Ice Cream Sandwiches

Its no secret that our family LOVES ice cream so I thought I would make them some ice cream sandwiches for an afternoon snack.

I found a pan that would make the sandwich part of the ice cream sandwich at Target the other day.  It was such a great deal that I thought I would give it a try.

ice cream sandwiches

6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

6 tbsp cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp water

ice cream and sprinkles if desired.

directions

Heat oven 375F.  Grease pan.  combine butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat at medium speed until creamy.  Add egg yolk and vanilla, beating until well mixed.  In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.  Set mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients to butter and sugar, beating until dough forms, adding water to help it combine.

    

Press 1 packed, level tbsp of dough into each pan cavity.  Press top with back of spoon to smooth.  Bake 10 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack 5 minutes, then invert pan to place approximately 1/4 cup slightly softened ice cream between two cookies.  Roll in candy sprinkles if desired.  Freeze individual sandwiches on plate or cookie sheet 30 minutes.

The cookies turned out firm and not very sweet and since it was refrozen, it was a little too hard for my kiddos.  I should have served them right away after adding ice cream.

Not every recipe is a winner and this was one of them.  Although more than half of every sandwich was eaten, I didn't get the "Mom, you have to make this again!" cheer.  If I make these cookies again, I'd add a little more sugar and serve them right from the oven.  It wasn't all a disappointment.  After all, there was ice cream involved and with that are always smiles.

Rain Check puh leese

The majority of the time I am shopping, the sale item I want is on the shelf or another store has it so its a rarity that I request a rain check.  When an item is sold out at the store, you can oftentimes request a rain check which is a slip that promises you the sale price when it is restocked.  I have never redeemed the few rain checks that I have requested, except for today.

Last month, Target had Oral-B replacement heads on sale for $3.00.  That is a phenomenal deal since the store sells it regularly for $31.29.  Yes, you read that correct.  That's an enormous price difference.  The deal was too good to be true so it was sold out everywhere.  I gave up and requested a rain check.  

They finally restocked the shelves this week so I used my rain check to cash in on my deal.  It was such a cinch.  Purchase the item, show them your rain check receipt, instant savings!

I had a rain check for 5 3-packs.  Instead of spending $169.36 (cost with tax), I only paid $15.43.  I ended up paying only $2.75 for each pack since I have a Target Visa card.  This is a perfect example of how a rain check can save you a whole lotta money.

Now you must be thinking the replacement heads price is insane.  I generally do not buy them at Target, but rather at Costco since they are about $36.99 for a 7 pack.  Generally twice a year, they'll also have a $7 coupon bringing it down to $29.99.  Each toothbrush head comes out to about $4.28 which is a lot cheaper than Target's price of $10.43, but it certainly doesn't top my rain check price of only 92 cents each.  Crazy huh?  Let's just say I'll be smiling every time I brush my teeth now :)

Making Photo Valentine Cards

I've been making photo valentine cards for the past three years so I thought this year I would try something different.  I found a how-to on some super hero lollipops that I planned on making, but when I checked to see if I had the fabric, I didn't have the color felt I wanted and Hobby Lobby was closed so I decided I'd go back to the cards that I made a few years back.

 

I wanted an outside shot because of the lighting.  Of course, the sun was so harsh I told E. to stand in front of the fence which provided about 2 feet of shade.  Here's the original image of E. holding out his hand to which a lollipop will be inserted later.  I made sure to have him off centered so that I could add wording.

For a vintage feel, I added an aged photo filter to the image.

I then changed the exposure of the image and added more contrast so that E.'s face wouldn't be so washed out.

For that extra something, I added a simple vignette to the photo. 

I added a few words, cut out a slit on the top and bottom of his hands and voila I've got a cute photo Valentine's Day card.

 

Cute huh?  I love the way the hand pops out.  I've come a long way from the photo card I made a few years back.

What's better than having totally unique cards?  It took me 15 minutes to make (from the time I shot the picture to the time I had it printed) AND it ended up costing LESS than the store bought cards.  Double win!

I know I reused this idea of mine, but I did check my kids class roster to make sure none of the kids were in his class a few years back.  We're good to go.  :)

Under the Sink Curtains

My sister is currently renovating her kitchen.  Although she still has a few things to tackle, she is hosting our book club meet this week so as a temporary solution to the hole underneath the sink, she asked me to sew her a curtain.  She replaced her sink with a farmhouse sink so in doing so, the doors no longer fit.

 

Instead of leaving an empty space for all to see her garbage disposal, I made her something to cover it up.  Since her cabinets are white, I decided that a big graphic print like this black and white damask would be perfect.  To tie in the teal curtains she has in the living room and kitchen walls, I added a little trim.

Even though this curtain would be under the sink, I did not want to show any seams or stitching.  First I sewed the trim onto the fabric.  Then I folded the top of the fabric down to cover the seam and I pressed in place. 

I made a simple pocket hole on the top so the curtain rod could be inserted through and I sewed a 3 inch bottom hem with a blind stitch so no thread would be seen.

Here's the lovely hole under the sink.  Its a little site for sore eyes, isn't it?

Right underneath is a tension rod to hold up the curtain.

I slipped the curtain in and voila, no more hole.

 

I think it is adorable. I love the detail and the extra layer with trim.

The kitchen is now ready for our little get together.

More details on her kitchen still to come :)