New Family Pics

We got some family pics done recently at a Ghost Town in Montana. It was pretty cool there and Ruth did an awesome job with the pics. There are a lot so be warned :)

Super Delicious Maple Butter Blondies

If you ever go to Applebees, you must try the Maple Butter Blondies. They are so incredibly delicious and will cause you to eat so much that you may or may not need to unbutton your pants to be comfortable, or to possibly make room for another Maple Butter Blondie. They are that good.

Well, a couple of months ago Food Network Magazine came out with a copy-cat recipe for this fabulous treat and it tastes just as good as the original. It has become my job when my family gets together at my mom's to make the Blondies. It is a blessing... and a curse. I've created some Maple Butter Blondie addicts, and it is a hard and tasty habit to kick, and I honestly don't think that they are trying very hard to do it. So tonight I will be making another batch of goodness and passing this burden on to you, so that you too may have some addicts in your homes. I mean, seriously, where did they find these things? Heaven?

Almost-Famous Maple-Butter Blondies

Ingredients

For the Blondies:

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature,

plus more for the pan

1 cup walnut pieces

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

6 ounces white chocolate, cut into chunks

For the Topping:

1/3 cup maple syrup

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

1/2 cup walnut pieces

Directions

Make the blondies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter the foil. Pulse 1/2 cup walnuts in a food processor until almost fine (do not overprocess). Whisk the ground nuts, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

Beat 10 tablespoons butter and the brown sugar with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate and the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until the blondies are light brown around the edges and spring back when pressed, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly on a rack.

Meanwhile, make the topping: Place the maple syrup and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the mixture bubbles and thickens, swirling the pan, about 6 minutes. Add the cream and continue to cook until the mixture is the consistency of caramel.

Use the foil to lift the blondies out of the pan, then cut into large bars. Serve warm topped with ice cream, the maple-butter sauce and the walnuts.

Original recipe can be found here.

The Boys of Fall

My latest project. We are in full swing with football season here in my little town. That means every Friday night you can find the boys and I up in the stands cheering on our team while my husband lends his hand down on the field with the rest of the coaches. I thought that the jerseys were neccessary Finn & Big D absolutely love them. They're ready to get out on the field themselves!!

Picture Plaques with Mod Podge Dimensional Magic + Giveaway

So I have one more fun project for you, this time showing how you can use Mod Podge Dimensional Magic as an accent to your project to add a lot of personality and help bring out those little details that we all work so hard on. These are just some cute little picture plaques that I made up for a craft at a recent family reunion. And do you know what? Everyone loved the Dimensional Magic, from a 10 year old cousin to 50+ year old aunt. It's just so easy to use!

To start this project off I cut out an 8x8" piece of 1/4" thick wood.

-Here's a tip, go to your local hardware store to find wood for projects like this. Craft stores mark their prices WAY up because they are for crafts, and you can usually get a lot more product for a lot cheaper at your local Home Depot, Ace Hardware, or Lowe's-

I painted down a thin layer of Mod Podge

And then added some scrapbook paper over the top. I recommend laying your paper out how you want it before you start going all crazy with the Mod Podge, I just didn't get a picture of this step... And then paint on another layer of Mod Podge over the top to seal it. I suggest using the gloss Mod Podge to seal the paper down, I just love the finished look that it gives.

Next step, after your Mod Podge has dried completely, is to add some embellishments. Flowers, pearls, ribbons, you can use anything that you have laying around, and hot glue them onto your board.

Next I drilled a hole in each of the top 2 corners and threaded some sturdy wire through and looped it. This make the plaque easy to hang and it just cute.

Then I selected the picture that I wanted for my plaque and pinned it in place with 2 thumbtacks. I put a tiny dab of Mod Podge on the tack and added a little matching circle of paper to the top of each one.

And applied my Dimensional Magic to each one and allowed them to dry. (For tips on using Mod Podge Dimensional Magic, check out our last post for the Mod Podge Dimensional Magic Dog Tags)

It added so much character to the plaques and helped pull out a lot of the colors of the project and just added some additional visual interest.

I just loved that there are so many different things that you can do with this project, and capture just about any kind of personality with it!

So are you worried that you aren't going to win the Dimensional Magic from our last giveaway. Well Mod Podge Amy has been so generous as to allow us to do a SECOND giveaway of the Dimensional Magic. I know, she does rock. And what do you need to do? Simply leave a comment telling us why you are so desperate to get Mod Podge Dimensional Magic that you simply must enter another giveaway for it!

GOOD LUCK!

Giveaway closes on Sunday 9/19 at midnight MST and the winner will also be announced the following Monday!