Kids in the Kitchen - Jesus' Birthday Cake

My girls have been asking for some time about decorating their own cake. We always make a birthday cake for Jesus, so I thought it would be the perfect time. We frosted our cake with chocolate buttercream (because I was dying to make a chocolate buttercream) and we tinted some white frosting red and green. I just let them loose with the frosting and a bunch of sprinkles.....you know where this is going, right? Sprinkle overload! WooHoo! They sure enjoyed themselves :)

These were easy for the little hands to work with....I thought pastry bags might be a little too hard.

Go over to A Little Fun With Me and Lu to check out more Kids in the Kitchen posts!

FNCCC Postponed....Blog vacation

I am taking an impromptu vacation this week. My kids and husband are off of school and I am playing along. I'm sorry for those of you who are all set for George Duran's post this week but I'm going to push it back until January 6th (hopefully you all are as behind as I am and in need of a rest)....which means I need to push all of the weeks back so the list of chefs/dates right now is wrong (did you even know there was a list?). I will fix them sometime this week. Until then, have a wonderful week and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Twenty-Ten...who would have thought it would come so quickly??

GlassesUSA Review

A few weeks ago Little Bit got hold of my glasses and bent the frames into figure eights (my fault, they were unguarded and within climbing distance). The very next day GlassesUSA asked me to review their eyeglasses. What a blessing!

I picked out frames (this part took the longest, as there are lots of cute styles to choose from), sent in my prescription, and the glasses were at my door in a week. You can't beat that!

It has been about 7 years since I bought prescription glasses and I was sceptical that the glasses would not be the right fit, prescription, or look good on me. I was wrong. They are perfect and I didn't have to brave the eyeglass store with impatient kids, sales people that want to sell me every upgrade, or make several trips to try on and pick up.

GlassesUSA has a wide variety of eyeglass frames . I know it's hard to choose. I looked at the measurements of my current glasses and tried to get something similar in height and width. The GlassesUSA site has all of this information (and explanations of the information, including where to find it on your glasses) so it's easy to use. I chose the Politix and they are so great. Listen to their description..."The semi-rimless frame with cushioned nose pads give a barely there appearance- but they give way to chic arms decked out in rhinestones! While black in color, the arms have a "red" secret on the inside. Be sassy while you get the job done!" I'm sassy. I'm sassy. Yeah, I'm sassy! :)

GlassesUSA is a company helping others. All of their returned eyeglasses are not restocked as they are with most optical stores. GlassesUSA donates all of their returned eyeglasses to various organizations around the US who then sanitize and redistribute the eyeglasses with the correct prescription to people all over the world who can’t afford vision care!

If you are in the market for prescription glasses, here is a deal for you. The folks at GlassesUSA are giving you a discount. The code is: Mommy5 and it’s good for 5% off your final order! The code never expires!

This post was written after receiving the product free of charge. It is the only form of "payment" that was received for writing this post and all views and opinions are mine alone.

Kid in the Kitchen - Gingerbread Houses!

I picked up Halloween Gingerbread house kits after Halloween for .99! I saved the black and orange decor for next year, whipped up some royal icing and used leftover (hidden) Halloween candy. I'm hoping to pick up some clearanced houses after Christmas as well. What a fun and cheap project! They are VERY sturdy. The girls gave them to our neighbors on each side of us.

Go over to A Little Fun With Me and Lu to check out more Kids in the Kitchen posts!

FNCCC Assignment #17 - George Duran

I know it's right during the holiday's and all but, I figure, you are still cooking, so we are carrying on with the challenge. Next week's chef is George Duran. I have ever heard of him and the first recipe I see from him is Deep-Fried Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough - should be interesting! "George Duran, host of Ham on the Street, is a chef and entertainer." No kidding.

There's nothing like relaxing during the holidays, kicked back with a plate full of fried cookie dough (Maybe you could leave some out for Santa. Or on second thought, he might need a nap directly after consuming them so we better hold off.).....will you, gulp, cook with me? We will be posting about his recipes on Wednesday, December 30. Can't wait to see what you are brave enough to choose!!!

FNCCC #16 - Emeril Lagasse

I just love Emeril. I love watching him cook with his BAM and all. It makes me feel like I can cook anything and everything I cook from him turns out wonderfully. We have two of his restaurants here in the Orlando area but haven't yet been to either. I've heard nothing but good things.

Bayou Chicken Pasta has been around our house for years now. It's very tasty and so easy. Probably my favorite from him right now.

I also tried the Pizzazy Pizza Sandwiches and Waffle Iron Reuben Sandwich. It's been a big Emeril week.

All three were good enough to be in the house rotation but the bread in the Pizza Sandwiches was too crunchy for me so would need to put more sauce on it (although the girls loved it as it was and my oldest daughter even gave me a fist bump for it, she liked it that much :)) and using the waffle iron for the Reuben is just novelty....I might just stick to the old fashioned frying pan. The Russian dressing recipe that he uses on these was really good. My husband, who doesn't like Reuben's, liked these.

I could cook something of his every night of the week. Especially since some of his recipes are as simple as peanut butter banana sandwiches - although, does this really require a recipe? Did I mention I just love him? So without picture this week I will share the pasta recipe. There are links above to the other two recipes. I give all three a thumbs up. I would love to try one of his fancier dishes (there are many) but with the kids I have, I will have to wait a few years.

Bayou Chicken PastaRecipe

courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2006

Ingredients

1 pound linguine

1/4 cup kosher salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons Essence

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup finely chopped yellow onion

1 tablespoon finely chopped habanero pepper (I don't use this because the wee ones can't take it)1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 cup diced tomatoes

1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water

1/2 cup chopped green onion tops

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

DirectionsSet a large 1-gallon stock pot of water to a boil and add the kosher salt. Place the linguine in the pot and stir until the water returns to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender, but with a bit of resistance (al dente), about 12 minutes.

While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Set a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil to the pan. Once the butter has melted, season the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the Essence and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and add the chicken to the pan. Sear the chicken until well browned on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the onions and habaneros to the pan and saute until the onions are softened and lightly caramelized, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the cream, remaining 1 tablespoon of Essence, remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, and the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook the sauce until the cream is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, linguine and the reserved cooking water to the pan and cook, tossing to incorporate for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and add the green onions, Parmesan and parsley and toss to blend. Serve immediately.

So what did you cook this week?? Post your link to MckLinky below. Enjoy your Christmas....or whatever you may celebrate!

New Cake and Treats

I've been busy this past week. Such fun :) What holiday baking have you been doing?