Peanut Sesame Noodles

Growing up I was absolutely NOT a fan of anything that even remotely resembled Asian/Chinese food. My mom and brother, however, loved it and partaking in these type of meals was usually their thing to do together. Every now and then I’d get coerced into joining them, usually leaving the table hungry and completely unsatisfied. Thanks to the delicious homemade eggrolls my mom would make, I had a safe option to order on those few occasions I found myself in one of “those” restaurants (I still LOVE eggrolls!). Rarely would I ever venture past plain white rice and eggrolls and when I did, it was only to go as far as Sweet & Sour Chicken, sauce on the side (that, in my mind, was not eating Chinese food, it was just eating chicken strips – it’s no surprise my son is a picky eater). As I’ve grown, so have my tastes and I now LOVE to eat Asian/Chinese food! I’m starting to cook it more at home, moving past tasty eggrolls and on to more adventurous fares. We love the peanut flavor used in many Asian dishes and when I came across this recipe on epicurious, I knew it was one we would enjoy and we did – it was light and full of flavor.

Peanut Sesame Noodles

Peanut Dressing

½ cup creamy peanut butter (I used reduced fat)

¼ cup soy sauce

1/3 cup warm water

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

2 medium garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 ½ tablespoons Asian sesame oil

2 teaspoons honey

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Noodle Salad

8 ounce package of thin rice noodles

5 scallions, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/8 inch strips

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/8 inch strips

3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Puree dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl.

Cook noodles in a 6-8 quart pot of boiling salted water until tender. Drain in a colander, rinsing well under cold water.

Add noodles, scallions, bell peppers and sesame seeds to dressing, tossing to combine. Serve immediately.

recipe adapted from epicurious

*My fiancé preferred the noodles warmer than what the recipe indicated serving them and topped his with grilled chicken. Excellent call on both accounts, it was delicious that way!!

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Cupcakes are the perfect way to get a "cake fix" while offering the perfect opportunity for sharing. I'm always excited to try new recipes with new flavors and when I saw this recipe for cupcakes made with pink lemonade on Telly's Tasty Tidbits, I knew it was one I HAD to try and would be a great fun to do with my girls (they love anything PINK!). The end result was amazing, light in texture and full of delicious lemony flavor yet not overpowering. These cupcakes would be great choice for many different occasions - I know already by the reaction from my household, this recipe is one I'll be using again and again! 

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder


1/2 teaspoon baking soda


Pinch of salt


1 cup granulated sugar


1/2 cup vegetable oil


4 egg whites


2/3 cup frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate, thawed


1/2 cup buttermilk


Pink food coloring


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with liners. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, egg whites and lemonade concentrate. Alternately whisk in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of buttermilk, beating until just smooth. Add just enough food coloring to turn the batter a light shade of pink.




Scoop batter into liners, filling about three-fourths full. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack. Top cooled cupcakes with frosting (see below).

Lemonade Buttercream

3 cups + 3 Tablespoons. confectioner’s sugar


1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature


1/8 teaspoon salt


2 Tablespoons pink lemonade concentrate (plus milk to reach desired consistency)

Yellow food coloring

Add the butter, confectioner’s sugar, salt, lemonade concentrate, and a few drops of food coloring to the stand mixer and mix on low using the paddle attachment until combined.

Turn the speed to med-high until the buttercream is fluffy and uniformly yellow. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.

This frosting is absolutely mouthwatering! Buttercream itself is good enough to stand alone (who needs the cake!), so that paired with the sweet tartness of the pink lemonade is, as my 7 year old loves to say, "too heavenly too describe"! I want to smear this frosting on everything!

Recipe from Telly's Tasty Tidbits, who adapted it from Beantown Baker

Handmade Candy Butterflies

I haven't really worked with candy that much and it's something I've been wanting to do more of, so when I saw these butterflies I thought they were just the thing to get moving on the candy train. Surprisingly they were far easier to make than I expected (thanks to the awesome tutorial from Annie's Eats!) and were actually a lot of fun to do. It was the perfect project to do with all three of the kids, there was something for everyone - my 7 year old son drew the outline of the wings and my girls took care of all the sprinkle work, leaving all the messy jobs for mom! A great time was had by all, so much in fact that I forgot all about doing the antennas until I was assembling the butterflies on the cupcakes!  I definitely intend to make then again and the best part is they taste as good as they look!

Butterflies also from Telly's Tasty Tidbits, using tutorial from Annie's Eats, originally from Hello, Cupcake!

Banana Nut Bread

I LOVE Banana Nut Bread!!! The moist, banana nutty goodness is sheer heaven - especially steaming hot fresh out of the oven covered in butter and speaking from a practical point of view, making a batch of this delectable delight is the very best way to make use of overly ripe bananas. Over the years I have tried many different versions, but the first recipe I ever used is still my favorite and my "go to" every time. It's always a HUGE hit in our house and even has the stamp of approval from members of the US Army! 

Banana Nut Bread

*very slightly* adapted from the Fredericksburg Home Kitchen Cookbook, 13th Edition, originally from the 11th Edition recipe by Mrs. Ross Hodges, 1975

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup sweet cream salted butter, softened*

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups sifted flour

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (approximately 3 bananas, depending on size)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped nuts*

Cream sugar and butter together. Add eggs and salt, beating thoroughly until light and fluffy. stir soda into buttermilk. Add flour and buttermilk/soda mixture alternately and beat well. Stir in mashed bananas, vanilla and nuts. Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans at 350 degrees about 50 minutes or until an inserted tooth pick comes out clean.

*Original recipe calls for shortening and 1 cup nuts.

I've also baked this recipe into muffins instead of loaves, which works out well and yields between 18-24 muffins, depending on how full the cups are filled. Adjust baking time accordingly.