Cute Birthday Card and St Patty's Day Ideas

Eighteen25 has been having their birthday celebration this week, and they have some great ideas. I love this subway art. I just used it to make some birthday cards!

Also, I love this St. Partricks' Day idea!

I also love this one! So stinking cute!

Twix Bar Fakeout Recipe

This recipe from smashedpeasandcarrots looks sooo yummy! Can't wait to try it! :)



Twix Bar Fake-Out



1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup white sugar

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup butter

3/8 cup white sugar

3 tbsp light corn syrup

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup milk chocolate chips




Beat butter and 1/4 cup sugar in mixer until pale in color. Add flour to form a crumbly dough similar to pie crust. Press dough into an 8 inch square baking pan that has been greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake shortbread base at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. Leave in pan, cool in fridge.


To make caramel layer, bring to boil: 3/4 cup butter, 3/8 cup sugar, syrup, and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan. Stir constantly once boiling for 7 minutes. Caramel mixture will thicken and become pale in color. Spread caramel on COOLED shortbread base. Let caramel layer cool for 30 minutes in the fridge and then an additional one to two hours in the freezer to get the caramel layer stone hard.


To make the chocolate layer, melt chocolate chips over low heat. Spread melted chocolate directly onto cooled caramel layer. Let cool for hour and then stuff your face!!

Beginning the New Year

I made these for my friend's primary class to start the new year.

Homemade Peppermint Oreos

Don't these cookies from http://thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com/ look yummy? I'm dying to make these too!!

Homemade Peppermint Oreos


2 boxes Devil's food cake mix

4 eggs

2/3 cup vegetable oil

Frosting:

1 (8ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

sprinkles or crushed candy cane for decorating

green or red food coloring


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.


In a large bowl combine the cake mix, eggs, and oil with a mixer. The batter will be very stiff. Pinch of pieces of batter and roll into 1 inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets and flatten slightly with fingertips. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove immediately from the cookie sheets with a spatula and cool on a wire rack.


In a small glass bowl, combine the cream cheese and butter until completely blended. Gradually add in the powdered sugar and peppermint extract and mix until the icing is smooth. Color frosting green or red if desired. Spread half of the cookies with icing and top with remaining cookies.


Roll in sprinkles, crushed candy canes, or just leave them plain.


Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container or resealable plastic bags.

Nestle's chocolate chip pie.

This looks SO yummy to me. I think I'll make it this year! Yum!


NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Pie

Prep:15 minsCooking:55 minsCooling:15 minsYields:8 The sweet, creamy richness of a brown sugar base makes this chocolate chip pie a perfect foil for chopped nuts and whipped or ice cream. Serve with strong coffee or tea.Ingredients

1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell *2 large eggs1/2 cup all-purpose flour1/2 cup granulated sugar1/2 cup packed brown sugar3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened1 cup (6 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels1 cup chopped nutsSweetened whipped cream or ice cream (optional)

.Directions

PREHEAT oven to 325° F.



BEAT eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell.



BAKE for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Serving Size

1/8 of recipe

Calories 580

Calories from Fat 330

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

French Toast with Candy Syrup

I Heart Naptime had this reipe on her blog and can I just say YUM-O!! I made this syrup for my kids and they said they don't want maple syrup again! SOoooo yummy!!

French Toast}

adapted from allrecipes

Ingredients

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 pinch salt

3 eggs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon white sugar

12 thick slices bread - I made this yesterday with normal white bread, and it just wasn't the same... Use french bread if you can't find the texas toast!



Directions

Measure flour into a large mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk in the salt, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract and sugar until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat.

Soak bread slices in mixture until saturated. Cook bread on each side until golden brown. Serve hot.

{Candy Syrup}

3/4 c. buttermilk (3/4 c. milk w/ 3/4 TB of vinegar or lemon juice)

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 stick real butter

2 TB corn syrup

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine buttermilk, sugar, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda in a large pot. This will bubble up!

Once it comes to a boil turn the heat back down to low and stir consistently for 5-10 min. The longer the better, just make sure not to burn it!

When it looks a golden caramel color remove it from the heat and add the vanilla. At that point try to resist eating it by the spoonful! Enjoy it on your french toast, pancakes, ice cream... or heck enjoy it right from the spoon! It will save in the fridge for up to 3 weeks!

Just be prepared, once you start making candy syrup, you will NEVER go back to normal maple syrup again. It just isn't the same...

Cute Thank You idea

thenshemade Came up with this cute idea! Great idea for teacher gifts, or anybody!

Supplies needed for cookies:

- Small Gum drops ( I usually get the spiced drops from Walmart)

- BBQ Skewers

- Store bought cookies with holes in the center, my favorites are: Keebler Fudge Stripes & Murray Sugar-free Shortbread flower shaped cookies. You can also use Keebler Rite Bite, 100 calorie Grasshopper cookies or 100 calorie Cookies and Cream. (Just keep your eyes open as you shop, if the cookie or cracker has a hole in the middle, it will most likely work.)



Supplies needed for container:

Small flower pot

Floral foam

moss

ribbon

hot glue gun and glue




Step One: Put a gumdrop on a BBQ skewers and push it down about 3/4 an inch. It looks better if you put the gumdrop on upside down.




Step Two: Add the cookie - so far pretty easy right? I love easy and cute and so these cookie flowers are perfect!



Step Three: Add another gumdrop on top of the flower. This time, put the gumdrop right side up. And, there you have it - you just made a cookie flower.





Next, you need to prepare the container.



Step One: Locate a pot. I just get mine from Walmart or Hobby Lobby and I paint them. Sometimes I will buy these in advance, paint them and then stash them for when I need them down the road.



Step Two: Add floral foam to the inside of the pot. I like to buy a block of it and cut it to the size needed.







Step Three: Add your flowers and arrange bouquet. I always start with one in the center and then cut the bbq skewers down to adjust the height of each flower.



Step Four: Once all your flowers are in place, heat up your glue gun and very carefully add some moss on top of the floral foam. This will hide your foam and the bases of your skewers and will just add that extra touch of cuteness.



Step Five: Add a bow if you so desire, I always do.





Step Six: Go make a flower delivery to brighten someone's day.