Sandra Lee's Snack Mix...Fun Treats

During the summer snacks are very much in demand, however we try not to use the oven on hot days.  (We do not have central air conditioning.)  So over the years, I have had to come up with a few special treats that do not involve baking of any kind.  This snack has quickly become one of our favorites.  It is a snack mix recipe that I found in one of my favorite magazines, Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade.   

The recipe calls for a huge bowl of crunchy snack items like Crispix cereal, Cheerios, pretzels, peanuts and golden raisins are a nice surprise in this recipe.   My board of ingredients is lost...so I will be forced to make it again and take a new picture of all the ingredients.  The kids are pretty happy about that.

Step one, put everything in a big bowl.   You might want to half the recipe or put the ingredients in two bowls so there is enough room in the bowl for mixing.

Next in is the melted vanilla flavored candy coating.  A whole recipe calls for two pounds of candy coating.  I melted the first package in the microwave poured it over the snack mix and mix it in right away.   

This is what it looked like after the first pound of candy coating.

The second pound of candy coating looks much better.  If you waited to mix both packages of candy coating into the snack mix together, then the first pound of coating would start to harden and you would not get a nice even layer like you have here. 

Now for the fun part.  Adding a little personality to the treat is a really great way to make this treat perfect for so many occasions.  I made this batch for the 4th of July.  I have used orange and black sugar for Halloween, pink and red for Valentine's Day, red and green for Christmas, orange and yellow for Thanksgiving and all sorts of colors for various parties throughout the year.  This snack is not just for the kids either.  I brought this along to a 4th of July party and the adults were as happy with it as the kids.  The sweet/salty combination along with the crunch is just fantastic.  I love this recipe. 

First add one color of sugar and mix it into the snack mix. 

Then add the second color of sugar and give it all a good mix.

The color is not super bright, but it just adds a fun touch to the snack.  I love fun food.

Then you need to let the candy coating dry.  Divide the snack mix up and spread it out.  You will need to break it apart after it dries so spread it as thinly as you can.  I divided a whole batch up into two jelly roll pans as well as leaving some spread out in the bottom of the mixing bowl.  

When the coating had dried and we had broken up the large chucks, we measured out one cup servings and put them in folding sandwich bags.  Zip lock bags would have worked, but they are more expensive. 

I tied the bags shut with red, white and blue ribbons and piled it all up in this awesome bowl.  I think it was the perfect {easy} treat for the weekend. 

Last year I had a more Americana theme for the 4th of July and I tied the treat bags with twine and red and blue ribbon.  I loved the way it looked.  I took an old cookie tin from Christmas and used a little scrap book paper and some stamps to make a cute little container to hold all the treat bags. This snack mix is so versatile.  It is only limited by your imagination.  Happy snacking!

For the original recipe from Sandra Lee click here.

Budget Buster - Window Cleaner

We had a great holiday weekend and then decided to take off for a little family fun. We took a quick run to Tennessee and enjoyed a few days in beautiful Pigeon Forge. One of the things we were most looking forward to was Cade's Cove. It was beautiful. We saw black bears crossing the road right in front of us and it was amazing and so fun to see.

By the time we got home form our lovely little get away, our car was in need of a little TLC. My dear husband is always a willing volunteer to clean up the car. I love that we get home from a trip and within a hour or two, the car is cleaned up, the kids and I have unpacked and put away the travel gear and we are ready to get back into the swing of things. 




Anyway, this post is about window cleaner. We go through massive amounts of it. Window cleaner is an essential cleaner in our home. My husband uses it in on the cars in the garage, I use it on the windows, mirrors and the glass in the picture frames of every room in the house.When I show you how easy and cheap it is to make yourself, you will be thrilled.  The ingredients are pretty simple and you probably have them in your home already.  You can use any dish detergent you would like.

I picked up a spray bottle at Wal Mart for $1.50.  Add two cups of water. 

Next in is a quarter cup of white vinegar. 

Last in is a drop or two of liquid dish soap.  That's it. 

Add a label and you are all set for some serious cleaning.  See?
BEFORE:

AFTER:

Happy Independence Day

I love our country so much and I am so thankful that I can raise my beautiful family in freedom. All I can say is...

Decorating the Dock

This year our 4th of July celebration is going to include a back yard cookout, swimming in the lake, yard games, sunscreen a few fun surprises for the kids. Today, I am getting the dock ready for the long holiday weekend.  We want the dock to be an inviting place for out guests to hang out while the kids are swimming. This is the everyday look for the dock. 

Sorry for my crooked pictures.  The dock really is level.  Here is another angle of the everyday look for the dock. It's not bad, it just needs a little extra color and some softness to be inviting. 

I added a few colorful towels to cover the bench and draped over the Adirondack chairs.  I also made some bolster pillows out of beach towels that I added to the chairs for a little extra comfort. 

Flags in the ferns are a must for the 4th of July and they add such a bright pop of color. 







The trees hang way over the edge of the lake, so this is always a nice cool spot to swim and explore.  It's so pretty, I just wanted to share it with you.




We always bring baskets to the dock.  They hold sunscreen and bug spray, they act as eye glass holders for the swimmers and the kids love to take them and fill them with shells and treasures.  You can see them stacked up on the bench below. 

I can't wait to see more of this over the weekend.  :-) 

Patriotic Flower Pots

Today we are putting some red, white and blue planters together for our 4th of July celebration.  I picked up a variety of flowers from the local nursery.  I am also using a red and a blue sand pail as planters.   

You will also need some pebbles for the bottom of the planters.

The sand pails will need drainage holes.  The best way to get add drainage holes is with a drill fitted with a large drill bit. 

These are the beach buckets I found.  They are only going to be strong enough to last for one season, but that is okay since they were only $1.00 each. 

Start by gently drilling the drainage holes.  Let the drill rest on the bucket, but to not push down on the bucket.  You do not want to crack the thin plastic.  The key here is to drill gently as possible. 

You will want about six holes for a planter this size. 

Next, we need a double layer of pebbles.  You must not skip this step.  When you water the flowers, the water will wash away the dirt if you do not have a layer of pebbles to stop the erosion.

Fill the bucket about 3/4 of the way up with a potting mix.  I made my own potting mix but you can buy it as well.

To remove the little flowers from the pots, use your thumbs to push the bottom up. 

Then grab the flower by stem and gently pull it out of the carton.  You do not want to snap the flower stem so work gently. 

This is a root bound plant.  It is good that the plant has such a healthy root system, but bad that they are all growing around the  outside of the dirt from the container it was growing in.  Use your thumbs and break apart the roots.  You want to work down the middle pulling the roots apart.  Then turn the plant one quarter turn and do the same thing. 

This looks much better.  Now the roots can grow outward and you will have a much healthier plant. 

Flip that plant over and rest on the top of the potting soil.  Move onto the next plant.

When you have your plants in place gently pat them down. 

Next, fill in the gaps with more potting soil.

A riot of red white and blue with hints of green and a pop of yellow is my favorite planter combination this year. 

I tucked the shovels into the white planter for an extra pop of color.

The blue planter has red wave petunias and a very prolific white flower that I just love. 

The red planter has a some yellow lantana, white diamond dust, and a sun friendly version of lobelia. 

Finally the last planter has dusty miller which is the white-ish stalk in the middle, asparagus fern which is my favorite pot filler of all time, more red wave petunias and a different sun friendly lobelia.

The perfect little grouping of flower pots to welcome guests for the holiday.

The window box has more of the same flowers in it. 

Finally the back door gets a few more of the same flowers. 

I think our flowers are all ready for Independence Day.