Salted Nut Rolls

Last night, I attempted to make a Salted Nut Roll. I love the Pearson's Salted Nut Rolls, but there is nothing like a homemade one.

When I was in elementary school, my family won a salted nut roll at a school fundraiser - I will never forget it. The thing was gigantic, and lasted for months in the freezer. So I thought it would be fun to make one for Christmas this year. My first attempt was not too successful - my brother-in-law thought it looked like a pork tenderloin. I rushed it and didn't wait for the caramel to cool, so follow the directions!

Recipe:
SALTED NUT ROLL
Printed from COOKS.COM

2 tbsp. butter
5 oz. marshmallows
1 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. chopped salted peanuts
7 oz. caramels
1 tbsp. water

Melt 1 tablespoon butter; add marshmallows, stirring until melted. Beat in enough powdered sugar to make mixture workable to knead; knead until smooth. Add vanilla and 1/2 cup peanuts. Knead, using remaining sugar, until smooth. Shape into a 12 inch roll.

On a piece of plastic wrap place remaining nuts in a 12x4 inch rectangle. Melt caramels with 1 tablespoon butter and water. Pour over peanuts, spreading with knife dipped in hot water. When cool, place marshmallow roll in center. Using the plastic wrap, lift caramel around marshmallow center and seal edges. Press peanuts carefully into caramel. refrigerate; slice when ready to serve.

This is why i love music

Yesterday was a tough day, probably one of the most challenging in my career. I spent 15 hours at the office, and probably could have stayed another 5 just to make a dent in my to-do list. I was on the verge of melt-down by the time I got to my car in the (empty) parking ramp. I turned on my car and the song "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter was playing. It was perfect timing. I don't particularly love that song, but it just was the perfect end to my crappy day and made me laugh. I love how perfectly timed songs can change your mood.

So this morning, I was convinced that today had to better than yesterday, so I was in search of the perfect song to get me going on my drive in this morning. I couldn't help but giggle (and sing along) as "Shake Your Money Maker" by Ludacris started playing. There are some quality lines in that song and now it will be stuck in my head all day. I'll be shaking it all around the office today - ha ha.

I hope that all of you have a good day too.

Well, we are trying out the Christmas tree and puppy combination....so far it's been working. Murphy has tried to eat the tree and lights but I think she figured out pretty quickly that it didn't taste good. So we have strategically kept the ornaments away from where she can reach them and it seems to be working!

She does like to lie under the tree with her bones and hang out, it's pretty cute!

Although the tree isn't as fully decorated as usual, I still love it!

Fun Weekend!!

Here is a recap of a super fun weekend with friends:

Friday night was our Bennie's Holiday party - the friends from college get together with great food and we exchange gifts. Mindy always does a great job of decorating their home for the holidays!!

Saturday, I went to the No Coast Craft-O-Rama at the Midtown Global Market. It was a great craft fair. I did pick up a really cute gift for a friend, but I can't show it to you because it would ruin the surprise! It made me want to learn how to sew...we'll see if that happens.

Saturday evening was a birthday party for Jaime and Amy at the 508 bar downtown. It was such a fun night! Happy 30th Amy & Jaime!!!

I also had a fun surprise, I ran into my good friend Ben whom I haven't seen in ages! This is our prom pose:

And we spent the rest of the evening dancing, even though we were about 100 years older than everyone else there!!

We finished the weekend with my company's holiday party at Bar Lurcat. The food was fantastic and it was just a really special evening. Aaron decided to have a Michael Jackson dance-off with a co-worker's spouse...it's hard to say who won!

Much happier

I had to make some layout and color changes to this space, as I just figured out how to do that a little bit better. Hmmm, I like it.

Neon Tiger

Most of the people that might be reading this post know how much I LOVE The Killers. I was so excited to finally download the new album Day & Age last week and I have been listening to it non stop. My favorite song right now is "Neon Tiger"...because really, it's a pretty cool name for a song.

So the countdown begins for their concert on January 19th - only 46 days to go until I get to see Brandon Flowers in all his cuteness. Oh yeah, he's a really good musician too!

Click here to watch a fun video performance of The Killers covering "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."

Please download the album - you will not be disappointed. Unless, of course, you dislike The Killers...then it would be a major waste of money.

Post-Thanksgiving Stress Disorder

A new version of PSD - PTSD is a condition that appears when you recognize that it's already December and you have no idea where the previous 335 days of the year have gone. Symptoms include frantic holiday shopping, cramming way too many activities in each weekend, and potential weight gain from Mom's baked goods.

I've found that 2-3 glasses of wine tends to be a good home remedy.

Happy Holidays.