New Cake

What on earth kind of cake is this? See the full thing HERE :)

Frayed Roses and Burnt Ribbon Cliips

I've been using the frayed fabric roses that I used on the headbands on clips. Great solution for those little ones that won't wear a headband. I've also made some clips using burnt ribbon circles. Just experimenting :) Making some Christmas presents while I'm at it!

Rocky Road Fluff Bars

So I posted a few weeks about my YUMMY Peanut Butter Fluff bars.....which I LOVE LOVE LOVE. I decided to change it up this time and make Rocky Road Fluff bars. Just as good. Chewy. Nutty. Marshmallowy. And now I am contemplating even more adjustments - butterscotch chips, mint chips....hmmmm. For now, here are the Rocky Road version. Enjoy!

Rocky Road Fluff Bars

3 T butter

12 ounces chocolate chips (I used all my half empty bags of semi and milk chocolate chips)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

15 oz (or so) mini marshmallows

2 cups dry roasted almost, chopped

Melt butter and chips over low heat. Add sweetened condensed milk and about 10 oz marshmallows (doesn’t have to be exact). Heat until marshmallows are melted.Scatter 1 cup almonds and half of the reserved marshmallows on the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Pour chocolate mixture on top and top with the rest of the almonds and marshmallows. Refrigerate before cutting. Best when cold.

Did you know that Advent started Sunday? Check out my ideas for celebrating with your family HERE and make it a month-long family celebration!

This post has also been linked to:

Mouthwatering Monday at Southern Fairytale

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff

What's on The Menu Wednesday at Dining With Debbie

Recipe Swap at Prairie Story (Thursdays)

Colleen's Fall Recipe Swap at Colleen's Kitchen (Fridays)

~THANKFUL~

I love Thanksgiving because we get to spend the day outside with family and friends at a fishing camp on a nearby river. We fish, take pontoon rides, feed the horses, ride ATVs, play and talk (and eat, did I forget eating??). It's a relaxing day enjoying the beautiful world God has given us. Picture perfect. We are blessed.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving wherever that may be.

Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake

I got this recipe from AllYou magazine and it's a keeper! Moist, nice crumb topping, PUMPKIN! My girls helped me make and eat this yummy treat. This is even better the next day. Did I mention it's very moist and the crumb topping is WONDERFUL?



Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake



Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces




Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 15-oz. can pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten


Preparation
1. Make topping: In a bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add butter and combine with fingertips until mixture is crumbly. Refrigerate while making batter.




2. Make cake: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour a 9-by-13-inch cake pan. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, applesauce, pumpkin, vanilla and both sugars until well mixed. Whisk in eggs. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined; do not over mix. Pour batter into cake pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with reserved topping.


3. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Allow to cool in pan on a wire rack at least 20 minutes.





This post has also been linked to:

Mouthwatering Monday at Southern Fairytale

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff

What's on The Menu Wednesday at Dining With Debbie

Recipe Swap at Prairie Story (Thursdays)

Colleen's Fall Recipe Swap at Colleen's Kitchen (Fridays)

Making Magic with Leftovers

"In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response."So head over to her site, An Island Life and answer her question but while you are here you might as well answer mine:

What do you cook when you are cooking only for yourself?

There are not very many evenings that I am cooking only for myself but when I do I try to get creative. Sometimes there are so many leftovers that I can't justify making something and here is where creativity enters the scene. Last night I used the following leftovers: potato soup, fresh spinach, buttered noodles, and herbed feta cheese. I used the soup to steam the spinach, served over top of the noodles, finished with feta. I loved it. My family wouldn't have touched it. So come on, get creative!

Cc is for Cactus

A cactus complete with toothpick spines and tissue paper berries!

Football Cake

Go see my new cake HERE!

Wordless Wednesday Karate

Check out more Wordless/Wordful Wednesday pictures at
5 Minutes of Mom, Parenting By Dummies, Experimental Mommy, Mrs. Cox's Slice o' Heaven& Mom Knows It All.

Frayed Rose Headbands - Works for Me Wednesday

Aren't these great?!?!

I learned how to make the frayer fabric roses from a tutorial at http://www.youcanmakethis.com/ I've already started making different sizes and colors for clips and headbands for Christmas presents. I have a ton of fabric scraps and can find clips and headbands at the dollar store. So cute! So easy! So fun!

Check out more Works For Me Wednesday posts at We are THAT family.

CSN Stores Review

I was approached by CSN Stores to do another review for them and jumped at the chance. Everything I have experienced so far with them has been outstanding. Great customer service. Good quality products. Fast shipping. The variety of different stores and products they have is outstanding. You name it, you are likely to find it at CSN Stores.

Like shoes...

Toys....

And even bathroom cabinets.

CSN Stores would be an ideal place for Christmas shopping as you could get something for everyone on your list!

Advent is Coming! - Works for Me!

I have posted in years past about how my family makes the Advent season a special time in our home. Believe it or not, it's that time of year again. Advent starts in 2 weeks (Sunday, November 28)! For these 4 weeks leading up to Christmas we devote all of our evenings to a family activity. It can be as easy as looking through photo albums or game night. It will include school programs, cookie baking, and acts of service. My entire family looks forward to our time spent together preparing for Jesus' birthday!

Go HERE to read more about the overall celebration.

Go HERE to see a list of Christmas books that we read.

Go HERE to see a list of the specific activities we did last year.

Go HERE to see the little boxes the girls get to open each morning to see what activity we will do that day.

I need to get working on our schedule for this year. The girls get excited when they see the basket out and know they will get to start searching for the right box!

Check out We Are THAT Family for more Works For Me Wednesday ideas.

Peanut Butter Fluff Bars

I love all things peanut butter and these bars are very peanut buttery (and you can't go wrong adding marshmallow to anything either)!

Peanut Butter Fluff Bars

3 T butter
bag of PB chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
15 oz (or so) mini marshmallows
2 cups dry roasted peanuts

Melt butter and PB chips over low heat. Add sweetened condensed milk and about 10 oz marshmallows (doesn’t have to be exact). Heat until marshmallows are melted.

Scatter 1 cup peanuts and half of the reserved marshmallows on the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Pour PB mixture on top and top with the rest of the peanuts and marshmallows. Refrigerate before cutting. Best when cold.

This post has also been linked to:
Mouthwatering Monday at Southern Fairytale
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff
What's on The Menu Wednesday at Dining With Debbie
Recipe Swap at Prairie Story (Thursdays)
Colleen's Fall Recipe Swap at Colleen's Kitchen (Fridays)

Do You Puree?

I love when Halloween passes and I get hold of the pumpkins. This year we never made it around it carving them which makes it a bit easier. Usually we carve right before Halloween so they are still fresh to use. If you have never used your pumpkin - try it - it's easy!


Pumpkin Puree


Stem, quarter, and remove the seeds from the pumpkin. Place them on a foil lined baking sheet skin side up. Bake at 350 until tender (about 45 minutes for these little guys). Cool completely. Scrape the flesh from the skin into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Use or freeze.

I have a "pumpkin" tag on my side bar if you want to find my favorite ways to use it. Make these Pumpkin Spice Scones. You won't be disappointed!

And this just in...100 Ways to Cook a Pumpkin. Oh my goodness. I shouldn't have found this.

Now on to these.....


There's a few days left to enter my giveaways!
Enter my Grands! giveaway HERE. (includes $15 gift card!)
Enter my Betty Crocker Instant Potato giveaway HERE (includes beautiful bamboo bowl)
Enter my Fiber One Original giveaway HERE (includes food scale and on-the-go container)

New Cake - Hoot Hoot

Check out my new cake HERE!