Amazon Magazine Deals: Get One Year of Real Simple for $5!

I love reading magazines but they can be so expensive if you buy them one at a time. Here is a great deal on some fun magazines.

Starting Thanksgiving Day through 12/1, Amazon is dropping the magazine subscription price for 10 popular magazines to just $5, including Real Simple, Travel + Leisure and House Beautiful. Here is the full list of magazines you can get for just $5.

Cosmopolitan

Food & Wine

House Beautiful

People StyleWatch

Popular Science

Real Simple

Sports Illustrated for Kids

SmartMoney

Southern Living

Travel + Leisure

Thanks Coupon Cravings!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I thought Id share one of my favorite recipes. Its called Sweet Potato Casserole - catchy isnt it :) It is something I make every year becuse it is oh so yummy! And for all your marshmallow haters out there (Steve) this has NO marshmallows, though there is absolutly nothing bad about them. Its like saying you hate big white fluffy clouds of delishousness. Sorry, I got a little off track. So here it is the wonderful side dish (dessert):

Sweet Potato Casserole
About 4 medium Sweet Potatoes/yams (I know theres a difference - use what you like :) boiled/rosted & mashed
3/4 Stick butter (melted)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 C. evaporated milk
1 C sugar

Mix all of the above ingredients together. Poor into your favorite casserole dish. Try to make sure once its pored into your dish it is no more than 3 inches high so that it will bake through, bake for 25 minutes at 400. Put topping on and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Topping
1 C crushed cornflakes
1/2 C chopped walnuts
1/2 C brown sugar
3/4 stick butter (melted)

Enjoy!

New Bib and Washcloth Designs

I was at the fabric store the other day and found a fat quarter set of Michael Miller's Dick and Jane series. I just love the retro inspired fabrics and reminds me of my childhood books. Books that were handed down to me that is :) Anyway, I had lots of fun making my new bibs and washcloths for my Etsy shop http://www.sweetdecember.etsy.com/

Great Giveaway Opportunity

I just found this great blog today! I'm always looking for other great blogs especially if they are by moms like me :) I'm sad that I just found it today because the giveaway ends today so you have to act fast. But I am oh so happy that I found the good information that she provides. I will definitely be visiting her blog often. The giveaway is for a Kolcraft Contours Options Tandem Stroller . Read A Mom's Balancing Act for all the details and for other great ideas.

Mandy's Orange Spice Tea

The Fall Season is fast approaching! Today it was a little cooler so I lit a candle that smells like mulled cider and I knew what I had to do tonight. Make Mandy's Orange Spice Tea. Mandy is my dear friend and former college roommate. Our first year in college I went home with her during Christmas break and she made this drink for me to try. I'm sure its not an original and most of you have a recipe like this that you whip up during the cool winter nights but this is special to me. Not for the ingredients but for what it makes me remember. True friendship, ah because I have to call her every year to get the recipe! What patience on her part. Last year I some how manged to hang on to it. Thanks Mandy!

Here is the recipe. The measurements are not exact so you can play with it to make it to your own taste.

Fill a medium sized pot with water and bring to a boil

Add 4 - 6 tea bags. (I use 6 but Mandy said 4 :) It depends on how strong you like your tea.

1 Cinnamon Stick

1 tsp. Whole Cloves

Dash of Allspice (my addition)

A little tip, instead of straining all the cloves out I use a loose leaf tea strainer.

Remove from heat and let sit for about 15 min. Then, take out teabags, cloves and Cinnamon stick.

Add

1/2 a can of Orange Juice Concentrate

1/2 cup Sugar - add more to taste

Return the pan to the stove to heat as the frozen concentrate cools it down a lot. Warm up and enjoy!

My favorite mug right now is the one from my last adventure at the Oregon Garden Brewfest. Using this cup makes me think I should add a little Grand Marnier next time after the kids go to bed :)

Baby Kimono

It seems like I have hit the stage in my life where all of my friends are having babies. I wanted to start giving gifts that were a little more personal than a store bought gift. I was so excited when I found a book the other day called Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. It is full of great sewing projects and the really can be done in a weekend. In fact, I made this cute baby kimono in one evening. I can't wait to try a few more of her projects.

Dulce de Leche Brownies

Today I had a hankern' for something sweet and brownies are usually a good fix for that. Especially since I have about 10 boxes in my pantry from the last time a really good sale hit at the grocery store. But this time I though Id make them a little more calorie laden. So I added a can of yummy deliciousness to it. Okay, its really a can of Nestle's La Lechera Dulce de Leche. I saw it in the ethnic foods area in the store and thought I would see what it was like. I'm sure I could sit down with this and a spoon and send myself right into a sugar coma its so good. But for the sake of having something to blog about I added it to my brownie mix. This is such a simple treat to make and it is sooooo good. I'm sure that it would be even better with brownies from scratch and even homemade Dulce de Leche. However, I have two small children and little time on my hands. I made this batch while my son took his morning nap and let my daughter help mix up the batter. If you want something yummy to eat and don't have a lot of time give this a try!

Gather the supplies

The Dulce de Leche was a lot thicker than I thought it would be.

I put it into a baggie to make it easier to handle. Just snip the end off and its easy to pipe on to the brownies.

Now that I have added the Dulce de Leche I drag a skewer through the lines.

Go in opposite directions to create the pattern.

Now they are ready to go into the oven.

Here they are! The hardest part is waiting for them to cool enough to eat.