Life in our house has been a little chaotic lately. I won’t bore you with the to-do list because I know everyone has days, weeks, and even months like we’ve had. Just sayin’, when life is chaotic, I sometimes take the easy route with food.

So when we were visiting the local bakery one Sunday after church to get some delicious whipped cream filled doughnuts (because I didn’t feel like making a nutritious breakfast for my family) my son saw their monster face cookies and said “That’s what you need to make the next time you’re on TV.”

And here we are. Making these monster faced cookies for TV. Best idea ever for this frazzled lady.

When life is chaotic, I’m giving you permission to take the easy route. I didn’t say the less expensive route. I said the easy route. Heck, even if you don’t have a chaotic life, take the easy route. Now if you have the time, take the time to make the cookies and the frosting. But if time is not on your side, you can easily make these up with store bought items.

Just take 2 chocolate chip cookies or whatever kind suits your fancy. Get some frosting. Again, whatever suits your fancy. Slather it on or pipe it in like I did. 

Normally, I would never buy the tubes of colored frosting from Wilton but I have to say, they are AWESOMELY easy. You can put any standard size decorating tip on the end, attach with a coupler, and you have instant colored icing in the design you want. I used Tip 21 and topped the eyes off with candy google eyes.

If you want, add more or less eyes and some hair. Make them your own monsters!

Seriously easy for this chaotic life!

Monster Faced Cookies

Yield: 1 dozen Monster Cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 24 cookies – about 2 inches in diameter
• 16 ounces of frosting
• 1 tube Wilton colored frosting
• 24 candy google eyes

Directions:

1. Hold in your hand, one cookie, bottom side up.
2. Either pipe on frosting or slather it on with a knife putting more frosting on one side than the other.
3. Put the other cookie on top, right side up.
4. Pipe on 2 eyes using Tip #21.
5. Add candy google eyes.
6. Let the frosting harden some before storing in an airtight container.

You know those days when you are busy wearing many hats – employee, volunteer, business owner, mom, wife, chef, chauffeur, and a few others – and the day just isn’t going as smoothly as you wished it would. 

Then in a moment, one small (big) gesture by a friend can change that around.  At least for a few minutes.

I had a friend like that last week.  She knew exactly what to say to cheer me up but she really didn’t need to say anything, her phone call was just enough to take my mind off of the to-do list for a few minutes and push the troubles aside for a few laughs.

I need to be that friend more often. The one that just calls to say “Hi!”  The one that drops a note in the mail saying “I’m thinking of you.”  The one that at the spur of the moment says “Hey – let’s meet for drinks.”   

We sometimes let our lives get too busy that we don’t appreciate the important things in life – like friends and small (big) gestures.

If you want to do a small (big) gesture for a friend, make them these potatoes.  I asked on Facebook for a good garlic, mashed potatoes recipe at Easter and Toni’s recipe is what I played off of.  Thanks Toni for the inspiration.

This week I encourage you to do one small (big) gesture that brightens a friend’s day.  That small gesture could be a BIG gesture to someone else. 

Cheesy, Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Yield: 6 - 8 servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

2 – 3 pounds of potatoes, peeled and cooked
1/4 - 1/2 pound cooked bacon cut into small pieces
2 – 3 tablespoons butter
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons minced garlic
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Mash the cooked potatoes.
2. Add the butter, heavy cream, sour cream, minced garlic, bacon, salt and pepper.
3. Mix well.
4. Stir in the shredded cheese.
5. Place the yummy potatoes into a greased pan.
6. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
These would be easy enough to make ahead of time and just put into the oven to heat up or keep in a crock pot on low for a longer event.

Because I’m on a chocolate high.

Because I got my taxes done this weekend.

Because Lindsay creates great books and saves my butt when things go wrong on my blog.

I’m giving away not 1 BUT 2 of Lindsay’s cookbooks today.

The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook (by Lindsay Landis) and Breakfast for Dinner Cookbook (by Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth). 

Not only does Lindsay have her own blog, Love and Olive Oil, but she is also a graphic designer.  Stop by her blog for some great recipes and if you have any web or graphic design needs, consider her for your next project, Purr Design.

All you have to do to enter is answer this question. What is your favorite breakfast recipe to have for dinner?  Mine is scrambled eggs and bacon. 

Only one entry per person. This post is sponsored by me and only me. Lindsay didn’t ask me to do this. I am not being compensated for this in anyway.  I just like cookbooks.  Open to US residents only. I will choose a comment using Random.org.  The winner will be notified by e-mail and has 48 hours to respond.  If I receive no response, I will choose another winner.

Comments need to be approved before showing up so be patient.  I’m not at my computer ALL of the time.   

Comments close at 9 pm CST on Wednesday, April 3. 

Congratulations to Elin – Comment #15!  Her number was randomly chosen using Random.org.  Enjoy the Elin!!! 

Thanks to everyone who entered.  I loved reading what you all enjoy eating as a typical breafast for dinner.  Hmmm?  What should I make tonight?

I have been holding out on you and I’m sorry. 

This recipe should have been one of the very first I ever shared.  It was my very most favorite class to teach when I taught classes years ago with Cake ‘n Crumbs because it was easy, everyone loved them, and I had great sales to go along with it. 

But, now that I’m not teaching classes anymore, I don’t make them nearly enough.  Once you have one, you will want more.  There have been many years at Christmas that this is what we make for teachers gifts and they never once complained.  Who would?  You take a pretzel, cover it in caramel, then chocolate, and then sprinkle on some crushed up candy bars.  Oh my!

Now last week I did teach my daughter’s Foods and Nutrition class at school how to make these and I’ll blog all about that experience hopefully next week – it was such a positive one.

So let’s get started!

First, melt your caramel.  For full instructions on how to melt your caramel and what to put in it, see my post here.  It’s one of the most visited posts on my site. Once the caramel is melted, lightly spoon it on over the top of the pretzel and place on a non-stick mat or parchment paper.  DO NOT use wax paper for this step.  The caramel may be too hot and melt into the wax paper and then you have a mess.

Once you’ve done about 25 – 30 pretzels, the first ones should be set up enough to start the chocolate dipping process. 

To lift pretzel off the mat, use an offset spatula to help loosen up the caramel and pretzel.  If you pull the end of the pretzel rod straight up, you have a very good chance of breaking your pretzel in half.

Melt your candy coating and spoon it on top of the caramel covered pretzel. 

Put back onto your non-stick mat, sprinkle on some crushed up candy bars, cookies, nuts, or accents while the chocolate is still wet.  Let set for 10 – 15 minutes and they are ready to eat!

See, I told you it was easy but a little more time consuming than some desserts.  You won’t be disappointed if you try these – I promise!

Gourmet Pretzel Rods

Yield: 25 - 30 pretzel rods

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

This recipe should make up to 30 pretzel rods but it will depend on the amount of caramel and chocolate you apply to them. Many times the pretzel rods will be broken in the bag. Go ahead and use them. Dip the broken end into the caramel so you have a smooth end to hold onto. Many people prefer a smaller portion and half a pretzel rod is the perfect amount to just get a taste.

Ingredients:

25 - 30 pretzel rods
11 ounce bag of Kraft Caramel Bits
3 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream
1 pound of milk chocolate candy coating
Variety of crushed up candy bars, toffee bits, nuts, cookies, or accents

Directions:

1. Melt caramel and heavy whipping cream, stir until smooth.
2. Gently spoon caramel over each pretzel rod. Let set on non-stick mat.
3. Once caramel has set, spoon melted candy coating over entire pretzel.
4. Top with accents immediately.
5. Let set for 10 – 15 minutes.
6. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Need a very quick gift to give to someone at Easter?  Grandkids, neighbor, hostess?

Make a Bunny in a Jar.  How cute is he?

I saw this idea over at Not So Idle Hands last week and knew I wanted to try him.  He’s super easy.

You need a pint jar with metal ring, decorative cupcake liners, M&Ms, edible grass or Easter grass if you can’t find the edible stuff, malted milk eggs or jelly beans, and a little bunny.

First put some M&Ms in the bottom of the jar, then edible grass, then the bunny and malted eggs.

I’m not good at making bows out of ribbon so I tried the cupcake liner for part of the lid and it works perfectly!  Plus, they come in so many darn cute colors and patterns. 

 Place the cupcake liner on the top of the jar and fit it over the rim.  Screw on the metal ring and you have your quick and easy Easter jar ready to go. 

Happy Easter!!!

March has been a very busy month for our household. We’ve had a revolving door for well over a week now and it won’t stop for another couple of days. 

I like routine – even if its a crazy busy routine.  So when our “routine” gets put to the test like it has been, I get a little uneasy.

I’ll be so glad when we are all sleeping under the same roof in our own beds. 

This mother sleeps best with everyone under her care. 

With this crazy schedule I haven’t had a lot of time to post new Easter/Spring ideas so I’m taking a walk down memory lane from last year and recycling those old posts for you.  Won’t you join me?

Colored Easter Eggs – Such vibrant colors made from gel pastes you may already have in your house.  Get those eggs ready and spend some time in the kitchen with the kiddos decorating eggs.

Carrot Pound Cake – Still love the looks of these fun, delicious cakes.  Sara Lee pound cake and chocolate – really, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Ladybug, Duck and Bunny Pretzels – Who doesn’t love the sweet/salty combination of these cute animals that keep popping up on Pinterest and Facebook?  Yum, one of my favorites!

Hoping it looks and feels more like spring at your house than it does mine!

But I will first tell you who the lucky winner was of the $50 Visa gift card and two coupons good for Sara Lee Desserts compliments of Sara Lee Desserts. 

Drum roll please… the winner is Erin of Minneapolis.  Congratulations!!!

All of your ideas made my mouth water and a few ideas I had never thought of.  So stop by the grocery store on your way home from work, pick up a Sara Lee Pound Cake and whatever toppings on this list that suit your fancy.  Lucky me – I have many of these items in the house already!  Enjoy!

• Strawberries
• Whipped Cream
• Ice Cream
• Fruit preserves
• Chocolate
• Nuttella
• Butter
• Fresh Berries
• Peaches
• Ganache
• Chocolate
• Confectioners’ Sugar
• Cream Cheese
• Chocolate Pudding

Thank you Sara Lee Desserts again for sponsoring last week’s giveaway.  If you feel creative, head over to the Sara Lee Desserts Facebook page and enter their dessert contest.