Valentine Cake

	1 18 1/4-ounce box white cake mix (plus eggs, water, and oil, as directed on box)
	1 3-ounce box strawberry-flavored Jell-O
	1 16-ounce package frozen sliced strawberries, thawed and drained
	1 cup butter, softened
	3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
	1 teaspoon vanilla extract
	Red or pink candies

1. To begin, heat the oven and grease and flour two 8-inch baking pans, one round and one square, as directed on the cake mix box. Add the Jell-O to the cake mix, then prepare the mix as directed on the box. Fold half of the strawberries into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake according to the package directions. Remove the cakes from the pans and allow them to cool completely on wire racks.

2. To make the frosting, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Add the remaining strawberries and beat until well combined.

3. Cut the round cake in half and place the two semicircles against two sides of the square cake, as shown.

4. Spread on the frosting and decorate to your heart's content with the red or pink candies.

Sorry its another recipe but its sooo good and I wanted to post it so you can all try it :)

Fun Valentine Recipe

Crescent Hearts


INGREDIENTS:

~ 3 tablespoons red sugar

~ 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent
dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations™ refrigerated flaky dough sheet
~2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted


DIRECTIONS:

1. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Sprinkle cutting board with half of sugar.


2. If using crescent rolls: On sugar-sprinkled board, unroll dough and separate dough into 4 rectangles; firmly press perforations to seal. Lightly press dough into sugar. If using dough sheet: On sugar-sprinkled board, unroll dough and cut into 4 rectangles. Lightly press dough into sugar.

3. Brush rectangles with 1 tablespoon of the butter; sprinkle with remaining half of sugar. Place 1 rectangle on top of another. Starting with both of the shortest sides, roll up each side until rolls meet in center. Repeat with remaining 2 rectangles. Refrigerate dough rolls about 30 minutes or until dough is firm.

4. Heat oven to 375°F. Grease cookie sheets. With serrated knife, cut each roll into 8 slices, forming a total of 16 slices. Place slices, cut side down, 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Pinch bottom edge of each slice to form a heart shape. Brush with remaining tablespoon butter.

5. Bake 9 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. If necessary, gently reroll cookies. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack.


I know its not Valentine's Day but I thought these looked so cute I had to post them in case you wanted to make them for a fun treat:)

Happy Groundhog Day!

I am sorry I havent posted anything for awhile as far as adventures or pictures. I am in the recipe mode so I have been doing lots of those. To all the cooks out there it has been a great thing:) I am busy in search of a job and it has been very time consuming and overwhelming. I am hoping to find something soon but with the economy the way it is that is hard to do. I will try and get something exciting written soon but until then enjoy the recipes!:)

Too cute!

Chicken in a Sleeping Bag



INGREDIENTS:

~ 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations™ refrigerated flaky dough sheet
~ 8 slices (1 oz each) cooked ham
~ 8 slices (3/4 oz each) Swiss prepared cheese product, unwrapped
~ 16 frozen breaded wing-shape chicken patties, slightly thawed.


DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 375°F.

2. If using crescent rolls: Unroll both cans of dough; separate into 8 (4x7 1/2 inch) rectangles. Firmly press perforations to seal. If using dough sheets: Unroll both cans of dough, cut each rectangle into 4 rectangles, for a total of 8 (4x7 1/2-inch) rectangles.

3. For each sandwich, place 1 rectangle of dough on ungreased cookie sheet. Top with 1 slice of ham. Place cheese at one end of ham slice. Place 2 chicken patties on cheese. Fold 2/3 of dough over chicken, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of chicken uncovered. Press sides of sandwich with fork to seal edges.

4. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until crust is golden brown and chicken is hot.


I saw this recipe on a friend's site and had to copy it. I couldn't stop laughing at how cute it was. So sorry about all the recipes this week there were to many good things to post:)

Another great recipe!

Taco Soup
1/2-1 lb. Ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can of corn (not creamed), with liquid
1 can of stewed tomatoes, with liquid
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 pkg. taco seasoning
Ground the beef and drain off fat. Cook onion for a couple minutes until tender. Put beef and onion in large cooking pot. Cook on Medium heat. Add corn, tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, and taco seasoning (the original recipe didn't call for black beans, but I always add them and it turns out great). Cook for 20 minutes covered, let lightly boil. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, white corn chips and guacamole.

If you dont like meat this is good without the hamburger too just add more corn and beans.

Recipe of the week

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This recipe came from a friends ward cookbook and it is a family favorite!

___________________________________________

*6 chicken breasts

Sprinkle chicken breasts with garlic salt and pepper and all sides. Dip in flour to coat. Fry in 1/2 inch oil, until brown, on both sides. Arrange chicken in 9x13 pan.

Sauce:

1 clove garlic, minced

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup chicken broth (or water if you don't have any)

4 tbsp catsup

1 tsp soy sauce

dash of salt

Combine and pour sauce over chicken. Add pineapple chunks if desired. Bake at 325 for 1 hour, turning every 15 minutes. Serve over steamed rice.

Zoo Fun!

These sea lions are huge!!! Probably at least 12 feet long!
The King of the Jungle..sunbathing! :)
Mom and Aunty walking Sam.
Posing with his tongue out.
Polar bears relax in the sun.
Me pretending to be a farmer. But the tractor's not going very far.
Baby turtles.

On Martin Luther King day, we took advantage of the zoo's free admission up in Portland. It was well worth the drive, although, everyone else seemed to have the same idea. There were a few animals that weren't out but, we'll be back to take their pictures. :)