Plant City Strawberry Pizza

Ok, it's more like a strawberry tart but on top of a really large sugar cookie!

The first time I ever tried this scrumptious regional treat was a little over 7 years ago when we moved to the Tampa area. We live near all the strawberry fields in Plant City, and frequent the many farmers markets. One of my favorites is Collins Market, where I discovered the infamous strawberry pizza! A whole pie, the size of a medium take out pizza pie was about $10. Not to sure if the price now since I've been making them at home for a few years...

Ingredients :
1 tube of Pillsbury sugar cookie dough (found in the refrigerated section and yes, I do take the easy way out with store bought slice and bakes with this dessert!)
1 brick Philadelphia cream cheese
1 container strawberry glaze (found next to the strawberries in the produce section)
1 quart cleaned and slice fresh strawberries
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp milk or heavy cream

Directions:
Spray a removable bottom tart pan with Pam and press the sugar cookie dough throughout the entire surface of the tart pan, bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk or heavy cream until it gets a thick greek yogurt consistency with a stand mixer. Spread on the cooled off cookie tart.

Arrange the strawberry slices neatly around the perimeter of the tart until the circle is completely filled in to the center. Ladle on the strawberry glaze so that every strawberry and nook and cranny, crack and crevice are covered!

*at the point I have whipped heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar together in my Kitchenaid to create my own homemade whipped cream! Nothing tops fresh homemade whipped cream! (<---- I'm punny!)

This is a super simple dessert but more so, simply impressive!

Comic Book Themed Birthday

Ok, so I'm playing catchup from my long blog hiatus and needed to share this awesome birthday I threw for my ten year old! It involved lots of trips to comic book store to rummage through their vintage dollar comics, a few trips to the hardware store, a special request to my favorite cupcake food truck (the Cuppin Cake Truck!), scouring my recyclables and putting my crafting skills to good use!

I made the comic page backdrop to the candy buffet from an insulation sheet I found at Home Depot. It was already covered in silver paper so I just had to add the torn out comic pages and ribbon to hid the edges! And a homemade birthday banner for good measure!

For the tiered cupcake stand I used a flat rate postal box (always free at the PO!), a shoe box and a few papercrafts and a wooden initial! Once I covered the boxes with colored craft paper, no one would ever know I was so economical ... Thinking outside the box and all ;) The cupcakes, of course, were made especially for the Cuppin Cake Trucks Godson without hesitation. I just had to add the "Rachel Touch" to them with my handcrafted cupcake picks!

Then I covered everything I could in colorful paper or comic pages! No drink bottle, glass jar, plate or picture frame was safe around me! I even had a snack cake pop bucket! This was a huge favorite!

We hired a bounce house for the backyard (no superheroes were allowed on the bounce house as my boy gave me strict orders to not turn the party into a 3 year olds superhero party!).

And what modern day party would be completed without a photo both and mom-made props??? I would be lying if I didn't tell you that this was the biggest hit with the adults and kids alike!

A few last details I added but aren't really pictured were... Homemade candy buttons on the candy buffet. Homemade thought bubble sugar cookies with royal icing. I hand painted a name sign for my son after printing comic style letters from the computer.

Here's the candy button recipe I used :

2 tablespoons meringue powder OR  2 egg whites
6 tablespoons water (if needed)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 box (1 pound) confectioners' sugar
ziploc sandwich baggies
food coloring

1) Cut non-toxic computer paper into 2 3/4" x 10” strips.

2) Whip together confectioners sugar, meringue powder OR egg whites and lemon juice on low speed using a stand mixer for 1 minute. (you may need to add water) continue to whip for 10 minutes on high speed.

3) Divide “icing” into small bowls. Color each bowl different colors. If desired, add different flavorings to each.

4) If icing is too thick, thin out with drops of water, until it is the consistency of sour cream. A drop should hold its shape and slowly smooth out to create smooth button.

5) Pour each color into a sandwich bag and seal. (Placing the open baggie in a small cup and then pouring the icing in, is a great trick to keep things nice and clean). Then cut a VERY small corner off of each bag.

6) Squeeze a drop of icing at a time onto the paper. You can place the strip of paper on top of the template, you
will then see where to place each drop evenly.

7) Place on baking sheets in a cool dry place uncovered to dry overnight.

8) Candy will harden overnight. Store in a zipper bag or
airtight container.

One last thing... Seriously, I really mean it this time ... All of my family members were strongly advised to wear comic or superhero tee shirts! It made for better pictures ;)

Linking up with :

Fresh Squeezed Key Lime Pie

In keeping up with my weekly pie theme, I made a fresh squeezed key lime pie from a pound of key limes I bought over the past weekend (*Aldi)! I did cheat and used a store bought graham cracker pie shell!

The pie turned out delicious but definitely more tart than the bottle of Rosie's Key Lime juice I normally use!

One store bought graham cracker pie shell
2/3 cup fresh squeezed key lime juice, about a pound
3 egg yolks
One can sweet and condensed milk (14 oz.)
Zest from 2 key limes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend all of the ingredients together with an electric mixer for about a minute. Pour into pie shell and back for about 20 minutes. Let cool down for about an hour and chill overnight or 4 hours. Serve with lots of whipped cream!!!

*On a side note, I really love shopping at Aldi! While I will always consider myself a Publix girl, Aldi has never disappointed me! I have purchased all of my baking essentials there for a few years now and their quality is unwavering! Their butter is always the least expensive as is their sugar and flour! I love their fresh produce section, albeit, small and unglamorous in comparison to Publix, it is extremely affordable! But you do have to inspect your fruits and veggies from them carefully, it's always worth it!

Happy Pi Day Recipe! S'mores Pie!

Today is 3.14 ... Pi Day! It only comes once a year! So why not celebrate this play on words with a special Pi! Trust me, this recipe is middle of the week easy, as I made it after work one night and finished it the next! All together your probably talking a half hour of time!

Here goes!

Chocolate filing :
7 oz. bittersweet chocolate (I used Bakers brand), chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 large egg, at room temperature for 30 mins

One 9-inch pre-made graham cracker pie crust (I use the store bought one!)

I jar marshmallow fluff

Directions :

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

Chop the chocolate and set aside while the cream comes to a boil.

Bring the heavy cream to a boil in a heavy saucepan, remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Whisk together the chocolate and heavy cream until it's thoroughly incorporated and smooth.

Gently whisk the egg in a large glass measuring cup and add a little of the cram chocolate mixture at a time to temper the egg. Then add the egg mixture to the rest of the mixture. Pour it into the prepared pie crust (it will be about half full).

Bake the pie for 20 to 25 minutes, just until the chocolate is mostly set but slightly jiggly in the center.

Allow the pie to cool on a rack for one hour or refrigerate overnight like I did.

Spread the entire jar of fluff on the cooled pie, place on a foil lined cookie sheet and broil until the marshmallow top caramelizes like a toasted marshmallow! Lucky for my family I controlled myself, I love my toasted marshmallow completely black!

Chocolate Chip Muffins (Light and fluffy!)

I discovered the most delicious, not dense, airy, melt in your mouth chocolate chip recipe ever! So I thought I would share....

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted melted butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or spray the wells of the pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla, mixing until well combined.

4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the liquid ingredients into the well. Stir until ingredients are just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Evenly divide the batter into the prepared muffin pan wells. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

I must say, I got the biggest compliment... A smile on my husbands face!

Fresh Homemade Pineapple Mango Smoothies

I admit it, I love buying fresh fruits and vegetables from Aldi! I tell my friends and coworkers and they think I'm kidding! I'm a foodie. I love to eat. I love to cook. I love to bake. Did I mention that I love to eat? So I think I know good quality (and inexpensive, low cost, economical, get what you pay for) food... And no joke, Aldi has NEVER EVER disappointed me! They have a double money back guarantee so its a win win situation! I have noticed that whenever in season, they do have local produce. And that's a good thing, a very good thing!

So long story short (ha!) ... I bought a few mangos last week for for $.69 and a nice juicy pineapple for $2.29 and watched them sit on the counter for several days, untouched. Then I had an epiphany, why not make yummy breakfast smoothies with the neglected fruit! I cut up a fresh mango and pineapple and froze them in a Ziplock baggie overnight.

In the morning, I blended the mango, 1/2 of the pineapple, a cup of water and 2 tbsp sugar and my eldest son and I enjoyed our daily severing of fruit for breakfast! I enjoyed watching him devour it as much as I enjoyed sucking my own glass down!

Homemade English Toffee

Sunday is usually the day I set time aside to shop for food, cook and bake.  It's a day where my kids are happy to play in the cul de sac and my expectations to entertain them are low!  This past Sunday was no different!  Except it was about 50 in sunny Tampa and my butter, that I had taken out in hopes of whipping up a batch of cookies, never got to "room temperature".  So I scoured a few English toffee recipes and combined two.  I know that the recipe below is much easier to follow than the other two were... I hope you'll agree!

3 sticks butter
3 cups sugar
a dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
melting chocolates

Simmer the butter, sugar and salt on medium heat, until it reaches 295 on a candy thermometer. Then remove it from the heat, add a tsp of vanilla extract and pour onto a parchment lined jelly roll pan. When it cools, add melted chocolate. I purchased the melting chocolates at Michael'scraft store.

Candy Bouquet Birthday Gift

As much as I try, I just can't give a gift card in a plain ol' envelope. I've tried. It's just not me. Even if I'm in a rush, I always have a few minutes to whip something up in my art room. This project on the other hand, took a little less than an hour. Not including the shopping time for the flower pot and yummy chocolates at Dollar Tree! And the trip to Cracker Barrel for the gift card!

Part of the awesomeness of having a fully stocked art room is the inspiration! I can tell you I had the skewers, the oasis (to hold the picks and skewers in place), ribbon, paper punches, the card stock and crinkled paper on hand. I cut a few ice cream cones out with my Cricut and jazzed it up with Stickles!

I glued and tapped (for good measure) the mini candy bars to the skewers. I hate to think anyone would actually spear the candy bars with the skewer, so I thought this was important to point out! All the other steps are pretty much as you wish and as your creativity allows. I also gave my friend her birthday present as pictured, I thought wrapping it in cellophane would take away from its presence.

Happy 109 Birthday Dr. Seuss!

In honor of this lyrical wizards 109th birthday, I made a dozen cupcake picks! I love children's illustrations and is definitely one of my favorites! Yes his red, blues and yellows could seem redundant to some children but never to me. In fact, red and aqua is my "go to" color combination when I'm creating.

Now I just need to honor this man in style and convince the Cuppin Cake Truck (Tampa) to make me a batch of blue iced cupcakes! I have to say being related to a cupcake food truck has its perks!

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."
― Dr. Seuss, Happy Birthday to You!