What Do You Think Wednesday- March Stork Stack

So as you know I am a huge fan of Stork Stack. Stork Stack is a monthly subscription company that sends you 4-5 items a month for $28. The items in the box are customized to your child's age. Each month is a different theme. This month's theme was "Colors & Shapes." Here are the contents for this month. My daughter is 16 months old.

- Weleda Calendula Diaper Care ($13.50)
- P'Kolino Plump Stacker ($29.99)
- "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See" book ($7.99)
- Wee Can Too Naturally Safe Finger Paint ($7.00)
- Simple Squares - ($2.49)

Total Value of Box: $60.97!!!!

All In All: I absolutely love this company! I can't even say enough great things about them! The products they include are always nothing short of amazing! They had the Wee Can Too crayons in their box a few months ago and it quickly became a favorite of my daughter's. So when I saw another product from that company, I was thrilled!   I would have never heard of or have been able to try out their products had it not been for Stork Stack. I get super excited when I see my Stork Stack arrive. It is like Christmas Day. Check them out here and subscribe to them today....you won't regret it!

Tasty Tuesday- Mint Candy Filled Cookies

 

This recipe comes from Pillsbury. These cookies look yummy and are a perfect treat to make for St. Patrick's Day.

Cookies
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
3/4 cup chopped unwrapped thin rectangular créme de menthe candies
Frosting
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 to 2 drops green food color, if desired
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
Garnish
24 thin rectangular créme de menthe candies, unwrapped

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, break up cookie dough. Stir or knead in 3/4 cup chopped candies. Shape teaspoons of dough into balls; place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

2. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until set and edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

3. In small bowl, mix frosting ingredients until smooth, adding enough milk 1 teaspoon at a time until desired spreading consistency. Spread 1 teaspoon frosting on each cooled cookie. Cut each créme de menthe candy in half crosswise; cut each half diagonally into 2 triangles. Garnish each cookie with 2 candy triangles to form a tree.

Make It Monday - St. Patrick's Day Luck in a Jar

I was trying to look online to see if there was any ideas that would inspire me for a creative St. Patrick's Day gift idea. I saw something that had different colored candies in a jar to look like a bottled rainbow. It even had marshmallows to look like clouds. I loved the idea and decided to make my own "luck in a jar". Here are the things you will need:

 

- bag of regular Skittles

- bag of the Dark Side Skittles

- mason jar

- gold coins (either chocolate ones or decorative ones)

- bag of mini marshmallows

- ribbon

- decorative pieces (optional)

So here is what you do:

1. Separate the candy by colors.

2. Wash and dry the mason jar.

3. Start layering. Gold coins at the bottom and then color by color to form rainbow.

4. Top with marshmallows.

5. Add lid.

6. Embellish with ribbon and decorative pieces.

All In All: This makes an adorable gift! It is so easy to make that you could even have the kids join in! The total cost for this project for me was under $10 and that is because I made one big and one smaller size jar.

Tasty Tuesday - Strawberry Rosebuds

This recipe (and photo)comes from spoonful.com.


What you'll need:

Strawberries
1 cup white candy melts or white chocolate chips
Microwavable mug
Mint leaves (optional)
Thin wooden kitchen skewers

Directions:

1. Wash the strawberries and pat them dry. If the berry leaves look fresh, leave them in place. Otherwise, remove them.

2. Measure the candy melts into the microwave mug and melt them in the microwave according to the package directions. Stir the melted candy until smooth.

3. Working with one strawberry at a time, insert a wooden skewer up through the bottom. (Note: If you've removed the berry leaves, you can place a couple of mint leaves up against the bottom of the berry before inserting the skewer.) Then dip the berry into the melted candy, leaving a thin border uncoated just above the stem.

4. Arrange the skewered strawberries in a glass, not touching, and wait a few minutes for the candy to set up before serving. Makes 12 to 15 rosebuds.

Make It Monday - Valentine's Day Wreath

I love clearance sales after Christmas! I especially love looking for items that I can use for decorations for Valentine's Day. I needed a new door decoration so figured I would make a heart shaped wreath using all products that I could find in the Christmas clearance section. So off to Michael's I headed for their 80% off sale. Here is what I came out with. The only thing not on clearance was the heart shaped wreath but I used a 50% off 1 item coupon.



All In All: This wreath total was under $5.00 to make!

Tasty Tuesday - Cookies & Cream Fudge

Today's recipe comes from one of my favorite sites:  VeryBestBaking.  I get so many delicious recipes from there!  This one is a goody!  I have made it a few times at Christmas and everyone love it.  Best part is it is fast and easy!  Kids will love making it too!


Ingredients

3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz. can) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Premier White Morsels
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème
1/2 cup finely crushed cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1 cup crumbled cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies


Directions

LINE 9-inch-square baking pan with foil.

COMBINE sugar, butter and evaporated milk in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

STIR in morsels, marshmallow crème, finely crushed cookies and vanilla extract. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle crumbled cookies on top. Gently swirl cookies into fudge using a knife without touching bottom of pan. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into 48 pieces. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. ;

All In All:  This is so delicious!  You can even make some and give as a gift!  Once you make it, it will become a regular recipe that you use!  For this and many more recipes, check out Very Best Baking!

Make It Monday - How to Jazz Up a Christmas Present

There are so many easy ways to make a present look more "jazzy".  The best and easiest way is to add on an ornament.  Just attaching an ornament such as a snowflake or disco ball ornament is all you need to make them look perfect.  Plus you can usually always find them in sets for cheap!

Here is a bag of candy for my UPS driver.  I found these adorable ornaments that say Merry Christmas in glitter at the dollar store.  They came in a pack of 4.  Attached that and a bow to make it look more festive!

 

All In All:  Be creative!  Your gifts will look amazing!