Monday Munchies - Flower Pot Dessert

It's been awhile since I've posted, mainly because I can't even remember the last time I cooked (aside from cooking on the camp stove).  I've had almost two weeks straight of fun adventures and this week isn't slowing down at all.  I'm taking today and tomorrow to do housework (my room looks like a gear store exploded all over the floor) and run errands (like returning the library book I finished 6 weeks ago but have renewed twice since being finished with it, and washing my car that has a solid 1/4" of dust covering it after yesterday's outing to Granite Hot Springs).  Then the rest of the week is filled up with a birthday party, improv show, and bike-in movie on Wednesday night, picking a friend up at the airport and dancing Thursday night, going out on the boat Friday, the rodeo Saturday, and a trip to see the Bar J wranglers on Sunday!  I love that there's so much going on in Jackson and will try to recap some of the last couple of weeks when things slow down again, but in the meantime, I'm pulling a recipe out of the archives!

Two summers ago I started discipling a couple of girls.  We met one night every week to go through A Young Woman After God's Own Heart.  I had seen this idea on The Pioneer Woman's food blog, and  I knew that both of the girls loved ice cream so it seemed like the perfect occasion to fix a couple of these up.  They are really easy and turn out adorable, perfect for a time when you need a quick dessert that's a little dressed up!

Flower Pot Ice Cream Dessert

1 whole Pound Cake (Since I was only making two I just bought some frozen pound cake and used two slices of it, but feel free to make your own!)
1 gallon Ice Cream (I used cookies and cream)
1 package Oreo Cookies
1 package Gummy Worms (optional)
Small Flower Pots
Straws
Fresh Cut or Artificial Flowers

Directions:
Slice the pound cake into 1 to 1 ½ inch slices. Next, with a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter that fits the bottom of the flower pot cut the slices into rounds (the scraps would be great to use in a trifle).

Into each of your (washed and dried) flowerpots, drop a round of pound cake, lightly pressing to make sure they are all the way down (this keeps the melting ice cream from running out of the hole). Hold a straw up against the side of a flowerpot and snip it so it’s about ½ to 1 inch shorter than the top. Then, just use that as a guide to cut the rest of the straws. Stick each straw into the center of each pot, anchoring it into the cake.

Grab whatever flavor ice cream you’d like to use, and either set it out on the counter to soften it OR nuke it for 20 seconds or so. It needs to be somewhat soft for this step. Just spoon it into the pots, working it around the straw, until it almost reaches the very tip top of the straw. Clean up the top edges of the pot with a damp paper towel. Now return the pots to the freezer until firm.

In a food processor pulse the Oreo cookies until they resemble nice, rich topsoil. (Or crush them in a Ziploc bag with a rolling pin). When they are nice and firm, take the pots out of the freezer and spoon the dirt (crushed Oreos) over the top. Be generous here! Place a flower into the straw and then cover the straw with a bit more dirt.

For step-by-step directions with pictures, check out The Pioneer Woman's recipe.

Monday Munchies - Veggie Wrap

The last couple of weeks have been CRAZY around here.  My laptop died...two days after I had transferred all of my food photos off of my memory card, which is why there was no post last week.  This week has been full of adventures like falling asleep in the mountains watching a meteor shower, and being face to face with a mama grizzly (well, maybe not quite, but 50 ft. away feels VERY close).  But more on that later, lets get to the food!

Since life has been busy I have found myself eating peanut butter and jelly/honey/banana sandwiches almost everyday for lunch.  And although I never get tired of peanut butter, this wrap makes lunch a little classier.

Veggie Wrap
1 Tortilla
2-3 T. Hummus
1/2 c. Couscous
Veggies of your choice (I used red peppers, onions, tomatoes and spinach)
Cheese (I used mozzarella because that's what we had in fridge)

Spread hummus all over the inside of the tortilla, then top with couscous, veggies and cheese. Roll and eat!