SNOW Ice Cream Recipe!

Mix SNOW with vanilla extract, sugar, and milk! Caleb thought this was hilarious! Fun stuff!

There are more elaborate recipes at: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art38570.asp

Snickerdoodles

I just tried a new Snickerdoodle recipe that my Mom found for me on the internet (from North Pole recipes). She couldn't find my Grandmom's original recipe but thinks this one is pretty close. I'd have to say they are spot on! We are enjoying being snowed in and I will blog more about that tomorrow, for now here is the recipe if you'd like to try it!

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients
1 cup soft shortening (I used butter flavored Crisco, a suggestion from my Mom)

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoons salt (optional)

Directions
Combine shortening (margarine), sugar and eggs. Sift together and stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt (optional). Then chill dough for about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough into balls the size of small walnuts. Roll into mixture of 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of cinnamon. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet (you can also use aluminum foil). Place in preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

The Sing Off

I have a new television addiction... finally a healthy reality television show for me that does not involve 8 kids! THE SING OFF! If you haven't seen this show, watch it NOW! (And really... where have you been, it's the big buzz this week!?) It's a competition for acapella groups. No band, no back up track, just their voices.

Right now I am routing for Maxx Factor. Mainly because they are from Baltimore! I also like that they are older and the only group of 4. I also like Nota. The main singer is AMAZING!

What a great way to get warmed up for my favorite music competition that starts in January, Idol! Not sure how I feel about Idol without Paula this year, but we'll see!

My Birthday Weekend :)

It's Sunday night and we are finishing what has been an extremely busy but fun three day weekend. On Friday (my 28th birthday, yuck!) Jason and I both took off of work and had a fun day with the boys. The highlight of the day was a visit to Build a Bear where Caleb built a Frosty the Snowman.

Caleb putting the "heart" in Frosty. He had to jump up and down three times and spin in a circle three times to put "magic" in it.

Blake enjoyed watching Caleb. The next time we go Blake will have to be big enough to make something too!

Giving Frosty a bath!

The finished product!

Though a little expensive, I highly recommend Build a Bear to any one with a little one! I did feel better about spending the money because I had a $5 off coupon!

After visiting Towson Town Center I ran into WalMart and picked up the Little People Nativity Set that I have had my eyes on for a long time. Again, I got a deal because I mentioned that I had seen it advertised for $15 cheaper on the internet. Just by mentioning this they took this amount off. I debated for a while if having a toy nativity set was sacrilegious, but in the end I decided it wasn't. It has already provided many opportunities to discuss the true meaning of Christmas with Caleb and Blake (although he is a little young to understand) as we play together with it.

Blake playing with the nativity set.

On Friday night Caleb spent the night at my parents and then on Saturday he went with them to a Christmas Tree Farm in Manchester, Maryland to get a live Christmas tree. I am not into live Christmas trees, but I'm glad that he at least got to experience this with my parents. It has always been an important tradition to my Mom. While Caleb was with my parents Santa's elves were extremely busy wrapping presents. In fact I wrapped until 9 p.m. Saturday night! I am exhausted, but it's a good feeling to know that the house is clean and decorated, the presents are bought, and the presents are wrapped. I was very proud as I realized how much money I have saved this season. By buying throughout the year, waiting for sales, and going out on Black Friday I saved hundreds of dollars this year. In previous years I just grabbed things as I saw them, but this year I had to be more thrifty. Even if we are better off in the future (the far future) I think I will continue to do this.

Today, Sunday, we enjoyed a great service at Community Christian Church on "Defining Moments." Jason and I each have dominoes that were given out at the service. It's a reminder that defining moments can be that "first" domino to a ripple effect. I was also reminded that I still need to work on increasing God and decreasing myself.

Tonight we went to Jason's parents to celebrate his brother Christopher's birthday. My fingers hurt from our crazy weekend. I'd like to say that next weekend will be slower, but with three holiday parties it's not looking hopeful. However, I am getting better at not being too distracted by the world. No matter how much "stuff" I have to do, my God and my family need to be the number one priorities. I thought of this as I held both of my boys on the couch a few minutes ago and snuggled as we watched "Polar Express." Despite the busy holiday season being upon us, I hope you too get a few moments to enjoy life in the next weeks!

Pretzel Candies

Pretzel Candies

Ingredients:

Pretzel Snaps (or square pretzels)

Wilton Candy Wafers (milk chocolate or white chocolate)

M&M Candies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Spread the pretzels out on a cookie sheet.

3. Place 1 candy wafter in the center of each pretzel

4. Place in oven 3-4 minutes (until candy wafer is soft but not melted)

5. Press 1 M&M candy in the center of each candy wafer/pretzel

6. Allow time to cool. I typically place them in the freezer or refrigerator to speed up this process.

Taco Casserole

Taco Casserole

1.5 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
1/4 Taco Seasoning Mix
1 15-16 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 11 ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup coarsely crushed tortilla chips

Assorted toppings: Sour cream, sliced green onions, shreeded lettuce, and chopped tomatoes (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Brown meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain off the fat.
3. Stir in the seasoning mix, beans, tomato sauce, and corn. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and tortilla chips.
5. Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
6. Serve with assorted toppings, if desired. Makes 12 servings.

I found this recipe in a free book that was given to me at Costco yesterday. It turned out to be very tasty, even my picky Caleb enjoyed it! I made it a little healthier by using ground turkey and reduced fat cheese. Enjoy!

10 Most Dangerous Toys

http://toysafety.org/worstToyList_index.shtml

I read this on Jack and Erin's blog (WRBS deejays). Fortunately I haven't purchased any of these items for my children this Christmas. I figured I would share since a lot of you, my friends, have children or will be buying gifts for a child!