Gingerbread House WAR!!

I told you already. I'm addicted. Therefore I offer this next post with no apologies!! Especially since it's gingerbread season!

I organized a Gingerbread House War/ Competition. Girls versus Guys. . .yeah, a little unfair. . .but still extremely fun!

On Sunday, we (the girls) issued our Declaration of War. We set up a poster and set out some cookies. . .

Pre-plated (oh so cute!)

                      and plated (they looked great!!!)




Along with the cookies and poster we sent. . .

a written declaration










and the rule sheet...








The challenge was taken up with enthusiasm. The girls are getting WAY into it. We have some super cool planning ideas going on...the guys really don't stand a chance! haha :) But it should be an interesting fight. The guys seem pretty stoked as well and I've heard some talk that since "canons" and not "cannons" were included in the restricted items...that there will be some actual weaponry. It's gonna get INTENSE!!

I can't wait until the 9th!! I'll post pictures and results. Too excited to contain myself!!!!

Life's the GREATEST!
~MollyMarie

Holiday Houses!

I AM ADDICTED. Not only to peanut butter, sugar, and singing at the top of my lungs when no one is around . . . yeah, don't judge haha. . . .but I also am quite thoroughly addicted to making holiday houses. Holiday houses as in gingerbread houses and their knock-offs. What are these knock-offs, you ask. They are the other types of bread houses used to create gingerbread house look alikes for other holidays.

FOR EXAMPLE. . .
Halloween:
chocolate bread house.
Thanksgiving:
chocolate bread house (an adapted version of the Halloween kit which I got on sale for $2.50. Score. . . cuz i would have bought it at full price lol. Mwhahaha! They lost potential money!!! ha. . . . .ok I'm done being awkward)
Other holidays:
I plan on buying extra christmas gingerbread house kits for Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day. . .but the other holidays. . . I might end up making from scratch. . . addictions are addicting, so i will definitely, maybe end up going all out on these things!! haha

Over the years I have made many a house . Christmas and Halloween are the main ones . But this year, my Thanksgiving house is looking mighty legit!!

Holiday House: Thanksgiving (incomplete)

Ain't it just lookin prime?? Haha. A mixture of cereal, leftover Halloween candy and candy that came with the kit, this house is my most creative!! See the car on the left?? Milkyway body, gum drop wheels, piece of cap'n crunch for the front fender thing (believe it or not I'm not a car person and don't know everything!! lol), and a mini 3musketeer for the top part. I'm cool, I know.

I'll definitely post more pictures once I've completed it!!

Here's my Halloween House project! I did a lot of it with Jon so it's pretty darn awesome and a bag and a half of extraordinary!!

He's a master! Such Concentration!

 that's a spiderweb on the back. Jon threw (literally!) green-colored sugar on it to put in a "haunting effect." 

i love the candycorn walkway...it's sooo pretty! 

 haha...those are sugar cookies in the back. Thing about me is that I have to be working on multiple projects at the same time or my life is just not crazy enough! Aaaaand, I forgot to take a picture of the end product of the cookies : / but they were suuuuuperrrrr cute and went suuuuuperrrr fast!

I just LOVE making these houses! Can't wait to be able to work more on the Thanksgiving House! ALSO! Watch out for my post with the legit Christmas gingerbread houses!! They're gonna be great!

Stay Happy. Feed your Tastebuds.
~MollyMarie

Nutty for my Peanut Butter

My family is completely, 100% entirely, and unashamedly addicted to peanut butter. There I've said it. And it feels good to admit! Phew. I mean seriously. We devour at least 3 large tubs of the creamy goodness every week. It's peanut butter though, right?!?! It's HEALTHY!!! So I feel no tinge of guilt for the recipe I'm about to share. Just remember, peanut butter is healthy. Just repeat it to yourself like I do and I can guarantee that you will eventually feel better. That feeling may or may not be directly linked to the DELICIOUS and FANTASTIC praises your taste-buds will be singing to the peanut butter fairy after the first bite of one of these cookies!

We make these cookies ALL THE TIME! 

Our house smells wonderful. <--one of the most appealing reasons for taking up baking!

Peanut Butter Cookies

½             cup        shortening

½             cup        peanut butter

½             cup        sugar

½             cup        brown sugar, packed

1                                egg

1 ½         cup         all-purpose flour

½             tsp         baking powder

¾             tsp         baking soda

¼             tsp         salt

(OPT: throwing in a good 1/2 cup of chocolate chips never hurt anybody!!)

Mix shortening, sugars, peanut butter and egg. Blend thoroughly. In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients (flour, b.powder, b.soda, salt). Stir Flower mixture and shortening mixture together.

Preheat oven to 375deg. Roll dough into 1 ¼” balls set 3” apart. Flatten criss-cross style with fork (dipped in flour). Sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake: 10-12 minutes.

It should clue you in to how utterly addicted we are when I tell you that we ALWAYS triple this recipe!

~ Molly Marie

PS: I've been trying to get more professional looking photos. It's difficult. I don't have a great camera and it's hard to snap a picture before munches and crunches leave none of the subject left...what? I don't know what you're talking about! ...I never contribute to the cookie theft...