We Go Together...Like PB & J [Cookies!]

While my boyfriend was off at school, I sent him his favourite: peanut butter cookies! This recipe was my Grandma's and is sooo yummy! The outside has a bit of crunch because of the sugar, while the inside is soft and chewy.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Butter
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup White Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 cup Peanut Butter
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 1/2 cups Flour
• 1 cup Chocolate Chips (optional)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in egg, vanilla, and peanut butter.
   
3. In another smaller bowl, combine salt, baking soda, and flour. Gradually add to butter mixture.
4. If using, add chocolate chips and mix well.
5. Roll dough into 1 inch balls then roll in white sugar (or decorative sugar) and press with a fork.
   
6. Bake for 10-12 mins or until lightly brown. Cool and enjoy!

You can also make a PB & J card if you are sending these to someone special. These cookies mail well too. I wrapped them in an old paper towel tube and foil and they were still moist after 3 days in the mail. Happy baking!

Envelope Bill & Receipt Organizer

After seeing various other blogs using envelopes to create organizers, I thought I would come up with my own version.

Materials:

• envelopes (one for each category you want to make)
• patterned paper
• ribbon
• glue

1. Cut off the top flap of the envelope then trace the envelope on the back of your choice of patterned paper. Glue the paper onto the front of the envelope.

2. Create labels for each envelope. I will now introduce you to my favorite tool ever: the sticker maker! You can make anything into a sticker. Put it into the machine, pull the tab at the bottom and it automatically puts adhesive on the back of your object. Mess free and so much fun!

3. Measure ribbon for the length that you want your organizer to be. Then punch holes in each envelope (I put mine at 1cm and 9cm from the top) on each side. Make sure they are equal on each side so it won't turn out lopsided. Use a glue dot to help secure your ribbon while you attatch the ribbon to the envelope with a brad

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4. Make a loop with ribbon and attatch it using a brad to the centre of the top envelope. Now hang it up and fill it with recipes, coupons, bills, and any other bits you want!

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Check out this site for their envelope organizer under "SC Johnson’s Right@Home Blog Posts." This was my inspiration...

Faux Polaroid Photo Wall

This is a cool way to display photos. Now that Polaroids are no longer available, you can turn any of your regular photos into a 'Polaroid'. Download the program here. I printed mine onto photo paper and cropped the total size to 3.5 inches x 4.25 inches (the dimensions of a real Polaroid) and put them on a bulletin board. I love this program because it crops the photos and gives them that 'Polaroid' look by altering the colour and putting a border around them. Very fun! You can also write a message or memory below in the white space. Have fun with this it's addicting!!

Simple Crochet Toque

This is a simple crochet pattern for a toque that you can make. If you know how to do a double crochet then you can make this. It is very simple and once you get the hang of doing a double crochet you can whip them off in no time. For Christmas I made about 6 of them! If you are quick it can be done in less than 5 hours. The black and white striped toque is make with separate rows while the multicoloured one is a continual spiral. This pattern can be easily adjusted to make it bigger or smaller and can be make with or without the ear flaps (which I have done and will still cover the ears if you choose not to use ear flaps).

I used a size K hook and a bulky (~6)weight yarn.

Rnd 1: Ch. 3. Sl st in first ch to form a ring. Ch 3 (counts as dc), dc 11 in ring (should have total of 12 dc). If you are doing a continual spiral (if using just one colour of yarn) then make sure you use a stitch marker and continue on. Otherwise fasten off and start with next colour.

Rnd 2: 2 dc in each dc of previous rnd.

Rnd 3: [2 dc, then 1 dc in next], repeat around.

Rnd 4: [2 dc, then 1 dc in next 2], repeat around.

Rnd 5: [2 dc, then 1 dc in next 4], repeat around.

Rnd 6-14: 1 dc in each st around. (The amount of rows can be adjusted depending on the length you want. 11 rows is sufficient if you are using a super bulky weight).

Rnd 15: sc in each st around to finish off.

Optional: Add ear flaps starting about 6-8 st from back seam. Do rows of dc to fit width of ear flap and decrease as you go down. The number of stitches will depend on the type of wool you use but it should be somewhere between 10-15 dc wide and about 6 rows long. Braid 12 pieces of wool for tails.

I made the multicoloured hat and scarf for my brother for Christmas and you could make a matching scarf easily by doing straight rows of dc. Start with a chain of your desired length then dc along the original chain until you have your desired width.

How to double crochet

Any questions? Just ask and I'll try to help!

Sponge Toffee

Here is a different candy idea that is fun and easy to make and tastes great! It is like the inside of a Crunchie bar. The pieces could also be dipped in chocolate which would taste really good. There are lots of recipes on the web for this candy. Some include vinegar and others don't. I got my recipes here which doesn't use vinegar. Make sure you line your pan when making this with parchment otherwise you will have a difficult time removing it when it's done. Have fun!

Peppermint Bark

Nothing says the holidays like peppermint bark! All you need is white chocolate and candy canes. Unwrap and put candy canes into a Ziploc bag. Now take out all those mall-shopping frustrations and hit them with a wooden mallet, heavy pan, or a hammer until they are in small pieces. Try not to turn them into powder. Over a double boiler, melt white chocolate (the amount is up to you, it all depends on how much you want). Mix in peppermint pieces. I also add peppermint flavouring for a bit of extra flavour. Put a piece of parchment paper or a Silpat over a cookie sheet and pour chocolate onto it. Spread out using a spatula. You can top your bark with more peppermint pieces or use green melting chocolate and drizzle that on top. Put it in the freezer until it hardens (~15 minutes) then break into chunks. This is a simple recipe and can be adapted depending on the amount you want to make. This is a fun recipe to do with kids too because they can have fun breaking up the peppermints. Happy Holidays!

Mint Patties

This is a yummy peppermint recipe for the holidays. It comes from my Auntie Rita who makes them every year and I just had to have it because they are so good! You could probably cover them in chocolate too and it would taste really good or even try out some different flavours. These are really easy to make and just as easy to eat!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp cream (or milk)
• 1-2 tsp peppermint extract to taste (I used a few drops of candy flavouring in mine)
• Red and Green food colouring

1. Mix all ingredients except food colouring until smooth and creamy. (Using your hands here works well)
2. Divide mixture in half and colour.
3. Roll into small balls and place on waxed paper. Flatten slightly with a fork. They should be about the size of a quarter.
   
4. Let dry for several hours. Store in an air tight container.

This makes about 50 patties. Enjoy!