OUR LAST DAYS AT THE BEACH...

BLANKET SCARF, OH HOW I ADORE YOU

I bought myself this blanket scarf by Tinley Road for Christmas. And then I bought one for my Mom, and then another one for my Mother-In-Law. I pretty much think every woman in the world should have one. It is fabulous! Sorry I can't buy one for everyone, but click on the link if you want one too!

P.S. I just noticed it was on sale for $26.99! Hurry!!!

I WOULD HAVE PREFERRED BOOTS

Let me tell you what our good ol' pal Santa brought us this year! 5 bouts of influenza (2 wonderful versions), 1 ear infection, 2 cases of conjunctivitis (seriously disgusting!), 1 sinus infection, 1 yeast infection brought on by amoxicillin (sorry Soph), 1 very expensive ER visit, borderline pneumonia AND a missed holiday trip home to Missouri! This was just Sophie and I! The boys managed to go through the month of December unscathed...unbelievable! I'm thinking next year has to be better.

Come on 2011! Be good to us! And may you all be loved, healthy & happy in the new year! 

candy cane kiss cookies

CANDY CANE KISS COOKIES
photo & recipe via Recipe Girl

Forget about all those "other" Christmas cookie recipes, you only need this one! I don't even like mint flavored anything, but I can NOT stop eating these. And so far they have been a big hit with everyone! My only tip would be to take them out at 10 minutes, leaving them a bit gooey in the middle. I found the smaller the balls, the cuter the cookies; so get extra Kisses if you make them small.

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1¼ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp peppermint extract, optional (I left it out)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1/2 cup finely chopped Candy Cane flavored Hershey’s Kisses
Granulated sugar
Additional, unwrapped Candy Cane Kisses- about 60 (large bag)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Make room in either refrigerator or freezer for your cookie sheet.

2. In large mixer bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, extracts and egg. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until creamy (2-3 minutes). In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to wet mixture and beat, scraping bowl often until well blended (1-2 minutes). The mixture will be a bit crumbly. Stir in chopped Kisses.

3. Shape dough into ¾-inch to 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place 1-inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. As soon as they come out of the oven, press a Candy Cane Kiss in the center of each cookie. They’ll crack a little around the edges, so just use your fingers to kind of hold the cookie together while you set the kiss inside. Put cookie sheet (with cookies) immediately into the freezer (preferred) or refrigerator so that the Kisses will set quickly. As soon as you press them into the cookie, they will begin to soften… so if you can get them into the freezer then they will keep their Kiss shape.

4. Store in a covered container at room temperature for up to a week. In the freezer they should be okay for a couple of weeks.

Yield: About 2 1/2 dozen

me want cookies!!!!

"Sometimes me think what is love, and then me think love is what last cookie is for. Me give up the last cookie for you." ~Cookie Monster

The holidays!! A perfect excuse to do some MORE baking! Love it! I keep several folders online of recipes I want to try and these are just a few from my baking (my most cherished!) archives. Since so many people go to cookie exchange parties this time of year, I thought I would post some cookie ideas. I haven't tried these yet though, so don't blame me if they aren't as tasty as they look. Happy baking everyone!

Rolo Cookies

Ginger Sandwich Cookies

Peppermint Candy Cookies

Florida Christmas Cookies

Old-Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies

Homemade Oreos

Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting

CARAMEL APPLE CHEESECAKE BARS

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Rich would be the first word that comes to mind when eating these! Wow! But a really great dessert for a large crowd.  

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened 

Cheesecake Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Apples:

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. 

Streusel Topping:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

In a small bowl, combine all streusel ingredients; sprinkle evenly with streusel topping. 

Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping (I did this as I served them) and let cool. Serve cold and enjoy!

photo & recipe via The Girl Who Ate Everything

recipe adapted from Paula Deen

PINK PETTISKIRTS & POLKADOTS

One year has come and gone my sweet girl. You learned to crawl, walk & dance; you are your big brother's shadow (wow does he love you, and you him); and you have become YOU...cuddly, independent, strong in body & mind, determined, beautiful & silly. 

I can't wait to watch you grow. And baby girl, the things coming your way will be magical and wonderful, and difficult and sad, but it will be your amazing life. Embrace it all and LIVE it well.

FOOD SHOULD BE THIS FUN ALL YEAR!

Bleeding Eyeball Doughnuts

Candy Corn Cupcakes

Mummy Pops

Maggot Balls

Monster Cupcakes

Crimson Halloween Punch

THOMPSON FARM AND NURSERY

We spent the day at Thompson Farm in Bucksville, SC, and we could not believe that we had never heard of this place! Julious and Amanda Thompson (who had 15 children by the way!) began their life together here in 1845; the house pictured above was built in 1825 by SC Legislator, Cornelius Sarvis. It is still a working farm operated by the fourth generation of Thompson's.

 

They have a phenomenal 8-acre corn maze (pictured below) designed by the biggest corn maze designer in the U.S. Our fearless leader, Drew, led us through to the end...a journey which takes on average an hour and a half! And I am fairly confident that had I led our way, it would have taken at least two!

Just along the edge of the corn maze, was this lovely spot where we took some photos of our Sophie. Lanterns hanging from a large tree with a wagon set next to it, with vases full of beautiful flowers. Beautiful spot for an impromptu photo shoot!

The fun doesn't end at the corn maze! Pappy's Play Area was a quaint, lovely little spot filled with various activities for the kiddos: large corn bin (Sophie did not want to get out!), goat tower, hen house, duck races, and enough things for the children to play on to keep them very happy!

Here it is! The design is different every year and it is phenomenal. Would highly recommend this wonderful farm; I'm only sorry we didn't know about it sooner!

PLANET LUNCHBOX TO THE RESCUE!

Well I finally broke down and bought Drew a lunchbox, not just any lunchbox for my kiddo...a Planet Lunchbox! You may think I'm crazy for spending this much ($70 including shipping!!), but I have my reasons: Planet Lunchboxes are eco-friendly (eliminates disposable containers and bags) durable, promote healthy eating, made of food-safe stainless steel, and it will last him for years. And you don't HAVE to buy the magnets or the carry bag, or the extra containers (I just did it for ease). I want my kiddos to eat as healthy as possible; I'm sick of kids being fed processed, frozen foods.

P.S. He was so excited when he got it last night that he made me serve his dinner in it!

WHAT SAYS FALL BETTER THAN THIS?



photo via itsy bitsy foodies



PUMPKIN SPICE OATMEAL COOKIES

PUMPKIN SPICE OATMEAL COOKIES

recipe via The Nerd's Wife

2 sticks butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

3 cups rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla; mix well. Mix the flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice; gradually add to butter mixture. Stir in the oats until incorporated.

Drop by tablespoon onto a baking sheet about two inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees until golden brown. (I left them in for 10 minutes and took them out when they were still a little gooey in the middle, they will bake a bit more on the pan.) Makes about 3 dozen. Enjoy my lil' pumpkins!




 





LOOK MOMMY, NO HANDS!

BOOTS AT THE BEACH?

I would move to a cooler climate just to be able to wear boots again. Don't get me wrong, you can wear them here...for like a month or two. So, since I don't have a spare $300-$500 (darn you Old Gringo's!) or have much of a need for these leather wonders, I will just pretend shop.

Oh, and if you can afford these or want more information, just click on the photo!

LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE

I am a blog addict! So many creative, funny, talented people in this world and now we all get to share in their lives via the internet. Lucky us! I have a fairly large list of blogs that I scan/read on a weekly basis (if not daily) and this is one of my favorites. Catalog Living is the creation of Los Angeles comedian Molly Erdman and it takes a very humorous look at the people (namely Elaine & Gary) living inside our catalogs.

People who need people...

Elaine blamed herself for not being more specific with Gary in her request for him to "put up some pictures of people."

Time to come clean...

Gary has no idea what exactly Elaine does in the shower every day, but he certainly knows better than to touch her wooden shower spoon or shower branch.

Be prepared...

Elaine got the feeling that Gary planned to stay in the bathroom for a long time.

The tides are turning...

Gary Jr. was getting a little tired of his parents none-too-subtle digs at his recent bed-wetting phase.

LUNCH BOX INSPIRATION

After a year of listening to Drew complain about school lunches, and then watching Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution", I have decided to let him take his lunch to school...except on Friday's (apparently he can "tolerate" their pizza).

But making up lunches is more difficult than I expected. It can't be refrigerated and it can't be warmed up, so how many healthy food alternatives does that leave? Well apparently a lot according to Melissa from "another lunch". I can only aspire to be as creative as her; chances are good that my child will not be taking star-shaped cheese slices or sandwiches made to look like Sponge Bob, but I can certainly gain inspiration from her food selections.

Lunch Box #1 ~ baby carrots, striped Granny Smith apples, chocolate chips, organic strawberries, pretzels, granola bar & fruit leather.

Lunch Box #2 ~ fruit leather star, goldfish crackers, smiling orange, checkered apple, kiwi flower, sausage & cheddar cheese cubes, swiss cheese & peas

Lunch Box #3 ~ spinach, cucumber & cherry tomato salad, homemade ranch dressing, cheese quesadilla, veggie straws and blueberries

photos via another lunch