Valentine's Day Sprinkled Sugar Cookies

On Sunday it snowed like crazy around here. We were totally stuck at home, but when you have treats to eat, a big cup of delicious coffee, and the house is cozy and warm, it really is kind of nice.

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I knew it would be a good day to make these cookies for my grandchildren.

I have made a lot of sugar cookies that weren't all I'd hoped they would be, but this is the best recipe I've ever used. The cookies are moist and delicious, and very easy to make.

The kids loved them and I had such a good time making them. And of course, you can use different kinds of sprinkles for different holidays, they will all look great on this cookie.

Recipe for Sprinkled Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large or extra-large egg at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 2/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup sprinkles

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, and using an electric hand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in egg and vanilla until well blended. Add flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar, and mix until it forms a dough.
Reserve 3 tablespoons of sprinkles, and fold the rest into the dough. On a cookie sheet lined with foil, place heaping teaspoons of dough, spacing evenly.
Press down on dough just enough to get a flat surface. Sprinkle with reserved sprinkles.
Bake in preheated oven 8-10 minutes. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet before removing.

Makes 18 cookies.

Enjoy!!

Valentine's Day Giveaway: Nicholas Sparks Limited Edition DVD Collection #sponsored

With Valentines Day approaching love is in the air. I love a great romantic movie where it makes you fall in love with the characters and feel heart ache with them. One of the writers that I enjoy for romantic novels and movies is Nicholas Sparks. One of my favorite movies based in his book is The Notebook and Dear John since Channing Tatum is in that movie.

I absolutely love movies, my husband and I watch one together several nights a week. Its our way of escaping life stress for a few hours together. Watching a romantic one together is super sweet!

This Valentine's Day Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is releasing the Nicholas Sparks Limited Edition DVD Collection. Available for the first time in one collection, the gift set features seven films based on the best-selling author’s novels, including Safe Haven, The Lucky One, Dear John, Nights in Rodanthe, A Walk to Remember, Message in a Bottle and The Notebook.

You can own it on DVD January 28, 2014 from the WB Shop.

About the Films:

Safe Haven (2013)

This deeply moving romantic thriller tells the story of a young woman’s struggle to find love again after she arrives in a small North Carolina town.

When a mysterious young woman (Julianne Hough, Rock of Ages) arrives in Southport, her reluctance to join the tight-knit community raises questions about her past. Slowly, she begins putting down roots and gains the courage to start a relationship with Alex (Josh Duhamel, Transformers franchise), a widowed store owner with two young children. But dark secrets intrude on her new life with such terror that she is forced to rediscover the meaning of sacrifice and finds she must rely on the power of love.

The Lucky One (2012)

Zac Efron (17 Again) stars with Taylor Schilling (TV’s “Orange is the New Black”) and Blythe Danner (Meet the Parents franchise) in this romantic drama directed by Academy Award^®-nominated writer/director Scott Hicks (Shine, 1996). U.S. Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault (Efron) returns from his third tour of duty in Iraq with the one thing he credits for keeping him alive — a photograph he found of a woman he doesn’t even know. Learning her name is Beth (Schilling) and where she lives, he shows up at her door, and ends up taking a job at her family-run local kennel. Despite her initial mistrust and the complications in her life, a romance develops between them, giving Logan hope that Beth could be much more than his good luck charm.

Dear John (2010)

Directed by Lasse Halström, Dear John tells the story of John Tyree (Channing Tatum,Magic Mike), a young soldier home on leave, and Savannah Curtis (Amanda Seyfried,Les Miserables), the idealistic college student he falls in love with during her spring vacation. Over the next seven tumultuous years, the couple is separated by John’s increasingly dangerous deployments. While meeting only sporadically, they stay in touch by sending a stream of love letters which eventually triggers fateful consequences.

Nights in Rodanthe (2008)

This rich tale of hearts awakening stars Richard Gere (Arbitrage) and Diane Lane (Secretariat). Gere is Paul, a surgeon who long ago unwittingly traded family for career. Lane is Adrienne, a devoted mother trying to move on after her husband’s infidelity and struggling with his desire to return to their marriage. At a remote inn on the Outer Banks, both separately expect to do some serious soul-searching. But an approaching storm forces each to turn to the other for strength, setting the stage for a life-resonating romance.

The Notebook (2004)

The Notebook is a story of lost chances, growing up, and the power of enduring love. Spanning six decades, the romantic story focuses on two teenagers from opposite sides of the tracks (Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams) who fall in love during one summer but are tragically forced apart. When they reunite seven years later, their passionate romance is rekindled, forcing one of them to choose between true love and class order.

A Walk to Remember (2002)

The inspiring coming-of-age story about first love, A Walk to Remember is about two very different North Carolina teenagers: Landon Carter (Shane West, TV’s “ER”), a troubled, unmotivated but very popular student, and Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore,Tangled), the serious and conservative daughter of a preacher. As love pulls them closer, peer pressure and lifestyles seek to break them apart. Directed by Adam Shankman (Rock of Ages), A Walk to Remember co-stars Peter Coyote (Erin Brockovich) and Daryl Hannah (Kill Bill Vols. 1 + 2).

Message in a Bottle (1999)

In this tale of love lost and found, grieving widower Garret Blake (Kevin Costner, Dances with Wolves) may know how to build boats, but cannot rebuild his life. Theresa (Robin Wright, TV’s “House of Cards”), a lonely divorcee and researcher for the Chicago Tribune, comes to his North Carolina village to find him, knowing that Garret is the author of the message she found inside a bottle on a Cape Cod beach. And she knows the message spoke to her in a way that profoundly touched her heart. Directed by Luis Mandoki (When a Man Loves a Woman), the film co-stars Paul Newman as Garret’s father.  

GIVEAWAY

Win a copy of Nicholas Sparks Limited Edition DVD Collection for Valentine's Day

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 *Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts Feb 10, 2014 and ends on Feb. 15, 2014 at 12:01 am EST. Winner will be emailed and has 72 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize. I was sent a product to review for this post.

Jungle Book Inspired Healthy Fruit Pizza

I can't really think of any Disney movies that I haven't loved. But The Jungle Book holds a very special place in my heart.

Released in 1967, I was ten years old, and it was the very first movie I had ever seen in a movie theater. We were there to celebrate my best friend's birthday, and the day was completely wonderful.

So I'm super excited that Walmart is releasing The Jungle Book Blu-Ray Combo Pack Diamond Edition, and now I can share it with my grandchildren.

I'm sure they will love this movie as much as I do. And to celebrate it's upcoming release, I thought it would be fun to make yummy, #JungleFresh inspired fruit pizzas. These are healthy, quick to make, and so delicious.

When I went shopping at Walmart for the fruit and other ingredients I needed to make the fruit pizzas, I saw this ad for the release of The Jungle Book, available for sale there on February 11th.
 So exciting!!

Walmart is the only place where you can receive a free Jungle Book Lunch Box with the purchase of the Diamond Edition.

I love that Walmart has such a big selection of fruits and veggies. My family and I eat lots of both, and I'm happy that my grandchildren love fruit, and ask for it often for their snacks.

I knew they would love eating and making the fruit pizzas. They are also a great snack for me, and we can personalize them with our very own favorite kinds of fruit.
#CollectiveBias

I gathered up the ingredients we needed for making the pizzas. I used healthy whole grain pita pockets instead of pizza dough, and they were the perfect size.

I made an easy yogurt based dip to spread on top of the pita pockets. Blueberries are a staple at our house because they are so amazingly healthy for you, and they taste great, too.

Bananas, strawberries, pineapple, and kiwi were the other fruits we used, but of course you can customize your fruit pizza with your own favorite kinds of fruit. Shredded coconut and granola are what we used to sprinkle on top.

Just whisk together the yogurt, honey, and brown sugar until smooth. It smells so good!!

Them with a spoon, spread a medium layer of the fruit dip on the pita bread. Add your already washed and cut pieces of fruit, as much as you like, and top with coconut and granola.

This is just like making regular pizzas, but with fruit. And these fruit pizzas are so good and healthy for you. The kids love them, and it's always fun for them to help in the kitchen.

My granddaughter Ashley was happy to be given free rein to make her own pizza, and she used her favorites, blueberries, strawberries, and tons of coconut.

I can't wait to share The Jungle Book with her and her brothers, I know we will have fun watching it together. We will add it to our beloved Disney movie collection that just keeps growing.

 

Recipe for Jungle Book Inspired Fruit Pizza:

Ingredients:

For Yogurt Honey Fruit Dip:
1 cup Vanilla-Honey (or regular vanilla) Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar

For Pizza:
4 regular sized whole grain pita pocket bread
1 cup (or more) sliced strawberries
1 banana peeled and sliced
1/2 cup small pineapple chucks
1 cup blueberries
1 medium kiwi peeled and sliced
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 granola

Directions:
To make fruit dip, mix Greek yogurt, honey and brown sugar in a bowl, and whisk until smooth.
Spread dip evenly over pita pocket with a spoon. Cover pita pocket with assorted fruit.
Sprinkle with coconut and granola. Cut into wedges.

Enjoy!!

Old Fashioned Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple upside down cake really is one of my favorite desserts. Not only is it delicious, but it holds a happy memory for me, because I remember coming home from school, and my Mom would give me a piece, with a cold glass of milk.

I actually only made this cake a couple of times for my own kids when they were young, but now that they are all grown up, I have more time to bake from scratch.
I know how tempting it is to use a box of cake mix instead of baking from scratch, but it really isn't that much harder, and it makes all the difference in the world.

Anyway, this is a recipe from Martha Stewart, and it's actually quite easy. I've made it a few times and it has always come out moist and delicious.

Ready To Win GO SEAHAWKS!!!

I am not a huge football fan, it's really more about the family getting together and eating some really delicious food and acting silly.

But I couldn't let today go by without saying how proud I am of my Seattle Seahawks and wishing them good luck today in the game. The fans here are incredible, and the support for our team is so awesome.

Have fun today everybody, and GO HAWKS!!!!