Mint Brownies

These are one of my many favorite desserts! They are pretty easy to make and taste so yummy!

Make a 9x13 pan of your favorite brownies. After the brownies have cool top with the following!

Mint Layer

8 Tablespoons of butter

4 cups of powder sugar

4 Tablespoons of water
1 teaspoon of peppermint flavoring
a few drops of green food coloring,
Mix until creamy and spread over cooled brownies!

Chocolate Glaze

6 Tablespoons of butter

1 cup of chocolate chips

In a small bowl but butter and chocolate chips in and place in the microwave for 1 minute, then stir until it is all melted. Pour on top of mint layer.

Chill and cut into desired pieces!

Enjoy!

Defrosty the Snowman

I thought this was so cute! I Found it at a cute little place called
Fun Snacks 4 Kids !
She even has a cute little poem to go with it!

I had a little snowman
with a little hat
but the sun came out and melted him
and now my snowman's flat!

You can go to Family Fun to find out how to make it!

Zucchini Brownies

Here is the Zucchini brownie recipe that some of you requested! I didn't get any really good pictures! This is a recipe I got from my Aunt Pam, she has some really great recipes! I have one suggestion, DO NOT tell your kids that they are eating healthy zucchini brownies! Even if they are liking them! If they are anything like my kids after telling them that there is zucchini in them they will not eat them any more! So I hope you have better luck! I will try and fool them again!

Zucchini Brownies

2 cups flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. soda

2 cups shredded zucchini

1/2 cup oil

2 tsp. vanilla

Mix together well. (It may seem a little dry at first, but keep mixing!) Spread into a 9x13 pan (lightly grease the bottom) Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with powder sugar or frost the! Enjoy

Picture blocks

I found this adorable idea at The Idea Room, it would make a great gift idea for Christmas, Mothers Day or even a Birthday gift which is what I am doing! Here is another version in color.

I made mine a little different by putting all my 3 kids and a picture of grandma and grandpa with the kids on one block. I made this block for my Mom for her birthday and thought it would be cute for her to put on her desk at work!

You will first need to get a block. You can buy them at your local craft store or you can buy a 4x4 post at Home Depot or Lowe's. I am lucky enough to have a handy Husband to cut the wood for me! I had my Hubby cut it at 3 1/2 inches to make it a square block, you might be able to get the guys at Home Depot cut it for you!

Then you will want to sand any rough edges to make them smooth and then paint your block.

Next you will need 4 pictures about 3 inches square. I printed my photos on photo paper.
Paint Modge Podge onto the back of each picture and place one photo on each of the 4 sides of your block. Let Modge Podge dry. When dried paint Modge podge over all the sides of your block and let dry, you may want to do this 3 or 4 times!
Viola!

Toilet Paper Pumpkins

I love these little pumpkins made from a roll of toilet paper and some cute fall fabric!

First you will need a 22 inch square piece of fabric, and a roll of toilet paper.
I cut mine in a circle but you can leave it as a square.

Set the toilet paper in the middle of you fabric!

Next you will start tucking the edges of you fabric into the center of your toilet paper roll!

Tuck all the edges into the roll!

For the stem you will need about a 8 inch square of a brown paper bag, crumple up the bag as if you were going to throw it a way. Then you will uncrumple the paper and fold in have and roll it up and put it in the center of the toilet paper roll to create your steam!
Use a 6 inch piece of green pipe cleaner and curl it a round your finger and place along side your stem!

Now you have a cute little pumpkin!

Mini Pumpkin Muffins

These are so yummy! My kids just gobble them down! Hope you enjoy them too!

Preheat oven to 350. Grease or line muffin tins.

Combine in a small/medium bowl:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt

in large bowl beat

2 eggs
stir in to eggs
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup melted butter

Blend well. Add dry ingredients, stirring until moistened. stir in:

1 cup chocolate chips (the mini's work best if making mini muffins).

Spoon into muffin cups. Bake 20-25 minutes for regular size or about 15-17 minutes for mini size.

Caramel

I received this recipe from a lady in my ward and I want to make it all the time it is so good! Hope you enjoy it too!

caramel:

1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup butter (use the real stuff)
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla (real not the imitation stuff)

in medium sauce pan combine everything EXCEPT vanilla. cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until syrup forms a soft to medium soft ball in cold water or if using a candy thermometer around 230 degrees F. Add vanilla, stir. let cool till warm, enjoy with sliced apples, or just eat it by the spoonful!

Easy Homemade Microwaveable Popcorn!

I am so excited I just found out here how to make my own microwaveable popcorn! I tried it and it actually worked! Now I need to find some recipes to flavor it! Enjoy!

1. Put 1/4 cup popcorn in a brown paper bag. Fold top over a few times and tape it.
2. Place in microwave folded side up for 2 to 3 minutes or until there is 5 seconds between pops.
3. Eat plain or add flavors (such as salt, butter, sugar, etc.)

Seasonal Blocks

We are making these cute blocks next week in Relief Society! I found them here and thought they were cute! These 7 wood blocks spell at least 16 different words (and you might be able to find more, I did, Be Mine) that cover every season and almost every holiday.

Here are all the words they can spell:

Harvest
Welcome
Friends
Faith
Family
Spooky
Winter
Freedom
Blessed
Snow
Home
Hope
Monster
Mother
Dream
Easter


ITEMS YOU NEED:

-4x4 post, cut into 4 inch squares. (I think it will actually be 3 1/2)
-craft or spray paint
-vinyl letters

BLOCK 1- H, Y, E, D
BLOCK 2- A, C, R, S
BLOCK 3- R, P, E, T
BLOCK 4- V, N, L, O
BLOCK 5- E, O, M, D
BLOCK 6- S, M, K, I
BLOCK 7- T, F, B, W

DIRECTIONS:

-sand rough edges of blocks
-paint blocks
-distress edges if desired
-apply vinyl lettering

I am looking forward to making these next week, it will be a lot of fun!

Thanksgiving Jar

I found this cute idea and decided to start it during our Family Home Evening last night. I am very excited to give thanks for all that we have been blessed with!

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut out each of the thankful countdown ideas (print out pages 1, 2, 3, 4 ). Fold them in half or roll them up and tie with a ribbon.Place all strips in a jar.
2. Every day draw out one strip and do what it says

I hope you have a Thankful Thanksgiving this year as each day you show gratitude for something in your life!

Pumpkin Jars!

I found these cute pumpkin jars! You can even make a ghost, Frankenstein and a monsters I think they are so cute, easy to make and the best part was that I already had all the stuff to make them, although I think the tissue paper I used was a bit to orange! You can go here to find out how to make them. You can even print up the faces to put on the jar, here, here or here! Hope you have fun making them!

Pumpkin Dump Cake

I normally don't like to make a post with out a picture, but this recipe is to good to not post, even with out a picture! When I get a picture I will post it!


29 ounces pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 12oz can of evaporated milk
1 package yellow cake mix
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans

Beat eggs slightly in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin, sugar, salt and spices. Slowly stir in milk. Pour into a grease 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle dry cake mix over all. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with pecans. Bake at 350º for 45 minutes to one hour or until browned on top. Serve at room temperature. Refrigerate remaining portions.

Happy Father's Day!

We made these cute little shirts for fathers day. It was really fun! You can use scrapbook paper and make some really neat looking shirts. It reminds me of origami. We made the shirt and then glued it on the front of a card. Go here for directions on how to make these cute shirts! I made my own tie.

Just for fun!

I found this site that you can go and edit your pictures and do other fun stuff. It is kind of like Photobucket. It is for free or you can upgrade for only 24.95 a year which is only about 2 bucks a month, not to bad if you ask me. Below are some photos I was playing around with for fun. I also used it on the post below. Hope you have fun! Before After

Another Chilli Recipe

This is the chili recipe I used when everyone was over for "Apple's" Baptism. It is very easy to make, but you do have to plan ahead. I got this from cousin Andreas blog, Thanks Andrea!

3 cups dry pinto beans (I used a combination of pinto, black and kidney)
1 Bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1lb. Hamburger
1 onion
1 8oz. Can tomato paste
1 15oz. Can stewed tomatoes, drained
¼ Cup chili powder
2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1. Soak dry pinto beans in water overnight. Drain.
2. Place soaked beans in water. Cover with water.
3. Add: 1 Bay leaf, 2 teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
4. Cook 8 hours on low.
5. Cook 1lb. Hamburger until no longer pink. Skim off fat. Add 1 large,
chopped onion. Pour into beans.
6. Add: 1 8oz. Can tomato paste, 1 15oz. Can stewed tomatoes, drained,
¼ Cup chili powder, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
7. Cook until hot and thickened.

Taco Salad

This is a family favorite, and super easy to make. Sometimes I double the batch and freeze half of it. You can put it in the crock pot for about 4-6 hours on low(which is what I like to do) or let it simmer on the stove top for about 45 minutes. This is also great if you are having a family gathering, you can make this and have everyone bring a topping! Hope you enjoy this as much as we have!

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion chopped
1 package of dry taco seasoning
1 cup of water
1- 28 oz. can of kidney beans
2- 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1- 6 oz. can of tomato paste
2-3 bay leafs
1 tesp. garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef and onion together, drain off fat. Combine all ingredients in a pot or crock pot.

Serve over Frito.

Top with:
Cheese
Olives
Green Onions
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Sour Cream
Avocado
Salsa

Hooded Towel

A few years ago I received a hooded towel as a gift for my son "Pear". It was one of the best gifts. Sense then I have made several form my kids and as gifts for friends and family. My kids still use theirs today! These are very simple to make, even if you don't know how to sew you can do this. First you will need two washcloth's and one bath towel. Place the two washcloth's right side together and pin along two edges to form an "L" shape, then sew those to edges, turn it right side out so the seems are on the inside and you will have a little hood! Next fold the bath towel in half and find the center and place a pin there to mark it. Now you are going to pin the little hood and the towel together, open up the towel and lay it out. Place the seem of the hood in the center of the bath towel were the pin is, you will want them to over lap about an 1 to 1 1/2 inches. Pin them together and sew. For a little more decoration you can find matching ribbon to sew along the edge or were ever you want! Hope your kids enjoy this towel as much as mine have!






Update: I noticed on one of the sites I like to go to she had just posted hooded towels too. She makes hers a little different. You can go here to check her's out!

Corn Dog Muffins

When I first saw this recipe I didn't think it sounded very good. Why I decided to try it I don't know. It was surprisingly good! I really liked them. My son will eat them but my daughter is a little more pick. She likes them separate. Here is the recipe.

1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup corn meal
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
3 Tablespoons butter

Combine flour, sugar, corn meal, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and mix. Combine milk, eggs, oil and butter in a small bowl and mix well.


Add 1 cup of cheese. The recipe says to use 9 hot dogs cut in half and stick them in the middle of the muffin. I like to cut up the hot dog and mix it in the batter and I do not use 9 hot dogs.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. lightly grease muffin tins. fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes. Enjoy!!

Popcorn

I got this recipe from my sister in law. I decided it would be a fun treat for my kids for St. Patrick's Day, they really like this popcorn and ask me to make it all the time. I followed the recipe below and added a few drops of green food coloring after I melted the candy. I did not have three squares I only had two. It will cover better with three, but I think my kids will still enjoy it this way. Hope you like it too!

Pop a bag of popcorn and put it in a bowl. Melt three squares of candy quick milk and drizzle over popcorn. Mix until popcorn is well coated.

You can find the quick candy melt in the grocery store near the chocolate chips.

What a mess!

I have been saving the little baby food containers for a while thinking there must be something I could do with them. Finally I came up with a brilliant idea (I thought it was brilliant). When I buy my spices I usually buy the ones in the little bags that are .99 cents (until I started shopping at WinCo they have really good deals in there barrel section). Anyway it was creating a big mess in my spice cupboard. So the other day I decided to use the little baby food containers to put my spices in. I thought it turned out pretty well. I didn't realize how many spice I had, and I know there are other spices I would like still like to get! Much better!

Pop Up Pancakes

These pop up pancakes are actually German pancakes baked in a muffin tin. I have made them before in a 9x13 and my kids did not care for them. Then I saw on one of my favorite sites "Make and Takes" these pop up pancakes (she has much better pictures). My kids love them this way, it's all in the presentation. Here's how you make them:

Pop Up Pancake Recipe - makes 24 muffins or fills a 9×13 baking pan

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• dash salt
• Preheat oven at 400*

Combine all ingredients in a blender (it works best) and blend together. Then grease your muffin tins or baking pan. Bake them for 15 minutes, or until puffy and golden on top. Top with your favorite pancake toppings (syrup, powdered sugar, and fruit).

Almond Poppy Seed Muffins

I love Poppy Seed muffins! This is a really good recipe. Good flavor, Good taste and good texture!

1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
4 teaspoon poppy seed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare 12 muffin cups with cooking spray or paper liner.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, poppy seeds and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, cream together butter, sugar and almond and vanilla extract.Add the eggs and beat until well mixed.
Add butter and egg mixture to flour mixture, add milk and stir all until just mixed.
Fill muffin tin about half way, bake for 25 minutes.

Macaroni & Cheese Recipe

I got this recipe from my aunt. It is my favorite mac & cheeses recipe! It had been a while sence the last time we had this so I made it for dinner and was amazed at how much my kids eat. We had no leftovers. The next night everyone wanted more so, I made it again.

2 cups of milk
1/2 teaspoons of salt
2 Tablespoons of cornstarch
2 Tablespoons of butter
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
Heat on medium heat until thick.

Add 2 cups of grated cheese
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
1-2 Tablespoons dry onion
Mix until cheese is melted. Mix with cooked macaroni (2 cups dry)
Top with Italian style bread crumbs.
Bake at 350 degree for 20 to 30 minutes!

It is really good when you mix in some Ham!

The Best Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

This is the best peanut butter cookie recipe that I have had! My Husband loves them so much he will even make them himself, The recipe is from a cookbook that I got for free at Costco, got to love Costco!

2 Cups Quick-cooking Oats
2 Cups All-purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Butter, or margarine or shortening
1 Cup Peanut Butter, creamy or crunchy
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
2 Each Eggs
3 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Peanut Butter Chips, or chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. In a small bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and peanut butter until smooth. Beat in sugars, then eggs and vanilla until blended. Beat in flour mixture just until blended. Stir in peanut butter chips.

4. On ungreased baking sheets, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart.

5. Bake for 13 minutes, or until golden. Remove the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.

6. Makes 6 dozen.

It's That Time Of Year!

I am so happy! I just finished doing our taxes and it was easy and fast! We usually buy Turbo Tax, because it is so easy and makes doing taxes less of a headache. This year with money being so tight I was stressing on how we were going to get our taxes done. I was so excited to find out that Turbo Tax has a free edition out! If your filing simple returns you can go here to file your federal taxes for free and it includes a free e-file. If you do direct deposit you can get your return in about a week! You can also do your state taxes through Turbo Tax for $25.95 and that includes e-file. However, if you live in California, you can go here and file your state taxes for free right over the internet! If you do not live in California I'm sure if you go to your state website they may also have free tax filing! I hope this helps and makes your tax filing less stressful

Valentine Candy Cars

I saw these in the Family Fun Magazine and thought they were so cute (I could not find them on the website). They are really easy to make. You can use double sided tape or a hot glue gun. I used a hot glue gun. I put a dab of glue down and the kids stuck the candy on. All you need is a box of candy hearts, 4 Reese's peanut butter cups and 3 miniature candy bars. If you have a Winco you can go there and buy just what you need to make 1, 2 or how every many you want to make (and you won't be stuck with a bag of extra candy you will feel obligated to eat). Hope you have fun making these with your kids. I know I did!

Oven Apple Pancakes

This is a yummy recipe that we have eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner! It takes a little prep work, but it is worth the effort! Hope you like it too!
1 apple, cored and sliced
1 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 whole eggs
1/3 cup flour, all-purpose
1/4 teaspoon salt

Spray 9-inch glass pie dish with pam then put butter in pie dish and place in oven, turn oven on to 450º. After butter melts combine 2 tablespoons of sugar and cinnamon and stir into butter. Add apple slices and coat with butter mixture. Place back in oven for 4 minutes. Meanwhile mix eggs, salt, flour and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar(6 ounces of egg beaters can be substituted for the eggs for a lower fat version). When apples are cooked pour the batter around the edges and then in the middle of the apples. Bake for 10 minutes then turn the oven down to 350º and bake for 4-6 minutes more. Enjoy!!!