Grape Nuts Bark

The holidays are here and it is time to savor the moments with family! My family has been crafting, decorating, watching Christmas cartoons and movies and of course, eating all of the yummy holiday goodies we can get our hands on!

We can't help but be a little excited, thanks to all the peeks we have been getting of the trailer for the new film hitting theaters, SING©. My kids think this should be one of the films we head to see this holiday season, and I can't agree more. Taking in a few movies as a family is one of our many holiday traditions!

I can't help but agree with them. We have to go see SING© and I have made a treat that the kids are singing in delight for. The adults I know also sang with pleasure and appreciation for their waistlines. With the help of Grape Nuts© at my local Kroger I was able to make an incredible and easy snack that indulges the sweet tooth while packing a wholesome punch that is downright crunchy crave-able!

To make your holiday traditions a little sweeter, head out and grab a box of Grape Nuts so you can try this yummy Grape Nuts recipe. It is so easy, all you will need is chocolate candy coating and Grape Nuts.

First, melt your candy coating in the microwave or in a double boiler. Stirring often.
Second, line a cookie sheet with wax paper.

Third, spread your melted chocolate on the wax paper lined cookie sheet.

Last, sprinkle Grape Nuts over the melted chocolate. Place the cookie sheet into the fridge and allow to harden, it will take about 20-30 minutes. When the chocolate is hard, break it into small chunks for an incredibly delicious and wholesome Grape Nuts Bark!

If you are excited to see SING© starting on 12/21, you are going to want to  redeem this coupon on your purchase participating Post Cereal Brands and enter the SING© Sweepstakes for a chance to win the $100,000 grand prize plus the chance to instantly win lots of prizes including movie tickets, speakers and more.



NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Promotion starts 11/1/16 at 12:00 PM (noon) ET and ends 3/31/2017 at 11:59:59 PM ET. Open only to legal residents of the 50 US/DC, 18 years of age or older. See Official Rules for instructions on how to enter, how to obtain codes without purchase, prize details, restrictions, odds of winning, etc. Void where prohibited by law. Sponsor:  Post Consumer Brands, LLC.

Best Dinner Rolls Recipe

There is nothing like homemade bread. This recipe is simple but yields big flavorful results!

Baking bread is my passion. I do it often and lose myself in the process, letting my stress melt away as I work the dough. It is a magical process for me.

I make bread all the time, but I have never shared this with you guys. Why is that? I have no idea! So today I want to share my best dinner roll recipe with you. It also makes lovely loaves of fresh white bread.

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 stick of real butter, softened
1/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
2 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
1 cup of warm milk
1 egg
1 teaspoons of butter flavored crisco 
2 tablespoons of melted butter

Directions
Take a large mixing bowl, 'grease' it with Crisco and set it aside.
Add warm milk, sugar and yeast to a medium size mixing bowl. Stir it up and allow it to rest for 5 minutes.
Add butter, egg, salt and 1 cup of flour to the milk mixture, stir to break up butter and egg.
When those ingredients are incorporated add remaining flour.
As the mixture begins to form dough begin mixing with your hands, let that turn to kneading.
Knead the dough for about 3 minutes or until it is soft and pliable in your hands.

Transfer the dough to the greased mixing bowl and allow it to rise for about 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
You can tell the dough is ready when you press a finger into it and the dough rises to fill in the indentation.

Next, liberally butter the loaf pan or baking dish you are going to bake in.
Split the dough into handful size portions for dinner rolls or 2 large rounds for a loaves allow to rest and rise a second time for about an hour.

Brush tops of rolls or loaves with melted butter and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The tops will be a lovely golden color when the bread is done.

You can find more easy recipes here

You can make rolls in a slow cooker too!

Slow Cooker Dinner Rolls and a Giveaway

This conversation was sponsored but the recipe is from me to you, no strings attached, because I know you will love it!

This slow cooker dinner roll recipe is perfect for when the craving for bread hits but you are short on time.

I love to bake bread. It is one of those things that relaxes me and returns me to a simpler life, the aromas that come from my kitchen as the bread transforms from simple ingredients takes me back in time to my childhood, on Sunday mornings when my grandfather would bake fresh bread.

I had never baked in a slow cooker before so when Hamilton Beach offered to send me their awesome Professional Sous Vide and Slow Cooker I knew exactly what I wanted to make. Something different, something simple, something anyone could make without fail.

Slow Cooker Dinner Rolls! This recipe also works well for oven baked bread.

Slow Cooker Dinner Rolls

3 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 stick of real butter, softened
1/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
2 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
1 cup of warm milk
1 egg
1 teaspoons of butter flavored crisco

Take a large mixing bowl, 'grease' it with Crisco and set it aside.

Add warm milk, sugar and yeast to a medium size mixing bowl. Stir it up and allow it to rest for 5 minutes.
Add butter, egg, salt and 1 cup of flour to the milk mixture, stir to break up butter and egg.
When those ingredients are incorporated add remaining flour.
As the mixture begins to form dough begin mixing with your hands, let that turn to kneading.
Knead the dough for about 3 minutes or until it is soft and pliable in your hands.

Transfer the dough to the greased mixing bowl and allow it to rise for about 30 minutes.

For the next step, I turned to my Hamilton Beach Professional Sous Vide and Slow Cooker, as it was cold in my drafty old house and you need a warm environment to successfully raise bread.

I liberally rubbed butter on the sides of the slow cooker pan, next I tore off handfuls of dough and formed it into balls, lining the slow cooker with the balls, spaced about 1/4 apart.
I turned my slow cooker on low for a 4-hour setting.
This allowed my dinner rolls adequate time to rise, then bake.

My rolls came out nicely. They had a delicious golden brown crust but they were as soft as cotton inside and out. The appearance isn't quite as gorgeous as traditional oven baked rolls, as it seems they didn't get as puffy, but the flavor is just as great.

This is a great way to bake bread when you have a busy day planned, or when your oven is tied up. If you happen to not have an oven, you will be so thankful to have this easy and delicious slow cooker dinner roll recipe for the next time a bread craving hits you!

I am crazy about the Hamilton Beach Professional Sous Vide and Slow Cooker, let me tell you what I like about it.

It holds 6 quarts, so it is perfect for cooking for a crowd, it does double duty on cooking capabilities, acting as both a sweet slow cooker and a sous vide cooker, which is a wonderful way to cook with water. It is easy to use, easy to clean and it has a timer! That is so nice!

This slow cooker makes a great gift option this holiday season and is available at Target for about $130.


I have been so happy with my Hamilton Beach that I want to give one to you guys! This giveaway will end on 11/30 and is open to US residents aged 18 and older.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Easy DIY Puzzles for Preschoolers

We love puzzles, but it seems like my kids lose a lot of the pieces in a short amount of time. When I learned about making our own puzzles a while ago, we were hooked. If a piece gets lost it is not an issue as we can make a whole new puzzle for pennies!

This is such an easy project you are going to wonder why you have never made these with your kids before!  It requires basic supplies and only a few moments of time to create. There is no prep time to speak of, and best of all your kids can make these on their own!

All you need to make puzzles are:

Clear tape

Classic Washable Markers

Craft Sticks

First, tape the craft sticks together.

Then draw a design on the opposite side.

Color in the background.

Peel the tape off of the back and scatter the sticks. And there you have an Easy Puzzle for toddlers and preschoolers. If you have older children, you might want to check out my idea for an easy DIY photo puzzle. 

These make a great gift idea for anyone wanting to give a sweet gift for a little one on a tight budget.

17 Pies for Thanksgiving

Can there ever be too many pies at Thanksgiving? I think not! This year I am going to prepare several varieties to share with the people I am thankful to have in my life. This list gives me a great starting point in my pie baking. If you are looking for a few great pie recipes, I know you will find a few on this list that you will love!

Pumpkin
Skinny No-Bake Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Pecan Pie
No-Bake Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

Chocolate
French Silk Pie
Mud Pie 
Chocolate Fudge Pie

Fruity
Peaches & Cream Pie
Cranberry Sauce Pie
4 Ingredient Berry Pie
Blueberry Banana Cream Pie
Easy Cherry Pie
Caramel Apple Pie
Apple Pie

Nutty
Brown Sugar Pecan Pie
Corn Syrup Free Pecan Pie
Vegan Pecan Chocolate Pie

Apple Tree Window Cling

Fall days are the perfect time to find inspiration from nature and create fun crafts with the kids. This easy DIY window decal comes together within a few moments and adds a colorful touch to your windows. The kids will love displaying their artwork for the world to see!

This is such a simple project you guys! For $2 you can make a dozen or more window decals to add a festive fall touch to your windows! Best of all, this imaginative craft is perfect for the kids!

To make an apple tree window cling you will need:
Transparent contact paper, cut to the size you wish to work with. We used a 6'x4" section.
Tissue Paper Squares in dark green and yellow
One strip of brown construction paper
Scissors

First peel the backing off of the contact paper and lay it sticky side up. Add a strip of brown paper for the tree trunk.

Cut several circles from your yellow tissue paper, place around the tree trunk.

Next lay your squares of green tissue paper over the yellow dots, forming the leaves of the tree. 

Finally, find a window that gets a lot of sun and smooth the sticky side to the window. It will peel off without mess or residue whenever you are ready to take it down.

I love this craft for kids because it introduces them to a sticky texture to work with, and manipulating the paper into the right placements is great for fine motor skill development.

You might also enjoy this Fall Tree Silhouette Placemat Craft for kids.

17 Must Read Thanksgiving Books for the Kids

This post contains affiliate links, but the list was inspired by the reading material I have for my children this month.

Thanksgiving is near and everyone is excited for the time with family, the parades and of course the food! This year, why not build on that excitement while offering your kids a chance to read, learn and be entertained without screentime?

I have compiled a great book list for my kids, Roo and Harp and I think your kids will love these titles too. You can order them via the links below or perhaps look for them at your local library.

Pete the Cat's Thanksgiving

Reading Railroad : Giving Thanks

Little Critter Just a Special Thanksgiving

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Helper

Bright Baby Thanksgiving

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie

Ladybug Gives Thanks

What is Thanksgiving?

The Berenstain Bears Give Thanks

T is for Turkey: A True Thanksgiving Story

Happy Thanksgiving Curious George

Fancy Nancy: Our Thanksgiving Banquet 

Arthur's Thanksgiving

 Five Silly Turkeys

Turkey Trouble

10 Fat Turkeys

Have your kids read any of these books? If you have a favorite I would love to hear about it so we can look for it!

20 Chicken Recipes You won't Want to Miss

I don't know if I ever mentioned to you guys that I stopped eating beef and pork? I mean, it is not that I don't love those two meats, but I am kinda going thru this picky eater stage and I am only consuming chicken and fish these days.

So, chicken or seafood every day takes some skill. I have to prepare it in different ways or I will dread dinner time! I turned to my fellow bloggers and started discovering some amazingly delicious recipes for dinner that I know you won't want to miss.

Here are 20 Chicken Dinners that you will want to try. From chili to wraps, tacos to fajitas, there is a chicken recipe for everyone in this collection!

Cheesy Chicken Taquitos
Peanut Butter Chicken
Dr. Pepper Smoked Chicken
Easy Chicken Marsala
Red Chicken Chili

Hot Chicken Salad Braid
Buffalo Chicken Avocado Ranch Wraps
Chicken with Bleu Cheese and Grapes
20 Minute Skillet Chicken and Spinach Parmesan
Chicken & Cheese Stuffed Shells

Roasted Chicken Fajitas
Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Baked Chicken Fajitas
EasyTex Mex Chicken
Chicken Bacon Pizza
Garlic Chicken Pesto with Tomato Cream Sauce
Chicken and Cornbread Casserole

We love Cheesy Chicken Taquitos! This is one of my husbands favorite recipes! I can't wait to make my own Chicken Bacon Pizza and skip carry out pizza! Which of these recipes do you want to try first? Do you have a go to chicken recipe? I would love to hear about it!

Monster Hand-print Puppet

These hand print puppets are adorable and they will be a monstrous hit with your kids! They take the most basic of supplies and come together in a flash for a lot of fun for everyone!

We love to make puppets you guys. Harper and I can craft up a handful of puppets and she will spend the rest of the day, wrapped up in a world of her own dramatic creation! 

We decided that now was the perfect time to make a few easy peasy hand print monster puppets! These were fun because they ready to play with in a matter of moments and they were so cute!

Supplies

construction paper

pencil

scissors

squiggly eyes

craft stick

glue

marker

Trace a hand on construction paper.

Cut it out.

Glue on as many eyes as your child desires. We used 3.

Draw polka dots, hearts or whatever you like to give your monster a fun look.

Glue the craft stick on the back, leaving enough room for small hands to hold on to the stick.

There you have a fun handprint monster for Halloween dramatic play!

You might also like this hand print fish puppet idea.

Paper Plate Crowns

Paper Plate Crowns are super easy to make and incredibly fun for kids! You need only a few items to make these and your kids are going to adore them!

Harper is into all things princesses these days! The gowns, the shoes, the crowns! A few weeks ago, I made these fun paper plate crowns on Quirky Momma, and I knew I wanted to recreate the craft with Harper! You guys, these are so easy to make. You are going to want to pin this for rainy day reference!

All you need is a paper plate, a pair of scissors and some markers or crayons.

Begin by gently folding your plate in half.

 

Cut it thru the center, extending to right before the plate becomes textured on the side.

Make another cut in the opposite direction, Repeating until you have made 4 cuts. It is kinda like cutting a pie.

Next, fold the cuts so they stand up. Repeat until all sections are standing up.

Color the crown, in whatever colors you like, I added hearts for Harper.

Now you have a crown, fit for a princess! 

You might also enjoy this Tree Silhouette Placemat Craft

Paper Plate Witch Craft

This paper plate craft is perfect for toddlers and school aged children. This one requires simple supplies you likely already have and comes together in a flash!

We have been crafting up a lot of Halloween fun! The kids are really excited about spooky fun and awesome costumes, so I have been indulging their interest and excitement with easy crafts! 

To make this fun witch craft all you will need is:

A paper plate

Green Paint or Markers

2 fun googly eyes

Glue

Black Construction Paper

Orange Construction Paper

Scissors

Color or Paint the Paper Plate Green

Cut a triangle from the black paper, then cut a strip slightly longer than the triangle, glue these onto the paper plate like a witch's hat.

Tear a few strips of orange paper for hair. Tearing instead of cutting will give kids a chance to use fine motor skills plus make the paper curl slightly, which is just fun! Glue the hair onto the witch. 

Next, add eyes and draw on a nose and a mouth. We gave our witch a cute smile.

There you have a cute, friendly and fun Paper Plate Witch craft! This is great for little ones because it is creative, it gives them the opportunity to use their scissor skills and work their fine motor skills too. Additionally, it offers your home a touch of personalized Halloween decor!

You might also like this cute Angry Bird's Pig Craft.

12 Apple Inspired Dinners

It is time to head to the orchard and harvest plenty of

beautiful apples! I will,of course, make apple crisps, pies, and even applesauce, but this year, my mind is going to dinner inspiration instead of just desserts!

I found 12 awesome apple inspired dinners that I will certainly be making after my trips to the orchard! From slaws to salads and so many other dishes that there has to be something on this list for everyone!

Why not add an apple to dinner? You know what they say about keeping the doctor away and all!

Apple, Berry and Brie Turkey Burgers

Cabbage, Apple and Kale Salad

Slow Cooker Apple Pork Roast

Pressure Cooker Porkchops with Applesauce

Apple Pork Tenderloin

Apple Cheddar Soup

Apple Meatloaf

Apple Cider Mac n Cheese

Spinach, Apple and Glazed Pecan Salad

Shaved Brussles Sprouts with Apples and Walnuts

Bok Choy and Apple Greek Yogurt Slaw

Apple Chicken Salad

Which of these recipes will you try first? The apple chicken salad sounds perfect for a picnic dinner amidst the crunchy leaves. If you have a recipe that puts apples in your dinner I would love to hear about it!

Grilled Chicken: 10 Delicious Ways

Fall might be here, but in my mind, that makes it the ideal time of year to fire up the grill! There is something special about gathering outdoors on a crisp evening and chowing down on some grilled chicken that I can't resist!

If you feel the same way about fall grilling you won't want to miss these 10 recipes! Of course, you could always bookmark or pin this recipe for future reference when the weather better suits you for grilling!

Dad's Grilled Chicken

Spicy Lemongrass Chicken Skewers

Chicken Fajitas on the Grill

Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken

Grilled Chicken Caprese

BBQ Chicken with Pineapple

Grilled Mediterranean Chicken

Hawaiian Chicken Kebabs

Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizza

Grilled Italian Chicken

Which of these grilled chicken recipes do you think you will make first? I think the Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken sounds pretty fantastic! If you have a grilled chicken recipe that you often go to when you need an awesome dinner, I would love to hear about it!

Jalapeno Popper Spread

Creamy and spreadable, this Jalapeno Popper Spread recipe comes together easily, adds the perfect touch of heat to the cool creaminess of the cheese and best of all... it has bacon in it!

You guys, there are some things in this life that are made for one reason only, to enjoy. On my list of things one is meant to enjoy, no arguments you will find cream cheese, jalapeno peppers, and bacon, as well as the good stuff like puppy breath, the softness of tissues and a luxury pillows.

If there are things meant to enjoy in life, is it wrong to want to enjoy them at the same time? Is it crazy to snuggle a puppy chilling on a luxury pillow with a soft tissue at your disposal? Nah... not crazy, unless you mean crazy awesome. So, why not take a few favorite foods and combine them into one awesome spread to serve at your next party?


This is so easy and yummy that you might want to make a double batch if you are tailgating. It will go fast!
You can serve it with a nice bread, any kind of crackers, or if you thin it down a little, you could use this as a dip!

Ingredients
2 Jalapeno Peppers
6 ounces of softened cream cheese
4 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese
4 ounces of real bacon bits

Remove the seeds from your peppers and chop them.

Add to the cream cheese.
Add shredded cheese.

Add bacon.
Mix well, with a fork until well blended.

Serve with crackers or on bread. This also makes a delicious addition to just about any sandwich you might make!