust the baking time for the cake. The recipe said to bake for 1 hour and my cake was done in 40 minutes, so keep an eye on your cake when baking so you can adjust your time if needed.

I want to give you a word of warning for greasing the bundt pan. I used just a cooking spray and I thought I sprayed the heck out of the pan, but not so. My cake stuck on one side and I kind of had to piece it back together before I glazed it. I think I have to stick with what my mother says and that is to brush with shortening and then lightly flour. I never have problems with my cakes sticking when I do it the old fashion way, but you decide.

Ignore my ugly red platter. Couldn't find my glass cake plate.

I also did not make the glaze that they suggested. Instead I just did a powdered sugar glaze with some lemon extract in it for flavor. You can decide which one you prefer.

I think this cake is just perfect for a summer dessert. It is really light and has that fresh lemon taste that it will make you want another slice.

Lemon Bundt Cake
1pkg yellow cake mix
1 small pkg lemon jello
3/4 C water
2 t lemon extract
1/2 C oil
4 eggs

Powdered Sugar Icing
1 C powdered sugar
1t lemon extract
Milk


Mix all ingredients. Beat well. Pour into greased and floured bundt cake pan. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Cool cake in pan on a cooling rack. Once it is cool invert onto a cake plate. Prepare icing. Mix powdered sugar and lemon extract together in a small bowl. Add a little milk at a time to make a semi thick frosting. Don't worry if you add too much milk just add some more frosting. Drizzle icing over cake once cake has cooled.


Glaze
3/4 C powdered sugar
Juice from 1 lemon

Prepare lemon juice with sifted powdered sugar. Pour over cake when it comes out of the oven. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

Well I know that on Facebook I promised to post this recipe last week, but life kind of got in the way. I had very good intentions of posting the recipe asap, it's just that I have been a little under the weather. I've got this terrible cold and congestion thing going on that took the fight out of me for a few days.

I'm just now starting to feel a little better and not needing to take a nap and then also feeling like I need to go to bed early. I did not know that I could sleep so much. Those days have been long since gone when I could sleep forever.

Well I'm back and I'm feeling good (except for the little cough thing I've got going on) and I'm ready to post that muffin recipe.

So I found this recipe via Pinterest. It linked me to The Curvy Carrot blog. Who got the recipe from Taste of Home, but tweaked it a little. Then I took the recipe and tweaked some more.

The bottom line is I added one little ingredient to add a little bit more flavor and it ended up being a real hit at my house. I simply added peanut butter and it gave it a bit extra to make them want to gobble them up. In fact they were gone by the next day.

Even Bella wanted a taste.

Here's the recipe. I hope you enjoy them!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
Servings: 12 muffins
Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Line one cupcake pan with liners, set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4.  In another large bowl, combine the egg, sour cream, peanut butter, melted butter, and vanilla extract, mixing well.
5.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined.
6. Gently add in the chocolate chips until thoroughly combined.
7. Evenly divide the batter among the prepared cupcake liners (I use a large ice cream scoop for this) so that the liners are about 3/4-full.
8.  Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Slider Mini Burgers

Slider Mini Burger

How many of you have gone out to eat at one of those family friendly bar/restaurants and just loved the idea of a mini hamburger or better known to most of us as a slider? For some reason having a mini burger sounds really appealing. The name even sounds appealing. "Slider." Now no place else but in a bar/restaurant would this word sound like something edible, but it is. Despite the name we all have come to know these little burgers to be delicious and ever so cute to eat.

Now I decide today to kind of make my own version of sliders at home. It really isn't all that hard to do and these little burgers grill up in no time at all. Most of the ingredients are things I would think most people have on hand. As for the buns I used the Hawaiian Sweet rolls, but you could use some little dinner rolls and they would work just as well. The Hawaiian rolls, though, were the perfect size for the sliders. I top the little burgers off with some pepper jack cheese, but I think you could use whatever kind of cheese you like or have on hand.

So be adventurous and make your own Slider Mini Burger. The skies the limit.

Slider Mini Burgers
1lb of burger
1/2 C of bread crumbs
1 egg
1 T powdered ranch dressing
1-2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 T red pepper flakes
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 C chopped red onion
slices of cheese
Hawaiian rolls

In a bowl mix burger, bread crumbs and egg until well combined. Add ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, garlic and red onion. Mix Well. Shape meat mixture into 9 mini burgers and grill. Add a small slice of cheese to top of burger. Close lid of grill and let cheese melt. Serve on mini buns with ketchup and mustard.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

OK, so today I'm not having the best day and it's looking like my week is not going to really get much better. One way I know to make it a little more bearable is to bake something. That something is preferably chocolate. Actually peanut butter and chocolate.

I found just the cure for my blues, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies!

The recipe is basically a peanut butter cookie recipe with chocolate chips added. You can use either chunky peanut butter or creamy peanut butter. I used creamy because that is what I had on hand, but I sure bet it would be great with chunky. Maybe next time.

Well I might not be good at much, but at least I'm good at baking! I can pretty much bake just about anything and it'll turn out pretty darn good.

In my dreams I imagine what it would be like to have my own tiny, little small town bakery. It would of course have a few staple specialty items, but on occasion have a few seasonal type items. A place where one could get a sweet little treat and a cup of coffee or a glass of milk. After all what would cookies be without the milk? Still working on that dream though. A girl can dream can't she?

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1C butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 C chunky or creamy peanut butter
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 C flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 C semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.
Cream butter, peanut butter and sugars until light. Add the eggs and mix until fluffy.
Blend the flour, baking powder, soda and salt together well. Add these dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add the chocolate chips.
Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls onto lightly gteased baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375.
Makes 6 dozen.