If  “sometimes you feel like a nut”, and could go for an Almond Joy, this Cocoa Colada just might be a quick fix for you.  If you bake quite a bit, you may already have all of the ingredients. Or you may not.  But the few things you need are worth running to the store for. Of course, then you could just pick up an Almond Joy, I suppose.  But, that’s beside the point.

Here’s a super simple easy recipe, for a little coco-nutty twist on hot cocoa! Like most of my recipes, this one too is ‘kid approved’ by our kids.

We had a nice little Superbowl Sunday.  We kept it pretty low-key, for a couple of reasons:

1) Our own New England Patriot’s weren’t playing.

2) It was a school night.

Every year, I get all excited about Superbowl Sunday, no matter who is playing. And then I realize how late the game is starting!  And then I remember, that I forget that is the case, almost every year!

Still, we can’t let the opportunity for a little private family party, to pass by.  But considering the circumstances this year, we kept the menu simple-simple.

Pastrami Sandwiches – we love them. We just put… Continue reading

The other night, my husband said he was making his chili and cornbread for dinner.  The whole house bursted out in cheer, except for me. I am TIRED of that.  I said so.  He said, “Have you got any better ideas?”  And I said, “Not yet, but I’ll get one!”    I found a fine variation that would give me something new, yet keep the family happy with something similar.  It was a HUGE, huge hit.  There was plenty left over too, so I loudly announced, “The leftovers are mine until they’re gone!  Called it!”   ; )  I’m fast like that.

This is SO easy to make!!  Especially if you can get your husband to… Continue reading

We made these tasty little morsels for this first time,  for New Year’s Eve. My girlfriend Paula wanted the recipe, so I told her I would blog a post on it. And here it is.  Because I’m always true to my word.  And also, I wanted to make (read: eat) these again. : )

Participating Ingredients: 1 pound of bacon, 1 can of Large Chunked Pineapple (or fresh), and 1/2 cup Brown Sugar.

You’ll also need toothpicks.   The colors add to my happy, but if they do… Continue reading

For those who have been visiting our blog long enough, you’d probably know that we got very crafty in 2008, for Christmas gifts for loved ones.  But unfortunately, this year we were low on both time and money, to really craft as much as we would have needed to for gifts.  Still, we prefer to show our love to our loved ones at Christmas, with more hand-made sort of gifts, if we can.  So we had the idea of sending some baked goods, and ready-to-go jars.   It would be simple, inexpensive, yet appreciated we were sure.  Who doesn’t love food…right?

So some jars we made up with most of the ingredients to make oatmeal… Continue reading

This recipe is one that came to mind, in a memory from years ago.  I had no idea what it was called though, so I googled the ingredients to figure it out.  I guess it’s called  Soda Cracker Toffee.

Which brings to mind a pressing question for me:  Does ANYONE actually say ’soda crackers’ anymore?  I can’t imagine.  So if you don’t mind, while I share this recipe, I’m just going to refer to this type of crackers as ’saltines’.  After all, I’m just a kid.

But before I get to that, I wanted to share the memories that this treat brought to mind.  I remember the  first time I ever… Continue reading

You may or may not have heard of Waldorf Salad.  My mother made it all of the time growing up, and I always thought it was a rather odd concoction. But I loved it! So did my brothers and sister, as much as I recall. And now, my kids love it too.  Big hit. So simple.  No measuring really needed.

Participating ingredients:  apples, walnuts, raisins, mayonaisse.

How much you use of any of it, is a preference, and all in consideration of how much you are making, and so how many apples you use.  We used 4 apples and fed 7+ (Some had seconds.)

This wonderful (and I mean wonderful!) roll recipe was sent in by our friend Paula, from A Catholic Harvest. She’s a great gal.  I adore her for so many reasons, but to sum it up, she’s a mixed bag.  I love people who are full of wonderful qualities, but also full of surprises.  For instance, recently I learned that she’s a ‘closet head-banger’.  Inside this sweet, funny, supportive and faithful girl, is an inner rock-n-roll chick!!  It’s true!  Who knew?!

So speaking of rolls…lol….I love this recipe she sent us.  I have a few recipes sent in that I’ll be making, now that I have more time to cook and bake.  But here is one for now.  She sent it, we made it, we… Continue reading

We have a de-LICIOUS roll recipe coming right up, submitted by a regular and loved blog reader, Paula.  But first, we just wanted to share with you some of our oldest daughter, {A}’s,  creative cookies she made last week.  (She is an ambitious baker in the making, if you don’t know.)

{A} has a very strong interest in the Kennedy Family, and has  as of late, been studying their family history in great depth.  That’s  not to say she is a fan of all of them. ; )  But, she does like who Robert F. Kennedy was.  So much so, that she made sugar cookies for his birthday on Friday, November 20th.   She thought it was a great excuse to practice her piping skills.… Continue reading

This is a continuation, but digression, of the Peanut Allergy post.

What I wanted to tell you in the last post, was how much I have always LOVED peanut butter.   For years, on MOST mornings, I would have the same thing for breakfast late in the morning:  coffee first, and later, more coffee with toast and peanut butter.  Peter Pan, preferably, because I loved the sweet peanutty taste.  I’d be sure to spread it on while the toast was still hot, so it got all melty.   Soooo good.

But naturally, the whole family has had to sacrifice peanut butter, and ANYTHING with peanut ingredients in it, since the discovery of {S}’s allergy.  I’m not sure anyone… Continue reading