Caught; Red handed!

Well, Plum Wine handed (and faced), to be precise.

What's worse than one toddler who gets into your lipstick?

Two toddlers who conspire and paint each other.

I must admit boys, I'm flattered that you want to be just like Mommy.

But is that really how Mommy looks when she puts on her make-up???

Perhaps it's time for a professional make-up consultation...

As soon as I finish cleaning the lipstick off of the kitchen floor!

p.s.-note how remorseful they look that they destroyed my favorite lipstick☺

Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

Spicy...

or Sweet???

Looking for a great treat?  These are quick, easy and sure to impress!

I usually make these for Christmas giving...but there must be a Valentine out there that deserves some of this deliciousness!

Spice things up a bit by topping a sweet and salty chocolate covered pretzel with just a touch of fiery cayenne!

Wait a minute.  Did she say cayenne?
As in "burn my mouth off Cayenne Pepper?"  
On candy?!?!?
Yup, that's right!  Just a touch of cayenne adds a warmth and complexity to the chocolate that will bring rave reviews, without singeing any tongues.
Not ready for such culinary daring?   

Keep it sweet with fun sprinkles!

What you need:

Bag of mini pretzels (I find Snyder of Hanover to have very few broken pretzels in their bags!)
Chocolate candy melts (I prefer Wilton Dark Cocoa)
Cayenne pepper and/or sprinkles

Tip: have everything set up and on hand so that once your chocolate is melted, you can proceed without interruption.



Get your pretzels ready by sorting out any broken pieces.  Lay out either waxed paper or aluminum foil to place the pretzels on after dipping (on a baking sheet if they will need to be moved before the chocolate sets).  


Melt the chocolate melts in a microwave safe bowl by following the package directions for your melts.  (I melt Wilton melts *always on 50% power* for 1 minute then mix, 30 seconds then mix, 20 seconds then mix, then in 10 second increments until chocolate is mostly smooth with a few lumps.  The warm chocolate will melt the lumps as you mix it.)  
Continue to mix until chocolate is smooth and shiny. Like this:

Dip each pretzel into the chocolate.  I use one of the top "loops" as a handle.  Let any extra chocolate drip off, sometimes a little gentle shaking encourages those drips to fall.

Spicy: Lay the pretzel on the foil.   After dipping 3 pretzels, sprinkle lightly with cayenne pepper.  Continue dipping in sets of 3 (so the chocolate doesn't set before you sprinkle the cayenne.)

You may have to remelt the chocolate if it starts to get clumpy or thick.  Remelt for 10 seconds on 50% power mix, repeat if necessary.
Let pretzels sit until chocolate has set (usually 5-10 minutes).  
Always taste test before sharing...just to make sure you weren't too generous with the cayenne!


Sweet: After dipping in the chocolate, dip each pretzel into sprinkles.

Lay each sprinkled pretzel on the foil and allow to set.

Stand guard to keep pretzel thieves away...

at least until the chocolate sets!

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TUTORIAL: Finishing and securing a magic crochet ring

When finishing a piece, I always hide any ends using a tapestry needle.  I love neatly finished crochet when you can't tell where things are joined or where the stitching began or ended.  With a magic circle, I prefer to secure the tail before hiding it, to ensure that there will be no unraveling.  
Here is how I do it:
Working on the back (or inside) of the piece, I push my crochet hook under the stitch just to the right of the tail.

Hook the tail and pull through to form a loop.

Work a slip stitch and pull the tail all the way through.

Tighten this stitch and your magic ring is secure.  You can then use a tapestry need to hide the tail.

Magical and secure.  Tidy on the back or inside...

as well as on the front or outside!