My Little Crafty Corner

Archive for January, 2010

Hubby and I both have the day off tomorrow. We are starting off with a breakfast date, then off to do some shopping. I am hoping for some sales on jeans. The ones I bought him at Christmas don’t fit, and he had washed them before he tried them on, so there was no taking them back. Darn! He’s going to have to commit to the diet to actually fit in them, but in the mean time he still needs a few pairs he can wear now.

I want a new watch. This one is cute, but not sure if I want a purple watch, as not all my clothes are purple, and it would clash.

I will probably stick with the usual, and go with a brown or black band. But you never know, I may go with a gold or silver one. Whatever jumps out at me.

We need to look for a paper towel holder for the kitchen. The one we have, one of the arms broke off. I have looked at a few stores, but no one carries them anymore. Hoping one of the hardware stores in town has one. I am tired of the towels getting wet, and wasting them.

Then it will be close to the time to pick up Trent from school, then those two have a father/son night at church of pizza and bowling. So I get the house to myself!! YaY! What a great way to end my day off!

Gooey Caramel Chocolate Bars

Crust
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® chocolate fudge cake mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Filling
1 bag (14 oz) caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)

Topping
1/2 cup reserved cake mix
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1. Heat oven to 350°F (or 325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Reserve 1/2 cup cake mix for topping. In large bowl, beat remaining cake mix, 1/2 cup butter and the eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until dough forms. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread in ungreased 13×9-inch pan. Bake 14 to 18 minutes or until set.

2. Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat caramels, 1/4 cup butter and the milk over medium heat about 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth.

3. Spread caramel filling evenly over partially baked crust. In small bowl, mix reserved 1/2 cup cake mix, the oats and 3 tablespoons butter with fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over caramel filling.

4. Bake 18 to 22 minutes longer or until top is set. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen bars. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 6 rows.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): In step 1, bake 16 to 20 minutes.

I want to make another one of these bags, for myself this time.

I think I even have some of the yarn needed to do this pattern as well. Now if my arm will cooperate. I am itching to get back to knitting!

Finally have some extra spending money. I want to either get the Wii Fit Plus or the Your Shape game for the Wii. I have the Biggest Loser one, but haven’t really had the chance to use it. Injuries have a way of putting everything on hold. I need to get some ankle weights, this will help some I have heard. Of course the boys would like it if I bought some fun games, but me losing weight and getting fit is more important right now! Mom comes first this time!

We are still looking for some great sales on tools for my hubby. He needs to stock up a new tool box for work. This is going to put a huge dent in our budget. But its needed for work. Just wish we could get reimbursed for this. Lugging this tool box back and forth for now should help him in the weight loss area. I told him to just leave it at work, but the minute he does this, something will happen at home and he won’t have his tools.

So if you had some extra spending money, what would you buy? Would you buy for yourself, or would you spend it all on your kids?

On the menu for next week:

Dallas-Style Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups ketchup
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons yellow mustard
3 tablespoons hickory flavored barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
5 large hamburger buns, toasted

Directions

1. Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until completely browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onion and bell pepper, season with sea salt and black pepper, and cook until vegetables soften, about 7 minutes.
2. Stir in the ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mustard, and barbeque sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer the mixture until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add Parmesan cheese and serve on toasted hamburger buns.