Category Archives: Nico in the Kitchen

Aug 23

Marshmallow Pops

We had several handmade items to make for Shaunna’s Bridal Shower, and besides the mints, I was looking forward to making Marshmallow Pops too . Thade didn’t mind helping out either.

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For the Marshmallow Pops you’ll need:

  • One Bag of Marshmallows
  • One Bag of Chocolate Chips (or Chocolate Melts)
  • A little bit of Vegetable Oil, White Corn Syrup, a tiny bit of Vanilla, and just a bit of Milk
  • A make-shift Double Boiler
  • Lollipop Sticks, Cellophane Bags, Styrofoam or reused packing material for a lollipop stand
  • Sugar, Sprinkles, or both
  • Floss in any color, I used turquoise because it is one of the wedding colors
  • A really adorable helper

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Thade counted marshmallows, as I placed a lollipop stick in each one. A 16 oz bag will easily give you 50 pops, and a few marshmallows left for snacking.

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Have your adorable helper place the sugar topping in a bowl, and then watch them make a big mess in the kitchen with Blue Sugar. We are using a light blue and a medium blue sugar, and hoping that the two will look turquoise in the end.

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When the double boiler is warming, add your Chocolate Chips, Vanilla, Vegetable Oil, and Corn Syrup, and wait for it to melt. Just as the Chocolate is melted add in a tablespoon or two of milk and stir like crazy. You are going for a medium ganache, not too thick, not too thin.

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Then it is time to dip… First into the chocolate ganache, then into the blue sugar, and then it is time to rest the pops upright on the lollipop stand.

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Once the chocolate and sugar had set just a bit, I moved my marshmallow pops to the fridge. The day that I was making the pops, it was super-stinking humid, and I was worried about the chocolate setting properly.

After a few hours of chilling in the fridge, and when the cool of the evening had set in, it was time to wrap the pops and decorate them for the Bridal Shower. I used small cellophane bags, and tied turquoise floss around each of the pops.

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A little bit of time wrapping and before you know it you’ve got them all done. This treat was really fun and easy to make, and the kiddos at the Bridal Shower went crazy for them.

I’m going to make these for Halloween and use Green, Purple, and Orange Sugar.  These are tasty just chocolate dipped too.

Aug 15

Minty Fresh

Well tomorrow is the Bridal Shower for our dear friend Shaunna. I still have a lot to do before the party, but I think it is going to be a lot of fun. I also have a super talented baker helping me out with the delicious party treats.

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Friday was Mint making day!

My best friend/blogger Stacey stopped by with her awesome kit of icing tips, flavorings, a rainbow of dyes, and so many super rad molds to make the mints. How I wish I was a cake decorator too… All of the kiddos played in the living room, while we rolled out the minty goodness at the dining room table.

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Stacey in minty action!

I think we made mints for a little over 2 1/2 hours, but the time flew by….

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We had to test a few too, and trust me they were super delicious. Dylan loved them too. He kept asking Stacey-cakes and me for bites. I’m going to be making these every chance that I get.

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We have well over 100 mints for the Bridal Shower, and it was a fun afternoon getting to hang out with my best buddy too. Today I’m finishing up the centerpieces (pics coming soon) and making the take-home treats too.

Aug 10

The Cookie List

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A few weeks ago my kitchen was filled with goodies for VBS. I missed baking this weekend, so I whipped up a batch of Thade’s Super Awesome Double Chocolate cookies, so the cake plate wouldn’t be lonely.

I think that I made around 24 dozen cookies for VBS and a few went to hubby’s work, and some for Nana and our home too. There were a few clear favorites out of everything that I baked.

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James loved the Oatmeal Raisin cookies.

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Thade’s favorite was the No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal cookies.

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I made 2 batches of Rice Krispies treats. Dylan loved the Butterscotch-Chocolate ones the most!

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Nana liked the cake-mix Snickerdoodles.

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I really liked the peanut butter cookies.

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I even whipped up a batch of  Shortbread cookies too.

Baking for VBS was a lot of fun, and my family enjoyed the extra treats too.

Aug 9

The Quest

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I’m on a mission… A coconut cake mission to be precise. My hubby had this amazing Coconut Cake when he was in elementary school, and ever since then, he has wanted to find this coconut cake that he remembers from his childhood. This has posed an interesting quest for me, as we didn’t go to the same elementary school, and I have no idea what the coconut cake tasted like. So I’m scouring yard sales in the area and looking for vintage cookbooks that just might have the beloved coconut cake recipe.

Wish me luck and check back to see the awesome vintage coconut cakes as they make their way into Nico’s kitchen.

Jul 26

Cookies Cookies Cookies

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What a long day… Nine hours of baking and about 17 dozen cookies later, and I’m finally all finished. I’ll post the list of the goodies soon. Tomorrow I’ve got to take 15 dozen cookies to our Church for Vacation Bible School, and then I don’t know if I’ll want to see another cookie for quite awhile. Time to grab a glass of milk and call it a night.