Cake Pop Baby Rattles

Happy Friday! I wanted to share these fun baby cake pop rattles I did for a a friend's sister's shower.  She doesn't know what she is having so we went with neutral colors.

Have a great weekend!

Happy St. Patrick's Day and Dairy Free Sugar Cookies!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous St. Patrick's Day! I made Savanna sugar cookies with earth balance butter :)  Don't you just love the hat my Aunt sent her!

Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies 

Yield 12-14 medium size cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

4 ounces (1 stick) butter (I used Earth Balance Dairy and Soy Free)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon light brown sugar 

1 egg (seperated)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Sanding Sugar or Sprinkles

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

3. In the bowl of your electric mixer cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

4. Add egg yolk and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. 

5. Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just combined.

6. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 

7. Roll out dough (¼ of inch thickness) and cut desired shape (4 leaf clovers).

8. Gather up the reserved dough scraps and gently press them into a disk.  Repeat the cutting and rolling process with the scraps.

9. Place cut cookies about 1 inch apart on baking sheet (for a medium size cutter should fit about 12 cookies per sheet).

10. Brush cookies with egg white and sprinkle on desired decorations.

11. Bake 12-15 minutes until lightly golden brown at the edges.

12. Let cool for 3 minutes on the sheets and then transfer to a rack or parchment paper.

Happy Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!  I hope you enjoyed the nice weather yesterday as much as we did.  It felt amazing.  The one park that was not covered in snow was over flowing with kids in the afternoon.

Savanna still loves her toy stroller and loves just pushing it around outside.  If you are looking for some healthy mid-week cookies, we made these last week and they were sooo good!  Savanna does not seem to love chocolate so I made half the batch without chips and added in some more spices. They are soy and dairy free so were perfect to have around as snacks for all!

I also wanted to share these "G" (for Garnets) cupcakes I did for an event in Rye.  The school colors and logo are red, white and black so I did Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing and a black G on top.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

Graham Crackers - Soy and Dairy Free

I am 28 weeks today:)  I have officially entered my 3rd trimester! I have a scheduled c-section so I have 11 more weeks to go.  Part of me feels as if that is just around the corner, part of me feels like 11 MORE weeks..... Starting to get very excited and nervous around here.  Anyhow enough about me now on to yummy graham crackers.

A lot of the common toddler snacks have either dairy or soy in them; graham crackers, goldfish, animal crackers, and even many of the Gerber foods. Pretzels (almost all are made with canola oil) and Alphabet Cookies from Trader Joes have been our life-savers!  I recently found that Annie's Bunnies and Graham Crackers actually do not have soy or milk in them and Savanna loves them.  Before I found them I had wanted to see if I could make some graham crackers on my own and I finally had some time to do so.  I love home-made graham crackers, but they do taste a little different than commercial ones.  I had some trouble getting them to be light and crispy and not just hard.  They key in the end was adding some baking powder and refrigerating the dough after rolling. This allows the butter to rest and then create flaky air pockets while baking which resulted in a nice crispy cracker not a rock solid one :)

Soy and Dairy Free Graham Crackers

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup whole-wheat flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ tsp cream of tarter

½ teaspoon cinnamon

8oz soy and dairy free butter(Earth Balance)

½ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup honey

1 tablespoon molasses

2 teaspoons non-dairy milk (I used vanilla rice)

 Instructions:

1. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tarter and cinnamon in a medium size bowl and set aside.
2. Cream the butter and brown sugar together.
3. Add the honey, molasses and milk and continue to mix on medium speed until well combined.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly incorporated.
5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, 1-2 hours.
6. Unwrap the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out to about ⅛ inch thickness.
7. Use a ruler and a knife to cut the dough into rectangles or squares, or use cookie cutters (I used mini animals).
8. Repeat rolling and cutting until all of the dough has been formed into crackers.
9. Place the cut dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets (if making squares pierce each cracker with a fork two to three times).  It is also optional to sprinkle the top with cinnamon and sugar which I like to do if I am making crackers.
10. Refrigerate for 30-40 minutes until firm.   
11. Bake at 350 degrees, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, approximately 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown.

 

Gymnastics Cookies

Savanna and I were both super excited about the weather yesterday!  I know the 40's are still not warm, but it is crazy how warm it feels when you are used to the 20's.  Not only was it warmer, it was sunny so we could actually get out for a good walk :)  We have made the switch over to one nap which has been working good as long as we have a morning activity.  

I also wanted to share these gymnastics cookies I made for my niece, Monica's 5th birthday.  I wanted to work on them since I was not going to make her party AND my royal icing skills need some practice.  I was happy with the way they turned out, but I think I could still use some practice for more detailed designs.

Happy Weekend!

Red Wine Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache and Cherry Compote

Red Wine, chocolate and cherries are Chris's favorite sweets. I made him a red wine chocolate cake 2 years ago for his birthday and we both LOVED it.  The red wine gives the cake such a distinct taste that we had to have again. I decided to make it last weekend for his birthday this year, but I wanted to put a different spin on it. Instead of a layer cake, I made a bundt cake topped with ample chocolate ganache.  To finish it off I served it with fresh whip cream and a cherry compote. The cherry brings out the wine in the cake. I thought it tasted perfect with all of the components together, but if you are a pure chocolate freak you may want to leave out the cherry and whip cream.  

 

Red Wine Chocolate Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups Red Wine

Chocolate Ganache - recipe below

Sprinkles/Decorations

Cherry Compote - recipe below

Fresh Whip Cream

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. 

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

4. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the red wine in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until combined.

5. Coat the Bundt with baking spray and fill the bundt pan with the batter.  

6. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center of them comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes.

7. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes then invert it on a cool baking sheet and let it continue to cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

10 oz bittersweet chocolate - chopped

6.5 oz heavy cream

Directions:

1. Pour the chocolate in a heat proof bowl.

2. Heat the cream in a small sauce-pan on medium heat until the cream just comes to a boil.

3. Pour the hot cream over chocolate and let sit for 1 minute.

4. Stir chocolate until melted and smooth.

5. Pour immediatly over the cooled bundt cake.

6. Add sprinkles or any decorations you would like before the ganache sets.

Cherry Compote

Ingredients:

2/3 cups water

6 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 bags (20oz frozen cherries)

Directions:

1. Combine water, sugar and lemon juice in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil over high heat.  

2.  Heat until the sugar dissolves and then add the cherries and reduce the heat.

3.  Simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring every other minute until the cherries are slightly broken down.

4.  Let the cherries cool and then cover and chill until ready to serve. 

Homemade Muesli

I fell in love with muesli on our honeymoon in South Africa. I was reminded of it and inspired the other day when I saw this recipe decided to make some of my own.  I love cereal and oatmeal but I do not always want a hot breakfast and commercial cereals often have a ton of extra sugar and I have a big enough sweet tooth that I do not need my breakfast filled with sugar as well.  The great thing about making your own is that you can add in all the things you love and constantly change it to add variety.  I did not add any dried fruit to mine, I prefer fresh (to control the sugar), but you can certaintly include it!  

Homemade Muesli 

1/4 cup pistachios

1/2 cup walnuts

2 TBS ground flax

2 TBS hemp hearts

2 TBS chia seeds

(instead of the above you can add wheat germ or oat bran)

1 cup oats (I used irish old fashioned because that is what I had)

2 TBS brown sugar (you can eliminate this completly but I need a little sweetness)

1 tsp cinnamon (feel free to add any spices you like)

Dried or fresh fruit or coconut shavings

Yogurt

Milk (regular, soy, almond, rice....)

Yield - 2 1/3 cups without the fruit (almost 12 ounces)

1. Chop the nuts (you can toast them as well to intensify their flavor)

2. Add the oats, hemp hearts, chia seeds, sugar, flax seed, cinnamon and brown sugar to the bowl with the nuts.

3. Stir well to combine.

4. At this point, you can store the muesli in a sealed container for a week or two.

5. To eat, (what I like) mix 1/3 cup muesli with 1/2 plain 0% greek yogurt and 1/2 cup almond milk and let it sit a few hours or overnight before eating.  Top with fresh fruit. You can soak with just milk or just yogurt.  You can also sprinkle a few tablespoons on your yogurt and eat immediately as a "raw granola".  

Catching Up

As we are stuck inside on this gross day for the 2nd time this week, I am dreaming of where we were the last 2 weeks.  We headed out to visit our cousins in Chicago over Martin Luther King Weekend and I stayed the week. Savanna had so much fun watching and engaging with her cousins.  She was constantly entertained by them and all of their toys! It didn't matter that it was freezing and we were stuck inside there.  Every time she would wake up she would wave to them and by the end of the week she was running and giving them hugs it was soooo cute!  

We were then very lucky to be able to go to Aruba with Chris's parents.  Unfortunately, Chris had to work so Savanna and I met them for Monday - Friday.  We missed Daddy, but boy did Savanna have fun in the water. She was hesitant on the sand the first day, but then got used to it and had fun digging and putting sand in and out of a pail.  

She was obssessed with the birds on the beach and would follow them everywhere. 

She didn't like the ocean, but loved the kiddie pool.  It was the perfect depth for her. She enjoyed splashing and kicking and doing "squats" in the water :)

She also loved the zero entry pools and running along the edges. If you go away this winter, I highly recommend making sure the hotel at least has the zero entry pool.  Savanna would run back and forth between the pools.

Hope you are staying warm and safe today! 

Fresh Apple Cookies - Soy and Dairy Free

Savanna absolutely HATES the car. We have been trying to work on explaining short trips to her, but I believe she thinks that every time we get in the car she will be strapped in there for at least an hour.  So for 5 minute trips around town we just hope that she doesn't cry or we give her a little snack. For anything further we allow her to watch the IPad, it makes the car ride more enjoyable for everyone :)  We have 3 episodes of Sesame Street downloaded that she watches on repeat.  One episode in particular is about the letter A and Apples, which she has watched so many times now.  Well her first real word (besides mama and dada) was Apple and she is obsessed with eating whole apples.  The episode also rubbed off on me (from listening to it so much).  Maria and Luis make fresh apple cookies from the apple tree.  I was intrigued because I have never had a cookie with fresh apples. I found a recipe in a box of my grandmother's clippings for apple cookies but it used dried apples.  I decided to try and use it as a base.  I adjusted a few other parts to make them so Savanna could enjoy them as well.  Additionally, the adjustments made them healthier so they could be a snack vs. a dessert cookie.  

Fresh Apple Oatmeal Cookies

 Ingredients:

1 ½ cups White Whole Wheat Flour

1 ½ cups rolled oats

¾ cup brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tbs cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp all spice

¼ tsp salt

¾ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp baking powder

1/3 cup apple sauce

1/3 cup “butter” melted

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup diced apple  (about ¾ of an apple)

¾ cup raisins

 Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350.
2. Whisk together all dry ingredients (make sure to get all the brown sugar lumps).
3. Peel and dice your apple into ¼ inch pieces.
4. In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, butter, apple sauce and vanilla.
5. Add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients until fully incorporated.
6. Fold in apples and raisins. 
7. Scoop cookies (I used medium cookie scoop) 3 across and 4 down on a half sheet pan.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes total, first half on the bottom and then rotate pan and do 2^nd half on top. 
9. Cool for 2 minutes and then transfer to rack to cool.

Yield: 30-35 cookies

I made half one day and cooked the rest 2 days later.  Save any extra cookies in the fridge (they will go bad on the counter because of the fresh fruit).

Soy and Dairy Free Mini Banana Muffins

Hope everyone stayed warm during this frigid week! We had to get creative with indoor activities.  I decided to take out my 0-3 month bin to see if we had anything neutral. Savanna really enjoyed "sorting" the clothes, putting them in and out of the bin :) She found her bunny ear hat from last year that actually still fit.

Before filling and putting the bin back in storage, I used it to make a "water table".  I filled it with water and put it in the the kitchen with some towels and her bath toys to play (if I do again I may use her infant bath tub because this was really deep and a lot to fill).  My only mistake was letting her play without clothes on, she was saturated by the end!

Savanna also helped me make mini banana muffins that are perfect as a snack or breakfast.  Her job was to smoosh and mix the banana.

Mini Banana Bread Muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup light butter, melted (I used earth balance soy free)

1 2/3 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 large bananas or 4 small bananas)

6 oz yogurt (I used dairy free coconut cultured)

2 large egg whites

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine sugar and butter in a bowl; whisk until well-blended. 

3. Add banana, yogurt, and egg whites; whisk until all incorporated and set aside.

4. Combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; stir well. 

5. Fold in dry ingredients to wet mixture, until all incorporated.

6. Spoon batter (I used a small scoop) into the lined (or sprayed) pan for mini muffins. 

7. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating halfway through.

8. Let cool 5 minutes in pan and then at least 10 minutes outside of pan.  If you take them out too quick they will stick to liners. 

Yield: 60

Happy New Year

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!  We most certainly did, it is so much fun and more exciting when you have a little one to plan for :) While Savanna did not get Santa this year after a couple of presents she understood she was supposed to tear right into anything that had wrapping paper on it.  

We hosted a small Christmas Eve this year which was really nice and fun.  I made this fabulous flourless Chocolate Torte from the Williams Sonoma American Christmas cookbook and I highly recommend it!

We were also excited to announce that Savanna will be a big sister to a baby brother in May!

We had a lot of fun hanging with our cousins from Chicago after Christmas. 

Cheering on the horses with Grandpa :)

Now back to reality.....

Cakes and Cupcakes

I cannot believe Christmas is in less than a week!  I had a few events that I never shared and wanted to show you :)

A first birthday for a little boy who loves dogs!

A baby shower for a soon to be baby girl.  The mom to be picked out this adorbale bedding that I used as inspiration for the cake. 

Thomas the Train cupcakes for a 3rd birthday!

Baking Class and Marshmallow Snowmen

I did a baking class on Tuesday night that was a holiday/entertaining theme.  I really enjoyed doing it and I think all of the guests enjoyed it too.  I was very nervous, since I have only done one before.  I have another next week, where I am teaching cake pops and mini pies and I am now excited for it :)

I did a 40 minute demonstration and then everyone could break into groups and work on the following activities:

1. Decorating Cupcakes - Gingerbread with mini gingerbread men on top and chocolate with peppermint icing and mini candy canes.  
2. Rolling, Decorating and Filling Cookies - I have a cookie recipe that can be used for 4 different cookies.  I demonstrated the dough and brought two of the cookies and the group worked on the remaining 2. 
3. Chocolate covered pretzels - I demonstrated how to melt the chocolate and dip the pretzels and then people could dip pretzels on their own.
4. Making marshmallow snowmen - good to go with hot chocolate or on cupcakes.

Everyone went home with a packet of recipes and a box of goodies :)  

Unforunately I do not have a lot of pictures from the event, but I did want to show you these cute Marshmallow snowmen.  I found the idea in my Martha Stewart Cupcake book and I wanted to share them with you!  They are perfect for regular cupcakes or I think they would be super fun at a kids party with hot cocoa.

Marshmallow Snowmen

Ingredients:

Regular Marshmallows

Chocolate Sprinkles or Black Edible Pen

Orange Gummy

Junior Mints

Royal Icing or Buttercream

Toothpick

Directions:

1. Using a toothpick poke two holes in one marshmallow for eyes and then insert sprinkles.  If using pen as eyes – see last step.
2. Using a toothpick poke 1 hole for nose.  Cut a slice of the gummy as thin as the toothpick and about ¼ of an inch long and insert in hole.  
3. Using icing “glue” top marshmallow to bottom one.  
4. Spread a dab of icing onto junior mint and place on the top marshmallow.
5. Let dry overnight.
6. If using pens, draw eyes and buttons after they have dried overnight.

Thanksgiving Roundup!

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend!  We were down in Atlanta where my Dad's sister lives.  It is usually nice and warm down there, but unfortunately this year it was just as cold as NY.  That didn't stop us from having fun with our cousins :)  

and stealing their food.....

My Aunt makes quite a feast, I always look forward to it. We have a few people in our family that are now Gluten Free so she made a special baked brie (my favorite!).  She topped the brie with a little honey, brown sugar, dried cherries, dried apricots and sliced almonds.  She then baked it until it was warm and gooey and the sugar melted in - yum! (The picture below is before it was baked)

Every year she gets a Turkey Ice-cream cake from Baskin Robbins, but her Baskin store closed down.  So I was put to work to try and recreate one. Since there are 5 older cousins, I decided to do the cones as feathers instead of legs so each of the kids could have one.  My cake was certainly not as polished as Baskin Robbins, but I was happy with how it turned out for my first try.

My 94 year old Grandpa was able to make the trip this year! We got a great picture with him and all of his Great Grandchildren! (Savanna wouldn't stay in by herself....) We bought the matching pajamas from PajamaGram.

The kids had fun on Friday making peanut butter and jelly and grilled cheese pie pops for lunch with the Baby Cakes Pie Pop Maker.  It was such a fun activity for them and they cook super fast which is great for their attention span.

Hope you had a wonderful holiday as well!

Small Business Saturday!

Just a reminder today is Small Business Saturday!  Do not forget to support your local and small online businesses this holiday season.  I wanted to share some of my favorite small businesses:)

One Girl Cookies 

They are famous for their cookies and woopie pies!  If you are located in NYC or Brooklyn especially, you should check out their adorable shops! The owners were very generous and helpful to me when I was starting out. 

Blissful Eats

I met the owner at the farmers markets last year.  She makes fabulous Gluten Free & Organic Granola.  You can buy from her online or if you are long island keep your eye out for her granola in health stores and at the farmers markets.

Auntie Liz's Sweets

My cousin has a delicious small baking business too! If you live on Long Island and need custom cake pops or a cake email her!

Little Hip Squeaks

An adorable online kids clothing and baby accessories company founded by a Brooklyn mom. I espeically love the headbands for girls!

Little Miss Party Planner

Having a Holiday party and need help planning?  Have no fear the gals at Little Miss Party Planner do an amazing job, especially with small spaces if you live in NYC. 

Especially Paper & Bushel and Peck Paper

Both owners have done fabulous paper cake and cupcake accessories for me.  They also have some fun printables for all different occasions. Make sure to check them out!

Bridier Baubles

Need some fun jewelry for a Christmas present?  Shop Bridier Baubles this holiday season.

Jessica Haley Photography

One of our new friends in town has an amazing photography business.  If you are getting married next year be sure to reach out to her!

Raquel Bianca Creative

If you still need a family holiday photo be sure to contact Raquel! She also does photo books which make great Christmas gifts!

Baby Boy Gift Basket

Happy Monday and Happy Thanksgiving Week! I wanted to share a project with you today that I worked on last week.  One of my good friends just had a baby boy so I made a basket of treats for her. It is so hard to find time to do anything when you are a new mom so I made some healthy treats to keep her energy up! It was filled with Almond Granola with dates, raisins and walnuts, Almond Butter Whole Wheat cookies (based off this recipe) and some pumpkin butter that is great in yogurt and on toast.

I found a great basket at Home Goods to put everything in and found this adorable personalized train at Monograms off Madison.

To complete the basket, I added one of my favorite board books, Wherever You Are, and tied it up with cellophane and some blue baby feet ribbon that I had from a previous project.

This Saturday is Small Business Saturday, do not forget to support all of your local and online small businesses (especially during the entire holiday season).  I am going to try and share my favorite small businesses later this week!

Savanna's First 1st Birthday Party Part 2 and 12 month update!

I cannot believe Savanna is 1!!  Everyone tells you it goes fast and it really does.  The first 3 months feel long and then from month 6 on the time flew!  Savanna did have a ton of changes from month 11 to month 12, but of course there were still some developments.     

• Knows where her belly is
• When you ask if she wants you to take her coat off she will pull at the sleeves
• She pulls at her clothes to come off when we are running the bath
• She “brushes” her own hair
• If I have a necklace on she wants one on too
• She LOVES her books! Probably what she plays with the most.
• Plays with her dolls and pushes them around in her push toys 

Photo credit Raquel Bianca Creative (from her first birthday photos)

We had a small family party the weekend of Savanna's party and I wanted to share some photos with you from it!

Savanna is blessed to have 4 Great Grandparents!!

I thought this was a really unique and personalized gift and I wanted to share :)

For the desserts I made a small, simple soy free and dairy free smash cake for Savanna with one of Especially Paper's awesome banners.  I then made pumpkin cake pops, chocolate chip ganache cookies and an apple pie crumble.  

Chicken Vegetable Soup with Pasta

After the cold weather came in after Halloween I made a pretty easy and fairly adaptable chicken soup for us.  We have been passing around a pretty nasty cold and cough around here for almost a month! Luckily (well not so much for me)  I have had it the worst, but that is better than Savanna.  The doctor finally perscribed a z-pac and I think that may have finally kicked it!  I am keeping my fingers crossed.  

Healthy Chicken Vegetable Soup

INGREDIENTS

6 cups chicken broth*

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 Tbs Olive Oil

1 cup onion

1 cup baby carrots, chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (I like zucchini actually but did not have any so used a carrots, peas, green beans and lima bean mix)

1/2 small tomato chopped up

1 tsp salt

1 cup uncooked tiny pasta (I used Ancini di Pepe)

Parmesan Cheese for topping

*The pasta soaked up A LOT of liquid which I believe is from the type of pasta so I would either recommend cooking separately or adding more broth/water depending on the type you use.  I added 4-5 more cups.

**I also added 1 cup of spinach to my bowl and the hot soup wilted it nicely.  

PREPARATION
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan and sauté onions until translucent.  Add in carrots, tomato and garlic, sauté for 5 minutes.

2. Put broth, chicken, and salt in, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked and vegetables are tender.

3. Add in frozen mixed vegetables and cook for 5 more minutes. 

4. Remove chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Add pasta to soup; cover and simmer 10-15 minutes minutes, or until tender.

5. Meanwhile, shred chicken with fingers or 2 forks. Add to soup along with the parmesan cheese (I left the cheese out of Savanna's and served hers at room temperature.  

Halloween Recap

Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween.  We most certainly enjoyed our first Halloween.  We had purchased a little dog costume since she loves dogs but it was too long and she hated wearing the hat portion (which actually made it look like a dog). After we wore it to our gym class party I decided to change to Cinderella.

My uncle had given her a Cinderella outfit last Christmas that was 6-12 months that we had never found an occasion to wear and it worked out much better than the dog!  

We have two friends that live on a great U-shaped block that was having a neighborhood party they invited us to. They had a little parade and party outside and Savanna enjoyed looking at all the other kids dressed up.  We didn't "get" trick-or-treating but I figured that.  

Savanna's First 1st Birthday Party!

As I previously mentioned we decided to split up friends and family for Savanna's 1st Birthday since we could not fit everyone inside.  We decided to have the friends party early so we could attempt to have it outside.  Luckily the weather cooperated for us and we had a nice day, it wasn't crazy sunny but it was a great temperature.  We had the party at an outdoor picnic area near one of the town parks.  It worked out great and we were very happy we did it there.  I ordered a full printable paper package from Little Birdie Prints on Etsy and was super happy with them. Kim was very responsive and easy to work with.  I used most of the package, the only things I did not use were the hats (Savanna hates anything on her head) and the thank yous (I already had personalized stationary for her and didn't think it was worth printing and buying envelopes).  I printed everything myself at home and it was super easy and I did not go through a crazy amount of ink.  I highly recommend if you want to add some fun custom detail to your party!

It was a late afternoon party so we decided to keep the food fairly simple.  We ordered sandwiches from a local deli and I made a pasta salad with broccoli and pine nuts and a mixed green salad with roasted butternut squash, walnuts, craisins and pumpkin seeds.  

Pumpkin Breads were the favors :)

Savanna had a blast playing in the ice and any water that had fallen....

For dessert, I of course had to go all out :)

I made chocolate chip ganache cookies, pumpkin cookies, chocolate cupcakes, pumpkin patch cake pops, and sour watermelons and pumpkins.  

Savanna had a personalized soy and dairy free pumpkin cake.  I took the fondant off before she dove in!

We cannot wait to celebrate again!