Costco to the Rescue!

I returned to The South from a fabulous extended summer vacation to find that one friend had given birth to a baby girl, a second friend had torn her achilles tendon and a family from our school had a mother with extended health issues.  Of course, I wanted to help them all!

To complicate matters, I was knee deep in laundry and our air conditioning, on what was perhaps the hottest day of the year, decided it was a good time to simply stop running.

I decided to sign up for the meal calendar anyway.  Don't judge me.  I brought them Costco.

Does a meal really have to be homemade by me in my kitchen?  Isn't it the thought that counts?  Aren't I still providing for their needs?  Am I not still bringing them love?  Costco's Chicken Alfredo, Caesar Salad and Rosemary Olive Oil Bread is a perfect, family-friendly meal.  It's so perfect, in fact, that I bought one for my family, too!

Of course, I added one of my cute cupcake boxes.  And just ignore the Whole Foods bag.   It looked a lot cuter than those complimentary Costco boxes!

Super Easy Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Fudge

I've been making fudge for Valentine's Day ever since I was in the third grade and I made my very first batch of fudge for my Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Stover.  She loved it so much that, even in subsequent years when she was no longer my teacher, I would still make a special heart-shaped batch just for her.  

Those early batches were difficult.  I remember cooking with my mom and testing to see if the boiling candy had reached the soft ball stage by dropping a spoonful of the chocolate mixture into some water.  The results were never guaranteed.   Then one year things changed.  One year we found this Super Easy Fudge recipe that turns out perfectly every time.  Fortunately for me, this recipe does not even require a candy thermometer!

It starts with some basic ingredients.

Bring butter, sugar and evaporated milk to a boil.  Boil for 4 minutes or until a candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees.  Unless you are in love with your candy thermometer, just go with the timer.  Trust me on this one.  Now here's the key.  While it's boiling, stir constantly.  Don't put your cell phone on the charger, don't refresh your computer screen, don't try to squeeze in a load of laundry.  Just stand at the stove and stir.  It's only four minutes.  You can do it!

When the four minutes is up, turn off the stove and add the marshmallow creme and chopped chocolate or peanut butter chips. If possible, use a bigger pan than this one!

Stir until everything is melted and well combined.

There.  This pan, in which I did the dark chocolate layer, is much better!

I found these cute heart-shaped aluminum pans at Target!  They came 24 in a pack.

One batch of peanut butter fudge.......

...... topped with one batch of dark chocolate fudge exactly filled 24 mini heart-shaped tins.

Pipe a white chocolate message on top for a sweet Valentine treat!

Super Easy Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Fudge

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter

1 can (5 ounce) evaporated milk

4 ounces Semi-Sweet chocolate and

8 ounces Unsweetened chocolate

or 12 ounces peanut butter chips

1 7-ounce jar Marshmallow Creme

1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring sugar, butter and milk to a boil in a large saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly.  Boil 4 minutes or until 234 degrees F on a candy thermometer, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  ADD chocolate or peanut butter chips and marshmallow creme.  Stir until melted.  Stir in vanilla.  Pour into a foil-lined 9X9" pan or 24 mini foil heart-shaped liners.  

Cool.  Enjoy!

White Chocolate Popcorn

Of course, trying to portray the deliciousness of white chocolate on white popcorn in a white box is nearly impossible, but this simple to make treat is simply delicious!  

I was first introduced to this sweet and salty ambrosia by my friend, Anne, who brought a giant bowl of it to a school Valentine's Party a few years ago.  Guess what?  It all disappeared.  Consider this your fair warning.  Whatever you make will be consumed!  It's that addicting!

I knew this would be the perfect treat for movie night on our FOURTH snow day!

White Chocolate Popcorn

Recipe Courtesy of Anne Pryor

2 Bags Orville Redenbacher's Tender White Microwave Popcorn, Popped

8-oz high quality white chocolate, melted

Note:  According to Anne, best results are obtained by using Orville Redenbacher's Tender White microwave popcorn.  Because my new, fancy convection/microwave oven does everything but pop popcorn, I resorted to the old-fashioned stove top method and also achieved great results.  

Pop two bags of popcorn or fill your biggest bowl with stove topped popcorn.  Melt one package of high quality white chocolate chips.  Drizzle on top of the popcorn and mix to combine.  Spread the popcorn  on parchment paper to dry.  

Eat, serve, or fill some cellophane bags for a delicious gift!

Hot Cocoa For Two

Looking for a last minute gift idea?  Just a few simple ingredients and you can create these super easy hot chocolate cones!

Make your own hot chocolate with powdered milk, cocoa and sugar, or save even more time and buy a high quality mix like the one above from Whole Foods.

Layering the cone-shaped bags is easy.  Put 1/4 cup cocoa mix on the bottom.  Place 2-3 tablespoons of  your "add-in" flavors in a pleated sandwich bag.  Seal with tape and snip off the top.  Be creative with your flavors.  I used white chocolate and dark chocolate, but crushed candy canes or toffee bits would also be delicious!   Place the bags, tape side down, on top of the cocoa mix.  Top with 1/4 - 1/2 cup of marshmallows (can you really have too many?) and close with a twist tie.  Make your own simple label (I used a 2" round punch for a perfect circle) and secure with a festive ribbon.

A sweet and simple gift!

A Time for Giving

Around this time of year, I like to take my kids to our local charity center.  Not only does it provide a hands on lesson in giving, but it also serves as a reality check.  My kids need to know that they are blessed and that even though they may not have a cell phone or an itouch, they have it better than most of the people in this world!  It's been said that the antidote to materialism is giving.  It's amazing how this trip shortens the Christmas list!

When we think of what to give, I try to make it personal to the kids.  Once again this year, the kids pooled their Halloween candy together.  It weighed a whopping 13 pounds!  Is it just me, or are the candy piles getting bigger?

With all that candy they made over 100 goody bags that the charity will use as part of its Christmas program.  The addition of cheese crackers and a small toy rounded out the bag.

For Anna's Birthday this year, she collected items to make "birthday boxes".  Instead of gifts, her party guests brought cake mixes, frosting, birthday plates and napkins, sprinkles, plastic forks, balloons and small toys.  If a parent comes to the food center and their child is having a birthday, they will receive a complete "Birthday in a Box"!  Thanks to Publix grocery store for donating ten cake boxes in which we placed all the components!

What a great way to celebrate a birthday - by making someone else's birthday special, too!

This year the kids donated 100 goody bags and 10 birthday boxes.  

As you can see, the givers' smiles are as big as the receiver's!

Five Favorite Teacher Gifts!

With Christmas soon upon us, I put on my thinking cap for that perfect teacher gift - something thoughtful, yet something that wouldn't break the bank!  I came up with these five favorites.  Some of them I have given in the past, and some they just might receive this year......

• Clementines - ($4.99 - SuperTarget) Who wouldn't want a whole box of something called Cuties?  Tied with a red bow, this deliciously sweet, seedless citrus fruit is a healthy alternative to holiday sweets.  If nothing else, a bowl of them makes a great centerpiece!  My kids ate through this entire box in 2 days!

• "Go Fish" Christmas CD - (gofishguys.com)  This fun acapella band from my home state of Minnesota made their mark with alternative Christian music for kids, but they definitely appeal to the adult crowd as well.  You can see their hit song, "Christmas With a Capital 'C'" on YouTube.  The first CD is $15 but all the rest are only $5!  (Plus FREE SHIPPING!) This is a great gift to buy in bulk.  Last year I gave it to over 20 teachers and staff!

• Layered Mixes - (Make them for $1 - $5)   A one quart Mason Jar transforms into a beautiful and practical gift.  The beauty of it is, the receiver gets to bake the cookies when she wants them - and take all the credit!  There are many recipes on line, just google "Layered Mixes".  This an easy gift to make in bulk.  I'll post my favorite soon!

• Soap! (6 for $20- Bath and Body Works)  I've always been a practical girl, but when practical and luxurious meet, it's a gift made in heaven.  Group two bottles of this delicious-smelling hand soap together in a cellophane bag for a festive presentation.  The best part?  Bath and Body works provides the wrapping!

• Kitchen Candles - (Wait for the 2 for $20 sale at Bath and Body Works)  OK, maybe candles have gotten a bad rap when it comes to teacher gifts, but I burn my Kitchen candles from Bath and Body Works constantly!  They have some great seasonal scents. My personal favorites are Kitchen Spice and Cranberry Woods, but they have many more from which to choose!
  
  
  

  HAPPY GIVING!

Owl S'mores!

How cute are these?  

I got the idea for these Owl S'mores from Amy at Living Locurto and decided I just had to make them for the fourth and fifth grade Friday treat.  

Of course, that involved making an entire flock of owls!  Not to worry, however, they are as easy as they look. 

I found this free clip art owl and added it to "Wise Owl" tags.

I printed the tags on orange cardstock, cut them to size,

folded them over and simply stapled them to sandwich bags.

WHOO will you surprise with this fun snack?

College Care Packages

I have to admit that for a moment I felt old when I realized that we have SEVEN significant cousins-nephews-babysitters-friends in college!  Where has the time gone?  In an attempt to stay connected, the kids and I decided to designate our Monday off of school to creating College Care Packages for those we miss.  As I considered what to include, I thought it best to stick with the classic trio:  Chocolate Chip Cookies, M&M Brownies and Rice Krispy Treats.  Oddly enough, I forgot to take pictures of these!

I did get a picture, however, of the girls bagging some edible packing material.  

Popcorn is so much tastier than styrofoam peanuts! 

Crisp, cellophane bags and simple, printed labels give the package a professional look.

Here are all the boxes spread out on my kitchen table.  I looked up school colors online and packaged each one with color-coordinated tissue paper and curly ribbon - purple and white for Northwestern, Gold and Black for Vanderbilt, red and blue for The Johnnies..... You get the picture!

And then it was off to the Post Office!

Best Wishes to Charlie, Kelsey, Joshua, Emily,Will, Sarah and Geno!

We Miss You!

Think Inside the Box

Last week was teacher appreciation week at school. (Yes, I realize this is my third blog on teacher appreciation, but we really love our teachers!)  Only five days after my knee surgery, I tried to think of something thoughtful that didn't involve a trip to the store.  Fortunately, I happened to have a box of brownies in the pantry.  Now, this is no ordinary box of brownies.  This is a super deluxe Ghirardelli triple-chocolate Costco-sized box of brownies - the best brownies I've ever tasted.

One of these giant boxes has enough brownie mix to make 3 - 9x13 pans.  Because I had 18 teachers (plus a few staff members) that I wanted to thank, I made all three pans.

I baked the brownies according to the directions and poured the batter into a parchment-lined 9x13 pan.  Once they cooled, the entire pan flipped easily onto the lid.

Originally I thought I would cut each pan into 12 brownies, but later decided that the pieces just wouldn't be big enough!  In the end, I decided that 8 giant brownies per pan would be perfect.

Using a spatula, I placed each individual brownie in a crisp, cellophane bag, found some leftover red ribbon from Christmas and attached a tag printed on red cardstock.

Voila!  Problem solved!