Peppermint Stick Cocoa

 

This is a little treat I have had so much fun making this season(I actually made all the cocoa treats this weekend:).  Anyway,  I got the idea from Pinterest and added my own little flare.  I gave them to some of my favorite peeps.

The jars are quart size and smooth.  I added a personalized sticker, fabric for the lid and a ribbon.  Voila!

Peppermint Stick Cocoa Recipe

1 cup of sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of unsweetened powdered cocoa

1 cup of powdered milk

1/2 a cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup of chunky/crushed peppermint

1/2 cup of mini marsh mellows OR peppermint marsh mellows OR both

* stack ingredients in this order and pack with marsh mellows

* makes 12 servings (put all ingredients in a gallon size bag and mix all very well)

*mix in 1/3 of cocoa mix in 1 cup of boiling hot water

MMM Christmas Goodness!

Peppermint Stick Cocoa Reindeer

* half the recipe above and this sweet reindeer makes 6 servings

What you need: cone shaped cellophane baggies, rubber bands, googly  eyes, red mini pom poms, ribbon, brown pipe cleaners, hot glue gun

I made these in lieu of treat bags for Brayden’s Christmas Party at school this Friday.  I figured what kid doesn’t love hot cocoa.  Also there aren’t any allergies in the class so it is perfect.  What I did change about this recipe is the candy cane is attached and not crushed in the recipe.  This gives them an option as I know some little ones are picky with their cocoa, or any food item for that matter.  I also made some without the peppermint mini marsh mellows for those who prefer a traditional taste.  Okay, so some tips to remember:  Use the marsh mellows to pack ingredients * use a rubber band under the ribbon to secure closure well *

Ridiculously CUTE and YUMMY Reindeer

HaVe a MeRRy ChRistMas TiMe!

S’MEEPS!

Easter is here!  What a fun little dessert/goodie to make for the kids and yourself!  All you do, is makes S’mores and you know that S’mores + Peeps = S’meeps!  So without further ado,

needless to say, the yummy ingredients

pile ‘em just right

Yumo! Yummy!  Enjoy all!  ….such fun!

Souper Cheddar & Beer Delight

This is such a yummy bowl of cheesy-goodness on a cold winter’s evening! You must give it a try. It really makes your taste buds dance with delight. You don’t believe me? Ask my sister. She told me a good few times how good it was:).

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup diced carrot
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 pound Cheddar cheese, grated
• 3/4 cup flour
• dash of Tabasco sauce, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 can (12oz) beer
• crock-pot

Now, just so you know, you can get this recipe online. It’s what I did. However, and that’s a (BIG) However…I changed it up just a tad to make the texture and thickness of the soup…well, thicker and added some texture. Instead of diced carrots you can see they are little “matchstick” shaped. I also added 1/2 pound of Cheddar and 1/4 cup of flour. It came out delish!…Lovin’ me some sharp Cheddar!

Here’s what to do:

Sauté onion and celery until soft and transparent. Sauté the diced carrots until tender but still a little crisp. Place sautéed vegetables in a large crock-pot; add chicken stock. Keep your crock-pot on high. Combine Cheddar cheese with flour; stir mixture slowly into hot broth. Add Tabasco, dry mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer. Add beer; heat through and serve it up to 4-6 of your family members or friends! It’s sure to be a hit! Oh, you can add a little salt (to taste) once served.

A fun addition to preparation time? Since you only need one beer (and typically beer is sold in a pack of six), er,… you can enjoy a couple as you make this cheesy delight!:) Enjoy!

Sweet Peppermint Goodness

Nealy McKay made some Christmastime Peppermint Tree Bark for her teachers at school (she attached a gift card and…voila)! She worked really hard and added her own creative ingredient. Pretzels! It is very tasty. It is also easy breezy to make.

• sweet and semi-sweet chocolate chips
• candy canes
• pretzels
• foil and baking pan

Set your oven to 325 degrees and break candy canes into bite-size pieces. Do the same to the pretzels. Line your baking pan with foil paper and spread (liberally) a combination of sweet and semi-sweet chocolate chips evenly on the bottom of the pan. Put the pan in the oven for approximately 8-10 minutes. When the chocolate chips appear melted and soft take them out of the oven and use a butter knife to spread the chocolate out evenly. Sprinkle candy cane and pretzel bits on top. You can tap them a tiny bit to make sure they ‘sink’ in to the soft chocolate. Place the entire pan in the refrigerator to cool and harden. Once it’s completely cool, take out and break in pieces of preferred size. You can pop another pan in the oven while one is cooling and so forth. I told you it was easy! Make some of your own!

2nd Annual Halloween Bash!

Brayden held his 2nd annual Halloween Bash yesterday evening! The little girls were BOO-tiful and the boys GHOST-orgeous in their precious costumes! We had a great time playing, MONSTER munching, reading SPOOKY tales, and decorating pumpkins. Brayden was SO happy to see so many of friends. It was definitely was a Bash Blast! (get ready for LOTS of pictures)!

Check out the preparations: (the monster munchies were for the tots, the “thank you” candy corn-tree bark was for the mommies, and treat cups for the older boys and girls). These were not my best “mummy dogs” but…I didn’t get a picture of the cuter ones. (you get the idea)

It was fun setting up and making the treats! NOW, checkout the adorable boos and ghouls! (Brayden, Emily, Aaron, Ella, Molly, Tristan, Aiden, Avery, Makayla, Cayman, Ashlyn, Eilzabeth, Adi, and Wyatt)

Nealy and Myranda (our sweet little across the street neighbor) joined the spooky fun!

My Precious Pirate!

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Another Great thing about last night was I was able to hang with my BFF, Mandy!

Thank you to all my sweet friends and family for making B’s bash truly SPOOK-tacular! Hugs!!!

I Did it! ...Kinda

On Super Bowl Sunday I cooked! I am so much better at baking but, even so...it's limited. I have mentioned it before but, I have been blessed with WONDERFUL kindergarten parents AND grandparents this year. Come to think of it, I have always had supportive families. Anyway, parents bring me lunch, donate materials, bring tons of snacks, gifts etc etc! So Mrs. G is the grandma who comes up and helps me TWICE a week, EVERY week! I LOVE her! She kept bringing me this pasta salad that I absolutely loved. I was totally craving it on Super Bowl Sunday. She sent me a text with the ingredients and quick directions and VOILA! My mom devoured it and Nealy kept saying, "mmm"...I didn't tell her it had onions in it. Shh! My sister said she wanted the recipe she liked it so much. (Scott isn't so much of a "cold pasta" person...so I think he ended up eating something else). I admit it. I had two bowls! Anyway, It was a success. It was way yummy and now I share it with YOU! It's super easy to make. If I can make it, I know YOU can too! (call me crazy...but, yes I did take pictures. One, I was proud of myself for making the effort. Two, I am so visual...I thought it would be nice to 'see' it if you were considering making it).

Ingredients:
1 lb of pasta
1 large can of white tuna..or chicken
green olives
green onion or white
celery
balsamic vinegar
Lowery's Seasoned Pepper
Lowery's Garlic Powder
Real Mayo...or Low Fat



Directions:
Boil lb. of pasta (of your choice)
Dice 1/8 onion, 4 stalks of celery,
Half green olives with pimento (about 1/2 a cup...more if you like)
Make one large can of solid white tune (you can use chicken if you prefer) Use mayo...(low fat if you are watching your weight)

Mix tuna into drained pasta,
Add olives, celery and onion
Add 1 tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar
Sprinkle seasoned black pepper to taste
Sprinkle garlic powder to taste
OR you can add the seasoned black pepper and garlic powder to the Balsamic Vinegar...it's up to you.
Mix well. Eat while pasta is still warm OR even better when it's cool. It stores for a good few days and is great for lunch! Enjoy...you won't be disappointed!

Add fresh strawberries as a side or for dessert
and you are set!

Notice I didn't quite dice the celery. I like the pieces a tad bit more 'chunky.' Also, the shell pasta is perfect for this salad b/c it holds the tuna in the little shells...it's just really what you prefer...