Halloween Spider Cookies and "Pumpkin" Cake!

Oh, the fun of having a birthday in October!
Up until now, my oldest daughter who is now 4, always had a princess party, or something very pink. This year, she's all about the Halloween stuff, which is more fun if you ask me!


I had so much fun with her making these for her preschool class!
We just made sugar cookies, frosted them, and used a toothpick to make it look web-like. The spider is a spider ring...minus the ring. (I cut them off with scissors.)

When I asked my little girl what she wanted for her birthday, she would always say, "A cake!" So we got online, and after looking at many cakes, she decided she wanted a pumpkin cake. So here it is. It even had spiders on it. She just loves 'googly' spiders this year!

And now, the girl with the inspiration! Happy birthday, cutie.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ok, these were delicious!!!! And kids LOVED them!


First I let some vanilla ice cream soften and put it in a bowl. I crushed some fresh blackberries (any berry will do). Then I mixed them into the ice cream. Then, put the ice cream back in the freezer.


Here's what you need for the cookies. (Makes enough for about 14-16 sandwiches)

2 cup flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly grease baking sheets.

Cream together the brown sugar and butter with an electric mixer until it is light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.


Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.


Add the dry ingredients to the creamy mixture.

Roll balls of the cookie doe and smash flat with spatula on a cookie sheet. Bake until set, about 10 minutes. Let stand on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing with a spatula.

Make sure the cookies cool completely. Use a wire rack.

Allow the ice cream to sit out a while so it's soft. Put a scoop in the center of one cookie.

Put the other cookie on top and gently press down. Put in the freezer immediately so they don't melt all over. (Trust me, they will.)

Once they are frozen, serve them!!!

They are best eaten the day they are made. Let them sit out a few minutes before eating them so the ice cream is soft. YUMMO!

Brownies with a funky flair

I don't have my own brownie recipe yet, so I had to borrow one. The fun part about this post is the decorating.

I made some delicious brownies for a baby shower, and using my frosting gun, added some bright blue swirls!

...it made the brownies look real pretty...

...and we had so much fun doing it!

Flower Birthday Girl Cupcakes, and Cookie Cutter Fruit

Last month we had a birthday party for my baby...1 year old! Can't believe it. Anyhow, I made these fun cupcakes.

Started with some chocolate cupcakes. You can make them from scratch. But I was in a time crunch so I had to use good ol' Betty (Crocker).


Now for the fun part! The flowers.

This is a cute little trick that I learned from PRUDY!!!

Bought some candy melts in the craft section at Walmart. Melted them per instructions. Added food coloring. Put the mixture into my nifty frosting dispenser.

Then I squirted the mixture onto wax paper and put them in the fridge.

They just adorned the cupcakes so well! They were perfect with the pink frosting and big circle sprinkles! It was a perk to display them on my cute little cupcake stand.

At the party, I also served these fruit kabobs. I used cookie cutters to make stars and hearts out of the melons. Cute huh!!!

Chocolate Covered Brownies!

I was inspired by my friend Kaylee to try covering something with chocolate. What better than brownies? These are so cute and perfect for Valentine's Day!

1 pkg brownie mix (and ingredients required on directions)
3/4 package of vanilla almond bark
red food coloring
decorative sprinkles
wax paper

Start by making brownies according to directions on box. Allow to cool COMPLETELY.


Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes in the brownies.

To keep intact, use a spatula to remove cut-out. Put brownies on a sheet of wax paper.

Heat almond bark in a sauce pan on low, stirring to prevent scorching. Mix in food coloring to desired pinkness.
Plop a blob of the bark onto a brownie.
Use a small spoon to GENTLY spread over entire surface.
Sprinkle immediately after applying coat. Allow to sit until almond bark is hard.
Cut around the edges once dry. Then serve...enjoy! Makes about a dozen.

Pumpkin Pie!

So this was my first attempt ever at making pumpkin pie. I found it rather soothing to mix the evaporated milk in with pumpkin and other ingredients. I rather enjoyed it. Very much. It was very therapeutic and relaxing. The smell was intoxicating as well, especially as the pies baked in the oven. In fact, I think I prefer the smell to the taste. Baking pumpkin pies...climbing the list of my favorite things to do EVER! The recipe I used has been on Libby's pumpkin labels since 1950. Deliciouso.

You will need:

1 29 oz can pure pumpkin, preferably Libby's
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
4 large eggs
2 12 oz cans evaporated milk
2 9" deep pie shells, or 3 9" shallow pie shells, unbaked.
whipped cream

Mix sugar, spices, and salt in small bowl. Beat the eggs in a larger bowl. Stir in pumpkin, then sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. (My favorite part! I know, I'm a nerd.)
Pour into pie shells.
Preheat oven at 425*F for 15 min., then reduce temp to 350*. Bake pies for 40-45 min. or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve or refrigerate. Serve with whipped cream!