Tuesday, August 21, 2012

A little piece of Heaven... Grandma Berg's Bon Bons


I'm going to share with you lucky people, my ultimate favorite desert. I'm pretty sure these are going to be in heaven.

Grandma Berg's Bon Bons. 

My grandma makes these incredible bon bons. Everytime she knows she is going to be seeing me, she makes me a batch. I savor every one, and am so sad when they are gone. She has given me the recipe a couple of times, but I've only made them once. It was right after Dan and I were married, and I was still getting my feet wet in the kitchen. They tasted good, but they were missing my grandma's special touch. After having some this past June when I saw my Grandma in Wisconsin, I couldn't stop thinking about them. So I've given it another go. 
 
 (I love handwritten recipes, especially from people you love)

Here are the ingredients, minus the rice krispies. (I forgot to include them in the shot)

2 tbsp butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup chunky peanut butter (I only had creamy on hand)
1 1/2 cups rice krispies
1/4 cup nutmeats (not really sure what this is, so I just used pecan pieces)
1 pkg. chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate, just 'cause I love it)
1 inch. cube of paraffin, shaved


Combine the first 5 ingredients and roll them into a ball. This can get quite sticky, so it helps to use a spoon. Put them into the fridge to chill and set. 


A cute little girl waddled into the kitchen to see what was going on. 


 Melt the chocolate chips and paraffin in a double boiler. I really had no clue what paraffin was. I had to look it up. I'm pretty sure I skipped it the first time I made them. I searched and searched my grocery store and finally found it by the canning supplies. Apparently, it's a wax that helps smooth the chocolate and give it it's shiny look. Everything I read said it was safe to digest.


Check out this sweet double boiler I inherited. It looks old, and probably is! I'm sure the microwave would work as well. Just take care not to burn your chocolate if you go that route. 


Mmmm.... chocolate. You can bet I licked that spoon when it was all said and done. 


Dip your peanut butter balls in the chocolate and set on wax paper to cool. 


After I dipped all my balls, I had quite a bit of chocolate left over. I couldn't let that deliciousness go to waste!! So I threw in some pecan pieces and rice krispies and set it in freezer. Now we have a delicious "bar" to tear pieces off of. 
 


I also put the balls in the fridge to help them cool and harden. It was a 95 degree day here, again, and even with the AC on, the kitchen was warm.
 


I tried one, and it was super good. Still missing something, but I think it's something I can't add... Grandma's loving touch. 
 
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Monday, August 20, 2012

Zucchini Brownies

 A member of church gave us a zucchini from their garden. It was HUGE. At least a foot long. I had no idea what to do with this giant zucchini until I saw this recipe on Pinterest. I was a little afraid when I was making them, because I have never made brownies with a vegetable, but they turned out great!

Zucchini Brownies

Once again, I can't be bothered to take a picture before I get to eat some. :) I like brownies that tastes like brownies and not zucchini, and these did not disappoint. 


 
Anna approved as well. :) 
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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Puzzle Mania

Anna has always loved puzzles. She's pretty good at them, too. It took her about a day to master a 24 piece Dora puzzle I recently bought her. Molly is already following in her sister's footsteps. I love that the girls love this calm, time-consuming activity. What I don't love are the dozens of puzzle pieces scatter throughout my living room. :)

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Bloom where you are planted

I don't know that I'm the best at "blooming where you are planted". I have some friends that seem to thrive and flourish no matter where they go. We've lived in Lee's Summit for four years now, and when people ask me if I like it, I always say yes. I do. But, I would LOVE to get back to Wisconsin some day. Being hours and hours away from family and friends is no fun.

However, God sure knows what he is doing. He gave Dan and I some wonderful friends and "family" here. People, that if and when we leave here, I will not forget, but cherish. This past weekend, I went out with some of those wonderful people. It was just what I needed after the sad few weeks we've been through. I laughed and smiled and had a great time. I came home even more thankful for them than before.


 
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Friday, August 3, 2012

Rain

I woke up to a lovely sight yesterday morning. Rain.

 
 


I can't remember the last time I saw rain. Mid-June perhaps? It wasn't a lot, but in this severe drought we are in, we'll take anything we can get. Thank you Lord, for the rain!
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