#11 Try 20 new recipes.

At the time, 20 recipes sounded like a lot. Then I started spending some time on Pintrest and I'm at about 15 now without really trying. I was going to post all 20 but some, trust me, are not worth posting. But some, (always trust the fat girl when it comes to food and furniture sturdiness) are.

Smores Bars. These were amazing. Everyone really liked them, I took them to work and they were a big hit. Though they are best warm out of the oven or nuked for a couple seconds. I really, really liked them but I have also been known to eat Marshmallow fluff from the jar.

ngredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)
• 1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.
3. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together).
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

From a fun & Yummy Blog, Lovin From the Oven

5 Ingredient Peanut Butter Bars

I also took these to work and they went even faster then the Smores bars, (but my supervisor has a weakness for peanut butter). Super easy, and super yummy. I made them with Reeces pieces instead of M&Ms but either would be good. In fact I just might make them again tonight....

3/4 cup peanut butter (I used creamy, but I bet chunky would be great too!)
2 large eggs
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose baking mix (Bisquick, for example)
1 bag of M&Ms (I used regular–but now I’m thinking peanut butter M&Ms would be W-O-W)

1. Preheat oven to 325*F. Spray an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine peanut butter and eggs until well mixed and smooth.
3. Add in brown sugar and stir until combined.
4. Stir in baking mix until moistened (I used my hands because the spoon wasn’t cutting it for me–it is a very thick batter).
5. Fold in M&Ms. Again, using my hands worked best for this step. Not all of the M&Ms stuck in the batter (or perhaps it would be more accurate to call it dough). I just shoved them in when I put it all in the pan.
6. Spread mixture in greased pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

From a great Blog, RachelCooks.com

#59 Create a Stitch & Bitch Group

#59 Make a Stitch & Bitch Group

Our very first meeting at La Boheme.

Michelle is the Yarn Whisper,  Lara & I watch  in amazment.

I finally put my mind to it and created an awesome Stitch & Bitch Group. We decided to meet Saturday mornings, once a month and try a Tuesday evening once a month as well. We were meeting at the perfect place 'La Boheme' a Bohemian coffee joint/Vintage Boutique perfect for hippies, hipsters, theatre people and neo-crafters. I knew the owner & staff and they knew our group and LOVED having us there. But sadly(yes I cried) they went out of business. So we were homeless for a while. Nothing sadder then a lady with no place to craft. One Tuesday we tried our favorite pub, but it proved to be too dark to get anything accomplished. 

Kelly, Debi, and Tori Stitch while Bonnie bitches.

Now we are at another coffee joint across the river and they seem really nice and very accommodating. It's been stressful trying to organize it, but all the 'thanks for doing this, Jen' have been worth it. It’s nice to hang out with like minded ladies(and gentleman) who craft. We have knitters, crochet-ers, needle pointers, even jewelry artists.

Our first meeting at our new place Stone House Coffee

We have a group on facebook that currently has 22 members! Though our average for Saturdays has been about 10ish. So if you are in the valley on the first Saturday of the month, stop by Stone House Coffee and come Stitch with us, or Bitch with us or as we prefer come do both! 

#64 Done & Done!

I read all 3 Hunger Games. It was a fast paced, fun, exciting read. So good in fact, I went and bought the 1st book on paperback and now Mom is reading it! She was debating skipping school today so she could finish the first one. Ha ha ha!

#48 and #64

#48. Be in Fred's Follies. DONE!
When I was younger Fred's Follies was a very big deal. It was by invite only, and was usually only the most talented singers, dancers, actors with a few of Fred's favorites thrown in for good measure. (*side note* Fred is one of our main directors at the Civic theatre, he danced on Broadway in the Pajama Game in the 50s. He was the Artistic Director for a very long time at the civic and has "retired" from doing shows about 4 times. He's one of the most well loved, well respected directors we have. He used to yell, throw things and curse but in his old age he mostly just yells and then hugs. There are a million Fred stories I could share, maybe later. He's wonderful) This year he asked the cast of Little Shop plus a few extras to be in his show. I was fortunate enough to be in it and take pride in that. Granted there were some who thought it was about them, but every show has that. I'm just glad I got to be in it with such a talented cast.


#64 Read the Hunger Games. Started.
I borrowed the first book from my friend JD, who co-founded www.mockingjay.net So far it's a pretty good read. I've been reading for fun a lot more lately and I had forgotten how much I enjoy it. 

What's cooking

Warning! The following is highly addictive, proceed with caution...

Chex Funfetti Muddy Buddies!
Soooooo good. I made a batch to take to the theatre one day and the very next day I made a batch to stay at home. I love cake batter flavored things & muddy buddies so I'm in l-o-v-e!

I also made Cream Cheese Mints aka Wedding Mints
They were the only reason I would go to weddings as a kid. (and maybe as an adult...) But they are usually done in rose shapes or something sweet like that. Well I'm not a rose kinda girl but I did have a couple molds that I thought might work...
Yup, skulls & stars. It took a while to figure out how much to use. The process was messy & time consuming but the results were delicious. And yes, Veronica I remember to not use too much dark blue food coloring for fear of turning your bridesmaids teeth blue right before a cousin picture....
I might make them again, but it will take a bit of convincing and maybe some cash.

Number 22 DONE!

I went and visited my wonderful, talented and funny cousins who live in Washington.
I went and saw 'The Last 5 Years' at the Warehouse Theatre Company in Yakima. My cousin was the musical director. It was wonderful. It's about a couple and their failing marriage. Her story starts at the end of their relationship while his starts at their first meeting. Both cast members had strong vocals with heart wrenching stories to tell. I've loved the music for quite some time so it was nice to see it live. The girl who played Cathy was so great, she had me crying in the first 5 minutes.
I also got to spend time with my crazy cousin Laurel & her husband (and Mayor)Micah. They are fun and keep me laughing all the time. We went out with the cast & crew after the show and found the G Spot-a local hot spot and then went and kareoked at a deserted hotel bar. It was a BLAST! And there is something to be said for theatre people, they are always crazy, usually welcoming, and never boring. Such a good time.



From L-R is Megan the director, Emily who played Cathy, me, and Laurel the musical director.

What's cookin?

So thanks to Pinterest I've gained about 25 lbs, today. Ok, maybe not today but gosh darnit they have some delish recipes that could keep me fat & happy for a long time.

BBQ Pineapple Chicken- So easy! Just throw a couple frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot, pour some(about half a bottle) good BBQ sauce over it and a drained can of pineapple. Cook on low for 5 hours, then shred the chicken and let sit in the sauce for another hour or so and server over rice with some green veggies. Was so good the next day too!
Six Sister's Stuff Blog with the whole recipe (love them!)

Next my new recipe I tried is one that I shoula been doing years ago. Homemade Egg McMuffins. It was one of those duh moments. English Muffin, one egg, ham, and cheese(preferably Velveeta).
www.food.com Need I say more?

So when you see me shopping for more stretch pants, don't be surprised.

 Follow me on Pinterest!

Duct tape dress

#s 75 & 78

I designed and made an entire dress out of duct tape.
First I made the top from an old tank top and added grommets down the back so I could get in and out of the top. It turned out pretty good. I then altered the neckline as I wanted once it was all covered.

Then I made the skirt. This was the most time consuming. I made the 'fabric' first by covering newspaper with duct tape. Then I cut the triangle parts of the skirt and taped them all together. I then re-enforced the inside bottom(shown here) with red tape to help hold the skirt together better. I wish I would have done this to the whole skirt, it was a little weak at some joints.

This is my finished product for my friend Mel's Birthday Prom, which you all should have been at. I also made all my accessories, my favorite being my tiny hat. :)

I was voted 'Best Dressed'.

Recipes!

One of the things on my list is try 25 new recipes. So far I've tried 2. Corn Flake Cookies and Salted Carmel Butter bars. They both were yummy, but not as earth shattering yummy as they would have you believe. But I will let you be the judge of that. 

Holycraptheseareamazing Cookies (Corn Flake Cookies)

Ingredients:

(Makes about 3 dozen cookies)…

1 cup sugar

1 cup corn syrup

1 jar (18 oz ounce) peanut butter, crunchy or smooth (I like creamy.)

6 cups corn flakes

3 oz good quality chocolate of your choice (I used Scharffen Berger Semisweet 62%.)

…

Preparation:…

Combine sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and stir until the mixture comes to a full boil.

…Remove from heat and stir in the whole jar of peanut butter. Mix well.

…Add corn flakes to a large bowl. Pour peanut butter mixture over corn flakes and mix well, taking care to coat all of the corn flakes.

…With a tablespoon or cookie scoop, scoop out and form into 1-2 inch balls, depending on your preference, and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.

…Put the chocolate in a small bowl and melt in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir until smooth.

…Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookies.

* I didn't add the melted chocolate but next time I make this I will add butterscotch chips

Salted Caramel Butter Bars

For the Crust:
1 lb. salted butter room temp
1 cup sugar
1½ cups powdered sugar

2 Tbs vanilla
4 cups all purpose flour

For the Filling:
1 bag (14 oz.) caramel candies (about 50 individual caramels), unwrapped
1/3 cup milk or cream
½ teaspoon vanilla

1 T. coarse sea salt (optional)

To make the crust:

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugars. Using mixer on medium speed, beat together until creamy. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. Sift the flour into the butter mixture and beat on low speed until a smooth soft dough forms.

Spray a 9×13 inch baking pan lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Press one-third of the dough evenly into the pan to form a bottom crust, and place the remainder of the dough in the fridge to chill.

Preheat to 325F.

Bake until firm and the edges are a pale golden brown approx 20 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool about 15 minutes.

While the bottom crust is baking and the remaining dough is chilling, make the caramel filling. Place the unwrapped caramels in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the cream and vanilla.   Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth. If caramels are not completely melted, microwave on high for 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth.

Pour the caramel filling over the crust.  If you are going to salt the caramel sprinkle it on caramel layer now.

Remove the remaining chilled dough from the refrigerator and crumble it evenly over the caramel.

 Return the pan to the oven and bake until the filling is bubbly and the crumbled shortbread topping is firm and lightly golden, about 25 – 30 minutes.

Let cool before cutting into squares.

I really liked these, but no one else in my family did. I've been mildly obsessed with Salted Caramel lately. And these were great for that. Super rich, super buttery(hello pound of butter). They were good but I gave away most of them cause I really shouldn't be eating that much rich, buttery, caramel goodness. mmmmmm They are best warm, it melts the caramel a bit. 

Who needs skinny jeans anyway?

Corn Flake Cookies from Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy Blog

Salted Caramel Bars from Cookies & Cups Blog

These bright ideas, they just keep coming!

So inspired by my friend Katie D. I added more items and got rid of some of mine that I threw in at the last minute. But rather than adding a new 101 list every time I add a couple of bright ideas. I'll just do a monthly summary and show any additions.

Shout out to my Favorite Cousin Veronica June Moore Skarr for being my one and only follower!

#37 Polar Bear Plunge

It was like jumping into a brown slushie that was trying to drink me.


My entire body went numb as soon as it was submerged. I kept reaching for the bottom of the river to push myself up, I never found it. I looked up seeing only water and light getting further and further away from me. I knew I had to swim up, so I closed my eyes and swam up as hard as I could to the surface. I couldn't tell if I was at the surface till I opened my eyes and saw I was. Then I knew I had to swim fast to the shore. I swam with the voice of my last swim teacher telling me to use my hips. As I was approaching the shore I had a feeling my swimsuit wasn't where it started out. Not that I could feel anything on my body, I just knew that things had gone askew. So once I could feel the bottom I looked down to make sure all my bits were still covered and pulled it down over my belly. (stupid tankinis) Walked to my mom holding my towel, robe & cider at the ready. And asked her if I was dead. Once I was out of the water my skin felt like a combo of numb and on fire. We posed for some pics then went home for a long, warm shower. I'm really glad I did it. Later while warming up/resting in my bed and reflecting on the plunge, I had a personal revelation that gave me a whole new outlook on life. I just might make this a tradition. (but next year I head toward the shallows).