I’m guilty, but I did it for you.

Was at the DR’s office today while husband was having his heart looked at (whole other post, people). While I was sitting there telling my kids to be quiet, I spied a Family Fun magazine. I decided to take a gander.

There was some really fun articles in there!! I had never heard of this magazine, and there it was in all its glory, waiting for me to take it home. I did. I’m guilty of lifting an old magazine from the Dr. I figure I pay too much for thier service, the least I can do  is clean out the old magazines. Maybe they will get some new ones in and I will have done a good deed for everyone else who visits. I am making too many excuses. I stole the damn thing. Yes, I feel guilty. But not too guilty.

Anyways, like I said, I did it for you. So I can share some idears:

 

 

This tubular art tote will keep your child’s projects safe on those masterpiece-crumpling bus rides home.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Cardboard mailing tube (found at office supply stores) with two end caps; our tube is about 25 inches long and 3 inches wide
	Duct tape
	Permanent markers
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Make the strap by unrolling about 40 inches of duct tape and laying it sticky-side-up on a table. Place a second strip of equal length on top of the first, with the sticky side down. Carefully press the two together.

2. Attach the strap to one end of the mailing tube with duct tape. Measure the strap so that it’ll fit comfortably across your child’s chest, then cut off the excess and attach this end to the tube with tape.

3. Wrap tape around both of the tube’s ends a few times. Have your child decorate the tube with permanent markers.

 

I dont think they are suppose to look like that.

Tried making the dot cookies today. They didnt turn out the way they are suppose to. Dont get my wrong, they are delicious. Well they were. They are gone. But they didnt look quite right.

The right way:

My way:

Doesnt look too bad, right? WRONG!! You should know how big this cookie was. It was bigger then my palm.

I tried again. It was a little better, but not quite.

So does anyone know how to bake these cookies- to make them bake up and not out? to encircle the little kiss? Let me know! Thanks!!

 

Book giveaway.

Go check it out. I entered to win, did you?

READERVILLE <—- Click there for your chance.

 

Chocolate Kiss Cookies

What you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon powdered vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 bag Hershey’s chocolate kisses, unwrapped

1. In a mixer with paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla; blend, scraping down sides. Add the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Blend until combined. Chill dough.
2. Using chilled dough, make about 8 2-tablespoon-size balls. Spread out on cookie sheet.
3. Push a chocolate kiss into each dough ball.
4. Bake at 350*F for 6-8 mins until barely golden around the base of the cookie. Let cool on the cookie sheet before removing. Repeat with remaining dough until all the kisses are gone.

Variation: Melt white chocolate, butterscotch, mint, or peanut butter flavored chips in the microwave according to package directions. With each cookie ball, push an indentation in and fill with melted chocolate. To make Thumbprints, fill each indentation with jam. Bake accordingly. If allowed to eat nuts, roll each cookie in finely chopped almonds or peanuts before baking.

 

Easy Banana Bread

Serves 12

What you need:

• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. In food processor, blend bananas, sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth.
2. Pour into desired baking pans and bake at 350*F until firm. (Mini-muffins: 6 mins; regular tins: 10-15 mins; mini loaves 15 mins; bread loaf: about 60 mins)

• Dairy free: Use Margarine.
• Egg free: Omit eggs and use one extra banana.
• Low Sugar: Omit Sugar or add 1/4 cup honey or sugar substitute.
• Nut free: omit pecans.

 

Chewy Granola Bars

What you need:

• 1 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup or maple syrup
• 4 cups oats or buckwheat flakes
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup chopped nuts
• 1 cup chocolate chips and/or favorite dried fruit

1. Grease a 12×9 inch cookie sheet.
2. In a large pan, heat butter, sugars, and syrup until melted.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients until easily combined.
4. Spread on cookie sheet and press down, making sure the surface is smooth.
5. Bake in a 325*F oven for 30 mins.
6. Cool for 20 mins, then cut into bars. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completly.

• Serves 12.
• Dairy-free variation: Use Margarine.
• Nut free variation: Omit nuts.

 

I won!!!

I cant believe it!! I actually won a prize. Stephanie picked me to be the winner of her give away. Go check out her site and give some love. She has some super cute things that she makes. Go look go look! You can also check her out on at her web site HERE.  Thank you Stephanie!

What I won is this cute magnet:

Dont be jealous. You can go get yourself one on Stephanies site.

 

Whats on shuffle?

So I put my Ipod on shuffle and thought it would be fun to tell you the top 20 songs on shuffle. Here we go! (Oh, and dont you worry, I did all the work for you and linked them to YouTube. I know. I rock.)

1. Rock Lobster: B52’s
2. Another one Bites the Dust: Queen
3. Year 3000: The Jonas Bothers
4. Cowboy: Kid Rock
5. Drain You: Nirvana
6. Still Remains: STP
7. Livin’ On the Edge: Aerosmith
8. Crashed: Daughtry
9. Take it off: The Donnas
10. Since You Been Gone: Kelly Clarkson
11. The Guitar: The Dead Milkmen
12. 1985: Bowling For Soup
13. Me, Myself and I: De La Soul
14. I Alone: Live
15. Spiderwebs: No Doubt
16. Pour Some Sugar on Me: Def Leppard
17. Graduate: Third Eye Blind
18. Closer: NIN
19. Relax: Frankie Goes to Hollywood
20. Girlfriend: Avril Lavigne

 

Frito Salad

What you’ll need:

 

• Salad mix (You can use regular cut up lettuce, too)
• Hamburger meat (we usually mix it with onions and a packet of taco mix, but you can do it however you would cook taco meat.)
• Fixins: Tomatos, green onions, onions, cheese, etc.
• Refried beans. (optional. I am picky and dont add them. Family does. It does make it more filling)
• Fritos.

After cooking the meat and cutting up all the fixins, you mix a small amount of everything in a bowl. Totally easy. You can add taco sauce if youd like. Mix it all up and viola!! Frito Salad! So easy and so yummy.

 

For more fun recipes, and to share your own, go HERE. They are putting together a list of all the good ones to share and will send them out next week.

 

Quick tip for Spagetti Noodles

To see if your spagetti noodles are ready, toss a strand against a wall! If it sticks, it’s done! If it falls, then it’s still to hard to chew and needs to cook a little longer. Don’t use on wallpaper.