easy treats

pretzels + Hershey kisses + m&m's = yum

(just a side note here: this is what happens when you take pictures at night with a flash . . .looks very orange)

Just put about 15 pretzels on a plate.

Put a kiss on each pretzel.

Pop in the microwave for about 25 - 30 seconds until chocolate is melty, but not too melted. (make sense?)

Place an m&m on each kiss.

Put in refrigerator to cool.

Repeat for as many platefuls as you need. :)

Enjoy!

**try different kinds of kisses if you are adventurous ..  . I like to use the caramel ones (but it is kind of messy if you leave them in the microwave too long.)

Tuesday Randomness

Even though the weather is cold, we have been getting the pool ready for the day when it is warm enough to swim.
I bought a new solar cover to heat it up without the pool heater.
(our old one has seen better days)

I cut it to fit our pool's shape. 

The pool is now 70 degrees . . . warmer than the air at least!

Do you see the tree at the left of the pool?

I have been trying to save that tree since the day we moved in the house . . . my husband wants to cut it down so badly. 

What do you think??

Should I let him?

Sweet Caroline potted some new flowers for me.
Poor thing has been suffering from seasonal allergies . . . thank goodness for Claritin.

My brother is selling these cute Vizsla pups.
Want one??
E-mail me at FiveKoz@sbcglobal.net .

I'm making this for dinner tonight.

What will be on your table?

I'm always looking for new ideas!

Have a happy Tuesday!

Thanks for stopping by.

~cheryl

spring strawberry salad

I'm dreaming of spring and all things springy.
I made this spring salad for friends last night and the recipe was requested, so I wanted to share it with all of you:

strawberry salad recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 10 ounces fresh spinach
• 1 quart (or more!!) strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
• 1/4 cup almonds, walnuts, or pecans - chopped
• feta cheese

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.
2. Put spinach in a large bowl and pour dressing over salad (just enough to coat the spinach . . . you will have a LOT of dressing left over), add the strawberries, nuts, and cheese. Toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Throw some grilled chicken in there and you have a meal!! :)
Enjoy!!



linking up with:

waiting

Spring is just not wanting to visit Chicagoland.
We had a little tease last week,
but it feels like Fall now.
Could it be possible that Spring will never come??

I keep looking out the kitchen window at the pool dreaming of the days where we will all just hang out with no cares. 
And to be hot . . .not freezing!!

Our heat is running.

In May.

But I'm not complaining. (am I?)

Spring will come.

And I will be happy.

Until then, I will keep happy doing things inside.

Like painting our master bedroom.

I needed to write that because now I will actually do it.

I hope.

I will post before and after photos soon.

I hope.

I need to go make some hot coffee.

brrrr . . .

Question: What is your weather like and what do you do when it is cold and rainy and plain old yucky outside??

How I Avoided Cooking on Mother's Day

We had company over for Mother's Day and I was determined not be in the kitchen cooking.
So I made a couple of dishes the night before.
They were delicious and it was so much fun to just pop them in the oven and enjoy.


I made The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Baked French Toast.
I love The Pioneer Woman, by the way.
You can find the recipe here.
(I put a cup of frozen blueberries in before the topping and I highly recommend doing that . . . I also substituted half and half where it called for heavy whipping cream and skim milk where it called for whole milk)

source

I also made a breakfast casserole that I love.

I didn't take a picture of it, but here is the recipe.

Mom's Egg Casserole

1 pound ground sausage, cooked and drained

12 slices firm white bread (I just tore up a loaf of crusty sourdough)

12 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

12 oz. Swiss cheese, shredded

8 - 10 large eggs, beaten

3 1/2 cups half & half (I used 2 cups milk and 1 1/2 cups half & half)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon minced scallions

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

2 Tablespoons Worchestershire sauce

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Butter a 9x13 pan.

Brown the sausage and drain.

Tear up bread into chunks.

Layer half of the bread, sausage, and cheeses in the pan.

Repeat with second layer.

Combine all the other ingredients and pour over layers.

Refrigerate overnight.

Bake at 325 degrees for one hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Top should be lightly browned.

I served steamed asparagus and a fruit salad with the casseroles.

enjoy!!

my happy baker

Sweet Caroline needed to make something for her class's bake sale.
They were raising money for a child in the Dominican Republic.

She decided to make frosted brownies with sprinkles.

Who doesn't like brownies?

Or frosting?

Or sprinkles?

Delicious!!

Whenever we make frosting, we use this recipe:

Vanilla Butter Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup softened butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

milk (just keep adding a little bit at a time until you get the consistency you desire)

camp

I'm baaaack!!
And I had a blast.
This is my cabin of lovely girls.
I was so glad to get to know them.
(this picture was taken before our 6:30 am nature walk . . . invigorating!!)

I slept better than I had anticipated. (even though it was only 50 degrees in the cabin!)

The food was good and the best part was that I didn't have to cook it myself and everyone helped clean the tables! :)

The whole trip was very educational. 

It was an outdoor ed program.

Owl pellets.

Bird watching.

Geology.

Animal encounters.

Team building.

Aquatics.

Orienteering.

It was fabulous.

But my favorite part of the whole trip was catching this young man's eye every now and then.

I'm so glad I went.