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Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls Recipe

December 22, 2011 By 62 Comments

By Summer:

This was ALWAYS my favorite Christmas recipe. And you know what, it still is! YUM! My favorite thing is to eat them frozen. My mom use to freeze them to hide them from me, but I knew where they were and would sneak them. Because of this I grow up loving them best frozen.

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Mix peanut butter, ½ cup butter, sugar, and vanilla

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Form nickel-sized balls

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Spear with a toothpick

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After freezing the balls melt some chocolate and dip them

dip in chocolate

Put back in freezer

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Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls Recipe:

Ingredients:

1½ cups peanut butter
16 ounces powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup butter, divided
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and place in the freezer.

2. Mix peanut butter, ½ cup butter, sugar, and vanilla. Remove frozen sheet. With hands form nickel-sized balls. Mixture will be stiff. Place balls on sheet and spear with a toothpick.

3. Once sheet is full place sheet back into the freezer and allow balls freeze while slowly melting together chocolate and ½ cup butter in a double boiler.

4. Remove balls from freezer and coat in chocolate as desired (I do a full dip though some like to do a ½ or ¾ dip) and replace onto waxed cookie sheet.

5. Freeze or refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer to allow chocolate to firm.

6. For storage, keep refrigerated.

About Summer:

Summer is very active in our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living while cooking up a storm

Filed Under: recipe, Tasty Treats Tagged With: , , , ,

Tales of Snow White: Mirror Mirror Verses The Huntsman

December 22, 2011 By 16 Comments

Two different versions of Snow White are in the works right now and I’m wondering which one I should go see or of they’re both going to be wait for the DVD. I mean, I’m excited for both of them just because of the actors in each one. On one hand you have Mirror Mirror with Julia Roberts, she is a favorite of mine. And then you have The Huntsman that is going to be action packed but a wacked out version of Snow White. Of course, I’m comparing that to the Walt Disney version of Snow White, which probably isn’t the only version out there, it’s just the one that I’m most familiar with. I’ve only read one other version and it was pretty close to the Disney version so I have no idea what to think of these two, except I’m hopeful for both. Even though Kristin Stewart isn’t my favorite actress, The Huntsman does look exciting, even on the verge of being scary!.

Which one do you want to go see?

 

Mirror Mirror opens in theaters everywhere on March 16th, 2012

SW FINAL EXP P76 #585

Mirror Mirror is a spectacular reimagining of the classic fairy tale starring Oscar® winner Julia Roberts as the Queen, Lily Collins (The Blind Side) as Snow White, Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as Prince Alcott, Sean Bean (“The Game of Thrones”, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) as the King and Nathan Lane (The Lion King, The Birdcage) as the Queen’s hapless and bungling servant, Brighton.  An evil queen steals control of a kingdom and an exiled princess enlists the help of seven resourceful rebels to win back her birthright in a spirited adventure comedy filled with jealousy, romance and betrayal that will capture the imagination of audiences the world over.

Visionary director Tarsem Singh (Immortals) rewrites fairy tale history as a wicked enchantress (Roberts) schemes and scrambles for control of a spirited orphan’s (Collins) throne and the attention of a charming prince (Hammer). When Snow White’s beauty wins the heart of the prince that she desperately pursues, the Queen banishes her to the forest, where a ravening man-eating beast hungrily awaits.

Rescued by a band of diminutive highway robbers, Snow White grows into an indomitable young woman determined to take back her realm from the treacherous Queen. With the support of her subjects, she roars into action in an epic battle that blends spectacle, magic and contemporary humor in Singh’s signature, jaw-dropping visual style.

Snow White & The Huntsman Opens in Theaters this Summer

Snow White & The Huntsman

In the epic action-adventure Snow White and the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) plays the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen (Oscar(r) winner Charlize Theron) out to destroy her. But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the young woman threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, Thor) dispatched to kill her. Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) joins the cast as the prince long enchanted by Snow White’s beauty and power. The breathtaking new vision of the legendary tale is from Joe Roth, the producer of Alice in Wonderland, producer Sam Mercer (The Sixth Sense) and acclaimed commercial director and state-of-the-art visualist Rupert Sanders.

 

So, which one will you go see or will you watch them both?

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Quote: But It’s Snot

December 21, 2011 By 20 Comments

 

 

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Photo Credit: (ME)

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You Still Have Time To Give The Gift Of Sears

December 21, 2011 By 4 Comments

Christmas is in how many days now? Three Shopping days left until Christmas and you’re probably frantic if your list isn’t complete yet. We went out to the mall last night and it was a mad house, not to mention the five boys that went running through the mall without any clothes on. Yeah, that really happened. So maybe you want to skip the malls all together and spare yourself the madness. Just buy a Sears egift card.

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Why should you go with an egift card?

· eGift Cards are perfect for that person on your list who is tough to please
· Great stocking stuffer
· Can be delivered within an hour via email
· Can be delivered via email, printed, or mailed
· Buy the cards without leaving your computer
· Cards for any occasion and varied denominations

Or perhaps you like a little shopping madness.

When you head out to Sears to do your final shopping don’t forget your coupon book and you Shop Your Way Rewards. SYWR Members are rewarded with custom offers throughout the year based on their shopping. Plus, you’ll enjoy sale notifications and a dedicated customer service call center. The program is free – simply shop like you always do. When checking out in store, present your Member card, phone number or email address to an Associate for points credit. When checking out online, be sure to enter your Shop Your Way Rewards Member number and PIN, and your purchases will be automatically credited to your Member account.

Did you Vote On Your Sale in the People’s Pick?

Voting took place from Sunday –Tuesday which means you should see the final sales up from the last people’s pick. It was a really sweet deal Sears had. To make holiday shopping more enjoyable Sears’ People’s Pick online feature allowed customers to vote on which popular items should go on sale each week. Weekly through Dec. 24, 2011, you were able to vote for products within select categories every Sunday through Tuesday at Sears.com/pick, for incredible limited-time savings online and in-stores nationwide.

 

Like I said you still have time to shop Sears, you have time to shop Sears up to an hour before you go to your Christmas party with the egift card option. So consider Sears for your last minute holiday shopping. Merry Christmas everyone!

 

This is a compensated post as part of the Sears Holiday Ambassador program.

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Every Toyota Camry Has A Story–The Camry Effect

December 21, 2011 By 10 Comments

By Ashley

When I first heard about “The Camry Effect” and how people were telling stories about their cars, I’m not going to lie, I chuckled a little. How could people be so tied to their cars? Then, I thought about it for a minute… and I thought about our car… just happens to be a 2008 Toyota Camry. I started my own little sentimental journey down memory lane. Cars really kind of are symbolic of different stages and times in our lives. Our Camry is no exception.

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Thomas and I were living the life of a young married couple out on our own in a new place. We commuted together to and from work… every day. We got a dog, moved into a house, then…? Well, obviously! We started talking baby! We knew for us a baby would (among a MILLION other things) mean needing a second car. We talked, and looked, and shopped, and priced (and saved and saved)…

When I was 9 months pregnant, after several weekends of test drives, comparison shopping, and discussions, we walked into one of our local Toyota dealerships. That day, Thomas negotiated and paid for our used (but good as new to us) 2008 Toyota Camry. Bluetooth syncing, sunroof, great speakers, amazing condition, low mileage, automatic everything… and of course the latch system for car seats. We officially had a “fancy car,” a date night car, a car that Thomas said was not for food or drinks or the dog! Ha! 2 years later, that rule has held up!

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Our 2008 Camry was the car that we took on our last fancy “date night” in when I was 2 weeks away from having our son. It was the car that we took to eat dinner the night before I went into the hospital. It was the car we took on our first “date” (a quick trip out for ice cream) after he was born. It’s now the car that our son points to and says “Pop” because he knows that it’s his “Pop’s” car. It’s the car I take out when I go for a mommy night out, and the car we take together when we manage to schedule (after actually finding) a babysitter and go on a date. It’s the car that we will probably end up giving to our son when he gets behind the wheel. That’s thinking a little too far ahead for me though! He’s still my baby… for now.

So, there you have it. I guess I never should have chuckled when I heard that people could “feel” about their cars. Obviously our Camry is important to me. Not even 2 years, and so many memories already. Thanks Toyota.

About Ashley:

Ashley has a background in teaching Kindergarten and working with children K through 8th grade. She is now a SAHM and President of our local MOMS Club chapter. She writes her own blog at Momicles.

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Celebration Dinner Snow & Ice Skating In Florida

December 20, 2011 By 19 Comments

As part of our exploration of Kissimmee and Central Florida we visited the town of Celebration. Celebration looks like a quaint little town right out of a movie. The buildings are all colorful and as they look different they all blend in to each other having the same picket fence appeal. First off we had dinner at Columbia Restaurant.

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Columbia serves a taste of Columbia, which is something I’ve never experienced before. I tried the sangria and I had an excellent dinner with rice, sausage, beef and pork, it was called Paella “Campesina”. The flavors were fantastic. I had a hard time stopping because it was delicious. I was actually full before it even arrived because we had the original “1905: salad. YUM. My friend didn’t like what she ordered and since the serving sizes were huge I had plenty to share with her. I also tried the Sangria and we had  a fabulous lime dessert. After dinner we hurried over to Celebration for the SNOW! It snows in central Florida and they have an ice rink. (although the ice rink looks like it’s made plastic.)

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The Snow comes down at different scheduled times and it’s actually soapy bubbles. Somehow even as bubbles the snow captivated all the people there and feel as magically as real snow does. Watching all the people gave me joy. You could see people in the streets just lifting up their arms looking straight up into the sky with their arms outstretched. I had a great time.

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I recommend visiting the picturesque town of Celebration built by Disney. They know how to do food and fun!

 

All travel and expenses were paid for by Global Resort Homes And Kissimmee CVB.

Filed Under: personal, travel Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Capone’s Dinner Theater Kissimmee Florida: Holiday Edition

December 20, 2011 By 4 Comments

On my trip to Kissimmee Florida I experience a lot of things I wouldn’t normally do on my own but now that I’ve tried them I can’t wait to do them again. Dinner theater, I’ve heard so many mixed reviews on people having a good experience at a dinner theater. Yeah they’re fun but the food isn’t usually very good. Capone’s was fun from the minute we entered the place. Their gift shop has cute “cheap junk” as they even referred to during the show. We’re all wearing the hats from the gift shop.

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pictured Crystal from SimplyBeingMommy, Me, Tara from Global Resort Homes, Becca from Mamablog , Jen from The Mom Reviews, Kas from SouthernBellasWaystosave.

At Capone’s Dinner Theater the mashed potatoes are to die for and the rum runners are even more deadly. We were seated at the VIP table and Vido was our waiter, he promised to fill our drinks if they were ever empty, umm they never were empty because he kept filling them if they went an inch below full so I actually have no idea how much I had to drink that night.

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pictured Vido and Bill from Global Resort Homes

Entertainment starts as soon as you’re seated as the talent walks around and talks to you. They tell you their names and part f their storyline. Everyone gets dinner from the buffet line and then after everyone has a chance to eat the real entertainment on the stage begins.

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As the curtains go back be prepared to be included in the show and be prepared to laugh out loud. The comedians on the stage are quick witted and kept me laughing and no it wasn’t the alcohol. I was impressed with the ability they had to make up jokes as they gathered information from the audience. Since it’s Christmas time our show had lots of Christmas songs and a holiday theme.

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We had a blast and I would do this again with my husband. I would not take my children as many of the jokes were not appropriate for little ears.

All travel and expenses were paid for by Global Resort Homes And Kissimmee CVB.

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7 Facts About Dog Barking

December 20, 2011 By 30 Comments

Last night I was in my small group and there was a dog barking and barking and barking. One of my friends had a terrible time concentrating so when I saw this I had to post it. Here’s 7 Facts about Dog Barking.

 

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Yes file this under random!

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Gluten Free Emergency Food

December 20, 2011 By 3 Comments

Two posts in one day about emergency supplies and food options and you might think I’m a crazy person that thinks the world is coming to an end. Well rest assured I’m not worried about the end times. I am a little more worried about possible winter storms and not having electricity for a week or two. When I was pregnant with Zoe we had a huge wind storm, it rained before the wind storm so the ground was really wet. Trees came down left and right and we lived in the middle of a forest it was terribly frightening. At the end of the storm the weather turned really cold. We were cold and without power for seven days. We didn’t have much of an emergency kit at that time. I ate lots of peanut butter and beef jerky, I actually got tired of peanut butter but didn’t have anything else to eat. It didn’t help to go into town because everyone was without power and waiting in line to get gas at a gas station that happened to have power took over an hour. Sigh! So I like to remind people to be prepared.

Now what if you have special dietary needs? You still need to eat right? I have friends that have to eat gluten free and friends that choose to eat gluten free. So when I say that BuyEmergencyFoods.com had gluten free options I wanted to list a few of those options here. At Buy Emergency Foods you can find Gluten Free Oatmeal with Brown Sugar, Gluten Free Corn Chowder and Gluten Free Cheesy Potato Soup. When you’re looking for emergency food for your survival kit BuyEmergencyFoods includes options for those with special needs.

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How Hungry Would You Be To Eat Freeze Dried Meat?

December 20, 2011 By 4 Comments

My husband and I are always talking about our emergency kit and what it needs to have in it. You’re supposed to have a backpack ready to go with everything you need to survive for three days and be able to run with it for three miles or something like that. I heard it on the radio a while back. Well, we’re not that prepared, not in the slightest but we do have an emergency kit with a few things in it like battery packs and flashlights, blankets and some food but not enough. So about a month ago we were talking about getting some more food and on the shelf in front of me at the grocery store was the largest container of Freeze Dried meat and onions and milk I had ever seen. It was in my opinion disgusting but what if? What if that’s all we had to eat? I sometimes wonder how long it would take me to get myself to eat that stuff.

Since we’re on-line looking at options and it’s the winter season an all I thought I’d share a website that has a few more appealing freeze dried options. PrepareWise has long term storage options for food and a cool calculator so you can determine how much food you would need along with some product options you can buy directly from them. Prepare Wise also has some basic survival kits that include bandages, toothpaste and other things you need besides food.

So before you lose electricity for a week or face some other natural disaster check out PrepareWise.com.

 

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