OREOS

Make these cookies from the Rolo Cookie recipe - minus the Rolo's. Then make frosting to sandwich between them.

There are a few yummy frosting choices.

Regular old white frosting:

4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
5 Tbsp milk (give or take to make the consistency you want)
1 tsp vanilla
Blend all together until smooth, adding more milk if necessary.

OR

Go a little crazy and make mint Oreos by substituting the vanilla with mint extract to the above recipe and adding some green food coloring.

OR

Get fancy and make Cream Cheese Frosting (you will end up eating more than your share of these).

4 cups powdered sugar
1 stick butter, softened
1 (8 oz) block cream cheese
2 tsp vanilla
Blend it all together until smooth.

Quick Change

Cute little fruit pics.
Nice, but they've been hanging around the kitchen too long.
Time for something new.



Take the frame apart. Separate the double mat. Color the little bit that shows of the 2nd mat with a black Sharpie. Cover the top mat with leftover wallpaper from the bathroom (could use scrapbook paper). Print out letters. Put it all back together and ta-da! Better, I think.




This only took about 30 minutes because I had everything I needed when I got the notion to switch it out. So instead of putting it on the bottom of the Projects To Do List, I had 30 minutes to spare so I just did it. The longest part was deciding on which font went best with the new mat.

Winner

Try the latest Pillsbury Bake-off winner, Double Delight Peanut Butter Cookies. They are super delicious. But here's where the chocolate comes in. We liked them best with chocolate ice-cream sandwiched between two cookies.
Oh boy, were they good!


1/4 cup peanuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 roll (16.5 oz) refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough, well chilled

Heat oven to 375° F.
In small bowl, mix chopped peanuts, granulated sugar and cinnamon; set aside. In another small bowl, stir peanut butter and powdered sugar until completely blended. Shape mixture into 24 (1-inch) balls.
Cut roll of cookie dough into 12 slices. Cut each slice in half crosswise to make 24 pieces; flatten slightly. Shape 1 cookie dough piece around 1 peanut butter ball, covering completely. Repeat with remaining dough and balls. Roll each covered ball in peanut mixture; gently pat mixture completely onto balls.
On ungreased large cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart. Spray bottom of drinking glass with cooking spray; press into remaining peanut mixture.
Flatten each ball to 1/4-inch thickness with bottom of glass. Sprinkle any remaining peanut mixture evenly on tops of cookies; gently press into dough.
Bake 7 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Store tightly covered.

A Non-Chocolate Recipe

Last week we got our assignments for our big family Easter dinner. I was put in charge of the salad. Boooooring. I know that Rebecca was considering that I was visiting from out of town and I was basically a single mother of 4 for a few days until my husband got there. She is nice that way. So since I like to cook I spiced up the salad a little.

The recipe comes from my awesome friend, Jeanette. She probably doesn't remember but it was the first thing I ever ate at her house after we met and it was so good. I like it so much, I made it again, two days after Easter. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture, which was dumb of me but here it is anyway.

Mixed Green Salad

1 bag spring baby greens
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 sweet onion, chopped
4 to 6 mushrooms, chopped
2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette (Ken's Brand is great)
1 cup chopped almonds or pecans (pecans for me)
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Toss greens, tomatoes, onion, mushrooms and Feta cheese.
To make the sweet and spicy nuts: Melt butter in saute pan. Add nuts and cook 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar and spices and cook until well coated. (This doesn't take very long - if you overcook them, they become hard.) Cool. Add dressing and nuts just before serving.

*Add dressing according to your taste but don't overdo it. But don't underdo it either. :)
Oh, and chop the veggies small. I think it makes a difference. Nothing worse than getting a giant bite of onion with some dressing on it. This way you can get a bite of everything at the same time.

A Little Late

It's lame to post this after Easter but we also had Spring Break last week so it was family time and limited computer time. Oh well, here's for next year.

I made a basket for an almost 10-year-old daughter who is not exactly into tulle and lacy princess stuff. It started out as a brown basket, which was painted Heirloom White.


The skirt is the boot-cut leg bottoms of some very old Gap jeans.
Everything was hot glued. No sewing involved.


I also used the waistband because I thought it looked cute and
thought maybe the Easter Bunny would bring her a cute little belt.


And this is my favorite Easter "basket" for boys.


I used to give these to all my boyfriends for Easter (not all in one year! different boyfriends, different years). The Easter Bunny now brings them to my boys.

Cake Balls

Seen these babies several times and have been wanting to taste one.
After getting the recipe and instructions from her friend Vanessa,
Amy did the messy work for us this Easter weekend and they were yum!

Bake one Devil's Food Cake Mix as directed on the box. Let cake cool.


Crumble cake up in a bowl, and mix in one can of chocolate frosting...oh yes!


Roll into small balls, and let them set up in fridge for an hour or so
for easier handling when dipping.


Dip balls into melted chocolate...I used milk chocolate chips,
you can thin with a tiny bit of oil.


You can also add sprinkles for special effect, or if you have cake decorating supplies, you could even pipe some flowers or other "fancy" stuff on them.


Thanks Vanessa and Amy!

Girly Curtains

The main part of these are made with a sheet that matches the sheets on the girls' beds. The bottom trim is made with some green gingham I thought went well with the purple. The tabs were made with random scraps by making tubes of fabric, where you sew a strip of fabric right sides together and then turn them right side out and iron them flat. Then they were sewn onto the curtain, front and back, spaced evenly apart. The extra large buttons were added as the final touch.



These were very easy with basic straight stitching. And since they are made with a mixture of random fabrics, a random stitch by mistake isn't going to really show up as a mistake. :)

Graham Cracker Fudge

The photo is MIA, but for now here is the recipe.

Graham Cracker Fudge
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
4 Tbsp butter

Cook the above together until it forms a soft ball.
Remove from heat and add:
3 cups crushed graham crackers
20 large marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together well, then pour into a 9x13 pan. Cool and cut.

For A Princess

One day while walking through Walmart, my daughter spotted a cute little (cheap and flimsy) pink Easter basket. I plopped it in my cart but only to take it over to the craft department for a reference. I had already planned to make Easter baskets for the kids so I already had a basket for her at home. I picked up some tulle, satin ribbon and lace hem tape.
All of it in pink.

Here is the garage sale basket.
It was already pink or I would have spray-painted it.


I lined it with some pink fabric and then added the tulle and hem tape to cover the glue, then wrapped the handle with the ribbon, added some bows and done.



I didn't sew anything, just used hot glue all the way around under the rim of the basket and finished the whole thing before American Idol was over.

Now she has a sturdy basket she is already using to tote things around. It's not too big which is just how the Easter Bunny likes it - room for just enough candy for a 6-year-old.

A Keeper

I've had this recipe for awhile but this is the first time I've made it and it was delicious. I would 1 and 1/2 the filling next time though (doubled would probably be too much) because I ended up adding a layer of Cool Whip to the top to make it come to the top of the pan. Maybe my pan was just extra deep. I used a 9 x 2 3/4 inch springform pan. I put a few extra strawberries too. Yum!

Chocolate Strawberry Torte
1/2 cup plus 2 tsp butter, divided
2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
(about 26 squares)
1/4 cup sugar
1 carton (12 oz) Cool Whip
1 cup sour cream
1 small pkg (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
1 square (1 oz) semisweet chocolate

Melt 1/2 cup butter. In a bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar. Press onto the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the sides of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate.
In a mixing bowl, beat the cool whip, sour cream and pudding mix until blended. Spread half over crust. Arrange strawberries over top. Spread with remaining filling. In a microwave, melt chocolate and remaining butter; stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature. Drizzle over filling. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Serves 10-12.

Some Inspiration

After seeing this idea by our big sis, Marilyn, I have been on the lookout for a table like this for like 5 years.

She has two, one on each side of the bed, and I think they used to be dark brown and she painted them white. She added a cut-to-size piece of fabric and a cut-to-size piece of glass to cover the fabric and voila!
I've also seen this done with a picture frame, but then of course it has to be the right size for your table.

Complete

I finished them! I'm still deciding on which container to use.


I entered these in the Mod Podge spring contest. The picture quality is bad on this one. The colors are much prettier in person.
It will be a miracle if I win since I don't ever win anything, but I thought it would be fun to try. Maybe I'll win a lifetime supply of Mod Podge or something. :)


A few notes about making them. The styrofoam balls slough off teeny tiny pieces. I found that if you rub it with your hands before you start, it decreases the amount of dust. But, if you use a skewer to hold the ball with one hand and use the other hand to do the messy work, touching only the fabric or paper and not the ball when you smooth it on. If you do get some dust in the glue, you really don't notice it. If you think it will bug you then I recommend spraying the ball with a clear coat of spray paint before you start. It will help to keep those little pieces from sloughing off.

If you are using paper, don't get discouraged if the paper won't lie flat. You just keep working and go back and smooth it down. The paper will soften a little after it's been in the glue for a few minutes. Be careful not to smooth it after the glue has dried enough to be tacky because you might tear the paper. If you do, then simply cover it with another strip of paper.

On the sheet music ones, I thought it would be cool to paste on the song title as well as the composer.

Too Much Chocolate Cake

The Last Piece

I saw that another crafty blog posted an almost identical recipe a few days ago, but I'm going to post mine anyway because I've been wanting to make it for a few weeks now and yesterday was the planned day! It was everything I hoped it would be and has now replaced my old standby doctored chocolate cake mix. I mean seriously, why would you make it entirely from scratch if it tastes this good?

Too Much Chocolate Cake
1 devils food cake mix
1 (5.9 oz) chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour before inverting onto a plate.
Serve with your favorite chocolate glaze or mine ☺.

Frosting/Glaze
8 oz tub Cool Whip
6 squares of semi-sweet baking chocolate

Melt both ingredients in microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and melt for additional 30 seconds or until smooth and shiny.

DIY- Do It Yourself

I have been on a quest to find some of those decorative balls that are really popular right now. I needed to find some black and white ones but was unable to find any that I liked so I decided to take matters into my own hands and make my own.

I tore up some pages from a childrens book that we've had for awhile that my kids have never picked up. I bought some 4-inch styrofoam balls from Walmart and Glossy Mod Podge and went to work. It was messy because you basically have to do it with your fingers. I dipped the strips of paper in the Mod Podge and then smoothed it over the ball. It really didn't take long and I love the end result.
They are not really heavy, obviously since they are styrofoam but they are virtually indestructible.



I liked those so much that I had my 6-year-old daughter draw me some simple black on white stick figures, hearts, stars, etc. and I made one using those.


I liked them so much that today I started some more, but this time I cut up some vintage sheet music and pasted those on. I'm going to make a few to put in a cute basket on my piano. I love how these are turning out even more than I like the other ones.


My girls saw me doing them and wanted to help, so we decided to make some for their bedroom, so this is one we started today.


It's still drying. When we finish them all I'll have to post a picture. And then I think we better stop before it's overkill. :)

But think of the possibilities...fabric, scrapbook paper, your favorite wallpaper, tissue paper, fuzzy fabric, moss...

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Finally getting around to finishing up some unfinished projects this week to be posted soon. It's been busy around here so it was a welcome treat from my friend, Alyssa, when she gave me some cookies today. I also happen to have the recipe. Thanks Alyssa!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups oatmeal
1 (12 oz) pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream the butter - add and cream brown sugar and white sugar. Beat eggs and vanilla into the butter mixture, blend well. Sift flour, salt and baking soda together and add to butter mixture. Stir in oatmeal and the chocolate chips. Spoon by heaping spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes.

Cherry Chocolate Cookies

Okay, whenever we get a box of chocolates, I tend to avoid the ones with cherries - just not usually fond of that combo. But these. These are so very good. I ate several of them!

Cherry Chocolate Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
maraschino cherries

Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Combine dry ingredients and mix in until smooth. It will be thick.
Roll into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Drain cherries, reserving the juice. Press center of each ball with thumb and place a cherry in the indentation.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool. Frost with this frosting:

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 tsp cherry juice

Heat the condensed milk and chocolate chips in a saucepan until the chips are melted. Stir in the cherry juice. Spoon or drizzle over the cherries in the center of the cooled cookies. The frosting will harden a little eventually but you might not be able to wait that long!
You can cut the cherries in half if you prefer less cherry and more chocolate.

Grilled Pizza

My very good friend introduced me to this fun and delicious idea.

Here's how you make pizza on the grill.

Start by rolling out your pizza dough. I have wanted to do this
using a homemade crust but just never have yet.
So far I only use these. The dough is good, easy to manipulate
and doesn't stick to your hands or the grill grate.


Just thaw those babies out by laying them out in a pan
in a single layer just like the package directions say to.
Only you can just jam them all together side by side because
you're just going to smoosh it all into a ball anyway.

When they have thawed and risen, smoosh it all together
then just pull off about a fist-size piece and roll it out.
It doesn't have to be a perfect circle.

Brush both sides with olive oil (I couldn't find my pastry brush
so I raided a craft drawer for a brush ☺).


The grill shouldn't be very high. My husband says he puts it on medium
but I'm sure grills probably vary. It should be low enough that you
don't see a flame. If it's too hot, it won't cook on the inside.
Grill the dough on one side until it's golden brown with nice little grill marks.


After you have grilled one side, take it off the grill and flip it
onto a tray or plate so the dough side is down and the cooked side is up.


Usually we let everybody put their own toppings on.
This time we took orders. Don't forget the sauce!


After you have loaded up on your favorite toppings, slide it back on the grill to cook the bottom side, to melt the cheese and heat the toppings.




That's Amore! ☺