Brandy Apple Bars

 The Creative Cookie Exchange theme this month is apples.  I don't usually think about apples and cookies together.  Apple pie- yes.  Apple bread- yes.  Apple cake- yes.  Apple cookies -no. 

So, I had to think about this a bit and do some experimenting.  My first experiment was an apple caramel cookie.  I didn't really like it very much.  It was a little bland and the caramel in the middle didn't really work as I had envisioned.

Apple Bars seemed like a do-able project so I experimented with that and came up with this recipe. 

I Got Nothing

I got nothing.  Nothing to give.

Do you ever have days like that?

Family Favorites Friday: Cheater Enchiladas

Call me lazy or call me efficient, but any recipe with repetitive steps needs to be stream-lined.  Getting rid of the rolling up of tortillas was the impetus for creating 'cheater' enchiladas.  You get the same flavor and look without the time consuming task of filling and rolling 18 - 24 tortillas.  Anybody agree this is more efficient?

My family loves the enchilada sauce that goes with this recipe. 

5 Children's Books You Should Read

 

 I read many, many books to my children.  Some of the books we owned, some we checked out from the church library or the public library, and some were from my husband’s childhood.  While we read many of the classic favorites, there are some that are not as well known that I 
 think you and your children would enjoy.

The Secret to Winning the BEST Award

The Only Way to Win the BEST Award

The year our BEST Robotics team (Texoma Home Educators- T.H.E. BEST - the acronym worked out nicely!) placed 4th in the BEST Award on the hub level, and the 1st-3rd place teams advanced to Texas BEST, we decided to study what it takes to win the BEST Award.  

Our family, along with another team family, attended Texas BEST in College Station.  We studied the displays and notebooks and talked to the winning teams.  My husband, the engineer, made some very good observations.  We put his observations into practice and won the BEST Award at the hub level for the next 4 (or more) years.  We also placed in the top 3 at Texas BEST during those years.

Family Favorites Friday: Perfect Microwave Coconut Pie

Perfect Microwave Coconut Pie

Fundraiser Recipe

I mentioned earlier this week that our robotics team held a fundraiser to be able to purchase motors, remote control, and electronics to enable our robot to run year round, since at the end of the competition all those items are returned to the sponsoring hub.  

A friend gave me this (secret) recipe that she had used to raise funds for her children's activities. 

10 Reasons to Participate in BEST Robotics

BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology) Robotics  is a middle and high school robotics competition that was begun in 1993 by two Texas Instruments engineers in North Texas (that's where I live - they are great guys).