Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Peanut Butter Bar Ice Cream Cup Recipe

April 20th, 2010

This creation was thought up after my Grandma watched the Pillsbury bake off winner win a million dollars for a “cookie cup”. I didn’t watch the show, but was introduced to the cookie cups when my Grandma brought over a tray of chocolate ice cream filled peanut butter cookie cups. That is one of those ideas that I’m like “why didn’t I think of that?!” I think my Grams was in the creative mood because I stopped by her house the next day and she had another dessert concoction sitting in her fridge, this time it was some sort of an oatmeal chocolate bar.
I then thought…..
How delicious would it be to combine both desserts? It would be like a cookie/bar/ice cream dessert.
Oh gosh, just when I’m trying to start eating healthy.

Well here they are: Peanut Butter Bar Ice Cream Cups

Ingredients: Peanut Butter Cookie dough (you can make your own or even try a different flavor. I used refrigerated Pillsbury cookie dough), quick cooking oats, brown sugar, chocolate chips and your choice of ice cream and toppings.

1 roll of cookie dough fills about 8 or so large muffin cups or 24 small ones.

It’s easiest to cut the cookie dough in equal pieces, than roll each piece in a ball and flatten in your hand. Then you form a cup in your preferred size of muffin tin.
As you can see… they don’t have to be pretty.

I then made a mixture of brown sugar and oats. No need to measure here. I’d say maybe 1 cup of each?

You then fill up the cups with a little of the oat mixture. I filled maybe 1/4 of the cup up, but next time I think I would fill it up 1/2 way.

Then comes the chocolate chips. You could even use white chocolate chips or I guess, whatever you want! Be creative like Grams

OK now is baking time. I suggest baking the cookie cups at a temperature lower than what the package says. This will make sure the cookie is baked throughout rather than a crispy shell. Bake until they look and feel done. They might be a little puffy, but you can take a spoon and flatten the sides down so it looks like a cup again.
Let them sit for awhile and then take them out, or you might have a dozen leaky cookie cups on your hands.

The minis would be adorable for a dinner party. Make a few different kinds: sugar, chocolate chip and peanut butter all with different ice cream flavors. Harden in the freezer before serving, so it doesn’t become a sloppy mess! Include the three different minis on the same plate and it would look gorgeous!

Make sure your cookie cup has completely cooled… and you know the rest.

Ah, look at you beautiful thing. It’s a love/hate relationship.. you can’t live with ‘em but you can’t live without ‘em.

peanut-butter-bar-ice-cream-cup-recip.html

French-Toast Grilled Cheese with Apples

Ingredients

8 slices good quality white bread, each about 1/2-inch thick
Combine 1/3 cup dark amber maple syrup with 1/3 cup stone ground mustard OR use 2/3 cup fig spread
12 ounces extra-sharp cheddar, sliced
1 apple, such as Gala, Honeycrisp or McIntosh, very thinly sliced
3 large eggs
1/2 cup half-n-half or whole milk
Freshly grated nutmeg
A generous pinch cinnamon
Butter

Yields: Makes 16 appetizer bites

Preparation

Spread maple mustard or fig spread on bread slices. Build 4 cheese and apple sandwiches.

Heat a griddle pan over medium heat.

Beat eggs with half-n-half or milk and season with nutmeg and cinnamon. Turn sandwiches in the egg and cook in melted butter on hot griddle pan. Grill sandwiches until deeply golden and the cheese has melted.

Cut sandwiches into triangles or 4 square pieces to serve.

How to Save One-Third of Your Income

ne of the main arguments in my book, Generation Earn,  is that we need to drastically increase the amount of money we're  saving. On average, we should save about one-third of our income in our  twenties, thirties, and forties for retirement, emergency funds, and big  goals such as purchasing a home. I've gotten a lot of questions about  that--how is it even possible? What did you give up to do that? Are you  doing that right now? I wanted to share some of the ways I saved that  much and explain why I think it's necessary.

[In Pictures: 12 Money Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes]

First,  a confession: I am not currently saving one-third of my income. That's  because I've experienced two major financial shocks in the last year,  having a baby and buying a house. Between mortgage payments and daycare  expenses, I've fallen way behind, but I plan to return to my previous  saving levels as soon as those costs become more manageable.

For  most of my twenties, though, I was saving one-third of my income. About  twenty percent went directly into my retirement accounts, so I never  even saw the money. I put an additional 15 percent into after-tax  savings accounts, which was mostly invested in money market funds.

Here are some of my strategies that made it possible:

Live like a college student long after graduation:  My husband and I continued living in a small apartment with our old  futon as a sofa for five years after graduation. At first, we didn't use  cable and stuck with an old tube television. For awhile, we even  figured out a way to make room for our baby in that small space.

Become a frugal chef.  I didn't know much about cooking before I got married, but I quickly  learned how to make vegetable-focused meals from the Food Network. Using  small amounts of meat saved us money, as did limiting our restaurant  meals.

Stick with one car. We've always chosen to live near  public transportation so we can limit ourselves to one car, which saves  us thousands of dollars a year. Between gas, upkeep, and insurance,  cars are expensive, so sticking to one can make a big difference. (These  first three items--housing, food, and transportation--take up about  two-thirds of most people's incomes, so focusing on that pricey trifecta  can have a big impact.)

[For more money-saving tips, visit the U.S. News Alpha Consumer blog.]

Use old cell phones.  We never joined the smartphone craze, so while we might not look as  cool with our bulky old-style phones, we're saving a lot by avoiding  pricey data plans and high-tech gadgets.

Splurge on small but meaningful indulgences.  When I bought my husband a LCD television for his birthday one year (to  replace the old tube set we had), I knew it was a huge splurge, and  certainly not a necessary one. But given all of our other sacrifices, I  figured it was worth it, and given how much he likes it, I think it was.  We also buy high-quality beer to drink at home. Even though a $9  six-pack is no deal, it's much cheaper than drinking at a bar.

Everyone's  strategies will be different, since they're based on your own  preferences. You might bring a bagged lunch every day but go on an  international vacation every year, or indulge in restaurant meals while  collecting coupons for the grocery store. As long as you're cutting back  on the areas that aren't that important to you, you won't feel like  you're making an impossible sacrifice.

Almost everyone can save a  significant chunk of income, regardless of income level or where you  live. You just have to live a lifestyle that's a lot more frugal than  the one you could actually afford. Sure, you might occasionally wish you  had a fancier television, or furniture, but purchasing those items give  such short-term bursts of pleasure that the cost is hardly worth it.  Instead, invest in your relationships, hobbies, and career, all of which  can outlast even the most expensive television.

What are your savings techniques? How much of your income do you try to save?

Kimberly Palmer is the author of the new book Generation Earn: The Young Professional's Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back.

http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/How-to-Save-OneThird-of-Your-usnews-2368738838.html 

Truffle Brownie Hearts

I don’t usually make homeade brownies. It’s has always been easier for me to throw a .90 cent batch of brownies in the oven….until I found this recipe. It is quick and easy because you just mix on the stove – no mixer and beaters required. You can obviously substitute this homeade brownie mix for a pre-made one, when you’re in a time crunch.
Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups + 2 tblspoons semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup milk
Sprinkles or other decoration

Preheat oven to 350. First you start out with a 9×9 square baking pan. I’m not good with measurements, so I’ll show you what the pan looks like. You’ve probably got one at home. I then cover the baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking.

In a large pot on the stove, I combined 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup butter (1 stick). Cook over low heat, stirring, until melted and combined. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar and eggs until blended. Add flour, vanilla and salt; whisk until smooth. Tansfer to the baking dish and bake 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with very moist crumbs clinging. Lift brownies by the foil from pan.

The brownie should separate from the foil easily. Let it cool for about 15 minutes. I was surprised how think it was, but don’t worry, it will turn out.

I bought a box of 100 cookie cutters for like $9.00. They are just cheap plastic, but they work fine. I found a little heart about an inch and a half wide. You can use other shapes and sizes, but this recipe allows you to make 12 brownies with a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter or less.

Then simply cut out the brownies. The brownie was too thick for the cookie cutters to go through, so I pushed them down as far as they could go and then took a small sharp knife and went around each one.

Then you get cute little brownies like this. It is good to cut out the brownies when they are a little warm. That way you can mold any stray crumbs to a perfect heart shape.

Then combine 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1/4 cup milk. Microwave on high in 30-second intervals until melted, stirring between intervals. This usually takes 1:30. If you have a cookie rack, that will be perfect. Place wax paper underneath the rack to catch the mess. Pour the melted chocolate over the brownies. I didn’t have a rack, so I just placed them on a plate and it worked fine.

Yum.

Let the brownies set for a while. Put them in the fridge if you want to speed up the process. Then take 2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate and melt for about 15 seconds. Spoon the chocolate into a small plastic ziploc bag and snip a tiny hole in one corner. Pipe lines over the brownies or decorate however you want!

Right click and save recipe below to print.

How To Raise Polite Kids

Dr. Jodi Stoner and Lori Weiner, authors of the new book, Good Manners are Contagious, are on a mission to change how kids interact with the rest of the world. Their book offers tangible strategies for raising responsible, resilient and respectful children.

Here, Stoner, a clinical psychologist, and Weiner, a highly successful career coach, offer tips on common scenarios to raise a well-rounded, well-grounded and well-mannered child.

Situation: Your daughter doesn't like something (food, drink, etc.) offered to her at a guest's house. she begins to blatantly tell her guest so.
Solution: Good manners training begins long before your daughter's first experience in someone else's home, whether it is for a play-date or for dinner. The teaching set should be for your child to say "No thank you" when she is offered any type of food or drink she does not want. If she is disrespectful at someone else's home, future outings should be curtailed until she masters correct social behavior.

Situation: Your very shy son refuses to play with your friend's children or interact at all.
Solution: Knowing your son is shy, speak with your friend about an activity that both children would enjoy, i.e legos. Encourage paired play with words that praise the desired behavior. Social skills take time to build, and in time your son will feel more secure and confident to be able to engage in pro-social behaviors on his own.

Situation: Your son is talking over the other children in an after school class.
Solution: Talk with your son about any behavior problems that are happening at school and, with positive dialogue, explain why we let other people take turns in speaking. Support the teacher in her role to stop your child from interrupting by praising him when he doesn't interrupt. Hopefully, the teacher will give him an opportunity to speak when he raises his hand.

Teach your child what constitutes rightful interruptions. This should only be in critical situations such as emergencies (someone is hurt) or urgencies (bathroom issues or someone is at the door).

Situation: An older child is being aggressive/verbally bullying your daughter at the playground.
Solution: Bullying behavior is never tolerated. Teach your child to ignore the bullying. If that doesn't work, report the incident to the school. Most schools have a"no bullying policy" and are proactive in stopping it. If this is occurring at the community playground, and that child's parent is not there, speak to the child yourself and tell him what he is doing is dispresectful and hurtful. Maybe you can offer another alternative. If that doesn't work speak to the child's parents. Teach your child that bullying is never acceptable and that it is not tolerated.

http://www.hybridmom.com/articles/live/parenting/how-raise-polite-kids

8 Simple Ways to De-Stress

I met my friends last night for a cup of coffee amidst the bright lights and noisy traffic of Makati. When we asked how each one had been doing, everyone shrieked, "I'm soooo stressed!" Each one seemed very eager to tell the others how busy their schedules were.

One had an awful week at work with bosses dishing out tough deadlines. The other lost their household help and was drowning in laundry. Another friend was nearly in tears sharing her child's dismal report card while relaying how their only car broke down. Moms have a lot of responsibilities and they are stressed enough managing everything on a good day. The stress shoots up during the bad days when Murphy's Law seems to rule. How can moms relieve their stress in the comforts of their own homes?

1. Old Favorite: Doing a DVD marathon. New Favorite: Curling under the covers with a magazine
Reading is something we don't do often because it takes time to finish a book and time is a luxury most moms don't have. Try reading a magazine instead. There are also a lot of good online sites if you happen to have a handy laptop at home. Enrich your mind with short clips from www.ted.com or catch up with the latest news through online newspapers. Then when you're done, bury your head in the soft pillow and enter the world of pleasant dreams.
2. Old Favorite: Eating yummy desserts. New Favorite: Cooking up a storm
Stacking up on empty calories only brings another reason to be stressed about - becoming fat! Instead, cook tasty but nutritious meals for your family. A lot of moms swear that mindlessly chopping carrots and stirring the sauce until it thickens are actually quite relaxing. For moms who beg to disagree, they can find comfort in knowing that there are other ways to relax that don’t involve entering a kitchen.
3. Old Favorite: Taking a bubble bath. New Favorite: Taking a shower
Remember when we were kids and we always wanted to go out and play under the rain? Taking a shower is a great alternative! It eases the pressures from your body. Close your eyes and picture the water washing your worries away, water flowing down your back, drumming out the aches and pains. Make it even better with a sweet-smelling soap or shampoo so the fragrance adds soothing aromatherapy to help you relax even more.
4. Old Favorite: Watching the rain with a cup of coffee. New Favorite: Sipping orange juice while writing in your gratitude journal
Being aware of the many blessings that have come to our lives is a fantastic technique in banishing our self-pity and fears. Write down all the happy moments that you had and the people who have touched your life (while sipping your daily dose of vitamin C). Don't forget to include all the good things you have done for others. Helping other people always makes us feel good because we are able to share our worth and blessings. Slowly read what you have written and you'll realize your stress gradually disappearing.
5. Old Favorite: Exercising the blues away. New Favorite: Dancing the blues away
No one in the house? It's the perfect time then to turn up your stereo's volume just like you did back in high school. Then do the crazy moves you've always been wanting to do but were too embarrassed to do. Swing those arms, jump like crazy and wiggle those hips like there is no tomorrow. The feeling of freedom is exhilarating!

6. Old Favorite: Burning the phone lines with girl pals. New Favorite: Connect with friends through Facebook, Twitter and Email
A true friend knows how to listen, empathize or help analyze a problem. They share our joys and excitement and provide support during challenging times. But most of our friends are also moms who are busy or half a world away. We are blessed be living in a time where technology serves as bridges, connecting us with our friends no matter where they are.

7. Old Favorite: Getting a massage. New Favorite: Getting a massage
A back or foot massage is heaven and will always remain a favorite way to banish stress. It's very relaxing and soothing to feel the swishing motion that takes away the stubborn knots of your muscles. You will surely feel like a pampered princess afterward. There are many affordable spas offering home-service so you can get your massage without the inconvenience of battling traffic. After your indulgent massage, you can sleep your stress away.
8. Old Favorite: Meditating. New Favorite: Praying
I've never been a fan of yoga (sorry, my dear yoga-loving pals) and 7-day silent retreats, but praying has always been a source of comfort. It brings an inner peace that nothing else can bring. Prayer increases your faith and uplifts your spirit; it strengthens your belief that no matter what problem you face, it will all be alright at the end.

The old tried and tested favorites will always be effective but there are other simple things you can consider doing as well. But whatever you choose to do, the important thing to have is me time. Taking time out to do the things you like is what is important, so feel free to take out the paint brushes and create a canvass of beautiful colors, start knitting a comfy red sweater or play a minuet on the piano. Taking care of yourself, even just for half an hour each day, will make you a rejuvenated and happier mom, ready to tackle everything on your to-do list with renewed energy. Task # 1 - de-stress the stress. Check.

14 Ways to Keep Your Relationship Happy

It's amazing that the divorce rate in the United States is estimated at 50%. It's actually pretty sad too. People are so quick to just exit out of a relationship without even trying. But here's a theory - how about learning to keep things happy before problems arise, learning small everyday things that can keep little stresses away? Isn't that a novel idea? I thought so, which is why I created this list of items that have helped me personally. I'm not saying that I have the fairytale relationship but after 13 years I have learned that the small yet simple gestures seem work well.

1. Communicate-not just about your feelings- but about your day. Share stories with one another about what is going on at work or in a friend's life; share what you saw on the news or in a magazine with your significant other if you found it interesting. Discussing regular day to day occurrences is just as important as staying in tune with each others' feelings. It keeps you in tune with your spouse on a daily basis.

2. Take showers together- it doesn't have to be sexual! My husband and I have done this from the beginning of our relationship, did it start out sexual? Probably. But over time it became an intimate thing, just extra time that we can spend together catching up on the day- it just happens that we are naked and in the shower!

3. Go to the park and swing, slide or just play-it's a young and fun thing to do. It keeps you playful and is a great way to relieve stress. Real life can get so with overwhelming with work, kids, bills, laundry, chores- sometimes a play break is what's needed to alleviate all of that, even if it's only for half an hour.

4. Take walks-morning walks are a great way to start your day, not a morning person? Take an evening walk. Getting fresh air and exercise together is good for your health and the health of your relationship. Walking relieves stress, keeps you fit and allows quality time to be spent together.

5. Date nights-put everything on hold for an hour or two and plan on just doing something alone with your spouse. It can be dinner, a walk, the mall, whatever, just make the time for just the two of you with no one else around, catch up on your day or week or just joke around and have fun. But making time for just the two of you is important.

6. Play video games or wrestle-a healthy dose of competition is always good and it can be an entertaining way to not only have fun but a great stress buster as well. Just don't take it too seriously and be a sore loser because that would defeat the whole purpose.

7. Have sex-even if you don't want to, you need to keep the sexual chemistry between you and your significant other alive. Being intimate and showing your love for one another is a significant part of your union.

8. Hold hands- it may seem insignificant; however, this small but intimate gesture shows that you care about each other even when you are doing something simple like walking from the car to the grocery store.

9. Give praise-telling your significant other that they are great at something can be a huge ego boost. It shows that you care and that you pay attention and like the way he/she does something. It's always nice to know that your spouse appreciates the things you do and the way you do them.

10. Be thankful-a simple thank you for taking the trash out, taking the kids to school, fixing that faucet or simply being a great spouse goes a long way. Letting someone know that you are thankful for what they do means a lot.

11. Have time apart-couples don't need to spend 24/7 together. Spending time away with the girls or the guys makes you appreciate one another. Have your own lives apart from one another. Schedule dinners or mini vacations if you can to keep up with friends.

12. Don't always nag-if you start nagging too much you will create resentment. Reminding someone of something a few times is one thing but becoming obnoxious about it will produce hostility and that's not the outcome that you are looking for.

Take a different approach, ask nicely, explain what you need done and by when. The nicer you are the better.

13. Share advice-you never know when great, unexpected advice can come about. My husband and I work in two totally different professions yet we manage to swap advice on work all the time. The advice does not have to be work related, it can be about the kids, the chores, money management, it doesn't matter, be open to sharing different ideas.

14. Pick and choose your battles-Over the years I have learned that life is short and arguments are lame. Now I only get mad at things that I feel are truly important. I've learned to pick and choose my battles. Everyone will have that one battle that they choose to fight, just choose it carefully. Just think "is this really worth getting mad about? Will I still be mad about it this tomorrow morning? Will I even remember this next week?" Most of the time the answer is no. I've learned that this approach makes for a healthier and happier relationship and definitely causes less stress.

http://www.hybridmom.com/articles/family-parenting/marriage-divorce/14-ways-keep-your-relationship-happy?page=2

10 Habits of Happy Moms

Here are 10 things happy moms do--so remember these tips in your day-to-day life!

1. Find time for yourself
Happy moms know they deserve a little time to themselves. When you know you're going to have a little room to breathe later on in the day, it's easier to take on everything that's in front of you. Our formula? Take 2 hours out for yourself every 3 days.

2. Don't make a happy baby, happier!
We all do it...you see your baby's head at what you're sure is an unnatural angle snoozing in their car seat. You just know they'll be happier if their head was straight. So you move them. And they wake up. Then they scream. Or, you see them playing happily in the sand. You just know they'll be happier if they played on the slide. So you interrupt them and move them to the slide. And they're angry. And they let you know they're REALLY angry. Here's the thing, they were happy. It can be hard to do, but if your kid's not complaining, leave them be! Happy baby = Happy Mommy.

3. Embrace the mess
So your house doesn’t look like something out of a magazine. That just means it’s cozy! Your children have hands coated in dirt from the playground and faces coated in spaghetti from dinner. It’s not gross—it’s an adorable photo op! Life is about how you look at things. Next time that pile of laundry that’s been sitting on the chair for three days starts to get you down, just remember… it’s probably feng shui.

4. Make time for your friends
Your family can survive without you while you make time to see friends. You are a woman with your own identity and its imperative that you and that identity go out for some margaritas once in awhile!

5. Stop blowing yourself off
While you may be the one taking care of everyone, it doesn't mean you can't also get what you want. Help your family realize your needs are as important as theirs and when mom is happy, everyone is happy, but when mom is not....

6. Get in the zone Take 10 minutes to do absolutely nothing but rest. Take a break from your day, close your eyes, breath in slowly and deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Repeat several times. Think about a place you love that is relaxing, spend 10 minutes there in your mind.

7. Remember your dreams and goals
Everyday we are encouraging our children to reach their full potential. But sometimes in the midst of being a parent we forget about our own dreams and goals. The best thing you can do to encourage a child is to lead by example –happy moms hold on to their dreams and goals and don’t let go.

8. Be lighthearted
Don't be the uptight mom. Be silly and dance with your kids to their music or tv show tunes. Be romantic and pull your partner into a waltz. Dance in slippery socks in your kitchen while making dinner.

9. Bend the Rules
One of the best parts of making the rules is occasionally breaking them. Maybe it’s taking your child out of school for half a day on their birthday, or waking them up in the middle of the night to see a sky of shooting stars. Happy moms know how to turn the mundane into fun.

10. Mind your own business
Concentrate on creating your life the way you want it. Take care of you and your family. Don’t get overly concerned with what other people are doing or saying. Don’t get caught up with gossip or name calling. Stop seeking the validation of others and be confident in yourself.

message from God-2

On this day of your life, Ch, we believe God wants you to know ...
that a successful relationship requires falling in love many times, always with
the same person.

Always with the same person, but deeper and deeper every time. Each time on a
whole new level you together open in love and discover the truth of your
beloved anew. There is no limit to the beauty of your beloved. If you think
you've reached the end, stop generalizing.

Top 3 parenting tips for new moms

1. Spend quality time with your child even if your busy.
2. Ask and learn from other moms experience.
3.Just be a hot cool momma.

My top 3 wishes of my Anaks:

1. That they will be healthy and have best future.
2. That they will have their own happy family in the future.
3. That they will turnout to be beautiful person inside and out.

H - Life

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