Heart Shaped Cinnamon Rolls

In planning for Valentine's Day, I saw heart shaped cinnamon roll on Pinterest. I thought it was adorable and should be easy, so I picked up a can of Pillsbury rolls. I love that Pillsbury offers a half sized can so I don't have to make a whole dozen for my small family. I know a dozen cinnamon rolls wouldn't last a day around me.

As luck would have it I got strep throat on Valentine's Day.  So here it is, the month of March.  I know I have to use these rolls at some point, so I decided today was the day.  I pulled out the rolls, I turned on the oven, and searched for my pin on Pinterest.

Then I realized in.  The pin on Pinterest were for cinnamon rolls from scratch.  I have my can of cinnamon rolls like the anti-Betty Crocker.

Here is the link for the heart shaped rolls from scratch:  Think About it Thursday

I decide to go for it anyway. I pull out a 13x9 pan. I unrolled the rolls and shaped them into hearts. They still came out cute. They were also super fast and easy.

My son's eyes lite up when I gave him some and I handed my hubby a roll on a plate.

I asked Zach, "What did you think of the heart shaped cinnamon rolls?." He answered, "They were heart shaped?" I guess a man's stomach overrides his eyes.  These would be great to make with kids and I recommend informing your hubby they are heart shaped BEFORE they get consumed. :D

Happy Baking!

Baby Jar Christmas Gifts

Jar after jar of baby food was being consumed by our little one.  They are such cute little jars and I hate the thought of recycling them without coming up with a way to use them. 

The Hot Cocoa Reindeer and Marshmallow Snowman were born.

Supplies:

An even number of baby jars
razor blade
fabric for reindeer head
fabric for snowman head
ramekin to trace
rubber bands
brown pip cleaners
silver cord
black, red, orange paint pens
mini marshmellows
hot cocoa

Use the razor blade to get the glue off the baby jars.

Use a ramekin to trace the size hat you need for both reindeer and snowman.  Experiment til you find something the right size.

Use a rubber band to secure the brown fabric to the baby jar.

Use the paint pens to draw on the face.

Over the rubber band, twist the pipe cleaner in the back.

Cut smaller pieces of pip cleaner to create the antlers.

For the snowman.... secure the fabric with a rubber band and cover rubber band with silver cord.

And draw the face on.

and Voila....

They can also be created on larger jars as well....

I gave these little guys with a bag of cookies.  Who doesn't like Hot Cocoa and Cookies around the holidays??

Touchdown Dip

It's Super Bowl time.  I got really excited about some of the things I'd seen on Pinterest and wanted to make something super awesome.

I wanted the "Wow Factor" if you will, and was super excited when I stumbled across

THE.... SNACK.... STADIUM.....!!!!

Here is my version of the 7 layered dip behemoth :

My Step-Dad holds a massive Super Bowl party every year with 40 people and 5 tvs, so I wanted to bring excitement to the potluck.  There was quite a spread.

 

But the real test is how long the dip lasts....

The dip was gone by half time!!! (Yahoo!!)

What my unsuspecting friends didn't know was...

The Ingredients:

A Can of Fat-Free Refried beans
Can of Drained Diced Black Olives
A Jar of Salsa (I used Pace)
Cheddar Cheese
Fat-Free Plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 to a Whole Diced Onion
4 Large Ripe Avocados
Garlic Salt
Tooth Picks
9 packages of Snack Sized Slim Jims
Red Grape Tomatoes
Yellow Grape Tomatoes  
Tortilla Chips 
Piping Bag (I used a ziploc with a 5 icing tip.  A snip at the bottom of the ziploc will work, but the lines won't be as clean.  I also assume a squeeze bottle should work?  So however you'd like to try it.)

So the dip was a healthier version of the 7 layer dip.  I didn't tell anyone until after they told me they liked it.  ::wink::

The Order of Layering:

Day before:

Layer in a large casserole dish: 
A Can of Fat-Free Refried beans
Diced Black Olives
A Jar of Salsa (I used Pace)
Cheddar CheeseFat-Free Plain Greek Yogurt

Day Of Super Bowl Party Smack Down:

Make Goal Posts 
Put the toothpick through the Slim Jim.

Attach sides and cut toothpick for the post.
 

Take the longer slim jim and put a toothpick through it to attach the smaller slim jims to make and X.

The goal post on the left had a harder time standing because the bottoms were too short.  I made the one on the right with longer Slim Jims.  Both goal posts survived the party and the car ride to the party.

Press goal posts into layers where you want them.
Make guacamole by mixing 4 large avocados with garlic salt.
Lay guacamole around goal posts.

(This is where I learned I should put the goal posts in first before adding guacamole.  Then I learned the greek yogurt should be under guacamole because the red was too hard to cover, but adjustments have been made to the recipe, so you won't have that problem)

I cut my ziploc to take the 5 icing tip and put greek yogurt in the bag.  I piped the greek yogurt by hand.  The slower you go, the easier it is to make the lines straight, but it doesn't have to be perfect.

Put the tomato players on.

And...  Voila!!

Here are some of the stadiums I looked at for inspiration:

This quacamole dip is where I got the lines and the players....

These two stadiums is where I got the ideas for the goal posts....  They are really Bad A*$... but I don't love the people at my potluck enough to invest that kinda dough....

Superbowl Stadium Party Food

This is Why You're Fat - Snackstadium

I hope you enjoyed my adventures in Snack Stadium.  Try it out.  I hope it inspires you to have fun and create your own twist!

Happy Super Bowl!!