Apple Pie Crepe Filling

Crepes, apples and fall! Yum!  This crepe filling is so good that I'm tempted to go make crepes right now!

Peel and chop two green apples.  Put in a saucepan.  Add 3 Tbs brown sugar, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cinnamon sugar (optional).  Stir all together and let the spices soak in together for at least 10 minutes.  Turn on the stove and cook on low for a few minutes until apples soften.  Serve warm with crepes, powder sugar and vanilla ice cream. 

DIY multiple burlap wreath

It's September!  Which means it's time to start my fall crafts.  Burlap and college football scream fall so I put the two together to make this pretty wreath.  I always saw these wreaths all over Pinterest and was intimidated by them because they look so complicated, but after looking at a few tutorials, I found my own easy way of doing it and it turned out great!  

Go Utes!

What you need:

16" wire wreath

3 rolls of wired burlap in different colors- 30 feet each and about 2.5" in thickness

any accents you want 

Fold the end of a piece of burlap into fourths.

Tie in a know over the middle two wires of the wreath.

With the back of the wreath facing you, take the burlap and start weaving it through each frame making big enough loops.

When you're ready for another roll, tie it on like before and start weaving. 

Make sure you're bunching it close together.

 When going back to use the other burlap, twist it in the back so it will stay and weave it.

Keep going all the way around.

Add your accents and you're done!

Lemonade Ice Cream Pie

Ice cream, lemonade and pie.. 3 of my favorites!  This recipe goes way back, just scroll down and look at the recipe card that I found in my mom's kitchen.  I love that there aren't even any directions on it.  It just goes to show how easy it is!  Once you make this, you'll never have to look at the recipe again!

What you need:

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream

1/2 can of lemonade concentrate (pink, lemon, or lime)

food coloring- matching the lemonade color

2 graham cracker crust (pre made of course!)

Let the vanilla ice cream melt all the way and add in melted lemonade (to taste).  Add food coloring and whip until smooth.  Pour into crust and freeze for at least 3-5 hours.  Serve immediately cause it melts fast!

Family Pictures2015/Kayden turning 2!

I can't believe my baby boy is turning 2 this week!  Kayden is the smartest, sweetest, cutest and most perfect little boy!  We are so grateful that we get to be his parents.  I love everything he does, from giving me kisses, saying thank you mamma, twirling my hair when he gets sleepy, singing songs, playing every sport imaginable, to even sending him to time out (because he loves it and it's adorable to see).  

This year for family pictures, I did something a bit different.  I didn't even want to try to start thinking about coordinating colors or go out shopping for new outfits, or try to be all formal- because that is not us.  What is us is that we love sports and we love our teams.  I thought what's better than wearing our favorite team? Um.. nothing!  I threw on my favorite Kansas Jayhawks shirt, Parker put on his sacred Utes polo and Kayd had to wear his "kick goal" shirt (REAL Salt Lake).  

So this is us- the Holt family!

And thank you to my good friend http://www.ourpolka.com.  Eden got so many great shots that I just had to share some!  

Happy Birthday to our beautiful blue eyed boy!

Sugar Cookie Bars

These sugar cookie bars are a game changer!  They're baked in a jelly roll pan/cookie sheet so they feed a huge crowd!  They are so easy to make and don't require a lot of ingredients.  Plus they are so delicious- but anything with cream cheese I'll devour!

What you need:

cookies:

1 cup butter- softened

1 1/2 cup sugar

8 oz cream cheese- softened

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 tsp baking powder

2 1/2 cup flour

frosting:

1/2 cup butter- softened

8 oz cream cheese softened

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 1/2 cup powder sugar

- Preheat oven 350 degrees.

- Cream together butter, sugar, cream cheese, egg, vanilla, and almond extract.  Add baking powder and gradually add in flour.  Spread evenly into a greased jelly roll pan/cookie sheet.

- Bake for 20 minutes.

- For frosting- beat together butter and cream cheese then add vanilla and powder sugar (add food coloring if desired).

- Wait for cookies to cool then spread frosting on.

Summer Kabobs

It is grilling season people! Hamburgers are great and all, but there's more to summer than just grilling up hamburgers.  Shish Kabobs are my new favorite thing to cook!  It's so easy to throw together a marinade for any meat you want.  This chicken marinade is bomb.  It's got a chili lime taste that everyone will love.  The steak marinade was delicious and I'm already craving it and might have to make it again really soon.

Steak Marinade:

1 lb steak- cut into cubes

1 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup vinegar

1/8 cup brown sugar

2 Tbs olive oil

1 tsp finely chopped garlic

1 tsp ground ginger

some salt & pepper

- Mix all the ingredients except the steak together.  Put steak in a large ziploc bag and pour sauce over.  Shake really well covering all the pieces of steak.  Let it sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours.  Add each piece of steak onto a bamboo skewer and grill for at least 10 minutes.

Chili Lime Chicken Marinade:

1 lb boneless chicken breast- cubed

1 tsp finely chopped garlic

3 Tbs freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tsp red pepper chili flakes

3 Tbs fresh cilantro- chopped

2 Tbs olive oil

salt

- Add all ingredients except chicken.  Put chicken in a large ziploc bag and pour sauce over.  Shake it well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Put onto bamboo skewers and grill for at least 10 minutes.

**TIPS**

- If you pierce each piece of meat, the juices from the marinade will soak into it making it more flavorful.

- Soak the bamboo skewers in cold water for 30 minutes so that they won't burn on the grill.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

I took the previous month off the blog to buckle down and focus on school.  Now I'm all done and I get to graduate this coming week!  I'm back to cooking and baking without the stress of homework and it's just so great!  This lemon poppy seed bread is yummy, but what really makes it delicious is the glaze over top of it.  It's easier and quicker than other breads so it's a must try! 

What you need:

1 2/3 cups flour

2 Tbs poppy seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

2 Tbs lemon zest

1/2 cup (1 stick butter) softened

3 eggs- room temp.

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup & 2 Tbs sour cream

1/4 cup milk

2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

Glaze:

1/4 cup sugar

3 Tbs fresh lemon juice

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray with non-stick spray a 8x4" baking pan and sprinkle all sides with flour.

- In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, poppy seeds, salt and baking powder.

- Add sugar and lemon zest and mix with a hand mixer.  Add butter until well combined.

- Add eggs one at a time then the vanilla.

- In a microwave safe bowl, add sour cream and milk and heat for 20-30 seconds.  Stir and add to mixture.  Add lemon juice and mix well until there are no lumps.

- Pour mixture into pan and cook for 55-65 minutes checking by putting a knife through the center of the bread.  If it comes out doughy, it needs more time.  If it comes out clean then it's done.

- Quickly heat lemon juice and sugar in the microwave with 20 second increments until boiling hot.

- Let bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack and immediately brush glaze over the top of the bread doing several coats.  

- Cool before cutting and enjoy!