Deliciously Dipped

Dang, a day late and a dollar short for my Recipe Monday. But, here I am on Tuesday bringing you the winner of our big dilemma of what Valentine treat little man and I would make (ha!) ... we pulled the trigger and committed to white chocolate dipped/sprinkle coated rice crispy bites. They were so easy and so yummy! And, obviously can be easily updated for any holiday. Plus, who doesn't love good ole' Rice Crispy Treats?!

White Chocolate Dipped Rice Crispy Bites

Here's our entire cast of lovers. So simply sweet. 

Start by melting 3.5 tablespoons of salted butter in a sauce pan on low.

Next, add 5 cups of mini marshmallows and things heat up between those two lovers.

While they're hanging out and getting to know one another, pour 6 cups of those Snap! Crackle! POP! Rice Krispy treats into a large bowl.

Turn around and continue chaperoning dem' mallows and butter. Continue stirring and stirring and stirring and let that butter coat them little cuties.

Keep on stirring while they get to know each other better. Yum.

Let the little one tugging on your leg tastes what's up (and if he's still wearing his Christmas PJ's in February ... just pretend you don't notice).

And when he gets super excited because they've gotten along so well, you can kindly agree that they're ready to meet a new friend.  They should be almost smooth, but still a little lumpy. Ahh, I want to jump inside that pan and swim around. But that would probably be really sticky, and I would regret it later when I was washing my hair.

They're ready to make a new friend ... so let's introduce that butter and mallow duo to an edgier cereal.

And stir them around so they can get to know each other even better. There's just so much friendliness here to day :)

Now pour them into a greased 9x13 pan and pack them in nice and tight. Tip: I spray the edge of my silicone spatula with baking spray and pack them down to avoid sticking.

Tip: I spray the edge of my silicone spatula with baking spray and pack them down to avoid sticking.

Let the treats sit and cool in the pan for 45 minutes or longer if you have time. Find things to do while you wait. Fold some laundry, read more of my blog posts, watch the Bachelor, let little man taste test the ones you set aside :).

Or follow him around with a camera to try and capture the terribly hard to accomplish toddler playing photo.

Once they've cooled, and you've had all of the train playing you can stand. Cut the treats into 1-inch squares.

Now comes the fun part ... EMBELLISH those cuties!  Melt your chocolate dip (I used Vanilla Candiquick) and get your sprinkles ready.

Enlist some help from your tiniest helper rocking his "HoHo" jammies LIKE A BOSS and dip those little morsels.

Once he's eaten enough white chocolate, made a colossal mess and is ready for his afternoon nap; you can lay him down and then hurriedly rush back into the kitchen to step in and complete the treats as you originally imagined.

Douse that puppy in sprinkles, because well ... Adorable and pink and red and Valentine's Day.

Then finish them all up, try not to eat so many your stomach hurts (whoops!) and package them up so little man can wake up and have the most delicious afternoon snack!

You can add lollipop sticks if you want, but they are perfectly delicious as bites as well.

Happy Love week to all. Enjoy!

Confessional Friday: Cozy, Cutesy, Change and Target

It's been a big week around here folks. A big week in the sense that our daily routine consists of Googling how in the world we get to Target, taking drives to see what homes are sale, becoming an official Nashville Mommy complete with some big changes (hehe, see below) and trying out all the nearest restaurants to find a favorite. Big week I tell ya :)  So let's get right down to it!

Time for a little Confessional Friday Action. 

I confess ... I haven't really moved THAT far away, but for some reason I'm craving sweet tea like it's the first time I've ever been to a restaurant that actually serves it. When in reality, I've always lived far enough past the southern line where sweet and unsweetened tea is most ALWAYS an option. Nevertheless, I was craving it so bad the other night I went ahead and made myself some. 

I followed this recipe: 

1. Boil four cups water
2. Once water begins to boil, remove from heat. Add 6 single serving Lipton Tea Bags. Cover and let step 10-15 minutes.
• Note: If you want or need decaf tea, you can buy decaf tea bags or simply decaffeinate regular tea. To accomplish this, boil two pots of water. Steep the tea bags for less than a minute in the first pot of water. Remove the bags and discard the water. Steep the tea bags in the second pot of water as normal. The result is 90-95% caffeine free tea. Cool huh?!
3. While the tea is brewing, make a batch of simple syrup. Dissolve one or more cups of sugar in three cups of hot tap water for a gallon of sweet tea (one is plenty sweet for me, but if you like it sweeter, add that sugar baby). Stir until the water is clear. Pre-dissolving prevents that glob of sugar from settling in the bottom of your pitcher. Whoever gets the last glass will greatly appreciate you for this added step.
4. Once the tea steeps long enough to reach your desired strength, pour it and your simple syrup into a pitcher. Stir the tea and syrup gently, adding enough water to make a full gallon. Taste test for sweetness and add more sugar, if needed. Cover and let stand until the tea reaches room temperature. 
• While it's tempting ... don’t just add ice and throw it in the fridge, this can make for cloudy tea that sours quickly. 
5. ENJOY!

I confess ... That my child is also jumping on the band wagon and sneaking some for himself. Although he refers to it as "teet". And only gets a few sips because Lord knows that child does NOT need additional sugar or caffeine in his diet! HA!

Cozy Momma: Tunic | Sleep Tee | Pajama Pant | Pajama Legging
Cozy Home: Coral Blanket | Sweater Knit Blanket
Cutesy Toddler: Mickey Sneakers | Toddler Hoodie
Cutesy Accents: Accent Pillow | Dachshund Bookend | & Accent Pillow

I confess ... My obsession for Gilligan & O'malley started post pregnancy when I randomly purchased a pair of their jersey knit lounge pants. While perusing the aisles of Target yesterday, I stumbled upon some other fabulous goodies that I want NEED in my wardrobe. I may have found some other phenomonal items I also wanted to share. Ahem, the Mickey Mouse shoes - STOP. That little toddler jacket for your mini! SHEW!  The dachshund book ends!  The quilted soft blanket. You win again Target. You win AGAIN.

I confess ... Some BIIIGGG changes took place this week. I took the plunge and changed both my preset radio stations annnnnd my car's clock. This is a big deal people. I made a funny little noise when I finally pulled the trigger. Sigh, why am I so dramatic?! 

I confess ... Those pictures make me realize how desperately I need to get my car detailed. Sorry you had to witness that. 

I confess ... I'm so glad I'm finally getting around to recap ya'll on the Australia trip. It's a big weight lifted. Hehe.

I confess ... I'm still torn on what sweet treat baby B and I will be making next week. Right now I'm thinking the wafers or the rice krispy treats for no reason other than ease. That's a valid enough reason right?

I confess ... My stomach is still in knots from last night's Scandal episode. Our girl Shonda is doing an EXCELLENT job with this season, I can't get enough!  

Alright kids, I'm signing off until Monday. We've got a fun weekend planned for our first official weekend as a family living in Nashville (since Shane left us for the Super Bowl last weekend, hmph). Plus, the weather is supposed to be SUPERB and we've got some visitors coming Sunday, so color me excited!

Hope you lovelies have a great weekend as well!  Until then, #SAVEOLIVIA (Scandal shout out for those of you that aren't watching). Toodles!

Australia: Cairns

Happy Hump Day everybody!  I'm back with more Australia today … woot woot :)  In my Australia recap launch Monday I forgot to forewarn everyone of the MASSIVE photo overload and the fact that these posts will be extraordinarily long. Sorry bout that friends … but I like pictures and have a lot to share, there just ain't no two ways about it. And, that brings us to Cairns. 

Originally, I posted here about the layout of the trip and familiarized you with maps, etc. Only to get to Australia and realize I was wrong about the order of the cities we were visiting … whoopsie!  Our first adventure was North Queensland, Australia. We stayed in Cairns and rented a car, so we were able to travel easily to and fro to the surrounding beaches/islands, etc. 

Friday, December 19

We arrived around 4 pm. on December 19th, checked into our hotel and headed straight to dinner so we wouldn't crash!  Immediately after dinner we headed back to the hotel, showered up and snoozed off the rest of the eve, in hopes of waking up refreshed!

Saturday, December 20

The next morning we had an early wake up call to head to Port Douglas for a full day of a chartered catamaran snorkeling/diving the Great Barrier Reef. (We actually have SO many more pictures than just this one below, and they are SOO GOOD …  but my mother is currently hoarding the images on her camera after I have asked her countless times to get them to me …  so I'll show you this one until she decides to share with everyone else … I wrote this because I know you're reading mom ...).  It was GORGEOUS. We saw whales (from the boat!), caught some rays (from the sun!), and I made my baby bro hold my hand the entire time I was in the ocean (because I'm a scardey cat!).  We finished off the evening with some Chinese food for dinner at the hotel (where my child actually ordered a Coke from the waitress … God love him) and called it a night early. It was a great start to the trip!

Sunday, December 21

Day Two in Cairns was another early morning (jet lag…).  We snagged some breakfast from a Restaurant in the hotel, Taramind, where Bennett decided to make it his mission to see how many cocoa pebbles he could spill. And mom and I finished off an entire pot of french press coffee.  After that, we piled into the rental van (which could fit a small army) and headed to Innisfail, South Queensland.

First stop: Paronella Park! (again, we have way better and more cool pics - that include everyone and are really fun … but Penny hasn't shared yet :( …  last time I'll mention it, but you get the idea) It was ridiculously HOT and even more gorgeous.

Side comment: Shane and I are big sushi lovers, so you can imagine our excitement when we saw this:

Ya'll that is GINGER! Before blooming (above) and after (below).

Am I the only one who didn't know it was that gorgeous!?

Okay, back to the picturesque park. This is the swinging bridge that stretches over an enormous waterfall. We had to walk down the historic 47 steps to get into the gardens and then back up them to walk across the swinging bridge. 

Mrs. Penny :) (I'm certain she was screaming .. she's afraid of heights) But mad props to her .. she went SKY DIVING in New Zealand! Sheesh!

Hubs and Moi!

Paronella Park was seriously gorgeous. Beautiful trees, pretty waterfalls, historic buildings, magical gardens … you name it … it was here. I'm unsure why this park hasn't been the setting for a movie, because it was a beautiful set!

After Paronella we piled back into the car and headed to Millaa Millaa, Australia's Tropical Dairyland. We had some burgers for lunch in the tiniest little town, and let mister B take a break from the car to play on the playground in the middle of the city (or street rather).  After that it was waterfall time!

First falls: Millaa Milla Falls

Second falls: Zillions Falls

Third falls: Ellinjaa Falls (and the 68 steps up and down that it took to get there)

Insert adorable entire family photo and sibling pic here (oh wait … Penny didn't send me the photos)

After we were water-falled out, we were headed back to Cairns. On the drive home dad made an impromptu turn to see something called the "Cathedral Fig Tree" … Yawwwwn. We were all half laughing and making fun of him … "really dad?! … a tree? … can we just head back?"

Holy insert foot in mouth moment. We climbed out of the car and were walking along this little trail when all of a sudden Max says, "OH MY AWESOME!"  We all look up … hum, woah. WOW! Amazzzzinnnngggg. 

I've never felt smaller while standing in nature than that moment in the Danbulla Forest under the beautiful Cathedral Fig Tree. 

Honestly, pictures don't even come CLOSE to giving it justice. 

Max, Shane and I climbed up in that bad boy (ahem, picture on mom's camera) only to learn after we got down that the tree is home to 10 FOOT PYTHONS! BAHHHH!!!

Our drive home took place down the Gillies Range - the windiest road in all of Australia. Thank goodness that is done and over with! Although, it did make for some hysterical laughter and gorgeous views.

 After we got home that evening, we meandered through the city and the openaire markets and finished off the day with some good ole' Italian food.

Oh, and some Kangaroo Jerky. GROSS!

 On the walk home, we made funny faces ...

 Tried to feel Christmassy in the heat.

 Held the world's teensy tiniest Ugg boot ...

 And took a picture with a Kangaroo. Goodnight!

Monday, December 22

The next morning we woke up to another beautiful day and had the most delicious breakfast at (what ended up being Shane's favorite restaurant) Perrottas, on the corner of Shield St.  and Abbott St.

After breakfast, we took baby Bennett to play around in the lagoon pool on the Esplanade

After the swimming-scapades we went to meet Marco, the Koala bear :)

 And little man took a little tiger snooze.

 Jet lag was starting to set in and we spent the rest of the day hangin' at the pool and relaxing. And playing with our fatheads. Hehe.

The night was winding down, and we were all hanging by the pool as the sun was going down .. when ya'll I swear 02934092384209348029348 bats flew over our heads for what seemed like an hour. Craziest thing, EVER.

 Later, we headed to dinner at Barnacle Bills.

 And Max ordered Kangaroo, GASP!

 So. Weird.

 But, he ate it.

 And we washed it down with cute Koala chocolates, so it made it all okay.

Tuesday, December 23

Our last morning in Cairns we headed straight to Perrotta's again, per Shane's request.

 And ordered the chocolate filled deliciousness because, Australia.

And before heading to the airport to board our 12:30pm flight to Melbourne, we posed for a pic with our Koala friend, Pavlova.

Cheers to Cairns,  a great kick-off to the trip, and quite possibly the longest post I've ever written … until I recap Melbourne and Sydney, HA!