A Proverbs 31 Kind of Day

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...

Last Christmas we spent a week away. It was a wonderful gift! We did very little while we were gone. We played games and watched moves. We made ourselves get ready and leave the condo 3 times during our 8 days. We weren't gone very long on those excursions . . . . we were rather content in the condo watching moves and playing games! One day, the Mr. made reservations at a restaurant on the campus of  The College of the Ozarks. On a side note, this college is founded on amazing principles.  If you have time, you ought to take a look!   https://www.cofo.edu/ College of the Ozarks, Keeter Center Image from the internet We had a great lunch and we even ordered dessert. Two reasons: We were on vacation; when on vacation we can do whatever we want. They had a gluten free option. When you eat gluten free, it is always exciting to go to a restaurant and have "normal" options! We ordered the chocolate someth...

I honestly don't know what we did before Nutella. Honestly! I don't know who's worse:  the Mr. or the girl cherub. Truth be told:  it's the Mr. He will categorically deny it, but I know the truth! Many years ago, when my parents were celebrating their 20th anniversary, I believe, my dad sent my mom on a European trip. Yes,  . . .sent. He stayed home. He never had any desire to leave the states. He liked to travel, but going over-seas, was of no interest to him. Now, hook up an R.V. behind his truck and he was a happy camper. No pun intended! Off to Europe my mom goes with a traveling group and she brought back all sorts of treats. One being this "chocolate in a jar." Yep!  It was Nutella. But that was before you could readily find it in any store in America. Fast-forward to a husband who loves chocolate and he fosters the same indulgence to his daughter. We have a jar of this stuff in the pantry all the time! On ou...

If you've read the last post, you know we had sweet friends over for dessert recently. Because we were having a "make your own chocolate chip ice cream sundae bar," I needed wanted hot fudge sauce. Sure, I could have gone to my favorite ice cream dairy store (picture below) and picked up a jar of their delicious hot fudge sauce. But I didn't. I was feeling way to domesticated for such radical behavior! I have a great hot fudge sauce recipe. But I couldn't find it. This makes a woman like me crazy. Crazy, I tell you! I can tell you who we were with the last time I made it. I can remember where I found the recipe the last time I made it. So why, oh why, can't I find it now? I don't know. But I don't have time to panic. I only have time for hot fudge sauce. I searched and searched for a recipe that was similar to the one I wanted to make. The one I wanted to make does NOT have sweetened condensed milk in it. N...

Image from Kraft This is so easy. This is an old recipe. Those two statements have nothing in common. It's beginning to turn "Sprummer" around here. It's during "Sprummer" that I start thinking about new and different recipes. Maybe even a recipe that I haven't made in awhile. Last night, I opened some cool whip and used about 2 TBSP. Now, I have an entire container of cool whip. That bugs me. What am I going to do with all that cool whip? I have no plan. Well, I didn't have a plan. Now I do. Actually, I've executed my plan. That's why I'm posting this recipe. This is low fat, easy, cool, and no-bake. What can better than that? I'll tell you! If someone else makes it for you! And cleans up after you! And tells you you're pretty. But in case that isn't happening today around your house, you're not alone!  It's not happening here either! Chocolate Éclair Cake 1  box g...

Allergy season is hitting hard at our house these days. With that, comes the need for my girl cherub to have a gluten free diet. Again. We've done gluten free before, but she's been able to tolerate gluten back in her diet. Since she's suffering so bad with seasonal allergies, her immune system is sensitive and gluten is being bad . . .very bad to her right now! Shame on gluten! It took us about two meals to figure out that we needed to remove the culprit. It may be for a short time,  or it may be more long-term . . .we'll just listen to her body and go with what's best for her. With that said, it's Mother's Day tomorrow and our lunch dessert got changed to accommodate my cherub. Wow!  What a mom I am! Isn't that just the life of a mom! I made these tonight (ummm, yes, you read that right!  I made my own dessert for Mother's Day!)  The Mr. and I shared a cookie and he said, "This tastes just like a brownie cookie!...

It's official; my short-term, long-term substitute teaching job came to an end on Friday. Sniff!  Sniff! I'm serious! It's amazing how quickly you can come to love a group of kids!  Each one is unique and each one holds a special place with me! I hope the regular teacher gets sick .  . . and calls me! Not that I want her sick; I just want to be back in her class! Understand!  My heart's in the right spot! Now that I'm not working 14 hours a day, I'm going to have a bit of time to post some recipes. My cherubs are super excited; and so is the Mr.! We haven't had anything creative since I went to work in November! Part of that is because I've barely been to the store! It's amazing what you can throw into a lunchbox and call it "healthy!" Today, I baked this chocolate cake! Sour Cream Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Pan Frosting 1 box chocolate cake mix with pudding in the mix 1 cup sour cream 3 eggs 3/4 cup ...

Image from Google My cherubs had some friends over for some weekend fun! Pizza, playing, a movie  . . .and dessert! I didn't have the time or energy to make a dessert for tonight, but I remembered Ms. Kaye had given me a recipe a long time ago for "A Cup of Cake." Now with pinterest, and google, and other media in the palm of our hands, one can find this type of recipe most anywhere. But with the girls, I thought they might enjoy making their own "cup-cake!" I have to be honest;  I'm not too in love with the taste. But the concept is fun! All of the ingredients are out and the recipe is hanging on the cabinet door, and girls are gathered around the kitchen island laughing, and dumping, and stirring, and microwaving, and before you know it -- you have your own little dessert! With all the love and good times that goes into making the dessert, it kind of makes up for the slightly bland taste! A Cup of Cake 4 TBSP flour 4 TBSP suga...

    While looking through cookbooks, trying to make my grocery list, I saw this recipe.   I remember seeing it a few years ago and thinking, "that might be good."   But I never made them.   Until this year.   I thought, "this might make a great gift."   I bought the stuff and followed the recipe.   And had a small mess on my hands! The "new" crockpots must be hotter than the "old" crockpots.   Because in less time than the recipe called for, my chocolate was beginning to burn.   But I didn't know it until I went to stir my chocolate.   Then discovered that I may have ruined the whole thing.   But thankfully, I hadn't!   I just scooped out the good stuff; left the bad stuff and went on about my business!   The only down-side:  the recipe said it would yield 8 dozen.  I only got 5 dozen .  . . but I'm not complaining!   White Chocolate...

Image from the Internet I have always liked chocolate dipped cones. Always! On a Summer day, there is no doubt, they are messy. But they're great. There's an art to eating a chocolate dipped cone. First, you bite the very top off of the chocolate. This allows you to suck some of the soft-serve ice cream from the inside of the chocolate shell. But you have to be careful or the chocolate shell will crack and some will fall in on itself, and the other bits will fall onto the ground. Those pieces on the ground are gone forever. And that's sad. But once you have removed just the right amount of soft-serve ice cream, you then bit the chocolate shell again, being careful to only get a small amount. Then you suck more ice cream out. You continue this pattern . . . Very quickly. Because it's a hot day and everybody knows that the chocolate is not a strong fortified shell and there's always at least one tiny hole. A small place where the cho...

This recipe has been around forever. I remember making this cookie when I was a little girl. You probably do too! You know, sometimes the best recipes are the tried and true ones! This requires so little effort and comes together in a cinch. During the Summer, it's great because it doesn't require any baking! I'm not a fan of these after they've been made a few days.  I prefer them "fresh."  (Whatever that means!)  Because of my "no-bake cookie idiosyncrasies," I only make half of a recipe at a time.  The recipe I've listed is the whole-shabang. When I make half a recipe, depending on how big I drop the cookies, I can easily get a dozen (a descent size cookie) to a dozen and a 1/2 (this size makes you want one for each hand!). No-Bake Cookies 2 cups sugar 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup cocoa pinch salt 1/2 cup butter 1 cup peanut butter 1 tsp. vanilla 3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal* In a large saucepan, ...

Look into my crystal ball . . . .  . . . what do you see? Halloween Candy Bark! Yummy! Making bark is the easiest thing in the world to do!  You can mix just about anything into the melted bark and POOF !  You've got a new creation! Halloween Candy Bark 1 package white or chocolate almond bark 3 cups pretzels, broken 2 cups candy corn 15 Halloween Oreo's, broken into pieces (I didn't use them because I couldn't find them!) sprinkles On a silpat or foil-lined cookie sheet, place about 2 cups of the broken pretzels and the broken Oreo's, if you're using them.  Melt the almond bark in the microwave, being careful not to scorch the bark.  Almond bark typically holds its shape, even when it's melted, so stir often to prevent burning. Pour the melted almond bark over the pretzels and smear it around, covering as much of the pretzels/oreos as possible.  Quickly sprinkle the top of the almond bark with the remaining pretzels and cand...

How many things can you sit around and think about? Seriously? My cherub talked me into buying the new "flat" marshmallows for a project she wants to make. Great!  I'll make a project too! Inside-Out S'mores! Kind of a hassle, but fun to give to friends, or pack in a lunch box, or just say you made it! Inside-Out S'mores Graham crackers "Stacker Mallows" (flat marshmallows) from Jet-Puff white or chocolate almond bark sprinkles Break a graham cracker in half.  Melt one or two "cubes" of the almond bark. Take 2 stacker mallows and dab a bit of almond bark on each one and lay them side by side on 1/2 of a graham cracker.  Smear a bit more almond bark on the top of the marshmallows and place the other 1/2 of the cracker on top.  Allow the chocolate to set before dipping. Melt the remaining almond bark in a bowl.  You want to be able to dip the crackers in and submerge and turn them to get them evenly coated. Lay...

Abra . . .  . . .Ca . . .  . . .Dabra! Brownies 1/2 cup butter, melted 1 cup sugar 2 large eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 2/3 cup flour 1/4 cup cocoa 1/8 tsp. salt 1 cup chopped nuts, if desired Preheat oven to 325. Combine the melted butter and sugar in a large bowl and stir together. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, and salt. Stir into the butter mixture. Stir in nuts, if using. Pour into a greased and floured 8 inch pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a wooden tootpick inserted in the cnter comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.  Enjoy! 

Feast your eyes on these beauties! Yummy! Kay, don't tell anybody, but this is your snack today!  The Mr. is holding them  hostage in the refrigerator! Seriously! Go look! This is the Mr's dream come true!  His two very favorite desserts all smooshed together into one glorious, lip smacking, hope I can have seconds kind of dessert! Can you see the temptation? The delicious, fudgey, gooey brownie cupcake with the raw (eggless) chocolate chip cookie dough glooped in the middle with a bit of chocolate drizzled on top -- just because we need it! You know you want to make this! Here's the good news!  It can be made all from scratch or it can be made using mixes!  You decide! I made mine from scratch, but I really do think the same principles will work with mixes -- heck give it a try -- what's the worse that can happen?  Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownie Cupcake Your favorite brownie recipe, a mi...

When we got back from vacation, we've made the commitment to get back to better eating;  more fruits and veggies, grilled lean meats,  . . . and chocolate cake! After all, you need something to wash the cold skim milk down with! Chocolate Cake 1 package chocolate cake mix 1 small package instant chocolate pudding 1 1/4 cup water 1/2 cup vegetable oil 3 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla extract* 1 cup chocolate chips Chocolate Frosting 1 stick butter 3 TBSP cocoa powder 4 TBSP milk 1 tsp. vanilla* 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted. Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly spray a 9x13 pan. Mix cake mix and next 5 ingredients with an electric mixer for 2 minutes.  Stopping to scrape down sides, if necessary.  Gently stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips. Pour into pan and bake for 38-42 minutes or until done.  Test for doneness:  when cake springs back when lightly pressed with a finger. Cool on rack for 10 minutes. For frosting: Place butter, coc...

 We think these are the best cookies ever. There's nothing special about the ingredients. Or the dough. I'm not sure what makes them so good, but this is the only recipe I use! My Chocolate Chip Cookies 3/4 cup crisco 1 1/4 cups brown sugar 2 TBSP milk 1 TBSP vanilla 1 egg 1 3/4 cups flour 1 tsp. salt 3/4 tsp. baking soda 2 cups chocolate chips 1 cup nuts, chopped In a large bowl, cream crisco, brown sugar, milk and vanilla.  Add egg and mix well.  Add dry white ingredients, combining well.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Scoop by large rounded tablespoon and bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes, depending on desired doneness. Cool on rack or enjoy while warm and you can barely hold it in your hand and you need a bowl to plop it in because it's so warm and gooey that it won't even hold it's shape.  Umm, that would be speaking from experience! *I really think my "secret" to the cookies being so absolutely delicious is th...

If you're looking for something easy to whip up to haul into the office with you tomorrow  . . . to make other's think that you're totally with it . . . to make them think that you are the most creative person there ever was . . . to make them think, "Are you kidding me, you've got the stuff at home to make this?" . . . to make them think, "I wish I could be like that!" . . . Then you need to run to the store to grab these easy ingredients . . . and a cute and decorative Chinese take out box to package it in (or maybe you just want to rinse out the one from the other night !). Easter Candy 1 lb. white chocolate almond bark, melted 1 package of Easter M&M's (I used the M&M Speckled Eggs because I wanted to) 15 vanilla oreos (so are they really oreos?) 1 1/2 pretzel rods, broken Easter colored sprinkles Roughly crush the vanilla oreos and sprinkle evenly on a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle some of the pretzel rods on top of t...

While catching up on some of the blogs I read, I saw this recipe for very cute Valentine candy.  Leigh Ann  at Your Homebased Mom posted this very cute looking bark recipe and don't you know, I had to give it a try!  If you don't make bark candy, then really you're missing out on one of the easiest treat there is!  It practically makes itself and it's perfect for a little treat to give to friends, teachers, or yourself!  After all, you work hard too! When I saw this recipe, I started thinking of ALL the things you could do with this recipe -- and it's great for about any holiday you want to celebrate!  I'm not sure what Leigh Ann calls this -- so I'll call it . . .oh, I can't come up with a cute name right now!  Maybe by the end of posting there will be something clever . . .and then again, maybe not! Candy Bark 1 lb. white chocolate almond bark* 1 1/2 cups pretzels, broken* 1 cup candy* 14 oreos, broken* Holiday colored sprinkles ...

Oh boy!  Who doesn't love a s'more!  Oh!  Can't you taste that yummy, gooey, delicious treat right now!  It takes you back . . .it lets you be a kid again!  Messy, worth-lickin' fingers with melted chocolate smeared on your chin!  Oh yeah! So, my Madison Grace is having a "S'More Fun" birthday party.  With the final plans having been tweaked, therefore making them "final," it goes without saying that I've made a little "detour" to the plans and I'm surprising her with S'More Cupcakes!  Who won't like these!  My hope is that a dozen of them make it to the party!  Only time will tell! You're going to read through this recipe and say, "Whatever!"   I know, it seems long, drawn out, and maybe even a little complicated.  But trust me, it's much easier than it reads and I do think the final product is worth the little bit of extra effort!  Clear the house, i.e -- kick everybody out so that you can have...