Blog Surfing

I love this great idea for a special birthday party hat. I'm putting it here for safekeeping! From Hoosier Homemade. You should at least look at it!
 
This Grilled Vegetable Salad from Land O Lakes looks easy and good.

I have seen recipes for bacon in everything, including ice cream! Here is a recipe for bacon scones. I'm always looking for granola recipes to try. This recipe is for Cherry Almond Granola. Peach Crumble looks like it would be good. All from Taste of Home.

Most bakers have their favorite recipes for Chocolate Chip Cookies. If you haven't found your favorite yet, you might want to check this one out. From Serious Eats.

If you enjoy baking, you should check out Joy of Baking. Here is their recipe for German Chocolate Cake, but you should check out their blog. Lots of great recipes.

This Peach Vanilla Jam sounds really good. It is from Seasons and Suppers. I would love to make this in a few weeks. 

Smokey Mountain Cafe has a recipe for So Gone Pork Tenderloin. It looks and sounds like a great recipe!

Culinary in the Desert has Graham Cracker Chewy Bars that look easy to make and a great way to use up graham crackers.

Looking for the perfect Gazpacho? This could be it! From Tasty Kitchen.

Cookstr featured this recipe for Grilled Salmon with Fresh Blueberry Corn Salsa looks and sounds great. 

I haven't had time to read anything lately, so I'm keeping this here for when I do have time. I'm looking forward to seeing the Top 25 Recipes of the Summer. This was sent to me by Food.com.

I love how easy it is to make your own Cupcake Tower. It takes a couple of soup cans, cardboard, paper, ribbon and time. These are basic guidelines that can be adapted to make a cake tier also. If you enjoy creating this type of presentation, you should check it out. Thanks to Annie's Eats for the great idea with instructions and pictures.

These Pizza Cups caught my eye. You make them in muffin tins and they would be great as an appetizer or a portable lunch. From My Kitchen in Snippets.

You will find a few Blue Ribbon winning recipes from several State Fairs here.  They are from Food.com.

I have had my eyes on some blackberries that are almost ripe. This Blackberry Cobbler recipe could be a great way to use them. From Taste of Home.

If you like popcorn and use the microwave bags, you might want to read this information from Yahoo! Green.

Epicurious has a recipe of the day for World Peace Cookies. The promise to be a dark chocolate lovers dream!

Country magazine is featuring Taste of Home recipes for salad recipes using avocados, including this recipe for Avocado Mandarin Tossed Salad. 

I love these easy steps on How to Make a Flower Pie Crust that I found on Love & Homemade Recipes. It's a great idea. You might also like the Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes or one of her other zucchini recipes below.

Wordless Wednesday

"Lofthouse" Sugar Cookies

I made these cookies for a party way back in July. I knew there would be lots of kids and I though they would like these cookies with all of the sparkles. They definitely did! A couple of us got a kick out of watching as the kids came back for handful after handful while their parents were busy talking. My grandson was one of them. The adults came back for more too!

This is the first time I remember making cookies using a cake mix as the base. It made the whole process so easy! I wanted a sugar cookie but a little more soft and pillowy. The recipe I found sounded just right and it was quick and easy, which is what I needed at that time. I found this recipe at Food.com.

I started with a Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix. I added oil and two eggs, mixed it up until just combined, rolled them into balls, using a very small scoop. I baked them for about 6-8 minutes in a 375-degree oven. I let them cool and frosted them with a tub-o-frosting and showered them with sprinkles! That's it. If you would like the exact recipe, you can find it here. 

I forgot to try one before they were gone, but my sources tell me they were good.

After several weeks in moving/vacation mode, we are back on a semi-regular schedule, which will give me time to check in here more often. I have lots of pictures that I have downloaded but no cooking/baking at all. I expect to be back in cooking mode in a week or so.