So I'm a Copycat... and you can be too!

I LOVE to paint.  But here's the thing.  I have zero original thoughts in my head.  That's why I LOVE Pinterest.  Somebody else out there has already done all the thinking for you.  I just try not to break any copyright laws.  So here is my "pinspiration".....

and here is what I did...

I just have to add a glossy clear coat.... and Ta-Dah!

And then I just really liked those polka-dots so I painted a little something else.

That "J" is a little weird, but practice makes perfect!

Halloween Cupcakes

I needed to bake some cupcakes for our Fall Festival at church.  Because I am super mom (and I use that term loosely), I wanted them to be semi-homemade and very cute. There are thousands of pins for Halloween themed goodies on Pinterest.  I lack in the baking department so I needed something even a "caveman" could do.  Mostly because I am the most impatient person EVER!  Most of my "creations" turn out horrific because I can't wait for the cake to cool so that I can frost it.  So here is my inspiration for my cupcakes.

Now my cupcakes don't look at all like these cupcakes, because I took this idea and ran with it.  Isn't that what Pinterest is all about...to inspire you to create.  If they don't have a motto, I just gave them one.  "Pinterest... a place for inspiration and creativity."  

Ingredients:

1 box Devil's food cake mix

2 jars of white frosting

Food coloring (yellow and red)

Gummy worms

Chocolate cookies

*Makes 24 cupcakes*

Step 1:  Bake cupcakes according to package directions

* This is important - you MUST let them cool Miss Antsy Pants*

These are the ingredients I used to decorate the cupcakes.  

Step 2:  Pour the frosting into a bowl and add the food coloring

Directions for making orange came on the food coloring pack that I bought; however I had to add more and more to get the shade of orange I wanted.  

Step 3: Mix the frosting and the food coloring well.  I used a hand-mixer, but you can go old-school and use a wooden spoon or spatula.  I heard that it makes for an awesome arm work-out.  However, I wouldn't know, because I AM LAZY.

Step 4:  Put a gallon plastic bag into a tall cup and fill with frosting.  

Step 5:  Push all the frosting to one corner, snip the end with scissors and Ta-Da.. You have a homemade piping bag.

  

Step 6: Frost the cupcakes.  I started in the middle and swirled around to the edges.  Disclaimer: I have no "Baking School" education so I just did the best I could.  Don't stress over perfection.  You are about to cover it up anyway.

Step 7: Crush up the chocolate cookies.  Now in my head, I wanted them to be more crumbly, and had I not used my last plastic bag for the frosting, I would have put them in the bag and used a rolling pin to crush them.  Well people, I am fixing to you give you a very valuable life lesson.  ADJUST.  I used the tip of my rolling pin to crush the cookies in a pasta bowl.   

Step 8:  Sprinkle the crushed cookie crumbs on top of the cupcakes.  Since I had bigger pieces, I tried to make sure they stuck into the frosting.

Step 8: Top with a gummy worm

Ah - Magnifique! 

And that my friends, is my version of the Halloween cupcake pin I found on Pinterest.  If I can do it, so can you.  So go crazy!

Chicken Parmesan Casserole - A MUST!

One of my favorite things to do on Pinterest, is to find delicious looking recipes of things I think my family will eat, and pin them to a board. What I love about finding recipes on Pinterest, is that there are these amazing pictures rather than just an abstract name of a recipe.  I need pictures people, and LOTS of them.  I wish cookbooks had pictures of every recipe in them, not just a selection.  If the truth be told, I don't even attempt to cook something that I have not seen in a picture first.

So my first adventure in Pinterest is a chicken parmesan casserole.  The link to the original website where the recipe is found  is here.  There is even a short video with step by step directions!

Here is a picture.. you know I like pictures!

Now I must confess, that I had the idea for this blog after I made the casserole.  Unfortunately I don't have step by step pictures, so you can visit the original website or use that imagination of yours!

This is an excellent make ahead recipe!  My version of this recipe has been altered for my family so feel free to mix it up a bit to make it work for your family.

Ingredients:

1 (3 lb) bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts
Cooking oil
Minced garlic
Salt
Basil (dried or fresh)
Jar of marinara or spaghetti sauce
1 (8oz) package of shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese
Bag of garlic cheese croutons

Thaw the chicken if needed.
Coat a baking dish with oil.
Spread about a tablespoon of the minced garlic in the oil.
Lay the thawed chicken breasts on top of the oil mixture.
Season with salt.
Pour a jar of marinara or spaghetti sauce over the chicken.
Sprinkle with fresh or dried basil.
Top with 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with some of the Parmesan cheese.

*If you want to make this dish ahead, stop here and refrigerate.*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Before baking, top with the whole bag of croutons.
Sprinkle with the remainder of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 35 minutes or until the chicken is done.

Ta-Dah!  Chicken Parmesan without the mess or hassle!

Serve with a Caesar salad and breadsticks and you have a wonderful meal for your family.  It tastes so good, you might even trick them into thinking you slaved long hours preparing it for them!