My new favorite Fall cookie -Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies Recipe

I do a lot of cooking and baking and would like to share some of the recipes with all of you. I am going to be making a better effort to make more posts with yummy recipes :)

Today I made the most Yummy cookies (Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies)
If you like apple and caramel you must try these!

Ingredients
1 cup softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix -not sugar free- all 10 packets (I found this in my grocery store near the hot chocolate mixes.)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups all purpose flour
1 bag Kraft Caramels (14 oz)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment. (You really need the parchment!)
-In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
With your mixer (or an energetic spoon) cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder, until light and fluffy.

-Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.

-Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined.
Refrigerate for about an hour. (If you're really impatient you don't have to do this, but it makes it so much easier to work with.)

-When you are ready to bake, unwrap your caramels. 
Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut.

-Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart.

-Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Please don't over-bake! Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down (either on the parchment or on a rack.)

If you forget about them and they cool too much and stick to your parchment, put them into the freezer for a few minutes and they'll pop right off.

Yield: about 4 dozen, depending on how large you make your cookies (or how many caramels have been snitched out of your bag before you begin.) Store in an airtight container.



Recipe taken from http://scrambledhenfruit.blogspot.com

New Activia Selects...So Yummy!

with a 3 year old and one on the way it can be difficult to find time for a nutritious meal. I always like when I find nutritious snacks that I can take on the go.

When I am out on a playdate or at a prenatal appointment I have found a new snack that I love to take.

Activia Selects

New styles of yogurt that let you enjoy unique and delicious taste experiences! New Activia Selects brings you great tasting, cultural recipes plus everything you already love about Activia.

There are 4 new Activia Selects

Activia® Selects French- A delicious blended French style yogurt with a smooth and silky texture. Features the popular yogurt recipe from France.

Activia® Selects French– Fruit Bites on the Bottom- Smooth and silky French style yogurt with large and fresh pieces of fruit on the bottom.

Activia® Selects Greek- Thick and creamy blended Greek yogurt, containing 0% fat and an excellent source of calcium and protein.

Activia® Selects Parfait-A blend of delicious creamy Activia yogurt, flavorful fruit pieces, and crunchy granola on top.



I ended up trying the Activia® Selects Parfait in Peach. I love peach and the granola adds a bit of crunch for the perfect snack on the go. I also tried the Activia® Selects French– Fruit Bites on the Bottom in strawberry. This one was a bit richer and had really good strawberry flavor with real strawberry pieces.


The Activia® Selects Parfait are my favorite. I just love the extra crunch the granola gives.

For more information about Activia Selects, check out http://activia.us.com/products/enjoy_activia_selects.aspx


“I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Dannon Activia Selects Yogurt Series and received a coupon to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.”

Sock n Boots children's book series

With the holidays around the corner I know many moms and dads are looking for some great new suggestions for holiday gifts.

Recently I was introduced to a great series Sock n Boots.

Sock n Boots are best friends and the stars of the "Sock n Boots" book series. They are "the two most loveable pieces of footwear around”.

The Sock n Boots characters and stories were created to foster a love of reading at a young age and to teach young children valuable life lessons. The stories stimulate positive thinking, while building a bond between parents and children, as well as teachers and students.

The goal of the books is to transform story time into an interactive bonding time.

Each Sock n Boots story begins with a question. Then through the antics of the characters, a lesson is taught that answers the question. Once the story is finished the question is posed again which opens the door for additional discussion and interaction.

As an educator I can tell you this is a great series for kids and I would recommend the series as a holiday gift this Year!

For more information on Sock n Books go to: www.socknboots.com and www.facebook.com/SockandBoots

JAKE AND THE NEVER LAND PIRATES: YO HO, MATEY AWAY! lands on DVD on 9/27/11

I was so so so excited when I learned JAKE AND THE NEVER LAND PIRATES had a new DVD to be released. It's one of Shane's favorite Shows. It's even one of my favorites of all the shows he watches :)

About JAKE AND THE NEVER LAND PIRATES

Jake and the Never Land Pirates is cable's #1 series among Boys 2-5 and is on track to be Disney Channel's #1 preschool series ever. It is the most co-viewed series among all Disney Junior and Nickelodeon series, with 47% of Moms watching with their preschooler. A music-filled interactive treasure hunt, the series introduces a crew of kid pirates – leader Jake and pals Izzy and Cubby – and follows their Never Land adventures as they work to outwit two infamous characters, the one and only Captain Hook and Smee, from Disney's classic "Peter Pan." Every episode features the animated Sharky and Bones characters as they pop up throughout to perform original pirate ditties, and each episode concludes with a live action music video featuring The Never Land Pirate Band.


About the DVD
The DVD is packed full with seven episodes from the series and two incredible bonus features including Yo Ho, You Want To Be A Pirate?, where Jake teaches viewers how to talk like a pirate, and Pirate Party With Pirate-oke, a collection of music videos performed by The Never Land Pirate Band that allow viewers to enjoy with or without the sing-along/karaoke-like feature.

Retailing for the suggested price of $19.99

This would make such a great Stocking Stuffer for Christmas this year!

Rafflecopter Roundup

Welcome to Rafflecopter Roundup hosted by Makobiscribe and Simply Stacie!




4 people will Win prizes.

Prize #1 A $25 gift code to Amazon

Prizes #2, #3 and #4 Each will win A copy of of Collegeit Software with a full License code.

CollageIt is an easy-to-use and automatic photo collage maker for Mac OS X & Windows, which makes photo collage automatically.

DUMBO 70th Anniversary Edition in Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack

Today DUMBO 70th Anniversary Edition in Blu-ray/DVD Combo is Available.
It will retail for $39.99

In celebration of this landmark film’s 70th anniversary, experience the daring adventures of the world’s only flying elephant with a dazzling all-new digital restoration and brilliant Disney Enhanced High Definition Theatre Mix Sound. The inspirational tale of Dumbo, the courageous baby elephant who uses his sensational ears to soar to fame with the help of his clever best friend Timothy Q. Mouse, will thrill and delight audiences of all ages. And now, the award-winning music and empowering messages about friendship and belief In yourself reach new heights in this must-have Blu-ray high-definition presentation of Walt Disney’s classic Dumbo!


Here is what you will get
DVD:

Deleted scene: The Mouse's Tale
Deleted scene: Are You a Man or a Mouse?
Taking Flight: The Making of Dumbo
The Magic of Dumbo: A Ride of Passage
Audio Commentary
Sound Design Excerpt
Original Walt Disney Television Intro

Blu-ray:
Everything on the DVD plus:

Cine-Explore
Disney View
What Do You See game
What Do You Know game
Celebrating Dumbo featurette
Animated Short: The Flying Mouse
Animated Short: Elmer Elephant

This is one of those movies that every kid must have!

A big Thanks to Disney for Providing us with a copy of DUMBO 70th Anniversary Edition in Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack!

Fall is Here and What to do with all these Apples?

It has cooled off here in Michigan and Fall is here. I love all the Fall foods and don't even mind the cool weather. I HATE THE SNOW!

We took Shane to the apple orchard. The cider and donuts were really good and Shane had a blast picking and eating apples.

Last night I made Phil a Homemade Apple Pie to tell him thank you for all the extra help he has been giving me while I have been baking Baby #2. He loves my Apple Pies!

We still have a ton of apples so if anyone has any good apple recipes feel free to leave them in the comments.