MarytheKaytheBlog

Linky Dinks: Edition Comfort

I don't know about you--but over here in Missouri, it's COLD.  And cold weekends make me want to stay indoors by the fireplace, and wrap up in a warm blanket and read a good book while sipping hot cocoa.  

How about you?  What says "comfort" to you on a cold winter's weekend day?

Here are some fun comforting ideas I've found while surfing around the internet lately...

 

If you haven't already made the world's easiest--and yummiest--"homemade" cinnamon rolls, please go make them this weekend!!!  Seriously, they are AMAZING.  And SO EASY!

 

Mmm.  A warm mug of hot chocolate under a cozy blanket says comfort to me!  How about making these darling hot chocolate on a stick for Valentine's Day?  Or, if you're not in the mood to make them yourself, looks like you can buy them on Etsy!  Wouldn't this be a FUN GIFT IDEA for teachers on Valentine's Day?

 

Okay, now that you have a mug of hot chocolate, how about some quick and easy homemade (kind of) DONUTS???  Oh, yes, please!  I've never made these--but I've always heard you could make donuts from canned biscuit dough.  Have any of you tried these?

 

Nothing says comfort like a cozy carpeted bathroom...a blue carpeted bathroom...and carpeted toilet seat cover...and carpeted tank cover...and carpeted scale cover...and, well, you get the idea.  You HAVE to go back and visit 1971, you just have to!  (Make SURE you scroll down far enough to see the cheerful clown lamps.  I wonder how many people are still in therapy because of those frightening lamps...?)  Oh, sorry--I seem to be veering off the "comfort" path...

 

Ah.  This video has got to be the most comforting thing ever.  The only thing more comforting would be if I were IN the video--EATING that warm bread.  Does it inspire you to go put on an apron, and bake some bread?  

 

 

Okay, I'm not sure exactly how much comfort this little game will give you...but it sure is FUN.  And fun is comforting, right?

 

Wow.  I guess FOOD is what says "comfort" to me--because I am noticing that nearly every single link today is about FOOD.  Hmm...me thinks it's time to hit the ole treadmill.

Happy weekend, dearest readers!  I hope your weekend is filled with warm and cozy and lots of happy comfort!

The Easiest AND Best Cinnamon Rolls You've Ever Eaten!

Y'all.

I am gonna change your lives today.

You think I'm kidding, don't you?

I found the BEST and EASIEST to make cinnamon rolls of my LIFE last week.  This is the kind of recipe, that when you find it, you tell EVERYONE you come in contact with!  Yeah--how many of YOU did I tell about this recipe?  I can easily think of 7 of you right now that I've told about it.  And for those of you I haven't told...well, I am truly sorry.  But, that's about to change right this minute!

Seriously--put these 3 items on your shopping list Right. Now.

Go on, get yer pencil and paper out.

I'm not kidding.  Write these things down:

1.  Rhodes frozen cinnamon rolls (In the frozen breakfast foods section.  In our town, I've only found them at Country Mart and Harter House.  In other towns, people have found them at Walmart.)

2. Cook and Serve Vanilla Pudding mix, 3 oz size (the COOK kind, not instant)

3.  A stick of butter

That's it!  Those 3 ingredients will revolutionize 2 things--1) Your breakfast life and 2) Your waistline.

You're welcome.

Now, I could post pictures of me making these beautiful cinnamon rolls, but really--let's give credit where credit is due.  I found this delightful recipe on Pinterest from Miss Terry of Tasty Nest blog.  Click on over and tell Terry hello!

                                                        Source: tastynest.blogspot.com via MarytheKay on Pinterest

 

These cinnamon rolls would make a wonderful Christmas morning breakfast!  They're simple to make, and your family will think you are a genius.

These cinnamon rolls would also make GREAT neighbor gifts.  Put 6 of them in a disposable foil pan and deliver them next door with a Christmas card, and your neighbors may even stop letting their dog, you know, "visit" your yard.  These rolls are that good.

Now, go ye forth and make cinnamon roll magic.  Afterwards, come back here and tell me how much your life...and waistline...have changed.

Have you found a brilliant (and easy) recipe lately?  Do tell!

Behold! The Chocolate Peppermint Pie

(This is a re-posting from December, 2010.  But, I pinkie promise this recipe is JUST as DIVINE as it was 2 years ago!  Want confirmation?  Well, Carissa seems to think so!)

Just the other day I needed to make a dessert for our Sunday school Christmas party.  My original plan was to make my Mississippi Mud Pie, because my dad requested it.  All good daughters make the pies their daddies request.  It's in the Bible. 

So, like the good daughter, I went to purchase the ingredients.  Only I couldn't find coffee ice cream anywhere.  Okay, so I only checked 3 different groceries, and right now my very dear friend is saying, "HELLO??  Cold Stone carries coffee ice cream!!!"  I know, I KNOW.  And truthfully--Cold Stone has the BEST coffee ice cream.  But, the problem is--Cold Stone does not carry bread, eggs, and potatoes.  And I needed groceries to feed my family.  (Remember?  I hadn't been to the grocery in weeks.)  Plus, I'm just lazy, and driving the four minutes across town to Cold Stone would have required effort.  So, dear friend, please forgive me for not getting the most delicious Cold Stone coffee ice cream. 

But, I do have to (timidly) say...without the coffee ice cream, a NEW CREATION (yes, I'm yelling it) was formed!!!!

BEHOLD!!  The Chocolate Peppermint pie!!!  

Now, if you're still with me after that mind-numbing, hunger-inducing introduction, then I'll tell the three of y'all my recipe...

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

 

(Before starting, thaw your peppermint ice cream on the counter for at least 20 minutes, so it melts to a spreadable texture. Be sure to test it at least 6 spoonfuls' worth...To make sure it's the right consistency, of course)

Step 1:  Melt jar of hot fudge in microwave.  Well, not really the jar...melt the hot fudge.  And, don't be like me and let it boil over and make a mess.  Next, pour just enough into the bottom of an Oreo pie crust to cover. 

 

Step 2:  Carefully spread a layer of peppermint ice cream on top of fudge. 

 

Step 3:  Sprinkle a layer of crushed Oreos on top.  (I use the very technical hand-crush method.  I pretend that the Oreos are the grumpy, pushy shoppers at Walmart.)

 

Step 4:  Are you keeping up with me?  I am moving at lightening speed.  Next, pour on another layer of hot fudge.  I actually ran low on the hot fudge--what with all the spillage...So, your layer can be thicker than this.  Suit yourself.

Step 5:  Put sloshy, melty pies into the freezer until they harden enough to work with again.  15-20 minutes?

 

Step 6:  Slather on a nice layer of Cool Whip.  Or, as we used to say in South Arkansas, "Coo Whip."

  

Step 7:  Put on last layer of peppermint ice cream.  Since the ingredients are now above the pie shell, I like to mound it up in the middle.  Mound 'em up, little doggies.  Don't ya just want to lick that layer right off the top?  Well, I do...

 

Step 8:  Put on the last layer...the Coo Whip.  Make it pretty with little swirls and peaks.  Then sprinkle some crushed Oreos and peppermints on top.  There!  What do you think?  I sure wish you could have tasted it...  It was cool and refreshing, and just the right amount of chocolate-y goodness.  Mmm.

What a YUMMY end result--and a FUN Christmas-y dessert...when I couldn't find any coffee ice cream for my Mississippi Mud pie.

(For you sharp people, I just betcha you can surmise my Mississippi Mud Pie recipe...  But, shhh!  Don't tell anybody!)

Want another couple of yummy Quick & Easy dessert ideas?  How about White Chocolate Popcorn?  Or one of my all-time favorites--Turtle Treats.  Oh help me.  I'm really hungry now...

I'd love some new ideas--what is YOUR favorite Christmas recipe?

Linked up with:  We are THAT Family

Happy Thanksgiving...and a Little Music to Make You Happy

Ah, Nat King Cole's Unforgettable instantly transports me back to my Gram's kitchen...the smell of turkey and cornbread dressing, gravy simmering on the stove, and the whir of that 1-beater mixer as my Gram makes her homemade whipped cream in the crock with the chip...  The iced tea already sweating in the heavy green glasses...the small hands sneaking black and green olives from the middle of the table...Just waiting on the pan of rolls to turn golden--filling the house with their warm, yeasty aroma...

Finally.  Finally grabbing hands to make a circle in the middle of the kitchen.  These hands that bind our hearts together as family.  My Gram asking my uncle to pray--but NEVER failing to remind him, "Berry Lee, we've got rolls in the oven, so not too long."

I'd give anything to have that same circle again, hear those same heartfelt prayers again, see my short little grandmother with the splattered apron tied around her waist, directing us through the line and to our appointed places.  To sit leisurely at that table, and listen to those old stories again. 

I am full of thanks for happy memories.

Here's a little happy music to make you smile, and remember, while you cook today...

2008 Thanksgiving Dinner Party from dmckiernan on 8tracks Radio.

 What sights and sounds take you back...to Thanksgiving pasts?

(re-posted from Thanksgiving, 2011)

Brownie Cookies: I've Died and Gone to Heaven

They're like brownies...only BETTER!

But, how could someone improve on a good and dark chocolate brownie, you ask?

How about a brownie that has that tiniest bit of lovely crunch on the top, and is chewy and dark with little chunks of chocolate hidden in the middle?  YES, PLEASE!

And how about a brownie that you don't have to cut out of a pan?  I mean--having to find a spatula, and then having to cut a brownie square, and then having to find a plate and a fork...Oh my--that's just SO much work!   OH, NO!!!

Who wants to WORK at eating a brownie, when (*chipper chord*) you could just lift a lighter-than-air brownie cookie to your eager mouth?

Ah, but have I GOT A DEAL FOR YOU!!!

Forget pans of brownies cluttering up your countertops!

No more frantic searches for spatulas and knives!

No more fist fights over who gets the special crispy corner brownies!

Because NOW you can CHANGE YOUR LIFE with ONE SIMPLE RECIPE!!!!

I present to you:  BROWNIE COOKIES!!!!

(Over-kill?  Perhaps.  But, try the cookie, and then answer that question.)

Here's the magical recipe: 

(The recipe is adapted from AllRecipes.com--my favorite!!)

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocoloate chips

 Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Beat butter and white and brown sugars until smooth.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla extract.   Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl, and stir into butter mixture until just incorporated.  

Drop a spoonful of dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet, and then eat a bite of dough.  Repeat, until either dough is gone, or you have a stomach ache.

Bake in preheated oven until edges of cookies are just done--and the tops are just set, about 10-12 minutes. DO NOT over-bake these cookies.  That would be a SIN!  The allure of these cookies are their lightly crisp outsides, and rich and gooey middles.  Let the cookies cool on the pan for a couple of minutes before removing.

Remove cookies from pan, and then HIDE THEM FROM YOUR FAMILY!!!

..............................

All right, all right.  I'm done chattering on about these cookies.  But, I did want to share a fun recipe with you this Thanksgiving week!

I'm SO looking forward to a week with family and yummy food and giggles and beautiful weather.

What are YOU looking forward to this week?

image credit

15 seconds that can change your life (and possibly your waistline)

Nope, not going to discuss politics today.  'Cause a very wise woman once said, "If you can't say something nice...come sit by me."  (Name that movie)

Instead, I want to infuse this election season with some SWEETNESS.  Because, what the world needs now, is dessert, sweet dessert. It's the only thing...that's there's just too little of (Amen!)  No, not just for some...but for EVERYONEEEE!!!

Oh,excuse me.  I just got caught up in the moment.  Desserts do that to me every time.

Okay, maybe you already know about this wonderfully simple dessert.  Or, as I like to call it:  "A delightful little afternoon snack."  I was just re-introduced to it's simple goodness when my husband brought home a bag of marshmallows...

(See--I blame it all on him!)

Have you ever made a S'more in the microwave???  Well, I am here to tell you--15 seconds, and your life will be forever changed.  Never again will I think I have to wait 270 long days until a summertime cookout--risking my very life as I toast a marshmallow on the end of a dirty stick...dangerously close to a fire, that, frankly, makes my face really really hot, and my eyes filled with smoke.

Just 15 seconds, people.  15 seconds in the convenience of my very own comfortable kitchen.  15 seconds where my face isn't hot, and my clothes don't smell like I've been hanging out in the 7-11 again.

15 seconds, and I have a beautiful S'more dripping melty chocolate all over my chin, and marshmallow goo sticking to my fingers.

Amen.

You need:

2 Honey Maid graham crackers (they are simply the best!)

1-4 rectangle(s) of a Hershey's chocolate bar (depending on your PMS ratio)

1 marshmallow

1 dose of willpower...to resist having a 2nd S'more...or a 3rd...

15 seconds in the microwave, and your marshmallow will get all puffed up and prideful.  You SMASH that sucker down with your graham cracker half.  Don't let him get uppity with you!

WARNING:  Do not eat this dessert while operating heavy machinery!

What ridiculously simple dessert is YOUR favorite?

Linked up with:

We are THAT Family

Oh yes, I'm still fancy!

Just in case you've forgotten...I wanted to remind you:

I am still fancy.

Here's Reason #337 that I am fancy...

When faced with the dilemma of running out of time, but still needing to take a snack to Small Group at church...what is a fancy girl to do?

Also, fancy girl really really needed a $1 Coke to take with her to Small Group.

(*"need" is typically a subjective present participle verb)

What did fancy girl do to solve her snack dilemma?

Why, she took a fancy snack to Small Group, she sure did.

How does she do it?

How does fancy girl pull off taking WARM and delicate pumpkin pie bites when she doesn't have any time to bake?

How does fancy girl pull off a season-appropriate snack?

How DOES she ALWAYS manage to stay fancy?

...

Fancy is, as fancy does...

 

And THAT'S how it's done.

Keep it fancy, ya'll!!

How have YOU been keeping it fancy lately?

What I'm Into Right Now...

1. Sleeping with open windows - I forgot how MUCH I like sleeping with open windows when the temperatures drop...until I opened our bedroom windows that first night.  I love snuggling beneath my comforter in the chilly air, and I love hearing the wind blow through the trees.  Let's just face it:  I love fall.

2. Making sweet rolls in my waffle maker

Source: ahensnest.com via MarytheKay on Pinterest

 

- Has anyone else tried this Pinterest trick?  I finally got around to trying it out, and I LOVE the results!  Such a fun--and quick--way to make breakfast.

3. Elvis cake - Oh. My. Hound. Dog. is this ever some good cake!  A friend made one for Dave's big 50th birthday, and I gotta tell ya--I'm all shook up over it...especially since I just can't help believin' that I don't have any more pieces of its sugary goodness.  Thank ya, thank ya very much, Pinterest!

4. A cool shower after a (very) sweaty run - I must confess...that the Netflix and I are running on the treadmill lately, and that equals a very sweaty run.  Shoo-ee, that cool shower show does feel good.  (Name that Hillbilly)

5. A cold G2 after a run.  Perfection! - Oh my heavenly drink!  Have ya'll tried G2?  It is Gatorade's low-calorie electrolyte drink.  After a long run, an ice-cold G2 is even better than Coca-Cola!

6. Wearing my favorite hot pink jacket on cool mornings - Nothing says "happy jacket" like stretchy spandex, good pockets, and a happy pink color!

7. Crockpot cooking - Mmm!  I love it when it's Chicken and Noodles weather (How's Yer Whatachicken?)  And chili weather.  And potato soup weather.  And taco soup weather.  And...well, you get the idea.

 8.  Shopping the book aisle at Target...and making purchases!! - I just bought 3 new books, and can't wait to crack them open!  I'll tell you all about them soon!  But, first--I have to finish The Maze Runner.

 9.  Laid back days that don't feel like we're running at break-neck speed - With Rebecca in junior high, and Sara Beth doing school only at home this year, our days are MUCH more laid back.  I didn't realize just how crazed and stressed I was last year.  This year, Sara Beth and I are taking our time, enjoying reading together on the couch, doing lots of movement and activity while learning, and even taking spontaneous field trips.  These kind of days are exactly what I love about homeschooling.  Not the long to-do list getting checked off, but having the luxury to follow the learning spark, in whichever direction it leads everyday.

 10.  Small Group study - Our small group at church just started a new study about marriage, Sacred Marriage.  Whoa.  We've only done the first week, and already it has resonated deeply with me--and for Dave, too.  The whole premise of the book turns e-ver-y-thing the world tells us about romance and love, upside down.  And so far--it makes a heck of a lot of sense!

 What are YOU into right now?

Another magic trick! This time with CORN!!

Well, just call me Holly Helpful.

Because I have another helpful magic trick for ya today!

However, technically, I've already told you.  Weren't you listening?  

Last year, I stumbled on an amazing You Tube video of the cutest guy teaching all the world how to de-silk ears of corn.  Even though I was blown away by his trick, I never actually tried it...until this week.

And guess what?  It works AMAZINGLY!!!!  Plus, it is EASY-BREEZY!

 First, you microwave the untrimmed corn on the cob for 4 minutes per ear.  (I microwaved 2 at a time on top of a paper towel)

Carefully, and with oven mitts, pull the cooked corn out of the microwave and place on a cutting board. 

Cut off the end of the corn--the base--about an inch from the bottom

Then, carefully, slide off the husks.  You'll see--the corn will come out perfectly silk-free!

It's MAGIC!!!

Just in case you never saw the amazing You Tube tutorial the first time--you have to watch!  Here 'tis:

(Click on this link if you can't see the video below)

 

Now, go ye forth and SHUCK SOME CORN!

An EASY New Appetizer for your Next Party!

Oh my.

Buckle up your taste bud seat belts for some spicy bacon cheesy-ness!

I had a fun party last week celebrating one of my favorite people, and wanted to take something different.   I had pinned this recipe on Pinterest recently, and decided to give it a try:

 

 

Source: pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com via MarytheKay on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Here's why I LOVE this new recipe:

1.  It's SIMPLE

2.  It's QUICK

3.  It's DIFFERENT

4.  It's YUMMY

How's that for a GREAT recipe?

Please go to Pinterest right now and save this recipe on your boards!!!

I couldn't find the Mini Fillo Shells at my local grocery store (Country Mart), but found them in the freezer section at Walmart Supercenter.  As the recipe stated, I did use the "mild" version of Rotel.  Since I love things spicy--I might try the regular Rotel next time.

Using my Pampered Chef mini scooper made filling the Mini Fillo Shells easy!  I just love these little shells...wonder what sweet thing I could fill in them for a dessert?

 

Aren't these little cutie pies? 

I just LOVE finding new and EASY recipes, don't you?!

What's your best easy recipe find lately?