Chocolate Fudge

this is easy and simple and idiot proof. Trust me!! If I can make this anyone can!!

you will need:
2 tbls butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 cups chocolate chips
2 tsp vanilla

in a sauce pan on medium heat combine the butter, sugar, salt and milk. with a large wisk mix until boiling. let boil for 5 mins. then remove from heat add vanilla and chocolate chips. mix until smooth. then place into a 8inch baking dish. place in fridge until harden.

yes its that easy!!

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

These cookies werent too bad. They were really good! I just found the time consuming.

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/3 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• powdered sugar for rolling

Instructions

1. Comine sugar, oil and cocoa in a large bowl. Beat until well blended.
2. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
3. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add to cocoa mixture, beating well.
4. Cover and refrigerate dough until it is firm enough to handle. If you are wanting them to firm up faster, like me, stick the covered dough in the freezer until firm enough to handle.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a cookie sheet.
6. Roll dough into 1-inch balls then roll them in powdered sugar. Place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart from each other.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes.

its been awhile....

I am sorry. I havent posted anything since SEPTEMBER!! Life just got away from me and well now its finally on slow mode maybe lol
My step sons have stared hockey and work and then editing so this blog got to the end of my list. But I promise to make up for it.... I have some amazing last minute baking ideas that are simple easy and quite possibly out of this world.

So apparently the world is suppose to end tomorrow. I dont believe it for a second. But hey if it does I am not leaving without any regrets. My family and friends know I love them. If the world ends I have no control over it. I am going heaven, and I get to meet some wonderful people there.

OK so how about some recipes!
when I was in the US I discovered this...
.

then I get back from the US and my friend Emily introduced me to this thing called Christmas Crack. Well I found a few different recipes and kinda made my own.



Candy Cane Mix
3 cups chex mex cereal
2 cups rice krispies
4 bags of peanut m&ms
3 cups of broken pretzels
1 bag of popcorn
2 bags of candy cane melts ( you can use white melts if thats all you can find)


Directions
Put all this in a bowl
Melt the melts
poor it over it
then mix it together and let dry
i put it on a cookie sheet

then TA DA its done!! the best thing ever!!

The EASIEST Apple Pie EVER!!

will need:
4 apples peeled and sliced
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup bisquick
3 tablespoons of butter
3/4 teasponn cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg


Directions

In ungreased 2-quart microwavable casserole or 8-inch square microwavable dish, arrange apple slices. In small bowl, stir remaining ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples

Microwave uncovered on High 7 to 10 minutes, rotating dish 1/2 turn after 5 minutes, until apples are tender. Serve warm.

You can bake this simple dessert in the oven. Grease 8-inch square pan or glass baking dish with shortening or cooking spray. Decrease oats to 1/2 cup; increase butter to 1/3 cup. Bake in 375°F oven about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

I cant believe in a few short days it will be fall. Its so hard to believe! But I love fall. Its my favorite time of year. I am going to enjoy this fall because next fall I will getting married to my wonderful boyfriend. I cant wait!

I saw these online to day for Make Bake and Celebrate blog. And I had to share them with you. They look very simple and look soooo cute!!

To make this chocolate pumpkin patch your going to need:

Big and small pretzels

Orange candy melts

Orange sprinkles

Green candy melts

Chocolate pieces (a hershey bar or chocolate melts)

ziplock bag

leaf tip

small round tip

plastic wrap

coupler set

 

 

cut little stems from your Hershey bar. I cut each Hershey square into half one way then the opposite way then trimmed one side to get a small angle.

Before you melt your chocolate lay everything out, organized and ready to go. As I've said so many times when your working with chocolate you want everything in order to make the process smooth. You can lay you finised pretzels on wax paper or on a cookie cooling rack over wax paper. I prefer it on the cooling rack so the excess drips off and doesn't pool around it.

In a microwave safe bowl melt your chocolate (I do about 3/4 cup at a time) using 15 second spurts stirring in between. Your chocolate should be nice and smooth when melted easy to drip off the pretzel. If you need help thinning it a bit add a small amount of crisco and heat.

Holding your pretzel on a fork use a spoon to spoon the chocolate on to the pretzel. Then gently tap fork on side of bowl until excess had dripped off. Then move to cooling rack. I also covered the the pretzels in sprinkles. I used orange wilton candy melts for these and once covered they were more of a peach so the sprinkles gave them the pumpkin orange I was looking for

Step 6: After the chocolate coating has set (about and hour) move them onto a fresh piece of wax paper.

Step 7: To attach the leaf and stem. Place a small amount of chocolate in a ziplock and melt in microwave. Cut tip of ziplock then use to pipe chocolate onto the end of each stem then "glue" to pretzel.

 

 I piped on the leaves with green candy melts

a different kind of lunch

Yesturday after posting about lunches I had over 30 people visit my site. So I am guessing lunches is a hot topic for everyone?? Here are a few more lunch ideas I found floating around from visiting different sites.

Sandwich Sushi
this is not what you think.

you will need:
4 pieces of bread
tuna salad
Egg Salad
Ham
Cheese

Directions:
1. Cut the edges off the bread
2. take one piece at a time and use a rolling pin and flatten it you want it quite flexiable
3. spoon a line of filling along the edge
4. then start rolling making it as tight at you can.
5. once the sandwich has been rolled use a knife and cut it.
6. stack close together so the ends dont un ravel.

Another lunch idea
these containers are awesome!! these are just containers that have sections

dont be afraid to use cookie cutters!! they make lunch fun!!


LUNCH IDEA:
1.carrots, strawberries, crackers, cheese, turkey roll ups (just take sliced turkey and roll them up)
2.tuna sandwich, goldfish crackers, orange, and kiwi
3.their favorite sandwich, crackers, cheese, cuccumber and orange (peeled)
4.their favorite sandwich, sunchips and carrots and dip
5. Homemade granola bars (recipe later in post), crackers and cheese, and strawberries and kiwi
6.waffle pretzels (superstore) deli roll (turkey and ham), cheese and cucmber
7. apple sauce, pretzel sticks, fruit roll up and yogurt with fruit
8. fav.sandwich, grapes, handful of sunchip or dorittos, cheese
9. ham and cheese on a kaiser, carrots and dip and sunchips
10.chicken wrap, blueberry muffin, grapes, and cheese

RECIPE: Chocolate Chip Granola Bites

You will need:
2 1/2 C. quick oats
1/2 C. crisp rice cereal
1/2 C. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. canola oil
1/4 C. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla
* optional: ground flax seed and/or wheat germ (I use 3 heaping Tbs. or so of each).

Directions:
Mix all ingredients (except for the chocolate chips - keep those out for now) really, really, really well. I start with a wooden spoon and then usually end up using my hands too. Take your time to make sure everything is really blended. Taking your time also allows the wet ingredients to sort of soak into the dry components. If your mixture seems dry after mixing then you may need to add a little more oil and/or honey - a teaspoon at a time - until it starts to clump up a littleWhen your granola mixture gets to this point, not too wet, not too dry, then stir in the chocolate chips.

Holding the mini muffin cups, scoop the granola mixture in and form the mound compactly. I use a rounded tablespoon to help form them, a small cookie scoop would work too. You need to use both hands to press the granola and support the muffin cup at the same time. Line them up on a baking sheet to place in the oven


Baking:350 degrees.
Granola bites: 12-15 minutes.
Granola bars: 17-22 minutes (keep an eye on them!).
They are ready to remove from oven when the tops are golden. If they don't cook long enough they may not hold their shape. If they cook too long they will get too dry (not to mention they can burn) and may not hold their shape. (I've found granola bars to be finicky.)

more lunch ideas???

hard to believe

I couldnt wait for summer to get here... I had plans I had big plans... well it seemed as though not much got done. As I sit in my kitchen I as see a few trees changing already its hard to believe that old man winter isnt far from us. As fast as summer came and went Jack Frost will be here.

As I look back over my summer I realized alot had changed...
to start the summer off Jonathan and I got engaged. It was such a surprise and so if you know me the wedding planning has begun! For those expecting a big lavish wedding...its not. Its gonna be small and perfect. with no body but our immediate family and friends. I cant wait! We defently grew as a couple we had a few hurtles to go over and it was really testing us but we did it! and life is great!

The boys are growing... way too fast. Just yesturday I had to take Brody and go through all his jeans all teh jeans I bought that were size 8 are.. well... almost too small for him. he took a growth spirt. But the boys are maturing. I know that I have only been around for 2 years but I cant believe how much they have been growing and maturing over the last little bit. They are turning into the sweetest little men! They have been asking for a little sister but we told them after the wedding we will see what we can do. As I watch them at the neighbours with their little girl I know that I am going to have 2 boys that are going to be amazing big brothers and spoil him or her like crazy.

we also started off the summer with a big Canada Day Party. It was so much to have friends and family over to start off the summer. We had tons of food, lots of games, chinese lanterns and fireworks. It was worth it all.

It was a busy summer now that I look back. I would love to say things are slowing down but it doesnt look like it. I have 4 weddings left, a season full of fall photos (which I am booking now) and hockey season. a few trips mixed in there. But I am ready. I am ready for it all and to give it all I got!


Paige