Will we get to Trick or Treat?

The final days are upon us for what is one my boys favorite holidays, All Hallow's Eve aka Halloween! But with the recent reports at school and their inability to simply listen, they may lose the opportunity to be a Ninja, Green Lantern and Lighting McQueen. (NO, the baby isn't in jeopardy of losing his Lion costume, but if the big boys don't go, he won't either.) So, I've put it out there. If you want to enjoy the candy-filled holiday and dress up in your costumes, You must have good reports from school. There can't be any more "not-listening" reports, or "you son accidently bit another student today" reports, or any more "he simply isn't doing what he is suppose to do when asked" reports. (Yes he actually did "accidently" bit another student...but that is another story.) Am I bad for using this holiday to my advantage and getting a few good days out of my boys? Nope. I don't think so. SO the count down is on...1 Day down. 2 to go at school and 2 to go this weekend. Are you using the holiday to bribe your children? Do you use Santa as a bribe?

We are going to spend lots of time together this weekend and since we haven't done our pumpkin carving yet, I'm half tempted to do some decoupage pumpkins like Not so Idle Hands created and are showcased in Woman's day this month. Have you seen them?

(source)

I love the pumpkins, ghosts and mummies. Being a Scentsy consultant, working in a lighting store and having 4 boys makes me LOVE anything that works with light bulbs instead of flames! What other mosters would you come up with? I bet we could do this with other holidays too!

FoodBuzz: Skippy Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies & Banana bread

As a preferred blogger for Foodbuzz.com, I get lots of fun trials and freebies. This time around I hit the jackpot! The National Peanut Board sent me two, count them two jars of Skippy Peanut Butter, which in this house was like winning the lottery. But there was a stipulation...like or love, they didn't care as long I blogged about it. SO here it is... Two wonderful recipes tried just for you to enjoy like we did!

Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup  shortening
• 1 cup  sugar
• 1 teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon  salt
• 1-1/4 cups  buttermilk or sour milk
• 1   egg
• 1 teaspoon  vanilla
• 2-1/4 cups  all-purpose flour

  
  2/3 cup  unsweetened cocoa powder

The Filling:

• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup peanut butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Equipment: Pastry bag with round tip

Directions

1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in buttermilk or sour milk, egg, and vanilla until combined. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and cocoa powder. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour mixture.

2

Drop dough from a rounded measuring tablespoon* 2-1/2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until the edges are firm. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool.

3

Spread the flat sides of half the cookies with a rounded tablespoon of Creamy Filling. Top with the remaining cookies, flat sides down. Store in the refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Makes about 16 sandwich cookies.

These were awesome!! Nothing like whoopie pies to brighten your evening!!

Then we moved onto Peanut Butter Banana Bread:

• 1 3/4 cups flour, sift before measuring
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup mashed bananas

Preparation:

Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt; set aside. Cream shortening and peanut butter, then beat in sugar and eggs. Alternately add dry ingredients and bananas, stirring with a wooden spoon. Spoon into muffin tins and bake for 18 minutes. 

If your house is anything like our's, your jar of Skippy creamy peanut butter will look a lot like this when you are done!! 

Pretzels, Pretzels and pretzels!!!!

Guy may know a thing or two about Triple D, but he also really knows his pretzels! Last week we were in charge of bringing snacks to our adult bible study and we opted for something savory. Savory? Really hunny? That is NOT my style. I'm sweet like sugar, sweet like honey and sweet like candy. Savory is my compliment. Its my husband. He can grab a few ingredients and throw them in together and make it taste great! Not me so much. I'm the baker, the sweet baker. So I looked to Guy to help me out...and boy did he!! These were awesome!!!

Guys Soft Herb Pretzels, with a few twists...

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons dry active yeast
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• 2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• Assorted fillings, optional
• Coarse salt or other toppings

Directions

Mix 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F to 115 degrees F), the yeast and agave in a bowl. Set aside 5 minutes.

In a food processor fitted with the dough blade, pulse the whole-wheat flour, 2 cups all-purpose flour and the sea salt. Add 1 egg and the yeast mixture and pulse in 10-second intervals until the dough comes together, about 3 pulses. Turn out onto a floured board. Knead 10 to 12 times, adding up to 3/4 cup more flour if the dough is too sticky. Cut the dough into 4 equal portions; cover with a clean towel.

On a floured board, roll out one piece of dough into a 14-by-11-inch rectangle, 1/4 inch thick, with a shorter side facing you.

To make plain pretzels, cut the dough rectangle into seven 11-by-2-inch strips. For stuffed pretzels, follow the filling instructions, then cut into strips.

One at a time, pinch the cut long edges of each strip together and roll into a 12-inch rope with your hands. Transfer the rope to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Grab the ends and bring them toward each other, forming a U shape, then cross the left end over the right end to make a pretzel shape. Cross the left end over the right again to make a twist in the middle. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the pretzels 3 inches apart. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes; preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Beat the remaining egg in a bowl. Brush the pretzels with the egg; sprinkle with salt or other toppings. Bake until browned, 16 to 18 minutes.

These were awesome!! And I served them with a Zippy Pretzel dip that rocked!!

• 1/2 lb.  sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 lb.  blue cheese-crumbled
• 1 six oz. pkg.  chive
• 1 C.  heavy whipping cream