Sprinkles Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 package vanilla or chocolate Sprinkles cupcake mix

For the frosting:

3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, firm but not cold
2 Tbs. milk, plus more as needed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt
Food coloring as desired

Directions:

-Preheat an oven to 350°F.

-Grease and flour the wells of an ice cream cone pan.

-Make the cupcake batter according to the package instructions.

-Transfer half the batter to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

-Spoon the remaining batter into the prepared wells, dividing evenly and filling each well to within 1 1/2 inches of the rim. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes.

-Let cool for 5 minutes. Gently remove the cupcakes from the pan, and let cool completely.

-Wash and thoroughly dry the pan. Grease and flour the wells and repeat with the remaining batter.

-To make the frosting, have all the ingredients at room temperature. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the confectioners sugar, butter, the 2 Tbs. milk, the vanilla and salt on low speed until combined, about 1 minute.

-Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

-Add food coloring to reach the desired hue and beat until no streaks of white remain, about 30 seconds.

*If the frosting is too dry, add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks. -To frost the cupcakes, fit a pastry bag or a ziploc bag with a large star tip and fill with frosting. Pipe the frosting on the cupcakes, swirling it on the top to resemble soft-serve ice cream.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Asian beef & broccoli with noodles

Hey girls, this is a super easy stir-fry dish that I LOVE!

What you'll need....

1 1/4 pounds boneless beef top round or top sirloin steak, cut 1-inch thick (I pretty much just by a thin cheap steak and cut it up.)
2 packages oriental-flavored ramen noodles, broken up
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
and pretty much any of your favorite vegies. I use...1 chopped onion, a couple of crowns of broccoli, 1 large green bell pepper, 1 large red bell pepper, and carrots, all chopped. (not too small)
It also says you can grate orange rind on top but I wasn't a fan of it!

How to make........

Cut beef into squares about the size if a square 50 cent piece ;) combine seasoning from 1/2 packet of ramen with cornstarch mixture in a bowl. Add beef and toss. (I usually will set in fridge and marinate for a couple of hours or even just while I'm preparing vegies.)
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat
Stir-fry vegies to your liking (I like mine pretty tender so it takes about 10-15 minutes)
Add broken up ramen noodles and pour 1 1/2 cups water into stir-fry.
Pour remaining ramen seasoning over stir-fry and stir.
Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer about 5 minutes or until most liquis is absorbed and noodles are soft. Stirring occasionally.
Heat remaining oil in a separate frying pan (doesn't need to be huge)over medium-high heat.
Drain beef discarding marinade. Stir-fry beef until the outside surface is no longer pink. (Do not overcook)
Serve beef over noodles and vegies and enjoy!!

(you can also do this "vegetarian style" for those of you who are WEIRD about meat! lol I've never tried it with chicken but if you do...let me know how it turns out!)

No No...

Hello Hello
So I was just teasing Kim that she stole my thunder of making this blog! But we all need to give Kim the credit she deserves. They have been bugging me (Kim & Kel) to make this blog but I just could never get to it. I probably actually would never have got to it so good thing Kim hopped on it cuz now maybe now that I will be a full time MOMMY I also have to be a full time WIFE no more excuses for not cooking a fresh healthy not fast food dinner! So here goes my first time post of a recipe! I found this recipe on kraftfoods.com I absolutely love it!

PaRmEsAn-CrUsTeD chicken cream sauce

What You Need!
2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked
1 can (14 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
6 RITZ Crackers, finely crushed
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
2 tsp. oil
1/3 cup PHILADELPHIA 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese with Chive & Onion
3/4 lb. asparagus spears, trimmed, steamed


Make It!
COOK rice as directed on package, using 1-1/4 cups of the broth and 1/2 cup water.
MEANWHILE, mix cracker crumbs and Parmesan on plate. Rinse chicken with cold water; gently shake off excess. Dip chicken in crumb mixture, turning to evenly coat both sides of each breast. Discard any remaining crumb mixture.
HEAT oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook 5 to 6 min. on each side or until done (165°F). Transfer to plate; cover to keep warm. Add remaining broth and cream cheese to skillet; bring just to boil, stirring constantly. Cook 3 min. or until thickened, stirring frequently; spoon over chicken. Serve with rice and asparagus.