Lulu Review 9.23.2010 quick and easy

Lulu Review

S'MORES-CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE- CUP CAKES:

Stars: 4 outta 4

These are WONDERFUL little desserts!!!  When I heard this recipe from Charlie, I'm gonna be honest, I was driving my car and committed it to memory. No writing it down or asking for specifics. (no distracted driving here! ha ) When I got home I was playing in by (y)ear. See the complicated ingredient list below.

Step 1: Fill muffin tin with cookie dough. Did fill some all the way, some half. Just testing things out. One quick call to Charlie to confirm I was on the right track...had I imagined the muffin tin part of the conversation? That could happen. Again, I didn't write down directions.

 

Step 2 & 3: Add little mini-marshmallows and  graham crackers. Charlie did tell me 2 marshmallows each, but Mr. Charlie (aka Joel) recommended extra marshmallows. So I went crazy there. And ummm, I was spastic and tried putting whole graham crackers on top.

  

Step 4: Final step. Add chocolate squares. Ha, I put big huge pieces because I thought they'd melt and cover the top but I was wrong! Chocolate always seems to melt all over everything in the car but somehow in the oven at 350 it didn't spread out. Weird.

Action shot: While baking @ 350 for 11 minutes.

Fresh from the oven.

 

Final product: Delicious! A true quick & easy recipe. Hahahaaa even though the center's collapsed under the weight of the toppings...they are still amazing! Now that I think about it, I could have should have crumbled the crackers and chocolate. But oh well. I was picturing an actual s'mores so the layered thing was what I was thinking. I would make them and serve them warm when having COMPANY--because I know they'd be a crowd pleaser. But, I'd also add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Oh snap. That would be the ticket.

So, I guess this little recipe is going viral!  I got in from Charlie and she got it from Emily over at My Heart Shaped Life. And I think she got it from another fabulous blogger out there in our circle of friends!! WOOHOO!! Who will make this recipe next??

xoxo

Lulu

I'm awfully glad to know that my parking spot in cyberspace is perpetually reserved for me and char.

It's a comfort. To know that I can come back here and blog anytime...and I have my nixonsleeves safe and secure feels just plain good!

Meanwhile, I did in fact screw up the layout...such that it wassssssss. Now I need help--I will pay.

I have time on my hands to read and catch up with all the adorable blogs we follow tonight so this is fun--let the blogging begin (again).

xoxo
Lulu

helllloooo

after discovering a new blog today and laughing so so so so so hard...i felt the guilt creep in that i hadn't been anywhere near our blog...

new year's resolutions had been to

#1. follow a routine
#2. get more done
#3. repeat


stopping by here and getting the deep thoughts out on cyberpaper had frankly been left off the sweet list i follow

oy---my bust

this will change

to be continued

xoxo, lulu

excuses, excuses

Been busy!! To say the least. I know all of the other fabulous bloggers in blogger-land are busy too so I am here today to sheepishly announce that MY busy-ness trumps everyone elses.

SIKE. Not true at all.

But I DO love the running around during the holiday season---the cold weather, the excuse to bake, the celebration of the nativity and my beautiful Christmas Tree!!! Has anyone seen Bill O'Reilly sells bumper stickers that say "We Say Merry Christmas"--LOVE them!! I am out "Merry Christmas-ing" anyone and everyone....in the true holy spirit of the season....sticking it to those PC types;)

So, on the agenda (at least for me) is Gingerbread House making...and I KNOW that Charlie is always up for a good project like this:

It's been too long since I've dabbled in the candy/cookie home construction biz so it's a top priority this month...I mean, these are the type of skills I need to work on BEFORE I have kids, no? That way, once they are born and are running around--I am already an all-powerful supermom who is capable of everything. The way I see it is that every year that goes by that I skip these essential traditions, I get rustier and rustier----and I don't want to be inept at ANY mom tasks when the time comes. Ha!

On a very lovely note....my man, Mr. Lulu was a total sweetheart and gave NO resistance to my holiday travel plans this year

(quick shout out to Love Actually--
one of the best holiday movies of all time)

---so we're heading south to North Carolina...Ft. Bragg to be exact to see my big brother and his family for Christmas! Yippee!!! The past TWO Christmas', he was in Iraq--so we're thrilled to have him here and he and his lovely wife have three kids so that'll be fun. Do any of ya'll have issues with where to spend Christmas---with his family or yours? Ugghhh...my least fav part of the whole season is this debate. So cliche....but so very very true.

10 days and counting...so that's 9 full shopping days. Enjoy, sweet people!! See you out there!!

xoxo,
Lulu

making a dollar stretch...sorta

soooo...I was per usual hunting down a good deal and ran into a Dollar Tree. OK, true confession, I had never been in a Dollar Tree before today. There are a zillion "dollar stores" around here and they're mostly weird, low quality stuff that I haven't needed or wanted in about 10 years. You know what I mean....stuff that all seems sooo...fire hazard-y.

Anywho, I came across a "Dollar Tree", which I had up until today, thought that it was just another generic expression of the aforementioned discount stores...like having a soda vs having a Coke. Or like going to the gas station could mean Exxon, Shell, Mobil. I dunno, does that even make sense?

So, there I am...not particularly needing anything but wandering the aisles for the better part of an hour. It was ENORMOUS. Aisle after aisle of holiday decor, ornaments, wrapping paper, cards, party supplies, stationary, scrap booking items, home goods, grocery, tools...it seemed endless!!! I went in circles, ran into my friend Ashley and had a solid 20 minute conversation, went out to my car and came back in...I really milked it. Totally made the most of it and spent....


$86

Can you stand it? That means, yes my friends, I purchased 86 items. I scoff in the face of the recession!!

Here was the low down:

Organization baby.

I have a fantasy about the ultimate closet and the first step is organizing the shoe collection.

So 50 of these will run up the Dollar Store tab pretty quickly. However I am pretty excited. There's another store, I'm sure we've allllll been to, that sells exclusively containers...and these boxes are $2...so yes, saving half to get my little project done is a good thing!

These are also at the Dollar Tree. Clear little bins, they have lots of colors, to organize your desk space or where ever you do craft projects in your home! And yup, they are $5-10 at another store...which frankly seems frivolous to spend a lot on tiny little containers to separate my
large post-it notes from my small personalized post-its, ya know?

And what was also mildly amusing, I walked thru the whole store having to confirm that each and every item was in fact, one dollar. I felt CONVINCED that I was picking out the few secret items that were actually $3 or $5 because they were the best finds. My m.o. is to fixate on the most expensive item in a store everywhere else...so why wouldn't THIS be any different?

But no!! The kind ladies that worked there, smiled, nodded and answered for the thousandth time, yes, just a dollar. Everything's a dollar.

God bless the USA. (and all the places that manufactured my new purchases too)

Here's to a more organized closet--pictures are sure to follow as well!!

xoxo,
Lulu

this is a real tomboy-ish post

And I generally do not have any tomboy in me at all. hahahahahaha

#1. Anyone else's man out yesterday? It was the "first day"in Virginia or "opening day" as I think the hunters call it...and actually my sweet love is really a bow and arrow kinda guy but he was out yesterday too for the opening day.

Ughhhhh.

Lord, help me because I think deer are the most gentle and beautiful creatures ever! I truly just block the whole thing outta my mind but the saving grace is that he donated the deer to Hunters for the Hungry. Saves me from learning how to cook venison. So there's a silver lining.

Happy Sunday all.

#2. Eeeeppp!!! Watch out--I think the Redskins are gonna beat the Cowboys today--Sorry to my Dallas friends!!!! ;)

xoxo,
Lulu

PS--does anyone else love this picture? I just think she looks so adorable here and really Jessica Simpson has nothing to do with how Tony Romo will play but still this pink number 9 is like the cutest thing