Reindeer Brownies – Perfect for Santa

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Krissyar
Santa (along with Mom & Dad) could really use a  yummy treat to keep them going on Christmas Eve. Check out these super  cute Reindeer Brownies that the kids can make for Santa’s treat!
Ingredients:
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Your favorite chewy brownie recipe, baked and completely cooled (like my favorite one you can find here)
Small Pretzels
Wilton Candy Eyeballs
1 package Red Sixlets candies (I found mine at Wal-Mart in the Holiday baking section)
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon water
Ziplock Bag

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First, begin with your favorite batch of chewy brownies. I like to use the Nestle Toll House Cocoa Chewy Brownie Recipe, but any chewy brownie recipe will work. The trick is to line your pan with aluminum foil and then grease the foil. Prepare and bake your brownies as usual and cool completely.

Once your brownies are cool, you are ready to assemble your reindeer. Since your pan is lined with foil, simply lift the foil and brownies out of the pan. Remove the foil and place the “brick” of brownies on a cutting board.

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Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out the brownie hearts.

Place the powdered sugar and water in a ziplock bag. Knead with your hands until mixed well. Snip the end of the bag to create a small opening to pipe the frosting onto the brownies.

Add a dab of frosting to the eyes and attach to the brownies and do the same with the red sixlets to create a nose.

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For the antlers, you can cut or break pretzels, or leave them whole and press them into the side of the brownie. I didn’t use any frosting because the brownies were chewy enough to keep the antlers in place.

Let frosting set and serve!
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One 9×13 brownie pan will make 18-24 reindeer brownies. It really depends on the size of your heart cutter. My cutter is about 2.5″ square.

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Chewy Chocolate Brownies

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Krissyar
  • 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, melted
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup NESTLE Toll House Baking Cocoa
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
  • Powdered sugar
  • chewy_chocolate_brownies

PREHEAT oven to 350º F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

COMBINE granulated sugar, butter and water in large bowl. Stir in eggs and vanilla extract. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; stir into sugar mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread into prepared baking pan.

BAKE for 18 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into bars.

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Best Buy: Your Holiday Headquarters for Memory Making

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Krissyar

best buy disclosure

There is no more perfect a gift than the gift of memories – pictures from the holidays, special events, moments you didn’t realize until later that were special. Pictures speak a thousand words, and even more if you were a part of them. I look back at even just a few years ago and am so thankful that we invested in a high-quality camera to capture these moments.
If you don’t have a great camera of your own – or you have a family member who needs a great Christmas gift- check out all these great deals on some high-quality cameras at Best Buy!
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Best Buy is the ultimate destination for the latest cameras and camcorders to capture your high-stakes memories. These three cameras from Nikon, Sony and Samsung, all come equipped with built-in Wi-Fi so you can share amazing photos with ease. Upgrade your camera in time to capture precious holiday memories.

Nikon D5300 DSLR w/18-55mm VR Lens

·         A DSLR with built-in Wi-Fi so you can capture high quality photos and share them instantly

·         This Nikon D5300 DSLR camera comes with an AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II lens that enables you to capture sharp photos and video footage. Optical image stabilization helps prevent blurring to ensure image clarity

·         Also available in red or gray

Sony α6000 Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera

·         A compact system camera with the World’s Fastest Autofocus

·         This Sony Alpha A6000 features a 24.3-megapixel, Exmor APS-C CMOS sensor that makes it easy to shoot scenes in stunning clarity. Built-in Wi-Fi lets you share stored content across devices.

·         Also available in White or silver

Samsung Galaxy Camera 2

·         A digital camera that allows you to shoot, share, and use Android Apps

·         This Samsung Galaxy 2 digital camera’s 16.3-megapixel, 1/2.3″ BSI CMOS sensor allows you to capture sharp images and high-definition video footage. The 4.8″ touch screen simplifies operation, and built-in Wi-Fi makes sharing stored files easy.

Visit the Best Buy Holiday Gift Center to see more great cameras, whether you’re giving as a gift or upgrading for yourself.

best buy logo

Never miss a moment. #CamerasatBestBuy

 

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Easy Peppermint Oreo Bark

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Krissyar

I wanted to share with you another easy recipe that even I can do.  This Peppermint Oreo Bark is a easy holiday treat, and especially great to make for gifts. Throw them in a cute Christmas tin or mason jar and viola! Great holiday gift – perfect for teachers, neighbors, the mailman or anyone else you want to show your appreciation to this Christmas.

easy_peppermint_oreo_bark

Supplies:
-White Chocolate (10 ounces)
-1 cup candy cane mini Oreos

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Process:
-Begin by putting your cup of Oreos in a bag and crushing them, you can use a rolling pin, or even a back of a spoon to break them up. It’s a prefect job for kids if you have them – my son loves helping!
-Next melt all of your chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, melt for 1 minute, stir, and then continue melting for 15 second intervals until completely melted
-Then, add your crushed Oreos to your white chocolate and stir

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-Pour your mixture into a wax paper lined dish and allow to harden

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-I suggest placing in the fridge for about 20 minutes, it’s usually hardened completely by then!

-Break into pieces and enjoy!

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There’s Nothing Like HoneyBaked Ham for the Holidays

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Krissyar

Honeybaked_Ham_Disclosure

If you are anything like me you want to have time to enjoy your holidays. Instead of spending all your time in the kitchen preparing food that takes hours and hours to get done, only to have it scarfed down by the entire family in less than 20 minutes, you want to enjoy that extra time with your family, right?

I am never one who wants to give up the taste of good food just for convenience. So that’s why I make sure not to. I don’t cut corners when it comes to what I feed my family – so ordering our Christmas dinner from HoneyBaked  just makes sense. I love that they have a store so close to me to make it even more convenient, the Cincinnati Store on Colerain Avenue is conveniently located right off of Interstate 275 in Cincinnati. Easy to hop right off the exit and pick up your holiday meal & treats, and get right back on the road!

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Honeybaked offers some great options for your Christmas dinner – from whole and half hams, to turkey breast, the quality and taste of their meats can’t be beat.

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They also offer some great options for side dishes such as:
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potato Soufflé
Green Bean Casserole
Turkey Gravy
Macaroni and Cheese
Cinnamon Apples
Broccoli Rice Casserole
Potatoes Au Gratin
Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I always like to have a lot of options so I picked my 3 favorites: garlic mashed potatoes, mac and cheese and stuffing!

mac n cheeseQuick, easy and tasty dinners must always be followed by some delicious desserts. While I was at the HoneyBaked store I decided to pick up a pumpkin pie to satisfy my sweet tooth!

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They also offer Pecan pies -and recently while we were picking up our dinner I noticed they had chocolate chip cookies that can be ordered individually or in dozens.

 

Be sure to check out your local HoneyBaked store and get your Christmas order in – and even if you don’t have one local, they do offer shipping options for some of their products as well!

From now until 1/11/15 you can enter to win a $25,000 HoneyBaked Kitchen Makeover when you buy a Ham and Turkey Breast bundle.

Check out this limited time coupon for $7.00 off any Sliced and Glazed Whole Turkey and 4lb Quarter Ham (Or Larger) from HoneyBaked Ham to help you make your holiday dinner easy and delicious! (Offer Valid at Participating Retail Locations: Forestville, Silver Spring, Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fields Ertel, Beechmont, Kenwood, Colerain, Florence, Salem, Centerville, Sawmill Road, McNaughten, Louisville, Lexington, Fern Creek, Glendale, Paradise Valley, Superstition, Tucson East, Tucson North, Overland Park, Independence, Barry Road, Norristown, Parma, Willoughby, Rocky River, Strongsville, Maple Heights, Canton, Fairlawn and Chapel Hill.)

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