Birthday Cake Rice Crispy Treats

Whitney & the Creels' hostesses
Mattie, Sam, Kate, Whitney, Amy, Britnee, Keri, & Kristie
Not pictured: Frances

July 21, 2013: My best friend, Whitney, is due September 18th with a baby boy, Kolt. I joined up with a group of our girlfriends (Kristie, Keri, Sam, Frances, Britnee, Amy, and Mattie) to host a pool party to  honor the parents-to-be yesterday.

Gift & Snack tables

We had all kinds of baby boy & pool/beach themed decorations, but we needed a cool and unique party favor for our guests, so i made Cake Batter Rice Crispy Treats.  I've made these for all kinds of occasions- co-workers' promotions and birthdays previously, and I knew they'd be easy and quick (not to mention a crowd-pleaser).

"Smooth as a baby's bottom buns"

The shower turned out beautiful. The Pinsons’ home was perfect- they have a great living room that spills out onto a huge patio with a pool.  Right past the pool, the guys had ample room to play washers while the girls ooh’ed & ahh’ed over Whitney’s belly and baby onesies. 

Whitney & me Hookin' & Giggin' 'em!

I’ll admit, I got a lot of ideas for the shower from Pinterest, but it all came together perfectly. I have a pet peeve of people asking “What is this?” (who cares, just try it! Unless you have a food allergy. In the case, ask. But if you don’t- go on, be adventurous!) so I made signs that said what each food item was, and the signs were baby/boy/beach themed.  We had “Smooth as a Baby’s Bottom Buns” and “Cheeseburgers in Paradise,” “Sailboat Salad,” “Ocean Water,” and “Weiners(!)”

"I like mine with lettuce & tomatoes... Heinz 57"

For snacks, we had goldfish, Swedish fish, “drift wood” (pretzel sticks), life savers, “pool noodles” (twizzlers), “kickboards” (Starbursts), and dips for the chips that said “Take a dip.” Kristie made the super cute banners, which ended up matching the theme perfectly.

Snack table

Here’s the wreath I made for Kolt’s nursery. It’s by far my favorite wreath that I’ve ever made. It matches the colors in his nursery very well (if I do say so myself!), and I am ready for him to be here so we can meet the little nugget!

"Thank you for swimming by! Take a treat!"

Oh, and the Birthday Cake Rice Crispy treats? Judging by Whitney’s niece, Kaylee,’s picture below, they were as big of a hit as I’d hoped. They had tags on them that said “Thanks for swimming by! Love, Kolt.” In fact, they were such a hit that I’ve decided to make them for another shower that I’m helping through in November. Who knows, perhaps Kaylee’s chowing down will be the new face of Katherine in the Kitchen!

Kaylee chowing down on a Birthday Cake Rice Crispy treat

Birthday Cake Rice Crispy Treats
Servings: 30
Modified from www.gimmesomeoven.com

"Thanks for swimming by! Love, Kolt"

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 (10 oz) bag mini-marshmallows
• 3/4 c funfetti cake mix (the dry cake mix, not prepared into batter)
• 6 c rice crispy cereal
• 1 container of sprinkles, color of your choice
• Non-stick cooking spray
• 2 sandwich bags
• 9x13 pan, coated in non-stick cooking spray

Birthday Cake Rice Crispy Treats

Directions

1. Spray a large bowl with non-stick cooking spray
2. Melt butter in bowl in microwave
3. Add marshmallows- melt again in microwave
4. Stir well with a spoon that has been coated in non-stick cooking spray
5. Satire in the funfetti dry cake mix
6. Add in cereal, coating cereal, in butter/marshmallow mix
7. Sprinkle in 3/4 of the sprinkles, coating well
8. Put the sandwich baggies on your hands, and coat them also in non-stick spray
9. Use your bag-covered hands to scoop the bowl of marshmallow covered cereal into the pan
10. Smooth out mix in the pan
11. Add last 1/4 of sprinkles on top
12. Allow to sit for 30 mins before cutting

I made three batches for the shower!

Keep on cookin'!
-Katherine

Mexican-Style Asparagus

In January, I got the following text from my best friend, Whitney. 

Needless to say, I was crying tears of joy right in the middle of a presentation at Fort Worth ISD. I was under strict instructions not to tell anyone, so I had to keep my mouth shut about Baby Creel until Todd and Whitney formally announced their +1 on March 24th. I did, however, immediately send the Creels a care package in honor of their baby-to-be. I included a few pregnancy magazines for momma, a sign, a book, and a baby blanket. 

We found these cute shirts for the dogs at a boutique in Ruidoso when we went in February. They made for a perfect baby announcement! 

A month later, as I was going through our cabinets to make sure we had the ingredients for this Mexican Style Asparagus that night, my phone next off with another text. On April 23rd, the Creels found out their bundle of joy was going to be a boy. Whitney had suspected it was going to be a boy, but the sonogram confirmed it. A healthy, happy baby boy would be joining the Creels in September 2013. 

I could see it already: an Aggie football player with Creel printed across the back his jersey. The kiddo will have no choice but to whoop and gig 'em like his mom, dad, and numerous other family members. But don't worry, I'll do my best to brain wash him with all the burnt orange that I can sneak into his nursery!

Mexican Style Asparagus

Servings: 2; Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 2

• 1 bunch of asparagus cut and washed
• red pepper flakes (to taste)
• cumin (to taste)
• chili powder (to taste)
• dried cilantro (to taste)
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Coat asparagus with EVOO
2. Sprinkle on red pepper flakes, cumin, chili powder, and dried cilantro
3. Grill for 5 minutes, turning occasionally

Keep on cookin'!

Katherine

Chicken Enchilada Tacos

Sloane's baby wreath

Andy's sister, Carly, had his nephew, Greyson, the day after our first date (May 5, 2010). Carly has always wanted more than one kiddo, and when Grey was a little over two, she got her wish. She was pregnant with a baby girl, and was due May 1, 2013- four days before Grey's third birthday.

Her friends in Wichita Falls threw her a baby shower that was pink and girly- all things baby girl.  Carly did not want to reveal Baby Girl's name though until she was born, so part of the shower was spent trying to convince her to spill the beans, but we got nowhere.  This presented a slight hiccup in my baby gift, though. I made her a wreath, but without knowing Baby Girl's name, the wreath was going to have to be incomplete until she arrived. I joked with Carly that I was going to show up to the hospital when Baby Girl was born with a hot glue gun and wooden letter to slap on the wreath.

Sloane's baby gifts from me

The shower was held at the Jennings' church, First Christian, in Wichita Falls. This is the same church where my cousin's grandma, "Nanny," took care of Andy when he was a baby.  There were baby-themed snacks, a delicious punch, and a diaper cake as the centerpiece. It was very prissy and very fun!

A lot of the women who have had children at the shower commented that "Baby girl showers are just so much cuter than baby boy showers!" and "Baby girl clothes are so much cuter than baby boy clothes!" Needless to say, we were all pretty excited about Baby Girl Westbrook.

Sloane's wreath that matches her crib bedding

Well, on April 30th, a little before noon, Carly texted Andy that she was in labor. No less than two hours later, Andy got a message from his brother-in-law, Slate, that said "Sloane Sawyer Westbrook was born at 12:31pm, weighing 7 pounds 14 ounces and 20.75 inches long." Unfortunately I couldn't miss work that afternoon, but we headed up north to Wichita Falls the next day to see sweet Sloane and Andy's family.

We weren't sure if we were going to get to go to Wichita Falls the night Sloane was born, and, like I said it turns out that we weren't able to because of work. However, being the meal-planner I am, I went ahead and planned our dinner for that night. We had Chicken Enchilada Tacos, which are now in our top five favorite meals. The actual dish can be served sans-tacos if you're watching your carbs, and using fat-free cheese keeps it lightened up.  Although I had to work, the Chicken Enchilada Tacos were easy to throw together once I got home, and clean up was quick, too. Perhaps you'll be celebrating good news when you have them, too!

Chicken Enchilada Tacos
Servings: 8; Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 3

Chicken Enchilada Tacos

• 1 pound boneless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon taco seasoning
• Salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup enchilada sauce
• 4 ounces fat-free cheddar cheese, shredded
• 3 green onions, chopped

Chicken Enchilada Taco filling

1. Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with taco seasoning
2. Grill or sauté the chicken
3. Cut the chicken into cubes
4. Place in a greased 8x8" baking dish
5. Season with salt to taste
6. Add the enchilada sauce and toss to coat the chicken
7. Sprinkle the cheese over the chicken
8. Bake at 350º for 10-20 minutes, until hot and bubbly
9. Scatter the green onions over the top.

Keep on cookin'!
-Katherine

Birthday Cake Popcorn

The wreath I made for Charleigh Marie's nursery

My friends, Natalie and Thomas, who I have mentioned many times in previous blog entries, were expecting a baby girl, Charleigh Marie, on May 4, 2012.  I offered to help Natalie's sister, Lauren, throw a baby shower.  Lauren and Natalie's friend, Kara, had most of the shower covered, so she assigned me to party favors.  After seeing numerous cute baby shower posts on Pinterest for "_____ is about to pop!" pop-themed parties, we decided to go with that.  I had my friend, Michelle, make up some cute labels for both the party favors and the champagne bottles.  Michelle's labels for the champagne said, "Natalie is about to pop!" and the labels for the party favors said, "Thanks for popping by!"

"Thanks for POPPING by!"

I looked up recipes for creative popcorn, but I wasn't really pleased with any one in particular.  Again, in true Katherine in the Kitchen style, I took a recipe, and I made it my own.  "Birthday Cake Popcorn" was basically candied popcorn with an assortment of sprinkles mixed into it, but for Natalie's shower, I chose pink sprinkles for a baby girl.  The popcorn was sweet from the candy coating and salty and crunchy from the popcorn- one of those "M&M's and popcorn" or "fries dipped in milkshake" kind of tastes- you don't know why the contrasting flavors taste so good- they just do.

Itty bitty Charleigh!

Natalie and Thomas' Benbrook home was beautifully decorated for the shower, complete with modern decor and delicious food.  Natalie chose to have her guests bring their gifts unopened, so we could all see each of the presents- from the itty bitty teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini to the wreath I made with a large "C" for Charleigh.

Welcome, Charleigh Marie! Harper's Bluebonnet Bakery Cake

I made this popcorn again for a staff meeting at work, but the meeting was cancelled due to inclement weather.  Good thing, too, because there was a grand total of seven tornadoes that touched down in the metroplex that night.  I am the Birthday Coordinator for the unit, so I was bringing the March birthday cards and birthday treats to the meeting.  I took my ginormous bag of Birthday Cake Popcorn to my Intake and Inpatient co-workers, despite the weather, because God knows that I didn't want to be hunkered down in "the room in the most central area of my house with no windows" with a hugmongous bag of sugary goodness. Everyone absolutely loved it! I was asked for the recipe by six people, and my co-worker, Meredith, even claimed to have dreamt about it the next night.  That may be the best compliment that I've ever gotten about my food!

Andy and Charleigh

Making this stuff is MESSY.  You get it all over your hands, but it's not like I was complaining to have to lick the candy coating off of my fingers (when I was done of course!)  Because the coating gets so thick, you can't really drizzle it on the popcorn, so you have to just stick your hands in it, pick up some of the popcorn, and toss the popcorn with the coating.  Despite being super easy, like I said it is super messy, but would definitely be fun to make with kiddos.

Natalie is about to Pop party favors

So instead of just zapping a bag of popcorn in the microwave next time and dumping in a bag of M&Ms, try Birthday Cake Popcorn.  Just making it is deliciously fun, and it's a yummy snack to take to any celebration!

Birthday Cake Popcorn

Pinterest.com/Kate Strickland

Servings: 30

Birthday Cake Popcorn

 

• 3 bags un-buttered/un-salted popcorn
• 1 c vanilla candy wafers (available at Michael’s/Hobby Lobby in the cake decorating section)
• 1 c vanilla cake mix (just the powder- don’t mix up the mix)
• Small sugar sprinkles

1.       Pop popcorn in the microwave & allow to cool
2.       Melt wafers (about 1 min in microwave)
3.       Add cake mix to melted wafers & stir
4.       Melt wafers/cake mix another 10 secs
5.       Toss wafers/cake mix mixture with popcorn so popcorn has the sticky mixture all over it
6.       Sprinkle on sprinkles (the smaller sugar sprinkles work/stick best)
7.       Allow to dry

Keep on cookin’!

-Katherine

New Orleans Shrimp

Baby Charleigh and me

April 23, 2012, was a big weekend for two of Andy and my favorite couples.  First off, as I check Facebook in the morning while grogg-ily laying in bed, I suddenly sat up wide-eyed.  My childhood friend, Chaney, had posted a Facebook status that said, "Prayers for a sfe and wonderful dlivery of sweet baby CHARLEIGH! Your mom and dad are ready to meet you!"  Full-well knowing there was only one Charleigh Marie en route, I quickly sent our friend, Thomas, a text, and asked him if Natalie was in labor.   (Thomas & Natalie are mentioned a lot on the blog, they're kind of awesome).  Thomas told me that, indeed, Natalie had gone in the wee hours of the morning, and their little bundle of joy should be arriving any time.  A baby to play with? Yes, please! I am so so excited for the McDaniels and their new baby girl.  Charleigh Marie came into this world on April 23, 2012 at 4:17pm.  She was 7 lbs 1 oz and 20.5 inches, "and both mommy and Char Char are doing great!!" Thomas' Facebook later pronounced.

Later that night, as I was preparing this New Orleans Shrimp for dinner, I saw another Facebook post.

Keri and me with the Easter Bunny at the Fort Worth Boat Club
She's my oldest friend! We met when we were 4 on our boats, Cracker Jack and Keronca.

In fact, my phone had been going insane with alerts, so I wiped the chili powder from my hands and went to go see what all of the fuss was about.  My other childhood friend, Frances, had posted a status that said, "My best friend is engaged!!"  Fran was talking about yet another one of our childhood friends, Keri, who was currently on vacation with her boyfriend, Bradley.  (Side note: Bradley went to high school with Natalie and Thomas... small world!)  Bradley, Keri, and two of their friends had been spending the last few days lounging around Little Dix Bay with frozen concotions in hand, when Bradley suggested Keri and him "get dressed up and go watch the sunset."  I learned all of this, of course, when I frantically picked up my phone, ignored the fact that she was out of the country, and called my oldest friend to ask her the details about Fran's facebook post.

Bradley, Keri, me, and Andy at The Grove in LA, October 2011

Per Keri, she "threw on a little sundress, no makeup, of course," and told Bradley, wet-hair and all, that she was ready.  "What's the big deal?"  she thought, "We're on vacation in the islands, who cares what I look like!"  To Keri's surprise, once atop the mountain to watch the sunset, Bradley had a ring to put on Keri's finger and a photographer to capture the moment.  "I would've gotten more dressed up if I'd known there'd be pictures!!" Keri exclaimed to me.  Nah, capture the moment.  Even without "getting more dressed up," Keri looked gorgeous in the pics, smling away with a bright and shiny new piece of bling on her left finger.  My oldest friend is engaged!! I am so so excited for Keri & Bradley, and I am even MORE excited because this means my LA-stolen friend is going to be moving back home to good ol' Funkytown!

Bradley, Keri, me, and Andy at Keri's apartment in LA, October 2011

Andy and I talked about the baby and the engagement over our dinner of New Orleans Shrimp that night.  We boasted how proud we are of our friends for their happiness and blessings in their lives, and how happy we are that things have turned out so well for them.  I think we may have even cheers-ed to the four of you, too ;-) ...well, 5 if you count Charleigh! Congratulations to Natalie, Thomas, Keri, and Bradley- two couples and four friends who we are SO glad have had such happiness brought to them!

Bradley, Keri, me, and Andy with the Hollywood Sign in LA, October 2011

New Orleans Shrimp
Pinterest.com
Servings: 4; Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 6

• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ancho chili pepper powder *this is different than chili powder!
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp sugar (or sugar subtitute)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 lbs shrimp- peeled & deveined
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter (or butter substitute, such as Smart Balance Light)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 scallions (aka little green onions)

1. Mix the paprika, ancho chili powder, cumin, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl
2. Add the shrimp to the spices and toss to coat evenly.  Set aside.
3. Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet
4. Add the garlic & cook, stirring for 1 min -do not brown the garlic!
5. Add shrimp and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently for 3-4 mins
6. Add the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and 2 tbsp water 
7. Cook until shrimp are done (1-2 mins more)
8. Top with scallions

Serve atop rice, we prefer Zatarain's Jambalaya-Style rice.

Keep on cooking'!

-Katherine