Pizza Cupcakes

I love finding new ways to make some of our favorite foods.  Today I decided to combine two of our favorite things- pizza and cupcakes- to make Pizza Cupcakes!

My boys helped me make these today and we had so much fun! They were super easy to make, and just as fun to eat!  These would be fun "finger" foods for a party too!

Pizza Cupcakes

Yields 12

For The Cupcakes You Will Need...

1 1/2 cup Self-rising flour*

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1 cup mini pepperonis

1 cup mozzarella cheese

*if you do not have self rising flour you can use all purpose flour.  Just mix 1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour, 2tbsp white sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, and 2 tsp of baking powder

For The Topping You Will Need...

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1 cup mini pepperonis

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease muffin pan. 

{* you can choose to use cupcake liners if you prefer, but the batter may stick to the liners}

Mix flour, vegetable oil, egg and milk until batter is smooth {it will be sticky}.  You can add an additional 2 2tbsp of milk if desired.  

Fold/stir in cheese and pepperoni's   Fill muffin cups 2/3 of the way full.

Bake for 18 minutes *baking times may vary* or until golden brown and knife inserted comes out clean.

For a more finished look- Just before serving, top with an additional 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1 cup mini pepperoni's.  Bake for 4-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

You could also add pizza sauce {as shown in my pictures}

Homemade Corn Dogs!

Being a working mom can be tough!  Sometimes I get home from working and really don't feel like cooking! I don't like feeding my family what I call "quickie" meals... like prepackaged corn dogs or canned spaghetti o's, but sometimes it would just be so nice to warm something up and be done...especially when it's 100* outside!

Today I was shopping and had a package of mini corn dogs in my hand and I just couldn't put them in the cart!  So I came up with my own idea, right there in the store!

Mini Corndogs

1 pkg Corn Muffin Mix
1 egg
1/3cup Milk

Hot dogs cut up in bite size pieces {I only ended up using 1 hot dog & made 6 muffins}

Prepare corn muffin mix.  Let sit for 3-4 four minutes.

Spray muffin pan, or use paper lines {*note muffins might stick to the paper liners!} add muffin mix to prepared muffin pan.

Submerge bite size hot dog into each cup before baking.

Bake at 400* for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Let muffins cool before serving.

These little things were such a great hit with my boys!  And they would be great to freeze and just pull out as needed!

Berry Blast Smoothie

So the new health fad is all of those prepared meals like slim fast and the atkins shakes.  Although, they are great...I prefer knowing whats going into my body!  So I've come up with my own!!

Berry Blast Smoothie

Serving Size: 1 cup  Calories: about 120 per shake

What You'll Need...

1 Cup Light 'N Fit* Vanilla Yogurt

Handful of your choice of berries {I choose strawberries, raspberries and blueberries}

• Measure out 1 cup of yogurt.  I use vanilla, but you can use any flavor or just plain if you want. *Light 'N Fit yogurt isn't necessary, you can substitute for whatever brand you prefer, however the calories will vary depending on the type you use
• Measure about one handful of fruit and rinse.  Cut if needed then add to yogurt

• Blend on low for 10-15 seconds.

• Enjoy!!

Sweet Treat Saturday!

So as I said before, I am obsessed with cupcakes.  I don't know why, but I just love everything about making them!  Maybe it's because it's a smaller canvas to work on?  Anyways, here's another recipe I recently tried...and I'm in LOVE with them!

Cosmo Cupcakes

Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 18 minutes Difficulty: MEDIUM Serves: 24


You will need...

For The Cake

1 box Vanilla Cake Mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup Cosmopolitan Drink Mix (without alcohol)

Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine Cake Mix, 1/2 cup oil and 1 cup Cosmopolitan Drink Mix in stand mixer or large mixing bowl.
Add eggs. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer and beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Then turn mixer to medium speed for 1 minute.

Fill each cupcake liner in cupcake pan 2/3 full. Bake cupcakes at 350° for 18-20 minutes {actual times may vary depending on your oven.  Mine does cupcakes in 18 minutes}. Check to see if cupcakes done by inserting a toothpick into the center of one. Toothpick should be clean when pulled out if cupcakes are done.

 Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.


For The Frosting

1/2 cup shortening
1 stick, or 1/2 cup butter
1 lb. (about 4 cups) powdered sugar
2- 3 tablespoons Cosmopolitan Drink Mix (without alcohol)
a few drops of red food coloring


Combine butter and shortening in in stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream butter and shortening on high speed for 3 minutes or until light in color.

Add powdered sugar to mixing bowl. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Then turn to medium speed for 1 minute, or until sugar is incorporated.
Add 2 - 3 tablespoons Cosmopolitan Drink Mix to frosting. Mix on high until light and fluffy. Add a few drops of food coloring and mix on high again until the desired color is achieved.

If frosting is too thick, add a little more Cosmopolitan Drink Mix to thin it out.

Frosted using Wilton 21 tip.  Topped with Lime Wedges

You could also put the tops of a bendy straw for decoration.  You MIGHT get asked what the straw is for though...Lots of people asked me, lol

Sloppy Joe Cups

I've been trying to come up with some more kid friendly recipes that my kids will actually approve of!  They can be so picky sometimes!!  This one was a pretty big hit...with both the little kids, and the big one!

Sloppy Joe Cups

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 13 minutes Difficulty: EASY Serves:10

You will need:

1 lb hamburg meat

1 can Sloppy Joe Mix

6 oz Shredded Cheese

1 pkg Biscuits

1 Muffin pan

Preheat oven to 375

Ground the hamburg meat. Drain and pour in can of Sloppy Joe mix, let simmer on low for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Flatten and stretch each biscuit 

Press biscuits into sprayed muffin pan, making individual cups.

Spoon 1 tbsp of sloppy joe mixture into each biscuit cup.

Bake for 10 minutes {at 375}

Sprinkle shredded cheese over top of each cup and cook for additional 3 minutes

These are also good with BBQ sauce instead of sloppy joe mix!  Just substitute can of sloppy joe mix for 1/2 cup of bbq sauce!  Goes great with broccoli or fruit salad...or all by themselves!

Sweet Tooth Saturday!

I have been obsessed with cupcakes lately!!  I have a ton of awesome recipes that I've been dying to try...so I decided to start on some yesterday!  I made a lot of cupcakes {4 dozen  cupcakes to be exact!}  Here's a recipe for one of my new favorite cupcakes...

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
 Prep Time: Cook Time: 18 minutes Difficulty: MEDIUM Serves: 24

You will need...

For the cake

1 box white cake mix

3/4 frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed out

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

4 egg whites

First, Preheat oven to 350, put cupcake liners in the muffin tins.

Combine all of the cake ingredients {first 5 ingredients} in a mixing bowl.  Using your electric mixer, mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium speed for an additional minute. 

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way full.

Bake @ 350 for about 18 minutes {baking times vary based on your oven!}.  Allow cupcakes to cool before frosting.

Pink Lemonade Frosting

For the frosting...

1 stick {1/2 cup} butter, room temperature

1/2 cup shortening

4 cups powdered sugar

2-4 tbsp pink lemonade concentrate

red and/or yellow food coloring 

Combine butter and shortening in large mixing bowl, use hand or stand mixer to cream butter and shortening on high speed for about 3 minutes, or until light in color.

Add powdered sugar {I did this one cup at a time, mixing it together a little before I put the next cup in}  

Mix on low for 30 seconds, then increasing the speed speed to medium for an additional minute or until sugar is incorporated.

Add 2-4 tbsp of pink lemonade concentrate and mix on high until light and fluffy looking.

I used a wilton 21 tip for the decorating.

Chicken Lasagna

Today I will be sharing with you one {of many!} of our families NEW favorite recipes: Chicken Lasagna!

Chicken Lasagna

Prep time 25 minutes  Cook Time 30 minutes  Difficulty MEDIUM  Serves 12

You Will Need:

9 Lasagna noodles
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic
6 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
4 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups shredded mozzerela
1 cup shredded swiss cheese

1.) Cook lasagna noodles.  

2.) In large bowl combine soup, sour cream, parmesan cheese, onion, garlic, mushrooms and chicken.  

3.) Mix well.

4.) Spread 1-2 Tbs of chicken mix over bottom of 9x13 pan.  

5.) Cover with 3 lasagna noodles, 1/3 of chicken mix and 1/3 of mozerella.  

6.) Repeat layers ending with chicken mix.  

7.) Top with Swiss cheese.  

8.) Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 min.