Young Love

It's really pretty funny the things they do. My little T who is 6 years old has a girl. They are sure they will marry as soon as she "turns 15" and they are "grown up." At least their waiting...right?

Yesterday, we learned that she is loosing her baby teach and she was really concerned about it. With a very serious face, she turned to her mom and ask "Do you think T likes girls with no teeth?"

Now this is really funny when you know that we are from Arkansas. There are just too many jokes about those hillbillies with no teeth. :)

Too funny!

Sweets for the Sweet

My friend, Michelle, requested some recipes for sweets! She’s been waiting a long time for this and I hope you enjoy them as well.

Some of my favorite candy is Reese’s peanut butter cups and Almond Joy candy bars. Here are a couple of recipes that are very similar and best of all, they are easy to make....even our boys can do it!

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolates

½ stick of butter, softened

2 ½ cups of powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup smooth peanut butter (I like Skippy Natural)

½ tsp salt

1 cup milk chocolate or dark chocolate

Mix together butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt in a mixing bowl. Blend on medium speed for about 2 minutes until it’s very smooth.

Use a spoon to dip out some of the mixture and form it into quarter sized balls. You can also choose to press the mixture into candy molds if you are going for a specific shape. When you are finished shaping them, cover them with foil and let them chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

While the “filling” is chilling (funny huh?), melt the chocolate. After the filling part has chilled, dip them, one at a time, in the chocolate. Allow a little of the chocolate to drip from them so the chocolate is a thin layer, then place them on a cookie sheet that’s lined with wax paper or parchment paper.

Chill them again to set the chocolate. When they are firm, serve.

Chocolate Coconut Candies

4 cups powdered sugar

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tbsp vanilla

1 (12oz) package, flake coconut

1 stick butter, melted

12 oz pkg. chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate)

½ block of paraffin (optional)

Mix together sugar, milk, vanilla, and coconut. Add butter and mix well. Form into desired shapes or press into candy molds. Chill overnight or for several hours.

Melt chocolate and paraffin in a double boiler. Dip candy and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper.

The paraffin is option, I personally don’t use it but it does leave the chocolate a little softer.

If you want the candy to taste like Almond Joy (without the almond) then use milk chocolate chips. If you want it to taste like Mounds candy, use semi-sweet chocolate chips.

I know...

I know....I've left you hanging. Life has gotten busy around here and it doesn't leave much time for my hobby....writing here.

Our boys are in the middle of basketball season so it's keeping us running. We're also getting ready for "Nationals" and our year end banquet.

So...all that to say, please be patient with me. :)

By the way, I hope you all can help me. My family really likes the Kraft Coleslaw dressing but I am trying to find a recipe that comes close to it's flavor. Do you have any good suggestions? Leave a comment and let's see your recipe!

Italian Sprouts

Our family loves Brussell sprouts and here is a simple recipe to serve them. You can use homemade Italian dressing or your favorite brand.

2 (16 oz.) packages of Brussell sprouts
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Put sprouts in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes then drain. Put cooked sprouts into a serving dish. Pour dressing over the sprouts and mix lightly to coat. Top with grated cheese and serve.

Grandma's Divinity

This is the time of year for candy making, cookie baking and all sorts of things to fix the sweet tooth! I'm not a candy maker...I prefer to eat it. My mom, however, has been making Fudge and Divinity for years and I have fond memories of scraping the last of the fudge out of the pan or stealing pieces of Divinity when she wasn't looking. It's wonderful stuff and we just can't get enough. My son, the candy maker of our family, plans to get hands-on training in the art of making this divinity. Last year he learned fudge making...this year, it's Grandma's Divinity! I can't wait! YUM!

2 2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup light corn syrup
2 egg whites (stiffly beaten)
2/3 cups pecans
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, syrup and water in a pan, stir over low heat until sugar dissolves; Cook without stirring to 260 degrees. Remove from heat and pour beating constantly in a fine stream into the beaten egg whites. Add vanilla, fold in nuts. Spread into a buttered pan or spoon onto buttered cookie sheet. Top with pecan halves.

Have a great day and don't eat TOO much Divinity!

Mavis D.

Make-A-Mix Monday - Ranch Dressing Mix

Our boys love Ranch Dressing with carrot sticks and other fresh vegetables. This is a great treat but sometimes they get out of hand with the dressing. To make it a little cheaper, I've started making my own. Most of the ingredients I already had but I did buy the dill weed and it's simple mix this up and keep it on hand. I use an empty pickle relish jar to store it.

1/2 cup buttermilk powder
1 Tblsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dill weed
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. salt (or adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Mix well and store in an airtight container. To use, mix 1 tablespoon of mix with 1 cup of mayonnaise and 1 cup of milk.

Did I Tell You? Huh? Huh? Huh?

Well...did I? Our oldest son who has been serving in Baghdad, Iraq is coming home!

He should be here in a matter of days and we'll be so happy to have him home and safe.

Please continue to keep these men and women in your prayers. There are still many more over there and even when they do come home they need the prayers to help them adjust back into "normal" life.

To Will...we are proud of you and love you very much!

To everyone else...have a great week!

Mavis D.