Chocolate dipped Island Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Premier White Morsels
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts or walnuts
• Dipping Milk Chocolates (melted)

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels, coconut and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 8 to 11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

 

MELT dipping chocolate according to directions. DIP cooled cookies into milk chocolate, so half the cookie is covered. Place on wax paper on cookie sheet. COOL chocolate covered cookies in refrigerator till chocolate is set.

** recipe modified from NESTLE TOLL HOUSE **

Crafty Creations 6: Baby Bibs

This project is very easy. All you need is some material with baby patterns on it. (I mixed and matched to make them reversable). Make great baby shower gifts.

Materials:
Baby patterned flannel (fat folds work great) (enough of one or 2 patterns for a front and back)
bib pattern (I found one on-line that I could print off)
Thread

Directions
Cut out printed bib patterned
Trace pattern on back of flannel matterial (w/ a pencil)
Cut along bib outline on both pieces of flannel
Place flannel bib cut outs front side toward each other and sew along the edge leaving a small opening.
Turn bibs inside out though openening so proper side of material is showing.
Hand sew opening in bib closed.
Add velcro or snap to handles of bib (I made my handles a little longer to be able to just tie them in the back)

Crafty Creations 7: Rag Quilt

I am always cold (it doesn't matter how hot it is) so I always have a blanket on hand. This blanket is nice to have since it is not too big and bulky (so it doesn't get too hot during the summer, yet just right for during the winter also). It also makes a great couch decoration to break up the solid color of the couch. I made this blanket about 3 years ago and it has held up very nicely with its many uses and washing's.

Materials:
Flannel Fat Folds (6 patterns, 2 of each pattern) (more or less depending on how big you want it)
Scissors
Fabric cutter and mat
Thread
Sewing machine (do not recommend hand sewing this blanket)

Directions:
Wash all fabric fat folds
Cut 4 squares from each fat fold (recommend using fabric cutter and mat to cut so all squares are the same size)
Place 2 square pieces (of same pattern) together with backs of material facing each other.

Layout each double square into a pattern on table to place together the blanket (this way you can plan out the placement of the squares to avoid same pattern or colors next to each other)
Place 2 doubled squares together

Sew along each side. (will sew these together so that the rough edge is to one side) (want this to be showing when done) (see picture)
Sew together one row (continue until all rows are complete)
Sew together completed row together (making sure all the sewn edges are on same side of blanket)
Once all rows are sewn together sew around the outer edge of the blanket to hold the pieces together.
Cut along each edge (including the edges in the middle of blanket) about 1/2 inch apart.
Wash  the blanket once cutting is complete to give it a raggedy look to it.

Mango-Broccoli Salad

Start to Finish: 20 minutes Makes: 8 side-dish servings

4 cups chopped fresh broccoli

1 large ripe mango, seeded, peeled and diced

1/2 cup cashew pieces

1 small onion, cut into thin wedges

1/2 cup bottled buttermilk ranch salad dressing

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

1 11 oz can mandarin orange sections, drained

1)  In a large salad bowl combine broccoli, mango, cashews and onion. 

2) In small bowl stir together ranch dressing, orange juice and horseradish

3) Pour dressing mixture over broccoli mixture; toss to coat

4) Gently stir in mandarin oranges

5) Serve immediately or chill up to 2 hours.

**recipe found in "Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book Limited Edition" 

Summer is almost over!

Since my last post not a whole lot has happened, or at least it doesn't seem like a  lot to me.

• I watched my 9 month old nephew for a week while my sister took Aubrey and Sierra to Lake Powell and Lagoon.
• I got my patio table cushions recovered now I just need to paint the table.
• We took Aubrey to San Francisco for a week for our summer vacation. (photos to come soon, took over 2000 pictures so there are a lot to go through)
• We were going to try to get our passports to go to Canada this summer but with the new house and the cost to get one for all of us we decided to wait till I either get a teaching job or am subbing on a regular basis this next school year and go next summer. 
• I narrowed it down to just a few pics to chose from to enter in the fair this year then I went on vacation and took more pictures that I like so now I have to decide all over again. I have a few days to decide what I am going to do.

Well that is pretty much all that has happened in the last few weeks for us. I am hoping this next month stays pretty busy and I get some interviews for jobs in the area that will lead to a job this school year. 

Stay tuned... more to come!! 

Butterscotch Breakfast Ring

A friend gave me this recipe several years ago. It has been a while since I have made it, so I decided it was time to try it again.

Ingredients:

20 Rhodes frozen Dinner Roll dough balls

1/2 package Cook 'n Serve Butterscotch Pudding mix (about 4 TBS)

1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

raisins (optional)

Directions: **put together night before**

prep-time: 15 mins      Serves: 6-8

Place the frozen dinner rolls in an ungreased bundt pan

Sprinkle pudding mix and cinnamon over rolls

Add raisins and nuts over rolls

Combine melted butter and brown sugar

Pour brown sugar and butter mixture over the rolls.

Cover pan with a towel

Let rise for about 8 hours or overnight

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Cover with aluminum foil lightly

Bake for 25 mins

Remove foil and bake for another 10 mins or until top is golden brown

Turn pan over onto serving plate and remove from pan immediately.

My next goal/project!!

So I have been trying to decide what goal I should start working on next. It is summer and I have a little more time on my hands. So this is what I am hoping to do in the next month or two, before school starts and I will hopefully have a teaching job or at least be staying busy subbing  (keeping my fingers crossed).

Project 1: Recover the cushions on my patio chairs and repaint the table and chairs. (Goal 17)
Its not that I don't like my table and chairs, they were giving to me by someone who had them in their shed for years and never opened them (can't beat something free) but they aren't my style. And my husband doesn't like flower patterns. So I thought I would try recovering the cushions and painting the metal to more match us and what we like. We will see how they turn out.

Project 2: Create a Calander (Goal 25)
I want to pull together some of my scenic pictures from different months of the year (1 from each month of places in Idaho) and put together a calendar. I have enough pictures to do it, its just sitting down and doing it. I also want to do this for diffrent places I have been through out the US and Mexico (and hopefully Canada this summer, Goal 42 and 44).

Project 3: Decorate Aubrey's room. (Goal 10)
She has been asking me for a few years now if we could re-paint her room from how we had it as her baby room. Instead of re-painting her room we baught a new house. However now her walls are a light brown and she wants to decorate them to match her bedding. Brown is too boring for her appearntly, she must take after her mother. So she picked out some paint colors and now wants to paint big flowers on her walls. Her idea is actually pretty cute. I have quite a creative 7 year old.

Project 4: Finish some old projects I started years ago that I have yet to finish (Goal 17 & 22)
This is includes a Creative Tile Tray (see Crafty Creations link for directions), a quilt for my living room, and a baby blanket I started to knit when I was pregnant (thats going on 8 years now)

So I think this will give me plenty to do while I am sitting around waiting for a job and school to start. Lets see if I can actually get them done (or at least a couple of them done and the others started).

**See 75 'n 930 for list of goals**