mini birthday cakes

My mom's birthday was in August, so as a surprise I wanted to bake her some cake and take it over to her house so she'd see it when she got home from work.

I had seen several ideas of this type of cake (like this one and this one), but didn't really follow any directions.  I just made it up as I went along.

I used a box yellow cake and store bought vanilla icing.  I baked the cake in a jelly roll pan, let it cool, and then using a biscuit cutter, I cut out my layers.  Then I piped icing between each layer to build the cakes.  I added some sprinkles and made a small bunting to hang over the cakes.

Sadly, one kind of went lopsided and then fell over on the ride to mom's.  It was a good idea, but my execution could have been better, at least in my opinion.

It was a fun and simple project!  We had a few left over, so of course I made one for G!

Happy Birthday Mom!
xo,
logan

last night's dinner: california burgers

We didn't eat these last night, but we've made them several times during my maternity leave.  They are super yummy and will probably be our go to burger recipe from now on.

California Burgers
**recipe from emeals

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs ground chuck
1/2 c. quick cooking oats
1 egg
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp red pepper*
1 pkg hamburger buns
1 tomato, sliced
1 avocado, sliced
5 oz. pkg sprouts*

Directions:
Combine beef, oats, egg, garlic salt, pepper, Worcestershire, and red pepper.  Form patties and grill over medium heat to desired doneness.  Toast buns on grill.  Serve with ketchup, mustard, mayo, tomato, avocado, and sprouts.
*We did not use the red pepper or sprouts.

Super easy and super yummy.  and toddler approved!  For a kid that doesn't eat much meat, we were happy!

xo, logan

orange cream popsicles

Enjoy these easy popsicles as summer comes to an end.

xo,
logan

[recipe via NY Times]

green smoothies

...or smoosies as G calls them.

I've always struggled getting vegetables into G once he gave up eating purees, so I've turned to smoothies. This was the first green smoothie I made for him. I followed this recipe, exactly as written. I'll include it below as well. He definitely enjoyed it. I hyped it up a bit saying it was a special drink just for him. The left overs were perfect for the Zoku pop maker. So now I have a stash of popsicles in the freezer for an afternoon treat that as a bonus are quite healthy!






Green Smoothie
**recipe from two peas & their pod
Yield: 2 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
1 large orange, peeled and segmented
1/2 of a large banana, cut into chunks
6 large strawberries
2 cups spinach
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup ice

Directions:
Put all of the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.


It's so easy and quick! and you can freeze for later. We'll definitely be exploring the world of "smoosies" the rest of the summer and fall.

Enjoy!
xo, logan

the best peach pie

G helped me make a peach pie! and it was a very yummy peach pie! At least my husband said it was the best he's ever had, and that I'm more than welcome to make the pie whenever I feel like it. The funny thing is, I don't really feel like I baked a pie...I used a store bought crust (Aldi's, which was very good) AND frozen peaches. But it was delicious and that is what counts. It also could be that I added the whole half a cup of sugar into the filling instead of the divided amount (1/4 cup in the filling & 1/4 cup sprinkled on top of the crust). It's still 1/2 cup of sugar in the end...mine was just all inside.

It really was a great pie. Not too runny and definitely something to make again (when I can eat butter).

Here's the recipe if you feel up to baking a tasty pie.

Grandma’s Peach Pie
**recipe from Homesick Texan

Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup milk

For the filling
1 quart (4 cups) of peeled and sliced peaches, uncooked (if using frozen, let thaw a bit)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
5 tablespoons of butter, sliced
1 tablespoon of flour

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour and salt. Mix oil and milk. Pour oil and milk into flour and salt and stir until combined into a dough. Can add more milk if dry.

Separate into two balls. Roll out one ball between two sheets of wax paper, and line a pie pan with crust. Roll out other ball and set aside.

Add to the crust-lined pie pan the peaches. Sprinkle on top 1/4 cup of sugar, cinnamon and flour. Add slices of butter.

Take other rolled-out crust, and lay it on top of the pie, crimping and sealing the edges. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of sugar on top of pie, and poke holes in top crust with a fork.

Bake in oven for about an hour, or until crust is golden and pie is bubbling.

Enjoy!
xo, logan

settling in...

As my maternity leave is coming to a close, I finally feel like we're settling into this new life with two. It has definitely had it's ups and downs, but we're hanging in for the long run. Each day will get better.

I haven't been able to blog (at all), since both kids keep me pretty busy, and we fought a long and tiresome battle with jaundice that kept us going back and forth to the doctor. But we are finally done with that! Thankful!

We have managed a little fun too with a family beach trip and some visits to IKEA.

So even though I'm very behind on blogging, I wanted to share some of the things we've been doing lately. A lot revolve around food, because really what is better than eating :)

G has helped me bake some goodies (at least until I had to cut out dairy from my diet).




He was such a good little helper! and of course he enjoyed helping us eat them too.

I used this recipe, but I substituted white and dark chocolate chips instead of m&m's, mainly because I didn't have any on hand. and chocolate is chocolate right? The only thing I would change would be to not add as much vanilla. I thought it was a little too much. Obviously we didn't have any problem eating them all, they were still delicious!

Hope to be back sooner than last time!
Happy baking!!
xo, logan

strawberry lemonade popsicles

I recently received a zoku quick pop maker from the hubby. and I LOVE it so far. It's perfect when you're craving something sweet and you can have a finished popsicle in 10 minutes!

These are the first popsicles of the season.

Strawberry Lemonade Quick Pops
**recipe from Zoku
Yields: 6

Ingredients:
1 cup lemonade
4 oz. hulled strawberries

Directions:
1. Add lemonade and strawberries to a blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a mesh sieve into a measuring cup, using a spoon to push it through faster. If the mixture is foamy, let it sit for 20 minutes to settle down. Then give it a gentle stir before assembling pops.

2. Remove The Quick Pop Maker from your freezer, insert sticks and pour the strawberry lemonade blend into molds until you reach the fill line. Let freeze completely, then remove the pops with the Super Tool and enjoy! Repeat with remaining 3 pops.

Super easy, and quite yummy. The little man even liked them!

xo,
logan

P.S. I'm on instagram! Follow me at fractionsoflove.

last night's dinner: parmesan crusted talapia

We recently joined emeals and this was the recipe we cooked last night. It was very quick and easy, which is something we always like around here.

I think it could have used a little salt in the crumb mixture, but that's just my opinion.

Parmesan Crusted Talapia

Ingredients:
1/4 cup breadcrumbs (we used panko)
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried basil
1.5 lbs talapia fillets, 4-6 pieces
2 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400. Mix breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and basil. Brush one side of fish with butter and dip into crumb mixture. Place fish, coated side up in a greased rectangular pan. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.

and done! So easy! and it was pretty tasty too. Like I said above, it could have used a touch of salt, but was still good as is. We'll definitely keep this in rotation.

We served ours with basmati rice and green beans, but you could choose any sides to your liking. Enjoy!

xo,
logan

apple pie

This weekend I made an apple pie. It definitely put me in the mood for summer!

Apple Pie
**recipe from Adventures of an Urban Foodie, but I didn't make mine vegan

Ingredients:
1 recipe pie dough
3 pounds apples (6-8 medium-large)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (for vegan version, use Earth Balance sticks)
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon salt

Line a 9-inch pie pan with half the dough. Peel, core, and slice apples a little thicker than ¼ inch.

Heat butter in a very wide skillet or pot over high heat until sizzling and fragrant.

Add the apples and toss until glazed with butter. Reduce the heat to medium, cover tightly, and cook, stirring frequently, until the apples are softened on the outside but still slightly crunchy, 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Increase heat to high and cook the apples at a rapid boil until the juices become thick and syrupy, about 3 minutes. Immediately spread the apples in a thin layer on a baking sheet, and let them cool to room temperature.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the apple mixture into the bottom crust. Cover with a pricked or vented top crust or a lattice. Bake until the crust is richly browned and the filling has begun to bubble, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack, 3 to 4 hours.

Enjoy!
xo,
logan

last night's dinner: quinoa burgers

So so yummy! and so good for you. If you’re unfamiliar with quinoa, check it out. Lots and lots of protein.

Here’s the recipe. The only thing I might change the next time I make them is using only 2 eggs instead of the recommended 3. Definitely a recipe to keep in our rotation!

cake batter rice crispy treats

I found this recipe on pinterest and wanted to give it a try.

They were good, but in my opinion they could have been a little more cake batter flavored.

last night's dinner: couscous salad

Feeding my sweet babe has become a challenge recently (since his refusal to eat anything pureed) so I'm always looking for a simple meal that is kid friendly.

I came upon this couscous recipe and improvised a bit since I didn't have a few of the ingredients.


Greek Isreali Couscous Salad
**recipe from Weelicious

1 1/2 cups Israeli Couscous
3 tbsp Olive Oil, divided
2 cups Water
2 tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
2 Persian Cucumbers, seeded & diced (or 1 cucumber)
1 Large Tomato, seeded & diced
1 tbsp Parsley, chopped

1. Place the couscous and 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pot and toast for 5 minutes over medium heat.
2. Add water and bring to a boil then simmer for 12 minutes.
3. Remove to a bowl and cool.
4. Pour in the remaining ingredients plus the 2 remaining tbsps of olive oil and stir to combine.
5. Serve.

NOTES:
1. I used Canadian whole wheat toasted couscous.
2. I only had about half a cucumber, so I added some corn to the salad.
3. I omitted the salt and parsley (didn't have fresh parsley on hand. This is why a small herb garden would be awesome).
4. Didn't have feta cheese (yum!) so I used grated parmesan cheese.

It turned out to be tasty, and the little G monkey actually ate about half his bowl! My dad and I added some tilapia to the dish, which made it even yummier. G didn't like the fish, so he just ate the couscous. But we're making progress! and it's another meal option for the little babe.

If you have any kid friendly recipes you'd like to share, leave me a comment! I'm always on the search for yummy food for the little one (and us parents too!).

xo,
logan

best cookies ever!

When we were in FL we were introduced to the best chocolate chip cookie ever. and I finally got my hands on the recipe. So that's what I did on Sunday. These cookies are so delicious and chewy (they even stay chewy once completely cool, day after day).

If you bake them, let me know if you like them as much as I do. Best ever, in my opinion.

xo,
logan

last night's dinner: mango quinoa salad

MANGO QUINOA SALAD

The mango adds a nice flavor to this dish. and with the black beans and quinoa, it's quite tasty.

Next time around, I think I'll leave off the vinaigrette dressing. A bit too much for me. So if you try to make this, maybe cut back on the amount of vinegar (just my opinion).

xo,
logan

bits from the weekend

Blueberry ice cream and ingredients for a quinoa salad.

xo,
logan

bits from the weekend

Saturday I tutored algebra and then made these eggrolls for our block party. Then on Sunday I made some special pancakes for father's day, G ate some cheerios with milk, and I finally got around to printing, cutting, and writing thank you notes for G's birthday party (bad mama for being so tardy with the thank you notes). Hope you all had a great weekend!

xo,
logan

bits from the weekend

I made these donut muffins while Tim pulled the Subaru engine. and then I finished the weekend by finally putting together G's mobile. It needs at least one more ornament to help fill it out, but I'll add that one a little later.

xo,
logan

last night's dinner: avocado quinoa tacos

AVOCADO QUINOA TACOS

ohmygosh.inlove.sodelicious.mustmakeagain

Seriously. These tacos are so easy. My friend and I made them in like 30 minutes, and that included all the jabbering and baby holding we were doing. All you have to do is cook the quinoa, and stir in all the other ingredients (we used a rotisserie chicken, so it was already cooked, but you could easily leave our the chicken all together). Warm some tortillas and you're done. So yummy and very healthy for you. and did I say delicious?

Give 'em a try! and let me know if you liked them just as much as me and my friend did.

Good eats!

xo,
logan

[[photo by Fudge Banana Swirl]]

ginger veggie stir-fry

My personal chef (aka. husband) cooked up this veggie stir-fry on Sunday and it was delicious! This is a must keep recipe. It's falls into the category of recipes that I love - quick and easy. Healthy is an added bonus.

P.S. I'm totally loving my new camera!