Say a big HELLO to 4 year old Jackson from Ohio!

Fun fact about my state:
We are the Buckeye State (named after the tree) and in my neighborhood there are lots of these trees.  It is so much fun collecting all the buckeyes that fall on the ground, “planting” them in water and then putting them in the dirt when they are ready!

My favorite food to cook is:
I love to cook muffins with my Mommy! 

My favorite food to eat is:
Macaroni ‘n Cheese is my most favorite.  But I also love Fried Rice with lots of veggies and chicken in it- but we like to call it Rice on a Stick because we eat it with chop sticks.

I like to cook because…
I just do!  I love putting chocolate chips on stuff.  It’s fun to scoop, dump and stir when we bake together!

Jackson helps his Mommy cook  – you can see some of their dishes over at his Mom’s food blog – My Retro Kitchen….take a peek!

When I grow up I want to be:
I want to be a fireman and a construction guy when I grow up.

Here is a link to my favorite muffin recipe, Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins.   They are soooo yummy!

Those muffins really do sound tasty!  Thanks Jackson!

If you have a child, grandchild, neice, nephew, sibling or cooking buddy that would like to be featured as a Junior Chef on Picture Me Cooking…we would love to have them!  Just click on the Junior Chef Spotlight Button to get started!

Happy Cooking!

Posted February 15th, 2011 by Colleen in Junior Chef Spotlight, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Share/Bookmark

I don’t know about you…but I have a ball with Facebook personally!

Picture Me Cooking is on Facebook as well, it’s way great to interact with folks as well as to sent out recipes and tips!

We are trying to get to 1000 “Likes” and as we do we want to have some fun along the way!!!

Pop on over to join in the fun by hitting the Facebook Icons on the site – you just might win something!

Enter by “Liking” us on Facebook, by suggesting our page to your family and friends.  To do so, just hit the suggest to friends button button once there and comment here or there that you did so.

Prizes include copies of the cookbook, whisk sets for your kids, Parking Pals for your car (keeping kids safe is important!!) and a few other surprises along the way!  Giveaway ends 2/4.

Posted January 26th, 2011 by Colleen in Giveaway, Uncategorized | 27 Comments »

Share/Bookmark

As promised here is the second recipe to help you use up the candy canes left over from the holidays!

A cup of this warm chocolate minty goodness is perfect for a family game or movie night, after a snowy outdoors adventure or as a welcome home from school treat!

At my home, we make a batch of this the day we take down the Christmas tree and decorations (sniff, sniff) it gives us something to look forward to once the job is done!!

Candy Cane Cocoa

4 cups of milk

2 ounces of chocolate chips or chocolate

3 crushed candy canes

Whipped Cream (optional but ooooh soooo good!)

Click here for how to make homemade whipped cream…you will never go back to the other stuff! 

Plus kids are always amazed and excited to watch the process as the liquid turns in to thick and delicious whipped cream:)

1. Crush your candy canes in your food processor (with your parents help) or place them in a plastic seal-able bag and pound with a rolling pin or mallet.

You can even throw them in your blender and hit crush.  Once you have them finely crushed, set them aside.

2. Carefully with an adults help, heat your milk in a saucepan over low to medium heat.  Allow the milk to get hot but do not boil.  Remove the milk from the heat and carefully stir in your chocolate chips, stir until they melt and the milk is chocolatey.  Once smooth, add in the crushed candy canes.

3. Pour into mugs, garnish with whipped cream and some additional crushed candy canes or a candy cane stirrer.

This makes 4 – 1 cup servings.

Enjoy!

Posted January 15th, 2011 by Colleen in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Share/Bookmark

2010 was a great year for us…this site launched, the book made it’s debut on QVC, we had numerous appearances and perss coverage, we featured a number of wonderful Junior Chefs and we made many, many new friends!!  Plus we had lots of kids in the kitchen cooking!!

We have lots planned for 2011 and hope you will visit often (and tell a friend or two).

Above are a few of our favorite recipes posted in 2010:  Salad Cups, Brown Sugar Fruit Dip and Chicken Francaise.

Make Your Own Cones, Pretzle Treats and Meatballs with a Twist were super fun!

BUT hands down the most viewed recipes were Pumpkin Cupcakes, Make Your Own Marshmallows, Creamsicle Cupcakes and the BIGGIE…the most viewed…Edible Eyeballs!

Thank you all for your support in 2010…see you in 2011!!

Posted January 11th, 2011 by Colleen in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Share/Bookmark

I purchased and read a wonderful book to my children a few weeks ago titled Alec’s Fantastical Pet, written by Beverly A. Carmean and illustrated by her 7 year old neighbor Catherine M. Callahan. (Love that!!)

Not only was it a spot on story, a story kids 5-12 can totally identify with,  it was a story that tugged at my heart as a mother.

I could feel the love jump right off of the pages and (I will admit) I filled up with tears while pre-reading it.

Throughout this short story, Alec’s mom cooks for him…and one of those tasty treats was cookies.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting the author at a book event in New Jersey, and she had with her that day handouts with the cookie recipe featured in her book, she said she would be honored if I shared the recipe with you all.

Think about it, cookies are one of the first foods a child helps create in the kitchen often cookies are the first food a young adult bakes on their own. 

Cookies are sent for holidays, to kids away college, or just because…is their a better comfort food?  Maybe, the reason why EVERYBODY loves home made cookies, no matter what the age, is that it takes each us back to the kitchen of some one we loved from the time we were young AND just one of the ways they showed their love for us was by baking cookies…I know as a mom I do this often and as I child I was treated to cookies often from those around me that loved me…those young memories are some of the best and most cherished still!

Check out the book - Alec’s Fantastical Pet and enjoy the recipe!

Nana’s Oatmeal Cookies

(as made famous in Alec’s Fantastical Pet)

1 cup shortening (I used vegetable oil)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups quick cooking oats

1 TBS baking soda

2 TBS molasses

2 cups flour

1/2 cup raisins (I used 1 cup)

Optional 1/2 cup your choice of nuts or chocolate chip or both!

Combine shortening/oil, sugar, cinnamon and oats, mix well.  In a small bowl combine baking soda and molasses, then add that to your mixture.

Let the mixture stand 30-60 minutes.  Add in 2 cups of flour and mix well.

Use a small cookie scoop or tablespoon and drop onto your parchment lined baking sheet (or well greased baking sheet).

Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Happy Cooking!

Posted December 5th, 2010 by Colleen in Colleen, Desserts, Lunch Box, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Share/Bookmark

What do you think of when you think of Fall?

The temperature begins to dip, the daylight gets shorter, we begin getting excited for upcoming holidays and hockey and football are in full swing!

Do you think of the beautiful falling leaves and the colorful pumpkins of every size popping up everywhere?

I do!  Come Fall each year my kids and I go crazy roasting pumpkins and turning them into fall favorites like, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin risotto and these adorable Pumpkin Cupcakes!

These cupcakes are not just tasty they have the perk of vitamins too from the all mighty vitamin packed pumpkin!  Ages 2-6 would be great helpers making these.  Ages 7-16 can do it on their own if they are comfortable in the kitchen!

Pumpkins are an amazing source of vitamins and minerals too.
The amount of Vitamin A in a pumpkin is staggering…the vitamin A will help keep your eyes healthy! Pumpkins are also a source of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, potassium, manganese, copper, riboflavin (a B vitamin), iron, folate, B6, niacin and more!  Whew!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

1/2 c butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups cooked pumpkin *(1 small/med pumpkin) or canned pumpkin (not pumpkin filling)
2 TBS brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

*You can use pumpkin puree in place of roasting a pumpkin.  To learn how to roast a pumpkin, click on the link above for pumpkin muffins.

Beat butter and sugar until creamy.  Add in pumpkin mixture or puree and eggs and beat until incorporated.  In a medium bowl add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, whisk until combined. Add dry ingredients to your batter and blend until combined.

Fill your cupcake pan – either using cupcake liners or greasing your pan well.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until tester inserted comes out clean

Cream Cheese Icing

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1 TBS butter, room temperature

dash of vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Your favorite fall sprinkles

Use a hand or stand mixer and beat cream cheese and butter until smooth, add in the vanilla (more if you love vanilla) and the powdered sugar, mix until smooth.

Once cupcakes are completely cool , spread or pipe onto each cupcake and decorate as you wish!

Happy Cooking!

Posted October 22nd, 2010 by Colleen in Colleen, Desserts, Halloween, Snacks, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Share/Bookmark

                              Have you ever been “BOOED”? 

My kids are 8 and 6 and we first got “Booed” 4 years ago and let me tell you, it has been such fun ever since!  

When Iwas a kid it was all about Soap Night and Mischief Night (an no I did not participate thank you).  

These days it’s about planning your list of “victims” to BOO, then creating something fun to leave behind and giggling as a family as you do it.  Seriously folks…THIS is FUN!!

First you type the note: 

                                     BOO!

                    Today we left you a treat

  The tradition is fun and we hope you will repeat

               Tape this ghost to your front door

  To let the others know you need be ghosted no more

           Now it’s your duty to pass on the surprise

            To three more families we must advise

          Gather some treats and deliver them soon

                Within two nights under the moon

          Include a ghost with each package you give

          Along with this poem for the tradition to live!

                                Happy Halloween!

Along with the note have your kids draw and cut out 3 separate ghosts to include in the package you leave behind.

My kids LOVE coming up with what to put in our packages…Halloween Stickers, candy, home made cookies, our signature

Edible Eyeballs and any other small trinket we come across.  This year we painted some canning jars orange, painted black features to mimic a jack o lantern and put tea lights inside for a cool glow…that is what we are leaving behind along with a sweet treat! 

When the big night comes, usually a few nights before Halloween, we dress in black…my husband pulls his big black truck slowly near (but not to close) to the target home, he turns off the headlights then slowly rolls into a hiding spot.  Next the kids and I spring into action!  My daughter and I hide in the bushes, my son (the oldest) runs up to the front door, rings the doorbell and runs like a crazy man to a hiding spot…we watch as the porch light comes on, the door is opens, folks look around (and sometimes don’t look down and close the door lol) then if it was a parent…they call for their kids when they realize what has happened…the kids come…ecstatic…and peek all around trying to guess “who did it”, then claim their “prize” and head inside…when it is “safe” the kids and I run back to the truck, laugh and tell Dad the story of how it all went down!  Then we prepare for our next stop.

Oh…and I have to admit…we do more than 3…it’s just to fun!

Hope you enjoy trying this fun family activity with your neighbors, friends and family!

Do you have any Halloween traditions?

Posted October 17th, 2010 by Colleen in Colleen, Halloween, Kid Fun, Uncategorized | 5 Comments »

Share/Bookmark

When you think of fall one of the first images that pops in most minds right behind colorful falling leaves is a pumpkin!
Pumpkins for decorating, pumpkins for carving and pumpkins for everything from pancakes to pies, to breads to soups! What a versatile vegetable pumpkin actually is!

Besides versatile, pumpkins are an amazing source of vitamins and minerals too.
The amount of Vitamin A in a pumpkin is staggering…the vitamin A will help keep your eyes healthy! Pumpkins are also a source of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, potassium, manganese, copper, riboflavin (a B vitamin), iron, folate, B6, niacin and more! Whew that is one hard working vegetable!

Ever roast your own pumpkin? If not try….squishing cooled roasted pumpkin between clean hands, preparing it for use in breads, cookies, cheesecake or muffins is great fun! Save the seeds too you may just want to roast them to enjoy later!

Roasting a Pumpkin
To roast your pumpkin cut your pumpkin in half…right down the middle…side to side of “the belly” area as my daughter calls it, so the top is intact and the bottom is intact. Place face down on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes (it depends on the size of pumpkin used).

Check it, if it is all mushy they you are good to go…if not in it goes for another 15 minutes. Keep roasting until perfect. Once pulled from the over, just let it sit as is for 30 minutes to cool, then scoop out the seeds (reserve for another use, and scrape all that beautiful pumpkin out leaving 2 “bowls” of pumpkin skin…which we have let dry, then filled with decorations for fall/Halloween. Wonder if many, many years ago these were used as bowls??

Mash your pumpkin with a potato masher or have fun doing it with your clean hands and place in a plastic bag until ready to use..keeps in the fridge for a few days or you can freeze it for later use.

You know fall is here in my neck of the when the orange and black Sweetzle cookie boxes start taking over the end caps in the grocery store.

You can make these with a topping like I did or just make them plain. You could throw a nice whipped cream cheese frosting on them, decorate for fall and call them cupcakes. You can also make them with a sweeter topping more resembling a crumble if you really want something, sweet, sweet, sweet!

Pumpkin Muffins with Oat Crumb Topping
1/2 c butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups cooked pumpkin *(1 small/med pumpkin)
2 TBS brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup crushed Halloween cookies I use Sweetzles (orange and black box)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

Topping
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup oats
2 TBS brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 TBS butter

*You can use pumpkin puree in place of roasting a pumpkin…if you do roast your own pumpkin, just add 2 TBS brown sugar to the 1 1/2 cups of roasted pumpkin you will be using for this recipe.

Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add in pumpkin mixture or puree and eggs and beat until incorporated. In a food processor, blend about 12 cookies until smooth crumbs, set aside. In a medium bowl add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cookie crumbs, whisk until combined. Add dry ingredients to your batter and blend until combined.

Fill your muffin tin – either using cupcake liners or greasing your pan well.

In a small bowl combine topping ingredients, cut with a pastry blender or large fork or your fingers until crumble, sprinkle over muffins.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until tester inserted comes out clean.

Enjoy!!

Posted October 1st, 2010 by Colleen in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Share/Bookmark

Cookies…is there a better comfort food?

Think about it…cookies are there for everything…

For many people, the first thing they ever helped make in the kitchen as a young child were cookies. Cookies are there at every holiday, party, school lunch, picnic and just because. I wonder just how many packages of cookies are shipped all over the world? Parents ship them to their kids away at school or in the service, giving them a little piece of home.

Many folks are known for their signature cookie.

Cherished cookie recipes are passed from one generation to the next.

Parents experience joy, when the little hands in their life help make cookies time and time again. Little voices and big eyes often request to make cookies.

I know I whip them up so very often just to surprise and delight my kids (the big one too…love ya sweetie)

Many nights I have being so tired and just want to sit for a minute..instead I think…oooh I want the kids to wake up to a full cookie jar!

Why not, after all, it doesn’t take very long and I would much rather whip them up(mess and all) over buying them at the store.

For me cookies = Love!

This particular recipe is years of me trying to replicate a cookie a friend of mine makes. I began working with Janet many years ago. She was the first true foodie I came across in life. She had hundreds of cookbooks, even some signed by Martha (who at the time I had not heard of). She could make anything and did. They first time I put one of her sugar cookies in my mouth I had a moment! I asked her for the recipe and she just said, Oh, I don’t give that one out. At first I couldn’t understand why someone just didn’t give you a recipe, but after years of cooking and perfecting a number of dishes I totally understand. I also have a couple I do not give out. I so looked forward to the holidays when she would bring them in (so did my then boyfriend now husband).

So over the years I just kept at it trying to come close. Last Christmas…guess what arrived in the mail???? None other than Janet’s recipe. I jumped around the house screaming like a little kid…funny everyone around me always has said that I am the hardest person to buy a present for…but all I need are the simple things in life like a good recipe!

I will never share Janet’s recipe as promised but I will share the one I ended up with which comes close to hers. I know a few people who will be happy about this one!

Sugar Cookies

3 cups of flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar (plus 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cream of tarter

Decorator Sugar

Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.

Combine butter, oil, 1 cup of sugar and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl.

Mix for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add in the eggs, vanilla and cream of tarter, mix until incorporated. Add in the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth and creamy.

Note: Depending on the size of your eggs you may need to add up to 1/2 cup additional flour if your dough seems to wet and sticky.

Place cookie dough in your refrigerator for 20 minutes or more, when ready to bake the cookies preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Place 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper and begin rolling 1 1/2 inch balls of dough

roll each ball into the sugar and gently place on your baking sheet. You need to give these cookies room to grow, so no more than 9-10 cookies per sheet.

Once your sheet is full, use a metal mixing cup or glass with a smooth bottom and dip the bottom of it in the sugar and then gently and quickly push down on each ball of dough…one by one. “Sugar, smash…sugar, smash.” You are not flattening them like a pancake just flattening them out a bit. Then sprinkle liberally decorator sugar on each cookie (Found in Michael’s/AC Moore)

Bake for 9-10 minutes…depending on the size cookie you are making. Check them you do not really want them to brown…once you see golden edges beginning, they are finished…if you can grab them out of the oven prior to that…all the better!

Enjoy,

Colleen

Posted August 25th, 2010 by Colleen in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Share/Bookmark

3 more days to take advantage of the 20% off website launch sale!
Buy your copy of Picture Me Cooking today and save!
Stock up for the holidays, make a great gift!

Posted August 12th, 2010 by Colleen in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Share/Bookmark