Step Aside Everyone, and Just Hand Me the Mom of the Year Award NOW.

My kiddos loved these!

First, take canned biscuits or crescent rolls and cut into thin strips like this:
Then, wrap the strips around the hot dog like THIS:

Bake as directed on the biscuit or crescent roll can. Use mustard or ketchup for dots for the eyes, and viola! A mummy!!

Happy Halloween to all!

Come to Mama

Jelly beans and bacon all rolled into one. Two of my favorite things. Now THIS I've gotta try.

You're welcome.

Godzilla is an American and a Really Great Recipe

A few days before Independence Day, I started noticed good 'ol Godzilla appearing here and there. Now, this is not an abnormal occurrence, but what WAS strange was that he was carrying an American flag everywhere.



So, in our house, Godzilla is NOT Japanese, but an American. Who knew?

Here's a picture of Dylan and his fake smile before the fireworks started. This is the only smile I got all evening. Poor kid was seriously stressed out. I am DONE DONE DONE with taking him to see the fireworks and ending up having to watch them from the bathroom. He's lucky I love him, that's all I can say about that.


And thanks to Talli Poulsen, I cannot seem to get enough of this yummy pasta salad. The perfect summer salad.


Salt Lake Tortellini Salad

8 oz cheese filled tortellini
1 c broccoli florets
4 oz fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 can quartered artichoke hearts
1 can black olives, drained and halved
1 can garbanzo beans, washed and drained
1 can kidney beans, washed and drained
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1/4 lb. salami, cut into small strips
1 (16 oz) bottle Bernsteins Cheese and Garlic dressing
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 avocado

Cook tortellini in boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain well, rinse with cold water, place in large salad bowl. Add remaining ingredients, except tomatoes and avocado. Toss in half the dressing. Refrigerate for several hours. Just before serving add remaining dressing, as desired, and top with tomatoes and avocado.

Seriously - yum. Enjoy.

The Great Beet Experiment

I've made no secret of my imagined hatred of BEETS. I've never eaten one, and never planned on eating one. They just did not appeal to me.


Until Zack recently challenged me to eat one. "Mom," he said, "You always tell me I have to try something at least ONCE."


Darn that boy. I think I liked him better when all he could say was "mama" and "yummmm," and thought everything I did was perfect.


So I tried a pickled beet today. It actually wasn't that bad.

Turns out I was making a big ol deal over a whole lotta nothin.'

Again - - - darn that boy.

I Had WAY Too Much Fun Making These...

As previously documented, I am a fan of cupcakes. Making them, eating them, buying them. I love cupcakes. My friend Sue gave me a great book for my birthday with all kinds of fun cupcake designs. I tried out my first cupcakes from the book today.

Can you tell what all the little pieces are that I used to make them?





I sense MANY more fun cupcake posts on the horizon...

I'm Domestic.

That's right, I made it myself. Three batches so far.

Fear me, if you dare.

I Think I Had a Heart Attack Just from READING This...

THE ALL-TIME WORST DRIVE-THRU MEAL IN AMERICA, according to a study by Mens Health Magazine is...

Carl's Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger with Medium Natural cut Fries and 32 oz Coke
2,618 Calories
144 g fat (51.5 g saturated fat)
2892 mg sodium

Of all the gut-growing, heart-stopping, life-threatening burgers in the fast food world, there is none whose damage to your general well-being is as catastrophic as this. Consider these heart-stopping comparisons: This meal has the caloric equivalent of 13 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donuts; the saturated fat equivalent of 52 strips of bacon; and the salt equivalent of seven and a half large orders of McDonald's French fries!

For a complete list of the best and worst drive-thru foods in America, go HERE.

Ugh. I am gonna go eat a salad.

Ahh, Summer.

Summer 1977. Playing in the ditch in front of Grandma and Grandpa Pratt's house, and eating otter pops.

What reminds you of summer?

More About My Obsession of Finding the Perfect Cupcake

Have you been to Sprinkles cupcakes? They're good. Really good. But are they $3.50 per cupcake good?

I had a peanut butter chocolate cupcake, and I had a bite of Tishele's carrot cake cupcake (or was it Tiffany's cupcake? I can't remember.) Both heavenly, and very rich. It's probably a good thing that there isn't one within a 50 mile radius.

Still, I think maybe it's $2.00 per cupcake good, not $3.50.

Best Carrot Cake Ever Ever Ever

This is SO good! It got the seal of approval from Poppi. 'Nuf said. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c veg oil
4 eggs
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
3 t vanilla
2 c flour
2 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3 t ground cinnamon
3 c grated carrots
1 c chopped pecans
1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple (squeeze out MOST of the juice)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 9 x 13 pan.

Beat together eggs, oil, sugars, and 2 t vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 45 min or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool.

FROSTING:
1/2 c butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
3 1/2 - c confectioners sugar
1 t vanilla
1/4 t nutmeg

Combine all ingredients. Beat until smooth and creamy. Frost the cooled cake.

Share with friends and listed to the yummy noises they all make. Become everyone's favorite carrot cake maker. Win friends and influence people. Initiate world peace.

April Fools Day, Baseball Style

Yesterday (April FOOLS Day) was my turn to bring treats after Dylan's baseball game. For the past TWO games, the people who were responsible for treats forgot to bring theirs (don't worry Tiffany, I'm not naming any names.), so I decided I would do something a little extra-fun for the kids, besides the usual cracker packets or ice cream bars. Since it was April Fools Day, I thought good 'ol worms 'n dirt cupcakes just might do the trick.

Just in case you don't know, here's how to make them - easy and fun.

Bake cupcakes as normal - yes, use the box mix. Betty Crocker was put here on this earth for a reason, friends. They're kids. They don't care if they are made from scratch.

Frost cupcakes, also from a can. Yep - that's how I roll.

Crush up oreo cookies on a plate until they are the lovely consistency of potting soil. Dip the frosted cupcake into the crushed oreo. (I used to sprinkle the oreo on top, but this way they look MUCH better and are SO much easier. Plus, the oreo stays in place.)

Voila! Nice and dirty looking. Mmmmmmm.

Place all the copcakes together in a pan, or on the counter, or whatever.

Break out the gummy worms! I have found that the best way to get them in is to use a butter knife to push them into the cupcake. This is not a very good shot, but isn't my knife nice and shiny? Pretty.

And there you have it! Nasty looking and yummy. Just what all little boys love.


And here is where I meant to take a picture of all the kids eating their cupcakes. I got distracted and forgot. Yay, me. But they truly did love them, trust me. I tried to convince a couple of them that one of the cupcakes had real dirt, but they weren't buyin' it.

Smart kids.

(BTW - She-who-shall-not-be-named redeemed herself by sending treats to practice. Good for her!)

Hey Oprah, Book Me Now.

My friend Sue (curse you, Sue!) told me about these delicious treats. It's her fault. Blame her.

Instructions: PB&J. Make as usual. Drop some butter in a frying pan, FRY the PB&J on both sides.

Best. Comfort food. Ever.

If loving you is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

I had this for lunch today. I might have one for dinner, too. And possibly for every meal after that for the next three weeks or maybe forever. I am going to end up as one of those 800+ pound people on Oprah that they have to forklift to the hospital for gastric bypass surgery.

Do I get brownie points for NOT covering it in cinnamon and sugar on the outside, like Sue told me to do?

The BEST Thing About Easter

Hello, lover.