Good eats and great sweets

I love baking and making fudge and cooking pizza. I was looking back over the past year and thought I would share some of the goodies I have made. These cookies are so easy to make. I use Duncan Hines brownie mix and make it by the directions on the side for cookie sandwiches. I just make the cookie part, not the sandwich filling. Then I make my frosting by the recipe for a Texas Sheet Cake. Here's trick. Use parchment paper on your cookie sheet for a softer chewy cookie. Frost them right on the cookie sheet and then slide it back in the oven for about 5 seconds. This will set the frosting so you can stack the cookies when they cool.

I did these when our Pre-K kids graduated up to Kindergarten class in Sunday School. They are simply Hostess brownie bites with a chocolate graham cookie on top. The "tassel" is a sliver of Fruit Roll Up and the button is an M & M. Super simple and the kids loved them. Not to mention they turned out adorable.

I got a donut maker for Christmas. One of those little ones that makes the mini donuts. I just fixed these and put sugar and cinnamon in a brown bag. I place the donuts in the bag while they were warm and shook them up. They were fabulous. 

This post is mostly about sweets but I could resist sharing a pick of my favorite pizza bread. I use Cobblestone Mill sub rolls. Slice them open, spread Ragu Traditional Quik Pizza Sauce over each 1/2, cover with browned sausage, pepperoni, whatever you like for toppings, cover with Kraft Colby Monterey Jack finely shredded cheese. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted to the consistency you like. They are too die for. 

I love fudge, but I love what is called Old Fashioned candy even better. I make chocolate and peanut butter both when I make it because I never can make my mind up which one to make. The peanut butter is super easy to make and doesn't take much time. The chocolate requires lots of patience because the soft-ball stage doesn't get there very fast. But both are well worth the wait.

My favorite Christmas drink. Make hot chocolate from the package hot chocolate mix and then add real miniature marshmallows. Stir well. Take a nutmeg grader and grade a candy cane over the top of the mixture. Finish it off with a candy cane to stir with. It is the best peppermint hot chocolate you will ever drink.

These cookies were so good. They are called Monster cookies and a friend of mine gave me the recipe, but you can find it over at Recipe Girl. They have oatmeal, chocolate chips and M & M's. Sometimes I make them and add some peanut butter chips as well. They are fantastic.

Every once in awhile, I like to bake my brownie like cookies like I talked about at the top of this post. When I do I also like to make me a chocolate Sundae and heat a couple of the brownie cookies for the side. I may have to make cookies tonight so I can have this for supper. 

Duncan Hines has a wonderful recipe for a lemon pound cake on the side of their lemon supreme cake mix. Just make the cake by their directions, only on the water portion I use part water and part lemon juice. I also grate the rind of the lemon and put it in the batter. When it comes out of the oven, poke it with toothpicks or a skewer and then make your glaze. The glaze I use is one box confectioner sugar, lemon juice, a touch of milk, and a couple tablespoons of the rind from the lemon. You can make it as thin or thick as you like. Pour it on the warm cake.

This recipe is one of my favorites to eat and the one I do not like to make but once a year. The reason is because these Orange Cream Cookies are made 100% from scratch and so is the frosting. The recipe makes anywhere from 60-80 cookies every year and I make every one of them and frost every one of them by myself. it is an all day job. But well worth the work. It was my mother-in-law's family recipe and I make them for hubby every year at Christmas. We give some as gifts and keep the rest.

I mentioned my donut maker above. For those of you who have a donut maker, have you ever tried cornbread in it. Well, I did. Just make a pack of cornbread mix that you just add water and then make them like donuts. Hubby liked them. I don't eat cornbread so I couldn't say if they were good or not. 

Just had to show a picture of this because it is probably one of my favorite breakfast foods. Just simply Pillsbury canned cinnamon rolls. Wish I had some this morning. I tried making them in my waffle maker recently. They turned out pretty good, but I like them better like this.

Hubby works tonight so I guess I will bake something. This post sure has put me in the mood.

Top 10 Tuesday

Top 10 pink things that caught my eye this week...

Look what a $5 bill can buy....

Someone told me about a thrift store I had never been to. She said the prices were really good and they had a huge selection. So Saturday, I headed out to see what they had. The first thing I found was this spring dishtowel. I think I may put an applique on it, but not sure yet. The colors go really good with all my spring Pyrex bowls. 

The next thing that caught my eye that I just had to get were these little metal tulips. They were so vintage looking...even if they aren't vintage. I fell in love with them.

Next were these little Easter ducks. They are the cutest little things. I can't wait to decorate for Easter so I can display them. 

The last thing, and my favorite find of the day was this milk glass planter. I had just told my daughter that morning that I wanted to find some milk glass planters to use in my new office that will be completed in the next few weeks. I love plants and was beyond thrilled when I found this planter. I don't know what plant I will put in it, but I knew I had to have it.

So I took all my finds up to the counter. I got a discount because I was over 55 and then they added the tax. I handed her a $5.00 bill AND I got change back. You can't beat a deal like that. 

Sunday Morning Songs

A little bit of this and a little bit of that....

These are just some things I have stumbled across on the internet this past week. Thought I would hsare them for your viewing pleasure.

Hubby and I are always trying to find a better place to keep our keys. I love this little plaque with knobs. Talk about easy to make.



I am not an artist but I think I could do this. I love it.



What a great idea. Not just for writing a recipe on, but for writing anything you want on it. There is a local restaurant store around here that sells these little plates. Wonder if you could paint it with chalk paint so you could change out sayings, menus, quotes, etc. for your kitchen. I need to check this out.



If I still had my cat, I would definitely maker her something like this. Talk about comfy cozy for your pet.



I have always loved blue and white seersucker. This is just too adorable.



Super easy, cheap wreath for patriotic holidays. I am going to start stocking up on some craft supplies so I can do some of these ideas I keep getting.



Wish I was a quilter. I love this quilt.



Talk about easy. This is really cute.



Grapevine wreaths is going to be on my list of "check yard sales and thrift stores" for.



I have never seen this in person, but I am absolutely in love with it. Pyrex is a passion of mine and I love variety. This is going on my wish list. This particular set is in Seattle, Washington for $100. A little too pricey for me, but I am going to start checking my local antique stores.

I also saw where someone found a Hazel Atlas pitcher at a thrift store along with a Pyrex cake pan in the dessert dawn color. These are lovely.



We are going to be moving into our new office at work in a few weeks. I hope to have room for some plants. We have lots of windows. I am going to scout yard sales and thrift stores for some vintage planters. I would like to find some in milk glass.



I am heading out today to a local thrift store that I have never been to. Maybe I will find some there.

Faith Filled Friday

Let me tell you what My God can do. 

On Tuesday morning at 3:00 a.m., I received a call that one of my brothers had suffered a stroke. He was in the hospital. He had the stroke between 10 and 10:30 p.m. Monday night as best we could figure out, but it was 2:00 in the morning Tuesday that he could finally function to call someone. 

After I hung up the phone with my sister, I immediately began praying. As soon as my friends were up, I requested prayer on Facebook. I put him on our church prayer list and asked others to do the same. My sister, cousins, friends all did the same. We had a network of prayer going for him.

After several days of prayer and worry, I am happy to announce is has pulled through. From barely being able to stand straight, problems with his motor skills and very confused with trouble talking, he is able to get out of bed and walk where he wants. He is able to feed himself, pour himself a Pepsi and drink it and to carry on his conversations and visit with friends and family who have come by to check on him. 

He will have to have a small amount of rehab, but the Lord is good and we expect a full recovery. It just amazes me how our darkest hours can turn in to God's spectacular moments. Miracles performed, mercy shown and grace received. All because we took a moment to pray in FAITH believing that God would see him through this. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all my family and friends who have offered up prayer and support through this rough week. God is good.

It's the little things....

Anybody who knows me well, knows that I get excited about the littlest things in life. One thing that excites me is to come home and find a Thirty-One delivery setting on my couch. 

Inside was my Mini Zipper Pouch in the Creative Expressions Chick pattern. I have been waiting for this to arrive. I love it just as much as I thought I would. 

I wanted this font on the personalization because it reminds me of sticks like the little sticks that fall out of trees. Thought that would be a good font with little birdies.

I picked Flitterin' because people tell me I never land in one spot for long. I am always flittering from here to there. And also because it was one of my favorite songs in the Disney movie Summer Magic.

After the excitement of my new little pouch, I decided to make a homemade pizza for supper. I made 1/3 sausage, 1/3 sausage and pepperoni, and 1/3 just pepperoni.

I only ate some of the sausage part tonight. I'll have leftovers a day or two and hubby had some when he came home from work. Of course, as usual, I have to have a side of M & M's with my pizza.

After supper, I sat down and enjoyed my mail. I got some goodies today. My Thirty-One magazine, a new Longaberger catalog, my new Crossings Book Club book lists and some coupons for local restaurants. 

All in all, it was a pretty good evening last night.