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Goodbye to Little Window Shoppe

May 18, 2009 by Emily · 62 Comments 

My Dearest Window Shoppe Readers and Friends,

This post has taken me over a month to write - partly because this is my last post on this blog. I am so sad to announce that as of today, Little Window Shoppe is closing for good.

The decision was not taken lightly and was really hard to make, but a combination of factors came together that brought me to this post…very much wanting to spend more time with my family (I have a very busy two year old who needs more mommy-time), getting ready for baby #2 in November (I’ve been out sick for two months! But it’s totally worth it as we’re so excited to have a new baby come to our family), and finally getting ready for a move to a new state with my family this Summer (my hubby is starting a new job).

{Photo source: Wilson Library Reserve}

I have learned so much from blogging at Little Window Shoppe and will be forever grateful for the kind friends I have made and the amazing experiences that I have had here!! Thank you so much for taking time to make Little Window shoppe a part of your lives and for being such a fantastic community. And also, thank you for all of the nice emails and inquiries about how we are doing.

Before I say goodbye for good, I want to thank a few people who helped me along the way:

First and foremost, my husband Scott. He is an incredibly supportive husband and friend and was the first person to listen to my every idea and concern throughout my blogging adventures. He has also been Superman at my house and has cooked, cleaned, taken care of our two year old and helped me out while I was sick over the last seven weeks! I couldn’t ask for a better man in my life and I love him so much!!

I also wanted to thank Holly of Tutus and Turtles. She is so cool and listened and talked to me for hours on the phone as I worked out how I would end my Window Shoppe blogging days. Her blog has been an inspiration to me from the beginning and I think that her blog ideas rock!!

Finally, I wanted to thank each of the writers and contributors for Little Window Shoppe. Each of them had creative and beautiful ideas to share and I’m so grateful and honored that they wanted to be part of this blog with me. They have become some of my dearest friends and were the best group of writers a blog ever had! They even sent me tulips when I was sick (just about made me cry, I felt so loved).

Please visit each of their blogs to keep up with their cool ideas!

• Vanessa - her blog: I Never Grew Up
• Lauren - her blog: Supermom Central
• Michelle - her shoppe: Sweet Mady’s Paper
• Michaelle - her blog: Monkeys Momma
• Cassie - her shoppe: Madison Envy
• Kelly - her blog: Albany Mommy

Also, I wanted to leave you with a few additional recommendations of blogs I love - in case you are looking for new places to subscribe:

• www.simplemom.net - this is my absolute favorite blog to follow…it has the best family tips and ideas that make sense, the ideas are easy to follow and I just can’t get enough of its coolness.
• www.howaboutorange.blogspot.com - artsy, tons of crafts, diy ideas, printouts, and the best time-wasters ever.
• www.thepioneerwoman.com - recipes, photoshop tutorials, photography 101, down-to-earth life.
• www.makeandtakes.com - the coolest (and most creative) kids crafts ever!
• www.metropolitanmama.net - and for all you contest lovers, this Metro Mama has excellent giveaways all of the time - and she writes helpful articles with tips for parents. Love it.

There are so many more…but I think this is a great start.

If you want to stay in touch with me, you can follow me at a few sites:

• www.emilyjune.com (I’ll still be designing blogs and websites - starting again this fall). 
• I’m also going to be checking in and updating my facebook page and my family blog regularly. They will have weekly updates of my family life and the cool fun things we are doing.

**If you want to stay in touch with me at my family blog or on facebook, just email me or leave a comment letting me know and I’ll send you the links.**

Thank you again for making this the best blogging experience I have ever had!!
Always,
Emily

Berry Trifle

April 21, 2009 by Vanessa · 14 Comments 

Now that Spring is here my family loves to cook lighter meals - especially lighter desserts. Our Berry Trifle is such a no-stress and yummy dessert that you can make for any get-together.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups mixed berries (Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries)
• 1 Angel Food Cake
• 1 Pouch of Strawberry Glaze (You can find this in the produce section of the grocery store)
• Fresh Whipped Cream

Directions:

• Mix together your chopped or whole berries
• Chop or tear your Angel Food Cake into bite sized sizes
• Drizzle the Strawberry Glaze over your cake
• Fold in your freshly whipped cream and berries

Instead of mixing all the ingredients together you could layer them, although mixing all the ingredients gives it a pink spring color.

Written by Vanessa of I Never Grew Up

Banana Split Brownies

April 2, 2009 by Kelly · 18 Comments 

We have another new monthly writer - which is great - the more ideas, the merrier. Kelly is going to write for us once a month. To get to know her a little better, you can read more about her on our writer’s page or you can visit her blog: AlbanyMommy.com. Now, onto her post.

Banana Split Brownies are very easy to make and they are an incredibly delicious treat!

What you’ll need:

• Brownies
• Bananas
• Strawberries
• A really good bar of Milk Chocolate
• Long toothpicks

To start, make up your brownies however you’d like. Whether you want to bake your brownies from scratch or use a box, it works either way. (I made my brownies from the box on this one).

Let your brownies cool for about an hour, and then cut them into small squares, about 1 inch each. Holding your toothpick, place half of a strawberry on first, then a slice of banana, then a brownie square. It is really that easy.

When you have all your brownies and layers on the toothpicks, you’re ready for the topping.

To make your delicious drizzle, take your milk chocolate bar and melt it in the microwave. (This is the hardest part.)  Make sure to only microwave it in 30 second intervals and then use a fork to mash/mix your chocolate in between each 30 second interval.  Keep microwaving the chocolate at 30 second intervals until it is completely melted.  It’s very easy to burn chocolate, admittedly, I’ve tried to shortcut it (microwaving for 45 seconds or 1 minute at a time) and have burnt my chocolate more times than I can count! 

Arrange your desserts on a platter so you can easily drizzle the chocolate over them. This next part is what restaurants sometimes do to make your plate look even more appetizing!!  And, it also makes this dessert over-the-top incredible!!

Dip a fork in the melted chocolate and then fling the chocolate over the brownie kabobs. Do this repeatedly until you have a nice, thin covering over all the desserts. Wasn’t that part fun?

I have always used short toothpicks, but you could use kabob skewers and make more layers too. You will not believe how incredibly delicious these are compared to how easy they are to make. They taste great with a nice glass of milk too. Yum!!

Written by Kelly of Albany Mommy

Spaghetti Squash

March 31, 2009 by Vanessa · 16 Comments 

Want to trick your whole family into eating a huge plate of vegetables for dinner? I do it every week and my family cannot get enough of my Spaghetti Squash recipe. I feel wonderful serving it to them because it’s about as healthy as it can get and they have fun eating it because it looks just like pasta!

Ingredients:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 whole Spaghetti Squash
• 3 Fresh Tomatoes
• 2 Vegetables of Your Choice
• Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Slice your Spaghetti Squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and season with olive oil, salt and pepper on all sides. Place the squash flesh sides down on cooking tray with foil covering all of the exposed skin. Roast for 45 minutes - 1 hour, (until tender).

• Meanwhile, saute with oil, salt and pepper two of your favorite chopped vegetables. I like to use zucchini and yellow squash but you can use whatever you have on hand!

• When the spaghetti squash is done simply pull your fork through the flesh and it will come out like spaghetti noodles!

• Combine the “noodles”, sauteed vegetables and serve with chopped fresh tomatoes and sprinkles of fresh Parmesan cheese.

Hope your family enjoys this healthy recipe too!

Written by Vanessa of I Never Grew Up

Hawaiian Haystacks = Happy Tummies

March 13, 2009 by Emily · 14 Comments 

Hawaiian Haystacks are a light, melt in your mouth dinner recipe that your family will love, I promise! They are fun (and so easy) to make and they have just the right touch of sweetness too.

A few weeks ago, I was on Twitter musing about making Hawaiian Haystacks for lunch and I received a few replies from friends who hadn’t heard of them! So, if you haven’t heard of Hawaiian Haystacks before, you’re in for a fun treat. We made these Haystacks this week for dinner…don’t they look enticing?

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken or 4 chicken breasts, cut up (you can grill it or boil it)
• 1 - 2 cans of cream of chicken soup
• 2 stalks celery (you can use green peppers or green onions too), chopped
• rice - your favorite kind - (I used minute rice)
• 1 can of rice noodles (I like to use La Choy rice noodles)
• Salt and pepper
• Optional toppings

Cook or grill your chicken, cut it up and mix in your cream of chicken soup. Then serve over rice and start layering!  Cut up the celery (or your favorite greens) and add them as the next layer, then sprinkle the top with a few rice noodles and any of the optional toppings.

(Optional - but totally recommended. We love using coconut and maraschino cherries on ours):

• maraschino cherries
• coconut
• cheese
• pineapple
• almonds
• chopped tomatoes

The best part about Hawaiian Haystacks - you can make them with your favorite ingredients and vary it up so that it fits your taste.

Fun Fruit Drinks

March 3, 2009 by Vanessa · 11 Comments 

There is something about the weather warming up that puts me in the mood for a cool smoothie/fruit drink. Putting together a quick and fun drink for a family dinner can help add something special to the normal routine. Our family favorites are Lava Flows and Mint Pomegranate Lemonade, hope you enjoy them too.

Lava Flows

{Photo by Eric Hamilton}

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups of Dole Pineapple Juice
• 2 cans of Coco Lopez drink mix
• 2 cups of fresh strawberries
• 1 tray of ice

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth and serve!

Mint Pomegranate Lemonade

{Photo by Gliuoo}

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of fresh lemonade
• 1/4 cup of pomegranate juice
• Fresh sprig of Mint
• Berries or Citrus to garnish (if desired)

Directions:

1.Combine lemonade and pomegranate juice in tall glass over ice. Garnish with mint sprig and fresh berries or citrus.

The next fun drink I am looking to make at home is an Orange Cream Italian Soda, what is your favorite smoothie/fruit-drink recipe?

Written by Vanessa of I Never Grew Up

New York Style Cheesecake

February 24, 2009 by Vanessa · 17 Comments 

Cheesecake is my favorite dessert, we served it at my wedding luncheon, but sadly over six years later, I have only had cheesecake two times since.

Personally, I love New York style cheesecake with sour cream, lots of eggs and no citrus zest. The only extra taste I want to add to my cheesecake is chocolate!

Since baking isn’t my forte, I recently purchased Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook and now make delicious baked desserts all the time! This NY Cheesecake recipe is from her cookbook and it is finally the best cheesecake I have ever made or bought! (You can find her book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and many other bookstores).

New York Style Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
• One 9-ounce package chocolate wafer cookies, finely crushed (about 2 cups)
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 pounds (six 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 5 large eggs

Directions (refer to pictures 1 & 2):

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the sides of a 10-inch springform pan. Wrap exterior of pan (including base) in a double layer of foil. Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Place crushed wafer cookies and 3 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl; stir until well combined. Pour melted butter over cookie mixture and mix until evenly moistened. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
2. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake until crust is set, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. (Picture 1) In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides as needed. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 2 1/4 cups sugar and flour. With mixer on low speed, gradually add sugar mixture to cream cheese; mix until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla; mix until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined; do not over mix.
4. Pour cream cheese filling into prepared pan. Set pan inside a large, shallow roasting pan. Carefully ladle boiling water into roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake 45 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Continue baking until cake is set but still slightly wobbly in the center, about 30 minutes more. Turn off oven; leave cake in oven with door slightly ajar, 1 hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cake cool completely. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 6 hours or overnight. Before unmolding, run a knife around the edge of the cake (Picture 2).

 

I topped it with my extra special, top-secret and yummiest tasting sauce in the whole wide world.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Sauce

Ingredients:

• One 14oz can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 2-3 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter
• 2 oz of Semi-Sweet Chocolate
• 2-3 Tablespoons of Milk

Directions (refer to pictures 3 & 4):

1. Add all ingredients to a saucepan, put over low heat until everything is melted and combined well (Picture 3).
2. Drizzle over cheesecake (Picture 4).

Written by Vanessa of I Never Grew Up

Sweet Sushi

February 13, 2009 by Emily · 18 Comments 

What do you get when you mix a little coconut, fruit leather and Swedish Fish? Your very own yummy plate of Sweet Sushi. Coming straight to you from FamilyFun.com, this treat is a lot of fun to make and if you haven’t had a chance to try this out, I think you’ll love it!

Here’s what you need:

• Pound cake, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
• White frosting
• Fruit leather (Family Fun used FruitaBü Organic Smoooshed Grape Fruit Twirls)
• Flaked coconut
• An assortment of candies and jellies for sweet toppings and sushi sides

Step 1
Sushi bases: For rolls, use a knife to cut 1 1/2-inch circles from a slice of cake. Frost the tops of the circles, then wrap a 6-inch strip of fruit leather seaweed around each one, using a dab of frosting to secure it. Press coconut rice into the frosting. For individual sushi, cut a cake slice into rectangles and round the edges, as shown. Frost the top and sides of each oval, then roll it in coconut.

Step 2
Sweet toppings (Referring to top picture): From left to right, starting with the top row, Family Fun used orange nonpareils, apricot preserves, and pieces of Twizzlers Rainbow Twists. In the middle row, they used a green gumdrop slice, diced Swedish Fish, and gumdrop wedges. On the bottom row, they topped the sushi base with a Swedish Fish, then wrapped it with a strip of fruit leather.

Step 3
Sushi sides: Finally, to make wasabi, warm a green Starburst candy in the microwave for 10 seconds, then use your hands to work it into a mound. For pickled ginger, microwave and flatten an orange Starburst candy, then bunch it up into a pile, as shown.

Pretty creative, huh? Have you made Sweet Sushi before?

Cherry Filled Chocolate Wafers

February 4, 2009 by Emily · 23 Comments 

I think we’re about ready to establish a traditional treat for Valentine’s Day at my house…these Cherry Chocolate Wafers have tipped the scales just enough to win the Norton Family Favorite award. 

I first made them last Valentine’s Day after discovering this recipe from my friend Michelle and I just made them again this morning!  We all think they are delish and I’m pretty sure they will win over your entire family too.

 

There are just five ingredients:

• Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers
• Heavy Whipping Cream
• Sugar
• Vanilla Extract
• Maraschino cherries

*Here’s the tricky part, the Chocolate Wafers are pretty hard to find and they are not found at every grocery store. Michelle says that she found her box at Fry’s (if you have one close by). They are in the cookie aisle, usually on the very top shelf, by the gourmet cookies. Here is a picture of what you are looking for:

If you still can’t find them at your local store, you can buy them from Amazon (in a pack of six or twelve). I actually couldn’t find them at a grocery store near my house this year, so I used Oreo Snack Cakes as an alternative and they worked out great! (You can find these at most grocery stores and even Target.)

Steps

Beat the whipping cream at high speed until stiff peaks form (you will use about 1 cup of cream - possibly 2 cups if you want to make a lot of Wafers).  Add sugar to taste, or to make yours extra sweet - add 2 Tablespoons sugar per cup of cream. Then add 1 tsp. vanilla.

*To make them pink for Valentine’s Day, add the cherry juice to the whipped cream (this gives the cream a sweet cherry flavor too).*

Once your cream is whipped, start building! Place one wafer on a plate, add a spoonful of whipped cream, stack another wafer on top, then more whipped cream, one more wafer, and then add the final dollop of whipped cream and top it off with a cherry.

One box of Nabisco Famous Wafers make 14 - 16 finished cookies. Chill the cookies in the refrigerator overnight so the wafers become cake-like. And if you use the alternative, 2 boxes of Oreo Snack Cakes will make about 10 cookies. Oh so yummy.

Valentine’s Recipes

January 30, 2009 by Lauren · 9 Comments 

Whether you share your Valentine’s Day dinner with friends, family, or one special someone, these recipes are sure to send a message of love!

Red Berry Spinach Salad

We’ll start with a simple Spinach Salad, adorned with red raspberries, cranberries or strawberries (that little hint of pink is romantic, don’t you think?).  For an added touch, sprinkle slivered almonds on top and drizzle your loved one’s favorite dressing in the shape of a heart!

{Photo by mellowfood}

For sides, put a fun Valentine’s spin on a couple of classics:

Pink Mashed Potatoes

Add a couple of diced beets into a pot with 4 diced potatoes, boil til soft, drain, smoosh, throw in 1 tbsp of butter, a dash of milk and you’ve got Valentine’s Mashed Potatoes!  (If you don’t like beets, just put in several drops of red food dye).

{Photo by Olga}

Heart-Shaped Rolls

Buy ready-made crescent rolls dough from the store, stretch them out a bit to fit a heart-shaped cookie cutter, spread them with butter and sprinkle on a pinch of Italian Seasoning and Garlic Powder.  Bake as directed and serve up Heart-Shaped Herb Rolls.

{Photo by: ©iStockphoto.com/Maria Zhuravleva, Recipe by TasteofHome}

Incredibly Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf

And as a main course, gourmet meatloaf, Valentine’s Style! This recipe is simple, impressive, and oh-so delish. (Found on AllRecipes.com - I actually halved the recipe so that it would fit in my pan.)

{Photo by: ©iStockphoto.com/Darren Fisher}

• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3/4 pound colby cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup ketchup (optional)

In a bowl, mix the turkey, milk, bread crumbs, ketchup and eggs by hand (my two-year-old loved getting in on this action!).  Season with salt and pepper.  Fold the cheese cubes into the mixture.  Transfer to a loaf pan (or, in this case, a heart-shaped cake pan).  Bake 1 hour in 400 degree oven.

My husband actually said “Wow.” when I served this up.  And for some reason, my kiddos were willing to eat the heart-shaped meatloaf they had turned down a couple weeks ago when it was rectangular!

Raspberry Linzer Heart Cookies

Then, after you have dined and Valentined the evening away, you present your loved ones with a plate of these:

(Sigh)  Aren’t they beautiful?

I got this recipe from Mary Engelbreit’s Cookies Cookbook, have made them several times over the last few years and they never, ever fail to stun their recipients!  Be warned - they are delicate little things, so you’ll want to proceed carefully in this recipe because we all know beauty takes time!

• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus a little extra for dusting
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup seedless raspberry jam

Finely grind together walnuts and almonds in a food processor.  Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar together until fluffy.  Beat in the egg yolks.  Gradually add in the flour and cornstarch, just until incorporated.  Blend in ground nuts.
Divide dough into 4 pieces, shape each into a disk, and wrap in plastic.  Refridgerate for 4 hours.
On a floured surface, roll out dough one piece at a time until 1/4 inch thick.  Cut out as many hearts as you can with the dough provided and transfer them to a greased cookie sheet.  On half of those, punch out a smaller heart in the center and remove carefully with a knife.  Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden brown.  Let cool completely.  Dust cut-out hearts with confectioners’ sugar.  Spread a rounded tsp. of jam onto plain heart cookie bottoms, and cover with the cutout heart tops.

No matter who you sit down to the table with this coming Valentine’s Day (be it your 8 darling children or a mysterious Latin lover), show them how much you love them with these foods from the heart!

Written by Lauren of Supermom Central

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