Butter Pecan Cake Kettle Corn {Sundays with Joy}

Last week I spent an entire day at a local water park, complete with water slides, wave pool, and general chaos.

If you remember how I feel about such things, you'll understand  why I had hesitation in going.

Jordan had been dying to go all summer and this was a girl scout event; a reward for all those cookies I she sold last spring.

As a reward for all my her hard work, we got to spend a day at the least most fun place in the area.

I don't like heights, putting my head under water, crowds, claustrophobic round tubes, and swimming pools in general, so you can understand my hesitation in going.

The last time I went to a water park I was 12. It was for the birthday party of a friend, and I had tubes in my ears (for the second time). I had to wear ear plugs and, because of the force of the water coming off the slides and the eventuality that I would lose an ear plug thus rendering my head an aching mess, I had to also wear a bathing cap.

Did I mention I was 12 years old? Gawky, just a smidgen overweight next to my waif girlfriends in bikinis and I had to wear a bathing cap the entire day.

Now the gawkiness is gone, the smidgen is more a ton, and the tubes are gone but the problems that caused them remain. But, really, I can deal with all the water, the heights, the incredible chaos that is an amusement park filled with water. ("Okay, Jordan is over there. [Blink] Where the f*&# did she go?")

What I cannot deal with in a place like that?

Walking barefoot.

Seriously people. A few times in line for the one slide I was nice enough to brave I had to keep my gag reflex in check just thinking about my bare tootsies on the wet ground.

I am the girl in the gym bathroom that showers with flip flops. When washing my feet in the shower, I do yoga to wash one, then the other. (I'm reeealllly good at tree pose.) I will not let my feet (nor any other part of my bare body) touch any part of the floor.

How, dare I ask, is the water park any different than a gym bathroom floor?

{Hint: it's only different because it's worse.}

Turns out I am very skilled at walking up stairs on the tiniest portion of foot that gravity allows.

My calves reminded me of this the next morning.

And people seem to have no problem walking around barefoot all day. I wore flip flops and/or water shoes (yes, I brought both) as much as possible. But you're not allowed to wear them on the slides.

*Shiver*

Needless to say, there was a lot of foot scrubbing at my house that night.

And comfort eating.

This popcorn is perfect comfort food.

In her book, the Joy the Baker Cookbook, Joy wrote about how her kettle corn had gotten her through many a hard day.

Of course, I couldn't just make kettle corn. Although it was good by itself, that's not quite how I roll.

So I added Butter Pecan Cake Batter (the ultimate comfort food in my book) and toasted pecans. And white chocolate.

Total comfort food. Perfect for when you survive a day of barefoot trauma at the water park.

{Oh, and do you need a last minute teacher gift idea? Then this is it! Popcorn is great for giving...especially when you're "popping by" to say hello. See? I even made cute tags.}

Enjoy!

Butter Pecan Cake Kettle Corn

by Crazy for Crust (Adapted from Sundays with Joy by Joy Wilson)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup popcorn kernels
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 sections (8 ounces) white candy melts
• 1/2 cup butter pecan cake mix
• 1 cup toasted pecans (toast in a frying pan over low heat, stirring often, just until you smell them)

Instructions

1. Melt oil and butter together over medium heat in a large pot with a tight fitting lid. Add popcorn and sprinkle sugar evenly over kernels. Place the lid on the pot and turn heat to medium-high. When popcorn begins to pop, using potholders, shake pot every 20 seconds to reduce risk of burning the sugar. Once popping slows, remove from heat and remove lid carefully. Sprinkle with salt and add to a large bowl.
2. Melt candy melts. Stir in cake mix. Pour over popcorn. Add toasted pecans and stir until all the candy is incorporated. Turn out onto a baking sheet covered with wax paper and chill until candy hardens. Store in a sealed container.

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Chocolate Twist Doughnuts with Avocado Cream Filling

So I made you some chocolate twist doughnuts.

And I filled them with Avocado Whipped Cream.

Are you surprised?

Seriously, my addiction to avocados has become a joke in my family. My husband sees me cutting it and chortles "ha ha ha, I'm soooooo surprised we're having avocado for dinner!"

I don't know what I'm going to do when summer is over. Mortgage my house to feed my addiction, I guess.

Wilton generously sent me this Doughnut Twist pan. I was so excited to get my hot little hands on it. Have you seen it? It makes huge doughnuts.

Or is it donut? I really have no idea. Pardon me while I switch between the two. Call me a flip-flopper.

Like most Wilton pans, this one proved itself. A little cooking spray and bam, they popped right out. They were pretty, even nekkid.

I really think nothing is better than a chocolate glaze. What do you think?

And, well, avocado and chocolate are like, BFFs.

Did I mention that I made avocado whipped cream?

I can't wait to put it on ice cream.

Because I'm weird.

Or maybe those of you who blanche at the thought of avocado whipped cream are weird?

Hmmmm...

Wilton also sent me a bunch of fun sprinkles. I love sprinkles. I think life would be more fun if everyone walked around with sprinkles in their pockets. I want a sprinkle purse.

Did you know they make edible glitter sprinkles? And rainbow chip? I made a few of each.

Jordan was only allowed half a doughnut a day (these babies are large and in charge). She tasted half of each. To sprinkle taste test.

She liked the glitter ones best.

Me, I'm old fashioned. I like jimmies. Rainbow colored, of course. Rainbows and sprinkles could seriously make the world a better place, don't you think?

Chocolate Twist Doughnuts with Avocado Cream Filling

by Crazy for Crust (Doughnut and Glaze recipe adapted from Wilton)

Ingredients

For the Doughnuts

• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups cake flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (full fat is best)

For the Avocado Cream

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, divided
• 1 avocado
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Make the Doughnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray Doughnut Twist Pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Beat butter and sugar in a stand mixer until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add vanilla.
3. In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add half the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until nearly combined. Add buttermilk and remaining dry ingredients, mixing until incorporated. Do not overmix!
4. Fill doughnut cavities 2/3 full. Bake 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (The original instructions said 18-20 minutes, but mine were a little over done at 15.) Cool in pan 5 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Make the Avocado Cream

1. Add cold heavy cream and 1 tablespoon powdered sugar to a large bowl. Whip until stiff peaks form.
2. In a separate bowl, mix avocado, lime juice, 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, and vanilla with a hand mixer until most lumps are gone. Fold into whipped cream.
3. I filled my doughnuts using a pastry bag and Wilton tip #230. Pipe filling into both ends of the doughnut. (In mine, the center didn’t get filled, so I suggest poking the tip in to the center of one side to fill the center.)

Make the Glaze

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl. Frost tops of doughnuts and top with sprinkles, as desired. Glaze will dry in 10-15 minutes. Store in refrigerator. Avocado filling will remain green for at least 3 days if kept in a sealed container.


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Wilton generously sent me the pan and sprinkles to try for free. All opinions are my own! Want to win a Doughnut Twist Pan? Come back tomorrow!

Enjoy!

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Deep-Fried Fluffernutter Sandwich

Can you believe I've never had a fluffernutter sandwich? I've never even had peanut butter and marshmallows together.

*Gasp*

I mean, I know I've got some strange eating habits (read: super pickiness) and there are a lot of things I've never tried (like brussel sprouts, beets, sushi, and kale).

But a dessert I've never tried? Blasphemy!

So when I received a copy of The Busy Mom's Cookbook by Antonia Lofaso and started flipping through the recipes, the deep-fried fluffernutter sandwich totally caught my eye. Finally! A reason to try marshmallow-banana-goodness.

You know who Antonia is, right? She was on Top Chef! I was SO excited to get my hot little hands on a copy of her book. I absolutely loved her on the show.

Her book is written for busy moms everywhere; the working mom, the stay-at-home mom, and all the moms in between. It's has 100 quick, home-cooked meals you can share with your kids. Some of them sound positively mouthwatering, like the lemon crepes. Or the Red Bliss Potato and Onion Frittata. The book is full of meals and treats for the entire day, from breakfast to dessert. I'm totally making the Shrimp and Sausage Corn Chowder this fall. There's even an entire section devoted to leftovers: cook one night and eat for two!

Each recipe comes with a story about the food; whether it be an anecdote about her daughter or something from her childhood that inspired the recipe. All of the recipes sound totally doable too - not like some that have a gazillion unheard of ingredients. I love that; if I can't find it at Walmart, I don't want to have to go hunt for it.


And can I tell you that her Spiced Chocolate Pudding with Salted Whipped Cream and the Chocolate Banana Caramel Bread Pudding on totally on my list of to-make desserts, like, yesterday?

The fluffernutter sandwich was SO good. Dreamy. Like little bites of heaven. Jordan liked it so much she licked the entire thing so I couldn't have any more.


I'm serious.

Are you interested in your own copy of Antonia's book? You're in luck - it comes out this Thursday, August 2nd. You can pre-order it here.

Or...you could come back for Crazy Sweet Tuesday tomorrow. Because I get to give away a copy! Yay you! Then you can make Caramel-Almond Popcorn too. And this unbelievablygoodlickworthy sandwich.

~Read More~

Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls

I have decided that I want to live in a city where I can walk to everything: stores, restaurants, entertainment. Aside from the fact that this would be infinitely more fun than living in suburbia land  (where "exciting" is the fact that they are paving the streets around my house soon and we will be jockeying for off cul-de-sac parking like women at a sample sale), I would not need a car.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love having a car. I love the freedom it gives me.

{Hear that car? I still love you, please don't be offended by this post.}

What I don't love about car ownership is the cost. I mean, the cost aside from buying it in the first place, which has gotten exceedingly ridiculous if you have looked at cars lately.  Cars seem to age like women do: good with regular maintenance until a certain age, and then everything starts to fall apart all at once.

{I speak from experience, people. I mean, who knew 34 could be so hard on a girl?}

First you need new tires. Fine. Then brakes. Okey dokey. Those are to be expected, right?

Then the A/C needs help. So you spend a few hundred getting that fixed. But it still doesn't work right...and then the alternator goes.  You'd think once you got that all taken care of, everything would be fine. Until it starts to squeak.

At this point, drained of money and patience, I just tend to roll up the windows and turn on the radio. Poof. Sound gone.

So yeah. I think I want to live in a place where I don't need a car. Because I would much rather buy butter, sugar, and chocolate than pay for a pesky timing belt.

We all know how much my husband likes carrot cake. When I make him treats I want him to eat, I either do peanut butter or carrot cake. He got both for his birthday last week. These were for breakfast. And, yes, he ate one!

I reeeallllly like this cinnamon roll dough. Yes, it takes time...but it's sooooo worth it. It's a sweet, rich egg dough that you fill with a sugary, cinnamony filling. I added carrots and ginger to the filling...to make it more carrot-cake-like. Then you add a nice helping of cream cheese icing, and well, perfection ensues.

I promise you...even if you don't like carrot cake (ahem...I know who you are ladies...) you will like these. Cream cheese frosting hides the evidence...but see those little flecks? Yup, carrots. That makes these totally healthy. Carrots for breakfast!

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Cookie Dough Fondue

When looking for props for my photos I usually find stuff at stores like Ikea, Kohls, Sur la Table, Homegoods. I only buy stuff on the cheap or when it's on sale - which is probably why I use the same stuff in every photo.

Last week, over on Instagram, Ashton and Jocelyn were talking about finding cool stuff at Goodwill. I'd never thought of going there, although I have stalked garage sales with hawk-like mini-plate eyes.

So over the weekend, in my quest to shop without spending much money and my need to be child-free for a few hours, I went to Goodwill to treasure hunt for some cute props.

Have you been to Goodwill lately? They have interesting stuff. Fine china nestled in alongside plastic, overused Tupperware.

Ice cream makers and bread machines galore, buried next to the VCR graveyard. {Hey, ever wonder where all the VCRs went to die? Goodwill.}

Also? Half used bottles of moisturizer. Yes, my Goodwill store was selling already used bottles of lotion and shampoo.

{Now, I know I am lucky to be able to shop for things and buy what I need, new, unused, and sometimes at regular price. But half used bottles of soap? That really doesn't seem sanitary.}

Anyway, I found a few cute dishes and linens. And I found a really cute teensy fondue pot. Nothing special, a cute white one with a tealight and a $2.99 price tag. Sold!

The ideas started flowing. I mean, I can't just make chocolate fondue, can I? This is me we're talking about.

I started a list of yummy fondues. Yes, a list.

My first one: cookie dough.

I have cookie dough on the brain lately, possibly because of this.

I think about it all day long.

Why not make it a nice, warm, gooey dip?

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Butter Pecan Pie Ice Cream

Last week we bought a new television. The one in our family room, while still functional, was starting to have pixel problems. As in, I could read the constellations from my couch. And whenever there was a close-up of Gretchen (RHOOC, obvi) her face was covered in teensy tiny black dots, soon to turn into large white ones.

So, we downsized and bought a 47" for the family room. (Yes, I like large TVs. That's all me. The bigger the better. Heck, I'd watch Andy on a movie screen if I could.)

Question was, where to put the dinosaur that was the old TV? I mean, it was still functional, albeit a dot-to-dot in process. No one is going to pay money for it; the part to fix it is more than the cost of the new television.

So we did what all rational, level-headed people do with an old 55" TV. We put it in the living room, right in front of the Christmas tree window. And we hooked up the Xbox Kinect to it.

The Kinect. You know, that video game we got two years ago and hardly ever played? {If I'm not in the mood to move my coffee table and rearrange my family room furniture, I'm probably not in the mood to play a movement video game, clearly.}

So we rearranged the (nonexistent) living room furniture and plugged in Dance Central 2.

And oh my God, you'd think Jordan got a brand new toy.

She didn't stop at all on Saturday afternoon.

And guess what she started doing at 6:30 am Sunday morning? 6:30 am., I kid you not.

She took a break for lunch at noon.

By two she was "resting" with the iPad.

By dinner I had to yell at her to stop with the You're a Jerk so she could set the table.

That child is relentless, I tell you.

All the dancing means she's hungrier. And, I guess, if you dance for six straight hours, it's okay if you have some ice cream.

~Read More~

Cookies 'n Cookie Dough Ice Cream

Okay, so I couldn't let Father's Day go by without talking about my husband. He's such an awesome dad to Jordan.


He's so freakin' awesome that I'm willing to overlook the fact that he can idly sit by and eat his WW desserts and fat-free Breyers instead of joining me in the "let's see who can eat the entire batch of cookies I made today" contest.


Mel is a natural with kids. I remember one time he joined us at the park during a mom's club play date. All of us moms were sitting at the picnic table chatting (where else would we be?) and all of a sudden I realize it's quiet on the playground. I look around and find that all of the kids (ours and some not in our play group) had gathered around Mel and he was telling stories.


Yeah, it's good I married him. Because that is so not me.


He's my rock at the end of the day when I've hadituptohere with Jordan. He brushes her teeth and puts her to bed.


He makes sure to build "daddy-daughter" time into the weekends, so that I can blog, run errands, or watch endless episodes of RHOOC. Or NY. Or NJ. Or whatever freaks they are showing on Bravo.

He gets Jordan. I totally don't, so it's good he does. They have the same personality. And the same laugh.

When she hasn't stopped all freakin' day and then wants to do more! more! more! and I know he's tired, he still goes and plays princesses with her.

And he does all this while working all day, travelling, and saying "NO" to fatty Dorothy-desserts.

I think he's a robot.

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Zebra Popcorn

Thursday is the last day of school. In just a few short hours, my daughter will be a second grader.

{Hold on a sec, while I get my hanky.}

I cannot believe the change in her this year. She has learned an amazing amount. She can read, actual books. (She may not want to read, but at least she can.)

She can count money. Add and subtract. She knows what volume is. She can measure.

And, thanks to a big project she had to do, she knows all about zebras. More than I do, in fact.

Did you know that baby zebras are born with brown stripes? And that they turn black as they mature?

Zebras are herbivores that live in the grasslands of Africa. {Three big words I had no idea my seven year old could pronounce, BTW.}

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Banana Cream Pie Ice Cream {without a machine!}

{Psst...before we get started...did you enter my giveaway yet? No? What are you waiting for...go enter!}

One of the things I love about living where I do (outside Sacramento) is how close it is to lakes and mountains. Lake Tahoe is less than two hours away, making it super easy to head to the snow in the winter or to the lake in summer.

Last summer we took a couple of day trips to Donner Lake. I think I prefer the beach we went to over the large, overpopulated Lake Tahoe beaches. It was a small shore-front, had bathrooms (a must), and Truckee is a little bit closer than Tahoe City.  And? There's a Dairy Queen in Truckee.

Now, I've talked to you all about my love of Dairy Queen. Many of you are new, and might want to check out that story. Because now, I've passed my love of all things DQ down to Jordan.

When I mention Donner Lake, she mentions stopping at DQ on our way home. Girl after my own heart!

Anyway, back to the point. Last year on our first trip to DQ, the special of the month was a banana cream pie blizzard.

I may have died a little and gone to pie heaven when I saw that. And it tasted even better.

So I knew, one day, I would want to recreate it at home.

And now I have.

Two-ingredient ice cream has been all the rage these days. Last year, I made this ice cream out of Cool Whip and sweetened condensed milk and it turned out awesome (are you surprised I used Nutter Butter's?) I have an ice cream maker, but I love this recipe because it's so easy, versatile, and I can make it (almost) fat-free (using both fat-free Cool Whip and sweetened condensed milk).

This time I kicked it up a notch with banana pudding, chunks of pie crust, and chunks of banana.

It tastes exactly like a banana cream pie. It was exactly how I remembered the blizzard, but more ice-creamy. So. Freakin'. Awesome.

I will be making this again. And, oh, the other pie creations I could make...

And it's okay if you, ahem, eat the whole thing yourself. Because besides the pie crust, it's fat-free! :)

Enjoy!

Banana Cream Pie Ice Cream

by Crazy for Crust

Ingredients

• 1 tub Cool Whip (fat-free)
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (fat-free)
• 4 tablespoons banana cream pudding mix (the powder, not the actual pudding) from a large box
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 refrigerated pie crust (from a pack of 2)
• 1 banana (more if you like lots of banana)

Instructions

1. Bake pie crust (flat) on a cookie sheet in a 350° oven for about 15-20 minutes (watch it after 10 minutes; you want it to be more crunchy than soft, but not burned). Let it cool, then break it into bite-sized pieces.
2. Mix Cool Whip and sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl. Add pudding mix and vanilla and stir well.
3. Slice your banana and cut each slice in quarters. Stir banana and pie crust chunks into ice cream base. Place mixture into a large Tupperware and freeze until hardened (at least 3 hours or overnight). Ice cream has a soft consistency.

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Tea Party Tuesdays at Sweetology, Talent Show Tuesday at Chef in Training, Trick or Treat Tuesday at Inside BruCrew Life, Cast Party Wednesday at Lady Behind the Curtain, Sweet Treats Thursday at Something Swanky, Chic-and-Crafty at the Frugal Girls, Tastetastic Thursday at A Little Nosh, Sweet Tooth Friday at Alli-n-sons, I'm Lovin' it Fridays at TidyMom, Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies, A Well-Seasoned Life, Strut your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters' Stuff, and all of these too!

Tiramisu Cups {To Go}

I sang karaoke.

Sober.

{I know, I can't believe it either.}

Last Friday night a friend of mine hosted a mom's night out - '80s style.

There were hot pink shirts, scrunchies, leg warmers, NKOTB accessories, and spandex.

And Love Shack on the karaoke machine. Oh, and Like a Virgin.

{Funny side story: Jordan used to love to sing Love Shack. Only she would sing it "...bring your JUICE BOX money!"}

I still can't believe I sang karaoke. And the windows didn't shatter!

I brought these yummy Tiramisu Cups for dessert. I made them in plastic cups so they'd be easy to bring with me. I used cupcakes instead of lady fingers. And I used Cool Whip.

I could say I used Cool Whip because that was all the rage in the '80s. We only had real whipped cream (and by "real" I mean "canned") for holidays. Cool Whip was a staple in my childhood.

But no, that's not why I used it. I have a confession:

I like Cool Whip. It's easy. It comes fat-free. And it's tasty.

But hey, if you're a processed food hydrogenated oil hater, go ahead an use whipped cream. But then you won't be authentically '80s, you know. Because the '80s was all about the processed foods. (Canned cheese, anyone?)

Tiramisu Cups {To Go}

by Crazy for Crust

(adapted from Nabisco)

6021826

Ingredients

• ½ cup instant vanilla pudding mix (dry)
• 1 ½ cups cold milk
• 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• ¼ Cool Whip (plus more for garnish)
• 4 yellow cupcakes, baked and cooled with the wrappers removed
• ¼ cup cooled brewed coffee
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 6 plastic disposable cups or equivalent dishes

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth. Beat in pudding mix and cold milk until creamy. Stir in cool whip.
2. Slice cupcakes into thirds. Place 1 slice of cupcake in the bottom of each cup. Spoon about a teaspoon or two of coffee on top of the cupcake layer, according to your coffee tastes. Equally portion half of the pudding mixture into the six cups. Sprinkle with a bit of cocoa powder (I used a small sifter for this, to make it evenly sprinkled). Repeat the layer with the remaining cupcake slices, coffee, pudding, and cocoa.
3. Top each cup with a dollop of Cool Whip and another dusting of cocoa powder. Chill for at least two hours before serving.

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You didn't think I was going to leave you hanging, did you?

Those legwarmers? Were actually from the '80s thankyouverymuch.




Have a Linky Party you want me to join? Add it HERE.

I link up to all of these fabulous parties each week!

Tea Party Tuesdays at Sweetology, Talent Show Tuesday at Chef in Training, Trick or Treat Tuesday at Inside BruCrew Life, Cast Party Wednesday at Lady Behind the Curtain, Sweet Treats Thursday at Something Swanky, Chic-and-Crafty at the Frugal Girls, Tastetastic Thursday at A Little Nosh, Sweet Tooth Friday at Alli-n-sons, I'm Lovin' it Fridays at TidyMom, Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies, A Well-Seasoned Life, Strut your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters' Stuff, and all of these too!

Peanut Butter Football Dip

So...Sunday is the Superbowl.

I don't even know who is playing. I think the Giants are. Once the Niners lost, I kinda stopped paying attention.

{Not that I was paying attention before. I just made sure to know what was happening during that three hour period that the 49ers were actually playing. Before and after? No clue.}

We've talked about how much my husband loves football. I was even nice enough that, during that ill-fated playoff game the Sunday before last, I took Jordan to Hell Chuck E. Cheese to play. So he could watch it alone. In silence. Without Jordan pretending to be a character in Mystery Science Theatre.

Before Jordan was in elementary school I would take her away for the weekend of the Superbowl. We'd come home Monday morning and I'd fast-forward through the DVR'd game to watch the commercials.

Now that she starts school at 7:50am on Mondays, traveling is a little problematic. For she and I, anyway.

My husband solved that problem. He conveniently scheduled a business trip in the Bay Area for bright and early Monday morning. So he has to go stay at a hotel on Sunday night. Rendering him alone to watch the Superbowl in peace.

So, Jordan and I will be home Sunday. If we don't go to a party, we'll tape the game and watch the commercials. Thanks to Janet and Justin, I think it's safe for her. Mostly. Thank goodness for mute, pause, and fast-forward.

Oh, and we're gonna break this baby out and eat it for dinner.

It's like a cheeseball. But it's peanut butter. With chocolate chips. Oh, Pinterest, how I love thee. (Ages ago I pinned this picture. It inspired this football.)

It's super easy to make.  Make your batter.

Form it into a football.

And cover it in chocolate sprinkles. Or cocoa powder. Or mini chocolate chips. Whatever. Just cover it in something that makes it look like a football. Or, if you don't like football and don't plan to watch the game, you could make this for Valentine's Day.

It would make a perfect pair of lips.

Then eat it.

With pretzels. Or cookies. Or a spoon, which is my preferred method.

{Note to husband: See what you're missing out on honey? You know you'd rather stay home and eat this and wrestle with Jordan instead of watching the game in a cushy hotel room.}

Not.

Enjoy! Have fun watching men in spandex football! (I know I will.)

Peanut Butter Football

by Dorothy Kern

Keywords: peanut butter chocolate Super Bowl dip

Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter, softened
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup peanut butter (your choice; crunchy or smooth)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (up to 2 cups if needed)
• ½ cup mini chocolate chips
• Chocolate sprinkles or chocolate chips for the outside of the football
• White chocolate or frosting for the football laces

Instructions

1. Cream butter, cream cheese, and peanut butter until mixed (using a hand-held mixer). Mix in vanilla.
2. Add powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, and mix until combined. (If you want a stiffer mixture, add the extra ½ cup of powdered sugar.) Mix in chocolate chips.
3. Turn out mixture on a large sheet of waxed paper. Use your hands to form into a football shape. (This would also be cute as “lips” for Valentine’s Day!)
4. Place the waxed paper onto your serving plate. (It helps if the plate has sides…less mess!) Cover in sprinkles or chocolate chips, pressing them into the surface a little so they stick. Pipe on the laces using melted white chocolate or some leftover frosting and chill until ready to serve.
5. Serving suggestion: pretzels, animal crackers, cookies, a spoon.

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These are the fabulous parties I link to each week:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts, Creative Monday (Clairejustineoxox), Mix it Up Monday (Flour Me With Love), Things that make you say mmmm Monday (Cooking with Karyn), Mop it Up Mondays (I should be mopping the floors). Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology), Mushki Loves My Stuff (Mushki Loves), Totally Tasty Tuesdays (Mandy's Recipe Box), Talent Show Tuesday (Chef in Training), Trick or Treat Tuesday (Inside BruCrew Life), Let's Do Brunch (My Sweet & Savory), One Stop Shop Linky (The Southern Product Queen). Wednesday: Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party (Mrs. Fox's Sweets) Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks, Cast Party Wednesday (Lady Behind the Curtain), Famous Linkz Par-tay (Made-Famous-By), Bakes with Bizzy (Bizzy Bakes), Whip it Up Wednesday (Crockpot Ladies).  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy), Tastetastic Thursday (A little nosh), Sweet Temptations (Talking Dollars and Cents), Taking a Timeout Thursday (Mom on Timeout), Things I've Done Thursday (BearRabbitBear), (RHW Recipe Round-Up) The Real Housewives of Riverton. Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom), Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home), Latest & Greatest Friday (Days of Chalk and Chocolate), Bacon Time, Fusion Friday (Jane Deere Blog), Foodie Friday (Not Your Ordinary Recipes), Dwell on Joy. Saturday: Country Mom Cooks, Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies), Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters), Strut your Stuff Saturday (Six Sisters' Stuff), Moms Crazy Cooking