Mom News

11.18.

Spiced Apple Cider

Oh! How I loooooooove Apple Cider. I’ll drink it cold or hot, but there is just something about a cool crisp Fall day and a cup of Warm Spiced Apple Cider.

I think I’m getting a little excited for Downton Abbey to come back on because I thought to myself, “Why not fancy it up a bit and put it in a tea cup?”

I know I know! Downton Abbey isn’t coming back on for quite a while still, but a girl can dream, right?

Well, if you fancy yourself some fancied up Warm Spiced Apple Cider, why not have a go at this easy recipe? When I say easy, I mean SUPER easy!

Here is what you need to do:

Take a teaspoon of pre-packaged mulling spices and add it to a saucepan. A new Fresh Market opened up here the other day (Insert: Angels Singing). I bought it there, but you can easily pick this up at any grocery store.

That is also where I picked up the Apple Cider, but again, you can get Apple Cider anywhere.

Add 1 cup of the cider to the mulling spices and wisk together.

Simmer the cider on low in the saucepan for 10 – 15 minutes.

Take any cup and add a cinnamon stick to it.

Add warm cider to cup and enjoy!

NOTE: This recipe is good for an individual cup of cider. However, lots of mulling spice packages (including the one I bought) have directions for making larger quantities.

This would be great for any day, but especially good on those chilly ones! Also great for little sore throats……… or BIG ones for that matter! 😉

XOXO,

Esther

Tags: Cinnamon Stick, Downton Abbey, Fall Day, Fresh Market, Mulling Spices, Sore Throat Remedy, Tea Cup, Warm Apple Cider

11.14.

Mason Jar Birthday Cake !!!

Don’t you just love Mason Jars????

Well, I do. I must have a million of them. Between all the empty ones from canned goods I’ve used, to all the ones I decorate with, I might have to change that number to a BILLION!

They are pretty much a staple here in the South, mostly because they are so versatile.

Well, the other day was no exception!

Em turned a Big Ole’ 8 over the weekend and decided she wanted a slumber party. Yes, I still have all my hair…… BARELY!

I thought it would be fun to change up her Birthday cake. So, instead of doing one big cake, I did several smaller mason jars for all the girls.

First, I made a boxed chocolate cake (Em’s favorite).

Then I took one of my biscuit cutters that I knew would fit into the mason jar and cut holes out ….

The cake was a little thick, so I cut those in half and layered them in the bottom of 1/2 pint mason jars.

Then, I took the buttercream icing I made. (* I used this homemade recipe here , but store bought is fine. I mean, come on…. I used a boxed cake mix. )

Added a swirl of it to the top of the cake.

Then topped with some rainbow sprinkles.

Yummmmmmm.

Now, at this point, I realized that with the amount of buttercream icing I made and the amount of mason jars I still had to do, I would never have enough to keep going at the thickness I originally cut the cake. So, I decided to keep the cake as thick as the biscuit cutter cut it this time. If you do less jars than I did, you can always keep the thickness of the cake the same.

Then, I repeated with the buttercream and topped off with more sprinkles. Once I was finished, I felt like they looked like little milkshakes, so I stuck these cute blue and white polka dotted paper straws in them I found at Target.

TIP: Stick them in the fridge for 5 minutes and serve. There is something about giving them a slight little chill that makes them better in my opinion. 😉

My favorite part of the whole thing was that Em decided she wanted everyone to be able to make a wish that night, not just her. So, every girl got their own mason jar with their own candle to blow out!

I love her sweet heart!

Just a little side note: I had a lot of leftover cake. If you do not want to waste the cake, it would be great to break up the remaining cake and either freeze for later or use it within a day or so in a trifle.

Everything is better in a Mason Jar! These would be great for entertaining a large crowd too. Not to mention, they could be technically considered portion control, right?

XOXO,

Esther

Tags: Birthday Cake, Buttercream Icing, Canned Goods, Decorate, Entertaining, Mason Jars, Milkshakes, Rainbow Sprinkles, Southern

11.01.

Chili Mac and Cheese

The other day, I was thinking back to when Z and I first got together. I was a young new bride and didn’t know much about cooking.

So, I did what any other sane person would do……..

I went for the man’s heart and I bought Hamburger Helper! Awe yeah! You know you do did too! Right????

I remember being in the grocery store and thinking……..”Man! They have a million different varieties! They have Cheesy Hamburger Helper, Hamburger Stroganoff, Bacon Cheeseburger, Cheesy Broccoli.” *It was like I was in that scene from Forrest Gump….. Shrimp creole…..

One for every night of the week! I had totally SCORED!

Fast forward 11 years later and the man can hardly look at a box of it without his stomach turning.

I have to say though, this homemade Chili Mac and Cheese recipe conquered his fear had him coming back for more. Your’s will too…. not to mention your kids will love it as well!

From the cheesy macaroni,

To the diced tomatoes with green chiles. Your family will be hooked with the first bite.

The only thing I can suggest is that you may just want to double the recipe!

*Now, the only thing I need to work on is his fear of Shake-N-Bake!

Recipe: Chili Mac and Cheese

– 1 lb. Ground Beef

– 1 tsp. Canola Oil

– 2 tsp. Chili Powder

– 1 tsp. Garlic Powder

– 1 tsp. Cumin

– 2 cups Lower Sodium Beef Broth

– 1 cup Water

– 1 (10oz) can Mild Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles, Undrained

– 12 oz. Uncooked Elbow Macaroni (*Go for whole wheat if you can find it!)

– 1/2 cup Fat-Free Milk

– 4 oz. 1/3-less-fat Cream Cheese (about 1/2 cup)

– 4 1/2 oz. Reduced- Fat Finely Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

– Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil, and swirl to coat. Add beef , chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin. Cook meat until no longer pink and cooked through. Drain Meat in a colander.

– Return meat to pot and add broth, water, and tomatoes. Bring to a Boil.

– Stir in macaroni, cover and cook 10 minutes or until macaroni is done.

– Heat milk and cream cheese in a saucepan over medium heat.

– Cook 4 minutes or until cheese melts stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

– Stir in cheddar.

– Add cheese sauce to macaroni mixture and toss well.

– Serve immediately. Goes great with Roasted Broccoli or Salad!

Tags: Cheesy Hamburger Helper, Chili Mac and Cheese, Comfort Food, Diced Tomatoes, Family, Forrest Gump, Green Chiles, Hamburger Helper, Recipe, Shake-N-Bake

10.11.

Reconnecting with Old Friends………. AND A FREE GIVEAWAY!

You know I love you, right?

Well, because I love you and I care about the way you look, I’m going to share a great find with you!

But before I do that, I just want to say I love reconnecting with old friends. I especially love reconnecting with old friends and finding out that they have an Etsy Shop!

BUT…….

Even more than that…. (get to it Esther!)….. I love finding out that their Etsy Shop has tons of things in it that I, myself would use. So, I know you will too!

And your sister and your mom and your mom’s sister! 😉

Look at these adorable headbands! Liz has been making them for a while and just recently decided to start her shop so she could share her cute designs with everyone else. You can check out Liz’s shop, at Your Mane Squeeze. If you don’t see something there you like, she can do custom orders as well.

It was so hard to choose a favorite.

This is probably the only time you will catch me taking “selfies” of myself! It feels very awkward! LOL! I just had to let you see them on though. I love the cute look this pink one gives. They have a “No-Slip” interior fabric that allows them to stay in place and they REALLY DO!