birthday boy!

happy happy birthday to my sweet sweet boy.
two years.
best of our lives :)
love you, my little man.

dallas cupcakes

Or should I say, cupcakes in Dallas??

I love the cupcake trend.
It's probably about to be replaced with something chic-er, like ice cream sandwiches or macarons but while they are still in, I'm totally taking advantage.

And take advantage I did.
The last time I was in Texas, we took a bit of a tour with these babies :)

Enjoy!

gd likes

a small belly again so I can wear this shirt all Fall:

this, to cover my hair when the babies won't let me wash it :):

these funky earrings, to go with my new headscarf:

aaaaand something for Baby Jack to wear too :)

Sooooo, what do you like this week??

mushroom empanadas

These are the bomb.
For real.

Super tender and tasty, they are perfect for your next party.
But really, we just ate them with dinner.
And the next day.
And the next.

And if you don't like mushrooms?
Use the same super easy dough and fill with whatever (pre-cooked) filling you want!

ps-they are freezeable!  Perfect for do-ahead holidays!

Mushroom Empanadas
Adapted from Good Housekeeping.
Makes around 48-56.
1 1/2 cups flour
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened (one stick)
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
8 ounces white button mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon sherry
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 large egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water

In a food processor or large bowl, knead flour, cream cheese, and 1/2 cup butter until blended.  Shape dough into 2 disks and wrap with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat.  Add onion and mushrooms and saute until tender but not browned, about 15-20 minutes.  Stir in garlic, flour, salt, pepper, thyme, and sherry and cook for about another minute.  Transfer mixture to a large bowl and cool completely.  Stir in sour cream and set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk of dough until about 1/8 inch thick.  Using a 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut as many rounds as you can, rerolling and cutting as needed.
One one half of each dough round, spoon a heaping teaspoon of mushroom filling.  Brush edges of rounds with some beaten egg mixture.  Fold dough over to enclose filling and with a fork, press edges together to seal dough.  Brush empanadas lightly with egg mixture.  Continue until all the filling is used.  Place about an inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Refrigerate until the oven is preheated.
*You can keep in the fridge for up to a day OR freeze until firm and pack up.  Freeze for up to a month.*
Preheat your oven to 450*.  Bake cold empanadas until golden and heated through, about 12-14 minutes.  If frozen, bake for 15-20 minutes.
Serve hot or warm and enjoy!

*Yup, I took the easy way and chopped in the food processor.*

  

peach cobbler

I know, I know.
Not summer anymore.

Can we have just a taste more?
(har har.)
But, it's still hot outside, yes?
Feels like summer?
Let's enjoy then.

Go grab some overripe peaches at the market (that are on clearance) and make this.
And pretend that it's early June again and we have beaches ahead of us and great tans and bright pink nail polish on.

Peach Cobbler
Serves a bunch.
Serve with ice cream and whipped cream, please.
And this is old school, from the 1980's edition of the big, red and white checked cookbook.  
Oh, and on a side note, did you know that there are different types of cobblers?  There are some with a cake-like top, like my blackberry cobbler.  Then, there are cobblers with pie crust tops (not for me).  Then, there are these.  Biscuit topped cobblers.  This is what I grew up with.  This will always be my favorite.  This is the quintessential cobbler, for me.
4 cups fresh peaches, sliced
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, grated while cold
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup whole milk
Combine the peaches, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan.  Heat until simmering and cook until slightly thickened.  Remove from heat and let cool.  You can even refrigerate the mixture overnight so it's nice and thick and delicious.

When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400*.
Combine the rest of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
Add grated butter and incorporate with your fingers.
Add egg and milk and mix with a fork until just combined.

Pour peach mixture into a buttered 8x8" baking dish.
Dollop biscuit topping into imperfect mounds on the peaches.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown and the peaches are bubbly.

Smother that sucker with whipped cream and melty ice cream and eat so fast it burns your tongue :)