Deep South Eats: Happy Valentine's Day Strawberry Brownies

I had the pleasure of providing the treats for B's class Valentine soiree.

Mostly because no one else was signing up!

They don't do a big party because next week we have her Sweetheart's Tea for the class mothers.

B is at the age where I really try and let her give input.

She has an opinion and this is her class at school and not mine!

I want her to be proud of whatever we bring in to share with her friends.

But I digress...

After being given many different possibilities for treats we could create,

She had her heart set on brownies...a girl after my own heart.

Together we made the house standard fudge brownie and cut them out in hearts.

We decided we needed some more Valentine's color to add to our tray of treats.

Thanks to Pinterest and a strawberry cake mix in the pantry, we were excited to create these jewels!

Delicious...absolutely delicious I tell you.

 Ingredients:

• 1 strawberry boxed cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/4 cup water
• Non stick spray

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare a 9x13 baking pan by lining with Parchment paper or foil and spray lightly with non stick cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, combine dry strawberry cake mix, eggs, oil, and water. Stir until well combined and no visible lumps of cake mix. The batter will be VERY thick.
• Press into pan and use a spatula to distribute evenly in the pan.
• Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted 2 inches from the side comes out clean.
• Allow to cool and pull the parchment paper out of the pan. Use a cookie cutter or knife to cut into desired shape.

Optional Glaze: 1 cup of confectioner's sugar and 2 to 3 Tablespoons of warm milk combined. Pour over warm out of the oven brownies. (We avoided the glaze because I thought the teachers would appreciate less sugar in the 5 year old children)

Original Pinterest pin.

Ever have questions or want to request a recipe or tutorial, comment or email me at deepsouthsweets@gmail.com. You can also visit Deep South Sweets on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest!

Deep South Eats: Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

 It is cold and rainy here with the forecast calling for...wait for it...more rain. Nothing warms me up on a cold and drizzly day quite like a hot bowl of soup. I have been wanting to try this soup for quite some time and let me tell you it did not disappoint. I have already professed my love for tomato soup, but add in the cheese filled tortellini and I swoon.

The best part about this recipe is that you can whip it up in no time, and children of all ages will be drawn to the fact that their is pasta in their soup. The addition of the sun dried tomatoes helps the overall flavor of the soup to be rich along with the smooth creaminess of the half-n-half. Serve this up with a quick tossed salad and you have a quick and delicious weeknight meal!

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cans (10 3/4 ounce) condensed tomato soup
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped 
• 2 cups half-n-half
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (9 ounce) package cheese filled tortellini
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Saute garlic until golden brown, watching it closely to prevent burning.
• Add tomato soup, sun dried tomatoes, half-n-half, chicken stock, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add in the tortellini to the tomato base and allow to cook according to package directions, approximately 8 to 9 minutes.
• Once tortellini is fully cooked, serve warm in bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Original recipe from Tasty Kitchen (I have made a few alterations).

Ever have questions or want to request a recipe or tutorial, comment or email me at deepsouthsweets@gmail.com. You can also visit Deep South Sweets on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest!

The Sweet Life: Belle's Fifth Birthday Part One

This beautiful, spirited girl turned 5 years old a few weeks ago.

It is hard to believe how fast time has flown by and that she will be starting real school this fall.

She is a sweet, determined little girl, and I know God has great plans for her life.

As usual we did our 20 Questions on her birthday.

I always love to hear her answers and look back as to how they have changed.

Belle's 4th Birthday

Ever have questions or want to request a recipe or tutorial, comment or email me at deepsouthsweets@gmail.com. You can also visit Deep South Sweets on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest!

Deep South Eats: Frito Snack Mix

This past Sunday, we had our annual small group Super Bowl party. As tradition stands, we bring a ton of appetizers and desserts and feast on all the carb-y goodness. No really, I have been limiting my carbohydrate and sweets so by the end of the night the sugar crash was crazy. I use these opportunities to dive into a new recipe or two. I had been eyeing a few Pinterest recipes for some time and new that this Frito Snack Mix would be a real winner. 

What happens when you combine a sweet, caramel sauce with salty, crunchy Fritos? Pure amazingness. Like mind-blowing goodness in each bite. I could hardly wait for it to cool on the counter and was willing to risk burning my tongue to taste. It was quite a hit at the party with only a few measly crumbs in the bottom of the bowl. My mom is already begging for the recipe for our family cookbook. I am not sure that you all will truly appreciate me for sharing this as it is addictive and so incredibly "healthy"...haha.

Ingredients:

• 1 (10.5 ounce) bag of Fritos
• 2 cups rice Chex cereal
• 2 cups pretzel snaps or twists
• 1 1/2 cup nuts of choice (I did pecans and they were perfect for the overall flavor)
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup mini M&Ms (these will be found on the candy aisle in a blue bag)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• In a large baking pan, combine Fritos, Chex, pretzels, and nuts. Set to the side.
• In a small saucepan, melt the brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup over medium heat. Let the mixture come to a gentle boil and boil for 4 minutes without stirring.
• Remove the pan from heat and pour mixture evenly over Frito mixture in baking pan. Use a spatula to stir to coat the Frito mixture evenly.
• Bake in oven for 8 minutes, stir mixture, and return to oven for another 8 minutes. While baking, line an area of your counters in wax paper.
• Remove from the oven and pour the mixture evenly on prepared wax paper.
• Allow the mixture to cool. Sprinkle M&Ms over the cooled mixture and break into bite-size pieces.
• May be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.

Original recipe from Shelley at Cookies and Cups.

Ever have questions or want to request a recipe or tutorial, comment or email me at deepsouthsweets@gmail.com. You can also visit Deep South Sweets on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest!

Deep South Eats: Roasted Parmesan Creamed Onions

How many of you as children thought that onions were the worst thing you might find hidden within your dinner? Come on now...don't be shy with raising those hands. I remember times that I simply refused dinner just from thinking I spied an onion. Twenty years later I am realizing that payback has a rather ironic sense of humor as I regularly hear at dinner "now this doesn't have any onions does it?"

Who would have thought that 8 year old girl would grow up to one day eat whole slices of roasted onions as a side dish? These beauties were truly amazing. I could have feasted off the entire pan, but I am sure there is some sort of onion-induced sickness that could occur after ingesting that quantity. Mark was even a true fan (while the older nut thought I was committing a crime just asking her if she would like to try it). Mark and I commented how great these Roasted Parmesan Creamed Onions would be on top of a thick, juicy steak.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium to large yellow onions
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Peel and slice onions into 1/4 inch slices. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet while keeping the rings of the onion slices intact and drizzle evenly with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
• Roast in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. While the onions are roasting, combine the heavy cream and white wine in a small saucepan over med-low heat and simmer until it begins to bubble. Remove from heat.
• Remove roasted onions from oven and turn oven temperature to 450 degrees. Carefully transfer onions to a shallow baking dish taking care to keep the rings intact. This is best done using a wide spatula. Slowly pour prepared cream sauce over the onions and sprinkle the top of each onion slice generously with Parmesan cheese.
• Cover baking dish with foil and return to oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 5 more minutes or until cheese on top of onions is lightly browned and caramelized.

Original recipe from The Cutting Edge of Ordinary

Ever have questions or want to request a recipe or tutorial, comment or email me at deepsouthsweets@gmail.com. You can also visit Deep South Sweets on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest!

Deep South Words to Live By: 2013

I'm back!

What a beautiful whirlwind our family has experienced since I last touched the blog.

Our family has been busy....we grew from three to four in the blink of an eye.

We adopted a precious daughter in October.

I won't be speaking of it too much in the public domain of blog-dom (for privacy and security purposes),

But here and there I will give you glimpses into the story God gave our family of faithfulness.

2012 was BIG.

2013 seems impossible to be any better.

Rather than set unreachable goals for myself this year,

I found a simple phrase of which I aspire to live by in 2013.

Join me back at Deep South Sweets for 2013.

There will be food, Southern fun, and faith.

Love,

R

Ever have questions or want to request a recipe or tutorial, comment or email me at deepsouthsweets@gmail.com. You can also visit Deep South Sweets on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest!

The Sweet Life: What's on the Menu?

Monday: Leftovers (after a late lunch out)

Tuesday: Dinner at Mom and Dads

Wednesday: Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Onion Rice, and Broccoli Slaw

Thursday: Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas and Catalina Tossed Salad

Friday: Crock Pot Chuck Roast Barbecue, Chips, and Baked Beans

Saturday: Out to Eat

Sunday: Small Group Dinner

What is on your menus this week?

I want to hear from YOU! What recipes, tutorials or projects would you like to see next week?

Ever have questions or want to request a recipe or tutorial, comment or email me at deepsouthsweets@gmail.com. You can also visit Deep South Sweets on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest!