Napkins

So, I have little ones and one of my giant pet peeves is that they take a napkin wipe their face once, take another, wipe one hand, take another and wipe the other, etc. And the first napkin wasn't all that dirty and could of quite easily made it through the entire dinner. I know I might be the only one annoyed by this but even though that may be true I've decided to outsmart them for now. You might think this is crazy and time consuming and geez napkins aren't that expensive in the first place. But I do it anyway.

I take out only a small amount of napkins (you know the amount that would fit in your napkin holder). I unfold them once and cut them down the middle. So when they take a napkin for each body part they are really only take 1-2 napkins instead of 4. My napkins go twice as long as the next person. Kind of like when someone at the paper towel company decided to make paper towels smaller so you could take 1/2 the size of a paper towel roll because you don't always need a full amount.

And, just in case you read this and thought "wow that would take too much time out of my day" I will let you know that it took me about 5 minutes. Maybe less for my stack and I did it real quick while I was waiting for the pizza rolls to cook in the oven.

Passing Down Recipes

The other day I was thinking how I would really of loved to have some of my Mom's favorite recipes. I have a few of her special dessert recipes but hardly any of her regular everyday dinner recipes. How on earth did she gets those pork chops just right? I've never found the exact recipe but something similar. Now that Mom has passed I don't have a way to get the information. Yes, of course, she has cookbooks and written down recipes but she has so many I have no idea where to start or what is really good. When I got married and had children I had to find recipes and ask a lot of questions. Mom was a good cook and I simply just can't compare.

I also thought how much I would love some of my Mother-In-Laws Recipes. So, this prompted me to put together a little project for my kids.

I picked up two of the "cookbook size" binders from Walmart. I will be putting together cookbooks for the kids (or their wives) of all of our favorites. So, now when I print off a recipe I print 3. One for my cookbook and one for each of theirs. This will be something I will probably pass on to them when they move out or get married. I even plan to jot down their own comments and thoughts about the meal.

If I feel creative one of these days I will scrapbook the front and slide it into the front. For now, it will just say "Ayden's Cookbook" and "Mason's Cookbook" until I have more time. I hope that this helps them (and their wives). They may not like all the recipes when they get older but this will save them some time trying to find a tried and true recipe. And I'll get to pass on some of my mom's yummy recipes too!

Oreo Truffles

1 Package Oreo Cookies
1 8 oz Package Cream Cheese, Softened
1 Package Almond Bark

Crush Oreo cookies in the food processor into a fine power. If you do not have one you can put them in a ziploc and use a rolling pin over them.

Place crushed cookies into a bowl along w/the cream cheese. With an egg beater, mix well.

Form cookie mixture into 1" balls and place on a cookie sheet. Chill for 20 minutes.

Melt Almond Bark and dip each truffle into the almond bark and place on a wax lined cookie sheet. A trick to make the balls come off of the dipping form easily is to gently lift them off with a toothpick. It will create less of a puddle and make them look prettier.

Decorate them while the almond bark is still soft and not fully dry. I typically use some of the white chocolate and drizzle on the truffle back and forth. I also use colored crystals, grated chocolate or white chocolate.

Easy Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

These are very simple yet delicious. Easy to whip up for an after dinner snack.

1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg

Mix well with a beater. Roll into balls and then criss cross with a fork. If you wish, you can roll in sugar before baking. Place on baking sheet and bake 325 for 10-15 minutes.

NOTE: The original recipe called for a baking temp of 375 but they kept burning in my oven.

Mason proudly helping mommy with her Tastefully Simple booth at a bazaar. He did excellent sitting and coloring and playing from 9am-430pm. Such a proud mama.

Creamy Crockpot Pot Roast

1/2 Pkg Tastefully Simple Potato Cheddar Soup
1 1/2 Cups Water
1 Frozen Beef Roast (must fit in your crockpot)
About 3 Potatoes
About 1/2 of a small bag of baby carrots
1 Large Onion, Quartered

Mix water and Potato Chedddar Soup into the crockpot. Place roast in the crockpot, then potatos, carrots and onions. Cook on HIGH for 6-8 hours. The meat should pull apart easily when turned w/a fork. If it does not then it is not quite done. Check it each half hour.

The potato cheddar soup makes up it's own gravy. You do not have to add any seasoning to it. This creates a very moist meat.

Note: If the roast is not frozen when started then it should get done between 4-6 hours.

Midas

Midas is our 3 or 4 year old lab. We adopted him last year when they thought he was 2 or 3. He came potty trained, some command trained and is very loving and playful. Although lately he is going through a toddler phase and doing things he's never done before. And, it's driving me crazy. It's a good thing he's cute.