Mandy's Money

In the Kitchen -Cadbury Cupcakes

Mandy — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 21:58:51 +0000

Ladies and gentlemen I’d like to say I’M BACK!! Although I’m still recovering from my knee injury for the first time in months I was inspired enough to step into the kitchen and bake something new. I don’t promise that I will have weekly posts going forward, but I will try to be more active. I’m still relying on my taste testers to tell me if a recipe is good and this cupcake got the seal of approval! I will say though that these cupcakes are EXTREMELY sweet and not for everyone. I noticed a lot of recipes online mentioning using Cadbury cream eggs as the base & I decided to take 2 recipes I found and combine them together. I took my recipes from Pizzazzerie (which I have been a fan of for a VERY long time) and Culinary Concoctions by Peabody (which I found through good ol’ pinterest).

Cupcake Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 2/3 cups sugar
3/4 cups butter, softened
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3.4 oz Jell-O instant pudding in Chocolate Fudge (1 package)
1 1/4 cup water
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Instructions:

pre heat oven to 350 degrees
combine all ingredients together and beat on medium high until fully mixed, about 60 seconds
bake for 18-20 minutes

Frosting Ingredients:

filling from 24 Cadbury cream eggs (you’ll want to save the shells to garnish your cupcakes
1 cup unsalted butter softened
4-6 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
milk to thin frosting if needed

Instructions:

place butter in mixing bowl
add 4 cups powdered sugar
add vanilla extract
beat with mixer until smooth and creamy, 3-5 minutes
at this point you can taste the frosting and see if you want it to be sweeter, I added the extra 2 cups of powdered sugar but you can choose not to
if you frosting is too thick you can pour some milk while beating to make it a better consistency
frost cupcakes and garnish with half of a Cadbury egg

The most tedious part of the whole process was sitting there and scooping out the insides of all the Cadbury eggs! The insides are my favorite so it was very hard for me not to just eat it all! This cupcake will truly be something everyone will love at your Easter celebration. I hope you enjoyed this sweet Easter treat & follow me on Pinterest to help me pick what I make next! Also I just want to say I truly appreciate everyone who has stuck around while I took this unplanned hiatus, hopefully the road to recovery continues to go smoothly.

In the Kitchen – Deep Fried Munchkins

Mandy — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 01:46:44 +0000

For Christmas Mr. H finally got me a deep fryer & I couldn’t wait to dive in and start using it. I had seen so many recipes on the web that involved deep fryers and sure I could have used a wok to create the recipe but it just didn’t seem the same. Growing up my mother had a deep fryer and I just loved watching her make fries and how crunchy they would be, I could never get my fries to be crunch in the oven.

Now we don’t have a Tim Horton’s anywhere near us, but seeing the pictures Leanne posted of her donut creation had me drooling. The look of Leann’s also reminded me of munchkins at Dunkin Donuts which I love, but never buy for myself. These tasted amazing and served as breakfast for the week since I made mine much smaller than Leanne’s. The only issue I had was that I had made fries the nights before and didn’t filter my oil before making these so they had a hint of fry flavor.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp boiling water
1 tsp dry active yeast
8 oz plain flour (about 2 cups) I recommend using a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups for a more accurate measurement!
1 1/2 oz sugar (about 3 tablespoons)
1 egg
1 oz butter, cold to room temperature (DO NOT MELT THIS!)
dash of salt
Enough oil to cover the bottom few inches of a wok, or a deep fryer.

Directions:

In a large bowl combine the milk and boiling water
Add a teaspoon of the sugar
Add yeast, stir gently then let sit in a warm place for yeast to activate (foam)
In another large bowl combine flour, rest of sugar and the salt
Cut in the butter using your fingers or a pastry blender until your mixture is crumbly
Quickly beat egg and add to flour mix
Add in yeast mixture as well
Mix into a smooth dough, this should take about 5 minutes
On a lightly floured surface knead dough for about 5 to 10 minutes
Place back in bowl, cover with a cloth or plastic wrap & let it rise for about an hour or until it is double in size (this took a little over an hour for mine, but my house is usually pretty cool)
Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Take one piece at a time and stretch into a long rope about an inch wide.
Cut strips about an inch long and ball them up. Place them on a baking tray
Cover the munchkins with a cloth while you heat your oil to 375F
Place munchkins into oil and fry until golden color is achieved
Drain on paper towel
Pour glaze over the munchkins while still warm so that it will cover whole munchkin.

Glaze Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons hot water or as needed (I only need 2 tablespoons)

Commenters on Leanne Bakes were sort of mixed on the final outcome, some people had a horrible time making them while others raved so I was a little hesitant, but I had no issues making these whatsoever and I urge you to try them also! Visit Leanne Bakes to also see her Cinnamon Sugar-Coated donuts.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe & follow me on Pinterest to pick what I make next!

Review – Pantene Pro-V Silky Moisture Whip

Mandy — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 14:00:49 +0000

I was sent a sample of Pantene Pro-V’s new Silky Moisture Whip by the website Vocalpoint to test out and give my feedback. I will admit that I got the sample and tossed it to the side because typically I don’t like to use products on my hair. I’m one of those girls that is constantly buying all the new products and then never using them (that’s a whole ‘nother story about my shopping addiction!) But with this insanely cold weather we have been having I noticed that my hair was getting a little static-y which means like everything else around here it was dry. I figured it couldn’t hurt to try the moisture whip and gave it a try.

The Silky Moisture Whip comes out like a mousse, but it much thicker which had me nervous that it was going to leave my hair feeling weighed down with product or greasy like some other products I’ve tried. I flipped my head upside down and worked it into my hair from the ends up and then blow dried and styled my hair as usual. I really loved the scent of the product that it left in my hair and I could see a noticeable difference in my hairs shine. That night I had someone comment on how great my hair looked and that I must of just gotten it cut and styled. That’s the kind of thing I like! I used the product on my hair a second time because I know sometimes a product can be great the first time and then start to buildup in your hair and cause serious problems, but it looked just as great and it really does make my hair feel more moisturized. I continued to get compliments on my hair at work throughout the week so I definitely think I will be buying this to use all the time.

The only drawback I noticed when using this product was that when spraying it out it comes out pretty quickly and you have to make sure you do a quick, short burst otherwise you will be wasting a lot of product!

You can join Vocalpoint and sign up to receive great offers like this as well many others, they constantly have great offers on their page.

In the Kitchen – Healthy Egg McMuffins

Mandy — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 18:22:55 +0000

There is always a crazy rush in the morning before leaving for work between Mr. H and I. (Mostly because I sleep in until the last possible second, I am not a morning person!) Usually I end up running out of the house without breakfast and lucky to have grabbed a drink. Mr. H usually does the same, but grabs breakfast from his favorite cafe or Dunkin Donuts. Well not eating breakfast is not so great for you & buying breakfast every morning can really add up quickly so this year one of my resolutions was to try to be more prepared so the mornings go a little smoother as well as save a little money. I had seen these make-ahead healthy egg mcmuffins quite some time ago on pinterest but sort of forgot about them until last Sunday when I realized we needed breakfast for the week. The great thing about these egg mcmuffins is that they are totally customizable to your taste. I like my food more plain while Mr. H needs more than just an egg and cheese, so I made them plain and then in the morning when you reheat them Mr. H just adds what he wants. It doesn’t hurt that these make at home egg mcmuffins will also save you some calories, which I’m sure is on every resolutioners check list right now.

Ingredients:

eggs
english muffins
american cheese
salt & pepper

Directions:

Cook eggs in jumbo muffin tin or ramekins (regular muffin tins work but the egg will be smaller and quite thick like mine)
You can break the yolk so that you get a more authentic taste like McD’s
bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes
while eggs are baking separate muffins & place cheese slice on bottom muffin
once eggs are done you can place on top of cheese & wrap individually in tin foil.

You can add bacon, sausage or whatever you’d like at this point as well. Place them in the freezer and just defrost in the fridge the night before you want one. I place mine in the toaster oven for about 10 minutes in the morning and then add salt and pepper to taste.

I hope you enjoyed this quick make ahead breakfast! I have been loving bringing these to work and eating breakfast on my own time and not rushing to eat at 5 am. I can’t wait to post what I have cooking in the kitchen next week. One of my resolutions was actually for the blog! I will be introducing The Baking Challenge 2013 next weekend & explaining my thoughts behind it.

Follow me on Pinterest & pick what I make next!

In the Kitchen – Cinnamon Roll Casserole

Mandy — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 17:36:50 +0000

Usually for Christmas Eve we have dinner at my house, but this year due to downsizing our house before we move my sister volunteered to have it at her house. This was her first time ever doing it and it was a huge success and a wonderful evening. Mr. H and I went over first thing in the morning to help out as much as possible so I volunteered to make breakfast for everyone. Of course I decided that I wanted to make breakfast for all of us the day before so I didn’t have very much planned. Thankfully I hopped on Pinterest and knew I had a few things that I could try. I made a cinnamon roll casserole that was absolutely delicious. There are definitely a few things I’d like to tweak on the recipe the next time I make it but really you can do whatever you like to this and it will still taste fantastic! Mr. H already said that he wants sliced apples on it next time.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of melted butter or baking spray
2 cans (12.4 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
4 eggs
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup maple syrup (I did not measure this out, I just poured some over the rolls)
Icing from cinnamon rolls

Directions:

Heat oven to 375°F. Pour melted butter into ungreased 13×9-inch baking pan.
Separate both cans of dough into 16 rolls; set icing aside. Cut each roll into 8 pieces; place pieces over butter in dish.
In a medium bowl, beat eggs. Beat in cream, cinnamon and vanilla until well blended; gently pour over roll pieces.
Bake 20 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes.
Place icing in microwave 15-30 seconds until warm enough to pour over rolls. (REMEMBER TO TAKE METAL TOPS OFF, I almost forgot)
Pour icing over rolls, serve & enjoy!

I hope you all had a lovely holiday & a happy New Year! Follow me on Pinterest & pick what I make next!

Coffee Filter Wreath

Mandy — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 22:30:36 +0000

Apparently I am one of the last people in the blogosphere to find out about using coffee filters to make wreaths, but boy am I glad I finally stumbled upon them! I’ve seen all the different kinds of mesh wreaths you can make and I will admit that I am a little frightened when it comes to trying to make those. I wanted to start off small, with something easy & you literally cannot get easier than this project. The finished product of this project is so beautiful you’ll want to make one for everyone on your Christmas list. I followed the directions I found on Recaptured Charm.

You’ll need:
200 coffee filters
Foam wreath form
Glue gun & glue
Ribbon
Ornaments/any decorations

Scissors

You want to fold the coffee filter in half and then run it through your hands scrunching it up. After that I folded it into threes and created a small triangle on the bottom to place some hot glue on. You want to start placing the filters on the inside of the wreath and work your way around. At first I started placing them very close together & then I eventually got bored and started spacing them out more. Pick a space and stick with it to make your wreath look more uniform (I loved the way it looked packed close together & wish I stuck with this) You don’t need to place coffee filters on the back of the wreath since you want it to lay flat against the door. Once you are done putting all the coffee filters on the wreath you can take scissors and trim the filters since some will be further out than others. Once you are done with that you can add your ornaments and decorations however you want. Lately I have been really into gold, which is strange for me because I usually hate it & we don’t own anything gold, so I decided to go with all gold decorations. Mr. H also insisted we get nutcrackers so of course my nutcracker has gold glitter all over it! Needless to say Mr. H wasn’t very happy with that choice.

There are a couple of different ways to hang your wreath, most people suggest putting the ribbon on before you glue on the coffee filters but I wasn’t sure what I was going to use so I waited until I was done. I just took some ribbon I had from Dollar Tree and hot glued it to the back. If you add enough and make sure it dries 100% you shouldn’t have a problem with it falling off (at least I haven’t…..yet). Also sidenote: these cannot go outside! I just hung mine outside to get a good picture because our house has NO natural light, the wreath lives happily cornered on our bar.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday & I am very happy to be back! I can’t wait until my next project. Follow me on Pinterest & pick what I make next!

Slowly but surely

Mandy — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 15:45:19 +0000

I know that I last posted saying I was coming back, but unfortunately I’ve had an accident that has made life very difficult. I am in the process of going to a million doctors appointments and still trying to work through this all. I can’t really stand (at least the doctors don’t want me to) which puts a serious damper on anything I want to do in the kitchen. I am hoping that everything will be sorted out soon and I will be on my way to recovery. I do have some posts that are from before the accident that I just need to finish up which I am hoping to get to sometime this weekend. I appreciate everyones understanding during this time and can’t wait to get back in the kitchen (and back on my feet!)

Back in the Swing of Things

Mandy — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 15:21:04 +0000

During the summer I decided that focusing on my family was more important than blogging. Unfortunately I feel like no matter what I do something always has to suffer in turn. There is just not enough time in the day for everything I want to accomplish! I’m sure there are plenty of other bloggers out there who will agree with me. I planned on returning to blogging in the fall when things slowed down, but then I got a new job that is a lot further away and I am just exhausted when I get home. The honest truth is that I haven’t truly baked or cooked anything new since my last post in July. It makes me so sad, but I just truly didn’t have the time.

I do apologize for leaving without any notice, but I do hope that you forgive me and that even though posts may not be as frequent as they used to be you will continue to stop by and read when I do get around to posting. I have pinned so many fabulous recipes that I’ve been dying to try, but haven’t gotten around to so hopefully I will be able to start experimenting in the kitchen once again! Not cooking or baking anything new is truly very bland and I can’t wait to get out of my funk!

ShopLately & Giveaway!

Mandy — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:30:45 +0000

Ok I have a secret that I need to finally let out….I watch YouTube beauty videos, a lot! I love the girls that I watch and I also follow them on Twitter & Instagram. Well one day Wendy @wendybentleyblonde mentioned how she is obsessed with ShopLately so of course I had to check it out! I immediately loved the jewelry on the sale rack along with all the other deals. If any of you follow me on Instagram you’ll remember I posted a photo of the 2 bracelets I bought from Glint & Gleam. Long story short I received the bracelets in the right colors but they had the wrong sayings on them. ShopLately was amazing to work with regarding getting the correct bracelets and immediately sent out the 2 new bracelets with the correct sayings on them. On top of the great customer service I received throughout the process of getting the new bracelets they also let me keep the 2 wrong ones that had been sent to me! Their mistake is your gain readers! I am giving away the 2 bracelets that I received, one mint leather bracelet that says BELIEVE & a pink one that says COURAGE.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

follow the link to the rafflecopter to enter this contest! It will end August 2!
follow my blog for 1 entry
leave a comment for 1 entry
follow me on twitter for 1 entry
tweet about the giveaway for 2 entries
post about the giveaway for 2 entries
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In the Kitchen – Skinny “Fried” Chicken

Mandy — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 16:00:34 +0000

A couple of weeks ago Mr. H & I decided to both start weight watchers and stick with it. I did it 2 years ago with a friend and did pretty well on it, but without someone to do it with I slowly lost interest. Mr. H eats pretty healthy for the most part & works out everyday, I on the other hand am the pickiest eater this side of the Mississippi & hate the gym. Being such a picky eater made weight watchers pretty hard the first time around & I really just didn’t eat much. Thanks to my introduction to the wonderful world of blogging this time around I’ve been able to make amazing meals that both of us enjoy while still sticking to the point system & feeling satisfied. A month ago I got the email for the Crazy Cooking Challenge saying that this months challenge was fried chicken & I immediately knew which recipe I wanted to test. I found this recipe on 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet. The comments had me worried that the chicken was going to be too dry if I didn’t add extra, but I didn’t want to add extra calories to something if it wasn’t necessary & let me just say I am so happy that I didn’t! The chicken turned out amazing & is being written in my recipe book as soon as I am done here! I even ended up making my own poultry seasoning since that wasn’t something I had on hand. I made just plain white rice to go with it because I needed something quick, but this would be great with mashed potatoes or corn & a biscuit.

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 cup cornflake crumbs
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning (recipe for this will be below)
1/2 cup skim milk

Directions:

Combine cornflake crumbs & seasonings in shallow bowl.
Soak chicken in milk.
Coat chicken in crumbs.
Place on baking sheet, sprayed with nonstick spray, bake at 400 for 25 minutes

Poultry Seasoning Ingredients:

2 tbsp marjoram
2 tbsp savory
2 tsp parsley
1 1/2 tsp thyme
pinch rosemary
pinch onion powder
1 tbsp sage (I did not add this to mine as I did not have any on hand)

Visit the Crazy Cooking Challenge to see the rest of the amazing Fried Chicken recipes & make sure to click on mine #30 to have it featured!

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