Pumpkin Bread

There is no better way to welcome in Fall than warm freshly baked pumpkin bread. 

Puffy Oven Pancake

I grew up eating this yummy breakfast treat thanks to my grandmother, who is an amazing cook by the way.  This goes into the oven as a runny batter and comes out like a giant popover.  It goes well with whipped cream and fruit, warm fruit compote, maple syrup or just cinnamon and sugar.  I consider this to be one of my comfort foods and I hope someday it will be one of yours as well. 

Artichoke Dip

This recipe is long overdue.  My good friend Megan has asked me for this recipe several times and I kept telling her I would post it.  It would have been much easier for me to email this or even write it on an old fashioned recipe card, but definitely not as much fun.  So here's my blog post for ArtiCHOKE dip.  Who knew artichokes could be so spooky? 

Trick or treat


Give me something good to eat! 

To get some pictures of my new Halloween party line we celebrated Halloween early this year.  My kids were so excited about the party they told everyone they knew so our little party grew and grew (oops I slipped into Dr. Seuss there).  We had a wonderful time eating lots of yummy treats and dressing in adorable costumes.  

Halloween is on the way

It's hard to believe that Halloween is almost here.  This time of year is always a blur to me with two holidays and two birthdays all before Christmas.  Don't get me wrong this is my favorite time of year but super busy.  So I've started working on some Halloween decorations for my Etsy shop.  This is the black cat that will be making an appearance in them.  I wonder if I should give him a name?  If anyone has any good ideas let me know. Hope you're enjoying the season changes as much as I am. 

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Before I had kids I made Banana bread au natural.  With bananas and if I was feeling adventurous sometimes nuts.  Then a good friend of mine convinced me to add chocolate chips.  I have never looked back and my children like it no other way.  I use the standard Betty Crocker recipe from the 1996 book.  I actually have three Betty Crocker recipe books and use them all lovingly.  That is a totally different story all together.  Today it's just about chocolate chip banana bread. 

Accidental cake

I love to make birthday cakes for my kids but this was the first time a friend kindly let me make a cake for her daughter's birthday.   I have never worked with or made fondant but thought it would be fun to try it out for this cake.  The cake you see above is the result of one failed topsy turvy fondant cake and 4lbs of discarded fondant. 

Don't forget the teachers

With school starting I always try to make my kids first day extra special.  But don't forget the teachers.  I know they are working hard and have been working hard for weeks to get ready for this one day.  So this year I made mini apple bread loaves and gave them to each teacher with a recipe card in a simple decorative bag.  It's the gift that keeps on giving. 

Grandma Porter's Apple Bread

I wanted to make something for the new teachers that are about to enter our lives and what better way to say hello than with fresh apple bread.  If you don't like apples and moist chewy goodness then don't make this bread.  I grew up eating this apple, cinnamon confection and have always loved it.  My Grandmother made it for me and now I make if for my kids and hopefully they will carry on the tradition someday.  This recipe comes from my Great Grandmother Porter who was a farmer's wife in Texas and based on this recipe alone I would say she was an excellent cook.  

Mini Notebooks

I created these teeny tiny notebooks to use as treat bag favors.  They have turned into much more than that.  They are great for doodling, thank you notes, gift tags and of course teeny tiny stationary sets.  There are so many possibilities.

  

Ice Cream Pie

Even though summer is almost over it's never too late to share the love of ice cream pie.  It's the perfect dessert for summer or any time of year really.  I love it because one it tastes really good and two it's super easy to make and three the leftovers can be thrown right back into the freezer.  It's the perfect thing for a hot day with friends.


Luminary tealight bags

I saw these cute beautiful luminary bags in the store the other day and wanted them immediately.  I thought of all the ways I could use them at parties, Halloween, Thanksgiving and every night if I had to.  When I saw the price they weren't quite so beautiful.  As I looked at the cute little paper bags with shapes punched out of them I thought "How can they charge so much for this when I can make this at home."  Then the light bulb (or tealight) went off and I decided to give it a try.  

Schultute (School cones)

Last year my daughter Marina entered 1st grade.  Her teacher had these cones hanging from the ceiling in their classroom.  There was one for each child and they were filled with treats and school supplies.  I thought it was the sweetest thing. 

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies

Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

Since we are going on a road trip tomorrow I thought I'd whip up some of my kids favorite cookies.  Normally I like to bake from scratch but if I can use a few shortcuts to save time I'm all for it.  These are made with packaged cookie mix and then lots of other things thrown in to make them super yummy.  

Back to School



It's Back to School at Sunnyprints

It's hard to believe school is almost here.  I've put together a new line of "Back to School" printables, perfect for gifts, labels, place settings and as always cupcakes.