strawberry fields forever

It's the beginning of may,
and with that means summer is right around the corner.
( and of course, my birthday. wink wink.)

Yesterday my mom and I went to a local produce store and they were selling strawberries for .50 a package ! I just love love love strawberries.
Now last year my Grandma had bought some Michigan strawberries from a farmers market
and they were by far the best strawberries that I had ever had,
and at the same time I was mad because it ruined strawberries for me.
I expected every berry to taste just as wonderful.

I digress.

My first thought to use the strawberries was a traditional strawberry pie,
but my dear love doesn't like flour crusts. So I was trying to figure out something with a graham cracker crust and that's how this fluffy strawberry cream pie was born.

Here's what you need.

1 cup of strawberries diced
1 cup of strawberries sliced
1 container of cool whip
1 package of strawberry jello
1 graham cracker pie crust
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup water
ice cubes

Just look at how juicy red they are. mmmmm

in a large bowl, add your strawberry jello, and 3/4 cup of boiling water.
whisk until jello is completely dissolved.

take one cup of cold water and add enough ice to make it 1 cup

Like so.

Add the icy water to the jello,
whisk for a minute or two,
and remove any ice that didn't dissolve.
Add your diced strawberries.

Start adding your cool whip.
add about a 1/4 of it at a time so you can blend it in.
you want it to be smooth and creamy.

pour it in your pie shell.
Since I added probably more than 1 cup of diced strawberries,
it didn't all fit in the crust.
I just poured whatever didn't fit into some ramekins.

Cover the pie, and refrigerate for 2-4 hours

After its been chilling, go ahead and add your sliced strawberries.
If you add the strawberries before its chilled, the strawberries may sink :(
 

Slice it up and sip on some iced tea with a lemon wedge
and think about summer ahead.

I promise you'll love it.
I will surely be making it again, and probably with different variations.
maybe pineapple, raspberry, or peach.


Hope every one has a wonderful weekend.

 

an eggcellent quiche

I know I promised this almost two weeks ago, but where does the time go?
I worked seven straight days in a row and everyday i came home I was too tired to think if ya know what I mean. I made this actually the same day I made these.

This is a super easy quiche that you can put ANYTHING in.
You can use just veggies, or ham, feta cheese, spinach.
Just use whatever you have on hand.   :)
If you remember back to the bananas foster bread pudding
there were 3 egg whites I saved.

This is what I used

2 red potatoes, cubed

4 - 6 slices of bacon, cooked

1 (8 or 9-inch) premade pie shell in foil pan

1 cup shredded cheese

2 eggs + 3 egg whites or you can just use 3 whole eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream or you can use 1 cup of milk

1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning

Preheat your oven to 400
Cube your potatoes, and season with your all purpose seasoning & salt and pepper
you could use any seasonings you want, rosemary, basil, or even some herb de provence.

 Place in microwave safe bowl. Cover potatoes with a damp paper towel and microwave for two minutes. Potatoes should be tender but not falling apart.
Just poke a couple with a knife.

 In your pie shell spread a little of your crumbled bacon & cheese.
I used a "Mexican blend" cheese. I had a giant bag left from taco night.
You could use cheddar, Swiss, or even crumble some American cheese singles.
whatever tickles your fancy.

 Go ahead and put in some of your potatoes and more bacon and more cheese.
just layering a little so you get potato and bacon in each bite.

Whisk up your eggs, and cream and a pinch more seasoning.
If you like a lot of cheese you can add more cheese to the egg mixture,
it's all up to you.
Pour into your pie shell.
Depending on your pie shell the whole mixture may not fit, that's okay.

 Just fill it right up to the crust.

 Place on a baking sheet.
 (just in case you I spill it putting it in the oven.)
Bake 35-40 minutes or until eggs have set.

and  enjoy !
I made this for dinner with homemade chicken noodle soup.

I know every ones weather has been warm lately,
but it was cold and chicken noodle soup always taste good when it's cold.
Here in Michigan our weather is CRAZY !
It went from the 50s to the high 80s within a week.
Lovely I know.

black bottomed cheesecake you make the rockin' world go round

Good afternoon !
I hope everyone is having a wonderful day. I've been doing some major cleaning over the past two days since I've had it off of work. Friday we're getting a new refrigerator !! It's a beauty ;)
When we moved into our house 2 1/2 years ago, we had to buy a stove, microwave, and refrigerator among other various new house expenses. Well our current fridge is just too small. I am forever cramming things in. This is it, we shopped around for about a month, and finally made a decision.
Does anyone else get as excited as I do for new appliances?


I made some brownie cheesecake bars earlier
and I had to have a little taste.
mmm mmm mmm

Here's what you'll need.

1 pkg. fudge brownie mix
3 eggs
1 tablespoon of water
2 tablespoons of oil
1 cup chocolate chips
1 pkg. softened cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup of sugar

I used Jiffy fudge brownie mix, you can use whatever brand you want just make sure it's a small package/box not the family size. I live in Michigan so I love to buy Michigan Brands, so that's why I bought it, plus it's inexpensive.

Preheat your oven to 350 and grease a 9 inch square pan.

In a medium bowl, add your brownie mix with 1 egg, 1 tbsp of water, 2 tbsp of oil



and I added a 1/4 tsp of cinnamon it's optional



Add about a 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and mix just until everything is combined.

Pour in your prepared 9" pan and spread out evenly.



Now in a large bowl cream your softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 tsp of vanilla with a hand mixer, and then slowly add your two eggs one at a time.



it should be a smooth mixture with little air bubbles.



Go ahead and spread that evenly on your brownie batter,
and then sprinkle with your chocolate chips.
I used mini chocolate chips, but you can use whatever you'd like.
It's just what I already had on hand.



It should look layered in your pan, like so.



Bake for 30-40 minutes
( mine took the whole 40 minutes)
Let it cool and then pop it in the fridge until you're ready to devour ;)



Yum !


Another thought is you can use butterscotch chips, or white chocolate even.
I'm so glad it's only a 9" pan too.
Too many times I'm making things in 13x9 pans
and then I eat more than I should, if you know what I mean.

Well I hope you enjoy the rest of your day !
 Tomorrow I'll show you my easy peasy quiche
( using the leftover egg whites from my Going Bananas! post )


-kerriann

Going Bananas !

Here I am ! Finally making a post with something good ;) A certain lovely lady I know has been telling me to post my recipes with pictures for awhile, but every time I make something I am halfway through the process of eating it making it and I realize (like the should have had a v8 commercial) I didn't take any pictures, and we all know everyone likes to have pictures, am I right ? Well this time I remembered !

Several months ago I came upon a tasty little number that I fell in love with ! Their names are Sara and Kate at Our Best Bites. They have no idea who I am, but I would love you to know who they are!
It's a blog full of tasty recipes, fun crafts, tips & tricks and much more!

Last night I made their Bananas Foster Bread Pudding !

Here's the recipe, and you can print it from their website here !

6 c. stale bread or croissant cubes
4 medium bananas, divided
4 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
1 c. brown sugar,
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. rum flavoring (optional)
1 tsp. cinnamon,
2 Tbsp. butter,

These are all the things you'll need, and extra bananas if you have a banana crazy pup like I do.
Also I got my bread at a local italian bakery on the day old rack. That's the best way to do it, it's real cheap ! I like cheap ;)


That's Echo, Echo loves bananas!

Preheat your oven to 400
and line a baking sheet with heavy duty foil, or layer your foil.
Peel and slice three of your bananas, making sure to save a few pieces for the pup.


Put your sliced bananas in a mixing bowl and add a 1/4 cup of brown sugar, and a 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon. I love cinnamon so mine was a heaping 1/4 tsp.



look at allllll that flavorful cinnamon ;)


Melt 1 tablespoon of melted butter, and ever so gently stir to combine.


Now evenly spread your banana goodness onto your foil lined baking sheet.

Pop it in the oven for 15 minutes, and they should be all brown and bubbly.
Lower the oven temp. to 350


Cut your bread into about 1/2 inch cubes or so.
The recipe calls for 6 cups, but mine took more than that.
just use your best judgement when layering.



Meanwhile in a mixing bowl add 4 eggs and 3 egg yolks.
( go ahead and save your whites for later, I have a really tasty quiche recipe)
1 1/2 cup of heavy cream,1 1/2 cup of milk,1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1tsp. vanilla, and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt and 3/4 cup of brown sugar. Mix it with a wisk or your handy hand mixer



We're almost done, I promise.
Take a 13x9 pan and generously spray it with cooking spray.
Spread half of your bread cubes in the pan,
and then add the banana goodness that we baked earlier,
and the recipe called for adding more sliced bananas on top; but
I didn't care for the texture so next time i'll just make more banana goodness instead.



Add the rest of your bread on top of the bananas,
and then give your cream/milk/egg mixture one last stir and pour over the top of the bread
I gave mine a little squish to help it soak- totally up to you.
Then take a tablespoon of butter, and cut it in small pieces and place on top.

Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes and then bake for 40-50 minutes until golden,
and a knife inserted in the center comes clean.

Then wait just long enough for it to cool so you don't burn your mouth ;)
Serve with whipped cream and another dash of cinnamon
(told you I love cinnamon)
or Ice cream or a drizzle of caramel sauce.
On the website there are some tasty little toppings they have recipes for.



Well if you're reading this that means you read it all :)
Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope you come back.

Giving it a shot

Okay here it goes !

My name is Kerri and I love arts and crafts! :)

I am going to open myself up to blogland and start a blog hopefully as good as the ones that I follow.
First things first I suppose I should tell you a little bit about me.
I'm 25 years old, and I work for a corporate retail store as

 a customer service associate slash everything else.
A little less than two years ago my boyfriend and I bought a house to call our very own.
compared to many of the houses I see out there in blogland, it's a small 3 bedroom ranch with 2 bathrooms. My boyfriend and I have been together almost 5 years, and hopefully many more to come.

I have been crafting since I was very little.

 My grandma has taught me nearly everything I know when it comes to arts and crafts.
I'm never afraid to take on a challenge!

I have 2.75 cats.
[ yes i ment to put 2.75 ]
I have one cat who lost her back leg last year.
Don't worry she's more than fine!! :)
I also have a goofy puppy dog.
She's my best friend.

I hope to have a lot of fun on this blog,
so join me on this journey !

Stay tuned for lots of fun to come