Chocolate Cookie Bark

This is one of my favorite dessert / candy recipes.

I hereby command you: Get chocolate.  Get Oreos.  Make it.  Today, if possible.

You can click here to visit the original recipe (complete with a “how to” video) on the Kraft foods website, but for your general reading convenience, I will also repost it here.

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp. PLANTERS Creamy Peanut Butter
1 pkg.  (6 squares) BAKER’S White Chocolate, melted
10 OREO Cookies, coarsely crushed, divided
1 pkg.  (8 squares) BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted
INSTRUCTIONS

ADD peanut butter to white chocolate; mix well. Stir half the crushed cookies into each bowl of melted chocolate.

DROP spoonfuls of the chocolate mixtures onto waxed paper-covered baking sheet, alternating colors of chocolates. Swirl with knife.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Break into pieces. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Couldn’t be easier, right?  Chocolate + lack of cooking labor = YUM.

Enjoy!

[Images are courtesy of a general Google search.  I have no images of my own.  This bark doesn’t last long enough to be documented on film.  True story.]

Something I Read

This summer, I have been reading through Comforts from the Cross: Celebrating the Gospel One Day at a Time, by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick.   Though I’m not finished yet, I wouldn’t hesitate to highly recommend this book.

Here’s a small section from what I read today.  It was so beautiful in it’s intensity and challenging to me that I wanted to share it with you.

“Shake off your boredom and apathy.  God’s love for you is fierce, self-afflicting, white-hot, life-transforming.  The goal of this love is that you may be called God’s daughter, God’s son.  All this pain and grief is bent in on one primary goal: your adoption and His eventual praise.  Your relationship with the Creator of all there is has been secured by the blood and tears of love’s delight.  Your Father is no longer far off, no longer a stranger, no longer a judge.  Now He’s your Father.”

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” 1 John 3:1-3, ESV
If you want to know more about Elyse M. Fitzpatrick and her writing, you can start here.  Please hear my heart on this though …  this isn’t an endorsement, advertising, or a book review.  What I’m sharing  is completely something that was on my own heart and mind from my morning reading.
What is the Lord teaching you?

My Tuesday

This is my day today.  Cleaning out the clothes.  More specifically, cleaning out and passing on all my girl clothes [sniffs].  I’m okay, really.  I’m just fine with the nine million boxes of boy clothes I will have.  I’m down with all the blue.  I am totally cool with being “the mother-in-law”.  [sob]  Oh man, I gotta stop going down this road …

Moving on …

To help me deal with the clothes angst, I am in super cool mode today.  Special thanks to Carrie for the sweet tie-dye apparel.  Being this cool somehow helps with the clothes sorting … or something.

Note to self: when you’re this much of a nerd, never “strike a pose”.

So, this is my Tuesday!  What’s yours?

Oh!  I almost forgot!  Later today, I will be spending some time in the kitchen for a killer recipe that will include dark chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter, and oreos.  Stay tuned.  It is sure to be epic.

My Project Update: the good, the bad, etc

Just to be clear, and very honest, here is what I should have been doing this weekend …

Look at all those clothes just waiting to be folded!  Actually, I believe that wrinkles, whether on your skin or in your clothes are good for your soul and character building.  It’s true.  Also, could you please note the clothes presence in the pac ‘n’ play?  What else do you do when you have a one year old who dumps laundry baskets?

Yes, so I totally ignored the laundry, most likely hurting it’s little feelings for this …

Ignore the freak hands and bandaged finger.  I tried to wrangle an ancient drying rack and, well, it won.  By a significant margin.  I will now go hang my head in shame.  Moving on …

Did I mention I love this fabric?  Because I do!

Detail on the strap and boning around the neckline …

And … [drum roll, please] … FINISHED PRODUCT!

It’s a nursing cover!  But, not just any nursing cover … this is the Mercedes of nursing covers.  This thing is posh.  This thing is a tent!  I love it!  And when I’m done using it for nursing, I just may swing it over my shoulder and go fight crime.

Why make it on my fourth child?  First, I’m slow … and second, I’ve fought blankets for the last five years.  I’m done fighting blankets … the size, the smother effect, the too small to be functional issue … all of it!  If I go any further in this train of revolutionary thought, I’ll break into a song from Les Mis, so I’m going to stop.

However, if you’re like me at all and are still searching for that perfect cover up, check out this awesome pattern from Passionate Homemaking!

Seriously … still thinking about using it as a crime fighting cape …

The End.

Weekend Projects: Potential Addiction

Rejoice, it’s the weekend again!

I had so much fun with my little project last weekend, that I’m thinking of making this a regular part of my weekends. (if and when I can)

I won’t say too much about the project now, but let’s just say it’ll be using a little of this …

By the way, I love this fabric so much!  It’s hard to tell with the faux “I think I’m a photographer so I use cool techniques on my phone” coloring, but the background is a minty yet vintage blue color and the design reminds me of the brown in chocolate.  Yum.

I’m sure there will be a dramatic post on Monday (or thereabouts) with a complete crafting update.

In the meantime, enjoy your weekend!