Muddy Buddies (My Version)

Have you heard of Muddy Buddies?  

I hadn't.  

My mother-in-law got the recipe off of a Chex cereal box long ago.  A few weeks before the Superbowl, my husband explained to me that Muddy Buddies were a tradition that I should keep.  He explained what they were, but I misunderstood his description.  They are supposed to be made with Chex or Crispix cereal.  I thought he said Chex Mix. 

I went to the store, and in the potato chip aisle, they had bags of Chex Mix in several different flavors buy one, get one free!  I picked the Caramel and Vanilla flavors.  When I got home, Tommy told me that I was just supposed to get the cereal.  So, we had Muddy Buddies with a twist.

The recipe for Muddy Buddies is HERE.  Try it, really.  Instead of the 9 cups of Chex cereal, I used 8 cups of Chex Mix.  I followed the rest of the recipe.  Tommy said he prefers the original, but I liked the added pretzels and such.  It kind of added a little salty flavor to the sweet.

I added the melted chocolate and stirred (this part took the longest).

Then, I put the powdered sugar in a gallon zip-top bag, and added the chocolate and cereal mixture.   Then, I just had to shake it up.  I had to add more sugar, but when it was done, I just poured it out on wax paper.  The recipe said to let the chocolate cool, or dry.  We were actually able to start snacking right away. 

I can tell you that these taste really good, and they really are ready in 15 minutes.  I started them after the game began, and they were ready before Half-time (I am a really last-minute person).  If you've never made them, this would be a great weekend snack or party food!

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

About a month ago on Pinterest, I found some really cute Valentine's Day ideas.  I wanted to make this garland:

Source: ablemae.blogspot.com via Leslie on Pinterest

Isn't it adorable?

Then I found this one, which I thought was even better:

Source: duitang.com via Leslie on Pinterest

I happened to have some red felt, and so I got to work.  I followed the steps for the open hearts just like they appear.  For the solid hearts, I decided to combine them with the open hearts.  I used white embroidery floss and went to work stringing them.  For my garland, I decided to sew through the solid hearts from side to side, instead of top to bottom like the original. 

I used the white embroidery thread and strung my solid and open hearts in an alternating pattern.  I left an inch or two between each heart, and I tied a knot in the thread between each one, just in case they decided to slide around.  I did sew through the open hearts at a higher point, so my thread goes through the middle point as well. 

After I had the garland strung, I thought I would add white buttons for  embellishment.  I think the buttons finished it off nicely.  Well chosen details are important!  I tried using red and white embroidery floss to sew on the buttons, and I think I prefer the red.  You could try pink, too!  One note about sewing on the buttons--embroidery floss comes with six strands of thread all wound together.  I use the full six threads when I sew something, and it makes a really "full" looking seam in no time.  I only went through the button holes once on each heart, in an X shape, and I was done. 

I ended up giving two garlands as gifts, and they were well received.  I strung the one that I kept for myself on my computer at work, and the worst part is that I think I have to take it down after Valentine's.  I really liked this project.  Wouldn't it be a cute thing for your kids to wake up to on Valentine's day?

On a side note, my new job is going really well.  I have a great work environment, and it has actually been good for our photography business, too.  Unfortunately, it doesn't leave much time for blogging.  I hope you will bear with me as I try to do both, and let's enjoy the time we do have together here!

What special ideas do you have for your Valentine?