Honey Blondies--- Wife win!

I was totally going to save this post for a later week, but I just made these blondies for the second (and third) time(s) ever, and oh my gosh. They are addictive. So, I have to share.

This recipe is from this year's February "Martha Stewart Living" magazine, with only minor adjustments to make it easy for those of us who rock the "bring your own bag, bring your own quarter" awesomeness that is shopping at Aldi.

Honey Blondies

1 stick unsalted butter

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan

½ cup honey (we used "Organic Wildflower" honey)

¾ cup packed light-brown sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon coarse salt

4 ounces baking semisweet chocolate chips

½ cup walnuts or pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray pan, then coat with flour, tapping out excess. (The original recipe suggests using parchment paper, but I haven't had any problems getting the final product out at the end using this method alone)

2. Melt butter and honey in a saucepan. Stir in brown sugar. 

3. Transfer the hot mixture to a bowl, then stir in egg and vanilla. Add flour and salt. 

4.Let the mixture cool down for about 30 minutes, then mix the chocolate and nuts in. Spread batter in your prepared pan.

5. Bake for 30 minutes. Let the pan set for a while before removing and cutting into squares.

Or whatever shape you can cut them into... I just have a lot of circular pans!

4. Put them in your belly, nom nom nom.

My husband was less than impressed with the first one he ate... then I saw him sneak a second. When I saw him eat his third a few hours later, he told me they were amazing. I agree.

The original recipie calls for dark baking chocolate, which would be delicious, I'm sure, but that's not a typical Aldi product, which is why we made the switch. 

I put one batch in the freezer, and I'll update this post to let you know if they freeze and thaw well. If so... game changer. I can picture myself always having a batch of these on hand in case of an emergency... or a last minute party or get together.

Color Matching File Folder

Since Snugglebot was born, we have intigrated school time into our daily lives. This looked totally nuts when she was brand new. (Picture a month old baby propped up by a Boppy pillow while I show her flashcards about farm animals.) But, as time has gone on, school has gotten more age appropriate. Since she's my first, I'm still learning how best to educate her. In the next few weeks, there will be a few posts about her curriculum these days.

But...

Okay, I'm a Pinterest geek. So, I searched for "file folder games", which is something that I'd seen used at daycares and preschools, and I found quite a few neat ones. This color matching game from Littlefamilyfun.com seemed easy enough for my first try.

You Need:

• File folder
• Rainbow colored scrapbook or construction paper
• A glue stick
• Adhesive Velcro

Optional:

• Laminator
• Lamination pages 

So, following the directions in the above-listed blog, I made hearts out of scrapbooking paper. The hard part was making sure that every heart was identical. Next time, I'll make a pattern heart out of cardstock. This time, I continually traced my first scrapbook paper heart, which meant I had to do a lot of erasing of pencil marks from it.

I glued the first set of hearts to the folder, then folded it in half, heart side out, and put it through my laminator. My laminating pages are not wide enough for a folder, so I had to put it through 4 times in all-- twice for the top and twice for the bottom. By the end, it was so thick that the automatic feed on the laminator wasn't working, and I had to help push it through.

Next, I pasted the second set of hearts onto a piece of cardstock, and laminated that.

I differed from the directions in that I put a bit of velcro on each moveable heart, as well as on the folder's hearts.

Results: Snugglebot seems to like her folder game. She named the colors for me as she put the hearts on, but the real joy comes from peeling the hearts off and sticking them back on. Girl loves her velcro!

I'll keep looking for file folder games that are suitable for a 1 and 1/2 year old, and post them as I find them! I hope this has been helpful for you!

Meatloaf Casserole--- Kid tested, husband approved!

Well, I posted my first journal entry in July and it is now February. I'd say that time flies, and that is partially true, but time is also filled with library visits, play dates, park adventures, and, of course, snuggling. So, we'll try this whole blogging thing again!

I recently started getting "Martha Stewart Living" in the mail. It's basically like getting a magazine filled with pictures of what your home will never look like--- ever. Which is fine, of course! We like our cluttered apartment living. "Snugglebot Living" magazine would basically be Martha Stewart's nightmare.

Anyway...

I've decided to take one recipe a month from the magazine--- something that doesn't look too daunting--- and see what I can find at Aldi to fit the ingredient list. I've done this a few times so far, and they've mostly been winners. I figured I'd share the first one with you all! The original recipe is from the January edition of "Martha Stewart Living"!

Aldi Meatball Casserole

1 lb ground pork sausage

1 lb ground beef

1 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp coarse salt

2 large eggs

1 clove minced garlic (used pre-minced garlic in oil from Aldi)

1/4 cup dried parsley

2 tablespoons virgin olive oil

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 28 oz can crushed tomato

8 oz presliced mozzarella

1) Mix pork, beef, breadcrumbs, salt, eggs, garlic and parsley in a large bowl. Form into 2 inch balls.

2) Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs: cook for 10 minutes until brown all over. (I cooked for closer to 20 to make sure they were all the way done. The recipe wants you to get them all the way done later, but I didn't have any over-cooking problems the way I did it) Remove meatballs with a slotted spoon.

3) Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and pepper flakes; cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes and basil, simmer for 8 minutes

4) Return meatballs to pan, simmer for 20 minutes (I simmered for 15)

5) Heat broiler. Arrange mozzarella on top. Broil until melted, 2 to 3 minutes. (I had to transfer everything into a pan because we don't have an ovenproof skillet)

My husband thought this was amazing! The flavor was much more complex than what we're used to eating. It was a bit more time consuming than most things that I bake, and I was very thankful that my husband was working from home when I made it, so I could ask him to watch our kiddo here and there while I tried to figure out what I was doing. So, all in all, great recipe for a weekend!