Peanut Butter Cookies

This cookie recipe comes from the kitchen of my Dad, again! He always made the best cookies when I was growing up and this was another one of my favorites.

Mix together in a bowl:

* 1/2 C. Butter-softened

* 1/2 C. Peanut Butter(crunchy or creamy)

* 1/2 C. Granulated Sugar

* 1/2 C. Brown Sugar

* 1 Egg

* 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Make sure all ingredients are incorporated well with a hand mixer.

Next, slowly add in:

*1 1/4 C. Flour

* 3/4 tsp Baking Soda

* 1/4 tsp. Salt

When all ingredients are incorporated:

use tsp or small ice cream scoop and shape into balls. Put on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart.(they really flatten out when baking) and press with a fork and then again in the opposite direction to give that classic criss-cross pattern.

Bake @ 375 degrees for 10-12 min.

Let cool on a cooling rack...Eat and Enjoy!

Popcorn: Our Family's Favorite Treat

This is a family favorite! My husband learned how to make this from our friend Aaron.(Thanks Snoop!) This is so easy to make, plus it's cheaper than microwave popcorn and tastes so much better. First, you'll need a bag of popcorn kernels. These cost around $2. You'll want about 1/2 Cup.

Second, you'll need about 3 TBSP of Veggie oil. Better for you than the stuff they put into microwave popcorn!

Third, use a heavy bottom pan and put it on the stove at medium heat. Pour in your oil and one kernel of popcorn. Put the lid on and wait to the one kernel to pop! When it pop's, the pan and oil is ready for the rest of the popcorn kernels. Toss them in, put on the lid, swirl it around and wait for them to pop. It's that EASY!

When done popping, pour into a bowl and sprinkle on your favorite topping. Our favorite is Johnny's Seasoning Salt. You can use anything from regular table salt to garlic salt or even Parmesan cheese. Whatever floats your boat!

Finally, Eat and Enjoy!
I linked up to these parties!

Pre-HALLOWEEN craft

I know, it's a little early to be thinking about Halloween. This time I was inspired by a picture from a Ballard Design Magazine and a trip to the Dollar Tree. I'm normally not into this kind of decor, but I thought I'd give it a try and see how it turned out.

This is the photo that I saw in the Ballard Designs magazine. (these are a pricey $19-$39) Plus, I'm not into dog decor! :)

These are the fun little guys I found at the Dollar Tree for a whole $3 for all three. I know what you are thinking, U-G-L-Y!

I do love classic Movie Monsters and here is how they were transformed:

First, I used some white spray paint. I happened to have appliance paint on hand and wasn't sure how it would work. After they dried, I loved the high gloss!


After letting them dry for 24 hrs. I then painted on a coat of watered down brown acrylic paint all over the statue! You really want to accentuate the creases! Then with a paper towel, gently wipe off the excess paint from the smooth surfaces leaving the paint in all the indented spots!



The Werewolf was the funnest to do!

Allow to dry for 1 hour and here is the finished product. It's not what I would usually decorate with for Halloween, but I think they turned out great! I can't wait to create a few more Halloween crafts to display with them!
I linked up to these parties:

At-Home Iced Latte

Do you ever wonder what to do with all the leftover coffee from the morning?! Make a super, simple Iced Latte! Here's how you do it:

*Fill a cup with ice

*pour the coffee straight from the coffee pot over the ice, about 3/4 full

Here's where you can get creative:

today I had Hazelnut flavored coffee creamer, but you can use any flavored coffee creamer. Pour the creamer the remaining 1/4 till your cup is full.

You can also use flavored syrup(just like the ones in coffee shops) These are available at places like Cash and Carry, grocery stores, and you can even buy syrups from Starbucks. The possibilities are endless. If you do use a syrup, you'll want to add about 1-2oz to the bottom of the glass, add the ice, pour the coffee over it, stir and then add milk to the top.

Super, super easy to make and easy on your wallet!

ENJOY!

My Dad's No-Bake Cookies

These cookies are a favorite of our family and today I taught my Brother Derek how to make them. These were made the best by my Dad, and I hope you'll give them a try...Enjoy!!!

1/2 Cup Milk

2 Cups Sugar

1/2 Cup(or one stick) Butter

1/4 Cup Cocoa

* Put into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and let it boil hard for one minute. Take off the burner and add:

1 Tsp Vanilla

1/2 Cup Peanut Butter

* Stir until dissolved then add 3 Cups of Oatmeal(quick oats). Spoon onto a baking sheet. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Eat and Enjoy!

LOVE LETTERS

I had these letters hanging above each of my boy's beds...J for Jaxon and E for Easton! I love having them the color white, but because we currently live in an apartment, we have no choice on our wall color...WHITE. These letters were just not showing up on the wall and were looking pretty boring. So, I decided that out to the living room they should come! But first they needed a little different color.

These letters I got last year from a Ben Franklin store back in Western Washington. I think you can also get them at Michaels or JoAnn Fabrics. They are made of cardboard and I simply painted them with White acrylic paint. Today, I sanded down the edges a bit to make them look a little rustic.

Next, I used some watered down paint all over the letters to give them a little brownish tint and to bring out the color of the roughed-up edges!

A close up shot of the end result! Super simple.

Finally, they took their spot on the wall next to a picture of the boys. Easton and Jaxon...my two favorite little boys! I LOVE them so much.