Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Pumpkin Cookies- Guilt free in SO many ways!

Ok, this recipe I am about to give y'all is probably my favorite recipe in the world. Never wanting to divulge this amazing secret, this blog post is kind of a big deal.

You see, I like to think that my family is the only people on the planet that even know this recipe exists. For those who choose to take the recipe seriously and cherish it like it should be cherished, you will be honorary members of my family.

This recipe only has FOUR ingredients...FOUR!!! You are probably wondering how these so-called amazing cookies are so guilt free. Well, first, you can eat as much of the cookie dough as you want without worrying about salmonella. There are exactly zero eggs in these cookies! Second reason, they don't put a dent in your diet. If you understand or follow Weight Watchers point system, these cookies are only 2 points. If you don't totally understand WW point system, 2 points for a cookie is CRAZY good!

Ingredients:
box of white cake mix (you can substitute for yellow)
box of spice cake mix
29oz can of pumpkin
chocolate chips

Last reason these cookies are guilt free...they are super duper easy to make that you don't have to spend the entire afternoon slaving away in the kitchen aka more time with the family!

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. In a large bowl mix white cake mix & spice cake mix together.

3. Add in can of pumpkin. Mix it up

4. Once it is all mixed together and is creamy and delicious, add in your desired amount of chocolate chips

5. Using a spoon, start plopping your cookies onto a baking sheet. These cookies DO NOT spread out during cook time. What ever they look like on the pan before cooking, is what they will look like after they are cooked.

6. Slide 'em into the oven and set your timer for 8-12 minutes (remember all ovens are different!!)

7. When the tops of the cookies are just beginning to become firm, take them out! They will be a tad gooey but, they will set up and continue to cook on the cooling rack.

These cookies will stay moist and delicious for days! Just keep them stored in an ziplock bag, plastic wrap over a plate or in Tupperware.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Angel of Music

I had so much fun with this project! The idea came to me when I was brainstorming gift ideas for my sister-in-law. I knew she liked angels, music & writing (she just won the fantasy category for National Novel Writing Month-congrats!) So I decided to mix her favorite things into one awesome gift!

First order of business was to find an angel figurine. I finally found the perfect one at Family Dollar. 
Don't worry if the angel isn't super cute because you're going to cover it!


Next, find some old sheet music and tear it into different sized strips.

Now make your "guck": Flour, water and a little bit of liquid glue. It should be a smooth consistency.

Dip strips into the guck and place on angel. 


Cover angel completely. I used the end of a pen to get the music strips to stick in the small crevices. Let your angel dry over night. 

Once your angel is completely dry, pull out my best friend-MOD PODGE and slather that angel!
Put the mod podge on your angel will give it a nice polished look. If you want the rough antique-y look, don't use mod podge but, you'll have to be careful with applying the "guck" and how your music strips lay on the figurine.  

Let the podge dry then wrap it up and give it to a friend. 


Other fun ideas:
Cover an old frame, flower pot or Christmas ornaments