Tea Party Mints

Found on Pinterest.  


4 1/2 tablespoons reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon mint extract
food coloring (optional) - i used a few drops of yellow to get a very soft butter color
6 1/4 cups confectioners sugar

Beat the cream cheese until soft and fluffy, about two minutes. Add the mint and food coloring, if using, and mix until blended.  Add the confectioners sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until it forms a stiff mixture.  Form balls with about 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture.   Flatten with your thumb or tines of a fork. Store in the refrigerator.


Mommy and Hannah made these for Hannah's 12th Birthday Tea Party.  They were very good and super easy to make.  I think Hannah and I ate a bunch of them before the party.  :)  These are definitely on our "make again" list. Yum!
Love Always, 
Mommy

Joshua's Jella

From the back of the Knox Gelatine box

4 envelopes KNOX unflavored Gelatine
1 C. cold fruit juice
3 C. fruit juice, heated to boiling
2 TB sugar or honey, optional  (we skip this!)

Sprinkle gelatin overcold juice in large bowl; let sit 1 minute.  Add hot juice and stir until gelatin completely dissolves, about 5 minutes.

Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.  To serve, cut into 1" squares.

Joshua calls this his "jella"!  I love that!!!  I use orgranic pear or organic grape juice and skip the sweetner.  That way you children can have several pieces and I don't worry about it!  :)  I was looking for a dessert that Joshua would like and I came across this.  Everyone thinks this is super yummy!  I am so happy we can have a special treat that Joshua can enjoy with us.  I am making him a big pan of this for his birthday today!  :) 

Love Always,
Mommy

Happy Birthday Buck a Roo!

My little Buck a Roo is 4 today!  Happy, happy birthday to my precious Joshua!  I love you so much my son.  I am blessed to be your Mommy!

Love Always,
Mommy

Happy Birthday Bubba-Q

Happy, happy birthday Ezra!  You are two today!  I can't believe how big you are getting.  I love you my little Bubba-Q.

Love Always,
Mommy

Chocolate Cake with White Icing

Chocolate Cake
This recipe is from Mother Smith who was Paw Paw’s mother. Paw Paw was GrandMommie’s (Diane Southerland) Daddy. So this cake recipe is from Daddy’s great grandmother!

2 C of sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 C of flour
2 (heaping) TB cocoa
½ C of butter milk (or reg. milk & 1 tsp vinegar)
2 eggs, beat thoroughly
½ C butter, softened
1 C water, boiling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray and flour 2 round pans. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients in bowl- set aside. Mix wet ingredients (except for boiling water) in bowl. Combine the two bowls together and blend. Add 1 cup of boiling water. Pour into pans. Bake around 30-40 min. or when you stick a toothpick in it and it comes out clean. Let cool and top with Snow Peak Icing.

Snow Peak Icing
This is Grandmommie’s (Diane Southerland) recipe. Daddy’s mommy!

1 ¼ C corn syrup
2 egg whites
Pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla

Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form when beater is raised. While eggs are beating, in a small saucepan, heat corn syrup over medium high heat until boiling. Add salt to egg whites. Slowly pour in syrup, continuing to beat until frosting is fluffy. Fold in vanilla. Frost cooled chocolate cake!

This is a Southerland Family favorite!  Daddy often requests this cake for his birthday and I know that Uncle Michael's family has this for birthdays frequently as well.  I just made this for Daddy's birthday and it looks and smells yummy!!!  GrandMommy used to make this for the children's birthdays.  Anytime it snowed in Texas Daddy used to say, "It looks like chocolate cake with white icing!"  (Only Texas snow looks like that!  Real snow is all white!  Not white with dirt showing through!)  :)
 
Love Always,
Mommy

P.S.  Daddy and Ezra shared this for their birthdays and Ezra LOVED it!  He was a big gooy mess and oh so cute!!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy, happy birthday to my awesome Husby!  I hope you have a super day,  Honey.  I love you very much!


Love Always,
Wifey

Stawberry Cake with Strawberry Frosting

Jennifer at Dallas Reformed Baptist Church

 Strawberry Cake
1 box white cake mix
3 oz. box strawberry jello
10 oz. frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
4 eggs
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1/4 C. water

Lightly grease two round 9" cake pans.  In a large bowl combine cake mix and jello.  Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed until smooth.  Pour into prepared pans and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  After completely cooled, spread Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting in between layers and on top and side of cake.  Yum!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 C. butter, softened
8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened
10 oz. frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
1/2 tsp strawberry extract
7 C. powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy.  Beat in 1/4 C strawberry puree, reserving remaining puree for another use.  Beat in extract.  Gradually add sugar beating until smooth.

We first tried this cake a few months ago when Jennifer brought it to dinner at the Dato-on's house.  It was incredible!  I asked Jennifer for the recipe and she graciously shared it with our family. 

We made this while on vacation at Running Y in Oregon with Papa & Nama, and Uncle Lee & Auntie Shea and all your cousins.  We doubled the recipe and made two sheet cakes.  It was incredible!  We had such a great time on that vacation; we went swimming, ice skating, played tennis in the snow, and had a wonderful time.  Uncle Dave & Aunt Sandy even came down for a few days.  We had such a great time at our "vacation house". 

Hannah told me yesterday that she would make this for me for my birthday in a few days.  Yippee!  I can't wait to eat it!  Yummy!

Love Always,
Mommy