It’s Tuesday.

It’s also that wonderful time of year….when the New Jersey Housewives and the New York Housewives are both on television in the same week.

If you don’t watch any of Bravo’s Housewives series, let me just tell you this: remember back to all of your petty issues in high school, throw in a bunch of money, fancy dresses, and television cameras…and you’ve got the Housewives.

I will freely admit that I get all up in the Housewives drama. The whole Bethenny/Jill thing? I know every detail. And don’t get me started on Danielle/Caroline. I get so irate while watching that I actually try and drag my husband in to things. “okay, look”, I’ll say to my poor husband, “isn’t she nuts?! Wouldn’t you just die if one of my friends acted like that?!”.


My husband will nod and say that yes, she is nuts, and yes, he would die if I had a friend like that….and then proceed to ask me is it just him, or does Danielle’s face bear a striking resemblance to Scooby Doo? 

How did I never realize that? The man’s a genius.

But that’s the thing…us women consider ourselves to be the smarter of the sexes…but don’t men usually see things a lot more clearly? Men are either friends or they aren’t. They like you, or they don’t. 


Men don’t tearfully throw around words like “toxicity” or ask why you and so and so didn’t ask them if they wanted to come to lunch with you. Or why they texted you at 9 am but you didn’t text back until 11.

And men definitely will not ask if they look fat unless they want a truthful answer.

I’m thinking that friendship is one area that men could probably school us women on. And if you are disagreeing with me right now, let me argue this last point: In a world where women actually stop speaking over an insult about an outfit, or an unreturned call, men can actually punch each other in the face and still be friends. 


Enough said.


Those of you women out there who have a Jill/Bethenny situation going on, I have a bit of advice. Make up some of these Chocolate Caramel Marshmallow Pops and take them to your long lost friend. If you have a Caroline/Danielle situation though….just keep the pops for yourself. Because that fence just isn’t meant to be mended.

Adapted from: Sticky, Messy, Chewy, Gooey

INGREDIENTS:


10 oz bag regular marshmallows
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 stick butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 bag (14 oz) caramel candies, unwrapped
1 bag candy melts in your choice of color/flavor
About 20 lollipop sticks
Sprinkles, crushed cookies, or small candies
Parchment paper

Cut lollipop sticks in half and insert into marshmallows.

Combine condensed milk, butter, and vanilla in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook until the butter melts and combines with the milk. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Stir in the caramels and cook, stirring constantly until the caramels melt and the mixture is smooth. Reduce heat to low and simmer the caramel, stirring one minute longer.

Remove from heat and dip the marshmallows in the caramel, covering about 2/3 of the marshmallow. Place dipped marshmallows on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes, or until caramel is hardened and is easily lifted from parchment paper. 

Melt candy melts in a bowl according to instructions and dip the caramel marshmallows in the melted candy. Immediately dip in your choice of sprinkles/crushed candy.

These marshmallow pops were so easy to make and really, really yummy. You can change the color of the candy melts or sprinkles to suit any occasion.


Happy Tuesday!!!

It’s Monday.

Is it me, or does it seem like life consists of WAY more Mondays than Fridays? 

It’s just not fair.


Anyways, for today’s “I hate” Monday post, I want to talk to you about one of my phobias.


There are a lot of them. 

A LOT.

If there is such a thing as a phobia of phobias, I’ve probably got that, too.

But one thing in particular on my huge list of fears, somewhere between possums and lawn mowers (okay, I’m not actually afraid of lawn mowers, I just really, really don’t like to mow), is Groucho Marx masks. You know the kind, with the bushy eyebrows, big nose, glasses, and mustache all attached? 


I HATE those things. They freak me out big time.


I don’t like looking at them by themselves, and seeing a person actually wearing them will send me right over the edge. When my husband and I were first dating, I opened an email he had sent me only to have the computer screen fill with a giant picture of him in a Groucho mask. 


Not nice. Not nice at all. Needless to say, I have not opened an email from him in about seven years. 


I just can’t take any chances.

I can handle any element of the mask alone just fine. It’s when they are all put together that there is a problem. For instance: bushy eyebrows = okay……big black glasses = okay…..black mustache cookie = sign me up.


A couple of weeks ago, I was browsing Bake It Pretty and came across a mustache cookie cutter. Of course, there was no question that it had to be mine. I am the mother of a five year old boy. And if there is anything that a five year old boy loves more than cookies, it’s cookies that double as a disguise.

Any rolled sugar cookie recipe can be used to make these mustaches. My go to recipe is from Cookie Sensations. It’s very simple, the cookies don’t spread or lose their shape, and they taste great.  You can also get the recipe at her blog, The Decorated Cookie. 


To decorate them, I used the royal icing recipe from Sweetopia. If royal icing is not your thing, you could totally make these from chocolate cookie dough. You could even draw lines with food markers. Kids will love them either way.

But….there is something else I realized about these cookies. They practically beg to be attached to a stick.

Don’t you agree?


There are lots of opinions on how to “stick” a cookie. My preferred method is to attach the stick to the back of the cookie using Candy Melts. I have found that the melted candy holds the sticks on really well. 

On a side note, my son was completely unwilling to pose for photos until I informed him that it was going on the internet. He is such a fame hog. I am also supposed to relay the fact that he is ready to sign autographs for whoever want them.

Lucky you.


Bake up some mustaches for the little fame hogs in your life. They will love you for it.


Happy Monday!!!