Sweet Southern Boy: A Virtual Baby Shower for Nikki

April 12, 2013 by 16 Comments

In just a few short weeks (or less!) my good friend Nikki, from Seeded at the Table, will be welcoming home her second baby boy! Of course we couldn’t let this opportunity for a celebration to pass, so Kelsey, from Apple a Day, and I joined forces to host a virtual shower in Nikki’s honor. Because Nikki recently moved to Mississippi and has been getting in touch with her Southern, we came up with what we think is the perfect theme -  Sweet Southern Boy!

Nikki was one of the first bloggers I got to know “in real life” after starting Sunny Side Up several years ago. I could immediately tell that she was a wonderfully genuine and friendly person. She even helped to convince me to attend my first food blogging conference and we, along with Joelen, were roomies at the Foodbuzz festival in 2011. Even though we had only ever “talked” online as soon as we met in person it was like we were old friends. We laughed (and ate!) our way through San Francisco. She continues to be one of my all-time favorite bloggers and great friend. I can’t wait to for her to have this new sweet baby and expand that beautiful family of hers!

Congratulations on your Sweet Southern Boy, Nikki! I couldn’t be happier for you!!

To celebrate Nikki’s Sweet Southern Boy, Kelsey and I gathered a fabulous group of Nikki’s favorite bloggers for a virtual shower. There are lots of delicious treats and some very cute shower decoration ideas.

Thank you so much Kelsey and the rest of the shower contributors. I just wish this were a real shower so we could all get together and really enjoy your great contributions!

First, my fabulous co-host, Kelsey. The Mississippi Mud Cupcakes she made are a perfect nod to Nikki’s new home.

Joelen, from What’s Cookin’ Chicago, made these fabulous Fried Apple Corn Muffins. Yum!

One dessert that always reminds me of the South is pie. So these Mini-Peach Pies from Krissy at Krissy’s Creations are just perfect for a Sweet Southern Boy themed shower.

I would love to see these delicious Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Nuggets at the next baby shower I go to. Yum! Brought to you by Nicole of Prevention RD.

Liz, from The Lemon Bowl, went straight to heart of all Southern drinks with this Sparkling Sweet Tea with Lemon and Mint.

Sheila, from Eat2gather, is a girl after my own heart with these Easy Chicken Enchiladas.

Biscuits are a classic Southern treat, and Rachel’s Herbed Buttermilk Biscuits look amazing!

Jessica, from My Baking Heart, baked up this perfect looking Cream Cheese Banana Bread.

These fusion cupcakes from Krystal, of Mrs.Regueiro’s Plate, are the perfect Southern shower dessert- Sweet Tea Cupcakes.

I love this twist on bite size sandwiches that you often see at showers. Mini ham sandwiches with pineapple chutney on buttermilk biscuits from Lisa the Cooking Bride.

Look how perfect these cookies are! Brought to you by Callie, at Little Morgan People.

These Bow-Tie Cupcake Toppers, by Brooke from Lemon Drop Shop,  would be a show stopper at any baby shower!!

Rebekah, from Twinkle and Twine, contributes this really adorable table setting and shower favor idea for a “Bay-by Shower”! How cute is this??

Finally, for my own contribution, I blended what I see as the ultimate baby shower appetizer and Southern treat. Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs!

 

Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs

Ingredients
7 hard boiled eggs, cooled and deshelled
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2-3 Tbsp diced pimentos
1 tsp dry onion flakes
1-2 Tbsp milk
Dash of garlic powder, salt, and pepper
Additional pimentos, green onion, and paprika for garnish.

Directions
Cut hard boiled eggs in half length wise. Remove the yolks and place in the bowl of a food processor. Process for 10-15 seconds. Add the cheeses and mayo and process in 5 second increments, until the cheese is mostly blended. Add a tablespoon of milk and process until the texture is smoother (this may require another tablespoon of milk). Add the remaining ingredients and process for about 15 seconds to combine.

Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a star, with pimento cheese mixture*. Use the pastry bag to fill each egg white half. Garnish with additional pimentos, green onion, and a dash of paprika.

*Alternatively you could just use a spoon to fill the eggs, or a Ziploc bag with the corner cut off.

Note: This will make more pimento cheese than you will need to fill 7 eggs (14 egg halves). You can either make more eggs and discard the extra egg yolks, or you can just use the delicious filling like classic pimento cheese spread on crackers or even as a sandwich!

Adapted from The Lady and Sons Cookbook

 

Filed Under: Appetizer, Party Food

Lucky Treats

March 5, 2013 by 2 Comments

Did you know that March is one of my favorite months of the year? Why? Well, St. Patrick’s day, of course! As I’ve mentioned before, I was an Irish dancer turned Irish dancing teacher. For a good chunk of my life March meant shows, parades, more shows, and celebration. March 17th meant taking the day off from school (or work) and dancing (or watching dancers) at local libraries and pubs.

For the last few years I’ve been bummed to be without my Irish dancing family during this fun month. This year I am going to make the best of things by celebrating the month with FOOD! Starting with these fun treats. They are not traditional Irish fare. Not even close. But they’re fun, easy, and tasty. And a good way to kick off my March! Truth be told, I like them better than regular Rice Krispie Treats.

 

Lucky Treats

Ingredients
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1-10 oz package large marshmallows
6 cups Toasted Oats Cereal with Marshmallows (Lucky Charms)

Directions
Prepare an 8-inch square baking pan by lining with foil (leaving a 1-inch overhang) and generously spraying with non-stick spray.

In a large skillet, melt the butter and marshmallows, stirring often. This should take about 3 minutes. Stir in the cereal, making sure to evenly coat. Dump the coated cereal into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Allow to cool completely before cutting into 16 squares.

Source: Irish Fun, Food & Crafts (a little magazine I picked up in the check out aisle 4 or 5 years ago!)

And just for fun – here is a throw back parade picture! That’s me in top middle! Maybe I’ll dig up a few more old Irish dancing photos for the next few posts…

Filed Under: Bars and Brownies, Dessert, Holiday Treats, Party Food, St. Patrick's Day Tagged With: , , , ,

Sugar Cookie Bars

February 20, 2013 by 3 Comments

I’ve been on a bit of sweet kick lately. I promise we are eating a lot more than brownie tarts, cookies, sorbet, and sugary bars. Sweet treats are just more fun to share! But I will be sharing some delicious savory recipes soon.

These bars are absolutely perfect for bringing to a potluck, Easter party, or family gathering. They’re easy to throw together and easy to transport. Jesse took half of these to work and he said his coworkers gobbled them up and raved about them. What’s not to love about a sugar cookie with frosting? For the frosting, I was going to make a traditional buttercream, but realized at the last minute I didn’t have any powdered sugar (doh!), so instead I went with my go-to fluffy vanilla frosting. You can use whatever frosting you like best.

The original recipe made a ton. I cut the recipe in half and used a 9×13 pan. I was able to get 32 bars and they were just the right thickness. The recipe below is exactly how I made it, if you have a larger party you can double the recipe and use a jelly roll or sheet pan.

 

Sugar Cookie Bars

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
Frosting and sprinkles, for topping.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9×13 pan by lining with parchment paper (leaving about an inch overhanging the long edges of the pan).

In the bowl of a standing mixer (or large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer) beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at time, beating to incorporate. With the second egg, add the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour, salt, and baking soda. Start by mixing on low speed then increase the speed to medium until fully incorporated.

Drop large dollops of dough over the bottom of the pan then use your hands to evenly press into the bottom and fill the pan to the edges. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the edges just start to turn golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely then frost and cover with sprinkles as desired. Cut into 32 bars (8×4). If you want to lift the bars out of the pan just grab the overhanging parchment paper and lift!

Adapted from Beantown Baker

 Here are some more great bar/brownie ideas to take to your next party!
Creamy Lemon Bars
Peanut Butter Marbled Brownies
Basic One-Bowl Blondies
Pumpkin Blondies

Filed Under: Bars and Brownies, Dessert, Party Food Tagged With: , , , ,

Avocado, Bacon, and Cheese {ABC} Puffs

January 31, 2013 by 4 Comments

Even though my Super Bowl dreams were crushed in the Wild Card game a few weeks ago (#lifeofabengalsfan), I still look forward to the game this weekend.  Of course, we love watching football (and it’s the one time of year I don’t mind commercials!) but more than that, it’s a great excuse to get together with friends and eat delicious food.

It was actually for the Super Bowl 2 years ago that I first made these delicious bites. Since then I’ve made a few tweaks (croissant rolls instead of biscuits and adding bacon) and they are now the perfect, bite-size, melt-in-your-mouth, one-handed, football-watching treat. You can serve them with ranch and/or salsa for dipping, but you might find that they’re so good you don’t even want to dip them!

If you’re still looking for more appetizer ideas, here are a few of my favorites!

Buffalo Chicken Bites
Cold Veggie Appetizer Pizza
Caramelized Onion Dip
Soft Pretzel Bites with Beer Cheese
Reuben Dip

Oh, and Go Niners!

 

Avocado, Bacon, and Cheese {ABC} Puffs

Ingredients
1 can croissant roll dough
1 ripe avocado, cut into cubes
1 slice bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4-1/2 cup shredded cheese (Cheddar Jack is great!)
Ranch and/or salsa for dipping (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a mini-muffin pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.

Open can of croissant roll dough. Cut each triangle in half (so you have 2 smaller triangles). Place a small triangle of dough in each muffin cup, lightly pressing down to bottom of cup but leaving a little hanging over the edges. Place 2 or 3 cubes of avocado in each cup. Top with a pinch of shredded cheese and bacon crumbles. Take over-hanging edges and pinch to meet in the middle (some cheese will hang out and that’s OK).

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the dough starts to turn golden-brown. Allow to cool in pan for a minute or two, then remove and place on serving platter. Serve warm with ranch and/or salsa for dipping.

*If you don’t have a mini-muffin pan, I think you could lay the triangles out on a cookie sheet and seal the avocado, bacon, and cheese inside like an envelope.

Yield: 16 (If you’re having a big party you might want to go ahead and double the recipe!)

Sunny Side Up Original

 

Filed Under: Appetizer, Party Food Tagged With: , , , , ,