Pretzel, Kiss, M&M Thingy's

This is a fun treat.  We make them every year.  This is one the kids can pretty much do on their own, that is if you trust them to not eat all the candy!  I am a salty/sweet kind of girl.  These are perfect for the salty/sweet people.

What you need:

• Checkerboard or windowpane pretzels
• M&M's
• Hershey Kisses

Preheat oven to 170 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or wax paper.  Spread out pretzels.  Carefully supervise as kisses are unwrapped to be sure that you will have some for the actually finished product!  Place one kiss on each pretzel.  Place cookie sheet in oven and watch carefully.  Set timer for 5 minutes.  After the first five minutes gently try to press an M&M into the kiss.  If it seems a little firm still check every 30 seconds to 1 minute with the M&M.  They will go from hard to melty really quick!  When kisses are the right mushiness, remove from the oven and press one M&M into each kiss.  Let cool until chocolate hardens.  If you can't wait, place in fridge until chocolate is hard.  Kisses Hugs make really cute pretzel thingys.  Hugs melt a lot faster than the solid milk chocolate so you will need to check them sooner than 5 minutes. 

This post has been linked up with Works For Me Wednesday.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins

I am attempting to make a comeback.  All comebacks should involve peanut butter.  Everyday should involve peanut butter, even if it is just a spoonful to give you a little boost in the afternoon.  All my chicks love this recipe.

Combine the dry ingredients.

Here is the finished batter...it is a very wet batter.

Be sure that your assistant gives the batter a taste test.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins

• 1-1/4 cups whole wheat or all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
• 3/4 cup Demerara or packed brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Dash ground cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1/4 heaping cup peanut butter (please do not use reduced fat!)
• 1-1/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine dry ingredients.  Stir to combine.  Pour in milk, egg and peanut butter.  Mix well.  The batter will seem kind of runny for a muffin batter, but trust me, they will be muffins in the end.  Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan 5 minutes before removing.  Makes 12 muffins.

This post was linked up with Tasty Tuesday.

Toffee Squares

Try Cleta Bailey's Toffee Squares and you will not be disappointed. There is no boiling sugar involved, no candy thermometer involed, no burning your skin off while dealing with molten sugar involed, just a simple, yummy with coffee treat!

Home is where the mixer sits.

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I Will Return!

There will be a slight pause here....but I will return, for the three of you who care.

Atlantic vs. Pacific

Yes, we had the whole beach to ourselves.  This is why homeschooling is awesome.

The shells....the Atlantic has tons of shells!  The kids were in heaven.

The water is so clear....and warm, even in November.

If this were the pacific my people would not be swimming!

The bummer is that we live in California, we visit the Pacific often and it is beautiful in its own way, but as my friend Brit says the Atlantic is "AWESOMER."

The "Famous Pork Sandwich"

We just returned from North Carolina.  Such a lovely, dreamy place.  We visited the Snappy Lunch, which is the place made famous by Andy Griffith (Mt Airy being his hometown). Andy mentioned it by name on his Mayberry show and frequented the restaurant as a young man.  The place is a lunch counter in the most simplest terms. They are famous for their Pork Sandwich.   The sandwich is made from boneless, tenderized loin chop dipped in sweet-milk batter and fried (on a grill) until golden crisp. It is improbably large, sandwiched in a bun along with the usual All-The-Way condiments that include two slices of tomato, chopped onion, mustard, cole slaw, and special chili sauce.  This is what they call All-The-Way in North Carolina and you are pretty weird if you don't eat most things All-The-Way. If you ever get to North Carolina you must stop at the Snappy Lunch counter.  You will find it right next door to Floyd's Barber shop.