Strawberry Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Frosting

I have been trying to find a good whoopie pie recipe for a long time.  I tried several using cake mixes, one from scratch and every time they came out either too flat or too crunchy and just NOT right.  Its been frustrating because I like to think of myself as a good baker and some of these recipes I was embarrassed to say I was the one who made them.  The last time I tried to make whoopie pies I swore I wouldn't even give it another try because I was so tired of failing.

Today, as the sun went in and out of clouds and every-other minute it looked like it might rain I decided it would not be a Saturday spent at the pool.  The house was cleaned yesterday, I grocery shopped in the morning, we played games, ate lunch and then came the point where I was looking for something to do.  Oh, why not give those darn whoopie pies one last shot!  I just happened to have a strawberry cake mix in my pantry ...weird!!, I know, but my 2 year old daughter loves anything pink so it went into the grocery cart at some point months ago.


This is it!  Voila!  Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!  I FINALLY found a great whoopie pie recipe that uses a cake mix - woohoo!!!!   They came out PERFECTLY FLUFFY!  I used the frosting recipe I use for my Easter carrot cake.  The sweet strawberry flavor pairs well with the cream cheese frosting.  These would make a perfect dessert at a baby shower for someone who is expecting a girl.

You can use any flavor cake and any flavor frosting.  I think I will try devil food chocolate next time with peanut butter frosting.  mmmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.  Now that I've mastered whoopie pies, what should I try next???  :-)  Happy baking!

Ingredients:
1 box strawberry cake mix (or any flavor)
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 400'F.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Mix ingredients in a large bowl for 2-3 minutes using a mixer.  Drop by spoonful (I used the Pampered Chef medium scoop - approximately 2 tablespoons) onto the parchment paper leaving 2 inches between each drop.  Bake for exactly 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tub cool whip (8 oz size)

Mix ingredients until smooth.  Drop by spoonful onto the bottom of one cookie and top with a second cookie, press together to assemble your whoopie pies.  Wrap individually with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Wilton has a great vanilla filling recipe that works well with the strawberry whoopie pies as well as the classic chocolate whoopie pies.  It can be found here:  Wilton.com  I love the cream cheese frosting recipe, however, if you want something that doesn't need to be refrigerated the vanilla filling is the way to go.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This spicy, creamy, addicting dip is a staple during football season!  It is also good anytime of the year as a quick go-to appetizer when entertaining friends.  If you have ever been to my house to watch football then you have definitely tried this dip.

Everyone seems to have their own version of this recipe with different levels of spiciness.  My version is a little different from the standard Frank's Red Hot recipe.  Its extra spicy but that extra kick keeps you coming back for more.  Hope you enjoy it!

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped (I use leftover rotisserie chicken from Sam's Club)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup blue cheese salad dressing
1/4 cup ranch salad dressing
1/4 cup Frank's Hot Sauce
1/4 cup siracha sauce (found with Asian foods at the grocery store)

Mix the cheeses, salad dressings and hot sauces.  Stir in the chicken.  Microwave or bake until hot & bubbly.  Enjoy with tortilla chips or celery.

Jello Shooters!

First of all, this recipe is intended for adults over the age of 21.  Do not drink and drive!

We are headed to the Dave Matthews Band concert on Saturday and I thought I would make Jello shooters for something fun to have at our tailgate.  The first time I made Jello shooters years ago I made a huge mess in my kitchen trying to pour the liquid into the small containers.  I think my entire kitchen counter was a big sticky mess by the time I was finished and it also seemed to be very time consuming. Now I'm older and wiser I have a great system for making Jello shooters that is quick and easy... and for the most part mess-free.

Things you'll need
Funnel
Empty liquor bottle
Removable pour spout
Plastic condiment containers with lids

Ingredients
1 box Jello  3oz size (generic brands work good too)
1 cup boiling water
1 cup alcohol (any kind, any flavor ... see below for suggestions)

Each small box of jello will make about 25 shooters.  I made 150 shooters last night in about 30 minutes. Using an empty liquor bottle to mix and pour makes things really simple.  Another helpful hint is to boil all the water at once in a large pot and just keep it on a low boil while you make each batch of Jello (so if you have 6 boxes of Jello bring 6 cups of water to a boil).

Place the funnel in the empty liquor bottle and pour in one box of Jello.  Add one cup of the boiling water to the bottle, remove funnel, top with the cap and shake the bottle to dissolve the Jello.  Remove cap, place funnel back in the bottle and add one cup of alcohol.  Remove funnel, top with cap and give another shake to mix.  Remove cap and top with pour spout.  Fill 25 plastic containers about half way full, put the lids on, stack and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.  If you're working on more than one flavor you can simply rinse out your bottle and funnel and move on to the next flavor.

The flavor combinations I made last night were ...
Island Pineapple with Coconut Rum (Pina Colada)
Berry Blue with Blue Maui
Peach with Peach Schnapps
Strawberry with Melon Schnapps
Orange with 1/2 Washington Apple, 1/2 Peach Schnapps

If you want stronger shooters you can use vodka or rum for the cup of alcohol or you can use half a cup of vodka/rum with half a cup of a flavored schnapps.  I'm not trying to get anyone sick mid-concert so I just went with the light weight shooters this time.  We'll save the full strength vodka ones for a party.

Here are a few other flavor combos I found online. The possibilities are endless ...

• Dreamsicle Jello Shots
• Orange Jello, Whipped cream or vanilla flavored vodka, Triplesec

• Strawberry Lemonaid Jello Shots
• Strawberry Jello, Lemon flavored vodka, Triplesec 

• Jolly Rancher
• Melon Jello, Vodka, Apple Pucker

• Purple People Eater
• Grape Jello, Vodka, Watermelon Pucker

• Bomb Pop
• Cherry Jello, Lemon vodka, Blue Curacao 

• Margarita
• Lime Jello, Tequila, Triple sec

• Tequila Sunrise
• Orange Jello, Tequila, Triple sec and Grenadine 

• Tropic Thunder
• Berry Blue Jello, Lemon vodka, Blue curacao 

• Blue Hawaiian
• Berry Blue Jello, Malibu rum, Blue curacao, 1/2 cup pineapple juice can be substituted for some of the boiling water

• Rum Runner
• Strawberry Banana Jello, light or dark Rum, Triple sec

• Bahama Mama
• Watermelon Jello, Malibu rum, Peach schnapps

• Cosmopolitan
• Cranberry Jello, Vodka, Triple sec, Splash of lime juice with the boiling water 

• Sex on the Beach
• Orange Jello, Vodka, Peach schnapps, 1/2 cup cranberry juice substituted for some of the boiling water 

• Lemon Drop
• Lemon Jello, Lemon vodka, Triple sec 

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Soft Sugar Cookies

Happy 4th of July!  This is a day late but I'm sure everyone is enjoying celebrating all weekend long with picnics and pool parties.

Did I say I was taking a break from baked goods?  Ha, what a big fat LIE!  I really did try but I just can't keep myself away from baking.  I'm headed to a picnic tomorrow and needed something to bring along.  The 4th of July makes me think about a flag cake my mom and I used to make together when I was little.  It was a simple white cake baked in a 9 x 13 pan and then we decorated it with blueberries, strawberries and cool whip to make it look like an American flag.  It was fun and turned out cute but it needed to be refrigerated and also needed to be sliced.  I believe picnics require foods that can sit out all day and withstand the heat, bite sized desserts people can grab and walk back to their lounge chair and of course with small desserts so you can try more than one!!

I decided to bake cookies and I flipped through my recipe book and landed on Soft Sugar Cookies ... everyone likes them, I can decorate them red-white-and-blue, they can sit out at a picnic and they're easy to transport.  Decision made.  Oh, but the taste brought back so many memories.  I thought a recent cookie, the salted double chocolate peanut butter, were my absolute favorite until I made this oldie but goodie.  This was my favorite cookie for sooo many years and I think in my heart it still remains the favorite.  This is the cookie recipe my mom made when I was growing up...its the recipe I watched her make, eventually helped her make and then made on my own.

Oh soft sugar cookie, I love you.

You make me feel good when I am blue.

You are such a tasty little treat.

No other cookie can compete.

Heres' the recipe!  It makes 24 cookies but can be easily doubled to make 48.

1 cup sugar
1 egg
6 tablespoons margarine, softened
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups flour
colored sugar or sprinkles
1 tub of vanilla frosting


Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.  In another bowl cream sugar, eggs, margarine and vanilla.  Slowly add the dry ingredients and milk while stirring.  Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Heat oven to 350'.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper and use a medium scoop or tablespoon to drop spoonfuls of cookies about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.  Bake cookies for 12 minutes and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then move them to cooling racks to cool completely. Frost cookies with vanilla frosting and decorate with sprinkles.

You can also top the cookies with colored sugars or sprinkles BEFORE baking them and leave off the frosting.  They're good both ways but I like the look of the frosted cookies better.