2010

Oreo Truffles

December 24, 2010

My friend shared this yummy recipe with me. It’s another quick and easy one, so if you don’t have a lot of time, this might be a good one for you. Sorry for the instructions but this is what I did and it worked for me.

1 package Oreo cookies
1 8oz package of cream cheese (softened)
1 12 oz bag of white chocolate chips

I placed the Oreo cookies in a large freezer bag and then went to town with my rolling pin, crushing and rolling those Oreos into a fine crumbly mess. I then dumped the crushed up cookies into a mixing bowl, added the softened cream cheese and mixed it all together until it looked like a big bowl of mud. Yummy, right? I then rolled the mixture into about one inch balls. I placed them on a cookie sheet and refrigerated the balls for about an hour or so, pretty much until they weren’t sticky to touch. It was suggested that I place a toothpick in each one before they hardened to make it easier to dip them in the white chocolate but I just didn’t have a lot of luck with that method. Here’s how mine looked before they went dipping! Not my prettiest or most perfectly rolled balls but they get covered in chocolate, so who’s gonna see them? If you will be eating these at my house this weekend, just ignore this picture. Ahem….so anyways, back to the recipe.

Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave until it’s nice and smooth and perfect for dipping in. Cover your tray with wax paper, less mess to clean up off the tray. I dropped the yummy balls of Oreo goodness into the bowl of white chocolate, swirled it around until it was covered and then just dug it right out with a spoon and placed it on the wax paper to harden. I then set the tray of Oreo truffles in the refrigerator for an hour to make sure they set. Transfer the Oreo truffles into a covered container and keep refrigerated.

Here they are, in all their glory, ready to be eaten!

You could also use semi-sweet chocolate chips or maybe mix half semi-sweet and half milk chocolate chips for dipping instead of the white. Another idea is to save some of the Oreo you crushed and sprinkle the crumbs on top right after you dip it. I’m sure you could also use candy cane crushed up. You could also drizzle some of the extra dipping mixture on top and make a pretty design. However you decide to dip them and decorate them, I’m sure they will be gone in no time, these are really yummy!!!!

By ange 3 Comments Filed Under: dessert, recipes

Peanut Butter Blossoms otherwise known as "kiss" cookies

December 24, 2010

I’ve already made one batch of these cookies but they were scarfed down before I could even get a picture of them. For some reason this batch didn’t turn out as pretty as the last batch but the pictures will just have to do for now. Maybe next Christmas I will take a nice photo of them and update this recipe. Ok, who am I kidding, I probably won’t remember.

Here is the recipe:

1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
48 Hershey kisses unwrapped

Combine all the ingredients and mix on low speed with your mixer. Shape into small balls, roll the balls in sugar and bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

When cookies are done baking, top with a Hershey kiss and press down gently.
Let cool and then they are ready to ~~devour~~ eat.
Enjoy!

By ange 1 Comment Filed Under: dessert, recipes

New Recipe: Yummy Bars

December 21, 2010

If you’re looking for something fast, easy and yummy then this recipe is for you! My mom made these bars and I remember them being a special treat just at Christmas time. They are so easy to put together, definitely a recipe the kids can help with and usually most ingredients you already have on hand. Just make sure you give yourself enough time to let them chill in the fridge!

Ingredients:
16oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
12oz butterscotch chips
1 c. smooth peanut butter
3 c. miniature marshmallows (you can use the colored ones to change it up a bit too.)
1 c. peanuts

Melt together in the microwave the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and peanut butter. (I melted this together on the stove top and it didn’t turn out well so use the microwave, trust me on this!) Mix in the marshmallows and peanuts. Pour into a buttered 9×13 pan and let set in the fridge.
See, wasn’t that easy!!!

This is what it will look like about part way through melting it.

After adding in the marshmallows and peanuts this is what it will look like in the pan.

And this is what it should NOT look like! This is the one I did on the stove, still tastes good but doesn’t look quite as appealing!


I cut this corner piece out for blogging purposes and promptly put it back in the pan! Ok, I ate it.

By ange 2 Comments Filed Under: dessert, recipes

Spritz Cookie Recipe

December 11, 2010

This is a recipe that my grandma used and I made these cookies with my mom when I was a little girl. Now I make them with my girls. Every year I forget with the first batch to put sprinkles on the cookies BEFORE they get baked. I haven’t made these yet this year but will be making them later today. Here is the recipe and before I forget, you need a cookie gun for this recipe! You can use whatever shapes you like but I always use the tree, a wreath and some other weird design. You can buy a cookie gun at Target and other retailers and they are usually under $20. Here is one that target has, Wilton Cookie Pro Ultra II. Now, onto the recipe!

1 c. Oleo (does anyone use that anymore?) I just use butter instead.
1 1/4 c. Powdered Sugar
Cream these together and then blend in 1 Egg and 1 tsp. Vanilla.
Gradually add 2 1/2 c. Flour and 1/2 tsp. Salt. Mix well and then put in your cookie press. Press onto ungreased cookie sheets, add sprinkles and bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes. This is what they look like prior to baking, the spinkles make a nice mess on the sheet.

Here are some pictures of the finished cookie, I could really use a nice camera so my cookies don’t look so white!

Enjoy!!!!

By ange 1 Comment Filed Under: dessert, recipes

Pantry Makeover!

December 11, 2010

It’s been three years since we remodeled the kitchen and there are still a few things we didn’t finish, like baseboard trim in the pantry. Mr.A put up the shelving for me, put the door on and then I said, “Ok, that looks good for now, I have a new project for you.”
A few weeks ago I came across this blog post here and had immediate pantry envy! So at 9:30 one weeknight evening I decided it’s time to pretty up my pantry. Mr.A doesn’t really like when this happens, especially so late in the evening but I talked him into it, saying it would be fun and adventurous. And guess what, he agreed! So here are the before pictures of the pantry, not bad but definitely not cute.

So it was white, white and more white without baseboard trim and pretty much a catchall for appliances, food and plastic bags. First order of business was to paint that bad boy, so I had my loving husband unscrew all the brackets and remove all the shelves. Acutally, he volunteered to do this because he knows my tendancy to hurry up and paint, why take it down when you can paint around it?
Seeing as it was 9:30 at night and there weren’t a lot of places open to go get some paint mixed, I just walked down into my little paint store in the basement and picked a color. I decided to use the rest of the dining room paint to make it kind of a fun pop of color.
I also decided that I needed some cute canister type storage stuff that was see through and I could put cute vinyl labels on. After looking at a few stores, I decided to wait until we were in Minneapolis and I could go to IKEA. Well the snow and some hives pitted against our trip but that’s ok, I found some cute canisters at the grocery store for super cheap!
Here is the after so far, I want to add a few more things, like new cereal containers which was Mr.A’s idea and a couple baskets of some variety but they will have to wait a bit. Oh yes, and I want some vinyl lettering for my canisters. Just so I don’t end up confusing the flour with corn starch or something crazy like that!

Hope you enjoyed the pantry remodel, I know I am loving loving loving it! In fact, I don’t want to use anything out of the containers because they look so nice and full and pretty. And yes, the big bag full of plastic bags is still on the pantry floor. They need to be moved to some other location or they need some sort of cute home/type thing. If you have a great idea for plastic bags other than to put dog poop in, I’d love to hear it!

I have since added labels to my containers. On a recent trip to Wally world I found clear shipping labels and seeing as I don’t yet own a Silhouette, (hint, hint) I thought this was a cheap $7 solution for labeling my containers. It was super easy and if I ever need to change them out, the package came with 10 sheets and 100 labels, just make sure to buy Shipping labels and not Address labels.

Also don’t forget to check out The Kitchen Remodel, the Mudroom Makeover and the Cloffice Reveal.

By ange 10 Comments Filed Under: Before and After, colonial, kitchen, organizing, painting, projects

An unexpected weekend at home

December 10, 2010

We were supposed to be heading to visit some good friends this weekend in Minneapolis but a bad case of the hives in our third child (which the doctors are saying is a virus) and a winter snow storm for Saturday are causing us to cancel our plans. I am really bummed out we aren’t going to be hanging with our friends but I am getting excited to be snowed in on Saturday! I rented three movies from Redbox, stocked up on baking supplies and am envisioning a really fun weekend at home, complete with popcorn made on the stovetop, cookies, cookies and more cookies and snuggle time on the couch! Of course poor Mr.A will probably be envisioning ~~lots~~ some shoveling or snow blowing as well.
So in honor of the unexpected weekend, I’m posting some of our favorite cookie recipes. They will be without pictures to start but I ~~will~~ am hoping to remember to take some pictures of our finished cookies this weekend. So stay tuned for the recipes!!!

By ange 1 Comment Filed Under: family

A few of my Favorite Things

November 20, 2010

How fun! Come join Melissa over at 320 Sycamore for her 2010 favorite things party!
All you need to do is post a few of your favorite things and link up your blog post. While you are there, don’t forget to check out what other people have posted because isn’t that half the fun of linking up?
I’m not sure what to post because I am not a coffee addict, I don’t collect a certain thing, I don’t have a favorite lotion or candle scent or even makeup. I could put cheesy answers like my family, Jesus or my dog but I just can’t do it. So while sitting on the couch with my favorite hubby, dog and children all gathered around, here is what I thought of while watching Jim Carrey’s The Grinch. I am looking forward to busting out Elf tomorrow night, love that movie btw, Buddy the Elf rocks! Sorry, I got distracted from my favorite things, here they are without further ado!

1. Spray Paint!!!! Especially loving the ORB right now. It’s crazy how cheaply you can transform anything with a few coats of spray paint!

2. I can only find these at Christmas but that’s part of what makes them so special, Rold Golds Chocolate Covered Pretzels. Yummy!!! Too bad I can’t find a picture of them but I do have a picture of some chocolate pretzels.. They are in stores already though so head out and pick some up!

3. One of my all time favorite books to read is “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell. I first read this book my senior year of high school and every few years I pick it up again.

4. It’s hard to think of what my favorite things are but I love, love, love hydrangeas! They are so beautiful and I am lucky enough to have two bushes outside my front door that give me big beautiful flowers that I dry every year after they are done making me so happy all summer long!

5. Now I’m on a roll, where do I stop?!? It’s a toss up between lasagna and Hobby Lobby but HL wins because the nearest one is 2 hours away and it’s such a joy when I get to go there!

I hope you enjoyed my edition of Favorite Things, now head on over to the blog party and check out some more favorite things lists. Maybe you’ll even be inspired enough to post one of your own!

By ange 5 Comments Filed Under: Blogging Fun

At last, my curtains!!!!

November 18, 2010

Since moving into this house 3 years ago, I’ve had a hard time with window treatments. The living room has 3 windows, the dining room has two windows and the kitchen has a patio door. When we first moved in, I had heavy dark brown curtains with window valances for the living room, two striped brown valances for the dining room and nothing for the patio door.
I fell in love with a checked curtain from Better Homes and Gardens that was at Wal-mart. I didn’t want to spend $120 for my living room curtains because technically I didn’t “need” them, I had the heavy, dark brown ones that worked just fine. I purchased one panel and brought it home and loved it! Now I needed 5 more panels. I have waited ever so patiently for these curtains to go on clearance and they finally did! Except that they were all gone at my store by the time I discovered they were on clearance. AUGH! I have been checking every store in a 50 mile radius online for a few weeks and found nothing.

Mr.A and I snuck away for a little time alone last weekend and I scored so big on my curtains! At one Wal-mart I bought the very last curtain and it was only $5! We ended up driving 40 minutes one way in the opposite direction of our hotel and home to buy 6 curtains that one Wal-mart had! When I called and asked how many they had available and she said 6 and they were $9 a piece I jumped for joy!!
So without further ado, here is a before shot:

Here are a few after shots, unironed curtains and all!

I even had enough curtain panels to put some up over the patio door…

By ange 3 Comments Filed Under: decorating

Coffee filter wreath and vinyl lettering

November 16, 2010

In addition to painting the doors, I also added some vinyl lettering to the mudroom entry area. I originally bought the vinyl for my glass door piece but it wasn’t quite big enough. I think it helps blend the door and the kitchen table with the rest of the house. Here it is….

Last week The Nester featured a wreath and a tree made out of coffee filters. I loved them and knew right away I was going to have to make at least 6 of these! Here is the link for the wreath and trees: http://www.thenester.com/2010/11/making-a-coffee-filter-wreath-and-tree-and-things-of-that-nature.html

And here is my first wreath which was made on a weird foam wreath shape that I won’t be using again. I searched my Wal-mart, Hancock Fabrics and Dollar Store but no one had a normal wreath shape that I could use. I finally found the one I used at Hobby Lobby this weekend while I was away with Mr.A.
Of course I didn’t take a before picture but you’ve come to expect that of me, right? I did take a picture of the back of the finished wreath.

I think if I make another one, I will not use quite as many filters. I still need to make a ribbon so I can hang it. If anyone has any blog posts about using ribbon to hang things, I’d love to read it. I also think my next wreath will be white. This was so simple and cheap, I’m sure I will make at least a few more. Stay tuned for my latest finds, I’ll be blogging about soon!

By ange 1 Comment Filed Under: projects

Catching Up!

November 15, 2010

The weeks have been flying by around here lately and I’ve been working on a lot of little projects around the house. Winter will soon be here so my spray painting days have come to an end for now but I’ll be back at it in the spring! This past Monday through Wednesday we were in the 60′s here which is unseasonably warm for this time of year. I had Mr.A install our new front door with the help of my dad and so when the nice temps were here I decided to quick throw some paint on the door before winter. Trying to pick a paint color was too much stress so I just grabbed a color and regreted the decision as soon as he started mixing it. Oh well, at least the door has some paint on it and I can repaint it in the spring. What’s the old saying, Haste makes waste? So true.
I also purchased some black paint so I could paint a coffee table I found on Craigslist for a mere $10. I don’t have a before picture but it was a reddish brown with a big old red circle on the top where some nailpolish spilled and they tried to take it off with nail polish remover. Nothing a little paint couldn’t fix and I like that the legs have a little character to them. Here it is how it looks now.

I also used the black paint to paint the back of my entry doors. Here are the doors and of course I don’t have a before. sigh. I also need to purchase some more trim paint so I can paint the pieces that need to go around the front door and touch up the spots on the back door that I somehow managed to get black paint on. I even used painters tape this time! I usually like to play it dangerous and see if I can paint without taping.