A Spooky Treat

I saw this idea in a magazine and thought I would try it out. We hollowed out oranges (plus a little clementine for my 2 year old) and filled them with chocolate pudding. We let the pudding set up first for awhile so that it wouldn't spill out the holes.

A lot of work for a little something sweet, but I think it might just become a tradition.

Granola and Turtles

I stole these delicious recipes from my cousin, Honey's blog. She is an inspiration to me. She has 5 kids and I think she does a great job.

My mom would make granola when I was growing up and I thought it was such a hard process - until I tried it the other day! Piece of cake. And, it turned out really well. Here's the recipe I used:

Ingredients:

• 8 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups wheat germ
• 1 1/2 cups oat bran
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup finely chopped almonds
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups raisins or sweetened dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.
2. Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 20 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Cool, then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container.

I didn't have oat bran, wheatgerm, sunflower seeds or walnuts on hand and I didn't want to go buy them. I also added a pinch of nutmeg. It makes a bunch, but it also goes really quickly as it is so good.

Pretzel Turtles - AWESOME!!

These would make a great Christmas treat for your friends and neighbors or at any gathering.

Ingredients: pretzels, Rolos and pecan halves.

Directions: Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Lay out each pretzel with a rolo on top. Put in a 325 degree oven for 3 - 3.5 minutes, just enough for the chocolate to sweat. Pull them out and gently press a pecan half onto each pretzel. Voila!

Both recipes tried and true - you should try them too. 5 Stars!

Another Cute Nursery

Cute nursery

More adorable shoes

Just when I thought I could not find anything sweeter in the whole world, I found these DARLING shoes. Check out Heather Bailey's free shoe pattern and tutorial

Felt Baby shoes

I found another adorable template for felt baby shoes from Martha Stewart here. Too cute. I'm giving credit to my sister, Flori, for this one because she just made some cute felt shoes for a friend (though, I 'm not quite sure if they were the same).

Washcloth puppets

Washcloth Puppets

Found this free pattern on sewing.org. Pretty cute, huh?

Supplies

Patterns

Cow

• Four Washcloths, two white, one black and one peach
• One 6" x 3" (15 cm) x 7.5 cm) piece of fabric, white
• Two Skeins Embroidery Floss, black and white
• Water Soluble Pen
• Paper Backed Fusing Web (opt.)

Bunny

• Four Washcloths, three pink, one white
• One 5" x 5" (12.5 cm) x 12.5 cm) Piece of Pink Gingham
• Two Skeins Embroidery Floss, black and white
• Water Soluble Pen
• Paper Backed Fusing Web (opt.)

Bear

• Two 12 1/2" x 13" (32 cm x 33 cm) washcloths, light brown
• Three Skeins Embroidery Floss, black, white and pink
• Water Soluble Pen
• Paper Backed Fusing Web (opt.)

Instructions

Faces and Appliqués

1. Pin patterns to washcloths placing bottom edges of puppet pattern on finished edge of cloth. Do not cut yet. Transfer MARKINGS for faces.
2. Embroider nose, eyes and paw pads using a SATIN STITCH. Embroider mouth using a CHAIN STITCH. Cut out body pieces.
3. Cut out appliqués for bunny ears and muzzle, cow head patches, body spots and muzzle. Appliqué pieces to puppet bodies.

Bunny Ears

1. Appliqué gingham inset to front of ear.
2. Stitch ear front to back.
3. Trim Seams. Clip curves and turn right side out.
4. Form tuck at the center of the ear.
5. Baste ears to head, having raw edges even

Cow Ears and Horns

1. Stitch ear front to back.
2. Trim seams.
3. Clip Curves and turn right side out. Fold along fold line. Baste to head, having raw edges even.
4. Fold horns in half with right sides together, stitch curved edge. Turn right side out. Press seam to center back. Stuff lightly. Baste to head having raw edges even.

Body

1. Fold up lower edge of puppet front along fold line, forming pocket. Baste along side edges to hold in place.
2. Stitch front to back at side seams. Clip curves. Trim seams to 1/8", turn right side out.
3. Top stitch 1/8" inch all around leaving lower edge open.
   

Homemade baby shoes

I saw these shoes on a blog and think that they are so cute. This link to stardust shoes has directions and a free pattern to make them. It also has a link to directions to make them out of leather if you want. The other blog I liked was here.

Super cute and easy placemat bag

I am going to be an instructor to show people how to make these bags at church, so here are my step by step instructions. This project took 30 min -1 hour. It was really easy and a lot of fun.
Find a cute placemat. I got this at Target and then I cut off the long edges to use later for the handles.Sew the placemat on two sides.
Make a triangle on the side of the bag to create a box seam. (this gives the bag a boxy look and helps it to stand alone).
When you've done both sides it should look like this.
Add the handles (I made mine about 12 inches) and turn the bag right side out. This is a great size bag to carry scriptures in.

Guilty Indulgences

My friend sent me a link to this blog and I must admit that I loved all of the delicious and fantastic creations. It may have been my cookie/ice cream addiction that made this dessert jump out at me. I will definitely be giving this a try.




Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell*
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped pecans
Serve with ice cream (optional)

• Preheat oven 325 degrees F.
• Beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high until foamy.
• Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter.
• Stir in morsels and nuts and spoon into pie shell.
• Bake for 55-60 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm.

Recipe from Nestle Classic Recipes, 2003
* If using frozen pie shell, use deep dish style and thaw completely. Bake on baking sheet and increase baking time slightly.

A Gluten-free treat

As some may know, or not know, my sister-in-law is on a gluten free diet. Her diet has really opened my eyes to the gluten free world and sometimes it is fun to twist my brain and discover new things that she can eat.

Imagine my delight when I came across a blog with this yummy picture. I thought it was a cute idea. I actually made cocoa krispy treats for our Easter Picnic, but the presentation wasn't as awesome as it is here. Live long and prosper.


Rice krispy treats made with cocoa krispies, spooned into greased muffin tins, pressed and indented with a buttered spoon, allowed to set until not totally gooey and placed in festive cupcake papers, chocolate eggs lovingly divvied and positioned in nests, nests lined up and stacked on the biggest tray we could find, presented with a big grin, consumed with zeal!

Honey Butter

Sorry I haven't posted in such a long time, but this recipe will make up for it, I promise.

Honey Butter
2 cubes of butter (softened)
1 Jar of Marshmallow Cream

Mix together. Will keep several weeks in the refrigerator. I love this on scones, cornbread, and even toast. Yum!

What's for Dinner?

My mom made this delicious salad and so I decided to make some for my hubby. It's a great change from your everyday routine and it is so delicious. I didn't have time to go to the store so I was missing the avocado and the lime cilantro dressing but had some cilantro and ranch on hand and just used that. It was nice to have something that was light, yet filling.

Southwestern Cobb Salad with Lime Cilantro Dressing

Valerie Phillips

Published: Monday, Jan. 28, 2008 12:00 a.m. MST (deseret news)

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 teaspoons taco seasoning
1 5-ounce package romaine leaves or chopped iceberg lettuce
2 cups salsa
1 15-ounce can corn, drained
1 large avocado, or 2 small
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar, Colby or Monterey Jack cheese
1 red bell pepper, chopped

Directions

Mix chicken and taco seasoning. To make four composed salads, place a large handful of lettuce on each plate. Top with 1/2 cup salsa in the middle, spreading it slightly. On top of salsa, arrange 1/3 cup chopped chicken, 1/3 cup corn and 1/4 cup each of the avocado, beans, cheese and bell pepper.

Lime Cilantro Dressing:
1 6-ounce container lime-flavored yogurt
1/4 cup ranch dressing
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice

Mix dressing ingredients well. Serve with salad. Serves 4.

Options: Toss salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Serve with dressing on the side.

Getting there

Here is the quilt. I've started piecing together the top. I love seeing the progress and hope to finish the quilt top by the end of February.

Diaper Couture

1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
3/4 to 1 c. peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. Bisquick baking mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixer bowl, beat sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Add biscuit mix; mix well. Chill at least one hour. Shape into one inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Flatten with fork. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned (do not over bake). Cool. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

The recipe I used didn't call for an egg, but I think that would have made these better. The cookies I made were a little too rich and wonder if an egg would have helped. On the other hand, if you are out of eggs sometime, know that these cookies turned out even with no egg.

I love that these cookies are softer than the traditional peanut butter cookie. They are a little bit rich, so be prepared (after eating 1 cookie I felt like I had eaten 4). These were really quick to mix up, too. Enjoy.

Progress

Well, I had a busy weekend. With Justin gone for a few days, I hunkered down and started my new hobby- Quilting. I finished my first quilting block on Wednesday, my second Thursday, and my third on Friday. I also used some of the scraps to start making a doll quilt for my little girl.

My grandma told me that her mother used to call pieced quilts "idiot quilts" because only an idiot would cut up fabric just to sew it back together. It was a little tedious, but I liked figuring it all out and it was easier than I expected. I guess I only have 9 more blocks to make if I want a full quilt. These are made from scraps, so I guess I'll just keep going until I run out of scraps and see where it gets me.

My favorite lip gloss

Hey, I know a lot of you women out there love lip gloss as much as I do. Well, today I went to bath and body works and they had C.O. Bigelow lip gloss for $2 (only for certain colors). They had the 3 for $10 special on the ones that weren't $2, but I like the color I was able to get. Anyway, it's a steal for this mint scented gloss that is usually $7.50. I'm not sure how long the sale lasts, but thought I would spread the word.

The Cute Dishes I've been Coveting

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As most who read my blog(s) know, my husband Justin, is a true cowboy. I have always thought cowboy themes were cute, and having a cowboy around is the perfect reason to indulge, right? Well, anyway, they sell these at Kohl's and I was there today. One of those things that I know I don't need (I really love the dishes I have from my wedding, and have plenty of them), but I just think these are really fun. Plus, it probably doesn't help to have a mom who has millions of fabulous serving dishes.

Today was the first time I had seen the "regular" collection. I was secretly coveting the Christmas version during the holidays, to go with my cowboy Christmas theme. I saw them at the store and went back to look at them (while I was still at Kohl's) about 4 times, but never mentioned it to anyone. Boy, was I surprised when I opened my sibling gift from Justin's sister and she had given me some of those dishes so that I can do some fun entertaining during the holidays. I can't wait to use them, and maybe just knowing they are packed away in my garage, will get me through. Sigh. Is that dramatic enough for you?

Lesson #1- Profi Frauen are frugal.

Valentine's Day

I was just wondering if anyone out there has some great Valentine's Day traditions. I'd like to incorporate more traditions into our holidays. Here are the few that we have:
1) The weekend before Valentine's Day we have a special breakfast. The first year it was a breakfast picnic and we hiked to a waterfall, the last two years, we've been a little busier so it's just been a nice breakfast at home (with heart shaped muffins, our favorite yogurts, and our other breakfast favorites).
2) I usually make sugar cookies.
3) It's been kind of weak (I've never executed it well enough), but I've tried for a couple of years to do the 14 days of Valentines and have done something nice on the days leading up to Valentine's Day. ( Cleaning the house, buying a favorite treat or pack of gum, a heart attack, a poem, etc.)

* I would love to hear some of your traditions and hopefully incorporate some of them into our holiday. I'd also like to get some ideas of what you do with your kids, or what you did as a kid to celebrate V-day.