Pretzel Butterflies {Easter and Spring Treat}

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Spring has sprung down here in Louisiana and every passing day leads me to believe that summer is just around the corner.  Along with the high temps and breezy winds, the insects have all come out of hiding..to include the butterflies.  

I remember the first time I made these butterflies, it was for a play date that I hosted a few years back.  The children could not get enough of these cute little things and kept asking for more.  Had I known they were going to be such a hit, I would have made them each a goody bag full to take home that day.  These are such a fun Easter treat to make with your children. 

Make a whole bunch of them for a rainy day......

......or make them just to make them because they are just so adorable....

Whatever the occasion, these are so very simple to make and require as little effort as possible.  

Once y'all see how easy they are, you will want to make them every year ;)  

Pretzel Butterflies

(makes 20 butterflies)

Ingredients:

2 cups small pretzels (about 45)

1 and 1/2 to 2 cups white chocolate chip morsels

1 tsp. vegetable oil

1 little bag of candy coated fruit flavored candy (we used Skittles)

Directions:

1.  Line a baking/cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Arrange pretzels in a line, with the single holes touching  to form the wings.  

2.  Break the remaining pretzels into pieces (I made sure to break them where there was a curve) for the antennae and set aside in a little bowl.

3.  Place the white chocolate chip morsels and vegetable oil in a small, microwave-safe bowl.  Cook on high for 1 minute.  Stir continuously until all the chips are melted and is a smooth consistency.  Place the chocolate in a freezer safe plastic bag.  Squeeze the bag until the chocolate is all in one corner.  Seal the bag and cut the tip off (where the chocolate is) so you can 'pipe' the chocolate out.

4.  Squeeze the bag to 'pipe' the body of the butterfly...in between each pair of pretzels.  Press each pretzel into the chocolate, making sure it is secure.  Pipe chocolate into each hole in the wings.  

5.  Top each chocolate hole with a piece of candy.  

6.  Take the little pieces of antennae that you saved and place them at the top of the body, making sure to press the pieces into the chocolate so it will adhere.

7.  Let them set for a good 30 minutes.  Remove from tray and store in an air tight container until ready to eat.

Recipe Source:  Pillsbury.com

Happy Spring!!!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies {Chow Hall Monday #1}

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Welcome everyone to the VERY first edition of Chow Hall Mondays here on the blog, where every other Monday I will shine the spot light on one special Military family and their recipe of choice.  

Recipes mean so much more when there are special memories attached to them.  Add in a few sprinkles of Military life, mix in a tablespoon of love, and you have the fixin's for one awesome recipe post!  

Let's get started with our very first Military Spouse, Stefanie Markin.  She's sharing her family's favorite recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Yummmm!  

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My name is Stefanie Markin and I am an Air Force wife, married to Beau Markin and mother of two beautiful children, Kayla (20) and Joey (19).  We are currently stationed at Barksdale AFB and are enjoying the experience of living in the South and experiencing the Louisiana culture.  

Beau has been in the Air Force for 27 years and we have been married for almost 22 of those years.  I am currently a SAHM (my husband jokes that I have the best job, a SAHM with two kids away at college!) and I am fortunate to be able to do a lot of volunteer work in the community and on base.  I manage the Airman’s Attic on Barksdale and I very often will bring in food that I have made to share with the other volunteers and some of the airmen that come in.

Thanks to my parents I have always had a love for cooking and especially for baking.  I really think that moving around so much has enhanced my love for being in the kitchen.  When we move we meet new people, eat at new restaurants and find new foods in the local stores which leads to great excuses to spend time trying new recipes. 

Our assignment prior to Barksdale was at Peterson AFB in Colorado Springs.  While there I cooked meals at our church with a wonderful team of ladies.  One of the gals baked the best sweets and when I found out she had actually written her own cookbook with lots of the recipes we had sampled in it I had to buy one immediately.  

I have over a hundred cookbooks on my bookshelves and many of them aren’t used often but I have to say that Sarah’s Sweets and Some More, by Sarah Wulfsberg, Fourth Edition is a cookbook I have out on my counter at least once a week.  The recipe I am sharing with y’all today is from her cookbook with a few minor adjustments that I made.   

The reason I chose this particular recipe is that my husband is deployed again and every time he is deployed he specifically asks me to bake these cookies and mail them to him. Let’s be honest though, whether deployed or not, he very frequently wants to munch on these.  

I have to be cautious when I make these because if I walk out of the room before I get the dough on the cookie sheets and into the oven I can come back to a bowl that has much less dough in it.  Because this recipe has raw eggs in it I do not recommend you eat the dough but no matter how many times I tell my husband this it doesn’t seem to matter.  To him it is apparently well worth the risk! 

I hope y’all enjoy these cookies as much as we do!  They are so yummy and actually seem to hold up well in the mail so when they get to him they are still tasty! 

Our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or margarine (I prefer to use one stick of each)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp milk

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 ¼ cups flour

2 ½ cups rolled oats

2 oz milk chocolate chips

12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

1 ½ cups of nuts (optional)

Directions:

1.  Cream together butter and both sugars.  Add eggs, vanilla and milk; beat well. 

2.  Mix in salt, baking soda, baking powder and flour.  

3.  Put oats and milk chocolate in the food processor or blender until the oats and chocolate are ground.  Add to butter and flour mixture and mix well.  

4.  Stir in semisweet chocolate chips and nuts (if using).  Place golf ball size pieces of dough on ungreased cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. (I prefer to use parchment paper when baking cookies but it’s really a personal preference.)  

5.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Let sit on cookie sheet for a couple of minutes; then cool completely on a wire rack. 

NOTE: These freeze very well.

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Thank you so much Stefanie for sharing the story behind your family's awesome chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I don't know about y'all but my goodness these look delish!!  

Our family's chocolate chip cookie recipe may have some competition ahead :)  

If you are a Military Spouse (past or present) or the parent of a Military Service member and you would like to submit your recipe and story, please send an e-mail to: olivias@cookingwithlibby.com.

Easter Basket Cupcakes

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Easter is will be here in two weeks y'all!  Can you believe it?!

I made these cute little cupcakes for the monthly magazine column that I write and I figured, why not post the recipe and tutorial on here as well?

I found out about these while surfing the net for neat Easter treats one evening.  From my understanding, they have been around for a good while.  I'm wondering why we have never stumbled upon them until now.   I'll blame my lack of free internet surfing time on that one ;)

My kids definitely had a blast making these with me and I'm about to show y'all how it's done.  For those who already know how to make them, disregard this post.  For those who are just now finding out about them, read on ;)

Easter Basket Cupcakes

(makes 12 cupcakes)

Ingredients:

12 cupcakes, unfrosted-I used this recipe for ours, but any cupcake recipe would work

1 and 1/2 cups white frosting

1 bag of Jelly Beans or Candy Eggs

1 cup of shredded coconut

1 bag of Twizzler Candy or Pastel Colored Pipe Cleaners (we found ours at the dollar store)

4 drops of green food coloring

1 tsp. water

Easter Bunny Cut Outs (optional) (we used Easter Egg decorations, purchased at the dollar store)

Directions:

1.  Take the cupcakes and frost each of them with the white frosting.  I used my handy dandy cake decorating tip (#16) to create the basket-ripple effect.

2.  Take a piece of Twizzler Candy or pipe cleaner and insert it into each end of the cupcake, making the handles.  Be sure to measure and cut them if they are to high. 

3.  Mix the 1 tsp. of water with the 4 drops of green food coloring in a small plastic bag.  Place the 1 cup of shredded coconut inside the bag.  Press and squish it all around until all the coconut is green.

4.  Place the green coconut on top of the white frosting, making the green grass.

5.  Once finished, place the Jelly Beans and Candy Eggs on top of the grass.  

6.  Take each Easter Bunny cut out and tape the back to a toothpick.  Insert the toothpick in the back of the cupcake so the bunny is facing forward.  Serve to hungry guests! 

Recipe Source: FamilyFun.com and Taste of Home.com

Happy Birthday My Boy!!

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4 years ago today all my wishes came true......

...the angels brought me a gift and that gift was you.

From this day you were my precious baby boy,

you came into my world and filled it with joy.

I fell in love with your face, and your button nose.

I softly held your hand and kissed your little toes.

So today is your birthday, another year has past.

It's hard to believe your are 4, you're growing up so fast.

Before you know it, you will want your own car.

That's when I will sit up all night and wonder where you are.

No matter where you go or how far you roam,

Always know where I am, is the place you can call home.

So for now, it's bikes and toys and anything for fun,

But forever you are my little boy, my one and only son.

Happy 4th Birthday today to my little Eli!!!  

We <3 you!!!

Poem by: Charmaine Simpson 

Chow Hall Mondays Are Here!

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I'm so pleased to announce that this new project has taken off with great success!

I'm so happy that everyone has been open minded about things.  I am also so very pleased with the feedback and participation from other Military families around the U.S.

Through time, I only hope that this *new* project will blossom and grow.
This is MY way of giving back to the Military AND Civilian Community and is also my family's way of saying "thank you" to everyone who is a part of this brother and sister hood of courageous men and women.

Posts for Chow Hall Mondays Start Below:

Our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies {CHM #1}
Taco Casserole {CHM #2}
Easy No Bake Cheesecake {CHM #3}
Special K Bars {CHM #4}

Interested in participating in Chow Hall Mondays?  
Click HERE for more information on it and on how YOU can be the next one featured :)

Jen's Deviled Eggs

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Hey y'all!  How's the weather been where you are at?  I can tell ya that it's been getting warmer during the day time over here, however, it still remains cool in the evening.  All this beautiful weather has me thinking about the spring....and thinking about the spring has me thinking about recipes and food to usher in this gorgeous time of year.  

This is my sister's recipe and it has become a family staple in this household.  This actually started out as my recipe a long, long, long time ago, but my lovely sister didn't like some of the ingredients that I put in it so she decided to change up some things...resulting in this recipe.  

My version had mustard, pickles, and gourmet type spices.  Her version is a little less 'gourmet' then the original.  Very plain and simple.  And if it's one thing my family is....is plain and simple.  The change stuck with our family and now it's the only way we will eat deviled eggs.  

Jen's Deviled Eggs

(Makes 6 Deviled Eggs)

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2 to 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise (or more if you like lots of mayo)

A couple of pinches of the following:

Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika

Parsley for garnishing

Directions:

1.  Bring a pot filled half way with water to a boil.  Once boiling, drop the eggs, carefully one by one, into the boiling water with a slotted spoon.  Make sure there is enough water in the pot to cover the tops of the eggs.  Add more if there isn't.  Boil for one minute.  After that minute, turn the heat off, place a lid over the pot, and let the eggs sit for 15 minutes.  The heat and steam from the pot will cook the egg to perfection.

2.  After the 15 minutes is up, place the eggs in a bowl.  Shock them with cold water and let them sit for about 8 minutes to cool down.

3.  Once cooled, start peeling them.

4.  After they are all peeled, cut them in half length wise.

5.  Take each half of the egg and carefully remove the yolk.  Place all the yolks in a bowl.

6.  Mash all the yolks with a fork until crumbly.  Place the mayonnaise, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika inside the bowl.  Stir all together until nice and smooth, making sure all the seasonings are well blended.  

7.  Fill each egg with the yolk mixture.  Some people like to fill a plastic bag up with the mixture and cut the tip off the end to help fill it.  I just use a plain ole' spoon.  Garnish with a pinch of paprika and some parsley flakes if desired.

**Libby's Notes:  Some people like their yolk mixture chewy and crumbly, while others like theirs smooth.  Just depends on your taste. Same thing with the spices.  You can increase the amount to suite your taste buds.

Recipe Source:  My Sister, Jennifer :)