A Proverbs 31 Kind of Day

Unfortunately, my picture has a lot of orange color . . .not sure why! But typically these energy bits look like peanut butter with yummy stuff mixed in! Some time ago, at an activity, one of the moms had these little treats out for the kids. I had one and knew that not only are they great for a snack, but it would be great for a breakfast at our house too! I've made these energy bites several times and what I like about them, besides the convenience, ease of preparation, and taste, is that I can keep make a large batch and keep them in the refrigerator or freezer for an easy-to-go meal! Now . . .you know the Mr. He doesn't like peanut butter. And now he has the cherubs a little spoiled to preferring almond butter and the like. So, my next effort is to make these, but substituting the peanut butter with a different nut butter. Just to see how it goes! If it's bad -- then I'll stick to the tried and true! Obviously, we've been glut...

Have I ever told you how much we love all kinds of nuts? Not that we are nuts . . . although, that might be debatable! But our entire family loves all kinds of nuts. Now -- there are some of us, who shall remain nameless, who prefer the more "expensive" nuts. Like walnuts or pistachios. Some prefer cashews and pecans. But in October -- there are only 2 who will search out dry roasted peanuts to pair with candy corn. While making a salad recently, I wanted to put some candied glazed nuts in the salad. You know the kind -- they're thin slivered almonds, usually, that are found at your local store. I didn't have any of those; which, to be truthful, I haven't bought those in a very long time. But needless to say, I became a wee bit demanding in my mind that I wanted glazed nuts for our salad. So I made some. I've posted something similar, nearly 4 years ago, if you are interested in such. Today, though, ...

It's true . . . This stuff is ridiculous ! It's absolutely perfect and you want to keep eating it to see if the next bite tastes as good as the last bite. It's crazy thinking, I know. But we can't seem to stop ourselves with this stuff around! Matter of fact, I've put it in the pantry so that it's not sitting out in plain sight! Not that this has helped curb the desire to have "just one bite," but maybe it's helped us to not devour the entire snack mix in one day! This is from a friend of mine in Texas. She makes this year 'round, I believe. That would be dangerous too! She calls it "Maple Munch," but we've affectionately renamed it, "This Stuff is Ridiculous" Snack Mix 2 cups brown sugar 1 stick butter 1/2 cup Karo Syrup (white corn syrup) 1/2 tsp. vanilla* 1/2 tsp. baking soda  1 small bag pretzels (I used gluten free and I only used 1/2 of a bag) 1 bag corn chex 2 cups chopped ...

It's the holiday season . . . and it's time to bake! Who doesn't love the change of routine that the holiday season brings? True, it can be crammed pack with shopping, and decorating, and wrapping, and parties. But it can also be full of laughter, and family, and friends, and memories. This morning, while the cherubs were busy with school, I was busy about the house. Sometimes, when I'm cleaning, I try to think of other things to do. Today, while I was doing both of those things, I thought about making a little treat. A treat that would use the white chocolate bark I bought. 3 packages of that stuff! I had absolutely no idea what I was going to use it for, but I've been busy coming up with solutions! Today, I melted a package of it and scooped out these little crunchy treats! I think next time I will add a cup or two of mini marshmallows to the mix! If don't like something in the recipe, just leave it out and add a littl...

It's turned nice and fallish around here and we have enjoyed the perfect days! We have opened the windows. We have watched the deer come into the clearing on our land. We have started searching for our favorite fall recipes. My sweet girl cherub got the notion to make peanut butter bars. Since it was Halloween evening, and we needed a little treat, we grabbed the ingredients and made these delicious bars! These are great because they require no baking and they're quick! If you like Reese's, then you're going to love these!  I say, "so long" to buying those peanut butter cups; these are a classic snack treat! Peanut Butter Bars 1 /4 cup butter, melted 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy) 1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar 4 full-size Hershey chocolate bars, melted (or 1 cup melted chocolate chips) To the melted butter, add the brown sugar and peanut butter and stir until well co...

While it may not feel like it outside, the calendar tells me that it is Fall. There are so many things about this season that I absolutely love! I like the falling leaves, and to watch the squirrels gather their food, and where we live, we have deer . . . so now I like to watch them too! I also love Fall food. One of my favorites are apples! I'm not really sure, but in the Fall, I love to nosh on apples. It's the strangest thing! Maybe it's because they are more crisp, or their color is more appealing. Whatever the reason, I'll go with it! Today, both of the cherubs were wanting an "after school snack." Looking at the apples on the counter, I offered apples and dip. Since I didn't have any dip, I made some! I took three things that my girl cherub really likes and I mixed them together. I just mixed; no measuring! If you like these ingredients, just mix yourself some dip and and enjoy an apple! Peanut Butter and Nut...

There was a sale on Frito Corn Chips some time ago at the store. I over-estimated my family's need for Fritos. Truth be know, outside of the occasional Frito chili pie in the winter, and corn dip in the Summer, We are not big consumers of Fritos. That's why we still have 2 bags of the corn chips on the shelves. I searched for recipes using Fritos. This one sparked my interest. Mainly because it was drastically different. That, and I had all of the ingredients, and frankly, I wasn't wanting to crush up the corn chips and roll chicken in them. So I made this. Surprisingly, we liked it. I think that's because it is so different . . . and we like Payday candy bars. When I say "we," it is not a collective "we." The Mr. is not participating. The Mr. claims he doesn't like peanut butter. Says it "messes with his allergies." I say who in this world does not like peanut butter? It's like saying, ...

I'm really not sure why . . . but I love chex mix. I like different kinds of chex mix. Sure, the standard savory recipe is fine, but I'm talking all the new-fandangled choices! It's kind of crazy what flavor concoctions can be created! Several weeks ago, I whipped this chex mix up and in a matter of hours we had devoured it. But if you do the math, you would realize that's not too hard to do! 6 cups of cereal. 4 people. That equals 1 and 1/2 cups of cereal per person. Over the course of the day, it's easy to consume that little of cereal. Especially when it's covered with white chocolate. And sugar. Here, try it for yourself and see how long it lasts at your house! Vanilla Sugar Cookie Chex Mix (Recipe is from Chex.com) 6 cups Rice Chex™ cereal 1/4 cup butter or margarine 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2 TBSP corn syrup 2 tsp. vanilla 1/4 cup powdered sugar 1 oz white baking chocolate or 1/4 cup vanilla milk chips ...

I would like to introduce myself; I'm the "Girl Cherub." You could say I am guest writing.  This would be correct. You might say I am writing from a "prodigy * child chef's" point of view.  This would also be correct. Now, enough chit chat-- down to my recipe.  Well, it's not really my recipe, it is a recipe from a book.  Not a cookbook--a book book.  I would highly recommend this book for  ages 11+.  You are probably wondering the name of this book.   THE NAME OF THIS BOOK IS SECRET . That is literally the name of the book.  The book is by Pseudonymous Bosch.  It states in the back of the book,"Pseudonymous Bosch is a pseudonym, or as he would prefer to call it, a nom de plume.  Unfortunately, for reasons he cannot disclose, he cannot tell you his real name.  But he admits he has a deep-seated fear of mayonnaise. This is his first novel." The main chara...

It's sad. I'm cheap. I kind of feel sorry for my cherubs. For example:  why buy a dip of ice cream from my favorite ice cream store when I can buy a container of ice cream and get way more servings for not that much more money? Sooooo!  Why would I buy chocolate dipped ice cream bars when I can make our own chocolate dipped ice cream bars at home? Is it the same? Uhhhh . . . .kinda! OK -- do you remember the Primo "fragrance?"  The slogan was, "if you like Giorgio, then you'll LOVE Primo!" This is sort of the same situation! Lately, my girl cherub has been interested in buying a "dilly bar" from Dairy Queen. First question to ask:  How does she know about "dilly bars?" Answer:  I have no idea! Here's how the conversation went: "Hey mom, can we go to DQ and get a dilly bar? "Well honey, I think we have ice cream bars at home ." "But mom, it's not a dilly bar!" "Tr...

My boy cherub has "Freedom" this weekend. "Freedom" is like the old "D-Now" weekends. In the midst of a busy schedule, it's a spiritual get-a-way; like a mini camp! I have worked all week and wanted to send snacks to my cherub's "host home." You know teen-aged boys. Now put 8-10 teen-aged boys under one roof. There's not enough food supply to satisfy! One of the things I made is this super-easy caramel corn recipe. I was trying to think of something a little different but something that I could make in a hurry. This recipe won! Caramel Corn 3 bags of microwaved popped popcorn 1/2 cup butter 1 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup light corn syrup 1/2 tsp. salt 3/4 tsp baking soda Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, sugar, syrup, and salt on high until bubbling. Cook for 1 min, stirring constantly.  Remove from the heat and and mix in baking soda. Stirring well until the mixture is ...

It's a 4th of July Celebration! My girl cherub has been making plans for a week now of things to make; both food and decorations! She's made the spread sheet, gathered ingredients, secured craft supplies and borrowed some much needed accessories and décor from a friend of hers. That would be a grown up friend of hers who knows how to throw a party! Last night, it was like a party company delivery at our house! The patriotic bunting, baskets, and other goodies were dropped off to help my cherub achieve the best 4th of July party ever! My cherub found a sweet snack treat on the internet and used the recipe as a guide for her own snack mix.  The jar she is serving it in is one of her entertaining creations too; thank goodness for google!  It's an endless supply of ideas!  She modified that too, and it's worked well! For the jar, that she's using to serve a patriotic drink in, she dipped the rim in white dipping chocolate then rolled it in red and bl...

It's another night at the ball field. Thank goodness I only have one boy cherub to lug around! I'm not sure that I could do this if I had 2 or 8 more boys! At least I have a balance of ballet and baseball! Because on game nights, it can be a little hectic, and because it would be so much easier to grab dinner and run to the field, I really try to make quick, easy, and tasty food! I call it "homemade fast food!" Isn't that ultra-creative? Truly, what you spend at the fast food stop, you can have dinner that is so much tastier, more healthy, and usually have left overs for lunch the next day. I called this "pizza roll ups," because that what it is and I'm not really creative when I name food! Homemade Pizza Rolls 1 Rhodes bread loaf, thawed Deli sliced pepperoni or Canadian Bacon, chopped Chopped onion, optional Parmesan cheese, grated Black Olives, optional Pizza sauce Thaw the frozen bread loaf.  This comes in ...

Image from Google I'm headed to a girl's night out where we're going to get mani's, pedi's, and have snacks! Doesn't that sound like fun? I thought so! But since we'll be hanging out in a nail shop, I wanted to take something that was a "grab and go" kind of snack.  I didn't want anything that required serving spoons, refrigeration, or a crockpot! But I wanted it kind of "Valentine-y," as if that's a real word! So here's what I googled and found. I looked at lots of recipes and they were all basically the same. I haven't made this yet; so I don't know if it's good or not . . .but how bad could it really be? I thought this would be cute as a little teacher treat, or a special snack in my cherub's lunch, too! Valentine's Puppy Chow 5 C. Rice Chex cereal 3/4 C. white chocolate melts or chips 1/4 C. chocolate melts or chips 2 oz cream cheese, room temp 1...

 Image from the Internet My boy cherub is raising money for a trip that he will go on this Spring. He is raising money in two different ways.  First, he is willing to be "hired" to do small jobs around the house:  lawn mowing, leaf raking, grocery shopping, and the likes. The second way might surprise you. He is selling "treats of the month." That's right! I'm helping him with different treats that people have ordered. This month, it is caramel corn. The "old fashioned" kind! I told him, perhaps we should have thought through what we were doing! Each recipe takes about 1 1/2 hours to make from beginning to end! But I love this recipe because it starts with fresh popped corn. Like the kind that you pop in a pan. I guess you could use microwave popcorn for this recipe. But I don't. I get out the popper and we go to town! If you're looking for something fun to do with your family -- maybe gathering i...

Pretzels are a great snack to have. They're so user friendly:  you can eat them plain, dip them, or transform them! I've given you a recipe for a spicy pretzel but here's a treat for a sweet pretzel. It's easy as can be and even your kids can help you make this snack. I have seen variations of this recipe in Midwest Living , Taste of Home , and other easy-to-do recipe books. Sweet and Crunchy Pretzels 1 (16 oz) bag pretzels (twists, butter squares, nuggets, sticks . . .whatever you prefer!) ⅔ cup vegetable oil ½ cup sugar 2 tsp cinnamon Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Pour pretzels into a roasting pan. In a medium sized bowl mix together vegetable oil, cinnamon and sugar. Pour over pretzels and stir to coat. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, removing twice to stir. Allow to cool before serving (although, the warm sugary pretzel sure is tasty -- wink, wink!) Store in a ziplock bag. **Once you've finished your bag of pretzels, any ...

Marshmallow popcorn -- so yummy! Follow my directions of "remove unpopped kernel" as it makes your treat more treat-y! At my house, we really do love popcorn. Sometimes we eat a lot of popcorn; as in everyday we eat popcorn. Then, there are times that we don't eat any popcorn. Until we find a recipe like this one. This makes you want to eat popcorn every day. Maybe twice a day! If you love caramel popcorn -- then feast your lips on this easy to make treat! It's so easy to make, it's almost dangerous! Here's the good news . . . or maybe it's bad news . . . This is a "fix and eat" kind of treat.  It's not good left over -- so for whatever that's worth -- go make yourself a "I gotta eat it now" popcorn treat! Marshmallow Popcorn 1 bag of microwavable popcorn, popped (regular size) 5 TBSP butter 1 cup mini marshmallows 1/3 cup brown sugar Pop the popcorn.  Once cooled, pick out the unpopped kern...

On a whim, I whipped this up. I started with the cream cheese. Thought I'd add a bit of stuff to it. But didn't really know why I was making it. Didn't have a plan. Didn't have a reason. That makes cooking fun sometimes! I thought to myself, "Self, I think an orange cream cheese would taste good." I was thinking this while cleaning the bathroom and folding laundry. I gathered my ingredients and I made it. Viola!  Done! Now what? We don't have any bagels to eat it on. What am I going to do with this stuff, I thought? Here's what I did. I put a dollop on top of the bite-sized chocolate rice cake. Tried it. Liked it. Posted it. Orange Infused Cream Cheese 4 oz cream cheese, softened zest of one small orange 1/8 tsp. fiori di sicilia (King Arthur; citrus extract) 2 TBSP powdered sugar Place cream cheese in bowl large enough that you can stir your stuff. Zest the orange.  I used the entire zest of the orange ...

Image used from Betty Crocker.com Not all recipes are new to us. Some are a flash-back to the past; something we had a long time ago. Something that we ate for the first time, maybe even lived on it for awhile, But now we never make anymore. Matter of fact, some recipes that we share start a story with, "I remember . . . " This little treat is one of those "I remember . . . " recipes. I was in college when I first ate it with some friends. One of those friends is now my Mr.! How 'bout that! Now that I'm trying to cook ourselves gluten-free, it has me looking back through recipes. Which caused me to find this!  Which will be my girl cherub's birthday treat at school on Tuesday! Yeah, Me! Puppy Chow 4 cups corn chex 1/2 cup chocolate chips 1/4 cup peanut butter 2 TBSP butter 3/4 cup powdered sugar Place corn chex in a large bowl, maybe even one that is fitted with a lid. (Makes clean up that much easier!). Place choc...

I'm not a tree-hugger or anything like that. I'm not all into natural, or organic, or tofu, or anything that's remotely weird. But I do think that when you can make your own stuff, it's just better. I'm not talking mayonnaise, bath soap, or yogurt. I'm just talking "normal" basics! Like granola. Most things, when you make them from scratch, not only is it tastier, but it's cheaper. Granola is one of those things that, once you make, you'll never want to buy it again!  For one thing, you'll be eating it for a long time!  One batch will make a substantial amount! I made a very simple granola the other day.  Both of the cherubs have eaten it every day since!  They enjoy topping their yogurt with the crunch goodness.  I find myself having a scoop for a small snack during the afternoon.  It's just sweet enough to satisfy, without being an overload. You'll like this recipe because it's very forgiving and it's v...