Pretzel Cookie Dough Bites

I saw these on Pinterest and pinned them as fast as I could. 

I knew I'd make them based on the look, the name.. the ingredients.. 

They are so good. 

Sweet, salty and a bit of crunch.

I used butter waffle pretzels, but im sure the mini twists would work just fine.

Here is the full recipe:

1/2 cup unsalted butter softened

1/2 cup brown sugar 

1/4 cup white sugar

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups flour 

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup mini semi sweet choc chips

40-50 pretzels

8oz melting chocolate or choc chips  * I used melting wafers. - half milk chocolate and half dark.

1. line a sheet tray with parchment or wax paper

2. mix/beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the milk and vanilla and mix

3. Add the flour and salt on medium speed. Dough will be thick,  keep mixing until it comes together. fold in choc chips.

4. Roll dough into small balls and press between two pretzel. Freeze for 20 minutes.

5. Melt the chocolate & dip half of the pretzel/dough bites. Place back on the sheet tray and place in the fridge 10 min. 

I ate way to many, and Im going to make more very soon ... this is your warning.. They are very very good!

Winter Storm Knife & {Cranberry Sauce Recipe}

Winter Storm 2014.

This is the view from our town, looking into the next.

It was a clean line of snow storms that dropped an insane amount of snow on the southtowns on November 18th

Buffalo area is divided into North and South pretty much. We live North, and were spared. The south ... not so much.. some places got 72 inches of snow, and it was only 3 miles away from us. 

School was cancelled for not 1, not 2, but 4 days....

Day 2, we saw a little bit of snow.. maybe got a foot. But nothing compared to what the surrounding areas got. Just seeing the pictures on the news, and facebook are amazing.

Day 3.... We were trying to be as creative as possible... hehe

idea from Pinterest of course

I was sort of thankful for the days off, for this one... She was seeming like she was coming down with another cold...and then she got 4 days to feel better and rest .. thank goodness.

Little Guy was happy as could be.. 

He requested French Fries for breakfast on Day 4, and then didnt eat one..

C'est la vie... whatever. haha

We started prepping some of our food for a litttle "mini thanksgiving".

We will be staying here with my family this year. Due to all the school missed, and more anticipated storms coming next week, and because it was just plain hard the last few times in Ohio.

Andrew never sleeps, I never sleep, Sam sleeps okay, and Daddy ends up on a couch that is too small.. Among a few other things and commitments we have next week here in NY. Im happy to be staying here. 

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

I took a nod from The Pioneer Woman of course... I only used 1 bag, but here's how I did.

1 bag cranberries (washed)

1 cup water

Orange rind & zest

1/2 cup syrup - It calls for real maple.. - I only had pancake stuff ;(

I put all these ingredients in a pot & brought to a boil, then let it simmer for about 20 minutes until the cranberries popped & it began to all gel together.

It was not very sweet. Which may be okay for some.. I added a few teaspoons of sugar at the end

Then I popped it in the fridge.

Done. 

I dont think I'll ever eat the jellied kind again.. This way was so much better.. 

And healthier, ya think?

I made several trips to the grocery store during the storm days.. since we didnt have any driving bans around here.. we ATE A LOT.. too much.. I need to go for a run. like now.

We did lots of crafts, snuggled, watched movies, played football (yes inside), blocks, etc.. 

Saturday it started warming up and all the snow is melting..

We had a party to go to for our cousin Clare.

It was good to get out. Sam enjoyed the art party & being with friends.

Mini Thanksgiving was in the works, and these two were so sweet ... surprising after being in the house a lot this week.

Reading next to each other. Priceless.

Our little feast 

Turkey, Cranberries, Potatoes & Stuffing

So so good. Im excited for the real deal in less than a week too.

So now it is warming up, and the big concern around here is flooding now.. 

Hopefully we're in the clear. Sam heads back to school tomorrow.. (thank you lord).. haha She even says she misses her friends. And Andrew misses our playgroup routine too. Then we get another 4 days off again! But im so thankful that this week starts the beginning of the holiday season. 

Im itching to decorate.. The boxes are all out in the basement and ready. 

I have a feeling i may not be able to wait till Turkey Day this year. 

In other news, I did a bit of Christmas shopping this week.

Its such a good feeling. I think Im about 1/3 of the way done. BEFORE Thanksgiving.. I dont think I was this ahead last year. 

Hopefully this is the last storm for a while. We escaped the worst though. 

Hopefully the southtowns are on the mend.

Artichoke Bread (recipe) & Weekend Recap

"NC Poor Couple Artichoke Bread"

This Artichoke Bread was born when I visited Mathew when he lived here:

Poor couple we were... little to no money, just scraping by to see each other while I was living in Ohio...So instead of eating out every night I was there visiting..we went to the grocery store in search for some cheap inspiration. I vividly remember walking around Food Lion in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and I though of making this yummy bread... I bought:

Ciabatta Loaf

Olive Oil 

Fresh or Shredded Mozzarella 

Grape or Roma Tomatoes

Can of Marinated Artichoke Hearts

I beleive this was the secret ingredient... 

Not fancy but like I said, we were poor & there was no kitchen in his barracks room, just a lonely old toaster oven. 

Directions: Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400

Line toaster or baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. 

Cut bread in half lengthwise & then again into single portions of your choosing.

Drizzle with olive oil - cut tomatoes & artichokes into about 1/2 - 1 inch pieces and spread evenly onto the bread. Cover with cheese. Grind a generous amount of the Italian Blend Grinder onto the cheese. 

Bake at 400 for about 15-20 min, or until the cheese melts & slightly browns. 

Cool, cut and serve. 

So this is what we had for dinner Friday night, along with our first lettuce from our garden for a side salad. It was perfect. 

Then we headed on a little village adventure.

First stop of course was ice cream

Then we visited the park where this little guy loves to throw rocks and feed ducks

Saturday we enjoyed another park day, and we prepared for a little cookout with friends. 

BBQ'ing is one of our very favorites in the summer.

Its just so much easier to eat outdoors, and thankfully there were no bugs!

These girls.

Samantha laughed so hard with them and they had the best time.

Little brother always in tow.

He bounced, and played by the girls ...and he was outside for the better half of the day wearing himself out.

Our friends brought this amazing homemade Carob Cake - which I am going to make soon. It was so amazing. I had a slice for breakfast too.

Since the kids were really loving being outside, we decided to forego the routine schedule, and let them stay outside until it got dark. We built a bonfire & they just layed in the grass having their evening snacks & relaxing from a long fun day.

We have a few more weeks of school still, but we got to work on our summer bucket list this weekend as well. I know two months will go super fast, so I want to try and get as much in as we can.

And I finished the third order of clothespins this weekend

a little work and a lot of play. 

It was a good weekend.. Looking forward to celebrating our Daddy next weekend & more fun!