Friday Five!

Let's try a new fun thing!  Five things I am totally IN LOVE with!  Can you come up with five things?

1.  Mug Root Beer.  Obsessed... Ever since I had one in the hospital after giving birth to Rylie, I have craved them!  (The CRAAAAAZY lactation nurse scared me out of ever drinking caffeine again...I quickly recovered from my fear, no worries!)  I don't know what it is about them but it has to be a Mug.  

2.  My new plates!!!

 

They are perfect for desserts or small meals (I eat on smaller plates to make my food look bigger...I know that sounds dumb but it's an old dieting trick I learned from WW that really does work!)  The best part about these English designed porcelain beauties?  $1 each on the clearance rack of Marshalls.  AMEN!!

3.  TulsaKids Magazine!

Why?  Because our little Bee was in their photo contest a few months ago and made it to the final round.  She didn't win (boo, I know) but she was in the final ten so I still consider that quite an honor!

 

  They published their October issue Wednesday and I must say, these gems put the final 10 darlings on the last page and all of their pictures are oh. so. sweet!

4.  Fall = Sweets!  I made my sweet Daddy a "Crunch Bar" recipe for his birthday and they turned out ah-mazing!  

Sadly, he was dieting (and didn't tell me...) so I re-gifted to my wonderfully grateful and equally pleased father in law.  (I believe we share a great love of good food!)  The recipe is simple and the results are worth the effort, my friends!  (Recipe below)

5.  BLOCKS!  My maternity leave ends in a week and a half!  My time flies!  I had $25 to spend at the Apple Tree, a local teaching store (THANK YOU, Jones PTA!!), and instead of spending it on practical things like resource books and bulletin board stuff, I splurged and bought this amazingness:   

 That's right, a Castle Block Set.  Genius!  Just what my little friends will need to help spark some imagination in the block area!  (And a great behavior incentive...just sayin...)

TGIF Folks!

xoxo Summer

Crunch Bars Recipe 

(derived from Kraft Recipes)

Ingredients:

35 saltine crackers (about 3/4 of one sleeve)

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 pkg. (8 oz) Baker's Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate

1 cup walnuts, chopped

Prep:

• A jelly roll pan or casserole dish works best for this...cover it in foil
• Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Line crackers along pan.
• Make sure your nuts are chopped pretty well before hand, you will not have time to chop them when you start cooking!
• Chop up chocolate squares as well.  They need to be about the size of chocolate chips.  (I tried this recipe with chocolate chips and it backfired...the chocolate never hardened, you need to buy the baking chocolate...)

1.  Heat butter and sugar in a saucepan and boil for under three minutes.  (I have a gas stove that burns hotter than hades...)  You are technically making toffee here so things can get nasty quick.  Watch the mixture as it starts to boil, or it will burn...you need a light brown color- think caramel or camel or tan, if it starts to get too dark (like coffee), take it off the heat! I stirred it as it boiled...  

2.  Pour toffee over crackers and use a spatula to spread it evenly.  (It hardens quickly...)

3.  Bake in oven 5-7 minutes.  Don't let the crackers burn, when they start to turn a little brown, take it out.  The toffee will seem to be floating on top of the crackers, bubbling. This is good!

4.  Cover toffee with chopped chocolate.  Wait five minutes.

5.  Use spatula to spread now melted chocolate over hardened toffee.  Sprinkle with nuts and press them into the chocolate.  

6.  Let cool and break apart to enjoy!