IcE CrEaM SaUcEs: Hot Fudge & Caramel

At our last Relief Society meeting, my friend GF and I put together a fabulous ice cream bar we called the Piggy Parlor.The theme for the night was "This Little Piggy.....", with 5 classes.
1. This little piggy went to the market. - How and where to bargain shop.
2. This little piggy stayed home. - Home decorating on a dime.
3. This little piggy had roast beef. - Creative lunches for all ages.
4. This little piggy had none. - Fill your cup with study scriptures.
5. This little piggy went wee wee wee! - Finding joy in adversity.
The classes were beyond anything I expected! It was an amazing night filled with inspiring information and wonderful women .But back to the Piggy Parlor Ice Cream Bar.
We made pinwheels out of decorative paper and GF folded doilies over twine to lay back and forth over the back drop. The cultural hall lighting is awful so I couldn't get a great picture of the overall awesomeness. ;)We stamped snow cone cups with pretty grey flowers.
We filled large glass containers with French Vanilla Ice Cream.GF brought a book case with an angled top shelf from her home and we set glass containers of all shapes and sizes on it. Then added silver scoops and ladles.
Then filled those containers with lots of goodies likes M&Ms, crushed oreos, crushed nilla wafers, marshmallows, mini chocolate chips, coconut, pineapple, bananas, strawberries, slivered almonds, peanuts, craisins, rainbow & chocolate sprinkles, marshmallow fluff, AND.... ...if that weren't enough, I made THIS Lovely Salted Caramel Sauce and the most fabulous Hot Fudge Sauce you've ever tasted!
The caramel sauce is very easy to make. Just FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS EXACTLY!The Hot Fudge Sauce is also extremely easy to make and I warn you....DO NOT DOUBLE THE RECIPE (unless you're making extra for gifts)! It is so delicious and makes plenty and you do not want the left over fudge or caramel sauce calling your name from the refrigerator. No you do NOT!
HOT FUDGE SAUCE - recipe from JC
1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
1 c. dark chocolate chips
2 cans sweetened condensed milk (Not evaporated)
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt

Combine chocolate chips, butter and regular milk in glass bowl; microwave for 1 minute, stir, and repeat until chocolate chips are melted. Combine with remaining ingredients in fondue pot stirring occasionally until smooth.
This recipe can also be made using a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Combine ingredients in same manner but stir often to avoid scorching the chocolate.

***NOTE FROM Blue Kangaroo: I knew we wouldn't be able to have "HOT" Fudge Sauce set up on the ice cream table so I used the microwave to make and mix the entire recipe. I re-heated it just before dessert time and it was still fabulous!
When I say "fabulous", I mean Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

LeMoN GaRLiC sPaGhEtti

I found this recipe SOMEWHERE on the Internet. It's killing me that I can't remember. Especially because I loved it so much that I made it twice this week. The second time I whipped up a double batch so I could just warm it for lunch again the next day. Mysteriously it disappeared. Apparently I'm not the only one loving this Lemon Garlic Spaghetti.
This is my first experience with pine nuts. Can you believe it took me so long? Boy was I surprised to see how expensive they were but SO worth it!
4 oz. dry spaghetti,
1 clove garlic,
5-6 basil leaves-chiffoned,
1/4 c. grated Parmesan,
1/2 lemon,
2 tsp. olive oil,
2 tbsp. pine nuts,
Boil spaghetti and set aside to drain. Use the same pot to warm olive oil and garlic until the garlic is brown on edges. Toss in chiffoned basil leaves. (Don't bother making this recipe if you don't have fresh.) Squeeze in lemon juice. Add Parmesan cheese. Toss in drained spaghetti noodles. Mix thoroughly. Once you serve yourself some, add some cracked pepper a little more Parmesan cheese. ;)

I hope you enjoy it as much as the mysterious Lemon Garlic Spaghetti thief and I have been enjoying it!

***If I figure out where I found this recipe I'll be sure to update this post.***

CiNnAmOn RoLL pAnCaKeS

I can't wait until tomorrow morning to make these Cinnamon Roll Pancakes. from Recipe Girl, so it's going to be 'breakfast' for dinner tonight at our home!If you're not salivating right now just looking at the picture, you are dead inside. ;)

HiGh TeA TabLeScApE

***Previously posted 4-29-11
Like many people I knew the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton was today but I didn't have a lot of time to think much of it. Until yesterday. For some bazaar reason I got sucked into the hype. Big time! I remember being 9 years old when Princess Di was wed and watching her on TV as she got out of her carriage in that huge dress. Then many years later, getting up at 2:30 in the morning to watch her funeral when I had two small children of my own.
There are so many upsetting things happening around our world right now and it's important to enjoy the good things that are making history too.
So yesterday in between my normal errands, I made a stop at Goodwill to pick up a few extra tea cups and saucers so we could have a fun little 'High Tea' for dinner.Of course we had many types of little sandwiches.
Fresh flowers and British Flags were displayed.A wide assortment of finger desserts to choose including scones.A variety of breads.........which wouldn't be complete without strawberry butter, honey butter and 3 different jams.AND our new favorite sandwich....Fancy Cucumber Sandwiches!I decorated with Blues and Creme colors with hints of green.
My favorite details were the mini crowns I printed out and slipped into the $0.10 napkin rings bought at Linen's N Things before they closed their doors.Everyone enjoyed the variety of food to choose from and left the table with full tummies. AND there are leftovers for another time!Some of the interesting comments and questions I heard were:
* Who is all this for?
* I don't get it.
* Is someone coming to dinner?
* Why do we have to celebrate another countries wedding?
All of these opened up some good discussion but my favorite comment was:
* "Pinkies up people!"
And what type of 'tea' did we drink?I had the Diet Coke version and everyone else had the Root Beer or Chocolate Milk version. ;) I didn't get a single other thing done today but I hope my family learned some things and will make and remember fond memories like I did at their young ages.

NaTuRe's PhArMaCy

Nature's Pharmacy
It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... all before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners...God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body!God's Pharmacy! Amazing!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The he art has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (mo dern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actual ly balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.

A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

BuTtErFiNgEr CaKe

My father's mother was an awesome grandma!
Everyone called her, 'Tiny' because she was under 5 feet tall.
She smelled like Cover Girl Makeup.
She hung my coloring pictures up in her house.
She always had Butterfingers in the Crisper shelf of her refrigerator.I learned how to make God's Eyes at Grandma's house.
We made lots of them.
Because my grandfather was a truck driver, he was gone a lot so I got to sleep in her bed with her. We would listen to the radio while laying in bed. We pretended to play whatever instrument we could hear in the song and fall asleep to the music.

In the morning she would let me use some of her special perfume.

She had a huge collection of Avon Figurine Perfume Bottles.
I was her first grandchild and she thought I hung the moon.

My mom told me that my grandmother once told my aunt that she probably wished her daughter could be as cute as me. I'm sure my mom just about choked when she realized she would have to apologize to my aunt later.

My Grandma died when I was 8 years old and I am so grateful for the special memories we made together.

In her honor I'm sharing this fabulous cake recipe I found online years ago. It is wonderful just like my grandma!

The Butterfinger Cake:Ingredients

1 Box Devil`s Food Cake or German Chocolate Cake mix
1 Jar Ice Cream Caramel
1 Can Eagle Brand Sweeten Milk
1 8oz. Cool Whip
4 or 5 Butterfinger Candy Bars
Directions
Mix and bake cake as instructed on box and add one crushed candy bar after the cake is mixed up. After cake is cooled, put holes all over the top of cake. Pour caramel all over cake then pour milk over that. Crush remaining candy bars and sprinkle half on cake. Spread cool whip over cake and the sprinkle remaining candy over all. Keep refrigerated

wHiTe ChOcOLaTe OrAnGe CooKiEs

Thursdays are usually my busiest weekday.

Today had 6 track/football/basketball/soccer practices. We get VERY creative when it comes to getting everyone where they need to be. Especially when our oldest son takes the truck to work. Then we're doing it all with one vehicle.

On the way back from football and before basketball I drove past an orange tree. It was the only one on the whole street that hadn't been picked yet. It was halfway down the street so they must have overlooked it.

I took it as a sign that I should make these White Chocolate Orange Cookies. I've been thinking about this recipe for a while and have all the ingredients but oranges.

So I permanently borrowed some oranges from the tree.

The cookies tasted like summertime!

BiRtHdAy CeLeBrAtiOn OvErLoAd

***Previously posted May 2008
Can you ever have TOO MUCH BIRTHDAY CAKE?!?!?
Well……..yes you can!
During Springtime, all 6 of the boys at our home have a birthday. We’ve all gotten to the point where we are not big cake fans. I must admit that there is always room for a Costco cake but most cake sits in our fridge for a few days before I throw it away.
When you’re born in a big family you’ve got to get the sweets quick or you’re left out because anything with sugar in it is gone by sundown. I feel so wasteful if I have to toss a perfectly good cake, so I try to be creative with everyone’s birthday cakes.

DX started us out this year in February:
BROWNIE PIZZA

DY is the middle child in a big family so when no one is going to be home on his birthday night because of crazy schedules we have breakfast ‘cake’:
DOUGHNUT PYRAMIDIn March, our oldest (gotta love the fake tattoo) wanted:
CHEESECAKE (His mother is training him well!)The head of our home loves:
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKEH is easy to please and in April wanted:
GRAHAM CRACKER SURPRISE
That lead us to this little guy, our soon to be 3 year old.

His birthday is in a few days. I know he would love a character cake. He said he wants cupcakes. He's young and loves anything with sugar so it would be easy to talk him into whatever type of dessert we can all handle. Maybe an ice cream cake from Cold Stone Creamery? Remember we are not big cake fans. We should get him what HE wants, but I don't want it to be something we toss a few days later because no one will eat it.

This is where I need suggestions from the peanut gallery.
Anyone?……Anyone?…….Bueller?……..Bueller?……..

By the way…..how do you get a teenage boy to smile so big? You mention a certain cute teenage girls name. ;)

BuN hUggErS

If you get up to Flagstaff, AZ you've got to stop at Bun Huggers!!

The food is De-Lish!!!

The Bun Hugger Menu is fun. Do you need a "LITTLE Hug", "REGULAR Hug", or a "BIG Hugger"?

My mouth waters just thinking about my "Regular Hug" and looking at this picture!My boys were excited about eating an entire foot long hot dog! They didn't want to bother with ketchup, mustard, pickle relish, etc.The atmosphere and decor were so much fun!

We even had our own entertainment! My brother watches as my hubby demonstrates another one of his physics experiments. Ah! The blessings of marrying a Math/Science Teacher! Never a dull moment. Thanks for the Diet Coke shower!

RECIPE for Raising a Good Father/Husband/Man

INGREDIENTS:

1 - 6yr. old boy
1 DZ. Eggs
Sliced Cheese
White & Wheat Bread
Mayonnaise (as needed)
Pam Spray
Salt & Pepper
Times a wastin so lets get started.
Spray Pam in between cooking each egg. - That's Hand-Eye coordination you can't get from any video game!Use fine motor skills to flip egg over. Teach patience and know that sometimes the egg won't stay in a nice circle. Teach that mom will always be there to help if it really falls apart.
Season with Salt & Pepper to taste.
A smile helps the job move along.
Use tongue for accuracy.

Now mom can rest easy knowing that when the boys go to college and on missions they will have at least one meal they can make on their own that includes a carbohydrate and a protein for health and energy.Skills taught will yield one responsible, well developed future father/husband/man.