Easy Toasted Marshmallow Chocolate Dip

Last night after a huge spinach salad (IMNSLO - in my non-salad loving opinion), I couldn't help remembering a picture I saw on Facebook earlier in the day.

It was from 240Sweet Artisan Marshmallows and it was a Baked S'mores Dip...swoon. (If you have never tried their marshmallows, I suggest you do. They are delicious.) 

So after being a good girl and eating a salad for supper, I immediately went to the kitchen to see if I could make my own version of the warm, gooey treat.

My supplies were a bit limited but I think my version turned out just fine!

I used a ramekin instead of a cast iron skillet and peppermint mini marshmallows (an after-Christmas buy) in place large marshmallows.

I cranked up the oven to 450 degrees and while it was heating up, I put a layer of dark chocolate chips (use your favorite - milk, semi-sweet, white) on the bottom and topped it with a layer of mini marshmallows.

When the oven was pre-heated, I popped the ramekin in for about 8 minutes (until the tops of the marshmallows started to brown).

Don't let it cool too long before digging in!

I ate mine with pretzels but it would be great with graham crackers or with a spoon!

This was perfect for one person but probably plenty for two!

Airing My Blogging Failures

I have aspirations of being a blogger.

One who posts regularly.

One who writes posts that are useful, entertaining and/or inspiring.

Instead I'm a blogger who goes months without posting.

One who plans posts in her head and then never writes them down.

One who has big ideas of sharing fun party tips and then forgetting to take photos until AFTER the party. Ending up with just this to show for that great blog post...

Fun Fondue Fixings from the Holiday Clearance Aisle

One who tries to be crafty and ends up with a blooper reel of photos to show for her efforts...

Had to break open this kit to find a paint brush... 

Had to use this to fix the spacing of my letters...

End results...not too bad even with the wrong paint

and the wrong paint brushes

One who is going to blog funny photos and observations from her travels but never does...

Blow up decorations in a cactus garden...really?

Well, it's a new year and with it comes renewed motivation to get back on the horse (well, back to the keyboard...I don't ride horses) when it comes to blogging.

Saving Money Five Dollars at a Time

I shared some ideas about teaching children (and yourself) how to save money in fun ways over at Real Farmwives of America.

The post inspired me to kick start my savings for an upcoming trip to Disney World with my sisters and nieces.

A friend of mine helped fund two recent trips by simply NEVER spending a five dollar bill for almost two years.

Wow, could it be that simple?

I decided to give it a try.

I'm looking forward to the challenge of tucking away these bills over the next year and seeing where I end up. I am sure I won't have enough to bankroll the Disney trip, but I'm hoping I have enough to pay for some meals while there.

Of course, I may have to go Dave Ramsey style and start using cash for everything. It's kind of hard to save $5 bills when you use a credit card all the time!

Mint Chocolate Yumminess

A bag of M&Ms for $1.10...I'll take three. I can't seem to pass up a bargain on holiday candy.

Can you?

I currently have 6 bags of holiday M&Ms in assorted flavors.

I also have at least 3 bags (that I have found) of these Nestle Winter dark chocolate & mint morsels.

What's a gal to do when faced with so much holiday chocolate goodness?

That's right. Make some Mint Chocolate Puppy Chow (for humans, not dogs)!

I can't take credit for the recipe...I saw it first on Pinterest (where else) from Shugary Sweets. She actually shares several mint-inspired recipes in her post, so check it out.

My version has just four ingredients. Yes, just four!

Before I share how I made it, I do want to warn you that it's not really a recipe. I didn't do a lot of measuring so feel free to add a little more cereal or a little less.

Mint Chocolate Puppy Chow

Bag of Dark Chocolate & Mint Morsels
5-6 cups of Rice Chex (or similar cereal)
1 cup of Powdered Sugar
Bag of Mint Chocolate M&Ms (or Peppermint White Chocolate, maybe?)

Measure cereal and place in a large mixing bowl. Put powdered sugar in a large, clean plastic storage bag.

Melt a bag of dark chocolate and mint morsels (in the microwave or on the stove). I did mine in the microwave in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. I started at 45 seconds, stirred and put it back in for another 30-45 seconds. Be sure to stir well because they will melt quickly and you don't want to overcook them.

Add melted chocolate to the cereal and stir to coat all of the pieces.

Dump the coated cereal into the bag with the powdered sugar. Seal the bag and shake, shake, shake!

Spread coated cereal on sheet of wax paper until set. Add the M&Ms and store in an airtight container.

Plan to share this with family and friends because if you don't, you'll find yourself with powdered sugar down your shirt as you eat all of it yourself!

Now what to do with all of the Milk Chocolate M&Ms...

Push Button for Bacon

Saw this while on the Purdue University campus today...

No other words needed.

Lazy Girl Confessions: Lightbulbs

The light in my bedroom has been out for over a week. 

Think that's bad?

The light in my stairwell has been out for six months.

Thank goodness I have an iPad to light my way at night.

Maybe this explains why I am single...

Cake Mix Sunrise Cinnamon Loaves

What do you and your friends do for fun on a Saturday afternoon?

Sit by the pool. Go shopping. Watch a movie.

Not my friends!

Recently, I got together with nine of my blogging buddies from The Real Farmwives of America and Friends and we did some Freezer Cooking!

What's freezer cooking? Good question. Cris over at Goodeness Gracious does a great job explaning the concept over on her blog here.

This is the second time I took part in this type of marathon cooking day and I have to admit it stresses me out just a bit! However, we had a great time and you can check out Instagram and Twitter to see some of our antics during the day.

Thanks to Gooseberry Patch we had a head start picking our recipes with their Freezer-Friendly Recipes cookbook. I chose the Sunrise Cinnamon Loaves as my recipe!

It's a really simple recipe and I decided to step up my game and mix up two batches at once since I had 12 batches to bake in about 5 hours (thankfully the kitchen had 2 ovens)!

As I said before, it was a bit stressful for me so I didn't get a lot of action shots as I was in the kitchen. Trust me, there are no difficult steps with this recipe so you'll be OK without step-by-step shots!

After it was all said and done, I had nine delicious smelling soups, side dishes and entrees in my car!

I have to admit I only kept one for myself. The rest are in my sister's freezer so she has meals ready to pop in the oven after her baby is born later this month.

Before I share the recipe, I do want to tell you that I did a couple of things that were not part of the recipe. 

First, I added chocolate chips to some of the loaves. Chocolate makes almost everything better!

Second, instead of making all large loaves, I made some mini loaves and muffins. Just because I could.

Third, I added some big decorating sugar crystals to the tops of the loaves. I thought it made them look prettier. I also didn't quite use all of the cinnamon sugar mixture that it called for. 

Sunrise Cinnamon Loaves

Yellow Cake Mix with Pudding* (the recipe calls from 18-1/2 oz. pkg. I used slightly smaller boxes)

4 eggs

3/4 c. oil

3/4 c. water

1 t. vanilla extract

1/2 c. sugar

3 T. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prep two 8x4 loaf pans (grease and flour).

Combine the first 5 ingredients in large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed for 3 minutes.

Pour a quarter of the batter into the bottom of each pan.

Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the batter in the pans. (Add nuts, chocolate chips or other goodies here, if you want to.)

Spread the remaining batter evenly into the loaf pans; sprinkle the top of the loaves with the remaining sugar mixture.

Use a knife to gently swirl sugar and cinnamon into batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (baking time varies if you do small loaf pans or muffins). Cool on wire racks.

Freeze and Serve Instructions: Place cooled loaves in freezer bags and place in freezer. To serve, thaw at room temperature or put a frozen slice into the toaster.

Rumor has it that many of the loaves I made didn't make it to the freezer...the one I took home may not have either!

*Look for cake mixes that say they have pudding added. Aldi's brand has pudding-in-the-mix, as does Betty Crocker and Pillsbury.

All opinions and photos in this post are mine for better or worse. There is an affiliate link and Gooseberry Patch provided me with the cookbook.