Pineapple and Watermelon Salad

I'm back from camping. And yes, we saw ladybugs at Ladybug tower...lots of them which was amazing since it had rained all morning. It was everything my kids hoped it would be...then literally minutes later we were pounded by a hail storm. Here's a glimpse of one of the trees by the tower.

We have been on vacation for an entire month and although it's been fun...there's nothing like home. So while I'm trying to put a small dent in the mountain of laundry that awaits me, I'll leave you with a simple fruit salad that is healthy and refreshing. It's another clean dish from Mary at My Green Diet and let's face it...I have a few vacation lbs to lose.

Pineapple and Watermelon Salad

from MyGreenDiet

1 pineapple, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/3 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced (I used 1/4 cup because that's all I had and I think it was plenty)

1 lime, juiced

1/2 watermelon, cut into bite-sized pieces

Mix pineapple pieces with basil and lime juice. Place watermelon pieces in serving dish and pour pineapple over the top. So not stir together. Garnish with lime and basil.

S'mores Bars

Growing up we had a family reunion up in the Graham Mountains in Arizona every summer with my dad's side of the family. I have 82 first cousins on my dad's side alone so we were never bored and definitely made our fair share of mischief around camp. The best part for me about the reunion is when the whole family would make the hike up to Ladybug Tower. As you get closer to the tower you start seeing ladybugs here and there.

We even would have ladybug fights where we would grab handfuls of ladybugs and throw them at each other (in retrospect...yuck). When we finally reached the tower there were ladybugs everywhere in sight...on all of the surrounding rocks and all over the Ladybug Tower. Then, all of the uncles would climb up the tower and throw down money and candy to the little kids who would scramble all over the base of the tower to gather the goods.

Ahh...memories.

Sometimes when I'm putting my kids to bed at night I tell my boys about the Ladybug Tower and their eyes get all big with excitement.

Tomorrow, we are headed to the Grahams and to Ladybug Tower. Hopefully we will see some ladybugs so my boys won't be disappointed. I've warned them that the cold or rain can scare the ladybugs off but there's only so much preparation you can give eager little boys. So while we are off making S'mores around the fire, make these. These may be one of my favorite bars ever. They are rich and gooey. Mostly, I'm in love with the crust.

Smores Bars

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized Hershey's milk chocolate bars (if you want a more subtle chocolate flavor use regular sized chocolate bars; enough to fit)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (7 1/2 oz jar)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.

3. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff. This part can be tricky. I made little disks with the dough and formed them into a sheet on some parchment paper then transferred it over. Spread it around gently.

4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Makes 16 cookie bars.

Source: Lovin In the Oven

The Cookie Monster hits Vegas - Chewy Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies

Our most recent leg of our vacation was to Las Vegas for the Garth Brooks charity in which we are involved. We were able to meet some of the kids that the foundation helped out which was awesome.

We were put up in style at the Wynn hotel. All I have are 2 words for you: hospitality suite. The hospitality suite was a suite that had access to computers, snacks (not mention the drawers of candy bars), and drinks for anyone that was part of the charity for the down time between events. As you know I have a hard time saying no to free treats so every time I left the hospitality suite I had at least two of their freshly baked pancake-sized cookies. I had good intentions of saving them for later up in my room but they never quite made it past the elevator ride. That happened more times than I would like to mention. I'm not sure at what point my husband started calling me me the Cookie Monster but I can't deny that it was a name that I earned. What happens in Vegas...stays in Vegas.

Since I can't share with you the cookies I had in Vegas...and believe me I wish I could share some of those calories I consumed...I wanted to share one of my favorite cookies of the summer. This cookie dough is the bomb. The toasted coconut adds a great texture and flavor. These are unbelievably chewy and melt in your mouth. The lime flavor is so refreshing!

Chewy Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of one large lime, finely minced
3 tbsp lime juice
½ cup unsweetened toasted coconut
½ cup sugar for rolling cookies

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. If you haven't already toasted your coconut just put a layer of coconut on a cookie sheet and bake it at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Watch out. It goes from white to burnt really quick if you aren't watching closely.
2. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.
4. Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lime juice and lime zest.
5. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients and toasted coconut.
6. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. I made mine too big and they ran together. These do spread quite a bit.
7. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.
8. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Source: My Baking Addiction

My Chocolate Birthday Cake with Bottle Rocket Candles

I'm not usually a very demanding person but for my birthday all I wanted was my husband to make me a decadent chocolate cake. Can you think of a better way to celebrate "30" than by drowning yourself in a sea of chocolate?  I gave him a couple of recipes to choose from but the "Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake" was the best option since we were staying with his family and most of the ingredients they had in their pantry. He went to work in their kitchen meticulously measuring, pouring, and baking the cake. He even doubled the frosting recipe because there's no reason to be stingy on birthdays and well let's face it...he knows me too well.

Then disaster struck...

As he was turning the cake plate to smooth out the final layer of frosting he turned the cake platter...right into the sink. Two casualties...the cake and his great-grandma's cake platter. I felt so bad for him. I tried to salvage what I could but there were glass shards in most of the cake. Don't worry...I was able to eat enough of the cake to see how moist and fabulous it was.


Then John did the only logical thing any man would do...put sparklers and bottle rockets in it and blow it up to smithereens. Just saying that makes me feel like a pirate.

Now those are some birthday candles...

Complete with firework residue...

Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake

by Hershey's (also on the back of the Hershey's cocoa package)

2 cups white sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY®'S Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup HERSHEY®'S Cocoa Powder
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
2.Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3.Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting.

4.To make "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting: Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla.

5.One Pan Cake: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

6.Three Layer Cake: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

7.Cupcakes: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350 F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

4th of July BBQ ideas and Red, White, and Blue Desserts

Here are couple of my favorite sides that you can't go wrong with for your 4th of July Barbecue!

The Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes:
These are delicious and that's coming from someone who is not a huge fan of baked potatoes.                                                  

Ham and Cheese Sliders:
These are great for the kiddos and surprisingly have a ton of flavor.

Vegetable and Orzo Confetti Salad:

Fresh, light, and totally addicting. It takes a little chopping so make sure you have time to prep.

   Baked Beans:

What's a BBQ without baked beans? I would triple this recipe for a large crowd.

Chili Cheese Dip or "Ghetto Dip":
John requested this for our BBQ this year. Two ingredients and takes under five minutes to make.

And Red, White, and Blue Desserts to Show your Patriotism:

Patriotic Trifle:

This can be made ahead of time and feeds a crowd. Layers of pound cake, strawberries, and cheesecake pudding.

Jello Pretzel Salad:
Salty pretzel crust with sweet cream cheese and Jello.

Strawberry Cream Puff Cake:

Light and refreshing. Strawberries with a creamy center with a hint of orange.

Flag Cupcakes:

Flag Striped Cupcakes that will make the kids ooh and aah when they bite into them.