Chris' Surprise Graduation Party

I can’t believe how long it has been since my last post! Things have been very busy and time is flying by so fast! Plans for my husband’s surprise graduation party kept me very busy….but I am happy to report the party was 100% a success!

About the party
The theme was "A Prescription To Party" (I thought it appropriate since he is graduating from Medical School :).)

There were 50 guests...mostly family (due to it being Mother's Day), but some friends made it :) Everyone dressed in scrubs or white coats. At the door, they were given name tags with famous doctor's names on them. (Examples: Dr. Pepper, Dr. Doolittle, Dr. Evil, Dr. Frankenstein, etc.)

The decorations were apothecary jars filled with candies (jelly beans, hot tamales, mike and ikes, etc.) to look like medicine, old fashion medical bags with flowers BLOOMING from them :) , and green/yellow table clothes, plates, cups, napkins, etc. in honor of Chris’ school colors.

As the guests waited for Chris and I to arrive, the kids were given anatomy diagrams to color and played a "GUESS HOW MANY PILLS ARE IN THE BOTTLE" game that I put together. The “pills” were Jelly Belly Jelly Beans and Hot Tamales.

When we arrived…Chris saw a special sign in the drive-way...Chris laughed about it, but still did not suspect. When we walked inside, everyone jumped out and yelled "SURPRISE". Chris was so shocked.

Food
We grilled hot dogs, hamburgers, bbq and italian chicken, and veggies. We also had fruit trays/veggie trays, mac and cheese, baked beans, potato salad, and various chips/dips.

For dessert...I made sugar cookie-cut outs decorated like scrubs, white coats, and nurse uniforms. We had brownies and whoopie pies (Chris’ favorite). My grandma made a cake and topped it with a stethoscope and surenge needles..it was TOO CUTE!:)

To top it off....I revealed my surprise gift to Chris….he is SUPER excited about the cruise we will be taking 4 days after he graduates :) I am excited too!

I will cherish the memories for a long time...It was a great time and I am SOOOO proud of Chris! :)

I hope you enjoy the few photos I have (more to come).

Oreo Cheesecake

My husband loves Oreos! So I made him an Easter treat :)

OREO Cheesecake

1 cup crushed OREO cookies (about 12 cookies)
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
4 pkgs (8-oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
20 OREO cookies, quartered

**NOTE: Regular OREO cookies are recommended, the cheesecake will not set as well with Double Stuffed.

1. PREHEAT oven to 325 degrees if using silver springform pan (or 300 degrees if using a dark non-stick springform pan). Mix crushed cookies and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes.

2. BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Gently stir in quartered cookies. Pour over crust.

3. BAKE 1 hour or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Garnish with additional cookies, if desired.

Source: Nestie Lalabee0425

Cream Cheese Strawberry Pie

Cream Cheese Crust:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup baking powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, soften cream cheese and butter and mix together. In a separate bowl, mix remaining dry ingredients. Incorporate this flour mixture a little at a time to cream cheese and butter mixture.
Roll out with a rolling pin between 2 wax papers. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate and prick with fork before half-baking to prevent shrinkage. Bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees

*For this recipe I fully baked the crust (since the filling does not require baking). I baked it 18-20 minutes total.

Strawberry Filling:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup white sugar
8 ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed
10 ounces strawberries, mashed with juices drained away
1 teaspoon lemon juice
fresh strawberries, sliced
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Stir in mashed strawberries and lemon juice. Fold in whipped topping. Pour filling into prepared pie crust. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Top with sliced strawberries and store in refrigerator until serving.

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Last night at 2:00am (when I couldn't sleep), I made this pie for the "OSU Basketball Tourny Get-Together" this evening at my parent's house. I hope it tastes as good as it looks!

Piggies!

These are usually called "Pigs-in-a-blanket", but my husband calls them "Piggies"

Ingredients:
8 Smoked Sausages (We like Johnsonville Smoked Sausages) or Hot Dog
8 slices American or favorite cheese (I also like using Provolone)
1 (10 ounce) package refrigerated crescent roll dough

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Wrap cheese around each Sausage or Hot Dog then the crescent roll around that. Place these on a cookie sheet with the overlap of crescents face down (that way you don't have to use any tooth picks).
Bake in preheated oven until crescents are brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Broccoli Alfredo Pasta

Noodles:
In a large pot, boil noodles as directed on package (We like fettuccine and angle hair pasta the best). I often add fresh chopped broccoli the last 4-5 minutes of boiling time (but not tonight). Tonight, I added some left over chicken breast to the sauce.

Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 cups milk
8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Italian Seasoning (2 “good” sprinkles)
Fresh paprika (garnish)
Directions:
Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly. Toss with hot pasta to serve. Garnish with paprika on individual servings.


Both this recipe and the one above are very simple dishes, but I had to include the recipes in my blog because they are two of my husband's favorite meals. He would alternate each every night of the week if I let him!

Overnight Eooey Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

My husband received word that he passed his USMLE Step II so I made him these little yummies for breakfast that next Sunday (started them Saturday).




Rolls:
1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/2 cup white sugar
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs

Filling:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins

Frosting:
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons half-and-half cream
Directions:
Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Add the butter and stir until melted; let cool until lukewarm.
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk mixture. Add the sugar, 3 cups of flour, salt and eggs; stir well to combine. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.
Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10x 14 inch rectangle. Lightly brush the far edge with water. In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and 3/4 cup brown sugar and sprinkle over the rectangles. Then sprinkle the raisins and chopped nuts over the dough. Roll up the dough into a log and seal the seam.
Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces; place the pieces in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan, or 12 inch deep dish pizza pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight.
Day 2
The next morning, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take the rolls out of the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile, combine the corn syrup with the vanilla in a small bowl. Whisk in the powdered sugar and enough cream to make a thick glaze; set aside. Drizzle the glaze over the rolls and serve warm.

Welcome!

Welcome! As a newlywed I have taken a new interest in cooking. I wanted to create a blog so I can share some of my favorite recipes, creations, and ideas. Thanks for visiting!