Apple and bacon tartlets with caramel drizzle

Apple, Bacon, caramel, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Yup, that's right.  I put them all together in one delicious bite.  And it was AMAZING.  It was a little creation I came up with after seeing all of the apples my family came home with from the orchard.  So easy, so yummy.  And with a hot caramel drizzle, it makes the perfect dessert!  Thank you, Werther's!


Take a few slices of bacon and bake it on a cookie sheet for about 10-12 minutes at 400*.  While that's cooking, I take a can of biscuit dough and slice each biscuit in half.  Then I slice it open to make a little pocket.  I take a smear of cinnamon cream cheese and spread it inside the pocket. I take my apples, slice them up, peel them, and toss them in a bowl with cinnamon and brown sugar.  Then I take a few slices and stuff each pocket with them. 

 When the bacon is cooked, I let it cool and chop it into small pieces. I then add enough bacon to each pocket for my liking. More if you are a bacon fan, and less if..... wait, is there anyone who ISNT a bacon fan???? Stuff it full of BACON!!!!  Then I close up the pocket, sealing each edge closed. 

I sprinkle each pocket with a little more brown sugar and cinnamon.  Then I bake them at 350* for about 10-15 min, when they are golden brown, I take them out of the oven. 

While they are baking, I take my Werther's baking caramels, unwrap them, and toss them in a small sauce pan with a tiny bit of cream. 

I used a salted caramel creamer today, but you can use regular cream, also.  2 Tbsp is usually enough cream for a whole bag of Werther's.  Cook it on a low heat, stirring every 2-3 minutes.  It takes a while to get melting, but once it starts to melt, it gets soft pretty fast. Melt until its nice and creamy.  Then I use my stirring spoon to drizzle the caramel over the bacon apple tartlets. 

Serve warm.  It would also be an awesome dessert served hot, over vanilla ice cream. 

I received free Werther's Original products in order to make this sponsored recipe and more.  The opinions expressed here are my own.  This recipe will be found on the Werther's recipe page, http://werthers.werthersecloud.us Please visit this site for more yummy treats made with Werther's Originals. 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

To all my little ghouls and goblins that read this blog, I want you to have a fun but safe Halloween!  Enjoy your nights, whether you are trick or treating with your little Monkeys or headed out to a party.  HAVE FUN!! 

 This is my Captain America, my little Unicorn, and my Rockstar!

And for all of you who need a quick and easy snack idea for preschools or kids Halloween parties.......


Tomorrow is my daughter's day to bring in snack for her kindergarten class.  So I made her Mummies and bones to bring in! 

 

The mummies are just small boxes of yogurt covered raisins.  I took white crepe paper, cut it lengthwise to make narrow strips, wrapped the boxes and added googly eyes.  The bones are pizza crust dough!  I made a salted dough, rolled it in my hands, snipped the ends with scissors

 

 And folded the snipped pieces in towards each other.  It made a femur bone shape. 

I lightly sprayed a cookie sheet and put the bones down on it. Then I sprinkled kosher salt on it and baked for about 12 minutes on 425* until they were golden brown.  They make really yummy pretzels!  I make these each year for Halloween parties and the kids love them.  And so easy!  It only took me about 40 minutes to make everything this morning.  Happy Halloween!!! 

100th Post Celebration!!!

Yes, this is my 100th blog post!  Back in May, I decided to start this little blog.  You see, I'm not very crafty.  I'm not an athlete.  I'm not a health nut.  I'm not a cook.  But somewhere along the line, I realized that a lot of people were asking me how I came up with a certain idea or how I made this or that.  People were raving about a recipe that I made that was sooooo easy.  Or they were just commenting on how cool my table decorations or my party ideas were.  Basically, since I'm not a pro at any of this, my philosophy is that if I can do it, ANYONE can do it.  My blog is about learning how to save money, live healthier, cook special foods, do fun activities with the family, stay within budget, and make really cute items even if you've done nothing like that before.  I dont claim to be an expert.  I'm definitely not perfect.  I'm a stay at home Mom of three and I'm learning right along with you all.  I'm just passing on some tips to you that work for me.  And hopefully you'll enjoy the process right along with me!  Through Pinterest and Facebook, and Instagram and here, I pass along my tips and hope that someone out there learns a little something.  Please follow me, here on the blog or on any of the links provided above.  I promise you, my heart swells a little everytime someone clicks a like, comments on a post or repins a recipe. 

So in the past week, I've had a few things happen that have made me more than a little happy.  First, I was notified the other night that one of my recipes was re-pinned 100 times on Pinterest!!  I could not believe it!  My recipes are usually made from my need for quick, easy, delicious meals that will make my whole family happy.  And I think that is the appeal of that specific recipe.  My other little occurance that made me do a happy dance is that two days ago, I was in the grocery store when a woman came up to me.  She and I had met once before in a social setting, but don't know each other personally.  She grabbed the swiss cheese from her shopping cart and said "I'm so glad I ran into you today!  I'm making a recipe from your blog today, your French Onion Casserole!"  I helped her choose the correct type of cheese (Use shredded, not sliced.) and reminded her to buy some cream soup, and I got a message from her the next day saying that the recipe was a hit.  And now I am celebrating my 100th blog post, this one right here,  All about celebrating this little blog. 

Over on my Facebook page, we are celebrating a little.  My friend Kristen runs a cake and cupcake business here on Cape Cod.  CAPECAKES.  She is amazing and makes gorgeous cakes,

cupcakes

Blonde Bombshell Vanilla cake topped with vanilla buttercream Chip Overload Vanilla cake with choc chips topped with choc chip buttercream Pink Lemonade Pink lemonade cake topped with lemonade frosting Strawberry Shortcake Vanilla cake filled with strawberries topped with whip cream frosting Chocolate Desire Chocolate~ Chocolate Chip cake topped with Chocolate buttercream Peppermint Patty Chocolate cake with a peppermint buttercream filling and frosting Zingy Coconut Raspberry Coconut cake filled with raspberry topped with vanilla buttercream & coconut Oreo Cookie Chocolate cake filled with vanilla buttercream and topped with cookies & cream buttercream S’mores Graham cracker bottom chocolate cake topped with marshmallow butter cream Snickers Chocolate cake filled caramel and topped with chocolate buttercream & a candy crumble Cherry Cream Cheese vanilla cake with a cream cheese pie filling and topped with a cream cheese frosting and cherry Nutella Bella chocolate cake filled with Nutella and topped with Nutella Buttercream Pistachio pistachio cake topped with a pistachio cream frosting and chopped pistachios Salted Caramel chocolate cake with a salted caramel frosting, caramel drizzle and crushed pretzels

Creamsicle Orange cake filled with vanilla buttercream and topped with Orange buttercream Lemon Burst Lemon cake filled with lemon pudding topped with lemon frosting Raspberry Dream Chocolate or vanilla cake topped with raspberry buttercream Peanutbutter Kiss Chocolate cake filled with peanutbutter and topped with penutbutter buttercream PB&J Vanilla cake filled with jam and topped with peanutbutter buttercream Boston Cream Vanilla cakes filled with vanilla pastry cream topped with chocolate buttercream Hop Scotch Vanilla cake filled with butterscotch topped with butterscotch frosting and a caramel drizzle The Bugs Bunny Carrot cake filled and topped with cream cheese frosting Scarlet Red Velvet cake topped with cream cheese frosting Banana Cream Pie Banana cake filled with banana cream pie and topped with a Banana buttercream Key Lime Key lime cake with a key lime pie filling and topped with fresh whipped cream Sunday Breakfast French toast cake with maple buttercream and crispy bacon chunks Turtle Cupcake Chocolate cake with caramel pecan filling topped with a turtle frosting and caramel pecan drizzle Cannoli Cupcake vanilla cake filled with a choc chip cannoli cream and topped with a bittersweet chocolate ganache and almond cream frosting with chopped almonds

and

cake pops: 
Oreo Cake Pop
chocolate cake covered in white chocolate and rolled in crushed Oreo

Toasted Coconut
Decadent chocolate cake swirled in rich milk chocolate and rolled in toasted coconut for a German chocolate flair

Mint Chocolate
chocolate cake coated in mint dark chocolate and garnished with real Andes mint pieces

Lemon Drop
our refreshing lemon cake dipped in white candy coating and drizzled with bright yellow swirl

Vanilla
Classic vanilla cake dipped in white chocolate and trimmed with rainbow sprinkles

Simply Chocolate
chocolate cake surrounded by your choice of chocolate and dressed in rainbow sprinkles

Pink Lemonade
signature pink lemonade cake cover in a pink white chocolate and sprinkled with an edible glitter

Red Velvet
Delicious red velvet cake dipped in matching red candy and covered with little white sprinkles

Build your own
classic white cake ( colored in your choice or left white ) covered in either white or milk chocolate and topped with your favorite topping


  She makes her own frosting and sells it in mason jars, and she also makes cocktail cupcake shots and spirited cupcakes.  Her treats are delicious.  Her flavor list is endless.  And if you bring her an idea, she creates it with style, flavor and brings that idea to life. Check out her Facebook page and check out her website.


Her cupcakes have been part of many of my family's celebrations.  My Husband and I both love her pistachio cupcake the best.  My 9 year old's favorite is the Sunday Breakfast and my 5 year old's favorite is the Pink Lemonade.  My 18 month old's favorite has to be this.....

 

So here is the deal.  For my celebration, Cape Cakes and I are giving away some Cape Cakes treats.  Go to her Facebook page and "like" it.  Go to my Facebook page and "like" it.  Then comment on either page which flavor you'd like to win.  Locals to Cape Cod gets their choice of Cupcakes or Cake Pops.  Anyone not local gets Cake Pops, which are shippable.  We will randomly pick one winner.   It's as easy as that, so come join our celebration!!!  And as always, thank you for reading my blog.  It makes me very happy to hear that I am making a small difference in your lives!!!!  Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!!! 

Caramel Apples

Everyone over on Facebook, Twitter and on Instagram is posting pictures of their families at the apple orchards lately.  Did you all pick a ton of apples?  Did you make an apple pie?  Did you make some applesauce?  Did you eat an apple or two and then look at the ton of apples left and think "What the heck am I going to do with all of these apples??"?  Well here is a quick and easy idea for you...... a reverse caramel apple.  I love a good caramel apple. They are messy but delicious and so much fun to make and eat. But this weekend I saw something on my Facebook feed that interested me. It was an apple sliced in half, cored out with most of the fruit removed, and then warm caramel poured in and cooled.  It looked and sounded amazing.

Werther's Originals has a new baking caramel.  It's perfect for melting, drizzling, adding to baked goods.  And it's even perfect for dipping.  So last night I grabbed a bag of Werther's Originals caramels, melted it down with about 2 Tbsp of cream (low heat in a saucepan, stirring constantly) cut up the apples and removed most of the insides, I put them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and then I poured the caramel inside.  I had to sort of balance the apples against each other so they didn't topple over and spill.  I also dipped a couple of apples after putting a lollipop stick at the top of them.  I dipped, then twirled slowly, allowing the caramel to cool a bit before dipping again.  I put the caramel apple in a bowl in the freezer to set quicker.  The reverse caramel apples I put in the fridge for about 2 hours to set. 

Both recipes were a hit.  The reverse caramel apples were sliced up and served on plates as a snack.  And the regular apples were served on the stick and my kids dove in. 

If you are looking for more caramel recipes using Werther's Originals new baking caramels, please visit http://werthers.werthersecloud.us/

Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast

Happy Fall!!!  Are you on a pumpkin kick this season?  Everything seems to have pumpkin in it.... donuts, coffee, waffles, milk, cupcakes, my pumpkin chocolate cake, eggnog, muffins, pies, creamers.  It is THE fall flavor, and my family takes full advantage of that pumpkin flavor.  Last weekend our favorite breakfast got its own pumpkin makeover. 

Ingredients:

Thickly sliced bread, 2 slices per person.  You can use a plain white or wheat, a cinnamon raisin, a Portuguese bread, or any other favorite that you would use for french toast. 

cream cheese, about a tablespoon to a tablespoon and a half per sandwich. We used pumpkin cream cheese and brown sugar flavored cream cheese. You can also use plain or honey flavored.

Pureed pumpkin, same amount as the cream cheese.


Wash:

2 eggs
2-3 tablespoons milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tsp brown sugar

First make the wash by mixing the eggs, milk, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and sugar all in a big bowl. Place the bowl aside.  Now I line up the slices of bread.  I put a little cream cheese and then pumpkin on the slices on one side and spread it generously around the slices of bread.  On the other slices I put just cream cheese and spread it around so the bread is covered. 

Now make a sandwich with the slices.  Make sure each sandwich has one pumpkin slice and one cream cheese slice.   Now dip each sandwich in the wash, making sure both sides are covered.  Then place them on a preheated griddle and cook for 3-4 minutes each side until the whole thing is golden brown.

Serve warm, with butter and syrup on top, or go sans syrup..... it's delicious both ways! You can also sprinkle powdered sugar on top like my Grandmother used to do when I was a kid.  We melted some Werther's Originals new Baking Caramels in with some maple syrup on a low heat and made a caramel syrup to drizzle on top of the french toast.  Werther's was nice enough to send me a bunch of their caramels to experiment with in my recipes, and so this one was the first I tried.  It was amazing, so sweet and smooth and the perfect topping to this breakfast.

 It was the perfect ending to this delicious fall time recipe. 

 

To find more recipes using Werther's Originals new baking caramels, please visit  http://werthers.werthersecloud.us 

30 day deep cleaning routine

I have three kids and a husband and basically a revolving door of friends and family that pop in.  So my house is NEVER spotless.  It is somewhat cluttered and lived in but because of my son's dust mite allergies, it has to be sparkly clean at all times.  I am constantly cleaning, including running the vacuum through the majority of the house atleast twice a day.  With appointments, jobs, sports and music programs, errands (and generally running around like a taxi driver) it is hard to keep up somedays, so I went looking for an easier way to keep track.  I do atleast one load of laundry each day, surface clean the kitchen and livingroom each day, run the dishwasher once a day, clean up what has been left out each day.  But all of the other major tasks I am now scheduling.  I decided that every day I will do one major cleaning project and it is imperative that I fit it in at some point during the day.  I found this schedule online and it seems like it will work for me.  Of course I can alter it according to the rooms in my house and what absolutely needs to be done at the time.  If there is a big mess or special occurance (a child gets sick in a certain room, a holiday where the dining area needs special treatment, etc), I can change the schedule up, but here is a rough draft. 

Day:
1. Clean kitchen and livingroom.  Clean off counters and tables.  Remove clutter, put things away in proper spots.  Vacuum/mop.  I like to scrub down cabinets and doors, and bleach handles of microwave/fridge, stove.  Clean the sink area. 

2. Clean bathrooms.  Toilets, tubs, sinks.  Mirrors cleaned. Vacuum/mop floors.  Wash towels and bathroom rugs.  Vacuum blinds/curtains.  Empty trash.

3.  Surface clean bedrooms.  Strip beds, wash linens, remake beds.  Clean mirrors.  Clean clutter off of dressers/nightstands.  Empty trash.  Hang stray clothes.  Dust.  Put shoes away. 

4.  Surface clean other rooms.  In my case it is laundry room and entrance room.  Clutter away, floors clean, etc.

5. Surface clean kitchen and livingroom

6. Clean bathrooms

7. Clean all interior windows

8. Sweep, vacuum, mop all floors of entire house.

9. Surface clean bedrooms.

10. Deep clean livingroom.  Dust baseboards, trim, shelves, electronics, art, etc.  Vacuum blinds.  I also like to febreeze curtains and furniture.  I wash down the walls, too.  Little fingerprints get everywhere!

11. Clean bathrooms

12. Clean out closets.  Re-organize toiletries, purge old clothing/shoes. 

13. Surface clean extra rooms

14. Deep clean bedrooms.  Purge, dust, organize books, wash curtains, vacuum blinds.  Change seasonal clothing out.

15. Surface clean livingroom and kitchen

16. Deep clean bathrooms. 

17. Clean things that are repeatedly handled.  I like to wash walls, especially in my hallway, around lightswitches, doorway casings, doorknobs, stove/fridge/cabinet handles.  Bleach and water in a spray bottle.  Works wonders. 

18. Clean out refrigerator.  I like to schedule this around trash day.  And grocery shopping day.  Organize pantry.  Take stock of needed groceries.  Empty the fridge level by level.  Scrub shelves and drawers. 

19.  Clean entranceway, sweep garage, clean out the car. 

20. Surface clean livingroom and kitchen. 

21. Surface clean bathrooms.

22. Surface clean bedrooms.

23. Sweep, vacuum, mop all floors in the house. 

24. clean linen closet.

25. Surface clean livingroom and kitchen

26. Deep clean kitchen

27. Surface clean bathrooms

28. Surface clean bedrooms

29. Sweep, vacuum, mop all floors in the house.

30. Clean one large thing thoroughly.  (Stove, backyard, deck area, winter clothing storage area, attic, basement, etc.)

31. Clean all of your electronics.  (Make sure you use a cleaner specifically for these items!!)

Turkey and Cheese Pinwheel recipe

A few weeks ago, we received a tub of gluten free dough from a friend of ours.  She thought my son had a gluten allergy, which he doesn't.  (His list of allergies includes tree nuts, peanuts, pork, beef, shellfish and other seafoods, many trees, grasses, medications, dust mites, among other things.  He CAN eat gluten and dairy, though, and for that we are grateful!)  But we wanted to try the dough anyways, so we came up with a new recipe. 

Ingredients: 

a can of pizza dough/biscuit dough, etc. It does not have to be gluten free, thats just what we happened to have. 

sliced turkey or ham, about 6-9 slices, depending on how big you roll the dough out.  You'll want enough meat to cover most of the dough.  You could also use salami, pepperoni (and mozzarella would make a pizza roll!) or any other sliced meat. 

shredded cheddar

Roll your dough out flat.  I like to cut mine with straight edges so it rolls neatly.  I roll it thin enough to roll easily, but not too thin that you can see through it.  Now take your lunchmeat and lay the slices flat, overlapping each one, until the meat covers almost the whole piece of dough.  I leave maybe 1/2"-1" on each end.  Now spread the shredded cheese over the meat, covering it generously.  Roll the dough up to the very end.  Now slice it in 3/4"-1" slices and lay each one flat on a non stick baking sheet or a sheet lined with foil and sprayed lightly with non stick oil. 

Bake according to the directions on the dough, usually about 10-15 minutes at 375*.  I like to take mine out when the dough is getting light golden brown and the cheese is starting to bubble and ooze.  Serve warm, with a soup to dip. 

 

We paired this up with my potato cheddar soup recipe. 

 

And for what it's worth, the gluten free dough was yummy!  It worked well, and none of my family even noticed there was anything different about it. 

The Honest Company Diaper review

I was lucky enough to be chosen to receive a package of "Honest" diapers to use on my daughter and review.  I'm pretty set in my ways.  When I find a good product that works for me, I stick with it.  That's how it's been with my regular diapers.  When my son was an infant, we used all sorts of diapers that we got for the baby shower.  Some leaked, some drooped, some gave his sensitive skin a rash.  But one company (We'll call them 'Company A') stood out with almost no leaks, almost no droops, almost no rashes.  Sometimes there would be a diaper blowout, sometimes there would be wet, red skin.  We occasionally would get a nighttime leak and would then move up to the larger size for bedtime, but generally, we were happy with our diaper choice.  And we couldn't find a better diaper, so why fix it when it ain't completely broke, right?  Generally we were happy.  Nothing is perfect, right?  And so we have stuck with Company A for all three of my babies....... Until now. 

 

I received a package of HONEST Co. Diapers from a company called "Your Family".  Read all about them HERE.  They are basically a one stop shop for parents.  They help with nanny placement, baby registries, child-proofing, basic infant/child care and information and so much more.  They are amazing and so incredibly helpful.  And not only that, but they are the sweetest bunch of Moms and ladies that you could imagine.  So when they were looking for Mom's to test out Honest Diapers, I was lucky enough that they came to me.  I did my research before I received the package.  I read all about them.  The Honest company is all about sustainable living.  Eco-friendly products that are also safe and effective.  It is partially run by actress Jessica Alba, who is a Mom of two.  She has tried to do the best she can by providing a safe, healthy home for her two girls. That included taking out all toxic risks from her daughter's home...... cleaning products, diapers, soap, and body washes.  And so The Honest Co. was born.  Healthy, non toxic everyday household items were created.  Their line includes diapers, wipes, teethers, lotions, toothpaste, soap, sunscreen, sanitizer, bug spray, laundry detergent, dish soap, fruit and veggie wash, toilet cleaner, dish towels, vitamins, lip balm and the list goes on and on and on. 

 

But seeing is believing, right?  And I didn't believe that something made to be good for the earth, as well as healthy for us could also do what it is supposed to do.  My biggest worry was "would it contain all the poop and pee?"  I doubted it.  And I figured it was all natural, so chances are it would be easy on my baby's delicate skin, but it would probably fit weird, or leave her skin wet, or I'd need to change her so often that it would be pointless to keep her in these diapers overnight or else I'd be up at 2am changing not only a soaking wet baby but a soaking wet mattress and sheets.  Who wants to do laundry in the middle of the night????? 

 

Well the package arrived and I instantly fell in love with the modern designs.  Vibrant colors, cute prints, a great assortment.  

 

But cute doesn't hold in the poop!  I needed to test these diapers out.  I read the info on their website.

 

Plant-based (PLA) inner & outer layers — gentle on your baby's bottom

Sustainably harvested pulp - NO chlorine processing or harsh chemical bleaches

Natural citrus & chlorophyll odor-inhibitors

Bio-based wheat/corn blend in super-absorbent core — less sodium polyacrylate

Yes, diapers can be fun too! Cute, stylish designs for girls & boys — updated seasonally! Never miss out.

Comfy-stretch side panels & soft, refastenable tabs for perfect fit & wigglability!

Securely fitting moisture barrier cuffs prevent leakage & blowouts — fewer accidents, less laundry!

Simply pure — NO risky fragrances, lotions, or latex

Gentle, safe, and non-irritating for the most sensitive skin

 

 They sure promised a lot!  But would they deliver???  I was really doubtful. 

 

My baby is super slim, but long.  She is normally in a size 3 diaper, and is 19 lbs at 18 months old.  I checked their sizing chart and she fell into the size 3 category, 16lbs-28 lbs.  That is a large span of weight!  I doubted this diaper was going to work.   So I put the first diaper on my baby. It fit really well.  Hmm.  How could that be?  The tabs stayed closed, there were no gaps at her legs, it fit securely around her belly and on her back. 

 

 I let her run around that first day with just the diaper on, to see which movements made the diaper gap or bunch or even come off....... it stayed completely in place the whole time. 

 

I was shocked.  But the real test was still coming.  You see, my girl is a heavy drinker.  No, not like THAT.  She just likes to drink a lot..... of milk, juice, water.  The girl drinks.  And she pees.  And she drinks.  And she pees.  And I am constantly changing her.  So I gave her a sippy cup of water and I waited.  Surprisingly, this Honest diaper didnt sag, droop, look full AT ALL.  When most diapers look like they are going to bust open and leak everywhere, this diaper didn't even look half full.  I was impressed!  When I changed my girl I was impressed the most.  Even with all that liquid in her diaper, her skin was bone dry underneath.   No rash, no redness to her skin, no wetness at all.  The diaper completely wicked it away and left her skin dry and healthy. 

 

But I still hadn't tested this diaper out to its fullest capacity.  My Husband wasn't sure I should do it, but I ignored his request to use our regular diaper and I put my girl in an Honest diaper for bedtime.  I was fully prepared for a nighttime wakeup call, a sheet change, a laundry load.  But when I woke up at my normal morning time and went to go get my baby, she had a full morning diaper with no leaks, no sags, no droops.  Her pajamas were dry, her bed was dry and when I opened her diaper, even her skin was dry.  These diapers were totally impressing me!!! 

 

So after using all of the diapers I was sent, and not being able to find ONE thing that I didn't like about them, I decided to go looking for the one thing that could possibly keep me from completely switching my diaper brand to The Honest Company.  What is the most obvious thing that a Mom on a budget could possibly HATE?  The price.  Yes.  So I started checking out the Honest website prices.  For size 3 diapers in my regular brand, 31-34 diapers are around $11.49.  34 Honest size 3 diapers are $13.95.  Now I admit, I get my diapers on sale, with a coupon.  So this $13.95 did make me 'gulp' just a little bit.  BUT.....  since the Honest diapers aren't leaking, and I'm not changing them as often, I would actually be paying less per week on diapers using the Honest brand! As a bargainer, I still needed a lower price.  So I checked out their "Bundle".  6 packages of diapers, 4 packages of wipes.  $79.95 with free shipping!  That's like paying around $13 per package of diapers and getting all of the wipes for FREE.  You can get the bundle in 6 different diaper styles, too, so you can mix and match the colors and styles with each diaper change! Plus, they have a great invite a friend promotion where you can earn money for your friends that join the Honest co.  It saves you even more money! And they ship their items for free with any order over $50., so that will save me gas money!  I will now be happily switching to The Honest Company's diapers. I am thoroughly impressed by them! 

 

I'm really happy that I tried The Honest Company's diapers.  I admit, in the beginning, I was not convinced that I would like them, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well these diapers looked, felt, worked, and made my daughter's skin look and feel.  I am totally impressed and am very eager to try more Honest products soon!!

 

Thank you to the Honest Co. and Thank you YOUR FAMILY for allowing me to sample and review this product!  I was given this product to try for free in return for a review on my blog.  This review is my own HONEST (haha, pun fully intended!) opinion. 

 

Important allergy info for Moms and caregivers

Did you know that play-doh has wheat in it and that kids with a gluten allergy could get very sick if they play with it?  Did you know that using pasta for macaroni art could harm a child with a wheat or dairy allergy?  Even using real grocery containers in a play kitchen area could harm children with allergies. 

If you are a Mom, a caregiver, a daycare provider, a teacher, you should print out this list.  It could potentially save a child's life.  The little things that seem innocent could harm a child with allergies and it's things that most people wouldn't even think about. 

Please open this link, print it out, pass it on to others, share it with anyone who plans children's activities.  It sounds very simple, but you could save a life.  Potential food ALLERGENS in daycare and school settings.

Homemade donuts

We live in a town where there are 6 donut shops.  Believe me, there is no shortage of donuts here, but we rarely eat them.  Why?  Because my family LOVES to make our own.  And with it being so easy to do, we do it as a family and enjoy the whole process.  Of course we do get the occasional donut shop treat, but ours are pretty yummy.  And we use coconut oil.  Read all about that HERE

Ingredients:

Coconut oil
refrigerated biscuit dough
cinnamon, brown sugar, powdered sugar, assorted jams, chocolate sauce, etc. for fillings. 

Heat the coconut oil until its completely melted.  I use a medium high heat and a very small frying pan.  The oil is deep enough to cover the dough about 2/3 of the way.  Get a large plate and put a few paper towels down on the plate to absorb any excess oil.  Cut each slab of dough into triangle shaped quarters (cut one vertical cut, and one horizontal cut, making it 4 equal pieces of dough.) 

Do this to each biscuit.  Now slowly drop the dough into the oil, a few at a time.  They will brown quickly, so flip as soon as the bottoms are golden brown. 

 

When both sides are browned to your liking, put them on the paper towel for a minute or two.  The coconut oil doesnt leave too much of a greasy residue.  If you used vegetable oil, you'd have to leave them on the paper towel for much longer. 

 

Now you can roll the donuts into the brown sugar or cinnamon, you can sprinkle with the sugar, or you can stuff them with jelly, jams, puddings, or sauce.  We used a raspberry preserve this morning and sprinkled a little sugar and cinnamon on them. 

 

 

And to complete the breakfast, we made palm trees out of fruit.  Kiwi, banana, and apples dipped in cinnamon.  Notice that the donuts are missing here?  They were obviously the biggest hit of the morning. 

 

World famous garlic and meatball dumplings

Okay, so they aren't world famous, but they should be!  I started making these fun little dumplings for the kiddos and turns out, adults love them too.  Everyone I have shared these with have asked me to make them over and over again.  They originally were something I made for my kids dinner, I'd serve a salad, the dumplings, and some marinara to dip into.  This would also be a fantastic appetizer for a party, or a side dish with some warm soup. 

Ingredients:

1 can (8 biscuits) of refrigerated biscuit dough
16 cooked, cooled meatballs (I use turkey meatballs, you can use any meatballs you want.)
shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp softened butter or margarine spread
garlic seasoning.

Preheat oven to 350*.  Mix garlic seasoning thoroughly with the softened butter and set aside.  I use about 2 tsp of Tastefully Simple's garlic bread seasoning. 

Cut each uncooked biscuit in half. 

Then slice the flat side open.  It will make a pita pocket looking piece of dough.  I stretch the dough a little so it will fit a meatball inside. 

 

Sprinkle cheese inside the pocket, then place a meatball inside. I then close the dough around the meatball, making sure there are no holes or gaps in the dough.  Then I put it on a greased cookie sheet.  Do this with each half of biscuit dough. 

 

Make sure you space them apart by a couple of inches.  The dough will expand as it cooks.  Now brush each dumpling with the garlic butter.  I like to cover the whole dumpling, but you could do just the top if you'd like.  The butter will melt and drip down over the whole dumpling.  I like the golden color that the dough gets when I cover the whole dumpling with the butter. 

 

Now bake for 25-30 min until golden brown. 

Your house will smell of yummy garlic and you'll have a trail of happy people making their way into the kitchen, waiting for these babies to cool off.  Serve with marinara sauce and dip away once they are cooled.  YUM!!!! 

Potato Cheddar Soup recipe

Fall is here!!!  That means leaves changing, football, sweaters and boots, and hot foods to warm our tummies. And I am taking full advantage of the cooler weather, cooking comfort foods that will warm my family and keep them happy.  Last night we had a split meal.  When my Husband and I decide that we want an "Unsafe meal" (My son is allergic to nuts, beef and seafood, so unsafe meals in my home are anything including those things.) we usually make the kids dinner at the usual time and then we eat after the kids go to bed.  Last night we decided on steak, so I made a very kid friendly meal for the kiddos and they LOVED it.  I made a potato and cheddar soup and turkey and cheese pinwheels.  (recipe for the pinwheels will be up on the blog soon!) Hubby and I ended up having steak and the soup with salads later on.  This soup was delicious.  Nice and hot, very filling, perfect for a cool fall day. 

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter
1 celery stalk diced
1 small onion diced
1 3/4 Cup chicken broth
3 large potatoes peeled and diced
2 tsp of white vinegar
3 Tbsp of flour
2 1/2 cups of milk
1/4 tsp salt, plus to taste
1 tsp pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Dice up all your veggies. 

Melt the butter in a soup pot at med/high heat.  (Make sure the pot isn't too hot or else you'll end up with this.....)

Then add the onions and celery and cook until soft, 5-7 minutes. 


Add chicken broth, vinegar and potatoes.  Cover and bring to a boil. Stir, cover, reduce heat to low and et cook for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are soft.  Add flour, milk, salt and pepper and stir constantly until the soup is heated thoroughly.  Add salt for taste, if necessary.  Add the cheddar cheese, stir until melted, and serve.  We topped the soup with bacon crumbles. 

 

 

 

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