Oreo Truffles

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!!!!

Peanut Butter Blossoms otherwise known as "kiss" cookies

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!

New Recipe: Yummy Bars

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 9x13 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.

Spritz Cookie Recipe

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!!!!

Mantel fun

I've always wanted a fireplace in my house but that wasn't a reality until we moved into our current home. My mom knit us all stocking with our names on them and I have been so glad to have a mantel to hang them from! I originally had a turquoise/gold theme going on but changed it up when I made the christmas ball wreath and hung the stcokings.


So here's the original mantle:

And here is the updated version:

I use command hooks to hang the stocking because I am too cheap to buy the holders sold in the store.  Plus I need 6 and honestly I think it would just take up too much space.  I am linking up at the Lettered Cottage.

December already!

Wow, where did November go? As usual time is flying by rather quickly around here. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. My parents were in town so we had a great meal together and even did some Black Friday shopping! I did not get up at the crack of dawn but instead left around 8:00 am and was home by 9:30 am. I did not find any amazing deals but I did get a pizza oven for $30, which we've been thinking of buying for a while now. Did you do some shopping on Friday and did you get any amazing deals?

Christmas will be here before we know it and I just read a great blog post by Emily over at Remodeling This Life.

I follow quite a few blogs about homes, decorating them and do it yourself projects. I love the ideas that I can get from them and seeing how creative people are but I also sometimes feel like I"m playing "Keeping up with the bloggers." I don't live in a $400,000 home and I don't shop at Anthropolgie or Pottery Barn. So I am so happy to read Emily's blog and how she's stepped off the treadmill of keeping up and instead is keeping it simple.

I am hoping to spend time baking cookies with my children, putting puzzles together, playing games, watching some movies, reading some books and just having fun together as a family. I'm sure we will also drive around and look at Christmas lights because that's a tradition of ours that I love! I want my children to remember Christmas as a special time of togetherness, giving to others who have real need and the birth of a Savior. Not toys, Santa, want, want, want and the endless parade of stuff that we don't need.

What are your plans for this Christmas season? Are you going to jump off the treadmill and enjoy the short few weeks before Christmas? What do you want your children to remember about Christmas 2010?

Shutterfly cards for Christmas

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! And that means it's time to find your perfect picture or pictures and make your annual Christmas card. I love using shutterfly for Christmas cards, calendars and even picture books.  We make a picture book every summer of our adventures and my kids love to look at them.  We have also made baby J's birth announcements and they turned out so adorably cute!  I can't wait to get started on our Christmas cards!
Check out some of these cute cards and these were only on the first page!  I love the monogrammed cards, the different colored cards like pale blue, green and black.  They have quite the selection, I"m not sure how I'm ever going to choose just one style!

They also have some really cute ideas for those hard to buy for people on your list.  Check out the photo mugs, mouse pads or maybe even some playing cards.

A favorite gift of ours to give is the personalized calendars.  Right now they are buy one get one 50% off so if you need one for you and one for the grandparents or maybe both sets of grandparents, head on over to Shutterfly and create one or five!!!   Look at this cute calendar.....I can't wait to get started on mine!

Finally, if you are a blogger yourself, check out this great deal that Shutterfly is offering up.   Who couldn't use 50 free cards?  So start looking through all those great pictures you took this year and head on over to Shutterfly and get some great one of a kind, created by you gifts from the comfort of your own home!