A Ranch Dip Facial

Sloane had a little too much fun with her ranch dip. Instead of dipping her carrots in it, she starting rubbing it on her cheeks and hair-she has seen Mommy getting ready too many times! We immediately went to the bathtub after she had her fun.

She is saying "Yucky, yucky"! The ranch did wonders to her skin. The blotchiness went away the next day.

Happy and clean!

Halloween 2011

This was the table at our annual Boo Bash. This year, I served a dessert buffet and we watched Paranormal Activity 2. It was a fun night!

Halloween Whoopie Pies

*1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and
leveled)
*1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
(spooned and leveled)
*1 teaspoon baking soda
*1 teaspoon baking powder
*1 teaspoon salt
*1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room
temperature
*1 cup packed light-brown sugar
*1 large egg

*1 cup unsweetened applesauce
*1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
*1 cup confectioners' sugar
*orange nonpareils or sanding sugar, for decoration

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk flour cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat until smooth. With a mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and applesauce, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix just until smooth (do not overmix).

3. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto two baking sheets. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cookie comes out clean, 10 to 14 minutes. With a thin metal spatula, immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool completely.

4. Meanwhile, make filling: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat vanilla and remaining 1/2 cup butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth.

5. Spread bottom of half the cookies with 1 tablespoon filling each; sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing gently so filling oozes out slightly. Sprinkle exposed filling with nonpareils. Let rest 15 minutes to set. (To store cookies, keep in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 2 days.)

From my experience: The directions were easy, and the cookies were AWESOME! The only thing I would change is to double the filling recipe. It didn't make enough for me to put a thick layer in between the sandwich, and I was hoping they would just be oozing with filling. Also, it is very important to let the cookies cool before adding the filling. I made the mistake of not waiting on the last couple because I lost my patience, and the filling melted into nothing. Save yourself the trouble and just wait! These are are great festive cookie because you can add different sprinkles to fit whatever holiday or season. I will definitely make these again. Enjoy!

Found in October 2008 edition of Everyday Food Magazine.

Applesauce Spice Cupcakes

Ingredients
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon Spice Islands® pure vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup applesauce
Cream cheese frosting
Directions
In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with applesauce.
Fill greased of paper-line muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Frost cooled cupcakes. Yield: 1 dozen.

From my experience: I love this recipe! The spices in these cupcakes give a taste that just screams autumn. But my favorite part was the yummy cream cheese frosting. I just found a simple recipe for that online, which was primarily powdered sugar and 1 8oz. block of cream cheese. To stretch the recipe, I added 1/2 cup each of chopped walnuts and raisons. I will definitely remember these cupcakes, because they were so good and simple. Enjoy!

Recipe found on tasteofhome.com.

The weekend before Halloween, our family went to a reunion camp at Laity Lodge for their summer camp staff. Jake and Sloane carved a pumkin to look like Elmo. She liked pretending to scoop out the insides of the pumkin. And in the end, Sloane had fun and believed the pumpkin looked like Elmo.

At the Rodeo dance

On Halloween night, Jake had a football game, so his mother, Jan, came trick-or-treating with us. Sloane dressed up as Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street, and we went to some friends' house to walk around in their neighborhood.

Sloane received a sucker from one of the last houses we visited. It became her prized token. I had to pry it from her clenched teeth, just to get the wrapper off so she could eat it properly. Once she got a taste of the sweet sucker, she devoured it drooling all over her chin and chest. She was a sticky girl when we got back to our car.











Sloane's eyes got huge when I took the picture and it flashed. I thought it was so funny, I had to share the photo.

Sloane finished the night by kissing a pumkin with her sweet and sticky lips. She was tired after a fun night running down the streets and grabbing her own candy from nice neighbors on Halloween night.