Where did January go?
January lasted a full year last year. I’m certain of it.
It is now February. A sweet month celebrating heart health, love and typically snow.
The weather in Kentucky has been unpredictable this month. The forecasts have a mix of sun, wind and rain each week.
If love is in the air.. it blew away yesterday along with everyone’s porch decor and winter hats.
Tomorrow will be March 1st. I wonder if it will come in like a lion or a lamb?
I made my Granddaddy’s favorite cookies yesterday. He loved peanut butter. And he loved peanut butter cookies. He loved the ones with the chocolate kisses on top, too.
Here is the recipe from The Gooseberry Patch Celebrate Autumn Cookbook. This book came out in 1996 and I still love it. I use it and other Gooseberry Patch books in my seasonal decorating, as well as in my kitchen. I’ve included a picture of the recipe because I love the happy country artwork that The Gooseberry Patch is known for.
Peanut Butter Cookies:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 large egg
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg, pb, soda and vanilla. Mix til smooth. Add flour in portions, mix well. Grease baking sheets. Using teaspoonfuls of dough, roll into balls and place on cookie sheet. Flatten dough balls with the times of a fork in a cross cross pattern. Bake app. 12 minutes, until golden. Makes app. 70 2-inch cookies.
My tips: I used a melon baller instead of rolling. It’s quicker and I need every spare minute. I sprayed my pan with cooking spray. I baked the cookies for 11 minutes, and they turned out perfectly delicious. I also sprinkle a bit of sugar on top before baking. I like the glitter effect.
Happy Baking!
April Fool’s Day is a day for silly pranks and good, clean fun for family and friends.
Back in the day, my mother let us come up with little tricks like reconstructing empty banana peels, the famous “finger in a box” trick and she sat through countless tall tales as we did our best with April trickery. Good Mommas are the best at showing the amazement of an April 1st giggly tale not being true.
April 1 is also one of my very best friend’s birthday. My thoughts this morning were on calling her to wish birthday wishes before our days were too hectic. Hearing her happy, happy voice was a treat for me as well.
I was also busy thinking of any prank that would top what happened yesterday in Lexington.
Two of our kids attend the University of Kentucky. (Love it – Go Cats). A friend of mine texted me yesterday that a steer was loose on campus on Cooper Drive. We laughed about my Agriculture/Business major son going on site to lasso the poor dear or ride it down frat row. Talk about a pre-April Fool’s prank! The steer and the roundup team are all just fine, per local news reports.
http://www.lex18.com/story/28665262/cooper-drive-closed-due-to-bovine-in-the-row
How would I top that today?
As I began the morning routine, a text and pic came in from my friend, Amber. She is (easily) one of the most talented crafters I know. Her projects are always well planned and well executed. I have to share her April Fool’s for her class of little ones at school.
Snack time! Anyone up for some kool-aid and fries?
SURPRISE!
Yep! The sweetest April Fool’s trick I have ever seen. It’s actually pound cake fries and a sneaky cup of jello.
Well done, Amber! I know the kids had a good laugh and a great snack today!
Extra points for hand-crafting the “fries” cup and red frosting ketchup! Love it!
Happy April Fool’s Day!
Sweetly Simple. Easy to make and bake. Beautiful presentation. What’s not to love about Meringue Kisses.
My tip: use quality ingredients. The best your budget will allow.
Martha Stewart has a million and one recipes for fun and fancy meringue inspired creations.
http://www.marthastewart.com/1058620/meringue-cookies
I’m a fan of simple meringue kisses for a snow inspired winter treat.
Frosted Cranberry Pecan Bark
So yummy! An original recipe straight from the Sweetheart kitchen.
Inspiration is everywhere. Especially in my pantry that I keep full of different gourmet baking bits.
I was hosting a winter bridal shower themed in red and white. I wanted to add in something different to my kitchen that was quickly filling with peppermint sweets. Inspiration.. dried cranberries. They are a beautiful shade of rustic red. Now what? A few creative thoughts later and waa-laa!
Frosted Cranberry Pecan Bark!
Prep is a snap. Simply line a baking sheet (with edges) with wax paper and you are ready to go! Here is the recipe:
Frosted Cranberry Pecan Bark
Almond bark, melted
Small pkg. dried cranberries
Pecan pieces
Clear sparkling sugar crystals
Melt almond bark, or your favorite white chocolate, to package directions. Working quickly, save out 1/4 to 1/2 cup, pour the rest onto prepped baking pan. Spread to desired thickness. Sprinkle on cranberries and pecans. Drizzle with the extra almond bark that you have set aside. This will help hold the cranberries and pecans in. Sprinkle liberally with the sugar crystals, for a snowy frosted look.
That’s it! Let sit until set. Break apart or cut into squares using a sharp knife.
It makes a beautiful presentation for your dessert buffet or gifts for the neighbors.
Enjoy!
It’s been a WOW week in the Sweetheart kitchen. Feels good. I love to cook and bake and create sweet treats.
I’m sharing this fabulous recipe that a facebook friend shared. It caught my attention because it had Easy, Peanut Butter, and Fudge in the title. What’s not to love about that!
I’m happy to report that the “easy” was correct and the ingredients are common in any cook’s kitchen. Bonus!
This recipe turned out great, especially considering the circumstances. I don’t follow the rule of “this will be funny when we look back on it”. I pretty much think things are funny right when they happen.
I like to plan well for the free time I have while the baby naps. I write a blog post, create graphics or prep dinner, answer emails or prep for an oils class. Whatever fits the day.
Today during nap time I was making a yummy chicken soup. Simple, rustic, comfort food chicken soup. My plan was to Chop-Chop-Chop the chicken and vegetables, spice it up, stir and let hum along in the crockpot for a few hours before dinner so that the ingredients marry well. Mission accomplished.
I finished up and tidied up the kitchen, then remembered the fudge recipe I wanted to test. I love new recipes and I test them out long before I need to rely on it to take it to an event. I would be cutting it close on time for the baby to wake up but couldn’t resist.
I put the milk and sugar on to boil and was in my own little fudge stirring world when the I Love Lucy moment occurred. The SMOKE ALARMS went off!
I scampered around to get the pot off the burner, and a chair over to the smoke alarm to reach to stop the blaring beep beep beep beep. Skittered down the hall to see if it woke the baby. He was stirring but still laying down snuggled up to his teddy bear. Sprinted back to my fudge, that was only supposed to boil for two and a half minutes.
I crossed my fingers that it didn’t overboil, and moved on to the next recipe step as if without a care in the world. Poured the fudge into my prepped dish and let the testing of the recipe begin.
I couldn’t help but peek at it and sample it as it was cooling off and setting up. It was setting up so well! Smoke alarms and all!
This recipe is an absolute winner for me in every way. Easy ingredients, easy prep, quick cook and delicious turnout. Enjoy!
Baking and treat making tip: use quality ingredients. I love my sweet bottle of Nielsen Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract. I’m a Kentucky girl. In Kentucky, when you say bourbon it means whiskey. Not this time. The vanilla beans used for this extract are grown on the Bourbon Island of Madagascar. They use a cold extraction process, and the results are fantastic.
Peanut Butter Fudge
1/2 cup milk
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
Bring milk and sugar to a boil. Boil 2 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Stir in vanilla. Mix well. Pour into a baking dish lined with wax paper. Let cool completely. Using a sharp knife, cut into squares.
Yummmmm! Seriously. Yum. I love seasoned oyster crackers. Don’t you?
I call them ‘Tis the Season Crackers because I make them from Halloween to New Year’s Eve and then tuck the recipe away so that it stays special.
There are recipes for these yummy crackers on just about every food blog, craft site, Pinterest board. All yummy, all worth making. I’ve tried other brands of ranch seasoning, I just prefer Hidden Valley ranch.
I’ve added a little twist to my recipe. I work with Young Living Essential oils. My kitchen now has a pantry-full of oils that I use in many ways. Many are for blending for health and topical use. Many can be used in recipes for scenting the home and for food use. Hello lemon oil!
To add some zing to seasoned oyster crackers, I simply follow the recipe by Hidden Valley, no fresh dill and no garlic powder, add a bit more ranch powder, and add 5-10 drops of Young Living Essential Oil brand lemon oil, depending on if I double or triple the recipe.
I’m not a huge fan of dill unless it’s seasoning a pickle. Add it, or substitute dried if you love it.
I can’t tell you how great a difference the lemon oil makes. It compliments the traditional ranch seasonings perfectly.
I just made a batch for my husband’s office (less a cupful for me). Happy Friday!
https://www.hiddenvalley.com/recipe/185/hidden-valley-oyster-crackers/
Perusing Pinterest for PePpeRmiNt SwEEts. 
Sometimes it’s a treat. Sometimes it’s a TRICK.
It’s been a TRICK of a week. And that’s ok. It is my choice to shake it off and enjoy the holiday.
I have treat supplies all piled up on the kitchen counter. And guess what? I’m going to just let it go and pack them away.
There are fun places to go and fun people to see and they will understand completely.
Here are a few easy peasy Pinterest goodies if you are in a pinch for what to take to a Halloween party tonight!
Treat! 
It’s officially AUTUMN! I made my first batch of butterscotch haystacks last week.
I know, I know… Many other things herald the autumn season. The official date of the turning season, for one, and also corn shocks being gathered, the return of pumpkin spice lattes, boots and jacket weather, falling leaves, football games and more.
I volunteered to make treat trays for a fundraising cake walk. So many sweet ideas to choose from. Baking, dipping, decorating…how would I choose? Bakers and bake sale treat makers know how hard it is to decide on the final treat list.
I finally decided, made a list, checked it twice, and off we went. Three stores later, we had all of our supplies.
The evening of baking, I had the sweet surprise of some extra family time. I’m a Mary-Martha mix. I laid it all down to thoroughly enjoy the visit, quickly revised my baking plan into dipping only, and quickly changed the treats into just-as-cute but more time efficient goodies. Win win!
The star of the show, and the theme of the treat platter is the traditional Butterscotch Haystack. Simple and yummy. Simply melt butterscotch chips over low heat, pour over chow mein noodles, stir to coat and drop onto wax paper. What looks like fall fun more than haystacks? Edible butterscotch haystacks!
If you’re ever in a baking pinch at Halloween, stick candy eyes on any treat and they look spookily adorable. I dipped vanilla cream cookies in white chocolate, sprinkled with glitter sugar and added eyes. Sweet monsters!
No Halloween walk would be complete without ghosts, right? I did half of the Peeps ghosts with a quick chocolate dip and purple and orange sprinkles. I chocolate glued candy pumpkins onto the other half of the ghosts. Even ghosties like to pick pumpkins.
I chocolate glued jack o’lantern Peeps onto fudge striped cookies for a spur of the moment cookie treat. I had originally planned on topping chocolate cupcakes with the happy faced Peeps. Sometimes quick on the draw leads to great things! I love the way these look and will keep them in the autumn treat round up.
Hay bales! Rice Krispy treats cut into rectangles and dipped in white chocolate, candy pumpkins atop, and sprinkles and there you have it. A darling, sweet hay bale treat.
One of my favorite autumn memories includes trips out to the county to visit the pumpkin patch that had giant pumpkins. Three cheers for Campfire marshmallows! Giant pumpkin marshmallows are a great addition to my platter of “A spooky sweet walk among the haystacks”.
I have treat supplies left over, and will make more treats before Halloween. I wouldn’t trade sweet family time for anything! So I think this batch of quick dip spooky sweet treats worked out perfectly!
The finishing touch: arrange in a platter or pan with a clear top, tie it up with ribbon and a Halloween plastic ring and it’s ready for sharing!
My Sweetheart Life 