I'm back!!!

Well, I have lots of recipes and fun things that I've been wanting to post, but apparently Google has decided to strong arm everyone into using Google Chrome. They made it virtually (and literally) impossible for me to post anything because I use Internet Explorer...and I refused to change just because they said so.

But, I love this blog and sharing my experiences more than my browser pride, so I sucked it up and downloaded Google Chrome - however, I will ONLY be using it for blogging....nothing else!!

So...I have lots of stuff to blog about!!! We made Maple Bars from Make Lemonade and More!, I made some Lofthouse Style Sugar Cookie Cars from Just Get Off Your Butt and Bake, and some Double Chocolate Banana Bread from The Sisters Cafe.  All three of the recipes were hits around here and I would recommend you giving them a try!!

First up we'll cover the Maple Bars from Make Lemonade and More!

Oh yes, that is one FINE looking donut!! The best part?? That puppy is BAKED, not fried!!

THE RECIPE

Since this post is going to have lots of stuff I'm just going to post links to the original blog posts and you can go there to get the recipes and see how it was originally done!!

Side note for these donuts - only frost them all if you are eating them that day, otherwise just frost what you plan to eat and store the frosting until you are going to use it. After a day, the frosting started to separate and slide off the bars...not a pretty sight!!

EASE OF PREPARATION: 4 out of 5 (I have limited dough rolling space so it was a nuisance)

OVERALL TASTE: 4 out of 5

Next is Double Chocolate Banana Bread from The Sisters Cafe

I apparently didn't take a picture of this, or the cookie bars below so you'll have to trust me that they turned out just like the pictures from their respective blog homes and give them a try!!

THE RECIPE

My only suggestion with this one is to WATCH THE BAKING TIME.  Our oven always takes longer than most to cook, and I had set mine for the minimum suggested time of 60 minutes and my bread was overcooked. I would check it after 50 minutes and see if a knife or toothpick comes out clean....let's face it, no one likes burned banana bread - and NO ONE wants to waste perfectly good chocolate bread!!

EASE OF PREPARATION: 5 out of 5 - it's quick bread, 'nuff said

OVERALL TASTE: 4 out of 5 - Maybe I wasn't in a banana bread mood when I tried it, but others would have given it a 5 out of 5!!

Last, but certainly not least are the Lofthouse Style Cookie Bars

These were DELICIOUS!!! So much better than I had thought they were going to be!! A perfect treat to take to friends and anyone else who might need a sugary boost!

THE RECIPE

On this one I have nothing to add, they were perfect in every way...but I swear that everything from Just Get Off Your Butt and Bake always is.  If you ever want a recipe that you KNOW will turn out amazing, get one from this website. I have yet to make one recipe from her that doesn't turn out as awesome as hers did!!

EASE OF PREPARATION: 5 out of 5

OVERALL TASTE: 5 out of 5 - these were super yummy, the kids even loved them!!

I'm sorry this post is short and sweet (really, really sweet) but I finally am able to post and wanted to do it while Nicole was napping and Freddie and Karyl were entertained by Dora...finding free time with 3 kids is proving to be more and more difficult!!

Give these recipes a try and then let me know in the comments how they turned out for you!!

Promises, promises...and more donuts!!!

I know, it's been a while...but in the past few weeks I have made more cakes and cookies than I can possibly count!! I have lots of pictures and recipes that I need to get up here. I finally updated our family blog, so this is next on my list...

But for those who want something now, later on today I am planning to bust out my donut pan and make the round version of these Maple Bars I found...they look delicious, right?!?!

I will take pictures and let you know what I thought about them hopefully tomorrow!! I am going to get everyone ready for karate now...there's a lot more involved in that than you would imagine!!

Time to make the donuts!!!

Do you like donuts???

Yeah, so do the kids...

I like them too, but can't stand how greasy they are when you get them from a donut shop...it doesn't bother the kids, but when you get old and don't have a gallbladder anymore greasy isn't your friend!

So, another wonderful mom shared this cake mix donut recipe with me from a blog she watches and we tried it tonight. They may not look as pretty as they could, but they are DELICIOUS - and WAAAAYYYY better than any donut shop donut.

Seriously, after eating these I don't think I can ever eat another donut shop donut again.

These are cake-like and BAKED, not fried, so they are light and yummy and delicious and scrumptious and amazing!

Here's the link to the blog with the original recipe. Here are my changes....

*We used a strawberry cake mix...still delicious!

*I used an equal amount of sour cream instead of buttermilk (Yeah, I'm cheap like that)

Give them a try...and let me know what you think!!

EASE OF PREPARATION: 5

OVERALL TASTE: 5!!!!!!!!!

Go...now...they are calling you....

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

This past weekend I bought a little cookbook from the checkstand at Stater Brothers from Taste of Home called Cake Mix Treats...all of the recipes start from boxed mixes and that sounded yummy and fun to try!!

So I decided to try my first recipe from it on Saturday and picked an easy one that Karyl could help with...here's what we chose:

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CAKE

The best part about it other than how yummy and easy it was?? It looked EXACTLY like the picture in the book, which is the picture above!!

Here is the recipe....the kids LOVED this one but a word of warning - because it is so moist it crumbles easily and doesn't lend itself to eating with little hands, so utensils are required and crumbs will need to be swept up afterwards!!

Ingredients

•2 cups miniature marshmallows

•1 package (18-1/4 ounces) chocolate cake mix

•1-1/4 cups water

•3/4 cup peanut butter

•1/3 cup canola oil

•3 eggs

•1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

•Sprinkle marshmallows into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, peanut butter, oil and eggs; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes or until smooth. Pour over marshmallows; sprinkle with chocolate chips.

•Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 12-15 servings.

See - super easy and ready in no time.

EASE OF PREPARATION: 5!!!

OVERALL TASTE: 4

     I loved that I could taste the subtle peanut butter flavor and that the marshmallows made it super moist, but it was almost too stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth moist - so make sure you have a glass of milk nearby because this dessert will leave you asking the age old question "Got Milk??"

Give it a try and let me know what you think of it!! I am going to try and get back to at least one recipe a week on here...Pinterest has given me some amazing inspiration and I am finally at a place where I feel like I have a few extra minutes a day where I can get on here and post. Working full time from home with 3 kids is definitely much more time consuming that with just 2 kids - but just as worth it!!

A great Dr. Suess FREE printable workbook!!

I know, I haven't been posting on here in a while but the winter season hit us hard with colds and car troubles and just about everything you could imagine. We are all finally healthy, two of our three cars are running again, and I am once again scrounging around the Internet for great and amazing FREE things to print out and/or save for homeschooling!

Recently the world celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday, so there has been lots and lots of Seuss buzz around the homeschooling crowd and today I found an AWESOME free printable Dr. Seuss workbook that is geared towards Kindergarten and First Graders (and it is true to its grade recommendation - I looked it over and Karyl could do the whole thing on her own!).

A huge thanks to Education.com for all their amazing and FREE worksheets and fun books! I am constantly using things from their website for Karyl and if you haven't checked them out before go take a look!!

Here is your link for the Seuss Magic - My Very Own Dr. Seuss Activity Book

That link will take you directly to the PDF file for the 20-page activity book. You can print it from there or save it to your computer for later. A tip - We got a huge external hard drive years ago before we had a mortgage, 3 kids and a minivan and I love that every time I find something amazing like this in a PDF file I can save it and just transfer it to the external drive to use later. I am all for all the free curriculum I can find!!

Hope you enjoy the Dr. Seuss workbook and please come back - hopefully I will be back to sharing things more regularly on here now that things have calmed down!!

What a big girl

We got to the Learning Center early this morning so Karyl got to play on a swing...such a big girl!

Oh the deliciousness...

I love decorating cupcakes....can I do this for a living?